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Friday, September 7, 2012

“I’m the president”



It struck me when President Obama said these words" I’m no longer just a candidate. I’m the president “but then after I thought about it, I realized that those words weren't meant for me; they were for those who have marginalized him in the last four years. I remembered all the fuss about him talking to our schoolchildren because some thought he was going to poison their minds. I remember when the president of the United States had to send a staffer to Hawaii to retrieve his birth certificate, so we could move away from the silliness However; I also remember watching Fox and Friends where Glenn Beck called the president a racist. It's funny how we became immune to all the insults but what struck me was giddiness because the president was unable to bring the Olympics to the United States. So is this is what the Republicans were trying to tell us when they said that the Democrats were rooting for failure in Iraq during the Bush years? This is why my Republican friends will never understand how that sign that read “Pray for Obama" was seen as just one more nail in the coffin.

I've seen way too many Obama speeches to the put a grade on last night's speech, so I'll leave it to the critics. I thought the speech was an appeal to the base with a humble plea for us to remain hopeful because, if we don't, someone else will fill in the void. I think Joe's Biden's speech, and the president's speech were well coordinated because the vice president talked of the many important decisions a president has to make. President Obama then summed it up with a quote from Abraham Lincoln when he said “I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go.” We don't have a dictatorship, but a president has to sign and make decisions on important pieces of legislation. That's what it's all about; after Congress have their say; we need to have a responsible and competent person to either veto or sign the piece of legislation that will have an impact on our lives. The president picked up where Clinton left off by saying it's still going to be a long hard struggle, but we will travel down that road together. He explained that the hope and change was us and not how his opponents and the media portrayed it. We made the changes by insisting that our representatives pass Obamacare.

I had a good laugh when the president said “
the Republicans and their nominee, Mitt Romney, want to take the nation back to the same old policies they have espoused for years, said Obama, in which tax cuts and regulation reduction are the answer to every ill.

“Have a surplus? Try a tax cut. Deficit too high? Try another,” the president said. “Feel a cold coming on? Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning!”

Didn't America's uncle, Joe Biden, give a heartfelt inspirational speech? I call him Uncle Joe because he reminds me of the family member who will slip up now and then but always has your back.

The Republicans will send out a political wonk to challenge Joe Biden in Paul Ryan. Representative Ryan will be cordial, respectful and knowledgeable, and at times he will look like he's overwhelming the vice president, but I'm not worried at all because Joe Biden has never lost an election, and he's been through this before. Biden will know every piece of legislation that Paul Ryan has voted for, or has opposed, and he will use it as leverage.

Who was that John Kerry, who spoke last night? If he used the fiery rhetoric that he used against Romney for his lack of foreign policy experience against the Swift Voters, he would've been President Kerry. I was surprised that we didn't hear from Sarah Palin last week but even more surprised by the remark she made last night in response to Kerry's speech when he said, "Folks, Sarah Palin said she could see Russia from Alaska. Mitt Romney talks like he’s only seen Russia by watching ‘Rocky IV." Sarah Palin responded by sayin“I think he diminished himself by even mentioning my name. How does he know my name?” the former Alaska governor said Thursday on Fox Business Network. “I mean, aren’t these guys supposed to be these big-wig elites who don’t waste their time on the little people like me?” Was that a reality check?

It was really strange not seeing the GOP trout out the generals and military dignitaries last week at their convention. They doubled down on that mistake when Mitt Romney did not mention Afghanistan or acknowledge the troops in his acceptance speech. The Democrats saw that opening and took full advantage. Conventions are about optics. Then again, the Romney campaign will have a hard time convincing anyone that Obama is weak on terrorism.

I'm glad the conventions are over, but I've learned a lot. I learned that I was wrong when I thought that state politics don't matter. The Democrats believe that Texas will become a swing state by 2016. They were helped out when the Feds ruled against the ruling Republican Party on redistricting and voter ID. As Democrats, we can help tremendously by voting for Rosa- Meza Harrison for U.S. Representative in the 27th Congressional District of Texas, Paul Sadler as our United States senator and Alex Hernandez Jr. for State Representative of District 30. If we don't show an interest, we can't blame the DNC for not supporting candidates in Texas. Unfortunately, our great state will give all its electoral votes to Mitt Romney, but we can make them work for it in 2016.

45 comments:

Edith Ann said...

Excellent blog, Mike!

Edith Ann said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mike said...

Thank you very much.

dale said...

Nice blog. Oh, and best of luck to some of your guys. Speaking of "Luck", all Americans are going to need a bunch of luck in the coming months. Please do not read anything into my sincere expression. At certain times in each of our lives, we all must humble ourselves to the level of Tiny Tim of the Christmas Story. Now is such a time.

Mike said...

Thank you dale
\
I don't know whether they call it luck or uninformed... I know Europe and Asian markets will have an influence on our economy but I'm in the dark on how it will turn out.

Looking at the economic data from the United States Census Bureau that shows manufactured goods are up by 2.8%, our monthly wholesale inventories are down by -0.2% so we will have an uptick but our International Trade Balance is -10.7%..... That's like Caterpillar making a front end loader but is unable to mark up the product to make a sustainable profit... If that makes any economic sense.

dale said...

Since you mentioned economic news. How about in the currency news. I would call it not so great news, you normally see it different. In a trend I have watched all year. The last couple weeks the US dollar has lost sizable ground to international currencies. This is especially so in comparison to our neighbors in Canada and Mexico. In the last 12 months the Canadian dollar has strengthened from @$1.05:$1 to now 97.6 cents to the dollar. (Meaning compared to one year ago it takes only 97.6 cent Canadian to purchase what used to cost 105 cents. Against the peso the US has slipped from $1 to the peso to now $1 to 12.98 pecos to the dollar.

According to a March Forbes article the Fed is wanting to devaluate the $US by 30% over the next 20 years (2%/yr). Given the world bond and currency fiat mess, this recent devaluation to non-Euro currencies should cause US citizens some concern.

A strong dollar does have some negative export consequences. Yet, as I interpret the recent currency flux, this devaluation has more to do with the international communities' belief in the strength in the US currency as the global reserve note. But then again, I am not a trained economist and my opinion is probably just as reliable as anyone else.

Mike said...

dale
I don't necessarily disagree with your numbers but it's like getting excited because the opposing team scored a couple runs on you in the first inning.... We're still the country other countries are investing in and eventually we will get over our hiccup....

Your'e right, we look at things differently,I pay little attention to 20 year projections; I keep mine down to six months despite what the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Forbes, Marketwatch and what economists says what.

I'm not a trained economist either but as Bill Clinton said" many people have gone broke betting against America."

Mike said...

I don't like to use a lot of cut & paste but all my other efforts have failed...I agree one economist will contradict another and yours might be right but I just want to show that I'm not trying argue for argument's sake.

"It’s well established that changes in export levels tend to be inversely related to currency value, and for a rather obvious reason: domestic goods and services are less expensive in foreign markets when the home currency’s value falls. When prices decline, consumption usually rises. But there’s no free lunch here. A weaker currency also translates into higher prices for imports. That’s a key issue for the U.S., which is dependent on crude oil imports in rather large quantities--nearly 11.4 million barrels a day in 2011.

Nonetheless, it’s narrow-minded to talk about a strong dollar and ignore the fact that U.S. exports have increased sharply in recent years, in part thanks to a weaker greenback. Four years after the Great Recession ended, American exports are up 44% through June 2012, according to Census Bureau data. In 2010, exports’ share of U.S. GDP was 13%, up from 11% the year before, the World Bank reports. Roughly 10 million full-time jobs are directly related to exports, based on 2008 data, the International Trade Administration advises, which equates with nearly 7% of total employment.

Exports, in short, are big business, and getting bigger. A recent Brookings Institution report notes:

U.S. export sales grew by more than 11 percent in 2010 in real terms, the fastest growth since 1997. In terms of job creation, the number of U.S. total export-supported jobs increased by almost 6 percent in 2010, even as the overall economy was still losing jobs.

Unsurprisingly, the data show that a weaker (stronger) dollar is linked with higher (lower) exports, as the chart below shows. It’s not a perfect relationship, but nothing ever is in macroeconomics. What the relationship implies is that a stronger dollar at some point will trim exports and, perhaps, jobs, and vice versa. Funny how that risk is never discussed by the folks who bang the table for a strong dollar."

http://www.capitalspectator.com/archives/2012/08/exports_a_stron.html


That's the economy we are in...IMO
Once we start to to recover along with our trading partners then a stronger dollar is desired to a point...Again,IMO ...:-)

Mike said...

The president got a good bump according to today's Gallup Poll
"Obama with a 52 percent approval rating, the highest approval percentage reported for Obama on the Gallup tracking poll since May 2011, just after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

The latest results represent a seven percentage point increase in Obama's approval rating, from 45 percent, from Gallup's previous three-day sample, conducted Sept. 1 to 3. Each sample is based on interviews with roughly 1,500 adults and has a margin of sampling error of +/- 3 percent.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx

dale said...

Back in the 1980's economic issues seemed simpler as Bill Woods (of the old KTRH Money Matters show) spoke in terms of wholesale pricing, manufacturer inventory, and consumer price index. One did not have to understand currency conversions by and large. The dollar value seemed to stay pretty static. Today, to me a greater understanding of economic principles is needed in order to make heads or tails of what is happening. You said yesterday you are a little more aware of the inter-relationships between local and national politics. You may now also want to start keeping your eye on the short term economic swings too. As they say the weather can change at a moments notice. Sometimes as you noted, it is not good to buy and hold all your money in Worldcom-like stuff. Even prairie dogs stick their heads outside the burrow once in a while. For prairie dogs a life void of being aware of events outside the hole can greatly shorten one’s lifespan.

Have a great weekend. And there is more to life than politics.

Mike said...

dale

The world changes and unless we move with it, we get left behind. Even if you have a greater understanding of economic principles of today, greed always finds a way of being part of the conversation...Remember it wasn't long ago that we were talking about Libor (London inter-bank offered rate) where London Bankers were exposed for interest rate manipulation, power market collusion and municipal bond bid rigging.

I'm only becoming aware of Texas politics (not local) because Rick Perry was thrown into the spotlight. A lot has happened since then to where the Democrats think that Texas could become a swing state by 2016.

Perhaps I didn't explain myself fully but at my age-- I only keep up with short- term economic swings...:-)

You're absolutely right; there's more to life than politics but for the next 60 days, 1444 hours, 86,684 minutes,(not that I'm counting) I will be focused primarily on politics and football.

Have a good weekend

dale said...

You are ok. For a leftist. :) And my plan does not include counting down the days, hours, minutes to election. Rick's retirement....maybe.

God Bless Texas and God Bless Texas A&M, Gig'em. And Beat the He-- out-ta-Florida! Whoop!

Anonymous said...

1000 new construction jobs created. A lot of shovels still on the ready notch

Dave Rowe

Mike said...

The politicos are telling us that we are down to 8 battle ground states: NV,CO,IA,OH,VA,NC,FL, and NH.

Romney and his Super PACs pulled their ads from MI and PA where Obama has a 7 point lead but they have plenty of money to come later and carpet bomb those states.

Mike said...

Oh dale ,our closing is even different .
God bless the United States of America and Go Horns but that shouldn't be too hard New Mexico is not exactly a powerhouse.

born2Bme said...

I was watching the Ed Show this evening and Ann Romney did not do herself proud. She looked a little witch-like to me, with those eyes. She is not being "allowed" to have a mind of her own and I cannot picture her as First Lady. Her comments just left me cold.
Neither Mitt, nor Ann, can answer unpracticed questions.
I cannot wait for the debates. This is going to be a bloodbath.

Mike said...

born2Bme

I think you hit on something there because that's exactly the feeling I get about Mitt Romney.
There's no question that Mitt is an intelligent, pragmatic person but the extreme right of his party have transformed him into something he's not. The same person from MIT who created Romneycare had an important role in creating Obamacare. The plans are identical but Romney has to run away from his plan which is quite popular in Massachusetts.

The pundits keep telling us that Obamacare is not polling well; I guess I'm not supposed to believe my lying eyes because every time a speaker, the vice president ,Bill Clinton and the president himself spoke of health care; the convention hall erupted with a loud approval. I saw several signs praising Obamacare and that was in the Deep South state of North Carolina. That's what keeps Republicans up at night. Once people realize that they no longer have lifetime spending caps, insurance companies will now have to use 80% of our premiums for healthcare, and women will no longer be a pre existing condition, Obamacare like Medicare and Social Security will be an entitlement worth paying for.

You're absolutely right about the debates because Romney will have to explain how a voucher system 10 years from now will make it easier for those who turn 65 at that time. He will also have to explain how President Obama's work requirements have diminished for welfare recipients.

Unknown said...

The pundits keep telling us that Obamacare is not polling well; I guess I'm not supposed to believe my lying eyes because every time a speaker, the vice president ,Bill Clinton and the president himself spoke of health care; the convention hall erupted with a loud approval. I saw several signs praising Obamacare and that was in the Deep South state of North Carolina.

Of course they did That was why the crowd was attending. A picked crowd who believed everything any Dem speaker said. Also judging by the noise the crowd made they also disaproved of any mention of God in the platform

Dave Rowe

Mike said...

I'm not in disputing that the Democratic delegates approved the messages of like minded speakers; that's to be expected. I don't think anyone can make 20,000 people or more get excited about something they don't really like... That's just an opinion and the point I was trying to make.

This was the best Democratic convention since 1992 and in my opinion; this year's surpassed that one. This convention was a diverse one which included a lot of activists. It was a microcosm of America.

The vote on removing God from the platform was made as most as a lot of the crowd was leaving and yes over half of those remaining wanted it removed from the platform.

Yesterday, I tried and tried to find the Jon Stewart comment but all I could find was the vid clip... He poked fun of those on Fox and Friends (especially Gretchen) for saying that the GOP platform had 16 references to God in their platform.... He said that he didn't think that God was that insecure that he needed to be referenced in a political platform..:-)... Much ado about nothing. The reference was put back in against the wishes of the activist... Democracy at work...lol... In fact it was put back in before the vote.

It didn't matter to me, one way or the other because I don't get my politics from the pulpit nor do I get my religion from the Democratic platform... For the umpteenth time, I keep my politics secular.

Mike said...

Paul Ryan will have to answer this debate question on Obamacare..If you want to repeal Obamacae why did you write a letter requesting funds from the program?

"First there was the news, uncovered by the Boston Globe, that Representative Paul Ryan wrote five letters requesting money from Obama’s stimulus program—the same $787 billion economic rescue package he voted against and decried as a “wasteful spending spree.”

This week, the Nation turned up more evidence that Ryan has advocated for money from government programs he opposes. The evidence was a letter, written by Ryan in December 2010, in support of a federal grant request being made by a community health center in Kenosha, Wis. The grant, called New Access Point, was part of a program that provides billions of dollars to expand and build primary care clinics in poor communities. That program is part of Obamacare, the law Paul Ryan says he wants to repeal.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-06/so-about-that-money-paul-ryan-requested-from-obamacare

Mike said...

Note: several posters are trying to get past my spam blocker using an anonymous tag but I'm the only one who can override those comments that automatically go into to my spam box. I don't mine opposing opinions but I will match IP addresses to anonymous comments and once I delete them enough times the spam blocker will catch on..:-)

About a year ago, I had the notorious troll try to hijack my blog with a lot of right wing cut & paste articles, so I set up the spam blocker where anonymous comments go to be evaluated.

It's worked since I don't have a lot of spam anymore.

It's not that difficult to get a Google account,use a screen name or real name, so I don't think I'm being unreasonable.

I encourage opposing opinions just as long as you use an identifying tag.

Mike said...

"1000 new construction jobs created. A lot of shovels still on the ready notch"
Dave Rowe


Construction jobs won't come back until the housing market comes back, but Congress left for recess without voting on the president's jobs bill which on the low end would have created 288,000 jobs in two years. A more aggressive plan like a private/public infrastructure bank can't even be discussed because of gridlock.
It is my opinion that the stimulus bill worked and kept us from going over the cliff but a lot of shovel ready jobs weren't really shovel ready as you stated.

Thanks for your comments Dave, I really appreciate them.

Have a good weekend

born2Bme said...

The Affordable Care Act is popular for those who don't watch FOX, and that covers most of the people that really need it.
It's the people who don't waste their time making their views public, so when I keep hearing that the "majority" of Americans want it repealed, I just smile to myself and think...how small-minded and egotistical can people be?
They have no idea how many people like it, and if voter suppression isn't a major issue this time, they are going find out how many people really like it and want to keep it.

Mike said...

Born I agree but I think that our party lost the messaging war and Frank Lutz and Fox News won it by calling it government run health care(it’s not) and using Sarah Palin’s comment about death panels to scare seniors.

I don't necessarily disagree with the polls because within the negative number, some are liberals who were dissatisfied because they didn't get single- payer universal health care or the public option. Those two ideas did not even get a seat at the table.

Things haven't changed much because when FDR initiated plans for Social Security; the talk radio-Fox News equivalent was Father Charles E. Coughlin and look at it now.

Then there was the Ronald Reagan ad calling Medicare socialism but look where we are now.

That's why I say the Democrats had to wait until this convention before the country saw the Democratic Party unity on healthcare. That should give some backbone to the Democrats running for office.

Mike said...

I'll have to recheck my ip address app again because it seems ol Roy Mark is back again using a yet another alias ..imagine that...he's moving around...I tell you,He has to be the world's dumbest troll because he always leaves evidence behind.

born2Bme said...

yeah, those mean old IP addresses.

born2Bme said...

Mike,

I just feel that since most of the provisions didn't go into effect right away, that people do not realize just what it is going to do for them in the future, and how it is going to be a tool to gradually nudge the healthcare costs downward.

The Democrats need to get Clinton out there to spell it out for them in a way that they will understand and quit listening to the Republicans with their scare tactics.

We both know it's not going to be perfect right away, but as everyone gets onboard, it will get better. I think there is plenty of room for minor tweaks, and that should be the driving force with the Republicans, because if it gets repealed, it's not coming back up again for years...if ever!
Republicans will never tackle anything that helps the middle and lower class because they just do not care about people that cannot be placed under their feet.

Mike said...

born2Bme

I can smell him from 100 miles away, the same message about straight line voting because they see the demographics and a lack of diversity in the party... It's going the way of the Whigs from whence they come.

The provisions had to take the steps they did because the Affordable Health Care Act knew they had to build the delivery system first (doctots, hospitals and other care takers) which is a lesson that was learned from Romneycare. Massachusetts dispersed a lot of health care cards but they didn't have an adequate delivery system, so the patients over loaded the emergency rooms.

Bill Clinton will be out on a campaign stump in places like West Virginia, Virginia, and Florida where the message has been skewed and not fully explained.. For instance, I read on another blog that one of the knocks against Obamacare is the electronic record-keeping. It's that sort of 20th century thinking that keeps us from advancing.

You're absolutely right; if President Obama gets reelected the Affordable Health Care Act is here to stay, so both parties will have to get together to make the tweaks necessary to make it work. If Mitt Romney get elected and the GOP gets 51 senators; they can repeal some important provisions through reconciliation in the senate and then send it over to the house which will likely stay in republican hands, to finish the job...That’s why electing Paul Sadler for our United States senator is of utmost importance.

born2Bme said...

And according to you, Roy Mark, anyone that doesn't see things the way you do, is stupid and causing all the troubles in America.
Maybe if you could quit trying to foist your views on everyone is such a destructive way, you wouldn't turn so many people off.

Mike said...

born2Bme

He's over 80 years old and acts like a little kid that needs to go where he's not wanted..How vain..It's Sunday afternoon and he chooses to use in a destructive troll way...If I'm reading Blogspot's way of handling spammers he's on his way of permanent deletion until he gets another set of ip addressees..It's sad for this to be the only mission in an old man's life.

I put in the complaint complete with time & ip address and let's see what happens...Every-time he logs in is just another footprint he leaves behind.

Edith Ann said...

Well, he's posting on my blog as Roy Mark!

Mike said...

EA
You are all he has left because I have deleted 21 of his comments,yet like a little toddler he keeps posting as if his message must be seen.

He's on his last throes...:-)

I knew if Mitt ever did prime time he would slip up...On Meet the Press he is NOW going to keep some parts of the Affordable Health Care Act..He must have seen the approval at the convention and then he practically threw Ryan over the bus on his budget...And then Ryan had that bewildered look as he tried to defend Romney on his Russia remarks...It was a great day.

Mike said...

Sorry that's under the bus.

BTW that's one reason to own a smart phone..You can delete pests as soon as they comment but luck for you ,you don't have any.

born2Bme said...

One more comment to Roy Mark becaused I know he is reading this.

It was you that started the demands at the VA for transparency. Well, you got your wish, so how do you like it now?

Mike said...

Born
Please don't feed the trolls...:-)

Besides the VA format is right up his alley..The man got deleted for using seven different aliases at one time just to agree with himself six times.

Just more comments I'll have to delete.

Legion said...

Sometimes a person just has to let things go. Some people don't understand that.

As one of my ex's told the other "now don't go plowing around."

My last run in on the internet, I just ignored, I haven't heard anything since from the person.

Delete and ignore, the best policy. ;)

Mike said...

Good advice Legion for 99.9% of the time and then there is that 0.01% of the time....:-)

I do agree that it works ....For those years at the VA ,I ignored a few and it worked.

born2Bme said...

Very OT here, but need some input from someone who knows Victoria.

What's the best way to get to the courthouse (downtown) from Edna?

1. Stay on the freeway until you get to 87, exit, then go to E. Juan Linn, turn left, come out at Courthouse at Main,

(or)

2. Exit on business 59, go all the way through town, to Main, turn left and go to E. Juan Linn?

(or)

3. Stay on business 59 (77) past the curve and then turn left on E. Juan Linn.

Which way has the least obstructions, such as red lights, school zones, construction, etc.?

Edith Ann said...

Born--Take Business 59 and go all the way to Main (87). Take a left and go down to the town square. You can't miss it. Take a right on Constitution and then a right on Bridge and park. You're there! If you go to Juan Linn, you have gone too far!

There is no contruction, school zones or any other obstructions!

born2Bme said...

Thanks EA

The husband has possible jury duty this month and since he will be by himself, he needs the easiest way to get there before 8 am.
I was just hoping there was a better way than possibly having to sit sit through all those red lights on business 59 at that time of the morning.

born2Bme said...

Oh, and when I do the address lookup on google, they keep putting me at the Post office, so not sure that is right.
We just never go downtown and it is totally foreign to us.

born2Bme said...

well, heck

I look at the map that the courthouse provided to us on the back, and the X is on the corner of E. Juan Linn and Main. It's nowhere near Constitution.

Are there 2 courthouses there? This says it's the Federal Courthouse at 312 South Main.

Edith Ann said...

The federal courthouse is at the post office, just past the intersection of Main and Juan Linn!

OMG! It did not click for me! I hope he got there!

dale said...

Well, old Mitt ( I'm really a Rino) Romney is helping my cause for governance gridlock. So I am confused, does Romney like ObamaCare or dislike ObamaCare? Our Republican Nominee, who received an average of 36% of the primary vote, seems to be self-destructing with his conflicting statements.

I read something about black holes (imploded stars) not long ago. These stars are so big and heavy that light is not even able to escape from them.

It seems Mr Romney is attempting to become a political black hole. These Rinos have such a powerful ego field. (I guess that happens for some folks who are just too rich for their own good sense.) For some reason a political black hole's intelligence is forced to remain it's own body. No one on the outside is able to recognize just how smart they actually are.

So Mike. Is Mr Romney for or against ObamaCare? Another thing, was “Meet the Press” just a warm up for the October debates? I really look forward to this Rino's political death implosion. So you promise, the Rs do get to keep the House? Heck, I may just start working on us getting the Senate too. I remember how good a President Mr Clinton became when the Republican’s took charge. With Romney almost out of the picture, good times are coming.

Edith Ann said...

Is Mittens going to be allowed to have Ann stand by him at the debates?