American Civilization

Well, it’s true that the majority of American voters will go to polling places on Tuesday, November 4. And, that’s in addition to the voters who have already been able to cast their votes under varying state laws and regulations. But, the true « election » will really happen on December 15 when the Electoral College votes.

The American system has a rather unique method to select a president. It’s not a direct vote of the people. Rather, Americans vote for statewide slates of electors who are pledged to a candidate. Those successful electors then become members of the Electoral College, which elects the president by a majority vote. While the members of the Electoral College are never gathered in one place, they typically vote in the state capital on the same day. This year that vote takes place on December 15.

The framers of the U.S. Constitution created this system in a further effort to establish a « balance of power. » This system was a compromise that enabled nationwide votes by the citizens in a way that also recognized state powers. And, what it’s led to for this election cycle is the major focus on the « swing » states, those states in which no one can yet predict the winner.

If no one candidate has a majority based on the tally of the Electoral College, various scenarios may occur.  But, let’s wait until we see what happens before we go there….

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Well, the presidential election will finally end in just under 3 weeks.  There’s not much more to be said about it.  The debates didn’t really seem to have any major effect:  Obama continued to look « presidential » and McCain tried to portray himself as a « maverick. »  By the third debate, though, nothing new was being said as far as the issues.  And, the problems with the economy, programs which have been delivered by a Republican administration, are not going to help the Republican candidate, McCain.

Even though most polls now suggest that Obama has pulled ahead, that may not mean anything, either. A number of years ago an African-American man was running for the governor of California; he was ahead in the polls.  But, he lost.  The conclusion was that many voters were still racist.  In polls, they had said they’d vote for him.  But, when it came time to actually vote, they couldn’t vote for a black man.  It’s not clear how the « racism » factor will play out in this election.

Maybe what will be even more interesting on election day will be the other races further down the tickeet.  One house of the U.S. legislature, the Senate, has 100 members.  Some political pundits suggest that the Democrats could actually win 60 seats in the Senate.  Having that kind of a majority would allow the Democratic Party to shape much of the agenda in Congress.  To hear more about those predictions, check out the story here at NPR radio.

There are also many local elections that will be important.  Here in California one of the major ballot initiatives is Proposition 8.  If passed, that amendment to the state constitution would « eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. »  The publicity for and against Proposition 8 dominates the air waves here.

I know I’ve been saying it for quite awhile, but I’m really ready for this election to be over! http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html http://www.otc-certified-store.com/gastrointestinal-tract-medicine-europe.html https://zp-pdl.com/how-to-get-fast-payday-loan-online.php

Last Thursday night the two vice-presidential candidates met for their only debate.  Like with their running mates, both Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin did whatthey needed to do.  Biden demonstrated his depth of knowledge and competence while Palin demonstrated that she wasn’t the embarrassment which had been seen in recent interviews with her.

But, I’m somewhat surprised by the pundits who suggest that Palin did an adequate job during the debate.  What I noticed is that she avoided many of the questions.  Atone point she even said something to the effect that she didn’t care about what the moderator was asking or what her opponent was saying, she was simply going to talk about what she wanted.  While debaters may often avoid a question, to me, her statement went beyond belief.

Clearly Palin is warm and personable, but I wonder, too, about her casual use of language in the debate.  To me,  her use of colloquialism was inappropriate for this occasion.  I worry about how I can expect the use of formal language in student papers when she is so casual in such an important debate.

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Last night I carefully watched the first debate between Barack Obama and John McCain.

I guess I agree with the pundits that it was a draw.  Obama appeared « presidential » and McCain didn’t lose his temper.  However, I think that McCain is probably the better story teller.  And, while I enjoy listening to Obama’s eloquence, I wonder if his vocabulary alienates many of the American public.  That said, politically, since it was a tie, most political commentators are saying that the first debate helped Obama more than McCain.

I was pleased that the debate centered on substance and not silly topics like pigs and lipstick.  There was also a notable lack of humor in the debate, which didn’t please the journalists, but pleased me. Maybe this campaign season can now move beyond such absurdities.

By the way, the site of last night’s debate was truly historic.

It was this campus at the University of Mississippi where James Meredith, an African-American, tried to attend college in the 1960s.  It took the intervention of the U.S. attorney general, Robert Kennedy, and federal marshals to protect Meredith from death threats so that he could attend the university.  Despite such opposition, Meredith successfully attended the university and did graduate from there in 1964.  And, now, the first African-American presidential candidate has been at this campus as a debate participant.

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When Bill Clinton ran for the 1992 presidency, the campaign theme was « It’s the economy, stupid! »  Now, with the meltdown of the American economy, I’m wondering if that theme will resurface as the major focus of this campaign – moving away from other topics, such as  the war in Iraq, energy capability, abortion, and gay marriage.  If so, it’s not clear which political party will have the advantage.

On the one hand, the Democratic Party has usually had an advantage in times of economic hardship since it’s considered to be more representative of the concerns of ordinary citizens.  Thus far, Obama has seemed to have taken a two step approach, indicating a willingness to provide governmental assistance to avoid economic collapse and a willingness to be thoughtful in the response he would take. He definitely sees a role for governmental regulation.

Despite McCain’s misgivings about regulation, he, too, seems to be supporting governmental assistance now.  (That wasn’t true a couple of days ago when he criticized the idea of bailing out Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac, the mortgage lenders.)  And, I’ve always thought of McCain as Mr. Anti-Regulation, so I do find his current position a little puzzling. But, some American voters will support the Republican Party which in some ways represents a « father » figure, in this case personified by McCain.

While the U.S. theoretically is committed to a complete laissez-faire economy, it almost seems that the private sector wants no regulation while business is good and individuals are making lots of money, but wants a public rescue when things fall apart.  That seems somewhat hypocritical, doesn’t it?

Regardless, whichever candidate is succesful in November, the new president will have a major mess to address.  And, it looks like much of the future tax money collected will not go to new programs, but will have to be spent bailing out this economic mess.  How sad…. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html http://www.otc-certified-store.com/cardiovascular-diseases-medicine-usa.html https://zp-pdl.com

Saturday Night Live recently featured a skit with two actresses taking the roles of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin.  SNL,which is based in New York City, is a weekly late-night 90 minute combination comedy/variety show with a focus on American issues.  Watch it here:

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It seems like the addition of Sarah Palin to the ticket has energized the Republican Party’s bid to retain the presidency.  What may have been boring has been turned into a sort a soap opera.  Unfortunately, while many Americans talk about the importance of « issues, » I’m guessing that many voters respond to personalities.  And, now we have plenty of personality in the race.

Both McCain and Palin are focusing on « reform, » which is a bit ironic given that the country has been led by a Republican president for the last 8 years.  The names Bush and Cheney were barely mentioned at last week’s Republican Convention.  Bush cancelled his appearance, citing Hurrican Gustav as his reason for not getting to Minnesota.  But, some think that was a bit of a blessing for the Republican base, given that Bush’s approval rate remains very low.  Cheney wasn’t even in the country during the party convention; he was in Georgia!

The Republican Party seems to be better skilled at the game of politics, at the framing of issues.  For instance, Republicans continually label Democrats as « tax and spend » liberals.  It has become a mantra of any Republican speech.  But, under Clinton, a Democrat, the government actually lowered taxes for most people and got rid of the budget deficit.  Does that stop the use of the phrase?  No, the Republicans relentlessly continue using that label.  And, when people hear something often enough, they begin to believe it.  (Remember how Nazi propaganda used the Big Lie….)

Some criticize the Democratic Party for not being good at playing politics.  Many have wanted the Obama campagign to become more assertive, to attack the Republican Party more.  But, Obama has said he doesn’t want to run that kind of campaign.

I had a chance yesterday to hear this topic addressed by Robert Reich.

Reich presently teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, and was Secretary of Labor under Clinton.  He said that historically the Democratic
Party has been one of values, of morality – the party believes, he says, in the rule of law and believes in playing by the rules.  To compromise those values – to go into attack mode on the Republican candidates – would contradict the very values of the party.  And, is an election worth that, he asked. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html https://zp-pdl.com/best-payday-loans.php

Well, it’s almost November 4, the big day.  That’s the day this election cycle will finally come to an end.  At least, let’s hope the process will end and that 2008 won’t be a repeat of Election 2000, when it took several weeks to resolve the ballot problems in Florida.

I guess I’m just glad that I live in California.  Since California is not considered a swing state, we’re having fewer visiting politicians and fewer television ads.  A friend in Ohio described to me nearly non-stop campaign commercials on her t.v. station.

But, from what I can tell, this election is going to be too close to call.  Here’s one projection of what may happen.  See this Electoral College Map.

American is clearly divided.  While there are the Democratic Party faithful and the Republican Party faithful, there are many, many people who consider themselves independents.  These voters will be the ones who will determine what happens in November. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html zp-pdl.com

Well, summer is over, we’re back at school, and the hot presidential race took an unusual turn this last week. This week it’s been all about the nominees for vice-president.

First of all, Barak Obama selected Senator Joe Biden from Delaware.Biden brings with him working class roots, a Catholic background, experience with foreign affairs, and a fighting spirit, characteristics which will appeal to many of the Democratic base. He’s also been called pugnacious, as you can see in this short video clip:

But, some consider Biden too feisty and worry about his tendency to give very long speeches. He is not a man of few words. Others, especially Hillary supporters, are disappointed that Obama selected a male running mate.

Which brings us to John McCain’s selection yesterday. For his running mate, he’s selected Sarah Palin, a little known governor from Alaska. While she seems to lack experience, Palin, an evangelical Christian, does bring her social and economic conservatism to the ticket. That should be a hit with the Republican voters who are not terribly pleased about McCain.

Some believe that the strategy here was to appeal to women who may have supported Hillary. Personally, I find it hard to believe that someone who supported Hillary would be supportive of a candidate who doesn’t take the same positions that Hillary does on major issues, such as abortion rights. As Hillary said in her convention speech, did you vote for me or for the issues? But, listening to local news last night, I was surprised to hear some Democratic supporters of Hillary speaking positively of McCain’s choice of a woman and even suggesting that they would consider voting for the Republican pair.

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June 16 is a historic day for California.  Today same sex couples will be able to be legally married.  Many counties will begin issuing marriage licenses today and some same-sex weddings will be held around the state starting this evening.

 

There have been many different reactions to the legalization of same -sex weddings in California –  from celebration to criticism.  A few counties will suspend all marriage licensing, including marriages between a man and a woman, just so they do not have to issue licenses to same sex couples.  Now, under state law, it would be illegal to issue licenses to heterosexual couples and not to homosexual couples.

Given the struggling California economy,  some industries – from florists to caterers – are hoping that lots of weddings will help increase profits.

Regardless of one’s position, it’s clear that the battle has just begun.  To find out more, click here.

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