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.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
"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?
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?
Monday, November 26, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
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.
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.
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.
(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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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