The Ireland United States Alumni Association, Boston College Ireland and the U.S. Embassy Dublin hosted a very informative coffee morning earlier today (Monday, September 17th, 2012) to discuss the U.S. Elections 2012 with Michael Graham and Leslie Marshall.
Michael Graham is an American talk radio host, writer, and conservative political commentator. His daily talk show, The Natural Truth, airs on WTKK and he is a regular contributor on The Right Hook on Newstalk Radio. Graham is the author of several books and is a columnist for the Boston Herald.
Leslie Marshall has been a liberal radio talk host since 1988 and a commentator on national television since 2001. Leslie became the youngest person ever to be nationally syndicated on radio when she replaced Tom Snyder on the ABC Satellite Radio Network in 1992. She was also the first woman to host an issues oriented program nationwide.
An informal gathering of 25 US Alumni included former Minister for Justice, Nora Owen and her “older sister”, former MEP, Mary Bannotti, Artist, Robert Ballagh and others from varying backgrounds including media, communications, NGO’s , Universities and Politics.
Following on from the Alumni introductions Michael and Leslie discussed the current state of the US economy and why they think their preferred candidate is suitable for the post of US President.
Michael pointed out that he believed that Barack Obama has failed to deliver on his election manifesto heretofore and should be therefore “fired” for not doing his job. This, he outlined is the “American Way” and is of the belief that Mitt Romney is best equipped to lead the US economy out of it’s worst state of unemployment since the Great Depression.
Mary Bannotti queried why George W Bush had not been “fired” as she believed that he had failed to deliver during his tenure.
Leslie also pondered the same question and in doing so outlined why Barack Obama should be voted in for a second term. Obama has after all been presiding over the worst of times that the American economy has seen in many years and the feeling is that he has a lot of unfinished business to deliver on.
A broad discussion on the role of the first lady and how she interacts with the voting public was also discussed. Thankfully it is no longer just about cookies and drapes but the importance of the first lady is not to be underestimated. It was noted that Michelle Obama is currently riding highest in the polls holding top spot over both her husband and Mitt Romney! Michelle for President!!
Nora Owen queried the Electoral College system and with the upcoming election being currently too close to call, just how important these counties in US States will be come the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
The style of slur campaigning that is common in US Elections was also discussed and it was noted by the Alumni that this could be related to the fact that only two parties – Republican and Democrat exist in the US. The role of celebrities and Clint Eastwood’s recent appearance in support of Mitt Romney, his friend was also discussed and how perhaps this would have been more beneficial if Clint had used a script! As a Director, Robert Ballagh felt this should have been a given!
A thoroughly enjoyable and informative morning came to an end all too quick with both Michael and Leslie moving on to further engagements.
The IUSA were delighted to be able to host the morning and we would like to thank all those in attendance and most especially to Michael and Leslie for their excellent insights into US Election 2012.