First up is Media's role in Iowa
Second video is from 1984 and discusses how the media can deflect as well as spotlight issues.
Last, a video showing how the media covers the three branches of congress and has gotten corrupt as well.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
CSPan Videos about Media and Politics
Below are several videos concerning Medias Role in Politics.
First up is Media's role in Iowa
First up is Media's role in Iowa
Rick Perry 2.0
The New Rick Perry
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
Tempers Flare
Attending more debates
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
"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.
Problem?
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.
Solution
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.
Links
Tempers Flare
Attending more debates
Obama tries to energize college students with free tuition
The Issue
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.
It is a thinly veiled attempt to stir up his base of young voting adults.
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.
Hold it!
What? Wait a minute. Did I read that right? Forgive a loan after 20 years?
Well then who pays the government back? Oh wait its not the government its the tax payers that need to get paid back.
Lets make a quick calculation here ...
Suppose a student takes a $200,000 loan to go to an ivy league school, pre and post grad of course.
Then the student needs to pay back that loan at 10% of his discretionary income.
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.
A loosing proposition in terms of investment.
Ok lets change some numbers here. Lets assume $100,000 with being able to keep $75,000 after taxes.
After 20 years that still just $150,000 paid back to tax payers.
I haven't even added the interest on the loan which would create even more spread.
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.
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.
See my blog on college costs ...
Blame Colleges not the Banks for College Costs
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
So what is the solution?
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?
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.
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.
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.
Government Repayment Terms
New college aid plan will increase tuition costs
Tuition jumps 8.3% Double Inflation
Obama changes tuition plan
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.
It is a thinly veiled attempt to stir up his base of young voting adults. 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.
Hold it!
What? Wait a minute. Did I read that right? Forgive a loan after 20 years?
Lets make a quick calculation here ...
Suppose a student takes a $200,000 loan to go to an ivy league school, pre and post grad of course.
Then the student needs to pay back that loan at 10% of his discretionary income.
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.
A loosing proposition in terms of investment.
Ok lets change some numbers here. Lets assume $100,000 with being able to keep $75,000 after taxes.
After 20 years that still just $150,000 paid back to tax payers.
I haven't even added the interest on the loan which would create even more spread.
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.
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.
See my blog on college costs ...
So why the change?
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.
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.
Biting the students in the future
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Links
Government Repayment Terms
New college aid plan will increase tuition costs
Tuition jumps 8.3% Double Inflation
Obama changes tuition plan
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Political Party Platforms
Below are three CSPAN videos on key republican platforms.
The first is on deficit reduction ...
The first is on deficit reduction ...
The second is on abortion from Newt Gingrich's contract with America.
The last is on domestic energy ...
Backman near a finale in IOWA push.
Staff Exits, But Backman still fighting.
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.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.
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.
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.
Looking for that Iowa boost.
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.
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.
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.
In Iowa religion plays a big role.
This is where Backman can show off her conservative religious roots. Especially her stance on pro-life.
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.
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.
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.
Oh well, lets see what happens.
Links
Obama Foreign Policy Being Challenged
Challenging Obama In a public forum Senator Lindsay Graham has warned all GOP candidates they need to challenge President Obama on his foreign policy.
Yep you read that right.
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.
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.
Obama's decisions are being "run out of Chicago, not Washington," Graham said.
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.
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.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.
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.)
So is President Obama vulnerable on foreign policy?
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).
Senator Grahams Comments can be heard here ...
Links
Karzai Backs Pakistan over U.S.
CBS News Polls on Obama
Friday, October 14, 2011
How have Conventions Changed since 1968
Below are a several video on how conversions have changed since 1968.
The first is Senator George McGovern talking about the Democratic Convention of 1968 with all the violence and issues surrounding it.
The second is the day Sara Palin accepted the VP slot on McCains ticket and how she energized the GOP base.
The third is President Clinton talking about Candidate Obama at the 2008 Convention
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