Tag Archives: Elections

The Left moves further to the left

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By LIAM FABRE

This past Sunday, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris announced she is seeking the Democratic Party nomination for president in 2020. She is one of many men and women seeking the position. Just this past month we’ve seen Sen. Kristen Gillibrand and Sen. Elizabeth Warren announce their exploratory campaigns and former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Beto O’Rourke have shown clear signs of interest.

As the race begins to pick up steam, we can see these figures, who once came together to oppose President Trump, start to fire shots at each other. It will be interesting to watch as candidates who once seemed to agree on every issue convince the public that they are different and, more importantly, better than their opponents.

So how will they do this? So far it seems to be a competition for who can move furthest to the left on every issue. We have watched as opinions that were once considered radically socialist views become the foundations of these campaigns. Policies such as universal health care, free college tuition and guaranteed federal employment, have each been wholeheartedly embraced by the Democratic Party.

So how are we going to pay for these ambitious social programs? Each candidate seems to have their own plan, but the more radical the tax, the more popular it seems to be. First, Warren introduced her ultra-rich tax, an annual two percent tax applied to the ultra-wealthy’s net worth. Then, Harris came out in support of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “New Deal,” which includes a seventy percent tax on the ultra-rich’s annual income.

Some may have thought Democrats would choose the centrist strategy, whereby electing a moderate candidate such as Joe Biden or Michael Bloomberg in the hopes of bridging the division and bringing people from both sides together. As we watch Howard Schultz, a self-proclaimed centrist, get berated and attacked by the left, it is clear they have rejected this possibility.

It seems the polarization, which became so prominent in 2016, will prevail in the next election as Donald Trump likely faces off against a candidate with a radically left agenda. The two will presumably disagree on most issues and in all probability be at polar opposite ends of the political spectrum. Unfortunately, the American people will once again be forced to take a radical stance on their opinions and embrace one candidates full agenda.

Recounts underway in two Florida races

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By DAVE DOWNEY

According to election officials, Broward and Palm Beach Counties are at the center of an election recount once again.

Rick Scott, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, leads the Democratic incumbent Senator, Bill Nelson by 0.2 percentage points, triggering a hand recount, per Florida law.

Scott’s campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee filed two lawsuits on Thursday, one against the Broward County supervisor of elections, Brenda Snipes, and the other against the supervisor of elections in Palm Beach County, Susan Bucher.

The lawsuits allege that those supervisors have not been transparent about the collection of the vote and the vote count, in violation of Florida law.

The race for Florida governor is not quite as close, but with the margin between Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum being 0.5 percentage points, that triggers a machine recount.

Most, if not all news outlets have projected DeSantis, the former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, victorious over Gillum, the current Tallahassee mayor.

Many outlets are already leaving Election Day in the dust, with little coverage on these races after Democrats seized control of the House, while Republicans kept the majority in the Senate, throwing a wrench in Donald Trump’s legislative agenda for the latter half of his first term.

Scott announces run for U.S. Senate

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By AMANDA TORRES

Florida Gov. Rick Scott finally announced that he is running for the U.S. Senate on Monday morning at an Orlando rally. His announcement was much anticipated, as Florida residents had speculated that he would run for the U.S. Senate for months.

CNN posted the video of his announcement and it can be found here. The governor will be running against Democrat Bill Nelson, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000.

CNN and the Miami Herald pointed out in their news stories that the governor stated there should be limits for members of Congress and that voters should be cautious in sending the same politicians to Washington if nothing has changed in the previous years. Although not directly stated, his comments were probably aimed at Nelson.

This race could be a test of the popularity of President Trump. The governor has been a supporter of the president since the beginning. If the governor is not elected, this could express the public’s disliking towards the president and the Republican party.

Based on the video where the governor made the announcement, he did not mention the president directly, but his speech had the same ideologies as those of the president. According to the Miami Herald, he used the words “fix,” “tired old thinking” and “we gotta stop sending talkers to Washington.”

The governor also stated that he did not engage in “insider games” in Tallahassee and won’t in Washington either. He stated that he hasn’t fit in before and probably won’t fit into Washington, much like the president. The governor said that people should vote for a doer and not a talker.

CNN, The New York Times, the Miami Herald and many more news organizations have stated that this will be one of the most expensive races in history and both Scott and Nelson could have close votes in the results of the Senate election.

Florida governor to run for Senate

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By ANDREA ILLAN

Florida Gov.  Rick Scott, officially announced on Monday that he would run for one of the U.S. Senate seats to represent Florida. The Miami Herald reported on the matter and commented on Scott’s upcoming campaign as well as his politics during his time as governor.

The announcement took place at an Orlando rally filled with supporters of the politician. In making the announcement, he also criticized current senator and his opponent, Bill Nelson. The article reports Scott said that “We shouldn’t be sending the same type of people to Washington.”

Additionally, the article comments on what is to come for the two candidates by making note on how expensive the race will be and how close it will be in the end.

Regardless of political views this Senate race will be important and memorable for the state of Florida.

Nelson has the experience, as he has held the seat for three consecutive years. He represents tradition, so this is why he might remain attractive to voters. However, if voters seek someone new to represent Florida in a conventionally Republican way, they will most likely gravitate towards Scott.

The announcement also leaves Floridians thinking about the possibility of a new governor for the state. And if this becomes a reality, it also raises the question of who the next person to fulfill this seat could be.

The article on the Miami Herald can be found at http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article208323384.html

Donald Trump Jr. wears controversial pin

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By ANDREA ILLAN

Most of the American public will remember when then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton referred to a portion of President Donald Trump’s supporters as a “basket of deplorables” during the 2016 presidential race.

More than one year after this happened, the incident is neither talked about nor mentioned in the news anymore. Trump Jr’s outfit choice on Easter changed this.

Rather than the traditional American flag pin that politicians and political figures wear to these sorts of events, the president’s eldest son chose to wear a golden pin of the American flag with the word “deplorable” over it.

None of the main news sources have commented on the issue but online magazines Esquire and The Root both published brief content on the matter.

Esquire’s take was one of comedy towards the matter. The article ridicules Trump Jr. by referring to his choice to do this as “profoundly stupid,” “dumb” and “unfit for the situation.” On the other hand, The Root’s article takes an angrier approach and comments on the situation with profane language.

Both analyses of Trump’s choice are mostly superficial and miss the real problem with the president’s son wearing a pin that says “deplorable” on it.

By choosing to do this, Trump Jr. adds to the image of immaturity that has been linked with the public image of his father. Further, it raises questions about the motive behind the action. Was it meant to be a joke? Or did he wear it as a reminder of the 2016 victory to President Trump’s adversaries? Was he referring to himself as a “deplorable” individual?

Only Donald Trump Jr. can answer these questions. Regardless, this behavior is should not be acceptable for the presidential family and should have been picked up by more mainstream news outlets.

Both online articles can be found at https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a19665174/donald-trump-jr-deplorable-pin/ and https://www.theroot.com/donald-trump-jr-wore-a-deplorable-lapel-pin-because-he-1824274742

Shalala running for Congress

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By PATRICIA SANTANA

On March 7, former UM president Donna Shalala announced her candidacy as representative of Florida’s 27th Congressional district.

Shalala is one of many contenders vying for the vacancy created by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s retirement. Shalala is running as a Democrat. Her platform includes issues such as LGBTQ rights and environmental conservation.

The Miami Hurricane did an excellent job of covering this story.

On Feb. 14, they published a speculative piece discussing the rumors that Shalala would run for Congress. This article displayed a commitment to the story and indicates that they were on top of any developments long before Shalala filed for candidacy.

There are also a number of corrections on the bottom of the article dated Feb. 16. These corrections show their transparency, since they could’ve made the corrections and not announced it in order to not risk a negative perception of their mistakes. They also could have avoided any corrections and hoped nobody would notice, which would have been very lazy reporting.

The Miami Hurricane’s Facebook page was very prompt in posting Shalala’s announcement on March 7. The timestamp on their “Breaking News” post was 10:39 a.m. The next post on their page was of a complete article on Shalala’s announcement, posted at 11:08 a.m. This gap of about half an hour shows how quick they were to produce a complete article in order to provide readers the full story in a timely manner.

In comparison, The Miami Herald’s Facebook page did not post about Shalala’s announcement until 1 o’clock in the afternoon. Granted, The Herald has many other stories they need to be covering and Shalala is a campus icon at UM, making her story one worth prioritizing for The Miami Hurricane.

The story by the Miami Herald focused on Shalala’s anti-Trump platform, her Clinton connections and what the competition will be like for that congressional seat. The story by The Miami Hurricane focused much more on the impact the news had on campus and included quotes from UM administrators, such as Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Whitely, and faculty such as Associate Professor of Political Science Joseph Uscinski.

The Miami Hurricane story also focused on Shalala’s impact during her tenure at UM to a greater extent than The Miami Herald did. These differences are illustrative of how different newspapers report their stories based on the audience. Whereas The Herald must tailor their stories to a greater Miami audience, The Hurricane can focus more on capturing the attention of the UM community, a much more specific audience.

Battle for U.S. Senate in Florida is even

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By ANDRES ARENAS GRAYEB

The U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson and Florida Gov. Rick Scott is too close to call, with the contestants being practically tied according to polls cited by The Miami Herald. According to these new polls, 37 percent of registered voters plan to vote for Nelson, while 36 percent are backing Scott.

Nelson also has the upper hand with non-party affiliated voters and other partisans, with support from 32 percent of those surveyed. Scott, on the other hand, has only 28 percent supporting him, though he boasts a 59 percent job approval rating from surveyed voters, a huge surge from the ratings he received in his time as governor, which tended to stay below 50 percent. Nelson has only a 35 percent approval rating in comparison, down from 42 percent in February.

Another noteworthy factor is Donald Trump and how divided Florida is about his performance as president. The divides are mostly along party lines, with 91 percent of Democrats disapproving and 71 percent of Republicans approving. In total, however, 59 percent of those surveyed disapprove, compared to 35 percent that approved, a fact that will no doubt benefit Nelson on election day.

Overall, the competition for the Senate seat next year will be down to the wire until the very last day and The Miami Herald did a praiseworthy job of showing this through their coverage of the race. Their use of statistics that favored both sides in different areas was a good way to show how divided and complex voting is in the modern age of politics, and the statements they had from public polling institutions did well in emphasizing that fact.

Additionally, there was no evident bias in the numbers or the tone of the article, leaving readers with nothing but the facts and their own thoughts on the present state of affairs.

Candidates seek California House seat

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By ISAIAH TAYLOR

The state of California will soon be voting for a U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 50th district.

Politics have seen an interesting turn of events this past couple of months with the introduction of Trump as president. So far, Republicans have won all four special elections since Trump was inaugurated. What do people feel about now a new face on the campaign scene trying to win back the seat for the Democrats?

Introducing Ammar Campa-Najjar, he is just one of five Democrats hoping to get a chance to fill that seat. One of the most interesting things about Campa-Najjar is that he comes from such a diverse background. He campaigns as a Arab-Latino facing the harsh treatment from just about all other sides.

Campa-Najjar has even been quoted saying that the challenges he has faced so far under the Trump administration, that “A lot of Trump supporters are not all racist or a lot of them aren’t ignorant; they are ignored.”

With the positive outlook on most recent behavior displayed by some of these supporters, California will will have bright future ahead if this man is elected into the 50th district seat.

He also plans to implement some environmentally sustainable practices, with the use of solar framing available. He has already reached out to a company owned by Elon Musk in efforts to help us and the country find better options to the use of out fossil fuels. Campa-Najjar also hopes that he can privatize space travel and the nation could create more jobs if it could build more launch sites.

Campa-Najjar will be running for the next election, which is to be held June 5.

If you believe in a new type of change needed to happen with this country, but starting off at the state level and you live in California, it is crucial that you get out and vote for who you believe in, whether it be part of the Republican Party or the new up and coming Ammar Campa-Najjar.

Protesting can’t become the norm

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BY ZACH STUBBLEFIELD

Protests have been being staged all across the country in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as president.

People are expressing their displeasure and discontent with the new president, but they must be careful. News media only cover stories for so long. If protests become a daily occurrence they may lose their significance and news reporters will stop covering them.
In other words, more protests will make them lose their newsworthiness.

I am not saying that people should not protest. They absolutely should. It is one of the most clear and visible ways for the common person to express their grievances with the government and its leaders.

And Trump being elected raises a lot of problems with the government, but the protesting the mere fact that he got elected will not change anything. He is going to be the next president of the United States. It is too late to change that.

Instead of using up all the newsworthiness of protests now people should save the big protests when he actually does something awful. Which I am sure is bound to happen.

That is when people need to most be heard, because we must show that his inevitable actions are not okay.

Protests in response to what Trump has done need to be shown for an impact to truly be made. Not protests about the mere fact that he got elected. For now we must give him a chance and be ready to give backlash when he messes up so these protests can recieve the most coverage possible.

So please don’t over-saturate the news with protests now. Just wait a little longer until he actually does something about which to protest.

Did news coverage help elect Trump?

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By NYAH TENNELL

In light of the recent election of Donald Trump into the White House, I have begun to evaluate the news media’s role in Trump’s apparent success.

Although a lot of us were sure that Trump’s rhetoric would keep him out of the White House, clearly, we were wrong. Which leads me to ask, how in the name of God, did Trump get voted into the world’s most prestigious and powerful position?

Well, let us start by considering the fact that, out of all of the presidential hopefuls, Trump received the most news media coverage.

According to a study conducted by Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on media and politics, Trump received 34 percent of news coverage when compared with his other GOP candidates: Jeb Bush receiving 18 percent, Marco Rubio and Ben Carson both with 14 percent, Ted Cruz with 13 percent, and last, and most certainly least, John Kasich with a mere 7 percent of all GOP media coverage.

A New York Times article written by Patrick Healey in late 2015 notes that, Trump “had planned to spend $15 million on campaign commercials this summer but did not because of the “free nationwide publicity” that the cable news networks provided.

This is due to the fact that Trump’s main business plan during the course of his campaign was to manipulate the media and, in particular, monopolize airtime.

Far too many networks fell victim to Trump’s ploys, and every raunchy, explosive, or controversial thing he said became headlines, allowing Trump to use cable’s widespread dissemination and availability to do the advertising for him.

 US News refers to Trump as “The Master of Manipulation”, and as much as I would like to disagree, Trump has done an outstanding job in using his unprecedented rhetoric, scandals, and controversies to bank on airtime.

“Trump never stopped dominating the media,” reads the headline of Farai Chideya’s FiveThirtyEight article, and “the master” manipulator, Trump seems to second that notion.

“I’ve gotten so much free advertising, it’s like nothing I’d have expected,” he told the Times. “When you look at cable television, a lot of the programs are 100 percent Trump, so why would you need more Trump during the commercial breaks?”

Well, as difficult as it may be to leave, Donald Trump is indeed the next president of this fine country and, unfortunately, I congratulate him and wish him the best for the sake of ALL mankind.

A national self-analysis underway

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By MARISSA VONESH

After the United States’ presidential election on Nov. 8, 2016, Donald Trump won the election despite political polls that projected Hillary Clinton to win by a landslide.

Major news outlets, such as The New York Times and the Huffington Post, made predictions that were wrong, writing off Trump and proclaiming Clinton as the absolute winner.

Once Trump won, many voters across the nation felt misled by mainstream news media. In an article from The New York Times, the media company explained how numerous letters came in asking why it was so off and proclaiming mistrust in the news and journalists in general. Furthermore, mistrust and disdain was heard – loud and clear – as subscriptions to The New York Times were canceled.

The news media outlets, namely The Times, have began processing what went wrong and how they can improve in the future.

Journalism is designed to create a well-informed voting public, and whether or not the American agencies did that this election season is up to question. Most of the election coverage had a liberal bias, almost all news outlets missed the views and representation of rural America – which ended up being a deciding factor in the election – and now agencies are covering more fear about Trump than potential policies and positives Trump could mean for the country.

America is not just the urban centers of New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago. There is no need to spin more fear, more panic and more drama into the American public that already feels disheartened about this past election season.

The inconsistencies with current polling techniques are a large reason to blame for the surprise win of Trump, but more importantly, the way the news media are continuing to cover the aftermath of the election is disappointing. Opinions and emotion are exaggerated and objective opinions seem to be a thing of the past.

In a period in American history where it is absolutely vital for journalists to be objective, expose injustices and represent the public, media agencies have fallen short.

Potentially, Trump winning the presidency could help expose journalists to areas of improvement.

Editors and journalists are already confronting the change.

“If I have a mea culpa for journalists and journalism, it’s that we’ve got to do a much better job of being on the road, out in the country, talking to different kinds of people than the people we talk to,” Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times, said.

Baquet makes a point, the bubble of social media, community groups and families does not paint the whole picture of the story. My hope is that journalists continue to improve and continue to strive to serve and inform the American public.

Obama welcomes … the Cavaliers

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By AMY TAINTOR

As Donald Trump made his way to the White House this afternoon, so did the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2016 NBA Champions met with President Obama and the first family in Washington, D.C., today.

The Cavaliers brought back the first professional sports championship to Ohio City since 1964, which is definitely something to celebrate.

President Obama was especially excited to meet Lebron James.

“When you see LeBron James, it is not just his power and his speed and his vertical, it is his unselfishness it is his work ethic, it is his insistence on always making the right play,” said Obama.

In the midst of political history that was made on Tuesday when Trump was elected president, Richard Jefferson, former Cleveland Cavalier, said that no NBA champion team will want to make the trip to the White House while Trump is in office.

That sparks the question of whether or not this will be the last visit to the White House for any sports team for at least the next four years.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

Sports figures avoid election drama

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By DANIEL LLOVERAS

After Donald Trump’s shocking victory over Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s presidential election, several major sports figures expressed apathy toward the result.

Nick Saban, head football coach of the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, said that he was unaware of the election.

“It was so important to me that I didn’t even know it was happening,” Saban said. “We’re focused on other things here.”

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, a long-time friend of Donald Trump, sent a letter of congratulations to the president-elect, but asserted that the letter was not politically motivated.

“I have multiple friendships that are important to me and that’s what that was about.” Belichick said. “So, it’s not about politics. It’s about football.”

Even San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, said that the result of the election was irrelevant to him.

“I’ve been very disconnected from the systematic oppression as a whole,” Kaepernick said. “So, for me, it’s another face that’s going to be the face of that system of oppression.”

Kaepernick, who has received death threats for kneeling during the national anthem, has not shied away from the political spotlight in the past. Kaepernick’s apathy is surprising considering Clinton’s support of Black Lives Matter and Trump’s support of police.

However, athletes and coaches are constantly under intense scrutiny by fans and the sports media, so it makes sense that they would avoid increased criticism for their political opinions.

As the nation recovers from a divisive election season, the sports world will act as both as a distraction and as a unifying tool.

Protesters: ‘Trump is not my president’

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By COURTNEY CHENNAULT

The results of the presidential election were shocking and painful to many people across the country, especially because Clinton won the popular vote.

Feelings of anger, fear and utter disbelief culminated last night as thousands of protesters took to the streets in cities reaching from New York to Los Angeles. According to NBC New York, at least 60 people in Manhattan were arrested during the protests.

Fox News reported that protesters’ signs said things like, “Trump’s a racist,” “Impeach Trump,” and “Abolish Electoral College.”

It seems that if any good can come of this situation, it is the uniting of minorities and oppressed peoples across the board. While broadcasting at a protest in New York, a Fox News reporter stated, “There’s a hodgepodge of so many different groups here.” Though their races, sexual orientations, ages, sexes and religions differed, the protesters’ message was the same: “Trump is not my president.”

I have noticed that people tend to protest the injustices that directly impact themselves. As a result, most of the Black Lives Matter activists are black, most of the LGBTQ supports are non-heterosexual individuals, and so forth.

On one level, this phenomenon is understandable, even expected. But on another level, this phenomenon is inexcusable. As Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Minorities should support other minority causes just as readily as they support their own.

With this in mind, it seems that standing up against Trump and his racist, homophobic, Islamophobic and misogynistic beliefs is today’s biggest opportunity for all minorities and marginalized groups to come together and form the most expansive civil rights movement yet.

Obama endorses Stockton candidate

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By ALEX GOLDMAN

Stockton, Calif., mayoral candidate Michael Tubbs received a huge endorsement Wednesday.

It didn’t come from a union or a well-known local resident. No, it came from a much higher source.

President Barack Obama, in fact, was the endorser. The highest source of all one might contend.

Here is President Obama’s full statement:

“I am proud to endorse Michael Tubbs in his bid to become Stockton’s next mayor. Michael’s service as a Councilmember illustrates that he understands the need for every Stocktonian to have safer neighborhoods, stronger schools, and a voice in the political process. His story is the American story, and Michael will work tirelessly to ensure that Stockton reaches its full potential.”

How did the local news media cover news of the endorsement?

The Record, Stockton’s regional newspaper, had an article in their Wednesday edition. Staff writer Roger Phillips provided the coverage.

Phillips offered that it might be “a rare and possibly singular occurrence in Stockton political history.”

If that’s the case, it may prove enough for Tubbs to displace current Mayor Anthony Silva. Tubbs received less-than a majority of the votes in June’s primary, but a higher percentage than Silva. This resulted in a run-off, and Stockton will vote for their next mayor on Tuesday.

Tubbs was part of a four-month internship at the White House in 2010, according to Phillips. I can’t help but wonder what kind of impact Tubbs had over the course of his internship, and if any impressions he made during that time led to this endorsement.

Also of note, Tubbs gave a speech at my high school graduation in 2012.

Several other local news outlets had stories published on their respective websites, including CBS Local, FOX 40, and ABC 10.

Trump cuts into Clinton’s lead

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By DANIEL LLOVERAS

With Election Day four days away, the race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton has tightened significantly.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Clinton now has a 66 percent chance of winning the presidency, down from 86 percent in the middle of October.

Trump’s resurgence can be attributed to FBI Director James Comey, who wrote a letter to Congress indicating that the FBI was reviewing more of Clinton’s emails. Comey wrote that, while the investigation has been reopened, it is unknown whether or not the emails contain any relevant information.

Comey was chastised by the news media, Democrats and even some Republicans for interfering with the presidential race so close to Election Day.

Daniel Richman, an adviser to Comey, criticized the news media for blowing the letter out of proportion. Richman argued that the letter explicitly expressed the uncertainty of the case and that the news media took the information out of context.

“It would be really nice if members of the media and members of the public realized that there’s a real possibility that there will be duplicates,” Richman said in an interview with The Huffington Post. “Since they haven’t been checked, the bureau can’t say, but we can guess from the outside.”

Richman’s argument, while logical, ignores the fact that the news media has an obligation to report on issues relevant to the public.

Considering the amount of uncertainty in the case, Comey should have kept the information within the FBI and written the letter after determining whether or not there was significant information. The news media is not to blame; the vague, ambiguous letter is itself misleading to the public.

Comey’s letter and its subsequent coverage has impacted voters who already consider Clinton to be untrustworthy. In addition, it has distracted voters from the sexual harassment allegations that nearly sunk the Trump campaign in October.

Trump: American vs. Russian coverage

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By ELIZABETH GELBAUGH

Donald Trump, who is quickly becoming one of the most controversial presidential candidates to date, is not always represented in a positive light in American news media. However, the Russian news media seem enamored with Trump’s outrageous behavior and unprecedented campaign strategy.

Trump’s policies are often overpowered by his cult of personality and American news media end up dedicating more time to covering his contentious antics and rowdy yet fiercely loyal supporters.

With the exception of Fox News, most major news organizations condemn his attitudes toward women, foreigners and Muslims. Since accusations of Trump sexually assaulting women hit the press, U.S. news media have had a difficult time focusing on anything else.

Even student news media at American universities, which typically ensure both liberal and conservative views are equally represented, are swaying from their neutral positions and writing critical pieces on Trump’s bizarre and offensive outbursts.

The Yale Record published a satire, You Dumb Motherfuckers, By James Madison, referring to Trump as a “misogynistic turkey leg that somehow escaped the state fair, fell into a bale of hay, and inexplicably managed to bankrupt six companies,” and shuns the American public for dismantling the safeguards put in place to protect against an “insane demagogue [who] might incite a populist rebellion.”

Even The Miami Hurricane has made the editorial move to officially endorse Hillary Clinton because of Trump’s inability to serve the generation about to enter the job market and shortcomings that are “dangerous, indisputable and increasingly evident.”

“Trump promises to create jobs but built his own career by destroying others’,” TMH editorial board wrote. “He promises to bring jobs back to America, yet his businesses shipped them overseas.”

Russian media, however, praises Trump, particularly his pro-Russia stance. Russian government paper Rossiskaya Gazeta apparently finds his outbursts and offensive dialogue refreshing compared to Clinton’s socially conscious statements, as Steve Rosenberg of BBC News pointed out in Russian media’s love affair with Trump.

“The political coup against him has failed,” Rossiskaya Gazeta wrote. “Trump’s speeches are unpretentious, without the kind of hypocritical political correctness of the conservative establishment.”

In stark contrast to American news media, Russian media presents Trump as the far more sensible candidate in this year’s election.

“I officially declare that Clinton is a cursed witch,” Russian MP Vitaly Milonov said in Komsomolskaya Pravda. “That’s why even a funny guy like Trump looks more reasonable in comparison.”

When public opinion is heavily reliant upon the picture the news media paint of the candidates, this discrepancy could turn into a diplomatic relations disaster, depending on the results of the election.

Media work overtime to stress you out

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By COURTNEY CHENNAULT

With the presidential election just a week away, the news media are doing everything they can to make the final days as dramatic as ever. Looking at the list of “Top stories” on CNN’s website, the reader sees a hodgepodge of headlines with “Trump” and “Clinton” sprinkled in as many times as possible:

screen-shot-2016-11-01-at-5-48-12-amPutting in “Trump” or “Clinton” does not make automatically make the story newsworthy.  Going down the line, I looked at the first three articles and found myself wondering why they were “Top stories.”

The first article, “Did Trump vote for George W. Bush?” is about a radio interview in 2009 in which Trump denies voting for Bush in 2004, though he stated last January that he did vote for Bush in 2000 and 2004.

The only purpose that this article serves is exemplifying that Trump contradicts himself with lies. This might have been relevant if this same point hadn’t already been proven a hundred times over the past year. Trump has lied excessively throughout his entire campaign, so why is this a “top story?”

In the second article, CNN reveals that John Kasich wrote in John McCain on the election ballot instead of voting for Trump. This fact is not newsworthy!  Many prominent republicans have come out saying that they will not vote for Trump. This story might be have been newsworthy if a significant number of republicans revealed that they too wrote in McCain in some last-minute attempt to unite as a party and elect the senator.  But with the story the way it is, I don’t see why people should care.

Finally, the third article is about Gary Johnson saying the Clinton could be impeached over her email scandal. Over the course of the election, no news station or network, including CNN, has cared what Johnson had to say. About anything. But now, the election is close, and CNN is eagerly quoting him because what he said about Clinton is scandalous and will certainly stir the political pot.

In conclusion, the news media are working overtime to post anything remotely related to Trump and Clinton to sway, excite, and overwhelm voters in the final countdown before all ballots are cast.

Forecast models predict Clinton victory

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By DANIEL LLOVERAS

In a wild and chaotic election season, pollsters and statisticians are attempting to do the seemingly impossible: predict the winner of the 2016 presidential election.

National and state polls get the most attention from media organizations, as they are simple ways of communicating how much support the candidates are receiving.

However, political scientists also produce forecast models which may provide a more insightful look into what will happen come election day.

The forecast models incorporate the voting history of each state and hundreds of national and state polls in order to determine how many electoral votes each candidate is likely to receive.

The models are produced by organizations such as The New York Times, FiveThirtyEight, and the Princeton Election Consortium.

According to the forecast models, Hillary Clinton is the overwhelming favorite to be elected president. The Princeton Election Consortium model gives Clinton a 97% chance of being elected. The New York Times says that Clinton is 89 percent likely to win the presidency. The FiveThirtyEight model gives Clinton an 86 percent chance.

When reporting on the 2016 election, individual state and national polls only tell part of the story.

While the forecast models clearly have error and uncertainty, they take hundreds of pieces of information into account to produce an exhaustive look at the presidential race.

When news organizations only report the results of individual polls, they are providing people with incomplete and unreliable information.

In addition to providing poll results, news media outlets should report on the forecast models to make sure people are not receiving skewed interpretations of the presidential race.

Trump video an October surprise

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By NYAH TENNELL

Just when America thought it couldn’t get anymore raunchy…

Trump, the master showman, gives yet another spectacular “locker room” performance the weekend before Monday’s debate.

The Washington Post released video footage retrieved from “Access Hollywood” of what could be acknowledged as this election’s October surprise, given the unmistakable lewd comments that Trump makes about his behavior towards women, as well as the allegations that arose following the footage’s dissemination.

These newly released wire briefs and tapes, some dating back as far as 1992, confirm the suspicions many Americans already had in regards to Donald Trumps views on, and treatment of women.

“I’ve gotta use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her,” Trump said in reference to an actress on the Access Hollywood tape. “You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful … I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”

“Grab them by the p—-. You can do anything,” Trump added.

The media has been all over Trump’s horrid campaign since January, and an article written by The Atlantic entitled, The Many Scandals of Donald Trump: A Cheat Sheet, says that, “now his behavior toward women threatens to doom a campaign that was already limping.”

Trump’s campaign released a statement in response to the allegations saying,

“This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course – not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended.”

“Locker room banter,” is it?

The things you say and do when you think no one is watching are the things that define you, not the performance that you put on with the knowledge that people are listening and judging you.

Let’s not bypass the fact that he apologizes for offending anyone, not for his comments and actions in regards to women. I guess that is the narcissistic way to apologize when you don’t think you’ve done anything wrong.

According to an article written Thursday by David Graham of The Atlantic, many women allege that this is no small talk, but are accusing Trump of sexual assault, and in one case, rape.

Remarkably, in the past 24 hours, The Washington Post has published nine stories with ‘Trump’ in the headline.

How can the media be unbiased in their reporting if a new Trump scandal emerges every week?

And in case anyone forgot, we still haven’t seen the taxes.

Is the audit finished yet, Trump?