Bush ( yale legacy article)
 

DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE MY VIEWS ON THE CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AND MY OWN ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE.. PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE MY COMMENTS FOR TRUTH OR INTERPRET THEM TO BE A REPRESENTATION OF ALL BLACK VOTERS.. CLEARLY STATED THIS MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION !! WHAT I REFERENCE I MY COMMENT BELOW IS A GREAT TEXT BY ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE.. ITS A GREAT READ AND REASONABLY PRICED.. ITS IS A BIT LENGTHY BUT VERY EDUCATIONAL...)

Presidential Elections - AP


3rd-Generation Yalie Bush Opposes Legacies

Sat Aug 7,11:01 AM ET

By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites), who followed his father and grandfather to Yale University despite an undistinguished academic record, said Friday that colleges should get rid of "legacy" admission preferences that favor the sons and daughters of alumni.


AP Photo



"I think it ought to be based on merit," Bush told a conference of minority journalists when he was pressed about his views on affirmative action. "And I think colleges need to work hard for diversity."


Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, and his grandfather, the late Sen. Prescott Bush, were awarded degrees at Yale, and his daughter, Barbara, graduated from Yale this year.


Colleges' admission processes have never been equal for everyone. Universities have been known — and criticized — for making special allowances for athletes and children of donors and alumni.


Asked directly if colleges should eliminate legacy preferences, Bush said, "Well, I think so, yes."


Most selective colleges and many public universities favor legacy applicants as a way to build family loyalty and boost fund raising. Colleges respond that legacies are often stronger applicants to begin with, and insist they largely consider legacy status only to break ties between well-qualified applicants.


A member of a politically influential family, Bush graduated from Yale in 1968 and didn't try to hide that he had enjoyed the party life in college and had taken — as he put it — the "academic road less traveled." Returning to Yale four months after moving into the White House, Bush said with a grin, "To the 'C' students, I say you, too, can be president of the United States."


"In my case I had to knock on a lot of doors to follow the old man's footsteps," Bush said Friday. Presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush was talking about how hard he had to work to follow his father into the White House.


Bush told the minority journalists that he opposed quota systems in college admissions but "I support colleges affirmatively taking action to get more minorities in their school."


But as for legacy admissions, Bush said there should not be "a special exception for certain people in a system that's supposed to be fair."


The Supreme Court ruled a year ago that race can be one of the factors that colleges use to pick their students, so long as it is not the only factor. The court held that universities cannot establish quotas for members of certain racial groups or put members of those groups on different admission tracks.




******************MY COMMENTS**********************

Hello all! I hope everyone is well. I have recently returned to GC.. my old name on here was babyjsc (old aol babyjsc1).. my new aol screen name is krevettagreen28.....look forward to reconnecting with people and meeting new members... now for the issue listed above.. i just thought it was an interesting article about Bush. Granted it is mudslinging season now that the presidential campaigns are kicking into high gear with the recent Democratic convention being held and now over and the upcoming Republican convention this fall.. Just wondering how well we are all paying attention to the current political ads. I believe a lot of people assume that the average black person is supportive of the Democratic party and will further endorse any presidential candidate the Democratic party nominates.. In my own personal opinion I am not impressed with either candidate but being forced to choose the BEST candidate in the upcoming election I would definitely have to support the Kerry nomination. I believe the democracy that we have upheld for years and years has been ran by “ tyranny of the majority”.. if you are unfamiliar with that concept you can type that in any search engine and find information on it…. It is a concept discussed in Tocqueville’s work entitled Democracy in America.. Unfortunately we are forced to vote on a party platform and do not have the luxury of voting on each individual issue.. I believe it is truly important to research every candidate regardless of what party is endorsing them.. The area we need to focus on is the candidate and their voting tendencies were in their current office.. I believe a lot of us are mislead by party affiliations when in truth A LOT of candidates in the political arena will “jump tickets” to find the easiest way to get endorsed even though they may not necessarily agree with the party that is endorsing them to gain the endorsement they temporarily put aside differences to accomplish their own personal agendas…. I know a lot of the campaign ads published now till November will be more on the level of “attacking each candidate” than challenging each candidate to debate the real issues at hand…. I hope everyone pays close attention and is going thru making mental notes about the pros/cons of each candidate and votes for the candidate that represents more closely on a platform basis what you consider important.. a lot of people assume that Kerry is getting all the black votes because traditionally Democrats have tended to be sympathetic to black voters and we in turn endorse their nominees at all levels of government (federal , state and city govern.) I for one am not really voting for Kerry , just AGAINST Bush…. One issue that is a major concern for me is the way that Democrats consciously address their white audiences differently than black audiences.. Their tone and attitude is a a bit more lackadaisical than with when they address white audiences.. The black fist was not appropriate at the convention in my opinion…. And the “Great White Guilt” line of BS was not at all appealing to me.. Making the comments that we have suffered too long and blah blah blah…. Really angered me to be polite.. Granted there are still some areas the needed to be dealt with more sternly in regards to race relations but the idea of continuing to give black people a crutch or continually compensate for years and years ago needs to stop.. There is a fine line between helping and hindering and they are very near to crossing it if they already hadn’t… I believe that yes some of the corrective measures the government has taken to be proactive toward race relations specifically with black people have been successful but a lot of politicians still debate whether or not those measures are constitutional or not…. I am not going go on about that but I truly believe that the reparations and progression of change within different settings making provisions for minorities are great and do not disadvantage one group over the other.. In a lot of areas the minority has been on an unlevel playing field for awhile and the provisions made to “bridge the gap so to speak” have not helped us surpass our competition but just makes us even and in the position to have the same opportunities now that have been available to others for years. ( when I say minority I am referring to the politically disadvantaged group affected.. I.e.- women, blacks, Hispanics,elderly.. What ever the minority is in respect to the issue being discussed )

Well I think I have said enough.. I hope this encourages everyone to consider very carefully who you vote for in your local elections because those are the representatives that are “speaking for you in the presidential election”…. don’t be misguided by party nominations…. Look at the candidate and their individual platforms..

Responses welcome.. Thanks for reading my post..
~kg~

I agree with you ,I am voting for Kerry because he in my mind seems to be the Best candidate morally, he is concerned about the average working man and women's problems in America-namely education, employment, and healthcare. I am tired of Republicans playing political football with education, that is the first area that is cut when trying to balance the budget-which affects poor African American Children and job losses for Teachers who can ill afford this- seeing as we don't make much money to begin with as others in various professions. For two years, there has been no hiring of Teachers in my city whereas I had to resort to other schools which don't pay much, now those schools are in danger of being shut down and audited-which results in the disenfranchisement of poor Black Children their Parents and Teachers-we are not inanimate objects that are being dealt with by the powers that be -namely Republicans, we are real human beings who are affected by those who are supposedly in leadership. I want a caring, compassionate leader which I feel that Kerry is- Go to JOHNKERRY.COM! IF YOU WANT CHANGE IN AMERICA, I KNOW I DO! I'M TIRED OF PEOPLE PLAYING WITH MY LIVELIHOOD!

The first debate will be held Sept. 30 at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla; A town hall-style meeting will be the format for the second debate, which will be held Oct. 8 at Washington University in St. Louis; Foreign policy will be the focus of the third and final debate, scheduled for Oct. 13 at Arizona State University in Tempe.

ETA:A single vice presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland is planned for Oct. 5

Was there a topic for the first two debates?

Cool. Hopefully, I can attend the debate.

Unless you are hooked up through either the D or R party, I doubt it, but I wish you well in your pursuit of a ticket.

Heck...are any of these debates going to be televised? It would be good to see good ol' Dubya answer some questions... It would be better if the questions were asked point blank.

Thanks for the dates. Everytime the president comes to the STL they shut the whole downtown area down. He has family here so he might visit them. So I know where not to be for a few days. I will try to watch them, but everytime I hear Bush speak, I fill like pulling out each individual hair out my head with tweezers, he can butcher up the english language.

Flush the Johns, November 5, 2004

ttt

Thursday!

I hope that Kerry can turn things around with these debates. I don't think that he's a particularly strong candidate but Bush has to go. This is a very sad political time right now.:(

I think Kerry will do better in the debates than Bush..cause he's a better politician...so that may sway some of the undecided voters...but i think most voters have made their minds up.

Hopefully the Kerry supporters will get to see some consistency from their candidate.

Regardless of who wins..I hope we don't see another attack on the US like Sept. 11. :(

FYI...If you're going to register to vote and haven't yet done so, you best get to it. Many states are soon closing registration.

Ohio registration closes October 4.

As for the debates, they are heavily-scripted enterprises. Hopefully, there will be an unexpected question, or some other "magic" unforseen moment something that forces these guys to truly show what they know.

i'm watching Oprah and she's talking about voting. many of the women in audience had never voted or hadn't voted in years. the apathy was so appalling, i applaud Oprah for not going off on these folks. a Black woman stated that it wouldn't bother her if Blacks lost the right to vote, her speaking as a seriously disinterested non-voter. Oprah's restraint was visible, you could tell she wanted to REALLY talk to her.
the thing that kills me is that these are the main ones complaining about what's wrong w/this country:rolleyes:


wendi
16-yr. registered and active voter and proud of it:D

Wow is all I can say for the black woman who wouldn't care if we lost the right to vote.

Go 'head on, Ms. 16 years! just do the thang!! :p

My chapter bruhs and I will likely go door-to-door in the days leading up to Nov. 2, urging folks to get up off they "dusty" and go vote.

I've heard both Bush and Kerry speak when they visited locally in the past few months. Neither of them have been impressive or made any true commitments in the speeches I heard. So, I'm really hoping that the debates will bring about some candid questions and honest responses.

TonyB06, that's great what you all are doing up in the Land of Cleves:) i'll miss the debate live (i'll be at step practice) so
i'll have to catch the tape and call the folks for details. i'll be checking this page to get comments from the peanut gallery:D

So will the debates be televised?

HAYLE YESSSSSSS!
LOL

Just pick a channel....ANY channel. 90 minutes! LOL

ETA this email I was sent a few minutes ago: (strictly fyi)

Tonight, don't let George Bush's henchmen steal another victory. We need your online help immediately after the debate, so save this email, print it out, and have it ready with you as you watch the first Presidential debate tonight.

We all know what happened in 2000. Al Gore won the first debate on the issues, but Republicans stole the post-debate spin. We are not going to let that happen again, and you will play a big role.

Immediately after the debate, we need you to do three things: vote in online polls, write a letter to the editor, and call in to talk radio programs. Your 10 minutes of activism following the debate can make the difference.

Vote
National and local news organizations will be conducting online polls during and after the debate asking for readers' opinions. Look for online polls at these national news websites, and make sure to vote in every one of them:

ABC News: http://www.abcnews.com/
CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/
Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/
MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/
USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/
And be sure to check the websites of your local newspapers and TV stations for online polls. It is crucial that you do this in the minutes immediately following the debate.

Write
Immediately after the debate, go online and write a letter to the editor of your local paper. If you feel John Kerry commanded the debate and had a clear plan for fixing the mess in Iraq, put it in your letter. If you feel George Bush dodged tough questions on Iraq and didn't level with voters, put it in your letter.

With just a few clicks, you can write your letter at our online media center:

http://www.democrats.org/media/

Call
Do you listen to national or local call-in shows on the radio? How about on TV? Call them and let them know what you thought of John Kerry's plan to keep America secure and George Bush's continuing refusal to admit the truth about his record.

Here are some national shows to get you started. (All times are Eastern.)

Air America (all day): 646-274-2346
Alan Colmes (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.): 212-301-5900
Ed Shultz (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.): 701-232-1525
Bev Smith (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 412-325-4197
Doug Stephen (5 a.m. 10 a.m.): 1-800-510-8255
Find shows in your area on our media website:

http://www.democrats.org/media/find.html

Your actions immediately after the debate tonight can help John Kerry win on November 2. Make your voice heard!

Don't forget to visit our 2004 Debate Center before, during, and after the debate for important information, including questions Bush must answer, a Bush/Kerry contrast on keeping America safe, and Bush Debate Bingo, a game you can play with friends during the debate.

http://www.democrats.org/debates/

It will be interesting to see how Bush will do without speechwriters.

ETA: I find it hilarious that the most powerful man in the free world can't stop stuttering and saying uhhhh. I feel so safe now...with such a strong leader and all. :rolleyes:

When they do the split screen when Kerry is talking..please notice Bush facial expressions...they are cracking me up!!! But enough of the war can we please move on to domestic issues???

So far Kerry is looking good in the debate

Man this Debate is SO good!!!!!
 

Oh My GOD,......BUSH IS GETTING HIS *fill in the blank* KICKED

Yes, I agree with you, have I noticed the facial expressions of Bush when Kerry is talking.....Man, I was getting kind of Worried before this debate because I really thought Bush was going to LAY into Kerry. BOY WAS I WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kerry will DEF win this DEBATE, NO doubt about it

yeah, I think Kerry got him on this one. Even the commentators on Fox gave him a thumbs up.

DUMBYA's body language said soooooooo much last night. I thought he was going to go over there to kick Kerry's you know what.

I bet Dubya's camp will coach him on what not to do as it relates to his body language.

He was too defensive. I guess the only thing he will continue to say throughout this campaign is that Kerry flip flops...OKAY IT'S BEEN SAID...MOVE ON! :p

Did anyone else note that Kerry appeared to be taking notes or something (my bestfriend and I were watching it and I said he was playing tic tac toe and just won, at one point)?? Bush seemed to be flustered. It was my opinion that Bush seemed to be spouting rhetoric but couldnt back up why he was saying it, hence the defensive gestures..

Yeah Bush's facial expressions were priceless. My favorite quote from Bush was...."You know my thoughts on N. Korea!" He didn't even bother to go into detail on that issue, lol. Kerry was strong, but he sounded a little bit too rehearsed, especially towards the end.

Kerry stomped a mud through Bush! LOL!

My huz and I were all ghetto and loud talkin' bout "Get em' Kerry!"
Our neighbors probably thought that we were watching boxing.

Bush looked completely lost and caught off guard and then angry. Almost like he wasn't expecting Kerry to come at him like that. He should have came prepared for a battle not a game of tiddly winks.

Not tiddly winks. rotflol!! But Bush was not prepared. Kerry really did have him on the ropes for the entire debate.

according to BlackAmericaweb.com, Kerry receive a lot of help from Blacks. a team comprised of Vernon Jordan, Black speechwriters, etc. got him ready for last night's debate. based on the reviews, they'll be w/him and probably Edwards for the upcoming debates.
if anyone is going to the Circle City Classic in Indy, i'll be the AKA sportin' the Kerry/Edwards "t" proudly:D

I nearly fell out of my seat when Kerry Quoted "ole man Bush" from his book as to why he only had troops going so far in Iraq years ago. :o

Co-Sign. Kerry was well prepared.

Black Leaders for Bush
 

Newsmax is about as credible as FoxNews, but this story is interesting:

Top Black Leaders: Why We Back Bush

Top black leaders have taken to the pages of the Wall Street Journal to support the re-election of President Bush.

Writing in the Journal, former congressman J.C. Watts, Maryland's Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, Ohio's Lt. Gov. Jennette Bradley, Ohio's Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, and Michael Williams, a Texas Railroad Commissioner, explained why their fellow blacks need to throw their support to the president.

I think this has been discussed before, but it begs the question: what exactly is a black leader, and how does one become one? I have nothing against these individuals personally, and I don't even begrudge them their political leanings, but I'd still like to know how they became "leaders".

As reported on Russ Parr this a.m.:

BET News has extended a 30-minute interview opportunity to both John Kerry and George Bush with BET's Ed Gordon. Kerry has accepted and his interview will air at Thursday Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. (EST) and will re-air Friday night after BET news.

As of the report this morning Bush had not decided.

Say what bruh??? I thought Bush would be the first to decide:D

Bruh, I just report the news. You decide....:cool:

Ed Gordon aint no joke. Bush knows that, hence his non committment to an interview.....

yep. probably the same reason why Kerry won't agree to go on the OReilly factor..which reaches many more Americans than Ed Gordon's show. Actually O'Reilly is rated number one in his time slot. Like him or not..he has a lot of influence.

Fox News Channel admits reporter posted fake story about Kerry

Sun Oct 3, 5:06 PM ET U.S. National - AFP



WASHINGTON (AFP) - An official at Fox News Channel said that one of its political reporters has been disciplined for posting a fake news item on its website about Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry


Read the rest here.

Black Pastors Backing Bush Are Rare, but Not Alone
 

(from the NYTimes)

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK


Like many African-Americans, the Rev. Walter Humphrey, pastor of two mostly black churches in Akron, Ohio, and Oakland, Calif., has serious doubts about how fairly President Bush won the contested state of Florida in the last election. But Mr. Humphrey says that is not going to stop him from voting for Mr. Bush this year for the first time.

"I don't view that as an election that was stolen," he said. "I see that as the providence of God." ("Wha? The wha-wha?" - SisMad)

A registered independent who has now become a volunteer for the Bush campaign in Florida, Mr. Humphrey said the president's outspoken Christian faith, his support for church-based social programs and his opposition to same-sex marriage won him over. "As far as I am concerned, I see the hand of God on President Bush," he said.

As an African-American pastor supporting Mr. Bush, Mr. Humphrey may be an anomaly. But he is not alone.

Mr. Humphrey and about 20 other black pastors held a news conference in Oakland in August to endorse Mr. Bush. Later this month, he and others said, the campaign has arranged a meeting in Toledo, Ohio, of more than 150 black clergy members who support his re-election.

In a departure from typical Republican presidential campaigns, the Bush campaign is making a serious push for the allegiance of African-American clergy, while the Democrats are fighting back to motivate them to get their parishioners to the polls.

---

Read the rest here . (Requires NYTimes login)

Why did my Honors class today actually have a tude that I assigned them to watch the debate and write only a 3/4 page summary of the debate and I qoute "Aw miss 90 minutes come on, does it have commercials?"