$152 billion boost OK'd for economy

$152 billion boost OK'd for economy

WASHINGTON - Congress gave overwhelming final approval Thursday night to legislation that would send government payments to most American households, provide mortgage relief to home buyers in high-price markets, including Silicon Valley, and grant tax incentives for business investment.

The $152 billion stimulus plan for the faltering U.S. economy now awaits a signature from President Bush. The White House said Bush would sign the bill sometime next week.

[...]

Senate Democrats had sought a considerably larger package than the one approved Thursday. It would have included an extension of unemployment insurance, billions of dollars in energy tax credits and federally backed bonds for home construction. It also would have ensured that low-income seniors, veterans and workers who earn too little to pay income tax would have received the same size check, $500, as working individuals. It would have doubled eligibility thresholds, to $150,000 for individuals and $300,000 for couples.

But when a filibuster of that plan survived by a single vote, House Democratic leaders publicly pressured their Senate colleagues to scale back their ambitions and move fast.

"There is no reason for any more delay on this," Pelosi warned Thursday in a public break with Senate colleagues. "I don't think any change in the bill is really worth the delay."

Reid had raised eyebrows last month when he promised final passage of a stimulus bill by the time Congress leaves for its Presidents' Day break Feb. 15. Lawmakers beat the deadline by a week.

"The news is, we got there. We got there in record time," McConnell said.

This article has to do with a bill that is waiting to be signed by President Bush that will be providing many American households with government payments.

Schwarzenegger lauds Romney for dropping out of race

Schwarzenegger lauds Romney for dropping out of race

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday applauded former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's decision to exit the presidential race, saying his distance behind front-runner John McCain was too enormous.

"I'm all for staying in there and fighting till the end in sports," but Romney's move will reduce divisiveness among Republicans, the governor said.

The governor spoke in Palo Alto to reporters shortly after Romney suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination this morning.

[...]

The state funds will pay nearly one-fourth of the $22.9 million cost of building 56 apartments in Palo Alto, designed for seniors earning less than $20,000 a year.

The project, by the state's largest non-profit builder, Bridge Housing of San Francisco, is part of the 12-acre redevelopment of the former Sun Microsystems property at San Antonio and Charleston

This article states the Governor of California's views on Romney dropping out of the race and how he is endorsing McCain

Bush Urges Conservatives to Rally Behind 2008 Nominee

Bush Urges Conservatives to Rally Behind 2008 Nominee

WASHINGTON — Although he did not explicitly mention Sen. John McCain, President Bush on Friday sought to unify the Republican Party behind its eventual nominee, describing the election of his successor as president as a stark ideological choice.

Mr. Bush’s remarks, delivered in an early morning speech to the Conservative Political Action Committee, presaged the role his aides said he would play all year: using the power of the presidency to shape the agenda and attack his Democratic critics.

[...]

Although he has not endorsed any Republican, Mr. Bush has made it clear that he would actively campaign for a Republican successor, though his aides said in interviews this week that the White House would defer to the eventual nominee on strategy, including when and where Mr. Bush might campaign.

The aides, though, said that speeches like Friday’s were an example of how he would be of use. A prominent booster from the party’s conservative core could help soothe some of the anger and bitterness from the right over Mr. McCain’s candidacy.

“So with confidence in our vision and faith in our values,” Mr. Bush said, “let us go forward, fight for victory and keep the White House in 2008.”

I think this was a good article because it mentions where our current President stands on the election of his successor. Whether it is agreed upon or not, he is entitled to an opinion too.

Obama campaign song a viral video hit

Obama campaign song a viral video hit

LOS ANGELES - In the long history of political campaign theme songs, there has never been one quite like "Yes We Can," starring Barack Obama and a host of A-list celebrities

For one thing, it's more than a song — it's a viral video hit with almost 1.9 million views on YouTube since being posted last Friday.

There's also the fact that the Obama campaign did not commission the song — the rapper, songwriter and producer will.i.am, frontman for the Black Eyed Peas, says he was inspired to create it while watching Obama's speech after his second-place finish to Sen. Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.

"It was as if he was talking to me," will.i.am told The Associated Press on Tuesday night as Obama and Clinton contended for the Democratic presidential nomination. "It was as if he was talking to and defending everything that made me who I am. I took that speech, and I wanted everyone else to be inspired by that speech as I was."

[...]

With the recent transformation in the way music is consumed and shared, perhaps the Obama song marks a new era for the campaign song. (Will.i.am's creation is more than a few steps ahead of the racy, half-serious "Obama Girl" video that drew millions of views last summer.)

"The Internet and technology empowers people," will.i.am said, "and the 'Yes We Can' song is proof that they don't need a big record company or a big movie company ... to go out and captivate people's attention."

I enjoyed this article because I think it is very interesting to see how people are using there resources to get their message across. This too me is a good way of using technology and is a good way to get younger votes, which is what is attracted to Obama as it is.

Obama Raises $5.8 Million on Line After Super Tuesday

Obama Raises $5.8 Million on Line After Super Tuesday

Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised almost $6 million within one day after the Feb. 5 voting contests, all of which came from online donations.

Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe said in a letter to supporters that $3 million was raised the evening after Tuesday's primaries and caucuses. A live ticker attached to his e-mail, showing donations, recorded $5.8 million as of 11:30 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. By 9:30 a.m. today, the total was $7.1 million, according to the Obama campaign Web site.

[...]

Plouffe told reporters on Tuesday that Obama's fundraising counterbalances Clinton's advantages of name recognition and political infrastructure, allowing the campaign to remain competitive and to advertise in states through April.

``We think we're going to have the money we need to wage vigorous campaigns,'' he said.

I know that to have any type of successful campaign you must have a great deal of money but I still find it ridiculous the amount of money that is spent on a single campaign alone. Again though, this is just my opinion.

In Vote, Obama Fell Short of Fervor

In Vote, Obama Fell Short of Fervor

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois made some headway in building a coalition of support among Democrats in Tuesday’s cross-country sprint of primaries.

He won the support of many white men, a group that had voted for John Edwards of North Carolina before Mr. Edwards dropped out of the race last week. Mr. Obama seems to have cut the long-established ties between black voters and the Clintons. He made slight inroads among Hispanic voters, a solid part of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s base.

[...]

But at the end of the day, the task for Mr. Obama may well transcend the demographics or voting blocs that are the brick and mortar of the traditional American campaign. As even Mrs. Clinton’s aides will acknowledge, Mr. Obama has brought a level of excitement and involvement to the campaign trail that few people involved in this contest have seen before. The question is whether he can move them one more step on the electoral process — into voting — in the dwindling number of contests that make up this campaign.

I like this article because my political party stature stays with the Democrats. Being a female I would like to see Hillary become President, I think she has a lot of experience and could be essential to us. At the same time Obama is younger, therefor his approach may be new and something that this country has not seen before. However, being that he is younger he has less experience. Either way this race to the finish is going to be very interesting.

Clinton-Obama race too close to call

Clinton-Obama race too close to call

FORMER first lady Hillary Clinton holds a narrow lead over rival Barack Obama in New Hampshire's Democratic primary but the race remains too close to call, US news networks say.

Former vice presidential nominee John Edwards seemed headed for third place in the first primary of the 2008 White House race, but media said the winner remained to be determined.

Pre-vote polls had given Senator Obama as much as a double-digit lead in New Hampshire, following his stunning success in last Thursday's Iowa caucuses.

[...]

A national poll by USA Today/Gallup said Senator Obama and Senator Clinton each drew 33 per cent support from Democrats, compared to an 18-point lead for the former first lady in mid-December, well before Senator Obama's win in Iowa.

I think this is a good article because of the facts; Clinton and Obama are so close that there really is no way of determining who will be the favorite. I think it will be an interesting process as we make our way to February 5, and see where the votes end up going.

GOP Candidates Debate in South Carolina, but Look Ahead

GOP Candidates Debate in South Carolina, but Look Ahead

Nothing on the debate stage in this first-in-the-South primary state seemed to change the dynamics of the race for the Republican presidential nomination Thursday evening.

However, that is not to say we didn't learn things about the current state of play. Arizona Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney are focused on their New Hampshire rematch coming up in Michigan. Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee are in a battle for Southern champ in South Carolina. And Rudolph Giuliani sees McCain as a potential threat.

[...]

Huckabee used what has now become a frequent retort whenever he is attacked. "If you're not catching flak, you're not over the target. I'm catching the flak, I must be over the target," Huckabee quipped.

This article is the perfect example of exactly how mean politics can get. Personally I don't think that verbally attacking another persons character is what should determine someone to be the leader of our country. True or not, the statements that were made were not exactly necessary.

Giuliani Advisers Forgo Salaries

Giuliani Advisers Forgo Salaries

Top advisers to former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani have voluntarily agreed to forgo their salaries or consultant fees, an indication that Giuliani's strategy of sitting out the early primaries is causing fundraising problems for the campaign.

[...]

And finishing fourth, as he did in New Hampshire, and sixth, as he did in Iowa, makes them even more nervous about pouring good money after bad.

Senior aides to Giuliani have said for weeks that they are comfortable with their strategy, which hinges on winning Florida and using the momentum from that victory to help win most of the 22 states which will vote a week later on Feb. 5.

Yesterday, the campaign unveiled two ads in Florida and announced a bus tour of the state that will begin on Sunday and take the former mayor to as many as five cities in the Sunshine State each day.

I don't think that Giuliani is being very smart in his strategy. Yea, he has high hopes to come ahead at the end but without giving it a full effort from the beginning
he may only be sabotaging himself in this close race we have to the Presidential election.

Kin blame Huckabee in killings

Kin blame Huckabee in killings

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says he is "heartbroken" over the pain suffered by the families of two women slain in Kansas City more than six years ago.

Authorities say Carol Shields and Sara Andrasek were killed by the same man -- Wayne DuMond, who was released from an Arkansas prison in 1999.

Their mothers say Huckabee, the Republican former governor of Arkansas, is responsible, at least in part, for DuMond's release.

[...]

He acknowledged that he considered commuting DuMond's sentence to time served and that he doubted DuMond's guilt in the 1990s. Now, he says, "given what's happened," he believes DuMond was guilty of rape and regrets DuMond's release.

Despite the parole decision in 1997, DuMond's actual release was delayed for more than two years because of an unusual condition -- DuMond would have to move to another state.

After his release in 1999, DuMond lived briefly in Arkansas before moving to Smithville, Mo., just a few weeks before Carol Shields was murdered.

I think that this story may in fact have a very large role in the decision making when it comes down to this candidate. Unfortunately politics is all about what you have done or have been accused of in the past and most people will look at this as a very negative point.

Edwards sees opportunity in Clinton-Obama spat

Edwards sees opportunity in Clinton-Obama spat

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- With Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama increasingly sniping at each other, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards sees an opening in Iowa.
Edwards, Clinton and Obama are in a statistical dead heat in the Hawkeye state, according to the latest polls, and, with a little less than one month left until the Iowa caucuses on January 3, Clinton and Obama are trading almost-daily attacks on each others character and judgment.

[...]

A poor showing in Iowa could be just as devastating. This summer Edwards was the front-runner in Iowa according to polls, and he has a pre-existing campaign structure from his 2004 bid.

While Edwards strategists argue others have been here just as much and have every bit as much at stake, the bottom line is that Edwards does don't want to be seen after the vote as the candidate who should have won.

This article shows a very strategic way of going about getting the votes in Iowa. I think its very smart on Edwards part to keep himself positive and kind of in the background. If Hillary and Obama get people so fed up with them, Edwards could very well be the next in line for their votes.

Romney's goal to calm fears in speech on his Mormon faith

Romney's goal to calm fears in speech on his Mormon faith

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney must reassure voters during a speech scheduled Thursday that his beliefs as a Mormon fit neatly with the nation's fundamental values and its demands for the chief executive in the White House.

[...]

Romney is an "optimistic presidential candidate" and "Mormonism is an optimistic religion - it believes in unlimited human progress and the potential of human beings to become divine," Schmalz said. "If Romney can use those broad themes without linking them to Mormonism, he becomes a candidate who believes in possibilities for everyone."

My views on this article are a little wavered. Personally I think that a candidate's religion should not be a factor in choosing them for a place in office. However, at the same time I can understand why some people would be upset or worried about the possibility of bringing someone from the Mormon faith into the White House. Regardless of how this speech turns out, there will be some very unhappy people.

Mass. Considers Outlawing Spanking

Mass. Considers Outlawing Spanking

A bill that would prohibit parents from spanking their children is being criticized as unnecessary and unenforceable by many Massachusetts lawmakers.

The measure - being heard Wednesday by a legislative committee - defines corporal punishment as "the willful infliction of physical pain or injurious or humiliating treatment." State legislator Jay Kaufman said he submitted the bill at the request of nurse Kathleen Wolf.

[...]

"The state has always had rights in this area" such as "child safety seats in cars," said Whitehurst. "We're not saying parents can't make choices. We're just saying let's move toward nonviolent methods."

The legislature has ended formal sessions for 2007, so the earliest the bill could be debated would be next year.

I found this article really intriguing because of the huge controversy going on with parents abusing their children. Spanking has been used as a form of punishment and a method of discipline and now there are possibilities of banning it because of some parents who go way too far and actually abuse their children.

Clinton, Obama tied; Romney ahead in Iowa poll

Clinton, Obama tied; Romney ahead in Iowa poll

In a poll conducted by Strategic Vision, Sens. Clinton and Obama are tied at 29%, while John Edwards trails at 23%. Bill Richardson comes in with 6% and Joseph Biden with 4%.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney is beating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee by just two percentage points, the poll shows. Huckabee has reportedly been getting a bounce in Iowa from evangelical Christians who are uncomfortable with Romney's Mormon faith.

[...]

Meanwhile, the Republicans are preparing to square off against one another Wednesday night in another key battleground state: Florida. At 8 p.m. Eastern, Giuliani, Romney, McCain and the others meet in St. Petersburg, Fla., in a debate hosted by CNN and YouTube. Polls show Giuliani enjoying a comfortable lead in the Sunshine State.
Florida's primaries are set for Jan. 29.

This article seemed interesting to me because of how close some of the standings are looking like they are going to be in the upcoming elections.

Students join GOP debate via YouTube

Students join GOP debate via YouTube

When eight Republican presidential candidates meet Wednesday to answer questions coming from citizen videos, the audience will include political activists, local VIPS and Ray Keller, a Nebraska teacher.

Keller, 36, got his coveted ticket to the St. Petersburg, Fla. event because executives of YouTube, co-sponsor with CNN of the debate, see him as an exemplar of what they hoped to achieve with the forum's innovative citizen-driven format.

According to Steve Grove, head of news and politics at YouTube, Keller is among scores of teachers who have encouraged students to submit questions to the candidates via the online video uploading service. The student questioners run the gamut "all the way from middle school to graduate school," Grove said. One entry is from a class of Harvard University medical students.

[...]

That's exactly what debate organizers hoped would happen when they opened the floor to citizen videos. "This is their first taste of political action," Grove said of the student questioners. "We hope it will keep them in the battle, certainly for the fall, but hopefully for the rest of their lives."

This article was very interesting for me. I think it's a great idea that kids are getting so involved in politics. I think it would be great to continue doing this.