Feature Article:

Economy

            On February 8, 2008, the Senate and the House approved the economic stimulus plan presented by the Bush Administration.  The bipartisan agreement involves tax rebates for 130 million American families, in hopes of stimulating an economy that appears to be slipping into a recession.  The United States’ current economic struggles can be attributed to the challenging housing market, troubles in the mortgage industry, and slow job growth.  The $167 billion plan is designed to put money back into American’s pockets to encourage them to put the money back into the economy, thus stimulating it.  The vote was passed with an 81-16 vote; however, it only passed after Democrats backed down from their proposals to include unemployment benefits, heating aid for the poor, and tax breaks on certain industries.  Sarah Lueck of the Wall Street Journal reported, “The speedy process of the legislation marked a rare bipartisan effort in an election year, as lawmakers who are accustomed to fighting decided to work together on the economy, a top concern for many voters.” According to several sources, including TIME Magazine, Americans’ economic fears have surpassed those regarding the war in Iraq.  Thus, candidates have brought the economy into their campaigns by creating their own stimulus plans.

            John McCain has recently clinched the Republican party nomination, after Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Huckabee all dropped out of the race.  In a USA Today press release January 17, 2008, John McCain unveiled his economic stimulus plan: "Now is the time to act to stimulate our economy," said John McCain. "I offer a genuinely conservative, pro-growth plan to provide much-needed stimulus to our economy, creating more prosperity and opportunity for American families. Unlike the Democrats' tired ideas of tax and spend, my plan will cut taxes, spur investment and innovation and make American business more competitive in the global marketplace."  McCain’s plan calls for restraining government spending by vetoing spending bills put in place during the Bush Administration.  Bills that he refers to as “Pork Barrel Projects.”  He also plans to extend tax cuts put in place by President Bush by making them permanent.  In order to decrease the national deficit, McCain proposes to balance cutting government spending to the point that tax cuts are permanent.  While he supports the recently-approved stimulus plan, he believes that it is not as effective as it could be.  McCain’s campaign is focused upon illustrating these differences from President Bush’s economic plan.  On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is more intent on clarifying the differences between her economic plan and her husband’s actions during his presidency.

            Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton has consistently used her husband, former President Bill Clinton’s economic success during his tenure as president to her advantage.  However, David Leonhardt of the New York Times, reports that Hillary Clinton’s economic plans differ from her husband’s.  Leonhardt’s recent interview with Senator Clinton not only reveals her economic plan, but also her negative feelings toward the Bush Administration’s economic policies (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/us/politics/21clinton.html).  She stresses the importance of balance between government and a regulated market, which, according to her, the Bush Administration has failed at.  If elected, Clinton would instill a three component economic plan.  First of all, she would lessen the Bush tax cuts by cutting rebates for families with incomes over $250,000 and create more rebates for those below that income.  She would also closely regulate and keep track of the foreign markets.  Finally, she would increase government spending on job-creating projects including alternative energy.  Clinton’s proposal involves a more specific focus on an immediate stimulus that would be centered on heating and mortgage subsidies.  She says that she would put a 90 day halt on all foreclosures with subprime mortgages and a five year halt on increases in subprime mortgages.  While Clinton shows an in-depth understanding of the history and current state of our economy, her immediate stimulus plan has not been met with much enthusiasm.  Unlike her husband’s populist belief in placing responsibility among individuals, Hillary places economic responsibility into the hands of the government.  While her economic stance differs from her husband’s, Hillary Clinton’s campaign will constantly be compared to the former President’s.

            Barack Obama’s economic plan takes a more broad approach to stimulating the economy.  Obama’s advisors released the plan to the media on January 13, 2008.  The plan would immediately infuse $75 billion into the economy, while placing $45 billion into reserve for use over the next three months.  With a recent spike in unemployment rates, Obama believes that immediate tax relief would counteract the predicted slowdown in the economy.  Obama’s plan has five components: pay $250 to each middle to low-income worker and more if needed, send out $250 checks to seniors earning less than $50,000, set up a $10 billion fund to help families that were honest about their incomes to avoid foreclosure, provide money to states most harshly affected by housing crisis, and expand unemployment insurance.  An article published January 13, 2008 on the FOXNews website describing Obama’s stimulus plan and how he plans to pay for it says, “the point was to get the money immediately into the economy, and that while it could increase the deficit in the immediate term, macro economic experts agreed it would prevent a costly recession in the long-term.”  Obama rejects the idea of a Free Market government, which supports Social Darwinism.  The American capitalist market is a form of the Free Market System, because privately owned investments and little government intervention puts the power in the hands of the wealthy.  This creates a continuously growing gap between the rich and poor.  Obama says that he will invest more money into education, which is the most important investment in our future.  While Democratic candidates have different economic plans, they both agree on the fact that the Bush Administration’s policies have not been effective.  On The Issues website claims Obama does not believe in a “jobless recovery”; he says, “When millions of Americans aren't working, neither are the Bush Administration's economic policies.”  Unlike Clinton and McCain, who must outline the differences in their economic plans from other political figures, Obama is able to focus solely on his plans."

            The newly approved economic stimulus plan presented by the Bush Administration will provide tax cuts for 130 million American families in hopes of jumpstarting our economy.  While the decision was a bipartisan agreement, the 2008 presidential candidates have unveiled their own plans to fuel the slowing economy, if they are elected.  Republican candidate, John McCain will restrict government spending, as well as making Bush’s current tax cuts permanent.  Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama take different stances on jumpstarting the economy.  Clinton takes a detailed approach to immediately stimulating the economy by improving the mortgage crisis and creating jobs.  Obama focuses on offsetting the unemployment crisis and improving the housing issues also, while focusing on placing investments in education as well.  With the economy showing signs of slipping into a recession, the housing market struggling, and unemployment increasing, finances are a key issue in the presidential race, and candidates are focusing on creating plans that will reflect and alleviate the concerns of American citizens. 

Magazine Representation:

TIME Magazine

TIME magazine’s audience is the general American public who are interested in current global and national events.  With topics including politics, business and technology, health, entertainment, and style, TIME covers a wide range of subjects because it serves to inform the average person in a quick manner.  While the purpose is to inform, the authors’ opinions and tone come through prominently, especially in Michael Kinsley’s January 24^th article.  Yet, this makes the magazine more effective because the authors instill motivation in his audience to develop their own opinions.  With the information that they are provided through TIME Magazine, the audience can form their own viewpoints.  The 2008 elections represent an opportunity in America for a positive change, which every individual has a say in, thus it is vital that we have the facts to make our judgments accurately.  TIME Magazine headlines topics that affect our daily lives; therefore every one of the frontrunners in the 2008 presidential race have been on the front cover at least once in the past nine months.

            The current state of our economy has been a highly publicized topic in the media, including major publications such as TIME Magazine.  In recent issues, TIME has published articles devoted to the economy, reporting a high possibility that we are slipping towards a recession.  Also, with the 2008 election on the horizon, and the primary races heating up, the candidates are turning to key issues that are affecting Americans the most, such as the economy.  The media is also putting a huge emphasis on the economy and the candidates’ viewpoints on key issues, because they know that those are the issues that the American public is most concerned with.  TIME Magazine is no exception.  Throughout January, TIME published articles comparing the candidates and their parties with the current and future states of the economy; however, each author portrays different aspects and tones of this very complex subject.

            Kinsley takes a very pessimistic approach to our struggling economy.  His January 24^th article entitled “Hair of the Dog” does more than take a pessimistic approach, in fact, he points fingers at several groups in Washington.  Kinsley uses sarcasm to metaphorically refer to the current economic stimulus, which has become a bipartisan agreement, as the hair of the dog. He says, “In other words, the government should go out and borrow even more money and pass around for us to spend.  The experts caution that for maximum stimulus effect, we must be sure to spend it immediately.  No squirreling it away for a rainy day.  In drinking circles, they call this hair of the dog: to cure a hangover, you have another drink”.  He claims that both the Republican’s and Democrat’s solution to the problem will not work; instead, they will continue to make us slip deeper into debt.  The borrowed money for the stimulus would most likely come from a foreign source, and tax cuts would not be spent responsibly. Kinsley calls for the readers to take matters into their own hands and to question our government’s response to this possible recession.

            On the other hand, Jay Carney’s January 19^th article and Michael Duffy and Karen Tumulty’s article from January 17^th both focus more on the candidates and how they are using the country’s economic situation to benefit their campaigns.  While one looks at the Democratic party’s candidates and their stances, the other analyzes the Republican side.

            According to Carney, Hillary Clinton’s success in the Nevada caucuses can be attributed to the economy and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, as President, he had a good track record for stimulating an economy in recession and building it into a strong economy.  Carney also points to the fact that Hillary provided a more a detailed economic policy than Barack Obama.  While highlighting Hillary’s advantages in the Nevada primary as well as future ones, Carney expects the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to continue possibly until April.  However, Hillary Clinton’s advantage on a key issue such as the economy could be a determining factor in the Democratic nominee.

            On the Republican candidate side, Michael Duffy and Karen Tumulty, focus on GOP candidate, Mitt Romney, and his success in the Michigan primaries.  Although it is his home state, there are several other strategic actions that led to his triumph.  With the current struggles in the auto industry, Romney capitalized on instilling hope in his fellow citizens of Michigan.  Like Jay Carney attributed some of Hillary Clinton’s success to her relation to a revered political figure, Duffy and Tumulty pointed to Mitt Romney’s famous political father.  Romney drew from his childhood memories of his father’s political career for his campaign.  In their article, “Getting Back to Business”, Duffy and Tumulty begin with their focus on Romney, but later turn to the bigger picture of the presidential race.

            They state, “What happened in Michigan may be a signal of how the presidential race unfolds in the months to come, first as each party picks its nominee and then as the two winners square off in November.  The pocketbook is back in a big way on the presidential campaign trail, rocketing past the Iraq war to the top of voter concerns.”  Less than two months after that article appeared, Romney is out of the race; however, the pocketbook definitely is not.  The head of Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign agrees, also expressing the importance that voters empathize with the American citizens and their financial struggles.  The difficulty for the candidates is being able to come up with a solution for the United States’ economic struggles.

            Duffy and Tumulty briefly outline the candidates’ proposals. Hillary Clinton focuses on the mortgage lending crisis, while her Democratic opponent Barack Obama’s solution takes a more broad approach, involving tax cuts and rebates aimed to jump start the economy.  GOP nominee, John McCain resolves to limit government spending, while Mitt Romney's focus on fueling the job market with government investments and lesser government standards was not enough to keep him in the race.  

            The effect, visually, logically, and emotionally, that each of these articles has on the reader is valuable.  Michael Kinsley inspires the audience to take in the information and analyze it.  He pulls his audience in with a passionate and cynical concern for our finances, and because it is a short article, it catches the reader’s eye.  For example, he says, in regards to the current stimulus proposal, “ Suppose we stop looking in the mirror and saying ‘Gosh, you’re drunk. Waiter, I’ll have another’”.  Other authors approach the topic differently, yet still effectively.

  Michael Duffy and Karen Tumulty’s article, “Getting Back to Business”, however, is twice as long, yet is broken up into sections and has pictures throughout to keep the reader’s attention.  Emotionally, the authors successfully empathize with the reader by addressing an issue that is currently affecting every American.

 Jay Carney’s article, “Hillary Wins Nevada, Economy Helps”, immediately attracts the reader’s attention by making them wonder how the economy helped Hillary’s victory in Nevada.  Carney takes a more factual approach to the subject, briefly giving background information and speculating on the future of the Democratic race, stating “despite her surprise triumph in Nevada, the Clinton campaign remains convinced that the nomination battle with Obama will drag on for weeks as each side fights to accumulate delegates."  Now, in March, it is still an extremely close and heated race for the Democratic nomination.  Although each article takes a different approach and describes a different part of this complex issue, they all efficiently present the issue of our failing economy and provide the necessary information to their audience.

TIME Magazine addresses important issues affecting the general public, and informs the reader by taking several different approaches.  With this information, the readers are then able to make their own opinions about the subject, which is a vital aspect in determining the next leader of our country.  The articles represent our nation’s complex economic struggles by explaining them in laymen’s terms.  TIME describes the issues and how they are affecting the 2008 election.

            

Organization Profile:

Declare Yourself

            According to its website (www.declareyourself.com), Declare Yourself is “a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to empower and encourage every eligible 18 year old in America to register and vote in the presidential primaries and 2008 presidential election.”  This mission is attained using popular culture and media, including mobile and internet technology, to spread the word.  In the 2004 and 2006 elections, 1.2 million young people registered to vote through Declare Yourself, which was founded in 2003 by Norman Lear. Lear, a television producer and philanthropist, was inspired to motivate specifically young people to vote after purchasing a rare, original copy of the United States of America’s founding document, Declaration of Independence. 

Declare Yourself started as a conclusion his two year long Declaration of Independence Road Trip that was designed to encourage and inspire young adults to practice their civic duty by voting.  Norman Lear says, "When I first looked at the Declaration of Independence, my eyes welled up. I thought - this is our nation's birth certificate, the people's document, and it should visit Americans, rather than sit somewhere on a wall waiting for Americans to come to it, as a reminder of the freedoms we all cherish."  In the 2004 presidential and 2006 midterm elections, young voters turned out in record numbers, proving that Declare Yourself’s strategy to use popular culture and media is effective.

            Targeting college students and young adults, Declare Yourself promotes the get out the vote movement by hosting star-studded events, partnering with educational organizations to provide voter initiative education programs, launching public service announcement campaigns, and selling www.DeclareYourself.com t-shirts.  Celebrities included A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio, Reese Witherspoon, Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Andre 3000, David LaChapelle, Christina Aguilera, Ben Affleck, Zach Braff, Sarah Silverman and more.  Along with partnering with popular celebrities, Declare Yourself has teamed up with national and international companies and brands such as Yahoo!, MySpace.com, Comedy Central, Google, Evite, Good, American Eagle, Starbucks, Uwire, Harpers Collins Publishers, and Voto Latino.  All businesses and organizations whose services appeal to the young voter population (ages 18-25).  Also, about two dozen highly visited and civically conscious websites advertise Declare Yourself on their sites.  With spokespeople actresses America Ferrera and Hayden Panettiere, and Advisory Board members like producer and American Idol judge Randy Jackson, co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio Ben Silverman, and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, Norman Lear has established diverse sources of power to educate and motivate young people to vote. 

            According to their website, Generation Y voters, people born between 1980 and 1995, will make up one third of the Electorate by 2015.  This generation has grown up with information and entertainment constantly at their finger tips thanks to the internet, cell phones, satellite television, and computers; and in less than ten years, they will be the highest percentage of voters in America.  Pennsylvania State Senator, Rob Wonderling discussed voter turnout in 2006 on his webpage stating, “Research shows that while outreach to young people using cell phones, the Internet and e-mail was effective, it also demonstrated that peer-to-peer efforts on college campuses and reminders to vote on Election Day were successful in getting out the vote. Clearly, these so-called Generation Y voters are responding to voting mobilization efforts.”  The proof is in the statistics, which show that from 2000 to 2004, voters under the age of 25 turned out the vote eleven percent more, while the overall percentage of voter turnout only increased by four percent.  This was the highest turnout for that demographic since the1972 elections.  Technology has been an important factor in recent elections, and it will continue to be.  Thus, Declare Yourself has created an extremely interactive, informative, easy to access, and clear website that is full of informative, humorous, and motivational links and multimedia.

            The website answers questions ranging in topic from registration information, primaries and caucuses, election day, voter eligibility, absentee voting, and more.  There is an entire page devoted to multimedia: celebrity videos and testimonials, clips from popular television shows, celebrity-filled skits, and photo galleries.  All are designed to encourage young people to vote using humor, personal stories, and music.  Along with multimedia releases on the website, Declare Yourself also has a page dedicated to press releases.  This page provides links to articles and press releases on other websites, as well as links to surveys and statistics related to voters under the age of 25.  One of these surveys was conducted by the Pew Research Center entitled "How Young People View Their Lives, Future, and Politics: A Portrait of 'Generation Next'” (“Generation Next” is synonymous with Generation Y). 

            The research provides an overview of this generation’s outlook and concerns, describes how technology has shaped their values, outlines political trends such as party affiliations and voting turnout, and concludes with the key values and views on hot topics including abortion, racial issues, stem cell research, and traditional values.  It overviews the demographic saying, “In their political outlook, they are the most tolerant of any generation on social issues such as immigration, race and homosexuality. They are also much more likely to identify with the Democratic Party than was the preceding generation of young people, which could reshape politics in the years ahead,” (Pew Research Center 1).  Declare Yourself has been able to use this information to tap into this generation’s values using media and technology.

            In order to spread the word, Declare Yourself allows users to sign up for alerts and reminders.  The options are text message alerts, e-mail newsletters, a downloadable button to place on your website advertising Declare Yourself, and a button to share the website with your friends via e-mail.  Clearly, all of the options to spread the word and get people to vote are aimed at the technologically dependent and savvy Generation Y’s.  These resources are improving voter turnout.  In a survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for Declare Yourself, found that of the 1.2 million young adults who registered to vote through their website, 83 percent actually cast a ballot.  Declare Yourself also succeeded in getting first-time voters to vote.  Of the 83 percent who registered through Declare Yourself and voted, 72 percent were first-time voters. 

            The services provided by Declare Yourself and Norman Lear’s vision have increased young voter turnout in the past two elections, and it continues to increase faster than any other generation. With an estimated 50 million Generation Y Americans eligible to vote in the upcoming 2008 presidential elections, turnout is a vital factor in their future and America's future.  Being the youngest generation able to vote, their futures are the most affected.  They are the next leaders of America; therefore, today’s president will set the stage for their leadership tomorrow.  According the Pew Center research, 77 percent of this generation is interested and cares about politics.  Declare Yourself is helping the future of our country by informing and encouraging young people to vote.  With young voters being educated on the complexity of the American voting process and the key issues of the elections, Norman Lear and Declare Yourself are reminding and empowering people of their freedoms that make this country such an amazing place to live.