The year 2012 is already behind us, but for many, some events will leave lasting imprints – both in the positive and negative ways. So what happened in 2012?

The world is not ending at least for now and let the new 2013 be full of more happiness, joy, and good news.

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Within the last few months, people everywhere have been fixating on certain aspects of each candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Many will say, “How can you support that candidate? They did this or they support this!” However, the sad fact is that both candidates have several strong reasons why they should not be president. Here is a condensed version of the considerable list for each candidate, the “top five” reasons why neither candidate is ideal to even step foot into the White House.

Five Reasons Not to Vote for Barack Obama

1) “The president said he’d cut the deficit in half,” Romney said. “Unfortunately, he doubled it — trillion-dollar deficits for the last four years. The president has put in place almost as much debt held by the public as all presidents combined.”

2) Borrowing money from China is forcing America even more in debt and making China that much more powerful.

3) He makes excuses for his shortcomings, perhaps his most prominent being that Bush left this country so far in debt and destruction, so Obama has not been able to make many changes. It is clearly Bush’s fault, even though Obama knew the challenges when he campaigned for president.

4) Other than enacting Obamacare, he has done nothing he has promised within the last four years…but that is Bush’s fault, right?

5) Many connect Obama’s views and policies to socialism and communism.

Five Reasons Not to Vote for Mitt Romney

1) Romney has promised to immediately take away federal funding for Planned Parenthood, ultimately taking away vital resources to women.

2) Since Romney grew up wealthy, he will make changes to support the rich. What will happen to the middle class?

3) According to “I Acknowledge Class Warfare Exists,” 203 Republicans voted to make abortion illegal for rape victims in July 2012. As a Republican, Romney punishes the victims of rape.

4) Romney has Mormon beliefs that heavily influence his policies and treatment of women.

5) He is not for gay marriage and gay rights like Obama.

These are some of the main reasons people are totally against one candidate, but what people forget or disregard is the fact that the candidate they support is not perfect. Both candidates have clear flaws and compelling reasons they should or should not be president. As voters, we should be well aware of both candidates’ flaws so we can make more of an educated, informed choice.

Image Courtesy : Center for American Progress Action Fund from Washington, DC (Barack Obama at Las Vegas Presidential Forum) [CC-BY-SA-2.0

], via Wikimedia Commons

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Toronto, Canada – Wave Accounting, the disruptive creators of award-winning free small business accounting and payroll software, announced on September 11 the results of its small business opinion poll on the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election. Wave polled the U.S.-based portion of the company’s more than 300,000 customers regarding their opinions on the candidates’ potential impact on small business.

Key findings include:

• On the question, “Who is better for small businesses,” 53% of respondents chose Romney/Ryan, 39% chose Obama/Biden.
• Reducing government red tape is the number one issue for Republican voting respondents, with an overwhelming 90% citing this issue as “crucial.”
• Among voters intending to vote Democrat, the most important issue is improving health care options for small businesses (77% called it “crucial.”)
• Size matters: Support for Romney/Ryan grows as company size grows. 47% of companies with 6-9 employees say they are definitely voting Romney/Ryan, vs. 45% among companies with 2-5 employees, and 43% among one-person businesses.
• Support for the GOP ticket is strongest in the South where 57% of businesses favorRomney/Ryan.

“These insights represent the real opinions of real small businesses in America,” said Kirk Simpson, CEO of Wave Accounting.

Recent “small business” surveys have included opinions from companies with hundreds of employees and many millions in revenue. Because Wave specializes in online solutions for real small businesses with 9 employees or less, the company can access key insights from a unique and significant segment of the market.

“This group makes up 95% of businesses in the U.S., yet their voices are badly underrepresented in media and politics,” said Simpson. “Their opinions and needs are interesting, in some cases unexpected, and deserve to be heard.”

The complete Wave Small Business Opinions Report — 2012 U.S. Presidential Election is available at www.waveaccounting.com/election2012.

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The Democratic National Convention is in its last -and most important- day. President Obama will talk today at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte to his delegates and to the entire American nation. The delegates have already shown their trust in Obama by appointing him as the Democratic Candidate for this year’s coming election.

Today, it will be Obama’s turn to show he trust his supporters, by accepting the delegates nomination. Attendees and viewers at home are expecting a speech that will convince supporters as well as undecided voters that he is the man for the job and that America should send him back to the White House for another four years.

His speech will be full of promises, but perhaps not with as many as there were four years ago. Back then, the democrats believed that Obama was the person who could transform the world into a better place. It was an elections with come of the highest participation rates in American history. Democrats were so excited that the organizers even had to change the venue where Obama delivered his nomination speech during the last DNC in Denver in 2008, where 75,000 people attended.

Today, excitement has cooled down a little bit among democrats as many has been disillusioned by the failure to live up to the chants of hope and change. Obama’s only option is to convince the skeptics that a second term in office it is necessary in order to realize the “hopes” and accomplish the “changes.”

Last week during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL, Romney accused Obama for not making good on his promises. It is to be seen whether Obama will spend his time refuting Romney’s attack or explain what he is going to do during the next four years to make a successful and permanent change in the American society. Otherwise, according to last weeks’ polls, the undecided voters might go to Romney.

Even though Romney did not come up with a clear program, his attacks against this last legislature were not superficial. During the past four years, the world has seen how each of Obama´s promises have fallen into a hole: the American unemployment rate has grown into historical figures (8.2%), immigration problems have not been solved — in fact, the number of deportations keep on growing, oil dependency upon the Middle East is still an issue, there are still troops in Afghanistan, and Iran has become a bigger threat.

During Wednesday’s program at the DNC, former president Bill Clinton went through all these issues and explained that more time is needed.

But will America wait for four more years on results? Will Obama be able to get the support of this undecided voters? Will he be able to once again inspire the chants that made so many people dream of a better tomorrow four years ago? The answers to these questions might be found during tonights speech on Charlotte.

Image Courtesy of    Barack Obama

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Representatives of the DNCC, DNC and the Obama for America campaign spoke about the decision to move the last day of the Democratic National Convention to the Tima

The impressive 70,000-plus seats of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, will not be filled with excited supporters of the Democratic candidate for the 2012 US Elections, President Barack Obama. Instead, the highly anticipated Democratic National Convention speech will be delivered in the confinements of the Time Warner Cable Arena.

Representatives of the DNCC, DNC and the Obama for America campaign spoke about the decision to move the last day from the Stadium at today’s press briefing.

The move has proved a bit of a challenge for the organizers; a main issue being that the cut in seating space will affect the amount of people able to be in attendance. People with the ‘community credentials’ will not be able to attend the speech at the arena, but the organizers reiterated that they were much concerned with making sure no one felt left out. They expect that people who are in Charlotte will come together at public house parties at bars and restaurants, celebrating the nomination nonetheless.

It is too early to say how much the change in venue will impact the budget of the convention, but the organizers expect some expense on that behalf.

Disappointment was also expressed in having to move President Obama’s speech to the Arena, as delegates and representatives had hoped to re-create some of the excitement  from four years ago in Denver. Organizers told the media earlier today that there will not be enough time to arrange balloons under the roof for tonight’s event, but at the briefing, DNC representatives reassured that there will still be “lots of energy” and that the Presidents speech would provide enough excitement for the crowd.

The decision to move the speech indoors was taken yesterday after organizers feared that bad weather would come in the way of a smooth-running event.

What, then, can we expect to hear from Obama? Representatives said that the speech will be more about why the American people should support Obama rather than why they shouldn’t support the Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

They noted that while the Republican campaign has been much about re-defining Romney and pointing out the faults of the last four years, the Obama campaign has not felt it needed to define what President Obama stands for.

A representative added: “Everyone who’s been out there traveling with the President, knows that he talks about a number of [...] policy issues out on the trail and we can expect to hear the same thing from him this evening.” She hopes that the undecided voters will pay attention so they can cross-check the facts and the policies and understand what President Obama stands for and where he is different.

The Obama camp is confident in the message they are delivering and the achievements they have accomplished so far. After tonight, they hope voters will be too.

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Los Angeles, U.S.A. — With many citing the economy as the most important issue for the 2012 presidential election, Loop21.com, a leading digital source of emergent Black culture, and a coalition of top black civic, entertainment and media organizations, conducted The State of the Black Economy (SOBE) survey, a study of African American public opinion on the issue. The study, conducted from July 9 to July 27, tapped into a panel of more than 5,000 regular African American visitors to the Loop21.com website.

According to polling results released today, Loop21.com’s African American panel respondents are more pessimistic about the national economy than they are on their own personal finances, however, 86% approve of President Obama’s performance on the economy. While overall the president’s economic job approval number have been hovering around the mid to low 40s; African Americans see him as doing much better than the public at large.

The panel respondents tend to blame the current economic problems on former President George W. Bush, Wall Street, and Congress, more so than President Obama. Panel respondents also tend to think that President Obama’s race influences the public criticism he receives when people speak about his economic job performance.

When panel respondents who disapproved (14%) of the President’s performance on the economy were asked who could do better than President Obama the most common response suggested no one. The second most common response among disapproving respondents was that a Democratic Congress could do better.

The distant third most common response (9%) was a third-party Presidential candidate. The list of responses—panel respondents could only check one—included a Republican President (1%), the Republican Congress (<1%), a Democratic other than Obama (6%), a Democratic Congress (20%), a non-Democrat or non-Republican president (9%), a different African American (1%), none of the above (44%), and unsure (17%).

Asked specifically about how much President Obama “cares about the needs of Black people” compared to “past presidents” and compared to “former President Bill Clinton,” respondents said that Obama cared more than past presidents, but equal amounts said he cared “the same” as or “more” than former President Clinton.

Panelists also offered opinions about job policy priorities. When asked about the issue of jobs in the United States, a majority of panel respondents say job creation should be more important than reducing the deficit and that tougher immigration enforcement would not lead to more job opportunities. The panel respondents were split on the issue of whether tax decreases for business would stimulate job growth.  Panel respondents also preferred “issue targeted” policies over “race targeted” policies.

On the issue of race, (70%) of the panel respondents see “African Americans” as sharing more common experiences than “Americans” in general, (55%).  The survey also found that panel respondents perceive more racial bias for other African Americans than they experience in their own daily lives; yet, list “workplace discrimination” among their greatest concerns for job security.

Racial perceptions influenced African Americans panel respondents’ assessment of criticism leveled at President Obama. The overwhelming majority of respondents hold the view that all “Americans” and “African Americans” hold President Obama to a “higher standard than other presidents.” When asked why, nearly 9 out of 10 responded that both “Americans” and “African Americans” hold President Obama to a higher standard “because of his race.”

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New York, U.S.A. – Newtek Business Services,  The Small Business Authority ‘s President and CEO Barry Sloane appeared on Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends the morning of July 18. Mr. Sloane was interviewed by host Gretchen Carlson addressing the recent statements made by President Obama about small business.

Mr. Sloane took the position that the government and larger regulation are interfering with the ability of the economy to grow. He stated that business owners are offended by President Obama’s comments because they feel they have earned the right to be successful. Business owners do a great job within their communities by giving to charities, hiring workers and paying taxes that build roads and bridges. This is a government by the people and for the people; it is the people who have paid taxes and created revenue to create all this. The full video clip of the interview can be seen here.

Barry Sloane also presented his position on this issue in a blog on Forbes and on Twitter.

President and CEO, Barry Sloane commented, “Unfortunately, the country is now in a debate over deciding whether successful business owners and entrepreneurs should thank the government for building roads or great school teachers for their education. At Newtek – ‘The Small Business Authority,’ we represent over 100,000 business accounts and owners and believe that the American philosophical and cultural way of doing things has made them and all of their stakeholders successful.

Their stakeholders include their employees, spouses, children and communities who benefit from taxes assessed against their income and success. It is not necessary for the government or any federal official to remind us that the government needs to be thanked for providing services. Our government is for the people and represents the people; it should only be providing a support mechanism for the American way. We are presenting our opinion using these channels as an advocate for our small business clientele who feel the need to celebrate their success outside of the political circle and to elaborate on their concerns over government expansion and the sharing of wealth outside of the free market mechanisms.”

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Perhaps the largest minority voting bloc with the biggest impact are Hispanics. Hispanics have quickly become one of the largest demographics in the United States and in recent years have grown significantly in size. In North Carolina alone from 2000 to 2010 the Hispanic population grew 111%. Battleground states that will be determined by only a few hundred votes will make the Democrats and Republicans rely heavily on minority groups such as Hispanics.

However, 58% of Hispanics are unable to vote either because of their citizenship status or their age. Hispanics are also one of the youngest groups in the US with 50,000 Hispanics becoming 18 every month.

Hispanics tend to be liberal leaning but they are not a cohesive voting bloc like other minority groups, and are more likely to vote for a candidate they like than a party. Although all of them may be Hispanic that is where many of the similarities end since many will have different political views based on native country, age, or residence in the US according to The National Journal.

Currently Hispanics support Obama (66%) far more than they support Romney (25%), although 9% are undecided. Hispanics also supported Obama in 2008 at about the same rate as they seem to be for this election. However, Obama’s white voter base has shrunk slightly by 5%.

According to a recent Gallup Poll Immigration, Healthcare, and Unemployment are equally important to the Hispanic voter. In comparison, other registered voter groups have immigration coming in last of issues they deem important. According to Latino Decision immigration is ranked as a higher issue of concern among Latinos from border states like New Mexico.

There are at least twelve of fifteen swing states in which the Hispanic vote will be highly significant. Last presidential election, some of these swing states went to Obama because of the Hispanic vote including Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Virginia, Indiana, and Florida.

And the Hispanic influence will only grow in politics. Robert Suro, Professor of Journalism and Public Policy at the University of Southern California stated, “the discussion of the Latino voter is the discussion of the future of politics, not about this cycle. Where this cycle can have a big difference [is how it] casts trajectories into the future.”

This projection still has not prevented Obama and Romney from catering to the Hispanic vote this year. Hispanic voters are fairly active with 87% of responders in a Latino Decision survey in Florida saying they will definitely be voting in the next election. However, registered Florida Hispanics have declined by ten percent since 2008.

Hispanics face their difficulties in getting to the voting booths this year as well. In Florida Governor Rick Scott is working to purge Florida voter rolls of all who are suspected of being non-citizens by comparing the voter registration rolls to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles’ records. So far at least 180,000 have been flagged as possible non-citizens, 58% of whom are Hispanics and 79% who are registered as Democrats or ‘no-affiliation.’

The Miami Herald reported that in Miami Dade county thirteen registered voters were not citizens and only two had voted in previous elections.

The United States Department of Justice has ordered Rick Scott to stop the voter purges. Although the purges will have a marginal effect on the number of voters it is still expected to affect the mentality of voters and their turnout according to Latino Decision.

Obama leads Romney in the polls, but there are several aspects of his record during his time as president that could hurt his chances. Obama promised to introduce an immigration reform bill in his first year but he still has not. Obama has also been the most aggressive president in regards to deportations since the 1950s. Obama has deported 1.2 million Latinos, 46,000 of whom are parents of American citizens. Since April 2009 until now Obama’s approval rating has dropped 36 points among Latinos.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, seems even worse for Hispanic voters. He has stated that he wants life in the US to be so difficult for illegal immigrants they will self-deport. However, taking Marco Rubio, a Hispanic Senator from Florida, as his Vice President would significantly aid Romney in his campaign, bringing over more of the Hispanic vote.

Obama has won over several Hispanic voters with his executive order that put parts of the Dream Act into effect – a move that 91% of young Hispanics supported. In the process Obama prevented the deportation of nearly a million people brought here as children. Obama stated that these individuals are Americans “in every single way but one: on paper.”

“This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix. This is a temporary, stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to … patriotic young people. It’s the right thing to do.”

This order is not the DREAM Act exactly because only Congress can pass that but it does allow young Hispanics brought here illegally to have a better chance at getting a job and going to college because they can now get work and study visas. Before this executive order these individuals could not get financial aid for college or be legally employed in the United States. Representative Steve King, a Republican from Iowa, has said that he would challenge the law in court.

The New York Times called the DREAM Act executive order a ‘play’ for more votes from the Hispanic voting bloc. A claim that is not all that far-fetched.

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Obama won the black vote in 2008 by a landslide with 95% of their votes. However, voter turnout was also higher in 2008 than it is expected to be this year. In 2008 two million more African-Americans showed up to the polls than in 2004, but those numbers could be much lower for 2012. In 2008 there was a turnout of 87% from the black community as opposed to 76% who claim that they will be going this year according to a Gallup Poll.

“He’s got to worry about turnout. [Obama] doesn’t have to worry about losing votes to Mitt Romney. He has to worry about African-Americans not showing up in the record numbers that showed up in 2008,” claims Larry Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

Currently the Democrats are counting on the black vote to help tip the scales on several swing states in the election. These swing states include Virginia (with 20% of the voting population African-American), Florida (13%), Ohio (11%), and North Carolina (23%). In 2008 the black vote was key in Obama winning North Carolina and Virginia.

“In 2008, he [Obama] won North Carolina by about 14,000 votes,” Bill Randall, a black Republican and former Congressman stated. However he also claims that “support is waning… policies are not doing things that are going to spur economic growth.” And economic growth is important.

Currently 14.4% of African-Americans are unemployed versus the about 8% unemployment nationwide. This gap will significantly harm the President’s chances of garnering more voter turnout and support from the black community. Some have also claimed that the President is taking the black vote for granted, citing his absence at the NAACP conference as evidence. Frederick Harris, a professor of Political Science at Columbia University, stated that Obama “can afford to take the black voters for granted.”

Obama did send a pre-taped video addressing the NAACP stating “I stand on your shoulders” acknowledging their support and work. However this video did not prevent Romney from including a dig at Obama’s absence. “We have to make our case to every voter. We don’t count anybody out, and we sure don’t make a habit of presuming anyone’s support. Support is asked for and earned, and that’s why I’m here today.”

Benjamin Todd Jealous, President of the NAACP said that “if [Romney is] going to pick up more support in the black community he has to send a message that he’s prepared to lead on issues that we care about.”

One of these issues is voting rights. Jealous claims, “we are living through the greatest wave of legislative assaults on voting rights in more than a century. In the past year, more states have passed more laws pushing more voters out of the ballot box than at any time since the rise of Jim Crow.”

Romney has already previously announced his support for voter ID cards and other stricter voting laws. “I support efforts to say, look, we want people to come in and make sure they’re a citizen of the United States and that they haven’t voted multiple times and they’re not voting for someone who’s passed away.”

The Houston NAACP Conference that Romney attended was organized to discuss voter disenfranchisement including the new law in Texas that is expected to remove 600,000 people from being able to vote, most of them from minorities. According to USA Today the Texas law would also allow concealed handgun licenses to be used as a form of identification but not Student ID cards. Attorney General Eric Holder, who has been working to fight many of these new restrictive laws, claims that 25% of black voters do not have an ID card as opposed to only 8% of whites.

Pennsylvania has also introduced stricter voter ID laws that block 9% of the state’s residents from voting. More than 18% of registered voters in Philadelphia do not have an ID and the majority of African-Americans in Philadelphia also lack identification.

Hilary Shelton, Senior Vice President of the NAACP, has stated, “when proponents of these measures say this is a tool to prevent voter fraud, they’re missing the point. Most of the corruption that occurs is by polling officials – those who are put in place to protect and administer process. It’s not people pretending to be someone they are not.”

According to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law Voter Fraud by individuals is exceptionally rare. Instead, most voter fraud issues are conducted by those running the polling places.

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On Wednesday, July 11 Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney was booed at the NAACP conference when he stated that, if elected, he would repeal Obamacare. Romney’s statement was “I’m going to eliminate every non-essential, expensive program I can find, that includes Obamacare, and I’m going to work to reform and save.”

According to CNN Romney has currently garnered only 5% of the black vote as opposed to 87% that President Obama holds.

Romney’s attendance at the conference was somewhat of a surprise since Obama is expected to take well over 90% of the black vote in November. Romney stated, “with 90 percent of African Americans voting for Democrats, some of you may wonder why a Republican would bother to campaign in the African-American community, and to address the NAACP. Of course, one reason is that I hope to represent all Americans, of every race, creed or sexual orientation, from the poorest to the richest and everyone in between.” However, the New York Times has also speculated that visiting the NAACP will make Romney look more moderate to independents and undecided whites.

Romney’s speech was followed the next day by Vice Presidential Candidate Joe Biden. Although the President was originally scheduled for the event he was unable to attend because of a ‘scheduling conflict.’

Biden’s message, according to Politico, was that Obama needs the help of the black community to win the election and the Romney and the Congressional Republicans will and have been only harmful. Biden reminded the crowd about the NAACP and the voter ID laws that have arisen across several states. “Remember what this at its core was all about, why this organization at its core was all about. It was about the franchise. It was about the right to vote. Because when you have the right to vote, you have the right to change things.”

Biden also discussed Attorney General Eric Holder being held in contempt by the GOP-controlled House after he refused to turn over several documents related to Operation Fast and Furious. Holder has been a strong proponent of protecting voter rights and has stated, “in our efforts to protect voting rights and to prevent voting fraud, we will be vigilant and strong. But let me be clear: We will not allow political pretexts to disenfranchise American citizens of their most precious right.”

Biden also reminded the members at the conference about the lack of cooperation from the Republicans in recent years. “Almost never since he’s taken office did the Republican Congress reach across the aisle to help… The Republicans’ plan [was] not to get us out of this recession, not to promote jobs, not to do the things that needed to be done, but to make Barrack Obama a one-term president.” Toward the end of his speech the Vice President admitted that he was “preaching to the choir.”

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Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney has called for an apology from the Obama campaign after several attack ads were released questioning Mitt Romney’s role in Bain Capital after 1999. Romney claims that he left the company he co-founded in 1984 in February 1999, in order to run the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

The Obama camp’s main charge comes from the fact that Romney’s name as the CEO and President remained on several documents from the company until 2002.

Romney stated, “I had no role whatsoever in the management of Bain Capital after 1999.” However, files given to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) clearly show that Romney was listed as the “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president” until 2001.

If Romney truly had remained at Bain Capital it would mean that Romney had knowingly misfiled his official campaign disclosure forms which – according to Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter – is a federal crime. Additionally, between 1999 and 2001 Bain closed down several American companies and helped others to send jobs overseas.

The Boston Globe reported that Mitt Romney earned at least $100,000 as a Bain executive in 2001 and 2002 besides the investments that he earned as sole shareholder. During 2000 and 2001 Romney listed his “principal occupation” as “Managing Director” at Bain. Additionally Massachusetts disclosure form from when Romney filed in 2003 says that he still owned 100% of the company in 2002.

Recently Romney has also been slammed by the Obama campaign because he refuses to produce more than two years of tax returns.

President Obama has claimed that if Romney is going to run on his business leadership at Bain then he should be taking responsibility of it, according to The Huffington Post. Obama stated, “Ultimately, I think Mr. Romney is going to have to answer those questions because if he aspires to being president, one of the things you learn is you’re ultimately responsible for the conduct of your operations.”

Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago and President Obama’s former Chief of Staff, has said that Romney needs to “stop whining.” Emanuel also stated, “you can’t say to the SEC, ‘I was the CEO, chairman and president, but I’m not responsible. I’m not accountable.’”

However several sources have verified Romney’s story that although he was still a part of the business on paper he was not actually involved in the daily operation of the company. FactCheck.org, a non-partisan website, says that there is no evidence that Romney had an active role at the company. Dan Primack, senior editor at Fortune Magazine, said that the documents given to potential investors in 2000 and 2001 did not include Romney’s name as an executive. Primack stated, “the contemporaneous Bain documents show that Romney was indeed telling the truth about no longer having operational input at Bain.”

Bain Capital issued a statement claiming: “due to the sudden nature of Mr. Romney’s departure, he remained the sole stockholder for a time while formal ownership was being documented and transferred to the group of partners who took over management of the firm in 1999. Accordingly, Mr. Romney was reported in various capacities on SEC filings during this period.” Ed Gillespie, the Senior Adviser to Mitt Romney also claimed, “he took a leave of absence and, in fact, he ended up not going back at all and retired retroactively to February of 1999 as a result.”

Although the claims that Romney was involved in the operations of Bain Capital during his time at the Olympics seem unjustified, there is still evidence that Romney was involved in outsourcing before he left to join the Olympic Committee.

The Washington Post claims that during the fifteen years that Romney was actively involved at Bain, the company owned other companies that spearheaded outsourcing; some of which include CSI and Modus Media.

Bain was involved in outsourcing as early as 1993 when Romney was still President of the company. In 1993 Bain was involved with Coporate Software Inc (CSI) and Stream International Inc that both specialized in helping companies find cheaper manufacturing for technology. Shortly after Romney left Bain in 1999 Bain became a majority shareholder in Stream.

Modus Media, whose majority shareholder was Bain Capital, helped outsource manufacturing for companies as well – before Romney left in 1999. In a press release from Modus Media in 1997 the company says that it expanded its outsourcing business with help from Bain stating, “working closely with Bain on strategic expansion.”

Therefore, although the Obama campaign claims that Romney was involved in Bain during his period at the Olympics seem unsubstantiated there appears to be evidence to show that Romney was still involved in out-sourcing.

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Washington, U.S.A. – American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauds President Obama’s announcement of June 15 of a new Administration policy to stop deporting undocumented youth from the U.S. who would qualify for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

“President Obama’s decision will enhance educational opportunities for deserving students, level the playing field for all children, and bolster America’s role as a leader in the competitive global economy,” said Richard Foltin, AJC’s Director of National and Legislative Affairs.

There are an estimated 50,000-65,000 undocumented students who graduate from American high schools each year. “Many came to the U.S. at a young age, have grown up in American schools, developed American values, and are American in every sense except their citizenship,” said Foltin.

Following President Obama’s announcement on June 15, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin a process for granting “deferred action” to undocumented youth who are in the U.S. and would otherwise qualify for relief under the version of the DREAM Act passed by the House of Representatives in December 2010.

Eligible individuals – including but not limited to those who are currently in deportation proceedings – will be allowed to remain and work in the U.S. for a renewable two-year period.

“While granting deferred action to these students is an important step towards desperately needed reform of our immigration system, we will continue to advocate for legislation that establishes a permanent path to citizenship for these DREAM Act students,” said Foltin.

Citing a UCLA study that concluded that DREAM Act participants could contribute $1.4-$3.6 trillion to the U.S. economy during their working lives, Foltin continued, “These students are vital to our nation’s future. Allowing them to stay in the United States not only benefits them, but also enhances America’s rich, vibrant, and diverse culture.”

Since its founding in 1906, AJC has been a strong voice in support of fair and generous immigration policies that are consistent with humanitarian values and with the need to treat all individuals with respect, while allowing the United States to implement its immigration laws and protect our national security.

The National League of Cities

The following statement is from Don Borut, executive director of the National League of Cities, responding to President Obama’s decision to stop deporting young immigrants who came to the United States as children.

“The President has made a sensible decision to allow young immigrants who came to the United States as children and have little connection to their countries of origin to stay and continue to contribute to our country. This change reflects the many positive contributions that these individuals are making to local communities.

“The Administration deserves praise for recognizing the poor performance of the nation’s existing immigration policy. Today’s action only represents a small piece of the reform that needs to occur.  This change does not replace the urgent need for Congressional action to enact comprehensive immigration reform.”

The National League of Cities is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

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Washington, U.S.A. - On 15 June the Obama administration announced a brazen usurpation of Congressional authority by using executive power to implement the DREAM Act. Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will grant deferred action and possible work authorization to certain illegal aliens under the age of 30 who arrived in the U.S. before 16 years of age. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano expects that nearly 1 million illegal aliens will be granted amnesty through this effort.

“Over the past ten years, Congress has repeatedly rejected the DREAM Act. Now, five months before the presidential election, the Obama administration is unilaterally rewriting our immigration laws, defying Congressional authority and threatening our constitutional framework,” said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

“This is a blatant abuse of executive power that ignores the will of Congress and the American people,” charged Stein.”The Obama administration is engaging in a shameless display of political pandering to satisfy a narrow slice of its party.

“Since taking office the President has slowly stripped away the federal government’s immigration enforcement authority and barred the states from effectively protecting Americans from the burden of illegal immigration,” continued Stein. “The consequence of these actions, and the Administration’s latest expansion of its backdoor amnesty strategy, is the shredding of the Constitution, a wholesale rejection of the rule of law, and an open invitation for more illegal immigration.”

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR claims to fight for immigration policies to serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, issued this statement in support of President Obama’s directive on new immigration policy for undocumented students and others:

“President Obama has surmounted Washington gridlock and done the right thing to strengthen the American economy and protect American students marginalized through no fault of their own. Important provisions of the Dream Act, stalled for so long on Capitol Hill, are no longer simply a dream. No one benefits by keeping young adults who play by the rules, many of whom have no memory of their country of birth and consider themselves Americans, in the shadows of society. We need comprehensive immigration reform and with this policy now in force the President has taken a significant step toward that goal.”

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Grand Rapids, U.S.A. - The 2012 presidential campaign will come down to which candidate has more charisma with swing voters – giving Barack Obama the edge he needs over Republican challenger Mitt Romney, says Mark Edward Taylor, author of the just-released Kindle book Charisma: Why Obama Will Beat Romney (Edenridge Press). “Voters who pick a candidate just before the election usually decide on the basis of likability, not issues,” says Taylor.

Taylor (Ph.D. Northwestern), also author of last year’s Branding Obamessiah: The Rise of an American Idol, says that although the Obama campaign has floundered in its initial candidate rebranding, Romney hasn’t been able to generate much magnetism, even after winning enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination.

“The race is coming down to dueling lackluster brands,” says Taylor.

“David Axelrod and company are resurrecting Obama as the compassionate community organizer. Hence all of Obama’s talk about economic fairness and his public support for gay marriage,” says Taylor.

“Romney’s campaign is branding him as a kind of missionary CEO who has been called to revive the economy,” explains Taylor. “But Romney personally doesn’t have the charisma to play the part. He’s too wooden, too seemingly artificial.” Taylor adds, “Romney doesn’t even come across as believing fully in himself.”

Taylor argues that in spite of Obama’s poor economic record, the Democratic president has the advantage of residual brand appeal from 2008. “All Obama has to do is revive enough of his charismatic brand appeal with swing voters in the days leading up to the election,” says Taylor. “If he does that successfully, just about everything else that happens between now and November will be irrelevant.”

Taylor, who closely studied the 2008 Obama campaign from his hometown of Chicago while teaching at Loyola University, says Romney’s only chance for victory is to overcome his uninspiring rhetorical style. “He’s got to stop stammering, speak more slowly and confidently, proclaim more regally what he actually believes, and imagine himself as president rather than someone’s kindly uncle who gets embarrassed when he says anything bad about anyone.”

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At a speech at the Citadel Military College in South Carolina on October 7, Mitt Romney outlined some of his goals for American foreign policy if he wins the presidential election in 2012. He made two large promises: first, he pledged to reverse cuts in defense spending, and second, he vowed to deploy missiles and ships.

He also assured the audience that he would rebuild the US economy, reverse President Obama’s “massive defense cuts,” and increase the number of soldiers in the military by 100,000. However, Obama has only slowed down the rate of increase in the defense budget, not cut spending. In the current fiscal year, Obama requested $533 billion for defense.

When Obama took office, the budge was $513 billion. In April, he asked the Pentagon to find where it would be feasible to cut spending by $400 billion in the next 12 years. Romney also wants to increase shipbuilding from nine ships per year to 15 ships per year. However, shipbuilding has been decreasing steadily since the 1980s because wars were concentrated on land.

Building military ships has not been a priority of the Pentagon for the last 10 years. The Navy said it needs a minimum of 313 ships. It currently has 284 ships, which is up from the 278 ships it had in 2007. The 24 Navy Aegis ships are equipped with missile defense technologies. Missile defense was another of Romney’s concerns.

Romney said he would like to intensify military presence against the Iranian regime “by ordering the regular presence of aircraft carrier task forces, one in eastern Mediterranean and one in Persian Gulf.” The US currently has full-time military presence in the Persian Gulf, but none in the eastern Mediterranean.

At the Republican candidate debate on October 11, Romney received some hard questions from fellow candidates about his healthcare initiatives and his decision to support the Wall Street bailout of 2008-2009.

Rick Perry asked about the Massachusetts healthcare plan that requires uninsured residents of the states to obtain healthcare. The plan served as a template for Obama’s healthcare plan. Romney claimed that the plan does not raise taxes or cut Medicare; however, he claimed that the Obama plan does.

The next Republican party debates will be on October 18 in Las Vegas. Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum will be attending the debate sponsored by CNN and the Western Republican Leadership Conference.
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With the 2012 election already off to a competitive start, many presidential candidates will continue to battle for the lead in the upcoming months in several scheduled debates. Many events come next for the leading GOP Presidential candidates, and job creation will be a fundamental topic surrounding each debate.

A forum, which was funded by Senator Jim DeMint, of South Carolina on Labor Day, allowed candidates the opportunity to discuss their prime issues as well as make an appearance and get some camera time.  Within the next six weeks, a total of five debates will also take place.

The upcoming debates include a CNN/Tea Party Express GOP presidential debate in Tampa on September 12^th, and in Florida on the 22nd. Following in October will be one in New Hampshire and Las Vegas. After a lifeless August, in which there was no improvement of unemployment at all, job creation is being made an even more crucial issue for not only the president but for all of the GOP Presidential candidates running in the 2012 election.

Job Creation is Obama’s most challenging problem and topic that could either get him reelected or could destroy his chances. He has put a super committee in place to reduce 1.5$ trillion in deficit spending. President Obama also made a speech on Thursday night to a joint session in Congress about his American Jobs Act, which also makes for a topic in upcoming debates.

The debates will inevitably question the president’s plans, and offer a prime occasion for each candidate to propose their own job creation plans and how to rebuild the economy. Many have already proclaimed their plans for job creation, such as Mitt Romney on Tuesday, two days before the president even announced his American Jobs Act.

These debates are critical for each candidate’s survival and support, and will be an opportunity to challenge each other’s stances. This was seen in last week’s debate when Perry and Romney challenged each other’s record on job creation. These debates are also events that can make or break candidates. Perry the front-runner will have to watch his every move to make sure he stays in the lead.

Perry’s communication director Ray Sullivan even said, “It’s not his preferred venue.” He continued on to say, “But we respect the process and intend to participate and are confident that he will have a solid performance.” Being that there are five different debates spread out enables candidate’s time to make up for weak debates, but also facilitates them to flip-flop on issues.

The debates could very well be the best way for voters to see who has the most solid answers to many of the burning issues, job creation in particular. These debates will also give the public the ability to see which candidates will stay true to their message and which ones may change throughout their campaign.

To throw yet another curve ball into things, Palin could even enter the race in late fall, which would be interesting to see how this affects campaigning for all candidates. What comes next for the already intense 2012 election? Only time will tell.

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