Video blog 4

Showdown for the Swing State Senators

With the election nine days away each candidates needs the majority of the swing states to win the election. Four senators of those eight toss-up states debated what needs to happen in this election and which candidate has it right, on “Fox News Sunday.” Sen. Mark Udall, Sen. Mark Warner , Sen. Ron Johnson and Sen. Rob Portman all joined the show from across the country. Talks began with how each campaign is working to get voters to the polls. Many states are already open for early voting, so it all comes down to which party can get the most people out early, or on November 6th. Sen. Udall stressed the importance of early voting, especially in his state of Colorado where he says that about 80% of ballots will be cast before election day. The conversation between the four senators moved to the economy, where Sen. Warner said to, “look at where we are and where we’ve come from,” and that compared to the rest of the world, “we are the shining spot,” said Sen. Warner. Chris discussed whether or not women’s issues would play a role in the election, however, Sen. Johnson did not think it would, at least for his state.The discussion continued between the senators and Chris until they got to the Benghazi issue and the handling of the attack. 

Saturday Night Live - Cold Opening: Vice Presidential Debate

Saturday Night Live - Cold Opening: Vice Presidential Debate

 Saturday Night Live cold open was about the first  Vice Presidential Debate at Centre College.Kate McKinnon as Martha Raddatz began by making  fun of the Debate’s struggle for relevance ., “Before we begin, a reminder that your performance tonight is extremely unlikely to affect the outcome of the election. So just have fun with it.” Taran Killam as Congressman Ryan barely got out a thanks to Centre College for hosting the Debate before Jason Sudeikis as Biden launched into “here we go"  Because Biden frequently interrupted Ryan during the actual debate.The sketch broadly hit the obvious things that people noticed  Paul Ryan’s habit of drinking water continuously during the Debate, a Catholic-off on the topic of abortion; and moderator Martha Raddatz’s refusal to give the candidates more time like the previous moderator in the first Presidential Debate . Biden had an uphill battle coming off more over the top than the vice president himself, announcing “There’s gym-strong, and there’s old-man strong.”On economic policy, McKinnon as Raddataz presses,”Can you please be more specific?”  Killam as Ryan responds, “No, but let me say it again, with hand gestures.” This debate in my opinion was the most humorous out of all the debates and even though it was a bit exaggerated a  they did a good reenactment of the Vice Presidential debate.

Video blog 2

Mitt Romney - Meet the Press (Full Interview) 09/09/12

Barack Obama was  interviewed by Diana Sawyer. In the interview he explains that he will become president again. President Obama states that Mitt Romney's reasoning for not having abortion on his agenda his to try to change Obama's viewpoint on the touchy subject. Obama says he had a "bad night" in last week's debate with Romney but says the fundamentals of the election did not change.Obama offered his critique of Romney and his reassurance about the election in an interview with ABC News.Romney told The Des Moines Register that he would not pursue abortion-related legislation if elected president Obama says Romney's answer was an example of Romney, in Obama's words, "hiding positions he's been campaigning on for a year and a half."
The president adds that Romney believes it is appropriate for politicians to inject themselves into women's health care decisions.

Video 1

Libya: Issa on Face the Nation

On October 14, 2012 on an episode of face the nation Representative Issa confirmed there was a terrorist attack on Libya. The House Oversight Committee convened on October 10, 2012 for a hearing in Washington on the security failures that preceded the deadly Benghazi attack which left several dead including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.He talked about the security in the Middle East are at risk if no one is listening to them and give them the money that is needed to protect soldiers in Benghazi. However, he and other republicans allegedly cut budgets of over 1 billion dollars making it impossible for the U.S. embassy to do so. He wants to go around country to country in the middle east to figure out what they need in order to be secure and if reason are legit congress will give them sufficient money they need. 

Nov 2 Article 16

Mitt Romney is criticized by gay-rights groups for blocking routine birth certificate approvals for same-sex parents

By: Murray Waas

Thursday, October 25, 2012

The president of the nation’s largest gay-rights advocacy group criticized Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney Thursday after the Globe reported how, as governor of Massachusetts, he blocked routine recording of births to same-sex parents.

"Mitt Romney has stood before the American people multiple times and said he does not support discrimination against LGBT people – and that is an outright lie,” said Chad Griffin, the president of Human Rights Campaign, a civil-rights group headquartered in Washington." Griffin goes on to explain that Romney has denied birth certificates of those a part of the LGBT.  It has also been said that Romney's own Department of Public Health has rewritten statutes regarding birth certificates of individuals who have same-sex parents as "  ''father’’ and write in ''second parent’’ on birth certificates, in pen." The Department wanted to label the document as "father or second parent" but Romney refused this change. 

"The Family Equality Council, another national rights group, also condemned Romney’s actions. “We don’t advocate for candidates. We advocate for families, and we’ve long known of the difficulties that parents who are LGBT had under Governor Romney’s leadership,” said the group’s executive director." 

Romney is not favored by the LGBT community because of his oppoition toward the organization. This can and will potentially effect him because he is losing votes from a popular community because of his strong views. 

http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/10/25/mitt-romney-criticized-gay-rights-groups-for-blocking-routine-birth-certificate-approvals-for-same-sex-parents/7IR2ZTptBmEDVN6CZ7EUJK/story.html

Article 15 Nov 2

Romney highlights bipartisanship in closing appeal to voters

By Seema Mehta

November 1, 2012

Brief Summary : Mitt Romney turned to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Thursday and asked when he had last sat down with President Obama to discuss jobs, the economy or the budget. When the Virginia congressman replied that it had been nearly a year, Romney seized upon the point to argue how he would govern differently if elected president.

Romney has been campaigning as the election is quickly approaches. He has been addressing bipartisan collaboration. He says this will steer toward a more balanced budget and efficient government. Romney highlighted that a fault in Obama's presidency is that he hasn't taken time to meet wit Republicans which is why Washington is dysfunctional. Romney expresses however, that he will speak with good democrats when (if) he takes office. "Mr. President, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago, and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting America," Romney said in Chillicothe, Ohio, in August."

Romney and his campaign keep stating their plan of what Romney will get accomplished on Day 1 of his presidency. But what I dont think he realizes is that "Rome was not built in  a day." Romney thinks everything is so easy and he gives Obama no credit on what he's achieved in his first term of presidency. Yet he thinks that he'll be able to achieve so much in one day. Based on Romney's previous statements, biases, and uncertain positions on certain topics I do not believe he is capable of becoming president. How can we trust someone who does not seem to trust in himself? It is not fair for Americans to be left unsure whether or not their leader will help or hurt the nation.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-romney-bipartisanship-virginia-campaign-cantor-

10/26/12 article 14

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Saturday, September 22, 2012
By Nedra Pickler & Mark S. Smith
PG. A3

Topic: Obama, at rally in VA., hits Romney remarks

Brief Summary: Obama explains at a rally in VA that "you can't change Washington from the inside." Referring to a video released this past week of Romney who spoke of the 47% of American citizens who do not pay taxes on their income. a quote from Romney in the video was "my job is not to worry about those people."

  A major issue that is addressed in the article is the topic of Medicare and how Paul Ryan advised a group of senior citizens at an AARP convention that he and Mitt Romney were planning to repeal Obama's Healthcare Program.This will dramatically effect American citizens who wish to receive Medicare because they will be unable to affords it as it is said that health costs' will increase $6,400 a year. And Obama responded to that by saying "... only the healthiest would benefit from buying private insurance.

 As Obama put it , Romney & Ryan would turn Medicare into a voucher program which would increase the cost of healthcare . This information is useful because when referring to health, which is an essential aspect to every American's life, there should not be an outrageous price for caring for one's self. In perspective it could significantly change one's view of the candidate because it directly affects them or someone they may know.

  The position taken by the author seems to be one who is on Obama's side because the article reflects upon the negative changes that will be made to society if Romney & Ryan are elected. As well as the blatancy of the fact that Romney made such a nonsensical statement referencing the 47% of Americans who don't pay income taxes.This article impacts the political campaign today for both parties because many Americans believe heathcare and health insurance should be affordable

10/26/12 Article 13

After sluggish presidential debate, a more combative Obama appears at Denver rally

The Washington Post

Thursday, October 4, 2012

By: David Nakamura

Brief Summary : A day after his subdued debate performance, President Obama delivered a feistier critique of Republican nominee Mitt Romney, telling 12,000 supporters on Thursday that his rival had misrepresented his positions because “he does not want to be held accountable.”


President Obama explained to the American people that the character Romney was trying to portray on stage during the debate was not his true self. He twisted many of his previous statements "because the real Mitt Romney has been running around the country all year promising $5 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthy, but the fellow onstage last night did not know anything about that. The real Mitt Romney said we do not need any more teachers in the classroom, but the fellow onstage said he loves teachers, can’t get enough of them.” Obama believes Mitt Romney purposely mislead the American to believe false statements because the ones he could not back up his previous ones. 

Many believe Obama could have been much more aggressive during the debate and 
challenged Romney's statements. However, Obama did just the opposite which confused and disappointed many Democrats and excited the Republicans who were overly pleased with Romney's performance. Obama aides have commented on this saying that they agree that Obama's performance was a little lacking but it'll sharpen for the next debate. Although, Romney may have one last night he will NOT win the presidential election.

To conclude the campaign event Obama expressed that Mitt Romney is not a suitable candidate if he cannot tell America the truth. 

10/21/12 Article 12

Mitt’s a ‘middle’ man by praising Obama policies

Author: By CHUCK BENNETT

Date Posted : 6:28 AM, September 10, 2012

Topic:  Mitt’s moving to the middle

Brief Summary : Mitt Romney admitted that if he was elected president he'd repeal ObamaCare, however he also stated that he does agree with some things in ObamaCare (health-care reform). “One is to make sure that those with pre-existing conditions can get coverage. Two is to assure that the marketplace allows for individuals to have policies that cover their family up to whatever age they might like.”

Mitt’s moving to the middle. In a nod to undecided voters, Mitt Romney dished out praise yesterday not only to former President Bill Clinton, but to President Obama.Romney said Obama “deserves credit for giving the order for the SEAL Team Six to go after bin Laden and take him out. That’s absolutely right.” But he criticized the president for not acting more forcefully to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.He praised Clinton for urging more bipartisanship in his speech last week. 

“I think he, Clinton, really did elevate the Democratic convention in a lot of ways,” Romney said. He then hinted that Clinton’s performance may have overshadowed Obama’s.Romney also tried to soften his opposition to the auto bailout, which had angered many in the swing state of Michigan, by saying he had called only for General Motors to declare bankruptcy.Romney’s plan allows insurers to deny coverage to previously uninsured people. Romney's promises are a cynical attempt to mislead the American people on the devastating impact his policies would actually have. I learned that although Obama is Mitt Romney's opponent he still agrees with some of Obama's policies.And quoted "“Of course, there are number of things that I like in health-care reform that I’m going to put in place." In doing so it has been said that he is more in the middle rather than the conservatory side.

This information can be beneficial to me because it allows me to stay in tact with current events especially those regarding the upcoming political election. I am now informed that Mitt Romney and Obama's opinions regarding healthcare are somewhat similar when it comes to people with pr-existing conditions continue to receive healthcare coverage. The author of the article seems to disagree with Mitt Romney and his two-sided opinions. This is evident because the author includes several other sources in which other spokes people quoted Romney. They also analyze his quotes and interpret them with negative opposition.  This article is significant and could heavily impact the political arena today because it clearly exhibits Mitt Romney's inability to form an opinion and stick with it. It seems as if he may initially make an opinion regarding a particular topic, and then change it as soon as he is questioned about it. This could negatively impact the election for him because no one -republican or democrat- would want to elect an individual who is inadequate when it comes to making decisions. 

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/mitt_middle_man_X4W3q9L62PVgnMiz7Sv96I#ixzz26kfB49ni

10/21/22 Article 11

Obama mocks Romneys 'binders' comment at post-debate rally

By: Ali Weinberg

October 17. 2012

MOUNT VERNON, IA -- President Barack Obama seized on Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s rhetoric and record on Wednesday with the same aggression he displayed during his second face-to-face meeting with Romney at last night's town hall debate.
President Obama referenced Mitt Romney's statement about having "binders full of women" who have the skills and assets in today's economy to qualify for jobs. Obama responded to this comment in a rally today in Iowa saying "I've gotta tell you, we don’t have to collect a bunch of binders to find qualified, talented, terrific young women ready to work and teach in these fields right now!” The crowd cheered and applauded as if agreeing with this statement. 
Many have said Obama's performance last night was strong , however it was if he delivered these strengths a day late compared to his first debate performance. Obama also pointed out during the rally that Mitt Romney's so called 5-point plan is really a "one-point plan" because he pointed out that he has given the American people no specifics as to how this plan will work and what actions will be put into place to achieve this goal. 
The author of this article seems to be in favor of Romney because the title itself reveals that his/her perception of Obama's statement was 'mockery' which is denoted as a negative thing. He then presumes to conclude statements about how "Obama still played down his own performance, telling the crowd that he’s “still trying to figure out how to get the hang of this thing, debating it.” This is an obvious indication that the author favors Mitt Romney. And to conclude the article the author finishes off stating ""President Obama has no new ideas, no vision for the future, and is simply giving up. The choice in this election couldn't be clearer. Mitt Romney has bold new ideas that will cut taxes for middle-class families, create 12 million new jobs with higher take-home pay, and cut spending to put our nation on a course toward a balanced budget,” spokesman Ryan Williams said in a statement. The author felt obligated to add this in simply because he/she agrees with this particular spokesperson. 

Article 10 10/12/12

10/11/12
By: Devin Dwyer

Topic: President Obama Vows 'Determined' Performance at Second Debate

Brief Summary: President Obama on Wednesday said in an exclusive interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer that he plans to more aggressively confront Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in their second debate next week, trying to allay concerns among supporters that a lackluster first debate performance may have cost him the race.

President Obama admitted an interview with Dianna Sawyer that last Wednesday during the first debate he'd had a bad night and Romney had a good night. When asked if Obama's defeat in the first election would affect his election in the presidency he firmly replied no and reassured the American people that this was only the beginning. There are four weeks to go and he wants the voters to stay tuned for next week's debate. 

"Obama claimed his (Mitt Romney) "consistency" on the issues, including abortion rights, is one of the top selling points of his campaign. "People will know where I stand, what I believe, what I'm fighting for," he said. "And that's part of leadership."

This information is relevant to the political arena today because it shows that Obama is confident that he will win even though he didn't put on a strong performance yesterday. He wants America to know that he cares and that he'll be consistent with his words unlike Romney.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obama-vows-determined-performance-debate/story?id=17442090

10/12/12 article 9

After Fiery Florida Rally, Obama Focuses on Debate Work

By HELENE COOPER and TRIP GABRIEL

Published: October 11, 2012

Brief Summary : After Obama Lackluster performance in the first presidential debate. He advisers are sending him to a study hall in VA instead of traveling the country to get votes.

The problem here is that Obama needs to be able to persuade his voters, and get the ones he probably lost in the last debate back. If not Romney will easily take advantages of the debates and this will be a great advantage to him to win the elections.

The problem that is addressed is that Obama needs to do well on the next two debates or he may blow his chances of winning the election . Romney proved to be the victor in the first debate so now he has to really focus on the debates more than going to small states to persuade more voters. However, after the debate in a speech at the University of Miami’s basketball arena, the president delivered , derisive attack on Mr. Romney’s move to the center. He sounded more effective and confident , which was something that he didn't show in the first debate when Romney was actually in front of him. I learned that candidate in the election has there own advisers who tell them what to talk about and strategies to use to be successful during the election.  The author took position of Obama in this article because most of the Article was about him and his attitude in the debate and then attitude in speeches  after the debate. The impact this article has on the political arena is that if Obama doesn't succeed on the next two debates he might have huge difficulties winning the election. Also swing states and undecided voters might change their opinions for Obama vote for Romney instead.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/us/politics/obama-fires-up-a-rally-in-florida.html?hp&_r=0

Article 8 10/5/12

Will candidates let returning troops fall off the fiscal cliff?

By Ron A. Astor, Special to CNN

updated 5:03 PM EDT, Wed October 3, 2012

Brief Summary : With the presidential race heading into its final stretch, both candidates vow to protect the sacred promises made to military families. But neither is offering any details on how they might support military families if we hit a fiscal cliff with budget cuts that could wipe out services for military and veterans' families.


The problem here is that no candidate is actually making a plan to integrate military family members into civilians. Many troops are having struggling to see where their future will take them because of deployment . Republicans and Democrats are saying they will do something about it but aren't really explaining how and they are not making any actions to resolve the issue yet.  After more than 10 years of war in Iraq and men and women in uniform continuing to die in Afghanistan, this silence on a national plan or funding for services only increases the stress and uncertainty that military families feel every day.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/03/opinion/astor-vets-candidates/index.html

Article 7 10/5/12

Romney was hungry, Obama was flat

By David Gergen, CNN Senior Political Analyst

updated 7:59 AM EDT, Thu October 4, 2012

Brief Summary : Before the first presidential debate, voters were telling CNN by nearly a 2-1 margin that they expected an Obama victory. Many commentators were ready to hold a coronation for the president. Now, by more than a 2-1 margin, voters who watched the debate are saying that Mitt Romney won it -- and we have a horse race on our hands



Many people believed Obama would have won the first debate in the 2012 elections. However, they were disappointed when the President didn't live up  to his expectations last night . This might effect public policy because this might give Romney the upper hand in the election. He  looked the President right in the eyes and said everything he had to say with confidence, unlike Obama who had his head down majority of the time and looked annoyed. I learned you have to be extremely careful of your body language and how you say and approach things. The debates can determine who will be win the election I can use this information to understand the tactics used to make voters confident in them and to make the believe what they are saying. The position of the article took the side of Romney because obviously Romney won the debate last night, and Romney really took control of the debate , came straight on with his points, and stood his ground. While Obama was pelted by the insults and disagreements of his ideas. The impact this article can have on the political arena today is that if Obama doesn't get his self together in the next two debates and in my opinion be more aggressive, Romney may sweep the floors in the debate and have the upper hand in the election. 


http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/opinion/gergen-debate-upset/index.html?hpt=po_c2

Article 6 9/28/12

Under fire on immigration, Romney vows 'reasonable solution'

By Tom Cohen, CNN

September 20, 2012 -- Updated 0243 GMT (1043 HKT)

Brief Summary : Mitt Romney told Latino business leaders this week in Los Angeles that he is convinced the Republican Party is the rightful home of Hispanic Americans. Unable to close ground on President Barack Obama in the polls, the GOP challenger seeks to woo Hispanic American voters but finds himself hindered by the conservative stance he took on immigration policy in order to win the Republican primary campaign.

The Problem here is that Mitt Romney is trying to get more votes from the Hispanic , but because he  Wants to veto the DREAM act he is going to have problems doing so , unless he finds another solution and clarify his plans on what he is going to do about deportation and immigration .  Obama right now has the lead in Hispanic votes Romney has struggled to explain his stance on the issue because of the difference between what his party base demands and what most Hispanic Americans want to hear . I got a better understanding on the DREAM Act and how it is helping Young Hispanic people who were born or brought over to the United States from being deported and gives them a good education and a better life . Also I learned that a lot of people are against it because it is protecting Hispanic gangsters and criminals from being deported. I can use this information to predict the outcome Hispanic voters will have coming election day, how effective their votes will be. This article has an impact on the political arena today because Hispanic  voters can also influence the election results in 'nontraditional' states like North Carolina, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia. Hispanic voters are a diverse group and a crucial electorate that will determine the next president of the United States. Therefore in order to have a better chance at winning the election Romney needs to get their votes. 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/19/politics/romney-univision-forum/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

Article 5 9/28/12

Obama above 50% in some battleground polls

By Paul Steinhauser, CNN Political Editor

updated 1:06 PM EDT, Wed September 26, 2012

Brief Summary :New polls in three swing states indicate President Barack Obama exceeding 50% support among likely voters and holding leads of nine to 12 points over Republican nominee Mitt Romney.Fueling those numbers, the four polls suggest that Romney has lost this edge on the economy, an issue on which the challenger has based his campaign.

While Romney's distractions last week over his controversial remark about Obama supporters might influence these polls, the economy appears to be a key to the Democrat's increasing advantage.The economy remains the top issue for Americans when it comes to their vote for president  and voters just do not think Romney will be good enough fix it. As a result, Obama throughout the campaign is presumed the more favorable candidate and he is currently leading the majority of the states  polls  . I learned of the importance the economy means to voters and how Americans care bout this topic more than anything. The author takes to The Democrats and Obama position because, they are talking about the difficultly Romney is having after his remarks about Americans and how citizens don't think he is capable of building a better economy , even though he claims he isn't worried about it . He also talks about the strengths of Democrats and why they leading in polls .  The three presidential showdowns are Romney's best chance to try and change the numbers but early voting is already about to happen in a handful of states making it harder to pursue voters. 


http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/26/politics/battleground-polls/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Article 4

Romney paid 14% effective tax rate in 2011

By Jeanne Sahadi @CNNMoney September 21, 2012: 7:08 PM ET



Brief Summary: Romney took $4.7 million in itemized deductions and $102,790 in foreign tax credits, which likely represents taxes paid on foreign investments to other sovereign governments.

Romney and his wife, Ann, gave just over $4 million to charity, the campaign said. The amount includes more than $1 million in cash to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and more than $200,000 to the Tyler Foundation, which serves families of children undergoing treatment for epilepsy. They also reported more than $900,000 in noncash contributions.

But the couple chose to deduct only $2.25 million of their charitable contributions. The reason was "to conform" to Romney's that he never paid less than 13% in income taxes over the past 10 years, Brad Malt, a lawyer who presides over the Romneys' blind trust, said in a statement.

Article 3

In Ryan Country, Obama Keeps Up Attack Over ‘47 Percent’ Remarks

By MARK LANDLER

Published: September 22, 2012

Brief Summary :  President Obama and campaign leaders say it will be harder this election to win the state of Wisconsin , which use to be a safe state to him in the 2008 election. His opponent's representative Paul D. Ryan may have the advantage over Obama since it is his home state.

The problem here, is that even though in last election Wisconsin was considered a safe state to Obama, his chances of actually wining the state may be slim since it became a strong Republican State with Republican Representative Paul Ryan living there. Because of this Romney might have a better chance to win this state votes and Obama is going to have more difficulty to regain it. I learned that even if a candidate has won a state during a previous election doesn't mean they will automatically win it again in a next election. Also i got a better understanding about safe states. I can use this information to figure out what other states are safe and swing states and what techniques are used to get votes from them. I think the author took the position of Mitt Romney and the Republican side because he was basically saying that Romney had a better chance over Obama with the state since it is mostly Republican and he seemed pretty confident about this prediction. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/us/politics/in-ryans-wisconsin-obama-again-attacks-47-percent-remarks.html?ref=politics&_r=moc.semityn.www