Repeal for Don't Ask, Don't Tell Fizzling Out?

President Obama is slowly settling into the idea that he will be working with a new Congress over the next two years.  Obama said in his news conference on November 3 that he could see Americans agitation reflected in the election.

“Yesterday’s vote confirmed what I've heard from folks all across America:  People are frustrated -- they’re deeply frustrated -- with the pace of our economic recovery and the opportunities that they hope for their children and their grandchildren.  They want jobs to come back faster, they want paychecks to go further, and they want the ability to give their children the same chances and opportunities as they’ve had in life.”

In other words, people elected for a Republican majority in the House because they have not been satisfied with the outcome of the Democratic rule.

So what does this mean for legislation?

Many have been speculating about what the Republican House majority will do for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Rep. John Boehner, the likely next House speaker says the repeal is just too low on the to-do list right now.

“In the midst of two wars, even with one winding down, I certainly don’t think this will be a priority,” said Michael Steel, spokesman for Boehner.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2010/11/08/likelihood-of-dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal-dwindling/

Even if Congress proceeded to debate the repeal, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the Republicans were likely to block the repeal. This is evident by the recent vote to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the House when five Republicans voted yes and 168 voted no.

As much as Congress can deny the non-importance of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell right now they cannot deny the growing dissatisfaction of the public. The public keeps asking for a repeal but Congress is not acting. Supporters of the gay community could possibly turn support for the Democratic Party in the next presidential election simply from the lack of action.

"What has been particularly surprising to me is how broadly the disappointment is felt. It's as if people feel more betrayed than just let down," said Richard Socarides, former White House advisor to President Clinton.

But what do you think? You had the opportunity to vote last Tuesday and to elect a representative who will reflect your personal opinions. Will you be let down or are you excited for what is to come?

Facebook Campaigns for Election Day 2010

Well the ballets are in and Rick Perry is set to take on two more years as Texas governor! Turns out the Texas governor seat will not need to be reupholstered.

“The issue at hand is not how long a person’s been in office but how hard they work to limit the size and reach of government,” Perry said in his acceptance speech Tuesday night.

Much of Perry’s campaign can be summed up in one word-economy. Perry’s platform was that Texas has remained one of the strongest states economically in the recession and has continued to create new jobs under his guidance.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703807904575097400551012476.html

Election day on campus surprised me. The atmosphere on campus today was no different than any other day. There were a few unenthused exchanges between students of whether or not they had voted here and there but other than that, nothing.

However, if you logged onto Facebook today you’d see that the atmosphere there was quite different. Facebook had a banner on the home page asking if you had voted and if you wanted to publish that notification for all your friends to see. This is an example of how social media continues to infiltrate our lives and shape our politics.

http://thenewsoftoday.com/facebook-helping-voters-find-polling-locations-to-vote-on-election-day-2010/4536/

This new application allowed users to connect with the Facebook world about their political involvement. As we all know, Facebook is a social environment. With this environment there is still jealousy, popularity, bullying, and other normal human interactions. Because of these social pressures, perhaps seeing your high school crush click “I voted” would spur a girl to get out there and vote.

However, is Facebook encouraging the wrong people to vote? Will a person be pressured to vote without prior knowledge or proper research? Americans have the right to exercise their first amendment rights, but what if more people are voting blind now due to Facebook?

What do you think of the election? How do you feel about Facebook’s involvement with Election Day? Let me know!