Dukes & Wonks

Where can we watch the presidential debates?

•October 2, 2012 • Leave a Comment

The general election presidential debates start this Wednesday, with Barack Obama and Mitt Romney dunking it out at the University of Denver. The Wall Street Journal has a nice summary of where you can watch the debate on TV, which can be summarized as “on every TV news channel as well as streaming at wsj.com.” In addition, there is a Youtube election channel that streams the debate, as does C-SPAN. Enjoy!

Update: If you prefer to watch the debates in a crowd, you have several options in Harrisonburg. Those who root for one side or the other may want to join the Obama/Biden campaign or visit the Republican Victory Office on Neff Avenue. For those who are more interested in a non-partisan but expert perspective, the JMU Debate Team’s presidential debate watch may be the place to be. I’ll post more opportunities as I find them!

Update 2: http://gigaom.com/video/presidential-debate-live-stream/ has a good list of sites that will live-stream the debate.

Update 3: After the debate: You can still watch the whole debate on the YouTube election channel. C-SPAN gives you the opportunity to watch individual exchanges from the debate, if you don’t want to re-watch the debate in all its ~~infamy~~ glory.

Posted in Campaigns & Elections, Presidency

Caught in the Grip

•October 2, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Note: the following blog post was written a few months ago, before Rick Santorum ended his run for the Republican presidential candidacy. I think the question that it raises is still relevant if we want to understand how campaigns work these days.

guest blogger: jat

Do you believe everything in “Welcome to Obamaville”? Watch it:

Probably you do not lap it all up — it’s so extreme that it’s almost funny. Note a few scenes in the video: the barren streets, the man holding a gas pump to his head as if to commit suicide, the men in suits marching in conformity. The video depicts a desolate world where people have no rights and disaster is striking, a world where all of Obama’s political stances lead to a terrible future for Americans.

So why would Santorum put a video like this on the internet? “It will illustrate how radically life will change for the average American when we have out of control gas prices, the full impact of Obamacare, and the daily nightmare of a nuclear armed Iran,” said John Brabender, senior advisor to Santorum. Well, maybe Santorum wanted to rally his extreme conservative supporters and try to influence Democrats that Obama is bad, but most reactions to the video seem to be amused. Reporter Catherine Poe asks, “Does Rick Santorum really expect to be treated with respect as a candidate?”

The video is only on the internet and never made it to public television due to lack of funding. But it will definitely get Santorum’s name out in the media world as a potential candidate…especially since it is just the first of an eight-video series. Get ready for seven more.

Posted in Campaigns & Elections, Presidency

To Drill or Not to Drill, that is (Still) the Question

•October 2, 2012 • Leave a Comment

We continue with blog posts written by students of this Spring’s U.S. Government class. More info at http://dukesandwonks.org/2012/04/03/introducing-the-new-guest-blogging-team/.

guest blogger: zoocracy

We’ve been hearing about the debate over oil drilling in Alaska for years. This NPR morning edition story shows it is still not over, and a lot of factors contribute to both sides of the issue.

The story describes a conference bringing together two usually rival groups against Arctic oil drilling. Greenpeace (an “independent direct-action environmental organization”) has made the strategic decision to partner with some people who support whaling. Groups with common interests (in this case, to stop oil drilling) know they stand a better chance by working together and appearing as a united force for or against government legislation. This may be a useful lesson to anyone with a big goal, such as the girl scouts that I talked about in this post.
Continue reading ‘To Drill or Not to Drill, that is (Still) the Question’

Posted in Environmental Policy, Interest Groups

Justice on Sesame Street

•May 14, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Watch Justice Sotomayor solve a dispute on Sesame Street. Great acting (by the muppets):

This is a great example of political socialization: What do the little ones learn about the Supreme Court?

Justices decide disputes
There are two sides to a dispute
Justices wear a robe when they make decisions
Latinas can be Supreme Court justices
Justices are there to help you solve your conflicts

No wonder the Supreme Court’s popular approval tends to be consistently high. Maybe members of Congress should appear on Sesame Street as well?

(Yeah, I noticed that Sotomayor acts like a mediator in this clip, not like a judge. Do you find any other “errors” ?)

Posted in Media & Politics, Public Opinion, Supreme Court

Let’s Be Blunt, Romney

•April 26, 2012 • Leave a Comment

guest blogger: anonymous1

The debate over the “Blunt Amendment” has caused much controversy and has played a major role in the Republican Primary. This bill, proposed by Republican Senator Roy Blunt, would allow religious organizations and employers to deny coverage of birth control if it goes against their moral beliefs. Most Republicans support the bill, arguing that it is needed in order to protect people’s freedom of religion rights. On the other hand, most Democrats oppose the bill as it would infringe on women’s privacy. However, the right to privacy is strangely not mentioned in the constitution. So the question remains, should women and couples have the right to obtain birth control? If the bill is passed, many will not be able to afford birth control and will have to rely on less effective forms of contraceptive.
Continue reading ‘Let’s Be Blunt, Romney’

Posted in Campaigns & Elections, Health Policy, Political Parties, Presidency

“Kony 2012”: Unprecedented backlash?

•April 26, 2012 • Leave a Comment

guest blogger: anonymous3

“Nothing is more powerful than an idea…whose time has come…whose time is now…”

This quote may be recognizable to the more than 110 million people worldwide who viewed the “Kony 2012” video, which went live on March 5th. The 30-minute video, which highlights the efforts of non-profit organization, Invisible Children, sought to raise awareness about warlord, Joseph Kony, who has been accused of abducting children and forcing them to fight for his Lord’s Resistance Army. As is typical of modern social media, the mini film spread like wildfire. But, as Facebook posts and tweets prompted masses of people to join the Kony 2012 movement, many critics like CNN opinion writer, TMS Ruge, believe that the video “created the wrong buzz” and likely ignored some larger political issues at hand.
Continue reading ‘“Kony 2012”: Unprecedented backlash?’

Posted in Interest Groups, Media & Politics

Climate Change or Climate Control?

•April 25, 2012 • Leave a Comment

guest blogger: zoocracy

Want to save the world? Check out this website! Watch the video about how donating to All For Africa will help African villagers and battle global warming by building these fantastic, environmentally friendly palm oil plantations. They have Bill Clinton as a supporter and everything!

BUT WAIT, how can you be sure you are getting the whole message when you see ads like this? Propaganda is ever present in media and politics. A common strategy is twisting information and only sharing some of the truth. For example, All For Africa mentions creating jobs and income for people living near these plantations, but most of the jobs will in fact be temporary and not even go to local village people, only bringing more people to these areas, according to SAVE (a nonprofit that says it promotes wildlife conservation and biodiversity).
Continue reading ‘Climate Change or Climate Control?’

Posted in Environmental Policy, Interest Groups, Media & Politics