The New First Family

Thank You America and Congrats to Barack Obama

Victory.

Obama +8.0% !!!

Polling Data

Poll	Date	Obama (D)	McCain (R)	Spread
RCP Average	10/16 - 10/24	50.4	42.4	Obama +8.0
Rasmussen Reports	10/22 - 10/24	52	44	Obama +8
Gallup (Traditional)*	10/22 - 10/24	51	44	Obama +7
Gallup (Expanded)*	10/22 - 10/24	51	43	Obama +8
Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby	10/22 - 10/24	51	42	Obama +9
Hotline/FD	10/22 - 10/24	50	43	Obama +7
Newsweek	10/22 - 10/23	53	41	Obama +12
IBD/TIPP	10/20 - 10/24	46	42	Obama +4
ABC News/Wash Post	10/20 - 10/23	53	44	Obama +9
GWU/Battleground	10/19 - 10/23	49	46	Obama +3
CBS News/NY Times	10/19 - 10/22	52	39	Obama +13
FOX News	10/20 - 10/21	49	40	Obama +9
NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl	10/17 - 10/20	52	42	Obama +10
Associated Press/GfK	10/16 - 10/20	44	43	Obama +1
Ipsos/McClatchy	10/16 - 10/20	50	42	Obama +8
CNN/Opinion Research	10/17 - 10/19	51	46	Obama +5
Pew Research	10/16 - 10/19	53	39	Obama +14

Intrade Political 'Securities'

Barack Obama to win 2008 US Presidential Election	86.8%
John McCain to win 2008 US Presidential Election	13.4%

[Real Clear Politics]

Presidential Debates - Round 1

Here is [Barack Obama's] campaign manager David Plouffe's reaction to the first presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain:

This was a clear victory for Barack Obama on John McCain’s home turf. Senator McCain offered nothing but more of the same failed Bush policies, and Barack Obama made a forceful case for change in our economy and our foreign policy. While Senator McCain wants to keep giving huge tax cuts to corporations and said nothing about the challenges Americans are facing in their daily lives, Barack Obama will be a fierce advocate for tax cuts for the middle class, affordable health care, and a new energy economy that creates millions of jobs. While foreign policy was supposed to be John McCain’s top issue, Barack Obama commanded that part of the debate with a clear call to responsibly end a misguided war in Iraq so that we can finish the fight against al Qaeda in Afghanistan. John McCain needed a game-changer tonight, and by any measure he didn’t get it,”

said Obama-Biden campaign manager David Plouffe.

barackobama.com

This Thursday night will be Biden vs. Palin for the Vice Presidential debates. That should be VERY entertaining.

NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg possibly jumping into 2008 Presidential Race

Bloomberg Inches Yet Closer To Running As Centrist Independent.

It now appears as if the public, the media and the political establishment are being prepared for an announcement that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will launch an independent run for President.

On January 7, 2008, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is going to meet with Unity08, a high-powered bipartisan group of elder statesmen that is on the brink of finding a candidate to back, and there’s a possibility that they could join forces in a third party bid. This meeting with Unity08, including Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel and former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn, both of whom have been frequently mentioned as possible running mates, will be to pressure the major party candidates to promote national unity and reduce partisan gridlock.

A final decision by Mr. Bloomberg about whether to run is unlikely before February. Still, he and his closest advisers are positioning themselves so that if the mayor declares his candidacy, a turnkey campaign infrastructure will virtually be in place.

Bloomberg aides have studied the process for launching independent campaigns, which formally begins March 5, when third-party candidates can begin circulating nominating petitions in Texas. If Democrats and Republicans have settled on their presumptive nominees at that point, Mr. Bloomberg will have to decide whether he believes those candidates are vulnerable to a challenge from a pragmatic, progressive centrist, which is how he would promote himself.

The filing deadline for the petitions, which must be signed by approximately 74,000 Texas voters who did not participate in the state’s Democratic or Republican primaries, is May 12.

Advisers have said Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire many times over, might invest as much as $1 billion of his own fortune (he spent about $160 million on his two mayoral races) on a presidential campaign.

But they warned that while they were confident of getting on the ballot in every state, the process was complicated and fraught with legal challenges, and that Mr. Bloomberg would begin with an organizational disadvantage, competing against rivals who have been campaigning full time for years.

Bloomberg does NOT want to be seen as “a rich Ralph Nader” — someone who is in the race but doesn’t really have a chance to win, although he could influence the debates and take votes away from someone else as a “spoiler.”

Next week’s meeting, reported on Sunday in The Washington Post, comes as the mayor’s advisers have been quietly canvassing potential campaign consultants about their availability in the coming months.

And Mr. Bloomberg himself has become more candid in conversations with friends and associates about his interest in running, according to participants in those conversations. Despite public denials, the mayor has privately suggested several scenarios in which he might be a viable candidate: for instance, if the opposing major party candidates are poles apart, like Mike Huckabee, a Republican, versus Barack Obama or John Edwards as the Democratic nominee.

Forbes and other sources report his net worth at US$11.5 billion as of 2007. Bloomberg is among the world's richest people. He was ranked 34th by Forbes magazine in its list of 400 Richest Americans in September 2006. He was ranked 142nd in its list of the The World's Billionaires in March 2007.

As mayor of New York, Bloomberg declines to receive a city salary, accepting remuneration of $1.00 annually for his services.

On the major issue of abortion, Bloomberg is considered pro-choice. He supports abortion rights, stating: "Reproductive choice is a fundamental human right and we can never take it for granted, on this issue, you're either with us or against us."

Bloomberg supports governmental funding for stem cell research, calling the Republican position on the issue "insanity," while also supporting same-sex marriage with the rationale that “I think anybody should be allowed to marry anybody."

On June 19, 2007, Bloomberg left the Republican Party, filing as an Independent after a speech criticizing the current political climate in Washington.

Bloomberg's term as mayor ends on December 31, 2009. He is prohibited by term limits from being re-elected in November 2009; however, he can be elected mayor again after a four-year wait.

http://mike2008.com/
http://www.mikebloomberg.com/
http://www.myspace.com/michaelrbloomberg
http://facebook.com/person.php?id=4982033498


Unaffiliated Draft Campaign Websites:
UniteForMike.com Draft Mike Bloomberg For President
RunMikeRun.com - Mike Bloomberg for President, 2008
Americans for Bloomberg
Mike Bloomberg for President
Draft Mike Bloomberg for President
Committee to Draft Michael Bloomberg for President website
Petition site to encourage Michael Bloomberg to run for President
Draft Michael Bloomberg for President
Gotham Gazette 2005 webpage
Draft Michael Bloomberg
New York Times 2005 Endorsement
Campaign contributions made by Michael Bloomberg
Draft Michael
Draft Mike Bloomberg


Various Sources include [The Moderate Voice], [Huffington Post], [MSNBC], [Wikipedia]

PROOF: Hundreds of Scandals Proving Bush is Worst President Ever

Hugh's List Of Bush Scandals is an incredible weblog chronicling the endless scandals during the Bush Administration.


INTRODUCTION: George Bush, the Connecticut cowboy, the good old boy from Yale is a man of mediocre intelligence, little imagination, and great stubbornness and vindictiveness. He may be the Decider but his handlers have long known how to manipulate him. The key is to hook him with short, simple sells. Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice know that once he has consulted his gut and perhaps his higher father his decision is forever. So whoever gets to him first is likely to carry the day because he doesn't like to be challenged and is, quite simply, too lazy to change his mind. The Bubble is a natural consequence of this decision making process where logic, reason, and facts have little or no role.

....Bush's Presidency began in the shadow of a contested and likely stolen election and promised to be unsuccessful in a largely forgettable and unremarkable way. 911 changed all that and transformed a plodding, and essentially AWOL one termer into an accidental hero. Enormous power flowed to his office but Bush had no idea how to use it. He liked to campaign, not govern. In those around him, he prized loyalty over competence and honesty. A believer in the notion of "to the victor go the spoils," he was the perfect mark for every conniver, bumbler, bungler, hack, hanger on, and would be crony that Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, and their friends could find. In the normal course of things, this would have spelled failure. Post-911, it was catastrophic.

....At this critical juncture in our history we needed an adult but got an adolescent. Instead of responsibility, we got a truant. In place of flexibility we got obduracy. In the face of great and complex challenges, we got strawmen, a black and white universe, my way or the highway, regurgitated stump speeches, and a steadfast refusal to compromise not just with opponents but with reality.

....What all this comes down to is that George Bush should never have become our President. He is not just a bad President but the worst one we could have had, the worst our country has ever seen. This is a judgment that many Americans have come to but which our political establishment and media, even after 6 years, have yet to acknowledge, accept, and act on. This is the tragedy and crime of our times.

As of Dec. 20, 2007, this list contains 291 Bush scandals. See the full and current list HERE.

Election 2008 - have you decided who you are voting for?

Less than one year from now, we will be electing a new President of the United States. The United States presidential election of 2008 is scheduled to be held on November 4, 2008.

Currently, I am undecided on who I feel is the best candidate for President. I want the person I feel is the most qualified and will do the best job in all areas under that person's control. I am a registered Democrat and lean towards that party.

Take this Quiz to see which Presidential candidate that is best suited for you.
There are 20 Questions covering various topics from Individual Rights, Domestic Issues, Economic Issues, and Defense/International Issues.

MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON THE QUESTION (STATEMENT) FOR EACH ONE.
It will give you detailed insight on how to answer based on your beliefs. I thought I was convinced on many of my answers before clicking and then when reading the different sides, it really made me think even harder.

My results concluded with these were the top 5 candidates agreeing with my stances:
Dennis Kucinich (Democratic) 53% (56% Social / 50% Economic)
Chris Dodd (Democratic) 53% (44% Social / 58% Economic)
Hillary Clinton (Democratic) 50% (63% Social / 42% Economic)
John Edwards (Democratic) 50% (50% Social / 50% Economic)
Joe Biden (Democratic) 50% (31% Social / 63% Economic)

Based on my personal and economic scores from the above quiz, my political philosophy is:
Populist-Leaning Liberal

The above is not necessarily who I will vote for. It's just the results of an online quiz. But, I will vote for the Democratic candidate that is chosen.

I do have a problem with one candidate that is running. Rudy Giuliani, was a good mayor for NY. I lived in NY during his term as mayor (though I was not living in New York City). I am appalled by the popularity he achieved based from the 9/11 tragedies. It hurts me to know that he became famous when thousands of people he was supposed to be protecting, died. Yes, he did a good job in helping with the aftermath and the clean up. But I would only regard him as a hero if he was the person who prevented those deaths. What he did afterwards was something anyone in his position would have done (perhaps better). The cleanup was not an individual effort. It was a combined effort of many departments on the local and federal levels. I'm not knocking his other credentials as a candidate. He's a lawyer and a former Democrat that still holds liberal social views (c'mon... he's dressed in drag, had married his own second cousin and had extramarital affairs on another one of his three wives). I just feel his popularity is purely based on the wrong reasons.

In other words, please don't base your decision on popularity polls. Either watch the debates, read the papers or information online. Learn who these candidates are and what they stand for. Your lives will be seriously affected by this country's decision next November and let's not make the same mistakes that happened in the last two presidential elections.

If you need to still register to vote, do it now HERE.

billmaherpresident.com