We've watched a fair bit of footage of important political milestones and styles of coverage of political news. Here is the place to share your thoughts, comments, and additional links of material you may fine relevant or pertinent to the discussion.
I am FURIOUS with congress. Really. And frankly, staring at jumbled content for 3 midterms and a persuasion paper due next week, I’m not sure I’m capable of much more than a non-sequitor, though somewhat on-topic tirade about politics right now.
ReplyDeleteI know we can’t sue our President, but I’m starting to wonder why we don’t rally against Congress – really hold them accountable. Let’s continue to make it so they can’t change their salaries but to also tie every shutdown to their pay as well. In other words, when the FDA is furloughed due to governmental stand-offs, so is Congress. When our disabled and war veterans face loss of income, so does Congress. Right now they’re talking about giving all furloughed workers back-pay. Some are also attempting at more PR management by saying they’ll donate their paychecks during this time to charities.
I have an idea, Congress: how about with our money, in the form of our taxes, you actually do the jobs you were voted in to do, and continue to fund the services that WE VOTED FOR, along with the ones we didn’t, but that are, nonetheless, part of law? You know why? BECAUSE WE’RE A DEMOCRACY!
…last I heard.
Here’s some actual info about where we are right now:
Scroll below the Grand Canyon photo for examples of what’s shut down
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/30/absolutely-everything-you-need-to-know-about-how-the-government-shutdown-will-work/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/09/29/questions-and-answers-about-the-shutdown/2888419/
I find it interesting how politics completely changed once television came into play. Now it's not only about what the politicians have to say and about the actual politics, but also about the way they dress, the way the talk, they way the look, the way they present themselves, etc. We talked about this a lot in my nonverbal communication class too. It's crazy to think that some politicians may be elected for things other than what matters most -- their actual politics. It's also crazy to think how something as little as a scream can truly ruin a politicians career. It definitely makes you think. I wonder how different things would be if political debates and campaigns weren't shown on live television and instead just aired on the radio. But even then, Americans would be judging the politicians on the tone of their voice and their accents.
ReplyDeleteI had also heard about this historic event in media history in a class and wondered how strange it was that the people who listened on the radio thought that Nixon won the debate and those who watched television often thought Kennedy was the victor. This new more intimate connection with the audience turned many people off to Nixon based on his behavior not his political views. It was interesting to see the progression of political campaigns and television over the years and see how they have become more elaborate and demanding on the candidates. For example it seemed that recently they have began to show the listener often and or side by side the speaker. This gives a whole extra presentation of themselves that the candidates must worry about. I can say that Mitt Romney's reactions to Obama's words definitely put me off to him (among other things) as his constant fake smile was creepy and off putting.
Deleteto a certain extent i enjoy watching political debates and speeches. Richard nixon resigning is historical and so is jfk being shot, even though it is a tad bit unsettling watching it happen. i also really appreciated us taking a minute to watch dana carvey as well, politicians always have been and always will be mocked and impersonated and i don't think many people do it better than dana carvey. in fact, his George Bush Impersonation is so good he says he tricked the secret service with it once, here's a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D815eVH6Kwg
ReplyDeletei had my hopes that we could have watched some of bill clinton's speaches. he really is a great public speaker. here is a link to him speaking at the 2012 DNC. i'm pretty sure he was only supposed to speak for 40 minutes but he went for roughly an hour. no one complained www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzDhk3BHi6Q
I find it interesting just how much this class and another class of mine overlap in the type of political material we are shown. Though I am not complaining - the more I see something, the more likely it is going to be burned into my mind and not forgotten. That being said, I have seen Ed Murrow's story on McCarthy and now Nixon's resignation speech to the American people, as well as the debate between Kennedy and Nixon. I find it fascinating that what a person does, what they wear, how they look, how they pose, and how they speak can be contributing factors toward the success or demise of their campaign. Not only that, but using television to connect with the audience and try to gain their trust seems like a good way to relate to the younger generation as well. I know that in another class of mine, we discussed how Obama was able to connect with the younger generation because he utilized tactics for his campaign that included making himself known on the internet, such as having Facebook advertising. The President also has his own Twitter. I think that the internet is the new medium where candidates will be trying to push their agenda if only because the younger generation of voters is so involved with the computer and the internet now more than ever.
ReplyDeleteI knew prior to this class that John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon had the first televised Presidential debate. Having watched in class the actual footage I can see why voters were swayed towards JFK over Nixon. Having watched many more debates in class I found it interesting that candidates wear certain colors and present themselves in particular ways that speak to our subconscious. This all struck me as very interesting as a media student and first time voter in the last Presidential election. I found myself leaning toward Obama because I really didn't trust Mitt Romney. I like to consider myself to have been very well informed again because I took my vote very seriously. However, thinking past what I knew and based my opinions on I think that Romney's appearance and mannerisms may have also subconsciously made me find him to be untrustworthy. The main thing that I thought about a lot and found to be quite disconcerting was the face that from the Reagan administration all the way up to present day and most likely beyond our countries leaders have been going back and forth with the same main issues, such as abortion, healthcare, military actions, banks, loans, taxes, the middle east, etc. This seems to me like a big never ending political game of ping pong. This look into politic was eye opening for me and has begun a few discussions among friends and family in the past week. With the fairly new tools of social media we are able to instantly share news, opinions, and videos which comes in handy and can be equally damning. For example this double edged sword we use is not only for individuals to stay in contact but is also used by celebrities, athletes, and most relevant politicians. This devise is used to gain supporters in election times and to make us feel closer to government. In the next few years leading up to the next presidential election it should be interesting to see if this relationship between media and politics evolves in a symbiotic way or the two become so violently toxic that one trumps the other.
ReplyDelete- Jeremy Milton