Final week wrap-up

Zeituni Onyango has been living
in public housing in Boston, AP says (BBC News)

With mere hours until election day, a new story has sprung from the bowels of the media--Barack Obama's half-aunt is living in Boston, Massachusetts, illegally. "Zeituni Onyango, 56, referred to as "Aunti Zeituni" in Obama's memoir, was instructed to leave the United States by a U.S. immigration judge who denied her asylum request." Obama claims he did not know she was living here illegally. It is unclear whether someone from the McCain campaign could have leaked this information.

What's ironic about this situation is that Onyango's case is not a criminal offense, but it is likely to still have negative effects for Obama's campaign. It creates distrust, and only strengthens misconceptions about Obama himself. Many people staunchly believe he is a terrorist, that he might not even be an American citizen, or that he is an Arab.

"Onyango's refusal to leave the country would represent an administrative, non-criminal violation of U.S. immigration law, meaning such cases are handled outside the criminal court system. Estimates vary, but many experts believe there are more than 10 million such immigrants in the United States."

10 million? Really? If this is true, Onyango's situation is not uncommon, and shouldn't have drastic effects on Obama's reputation. But my guess is that it will anyway. This election is down to the nitty-gritty, the really nasty stuff right before the final vote, and voters will no doubt be thinking about this as they go to the polls.

Other issues this week included;

• Palin making off-script comments defending the wardrobe controversy
  The Republican National Committee went on a "$150,000 spending spree on clothing and accessories for the Palin family."

  Palin denounced talks of her wardrobe as "ridiculous" and declared emphatically: "Those clothes, they are not my property."

  "Just like the lighting and the staging and everything else that the RNC purchased, I'm not taking them with me," she said at a rally in Tampa, Florida.

• Small business owners unsure who to trust
  Some have said they dislike "Barack Obama's whole 'I'm going to take from the rich and give to the poor' Robin Hood attitude ... I am very offended by that. It smacks of socialism." Others have said they remember John McCain saying he doesn't understand the economy, and they agree he is not the best candidate to handle it.
  

And, of course, the issues I presented in my last two blog posts:

• Obama smacks McCain's health care policy
  Obama caught a McCain advisor saying that younger workers would stick with their employer's health plan, which would be better than what they would get with McCain's offered health care credit. Obama says this only serves to back up his argument that McCain's plan is not the best.
• Obama makes campaign history with his 30-minute TV ad
  Last Wednesday night, Obama launched a 30-minute television ad on five different networks declaring his final statements in the presidential race, using some of his huge lump of cash. CNN's Campbell Brown reminds readers of Obama's promise a year ago to take public funding, which he broke when he realized he could raise a lot more money on his own. The ad was so unprecedented that the first pitch of a World Series game was delayed for 15 minutes to accommodate it.
  

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"AP: Obama's Kenyan half-aunt in Boston illegally." CNN.com. 1 Nov 2008. CNN. 2 Nov 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/01/obama.aunt.ap/index.html>.

Bash, Dana. " Palin's off-script comments irk McCain aides." CNN.com. 27 Oct 2008. CNN. 2 Nov 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/27/palin.tension/index.html>.

Brown, Campbell. " Commentary: Obama breaks promise on campaign finance." CNN.com. 29 Oct 2008. CNN. 30 Nov 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/28/campbell.brown.obama/index.html#cnnSTCText>.

Keck, Kristi. "Obama takes swipe at McCain adviser's health care comment." CNN.com. 28 Oct 2008. CNN. 28 Nov 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/28/campaign.wrap/index.html>.

Keck, Kristi. " Small business owners not sold on the candidates." CNN.com. 28 Oct 2008. CNN. 2 Nov 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/28/ohio.small.business/index.html>.

Above is Barack Obama's 30-minute TV special,
split into four videos that will play one after another.

The big controversy right now surrounds Barack Obama and his financially lavish 30-minute television special, which aired on five different networks on Wednesday night. Nothing like this has ever been done before--no president in history has ever bought television time to broadcast their final argument like this in the fight to the finish. The first pitch in a game of the World Series was delayed by about 15 minutes in order to accomodate Obama's ad--an unprecedented situation that has people talking.

Everyone knows that Obama's pool of money is unnaturally large, and that he has collected donations from all types of people; few seem to remember a promise Obama made about public financing. CNN's Campbell Brown points out that:"

"One year ago, he made a promise. He pledged to accept public financing and to work with the Republican nominee to ensure that they both operated within those limits.

Then it became clear to Sen. Obama and his campaign that he was going to be able to raise on his own far more cash than he would get with public financing. So Obama went back on his word."

If you are presented with an option which will give you more money, it only seems logical that you would take that offer unless there was a string attached. The string in this case was Obama's promise, which was sacrificed for the sake of his campaign. All the money he's made so far will give him a considerable advantage in the short time left before the election.

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Brown, Campbell. " Commentary: Obama breaks promise on campaign finance." CNN.com. 29 Oct 2008. CNN. 30 Nov 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/28/campbell.brown.obama/index.html#cnnSTCText>.

Sinderbrand, Rebecca. " Obama takes top billing on U.S. television." CNN.com. 29 Oct 2008. CNN. 30 Nov 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/29/campaign.wrap.spending/index.html#cnnSTCText>.

Obama smacks McCain's health care policy

Sen. Barack Obama slams Sen. John McCain's economic policy at a rainy rally Tuesday in Chester, Pennsylvania. (CNN)

Today, Senator Barack Obama pounced on a comment about health care made by one of McCain's advisors. It's exactly the kind of thing he's been waiting for. Both candidates have made a point of using comments from their opponent to undermine their opponent himself, and this is the latest incident. Here's a bit from a CNN article:

In an interview with CNNMoney.com Tuesday, McCain's adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eaton, said that younger, healthier workers likely wouldn't abandon their company-sponsored plans under McCain's health care plan.

"Why would they leave?" said Holtz-Eakin. "What they are getting from their employer is way better than what they could get with the credit."

Obama seized on that comment, saying, "This is the point I've been making since Sen. McCain unveiled his plan. It took until the last seven days of this election for his campaign to finally admit the truth. But, better late than never.

The truth is, John McCain's health care plan is radical, it's unaffordable, it's not the change we need right now."

Obama used this comment as a platform for his own ideas. He believes McCain's health care credit is not what the country needs, that it will not heal the problems it was designed to fix. It's laughable to me that the McCain aide said what he did; was it pre-planned, or a spontaneous goof-up? Either way, he should have realized that Obama would use it.

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Keck, Kristi. " Obama takes swipe at McCain adviser's health care comment." CNN.com. 28 Oct 2008. CNN. 28 Nov 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/28/campaign.wrap/index.html>.

Assignment : Presidential ad

Here's a short video I compiled for class. It is a pro-Obama presidential ad showing McCain saying that today's Republican government is out of control.

The clips are from the first presidential debate as recorded by C-SPAN. Bill Steiner is the narrator, and the music is from Mendelssohn's Italian Reformation Symphony, specifically the Andante section of No. 5 in D Major.

I used Windows Movie Maker.

Obama does NOT actually approve of this ad. I merely tagged it onto the end to make it feel genuine. With that in mind, enjoy my ad!

Week 7 wrap-up

This past week:
Colin Powell publicly endorses Obama.
ACORN is being investigated for voter registration fraud in 10 states.

Since my Thursday post, some interesting articles have come up on CNN.

• President Bush has made an effort to stay out of the public eye in this campaign. His approval rating of 27% is extremely low, and he hopes to avoid further damage to his image by providing the candidates with more campaign material. Since Obama has been constantly working to portray McCain as another Bush, it would look very bad for the two of them to be seen together much at all. At a conference in the Cabinet, McCain and Obama sat at opposite President Bush at a long table in order to prevent images of either candidate sitting next to him, which could later be used in campaign ads. (CNN)
• There seems to be a good deal of unrest in the McCain campaign. Sarah Palin has publicly disagreed with McCain on several policies, going off-message multiple times against the advice of her aides. CNN's article included statements from aides of each campaign. Her own aides said that Palin is trying to take more control of her message. A McCain aide said that she takes no advice from anyone, and that she is acting solely in her own interests rather than the interests of her party and McCain himself.
  
• Bill Clinton will be campaigning with Barack Obama for the first time this Wednesday. His wife Hillary has already done so. Bill predicts that Obama will win easily in the election, and says that McCain is trying to separate himself from Bush even though McCain supported him for the majority of his time in office.

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Bash, Dana. " Palin's 'going rogue,' McCain aide says." CNN.com. 26 Oct 2008. CNN. 26 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/25/palin.tension/index.html>.

Diakides, Tasha. " Bill Clinton to campaign with Obama in Florida." CNN.com. 25 Oct 2008. CNN. 26 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/25/campaign.wrap/index.html>.

Quijano, Elaine. " Bush on campaign trail: Out of sight but not out of mind." CNN.com. 24 Oct 2008. CNN. 25 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/24/bush.trail/index.html>.

ACORN; Obama denounces McCain's political strategy

As the election draws near with only a couple weeks to go, the news is surprisingly free of any important and/or new business. ACORN is being investigated for possible voter registration fraud in 10 different states. McCain is accusing the organization of trying to rig the election in favor of Democrats since they registered more Dems than Republicans, but there is no indication that these fake voters would ever show up at the polls. The main reason for the voter registration fraud is for people to keep their jobs, which depend on finding and registering 13 to 20 new voters every day.

Obama is telling voters that McCain has resorted to making stuff up about him, and that McCain would continue the war in Iraq without regard to financial cost, which has been a contributing factor to the country's economic crisis. McCain is slamming Obama for downplaying his relationship with William Ayers. Instead of remarking upon Ayers' change of character and prevalence on the education scene, Obama flatly denied that Ayers was involved in his campaign and McCain has seized on it.

As I said, not much that's new here. There hasn't been any major development that I can tell since Powell endorsed Obama. One thing I did notice was CNN's continuing tendency to talk more from Obama's side than McCain's. In one of the articles I used for this blog, McCain is constantly on defense while Obama's points are clearly laid out. Although I am in favor of Obama at this point, the lack of coverage on McCain frustrates me.

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Johnson, Sasha. " Obama: McCain would continue dangerous policies." CNN.com. 22 Oct 2008. CNN. 23 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/22/campaign.wrap/index.html>.

Lawrence, Chris. " Ex-ACORN worker: 'I paid the price' for voter registration fraud." CNN.com. 22 Oct 2008. CNN. 23 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/22/voter.fraud/index.html>.

For grins and giggles

Just for fun--here's a quick YouTube clip making fun of McCain's wandering around the during one of the debates.

Trust me. Just watch it.

Colin Powell openly supports Barack Obama

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says he is voting for Barack Obama. (source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/19/colin.powell/index.html)

The most recent news in the presidential race? Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, has publicly endorsed candidate Barack Obama. Last Sunday, Powell announced on NBC that he plans to vote for Obama in the election, and praised Obama's character and ability to serve. CNN reports that Powell feels that both Obama and McCain are qualified to be president, but that Obama will bring change to the country that it desperately needs. Powell also commented on the ugliness of McCain's campaign, specifically about its "attempts to tie Obama to former 1960s radical Bill Ayers." (CNN) He believes it was too harsh and too narrow, and that it was unnecessary.
The kicker? If you didn't know, Colin Powell is a Republican. Obama is a Democrat.

Powell's endorsement may also sway some voters who were hesitant to vote for Obama because they felt he was not ready to be the nation's commander in chief, said Bill Schneider, a CNN senior political analyst.

"It was extremely reassuring for this experienced military leader, a general, someone who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was secretary of state, to endorse Barack Obama and say, 'His world experience, his commitment and knowledge of national security are fine. You can vote for him without those kinds of reservations,' " Schneider said.

Doesn't seem to be much story-spinning here. The endorsement of Obama by a prominent member of the Republican party is creating quite the stir.

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"Colin Powell endorses Obama." CNN.com. 20 Oct 2008. CNN. 21 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/19/colin.powell/index.html>.

Week 6 wrap-up

OK, so there's nothing really major that was new this past week. Basically the race has become nasty even though the candidates promised that it would not; both Obama and McCain ignored the mediator's request in the last debate that they promise to tone down their rhetoric. Obama and Palin are fighting wild rumors on the internet with watchdog organizations trying to prevent their spread.

McCain has so far shown a lack of detail in talking about his plans for taxes and the economy in general, in comparison to Obama. Voters are still not comfortable with either candidate's plans, and Obama met Joe the plumber who asked if he would be punished with higher taxes under Obama's plan. The main issues with the tax plans are: McCain doesn't plan on giving tax breaks to the general population, but rather to big companies in the hope that they will stimulate the economy and the wealth will be spread back down to the rest of the population. Obama has promised not to increase taxes on anyone who makes $250k a year or less, but plans to impose higher taxes on people who make more than $250k a year and use that money to help support the general population. Voters don't like McCain's plan because it looks like he doesn't care about the average person and wants to help out the big companies who created today's economic problems in the first place. Voters don't like Obama's plan because it is extremely socialist, reminiscent of Robin Hood, taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor. The main difference in their tax plans is that McCain claims he wants the average people to spread the wealth around (which they would do if they could, but given the current economic status I would say it's a moot point), and Obama wants the government to spread the wealth around (which, of course, the wealthy don't like because they want to keep their money, and the rest of society feels uneasy about because it means the government will have even more power).

There will be no more debates. It's time for voters to make their decision, with election day fast approaching. What changes we will see now in the campaign? What will be McCain's last stand, Obama's last stand? Which issue will be the determining factor in this presidential race?

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[posted late, on Oct. 22]

Candidates reach out to "Joe the plumber" in final debate

The main point of tension between Obama and McCain is currently their tax plans, with the economy looming in the minds of voters everywhere. America is extremely concerned about what will happen to their money.

In their final debate Wednesday night, both candidates made references to "Joe the plumber," a man whom Obama met while campaigning. Joe Wurzelbacher in Ohio asked Obama about his tax plan. Joe has been working for a plumbing business and wants to buy it, but he was concerned that Obama's tax plan would make him pay higher taxes onces he owned the business. Senator Obama replied that it's possible Joe would have to pay higher taxes like others who make $250,000 a year or more. He also said that it's better to lower taxes for the little guys (less than $250,000 a year) so they can invest in businesses like the plumbing company Joe wants to buy.

McCain said that Obama's plan would give the money to the government for them to spread the country's wealth around, while he intends to have citizens spread it around themselves. CNN remained pretty unbiased in this article, but in others I have read on CNN their political analysts think this was a weak spot for McCain. They don't believe this is the right time to promote power to the individual--citizens are angry and worried about the economy, their savings, and their future--that, at a time like this, Americans generally want to give their trust over to the government to let them deal with things.

I already know who I will vote for, and if you've been following my blog here you can probably guess who. It saddens me that the debates are over, but I've learned some interesting things about the candidates and have found even more strength in the candidate I was leaning toward from the very beginning.

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[posted late, on Oct. 21]
----------------------------------------------

Snow, Mary. " 'Joe the Plumber' happy to help candidates make point." CNN.com. 16 Oct 2008. CNN. 22 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/16/joe.plumber/index.html>.

Fire on the campaign trail

The campaigns of Obama and McCain have become increasingly vehement. Both candidates are fighting dirty, despite their promise to keep their rhetoric clean. Palin and a McCain ad have been focusing on Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers, which is by now an old, weak point to make. Obama was 8 when Ayers participated in Weather Underground, and their only relationship was in working together on a fundraiser for a school improvement project.

In the meantime, the language used by McCain's crowd has turned nasty. Someone shouted "Kill him! (Obama)" at a McCain rally, and people continue to condemn him for being a Muslim (which he is not). McCain has made a point to correct these people, however, telling one woman who called Obama an Arab that he's not, that he's a decent family man that he (McCain) just happens to disagree with on important issues.

Both candidates are fighting rumors, Obama concerning his ethnicity, qualifications to be president, his religion, and his association with less-than-reputable characters. McCain's campaign is fighting rumors mostly about Sarah Palin on her qualifications, her involvement in the trooper ordeal, and her true political party.

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[posted late, on Oct. 21]
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" Candidates dial back campaign rhetoric." CNN.com. 13 Oct 2008. CNN. 22 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/13/blackwell.jackson.qa/index.html>.

Greene, Richard Allen. " Candidates hit back hard, fast against online attacks." CNN.com. 15 Oct 2008. CNN. 22 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/15/internet.rumors/index.html>.

Week 5 wrap-up

The momentum now seems to be in Obama's favor. Before the debates, McCain's campaign had an overwhelming amount of the spotlight with his controversial pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Since then, Palin's past has been heavily questioned, and the trooper investigation is STILL not complete. She has failed to hold her ground in the few interviews she has done, and has been continuously spoofed by Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live. McCain himself lost a considerable amount of credibility when he suspended his campaign to support the first bailout bill, which failed. A revised bill passed several days later, but did nothing to repair the damage done to McCain's image.

Since then, McCain has continued to lose ground to Obama, who is still gaining considerable support in the polls and has done well in the last debate.

The main questions now are:

• Will McCain prove to the country that he will be a better leader, or will he continue to flatline in the polls?
• Will Obama continue to gain a lead in the polls? Will misconceptions about his ethnicity and religion harm his potential?

Results from Tuesday's debate

"Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain sparred about domestic policy during their second presidential debate."
(source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/08/debate.poll/index.html)

CNN has two different beliefs about last Tuesday's debate: that Barack Obama performed better than John McCain, and that neither gave a better-than-average performance. Members of their political team, including Paul Begala, Gloria Borger, and David Gergen, agreed that Obama was more calm, collected, and prepared for the debate, and on several occasions rose to a challenge from McCain and destroyed his opponent's credibility. Other members of CNN's political team, including William Bennett, Alex Castellanos, and John King thought that neither candidate succeeded in laying down unique solutions that would solidify voter confidence.

Turning now to an article from CNN, results from their telephone polls show that the audience thought that Obama did much better than McCain, and that McCain didn't gain any ground in the debate despite his advantage in the town hall format. I won't plague you with numbers this time around, but here are a few statements from the article that I thought were relevant:
--Obama's favorable rating went up after the debate. McCain's didn't change.
--A majority of those polled said they thought that Obama appeared to be a better leader and was more likeable than McCain in the debate.
--An overwhelming majority thought that McCain spent more time than Obama in attacking his opponent.
--Democrats thought Obama won. Republicans thought McCain won.

It's interesting to me that the results of the poll show that Obama did better than McCain on a majority of points, despite the near-even ratio of Republicans to Democrats in those polled--yet when asked directly who won the debate, both parties thought their own candidate won.

It seems like CNN is maybe asking questions that pertain more to Obama than McCain to make him look like he has the spotlight, especially when there is a clear split in the last point I made.

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" Highlights, analysis of the second presidential debate." CNN.com. 8 Oct 2008. CNN. 14 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/08/second.debate.highlights/index.html#cnnSTCOther2>.

Steinhauser, Paul. " Obama picks up second debate win, poll says." CNN.com. 8 Oct 2008. CNN. 14 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/08/debate.poll/index.html>.

Obama gains more ground in the polls

CNN's main stories, even after the debate tonight, deal with Barack Obama's lead in the polls. Since taking a hit for the failure of the first bailout bill, McCain has been losing favor and is hoping to win it back in the town hall-style debate. Whether or not he has done so remains to be seen; in Thursday's post I intend to take a look at CNN's framing of the debate and see how other media giants are talking about it.

There were some astonishing numbers in CNN's polls. I realized that McCain lost some serious footage when the bailout bill he vigorously supported went down the drain, but the most recent numbers show a dramatic drop in the public's faith in McCain's abilities.

"The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Monday afternoon suggests that the country's financial crisis, record low approval ratings for President Bush and a drop in the public's perception of McCain's running mate could be contributing to Obama's gains."

Many people now see McCain as unfit to deal with the economy after he suspended his campaign to support the bailout, which was ultimately killed by members of his own party. Approval ratings for Bush are so low they have now tied Nixon's, and are only a couple points away from Harry Truman's record low of 22%. This hurts McCain's campaign because "a growing number of Americans believe the Republican presidential nominee would have the same policies as the current Republican president. Fifty-six percent say McCain's policies would be the same as Bush, up from 50 percent a month ago." Also, public approval ratings of Palin have dropped considerably-- " Forty percent now have an unfavorable view of Palin, up from 27 percent a month ago and from 21 percent in late August."

The numbers here certainly lean in Obama's favor, but is CNN excluding McCain's strong points? They have included a couple, but it's difficult to tell what is being left out here.

	McCain	Obama
Who would better handle the war in Iraq?	46%	51%
Who would better handle the economy?	37%	57%
Financial crisis?	36%	53%
Health care?	33%	60%
Terrorism?	54%	44%
Overall favorable rating?	54%	62%
Who has better experience to be president?	54%	36%

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Steinhauser, Paul. " Poll: Obama seen as more compassionate than McCain." CNN.com. 7 Oct. 2008. CNN. 11:30pm, 7 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/07/compassion.poll/index.html>.

Steinhauser, Paul. " Obama widens lead in national poll." CNN.com. 7 Oct. 2008. CNN. 11:30pm, 7 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/06/poll.of.polls/index.html>.

Post-debate change of focus

There's no doubt, after the DOW dropped hundreds of points and Congress pushed through a $700 billion bailout deal to take over Wall Street, that the economy is on the mind of America. How will it affect the campaigns of the presidential candidates? Already we've seen McCain suspend his campaign to return to Washington, in the hopes of gathering support for the bailout deal--only to be accused of pulling a political stunt by both Democrats and Republicans, and even lose ground in the polls when the deal was killed by his own party. Up until now, both candidates have been honing in on the economy for political leverage, but CNN reports that McCain is now changing directions.

The move isn't unexpected. Why linger on a topic that can only hurt your relationship with possible voters? McCain has now decided to focus instead on personally attacking Barack Obama in order to sway voters' minds. It was his running mate Sarah Palin who struck the first blow.

"We see America as the greatest force for good in this world," Palin said at a fund-raising event in Colorado, adding, "Our opponent though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country."

In this little speech, Palin refers to Obama's limited association with Bill Ayers, a "founder of the radical Weather Underground, which was involved in several bombings in the early 1970s, including the Pentagon and the Capitol." The article from CNN continues, briefly explaining the relationship between Ayers and Obama.

"Obama and Ayers, now a university professor, have met several times since 1995, when both worked with a non-profit group trying to raise funds for a school improvement project and a charitable foundation. CNN's review of project records found nothing to suggest anything inappropriate in the volunteer projects in which the two men were involved."

Palin says Obama has terrorist connections although Obama's relationship with Ayers lacks substance. If there was a truth to this story worth knowing, I think we would have heard about it already.

On the other side of the battleground, Obama has renewed his attacks on McCain's health care policies, calling them "cynical and deceitful."

"He will say anything to distract the American people away from his basic intention to force millions of Americans to accept government-run health care," the campaign said in a statement.

The messages in this case don't really matter. These candidates have bigger issues to address. McCain attempted to shift the focus from the economy to the personal qualities of his opponent--which, as illustrated by Obama's renewed attacks, seems to have succeeded. I'll be curious to see what the next four weeks will bring to this election.

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" Obama accuses McCain of looking for distractions." CNN.com. 5 Oct 2008. CNN. 5 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/05/campaign.wrap/index.html#cnnSTCText>.

" Obama campaign rejects Palin 'terrorist' gibe." CNN.com. 5 Oct 2008. CNN. 11pm, 5 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/05/palin.obama.terrorist.claim/index.html>.

Stewart, Martina. " Palin hits Obama for 'terrorist' connection." CNN.com. 5 Oct 2008. CNN. 11pm, 5 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/04/palin.obama/index.html>.

More bailout effects; pressure on Palin

For the past few days, there have been two major recurring issues I have been keeping an eye on. One is a follow-up from previous posts, and the other is fairly new.

• How the bailout proposal has affected Obama and McCain's campaigns
  An article by CNN caught my attention in regards to this issue, bringing up several points which many people might not know about. They are:
  
  1. Obama and McCain's struggle to promote a bipartisan solution to the bailout proposal that failed to pass on Monday, but passed with amendments on Wednesday.
     Everyone realizes how important the economic crisis is, that something needs to be done about it soon. Just last night the $700 billion bailout proposal passed, with amendments to the original which was shot down by Republicans on Monday. In that brief time period, McCain and Obama focused on rallying lawmakers to the mutual cause of a bailout compromise. What did Obama do? "Obama encouraged lawmakers to approve an economic stimulus plan that would benefit taxpayers." How about McCain? Interestingly enough, CNN had nothing to say about what McCain contributed to this bipartisan cause. I also found it worthy to note that the article went on to illustrate in detail how McCain pointed fingers about the original failure of the bill, but only gave brief mention of Obama's finger-pointing before saying that Obama has moved on from the 'blame game' to supporting the bailout bill.
     
     Now more than ever, I am starting to see some of the framing from CNN, how their articles rarely include equal coverage on both candidates. It is obviously a left-wing organization which supports Obama.
     
     
  2. They have "revamped their financial messages this week, shifting away from attacks on each other and intensifying their calls for action from Congress."
     Given McCain's recent failure to gain some credit for the first bailout bill, this seems a risky move. Both candidates are going into this with a notion of reserve; neither wants to get too closely wrapped up in something like that again when the consequences can be devastating. The stakes are just too high. But at least it's nice to know they have stopped bashing each other to address the economy issue on equal terms. Obama is already ahead in this regard since he gained five points over McCain after the bill failed on Monday.
     
     
     
• Sarah Palin's qualifications and knowledge are under heavy speculation; there is a high amount of pressure on her to perform well at tonight's VP debate.
  Here are a few intelligent points from CNN:
  
  1. CNN's Roland Martin says that the McCain campaign made a sour mistake in hiding Palin from the media. She has little experience in that area, and now that she is starting to participate in a few national interviews, her performance has been disastrous. Her interview with Katie Couric has been endlessly criticized for comments such as her suggestion that her state's proximity to Russia enhanced her foreign policy credentials. Will she be able to convince voters in the VP debate this evening? What America wants right now is to know where she stands on the issues, to hear her speak without the aid of a teleprompter, to decide once and for all whether McCain made the right choice in choosing her as his running mate.
     
     
     "What is most at stake is whether she's the subject of further ridicule or can show Americans that she has a strong command of the issues. If she can do the latter, she validates McCain's selection. If not, she calls into question his judgment, and at this stage of the game, that is not a good thing."
  2. Gloria Borger made similar comments, agreeing that the McCain campaign made a mistake in masking Palin. At Palin's breakout performance at the National Convention, she was bold and confident, unafraid to take anyone on. Now she's blubbering through interviews and losing her confidence with each mistake.
     
     
     "[The McCain Campaign has] managed to turn a self-confident and appealing candidate into one who is afraid of veering off her talking points. She's clearly studying and cramming, but it's like trying to cram for an exam when you haven't really taken the class.

     And the more mistakes she makes on her scarce public outings, the more self-assurance she loses. Each mistake becomes magnified, so one mistake could be deadly."
     
     

     Now is the time for Palin to prove to the world that she's worthy of the title of Vice President of the United States. If she does poorly in the debate, it calls McCain's judgment into question--which would be extremely detrimental to his cause.
     
     ------------------------------------------------------------------------
     

     Borger, Gloria. " Borger: McCain's bold Palin move becomes a crisis of caution." CNN.com. CNN. 10pm, 2 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/30/borger.palin/index.html#cnnSTCText>.

     Henry, Ed. " Bailout plan forces McCain, Obama into balancing act." CNN.com. 1 Oct 2008. CNN. 10pm, 2 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/01/candidates.bailout/index.html>.

     Martin, Roland. " Commentary: Time for Palin to strut her stuff." CNN.com. CNN. 10pm, 2 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/01/martin.palin/index.html#cnnSTCText>.

     
     

McCain and the failed bailout bill

The House voted Monday on the $700 billion bailout deal, and failed to pass it. This loss has come as a big blow to John McCain, who made a huge deal of suspending his campaign to rally support for the package. What's extremely ironic in this situation is the fact that the majority of Democrats voted for the bill (140 for to 95 against) while most Republicans voted against it (165 against to 65 for). Looks like McCain's efforts to rally his fellow Republicans has failed miserably.

A CNN poll concluded that, before the bailout bill vote, McCain and Obama were tied in the polls, whereas now Obama has a lead of 5%.

Even those who thought McCain was doing the right thing by suspending his campaign to return to Washington are wondering now whether it was the right move or not. McCain put his trust in the bill, hoping to help America but also hoping to gain the credit for its success, but now that the bill has been shot down, it makes him look pretty weak.

Despite bias and framing, there's no denying these truths from CNN. There is actual evidence from the polls that McCain has lost some ground because of this affair. What will happen next with the bill?
------------------------------------------------------------------

Henry, Ed. " McCain takes hit from bailout collapse." CNN.com. 30 Sep 2008. CNN. 1 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/30/bailout.candidates/index.html>.

Tanneeru, Manav. " Straight from the House's mouth: Why the bailout bill failed." CNN.com. 30 Sep 2008. CNN. 1 Oct 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/30/bailout.reax/index.html>.

Week 4 wrap-up

As I look back on the events of the past week, I'm having difficulty finding prominent, NEW stories on CNN. Everything that was important earlier this week is still in the headlines, only now there is more information. If you go to last week's wrap-up post, you'll notice that a few issues are still the same (the economy and Palin's waning popularity), minus the fight for Latino votes and Palin's trooper investigation. Even the tie in battleground states between Obama and McCain has been transformed into the even battle of the first presidential debate, which was the only new issue this week.

So, briefly, here are the updates on the CNN's current top issues:

• The economy and the bailout plan.
  McCain suspended his campaign to go to Washington. Both Obama and McCain were present at discussions about the $700 billion bailout proposal, but how useful were they? CNN reports disagreement among the senators, some saying that their involvement acted as a catalyst while others believe the candidates actually delayed the process.
  
  Here are a couple bits from one of several articles on CNN:
  
  
  "What Sen. McCain was able to do was to get all sides to the table which resulted in a vastly better bill," [McCain strategist Steve Schmidt] told a group of reporters Sunday.
  
  "I was on the phone every day with Secretary Paulson and the congressional leaders, making sure that the principles that have ultimately been adopted were incorporated into the bill," Obama told CBS's Bob Schieffer.
  
  
• The first presidential debate.
  CNN reports that there were a "few jabs, but no knockout in first debate." Each candidate had his own territory--McCain's strength was in foreign policy, Obama's was in the economy. McCain's leadership experience in the military proved to be a firm foundation for his spiel on foreign policy, while Obama seemed to simply agree with McCain's plans and add his own tag to the end. When talking about the economy, the bailout plan, and the candidates' own plans to stimulate the economy, Obama coolly dominated the discussion. McCain vowed to veto every spending bill except for those from a couple 'vital areas,' and every chance he got he hammered his plan to cut spending. Obama, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed and he had a more detailed plan.
  
  CNN says that after the debate, both parties "issued statements declaring their candidate the winner." How can you win a debate like this? It isn't a single argument, it's a series of arguments, and there is no 'final score' you can judge by. I disagree with the choice of the terms win and lose in this situation, although I do admit that it's possible for one candidate to win more favor than the other overall after such a debacle.
  
  You can read a transcript of the debate here.
  

• Sarah Palin still losing ground.
  In an article prepping for the upcoming VP debate, CNN spoke of Sarah Palin's disintegrating confidence. It seems that her failing popularity has created a vicious cycle--she is losing favor, which has degraded her confidence, which led to poor performance in appearances such as her interview with Katie Couric, etc.
  
  Here are a few things Palin is getting a lot of slack for:
  

  Palin's interview Wednesday with CBS' Katie Couric drew criticism when the Alaska governor was unable to provide an example of when McCain had pushed for more regulation of Wall Street during his Senate career.

  Palin was also criticized last week for appearing not to know what the Bush Doctrine was during an interview with Charlie Gibson.
  
  Palin was criticized heavily for comments she made about Russia in her ABC interview and her claim that her state's proximity to the country bolstered her foreign policy credentials.
  

  Sarah Palin has gone from her bold first appearance at the Republican National Convention to stumbling in interviews, which has cost her dearly.
  
  
• John McCain's suspended campaign.
  Republicans and Democrats alike were surprised by John McCain's announcement that he was going to suspend his campaign in order to go to the rescue in Washington. The response has been overwhelmingly negative. Everyone is saying that he didn't really do much to help with the bailout plan, that it was just a big political stunt. The man actually threatened not to show up at Friday's debate unless an agreement was reached with the bailout plan! This showed me how stubborn McCain is. Does he really think rushing the plan will make it work? I agree that something needs to be done soon, before the economy falls even further, but $700 billion is a ridiculous amount of money. Shouldn't it deserve more than a week's deliberation?
  

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Preston, Mark. " Analysis: A few jabs, but no knockout in first debate." CNN.com. 27 Sep 2008. CNN. 10pm, 28 Sep 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/27/debate.analysis/index.html>.

Sherman, Emily. " How helpful were McCain, Obama in bailout talks?." CNN.com. 28 Sep 2008. CNN. 10pm, 28 Sep 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/28/obama.mccain.bailout/index.html>.

" McCain, Obama fight for title of 'most qualified'." CNN.com. 27 Sep 2008. CNN. 10pm, 28 Sep 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/26/debate.friday/index.html>.

" Next up: Biden and Palin debate in St. Louis." CNN.com. 27 Sep 2008. CNN. 10pm, 28 Sep 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/27/campaign.wrap/index.html>.

McCain, his 'suspended campaign,' and the blanket bailout plan

With the first debate on Friday coming up, America is left to wonder whether John McCain will show up or not. The most important issue on CNN right now is his decision to suspend his presidential campaign and go to the rescue in Washington.

"Hours earlier, Congressional leaders reached an agreement on a bipartisan counter-proposal to the Bush plan… Without the help of either candidate or the president. The lawmakers are hopeful they’ll have a vote within days and a bill on the president’s desk soon after."

McCain says the economy is more important than the campaign. Alright, I can agree with that. McCain says he'll go help America come up with a plan of action. Hmmm, we'll see how this goes, I thought. In the end, Washington didn't even need his help, or Obama's. Heck, even the current president didn't have his fingers in this pie.

It might not be such a big deal if McCain had actually suspended his campaign, but he hasn't. His TV ads are still running, his campaign workers are still working to promote him, and McCain himself had a personal interview with Katie Couric on national television. This is little more than an empty political stunt which, from what I can tell, hasn't convinced anybody.

On top of all this, the first of several debates is scheduled for Friday night, which McCain intended to postpone in order for him to go play superhero. Not surprisingly, Obama stated that he preferred to stick to the debate schedule. Now that everyone knows he has nothing to do in Washington, CNN says that it's assumed he will no longer have an excuse not to show up for the debate.


John McCain announces that he is suspending his campaign to address America's financial crisis in Washington. Photo source: http://www.clackamasreview.com/us_world_news/story.php?story_id=TRE48N82Q

CNN makes these statements about Democratic fears of McCain's plans:

Democrats fear that McCain will take credit for bringing reluctant Republicans around to agreeing with a bailout plan in order to bolster his argument that he would be a better leader in crises than Obama.

"The Democrats, of course, are very afraid that McCain is going to swoop into these delicate negotiations on Capitol Hill at the last minute and when they reach an agreement, he's going to claim credit for having brought those negotiations to a successful conclusion," CNN senior political researcher Alan Silverleib said.

This is dirty business. Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, this kind of meddling in affairs should raise a big red flag in you mind. More than ever, America needs to see these two candidates DEBATE. If McCain fails to show up on Friday, he better have a damned good reason.

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Bash, Dana. "'Contentious' White House meeting ends with no deal." CNN.com. 25 Sep 2008. CNN. 26 Sep 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/25/campaign.wrap/index.html>.

Cafferty, Jack. "Is McCain playing politics with the nation’s financial crisis?." Cafferty File. 25 Sep 2008. CNN. 26 Sep 2008 <http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/25/is-mccain-playing-politics-with-the-nation%e2%80%99s-financial-crisis/>.

Continuing stories (short)

In lieu of the normal Tuesday post, I offer here instead a brief list of a few stories from last week that are still current issues.

The economy is still a HUGE issue in the campaign. The candidates have not only stepped up their speeches on economic policies and financial fixes, but John McCain has suspended his campaign in order to return to Washington. His immediate goal is to help figure out how to support the failing economy, but with his first debate versus Obama on Friday, many people are suspicious of, shall I say, less noble motivation. He has asked that the debate be postponed, but Obama disagrees. Will the debate go on? It's up in the air at this point.

The candidates' efforts to reach out to the Latino population have not gone unnoticed. CNN reports that the Latino votes could become swing votes in Colorado, as well as a few other battleground states. Latino votes are quickly becoming more and more important.

The most recent update in the trooper investigation is that Sarah Palin's lawyer met with special counsel from the Personnel Board, which Palin touts as the only appropriate forum for inquiry. It has been stated by one of her campaign workers that she will cooperate with this investigation.

Week 3 wrap-up

Week 3 of my Elections class has seen some interesting changes in the campaign issues. The focus has shifted away from hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the national conventions, the smearing season, and even Palin's popularity. This past week was a major turning point, and here's why.

Here are the top five current issues:

1. The economy.
   Big businesses are going bankrupt with increasing frequency, while others are being combined. The Lehman Brothers bank went under, Bank of America plans to buy out Countrywide and Merrill Lynch, and the government recently used taxpayers' money to rescue insurance giant AIG. What does this have to do with the election? McCain and Obama have the chance to step up and talk about the problems. So far, neither has shown much skill in the area.
2. Palin's popularity losing momentum.
   Ever since John McCain unveiled Sarah Palin as his running mate at the Republican National Convention, Palin has dominated the media. Everyone wanted to know who she is, and there has been much speculation about whether or not she is qualified to be Vice President. Lately, due to a number of variables, Palin's prominence in the media has been greatly reduced. With the problems on Wall Street, Democrats are stepping up to the plate. Palin's favorable ratings have dropped, and Barack Obama has pulled ahead in national polls.
3. McCain and Obama are tied in a few swing states.
   CNN reports that the two candidates are tied in five battleground states: Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin. This tie makes it appear the election could be just as tooth-grinding as the last two.
4. McCain and Obama are fighting for Latino votes.
   Both candidates are making efforts to reach out to Latinos by producing political ads in Spanish. These ads usually bash the opponent rather than promote the advertiser. McCain is saying that Obama and the Democrats blocked immigration reforms. Obama is saying that McCain has been taking the stance of Rush Limbaugh, a radio talk show host who made some comments about Mexicans last week that many people took the wrong way.
5. Palin's trooper investigation.
   Palin and others are being investigated for an incident back in Alaska when Palin fired the state's public safety commissioner, who is accusing her of pressuring him to fire her former brother-in-law. Witnesses, including Palin's husband, failed to show up at the hearing, which stalled proceedings.
   

AIG bailout, Republican ticket losing favor

The economy continued its downward spiral Wednesday when the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve took a beating. Why? For the $85 billion-dollar bailout of AIG, an insurance company giant. Because of extremely poor communication, no one was informed of the plan, which of course created a lot of anger and mistrust--especially after the government recently decided NOT to bail out the Lehman Brothers bank.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday said the bailout plan must "protect the families that count on insurance" from AIG.

For those of us who don’t have insurance through AIG, we have a right to feel angry about this. Why should our tax money be used for this purpose?

"Once again the Fed has put the taxpayers on the hook for billions of dollars to bail out an institution that put greed ahead of responsibility and used their good name to take risky bets that did not pay off," said Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, a member of the Senate Banking Committee. (Barrett)

Blame for this upset has been pinned on the Bush administration, which gives the Democrats more leverage in the campaign this year. All they have to do is point at who’s in office to dismiss the Republican ticket; more and more people are starting to believe that electing McCain would be asking for another four years of Bush.

The bailing out of AIG paired with the failure of the White House to speak about it bodes ill for this country. The government is using our tax money to take over bankrupt companies, the failure of AIG is just another symptom of a dying economy, and neither Obama nor McCain have shown significant strength in economics.

Barrett, Ted. " AIG bailout upsets Republican lawmakers." CNN.com. 17 Sep 2008. CNN. 9pm, 18 Sep 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/17/aig.bailout.congress/index.html>.

The economy and the election

With the DOW down about 500 points yesterday, the U.S. economy is in dire need of help. The Lehman Brothers bank filed for bankruptcy on Monday, the same day that the Bank of America “unveiled plans to buy Merrill Lynch” (Ellis). The falling of a company or being sold to another company both indicate inability for that organization to stand on its own feet. It indicates weakness. And because two major companies on Wall Street have shown considerable weakness, the economy is in peril.

So what does this have to do with the election? Everything. CNN has several articles on the web right now discussing the candidates’ response to the crisis, that the election has reached a critical sway point and John McCain may lose his press coverage momentum. All eyes are on McCain, and from what I’ve read, people don’t like what they see.

· Obama and McCain have a chance to form articulate responses to the crisis.

CNN reminds readers that McCain and Palin have been working hard to create a maverick image for themselves, that they are going to ‘shake up Washington.’ But again and again the McCain campaign has shown the public that it fails to address the real problems. Who wants to trust a candidate who blames the failing economy on the “reckless conduct, corruption and unbridled greed that has caused a crisis on Wall Street?” McCain belittles the issue into corruption when really the economy has been declining for years, as a result of a number of variables instead of just one.

CNN is sure to provide ample information on Obama’s remarks, highlighting his assurance that he (Obama) will do a better job of changing policies than McCain, who offers more of the same.

As part of his proposal to get out of the economic crisis, Obama said he is proposing a $50 billion Emergency Economic Plan to "jump-start job creation." Obama said the plan would save 1 million jobs by rebuilding infrastructure and repairing schools, among other things.

The senator from Illinois said the country also must continue to address the housing crisis and build a "21st-century regulatory framework." Obama vowed to "get serious" about regulatory oversight.

Obama said what's happened in the past few days is "nothing less than the final verdict on an economic philosophy that has completely failed."

McCain, on the other hand, made comments on Monday saying “that the economy was "fundamentally sound.” He later tried to ‘clarify’ his comments, saying that it was the “American worker who was "fundamentally sound,."” which did more to weaken his position than strengthen it.

• Democrats are moving back on offense, pointing to Republicans who have been in charge of the White House for the past 8 years

"Anything that raises economic anxiety should help the 'out' party -- in this case, the Democrats. All they have to say is, 'Look who's been in charge for eight years,' "[CNN senior political analyst] Schneider said.

The economy is finally becoming the number one issue that everyone expected it to be. But who will gain the most leverage here, McCain or Obama? With all the press leaning in Obama’s favor, it’s likely the Democrat will gain more momentum in the campaign.

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Anderson, Scott J.. " Wall Street turmoil gives Dems opening." CNN.com. 16 Sep 2008. CNN.
10pm, 16 Sep 2008
<http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/16/candidates.wall.street/index.html>.

Ellis, David. " Changes rock Wall Street." CNN.com. 15 Sep 2008. CNN.
10pm, 16 Sep 2008
<http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/15/banks.bigchanges/index.html?iref=newssearch>.

" Obama says he's better on economy." CNN.com. 16 Sep 2008. CNN.
10pm, 16 Sep 2008
<http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/16/campaign.wrap/index.html>.

Week 2 wrap-up

Here are the top five issues from this week, according to articles from CNN, in no particular order:

1. The race is becoming more vocally violent, with both Obama and McCain hurling bitter comments at each other.
2. Joe Biden has been elbowed out of the spotlight, in the shadow of Sarah Palin.
3. Sarah Palin's life as mayor and senator are being closely examined. Was she really acting in the best interests of her community?
4. The McCain campaign accused Obama of using his 'lipstick on a pig' remark to attack Sarah Palin, and demanded an apology which Obama still refuses to give.
5. With oil prices spiking because of Hurricane Ike, the public's eye is focused intently on the economy. How do candidates propose to stimulate the economy?
   

These are all interesting aspects of the campaign that I have read about, more or less, on CNN. For several of these items there are multiple articles, which highlight their importance.

That's all for now.. ~Catherine

Palin's popularity casts Biden in shadow

When was the last time anyone saw Senator Joe Biden in the spotlight? Since McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, Obama's running mate Biden has figuratively been removed from the stage. An article on CNN.com discusses the entourage that Palin has gathered while Biden has been so sparsely followed that he was able to sneak away to teach a law class. Why is this so important? Biden's sudden drop from top coverage to nearly nothing shows just how fickle the media can be.

The problem isn't just that the media is ignoring Biden for Palin. Part of the issue is that the media is deliberately choosing to swarm a candidate who no one seems to be able to get close to anyway. Palin's aides surround her, making it difficult for reporters to come in contact with her, while Biden has consistently offered one-on-one discussions with the press. CNN offers this bit of observation:

"Sen. Joe Biden faces a paradox: He offers the most unfiltered contact with the media of any of the big four. But he's the least likely to be covered."

Biden isn't Obama or McCain, and he's certainly no Sarah Palin. The press simply loves a new face, and the public loves seeing an average joe rise to the top. Thus the American people are missing out on a prime opportunity to learn more about Biden because mainstream media has chosen to ignore him. So just how much more press coverage has Sarah Palin had than Biden since her national introduction?

"An index released by the LexisNexis Analytics 2008 election dashboard showed Palin received nine times the media coverage that her counterpart did during the first week of September, which included the Republican National Convention."

Nine times is a monumental difference. Sure, it includes the Republican Convention, but Sarah's popularity in the media hasn't begun to fade yet. This is one reason I despise politics. Popularity often separates candidates unfairly, turning election campaigns into entertainment for the public. The media makes a big deal of personal issues and neglects the more important problems, which is why so many people have such a hard time deciding who to vote for.

Streitfeld, Rachel. "Analysis: Biden goes from hot to not since Palin came along." CNN.com. 12 Sep 2008. CNN. 11am 13 Sep 2008 .

Lipstick on a pig; smearing

We all knew this time would come. It's inevitable in this day and age. When politicians begin fighting for swing states, they often resort to bashing their opponents instead of trying to gain more ground by talking about important issues. Yes, it's the smearing season--the time when more people avoid politics than ever, when debates degrade into childish banter, when even politicians themselves begin to grow sick of insults. Face it--it's easier to toss insults around, but it takes more work to gain people's trust.

The first major attack has occurred. CNN News has been covering a story about a comment Barack Obama made while giving a speech in Virginia. Obama spoke sarcastically about McCain's ideals, saying how similar McCain's ideals are to those of President Bush.

Here is an excerpt from a CNN article. Obama is the speaker.

"John McCain says he's about change too, and so I guess his whole angle is, 'Watch out George Bush -- except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics -- we're really going to shake things up in Washington,'" he said.

"That's not change. That's just calling something the same thing something different. You know you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

The McCain campaign is demanding an apology; they are accusing Obama of using the pig comment as a direct attack on Sarah Palin, who made a lipstick joke at the beginning of the Republican convention. She said something to the degree of 'What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.'

Even though CNN has a hard lean to the liberal side, I have to agree with them on this one in questioning the true intentions of Obama's remark. Was he making a stab at Sarah Palin? I don't think so. The comment came directly after remarks on McCain's ideals; I'm not sure how the Republicans managed to connect it with Palin. To me, this makes Republicans look pretty bad--or at least the McCain campaign. They are so desperate for dirt on their opponent that they resorted to this, which indicates weakness. McCain appears to be losing favor, which frankly doesn't surprise me.


Sinderbrand, Rebecca. " 'Lipstick on a pig': Attack on Palin or common line?." CNN.com. 10 Sep 2008. CNN. 8pm 10 Sep 2008 .

Congress to reconvene; focus on energy and the economy

According to CNN, Congress will reconvene this coming Monday now that the Democratic and Republican national conventions are out of the way. Members of both parties will be “eager to use the three-week session to show voters why their candidates are the ones to fix the economy and lower energy prices.” Energy seems to be the number one issue in this campaign right now. McCain insists that he and Palin will be ‘agents of change,’ but his past voting record shows that he supported Bush more than McCain is willing to admit. Many voters are betting that to elect McCain would be asking for another four years of President Bush. Obama is also promising change, but CNN in particular seems to favor his policies as more likely to have a positive effect on the economy.

The two main problems to be addressed by Congress will be the energy crisis and the economy. Republicans want to drill new offshore oil wells, to ”produce more energy at home,” said McCain at the National Convention.

Here is an extended excerpt from an article by CNN:

Republicans and the White House also object to the cost of Democratic proposals for a second economic relief measure, which could include public works investment, disaster aid and heating subsidies to low-income families. Rebates for taxpayers, the centerpiece of the $168 billion plan that Bush signed in February, are less likely this round.

There are glimmers of movement in the Senate on energy.

A group of eight Democrats and eight Republicans is putting together a compromise bill that would allow drilling off the coast of Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia, and Florida's Gulf coast; invest $20 billion on developing petroleum-free motor vehicles; and extend expiring renewable energy tax credits.

The compromise bill sounds like a good idea to me. If Congress turns into Republicans vs. Democrats, nothing will get done. But this new proposal would lower the price of oil while promoting cleaner, more energy-efficient cars. The compromise is a breath of fresh air in an atmosphere filled with political propaganda; hopefully Congress will support it in the weeks to come.

" Congress returns from recess with campaigning on the mind." CNN.com. 7 Sep 2008. CNN. 4:00pm 7 Sep 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/07/congress.ap/index.html>.

Republican National Convention: Palin's support paling or expanding?

The Republican National Convention's now in full swing in Minnesota, and everyone is talking about it. McCain was interrupted by war protesters. Sarah Palin unleashed an attack on Democratic nominee Barack Obama. After Palin's speech, Obama reportedly raised $10 million in a single day. There's a lot going on in St. Paul.

Today, Alaska senator Sarah Palin seems to be the central topic in the news. There are many circulating articles about her speech, and plenty about her in general. How did Republicans react to her speech? What about Democrats? Did her speech gain any support from the undecided voters? And why did she make such a decisive attack on Obama? Here's a brief video from CNN discussing their thoughts on her speech and some general reactions to it.

(Psst... Terry Holt, on the far right, is wearing jeans! How's that for professionalism?)



Julian Epstein pointed out what everyone has been saying for the last few days--that Palin delivered a pretty decent speech, but she failed to address any plans to stimulate the economy or "any issues that people really care about. All you've heard is a swirl of controversy about [Palin] this week." I can't help but agree. In her speech, Palin described herself and her accomplishments, praised her running mate John McCain, and attacked Democratic nominee Barack Obama with bitterness and sarcasm. In the video above, John Roberts says that, in a focus group of women, that they didn't care for Palin's sarcasm or roughness, but that they an probably the rest of the public genuinely wants to hear more about her policies. Not once did she set a goal and explain how she and McCain would reach them. Pretty much the only goal she addressed was winning the election.

There are plenty of promises in her speech to harbor change in Washington, but they ring empty. Palin's energy is very appealing, but so far she has failed to deliver any significant contribution to the campaign other than gaining exposure.

These issues are echoed by an article on CNN.com. John Avlon had this to say about Palin and her speech's effect on independent voters:

"I think she has really helped close the enthusiasm gap which existed and really energized them," Avlon said, but "there is a substance gap that still exists, things we don't know about Sarah Palin in terms of what policy she supports."

Here's another little treasure:

CNN contributor Paul Begala said that Palin is the "new hero of the Republican right" but that her attack-dog style wasn't what the independents and swing voters want to hear.

Avlon, author of "Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics" went on to remind people of John Kerry's campaign strategy--attacking Bush and expecting it to win him support, which of course it didn't. Avlon warns that if McCain and Palin spend their time bashing Obama, the same thing could happen. In this case, the best defense is NOT a good offense. People just don't like mean politicians.


Keck, Kristi. " Will Palin's tough talk win over undecideds?." CNN.com. 4 Sep 2008. CNN. 11:30 pm 4 Sep 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/04/palin.independents/index.html>.

CNN: Gustav and McCain, Don Fowler Apology, Palin's Daughter Pregnant

It's two-thirty in the afternoon. After several hours of research, I have selected three political issues from CNN's headlines:
- McCain to Seize the Stormy Moment?
- Dem apologizes for joking about hurricane
- Teen daughter of GOP VP pick is pregnant

The first article's headline was on CNN.com, but the actual article was on Time.com in association with CNN. The second was on CNN's ticker, with considerably less importance, but still noteworthy. The third popped up while I was doing research on the first two, and took the top spot on the list of headlines.

First I shall discuss McCain and Hurricane Gustav.

------------------------------------------------------------

August 31, 2008-John McCain specifies changes to Republican convention with hurricane Gustav approaching the area. Original photo source unknown.

The first day of the Republican National Convention was cut short yesterday due to the impending danger of Hurricane Gustav. Most of the proceedings were cut altogether, leaving the convention to a bare-bones schedule to get through necessary procedures.

CNN's Michael Scherer wrote about John McCain's attempt to use Gustav to bolster support for Republicans, after the Bush administration botched the rescue and relief efforts during Hurricane Katrina. McCain's choice to suspend the convention in order to provide leadership in the face of Gustav seems admirable at first, but Scherer noted one instance in which McCain may have taken it too far.

“During a Sunday interview with NBC News, McCain said he was even considering accepting his party's nomination Thursday not from the convention floor in St. Paul as planned, but via satellite from somewhere in the storm ravaged region."

I can understand why McCain would want to use Gustav as an opportunity to restore Republicans' credibility, but accepting his nomination from the storm area would be showing off his good will a bit too much. And as Scherer stated,

“The media is already asking questions about how much good it does to have a politician with a big security entourage and no actual connection to the afflicted region staying put there.”

I can't help but agree with Michael Scherer. McCain is doing an admirable thing, but with less than admirable motives. There is a fine line between promoting your party and doing something for personal gain, and I can't say exactly where I think McCain is. I'm wary.

------------------------------------------------------------

Next is former Democratic National Committee Chairman Don Fowler's apology for cracking a joke about Hurricane Gustav. Here is a YouTube video which shows Fowler "joking with South Carolina Rep. John Spratt about the timing of the hurricane."

Here is an extended excerpt from Mooney's brief Ticker article:

“The hurricane is going to hit New Orleans about the time they start. The timing is, at least it appears now, it will be there Monday. That just demonstrates God is on our side,” Fowler said, while laughing. Fowler also told Spratt that “everything’s cool.”

Speaking to the Associated Press Sunday, Fowler said his comments were intended to make light of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell's remark that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 was God's punishment for abortion and homosexuality.

"I don't believe in a God that's vengeful," Fowler said. "I believe in a God that's compassionate."

"This is a point of national concern. I think everybody of good will has great empathy and sympathy for people in New Orleans," Fowler also said. "Most religious people are praying for people in New Orleans. There is no political connotation to this whatsoever. This was just poking fun at Jerry Falwell and the nonsensical thing he had said several years ago."

Was Fowler talking about something he truly believed? No. He was laughing, he was joking around--not at the expense of hurricane victims, but toward Jerry Falwell, who really did believe that Hurricane Katrina was an act of God. Fowler doesn't really believe that the timing of the hurricane showed that God was on the Democrats' side. So why is this even in the news?

This is the kind of crap that makes me avoid politics. People take things seriously when they shouldn't, with the intentions of hurting their enemy's credibility. To their credit, CNN doesn't seem to be putting a spin on the story. And I can take comfort in the fact that this was a brief article and that it wasn't front-and-center in CNN's list of news. It was on the ticker.

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The last issue I will be addressing from CNN's headlines is similar to the last, in the case that it's just another reason why I don't care for politics. After researching the first two articles, I refreshed CNN's headline page and this one popped up, taking the number one spot on the list. Apparently Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, who is a high school senior, is pregnant. Why does this matter to the general public? Because Sarah Palin is McCain's running mate.

I think it's safe to say that most people don't look upon teenage pregnancy with warm feelings. Bristol's pregnancy, by way of association, hurts her mother's, and McCain's, reputations. Everyone involved insists that they are proud of Bristol's decision to keep the baby and marry the father.

There are a couple different ways to look at this article. People might still see the pregnancy as something to hold against Palin and McCain, or they could see it as evidence of strength. The Palin family professes their full support of Bristol, which shows strength in the face of adversity. Teenage pregnancy doesn't have good connotations, but to accept the challenge and rise to meet it is admirable.

Dana Bash, who wrote the article for CNN, seems to focus more on the negative side and the reaction to it instead of looking for something positive. The article isn't bad, but I hope readers are aware of its focus. There is more than one angle, after all.

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Bash, Dana. " Teen daughter of GOP VP pick is pregnant." CNN.com. 1 Sep 2008. CNN. 1 Sep 2008 <http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/01/palin.daughter/index.html>. ACCESSED AT 1:00pm

Mooney, Alexander. "CNN Political Ticker: All Politics, All the Time." CNNPolitics.com. 1 Sep 2008. CNN. 1 Sep 2008 <http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/01/dem-apologizes-for-joking-about-hurricane-2/>. ACCESSED AT 12:30pm

Scherer, Michael. "McCain to Seize the Stormy Moment?." CNN.com. 1 Sep 2008. CNN. 1 Sep 2008 <http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1837807,00.html?cnn=yes>. ACCESSED AT 11:00am

About CNN

Throughout the course of the Fall 2008 semester here at West Virginia Wesleyan College, I will be analyzing CNN as a source for politics. "What issues does CNN consider to be the most important?" will be the main focus of this blog.

This blog is for my Media and Elections class.

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CNN is one of the top media companies in the world. Owned by Time Warner, CNN broadcasts 24-hour news on television and hosts an expansive website, CNN.com. The website is organized by interest groups, and includes headings entitled--world, U.S., politics, crime, entertainment, health, tech, travel, and living. CNN also has links to other pages they own--one for business, one for sports, and Time.com.

The general public seems to regard CNN as a left-wing source--that is, a fairly liberal media corporation. CNN's biggest rival is Fox News, which is distinctively blunt and conservative.

CNN's political page seeks to address just about every aspect of politics, especially the process of elections. The page is very user-friendly and does a good job of bringing things down to earth so that those unfamiliar with politics can understand things easily. A few of the things that the page covers are conventions, fundraising statistics, the process of elections, and important issues. CNN also provides a forum for public discussion of said items. Each separate page enlists the use of charts, diagrams, pictures, and other visuals to assist the viewer, and everything is well-organized. Politics are apparently very important to CNN, and they do a good job of providing extensive, objective information for the public to use.

One Year Ago: Obama and McCain

Barack Obama's political prowess launched him into the seat of Illinois State Senator in 1997. During that year, the average age for all the state senators was 53 (Minnesota Senate). Only 3-4% were in Obama's age range of the thirties, making him one of the youngest senators ever. Yet he must have done something right--because after less than 10 years, Obama made it to the democratic party's presidential race. His keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in support of Kerry and Edwards gave him a rare first chance to be in the national spotlight. USA Today remarked that, early in his career, "[Obama's] legislative record is comparatively modest, helping opponents label him as a lightweight gifted with oratory skills and little else." Although Obama has done well in his political career, advancing swiftly from the Senate to the race for the presidency, many people were not familiar with him in 2007, as the case remains today. A combination of inexperience and his inclusion in a minority have made for a politician many Americans are still wary of.

John McCain, on the other hand, has had a good deal of experience--although not in politics. He won a variety of special merits after returning from Vietnam, where he was held as a POW. He was an admiral in the Navy. His position as Director at the Navy Senate Liaison Office got him started in politics, and in 1986 he became a U.S. Senator from Arizona. His voting record has long been observed as one of the most fluid--McCain remarked himself in a nationally-televised debate that he votes according to the will of his constituents. Even a year ago, in 2007, John McCain was nationally respected for his firsthand experience in the Navy and in Vietnam, but many Americans resented his flippant tendencies. Instead of voting for his own beliefs, he votes according to the will of those he represents, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

"Obama Must Use Convention to Regain Momentum." USA Today 2008 24 Aug 2008 <http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-23-Democratic-convention_N.htm>.


"Senator Demographics." Minnesota Senate. 09/24/2008. 24 Aug 2008 <http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_demographics.php?ls=80>.