Should Sandy Hook Elementary School be Renovated/Demolished?

The article talks about how most schools that have shootings either get demolished or renovated. By doing this, it erases the pain that many families face when passing the school, especially an elementary school. Other people feel that they want t leave it as a memorial. My biology teacher talked about this today in class and I was curious on what was to happen to it. What do you guys think?

Boehner Plan Addresses Taxes but Delays Fight Over Spending Cuts

With the fiscal cliff once again looming Speaker John Boehner revealed "Plan B" after President Obama showed his more comprehensive deal. Boehner's plan continued the negotiating but called the president's plan "unbalanced and insufficient".  We talked about this a bit in class regarding the fact that they'll eventually come to an agreement before the deadline expires. What do you think will be the largest compromises? What will either party refuse to budge on?

Gun Control, Or Reloading Morality?

This article talks about the two sides of gun control after the horror of the recent shooting in Newtown , Connecticut and their validity. It then talks about the dismantling of the American community, how people can no longer have an "every man for himself" attitude that our society is a broad community and to how long will we tolerate the collateral damage that gun ownership of high powered "assault" weapons create when psychopaths use them to kill people.

Though I disagree with any further measure to restrict these types of weapons from law-abiding citizens, some of you may think strict gun control is the answer.

Hackers attack Westboro Baptist Church for picketing Sandy Hook

This is just sickening.  The Westboro Baptist Church said they are going to protest at the children's funerals in Connecticut.  I am beyond words for just how furious and upset this makes me.  They are going to take those signs and disgusting beliefs of theirs and just go and say that those children deserved to die? I think people have rights yes, but that is just rude and ignorant of other peoples feelings.  I for one am actually extremely happy the hackers decided to go after them for being so crude.  People like this slander other Americans and are more trouble then they are worth. I am just speechless at this still and I have no clue how I could even put this kindly because I honestly do not think I could be nice to these people under any curcumstance.

Reaction to Newtown Shootings Spreads to Corporate America

This article talks about the reaction of corporate America to the horrific events that transpired on Friday in Newtown, Ct. Many companies that sell firearms have removed the ones used in the event from their website while a private equity firm that has holdings in Colt Defense have announced they will be immediately selling the company. This event has of course sparked the debate once again about whether or not there needs to be some sort of ban on assault rifles. It seems to me to be extremely similar to the war on drugs here in America. Meth and Cocaine aren't legal substances; however, people are able to obtain and abuse them. Some sort of ban on assault weapons won't stop the problem. People will still be able to get them. They'll just be coming from South America and Mexico.

NRA Faces New Political Challenges After School Shooting

Should teachers carry guns in school?

In the wake of the mass shooting in Connecticut lawmakers in texas, Oklahoma, and Oregon are proposing laws to allow teachers and educators to carry firarms with special training if they all ready have concealed carry licenses/permits. Many law abiding citzens have ccls but are not permitted to go into schools with them because of the existing laws.

Some Unlikely Democrats Join in Push for New Gun Laws

The tragedy that took place in Newtown, CT has certainly unleashed much debate over gun laws that for a while were not considered a main priority. Even Democrats such as Mr. Manchin, a Senator of West Virginia as well as an avid hunter, asserted that efforts to resolve the issue of gun violence must go beyond mere dialogue. Action must be taken. On one side of the debate are those who cite the Second Amendment and support the right to bear arms. They argue that any restrictions on gun use will not stop a madman from wreaking havoc as he or she pleases. On the other side of the dispute are those who favor bans or restrictions to gun use. Their argument is that no hunter actually needs as many as 30 rounds in a clip, and regulation of ammunition would make minimal difference to hunters. Any step to change legislation would be a very demanding and difficult task, and many are calling on Obama to take executive action. Further updates on this heated issue will surely emerge in the following weeks and months.

After Tragedy, Partisanship May Cool a Bit

Obviously, there was much debate regarding gun control immediately following the tragedy that took place in Newtown, Connecticut this past Friday. However, this article suggests that gun control was not the only issue that this calamity caused Americans to reflect upon. It suggests that "the contest over taxes and spending" will also be affected. This event has forced Obama and Boehner, who are working together to form a compromise that would ideally be passed in Congress, as well as other politicians to put the issue of taxes and spending into perspective. Many politicians are suggesting that this catastrophe will soften the hearts of Obama and Boehner as they come to an agreement. In fact, reports indicated that Mr. Boehner had offered this past weekend for the first time to agree to a raise in the tax rate on high incomes and include an increase in the nation's debt limit if the president agreed reductions in entitlement programs in the long-term. It is difficult to deduce whether or not this step forward was due to the recent tragedy, but only time will tell if this sense of unity will last.

Congressman Picked for South Carolina Senate Seat

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/us/politics/congressman-picked-for-south-carolina-senate-seat.html?hp

This was a very interesting article regarding South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley's decision to appoint Tim Scott as a senator. He will replace Jim DeMint, who is retiring to persue other opportunities. This is a monumental appointment considering that Scott will be the first black senator from the South since the late 19th century. Also, it is truly amazing that Scott is where he is after he almost flunked out of high school and he had to overcome a troubling childhood. However, after getting off to a rough start, Scott won over the governor due to his strong conservative voting record. I think that the fact that Scott is black will also help the Republican party because they have recieved a lot of criticism for not having minorities among their party.

Obama speaking about the Shooting in Connecticut

This was very moving to me and I hope many of you will feel the same. Obama did a great job with this speech. I felt this was worth sharing.

Pro-Gun Senator Open to Discussing Controls

Did Obama Go 'Gangnam?'

Obama Did NOT Go 'Gangnam'

I figured I would take a step away from all the serious news posted on the blog and find an article that can be easily relatable. As many of you may have heard, a controversy has risen around Korean pop star PSY. Although his hit single "Gangnam Style" has been on the Top 10 singles iTunes list and was even #1 at one point, Obama is certainly not his #1 fan. It all started when a video surfaced of one of his old songs titled "Dear America." Lyrics included phrases such as "Kill those f--ing Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives..." and "Kill them all slowly and painfully... daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers." It is quite obvious as to why this would bring up such a dispute. I first heard about this event as I was listening to the radio in the car, and ever since then I haven't been able to think of this singer in quite the same way. PSY has publicly apologized for this offensive song, but is an apology sufficient for these words to be forgiven?

FBI readies Furlough plan if fiscal cliff talks fail

FBI readies Furlough plan if fiscal cliff talk fails

The FBI has been preparing a plan in case the negotiations between the white house administration and congressional Republicans fail and are unable to reach a compromise and conclusion. This plan would include reducing the number of agents investigating cases on a day to day basis and would take one or two unpaid days about every two weeks. This plan isn't finalized and could change but I don't think it will be necessary for this Furlough plan to take action because there is still time for negotiations for th fiscal cliff and there has been some breakthroughs in the past few weeks.

A Tax Package Proposed for Hurricane Sandy

A Tax Package Proposed for Hurricane Sandy

This article discusses the features of a tax package proposed by Senators Charles E. Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey for the damage of Hurricane Sandy. These elements include cleanup cost deductions, tax exemptions, and tax credit extensions. The package is claimed to be "modeled [by] the tax package... to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina." I am slightly worried by this claim after seeing that video of the aftermath in New Orleans and hearing about thousands of people who were not receiving the help that they needed. Although it was stated that Mr. Schumer believed the adoption of the package was "common sense," he may be somewhat biased. Do you think this is an adequate tax package for the circumstance?

Time running out on 'fiscal cliff' deal

Time running out on 'fiscal cliff' deal

President Obama and House speaker John Boehner met on Sunday at the White House in an attempt to compose a deal and compromise regarding the fiscal cliff and the national debt. It was said that this meeting was vital if Obama and Boehner wanted to win approval for their plan before the December 31st deadline quickly approaches. There haven't been any specific details released on the exact compromises of the deal but I think it will be interesting to see how the two groups end up working together for something that could ultimately affect everyone in our country.

Income Inequality

While we were talking about income inequality today, and the question of whether or not it's "right" or "fair", I thought of Ben and Jerry's, a company famous for its progressive business practices. One such measure was an income cap for the CEO of only a 7:1 ratio of the CEO's salary versus the lowest paid workers. This measure was rescinded after several failed attempt to fill in the shoes of retiring CEO Ben Cohen, because they could not find anyone well-qualified willing to accept such low pay (for a CEO). As a result, the company went from very profitable to actually losing money, so that it had to be bought out by multinational-firm Unilever.

While it may seem like CEO's make an exorbitant amount of money, this provides a clear example that these people deserve that money. How many of us could handle that pressure and know what to do running an entire company? It takes a special, 1 in a million type of person to hold such a job, and the demand for such personalities matched with the small "supply"/availability of them makes their jobs worth so much.

This is just a brief article about it:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-42750506/occupy-wall-street-why-ben--jerrys-endorsement-rings-hollow/

News of Israel Settlements is Bad Timing for Obama

Israel announced the construction of Jewish settlements in sensitive territory east of Jerusalem (E1) following the United Nations General Assembly's decision to admit Palestine as a nonmember observer state, bringing Palestine a step closer to statehood. The United States has continuously warned Israel against building in this area because it would threaten contiguity between the West Bank and Jerusalem, aggravating peace negotiations. Israel's announcement caught Barack Obama off guard, irritating the president. With the president's successful record in foreign affairs it will be interesting to see how he manages relations overseas while negotiating circumstances at home.

Republicans Make Counteroffer in Fiscal Talks

Now that December is upon us, and the fiscal cliff is rapidly approaching, Republicans and Democrats find themselves countering back and forth on their deficit reduction proposals. The GOP plan asserts  that over the next decade deficit savings would be $4.6 trillion, they also proposed $600 billion in cuts to federal health care programs. The White House was critical of the plan, especially because of the Republican's unwillingness to increase taxes on the wealthy. In order to provide a reasonable, promising plan before the deadline approaches, the Democrats and Republicans will need to set aside some predispositions and work together.

Is the Tea Party dead?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/12/04/whither-the-tea-party/

After the 2012 election results, questions about whether the Tea Party remaining a leading force in American politics have been brought up. The party seems to be coming apart from the inside out, and when it comes to the fiscal cliff, Republicans seem more than happy with the idea of ignoring the Tea Party’s wishes. Polls have also revealed that Tea Party support hit an all time low of 22 percent after the election. It seems that the Tea Party’s future depends on how they may or may not impact the fiscal cliff negotiations and the debt ceiling fight that’s likely to come by the end of February.

Personally, I don’t think the Tea Party is going to last very long. With them having many problems internally and them losing support, I just can’t see them being as strong as they were when they first came onto the scene. The party is weakening, and as we all know, third parties don’t last very long in our political system. 

Iran claims American drone capture

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-state-tv-revolutionary-guard-captures-another-us-drone/2012/12/04/4fd06252-3de6-11e2-8a5c-473797be602c_story.html

One year ago, Iran claimed to have captured an unmanned CIA spy drone, and last month Iran also claimed a drone was “violating” its airspace. On Tuesday, Iran claimed it had captured another unmanned aircraft. The US Navy however, said all of the aircrafts were accounted for. Cmdr. Jason Salata, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, admitted that drones had been lost in the water in past years, but none recently. Questions about if the said drone is authentic or not, have been brought up. However, unlike the aircraft that was captured a year ago, the one Iran says to have obtained most recently, is a spy plane primarily used for photography and videos.

I remember last year when Iran had captured a drone. One of the concerns had been that Iran was going to copy the design of it, and apply it to its own aircrafts. That being said, Iran has made advances since its capture of the first drone. I’m curious to see if that is going to happen again. I’m also not entirely sure whether Iran’s claims this time are true or not. While the Navy does say that all of the aircrafts are accounted for, I don’t think they would want to admit that another one is missing. In last year’s case, it did take a while for American officials to admit that a drone was lost, hopefully that won’t be this case this time around.

Criticized as Weak in Past Talks, Obama Takes Harder Line

At the end of the year, tax increases for most people and massive government spending cuts will automatically take place if Congress and the President do not act to take a different course. Some economists say this could lead to a new economic recession. President Obama wants to increase taxes on the wealthy, but does not offer any other plans to decrease spending that the Republicans want. During his first four years in offices, the Republicans rejected all of Obama’s ideas on stimulus spending, which he thought were compromises, but the republicans did not. Obama is waiting for the Republicans to agree with an increase tax on the wealthy, and for them to make proposals on spending cuts. Obama thinks that he has an election mandate to make the Republican’s responsible for making choices that will affect America’s future.

            President Obama’s campaign-style debate worries me. If neither he nor the Republicans make a move, American will be in a very bad situation. I think both sides will wait until the end of December to make a decision, which will be scary, because citizens will not know the fate of our country’s financial problem.

Below-Average Post-Election Approval Bounce for Obama

After President Obama’s reelection, his job approval rating went up 2 net points which is a small increase when the average increase is 6.25. In the last 16 presidential elections, Obama has had the smallest positive net gain. In these last 16 presidential elections, only three incumbents have had negative gains, Truman, Johnson, and Carter. Incumbents who have lost or aren’t running and their party lost have had larger job approval rating than before the election. This shows that many citizens are at least partly dissatisfied with President Obama. While he doesn’t have any more elections to worry about, the lack of support from citizens can decrease how well he will be able to pass his agenda over the next four years. Since he has already had problems passing items through Congress, this will only make it harder. Since he was reelected he will have a better chance at negotiating a fiscal cliff resolution, but he would be better off if he can get the majority of the country to support his ideas. In the last 4 elections, the incumbent has seen smaller bounces in their job approval rating, but it is too soon to see if it is a trend that will continue

Clinton Warns Syria on Chemical Weapons

Senators introduce GOP alternative to Dream Act

Senators introduce GOP alternative to Dream Act

In light of the GOP's loss in the recent presidential election in large part due to strong Democratic support among Latino voters (despite what Republican senators say otherwise), three prominent southwest, Republican, senators have introduced an alternative to the Dream Act (called the Achieve Act) that would grant legal residency status instead of full citizenship to undocumented immigrants that complete military service or higher education, and have worked in the country for at least four years. A popular GOP senator among Latinos, Marco Rubio, is working on his own alternative to the Dream Act separate from the Achieve Act. One of the senators that introduced the bill, Jon Kyl, remarked that the bill, criticized as a half-measure, is intended to "get the ball rolling" on the immigration conversation. However, the timing of the bill's introduction does not seem very courageous; 2 of the 3 senators introducing the bill are in the lame duck sessions of their final terms in the Senate.

Fiscal cliff’: Consensus on increasing tax revenue, a wide gulf on how to do it

‘Fiscal cliff’: Consensus on increasing tax revenue, a wide gulf on how to do it

Democrats and Republicans have agreed that taxes must be raised gradually in order to prevent the US from falling off the "fiscal cliff" of sudden tax increases and severe budget cuts that will most likely trigger another recession. Democrats want to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire for the top two tax brackets, resulting in $1 trillion of savings, but Republicans insist on extending them for all Americans. Republicans believe that enough savings can be found be closing loopholes and removing deductions within the tax code, and that closing loopholes is less damaging to the economy. Closing loopholes is more popular with Americans, but the GOP has few specifics and it's unlikely that removing deductions will be enough to establish fiscal solvency over the long-term. Congressional leadership has developed a legislative "framework," but the real policy details are still being negotiated. Another integral part of any compromise on debt reduction will include certain adjustments to Social Security and Medicare, which President Obama has agreed to making, like raising the age of eligibility. However, some congressional Democrats are unwilling to agree to changing entitlement programs and could not fall in line with the president.

"Why Republicans Should Have Won (and why they didn't)"

Why Republicans Should Have Won

The article gives several very strong reasons for why Governor Mitt Romney and the GOP party should have won the election, such as: "Romney won white voters by 20 points, the largest margin ever for a Republican candidate." However, reasons such as the fact that there are more registered Democrats than Republicans in this nation may give a boost to why they did not win the election. I personally feel that this election has showed how controversial the election was and how racially separated it turned out to be (93% of black voters voted for President Obama). Is this not going to be the case in the 2016 election?

The Kids Are Alright - for President Obama

This article sheds light on the impact younger voters had on Obama's second term victory. The President went on to win over 60% of voters below the age of 30 in several states where he had actually lost the majority of voters above that age. It can be seen that young voters have a gigantic impact on the outcome of elections, and it is a demographic that should be marketed towards very heavily. Could it be a bad thing for the nation however if all these people who are likely less knowledgable about politics and government than those who are experienced in picking a good candidate are controlling the outcome of the presidency?

Obama's second term: Who's in, who's out?

Obama's second term: Who's in, who's out?

This interactive photo collection/article breaks down Obama's first term cabinet and speculates about his second term cabinet. As we learned earlier this year, the cabinet can sometimes pull the president in multiple directions motivated by their respective interests rather than consult him. Picking a strong cabinet will help Obama in his second term should he successfully utilize their expertise. Also, this article mentions (as many others have) that Hillary Clinton is leaving the position of Secretary of State. This relates to the "great mentioner" and the election of 2016, as many people have speculated she will run.

Republican and Lesbian, and Fighting for Acceptance of Both Identities

Republican and Lesbian, and Fighting for Acceptance of Both Identities

This article talks about Kathryn Lehman, a fervent Republican who has come out of the closet. Before coming out, she helped to pass a law banning Same Sex marriage, but now, Lehman works towards marriage equality. Her story and the story of other cited Republican lesbians tie in with our discussion of a potential realignment of the Republican party. I found this article to be reflective of the changing demographics we had talked about. Whereas we often hear stories about  homosexuals supporting the Democratic party, this article showed a different perspective. I hope the Republican party can embrace these individuals and reassess their position on gay marriage. 

Gridlock in the senate

This article talks about how the senate became so contentious and driven by partisan loyalty.  It states that in previous decades, the senate was the place where bills managed to get passed and receive votes while the house was where gridlock occurred.  Now both have gridlock.  The article goes on to say that the method used by senators to block each others' proposals is by filibustering them and now Democrats want to try and limit this tactic.  I think that the senate faces enough pressure at this point from the public and the potential consequences of gridlock now that they will have to start compromising to keep their jobs and more importantly to help move the country forward.

How the U.S plans to leave Afghanistan


This article discusses the U.S plans to leave Afghanistan in 2014.  It says that NATO will have to leave a relatively small counter terrorism unit to deal with possible terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and other extremist organizations.   The infrastructure of Afghanistan is still not up to where it needs to be in order to protect itself and maintain a stable government/country.  Because of this, NATO will also have to provide air support and medevacs in addition to training more Afghan pilots.  I think that groups will try to obtain control of the country once the U.S leaves , including the Taliban of course as well as several more.  Hopefully Afghanistan will be able to defend itself and become an ally of ours in the middle east.  It would be a shame if this ends up like Vietnam and the U.S allied group doesn't even keep control of the country.

Ryan Sees Urban Vote as Reason G.O.P. Los

Ryan Sees Urban Vote as Reason G.O.P. Lost
This article begins by stating why Ryan blames the urban vote as the reason for the GOP loss, but finishes by explaining how there is much more to the reason for the GOP loss, other than the urban vote. Marc Morial is quoted as saying that "what Paul Ryan misses is that the Republicans have been losing the urban vote for a long, long time", something, I agree, is obvious. Also brought up is Michael M. Honda's opinion that Ryan's use of "urban' is just another code word for people of color". [Ryan] is just grabbing at straws to justify his loss".
From this article, I feel that the best point made is that "not all of [Ryan's] colleagues agree with Mr. Ryan's analysis, arguing that the party needs to focus on reaching a broader coalition". If this party does not begin making some changes, and they don't need to be radical ones, then their chances of winning elections will become slimmer and slimmer.

Voting Turnout ouf 2012

Article if the title isn't linked-- http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/12/turnout-steady-in-swing-states-and-down-in-others-but-many-votes-remain-uncounted/

This article is about the number of votes that were casted this year and comparing them to 2008's voting numbers. This showed that there was a -6.8% drop-off from 2008, or was there? This also talks about how many votes still have not even been counted. California has a -25.1% voter turnout this year as of right now, but tit is estimated that there are still a couple million votes that haven't been counted yet. The battleground states, with the exceptions of PA and OH, generally increased which makes sense since that's were most of the advertising was. This could change though as Ohio still does not have all of its ballots counted. I was not surprised to see that the voter turnout this election was lower than in 2008 although it may be closer than this indicates.

Democrats Like a Romney Idea on Income Tax

Article- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/us/politics/democrats-like-a-romney-idea-to-cap-tax-deductions.html?ref=politics

(I forget how to do the hyperlink stuff) (Actually, the title might have it linked, I'm very confused)

This article is about how the Democrats have been looking into and liking one of Romney's ideas. He had an idea, similar to Obama's, that would "limit income house deductions to 28%." I'm not going to act like I know what that means... This article jumped out at me because of the fact that the Democrats are embracing an idea by the man who just lost to President Obama in the election so soon after the election. Obama even criticized this idea in the past and I found it strange that the Democrats embraced it so soon after the election.

Congress Resumes With a G.O.P. Leadership Fight

Congress Resumes With a G.O.P. Leadership Fight
This article from the New York Times discusses the GOP's upcoming decision as to who will be the leader of the party. The decision is between Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington and Representative Tom Price of Georgia. Both have a large following within the party, but each represent a possible direction for the GOP to take after their defeat in the Presidential election.
I feel that in this situation after coming off of the loss of the Presidential election, it would be in the best interest of the GOP to have Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers lead the party. She is far less conservative in her views than Representative Tom Price and at this time the GOP should avoid leaning too far to the right. It is not something the majority of Americans want to see, as we saw in the past few weeks. I think that by choosing Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers the GOP can begin to reinvent themselves into a party more desirable for more Americans.

Obama's Plan to Raise Taxes on Wealthy

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/obama-to-open-fiscal-talks-with-plan-to-raise-taxes-on-wealthy/2012/11/13/9984cd78-2dc1-11e2-89d4-040c9330702a_story.html


This article discusses President Obama's plan to improve the state of the economy. One of the major components of his plan is to impose $1.6 trillion in new taxes on the wealthy. Some see this as controversial because this number is far greater than the amount that was negotiated with House Speaker John Boehner.

I know that something has to be done about the economy but I'm not sure that solely raising taxes on the wealthy is going to be the solution. First of all, it's not right. Just because a person is wealthy doesn't mean that he owes more to the government than someone who’s not. I believe that everyone should pay an equal percentage of their salary. They already pay more than their fair share. They are wealthy because they worked hard for their money and the government shouldn't be allowed to take it as they please. Is it right that the top 20% pays 94% of taxes? I don't think so. That being said, I'm not saying that taxes being raised on the middle or low classes are the solution either. I think that a flat tax rate is the most logical system.

Fiscal Cliff

Fiscal Cliff
Now that the election is over, president Obama feels he has the people's blessing in raising taxes on the wealthy earning $250,000 or more while the republicans would prefer a spending cut instead of a tax hike. There are multiple deadlines to promote action on all budget plans including a tax cut for the middle class expiring at the en of this year. I hope tho deal gets done and the government can limit the deficit as much a possible so the inevitable debt ceiling fight can be postponed as long as possible.

Secretary of State Appointment

Potential Secretary of State Candidates
Following Obama's victory he must nominate his cabinet positions most notably Secretary of State since Hillary Clinton stepped down so she can most-likely run for president in 2016.

I think that Susan Rice will be nominated because the democrats do not want to lose the majority in the senate because that will give the republicans am advantage in both houses of congress.

Petraeus Scandal

http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/12/us/petraeus-cia-resignation/index.html (sorry I couldn't figure out how to link this to the title)

This article discusses the emerging story of the extramarital affair CIA director David Petraeus carried out with his biographer and its relationship to our national security and the Benghazi attacks. The affair first emerged after a family friend went to the FBI complaining of threatening messages. Paula Broadwell was soon found to be the author of those messages, and it wasn't hard to figure out the rest of the story from there. The situation is currently being investigated by the FBI.

I think it's a shame that this is how such a decorated military hero has to end his career, but he definitely should have known better than to get involved in something like this. The good news is that officials don't seem too concerned that the affair will have any effect on our national security. It is a possibility, however. What may be the most controversial issue surrounding the affair is whether or not Petraeus' departure is connected to the investigation of the Benghazi attacks. What I personally wonder about more is the timing of the affair. Is it a coincidence that the affair emerged just after President Obama was reelected? I don't know, but it sure seems suspicious. What do you think?

In case you need a good laugh in regards to the election.


Mitt Romney vs. Obama in a rap battle.

Outrageous Comment Creats Headache for Romney

You have to see this to believe it.  Richard Mourdock, Republican Senate candidate in Indiana, is the only Senate candidate that Mitt Romney has officially endorsed and filmed an ad for.  Now Mourdock has made a statement so controversial that Romney is in a bind-- does he now repudiate his previous endorsement?  You can see further analysis of this situation here: more on Mourdock.

Red States and Blue States

A thought-provoking (if perhaps far-fetched) psychological/sociological theory as to why some states tend to be so much more liberal than others.  Worth a read!  I'm curious what you think.

Strident Anti-Obama Messages Flood Key Stone States

The article tells of derogatory ads being placed in Boynton Beach, Florida to attack President Obama. Some of the ads incorrectly accuse President Obama of being Muslim, and shows the President showing respect to the Saudi King. Also, television ads are airing that encourage people to vote for the Republican Party. The backbone of the TV ads is that socialism  shackled his native country. The hardcore Republicans are not stopping at ads to disqualify the President. Apparently, some Republicans created an offensive DVD that talks about how Obama is the love child of a Communist Loyalist, Franklin Marshall Davis, and Stanley Ann Dunham. These DVDs are to be distributed into battleground states. However, some focus groups have noted that the DVD holds dubious evidence. A viewer of the DVD was also quoted saying," But then it got to the part about the president's mother, ...... This is just something a bunch of crackpots put together." This quote shows the out-of-bounds nature of the film.

I strongly believe that some Republicans went a little over bored with the whole "disqualifying the president scheme". The ads are outrageous and obviously contorted for the benefit of the Republicans. Why would it ever be an option to show the president bowing to the Saudi King? Why would it be okay to show unnecessary information in a DVD about the President's personal life? I understand that the Republicans responsible want to support their own party by attacking the opposing party. However, I do not agree that these tactics are the way to execute the attacks. The methods are absurd.

How Bill Clinton May Have Hurt the Obama Campaign

Hey guys, this article talked about the influence our 42nd president, Bill Clinton, had on the Obama Campaign against Governor Mitt Romney. The article states that Bill Clinton strongly advised the Obama Campaign to aggressively mark Mitt Romney and his policies as severely conservative, instead of pointing out Mitt Romney's inconsistent and inauthentic. However, the article implies that the path suggested by former president Clinton might not have been the best path for the Obama Campaign to follow for this Presidential Election. One of the down falls to Bill Clinton's proposal emerged when Mitt Romney took non-conservative stances on healthcare reform, abortion and gay rights. The article also defends Bill Clinton by stating that Bill Clinton achieved success with the method he presented to the Obama Campaign. The article makes a great analogy stating that a suggestion from the best is always taken seriously.

The Obama Campaign's first approach against Governor Romney could have been more effective, because Mitt Romney has shown countless cases of showcasing inconsistent and inauthentic policies. Mitt Romney probably believes he can get away with all the changes, because Obama has not been capitalizing on Romney's inconsistency at all.

If I was in Obama's position, I would have definitely taken former President Clinton's advise. Why wouldn't I take the advice of a successful veteran. Even though, the article makes it seem as if Obama's approach could negatively affect his campaign, I do not think it is a big deal. President Obama looked sharp and aggressive with his current approach against Romney in the 2nd and 3rd Presidential Debates.

Editing Bolsters Obama’s Role in SEALs Film

Here is another article for you guys, it is from The New York Times and talks about how a documentary on the assassination of Osama Bin Laden and SEAL Team Six will be released on November 4th on National Geographic. I think this is perfect for Obama, he could not have asked for a better time for that film to be released. The assassination of Osama Bin Laden is huge for Obama, considering people who are not even politically active know he is responsible for his removal, he gains a lot from more people talking about it. This will remind everyone what he did, along with showing him in action which many people do not get to see. This may even cause a small jump in the number of people voting for him which at this point in the election where it is neck and neck may be enough. On the topic of the director saying he did not intend for it to be political stunt it is just to perfect for Obama for me to believe it. Even if he is just trying to capitalize on the increased publicity of releasing it so soon to the election, the fact that it will be on Netfilix the next day is a red flag to me. Come on that soon after initial release, I think it is rather obvious he has some sort of political motive behind that date. Which is fine it is his film and he can do with it as he please's, I just don't think he can go around and say with a straight fact he did not intend for it to be political.     

Mauled by Attack Ads, Incumbents Weigh Tighter Rules

Here is a link to the New York Times talking about attack ad's and the views that incumbents and some Republican's have on their use. I found this article pretty interesting, you always see these ad's come up on TV and I have always wondered how these parties/people could agree that this is an ok thing to do. I personally would prefer to see a candidate that didn't use this technique, it says a lot about a person's character/ability if they feel the need to discredit everyone else they are competing with. Imagine a candidate that instead of trying to push his opponents mistakes would try to find a solution to these problems that would be something. Honestly though they do not even talk about how they are going to fix the problems mentioned they just talk about how bad the other guy is. Although I think that these ad's are morally questionable, I do not think that we should stop candidates from using them, if we did it would be in violation with their right to free speech. Unless of course the things they are saying are straight up lies or they used illegal methods to obtain this info (Ralph Nader and GM when illegal wire tapping was used to record Ralph's phone)we can't dictate what they can and cannot say. So all in all I would prefer a candidate that would say it how it is and not feel the need to destroy anyone's reputation to win. Although this will most likely not have a major affect on the current election, it shows that some people do not agree with use of smear campaigns in candidates ad's and may be a point of debate following the election. For reference I am linking two ad's from Obama and Romney that use this technique if you are interested.

Ohio is coming to be a Close Call in this Election

According to recent CNN polls, the percentage of likely voters for Romney and Obama have been extremely close: 45% for Romney, 48% for Obama. The margin between the two candidates has been decreasing as each poll comes out. Ohio is obviously a major battleground state, with 18 electoral votes. It's pretty obvious as to why each candidate has spent so much time and money in Ohio. According to the favoribility polls in Ohio, both candidates are at 50% each-- how rare!

As I stated in the other article, tonight's debate is going to be crucial for the final outcome of voters- espcially in Ohio. Romney can't afford to lose Ohio under any circumstances. As of now, Romney really needs every "likely voter" to actually vote for him on election day. As for Obama, he can only hope that Romney's voters get cold feet come election day.

Foreign Policy Main Focus on Tonight's Debate

In the final Presidential debate, the main focus will be on foreign policy and how each candidate's policies differ and will be more beneficiary than the other's respective policy. However, foreign policy has been reported as voter's "last topic of interest" in several polls. However, both the Romney and Obama campaign believe that foreign policy is the topic that will make voters solidify their vote.  Romney campaign has been criticized for not showing strong foreign policy leadership, but the four deaths in Libya (obviously under President Obama) have promoted the Romney ticket. The Obama campain has received praise in ending the Iraq War and the killing of Bin Laden, but has received criticisms for the four deaths in Libya.

I think that tonight's debate topic can be beneficial to both candidates. Foreign policy will give chance for Mitt Romney to prove the American what has been deemed to be his weakest point. He has the opportunity to show his potential leadership in the oval office, instead of having rumors and stories being thrown around. On the other hand, Obama has always proven strong in foreign policy. To me, it's his "specialty." He's never had a weak moment in debating the topic, and that could negatiely affect Romney tonight. We're two weeks and a day away from a crucial election. It's crunch time.

The Opiate of Exceptionalism

The Opiate of Exceptionalism
This is an intriguing article aobut how candidates fail to truly address the serious shortcomings of the American system. Candidates act more as "cheerleaders" for the country, and to deny America's 'superiority' would be un-American and incredibly damaging politically, as we saw in Jimmy Carter. Politicians instead, while they concede that there are problems that need to be addressed, then add that they have the solution in order to keep the US on top. This type of nationalism is often counterproductive because serious, longstanding issues cannot be discussed becuase they are diminuitive to American pride and not what the public wants to hear about.

I guess to some degree, I also fall into this category of those who overzealously believe in American exceptionalism, in that I think that while the USA is not as exceptional as it should be, there are things we can do to improve this, but ultimately it is a reflection of the people. Areas like education and personal health, that have a great deal of impact on quality of life on a daily basis, are hard for government to effectively legislate in, and consequently, America cannot be exceptional without the concerted effort of a majority of people.

The War on Women

The War on Women
That in 2012, "womens' rights" is still an issue off elections is ridiculous. Not becuase it is still a societal issue even 40 years after major women's rights efforts in the second wave of feminism in the '60s and '70s, but that people believe government can and should be doing more to fix it. True equality cannot be legislated; it is earned. The opportunity and the framework for female pay equality is there, it is only a matter of women taking advantage of these opportunities that are available. This is a proccess that naturally occurs at its own rate. No one is saying women are not fundamentally equal to men. There is no concerted effort today to keep women out of higher level jobs, it is just a matter that fewer women apply for said jobs. In the same way that affirmative action does not bring equality to minority students or employees, more legislation like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act will not bring equality to women.
As far as "womens' health" as an issue, I think it is demeaning to women that our 'health' is reduced to access to contraception and reproductive services. My health as a woman certainly doesn't depend on that, and if another woman's does, then those are (in all cases except for rape) conscious lifestyle choices that she made and as such, she should be willing to take responsibility for them. With abortions, people say that no one else should tell a woman what she has a right to do with her own body. Well no one else should be able to tell the unborn child that it doesn't have a right to be alive just because it may be "inconvenient" or not what the mother wants. Even in cases of rape, killing the baby is wrong because of the sanctified right to life.

Town Hall Format Poses Risks for Obama and Romney

This article discusses how difficult it has been for both President Obama and Mr. Romney to answer questions asked directly by voters. It primarily discusses how tonight's debate could lead to serious problems for both men, who have previously shown a serious inability to give answers that satisfy the person asking the question. The primary problem is that the men are too defensive of their own policies, or will ramble on in order to try and reach whatever it is that the voter is looking to hear. For example, it discusses a time when President Obama gave a 17 minute answer to a question that even at the end left the voter unsatisfied. However, the same thing has happened to Mr. Romney, and it has happened to both men on multiple occasions. The article concludes by bringing up how likely it will be that the "winner" of this debate will be the man who can better answer the public's questions, which is certainly a fair assessment.

Springsteen Hits the Road for Obama

This article is basically about how Bruce Springsteen is once again back to rallying support for President Obama. He will join former President Bill Clinton in Parma, Ohio on Thursday for a rally/concert to convince voters to actually get out and vote. Afterwards, he will go to Ames, Iowa and do the same thing there. While this article was very short, I felt it had a lot to do with what we talked about in class about voter participation. Can a very well-known artist influence an election by endorsing a candidate? In 2004, Springsteen campaigned for Senator John Kerry (who lost) and campaigned in 2008 for President Obama. I think that both political parties are very concerned about voter turnout, and it’s cool that Springsteen going out to energize the public directly about voting.  Whether his rallying will have an effect on this year’s presidential election is yet to be determined, I think that it will have a positive effect on the Obama campaign.

Most Crucial Time for Candidates May Be After the Debate

Most Crucial Time for Candidates May Be After the Debate - "The most important time for the presidential candidates may be after Tuesday night's debate." In this article 5 aspects that both campaigns need to consider are noted. These include Twitter, The Spin Room, The Candidates, The Ads, and More Debate Prep. These factors would be valuable if there is no clear winner in Tuesday night's debate. I liked this article because it shows that social media rather than email is having a large affect and influence this year and it is very relatable to teens. Mitt Romney and President Obama were both trending topics during the Presidential debate, as were Paul Ryan and Joe Biden during the Vice Presidential debate. The other aspects make great points and I agree with author Michael Shear's ideology.

Romney Raises $170 Million to Finance Final Push

In the New York Times'article, Romney Raises $170 Million to Finance Final Push, Ashley Parker and Nicholas Confessore hilight that $170 Million was raised in September by Mitt Romney and the Republican party. Unfortunately, $170 Million was not enough money and more is needed in October. With the election getting closer and closer, Mitt Romney hopes that extra campaigning in Florida and Ohio will help him win these swing states. I am eager to see how this election will pan out as it is getting much more interesting. This election, in my opinion, may eventually become a photo finish.

The New Culture War Over Fairness
This is an article from Time Magazine about the definition of fairness, and who believes in which version. This article says that fairness is based on three things. Proportionality, Equality, and Procedural Fairness. The Republicans generally favor proportionality, while the Democrats generally favor equality, and they both claim to value procedural fairness. I think that equality, particularly in taxes is very important, while proportionality plays into that as well. The taxes you pay should be proportional to the amount of money you make. I think in theory procedural fairness sounds wonderful, but that it won't work in reality because of the many ways people have of manipulating situations to their favor.

Paul Ryan, The PhenomThis is an article from Time Magazine about Paul Ryan as the Republican vice presidential candidate. Ryan is a very competent and energetic campaigner and has been breathing new life into the GOP campaign but has been hazy on giving out the specifics for any of his plans, while aggressively attacking the Obama administration. Medicare has become a big issue of contention with the candidates. Ryan has been a great asset to the Romney campaign because he is more relatable and personable than Romney, particularly with the blue collar workers who are wary of the multimillionaire that is Romney. I think that Ryan was probably a good choice of running mate for Romney if only because he balances him out. I think that both Romney and Ryan should start telling us more specifics of their plans and stop attacking the Obama campaign quite as aggressively. Ryan's politics please the very conservative, but are not an asset with any other part of the political spectrum, so that is probably the biggest downfall in my opinion.

A Serious Debate Prep Session for Obama

Following President Obama's rather poor job at the last presidential debate during which Mr. Romney aggressively attacked the president on many of his policies, Obama took time over the past week and a half to brush up on his debating skills. He absolutely refused to be distracted in anyway, including golf courses, a Ferrari convention, and visits to local historical sites. According to close personal aides to the president, he was not practicing by cramming his head full of facts but instead by training his ability to debate directly; learning how to counter Romney's attacks on his policies and to redirect the pressure to Romney. After how well Vice-President Biden did at his debate against Paul Ryan, President Obama spent many hours reviewing the tactics Biden used. Obama plans to be not only more energetic and lively but also to focus more on foreign policy than domestic.

73,000 Political Ads Test Even a City of Excess

So, this is an article from the New York Times that states that Las Vegas set the record last week for having the most televised campaign announcements in a single year. Of the 73,000 television ads aired, there were about 98 different types and most of them were paid for with super PAC money. According to the article, as much as $3.3 billion are estimated to be spent on television advertising this year for the Presidential campaign, which is a third higher than the total amount of money spent on advertising in the 2008 election (which was about $2.5 billion). I feel that the amount of money being put into advertising for the election campaigns is astounding, and somewhat pointless. I just don’t see how bombarding television networks will influence people to want to vote for a certain candidate, especially if they already have a fixed idea in mind on who they want to vote for. Personally, I think it’s a huge waste of money and time.  In a lot of other countries, there are no television campaign advertisements, yet there is still a huge voter turnout. Maybe this type of money could be used instead to build infrastructure or create more jobs; things that could actually help Americans.

Cool Political Compass Test

Hey guys! My family and I found this site this weekend and I thought it was really neat. If you guys want to you can post your results in the comments or share on Monday! If not that's completely up to you. Enjoy!

Big Bird steps out of ‘Sesame Street’ for starring role in 2012 presidential contest

Big Bird has become a symbol in the presidential election in the past week. Romney stated in the Presidential Debate last week that he would cut federal funding of public broadcasting. While this proposal has been part of Romney's campaign plan for a while, the debate last week brought this to the attention of many Americans and brought about much debate among those Americans. President Obama and his administration took this proposal and linked it to Romney acting against a much-beloved symbol of the American population (children's show). The Obama campaign released an add pointing out Romney's plan in a negative way and emphasizing that he wants to end a beloved symbol while reduce taxes on the wealthy. Obama's actions taken with this debate have really annoyed me. To me, Romney recognizes that this cut of federal support would not save much money, but rather it shows the nation that the government will not and does not need to fund programs that can get along on their own, for specifically public broadcasting receives much financial support from individual organizations and people. While I recognize Obama's point that this funding cut will not save much money, he took this proposal and made it something it is not; an attack on a beloved character. Sesame Workshop (which supports Sesame Street and other public broadcasting shows) requested the ad be removed. To me this shows the trivial actions of President Obama in dealing with this debate specifically, his ad especially.

Shifting Reports on Libya Killings May Cost Obama

Shifting Reports on Libya Killings May Cost Obama
This is an article that talks of the different possibilities floating around the past couple of weeks about the killings in Benghazi, Libya. Initially the Obama Administration claimed that this attack was a spontaneous act that was a result of the derogatory video about the Profit Muhammad. However, more recently there is belief that the attacks may be linked to the Al Qaeda group as a terrorist attack, not simply a spontaneous attack. James R. Clapper Jr (an intelligence official of the nation) blatantly claimed on Friday that intelligence agencies "revised [their] initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists." The question now that the Romney administration is touching on is the question of the accuracy of the nation's intelligence-gathering and if American personnel are receiving adequate protection. Romney has been critical of the White House administration's intelligence being scattered and has taken the recently-leaked accounts that there were around 230 requests of the officials in the embassy for higher protection that were not adequately answered.  I am also questioning the efficiency of the Obama administration and the nation's intelligence agency. I recognize that the administration faced the difficulty of understanding the attacks and the motives behind them, yet it bothers me that it had been heavily enforcing the idea that the video insulting Islam was the cause of the killings, when this premise was simply disregarded a few weeks later. 

Race tightening up in battleground Ohio

A CNN poll conducted from October 5-8, after the debate on October 3, shows that the difference between Obama and Romney have decreased to 4%, with a sampling error of 3.5% in Ohio. The previous poll that was conducted before the debate showed that Obama had a 7%-10%, lead over Romney. Other polls, like the American Research Group, also show that both the candidates are neck and neck. Mitt Romney has a 14% lead over Obama in male voters, and Obama has a 22% lead over women voters. As November 6th, is approaching, the lead for Obama has been decreasing. Both the parties have spent about $92 million on advertising in Ohio, and out that $20 million have been spent in the last two weeks. Both, the candidates are campaigning in Ohio right now, making it even more interesting. Which ever party make the most noise in the next two weeks might win Ohio, whether it be Obama or Romney. "This is the battleground of the battlegrounds."

Paul Ryan Fundraiser Bans Recording

This interesting article from the Huffington Post talks about how a fundraiser for Paul Ryan had a very interesting message on one of the signs.  The sign said no audio or video recording.  This is strange given that the fundraiser was being covered by the press anyway, but I think many people can guess why recording has been banned after Romney's slip-up last month.  It is going to be interesting seeing whether this will cause controversy or not for the Romney campaign.  Ryan raised $2.5 million for the Romney campaign with ticket prices for the fundraiser going from $2,500-$75,800.  Does anybody else find these prices disturbing or sickening?  If I am paying that much money there had better be some pretty awesome stuff at that fundraiser, not just give this politician your money so he can insult the other candidate and shake his hand.  Also included on the article page is a picture of the sign and some interesting videos if you go to the bottom.

Stakes get higher in upcoming Biden-Ryan debate

After Mitt Romney's win in last week's presidential debate, the stage is now set for a debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Mitt Romney running mate Paul Ryan. Following the presidential debate the pressure is now put on Joe Biden to really go at the Romney-Ryan campaign in an attempt to halt the momentum from Romney's victory. His opponet Ron Paul is up for one serious debate, especially with all of the experience that Mr. Biden has over the years as a great orator in his political career. Although Biden is prone to gaffes, the engery and tenacity that he will have Thursday night will be at very high levels. I believe that Joe Biden understands the expectations of him at the debate and due to his experience will overpower Ron Paul. This is wher Biden shines and it would be a real blow to the Obama campaign if he were to fail in his duty at this debate.

In Congress, A Shrinking Pool of Moderates

With the upcoming Presidential and Congressional elections a lot is uncertain. However one thing is clear that there will be many fewer moderate politicians in Congress. A combination of redistricting, retirement of fed-up law makers and large amounts of campaign spending to push these moderates out of Congress has been underway creating uphill battles for re-election. This has been occurring to centrist Democrats as well as Republicans and in turn is beginning to polar the House to a great effect. A census done by a professor at the University of Georgia and another from the University of Princeton concluded that the House has not been as polarized in over a century. This means that Congress, who failed to pass even the most mundane bills, will be even more stagnant without the the essential tie breaking power of the centrists. I believe that this is a step back for the American Political system and puts even more power into the hands of the radicals of either side making it easier for radical view points to be valid options in Congress. Not to mention Congress will be incapable of passing any legislature at all because of a lack of moderates that could help shift a bill one way and get it passed. The lack of moderates in Congress will prove to be poor decision by the radicals on either side of the spectrum.

Drop in Jobless Figure Gives Jolt to Race

Here is an article from the New York Times about unemployment rate in the month of September. In the month of September the unemployment rate dropped to the lowest since the month President Obama took office, from 8.1% to 7.8%. The author talks about the reactions of Mitt Romney to the unemployment rate, saying that the unemployment rate dropped because "millions of Americans had given up looking for work." When you look at that you may think that it's true. But, their were two recent surveys on job report, that show the unemployment rate decreased because their was a growth in the number of jobs, but not because millions of people quit searching for a job. Also, the author states that there were no polls done so far that show that there was no significant change in economics or politics, which it probably won't. I think the drop in unemployment rate, will have minor effect for right now but, it won't be a major factor in November. This will probably re energize President Obama giving him a little confidence, from his defeat in the debate on October, 3. What do you guys thinks?

Romney's Missing Foreign Policy

Here you guys go.  This is an Op-Ed article from the New York Times talking about how Mitt Romney needs to capitalize on foreign policies.  The article references political hotbeds such as Syria Libya, and Egypt.  To start however, the author says that we need to understand how America has changed since 2001 with the war on terrorism and the uprising of political unrest around the Middle East.  Interestingly enough though, the author never really mentions Bush that much even though she referenced a timeline that included both of his presidential terms.  The author brings up bitter sentiments that I am sure most Americans (myself included) feel such as a resentment of America from other nations for wars and police actions despite America's large involvements and casualties and expenditures in these conflicts.  Among other things, a key point I found interesting was Obama's mix and matched policies involving the Middle East. How does he support the rebels in Libya to overthrow a tyrant, yet merely watching while Syria undergoes a very bloody revolution that claims innocent lives? Also highlighted are how outspoken Obama is against Iran yet he legitimizes the country's regime and hands out billions of dollars in debt forgiveness to Egypt when their rights are still being suppressed in the street.  I find the conflicts in Syria and Libya confusing, why isn't Obama offering aid? Is it more complicated than we know? As for Iran I would rather avoid dealing with them right now because I honestly think that is the best course of action given the economic state of everything in the world and our laundry list of other problems.  As for Egypt I honestly do not know why Obama is handing out debt forgiveness...I mean in case anyone hasn't noticed we aren't doing so well ourselves in terms of debt as a country.  Meanwhile I have other information that suggests Romney wants to step up involvement in Syria.  The author believes Romney is onto a good foreign policy, though it just isn't refined.  I would have to disagree considering Romney's policy has similarities with Obama's particularly on Iran and Romney also wants to take Israel which is one of the country's biggest foreign policies and deal with it later?  Sorry I am not buying it. Considering the fact that many foreign countries also support Obama I would have to say Obama still has this edge, and even though this election seems to be centered more around the economy and jobs.  Foreign Policy still makes a difference mostly because America does not want another war anytime soon.

Debate Fact-Checking

Here is the NYT debate preview-- claims both men are likely to make during the first debate, and the truth behind them.

Best SNL Debate Parodies

No Voter ID Law for PA... for Now

Pennsylvania will not require voters to show a photo ID in order to cast a ballot in this November's election.

The South's Enduring Conservatism

The South's Enduring Conservatism

A fascinating discussion from the NY Times Editorial pages about why the South remains the most staunchly conservative region in the country.  Directly relevant to some of our discussions about why the South has shifted from being solidly Democratic to the most reliably Republican base of support.

Profile of Mitt Romney

Profile of Mitt Romney
Here is a lengthy profile of Mitt Romney, focusing on his time as Governor of Massachusetts, that appears in this week's New York Times Magazine.

Romney, on His Big Day, Finds Himself Upstaged

Romney received his nomination but is nearly consumed by Trump's presence at the fundraiser Tuesday.  Donald Trump commented on Obama's gift certificate from Hawaii... Hawaii is a state Trump.  Romney appeared unwilling to confront this extremism from his party.  If Romney can not prevent someone at his fundraiser from making comments about our President's birth certificate how can he take charge of our government.  It did not look good for Romney at this fundraiser...

Romney misspells 'America' on iPhone app

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/05/mitt-romney-iphone-app-america-misspelled/1#.T8Ym_WPfeSp This really isn't an issue that's worth an article in USAToday. Yeah, it's a dumb mistake. But still, its just the media making a big deal out of nothing. Just the usual.

Romney atop GOP: milestone for Mormon faith

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2018312590_romneymormon30.html Romney's nomination is huge for Morman faith. There has never been a Morman political contender, so this definitely marks a milestone for the religion as a whole. Religion is always a large factor in political elections, so it will be interesting to see if this is good or bad for him.

I Don't Know How I Feel About This Right Now.

Obama is sitting on the face on the matter of gay marriage. He fears to lose followers should he declare directly on one side. This is definitely a big standpoint for voters to base their views off of. As Pataki said.."American people deserve to know today"

I'll Take A Lot Of Credit.

Mitt Romney doing what he can to say hey I helped America out. Despite his "let Detroit go bankrupt" statement in 2008. Obama claims that Romney was only trying to "fool" the public..

Playing ball with old Rival

Playing Ball with an old Rival

I think that Obama using Clinton is going to pay off. He is playing ball with someone he used to go against. This shows that he is willing to work with anyone in order to get the job at hand done. This is a good sign to the American people that even in a split Washington our President is willing to work with whoever he can to get the job done.

Romney Downplays the Killing of Osama.

Romney Downplays the Killing of Osama  

It is true that anyone President could have given the order to kill for he is not the one pulling the trigger. It took some guts however to do it with out much notice to the people and it took him several years of work to find out where he was living and the best way to take him out. It took guts to put men on the line and his job. If the mission was unsuccessful he would have been slaughtered by the media, but he took a risk and high risk can have high reward.

Gingrich Tells Romney He Will Quit Race

Newt is finally throwing in the towel. Newt contacted Romney early on Wednesday and told him that he would try his best to get conservatives to vote for him. Newt said earlier on Wednesday, "“I think obviously that I would be a better candidate, but the objective fact is the voters didn’t think that. And I also think it’s very, very important that we be unified". Do you think that after a candidate loses, he is really unifying the political party, or is he just supporting his previous opponent to possibly get a job in the White House? 

Romney's insult to women on equal pay

Romney's insult to women on equal pay is an alarming article because this conflict could possibly lose Romney a lot of votes. When asked if women should be paid as equal as men, Romney and his team of advisers drew a blank and asked if they could "get back to them". What do you all think about this article?    I personally think that it was more disrespectful to women to not have an answer than to oppose the bill. 

Out Of Context

A video compilation of Mitt Romney's greatest moments. I understand that it's unfair to judge him by a collage of painful moments made by the Huffington Post but I couldn't help myself. I can let go a few mistakes but that many stupid comments is outrageous for a presidential candidate.

Romney Ties Obama In Polls

Romney and Obama both know that the economy is the biggest issue in this year's campaigns. Both have angles that will push them forward in the race. Romney is targeting "pocketbook issues" and Obama is slowly lowering the unemployment rates. Is the economy going to be the most important factor when it comes time to vote in the next election? Who has the better plan?

Hispanic Voters is a must for anyone who wants to win

For any nominee to win, they have to win over many different minority groups. One of those key minority groups is Hispanics. This article describes the struggle to win over these voters before the election rolls around. Personally, I think it would be a smart move for Romney to get Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to be his running mate, 1. Because he is a popular senator who hasnt been in the Senate very long, 2. Because republicans and democrats alike respect him, 3. He will win the Hispanic vote for Romney. But that's just me.

Stiff Mitt

Now that the GOP nominee has been all but officially chosen, this article basically goes over why some people didnt like him in the first place: he's too stiff. He can't really get connected to voters, because of his different lifestyle. However, the people who know him closely say that he is simply trying to hard, and that if he left people know the real him, he would succeed.

Once Every 36 Years, Primary Fight for Indiana Senator

This Senator is truly feeling the backlash from the partisan lines that are currently crippling our legislative branch. Due to the increased presence of the Tea Party, Republicans are being challenged. This incumbent has been a senator for about as long as our parents have been alive, but he is still being challenged because he has made compromises before with the evil liberals... cool.

New Evidence Cited in Secret Service Prostitution Inquiry

11 Secret Service members were charged with misconduct involving prostitutes. This is worrying for our nation's safety, for the Secret Service's dedication the President is what keepshimalive. This lack of discipline by military members is unacceptable, I just hope it isn't as widespread as it appears.

mo money mo problems

So President Obama raised $1.75 million in one state. With Romney already being rich as anything, money is not going to be an issue for either of these candidates in the general election. I hope everyone's ready for an absurd amount of campaign ads this fall.

Romney vs. Obama

It would appear that the stage is set for the general election this fall. Mitt Romney's path to face Obama is now clear after Rick Santorum announced his campaign's suspension. I can't say that I'm surprised though, Romney was always the favorite, and this general election is going to be very interesting. What are your thoughts?

Buffet Rule

Obama makes a big push for increasing taxes on the wealthy, and proposed the Buffet Rule. The general principle behind the Buffet Rule is that millionaires and billionaires shouldn't pay a lower percentage of their income in federal taxes than middle-class households. I think this is awesome - it will definitely make the middle class happier if this rule becomes legitimate. It may upset some of the wealthy, but who cares! The majority of the population is middle class anyways.

Well, it's about time Santorum.

Here's a nice little video of a montage of Santorum's best moments throughout his campaign. One of his best moments was when he said that he didn't want to make "black people's lives better" by giving them "somebody else's money." Nice one Santorum.

Conservative Racial Demagogues

While it could be said that I have a preoccupation with the correlation between conservatism and racism, I did not embark on the "article-ascertaining" process looking for something about the subject; it was on the front page theatlantic.com. What the author talks about is why conservative pundits/leaders receive liberal ire for saying racist things even though these same men claim to "not see race" when dealing with politics and why claiming that liberals are racists for "turning everything into a racial issue" is an invalid response to deserved criticism.

The Nonprofit 1 Percent

Article about ceos of nonprofit organizations and how they aren't so different from the ceos that movements like "Occupy" have villianized. These ceos have gone largely un-checked by public outcry, but maybe public outcry is short-sighted. The problem of wealth-division isn't just about lack of personal integrity, as the Occupy has claimed of the evil 1 percent. The problem might just be our economic structure, but not even altruists are immune to vastly unequal pay scales.

Santorum just misses having people to rant about

Another ignorant remark by Santorum directs a shot fired towards Obama, questioning why he's several thousand miles away while the Obamacare health care law debates begin.

Believe it or not, Ricky, there are responsibilities a President holds on a global scale and not just national. Attending a nuclear summit is one of them, and health care isn't going to mean squat when we're all filled with decaying atoms.

Obama isn't 'running away' from his health care reform. There are bigger issues at hand, and global peace is more important in the long run than a healthcare law. Not to say what's going on here isn't important, just putting things into perspective here.

Romney's gonna need another Etch-A-Sketch

In another unremarkable turn of events, candidate Mitt Romney throws himself at whatever sort of deluded leverage he can possibly find in order to slanderize Obama as well as to brush off that ever so growing larger dirt on his shoulder that is Santorum.

"I'm not going to worry too much about what Rick is saying these days," Romney said on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." "I know when you're falling further and further behind, you get a little more animated."

Right on, Mitt. You seem to be caught in the midst of some dramatic irony. In other news he went to go see the Hunger Games with his kids! In an actual cinema! He also likes to read books, for fun. What a family man.

The Common Sense Catholics

Although Santorum wears his religion on his sleeve Santorum is having a rough time winning over Catholic voters. When you read the article and look at the stats you may be surprised to see how much it has cost him not getting the catholic vote. Do you think that this sort of impact will be the death of Rick?

If Only He Could Shake His Comment Away

One of Romney's top advisers, Eric Fehrnstorm recently compared Romney's campaign to an Etch and sketch... you know one of those things two year olds use to draw random stuff then shake it up to erase it. Fehrnstorm recently said "Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign, everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch a Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again.” So far he has received tons of criticism for this comment. Do think this will have a impact on his chances on winning the presidential bid.

Seriously Santorum? Just get out.

I can only hope that the beautiful state of Pennsylvania does not give Santorum this win. If Pennsylvania gives in to this craze, then I have no hope, because we couldn't even re-elect him when he ran for Senator of Pennsylvania in 2006. This would actually make me want to cry if he won again.

Romney pulls through in Illinois

Well it looks like this guy isn't fooling. He hasn't fallen off yet, and he just keeps winning. Romney is making this hard for the more conservatives, but he finally showed them why they should vote for him, and that it's because he has the best chance in the presidential election. Can't wait to see how he pulls through.

Biden Giving Obama Some Free Candy

Biden...well, he feels that Santorum, Gingrich, and Romney are a threat to the middle class. To give any one of those men the presidency would lead the middle class to bankruptcy. We just need someone strong enough to defeat Obama...

Speak English Please

Santorum feels the need to say "Hey Puerto Speak English" . 81% of residents speak Spanish as the dominant language. The constitution doesn't say anything about not being allowed to bring about language requirements for states to be admitted"… How do you feel about this little dilemma..

Gas prices a drag on Obama's numbers

As gas prices begin to shoot up, Obama's ratings begin to plummet. Gas prices have gone up significantly in the past month and are predicted to continue going up. This obviously isn't a good sign going into the November election because, well, no one likes paying for gas. Will these energy problems be enough to sway voters away from Obama to the conservative side? We will see.

Gingrich should bow out, back Santorum

This is an opinion article that says that Gingrich should back out of the nomination. He's finished well behind Santorum and Romney in several caucuses, and even behind Ron Paul in a few. He's had a good run, but at this point it seems like he's just wasting people's time and money.

All Eyes On Ohio-- Andrea Marinelli

It all comes down to Ohio. No Republican has ever won the presidency without wining Ohio. Each candidate has a chance to gain delegates in one of the ten states voting on Super Tuesday. What will the results show?

Family Anguish for the Romney's-- Andrea Marinelli

Ron Paul is getting support in the Idaho caucuses. However, these supporters consist of distant relatives of Mitt Romney. Three fellow Romney's will be speaking on Ron Paul's behalf during the GOP caucuses. I sense some major family anguish in Mitt Romney’s household.

Super Tuesday: Not as super as in the past.

Super Tuesday is today, but there are only ten states voting, which is less then recent primaries. But that said, 10% of the delegates are being given out. Some of Romney's big loses are being brushed away because if his wins in Michigan, Arizona and Washington, and it will be interesting to see if he comes out of Super Tuesday on top.

Focus on Super Sunday

With Romney winning Michigan and Arizona, Ohio is a much needed win for Santorum. If Romney gets the win here then it will be a HUGE sweep for him. Santorum has done a lot of work in Ohio, so it should be a close race.

Sad News

Just saw this.  What are we going to do?

A Load of You-Know-What

Obama fires back at the Republican candidates with a pretty high level of badassery. As the competition is getting more intense, Obama needed to set the bar for what kind of race he's going to run in. From the speech he made today, it seems he's chosen an aggressive campaign just like the Republican candidates have. Fighting fire with fire?

Santorum Plays Dirty...Just Like Everybody Else

Romney spoke out against Santorum saying he did something that was "deceptive and a dirty trick." What did Santorum do? Sent out calls urging Democrats to vote in the Michigan primary against Romney. Like Romney hasn't played any dirty or deceptive tricks in the campaign. I don't think Santorum did anything wrong. He's just using another campaign strategy. What's going to cross the line? What trick with Romney play back?

Avlon: 3 things you don't know about Arizona, Michigan

This article reveals three things that the average person doesn't know about the Arizona and Michigan primaries. The first "thing" that is discussed in the article is directly correlated to what we learned in class a week or two ago, which I thought was pretty engaging. I also learned from the article that Arizona has the 7th highest Mormon population, and apparently Mormons dig Romney.

Memo to Mitt Romney: We Get It. You’re Rich.

This is definitely a position article, and a very strongly positioned article at that. This is an interesting article about the wealth of Mitt Romney and how it affects his political campaign. How much do you think Romney's wealth negatively affects his campaign?
Does Romney flaunt his wealth too much? If so, how can he limit his "flaunting"?

In Republican Race, a New Breed of Superdonor

In this race, a new gorup of "Superdonors" have emerged. Giving millions of dollars to Super PACs early in the race. And what all these "Superdonors" have in common is: money. All these "Superdonors" come from a staunchly conservative base and are willing to give enormous amounts of money.

Romney Faces Unexpected Hurdles in Michigan

Although seemingly an easy win for Romney, due to a strong family name and Michigan being his home state, Romney could fall to Santorum. This would be a devastating blow to Romney's campaign, and could change the course of this race for the candidacy.

The importance of the Arizona debate

This article explains the HUGE importance of the upcoming debate, especially for Romney. Romney needs to get his name and his ideas back out there after the recent Santorum surge. Santorum leads in most of the polls now, so this debate is crucial for Romney to do well, and for Santorum not to screw up. I encourage you all watch it. I know I will.

Rick's Story

This story describes Santorum's career after losing his senate seat in 2006. It talks about his life as a columnist and some of his viewpoints at that time. It's not really a position article, yet more of a informal article about Santorum's job after the Senate.

Romney's likeability is dropping

I can't say I'm surprised. Everyone loves an underdog and Mitt Romney is anything but that. With Santorum's recent wins Romney's support is decreasing at an alarming rate. Americans are always quick to jump behind the guy who isn't favored and Romney needs to do something about his image in order to connect to more Americans, or we might be looking at a pretty big political upset. #upsetcity

should Gingrich throw in the towl?

The national review officials are calling for Gingrich to take a hike. Although this is shaping up to be a two person race between Santorum and Romney, I just don't think that Gingrich should give up that easy. I remember the time when I thought it was going to be Romney and Gingrich for the rest of the way. Oh yeah that was two weeks ago. It's amazing what can happen in such short periods of time and with the polls showing a lack of trust in any candidate from the voters, I think it would be worth it for Gingrich to stick it out until the end.

Obama meets with China's leader-to-be

President Obama welcomed China's next leader at the White House, and set a tone for future relations between the US and China. Tomorrow, Xi will meet with congressional leaders on Capitol Hill and discuss a major policy address. Xi said the purpose of his visit was to strengthen U.S.-Chinese relations and build a "cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interests."

Mitt is strugglin' despite winning the Maine caucus

Romney has a bad week, and a good weekend. David Frum, author of the article says that Romney had to get involved in the contraception controversy, and the gay rights issue. He says that Romney's losses to Santorum is what is causing him to be more involved with social issues.

Hilarious Must-Read: Congressman Mistakes "Onion" Article for Truth

This is too funny.  I won't even tell you what the subject of the "article" is.  Just read it for yourself.

Santorum shifts into another gear

Santorum has pulled ahead in the Missouri and Minnesota caucuses as the projected winner. With Colorado still processing results, Romney and Santorum both share 37% of the vote - either way, the uphill struggle our more conservative candidate has led with both his ailing daughter and candidacy seems to have gotten a breath of fresh air.

This is no way changes my opinion towards him, or any of the Republican Runners.

Proposition 8 found to be pretty gay

Proposition 8, which passed in 2008 in California with 52% for 48% against, was just recently uplifted, denounced as unconstitutional, and harmful to gays and lesbians.

This upheaval only applies to Proposition 8, and does not affect other states. As of the current day states are still able to accept or deny same sex mariages.

My real thoughts on this sort of topic is why people are so inclined to think that other's sexuality is there business, and inhibits any sort of productivity they are effectively able to carry out. Why do you care?

Chris Christie Doesn't Understand Civil Rights Movement

When talking about how he would veto any gay marriage bill brought forth to his desk, Chris Christie made the rather bold decree that "People would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South." Hmm...

People Getting Sick of Occupy Wall Street

This article references comments made by liberal comedian Bill Maher about the Occupy movements and wonders if they are reflective of generally souring opinions. Do you think it's time for the Occupy people to go home? Should they have been there in the first place? Do they still matter?