The Little Guy’s Big Day

One of the biggest events happening in our country right now is the 2012 presidential election. Candidates are coming to a close in their campaigns and it is almost time for the people to share their opinions officially to elect the next president of the United States. I have learned a lot about this process over the year, and the policies the candidates choose to shape their image. Our unit on elections helped me, as a new voter, understand what goes into the process of an election and how everything works behind the scenes. From the Electoral College to campaign commercials, our Government class has given me a better understanding of the everyday life of a politician. It also goes the other way as well. The events occurring in the presidential race have helped me understand a more realistic version of our studies in class.

I have not necessarily formed opinions on any subjects based on discussions in our class, but I have maintained a greater understanding of where the candidates lie on their policies. Activities such as the debates have given me insight to certain events that take place like the Iowa Caucuses. I never knew that one event could have so much influence on a campaign until I researched and learned that, according to ABC News, the Caucus has a 50% success rate on predicting the winner of the election. This is a pretty substantial number considering all of the other primaries and caucuses. I also find it very interesting that the Caucuses can give people publicity that they may not have had before because they lack the money that it requires to make themselves known. Some candidates like Rick Santorum have to find other methods to win over votes. He visited all 99 counties in Iowa to win over votes in the Caucuses to make up for the lack of money invested in his campaign. It was argued in class that the Caucus did not represent the entire American population very well. Because it is a dominantly white state, it is debated on whether or not they can actually predict how the American people would vote. I find it interesting that so much power is placed in one caucus, yet they still do a good job year-to-year of predicting candidates for the GOP and eventually Presidents.

Another debate I learned from was regarding Mitt Romney as a candidate and his conflict of choice of policy, for an example his sudden change in views on abortion. Debating whether Romney was the right candidate to defeat Obama helped me understand both sides of the argument and get a feel for how my views might relate to one of the candidates views come November. I gained insight to policies of candidates for the November elections, and now have a starting ground to make my choice for President of the United States this year. We also recently learned about the loopholes in Congress and the convoluted way bills are reviewed. I would never have known about this had we not studied it. There are much deeper levels to the process involving Committees that most ordinary citizens are not aware of because Congress does not advertise it. There should be an easier way to understand what goes on in Congress without having to research and decipher vague descriptions of duties performed by the members because it is a citizens right to know what is happening in the government. One would think that it was as simple as a signature to approve a bill and would never expect many to go unread or ignored. My hope is that one day, Congress will realize that it’s corruption cannot continue and will make themselves more understandable by the general public.

Overall, our government class has prepared me well for the election this year, and has made me a more responsible citizen with more knowledge about the events that occur during the most important day in our country every four years. I will now be a more responsible voter and know that it takes more research than just hearing the common news to form an opinion about a subject.