January Article 2

Article/Link: Romney Facing Risks Left and Right by John Harwood; published: January 5, 2012; accessed: January 5, 2012

Article Summary:

             Mitt Romney, a candidate running to be the Republican presidential nominee for 2012 in the United States, is being criticized by politicians on both the left and the right of the political spectrum for many different reasons. Romney is running his campaign on the platform that he will bring opportunity to many Americans and suggests that Obama is trying to create a “‘European-style welfare state’”. Democrats find flaws with that idea because it creates the impression that Obama is “un-American” and does not care about individual opportunity. David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, points out that Obama was raised in a poor family by a single mother, while Romney was the son of a very wealthy businessman, so Obama certainly does understand the American dream and the value of opportunity. Many politicians on the right also criticize Mitt Romney, because they see his plans as not drastic enough, since he wants to “tinker” with many government programs instead of getting rid of them.

Vocabulary:


Word 1: Incremental

A. “His proposals tend to be fairly incremental,” said William Kristol, the former Republican White House aide who is now editor of The Weekly Standard.

B. Incremental: “rising by increments (levels),” from Latin incrementum, and first used in 1375 (dictionary.reference.com)

C. The distance Woodstock runners cover per day tends to decrease incrementally as the race draws very near.


Word 2: Obligation

A. As governor of Massachusetts, he embraced the state’s obligation to increase minority hiring.

B. Obligation: “an agreement enforceable by law, originally applied to promises under seal”, first used in 1855 and from Latin obligation, meaning a binding (dictionary.reference.com),

C. Students at Woodstock have an obligation to attend school every day.

Word 3: Entitlement

A. Mr. Romney would convert the federal role in Medicaid, the health program for the poor and the disabled, into block grants, but has no comparable plan for all other federal entitlements.
B. Entitlement: “the right to guaranteed benefits under a government program, as Social Security or unemployment compensation,” first used in 1325 (dictionary.reference.com)
C. The staff at Woodstock school is not given any entitlements by the government of India.

Response:

            I always love watching and reading about the American presidential primaries and elections.  I find Mitt Romney’s candidacy especially interesting because he is Mormon, and having read a lot about the history, values, and beliefs of Mormonism in the book Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, I wonder how his religion will play out into his policy decisions. I didn’t know that Romney came from such a wealthy family! In my opinion, he seemed like a very moderate Republican candidate, especially after reading this article. I think Romney would make an okay president, and I didn’t totally disagree with his views on policy, especially with his views on capital gains taxes and health-care reform. I tend to have a prejudice against Romney because he is Mormon, and Mormonism tends to promote a very patriarchal view of the family, where women are relegated only to raising the children. However, after reading this article, I feel more inclined to closely listen to his views, instead of labeling him simply with my prejudice.