A brand new Rasmussen poll just released this morning finds John McCain surging to a slight overall lead nationally. The Rasmussen Poll seems to reflect the growing support after some strong newspaper endorsements and that of Senator Joe lieberman. Not that long ago, the McCain effort looked all but doomed to certain failure, but the endorsements have resulted in a few voters taking a second look at McCain. McCain is highly unlikely to win in Iowa, so he must regain momentum in New Hampshire. However, this could possiby happen if this late surge continues.
Hillary Clinton continues with nearly the same level of lead that she has held for months over both Barack Obmama and John Edwards. Unless either gains a huge double momentum bounce out of both Iowa and New Hampshire, the Hillary Clinton machine will be difficult to stop towards her drive for the Democratic nomination.
Signs are that the Republican race may continue for a few weeks while Hillary Clinton may quickly be able to gain a hold on the Democratic nomination. Romney will need victories in both Iowa and New Hampshire to drive on to victory with any real momentum. And Huckabeee is unlikely to back up any possible narrow Iowa win over Romney with one in New Hampshire, suggesting that his campaign really has nowhere to go. Guiliani continues to fade as does Thompson, with both more and more unlikely to capture the GOP nomination with every new poll released.
If McCain should win the nomination and actually be elected, he'd be the oldest president ever elected. At some point this age factor could become an issue.
Senin, 31 Desember 2007
Selasa, 25 Desember 2007
"Don We Now Our Gay Apparel"----Merry Christmas From Rudolph Giuliani
(Limited use of this copyrighted image from Saturday Night Live for the one-time purpose of comedy and satire is allowed under the provisions of Fair Use)
Sabtu, 22 Desember 2007
You Might Expect 2008 To Play Out Like This...
There are some patterns to look for in the rapidly upcoming 2008 political season. Here's what is likely at this point. While Mike Huckabee has seen something of a recent surge among many of the more socially conservative voters of Iowa, the millions of dollars of Mitt Romney as well as his organizational advantage should give still give him wins in both Iowa and New Hampshire. And this is despite a small surge by John McCain due to some newspaper endorsements and that of Senator Joe Lieberman. Even if Mike Huckabee manages a narrow win in Iowa, his lack of money and organization probably gives him nowhere to go after the Iowa caucas. He is unlikely to win in New Hampshire. And unless he can hang on to the Southern primaries such as South Carolina, then his campaign probably is only a flash in the pan. Corporate America will look to see whether Mitt Romney or Rudolph Giuliani is the candidate to back, but at this point Romney looks the most likely of the two candidates to emerge after expected dual wins in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Huckabee is also started to wilt somewhat under the attacks by Romney.
With the Democrats, the smart money is still with Hillary Clinton. Her appeal to big corporate donors still gives her the big advantage over challengers Barack Obama and John Edwards.
Unfortunately American politics has become a sort of oligarchy system where competing corporate interests run their candidates to seek advantages under their government. The nation only gives the illusion of being a democracy, but instead this oligarchy system of corporate rule has become a system where competing corporate interests run candidates against one another and form a government. Of all the candidates of both parties, likely Romney and Clinton represent the most corporate of both parties and therefore have to be assumed to be the most likely ultimate winners. The most powerful of these corporate interests will eventually win. Spending enough money on enough ads will be all that is required for one of these corporate backed candidates to win the election and to form a government. Corporate America may lean Republican, but is nearly as likely to accept someone like a Clinton if it means good business or advantages.
With the Democrats, the smart money is still with Hillary Clinton. Her appeal to big corporate donors still gives her the big advantage over challengers Barack Obama and John Edwards.
Unfortunately American politics has become a sort of oligarchy system where competing corporate interests run their candidates to seek advantages under their government. The nation only gives the illusion of being a democracy, but instead this oligarchy system of corporate rule has become a system where competing corporate interests run candidates against one another and form a government. Of all the candidates of both parties, likely Romney and Clinton represent the most corporate of both parties and therefore have to be assumed to be the most likely ultimate winners. The most powerful of these corporate interests will eventually win. Spending enough money on enough ads will be all that is required for one of these corporate backed candidates to win the election and to form a government. Corporate America may lean Republican, but is nearly as likely to accept someone like a Clinton if it means good business or advantages.
Jumat, 21 Desember 2007
Extended Auto Warranty Scams: The New look in Fraud
Scammers go from one scheme to another as state attorney general's close down one type of scam. The latest scam that has been especially targeting senior citizens recently are phone calls for extended vehicle warranties. These calls appear to come from the auto manufacturer and are somewhat official sounding, usually claiming that their auto warranty is about to expire, but almost always come from some fly by night boiler room phonebank that has little real intent to actually cover any repair costs for victim of the scam.
Without any real information in their hand, victims of these scams pay for expensive warranty plans that actually cover little or nothing of the normal repairs that many car owners will experience during the life cycle of an automobile. Since these scam warranties do not originate from the manufacturer, little quality service will actually be covered as well. The reality is that victims of this scam give out sensitive credit card, bank account or social security number information over the phone to some unknown source and only open themselves up to massive fraud or theft.
Criminals always seek new ways to steal from honest folks. And senior citizens are often their most common targets. Unfortunately, law enforcement is usually involved in a game of catch-up with the latest criminal scam to rob the public and is always one step behind the thieves.
Without any real information in their hand, victims of these scams pay for expensive warranty plans that actually cover little or nothing of the normal repairs that many car owners will experience during the life cycle of an automobile. Since these scam warranties do not originate from the manufacturer, little quality service will actually be covered as well. The reality is that victims of this scam give out sensitive credit card, bank account or social security number information over the phone to some unknown source and only open themselves up to massive fraud or theft.
Criminals always seek new ways to steal from honest folks. And senior citizens are often their most common targets. Unfortunately, law enforcement is usually involved in a game of catch-up with the latest criminal scam to rob the public and is always one step behind the thieves.
Kamis, 20 Desember 2007
Claws & Nails Beginning To Turn Tide Back To Hillary And Romney
The late highwater tide that buoyed the challenger efforts of both Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama are beginning to roll back somewhat as counterattacks by both Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton are working enough to improve some of their latest poll numbers. Fresh attacks on both Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama who are both seen as somewhat unknown quantities by many voters and more generic of challengers are beginning to wilt under the fresh attacks from Romney and Clinton. Both campaigns have huge war chests, and are banking on spending millions on early victories in Iowa and New Hampshire to propel both to the their party nominations.
This was always the problem for both Huckabee and Obama. Much of their support was weak to begin with, with only a stronger core of far smaller numbers. With more information on both candidates, both would wilt somewhat under the closer examination with many of the newer convert supporters.
For Obama, his weaker record of little experience would be his most serious drawback. For Huckabee, any Christian sense of compassion that figured into his role as Governor, would be misrepresented by Romney as some sign of "liberalism" to conservative voters, despite all of Romney's own issue hypocrisy.
In the end, it may appear that whoever ends up with the nominations of both parties is whoever really wants it more. And that could be both Romney and Clinton. With early wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, both could prove unstoppable. With early losses in both states, neither is likely to get off the ground, and they both know it and are fighting with all the claws and nails to win their respective nominations.
This was always the problem for both Huckabee and Obama. Much of their support was weak to begin with, with only a stronger core of far smaller numbers. With more information on both candidates, both would wilt somewhat under the closer examination with many of the newer convert supporters.
For Obama, his weaker record of little experience would be his most serious drawback. For Huckabee, any Christian sense of compassion that figured into his role as Governor, would be misrepresented by Romney as some sign of "liberalism" to conservative voters, despite all of Romney's own issue hypocrisy.
In the end, it may appear that whoever ends up with the nominations of both parties is whoever really wants it more. And that could be both Romney and Clinton. With early wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, both could prove unstoppable. With early losses in both states, neither is likely to get off the ground, and they both know it and are fighting with all the claws and nails to win their respective nominations.
Rabu, 12 Desember 2007
I'll Take Heart Trouble For A Hundred, Alex
Unfortunately, popular long time JEOPARDY host, Alex Trebek, 67, has suffered a mild heart attack and is now in the hospital, but is expected to be just fine. We all wish him the very best and a speedy recovery. It may be some time before he can return to work, though.
I've had my own serious past problems with painful angina, and the past medical help I received and heart medications including nitroglycerine tablets and the eventual all vegan diet and use of grape juice helped to reverse most of the problems I've had. Heart trouble is no fun. And I even had severe problems being able to swallow solid food for six months, which the nitrglycerine also helped as well. So I offer Alex Trebek my best wishes. My heart trouble was serious enough that it could have been fatal without the medical help I received at the time. Even one small pat of butter would result in serious chest pains and heart problems at the worst point of these problems. The vegan diet was the most important improvement in the condition for me.
I've had my own serious past problems with painful angina, and the past medical help I received and heart medications including nitroglycerine tablets and the eventual all vegan diet and use of grape juice helped to reverse most of the problems I've had. Heart trouble is no fun. And I even had severe problems being able to swallow solid food for six months, which the nitrglycerine also helped as well. So I offer Alex Trebek my best wishes. My heart trouble was serious enough that it could have been fatal without the medical help I received at the time. Even one small pat of butter would result in serious chest pains and heart problems at the worst point of these problems. The vegan diet was the most important improvement in the condition for me.
Hucksters For Huckabee: Border Fence Scam Artists Embrace Huckabee
Yesterday, Mike Huckabee accepted the support of the Minuteman organization border fence scam artists who raised millions of dollars for a border fence project that they never intended to build in the first place. The Minutemen used examples of the "security fence" built in Israel with dual layers of fence as well as camera security as an illustration of what the border fence along the U.S./Mexico border would look like and made an appeal across America for millions of dollars in donations for the border fence fund. One wealthy farmer donated $150,000 to the border fence fund.
The problem was that the Minuteman organization knew full well that they never had the permission to build any border security fence across hundreds of miles of aatchwork of both public and private land along the U.S./ Mexico border. And there isn't even any good proof that the leadership of the Minuteman organization even attempted to ask for permission from the federal government, state governments, local or county governments, or private landowners for the fence project in all but two examples either. So far for the millions of dollars raised for the border security fence fund, only a few cows were penned in on one farmer's land, and a few inexpensive wood fence posts were put into the ground on another small piece of private land. At most these two projects cost no more than a few thousand dollars, nothing near the millions of dollars raised by the Minutemen for the border fence project that they never honestly intended to build in the first place.
Mike Huckabee is a former staffer to a televangelist. Many of these televangelists are experts at raising millions of dollars for projects, of which very little of the money actually goes to the claimed project, and much ends up in personal fund use or other projects totally unrelated to claimed fundraiser project. As Governor, Huckabee used the Governor's Mansion Fund to purchase clothes for his wife. And now Huckabee embraces the Minuteman organization which scammed millions of dollars for a border fence project that they never intended to build in the first place. It seems like you can take Mike Huckabee out of the televangelist ministry, but you can't take the televangelist values out of Mike Huckabee.
The problem was that the Minuteman organization knew full well that they never had the permission to build any border security fence across hundreds of miles of aatchwork of both public and private land along the U.S./ Mexico border. And there isn't even any good proof that the leadership of the Minuteman organization even attempted to ask for permission from the federal government, state governments, local or county governments, or private landowners for the fence project in all but two examples either. So far for the millions of dollars raised for the border security fence fund, only a few cows were penned in on one farmer's land, and a few inexpensive wood fence posts were put into the ground on another small piece of private land. At most these two projects cost no more than a few thousand dollars, nothing near the millions of dollars raised by the Minutemen for the border fence project that they never honestly intended to build in the first place.
Mike Huckabee is a former staffer to a televangelist. Many of these televangelists are experts at raising millions of dollars for projects, of which very little of the money actually goes to the claimed project, and much ends up in personal fund use or other projects totally unrelated to claimed fundraiser project. As Governor, Huckabee used the Governor's Mansion Fund to purchase clothes for his wife. And now Huckabee embraces the Minuteman organization which scammed millions of dollars for a border fence project that they never intended to build in the first place. It seems like you can take Mike Huckabee out of the televangelist ministry, but you can't take the televangelist values out of Mike Huckabee.
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