Short Writing Assignment #4: Blog 4

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/17/liberal.wishlist.ap/index.html

With the recent Democratic takeover there have been a lot of happy faces floating around. Most of those happy faces belong to people from liberal groups who now see hope. These groups range from feminists to gay-rights to abortion rights. With the change in power they are hoping to have their proposals considered, however, they are not going to push. Joe Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign said, "What we've got is a new and respectful Congress that's open to our community." With the new change of power all the issues that Democrats support are now going be given serious consideration. Gay-rights groups want congress to get rid of the "don't as, don't tell" policy. Pro-choice groups want to ensure that sexual education classes are giving accurate information on contraceptives. There are going to be some serious changes facing our nation within the next few years and because Democrats are in control, all these changes are extremely possible. Although with these changes they cannot take away our freedom of speech, or can they? According to Reverend Louis Sheldon "All Americans must be prepared to endure serious threats to their freedom of speech."

Short Writing Assignment #4: Blog 3

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/20/rangel.draft/index.html

Representative Charles Rangel announced that he would introduce legislation reinstating the draft. "A draft would help keep America prepared for potential future action in Iraq, North Korea and Iran" Rangel Said. Being prepared for Iran and North Korea is understandable considering they are potential threats, but to say it would keep us prepared for future action in Iraq is odd considering the Democrats position on the Iraq war. When Democrats came into power it was assumed that ending the Iraq war would be their first big task. But according to Rangel it seems they may be thinking of keeping our troops over there, or worse, sending more troops over. Luckily, Pelosi has stated that she would not support Rangel's proposal to reinstate the draft. It is understandable to think about reinstating the draft because with the majority of our ground troops are in Iraq, many are coming home and then being sent back over at least once. However, that is what they signed up for. Reinstating that draft would only cause resentment from American citizens. Rangel’s been pushing to reinstate that draft for a while. It seems that he is going to have to continue pushing.

Short Writing Assignment #4: Blog 2

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15802130/

With election news dying down politicians are returning to their old ways: pointing fingers and playing the blame game. This blame game all revolves around one key issue; one that played a big part in the Republicans being dismissed from both house and senate: the war in Iraq. "Military victory is no longer possible in Iraq,” said Henry Kissinger. Is he right? As the death toll increases victory seems to be nowhere in sight. Supporting the Iraq war was something many did when the war began, but years later the need for this war to end is overwhelming. Kissinger said, "If you mean by 'military victory' an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country ... I don't believe that is possible." If our troops leave things will get worse, but by us staying there things will only continue to get worse. The only obvious way to handle this is to pull out, set a time period, and have our troops out by the deadline. Hopefully with the shift in power we will be seeing troop reduction in the near future.

Short Writing Assignment #4: Blog 1

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/16/congress.leaders.ap/index.html

Nancy Pelosi is a woman of class and power, but a woman whose credibility is beginning to fade. According to CNN Pelosi said, “Let the healing begin.” However the only healing that needs to be happening is the relationship between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and new Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. An obvious candidate for Majority Leader was Steny Hoyer. However Pelosi decided to back John Murtha who, according to the Huffington Post, is in one of the top 20 most corrupt members of congress. Why back somebody who is clearly not highly regarded by many? The only reason for Pelosi’s bizarre decision is she wants to stir up trouble and create some political drama. Even without Pelosi’s support Hoyer cruised to victory as predicted; the Republicans lost control because of mistakes they made, if Murtha had won, that would have been the first mistake the democrats have made. After his victory Hoyer said, "The Republicans need to know … our caucus is unified today." With all the events that have happened since their smashing victory I have not seen unified; the only thing they are portraying right not to the public is a divided party.

Short Writing Assignment #3

My mainstream media source was CNN.com; my two blogs were Think Progress (http://thinkprogress.org/index.php), and Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/). The main thing I noticed between the blogs and CNN.com was there was a considerable difference in political coverage. Bloggers on Daily Kos were extremely opinionated, unlike CNN.com, which kept it unbiased. CNN.com presented viewers with facts and a story, that’s it. Bloggers on Daily Kos presented viewers with a bias, opinionated, name calling story. However, Think Progress was not nearly as opinionated as Daily Kos. Think Progress was more like CNN.com than a blog. The stories covered were issues that had huge impacts on America, but the bloggers presented the facts without much bias. One of the biggest differences that I found was CNN's coverage and Daily Kos coverage of the strategy change that is going to take place in Iraq. Both agree that the change in Iraq is a strategy used to sway the upcoming elections; however, the blog was far more critical. Daily Kos said changes were being made because President Bush has finally come to the conclusion that his plan for Iraq was simply a failure. While CNN.com said that the president realized that having a democratic Iraq was not possible; obviously CNN.com was not near as harsh. Also, I followed both CNN.com and the blogs coverage of the newly signed military commission act. CNN.com presented the facts to the public, while Daily Kos referred to Bush and the Republicans as fascist. When comparing stories that were covered on CNN.com to posts on Think Progress I noticed they were relatively the same. Both focused on the current war in Iraq, and both addressed the issue of Iraq being another Vietnam War. They both covered the story, but bloggers on Think Progress were not bias. That shocked me, because most of the time political blogs are bias, but Think Progress is not extremely bias, not like other political blogs. The way blogs cover news and the way reliable media sources cover news is quite different. Bloggers have no problem presenting their bias to the public. However, I did find some blogs that were not bias, therefore, I have come to the conclusion that not every political blog is bias, but the majority of them are. On the other hand, reliable media sources like CNN.com keep it clean; they present the facts without all the mudslinging and name-calling. When comparing the stories that CNN.com covered and stories that the blogs covered, I did not really notice a change in story coverage. They both seemed to cover the same stories, the only difference was the Daily Kos was extremely bias and very opinionated, Think Progress was not as biased, they presented more facts than opinions, and CNN.com was neither bias nor opinionated. CNN.com definitely fulfilled the role of media as a signaler. They presented the public with the facts, they kept us informed and up to date on the issues at hand, and they also presented all of this information to us without a bias opinion. They also fulfilled the role of media as watchdog. They dig up facts and they relay those facts to the public. The most obvious example of media as a watchdog would be the coverage of the controversy surrounding Mark Foley. They dug up facts on Foley and they made it a public matter when they released stories that addressed wrong doings that Foley had committed. However, I do believe that they play a more efficient role as media as a signaler rather then as a watchdog. The blogs on the other hand definitely played the role of media as a public representative. Bloggers are writing these blogs to inform the public, but at the same time, they are letting their bias play into their writing. The main difference that was extremely prominent throughout this whole process was the bias opinions, because if the blogs were not bias then they would basically be the same as a traditional online news source, the only difference would be they are not getting paid to post their blogs.

Short Writing Assignment #2

I got my first article of the CNN website, the article was posted on September 9, and the link is
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/09/Bush.Dems.radio.ap/index.html

President Bush's current task is trying to get congress to give him the green light on a new plan that he has come up with on prosecuting suspected terrorists, due to the fact that his prior plan went against both U.S., as well as, international law. The problem that some have with his new plan however, is that it violates the right of the man/woman on trial by not allowing them the right to see the evidence against them, and also, by putting a ban against coerced testimony. One of the main reasons President Bush is pushing so hard for congress to pass this plan, is due to the fact, the he believes that with the new plan will bring high risk terrorists to justice. The military is not backing the President's new plan, they believe it might go against prior treaty obligations, and they also believe it may reflect on how the captured American troops are treated. The Democrats, as well as some Republicans, are also a little weary of this new plan. They believe the President's new plan may just, in fact, go too far.

I got my second artilce from the CNN website, the article was posted on September 11, and the link is
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/11/bush.memorials/index.html

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the brutal terrorist attacks that took 2,973 American souls; the attacks that changed our nation forever. President Bush and the First Lady traveled to the sites of the attacks (The World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA) and held a wreath-laying ceremony. The President also addressed the public from the oval office. In his speech he addressed a number of issues. First, and foremost, the President's goal was to remember the tragedy that struck our nation, pay tribute to those who lost their lives, and to thank Americans for pulling together as nation. His speech, also, was directed towards the current war on terrorism. However, it's not just a war on terrorism, it's a fight for freedom, our nation's freedom. It's a war against our enemies. A war, which according to President Bush, must be fought now so it does not have to fought by our children latter. If it is not fought now then later there will be more terrorists who are armed with more weapons of mass destruction. The President stressed the need to win the battle over terrorism so tragedies like September 11, 2001 never happen again.

I got my third article from the CNN website, it was posted on September 12, and the link is
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/12/911.politics/index.html

It had only been one day after the President addressed that nation, and already tempers are flaring. Democrats say the President did more than pay his respects; they say that with elections coming up in November, the President took this as an opportunity to talk politics with the nation. The oval office address was supposed to be free from any political talk, however, Democrats believe that the President was trying to get support for the war in Iraq, and Republicans believe that the Democrats are trying to protect terrorists rather than our nation. The CIA have come to the conclusion that Suddam Hussein had not connection with Al-Queda, therefore, many are left wondering why we are still in Iraq. Senator Reid spoke his mind on behalf of the Democrats, and then Senator Santorum retaliated for the Republicans. The Republicans claim the reason we are in Iraq is because Al-Queda is in Iraq, that's why we are there; that is why we are fighting. The Republicans held their ground in supporting the President and his decisions involving the current war in Iraq. Basically it was a day of mudslinging between the Democrats and the Republicans.

Short Writing Assignment #1

1. President George Bush, President, Republican
Vice President Richard Cheney (Dick Cheney), Vice President, Republican
Cabinet Members:
Joshua B. Bolten, Whitehouse Chief of Staff, Republican
Rob Portman, Office of Management & Budget, Republican
Ambassador Susan Schwab, U.S. Trade Representative, Republican
Stephen Johnson, Enviornmental Protection Agency, Republican
John Walters, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Republican
Secretary Mike Johanns, Department of Agriculture, Republican
Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Department of The Interior, Republican
Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Department of Commerce, Republican
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Department of Justice, Republican
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Department of Defense, Republican
Secretary Elaine Chao, Department of Labor, Republican
Secretary Margaret SpelU.lings, Department of Education, Republican
Secretary Condoleezza Rice, Department of State, Republican
Secretary Samuel W. Bodman, Department of Energy, Republican
Deputy Secretary Maria Cino, Department of Transportation, Republican
Secretary Michael O. Leavitt, Department of Health & Human Services, Repubilcan
Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr., Department of Treasury, Republican
Secretary Michael Chertoff, Department of Homeland Security, Republican
Secretary Jim Nicholson, Department of Veteran Affairs, Republican
Secretary Alphonso Jackson, Department of Housing & Urban Development, Republican
2. U.S. Supreme Court Members (No party affiliation):
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice
Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice
Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice
Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice
Associate Justice David H. Souter, Associate Justice
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice
Associate Justice Ruth Boder Ginsburg, Associate Justice
Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice
Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., Associate Justice
3. U.S. House Of Representatives Leadership:
Dennis Hastert, Office of the Speaker, Republican
John Boehner, Majority Leader, Republican
Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, Democrat
Roy Blunt, Majority Whip, Republican
Steny Hoyer, Minority Whip, Democrat
U.S. Senate Leadership:
Senator Ted Stevens, President Pro Tempore (U.S. Senator IL), Republican
Senator Bill Frist, Majority Leader (U.S. Senator TN), Republican
Senator Mitch McConnell, Assistan Majority Leader/Majority Whip (U.S. Senator KY), Republican
Senator Harry Reid, Minority Leader (U.S. Senator Nevada), Democrat
Senator Dick Durbin, Assistant Minority Leader/Minority Whip (U.S. Senator IL), Democrat
4. Kentucky's Two Senators:
Senator Jim Bunning, U.S. Senator, Republican
Senator Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senator, Republican
Kentucky's Six Congresspeople:
Representative Ed Whitefield, Represents 1st District of Kentucky, Republican
Representative Ron Lewis, Represents 2nd Congressional District of Kentcuky, Republican
Representative Anne Northup, Represents 3rd Congressional District of Kentucky, Republican
Representative Geoff Davis, Represents 4th Congressional District of Kentucky, Republican
Representative Harold Rogers, Represents 5th District of Kentucky, Republican
Representative Ben Chandler, Represents 6th Congressional District of Kentucky, Democrat
5. Mayors of New York, LA, Chicago, Lexington, & Louisville:
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, NY, Republican
Mayor Richard M. Daley, Mayor of Chicago, IL, Democrat
Mayor Antonio Ramon Villar Jr., Mayor of Los Angelos, CA, Democrat
Mayor Teresa Isaac, Mayor of Lexington, KY, Democrat
Mayor Jerry Abramson, Mayor of Louisville, KY, Democrat
6. Kentucky's Governor:
Governor Ernie Fletcher, Governor, Republican
Sentate President:
Senator David L. Williams, Senate President, Republican
Majority Floor Leader:
Senator Dan Kelly, Majority Floor Leader, Republican
Minority Floor Leader:
Senator Ed Worley, Minority Floor Leader, Democrat
House Speaker:
House Speaker Jody Roberts, House Speaker, Democrat
Majority Floor Leader:
Representative Rocky Adkins, Majority Floor Leader, Democrat
Minority Floor Leader:
Representative Jeffrey Hoover, Minority Floor Leader, Republican