1 Year After Bin Ladens Death

With the 1 year anniversary of the death of Osama Bin Laden coming up The Obama campaign has been (according to this article) using is as a way to gain popularity with voters. In a video released by the White House President Obama gave an interview in the Situation Room about his decision to send special forces. The video aslo questioned whether Romney would have done the same thing. Critics of the president are saying that is was inappropriate to use the Situation Room as the location for the interview and Senator John McCain said that Obama was “turning the one decision he got right into a pathetic, political act of self-congratulation...Shame on Barack Obama for diminishing the memory of September 11th and the killing of Osama bin Laden by turning it into a cheap political attack ad.” He was also criticized for using his "celebrity" by going on late night talk shows and it was said that american elected the "biggest celebrity in the world...But after four years of a celebrity president, is your life any better?” 

Romney's Needs in the Upcoming Election

With Rick Santorum finally pulling out of the Presidential race and an almost guaranteed Romney spot on the GOP ballot, Mitt has some work to do if he wants any hope of beating President Obama in November. While many conservatives are backing Romney only as a means to remove Obama from the White House, he is starting to work to gain popularity among independents and women. Past Romney policies have come across some voters as hurtful to women and his lack of a solid stance on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (makes it easier for women to sue in equal pay cases) have many questioning if he could be a quality President. The Romney campaign has responded by declaring that it's in favor of pay equity (The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is opposed by many conservatives) and has focused on how women have actually suffered under the Obama administration. Romney's advisors argue that women are the voter group most outraged by the failures of the Obama Administration on the economy. This should be an interesting arguement, but it doesn't look to good for the Romney campaign currently. It seems like it's going to be a tough job to convince the people he angered with issues like contraception and Planned Parenthood. Plus he could see himself angering his conservative followers with his fuzzy view on pay equity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/us/politics/romney-taking-steps-to-narrow-his-gender-gap.html?_r=1&ref=politics#

Only Obama

Obama made news again, not to support his healthcare or tax reform, but instead because of remarks he made at about a rapper during a fundraiser in NYC. Obama was responding to a question about calling Kanye West a jackass in 2010, after West stole the spotlight from songwriter Taylor Swift while she won her first MTV Award. Last week, Obama was talking about how he liked Kanye, mentioning their similar Chicago background when the journalist asked, "Even though you called him a Jackass?" to Obama's response "He is a Jackass, but he's talented." spoken 'in his likable and perfectly balanced modern-professorial voice'.
This is one of many instances where Barrack shows he is different from any President in recent memory. Although not everybody may agree with his politics, most people have found that he is a likable guy. Here is just another instance where you have to just thank a politician for just being honest and answering somebodies question with a real opinion because its pretty rare these days. You got to wonder why you don't see too many men unaffected by the political game, the political correctness of it, robots like Romney who have every sentence calculated, more 'good time Charlie' bulldogs.  
While Obama wins the likability with average men, sharing, and comparing his NCAA March Madness bracket, Michelle wins over the women who can relate to her relationship with her husband and kids. There hasn't been young kids in the White house since I've been alive and it definitely brings some freshness to the White House.
This is why the 2012 election will be interesting, because Romney is not the most likable guy and hes going up against Barrack who is very likable. Heck, I'm planning on voting for Romney and I can say with certainty I'm not really sure if I like him. I respect him as the business man that I think this country need, but I don't know if i really like him yet, and he was my Governor for some time, I think I should have formed an opinion by now. He should pick a likable Vice President if he wants a chance against Obama.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/12/obama-kanye-west-jackass-_n_1420578.html
azine/print/2012/05/american-mozart/8931/

"Hilary 2016!": What is Bill talking about?

After a recent discussion in our class regarding the political future of Hillary Clinton I was humored to come across a current relative article on CNN's website this afternoon. The title says it all, "Bill Clinton weighs a Hillary Clinton presidential bid". There is certainly no doubt that former President Clinton enjoys his fair share of campaigns, even when they are not necessarily for him.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made several indications that she has no interest in pursuing the honorable position of Commander in Chief in the future. In fact, she stated that after her current position comes to an end that she would like to leave the political scene and relax at home for some time. She has held numerous roles in public service and her dedication to American politics cannot be matched by many other women in the country.

Former President Bill Clinton jokes a bit in the interview with the reporter saying that he would find happiness if she either came home and worked on the foundation for a bit or if she chose to run for president.

In the same article, it is interesting to note that Bill's political agenda of supporting President Obama's re-election was mentioned. He claims that the work of Obama thus far in 'fixing' our nation's economic troubles must be continued by the same person. He believes that the win will be easy for Obama in this election; a thought he has had for a while now.

For more information, check out the article: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/02/bill-clinton-weighs-a-hillary-clinton-presidential-bid/

"Primary Turnout Could Signal Trouble for G.O.P"

Looking at recent data and polls some experts believe that voters are not as excited about the Republican campaign as the republicans think. Republicans voters are more excited about the elections than democrats seeing as polls show that 40% of republican voters say they are more excited compared to the 29% of democrats.

Polls and data also show that Mitt Romney is having some difficulties getting urban and suburban voters excited about the elections. Voter Turnout is down and only in states where democrats and Independents care allowed to vote are the turnouts up. 

Romney and other Republicans think that once there is a nominee that there will be more excitement about the G.O.P race against President Obama. Some also think that a more conservative candidate will best be able to beat President Obama in the presidential race and as the polls show the voters are more excited about a conservative candidate. With the more moderate Mitt Romney in the lead this is why some are speculating that the G.O.P may have trouble winning the presidential elections. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/us/politics/primary-turnout-could-signal-trouble-for-gop.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=politics

Election Costs

March 26, 2012

The cost of modern day elections is astronomical but necessary to become a viable candidate. Candidates fund their expensive campaigns through donations which will tally in the millions of dollars. Super PACs capitalize on the relaxed campaign laws to gross millions of dollars for their candidate. Of these super PAC contributors the rich are making a huge splash. The top 100 super PAC donors contribute more than 80% of the total money raised despite being only 3.7% of the total contributors. The top 46 donors alone have contributed $67 million of the $112 million raised this cycle. To be among the top 46 super PAC donors you must make a $500,000 minimum donation! This select group represents members of financial services, energy executives and hoteliers. Almost all are white, conservative men. 

It is possible to track the top super PAC contributors to their candidates as well. Mitt Romney has been receiving large donations from Wall Street which is not surprising considering his back ground with Bain Capital. John Paulson, who received 600% returns by betting against mortgages, has contributed $1 million alone to a Romney super PAC. Donations to Romney’s super PAC peak at about $1 million.

Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have all received even larger donations. For example, Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas Sands CEO, and his family have donated $15 million to a Gingrich super PAC. Their $5 million contribution in February accounted for 90% of Gingrich’s super PAC contributions for that month. Ron Paul received a $2.6 million donation from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel which is 70% of all the money that super PAC had raised.

These massive donations have raised questions about election laws. Many worry about how much money is impacting elections. Some feel that elections are being influenced mainly by wealth and a very small number of political interests. For instance, donors could be making contribution purely based on their financial interests not on their political beliefs. These massive donations were made possible with the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling which puts individuals and corporations on equal ground when it comes to independent campaign spending. Super PACs are able to raise an unlimited amount from corporations, unions, associations and individuals for the candidate of their choice.

Super PAC contributors are far more conservative and donations for republicans surpass those of democrats. President Obama does draw in strong support and is expected to do so as the election approaches. The super PACs influence does not end stop at the presidential elections. In fact, its strongest impact could be on the Congressional elections because a little money can go a long way. In either case, a strong case for election finance law reform can be made. It is undeniable that economics is playing one of the strongest roles in modern elections. To be a viable candidate you must have the financial means to fund an expensive nationwide campaign. In the modern election process candidates appear to be campaigning for financial support as much as they are for public support. 

http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/26/news/economy/super-pac-donors/index.htm?iid=GM

Things Falling Into Place For Obama Re-election

Following the recent rise of Republican and Tea Party followers, it seems that the Obama campaign is starting to regain momentum again. President Obama couldn't ask for better timing as he soon will begin to campaign for re-election. Until recently, many Republicans as well as Democrats weren't very enthusiastic on the job of President Obama, but now many Democratic candidates have been publicly backing his decisions. Due to a recent surge of social issues being pursued by the Republicans (instead of fixing our economic problems) and also to the economy showing some positive signs of improvement, Obama looks to be gaining momentum back for the Democrats. Add this to Obamas unbelievable campaigning skills and the uncertainty of the Republican party's representation and we could see him another four years. For the Republicans, it appears that either Santorum or Gingrich would need to drop out to have any chance of catching Romney. Regardless, this should be an interesting election.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/09/us/politics/democrats-warm-to-obama-as-a-campaign-ally.html?_r=1&ref=us