Retro Swagger?

by Fred Hew
Widener University American Government Student

The two Presidential candidates have a common view: that American politics and economic values should rule the world. The country found out about their difference in recent foreign policy speeches in New York. Romney is all about the hands on approach of conditioning countries to do the right thing. Rewarding ally countries, Israel, and condemning others, like Iran. Iran has been non cooperative in the past and if elected, Romney would place a military presence in Iran.

Obama is standing by his current policy of assisting Iran to see the light of American culture. The Iranians would be more likely to accept our political and economic system long term if they weren’t forced to adopt it, like Romney is suggesting. It is believed that if Romney were to win the election a lot of the swagger from the George W. Bush presidency would return to foreign policy. The hard-nosed, hands on approach would return to the White House and that’s something that appeals to many Americans, unlike Obama’s diplomatic approach.

Now which way is a smarter approach? Probably the Democratic method of thinking first, rather than running into a fire fight without any ammo. Romney’s way of forcing ourselves upon other allied countries like Egypt isn’t necessarily the right way to go about things. He could quickly make more enemies by his proposal of taking away aid from the Egyptians because they don’t share the same values as us. Either way, the two candidates have completely opposite views of how we should be viewed from the outside looking in. Romney believes we, as a country, can get anything we want in whichever way we please. Abusing our power isn’t something that Americans should strive to do, especially to allied countries.

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Shocking: Most of America Hates Politicians

by Frank Heleniak

Widener University American Government Student

Well it’s about to be October, and if you watch any type of TV, chances are you’re dreading every commercial break. Ah yes, the wonderful TV political campaign in which every candidate on the ballot is horrible choice (at least by their opponent’s standards) or has some time of skeleton in the closet. Yeah chances are you’re like 71% of all Americans who have negative thoughts of Politicians. Even if it’s just from interrupting your regular programming.

Of course there’s much more to it. People just aren’t happy in general, and they don’t trust politicians. Why? Well personal opinion is pure rhetoric in both campaigns (the local elections aren’t left out thought). There isn’t enough “doing,” just a lot of talk. Four years ago I listened to the President preach “Hope” and “Change.” Has there been hope? Surely. Change? Definitely I pay almost three times as much now to fill up my truck. I know what you’re thinking. I’ll nip it in the bud and say Bush wasn’t a saint either.

Blue or red, you’re going to stand up for your party, probably blindly. However if you’re more of a purple, you probably find a lot of fault in both candidates. So what are the Dems and GOP going to do about it? Probably nothing, but what happens when it boils over, and the general non-politically bound public stops voting for anyone because they honestly feel either candidate will do the same things? Maybe there will no longer be parties, and politicians will be labeled with a black spot.

Are Americans Better or Worse Off Than 4 Years Ago?

By Nicole Crossey, Widener University Student

As Americans are we better off, worse off or neither than we were 4 years ago?

In Landler’s “‘Are You Better Off?’ The Answer Is Less Clear than It Was in 1980” and Rutenberg’s “Democrats say that U.S. is Better Off than Four Years ago”, a mix of good and bad appears and makes that question hard to answer. Democrats say we are better off and Republicans say we are worse off.

The Democrats use the “auto bailout, Osama Bin Laden, supporting gay marriage, ending don’t ask, don’t tell, easing the threat of deportation to illegal immigrants, and the healthcare overhaul” as points of progress in these past 4 years.

The Republicans say that we are worse off—“federal debt is ballooning”, the unemployment rate is still bad and housing rates are not better. “47% of Americans think we are worse off” since Obama has entered office.

For some, our recovery is too slow. Jobs have been added to the economy, but government spending cuts have slowed this growth. While Obama has racked up $5 Trillion in national debt, we are still recovering from the Bush Administration (tax cuts, debt, Medicare prescription drug coverage, and wars).

Ultimately, I think voters will give Obama more time in office because he has put us on a path of “sustainable recovery” and he kept us from falling into a “double-dip recession”. However, Romney did throw Obama for a loop on this question—perhaps we will see more like this.

Looking at the state of our nation statistically, we are worse off. In the context that we are recovering from one of the worst recessions in history, we are better off. Therefore, it depends whether the “glass is half empty or half full” to voters.