A New Direction (Please!)

With the outcome of the election behind us, many people are now analyzing the effects of Obama's election as president-elect. Most people have touched on the issue of "change" in seemingly superficial ways. Yes, Obama is fresh, young, and almost the complete antithesis of the current Bush administration. However, he is also the first Black president of this country. Going into his campaign, I think he must have known the type of reactions there would be if he won. For the most part, alot of the country did not see the issue of race as anything detrimental or overly important. In fact, he received a greater percentage of the White vote than Kerry did in 2004. With that being said, alot of people are announcing that racism is dead in America. Considering the reactions to Obama's victory, I cannot agree with that. Facebook was filled with the obvious formation of groups like, "I'm Moving to Canada..." I could understand that. But comments like, "Call the Coastguard, 2 million pounds of KFC and watermelon should be immediately sent to the White House..." or now the White House will be painted or black, or now some type of white slavery will be instituted were not only ridiculous but sad. For people to cling so closely to carefully formulated stereotypes for such a long period of time is mildly depressing. It didn't take me more than 5 seconds on Youtube to find a whole host of racist campaigns against him. Old and young biggots rant on how he is nothing but a "House Nigger," and how the end of America is near because he was elected. I pray this is only a minute part of our country. I pray that this is not something that will perpetually rear its ugly head in the next four years. The sad truth is, I know that it will. Until people of all colors are willing to openly re-evaluate our violent racial past, accept it for what it is, and take conscience actions not to repeat it, then race will always remain important. People often try their best to suppress any talk of race in its raw form. This however, is a luxury that can longer be afforded. People will have to stop being complacent and avoiding the white elephant in the room. People will have to talk about our history and not the neat and clean version served to us in elementary history books but a history that doesn't justify racially motivated crimes from anyone of any color. If America truly wants change WE as a nation must stop trying to suppress our demons and face them. We can no longer afford to avoid them as they have only led to more problems. We are not a perfect country, but our desire for perfection lies in our power to constructively criticize our mistakes and fix them. Instead of throwing a band-aid on a deep wound we need to evaluate the injury, stop the bleeding and heal. It is only then that we can say change has truly come to America.

Negative Urban Planning

An example of negative urban planning happened here in Leander, Texas about 3 years ago. One city council member from Leander and one from a city council member in Cedar park, Texas had an idea. Their idea was to combine the two separate cities into one and re-name the new city:Leander Park. When word of this got out it immediately had people from both cities upset and angry.
The only good thing that was offered about this idea was the school district. Leander and Cedar Park share the same school district: Leander ISD. The council members said that their new plan would help reduce school taxes if passed.
Many people rejected the idea because they felt like it was taking away their sense of home and tradition. Even if on the outside the only change would be the name. Citizens of both cities felt that their home would be taken away.
Thankfully this idea was rejected very quickly by many people and it never left the drawing board.

"A Whisper of AIDS"

For paper number two I chose Mary Fisher's speech on AIDS at the 1992 republican National Convention. This speech is known as one of the top speeches of all times. After watching it I can say that this is for good reason. Fisher's speech was a call to unawareness directed towards the American people. Fisher did a great job of appealing to the listeners sense of compassion when she told her heartfelt stories of how she has struggled with AIDS.
Fisher also makes appeals to logos by giving facts regarding the death toll due to AIDS. AIDS, she states is the third leading killer among young adult Americans and this will only get worse due to the fact that AIDS is spreadable.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/maryfisher1992rnc.html

Obama/Kennedy

For paper 2 I chose Kennedy's "Strategy of Peace" speech given at American University in 1963. In this speech JFK used several types of arguments to present his case to a young audience but relied mostly on arguments of the heart and of the character to persuade them of his claim. I think Kennedy's use of these arguments for peace in the world could be compared to arguments used by Barack Obama in his campaigning for the presidency.
The results of the election from last Tuesday did not surprise me at all. Though I felt overall Obama had a stronger following than McCain the last several months of campaigning played a crucial role in the election's outcome. McCain's arguments made against Barack Obama, whether through radio broadcasts or T.V. commercials, seemed to be of "facts and reason." Some of those "facts" were of Obama's relationships with Bill Ayers and Reverend Jeremiah Wright. The controversy that the McCain camp tried to stir up over these past connections only led to crowds at McCain rallies shouting hateful, racist slurs about Obama. McCain's failure to silence them hurt the view of his character with the public. McCain's personal and often exaggerated attacks on Obama discredited him with the public I believe because Obama never returned the favor. Even if false ads ran about McCain's policies the magnitude with which the McCain camp ran ads against Obama's character was never matched. Instead Obama used the speeches at his rallies to persuade the audience to his side with visions of change for America. He was successful with the audience being a country coming off of 8 years with the Bush administration's "Strategy of War" and the other candidate allowing shouts of hate and ignorance at his rallies.

The latest South Park episode portrayed the election results in a funny way. The Democrats were wild, drunk, and partying in the street. The Republicans were making their way to cave shelters to ride out the Obama presidency. This episode showed how they were both wrong. One Democratic character who went wild loses his job, his pants, and his dignity. The viewer comes to realize that "change" may not always be a good thing. The Republicans after spending one day in their cave, realize that the world has not ended. They think that perhaps this presidency won't be as awful as they originally thought.

I thought it was impressive that this episode included parts of Obama's acceptance speech, considering the fact that this cartoon aired one day after the election. The main plot of this episode is funny and unexpected, but I don't want to give it away. This episode is worth a watch, and I hope you check it out!

Obama VICTORY

No doubt, whether it was a disappointing day of democratic unveilings or a successful night of celebration, last Tuesday was a defining night in politics. Winning 364 electoral votes, Senator Obama won the 2008 presidential election, making history as the first African American to become a United States president. With a democratic majority in both the Senate and House, the one-party domination revolutionized the election even further. 

Having analyzed Obama’s March 18^th address on racism for our Assignment 2,

 I am looking forward to seeing Obama’s beautifully pervasive rhetoric come to life. 

Criticized of being all talk and no action, Obama is under immense pressure to turn

his various medical and economic plans into reality. Thanks to

the democratic majority in the legislature, I feel he has the means to truly make this happen. Rhetoric and linguistics are beautiful tools, but without truth behind them and plans un-implementation, the words are empty; they mean nothing.

"Greatest economic challenge of our lifetime"

Barack Obama's main focus in his first press-conference as president-elect was the economy. Since October, the unemployment rate has sky-rocketed, leaving a total of ten million Americans without jobs. Obama warns that "we are facing the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime" and promises to begin confronting the issues as soon as he takes office. His first priority is to create a fiscal stimulus plan to promote economic growth. He hopes to create more job opportunities for the middle class and also improve unemployment insurance benefits. Obama was very tactful in his speech, recognizing the fact that he is not yet the president and that only one person is president at a time. But he does mention that he will keep watch on the Bush administration's efforts to fix the economic problems. Obama realizes there is no easy way to solve the country's problems, but is optimistic that it can be done.

Prop 8

Big news in California was the passing of Prop 8, the proposition amending the state constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. The creator of the video I posted above, which is anti-Prop 8, uses several techniques we've talked about in class to prove his point--that Prop 8 is a bad thing. He makes legitimate comparisons between the civil rights era and the present-day gay rights movement, suggesting that they are essentially the same thing. The creator effectively shows, through this comparison and several quotes from historical figures such as JFK and Martin Luther King, that all men are created equal and to deny gay people the right to be married is un-American and unconstitutional. I thought this video was interesting because it shows that, while the American people may have become more liberal in the sense that we elected a minority President, we have taken a step to the right as far as gay rights are concerned.

Letter from 2012 in Obama's America

I am sure all of you have heard my piece on this election. I feel as if I have beaten this horse into the ground. That being said, I hate to further expound upon the election, but I came across something particularly...intriguing?
Political banter is inevitable before, during, and after the elections. I have come to understand that we all have our own reasons for selecting a candidate, and it is nearly impossible to engage yourself in politics without getting offended. I do, however, feel that there is a way to express opinions tactfully.
There is still a line that can be, and frequently is, crossed.
Focus on the Family, a conservative group headed by talk radio personality James Dobson, voiced their warning to Americans about Obama in the form of a letter...from 2012. Focus on the Family used their crystal ball to peer into the future, dooming Obama's presidency before it has even begun. Granted, this piece was released before the ill-fated election, but regardless, the tactics used to scare voters seems like borderline libel. "Letter from 2012 in Obama's America," depicts nothing short of a warzone. All of the conservative criticisms of Obama have come to fruition, as the country is rampant with same-sex marriage laws, socialist healthcare, and a failing economy (due to the taxes, of course!). In a piece that is SUPPOSED to be based on "What if...?" questions, the manipulation and exaggeration of President Elect Obama's policies and past voting records has to be one of the most frustrating things I have ever read. I realize the point of the letter was to scare the voters into voting for McCain, but from an organization whose doctrine calls to love all people, this makes me extremely uncomfortable.
I can only hope that this letter was written as a last resort to pull voters in, and not thoughtfully planned. If the letter is an accurate depiction of the author's view of the future, I fear very much for the polarization in this country for the next 4 - 8 years.
http://focusfamaction.edgeboss.net/download/focusfamaction/pdfs/10-22-08_2012letter.pdf

The Obama Nation

The type of unabashed, wild enthusiasm Obama has received is the kind usually reserved for rock stars and championship sports teams, not politicians. This may prove to be both a bane and/blessing for the president elect. With his seeming unlimited public adoration , Obama can almost do no wrong. For the first part of his term, at least, any action he makes or legislation he signs, will be seen as the right thing to do for the country. This will cause more Congressmen to vote with him, as they would not want to fall out of favor will their electorate back home. At the same time, however, Obama's blank check of public opinion could be his downfall. President Bush had, as many presidents do, a similar wave of public opinion. He used this to push the U.S. into Iraq, one of the greatest mistakes of the last half-century, as well as several other questionable actions. Obama needs to make sure that he does not let his level of support inflate his ego and cloud his judgment, something he has done a good job so far. Should he continue his campaign of humility and respect, Barack Obama could be the greatest president this country has seen since John F. Kennedy.

Howard Stern on Harlem Voters

This may come accross as slightly offensive, but I think its pretty important. There are definitely many Obama voters that are well-informed and intelligent, however with the many stabs at "ignorant, racist republicans" (which are a minority of extremist people who tend to be over-reported on) there should also be a counter to this image: the ignorant democrat voter. There was concern that many black voters were voting for Obama merely because he, too, was black. The reporter in this video presented Mccain policies as Obama policies to voters in Harlem (who were voting for Obama). The majority ended up stating that they were indeed for these policies, even though they were actually those of McCain. I beleive the population of people that fit this scenario is a very small minority, however it is important to be aware of the many types of voters. If we are going to constantly spin footage of "racist republican voters" (the video after this paragraph is an example of such) perhaps we should look at "ignorant democratic voters". Hopefully this will make people realize that there are always extremist but they do not make up most of the population and we must stop acting like they do. Balance is key to weaning out extreme views that tend to artifically scare Amerians in to believing one way or another, and cause further distance between the left wing and right.

An example of a "racist republican" video seen repeated recently:

Change Has Come

These political cartoons depict Barack Obama as the solution to all of America's problems. In the first cartoon, the eagle is shown battered and damaged, similar to the state that America is in. In the second cartoon, Obama is seen glueing the Constitution back together. He appears to be focused and determined to get the Constitution back into working order. In the third cartoon, Abraham Lincoln, whom Obama has been likened to several times, appears to be celebrating Obama's win. And in the last cartoon, perhaps the most daunting of all, is a picture of Bush handing a failing America over to Obama. These cartoons all depict change coming to America, however difficult a task that may be.

Change in America

With the election finally over, and the outcome announced the next four years are on the minds of Americans everywhere. The future of the nation is uncertain due to issues like the economy and the war. Obama is such a different candidate than we've had as president before, that Americans can't stop discussing what the future will be like. In an editorial in the New York Times by Nicholas Kristof, it talks about how Obama is such a change of pace from President Bush. The argument he makes is that Obama is an open intellectual, so hopefully Americans will follow in his steps. If our president is clearly more interested in education, then the American people might be too. This would really help our nation with all the issues at hand. Kristof then compares Obama to other political figures, like John F. Kennedy. He claims they're similar because JFK was also an "open intellectual." Overall Kristof puts his hopes in Obama to change the future of America, which is what Obama's campaign was all about. So, we can't be certain what the future holds but we can wish for a positive presidential influence.  

"A defining moment...a different future."

Throughout the Presidential campaigns of 2008, one theme which presented itself again and again was the fate, the future, of the United States. Both candidates often made a point to appeal to make appeals their audiences regarding the future of the country, and why each would provide a better tomorrow. In our current economic state and political climate, Barack Obama proved the most effective, clearly after Wednesday, at delivering a future vision for Americans. In the above clip, Senator Barack Obama speaks on the campaign trail about "a different future." He first relates to his audience by detailing the struggles that many Americans have gone through and continue to experience. He sympathizes with them. He states the pressing need for a better future for America, and insinuates strongly that he is the best man for the job.

Though throughout his campaign Obama was accused of being an elitist, he shows in this short clip that he is capable of sympathy for the average American, and builds his credibility and pathos, both, in doing so.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/world_news_america/7712138.stm

follow link to view- "Washinton Diary: America's Future"

With the recent events of the election, I chose an article that addresses the new views of the American people and their general rebellion towards ideas of the past. This article by Matt Frei shows how far the United States has come on racial views and progression. Novemeber 4 was a benchmark for-out with the old ideas of Bush, in with new ideas of change. Frei also highlights Obama's utilization of the internet and taking risks through the establishment of field offices in long-time republican states. I thought it was a good summary of the differences in each candidates approach of the election and the involved weaknesses. I have definitely taken on a better opinion of politics due to this election.

Why I'm Looking Forward To The Year 2012

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iY73Kk8AwCmPjHrKEJ1WIPgv78zw

http://news.aol.com/elections/article/republicans-gear-up-for-2012-race/242287?icid=100214839x1213213347x1200780859

I don't know about you but I love presidential campaigns. I love hearing about all the gossip and news about candidates lives and their bids for presidency. I enjoy seeing campaign ads and reading about mudslinging. But what I look forward to the most, what I can't wait for, is hearing about the campaign for presidency TWO YEARS BEFORE THE ELECTION. I experienced that thrill with this election. With all the different ways that the media has in their arsenal to inform the public, it would be no surprise to me if I hear about the 2012 election in tomorrow's news. That's precisely what is entailed in the links above. They cover Sarah Palin's notion to bid for presidency in 2012 as well as listing who president Obama will have to confront in order to win the 2012 election. I still can't believe they're already talking about the next election even before the newly elected president has even had time to enter office. I don't feel like it is necessary to be giving so much attention to something that hasn't even developed yet. I'd like to think that I'm not the only one who is happy to have this election over with so I can have some peace and quiet from heated political issues over the presidency. I'd like to think that, but it seems like the media isn't going to allow me to have that peace of mind.