Week 6/Article: Michele Bachmann halts presidential campaign

Date;January 04, 2012

Author: BBC News

Michele Bachmann said, “I have no regrets” as the Minnesota congresswoman ended her presidential campaign yesterday after placing at the end in the Iowa’s caucuses. Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann has ended her presidential campaign after finishing at the back of the field in Iowa's caucuses. Her exit leaves six Republicans in the race to challenge Barack Obama for the White House in November in the general election.

Mitt Romney, who barely won in Iowa, takes the lead with the support and endorsement from ex-Republican nominee John McCain. Sen McCain said the businessman's private sector experience would help turn around the economy. 

Rick Perry, who came fifth was going back to Texas to reassessed his decision but tweeted earlier yesterday that he will press on and will focus on the next-but-one race in South Carolina.

Mitt Romney, the candidate that is most likely to win next week's primary election in the north-eastern state of New Hampshire. However, candidates like Ron Paul and Santorum are still leading close behind him. 

Michele Bachmann did not leave without criticizing Mr. Obama’s health care reform and she did not endorse any of the candidate except saying that "we must rally around the person that our country and our party and our people select to be that standard bearer." Mr. Romney is already spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV ads in New Hampshire and South Carolina. He has years of experienced and the foundation is very strong and that is going to be difficult for Santorum and Paul to defeat. 

I. The problem address here is the news of Bachman dropping out of the race. 

II. This will affect public policy through how the voters react. Policies will possibly be changed, proposed, etc now with the change in candidacy. 

III. Bachman dropped out of the race. 

IV. The information doesn't affect me and can't be used by me.

V. The author seems to take a neutral position and gives info the positively and negatively comments on Bachman dropping out and how this will affect candidates.

VI. This info will affect all the candidates left in the political arena. This may be good or bad for any of them and it's still hard to tell. With Bachman gone, his supporters will have to turn to a new candidate to vote for. 

Work Cited: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16416324

Week 6/Article: Republicans asked to bash Obama, not one another

Date: January 12, 2012

Author: Jonathan Weisman

The Republican National Committee gathered on January 11 to discuss the attacks of the Republican Candidates agains't each other. They stated that with the damage they causing on each other would only, in the end, help the Democrats win. “We need a better tone,” said Robin Hayes, a former congressman and North Carolina’s party chairman. “It needs to be constructive. It needs to be instructive. And it needs to be comparative with the president.” However, they would not do anything limit the number of attacks on Mitt Romney, the leading front runner in the primaries, so that he can go against Obama. “It’s pretty clear if Romney wins South Carolina or is a close second, then wins Florida, essentially we’ll have a presumptive nominee,”

I. The main problem addressed is the conflict between the GOP rivals.

II. N/A

III. N/A

IV. The information doesn't affect me and can't be used by me.

V. The author seems to take a negative position in this article. He explains how the candidates are actually doing bad or at least cites quotes of those who did state that. 

VI. The information from this article would negatively affect all the candidates. The candidates, while forgetting the goal of the larger picture, bring a reputable candidate to face Obama, instead are so worked up in trying to beat each other that while even if they're winning in the GOP candidate election, the republicans are losing in the Presidential Election.

Work Cited: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/us/politics/republicans-asked-to-bash-barack-obama-not-one-another.html

Week 6/Video: Michele Bachmann ends presidential campaign

Date: January 4, 2012

“Last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, and so I have decided to stand aside,” Bachman stated and that Republicans need to unify together under one banner if they have any chance to beat Obama. It was only five months ago, in August, that Bachmann, an Iowa native, captured the Ames Straw Poll, a test of a candidate’s strength among influential conservatives in the state and a victory that appeared to establish her as a force to be reckoned with. Bachmann’s departure leaves the GOP race with a smaller field of Romney, Santorum, Gingrich and Ron Paul. 

“I look forward to the next chapter of God’s plan,” she said.

I. The problem address here is the news of Bachman dropping out of the race. 

II. This will affect public policy through how the voters react. Policies will possibly be changed, proposed, etc now with the change in candidacy. 

III. Bachman dropped out of the race. 

IV. The information doesn't affect me and can't be used by me.

V. N/A

VI. This info will affect all the candidates left in the political arena. This may be good or bad for any of them and it's still hard to tell. With Bachman gone, his supporters will have to turn to a new candidate to vote for. 

Work Cited: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-michele-bachmann-ends-presidential-campaign-20120104,0,2476267.story

Week 6/ Video: Defying the "rules" of elections

Date: January 04, 2012

Here, Jeff Greenfield elaborates  that there are no rules in politics and everything isn't based on a scientific formula. The video showed the 2008 election in New Hampshire when Clinton won but still had lost the primary. Political scientists look like fools when they assume that "what's past is prologue," and just because something has not happened before doesn't mean it won't happen. One of the “rules” is that no president has won the White house and not won the New Hampshire primary. That rule no longer applies with the exception of the last 3 presidents, who of which are Obama, Clinton and George Bush. 

I. The problem addressed here is how there's is accurate way to determine/predict politics. 

II. N/A

III. Politics is unpredictable. 

IV. The information doesn't affect me and can't be used by me.

V. N/A

VI. This info could positively affect candidates who didn't win the primary because voters won't let the past influence their decision when deciding which candidate to support. 

Work cited: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7394346n&tag=contentMain;contentBody