Early Rise Headlines

Presidential Debate 9/26/08

The End of “Wall Street” as We Know It

Yankee Stadium Hosts Final Game

South African’s Ruling Party Names Mbeki’s Successor

Tainted Milk Sickens 53,000 infants–Chinese Quality Chief Resigns

College Panel Calls for Less Focus on SATs

The Presidential Debate…Kinda A Big Deal

WHY HAVE WE NOT HEARD ABOUT THIS: NOW endorses OBAMA

I am still trying to figure out why NPR news is the ONLY one that reported about this…but that’s media i guess. 

NOW endorses Obama

Morning Edition, September 16, 2008 · Rarely does the National Organization For Women endorse a presidential candidate. On Tuesday, the group announced it is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Kim Gandy, president of NOW, talks with Renee Montagne about why the organization is endorsing Obama.

Click here to listen to the news report.

“What If Obama Loses?”–by Mr. Jurist

Greetings,

 Check out this article written by Randall Kennedy and his connection to Election 2008. He talks about What if  Obama Loses.

What are your thoughts? Does anyone else feel the same way about this election? I have to say this article describes my emotional connection to the election because prior to 2008, I was connected to the election because I didn’t want the republican party to win the White House in 2000 and 2004. However, I quickly got over it. I do not know if I will be able to get over it again so quickly.

Lastly, I  would like to thank one of my favorite people and Red Lobster eating buddy for sending me this article.

IceColdJurist

In Case You Missed It: Charles Gibson (ABC News) Interview with Sarah Palin

(Did I just hear “weapons of mass destruction?”  The last time I heard that phrase…sigh)

As usual, your thoughts are welcomed 🙂  Click on “Read More” to see the rest of the Sept. 11 interview.

Race does Matter in the Presidency and some news coverage is picking it up–by Mr. Jurist

Last Night on Anderson Cooper 360 CNN, I was shocked that CNN covered the pink elephant in the election: Race’s negative effect on Obama.

The Report interviews Southern Ohio’s Obama for President’s office.  Several of the workers reported that unfortunately, race matters.  While the clip is less than a few seconds. The poll workers reports  that when they call voters and ask about if they will support Obama for presidency, people respond  No, I just can vote for a Black Man.

While many of race advocates have said this for years that race still matters especially in this Election, most mainstream media seems to ignore this fact. Especially, know that Obama has secured the Democratic Nomination. Media reports  day in and out say  how can OBAMA win white rural voters? He has to do more! And they do not connect it with reality that most of the same White rural voters that will not support OBAMA are some of the same people were against African American freedom today and yesteryear.  White rural voters have always been a throne to Black peoples’ freedom (see KKK development in the South) . We would like to think America is not racist. However, the writing is on the wall, Americans are still racist. Not all but some. But enough to deny the Democrats the White House in 2009.

Interesting enough today as I scour through CNN.com like many recent law school graduates. I discover an interesting article by Roland Martin.  http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/10/martin.bias/index.html . Martin’s commentary is about a white labor leader who is talking to Whites about racism and this election. This labor leader is focused on “democrats” that are voting for McCain because they consciously or unconsciously not voting  for a Black Man. Even though some of his policies will help them more than the Republican candidate.   I think more White Supporters  should follow suit and begin this dialogue with thier friends.

Just a thought.

Next spot on Ify and them  is Sarah and Clarence ( what do they have in common)

Thanks to Contributor Mr. Jurist for this 🙂

Real Talk: Where Candidates Stand on the Issues—Healthcare

Sen. Barack Obama

General: Requires that all children have health insurance, with overall goal of universal coverage; plan paid for by rolling back President Bush’s tax cuts for households earning over $250,000

Specifics:

• Require employers to provide insurance or contribute to the cost, with exemption to the smallest businesses; reimburse all employers for catotrophic health costs
• Provide subsidize for low-income individuals
• Create purchasing pool with choice of competing private plans and one public plan (i.e. Medicare)
• Expand Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program
• Prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to people with health problems or charging them higher rates

Obama’s Healthcare Plan in Detail

Sen. John McCain

General: Supports free-market, consumer-based system; pledges affordable health care for all without a mandate; says universal healthcare is possible without a tax increase

Specifics:

• Against mandate requiring everyone to obtain health insurance–says he wants to give individuals freedom to choose their own healthcare
• Pledges affordable healthcare for all individuals
• Make healthcare plans portable from job to job and accessible across state lines
• Provide $2500 tax credits for individuals and $5000 for families to buy their own insurance
• Eliminate tax deductibility of employer-sponsored health insurance
• Compensate medical providers based on the quality of their work
• Bring greater competition to drug markets by safe re-importation of drugs and streamlining the process for introducing generic drugs
• Offer federal assistance for states to create high-risk pools that would contract with insurers to cover consumers who have been rejected on the open market.

McCain’s Healthcare Plan in Detail

Thanks to nytimes.com for summaries

Real Talk: Where Candidates Stand on Issues—ECONOMY

The U.S. Department of Labor just released the unemployment figures for August and for the year so far.  Results: 84,000 jobs lost in August alone, with the cumulative toll at 605,000 jobs this year.  While the White House hesitates to discuss the last eight years of poor decisions and would rather discuss the “success” of stimulus checks recently distributed, the time is now to really evaluate what the potential candidates propose to do to help remedy this calamity (that will no doubt take more than four years to completely rectify). 

Sen. Barack Obama

• Fund federal workforce training programs and direct these programs to incorporate “green” technologies training.
• Raise minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2011 and tie future rises to inflation.
• Double federal funding for basic research and make R&D tax credit permanent.
• Set up $60 billion infrastructure investment bank to help fund public works.
• Establish tax credit for companies that maintain or increase the number of full-time workers in America relative to those outside the U.S. 
• Advocate for stronger unionization.
• “We will provide incentives to businesses and consumers to save energy and make buildings more efficient. That’s how we’re going to create jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced.” — Obama

Sen. John McCain

· Spur economy and job growth by cutting corporate tax rate and maintaining current rates on dividends and capital gains.

· Leave minimum wage at $7.25 an hour, which is where current law will take it to by 2009. Opposed to tying future hikes to inflation rate.

· Create tax credit equal to 10% of wages spent on R&D.

· Consolidate federal unemployment programs and reform training programs for job seekers.

“We will build a new system, using the unemployment-insurance taxes to build for each worker a buffer account against a sudden loss of income — so that in times of need they’re not just told to fill out forms and take a number.” — McCain

U DECIDE!–Tomorrow’s issue: HEALTH CARE

Issues Courtesy of CNNMoney.com