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.

Week #7, Blog #3

At 10:40pm on 10/19/08 Fox News has shown that the top five issues for teh week are:

1. Powell endorses Obama

This morning former Secretary of State under President Bush annouced that he was endorsing former Secretary of State Colin Powell to be the next President of the United States. I think that this was a possible blow to the McCain camp who might have been expecting his endorsement to help McCain with the African American community. I have not heard anyone yet who has said that this endorsement is going to change their vote in the November 4th General Election. This endorsement might have an impact on McCain if he wins the Presidency and his international relations abroad because Powell is highly respected through-out the world.

2. 111th Congress = More Democrats.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi this week has announced that she is expecting to increase her Democratic majority in the House by fifty members. This means that the House will hold 285 seats in the 111th Congress when it convenes in January. I agree with Fox News in casting a negative light on this idea. This invariably means more taxes, more government, and more of the same tax and spend policies that we have seen out of Democratic Congresses and administrations in the past.

In the House of Representatives the leadership can virtually ensure passage of legislation because they have the right to call a vote on any matter of their choosing. Typically rank and file members vote however the leadership of your respective party is pushing you to vote.

In the Senate the magic number is sixty. It is very unlikely that the Democrats will get sixty seats in this next Congress but at least 55-58 is possible by even conservative estimates. In the Senate, sixty votes are required to cut off debate and therefore more legislation forward. Without the sixty vote supermajority you are not guaranteed to get anything passed by the upper chamber.

Several comments have been made that a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President will not help our current economic situation at all.

3. Bush already in transition phase.

This week the Bush administration has announced that they are beginning to prepare a transition stage for either a McCain or Obama Presidency.

I believe that this is good idea considering that the race is still fairly close and we can not have a gap in coverage in January 2009. This is a positive move that demonstrates that President Bush is still looking out for our national security even though he is a lame-duck President for three more months.

4. 2nd Economic Stimulus Unlikely this Congress.

Leaders on both sides of the asile in Congress have signled that there will not be enough time to generate and pass a second economic stimulus package this Congress. This includes not only tax breaks, additional unemployment benefits, extension of government sponsored health insurance, and other governmentally funded assistance programs.

This will be hard for many families to do without this assistance espically as they are beginning a new career because they were laid-off from their previous jobns. The Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program is not going to have enough money this year to help pay for home heating oil for low-income Americans this winter. This includes senior citizens and children who will suffer. I believe that this is a sad state of affairs but the government can't do everything for you. You have to help yourself sometimes instead of always expecting help from others.

On the other hand, look at our federal budget deficit. We have to start somewhere and maybe this is the best place to start.

5. McCain says Election is being bought.

Senator John McCain has indictated that he feels that the $605 million that Senator Barack Obama has raised for this White House run just goes to show that the election is being bought.

Obama is the first post-Watergate President to decline the public financing option of $84 million. He has now raised more than seven times that amount and we still have three months left to go.

"I'm saying it's laying a predicate for the future that can be very dangerous," McCain said on "FOX News Sunday." "History shows us where unlimited amounts of money are in political campaigns, it leads to scandal.

I believe that many people here in West Virginia believe that this statement is true. We are not materialistic people as a whole and therefore the money and the glamour are not important to us. I think that Barack and McCain should have had the same amount of money to finance the General Election and therefore there would have been an equal playing field and the American public can decide who the next President should be instead of who has the most money in the bank account.

Week #7, Blog #2

At 10:45 on 10/17/08 Fox News is focusing a lot on Congress at this time. We have a Congressman from New York who has been convicted of DUI. At the same time we have a Congressman from Florida who has admitted extramatrial affairs but says that he has broken no laws. Speaker of the House has come out saying that she does not believe that a second economic stimulus package will not pass the Congress and be signed into law by the President before Bush leaves office.

I think that the ethical clout that has plagued Congress for many years now has to end. I know that people make mistakes because we are human but who are people looking up to for guidance. Are these the role models that we need in this country? I certainly don't think so.

I think that the "frame" that is surrounding the 2nd stimulus package is one of look at how the Democrats can't get anything done quickly when it is needed. To an extent this could be true but if Republicans were in control of the Congress would this be the same message that they are conveying? Most certainly not. When you think about how Congress moves legislatio it is no wonder why it takes forever. When you work in a partisan manner then you can't expect the other side to just follow your lead when you didn't consider any of there input or ideas.

The election year is certainly not helping the situation at all. Senators Obama and McCain have only hindered the progress that we could have made during this economic crisis. Hopefully the tide will turn and we can get this country back on course soon.

Week #7, Blog #1

At 10:35pm on 10/14/08 Fox News is reporting as its top article that the federal deficit is soaring. This year's deficit will hit $455 billion and next year could be as large as $700 billion if the current state of the economy continues.

In 2007 the federal deficit was $161.5 billion and this year figure is almost triple that amount. We have seen a decline in federal tax revenues because of the economy and certainly more federal spending including items such as an AMT patch, extension of unemployment benefits, the bailout package, and the list goes on. Congress and the President have to get together and promote some budget ideas that limits the growth in federal spending. The debt will eventually hit a point when it will no longer be manageable and we won't be able to find anyone to buy our bonds.

There are many reports in the news media today that says that there is every indication that we haven't hit the worst yet. Everyone is already freaking out so how much worse can it get without a mass panic? I believe that the federal government has begun to take steps to help stabilize the markets but why didn't we do this years ago? The answer to that question is because no one was taking real leadership on the issue. During this Congress the Democrats have been so worried about trying to put into place a timetable for withdrawal of United States forces in Iraq that they really ignored what was happening in the housing markets.

The deficit next year is projected to be $700 billion which is interestingly enough the price tag of the recently passed bailout plan by Congress which President Bush signed into law. Wait and see if we don't hear that in the debate tomorrow night and it other news ads and thirty-second sound bites by members of Congress who were opposed to the plan.

Less than three weeks left now until election day. Senator John McCain has some ground to make-up and Fox News is saying that this recent report certainly is not making that ground any easier to close up on Senator Barack Obama.

Week #6, Blog #3, Wrap-Up

As we move into less than a month until election day we have seen the campaigns really heat up with the rhetoric and the 2nd Presidential debate this past week which we all saw in the Debate Watch 2008. At 1pm on 10/12/08 we can see that the race is beginning to come together. The top five issues for the week are as follows:

1. Obama's leading in Fox News poll

After the American people saw the 2nd debate we saw that the polls have indicated at this point that our next President of the United States will be Barack Obama. The talk that I have heard around campus is generally that most students are supportive of this choice but as I talk to family members and even some professors they are not looking forward to an Obama administration. This is also my opinion because Obama will raise taxes, increase government, and begin a transformation our of free-market capitalistic democracy into a government dictated form of socialism. I heard one veteran on a talk show this week say that he fought in World War II so that we would be able to enjoy the freedoms that we are guaranteed as Americans to have and electing Barack Obama to be President will just go further to diminish those freedoms. What a great point...

2. McCain is compared to George Wallace.

Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) compared Senator John McCain to former Governor of Alabama George Wallace who was a segregationist. Not only was this the only incorrect statement but he also said that the McCain campaign has run ads that only fuel the hatred and discontent that is in American culture today. I think that these statements were very inaccurate and Barack Obama has distanced himself from them because he knows that they are incorrect and not appropriate. On Meet the Press this morning former Congressman and current Office of Management and Budget Director Robert Portman said that the Obama campaign has run some of the most negative ads ever seem in a Presidential election. This is just another example of the kind of politics that we need to get away from. Let's talk about the facts and issues and eliminate the character assassinations.

3. Debate #2

John McCain and Barack Obama faced off for the 2nd time in a town-hall style debate this past Tuesday night. The debate was focused on the economy for about 2/3 of the night and foreign policy for the remaining 1/3 of the evening. This was McCain's chance to really close the gap in the polls and he failed to do so. The economy is not John McCain's top issue and this debate was focused on that issue for the majority of the duration. This hurt Senator McCain. When he can talk about working together across the aisle, being against wasted taxpayer dollars being used for unnecessary earmarks, national defense, and terrorism then he can win over Barack Obama. This debate did not focus on that and I think that truly hurt him and I don't know if there is enough time for him to recover before Election Day.

4. Palin abused Power.

A big headline this week was that Sarah Palin abused her power as Governor of Alaska by trying to lean on a state official to fire her ex-brother-in-law as a State Trooper. This certainly does not look good for the McCain campaign. I've heard different people say things such as if she can't be trusted as Governor of Alaska then why should we give her more power and trust as Vice-President of the United States. This is a good point but at some point in time everyone does something or makes a comment that they later regret. Bill Clinton is a great example when he lied to the American people in 1998 about having sexual relations with quote "that woman". Once again this issue is not something that is going to change my vote away from the McCain-Palin ticket because I believe that they can tackle the issues in a more meaningful way then the Obama-Biden ticket.

5. Clintons stop whining.

Bill and Hillary Clinton are going to start making joint appearances for the Obama-Biden ticket. Now that Bill and Hillary are done whining and complaining about losing the election they are going to go out there and do what they do best. They want to change the tone of what they have said about Obama and even Biden through-out the primary and now support him over the McCain-Palin ticket. It seems that they think that after 18 months of bashing they can fit in 1 month of supporting in order to get on Obama's good side in case he would win the White House. Please... This is pathetic... Don't say something if you don't mean it and don't change your mind just so you don't look like a failure... Hillary - Stay on the back row of the Senate chamber and earn that big salary for missing over 50% of the roll-call votes in the 110th Congress.

It's been an exciting week. Only about three weeks to go.

Week #6, Blog #2

At 8pm on 10/10/08 Fox News has published a poll on the election and claims that Senator Barack Obama is leading 46% to 39% over Senator John McCain. A previous poll that was conducted two weeks ago shows almost the same results. Obama has increased his lead among his own party as well as woman, black voters, young voters with a college degree, and unmarried voters.

The three debates that have been held so far including the two Presidential debates and the single Vice-Presidential debate seems to have helped Senator Obama more so than Senator McCain. The economy is another factor why Obama's lead has increased because we have had virtually eight years of Republican policies and as long as things are going well then people usually want to return the same party into power but when things are looking down the people want a change. This is exactly the same thing that happened in 1992 when President George H.W. Bush was soundly defeated by an Arkansas Governor named Bill Clinton, who was new on the national scene.

The following statement from the article that includes the poll illustrates the prior point, "There is no doubt the economy remains the single most important issue to voters this election. It is picked by 49 percent, which is more than all the other issues combined. " The economy is currently on shaky ground with the Dow Industrial Average sinking below $8000 for the first time since 2003. The economy seems to be a very big and important election predicting tool. As Ronald Reagan said in 1980, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" If the answer was no to that question then he felt that you should have voted for him to be President instead of the incumbent President Jimmy Carter (D-GA) because he already had four years and was unable to improve our economic situation so not it was time for a change. The American people agreed with that idea and President Reagan easily won the 1980 and 1984 Presidential elections.

At the end of the article it is interesting to note that Fox News has tied Congress and the Presidents low approval ratings as a factor as to why John McCain is not winning in the polls at this time.

Week #6, Blog #1

Shortly before midnight on 10/7/08 the 2nd Presidential debate was completed. Fox News is framing that both candidates tried to make some headway in the polls but neither got very far. The debate was 2/3 related to the economy. The other third mostly dealt in foreign relations. Obama now looks to be ahead in the polls by 7% before the debate and McCain is trailing in key battleground states. Fox News learned that before the debate Obama called upon his economic advisors to draft an updated economic agenda that looks upon the middle class and those who are unemployed.

The question was proposed as to who they would want to be there Treasury Secretary which is now considered to be the most powerful cabinet position. No candidate claimed an exact person who they would nominate and be subject to Senate confirmation which is a broken process in itself. "Asked whom they would appoint as their treasury secretary, neither McCain nor Obama definitively named a candidate. McCain mentioned supporter and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman as a possibility, while Obama mentioned supporter and billionaire Warren Buffet."

I think that it was a mistake for both candidates to not mention education or propose a real energy policy. The American people care about energy particularly at a time when energy costs have gone nowhere but up in recent years. Americans also care about their children's education and their increased standard of living. I also did not really see a clear winner of the debate following the 2008 Debate Watch. I think that both candidates said things that were helpful to voters and then again we heard some of the same tired rhetoric that we have heard many times before.

We will see who jumps ahead in the polls following this debate because chances are whoever is in the lead at that point will most likely capture the White House in November. That wonderful piece of information was provided by Dr. Robert Rupp at the 2008 Debate Watch. Less than four weeks left...

Week #5, Blog #3, Wrap-Up

This has certainly been an interesting week in the political world. Top 5 issues for the week are:

1. Bail-out Passes

This week Congress has approved and the President has signed the Economic Stabilization package which includes $700 billion for financial institutions among numerous other items. I think that this was the right move to make and the $700 billion price tag is a major turn-off initially but people do not understand that we will be getting the bulk of that money back when we re-sell the mortgages that we as a government purchase. I have heard older people (senior citizens) say that government is just looking out for the rich people again and are not doing anything to raise the amount of social security that they receive each month. This was the basic account of my grandmother who does live on a fixed income. I am not concerned because if you focus on the discussion and get past the tired rhetoric anyone can see that this bill will be helpful to our economy. As a college student I am worried about the debt that we accumulate as a nation because someone has to pay it back but this is a step in re-building our troublesome economy.

2. Vice-Presidential Debate

Sarah Palin and Joe Biden squared off for the 1st and only Vice-Presidential debate this year. I have heard many people say that it was a virtual tie. For Sarah Palin, who was quite the junior in the arena of politics compared to Joe Biden, to come out of this looking as a "tie" was what she needed. The McCain camp certainly did prep her well so that any question that popped up she had a response to. I have heard discussion among several students in my political science class that the questions were favored for Senator Biden compared to her because they dealt mostly with Congressional issues that she does not know about as much as Senator Biden because she has not severed in the Senate for 36 years. I have also heard from members of my family that they would like to see another debate between these two Vice-Presidential candidates. Fox News did call Palin the winner of the debate. (FYI, she did do very well)

3. 111th Congress could be filibuster free

Fox News is saying that there are 10 vulnerable GOP seats in this year's midterm election. If the Democrats can hit that magic number of 60 seats in the Senate then they will not have to go through all the procedural hurdles which have presented themselves during this session of Congress. With a 60 vote threshold the Democrats can virtually move through any piece of legislation that they desire without have to compromise with the Republicans who will not be able to stop them. Dr. Leonard and I were speaking the other day about this issue and we decided that this is not what the founding fathers envisioned when they created two legislative bodies for our federal branch of government. The House is governed by majority rule and the Senate was the cooling chamber where matters will receive more debate and discussion and the leadership can not force a vote down the members' throats. Compromise and extended debates would be the hallmarks of the Senate but with a super-majority of 60 Senate seats the majority leader and his team runs the entire body. This is not what the Senate was designed to be so it is my hope that this does not happen and the election climate will improve for Republican candidates.

4. Attacks are getting personal

The attacks coming out of the campaign are getting very personal. A McCain ad has tried to link Obama with terrorists and linking him with some of Illinois most corrupt public officials. The Obama team is relating this to the Swift Boat Veterans campaign ads that surfaced just months before the election in 2004 against Senator John Kerry. I have heard many people say that they are tired of hearing all this stuff that does not matter. If John McCain received war injuries in Vietnam that prevents him from being able to sit and use a computer then who cares. If the President can make cool, calm, and collected decisions without using a computer then that is fine with me. Another paraphrase from my grandma, let's get back to the issues that matter and move away from all this pointless talk. (Good idea)

5. Economy

With the stock market still in decline and jobless claims still rising many people are wondering "Have we hit the recession yet?" This is a valid argument and one that we as average American citizens are not sure of. I have not seen the media come out and say that it is official that we are in a recession but I think that it is obvious with the status of what is happening around us that something has to give at some point. An economy can not prosper forever and maybe we dug ourselves into this whole because we were trying to live up "the American dream" of everyone owning their own home. Fox News' economic team says the beginning of this whole mess was with the bust of sub prime mortgages. Someone got too greedy and now we are all feeling the squeeze. I have heard discussion that it is never going to get better as prices continue to rise for everything from food to health care to energy to utilities. I actually heard one lady at a gas station complaining because the price of her cigarettes went up. Well the easiest thing to do in this situation is to quit and that will save you a ton of money plus health care costs because your lungs will be clear and you might be able to avert cancer. Not a complicated thought process for this Republican.

With less than a month till the election the attacks, the ads, and the rhetoric is just going to increase. Hang in there guys, it's almost over.

Week #5, Blog #2

Around midnight on 10/3/08 Fox News is reporting that the House of Representatives passed the bailout measure overwhelmingly. Sixty house members changed their "nay" vote from Monday to an "aye" during today's session. The Senate had amended the bill to include extending expiring tax cuts, mental health parity legislation, earmarks, raising FDIC coverage limits, and small business tax breaks.

This media source is framing this event as a plus for the American people and our economy. Fox News is saying that if we pump the $700 billion into our economy then the markets will recover, jobs will cease to be lost, and small businesses will be able to meet their payroll and maintain a line of credit. They are proposing that since Congress and the President have acted the struggling that is currently present in our economy and financial institutions will diminish. It is not often that the President signs a piece of legislation just hours after it is sent to him. This shows that President Bush also agrees with how important and how needed this action was by Congress on behalf of Wall-Street and Main Street.

I applaud this action by our federal government. I have heard the remarks from some that this is a source of socialism. I don't approve of government intervention in the long hall but I think that at times it is something that is needed so that the free market system can reign supreme again. The market does fix itself in most cases but how many jobs would have been lost, how many banks would have closed their doors, and how many small businesses would be out of business if Congress and the President did not act quickly to this crisis. This was a bi-partisan effort in Congress to shepherd this legislation through to enactment. We get the best result when Democrats and Republicans work together. This was the case with this bill and I believe that the overwhelming vote on the House of Representatives floor today and the Senate floor on Wednesday was a rare occurrence of working together for the good of our country. I applaud both Presidential candidates for supporting this legislation because no matter who wins the White House in November, this is an important issue that they will have the address in the opening days, weeks, and months of their administration.

Week #5, Blog #1

At 10:00pm on 9/30/08 Fox News is covering the congressional bailout negotiations between Democrats and Republicans and the Bush administration. The House of Representatives failed to pass the bill on Monday by a vote of 205-228. The Senate was slated to act following the House is they passed the bill Monday but they did not. House and Senate negotiators have been working throughout Monday evening and Tuesday.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) have announced that they will include some business tax provisions and raising the deposit insurance level from $100,000 to $250,000 in an effort to shore up the struggling economy. The only thing that raises doubt on if this proposal will pass the House is that House Democrats want to raise taxes elsewhere. Senate leaders are fairly sure that they have the votes to pass this measure in the Senate but the uncertainty still remains in the House of Representatives.

I think that Fox News is showing that this issue is going to be a big drag on the Federal checkbook. Most media sources are not covering the fact that these mortgages will be sold back and most if not all of the money will be recovered after the market has time to adjust. Fox News is not the only source that is leaving this information out but I think that the American people need to understand that the $700 billion price tag is a large amount of money but the bulk of that money is recoverable.

President Bush is providing leadership on this issue. He made this statement today from the White House and said, "I recognize this is a difficult vote for members of Congress, but the reality is we are in an urgent situation and the consequences will grow worse each day if we do not act."

I believe that Congress needs to get to work and quit stalling and act quickly so that the American economy does not sink further into a recession or even depression for that matter. Our economy is on the cliffs right now and the blame can be laid on the doorstep of the Congress and the President for not acting quickly enough and the media for using "scare tactics" to make the economic situation seem worse and more pressing than it is.

Week #4, Blog #3, Top 5 Issues

This week we have not heard about Sarah Palin as much as we have in recent weeks but Joe Biden has emerged from the background and is certainly giving us something to talk about. He has make two mistakes so far that Obama does not seem to support. He characterized a Democratic ad as "terrible." As well he said that the government should not bail out AIG and Obama said that he should have waited before making that statement, I'm sure to double-check how the boss was going to support or reject the legislation.

Congress has been developing bailout legislation this week for Wall-Street. It appears that the House Republican leader is telling his members to support the bill if their conscious will allow them to do so. The Senate Republicans are not herded as easily as House members but it appears that Budget Committee Ranknig Member Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) is agreeing to the compromise and between him and Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) who is the Ranking Member on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, they are also supporting the final piece of legislation they have negotiated with the Democratic leadership and the President. McCain tried to make a move to appear seriously concerned about the financial crisis but even members of his own party agreed with Democrats that when he brought Presidential politics onto Capital Hill it only hampered and slowed down the progress of a final product.

McCain skipped a vote on a Continuing Resolution to fund the government through March 6, 2009 as to avoid a government shut-down even though he was in Washington when the vote was being held. Democrats are saying that he skipped the vote because it was a lose-lose situation. If he voted for the bill then he would have advocated the numerous earmarks that the bill included that he has long proposed. If he voted against the bill then he would be accused of trying to shut down the federal government at the time of a possible economic recession. Note that Obama also skipped the vote as did Joe Biden.

Top 5 Issues

1. Congress reaches agreement on bailout for Wall-Street.
2. 1st Presidential Debate
3. Biden's mouth earns him admonishment from Obama
4. Senator Ted Stevens trial has started
5. Possible Lame-Duck session for Congress following election

Week #4, Blog $2

The top news story that Fox News is reporting at 11:45 this evening (9/26/08) is that Barack Obama and John McCain debated tonight. These candidates lit each other up on issues dealing with the economy, to the War in Iraq, to earmarks. John McCain noted that Barack Obama has the most liberal voting record in the United States Senate and that it is hard to reach across the aisle when that is your claim to fame. McCain also noted that in his first Senate term Barack Obama has almost sought and received $1 billion worth of earmarks. McCain also noted that Obama did not support the surge of troops into Iraq last year, a policy that obviously worked.

Obama did not take this criticism laying down. He chided McCain on his comment in 2003 that the war was going to be quick and easy. Obama noted that McCain likes to think that the war started in 2007 when the surge was taking place and the fruits of our labor were being seen. McCain voted to authorize the war in 2003 and he was wrong. Obama also said that how can McCain say that he will control spending when he has voted for almost every Bush budget during the last eight years.

The consensus was that leaders on Capital Hill are close to an agreement arranging a financial bailout for Wall-Street. They note that leaders are working together, despite party differences for the good of the American people.

Columnist Charles Krauthammer said the debate probably ended in a “draw,” but that it could help McCain recover from the turmoil of the past two days.
“I’d be surprised if McCain gets a jump in the polls as a result of this,” he said, but “it does end the drama of the McCain week.”

I think that this is an accurate statement (above). McCain and Obama both made good points and this first debate did end in a tie. The American people will have two more chances to pick their candidate before the general election. These candidates have to be careful about what they say in the campaign because they both have a voting record in the United States Senate that the media and the American people can study and investigate. Fox News did cover more of the jabs to Obama from McCain then vice-versa.

Week #4, Blog #1

At 4:00pm on 9/23/08 Fox News is highlighting the fact that Joe Biden has made a second mistake in as many days of his views that don't reflect the news that Barack Obama wants him to portray to voters. The 1st comment which was yesterday dealt with criticizing a campaign ad against John McCain that said that he didn't know how to use a computer and was behind the times. The quote from Biden was, "“I thought that was terrible by the way. I did not know we did it and if I had anything to do with it, we would have never done it.”

The second comment that Obama did not taken a liking to was that the federal government should not bailout AIG and other financial institutions. Obama's response was, "I think … that in that situation, I think Joe should have waited, as well." Biden is turning out to be what we all know about him to be true from his time in the Senate and the Presidential debates in 1988 and 2008, that he says what he wants and does not follow in lock-step with a campaign view that he doesn't agree with. I think that maybe Obama is regretting selecting Biden as him running-mate instead of someone like perhaps, Hillary Clinton.

Fox News is framing this "slip of the tongue" by Joe Biden as an example of the lack of support for Barack Obama's main campaign themes that we are seeing out of Joe Biden. Surely we want to have a President and Vice-President who are on the same page and work well together and march to the same drummer. That is not what we are seeing out of the Democratic campaign at this time. Only time will tell, but I think that Barack Obama will eventually regret picking Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) as his running-mate.

Week #3, Blog #3, Top 5 Issues

This week we have not heard as much about Sarah Palin as we have in the last several weeks since John McCain's announcement of her as his Vice-Presidential running mate. I think that the media has beat this issue into the ground and now that we have new news such as the financial markets failing, then we have a new drum to beat.

Last week we heard a lot about Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) and his tax evasion. This issue has also seemed to have disappeared.

Obama and McCain are still battling it out for who is the front-runner. Fox News has projected it as still a toss-up with no clear favorite at this point.

The financial markets collapse in this past week has really dominated the news coverage and any political discussion that you have with a teacher, family member, or classmate. When you have a situation like this in the greatest economy in the world you have to think about what this might mean for other countries who are not as lucky as we are to have the resources to bail out these institutions that are the centerpiece to our economy. As we witnessed with the sharp decreases in the stock market early in the week and then the rebounds at the end of the week we see that this action by the federal government seems to be looked at favorably by Wall Street. When we look at this issue we have to understand that this money will be paid back because these bailouts are in the forms of loans. There is no guarantee that the treasury will see any of this money repaid but that is the current intention.

The media has certainly capitalized on the scare tactics opportunities that this issue has presented itself. This is certainly the main issue for the week and will probably remain the top political issue in the weeks heading up the election.

Top 5 Issues

1. Financial Markets/Institutions failing
2. 2nd Stimulus Package vote fails in House
3. Representative Don Young (R-AK) wins Primary
4. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) is heading to trail
5. Gas prices declining after Hurricane Ike

Week #3, Blog #2

At 6:30pm on 9/19/08 Fox News is heavily reporting that Barack Obama says said that we have been reckless with our federal budget and have increased our debt enormously. Although this is true he plans to add $50 billion to our debt if he is elected President because he plans to endorse and fund a United Nations program to eliminate poverty around the world by 2015. Joe Biden has also endorsed this plan.

In December 2007, Obama authored the Global Poverty Act which some critics say will cost about $845 billion. How in the world can we afford this? I don't see how he is complaining about our debt and how much of it there is but he only wants to add more it seems. I wish that he would quit talking about how much debt there is due to the Iraq War and the War of Terror. There is a massive difference to me between protecting our citizens, our country, and our way of life and eliminating poverty.

Look at this quote which I believe is where accurate. “It goes down a bureaucratic rat-hole, lining the pockets of people who are connected to the power structure, it’s basically a system to redistribute income from middle class people in the United States to rich people in poor countries. It never reaches those people who are living on a dollar a day.”

An Obama campaign spokeswoman said that the United States should give 0.7% of our Gross Domestic Product to developing nations. Does this mean our allies or countries that hate us? The mere possibility of an Obama administration scares me to death...

Week #3, Blog #1

At 10:50pm on 9/16/08 the top issue being discussed by Fox News is the $85 billion bailout of AIG by the federal government. This is an issue that is very important to the broader economy as a whole. AIG is an enormous investment banking company that controls mortgages to individual banks. If this company was to fail then it would send another single to the American people and the world that our economy was faltering. This $85 billion loan is perhaps a very small price to pay for the ramifications if AIG was to go belly-up. I think that the media is using this as a sort of scare tactic. They are showing that in light of Merill Lynch and Lemahn brothers shutting down their operations this week that our financial markets could not take another hit like this.

I think that this is a very good decision by the Federal Reserve to provide this loan. Without it, I think that we would continue to see a sharp decline in the stock market that is very close and resembles what was going on in 1929 when that bubble burst and lead to the Great Depression. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) noted this in a speech on the Senate floor today, that the lesson from 1929 should have kept us away from this road that we find ourselves on today. This speech can be found under Daily Issues of the Congressional Record dated for 9/16/08, under the Senate heading, debating Economic Policy at www.thomas.gov


How would we handle another Great Depression? Would we be able to survive with the modern conveniences that we are used to today? Would we be able to remain competitive within the global economy? Would we be able to fight off the terrorists and remain intact as a free democratic nation? I think that these are questions that we might have to answer at some point but hopefully with the wisdom and guidance of the Federal Reserve, Congress, and the President we can avoid this massive decline in our economic standing through-out the world.

Week #2 Summary of Top 5 Issues

1. 7th anniversary of 9/11/01
2. Congress Charles Rangel (D-NY) evading federal taxes on rental income
3. Sarah Palin (R-AK) dominating media attention compared to Joe Biden (D-DE)
4. Congress shores up Highway Trust Fund with $8 billion from general fund
5. Barack Obama (D-IL) stepping up attacks against John McCain (R-AZ)

Week #2, Blog #3

At 9:25 on the evening of 9/13/08 Fox News is headlining with three main news stories in the political world. This includes: Joe Biden stepping up the pace, Alan Greenspan slamming McCain's tax policy, and Florida's new voter registration law.

First off Sarah Palin has been on the cover of magazines and has been holding massive joint rallies with John McCain since the Republican National Convention has ended. This has put her on the fore-front of the American voters minds as they think about how will they cast their vote in November.

The Obama campaign has realized that Joe Biden is definitely playing fourth fiddle behind Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and John McCain. The Obama campaign wants him to become more of an attack dog on McCain (whom he calls his friend) and work on courting white working class voters for November. They want him out there to combat the recent jump in the polls that McCain has enjoyed and many people attribute that rise from his selection of Sarah Palin to be his Vice-Presidential running-mate.

I think that this is something that has been developing for the last week or two and certainly is looking like a plus for McCain according to this article because the Obama camp is now running on the offensive since they have been lacking. I think that this is very accurate, the way that Fox News has portrayed this. This is a primary issue that has a conservative bias to it.

Another issue that has surfaced in that former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greensapan has come out against John McCain's tax policy unless it also contains some spending cuts. Greenspan says that the McCain policy could have a price tag of $3.3 trillion but the McCain camp says that figure is only $600 billion if you consider the renewal of the Bush tax cuts. McCain originally voted against the Bush tax cuts but he says now that he thinks that they should be renewed.

This issue has not really be emphasized by this media source. It doesn't look good for the conservative ticket so they are not pushing this too heavily. I agree that tax cuts must be coupled with spending cuts. I find that most people talk about low taxes and less government waste. McCain is planning on both.

After watching the debacle of the Florida Presidential vote in 2000, the Florida Secretary of State's office has been complying with a new voter registration law which is called "No Match, No Vote." All this means is that when the 400,000 new voters registered this year that meant that they cross checked their driver's licenses and their social security numbers with those respective databases. Out of the 400,000 new voters only about 1,500 had to be double checked. Isn't this a small price to pay to make sure that voters are who they say they are.

I think that this is something that Democrats are too bitter about and Fox News has covered this so that they can ensure that whatever happens in 2008 won't be blamed on a certain state again and that just because Obama loses they won't have anything to complain about. I think this is something that needed to be done after 2000 and many people agree that 2000 unfolded into a mess that should not have happened. Fox News has presented this as an important development.

Week #2, Blog #2

At 12:30 on 9/12/08 Fox News is currently covering the truce between Barack Obama and John McCain on what types of campaign ads they will be using. Barack Obama has not really responded to attacks by the McCain camp as fiercefuly as what the original attacks are. I think that this is just another attempt by Barack Obama to trick the American people into believing that John McCain should not be President. I personally do not care that McCain does not know how to use a computer or send an e-mail. That is not what being the Commander in Chief is about. Staffers can take care of that stuff but when it comes time for the tough decisions John McCain has a much better background than Obama to draw upon. Fox News is playing up this idea of campaign ads and what they should be like. No real spin on this issue.

Another article is that in an interview Alaska Governor Sarah Palin says that she is ready to step into the #1 job at any point if needed once her and McCain win the White House in November. I think that Fox News has decided that this is a very good story to show because they don't want Obama to win in November they would much rather have a McCain-Palin White House. This story is being spun towards the McCain supporters to show that Palin has what it needs and the experience to lead our troops and our country in battle if something were to happen to John McCain.

Joe Biden has also released his personal financial records. They are trying to show that although he has been in the Senate for 36 years he has not earned the amount of money that other members of the Senate has that have been there less time and some that have been there more. I personally don't care what kind of money he and his wife made in 2007, including both of their salaries and book royalties. That does not matter to me. Lets look at the nominee's record, let's argue the facts, and debate the issues. As a country we need to get past these childish issues and look at the real issues that are facing our country. No spin on this article was noted.

Week #2, Blog #1

At 11:20am on 9/11/08 Fox News is of course covering the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, the Congress Charles Rangel's tax evasion scheme, and Congress' moving money to shore up the Highway Trust Fund.

After 9/11/01 the American people came together in a unique way to show the world that you can harm our citizens, destroy our buildings, but you will never kill the resolve of the American people. Since seven years has past the resolve that we showed immediately after 9/11 has begun to fade. The ideas that were promoted when President Bush addressed Congress shortly after that fateful day are no longer what we are concerned about in this country. The big news is changing daily and although some feel that the passage of time has made 9/11 seem like a distant memory and the people behind it a distant threat, we as Americans must never forget the brave men and women who lost their lives that day while conducting America's business. Not only the citizens on those planes but the fire fighters, policemen, and first responders who put their own safety on the back-burner so that they could save others, we should never forget. Fox News has portrayed this as President Bush, Donald Rumsfield, Robert Gates, Dick Cheney, and mostly a Republican Congress worked immediately to secure our borders, our homeland, and our citizens.

This issue has been placed not just on the back-burner but off the stove entirely. We do not think about this issue as one of the biggest issues that we face as a country today. We are looking at the economy, energy, health care, and education. Terrorism is no longer as important as it was in the 2004 election or even the 2002 mid-term Congressional elections. Due to the fact that today is the 7th anniversary that is why this is a front line issue in today's news.

Another major news item is that Congressmen Charles Rangel (D-NY) did not pay federal income tax on the money that he received from renting property. Fox News has shown clips of the House Republican leader urging him to resign his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee which is responsible for writing tax law and oversight of the IRS. The Republican leadership has issued a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying that you can not have someone under investigation by the same people that as a chairmen of a standing committee of Congress he is entitled to conduct oversight upon. This issue has been unfolding for several days and last night Congressmen Rangel and Congress Boehnar exchanged words on the House floor over this issue. Rangel insists that he has down nothing wrong but I believe that he should resign his chairmanship at least while the House Ethics Committee looks into this issue and makes a judgement on whether he has violated any House Ethics rules. Fox News is covering this item often because Rangel is a big figurehead for Democrats and this is a scandal.

Another issue that is in the news is that the Highway Trust Fund is broke and needs $8 billion in order for current projects that are underway in all 50 states to continue and not be shut down which means a loss of thousands upon thousands of construction jobs nationwide. Fox News is promoting that the Senate Republicans want to help this fund but they just want a way to pay for it instead of taking it out of the general fund/general revenue stream. They argue that they whole point of this trust fund is to pay for highway construction through gasoline taxes so that money does not have to come out of the general fund which can be used on discretionary spending. The media is portraying this as another example of Republicans watching what we spend and Democrats just throwing more money at the problem. This issue has just been briefly mentioned and is not forefront because if you polled Americans I am sure that this is something that they have little background knowledge about.

Week #1, Blog #3

At the late hour of 11:00pm on 9/7/08 Fox News is currently running a special on the life of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Greta Van Susteren is certainly making the case as to why Sarah Palin will make a wonderful Vice-President serving alongside John McCain. She is showcasing her life as a mother and how she came to grow up with the Alaskan values of integrity and hard work. While airing this they also showed Barack Obama blasting her for talking about federal earmarks and how she told the federal government "thanks but no thanks" for the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. Obama is trying to spin this that she has requested an enormous amount of outrageous earmarks while she has been a mayor and a Governor. I think that the record is clear that Congress does maintain the power of the pursue and they can appropriate money as they see fit in their home states and districts. These projects should be well deserved and in reality tenure in Congress is how these projects are often rewarded. Alaska currently has the most senior republican member of the United States Senate on its team and the 8th most senior member of the 435 member House of Representatives. That is pretty good. When you look at the earmarks that Palin has been directly involved in, the total is not many. Obama on the other hand has requested a total of almost a billion dollars worth in just three years. I think that most taxpayers would say that he needs to put his foot in his mouth and call it a day.

Another issue that is prominent in this evenings news is that a new Gallup poll shows John McCain is leading Barack Obama for the first time by a 3 point margin. This is the first time that McCain has hit a 48%-45% margin since May and the first time that he has garnered a 48% lead. I think that since the Republican National Convention just ended I am sure that he is taking some momentum from that but I hope that the American people are starting to see that Barack Obama really is not the "change" that America needs, he is just more hot air and wants to throw more money at the problem instead of reforming the system so that it works better in a global economy. I believe that a lot of this comes from the running mate that he has chosen and how well she has performed thus far. I don't think that he could have chosen a better Vice-Presidential nominee because he needed someone that could support his maverick, reform type style and change Washington instead of just joining the game with the typical Washington type establishment.

Less than two months to election day...

Week #1, Blog #2

At 10:00pm on 9/6/08 Fox News is reporting heavily on Senator Barack Obama's statement that the McCain-Palin ticket is really not offering any change because McCain has been in Washington too long and Governor Sarah Palin does not have enough experience to know how to run the government. I don't see how Obama can say this when his running mate, Senator Joe Biden, has been in the Senate more than a decade longer than Senator McCain has. However, Obama says that Biden has not been changed by Washington and he can change Washington. How in the world can you say that just because he goes home everynight by train means that Washington hasn't changed him any? Not every Senator has that ability because their home state may be on the West Coast or Hawaii or Alaksa. I think that this is a poorly planned defense on behalf of the Obama campaign. I have heard others make this same arguement that I am because it is common sense. This media source has figured out that the Obama campaign is not contrasting ideas but instead throwing political motivated attacks across the asile while failing to do anything for the American people. This is certainly something that Fox News has reported on several times because it just goes to show that the Democratic campaign has nothing more to offer the American people than retoric... and then some more retoric.

Another issue that the media has focused on heavily is the probe into the role that Governor Sarah Palin played in trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from the Alaska State Troopers. This has been downplayed by this source because it is something that is just an allegation that probably does not have any real "teeth" and this is just another attemp to try to make this wonderful Vice-Presidential candidate look "to good to be true." Governor Palin has been a reformer and taken on the political establishment in Alaska. When someone is a maverick and goes after the "good ole boys" then yes someone is going to try to smear your name because that just goes to show that someone has been doing something. Usually when someones feathers gets ruffled then you know that government has accomplished at least something. Governor Palin is an excellent choice for Vice-President and I think that she will embody what our founding fathers envisioned when they wrote, "... we will govern by the consent of those we will govern." Governor Palin is a uniter and someone who will do great things for our country. I think that this media source has covered this story intensly also because it has many flaws that play into favor for the McCain-Palin ticket.

Week #1, Blog #1

At 12:30pm on 9/4/08 Fox News is extensively covering Governor Sarah Palin's address last night to the Republican National Convention. They are promoting her as someone who is going to be wonderful for our country and that she is a maverick and a reformer just like Senator John McCain. I agree with Fox News on this point that Sarah Palin will be a wonderful Vice-President of the United States. We need someone who is not all about Washington and someone that has executive experience.

In the last several days after disclosing that her teenage daughter is pregnant she has underwent tremendous criticism for her role as a mother. Fox News showed a clip of a member of Congress saying, "If she can not run her family then how can she run an entire country?" I feel that this is a inaccurate statement and one that should not have been made. Parents do not always have power over what their children do so you can not hold them entirely responsible for stupid mistakes.

My family does keep up to date with politics and since I talked to my parents this morning about her address last night they also agree that she did a very good job of laying down the issues and how she plans to attack them in January. I think that we agreed on this point because as children we often hold the same political beliefs as our parents. However; when I listened to other people talk about the election they make comments that Barack Obama picked Joe Biden so that he could bring some experience to the ticket. John McCain however picked Sarah Palin because she believes in the same causes as he does and has a proven track record of reform while mayor and Governor.

Other issues that Fox News is covering is Hurricane season. I heard Congressmen John Spratt (D-SC), House Budget Committee Chairman say that since the hurricane was going to hit at the beginning of the Republican National Convention that meant that God wanted the Democrats to win the election. This comment was totally out of touch with mainstream Americans and Fox News portrayed this while covering the interview with Representative John Spratt (D-SC).

Another issue that Fox News has breaking news of is that the Mayor of Detroit will resign after pleading guilty to sexual misconduct charges and pleaded no contest to assaulting a police officer. Fox News has noted that this issue has plagued the city for months and has cast a shadow over the city government. I have seen this story from time to time over the last several months and I believe that the mayor should have resigned immediately. If we are a public official and are under investigation for multiple charges then if you know that you are guilty you should have the decency to resign and let the people who you were elected to represent move on with a different leader.

The more important issue on the news this morning was how Governor Sarah Palin's address went over with the American people last night. Fox News is also having a field day with Congressmen John Spratt's statement about God showing the American people who he wanted to win the election by having a hurricane strike the Gulf of Mexico at the beginning of the Republican National Convention. The Mayor of Detroit resigning is another story that the media has jumped on. All three of these issues have dominated the news this morning/afternoon and Fox News is covering these issues most frequently.

Fox News Background

Fox News was launched on October 7, 1996 to 17 million cable subscribers. Throughout the late 1990's its audience share grew and in January 2005, it was predicted that 85 million households watched the news program. It is headquarted in New York City, New York and has several prominent slogans such as "We Report. You Decide"; "Fair and Balanced"; "The Most Powerful Name in News."

Critics believe that Fox News has a conservative spin on its reporting. It boosts television, radio, and online outlets to " spread the word to the people." Fox News not only broadcasts to American citizens it also contains an international audience.

Fox News has personalities such as Bill O'Reily, Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Greta Vann Susteren, Shepard Smith, and Brit Hume. With the help of the previously mentioned hosts Fox News leads the cable news market in the United States when looking at regular viewership. They average over 3.3 million viewers daily. During the 2004 Republican National Convention they had 7.3 million viewers nationally when President George W. Bush spoke.

McCain/Obama Images

One year ago I think that John McCain was just a member of the greatest deliberative body in the world, the United States Senate. He had just taken over as the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Senate following Senator John Warner of Virginia having to leave that post due to Senate Republican Conference term limit rules for chairman/ranking member of a standing committee. He had an opportunity to really make a mark on the steering of the war and let his opinions be heard through that forum.

John McCain had been in the Senate since his election in 1987 and what major legislative accomplishment did he achieve? I think that we can all think about the Campaign Finance Reform legislation that he helped sheppard into law with Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI). For years he was maybe one of the "forgotten Senators." Following the Keating Five scandal in the early 1990's he did not appear into the limelight until the 2000 Presidential Campaign and following his defeat in the primary to President George W. Bush he once again faded back into the Senate woodwork.

All of sudden he decided to run for the Oval office again. He emerged back into the limelight and once all thought that his campaign was dead he revived it and became the Republican front-runner in the 2008 Presidential Election. The public is still skeptical, I believe, of Senator McCain and where does he really stand on the issues in the past? in the present? and in the future? Do we have a concrete answer?

One year ago Barack Obama was still a newcomer to the United States Senate. He had been in the Senate for three years and really had not secured any major committee assignments and had not authored any substantive legislation. We really did not know very much about Barack Obama. He had been overshadowed by figures such as Dick Durbin, Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Barbara Boxer, and others who sought the limelight and gained the attention of the American public much more effectively than Barack Obama.

I think that a question that few people in the media and the American public has asked themselves is: Where would Barack Obama be if Alan Keyes had not dropped out of the Illinois Senate Race just weeks before the election due to scandal? This is a worthwhile question because maybe Barack Obama would have not even won a seat in the Senate. Always asking the what if question is not always helpful but it certainly gives you something to think about?

Barack Obama and John McCain both emerged as somebody during the run-up to the election. I think that we need to look at the Senate record and see where they have stood in the past in conparison to where they say that they stand today. I am sure that it is different because they are now running a national campaign instead of playing the election game for their respective states. The media has captured the here and now but I think that we need to look at the past to see the record that both of these Senators have accumulated in their Senate careers.