Shots fired.

Paul a contender?

Gingrich Needs Signatures

"And failure to get on a ballot does not necessarily spell disaster." Unfortunately these words make me want to abandon ship and ditch Newt Gingrich. When a potential presidential candidate does not have enough signatures to be on the ticket in Virginia and thus has to scramble around for them during the holiday season, it is worrying. Gingrich all ready failed to get on the ballot in Missouri. Worrying, deeply worrying.

House Republicans Reject Extending Tax Cut

The House Republicans rejected a bill passed by the Senate that would extend the payroll tax cuts another two months. While explaining why, the House Republicans claimed it was "a deeply inadequate half measure that represented the old ways of Congress." How about some cooperation between the parties, like in the old ways of Congress? This economic uncertainty is troubling, and if no solution is found, then payroll taxes will be raised 2% which is roughly an average annual increase of $1000.

Who are the 11%?

Congressional approval ratings at an all-time low.  Surprising?  Not really.  This is the most dysfunctional Congress that I have ever seen, without any doubt.  No matter your party preference, nobody should be satisfied with a Congress that is so deeply entrenched in partisan gridlock that they can't get anything done.  What would happen if there was a real, sudden national crisis? My fear is that they couldn't get together to respond in a timely manner.

Gingrich is #dirty

Gingrich bet Romney $10 that he won't give back "all the money he's earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over his years at Bain". After an interview on Monday, Romney was criticizing Gingrich's "seven figure sum" he recieved from Freddie Mac. Romney accused Perry of misquoting him on his writings of healthcare, and offered him $10,00 that he was right. In response, Gingrich made light of this.

New Chapter for the U.S.

Obama promises help to the Iraqui Prime Minister, Nuri Al-Maliki, after the last American troops withdrawlfrom Iraq. Obama and al-Maliki met in the White House to declare the war officially over after 8 years. Obama told the visiting Prime Minister that they would build a partnership, including trade between the two countries. Al-Maliki said he is committed to building ties between the two nations.

How Debates Are Helping the GOP

This article is talking about how all of these debates during the Republican Primary is helping to strengthen the GOP candidate. The author's point is that this high pressure race is giving voters a look at what these candidates can do under pressure (I believe this was a quiz question). Further more the Republican Candidate is getting prepared for the sure to be heated general election coming up. I agree with this article. I think that intense primary elections are very important for the future of our country and hopefully this will catch on. #bigred

Why Romney Blew It

This article describes Romney's performance during last Saturday's Republican Debate. According to the author, Romney is dropping in the polls because he is too conservative with his political style. The author says that Romney is too mechanical and is losing voters because he's having trouble connecting with Americans. I think that this article makes a pretty goo point. This is the exact reason why Herman Cain did so well early. He was a little unconventional and Americans liked it. Mitt Romney might need to change his approach if he wants to seal his nomination. #bigred

An Inevitable Effect of Redistricting

The article and accompanying map highlights one of the most common, and frustrating, effects of redistricting.  When two incumbents wind up in the same district, they have to race against each other.  This creates an especially difficult situation when they are both in the same party, as in this case in California.

Michigan Mayor says a pretty "gay" remark

Once again showing that a persons sexuality CLEARLY interferes with their ability to assist and operate on political and civilian levels, Mayor Janice Daniels decided that her opinion was worthy of being posted on Facebook. The recent find has Michigan citizens, as well as New York, the state in which the comment was in remark to, enraged.

It appears that we still have a portion of the country behind in the times when it comes to judging others. firstly, to judge is to leave oneself open for criticism, which Daniels has more than certainly done so. Second off, I think that snide remarks of another state that you're not even from is a little over the line.

Did I add that Daniels was elected last month into the Tea Party? Where's a good stereotype when you need one?

Gingrich goes huge in Republican Polls

In the latest National Poll, Republican candidate Newt Gingrich appears to have become quite the slippery, uh..."Newt", and currently has a 15% lead over second place Mitt Romney. This November's most recent poll had the GOP candidates deadlocked at 22% and 21% respectively.

I'm no Republican, but it appears that the opposing party has seemingly begun to weed out the whack jobs in it's own order. The only problem is that it appears that the party is looking for some sort of standalone figure that is able to "take on" Obama. And Newt with his over the top ego and eyebrow raising history, would not be my first choice.

The Myth of Supply Side Economics

Finally, our favorite presidential centrist has said something with conviction: that supply side economics simply does not work. It would appear as if Obama's frustration with his congressional opposition has boiled over, as he is going after something as near and dear to the hearts of the Republican Party as oil and tax cuts. Do you believe in supply side economics? If yes, empiracally prove why. If no, explain why Republican politicians, as well as the people who vote for them, continue to champion it.

Pakistan: This Could be a Problem

We're pretty sure that the Pakistani military was harboring Osama bin Laden, we know that they lied to us about this, and now a NATO-Afghan airstrike has occurred, details about which are hazy and contested, but that definately killed nearly two dozens Pakistanis. They were our enemies before, and now they're willing to show it. Pakistan has nuclear weaponry, and they seem nuts enough to use it if so inclined. How should this situation be handled?

Political Contributions: How It's Done

Check out this great interactive from the New York Times!  Probably the clearest way to get an understanding of how the wealthy-- and not-so-wealthy-- can play a major role in modern-day political campaigns and the policy-making process.

Like Obama? Root for Newt

An interesting poll and accompanying analysis, showing that Mitt Romney is a much stronger general election challenger for President Obama than Newt Gingrich would be.  This is a clear illustration of the point we have discussed in class-- that candidates who may thrill primary voters face a very different challenge in trying to win the general election.  Gingrich is popular with conservatives but would have a difficult time winning over moderates and independents, let alone Democrats.

Can weight make a difference?

I saw this and I was just confused. I don't see why a politician's weight has to be brought into the race, but I guess it's just another way for the other Republican nominees to bring up their stats for the upcoming election. Gingrich shouldn't be judged by his weight in the news but by his political prowess. I also don't think that it was right for Christie's weight to be mentioned during his run.

Rick Perry with some harsh words

This struck me because I don't think Rick Perry even thinks he himself has a shot anymore. When you tell people that you're going to reassign them to a "God-awful place" you are basically telling them to shove off. It seems as though he is no longer trying to get votes but to lose votes with this. Rick Perry needs to take a note from Herman Cain and reassess his campaign.

Support for Tea Party Drops Sharply

Now this was surprising. I found this article on the Tea Party and was extremely surprised how sharply the Tea Party fan base has decline. Districts that agreed overwhelmingly with the Tea Party just a year ago are now disagreeing with them. The numbers given in the article are stunning.

Hermain Cain Reassessing Candidacy Amid new Allegations

I just read a short article on the new allegations coming out against Hermain Cain. I figured since we touched up on it the first minute or two of class today I thought I would post an article about it just so we have a bit of a better understanding of how Mr. Cain is assessing the situation.

Jon Stewart- NPR

Jeff Smith article

Here is a link to the article about the arrest and conviction of Jeff Smith.  Who would have seen that coming?

A Scathing Critique of the GOP

David Frum, former speechwriter for George W. Bush and a frequent GOP spokesman on Fox News, CNN and other cable outlets, writes a long piece questioning the sanity of the current crop of Republican leaders.  Well worth the time to read-- provides great insight as we head into the primary season (first Republican primary is the Iowa caucuses, on January 3-- just weeks away).  This will be great Thanksgiving weekend reading-- and may give you fuel for the fire if you are having dinner with any politically-inclined relatives.

Should Candidates Have to Pass a Civics Test?

A "panel discussion" from the New York Times, with five commentators weighing in on this topic-- especially timely in light of the embarrassing 'brain freeze' moments from Herman Cain and Rick Perry over the past week.  Worth reading in its entirety, especially in light of your summer reading.  Some of you made this very suggestion in your critical reviews of "Just How Stupid Are We?"  See what the 'experts' think!

Reforming Campaign Finances

A thoughtful analysis from a Harvard law professor.  Directly related to the issues we'll be exploring in Chapter 10!  If you don't read it before then, please plan to read when we are studying campaign finance issues.

On Maximizing Voter Turnout

Here's an interesting article by Congressional expert and political commentator Norman Ornstein, on the scheme being put forth by Republican legislators in Pennsylvania (led by State Senate majority leader Dominic Pileggi of Chester) to change the way the state would allocate its electoral votes. Ornstein critiques the idea and then proposes an alternative reform, designed to increase voter turnout and reward those states with the highest percentage of voter participation. What do you think? I'm interested in your reaction to either or both proposals that are discussed here.

Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to the AP GoPo Blog! This blog is designed for the members of Mr. Danson's AP Government and Politics class at Penncrest High School. It is a place for us to post articles that we find relevant to our course content, that we think others in the class might find interesting, or that we would like to discuss with the group. While there will be a formal requirement for everyone to post and respond to articles here, it is my hope that we will visit more frequently in order to help each other keep up to date with the wild and wacky world of politics in the USA today!