"Obama & McCain, the political entertainment" a seminar
Sep 30, 2008
"Obama & McCain, the political entertainment": III Seminario sobre Elecciones USA 2008 en la Universidad Europea de Madrid
This morning at the UEM George Charles Edwards, Professor of Political Science at Texas A & M University and Daniel Ureña, political analyst and associate director of Mas Consulting Group spoke about the U.S. Presidential Campaign. Simultaneous translation was available and questions were taken in both English and Spanish.
Professor Edwards gave a very clear, concise, informative talk about the experience and political leanings of the two main candidates for the White House. He stated that the American people are dissatisfied with the economy, the war in Irak, the Bush administration. Both McCain and Obama say they’ll maintain a strong military, support Israel, close down the detention facilities in Guantanamo and stop torture proceedings. They agree that Iran should not be allowed to produce nuclear weapons, and both recognize that the US allies have not been treated well and should be conferred with regularly. McCain would continue the blockade of Cuba while Obama would prefer an open exchange policy. McCain, who believes in the use of force, is committed to staying in Irak “as long as it takes”. Obama, who opposed going into Irak from the offset, wants to develop a prudent withdrawal schedule and to refocus on the war on terrorism in Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. Professor Edwards also talked about the economy, free trade agreements, environmental protection acts, and multi-lateral support for stability in the world.
Professor Ureña described the influence of TV and the internet on politics. The coverage today is practically instantaneous and is available on line. YOUTUBE and BLOGS have replaced TIME magazine and newspapers as the prime sources of information and misinformation in US political campaigning. Ever since Eisenhower, political marketing has been on the rise. And today anyone can influence political opinion. We see caricatures of our candidates; we watch muppet newscasts; we hear popular songs turned into campaign slogans. The late night show hosts jab at the candidates and their running mates mercilessly. We know all about their personal lives and their flaws in a matter of minutes. Some of the publicity hits on the emotional such as Obama’s theme song “Yes, we can”. Others are hot, “the Obama Girl”. Sarah Palin hit the national, and yes international scene in a matter of hours when she was named McCain’s running mate, and was a household name before the week was out. Her counterpart, Biden, an experienced senator on the senate foreign relations committee is getting virtually no media attention. He may after vice presidential debates. The airwaves are saturated with US politics, and there will be more and more and more to come.
So who WILL BE the next president of the US? Will it be McCain, the oldest candidate ever to run for the presidency? Will it be Obama who talks of change?
McCain or Obama? Obama or McCain? Who is it going to be?
Stay tuned. We only have 5 more weeks to go.
Wendy
Publicado por shakespeare
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