The US Presidential Election 2016
The election will, undoubtedly, go down in history as one of the most vicious, unusual and unpredictable elections America has ever seen. Behind the controversial debates and the FBI investigations lie many interesting trends and opinions that reveal much about the changing nature of modern society and contemporary political systems. In this MOOC, you will investigate the factual information behind the election and explore the many, many polarised opinions that were created.
In your work on this MOOC, you may well find yourself developing strong opinions and viewpoints about the political debates you will read about. This MOOC is designed to ignite your political interest, but please make sure your comments are respectful to the views of others.
WEEK ONE - The Candidates
It is unlikely that many elections have ever been fought with two more contradictory opponents.
Make a list of the skills and criteria that you think a successful political leader should have. Spend some time researching the candidates and looking for evidence (or otherwise) of these qualities. You might want to find out information about:
- Their education
- Their background
- Their career
- Their experiences
- Their views and previous political standpoints
After you have researched the candidates, post your answers to these questions. It would be helpful to post the sources of any information you use in your answers.
1. What surprised you about any information you found out?
2. How are the candidates similar or different?
3. Can any of the information you found out explain the 'surprising' result of the election?
Hillary Clinton:
ReplyDeleteEducation = She attended Maine East High School, where she participated in the student council, the school newspaper and was selected for the National Honour Society. She was elected class vice president for her junior year. For her senior year, she and other students were transferred to the then new Maine South High School, where she was a National Merit Finalist and was voted "most likely to succeed". She graduated in her class's top five percent in 1965. Clinton graduated from Wellesley College in 1969 and earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1973.
Background = Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 26, 1947 and raised in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge. She married the 42nd President of the USA, Bill Clinton, in 1975 and became the First Lady of the United States in January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001. She was the 67th United States Secretary of State and was in office from January 21, 2009 – February 1, 2013. Her net worth is $45 million. On April 12, 2015, Clinton formally announced her candidacy for the presidency in the 2016 election where she would represent the Democratic political party.
Career = In August 1974, Rodham moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas and became one of only two female faculty members in the School of Law at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. At the university, Rodham gave classes in criminal law, where she was considered to be a rigorous teacher who was tough with her grades. Hillary and Bill moved to Arkansas where Bill was elected the state’s governor at the age of 32 and she became First Lady of Arkansas. Restless with the ceremonial role, Hillary became involved in the state’s education policy while juggling work at a law firm and giving birth to their only child, Chelsea. As her husband’s presidency drew to a close, Hillary was laying plans to run for Senate in New York. She won convincingly - despite being accused of political opportunism for having never lived in the state - and became the first First Lady ever elected to public office. She quickly became a serious player in the Senate, earning respect from both Democrats and Republicans and easily won a second term in 2006. Clinton has run for presidency in both the 2008 and 2016 elections.
Experiences = Clinton had been preparing for a potential candidacy for U.S. President since at least early 2003. On January 20th, 2007, she announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee for the United States presidential election of 2008, stating "I'm in and I'm in to win." No woman had ever been nominated by a major party for the presidency and no First Lady had ever run for President. In mid-November 2008, President-elect Obama and Clinton discussed the possibility of her serving as U.S. Secretary of State in his administration. On April 12, 2015, Clinton formally announced her candidacy for the presidency in the 2016 election but she lost the electoral college and the 2016 US presidential election to billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump, despite winning the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes.
Views and previous political standpoints = Hillary Clinton, the nominee of the Democratic Party for president of the United States in 2016, has taken positions on political issues while serving as First Lady of Arkansas (1979–81; 1983–92), First Lady of the United States (1993–2001); as U.S. Senator from New York (2001–2009); and serving as the United States Secretary of State (2009–2013). In 2015, she announced her candidacy for the presidency. Clinton won the Democratic primaries and formally became the party's nominee at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
Source = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton#2008_presidential_campaign
Donald Trump:
ReplyDeleteEducation = Trump grew up in the Jamaica Estates neighbourhood of Queens. He attended the Kew-Forest School from kindergarten through seventh grade. At age 13, he enrolled in the New York Military Academy, a private boarding school, after his parents discovered that he had made frequent trips into Manhattan without their permission. In August 1964, Trump entered Fordham University. After two years, he transferred to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, because it offered one of the few real-estate studies departments in United States academia at the time. He earned an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Background = Donald John Trump was born June 14, 1946 and grew up in the New York City borough of Queens. He has been married three times and has five children. Prior to being the 45th President of the United States, Trump was a businessman and television personality by running the American Apprentice.
Career = Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality. Trump followed in the footsteps of his grandmother Elizabeth and father Fred in running the family real estate company. He served as chairman and president of The Trump Organization from 1971 until January 2017. Trump also started several side ventures and branded various products with his name. He has written or co-written several books (including The Art of the Deal), and produced and hosted The Apprentice television series for 12 years. As of 2017, he was the 544th richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion.
Views and previous political standpoints = Trump had long expressed interest in politics. He entered the 2016 presidential race as a Republican and defeated sixteen opponents in the primaries. Commentators described his political positions as populist, protectionist, and nationalist. His campaign received extensive free media coverage; many of his public statements were controversial or false. Trump won the general election on November 8, 2016, in a surprise victory against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. He became the oldest and wealthiest person ever to assume the presidency, the first without prior military or government service, and the fifth to have won the election despite losing the popular vote. His election and policies have sparked numerous protests. As president, Trump's major domestic policy initiatives have included a failed attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, and a travel ban on citizens from six Muslim-majority countries, citing security concerns. In foreign policy, he withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Climate Agreement, undid parts of the Cuban Thaw, and ordered missile strikes in Syria in response to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack.
Experiences = In 1971, he became involved in large, profitable building projects in Manhattan. In 1980, he opened the Grand Hyatt, which made him the city's best-known developer. In 2004, Trump began starring in the hit NBC reality series The Apprentice, which also spawned the offshoot The Celebrity Apprentice. Trump turned his attention to politics, and in 2015 he announced his candidacy for president of the United States on the Republican ticket. After winning a majority of the primaries and caucuses, Trump became the official Republican candidate for president on July 19, 2016. That November, Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States, after defeating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Source = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
Trump was born in the New York City borough of Queens. He earned an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A third-generation businessman, Trump followed in the footsteps of his grandmother Elizabeth and father Fred in running the family real estate company. He served as chairman and president of The Trump Organization from 1971 until his inauguration as president in January 2017, when he delegated company management to his sons Donald Jr. and Eric. Trump's business career primarily focused on building or renovating office towers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses. Trump has also started multiple side ventures and branded various products with his name. He has written or co-authored several books, for example The Art of the Deal, and he produced and hosted The Apprentice television series for 12 years. As of 2017, he was the 544th richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion.
ReplyDeleteTrump had long expressed interest in politics. He entered the 2016 presidential race as a Republican and defeated sixteen opponents in the primaries. Commentators described his political positions as populist, protectionist, and nationalist. His campaign received extensive free media coverage; many of his public statements were controversial or false. Trump won the general election on November 8, 2016, in a surprise victory against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. He became the oldest and wealthiest person ever to assume the presidency, the first without prior military or government service, and the fifth to have won the election despite losing the popular vote. His election and policies have sparked numerous protests.
In domestic policy, Trump has sought, so far without success, to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He appointed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. He ordered a travel ban on citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, citing security concerns; the ban was partially implemented after legal challenges. In foreign policy, he withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Climate Agreement, and undid parts of the Cuban Thaw. After Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey, the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to continue the investigation into potential links between Russia and Trump campaign associates, and any related matters.
United States from 1993 to 2001, U.S. Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, and the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election.
ReplyDeleteBorn in Chicago, Illinois and raised in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, Clinton graduated from Wellesley College in 1969 and earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1973. After serving as a congressional legal counsel, she moved to Arkansas and married Bill Clinton in 1975. In 1977, she co-founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. She was appointed the first female chair of the Legal Services Corporation in 1978 and became the first female partner at Rose Law Firm the following year. As First Lady of Arkansas, she led a task force whose recommendations helped reform Arkansas's public schools.
As First Lady of the United States, Clinton was an advocate for gender equality and healthcare reform. Her marital relationship came under public scrutiny during the Lewinsky scandal, which led to her issuing a statement reaffirming her commitment to the marriage. In 2000, Clinton was elected as the first female Senator from New York. She was re-elected to the Senate in 2006. Running for president in 2008, she won far more delegates than any previous female candidate, but lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama.
As Secretary of State in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2013, Clinton responded to the Arab Spring, during which she advocated the U.S. military intervention in Libya. She helped organize a diplomatic isolation and international sanctions regime against Iran, in an effort to force curtailment of that country's nuclear program; this would eventually lead to the multinational Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement in 2015. Leaving office after Obama's first term, she wrote her fifth book and undertook speaking engagements.
Clinton made a second presidential run in 2016. She received the most votes and primary delegates in the 2016 Democratic primaries and formally accepted her party's nomination for President of the United States on July 28, 2016 with vice presidential running mate Senator Tim Kaine. She became the first female candidate to be nominated for president by a major U.S. political party. Despite winning a plurality of the national popular vote, Clinton lost the electoral vote and the presidency to her Republican opponent Donald Trump.[3] Following her loss, in 2017 she stated that she had decided to focus on being a self-described "activist citizen".
Hillary Clinton
ReplyDeleteHillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born on October 26th 1947 in Chicago, Illinois. She was raised in a United Methodist family within Chicago, having moved to the suburb of Park Ridge when she was young. Her Father, Hugh Rodham, ran a small yet successful textile business and was of English and Welsh descent. Her Mother, Dorothy Rodham (nee Howell) was a homemaker of Dutch, English Scottish, Welsh and French-Canadian descent. She has two younger brothers, Hugh and Tony.
Clinton graduated from Wellesley College in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts, with departmental honours in political science. Post-graduation, Rodham attended Yale Law School. This is where she met her future husband Bill Clinton, who was also a Yale student. By 1974, she was a member of the impeachment inquiry staff in Washington and advised the House Committee on the Judiciary during the Watergate scandal. She then faced a crossroad in her career path; Follow boyfriend Bill to Arkansas University, or stay in Washington, where a bright political future was destined for Rodham, who was only 28 at the time. She chose to “follow her heart over her head”, and went on to teach classes in Criminal Law in Arkansas. At the same time, Bill was running for a congressional race and lost. They subsequently moved to Fayeteville, where they married in October 1975.
After temporarily locating to Indianapolis to focus on serving as Indiana State Campaign Organizer for the Presidential Campaigner Jimmy Carter in 1976, Rodham became First Lady of Arkansas in 1979 after husband Bill was elected Mayor in November 1978. After leaving office for 2 years, Bill again became Governor after winning the 1982 election. This was when Hillary Rodham began to use the name Clinton. However, the two first became involved in national and international news when Bill ran for the 1992 Presidency. After several allegations were made against the legitimacy of the couple’s marriage, Hillary became the First Lady of the United States in January 1993.
After being the subject of many scandals across her time as First Lady, she was elected as the first female Senator for New York state in 2000. She then ran for her own Presidency in 2008, and despite gaining more delegates than any other female, she lost the Democratic position to Barack Obama, who went on to be President until 2016. Under the Obama administration she was US Secretary of State between 2009 and 2013, and responded to the Arab Spring by advocating military intervention in Libya, among other things.
Clinton made a second presidential run in 2016. She received the most votes and primary delegates in the 2016 Democratic primaries and formally accepted her party's nomination for President of the United States on July 28, 2016 with vice presidential running mate Senator Tim Kaine. She became the first female candidate to be nominated for president by a major U.S. political party. She lost the presidential election to Republican opponent Donald Trump in the Electoral College, despite winning a plurality of the popular vote. She received more than 65 million votes, the 3rd-highest count in a U.S. presidential election, behind Obama's victories in 2008 and 2012.
Donald Trump
ReplyDeleteDonald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in the New York City borough of Queens. He is the son of Frederick Christ Trump, a real estate developer, and Mary Anne MacLeod. Trump’s ancestors both hail from Europe; his Grandfather is German and his mother was a Scottish maid. Trump attended a military boarding school at age 13, before he received an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
After university, Trump worked on his father’s real estate business. His father was part of the business ever since his father (Donald’s Grandfather) passed away, leaving Frederick to help his mother. Trump joined and became President of the company in 1971, changing the name from E. Trump and Son to The Trump Organization. In 1973, he and his father drew wider attention when the Justice Department contended in a lawsuit that their company systematically discriminated against African Americans who wished to rent apartments. Under an agreement reached in 1975, the Trumps made no admission of wrongdoing and made the Urban League an intermediary for qualified minority applicants.
In 1978, not only did Trump launch his Manhattan Real Estate business by purchasing a 50 percent stake in the derelict Commodore Hotel, located next to Grand Central Terminal, but he also obtained the rights to develop Trump Tower, a 58-story, 664-foot-high skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan. The building was completed in 1983 and houses both the primary penthouse condominium residence of Trump and the headquarters of The Trump Organization. Trump later started various side ventures, including licensing his name for real estate and consumer products. He managed the company until his 2017 inauguration. He co-authored several books, including The Art of the Deal. He owned the Miss Universe and Miss USA beauty pageants from 1996 to 2015, and he produced and hosted the reality television show, The Apprentice, from 2003 to 2015. Forbes estimates his net worth to be $3.1 billion.
Trump entered the 2016 presidential race as a Republican and defeated sixteen opponents in the primaries. Commentators described his political positions as populist, protectionist, and nationalist. His campaign received extensive free media coverage; many of his public statements were controversial or false. Trump announced his candidacy for President of the United States at Trump Tower in Manhattan. In the speech, Trump discussed illegal immigration, offshoring of American jobs, the U.S. national debt, and Islamic terrorism, which all remained large priorities during the campaign. He also announced his campaign slogan: "Make America Great Again". Trump said his wealth would make him immune to pressure from campaign donors.
In the primaries, Trump stood among seventeen candidates vying for the 2016 Republican nomination; this was the largest presidential field in American history. Trump's campaign was initially not taken seriously by political analysts, but he quickly rose to the top of opinion polls. On Super Tuesday, Trump won the plurality of the vote, and he remained the front-runner throughout the remainder of the primaries. By March 2016, Trump became poised to win the Republican nomination, and won by a landslide win in Indiana on May 3, 2016.
Trump was elected president in a surprise victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. He became the oldest and wealthiest person ever to assume the presidency, the first without prior military or government service, and the fifth to have won the election while losing the popular vote. His election and policies have sparked numerous protests. Many of his comments and actions have been perceived as racially charged or racist.