It's All Politics, Week #3 (Week #8 overall)

(LINK http://www.npr.org/2012/05/15/152779651/its-all-politics-may-17-2012 )

                                                                       

Mutanatia was now sitting at his desk, looking eagerly at his students. “Welcome to week #3 of It’s All Politics from NPR, hosted by Ken Rudin and Ron Elving,” He said. “This is also our 8^th week. This unit, we’ll discuss a somewhat entertaining take on the news. Not only do these guys report political news in what I think is a relatively neutral way, but they also make jokes and have a laugh on the way.  It is by far the place I like listening to actual political news for a quick recap.

We’ll begin with a pre-class discussion: Considering Obama’s stance on gay rights, is it more relevant now than it had been in the past, especially in light of the recent Chik-Fil-A snafu?

Here are the discussion questions:”

1)    Do you think the specter of Jeremiah Wright should be raised again for this competition?

2)    Are the attacks on Mitt Romney for his relationship with Bain Capital legitimate in your opinion?

3)    Which is more important, the macro-economy or the micro-economy?

4)    Should Ron Paul pursue a candidacy?

He then passed out the homework:

Homework:

For the homework, please regurgitate what Elving and Rudin say about the following:

1)    What caused Obama to give his “famous speech” on race?

2)    Why do they think Obama is using Bain Capital to attack Romney?

3)    Describe the nature of Romney’s and Obama’s attack ads as presented in this podcast.

4)    Why is Ron Paul’s strategy “hard to watch?”

It's All Politics, Week #2 (7 overall)

(LINK http://www.npr.org/2012/05/11/152498671/its-all-politics-may-10-2012)

                                                                       

Mutanatia was now sitting at his desk, looking eagerly at his students. “Welcome to week #2 of It’s All Politics from NPR, hosted by Ken Rudin and Ron Elving,” He said. “This is also our 7^th week. This unit, we’ll discuss a somewhat entertaining take on the news. Not only do these guys report political news in what I think is a relatively neutral way, but they also make jokes and have a laugh on the way.  It is by far the place I like listening to actual political news for a quick recap.

The hottest political weeks this year have been from the virtually the whole month of May to the end of June and beginning of July. These 5 weeks of this unit will highlight these points in time.

For a quick overview, here are the main topics we are going to hit on:

Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage

Senator Lugar’s loss in the primary

Democratic Primary results

We will begin with the same-sex marriage announcement, trek over to Lugar’s Loss, and finally talk about the vote of “none of the above” against Barack Obama.

1)    Do you think that Biden’s announcement was a “gaffe,” or was it planned?

2)    Do you think that Obama’s “caution” is sometimes to his detriment politically?

3)     Should gay marriage be as a sensitive topic as it is?

4)    What do you make of Rick Santorum’s “endorsement?”

5)    Do you think there is a political future for Rick Santorum?

6)    What do you make of the “no preference” vote for Barack Obama?

7)    Considering that Richard Lugar hadn’t lived in Indiana for the longest time, would you call him effectively “out of touch?”

He then passed out the homework:

Homework:

For the homework, please regurgitate what Elving and Rudin say about the following:

1)    Who made the announcement initially about the support for gay marriage?

2)    What is Obama noted for when it comes to making decisions?

3)    What is the controversy identified about what Bill Clinton did when campaigning and the DOMA?

4)    How do they characterize Santorum’s endorsement of Romney?

5)    Who was on the ballot in West Virginia and was “running” against Obama (He won 41%)?

John McCain Speech defending Obama Administration Personnel

For those of you who are not familiar with Michelle Bachmann's ad hominem attack on a certain member of the Obama Administration, here is some background:
For a while, there has been a member of the President's administration that has had family members that have been loosely (if not questionably) tied--to the nearest of my understanding--to the Muslim Brotherhood. As an American, it is a right in my opinion to ask questions. However, Michelle Bachman went one step too far in my opinion, claiming that the government has "sold out" to the "radical Muslim extremists." From the interviews I have seen, at best these claims are made by talking to an unnamed official in the FBI. The News Media (When it does its job) then contacts the FBI and finds out that they (the FBI) is pretty much as stymied at the News Media doing the investigating is.

With that aside, and pretending for a moment that there is a question or two that needs answering, the way to go about such an investigation is certainly not to play it out in the public arena until all the facts are gathered, nor is it to go about in an ad hominem sort of way. If you want to question it, fine. You'll notice that most of the Fast and Furious investigations have played out in the public eye through members who are NOT Congressmen, unless asked for comment, instead of making a broad brush stroke and painting everyone as guilty, they present--as any lawyer, or law official would--a case. These claims have not proven to hold water yet, and even if they are, the public eye is simply not the place to air out these attacks unless solid proof is behind them. Enter John McCain.

For those of you who do not know, John McCain was the 2008 opponent of President Obama. Throughout most of the aftermath, despite saying we should get behind our president, John McCain has repeatedly come on television to blast President Obama for any number of things. However, this changed today.

Before I go on let me preface this by saying John McCain says in his speech that he knows the woman in question, and knows her to be an upstanding citizen. Many other Republicans say the same thing; this claim is limited to a handful of Republican Representatives and Senators: for the moment, John McCain is in the majority of ALL Legislators defending this administration official. It should be noted that, for the most part, I find McCain to be polarizing--though certainly not to the degree that President Obama is, nor to the degree that other certain Republicans are. But there is one thing jumped out at me from his speech was this, and I totally agree with him on this:

"Ultimately, what is at stake in this matter is larger even than the reputation of one person. This is about who we are as a nation, and who we aspire to be. What makes America exceptional among the countries of the world is that we are bound together as citizens not by blood or class, not by sect or ethnicity, but by a set of enduring, universal, and equal rights that are the foundation of our constitution, our laws, our citizenry, and our identity. When anyone, not least a member of Congress, launches specious and degrading attacks against fellow Americans on the basis of nothing more than fear of who they are and ignorance of what they stand for, it defames the spirit of our nation, and we all grow poorer because of it.

“Our reputations, our character, are the only things we leave behind when we depart this earth, and unjust attacks that malign the good name of a decent and honorable person is not only wrong; it is contrary to everything we hold dear as Americans."

Indeed, Mr. McCain, you are spot on. I do not know if I have mentioned this in my blog before, but, as Dave from Thoughts Aloud knows, I am more concerned with issues at hand rather than petty (and at times bloody) mudslinging. John McCain is right: we should stick to the issues at hand. I have no issues with John McCain as a person any more than I have issues with Mitt Romney, nor with President Obama. What I do have issues with is their policies. I yearn for the days leading up to the Civil War when two Presidential Candidates (Lincoln and Douglas) crossed the country in a style of Lincoln-Douglas debates emulated by most debate classes (though I care not that one of the issues at hand was slavery!).


 If the debate was anything like how today's modern version of such formats are, they formally debated and discussed the issues at hand, rather than dragging each other through the mud. It is this standard that we should live up to, not calling people "Specious" claims that John McCain identifies in his speech. Might these claims hold water at some point? Perhaps. But before all the evidence is gathered, before all the investigations are complete, please please PLEASE refrain from attacking ad hominemly each other.

I yearn for the day where campaign ads are once again positive, highlight the policies of the other, and yes, attack each other--over the policies and substance each brings to the table, rather than highlight and cast doubt on how the tax returns are missing. This is what I long for. Well said, Mr. McCain, well said. 

Week #1 (Week #6 overall) of It's all Politics

(LINK: http://www.npr.org/2012/05/04/152021058/its-all-politics-may-3-2012)

                                                                       

Mutanatia was now sitting at his desk, looking eagerly at his students. “Welcome to week #1, of It’s All Politics from NPR, hosted by Ken Rudin and Ron Elving,” He said. “This is also our 6^th week. This unit, we’ll discuss a somewhat entertaining take on the news. Not only do these guys report political news in what I think is a relatively neutral way, but they also make jokes and have a laugh on the way.  It is by far the place I like listening to actual political news for a quick recap.

The hottest political weeks this year have been from the virtually the whole month of May to the end of June and beginning of July. These 5 weeks of this unit will highlight these points in time.

For a quick overview, here are the main topics we are going to hit on:

Osama Bin Laden’s One-Year Death anniversary

Same-Sex Marriage (the political ramifications, not personal viewpoints… I hope…)

The specter of Jeremiah Wright (the political ramifications of bringing him “Back from the dead,” as it were)

The upholding of the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare, depending on what side you are on) and the Fast and Furious Debacle (both in one week)

Mitt Romney’s reaction to the upholding of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare

This week, we’ll begin with a pre-class discussion, and that is: research Ron Elving and Ken Rudin and tell me what you find out about them. Were you expecting the podcast to be biased? Why or why not? And, either way, did it live up to your expectations?

Let’s begin by discussing the Afghanistan trip that Barack Obama made to mark the One-Year Anniversary of the killing of Osama Bin Laden. We’ll start there before hitting the other topics, including Newt Gingrich dropping out of the Presidential Primary for the Republican side, and the Wisconsin primary. Answer 3 of the following questions:

11)    Some opponents of President Obama would say that not only the trip to Afghanistan, but also his appearance on Rock Center, the trip to Ground Zero, and so forth, were part of a “victory lap” that did not seem really befitting of the president. What do you, personally, think of this theory?

2

22)    Mitt Romney sort of “Shadowed” President Obama’s “victory lap” about OBL’s death, traveling to a 9/11 firehouse, and so forth. Some may say that this is not befitting of a candidate either. The larger question is, should 9/11 and/or Osama Bin Laden’s death actually be something to be politicized, or is it a “universal event?”

33)    We also have contrasting viewpoints presented between drone strikes and torturing a “handful” of terrorists. Are any of these justified? If so, under what circumstances?

4

44)    Newt Gingrich sort of gives a half-hearted endorsement, comparing Romney to Reagan (Who may be a Democrat by today’s standards), and he pretty much says, “like it or not, this is our nominee.” Why do you think he did that? What purpose does it accomplish?

5

55)    One of the things that Elving and Rudin bring up is that Bachmann is a “champion” of the Tea Party. However, when discussing Marco Rubio, Hispanics are quickly to point out that Hispanics are a diverse group. Is the same true of the Tea Party in your opinion? If so, does the endorsement by Bachmann mean anything?

6

66)    There is also the curious issue of Mr. Grunell (spelling?). There is clearly more to this story than simply firing something because he is gay. Find an article on his tweets.

7

77)    Elving and Rudin suggest that Dick Lugar will lose the election. It turned out that he did lose the election. The Onion (a parody newspaper) shortly thereafter called it the “Extinction of Moderate Republicans.” Would you agree with this sentiment if taken seriously?

8

88)    Scott Walker won the recall election shortly after this podcast. Does this necessarily mean anything, in your opinion, for the General Presidential election? Pay careful attention to the disparity in campaign funds.

He then passed out the homework:

Homework:

For the homework, please regurgitate what Elving and Rudin say about the following:

11)    What is the big “oops” that they talk about in the first segment? Please note that they were vague, but if you followed the events then, you should be able to figure it out.

22)    Describe Gingrich’s “endorsement” of Romney according to them.

33)    Describe how the two sides, Romney and Obama, presented themselves during Obama’s “victory lap” to mark the Anniversary of Osama Bin Laden’s death.

44)    What is that woman screaming at Mitt Romney in the sound bite?

55)    I can think of a similar instance within recent memory where something in the line of a shouted comment at Obama occurred. Name it. Please note: the connotation and verbiage is completely different.   

Politicians I want out of office this time around

Just to prove that I'm not as partisan as people may (or may not) think me to be:

Nancy Pelosi: Selfish, clueless, and talks down to you. Not leadership material. Always combative. 

Harry Reid: Thinks he does everyone a favor by talking kindly to his Republican counterparts even though he hates them. He doesn't. Willing to bring the country to a standstill even if the Republicans ideas are better (Sometimes), more coherent (always), and more practical (usually. See Boehner's bill).

John Boehner: I used to think he was one of the more "extreme" Republicans, but now I see he's only interested in keeping his Speakership. Easily pushed around by the Tea Party. Contributes to the stigma that "Republicans can't say yes." He will do all of the above, even if it means bringing the country to a halt.

Eric Cantor: Selfish, and has a very "in your face" (which different from "Calling it as I see it" :p) attitude which doesn't say a lot about him. He's kind of the Republican version of Nancy Pelosi. In most circles (Both Republican and Democrat) on the Hill, they believe that Cantor was the reason for ending the debt talks the first time around.Anyone who pigeonholed themselves by signing a pledge: THis one's obvious.

Synopsis: I basically think that most Democrats and Republicans who are long-time in the House, are so "ingrained" into the political system that they want to stay there regardless of what it takes. As such, they often  put their career interests ahead of the country's. I think Tea Partiers contribute to this mess, but I also find that Tea Partiers are not concerned about their career. In short, I agree with them that they should be independent thinkers and thus not beholden to anyone voting for them, but I disagree with their policies. 

Final Bill Maher Unit

(LINK: http://www.hbo.com/real-time-with-bill-maher#/real-time-with-bill-maher/episodes/0/249-episode/synopsis/quotes.html)

                                                                       

Mutanatia was now sitting at his desk, looking eagerly at his students. When his students sat down, he said, “Hello and welcome to the final week of Real Time with Bill Maher. Next week, we will be discussing NPR’s It’s All Politics, which will start This Sunday. That is our new schedule: we meet on Sundays for the most part.

Now, to the questions and homework:

1)    Find a statement you agree with and explain why. Discuss with others and be prepared to defend your viewpoint civilly. There may be nothing you agree with. Please state why this is the case.

2)    Find a statement you disagree with and explain why. Discuss with others and be prepared to defend your viewpoint civilly.

This episode originally aired on 5/11/2012. Topics included were: National Security Issues, Mitt Romney, the Economy, Immigration, and Obesity.

He then passed out the homework:

Homework:

1)    Fact-check one of the quotes found in the list (or on the overtime segment) and tell me why it is, or isn’t, accurate.

2)    What does Richard Clarke say Obama did to Al Qaeda as a whole?

3)    Evaluate David Clay Johnston.