New York Times : Why Virginia, North Carolina and Colorado may be possible for President Obama 2012, and why Ohio is difficult but not impossible. Add Florida - Obama is assiduously, persistently, constantly visiting these five states

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Terry Nelson, Campaign Adviser to George W. Bush, John McCain : "The truth is, Obama needs fewer white voters in 2012 than he did in 2008".

Latinos may be a buoying factor in four of these five key Swing States, but not so important in Ohio. ( Growing Demography )

Arizona and Georgia may become Democrat sometime in the Future. Republicans see good prospects for winning industrial-belt states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.

New York Times

Obama Charts a New Route to Re-election

By JACKIE CALMES and MARK LANDLER

September 29, 2011


Obama Charts a New Route to Re-election


Some excerpts :

What buoys Democrats are the changing demographics of formerly Republican states like Colorado, where Democrats won a close Senate race in 2010, as well as Virginia and North Carolina.

With growing cities and suburbs, they are populated by increasing numbers of educated and higher-income independents, young voters, Hispanics and African-Americans, many of them alienated by Republicans’ Tea Party agenda.

“The biggest challenge” for Republicans, said Tad Devine, a senior strategist for Al Gore’s and John Kerry’s presidential campaigns, “is that they have to deal with what I would call the Obama electorate. And the Obama electorate is not the electorate that we have seen in America since I started working on presidential campaigns in 1980.”

Even so, Mr. Devine and other Democrats do not expect an easy race. “It’s not going to be a triumphal march to almost 54 percent of the vote and 365 electoral votes” like in 2008, he said. “It’s going to be a hard slog, like the ones we did in 2000 and 2004 and came up short. The only difference is, Obama has got places to go that we couldn’t go. We couldn’t even target North Carolina when Kerry’s running mate” — John Edwards, then a senator — “was from North Carolina.”

For Republicans, the reality of those changing demographics tempers their heightened hopes for beating Mr. Obama.

Terry Nelson, a campaign adviser to George W. Bush, John McCain and, this year, the former candidate Tim Pawlenty, said he was “pretty optimistic” for 2012, partly because Mr. Obama’s support among lower-income, less-educated white voters, never high, has dropped enough that Republicans see good prospects for winning industrial-belt states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.

But, Mr. Nelson acknowledged: “The country is changing. In every election cycle, every year, every day, this country becomes more ethnically diverse. And that has an impact on the kind of coalition that you need to put together to win.”

.

VIDEO, Interviews to Olivia Cortes - She seems like a very poor candidate, she has very poor expression, she seems very confused, naive, even foolish - She seems like a plant candidate and shill, someone duped

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Big Sham Candidate :

Court appearance of Olivia Cortes and the paid circulator, a lady that pushes and gets the signatures for putting Olivia Cortes in the ballot. Telling people that a signature for Olivia helps Russell Pearce to be elected.

See Videos of Interviews to Olivia Cortes at the bottom :

She is very confused when answering questions, like lying or being manipulated by others.


I can forgive her lack of good expression, but she seems to lack ideas, completely devoid of ideas, recitation of platitudes. She does not know who is helping her or paying for her advertising.

Are claims of Olivia Cortes being a ‘sham’ candidate true?

See Interviews here :

ABC15.com

Are claims of Olivia Cortes being a ‘sham’ candidate true?


........

Washington Post : Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Obama appointees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan should have no trouble approving ObamaCare - Scalia and Kennedy may join them

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Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy joined with their more liberal colleagues to uphold another law under the government’s Commerce Clause powers.

Washington Post -
Obama may have more than five votes to uphold health-care law -
By Eva Rodriguez -
September 28, 2011

Obama may have more than five votes to uphold health-care law

Some excerpts :

The Obama administration’s decision on Wednesday to seek review of a lower court’s ruling on the constitutionality of its signature health-care program almost guarantees a Supreme Court decision by next June. And the administration is predicting victory.

“We believe the challenges to Affordable Care Act . . . will ultimately fail and that the Supreme Court will uphold the law,” the administration said in a statement.

So, does the president have the requisite five votes to prevail? I think so — and maybe more.

Prognosticating what the justices will do is always risky business, but here goes. (Sprinkle grain of salt here.)

The four more liberal justices on the court — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Obama appointees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — should have no trouble reading the Constitution as bestowing broad powers on the federal government to regulate all manner of commerce. Although the court in recent years has pinched back congressional efforts to use the Commerce Clause to promulgate laws prohibiting guns near schools and those targeting violence against women, these were clearly non-commercial activities and quite different from the health-care law and its regulation of the medical insurance marketplace. Stronger and more directly applicable precedents remain, in which the court blessed the government’s regulation of wheat and marijuana production because these activities had an impact on interstate commerce.

.........

VIDEO, Obama in White House with Latino Friends - Obama answers questions of Latinos that ask from the Internet. Obama talks about a "Future Latino Presidential Candidate"

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In minute 41 of this video Obama speaks about a possible Future Latino Presidential Candidate. And about the importance of a Growing Latino Demography in Politics.


Uploaded by whitehouse on Sep 28, 2011

President Obama participates in an "Open for Questions" roundtable responding to questions from readers of Yahoo!, MSN Latino, AOL Latino and HuffPost LatinoVoices on issues that matter most to the Hispanic community and all Americans. September 28, 2011.

Open for Questions with President Obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neOyMwDitu0

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HuffPost : President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he is "absolutely certain" there will be a competitive Latino candidate for president in his lifetime, adding that the growing number of Latino voters will push for more representation in politics

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Huffington Post
Obama 'Absolutely Certain' There Will Be A Latino Candidate In His Lifetime
Elise Foley
September 28, 2011


Obama 'Absolutely Certain' There Will Be A Latino Candidate In His Lifetime


Some excerpts :

"Just look at the demographics," he said at a roundtable with Latino news outlets, including HuffPost Latino Voices. He added that the Latino population is "growing faster than any other population. … With numbers comes political power."

The Census Bureau estimates the Latino population will grow by more than 10 million in the next decade, and reach 102.6 million by 2050. Latinos will make up an estimated 24.4 percent of the total United States population by 2050, Bureau estimates show.

.........

Big Year for Immigration Lawyers before U. S. Supreme Court - SC will hear several Immigration Cases before Arizona's SB 1070 - SB 1070 has not yet being granted Certiorari by the Supreme Court - What is a Certiorari and Why SB 1070 delayed ??

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A certiorari is a writ from a higher court to a lower one requesting a transcript of the proceedings of a case for review. A common law writ issued by a superior court to one of inferior jurisdiction demanding the record of a particular case. In Law a certiorari is an order of a superior court directing that a record of proceedings in a lower court be sent up for review.

Etymology of "Certiorari" :

"to be certified, to be informed or shown," 1520s, from a word figuring in the opening phrase of such writs from superior to inferior courts. Passive present infinitive of certorare "to certify, inform," from certior, comp. of certus "sure."

The Supreme Court has a cert petition pending in United States v. Arizona, in which the Ninth Circuit struck down as preempted by federal law four critical provisions of Arizona's controversial S.B. 1070.

The SC Justices are proceding slowly and with wisdom. It will be extremely imprudent and "dangerous" for them to accelerate this hot potato of SB 1070.

The SC Justices can burn their hands with this dangerous ticking bomb.

ImmigrationProf Blog
A Member of the Law Professor Blogs Network
Two More Immigration Cases Before U.S. Supreme Court, United States v. Arizona to Follow?
September 27, 2011


Two More Immigration Cases Before U.S. Supreme Court, United States v. Arizona to Follow?

Some excerpts :

The U.S. Supreme Court granted cert in two immigration cases today. The cases are:

• Vartelas v. Holder, No. 10-1211. Should 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(13)(C)(v), which divests a legal permanent resident of his right, under Rosenberg v. Fleuti, 374 U.S. 449 (1963), to make "innocent, casual, and brief" trips abroad without fear that he will be denied re-entry, be applied retroactively to a guilty plea taken prior to the effective date of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act? The case involved a lawful permanent resident who had traveled abroad, and then sought re-entry, after having been convicted in 1994 of a crime involving moral turpitude.

• Holder v. Gutierrez, No. 10-542, consolidated with Holder v. Sawyers, No. 10-543. Can a parent's years of lawful permanent resident status be imputed to an alien who resided with that parent as an unemancipated minor, for the purpose of satisfying 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(a)(1)'s requirement that the alien seeking cancellation of removal have "been an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence for not less than 5 years," and can a parent's years of residence after lawful admission to the United States be imputed to an alien who resided with that parent as an unemancipated minor, for the purpose of satisfying 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(a)(2)'s requirement that the alien seeking cancellation of removal have "resided in the United States continuously for 7 years after having been admitted in any status"?

For background materials on the two cases, see SCOTUSBlog.com.

In October, the Court will hear oral argument in Judulang v. United States, a case raising complex issues concerning eligibility for Immigration & Nationality Act § 212(c) relief for a lawful permanent resident convicted of an "aggravated felony."

....

New York Times Editorial : A contemptible dissent in the Ninth Circuit decision, by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, summed up a pernicious stereotype. He called day laborers “a bunch of scraggly men smoking and spitting while waiting for jobs,” and wrote that he saw no reason why Redondo Beach should not be allowed to drive them away in the name of “safety, beauty, tranquility and orderliness.”

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The New York Times continues with its Liberal View  :

"No reason except the Constitution, of course. Day laborers have long been subject to harassment, but they now have an appellate court victory to add to a long string of federal court decisions in their favor. The right of free speech and assembly is essential to a democracy, no matter who is speaking or assembling".

The New York Times
Editorial
Free Speech on the Sidewalk
September 21, 2011


Free Speech on the Sidewalk


...........

The president's greatest accomplishment, which he ought to mention in every speech to his core supporters, is what he has done to reshape the federal judiciary. Nothing is likely to have a longer lasting impact on the interests of the people who put him in office than his appointments of federal judges

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Nearly half of his nominees who have been confirmed to federal judgeships are women; 21% are African American; 11% are Hispanic and 7% are Asian. Less than 30% of his judicial appointments have gone to white men, who hold the lion's share of federal judgeships.

USA TODAY
Column: Obama strength? Reshaping the judiciary
By DeWayne Wickham
September 27, 2011

Column: Obama strength? Reshaping the judiciary


Some excerpts :

In the more than two centuries since the U.S. Supreme Court was created, just four women have won confirmation to a seat on the nation's highest court. Obama nominated two of those four. He has put the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court and doubled the number of Asians who are sitting on the federal bench. This far exceeds the percentage of women and minorities George W. Bush put on the federal bench during his two terms and increases the chances that more balanced federal courts will protect civil rights gains and abortion rights, and give a fairer hearing to immigration issues.

All this, and the fear of a Republican president watering down these important gains, should be enough to get Obama's core constituents to stop whining and turn out in record numbers on Election Day.

........

Arizona's Federal Judge Susan Bolton ( anti SB 1070 ) conceded Monday the legal landscape may have changed because of decision of Ninth Circuit against Redondo Beach California, telling attorneys for challengers to "feel free''to again seek an injunction against SB 1070

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The Ripples of the last decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals against the anti-solicitation ordinance of Redondo Beach California and the troubles of the SB 1070 Baby to stay alive.



East Valley Tribune
Arizona
Ruling casts doubt on Arizona anti-solicitation laws
By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
September 19, 2011


Ruling casts doubt on Arizona anti-solicitation laws


Some excerpts :

Dan Pachoda, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said Monday his organization will again ask U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton to bar Arizona from enforcing a provision of last year's SB 1070 aimed at day laborers.

Bolton, in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, last year enjoined the state from implementing several key sections of that law. Most deal with giving police the power to detain and arrest suspected illegal immigrants, with other sections seeking to make it a crime for someone not in this country legally to seek work in Arizona.

But in a separate claim brought by ACLU and others, Bolton refused to stay enforcement of sections making it illegal for day laborers to get into vehicles stopped in traffic to go to work elsewhere. She said at the time that was because a three-judge panel the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld the Redondo Beach ordinance making it a crime to solicit employment, business or contributions from occupants of passing motor vehicles.

On Friday, though, the full 9th Circuit overturned that year-old decision, as well as a 1986 decision which upheld the legality of the 1984 Phoenix ordinance.

Bolton herself conceded Monday the legal landscape may have changed, telling attorneys for challengers to "feel free'' to again seek an injunction.

...

“We wish her well, and formally extend our apologies to Ms. Cortes for not having provided the same generous level of assistance to her campaign given by Senator Pearce’s family and supporters,” former Mesa vice mayor and Lewis spokesman John Giles said in the press release

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Giles went on to take a dig at Cortes for not speaking to the media, saying the Lewis camp was eager to watch “her interviews on some of the local stations” and expected her to participate in an Oct. 6 candiate debate.

Jerry Lewis Campaign embraces and wishes well to the shill or plant candidate Olivia Cortes that is helped and manipulated like a puppet by Russell Pearce family and closest friends.

abc15.com
AZ Capitol Times: Pearce opponent turns up the heat
By: Jim Small, Arizona Capitol Times
September 26, 2011


AZ Capitol Times: Pearce opponent turns up the heat


Some excerpts :

The second email the campaign sent out is a point-by-point criticism of Pearce, contrasting Pearce’s words with his actions on a variety of subjects, including fiscal conservatism (state spending grew by 67% while Pearce was chair of the budget committee), public campaign financing (Pearce took more than $70,000 in 2008), money from special interests (nearly all of his campaign cash last year came from outside LD18), education (Pearce spearheaded deep cuts to education spending) and immigration (Pearce’s views are opposed to those of the Mormon church).

The lengthy, but comprehensive and well-sourced email, was written by Colleen Wheeler, an elected officer in the LD18 Republican Party – but it’s dissemination by the Lewis campaign is an endorsement of the message and a clear signal that the challenger is beginning to implement his strategy.

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President Barack Obama charged Sunday that the GOP vision of government would "fundamentally cripple America" - This is more like the combative and aggressive style of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman

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Huffington Post
Obama: GOP Vision Of Government Would 'Fundamentally Cripple America'
By ERICA WERNER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 25, 2011


Obama: GOP Vision Of Government Would 'Fundamentally Cripple America'


Some excerpts :

(AP) SEATTLE -- President Barack Obama charged Sunday that the GOP vision of government would "fundamentally cripple America," as he tried out his newly combative message on the liberal West Coast.

Aiming to renew the ardor of Democratic loyalists who have grown increasingly disenchanted with him, the president mixed frontal attacks on Republicans with words of encouragement intended to buck up the faithful as the 2012 campaign revs up.

"From the moment I took office what we've seen is a constant ideological pushback against any kind of sensible reforms that would make our economy work better and give people more opportunity," the president said at an intimate brunch fundraiser at the Medina, Wash., home of former Microsoft executive Jon Shirley.

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The craziness in republican candidates. Why the GOP is the Party of "Elmer Gantry", "The Great Gatsby" and "The Scarlett Letter".

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The Republicans or Great Old Party GOP is today no more than a party of opposition and negativity and has nothing to do with Governance, the art of good Government. They are only hyper critics without an intelligent platform.

Nothing is easier and more comfortable than being a critic -- An armchair fool criticizing everything that the President does or tries to do. Nothing is easier than being an obstructionist. It is easier to destroy than to build and be constructive.

What is the political platform of these Republican Candidates ??

Budget cuts, and cuts, and more cuts. This is the worst policy in the present scenario of Demand Depression, a lack of Demand for fear of the Future.

In this situation, Government spending is necessary, and if the Money flows to the Poor, then it is in the best hands to activate demand. Because the poor are the best spenders. The Rich save the Government Gifts in Tax Cuts or invest them abroad.

These Republicans are of no use for consistent management, cohesive policies, guidance, leadership, decisions and responsibilities. Much less in a grave economic situation. A Jobs Recession that was caused by their imprudent policies of Tax Cuts and Trickle Down Economics.

Republicans in Congress are in great part responsible for the Present Economic Difficulties, a Gridlock that is making things very difficult for President Obama.

But things are graver than what I have stated. These Republicans Candidates have a horrible tendency to Religious Bigotry and Craziness. To Religious Intolerance with others that do not believe in the same Religious garbage as them.

In every aspect of life : Women's Rights, Abortion, Education of Children, etc ... they want to impose their views forcefully to non-believers. Some of them are anti Evolution.

They want to repeal all the advances of the Twentieth Century, like Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. And I would say that they want to take the United States to the times of "Elmer Gantry", satirical novel published in 1927 by Sinclair Lewis that depicted a corrupt pastor and his foolish followers by the thousands.

There are people that want to return to the "Great Gatsby" era, but do not realize that F. Scott Fitzgerald may have been repelled by the times in which he lived, and felt revulsion against that type of society. He left some clues in the form of talking about Racial Relations in a very satirical mood. His rich people are despicable in many ways.

The Scarlet Letter is an 1850 romantic work of fiction in a historical setting, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Set in Puritan Boston during the years 1642 to 1649. It depicts a horrible America of Prejudice and Oppression over the individual. The same America that was pregnant with possibilities for Freedom and Economic Development.

Vicente Duque

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Obama is not a Populist, that is not in his personality and he does not need that, what he needs is a rich language of national purpose and shared commitment—including shared sacrifice. He is a great orator and a man of eloquence and best gifted for a language of rationality and intelligence

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Mark Schmitt in "The New Republic" tells us why Obama has never been a populist and will never be a populist.

Mark Schmitt says :

"The point of conflict is not between the people and the powerful, but between the vast majority of us and a small, extremist faction that doesn’t have the economy or the country’s best interests at heart. That language, which will sound a lot more like the unifying Obama of 2008 through 2010, may be called many things, but populist shouldn’t be one of them."

And I can add that Obama being such and Intellectual, professor and scholar is going to continue his 2008 campaign idea of being bipartisan and unifying, Obama is not a bigot or user of prejudice like many of his political rivals.

The New Republic

You Call This Populism? The New Obama Is the Same as the Old Obama.

September 22, 2011

By Mark Schmitt
Mark Schmitt is a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and former editor of The American Prospect.


You Call This Populism? The New Obama Is the Same as the Old Obama.


Some excerpts :

And that may be the cause of the slight shift in Obama’s language as well. We’ve probably moved out of the zone where Obama or Congress is going to get much done. Maybe a little bit of Obama’s jobs bill can pass, but not enough to turn around the economy, unfortunately. It’s also increasingly likely that the “supercommittee” tasked with more budget cuts, to whom Obama’s proposal was addressed, won’t amount to anything, joining dozens of long-forgotten budget gimmicks and commissions before it. The time for “putting points on the board,” as Rahm Emanuel described legislative accomplishments, is over; the time for drawing the lines of conflict for the 2012 election has begun. (Perhaps too late.) And as Strickland shows, populism works better when you’re not trying to govern than when you are.

Still, Obama faces a dilemma: His electoral coalition in 2008 had a barbell shape—he did well with those earning less than $50,000 and with people earning more than $200,000, and better than previous Democrats among people earning more than $100,000. Where he struggled was with people in the $50,000-$75,000 range, those near or just above the median income, where the recession and housing crises have had appreciable impact. That’s a gap he has to repair, that’s where the greatest anger is, and populist rhetoric might help. But he can’t afford to lose the better-off voters (not donors, just upper-middle-class voters) who were part of the original coalition.

To finesse that, he needs not real populism, which isn’t in his blood, but a rich language of national purpose and shared commitment—including shared sacrifice. The point of conflict is not between the people and the powerful, but between the vast majority of us and a small, extremist faction that doesn’t have the economy or the country’s best interests at heart. That language, which will sound a lot more like the unifying Obama of 2008 through 2010, may be called many things, but populist shouldn’t be one of them.

......

Paul Krugman : Between 1979 and 2005, the top 100th of 1 percent of the income distribution, rose by 480 percent. No, that isn’t a misprint. In 2005 dollars, the average annual income of that group rose from $4.2 million to $24.3 million

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So do the wealthy look to you like the victims of class warfare ?

Those with incomes of more than $1 million a year pay income and payroll tax of 12.6 percent of their income or less, putting their tax burden below that of many in the middle class.

The New York Times
The Social Contract
By PAUL KRUGMAN
September 22, 2011


The Social Contract


Some excerpts :

This week President Obama said the obvious: that wealthy Americans, many of whom pay remarkably little in taxes, should bear part of the cost of reducing the long-run budget deficit. And Republicans like Representative Paul Ryan responded with shrieks of “class warfare.”

Obama wants to tax the rich. Republicans say he's promoting class warfare. What's the role of tax policy in bridging a wealth gap?

It was, of course, nothing of the sort. On the contrary, it’s people like Mr. Ryan, who want to exempt the very rich from bearing any of the burden of making our finances sustainable, who are waging class war.

As background, it helps to know what has been happening to incomes over the past three decades. Detailed estimates from the Congressional Budget Office — which only go up to 2005, but the basic picture surely hasn’t changed — show that between 1979 and 2005 the inflation-adjusted income of families in the middle of the income distribution rose 21 percent. That’s growth, but it’s slow, especially compared with the 100 percent rise in median income over a generation after World War II.

...........

Mother Jones : 6 Dumb Arguments Against Taxing the Rich, Explained - The six most popular conservative arguments against a progressive tax code, and why they're wrong - Just lies for fools intended to enrich the Wealthiest while impoverishing the Poor

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Mother Jones
6 Dumb Arguments Against Taxing the Rich, Explained
By Josh Harkinson
Monday September 19, 2011


6 Dumb Arguments Against Taxing the Rich, Explained


Some excerpts :

On Saturday, the Obama administration unveiled the "Buffett Rule," a proposed tax on millionaires and billionaires named after celebrity investor Warren Buffett, who has long argued that the federal government should demand more of the wealthy. The millionaires tax is certain to become a major point of contention in the 2012 presidential campaign, and Republicans have wasted no time in heaping it with calumnies. Here are the six most popular conservative arguments against a progressive tax code, and why they're wrong:

It's class warfare!

Yeah right. Three decades of laissez-faire economic polices have allowed the rich to double their share of the national income while paying tax rates a fifth lower than before. The result, notes Kevin Drum, was "wage stagnation for everyone else, a massive financial collapse that ravaged the middle class, an enormous deficits that they'll be asked to pay off eventually." If the millionaires tax is the only blowback, the wealthy should count their blessings.

It's a tax on small business

"Don't forget that most small businesses file taxes as individuals," House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Fox News Sunday. "So when you are raising top tax rates, you are raising taxes on these job creators." Except when you aren't. ThinkProgress's Pat Garofalo points out that fewer than 2 percent of the nation's small businesses fall into either of the top two tax brackets. Plus, many of the small business filers in the upper brackets are merely investors who have nothing to do with running the business. And if small businesses don't want to pay taxes as individuals, they can file as corporations.

It reduces incentives to work and invest

Experience shows otherwise. As Nancy Folbre points out over at Economix, "average annual rates of growth in gross domestic product in the high tax era between 1950 and 1980 exceeded those of the last 30 years. Increases in the top tax rate under President Bill Clinton were followed by robust economic expansion."

...........

New Yorker : Israeli Haaretz Newspaper : columnist Gideon Levy for many years has been ferociously attacking the Israeli government for sponsoring the “criminal enterprise” of settlements, the Israeli Army for war crimes during the bombing of Gaza, two years ago, the Israeli media for “dehumanizing” the Palestinians, and the Israeli people for complacency in the face of injustice

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Haaretz ( "The Land" ) is the most Liberal Newspaper in Israel. Golda Meir once said that the only government that Haaretz ever supported was the British Mandate, before the birth of the state.

The New Yorker
The Dissenters
Haaretz prides itself on being the conscience of Israel. Does it have a future?
by David Remnick
February 28, 2011

Haaretz prides itself on being the conscience of Israel. Does it have a future?


Some excerpts :


( About Tahrir Square Revolution in Egypt ) :

Pfeffer wanted to make sure his readers understood that the demonstrations were in fact not anti-Israeli, and he wrote a column headlined “WHY SHOULD ISRAEL BE THE ONLY DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDEAST?” “The late Arab-American scholar Edward Said appears to have been right,” he wrote. “We’re all suffering from Orientalism, not to say racism, if the sight of an entire people throwing off the yoke of tyranny and courageously demanding free elections fills us with fear rather than uplifting us, just because they’re Arabs. . . . Doesn’t Egypt deserve democracy, too?”

The editorial pages, meanwhile, represented a wide range of views. Both the editor of the section, Aluf Benn, and the columnist Ari Shavit attacked Barack Obama for failing to support a crucial ally. Benn wrote, “Barack Obama will be remembered as the president who ‘lost’ Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt, and during whose tenure America’s alliances in the Middle East crumbled.” Shavit, a liberal-centrist who has long been arguing for a reckoning with Iran, was Spenglerian in his gloom, writing that Obama’s failure to support a “moderate” like Mubarak, coupled with his failure to speak up for the democratic movement in Tehran, signalled nothing less than the decline of the West.

But the voices that predominated in Haaretz were in praise of the Egyptian democracy movement. Bradley Burston, a former Berkeley radical whose first job in Israel was as a shepherd, wrote a column thanking the Egyptians for jolting Israelis out of fixed ideas. “It is beginning to dawn on my people, the Israelis, that freedom for Arabs may have nothing to do with annihilation for Jews,” Burston wrote. “Here and there, people here are recognizing that the Arab world, and this grand nation which is its cultural epicenter, is vastly more complex than this view of a vast sea of blood-eyed fanatics barely restrained by the brittle dikes of a heavily subsidized corps of despots.” And, he insisted, “Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman”—Israel’s foreign minister—“increasingly resemble the rulers of unapologetically non-democratic Mideast regimes.”

Finally, the paper published an unsigned editorial reflecting the consensus opinion of the owner and publisher, Amos Schocken, and the editorial board:

Israeli leaders have always preferred to do business with Mubarak and his ilk, on the assumption that they would “preserve stability” and forcibly repress the radical forces seeking change in the region. This view led Israel to disregard the citizens of neighboring countries, viewing them as devoid of political influence in the best case and as hostile Israel-haters in the worst case. Israel viewed itself as a Western outpost and displayed no interest in the language, culture and public opinion of its immediate surroundings. Integration into the Middle East seemed like a trivial, if not a downright harmful, fantasy.

..........

POLITICO.COM : Obama is a political bridge builder : Obama remains committed to actually cutting a deal — and might ditch his rhetoric if the Republicans present him with a viable opportunity to pass something big.

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Over the past two weeks, Obama has convincingly channeled FDR, winning over suspicious liberals, even if many suspect he will eventually return to his old, compromising ways.

POLITICO.COM
Obama sparks middle-of-road rage
By GLENN THRUSH
September 21, 2011


Obama sparks middle-of-road rage


Some excerpts :

To critics, Obama’s advisers have a pithy message: Stop whining. Get tough. Republicans have never been willing or capable of cutting a meaningful compromise.

...............

“I don’t think we have to cede one inch of territory to the other side among independents when it comes to the tax changes,” an administration officials told POLITICO. “The public is on our side.”

The numbers mostly bear that out. On Tuesday, Gallup found that a majority of Republican respondents — who disapprove of Obama by a four-to-one margin — actually favor four of six ideas proposed by Obama over the last few weeks: Closing some corporate loopholes and raising taxes on big businesses, using federal money to avert public employee layoffs, infrastructure spending and payroll tax cuts.

...........

John Avlon, a onetime adviser to New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who authored a book on the future of centrism in American politics, suspects Obama remains committed to actually cutting a deal — and might ditch his rhetoric if the Republicans present him with a viable opportunity to pass something big.

“He’s a bridge builder by self-conception, and I don’t think dramatically changed,” says Avlon. “The real question is what happens at the negotiating table.”

Stan Greenberg, another former Clinton pollster who studied the voting pattern of Reagan Democrats, is less sanguine about the possibility of a deal.

Instead, he advises Obama to keep hammering away on the tax equity issue and thinks the message will eventually break through to disaffected middle-class voters wary that Obama will eventually hike their taxes.

“David Brooks and some of these other analysts view independents as monolithic, they think these voters want a post-partisan world of rational decision-making,” says Greenberg. “In fact it’s a very diverse, volatile group with a populist streak that wants to see the rich pay their fair share… And people forget that Bill Clinton got elected in 1992 by promising to cut spending and raise taxes on the rich.”

........

Many VIDEOs : Jerry Lewis candidate AZ Senate, principal of a school in Mesa Arizona, teacher, educator, businessman, republican, mormon bishop helping the poor and homeless, accountant and businessman. CEO of a construction company

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Jerry Lewis and many of his friends speak here about the need to hear Arizona Businesses and help to improve Arizona's future. This is a school principal, teacher, educator, businessman, churchman and community man.


It is necessary to listen to what 60 of the most important businessmen of Arizona say about mistguided policies in Arizona. ( A famous recent letter asking for moderation and rationality ! )

Why Vote for Jerry? - The Candidate speaks here ( Jerry Lewis himself )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZK529Jn1H8

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Thoughts on this election

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CfbqxsRJ4E&feature=related

******************

Clint Smith, Co-Chairman of Jerry's Campaign

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsILvk20oss&feature=related

*******************


Dea Montague, Co-Chairman of Jerry's Campaign

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YywTNB856ZI&feature=related

***************

Jevon Lewis, a teacher at Jerry's school

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSWPCFD6_ek&feature=related

**********************

John Giles, former Vice-Mayor of Mesa, and Co-Chairman of Jerry's Campaign

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt2PtLQlH9o&feature=related

***********************

Why we support Jerry Lewis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIKJDXbm3XM&feature=related

.

VIDEO, Tea Party Caught in Dirty Election Scam, Watch Stephen Lemons ( Feathered Bastard ) of Phoenix New Times talking to the camera and doing some visits to clarify this scam of Bad Republicans using shills and clowns

.

Super Shameful - Despicable Scam ! - To split the anti-Pearce votes betwen Jerry Lewis and Olivia Cortes. - Big Scandal of Filth !

Tea Party chairman Greg Western caught while submitting the Olivia Cortes signatures, that is campaigning for the shill on Friday, September 9 of 2011. Cell Phone recording at the Secretary of State's office

Olivia Cortes uses "Si se puede" misleading signs to lure Latinos into a trap !

Uploaded by Humanleague002 on Sep 12, 2011

The East Valley Tea Party Chairman Greg Western knows Senator Russell Pearce is in trouble in his bid to hold on to his State Senate seat with his recall in November. Listen as paid petitioner explains how to "SPLIT" the vote so Pearce will win. Watch Tea party Chair Greg Western caught red-handed turning in fake candidate Olivia Cortes signatures to put her on Ballet.. Listen as his wife claims he supports Russell Pearce. This is proof that Tea Party operatives are dirty and have no integrity or respect for the rule of law or fair elections. For more info visit: http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2011/09/russell_pearce_supporter_and...

Tea Party Caught in Dirty Election Scam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=admlRk23J6c

......

Mother Jones : Obama's Job plan was designed to piss off Republicans. No Big entitlement cuts that GOPers crave. Counting on the de-escalation in Afghanistan and Iraq as a cost-saver, allowing the Bush tax cuts for the rich to expire, limiting deductions for those making more than $250,000 a year, closing loopholes and killing special interest tax breaks

.

All of these tax provisions would add up to $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction. So this plan—Obama's submission to the so-called supercommittee—is an invitation to a smack-down brawl.

My Comment :

Bravo President Obama, Give them Hell !

We are going to see the "Kenyan" Warrior hunting lions at Capitol Hill, a more cowboy and macho Obama and less Sissy before the Republican Bullies in Congress, Obama is not a Liberal Hippie of "Make Love, not War" ...

Obama is intelligent and a Chicago Pol, he knows that he has to become stronger, firmer, more forceful without appearing partisan, or without giving the impression of being a Nasty guy stomping on others and being unnecessarily disrespectful

Mother Jones
Obama's Deficit Plan: A Big Veto Promise
Welcome to the latest battle in Washington's deficit war.
September 19, 2011

By David Corn
David Corn is Mother Jones' Washington bureau chief. For more of his stories, click here. He's also on Twitter and Facebook. Get David Corn's RSS feed.


Obama's Deficit Plan: A Big Veto Promise


Some excerpts :

Which brings me to the one sentence in the White House fact sheet that is in boldface: "The President will veto any bill that takes one dime from the Medicare benefits seniors rely on without asking the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share."

Before GOPers even saw the details of Obama's plan, they were blasting it (predictably) as class warfare. Is Obama ready to pound back?

Obama is saying that he won't take anything away from Medicare beneficiaries—and he'll continue to point out that the Republicans are on record as supporting ending the Medicare guarantee for seniors. But there is, it seems, wiggle room here. If the GOPers relent on revenues and okay a tax hike on the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations, might Obama consider trimming benefits for some seniors? With this statement, Obama looks as if he's both prepping to stand firm—while still being open to a grand bargain that includes more extensive entitlement cuts.

..............

Rather than produce a proposal that could be an ending point for bipartisan negotiations, the president has unveiled a strong opening position. This is somewhat in contrast to how he approached the negotiations over the budget earlier in the year and the more recent tar-pit talks concerning the debt ceiling. But striking this tough stand at the outset will only serve him well, if he's now willing to battle publicly and negotiate fiercely in the weeks ahead. "Public servants," he said, "weren't elected to do what's easy…And that's what this debate is about." And for Obama, the challenge ahead is to maintain this well-framed fight even as he seeks a deal.

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VIDEO, on Sep 19, 2011, President Obama's speaks from the White House about his plan for economic growth and job creation now - The Richest Americans and Wealthiest Corporations have to pay their share

.

Obama becomes stronger, firmer and more forceful about his plans to create jobs and save many Americans from poverty and destitution produced by unemployment.

"I am not balancing the budget by harming the Eldest Citizens and Children, by cutting their Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security Help"

Uploaded by whitehouse on Sep 19, 2011

President Obama speaks from the White House Rose Garden about his plan that he sent to the Joint Committee to jumpstart economic growth and job creation now, while laying the foundation for it to continue for years to come. September 19, 2011.

President Obama on Economic Growth and Deficit Reduction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdqxBrKZmUw

.

POLITICO.COM : Congress Republicans find themselves under big pressure from their voters, the public and democrats over budgets and spending - There is no time for the GOP legislative agenda before elections

.

The Possibility of more Governments shutdowns and brinkmanship in the year before election seems very dangerous for Congress Republicans. The public demands results and the GOP has nothing to show !

And the supercommittee charged with cutting trillions of dollars from spending seems like a mess where everything can stall and the Republicans can be blamed for the ensuing government paralysis. If Republicans become very aggressive against the President with obstacles and land mines everywhere then they can risk their jobs on November 2012.

It is extremely difficult for Congress Republicans to fulfill their promises to their Voters, made during the 2010 campaign.

POLITICO.COM
GOP faces omnibus headache
By JAKE SHERMAN & JOHN BRESNAHAN
September 18, 2011

GOP faces omnibus headache


Some excerpts :

Boehner also doesn’t seem interested in another episode of government shutdown brinkmanship after the brutal summer debt battle and the near shutdown in the spring.

“We don’t want to get into some big, knock-down-drag-out fight over all this,” said a House GOP leadership aide. “We need to start showing something solid in terms of jobs and the economy.”

And the legislative calendar is equally full, making it difficult to find House floor time to take up the 2012 appropriations bills individually.

Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have called for congressional action on long-delayed trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, and Reid has scheduled Senate trade floor action this week. Senate Democrats are pushing for more government financial aid for those workers affected by the trade deals, although Boehner and McConnell are opposed to any new funding.

Boehner will also have to shepherd through any agreement reached by the supercommittee charged with cutting at least $1.2 trillion in government spending, as well as facing down Obama over the president’s jobs bill. Obama is expected to call for new taxes on millionaires in a White House deficit-reduction plan scheduled to be rolled out on Monday, a move that Boehner and McConnell have already rejected. “We’ve got a 9.1 percent unemployment rate. Does anybody think that’s a good idea other than the president?” McConnell said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “There’s bipartisan opposition to what the president is recommending already.”

Boehner is pushing for the supercommittee to include the broad outlines for overhauling the U.S. Tax Code in any agreement it reaches, although even House Republicans doubt that kind of deal can be reached in the panel’s short deadline of Nov. 23.

.......

VIDEO, President Obama fights for jobs bill, "So America stays being number one nation in the World" - "It's time for congress people in Washington to stop worrying about their own jobs ( Elections and Political Games ) and worry more about the Jobs of all Common Americans"

.

Obama's speech on Friday from the White House :

"No more games, no more Gridlock, no more division or delay"

"Those that were sent to Washington to serve in Congress should worry about American Jobs and not about Elections".

As always the President is very eloquent, and I add that he is very rational, pragmatic and "matter of fact" in everything that he says .... - This pushing of the Jobs Bill is the best way to exercise his leadership and office power.

The president exercises the "Bully Pulpit" ( as said by Theodore Roosevelt more than 100 years ago ) and he is very respectful and polite ( as always ) and avoids ugly partisanship.

President Obama fights for jobs bill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHYA9BJ8-yM

.....

The Nation : Obama has dropped any intention of whacking Social Security or Medicare eligibility in order to entice Republicans into some sort of grand compromise. By William Greider, famous liberal journalist on Economics and author of several excellent books

.

Liberal William Greider spars a lot with his good friend Liberal Paul Krugman.

Greider said to Amy Goodman ( of Democracy Now ) about the American Economy : "The system is not just broken and not just injured; it is collapsed. And as long as the government continues to play putting Humpty Dumpty back together again, I think it will fail. That’s not an ideological statement. It’s just—I think it’s the reality".

The Nation
Obama Backs Off Social Security, Medicare Reform
September 15, 2011


Obama Backs Off Social Security, Medicare Reform


By William Greider


From Wikipedia :


His most recent (2009) book is Come Home, America: The Rise and Fall (And Redeeming Promise) Of Our Country. Before that he published The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy, which explores the basis and history of the corporation and how people can influence further development of it. He is national affairs correspondent for The Nation,[1] a liberal political weekly. Prior to his work at The Nation, he wrote for Rolling Stone magazine during the 1980s and 1990s, and worked as an on-air correspondent for Frontline on PBS.

Greider also wrote a major book on globalization -- One World, Ready or Not: The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism (1997) -- which described the underlying vulnerabilities and inequities of the global economy. The credibility of this work was heavily criticized by economist Paul Krugman, who claimed that Greider ignored the fallacies of composition that run rampant in the work, misinterpreted facts (some of which were incorrect), and misled readers with false assumptions - all possibly due to his lack of consultation with economists. In his latest, Come Home, America (2009), Greider claims that Krugman has changed his views over the last decade to move closer to Greider's.

Greider's most powerful and far-reaching work is Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country (1987), which chronicles the history of the Federal Reserve, and especially from 1979 to 1987 under the chairmanship of Paul Volcker, during the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.


Obama Backs Off Social Security, Medicare Reform


Some excerpts :

Congressional Democrats have felt a stabbing pain in the back whenever the president talked about “entitlement reform.” The Dems hope to run against the Republicans next year on those very issues—defending the great liberal social programs against cut-throat Republicans. Obama was threatening to throw away their best cards. They don’t have many others, given the stalled economy, flirting with recession. The president’s new job-creating plan is thin gruel. Even if Republicans allowed the legislation to pass (which they won’t), it won’t do much to stop the bleeding. Most Democrats pretend to be thrilled anyway. Privately, they have a scary, sinking feeling.

Life is unfair, so is politics. What happened to Jimmy Carter in the spring of 1980 was that fellow many Democrats concluded his presidency was doomed and so they concentrated on personal survival. Many ran campaigns that emphasized their own accomplishments and never mentioned his name. Others actively ran against their own incumbent president (with limited results). Carter’s people kept saying, not to worry—the people will never elect a right-wing kook like Ronald Reagan as their president. The rest is history, as they say.

Obama is not helpless. He could change the game again and more dramatically by employing the presidency’s vast discretion to launch new government policies on his own, while running hard against the “party of no.” It’s true neither Obama nor his advisers are inclined toward aggressive unilateral action, and they are fast running out of time. But other Democrats should keep banging on him, less politely and more publicly than they have so far. Brooklyn’s Ninth District might be his last wake-up call.

............

The New Republic : Obama is Campaigning loudly, and insistently, for the jobs bill. Obama is focusing the debate on jobs, to pass legislation that can boost the economy, and to frame a clear political choice for the voters. In short, he’s leading

.
The New Republic
Obama Gets It. Do His Followers?
By Jonathan Cohn
September 16, 2011


Obama Gets It. Do His Followers?


Some excerpts :

A week after introducing his jobs proposal, President Obama has hit a few obstacles. Republican leaders are criticizing the proposal more loudly than before. A failed green energy investment has much of Washington thinking scandal. And the polls still look pretty grim.

So what’s Obama doing now? Exactly what he was doing before: Campaigning loudly, and insistently, for the jobs bill.

That’s a really good thing – although he's going to need some help. And he's going to need it soon.

The speech Obama gave last Thursday was everything it needed to be. It was bold, with Obama using it to introduce a jobs program large enough, and sufficiently well designed, to reduce unemployment. And it was straightforward. Obama made it clear he wanted action, now – repeating the phrase “pass this bill” over and over again.

But Obama (almost) always gives good speeches. The most important, and most unexpected, development was what Obama did after the speech. He went on the road, conveying the same message, in Richmond, Virginia and then Columbus, Ohio – not coincidentally, near the home districts of Eric Cantor and John Boehner, number two and number one leader in the House Republican caucus. Speeches can’t alter the public debate. But sustained, focused campaigns can. That's how one begins.

And it's still going. Next week Obama returns to Ohio for yet another speech – this time in front of a bridge. And it’s not just any old bridge. It’s the Brent Spence Bridge, a high-traffic, double-decker span linking Ohio and Kentucky. Officials have declared it “functionally obsolete,” making it a perfect illustration of the need for infrastructure investment. Oh, and did you notice the location? Steve Benen did:

...that the bridge starts in Ohio’s 8th congressional district (home to House Speaker John Boehner) and ends in Kentucky (home to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell) makes it a nearly perfect example. By making infrastructure investments — investments that used to enjoy bipartisan support before the GOP slipped into madness — the Obama administration can repair the Brent Spence Bridge, putting locals back to work, and improving local transportation and commercial needs.

...................

This much I know: Obama is doing his part to focus the debate on jobs, to pass legislation that can boost the economy, and to frame a clear political choice for the voters. In short, he’s leading. But even the best leaders need help from some followers.

.

The Great Old Party would be greater if it helps President Obama to save the American Nation of graver problems of unemployment, economic suffering, destitution, misery, more homeless people, poverty, uneducated children, dying old folks who are sick and have no insurance and only poor Health Care

.

I agree with President Obama on Jobs Plans and Bills for Congress and I condemn John Boehner and his friends of Negativity and NO-NO-NO ......

I hope that there are Republicans with a Human Heart !

Smart Intelligent People and Pundits should illustrate what is going on in the Economic Front.... It is necessary to stimulate the American Economy for Jobs and the Speaker and Republicans in Congress should be really patriotic supporting the President and forgetting Partisanship, Fanaticism, Ideology, Extremism, and Bigotry. At least for a few days while Congress approves something intelligent, rational and sensible.

The Nation before the Great Old Party ( GOP ) and America before Ugly Games or Dirty Political Tricks to win elections.

Obstructionism and Total Opposition is not going to carry the Republican Party to Victory in November 2012.

Americans are more intelligent than that, they won't elect those that are unable for Governance and only know Total Opposition to Everything, even if it is the salvation of many workers and unemployed people.

Republicans should show greatness once in their life.

........

Vicente Duque

.......

Paul Krugman : "Free to Die" : ObamaCare was largely based on past Republican plans, and is virtually identical to RomneyCare. Republicans are now "rejecting the kind of America we’ve all grown up in"

.

The freedom to die that Republicans preach extends to children, the poor that can't pay insurance, the unlucky as well as the improvident.

The New York Times
Free to Die
By PAUL KRUGMAN
September 15, 2011


Free to Die


Some excerpts :

In the past, conservatives accepted the need for a government-provided safety net on humanitarian grounds. Don’t take it from me, take it from Friedrich Hayek, the conservative intellectual hero, who specifically declared in “The Road to Serfdom” his support for “a comprehensive system of social insurance” to protect citizens against “the common hazards of life,” and singled out health in particular.

Given the agreed-upon desirability of protecting citizens against the worst, the question then became one of costs and benefits — and health care was one of those areas where even conservatives used to be willing to accept government intervention in the name of compassion, given the clear evidence that covering the uninsured would not, in fact, cost very much money. As many observers have pointed out, the Obama health care plan was largely based on past Republican plans, and is virtually identical to Mitt Romney’s health reform in Massachusetts.

Now, however, compassion is out of fashion — indeed, lack of compassion has become a matter of principle, at least among the G.O.P.’s base.

And what this means is that modern conservatism is actually a deeply radical movement, one that is hostile to the kind of society we’ve had for the past three generations — that is, a society that, acting through the government, tries to mitigate some of the “common hazards of life” through such programs as Social Security, unemployment insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.

Are voters ready to embrace such a radical rejection of the kind of America we’ve all grown up in? I guess we’ll find out next year.

.........

Nate Silver : Historical Research : Parties don't really get chastened in their extremism until they lose a few elections. After that they look carefully for someone that will have broader appeal to moderates. It is not inconceivable that Rick Perry will be nominated by GOP

.

There is a lot of quantitative evidence to back up the intuitive idea of decreasing extremism with lost elections. So Rick Perry has a chance of being elected as Republican Nominee for the Presidency.

The longer a party is out of power, the more they value being in power over ideological purity.

Someone wrote a comment to Nate Silver in this page :

"Say what you want about his politics, Rick Perry is one of the most talented politicians in the game. He connects with voters in a way Mitt Romney never could. He has never lost an election in his life while Romney has lost every election he's ever been in but one. Obama is also one of the most talented politicians in generations. He came up out of the political nowhere and dethroned the Clintons, who had been running the Democratic Party for the better part of the past 2 decades."



Another interesting comment to Nate's Blog :

"The farther the Repubs move to the right the more likely President Obama wins reelection. The farther they move to the center the more likely there will be a third party bid from Palin or someone like her. The Republican party is splitting and the only unifying force is Barack Obama".

Nate Silver Political Calculus
Five Thirty Eight
History May Point Toward More Conservative G.O.P. Nominee
By JOHN SIDES
September 14, 2011


History May Point Toward More Conservative G.O.P. Nominee


Some excerpts :

The graph demonstrates that for each election that a party loses, its nominee get closer to the center of the scale. For example, in 1984 and again in 2004 the Democratic Party had been out of office for only one term. The party nominated Walter Mondale and John Kerry, respectively. But in 1992, having been out of office for 12 years, they nominated Bill Clinton, who was probably more centrist than Mr. Mondale or Mr. Kerry.

Of course, this evidence hardly portends that Rick Perry will win and Mitt Romney will lose. But it does suggest that 2012 could be a year in which the GOP does, to quote Mr. Cohen and colleagues, “test the limits of voter tolerance” by nominating a candidate like Mr. Perry.

........

Democratic Defeat in NY-9 : This is largely about white working-class voters : the last of the “Archie Bunkers.” - The median income for the district is about $55,000 a year, which is the lowest of any of the non-majority minority districts in the city area

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Firefighters, policemen and Russian Jews :

Last night, Republican Bob Turner won a surprisingly strong victory in New York's 9th Congressional District.

NY-9 has this Demography : Jews 25%, Italians 12%, Irish 7% .... - It’s an impressive gerrymander.

Real Clear Politics
New York-9 and the Democratic Coalition
By Sean Trende
September 14, 2011


New York-9 and the Democratic Coalition


Some excerpts :

As you can see, this is largely a combination of white precincts in central Queens and South Brooklyn. It’s an impressive gerrymander; standing alone, South Brooklyn would be about a 55 percent McCain district, even allowing for some voters in the 13th. It would be easy to make this a Democratic stronghold, but it would come at a cost of jeopardizing minority control of the neighboring districts. Although it is only 62 percent white, it is also only 4 percent black; Latinos and Asians in the district vote less proportionately than their white and African American counterparts.

Moreover, these are working-class whites; the last of the “Archie Bunkers.” Many of the firefighters and police officers who gave their lives on 9/11 hailed from this district. The median income for the district is about $55,000 a year, which is the lowest of any of the non-majority minority districts in the city area. By contrast, in all four suburban Long Island districts, the median income is around $80,000 a year. Many of the surviving white ethnic communities are in this district; 12 percent of the district still identifies as Italian, 7 percent as Irish.

Estimates of the Jewish population are more difficult to calculate, but Jews probably constitute about 25 percent of the population (and are probably higher as a share of the electorate). While the most heavily Orthodox Jewish communities such as Borough Park (about 70 percent for McCain) are strategically placed in other districts, the Jewish voters here still tend to be more conservative than the Jewish communities around Miami or in Manhattan. Many are Russian immigrants (around 7 percent of the district) who tend to lack affinity for government intervention in the economy. Still, while the Jewish presence is significant, it can’t explain everything that is going on here.

.........

The Hill : The Obama jobs bill is not going to pass right away. If Republicans do nothing, Obama wins. If they do something, Obama wins. And if they do a little, Obama gets to keep the debate alive, putting miles on Air Force One and devoting his fall and winter to painting Republicans as beholden to special interests over jobs

.

Why Team Obama Is Smiling Again : Obama’s Jobs plan is the best 2012 reelection stimulus - Nothing is more political than being president of the United States of America.

Obama’s aides believe that ultimately, Boehner will defend his Speakership and his majority to the hilt, even if that means going against whomever emerges from the Republican presidential race and handing Obama a victory.

The Hill
Obama’s 2012 reelection stimulus
By Sam Youngman
September 14, 2011

Obama’s 2012 reelection stimulus

Some excerpts :

Monday in the Rose Garden, Obama was flanked by first responders, teachers and construction workers. He blasted the politics of Washington and again urged Congress to pass his jobs bill right away.

The appearance provided great optics. What kind of heartless monster would vote to protect corporate jet owners over teachers?

..............

What the president’s aides want — and what they need — is for independents and Democrats to view Obama as their fighter. And after a summer of polls painting Obama as a weak leader, the president is desperate to be viewed as the one politician in Washington fighting for the middle class.

What’s more, Obama appears ready to fight. For real this time.

............

So while it’s not exactly the inspiring politics of hope, it’s pretty good politics all the same. And it’s the first reason Democrats have had in a long time to believe their man can prevail next November.

This is the campaign.

For the rest of 2011, at least, Obama and his team will speak of little else. This is the debate they want to have, and they are betting the president’s job on their belief they can win this debate.

Ultimately, more jobs would be a bonus.

.........

Public Policy Polling ( Pollsters ) say that Mitt Romney is more electable in a General Election than Rick Perry, both Republicans lose with Obama today ( according to last Polls ) - Gamblers and Bettors confirm these numbers and impressions

.
If Republican want a candidate who can beat Obama, then Romney's their guy at this point. See figures and data from Public Policy Polling ( PPP ) and from bets at INTRADE.COM



From betting House INTRADE.COM :


Rick Perry will be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2012 :


Bet $34.6 to win $100



Mitt Romney to be Republican Presidential Nominee in 2012 :


Bet $40.0 to win $100



Barack Obama to be re-elected President in 2012 :


Bet $49.9 to win $100



Marco Rubio to be Republican VP nominee in 2012 :


Bet $36.9 to win $100




*******************



Public Policy Polling ( PPP )
Social Security hurting Perry ?
September 13, 2011


Social Security hurting Perry ?


Some excerpts :

In fact it appears that Perry's rhetoric on Social Security could already be causing him problems. When PPP did a national poll three weeks ago Barack Obama led Perry by only 6 points at 49-43. Now that gap has widened to 11 points at 52-41. The main movement has come with Democratic voters. On the previous poll Obama had only a 68 point lead with the party base at 81-13 but now it's 80 points at 89-9. We know there are a lot of Democratic voters disenchanted with Obama right now but if the GOP puts forward someone like Perry who's willing to go after one of the Holy Grails of the party's orthodoxy like Social Security it might scare those voters back into the fold.

In addition to his horse race numbers taking a wrong turn Perry's favorability numbers are worse than they were 3 weeks ago as well. Only 30% of voters have a positive opinion of him to 50% with a negative one. That's down from an already not so stellar 33/47 spread. Republicans certainly like him but with independents (23/51) and Democrats (9/74) favor is virtually nonexistent.

Mitt Romney continues to look like the considerably more electable GOP contender. He trails Obama by only 4 points at 49-45. You can see the difference between Romney and Perry's general election viability at this point particularly with independents. While Perry's favorability with them is just 23/51 as mentioned above, Romney's is 44/39. And where Perry trails Obama by 10 points with them, Romney actually holds a 2 point advantage. Romney also consolidates the GOP vote better than Perry (87% as opposed to 82%) and wins over slightly more Democrats (11% to Perry's 9%).

.......

The Economist : The West’s economies have embarked on wrong contractionary policies -The main culprit of the Joblessness is a collective, premature shift to fiscal austerity by Western governments. Obama’s jobs agenda should be big enough to counter the fiscal tightening.

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The Economist
Unemployment in the West
The quest for jobs
It is not impossible for politicians to reduce the West’s frighteningly high unemployment levels
September 10, 2011
from the print edition


Unemployment in the West - The quest for jobs


Some excerpts :

Go for growth

The immediate priority should be supporting demand—or at least not doing harm to it. The left is right on one thing: the main cause of the current high joblessness is the severity of the last recession and the weakness of the subsequent recovery. Yet the West’s economies have embarked on contractionary policies. In some cases the fault lies with monetary policy: the European Central Bank should reverse its recent rate rises. But the main culprit is a collective, premature shift to fiscal austerity by governments.

As this newspaper has repeatedly argued, politicians need to strike a bargain with the bond markets: combine policies that cushion growth now with measures that will bring deficits under control in the medium term. Raise the retirement age, for instance, and that leaves more room to stimulate growth in the short term. A minimal test of Mr Obama’s jobs agenda will be whether it is big enough to counter the fiscal tightening, equivalent to 2% of GDP, that is slated for next year.

Where should the short-term money go? Some forms of stimulus are better than others at supporting employment. Germany’s subsidies for shortened working hours helped dissuade firms from firing workers; Mr Obama’s subsidies for green technology fattened the bottom line of a few chosen firms but did very little to spur jobs. Governments should prioritise policies that do. Some infrastructure spending, such as building roads and repairing schools, falls into that category. So do tax incentives that cut the cost of hiring, particularly for extra new workers—which is why it makes sense for America to extend, and even expand, its payroll-tax cut. And so, in America’s case, does federal aid to the states, since the main way states cut their budgets is by firing workers.

Easing the road ahead

So there are ways in which government money can help. But it is also plain that the jobs mess is not just about demand: it cannot be solved with more stimulus alone. There is plenty of evidence—from declining employment rates for less-skilled men to rising disability rolls—to suggest that Western economies had a brewing jobs problem long before the financial crisis hit. The combination of new technology and globalisation has reduced the demand for the less skilled, and many workers, particularly men, have failed to respond to these deep changes in the labour market. The shift in demand for skills has a long way to go, as our special report on the future of work explains. It suggests an important part of any jobs agenda must involve changes in education, more training to equip people in the rich world for tomorrow’s jobs and getting government off entrepreneurs’ backs.

....

Salve Imperator Caesar Obama, Afghanicus Maximus, Iraqicus Maximus, Libycus Maximus, Tea Particus Maximus, Felicior Augusto, melior Traiano ("be luckier than Augustus and better than Trajan").... Obama is an "Aurelianus" type of Emperor

.

Emperor Aurelian "Restorer of the World" like Obama :

Better than comparing Obama to Felix, the Cat are the comparisons, similarities, similitudes and resemblances to one of the Greatest Warriors and Reformers in Roman History : Emperor Aurelian ( Aurelianus ).

Aurelian was a Great Warrior and Conqueror with the sword, Obama conquers with Eloquence and Oratory, and with his Great Intelligence ! ...

Aurelian ( Aurelianus ) was Emperor from 270 to 275, he earned the title "Restorer of the World", his title was Imperator Caesar Lucius Domitius Aurelianus Augustus, Germanicus Maximus, Gothicus Maximus, Parthicus Maximus, Restitutor Orientis, Restitutor Orbis.

You see Aurelian defeated the Germans, the Goths, and the Parths, who are also the Afghans. He restored the Orient and the World to its normal masters the Romans. He also conquered the rebellious Gallic Empire ( France ) and Palmyre Empire ( Arabia ).

Aurelian lived in very troubled times and spent all his time defeating many tribes of northern barbarians and other nasty guys. But he is not so famous as Julius Caesar, Augustus and he ranks below Nero and Caligula in fame and popularity in our days.

It seems that debauchery takes you to a higher rank than being honest, a good reformer of corrupt customs and being a Great Warrior and Conqueror.

Roman Emperor Aurelian ( Aurelianus ) in Wikipedia

Some excerpts :

Reunification of the empire

The Roman Empire by 271 A.D before the reconquest of the Palmyrene Empire and the Gallic Empire by Aurelian

The first actions of the new emperor were aimed at strengthening his own position in his territories. Late in 270, Aurelian campaigned in northern Italia against the Vandals, Juthungi, and Sarmatians, expelling them from Roman territory. To celebrate these victories, Aurelian was granted the title of Germanicus Maximus.[19] The authority of the emperor was challenged by several usurpers — Septimius, Urbanus, Domitianus, and the rebellion of Felicissimus — who tried to exploit the sense of insecurity of the empire and the overwhelming influence of the armies in Roman politics. Aurelian, being an experienced commander, was aware of the importance of the army, and his propaganda, known through his coinage, shows he wanted the support of the legions.[17]

Defeat of the Alamanni

The burden of the northern barbarians was not yet over, however. In 271, the Alamanni moved towards Italia, entering the Po plain and sacking the villages; they passed the Po River, occupied Placentia and moved towards Fano. Aurelian, who was in Pannonia to control Vandals' withdrawal, quickly entered Italia, but his army was defeated in an ambush near Placentia (January 271). When the news of the defeat arrived in Rome, it caused great fear for the arrival of the barbarians. But Aurelian attacked the Alamanni camping near the Metaurus River, defeating them in the Battle of Fano, and forcing them to re-cross the Po river; Aurelian finally routed them at Pavia. For this, he received the title Germanicus Maximus. However, the menace of the German people remained high as perceived by the Romans, so Aurelian resolved to build the walls that became known as the Aurelian Walls around Rome.

The emperor led his legions to the Balkans, where he defeated and routed the Goths beyond the Danube, killing the Gothic leader Cannabaudes, and assuming the title of Gothicus Maximus. However, he decided to abandon the province of Dacia, on the exposed north bank of the Danube, as too difficult and expensive to defend. He reorganised a new province of Dacia south of the Danube, inside the former Moesia, called Dacia Aureliana, with Serdica as the capital.

Conquest of the Palmyrene Empire

In 272, Aurelian turned his attention to the lost eastern provinces of the empire, the so-called "Palmyrene Empire" ruled by Queen Zenobia from the city of Palmyra.[22] Zenobia had carved out her own empire, encompassing Syria, Palestine, Egypt and large parts of Asia Minor. The Egyptian queen cut off Rome's shipments of grain, and in a matter of weeks, the Romans started running low on bread. In the beginning, Aurelian had been recognized as emperor, while Vaballathus, the son of Zenobia, hold the title of rex and imperator ("king" and "supreme military commander"), but Aurelian decided to invade the eastern provinces as soon as he felt his army to be strong enough.

Asia Minor was recovered easily; every city but Byzantium and Tyana surrendered to him with little resistance. The fall of Tyana lent itself to a legend: Aurelian to that point had destroyed every city that resisted him, but he spared Tyana after having a vision of the great 1st-century philosopher Apollonius of Tyana, whom he respected greatly, in a dream.

Apollonius implored him, stating, "Aurelian, if you desire to rule, abstain from the blood of the innocent! Aurelian, if you will conquer, be merciful!" Whatever the reason, Aurelian spared Tyana. It paid off; many more cities submitted to him upon seeing that the emperor would not exact revenge upon them. Within six months, his armies stood at the gates of Palmyra, which surrendered when Zenobia tried to flee to the Sassanid Empire. The "Palmyrene Empire" was no more.

Eventually Zenobia and her son were captured and made to walk on the streets of Rome in his triumph. With the grain stores once again shipped to Rome, Aurelian's soldiers handed out free bread to the citizens of the city, and the emperor was hailed a hero by his subjects. After a brief clash with the Persians and another in Egypt against usurper Firmus, Aurelian was obliged to return to Palmyra in 273 when that city rebelled once more. This time, Aurelian allowed his soldiers to sack the city, and Palmyra never recovered. More honors came his way; he was now known as Parthicus Maximus and Restitutor Orientis ("Restorer of the East").[17]

The rich province Egypt was also recovered by Aurelian. The Brucheion (Royal Quarter) in Alexandria was burned to the ground. This section of the city once contained the Library of Alexandria, although it is not known if the Library still existed in Aurelian's time. (It had already been damaged by fire during the visit of Julius Caesar to Alexandria.)

Conquest of the Gallic Empire

In 274, the victorious emperor turned his attention to the west, and the "Gallic Empire" which had already been reduced in size by Claudius II. Aurelian won this campaign largely through diplomacy; the "Gallic Emperor" Tetricus was willing to abandon his throne and allow Gaul and Britain to return to the empire, but could not openly submit to Aurelian. Instead, the two seem to have conspired so that when the armies met at Châlons-en-Champagne that autumn, Tetricus simply deserted to the Roman camp and Aurelian easily defeated the Gallic army facing him. Tetricus was rewarded for his part in the conspiracy with a high-ranking position in Italy itself.

Aurelian returned to Rome and won his last honorific from the Senate – Restitutor Orbis ("Restorer of the World"). In four years, he had secured the frontiers of the empire and reunified it, effectively giving the empire a new lease on life that lasted 200 years.

Reformations

Aurelian was a reformer, and settled many important functions of the imperial apparatus, including the economy and the religion. He also restored many public buildings, re-organized the management of the food reserves, set fixed prices for the most important goods, and prosecuted misconduct by the public officers.

Religious reform

Aurelian strengthened the position of the Sun god, Sol (Invictus) or Oriens, as the main divinity of the Roman pantheon. His intention was to give to all the peoples of the Empire, civilian or soldiers, easterners or westerners, a single god they could believe in without betraying their own gods. The center of the cult was a new temple, built in 271 in Campus Agrippae in Rome, with great decorations financed by the spoils of the Palmyrene Empire.

Aurelian did not persecute other religions. However, during his short rule, he seemed to follow the principle of "one god, one empire", that was later adopted to a full extent by Constantine. On some coins, he appears with the title deus et dominus natus ("God and born ruler"), also later adopted by Diocletian. Lactantius argued that Aurelian would have outlawed all the other gods if he had had enough time.

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