The second presidential debate on Tuesday gave the viewers and particularly undecided voters a chance to engage with the candidates. It also gave President Obama and Mitt Romney an opportunity to engage directly with the audience. Here are five things to take away from Tuesday’s debate for undecided voters. For women voters, the answer is clear as to who would protect women’s rights. President Obama signed as his first act following taking the oath as President, the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act. Lilly Ledbetter worked on her job as a supervisor for almost 20 years. She later discovered she was paid $3700 a month for her position and the lowest paid man was paid $4300 for the same exact job. In litigation, she was not able to prevail due to tight time requirements for filing a claim. President Obama knew there are a lot of Lilly Ledbetters in America. So he signed the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay act which lessens the burdensome time requirements for filing an employment … [Read more...] about Five Debate Lessons for Undecided Voters
Archives for October 2012
Biden Shows Who’s the Boss of Ryan
At the vice-president debate held on Thursday, Vice President Biden showed he's the boss over Paul Ryan. In true Biden style, Vice President Joe Biden laughed, joked, smirked but overall educated the TV viewing audience on his expertise in foreign and domestic policy and took it straight to the American people. He asked “who do you trust” and trust your gut, looking straight into the camera. And that’s really what the election boils down to. No one listening at home really knows if the numbers on $5 trillion are correct or incorrect. If you are not a party faithful and still undecided or hovering back and forth, it all comes down to whom you believe. That’s why it was important for Biden to show that he has present day knowledge of facts and historical command of the facts. And he did it in convincing form from where I sat. And an instant CBS poll of undecided or uncommitted voters agreed –saying Biden won by 50% with 19% saying the debate was a tie. Before the debate, … [Read more...] about Biden Shows Who’s the Boss of Ryan
Dems Better Get Fired Up and Go Vote
In reality, nothing has changed since the first presidential debate. The fundamentals of the election or the two candidates haven’t changed. President Obama is still fighting for the middle class, health care for all Americans, a quality education for our children, Pell grants to attend college, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security—just to name a few. And Mitt Romney is still fighting against all of those items. The only thing that has changed since the first Presidential debate is the media’s perception of the presidential race. Yes, President Obama’s debate performance left a lot to be desired. And Mitt Romney flip flopped his views and lied his way to likability. But, nothing of substance really changed between the two candidates. So I’m confused as to why there’s a lot of moaning, bemoaning, blaming and shaming going on in Democratic circles. Democrats and Independents who stood with the President before the debates should be standing with him now. I can’t imagine … [Read more...] about Dems Better Get Fired Up and Go Vote
Fate of Affirmative Action in Hands of Supreme Court
On Wednesday, October 10, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that may well decide the fate of affirmative action in higher education by hearing oral arguments in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. The issue before the court is the age old one of whether a college admissions committee may consider race or ethnicity in the admission hiring process. This case will have a huge impact for future generations. As background, the Supreme Court in the 2003 case of Grutter v. Bollinger ruled that race could play a limited role in the admissions policies of universities. If the Supreme Court now decides the other way, all equal opportunity policies used in admissions at colleges and universities could be in serious jeopardy. The facts before the court in the Texas case are undisputed. In Texas, all students who rank in the top 10% of their high school class are automatically given admission to attend the University of Texas. After those students are offered … [Read more...] about Fate of Affirmative Action in Hands of Supreme Court
Mitt Romney Will Kill Big Bird and the Middle Class Too
Middle class Americans will be an extinct or dying population along with Big Bird under a Mitt Romney presidency. From children, college students, the disabled to senior citizens, middle class America will be at risk under Romney’s plan. The presidential debate should be a wake- up call for the 99% of us. Under a Romney-Ryan administration, Medicare will be turned into a voucher system. Those persons, who are not presently on Medicare and are under 60, will be issued vouchers for Medicare. As people age, their health often deteriorates. Just at the time when seniors may begin to experience chronic health issues, Mitt Romney wants to take away our present system of Medicare and replace it with in essence—coupons. Coupons are good for grocery shopping; I just don’t want them for health care. While Romney wants to turn Medicare into a voucher system to pay for health care, he thinks students should borrow money from their family to pay for college. Both my parents … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney Will Kill Big Bird and the Middle Class Too
Why the Debate Won’t Matter for President Obama
Republicans are declaring victory for November. Meanwhile Democrats are worried that the sky is falling in. Just ask Chris Matthews. Neither one is true. President Obama definitely blew the debate and a chance to bury Mitt Romney on Wednesday. The debate may give Mitt Romney some temporary gain. In the long run, the first debate’s performance won’t matter for the outcome of the November 6 election. Romney has never once led in the polls since he won the Republican nomination. He didn’t even get a bounce after the Republican convention. And President Obama has been going up in the polls since the Democratic convention last month. Presently, he has a four point lead overall. Any Romney gain from the debate would decrease President Obama’s lead. However, in 22 states and the District of Columbia, President Obama leads by almost a five point percentage lead. Those states, if won, total 275 electoral college votes, according to Nate Silver of the FiveThirtyEight … [Read more...] about Why the Debate Won’t Matter for President Obama