Dissent Among Republicans?

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich compares the current Bush administration with the Carter administration where "nothing seemed to go right". Apparently to Republicans this is almost heresy but to Newt Gingrich, it needed to be said. Newt seems to be another Republicans in hopes of the presidential ticket this coming year. He says Bush means well, and is sincere but the government isn't functioning as it should be.

What can this mean for the Republicans and their race for the white house? To me it seems to show conflict and internal problems. As with the Democrats on their differences on the War in Iraq, the Republicans and the Bush administration seem to have issues with immigration and how the government is being run. I'm actually looking forward to see which other candidates disagree with Bush and his policies and which candidates agree. So far it seems that only Newt Gingrich has openly attacked the administration and how they are handling the government.

New Hampshire Democratic Debate

Today was a very big day for the Democratic race. A first major presidential debate took place New Hampshire where 8 Democratic candidates debated on the issues regarding Iraq, immigration and health care.

Why is New Hampshire so critical to any presidential campaign, because its the first state to host to begin the primaries. Many candidates believe that whomever wins New Hampshire sets the pace and usually ends up in the White House.

The debate played as most debates do, issues of Iraq and each candidates stance on the war and how it should be resolved. Topics regarding health care were big as well.

Reading and watching the clips on the debate, once again Hillary showed calm organized thought. Edwards seemed to played the emotion card, pointing fingers and giving blame to certain candidates. Lastly, Obama, as with the previous debate seemed to have trouble with words and how he relayed his messages.

I look foward to see future debates among the heavy hitters and well as the quiet candidates. The less publicized candidates say New Hampshire will act as a spring-board for them. We shall see.

-Arthur

Setting Up for New Hampshire

Every candidate considers New Hampshire "critical state", but Democratic underdogs look for New Hampshire as their breakout. How would this happen, without manpower and little media attention how can candidates such as Richardson and Kucinich really convince voters to not vote for the most popular candidates such as Obama and Clinton. Their answer: one by one.

Without strong media attention and very little supporters, some candidates must campaign the old fashioned by, by attending dinner with little over 30 people and personally answer and attend to the needs of interested voters.

But they are hopeful, Richardson quoted "I go person-to-person, I don't go to gyms with thousands of people. I go straight to the voters in their homes and that's how I'm going to win in Iowa and New Hampshire."

We have to see whether or not candidates can pull voters by walking down the street or does a candidate need a set of supporters already in place. Personally, it seems that only popular candidates get elected, many of these Democratic candidates I have never heard of. I'll be rooting for them, but will be voting for the more popular ones.

Silicon Valley 'Tommorrow'?

Its rare but on occasion presidential candidates will be involved find themselves in a public place with an even more public mistake. Take Hilary Clinton, she appeared in Silicon Valley today advocating a new technology plan to provide jobs for tomorrow. However, during her speech, the poster board behind her labeled "New Jobs for Tommorrow".

This is common mistake among many individuals. I personally don't think it will affect her public image, she doesn't even seem to be affected by it. She already has a public image of being well versed. This cannot be compared to the many public mistakes committed by other candidates and even President Bush himself.

Presidential Candidate's Faith

The Associated Press asked the 2008 Presidential candidates regarding their faith and beliefs. Similar to the majority of Americans, most are Christian or an denomination of Christianity. In the article it was stated that "seven are Roman Catholic, three are Methodist, three are Baptist, one is Episcopalian, one is Presbyterian, one is Mormon, and one describes himself simply as Christian".

How will this affect their place in the election, very important. The public always wants a moral respectable candidate who attends church on a regular basis and when they can. The majority of Americans are Christian; they will want a candidate who has similar beliefs. The only questionable candidate would be Romney, who beliefs may conflict with many Americans.

Hillary Gets Endorsement

In an LA times article it stated that La Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has officially endorsed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Villaraigosa will also now serve as one of the four national chairs of the campaign. He supported Clinton's new path with Iraq and possibly new outlooks on the administration.

I would also like to add that Villaraigosa role as a Mexican American leader of a major city can easily pull votes for Clinton. He is expected to be run for Governor and what better than to support a presidential candidate which has a high chance of winning. It is clear that Hillary is definitely a force to be reckoned with, we have to see what other Democratic candidates can do to suppress her popularity.

In poll currently, Hillary has continually held the lead with nearly 30 percent. The only other candidate which comes close is Obama with around 20-25 percent. Following third is Edwards tied with Gore (who isn’t even running) and below them are the underdogs which can only muster less than 1 percent.

Another Reagan in office?

With nearly 10 Republican members running for President, how will the American make a decision on who to choose. One candidate, Fred Thompson hopes his acting career on the hit TV series Law and Order will come into play in his race for the oval office.

Republicans are actually looking for a candidate with conservative backgrounds. The other candidates lack republican credibility. Fred Thompson believes there is a "disconnection between the Washington D.C and he people of the United States".

So there is at least one candidate, which has not fully agreed with the policies of the current administration. Currently with so many people against the administration in power, it nice to see a candidate against it, especially a Republican. Although I don't think his acting ability will be much help with his campaign, he's a candidate that will be interesting to see.

-Arthur

Romney's Charity, Obama's Health Care

Apparently Romney's has decided, if elected as president, he would donate all and more of his presidential salary to charity. I don't know about most people, but that doesn't buy my vote. Why does it matter whether or not he donates to charity. Personally I feel if a person is running the most powerful nation in the world, he/she deserves that 400k salary. The president is making important decisions which will shapes the lives of millions throughout the world, either good or bad.

Now, on the Democrat side, Obama has continued to discuss his goal for health care. In a speech he made Tuesday, Senator Obama offered a plan to provide health care to millions of Americans. Although this is a heavy task for possible president, its very feasible.

I think our nation needs universal health care, we have the resources and the ability to make it happen. We just have to see how it plays out.

-Arthur

"The Last Temptation of Al Gore"

Its no surprise I am a Gore fan, many people are. Although I want Gore to run for president, it's a given fact he will not. He has found a new bliss and new meaning in life, he says he has "fallen out of love with politics". On presidential polls, he holds nearly 14 percent, and he isnt even registered candidate, that only shows that many people believe he is experienced and ready for the job. In an article in Time Magazine, titled The Last Temptation of Al Gore, there was an extensive interview between Al Gore and Eric Pooley.

Al Gore has done quite enough for one lifetime, gathering support for climate change, vice-president of the United States, being high position member of both Apple and Google.com. And now even an Academy Award Winner for his documentary, Inconvient Truth. Its hard to say what he plans to do, he has clearly stated there is no shawdow campaign group or a secret committee. He may have done more good losing than winning.

Follow Suit?

With election year coming up there seems to be some particular shift in the dates of voting for presidential primaries. Following FLorida's move, Alaska and Georgia have moved up thier presidential primaries to February. 15 states have now moved thier dates as well. Pushing it from the original date of March 4-5 to February 4-5.

Why the sudden shift in primary voting? I believe its because people want to give the primary candidates more time to prepare thier campaigns. Secondly, it may also because there are too many candidates taht the people just want 1 to support and back up. It may also be a political tactics used by either side.

Still, its nearly 6-7 months away, its hard to tell what will happen within that time, policies may change as well as opinoins.

Florida Bill to Move up Presidential Primary

A move by Florida Governor Charlie Crist has set a new precedence for the upcoming elections of 2008. A new bill passed by him has moved Florida Primaries to Janaury instead of its usual March date. Florida has the largest population compared to any early voting states. What this means is that if candidate cannot compete in early Florida, they really cant compete for president. Most candidates will need to spend quite a bit of money into the campaign in Florida

How will this affect the election, it shouldn't have too big of an outcome. Most of the candidates are all well funded and should be able to pull Florida primaries without a problem. The big thing I will be watching for is which candidate comes out on top. Florida primaries can be an early warning sign to seriously see who may be out next president.

-Arthur

Monica Goodling

Although this does not apply to presidential primaries, this topic deserves a post. After weeks and weeks of congressional deliberations and scandal, the long awaited testimony of Monica Goodling took place this past Wednesdays.

And what was concluded after her testimony, nothing. It was established that the attorney firing were still performance related, but somewhat political. Her testimony also stated that Deputy AG Paul McNaulty was not "fully candid" on his testimony to Congress weeks before about the issues to the firings of federal attorneys.

Was offering Monica Goodling immunity for her testimony worth it? She plead the 5th after accusations of wrong doing in the justice department. Nothing resulted from her testimony, as Republicans stated, there was no indication of illegality from her testimony. Gonzales will continue to fight for his position and to justify what he did was legal. Even when its obvious there was.

New War Spending Bill

Seems like Republicans will continue the war. A new war spending bill passed on Wedesday with an estinmated 120 billion to help fund the war until September 1, with an additional 20 billion for domestic issues. This acts as a major blow to the Democrats, even with the added gains, there seems to be no end to the war. There is no timetable for the return of troops.

What happened? Why did democrats give up so easily? Owning both Houses of Congress, democrats should have pushed for another bill even with the threat of a veto. They should have kept pushing for more bills. They essentially accepted defeat from the Republicans, again.

So, the war is still a major issue of the presidential race. The end of any type of conflict in Iraq has no end in sight. I hope congress will be not be afraid to be called unpatriotic for fighting for what is right.

Senate Defeats Withdraw Measures

Today, Senate defeated a measure which would bring U.S troops back from combat operations in Iraq by April of next year. Although it was a defeat for the democrats, the 29 Senators who did vote for plan showed that there is change progressing in Congress. The overall approval rating of the White House and the War drops everyday with the public growing tiresome of a lost war.

How does this effect presidential primaries? It will be very likely that the War in Iraq will not conclude until sometime next year or even later. By then, there will be a new president in office, most likely a Democrat. What significant changes or even "radical" changes will occur when the democrats control both the White House as well as Congress? We shall see.

Thompson vs. Moore

In in interesting word battle between two media stars, Presidential hopeful Fred Thompson came under fire from Michael Moore. In a letter, Micheal challenged Fred Thompson to a debate on health care, responding to the criticism he received from Thompson when Michael argued that Cuba's healthy care system is superior to the United States.

Michael Moore shot back saying how that Fred Thompson has a box of Cuban cigars which supported the Castro Wealth. In a video by Fred, he said that a filmmaker which Castro did not like was tortured and put into mental institution. Fred said a hinted that a institution is what Micheal should consider.

Personally I feel this argument is somewhat childish and handled poorly by Fred Thompson. Whether he has time or not, he could have handled this problem more maturely. Simply attack Michael for what he said is not someone I would want to be my president.

Watch the video here

-Arthur

Republican Debate

10 GOP members met at Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for 90 minutes of intense debate on issues of abortion, the War in Iraq, taxes, and other issues. However it seemed the big issue for this debate was the 1978 Roe v. Wade abortion ruling. Candidates, specifically Giuliani, who said it would be OK if the Supreme Court upholds a 1973 landmark abortion right ruling. "it would be OK to repeal it."

9 of the GOP members said they would be happy if the landmark case was overturned, however they would support whatever decision the Supreme Court would decide. Giuliani, McCain and Romney were the three heavy hitters in this debate, they have the most support in polls and also the most resources.

Candidates also mentioned the War in Iraq, there was no disagreement among all the candidates about what the policy on Iraq should be. They agreed that the government must stay the course and not "run away from terrorism". I'm not sure if the public would agree with this course. However I'm looking forward to more debates to come with the Republicans as well as the Democrats.

Campaign Funding from Celebs

Its always been that Democrats received more campaign funding from celebrities than Republicans. How big is the difference between them? In Fox New article, it showed that 7 out of 10 dollars historically went to Democrats. A former Reagan White House aide Kenneth Khachigian says only half-jokingly that you can count the Republicans in Hollywood on your fingers.

Democrats on the other hand receives donations from a plethora of actors/actresses and producer/directors. Its almost like an Oscar fund raiser for them. It not different in this election, donations are still moving more towards the Democrats, and one reason is the Bush administration. There is an obvious dislike by the public on how the current administration is handling issues in the world, specifically Iraq. Still all candidates do receive a significant amount of donations to fund their campaigns.

I would think that producers would support the Republicans more because of Republican stance on big busiesses, and the movies are big businesses. Still, many of these candidates are already very wealthy and can easily fund themselves without donations.

-Arthur

Bush Vetoes War Funding Bill

Without hesitation, President Vetoed the war spending bill today. He argued you cannot set a timetable for the terrorist. Then all they have to do is to just mark their calendars and wait for the United States to leave. As much as I am against the War, Bush makes perfect sense. However I do believe the goal of the bill was to prove a point, that congress was no longer going to sit around and allow the White House administration take command.

Has Senate Majority leader put it "Now he(Bush) has an obligation to explain his plan to responsibly end this war", that the ball was in his court. Bush has invited members of Congress to come and begin talks to compromise on a bill. However, I don't believe Bush will be swayed to put any type of timetable on any bills.

This is lardmark day for the Senate. Finally a new direction toward the issues in Iraq. Hopefully there will be some form of resolution in which we continue to support the troops but also to start bringing them home.

-Arthur

Edwards Urges to Stand Firm on Timetable

Edwards clamored to Congress today demanded that Congress stand firm to a timetable to bring troops back from Iraq. Even under Bush's threat of a veto, Congress must continue to stand and demand a timetable. He stated "If he vetoes it and if we don't have enough votes to override the veto, then we need to submit another bill to him with a timetable for withdrawal and continue to do that until he's forced to start withdrawing troops from Iraq".

Reading this article, I couldn't agree with him more, there needs to be time when we will send our soldiers back. There is an obvious dislike for the war, support has decreased ever year since it started and will continue to decrease until we are out. Even under the threat of a veto, still stand firm. Either that or there must be a compromise between the Democrats and Republicans. It is clear where Edwards stands on the funding bill and the troops, its hard to tell how the other candidates will approach this matter.

-Arthur

Dream Job of Candidates

Asked by Associated Press, presidential candidates listed what their dream jobs would be if they could have it. I found many of these answers entertaining and funny not only because many seemed fit but also the fact that these people wanted job which many Americans can easily attain and succeed at. This list if from Foxnews.com

DEMOCRATS:

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden: Architect.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: "Continue to work for causes and issues I care about, in a setting like a university or foundation."

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd: Teacher.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards: Mill supervisor.

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Astronaut.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: Architect.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: Center field, New York Yankees.

REPUBLICANS:

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback: Farmer.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani: Sports announcer.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: Bass guitar player for a touring rock band.

California Rep. Duncan Hunter: Outdoor writer.

Arizona Sen. John McCain: Foreign service.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: Auto company chief executive.

Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo: President.

I found this article entertaining on what job each candidates would hold. My favorite is Tom Tancredo which said "president would be his dream job. It really puts a personal face on these presidential nominees.

-Arthur

Democratic South Carolina Debate

At the first full democratic presidential debate, 4 of the 8 candidates agreed that the United States is involved in a War on Global Terrorism. Hillary, Obama, Edwards and Richardson were all in agreement in voting for the bill to set up a timetable for the troops and to send them home.

However, time will tell whether or not the bill will hold and if President Bush will endorse it. Under the threat of a veto, it will seem unlikely. Edwards also commented that he was very unhappy in his vote for war in 2003 and has said it was a mistake. He vows now to stand firm to his beliefs and to vote the right way. Hillary on the other hand defends her vote for the authorization of war. Things are warming up for a pretty interesting election period with Democrats and Republicans on opposite sides on many views today.

Lynch and Tillman Lies

I have to move away from presidential primaries today to talk about an issue that literally makes me mad. I find it truly hypocritical when the Bush adminstration call Democrats unpatriotic when they don't support the War in Iraq and the troops in it. But when stories of Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch where undisputed lies were told to the public as well as the families of these soldiers.

Coming from first hand accounts that the miltary knew Tillman had been killed by a fellow solder, the miltary tricked the public into thinking a completely different story. We were made to believe something that didn't happen, and that dishonors every soldier.

Secondly, regarding Jessica Lynch, to have her come out and publicaly tell the Senate committee that she didn't even fire a shot. That the miltary lied about her resue raid and what events exactly happened during that attack.

While reading this article it just make me wonder what other lies are we being feed, as much as I don't like to hear about death and conspiracy, I'd rather not be lied to.

McCain Campaign in shambles?

McCain officially announced his run for election 2008. Does he have a chance? can the public overlook his previous mistakes? How does he compare to other candidates? How has he done so far?

Its no surprise that McCain isnt the most popular candidate. Yes, its true he has the most experience and should be the front runner of the Republicans, but hes not. Many Republicans fear that he break too easily with the party and cannot be trusted. Some say he lacks the energy to run a campaign. Ending the first leg of the presidential race, McCain has almost always been behind Guiliani and occiasionally behind Romney. Financially, he did worse than the other two heavy hitters.

I personally respect the man, even with his incorrect comment regarding the safety of Iraq. Hearing him on a few talk shows, I do find him humorous, but I don't see him as a possible president. But the election is still far way, right now its anyone's game.

-Arthur

Gore for President

In a FoxNews article two days ago, there was evidence that former vice president Al Gore was preparing a shadow campaign in the event he decides to run for the presidential nomination. Although he hasn't made any official announcement that he would run, it is a possibility.

Al Gore should have been our president in the 2000 election, he won the majority vote, but lost the electoral vote. In the FoxNews RCP average poll, he has nearly 15%, and he isn’t even a nominee. Among the current Democratic candidates for president, I feel Al Gore is the most qualified. He has administrative experience from his vice presidency as well as public support from his environmental video on global warming. I hope he accepts.

Go Gore!

-Arthur

McCain Loses Again

It seems McCain’s popularity has been steadily worse since his trip to Iraq. There, guarded by a military entourage, McCain distorted the public view of the current state of safety in that country, claiming it was safe to walk into an Iraqi marketplace and buy fruit, when in reality it is not. Now, polls show that his popularity is now lower than ever, even with member of his own party.

He did not attend a convention this past Saturday where Republican parties from all around South Carolina gathered to talk politics and participate in polls. Instead, McCain sent former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating in his place. The candidates who were there took part in debates and speeches; it was no surprise that McCain ended in last.

This doesn’t look good for McCain. McCain is a candidate who has no credibility, his involvement in the saving and loan scandal as well as his poor relations with his own party members sets him in a bad position for the Republican presidential nomination. I would be surprised if he survives the primaries.

Here is a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZuQFuM7RBs regarding McCain's comments.

Another Blow to Republicans

After weeks of frustration, questions and scandal, the long awaited testimony of Alberto Gonzales’s took place this morning on Capitol Hill. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has been accused of firing 8 U.S Attorney’s midterm for political reasons and not his stated "performance related” reasons. Gonzales has lied or "misspoke" to both Senators and the public on how he handled the firings.

Today on Capitol Hill, he was met with fierce question by both Republicans as well as Democrats. Many have called for his resignation, stating that his credibility is gone and that his "mistakes have consequences". However, Gonzales stayed firm to the fact that the firing were handled poorly but "nothing improper occurred.

How does this affect the presidential primaries, it doesn’t, well not directly. It does, however affect the public's already dwindling confidence in the current Republican administration. President Bush's approval rating is now a low 30%, and with the primaries around the corner, the people will expect a change, with a new administration.

Virginia Tech Sparks Issues for Gun Control

Resulting from the massacre which took place this week, the issues of gun control have been discussed among the members of the Senate and House. Is what happened at Virginia Tech enough to begin talks for new gun control laws? The previous gun-control laws were the Brady bill in 1993 and the now-expired 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.

Congress responds with a “no for now”. Many members feel it is too soon and too rash to even begin talks for gun control. Any considerations would have to take place next year. However, this week’s event has brought attention to the matter and many Congressmen are hopeful for control in the near future.

The right to bear arms, a constitutional amendment has always been a delicate subject for Congress. In the past 70 year, only 5 laws have been past regulating any form of gun control. Democrats state the reason they lost control of Congress the past 12 years was because of gun control. Now that the Democrats hold both the House and Senate and with the presidential primaries around the corner, I wonder which nominee will tackle the issue of gun control.

Tragedy on Campus

I have been shocked and deeply saddened by the shooting which occurred Monday morning at Virginia Tech University. The number of student's slain has now reached 32, an unprecedented number in American school shooting history. I could only imagine what grief and anger I would feel if 32 UCI students were shot and murdered on my campus, students at Virginia are living it.

The shooter has been identified as Cho-Seung Hui, a South Korean resident alien. It has been established that Cho-Seung Hui first killed a female student and an RA in the dorms, then a few hours later proceeded to campus classrooms to kill again. My biggest question is how come students weren’t informed about the dorm shootings earlier and why classes were not cancelled after the first shooting?

In my opinion, the actions taken by both the school administration and local authorities were slow and lackluster. I have read reports that students began to read about the morning dorm shootings in emails hours after the event, right about the time Cho-Seung Hui began killing again. I believe it is the school responsibility to inform students immediately that someone had been shot on campus, especially if the gunman’s whereabouts is unknown. Secondly, classes should have been cancelled. Many state that students were actually safer in classrooms; my only response is that the majority of the students murdered were chained and shot inside classrooms and on campus.

I offer my condolences to the families and friends who have been directly affected by this tragedy.

Here is a link to a website dedicated to this day
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/virginiatech.shootings/


-Arthur

Kerry Again?

Kerry recently hinted that any future of running for president should not be ruled out. Although he did lose in 2004, it doenst mean he wont run again. However for this 2008 election he has decided to stay out, quote "Could that change? It might. It may change over years. It may change over months. I can't tell you, but I've said very clearly I don't consider myself out of it forever." He is out on a tour promoting his book that he wrote with his wife "This Moment on Earth"

I voted for him at the 2004 election, however I didn't understand party politics at all. I voted for him because he was as Democrat and my family always votes Democrat. I hope he will consider running in the future, I didn't have a chance to really understand his policies.

Don Imus Scandal

This week’s top story, Don Imus. Personally, I've never seen or heard anything about him and his show. He actually reminds me of the old singer in the movie "Love Actually". Regardless, after reading about his remarks towards the Rutgers Basketball team and remarks he’s made throughout his career in media I hope he gets fired. He’s essentially lost all his advertisements and as well as broadcasting rights from MSNBC, and I wouldn’t be surprised if CBS followed suit. However, I do give him credit for appearing on Al Sharpton's radio show, I don’t know what he was thinking, but the man's got balls, just not brains.

The funny thing is, very few presidential candidates have really mentioned Don Imus, many have stayed quiet on the topic. Obama gave a few angry words during his interview with CNN. Clinton's website is the only site which has highlighted the Don Imus controversy. Well I hope this scandals ends soon so I can write about something else. Cheers :)

My first post

Hello everyone

This is my blog for my political science class "Blogs, Politics and Media". I will be posting about the presidential primaries, specifically regarding the Democratic Primaries. I will be discussing Clinton, Obama, Edwards and my feelings towards them. Although most of my entries will be regarding these people I may occasionally write about the Republicans nominees, and how much I don’t like them. :) Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions or criticisms. Have a good day.

Arthur