Baby-Boomer Generation NOT Millennial Generation

November 8^th-The day Republican Candidate Donald Trump and Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton have been campaigning for for over a year and a half…and the fight is almost OVER!

Cast a Vote-It is Election Day in America! I hope every eligible voter has cast their vote, as it is one of our only chances as citizens to use our voice in our country’s great democracy. As this Election Day is coming to a close, it is still a tight election, as there are many unknown outcomes in swing states. Swing states, especially Florida, and its 29 Electoral College votes, are crucial to both candidate’s race to 270 Electoral College votes.

Not What Candidates Had in Mind-Millennials have been to blame for this crazy election. It has been a huge push for millennials to get out and vote, but because millennial voters cannot relate to either candidate…they have swung the election and voted for third party candidates instead. THIS was not what Trump and Hillary wanted after their long campaigning with millennial voters.

Millennials Vote for Third-Party Candidates-This article discusses how millennials are to blame for the incredibly close poll numbers in states like Florida. Instead of hoping for the millennial’s votes, the baby-boomer generation has become the new focus in many swing states, like Florida. Millennials result for the majority of the third party candidate’s votes, in fact according to the article they make up over twenty-six percent of Johnson’s votes and ten percent of Stein’s votes in Florida. The article continues to state that more than one in five political independents say they will vote for one of the third-party candidates and are opposition to either major party candidate.

Baby-Boomers are to Blame for Close Election-The article points to the importance, that though millennial generation makes up a great portion of voters in the United States, the baby –boomer generation is more to blame for the incredibly close election. Because millennials have not shown support to either major party candidate, the baby-boomers support for Trump has kept him in the close race. The article continues their description of the issue in this graph, “Looking at the graph below, I see only one generation so selfish and entitled that they’d disappoint their parents, children, and grandchildren—and it isn’t millennials.”

Hillary Would Lead-If third party candidates were eliminated from the election, Hillary Clinton would clearly be in the lead. Due to millennials not voting for either Trump nor Clinton, and instead for third party candidates, voters have taken votes away from the leading majority candidates resulting in a sudden death election.

Baby-Boomers for Trump-The article states that “He (Trump) really begins to pull away from Clinton with voters 65 and over and maximizes his support with voters in their mid-seventies, only to collapse again into a deficit with 90-plus voters.” In this election, Trump has gotten the majority of his votes from the baby –boomer generation. So, the baby-boomers, not the millennial voters. So instead of blaming millennials, the baby-boomers are to blame for the incredibly, nail biting-close election.

Trump and Clinton Both Baby-Boomers-Both Trump and Clinton represent the epitome of the baby-boomer generation. Both are a part of the baby-boomer generation. It is the baby boomer generation, not the millennial generation, which has been ever so popular among the Republican Party, and that is exactly where Trump’s votes are pouring in from. Ever since the creation of the Republican Party, it has thrived with the (Caucasian) baby-boomer generation.

Retire in Florida-As for the close election call in states like Florida, baby boomer generations want to blame Trump and the millennials for the close polling numbers, but in fact, due to the apparent and supposed (apparently Florida is home to retirees!) high number of baby boomers in Florida, they have caused the closest election in years.

Candidate’s Routes to White House-Trump is running out of options…he needs Florida and other crucial swing states to get his 270 Electoral College votes. Hillary has many more routes to the 270 voters, but needs to continue getting support and votes from the entire nation. If everything continues on path, by tonight Hillary Clinton will make history as the first female President in the United States.

Did it even really matter?

As the “election” comes to an end tonight, millions of votes will be cast and the fate of America will be determined, the topic of Trump the businessman seems no where to be found. The rhetoric that has been flooding news and media outlets at the close of the election surrounds topics regarding sexism, email scandals, and immigration. It has been quite some time since a news story was picked up about
Trump University or his business savvy helping him avoid taxes. So, how helpful was the business background for Trump?

It made him who he is

For challengers choosing to run for president, they are not given the advantages that incumbents naturally possess with regards to how well the public knows them. Because of this, the surfacing stage of presidential campaigns is inherently important. Often times, the surfacing stage allows the public to get to know a politician, who they are, what they stand for, and why they should pay attention. For Donald Trump, the surfacing stage took on a whole new meaning.

His business background and television history had made him a household name before his political chapter began. This allowed much of the surfacing stage to be self-accomplished already. One main aspect of the surfacing stage that was fueled by his business background is developing expectations about a candidate’s style and determining main issues. As it was all much of the public knew about
Donald Trump, his business success and knowledge in the field defined his surfacing stage. Much of the discussion both before and during the primaries was his ability to provide an outside of politics view into the future of America. Many of his initial supporters foresaw successful business to be the key to fix the nation’s economy.

Did it matter?

By the end of any election, certain characteristics of candidates are often forgetten, looked over, and deemed insignificant or important in light of other issues. This can be said about Donald Trump being a business tycoon. It has not been forgotten, but it simply stands as a basis for his initial ride into politics and garnering support from the very beginning. It was not the only reason, but it most certainly gave him. Does it help now? That will be decided by the voters at the end of this historic election day.

Has Trump really lost the female vote?

Throughout this election the media has used all of Trump’s demeaning rhetoric to shape his narrative. However, over the past few days Trump has engaged in silence to prevent further upset with potential female voters.

Silence is Golden

Since his “nasty women” comment, Trump has made a large effort to transform his rhetoric from denial to what he considers to be the real issues. By the end of October Trump adopted the strategy to ignore the allegations and focus on the issues he knows best such as jobs and the economy. Initially I felt that this was a poor strategy and felt that a large majority of America wouldn’t see this as a campaign strategy, but rather a “dismissive attitude towards the concerns of women” (Adamczyk). I personally feel that this is just a diversion tactic to take the focus off of Trump and his demeaning rhetoric used towards women. However, the longer I thought, I began to realize that this was a smart strategy for Trump because he doesn’t do well when he goes off script.

Is there proof?

According to an article published by The Daily Caller News Foundation on November 7th, Trump has made a rather large gain in the polls with female voters (Stucky). In fact the author claims that Trump now has a two point lead over Clinton which is primarily due to his “increasing support from women voters.” According to Investor’s Business Daily IBD tracking poll sh poll5-gender-110116-640x360 ows that Trump’s crude language and actions involving women appear to not have hurt his standing against Clinton. The poll shows that 39% of women have announced their support for Trump, which is the same percentage of su
pport Mitt Romney received in 2012 from women voters.

However, there are still many polls that predict that Trump has in fact lost the educated women vote (Purcell). Nonetheless, the real question of whether or not Trump has greatly lost the female vote will ultimately be seen in the election results.

Now we wait…

At this point it can swing either way. However, I personally believe that the media have used all of Trump’s demeaning comments to shape his narrative. Rhetoric is called into being by the situation and Trumps previous actions have ultimately allowed for this negative narrative to be created. The public often chooses from a small set of stories and this is perfectly seen by how America simply sees Trump as a womanizer. The media and the voters have chosen to remember all the demeaning rhetoric Trump has engaged in. Over the course of this election the media has rightfully persuaded the American women that Trump is a man unworthy of presidency, which I believe will be seen in the election results

Clinton’s “King”pin Surrogate

The Democratic party nominated Hillary Clinton to hopefully inherit the presidency from the Barack Obama. While Obama had little trouble galvanizing the African-American vote, Clinton has struggled to do the same, especially in the battle-ground state, Ohio. In order to change this, Clinton invited Lebron James to campaign for her at her rally in Cleveland, Ohio. Lebron James accepted the invitation and employed the rhetoric of ethos and martyria on Clinton’s behalf.

Ethos

Lebron James grew up in Akron, Ohio. He was raised by a single mother in an inner city neighborhood. James acknowledged this and the odds against him in his NBA Finals Speech in 2013, “I’m LeBron James. From Akron, Ohio. From the inner city. I am not even supposed to be here.” Yet, James beat the odds, embraced basketball, and is now one of the best basketball players in the National Basketball Association. In 2016, James led the Cavaliers to Cleveland’s first NBA title, immediately becoming the hometown hero. James did not forget his humble beginning though. James even made his own foundation with the goal of helping children in Ohio who came from backgrounds similar to his. Essentially, James provided hope and help for the people of Ohio on the court and off the court. This in turn served to build up his ethos among Ohioans.

Martryia

Clinton’s recent message to African-American voters is to vote. James’ seized the opportunity at the rally to further this message through the use of martyria. In rhetoric, martyria is confirming something based on their personal experience. James declared, “The number one main reason I’m here is because of Hillary and what she believes in. I want people to understand now I grew up in the inner city. And I know the whole notion of getting out and voting. And I was one of those kids, and I was around a community, that was like, our vote doesn’t matter. But it really does. It really, really does. We have to get out and make sure we vote.” In his message, James referred to his past experience and his past belief that his vote did not matter. He used his ethos and martyria to acknowledge the audience’s belief and relate to them. James then took it a step farther to confirm that their votes matter and inspire people to vote. Through these two rhetorical devices, Lebron James successfully encouraged Ohioans to vote, just like Clinton hoped.

Glooming Uncertainty With Upcoming Election Results

Election Results on the Horizon

The long awaited day is finally here, it is Election Day. The most exciting day of the year for all politicians. Tonight we find out who will be our President for the next four years.
Will our society go to turmoil if the unlikely candidate wins? No. We will be just fine with Trump or Clinton winning the candidacy. Although, our country will experience some major changes with either new candidate.
A closer look at Hillary’s views for the vacant Supreme Court seat are weighing heavy on many voters’ minds when they are deciding who to vote for today.

Clinton Recap- What Really Matters?

If Hillary Clinton was able to win the election tonight, “She would be the first president coming into office not having control of both chambers since Grover Cleveland in 1893,” according to NBC News.
Clinton also could enter office with the distrust of many Americans due to her email controversy and FBI investigation into this.
Clinton has explained her Supreme Court views during the last Presidential debate, she was quoted saying that, “She wants a justice who would defend women’s rights, back LGBT rights…wanted a court who would stand on the side of the people,” according to CNBC.
- The rhetoric that Clinton uses here is a strategy of identification with voters who she is trying to appeal to in the last couple weeks of the election. By using her ethos to appeal to voters saying that she will appoint someone who is “on their side” this creates a connection between her, the justice, and voters.
- She is trying to appeal to them by appointing someone that will uphold their views and wants. This is appealing to people because it makes Hillary seem relatable to them and people like to support people that they think are most like them.
- If voters believe Clinton’s tactic, voters who want women’s rights, LGBT equality, and a justice on their side… people will stick to vote for Hillary and democratic voters will continue to vote traditionally.

Will the “working class strike back”?

As the election comes to a close, Trump is depending heavily on the working class for a win. Trump’s entire campaign rhetoric, that has been aimed at the working class, can be summed up in one sentence from a rally in New Hampshire: “Tomorrow, the American working class will strike back.” Trump’s rhetoric is all about making the working class believe the establishment is at fault for their suffering and that only he can fix it. His rhetoric seems to be working, but what is interesting is that him and President Obama “might have something in common.”

In 2008, President Obama was arguing for change and taking the anti-establishment route…sound familiar? Trump has motivated his base by blaming the establishment and asking for change. Both 2008 and 2016 are “change elections” and it seems to not matter what party argues this stance. The working class is a valuable group of voters, because it seems like they are often left out and hurt most by the decisions in D.C.. President Obama tried appealing to this group in 2008, but was not even as close to successful as Trump. But why?

Trump not only poses as an outsider, but is one. Fighting the establishment is easier when you aren’t part of it. When Trump says things like “the American working class will strike back,” he is telling them that they have the power. This has all successfully moved this group into action, something that was not very successful by either party in 2008 or 2012. But the question all comes down to how many votes will this actually bring in and will it override the Hispanic vote that Clinton has received?

No matter the outcome, Trump’s rhetoric has rallied and activated a class that probably won’t quiet down after the results come in today. Who will be the next person to lead these voters?

Social Media and Vice Presidential Candidates

Throughout class discussion and assigned readings, we have learned that new communication technologies widely influence how candidates campaign today versus in the past. The influence the Internet and social media now have on political campaigns is massive and it carries tremendous weight and influence over the electorate as well. As “the Internet ranked among the top sources of campaign information” for the “first time during the midterm elections of 2006,” the use and leverage of such mediums and networks by political candidates has only grown since as the opportunities for campaigns to reach specific audiences have been targeted through this relatively new campaign strategy (Political Campaign Communication).

I decided to look at the social media platforms vice presidential candidates, Tim Kaine and Mike Pence are using for several reasons. I want to see how they are using it and analyze further what the use of may or may not being doing for their campaigning alongside the presidential candidates. Part of my reasoning for this is because we have also discussed so much in class the importance of social media campaigning with millennials specifically.

Tim Kaine

Facebook: @timkaine || 209,428 people like this page

Twitter: @timkaine || 386,000 followers

Instagram: @timkaine || 66,200 followers

Mike Pence

Facebook: @mikepence || 807,287 people like this page

Twitter: @mike_pence || 477,000 followers

Instagram: @mike.pence || 177,000 followers

If the above number of followers each vice presidential candidate has determined the outcome of the election, Pence would surely win alongside Donald Trump. However, what does this really mean? Does it mean that one candidate is just better at using such platforms? Does the engagement truly affect the election? It will be interesting to see what the outcome tonight is and consider this after the winning ticket is determined.

Looking at follower amounts, Pence has well above the number of followers Kaine has on each social media platform. However, in the grand scheme of things, it is important to point out that this isn’t that many people at all considering the number of people registered to vote in the United States. If social media is used to target millennials more so than other audiences, is that who mostly follows these candidates? Studies show that Twitter specifically has changed the landscape of the campaign. However, other studies show that millennials are using Twitter less than other platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram so why do you think the candidates have more followers on Twitter than Instagram? Do you think that these followers are mostly millennials?

Sources:

http://www.cio.com/article/3125120/social-networking/how-social-media-is-shaping-the-2016-presidential-election.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jefffromm/2016/06/22/new-study-finds-social-media-shapes-millennial-political-involvement-and-engagement/#4e789b8915de

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/r-kay-green/the-game-changer-social-m_b_8568432.html

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/adhutchinson/2015-08-12/facebook-instagram-snapchat-most-popular-networks-among

Its A Thin Line Between Trump and Hate

In a New York Time’s article, Donald Trump states “If I become president, I couldn’t care less about my company.” Trump made this statement in an attempt to convince voters that he will be commited to the office. he is trying to buil an ethos that has been systematically destroyed over these months, back up. Voters are questioninig whether he will actually be willing to step away from a decades worth of work that has given him billions in revenue, over a position that only may last 4 years? or is he trying to sway us into his corner and make us believe that his promise is true.

His ethos also tells us the opposite; and that from his previous businesses that have fallen, he has just kicked them to the curb and started up new projects. The problem with making the transition from businessman to president is that you cannot treat the Unites States like a business and if we begin to fail, drop us.

This second site, on Forbes, talks about all of his business failures and how Trump seems too just wither away from them when he seems that they are not fit to run anymore. This whole business aspect is ruining his ethos as a strong man who is supposed to be running our country. A Washington Post article also claimed that Trump hasn’t paid for a dime for campaigns. Stating “A Washington Post investigation revealed that none of the $102 million was Trump’s money – and the paper could only confirm one cash donation made by Trump between 2008 and May 2016 after contacting over 400 charities. Trump’s foundation also reportedly paid for obligations owed by his businesses, even though Trump has not kicked in a cent to his namesake nonprofit since 2008.”

At a time where there is no clear-cut favorite for a president, Donald Trump is showing us potential voters that he is not trustworthy; and that, sure he’s a billionaire but has not used any of his money for the purpose to run the country.

He Brings an Enthusiasm Factor

Don’t Listen to the Polls apparently

So we are within one day what some would call “the biggest election of our time” and while many women continue to voice their complaints about Trump, he has been led to think the opposite as he claims that he has “tremendous” support from women and has his family and campaign people insisting that the polls are wrong and that women are voting for Trump. Lara Trump, who is the wife of the candidate’s son Eric, claimed that the support she has seen on the ground coming from women should not be overlooked. “Women are very enthusiastic about voting for Donald. I know the polls suggest otherwise, but I’ll tell you. I’m on the ground. I see it everyday.” While many, including the media, in my opinion will probably write these comments off, I think holds some substantial depth to this particular category. We’ve been hearing over and over and over again about how much women can’t get passed Trump’s comments or hear other politicians such as Elizabeth Warren bash the candidate at Clinton rally’s.

But why aren’t we hearing about the actual support coming from women?

I’d argue that it’s because it doesn’t make the kind of “juicy talk” the media is looking for the day or two before the election. It’s honestly probably the opposite from what they really want to hear. The primary “talk” of the Trump election has been surrounded by his comments made about women, which then brought about a slew of accusers claiming to have been sexually assaulted or verbally mistreated by Trump over the years.

But we get no coverage of the actual women supporters.

It will continue this way

I’m going to continue to argue that the silent majority will continue to be in favor in Trump and that includes women. I firmly believe that the remaining advertisement that is displayed will only showcase “anti-Trump” rhetoric coming from Hilary’s side because it’s the communicative message she’s been deploying ever since those tapes came out that gets people’s emotions all bent out of shape. It’s the one message that she can use to really sink him in, according to her experts.

So why are we still talking about it?

It’s like we’ve discussed in class. Hillary’s primary audience she’s speaking to with this rhetoric and message is women. It’s been a sought after and bolstered up topic for the past 18 months and will more than likely continue on once we have elected a new President.

But again, what we don’t ever hear about are the women that ARE going to and have voted for Trump because that would then go completely against the message that everyone has been fixated to believe is on the top of the totem poll of campaign discussion.

96 years later: Women’s Role in the 2016 Election

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have both gone the full 12 rounds, leaving the scoring decision in the hands of the American people. Tomorrow we are going to find out how the voting electorate has responded to perhaps the most negative campaign in US history. In fact, the 2016 race has made history in a whole lot of ways. For the first time since our country’s founding, a woman leads the ticket of a major party. And that woman will be counting on the support of other women tomorrow if she’s to win.

Gender has had a very important hand in influencing the direction of this election so far. Seemingly in a throwback to elementary school, the 2016 election has at times devolved into boys vs. girls. For instance, take this recent poll from McClatchy/Marist in which women support Clinton 48-36, and men support Trump 49-37. What does this mean? It appears that women and men have different ideas about what they want to see in the future of our country. If we were to roll back the clock by about 96 years and a few months, these poll numbers would suggest an incoming landslide in favor of Trump. This is of course because women have only had the right to vote for less than a century, and what a century it’s been for women. They’ve catapulted from receiving equal citizenship in 1920 to playing a huge role in the election of 2016.

Since the 1980’s, women have been more likely to vote than men. Given that the gender gap seems to be about even for both candidates, Clinton will have the advantage come election day if women continue to outvote men. Clinton’s GOTV (Get Out The Vote) team should definitely focus on motivating women to the polls tomorrow, as women will play a substantial role in getting the Democratic nominee to 270 electoral votes.

Just 96 years ago, the idea of women voting was being fiercely debated in Congress. And now, in less than 24 hours, women will play an absolutely critical role in deciding the fate of America’s future. If the polling has been accurate, they will likely be helping the first women in United States history win the presidency. Truly, women have come a long, long way in this country.