Articles from The New York Times Weekly summed up and / or discussed
With Race, Can Polls be trusted?
The article „Can Polls be trusted“ of Kate Zernike, taken from the New York Times, deals with the reasons of the inaccuracy of polls during election campaigns, where black candidates are involved.
Eventhough the polling results look very promising for Barack Obama, experts warn against overhasty euphoria, because black candidates have faced the deviant outcome. Tom Bradley, a black democrat, lost in the California’s governor’s race in 1982, despite having led in polls.
Since that time this inaccuracy in polls is called the Bradley effect. After Bradley lost, scientists came to the assumption that there are many different ways race complicates polling.
The text says, that the race of the person interviewing, changes the outcome of the poll. In plain language this means that if a white person is asking the questions, people tend to be more supportive of the white candidate and vice-versa.Another factor is the attitude towards the survey. People who are averse to the survey are less supportive of black candidates than people who are willing to do the survey.
The author concludes by saying that scientists argue if race will play a very big role in the elections this year, because of the economic crisis. He also says that scientists get most of their knowledge out of polls.
In my opinion polls are very good to get an overview about a topic or an issue, but I wouldn’t base any important decisions on polls.
by Jan
The Media, Once Again, Are a Political Target
The newspaper article ‘The Media, Once Again, Are a Political Target’, published in September 2008 in The New York Times, is about the media’s crucial role in political business, especially in the campaign 2008 in America.
The Republicans have been criticising the news media and many of them even say that the media are biased. They think of the attack against Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska and John McCain’s vice-presidential choice, whose speech at the Republican National Convention was judged ‘an unqualified success’ by the media elite. As a reaction Palin said that ‘if you are not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.’ With this sentence she provoked the media a lot.
A former personal adviser to a Republican politician said that attacking the media during the campaign is a tactic and not a message, as it seems to be for the electors.
There has been media-scolding by the Republicans for a long time now. Already in 1964 former President Dwight D. Eisenhower started to criticise the media blisteringly. Only the way of criticising has changed over the years.
Alternatively the media often interfere with political affairs and by doing so regularly, they are in a constant danger to be ‘tagged’ as persistent quarrelers, jeopardising their own position in the American society.
The author of the article, Mark Leibovich, comes to the conclusion that in the end the dispute between politics and politicians on the one hand and the media on the other hand is sometimes probably more a ‘show’ than a real dispute.
crucial = entscheidend; wichtig
media-scolding = Medienschelte
(to) criticise sb. blisteringly = jdn. scharf kritisieren
persistent quarrelers = aufdringliche Querulanten
jeopardise = gefährden; aufs Spiel setzen
by Svenja
Palin's Entry Puts Women In Spotlight
The article 'Palin's Entry Puts Women In Spotlight' out of the New York Times from the 15th of September 2008 deals with the consequences which McCain's step, to nominee Sarah Palin as his vice president, will have in the presidential race.
It says Mrs Palin could be a dangerous adversary for Mr Obama, because undecided female voters could sympathize with the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.
The nomination of the mother of five children (one son with the down syndrome) is obviously adressed to make the, by Obama not considered, group of noncollege-educated women vote McCain, to get an advantage for the presidential elections on the 4th of November 2008.
But Barack Obama does not seem to be very worried about this, he said ' the may have found some new faces to present their message, but it's still the same old message' And I think he is right. Additionally Palin is not as popular anymore as she was when this report was published.
By Sebastian
Discplined and Detached, and Racing to the Top
The newspaper article ‘Disciplined and Detached, and Racing to the Top’ by Jodi Kantor, which was published in ‘The New York Times’ on September 1, 2008, is about Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.
In this article Mr. Obama’s suitability of being America’s new president is discussed.
Friends and aides of his say that “he doesn’t inhale” and that he is never content with himself (“I need to get better” -> Barack Obama).
But after Barack Obama set out on the last part of his quest for presidency, some of the same qualities that have brought him just one election away from the White House – his virtuosity, his seriousness, his ability to inspire and his seeming immunity from the strains that afflict others – may be among his biggest obstacles to get there.
Even after his two books (Dreams from My Father; The Audacity of Hope), thousands of campaign events and countless hours on television, many voters say they do not know him.
Representative Earl Blumenauer campaigned with Obama in Oregon in Spring. He said that Mr. Obama “is more a creature of these times than any other political figure", which expresses Blumenauer’s support.
What has brought him complaints from his opponents is his “self-assurance” and other critics also say that his only aim in life has been his own ascent, which he finally got by becoming Senator.
A big obstacle for Mr. Obama in becoming America’s new president could be his race or his age. America has never had a president whose skin colour was not white.
The question now is if America is that developed to accept a dark-skinned president.
I think in the world of today equality of black and white, young and old, rich and poor should control mankind and that is why, in my opinion, Barack Obama should have the same chances to become America’s new president as any other candidate.
So the Americans should not go after formal aspects but vote for the candidate who, in their views, represents their opinions and attitudes best!
by Johanna
Biden Brings International Outlook
The article "Biden Brings International Outlook" written by Michael R. Gordon was published in The New York Times on 1 September, 2008. In view of the fact that Joseph R. Biden Jr. might be elected vice president, it portrays some of the political affairs he has been involved in and points out in what aspects his views differ freom the ones of Barack Obama.
The author describes Senater Joseph R. Biden Jr. as a very dedicated and determined leader of the Democratic Party, which he has been a member of for three decades. Therefore he has a very long and varied experience especially in foreign policy. This is where he clearly differs from his colleague, though both of them go for comparable democratic aims.
While Obama has completely been against the war in Iraq from the start, Biden asked for a decentralization of government there. But both of them do not agree to some of the decisions on the Iraq War, for example Mr. Bush sending further troops there.
Another field where Mr. biden has gained a lot of experience and international presige aree the ethnic fightings in the Balkans. He favoured military assignment there with the aim of reducing the conflicts.
Supporting the Bosnian Muslims, which were at war with Yugoslavia in 1990, he lay the foundation to a new policy resulting in a "succesful NATO peace keeping effort".
All in all, the positions of Barack Obama and Joseph R. Biden Jr. have come closer to each other, but there are still differences which have not been spelled out yet.
by Lisa F
In Motherhood, a political Message
In the newspaper article ´In Motherhood, a Political Message´ written by Jodi Kantor and published by the New York Times Sarah Palin the governor of Alaska is combining her pregnancy and her political duties in a way nobody ever did before.
Sarah Palin hid her pregnancy from the press and her family and friends for months. She started to wear fashion camouflage so that nobody could see she gained weight because she feared the reaction of the press. When she finally talked about the pregnancy in interviews a national debate exploded. She admitted that her son would be born having the down-syndrome, which can cause cognitive disabilities, hearing loss and Epilepsy. Americans talked about her and some accused her of exploiting her pregnancy for political gain. Alaskans feared that she wouldn’t be able to full fill her duties.
But Sarah Palin did, more than any other Politician, being pregnant or having a family ever could before. She had her days well-organized and so she didn’t miss any important meetings, negotiations or press conferences. She even flew to Texas and gave an important speech while her amniotic fluid was leaking. She called her doctor back home but he told her to finish that speech. Trig Palin was born the next morning. Now she had to proof that she could handle to things at once. But again she did. She took her children with her to press conferences or to the national Convention and her children weren´t bothering her at all. After all she showed Americans that she could keep her promise that she wanted to full fill her duties as a politician.
So all in all Sarah Palin has given birth to Trig Palin who is a tangible proof to everybody especially every woman that combining family and an ambitious carrer can be reached through hard work, well organisation and determination.
by Anika L.
McCain's Wife's Fortune Buoys His Political Life
The newspaper article 'McCain's Wife's Fortune buoys His Political Life', written by David M. Halbfinger and published in the New York Times on September 1, 2008, deals with the McCain family fortune and in particular with his wife’s wealth.
John McCain’s wife, Cindy McCain, is the head of the great beer business ‘Hensley & Company’ after her father’s death in 2000. She inherited the whole business and is left with full control over the company. The company ‘Hensley & Company’ increased from a tiny operation in the 1950s to the dominant beer business in Arizona and to the third-largest beer distributor as which it is seen today.
‘She has never been a day-to-day manager in this business’, said Mr Delgado, her fathers successor as chief executive of ‘Hensley & Company’. Cindy McCain herself also says that she ‘oversees the company’s strategic planning and corporate vision’ although she is the chairwoman of the company.
It is never said how much Mrs McCain receives in profits from the privately held company but other shareholders suggest that McCain’s wife’s income amounts to about hundreds of thousands of dollars several times a year. The senator’s wife invests this money in banks and shares, in donations to causes like mine clearing and Parkinson’s research, as well as to the family’s luxury, including the possession of 10 homes, rental properties, and of cause the McCains’ children’s schools.
The booming business financed Mr McCain’s entry into politics. After marrying Cindy McCain he planned to run for Congress. So he retired from the Navy, his job at that time, and took a public-relations job at his wife’s company to introduce himself to his potential voters.
Finally, there is nothing more to say except the fact that executives say that ‘McCain is sympathetic to business owners and shares their views on taxes and other economic issues’, which shows that the candidate for the next US President is quite interested in America’s industrial development.
by Jenny S.
