How serious is Newt?

Newt Gingrich is still leading in the polls following the recent ads and campaigning that has been going on, but how serious is he about really getting into the white house?  While his top competitors are out campaigning and doing their best to show why they are the one who deserves the white house, Gingrich has been pushing his book.  He has been going around doing book signings instead of campaigning.  While his campaign still sits in debt, none of the money from the books goes towards his campaign, rather it all goes into the bank account of Mr. and Mrs. Gingrich.  Therefore people from both parties are wondering whether Newt Gingrich is in this for the right reasons.  No one in the past has been seen to be out signing and pushing their books while campaigning as a top candidate.  Some of the people who are lower in the standings and really don't stand a shot are known to have done such things, but surely no one that has become President.  It shines a bad light on the one who is running because it makes them look like they care more about money then about the Presidency, and that is a good question to ask about Newt.

Although Mitt has dropped in the polls he is actually looking quite good still because most of the delegates seem to really like them and they all seem to be in full support.  It seems to me that Mitt Romney is the obvious choice due to the fact that he seems like the only one capable and comprable enough to run a country.  Like I have said before we can't just look for someone to beat out our old President, instead we need someone who will be a great new President.

Gingrich Needs Money and Romney Needs Support.

While we are only a short time away from the beginning election, Newt Gingrich who has recently sky rocketed to the top of the polls however he is in trouble because while everyone else is out campaigning and scrapping for votes he is having to now hold events so that he can get more money.  He is running very low and so just today he was in Manhatten holding a fundraiser while most other candidates are in Iowa campaigning.  He says that he will be alright and it seems that way because of his last position as speaker of the house he seems to have some very good connections with people who will be able to help him.  He has already made some good money just off this one event, but that does not seem to be his only problem.  Now that he is at the top everyone is picking him apart and they are not too sure about some of his bold statements that he makes.  For example many times he will make an offensive comment that seems way out there so then he will have to take time out to explain what he meant and he can not continue with a solid base like he would like.
Mitt Romney on the other hand is having no problems whatsoever with money, in fact he has the most out of anyone right now and just has to make sure that he spends the right amount in each place.  However he is struggling to keep up with some of the popular votes.  Many governors and other high powered men like his stance and want him, but for some reason the people still seem to be seeking else where.  I can not help but see this as either him not being able to connect to the people or an actual bias against Mitt because of his religion.

Herman is Done!

Just one week ago I was at home watching a late night show with David Letterman hosting.  On the show Herman Cain was the guest and was being asked all sorts of questions about his campaign.  After much banter and fun finally one of the main questions came up.  Letterman said "Herman are you really in this for good or is this another Donald Trump show."  Meaning are you really going to stick with this presidency or do you just think this is fun and you want to become a celebrity of sorts.  Herman Cain responded by saying that whatever he enters he does it for good and doesn't not quit.
Well today Saturday the 3 of December Herman Cain came out and said that he is officially calling it quits on his campaign.  He said he will be suspending his Presidential campaign due to the emotional toll it is taking on him and his family.  He says that all of these accusations about him sexually harassing women, and then having a thirteen year affair with another women is simply not true.  It is too detrimental to his image and popularity that he has chosen to remove himself from the race and still work on getting his ideas through in politics just in a different manner.  He says he is not quitting because he is weak or can't do it and that he will continue to be a major force in politics.
I think that many people saw this coming when they realized the controversy that Herman Cain was caught up in.  Eventually it catches up with you and there is just no way out.  It was time that he took a seat, now that he created his stir in politics and had his time in the lime light, even being at the top of the polls for a short time there.  We will always appreciate Cain for the way he brought up topics of importance and his straightforward answers, however I think it is best that he has left the race.

Republican leaders still torn.

Reading today about the latest in the republican debates and also in the campaigns, I have seen not only a lot of indecision but also a lack of understanding what the end goal is.  The end goal of choosing the best candidate possible in the Republican party is to have them be the best president possible at this time.  It seems that many people are just searching for someone, anyone who will beat out President Barak Obama. But what will it matter if the next president is republican but he can't govern!  It makes no sense to replace President Obama with someone who is going to try and overturn everything and make things just as bad in the United States.  We want the best person for presidency not just the best person to beat Obama.  For some reason Republicans still are having a problem getting behind Mitt Romney.  It is getting to the point of being quite absurd.  If people could come out and give good reasons why Romney would be a bad president then I would pay more attention.  However as far as I can see no one has been able to tell me why Mitt Romney would be a bad president.
Republicans are looking for anyone to come in and be better but they have yet to find anyone.  Newt Gingrich is the one now that they are trying to turn to, however people feel uneasy as to his past.  He has had three unstable marriages and also people are not sure how strongly he will keep his republican views.  For example just a little while back he was associated with Freddie Mac and that will definatly leave him politically vulnerable.
To me there is no question not only is Romney right now the best Republican candidate, but he would be the next best President.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApYvtt4QVP5ydGtOcHlNYlBzQXh2ZE9sYW5BYkpzM3c&hl=en_US

Gingrich a lobbyist?

One thing that all politicians want to avoid if they are ever going to be running for President of the United States is the idea that they are lobbyists or ever were lobbyists.  What is it about being a lobbyist that creates such a stir in the political realm?  Well it is the idea that people can pay them to support their ideas, and people fear that even as they are running and if they become president that these companies can continue to pay them and they will implement companies ideas for their own personal benefit.  This is a problem because then it is no longer a democracy but instead it is companies and only the richest of those that start to influence and run the United States which is what we don't want.
So the question is was Newt a lobbyist and if he was is he still?  Gingrich will adamantly deny that he ever had any hand in being a lobbyist.  However he did start a group called Center for Health Transformation.  And in this Center he allows health care ideas and companies to come in and pay him as he supports their ideas.  He says that they are just ideas that he is in support of already and that he is simply a consultant to these companies but things look a little suspicious.  Especially when companies are paying Newt over seventy thousand dollars a year plus stock options if he will point them in the right direction.
Will this hurt his chances in the election?  It depends on how the American people view this type of performance.  It seems that much of politics is giving favors to others so I am sure that other of the candidates have done similar things, it just depends on how far in it Newt is.  Further investigation will let us know, but for now I would be skeptical of anyone who seems to be getting paid off by big companies.

Leaders taking a hit.

Lately the big leaders of the republican party nomination have been taking hard hits not only from each other but also from the Obama administration.  To start out there is Herman Cain and the scandals that have come out against him.  Then there is the question as to what Romney really believes and if he will stick with his views throughout the presidency.  Thirdly perry took a hard hit from the name of his ranch in Texas.
To start out there have been many women that have come forward and said that Herman Cain had either made a pass at them sexually or actually tried to have sex with them.  Cain denied these and said that these were just people trying to get him to look bad and drop out, but he wasn't taking it.  However just this week a women came out and said that her and Herman have been having a thirteen year affair!  Cain denied this, however just two hours after he denied this his lawyer came out and said that whatever Cain did in his personal life that didn't relate to politics and if the women agreed as well, then it was no ones business.  Basically confirming the affair.  Now rumor has it that Cain will be dropping out of the race.
Romney has also been taking hits, especially from the Obama campaign saying that he is a flip-flopper and that he will not stay consistent in his policies.  However Romney says that he did change his mind on a few things however he is now made his decisions and will stick to them.
Another big scandal was when people found out that Rick Perry's ranch in texas was named "nigger head ranch".  However he has been able to recover somewhat and push it under the rug.
With so many of the main runners taking hits, others are gaining in the polls especially Newt Gingrich who was otherwise unheard of early on, but hasn't really had too many controversies.  Hopefully we can see the republican party unite and choose the best candidate for the party and for the presidency.

Things looking up for Gingrich

The latest shows now that Newt Gingrich not only is contending with Mitt Romney for the top position in the polls but has actually pulled well ahead of Mitt in many of the polls.  Why is this?  The people in New Hampshire where the first primary election will be held say that America needs the forward thinking and innovative thinking that the Speaker of the House brings to the table.  I personally believe that people like the way that Newt Gingrich is always very forthright and bold with his answers.  He is never afraid to answer a question and rarely does he seem to beat around the bush.  He is one who definatly speaks his mind and has opinions.  Also he does have a good idea and is aware of all the latest that is happening in and around Washington being that he was Speaker of the House for quite some time.
So is he the one that we want for our next President?  Personally I don't think so.  He is bold and has new ideas, but a lot of his ideas are pretty far out there and I think that America could get into some serious trouble and especially some serious debt if he were president of the United States.  He really wants to build up our Army, he has no problem of invading and going to war with many countries and he is in favor of heavy, heavy tax cuts.  I think that right now America needs a more moderate President who is willing to make changes but nothing that will cause us to go further into debt.  This is why I believe that Newt Gingrich is not the answer.

Foreign Policy

On November 12, 2011 a republican debate was held on foreign policy.  The candidates were asked specific questions based on what was going on in the world today and what there stance would be on these issues.  A few of these issues were as follows: (1) Torture, (2) Iran gaining nuclear power, (3) Pakistan.  Starting with torture the candidates were asked their position on whether or not they would allow torture to get vital information out of men they capture on the battlefield.  Torture is illegal right now and the latest update was that of water boarding which was made illegal just recently by President Obama.  I was suprised to learn that most of the candidates said they would implement water boarding as a means to get the information they needed and were not afraid to use torture.  This suprised me because I think that if it is a national illegal procedure why are we saying that we would make it legal for us.  The candidate that I was most impressed with on this specific topic was Ron Paul because he stood up for what he believed in and went against all the other candidates saying he did not believe in torture and that it was wrong.
Another huge issue was Iran gaining a nuclear war head.  Many of the candidates agreed this was a bad idea and that it was our job to stop them from gaining a nuclear war head.  Except once again Ron Paul as well as Jon Huntsman.  I really agreed with Huntsman on this issue who said that we should focus on building our economy here at home and becoming a stronger nation and a smarter nation then spending money trying to control and nation build.
The last issue discussed was that of what to do with Pakistan.  Do we build alliances further or do we cut all ties?  Should we keep troops in the middle east or bring them home?  Again I agreed with Governor Huntsman who said bring most of our troops home.  Keep some there to help the people but in the most part bring people home and lets start looking inside our own nation.  How can we help the people here in America who are going hungry and are not getting enough?  We must become strong ourselves before we can lift others up.

Whats with the Polls?

Over the past few weeks we have seen the republican candidates rise and fall in the polls.  One candidate seems to keep a constant steady incline and stay at the top and that is Mitt Romney.  However no matter what happens it seems that the people want some type of competition so they will continually vote another candidate up towards the top to challenge Romney after each debate.  The first person to really challenge Romney was Rick Perry, the governor of Texas.  However after many poor performances in the debates and then a disaterous slip on November 9 when he couldn't remember one of the parts of government he would remove if he became president, Perry plummeted in the polls.  The next candidate to really do well and challenge Mitt was Herman Cain the CEO of Godfathers Pizza.  Herman Cain seemed to be bold, exciting, and coming up with new ideas to help the economy.  However his too good to be true economic plan and other of his plans ended up being dismantled as people began to look into them further and notice that really they would not be able to help the government.  Also Cain has recently been accused of many scandals that have really taken a toll on his reputation.
So with Cain falling it looked like there would be no one to step up and challenge Romney.  However once again someone began to take the torch, and the candidate now who is really giving Romney a run for his money in the polls is speaker of the house Newt Gingrich.  He seems to be well aware of all that is going on in Washington and he wants to radically change things from the way Obama has been running America.
So why is it that no matter what happens it seems that Romney will always be at the top but there will always be a competitior as well?  I can't help but think that some of it may have to do with religious bias.

Economy

With the dust starting to settle from all of the republican debates that have happened over the past few weeks we are starting to see what the main focuses are and what the people of America want.  One of the major key points is who will best help the economy and how?  Herman Cain has come up with a flat tax plan of 9-9-9.  He says it will be a nine percent income tax, a nine percent sales tax, and a nine percent business tax.  While he is pushing hard for this plan almost all the other candidates agree that this is a plan that will not work.  They say that in the end the middle and lower classes will be paying much more in taxes then less.  The nine percent sales tax gives the federal government another way to tax the American people therefore many are starting to disagree with Cain on his way of thinking about taxes.
However Economy is not based purely on taxes.  Other issues that have been brought up are; creating jobs by allowing companys to come and drill for oil and other energy solutions here in America.  This is what Governor Perry is pushing for.  Saying that if we allow America to become energy independent we will create more jobs for more people.
Mitt Romney agrees with Perry but has even taken it a step further in saying that we need to create more technical jobs as well as more energy jobs.  We need more manufacturing jobs and businesses created.  These are all great ideas.  But will these candidates actually follow through?  This is what we hope to here in the upcoming debate.thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/.../live-blogging-the-republican-debate-in- orlando

What to do about Health Care?

In the last few debates one main topic keeps coming up over and over again.  This subject is healthcare.  Each republican candidate agrees that they must repeal Obama Care and all say that if they are elected that is one of the very first things they will do when put into office, however the truth of the matter is that its going to take time.  Right now there are so many restrictions and people involved with Obama Care that it doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon.  Another problem that each candidate is facing is what to do with healthcare once they get rid of Obama Care.  Mitt Romney seems to have some answers as he shows his success in Massachussettes with completing a health bill there where the people of Massachusettes want to keep his healthcare system 3 to 1.  However his bill does have some similarities to Obama care which is what he is taking a lot of flack for.  Also he was unable to keep healthcare relatively cheap for the people.

Perry on the other hand says he can do the job by getting the Federal Government out of peoples personal lives.  Yet his state is dead last in providing health care to its people so he does not seem to be to reputable of a source.
After all the debate that has been going on I think we need to look at the overall run of government.  I know that no one wants their life run by the Feds.  but on the other hand without the government to step in and help out at the end of the day a majority of people just wouldn't be able to get health care.  And are we really willing as a nation to refuse to help someone because of their financial situation?  These are moral issues that the people of the United States need to come to terms with and ask themselves who we are and what do we want our nation to stand for.

Debate held at Dartmouth

In this last Republican debate held at Dartmouth college everyone began to see an very confident Mitt Romney begin to emerge from among the candidates.  Questions were continually being poised to Romney and what he would do if he were to become president.  Mitt was able to hold his own and discussed how he would improve the economy by not increasing taxes and by going after China for ripping off the United States in their business affairs.  Romney's extensive background in economy defanatly gave him a leg up on the rest of the competition, because no one was able to answer quite like Mitt did.

However to my suprise Perry seemed to be falling by the wayside and the new up and comer seems to be Herman Cain the CEO of Godfathers Pizza.  He has a new economic plan titled 999.  A flat tax of 9% on income, corporate, and sales.  While this may seem like a good idea there is really no way I see for this to actually be implemented it seems that Romney is still in the lead for now.

Tear down or Build up? You decide.

As I have been following the republican debates as well as the different candidates speeches I have noticed a slight change in the way they are approaching their arguments.  Really its nothing too new, I just thought it would be nice to get it out in the open.  Often times in politics we see that there is one of two options when running against someone else; either you tear them down or you build yourself up.  The question is which one is better to do?  To me there is no question, no matter who the candidate is my respect immediately goes down when someone answers a question or just comes out and starts to speak negatively about another candidate instead of showing me what they themselves have to offer.  I don't care what the other person has done wrong or is doing wrong, at that moment what I want to know is why I should choose the candidate I am watching or listening to for President.


Often times candidates get stuck in this way of thinking that if they are being attacked they must attack back instead of simply defending themselves and then moving on to why they would be the best choice.  Unfortunately that is what is beginning to happen right now in the G.O.P. for the republicans.  Mitt Romney and Rick Perry are continually at each others throats and it seems one can't speak unless they through in at least one negative thing about the other.  To this I say stop telling me about the other person and tell me about yourself.
 

Presidential Candidates

In the race for the next presidential election there are many high quality, high powered candidates who are looking for the chance at becoming president.  In my blog I will be looking at 16 of these individuals who are running for the opportunity to represent the republican party in the upcoming 2012 election.




Above are eight of the 16 candidates.  Shown above is Jon Huntsman, Herman Cain, Michelle Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum.  This picture was taken last week at the Tea Party debate where these candidates discussed various issues ranging from border control to tax cuts.  Each candidate has various views and strategies in defeating their opponent by gaining the votes of the people here in America.  Each week I will update the latest and greatest on each of these candidates or the latest on the biggest debates.