Over the summer going into junior year, my friend approached me asking if I would be interested in helping him get a political newspaper started. As I have always been extremely interested in politics, I jumped at the opportunity. I took over as the reporter covering the US elections and once the results were decided, I became the American political reporter.
As I had never been able to actively get involved with American politics living in Italy, writing an article once a month was extremely exciting for me. Below I have included some samples that I wrote for the newspaper.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Yes We Did
“Yes we did!” was the common chant heard in the streets of New York City in the early hours of November 5th. Barak Hussein Obama was announced 44th president of the United States of America and the first ever African-American president. Since then, America has not been the only country celebrating. All over the world people have been closely watching this election, predicting that Americans would be too racist to elect an African-American president. Once again, America has demonstrated that anything is possible. Obama has promised a drastic turn away from the course the Bush administration has been leading America on for the past eight years. The promise of change and Obama’s clear dedication to bettering America are the main reasons he was elected. For the first time in years, Americans young and old, of all races were inspired to go out and vote. Vote for a change, and make that change happen for themselves. Under the last administration America was divided, and constantly reminded of that division. Even before he was elected Obama has been uniting and inspiring. He has encouraged minorities who think that their voice will not be heard to get out there and vote; to speak out for change. Americans have a lot to look forward to, as a new chapter in history is beginning to be written. One that will hopefully draw attention to the ethnic and religious diversity that shapes and defines America.
Vice Presidential Candidates
On August 23, 2008, US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama announced that Senator Joseph Biden would be his running mate for the 2008 election. Six days later, the Republican presidential candidate John McCain announced Sarah Palin would be his running mate. Since these two announcements have been made, there has been much debate about who will make a better US vice president. Claims have been made, from the Democratic Party, of course, that Biden is much more qualified than Palin. This is mainly due to the fact that Palin, age 44, has only been a state Governor (Alaska) since December 4, 2006, whereas Biden has been serving in the US Senate for 36 years.
Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska agrees with and supports McCain on all of his views, and has several strong ones of her own. She believes in capital punishment, is pro-life, is a long-term member of the National Rifle Association, and has strongly promoted oil resource development in Alaska by means of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Palin also denies that global warming may be occurring.
Senator Joe Biden of Delaware has very different views from Sarah Palin. He is pro-choice, and he voted against criminal penalties for harming unborn fetuses. Biden has also vocalized the need to get our troops out of Iraq soon in order to save the economy and end the war. He voted against Sarah Palin’s plan to drill in the ANWR and is working on making global warming something all Americans are aware of and sensitive to. He has also voted against many attempts to change the law to allow every American to own a gun without having a background check. Biden is working towards expanding health care benefits and promotes universal health care.
The two vice presidential candidates have very little in common, and do not share the same political views at all. It seems clear from the two presidential candidate’s choices that America with Barack Obama will change drastically from our world with George W. Bush. It is arguable that McCain, if elected, will not do much about the suffering US economy or the planet for that matter, or promoting the use of renewable energy. That sounds strikingly similar to the current Bush administration. Aren’t Americans ready for a change? I think we should all remember that in the event something should happen to the US president, and he can no longer fulfill his presidential responsibilities, the torch will be passed to the vice president. So consider, who would you have more faith in, an ex-beauty pageant queen or a sixth term senator?
Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska agrees with and supports McCain on all of his views, and has several strong ones of her own. She believes in capital punishment, is pro-life, is a long-term member of the National Rifle Association, and has strongly promoted oil resource development in Alaska by means of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Palin also denies that global warming may be occurring.
Senator Joe Biden of Delaware has very different views from Sarah Palin. He is pro-choice, and he voted against criminal penalties for harming unborn fetuses. Biden has also vocalized the need to get our troops out of Iraq soon in order to save the economy and end the war. He voted against Sarah Palin’s plan to drill in the ANWR and is working on making global warming something all Americans are aware of and sensitive to. He has also voted against many attempts to change the law to allow every American to own a gun without having a background check. Biden is working towards expanding health care benefits and promotes universal health care.
The two vice presidential candidates have very little in common, and do not share the same political views at all. It seems clear from the two presidential candidate’s choices that America with Barack Obama will change drastically from our world with George W. Bush. It is arguable that McCain, if elected, will not do much about the suffering US economy or the planet for that matter, or promoting the use of renewable energy. That sounds strikingly similar to the current Bush administration. Aren’t Americans ready for a change? I think we should all remember that in the event something should happen to the US president, and he can no longer fulfill his presidential responsibilities, the torch will be passed to the vice president. So consider, who would you have more faith in, an ex-beauty pageant queen or a sixth term senator?
Biden vs Palin
“Nice to meetcha. Hey, can I call you Joe?” was the way the October 3rd Vice-Presidential debate was kicked off in St. Louis, Missouri. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and US Sen. Joe Biden discussed topics ranging from foreign policy to the economic crisis that have many Americans terrified. Palin did a good job responding by incorporating the fact that she is new to Washington D.C and therefore has not been jaded.
“I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also”, Palin said, directly addressing the audience.
Palin’s main attraction is not only for those with religious affiliations, but also the level of reality she claims to bring to the table. During the debate she was constantly making references to soccer moms.
“Go to a kids' soccer game on Saturday and turn to any parent there on the sideline", was Palin’s response to a question on how Americans are dealing with the economic crisis.
Some observers felt that this folksy approach was somewhat questionable if one is running to lead their country. However, by turning around questions that she didn’t want to respond to and bringing them back to what she knew, she demonstrated an impressive understanding of many issues.
Of course, Palin’s two year experience as governor was no match for Biden’s 36 years in the US Senate. Biden clearly dominated the discussion with his wide breadth of knowledge on each relative topic, including those of Presidential candidates Obama and McCain.
Palin’s inexperience gleamed through a few times during the debate when she used a few malapropisms. For instance, she referred to the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David McKiernan as “McClellan”, who in fact does not exist. Although both vice presidential candidates performed well, it was clear whose knowledge was broader and whose experience would better serve the American people.
“I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also”, Palin said, directly addressing the audience.
Palin’s main attraction is not only for those with religious affiliations, but also the level of reality she claims to bring to the table. During the debate she was constantly making references to soccer moms.
“Go to a kids' soccer game on Saturday and turn to any parent there on the sideline", was Palin’s response to a question on how Americans are dealing with the economic crisis.
Some observers felt that this folksy approach was somewhat questionable if one is running to lead their country. However, by turning around questions that she didn’t want to respond to and bringing them back to what she knew, she demonstrated an impressive understanding of many issues.
Of course, Palin’s two year experience as governor was no match for Biden’s 36 years in the US Senate. Biden clearly dominated the discussion with his wide breadth of knowledge on each relative topic, including those of Presidential candidates Obama and McCain.
Palin’s inexperience gleamed through a few times during the debate when she used a few malapropisms. For instance, she referred to the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David McKiernan as “McClellan”, who in fact does not exist. Although both vice presidential candidates performed well, it was clear whose knowledge was broader and whose experience would better serve the American people.
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