1. I learned a lot about political science in class. I think we were very lucky to have an election going on during this class because it definitely got me involved in politics and made the class interesting and fun. This class was really thought-provoking and it helped me to develop my opinions and thoughts on many political issues. I also learned about how propaganda's used in elections, and it made me really think about the commercials and other things that I saw on TV.
2. I learned a lot of "portable skills" this semester. I never had a blog before until now so that could definitely be helpful in the future. I also learned about that website that puts together pictures into videos. I learned a lot of things on the computer and internet that will be useful.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, November 10, 2008
The 2008 Presidential Election
The 2008 Presidential Election was definitely one of the most unique elections America has seen thus far. Personally, I am happy with the outcome of the election. I think that Barack Obama is the kind of person we need to lead this country through these tough times that we're experiencing right now.
This election was unique for a variety of different reasons. Many, many things impacted this election including the impact of the youth vote, media, and technology on the campaign as well as the impact on the global perception of the United States.
The youth vote and technology both had an extremely major impact on the 2008 Presidential Election. More people registered and voted in this election than ever before. A lot of these new voters were the young people of America who wanted to see change. Change is what Obama offered to them, and they felt very passionate about him which led many of them to vote in this election. Obama felt as though this election would attract many young voters because of the turmoil that America is in as of right now. He geared some of his campaign towards college students because he knew that they really, really wanted to see change. Many youths voted in this election, and it definitely made a difference. Technology held a major role in the election as well. The internet was a major tool used for campaigning as well as television. Everyone knows of Tina Fey's famous impression of Sarah Palin (YouTube video) because of her SNL skits. It came as a shock to me, but 10% of this nation's voters were influenced by the silly skits. I'm very surprised by this. I think that people should base their vote off of each candidate's background, not an SNL skit. The skits play on comedy central and can easily be looked up on YouTube by anyone who's interested. This is due to the technological advances over the last few years. Between TV Campaign ads, radio ads, SNL skits, podcasts, YouTube videos, and other forms of media and techonology, it's easy to get caught up in the superficial aspects of the campaign. People were definitely heavily influenced and impaced due to the technology used in this election.
The outcome of the 2008 Presidential Election has without a doubt impacted the global perception of the United States of America. Many nations across the world are extremely happy with Obama's victory, especially Africa. Even in the Middle East, everyone seems to be really excited. I think at this point, many countries feel as though anyone is better than George W. Bush. I think this will really help our country out because the world is really happy with our new president. This should make dealing with other nations much easier. People all over the world are excited to give Barack Obama a chance, and I think that this can turn out to be a really good thing of Obama does a good job in office. Literally, almost all of the major countries and nations in this world are very positive and hopeful about our new President. In particular, France commended America's choice of "change, openness, and optimism." I just think that everyone in this world is ready to see a change, and a lot of people all over have hope and faith in Obama that he will bring it.
This presidential election was very intresting and unique compared to the ones before it. So many people got involved and voted, especially youths. This impacted the election greatly because so many people voted that didn't in previous elections. Technology also had a major impact on the election because so many people were influenced by all of the different ads on TV, on the radio, and on the internet. Lastly, the results of this election definitely have an impact on the global perception of the United States. Many nations are beyond happy that Obama was elected.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Blog Post #4
There was a ton of new stuff posted over this past week on the political blog that I'm following. As you already know, this blog is all about following the media and different sites, TV channels, and radio stations. There's not much about the actual politics themselves; there's just more information about how the media portrays the candidates, the political parties, and the debates. Michael Calderone updates his blog several times through out the day so there's a ton of new stuff on there. I decided to focus on his posts over the last few days (10/14, 10/15, 10/16).
Last night, after the debate, there were many new updates on Calderone's blog. Many feel as though Obama won the debate last night hands-down. On Fox, Frank Lunster (Fox's pollster) asked everyone at Fox who they thought wont he debate. An over-whelming majority believed that Barack Obama was the clear winner. I'm going to have to agree. Obama has a presense and ease about him that is easy to listen to and follow. He didn't get worked up. I feel like McCain, on the other hand, was tense and angered throughout the debate. I think that Obama won the debate, and Calderone posted about how many others in the media feel the same way.
Today, Calderone posted an update entitled "Obama v. Fox."
He says, "Barack Obama's swinging back at Fox News."
I was very unaware of the fact that Barack Obama feels as though he is negatively portrayed on the Fox News station. Apparently, people have been falsely stating that Obama voted for a tax increase for those in America who make under $50,000. This is untrue, and Obama was very upset about it, rightfully so. Last night during the debate, he said "even Fox news disputes it, and that doesn't happen very often when it comes to accusations about me." He's clearly taking a stab at Fox News when he says this because he's saying that normally, Fox doesn't dispute any false accusations about Obama. In this past Sunday's NY Times Magazine cover story, Obama brings up fox as well. He says:
"I am convinced that if there were no Fox News, I might be two or three points higher in the polls. If I were watching Fox News, I wouldn't vote for me, right? Because the way I'm portrayed 24/7 is as a freak! I'm a latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?"
Even Obama's communications director agrees that Fox really isn't very fair when talking about the candidates when he says "fair and admirable reporters at Fox are the exception rather than the rule." I think that America has to do their own research and become informed on their own. We can not always rely on the news channels to deliver us accurate information.
After Obama's comments towards Fox; they fired back:
Fox pretty much says that both Obama and McCain have complained about Fox, but they think that it's only because Fox asks tough questions and neither candidate can take the heat.
I think it is very interesting that Obama thinks that he would be a few points higher in the polls if it wasn't for Fox News! When I first read that, I wasn't sure if Fox News had that much of an impact or not, but after I thought about it I think that it really could. Think about it. Every single morning, afternoon, and evening; people are watching the news. Whether it be Fox or any other news station, people listen to, trust, and rely on the new channels. I think if Fox portrayed Obama in a negative way; people would start to look at him in a negative way. The media is extremely powerful, and it definitely comes into play when people decide who they are going to vote for.
I found these videos to be really surprising and worth watching. They're Fox News reports about Obama.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
VP Debate
I thought the Vice President debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden was pretty entertaining and interesting. There were three main issues discussed: the economy, the war in Iraq, and off-shore drilling for oil.
Clearly, there is currently a financial crisis in the USA. Biden and Palin both had different views and opinons on the crisis. Biden went against Bush at full force; he blamed Bush for this major financial crisis that is consuming America today. Palin, on the other hand, blamed the whole situation on Wall Street. She believes that this whole crisis is due to the selfish workers on Wall Street. Personally, I would have to say that I agree with both Biden and Palin. I think that George Bush waited way to long to take notice to this financial crisis. Now, it's too late to go back and fix anything, and we're being forced to put $7 billion back into the banking system. However, Palin has a point when she says the Wall Street workers were very greedy and selfish and kind of screwed over the banks in America by writing bad checks and paying themselves incredible amounts of money. I think both of the VP candidates made good points concerning this issue.
Another main issue discussed was the war in Iraq. Biden and Palin have very extremely different opinions on where the government should be putting their money when it comes to the war. Joe Biden thinks that the money should go towards rebuilding the nation, while Palin thinks that we should use the money to put even more troops in Iraq! Palin looks down upon Obama's yearning to meet with the president of Iran; she thinks it will be dangerous and that nothing good will come of it. Biden didn't really have that much to say in response. I believe that we should use the money to rebuild. I don't think that we should put any more money into sending more troops to Iraq. I don't think we should send any more troops to Iraq at all; I feel like it's time to pull them out. I do have to agree with Palin though when she says that meeting with the president of Iran is a bad idea. I think that would cause even more tension then there already is.
The last issue debated was off-shore drilling for oil. Palin thinks that we should most definitely drill offshore for oil to lower our dependency on other countries in the Middle East. Biden thinks that we should look for alternative energy sources so that we don't endanger the environment. I think that if we can find other sources, then that's great, but if not, I think that we should drill offshore because we can not go on being dependent on the Middle East for oil.
Overall, I thought that Biden won the debate. I think that Sarah Palin did much better then she was expected to which was great for her, but I still think Biden made better points. I really didn't like how Sarah was all smiles and winking at the camera. It's a debate not a beauty pageant. Sarah definitely got back some of her dignity during the debate, but overall, I think Biden was better.
Clearly, there is currently a financial crisis in the USA. Biden and Palin both had different views and opinons on the crisis. Biden went against Bush at full force; he blamed Bush for this major financial crisis that is consuming America today. Palin, on the other hand, blamed the whole situation on Wall Street. She believes that this whole crisis is due to the selfish workers on Wall Street. Personally, I would have to say that I agree with both Biden and Palin. I think that George Bush waited way to long to take notice to this financial crisis. Now, it's too late to go back and fix anything, and we're being forced to put $7 billion back into the banking system. However, Palin has a point when she says the Wall Street workers were very greedy and selfish and kind of screwed over the banks in America by writing bad checks and paying themselves incredible amounts of money. I think both of the VP candidates made good points concerning this issue.
Another main issue discussed was the war in Iraq. Biden and Palin have very extremely different opinions on where the government should be putting their money when it comes to the war. Joe Biden thinks that the money should go towards rebuilding the nation, while Palin thinks that we should use the money to put even more troops in Iraq! Palin looks down upon Obama's yearning to meet with the president of Iran; she thinks it will be dangerous and that nothing good will come of it. Biden didn't really have that much to say in response. I believe that we should use the money to rebuild. I don't think that we should put any more money into sending more troops to Iraq. I don't think we should send any more troops to Iraq at all; I feel like it's time to pull them out. I do have to agree with Palin though when she says that meeting with the president of Iran is a bad idea. I think that would cause even more tension then there already is.
The last issue debated was off-shore drilling for oil. Palin thinks that we should most definitely drill offshore for oil to lower our dependency on other countries in the Middle East. Biden thinks that we should look for alternative energy sources so that we don't endanger the environment. I think that if we can find other sources, then that's great, but if not, I think that we should drill offshore because we can not go on being dependent on the Middle East for oil.
Overall, I thought that Biden won the debate. I think that Sarah Palin did much better then she was expected to which was great for her, but I still think Biden made better points. I really didn't like how Sarah was all smiles and winking at the camera. It's a debate not a beauty pageant. Sarah definitely got back some of her dignity during the debate, but overall, I think Biden was better.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Political Blog
1. Media and the 2008 Election
My political blog has to do with media and the 2008 election. Clearly, media has become a huge part of this year's election. So far, I really like this blog. On the left hand side there are many links to different forms of media. Michael Calderone, the creator and author of this blog, analyzes these different forms. Examples include: NetWorks, New York Times, Magazines (People, Time, etc.), MSNBC, CNN, Debates, Fox News, etc. You can click on any of these forms of media and it will take you a different page which follows what that magazine or TV channel has said about the election.
2. This blog differs from other blogs I have looked at up until this point in that there is a lot here. There are tons of links, and at times, I find it kind of hard to follow. There's so much here that it's overwhelming. Also, I'm not really sure who the author of the blog (Michael Calderone) is. This blog has all of his opinions on it so I hope he's legit. At the same time, I really like this blog. Calderone incorporates a lot of YouTube videos of actual footage from channels like CNN and MSNBC. Then he gives his opinions on the broadcast and then you can comment on what you think. I think it's interactive and it definitely makes you think about how media affects the election.
3. There is an issue presented in this blog from September 15, 2008, and I found it pretty interesting. There is a YouTube video of a Fox News broadcast from Mr. Bennet, the editor of Atlantic magazine. He is very much against McCain. Apparently, he took a picture of McCain and then after he released it to the nation (on the front cover of Atlantic magazine); he bragged about how he manipulated the image. McCain's camp and all of his fans were furious. Bennet then apologizes on Fox, and says that the photographer will not get paid and the magazine is even looking into a lawsuit against him. Calderone puts the apology right into the blog for you to watch and then explains the issue underneath. He doesn't really give his opinion, just some background and facts.
I think that this is a perfect example of how the media uses propaganda to sway your opinion on the 2008 election. The media is a very powerful tool that can be kind of dangerous. It's great that we can stay informed with the media, but I think they take advantage of the new technology of today. I think that the media can be very unreliable sometimes and they turn issues into "he said" and "she said." I think this photographer is really dumb for doing what he did. Especially because he bragged about it. This just makes him look like a jerk. I think that the media can be extremely unreliable and we can't believe everything we hear or see.
My political blog has to do with media and the 2008 election. Clearly, media has become a huge part of this year's election. So far, I really like this blog. On the left hand side there are many links to different forms of media. Michael Calderone, the creator and author of this blog, analyzes these different forms. Examples include: NetWorks, New York Times, Magazines (People, Time, etc.), MSNBC, CNN, Debates, Fox News, etc. You can click on any of these forms of media and it will take you a different page which follows what that magazine or TV channel has said about the election.
2. This blog differs from other blogs I have looked at up until this point in that there is a lot here. There are tons of links, and at times, I find it kind of hard to follow. There's so much here that it's overwhelming. Also, I'm not really sure who the author of the blog (Michael Calderone) is. This blog has all of his opinions on it so I hope he's legit. At the same time, I really like this blog. Calderone incorporates a lot of YouTube videos of actual footage from channels like CNN and MSNBC. Then he gives his opinions on the broadcast and then you can comment on what you think. I think it's interactive and it definitely makes you think about how media affects the election.
3. There is an issue presented in this blog from September 15, 2008, and I found it pretty interesting. There is a YouTube video of a Fox News broadcast from Mr. Bennet, the editor of Atlantic magazine. He is very much against McCain. Apparently, he took a picture of McCain and then after he released it to the nation (on the front cover of Atlantic magazine); he bragged about how he manipulated the image. McCain's camp and all of his fans were furious. Bennet then apologizes on Fox, and says that the photographer will not get paid and the magazine is even looking into a lawsuit against him. Calderone puts the apology right into the blog for you to watch and then explains the issue underneath. He doesn't really give his opinion, just some background and facts.
I think that this is a perfect example of how the media uses propaganda to sway your opinion on the 2008 election. The media is a very powerful tool that can be kind of dangerous. It's great that we can stay informed with the media, but I think they take advantage of the new technology of today. I think that the media can be very unreliable sometimes and they turn issues into "he said" and "she said." I think this photographer is really dumb for doing what he did. Especially because he bragged about it. This just makes him look like a jerk. I think that the media can be extremely unreliable and we can't believe everything we hear or see.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Blogs
Jamie Spears
The Jamie Spears blog has tons of stuff about Jamie Lynn. There are facts about her, pictures, information about her best friends and family, and information on her career. She just had a baby about 7 weeks ago so there is information about that, and there are pictures with her and her baby. I think this blog's kind of interesting and I think it will be fun to follow because there's always stuff about Jamie Lynn on the news, but a lot of it really isn't true. I think this blog seems reliable and has good things about Jamie Spears; it doesn't bash her.
People
This blog pretty much follows celebrities and things going on in Hollywood and the rest of the world. Not only does it follow celebrities, but it also follows politics as well. I think there will be a lot of info on this site and it will keep me updated.
The Jamie Spears blog has tons of stuff about Jamie Lynn. There are facts about her, pictures, information about her best friends and family, and information on her career. She just had a baby about 7 weeks ago so there is information about that, and there are pictures with her and her baby. I think this blog's kind of interesting and I think it will be fun to follow because there's always stuff about Jamie Lynn on the news, but a lot of it really isn't true. I think this blog seems reliable and has good things about Jamie Spears; it doesn't bash her.
People
This blog pretty much follows celebrities and things going on in Hollywood and the rest of the world. Not only does it follow celebrities, but it also follows politics as well. I think there will be a lot of info on this site and it will keep me updated.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Dumbest Generation?
After reading both of the articles, I feel as though both authors have valid points; however, overall, I definitely do not feel as though we are the dumbest generation. Embracing the new technology of today does not make us dumb or lazy. I think that sometimes our priorities may not be in the right place, but this can be said of any teenager during any time period. When it comes down to it, we are a very smart generation. College standards for incoming freshmen are set higher every single year because students' transcripts keep getting more and more impressive.
The authors of both articles are not from our generation so how can they pass judgements on it? I think that they are very bitter towards the idea of change, and this accounts for why they feel as though we are dumb. I think that our generation is very lucky to be able to experience all of the new technological advances of today. I think that a lot of adults look at us as dumb, lazy, and stupid because they do not know how else to perceive us. To them, it may seem as though we may spend all of our time with our heads glued to the computer screen, but I'm sure if they were a teenager during this time, they would be the same way. I don't think technological use is a bad thing. I think it is very beneficial. America is all about change, advancing, and growing, so I do not understand how older generations can frown upon the fact that we are absorbing every thing technology has to offer. In no way, shape or form do I think we are the dumbest generation.
The authors of both articles are not from our generation so how can they pass judgements on it? I think that they are very bitter towards the idea of change, and this accounts for why they feel as though we are dumb. I think that our generation is very lucky to be able to experience all of the new technological advances of today. I think that a lot of adults look at us as dumb, lazy, and stupid because they do not know how else to perceive us. To them, it may seem as though we may spend all of our time with our heads glued to the computer screen, but I'm sure if they were a teenager during this time, they would be the same way. I don't think technological use is a bad thing. I think it is very beneficial. America is all about change, advancing, and growing, so I do not understand how older generations can frown upon the fact that we are absorbing every thing technology has to offer. In no way, shape or form do I think we are the dumbest generation.
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