Filed under: CCDN271

CCDN271 Assignment 3 - Substantiating Claims

 With the 2008 U.S. Presidential Electorate being the most expensive campaign in U.S. history, with over USD$2.4 billion raised (World Records Academy, 2008), it is a good example to use for my argument that it is crucial for potential candidates to target women in their campaigns. During my research I shall use three articles as evidence to develop my argument and reach a conclusive answer.

The first piece of evidence I will use for my research paper is an article from the New York Times. “Both Sides Seeking to Be What Women Want” was written a month and a half before the Presidential Election by Kate Zernike. In the article she writes about the differences between the two campaigns of Obama and McCain, in particular the way they were targeting women in the lead up to the election. This article is important to my research as it clearly outlines differences in party policy: - “… Obama emphasizing pay equity and abortion rights and Mr. McCain … raising questions of respect.” (Zernike, 2008) and also it gives good reasons as to why the women’s vote is so important: - “Women have voted in greater proportions than men for almost three decades…” (Zernike, 2008). This article will give me crucial evidence to support my thesis statement.

The research article “The 'Palin Effect' in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election” by the Western Political Science Association's Jonathan Knuckey will be my second source of evidence. The paper addresses whether Sarah Palin affected vote choice in 2008 (Knuckey, 2011). As my research investigates both major campaigns of the 2008 presidential election, it is important to review the impact that Sarah Palin had on voters. Knuckey has conducted a thorough statistical analysis of Palin's impact on the election, for example, Figure 1 shows the relationship between voter's feelings for Palin and their probability of voting for McCain (Knuckey, 2011).

 

 
 


Figure 1: Predicted probability of vote for McCain by Palin feeling thermometer rating, by party identification (Source: Knuckey, 2011)

 

It is essential for me to study Palin's impact on the presidential election and how it failed to generate votes for McCain as “Palin’s effect on vote choice was the largest of any vice presidential candidate in elections examined dating back to 1980” (Knuckey, 2011) and “...may have contributed to a loss of support among swing voters” (Knuckey, 2011). 

The third piece of evidence, which I will primarily use to reinforce my conclusion, is an article describing the results of the election. “Gender Gap Evident in the 2008 Election…” by Debbie Walsh and Susan Carroll, is an article summarizing the differences in the end result of the 2008 election. “Women strongly preferred Obama to Senator John McCain, 56 percent for Obama, 43 percent for McCain” (Walsh, 2008) shows important statistics that I will be able to use to determine if the specific targeting of women voters made a difference or not. It is necessary for me to use evidence from this article to aid the conclusion of my research. 

Using these three articles by Zernike, Knuckey, Walsh and Carroll as evidence I will be able to build a strong argument, backed up by substantial evidence, claiming that it is crucial for potential candidates to target women in their campaigns.

Knuckey, J. (2012) The "Palin Effect" in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. Political Research Quarterly, 65 (275).

 

Walsh, D. and Carroll, S. (2008) Gender Gap Evident in the 2008 Election. [online] Available at: http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/press_room/news/documents/PressRelease_11-05-08_w... [Accessed: 9 May 2012].

 

World Records Academy (2008) Most expensive presidential campaign-US Election sets world record. [online] Available at: http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/society/most_expensive_presidential_campai... [Accessed: 10 May 2012].

 

Zernike, K. (2008) Both Sides Seeking to Be What Women Want. New York Times, [online] 15 September. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/us/politics/15women.html?_r=2&scp=1&... [Accessed: 8 May 2012].

CCDN271 Assignment 2 - Abstract and Argument

Forgot to put this up so here it is.

With 157 million women in the United States during 2010 (Women by the Numbers, 2012), the way Presidential Candidates target women in their campaigns can win or lose them the electorate. Therefore the inclusion of gender based advertising and campaigning is vital in the United States political system. Also, many political campaigns in other countries, including New Zealand, have begun adopting similar strategies in their own campaigns.

 

In this research paper I will look at how gender influences presidential campaigns in the United States. I will argue that it is crucial for potential candidates to target women in their campaigns.

 

By specifically using the 2008 US Presidential election, and in particular the campaigns of John McCain and Barack Obama, I will be able to conduct a conclusive paper showing that women can influence a Presidential election. These two campaigns are good examples to study as they use different methods of targeting women. Obama's campaign targeted women voters from an early stage whilst McCain, towards the end of his campaign, tried to specifically target women voters by introducing Sarah Palin into his campaign. In my research I will focus on campaign advertisements and political issues raised by the candidates, and how each of them targeted women voters in their individual electoral campaigns.

 

I believe that by comparing and contrasting these two different campaigns I will be able to distinguish a definitive answer to my research question. By using the final result of the 2008 election as proof, I can see whether or not differences between the campaigns made an impact or not, and then conclude how gender has played a role in these differences.

 

 

 

 

Women by the Numbers — Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. — Infoplease.com. Retrieved April 29, 2012, from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womencensus1.html

CCDN271 Assignment 1 - Critique a Source

Over one quarter, about 1.6 billion, of the people in the world have no access to electricity (A. Shah, 2010), refrigeration or stored fuels (TED2007, 2007). This is a major problem in developing nations. With no access to refrigeration it is very difficult to halt the spread of disease. Vaccines can't be stored for long periods of time without the use of a fridge, and food can spoil in a matter of days. This is why the lack of refrigeration is one of the biggest contributing factors in third world poverty. 

 

In 2006, with this problem growing rapidly, Adam Grosser and a team from Stanford University decided to attempt to create a low cost solution. By using an idea first originated by Ferdinand Carre in 1858 (TED2007, 2007), they began testing the use of thermodynamics to power a fridge. By heating up and cooling down a water/ammonia based substance, a strong refrigeration effect can be achieved without the use of electricity. 

 

This project is a good example of my topic, Design for the Other 90%. Adam and his team have specifically designed this project with third world nations in mind. Although it can used by anyone, its primary function is to help people who don't have access to electricity. One reason for this is the low cost of the prototype. Adam, in his TED talk, says that the product can be made for “$21USD in high volumes” (TED2007, 2007). This is a cost efficient method for organisations such as UNICEF and Red Cross to distribute his product to third world countries. Adam has also specifically designed his product to use the heat of a fire, “...be it camel dung or wood” (TED2007, 2007). This is another way that he has tailored his product to help keep medicine and food cold in regions without electricity. 

 

The project does have some flaws, however. The fridge is powered through a routine of heating and cooling. 30 minutes of heating on a fire and 60 minutes of cooling will grant 24 hours of refrigeration. This means that the routine has to be adhered to everyday. It is not a very large flaw in the design and perhaps looking into making the fridge self sustainable would be an advantage. This would mean it doesn't have to rely on constant daily attention in order to be used. Another disadvantage is that the fridge will only work on “a fifteen litre vessel” (TED2007, 2007). This might be large enough to hold a family's medicine and food but at $21USD a fridge, it is not financially viable to get refrigeration for a village, let alone 1.6 billion people. The cooling effect needs to be increased so it can cool a larger vessel for a similar cost. 

 

This project by Adam Grosser and Stanford University is a great example of how people are designing with third world countries in mind. I feel he has taken a fantastic idea and created a useable prototype. Like any prototype, there are issues that could be improved and enhanced to suit the needs of his target market, namely the people living in regions with no access to electricity. By revisiting the core design and addressing the problems, I feel that the project will be a success.

 

 

 

Shah, A. (2010, September, 20). Poverty Facts and Stats [Webpage]. Retrieved 2012, March, 22 from http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats 

 

TED2007. (2007, February). Adam Grosser and his sustainable fridge [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grosser_and_his_sustainable_fridge.html