The economy continues to dwindle in these harsh economic times. Job losses have fallen in every month since January and the unemployment rate, 9.4%, is at a twenty-six year low. Based on these statistics, Congress has asked themselves if a second stimulus bill is needed. Let me give you a quick answer, NO!
Let’s go back to the first stimulus, named the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The enormous $787 billion bill failed according to President Barack Obama’s predictions. While campaigning for its vote, Obama stated that without this very important bill, the unemployment rate will rise to 9% in 2010. Conversely, he said, if this legislation is passed, unemployment will not exceed 8%. However, the stimulus bill has not succeeded in doing what President Obama thought it would do, as seen by the unemployment rate flirting with 10%.
With his approval ratings decreasing, Obama sent his Vice President to calm the storm in Ohio, where less than half the people approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as President. In a speech from Cincinnati, VP Biden pointed to teaching and law enforcement jobs being saved, because of the stimulus. For the record, there is no statistic that can accurately measure the number of jobs saved. (By the way, there is a statistic that says we’ve lost roughly two million jobs since the stimulus passed). Continue reading Second Stimulus?
Here’s the answer that Sarah Palin gave to a third grader who asked what it is that the Vice President does:
And Here’s the specific part CNN was interested in:
“They’re in charge of the United States Senate. So, if they want to, they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes.”
Here’s the title of the CNN story (as it appears on CNN.com) regarding her comments:
“Palin misstates VP role”
Now, I’m no constitutional law expert but luckily for me the constitution is written in English so I can pretty well understand it.
And to be quite honest, the constitution doesn’t much address what the specifics of the Vice President’s role are…
In fact, here is the one and only provision pertaining to the Vice President in regards to the Senate:
“The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.”
Seems to me that being the president of something means you are “in charge” of it, at least formally, and when you’re trying to explain what the VP does to a third grader thats not a half bad way of doing it. So if that wasn’t the offending part of this excerpt it must have been the insinuation that the Vice President, “if they want to”, can influence senators on policy.
But if the Vice President isn’t supposed to influence policy in the Senate then what exactly are they supposed to do? Just wait around for the President to die? I mean, besides outlining how the VP is elected (and revising it in the 12th amendment and several others), impeached, and that the VP assumes the office of the President if the President is unable or unfit to fulfill the duties of that office what does the constitution tell us?
Again, only that the Vice President is the president of the Senate and casts the decisive vote when there is a tie. And, again, I’m left wondering what CNN sees as the gaffe in Palin’s statement…
They quote Donald Ritchie, a historian in the Senate Historical Office for what seems to be the real crux of their argument:
Donald Ritchie, a historian in the Senate Historical Office told CNN that Palin’s comment was an “overstatement” of what her role would be.
“The vice president is the ceremonial officer of the Senate and has certain ceremonial functions including swearing in new senators and can vote to break a tie,” he said. “It’s a relatively limited role. It’s evolved into a neutral presiding officer of the Senate.
Ritchie also noted recent vice presidents have played a behind-the-scenes lobbying role on Capitol Hill for an administration’s policies, but called it “somewhat limited.”
Personally, I find these assertions to be contentious. Who is Ritchie to say what kind of Vice President Sarah Palin will be? And if anything the office of Vice President has been moving away from its “somewhat limited” role of influencing senate policy decisions, you only need to look at Dick Cheney to figure that out. Plus, everything I’ve heard Palin say about the kind of Vice President she’ll be points to one that is very engaged in influencing policy. After all, she has the right to be that kind of Vice President if she so chooses.
What was one of Sarah Palin’s aides thinking when they described her two day trip to Arizona in order to prepare for her upcoming showdown with Joe Biden as “Debate Camp”.
The same genius also referred to Sarah Palin as “SP”, I mean come on… what is this aide thinking?
Are they trying to make her look less ready to lead?
When you have a candidate whose biggest criticisms are that they are too young and inexperienced how can you refer to them in such an informal way when talking to the media? If you want to refute those criticisms you have to constantly refer to her as Governor Palin, constantly.
But, more importantly, HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY REFER TO HER PREPARATION AS “DEBATE CAMP”?!?!?!!!
How can anybody think more highly of her after hearing that term? How can anybody see her as more presidential? How can anybody see her as more informed and intelligent?
Doesn’t this aide get that language and the way you use it is important? And who is letting this aide talk to the media… are you kidding me?
Image, people, its all about image.
Somebody please tell me this aide is unemployed by now…
Contrary to what others in the conservative community might think it seems that Mike Huckabee isn’t trying to fracture the party or “stir up the same sense of grievance among the Huckheads that finding out Hillary wasn’t vetted stirred up in the PUMAs” it seems that Mike Huckabee is actually quite happy with the VP choice.
Sarah Palin is a pleasant surprise for those of us who had hoped that Senator McCain would pick a principled and authentic conservative pro-life leader. Sarah Palin is both principled and authentic. As a Governor, she also brings an important balance of understanding of the critical domestic issues that is needed and that the Democrats have ignored with their ticket. Governor Palin is smart, authentic, tough, and a dynamic choice that will remind women that they are not welcome on the Democrat’s ticket, they have a place with Republicans.
Seems as though he, like pretty much all conservatives from Rush to Beck to Malkin (to me), is pretty taken by Palin and pretty pleased with McCain for picking her. Maybe this will make the “Romneyheads” back off Huckabee, then again probably not… But, hey, Huckabee probably won’t back off Romney anytime soon either.
So, now that the pick is in, its time for the Democratic attacks to start…
What about Sarah Palin (who went to the University of Idaho) will they attack you ask? Well, as Ironic as it is, her inexperience…
That’s right, Barack Obama and his surrogates will attack Sarah Palin because she doesn’t have enough experience to lead… boy oh boy. Now, any sane person will surely see right through this pathetic tactic (seriously, couldn’t they come up with anything better?) but I figure why not examine it anyway?
Well, it is true that Sarah Palin has only been Governor of Alaska for a year and a half. However, as Barack Obama pointed out himself once, Obama actually has less on the job experience that Palin since he basically started campaigning for president immediately after being elected to the Senate.
But beside that point, there is a whole nother aspect to this whole “experience” debate… an aspect that Palin wins hands down (even when compared to McCain).
And that is the experience of running a government. Palin is the only one who has any executive experience. She is the only one knows what its like to be the one and only person in charge of making the important decisions (from all accounts they’ve been good decisions) and accepting responsibility for their consequences. Being an executive is most certainly a whole different experience from being a legislator.
Palin’s executive experience adds a lot to McCain’s ticket… not to mention the many other advantages she brings.
Good job McCain, you have seriously made a winning pick. I am impressed.
So, as I’m sure you know, there has been buckets and buckets of speculation over the GOP veepstakes and of course some friendly advice on who the pick should be. Well… now its my turn and honestly it seems like there is only one choice (maybe two), however I have a, not so secret twist, to my analysis.
OK, I’m just gonna jump right to the point, pick Pawlenty for VP. He is by far the best choice for you, period. He is pro-life, he is a conservative who won’t piss people like me off, he has more experience than Obama, he doesn’t run his mouth into dark racist allies like Biden, and you like him John.
I mean if you really feel shaky in the knees about your economic persona and expertise then, fine, pick Romney. He wouldn’t be a death blow to your candidacy atleast. But he does have negatives that will hurt you. Honestly, you can’t make ads against your opponent’s ticket with them going after each other and then turn around and pick someone who you clearly (and publicly) despised just a couple months ago. And I can just see the Romney vs Romney ads now… The guy is the republican John Kerry. But, regardless, he does have a following in the base and he could, most likely, hold his own against Biden in a debate (can Pawlenty?).
And, for the GOP’s sake, DO NOT PICK LIEBERMAN… for VP atleast. Lieberman not only is wrong on abortion, one of the most important issues to red-blooded Republicans and Conservatives alike, he is wrong on absolutely everything save national security. Putting Lieberman on the bottom half of your ticket will drive the base insane. And more than that it will drive young conservatives, like me, away from the GOP, a party that is only hold on to them by a thread.
However, you know what you could do to make your conservative base happy and still appeal to the independents you so love? It’s simple… after you pick Tim Pawlenty (or Romney) as your VP you make a triumphant announcement that you will be picking your long-time friend and highly respected “Independent Democrat”, Joe Lieberman, as your Secretary of State.
Think about it for a minute. Like I said before, Lieberman only has one winning issue (atleast to republicans) and that’s his foreign policy. Now, what high ranking cabinet member deals exclusively with foreign policy? Secretary of State. Think about it a minute longer. How much added media attention could you gobble up with an announcement of this kind? Lots, I mean has any candidate ever nominated a Secretary of State before (and one from another party at that)?
And, most importantly of all, with that simple, but bold, move you can have your conservative cake and eat it with your independent friends too! Everyones happy… (except the Democrats, of course) and isn’t that what you want?
So it seems that Barack Obama’s master plan to text all of his adoring obamatons with his vice presidential pick before anyone else was a complete and total failure (a lot like the pick itself). Yes, you heard it right, the plan heralded by “unbiased” reporters and preteens alike took a turn for the worst last night.
Yup apparently supporters who signed up for the special texts were not the first to be notified, despite the promise from the Obama campaign, and not by a long shot.
Some of the first reports in the media came around 11pm on the east coast and the conformations came to the media around 1am. So what time did the loyal supporters get their special notifications? 3am on the east coast… 3am, yea… great job picking a time to notify people who, at least for a while, liked you. (Even my little sister doesn’t text me at that time)
In case you didn’t take the time to do the math thats a full 2 hours after everyone else in the world already knew. Well, so much for that idea.
It’s too bad the wait is over though. It was getting awfully fun watching all the “professional” “journalists” fawning over their cell phones and waiting for what one can only imagine is their first text message (and one from their most favoritest bff ever none the less) as though they had discovered a sort of electronic botox or the 21 centuries fountain of youth.
UPDATE: Looks like the gaffe machine is up and running for Obama-Biden ’08…
UPDATE: Obama failure made even bigger in contrast to McCain’s VP roll out
UPDATE: 3am text… is it a possible Kennedy-like response to Hillary 3am ad? You know… ask not who can answer the phone for you at 3am – ask who you can answer the phone for at 3am.
January and the unemployment rate, 9.4%, is at a twenty-six year low. Based on these statistics, Congress has asked themselves if a second stimulus bill is needed. Let me give you a quick answer, NO!
