Minority Demographics helped Obama win the 2012 Presidential Election

Many Americans watched the poll numbers fluctuate on their TV as they sat on the edge of their seats on November 6, 2012. The wait finally came to an end. The anxiety and anxiousness of Americans ended when it was announced that President Obama had won the 2012 Presidential Election once again. Some people sat in front of their TV outraged, confused, and discouraged. Obama won the Presidential Election by 3,355,090 votes. His victory was largely attributed to his reaching out to minority groups and supporting women’s rights.

According to the census of 2011, Latinos made up 16.8 percent of the U.S population. In 2008, 18,067 Latinos were registered voters. This number increased to 120,547 by the 2012 Presidential Election. As a result,10 percent of voters in the 2012 Presidential Election were Latino. According to The New York Times exit polls, 71 percent of registered Latino voters said that they voted for Obama. His success in the Latino community may not have been the same had he not passed the modified DREAM Act, which allows illegal immigrant students in the U.S. to remain in the states with certain requirements, without going through the normal process of acquiring citizenship.

Photo courtesy of businessinsider.co

Another huge minority supporter of Obama were African-Americans. African-Americans made up 13.1 percent of the population, according to the census of 2011. 13 percent of voters in the 2012 Presidential Election were African-American. 93 percent indicated that they voted for Obama. A significant number of African-American voters supported Obama, more than they had for past democrats in previous Presidential Elections. African-American voters may have supported Obama in large numbers because of Obama’s skin color, and not necessarily because of his character and policies.

According to Gallup’s polls from October 8 – 28, 52 percent of female voters said that they intended to vote for Obama.Obama’s huge support to Planned Parenthood, an organization that offers many services that cater to women such as abortions, breast cancer screenings, and birth control, may have contributed to his winning of so many women’s votes. Romney, however, stated on several occasions that he would stop the funding of Planned Parenthood with taxpayer dollars and said that he would not force employers to offer birth control coverage; this may not have sat well with majority of women voters. Another factor in Obama's increase of women voters may have been due to his signing of the  Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which is an act that strives for equality for women in the workplace. Obama's success with his ability to appeal to women voters was another major component in winning the election.

As the demographics of America change, the directions of American politics change as well. Without the support of these minorities and a significant amount of women’s votes, Obama may not have been as successful. The Republican Party will need to come up with a new strategy that caters to the new face of America, in order to get the majority of votes and win another Presidential Election.

Sources:

"Gender Gap in 2012 Election Aided Obama Win." Huffington Post. N.p., 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/gender-gap-2012-election-obama_n_2086004.html>.

Miranda, Luis. "Get The Facts On The DREAM Act." The White House. N.p., 1 Dec. 2010. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/01/get-facts-dream-act>.

Morris, Dick. "Dick Morris: Why I Was Wrong About the 2012 Election." Fox News. N.p., 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <nation.foxnews.com/2012-presidential-race/2012/11/07/dick-morris-why-i-was-wrong-about-2012-election>.

"President Exit Polls - Election 2012 ." The New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/results/president/exit-polls>.

"President Results - Election 2012 ." The New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/results/president/big-board>.

Slack, Megan. "From the Archives: President Obama Signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act ." The White House. N.p., 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/30/archives-president-obama-signs-lilly-ledbetter-fair-pay-act>.

St. George, Donna . "Latino voter registration up in Las Vegas." Washington Post. N.p., 5 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2012/11/05/latino-voter-registration-up-in-las-vegas/>.

"State & County QuickFacts." United States Census Bureau . N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html>.

"U.S. Presidential Election Center." Gallup. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/154559/us-presidential-election-center.aspx>.

 

Freedom of Speech Dissipating

Photo Credit: crowdleaks.org

Freedom of speech is discussed in the first amendment, which states:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

America is beginning to forget the power that free speech holds. As an American citizen, free speech is having a right to speak without censorship or restraint by the government. Recently, this right has been challenged.

For instance, in 2011, New Orleans passed a law that states that after dark you cannot broadcast or preach your religious or political views on Bourbon Street. Recently, a preacher was arrested along with his ministers for street preaching on Bourbon Street. The Family Research center located in Washington, D.C has become labeled as a hate group because it supports the traditional family. They are being put into the same category as the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations, Skinheads, and the League of the South. Another example is when the U.S embassy in Cairo was attacked, supposedly based on the grounds of a YouTube video made in the United States, which ridiculed the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Our government responded by apologizing for offending Muslims. The United States embassy stated:

“We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.”

This quote stated above is the issue. How do you abuse freedom of speech? You’re either free to speak or you’re not. As an American, we shouldn’t have to worry about going out to preach our religious beliefs and then going to jail. We shouldn’t have to worry about being listed as a hate group just because you have certain beliefs. As an American we shouldn’t apologize for having the right of freedom of speech.

I think we, as the American people, should stand up for our freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is one of the things that make America so unique from other countries. The Supreme Court has defined freedom of speech as:

"’the matrix, the indispensable condition of nearly every other form of freedom.’ Without it, other fundamental rights, like the right to vote, would wither and die.”

Sources:

"First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution | American Library Association." American Library Association. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/firstamendment/firstamendment>.

"Free Speech - Recent Court Cases, Issues and Articles | American Civil Liberties Union." American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.aclu.org/free-speech>.

Goodman, Alana. "Obama’s Apology Tour Continues at UN « Commentary Magazine." Commentary Magazine.25 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/09/25/obamas-apology-tour-continues-at-un/>.

"Hate Map | Southern Poverty Law Center." Southern Poverty Law Center. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map#s=DC>.

Athlete First...Student Second

When the athletes come in, all heads turn. I wish I had enough athletic talent to get a scholarship for any school. I wouldn’t have to pay for a thing, but that is a distant dream. I’m just a student who only has their grades to get them anywhere and nothing else…but I still have a good chance of getting a full ride right? Maybe not because more money continues to go into athletic scholarship funding instead of towards academic scholarships.

“The National College Players Association found that Division I athletes on a full scholarship in 2009 were left with an average shortfall of $2,951/year from their scholarship. Scholarships cover tuition, room and board, and books and supplies, but athletes are left to cover expenses such as food, clothing, and transportation.”

Forget the students who don’t play sports. Some students pay half of their tuition plus room and board, books, supplies, food, transportation, and clothing. The Division I board of directors are allowing schools to disperse an additional $2,000 in athletic scholarships to make up for this “shortfall.”  

Athletes who graduate in the year 2015 are now required to have a GPA of 2.3, instead of a 2.0 GPA. The students, who actually have applied themselves throughout high school and have grades to prove it, are put on the back burner for scholarships. Of the 2009-2010 rising freshmen athletes, 43.1 percent of men basketball players, 35.2 percent of football players, and 15.3 percent of all student athletes, would not have met this requirement.

It is a sad thing when a student with a 2.4 GPA is awarded more scholarship funds than a student with a 3.0 GPA. The purpose of college is to continue your education. Colleges have lost their focus offering full rides for athletes, especially for those who do not have an academic drive for success.


Sources:

North Carolina A&T. Digital image. Ncataggies.com. North Caorlina A & T, 04 Apr. 2010. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.ncataggies.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=24500>.

O'Neil, Dana. "NCAA increases minimum eligibility standards for Division I student-athletes - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. N.p., 6 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8236949/ncaa-increases-minimum-eligibility-standards-division-student-athletes>.

Toporek, Bryan. "NCAA Raises Minimum GPA for Incoming Student-Athletes - Schooled in Sports - Education Week." Education Week: Blogs. N.p., 27 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2012. <http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/schooled_in_sports/2011/10/ncaa_raises_minimum_gpa_for_incoming_student-athletes.html>.

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