Thursday, June 28, 2012

Obama Leads By 5 in New FOX Poll

In the most recent poll by FOX News, President Barack Obama leads expected GOP challenger Mitt Romney 45-40% in the race for president.

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Obama



President Barack Obama has won one of the major victories in the history of the Supreme Court.  By a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Court upheld the Affordable Health Care Act, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing the majority opinion.


There was wide speculation that the high court would strike down the law, or at least the individual mandate.  What those people didn't know was that not only was the individual mandate the part that paid for the bill but that it was the key component that will transform the health care system in the United States from one of socialism to a more democratic system.  If the mandate were struck down, it would add a huge chuck the already high budget deficit, which had been balanced when President Clinton was in office but ballooned out of control during the George W. Bush years.  This was largely because for the first time in history, Bush began a war with Iraq without paying for it.  The conflict, in the Persian Gulf arena, caused an historic spike in oil prices, which in turn put American families so far in debt that it led to mass home foreclosures.  These events also led to one of the biggest free falls of the stock market in history.


The system before Obama's landmark legislation was one in which people without health insurance could go to the emergency room and get free healthcare, then have the rest of the country pay for it.  This, of course, is classic socialism, where all pay for the needs of the few.  Every president in modern times has tried to change the system but failed.  President Theodore Roosevelt first suggested it.  But President Obama was the one who finally got it to pass.


The Supreme Court ruled that the individual mandate requiring people to have health insurance is valid as a tax, confirming what anyone who went to college already knew.  So it appears we have one party which understands the constitution and then we have the Tea Party who does not.  It was that group which hurled insults, racial slurs and swear words in support of their belief that the health care bill was unconstitutional.  They were wrong, of course, and their own Chief Justice John Roberts was the one who ruled in favor of Obama.


While the ruling will likely anger those tea partiers, it will also likely cause some to question their leaders who told them the law was unconstitutional, as well as challenge their own fundamental thinking.

In his majority opinion, Roberts wrote "In this case, however, it is reasonable to construe what Congress has done as increasing taxes on those who have a certain amount of income, but choose to go without health insurance," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. "Such legislation is within Congress's power to tax."

The decision allows the government to continue implementing the health care law, which doesn't take full effect until 2014.  The past practice of insurers denying coverage for pre-existing conditions is now no more and parents can continue to keep their children on family polices until the age of 26.  Both those laws would have been scrapped if the law would have been overturn.

Besides Chief Justice Roberts, Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagen voted to uphold the law.  

"The framers created a federal government of limited powers and assigned to this court the duty of enforcing those limits," Roberts wrote. "The court does so today."

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Democrats Favored to Take House

The latest Reuters poll of U.S. voters indicates that right now, Democrats have a shot at taking back the House of Representatives.  


The basic question has to be "Are you better off than you were two years ago?", for that was when the Republicans took control of the lower branch.  47% of respondents are saying "No!" and supporting Democrats while 44% said that they are better off than two years ago and supporting Republicans.  

Obama vs. Romney 2012 Presidential Polls

There have been seven recent presidential polls--all but one show President Obama knocking off Mitt Romney.  


IBD/CSM/TIPP did a poll over a week and found that 46% of respondents favored Obama compared to 42% for Romney.  The largest sample, Gallup's at 3,050, shows a one-point edge for Obama, 46 to 45%.  The only one of the seven that shows Romney pulling the upset is Rasmussen Tracking, which shows a 48-44 lead for Mitt, although Fox News has it a 43-43 tie.


Reuters/Ipsos has it 45-44 for Obama while CNN/Opinion Research shows a 49-46 edge for Obama at Monmouth/Survey USA/Braun has it 47-46 for Obama.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Obama Opens Up 12-Point Lead in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania, a state that CNN said was barely "Leaning Obama", supports President Barack Obama by 48-36% over Mitt Romney, the Obama-like candidate that the Republicans are poised to nominate.  Independents support Obama by a whopping 49 to 27% in the poll conducted by Franklin and Marshall College.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Walker Continues to Lead

Refresh often for updates.


With 19% of the vote now counted in the Wisconsin recall:


Walker 258,140 (60.5%)
Barrett 165,720 (39.1%)


Walker is getting more support than last election in his precincts, while Barrett is getting less.  My early take is that voters, no matter what party they are, believe that a candidate needs to break the law to be recalled.  So even though at least half of Wisconsin voters disapprove of Walker's performance, they might let him win this and then get him next time.


Also, it could signal that voters are fine with the last good jobs being shipped overseas and that no American worker should have a great job anymore.  Would be an extremely disheartening result and prospects for our kids and grandkids.

Walker Leads Early in Wisconsin Recall

Governor Scott Walker has the first lead with just one precinct in.  He captured 57% of the vote in his effort to stave off the recall.

Those in Line to Vote in Wisconsin Will Be Allowed to Vote

The policy is that if you are in line when the polls close (8 p.m. Central time), you will be allowed to vote.  So be patient and make your voice heard!

Reports of Voter Suppression by Governor Walker's Campaign in Wisconsin

We are getting reports that Governor Walker's campaign did a flood of calls today to suppress voter participation.  We are trying to ascertain the exact nature of those calls at this time.


Recall races in Governor elections are very rarely successful.


If you live in Wisconsin, today is indeed Election Day and you have until 9 p.m. Eastern Time to cast your ballot.  If you have questions about where to vote, etc., please contact the League of Women Voters.

Market Has Collapsed 1,000 Points Since Romney Clinched GOP Nomination

The reality is that since Mitt Romney clinched the GOP nomination, the Dow Jones has fallen 1,000 points.

Eyes on Wisconsin

Wisconsin used to be a reasonable state.  Not sure if the water in the Great Lakes has turned bad, but just to elect a person like Scott Walker raised eyebrows.  Then, after he tried to undo laws that were made because the workers of this country were getting killed by bosses that didn't like them, the voters of Wisconsin woke up.


A million of them signed a recall petition for Walker and today, we'll see if that is successful.  It would be sad to think that American workers have no chance to be successful through the strength of unions.  Guarantee most bosses aren't going to give you good salaries out of the goodness of their hearts. I just talked to a young guy (25 years old) who had been with his company eight years.  He was one of the only people who knew the entire operation and he excelled at what he did.  Always came to work on time, was willing to work hard and go the extra mile, but he's been passed over for promotions in favor of the boss's son and daughter-in-law.  Unions make things like nepotism impossible, for you are promoted based on your experience rather than how willing you are to "kiss up" to the boss.


Of course, non-union members can't appreciate the value of unions because they don't know it.  It would be like not knowing the value of the sun if you had never been exposed to it.  


In any case, a good deal of attention will be on Wisconsin today.

Another Feather in Obama's Cap: #2 Al Qaeda is Dead

With Bin Laden gone, the #2 Al Qaeda man has been killed, according to numerous reports.


Unlike the major news media which is misguided, his name isn't important.  He was a wierdo and just the fact that he's gone is the only news that needs to be mentioned.  But in less than four years, President Barack Obama has killed the top leads of Al Qaeda, something that President George W. Bush could not do in eight years.