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.