2008 Woodie Awards
Race, religion, and gender shouldn't be considered for presidential candidacy
Point
Sam Gomez
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Opinion
The current presidential election is shaping up to be one of the most interesting on the part of both the Democrats and Republicans.
For the first time ever, the two front-runners for the Democratic Party are a black man and a woman. Also on the Republican side, the candidates are diverse along other lines. For example, Mitt Romney is a member of the Latter Day Saints Church, commonly referred to as the Church of Mormon.
The controversy surrounding the diversity of the candidates has been hyped by the media to almost explosive levels as Americans are forced to examine their democratic values as never before.
Ideas about race, gender, and religion in the upcoming election have been tossed around by media in order to spark conflict and controversy. After all, people love conflict, and drama means more papers will be sold and ratings will be higher. Statements like "he is sure to secure the black vote" or "women really came through to support her" are made without acknowledging the absurdity of these claims.
In either instance, basing election projections or explanations on the supposition that black voters will vote for the black man or women will vote for the woman is an oversimplification of the democratic process.
In our current bi-partisan system presidential candidates secure support through careful planning and strategy. They are supposed to base their campaign on a platform of ideals that, if shared by enough individuals or groups, will secure for them the funding necessary to campaign.
A combination of media attention, campaign commercials, public appearances, and debates will hopefully influence the general public enough to convince them that a certain candidate will fulfill their promises and make positive changes for the country. However, this is the ideal and too often is not lived up to by candidates from either party.
All too often candidates resort to mud slinging: various attempts to "dirty-up," or discredit their opponent based on things other than the political track record. The attacks began early this year, and media figures jump on any issue that people might find offensive or unfair and attempt to make it central to the issues at hand.
For the first time ever, the two front-runners for the Democratic Party are a black man and a woman. Also on the Republican side, the candidates are diverse along other lines. For example, Mitt Romney is a member of the Latter Day Saints Church, commonly referred to as the Church of Mormon.
The controversy surrounding the diversity of the candidates has been hyped by the media to almost explosive levels as Americans are forced to examine their democratic values as never before.
Ideas about race, gender, and religion in the upcoming election have been tossed around by media in order to spark conflict and controversy. After all, people love conflict, and drama means more papers will be sold and ratings will be higher. Statements like "he is sure to secure the black vote" or "women really came through to support her" are made without acknowledging the absurdity of these claims.
In either instance, basing election projections or explanations on the supposition that black voters will vote for the black man or women will vote for the woman is an oversimplification of the democratic process.
In our current bi-partisan system presidential candidates secure support through careful planning and strategy. They are supposed to base their campaign on a platform of ideals that, if shared by enough individuals or groups, will secure for them the funding necessary to campaign.
A combination of media attention, campaign commercials, public appearances, and debates will hopefully influence the general public enough to convince them that a certain candidate will fulfill their promises and make positive changes for the country. However, this is the ideal and too often is not lived up to by candidates from either party.
All too often candidates resort to mud slinging: various attempts to "dirty-up," or discredit their opponent based on things other than the political track record. The attacks began early this year, and media figures jump on any issue that people might find offensive or unfair and attempt to make it central to the issues at hand.
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