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...Worth checking Out...
I caught a glimpse of a news conference by the Heritage Foundation's Michael Franc. He is the Government Relations VP for the Foundation. I am well aware of some of the support the Heritage Foundation receives. However, I have been of the view of that any idea that would help provide a roadmap is absolutely crucial to be looked at. I would be analyzing the report annouced by Heritage and providing guidance on it as part of OV's Election Watch Series over the ensuing weeks.
I welcome the Heritage Report because it is how things should be. There was one thing that Michael Franc also noted that I also agree with: incremental change is simply not acceptable. There needs to be the courage to truly work to transform for the greater good.
This past week has been amazing. According to the pundits, the election is already over and we should all just pack up and go home. John Boehner, I suppose, is probably beginning to gear up to take over the speakership and all the key "ranking members" of the house are getting ready to be called "Mr. Chairman". But, here is a newsflash, though: This is July 21. Elections are not going to be held till November. So, to borrow a phrase from Mark Twain, the reports of the death of Democrats is highly exaggerated
The Republicans are truly emboldened. Eric Cantor came out last week and boldly predicted that the House will be taken over by the Republicans. MondayÂs Front Page story in the Wall Street Journal talked about how the GOP can also take control of the Senate too. A number of the US Senate campaigns are rough going. Barack ObamaÂs old seat is one. But, it appears that Charlie Crist in Florida has gotten his second wind and seems to be charting a new path after the Marco Rubio juggernaut forced him out of the Party. The PresidentÂs Spokesman, Robert Gibbs, added fuel to the fire during his appearance on Meet the Press two weeks ago when he noted that there is a chance that the Democrats will lose. I viewed Robert Gibbs pronouncement as a wakeup call to all Democrats to pull together. I am with Joe Biden that Democrats will surprise the Country in November.
The news that the filibuster over Unemployment benefits was broken was good news for those who have no other means to get some money to put food on the table for their families. What was sickening was how the Republicans pushed the fiction of people becoming ÂLazy as they continued to get unemployment benefits. It shows an absolute lack of care and concern for the person on the street that is simply beyond belief. But, the rest of the billÂs provisions were stripped out to allow it to pass. The provisions included help to keep teachers on board and other provisions that unfortunately will no longer be available. It took the two courageous Maine Ladies to side with the Democrats. I suppose there are at least a few reasonable Republicans left. I continue to yearn for the party that gave us Javitz, Goldwater and Reagan. I wonder if those stalwarts will truly recognize the Republican Party of today.
There is no question that the Democrats have profound challenges. The Republicans have done a magnificent job of dominating the debate. I marvel at GOP.Gov and the excellent publicity machine. The reality is that People have no jobs. When there are six applicants for every job opening, people become ever more afraid and will turn to whoever will promise them the world. But, their prescription is basically more of the same. They say they have common sense solutions. But, turning Medicare into a voucher program (under the guise of choice), tinkering with Social Security and pushing more tax cuts seems like the exact policies that got us in the mess we are in now. The Republicans ideological twins, the British Tories, have also instituted austerity. That austerity package has included tax increasesÂsomething that the New Republicans seem not to want to touch.
The right, though, seems to somehow want to not let go of the past. As the left continues to be chastised for noting how George W. Bush was handed the election of 2000, some group that calls itself the Minnesota Majority touted this Âinvestigation it conducted noting that Al Franken was handed the election because convicted felons voted. This is, of course, after an exhaustive State Process and a lawsuit by Norm Coleman. It did not get much tractionÂbut it was sure amusing!!!!
The fascinating player, to me, remains Sarah Palin. She is becoming quite a force to be reckoned with. I wrote about it in OVÂs Sister Site, Kitten Politics. What I found especially startling was spending $ 210,000 on consultants. ThatÂs quite a bit. Although I am sure she feels she got her moneyÂs worth, the fact remains that the pronouncements that the ghost writers put out are half-truths and not based on the facts. But, she has a following and my hatÂs off to her for how she has been able to truly build a brand through a strategic approach as she gears up for a White House Bid. I think she would go for itÂthe question is whether she has the credibility to do so. But, she is one of many. Mitt Romney is around. He also had a book and has been making the rounds. There are many others. The Democrats, also, have their own star too: Bill Clinton. He would be quite a site to see in the Campaign. Whatever one may think of him, even his detractors note that he has got a keen political mind and is one of the best there is. He did stumble during Hillary's Campaign--but he has gotten his groove back especially with his work in Haiti. Some in the left, though, disagree profously in light of how things continue to be as dire as ever there.
For the Republican juggernaut to slow down, there are some key questions that must be asked of them: What are they going to do to spur job growth? How are they going to make sure banks starting lending out some of the $ 1 Trillion Dollars in cash they are currently sitting on? How are they going to make sure that Corporations will also let go of some of their hoards of cash? What will they do to replace healthcare? Are they going to allow the healthcare companies to continue their old ways?
The President has been able to get quite a bit done. The question is whether the momentum he has sought to maintain will be sustained. The one thing the Democrats must drive through is this: Simply saying cut taxes and cut spending is not going to do. They have to present more substance. Staying on the sidelines and saying No is fine. Governing, though, is a whole different ballgame.
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....and the Republican Beef is?
The Republicans have been on a continued warpath to circumvent Barack Obama's agenda at every turn. The healthcare debate has shown that all they are interested in an outright power grab to implement their narrow idelogical vision on the country. They are opposed to anything that remotely insures that the average person has a fighting chance. Paul Ryan's plan to replace Medicare with vouchers is just one of those extreme examples.
While the Republicans have continued to dominate the airwaves and win the public relations war, the real world goes on. There was a spike in unemployment not withstanding the 51,000 hires for the Census temporary jobs. The "real" unemployment rate stands at 16.8 Percent, on par with Spain. What Republicans should take notice of is a speech by the US Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue. He spoke and made five key points
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The Image of a reformer...or not?
Governor Palin is once again in the news. This time, it has to do with the expenses she incurred for her children. It included a $ 707/Night hotel stay in New York with her 17-year old daughter. I think Governor Palin seems to realize that all such conduct must be beyond even the mildest reproach. Such information that is continuing to come out puts the McCain campaign in very, very,very bad light. The basics of politics is opposition research. You have to make sure you get to know what is out there that would come back and haunt you. It appears that the McCain campaign did not understand it. If they did, then I wonder how come this information is coming out now.
This is yet again another indication of how things are shaping up as we enter the final two weeks of the campaign. The BBC has featured an analysis by Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia. In my view, he is one of the most credible and insightful analysts on the political scene today. He has made a compelling case on where things stand for Senator Obama as he get ready. Here is the link
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We truly deserve better than this......
We're truly living in extraordinary times. I laughed when I read about Larry Sabato's characterization of the economic policies of Barack Obama and John McCain. Larry Sabato noted that one of them is living in Disneyworld and one is living in Disneyland. Right now, the U.S. is bankrupt. The U.S. is Ten Trillion (that is Trillion with a "T") Dollars in Debt. The number is so high that the U.S. National Debt Clock ran out of digits. With the way committments are being made right now, the debt will only go through the roof.
As markets are falling and wealth is being wiped off, there is no substantive discussion of the issues. The McCain-Palin ticket continued the pathetic path of guilt by association again today with the release of the new video on association with Ayers. The country and the world need enlightened leadership and a renewed sense of purpose to give folks hope. All they have to talk about is Bill Ayers. They are even going to talk about Jeremiah Wright. "Someone" at a rally "begged" Senator McCain to take it to Senator Obama. "Guilt By Association" may come back to haunt both Senator McCain and Governor Palin. For instance, Governor Palin has apparently attended Alaskan Independence Party Convention with all their rather "interesting" views
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The Stark Choices......
The U.S. Vice Presidential debate has just concluded. Before I talk about the debate itself,the role of the debate moderator must be mentioned. I think Gwen Ifill did an outstanding job. All this hype about her book and her apparent "tilt" towards Obama turned out to be crap!!! So far, the moderators have done a great job. With Tom Brokaw and Bob Schieffer moderating the next two debates, I think it will only get better.
Senator Biden and Governor Palin went toe-to-toe. I think Senator Biden side-stepped Governor Palin in a rather deft way. He was quite restrained, but on top of his game. He was my candidate twenty years ago. He was not my candidate this time simply because I was duped by John Edwards. But, I think Senator Obama's decision to choose him was a master stroke. Senator Biden has spoken his mind. I was impressed when he made two key points: 1) He reminded the world that the idiot Ahmadinejad does not control the Iranian Security services. He was surprised that that Senator McCain was not aware of this fact and 2) He reminded the world of Senator McCain's record
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"It is the Economy, folks......."
Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley changed their charter to bank holding companies. This will allow them to start taking commercial deposits. That's a good thing, I suppose. It allows them to have access to the borrowing window of the Federal Reserve. So, the restructruing of investment banking is now complete. Investment banking as we have known it for hundreds of years is gone!!! It is high time indeed.......
As the new week begins, it appears that the U.S. Government's decision to take on the "Toxic Assets" to the tune of 700 Billion has been embraced by markets around the world. I am cautiously optimistic. However, there has to be further steps taken to insure that the middle class is protected from the freefall that it is faced with. I view the economy as the central overriding factor in the election as in 1992. Gallup's daily tracking poll has shown that Senator Obama has lost his edge by about a percent. Other polls, though, continue to call it even. I think it is still even despite Senator Obama taking the lead because of the economy. I continue to view the upcoming debate as a turning point. It should be a blockbuster
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Mike Pouraryan
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