Tag Archive » george w. bush
Tomorrow I’ll post my analysis of the debate itself, but first, here’s a recap of the incredible day’s events:
We woke up at 5 o’clock in the morning, convinced we’d be the only students with enough initiative to make it to Holmes Lounge — one of the prettiest settings on campus — for a live taping of CBS’ The Early Show. To say that we underestimated the excitement on this campus would be an understatement. By the time we groggily stepped through the doors of the (usually) quiet dining hall, there were hundreds of students packing the room — some literally hanging from the walls. After waving our “sign” for a few segments (much more on the sign later), we’d had enough and decided decided to wait for the broadcast to head outside. We entertained ourselves with props found on the makeshift outdoor set until, much to our excitement, Bob Schieffer emerged from his Early Show interview and headed our way. It seemed obvious to us that a chance for a photo with the host of Face the Nation (and the moderator of the final presidential debate) was well worth seeding the prime real estate we’d captured outside, so we ran towards Mr. Schieffer, who graciously stopped and took a picture with us. Our chances of face time on The Early Show seemingly gone, we walked off campus to Boosters Cafe for a quick (and delicious) breakfast.
Still several hours before I’d usually be awake on a Thursday morning (and a few hours until our next opportunity to appear on TV), we headed to the library attempting to study. It might have been the most exciting day of my college career, but it’s still college, so there was work to be done!
Aside from the debate hall itself (where, incredibly, more than 400 student got to watch the debate), the MSNBC set was the most exciting place to be on campus. While no other news networks had chosen to broadcast from a location that students could actually access, from one stage we had the opportunity to watch Andrea Mitchell, Chuck Todd, and three tapings of Hardball with Chris Matthews. It seemed obvious, then, that this would be our base of operations for the rest of the day.
A true testament to the collective creativity of my group of friends, we carried with us, everywhere we went, a carboard cutout of Abraham Lincoln holding a Barack Obama sign. Not only was Honest Abe featured prominently on every MSNBC broadcast (we somehow managed to hold onto our position in the front row of the crowd, just over the anchor’s shoulder), he wound up (through the Associated Press) on the front pages of the New York Times and CNN websites, he got us interviewed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and several other papers, and he turned into a crowd favorite with countless students stopping to take pictures with him.
The highlight of my day, however, was at the end of the 6 o’clock (CT) edition of Hardball, when Chris Matthews asked President Lincoln (and me) what we were expecting from tonight’s debate. I made a joke about Stephen Douglas, and the rest is a haze.
We watched the debate from Edison Theatre, the performing arts center on campus, with a not-surprisingly overwhelmingly liberal crowd. I’ll post my full analysis of the debate tomorrow, but here are a few brief thoughts:
- Joe Biden is clearly the most knowledgeable, qualified candidate on either party’s ticket. I think it will be next to impossible for John McCain to paint Barack Obama as unready solong as Obama has Biden by his side.
- Sarah Palin had a great night considering the expectations that most Americans, myself included, probably held before the debate. She may no longer be a liability for John McCain, but it was hard to look at the two candidates on that stage and not see a huge mismatch in every measurable way. Neither vice-presidential candidate is going to singlehandily shift the election in one direction or the other, but in terms of credibility and judgment, it is becoming more and more clear that Joe Biden is doing more to help his party’s ticket than his debate opponent last night. Palin might still be the more exciting selection, but if McCain wants to continue criticizing Barack Obama for being “just another celebrity,” his running mate is going to need to begin to offer something more than large crowds.
- In the next debate Barack Obama has to address the accusation that he and Biden will “wave the white flag” in Iraq. On the other side, without resorting to dishonesty — of the intellectual variety or otherwise — John McCain must explain to Americans why he is the best candidate to turn this country around, and how, in a significant way, his economic policies differ from the George W. Bush.
Make sure to check out Mark’s excellent photostream from Debate day at Wash U.
Bush Calls for End to Ban on Offshore Oil Drilling
President Bush urged Congress on Wednesday to end a federal ban on offshore oil drilling and open a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration, asserting that those steps and others would lower gasoline prices and “strengthen our national security.” In recent years, the president said, “scientists have developed innovative techniques to reach Anwar’s oil with virtually no impact on the land or local wildlife,” referring to the wildlife refuge by its acronym. He continued, “I urge members of Congress to allow this remote region to bring enormous benefits to the American people.” President Bush also urged Congress to approve the extraction of oil from shale on federal lands, something he said can be done far more economically now than a few years ago, and to speed the approval process for building new refineries. Mr. Bush sought to take full political advantage of soaring fuel prices by portraying Republican lawmakers as imaginative and forward-looking and the Democratic majority in Congress as obstructionists on energy policy.
Read the story from NY Times | No Comments | Posted June 18, 2008 at 7:44 PM by Sam Bear
In the last five years, we’ve witnessed a significant shift in the focus of the U.S. public education system. The shift is perhaps best illustrated by the proliferation of the public high school rankings appearing in national publications. U.S. News & World Report, well known for its university rankings, now publishes a ranking of best high schools as well. Unlike the university rankings, which take many factors into account (yet remain of dubious value), the high school ranking considers essentially one statistic: standardized test scores.
The massive movement towards standardized tests as a barometer for education has its roots in the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. The act is a well-intentioned piece of legislation as its purpose is to improve the overall quality of American public education. It does so partially by attempting to measure schools’ success, as President Bush explained when he signed the bill into law:
The story of children being just shuffled through the system is one of the saddest stories of America….The first step to making sure that a child is not shuffled through is to test that child as to whether or not he or she can read and write, or add and subtract. The first way to solve a problem is to diagnose it. And so, what this bill says, it says every child can learn. And we want to know early, before it’s too late, whether or not a child has a problem in learning. I understand taking tests aren’t fun. Too bad. We need to know in America. We need to know whether or not children have got the basic education.
Happy Presidents Day, W!
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Tax Rebate or Payment? A Policy Debate Begins
As President Bush and Congressional Democrats begin negotiations on a package of measures to stimulate the economy, the big fight will be over whether to put extra money in the hands of tens of millions of low-income families who paid little or no income tax last year. Nearly 40 percent of Americans owed no federal income tax last year, though even low-income workers paid taxes for Social Security and Medicare. While Mr. Bush has refused to disclose specifics of his $145 billion plan, administration officials and Republican lawmakers favor a proposal that would offer rebates of up to $800 for individuals and $1,600 for families — but only if they paid that much in taxes last year.
Read the story from NY Times | 1 comment | Posted January 20, 2008 at 4:57 PM by Sam Bear
