In a move that could help Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama gain inroads with white, working class voters and business people, he gained an important endorsement from Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, who has strong ties with the labor class in that state.
So far, Obama has been trailing Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, which is heavy in white, middle class citizens and Catholics, both of whom have shown her preference in recent polls. She has gained the support of Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, which has helped bolster her success in the state.
Casey’s endorsement coincides with a six day push in Pennsylvania by Obama as he tries to gather support for the upcoming April 22 primaries, where 158 delegates are at stake. This is the biggest prize left in any upcoming primary, and a key decision in the nomination process.
Casey Believes Obama can Heal America
Senator Casey, who shares Obama’s support of gun rights and opposition to abortion, has been described as a quiet and gracious man whose support is greatly appreciated, but was not fought hard to attain. Obama said he did not press hard for the Casey endorsement, but is very grateful to have it.
Casey said in a speech that he believed Obama has the necessary skills to lead America in a dangerous world, to take the nation in a new direction that will lead us back to prosperity, and to heal America’s wounds.
When asked about the Casey endorsement, the Clinton campaign expressed their gratitude for the abundance of support they have received so far from the state of Pennsylvania. Representative John Murtha and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter are among Clinton’s supporters in the state.
Leahy Calls for Clinton’s Withdraw from Campaign
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, urged Clinton to abandon her bid for the White House. In a radio interview that was broadcast earlier in the week, Leahy said he felt there was no chance of Clinton winning enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. He further stated that Casey’s endorsement only underscored the support Obama has garnered so far. Leahy upheld Clinton’s right to remain in the race, but said he felt she did not have a good reason to continue, and that the Democratic Party needed to come together in order to have a chance at defeating McCain come the November elections.
Pennsylvania is seen as a crucial state for the candidates, with elderly voters and white working class and business people opting for Clinton, while the younger voters seem to prefer Obama.
In an effort to boost support, Obama has stepped up his television campaign, and will be touring the state of Pennsylvania with Casey, who currently shows a 62 percent approval rating among Pennsylvania Democrats.
Securing the Pennsylvania nomination could prove to be a crucial turning point in the nomination process, with the decision still up for grabs as the Democratic National Convention in Denver approaches. Democrats are hoping to have a clear-cut candidate in the near future so they can begin strategizing on the November elections.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A Middle East Legacy For The Presidential Library
Southern Methodist University (SMU) is the likely site of the George Bush (43) Presidential Library. His library will reportedly be the most expensive Presidential Library ever built with an estimated construction cost of $500 million. This planned Bush Library will join the Presidential Libraries of all of our most recent Presidents. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George Bush (41), Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon now keep their papers records and archives in one.
In fact, twelve Presidential Libraries can be found across America. Some charge admission for the public to see the pictures, films, letters, and records of the former Presidents and First Ladies. Like the ancient tombs of the Pharaohs, these Presidential Libraries stand as historical monuments to former United States Presidents.
Of course the problem for many of these massive libraries is what to put in them. A huge monument to a man needs some historic achievement. It needs to show impressive domestic success or some big foreign policy or world encompassing achievement. Indeed, the Presidential Library needs policy accomplishments and real legacies to be very relevant.
It is in the last year of the second four year term in office that the sitting Commander and Chief begins to consider the use of the word "former" in relation to his Presidential terms in office. The election for the next President of the United States is well underway. The United States Congress does even less than usual awaiting the upcoming elections and new presidential leadership. In fact the term "lame duck" is often used to describe an Administration's final year in the Oval Office.
It is for all these reasons that the President turns to foreign policy during his last year to find some final relevance. Often, presidential success in the final year of the second term is found overseas not with any "lame duck" domestic agenda. In the spectrum of foreign policy, the President's attention in his last year in office ultimately turns to Israel and the Middle East. The last two Administrations have tried to become the power broker for that troubled area of the world's elusive peace event in their final year in office. Indeed, peace in the Middle East would be a lasting legacy for any United States President.
The last major peace initiative sponsored by the United States between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs was in the last year of the second term of the Presidency of William Jefferson Clinton (during 2000). Clinton tried to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. That failed brokered peace formula was an Israeli "occupied" land swap for peace arrangement . The 2000 Clinton-sponsored peace negotiation was between Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, and Yassar Arafat of the Palestinian authority.
The dubious ramifications of that last minute Clinton peace initiative are outlined in the book, "The Much Too Promised Land". The book's author and scholar, Aaron David Miller, writes about his experience as a top American negotiator in those talks which he describes as "the temptations of the ticking clock". Aaron David Miller writes: "By moving too fast and overreaching, the Clinton Administration ended up undermining the prospects of hope". History has taught us that the breakdown of that last minute peace initiative led to an escalation of violence in Israel. Indeed, eight years later, the prospects for peace in the Middle East are as elusive as ever. Of course, this foreign policy failure in his final year in office will not be highlighted in the archives in the Clinton Presidential library.
George Bush has started his final year in office in 2008 in the same manner as William Jefferson Clinton did in 2000. After seven years as President of the United States, Bush has just made his first trip to Jerusalem. Bush recently predicted that a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs" can happen" in 2008. Bush also used the word "occupied" to describe Israel's hold on the West Bank. It is obvious that the same failed diplomatic formula, an Israeli controlled land swap for the promise of peace in 2000, will be tried again in 2008.
However, the conditions for peace for Israel in the year 2008 do not exist. Today, things are far worse for Israel than in the year 2000. Iranian-sponsored terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah launch rockets into Israeli-controlled land every few days. Iran has indicated that Israel needs to be "wiped off the map". Palestinian authority President and Israel's apparent peace partner, Mahmoud Abbas, has a hold on his own position of power that is tentative at best.
It is very obvious that a Middle East Peace legacy will not appear in the archives of the Bush (43) Presidential Library. It should not be very surprising that another American administration that has governed for eight years will not be able to claim peace in the Middle East as an accomplishment. The fact is that it took United Kingdom Prime Minister, Tony Blair, ten years and thirty seven peace missions to bring peace to Northern Ireland. The problems in the Middle East involve several different countries and to achieve lasting peace is a more difficult and complex task than in Northern Ireland.
The fact is that it takes time, dedication, tedious diplomatic work, and plain luck to achieve a breakthrough on complex world problems such as peace in the Middle East. It requires a multi-year initiative and a persistence that comprises more than several months of last minute diplomatic work at the end of a President‘s time in office.
The reality is that the diplomatic breakthrough for lasting peace in Israel and the Middle East should be a focused objective throughout an entire Presidential term. Sadly, for the last two Administrations, it appears to have become nothing more than a final year initiative in search of a foreign policy legacy for the archives of a planned library.
In fact, twelve Presidential Libraries can be found across America. Some charge admission for the public to see the pictures, films, letters, and records of the former Presidents and First Ladies. Like the ancient tombs of the Pharaohs, these Presidential Libraries stand as historical monuments to former United States Presidents.
Of course the problem for many of these massive libraries is what to put in them. A huge monument to a man needs some historic achievement. It needs to show impressive domestic success or some big foreign policy or world encompassing achievement. Indeed, the Presidential Library needs policy accomplishments and real legacies to be very relevant.
It is in the last year of the second four year term in office that the sitting Commander and Chief begins to consider the use of the word "former" in relation to his Presidential terms in office. The election for the next President of the United States is well underway. The United States Congress does even less than usual awaiting the upcoming elections and new presidential leadership. In fact the term "lame duck" is often used to describe an Administration's final year in the Oval Office.
It is for all these reasons that the President turns to foreign policy during his last year to find some final relevance. Often, presidential success in the final year of the second term is found overseas not with any "lame duck" domestic agenda. In the spectrum of foreign policy, the President's attention in his last year in office ultimately turns to Israel and the Middle East. The last two Administrations have tried to become the power broker for that troubled area of the world's elusive peace event in their final year in office. Indeed, peace in the Middle East would be a lasting legacy for any United States President.
The last major peace initiative sponsored by the United States between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs was in the last year of the second term of the Presidency of William Jefferson Clinton (during 2000). Clinton tried to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. That failed brokered peace formula was an Israeli "occupied" land swap for peace arrangement . The 2000 Clinton-sponsored peace negotiation was between Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, and Yassar Arafat of the Palestinian authority.
The dubious ramifications of that last minute Clinton peace initiative are outlined in the book, "The Much Too Promised Land". The book's author and scholar, Aaron David Miller, writes about his experience as a top American negotiator in those talks which he describes as "the temptations of the ticking clock". Aaron David Miller writes: "By moving too fast and overreaching, the Clinton Administration ended up undermining the prospects of hope". History has taught us that the breakdown of that last minute peace initiative led to an escalation of violence in Israel. Indeed, eight years later, the prospects for peace in the Middle East are as elusive as ever. Of course, this foreign policy failure in his final year in office will not be highlighted in the archives in the Clinton Presidential library.
George Bush has started his final year in office in 2008 in the same manner as William Jefferson Clinton did in 2000. After seven years as President of the United States, Bush has just made his first trip to Jerusalem. Bush recently predicted that a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs" can happen" in 2008. Bush also used the word "occupied" to describe Israel's hold on the West Bank. It is obvious that the same failed diplomatic formula, an Israeli controlled land swap for the promise of peace in 2000, will be tried again in 2008.
However, the conditions for peace for Israel in the year 2008 do not exist. Today, things are far worse for Israel than in the year 2000. Iranian-sponsored terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah launch rockets into Israeli-controlled land every few days. Iran has indicated that Israel needs to be "wiped off the map". Palestinian authority President and Israel's apparent peace partner, Mahmoud Abbas, has a hold on his own position of power that is tentative at best.
It is very obvious that a Middle East Peace legacy will not appear in the archives of the Bush (43) Presidential Library. It should not be very surprising that another American administration that has governed for eight years will not be able to claim peace in the Middle East as an accomplishment. The fact is that it took United Kingdom Prime Minister, Tony Blair, ten years and thirty seven peace missions to bring peace to Northern Ireland. The problems in the Middle East involve several different countries and to achieve lasting peace is a more difficult and complex task than in Northern Ireland.
The fact is that it takes time, dedication, tedious diplomatic work, and plain luck to achieve a breakthrough on complex world problems such as peace in the Middle East. It requires a multi-year initiative and a persistence that comprises more than several months of last minute diplomatic work at the end of a President‘s time in office.
The reality is that the diplomatic breakthrough for lasting peace in Israel and the Middle East should be a focused objective throughout an entire Presidential term. Sadly, for the last two Administrations, it appears to have become nothing more than a final year initiative in search of a foreign policy legacy for the archives of a planned library.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Recession Answers
Are you concerned about inflation, a recession, or even a depression in the early 21st Century? If you are concerned about either one or the real possibility of all the economic woes that potentially face the United States you are surely not alone as more and more people find they are having real trouble paying their mortgages and putting food on the table as money dries up, home values plummet, grocery prices escalate and petroleum prices sky rocket.
America's economic picture is driving the election primaries of both parties as well as the independents. As Tip O'Neill once opined, all politics are local. If your perception is, "it's the economy stupid" you want one candidate. If housing prices are holding in your neighborhood, you want another candidate.
It was not many days ago that our collective major concern was the War in Iraq and American service members scattered around the world in harms way as Islamic Jihadists swore their destruction. If you have a son, daughter, wife, husband, mother or father on their fourth or fifth tour of duty with the United States Military in Iraq as the Tennessee Mountain Man and Computer Man do that may well remain your driving force and you probably support yet another candidate. But it appears to be more and more clear that across the board, America's primary concern in the 2008 election year rightly or wrongly is the economy.
There is a raging disagreement between those well heeled gurus in the know who live on the upper side of town about whether or not we are in a recession. Many on the Fox Business Channel seem to believe we are and that Chairman Ben Bernanke of the United States Federal Reserve Bank is behind rather than in front of the curve. Bernanke disagrees although he did seem to tell congress in middle January, 2008, that we could be in danger of sliding in that direction.
The federal government apparently agrees with the view that a recession is imminent if not in full throttle otherwise why would the captain of the ship be ordering the life rafts deployed with all haste. Both political parties are rushing to get cash back in the hands of the people hoping they will spend it on new purchases driving the economy forward.
Grand ma who was already having a problem deciding whether to buy the medicine her doctor prescribed or the food her body needed and who remembers the great depression don't have any doubts. She has seen the horse and buggy, the model T, the iron horse, the air plane, Sputnik, the man in the moon and a man on the moon and air conditioning (although she can't afford any) replace the funeral home fan along with a recession or two in her life time, and she knows a recession when it comes roaring through her family.
Since Grand ma knows little to nothing about GNP/GDP. She basis her observations on the real life of real Americans struggling to survive, not on the fancy mathematical maneuvering and stats of professors and practitioners isolated in their ivory towers or professional politicians lost in the bowels of government hidden inside the Washington Beltway.
The truth is real people are hurting. There is plenty of blame to go around and probably more than one solution to the recession issue. It is after all a complicated issue, and some business types like auto manufacturers and home builders are hurting more than others.
It does not help that we have shipped so many manufacturing jobs off shore and over taxed and imposed other burdens on businesses to the point many have been forced to either close their doors or move their operations outside the United States.
Remote Helpdesk 1 has seen many businesses come and go over the years. We have seen a recession or two ourselves, and we have learned that there are some fairly safe options for entrepreneurs during an economic turn down. In fact there are some who do much better in tough times.
Tired of punching a clock, lost your job or just want to be your own boss? In bad times there are always ways to thrive if you are perceptive and agile. Never feel that because a recession is under way that there are no opportunities for you.
You might want to consider one of these: the health industry, collections, funeral parlor, auto repair, used furniture outlet, used clothing and household items store, pawn shops also thrive in such times, tutoring, selling on an online auction, internet ad business... use the computer between your shoulders as well as the one on your desk to come up with options.
If you are already in business, this is not the time to become despondent. It is time to drive forward. You can't sit and wait for your ship to come in. There are opportunities! Increase advertising, get more personally involved in your community and your church and business and professional organizations, slash your prices to bare bones if you need to, visit current and dormant accounts and customers and make sure they know you are still around and that you appreciate them.
Remember, we have been here before. You are not going through this alone. It is cyclical, and this too shall pass. In the mean time, make up your mind to enjoy the ride. You have little choice but to take the trip so determine to arrive stronger, happier, and richer as a result of the experience that God, in His wisdom has allowed you to conquer with His provision and guidance.
America's economic picture is driving the election primaries of both parties as well as the independents. As Tip O'Neill once opined, all politics are local. If your perception is, "it's the economy stupid" you want one candidate. If housing prices are holding in your neighborhood, you want another candidate.
It was not many days ago that our collective major concern was the War in Iraq and American service members scattered around the world in harms way as Islamic Jihadists swore their destruction. If you have a son, daughter, wife, husband, mother or father on their fourth or fifth tour of duty with the United States Military in Iraq as the Tennessee Mountain Man and Computer Man do that may well remain your driving force and you probably support yet another candidate. But it appears to be more and more clear that across the board, America's primary concern in the 2008 election year rightly or wrongly is the economy.
There is a raging disagreement between those well heeled gurus in the know who live on the upper side of town about whether or not we are in a recession. Many on the Fox Business Channel seem to believe we are and that Chairman Ben Bernanke of the United States Federal Reserve Bank is behind rather than in front of the curve. Bernanke disagrees although he did seem to tell congress in middle January, 2008, that we could be in danger of sliding in that direction.
The federal government apparently agrees with the view that a recession is imminent if not in full throttle otherwise why would the captain of the ship be ordering the life rafts deployed with all haste. Both political parties are rushing to get cash back in the hands of the people hoping they will spend it on new purchases driving the economy forward.
Grand ma who was already having a problem deciding whether to buy the medicine her doctor prescribed or the food her body needed and who remembers the great depression don't have any doubts. She has seen the horse and buggy, the model T, the iron horse, the air plane, Sputnik, the man in the moon and a man on the moon and air conditioning (although she can't afford any) replace the funeral home fan along with a recession or two in her life time, and she knows a recession when it comes roaring through her family.
Since Grand ma knows little to nothing about GNP/GDP. She basis her observations on the real life of real Americans struggling to survive, not on the fancy mathematical maneuvering and stats of professors and practitioners isolated in their ivory towers or professional politicians lost in the bowels of government hidden inside the Washington Beltway.
The truth is real people are hurting. There is plenty of blame to go around and probably more than one solution to the recession issue. It is after all a complicated issue, and some business types like auto manufacturers and home builders are hurting more than others.
It does not help that we have shipped so many manufacturing jobs off shore and over taxed and imposed other burdens on businesses to the point many have been forced to either close their doors or move their operations outside the United States.
Remote Helpdesk 1 has seen many businesses come and go over the years. We have seen a recession or two ourselves, and we have learned that there are some fairly safe options for entrepreneurs during an economic turn down. In fact there are some who do much better in tough times.
Tired of punching a clock, lost your job or just want to be your own boss? In bad times there are always ways to thrive if you are perceptive and agile. Never feel that because a recession is under way that there are no opportunities for you.
You might want to consider one of these: the health industry, collections, funeral parlor, auto repair, used furniture outlet, used clothing and household items store, pawn shops also thrive in such times, tutoring, selling on an online auction, internet ad business... use the computer between your shoulders as well as the one on your desk to come up with options.
If you are already in business, this is not the time to become despondent. It is time to drive forward. You can't sit and wait for your ship to come in. There are opportunities! Increase advertising, get more personally involved in your community and your church and business and professional organizations, slash your prices to bare bones if you need to, visit current and dormant accounts and customers and make sure they know you are still around and that you appreciate them.
Remember, we have been here before. You are not going through this alone. It is cyclical, and this too shall pass. In the mean time, make up your mind to enjoy the ride. You have little choice but to take the trip so determine to arrive stronger, happier, and richer as a result of the experience that God, in His wisdom has allowed you to conquer with His provision and guidance.
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