Assistant Professor of Government Douglas Foyle appeared on Connecticut Public Television’s program “By the People: Connecticut” last month to discuss one of the topics most significant to voters: the war in Iraq.
“Kerry is trying to sell [the war in Iraq] as a distraction from the war on terrorism, which makes the cost seem not as worthwhile,” Foyle said. “Bush puts [the Iraqi war] into the context of the war on terrorism and makes those costs an acceptable price to pay.”
This weekly show, hosted by WNPR’s Ray Hardman, features a political forum in which panelists discuss issues that are important to Connecticut citizens. Appearing alongside Foyle were Ken Dautrich, professor of Public Policy at the University of Connecticut, and Darryl McMiller, assistant professor of political science at the University of Hartford.
The three professors first addressed the possibility of a draft. All of them agreed that the President has clearly stated that the armed forces will remain voluntary.
Foyle then spoke about homeland security. He described the shift in foreign policy focus from the pre-9/11 United States to after the terrorist attacks.
“Foreign policy is not an issue of security over ‘there,’ but now it has to do with the problems of security at home…port security, immigration, the Patriot Act,” Foyle said.
“All of these things have to do with real American lives in the United States and their own personal concerns about security.”
The professors also discussed the economy. Foyle said the Bush campaign is concentrating on the Gross Domestic Product and the addition of jobs. The Kerry campaign is pointing to poor results in the past four year’s of the Bush administration, like the outsourcing of jobs.
Foyle said that the candidates must use the debates to invigorate their followers and increase interest in the campaign.
“Part of it is about convincing the other side, but part of it is about mobilizing your supporters to come out to vote,” he said.
Foyle pointed out that there is now a gender gap in favor of President Bush. Women tend to favor the Democratic Party, but have now switched sides because they trust Bush more to provide strong homeland security.
In general, Foyle said he believes that strong leadership is what interests voters in this election.
“Leadership is really what the public is looking for in these debates,” he said. “It’s really what these debates are all about.”
A number of Wesleyan students share Foyle’s passion for politics.
“The war in Iraq was an enormous distraction and a huge setback to the war on terror,” said Thomas Coen ’07 “Iraq may have provided some material support and some safe passage to some possible terrorists, but so do dozens of other states. It made America less safe by creating a new breeding ground for terrorists and another excuse to point the finger at America.”
“The war on terror is a made up entity, and not clearly defined. It is used as a fear tactic, and as justification to appease the American people,” said Laura Brown ’08. “The term should not be confused with the war on Iraq.”
“With the war in Iraq continuing and the repeated assurances that we will attack any terror cells, it doesn’t seem completely impossible that we could see a draft in the next few years,” said Brian Colgan ’08. “The threat of a draft affects the young people who could be sent to fight, and their parents, too, making this an important issue to a diverse group of voters.”
Foyle is currently on leave from teaching at Wesleyan while he writes his second book. His first work was “Counting the Public In: Presidents, Public Opinion, and Foreign Policy.”
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