My favorite holiday memory would have to be from when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I took a week off of school (right before Winter Break). My mom, my dad, and I went to Disneyworld in Florida for a week. We stayed at a beautiful hotel for a week and got back home on Christmas Eve morning. I had never been to Disneyworld before that and I had the most amazing time. Disneyworld was all decked out in Christmas and holiday decorations, which made the holiday time so much more fun.
One key thing I remember is waking up every morning and having Mickey Mouse-shaped blueberry waffles. We would wake up really early so that we could head out sightseeing to each of the "lands" in Disneyworld. When we went to Animal Kingdom, we got to witness the Lion King Christmas parade which was definitely a spectacle to see. I was a little short back then and I couldn't see over the crowd of people who stood in front of me. My dad had hoisted me up on his shoulders so that I could watch the parade. It was so loud, but so amazing!
Every single day that we were there in Disneyworld was great because we always had something new to see everytime. When we went to Magic Kingdom, we watched a light parade where all the lights in the entire theme park had been turned out, so it was pitch black and all we could see were these gorgeous parade floats that had neon lights. Afterwords, we got to see a fireworks show right above us.
Going to Disneyworld was definitely my favorite holiday memory thus far!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Elect Santa
A key feature of this cartoon is the little kid. The fact that a little kid knows about the general election coming up is pretty amazing, but what is even more amazing is the fact that he seems to be exasperated over it. The little kid represents the voting citizens of the United States. The cartoonist is trying to say that Americans are sick and tired of the GOP candidates who are constantly in the limelight. The Americans believe that there's no way that America can achieve change because each of the candidates has his/her own flaws coming into the election. I believe that the cartoonist is right on this account. The GOP candidates have thus far proven nothing about their abilities to lead the United States. To them, it is a competition for the GOP nomination (not for the presidency). The candidates haven't thought of the big picture ideals that come with running for nomination. If Americans are expected to watch the GOP debates, to actually pay attention to who is running, and vote later on, they need to know that candidates are looking out for America's best interests, not the title and prestige that comes with being "President."
The cartoonist is using satire in this political cartoon. Since it is holiday time, the cartoonist uses the belief of Santa to engage readers about his cause. The cartoonist is also trying to say that the GOP debates have become so widespread that everyone knows about them.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Obama Update
Obama still has time till the general election. He needs to take charge with greater campaigning measures if he wants to win the reelection. Obama is currently dropping in the polls mainly because of his central policy--jobs. According to Gallup polls, Obama's jobs approval rating is at 42% with 51% of people disapproving. Also according to Gallup, his job approval rating is remaining pretty consistent with approval rating staying low.
I believe that at this current time, it is difficult to say whether Obama will win the bid for reelection. This completely depends on Obama's jobs bill which has yet to be signed by Congress till next year. If the bill gets signed, Obama may have a chance to win back voters.
To figure out this question on whether Obama will win the reelection bid, I took a look at Gallup's comparison of approval ratings for previous presidents. Around this time, most presidents have had pretty low approval ratings. Many presidents were able to increase their approval ratings by the election time in Novemeber. Obama may still have a chance to bring up his approval ratings, but he needs to do greater campaigning for this election because most Americans are tired of Obama's lack of "change" and in turn, they would rather vote for a lesser Republican candidate.
Right now, I think the election could go either way. Obama has a chance to take back voters, but with greater emphasis on the GOP debates, Obama has been pushed out of the limelight. People have become more interested in Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. After a Republican nomination has been handed over, the campaigning can begin. At that point, we can take a look at whether Obama has a chance to win.
I believe that at this current time, it is difficult to say whether Obama will win the bid for reelection. This completely depends on Obama's jobs bill which has yet to be signed by Congress till next year. If the bill gets signed, Obama may have a chance to win back voters.
To figure out this question on whether Obama will win the reelection bid, I took a look at Gallup's comparison of approval ratings for previous presidents. Around this time, most presidents have had pretty low approval ratings. Many presidents were able to increase their approval ratings by the election time in Novemeber. Obama may still have a chance to bring up his approval ratings, but he needs to do greater campaigning for this election because most Americans are tired of Obama's lack of "change" and in turn, they would rather vote for a lesser Republican candidate.
Right now, I think the election could go either way. Obama has a chance to take back voters, but with greater emphasis on the GOP debates, Obama has been pushed out of the limelight. People have become more interested in Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. After a Republican nomination has been handed over, the campaigning can begin. At that point, we can take a look at whether Obama has a chance to win.
Perry's Gay Hatred
This particular political cartoon has several key features that poke fun at Rick Perry's tirade against homophobia. The cartoon was drawn in mind of the movie Brokeback Mountain, with Rick Perry playing Heath Ledger. The idea of Brokeback Mountain gives viewers an understanding of the context that Rick Perry is going against. Another key feature is Rick Perry's quote "I wish I knew how to quit you." This quote has a double meaning that could have been intended by the cartoonist. The quote could be a satire of the situation by saying that Rick Perry is gay (though of course he is not, the quote could be poking fun at that). The quote, more likely, is saying that Rick Perry doesn't know how to quit his tirade against homophobia. Recently, Rick Perry released an advertisement that was intended to share his morals, but rather turned into his opinions on homophobia.
The cartoonist ridicules Perry by placing him in the situation of Brokeback Mountain, but is also satiring the situation through the quote he says. The cartoon deals with the issue of Perry's hatred toward homophobia. The cartoon's central message is that Rick Perry is not going to be able to quit his tirade against homophobia. It has become one of the central features of his campaign. The cartoonist's point of view seems to come out clearly in this cartoon. He is trying to make fun of candidate Perry.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Chances of Mitt Romney's Win
Earlier in the campaign for the Republican nomination, I would have said that Mitt Romney had a good chance of getting the GOP nomination. Against the other candidates (Perry/Cain), Romney's chances are looking pretty good, but he's going to have to work really hard if he plans on getting the nomination.
A main reason that Romney wouldn't win is that his Republican "fan base" is really low. Romney's religious background (Mormonism) is not appealing to the evangelical Republicans. Romney's liberal tactics are in opposition to the conservative Republicans. The Republican vote relies a lot on religion. Romney will not be able to win the votes of the Republican Southerners (or the backwoods conservatives) if he is seeking to win the election. Romney needs to reach a more conservative standpoint and stop leaning toward liberal issues. Even if Romney managed to get by and win the GOP nomination without the conservatives, he could many Democratic voters (who are looking for a change), but he would not be able to mobilize the Southerners to vote for him.
A reason that Romney could win the nomination is his general appeal to the media. Romney is seen a seasoned veteran of politics and the media is right behind him on this. Romney seeks not only to appeal to Republicans (as his party title suggests) but he also appeals to the Democratic voters who are tired of Obama's ways. Romney has been getting a lot of media attention, especially now that candidates like Herman Cain are losing momentum. Romney has been an innocent bystander as the other candidates self-destruct their own campaigns (Cain, Perry, Bachmann). Romney's ideology (Republican but not strict conservative) has proved appealing to the independent voters in the swing states. Judging by how many swing states there are, Romney has a great chance of winning the nomination and quite possibly, the general election. Other candidates have taken to appealing solely to conservative Republican voters, which will not help them much in the general election.
A main reason that Romney wouldn't win is that his Republican "fan base" is really low. Romney's religious background (Mormonism) is not appealing to the evangelical Republicans. Romney's liberal tactics are in opposition to the conservative Republicans. The Republican vote relies a lot on religion. Romney will not be able to win the votes of the Republican Southerners (or the backwoods conservatives) if he is seeking to win the election. Romney needs to reach a more conservative standpoint and stop leaning toward liberal issues. Even if Romney managed to get by and win the GOP nomination without the conservatives, he could many Democratic voters (who are looking for a change), but he would not be able to mobilize the Southerners to vote for him.
A reason that Romney could win the nomination is his general appeal to the media. Romney is seen a seasoned veteran of politics and the media is right behind him on this. Romney seeks not only to appeal to Republicans (as his party title suggests) but he also appeals to the Democratic voters who are tired of Obama's ways. Romney has been getting a lot of media attention, especially now that candidates like Herman Cain are losing momentum. Romney has been an innocent bystander as the other candidates self-destruct their own campaigns (Cain, Perry, Bachmann). Romney's ideology (Republican but not strict conservative) has proved appealing to the independent voters in the swing states. Judging by how many swing states there are, Romney has a great chance of winning the nomination and quite possibly, the general election. Other candidates have taken to appealing solely to conservative Republican voters, which will not help them much in the general election.
Herman Cain's Indiscretions
The key objects that this political cartoon highlights are the sign "Naughty List Archives" and the hundreds of files inside the archive that are dedicated to Herman Cain. The objects represent that Herman Cain has been a "naughty" person and has had many indiscretions. This cartoon is a satire of the situation regarding Herman Cain.
The cartoonist may be a little biased because he shows an archive full of "naughty" records (Cain may not have been involved in so many indiscretions). He is sharing the facts that are now coming to the light of the public (that Herman Cain has done many "naughty" things).
Over the past couple of weeks, women have been coming out to the media claiming of sexual harassment charges against Herman Cain. Cain's inability to stand up against those charges has made the public weary about his moral backgrounds and his abilities as a possible GOP nominee against President Obama. Recently, a woman named Ginger White has come out saying that she and Cain have had a thirteen year affair. These indiscretions that are now in the public spotlight will test Herman Cain's run for nomination. Most are suggesting that Herman Cain should cut his losses and drop out of the campaign.
The cartoon's goal was to share that there are many indiscretions that the public doesn't know about which will definitely hold Cain back.
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