Sunday, October 30, 2011

Consistently Inconsistent

Talking to middle aged men; I tell them that women are the cause of all their problems. Talking to middle aged women; I tell them that men are the cause of all their problems. Talking to both groups in the same setting, I tell them that the children are the cause of the problems. This flip flopping technique to fit the current audience may have been successful before media came into play, but now people do not have to be in the room with you to know what is going on. Thanks to YouTube, all you need is one camera, and one post, and you have officially been scooped. The flip-flop method has throughout the republican presidential campaign has become synonymous with Mitt Romney.

Seasons come and go but I remain the same. Candidates rise and fall, but Romney is the most consistent of them all; in the polls that is. As other contenders for the election fight over the spotlight, increase and decrease in polls, Romney as steady as the current, has yet to drop in surveys. Although, his opponents say that as far as consistency, that is the only thing about Romney that remains the same.

In the past, Romney has been attacked for changing his position on abortion, gay rights, gun control, health care and tax policies, but none have yet to interfere with his status at the top of polls.

The latest attack on Romney’s shifting views:

According to the Wall Street Journal in a Pittsburgh rally on Thursday,  Romney said, "My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us." Which conflicted with his statement in New Hampshire earlier this year, "I believe based on what I read that the world is getting warmer. And, No. 2, I believe that humans contribute to that. I don't know how much.…And so I think it's important to us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases."

Romney's most recent comment indicated a potent change  from his prior attitude as governor of Massachusetts, when he enforced rules on coal-burning power plants that he touted as the first in the country to target gases thought to cause global warming.

The Pittsburgh remarks came shortly after Romney created confusion over his views of an Ohio law, backed by Republican Gov. John Kasich, that limits collective-bargaining rights for public employees. The Wall Street Journal reports that Romney visited a Republican phone bank in Cincinnati where volunteers were asking voters to support the law in a referendum. Romney told reporters he didn't know enough about the ballot initiative to comment, despite the fact that he had demonstrated his support of the law on his Facebook page. On Wednesday, he reverts back to his original opinion, saying he backs Mr. Kasich "110%."

Blows from his competitors:
  • ·         Rick Perry
o   "Mitt's been on both sides of those issues. He's, you know, been for a ban on guns in Massachusetts. He's been for pro-abortion. He's been for, you know, supporting gay rights. And now, he's on the other side of those issues."
o   "We are very, very different from the standpoint of consistency. I have been a consistent conservative. I have always been in favor of the Second Amendment and protecting Second Amendment. I've always been pro-life. I've always been a fiscal conservative."
  • ·         Jon Huntsman
o   “Romney is a perfectly lubricated weather vane on all the major issues of the day.”
  • ·         Obama Campaign
o   Romney's so-called flip-flopping may be one of the few areas where Republican contenders and the Democratic opponent agree. An aide to President Obama on Sunday repeated the Obama campaign line that Romney "has no core," and shifts his position to suit the audience.
o   Top Obama adviser David Plouffe:  "You look at issue after issue after issue he's moved all over the place. I can tell you one thing working a few steps down from the president, what you need in that office is conviction. You need to have a true compass. And you've got to be willing to make tough calls. And you get the sense with Mitt Romney that, you know, if he thought it was good to say the sky was green and the grass was blue, to win an election, he'd say it."

According to Fox News, "People usually like it if you change positions and you come toward their position. But you are only allowed a certain number of flips before people begin to doubt your character," said Fox News contributor Brit Hume. "And I think Romney exhausted his quota sometime back. And these fresh ones I think are over the limit, and I think they hurt. And I don't think the fact that he's flipping in the direction that Republicans will like will help very much, because I think they don't trust him." 

Here’s to him, 
Here’s to her, 
Here’s to whoever serves my interest best, 
Cheers!

Corruption

 
In this clip it talks about how the media, the newspapers used to be the ones that were corrupt.  Now the script has flipped, in the system of checks and balances, they, the media are now the ones exposing corruption.

Dictatorships in Africa

 
(This clip does not allow me to close the bracket to stop it. The focus of the clip is from 30:42- 32:09)
This clips talks about how dictators attack social media first, when they want to stop the flow of information. It talks about how media allows people to communicate. It serves as a source of news, an update of what is going where and when. Social media allows for the individuals opinion of what is going on to be shared with a large amount of people, while mass media shares the collective’s opinion of what is going on. This clip talks about how taking away the media, stalls the flow of communication

2012 Presidential Campaign

 
The author of The change I believe in: Fighting for change in the age of Obama, Katrina Vanden Heuvel, begins by answering whether she believes the government and President Obama in particular, have reached her expectation of goals to be accomplished 3 years in. She replies that 3 years later the change she wants to happen is still in progress, and can’t be accomplished in one term. She  goes on to express how happy she is that media, and social media helps to shine a light on the many movements, allowing for a full view of what’s going on in today’s world.

All Talk and No Action


I think that miniskirts should not be readily accessible or targeted to today’s youth; however, I do not believe as a CEO in one of today’s leading Fashion Week Companies, that I have the power to do anything about it. Although I do not think that preteen should be wearing miniskirts, since I am not God and cannot make the 11th commandment “Thou shall not buy miniskirts for teens,” I will nothing about it. This is an excuse, to get a certain group of people on your side, by saying you support a cause, without really doing anything to assist in making a change other than addressing that you agree that it is a problem. As a CEO in a fashion week company, you have a major influence over what today’s youth wear, you help them to decide what is cool and what is not. If you stopped making miniskirts, or made them a thing of yesterday and replaced it with something new you single handedly would help to not illuminate but reduce how many teens are wearing miniskirts. This case introduces what this article will be about: Saying you support a cause, or addressing a problem but do nothing to change or improve the issue. This “all for the cause, as long as I don’t have to do anything” mentality can be seen with Cain and his stance on abortion. 

Are we to trust the fate of our nation to a man who does not even know what he means to say most of the time? In the last few months, he has misunderstood more reporters, and has needed to clarify his remarks with “what he meant to say,” more than once.

Last week, Cain said on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" that that he was against abortion rights, but when asked about rape or incest, said the government should not have a say on those issues and the decision should be left to the family. He also stated that while he is pro-life and thinks abortion is wrong, he would not as President do anything to stop women from having abortions.





Since then Cain has clarified his stance on abortion by saying "I am pro-life from conception, period," on the CBS program "Face the Nation." According to redstate.com Leon Wolf wrote that Herman Cain’s abortion position sounds much like that of the mythical pro-life Democrat, or like those Democrats who try to cast themselves as “personally” pro-life, but who would not do anything to actually change the law.

Cain’s attempt to clarify his statement: (He released a statement on CBN News Blog)

    “Yesterday in an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN, I was asked questions about abortion policy and the role of the President.  I understood the thrust of the question to ask whether that I, as president, would simply “order” people to not seek an abortion.    My answer was focused on the role of the President. The President has no constitutional authority to order any such action by anyone. That was the point I was trying to convey.    As to my political policy view on abortion, I am 100% pro-life. End of story.

    I will appoint judges who understand the original intent of the Constitution. Judges who are committed to the rule of law know that the Constitution contains no right to take the life of unborn children.  I will oppose government funding of abortion. I will veto any legislation that contains funds for Planned Parenthood. I will do everything that a President can do, consistent with his constitutional role, to advance the culture of life.”

Redstate.com states that this is the second time in as many days where Herman has walked something back claiming to have misunderstood a reporter’s questions. As a presidential candidate, how many mix-ups can one make? In the campaign for the highest elected office in the country, can we trust a candidate who can barely understand questions asked by reporters, to lead us out of a recession? Will his stance on a cause from a far, be the solution to Americans empty wallet? Is Cain spin on things limited to all things cheesy?

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Senate blocks new Obama jobs bill




What do you do when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place? What do you do when you know what needs to be done, but must convince others of your plan, before work can be done? What do you call it when every decision you make must be checked, approved, and cosigned by board members, whose job is to dissect every little thing you do? What do you when people are crying out for help, for answers, for jobs, and congress won’t pass the bill? Amend it, and bring it back a second time.



Two strikes with one to go, it seems President Obama finds himself at a heated point in the game where the odds are against him. According to the hill, for the second time in two weeks, Senate Republicans voted in unison to block “jobs” legislation, which the Obama administration and Senate Democratic leaders have made central to their agenda. Democrats then blocked a second "jobs" measure offered by Republicans. Ten Democrats failed to give Republicans the three votes, leaving them short of the 60-votes needed to proceed.

President Obama’s first job bill was declined in a 50-50 vote after two democrats Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.) and Independent Joe Lieberman (Conn.) slid across the bases joining the team of the republicans voting nay against the measure 57-43. 

The previous vote, much like the second, neglected to persuade a solitary republican vote to switch teams.
"For the second time in two weeks, every single Republican in the United States Senate has chosen to obstruct a bill that would create jobs and get our economy going again," Obama said in a statement released after the vote. "That’s unacceptable." His second ally on his team, first lady Michelle Obama being the first, Vice President Joe Biden aided in the battle to get people to see the job bill as a way out and not a deeper grave held a public meeting with Senate Democrats where he accused Republicans of protecting millionaires at the expense of the working class.

The $35 billion job bills was established in hopes of preventing the layoffs of teachers, police officers and firefighters in cash-strapped states. Most of the$30 billion funding, would have gone to saving teaching jobs, with the rest of the money directed to first-responders.

"Every Senate Republican voted to block a bill that would help middle class families and keep hundreds of thousands of firefighters on the job, police officers on the streets, and teachers in the classroom when our kids need them most," Obama countered in his statement.

CNN reports  that Senator Barbra Boxer of D-California released a statement saying: "Republicans have once again said no to creating jobs in America and no to helping the American people. They have turned their backs on our children and the safety of our communities by blocking a bill that would put 400,000 teachers, police officers and firefighters back to work."

The backing for the bill would have been covered by a 0.5% tax increase from those earning $1 million or more a year. Republicans opposed the tax increase, their revisions offering  a 3% withholding requirement for all government contractors.
"Every American deserves an explanation as to why Republicans refuse to step up to the plate and do what's necessary to create jobs and grow the economy right now," Obama said.

Who is going to explain to me, why I am out of work?
Why I am sitting on the sideline out of the game, with no food for children, because I wasn't given a shot to prove myself? 
Who is going to explain that to me? I am waiting.....

1992 Recap

 
It’s based on the 1992 election. The video interviews Nancy Lord, the candidate for libertarian party; who wraps up by saying vote Nancy Lord, because everyone else is all talk, but voting libertarian sends a message. Albion Knight, the candidate for the taxpayers party; who  wants the votes to go his taxpayers party and Barbra Garson, a candidate for the socialist party; who says vote socialist.