Category: Top Stories

Rommey’s Deception

Photo by: lepesunset on flickr.com

Last week, the Romney/ Ryan campaign once again proved that their primary strategy for this election is deception.

At a campaign rally in Ohio, a key battleground state and a major beneficiary of the 2009 auto bailout, Governor Romney informed the crowd of a story he had read earlier that day; stating “that one of the great manufacturers of this state, Jeep, now owned by the Italians, is thinking of moving all production to China.” This was of course, far from accurate and a complete distortion of the article he was referring to, written in Bloomberg News.

Not only does Jeep have zero intention of moving all production from the U.S. to China, it has added about 7,000 jobs in North American since 2009. In actuality, the article in which Romney was referring to, explains that Chrysler, who owns Jeep, would be reopening its plants in China due to the increase in demand of Chinese costumers, never implying they were halting American production.

Executive, Gualberto Ranieri at Chrysler was quick to respond with a statement denouncing Romney’s dishonesty, saying “Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models out of North America to China… A careful and unbiased reading of the Bloomberg take would have saved unnecessary fantasies and extravagant comments.”

What did Romney do next? Apologize for his misrepresentation? No. Pretend that he had never made those comments and move on? No.

Instead, he began airing an ad making the exact same accusation.

If Governor Romney would decide to run a commercial reiterating a fact he had already been publically ostracized for stating, one can only wonder what ethical decisions he would make as President.

*The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

Are You Election Ready?

Check your Virginia voting registration status here: http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/Index.html

Election Day is fast approaching, it is important to come up with your voting plan for the election. Make sure to go to the Virginia Registration Lookup Tool to confirm that your registration information is correct. Check now before Election Day (Nov. 6, 2012). Make sure that you know where your polling location is and how you are going to get there. Polls are open in Virginia from 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6.

If you are voting absentee in another Virginia locality, or outside Virginia, make sure that you know the application deadline. Applications in Virginia must be received by 5:00pm on Tuesday October 30.

As a reminder, student IDs are valid voter ID in Virginia, so make sure to bring your GMU student photo ID to the polls! If you have any questions or see that your information is incorrect, please contact the Fairfax County Office of Elections at 703-222-0776.

Can’t make it to the polls on Election Day?

In Virginia you can cast an absentee ballot either in person or by mail. Details are on the Virginia State Board of Elections site, http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/absenteevoting.html.

Here is a link to absentee voting locations in Fairfax Country, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/absentee.htm.

U.Va.-GMU Poll Shows Tight Race for Virginia’s 13 Electoral Votes

A University of Virginia/George Mason University poll shows Mitt Romney with a slim 1 percentage point lead over President Barack Obama in Virginia.

The poll showed 46 percent of registered voters are supporting Mitt Romney with 45 percent supporting President Obama. The poll also found that 2 percent are still undecided and another 2 percent are backing another candidate. The poll surveyed 641 registered voters in Virginia and has a margin of error of plus or minus four.

In a statement, Thomas Guterbock provided more detailed information about the registered voters that were polled. Guterbock said, “Slightly less than three-quarters of the voters backing each candidate say their support is very strong, with a large majority of undecided voters unwilling to report leaning toward a particular candidate.”

Third party candidates such as Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein could have an affect on the final outcome.

Virginia has 13 Electoral College votes. President Obama won the state in the 2008. Mitt Romney hopes to turn the state red again. The state is very important to both men’s path to the all important 270 Electoral College number.

Obama Romney — Photo by | Dakota Cunningham C2M

Student Reactions to Final Debate

Higher Education: Candidates Clash on Key Issue

Job creation, health care, and women’s rights seem to be hot topics of discussion this presidential election but rest assured, candidates have not forgotten about a key issue on every college students mind; higher education.

President Obama and Governor Romney both broadly support the expansion of higher education yet hold very different viewpoints on how it should be funded.

One of the biggest differences is that President Obama supports government intervention in the loan-giving process while Governor Romney supports private lending.

In the past 4 years, President Obama has doubled government funding for need-based federal Pell Grants. Mitt Romney’s policy states that he would curb funding for Pell Grants and focus on awarding grants to students who ‘need them the most.’

In 2010, President Obama signed the student reform act into law, which lowers the cost of federal student loans and permits students to repay their loans at low, fixed percentages for up to 20 years. Funding was cut from private lending so the Education Department now grants all federally backed loans. The Obama administration claims that cutting out private lenders will keep student costs low. The GOP platform, which Mitt Romney supports, calls for a repeal of this legislation.

Obama’s primary focus is to make college accessible and affordable for more Americans by continuing the award of Pell Grants and federal lending. Romney plans to refocus government attention on higher education reform by focusing on the success of students already in college. Romney claims that the inflation in tuition rates is due to federal intervention and that once the federal government removes itself from the lending process, tuition prices will stop rising.

Consider these substantially different education platforms when casting your ballot this November.

Opinion: One in the Same

The objective of the final presidential debate was to determine if Governor Romney or President Obama scored higher on the “ability to seem like the Commander in Chief” test. And while Romney was not as bellicose as he was in the second debate, he undeniably received a lower grade, unable to hide his discomfort discussing foreign policy.

Romney spent the entirety of the debate altering his past positions and agreeing with President Obama; differentiating himself only by stating the he would have done what the President did, but somehow better. Obama made sure to point this out, expressing joy that the Governor was now supporting his foreign policy on a number of occasions.

Romney explained that because of the President’s leadership, Iran was now four years closer to a nuclear weapon, but that the Obama Administration was right in imposing the sanctions that have put the rouge state in economic turmoil; lacking any explanation as to how his policy over the next four years would be any different. While discussing the current civil war in Syria he criticized the President for not taking a strong enough stance against al-Assad, but gave no specific alternatives, explaining that he would continue what Obama is already doing. Romney also declared that he would fulfill the President’s plan to remove troops in Afghanistan by 2014, contradicting his previous position to evaluate the situation before making a final decision to drawdown.

Romney tried to detract from his obvious inexperience and past positions by continuously dancing his way to the left, mentioning his desire for peace, more often than not, and seizing any opportunity he had to reference the economy.

In the globalized world that now exists, discussion of the economy and education was appropriate, as foreign issues have understandably become domestic ones; but it replaced many foreign policy matters that should have been debated. Neither candidate mentioned the Eurozone crisis, or the effects that it is sure to have on America. Nor was there any real discussion of Latin America or any East Asian countries other than China. While the Middle East is of obvious importance to America’s national security, it must not be forgotten that the rest of the world exists. Over the last four years we have seen the President work with NATO to help defeat an oppressive regime in Libya and work with European leaders regarding their financial crisis. Last night was Romney’s chance to prove that he is aware there are more than two regions in the world, and he missed the opportunity.

Governor Romney needed to show the American people that he would be a strong alternative to Obama, but instead he presented himself as a more nervous version of the current President.

*The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

Final Presidential Debate Tonight

Tonight is the third and final Presidential debate of the 2012 election cycle. The debate will be emanating from Boca Raton, Florida and will focus on foreign policy.

After the scuffle the two candidates had in the last debate over Libya and the September 11^th assassination of United States Ambassador Chris Stevens, look for a longer and more pointed discussion of the events that took place and the Obama Administration’s rhetoric after the attack.

Also bound to come up is the topic of the Arab Spring in general. What is America’s role in these uprisings? How does America balance its values with its security? The President made a highly publicized speech to the Muslim world in Cairo in 2009. Expect Mitt Romney to hold the President to much of what he said back then. Also look for President Obama to ding Romney on his own missteps with foreign affairs. For example, his big overseas trip gaffes and his premature statement on the consulate attacks.

The topic of Iran and their nuclear program is a reoccurring topic for about a decade and is likely be broached tonight. Expect Obama to tout new sanctions placed on Iran and expect Romney to attack Obama for not standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel on this issue.

Finally, the topic of China is one that is broad and deserves some time in this debate. Part of Romney’s economic plan is to crack down on China’s trade cheating so he is sure to mention that. Obama will likely cite his administration’s actions to curb China’s defense hacking into American infrastructure.

In terms of impact, foreign policy isn’t a large driver of votes either way. Unless either candidate makes a massive gaffe or misstep, expect a fairly tame debate with little polling changes. However for the policy wonks, debates like this provide a unique opportunity for the candidates to articulate how they will act as America’s representative on the world stage.

Third Presidential Debate Watch Party Tonight

Tonight at 9 p.m. Mason Votes will be hosting the third presidential debate watch party in the JC Atrium. All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend. Leading up to the election it is important for all voters to stay tuned into the debates.

Mason Votes hopes these debate watch parties will help students become aware of the issues, get educated on where each candidate stands, and encourage students to vote on November 6, 2012.

More information about the debate is provided on the 2012 Presidential Election News website:

Topic: Foreign policy
Air Time: 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida

Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates

Participants: President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney
Moderator: Bob Schieffer (Host of Face the Nation on CBS)

The format for the debate will be identical to the first presidential debate and will focus on foreign policy.

http://www.2012presidentialelectionnews.com/2012-debate-schedule/2012-presidential-debate-schedule/

Electoral College Analysis (10/22/2012)

Just 15 days remain until Election Day, and the race to gain 270 electoral votes has shifted since our last analysis. Back 12 days ago, the key states to watch were Florida, Virginia, and Ohio. If Romney were to win all three he would be just 4 votes short of winning the Presidency. If Obama were to pick off two out of the three, he would clinch a second term.

The newest movement indicates that the state of Florida has begun to fade out of Obama’s reach. With that big prize presumably red, the biggest and most predictive state left up for grabs is Ohio. An Obama win in Ohio leaves Romney with very few options with which to secure 270. A Romney win there means he comes within two states of winning. The state of Virginia is the next most critical. The same rule applies here that applied to Ohio. These are ‘do or die’ states for both campaigns.

If a split were to occur within those two states, the race may end up being decided out west. The two swing states out there are Nevada and Colorado. Both Obama states in 2008, polls here are within the margin of error.

Another interesting turn of events is the obscure rule in the state of Maine. People may recall that in 2008, Obama won a single electoral vote from Nebraska because the city of Omaha proportioned their vote by congressional district. The same rule applies to Maine and Romney is leading in one of those districts. Romney has a chance to pick one vote off of a secure Obama state like Maine.

What’s amazing to think about is a projection where Romney wins Ohio, Obama wins Virginia, and the two western states go Romney. Give Romney that single vote from Maine and the score is 269-269. It would be the first Electoral College tie in almost 200 years. In such a scenario, it would be the House of Representatives that would decide the election. They would caucus by state and the candidate that received 26 or more state votes would be elected. Under such a scenario, most analyses have showed Romney would win in the GOP controlled House. The Senate would decide the Vice President. Which could actually vote for Joe Biden if the Democrats still control the chamber. It is conceivable that Biden could remain VP while Romney wins the Presidency.

But that is still a long shot. What’s vastly more likely is one candidate winning outright. But for that to happen, the states of Ohio and Virginia will take center stage.

President Obama Returns to Mason and Talks Women’s Issues

For the second time in less than a month President Barack Obama held a grassroots rally at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The President talked jobs and the economy, but spent a majority of his stump speech talking about women’s issues. He also debuted a new line of attack against Mitt Romney for his change in position on many issues especially women’s health issues.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Fi73Nz9Ozk4[/youtube]

President Obama’s full remarks:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/48BmtinOSl4[/youtube]