Election Central 2010 ~ Mid-term to 2012

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Linnea
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Post by Linnea » 11-05-2010 05:12 AM

Nice, eh? The Republicans continue their arrogance.

from AP - GOP's McConnell targets Obama - Nov 5th
In a sign that combat, rather than compromise, could mark the next two years, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Thursday for votes to repeal or erode Obama's signature health care reform law, cut spending and shrink government. "The only way to do all these things it is to put someone in the White House who won't veto any of these things," he said to the conservative Heritage Foundation.

His confrontational tone was in sharp contrast to the posture Obama took Wednesday in the face of a new GOP-controlled House and Republican gains in the Senate. Obama followed up Thursday morning by inviting Republican and Democratic congressional leaders for talks Nov. 18. "I want us to talk substantively about how we can move the American people's agenda forward," Obama said. "It's not just going to be a photo op."

The meeting will be watched for any indication of compromise between Obama and Congress' Republican leaders, McConnell and House Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner of Ohio, who brushed aside talk that the top GOP goal was to make sure Obama loses in 2012. "That's Sen. McConnell's statement and his opinion," he told ABC.

Obama said Thursday that "it's clear that the voters sent a message, which is that they want us to focus on the economy and jobs."

Obama and, to some degree, Republican leaders signaled that they might reach accords on a few issues, such as energy. But McConnell indicated Thursday that the road to agreement is more like a one-way street. "If the administration wants cooperation, it will have to begin to move in our direction," he said.
Read more: GOP's McConnell targets Obama | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20101105/N ... z14PBO5Tdb

Wonder what the reaction of the voters will be as the Republicans spend the next several weeks/months on HCR dismantling. Did not see creating jobs or stimulating the economy on that list.

SETIsLady
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Post by SETIsLady » 11-05-2010 08:12 AM

Linnea wrote: Wonder what the reaction of the voters will be as the Republicans spend the next several weeks/months on HCR dismantling. Did not see creating jobs or stimulating the economy on that list.
If the GOPs stay on this track their victory will be short lived. The people voted for the GOP out of desperation to see things improve more quickly nothing more IMO.

Interesting poll taking a week before the election:
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults urged the president, along with congressional Democrats and Republicans, to show flexibility on their positions, though party leaders have shown little willingness to do so.

Sixty-nine percent of adults said Obama should compromise on some of his positions in order to get more done, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll. Seventy-six percent of adults said the same of congressional Democrats, while 78 percent of Americans said that congressional Republicans, who are poised to potentially retake control of the House, should look for common ground.

The public's desire for compromise was underscored further by a second poll on Thursday. Eighty percent of likely voters said in a new Bloomberg National Poll that the two parties should work together in the next two years, if the GOP takes control of one or both chambers. Sixteen percent of likely voters said that Republicans and Democrats should stick to their principles, even if it means gridlock.


http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... -obama-gop

Cherry Kelly
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Post by Cherry Kelly » 11-05-2010 10:43 AM

I find it rather strange - the GOP was pretty much left out and ignored, yet now that they have been elected in overwhelming numbers - THEY are expected to compromise?

Personally I do hope they all work together - would be a nice change!

From what has been floating around the net - news (tv/radio) the main things being discussed - no particular order and some could be done in the 'lame duck' session.
1 was keeping the taxes as they are for at least two more years (possibly permanent)
2 was jobs IN the USA (seems several more went overseas - someone mentioned Harley-Davidson motorcycles as another this year)
3 was with the HC law - repeal, replace - heard both
4 was no more stimulus going to banks or big businesses and getting repayments from those (stated that banks received stimulus to help housing situation but have not loaned the monies out or stopped foreclosures)
5 concerned stop to pork barrel
6 was reduction in gov't doing jobs that belonged to states (getting feds out of state control??)

It has been a wild couple of days for sure and I do hope some compromises can be done.

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Post by Linnea » 11-05-2010 01:00 PM

Originally posted by Cherry Kelly
... I find it rather strange - the GOP was pretty much left out and ignored, yet now that they have been elected in overwhelming numbers - THEY are expected to compromise?


Well Cherry - the Republicans picked up an enormous amount of seats in the House and now control one of the three branches of government. That is still a minority position.

Also, the Republican were not left out and ignored. Their efforts at 'compromise' too often were a substitution of their policies, rather than actual compromise. This was a political strategy which was pursued from the beginning of the Obama presidency. The 'Party of No' - and this will not change according to the hard-liners in the Republican Party led by Minority Leader McConnell.

Democrats are the majority in government. 'The People' want action on jobs and the economy...

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Post by Linnea » 11-05-2010 01:08 PM

btw - keeping those Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest will add 700+Billion to the deficit. Shouldn't those cuts be allowed to expire?

The reason the Bush Tax cuts were able to be enacted at all is that they were not paid for, and rules did not allow for a permanent tax cut. That was the basis for these cuts to be allowed in the first place - temporary only as they added so much to the deficit.

Or?

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Post by SETIsLady » 11-05-2010 05:08 PM

Uh oh, the push for small government starts with a salary decrease for lawmakers ! I can get on board with this one !

Boehner under fire: First cut should be lawmakers' salaries
Soon-to-be Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) is being pressed by taxpayer groups to slash the salaries of House lawmakers.

Cutting member pay would show voters the new GOP majority in the House is going to lead by example in their efforts to rein in spending and start with their own wallets, say officials with three prominent taxpayer advocacy groups in Washington, D.C.


http://thehill.com/homenews/house/12787 ... -lawmakers

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 11-05-2010 05:09 PM

Linnea - we will just have to agree that we each have our opinions - which is a great thing as this country is one where people can speak their mind and have opinions that do not always agree.

Who provided the projection? Like in the past when projections have been made - that is all it is - a possibility. I do not care whether it is GOP or DEM making it. The real culprit in the deficit falls on the congress critters and their pork spending and that goes to both major parties.

We can all hope for that to happen!

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Post by Linnea » 11-05-2010 05:28 PM

Cherry - the 'deficit' must be 'real' - or why have the Republicans talked of not much else for weeks? Of course it is based on projections.

About 18-19% of the budget is for 'pork' or discretional spending. All the rest is locked in, unless you have spending cuts in budget items already committed.

Pork Barrel spending is not always wasteful spending. Much of it is very useful and brings money and jobs back into communities.

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Post by SETIsLady » 11-06-2010 12:39 AM

SETIsLady wrote: Uh oh, the push for small government starts with a salary decrease for lawmakers ! I can get on board with this one !

Boehner under fire: First cut should be lawmakers' salaries

Not a surprise !

Boehner doesn't agree to House paycuts

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/11/ ... 1288993706

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 11-06-2010 12:05 PM

Linnea - not just GOP but DEM too have touted the figure and I call it as I see it. A projection only.

There might be some incidents in pork spending that create jobs in a community but do those jobs last?

I still recall a medical research company in this area - hundreds of jobs (actually over 1500 workers-some part time). Part of the funding came from the feds. The city was required to give a free tax ride for a certain number of years. As soon as the end of the tax ride got close - the company quit and moved elsewhere. Many of the employees did not move, lost jobs. Fed grant monies continued with the company in their new city area (with same fed requirement on city taxes). But wait - they are now leaving that area too, because that city's free-tax ride is ending.

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Post by SETIsLady » 11-07-2010 02:17 AM

Cherry Kelly wrote: I still recall a medical research company in this area - hundreds of jobs (actually over 1500 workers-some part time). Part of the funding came from the feds. The city was required to give a free tax ride for a certain number of years. As soon as the end of the tax ride got close - the company quit and moved elsewhere. Many of the employees did not move, lost jobs. Fed grant monies continued with the company in their new city area (with same fed requirement on city taxes). But wait - they are now leaving that area too, because that city's free-tax ride is ending.
Just curious whats the name of the company CK

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 11-07-2010 11:57 AM

Seti -- I asked hubby and he could not remember the name either - they had a large facility - off 71 hwy. He said they did research and drug manufacturing. Will see if I can get the name later this week.

====
We do have some very excellent hospitals in the area that also do research work as well as being a hospital.

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Post by SETIsLady » 11-07-2010 12:01 PM

Cherry Kelly wrote: Seti -- I asked hubby and he could not remember the name either - they had a large facility - off 71 hwy. He said they did research and drug manufacturing. Will see if I can get the name later this week.
No biggie CK, thought it might be one of my customers the story sounded familiar.

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McConnell says banning 'earmarks' is complicated

Post by Linnea » 11-07-2010 12:10 PM

...from AP Sun Nov 7th, 2010
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell says banning pork-barrel projects known as "earmarks" from congressional legislation is more complicated than it appears but that he is willing to consider such a ban.

McConnell says that ending the common practice of slipping funding requests for home-state projects into legislation won't cut spending. A ban on earmarks will only limit the discretion of where to spend the vast federal budget and not curb spending.

Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina has said he wants to ban all lawmakers' requests for specific spending. President Barack Obama has backed that idea.

McConnell says Republicans are ready to cut federal spending but says banning earmarks is not a realistic way to do that.

McConnell spoke Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... 7961e8274f

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 11-08-2010 10:35 AM

Seti - Talking to some people in another area about these companies and their tax breaks and moving when those breaks are about to end - seems there are a whole lot of them in several areas. Talking to a local - he said they are still doing some research in that mostly empty building, but the drug production is totally gone. He could not remember the name either -- must be age!

====
Linnea - Earmark extras -- I would like to get rid of a lot of those, but I can see some complications. Why pay $700,000 to some university to study cow burps? I could see taking that 700k and using it seven places to fix or help fix - bridges over major rivers that need repair work. (safety issues) OK so that might not be anywhere near enough to do complete repairs but you get the idea.

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