Week#9, Blog #3, Wrap-Up

1. Ted Stevens is convicted.

Ted Stevens was convicted on seven felony charges this week despite testimony about his honesty and trustworthiness from members of both political parties. He was convicted on that he took gifts from an Alaskan businessman and did not disclose them on his Senate disclosure forms.

I think that this was something that was good for the American people to show that no one is above the law. I have heard countless number of people say that this was something that was good for government to show that people are being held accountable.

Of course this depends on which party you belong too. If you are a Democrat you can see that this is just another sign of corrupted Republican members of Congress which is how CNN showed this case. If you are a Republican you say that the appeals process will be used because this is unjust which is stuff that Fox News has said.

2. McCain predicting late win on Election Day

Senator John McCain is predicting a win on election night late into the evening. McCain is saying that some swing states and the southeast, southwest, and the plains states to come through for his campaign against Senator Barack Obama. He knows that independent and undecided voters are going to decide this election.

I am unsure of who is going to win the Presidential election. I think that it is going to come down to who actually goes to the polls. The Obama campaign has energized Americans to get involved in politics again, particularly young voters, like we haven't seen before since President John F. Kennedy. Even though they are energized again does this mean that they will go to the ballot box on Election Day? Only time will tell.

3. Leadership has called on Stevens to resign.

Both Presidential candidates have called upon Republican Alaska Senator Ted Stevens to resign following his conviction of seven felony corruption charges. This has been echoed by both the Democratic and Republican leaders of the United States Senate. Also members of his own party who are running a tight re-election campaign have issued statements saying that he should resign.

I believe that we should treat this matter as we have other matters in the past. Let the appeals process work its' will and then make a decision on what to do. However; since he is a member of the United States Senate the membership of the body can expel him with a 2/3 vote no matter if he was convicted in court or not. When you are a public official you are held to a somewhat higher standard than perhaps someone who lives in private life.

4. Polls predict solid Democratic federal government

Polls are predicting that the Democrats will win the White House and expand their majorities in the Senate and in the House. In the Senate they are hoping to get 60 seats which would allow them a filibuster-proof majority which is turns almost ensures that anything that they propose or Senator Obama if he is elected President proposes will be enacted into law.

This has not bene the case since the late 1970's when the Democrats had 60 seats in the United States Senate. I think that this is not how the Founding Fathers wanted the Federal Government to operate. We get the best results not when one party controls everything but when they work together and incorporate all ideas and viewpoints into legislation that best benefits the people that they represent. Fox News has shown voters over the last several months how scary this scenario would be if it were to come true including higher taxes, more government, and less freewill to make your own choices and live your own life. Scary isn't it...

5. Senator Durbin's daughter dies.

The senior Democratic Senator from Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has lost his daughter this week to a heart problem. She was 40 years old and passed on while Durbin is in the midst of his re-election campaign. She also left behind a husband and a son.

Typically when this happens and the election is only a couple days away he might get some sympathy votes that otherwise he would not have received. Durbin was not in a tight re-election race so it really will not effect the outcome like it did in South Dakota this election cycle when the Republican Senate Campaign Committee decided not to challenge Democratic Senator Tim Johnson since he suffered a stroke last December.

I know that this was not something that was planned for sympathy votes and who would want to lose a child to win an election. Fox News did somewhat bring this thought up in the article but I would hope that was not the sole intention behind its' reporting the situation as it did. Our thoughts and our prayers are with the Durbin family during this difficult time.

Week #9, Blog #2

At 11:00 am on 10/31/08 Fox News is featuring a story that includes statements from Senator John McCain that we will be up late on Election Night. McCain is predicting a surge at the polls at the last minute and he is dismissing the fact that Democrats have cast more early votes through-out the country than has Republicans.

"We are going to win this election but I understand that it is still an uphill fight, and I have got to be the underdog right up until the polls open," McCain said. "And I am serious about that -- that's when we do best."

In a recent Fox News poll McCain is leading Obama by double digits when it comes to foreign policy issues and has almost a 50 point lead when it comes to who has the experience to be the Commander-in-Chief.

McCain knows that the undecided voters at this point are who is going to decide this election. He is traveling extensively through-out battleground states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and others trying to make that last minute effort to get Republicans to the polls and convince undecided voters that he is not another term of Bush policies but instead a new direction for our country.

I think that if McCain stays on this issue of social the economic pie (wealth) then that will resonate with some voters. Just the fear of someone leading our country towards a Socialist agenda scares people into voting for the other candidate. He needs to keep stating his credentials that he has the experience necessary to lead our Armed Forces. There are several areas where McCain can help his cause but he needs to stick to those areas and back off tactics that aren't effective.

Campaign Ad

Week #9, Blog #1

As of 12:45pm on 10/28/08 Fox News is covering a statement that Senator John McCain made that Senator Ted Stevens should resign his Senate seat and scuttle his re-election campaign. Senator McCain made the following statement on the campaign trail, "It is clear that Senator Stevens has broken his trust with the people and that he should now step down. I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will be spurred by these events to redouble their efforts to end this kind of corruption once and for all."

Senator Stevens has been convicted of seven felony corruption charges by a grand jury in Washington D.C. Stevens now only has a week to go in his campaign which will be his eighth full six year term. He was previosuly appointed in 1966 following the death of Senator Bob Bartlett. Stevens is the longest serving Republican currently in the Senate. He has been in the Senate for forty-two years. He maintains that he is innocent and will appeal the decision. He has no plans to step down or recede his campaign.

I believe that the culture of corruption runs rampant in Washington and in other state legislative bodies through-out our country. Somehow some of these men and women feel that they are above the law which is fact they are not. If anything I believe that they should be held to a higher standard because they are in public office and are an icon through-out our country. Stevens should not step down or cancel his campaign for another term. We should let the judicial process function and then see where it goes from there. Even if he wins another term next week the Senate could expel him from the chamber with a 2/3 vote by the full Senate. I believe that this unlikely to happen but never say never...

Week #8, Blog #3

As of 11:20pm on 10/26/08, Fox News has reported the following as the top 5 news stories of the week:

1. 111th Congress = More Democrats

It has been widely reported by not only Fox News but other media sources that the next Congress will feature more Democrats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. I think that there is growing concern especially if the Democrats can get a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. If this happens and we have a Democratic controlled Congress and a liberal Democrat in the White House such as Barack Obama then we will see a drastic change in our fiscal, tax, and social policies through-out our nation.

I have heard my parents talk about what life was like the last time that the Democrats were in charge of everything and that was in 1992. During the midterm elections of 1994, the American people decided that it was time for a change and the Democrats lost control of the Congress in a landslide to the Republicans who had not been in the majority for over fifty years in the House. That was remarkable. I think that as we enter the job market we have to be concerned about economic growth during the next four years and how favorable the tax environment is to small businesses that we most likely will work for since they are the economic engine of our national economy.

2. Republican Ticket pays more for a hairdresser than a foreign policy advisor.

Current Alaska Governor and Republican Vice-Presidential running-mate Sarah Palin's, hairdresser makes more than $10,000 more than McCain's foreign policy advisor. What priorities does this show the American people? Or what does this show about what Americans value?

I think that this is sad that they must feel that they have to do this in order to attract votes. I would hope that we value something higher than hair when trying to pick who are next President is. Others have said that this is a good reason to vote for Obama since they don't pay more for a hairdresser than a foreign policy advisor.

3. Stevens case not going well...

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) has been with-standing trial for nearly four weeks now about if he lied on his Senate disclosure forms. I think that this is something that is a tactic of the left because they are taking away his time from campaigning in Alaska while he is engaged in a tough Senate race back home in Alaska, 3000 miles away.

I believe that they should have withheld the trial until after the election because this gave him a huge disadvantage during this Senate race.

Jurors have been dismissed now and they are calling in alternate jurors to decide his fate.

4. Kennedy already starting to stack agenda for 111th Congress

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) is recovering at home from his cancer treatment but he is already planning health-care legislation for the 111th Congress. If Obama wins the White House he will have a friend that will help him move through this legislation for universal health care.

I think that universal health care would undermine our capitalistic system and will turn this country towards Socialism. I have heard this echo through other people as you walk to news or even in the Debate Watch that we had a couple weeks ago.

With this idea you take away the incentive to get ahead in your career. Some people are motivated to get more education and succeed because they will get health care. With this I feel that we are giving people a reason not to better themselves with education or career advancement. Not a good idea.

5. Dodd says Bush should nominate next Treasury Secretary.

Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) has said that President Bush should nominate the President-Elects Treasury Secretary in order to facilitate a seamless transition between administrations. I think that this is a good idea considering the fact that some economists will tell you that we are in a recession and it might even go deeper to classify as a depression.

When you have a new team come in to power they have to get caught up to speed with what is going on through-out the country. If President Bush already has that person in place before he leaves office then they can learn from Secretary Paulson and the Bush economic team that is already in place.

If McCain wins the White House I can see that this idea would be embraced probably because they are with the same political policy and share a fundamental belief in their economic agendas. If Obama wins I think that he will be less receptive of this idea because Obama and Bush do not share the same ideas on the economy or any other issue for that matter.

Week #8, Blog #2

At 6:30pm on 10/24/08, Fox News is reporting that in October Sarah Palin's hairdresser was paid $22,800 compared to $12,500 which was paid to McCain's foreign policy advisor.

Of course this statistic has been touted several times during the campaign by Barack Obama and Joe Biden. When something like this is reported it will undoubtedly be used to the other party's advantage during the campaign rhetoric.

McCain did accept public financing for his campaign which amounted to $84 billion for the General Election. Obama did not accept public financing and has raised significantly more money than McCain. However it does appear that McCain has more than Obama when you included RNC funds. McCain and Obama both must be selective on how they spend their money since there are only 11 days until Election Day. It has been proven time and time again that when the race is close what you do in the remaining weeks or even days can change the outcome of the election.

As a Republican I feel that the money that is paid to Palin's hairdresser is just a product of the times that we live in. We are materialistic in nature and therefore the campaign feels that they have to make Palin presentable to the American public in order to have a chance of capturing their vote on Election day. I know that money can be better spent elsewhere on recruiting an advisor that has the most experience and the best record out there. If they have that kind of money that they don't know what to do with it, I need a good paying job...

Obama and Biden are smart to cash in on this opportunity. This is something that they can spend as, "Look at what the McCain-Palin ticket has listed their priorities as hair over foreign policy." Give it a day or two and that is the kind of message that we will be seeing out of the Obama-Biden campaign camp.

Week #8, Blog #1

At 11:25pm on 10/21/08 Fox News has as their top news story a claim that House and Senate Republicans are in big trouble come Election Day. Fox news is predicting that the Republicans in the House of Representatives will lose 18 seats from the 199 that they currently hold. This would be devastating to the Republican agenda because they will not be able to stop anything that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is pushing even with the help of the Blue Dog Democrats because they will not have enough rank-and-file Republicans to defeat the liberal Democratic agenda.

Chris Shays of Connecticut is in big trouble. Shays is the only Republican from the New England states currently serving in Congress. He has battled through 10 election cycles and this will be his 11th. Don Young of Alaska is the 3rd most senior Republican member of the House of Representatives and he is also in trouble this year. He has served in Congress since 1973 and has been the chairman of some powerful committees. He is currently under an ethical cloud that has plagued him in recent months.

In the Senate the odds don't look any better. The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is facing his toughest re-election contest yet. Some analysts say that this is payback for the defeat of then Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle in 2004. McConnell was once thought to be safe but the economic turmoil has the Republicans scrambling. Other Republicans once thought to be safe are now at risk for losing their seats including: Susan Collins of Maine, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Gordon Smith of Oregon, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, and Saxby Chamliss in Georgia.

I think that President Bush is part of the problem for Congressional Republicans. His low approval ratings reflect across the entire ballet. Some Americans might not realize that Democrats are now in control of the Do-Nothing Congress. If they did they might be voting against the Democrats in this election because this economic crisis happened while they were in control of the Congress.