Monday, September 11, 2006

Analysis: What impact will focusing on fighting terrorism have in the midterm elections?

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush told the American people Monday night that the country faces "a struggle for civilization" as it fights the war on terrorism sparked by the 9/11 attacks five years ago.

In an address from the Oval Office, the president stressed the necessity of victory, tying together conflicts from Afghanistan to Iraq to Lebanon as a "struggle between tyranny and freedom" that rivaled World War II.

"The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century and the calling of our generation," he said. "Do we have the confidence to do in the Middle East what our fathers and grandfathers accomplished in Europe and Asia?" Bush asked.

"If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons," Bush said. "We are in a war that will set the course for this new century and determine the destiny of millions across the world."


"We are fighting to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations, and we are fighting for the possibility that good and decent people across the Middle East can raise up societies based on freedom and tolerance and personal dignity," Bush said. "By standing with democratic leaders and reformers, by giving voice to the hopes of decent men and women, we are offering a path away from radicalism."

8 comments:

BrandonSh said...

The president made it clear that his focal point right now is the Middle East. So midterm elections will probably be based on that topic. Also, democrats have apparently finally come up with a plan to remove troops from Iraq so I believe that we should all get ready to here nothing but arguments about the war on terror in the coming months.

Megan B said...

I agree with Brandon that, since the president has gotten public focus on fighting terror that we will HEAR about plans for this fighting constantly. Fighting terror should be a major focus when our country has men and women fighting on the front lines and dying for this cause. This is an area in which the congressional candidates must show they would like to, and be willing to, operate using majoritarian politics, in order to attract the attention of voters. Although, people may not know all the fact, and may not need to know all of the classified information that goes along with this topic, many feel that they do, and are sufficiently informed to make decisions. Everyone must also remember that President Bush, the commander in chief of the military, and supporter of taking a tough stance in foreign affairs, will still be in office after these elections and will hold that position until 2008. While many candidates will be focusing on the war on terror, I believe that smart politician and candidates will try to help themselves and elevate domestic issues to a similar point of prominence. The world today is too complex for a candidate running for such a large national position to primarily focus on one issue.

tonileep said...

I think that the impact on terrorism will have a big impact in the midterm elections. The issue on terrorism has been so huge and is the main focus. Everyone has a opinion on it and everyone wants to share their opinion. People are going to vote for the candidate that has their opinion on the issue and the candidates will share their opinion in their speeches. I agree with Kim that the huge impact on terrorism is too big of a focus. We should be focusing more on other issues that are affecting our country. However, the impact focusing on fighting terrorism is going to be huge in the midterm elections and we will constantly hear about it.

Dain said...

Again, I belive the primary impact is the distraction from other issues. The war on terror favors the Republicans while focusing on Iraq favors the Democrats.

However, the focus on terrorism will prevent the multitudes of other issues from seeing much time in the sun. These are not unimportant issues either, but things like the Gulf Coast, Patriot Act, Corruption, the Economy, Stem Cells, Gay Marriage, and Secret Prisons, just to name a few.

tonileep said...

The majority of responders have agreed that the war on terror will have a impact on the midterm elections. However, the candidates need to focus on other issues in order to get votes. People want to hear less about the war on terror and more about what the candidate will do for them as a whole. The candidates should stray away from the topic of war on terror if they want to have a chance to succeed. The war on terror is a huge topic and has a huge impact on all of our lives but we need to focus on other important topics that also have a huge impact on our lives.

KerryW said...

I agree with Toni. The candidates will focus a great deal on their views on fighting terrorism in the midterm elections. It's true. The thing is, that's not the only issue that they should discuss. They should also be discussing things that are equally important like gay marriage, if we should or should not be able to torture prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and listening to the candidates' views on stem cell research. These are all issues that effect many different people. They should be treated with as much thought and care as people are giving to the war on terrorism.

Dain said...

I agree with Kerry and Toni, but "Its the economy, stupid". Only this time around, the War on Terror is the new economy. A significant portion of voters care about Terrorism first, and the economy/ethics/stem cells/ect only after Terrorism has been addressed.

KerryW said...

On the contrary, fighting terrorism did have an impact on the midterm elections because more people don't want to fight. This is what helped the democrats win the House. The democrats started to appeal more to the general public as an alternative to war. People are sick of the war and since we are still involved in the war on terrorism and in the war on Iraq with the republicans in control, people started to think that we need to get some new people with new ideas into the house and senate.