Economic Talking Points

The Democrats want to talk about John McCain being a Bush third term, especially regarding the economy.

So let’s talk. The following is a combination of thoughts from two very smart people who I am priviledged to have share their knowledge with me. I would ask that you share it with others.

How statistics can be used to tell another story.

Democrats are being allowed to distort economic history. Recently on “Meet the Press” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said “It’s interesting, Carly [Fiorina] said “back in the boom years”, that’s when we had a Democrat president and a Democrat congress” Mrs. Fiorina let this side comment pass uncontested, too bad. The campaign should utilize favorable economic data and use it as key talking points. Just as soon as the McCain campaign can set the record straight on relative economic performance McCain will surge ahead.

From 2001-2006 with the GOP holding White House and Congress US GDP averaged 2.4% per year growth, enough to add over $3 trillion in annual economic productivity (now over $14 trillion, more than the combined GDPs of Japan, Germany, China, and the UK). By way of comparison, according to World Bank figures, the entire GDP of PR China is less than $3.3 trillion (repeatedly invoked by Dems as in “we’re borrowing x money from China to finance this war!” )

From 1995-2006 (GOP held 104th thru 109th Congresses) annual GDP growth averaged over 3% growth. The GOP inherited a 6.5% average unemployment rate for the previous two years of Clinton and Dem Congress “when we had a Democrat president and a Democrat congress” (1993-94), and left behind a 4.6% unemployment level in 2006; now last month’s numbers indicate a 5.5% unemployment rate with Dems in charge of Congress for more than a year. Prior to that the last time Dems had unfettered control Congress (1979-80) the unemployment rate averaged 6.45%

IN 2007 with Dems holding both houses of Congress economic growth averaged 2.2%, Q1 2008 data indicate the annualized rate so far this year has dropped precipitously to 1%.

Although President Bush is now being credited with our current circumstances, it might be good to note that he has been in office for seven plus years; it is only now that all our economic woes have surfaced… do you think possibly there might be something else involved?

In just one year. Remember the election in 2006?

Thought you might like to read the following:

A little over one year ago:

1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%.

Since voting in a Democratic Congress in 2006 we have seen:

1) Consumer confidence plummet;
2) The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.50 a gallon;
3) Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase);
4) American households have seen $2.3 trillion in equity value evaporate (stock and mutual fund losses);
5) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.2 trillion dollars;
6) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.

America voted for change in 2006, and we got it!

Remember it’s Congress that makes law not the President. He has to work with what’s handed to him.

A ‘liberal’ is a person who will give away everything he doesn’t own!

McCain Now is an authorized coalition member of Let’s Get This Right.

Barack Obama with his “Walk to Work and Wear a Sweater” energy policy is bad enough. Imagine the state of this nation, which still drives the global economy with a President Obama working with the Democratically controlled Congress.

$4.00 a gallon gas will seem like the good old days.

Political: Energy vote summary..

Congressman Roy Blunt put together these data to highlight the differences between House Republicans and House Democrats on energy policy:

ANWR Exploration

House Republicans: 91% Supported

House Democrats: 86% Opposed

Coal-to-Liquid

House Republicans: 97% Supported

House Democrats: 78% Opposed

Oil Shale Exploration

House Republicans: 90% Supported

House Democrats: 86% Opposed

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Exploration

House Republicans: 81% Supported

House Democrats: 83% Opposed

Refinery Increased Capacity

House Republicans: 97% Supported

House Democrats: 96% Opposed

SUMMARY

91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of American-made oil and gas.

86% of House Democrats have historically voted against increasing the production of American-made oil and gas .

It appears we have some unlikely but welcome allies in the efforts to see Senator John McCain in the White House this January. McCainNow member, Andi Card forwarded an e-mail with a link to a press release regarding a new coalition opposing Senator Obama and supporting John McCain.

“An explosion of rogue grassroots organizations coalesced literally over night to form one united Mega-Coalition, Just Say No Deal
www.justsaynodeal.com

Growing exponentially individually but infinitely together in one unifying mission, they are Obama’s worst nightmare.

The Just Say No Deal is made up of over 20 grassroots organizations and over 1 million subscribers thus far with one unifying mission: Operation Nobama.”

Some of the sites I visited today were:

Clintons4McCain.com
PumaParty.com Party Unity My Ass!
and
Swingcrats.org

I encourage all to head over. There are dozens of links at JustSayNoDeal.com and welcome them to the battle for the White House.

Of course let’s invite them over here where the on-line efforts in support of John McCain are already well in hand.

Today, John McCain Addressed The AIPAC Policy Conference Outlining His Vision For Israel’s Security And The Middle East. The United States and Israel are the most natural of allies and that alliance will stand forever. John McCain will honor America’s promise of “never again” against any enemy.

· In A World Full Of Dangers, Israel And The United States Must Always Stand Together. As the threats to Israel’s security increase, John McCain believes America’s commitment must also grow. He strongly supports the increase in military aid to Israel scheduled to begin in October, and is committed to making certain Israel maintains its qualitative military edge.

Addressing The Iranian Threat:

The Foremost Threat To Israel Is The Iranian Regime. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called Israel a “stinking corpse” and for it to be “wiped off the map.” Beyond the vile insults, the Iranian leadership acts in ways directly detrimental to the security of Israel and America.

· Iran’s Leadership Has Repeatedly Used Violence To Undermine Israel And The Middle East Peace Process. Iran sponsors both Hamas and Hezbollah. It has trained, financed, and equipped extremists in Iraq, and remains the world’s chief sponsor of terrorism.

· Iran’s Continued Pursuit Of Nuclear Weapons Poses An Unacceptable Danger That We Cannot Allow. Emboldened by nuclear weapons, Iran would feel unconstrained to sponsor terrorist attacks. Its flouting of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty would render that agreement obsolete and could induce others to join a nuclear arms race. There would be the possibility that Tehran might pass nuclear materials or weapons to terrorist networks. An Iranian nuclear bomb would pose an existential threat to Israel.

Rather Than Sitting Down Unconditionally With The Iranian President Or Supreme Leader, John McCain Will Work To Create Real-World Pressures To Peacefully But Decisively Change Iran’s Behavior. John McCain has been a leader on these issues, having coauthored the 1992 Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation Act.

· The United Nations Security Council Should Impose Progressively Tougher Political And Economic Sanctions. Should the Security Council continue to delay, the U.S. must lead like-minded countries in imposing multilateral sanctions outside the UN framework.

· John McCain Has Proposed Applying Sanctions To Restrict Iran’s Ability To Import Refined Petroleum Products. A severe limit on imports of gasoline would create immediate pressure on Iran’s leadership to change course, and to cease in the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

· We Will Encourage Those In The Region And Our European Partners To Impose Targeted Sanctions. These would include the denial of visas and freezing of assets.

· We Will Impose Financial Sanctions On The Central Bank Of Iran, Which Aids In Iran’s Terrorism And Weapons Proliferation.

· We Will Apply The Full Force Of Law To Prevent Business Dealings With Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. John McCain was pleased to join Sens. Lieberman and Kyl in backing an amendment calling for the designation of the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. Over three quarters of the Senate supported this obvious step, but not Sen. Obama.

· We Will Launch A Worldwide Divestment Campaign. As more people, businesses, pension funds, and financial institutions across the world divest from companies doing business with Iran, the radical elite who run that country will become even more unpopular than they are already.

Supporting The Peace Process:

The Palestinian People Are Badly Served With Hamas In Charge Of Gaza. This is a group that refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, to denounce violence, and to acknowledge prior peace commitments. They deliberately target Israeli civilians, spread hatred, and set back their people’s cause with every new bombing.

We Hope That The Talks Between Israel And Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Will Yield Progress Toward Peace. While encouraging this process, we must also ensure that Israelis can live in safety until there is a Palestinian leadership willing and able to deliver peace. A peace process that places faith in terrorists can never end in peace.

Strengthening Our Allies In Lebanon:

The International Community Must Support Our Allies In Lebanon. Israel’s chance for enduring peace with Lebanon depends on a Lebanese government that has a monopoly on authority within its country’s borders. We can fully empower our allies – not only with military aid but also with the resources to undermine Hezbollah’s appeal: better schools, hospitals, roads and power generation.

John McCain Will Bring More Attention To The Kidnapping Of Three Young Israelis In 2006. In the summer of 2006, Hamas and Hezbollah kidnapped three young Israelis and have held them ever since. John McCain has met with the families and will bring attention to their situation, insist that the Geneva Conventions are observed, and call for the swift release of these men.

Succeeding In Iraq:

Succeeding In Iraq Is Critical To Israeli And American Security. Our troops in Iraq have made hard-won progress under General Petraeus’ new strategy. Iraqi political leaders have moved ahead. Sectarian violence has declined. Sunnis are cooperating in the fight against al Qaeda. Shia extremist militias no longer control Basra. Al Qaeda terrorists are on the run.

· Senator Obama’s Plan To Withdraw Regardless Of The Consequences Will Surely Result In Catastrophe. If our troops are ordered to retreat, we risk all-out civil war, genocide, and a failed state in the heart of the Middle East. Allowing a potential terrorist sanctuary would profoundly affect the security of the United States, Israel, and our other friends.

By Marathon Pundit.

Earlier today I blogged about the Nevada felony arrest warrant that was issued against alleged political fixer Antoin “Tony” Rezko. This evening I’d like to flesh out the story a bit, starting with CBS 2 Chicago’s take on the news:

The warrant claims Rezko wrote $250,000 worth of bad checks at Caesar’s Palace and bounced $200,000 worth of bad checks at Bally’s, all to cover his gambling debts. The Las Vegas Sun reports he also owes $331,000 to the swank Bellagio casino resort.

CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller says “He’s not playing the quarter slots and apparently he’s not too good at what he’s been doing out there.”

Here’s a juicy golden nugget:

An interesting footnote, the allegedly rubber Rezko checks were drawn on Chicago’s Broadway Bank. At the time those checks bounced, the vice president of the bank, Alexei Giannoulias was running his ultimately successful campaign for Illinois state treasurer.

Time for some dot-connecting, albeit of the cronyism kind. Giannoulias ran against a candidate slated by the state party in the 2006 Democratic Primary treasurer’s race. Barack Obama, who once said “I don’t want to be the kingmaker,” went against his party and endorsed the then 29 year-old political novice for state treasurer. Rock-star Obama appeared in a Giannoulias television commercial, which was enough to give the banker a resounding primary victory. He defeated his Republican opponent in the general election, even though the state Democratic Party refused to endorse him.

While an officer his family-owned Broadway Bank, Giannoulias approved two multi-million dollar loans to convicted mobster Michael “Jaws” Giorango. Convicted of what? Bookmaking and running a prostitution ring.

Giannoulias has not been accused of wrongdoing in regards to his business dealings with “Jaws.” And he can hardly be blamed for Rezko’s bounced checks–other customers of the bank have written NSF checks to be sure–but it’s interesting of all the banks in Chicago, Rezko chose Broadway Bank.

And Obama chose to cross powerful Michael Madigan, Speaker of the Illinois House and Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party, by endorsing Giannoulias over the slated candidate.

Coincidences? Well, as I’ve remarked before, Chicago is the land of coincidences.

Related Marathon Pundit posts:

The Daley family, the Ayers family, and the Land of Coincidences

Obama’s state treasurer pal needs a memory upgrade

“Obama’s candidate” Giannoulias needs to explain alleged mob ties, says state house speaker

By Marathon Pundit

In his book Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama wrote eloquently about his 2004 visit, with Senator Dick Durbin, to the impoverished town of Cairo (pronounced KAY-roh) Illinois, which had a history of unhappy racial relations.

I will revisit Cairo at the tail-end of my ongoing “My Mississippi Manifest Destiny” series.

Cairo is at the far southern tip of Illinois, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers; it has been steadily losing population since the 1920s.

Obama was in Cairo for a Senate campaign appearance, and a big crowd was there, thanks to the efforts of Ed Smith, a Cairo native who was then the Midwest regional manager of the Laborers’ Union.

Obama writes in “Audacity”:

We discussed what might be done to restart the area’s economy and get more money into the schools; we heard about sons and daughters on their way to Iraq and the need to tear down an old hospital that had become a blight on downtown.

On the next page, Obama recalls a conversation two years later with Robert Stephan, one of the senator’s downstate field directors:

I mentioned to Robert the progress we’d made on tearing down the old hospital in Cairo–our office had started with the state health department and local officials–and told him about my first visit to the town.

That’s how the hospital, once known as St. Mary’s Hospital, looked a week and a half ago. It has been cleaned up, the building was an environmental hazard, and before it could be torn down, the mess had to be dealt with.

Now what? I don’t know. Homeless people were living in the building before the clean-up, and to me, it looks like the old hospital would be pretty easy for homeless people to break in move back in.

There’s talk of converting the building into a nursing home or assisted-living center, or even apartments for employees of a rumored coal-gasification plant who may be in need of housing.

Interesting. Senator Obama had a chance to advance coal-gasification in 2005, but he voted against the Clear Skies Act, which died in committee, the final vote was 9-9.

The Southern Illinoisan reported on that vote in 2005:

Obama said he could find no evidence the legislation would bring jobs. Obama was one the nine committee members who stalled the measure from moving to the senate floor.

Although Obama bragged to a Montana audience that he’s from a coal state, his stance on coal has been anything but clear.

If a coal gasification facility does come to Cairo, in my opinion, it will be in spite of Obama’s efforts, not because of them.

Meanwhile, Cairo’s old hospital, four years after he first heard about it, is still abandoned, and still has not been torn down. Across the street from the hospital is the former Community Health Services Center.

Posted by John Ruberry.

The man who built Barack Obama’s state legislative resume–which was pretty flimsy for most of his career in Springfield–State Senate President Emil Jones, finds himself in the news today–not that he wants to be in such a manner.

From CBS 2 Chicago:

Before championing a big legislative pay increase, Illinois Senate President Emil Jones provided himself with tens of thousands of dollars in interest-free loans from his campaign fund.

Under Illinois’ relatively loose campaign-finance laws, there’s nothing illegal about politicians dipping into their campaign funds that way. But it’s highly unusual.

Since 1989, the South Side Democrat has taken out $120,528 in personal loans from his political fund and repaid $96,900 of that amount — leaving nearly $25,000 unaccounted for.

Just last year, Jones withdrew $5,800 from his fund in 20 separate loans of $200 or $300 each between July and December.

For years and years, the New York Times has been a thinly veiled Democratic Party hit machine. They’re treatment of the Presumptive Republican Nominee John McCain this year has been… something less than fair and honest.

Its an open secret that the paper has been trying everything it can to smear John McCain, and now Ed Morrissey reports that they are trying to extort the McCain Campaign. The emphasis here is Mr. Morrissey’s, who deserves the credit for blowing the lid off a potentially huge story.

All of that brings us to today. It’s no secret that the McCain campaign believes the Times to be dishonest in its reporting on the candidate, and they decided not to extend an invitation to the Times for the media pool at the release of the medical records on Friday. According to my source close to the part of the campaign that deals with these issues, they have invited a variety of media outlets, including national-reach newspapers, wire services, and cable-news networks into the pool, but told the Times that they would not receive any credentials for the event.

This prompted a conversation between one Times editor and the campaign staff. Again according to the source, the editor told the campaign that the Times would take a negative view about the release of the records if an invitation was not forthcoming. It was clear that an invitation to the pool would change the nature of the coverage.

That sounds a lot like extortion, doesn’t it? Is that acceptable practice for the American mainstream media? This kind of hostility calls into question their motivation for all of their past articles and stories. Did the McCain campaign do something to annoy the editors in February and March while all of these hit pieces got trotted out?

For the record, Morrissey also posts the New York Times ethics policy. Again, Mr. Morrissey highlights the most interesting section.

A2. How We Gather the News

21. We treat news sources fairly and professionally. We do not inquire pointlessly into someone’s personal life. We do not threaten to damage uncooperative sources, nor do we promise favorable coverage in return for cooperation. We do not pay for interviews or unpublished documents: to do so would create an incentive for sources to falsify material and would cast into doubt the genuineness of much that we publish.

Follow the link to the Hot Air post where Morrissey is keeping track of a potential response from the paper. In the meantime, I suggest you all spread this story on your blogs and e-mail it to your friends. The idea that the country’s premier newspaper could be blackmailing a major Presidential candidate should be a huge story, and is our duty to spread this to as many people as possible.

Apparently it is all relative.

The cornerstone of the Einstein/Heidegger Model is that the observation of an event affects that event and thus all observations are in fact relative or subjective. Apparently Howard Dean, the DNC and James Rubin are taking “relativity” to a whole new level of meta-physics and affecting events that never actually occurred.

One cannot argue that Barack Obama didn’t say…

“I can no more disown him [Jeremiah Wright] than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother”

One CAN argue that he meant to say…

“I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother…until I think Reverend Wright is hurting my campaign and it is now politically expedient to disown him.”

One cannot argue that Barack Obama didn’t say he had

“campaigned in 57 states.”

One CAN argue that along with the 50 known states he has also campaigned while being in the additional seven states of delusion, confusion, denial, despair, ignorance, inexperience and naivete.

One cannot argue that Ahmed Yousuf, Hamas’ top political adviser in the Gaza Strip didn’t say

“We like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the elections[.]”

One CAN argue about what Obama 08 Campaign Manager, David Axelrod meant when he said he was “flattered” by the statement.

Now for all of us stupid, bitter, white people who don’t get the “relativity” reference, I will remind you of the old Honda ad where a police officer described a car theft and the thief stole a brand new Honda and left his old Honda in its place. The tag line of the ad was “You can’t make this stuff up.”

As Howard Dean might say “You can’t make this stuff up? Sure you can! YEEEAAAAAH!

Read the rest of this entry »

The video can be found here.

The ad feels like the a preview for something, and as it turns out, it probably is.

John McCain, looking through a crystal ball to 2013 and the end of a prospective first term, sees “spasmodic” but reduced violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden dead or captured and government spending curbed by his ready veto pen.

The Republican presidential contender also envisions April’s annual angst replaced by a simpler flat tax, illegal immigrants living humanely under a temporary worker program, and political partisanship stemmed by weekly news conferences and British-style question periods with joint meetings of Congress.

In a speech being delivered Thursday, McCain concedes he cannot make the changes alone, but he wants to outline a specific governing style to show the accomplishments it can achieve.

In outlining potential achievements of a first term, the 71-year-old McCain implicitly was suggesting he would seek a second term, an attempt to mute suggestions he would serve only four years after being the oldest president ever to take office for a first term.

In particular, he sees a world in which:

- “The Iraq war has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension. Violence still occurs, but it is spasmodic and much reduced.”

- The Taliban threat in Afghanistan has been greatly reduced.

- “The increase in actionable intelligence that the counterinsurgency produced led to the capture or death of Osama bin Laden, and his chief lieutenants,” McCain said. “There still has not been a major terrorist attack in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001.”

- A “League of Democracies” has supplanted a failed United Nations to apply sanctions to the Sudanese government and halt genocide in Darfur.

- The United States has had “several years of robust growth,” appropriations bills free of lawmakers’ pet projects known as “earmarks,” public education improved by charter schools, health care improved by expansion of the private market and an energy crisis stemmed through the start of construction on 20 new nuclear reactors.

- Democrats are asked to serve in his administration, he holds weekly news conferences and, like the British prime minister, answers questions publicly from lawmakers.

McCain also pledges to halt a Bush administration practice of enacting laws with accompanying signing statements that exempt the president from having to enforce parts he finds objectionable.

“I will respect the responsibilities the Constitution and the American people have granted Congress,” the senator said, “and will, as I often have in the past, work with anyone of either party to get things done for our country.”

The policy to appear in front of and answer questions from lawmakers is particularly interesting. As Ed Morrissey notes, Senator McCain excels in a townhall style format, and appearing before a joint session of Congress and answering questions from Democratic law makers will help to show the American public that he is more bipartisan than Senator Obama pretends to be.