Tuesday November 6th, the day of the national election, the students at Orange High School had their own mock election. Unlike our nation, only about one-third, or 440 students, of the population voted.The results of the school election were comparable to that of the nation with 47.5% of OHS students voting for incumbant Democratic President Barack Obama and 51% of the country voting for him.
Republican Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney received 44.5% of OHS students’ votes and 48% of America’s vote.
Surprisingly, Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, received over 8% of the OHS student body votes and just 1% in the actual election.
The 2012 election was the longest and most expensive election that has ever taken place. It ended Tuesday night when election results were announced, after voters voted earlier that day. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were re-elected for second terms, defeating Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. The House and Senate are still under Republican and Democratic control, respectively. Locally, there was a major upset in the gubernatorial race. Pat McCrory, a Republican, was elected as governor of North Carolina. He is the first Republican governor of North Carolina in twenty years. He defeated Walter Dalton, the Democratic candidate.Many local incumbent candidates were re-elected, including June Atkinson, the North Carolina superintendent of public instruction; Beth Wood, the North Carolina auditor; and Renee Ellmers, David Price, and Howard Coble, members of the United States House of Representatives. Dan Forest won the race for lieutenant governor over Linda Coleman. Forest and Coleman were neck and neck, each having fifty percent of the votes. Forest won the election with 12,000 more votes than Coleman.
Nationwide, many surprising votes and important laws were passed. Gay marriage was passed in both Maine and Maryland, and
Washington and Colorado legalized marijuana for adults 21 and over. Tammy Baldwin became the first openly lesbian United States senator. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran with a disability, was also elected. Candidates like Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock lost the election after they publicly discussed their views on rape. Todd Akin said that the female body shuts down its reproductive system if it undergoes “legitimate rape.” Mourdock said that, “I think that even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something God intended to happen.”Many have been disappointed by this year’s election results, calling it “anti-climactic” because Barack Obama retained the presidency and the House and Senate will be controlled by the same parties they were controlled by in the previous term. Local results however, like the North Carolina gubernatorial race, may cause dramatic changes in the government.
Compare the National Election results with the results of the OHS Mock Election.
The third Presidential debate took place at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, Monday October 22. The presidential candidates started off the last debate of 2012 at 9:00 P.M. eastern to discuss foreign policy. This debate played to the strengths of Obama, who had a well defined plan for foreign affairs. Romney and Obama discussed the Middle East and the strategies to help keep healthy foreign affairs.
The debate started off about the Middle East with a question about how to change these areas. The main plan of both Romney and Obama is to keep the American people safe, but how they approach the topic is very different. Obama plans to address foreign affairs by applying "steady" support and leadership to countries in the Middle east and our allies. This will give them the structure that they need to become a prospering nation, but enough freedom to be an independent country that can still function on their own. However, Romney spoke about increasing military funds and applying more force to these areas. But, this approach is very aggressive and, as allies, our job is not to take over, but to act as a support system to aid them in their struggles. The answer is not to send mass military forces into areas to apply more structure, but to maintain our current actions.
The topic on Iraq raised much disagreement. During Obama's presidential term, he pulled troops out if Iraq to focus on other areas of the world that need more attention. Obama decided that pulling the military force from Iraq would free us up to focus on other areas, such as Al Qaeda. In doing this, Obama helped defeat Osama Bin Laden. There are other areas that we need to focus on right now rather than using all of our forces in Iraq. However, Romney proposed to keep the troops in Iraq.
Obama has also recently decided that we are pulling out of Afghanistan to let the country deal with their nations security like an independent nation. This allows us to be open to make new allies that could benefit us. Obama said in the debate, “In addition, we're now able to transition out of Afghanistan in a responsible way, making sure that Afghans take responsibility for their own security. And that allows us to rebuild alliances and make friends around the world to combat future threats.”
The recent incident in Libya has raised much debate. Obama's solution is to serve the guilty party in Libya justice, but also to look at the bigger picture and realize that we need to keep a tight association with Libya, who despite this incident, still considers America a close companion. Romney plans to barge in and fight until we get justice. This shows much determination, but it is too forceful and does not have in mind the fact that we are still partnering with Libya. Romney's plan could turn out to be dangerous if we push too far, because we have to remember that it was a certain group of people that destroyed our Embassy not the country as a whole.
As a country, we need not only strong leadership, but smart leadership. Obama's plan will give us steady leadership and allow us to make strong alliances with our countries. However, Romney plans to deal with foreign affairs in a way that is too forceful, and could lead to conflicts with other countries and our relationships with them.
The debate started off about the Middle East with a question about how to change these areas. The main plan of both Romney and Obama is to keep the American people safe, but how they approach the topic is very different. Obama plans to address foreign affairs by applying "steady" support and leadership to countries in the Middle east and our allies. This will give them the structure that they need to become a prospering nation, but enough freedom to be an independent country that can still function on their own. However, Romney spoke about increasing military funds and applying more force to these areas. But, this approach is very aggressive and, as allies, our job is not to take over, but to act as a support system to aid them in their struggles. The answer is not to send mass military forces into areas to apply more structure, but to maintain our current actions. The topic on Iraq raised much disagreement. During Obama's presidential term, he pulled troops out if Iraq to focus on other areas of the world that need more attention. Obama decided that pulling the military force from Iraq would free us up to focus on other areas, such as Al Qaeda. In doing this, Obama helped defeat Osama Bin Laden. There are other areas that we need to focus on right now rather than using all of our forces in Iraq. However, Romney proposed to keep the troops in Iraq.
Obama has also recently decided that we are pulling out of Afghanistan to let the country deal with their nations security like an independent nation. This allows us to be open to make new allies that could benefit us. Obama said in the debate, “In addition, we're now able to transition out of Afghanistan in a responsible way, making sure that Afghans take responsibility for their own security. And that allows us to rebuild alliances and make friends around the world to combat future threats.”
The recent incident in Libya has raised much debate. Obama's solution is to serve the guilty party in Libya justice, but also to look at the bigger picture and realize that we need to keep a tight association with Libya, who despite this incident, still considers America a close companion. Romney plans to barge in and fight until we get justice. This shows much determination, but it is too forceful and does not have in mind the fact that we are still partnering with Libya. Romney's plan could turn out to be dangerous if we push too far, because we have to remember that it was a certain group of people that destroyed our Embassy not the country as a whole.
As a country, we need not only strong leadership, but smart leadership. Obama's plan will give us steady leadership and allow us to make strong alliances with our countries. However, Romney plans to deal with foreign affairs in a way that is too forceful, and could lead to conflicts with other countries and our relationships with them.
The second Presidential Debate October 16 was the rematch between the two Presidential candidates, focusing on domestic policy and clearly dividing the platforms of the respective contenders. The debate took place at Hofstra University in New York and was formatted in a town hall style, giving independent voters the chance to ask each nominee a question about domestic policy. The first person to speak was a college student who addressed the issue of the lack of jobs for recent college graduates. Both Republican nominee Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Democratic nominee President Barack Obama answered that they, if elected or re-elected, respectively, would try to decrease the unemployment rate and get the economy going again. Other questions included topics such as pay equity for women, energy consumption, and, unsurprisingly, the deficit and the economic crisis.
These topics were not shocking, but the demeanor that the candidates used in the debate was. President Obama, who was criticized as being too passive and unexciting in the last debate, stepped up the intensity. The change was jarring as he not only defended himself against Governor Romney’s verbal attacks, but threw his own figurative drama bombs in the mix, creating a dynamic between the two candidates that was intense and electric.
Governor Romney certainly did not step down in his intensity as he continued to be assertive and aggressive in his mannerisms. His signature debate smile, which involves smiling at President Obama, is full of snark and passive aggression.
Both candidates were unruly and perhaps too aggressive during this town hall debate, performing in a way unjust of the leadership role of President of the United States. In my mind, their performance resulted in no clear winner. However, the intensity in the room was great and made for a very entertaining, stimulating debate. While it didn't exactly clear up each candidate’s respective platform, it did draw very clear distinctions as to where the candidates stood in relation to each other. Hopefully, in the next and final debate, the viewers will finally figure out what Mitt Romney’s Five Point Plan consists of or how Barack Obama plans on lowering the deficit.
President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney battled in the second debate Tuesday, October 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The debate was moderated by Candy Crowley, the chief political correspondent for CNN. It was a town hall style debate, meaning the audience asked the candidates questions, specifically about domestic policy. Obama assailed Romney with attack after attack, winning the debate hands-down. He was much more engaged in the conversation than in the first debate, and he frequently told Romney that his statements were not true. Romney performed well in the debate, but Obama dominated the discussion and made up for his previous debate performance.
One of the most contentious moments of the debate was when Obama and Romney sparred over the U.S. embassy attack in Libya. Romney stated that, “I think it’s interesting the President just said something which is that on the day after the attack, he went in the Rose Garden and said that this was an act of terror... I want to make sure we get that for the record, because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in Benghazi an act of terror.” Obama told him to “get the transcript” of the speech. Crowley stepped in at this point to tell Romney that, “He did call it an act of terror.” Romney seemed to have not known about this fact, and Republicans have attacked Crowley for overstepping her boundaries as a moderator.Other topics Obama and Romney covered were immigration, gun control, and the gender salary gap. While talking about the latter subject, Romney stated that he requested information about women from women’s rights groups and received “binders full of women.” This remark has been extremely popular throughout social media websites and news shows, similarly to Romney’s previous comment about Big Bird.
Obama and Romney both stretched the truth or lied on multiple occasions. Obama stated that Romney once said windmills are imaginary, but Romney actually said that “[this is] an imaginary world... [where] windmills and solar panels could power the economy.” Romney stated that during Obama’s presidency, 580,000 women have lost their jobs. Actual estimates range from 93,000 to 283,000, nowhere near Romney’s estimate. Romney also said that he recommended Obama’s plan to bankrupt auto companies. This is partially true, as he did recommend a plan to bankrupt auto companies, but he did not want to give companies aid using the same process that Obama used. Romney blamed Obama for the high gas prices, but presidents have little influence on the price of oil. Generally, Obama was more truthful than Romney, which was another reason that he easily won the debate.
The third and final presidential debate will be held on October 22 at 9 p.m. It will take place at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida and it will cover foreign policy. Bob Schieffer of CBS News will moderate the debate.
Preview the Second Presidential Debate, starting tonight at 9 pm eastern.
Written by Maddie Norwood
President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney had their first debate on Wednesday, October 3rd. It took place at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. Pundits and the media have mostly declared Romney the winner of the debate, but he and Obama both had a weak debate performance. When Romney was speaking, Obama tended to look down at the podium. He appeared distracted or tired, and he missed many opportunities to attack Romney’s policies, choosing to spend the time defending himself against Romney’s attacks. Romney came across as disrespectful and rude towards the moderator, Jim Lehrer, and he insulted PBS when he made the now infamous Big Bird comment.
Romney’s other issue was that he ignored and interrupted Lehrer. When he mentioned his plan to cut funding to PBS, he stated that, “I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you, too.” This was an unnecessary statement, and the “I actually like you” was especially unnecessary.
Obama, while not always appealing to everyone with his plans as President, at least gave a plan. He especially focused on his main concern: Obamacare. In this debate, he discussed that Obamacare was a good act because it would provide millions with healthcare were not able to before and he stated exactly what his plan to continue his act would entail. All people would have to get this insurance under his plan.
Romney, on the other hand, gave very specious arguments that could never work. He didn't give details about his proposed plans and often changed his story. Originally, Romney said he would repeal all of Obamacare, but now says he will keep some parts. This includes his plan to allow kids to stay on their parents health insurance until they are 26 and covering people with pre-existing conditions, but getting rid of the part saying all Americans were required to get this health insurance. Romney's plan wouldn't work because the government can’t cover everyone without forcing all citizens to get the insurance because not enough money would be coming into the revenue stream.
Taxes are a huge concern for Americans. Obama wants to raise taxes on the upper class and lower them on the middle and lower classes. Romney doesn't want to raise taxes on anybody. Also, Romney insists that the deficit has to be lowered. Obama pointed out that you cannot refuse to raise taxes and try to cut the deficit all at the same time. This shows that Romney just simply does not think out the consequences of the plans he wants to put in place. Such carelessness could really hurt the American economy even more.
One of the final important discussions of the night was the current state of unemployment, which is at 8 percent throughout the country. Obama stated that he had inherited the problem of unemployment which was at 7.8 percent when he took over after the Bush administration. Romney tried to blame Obama for the job situation. Obama rebutted that unemployment is not something you can change within a short amount of time.
Obama really was in tip top shape with statistics, plans, and ideas for his second term of Presidency. While he was very flamboyant and charismatic, Romney failed to create a clear plan to what he would do as President while making false accusations and continuing flip-flopping on many planks of his platform.
Written by Sarah VasselloThe first of the three presidential debates was broadcasted on October 3. It was the first time that the two major candidates, Republican Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and current Democratic President Barack Obama, verbally sparred against each other, using ideologies and figures to spear his opponent. The debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer, Host of NewsHour on PBS. The first debate focused on domestic policy and featured opportunities for the respective candidates to showcase his platform.
Out of the six fifteen minute topics, unsurprisingly, three focused on the economy and how the respective candidates plan to fix the economic crisis. Governor Romney took the lead, aggressively criticizing President Obama’s control of the economic situation in the past four years while repeating his catchphrase, “Let’s put America back to work!” However, Governor Romney failed to effectively outline his plan on how to put America back to work and it was very unclear as to how his plan was better than President Obama’s.
However, President Obama did not effectively defend himself against Governor Romney’s attacks. President Obama, a notoriously well-spoken and inspirational speaker, was dull in this debate and responded to Governor Romney by spewing facts that disinterested the viewers. His body language was unusual as he looked at the floor or the podium instead of facing Governor Romney and he looked tired compared to the energetic Romney. President Obama did not focus on his platform but instead focused on brushing off every remark that Governor Romney made, which has been his campaign strategy thus far.