Recent Changes

This image, although it is fairly simple, can tell us a lot about the political spectrum of the United States over the course of our existence. It's pretty obvious that for 232 years, we never were lead by anyone other than a white man who was fairly old. While these men differed in background and political belief, they were still the same with regards to race and gender. Today, however, we have much more diversity in our government. Seventeen of the one hundred US senators are women, and while you might think that the tradition-loving Republican party would only nominate men, eight of these women are members of the GOP. No woman has advanced to the top of the legistative branch to the positon of Speaker of the House, and likewise no woman has ever been elected President (obviously) or Vice President. However, three women who are very familiar to the American public have been nominated Secretary of State: Madeleine Albright (under Bill Clinton), Condoleezza Rice (under George Bush), and Hillary Clinton (under Barack Obama). For the past ten years, women have been in charge of all of the United States' foreign affairs. Have they been successful? It's tough to judge - the past decade was a rough one for American politics, especially relating to overseas. In the Judicial Branch, only three women have ever served as Supreme Court Justices. Sandra Day O'Connor was the first, in 1981, and she's been followed by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor (who are both still serving and will be forever; Justice is a lifetime position).
If you look at the amendments that have been made to the US Constitution over the years, there is a progressive expansion of who's allowed to vote. In the beginning, it was just white men over the age of twenty-one. After the Civil War and in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, voting was expanded to men of all races over the age of twenty-one. Inspired by the success of the Civil Rights Movement, feminists launched a campaign that ended in Women's Suffrage - expanding the right to vote to all citizens over the age of twenty-one. When the Vietnam War was being fought, many young soldiers had a problem with the fact that they could fight (and die) for their country without voting to elect their leaders. Lawmakers saw that the teenagers had a very good point, so they lowered the voting age to eighteen.
get younger as Americans aged 18-25 begin to the point where we may eventually have a leader without a single white hair - imagine that.listen to P. Diddy and vote.

Difference
American Idol is among the most popular television shows ever in the United States. In case you've been living under a rock, here's how the show works: each season the judges sift through thousands of contestants to find the 24 best singers. Once it gets to this point, the contestants perform weekly and the viewers get to vote for their favorite singer. Each week, one or more people gets sent home until the final episode, where one person is crowned the American Idol (and gets a record contract). So far, they show has named nine champions:
{http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/r/ruben-studdard/album-soulful.jpg} {http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00065BYAY.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg} {http://cdn.sparkart.net/carrieunderwood/content/releases/109_Front.jpg}
{http://cdn.sparkart.net/carrieunderwood/content/releases/109_Front.jpg} {http://ydblogz.com/wp-content/blogs/24/uploads//taylor-hicks-1st-album.jpg} {http://viddug.com/images/albumcovers/Jordin_Sparks_Jordin_Sparks-B000WQ9U9Y.jpg}
{http://media.hiponline.com/uploads/2008/10/david-cook-album.jpg} {http://ydblogz.com/wp-content/blogs/24/uploads//kris-allen-album-coversmall.jpg} {http://www.pawsalava.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Lee-Dewyze-Tattoo.jpg}
Kelly, Ruben, Fantasia, Carrie, Taylor, Jordin, David, Kris, and Lee (DeWyze, the newest Idol) all have one thing in common - their position as American Idol winner. However, beyond that the differences between the group are vast. For example, when you compare Ruben Studdard to Kris Allen you have a large black man with a buzz cut who sings soulful songs and a short white man with legendary spiky hair and a voice more suited to sing a genre similar to The Beatles and The Fray. The women Idols, although outnumbered, hold their own: Clarkson, Underwood, and Sparks are probably the most successful of the group. Time will tell how much success Lee is able to achieve, but the men are hoping that he's able to make it onto the Billboard charts more than any of the male winners before him; between the four of them they've yet to produce more than a few songs that got substantial radio play.

Difference
American Idol is among the most popular television shows ever in the United States. In case you've been living under a rock, here's how the show works: each season the judges sift through thousands of contestants to find the 24 best singers. Once it gets to this point, the contestants perform weekly and the viewers get to vote for their favorite singer. Each week, one or more people gets sent home until the final episode, where one person is crowned the American Idol (and gets a record contract). So far, they show has named nine champions:
{http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/r/ruben-studdard/album-soulful.jpg} {http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00065BYAY.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg} {http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/wp-content/imagescaler/dfd5efd7842589697126e90f95b4de2b.jpg}{http://cdn.sparkart.net/carrieunderwood/content/releases/109_Front.jpg} {http://ydblogz.com/wp-content/blogs/24/uploads//taylor-hicks-1st-album.jpg} {http://viddug.com/images/albumcovers/Jordin_Sparks_Jordin_Sparks-B000WQ9U9Y.jpg}
{http://media.hiponline.com/uploads/2008/10/david-cook-album.jpg} {http://ydblogz.com/wp-content/blogs/24/uploads//kris-allen-album-coversmall.jpg} {http://www.pawsalava.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Lee-Dewyze-Tattoo.jpg}
Kelly, Ruben, Fantasia, Carrie, Taylor, Jordin, David, Kris, and Lee (DeWyze, the newest Idol) all have one thing in common - their position as American Idol winner. However, beyond that the differences between the group are vast. For example, when you compare Ruben Studdard to Kris Allen you have a large black man with a buzz cut who sings soulful songs and a short white man with legendary spiky hair and a voice more suited to sing a genre similar to The Beatles and The Fray. The women Idols, although outnumbered, hold their own: Clarkson, Underwood, and Sparks are probably the most successful of the group. Time will tell how much success Lee is able to achieve, but the men are hoping that he's able to make it onto the Billboard charts more than any of the male winners before him; between the four of them they've yet to produce more than a few songs that got substantial radio play.

The American Dream
The Political Landscape
{http://verydemotivational.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/129158313232935433.jpg}
Another De-Motivational Poster

{http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/3005433671_87466d0ae0.jpg}
This image, although it is fairly simple, can tell us a lot about the political spectrum of the United States over the course of our existence. It's pretty obvious that for 232 years, we never were lead by anyone other than a white man who was fairly old. While these men differed in background and political belief, they were still the same with regards to race and gender. Today, however, we have much more diversity in our government. Seventeen of the one hundred US senators are women, and while you might think that the tradition-loving Republican party would only nominate men, eight of these women are members of the GOP. No woman has advanced to the top of the legistative branch to the positon of Speaker of the House, and likewise no woman has ever been elected President (obviously) or Vice President. However, three women who are very familiar to the American public have been nominated Secretary of State: Madeleine Albright (under Bill Clinton), Condoleezza Rice (under George Bush), and Hillary Clinton (under Barack Obama). For the past ten years, women have been in charge of all of the United States' foreign affairs. Have they been successful? It's tough to judge - the past decade was a rough one for American politics, especially relating to overseas. In the Judicial Branch, only three women have ever served as Supreme Court Justices. Sandra Day O'Connor was the first, in 1981, and she's been followed by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor (who are both still serving and will be forever; Justice is a lifetime position).
If you look at the amendments that have been made to the US Constitution over the years, there is a progressive expansion of who's allowed to vote. In the beginning, it was just white men over the age of twenty-one. After the Civil War and in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, voting was expanded to men of all races over the age of twenty-one. Inspired by the success of the Civil Rights Movement, feminists launched a campaign that ended in Women's Suffrage - expanding the right to vote to all citizens over the age of twenty-one. When the Vietnam War was being fought, many young soldiers had a problem with the fact that they could fight (and die) for their country without voting to elect their leaders. Lawmakers saw that the teenagers had a very good point, so they lowered the voting age to eighteen.
I think the progression of who's allowed to vote will be mirrored by who's elected President. Naturally, when white males were the only population voting, one of their own was guaranteed to win. Last election season, the first major Presidential candidate to come from a racial minority ran - and won. This man is the standout at the very end of the cartoon above, his name is Barack Obama. In the next few years, I think it's inevitable that a woman will be Commander in Chief of the United States. It's been displayed on TV (on Fox's hit show, 24) and Hillary Clinton is in position as Secretary of State; she's gaining experience in foreign policy, and everyone knows that her hunband - Bill Clinton - was among the most effective and well-liked Presidents ever. I predict a close race between Clinton and Obama for the 2012 election, and if Obama wins the Democratic Party's nomination then I think Clinton will undoubtedly be nominated - and probably win - in 2016. After we check off a minority and a female, the Amendments predict that the ages of the Presidents will gradually get younger to the point where we may eventually have a leader without a single white hair - imagine that.

{http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/3005433671_87466d0ae0.jpg}
This image, although it is fairly simple, can tell us a lot about the political spectrum of the United States over the course of our existence. It's pretty obvious that for 232 years, we never were lead by anyone other than a white man who was fairly old. While these men differed in background and political belief, they were still the same with regards to race and gender. Today, however, we have much more diversity in our government. Seventeen of the one hundred US senators are women, and while you might think that the tradition-loving Republican party would only nominate men, eight of these women are members of the GOP. No woman has advanced to the top of the legistative branch to the positon of Speaker of the House, and likewise no woman has ever been elected President (obviously) or Vice President. However, three women who are very familiar to the American public have been nominated Secretary of State: Madeleine Albright (under Bill Clinton), Condoleezza Rice (under George Bush), and Hillary Clinton (under Barack Obama). For the past ten years, women have been in charge of all of the United States' foreign affairs. Have they been successful? It's tough to judge - the past decade was a rough one for American politics, especially relating to overseas. In the Judicial Branch, only three women have ever served as Supreme Court Justices. Sandra Day O'Connor was the first, in 1981, and she's been followed by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor (who are both still serving and will be forever; Justice is a lifetime position).
My comment about the success of Albright, Rice, and Clinton was fairly sarcastic - however many people still do believe that men are more qualified to lead our country than women. This belief, while blatantly untrue, can become a source of entertainment for many men that make fun of women who try to perform tasks that are stereotypically reserved for men.

{http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/3005433671_87466d0ae0.jpg}
This image, although it is fairly simple, can tell us a lot about the political spectrum of the United States over the course of our existence. It's pretty obvious that for 232 years, we never were lead by anyone other than a white man who was fairly old. While these men differed in background and political belief, they were still the same with regards to race and gender. Today, however, we have much more diversity in our government. Seventeen of the one hundred US senators are women, and while you might think that the tradition-loving Republican party would only nominate men, eight of these women are members of the GOP. No woman has advanced to the top of the legistative branch to the positon of Speaker of the House, and likewise no woman has ever been elected President (obviously) or Vice President. However, three women who are very familiar to the American public have been nominated Secretary of State: Madeleine Albright (under Bill Clinton), Condoleezza Rice (under George Bush), and Hillary Clinton (under Barack Obama). For the past ten years, women have been in charge of all of the United States' foreign affairs. Have they been successful? It's tough to judge - the past decade was a rough one for American politics, especially relating to overseas. In the Judicial Branch, only three women have ever served as Supreme Court Justices. Sandra Day O'Connor was the first, in 1981, and she's been followed by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor (who are both still serving and will be forever; Justice is a lifetime position).
My comment about the success of Albright, Rice, and Clinton was fairly sarcastic - however many people still do believe that men are more qualified to lead our country than women. This belief, while blatantly untrue, can become a source of entertainment for many men that make fun of women who try to perform tasks that are stereotypically reserved for men.