Romney and The 47%

    So there's some news going around the web about Romney and the 47% of Americans that he doesn't even want to try winning over. As the top story on ABC today, it reveals - or at least finalizes - an unattractive aspect of Romney. Apparently, Romney wishes to become President of half the United States. In the video they posted, he explains that he shouldn't even try to convince those people to vote for him, but instead go after the 5% to 10% of independents. Truthfully, this is probably a more effective route to election. However, it is cold, and represents a verbal dismissal of most Americans. It is not his plan that's wrong, it's his execution.
    But that wasn't enough. Unfortunately, he went on to tarnish his role in politics even more, by commenting that if his father had been born of Mexican descent, he says he would have a better chance at winning the election. ABC claims that this was intended to be a joke, but one can't doubt that this "joke" was used towards a fundraiser for Romney's election within the closed doors where this erroneous speech was first heard. In my view, politicians running for the Presidency ought to not use jokes that fall in racial categories, especially considering his adversary.
    Let's consider that this joke was okay, though. Let's consider that he's going for a tactical advantage in the election by trying to influence the independents. Fine, that's fine. But he couldn't stop there. In the video, he went on to explain his wife's role in the campaign: "We use Ann sparingly right now so that people don't get tired of her." These words shouldn't be spoken from the candidates for presidency. But, once again, his methods are just as any president's would be: Use the wife to get the women's vote, go for the independents, and try to find some common ground in racial engagements. It's not the method that's wrong, but the verbal admittance to the unforgiving approach to win the election that is wrong.

Article: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romneys-47-percent-pay-income-taxes/story?id=17263629#.UFjzOo1lRjs

Just How Stupid is This Article?

Recently, I've been given an article to read that would make us, the average citizen, understand our place in the role of politics - that we are stupid beyond belief when it comes to government. "Just How Stupid Are We?" is a well-written article by Rick Shenkman, but not well-argued. It continuously poses that we are illiterate, ignorant, and stupid. Where's the other side of the argument? Where's the relative statistics showing how England is doing? Or where's the relative statistics showing how most of the rest of the world is doing that does not include the first world? Do they know who their leaders are? I don't know. I just find it frustrating to find a professional article that bashes on The United States without providing a relative argument.

Article: http://www.alternet.org/story/90161/ignorant_america%3A_just_how_stupid_are_we?page=0%2C6