Thursday, December 2, 2010

Andrew Pooch and Tara Hjermstad

Final Research Project

Political Journalism

Bemidji State University

Fall 2010

Media Influence on the 2010 Minnesota Governor Race

The 2010 Minnesota Governor Race was anticipated to be a tight race with an outcome of a new face in office. In the beginning of 2009, candidates began to surface with no clear choice for each side. Dayton said early on that he would not run. Emmer was not considered to be the republican choice. Both ended up representing their parties on the ballot in November.

The media coverage for the 2010 Minnesota governor election was focused on the economy, education and social issues. The national and state medias are expected to present issues they feel important to the public. The media creates interest in the issues and requires the candidates to express their views. The media then informed the public what these opinions were.

The main sources that presented the major issues were newspapers, blogs, online media sources, television ads and debates. To understand the stances of each candidate, a current evaluation of the economy, education and social issues needed to be done. Once that was completed, the candidates’ opinions were located in multiple forms of media.

Just like the federal government, the Minnesota government is faced with a large debt. The state has an unemployment rate around 7%, which is less than the national rate, but still an issue. This issue is number one for discussion in the election. People are losing their savings, their homes and even marriages over this crisis (iStockAnalyst, 2010). Each candidate claimed to have a way to fix the situation.

Dayton plans to pass a 2011 “Bond’s Bow” bill, which would start more construction in Minnesota, offering jobs to hundreds of men and women in the state. Next, he will ensure an “Energy Saving Fund” that will use alternate energy in every public building across MN over the next decade. It will first invest in state government, college and university buildings, then onto public school and local government buildings. This fund will produce thousands of jobs for workers in building trades, reduce our state’s energy consumption, save millions of taxpayers’ money on energy costs and make us a leader in alternate energy innovation (Dayton, 2010).

He will use the “GARVEE Bonds” to increase federal highway funds, so the state can issue much larger highway construction, thus making thousands of jobs as well as making MN “21^st century”-ready. He promises to revitalize the “Star Cities for Economic Development” program for effective business recruitment and strategizing ways to make more jobs. He will work closely with Mayors, City Councils, Chambers of Commences and other civil leaders for new ways of job expansion (Dayton, 2010).

Dayton will work hard in the tourism department, making sure that it expands, thus expanding money back into our state. He will build a “Buy Minnesotan” preference for state contracts, making sure to keep all money spent in Minnesota. Dayton also plans to establish a micro-lending fund that will guarantee access to capital, giving small businesses the chance at the small loans needed to ignite big business.

Instead of ignoring the Women-owned, Minority-owned and Veteran-owned business laws, he will honor them. He will do the same with the minority set-aside requirements for contracts by DOT and Administration (Dayton 2010).

With the promise of helping businesses across the state, Dayton will do his best to make sure that there is reliable cell phone and high-speed Internet coverage from border-to-border, even if it means changing rules that are already in place. He will cut out unimportant tasks and paperwork that take away from businesses expanding, as they should. If these small, low-priority tasks are taken out, businesses will prosper, along with our state’s economy. The last promise from Dayton is to raise the state’s funding for education. This is important in making sure our generation’s children are prepared to keep up, so we don’t go through this economic downfall again (Dayton 2010).

Emmer’s plan for job creation is to first provide tax relief and raise business investment. He wants the current rate of corporate business tax of 9.8% to continually be lowered each year until it is eventually reversed. In order to reform state regulation, Emmer says procedures must be handled with three things: common sense, consistency and timelines. He will have a review of all the state’s agencies to make sure that anything blocking the way for expansion and job creation is abolished. Although the positive changes in the state’s education may not be immediate, Emmer believes that they will pay off in the long run, putting our economy ahead. These things, along with reprioritizing state spending, will boost our state’s economy back where it needs to be (Emmer, 2010).

Education in the state of Minnesota is begging for improvements. Teachers want smaller class sizes with more money to be distributed per student. They also want better health care and a higher standard for teachers (Education Minnesota, 2010). The state of Minnesota education is seeing budget cuts. The economy of Minnesota is suffering through a major budget deficit and this problem is affecting the schools.

Mark Dayton believes that education is the basis of making jobs grow, keeping our middle class strong and to keep MN strong in global economics. As governor, he plans to increase our state’s investment in public education so that we can have smaller class sizes, all day kindergarten and whatever else it takes to ensure that our children are getting the best education possible. His promises are to: lower class sizes; many public school he has visited around the state have had 40-50 students, and he promises this will not be happening any longer (Dayton, 2010).

Next, he’s going to make sure that Early Childhood Education is available to all young children, because he knows that this is critical in a child’s learning in the future. Dayton promises to make sure every school district is offering an all-day kindergarten program, and in return he will free up property tax money for the schools. He will end the four-day school week, along with any ineffective teachers and principals. He promises to reduce high-stakes testing, instead put the focus on constructive diagnostic tests. He wants to close the achievement gap and offer more education to pre-school age children (Dayton, 2010).

Dayton will test the Minnesota Department of Education to make sure they are doing everything they can to give our children the education they need. He will equip every school with modern day technology, such as computers, and make sure every student has access to them everyday. Lastly, he will place additional emphasis on Science, Math, Engineering and Technology. He will work with small, private businesses making private-public partnerships so he can get students the experience that they need in these departments (Dayton 2010).

“In the next few years, we need to make 50 years progress in reform, we need a 21^st century education model for a 21^st century economy. The challenge we face today isn’t about accounting or dollars spent; it’s a challenge to fundamentally change how we teach our kids to succeed in the modern world. I want to outline a vision for how to move Minnesota back on top not just in the U.S., but internationally. We have one goal in our reform plan: improving educational outcomes for our students,” said Emmer through his Web site.

Emmer has three main areas of focus in the education system right now: improve teacher and school accountability, address teacher ineffectiveness and to facilitate innovation within our current system. He believes our children deserve to be fully prepared for the real world and the challenges that come with it. It is everyone's responsibility to give him or her the skills and knowledge needed to create their own “bright futures.” His belief is that if they’re given the opportunity to, they will seek a bright future (Emmer, 2010).

Emmer’s budget plan for improving education: Hold k-12 education funding harmless in the next biennium. The state fund for 2010-11 is set at $13.8 billion; Emmer is committed to making sure that this is not changed. Next, reprioritize some existing k-12 funding to address critical needs by: reducing state mandates in all school districts, create urban school district empowerment zones and allow school districts to have greater authority to operate their districts and to take the funding from existing state childcare and the basic sliding fee program and put it towards early childhood education, ensuring that the children are prepared for kindergarten (Emmer, 2010).

Emmer also insists on reforming classroom instruction and learning by raising the current academic standards; ensures positive results by rewarding them and ensuring that we have effective teachers in every classroom. And lastly, by enacting the Emmer Job Reform, pay back the education-funding shift of $1.4 billion dollars starting in 2014. This is to give Minnesotans jobs, resulting in more money being put into the economy, thus paying off the current debt (Emmer, 2010).

Currently in Minnesota, the state is battling the decision to give marriage rights to gays. They are also having problems tending to the homeless and making abortion laws. The social issue stir heated up this fall when Target made a donation to MN Forward. MN forward is an organization that is working towards creating jobs. They also endorsed Tom Emmer. Target was criticized for this donation and it led to a boycott of Target. Best Buy was another Minnesota based corporation that made a donation to MN Forward (Condon, 2010).

Target has defended its donation of $150,000 to MN Forward, saying the Minnesota-based discount retailer remains committed to the gay community. Target chief executive Gregg Steinhafel said its political donations are intended to support business objectives such as job creation (MPR News, 2010).

This series of events catapulted gay rights into the main topics of discussion for the election. This issue runs deeper than just a Target and Best Buy donation. The activists for gay marriage in Minnesota see that Dayton could be a positive light for their rights, but republicans just took over the state legislature. This is anticipated to keep their wheels spinning as they work for their rights (MPR News, 2010).

Dayton voted against a constitutional ban to end same-sex marriage in 2006, and supports civil marriage equality. Emmer does not support gay marriage. In fact, he has tried to change the wording on bills from things like “parents” to “mother and father,” when dealing with surrogate motherhood. He has gone through many of the bills that would offer benefits to same-sex partners. “I believe that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. As a legislator, I have consistently supported the constitutional marriage amendments that protect traditional marriage,” said Emmer on his Web site.

Another social issue that gained attention in the election was the homeless situation in Minnesota. Pawlenty was unsuccessful in mending the situation and the candidates had nonexistent plans for the future (iStockAnalyst, 2010).

Dayton does not have a plan to end homelessness. He looks for help from St. Stephen’s Human Services and other experts, saying that they know what’s most effective. He said that he will reverse Pawlenty’s funding cuts to group residential housing, county mental health services, the renters’ credit and chemical dependency agencies. However, he has not given a dollar amount on a plan to reduce or remove homelessness (Baran, 2010).

Emmer said, "If you can find a place that has solved the homeless problem, I'll go there and copy it." He has not committed to anything as far as restoring Pawlenty’s cuts to group housing programs or any other housing program. “As a governor, I would love to solve homelessness, but government has not found solution to doing so,” (Baran, 2010).

As of July 2010, Minnesota has seen a fall in the number of abortions. This was the third straight year the numbers have fallen. This can be largely credited to the Positive Awareness program that helps pregnent women who are in need. Positive Alternatives is one of several pro-life legislative efforts by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) to offer women life-affirming alternatives to abortion and to significantly reduce the number of unborn babies aborted each year. The 2009 total was the lowest the state has seen since 1975 (Ertelt, 2010).

Dayton has both voted for and against pro-life, which includes: abortion in military facilties, endorsing Roe vs. Wade, partial-birth abortion, funding overseas abortion and also embryo-destructive research. He has opposed Women’s Right to Know, which is information given to pregnant woman about alternatives to and risks of abortion, as well as laws requiring notification of parents before a minor girl has an abortion. Along with opposing any help of pregnant women, he has openly criticized pregnancy help clinics, saying that they discourage women to have abortions. In 2004, Dayton co-sponsored the Freedom of Choice Act, and was openly endorsed by Planned Parenthood in August for governor (Dayton, 2010).

Republican Tom Emmer opposes abortion on demand and is in favor of the human life at every stage. He voted in favor of the pro-life position 49 out of 49 times; also including the Unborn Child Pain Prevention Act, which requires the abortionist to have hospital admitting privileges, and banning taxpayer funding of saline, sex-selection, RU486 abortions (a pill taken to cause abortion), coerced abortion and health care rationing (Emmer, 2010).

Emmer co-authored the Positive Alternatives Act, which provides help and alternative options to pregnant women in need. He voted against embryo-destructive research and also co-authored legislation to ban taxpayer funding of abortion in Minnesota (Emmer, 2010).

The media used platforms of newspapers, blogs, online news, advertisements and videos to highlight the issues the public should be concerned with. Jobs and the economy are the most popular, because they are affecting everyone. Then the education was a big issue followed by the controversial social issues. The media brought focus to these issues, and then needed the candidates to voice their opinions.

The outcome led to a close 2010 governor race in Minnesota. Dayton came out the victory, but since it was a victory of half a percent, it triggered a recount. The new governor won't claim his place in office until the votes have been recounted. In a year when the Republicans made a charge to take over state and federal governments, they failed to capitalize in close Minnesota governor race.

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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Story #12

November 16, 2010

Lame-duck session to begin

Few Democrats, Confident Republicans arrive

By: Andrew Pooch

The scene at Capitol Hill will see many politicians hobbling in after their defeats in the November election to clean out their offices. Mostly democrats, those politicians have one session left before their term comes to an end.

The term “lame-duck” was created to label the politicians that returned after losing elections to participate in the post-election session. They would ultimately carry no power in conversation and provide little help, thus sticking them with the term “lame-duck” is fitting (Harwood, 2010).

Congress experienced a shift in party majority after the election and there are many new faces in D.C. The newly elected positions are being sworn in; learning the rules of decorum and being instructed how to run a congressional office.

The problem may arise this year as it did in 2006, when there was a shift in party power in Congress. In these instances, political tempers already running hot, the temptation for lame duck members to vent their frustrations by working to stall good bills, while turning bad bills into worse laws, becomes even greater.

The main focus on the lame-duck session agenda includes: Bush tax cuts, Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) as well as a repeal for Form 1099 income reporting requirement for small businesses.

Republican John Boehner is in line to become the new speaker when Congress assembles in January. He told the Associated Press that, “The American people are sick and tired of the ‘Washington knows best’ mentality. All the power in this town is on loan from the people.”

The people were “sick and tired,” and they acted on their emotion. The new Congress will move to make changes to large taxes and try to find the country more jobs. Not much was done in October when the elections were inching closer; this lame-duck session has an opportunity to get the ball rolling for the January session (Harwood, 2010).

"[Republicans are] still flush with victory, having run a strategy that was all about saying no. But I am very confident that the American people were not issuing a mandate for gridlock," said newly elected Republican Senator Mark Kirk to the LA Times. "So my expectation is … that there are a set of things that need to get done during the lame-duck, and that they are not going to want to just obstruct, that they're going to want to engage constructively."

In the election year, the scene on Capitol Hill is effortless. The agenda is slow to move and votes lay in a standstill. The time before and after the elections are futile – stuck in a slump until January, when the newly elected politicians arrive and fulfill their new duties.

Works Cited
Associated Press
LA Times
NY Times article November 7, 2010

November 16, 2010

Study Guide- Conclusion to Daniel Book

The conclusion to Scandal and Civility highlights the victory of Thomas Jefferson and the revolution of democracy in politics. Jefferson was able to trump his Federalist counterparts and establish the Republicans at the top of American politics for an important revolution years after the Revolutionary War had ended. Political and Religious ideologies were present during this time. Thinking like the monarchy we had freed ourselves from was a scary thought. Creative minds such as Fenno, Freneau and Bache played key roles in publishing print works during this time that shaped politics for our nation.

Before we were even a country, the press has had the power to inform us and misinform us. The print during the late 1700’s shaped partisan politics. Today, Internet, television and print news is carrying on the tradition. The reporting tries to be objective, but never is with politics. The press leaves little room for rational thinking and that is what is missing from the media of today.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Governor’s race demands recount

Pawlenty extents stay in mansion

By Andrew Pooch

The results came in tallying close to two million and the result left Mark Dayton with a 10,000-vote lead over Tom Emmer that accounted for less than one percent difference. This automatically triggered a recount.

Polling since the primaries has displayed a toss-up between Emmer and Dayton. This only predicted that there would be no heavy favorite entering the election. Nate Silver, creator of the popular poll FiveThirtyEight, predicted the race to be very tight, but Dayton had a large percentage chance of winning. Now Dayton is reported to have 43.7 percent and Emmer 43.3 percent.

The close vote will initiate a recount, which is very recent in the memories of Minnesotans. In 2008, the Senator race was close enough to have a hand-tallying recount which left the senate seat unoccupied for eight months.

With such a tight margin of victory, many analysts have been pondering if Dayton won the election by accomplishments or had Emmer lost from campaign blunders.

This election bucked the trend throughout the nation. Many races saw republicans bump off democratic candidates. The change was seen coming since this summer, when Obama’s approval rating fell. Around the nation, democrats were blamed for his failures and sought republican replacements hoping for change.

Politics in Minnesota reported that many political observers attribute the outcome to Emmer’s weaknesses as a candidate. “I’m sure there’s a lot of second-guessing among Republican leaders about Emmer’s candidacy,” said Dan Hofrenning, a professor of political science at St. Olaf College. “In such a Republican year, I’m sure they’re kicking themselves.”

Steven Schier, a political science professor at Carleton College, sees the results similarly. “You had a historical Republican sweep here on a lot of levels of the ballot, but not the governor’s race,” Schier said. “It really indicates a tremendous lost opportunity for the Republicans.”

Media outlets throughout Minnesota chose not to endorse Dayton or Emmer. This focus took votes away from the republicans and the democrats. Tom Horner, the independent candidate accounted for nearly 12 percent of the vote according to FiveThirtyEight poll. This took many votes away from the two dominant parties.

Currently Dayton has been declared the winner. After the recount, Minnesotans will know who the next governor will be. If Dayton comes out victorious, Minnesota will have its first DFL governor in 24 years.

“The voters have spoken,” said Rep. Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley to Politics in Minnesota. “I just wish someone could tell me what they said.”

http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/governor

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

STUDY GUIDE FOR WEEK 11

Political Journalism

Read one essay in the Flippin book from either the “Economy in Crisis” section or “The New New Presidency”

I am not making individual study guides for each section, so here is a generic one:

1. Please discuss the significance of the title of the essay. The title of the essay is “Obama’s Bailout,” by Paul Krugman. The significance is his interpretation of how Obama handled the stimulus package and bank bailout. Then he looked ahead at the future and how these decisions would pan out.

2. What is the writer’s point in 50 words or less. The writers point is that Obama has just begun his work as president. He has made an early attempt at the stimulus, and hasn’t made a move toward the bank situation yet because of the difficulty.

3. Who is the writer’s audience? (You may consider the venue in which the essay was published.) This article was written in the Rolling Stone. The audience is uninformed readers. The article is written in a way that anyone reading can learn about the state of the economy.

4. Do you think the writer does a good job making his/her point? Explain. Yes, the writer does an excellent job of getting his point across. The facts are laid out in an organized manner and then he lists his solutions with little confusion of where he stands.

5. These essays were all written in 2009. Do you know anything now in 2010 that sheds new light on the writer’s observations? How might that change the essay? As far as 2010, we are still in an economic recession and Obama is losing approval ratings. He has not made a move to bailout the banks yet, and the stimulus is still keeping the housing market in trouble.

6. Please discuss at two new things you learned from the essay. I learned how fast Obama acted once he became president to help our economy. His actions were quick, but not enough to make a huge difference. He just did enough to keep the economy from getting worse.

7. What do you think was most interesting about the essay? Why? The most interesting piece of the essay was his referral to the Swedish bank dilemma in the 1990’s. Many feel like this might solve the solution in the U.S. but on the other hand many see it as a socialism act.

8. Google the writer. Tell me more about him/her. Cite your sources. Paul Krugman is a political writer who has a blog on the NY Times Web site. He is also a Professor of Economics at Princeton University. He has also won a Nobel Prize.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/

http://www.princeton.edu/~pkrugman/

Democrat Faithful Fading

Republicans Gaining Different Following

By Andrew Pooch

When Obama won the presidential election in 2008, he managed to persuade most women, Roman Catholics, less affluent Americans and independents to vote Democrat. The latest New York Times/CBS News Poll has Republicans gaining those votes in this election.

The result of this situation is a concern for the condition of the nation after the 2008 election. Many voters that are on the fence about their votes are voting for the less experienced candidate or one with extreme views, because they do not want to continue with what is happening in Congress. The nation once again wants change.

Democrats have been known as the party that plans to create jobs, but they have failed to follow through. The economy has been the biggest issue this fall and since the public is noticing the failures of the President’s plan, people are turning to candidates that can create a new majority in Congress.

Many voted for Obama based on his change, including Judy Berg, an independent from Illinois that was interviewed by the New York Times after a polling session. “I was looking for a change,” said Berg. “The change that ensued was not the change I was looking for but something totally out of left field.”

Since then, Ms. Berg will be changing her vote to Republican. “I’m pro-life and I am also looking at the immigration issues and the tax issues,” she said. “I like the Republican agenda on these issues better than the Democratic agenda.”

This poll is designed to be an accumulation of exit polls from 2008, 2006 and early polling in 2010. The poll is measuring the elections that are not for U.S senate considering there are fourteen seats not up for election and Democrats seem to continue their control of the Senate.

These results are similar to the middle of Clinton’s second term in office. He was under investigation and the voters swung Congress to Republicans and then Bush came in. According to the poll, most of the disproval rating is contributed to Congress. Obama has a decent backing, because many still feel that the problems he is facing are temporary. The reasons they are here in the first place are because of George Bush and Wall Street.

The speaker of the house is Nancy Pelosi and she has become a liability for the Democratic Party. According to the fivethirtyeight, she has a large chance of winning her election, but will face a loss of her title as House speaker come Wednesday.

This election will represent the emotions of the voters. Frustrated with the current state of our economy – they will once again be looking for change.

Friday, October 29, 2010

STUDY GUIDE FOR “Noah Webster and the Demoralization of the Body Politic”

Ch. 4 in Scandal and Civility, by Marcus Daniel

Due 10/28

1. What is the significance of the title of this chapter? Webster brought the word “demoralize” to the English language. It reflects his attitude to the French Revolution and American politics.

2. Discuss Noah Webster’s attitudes toward the relationship between religion and politics. Religion was a huge part of Webster’s life. He recalled an early he could remember being taught religion. It was a way of life for him growing up. Politics was his motivation to start the national language.

3. How did Webster’s opinions about the French Revolution change over time? Moral order and religious belief has been shattered. He thought that when he lost his faith with the French Revolution, it was also the changing point for him and American Politics.

4. We know Webster for his work as a lexicographer. What was Webster’s goal in publishing children’s spelling books and in writing dictionaries? The speller was supposed to lay the basis for a distinctively American Literary culture – and moral order – independent of European cultural influence, and its appeal was explicitly nationalistic and propagandistic.

5. Google the following terms and discuss their relevance to this chapter: Calvinism, The Enlightenment, Samuel Johnson, primogeniture, xenophobia, Minerva, Alien and Sedition Acts, Great Awakening and Second Great Awakening. During Webster’s youth, he was raised under a Calvinistic lifestyle. The Enlightenment was a focus on reason to make decisions. He was exposed to this at college. Samuel Johnson was a lexicographer, much like Webster. Primogeniture is the inheritance of the estate by the oldest sibling, most of time male. Webster fought to abolish this tradition. Xenophobia is an attitude that Webster had. He wanted American to be free of foreign influence. Minerva was a publication that Webster read. The Alien and Sedition acts were created to protect the Americans from foreign interference with governmental affairs. The Awakenings were reconstructions of the Protestant faith. Webster was always teetering on whether religion should be factor in government.

6. Discuss Webster’s attitude towards political parties. How are his ideas relevant today? What’s your attitude toward parties? Do you think Webster was right? He believed in a central government. All power should be vested in the people. The greatest number of people are in control of creating the laws and number control their execution. My attitude is that we need parties. Not too many of nothing would get done, just enough to keep the others in check.

7. How did Webster’s political ideas change over the course of his life? He used religion to guide his feelings, then he saw the collapse of the French Revolution and the struggle of American politics and lost his faith.

8. Discuss one of these quotable quotes from the book:

“Men were innately corrupt and self-interested, he believed, and consequently it was absurd to make their political virtue the basis for political institutions.” (149) This theory uses his view on The Enlightenment. He developed this was of thinking when he was a student at Yale. He continued this practice of reasonable thinking when he made his way in publishing and expressing his political views.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Fast Food Union Vote Fails

Close vote avoids union

By Andrew Pooch

In Minneapolis, MN a group of 200 fast food workers were unhappy with the wages they were earning and decided to go as far to vote on creating a fast food union. This vote was narrowly missed with 85 voting for and 87 voting against.

The New York Times originally reported this event when a story broke of workers at a Jimmy John’s in Minneapolis wearing t-shirts that read, “Wages So Low You’ll Freak.” The restaurant is known to have unique t-shirts and employees, but this motto was not approved by corporate.

The fast food industry has been a difficult sector to unionize. The complications exist with the age of most workers and the turnover that they cause. The workers have expressed how the pay is low and the working conditions are unpredictable. The shifts tend to be short and management isn’t sympathetic.

“A union in fast food is an idea whose time has come,” said Emily Przybylski, in the New York Times, who is a bike delivery worker at Jimmy John’s who is also a social work student at the University of Minnesota. “There are millions of workers in this industry living in poverty, with no consistent scheduling, no job security and no respect. It’s time for change.”

Mike Mulligan, the franchise owner of many Jimmy John’s shops in the Twin Cities spoke about how his employees are treated. He felt that he treats his employees fairly and fears an uprising should this union follow through. He felt that the employers had become a target of left-wing activists. He encourages employees to stay at home if they have any illness.

Micah Buckley-Farlee, a bike delivery worker, told the New York Times that he has a collapsed lung condition. He once knew an attack was imminent, so he called into work. They told him to find a replacement for his shift.

“I want a union for the little things – if you want a raise and the manager says no, you don’t have much to address,” said Buckley-Farley. “And as for the big things like health coverage, you can’t get anywhere without a union.”

Ultimately that decision to establish a union was rejected. The employees will continue to work under the rules of management, which are undesirable. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that most fast food restaurants require a sick employee to find their own replacement for their shift or they are reprimanded.

Other conditions include most employees being helpless against the minimum wage. Employers have been quoted saying if they could pay less to their employees, they would. The fast food industry has been thriving in this economy, so why aren’t employees getting raises?

Too many workers are afraid to stand up to their bosses for fear that they will lose the job they desperately need. With this failed attempt to unionize the fast food workers, the treatment will continue and workers will be scared to lose their jobs.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Study Guide for Political Journalism Class F’10

Due date: Oct. 19

“An X-Ray of Dysfunction,” by Thomas L. Friedman. NY Times, 10/12/10

“As the World Burns,” by Ryan Lizza, The New Yorker, 10/11/10

1. Who are John Kerry, Lindsey Graham and Joseph Lieberman, and what did they decide to work on together? Why? Were they good friends? What challenges did they have with the idea of even working together? They were three senators that chose to work together on a climate-change and energy bill. They weren’t good friends considering Kerry and Lieberman had ran against each other for president in 2004. These chose to work together because they want a chance to change their reputations within their parties.

2. How did the climate-change bill morph into something completely different? Describe some of the changes. Some of the main focus became on drill for oil and other politicians were trying to get their issues into the bill (Pickens). Too many special interest groups were attempting to get their interests into the bill. It changed into focusing on oil, which ended being the tipping point for killing the bill when the oil spill in the Gulf occurred.

3. How, if at all, did the Gulf oil disaster affect this bill? Obama said that drilling for oil was very safe for the environment due to the advancements in technology. Oil was a huge issue that was attempting to make its way into the bill. The oil spill was the moment when Reid declared the importance of immigration and Graham pulled out.

4. Were there any heroes in this story? Any villains? What went wrong? Evan Byah was a villain; Obama could also be considered a villain because he put the bill on the back burner for health care and the economy; the heroes were the three senators (Graham, Kerry, and Lieberman) who came together to put this bill together. Too many people were trying to get their input into the bill. Fox news is considered a villain because they would attack Graham for his work with other parties. They would single him out for the failures of the bill. The media turned into a villain claiming K.G.L wanted to have a gas tax. Harry Reid tried to put immigration ahead of climate change.

5. What do you think are the lessons from this about the political process? How could the problems be fixed? The senators were trying to please to many politicians and get their policies into the bill. They spent too much time fixing it and angering people that it failed. Obama administration also didn’t help by putting it behind health care and economy.

6. Why did Tom Friedman write about Lizza’s article? He wrote about the article because he is frustrated with the efforts that were put in from opposing parties to write a clean energy bill, to have it shut down. He is disappointed as he should be in the lack of effort that politicians are putting forth to improve of country.

7. What were the lessons Friedman took from it? Do you agree with him? Why or why not? He says that we only have ourselves to blame, because we were the people who elected them into office. He is correct and his statement is true. We can also change it by elected others into office.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Reid losing grip on senate seat

Tea Party candidate turning heads

By Andrew Pooch

Around the country, Tea Party candidates are making an impact and Nevada is taking notice. Harry Reid is currently battling Sharron Angle for the Nevada senate seat.

Reid has held a senate seat in Nevada since 1987. He has moved his way up from being senate majority whip, to minority leader and now majority leader. None of this is being considered this fall however. He has been attached to the Obama administration, which has been unsuccessful in bringing change to a state such as Nevada.

After a private questioning meeting, Angle was quoted saying, “ The best that I could give you is that the message has changed from hope and change to fear and smear.”

The Tea Party has some extreme candidates, and Angle is said to be one of them. Reid is trying to inform voters that although they may be frustrated with the Obama administration, they should be aware of the changes that would arise if he weren’t re-elected.

The fact is that Reid underestimated his opponent to a degree. He started his campaign advertisements in the fall of 2009, but has since lost a grip. He started by assuming that his seat was secure to the fact that he is senate majority leader. He wanted voters to realize what that means to his home state.

These two candidates are pouring millions into their campaigns. Angle has stated about $17.8 million, while Reid has yet to classified his funding. The figure for Reid is figured to be very high as well.

The results have yet to be shown however, since Reid is receiving less than 50 percent of the vote. The independent voters have shown they are frustrated with Nevada’s economy and hurting Reid’s election chances.

“I’m very confident that we are running ahead,” said Mr. Reid’s pollster, Mark Mellman. “It’s a tough race, it’s a competitive race and lots of things can happen between now and Election Day. But we’ve been meaningfully ahead, pretty consistently.”

Angle’s party disagrees with this statement from Reid’s camp. Rob Jesmer, the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said, “I think if the election were today we’d win because Sharron has the advantage of voter intensity.”

According to the FiveThiryEight forecast, the Nevada seat is in a toss-up. The race is hard to pin down in the current polls, but Nate Silver gives Angle a 62 percent chance of winning the election.

Silver is making his living predicting elections correctly. He is taking into account the way campaign money is being spent, voter opinion and other major successful polls. He forms this data into a mega poll.

The closer the date gets to November 2, the more views the FiveThirtyEight is going to see. The outlook is change for Nevada as well as the Senate, because people are frustrated with the state of the economy and have a chance to change it.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Scandal & Civility, by Marcus Daniel

“Benjamin Franklin Bache and the Desacralization of George Washington” (Ch. 3)

Study Guide

1. Please discuss the significance of the title of this chapter, including a definition of the word “desacralization.” George Washington was considered the Father of the U.S. Bache was responsible for slanderous remarks against him. This was taking the significance of Washington away from what he meant to this country.

2. Explain this statement on p. 110: “The transformation of American colonists from subjects to citizens seemed complete and almost instantaneous. But it was not.” There was a change from people living under Great Britain to people gaining their independence. Some were more enthusiastic about it than others.

3. Who was Bache’s grandfather? What kind of influence did that grandfather have on his life? His grandfather was Benjamin Franklin. Franklin shaped who Bache would become. He accepting him at an early age sent him to a school to shape his beliefs. Then became an apprentice figure to Franklin, following him around to see what his work was like.

4. How old was Bache when he died? (114) The chapter doesn’t mention the cause of his death. See if you can find it somewhere. Bache died in 1798, from yellow fever.

5. When Bache first founded the “Daily Advertiser,” he promised he would observe the “strictest impartiality.” (116) What happened to this promise? He wanted his paper to be objective. He was presenting it for the good of the public. The paper started to reflect Bache’s political views.

6. Bache also had a Jefferson connection. What was it? (117) Jefferson was looking for a paper to compete with the Gazette. After Freneau shot him down, Jefferson turned to Bache.

7. What was it about the Jay Treaty that so incensed Bache and others? (133) They were interpreting it as a battle between the will of the people and a will of the president. It was creating a King-like figure in the president.

8. Discuss the “insidious influence of women” mentioned by the author on p. 123. Do you see that kind of attitude at all in contemporary politics? Women were being involved in politics. They didn’t necessarily have input then, but there were issues that women had influenced. Today, more and more women are entering the political realm.

9. How did Bache’s attitude toward the whiskey rebellion change? Why? (130) He started out at sympathetic to the farmers, but as the struggle continued he changed his feelings. He sided with the government and said the farmers just wanted British gold.

10. There was talk in Bache’s and other newspapers of impeaching Pres. Washington. On what grounds? They brought seventeen charges against the president. He was being a coward and an enemy of the people. Some also thought he undermined the constitution by signing the Jay Treaty.

11. The author states that Bache’s campaign against Washington was a total failure, but that he did have a different kind of victory. What was it? The title of the chapter is Benjamin Franklin Bache and the Desacralization of George Washington. That is what Bache was able to do. He desacralized the presidency, made it secular.

Report: U.S. Would Make Internet Wiretaps Easier

U.S. moves to tap Internet

Questions of security versus privacy

By Andrew Pooch

In today’s society, the technology of the telephone is becoming extinct. People are moving to impersonal means to communicate. People are turning to the Internet for their communication.

There are many options through the Internet. Social networking sites have emerged to become the main avenue for communication. Facebook, Twitter and Myspace are the most popular forms. People are also still using their email accounts or talking face to face through Skype.

Technology is increasing in complexity, therefore making wiretapping more difficult. The more sophisticated the technologies become, the more the conversations are scrambled. This makes it difficult to use wiretaps.

The Obama administration is making a move to increase their ability to tap into these resources. The main concern is homeland security. The ability of the U.S to wiretap and get information strictly from phones has been diminished from the dependence on the Internet.

The Obama administration is proposing new regulations that would allow a wiretap that would capture an unscrambled version of conversations over the phone, computer and email. It would then make then available for law enforcement.

“They are really asking for the authority to redesign services that take advantage of the unique, and now pervasive architecture of the Internet,” said James X. Dempsey, vice president of the Center for Democracy. “They basically want to turn back the clock and make Internet services function the way that the telephone system used to function.”

This plan by the government has signs of potentially harmful flaws. If they were able to gain the access they are proposing, this would open up the Internet to attacks on identity. Citizens and businesses would be more prone to identity theft.

“We’re talking about lawfully authorized intercepts,” said Valerie E. Caproni, general manager for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “We’re not talking expanding authority. We’re talking about preserving our ability to execute our existing authority in order to protect the public safety and national security.”

Caproni also added that the technology we use to communicate has drastically changed since 1994. The laws regulating how we communicate have not kept up with the changes in communication.

The U.S has two convincing arguments on their side. They had an investigation hit a dead end with the drug cartel in Mexico, because the suspects were using a peer-to-peer website to discuss drug related business.

The other related case was the failed bombing in New York last May. The suspect of the bombing would have been discovered earlier if the technology he was using to communicate had the possible for intercept.

From the evidence that will likely be presented to Congress, It will be a convincing argument for Congress to pass a new form of regulation for wiretapping. This new process of encoding Internet technologies will prevent some terrorist threats that may be missed if there isn’t a change.

http://www.startribune.com/nation/103836983.html

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Due Oct. 5

Read Green, Mayer, Taddeo OR Sternbergh articles in Taibbi book

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the topic of this article and what is the author's main point? The topic of this article is Nate Silver. He has created a website that is considered a mega poll. The main point of the article is how Nate Silver created this Website and it has become to go to place for election predictions.

2. Discuss at least two interesting pieces of information you learned. Why were they interesting? Nate Silver is a baseball statistician that used his skills to create an algorithm to predict elections. He has used his knowledge to create a new polling system. He uses the top ranked polls for individual elections and runs simulations in an algorithm to come up with a mega, more accurate poll.

3. What sources did the author use -- these can include people, documents, first-hand observation, etc. Discuss the quality of the reporting. Joe Sheehan, on of the creators of PECOTA, Moneyball, Nate Silver, Dick Bennett a pollster for ARG, FiveThirtyEight.com,

4. Do you agree with the author's conclusion? Why or why not? The conclusion for this article is that Nate Silver has created a new way to look at polling. The author states how cocky these statisticians can be. Nate Silver knows how things have been done, he now wants to change the status quo.

5. Discuss how the historical context you learned from the Daniel book thus far illuminates the contemporary story you just read. Does it prove to you that history repeats itself and there's nothing new under the sun or does it prove that these times are different from the early days of political reporting? Based on what I have read so far in the Daniel book, I have a hard time comparing the way Silver is using his Website. Sure there was a form of polling in early political history, but the way Nate Silver has become so accurate by compiling so much data is by far ahead of that time.

6. Did you like this article? Why or why not? I liked this article because Nate Silver saw a flaw in the predicting of elections. He took his knowledge of baseball stats and applied a formula to calculate a more precise election prediction. This Website is now the number one poll that people turn to for election predictions.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Minnesota Preparing for a New Governor

Candidates’ Websites Help Inform Voters

by Andrew Pooch

It is officially less than a month until Minnesota will know who will be the next governor. The three candidates in the conversation for governor are Mark Dayton, Tom Emmer and Tom Horner. Voters can this time to explore the top candidates and see what each has to offer.

The most popular way to be informed is to visit each candidate’s Website. The candidate’s share their positions on the issues, plans to fix them, information about them and their running partner and ways to help the campaign.

Mark Dayton has a slogan of, “Mark Dayton for a Better Minnesota.” He explains on his Website how Minnesota has entered into a crisis. He feels that he can get our state out of this.

He has noticed unfortunate change in education, employment and taxes throughout our state and wants to make those changes. The slideshow on his homepage shows him talking with voters, wearing the same thing as them – flannel, blue jeans, rolled up sleeves. He is trying to fit the image of blue-collar. The next picture is Dayton in a suit, helping in the classroom.

His website has navigation tabs entitled: “Meet Mark,” “Meet Yvonne,” “On the Issues,” “News and Multimedia,” “Get Involved,” and “Contact.” The organization of Dayton’s Website is easy to navigate. It’s helpful that his stances on the issues are laid out for voters to easily understand.

Tom Emmer has a slogan of “A New Direction.” He wants Minnesotans to know that he is focused on family. His family was able to be prosperous in Minnesota, and he wants the next generation to be the same. This theme is evident since his family is pictured on the banner that appears on every page.

His webpage has a blog style. Updates for new media are visible on the homepage. His website has a navigation bar with tabs reading: “About the Team,” “Budget,” “The Issues,” “Take Action,” “News,” “Events” and “Connect.” Emmer uses a subtle arrangement that has flow and readability. The information to navigate his site is at the top, and then when voters scroll down they can see articles and events to read about.

Tom Horner is running as an independent. He feels that Minnesota shouldn’t have its future burdened by partisan politics. Horner says Minnesota is a great state and feels it can get better with him in office. Horner uses Dayton’s and Emmer’s Websites to make his better.

He incorporated why he is running, like Dayton. Then he has a page of his life history and importance of family, like Emmer. His Website is also set up the same as the other two, he has a navigation bar with tabs reading: “Meet Tom Horner,” “Issues,” “Events,” “On The Trail,” “News” and “Horner’s Corner.” Horner’s Website is cluttered. There are too many contrasting colors with loud fonts. He has the less important stuff bolded and in larger tabs than the more important issues that voters are actually searching for.

Nate Silver of the New York Times has created a forecast of how the election is predicted to turn out. The predicted election results have Dayton with 45%, Emmer at 40% and Horner earning 12% of the vote. Silver has then calculated the percentage chance of each candidate winning. Dayton is at 70%, Emmer at 22% and Horner at 0%.

http://markdayton.org/mainsite/

http://www.emmerforgovernor.com/

http://www.horner2010.com/

http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/forecasts/governor/minnesota

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Due Date: 9/28
Study Guide for Ch. 2, Daniels (due 9/28) “Philip Freneau and the Invention of the Republican Party”

1. Describe the differences between the “anti republican party” and the “Republican party” (p. 62). How do they compare (or do they?) to the Democratic and Republican parties today? Anti republican were consisting of those who believed that government could only be carried on by the pageantry of rank, the influence of money and the terror of military force. The republicans consisted of those who believed that hereditary government was an insult to the reason and an outrage to the rights of man. They do compare to the parties of today, but the Republican Party has shifted roles. No party really holds the view that the old Republicans had.

2. Explain the significance of the title of this chapter. How did Freneau create the Republican Party with his newspaper, the National Gazette? He may have not created it, but he had a large influence on the creation of partisan parties. The title of the chapter is the creation of the Republican Party to compete against the Federalists. It displays how his paper was influential in making that happen.

3. What kinds of political ideas did Freneau believe in? When he was at college he was strongly against Britain's rule and their politics. When he was at college, his roommate, James Madison and him formed a debate group to speak about these opinions. They started the Whig Society. He was anti-federalist and anti-aristocrat.

4. How did the anti republicans get labeled as “aristocrats?” This was a way that Freneau had wanted to label the Federalists. He wanted to created a separation between the classes. He wanted the majority of the population to be for the Republicans, because they represented the working class.

5. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton are mentioned in this chapter. What kinds of political ideas did each hold and how did they relate to Freneau? Jefferson was an anti-federalist. Freneau moved to Philadelphia after help from Jefferson. Jefferson wanted to use the National Gazette to express his opinions and criticisms about Federalists. Hamilton on the other hand was a Federalist. He is mentioned because of his political stance. He was involved in some of the claims the Nation Gazette had against the Federalists.

6. How is the current state of political media the same and different from Freneau’s time? Can you think of any examples of a news source creating a party or promoting a party? Today, when I think of partisan news outlets, I think of news programs on television. They can be the least objective when they are reporting. Fox News is a prime example of a station that reflects the political views of its owners. The way the newspapers are run today seem to be objective. Compared to the National Gazette, papers today do not report the news in the same way.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Due Date: 9/28

Debate is Blocked on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

No Progress for Bill

by Andrew Pooch

A recent vote in the Senate has put a hold on a bill that would repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The policy to allow gays to openly serve in the military has been blocked, but has left the door open for a vote in the future.

The effort to lift the ban needed 60 votes from the senate to pass. The side for repeal only got 56 votes. The republicans voted unanimously to block the bill. They also managed to swing a few democratic votes in their favor as well. President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates have both said that they would like to see the policy repealed.

The ruling disturbed supporters of gay rights. Many expressed emotion to the fact that people are being singled out from serving their country. “It ought to go,” said Joseph I. Lieberman, Independent of Connecticut. “It’s un-American. It’s inconsistent with our best values of equal opportunity, who can get the job done, not what your private life is about.”

Some voters changed their vote at the last minute. The strategy behind this was not blocking it for good, but just delaying it for now. With the delay, Democrats will work to make amendments to the bill. One proposed amendment would be beneficial for the Democrats and maneuvers to block Republicans.

Democrats created amendments to attach to the bill such as immigration measures that would give citizenship to certain illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. Another policy is to have a more open debate on the Senate floor.

“There are many controversial issues in this bill,” said Susan Collins, a republican senator from Maine. They deserve to have a civil, fair, and open debate on the Senate floor and that is why I am so disappointed… the majority leader apparently intends to shut down the debate and exclude Republicans from offering a number of amendments.”

This important bill may be easier to move come December. The problem right now is the partisan fight for power in the Senate with the elections right around the corner. Aubrey Sarvis of the Service Members Legal Defense Network, a gay and lesbian advocacy group said, “The Senate absolutely must schedule a vote in December when cooler heads and common sense are more likely to prevail once midterm elections are behind us."

This policy has been a big issue in Congress and keeps getting delayed to benefit each party. After the election in November, there will be new Senators that will be faced with voting in this big decision. The policy has potential to be repealed before 2011 if each party can agree on amendments to the policy.

Sources: NY Times Friday September 24, 2010

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-vote-repeal-ban-gays-military/story?id=11685658