(no subject)
Josh Nelson
Mr. Wonner
AP Gov., Per. 6
May 14th, 2004
1)
Summary
Howard Dean dropped out of the Democratic Presidential race on February 18th, 2004, after a brutal string of losses--17 states in less than 30 days. Though he's been eliminated as a possible presidential candidate, he assured the press that he intends to remain as active as he can in the party, saying that he "will continue the effort to transform the Democratic Party and to change our country." Dean says he will not pursue a third-party candidacy, but instead intends to support the party nominee (who we now know is John Kerry).
Dean said that one of his primary concerns is removing George W. Bush from office. "The bottom line is that we must beat Bush in November, whatever it takes." The best way to do this, of course, is to do what needs to be done in order to make the Democratic Party stronger.
Opinion
While Dean may not have had the support behind his campaign he did have the right idea. He knew that many people out their were oppossed to having Bush in office again and he did what others couldnt and just came out and said it. I am glad that he is willing to still support the democratic party after his withdrawal from the race. It really goes a long to way to show how much Dean cares and is willing to
sacrifice to acheive the ultimate goal of the removal of Bush from the White House.
2)
Summary
At the beginning of March, Senator John Kerry had all but clinched the spot for Democratic nominee in the 2004 Presidential Race. Though an early time for the primaries to end, Kerry managed to garner 9 of the 10 Super Tuesday races, which pretty much guaranteed him the nomination. The other John, Mr. John Edwards, has gracefully dropped out of the race after an impressive second-place campaign that few expected.
Kerry received a call from President Bush, in which John told him, "I hope we have a great debate about the issues before our country." Kerry was congratulated by several people. In a victory speech, thousands of Kerry supporters waved congratulatory signs, while Kerry himself delivered words of excitement. He was backed by his wife, his stepson, two daughters, and Ted Kennedy, the other Massachusetts senator. In his speech, John Kerry expressed his respect for both John Edwards and Howard Dean, who he felt did a wonderful job of respresenting the Democratic Party in this year's race.
Opinion
I think it is very interesting to see how far Kerry has come to get to this point in the election. Before his comeback in Iowa, most believed Kerry to be done for but it seems Kerry had other plans. It is always nice to see the underdog come out on top and I can only pray it happens on election day. Kerry will have a lot to over come to defeat Bush but as he has already shown us " its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog".
3)
Summary
In January of 2004, Bush's approval rating had risen by a considerable amount. A recent poll given by USA Today and CNN shows that at least 54% of the population will likely vote for him in 2004, while an impressive 36% of all who took the survey say they plan on voting for Bush regardless of how the upcoming election is handled. Meanwhile, the Democratic party has a 40% approval rating (24% say they will vote Democrat no matter what).
This same poll was conducted back in 1992 during the Bush Sr. vs. Clinton election, and the results were slightly different. Bush Sr.'s approval rating was at least 5% lower, while the Democrat's approval rating was 2% higher. On top of that, six out of ten Americans approve of George W.'s current tenure in office, which is more that can be said for Clinton, Carter, Reagan, or Bush Sr. If history is any indication, Bush would have won the election for sure if it had been held in January.
Opinion
While this article seems to be beneficial to Bush, you must also consider that this poll is out of date and things have changed a little. The War in Iraq no longer has a 63% approval rating and even George Bush's rating has dropped a little. I believe that the outcome of this election will rely heavily on what happens throughout 2004. Bush may have to put up more of a fight then people think if he wants to remain the top dog.
4)
Summary
Several conservative Christian groups have expressed their approval for Bush's new initiative to ban gay-marriage, to promote "healthy" marriage. Many of these groups tried to pressure the President to try for a constitutional amendment that will effectively ban gay marriage for many years to come.
This has put Bush in somewhat of a bind, especially since the 2004 election is less than a year away. His decision on this issue may or may not greatly affect the support he gets come time for voting. He'll be "caught between wooing potential swing voters and turning out his core evangelical supporters." Ignoring the issue may anger his core Christian support, while pushing for a ban may turn off potential Republican voters; or worse, it may excite many Democrats into voting for the opposition.
Opinion
The issue of same sex marriage may hold the most weight in this political battle. If Bush pushes to ban same sex marriage it will simply be in a move to gain christian votes. Considering Bush will probably be in a close race this year it wont suprise me if he does this because i believe he will need every vote he can get.
5)
Summary
An article was written in the Arizona Republic on February 3rd, 2004, about just how strong Gen. Wesley Clark's campaign could have been. When Dean was the likely front-runner, Clark's success seemed likely, especially since some critics believed that Howard Dean might "self-destruct." A recent CNN poll showed that Dean and Clark were almost "at a dead heat" with each other.
Wes Clark is a Southern soldier/scholar who "helped negotiate the Dayton Peace Accords on Bosnia in 1995 and led NATO troops to victory over Slobodan Milosevic in Kosovo in 1999." A pretty impressive resumé, and it certainly doesn't stop there. He received the Purple Heart and Silver Star after serving 34 years in the Army, from 1966 to 2000. Despite his military roots, Clark believes that the war in Iraq was launched "under false pretenses." Some call him the Anti-War General.
Opinion
In my mind Clark will be missed. His experiance with foreign affairs would have proved to be very valuable and his involment with NATO would have also proved to have been very important.While Clark has a lot of critics I for one and someone who will wonder what it would have been like if Clark had survived.
Mr. Wonner
AP Gov., Per. 6
May 14th, 2004
1)
Summary
Howard Dean dropped out of the Democratic Presidential race on February 18th, 2004, after a brutal string of losses--17 states in less than 30 days. Though he's been eliminated as a possible presidential candidate, he assured the press that he intends to remain as active as he can in the party, saying that he "will continue the effort to transform the Democratic Party and to change our country." Dean says he will not pursue a third-party candidacy, but instead intends to support the party nominee (who we now know is John Kerry).
Dean said that one of his primary concerns is removing George W. Bush from office. "The bottom line is that we must beat Bush in November, whatever it takes." The best way to do this, of course, is to do what needs to be done in order to make the Democratic Party stronger.
Opinion
While Dean may not have had the support behind his campaign he did have the right idea. He knew that many people out their were oppossed to having Bush in office again and he did what others couldnt and just came out and said it. I am glad that he is willing to still support the democratic party after his withdrawal from the race. It really goes a long to way to show how much Dean cares and is willing to
sacrifice to acheive the ultimate goal of the removal of Bush from the White House.
2)
Summary
At the beginning of March, Senator John Kerry had all but clinched the spot for Democratic nominee in the 2004 Presidential Race. Though an early time for the primaries to end, Kerry managed to garner 9 of the 10 Super Tuesday races, which pretty much guaranteed him the nomination. The other John, Mr. John Edwards, has gracefully dropped out of the race after an impressive second-place campaign that few expected.
Kerry received a call from President Bush, in which John told him, "I hope we have a great debate about the issues before our country." Kerry was congratulated by several people. In a victory speech, thousands of Kerry supporters waved congratulatory signs, while Kerry himself delivered words of excitement. He was backed by his wife, his stepson, two daughters, and Ted Kennedy, the other Massachusetts senator. In his speech, John Kerry expressed his respect for both John Edwards and Howard Dean, who he felt did a wonderful job of respresenting the Democratic Party in this year's race.
Opinion
I think it is very interesting to see how far Kerry has come to get to this point in the election. Before his comeback in Iowa, most believed Kerry to be done for but it seems Kerry had other plans. It is always nice to see the underdog come out on top and I can only pray it happens on election day. Kerry will have a lot to over come to defeat Bush but as he has already shown us " its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog".
3)
Summary
In January of 2004, Bush's approval rating had risen by a considerable amount. A recent poll given by USA Today and CNN shows that at least 54% of the population will likely vote for him in 2004, while an impressive 36% of all who took the survey say they plan on voting for Bush regardless of how the upcoming election is handled. Meanwhile, the Democratic party has a 40% approval rating (24% say they will vote Democrat no matter what).
This same poll was conducted back in 1992 during the Bush Sr. vs. Clinton election, and the results were slightly different. Bush Sr.'s approval rating was at least 5% lower, while the Democrat's approval rating was 2% higher. On top of that, six out of ten Americans approve of George W.'s current tenure in office, which is more that can be said for Clinton, Carter, Reagan, or Bush Sr. If history is any indication, Bush would have won the election for sure if it had been held in January.
Opinion
While this article seems to be beneficial to Bush, you must also consider that this poll is out of date and things have changed a little. The War in Iraq no longer has a 63% approval rating and even George Bush's rating has dropped a little. I believe that the outcome of this election will rely heavily on what happens throughout 2004. Bush may have to put up more of a fight then people think if he wants to remain the top dog.
4)
Summary
Several conservative Christian groups have expressed their approval for Bush's new initiative to ban gay-marriage, to promote "healthy" marriage. Many of these groups tried to pressure the President to try for a constitutional amendment that will effectively ban gay marriage for many years to come.
This has put Bush in somewhat of a bind, especially since the 2004 election is less than a year away. His decision on this issue may or may not greatly affect the support he gets come time for voting. He'll be "caught between wooing potential swing voters and turning out his core evangelical supporters." Ignoring the issue may anger his core Christian support, while pushing for a ban may turn off potential Republican voters; or worse, it may excite many Democrats into voting for the opposition.
Opinion
The issue of same sex marriage may hold the most weight in this political battle. If Bush pushes to ban same sex marriage it will simply be in a move to gain christian votes. Considering Bush will probably be in a close race this year it wont suprise me if he does this because i believe he will need every vote he can get.
5)
Summary
An article was written in the Arizona Republic on February 3rd, 2004, about just how strong Gen. Wesley Clark's campaign could have been. When Dean was the likely front-runner, Clark's success seemed likely, especially since some critics believed that Howard Dean might "self-destruct." A recent CNN poll showed that Dean and Clark were almost "at a dead heat" with each other.
Wes Clark is a Southern soldier/scholar who "helped negotiate the Dayton Peace Accords on Bosnia in 1995 and led NATO troops to victory over Slobodan Milosevic in Kosovo in 1999." A pretty impressive resumé, and it certainly doesn't stop there. He received the Purple Heart and Silver Star after serving 34 years in the Army, from 1966 to 2000. Despite his military roots, Clark believes that the war in Iraq was launched "under false pretenses." Some call him the Anti-War General.
Opinion
In my mind Clark will be missed. His experiance with foreign affairs would have proved to be very valuable and his involment with NATO would have also proved to have been very important.While Clark has a lot of critics I for one and someone who will wonder what it would have been like if Clark had survived.