Sunday, April 26, 2015

Bruce Jenner Tells Lots

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/25/politics/bruce-jenner-diane-sawyer-transgender-lgbt-republican-conservative/

In a sit down interview special that filled 2 hours, Bruce Jenner reveals big news to Diane Sawyer. This big news is that he is a transgender woman. The male pronouns are currently politically correct because of Bruce's discretion but are subject to change when his name comes to light and he would like to switch. Bruce also revealed his political stance  by stating he is a Republican and leans towards the conservative side. Bruce expressed his worry about the opinion of his conservative friends but feels confident in their acceptance. Bruce is open to the option of speaking out of the behalf of the LGBT community, possibly through his Republican's connections.

I think that this interview was extremely interesting to watch and the ratings and number of views after the tune-in count for that night agreed. It is definitely good that there is a already well known celebrity coming out as trans. It raises visibility but could also raise more problems because coming out could be viewed as a trend more than a reveal of who the person actually is. This could lead to a more negative reaction from the public than normal for transgender people. Lastly, whatever he says will also reflect on the trans community. Something he says could reflect poorly on trans community, despite possibility of community having differing views. What alarms me most is that so much of the fate of a group we see so little of in the public eye may rest in the hands of a celebrity unfit for the job.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Hillary Clinton Takes on Iowa With a New Approach

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/politics/hillary-clinton-iowa-2016/

This article describes in detail the events of 2008 where Hillary Clinton failed to capture the votes of Iowans during the presidential elections. This time around, Hillary is making sure that she is correcting the mistakes pinned against her in her last running. One large criticism was that Hillary acted as if she had already obtained the Democratic bid and failed to work for the votes. Hillary focused largely on bigger rallies without addressing the concerns of the middle class voters or even acknowledging the concerns. This time Hillary is doing smaller meetings with voters to allow more focus on their concerns and to introduce herself as a "champion for middle class Americans". This trip will not focus on the emails that have stricken up large controversy, but rather to brush the cheek of every Democrat who longs for the personal touch of candidates before handing over their vote.

I think this trip and the reaction it receives will showcase how this election may go. Hillary, once an almost shoo-in for the Democratic bid, was ship hit and sunk in Iowa in 2008. That trend continued in the rest of the election. The ground lost last election will most definitely be carried over and needs to be made up if Hillary wants her bid. Hillary's strategy should not, however, be exclusive to small, round table talks. A good balance of large rallies and smaller conferences could give Hillary the edge she needs to take the bid. I think it was smart of Hillary to leave Bill at home with the dogs this time around. Bill is similar to a police car siren. He is respected and authoritative, but attracts a lot of attention. His presence would take away from the intimacy of her visit. Republicans and Democrats alike have supplied criticism for her campaign strategy and it will be interesting to see how the voters react to her adjustments.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Elections Arrive with Hopes of Societal Revision in Ferguson, Missouri

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/07/us/ferguson-election/index.html

This article tells of an election between two African American townspeople of Ferguson, Missouri.

These two men are running to fill the position of representative of the 3rd Ward on a council of six

people. Despite the fact that (roughly) 14,700 of the (roughly) 21,000 citizens of Ferguson are black,

the mayor along with 5/6 city council members, up until this election, are white. This upcoming election

will guarantee that 1/3 of the city council will now be black as both of the candidates are black. The

area they are running to represent includes the location the Michael Brown shooting which raises the

intensity of the election tremendously.

I think that this election is well needed and well timed. The election has allowed for the bearings of

possible candidates to be collected after the shooting and the shooting of Michael Brown may have

served as motivation for the blacks of Ferguson to take charge in their community. The shocking

correlation between race of city representatives compared to the race of the population of Ferguson is

very different. It is a good thing that people are seeing a problem and are deciding to do something

constructive about it. They are searching to fix the problem rather than just complain. While this

election is only one small step towards peaceful resolution in a troubled city, it has the potential to open

 the gates for more active involvement of citizens in that city that will represent all parties.