Skip to main content

Home/ Palin Group/ Group items tagged Hope

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Danielle Polevoi

For Democrats, Convention Challenge Is to Repeat 2008 - NYTimes.com - 5 views

  •  
    This article is highlights the need for this coming week's Democratic Convention to mimic the optimism that Obama's previous convention in 2008 had. Being that Obama's speech is after that of Romney's, it will be interesting to see if he subtly responds to anything that Romney said. Regardless, it is clear that Obama must recapture America.
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    It's frustrating to me that the advice this article has for Obama is to "Attack Romney". Something that I really appreciate about Obama is that he's always very respectful towards Romney, and I hope he'll continue with that trend. Also, I think it's impossible to achieve the excitement and hope Obama had 4 years ago. It's just not the situation, and we don't live in the same world.
  •  
    I agree that is is impossible to recapture the hope Obama had four years ago. I found it interesting to read this article after listening to his speech because I was able to compare what Obama did to what the article was suggesting. Again I agree that Obama attacking Romney is slightly disappointing and not what I expect or want to see from him normally. I think in his speech he did do a little bit of attacking with his various jokes, the one standing out to me at the moment being when Romney called Russie the nation's greatest enemy.
  •  
    It was interesting to see the different tactics that are suggested that Obama needed to do so that he would perform well at the Democratic convention. After seeing the convention I feel like Obama did follow all of these tactics, but not to his fullest ability. I felt like his attacks on Romney were not as intense as when Romney was attacking Obama at the republican convention. I feel like this is a good thing because the fact that he was not constantly attacking Romney showed that he had an agenda in his speech rather than Romney who consistently attacked Obama in his republican convention speech.
Will Rothman

Political Perceptions: Poll Points to Risks for Romney - Washington Wire - WSJ - 0 views

  • Romney trailing President Barack Obama — perhaps dangerously so,
  • In May, Mr. Romney had a 13-point lead among college-educated whites.
  • But his position has steadily deteriorated.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Mr. Romney led by six percentage points among people in households earning $100,000 or more – 50% to Mr. Obama’s 44%. More recently, the two candidates have been running even among those voters.
  • This month’s poll contained a surprise: Mr. Obama leads among $100,000 households by a remarkable 16 points—56% to 40%
  • Mr. Romney. He holds an eight-point lead among white voters, topping Mr. Obama 51% to 43%. But that isn’t good enough. Mr. Obama carried 43% of the white vote in 2008—and easily won the election.
  •  
    Although Romney is trailing by a pretty large percentage, the article is positive that Mitt can regain his loss by targeting certain voter groups, such as college students.  The article never says that Mitt has lost a group of voters %100.  The article, in general, seems hopeful that Romney can and will pull it together before the election.
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    I'm wondering how Romney will try and win over certain groups that Obama has not "captured" yet. The article said he may have to reach out to men and college students if he wants to be competitive with Obama's appeal to women and minorities. In Romney's RNC speech he seemed so focused on women and in general, I haven't seen him reach out to men.
  •  
    It's interesting that Romney is having trouble holding on to wealthier voters, as a lot of his policies would seem to benefit them. Also, the group of "men" seems exceedingly broad to me. "Women" and "racial minorities" are both groups that have been marginalized in the past, so it makes sense to reach out to them. "Men" have always been the group in power, and it confuses me that they're considered a voting bloc.
  •  
    Does anyone know anything about how exactly the polls are calculated? I am just curious where the numbers actually come from.
Danielle Polevoi

Week 6: Obama Presidential Debate Strategy Avoids 'Zingers,' Speaks 'Directly To The Am... - 1 views

  •  
    This video and short article is about the upcoming presidential debate and the possible "zingers". It discussing how Obama is going to speak to the "American people" while Romney has been working on "zingers and special lines for months". I'm going to be very disappointed if this debate turns into a bashing session so I'm hoping to be surprised. But if anyone (in general) were to make use of digs, I think the candidate running against the incumbent has more of a so-called reason to. 
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    I completely agree that the candidate that is running against the incumbent main focus is to try to bring "zingers" against the president. Romney in a way has a fresh start because no one has seen him in action yet so he has main focus is to prove that he can be better than Obama. By focusing on Obama's flaws Romney will be able to prove that he is a better candidate than Obama.
  •  
    I think that Obama choosing to avoid to make zingers could be a mistake. They may not be the most respectful approach, and Obama's respectfulness is something I really appreciate about him, but they are what people remember about the debates, and the most memorable person is often the one who wins.
  •  
    Interesting article and I definitely think that you could see this play out in the first debate. I think there are positives and negatives to both sides. It is definitely true that people will remember "zingers" very clearly and probably best but, I think the purpose of the debate, is, or at least should be, to have your policies scrutinized and then show your ability to defend them. I think Obama's strategy in this sense is a better one even if less effective.
Savannah L

Obama and Boehner Circle Each Other on Budget Impasse - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • The Treasury Department expects the country to hit its debt ceiling, a legal limit on the amount the government is allowed to borrow, close to the end of the year.
    • Savannah L
       
      Anyone else completely frightnened that we will reach our new debt ceiling by the end of this year? We can't keep raising it to allow for this sort of spending. 
  •  
    I think that it is nice to see some hope towards compromise at the white house, but at the same time respect Boehner so much more for saying that he simply will not accept any tax plan that isn't balanced. We  really can't afford to be increasing our budget deficit any more. At current rates, our debt to gdp ratio will be up 40% by the end of 2016, and we cannot afford to be increasing our deficit. By 2016, the interest on our massive debt because of our skyrocketing budget deficit will have tripled. We are financially headed in a horrible direction, and I am trusting Boehner to shut down any attempts to pass more debt-skyrocketing bills. I agree with this article's position on tax cuts to the wealthy, increasing taxes will only hurt the private sector even further. Even the CBO agrees that if bush tax cuts were to expire unemployment would rise to a whopping 9%, and as such should not be allowed to expire.The private sector, not the government, creates jobs, and this article confirms to me why the government should make it easier for the private sector to create jobs by allowing the bush tax cuts to continue. 
Savannah L

Supreme Court Faces Crucial Cases in New Session - NYTimes.com - 2 views

  • Chief Justice Roberts has not yet voted in a major gay rights case. Justice Kennedy wro
  • a 2003 decision that struck down a Texas law making gay sex a crime
  •  
    Interesting changes in supreme court justices! i was just wondering what the group's general opinions on these cases, I sure hope that they end up voting in favor of most plaintiffs in these cases. As long as the court votes liberally on social issues and conservatively on fiscal ones, I will be happy. Justices have greater influence on social conditions than one might think.....
James Foster

Back to Work, Obama Is Greeted by Looming Fiscal Crisis - 0 views

  •  
    Well, Obama won the election and will continue to be president for the next four years. The next question that should be asked is whether or not he will be able come to a compromise with the republicans in the senate and in the house of representatives. As stated by the speaker of the house, John Bohner, the politicians are ready to be lead not as republicans or democrats, but as Americans. Do you think there will be compromise and will there continue to be conflicts, leading to more problems with this nation's economy?
  •  
    I really hope that they are able to compromise. It seems a little ironic that a Republican is making the cry for bipartisanship because in the past four years Republicans have been making it nearly impossible for Obama to get anything done, and I'm afraid that that will continue to happen.
  •  
    I'm hoping that with Obama's four years of experience, he has better learned how to navigate the system. But this deadlock in Washington remains a concern for many, I think.
Yadira Rodriguez

Obama gets second chance in debate rematch with Romney | Reuters - 1 views

  • Obama's camp promised
  • he came out swinging in the first matchup
  • energetic
  • ...29 more annotations...
  • The strong debate performance helped Romney reverse his slide in the polls, and recent surveys put the race for the White House at a virtual dead heat just three weeks ahead of the November 6 election.
  • 46 percent to 43 percent.
  • showed Romney ahead of Obama by 4 percentage points
  • Gallup/USA Today pol
  • Obama
  • intense debate preparation for days, even cramming in an hour of homework as late as Tuesday afternoon.
  • strong
  • passionate
  • Almost all of the pressure will be on Obama
  • agenda is for the future
  • Romney also did some last-minute mock debate work, with Ohio Senator Rob Portman playing Obama.
  • The audience of about 80 people was picked by the Gallup polling firm for being undecided local voters f
  • more intimate town-hall format of this debate
  • passive respons
  • too timid
  • record to run o
  • element of uncertainty
  • cannot predict the questions the audience of undecided voters might pose
  • connecting with the voters
  • "talk directly to people and look them in the eye and try to connect, which has not been a strength for either of them
  • criticized for not challenging Romney
  • without seeming nasty or too personal.
  • accused of failing to connect with ordinary people,
  • The economy is expected to be a dominant topic
  • continue the conversation with voters about what the right economic policies are for the country
  • tay on the offensive
  • subsidies for green energy
  • Democrats, hoping to shore up support with women voters,
  • highlighted the importance of female voters
  •  
    This article talks about the second presidential debate, which will be happening tonight. It explains how Obama will get a second chance to make up for his first debate. What do you guys think about this second chance? Is it really a chance? 
  •  
    I mentioned this in Abby's article but I think a better performance can help Obama, it can't undo what has already happened. When I think about his attitude during the first debate it makes me question: Is he tired of being President? Have the hardships gotten to him? The article also mentions, "Obama needs strong support from women voters if he hopes to beat the Republican" and in my opinion if someone is voting based upon rights for women...they would have to vote for Obama.
  •  
    This part of the article stood out for me: "Both sides claimed victory". Both sides think they won, whereas after last week's debate Obama admitted that he had lost. Why do you guys think this is? Do they both legitimately think that they won, or do they just want to seem confident?
Yadira Rodriguez

Rumors Fly Over Trump, Allred October Surprises - ABC News - 1 views

  •  
    This article highlights the October Surprise that Donald trump has in store for the American Public. There have been  some speculations on what it my be about, but he has cleared these speculations by saying that the American public has to wait and see. Do you guys think this announcement may affect the swing voters in any way?
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    I hope that Donald Trump's announcement wouldn't affect the swing voters. I think these "October Surprises" are intended to keep people engaged and riled up before the election. But I don't think he can say/do much for people to change their opinions regarding Obama. I haven't heard followup on this story--do you know what happened?
  •  
    Yeah I'm curious to know what the announcement was - do any of you know? I think it is to keep voters engaged but also to give one last big swing before people are voting and hope that something negative about the other candidate is the last thing on peoples' minds.
  •  
    It was something totally lame-Trump would donate 5 million dollars to Obama's charity of choice if Obama released his college and passport applications. Hardly a shocking piece of information at all-and shows how easily Trump can throw money around.
Savannah L

Romney Strggles to Gain Traction in Battlegrounds - 3 views

  •  
    Overall, this article is very critical of Romney, claiming that Obama is making bigger leads in swing states. Romney is extremely shifty in his views and doesn't make it clear what finances he has planned. Also, this article hints towards the end the slight opinion differences of Romney and ryan which could be very problematic.
  • ...3 more comments...
  •  
    What I found interesting in this article was Ryan's statement that "You know, it depends on the quality of the agreement," which indicates that his ideals aren't very set and could easily be changed by a convincing argument. Also, this seems to disagree with what Rush Limbaugh said about Obama just giving up. This race is still open to either candidate.
  •  
    What stood out to be in this article was the quote from Charlie Cook saying, "the case for firing President Obama is really pretty obvious, but the case for hiring Mitt Romney is one that has yet to be made." I think this is a really strong point. Romney has made his points of why we should get Obama out of obvious very clear but I think for the remainder of the election it might be a smart move to start convincing people why he should be the replacement.
  •  
    I was struck by the same quote that Sabrina mentioned that "You know, it depends on the quality of the agreement" (Ryan). I think there is plenty of time left in the election and I think Romney will be pushed to clarify his ideals.
  •  
    "sixty days is like sixty years in campaign time" seems like an overplay of hopefulness. I take from this article that Romney's people can only really argue that Mitt still has a chance while Obama's people believe he will more than likely win.
  •  
    Romney really does need to get his act together. Ryan seems to be running the show a little bit more than he should, but with the debates soon to start, Romney will have a little more hope on his side. Also, unemployment has risen from 1.9% through Obama's term, and statistically when unemployment is greater than 7.2 the incumbent doesn't win. The election has even changed drastically since I posted this article: The libyan assassination, the Romney 47% dependent on Government, etc, I do agree that 60 days can seem like 60 years. Romney does have to cover a lot of ground.
James Foster

Pew Poll Shows Romney Advancing - 2 views

  •  
    This article talks about how the lead that Obama had going into the debates has diminished after Obama's debate against Romney. This gives new hope for the GOP going into the Vice President Debate on Thursday.
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    I actually can't wait until thursday's debate, I think it will be just as exciting as the first one was. Ryan is extremely intelligent and a statistical slammer, so it should be interesting to see how he debates.
  •  
    Having watched both the presidential debate and the VP one I agree in that, "Mr. Romney has gained ground against Mr. Obama in virtually all measures" from his articulate responses in last week's debate. But I think it's important to realize that the hard-core democrats and the republicans probably are not going to change their vote regardless of who wins the debate. I think both Biden and Ryan did a good job last night and that they both also seemed weak at a few points. For me, Biden's laughing/eye rolling was really distracting and made him seem arrogant. His mannerisms were off putting and made me feel uncomfortable which made me almost favor Ryan by the end. Who do you all think "won"?
  •  
    Danielle, I think Biden won. He was so energetic in the way that Democrats really needed after the first presidential debate. Additionally, the article says that "six percent [of voters] remain undecided". This baffles me a bit. At this point in the campaigns, how could anyone not know who they support? The candidates are so different! Although I suppose that, especially for voters who don't delve deeply into the policies, it's hard to decide who will fix the country faster and better.
Sami Perez

Romney and Ryan bask in newfound momentum - chicagotribune.com - 2 views

  • momentum from their debate performances
  • enthusiasm
  • energy and passion
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • We’re taking back this country, going to get it strong again
  • Against a backdrop of a billowing, three-story-high American flag
  • they are offering no new ideas. The president is simply saying more of the same. Hope and change has become attack and blame.”
  • real Romney-Ryan agenda
  •  
    This article is about how the debates lifted moral for those supporting Romney and Ryan. To me, the article provided an interesting perspective because I usually follow the moral of the Democratic party. Do you think the lifted spirits of GOP members will affect the election? It was also interesting because towards the end, the article states that the debates show the "real Romney-Ryan agenda," although after watching the debates I thought that Ryan was unable to name specific agendas for the Romney-Ryan campaign. Do you think that, because I as a more liberal-leaning American find it hard to see a "real" Romney-Ryan agenda through the debates while conservatives argue that their agenda is more clear than that of Obama and Biden, the debates have little to do with showing people the beliefs of the candidates and more to do with lifting the spirits of the candidates' supporters?
  •  
    I definitely think that being a more liberal American makes it harder to see the Republican campaign's policies. I agree that in the debate, Ryan seemed to be avoiding questions about policy and did not make it clear. But, I think that if you agree with the general premise of what someone is saying, it is much easier to look over specifics knowing that the principles behind it are what you believe in. When they are not, you are more likely to question them and scrutinize them until you find they haven't told you any specifics.
  •  
    I completely agree with Abby - you hear what you want to hear. I was also interested in this quote from Romney: "People recognize this is not an ordinary campaign, this is a critical time for our country." Is this true? Or do we always say this? Doesn't every time seem critical?
Sabrina Rosenfield

Romney and his Tax Returns : The New Yorker - 2 views

  •  
    This is an article about the release of Romney's tax returns for 2011, and whether or not he is being completely honest in saying that he paid 14.1% because he can go back later and get returns for his charitable donations. He argues that not doing so would discourage people from donating. I'm not sure about this quote, "As was widely noted, Romney has also said that he considers claiming every possible legal deduction an ethical test, with rather distinctive terms: if you pay any more than you really, really must, you have failed." I think that for many Americans, this is completely true, but for someone with such a high income, it seems unfair. But isn't fairness the same thing for everyone? What do you guys think?
  • ...7 more comments...
  •  
    Yes, fairness means that everyone pays their fair share, which is a very republican ideal, which is why i am in favor of removing the exorbitant death taxes and in favor of the fair tax, which i feel like would point our country in a less socialistic direction, which, lets face it, since 2008 we have been plummeting rapidly towards socialism with ACA and greater government influence in our economy. Going back to the Romney quote you mentioned, I'm not sure what you really meant by "it seems unfair" Are you really suggesting that those who work harder than others should be punished with a larger tax? And keep in mind that he's talking about income tax, not money already sitting in the bank. So Romney worked for that money, and should not be punished for it. Taxes are punishments, and that sort of backwards tax structure is one exhibited by the USSR before it collapsed, mind you. Taking more from the rich is not "fair" . The term for it is socialism. If you want another historical example, look at Britain's economy when it implemented Adam Smith's lazziez faire economics (their economy grew exponentially, scientific developments were off the charts, relatively peaceful era) and then look at the France's economy shortly after when it implemented a more "fair" system in the 1800s-1900s, they constantly got decimated by economic struggles and went nowhere. And even if you still believe that the rich should pay more, consider this. The government's biggest problem is not a lack of revenue. We're spending 104% of our GDP. If you plan on paying taxes, which, by the way, our current government lets you be exempt if you decide to take a year off of your well-paying job to sit at home and 'discover' yourself, then you will already be 140,000$ in debt thanks to Obama's excessive spending. No, Bush did not "start it", Obama has added more debt than all of the presidents before him combined. Why do you think that it is "fair" for the harder workers in our s
  •  
    ociety to have to pay more when they are the ones working harder? And, if anything, it makes me respect Romney more because he knows how to work the system to his (and America's) advantage. He, unlike Obama, has business experience and is fiscally responsible, so I respect him more for this, not less.
  •  
    Yeah, I'm going to with Savannah on this one. I think the rules of tax should obviously apply to everyone, rich or not. I also think that getting tax deductions is part of the "taxing" process so why shouldn't everyone take advantage of that? Regardless of how much money someone has...
  •  
    Savannah, I'm not suggesting that people should be punished for working hard. But how much money you make is not always an accurate representation of how hard someone works. And I'm not sure about what I think is "fair". Yes, everyone paying the same taxes would be fair in one way. But some people work extremely hard and still don't have a lot of money and still need help from the government. Some people make exorbitant amounts of money and don't work all that hard. Doesn't it seem fair for people who need help to be able to get it? That's what I'm suggesting. I'm not encouraging laziness or punishing people for hard work. As for what you said, "it makes me respect Romney more because he knows how to work the system to his (and America's) advantage", it seems to me that there are two parts of this. One is that he understand the system. That's a good thing. The other is that he knows how to manipulate it to appear as something that he is not. That's not a good thing.
  •  
    In my opinion, I do not believe that taxes are a punishment. Taxes are something we, as American citizens, agree to pay to do our part in making sure that all of our opportunities are made possible (in building roads ect.) Maybe they are not used the best right now, that's opinion but as a generalization I don't think taxes should be considered a punishment. Also agreeing with Sabrina, I believe that someone who works multiple jobs and happens to be doing manual labour that pays minim wage is in many cases working equally as hard if not harder than a wealthy CEO working long days in the office. They are different types of work and the amount of money they make is no reflection of the amount of work they put into that job.
  •  
    Abby, I still don't see how you consider taxes to not be a punishment. If you enjoy forking over your hard earned cash to those who didn't for whatever reason, then I congratulate you for being a socialist. The biggest problem in our government is not a lack of money, but a lack of structure, so why are you so focused on increasing revenue if it won't make a difference under a fiscally irresponsible president with no business experience whatever? I don't enjoy the fact that I will end up paying money to a government that is incapable of spending it and do not think that people should have an increase of taxes just for working hard. And Sabrina, this is federal income tax, not capital gains or inheritance tax, so it doesn't take into account money that one is already sitting on or based on investments. The way income tax works, you can have a mansion and 5 cars but take a year off to work on a painting from your well-paying job and legally file with an income of 0 and get food stamps. And back to your example of the CEO and the blue-collar worker, the CEO probably went to school and got a degree, which would make me consider him to have worked harder than the blue-collar worker who chose not to get a high school degree. Also, let's change the discussion about working "hard" to one about working "smart"? Comparing manual labor efforts to the intellectual efforts of others really isn't comparing apples to apples. We should be discussing productivity rather than effort. If someone studies really hard but fails a test, and someone studies more effectively (but less hard) yet receives a high grade, should the high score student be penalized and the poor performer subsidized? Linking this back to the economy, without CEOs, the minimum wage workers wouldn't even have jobs. There would be no company, therefore, no jobs. CEOs are perhaps burning fewer calories when they work, but that does not mean that they are less productive. Take out a minimum wage worker from a co
  •  
    But about Romney's tax exemptions-that's not what happened. He purposely overpaid to match an earlier estimate that he made. He didn't claim all the exemptions that he could have. Maybe that wasn't clear in the article I posted, but here's a quote from another one: "We know, for instance, that Romney paid a rate of 14.1 percent on $13.7 million in income on his 2011 tax return, which he achieved by purposely overpaying. Though he was entitled to deduct $4 million in charitable contributions, Romney deducted only $2.25 million to keep his tax rate above 13 percent." Here's the link to that article: http://www.propublica.org/article/what-we-still-dont-know-about-mitt-romneys-taxes
  •  
    Sabrina, Let's look at this another way. If Romney made $13.7M in 2011, and donated $4M of that to charity, and also paid 14.1% (or < 13%)... he, in effect, only kept 57% of his income. He gave 13-14% to the government, and another 30% to charities -- hardly reprehensible behavior? He is able to more effectively do "good" with his money by giving it freely to those he feels deserve it can those that can be good stewards of the money. Clearly the President has NOT been a good steward of funds, just look at Solyndra and Beacon Energy. I don't know about you, but I would rather my money go to charities close to my heart rather than sham entities that sit there and waste billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars, like Solyndra and Beacon. The tax system is not perfect at all but it does encourage behaviours that are beneficial to society. Why does it matter so much what Romney paid in taxes? Shouldn't we focus on what he gave away to others than to a fiscally irresponsible government?
  •  
    I agree that the actual numbers of what Romney paid in taxes is somewhat unimportant, but symbolically it represents an ethical value that I've noticed in Romney's policies and beliefs. The Urban School recently had a visitor, a professor of economy, who informed us that the president him/herself does not actually have that much control over the economy as it is determined mostly by the private sector of the market. The president can, however, influence the economy through tax policy, and if Governor Romney is unwilling to pay his contribution to the system, which, as Abby said, is what we do to insure that "all opportunities are made possible," he seems to be implying something about how much the upper class should be paying. I realize that is just an opinion, but if you don't agree I hope you can at least understand my belief that all individuals/families, rich or poor, deserve to at least get an opportunity to make their lives more successful. Although the government may not have the power to fix the economy and everything themselves, they can at least provide that opportunity for the American citizens. A hard laborer with minimum wage may be working hard not smart, but that does not mean they don't have the potential to work smart. I believe that as Americans we should make sure that they can fulfill that potential.
Will Rothman

Chris Christie Goes off Fox Script, Praises Obama and Dismisses Romney - 0 views

  •  
    Governor Chris Christie (r) of New Jersey, a campaign supporter of Romney, went on TV to speak about the hurricane that had just hit his state.  In his interview, he praised Obama for his speedy response and said that all gratitude was due towards Obama.  Do you think that this will have a major effect on voters?  Do you think Hurricane Sandy will have an effect?
  • ...4 more comments...
  •  
    I do think it will have an effect on voters but in two different ways. I think for a lot of people they will opt out of voting because they have more immediate things on their minds. Or others, I think that in hard times people are grateful for bigger governments and it could potentially convince voters to vote for Obama rather than Romney.
  •  
    I don't think that Hurricane Sandy will have a significant effect on voters in the states that were hit. Sure there will be some people who simply can't get to voting machines or voting machines won't be working in their area but these people won't have a significant effect on the outcome of the election. It seems that the states hit by this hurricane have really stepped up in figuring out new ways for the people living in their states to vote. For example I read that a state, I believe it to be New Jersey, created an email ballet to make it convient for those people who can't reach a working polling machine to vote.
  •  
    James, I guess my question was more based on the politics of the natural disaster, like FEMA aid or Christie's response.
  •  
    I want to go off of Abby's point in that I also think people feel safer with larger governments in times of natural disasters. But I don't necessarily think people will change their votes after Hurricane Sandy. I also think it's important to remember that (at least I think/hope) any President would take a step back during these disasters and stop campaigning to focus on the people in need. But sure, Governor Christie's praise for Obama is a nice reminder that at the end of the day, both republicans and democrats have similar values.
  •  
    I also think that Chris Christie's endorsement meant a lot for voters. Additionally, and kind of unrelatedly, I think that Chris Christie will probably run for president in 2016.
  •  
    I think hurricane sandy definitely had an effect on voters. Chris Christie acknowledging and appreciating Obama's support, shows how much Obama is willing to help out Americans no matter who they are.
Sabrina Rosenfield

Obama, Romney closing: It's all about jobs - 1 views

  •  
    This article illuminate hows in the final days of the campaign, Obama and Romney are going to back to their original campaign talking points: jobs. Do you guys think that jobs are really the ultimate issue in this election?
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    Sabrina, I think for the many families struggling to put food on the table, yes their main concern is jobs. I'm still curious how Obama's track record will effect this election. I wonder if Romney will have somewhat of an advantage because he hasn't had some of the "failure" that Obama has with getting things done in congress. Do you think people are hopeful that Obama can fix the hold ups in Congress? This quote sums it up why some people think will happen again. "The president just cannot work with Congress to finally get the job done. He says he would. He said he would before and he didn't,"
  •  
    Although I agree that for people struggling to put food on the table ect. jobs is a really important issue I think a lot of other issues are overlooked about it. Just I guess everything affects everything so to me to focus on one particular topic isn't necessarily the best way to run a campaign. That being said, I agree that Romney has a slight advantage over Obama not having failed before. I think to a lot of people they are doubtful that if Obama is reelected anything will change where as Romney is a fresh start for jobs from a more business focused perspective.
  •  
    I think anything involving the economy or jobs is this election's main priority. America''s problem right now is that a lot of families can not afford the things that they need in everyday life. I mean we should consider other issues , but as we saw in the presidential debates all the other topics always resulted in talking about the economy and jobs.
Eli Chanoff

Presidential Debate: The four questions Obama and Romney must answer. - 1 views

  •  
    This is  short piece which predicts a few questions the candidates will have to answer in the coming debates. It claims that an exceeding expectations tactic "doesn't even fool anyone". Do you guys agree? Will the winner of the debates actually be the person who gives the soundest answers or will it be the most successful politicker? What other questions have to be answered? 
  •  
    It's interesting that all the questions pretty much boil down to "What would you do differently than Obama has been doing?". I think that this type of question could give Romney an advantage because it's easier for him to separate himself from Obama's last four years that it is for Obama to separate from himself. I really hope, especially because there's been a lot of craving for specifics, the candidate with the soundest answers will win.
  •  
    It will be interesting to see how the candidates do answer questions like these. The one that stood out to my was Romney and health care since it really is a vast change in viewpoint that he will be forced to discuss. I think the debates will give new perspective to the specifics of both candidates which in many cases through the campaigns have been avoided.
Abby Schantz

Obama back to work with a hope of bipartisan plans for the future - 1 views

  •  
    I think this article sort of depresses my vision of the future. After the election I felt a serious lack of excitement and I think this article shows why. With the reelection, hearing Obama call upon a need for bipartisan work is nothing new. With the Republicans saying no raise and democrats saying raise, once again, little is going to be accomplished in moving across party lines.
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    This is one of my biggest post-election concerns. I very strongly agree with Obama's ideas, but I'm concerned that he won't be able to make a lot of progress because of Congress.
  •  
    Yep, Sabrina I'm with you. This reminds me of the frontline film we watched that said how important it is for presidents to understand how to work "the system".
  •  
    I completely agree with Sabrina, I mean Obama can try to create and try to pass many things that might be beneficial for America, but congress does have more power over him because congress is made up mostly of republicans. I like that Obama wants to work with both political parties, but how willing are both parties willing to work with each other?
Sabrina Rosenfield

Week 7: Romney gains ground on Obama after strong debate | Reuters - 1 views

  •  
    This article explains where each of the candidates stand in polls after the debate. Interestingly, according to the polls shown here, 51% of voters like Romney and 56% like Obama, meaning there are a significant amount of people that like both. Also, it definitively says that Romney won the debate. Who do you think won?
  • ...3 more comments...
  •  
    To answer your question on who I think won, I would agree that Romney won the debate. Before the debate I had been reading a lot of articles which claimed that unless Romney pulled through with the debate, he had pretty much already lost the election. I think that debate helped him to 'bounce' back and have a shot to stay in the race rather than fall out even if it did not give him a real boost to be ahead. Additionally, the article showed wide gaps in the peoples' opinions on the less political traits of the candidates (relatable, likable, ect.) I am curious how much those polls actually matter if the difference is so vast between the candidates.
  •  
    There is absolutly no way to say that Romney didn't win the debate. There was a strict set of facts that Obama could have used to harm the GOP in general, but he didn't. He stumbled through his last bits and filled his speech with tons of 'um', and spent the entire time looking down. Unfortunatly, a good bit of the population votes based on who they like as a person, and that can't be changed.
  •  
    I am a little bit confused by the poll results, 51% of voters like Romney and 56% like Obama, but the article claims that Romney definitely won. If you are looking at, which candidate is liked better, there is not a huge difference between Romney and Obama, but Obama is obviously liked more. I would agree that Romney won the debate since he seemed more confident and secure with what he was trying to get across. I got to see a side of Romney that made him seem more powerful then Obama because I felt like Romney got more into the debate and was defending/attacking Obama.
  •  
    For me, the most disappointing thing was Obama's lack of enthusiasm. I also think Romney won this debate and clearly made himself seem like a more appealing candidate. Although he did do that on this one particular night, I think the candidate's personality overall, and not just in one night, is more important. I liked this quote from the article because I think it sums up what happened well: "This suggests to me that while the debate was effective in energizing the Republican base and giving Romney a boost, it didn't fundamentally change perceptions of either man a great deal."
  •  
    I, too, would argue that Romney won the debate especially due to both his enthusiasm and Obama's lack of enthusiasm. I think this article raises a good question of whether the debates/policies of the candidates are more important to the election or the likability/relatability of the candidates are more important. While we are being educated in all areas of the candidates and are basing our views off of this educated standpoint, many voters might not know a lot about either Romney or Obama, so do you think the outcomes of the debates will have as big of an impact on the election as one might hope?
Abby Schantz

Obama's New Campaign Focus: You can trust me, you cannot trust Romney - 0 views

  •  
    This article is about Obama's campaign switching over and talking about how Romney changes his policies and can therefore not be trusted. It emphasizes Obama keeping his word and focuses on a rally in Florida. It also discusses Obama referring to "Romnesia" The quote that really stood out to me was, "On the auto industry bailout, the hiring of public school teachers and Medicare, Obama said Romney is aiming to disguise his real positions in order to win the election." Do you think that Romney's position changes are going to have a negative or positive effect on his campaign? And, do you think that these are genuine changes or are for the polls?
  • ...1 more comment...
  •  
    I think that as the incumbent Obama has automatically been criticized more easily. Romney can say basically anything but has not been president whereas Obama can be attacked for anything and everything he has done. Romney's changing opinions I think can be seen one of two ways: concerning or sometimes brave for allowing his opinions/beliefs to change publicly with time. I think those supporters of Romney will forgive his wavering whereas Obama supporters will not. I'm unsure how the swing voters will react to this...we'll have to wait and find out.
  •  
    When researching energy for the issues project we just completed, I read an article about an environmentalist who was leaning towards Romney, despite his views on energy resources that harm the environment, because his past positions on green energy gave her hope. Also, on a previous article, we were discussing how people might take Romney's switches as a confirmation of his concern for the people. At the same time, a lack of commitment to his beliefs could prove a lack of commitment to the people and his job. I know I feel more connected to that second argument, but I am very curious to how the rest of the country will look at this.
  •  
    I'm not sure how Romney disguising his real plans would benefit him in any sort of way-if helping the country is not his "real goal", what is his goal in becoming president? And why would he present something other than the best plan he's got if he wants to win votes?
Sami Perez

Chrysler, GM Rebuke Mitt Romney Jeep Ad - 2 views

  • “No amount of campaign politics at its cynical worst will diminish our record of creating jobs in the U.S. and repatriating profits back to this country.”
  • Under President Obama, GM cut 15,000 American jobs, but they are planning to double the number of cars built in China, which means 15,000 more jobs for China. And now comes word that Chrysler plans to start making Jeeps in, you guessed it, China.
  • We know what kind of bold leadership it takes to turn around a troubled company. We know because we did it back in the early 1980s at Chrysler. And in our opinion, Mitt Romney is the leader we need to help turn our economy around and ensure that the American auto industry is once again a dominant force in the world.
  •  
    This article discusses Romney's ad in Ohio saying that, under Obama's supervision, Chrysler and GM auto company is getting rid of jobs here in America and creating jobs in China. This seems to be a critical point to attack Obama's presidency, but the GM and Chrysler auto company took this offensively, saying that they are opening more businesses in China but are simultaneously increasing jobs here in America, not getting rid of them. Is Romney's seemingly desperate attempts at  criticizing Obama in the last few days before the election worth offending such large corporations? Will the short term message expressed in his commercial have a greater affect on the people than the long term controversy of Romney's use of false information? How do you think this type of manipulation will play out in the future?
  • ...2 more comments...
  •  
    Hmm. I think that it could be a bad move for Romney to offend such large companies, especially because they are "job creators" and could be some of his largest allies. It may have seemed like a good move in the moment, but I don't think that it will be beneficial in the long run. Also, it doesn't bode well that GM and Chrysler kind of disproved Romney's message.
  •  
    It's hard to say. I think it could go either way and from my point of view, I hope that those seeing the ad with also see the message from the companies saying it is not true. if not, it just might be beneficial for Romney's campaign.
  •  
    Going off of what Abby said, some people may not look into the truth of the add. In that case, I think it could benefit Romney. But for people who have been following the campaign, they know that one of Obama's main platform is to bring jobs back the US...so I think they will be skeptical of the ad.
  •  
    Romney's attempt to make Obama look bad backfires on him because he offends these car companies. I think it might affect him greatly, but it will make people think twice about Romney in the way that he offend an american company, that is important to america.
Will Rothman

Obama casts early ballot in Chicago - Americas - Al Jazeera English - 2 views

  • "For all of you who have not yet early voted, I just want everybody to see what an incredibly efficient process this was,"
  • early voting just might make the difference in some areas.
  • "If something happens on election day, you will have already taken care of it.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Angela Rand, 32, brought a picture of Obama to the community center in hopes he might sign it. She's unemployed but doesn't blame the president for the sluggish economy. "It's not his fault," she said as she walked up to cast her early ballot. "I think he's done a good job with the job he was handed."
  • I think he's the greatest president ever," gushed Chatae Black, 26, a waitress who was excited to be casting an early ballot in the same polling station as the president.
  • It also allows the campaign to concentrate their efforts on people who need more persuasion.
  • "They must not think they're going to get old, or they've got enough money it doesn't matter to them," the stay-at-home mom said.
  •  
    Obama cast his ballot early and explains why it is better to plan ahead.  It also contains some interviews with Obama supporters.
  • ...2 more comments...
  •  
    "Early voting is a major component of Obama's mobilization strategy, and is useful for ensuring that supporters who may have trouble getting to a polling station next month end up casting their ballots." This quote is really interesting and timely because of the storm that is about to spread across the east coast. I know early decision college applications have been pushed further out so I wonder what will happen if the election falls during this bad upcoming storm. Voting early seems to help many people who would not otherwise be able to get to the polls, but at some point-doesn't the process have to be standardized?
  •  
    This was really interesting to me particularly after reading it just after posting my most recent article against early voting. Obama's campaign has been pushing hard for people to vote early in the opinion of Scott Paulson, it is an advantage to Obama. It will be interesting to see how that plays out but I am also curious why it would be good for Obama to have his supporters vote early but Romney isn't pushing it?
  •  
    I as well am curious to what the advantage of voting early would be. The article states that Obama said "It means you don't have to figure out whether you need to take time off work, figure out how to pick up the kids and still cast your ballot." To me it seems as it is just securing your vote in case of an emergency that might prevent you from voting. Also it my be strategic by making a person vote early not able to change their vote later if something happens that might make that voter change his/her mind.
  •  
    I agree with the idea of early voting, but I'm not sure how far it could be pushed back. What limit should we put on how early you can vote? A few weeks? A few months? It becomes absurd at some point, but at what point?
1 - 20 of 25 Next ›
Showing 20 items per page