Weekly Poll: How is Congress Handling the Benghazi Incident?

Some prominent members of the Republican Party in the Congress have harshly criticized the Obama administration for its mishandling of the incident in Benghazi on September 11, 2012; even calling for a Watergate-style of congressional investigation. What do you think?

The Party of Archie Bunker

Publicity photo from the television program All in the Family. Pictured are Carroll O’Connor (Archie Bunker) and Michael Evans (Lionel Jefferson). In this episode, Archie visits a local blood bank to donate and meets his neighbor, Lionel Jefferson, who is also there to donate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Archie Bunker is a fictional character played by Carroll O’Connor in a popular 1970s series All in the Family.  Despite being depicted as a hardworking family man, Bunker was also an assertively prejudiced blue-collar worker famous for his condescending and bigoted persona against feminists, communists, hippies, homosexuals, Jews, Catholics, immigrants, and all ethnic minorities. Archie got away with his prejudice demeanor because he personified the attitude of many of his generation at the time. Namely White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) male.

Based on the current republican platform (party platform is a list of socially relevant, urgent, controversial, or complicated topics or issues supported by a particular political party) and statements concerning public policy from prominent republicans, the current perception of the GOP does not match the party of Eisenhower, Goldwater or even Ronald Reagan. Official statements concerning legitimate rape, self-deportation of immigrants, that Obama supporters are all welfare recipients dependent on government and lack personal responsibility, not to mention the idea that today’s Russia is no different than yesterdays Soviet Union , have collectively revealed the Republican Party to be the party of Archie Bunker.

If that is the case, does that mean the Democratic Party is the party of George Jefferson? More importantly, what can Governor Mitt Romney, as the republican nominee for president, do to change this perception of the GOP?

–TERRANCE MULLINS

Related articles

• Archie Bunker on gun control (surfer53.wordpress.com)
• Archie Bunker, Diversity Champion (cpanow.picpa.org)

MPSL VLog: Platforms and Candidates

The parties’ platforms are important to American voters. Professor Gaffaney explains.

Weekly Poll: Your Opinion on Ryan as Romney’s VP

Mitt Romney has picked Tea Party darling Paul Ryan as his running mate. However, some political observers wonder if Ryan candidacy is strong enough to help Romney win the White House. What do you think?

Spare Tire of the United States of America

Flat Tire (Photo credit: Ryan Stanton)

According to the U.S. Constitution, the primary responsibility of the Vice President is to serve as President of the United States if the President dies, resigns, or is impeached. However, in reality, the U.S. Vice President has no constitutional duties except to serve as President of the United States Senate, a merely ceremonial position as the President of the U.S. Senate is simply a tie breaker for a tie that will most likely never occur.

As a result, a vice presidential candidate is not selected to help a president govern, but are purely selected to help the presidential candidates get elected. For example, George W. Bush selected Dick Cheney to help win over conservative voters as the Bush family name was, at that time, synonymous with the moderate policies of George H.W. Bush. John McCain selected Sarah Palin in a failed attempt to win over the coveted female voter. Barrack Obama selected the political veteran Joe Bidden in order to compensate for Obama’s seemingly lack of political experience.

In other words, the Vice President is merely a spare tire. Like all spare tires, the Vice President is stored away never to be seen until it is election season or in case of political or governmental emergency. This brings up the question of Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan. What exactly does Mr. Ryan bring to the table for Mitt Romney, the presumptive republican nominee for president? Obviously, like the Bush-Cheney ticket, the extremely conservative Paul Ryan was strategically selected to help Romney appeal to the republican base. What is not so obvious is whether or not Romney inadvertently selected a spare tire that is flat.

–TERRANCE MULLINS

Related articles

• Vice President Buzz Around Paul Ryan Swells To Crescendo (mediaite.com)
• Cheney: Picking Palin in 2008 was a ‘mistake’ (wtvr.com)
• Paul Ryan: From “It boy” to “calamity” (cnn.com)

MPSL VLog: Party Platform

How will the Republican Party’s platform on immigration issues affect this fall’s elections? Professor Gaffaney explains.

The Awesome Power of the Bully Pulpit

A bully pulpit refers to a public office, specifically the presidency, which provides the holder a terrific platform for rallying support for a specific issue or simply to make one’s view public. Due to the stature of the presidency the bully pulpit can bring issues to the forefront that was not initially in debate. For example, Pres. Obama, with the power of the bully pulpit, was able to shift the debate concerning illegal immigration last week by declaring why his administration will stop deporting young illegal immigrants brought to the United States at no fault of their own. Specifically, the U.S. will no longer deport illegal immigrants who meet the following criteria:

• Came to the U.S. before age 16
• Lived in the U.S. for at least 5 years
• In school, graduated, or a U.S. veteran
• No felonies, not a threat to the U.S.
• Not older than 30

As president, Obama has an unparalleled opportunity to make and set policies while the bully pulpit allows the president to announce those policies and rally support. Meanwhile, candidate Mitt Romney, Pres. Obama’s republican challenger, can only react to the agenda of the incumbent president and merely make untested and immaterial promises to the electorate. As a result, Mitt Romney is now faced with the politically difficult task of either alienating independent voters by holding firm with his previously stated hard-line stance on illegal immigration (e.g. self deportation, zero tolerance) or angering the conservative base by flip-flopping on the issue altogether. One reason why Romney is in this problematic situation is due in part to Obama’s ability to set policy as the sitting president and the awesome power of the bully pulpit afforded him.

–TERRANCE MULLINS

Related articles

• Immigration, Obama, Romney and the Republican Party: Who Fumbled the Ball? (themoderatevoice.com)
• Obama Changes the Subject (politicalwire.com)

MPSL VLog: Super PACs’ Flexing Their Muscles

The Citizens United Supreme Court opinion upheld unlimited giving to independent groups as a constitutional right. Will these well-funded groups influence this year’s election? Professor Gaffaney explains.

MPSL VLOG:Third Wheel in Party Politics

Never mind winning an election, it’s extremely hard for a third party candidate to even get on the ballot this fall. Professor Gaffaney explains.

MPSL VLog: Your Vote Controls Who Appoints Federal Judges

The Supreme Court and lower federal courts have the power to determine whether laws and policies are constitutional. Lately, judges have decided issues along political party lines. Your vote for President is also a vote for who will be appointed to the federal bench. Professor Gaffaney explains.