Saturday, 22 September 2012

[wanabidii] Obama solidifies lead over Romney, ahead by five points: Reuters/Ipsos poll



 
Maurice,
 
 
Although I do not trust these polls....the overall opinion poll ratings shows
that.......

Obama Now leads Romney by six percentage points,

50% to 44%

Forty percent (40%) now believe the economy is getting better.
Barack Obama's chances of winning the Electoral College are 77.5
percent, according to the model, slightly improved from 76.9 percent
in Friday's forecast. Mr. Obama's numbers also held steady, at a
four-point lead among likely voters. At others they say it is close to 1.
What we fear most is the trick of buying voters which is underway and
are targeting the Spanish and Seniors (the Old Folks who are white) are
tricked through direct phone calls and since they use landlines as well
are through Radios that President Obama is tricking them on Medicare
and Madicaid and that Obama Healthcare will expire in 2016. Voter
suppression are in the majority Black areas including Texas, Wiscosin
and Ohio.
 
 
Most targeted voters are from swing states.......We hope things are squared.
For now President Obama is a little on the edge......Remember these folks
are for make or break.........You saw what they did; they walked out without
completing business in Congress, they voted against funds for the Soldiers
who are coming back home, they ditched the Immigration bill which was ready
on the table since three years ago, they voted against school funding in 2012,
and in 2011 the GOP in the Senate blocked the new Obama jobs bill. Worse
in the list the GOP voted for the Government Shut Down.....President Obama
had to mobilize and use pressure from the people to make others bills pass
in Washington. The GOP Republicans formed Obstruction strategy to block
President Obama from passing anything because, from the word Go, they
swore to make the President a One-Term President because he did not look
like them......They played a Racial Card of Hate and it is why they ganged
against him, nothing else.........
 
 
President Obama must wind big by landslide to out-do any possibe
cheat by GOP in the claim that it was too close to call........People
who lie with stone face are hardcore thievers......this is what we must
look very closely...though in any level playing field, President Obama
is favorably liked in both at home and across the world.
 
 
Again, it is the electoral college which gives us a little breather.
 
 
You need 270 electral college to win......the 90 Toss-up is worrisome, we dont
know how it shall swing......
 
 
I feel very strongly that President Obama will win big.....people dont like GOP
Republicans leadership, it is what failed the country into Economic Crisis in the
first place......
 
 
 
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
 
 

Related Articles


Predict which candidate will win each state and see who reaches 270 electoral votes first. Click on a state to choose Obama, click again to choose Romney. Or, click on a state and use the buttons in the right-hand column to make your selections.

Total number of Electoral College votes: 538
Total needed to win: 270

State of the Race


Obama Approval

September 17, 2012

Obama: 241 (+20) Romney: 206 (-) Tossup: 91 (-20)


Obama: 326 (+29) Romney: 212 (-29)
Mitt Romney lost the election this week.
At least that's the narrative the media is pushing non-stop to anyone who will listen. His crime against political humanity? Daring to criticize the President on foreign policy while the entire Middle East was spiraling out of control, resulting in the death of four Americans.
Because of this, you see, Romney is clearly desperate. He is panicked. He is grasping at straws. At least, that's what the media would have you believe. That narrative was helped along by the fact that it just happened to occur during Obama's post-convention bounce in the polls. Now that the post-convention bounce is gone and the race is back to exactly where it was before the conventions (nationally, a narrow 1-2 point Obama lead), it will be interesting to see what narrative the media attempt to push now. Spinoff stories are already coming down the pipe: Romney's ad team is lousy. His messaging is awful. Paul Ryan is frustrated. His speech writer's speech was canned and he gave a lousy speech.
To hear all the process stories in the last week, you'd think the Romney campaign was trailing by seventeen points nationally and en route to a Mondale-esque loss a la 1984.
But the actual poll numbers show otherwise. Obama's job approval ratings, which took a ride post-convention, are now settling back below the 50% mark in nearly every single national poll once again. Romney's personal favorables now mostly match Obama's — something nobody guessed would have happened. And the state polls are tightening up again. Most of the bounce that Obama received after the DNC was attributable to re-energized youth, who, according to the crosstabs, proceeded to become de-energized once again in the matter of a few days.
The bottom line numbers in the map with and without tossups both moved toward Obama this week — but those numbers mask how close this election truly is.
The three major races to watch in this election remain the famous FLOHVA trio. At this moment, with numbers propped up by post-convention polling, Obama leads in all three states. However, his margins are less than solid: just 1.8% in Florida (with six polls), 3% in Ohio (four polls — down to 2% if you don't include the Marist poll giving him a 7% lead), and a minuscule 0.3% in Virginia (three polls). Without Marist factored in for Virginia, Romney actually takes the lead in the Old Dominion State.
So those three states – the three that this race clearly will turn on, currently fall on the razor's edge. Each could conceivably go either way, and Romney is this close to leading in all of them – and thus leading on our map for the first time ever.
All of that is not to say the media is entirely off base, however. The Romney campaign clearly does have some big issues it needs to work on… and this close isn't going to be close enough pretty soon as more and more undecided voters make up their minds over the next few weeks. Governor Romney has clearly done a shoddy job of selling himself to the voters. After a summer of explaining how Obama had failed, it seemed like the beginning of fall with the conventions would have been a perfect time to roll out some biographical ads, some positive messaging, and explain how he would be better. However, so far mission not accomplished. The Romney campaign will soon be making decisions on how to utilize his roughly hundred-million-dollar cash on hand advantage in the closing weeks of this campaign. They need to make every penny of it count.
Because on the night of November 6th, this close in each of those three states equals an Obama landslide on par with his shellacking of John McCain.
Outside the realm of FLOHVA, we have colored North Carolina dark red on our map this week, and expect it to remain that way. We are using two polls for the Tar Heel State, SUSA and Rasmussen (who happen to be the two I trust the most). One shows Romney with a ten-point lead, the other with a six-point lead. Together that gives Romney an 8 point lead… coupled with more and more stories now of the Obama campaign pulling ads, resources, and effort from the state (something Race predicted months ago), Romney will comfortably win there.
Michigan went light blue on this week's map… the fact of the matter is Romney is having to fight harder for Florida than anticipated, and coupled with Ohio and Virginia means less of an effort in the fringe states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania. Two polls are factored in to our average for Michigan: one showing Obama up 10 and one showing him up 1. Michigan has suffered more than any other state with regards to erratic polling results like that this election, so it will be interesting to see which one of those polls is confirmed this week. In short, however, there will likely be no insurance states for Governor Romney – if he wins, he will win narrowly. And he will do so by overcoming some incredible attempts by the media to drive their preferred narrative – along with some serious issues within their own campaign and their own party.
This map is Race42012′s prediction of what would happen if the election occurred today. The map is partially based on an average of state polling from the last two weeks. (Editions prior to Labor Day are partially based on a month of polling.) Final analysis also takes into account more subjective measures, such as favorability ratings, job approval, momentum, advertising, and other assorted variables.

Presidential Election

All Candidates Democrats Independents Libertarians Republicans Head-to-Head Add to Favorites

Four years.

314 million citizens.

240 million voters.

50 states and one federal district.

538 Electoral College votes.

This... is the 2012 United States Presidential Election.

The stage is now set for the 57th quadrennial United States Presidential Election, to be held on November 6 this year.

The election, which would also see the appointment of a Vice President, officially kicked off in January 2012 with nationwide state level primaries and caucuses, and after a grueling six months, the campaign season now enters into the final stretch. The event will feature the incumbent, President Barack Obama for the Democrats, against an array of opponents which include, Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican Party, Gov. Gary Johnson for the Libertarian Party, and a host of other third party, independent and mail-in candidates.

With only a series of presidential and vice presidential debates to go before the big day, there is almost an electric feel in the air as the most expensive and bitter election in American history approaches its conclusion.

In the run-up to Election Day, we will keep you up-to-date on the latest developments involving each of the prospective candidates, with an in-depth look at their positions on current national issues as well as providing a comprehensive (and growing) biographical background that will hopefully assist you in evaluating their ability and philosophy to lead the nation.

1st Presidential Debate (October 3, 2012, University of Denver, CO)

2nd Presidential Debate (October 16, 2012, Hofstra University, NY)

3rd Presidential Debate (October 22, 2012, Lynn University, FL)

4th Vice Presidential Debate (October 11, 2012, Ctr. College,


--- On Sat, 9/22/12, Maurice Oduor <mauricejoduor@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Maurice Oduor <mauricejoduor@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Obama solidifies lead over Romney, ahead by five points: Reuters/Ipsos poll
To: wanakenya@googlegroups.com
Cc: "Judy Miriga" <jbatec@yahoo.com>
Date: Saturday, September 22, 2012, 3:27 PM

Judy,

I don't think Obama has anything to worry about from Romney. In the
last 10 yrs, elections have been decided in 3 States: Florida,
Pennyslavania and Ohio. Whoever wins 2 of these wins the election.
Most of the other States are usually decided in terms of support for
Democrats or Republicans.
So how is Obama doing in those 3 states? I think he's safe in Florida
and Pennyslavania with the heavy Spanish and Blacks respectively.
Let us know what you see there on the ground.

Courage



On 9/22/12, Judy Miriga <jbatec@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> Forwarded for your information........
>
>
>
>
> It is wearing the breast-plate of Truth and voting wisely with the right
> concious that
> we all shall set America Free from the powerful greedy rich........that
> which will bring
> Peace, Unity showed under Love for common good of all; and that people will
> engage
> in efforts for a success story to improve their present and future
> livelihood and survival.
>
>
> Judy Miriga
>
>
>
> Diaspora Spokesperson
> Executive Director
> Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
> USA
> http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Obama solidifies lead over Romney, ahead by five points: Reuters/Ipsos
> pollBy Andy Sullivan | Reuters – Thu, Sep 20, 2012
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama maintains a lead of 5
> percentage points over Republican Mitt Romney as he solidifies his advantage
> in the U.S. presidential race, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on
> Thursday.
> Obama leads Romney among likely voters by a margin of 48 percent to 43
> percent, the daily online tracking poll showed. Obama has led the poll since
> September 7, shortly after the Democratic convention.
> "First it was a bump and then it was a post-convention bump and then it was
> the remainder of the bump, and now it's just a lead," Ipsos pollster Julia
> Clark said.
>
>
> Obama led Romney by double-digit margins on a range of personal attributes,
> from likability to whether he will protect American jobs to whether he
> appears presidential. Romney only led on the question of whether he was a
> "man of faith," by 43 percent to 34 percent.
>
> Obama's lead has changed little over the past week as Romney has suffered a
> series of setbacks - most notably the Monday release of a secretly recorded
> video that showed the Republican candidate dismissing Obama supporters as
> welfare recipients with no sense of personal responsibility.
>
> The video has dominated headlines but is unlikely to sway independent voters
> who will pick their candidate based on the state of the economy, Clark said.
> As voters conclude the economy is moving in the right direction, however
> tentatively, they appear to be moving toward Obama.
>
> Clark said she expects the polls to tighten a bit but gives Obama a 70
> percent to 80 percent chance of winning the November 6 election.
>
> The poll surveyed 2,078 registered voters and 1,437 likely voters between
> September 16 and September 20.
> The precision of the Reuters/Ipsos online polls is measured using a
> credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of
> 2.9 percentage points for likely voters and 2.5 percentage points for
> registered voters.
> (Editing by Alistair Bell and Jackie Frank)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Israelis fear PM is meddling in US politicsBy JOSEF FEDERMAN | Associated
> Press – 2 hrs 6 mins ago
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Enlarge Photo
> Associated Press/Charles Dharapak, File - FILE - In this July 29, 2012 file
> photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt
> Romney meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …more in
> Jerusalem. It is a taboo for Israeli leaders to give even the slightest hint
> of favoritism in politics in the United States, Israel's closest ally. So
> some Israelis are squirming over a perception that Prime Minister Benjamin
> Netanyahu is siding with Republican Mitt Romney in the U.S. presidential
> race, in the belief he would take a harder line on archenemy Iran. That,
> some fear, is putting Israel's alliance with Washington at risk if Barack
> Obama wins. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File) less
>
>
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>
> Related Content
>
>
> Enlarge Photo
> FILE - In this Sunday, July 29, …
>
>
>
>
> JERUSALEM (AP) — It is a taboo for Israeli leaders to give even the
> slightest hint of favoritism in politics in the United States, Israel's
> closest ally. So some Israelis are squirming over a perception that their
> prime minister is siding with Republican Mitt Romney in the U.S.
> presidential race, in the belief he will take a harder line on archenemy
> Iran if elected.
> With President Barack Obama holding a narrow lead in opinion polls, Benjamin
> Netanyahu's perceived strategy looks risky to Israelis who fear their
> alliance with the U.S. could be in trouble if the incumbent wins.
> "If our prime minister doesn't get along with their leader, it will hurt our
> relations," said Shai Hugi, 20, a car rental clerk in Jerusalem. "The United
> States is Israel's best ally, and it's always good that you have a strong
> friend behind you."
> Netanyahu, convinced that Iran is close to developing nuclear weapons, says
> Tehran must be stopped. Claiming international diplomatic efforts and
> economic sanctions have failed, Netanyahu says the threat of force must be
> seriously considered. He has urged Obama to declare "red lines" that would
> trigger an American attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, coupling his
> appeals with veiled threats of a unilateral Israeli attack on Iran.
> Obama has rejected these calls, saying diplomacy and U.S.-led sanctions must
> be given more time and that Iran will never be allowed to obtain nuclear
> weapons. At the same time, American officials have pressed Israel not to
> attack unilaterally, a move that could set off regional mayhem just ahead of
> the November election.
> Netanyahu has not backed down. In a message directed at the White House, he
> recently said: "Those in the international community who refuse to put red
> lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before
> Israel."
> Israeli leaders have relied on broad bipartisan support in the U.S. for
> decades, but Netanyahu has had a rocky relationship with Obama, underscored
> by public differences over Iran. These agreements, coupled with his
> longstanding friendship with Romney, have created a perception that
> Netanyahu backs the Republicans.
> "Whether or not it is true that he is actively taking sides . I don't know,"
> said Alon Pinkas, Israel's former consul-general in New York. "But the
> pattern of behavior clearly suggests this perception is founded in reality."
>
> Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israeli relations at Israel's Bar-Ilan
> University, said Obama, if re-elected, may seek payback from the Israelis by
> pressuring Netanyahu to make new concessions to the Palestinians to overcome
> a deadlock seen as a key failure of the U.S. administration.
> Gilboa also said support for Israel is increasingly being seen as a
> Republican, not bipartisan, issue in America. Recent polls have shown that
> Republican support for Israel is significantly higher than Democratic
> support, a reversal from 10 or 15 years ago.
> In interviews on American television this week, the Israeli leader
> vociferously denied he is meddling in Obama's reelection campaign and said
> he appreciated the importance of American support.
> "God, I'm not going to be drawn into the American election," Netanyahu told
> NBC television. "What's guiding my statements is not the American political
> calendar, but the Iranian nuclear calendar."
> Ari Shavit, a columnist for Israel's liberal Haaretz daily, accused
> Netanyahu of misreading the American political climate.
> "Netanyahu not only argued with Obama, but turned himself into the declared
> enemy of many of Israel's friends in the United States. He pushed himself
> into America's extremist right corner - he pushed all of us into it," he
> wrote.
> Obama aides have sought to portray relations with Netanyahu as unshaken. But
> privately, American officials have grumbled about a perception that
> Netanyahu is telling Obama what to do.
> When Netanyahu travels to New York this week, he likely won't even see
> Obama. The U.S. president turned down a request for a meeting, citing
> scheduling issues. A subsequent phone conversation appears to have done
> little to ease tensions.
> Differences between the men run deep.
> Soon after Obama and Netanyahu both took office in early 2009, they clashed
> over Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Under American pressure,
> Netanyahu reluctantly agreed to slow down settlement construction for nine
> months in order to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. When the
> moratorium expired, Netanyahu refused Obama's appeals to extend it, and a
> fresh round of peace talks quickly collapsed.
> In one tense encounter between the two, a frustrated Obama walked out of a
> White House meeting to eat dinner with his family. In another, Netanyahu
> appeared to lecture Obama on the pitfalls of peacemaking as they sat in
> front of reporters in the Oval Office. During that same trip to Washington,
> Netanyahu was warmly welcomed in a speech to a joint session of Congress,
> sending a message that the Israeli leader maintained strong support on
> Capitol Hill.
> The U.S.-educated Netanyahu thinks like a Republican on many key issues,
> whether it be his support for free-market capitalism and disdain for big
> government, or his security-first approach to foreign policy. Obama's first
> major foreign policy act, reaching out to the Muslim world in a landmark
> speech in Cairo while failing to visit neighboring Israel, is still seen as
> an insult by many Israelis.
> Netanyahu's inner circle includes Ron Dermer, a former Republican activist
> in the U.S., and Sheldon Adelson, the American casino billionaire who has
> contributed tens of millions of dollars to the Republicans.
> Netanyahu's friendship with Romney goes back to the 1970s, when they worked
> together at a Boston investment firm. During the campaign, Romney has
> accused Obama of throwing Israel "under the bus." And in comments to a
> closed fundraiser that were captured on videotape, Romney sounded as if he
> had received many of his talking points directly from Netanyahu as he listed
> reasons why peace between Israel and the Palestinians isn't possible.
> Few believe any damage in relations is irreversible, and officials in both
> countries say defense ties remain close. Pinkas, the former Israeli
> diplomat, said the Iranian nuclear program is so critical that the countries
> will find a way to work together. He suggested that Netanyahu move quickly
> in the coming months to repair his relationship with Obama, either through a
> face-to-face meeting or quiet "back channel" discussions.
> Netanyahu is required to call new elections in the next year or so. Many
> analysts believe he will do so much sooner, perhaps by the end of the year.
> Standing strong in the face of American pressure would play well to his
> hardline Likud Party.
> "Bibi is doing what he should be doing," said Jerusalem bike shop owner
> Yitzchak Weiss, 66, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. "I don't think
> (Obama) will throw us into the sea. America is our strongest ally. He can
> never erase that."
> The radio in Weiss' bike shop was tuned to a local Jerusalem station. As he
> spoke, a broadcaster announced: "Mitt Romney — let's hope he wins."
> ___
> Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem and Matthew Daly on board Air Force One
> contributed to this report.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Congress seeks clarity from election for agendaBy DONNA CASSATA | Associated
> Press – 3 hrs ago
>
>
>
>
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> Email
>
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> Share1
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> Print
>
>
>
> Enlarge Photo
> Associated Press/J. Scott Applewhite, File - FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2012,
> file photo Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, leaves after meeting
> with reporters Capitol Hill in Washington as Congress prepares …more to shut
> down until after elections in November. Lawmakers will return in roughly
> seven weeks with a crowded list of must-do items, including averting the
> one-two punch of the fiscal cliff, expiring Bush-era tax cuts and automatic
> spending reductions that could drive the country into another recession. Two
> years of rancor and a divided government resulted in one of the least
> productive, least popular Congresses in history. (AP Photo/J. Scott
> Applewhite, File) less
>
>
>
>
>
>
> WASHINGTON (AP) — A frustrated Congress quit Washington on Saturday with at
> least one hope — that the stark choice in the election ahead will give
> lawmakers clarity about what Americans want from their government.
> They desperately need some direction.
> Lawmakers will return in about seven weeks and face a crowded list of
> must-do items, topped by avoiding what's become known as the fiscal cliff:
> the combination of expiring George W. Bush-era tax cuts and automatic
> spending cuts that could drive the country back into recession.
> Two years of rancor and a divided government resulted in one of the least
> productive Congresses in history. President Barack Obama piled on in his
> weekly radio address.
> "Without much fanfare, members of the House of Representatives banged a
> gavel, turned out the lights, and rushed home, declaring their work finished
> for now," Obama told Americans, while failing to mention the
> Democratic-controlled Senate. "If that frustrates you, it should — because
> their work isn't finished."
> In the early morning hours Saturday, the Senate cleared and sent Obama a
> bill to keep the government running for another six months. The temporary
> measure is a reflection of lawmakers' failure to complete any of the 12
> spending bills by the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.
> The nation will have to wait until after the election for Congress to deal
> with taxes, spending cuts, the farm bill and the cash-strapped Postal
> Service. It comes as no surprise to lawmakers that their public approval has
> plummeted to about 12 percent.
> "I literally get on a plane with a baseball hat and hope to God nobody knows
> who I am because they're just going to yell at me," two-term Rep. Tom
> Rooney, R-Fla., said Friday as lawmakers prepared to flee the Capitol.
> Members of Congress are counting on the voters, faced with a straightforward
> choice in the election, to decide a way forward.
> The candidates and parties present two competing philosophies. Obama and
> Democrats envision a government with enough resources to help lift up the
> less fortunate. Mitt Romney and Republicans see a government that gets out
> of the way, allowing people to make the most in an opportunistic society.
> The difficulty for lawmakers is the presidential election of 2008 and the
> congressional contests of 2010 contradicted each other.
> "The electorate has sent us, has sent the country two very different
> messages over the last two elections," said freshman Rep. Mick Mulvaney,
> R-S.C. "They elected the most liberal president in a long time and then the
> most conservative group to the House of Representatives two years later.
> That is the conflicting message."
> The upcoming election — "You sort of look at this as the tiebreaker. I have
> no difficulty with the big issues of the day being solved at the ballot
> box," Mulvaney said.
> Voters on Nov. 6 will chose a president and decide control of the House and
> Senate. Republicans say a Romney victory, an increase in their House
> majority and a majority in the Senate would be a mandate to begin making the
> changes embodied by the budget of Romney's running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul
> Ryan, in their postelection session.
> Ryan's spending blueprint remakes Medicare, reduces personal and corporate
> taxes, targets spending on safety-net programs for the poor and drives down
> the deficit to a manageable level. Republicans insist it is the only way to
> get a country deep in debt back on track.
> The election choice, says freshman Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., is a "huge
> philosophical difference. It is based upon will America be a constitutional
> republic or will it be a socialist, egalitarian, welfare nanny state. I
> think the choice is pretty simple."
> If the election restores the status quo — an Obama win, a Democratic Senate
> and a Republican House — Democrats are optimistic that the GOP would be more
> willing to compromise, with establishment Republicans prevailing over the
> wishes of their tea party brethren.
> "We shouldn't have to wait for an election for the two sides to come
> together," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "But for the Republicans, it just
> might do the trick."
> Even the most hidebound lawmaker wouldn't want the alternative, said Rep.
> Peter Welch, D-Vt.
> "Do people want to slog through four more years of dysfunction?" Welch
> asked. "I think even members of Congress have their limits."
> Said Rooney: "It would be nice to get something accomplished in the 112th"
> session of Congress.
> Over the past two years, the Republican-controlled House and Democratic-led
> Senate struggled for consensus on what had been easy in previous years, such
> as legislation to fund transportation projects. Just over 173 bills became
> law, far less than the 383 in Obama's first two years, when Democrats held
> Congress, and less than the 460 in the last two years of Republican Bush's
> second term with a Democratic Congress.
> Lack of activity isn't the only reason for the lower production. House
> Republicans eliminated plenty of feel-good resolutions and measures such as
> those honoring sports teams.
> Based on days worked, Congress has been in session 287 days, compared with
> 286 in Obama's first two years. Lawmakers are expected to return Nov. 13 for
> several weeks of work.
> The to-do list is long in addition to the expiring tax cuts and the
> automatic, across-the-board spending cuts of about $110 billion that kick in
> Jan. 2 to defense and domestic programs.
> Congress much deal with the five-year farm and nutrition bill, which sets
> policy for farm safety net programs and funds the food stamp program. Also
> unresolved are a defense policy bill, cybersecurity legislation and
> legislation to lift Cold War trade restrictions on Russia, now a member of
> the World Trade Organization.
> But for all the possibility of clarity and compromise in the lame-duck
> session, the bitterness is still prevalent. House Republicans point to the
> numerous bills that went nowhere in the Senate.
> "Look at how many bills this House has passed over to the Senate that are
> critically important to this country only to see them languish in complete
> ignominy by the Senate," said Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz. "For them to
> suggest it's a do-nothing Congress is a fundamental indictment of the
> Democrat leadership in the Senate. ... The Senate is where things go to die
> in this environment."
> Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., blamed Senate Republicans for filibustering
> legislation. He said it was difficult to accomplish anything when the Senate
> Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky had said his goal was to make
> Obama a one-term president.
> The choice, Durbin said, rests with the voters.
> "Decide what you want," Durbin said on the Senate floor Friday. "Decide if
> you want to send Democrats and Republicans to this Capitol with an awesome
> responsibility and also with a spirit of consensus and cooperation."
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Mitt Romney fact check: Is he actually against redistribution?
> Mitt Romney is treating 'redistribution' like a dirty word. But while he
> might like it less than Democrats do, Romney clearly believes in
> redistribution, too.By Liz Marlantes | Christian Science Monitor – 16 hrs
> ago
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Scrambling to change the subject from his now infamous remarks calling 47
> percent of the population "victims," Mitt Romney has jumped on a newly
> uncovered (though actually very old) tape of then-Illinois state Sen. Barack
> Obama saying he believes in "redistribution" of wealth. Excerpts from the
> Obama tape first ran Wednesday on The Drudge Report – and at a fundraiser
> Wednesday in Atlanta, Mr. Romney went all-in on the attack:
> "There are some who believe that if you simply take from some and give to
> others then we'll all be better off. It's known as redistribution. It's
> never been a characteristic of America. There's a tape that came out just a
> couple of days ago where the president said yes he believes in
> redistribution. I don't. I believe the way to lift people and help people
> have higher incomes is not to take from some and give to others but to
> create wealth for all."
> Let's put aside the fact that the Obama tape is 14 years old – though, as
> The New Republic's Timothy Noah points out, back then Romney was "still
> pro-choice, still pro-gun control, still pro-stem cell research, and still
> in favor of gays serving openly in the military."
>
> RECOMMENDED: Mitt Romney gaffes: 11 times the button-down candidate should
> have buttoned up
> The real reason Romney's attack is likely to be a flop is that the
> president's remarks – when examined in full – aren't likely to be seen by
> most Americans as particularly controversial. In fact, it's clear that
> Romney himself essentially agrees with much of what Mr. Obama said.
>
> Here's the complete text of Obama's comments (as opposed to the shortened
> clip circulated by Republicans), which was tracked down by NBC News:
> "I think the trick is figuring out how do we structure government systems
> that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution – because I
> actually believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level – to make
> sure that everybody's got a shot. How do we pool resources at the same time
> as we decentralize delivery systems in ways that both foster competition,
> can work in the marketplace, and can foster innovation at the local level
> and can be tailored to particular communities?"
> First off, Obama's statements about decentralizing delivery systems and
> fostering competition sound practically Republican (he was specifically
> criticizing the inefficiency of Chicago public housing and public schools).
> In context, he's actually arguing for a more streamlined system of
> government that employs free-market efficiencies and makes redistribution
> more effective – and by implication, more economical.
> More to the point, however: In his attacks, Romney is treating
> "redistribution" in general as a dirty word – "He believes in
> redistribution. I don't" – when, in fact, it's abundantly clear that Romney,
> too, supports redistribution, "at least at a certain level" (to use Obama's
> own phrasing).
> What would Romney call it when the government takes in tax dollars and uses
> them to pay for things like health care for poor folks? Is he saying he
> would eliminate Medicaid? We think not. Likewise, although Romney would tax
> the rich at a lower rate than Obama, his tax plan is still progressive.
> As The New York Times's David Firestone wrote Wednesday: "The government has
> long redistributed wealth, and … the country expects it to do so. That's the
> point of a progressive income tax, which has been in effect for nearly a
> century…. The progressive tax remains so popular that Mr. Romney has
> promised to keep it, and he also insists he doesn't plan to eliminate the
> safety net."
> Or as CNN's Erin Burnett put it: "Mitt Romney, no matter what words he wants
> to use or what America he says he wants to believe in, believes in a
> progressive taxation system…. That is redistribution."
> Obviously, the real question – and a very legitimate one – is, how much
> redistribution is fair and best for society? In general, Democrats tend to
> want a little more, and Republicans tend to want a little less. But for
> Romney to pretend to be opposed to the entire concept of redistribution is
> totally untrue, based purely on what he himself says he would do as
> president.
>
>
>
>
> Obama: GOP walked away from immigration overhaulBy KEN THOMAS | Associated
> Press – 14 hrs ago
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> MIAMI (AP) — President Barack Obama is telling a large Latino television
> audience that Republicans walked away from comprehensive immigration
> overhaul and says he has not wavered in his support for changes in
> immigration law.
> In an interview with the Spanish language channel Univision, Obama said he
> didn't offer an immigration reform package because he had to deal with the
> financial crisis. But he said he shouldn't be blamed because he is not "all
> powerful" and wouldn't have been able to win the 60 votes necessary in the
> Senate to succeed.
> He pointed to administrative efforts he has taken to permit some young
> people who came to the United States illegally to avoid deportation.
>
 
 

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