Presidential Debate: September 26, 2016

Arguably the most important debate in the history of the United States has just finished, and there sure was a lot of arguing done. The first of three debates between Democratic Nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican Nominee Donald Trump gave the candidates the opportunity to reintroduce themselves before America and the world to promote their candidacy for the Presidency of the United States.

Throughout the past few weeks, each candidate has taken time out of their schedule to prep for this debate. In Clinton's case this meant practicing with a Trump stand-in where she was able to solidify her responses into two minute answers as stated by the debate rules. For Trump, debate prep was less sophisticated than Clinton's. Rather than practice answers to likely questions, it seems that he spent more time answering questions in whatever way he felt was best. But which style of preparation ultimately won? That's hard to say.

From the responses I received after watching the debate with fellow students on campus, it appears as if Clinton presented herself as presidential while Trump didn't change from his usual self. Throughout the debate Clinton remained relatively calm whenever Trump interrupted her or tried to talk over her. Clinton seemed to know that using the tactics Trump is best known for, interrupting and name calling, would get her no support in the polls.

However, as some of my peers observed there were a few moments in the debate where they either agreed with Trump or saw why people might be drawn to his candidacy. Most notably when he compared the United States to a business and how he would focus on creating jobs in America rather than ship them overseas. While there are many flaws in his candidacy, it's clear that some Americans like the idea that Trump would use a business background to run the country rather than a more traditional political mindset.

Another stark difference between the two candidates is the number of facts each used when discussing their ideas and opinions on how to move this country forward. Clinton continually used as many facts about the economy and foreign affairs as she could which proved that she has taken the time to look over various briefing books and is familiar with what she is taking about. Trump in comparison used less facts and focused instead on words that generalize his stances on issues such as "bring jobs back" which is helpful in theory but barely describes plans he theoretically would implement.

So the first debate is over. What's next?

What will the second and third debates focus on that this one did not? Will either of the third party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein be on the debate stage with Clinton and Trump? Does it matter that they are or are not? Will the moderator of the next debate attempt to fact check the candidates to a higher degree than Lester Holt attempted to do tonight? Are polls going to change dramatically over the next few days or do Americans even care about what a candidate says during a debate? Does a candidate's two minute answer have the ability to change the mind of a voter or is the election already decided by the time September rolls around? The only way to find out the answer to any of these questions is to tune in for the next debate on Sunday October 9.

Day Three of the Democratic National Convention

"One Last Time"

President Barack Obama your eloquence is undeniable. You have served admirably during times of crisis and emerged a stronger leader, bringing the American people with you. Your speech tonight was even more powerful than Michelle's was on Monday and you drew in people from all corners of America to listen to your message. People are already writing your name into history books as one of the greatest presidents in the history of America and I'd have to say I agree. You gave the American people hope when they had little and battled challenges that most presidents could never dream of. Your endorsement of Hillary Clinton tonight further showed your belief in the American people to challenge the fear some put forth into this country and rise above that fear. To channel the energy of the Bernie Sanders supporters into political action at both the local and national levels to change what is problematic in this country. All that is left to say is simply thank you, Mr. President.

Day One of the Democratic National Convention

"More Damn Emails"

Although this time the emails did not come from Hillary Clinton herself but were rather about her and her candidacy and sent by prominent members of the Democratic National Committee. Through the emails it was clear to see that Clinton was favored over Senator Bernie Sanders to be the next Democratic Nominee for President. In response, Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned in relative shame which got the convention in Philadelphia off to a similar start as the Republican's Convention last week in Cleveland. The similarities between these conventions' first day ends after this however. Whereas the Republicans had poor time management for their prime time speakers resulting in an empty convention hall and a speech with major hints of plagiarism the speakers for the Democratic Convention were poised and brimming with party unity.  

"Michelle Obama"

I once wrote a report about the speech Hillary Clinton gave as First Lady to the United Nations Fourth World Conference in Beijing on "women's rights being human rights and human rights being women's rights." I believe this to be one of the most popular speeches any First Lady has ever given. First Lady Michelle Obama's speech tops that. While her husband, President Barack Obama, is well known for his great oratory capabilities, Michelle's skills tend to be swept under the rug simply because First Ladies do not have the same hold on the news cycle as the President of the United States does. However, the emotion that Mrs. Obama packed into her speech as well as the unity she promoted for the party and its delegates between the Hillary and Bernie supporters was simply astounding. It seemed as if everyone in the convention hall and everyone watching from their homes was amazed by the First Lady and wondered afterwards if she would ever think of running for elected office someday. Not only did Mrs. Obama endorse Hillary, but she painted a picture of how her family's life has played out in the most public of houses for the last eight years. If you haven't already seen this speech or would simply like to watch it again as I myself will be doing soon, check out this link here.

"Bernie Sanders"

After only one night of the Democratic National Convention it is hard to know if what Bernie told his supporters will truly sink in and create the party unity that the leaders of the party are hoping for. A few hours before Bernie even spoke the tension was thick in the room when comedian and outspoken Bernie supporter Sarah Silverman told the 'Bernie or Bust' supporters that "they were being ridiculous" as they continued to chant for Bernie against their fellow Democrats and Clinton supporters. As the keynote speaker of the night, Bernie thanked his supporters for all of their help over the past year. Even getting a communal shout of "27 dollars" in reference to the average donation his campaign received from the 99% throughout the past year. A rousing speech that ended with him saying that he stands with her does not seem to have gotten through to all of his supporters however. During MSNBC's post convention coverage, three separate Bernie supporters voiced their concerns for Clinton as the nominee saying that they still could not trust her even as their most trusted candidate, Bernie, says that he trusts her. As the convention proceeds over the next few days this will become the main goal of the Clinton campaign: to move those Bernie supporters to vote for her rather than Trump or one of the third party candidates. Will anything Bernie says to his supporters be able to convince them to vote for Clinton? Or will the magic words have to come from Clinton herself? Only the next few nights of the convention will tell. 

Politics Took a Holiday

Or more accurately, I took a holiday from politics for the past few months. But that holiday has come to an end because America is embarking on a grand political adventure over the next two weeks.....

The Republican and Democratic Conventions!

These conventions will work to nominate Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as the Republican and Democratic runners for president, respectively. Thousands of delegates, reporters, politicians, and who knows who else will descend upon Cleveland and Philadelphia to participate in this uniquely American political process. And I'll observe all of the madness from a comfortable distance in Upstate New York.

Cadidate Standings in Terms of Delegates and Polls

After 33 primaries and caucuses in the 2016 Presidential Election, the race to the nomination is more than halfway done. Leading on the Republican side is Donald Trump with 743 delegates, followed by Ted Cruz with 517, and John Kasich with 143. On the Democratic side Hillary Clinton leads with 1,749 while Bernie Sanders has 1,061 delegates. With just 882 delegates left for the Republicans to distribute and 1,955 delegates for the Democrats, there is still a fair amount of uncertainty surrounding who the nominees will be for each party.

On the Republican side, the nominee must claim 1,237 delegates in order to win on the first ballot. While Trump has been the front runner for most of the race, it is unclear whether he will reach the 1,237 benchmark before the nominating convention in July. As more candidates on the Republican side have dropped out, support for Cruz has increased and so has the number of delegates he has been receiving. Cruz now has the possibility to unseat Trump and claim the nomination for himself if he continues to gain momentum as the last few states vote in the primaries. Cruz's commanding win in Wisconsin on Tuesday showed that he has the capability to handily defeat Trump; in fact, he is the only candidate who has repeatedly been able to do this. Polls from Real Clear Politics show that Trump is beating Cruz by just 5 points nationwide 40% to 35% respectively, while Kasich is in a distant third with 20% (McClatchy/Marist). Kasich has not given up hope on the possibility that he could be the next Republican nominee however. If neither Trump nor Cruz have reached the 1,237 delegates by the convention, Kasich could have the opportunity to win the nomination after the first round of voting at the convention. Though Trump, Cruz, and other leaders in the Republican party have called for Kasich to resign from the race, he continues to stay in, most likely as to counter their extreme ideologies to his more traditional, moderate ones.

On the Democratic side, the nominating process has also stayed competitive long after many political pundits thought it would. Sanders has been able to rise from an unknown candidate to one of the most prominent political figures in just 11 months after announcing his bid for the presidency. While it seemed that Clinton would easily defeat Sanders in the first few races, she has not been able to compete with the amount of grassroots support that young Americans have been showing Sanders. The most recent poll from McClatchy/Marist shows that Sanders is leading Clinton by 2 points, 49% to 47%, respectively. However, other polls show that Clinton is still leading the race over Sanders, anywhere from 6 points to 18 points ahead (Pew Research, Public Policy Polling). While the tightening of polls increases the confidence of Sanders supporters, it is still highly unlikely that he will be able to gain the Democratic nomination before the convention. He trails Clinton by almost 700 delegates with 400 or so of those delegates being Super Delegates. These Super Delegates are leaders of the Democratic party and include representatives from Congress who are likely to continue to support Clinton because she is the establishment candidate on the Democratic side. For Sanders to convince these Super Delegates to shift their support from Clinton he would need a win from a major Democratic state such as New York, which could potentially happen, to show these Super Delegates he has what it takes to win.

Looking forward to the end of the Presidential Primary season it is incredible to see how much has changed since the first votes were cast in Iowa in February. Both fields of candidates have been narrowed down considerably, though it is still unclear who each party's nominee will be. While Trump and Clinton still hold leads over their rivals, the commanding lead they once had has almost evaporated. Polls are ever changing and known to inaccurately predict winners, like Sanders victory in Michigan in March, so they must be carefully analyzed and taken with a grain of salt as the campaigns march forward to the conventions and general election.

The Democratic Debate February 11, 2016

On Thursday night, just two days after the New Hampshire primary, Democratic candidates Senator Bernie Sanders and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took the stage for their sixth presidential debate, on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, hosted by PBS News Hour and Facebook. Before this debate began, there was speculation circulating on how Clinton would do after her 22-point loss to Sanders in the New Hampshire primary. Would she remain calm during the debate and subtly make up for the votes she couldn't get in New Hampshire or would she come out blazing with a need to succeed?

It turns out Clinton used both implicit and explicit tactics to show she has what it takes to become America's next president. She took to the stage in seemingly ready to go with an opening statement that focused on breaking down all of the barriers that are in the way of the American people who are just trying to get ahead. Sanders' opening statement was similar to a point; instead he focused more on the idea that just 9 months ago he was a virtually unknown candidate and now he has been able to insight a political revolution against the establishment of the Democratic Party. The first part of the debate focused on how each candidate saw the role of the federal government in everyday Americans lives. Sanders at first did not answer this question directly but rather danced around it saying that he wanted to guarantee health care, public education, and good infrastructure, essentially implying that the federal government would grow under his presidency. Clinton meanwhile explicitly stated that under her administration the federal government would increase in size by about 40%. She also agreed with Sanders goal to guarantee health care to Americans, but didn't understand why there needed to be another health care debate in the country and why the plan that he proposes doesn't seem to add up monetarily. She instead proposed that we continue on the path that the Affordable Care Act provides, a fight she said she has been fighting since it was called "Hillarycare." The debate continued with questions surrounding Social Security, homeland security, and immigration, all important issues that both Sanders and Clinton spent time discussing their plans to solve in much more detail than it seems the Republicans tend to do when they debate.

However, some of the moments that stood out to the media were not when Clinton or Sanders described their differences on immigration or how they want to fix the growing issue of Social Security, but how each candidate conducted themselves during the debate. In a world where the 30-second soundbite could be the most news an American gets during the day, candidates must be perfectly poised 24/7 so they can get the most appealing shot on replay. To some, like myself, Clinton appeared confident and knowledgeable about the issues at hand while other such as the prominent conservative newspaper The National Review thought otherwise. They thought Clinton had a "sleepy showing" and that "she tried to trip up Sanders with detailed policy answers...but caught in a defensive crouch and struggling to explain her own campaign's shortcomings, she never really found the opening she needed." In comparison, The National Review painted Sanders as a winner whenever he said something that could criticize Clinton or put her on the defensive such as immigration reform or her ties to Wall Street with phrasing such as "he showed up" and the idea that he was "forcefully" answering questions. By using specific language the media has the ability to influence voters by describing a candidate either in a flattering or unflattering light.

Another point that the media tends to focus on, specifically when talking about the Democratic race for president, is the gender difference between Clinton and Sanders. Clinton was asked during the debate why such a large percentage of female voters were turning out in support of her opponent Sanders, rather than her. In my opinion she responded with one of the best answers I have heard when listening to a political debate on gender. Clinton essentially said that just because you are a female, that doesn't mean that it is necessary for you to vote for me, the female candidate. She instead said that women have the right to choose who they want to vote for based on their own ideals and directed the conversation to one focused on raising the standard of equality for women in this country. This answer was a refreshing break from the notion that all women must vote for Hillary Clinton based on their gender and a relatively good response to the quote from Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who said that "there's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other."

Overall, Thursday's Democratic Debate appeared to be much more substantive than the Republican Debates have been in recent weeks. Perhaps that's due to the candidates who appear on stage, but I think that it also has to do with the media that surrounds each parties presidential nominees. Clinton was portrayed as the De facto nominee and given free media attention for months before Sanders and his grassroots momentum grew into a national campaign gaining their own media attention, that for both candidates tends to appear slightly more professional than that of the Republicans. In contrast, the Republicans tend to be portrayed as a bit of a circus with multiple clowns running around stage at any given time. So as a student of political science I have a challenge from you: read news articles that go against what you normally believe. Try to dig deep and figure out how much of what the candidates say is really true by using sources such as FactCheck.org. This is something I plan on doing for the remainder of this presidential debate because to be an informed voting citizen you need to gather actual information from reputable sites, not just what the biased media outlets repeat every hour.

Day Four: Happy Primary Day!

Today is the day! After weeks of campaigning, debating, and shamelessly promoting themselves the candidates will finally get to see if all of their hard work paid off. Most voting places are open from 6 am until 7 pm but a few towns run things differently on primary day. Because the towns of Dixville Notch, Millsfield, and Hart's Landing all have fewer than 100 residents they are allowed to begin voting at midnight and close their polls after everyone that is eligible to vote has voted. In past elections Dixville Notch has successfully predicted every Republican nominee since 1968, an astounding 12 elections. Today, these were the results:

Dixville Notch: 

Sanders 4, Clinton 0

Kasich 3, Trump 2

Millsfield: 

Clinton 2, Sanders 1

Cruz 9, Trump 3, Kasih 1, Rubio 1, Christie 1, Bush 1, Fiorina, Paul 1 

Hart's Landing:

Sanders 12, Clinton 7, Greenstein 2

Kasich 5, Trump 4, Christie 2, Rubio 1, Bush 1, Carson 1 

Now these towns may not have much to do with the overall outcome of tonight's election but it does showcase American democracy at its finest. And if this story sounded slightly familiar to you, the political drama "The West Wing" dedicated a sentimental plot line to the people of these towns during the reelection of their fictional President Josiah Bartlett. 

Day Three: The Clintons

From the Christie event our team hit the road to go to a Clinton rally at Manchester Community College. While waiting at the Clinton event I was able to spot several journaists and members of the media including Willie Geist, Mile Barnacle, Sam Stein, and Lawrence O'Donnel. This event was such a unique experience because we were able to see Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton all at once. It was truly a historic moment, no matter if you agree with their politics or not, these are some of the most well known political figures of our time. 

As Chelsea and Bill introduced Hillary, the crowd's intensity steadily grew so that everyone was severely excited by the time Hillary took the stage. She then talked for around 40 minutes about healthcare, making college affordable for young adults, improve our energy standards, work on giving women equal rights, and how we need to take back the country from those who want to destroy it. Her most notable quote from the rally was when she indirectly went after the younger generations who have been supporting Bernie Sanders in record numbers by saying "You may not support me, but I will support always support you." As someone who goes between supporting both Hillary and Bernie this quote struck me because it showed that Hillary is presenting herself as someone who cares more about getting young adults into public service because they want to have a say in their countries future rather than saying something that makes it seem as if she only cares about winning and nothing more. 

However great these speeches were the venue that this event was held at was not the bet to accommodate such a large crowd. Because there were so many members of the mainstream media at this event the number of people allowed in to the arena was very limited. This meant that I had to stand just outside the glass wall that separates those from the room were the Clinton's spoke and the overflow room where I stood. It was slightly annoying to be forced to stand in the overflow area because there was clearly enough room to stand near the back where the media was stationed. But with this being the only downside to this event it was begrudgingly overcome.   

By the way, did I mention I shook former President Bill Clinton's hand and almost got a selfie with him? Because I did and it was awesome! 

Chelsea and Bill Clinton introducing Hillary Clinton. 

The woman of the hour, Hillary Clinton in the flesh. 

My almost perfect selfie with our 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton. 

Day Two: Carly Fiorina

In last nights post about the second half of my second day in New Hampshire I got so caught up in theVermin Supreme mayhem that I forgot to mention we also met Carly Fiorina. She was holding a pre game party for the Super Bowl at The Yard Restaurant outside Manchester. This event was much smaller than the Marco Rubio event we had visited earlier that morning, but that wasn't actually a bad thing. Because there were fewer people at this event everyone was able to meet Carly Fiorina, shake her hand, get a picture with her, and grab some free campaign swag. Though she may not be anywhere near getting the Republican Nomination it is impressive that she continues to campaign hard for votes and stick up for herself when most people in her party are trying to take her down.

Day Two: Campaign Headquarters and VERMIN SUPREME

After an intriguing morning at the Rubio event our vans decided to continue into downtown Manchester to look for some food because standing for 3 hours tends to make a person quite hungry. Initially we were going to eat at the quintessential Red Arrow restaurant but because it was so busy our groups split up. A small group of us went to an Irish Pub called The Shaskeen which had delicious and authentic fish and chips fare. I even got to meet up with my Uncle Tod and catch up after not seeing him for a few months. Post lunch we met up with our fellow liberal leaning friends before going to visit the campaign headquarters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

The Clinton campaign headquarters in Manchester seemed to be hidden in plain sight and took us some time to find them. It turned out they were on the top floor of an office building on a side street in Manchester, but because of building restrictions, were not allowed to display any signs to promote their candidate. This made it difficult for us to find their office and seemed an unfortunate area to pick to house a campaign's headquarters. It seemed unusual that such a well known campaign would not want to be in an area where they could clearly be seen from the street by people passing by. Once inside the office we met a welcoming volunteer whose name was Mary and had flown up to her home state of New Hampshire from Florida on January 6th just to volunteer for the Clinton campaign. Mary was helpful and patient as we asked her questions on her day to day activities, personal opinions on candidates, and campaigns in general (during both 2008 and 2012 she was a strong Obama supported and worked endless days to get him elected). Yet Mary's friendliness could not seem to cover up the sense that the Clinton headquarters were being run like a business with a certain air about them that seemed somehow too professional.

Bernie Sander' headquarters on the other hand were unmistakably marked with signs outside the building and wall papering every available inch of space inside. The young woman who first greeted us was named Erica and she was a college student that had been volunteering with the Sanders campaign since September. Erica not only answered our questions but gave us a tour around their offices and offered us any literature and signage that was leftover from the last few weeks of intense campaigning. There was even a gigantic Bernie mural with props that people could take pictures with! Overall the Sanders campaign seemed more eager than the Clinton campaign was to have college students touring their facilities and learning more about the presidential election process. It seemed like each campaign was reflected by the ways their offices were set up and who was at each office when we stopped by.

After visiting each of the Democratic candidates headquarters we had planned to see if we could visit Donald Trump's headquarters which were around Manchester, but due to timing issues we decided to skip this stop and head straight to the Carly Fiorina Super Bowl pre-game party at The Yard Restaurant. And what a good decision this was. As soon as our van was parked our driver and unofficial leader Frank spotted Vermin Supreme.

Yes. The Man. The Myth. The Legend. Vermin Supreme.

I know, most of you may be thinking, "who is Vermin Supreme?" Well, Vermin Supreme is a candidate running to be President of the United States just like Bernie, Hillary, and Donald are all trying to do. He's run every four years since 2004 and tends to take his campaign to the extreme (yet with this election cycle he seems perfectly normal compared to what we've seen already). Most notably Vermin is known to wear a boot on his head and come up with slightly nutty campaign proposals. For instance, promising a pony to every American or making sure we are prepared to handle a zombie apocalypse which was his 2012 platform. And while he may look like a crazy old man to most people, I think he is the embodiment of our democratic system in the United States; to think that anyone who meets the Constitution requirements to run for president can in fact run and receive votes (he got 41 votes in 2008 and 833 in 2012) is frankly amazing.

Pictures from inside Clinton campaign headquarters and outside of Sanders campaign headquarters. 

Vermin Supreme ladies and gentlemen. 

Casually posing with Vermin Supreme and fellow classmates! 

Left to right: Emma, Jenny, Frank, Vermin, Cassidy, Silas, me

Day Two: Rubio Rally

Another early morning for politics here in New Hampshire. After a quick breakfast at the hotel our vans headed off to a small town near Manchester called Londonderry to witness Marco Rubio in action. We got to the school where Rubio was scheduled to speak around 8:30 but were forced to wait almost 2 hours before he eventually showed up.

In the meantime we were able to watch how volunteers handled crowd control with the almost 800 person crowd in just a small elementary gym. By chance our group happened to be stationed near where the media were going to be filming Rubio as he walked in. This gave a lot of us the opportunity to ask questions to reporters and even be interviewed by the media. I myself was interviewed by a man from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. I was asked about my views of the race thus far, what made Rubio a good candidate, and why Donald Trump seemed to be so popular with voters. 

Once Rubio showed up he proceeded to give his speech which highlighted the major focuses of his campaign. He talked about uniting the party, increasing the conservative movement, repealing most  of President Obama's policies, and increasing the size and quality of our military. Afterwards he shook hands with almost everyone in the room, but unfortunately I wasn't able to meet him personally. 

GOP Debate Article

Good morning! As our vans head towards our first event of the day, here is an article from The Washington Post analyzing the candidates from the debate last night: who won, who lost, and everything in between.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/06/winners-and-losers-from-the-new-hampshire-republican-debate/

The Bern-rito

This "Feel the Bern-rito" was their burrito of the week and it needed its own post because it was just that creative (and good)! 

Candidate Signs in Action

Governor Kasich's signs could be seen as soon as we crossed the New Hampshire border. 

Signs for Trump, Jeb!, and Fiorina were not far behind. 

And of course I needed a picture with the giant Clinton sign outside of the campaign headquarters.

Day One: Clinton, Burritos, and Debates

cToday was the day! Today we woke up and got on the road at 8:30 in the morning and made our way to the great state of New Hampshire (stopping along the way at The Blue Ben Diner to grab some fabulous breakfast of course!).

As soon as we crossed the border into New Hampshire from Vermont it was clear that the primary is less than a week away. We saw sign after sign for all of the major candidates: Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. Driving into downtown Concord, New Hampshire's capital, it was clear that this state is invested in their legacy of being the first state to vote and how dedicated they are to this freedom.

The first campaign I was able to interact with during this trip was with the Hillary Clinton campaign with my friend Jenny. We walked to their campaign headquarters in Concord and were able to sign up right away to canvass around neighborhoods. While this was an enjoyable experience it seemed like the Clinton headquarters were not as populated as I was expecting them to be in the capital of one of the first primary states. Yes, the people we interacted with were friendly but they did not seem as energetic as I was expecting them to be about their candidate or about campaigning in general.

However, Jenny and I were able to meet and do some canvassing with an older couple named Annie and Henry. These two have been involved in politics in some way or another since George McGovern ran for president in 1972. They were what I thought more people from the Clinton campaign were going to be like. They were impressed that both Jenny and I were taking such an active interest in politics at a young age and were hopeful that our generation would be able to fix some of the problems that their generation had not. Annie and Henry were dedicated, informative, and energetic to get out the vote and make changes in our country. And I love that. To be able to have two generations working towards the same goal is something you definitely do not see everyday, but I'm glad I got to experience that moment.

After canvassing for a few hours, we returned to our hotel room in search of dinner. We found it at a Mexican Burrito shop where (I kid you not) I got a "Feel the Bern-rito." And it was pretty great! Beef, beans, cheese, rice, guacamole, and spicy mayo was a combo that you could only find in this shop; and the only dinner to get in order to truly get the New Hampshire primary experience.

Finally we ended out night with our own debate watching party at our hotel. This debate was sure to be an exciting event and it did not disappoint. It all started with a mis-calling of the candidates names forcing awkward interactions as Ben Carson was forced to wait to be called onto the stage, with the cameras focused on him the whole time, while almost all of the other candidates were called before him. Throughout the debate, Governor Chris Christie confronted Senator Marco Rubio about his inability to answer a question by simply dancing around it. These interactions showed that Christie wasn't afraid to show voters that he is still in this race and that Rubio may not be the next best candidate. While I finished watching the debate it was hard to focus on after such a long day of traveling and volunteering, so I'll try to post a good analytical article about the debate tomorrow morning.

2016 Campaign Cartoons

Looking for a way to laugh a little about the craziness that has become the 2016 Presidential Election?

Click the link below to find editorial cartoons about the presidential candidates, the state of the campaigns, and some of the policies they have begun to propose.

It's sure to make you laugh and cry at the same time whether you think the cartoon is funny or you just can't stand to hear another second about politics and the state of our nation!

(And if you just don't quite feel like clicking the link I've added a few of my favorites to this post )

Campaign 2016 Cartoons

Hello and Welcome to the 2016 election for President of the United States!

My name is Emma Cohen and I am a Political Science student at the State University of New York at Oneonta. As a political science student I am interested in the behind the scenes work that it takes to get someone elected and as an American I am interested in the future of my country. 

This February I have the opportunity to go to New Hampshire to witness history firsthand with one of my political science classes and attend events hosted by almost all of the major candidates for president. Along the way I plan to share my experiences through this blog and some general information about the election process in order to give people knowledge they might not have otherwise known.