tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62702703562225524072024-02-21T04:00:51.387-08:00Gandalf's Road to the White House 2012Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-83925481349163853342011-12-05T09:50:00.001-08:002011-12-05T11:20:38.676-08:00Herman Cain Suspends Campaign, throws support to Gingrich<div style="color: red;">
<b>Lame Stream Media and Rumors Affect Cain Camp</b></div>
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<a href="http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Politics/396/223/cain_herman_120311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Politics/396/223/cain_herman_120311.jpg" width="320" /></a>On Saturday Herman Cain announced a suspension to his campaign citing the growing burden on his family from the allegations of his past infidelities.<br />
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<a href="http://mitchellarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bill-clinton-ff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://mitchellarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bill-clinton-ff.jpg" width="154" /></a>So is that all it takes to topple a candidate?<br />
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Bill Clinton must be laughing up a storm. (<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/.../clinton/.../clinton.htm">See Backstory Here on Gennifer Flowers)</a><br />
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With his wife Gloria standing by his side in a rare public appearance, Cain decried the sustained accusations as false and declared he is "at peace" with his wife and with himself. But he said the claims have "sidetracked and distracted" from his ability to present a new vision for the country, as well as impacted his ability to raise money.
Related Video
Herman Cain Suspends 2012 Presidential Campaign
Cain moves in new direction
"I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distraction, the continued hurt caused on me and my family," Cain said, adding that he reached the decision "with a lot of prayer and soul-searching." <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/03/cain-prepares-to-discuss-campaigns-future-after-damage-assessment/">- Fox News Story</a><br />
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After announcing the exit from the race for a nomination Hermain Cain decreed that he will not be silenced when it comes to the solutions he proposed. He pledged that his voice will be heard throughout the campaign in an effort to spur ideas such as tax reform.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Leaders of the Pack</span></b><br />
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With the clearing of the candidate field, so to speak, the rest of the pack should see a bump in poll numbers as Cain supporters begin to assess their choices in the field.<br />
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<a href="http://images1.dailykos.com/i/user/191280/gingrichwinner_chriskeane_reuters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://images1.dailykos.com/i/user/191280/gingrichwinner_chriskeane_reuters.jpg" width="320" /></a>The clear leader today is Newt Gingrich with close to 30% of the polls and Mitt Romney in a close second place. Interestingly enough, Newt has already claimed he is the nominee. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/01/1041520/-Newt-Gingrich-declares-victory:-I%E2%80%99m%C2%A0going%C2%A0to%C2%A0be%C2%A0the%C2%A0nominee"> -- Daily Kos Story on Victory Proclaimation</a><br />
A bold move and prediction of the primary outcome. He should remember, 30 days ago the clear choice was Cain. Now Cain's done.<br />
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<b>Who does Cain support going forward?</b></div>
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Well funny you should ask. Rumors have surfaced that Herman Cain may be endorsing Newt Gingrich. <span class="dateline"></span>A spokesman for Herman Cain on Monday
denied a report that an endorsement is imminent even as a source told
MyFoxAtlanta that the former Republican presidential candidate will
offer his backing to former House speaker and fellow Georgian Newt
Gingrich. -- Fox News Story<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">A Cain endorsement would offer Gingrich a big boost after the former House speaker surged in significant polls over the weekend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">An NBC News-Marist College poll released
Sunday found Gingrich had moved into second place in the key primary
state of New Hampshire, with 23 percent support among likely Republican
primary voters -- a significant jump from his 4 percent showing in a
similar poll conducted in October.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Adding Cains supporters would go a long way to solidifying Newts position as a front runner, but whether Herman Cains personal endorsement would hurt or help is difficult to predict. After all, if the allegations of Cain's infidelity are true, then an endorsement would be the last thing Newt would want to have from Cain. That would put a bit too much spotlight into his previous marriages. But if Herman Cain is exonerated, then having that appeal in his court would certainly help.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Lesser of Two Evils</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/NO/esq-romney-gingrich-021011-xlg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/NO/esq-romney-gingrich-021011-xlg.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So with Herman Cain out, and the rest of the candidates trailing too far behind to make any dent in the pols, the race seems to be going in the direction of either Romney or Gingrich. Neither of which has a perfect record to appeal to the base of the republican and conservative electorate. Its going to be a hold your nose and vote kind of primary again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Well at least McCain isn't running.</span></div>
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<b style="color: red;">Links</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/.../clinton/.../clinton.htm">See Backstory Here on Gennifer Flowers and Clinton</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/03/cain-prepares-to-discuss-campaigns-future-after-damage-assessment/">Fox News Story on Cain Campain Suspension</a><br />
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/05/report-cain-set-to-endorse-gingrich-for-gop-presidential-nomination/">Cain endorses Gingrich</a><br />
<br />Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-82852223441051112362011-11-20T20:23:00.003-08:002011-11-21T01:00:20.824-08:00C-SPan Videos About Campaign AdvertisingBelow are three videos related to campaign advertising.<br />
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The first up is discussing the effective use of Advertising by Herman Cains campaign to spread the 9-9-9 message. As a result, most everyone who hears it can remember the benefits.<br />
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<p>The second is a video or Rep Rick Hill discussing a bill considering prohibiting negative advertising campaign materials and video along with the use of soft money for these negative ads.</p>
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=90714-1&start=30085&end=68065'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=68259&style=full&start=30085&end=68065'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=90714-1&start=30085&end=68065' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=68259&style=full&start=30085&end=68065' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>
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<p>The third video is a discussion about campaign advertising strategy in key battleground states and the role advertising in these states plays.</p>
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=301743-5&start=1886&end=4734'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=261685&style=full&start=1886&end=4734'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=301743-5&start=1886&end=4734' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=261685&style=full&start=1886&end=4734' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-62409074856279169972011-11-20T20:23:00.001-08:002011-11-21T00:46:17.490-08:00Mitt Romney picks up Key Endorsement<b><span style="color: red;">Moving on Up</span></b> <br />
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<a href="http://dc.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/romney-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://dc.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/romney-300x225.jpg" /></a></div>
On the same steps that JFK announced his presidential candidacy in 1960, Mitt Romney stood in front of Nashua City Hall and secured a key endorsement by first term New Hampshire Senator, Kelly Ayotte. - <a href="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/11/20/romney-snags-key-endorsment-new-hampshire">Fox News Article</a><br />
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<span id="articleText">Ayotte was one of Palin's "Mama Grizzlies" in 2010, and is a former state attorney general.</span><br />
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"Mitt Romney has proven through his experience as a successful businessman, effective governor, and by his excellent presidential debate performances that he is best prepared to lead our country and ensure Barack Obama is a one-term president," Ayotte said. - <a href="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/11/20/romney-snags-key-endorsment-new-hampshire">Fox News Article</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://media.thesunnews.com/smedia/2011/11/20/18/36/8R6SU.St.78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://media.thesunnews.com/smedia/2011/11/20/18/36/8R6SU.St.78.jpg" width="320" /></a> Evidently all that time spent in New Hampshire is paying off. Political analysts have been wondering whether Romney's lack of presence in Iowa and his concentration on New Hampshire would hurt him. However Iowa has been rather fickle during republican primary season. Iowa, a conservative Christian leaning state typically favors solidly Christian Conservatives. Romney has been painted by some in the Christian Conservative movement as a "bandwagon" Christian. His Mormon faith has also been called into question. So why not cut your loses and take your campaign out of Iowa and go someplace where religion is not at the first and foremost political talking point. Makes sense to me. Besides, with Florida immediately after Iowa, I believe that will be the new game changer in election cycles. Florida is one of only a few states that can claim they represent the United States as a small "snapshot" of all the demographics. If Romney can take New Hampshire and Florida, its pretty much locked up from there. Add Newt to the ticket and you have your conservative "Street Credit" amongst republican voters.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Perpetual Runner Up</span></b><br />
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Romney has been a perpetual runner-up this election cycle, taking a second place showing virtually every week to a new candidate of the day. It feels like polled republicans are looking for anyone but Romney.<br />
<a href="http://cdn.theatlanticwire.com/img/upload/2011/06/gingrichlibya-2/large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://cdn.theatlanticwire.com/img/upload/2011/06/gingrichlibya-2/large.jpg" width="320" /></a>What is everyone afraid of? Oh yeah, Romneycare and the whole Massachusetts governor thing.<br />
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So far Ayotte is the first of the Republican member of the congressional delegation in New Hampshire to back a candidate. Is this the start of Romney's turn at first place?<br />
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Recently, Romney has taken a back seat to surging Newt Gingrich. Polls show Gingrich as the front runner of the field with 23 percent and Romney with 22 percent. Could we see a Gingrich/Romney ticket? Or a Romney/Gingrich ticket?<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">What about Herman Cain?</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/10-13-11-herman-cain/10822357-1-eng-US/10-13-11-Herman-Cain_full_380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/10-13-11-herman-cain/10822357-1-eng-US/10-13-11-Herman-Cain_full_380.jpg" width="320" /></a>HasBeen. Ok thats a bit premature and harsh, but with all the controversy around Herman Cain's past history related to the sexual misconduct allegations, he appears to be a lame duck. Don't get me wrong, any normal politician could easily spin the allegations and make it out to be nothing much and still win the nomination. Just look at Bill Clinton and the Jennifer Flowers scandal during the 1992 election cycle. However Herman Cain is no politician. He was the golden boy media darling for a little bit, but now he just looks like a creepy business executive. Not a creepy politician which could be forgiven by the electorate, evidently.<br />
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Well that might explain why Newt's previous marriage and all the controversy around that is being overlooked. He's a politician.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Romney's Next Move</span></b><br />
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Taking a page out of Newt's playbook, Romney has started to attack Obama more and more and not other Republicans. During his appearance with Ayotte on his visit to New Hampshire, he also took the opportunity to step up his criticism of President Obama, and what Romney characterizes as the President's "failed leadership" in trying to get the Super Committee to come to a consensus. - <a href="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/11/20/romney-snags-key-endorsment-new-hampshire">Fox News Article</a><br />
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"He has not taken personal responsibility to get the Super Committee to find ways to balance our budget and cut spending," he said.<br />
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Instead, Romney says, President Obama "set a trap" with $454 billion in cuts to military spending at stake should the Super Committee fail. "We cannot put the United States security in jeopardy by the failure of this committee and the failure of his leadership." <a href="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/11/20/romney-snags-key-endorsment-new-hampshire">Fox News Article</a><br />
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Trigger, Trap, same thing. On Wednesday the super committee needs to find 1.2 Trillion dollars to cut from the federal budget otherwise a trigger mechanism kicks in and and automatically starts to cut things like military budgets. Oh who thought that was a good idea when crafting such a measure? Oh yeah, the Liberal Progressives in Washington along with spineless republicans not willing to do what is right thing.<br />
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<a href="http://www.dullhawk.com/resources/_wsb_339x216_Dont+tread+flagKent.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://www.dullhawk.com/resources/_wsb_339x216_Dont+tread+flagKent.JPG" width="200" /></a>Oh well, time to hang my Gadsden Flag back up and rally the folks. What do you think of a new slogan for the tea Party ... How about #Occupy_The_White_House?<br />
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<b>Links</b></div>
<a href="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/11/20/romney-snags-key-endorsment-new-hampshire">Fox News article on Endorsment</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/20/us-usa-campaign-romney-nh-idUSTRE7AJ0Y020111120">Romney Scores Endorsement</a><br />
<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/21/politics/super-committee/?hpt=ibu_c1">Supercommittee stalled on Wednesday Vote</a>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-73082677357694061052011-11-20T20:22:00.001-08:002011-11-20T22:18:48.904-08:00Here come the attacks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.newt.org/sites/newt.org/files/images/Meet%20Newt%205.preview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.newt.org/sites/newt.org/files/images/Meet%20Newt%205.preview.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<b>Out Front</b></div>
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Over the past couple of weeks Newt Gingrich is surging in the polls and has become the front runner of the republican race.<br />
As the front runner in a Republican primary you become the punching bag of the day for the all liberal media attacks. Its like feeding raw meat to lions.<br />
Newt is an obviously accomplished politician. With his experience in the house as Speaker, and his academic pedigree as well as well versed knowledge of world politics, its a wonder why it took this long to become front runner. He has gone toe-to-toe with the best debaters as well as moderators and usually comes out on top.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">What about controversies?</span></b> <br />
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Well with the front runner status comes spotlight scrutiny.<br />
This is the media's chance to dig up some dirt, to muckrack the past, and cast shadow on a poltical heavyweight.<br />
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In an effort to tackle and squelch the inevitable dirt that will be found in his past, his campaign has created a website called "<a href="http://www.newt.org/answers">Answering the Attacks</a>". In the website he discusses everything from his multiple marriages, to the comment about "right-wing social engineering" and even that corny PSA ad with Nancy Pelosi. I have to say, that ad makes me cringe. Newt what where you thinking? <br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Newt's new favorite target</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.neontommy.com/sites/default/files/users/user584/OccupyWallStreetSept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://www.neontommy.com/sites/default/files/users/user584/OccupyWallStreetSept.jpg" width="320" /></a>If there is one really differentiating factor about Newt from the rest of the field it is his continued determination to not fight or throw barbs at the other republicans, but to insist that everyone concentrate on the bad policies of the Obama administration and Liberal progressives. As a result Occupy Wall Street is the new favorite target. Also known to you hipsters as "occupy" or to you nerds as #Occupy, or to the cool liberal media as OWS. Funny, I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's and hipsters where not this violent. At most they broke stuff when they stumbled into it from being too high. <br />
<br />Newt lobbed harsh words at the movement Saturday in Iowa, describing them as representative of an entitlement culture. <br /><br />"Now, that is a pretty good symptom of how much the left has collapsed as a moral system in this country and why you need to reassert something as simple as saying to them, go get a job right after you take a bath," Gingrich said. <br />
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<b>Up in the polls</b></div>
<a href="http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/sites/default/files/styles/blog_listing_full/public/1017_cain-romney-624x408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/sites/default/files/styles/blog_listing_full/public/1017_cain-romney-624x408.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />A recent Fox News poll showed Gingrich leading the GOP field by a hair. The poll showed him with 23 percent, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney right behind him with 22 percent. -<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/20/gingrich-tries-to-preempt-attacks-as-poll-numbers-rise/"> Fox News article</a><br /><br />
The poll showed businessman Herman Cain, who for weeks was competitive with Romney, dropping back to third place with 15 percent. - <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/20/gingrich-tries-to-preempt-attacks-as-poll-numbers-rise/">Fox News article.</a><br /><br />A new poll out of New Hampshire also showed Gingrich closing in on Romney, who is banking on a win in the Granite State primary. The Magellan Strategies poll showed Romney leading with 29 percent and Gingrich with 27 percent, inside the 3.6 percentage-point margin of error. <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/20/gingrich-tries-to-preempt-attacks-as-poll-numbers-rise/">- Fox News Article</a><br />
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<b>Links</b></div>
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/20/gingrich-tries-to-preempt-attacks-as-poll-numbers-rise/">Newt out Front - Fox News</a><br />
<a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/11/18/poll-gingrich-romney-in-dead-heat-in-n-h/">Newt in front of Romney in NH</a><br />
<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2011/1117/As-Newt-Gingrich-rises-in-polls-can-he-withstand-spotlight-s-glare">Can Newt withstand the spotlight?</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.newt.org/answers">Newts answers to the Attacks</a>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-86645758920573110402011-11-13T20:35:00.003-08:002011-11-13T21:43:34.148-08:00C-Span Videos regarding Presidential DebatesThe first c-span video discussed the complaints about corporate donations and sponsorships of presidential debates.<br />
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<p>The second discusses a lack of independent candidates within the debates, given the scope of independent voters ...</p>
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<p>The third is a Presidential debate with just Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich dubbed a Lincoln-Douglas style debate<br/>
Note just how much information is gleemed from this style debate in a relatively small amount of time versus the larger format CBS CNN style debates that appear as all show and no substance</P>
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=302440-1&start=907&end=1534'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=264221&style=full&start=907&end=1534'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=302440-1&start=907&end=1534' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=264221&style=full&start=907&end=1534' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-29728789903870190682011-11-13T20:35:00.001-08:002011-11-13T21:30:03.101-08:00Media Shaping Politics causes Bachman to claim bias.<b style="color: red;">Media shaping your facts </b><br />
<br />
Its no secret that in part, the media shapes and forms the political dialogue of the modern politics. They have the ability to sway public opinion by putting story after story in from of millions of readers who eagerly digest the words as pure fact, and accept them as gospel.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://heartlandmusings.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/ayers.jpg?w=400&h=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://heartlandmusings.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/ayers.jpg?w=400&h=300" width="400" /></a><a href="http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/herman-cain-audacity-of-grope-with-permission-from-Elizabeth-Dolittle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/herman-cain-audacity-of-grope-with-permission-from-Elizabeth-Dolittle.jpg" width="129" /></a>Case in point, the recent attacks on Herman Cain for the alleged harassment from 20 years ago. The media has ran no less than 87 stories in the first week. That is more than all the stories combined over the past three years and during the campaign 208 discussing Barack Obama's ties with 60's terrorist Bill Ayers and other radical socialists. (Yes Barry, I really don't believe you when you say he's just some guy next door who let me borrow his house to start your political career, wink wink.) The Herman Cain story has been shoved down our throats so much lately that the media is suffering a backlash.<br />
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See video of Maria Bartoromo being boo'ed by the audience for asking about the allegations. You know, she was nicknamed the "Money Honey" on CNBC. I wonder if she'll sue someone for harassment?<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">What about Michelle Backman</span></b> <br />
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<a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/11/14/us/SUB-DEBATE/SUB-DEBATE-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/11/14/us/SUB-DEBATE/SUB-DEBATE-articleLarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I digress ... Back to Michelle Backman. Today her campaign actively and openly complained that CBS conspired to not ask her many questions, and not any on substance. Her camp has obtained email threads from CBS staffers that show that they discussed how Michelle was no longer real candidate with any chance and so should not get any questions during today's debate.<br />
CBS News’s political director, John Dickerson, made the mistake of saying basically that in an e-mail and accidentally sending it to the campaign of Representative Michele Bachmann. Mr. Dickerson e-mailed his colleagues that he would prefer to “get someone else” other than the Minnesota congresswoman for an online show after the CBS News/National Journal debate on Saturday night<br />
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Really? Last I checked, she didn't resign from running? Who are you CBS to attempt to influence the outcome of the debate by skewing questions!<br />
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This is exactly why more and more people are turning to other outlets for their news. Integrity is lacking in the main stream.<br />
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<a href="http://themoderatevoice.com/wordpress-engine/files//2010/07/newt-time-mag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://themoderatevoice.com/wordpress-engine/files//2010/07/newt-time-mag.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
What about Newt? Two weeks ago he was considered a long shot/last place candidate. Now there are talks about a resurgence to the number two spot after Herman Cain. (Poor Romney) If CBS took these steps to sideline Newt we may not have even heard about his climb in the polls.<br />
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<div style="color: red;">
<b>What to do for the general voter ...</b></div>
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The first thing everyone should do is educate themselves about the policies and positions of every candidate. Use every available outlet to gather enough information to make you comfortable with a few candidates and follow them in the media, all media. Then come election day, make an educated vote count.<br />
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What about the person who doesn't educate themselves about all the issues? That's an interesting question. What if one candidate has one stance on an issue that is dear to your heart? Say abortion. Do you vote for that person just for the one issue? Well, no you shouldn't, and that's the game politicians and the media play with the electorate. They focus on hot button topics and brush aside others that just don't fit their agenda and before you know it, your hope and change turns into "You hope the change in your pocket can buy you some food." "Ignore the man behind the curtain, raising taxes on everyone, but calling it a tax on the wealthy, ignore economics 101." Learn the truth. Then go act on it.<br />
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What if you don't like anyone. Don't vote. By not voting you send a clear message that they all suck as choices. They better get it right next time. Sure you might get stuck with someone you don't like, but lets face it, if you didn't like them enough to vote for them before, then whats the difference.<br />
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<div style="color: red;">
<b>Links</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/us/politics/bachmann-says-cbs-news-e-mail-shows-bias.html">NY Times on Email from CBS</a><br />
<br />Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-73237056315811563862011-11-10T18:09:00.001-08:002011-11-10T19:40:37.498-08:00Obama catches Foot in Mouth disease from Biden<b style="color: red;">And loosing the Jewish vote (and donor money)</b><br />
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<a href="http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/World/396/223/netanyahu-sarkozy-obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/World/396/223/netanyahu-sarkozy-obama.jpg" width="400" /></a>Or another ally that hates us? Fresh in the wake of insulting France's Prime Minister Sarkozy's looks (see my blog here ... <a href="http://gandalfs-road-to-wh.blogspot.com/2011/11/obama-remark-offends-france-is-this.html">Blog Post</a>) ... an open mic during last week's
G-20 summit caught President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy
complaining about Israel's Prime Minister, according to a report by
Reuters.<br />
"I cannot bear Netanyahu. He's a liar" said Sarkozy.
Obama, according to a French interpreter who was translating his
remarks, replied: "You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him
even more often than you."<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhUXyK4pSmL35EoXEZHC4HuJ8ZiYp67horjKUQUCuE0Ue8XimutkHLT933tXpCmxnqcGXtj0dRy4UbsSrGxBtLr0HH7eIDUAhZGndKx4iNfE1W-Bk6p5c5QOTLyc3Aqjir0Jvw8TURC6J/s1600/biden+surprise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhUXyK4pSmL35EoXEZHC4HuJ8ZiYp67horjKUQUCuE0Ue8XimutkHLT933tXpCmxnqcGXtj0dRy4UbsSrGxBtLr0HH7eIDUAhZGndKx4iNfE1W-Bk6p5c5QOTLyc3Aqjir0Jvw8TURC6J/s320/biden+surprise.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Even Joe Biden is saying "Whats up with that?" <br />
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<div style="color: red;">
<b>Possible Cover Up</b></div>
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This happened at the G20 summit, but was reported on Nov 9th after the French Press decided the cattiness was already out of the bag, so they ran the story along with the Reuters reporter who was in the room. But speculation was that the reporters in the room had an agreement to not publicly disclose these comments.<br />
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So much for trusting the press to give you unbiased news. Hey I bet they fit the story right between Cain sex scandal stories.<br />
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<div style="color: red;">
<b>Ramifications for Re-Election</b></div>
<br />
<a href="http://sinresponsibly.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Anthony-Weiner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://sinresponsibly.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Anthony-Weiner.jpg" width="200" /></a>Well, kiss the Jewish vote goodby Barry, just like in the election of NY 9 (See my blog about Weiner <a href="http://gandalfs-road-to-wh.blogspot.com/2011/09/weiner-seat-taken-by-gop-is-this.html">here</a>). Below is a convenient list of the top 10 Obama Administration humiliations of Israel, tweaked to fit the blog and read easier, but credit goes to the British News Outlet <u>The Telegraph</u><br />
After reading below and seeing the timeline in one list, you can understand the frustration of our Israeli Allies with how we have treated them recently and why they feel so alone.<br />
While the Jewish vote does not encompass a large percentage of the electorate, if it votes as one body for Obama's opponent that feels like twice the vote (1 less for Obama and 1 more for Republicans). Plus many of the largest campaign donors are Jewish. Will this change their mind and shut their wallets? Or even worse for Obama, will they open their wallets for the Republicans?<br />
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My opinion, this is one of many groups that Democrats cannot solidly count on to be counted in thier corner, along with businessmen, the middle class, and the youth. (The youth are protesting elections OWS style)<br />
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<div style="color: red;">
<b>Link to Story ...</b></div>
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/11/08/sarkozy-overheard-telling-obama-cant-stand-netanyahu/">Link to Story on Foxnews</a><br />
<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904353504576568710341742174.html">Obama loosing Jewish Vote</a><br />
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<div style="color: red;">
<b>Top 10 Insults (<a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100036389/barack-obama%E2%80%99s-top-ten-insults-against-israel/">Link</a>)</b></div>
<strong>1. Obama’s humiliation of Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House - </strong><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/7521220/Obama-snubbed-Netanyahu-for-dinner-with-Michelle-and-the-girls-Israelis-claim.html"><em>The Telegraph</em></a><br />
<a href="http://gothamist.com/attachments/kuhner/0909%20Obama%20Ahmadinejad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://gothamist.com/attachments/kuhner/0909%20Obama%20Ahmadinejad.jpg" width="320" /></a>In March, the Israeli Prime Minister was humiliated by Barack Obama when he visited Washington. As <em>The Telegraph</em> reported, <em>“Benjamin
Netanyahu was left to stew in a White House meeting room for over an
hour after President Barack Obama abruptly walked out of tense talks to
have supper with his family”</em>, after being presented with a list of 13 demands.<br />
<br />
<strong>2. Engaging Iran when Tehran threatens a nuclear Holocaust against Israel</strong><br />
In contrast to its very public humiliation of close ally Israel, the
Obama administration has gone out of its way to establish a better
relationship with the genocidal regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which
continues to threaten Israel's very existence. It has taken almost every
opportunity to appease Tehran since it came to office, and has been extremely slow to respond to massive human rights violations by the Iranian regime, including the beating, rape and murder of pro-democracy protesters<i>.</i><br />
<br />
<strong>3. Drawing a parallel between Jewish suffering in the Holocaust with the current plight of the Palestinians - </strong><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-Cairo-University-6-04-09/">Speech in Cairo</a><br />
In his Cairo speech to the Muslim world,
President Obama condemned Holocaust denial in the Middle East, but
compared the murder of six million Jews during World War Two to the
“occupation” of the Palestinian territories, in a disturbing example of
moral equivalence:<br />
<em>“On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian
people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a
homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of
dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and
neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never
been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations – large and small –
that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for
the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs
on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a
state of their own.”</em><br />
<br />
<strong>4. Obama’s attack on Israeli “occupation” in his speech to the United Nations - </strong><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/us/politics/24prexy.text.html">Speech to UN</a>,<br />
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<a href="http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/middle/2011/09/21/162515-united-nations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/middle/2011/09/21/162515-united-nations.jpg" /></a></div>
In his appalling speech to the UN General Assembly last September,
President Obama dedicated five paragraphs to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, without once referring directly to Palestinian terrorism by
name, but declaring to loud applause “<i>America does not accept the
legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements</i>.” He also lambasted the
Israeli “occupation”, and drew a connection between rocket attacks on
Israeli civilians with living conditions in Gaza. The speech served as a
ghastly PR exercise aimed at appeasing anti-Israel sentiment in the
Middle East, while bashing the Israelis over the head.<br />
<br />
<strong>5. Obama’s accusation that Israel is the cause of instability in the Middle East - </strong><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304510004575186092753338702.html">WSJ Article</a> <em></em><br />
As <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> noted, <em>“the Obama Administration seems increasingly of the view that Israel is the primary cause of instability in the Middle East”</em>, citing a recent press conference where he stated:<br />
<em>"It is a vital national security interest of the United States to
reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a
dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or
another we get pulled into them. And that ends up costing us
significantly in terms of both blood and treasure."</em><br />
<br />
<strong>6. The Obama administration’s establishment of diplomatic relations with Syria</strong><br />
While actively appeasing Iran, the Obama administration has also
sought to develop closer ties with the other main state sponsor of
terrorism in the Middle East, Syria, establishing diplomatic relations with Damascus in February. Syria remains a major backer of Hamas and Hizbollah, both responsible for a large number of terrorist attacks against Israel.<br />
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<strong>7. Hillary Clinton’s 43-minute phone call berating Netanyahu</strong><br />
As<em> The Telegraph</em> reported, Hillary Clinton sought to dictate terms to Israel in the wake of Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Jerusalem:<br />
<em>"In a telephone call, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state,
ordered Mr. Netanyahu to reverse a decision to build 1,600 homes for
Israeli settlers in occupied East Jerusalem that sparked the diplomatic
row. She also instructed him to issue a formal pledge that peace talks
would focus on core issues such as the future of Jerusalem and the
borders of a Palestinian state. In addition, the Israeli prime minister
was urged to make a substantial confidence-building gesture to the
Palestinians. Mrs. Clinton suggested this could take the form of
prisoner releases, an easing of the blockade of Gaza and the transfer of
greater territory in the West Bank to Palestinian control.</em>"<br />
Last time I checked, Israel was still an independent country, and not
a colonial dependency of the Obama White House. Yet that still hasn’t
stopped the Secretary of State from acting like an imperial Viceroy.<br />
<br />
<strong>8. David Axelrod’s attack on Israeli settlements on "Meet the Press"</strong><br />
It is extremely unusual for a White House official to launch an
attack on a close US ally on live television, but this is exactly what the President’s Senior Adviser David Axelrod did in an interview in March with <em>NBC’s Meet the Press</em>,
designed to cause maximum humiliation to Israel, where he stated in
reference to new settlement construction in East Jerusalem:<br />
<em>"This was an affront, it was an insult but most importantly it
undermined this very fragile effort to bring peace to that region. For
this announcement to come at that time was very destructive."</em><br />
<br />
<strong>9. Hillary Clinton’s call on Israel to show "respect"<br />
</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Secretary+State+Hillary+Clinton+Visits+Middle+ryFqyWPp-3el.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Secretary+State+Hillary+Clinton+Visits+Middle+ryFqyWPp-3el.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As <em>The Telegraph</em> revealed, the Secretary of State lectured the Israelis at a dinner attended
by the Israeli ambassador and the ambassadors of several Arab states in
mid-April, urging Israel to “refrain from unilateral statements” that
could “undermine trust or risk prejudicing the outcome of talks”. In
Clinton’s words:<br />
<em>"Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu has embraced the vision of
the two-state solution. But easing up on access and movement in the West
Bank, in response to credible Palestinian security performance, is not
sufficient to prove to the Palestinians that this embrace is sincere. We
encourage Israel to continue building momentum toward a comprehensive
peace by demonstrating respect for the legitimate aspirations of the
Palestinians, stopping settlement activity and addressing the
humanitarian needs in Gaza."</em><br />
<br />
<strong>10. Robert Gibbs’ disparaging remarks about Israel - </strong> <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,589244,00.html">Interview on Foxnews</a><br />
Not one to shy away from criticizing America’s friends when the opportunity arises, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs entered the fray in an interview on <em>Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace</em> in March where he attacked the Israeli government for weakening <em>“the trust that’s needed for both sides to come together and have honest discussions about peace in the Middle East.” </em>In condescending terms he stated that Benjamin Netanyahu should start <em>“coming to the table with constructive ideas for constructive and trustful dialogue about moving the peace process forward.”</em><br />
<br /><br />Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-82094341707601775742011-11-06T19:14:00.000-08:002011-11-06T19:14:55.364-08:00C-SPan Videos on New Social Media in PoliticsWithout a doubt, new media outlets have played a considerable role in politics since tier inception and this year the new media has played a big role in shaping the world. Below are several videos from c-span discussing how the new media outlets affected the world.<br />
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The first is a discussion on how facebook affected the North African uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and how the dictators first moves where to shut them down.<br />
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<p> The second is on recognizes the effect Twitter and Facebook plays on the 24/7 news cycle in New Hampshire.</p>
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<br/>
<p>The Last one is is a discussion on how some the new social medias are putting government business out of business, like the effect of Skype, facebook and Twitter on the U.S. Postal Service"</p>
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=301821-5&start=1360&end=1661'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=262023&style=full&start=1360&end=1661'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=301821-5&start=1360&end=1661' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=262023&style=full&start=1360&end=1661' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-75945863894542617872011-11-06T18:45:00.000-08:002011-11-06T18:45:42.451-08:00Giuliani blames Obama for Occupy Wall Street<b><span style="color: red;">NYC Mayor Making Waves Blames Obama </span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/sites/politics.blogs.foxnews.com/files/Rudy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/sites/politics.blogs.foxnews.com/files/Rudy.JPG" width="320" /></a>Not mixing words, former mayor of NYC Rudolph Giuliani puts blame for the Occupy Wall Street movement squarely on Obama's shoulders.<br />
<br />
Not mixing words, Giuliani says ... "This is a very dangerous movement, and it's ironic it's happening under a president who promised to unify us," Giuliani said. "Barack Obama owns the Occupy Wall Street movement, it would not have happened but for his class warfare."<br />
<br />
Giuliani further predicted the movement would spell the end of Obama's presidency. <br />
<br />
Now before you go and dismiss this remark, think about this ...<br />
Mayor Giuliani was known for his heavy handed yet lawful cleanup of the city of New York. His policies, deemed, quality of life laws, where designed to clean up everything from pan handlers to squeegee men, to subway vagrants.<br />
His take no $h!t attitude was both abrasive and effective at turning NYC around. His command of the post 911 emergency response gave him the street credit of leader amongst men. And now, his endorsement is one of the most sought after in the election season.<br />
<br />
BTW I fully believe if he didn't bow out of the run for Senate due to his cancer, he would have run over Hillary in the polls. Ahh I can dream right?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.courierpress.com/media/img/photos/2011/11/03/Occupy_Wall_Street_Oa_Reyn_t300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://media.courierpress.com/media/img/photos/2011/11/03/Occupy_Wall_Street_Oa_Reyn_t300.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: red;">Violence Plagues Occupy Wall Street Movements</span></b><br />
<br />
So now for the ex-Mayor of NYC to say this whole mess with Occupy Wall Street is Obamas fault, plays a big role and has some weight in the election cycle, especially since the protests have become nuisances at the least, and dangerous at the worst.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.lobshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/enhanced-buzz-32535-1319632920-18-480x311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://www.lobshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/enhanced-buzz-32535-1319632920-18-480x311.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
OK, before you jump on me for that last comment, just Google Occupy Wall Street Crimes. You see everything from Rapes, to Gropping, to Fights, and Theft. Oh and don't forget the mass destruction to property in Oakland and other cities. Way top get your message across folks! Note to protesters, people stopped caring once the violence was started. Its now just a cool party and free food. At least until the riot police shut everything down. And isn't that what Van Jones really wants!!! Top Down, Bottom Up and Inside Out. (Lets see if anyone gets that little tidbit of obscure reference)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Bloomberg's Response</span></b> <br />
<br />
So whats Bloomberg's response to the crime and violence at OWS? Well not much. A strong statement about not tolerating violance is all the Mayor can muster.<br />
Michael Bloomberg, expressed his disapproval of Occupy Wall Street activists on Thursday.<br />
There were sexual assaults and a possible rape at the protesters'
gathering place in Zuccotti Park. Their behavior was "despicable and ...
outrageous," which makes "all of us less safe," Bloomberg said.<br />
<br />
Wow, that will stop it Mike! For a second I thought things were out of control. I'm glad you are on our side?<br />
Wow, how pathetic. With reports of violence and rape, do you think for one second OWS would be still in the streets with Mayor Giuliani at the helm? Not a chance. The place would have been swept clean and ready for Monday's rush hour and on Monday there would have been a sea of Blue Shirts (NYPD) just waiting for someone to show up.<br />
<br />
<br />
Election time couldn't come fast enough.<br />
<br />
Now where did I put my Obama Money ...<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Links</b></div>
<br />
<a href="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/11/04/giuliani-obama-owns-occupy-wall-street">Giuliani remarks on Occupy Wall Street</a><br />
<a href="http://www.observer.com/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-kitchen-worker-allegedly-raped-molested-girls-in-tents/">Occupy Wall Street Kitcken Worker Raped Girls</a><br />
<a href="http://www.thirdage.com/news/michael-bloomberg-wont-tolerate-occupy-wall-street-violence_11-06-2011">What Bloomerg is Doing</a>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-24183843573938260892011-11-06T18:12:00.000-08:002011-11-06T18:12:43.798-08:00Obama remark offends France, is this an international incident?<b><span style="color: red;">Your Ugly! ... Who said that?</span></b><br />
<br />
On November 3rd, President Obama insults French President Sarkozy to his face at the G20 summit sparking an international uproar among the news wires.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.whytraveltofrance.com/images/dialogue_obama_sarkozy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://www.whytraveltofrance.com/images/dialogue_obama_sarkozy.jpg" width="320" /></a>Taking a play out of the Joe Biden Gaff-A-Minute handbook, and without the aid of his teleprompters President Obama jokes about how ugly Mr. Sarkozy is.<br />
<br />
Yep you heard that right, and it wasn't Biden, it was Obama.<br />
Its enough to even make GW Bush say ... "What the ..."<br />
<br />
President Obama thought he was making a gentle joke about Mr. Sarkozy, host of the summit, when he congratulated Mr. Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni on the birth of their baby daughter on Oct. 19. Instead, Obama caused a minor international incident.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Ha the jokes on you! </span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.topnews.in/files/Carla-bruni-sarkozy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://www.topnews.in/files/Carla-bruni-sarkozy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
President Obama said ... “I want to make mention that this is our first meeting since the arrival of the newest Sarkozy, and so I want to congratulate Nicolas and Carla on the birth of Giulia,” President Obama told reporters shortly after his arrival at the G-20, with Mr. Sarkozy at his side. “And I informed Nicolas
on the way in that I am confident that Giulia inherited her mother’s
looks rather than her father’s, which I think is an excellent thing.”<br />
<br />
Huh?<br />
<br />
Well, the sad fact of the matter is this "joke" was intended to
compliment his wife, as so many of us fathers use the same punch line
when speaking with other fathers. The problem is, the comment has a
backhanded slap that suggests the father, Mr. Sarkozy, is ugly, and that
is exactly how the French media and many Frenchmen took the comments.<br />
<br />
<br />
You don't say those things in a public forum about diplomats. It always goes wrong. <br /><br />
<b style="color: red;">Really Smart People at the State Department </b><br />
<br />
Didn't someone at the State Department, responsible for international protocols and etiquette, inform the President that Mr. Sarkozy is a bit sensitive about his looks, considering he definitely married out of his league?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/GordonBrown1234_cropped_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/GordonBrown1234_cropped_.jpg" width="140" /></a>Oh wait thats the same person that sent back the national gift from Great Britian, a bust of Winston Churchill back to the British. Oh and at the first state meeting in his new capacity as President of the U.S. he forgot to get a gift for the Prime Minister, so his wife at the last minute went to the White House gift shop and bought some DVD's on American history for the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He can't play them on British DVD players, wrong format, plus DVD's as a gift???. Meanwhile Mr. Brown gave Obama an ornamental pen holder constructed from the
timbers of the anti-slavery ship HMS Gannet, once also named HMS
President.<br />
<a href="http://punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/political-pictures-joe-biden-make-gaffe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="http://punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/political-pictures-joe-biden-make-gaffe.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Wow this international diplomatic protocol stuff is hard ! <br />
<br />
Where's GW Bush when you need to blame him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Links</b></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/4/obamas-sarkozy-remark-offends-french/">Obama Story on the Ugly Remarks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,507965,00.html">DVDs for the British</a><br />
<br />Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-41290215591460284642011-10-30T18:05:00.000-07:002011-10-30T18:05:08.728-07:00CSPan Videos about Media and PoliticsBelow are several videos concerning Medias Role in Politics.<br />
<br />
First up is Media's role in Iowa<br />
<br />
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<br/>
<p>Second video is from 1984 and discusses how the media can deflect as well as spotlight issues.</p>
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<br/>
<p>Last, a video showing how the media covers the three branches of congress and has gotten corrupt as well.</p>
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=302332-6&start=479&end=657'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=263827&style=full&start=479&end=657'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=302332-6&start=479&end=657' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=263827&style=full&start=479&end=657' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-510544950458707192011-10-30T17:00:00.000-07:002011-10-30T17:00:45.820-07:00Rick Perry 2.0<b style="color: red;">The New Rick Perry </b><br />
<br />
In an effort to stay relevant and relaunch his campaign Rick Perry plans to participate in at least five more presidential
primary debates, his campaign said Saturday, dismissing speculation that
the Texas governor's lackluster performances so far would lead him to
skip future Republican debates.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4OqnRZ6aENx8V8CANpM3eWkLUQ6se-HqoS3cAJ-g7XAE57QxL5i4PU6xzdMEuKk_cO7wkDc6ZWozvn6ZNpTHu6NNbh0KJ-l_bbBRwU5X2ojz2U1jFYFOwCZO8qP1GNCuowDbkiT247Q/s1600/rick-perry2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4OqnRZ6aENx8V8CANpM3eWkLUQ6se-HqoS3cAJ-g7XAE57QxL5i4PU6xzdMEuKk_cO7wkDc6ZWozvn6ZNpTHu6NNbh0KJ-l_bbBRwU5X2ojz2U1jFYFOwCZO8qP1GNCuowDbkiT247Q/s1600/rick-perry2.jpg" /></a>Debates are a funny thing. You could be the perfect candidate, but if you sound or act bad, or say something that is interpreted badly the media will excoriate you. You begin to look poor and by association, unelectable.<br />
<br />
A quick look back on a Rick Perry moment in a debate during which he had to defend his policy on giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens. Trying to defend that stance Rick Perry said it would be heartless to deny young students, through no fault of their own, an education.<br />
<br />Unfortunately the focus was on the fact he was giving illegal aliens a break and calling his conservative base heartless if they disagree with him. This did not go over very well.<br />
<br />
Take Rick Perry's most recent debate where he went after Mitt Romney with so much vitriol in his voice interrupting and not letting Mitt Romney speak, it made him look unhinged like someone who is grasping for last breaths.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-tdy-111019-romney-perry-330a.grid-4x2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/g-tdy-111019-romney-perry-330a.grid-4x2.jpg" /></a></div>
Rick Perry has always maintained that he is not a great debater, and has even suggested that he may skip some upcoming debates and avoid sparring with other GOP candidates. This really didn't go over well either. The idea that he would skip some debates to avoid verbal sparring matches brings up the thought about how well he would do against a skilled debater such as Barack Obama.<br />
<br />
"Shoot, I may get to be a good debater before this is all over," Perry joked during a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Friday.<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Problem?</b></div>
<br />
Perry's chief rival Romney has not agreed to any more debates yet. Plus do we really want see these two keep throwing jambs at each other? It certainly does not look good if the top two GOP candidates continue to air each others dirty laundry on public television versus tell the public how they will fix the economy. The democrats certainly would like many more debates between these two. The more they fight the more people get turned off to either one.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Solution</b></div>
<br />
I have one. How about we forget the one on one jabbing and stick to the issues at heart, namely the economy, jobs, the national debt. Throw in national security like the border and our national interests abroad. Tell me how you can fix regulations that choke our economic growth and how the government can be shrunk to manageable size. For that matter how about making sure my civil rights are not trampled on. <br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Links</b></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44979770/ns/politics-decision_2012/t/tempers-flare-anew-between-romney-perry-camps/">Tempers Flare</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-20127528/rick-perry-to-attend-at-least-5-more-debates/">Attending more debates</a><br />
<br />Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-48661466855129040052011-10-30T14:17:00.000-07:002011-10-30T14:17:09.261-07:00Obama tries to energize college students with free tuition<b style="color: red;">The Issue </b><br />
<br />
Amid plummeting approval numbers and “Occupy” protesters’ growing
outcry against onerous student debt, President Obama has announced a
plan to circumvent Congress and modify the federal student loan program
unilaterally.<br />
<a href="http://nation.foxnews.com/sites/nation.foxnews.com/files/styles/dv1/public/636_college_campus_Reuters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="http://nation.foxnews.com/sites/nation.foxnews.com/files/styles/dv1/public/636_college_campus_Reuters.jpg" width="400" /></a>It is a thinly veiled attempt to stir up his base of young voting adults. <br />
The president wants to expedite provisions of a 2010 law that would
lower the maximum required student loan payment from 15 percent of a
graduate’s discretionary income to 10 percent, and forgive all remaining
student loan debt after 20 years.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Hold it! </b><br />
<br />
What? Wait a minute. Did I read that right? Forgive a loan after 20 years?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/4ea7294ceab8ea4365000010/obama-education.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/4ea7294ceab8ea4365000010/obama-education.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Well then who pays the government back? Oh wait its not the government its the tax payers that need to get paid back.<br />
Lets make a quick calculation here ...<br />
Suppose a student takes a $200,000 loan to go to an ivy league school, pre and post grad of course.<br />
Then the student needs to pay back that loan at 10% of his discretionary income.<br />
Next, lets say the student graduates and gets a job in a sector that is non-profit and make $50,000 a year for the duration of 20 years. Assuming after taxes the person gets to keep $35,000. So $3500 a year is required to be paid per year. That would take 57+ years to retire $200,000. The tax payers would only get back $70,000 of their investment in the student.<br />
A loosing proposition in terms of investment.<br />
<br />
Ok lets change some numbers here. Lets assume $100,000 with being able to keep $75,000 after taxes.<br />
After 20 years that still just $150,000 paid back to tax payers.<br />
I haven't even added the interest on the loan which would create even more spread.<br />
<br />
If you are a student reading this, it may sound like a good deal right? Hey, borrow as much as you want, you only need to pay a portion back. But that is really short sighted. Everyone becomes a tax payer after your first job. Thats the real graduation in life. When you have to start paying for taxes, all of a sudden all thos income redistribution schemes don't look so good.<br />
<br />
So whats the incentive for anyone to pay the loan back. Even worse, whats stopping the colleges from raising the costs of college even higher than they already are. Nothing. As a matter of fact, this could be a conspiracy by colleges to get as much money as possible, knowing fully well students will get loans.<br />
<br />
See my blog on college costs ...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://partners4prosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/College-Tuition-Chart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://partners4prosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/College-Tuition-Chart.png" width="312" /></a></div>
<a href="http://gandalfs-road-to-wh.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=LX5EWDMBAAA.mITd8fQhGRDy-P0zap5rAA.uRpbivMl89BAuT605lXYrw&postId=4500202759320902179&type=POST">Blame Colleges not the Banks for College Costs</a><br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>So why the change? </b></div>
<br />
Its a political favor, meant to buy the votes of students now, because as they graduate and play and pay in the real world they would not go for this.<br />
Maybe its a way to help enrich the colleges? Those pension funds won't pay for themselves anymore. Maybe Obama is trying to redistribute the wealth by creating these bad loans and forgiving debt owed to the tax payers. Or it could be all of these.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Biting the students in the future</b></div>
<br />
Have no doubt that this is unsustainable. Just like the Social Security Ponzi Scheme. This will come back to bite the student of today who benefit in the short term by creating overwhelming college costs for their kids, as well as contribute to the United States Debt Ceiling over time.<br />
Plus this is being done without congress. Ever since the whole student loan process has been moved to the government, politicians can manipulate the terms at will. Obama used an executive order to make this change, which could prove illegal if challenged, or reversed when the next president gets into office.<br />
The economy has changes political dynamics, no longer are these hot button issues off the table as political suicide. People want accountability, at all levels of government and this change shows the need for accountability.<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<b style="color: red;">So what is the solution?</b><br />
<br />
Dont fogive any loans. I can't get my bank to forgive my mortgage after 20 years, so why should a student loan be forgiven?<br />
But that will put colleges out of reach for some people? Maybe, but that is inevitable if the colleges continue to increase their prices higher than both the CPI index and inflation. Eventually colleges will be forced to keep or lower the costs of tuition or make changes to their compensation plans or go out of business. Worse yet, it will be a political funding problem for congress.<br />
Colleges could also do something dramatic as well. They could prepare our kids to be more productive when they graduate and compete for dollars by attracting kids to colleges that have proven track records of turning out successful students.<br />
<br />
Call me cynical but I should have more than a piece of paper and a "rounded" education. I should have a skill when I graduate. Something I can make a living on, something . But hey, I'm old school, not new school.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Links</b></div>
<br />
<a href="http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/repaying.jsp">Government Repayment Terms</a><br />
<a href="http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/28/critics-obamas-college-aid-plan-increases-tuition-costs-hurts-students/">New college aid plan will increase tuition costs</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-26/tuition-jumps-8-3-doubling-inflation-as-obama-plans-debt-relief.html">Tuition jumps 8.3% Double Inflation</a><br />
<a href="http://nation.foxnews.com/student-loans/2011/10/26/obama-announce-student-loan-relief-plan">Obama changes tuition plan</a>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-46191323678357975402011-10-23T21:12:00.000-07:002011-10-23T21:12:01.477-07:00Political Party PlatformsBelow are three CSPAN videos on key republican platforms.<br />
<br />
The first is on deficit reduction ...<br />
<br />
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<br/>
<br/>
<p>The second is on abortion from Newt Gingrich's contract with America. </p>
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=301809-1&start=2341&end=2727'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=261957&style=full&start=2341&end=2727'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=301809-1&start=2341&end=2727' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=261957&style=full&start=2341&end=2727' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>
<br/>
<br/>
<p>The last is on domestic energy ...</p>
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=175012-1&start=490&end=612'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=115432&style=full&start=490&end=612'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=175012-1&start=490&end=612' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=115432&style=full&start=490&end=612' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-49872201931284783922011-10-23T20:54:00.000-07:002011-10-23T20:54:01.881-07:00Backman near a finale in IOWA push.<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Staff Exits, But Backman still fighting.</b></div>
<br />
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2fJKQ5zaFGLY8X__bTSHm-kzoeEW5z3OJ9kwZuDiJjk1s4b4jGQRrDXqEO60yJfe96d8QbvHtXp_cz_G02_r0lyWAcjp7iw2BzyeKiYrOwLGwmsf13qiEVzFi8ES5F2Jvxz2IWurK8tX/s1600/Michele+Bachmann+Formally+Enters+The+Race+For+President+In+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2fJKQ5zaFGLY8X__bTSHm-kzoeEW5z3OJ9kwZuDiJjk1s4b4jGQRrDXqEO60yJfe96d8QbvHtXp_cz_G02_r0lyWAcjp7iw2BzyeKiYrOwLGwmsf13qiEVzFi8ES5F2Jvxz2IWurK8tX/s320/Michele+Bachmann+Formally+Enters+The+Race+For+President+In+2012.jpg" width="258" /></a>Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann
insists her candidacy is still afloat after two campaign aides
resigned from her New Hampshire staff to protest what they said was too
much focus on Iowa.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<span class="entry-content"></span></div>
As many as five staffers formally left
Bachmann’s campaign this week.<br />
<br />
Campaign finance reports show that Bachmann, who has fallen in polls
and struggled to raise money, had five paid staff in New Hampshire as
recently as late September.<br />
<br />
The Republican presidential contender has largely ignored New Hampshire in recent months. She has been focused
on Iowa and South Carolina, where her social conservative message has
more appeal.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
Bachmann said she is hiring new staff and has spent a "great deal" of
time in The Granite State. She added that she recognizes it has a
special role as the first state to hold a primary, behind the Iowa
caucuses.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: red; font-size: 14px;">
<b>Looking for that Iowa boost.</b></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
It is no suprize that everyone is vying to take Iowa. Iowa being the first in the nation to have a "primary" (caucus) would give anyone a big boost in the nomination process. The nation and the media focus's so much attention on Iowa and New Hampshire that to ignore or loose there would more than likely mean an exit to seeking the nomination.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="sect vert">
</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
Bachmann is focused on Iowa,
which goes to vote on Jan. 3, and despite polling showing her on the
decline there, she won the Ames, Iowa, straw poll back in August, which she insists gives her strong momentum.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
In the latest University of Iowa poll,
Bachmann grabs 4 percent of support in the state where she was born.
That's behind Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and front-runner Herman Cain, who has 37 percent support. </div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<b><span style="color: red;">In Iowa religion plays a big role.</span></b></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
This is where Backman can show off her conservative religious roots. Especially her stance on pro-life.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
However evangelical activists, Iowa’s most potent
conservative voting bloc, are divided 10 weeks away from
the state’s leadoff presidential caucuses, and are weighing a number of
GOP hopefuls competing hard to emerge as the more conservative
alternative to early front-runner Mitt Romney.<br />
<br />
<br />
Businessman Herman Cain sought to clarify his position on abortion to
about 1,000 of Iowa’s most devout social conservatives, after
suggesting this week the issue was a matter of choice.<br />
<br />
Texas Gov. Rick Perry first took a veiled jab at Romney, who had
supported abortion rights but declared his opposition during his term as
Massachusetts governor as he was weighing a presidential bid.<br />
<br />
Evangelical conservatives have yet to rally around any single
candidate in Iowa. Thats sort of how the rest of the conservatives feel around the nation. Yep we all know Mitt Romney is going to get the nod for the nomination and but its a hold your nose and vote type of nod. Not exactly what we where looking for but the best we can muster at the moment.<br />
<br />
Oh well, lets see what happens. <br />
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: red; font-size: 14px;">
<b>Links</b></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<a href="http://www.uiowa.edu/election/">University of Iowa Polls</a></div>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-31054048376111589432011-10-23T20:17:00.000-07:002011-10-23T20:17:39.638-07:00Obama Foreign Policy Being Challenged<b><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Lindsey-Graham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: red; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Lindsey-Graham.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: red;">Challenging Obama</span></b> <br />
<br />
In a public forum Senator Lindsay Graham has warned all GOP candidates they need to challenge President Obama on his foreign policy.<br />
<br />
Yep you read that right.<br />
<br />
Even after Obama has seen some favorable opinions about killing Osama Bin Ladin, and supporting the overthrow of Libya's Muammar Qaddafi, Graham thinks the president has failed by allowing Tehran to get a leg up in Iraq and get that much closer to nuclear weapons.<br />
<br />
In addition Graham thinks Obama has thrown Israel "under the bus,"; he has blown his policy on the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and has made a decision to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, pandering to his electorate before the 2012 elections.<br />
<br />
Obama's decisions are being "run out of Chicago, not Washington," Graham said.<br />
<br />
As a show of failure Graham points to the comments made recently by Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Karzai has said if the United States and Pakistan ever went to war, his country would back Islamabad.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://cdn.crooksandliars.com/files/uploads/2009/09/karzai_1d722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://cdn.crooksandliars.com/files/uploads/2009/09/karzai_1d722.jpg" width="320" /></a>Wow, the country that owes their freedom and liberty to us now is suggesting we might go to war with Pakistan and by the way they wont back us? Hum, makes you wonder why we just didn't leave any sooner. I mean whats the difference. Leave their country in a heap of rubble and they'll hate us the same as now after we spend more on their rebuilding then on our own poverty stricken areas here at home.<br />
<br />
In any case, Afghanistan and Iraq may now be seen as failures, and in no small part to the way things are being handled since Bush left office. I doubt Karzi would have had the guts to make those comments with W. in charge. He would have been summoned to the Oval Office.<br />
<br />
Graham also mentions that President Obama has been leading from behind allowing foreign forces to take control of what is essentially a U.S. lead mission like Libya. (NATO without the U.S. is nothing more than a few soldiers, some missiles, and a couple of planes without fuel. Plus maybe a baguette and wine from France.)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">So is President Obama vulnerable on foreign policy?</span></b> <br />
<br />
Possibly. We saw a bump in the polls (approval rating) right after Osama Bin Ladens death. That's understandable and I also applauded the move. (I wish I could see the pictures as evidence. I could have picked a better burial ritual as well, something along the lines of vultures and rats picking at the body and maybe ending with a monster truck parade over his head, then dump him in the East River outside of NY, right under the sewer plant exit pipe.) Nevertheless that bump in poll favorability was rather short lived. Plus the accumulation of these other issues overshadows any good points (the few that there are).<br />
<br />
Senator Grahams Comments can be heard here ...<br />
<script src="http://video.foxnews.com/v/embed.js?id=1181554186001&w=466&h=263" type="text/javascript">
</script><noscript>Watch the latest video at &amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.foxnews.com"&amp;amp;gt;video.foxnews.com&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;</noscript><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Links</b></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/23/karzai-says-afghanistan-would-back-pakistan-if-us-attacks/">Karzai Backs Pakistan over U.S.</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20107584-503544.html">CBS News Polls on Obama</a> <br />
<br />Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-24053733297190528182011-10-14T17:59:00.000-07:002011-10-14T17:59:50.197-07:00How have Conventions Changed since 1968Below are a several video on how conversions have changed since 1968.<br />
<br />
<p>The first is Senator George McGovern talking about the Democratic Convention of 1968 with all the violence and issues surrounding it.</p>
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<p>The second is the day Sara Palin accepted the VP slot on McCains ticket and how she energized the GOP base.</p>
<br />
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=280790-1&start=12779&end=13384'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=194177&style=full&start=12779&end=13384'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=280790-1&start=12779&end=13384' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=194177&style=full&start=12779&end=13384' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>
<br />
<p>The third is President Clinton talking about Candidate Obama at the 2008 Convention</p>
<br />
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=280562-1&start=257&end=386'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=193732&style=full&start=257&end=386'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=280562-1&start=257&end=386' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=193732&style=full&start=257&end=386' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-91296457961920358912011-10-14T16:37:00.000-07:002011-10-14T16:37:59.494-07:00Obama puts U.S. in another war. Was it Political?<b><span style="color: red;">More War </span></b><br />
<br />
New war --- Uganda. <br />
So much for that campaign promise of getting us out of wars.<br />
Why would the administration put already tired troops to work fighting another war in which we have no national interest?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Politics/396/223/uganda%20bus%20terminal_100111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://a57.foxnews.com/static/managed/img/Politics/396/223/uganda%20bus%20terminal_100111.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
How many wars are we in right now? Lets see, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and now Uganda.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">National Interest</span></b><br />
<br />
What could we possibly gain by going into Uganda.<br />
The answer is nothing of value as a National Interest. No oil, trade, or natural resources for us or anyone else for that matter.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
The answer is humanitarian. We have humanitarian interests to gain, or specifically to give. President Obama is sending about 100 U.S.
troops to central Africa to help local forces battle the Lord's
Resistance Army, a rebel group that the administration says has waged a
campaign of murder, rape and kidnapping for more than two decades. Obama said Friday the troops will act as
advisers in efforts to hunt down rebel leader Joseph Kony but will not
engage in combat except in self-defense, according to a letter to
Congress.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
And so here we are again acting as the worlds policeman. Granted on the surface, this is a very noble cause. But if this was that noble, why didn't any other country take up the baton, or the U.N for that matter.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<b><span style="color: red;">The real reason</span></b></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
Political "browny" points with Obama's base. For years, the cause celebrity was (still is) to stop the genocide of rogue regimes and waring factions within Africa. To save lives. This is another small way of pandering to the liberal base, and not the altruism that is should be.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<b><span style="color: red;">Who should be helping Africans?</span></b></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
Why are we the worlds police anyway. Africa has been a royal mess since the 1800's colonialist period land grab by European states. Were are they today? Why haven't they intervened to fix the mess created by the state lines they drew? Oh yeah they have money issues. Bigger fish to fry I guess as their EU experiment comes crashing down.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<b><span style="color: red;">What about all those war protesters?</span></b></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
Where are all those war protesters these days. You saw them everywhere protesting the Bush Administrations war efforts. Now, not a peep from the same folks and we have two more wars we are in?</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px;">
I sense a bit of hypocrisy, or maybe they are in the Occupy Wall Street rebellion.</div>
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<b style="color: red;">Links</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/14/obama-sends-us-troops-to-central-africa-to-aid-campaign-against-rebel-group/?test=latestnews">Fox News - Uganda</a></div>
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<a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/10/us-uganda-troops-lord-resistance-army.html">LA Times - Obama sends troops to Uganda</a></div>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-71451456112691609002011-10-14T13:23:00.000-07:002011-10-14T13:23:27.983-07:00Candidates Boycott Nevada Caucus<div style="color: red;">
<b>Issue ...</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.relaxedpolitics.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/nevada-map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.relaxedpolitics.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/nevada-map.gif" width="265" /></a></div>
States continue to trip over themselves to become relevant in the election cycle and not middle of the pack "thanks for your vote" states. See my blog on how Florida moved their primary up to Jane 31st declaring they are more representative of the national electorate. --- <a href="http://gandalfs-road-to-wh.blogspot.com/2011/10/florida-bucks-gop-primary-rules.html">Link</a><br />
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To be fair, early primaries and caucuses have the effect of giving potential nominees momentum to win other states primaries. That in turn typically means an early win is the deciding factor for the nomination, but not always.<br />
<br />
This week Nevada election officials chose January 14th as their primary day, which not only jumps over New Hampshire but also Florida's new date as well putting them first on the list.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Repercussions</span></b><br />
<br />
In a show of unity, several GOP candidates boycott the Nevada primary.
Nevada's current primary date is slated for Jan 14th, which is ahead of New Hampshire.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://cmsimg.rgj.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=J7&Date=20111013&Category=NEWS19&ArtNo=111013027&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0&4-GOP-presidential-hopefuls-planning-boycott-Nevada-caucus" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cmsimg.rgj.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=J7&Date=20111013&Category=NEWS19&ArtNo=111013027&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0&4-GOP-presidential-hopefuls-planning-boycott-Nevada-caucus" /></a>Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Michelle Backman and Jon Huntsman are pledging to boycott the Nevada caucuses because the state is daring New
Hampshire to consider scheduling its first-in-the-nation primary in
December. <br />
<br />
From Fox News -- "Nevada's move has potentially forced the other early states to have
primary's near Christmas - and that destroys the primary process,”
Santorum said. “I firmly believe that we must protect New Hampshire, the
other early primary states and the proven presidential primary process.<br />
<br />
New Hampshire's Secretary of State William Gardner wants Nevada to move
its primary back from January 14, and is threatening to Hold the Granite
State's primary as early as Dec. 6.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Someone is Missing </span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2011/10/12/romney_AP111010144389_244x183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2011/10/12/romney_AP111010144389_244x183.JPG" /></a>Notice Anyone Missing? Yes the lead candidates ... Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Mitt Romney.<br />
In a statement made to the AP Rick Perry hopes the matter will be resolved before he needs to make a decision. Romney also stated that he is a firm believer in upholding New Hampshires claim as first in the nation, but has remained neutral on the Nevada boycott and intends to go. Quoting ... "It is up to each state to determine the date of their primary or caucus." -- Romney Spokesman Ryan Williams.<br />
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Also notice, not one candidate has spoken out against Florida taking the first spot when they announced Jan 31st. <br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Does it Matter?</span></b> <br />
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Well in a nutshell, yes. Establishing a clear leader earlier on would allow that person to then have much more time to concentrate on getting elected against President Obama, plus more fund raising events to comete against Obama. The momentum could carry on into other primaries as well. But is Neveda the state to do this in? No not at all.<br />
First, Nevada was a clear win for Obama during 2008, and in 2010 while democrats suffered many losses, they still held onto Harry Reid in Nevada. Reid did this by concerted effort (political promises) on the part of the unions in Las Vegas. So I believe the election atmosphere in Nevada is tainted and slanted against the GOP. We could potentially have another McCain moment; having our candidate chosen for us even though it probably will not be the right pick.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Keep New Hampshire?</span></b><br />
<br />
I don't like that either. New Hampshire has also been tainted, but not by political favors, but by the media attention focusing on New Hampshire and therefore the voters have lost their "Un-Biased" claim to be independent thinkers.<br />
I like Florida being first. Their demographics have a bit of everything, from all walks of life, all ethnicities, all races and all religions. What more can you ask for if you are looking for a representation of the nation. <br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Links</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/10/nevada-gop-caucus-boycott-/1">Candidate Boycott Nevada - USA Today</a><br />
<a href="http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/10/13/gingrich-will-not-compete-state-which-holds-its-contest-inside-one-week-new-hampshire-0">Candidates Boycott Nevada - Foxnews</a><br />
<a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/13/huntsman-to-boycott-nv-in-favor-of-nh/">GOP Split on Boycott - CNN</a>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-57518877241949396382011-10-09T20:13:00.000-07:002011-10-09T20:13:03.366-07:00Religious Influences over politcal partiesBelow are several c-span videos that discuss how religion place a part as well as influences political parties.
Whether you believe in separation of church and state or whether you believe that our country was formed with religious doctrines, you can be sure religion plays a roll in our politics.
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<p>Here a caller mis-interprets the separation of church and state doctrine and clearly does not know about the 1st amendments limits.</br>
"wall of separation between church and state," as written in Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists Association in 1802</p>
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<p>Here is a discussion of a grass roots organization for women conservatives that endorse religious involvement.</p>
<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=301255-3&start=0&end=311'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=259679&style=full&start=0&end=311'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=301255-3&start=0&end=311' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=259679&style=full&start=0&end=311' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-20417252681611881842011-10-09T19:28:00.000-07:002011-10-09T19:29:51.466-07:00Scandals Plague Obama Administration<b><span style="color: red;">Scandal, Scandal Everywhere</span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://a.abcnews.com/images/Blotter/ap_solyndra_raid_boxes_jrs_110907_wg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/Blotter/ap_solyndra_raid_boxes_jrs_110907_wg.jpg" width="320" /></a>Nothing like a of scandal to ruin your chances of being re-elected.<br />
<br />
The Solyndra scandal explodes in the administrations' face as news keeps coming out that the administration knew it was a bad investment and even worse, it was a political payback deal.<br />
<br />
Due to massive media coverage in the business journals and money
news programs like CNBC and Fox Business we all know about the Solyndra collapse this past August, and that
we lost over half a billion dollars in taxpayer money, my money, your
money, our money, gone, to a firm who's business model and product where
known in the industry and to investment companies to be failures and bad investments before the loan.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">So why did they get the money? </span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://a.abcnews.com/images/Blotter/ht_steve_spinner_jp_110923_wg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/Blotter/ht_steve_spinner_jp_110923_wg.jpg" width="320" /></a>Email records and whistle blower testimony indicate that Steven Spinner in lengthy email discussions occurring in the days before the
Solyndra loan closed in September 2009, advocated for getting the deal done, apparently in an effort to
score the loan as a political victory for President Obama. Many of the
emails surround his efforts to coordinate plans for either President
Obama or Vice President Biden to announce it as the administration's
first loan approval -- one that he repeatedly notes will create clean
energy jobs.<br />
<br />
The problem, Steven Spinner was an Obama campaign fund raiser that netted over one million in funds. Steven Spinner was appointed to the Obama Administration in 2009 as an Energy Department director.<br />
<br />
Investigations continue, new emails found describing how after the Obama Administration knew Solyndra was going to file for bankruptcy and was attempting to save them by giving them another 5.4 Million.<br />
<br />
Watch how these newly released emails show the Administration wanted to use this for political gain.<br />
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://video.foxnews.com/v/embed.js?id=1206932799001&w=466&h=263"></script><noscript>Watch the latest video at <a href="http://video.foxnews.com">video.foxnews.com</a></noscript>
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<br />
<a href="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/09/23/solyndra_wide.jpg?t=1316792349&s=4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/09/23/solyndra_wide.jpg?t=1316792349&s=4" width="320" /></a><b><span style="color: red;"> Solyndra Executives Keep Quiet</span></b>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Now congress is investigating, and on September 23rd in a Congressional hearing, lawmakers pressed Solyndra executivesfor answers on what they knew and when they knew it. But to no availe they all pleaded the 5th.<br />
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<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">So what is a president to do?</span></b> <br />
<br />
It is hard to say. There are still over 12 months till the election and just about anything can happen between now and then. But this is certain, these scandals add up and chip away at reputation. Any more fallout will be sure to continue the downward spiral of the chances of being re-elected. Right now there is another scandal brewing that can go horribly wrong for the administration called the Fast and Furious scandal. This one involves the justice department issuing orders to allow guns to be illegally sold and shipped to drug cartels. Yikes. This one is just beginning to get legs but you can read about it here ... <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/09/politics/fast-and-furious/">Link</a><br />
If this keeps up, Obama's record and reputation will be marred too badly to even stand a chance.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Links</b></div>
<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/obama-fundraiser-pushed-solyndra-deal-inside/story?id=14691618">Obama Fundraiser Pushed for Solyndra deal</a><br />
<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/07/nation/la-na-obama-solyndra-20111007">Officials resign over Solyndra Scandal</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/20/lawmakers-pursue-investigations-into-solyndra-loan/">Solyndra executives plead the 5th to Congress</a><br />
<a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/09/23/140738958/solyndra-executives-refuse-to-testify-at-hearing">Executives refuse to talk - Plead the 5th</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/09/politics/fast-and-furious/">CNN - Fast and Furious Scandal - Subpenas being issued. </a>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-45002027593209021792011-10-09T18:32:00.000-07:002011-10-09T19:25:06.271-07:00Blame colleges not the banks for your debt.<b><span style="color: red;">Recent Events </span></b><br />
<br />
Talk to any current or recent college student who does not have scholarships or Trust funds about what the scariest prospect of college is ... They'll tell you, its the cost. Sure there are other pressures, like grades and job hunting, but overall its the cost for those students that take out loans from $50, 000 to $250,000 that is on their mind the most.<br />
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<a href="http://topforeignstocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/us-tuition-feess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://topforeignstocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/us-tuition-feess.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Recently, one of the topics of protest at the Occupy Wall Street camp-in has been about tuition bills and loan debt after graduation. <br />
<br />
From the Huffington Post - "Earlier today, students from at least 100 college campuses around the
country walked out of class in a show of solidarity and support for the
Occupy Wall Street movement. While the Occupy Wall Street movement has yet to present a coherent
agenda or message, the college students who marched today in support of
it were clear about their concerns. They banded together to make their
voices heard, many
citing the rising amount of student loan debt and the increasing cost
of college, in addition to a dearth of decent jobs for recent graduates." <br />
<br />
<a href="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsm8gsndAG1qbqt80o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsm8gsndAG1qbqt80o1_500.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Misdirected Anger, banks don't hold your loan.</span></b><br />
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The blame typically goes to the bankers. And why not, they own the loans right? They got the bailouts right? Well they may have gotten the bailouts and they may be to blame for not lending, but they don't own your college loans. No, the government saw to that on July 1st 2010. <br />
President Obama signed a bill March 30th, 2010 that ends a 45-year-old
program under which banks and other private-sector lenders such as
Sallie Mae receive a federal subsidy for making government-guaranteed
college loans. <br />
Instead, the U.S. Department of Education - which
already makes roughly a third of these loans through its direct-lending
program - will make 100 percent of them starting July 1.<br />
Yes thats 100%, in addition, banks no longer are allowed to offer student loans. They can only service existing ones. Existing loans are quickly being consolidated into the government direct loans at a cost of 7.9% interest. What a scarey proposition to think you can only go to one place for a college loan now, the government. I hope your political party isn't displayed on your facebook, otherwise they just might deny you a loan because "your not the right fit." or "your not our type." Granted that would be illegal, right? Yeah tell that to the Gibson Guitar folks who got raided at the factory because their owner is a republican contributor.<br />
No the government would never play politics like that.<br />
Gibson Story - <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903895904576542942027859286.html">Link </a><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Its the colleges fault</span></b><br />
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Tuition should not be expensive. We all know that to get ahead in this world, some sort of eduction is required. Academic or trade. By making education so expensive, it does two things ... Creates a debt society beholden to the creditor, now the government (Just what are they going to make us to do pay it off), and it also creates class warfare since only rich kids can get an education easily.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Why is college so expensive?</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://partners4prosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/College-Tuition-Chart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://partners4prosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/College-Tuition-Chart.png" width="390" /></a></div>
Great question. Take a look at the following charts. Notice the cost of college tuition going up over 4 times higher than the CPI index and over 1200 times more than the cost of homes (using index).<br />
Those numbers are staggering and I can personally attest to the price crunch. In 2004 I decided to go back to college to finish a degree I started back in 1987.<br />
Back in 1987, college cost me $275 a credit, now at Pace University its $1000 a credit, plus fee's. Being an adult student, I don't get the privilege of a scholarship from the fed, nor the ability to get a loan. (In this day and age I'll pay cash thank you. No in-indebtedness for me.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<b>Do I really need to pay so much for college?</b></div>
<br />
Flat out No. The terrible thing about a college education today is that many folks have one. A slip of paper saying "I graduated from So and So college." They should put a dollar cost on those things so every time you look at it on your wall you know what it cost and you can calculate if it was all worth it.<br />
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<a href="http://unionindialogue.org/povertyinitiative/files/2011/03/College-Tuition-The-Inflation-Nightmare1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://unionindialogue.org/povertyinitiative/files/2011/03/College-Tuition-The-Inflation-Nightmare1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Dont get me wrong, its better to have one than not. But you don't need one if you have experience. I am proof of that. And if you decide to get one, unless its is from an ivy league school like Harvard or Yale or one of the many Ivy'ish colleges like N.Y.U. dont pay an arm and a leg for it. A piece of paper that says Pace University ($12,000+/semester) on it is just as good as Brooklyn College ($5,300+/semester), and will get you the same job.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Do I need an expensive college degree to get a job?</span></b><br />
<br />
Again NO. Unless the company is searching for candidates from specific colleges, and some do, then any college will do.<br />
Now if you are going for that job that is looking for someone with a Business degree and the employer see's two candidates with degrees, one from N.Y.U. school of business and one from Brooklyn College for Liberal Arts, you can guess which one will get some extra preference. But in general you need more than a piece of paper these days to get a leg up on similar candidates.<br />
My choice for hires has always been experience. Show me someone with or without a degree that can do the job, you get the job. I have hired more qualified people that way then fresh out of college folks. My advice is to intern, and intern often and network while you intern.<br />
<br />
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<div style="color: red;">
<b>Why do colleges charge so much?</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Good question. Ask you college for their budgetary breakdown of costs, liabilities and expenses. Its public information if they accept federal grants and monies. Chances are you will see pension funds out of control. As an example, in my town, we fired (through elections) our schools superintendent who made $350,000 per year (while regular teachers go about $50, 000/yr) and her only job was to administer over 7 schools. Well after we fired her we found out her contract gave her this salary for life after retirement. She promptly retired. Now there is a court battle.<br />
<br />
<br />
Don't get wrong, teachers deserve their pay and plenty of it, but there needs to be a balance between what the schools cost and how much taxpayers get charged.<br />
<br />
We can't start life after school $250,000 in debt like wage slaves from the 1900's.<br />
"There Are Two Ways To Enslave A Country…. One Is By The Sword. The Other Is By Debt." — John Adams <br />
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<a href="http://www.samueljscott.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/health-care-costs.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.samueljscott.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/health-care-costs.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Read about what a wage slave is free from Amazon on Kindle for PC (also free).<br />
<br />
The Jungle - Upton Sinclair - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Jungle-ebook/dp/B000JMLINW/ref=cm_lmf_tit_31_rsrsrs0">Free Edition</a><br />
<br />
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the
gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of
misery."~Winston Churchill<br />
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<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;">Links</b><br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/college-students-walk-out_n_996904.html">College sympathizers protest tuition hikes</a><br />
<a href="http://newsfly.org/occupy-wallstreet-protestors-demand-free-college/">Occupy wall street is about getting free tuition</a> <br />
<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574405154157021052.html">Obama Plans on Taking over Student Loans</a><br />
<a href="http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-03-30/business/20827156_1_college-loans-stafford-loans-rate-on-plus-loans">Feds finally take over student loan program</a><br />
<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903895904576542942027859286.html">Gibson Guitar gets Raided due to Politics?</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Jungle-ebook/dp/B000JMLINW/ref=cm_lmf_tit_31_rsrsrs0">The Jungle - Upton Sinclair - Free</a>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-28454058752247812172011-10-02T19:31:00.000-07:002011-10-02T19:31:02.663-07:00Voter Turnout "Rock the Vote Bias"Below are several videos on youth Voter Turnout in elections. The first is a video discussing the voter drive called "Rock the Vote." A term used by Music Media to spur the music loving (watching) youth into turning out to vote for a candidate. While these voter drives appear on the outside to be non-partisan, in reality, they typically trend towards voter turnout of one particular candidate.<br />
<br />
The first video is with Heather Smith from the "Rock the Vote" campaign discussing the 2010 midterm elections (prior to November). In the first few minutes Ms. Smith claims the youth are hesitant to vote this year (2010) due to frustration with the process, corporate influence in politics, and are hungry for leadership like in Obama's Campaign in 2008 but now feel used due to the lack of what they expected to be the "change" promised.<br />
She goes on to describe how the youth vote is turned off by the Tea Party and suggests that the tea party is for the older folks.<br />
<br />
Clearly the bias is towards the democratic party, and while her demographic may not be provable, she makes a huge leap of faith judgement that "Rock the Vote" is mostly representative of the youth.<br />
<br />
Successive videos are a bit older but of the same campaign "Rock The Vote" and so the same biases.<br />
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<object id='cspan-video-player' classid='clsid:d27cdb6eae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000' codebase='http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0' align='middle' height='500' width='410'><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='true'/><param name='movie' value='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=296083-3&start=1635&end=4693'/><param name='quality' value='high'/><param name='bgcolor' value='#ffffff'/><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='flashvars' value='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=235708&style=full&start=1635&end=4693'/><embed name='cspan-video-player' src='http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=296083-3&start=1635&end=4693' allowScriptAccess='always' bgcolor='#ffffff' quality='high' allowFullScreen='true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' flashvars='system=http://www.c-spanvideo.org/common/services/flashXml.php?programid=235708&style=full&start=1635&end=4693' align='middle' height='500' width='410'></embed></object>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-51486860467051784442011-10-02T18:55:00.000-07:002011-10-02T18:58:16.841-07:00Florida Bucks GOP Primary Rules<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_480x270/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/10/01/National-Politics/Videos/09302011-28v/09302011-28v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_480x270/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/10/01/National-Politics/Videos/09302011-28v/09302011-28v.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: red;">A Race to Become Relevant</span></b><br />
<br />
In a bid to become first in the nation and more relevant in the selection process of the GOP nomination, Florida on Friday has decided to move their primary up to Jan 31st ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire.<br />
<br />
From the Jackson County Floridian (Lauren Delgado) - This early date violates the rules of the Republican Party, which say that Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada can hold a primary on or after Feb. 1 during the year the national convention is held. All other states are to hold primaries on or after the first Tuesday in March during the year the national convention is held.<br />
<br />
Because of this violation, Florida will lose half of its delegates at the party convention. According to Republican National Committee officials, if New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada attempt to hold their primary before Florida, they also will lose half of their delegates. Iowa has a nonbinding caucus, so it will not be penalized for not following the rules.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://mittromneycentral.com/uploads/las-vegas-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://mittromneycentral.com/uploads/las-vegas-sign.jpg" /></a></div>
Not to be outdone, On Sept 30th Nevada officials voted and decided to move their primaries ahead of Florida costing their state half their delegates. A specified date was not announced, but officials stated they will move it to sometime in early January.<br />
UPDATE: on Oct 1st, Nevada reversed their decision to move up their dates into January and instead opted for Feb 4th citing they could not afford to loose half their delegates like Florida can (28 in Nevada 99 in Florida). Officials in Nevada blame Florida for the calendar mess.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">How Important is it to be Fir</span><span style="color: red;">st?</span></b><br />
<br />
That depends on who you ask. The vast majority of potential nominees who win their first or second (Iowa, or New Hampshire) primary typically gain significant momentum both politically and financially in the races and tend to win the nomination. This statistical anomaly is typically due to the major news coverage and campaigning focus on these two states. Take a look at these lists ...<br />
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<tbody>
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<th bgcolor="grey" colspan="3">Republicans - New Hampshire</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="grey">Primary Date</th>
<th bgcolor="grey">Winner</th>
<th bgcolor="grey">Runners-Up</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>January 8, 2008</td>
<td>Senator <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/John_McCain" title="John McCain">John McCain</a></b></td>
<td>Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Mitt_Romney" title="Mitt Romney">Mitt Romney</a>, Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Mike_Huckabee" title="Mike Huckabee">Mike Huckabee</a>, Mayor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Rudy_Giuliani" title="Rudy Giuliani">Rudy Giuliani</a>, Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Ron_Paul" title="Ron Paul">Ron Paul</a>, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Fred_Thompson" title="Fred Thompson">Fred Thompson</a>, Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Duncan_Hunter" title="Duncan Hunter">Duncan Hunter</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>January 27, 2004</td>
<td>President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/George_W._Bush" title="George W. Bush">George W. Bush</a></b></td>
<td>(no viable opposition)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 1, 2000</td>
<td>Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/John_McCain" title="John McCain">John McCain</a></td>
<td>Governor <b>George W. Bush</b>, <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Steve_Forbes" title="Steve Forbes">Malcolm S. "Steve" Forbes, Jr.</a>, Ambassador <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Alan_Keyes" title="Alan Keyes">Alan Keyes</a>, and <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Gary_Bauer" title="Gary Bauer">Gary L. Bauer</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 20, 1996</td>
<td><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Pat_Buchanan" title="Pat Buchanan">Pat Buchanan</a></td>
<td>Senator <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Bob_Dole" title="Bob Dole">Bob Dole</a></b>, Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Lamar_Alexander" title="Lamar Alexander">A. Lamar Alexander</a>, Steve Forbes, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Richard_Lugar" title="Richard Lugar">Richard G. "Dick" Lugar</a>, and Ambassador Alan Keyes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 18, 1992</td>
<td>President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/George_H._W._Bush" title="George H. W. Bush">George H. W. Bush</a></b></td>
<td><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Pat_Buchanan" title="Pat Buchanan">Patrick J. "Pat" Buchanan</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 16, 1988</td>
<td>Vice President <b>George H. W. Bush</b></td>
<td>Senator Bob Dole, Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Jack_Kemp" title="Jack Kemp">Jack F. Kemp, Jr.</a>, Governor <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Pierre_S._du_Pont,_IV" title="Pierre S. du Pont, IV">Pierre S. "Pete" du Pont IV</a>, and Reverend <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Pat_Robertson" title="Pat Robertson">Marion G. "Pat" Robertson</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 28, 1984</td>
<td>President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Ronald_Reagan" title="Ronald Reagan">Ronald Reagan</a></b></td>
<td>(no viable opposition)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 26, 1980</td>
<td>Governor <b>Ronald Reagan</b></td>
<td>Ambassador <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/George_H._W._Bush" title="George H. W. Bush">George H. W. Bush</a>, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Howard_Baker" title="Howard Baker">Howard H. Baker, Jr.</a>, Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/John_B._Anderson" title="John B. Anderson">John B. Anderson</a>, Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Phil_Crane" title="Phil Crane">Philip M. "Phil" Crane</a>, and Senator Bob Dole</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 24, 1976</td>
<td>President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Gerald_Ford" title="Gerald Ford">Gerald R. Ford</a></b></td>
<td>Governor Ronald Reagan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 7, 1972</td>
<td>President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Richard_Nixon" title="Richard Nixon">Richard Nixon</a></b></td>
<td>Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Pete_McCloskey" title="Pete McCloskey">Paul N. "Pete" McCloskey, Jr.</a> and Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/John_M._Ashbrook" title="John M. Ashbrook">John M. Ashbrook</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 12, 1968</td>
<td>former Vice President <b>Richard M. Nixon</b></td>
<td>Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/George_W._Romney" title="George W. Romney">George Romney</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 10, 1964</td>
<td>Ambassador <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Henry_Cabot_Lodge,_Jr." title="Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.">Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.</a>*</td>
<td>Senator <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Barry_Goldwater" title="Barry Goldwater">Barry M. Goldwater</a></b>, Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Nelson_Rockefeller" title="Nelson Rockefeller">Nelson A. Rockefeller</a>, and former Vice President Richard Nixon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 8, 1960</td>
<td>Vice President <b>Richard Nixon</b></td>
<td>(no viable opposition)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 13, 1956</td>
<td>President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower" title="Dwight D. Eisenhower">Dwight D. Eisenhower</a></b></td>
<td>(no viable opposition)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 11, 1952</td>
<td>General <b>Dwight D. Eisenhower</b></td>
<td>Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Robert_Taft" title="Robert Taft">Robert Taft</a> and Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Harold_Stassen" title="Harold Stassen">Harold E. Stassen</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1948</td>
<td>Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Harold_Stassen" title="Harold Stassen">Harold Stassen</a></td>
<td>Governor <b><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Thomas_Dewey" title="Thomas Dewey">Thomas E. Dewey</a></b></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="grey" colspan="3">Democrats - New Hampshire</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th bgcolor="grey">Primary Date</th>
<th bgcolor="grey">Winner</th>
<th bgcolor="grey">Runners-Up</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>January 8, 2008</td>
<td>Senator <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Hillary_Clinton" title="Hillary Clinton">Hillary Clinton</a></td>
<td>Senator <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Barack_Obama" title="Barack Obama">Barack Obama</a></b>, Former Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/John_Edwards" title="John Edwards">John Edwards</a>, Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Bill_Richardson" title="Bill Richardson">Bill Richardson</a>, Representative <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Dennis_Kucinich" title="Dennis Kucinich">Dennis Kucinich</a> and Former Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Mike_Gravel" title="Mike Gravel">Mike Gravel</a>.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>January 27, 2004</td>
<td>Senator <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/John_Kerry" title="John Kerry">John Kerry</a></b></td>
<td>Former Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Howard_Dean" title="Howard Dean">Howard B. Dean III</a>, General <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Wesley_Clark" title="Wesley Clark">Wesley K. Clark</a>, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/John_Edwards" title="John Edwards">John Edwards</a>, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Joe_Lieberman" title="Joe Lieberman">Joseph I. Lieberman</a>, Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Dennis_Kucinich" title="Dennis Kucinich">Dennis J. Kucinich</a> and Reverend <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Al_Sharpton" title="Al Sharpton">Al Sharpton</a>.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 1, 2000</td>
<td>Vice President <b><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Albert_A._Gore_Jr." title="Albert A. Gore Jr.">Al Gore</a></b></td>
<td>Former Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Bill_Bradley" title="Bill Bradley">Bill Bradley</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 20, 1996</td>
<td>President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Bill_Clinton" title="Bill Clinton">Bill Clinton</a></b></td>
<td>(no viable opposition)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 18, 1992</td>
<td>Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Paul_Tsongas" title="Paul Tsongas">Paul Tsongas</a></td>
<td>Governor <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Bill_Clinton" title="Bill Clinton">Bill Clinton</a></b>, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Bob_Kerrey" title="Bob Kerrey">Bob Kerrey</a>, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Tom_Harkin" title="Tom Harkin">Tom Harkin</a>, Former Governor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Jerry_Brown" title="Jerry Brown">Jerry Brown</a>, and former mayor <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Larry_Agran" title="Larry Agran">Larry Agran</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 16, 1988</td>
<td>Governor <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Michael_Dukakis" title="Michael Dukakis">Michael Dukakis</a></b></td>
<td>Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Dick_Gephardt" title="Dick Gephardt">Richard A. "Dick" Gephardt</a>, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Paul_Simon_%28politician%29" title="Paul Simon (politician)">Paul Simon</a>, Reverend <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Jesse_Jackson" title="Jesse Jackson">Jesse L. Jackson</a>, and Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Al_Gore" title="Al Gore">Al Gore</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 28, 1984</td>
<td>Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Gary_Hart" title="Gary Hart">Gary Hart</a></td>
<td>Former Vice President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Walter_Mondale" title="Walter Mondale">Walter Mondale</a></b>, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/John_Glenn" title="John Glenn">John Glenn</a>, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, and Former Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/George_McGovern" title="George McGovern">George McGovern</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 26, 1980</td>
<td>President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Jimmy_Carter" title="Jimmy Carter">Jimmy Carter</a></b></td>
<td>Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Ted_Kennedy" title="Ted Kennedy">Edward Kennedy</a>, and Governor Jerry Brown.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 24, 1976</td>
<td>Governor <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Jimmy_Carter" title="Jimmy Carter">Jimmy Carter</a></b></td>
<td>Congressman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Mo_Udall" title="Mo Udall">Mo Udall</a>, Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Birch_Bayh" title="Birch Bayh">Birch Bayh</a>, Former Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Fred_R._Harris" title="Fred R. Harris">Fred R. Harris</a>, and Former Ambassador <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Sargent_Shriver" title="Sargent Shriver">R. Sargent Shriver</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 7, 1972</td>
<td>Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Edmund_Muskie" title="Edmund Muskie">Edmund Muskie</a></td>
<td>Senator <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/George_McGovern" title="George McGovern">George McGovern</a></b> and Mayor <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Samuel_William_Yorty" title="Samuel William Yorty">Samuel William Yorty</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 12, 1968</td>
<td>President <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson" title="Lyndon B. Johnson">Lyndon B. Johnson</a></td>
<td>Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Eugene_McCarthy" title="Eugene McCarthy">Eugene McCarthy</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 10, 1964</td>
<td>President <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson" title="Lyndon B. Johnson">Lyndon B. Johnson</a></b></td>
<td>(no viable opposition)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 8, 1960</td>
<td>Senator <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/John_F._Kennedy" title="John F. Kennedy">John F. Kennedy</a></b></td>
<td>businessman <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Paul_C._Fisher" title="Paul C. Fisher">Paul C. Fisher</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 13, 1956</td>
<td>Senator <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Estes_Kefauver" title="Estes Kefauver">Estes Kefauver</a></td>
<td>Former Governor <b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Adlai_Stevenson_II" title="Adlai Stevenson II">Adlai Stevenson</a></b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 11, 1952</td>
<td>Senator Estes Kefauver</td>
<td>President <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Harry_S._Truman" title="Harry S. Truman">Harry S. Truman</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The lists clearly show the recent winners of New Hampshire moving on to compete in the presidential election (recent exceptions of 1992 (D) and 2000 (R) )<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">So Whats Up with Florida</span></b><br />
<br />
For one ... It may be a pride thing. Since 2000 Florida has been the butt of election jokes ranging from geriatric related issues to lousy election ballots and possible corruption. So to put an end to this, what better way than to be the "Proving Ground" for the next nomination. Florida also claims to have the most diverse citizenry, and so should hold a premiere position in the selection process. They feel that their diversity is key to nominating a "proper" candidate that is much more representative of the nation as a whole and the move would "Spread" the media coverage (and financial rewards) appropriately, thereby not giving any one candidate a clear advantage early on, and having other candidates be able to compete.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">The Reality</span></b><br />
<br />
The original "First in the nation States" have threatened to move their primaries to December 2010.<br />
Should that happen Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina - the only four states
allowed to vote before March 6 under Republican National Committee rules
- have collectively vowed to move the dates of their caucuses and
primaries ahead of Florida to protect their early voting status.<br />
This would put Florida into the 5th position nationwide for primaries. Still, this is much better than being in the middle of the list somewhere in March. In that middle position, primaries become less important as a clear leader has typically already been chosen by then.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Is This a Good Thing?</span></b><br />
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Anytime scrutiny is given to the election process, its a good thing. The fact that so many people, media outlets, and political pundits (as well as officials) are even discussing Florida's decision puts pressure on party leaders to re-evaluate the cause and effect. Maybe it would be better to have Florida first? After all, they certainly do have a more diverse population than New Hampshire. <br />
In any case, it is shaping up to be a very interesting election season.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Links</span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/florida-bucks-gop-rule-changes-primary-date/2011/09/30/gIQAxwyCBL_video.html">Florida Changes GOP Primary to Jan 31st.</a><br />
<a href="http://www2.jcfloridan.com/news/2011/oct/02/florida-decides-primary-date-ar-2490763/">Jackson County News Article on Florida Primary Jan 31st</a><br />
<a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-28/politics/florida.primary_1_traditional-early-states-caucuses-rnc-rules?_s=PM:POLITICS">CNN - Florida to Hold Primary Jan 31st </a><br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/campaigns/nevada-republicans-decide-to-move-up-presidential-caucuses-ahead-of-florida/2011/10/02/gIQA7Lp9FL_story.html">Washington Post Article on Nevada Moving Primary ahead of Florida</a><br />
<a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/64879.html">Politico - Nevada Changes Their Minds</a>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6270270356222552407.post-43559604394825480142011-09-29T13:23:00.000-07:002011-09-29T13:52:06.813-07:00Conspiracy - Suspend Elections to Fix America, The New Gerrymandering<b><span style="color: red;">The Issue </span></b><br />
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From The Blaze.com - On Wednesday, reports started surfacing that Democratic North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue had made some curious statements about elections. Mainly, she said that she thought the country should suspend Congressional elections for two years in order to “help this country recover.”
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This immediately strikes a visceral response from folks who firmly believe in constitutionally constrained government ... "Who do you think you are? You work for us! Now you want to cut us out?"<br />
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Media backlash was swift as well and world wide. A quick google search turns up hundreds of articles from various sources discussing how elected officials want to suspend elections.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6270270356222552407"> </a><a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=define+usurp&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=gMN&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&source=hp&q=suspend+elections&pbx=1&oq=suspend+elections&aq=f&aqi=g-v3g-m1&aql=1&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=938153l940616l0l940802l17l15l0l0l0l0l235l2337l0.13.2l15l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=1274d405d9bffc9f&biw=1551&bih=983">Click here to see a google search on the topic.</a><br />
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Governor Purdue is now scrambling to retract those statements saying she meant it with/as sarcasm. The only problem ... She sounded like she was dead serious.<br />
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Transcript of her words ...<br />
“I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two
years and just tell them we won’t hold it against them, whatever
decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I
really hope that someone can agree with me on that,” Perdue said. “You
want people who don’t worry about the next election.”<br />
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<b style="color: red;">A Conspiracy In the Making</b><br />
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On the surface, the argument from Gov. Perdue is that things are not getting done (at least the right thing) in Washington because the elected officials are worried about getting re-elected. In some way this argument is true. You know the old saying that the first job of a politician is to get re-elected, everything else is minor. So Gov. Perdue's fix is to suspend elections so politicians can get to work. Really? Its that easy? Let me ask this question. Why would you ever give back my voting rights? or What if I didnt like what you were doing, how would I get rid of you and elect someone else to fix it? What about the fact that you get your powers from the electorate that is willing to give them to you, who can take them back at any time they wish. Do you mean you want a permanent seat as in the days of the Monarch's?<br />
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Don't dismiss this one incident as the rants of a conspiracy theorist. There are people in our government who would like nothing more than to cut "The People" out of the process.<br />
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This is how a country can turn from democratic to a fascist state, and once there, the people will never see the same liberties again.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/President_Barack_Obama_with_OMB_Director_Peter_Orszag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/President_Barack_Obama_with_OMB_Director_Peter_Orszag.jpg" width="320" /></a><b style="color: red;">We have too much Democracy</b> <br />
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The reason why we are in this mess today is because we have too much democracy says a former democratic official from the White House.<br />
Huh?<br />
Peter Orszag (a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group">Bilderberg </a>Conference Invitee and Attendee - Uh Oh) (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_R._Orszag">See Peter' Bio Here</a>) suggests that we have too much democracy, and if we just remove some we would all be better off.<br />
See his article here ... <a href="http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/magazine/94940/peter-orszag-democracy?page=0,0&passthru=MGU3YjMxNDdlN2UyMjM2MTNhZGZjNDE2MjE2NjE2NjI&utm_source=Editors%20and%20Bloggers&utm_campaign=c995ff8495-Edit_and_Blogs&utm_medium=email">Too Much of a Good Thing</a><br />
Peter Orszag is an Obama Confidant as well as a former member of his Cabinet (Congressional Budget Office Director). Peter left in August in the wake of a terrible economy. To be fair, Peter has been in that role since 2007 during the Bush presidency, then again that doesn't surprise me. I can rant on a few liberty stealing laws that came from that regime as well, but that's another story.<br />
Here is a quote from Orszag's article ...<br />
"Facing the problem is crucially important because our current
legislative gridlock is making it increasingly difficult for lawmakers
to tackle the issues that are central to our country’s future—issues
like climate change, the hard slog of recovering from a financial slump,
and our long-term fiscal gap. It is clear to everyone that a failure to
act will lead to undesirable outcomes in these areas. But polarization
means that little action is possible. This is why I believe that we need
to jettison the Civics 101 fairy tale about pure representative
democracy and instead begin to build a new set of rules and institutions
that would make legislative inertia less detrimental to our nation’s
long-term health."<br />
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<b style="color: red;">Obama Wants to Bypass Congress as Well</b><br />
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Obama, in a speech to La Raza (<a href="http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/13357">Is La Raza A Terrorist Organization? Click Here You Decide.</a>) suggests he wants to bypass congress because he would like to do things on his own. (See video).<br />
And though he notes that this is not how things work, notice the overwhelming support from the crowd on the idea. Scary.<br />
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Obama, however, has a long history of bypassing congress, when he can. See the following stories ... <br />
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<a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/60038.html">Obama Urged by Democratic Congressman to Usurp Congress by using the 14th Amendment </a><br />
<a href="http://blog.heritage.org/2011/09/26/morning-bell-obama-circumvents-congress-on-education-policy/">Obama circumvents congress on education policy</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/health/policy/07recess.html">Obama bypasses senate on Nominations</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/07/03/eveningnews/main20076575.shtml">Obama threatening bypassing congress on Debt Limit</a> <br />
<a href="http://foxnewsinsider.com/2011/08/31/krauthammer-obama-is-using-regulations-to-bypass-congress-and-change-our-country/">Obama uses regulations to bypass congress</a><br />
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<b style="color: red;">Ramifications</b><br />
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The ramifications are clear ... Usurp power from the electorate to never allow the electorate to change things, Fascism. In 2008 the mass media and the electorate bought into the idea of change from the Obama campaign, and elected him based on the idea's of hope and change. Well we got change. Now as the tide shifts the opposite direction and buyers remorse sets in, the electorate appears to be saying we need to change this again, this is not what we signed up for, however the elected officials refuse to relinquish authority and appear to be looking for ways to consolidate it. This sounds a lot like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering">Gerrymandering</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">History and Thoughts</span></b><br />
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For a large part of our history we never had term limits on the President. It was unthinkable to run for more terms than 2 due in part to George Washingtons refusal to become anything more than elected for two terms as well as the idea of not creating anything that looked or felt like the British monarchy that we removed.<br />
That changed with FDR, who ran and was elected to four terms. A situation that was quickly fixed by congress imposing term limits after he left office (died in that last term).<br />
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The idea that suspending elections for the good of our country removes "The People" from the process. The People are only ones who can actually fix government that goes astray. It is repugnant to the constitution, and by the way illegal in every way, and should be aggressively challenged.<br />
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<b>Links</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/was-nc-gov-perdue-really-joking-about-suspending-elections-now-you-can-listen-to-the-audio/">Story from The Blaze about Suspending Elections</a><br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/bISL-nE0m-0">NC Democratic Governors Audio on Elections</a><br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/5wD5Y88UWno">Obama Discusses Bypassing Congress</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering">Definition of Gerrymandering</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group">Bilderberg Group Bio</a><br />
<a href="http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/magazine/94940/peter-orszag-democracy?page=0,0&passthru=MGU3YjMxNDdlN2UyMjM2MTNhZGZjNDE2MjE2NjE2NjI&utm_source=Editors%20and%20Bloggers&utm_campaign=c995ff8495-Edit_and_Blogs&utm_medium=email">Peter Orszag - Too Much of a Good Thing</a><br />
<a href="http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/13357">La Raza - A Terrorist Organization?</a>Gandalfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12643891125000480825noreply@blogger.com0