A President's Job

I agree with Braden that President Obama reacted appropriately to the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy.  Braden says it was impressive that Obama suspended campaigning right at the peak, risking losing some votes in what was supposed to be a very tight race,  you have to remember that it is his job.  While organizations like FEMA are already set up and ready to go at a moment's notice and help would arrive even if the President didn't visit the devastated areas, I believe it is very important for the President to show the people affected as well as the rest of the country that he is aware of the situation and will make sure that the help they need is available.
     In this case, the President called Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey.  As Braden says, Chris Christie is a Republican who spent some time campaigning with Mitt Romney.  He has also been a frequent critic of President Obama.  This time, however, he was very impressed with President Obama's response to the problems of New Jersey and he publicly said so.  Many Republicans have criticized Mr. Christie for that, calling him a traitor to the party.  I think it's ridiculous for Republicans to react that way and I think it shows the absurdity of where our politics are at the moment.  If the political parties continue to over react and make everything a political problem, this country will not be able to accomplish even the most basic tasks for the good of all the people.

Democracy in Danger

       It is a fact that editorials are opinions and that those opinions carry the biases of their authors.  Nevertheless, a good columnist should base his opinions on facts and write in such a way that he or she makes the reader think about what is being said.  In a democracy like ours, the give and take of opinions should lead to serious and thoughtful conversations between parties and these in turn, should lead to better, more inclusive policies.

     Unfortunately, this election has shown that the various parties in our government have become so entrenched in their ideas and so antagonistic towards those of others that we are now completely polarized and therefore paralyzed.  The past four years have shown that very little progress was made when it came to government action.  Each party seemed more intent on blocking suggestions and bills from the other party rather than on actually using their differences to build a consensus and  to do what was best for the American people.  The intensity of the polarization is more than ever before and it seems it could do a lot of damage to the democratic process.  Things are complicated by the media, with their constant and very partisan analysis.    Each talking head seems determined to have the last word, whether it is based on fact or not and an "us against them" mentality has taken over. 

       The idea that intelligent people could have differing opinions, each of value and worth considering, seems to be a thing of the past.  As long as we continue to treat each other as enemies whom we must defeat before we are defeated, the cooperation necessary to form strong policies will remain elusive and the ideals of our democratic republic will be in danger.

Opinion as Fact

    It is very obvious, when reading or listening to Fox news, who their intended audience must be.  On Oct. 17th,  Dick Morris writes an editorial which begins with a very partisan tone and he continues through the entire article.  It is typical of many conservative  that, when they are attempting to get their point across, any point across, they use an aggressive tone to discourage opposing opinions.
    To begin with, the title of his article is "Romney won the second debate," a statement which is itself debatable for sure but, since he is a conservative writing to a conservative audience, it's understandable that that is his opinion.  First, he praises Romney, saying he looked and sounded "articulate, capable, attractive, and a compassionate leader." He writes that Romney looked more "presidential" than Obama. What is less understandable, and in my opinion, pretty unprofessional, is what follows.
     When Dick Morris focuses on President Obama however, his vocabulary changes.  He states that President Obama appeared "boorish and Biden-esque", implying that there is something wrong with Vice President Biden without being specific.  He also makes statements such as, "when a president gets into a bar room brawl, he loses his dignity and his aura."  Since it is a matter of opinion, one can only assume that Dick Morris is pretty sure that his target audience will agree with him and therefore he will not be criticized for being unduly harsh.  That seems to be the reality of current editorial journalism.  Most articles say exactly what their target audience wants to hear.

Analysis and Sarcasm

         Gail Collins column of Oct. 4th uses satirical humor to point out what she sees as serious truths about the current political situation.  The very first sentence of her editorial, "So how are you enjoying Debate Season, people?" sets the tone for the rest of the article.  Gail Collins writes for the New York Times, which has a more or less liberal readership so her sarcastic take on politics should sit pretty well with her target audience.  Gail Collins states facts about the first presidential debate in a rather irreverent way.  She is a liberal but in this case, she does not spare President Obama.  She points out that he seemed tired and bored and that he was not up to it when it came to coming up with sound bites and "zingers."  She even points out that President Obama has started to talk about his health care reform as "Obamacare,"  which she finds rather strange.
      She was just as hard on Mitt Romney, pointing out over and over that he just didn't have anything to say.  She sarcastically asks if Governor Romney is keeping all his plans secret because they are just "too good," obviously contrary to what she feels is the truth.
    She speaks directly to the American people asking, "what are we to make of all this?" and suggests that there is little to be learned from the debates and that most Americans have already made up their minds.  She closes the article by making fun of various other Republicans who made a run for the presidency.  Considering that her target audience more than likely agrees with her, her use of humor and sarcasm, along with the fact that she is a well known and respected journalist, is very effective.

U.S. - China relations

In today's New York Times there is a front page article describing President Obama's changing stance on U.S. - China relations. China has emerged as one of the worlds leading powers whose growing influence affects world and U.S. security and economic concerns. For that reason I believe that in the future the complicated U.S. - China relations will become one of the most important foreign policy issues and a major preoccupation of every U.S. Presidency.

The article explains that at the beginning of Mr. Obama's Presidency he hoped that by accommodating China he could encourage its cooperation on world issues like climate change and Iran's nuclear program. China remained problematic. Since his visit to China in 2010,  Mr. Obama has taken a tougher stance towards Beijing. The article goes on to explain that the shift of American focus from Iraq and Afghanistan to the Pacific Rim has upset allies in Europe but has been met with enthusiasm in Asia. The United States has strengthened alliances with Japan and South Korea, opened the door to Myanmar, and established a Marine base in Australia.

In the past three months President Obama has filed two major cases against China at the world trade organization. At the same time, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has stated that the U.S. will help Japan deploy a new missile defense system. These moves may end up being some of the most consequential foreign policy decisions of Mr. Obama's presidency. The article outlines the development of President Obama's initial hope that the U.S. and China could put aside their differences to the reality of China's lack of cooperation and the need for a tougher approach to China on the part of the U.S. I think that China's influence in the world will continue to grow and U.S. foreign policy will have to keep up in order to prevent China from becoming too dominant.