The Republican National Convention officially occurs from July 18-21, 2016, in Cleveland, but currently the GOP platform is being debated. On the issue of LGBTQ rights, an article by Kerry Eleveld on the Daily Kos, reports that the GOP will stick to tradition, in terms of the definition of marriage. Read the article here
In the language presented during committee, it is evident that the Republicans are opposed to the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage and want to focus on restoring the tradition of marriage, the holy union of a man and woman.
Photo by Ted Eytan (Creative Commons license)
Personally, I do not agree with the Republican party on this issue. In my opinion, it is the 21st century and someone's personal choices are just that, not something I should or the government should have a say in regulating. Even though I have a differing opinion, I can at least see where the the Republicans are coming from on this issue. While there are plenty of supporters of marriage equality, there are plenty opponents against it. Not to mention, protecting the sanctity of marriage, as between just a man and a woman, has been a traditional viewpoint held by the GOP. If the GOP were to suddenly abandon this idea, how would that make the GOP look and what implications could it have for the party?
Looking again to the above article by Eleveld, the support he provides comes from The New York Times and Twitter. What I find interesting in his article is Eleveld's use of citing Twitter as well as presenting the author's opinion. Social media is taking over traditional news sources, even if the traditional value of objectivity is being lost. Maybe Americans do not want objectivity, but rather more opinionated pieces, something they can either strongly agree or strongly disagree with and as a quick way to feel more connected to the issues. Unbiased facts should be the most important factor when writing on key party issues, but where is the fun in that? Traditional values are great, but what the media is looking for is a show.
To further illustrate, Eleveld used the same tactics on writing a piece for the Daily Kos about Trump's latest speech. Read the article here
Eleveld again uses social media by quoting the following tweet about Michael Cohen: 'Trump: "I am the law and order candidate"...somewhere George Wallace is smiling'. The fact that tweets are being used to sum up the candidates' points and considering that both Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton tweet several times a day shows that social media will play a huge role in the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. It is truly remarkable how one tweet, 140 characters or less, reaches thousands of voters and could directly impact the result of the election.
Lastly, in the same article, the author's objectivity is very clear as he writes, "add in a dash of racism, a touch of xenophobia and a little amped up nationalism and "law and order" is definitely the picture that comes to mind." Rather than just present the facts on the speech Donald Trump made, Eleveld gives readers his opinion and ultimately what fuels the many heated comments under his article and, along with other writers, what fuels the polarizing nature of the 2016 presidential race.
Social media truly is the best way to understand this election and what each candidate is saying, right? I'll let you decide. Stay vigilant readers, the next tweet, snapchat, or blog post could sway public opinion in one direction tomorrow and in the opposite direction next week.
Excellent. You are definitely on the right track with your blog.
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