Recent Contributions from Mike Wacker

The Proposition 8 Blacklist

Mike Wacker — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Scott Eckern is the artistic director of the California Musical Theater. Or at least he was. As artistic director, Scott has worked with many in the LGBT community and even has a lesbian sister. Whatever their orientation, Scott showed love and respect to whoever he worked with.

However, Scott also favored Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California, and to that end he donated $1000 to the campaign. Now this money was Scott’s personal money. He never insisted that his views represented the California Musical Theater, and he never imposed his personal beliefs on anyone before or after the donation.

Why I'm Sticking With McCain

Mike Wacker — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

On the campaign trail in the primaries, Obama spoke of living in a post-partisan, post-Bush world, one where the President works with everyone to bring about changes to fulfill the hopes and dreams of American people. While I agree in principle with Obama’s rhetoric, I agree to disagree on which candidate will best fulfill the ideal Obama proposed.

Both candidates can talk about reaching across party lines and cite examples, but McCain has shown a record of reaching across party lines under any circumstance. Obama can claim to have worked on bipartisan measures, but he cannot say the same when people agree to disagree.

Straw Men and Tiddlywinks

Mike Wacker — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Fifty-thousand dollars. That sum of money could not pay for four years of tuition alone at Cornell University, and an individual person donating that much could not even get half of a classroom named in his honor. It is enough money though, to cause some people to raise a fuss when the Veritas Fund for Higher Education donates it for the promotion of intellectual diversity.

Basically, intellectual diversity is the novel concept that one should understand a diverse variety of viewpoints. That’s hardly a radical or conservative notion. When someone does not have an intellectually diverse viewpoint, you can often tell by some of the silly arguments they make.

The Nuclear Option

Mike Wacker — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Eric Shive’s bigotry has reached a new pinnacle. In his column, republished by the uber-racist Cornell Review, he made a derogatory reference to “pasty white kids” who play Dungeons and Dragons on Friday nights. As a member of the white community, I am enraged at this stereotypical caricature, and I join the Student Assembly in full support of their resolution to rework the campus code to prevent further hate speech like this.

Failin’ to Understand Palin

Mike Wacker — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

“How dare they!” shouted Rudy Guiliani, “How dare they question whether Palin will have enough time to spend with her children while vice president? When do they ever ask a man that question?”

The Wack Attack Is Back

Mike Wacker — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Yes, Cornell’s conservative columnist is back. In honor of the freshmen who had to attend “A Tapestry of Possibilities,” I will dedicate my first column to the wonderful topic of diversity.

Based on the fact that I am Republican, people often draw the following “logical” conclusion about my views on diversity:

Mike Wacker is a Republican.
Republicans are racist.
Therefore, Mike Wacker is racist.

But I thought it was bad to use stereotypes.

Biddy Martin's Public Challenge

Mike Wacker — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0400

What began as a 231-word blog post criticizing outgoing provost Biddy Martin has escalated into war - well, at least a press release war in the Wisconsin legislature.

Libel, The Chronicle, and The Sun

Mike Wacker — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:04:46 -0400

Burnt by hot coffee? Don't like what someone else what wrote about you? In America, we deal with these kinds of problems by sueing the pants off of the other party. However, while one woman sucessfully sued McDonalds because her coffee was too hot, a Cornell alumnus unsuccesfully sued Cornell University and its publication, the Cornell Chronicle, because it published an unflattering article about him.

The Lines are Drawn

Mike Wacker — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 02:59:37 -0400

At first glance, you may think I am referring to the general election, now that Obama has officially clinched the nomination. But to be honest, the shorter Republican primary was too long, so by now I have had my fair share of election politics. However, given the historical significance of Obama's candidacy, I will make a brief remark since he became the first black candidate to win either the Republican or Democratic primary.

Clinton's New Bag of Tricks

Mike Wacker — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:07:58 -0400

Hillary has to bow out of the race...eventually. While I would initially set a timeline that ends shortly after the last primaries on June 3rd, I must quickly remind myself that this is Clinton. I probably would be better off trying to get Bush to set a withdrawal date for Iraq than trying to get Hillary to set a withdrawal date for her candidacy.

Obama may be oh-so-close to the nomination now, but this may be as close as he will be for a while. Although he does not need many more delegates to clinch the nomination, Clinton probably will change the math (the real math, not the one in her mind) soon.

The French Obsession

Mike Wacker — Sat, 24 May 2008 22:01:19 -0400

A description of French President Nicholas Sarkozy as dynamic would only touch the surface of his personality. While his defeat of Jacques Chirac finally gave me a reason to like the French, L'American (as he's called) has gone on to become a national obsession across the Atlantic Ocean according to The New York Times.

The article leads with a psychiatrist identifying a new mental illness: obsessive Sarkosis. It gets even more interesting than that, and if I read this article without knowing who it was about, I would go for a mix of the Miley Cyrus and a crazy stalker obsession.

And you thought Obamamania was bad.

Obama Plays the (Other) Race Card

Mike Wacker — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:37:13 -0400

Oppose illegal immigration? In that case, you may be responsible for xenophobia and hate crimes, according to Obama:

"A certain segment has basically been feeding a kind of xenophobia. There’s a reason why hate crimes against Hispanic people doubled last year. If you have people like Lou Dobbs and Rush Limbaugh ginning things up, it’s not surprising that would happen."

So much for all of Obama's talk to disagree agreeably.

Appeasement: What Does This Mean?

Mike Wacker — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:54:13 -0400

President Bush made waves in the media today, comparing negotiating with "terrorists and radicals" to negotiating with Hitler. The media quickly reacted by declaring this a veiled swipe at Obama and other Democrats. To quote CNN at the time I wrote this blog, "President Bush launched a sharp but veiled attack Thursday on Sen. Barack Obama and other Democrats, suggesting they favor 'appeasement' of terrorists..." Here are some of the highlights of what Bush said.

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along."

"As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.'"

A Response to Arana's Arguments

Mike Wacker — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:41:32 -0400

With the excitement of the Democratic primary coming close to the end after Indiana and North Carolina and a break between finals on my part, I figure I owe Gabriel Arana a response after his last column viciously attacked a column I wrote on science, belief and LGBT issues. Now in my last blog on the Democratic primary, I noted that while the primary looked close since Obama and Clinton took one state each, a closer look revealed that all the signs pointed Obama's way. Likewise, while some of Arana's arguments sound compelling at first, an in depth look reveals that they do not hold up at all under closer scrutiny.

Indiana, North Carolina, and Beyond: Numbers and Asterisks

Mike Wacker — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:30:00 -0400

Given the nature of this Democratic primary, it only makes sense that Obama would take one state and Clinton would take the other. However, Obama soundly defeated Clinton in North Carolina while Clinton narrowly won a nail-biter in Indiana, and North Carolina has more voters and delegates as well. I would even say that tonight symbolizes the race in general; although this has proved to be a very close battle, all the signs are pointing to Obama if one looks deeper.

View From the Right: Gender, Psychology and Science

Mike Wacker — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Gender and sexuality: by no means an easy topic to broach from the other side. In fact, since the American Psychological Association says homosexuality is not a choice, some have even labeled sexuality an “undebatable” topic. While the APA did indeed make this claim, I prefer to go straight to the evidence itself rather than rely on the authority of the APA, the only professional institution to be censured by Congress by a unanimous vote. So on that note, let’s jump straight into the facts, starting with Spitzer.

Another Side of ROTC

Mike Wacker — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

“Against gay marriage? Then don’t get one and shut up.” By this standard, often considered the crux of gay rights, no one has the right to impose their moral views on the lives of others, prohibiting retaliation against homosexuals. To activists, this mantra and Cornell’s mantra of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds” serve as the paragon of diversity and tolerance. Yet simultaneously, some activists desire retaliation against Cornell ROTC, calling for their removal over moral objections to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which prohibits gays from openly serving in the military.

Obama's Record: A True Fairy Tale

Mike Wacker — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Bill Clinton’s use of the phrase "fairy tale" in reference to Obama and his position on Iraq, not his race, instantly generated spurious accusations of racism. Like Clinton, I also try to focus on the issues and not race, but that proves hard when CNN’s election coverage myopically focuses on which Democrat has the black vote, and which has the white (and occasionally they care about Latinos and Asians, too). With so much focus on race, and the repeated use of the mantra "experience versus change," Obama has received sparse coverage on what really matters: his record.

An Inside Look at Ron Paul, Part 3

Mike Wacker — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

This three-part series about GOP Presidential candidate Ron Paul is based on a UWire conference call he recently participated in with colleges and universities across the nation. The original audio of the conference call can be found here. Additionally, the audio podcast of this article, downloadable here and also playable at the bottom of this article, will contain the audio from the conference call wherever Paul is quoted.

An Inside Look at Ron Paul, Part 2

Mike Wacker — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Ron Paul on the Issues

An Inside Look at Ron Paul, Part 1

Mike Wacker — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Who is Ron Paul, and Who Supports Him?

An Early Call Perhaps Too Early to Call

Mike Wacker — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:59:59 -0500

John Edwards noted that over 99 percent of people have not yet voted. Lou Dobbs blasted the media and its pundits for extrapolating the fate of the race so far ahead in time. Mitt Romney leads the Republican race by the one statistic that counts. For the many battles the candidates have fought so far, they still have a large war to wage. Although Iowa and New Hampshire will always hold a special place at the front end of the Presidential primaries, with both contests settled and done, have too many pundits overemphasized the influence of these and other early states?

Many times, both the pundits and polls have proven wrong. Clinton's surprising comeback in New Hampshire completely caught the media off guard.

A Revival for Romney in New Hampshire

Mike Wacker — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:22:52 -0500

Although Republicans have sparred in as many as ten debates before this one, few debates have proven as meaningful as this one. With actual election results coming in, the looming implications with regard to actual votes and actual delegates have raised the stakes for every candidate. Romney, who invested numerous resources in the early states, must win in New Hampshire after a stunning defeat in Iowa. McCain, having revived his campaign, has to repeat his 2000 win in New Hampshire to make the momentum last. Huckabee, surging from his win in Iowa, needs to show that he can his hold his own outside of states like Iowa and South Carolina.

Iowa and the GOP: Looking Back and Forward

Mike Wacker — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:03:41 -0500

With the results coming in in Iowa, Huckabee has not just won, but he won decisively. But what does this mean for the national race? After all, neither Reagan, Clinton, nor the younger Bush won in Iowa. On the other hand, Kerry definitely came into Iowa as the underdog against the powerful frontrunner Dean, but he also came out as the winner not only of Iowa but eventually the Democratic nomination. The number of interpretations of the Iowa outnumbers the number of the candidates, so here are some thoughts to make sense of this.

Although Huckabee has captured the race in Iowa, he still has a long way to go to capture the nomination. He largely rode the back of evangelicals to win Iowa--to the point where one unaffiliated GOP analyst compared it disparagingly to a Robertson victory in Iowa--but he walks into a strange new land in New Hampshire, a land where evangelicals hold considerably less influence.

CNN's Inaccurate Fact-Check on Romney

Mike Wacker — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:26:45 -0500

When journalists perform a fact check, the reader expects it will be, well...factual, or at least more accurate than the ad in question. Unfortunately, CNN's recent analysis by Howard Kurtz, which checks Mitt Romney's two negative ads against McCain and Huckabee, fulfills neither criteria. By their own standards, CNN not only failed to do enough research for this analysis, but they also made statements with questionable validity.

To start off, the CNN analysis questions Romney's accusation that McCain voted to let illegal immigrants stay in America permanently. It instead asserts that the legislation actually "would have required illegal immigrants to return to their home countries and pay a fine for breaking the law before applying for legal status."

No Sanctuary for Illegals

Mike Wacker — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The backlash just keeps coming ever since New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announced his proposal to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. After a scathing editorial by CNN's Lou Dobbs ripped apart the plan, another well-known independent, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, recently went on the record to oppose Spitzer's proposal. And even though the Ithaca Town Board recently voted to endorse this atrocious idea, laws are still laws. The actions of both the state and local government deserve no defense; immigration laws should be defended.

Perfect the Jews?

Mike Wacker — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

So Ann Coulter '84 apparently made some controversial comments; what else is new? During her most recent spat, Coulter proclaimed that all Jews need to be perfected into Christians on CNBC's Big Idea. The host of Big Idea, Donny Deutsch—who is a Jew—found himself justifiably taken aback by her comments, but in response demonstrated a much higher level of character, in spite of his need for "perfection." While Coulter may righteously profess the tenets of her own faith, her insensitive and cruel remarks showed her own imperfect flaws in her words, theology, and political ideology.

The Race Card and a Stacked Deck

Mike Wacker — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Billy McMorris’ Oct. 3 column “The Jena Six and the Durham Three” compared the story of the Jena Six to the story of the three white Duke lacrosse players who supposedly raped a black stripper, introducing the revolutionary technique of putting facts over emotions. Unfortunately, others have not followed his lead. After two men last month verbally assaulted four female minority students at D.P. Dough, Cornell University and Noyes Community Recreation Center boycotted the restaurant over allegations of racism. While some may give Cornell style points for its actions, the allegations themselves do not have much substance.

Not Your Stereotypical Black

Mike Wacker — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

In an era where speaking out against the excesses of affirmative action can generate accusations of racism and one too many things can be blamed on whites, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the court's only African-American, provides a fresh perspective on racial issues. Although he certainly has faced the evils of racism growing up, Thomas took a different path, questioning the value of affirmative action and refusing to think like your stereotypical black. In return, his nomination to the Supreme Court was almost derailed by allegations of sexual harassment in what Thomas refers to as a "high-tech lynching," and over his career, many blacks (and whites) who have clamored for diversity have at the same time lambasted Thomas for setting diversity back and disgracing his own race.

The Loaded Implications of Gender Neutrality

Mike Wacker — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Come on, over 20 other colleges have it, including Harvard. You can also have it off-campus. Why not on campus? These reasons and others for gender-neutral housing, stated in a resolution proposed to the Student Assembly, offer a poor rationale for the policy. Frankly, who cares about Harvard? And what about the hundreds of other colleges without gender-neutral housing; do they not count?

Ideological Diversity: A Different Perspective

Mike Wacker — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

In his recent column dismissing “ideological diversity,” Gabriel Arana grad pulled a straw man, reducing the idea as an attempt to stack the biology department with Creationists, to ensure the history department has at least one fascist sympathizer and to recruit students based on ideology. In a column from David Wittenberg ’09 that appeared last school year, Wittenberg was skeptical of conservative students’ desire for greater ideological diversity on campus. But rather than providing an example of intellectual diversity gone wrong within Cornell, Wittenberg resorted to name-calling and baseless stereotypes, writing, “The Cornell Republicans are the party of Ann ‘John Edwards is a faggot’ Coulter ’84.” These columns themselves misinterpret what ideological diversity really means. Ironically, these columnists’ lack of understanding for a viewpoint different than their own shows precisely why Cornell should promote ideological diversity.

Hillary's Fatally Flawed Foreign Policy

Mike Wacker — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Since I still am somewhat new to this whole blogging niche, I may make mistakes at times, such as praising Clinton for her foreign policy. Granted, she rightly rebuked Obama for his unilateral threat against our ally Pakistan (as I mentioned in my last blog), but why did she make this decision? Because she has all this wisdom and experience that Obama does not, or because Obama said the exact opposite thing earlier? I must apologize to my readers for not noticing this. After all, although Hillary criticized Obama for taking nuclear weapons off the table for the purpose of diplomacy, Hillary suggested the same thing herself for Iran back in 2006.

Obama's Foreign Policy Blunder

Mike Wacker — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:34:29 -0400

Despite his rising status as the rockstar of the Democratic Party, Barack Obama has proven that no amount of popularity can match the experience and knowledge required to master the complexities of foreign policy. Obama threatened to unilaterally bomb Pakistan if actionable intelligence placed high-level al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan and President Musharraf would not act. While this threat became a good applause line, Musharraf, a U.S. ally who faces a tough situation in Pakistan, did not take so kindly to Obama's words, and he certainly was not alone.

Romney Excels in GOP Debate

Mike Wacker — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:15:52 -0400

ABC's Republican debate may have not received the massive advertising and promotion of the YouTube debate, but it worked surprisingly well, with a mix of some video and email questions from average people with statements and videos of the candidates themselves as well as traditional journalistic questions. Moderator George Stephanopoulos did a superb job of including all the candidates into the debate, and generating some debate between candidates and keeping them on track. The only major criticism I have is that the debate did not cover immigration at all, but at least there were no questions from a snowman. With that said, I'll give my top three performers: first Mitt Romney, then Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul

Negotiating with the Wrong People

Mike Wacker — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 05:38:43 -0400

While many nations including the United States have long refused to negotiate with terrorists, the latest hostage crisis in Afghanistan has renewed the debate over the policy of non-negotiation. Not only did the Taliban kidnap 23 innocent Christian missionaries from South Korea, demanding an exchange for Taliban prisoners, but they have also killed some of the hostages already, ratcheting up the pressure to cut a deal to save the rest. Even if South Korea and the Afghan government find a way to buy more time for the hostages, it may not help the seriously ill hostages who face the prospect of death merely by remaining in captivity. Despite the compelling reasons to negotiate in this scenario, however, the policy of non-negotiation has been practiced for many sound reasons that hold true today like they always have.

Obama Gets Personal with You in YouTube Debate

Mike Wacker — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:32:20 -0400

As much as candidates like stale debates where the questions can be anticipated and talking points can be prepared, they lost much of this control today with the YouTube/CNN debate. There were many great questions in this debate that journalists would not usually think to ask, making it easy for none of the candidates to just slide by with rhetoric. A new debate format also brought a new set of rankings compared to last debate (where my top three were Obama, Edwards, and Biden). Here are my top three candidates for this debate.

Why CNN Suppresses YouTube's Internet Democracy

Mike Wacker — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:57:50 -0400

Today marks a new milestone in political debates with tonight's CNN/YouTube Democratic presidential debate. Yes, the questions will come not from journalists in the upper echelons of the mainstream media, but from simple people submitting questions via YouTube videos. However, while the questions will come from the people, ultimately CNN itself will decide which questions to select. This has created a bit of a ruckus, as people wonder why they can not only submit the questions but choose them, too. Needless to say, the principles of democracy get invoked, anybody who disagrees gets labeled a fascist...OK, I am exaggerating somewhat, but I have a point to make here.

An Entire Night of Dirty Politics

Mike Wacker — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:05:00 -0400

After President Bush and Democrats agreed to a compromise on funding the Iraq War back in May, the issue theoretically should have been closed until a comprehensive report on Iraq was issued in September. Unfortunately, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided to backtrack and raised the issue again in July. Although funding for our troops does mix well with politics, Reid attached an amendment from Senator Jack Reed and Senator Carl Levin to a Pentagon spending measure, requiring troop withdrawals to begin in 120 days. And although Democrats privately knew the Levin-Reed amendment had no chance of passing, Reid not only put a chokehold on troop funding by refusing to pass the spending measure without the amendment, but he also decided to call for an all-nighter in the Senate to consider the amendment, amounting to the worst political stunt in the history of the war in Iraq.

Giuliani and Abortion: A Lightning Rod Issue, Part 2

Mike Wacker — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 01:38:17 -0400

In part one, I criticized Giuliani for permitting abortion even though he personally opposes it. Since Giuliani is a Catholic, this stance has also drawn a lot of fire from the Catholic Church. At the end of part one, I suggested that Giuliani could instead defend an unborn child once it reaches viability, the point at which it can exist outside the womb. At the same time, he could avoid a full frontal assault on Roe v. Wade. In part two, I explain how Giuliani the Catholic can unite with Giuliani the presidential candidate on the issue of abortion.

Let Race Not Divide Us

Mike Wacker — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:54:59 -0400

Today, the Supreme Court made a historic decision involving race in Parents Involved v. Seattle School Dist. No. 1, outlawing the use of race as a factor in placing students in public schools. Had the Supreme Court ruled the other way, they would have turned back the clock 53 years. For those who do not know what I am referring to, in 1954, Brown v. Board of Education prohibited segregation in our schools based on race.

Giuliani and Abortion: A Lightning Rod Issue, Part 1

Mike Wacker — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:41:56 -0400

Back during the CNN presidential debates, Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani faced a harsh question comparing his permissiveness towards abortion while personally opposing it to Pontius Pilate's permissiveness towards Jesus' crucifixion while personally opposing it. To complicate matters, lightning interrupted Giuliani's answer, drawing huge laughter from the crowd. Divine intervention or not, the inevitable spread of this incident over the Internet has attracted attention to Giuliani's abortion stance like a lightning rod.

Putting Politics over Progress on Stem Cells

Mike Wacker — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 04:51:55 -0400

Congress has returned to its old games on embryonic stem cells. Having just passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which federally funds embryonic stem cells, Congress forced President Bush's hand into vetoing this legislation. Democrats have pledged to override Bush's veto, but they face one critical obstacle: they do not have enough votes. The act passed 63-34 in the Senate and 247-167 in the House, both short of the requisite two-thirds vote to override a veto.

Illegal Immigration, With a Focus on "Illegal"

Mike Wacker — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:52:46 -0400

Given that there are so many close contests ranging from local county elections to presidential elections, people have started to realize that every voice counts. With such a narrow margin for victory so often, imagine how adding 12 million people to the United States could change the dynamics of our country!

The Wrong Right: Hamas' Right to Run in Elections

Mike Wacker — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:28:35 -0400

Back in 2005, Israel took a huge step toward peace by withdrawing from Gaza, a move that would not be forgotten. Praises of Israel echoed in the streets in the form of Qassam rockets being fired from Gaza. Then, a delegation from Gaza visited Israel to pay tribute to them by kidnapping Cpl. Gilad Shalit. And now, the Islamic terrorist group Hamas has decided to throw a huge party in Gaza after seizing complete control of the area and capturing all the strongholds of the more moderate Fatah.

So Who Is Ron Paul, Part 2 - The Internet Factor

Mike Wacker — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 11:12:12 -0400

When I wrote Part 1, I did not anticipate the numerous comments it would elicit, and after seeing so many, I knew they had to come from somewhere I hadn’t expected. Eventually, Web Editor Chris Barnes solved the riddle: the answer was Google News (The Cornell Daily Sun is a member, in fact the first collegiate member, of the Associated Press).

Republicans Debate, McCain Wins

Mike Wacker — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 08:52:09 -0400

While the difference between Republicans and Democrats in their beliefs was not unexpected, I was surprised that they did not take off the gloves and go at it with each other like the Democrats did, especially with the Republicans' greater diversity in opinion (particularly Ron Paul). Overall, McCain, Romney, and Giuliani all performed well, and no second-tier candidate had a performance strong enough to catch up to them (though I will give an honorable mention to Huckabee for his views on religion, which set the tone for all Republicans, and also his focus on respecting life not only for babies in the womb, but also for the neglected, abused elderly and the children in poverty in this world). Each first-tier candidate had some great moments, and no one ran away with this debate, but ultimately I have to give the victory to McCain.

Democrats Debate, Obama Wins

Mike Wacker — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:33:19 -0400

New Hampshire, a state known for its political activism and involvement, and also the site of the first Democratic primary, played host to a Presidential debate between all eight Democratic candidates last night.

Overall, the format of the debate was excellent. Abandoning the rigid structure with candidates speaking in a predetermined order with the yellow and red timer lights really helped the candidates come alive. Wolf Blitzer, who did an excellent job of moderating the debate, used his freedom with such a flexible format, creating some good follow-up discussion and debate among the candidates. This became especially effective in drawing out the differences between the candidates. Speaking of which, since Cornell decided to choose our convocation speaker from CNN, why couldn't we choose Wolf Blitzer?

So Who Is Ron Paul, Part 1.5

Mike Wacker — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 20:19:39 -0400

Due to the large number of comments in Part 1 of my previous entry about Ron Paul, I have decided to respond here in Part 1.5. Now many (but not all) of the comments stemmed from Ron Paul's support on the Internet, which is measured in online polls. His actual support, which is measured in more conventional polls like Zogby, proves to be much smaller. So when my blog appeared in Google News under the search phrase "Ron Paul", many of his supporters quickly flocked to this website thanks to Google News Alerts. But I'll get into that with more detail and research in Part 2.

According to some of those commenters, I watch Fox News and Sean Hannity in particular, do not know what the term “blowback” means, do not know that the CIA invented that term, never did any research on Ron Paul (including reading that pro-Paul commentary from CNN I linked to in Part 1), got all my talking points and inspiration from the mainstream media and neocons, think the terrorists hate us because of our freedom, specialize in Bush's tactics of fear and hate, etc. Well, guess what? None of that is true.

So Who Is Ron Paul, Part 1

Mike Wacker — Wed, 30 May 2007 03:06:01 -0400

So what's the deal with this Ron Paul character? When I wrote my blog entry on why Mitt Romney won the first Republican presidential debate, a lot of people contested my analysis, claiming instead that Ron Paul won. That was only the tip of the iceberg. Numerous Internet polls seem to indicate he's doing well, and searching “Ron Paul debate” on Google gave me this article on how the media apparently hid Ron Paul's success in the debate. His publicity really took off, though, after the debate in South Carolina. After Ron Paul described how U.S. foreign policy played a role in causing the 9/11 attacks, Giuliani shot back at him, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd. However, that has not stopped Ron Paul. He's still making his way around the media, and he also got some commentary on CNN defending his stance on 9/11. So after seeing someone write a note on Facebook about Ron Paul, I had enough. I'm writing this blog to finally take on this Ron Paul character everyone's been talking about.

Analysis: Congress Passes War Funding Bill

Mike Wacker — Fri, 25 May 2007 01:00:00 -0400

After a heated battle between Bush and the Democrats over the Iraq war, Congress passed a war funding bill that holds off another confrontation between the two sides until September. Overall, Bush achieved a major victory. He adamantly insisted that the new war funding bill can not contain troop withdrawal timelines, whether mandated or voluntary. That alone constitutes victory for Bush. Under his thinking, establishing a timeline for withdrawal amounts to establishing a countdown timer for terrorists to lie low until the U.S. leaves and they really can wreak havoc in Iraq. Furthermore, although the bill introduced many benchmarks for the Iraqi government, Bush has the ability to waive them if he so desires.

However, what is now a short-term victory for Bush can turn into a long-term defeat if he does not handle the situation well. With both the benchmarks and the many reports Bush is required to prepare for Congress, the Democrats have established a much higher level of accountability for him on Iraq. Democrats have set themselves to hammer away both at Bush and his Republican support if he does not manage the war well, so he really has to step it up over the following months.