Obama's Last Minute Environmental Deal that may Redeem his Lack of Action Since '08

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/opinion/sunday/friedman-this-is-a-big-deal.html

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/alila/alila0811/alila081100005/3848966-a-happy-green-car-among-others.jpg

Many of Obama's supporters were especially disappointed by his failure to do more for environmental protections as he had promised during his campaign for 2008. He went against the agenda of his own Environmental Protection Agency to set new regulations on smog levels and has generally been "disappointing" in fighting for better energy and a cleaner environment.

Just last month, however, Obama decided to stand behind Lisa Jackman, the E.P.A administrator, and Ray LaHood, the Department of Transportation Secretary, to initiate a deal with automotive companies that, "will go into effect in 2017 and require annual mileage improvements of 5 percent for cars, and a little less for light trucks and S.U.V.’s, until 2025 — when U.S. automakers will have to reach a total fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon. The current average is 27.5 m.p.g."

The deal will lower cars' emissions by raising the mileage and ultimately save consumers money on gas. Sure, the price in cars will most likely increase by an estimated $2000 on average, but consumers will be saving three times that on gas, especially if the price of oil increases. The deal gives enough time to the automakers to come up with new designs for cars and engines and it will also, likely, lead to innovation for, "power trains, aerodynamics, batteries, electric cars and steel and aluminum that will make cars lighter and safer."

It is expected that four billion barrels of oil will be saved and two billion tons of metric green-house gas prevented over the course of the program from these new vehicles. Numbers like these are definitely making up for Obama's lost work on the environment.

The deal came in to being after the supreme court ruled that carbon dioxide was a pollutant and the auto companies got on board once they saw that many states were ready to put their own regulations on car emissions in to place.

The Global Automakers trade association said the plan is a, "comprehensive and harmonized national approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy ... while providing manufacturers the needed flexibility and lead time to design and build advanced technology vehicles.” Sounds like a win-win situation for everybody right?

Of course there will always be the people who disagree, and this plan has its "haters" like any other. Critiques point to the increased cost of vehicles over the course of the program, although the seem to ignore the threefold savings in gas. The individuals who are trying to bring the plan down are mostly just scared of changing the current system which in some way benefits them. I can't think of any other explanation because, really, who WANTS to further the pollute the world when we have the option of making it cleaner??

Generally speaking, this sounds like a good plan and it probably has come at a good time for Obama's re-election (coincidence?! :)).

Cain Out of the Race - Well Sort of...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/us/politics/herman-cain-suspends-his-presidential-campaign.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=politics

Saturday, presidential hopeful Hermain Cain made an anouncement at an Atlanta rally that he would be "suspending" his campaign due to the allegations of sexual harrassment and a more recent claim that he had engaged in a 13 year affair outside of his marriage. Cains explained to supporters and the media, "As of today, with a lot of prayer and soul-searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign...because of the continued distractions, the continued hurt caused on me and my family, not because we are not fighters. Not because I’m not a fighter."

Since, however, he did not technically end his campaign, Cain is supposedly still legally able to accepts and retain funds to support what he calls his "Plan B," a tour around the country promoting his foreign policy and tax plans.

It is speculated that part of Cain's decision came out of the recognition that his numbers were slipping in polls. One recent survey showed that Gingrich was at the top with 25%, Ron Paul with 18%, Romney with 16% and Cain with only 8%. Still, as most candidates believe the voters are not set on their choices just yet, Romney saying, "I don’t think people have really settled down in a final way to decide who they’re going to support in the nomination process," it seems like the accusations Cain faced may have given the real push towards his suspension.

Cain's critics have been saying from the beginning that he wasn't serious about running for president, and instead that it was more of a way to get recognition for his books. Some of his former staff agree that Cain spent too much time on his book deals when he really should have been starting up grass-roots organizations.

It was also pointed out that Cain was not experienced enough in matters of foreign policy. One incident in particular where he was asked to critique Obama's policy for Libya highlighted that he was not prepared to answer the question and was very unsure.

In any case, his supporters were definitely disappointed by the news. One woman said, "This is not what I wanted. Not at all. I'm not sure what to do now. I'm so disappointed." Others, however, were more understanding of the circumstances. "Dean Kleckner, a former president of the Iowa Farm Bureau who gave Mr. Cain an early endorsement, said: 'I hate to say this, because he was a remarkable man in many ways, but I honestly think he did the right thing. I’m disappointed in a way, relieved in a way.'”

I have to agree with Cain's critics who believe he hasn't truly been in it for real. Hermain Cain has been all about show and even now the fact that he has "suspended" his race rather than ended it is, I believe, just a way to keep his presence alive for his book tours or whatever else he is hoping to be known for. I don't have anything against him, but I hope he stays permantly out of the race because voters don't need candidates who are more interested in promoting their financial ventures than actually becoming president.

Could Ron Paul Have a Shot in Iowa?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/ron-paul-is-for-real-in-iowa-seriously/2011/11/17/gIQAoSM7UN_blog.html

Ron Paul is that little engine that could for so many Americans, but recent polls are suggesting that he may have a feasible chance in Iowa this coming January.

His numbers are closely following those of the "top" candidates and although Romney, Cain, and Perry may not be paying that much attention, others absolutely are. “He has certainly broadened his coalition from the ‘rage against the machine’ types that primarily comprised his supporters in 2008,” said one senior Iowa Republican operative granted anonymity to speak candidly about Paul’s prospects. “The expanded coalition includes more traditional activists — as a number of GOP county chairs have endorsed his campaign, as have a handful of legislators."

It certainly must have helped that Paul spent $1.35 million on TV ads in Iowa, emphasizing that he has stuck to his ideas about "fiscal responsibility" more so than any of his opponents. One of his ads attacks his opponents lack of fiscal responsibility for instance:



In addition to his effective ads, Ron Paul has gotten personal with supporters - one poll reported that 67% of his supporters had been contacted by the Paul campaign by either e-mail, phone, door-to-door, or other means. He is growing a bigger base support by promoting his values and it also works in his favor that the fewer people are likely to show up for this caucus. “Turnout will probably be lower than in 2008 because there are not the kind of hyper-developed ground efforts like we saw in 2008, 2000, or 1996,” said Gentry Collins, a former executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa. “I think that benefits a candidate like Paul because the depth of his appeal will guarantee him a minimum number.”

All in all, there are reasons to give Paul the benefit of the doubt in Iowa, but still, many say although his support base is very loyal and growing, it is not growing at a fast enough rate to make an impact in the race.

The Rise of Gingrich

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/newt-gingrich-on-the-rise-says-hopefully-im-going-to-be-more-disciplined/2011/11/16/gIQAeSVkSN_story.html

It seems like almost all of the Republican candidates have had there moment to shine so far in the race, except Romney of course, and keeping up the trend is Newt Gingrich with a recent boost in the polls.

We thought we had lost him completely back in June, and up until recently he hasn't exactly been one of the GOP's shining stars; however, with his performance in debates Gingrich looks like he's getting his chance. As always, though, the skeptics, including some of his own long-time friends, agree that Gingrich has to stay extremely focused and disciplined and deal with media scrutiny very well in order to keep from losing this momentary leg-up. “'Newt has to remain uncommonly disciplined — totally focused, no hissy fits — and continue to be the adult that he has been during the election season so far,' said Ken Duberstein, a chief of staff in the Reagan White House and a friend of Gingrich’s for more than three decades." Another of Gingrich's former colleagues said anonymously, “The worst in Newt comes out when he is doing well.”

And Newt doesn't deny that he has a lot of work to do to ensure he doesn't make statements that come back to bite him in the you-know-what. With a past history of making comments about President Obama having a "Kenyan, anti-colonial" view of the world or at one point saying he believed in mandatory healthcare, Gingrich realises that he needs, "...to be more disciplined."

He also has vowed not to attack Romney, believing that he does not need to try and take his votes away. Gingrich wants to focus on big picture issues instead of playing dirty. That, however, does not stop others from playing dirty as he already got a taste of critisim with fliers in Iowa that served to remind the religious folk there about his three marriages. But Gingrich acknowledges that scrutiny comes with running for the presidential office and with the help of his family "coaching" him to stay "calm," he feels like he is ready to brave the storm ahead.

It will be very exciting to see if his rise in popularity will die out in the next few weeks or if we are actually starting to see the real portion of the race begin. I think between the other trailing candidates Gingrich may well have a good shot right now, how good it will be against Romney is another question, however.



Commercial Ads and How Important they are

The importance of commerical Ads in elections is huge. As the Democratic strategist explains it is one way, especially in the begining of a race, for candidates to become known and voters to familiarize themselves with them. It also, as shown in the two contrasting Ads about Bush, is a way to promote the candidate or to attack the candidate.

What Makes a Good TV Campaign Ad?

These two strategists, one Democratic and one Republican, define what it is that makes a good TV campaign Ad. They mention things like staying on subject, making the message of the advertisement clear, asking the viewers to make a choice, and presenting the message in a factual manner that reinforces credibility.

Americans For Hermain Cain

This video shows the "Americans for Hermain Cain" advertisment released after the allegations of Cain's sexual harassment. Aside from the Democratic strategist's opinion of this Ad being disgraceful and "irresponsible" on Cain's part, I thought it was a great example of what presidential advertisment campaigns do. The music is always dramatic, they highlight eye-catching and emotion-evoking words and this one used a number of sound bites from different people to create a very specific story that they aim to sell to viewers.