Hard to tell whether it's a parody or a presidential election
There are only four weeks left in one of
the best slapstick comedies to hit the small
screen in years: Obama vs. Romney. From
digging up ancient dirt to talking to empty
chairs, the campaigns have been fierce, the
spending exorbitant and the result? Still
uncertain.
The seemingly endless parade of political tactics is intensifying in the month leading up to the American presidential election in November. With only a few short weeks left, there are three debates on the schedule that could heavily impact the final outcome. Romney is synonymous by now with sticking his foot in his mouth, and a series of debates will be instrumental in either disproving this or confirming it once and for all. President Barack Obama has a slim lead on the up-and-coming Mitt Romney. Romney's wealth has been his blessing and his curse in this race as it enabled him to spend plenty of dollars while simultaneously alienating the population that isn't economically minded or privileged.
American elections are substantially different from Canadian ones in that they make use of an electoral college. There are 538 'electoral votes' available to be won and they're divided between all of the states based on population. For a majority, a party would need to obtain 270 or more of these votes. Every state is worth a number of points, from California with 55 to Alaska with three, reflecting their respective populations. A state can only vote one way — it's not possible to split their votes — so whichever candidate is elected in California (spoiler: Barack Obama) will receive all of the 55 state votes.
One of the phenomenal techniques used by the Obama campaign is that of inclusivity. The damning video footage of a Romney fundraiser in which he purports that 47 per cent of Americans cannot be swayed politically because they're dependent on the current establishment to support them stands in stark contrast to the image of Obama, who invited two citizens to enjoy a casual beer with him in the White House gardens. Whether it's his outstanding public relations team or whether Obama is genuinely connected with the "common man" is immaterial when it serves to create an image of him that resounds with voters. In terms of demographics, Romney is highly appealing to several small ones that contain the more affluent and/or religious. These guaranteed votes cost him innumerable others since he's most appealing to the highly criticized one per cent, the inevitable flipside is that in an election one per cent doesn't get a candidate anywhere near a majority when it's measured against the remaining 99 per cent.
The best part about following the American election is that the largest contributing factors are often outside of the candidate's control. If anyone on the Romney team had been aware of what Clint Eastwood was going to attempt at the Republican Convention (a drawn-out conversation with an empty chair), he'd never have been allowed to open his mouth. Disasters like these can make or break a candidate's election chances, despite the fact that Romney probably didn't have much to do with organizing the Convention. Whether out of sheer dumb luck, skillful charisma or blatant mud slinging, one candidate will emerge victorious in just a few short weeks.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
The seemingly endless parade of political tactics is intensifying in the month leading up to the American presidential election in November. With only a few short weeks left, there are three debates on the schedule that could heavily impact the final outcome. Romney is synonymous by now with sticking his foot in his mouth, and a series of debates will be instrumental in either disproving this or confirming it once and for all. President Barack Obama has a slim lead on the up-and-coming Mitt Romney. Romney's wealth has been his blessing and his curse in this race as it enabled him to spend plenty of dollars while simultaneously alienating the population that isn't economically minded or privileged.
American elections are substantially different from Canadian ones in that they make use of an electoral college. There are 538 'electoral votes' available to be won and they're divided between all of the states based on population. For a majority, a party would need to obtain 270 or more of these votes. Every state is worth a number of points, from California with 55 to Alaska with three, reflecting their respective populations. A state can only vote one way — it's not possible to split their votes — so whichever candidate is elected in California (spoiler: Barack Obama) will receive all of the 55 state votes.
One of the phenomenal techniques used by the Obama campaign is that of inclusivity. The damning video footage of a Romney fundraiser in which he purports that 47 per cent of Americans cannot be swayed politically because they're dependent on the current establishment to support them stands in stark contrast to the image of Obama, who invited two citizens to enjoy a casual beer with him in the White House gardens. Whether it's his outstanding public relations team or whether Obama is genuinely connected with the "common man" is immaterial when it serves to create an image of him that resounds with voters. In terms of demographics, Romney is highly appealing to several small ones that contain the more affluent and/or religious. These guaranteed votes cost him innumerable others since he's most appealing to the highly criticized one per cent, the inevitable flipside is that in an election one per cent doesn't get a candidate anywhere near a majority when it's measured against the remaining 99 per cent.
The best part about following the American election is that the largest contributing factors are often outside of the candidate's control. If anyone on the Romney team had been aware of what Clint Eastwood was going to attempt at the Republican Convention (a drawn-out conversation with an empty chair), he'd never have been allowed to open his mouth. Disasters like these can make or break a candidate's election chances, despite the fact that Romney probably didn't have much to do with organizing the Convention. Whether out of sheer dumb luck, skillful charisma or blatant mud slinging, one candidate will emerge victorious in just a few short weeks.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
