2004 Political

2004 Political

Overview
The political environment in the year 2004 was much divided. The US had been at war with Iraq for 3 years and oil prices were continuing to rise. The oil prices averaged $50 a barrel in the year 2004, but peaked around $60 a barrel at one point. Furthermore, the US was going through a presidential election between John Kerry (democrat) and George W Bush (republican). These two men represented two very different views on: secure borders, tax cuts, government spending, eco-friendly spending, health care, gay rights, the Patriot Act, education, Iraq War and abortion. In 2003, Bush filed his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, which allowed him to start building his campaign. Supporters of Bush felt this was a time of war and a change of president could lead to a time of chaos. This Senator John Kerry was the second democrat to enter the race. Even though Kerry was not the favored democratic candidate he was a well known Vietnam veteran. Voters that supported John Kerry felt that Bush had been hasty in the Iraq war and a change needed to be made. There was an overwhelming effort to increase the amount of voters.

MTV launched a campaign titled "Rock the Vote" in which they had celebrities encouraging young America to vote.



despite the efforts, by the end of November Bush had won the country's vote for president but only by 34 electoral votes or 3% of the popular vote.




Once in office for his second term, Bush encountered many rising issues, including the rise of oil prices and lack of support for him in his second term. Bush was being blamed for creating a division within the American people for declaring war in Iraq and Afghanistan.



Analysis of the 2004 election
Paying attention to the division that Bush is blamed for creating between the American people is very important because it can be used to analyze what we are currently experiencing (current election). Furthermore, the affects of the outcome of the past election can give us clues to the affects of the current election. The affects might be how policies the candidates implement might change or direct the zeitgeist. Their views on the debated issues will directly effect the fashion industry and how, what, when or where we sell our bag.

The Iraq war

In 2004 the United States had been at war with Iraq for a year. Like all wars there are many controversial issues and many problems were starting to arise. According to Michael Ledeen, “the root cause of our problems in Iraq is an excessively narrow vision, which has blinded us to the real strategic context, and therefore left us running after epiphenomena instead of developing a proper policy and a sensible mission.” He goes on to say that the problems in the Iraq war are political. He states that the United States should have prepared the political battleground before the fighting ever started.


Another important issue involving the Iraq is how much it is costing tax payers. According to the Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph E Stiglitz the Iraq war could end up costing Americans 2 Trillion dollars. In April 2004 it became apparent that the U.S military would need more money due to their worsening luck in Iraq. A bill was soon passed to issue 402 billion dollars in 2005. According to "Funding the Iraq war" The money would be for:
• Army:
• $132 million for bolt-on vehicle armor
• $879 million for combat helmets, silk-weight underwear, boots and other clothing
• $21.5 million for M249 squad automatic weapons
• $27 million for ammunition magazines, night sights and ammo packs
• $956 million for repairing desert-damaged equipment
• $102 million to replace equipment lost in combat
• Marine Corps:
• $40 million for body armor, lightweight helmets and other equipment for "Marines engaged in the global war on terrorism"
• 1,800 squad automatic weapons
• 5,400 M4 carbine rifles

However, it was soon found that this did nothing. With the decision to extend the stay of 20,000 troops and the increasing failures of the U.S army would cost an additional 700 million dollars just in three months. It was soon released by officials that the war was actually costing 4.7 billion dollars a month. To read more on this article visit:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Funding_the_war_in_Iraq


Analysis on the Iraq war
It has become apparent that the Iraq war is extremely political. As Michael Ledeen states, “future historians will no doubt marvel at the fact that more passion and more man hours were spent fighting the Iraqi National Congress than combating the likes of the remnants of Saddam’s security forces. There is also an overwhelming feeling of deception in the Iraq war. Many people believe Oil is the number one reason for the War in Iraq and that the United States is watching out for themselves and not the rest of the world. In addition, with the United States shelling out 4.7 billion dollars a month to finance the war, this puts the American economy and wellbeing at stake.

Politics and global warming

In 2004, the Bush administration was criticized for its “suppression of scientific information.” Soon after the Pentagon released a statement answering questions about global warming and its consequences. Taken from “The Politics of Global Warming,” Scientists say that global warming could bring about a flip towards a colder climate for much of northern Europe. The Gulf Stream, a warm water ocean current which brings climatic moderation to the Atlantic shores of Europe, may be about to subside.” Evidence of global warming has already begun to show.

According to U.K satellite footage the oceans seem to be rising faster near the coast than at mid-ocean. Tapia Martinez-Russ has said that “This is attributed of global warming in that, as water in the oceans expands as it warms up, and more is added as glaciers and ice caps melt. However, the satellite also reveals an unexpected phenomenon: during the same period, the water level within 100 kilometers of the coast rose faster, by an average of 3.7 millimeters a year.” In short, the oceans are behaving like water in a bathtub when you splash around. In addition, in May 2004, it was discovered that global warming is affecting the Artic twice as fast as the rest of the globe. According to Robert Corell, chairman of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, “This is a huge cause for concern. “Global climate change could bring everything from disastrous floods or droughts to a rise in global sea levels that could swamp low-lying Pacific islands.”

Analysis of Politics and Global Warming
When a huge issue such as global warming arises, the population is going to turn to the government for help. Since the Government can issue laws and regulations to prevent global warming, politics plays a huge role. If the government ignores all of these arising issues, in 50 years the world is going to look very different.

Sources

-“Funding the war in Iraq” Retrieved October, 2008. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Funding_the_war_in_Iraq

“Politics of Global Warming.” Retrieved October, 2008.
“The Millennial files.” Retrieved October, 2008. htoption=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=29 http://www.laleva.org/eng/2004/02/the_politics_of_global_warming.html

-Posted 2:14 p.m. ET, June 14. Retrieved October, 2008 at
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results

-"On the Issues" Retrieved October 2008 at
http://www.npr.org/politics/issues2004/