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What is a Political Agenda?

Ken Black
Ken Black

A political agenda is one when a certain political party, group or individual is interested in furthering a cause, perhaps at the expense of other causes. In some cases, that cause could be for personal gain, as is the case with politicians who are often accused of protecting key voting blocks. In other cases, that could be for a more idealistic reason, such as those who believe an aggressive environmental policy is good for the country and planet.

In many cases, the term political agenda is viewed in a negative context. Often, the term implies that someone has refused to listen to the majority of the population, or at least the voting constituency, and moved forward with an action that most do not approve of. The accusation of a political agenda often may involve conspiracy theories or other conjectures that may have no basis in fact.

President John F. Kennedy had a political agenda to return America to superiority in space, and vowed to put a man on the moon.
President John F. Kennedy had a political agenda to return America to superiority in space, and vowed to put a man on the moon.

There have been a number of political agendas over the years that have been clearly distinguishable and talked about. President John F. Kennedy had a political agenda to return America to superiority in space, and vowed to put a man on the moon. President George W. Bush sought to take a hard line against terrorism. Health care reform was one of President Barack Obama's main points of emphasis. In each of these cases, critics have suggested there were ulterior reasons why these agendas were chosen.

In the modern era, a political party's agenda is often derived from a specific economic philosophy.
In the modern era, a political party's agenda is often derived from a specific economic philosophy.

If a group or individual is successful in getting a political agenda pushed through, they may still have to deal with the consequences of that situation. Not all political agendas prove to be unpopular. Putting a man on the moon was embraced by many in the United States during the 1960s, even at a time when the Vietnam War and other social issues threatened to tear the country apart. The future success of the politician pushing the agenda is often determined by the way that agenda is received.

To get a political agenda passed, several things often need to happen. First, the proponent of the agenda must make a case as to why it is needed. Then, he or she must amass a fair amount of support for it from others. Finally, he or she must use a public relations and education campaign to explain to the voters why there must be a change. Though the politician may not need broad-based support to get the political agenda passed, the more support, the less political capital he or she must spend in the process.

Discussion Comments

sneakers41

Sunny27-I like Dick Morris too. What I think is horrible is the political agendas for education.

More and more public schools are teaching history with a political bent instead of teaching what actually happened.

American children should know their history and not be taught in a way that makes them ashamed of the country.

Many schools are also teaching children in middle school how to use condoms and there was a school in San Francisco that taught children about homosexuality in Kindergarten.

This is appalling. There are some school districts that even allow young girls to get an abortion without their parent’s consent. These policies break down the American family values and impose these other views on our children.

They are slowly indoctrinating children in elementary school so that when they grow up they will continue to believe in the liberal ideology. This is what is done in communist countries like Cuba, and there was an elementary school that went so far as to have the children learn a song praising Obama and another school had to write about ways to defend Obama’s policies.

This is the reason why my children remain in private school.

Sunny27

Suntan12-Political consultants often advise candidates on how to win elections. Karl Rove, who is referred to as the Architect helped President George W. Bush get elected twice. He is often on many political shows to offer his viewpoints on the political landscape and how he feels certain candidates will fare.

Dick Morris is another political consultant that used to work with President Bill Clinton who also offers insight regarding political elections and races.

He is an expert on polling data and often refers to polls when discussing his research. He has written many damming books regarding both Bill and Hilary Clinton and is now viewed more as a conservative with more conservative viewpoints.

He recently started a website in order to help the funding to repeal the health care bill. His political message boards are more in line with the Republican Party.

He is also a Fox News contributor and I like learning about his insightful opinions.

suntan12

Mutsy- However, he forced his Democrat congress to pass the bill anyway and a famous line from Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi said it all, “You will have to pass the bill to see what is in it.”

Many Americans felt that this was not political democracy because the people did not want the bill.

The passage of the health care bill was the straw the broke the camels back so to speak for many Americans.

This is why the Republicans made politics news by gaining 63 seats in the House which was the largest political gain since 1948. In addition almost 650 state legislatures seats turned Republican and Republicans also won almost 20 governorships.

Even with this drastic change in the political landscape Barack Obama still is holding on to his political ideology and fails to temper his views to match that of the American people.

He feels that the American people did not understand his message. I think that the American people understood that he is trying to turn the United States into a socialist country and people finally woke up to that fact and sent him the strongest message they could. This is what you find in most political message boards.

mutsy

Political ideology is central to most politicians’ viewpoints on issues. Some have a strong political ideology, while others are more practical.

For example, President Bill Clinton is viewed as a moderate Democrat, but that was not always the case. When he was elected, he tried to propose a socialized medicine bill that the American public abhorred, so much so that in his mid term elections his party lost the House of Representative to the Republicans.

Having a Republican congress, President Clinton tempered his ideological stance as a result of the political elections that had taken place. However, this is not the case with Barack Obama. Barack Obama made political news as the first black President of the United States.

However, his hard left or socialist policies have really turned off voters. The health care bill which was his signature piece of legislation has lit uf the political message boards because over 70% of the American public is against the bill.

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    • President John F. Kennedy had a political agenda to return America to superiority in space, and vowed to put a man on the moon.
      By: ビッグアップジャパン
      President John F. Kennedy had a political agenda to return America to superiority in space, and vowed to put a man on the moon.
    • In the modern era, a political party's agenda is often derived from a specific economic philosophy.
      By: Photo_Ma
      In the modern era, a political party's agenda is often derived from a specific economic philosophy.