Month: August 2009

Democrats’ Growth In The Western States And 2012

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Every indication is that the Democrats can expect to do well in the “New Western” states in future elections, as a result of trends that have favored them in the past few election cycles.

The “New West” is defined as those states not bordering on the Pacific Ocean. Three of them were won by President Obama in 2008–Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico. He came close in Montana and had a good chance in Arizona if John McCain had not been his opponent. These eight states have 17 representatives and seven senators and four governors who are Democrats.

With the growing Hispanic population in these states, the Democrats have strong odds to win the same three states they won in 2008, plus Montana and Arizona. One can forget Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, which are the three states most loyally Republican along with Oklahoma, according to other polls that indicate party loyalty.

So any indication that temporarily Obama’s public opinion ratings are declining fails to take into account that it will have very little effect in 2012, since the polls are very much a judgment of the moment subject to dramatic change over the next few years, and the Electoral College system heavily favors the President’s reelection, unless there is a major disaster or tragedy to change the minds of the mass of citizens.

It is hard after the economic collapse of 2008 to imagine any situation as dire as that to transform the national mood.

Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, And The Presidency: Is This For Real?

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Michele Bachmann, the controversial Congresswoman from Minnesota, has revealed in an interview with a friendly publication that it is possible at some point that she will seek the Presidency, if that is what God wants her to do.

At the same time, former GOP Senator Rick Santorum, defeated in 2006 for reelection in Pennsylvania, is visiting Iowa amidst speculation that he will be seeking the Presidency in 2012. He apparently feels that he has a lot to offer as a platform, including preventing man-dog sex by fighting against gay marriage. Santorum was infamous in his 12 years in the Senate for outrageous, ridiculous statements about all kinds of issues, and it was a relief when Bob Casey retired him from the Senate in 2006.

So we have a former Senator adding to the list of mostly undistinguished candidates for the GOP in 2012, which of course, includes the possibility, believe it or not, of Sarah Palin.

And should all of these “distinguished” Republicans fail in their quest, we can always look forward to God’s intervention by offering to us one Michele Bachmann, who will save the country from all of its enemies, including Democrats and people who have a brain! LOL 🙂

“Joe The Plumber” And Advocacy Of Violence Against Nancy Pelosi

Ronald 1 Comment

It is absolutely sickening that Joseph Wurzelbacher, an embarrassment to anyone who has a brain, has now, at a public gathering, advocated using violence against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

He spoke of “taking her behind the woodshed and hitting her aside the head” as justification because of what he said is her preaching of lies.

This is very interesting, as I guess “Joe the Plumber” feels that the Bush Administration always told the truth. It shows how out of touch with reality he really is!

It i s obvious that he is mentally deranged, a stupid man who advocates violence against a public official who he disagrees with. Is this the kind of image he should be promoting publicly, that it is alright to hit a woman, let alone a public official, because of opposition to that person’s views?

I say what we should answer Joe is that he is under arrest for threatening and advocating violence against the third top official in the US government!

It is time for “Joe the Plumber” to shut up and go back to his useless life of being a total jerk! As stated before, good riddance!

Cable News: Who Watches What Channel?

Ronald 1 Comment

A new poll gives very interesting information about who watches what cable news channel.

Conservatives and Southerners only watch Fox News (no surprise) LOL

Independents tend not to watch any of the three cable news channels.

Democrats split their watching between CNN and MSNBC.

Young people between 18-29 tend to avoid watching much cable news, but shun Fox News the most! LOL

Also, more people watch CNN than either other channel, with Fox second and MSNBC third.

The greatest disappointment is that 61 percent never watch CNN; 66 percent never watch Fox; and 77 percent never watch MSNBC. With the fact that reading of newspapers and periodicals is way down in recent years, it is obvious that the American people as a whole are not well versed in public affairs, and I would say it shows in what has been going on at these Town Hall events all over the nation–ill informed people who are very emotional and irrational and do not understand basic facts and concepts of public issues and affairs. This is indeed a very sad state of affairs. 🙁

Somehow, the results of this poll are very predictable! There are no surprises in my mind! 🙁

The Senate Finance Committee “Gang Of Six” And Health Care Legislation

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I am a big lover of the US Senate and am the author of a book on senators during the New Deal, many of whom came from small Midwestern and Western states, so I understand fully how much senators from small states can have an impact.

Therefore, I am particularly interested in the reality that six senators from small states –three Democrats (Max Baucus of Montana, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Kent Conrad of North Dakota) and three Republicans (Charles Grassley of Iowa, Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Olympia Snowe of Maine) are the major figures involved in blocking major health care reform, including a public option. As members of the Senate Finance Committee, they have made it clear that they do not wish to go as far on health care as the various committees in the House of Representatives.

The problem is these six senators together represent a population about the size of New York City (8.4 million people) and 2.75 percent of the total population of the nation. But they will have a major impact on health care reform and have a good chance to prevent major changes.

The three Democrats in particular represent states which only have ONE Congressman per state, and it seems to many that this whole situation is outrageous, and that the Senate is undemocratic in nature and should be changed.

But of course, there is no way that the Senate can be changed. The only major reform has been the 17th Amendment, which led to direct popular election of the Senate beginning in 1913. But the Founding Fathers did not set up the Senate to be a democratic body. Rather, it was set up as a barrier to “popular” rule and has long acted as a brake on the House of Representatives.

The Senate is a slow moving, slow adapting body, and often that is good, as it has prevented many unwise ideas passed by the House, including many crazy ideas for constitutional amendments.

In this case, the fight for health care reform, however, the Senate is becoming the bottleneck, and is giving too much power to a handful of Senators, who, were they in the House of Representatives, would have no attention given to them and would would wield no power at all.

Such is the makeup of our government, as established by the Founding Fathers, and there is nothing we can do about it!

State Gun Laws And The President And Other Public Figures

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It has been absolutely insane that wherever the President has traveled for Town Halls, we see the presence of ordinary citizens displaying guns in the area of his presence.

It may be that states in many cases allow the public display of weapons, including assault rifles, but it should be made clear that they are NOT acceptable at a public event or gathering of large numbers of citizens, such as a Town Hall, whether it is the President or even any other public official in attendance.

The presence of firearms promotes an atmosphere of intimidation and fear, and no state law should put a public official, and particularly the President, in a position where his security agents have to be on the defensive. This is states rights gone amuck.

We have a short memory. Considering all of the political assassinations of the 20th century of national political figures–including Huey Long, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy among others–and the shooting of such political figures as Theodore Roosevelt, George Wallace, Ronald Reagan–and the missed attempts against such leaders as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Gerald Ford–we should ban guns in public gatherings that include major government leaders.

No other democracy allows such freedom, and we need to learn that guns have their place, and that is NOT in a public gathering with major political leaders appearing.

The Public Option For Health Insurance Is Essential!

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There are hints coming from the Obama Administration that they might settle for non profit coops to create competition for the health insurance industry, in lieu of a “public option”, where the government competes with private enterprise for those who are least able to afford health insurance costs.

The argument is that the Senate will NOT go along with a public option, while the House will not go along with any legislation that does not have a public option.

This is a defining moment for the Obama plans for health care, and it is indeed a tough issue, but I think the President has to use the prestige of his office and start to act like Lyndon Johnson–be aggressive and take the view that this is the best time to get health care reform through, and that he should not concern himself with whether or not the Republicans will go along or support a plan.

The “blue dog” Democrats in the House must be read the “riot act” and the more conservative Democrats in the Senate informed that this is a question of a once in a generation opportunity for fundamental change, and that therefore the fight must go on for real change.

Yes, abortion, illegal immigrants and clearcut declaration that so called “death panels” will NOT be part of the legislation is essential. Also, cost controls to avoid adding to the national debt long term is also necessary.

This is a time to FIGHT, not give in to the corporations and the conservatives who are propagandizing to destroy the need for health care reform. America deserves better!

Strong Support For Health Care Reform From AMA And AARP

Ronald 1 Comment

Very encouraging news this weekend comes from the head of the American Medical Association and the leader of the American Association Of Retired Persons, two powerful groups that have endorsed Health Care plans advocated by President Obama and Democratic leaders of Congress.

They argued that rationing of health care would NOT occur, and that the so called accusations of “death panels” was a terrible falsehood, and that a complete overhaul would promote major savings and get rid of waste present in today’s health care system.

This was a major rebuke to GOP leaders who contend that the administration plan has too many flaws, and should be abandoned.

This news comes at a time when the Democrats and Obama can use any support they can get, with the growing attack on the plan by corporate and conservative interests.

Barack Obama’s Promotion Of Community Colleges

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President Obama has become an advocate of promoting many more high school graduates to go through at least the community college level in education.

He has allocated $12 billion to accomplish the goal of five million additional graduates from the 1200 community colleges nationally by the year 2020.

It is well understood that even a two year degree can bring about a great increase in lifetime income, and also increased job satisfaction.

Needless to say, this could become one of the major accomplishments of the Obama Presidency if it works out as planned.

Bill Clinton’s Strong Defense Of Obama’s Health Care Initiative

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Former President Bill Clinton, who suffered the failure of his health care plan in 1993-1994, came out swinging yesterday in support of President Obama’s health care initiative.

Speaking before a group of political activists, he declared that the success of the plan would raise Obama’s approval rating dramatically, and that all the fears and concerns about the health program would be shown to be false within a year and would make Obama even more popular.

Since Bill Clinton is still very much admired among a majority of Americans, his willingness to come out strongly for Obama could be a major plus, and the adoption of a viable health care plan would be a vindication of what he tried to do, and what Ted Kennedy has been spending great efforts over the past few decades to accomplish, and what Harry Truman promoted in his time, and even what Theodore Roosevelt advocated in his Bull Moose Progressive Party campaign in 1912.