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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As the US election for president draws closer, dirtier the debates become. This does not only extend to President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, but to the voters themselves. Since this election is so important to the United States, people who have not previously paid much attention to politics–myself included–have been roped into the huge battle for control. The battle has now been dragged into cyberspace.

Facebook has exploded with status and picture updates about the election and who individuals support, which creates tension among friends who are supporting different candidates. I know some of my friends are hardly talking to one another strictly because of fights they have had about politics.

My family and I have an agreement to not discuss politics because we support opposing candidates, and the fights would always turn ugly when the subject came up. However, the rest of the country is letting everyone know their position for the election; political conventions and rallies are happening left and right because everyone wants to get support for their candidate. In other elections, people were not as passionate about who they planned on voting for.

Sure, the election campaigns were aired on TV and everyone was subjected to the annoying phone calls sponsoring a candidate, but friends and families were not torn apart because of politics. Meanwhile, both candidates are trying to make themselves look as saintly as possible while simultaneously trying to make their opponent seem like the anti-Christ. The presidential debates have been the most public display of this goal. The debates have caused a huge stir with voters with trying to determine who “won” the debate.

Romney had better stage presence while Obama looked like he did not want to be there. Obama kept trying to play off of Bill Clinton and emphasizing how horrible George W. Bush was while not taking ownership of any of his own shortcomings. During Obama’s reign, the country’s deficit tripled and he added more debt than any other president combined.  But none of this is his fault, only Bush’s. Obama kept twisting Romney’s plan for taxes, which Romney defended and said that Obama was purposely misleading the public.

Romney continually challenged Obama, who never really defended himself fully. Since the debates, others have tried to make excuses as to why Obama did not seem to be present and involved. However, all the debates have done is created more of a gray area while the public decides which candidate is the biggest liar.

With the debates over, political commercials are always on TV. It has gotten to the point that I refuse to watch any TV until after the election craziness is over. Neither candidate is perfect, and it gets to be very depressing watching Romney have commercials saying how horrible President Obama is while Obama projects the opposite sentiment.

The election is a month away, and it is sure to get much worse before the ballots are collected and tallied. November is guaranteed to be a political bloodbath.   Image Courtesy of   new-york-city

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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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Washington, U.S.A. — Following Congressman Akin’s controversial remarks on Sunday, the Romney-Ryan campaign quickly released the following statement: “Governor Romney and Congressman (Paul) Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin’s statement, and a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape.”

After praising Congressman Ryan’s pro-personhood record in a press release last week, Personhood USA has now expressed concern about the appearance of compromise on the part of Congressman Ryan.

“Personhood USA does not endorse political candidates, but we had hoped that Congressman Ryan would be a good influence on Governor Romney, considering Romney’s liberal abortion record,” explained Jennifer Mason, Communications Director for Personhood USA. “Reading today that babies conceived in rape should suffer the death penalty under a Romney-Ryan administration is extremely concerning, and indicates that Congressman Ryan’s pro-woman and pro-baby positions would have little influence if he wins the office of Vice President of the United States.”

In December, Personhood USA asked GOP Presidential hopefuls to sign a “Personhood Pledge,” affirming the Republican party platform and following in the steps of President Ronald Reagan. Governor Mitt Romney declined to sign the prolife pledge.

Personhood USA spokesperson Rebecca Kiessling, who was conceived in rape, has had the opportunity to speak to many presidential hopefuls over the past five years. When speaking with Governor Mitt Romney several years ago, Rebecca commented that he was largely unresponsive and seemingly disinterested. By contrast, Rebecca’s conversation with Texas Governor Rick Perrymade headline news, with Governor Perry stating, ”Looking in her eyes, I couldn’t come up with an answer to defend the exceptions for rape and incest.”

“As someone who really cares about rape victims, I want to protect them from the rapist, and from the abortion, but not the baby. A baby is not the worst thing that could ever happen to a rape victim — an abortion is,” explained Kiessling. “We need to educate the American public on the truth in this matter and not make public policy based on myth and misinformation.”

“Governor Romney claims to be prolife, but it appears he is prolife with exceptions – if the baby was conceived in rape, it seems that Romney does not believe that baby has a right to life. This position is contrary to the Republican party platform and contrary to the beliefs of prolife Americans nationwide. All babies have a right to live, regardless of the circumstances of their conception,” concluded Mason

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As the race for the White House enters its final months and both the candidates look to make their case directly to the American people, ABC News will provide comprehensive cross-platform coverage of the Republican National Convention in Tampa (August 27-30) and the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte (September 4-6).

Coverage, led by Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos along with ABC’s powerhouse team of political correspondents and contributors, will span ABC News’ broadcasts and platforms — including more than 14 hours of coverage on the ABC Television Network, 30-plus hours of live-streamed coverage on ABC News Digital platforms and Yahoo!, and extensive reporting and analysis on ABC News Radio. In addition, ABC News will be co-hosting a total of four newsmaker events with its partners at the conventions.

During the back-to-back conventions Sawyer and Stephanopoulos will be joined by ABC News’ powerhouse political team including:

• Senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl reporting from the convention floor
• Senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper covering the President’s re-election campaign
• “World News” weekend anchor David Muir covering the Romney campaign
• ABC News correspondent Cecilia Vega reporting from both conventions cities
• Senior political analyst Matthew Dowd, George Will, Cokie Roberts and Donna Brazile will be among ABC’s contributors providing analysis
• ABC News political director Amy Walter and Yahoo! News Washington bureau chief David Chalian anchoring special live-streamed coverage every night
• Senior Washington editor Rick Klein contributing reporting and analysis

The booming U.S. Hispanic population is challenging the conventional political wisdom in new and unexpected ways. ABC News will tap into the expertise and insights of Univision News as it explores the impact the Latino vote will have on November’s elections and beyond. Jorge Ramos will contribute to ABC News coverage in Tampa, and Maria Elena Salinas will contribute in Charlotte. In May ABC News and Univision News announced a joint venture that will launch a 24/7 news, information and lifestyle network primarily in English to serve the youngest and fastest-growing demographic in the country: U.S. Hispanics.

ABC News will be partnering with Univision and the National Journal for “Next America” events in each city focused on the Hispanic community and American politics. The events will be live streamed on the digital platforms of ABC News.

Convention coverage kicks off with a special edition of “World News with Diane Sawyer” originating from Tampa on Monday, August 27. Coverage will continue throughout the following weeks with all of ABC’s daily newscasts – “Good Morning America,” “World News with Diane Sawyer” and “Nightline” – broadcasting from the convention sites. George Stephanopoulos, who also serves as chief political correspondent and anchor of “This Week,” will co-anchor “GMA” from the conventions.

Terry Moran will anchor special editions of “Nightline” from throughout the conventions in Tampa and Charlotte, making ABC the only broadcast network providing viewers with convention coverage in late-night. “Nightline,” the most-watched broadcast in late-night, will dedicate the entire newscast to coverage of all the key moments of the day with analysis from ABC’s powerhouse political team.

Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos will anchor live primetime coverage of the Republican National Convention (#abcRNC) in Tampa for the ABC Television Network on:

• Tuesday, August 28 from 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET
• Wednesday, August 29 from 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET
• Thursday, August 30 from 10:00 -11:00 p.m., ET

Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos will anchor live primetime coverage of the Democratic National Convention (#abcDNC) in Charlotte for the ABC Television Network on:

• Tuesday, September 4, from 10:00 -11:00 p.m., ET
• Wednesday, September 5, from 10:00 -11:00 p.m., ET
• Thursday, September 6, from 10:00 -11:00 p.m., ET

Note: Outlined above are the confirmed primetime hours set to be broadcast on the ABC Television Network. ABC will finalize its coverage plans once the final convention schedules are announced.

ABC News Digital platforms will provide live coverage on each night of the conventions from 7:00-11:30 p.m., ET on ABCNews.com, Yahoo!, Yahoo! News, GoodMorningAmerica.com on Yahoo!, ABC News’ iPad & iPhone apps, as well as on ABC affiliate websites.

Live-streamed coverage will be anchored by ABC News political director Amy Walter and Yahoo! News Washington bureau chief David Chalian. They will be joined throughout the night by Diane Sawyer, George Stephanopoulos, “World News” weekend anchor David Muir, senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper, senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl, senior Washington editor Rick Klein, political contributor Matthew Dowd, and Yahoo! News’ White House correspondent Olivier Knox, senior political reporter Holly Bailey, and political reporter Chris Moody.

In addition, ABC News and Yahoo! News will host “Newsmakers Live” events in each city. ABC News and Yahoo! News will host a discussion with the architects of the Romney and Obama campaigns before a live audience of political influencers. The events will be live-streamed on the platforms of ABC News Digital and Yahoo!. Details to be announced.

ABC NewsOne, the network’s affiliate news service, will have correspondents Karen Travers and Brandi Hitt reporting live from the RNC in Tampa starting on Sunday, August 26, continuing through Friday, August 31. Travers and Hitt will also report live from the DNC in Charlotte starting on Sunday, September 2 and continuing through Friday, September 7.

ABC’s Cokie Roberts will provide analysis for ABC’s station, affiliates and clients throughout the convention weeks. ABC NewsOne will provide production support for over 50 stations and clients, including the ABC Owned Television Stations, ABC affiliates, BBC, NHK Japan, Univision, Al Jazeera, and Nine Network Australia.

ABC News Radio will provide extensive coverage of the Republican National Convention beginning Monday, August 27 through Thursday, August 30, and the Democratic National Convention from Tuesday, September 4 through Thursday, September 6. ABC News Radio correspondent Aaron Katersky will anchor live coverage each evening from 8:00-11:00pm, ET from both Tampa and Charlotte.

ABC News Radio’s team of correspondents – Vic Ratner, Ann Compton, Steven Portnoy and Alex Stone – will contribute reporting and analysis, as will Sam Donaldson and political analysts Steve Roberts and Trey Hardin. ABC News Radio will also provide digital coverage to over 400 affiliated radio station websites.

In addition, ABC News Radio also will provide coverage of both conventions to its digital partners at Slacker Radio and AOL Radio. Specially designed studio facilities will host ABC Talk Radio Row for more than 25 ABC News Radio affiliates from across the country.

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While campaigning in Colorado, Barack Obama warned the voters that Mitt Romney was planning to kill his health reform and get rid of Planned Parenthood.

Obama criticized that Romney’s policies were more suitable for the 1950s than the 21st century. To defend his position Obama stated that woman’s health decisions are “not up to politicians, they’re not up to insurance companies, they’re up to you.” The President is making a big effort to insure the female voters support in swing states like Colorado.

President Obama made a direct reference to his wife and his late mother; he said that women issues resonate in him because of them. Obama argued that he wanted his wife to be able to have control over her health care choices, that’s why he is insisting so much in this health-care reform. He defends that it will bring many benefits to women.

Also Obama made a very sentimental statement referring to his late mother to defend the Obama care benefits, he said she would have been 70 this year, if she had not died from cancer almost 20 years ago. He stated: “I often think about what might have happened if a doctor had caught her cancer sooner.”

Obama made a harsh criticism directed to Romney, saying that the next president “could tip the balance in a way that turns back the clock for women in the next decade to come.” It seems the Democrats are making a big effort to confront the Republicans with the female voters, arguing that if Romney wins, women will lose many of the rights they have conquered in recent years.

Sandra Fluke, the famous Georgetown student who has become one of the leading voices supporting Obama’s health reform, was the one that introduced Obama in Colorado to a crowd formed mostly of women. Fluke became popular after being called a slut by talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

Limbaugh said during his radio talk show that Fluke went before a “Congressional Committee and essentially said that she must be paid to have sex.” Limbaugh added that her comments made Fluke a whore because she wanted to be paid to have sex. Fluke demanded before the Congressional Committee that insurance coverage should cover contraception methods. Limbaugh said that Fluke is “having so much sex that she can’t afford the contraception, and she wants you and me, and the tax payers to pay her to have sex.”

During Obama’s introduction, Fluke said that when she was “verbally attacked”, Barack Obama was one of us. She added that Obama defended her right to speak without being verbally insulted, and condemned the criticism she had received. Fluke also had some words saved for Mitt Romney, she said that “if Mr. Romney can’t stand up to extreme voices in his own party, then he will never stand up for us.”

Image Courtesy of  Indiana Public Media

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Romney’s recent visits to the United Kingdom, Poland, and Israel did not end as well as was hoped. According to Romney the trip was meant to be to “three places far apart on the map. But for an American, you can’t get much closer to the ideals and convictions of my own country.” However, he and his staff ran into several problems with the press and controversial statements.

The first ‘gaffe’ that got media attention came when Romney visited the United Kingdom. During an interview when he was asked about how he believed the Olympic games would go, Romney replied, “It’s hard to know just how well it will turn out. There are a few things that were disconcerting.” His criticism of the London games, of course, raised much criticism from Londoners, including London mayor Boris Johnson.

Another run-in with the media came on July 25th from a comment published by the Daily Telegraph, in which an anonymous adviser to the Romney camp told the Daily Telegraph reporter that Romney had an advantage over Obama when it comes to the English.“We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he feels that the special relationship is special. The White House didn’t fully appreciate the shared history we have.”

Democrats, of course, responded very harshly. David Axelrod, an Obama adviser, claimed the statement was “stunningly offensive” on Twitter. Vice President Joe Biden stated, “Governor Romney’s wheels hadn’t even touched down in London before his advisers were reportedly playing politics with international diplomacy, attempting to create daylight between the United States and the United Kingdom where none exists.”

“Our special relationship with the British is stronger than ever, and we are proud to work hand-in-hand with Prime Minister Cameron to confront every major national security challenge we face today… Not surprisingly, this is just another feeble attempt by the Romney campaign to score political points at the expense of this critical partnership. This assertion is beneath a presidential campaign.”

Amanda Henneberg, a campaign spokeswoman for Romney rejected the statement in the Daily Telegraph claiming, “If anyone said that, they weren’t reflecting the views of Governor Romney or anyone inside the campaign.” However, the Daily Telegraph stood by its article and even added a follow-up article including more quotations from the anonymous adviser: “There are not many people around the world who see the world like we do, and the British are a people who do most of the time, who do see the threats we see, do see the opportunities we see, do believe in the free market and individual liberty and has been willing to give money and blood to defend that.”

The next stop, Israel, also produced another controversial statement from Romney. In a speech to a group of high level Jewish donors Romney claimed that the reason for their success and the economic success of Israel over Palestine is from the different cultures.

“As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality.”

Many Palestinian leaders were upset with the generalization. Unfortunately no reporters have been able to ask Romney questions since Thursday, July 26 when he was still in London.

During Romney’s visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, Poland, some reporters arrived to ask him questions. Romney laid a wreath and shook the hands of several soldiers and left. One reporter yelled out, “Governor Romney, do you have a statement for the Palestinians?”

After several other questions were also asked, Rick Gorka, a campaign spokesman for Romney, approached the journalists. In a video Gorka tells a reporter “This is a holy site for the Polish people; show some respect.” When the reporter responds with “We haven’t had another chance to ask him questions,” Gorka tells the reporter to “Kiss my a**” and then tells another reporter to “Shove it.” Gorka later apologized to both journalists via the phone.

However, Romney seemed to be rather popular with the Polish people. Romney praised their economic policies and talked about the late pope, John Paul II, who was a Pole and very well regarded among the Polish and American Catholics.

Romney praised the Poles in a speech saying, “Rather than heeding the false promise of a government-dominated economy, Poland sought to stimulate innovation, attract investment, expand trade and live within its means. Your success today is a reminder that the principles of free enterprise can propel an economy and transform a society.”

Romney’s strategist Stuart Stevens replied to claims that the several gaffes from Romney and his campaign would hurt them for the election by stating, “[Romney] has a tendency to speak his mind and to say what he believes, and whenever you do that, there will be those that disagree with you, and there will be those that agree with you. That’s what he’s done in these situations. I think people like that. I think that this idea that you have to not speak your mind is something that’s not very appealing to people.”

It seems that this tour of Romney’s has only managed to alienate some foreign groups that will not have any voice in the upcoming election anyway. Ultimately, Romney’s campaign will most likely not be hindered.

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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.

Image Courtesy of   Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

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Washington, U.S.A. — According to a new U.S. extraterrestrial survey from National Geographic Channel (NGC), more than 80 million Americans are certain that UFOs exist. In fact, many believe in tangible proof that aliens have landed on Earth and think that government officials are involved in covering up paranormal activities. Moreover, most citizens would not mind a minor alien invasion, because they expect these space-age visitors to be friendly—like the lovable character depicted in Steven Spielberg’s popular film “E.T.”

Survey results also reveal that more than one-third (36%) of Americans believe UFOs exist. More than one in 10 (11%) are confident that they have spotted a UFO, and one in five (20%) know someone who claims to have seen one.

Despite the popularity of “Avengers” and “Twilight,” more than seven in 10 (71%) Americans think that aliens are more likely to exist than are superheroes, vampires and zombies. Furthermore, if aliens attacked our planet, more than one in five (21%) would most likely call on the Hulk to deal with the havoc. Far fewer would most trust Batman (12%) or Spiderman (8%) to step in.

In regards to national security, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans think Barack Obama would be better suited than fellow presidential candidate Mitt Romney to handle an alien invasion. In fact, more than two in three (68%) women say that Obama would be more adept at dealing with an alien invasion than Romney, vs. 61 percent of men. And more younger citizens, ages 18 to 64 years, than those aged 65+ (68% vs. 50%) think Romney would not be as well-suited as Obama to handle an alien invasion.

Tech Supervisor Erin Ryder and UFOlogist James Fox from NGC’s new series “Chasing UFOs,” believe the survey results are in line with the interviews and research they found in field operations taping the show. Viewers who watch the series’ back-to-back premieres on Friday, June 29, at 9 & 10 PM ET/PT, will witness over 30 Texas residents who swear they saw an unidentified flying object in 2008 and Colorado towns folk share their encounters with the team about speeding saucers and green lights that often are spotted in the night sky.

NatGeo’s “Aliens Among Us” survey polled a random nationwide sample of 1,114 Americans, May 21-29, 2012. The poll was conducted by Kelton Research, which used e-mail invitations and online surveys. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population, ages 18 and older. The margin of error is +/-2.9 percent.

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Since Scott Walker’s win in the Governor recall election of Wisconsin, many Republicans have been declaring Mitt Romney’s victory in Wisconsin already. However, Walker warns that Romney will need to have a better platform if he is to win the hearts of Wisconsinites.

Walker’s recall election was held in the beginning of June and resulted in the only time in the nation’s history that a governor has survived a recall election. Many Republicans and Democrats have questioned the necessity of the recall. Additionally, many individuals from both sides of the aisle have claimed that Walker’s victory signifies the death of the political influence of unions.

Romney made a controversial statement shortly after the recall election stating:

“[Obama] wants another stimulus; he wants to hire more government workers. He says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.”

The Democrats were quick to criticize Romney’s statement. R.T. Rybak, Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee claimed this statement proved just how disconnected Romney is from the American middle class. “To suggest that police, firefighters, and teachers aren’t helping the American people and aren’t vital to our communities shows that he has no clue what’s going on in the real world.”

However, the Democrats were not the only ones criticizing Romney. Walker claimed that Romney misinterpreted the message of the recall election results on CBS’s “Face the Nation” with Bob Schieffer on June 10, 2012. Walker stated, “I think it’s slightly different…I think in our case what they wanted was people who are willing to take on the tough issues, not only here in Wisconsin but across the country.” Walker also agreed with Rybak, a Democrat, that the reforms in Wisconsin protected firefighters, police officers, and teachers; they were not the enemies

Walker warned Romney that he needs to be a reformer as well as a Republican and that Wisconsin will not necessarily vote for Mitt Romney unless he has a strong platform. Currently, Walker believes that Romney has been focusing too much at criticizing Obama and Romney’s own strategy and plans have suffered for it. Walker said, “I just hope he takes a page out of President Reagan’s playbook in 1980, where it was not only a referendum on the failed policies of President Carter at the time, it was also something where President Reagan laid out a clear plan.”

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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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In 1988 the scientific community established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a forum for sharing their concerns about documented – and disturbing – changes in global weather patterns. By 1997 the evidence of climate change was so convincing that 191 nations signed the Kyoto Protocols, aimed at slowing the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Fast forward to 2012. NASA has produced clear evidence that atmospheric CO2 levels are higher than they’ve been in 400,000 years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal agency in charge of the National Weather Service, states that there is no longer any doubt that human activity is changing the chemical characteristics of the Earth’s atmosphere. The national science academies of the world’s leading economies, including the U.S., Germany, Russia, and China, have declared that climate change is real and urged their governments to take immediate, aggressive action.

And then there’s Rick Santorum.

Along the campaign trail in Colorado, Ohio, and Michigan Santorum has declared climate change to be a hoax cooked up by the Obama administration to scare people about oil exploration. Spending less money on oil exploration means more money for the federal government, Santorum said, which means more government control over peoples’ lives.

He doesn’t explain how the government would make money by allowing less oil exploration, or how any of that would equate to more control over peoples’ lives. Nor is it important that concerns about global warming began long before Obama entered politics, or that America’s most prestigious scientific institutions are urging immediate action to reduce carbon emissions. Somehow it’s all connected, and in the alternative reality of Tea Party politics, the more elaborate and mysterious the conspiracy, the more plausible it becomes.

Romney and Gingrich have also questioned climate change, but it’s clear they are just pandering to conservative audiences. Both have acknowledged the problem during their political careers and will likely do so again when the primaries are over. And neither man has accused the country’s scientific establishment of being involved in a vast conspiracy to deprive the American people of their freedom.

Not Rick Santorum. His strident rejection of any scientific evidence that conflicts with his religious or social views has helped make him the new champion of the far right, which is why he is surging in the polls. But if he wins the nomination based on his anti-science agenda, he’ll be in no position to back down during the presidential campaign.

Intellectual curiosity is not a quality that American voters prize in their leaders, as the election of George Bush clearly demonstrated. But they do expect them to respect and support America’s scientific establishment, not label them as political enemies. Questioning the severity and timing of climate change is one thing; but where’s Santorum’s evidence that it’s a hoax?

Right now, Santorum is preaching to the Tea Party choir, and they’re cheering him on. But in a presidential campaign, the national media won’t be so kind. Republicans should be deeply concerned.

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Rick Perry’s campaign strategy is looking for new ways to continue his campaign by focusing on interaction with voters instead of participating in debates. With disappointing performances in the past few debates, this may be the best alternative to boost his support.

Perry’s communication director, Ray Sullivan, has discussed Perry’s weakness in debating. “It’s not his preferred venue,” Sullivan said. He continued to say, “But we respect the process and intend to participate and are confident that he will have a solid performance.”

Sullivan also said that the debates take away valuable campaign time, especially because candidates only have a meek 30 seconds for a response, which is not as effective as alternative campaign tactics. He said it was important for Perry to concentrate on spending time in the town hall in Iowa with voters since the primaries are only a few months away.

Dana Loesch of the St. Louis Tea Party thought that it would not be wise for Perry to skip the future debates because it is the best opportunity to unleash many of his plans, which the public wants to see. Perry is already playing catch-up because he started late in the debates, making it to the last five out of eight debates.

According to CNN, over 5 million viewers tuned in to watch the debate in Las Vegas sponsored by CNN and YouTube, breaking the record in cable news history. The debates are probably the most important time for the candidates to get their messages out, but it also has brought criticism to some candidates, such as Perry.

These debates have significantly helped and hurt candidates, as seen with Herman Cain, who has risen to the top of the leader board most certainly because of his ease and likeability during the debates. Mitt Romney has also gained a spot in the lead because of his debate techniques and strategies. With Cain on top and Romney not far behind, it’s not too late for Perry to make it back into the top two.

If Perry does not show up at the next debate, it could hurt his image. Ed Rollins, the former campaign manager for Michele Bachmann said, “It makes him look like he’s not ready to be president.”

Perry will be at the next debate held on November 9 at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. It will be sponsored by CNBC, the Michigan Republican Party, and Oakland University. However, it has not be confirmed if Perry will appear at the debates before the primaries in January.

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Another intense GOP debate took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, that aimed at giving the nation another opportunity to get to know the candidates and their positions on certain topics. Throughout the night, finger-pointing was prevalent, especially surrounding the topic of illegal immigration.

As in past debates, illegal immigration was a significant topic of focus, but it was not only directed at Rick Perry.  Instead, every candidate got a chance to voice their opinion.  Perry has faced criticism over his previous policies on immigration, such as putting in place “magnets” that attract illegal immigrants.

During the Las Vegas debate, Perry turned the attention over to Romney’s lack of enforcement on illegal immigration.  He started quite a quarrel when he brought up Romney’s personal record on the subject. He stated, “Mitt, you lose all of your standing, from my perspective, because you hired illegals in your home, and you knew about it for a year.

And the idea that you stand here before us and talk about how you’re strong on immigration is, on its face, the height of hypocrisy.”  Romney responded that his lawn care service had illegal immigrants working for them, but were let go once he found out. Romney also proposed, as president, to set up an E-Verify System in which employers must check if their workers are legal and if their documents are real.

The other candidates have also had responses to immigration that have been voiced over the past few weeks, one being Herman Cain’s “electric fence” idea.  Herman Cain, who is now taking the lead in many polls, was asked about his idea of building an electric fence along the entire border of Mexico.

While receiving a few laughs, he responded, “Allow me to give a serious answer. Yes, I believe we should secure the border for real, and it would be a combination of a fence, technology, as well as possibly boots on the ground, for some of the more dangerous areas.”

Michele Bachmann also agreed with the idea of a fence and was the first candidate to sign a pledge that would build a double-wedged fence across the border. Rick Perry is opposed to building a fence in his home state of Texas, because he has explained that it would take 10-15 years as well as $30 billion.

Bachmann pointed out the long-term solution of spending money to build a fence now, instead of continuing to have an open border, by stating, “Every year, it costs this country $113 billion in the costs that we put out to pay for illegal aliens. It costs the state and local government of that amount $82 billion.”

Ron Paul also responded to border patrol and illegal immigration by saying that the border lacks resources because they are instead being utilized overseas. “We worry more about the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.  We need to bring the guard units home and the units back here, so we can have more personnel on our borders.”

Immigration continues to be a topic of debate as well as an issue the entire country faces, but what the nation thinks about each candidate’s plans is still to come.

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