State of the Union :Fair.

I was tired that day, but somehow I magically woke up at exactly 9 pm to watch the State of the Union. Guess it was my body telling me to wake up because this involved my country and my generation (oh yeah my my AP Gov.  grade). 

In class, we watched a video stating that a huge topic for tonight would be the word "fair"..And boy were they right. Obama started his "fair" speech in the statement : "We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules." I loved this quote because it showed the ideals that our country should be based on FAIR OPPORTUNITY . Of course we've heard countless leaders say this, that they want to make the country fair.. and it still isn't. Makes you wonder if fair opportunity is only in an utopia. In his speech, Obama actually went into depth on his plan to make the playing ground level including "The Buffet Rule" and limiting the amount of deductions that households whose salaries are 1,000,000 +.  He also speaks about keeping jobs here. H said "If you're an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you're a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here." . While this is a great idea, many critics believe that tax cuts to specific industries is totally ineffective.. We'll just have to sit back and watch what happens. I also found Obama's take on college education pretty interesting. Considering, I'll be entering college in August...I understand 1000% the stresses on American Teens (and Teens everywhere). College is expensive and Obama believes that every child should have the opportunity to go to college. He also mentioned the students who are here on visas, and how they should be allowed to stay in this country to boost our economy instead of being sent back to their native lands and boosting their economy..

   All and All. I enjoyed the speech. These are just a few of my favorite parts...but his take on clean energy was pretty great as well...This presidential race shall be interesting....

Candidates on SOPA.

SOPA is a huge topic right now in the internet world. If you're anything like me, you spend time frequenting wikipedia when looking up interesting things, or Tumblr when blogging and reblogging... On wednesday, they were blocked.. Tumblr willingly if you decided.

I found it pretty interesting to hear what the candidates had to say about it. Most of the top GOP candidates are actually against it , as it increases federal and other governmental control over the cyber world and it restricts internet freedom. During a presidential debate in South Carolina, Romney stated “The truth of the matter is that the law as written is far too intrusive, far too expansive, far too threatening to freedom of speech and movement of information across the Internet, ........“It would have a potentially depressing impact on one of the fastest-growing industries in America, which is the internet and all those industries connected to it,” .  Even Gingrich had commentary on it saying “I favour freedom. And I think that if we have a Patent Office, we have copyright law. If a company finds that it has genuinely been infringed upon, it has the right to sue for, but the idea that we’re going to preemptively have the government start censoring the internet on behalf of giant corporations’ economic interests strikes me as exactly the wrong thing to do,” .... The least shocking of them all was Paul as everyone who has been watching the debates know that he has very strong libertarian views and believes that the government should stay out of most matters. He was one of the first republicans to sign up with opposition to the Bill. Anyways, its good to see that the candidates support internet freedom...or at least are against the government having too much control over it.....

http://online.wsj.com/video/candidates-react-to-anti-piracy-legislation/B4A27831-831B-4117-BA8E-4314D2FE98E4.html

Super PACS= Too Much Power.

...After the 2010 Supreme Court Decision,PACs are allowed to raise an abundance of money for the candidates that they support. this includes super PACs, millionaires and corporations can give as much of their money to an independent group or lobbyist organization. As long as the money is not given directly to a candidate or his campaign, it is considered legal. According to the supreme court, this is not "corrupted" since it is independent of the candidate. 

This is not exactly true. Wealthy corps can now use their power and wealth to influence a candidate's campaign. Are there heavy regulations on these super PACs to ensure that they are not engaging in corrupt actions. These PACs are not always independent of the candidate's affairs, as sometimes those candidates show up at fundraising events for these PACs. There are always loopholes within every rule, so I'd love to see where this goes. 

Not Liberal, Not Conservative. He's LIBERTARIAN!.

...The Republican Party now has to figure out how to handle a candidate like Paul. Ron Paul to be exact. They have to make sure that he does not run as a third party candidate, and with that take their votes. This would only lead to a loss for the Republican Party without enough desired support.

Ron Paul proves to be a very heavy contender as he racked in about 25% of the votes in the New Hampshire primary and 21% in Iowa. He may not have the same luck in South Carolina as he did previously, simply for the fact that his views aren't as popular there. However, it is very important that other candidates do not attack Paul too much as he may not win the primaries and nomination for the GOP, but he can definitely endorse them. With his endorsement comes his supporters endorsements.

This election is like walking on thin ice. Convincing others that you're the good guy, and your opponents are the not-as-good guys....and then once there's no competition that you guys are best friends....Interesting.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/13/us-usa-campaign-paul-idUSTRE80B25J20120113

Gingrich and his Infidelity

...America , a country based on morals. Slavery, Trail of Tears, Chinese Exclusion Act, and the Japanese Internment camps are all apart of this right?...Anyways, Gingrich is currently being judged on his actions within his marriage such as infidelity. Although we should be focusing on what he can truly do for this country, or what he cant do; The Media continues to focus on his marriage and how it was broken.

Thursday, CNN news report John King came straight out with the Open Marriage question on their first exchange. Gingrich of course deflected the question and seemed ultimately offended. He responded by stating "I think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office. And I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that."   Obviously, Gingrich did not like this question as his response continues beyond that. Well, as president , Gingrich may have to get used to questions like this prying into his social life. Unless, he wants another Lewinsky Trial. 
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/gop-debate-gingrich-kills-infidelity-question-and-thats-just-the-start/251686/

Rick Perry Drops out of the Race!

It was in North Charleston, SC that Perry announced his decision to drop out of the race for the 2012 presidential election. His reason for dropping out is that there is no longer a "viable path" for him and that he knows when to strategically quit the race. He speaks on America and his views for presidency in his statement "What's broken in America is not our people. It's our politics. And what we need in Washington is a government that's humbler." . In addition to his retreating, he also decided to come out and state that he supports and endorses former competitor Newt Gingrich. Speaking on Gingrich, Perry says "I believe Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our country" and added, "Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?". When Mitt Romney found out about Perry dropping out of the race, he stated Mitt Romney stated  "He's a great man. He made a real contribution. He already has to his state and to our country." I find it quite interesting that the candidates support each other when they're not chewing each others heads off. In all reality, Perry has said he is retreating from this race, but it looks like he may attempt to run again in 2016.... I'll continue to watch Perry and see what's his next move. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/rick-perry-drops-out-2012-_n_1214032.html

We had an actor as our president, why not a Comedian?

Our 40th president, Ronald Reagan was a radio and tv actor, so it is no surprise that Comedian Stephen Colbert desires to run for US Presidency, in the South Carolina primaries. Although the filing deadline has past, he may be able to participate as a write in candidate. Colbert even has someone to lead his SuperPAC , "Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow" ; Fellow comedian Jon Stewart. He gave it over to Stewart so he wouldn't be violating the law stating that candidates cannot lead super PACs. Colbert's PAC was formed last year to mock how many contradictions there are in laws that allow corporations to give unlimited amounts of money. Colbert states "This is a difficult decision. I've talked it over with my money. I've talked it over with my spiritual adviser". The full title that Colbert is running for is "President of the United States of South Carolina. " Interesting right?. Does Colbert have a fighting chance and is he even really serious? Guess we'll have to find out. Hey at least in the Polls he's ahead of Huntsman. 

http://blogs.reuters.com/talesfromthetrail/2012/01/13/stephen-colbert-exploring-run-for-president-of-usa-of-south-carolina/

So The Winner is! ROMNEY! no wait... SANTORUM!!!..is it?

...As of January 3rd, Iowa declared Mitt Romney as their winner for the Caucus...However, Thursday they recanted, stating that Rick Santorum is the actual winner by 34 votes. How could this magical 42 vote margin happen?...

Even Santorum winning isn't even fully validated as the votes for 8 precincts are still floating around. Obviously, NBC is smart as they wont announce Santorum as the winner until it is fully validated. However the Santorum campaign believes that he is the real winner, broadcasting "SANTORUM WINS!" everywhere. Will Santorum's new "win" assist him in the South Carolina elections coming up soon?

With Romney recently being attacked (as many thought he was the lead in the race) , Will this new "loss" set him back in the election? Will the other candidates now target Santorum? Santorum has presented himself as the true conservative, so will he have more of a chance?..

and ARE IOWA CAUCUSES REALLY CREDIBLE ANYMORE?

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/19/10190438-santorum-declares-victory-after-revised-iowa-caucus-total

Ginrich, Huntsman, Perry and Santorum not allowed to be on VA primary ballot.

Yes, you heard it correctly. Those four very popular candidates are not allowed to be on the Virginia Primary Ballot. Friday, January 6...Virgina judge ruled against Gingrich, Huntsman, Perry and Santorum for their spot on the primary ticket. His reasoning was due to the fact that they waited too long to file their claims. When asked about this, the judge stated "In essence, they played the game, lost, and then complained that the rules were unfair."

So in Virginia it was just a two-man race, Romney and Paul. Does this mean that the election is now against these two?. Paul thinks so as he said that the election is just a "two-man race". However Gingrich thinks differently. Gingrich stated "It just means that I have to ultimately, coming out of winning South Carolina (and) winning Florida, I'll have to beat Romney in enough extra states to make up for it.". Atleast he's optimistic. Although Virginia is a big state, All of the GOP candidates have had their eyes set on the win of South Carolina.

Now these four candidates will have the bring all they have to the next primary, in order to recover from being banned from the Virgina. I wonder how this will affect the others states and their rules for the primaries. At least they learned a very valuable lesson ; The Early Bird Gets The Worm... or something like that

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/13/politics/virginia-gop-primary-ballot/index.html

VIDEO: Sarah Palin's response to the Iowa caucus

Sarah Palin  is pretty familiar with the GOP races and all that comes with it. The video I watched featured Palin commenting on the Iowa Caucuses, especially focusing on Santorum and Gingrich.

Palin seems to be very impressed by Santorum and his speech. She states that his speech was very heartfelt and that is spoke to the American working people. Palin also states that he gives the optimistic Reagan republican working class, hope that his GOP policies can turn this economy around. He articulated his ideals for the country, which caused voters to gravitate towards him. Although Santorum came behind Romney by eight votes, she still considers him the biggest winner.  As he was an underdog in the beginning of the race, she states that Iowa was a good place for Santorum.

Palin seems to have hope for Gingrich as articulated by her comments. She states that Gingrich finally learned that he "Cant win a ball game being on defense the whole time".  He's had tons of negative ads put out against him and many went against him, which may have caused him not to be a front runner in this caucus. She believes that he'll now play on offense and prove to the american people why he deserves to be the GOP candidate.

Video: http://video.foxnews.com/v/1365981623001/iowa-caucuses-shake-up-gop-field

VIDEO: "Cain's Solution Revolution" ....Herman Cain's New Endeavor.

Herman Cain is serious about his 9-9-9 plan, and quite honestly...wont give up on it. Persistence is a great quality, right?. He says that the American people are sick and tired of the political rhetoric, and then proceeds to state that Americans don't care about classifications. I think our country is competent to know the difference between the populist and libertarian and liberal and conservative... if not, then we really need to re-evaluate our electoral system. We're voting for something, that we're not even sure about. However I do agree that it would be nice to hear about solutions and plans more often. Herman Cain is very focused on getting the people on board with his "solutions" and getting congress on board as well. 

When asked if he is willing to endorse a candidate, he stated that they would have to fully endorse his 9-9-9 plan in order for him to back them. He has said that he will support whatever candidate is elected for the republican party but that he absolutely cannot support Obama. I wonder if each party was willing to support (not agree or endorse) the current president (whether their party or not) in some of their decisions..would our country be more successful? 

Anyways, Cain seems pretty serious about this 9-9-9 thing. Wonder if he'll make superbowl commercials. 

video: http://video.foxnews.com/v/1365973883001/herman-cain-announces-new-endeavor/?playlist_id=86858&intcmp=obnetwork

Few things Californians will be watching for this year

...Ahh times of New Years Resolutions and Bright futures. Well, Californians have alot to look forward to, or at least look for. This article lists ten, but I'm going to put top 5 a mon avis.

1. The Prop 8 Decision - Remember the ban on same-sex marriages , approved by voters in 2008? Well, its going to the federal courts now. The constituitionality of the ban will be discussed, and it all will most likely end in a hearing by the Supreme court.
2. The effects of the congressional reapportionment- The lines were redrawn to make elections more competitive, however legislative losses from the GOP may lead to the Democrats received 2/3 majority. If democrats receive congressional seats, will that help them win the house back?
3. The Growing Latino Voter Population - Still hurt from the 1994 Prop 187, and the Republicans views towards immigration, this vastly growing latino voter population is not receiving the attention deserved. If the GOP were wise, they would try to appeal to these voters to receive votes. Hopefully they re-think their harsh anti-immigration views.
4. Their roles in the Primary Election - Although California's primary is quite later in the year, they still are a huge state and make a huge influence on the election, usually. Quite honestly, no one really knows what role California will play in the Primary Elections this year. I'm quite interested to find out.
5. IT'S A TIE : "Tax Reform" and "Pension Reform" - I honestly could not choose between these two, as I find them both important. Gov. Jerry Brown is attempting to put his proposition , asking Californians to vote to raise income taxes for high earners and to increase the state's sales tax , on the ballot in november. Gov. Brown also wants to cut pension costs, and add a newly qualified initiative that would bar unions from automatically tapping members’ dues to fund political activity. It should be interesting to watch how this goes.

Super Political Action Committees are Ready to Roar on the eve of the Iowa

The 2010 Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court removed restrictions on corporate and union spending in elections. and this lead to the invention of the Super PACs

...SUPER Political action committees have already spent millions on television ads and mailings to boost their favored candidates in Iowa. They also used these funds to destroy those candidates' rivals. Although they are only committees, They have had a dramatic influence on the race.
As the primary season is gaining full roar, the PACS have ramped up their efforts, whether it be funding campaigns to attack rivals or raise candidates who had be running low on finance.

TV ads have been broadcasting messages such as Newt Gingrich as the enemy for “collecting big bucks’’ from Freddie Mac, and Mitt Romney as a hero for “turning around’’ dozens of companies. Rick Santorum was even seen as a “courageous reformer with results’’ and Rick Perry was credited for his out of washington experiences. All of this praise, (well not for gingrich) and candidates didnt have to spend ANYTHING.

If you dont believe that these PACS are committed to getting their candidates elected, Romney-leaning super PAC Restore Our Future and the Perry-leaning Make Us Great Again have spent a combined $1.2 million on television ads in Iowa . INSANE!.

As shown with the 2010 midterm elections, Republican leaning super PACS spend wayyyy more money than their Democratic counterparts, which helped the Republicans to win the House and six seats in the Senate.
Democrats better pick it up in terms of spending, or the Republicans may win the presidency too.

But then again, do the Democrats have big spending companies (who's spending totally helped our economy) like Freddie Mac on their side? *wink at gingrich*