Election of 2000
Bill Clinton, as a president was a major paradox in and of himself. People loved him, yet they hated him. Americans, as a whole loved the prosperity, and capitalist growth that was brought by Clinton's years in the Oval Office. They loved the stocks ownership, the money, the way our country was flourishing. Clinton was very good at what he did-soothing lines drawn between parties, even going so far as to sign a Republican-sponsored welfare bill. He moved the country from right to left, and back again. Clinton was a talented politician, yet he missed the opportunity to be an exceptional president. The biggest paradox may be Clinton becoming the focal point for the revival of ideological politics; people wanted the government to be a friend, not an enemy, whilst many people saw Clinton as the flailed president. Clinton did a lot of good, but he also made many mistakes, that made many people see him as a failed president. For every American that liked Clinton, one didn't. Many of those who didn't see eye-to-eye with him were the uneducated, rural white males. Moreover, this then, sets the stage for the 2000 election.
Once the election began the media helped to frame it, by using a story line or central organizing idea by causing attention to only some. Only some aspects of the story- it offers an answer to a question. When a campaign story is framed, a reporter can pull opinions to the forefront of a readers mind. Due to framing, Bush was seen to have the look, the confidence, the vitality, the intelligence, and the political power to win. On the other hand, Gore was seen as a Clinton shadow, hurt largely by the scandal associated with Clinton. Gore had a difficult time linking himself to the capital's growth and prosperous economy of the Clinton years. While the Green party seemed like an unlikely threat at first, it was soon to be seen that it was picking up more attention from the public than expected. It wasn't until February 2000 when Ralph Nader won the party's presidential nomination that it became apparent that he might pose more of a threat to the main candidates (Bush and Gore) than originally believed. One the day of the election it became obvious that the election was going to be to close to call. Oddly enough, this remained true even after America had casted all it's votes. As the media went back and forth from Bush to Gore, politician's were quickly demanding recounts. Florida, which in the end would determine the outcome of the presidency, participated in recount after recount. Gore had won the popular vote, yet Bush had won the electoral vote. Gore then demanded recounts in several counties, claiming the vote counts had been carelessly don
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1059
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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