Elections/Campaigns

The Washington Post

May 25^th, 2012

John Cohen

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/romney-holds-key-advantages-among-financially-struggling-white-voters/2012/05/24/gJQACxPgoU_story.html

Summary:

Polls are showing that Mitt Romney, the Republican party forerunner is enjoying a greater support from White voters, especially those who are struggling financially. Winning 58% to Obama's 32%, Romney is gaining more support from mostly unemployed White voters, especially those without higher education. While Obama enjoys more support from non-White voters, this group of low-income White voters have the potential to hurt him in the race.

Connection:

The Republican party, which has generally enjoyed support from the richest, social conservatives and the less-educated is retaining the vote from the financially struggling White voters. The majority in this group of voters have less-educated, and are thus currently unable to find jobs with low skills. This group's support might prove to be key in helping Romney defeat Obama, who while possessing support from non-Whites, will have to struggle to win.

Reflection:

The Democratic party have always lagged in support from White voters without college degrees. Not having college degrees usually translates to low-skill labor, and with the high rate of unemployment, possibly has caused those voters to be inclined toward a new face in the White House. Because Obama has yet to officially start advertising against Romney, the current figures might experience a shift afterwards.

Political Parties

The Washington Post

April 26^th, 2012

Aaron Blake

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/the-republican-partys-catholic-cadrecoming-soon/2012/04/26/gIQAB2rRjT_blog.html

Summary:

The Republican party, as seen in the recent campaigns, seems to be gaining a resurgence in the support of Catholics. Firstly, this year's G.O.P contenders, such as Newt Gringich and Rick Santorum as well a handful of representatives and senators are Catholic. This increase in number in candidates also corresponds to an increase in Catholic voters, which has been increasing their pledge to the Republican party.

Connection:

When Kennedy was elected as president, his Catholic faith made him the target for people fearing rule by the Pope and the overlap of church and state. However, his election also marks as a shift in Catholic voter behavior and increasingly, Catholic voters have been voting Republican. The Catholic faith of candidates has greatly evolved since then, from a taboo to being unremarkable.

Reflection:

While Mitt Romney has been highlighted by his Mormon faith, Mormonism by far overshadowed by the Catholicism of the numerous candidates this year. Perhaps a reflection of greater allegiance from Catholic voters, the Catholic faith of the candidates have become much more accepted than Mormonism. With the Republican focus on social conservatism on matters such as same-gender marriage and abortion, the Republican party will likely witness an surge in support from Catholic voters this year.

Social Security

The Washington Post

May 25^th, 2012

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/who-relies-on-social-security-in-one-chart/2012/04/23/gIQAZNEOcT_blog.html

Summary:

In a release, the Social Security trustees have published data regarding the beneficiaries of social security, the deficits and its budget allotments. In a table, it is shown that for the majority of elderlies, social security constitutes as more than 50% of their income whereas for the remaining recipients, social security constitutes as more than 75% to 100% of their income. The Hispanic and African American elderly are noted for having a greater percentage that is reliant upon the social security aid for the majority of their income.

Connection:

The majority of elderly Americans benefit from social security, thus, its increase or decrease is so closely tied to support or lack thereof from elderly voters. Because for the majority of elderly Americans, social security constitutes as a significant or even only source of income, it is understandable why senior voters are so sensitive to issues surrounding social security.

Reflection:

The senior voting population is not a force to be reckoned with as precedents have shown that programs that attempt to decrease or eliminate social security has been met with backlashes in the voting booths. As the data shows, social security is such an important issue because it is instrumental supplying elderly Americans with the necessary finances to live. Among the African-American and Hispanic-American seniors, social security is even more important to their ability to afford daily expenses and thus, they will likely to respond most quickly to social security cuts.

Federal Budget

The New York Times

April 13^th, 2012

Jonathan Weisman

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/14/us/politics/house-republicans-to-tackle-federal-budget.html

Summary:

Republicans from the House of Representatives have gathered to draft an appropriations bill that proposed to slash government spending especially in entitlement programs by nearly 3 trillion. Of the cuts, discretionary spending, agriculture, and entitlement programs will be the most heavily targeted. While many remain skeptical of whether these cuts will actually occur and if so, what their repercussions will be, former Bush economist, the current spokesman for the Ways and Means committee shows confidence in their plans.

Connection:

One of the biggest problems that has plagued consecutive president is the issue of budget deficit. Currently with the continuously increasing debt of the government, cutting spending has been the answers. However, usually, cutting spending also means less aid for the people who need it the most, such as recipients of Medicaid and Medicare.

Reflection

While Democratic politicians are characterized by their inclination to increase federal spending, supporting a larger government, Republican politicians have always advocated the opposite, for a smaller budget and smaller government. However, both approaches have their pros and cons. For example, while cutting unnecessary spending and thus helping to reduce federal deficit seems to be for a good cause, cutting spending also means reducing the quality of education and health care that many need.

Economy

The New York Times

April 29^th, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/opinion/the-economy-downshifts.html#

Summary:

Compared to the rest of the world, specifically the European markets recently, U.S is faring relatively well. However, still suffering from the aftereffects of the recession such as unemployment, the 2.2% economic growth signals that the growth has yet to be able to restore the damages caused by the recession. Thus, given the still-weak economy, people should not be too optimistic about future growths.

Connection:

For the majority of the Obama's 1^st term as president, the economy has been the top priority. Across America, the financial crisis caused by the recession, including unemployment, bankruptcies and foreclosures made daily headlines. However, as the economic growth gradually recovered, so did the approval rating for Obama, showing how a presiden'ts performance is so closely tied to the economic factors.

Reflection:

“It's the economy, stupid”, Clinton's catchphrase as he was running for president has stuck, as it has been shown how closely people link economic prosperity to presidential performance. Obama, who has witnessed the nation at the lowest points of the recession and now its recovery, has been credited with aiding its growth. For the former French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, who has been viewed to have neglected the economic problems at the domestic front, things have not been so lucky as his opponent, Francois Hollande, who like Clinton realized “c'est l'economie, stupide”, won the presidential election.

Health Care

The New York Times

May 25^th, 2012

Dennis Rosen

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/opinion/when-competitive-bidding-hurts-patients.html?scp=10&sq=health%20care&st=Search

Summary:

The Obama administration has recently released a statement regarding the adoption of more competitive bidding for Medicare, which will start being applied to Medicaid and other health programs if it successfully reduces costs. However, the author warns, although the usage of competitive bidding may reduce the cost of equipment, it does not ensure a better service. Because many equipments require extensive explanation about its usage, companies send out technicians to explain to family about how to operate. However, with competitive bidding, the lowest bidder, who may offer the same equipment at a lower price, may also have worse in terms of technician service.

Connection:

When Obama had first entered the White House, one of his first priorities was to create a nationalized health care program. Although that has repeatedly failed, he has not surrendered his efforts. Mainly critized for its costs, of the reasons Obamacare had been unpopular with so many was due to the high costs involved. By adopting a competitive bidding system, Obama is attempting to lower the costs of health care and possibly pave way for his future plans.

Reflection:

It is not the first time competitive bidding has been used by the government to lower costs. For instance, many local and state governments hire the lowest bidder to construct roads, schools, and parks. Although this helps to eliminate many of the costs involved with the inefficiency of the government, competitive bidding has also led to problems regarding accountability.

Taxes

The New York Times
May 25th, 2012
David Kosienciewski http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/business/economy/03rates.html

Summary: U.S is quickly reaching world's number one for having the highest corporate taxes. Second only to Japan, the corporate tax in U.S is at a whopping 35% and thus have caused many corporations to argue for a lower tax. However, despite the high tax rate, many companies have found loopholes that allows them to pay significantly less. For instance, Honeywell for the past year, was found to have only paid 15% of its total revenue.

 Connection: Corporate taxes are a critical component for supplying U.S' federal budget. However, in recent years, the government has plummeted into even greater dept. Its culprit is perhaps the corporations that hire specialists that help them to find loopholes that significantly reduces the amount they have to pay. As shown by the companies that are paying much less, the loopholes must be eliminated in order for the government to suffer less losses. However, the fact that so much companies are seeking loopholes show that the system must be reconfigured to make U.S corporations an equal playing field with companies of other countries, which are paying significantly less in taxes.

  Reflection: As Warren Buffet points out, despite being one of the richest persons in the world, he pays less taxes than the average middle class salaryman. The reason for his ability to pay such low taxes-loopholes in the tax system- are exactly what corporates are employing to pay less. Thus, the fact that the rich are paying such low taxes should be a signal that the current tax system must be revised.