The introduction of the video provides another detailed description of the bill concerning the required disclosure of funds provided to campaign advertisements and other campaign. Pennsylvania representative Robert Brady speaks in favor of the bill’s disclosure agreement.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Campaign Finance and Disclosure
Video 2 is a clip that appears later in Video 1 that expresses the special considerations given to the National Rifle Association. The NRA was opposed to the bill before given this special consideration. Due to the size of the NRA the bill could not have been past without their support, therefore the disclosure agreement does not apply to this specific group. John Bresnahan discusses the standpoints of the NRA and those in opposition to the special consideration given to them. Mr Bresnahan also discuses the conditions of disclosure among corporations, unions, and non-profit organizations.
Campaign Finance Legislation
John Bresnahan, senior congressional reporter for Politico newspaper, discusses Congress’ reluctant decision to allow unions and private corporations to aid their candidate’s campaigns through financial support under a condition of disclosure. This disclosure agreement is in response to a congressional hearing known as Citizens United that was struck down in January 2010. Mr. Bresnahan outlines the details of ruling and the condition of disclosure.
Obama in Seattle
In my last submitted Blog, “The Road to Financing Obama’s 2012 Campaign,” I discussed Obama’s recent trip to the West Coast in order to highlight his attempt to gain support for his new job’s plan, a hot topic in the 2012 election. Through his job’s plan, Obama is re-energizing his Democratic and liberal supporters, which is in turn positively influencing fund raising activity.
The President delivered a speech to supporters in the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. During the speech, Obama ignited the crowd’s hopeful interest with an inspiring statement, “We are tougher than the times that we live in, we are bigger than the small politics that we've been witnessing. We are a people who write our own destiny, and it is fully within our power to write it once more (President Barack Obama). He speaks of the current economic crisis and the “old worn out ideas that were tried in the last decade” and calls for support of the Democratic Party’s innovative redistribution of wealth and career opportunities approach. The President discussed his new job’s act, which he referred to as the American Jobs Act. He asserted that this new approach to providing Americans with increased job opportunities will re-vitalize the economy through aiding “small businesses, boosting public education, improving infrastructure and other components” (CNN WireStaff). Obama stated during the speech, “"The question is not whether this country is going through times, the question is where are we going next. We can build the America that we talked about in 2008, an America where everybody gets a fair shake and everybody does their fair share. That is what this election is about."
CNN reporter Lesa Jansen adequately summarized the reported financial gain accumulated by Obama’s campaign during the Seattle segment of his trip. Before the Paramount Theatre fundraiser, Obama attended a brunch for 100 guests hosted by former Microsoft chief operating officer Jon Shirley at his home in suburban Seattle. The price of attendance is a whopping $35,800 per couple, totaling in the range of $1,750,000 (Jansen).
The Paramount Theatre event, also in Seattle, was estimate to have 800 supporters in attendance with seats being sold for a minimum of $100. However. The Obama re-election committee website required all those in attendance to donate $1000. Jansen reports, VIP seats were sold at $2500 and those who attended were afforded the opportunity to be photographed by side the President for $7500. An estimated $80,000 was accumulated by the event (Jansen).
Links: CNN Wire Staff. http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/25/politics/obama-west-coast/index.html?iref=allsearch
Lesa Jansen. http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/24/obamas-west-coast-swing-priceless/?iref=allsearch
The Road to Financing Obama’s 2012 Campaign
On Sunday, September 25, President Barrack Obama launched a fundraising trip throughout the typically liberal West and West Coast in order to accumulate monetary support for his new jobs bill and to acquire funds that will sponsor his upcoming 2012 re-election campaign. During the three-day trip Obama will be reaching out to supporters attending fundraisers in San Diego, Hollywood, and Seattle (Foxnews). Obama’s fundraising trip aims to re-vitalize his appeal among “strong liberals and his deep-pocketed” supporters (Foxnews). The fundraisers are intended to raise support for Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign and his $447 billion dollar jobs bill. Seats for the private events were capped at a maximum of $35,800 each (Foxnews).
President Obama’s liberal and African American Democratic supporters are vital assets in the accumulation of financial campaign resources and the ratification of Obama’s jobs bill. Liberal activists demonstrating outside of Obama’s fundraiser in Seattle demanded better careers opportunities be made available to citizens of the working class who are “struggling to make ends meet.” On Saturday evening Obama spoke to his African American supporters during the Congressional Black Caucus. Although his advocates expressed their disdain for his failed attempts to reduce national unemployment, Obama reassured his African American supporters by reminding them of a time characterized by civil persecution and struggle. He addresses his supporters, “Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complainin'. Stop grumblin'. Stop cryin'. We are going to press on. We have work to do” (Foxnews).
President Obama and opposing Republican presidential candidates are racing to accumulate financial support for their campaigns ahead of the September 30, 2011 reporting deadline (Foxnews). Obama’s West Coast trip included two fundraisers in Seattle and two in San Francisco, as well as one in San Diego and two more in Los Angeles. Obama also spoke at an event in Silicon Valley California hosted by social networking company Linkedin and will deliver a final speech to supporters in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday. FoxNews reporters estimate the total of amassed funds will be in the range of $4 million or more.
Obama’s Democratic supporters, disheartened by the president’s failure to correct the national unemployment dilemma, are optimistic on Obama’s new job’s plan, which stresses Congress’ need to raise taxes in order to finance it. Rick Jacobs, head of the Courage Campaign, a progressive online organizing network in California explains, "We wish that his fighting spirit had been there a few months ago, but it's here now” (Foxnews).
David Plouffe, Obama’s 2008 Campaign Director, predicts Obama will win the election by a narrow margin by pushing health care reform and a renewed emphasis on combatting unemployment. He also stated that the common goal among Republicans, which is to “reduce restrictions on Wall Street bankers and provide wealthy Americans with tax cuts” would also help secure Obama’s seat in the 2012 election.
Links: Foxnews - Associated Press. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/25/obama-heads-west-to-energize-democrats-collect-campaign-cash/
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Video Clips Week 1
This video outlines the major issues concerning the electoral vote outweighing the popular vote in the presidential election process. Senator Birch Bayh describes the movement to create and a compact that would be signed by 270 electors. Under this compact, each state would cast their electoral votes for the candidate that won the majority in the nationwide popular vote.
The National Archives- Office Register, Mr. White, outlines the early legislation enacted by the founding fathers, which laid the foundation for the presidential election process. The topic of direct election and the process by which popular election was ratified are discussed.
In this video Mr. White, the National Archives- Office Register, comments on the “battleground states” in which candidates will campaign in order to receive the entirety of the electoral votes within that state. Mr. White outlines the details of Article 12 of the constitution, which clarifies the basis in which the electors are chosen by the state. Mr. White also describes the publics outlook on electoral voting.
The Structure of the Electoral College
The Structure of the Electoral College
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors who “pledge” to cast their individual state's vote in favor of the presidential candidate supported by the people's vote. The structure of the Electoral College is outlined in "Article II of the constitution and was modified by the 12th Amendment (Longley).
Each state is given a number of electors equal to its number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. An additional electoral seat is afforded to each state for every two U.S. Senate seats held by that state. Two hundred seventy electoral votes must be in favor of one candidate in order to secure the election. The number of seats in the House of Representatives held by each individual state is determined by the state census. Therefore, as a states population fluctuates, so does the number of seats in the House of Representatives reserved by that state.
The December 2010 U.S. census poll constitutes the necessary changes that must be made regarding the number of seats in the House of Representatives granted to each state. The changes in the number of seats and electoral votes within each state will re-structure the “playing field” in the 2012 presidential election (Ramsay).
Kristi Keck Ramsay of CNN reports that the following states will receive additional electoral votes in the upcoming 2012 election: Alabama, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington will all receive one, Texas will receive four, and Georgia will receive two additional votes.
According to the census, the following states will be losing electoral votes, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania will lose one vote, and New York and Ohio will lose two votes.
The electoral vote is the ultimate factor in the election of the U.S. president. Although the electoral vote and the people’s vote tend to coincide, it is possible for a candidate to lose the people’s vote and still be elected if they win the deciding electoral vote. A candidate may win the election without receiving a single vote in 39 states, popular or electoral, by wining the popular vote in 11 of these 12 states: California, New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. The combined electoral votes of 11 of the 12 states listed above account for the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidential election (Longley).
One example of a presidential election resulting in the election of a candidate that lost the popular vote occurred during the election of Benjamin Harrison. Robert Longley reports, “in 1888 there were a total of 401 electoral votes available with 201 needed to win. Republican Benjamin Harrison, with 5,439,853 popular votes won 233 electoral votes. His main opponent, Democrat Grover Cleveland, won the popular vote with 5,540,309 votes, but won only 168 electoral votes. Harrison was elected president.”
-Nicholas AngelisLinks:
1.Robert Longley. "The Electoral College System." http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepoliticalsystem/a/electcollege_2.htm.
2. Kristi Keck Ramsay. "Consensus Numbers Could Tighten Playing Field for Obama." http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/21/census-numbers-could-tighten-playing-field-for-obama/?iref=allsearch.
Mitt Romney and the Presidential Primaries
Mitt Romney and the Presidential Primaries
Republican candidate Mitt Romney reasoned in an interview with CNN that Obama will not win the Iowa Electoral vote in the 2012 presidential election. Romney commented on the Obama administration regarding its, ”job-killing” economic policies, saying he believes officials intend to have a government-run health care system, and blasting Democrats as being beholden to special interests like public worker unions (Travis). Romney stated that if he is made the Republican primary candidate that he will secure the seven Iowan electoral votes.
Mitt Romney attempted to display his superior understanding of the "business people" and business policy in the United States by commenting on Obama's upcoming bus tour stating, ""I hope that on his bus tour he actually takes the time to get off the bus and sit down with business people...and ask them whether the policies he's put in place over the last two and a half years have helped or hurt enterprise and jobs in America" (Travis). Romney claims that if Obama set aside a time to learn from the business people of America he would realize that the economic policies that he has enacted throughout his term have put strain on enterprise and stunted the potential for economic growth.
Despite Mitt Romney's claims, his chances of winning Iowa are less than concrete. In the 2008 presidential election Obama, the Democratic candidate, won the Iowa electoral vote and Iowa's critical caucuses that year. Mitt Romney lost the Iowa caucuses after extensive campaigning in 2008 to former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. The Ames Straw Poll in Iowa is regarded as an indication of a candidates popularity and their likelihood of winning the election. Winning the Ames Straw Poll is a key factor for the campaigns of more visible candidates such as Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty. When CNN reporter Shannon Travis questioned Romney's strategy for his lack of aggressive campaigning in Iowa, he responded that he is confident that Iowans are less "concerned with the process of politics and more concerned with the future of America (Travis).
Romney responded to concerns about his lack of campaigning in Iowa, "We'll be doing a lot of debates. I'll be participating in the Iowa caucus process hoping to win the delegates that I'd like to have to win the nomination. And if I'm the nominee, of course I'll be aggressively campaigning – Iowa will be a swing state. I don't think the president will win it. I think I'll win it if I'm the nominee" (Travis). Romney will attempt to turn his speculations into a reality in the 2012 presidential election by campaigning for the primary election seat on behalf of the Republican Party.
-Nicholas Angelis
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