Dec
8
It is finally official President-Elect Barack Obama is naming Senator of New York Hilary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State. Which happens to be a historical yet remarkable reunion of once bitter rivals, chasing for Presidency in this years election. President Elect-Obama is hosting a news conference in Chicago for the acceptance of the secretary of the state position for Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton. Attending the news conference will be Robert M. Gates, President Bush’s Defense Secretary, who will remain at the Pentagon. Clinton and Gates are part of a national security team stocked with some of the best-known names in government. The officials said thatPresident Elect Barack Obama is also naming Eric H. Holder Jr., the former number-two-official at the Justice Department, as attorney general; Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security; Susan E. Rice, the Obama campaign’s senior foreign policy adviser, as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; and retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones as national security advisor. The war cabinet is very experienced and will bring great credibility with the military and will allies around the world, but it is made up of several distinct power centers that could lead to clashes in crucial times. With Obama`s new transition team, then gave the green light to Clinton’s nomination after lawyers worked out a remarkable agreement addressing potential conflicts of interest for former President Bill Clinton, which has extensive financial ties all abroad. The most remarkable agreement that the Clintons made was agreeing to release the long-secret list of 208,000 donors to his presidential library and foundation. As one of his nine concessions he plans to put out the list bythe end of this year. This is a stepping stone twords building a better economy, once again.
Nov
17
Let us review the events of election night and exactly what caused Barack Obama to become the President-Elect. Of course we know that, in order to win the election, the candidate needed to win 270 electoral votes. So, how were the electoral votes fair for President-Elect Obama? Barack Obama won 338 electoral votes against the 163 for Senator John McCain. Astonishingly, the reason he won 68 electoral votes than he needed, were because he won in several states that are traditionally Republican. States including Colorado, Virginia, Ohio, and yes, Florida, were among them. But how did the popular vote that led the President-Elect to the White House turn out? Of the 119,273,399 votes that were cast on Election Day, 62,527,406 were cast for Obama. That is 52% of the popular vote and the most votes ever cast for a candidate in American history. 68% of all new voters cast their vote for Barack Obama. Also, 95% of all African-American voters cast votes for President-Elect Obama. African-American voters are typically Democratic Party voters, however not is such large numbers. President-Elect Obama also managed to bring in the votes of 54% of all Catholic voters, traditionally Republican, and had the majority vote of male voters, an achievement not won by a Democrat since Bill Clinton was first elected. Another group of traditionally Republican voters, Latinos, was won, 66%, by Obama. A man that is hoping to change the history of the United States of America begins his journey by changing the history of elections and ways of thinking in this country. He did this by related to everyday people, not distinguishing race or age, party affiliation or religion. He did this to change America, and set a new standard in the process.
Nov
17
A Tough Choice For A Young Mind
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In the presidential election there was one voice John Mccain and Barack Obama was counting on and that was 17-year-old Spanish River High School Senior Melanie McCormick. Melanie was an undecided voter who lived in Florida which happens to be a swing state. To make matter worse, Melanie has one parent who is Democrat while the other is Republican. Melanie McCormick turns 18, 8 days before the election. She was so excited and anxious to vote that she called the elections office to find out where her voter registration card was and was told that it will not arrive until her birthday.
On Friday`s Todays Show, which airs on NBC, she promised to endorse her vote for Barack Obama. She made this historical decision by watching the presidential debates and really studying the differences between the presidential candidates energy polices and plans for Iraq.
I would like to make a personal point, I was really excited to vote because i was a first time voter. My mom, on the other hand, is a true patriot. She broke her ankle days days before the election(walking with full cast and all) and made her vote. “I was studying off the hook she said.” Melanie wants to study political science and hopes to intern at the White House. Perhaps Barack Obama could arrange that.
McCormick said, she is very disappointed by her friends her own age who lack patriotism and do not care about voting in this upcoming election. Which I happen to agree on, I have a bunch of friends who choose not to vote because they do not think it will make a difference. Like McCormick said, “This is the coolest thing I think I’m going to ever take part in,” and I agree 110 percent.
Nov
10
Barack Obama ran one of the most prominent and improbable campaigns ever in history. They campaign raised and funded over 600 million dollars and took 22 long months of doing door to doors, using the internet sources like facebook, making bumper stickers, volunteers making phone calls you name it and they did it. They went in states they thought they could not compete in like Indiana and North Carolina and came out victoriously. Registering and new popularity for voting grew at an all time high this campaign and Barack Obama sought after it.
Part of the reason Barack Obama accomplished becoming president elect is by putting together one of the best campaign teams ever assembled in congress that we should all take time to thank. Four people mainly, David Axelrod chief strategist, and David Pluff who campaign manages, also Sr. Aid Robert Gibbs who was always at Barack Obama`s side and future press secretary of this country and lastly Anita Dunn who handles communication, policy, and research. They went on to say that no one had a bigger role in this campaign then Barack Obama and is one of the smartest guys they have ever known. Barack Obama, on his acceptance speech was quick to thank them and said this could have never been done if I did not assemble the best people to work on this campaign. One obstacle the team had to overcome was the Jeremiah Wright ordeal. Jeremiah Wright is a Pastor at, Emeritus of the Trinity United Church of Christ a huge church in Chicago, and was former pastor of President Elect Barack Obama. Because of Wrights outlandish comments made on Barack Obama, Obama recently resigned his membership of the church and said that he was “outraged” and “saddened” by his behavior. Barack Obama said in a speech that Jeremiah Wright made it seem like there is no progressive change on what people view race as 50 years ago(which obviously made him resign out of the church). The team knew that the Jeremiah Wrights connection would stir controversy, and said it was a pivotal moment in the campaign. The campaign team even went on to say that we should have known to look more closely at these tapes because race is such a prominent issue today.
I mean who would have thought a Muslim born black man with the middle name Hussein would be our new President elect of the United States of America. God bless America to have an open mind in the 21st century, otherwise I think this country might have been in disarray with the Mcsame in the white house for four more years.
Nov
2
Although many concerns regarding healthcare need to be in the spotlight, only a few are addressed as being important to the upcoming election. There is one issue that is not only significant to present day healthcare, but potentially significant for the future of healthcare, stem cell research.
Several different forms of stem cell research are currently under study, including embryonic stem cell research (ESCR). In ESCR, some of the methods used are similar to cloning and, because the stem cells used originate from a human embryo, the process has become viewed as unethical and immoral. Last year Dr. James Thompson, of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, reported his success in reprogramming stem cells from adults to react like stem cells from an embryo. These cells are pluripotent, able to develop into any of the fetal or adult human body’s cell types. This breakthrough could open the eyes of some skeptics that oppose stemcell research. Most of the public opposition to embryonic stem cell research is due to the absence of education and excessive propaganda from all directions.
This Presidential election will inevitably bring science and technology to the public and demonstrate the potential that stem research brings to the world. Both main party candidates, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama, support increasing federal funding of stem cell research and the reversal of President George W. Bush’s 2001 decision to ban federal research funding for human embryonic stem cells. Senator Obama’s platform calls for an increase in stem cell research, though he has not discussed how the increase would be funded or how large it would be. Obama does have a clear record of support for stem cell research in his short senate career. In 2007, Sen. Obama co-sponsored the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which expanded the number of human embryonic cells that would fall under federal funding eligibility and amended the Public Health Act to allow for research of human embryonic stem cells. Obama has also voted in support of the Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Enhancement Act, essentially support new research methods for developing stem cells without harming embryos. Sen. John McCain stated that he supports federal funding for embryonic stem cell research only on embryos that would otherwise be discarded. In addition to voting for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, co-sponsored by Obama, McCain has the same voting record for all of the acts supported by Obama.
In a news conference at the World Stem Cell Summit in Madison, Wisconsin, Dr. Thompson made a case for a change in direction regarding the research of stem cells, from the McCain campaign. He felt that the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate, an opponent of ESCR, was the first step toward the shift. Next he noticed that the Republican Party changed their overall platform to call for an absolute ban on research using embryos. Dr. Thompson was quoted as saying “Whoever gets elected, there will be a dramatic improvement over the last eight years…But I am concerned about the shift from Senator McCain…” Dr. Thompson’s breakthrough with pluripotent stem cells really changed the plane of discussion. Pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, according to Dr. Thompson, are “the future of stem cell research.” With new technology and proper funding, the goal is to steer away from using embryonic stem cells altogether, but they are essential to elevating research to the next level. The valuable data obtained from researching the properties associated with stem cells may lead to treatments for many autoimmune and degenerative illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. Thankfully the incoming administration, whichever it may be, will bring the issue of stem cell research back into discussion and into the spotlight.
Oct
20
We Need Change Joe
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Mr. “Joe the Plumber” as they call him, Joe Wurzelbacher , became an overnight celebrity, partly thanks to Saturday Night Live, but mainly fueled by the McCain Campaign. So, who is Joe? Joe is a blue-collar type of guy that has worked hard in the plumbing business and would like to own the business one day. He questioned Obama’s tax plan and how it would affect him. Joe feels that under Senator Barack Obama’s proposed tax plan, he would pay higher taxes. So let’s take a look at the average Joe. According to the United States Department of Labor, a 2007 report shows that the average income for a plumber is approximately $47,000. So, personally he will not have increases to his 1040 income. In fact, only 2.5% of Americans are in the top two income tax brackets. If he is able to buy the business, and is fortunate enough to make more than $250,000 per year, he will pay an increased corporate tax. Now, since Joe has not been a business owner, there wouldn’t really be an increase to his corporate tax. Joe has never had to pay it before. It is just a part of business.
Now, let’s say Joe is fortunate enough to make some money in the stock market, and I emphasize if. He would have to pay a capital gains tax, which everybody pays. Let’s just hypothetically say that Joe makes $100,000 in the stock market. Under Obama’s plan, the short-term capital gains tax could increase to twenty-eight percent. Meaning, if Joe sold his investments for gains within two-years, he would pay $28,000 in taxes on his $100,000 investment earnings, leaving $72,000 in profits that get reported as investment income. With his average salary of $47,000 and his incredible luck in the stock market, Joe would still not see an increase to his income tax – besides being bumped into the next income tax bracket. I wouldn’t be upset if Obama’s economic plan bumped me into a higher tax bracket. Wouldn’t you pay more taxes if you could make more money? Sounds like good government. The fire was all fueled by Obama’s words, “…spread the wealth around.” I don’t see why people of higher incomes should pay higher taxes. This is not a new concept.
It is now apparent that tax breaks for the wealthy and for the wealthiest corporations has not stimulated the economy. So, here is a question to Joe. Why does John McCain, through his tax plan, want to make President George W. Bush’s enacted tax cuts permanent? Have you benefited at all over the last eight years? According to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, leaving the Bush tax cuts in place, which McCain wants to do, would cost the U.S. Treasury more than Obama’s plan. The Tax Policy Center also noted that Obama’s plan would bring in an additional $700 billion in taxes over the next 10 years, while McCain’s would cost the Treasury $600 billion. So, to all of the undecided “Joe the Plumbers” out there, WE NEED CHANGE!!
Oct
12
Race, In the Race To the Whitehouse
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Yesterday’s remarks by Georgia Congressman John Lewis may have sparked some new commentary regarding race in the campaign of Senator John McCain, but it is not the first time that race has been brought to the table. Lewis’ comparison of McCain to, segregationist former Governor of Alabama, George Wallace, was taking offensively by McCain, who quickly stated his outrage. A comment previously made by John McCain, “he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills,”put Senator McCain in explaining mode earlier in the campaign. There was even an article in the New York Times on October 11, 2008, by Frank Rich, that reported, “At McCain-Palin rallies, the raucous and insistent cries of “Treason!” and “Terrorist!” and “Kill him!” and “Off with his head!” as well as the uninhibited slinging of racial epithets, are actually something new in a campaign that has seen almost every conceivable twist. They are alarms. Doing nothing is not an option.” Even Vice-Presidential candidate,Gov. Sarah Palin made reference to Sen. Barack Obama, “palling around with terrorists,” regarding Obama’s association with William Ayers, a 1960’s radical. In response to Lewis’s comments, Barack Obama’s chief spokesman, Bill Burton said, “Obama does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies. But John Lewis was right to condemn some of the hateful rethoric. If you were to look at the Barack Obama website, you will find a section regarding civil rights for minorities. Please, try to find that section on the John McCain website. I will wait. It may be difficult to find when there is so much about his patriotism during the Vietnam War. Did he hate the Vietnamese too?
Oct
6
Will Florida Screw Up Again In This Years Presidential Race
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I am sure everyone can recall the George W. Bush and Al Gore elections in 2004, well on August 26, 2008 the state of Florida held Palm Beach County elections for county officials. Can you take a guess what happened? They screwed up again. Once again, Palm Beach County is ground zero for electoral disarray. In last months county official election, their were more than 2,500 votes unaccounted for for the judicial race in Palm Beach County. Also, the results for the 15th Circuit Court Judge first showed Bill Abramson leading against circuit court judge Richard I. Wennet 45,371 to 45,356. With those numbers being so close it triggered a recount, and then noticed that 3,478 ballots came up missing during Labor Day weekend somehow. Mary McCarthy on the canvassing board said we intend to get to the bottom of it; however, we cannot count anymore. McCarthy said, “there is not just one major problem like the machines or the poll workers.” “It is a lot of things that come together to make it a perfect storm”…”if it was one particular thing we would of found it.” Florida`s top official Kurt Browning said, “I think we can go on the premise that November`s going to be fine.” Browning and McCarthy reassured the public and have promised to do “whatever it takes” including purchasing new voting equipment, and hiring more county assistance to the Supervisor of Elections Office, before Novembers election. So, will the Palm Beach County election board fix their problems and controversies or “Will Florida Screw Up Again in This Years Presidential Race.“
Sep
22
The Youth Rock`s the Vote In 2008?
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In this upcoming presidential election ”the rock the vote campaign” has never been more popular. Rock the vote is a nonprofit organization founded in Los Angeles in 1990 by Jeff Aeyeroff. Rock the vote was intended to engage the youth into voting; by incorporating the entertainment community and youth culture into its activities. As elections times are closing and the presidential race is becoming tighter and tighter colleges and universities everywhere are showing a new wave of support for the candidates in this year`s upcoming election. For example, the University of North Carolina is a state formally known to vote republican; in fact, the last democratic presidential nominee to come out of North Carolina was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Barack Obama is campaigning in Charlotte, North Carolina and is trying to make this republican ”red state” turn ”blue”. In colleges everywhere, Barack Obama seems to be the potential favorite for college students. Obama has been reaching out to the younger generation a lot more than Seanator McCain has; visiting over 100 colleges, and finding ways to reach us when we are the most comfortable ”the internet”. I mean, it is defiantly not scientific data, but Barack Obama has 6 times the amount of Myspace and Facebook friends than McCain. Also, polls recentally show that from ages 18 - 24 Obama is favored 65 percent to 32 percent than on the McCain side(courtesy of abc news*). On the McCain side, McCain is not banking on winning over the younger generation. Because in prior elections, it has shown that our younger generation is the least reliable to vote when it comes time to voting. I, as a student can see why, with school just starting, homework, holding up a job, and constantly moving back forth one can get lost when it comes time for the presidential elections. So the key question we need to ask ourselves should be, ”Will the youth speak up, and Rock the Vote” or will it be a repaet of the 04 election when John Kerry was banking on the young voters to come through for him.
- ”ROCK THE VOTE”!!
Sep
8
Did Barack Obama choose the right running mate for the presidency in 2008? Sarah Palin, current governor of Alaska and mother of five, seems to not think so. In a series of interviews, Palin claimed that deciding not to choose Hilary Clinton as his running mate and by declaring that questions about juggling work and kids are ”kind of irrelevant” in the modern age. She also went on to say, ”Of course you can be vice president and raise a family.” ”I`m the governor and I`m raising a family.” With the new Palin craze on the McCain side, the Barack Obama side is in scrutiny and feels that she has stolen some of his thunder away. I mean, I can honestly see why Barack Obama is in panic and starting to shake a little in the boots. She is an accomplished governor with an over 80% approval rating and has significant administrative experience; while he has no significant administrative experience. On Barack Obama`s side, he sees the Sarah Palin craze subsiding near the elections. When as did with Hilary Clinton when she mishandled questions on drivers licenses for immigrants she seen her ratings plummet in double digits. Palinmania has taken away Barack Obama’s polling leads in several swing states that he had been counting on to win. Like Missouri for instance shows McCain`s party up by 5 points, 4 in Ohio, 4 in Virginia and 8 in our great state of Florida. A poll by the Associated Press last week also showed that white women preferred John McCain to Barack Obama by53% to 40%. With poles subsiding on the Democratic side, we must ask ourselves was Senator Joe Biden the right running mate?