Barack Obama won re-election, and America lost its future. Many would call that statement a sign of sour grapes the words of a poor loser. Yet, it is neither. It is the simple conclusion for anyone who has a calculator and has done the math. The national debt for the United States is 16 trillion dollars. That’s 101% of the Gross National Product. It would be like someone making $50,000 a year owing $5,000,000 dollars. Now that Obama has been reelected, the country is projected to reach 20 trillion in debt by the time he is out of office. The only thing that could change that path is if the President were willing to cut the spending spree, something he has shown he does not want to do.

Our debt is unsustainable at its current level. Now that we are guaranteed to have Obamacare written in stone and the two to three trillion dollars it will cost, by 2016 the country will be on a path that cannot be altered: insolvency. It is simple math. It has nothing to do with being a Republican or Democrat. Issues of racism or classicism makes no difference. It is zero’s and one’s. The income either adds up or it does not.

Greece is learning this lesson now. They spent too much on social programs, guaranteed state and country wide union wages, infrastructure built to provide “jobs” and higher taxes. The net result is a country that went running, hat in hand to the European countries for money to keep their country alive. The loans came with strings attached, as most loans do, and the string was a total restructuring of Greece’s spending. The result has been civil unrest, labor strikes, and riots. If you ask the rioters why they are doing these things, they will tell you because of the cuts to wages, and social programs. The very things that made them have to go begging for loans to stay afloat. It is like a person who buys the exotic sports car, and then gets mad at the person who comes to repossess the car, because they cannot make the car payment.

America is on that path, and has been for quite some time. Like the minor tremors that portent a large earthquake, little signs have been appearing: polls that show most people wanting those that make more than they to pay more in taxes, backlashes against any plan to slow down the spending and cost of medicare, men and women alike defending the idea that others have an obligation to pay for the birth control of women, support for fiscally dubious high speed rail projects across the country. Little by little, inch by inch, the mindset of the government spending the viewpoint of entitled thinking has been creeping into the psyche of the American populace.

Tonight’s election was the seismic event that was building. It signals that America has turned toward a social democracy like Europe. This has occurred not because of Barack Obama, but because people chose him. America’s populace chose tonight. They did not choose Romney because he was a bad candidate or ran a bad campaign. They chose Barack Obama, because they want the freebies, and they want someone else to pay for it. There are more people that embrace class warfare, than shun it. The days when President Kennedy said, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” is dead and gone.

We want the healthcare, we want the free birth control; we want the government to take care of us. The only problem is we cannot afford to do it. We cannot do it at 16 trillion in debt, and moving to 20 trillion in debt will not make things better. More debt never does.

American lost tonight, make no mistake about it. America died tonight. What the country that now occupies its space on this planet ends as is pretty clear. We become Greece on steroids, and the collapse will be televised.

Image Courtesy : WCHI News

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New York, U.S.A. — Activists are taking to the streets of cities across the country to spread artwork with the message to Get Big Money Out of Politics in a massive “Artdrop.” The event signals the growing momentum of the movement, with more than a dozen major national groups coming together to raise the message above the din of the billions of dollars flooding into the 2012 election.

The effort is part of an image overhaul for this wonky issue. The makeover comes thanks to Shepard Fairey, Jesse Dylan and artists across the country who recently chose “Monopolistic” as the winner of a national competition designed to invigorate the issue. The “Artdrop” will spread Monopolistic and other new images created for the competition online and on the ground.

“This is about empowering people to take back control of their democracy, not from one party or another, but from the money that has concentrated political power in the hands of the few,” said Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the iconic “Hope” poster.

“Artdrop” actions include online image distribution and sharing, distributing stickers, wheat pasting posters, mud stencils and giant light projection on buildings. Teams consist of up to 25 volunteers; there are multiple teams in major cities. Locations include New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Austin, Albuquerque, Denver, Chicago, Madison, Saint Louis, Richmond, Connecticut, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Iowa City, Kansas City, North Dakota, New Jersey—and others.

“Eight out of ten Americans want campaign finance limits that would address our current system of legalized bribery. Movements need more than strong polling numbers to make change—art, culture and image play a huge role,” says unPAC co-founder Matt Palevsky. “Americans have overwhelmingly agreed about the problem of big money in politics—the unprecedented amounts of money in this election could be the tipping point for real action.”

Landon Wix, whose winning artwork “Monopolistic” will be the major focus of the “Artdrop, ” says Fairey was a big inspiration for his work. The Nashville native cares deeply about the issue of money in politics.

“Growing up in a working class family, I’ve always understood and appreciated the power of the people. Politicians are those who represent us and should be decided by us,” says Wix.

In the first presidential election since Citizens United, political spending has passed $2 billion dollars—much of that is outside money. 78 percent of outside money can be directly attributed to the effects of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allowed the formation of Super PACs and unlimited donations by corporations.

“People are frustrated by the way money has hijacked our democracy, and they often feel powerless to stop it,” says Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way. “Art is a vehicle for expressing this frustration while at the same time serving to bring people together, inspiring the kind of collective action that can create real political change.”

Image Courtesy :  Gage Skidmore

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Stateline, U.S.A. — Every American’s interest peaked during the second presidential debate when one questioner asked about rising gasoline prices: “Your energy secretary, Steven Chu, has now been on record three times stating it’s not the policy of his department to help lower gas prices. Do you agree with Secretary Chu that this is not the job of the Energy Department?” Many argue that neither presidential candidate adequately answered the question.

The aptly timed song “ Energy Policy ” answers the town hall debate question. It highlights the fact that current policy does not prioritize energy affordability and as a result, today’s fuel prices negatively impact just about everyone. The Rowdy House Music release “Energy Policy” relies on reggae tradition to deliver its discussion on U.S. Energy policy – which is impacted by foreign policy – the subject of the third presidential debate on October 22. “Energy Policy” is playing on stations nationwide.

America’s energy policy has been “practicality challenged” by China’s pursuit of oil which is undercutting U.S. Security interests and economic future on multiple fronts. China needs a lot of energy because Americans buy so many products from them. That’s also why China is the largest foreign holder of US debt, its oil consumption grows seven times faster than the U.S., and its growth projections are off the charts.

Sustaining an extremely high level of economic growth may be necessary to contain civil unrest in China, even though they continue to suppress dissenting opinions and human rights violations are widespread.China has more people than any other country on the planet. And while high gasoline prices have Americans transitioning from cars to bicycles, the Chinese are transitioning from bicycles to cars. In a few decades, China will have more cars on its roads than there are cars on the planet today.  Therefore, they want more oil.

While Americans are questioning US Energy Policy in the 2012 Presidential Election Debates, and asking if their government is doing anything to help lower gas prices, China has been working diligently to secure its energy future. They have been aggressive in the South China Sea which is rich in oil and gas, but their ownership is disputed. In addition, China has also been assertive in securing reserves around the world.

China has been securing oil reserves in the American market proximity, which will force the U.S. to seek more oil from the Middle East. China’s arms sales to the region and its support of state sponsors of terrorism are highly troubling. With radical Islamic ideologies gaining a controlling foothold and anti-American violence threatening American presence in the Middle East, the price of oil will be going up, and the 2012 Presidential Election Debates will be heating up.

Will the Energy Policy question be answered in the context of the broader Presidential Foreign Policy Debate? Adding an extra dimension on the Saturday before the final debate on foreign policy, the Obama administration commanded a US carrier group on a mission to cruise though the disputed South China Sea. Tensions may flare. With the final Florida debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney including hot topics like Iran, Syria and the Libya scandal, there may not be enough time to answer the Energy Policy question. But the question on everyone’s mind each time they fill up their tank is, “Will I be able to afford it next time?”

Rowdy House released the rock single “Don’t Let a Liar Lead You” and the controversial YouTube video just before the new song Energy Policy and the presidential debates.

Rowdy House Music contributors are nonpartisan, professional musicians who contribute anonymously to expand national awareness regarding government waste and corruption. Rowdy House creates great music which is actually relevant and meaningful. They share intelligent discussions explaining the meaning of each of their songs. Discussions can be found in their “Learn More & Download” section by scrolling down under each song on their website.

For more information, please visit RowdyHouseMusic.

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Bird fever is sweeping the nation. During the very first, eagerly awaited presidential debate – and even now, some days after – the economy and healthcare are nowhere near as ubiquitous as Big Bird.

The avian giant was brought into the political crossfire on Wednesday, when Mitt Romney said to Jim Lehrer, “I’m sorry, Jim. I’m going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I’m going to stop other things. I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you, too. But I’m not going to — I’m not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it.”

Responses to this statement have ranged from the very humorous to the visceral. Sometimes both. Bright yellow memes have cropped up and spread faster than any flu. Most of these feature the image of some unemployed version of the eight-foot giant. When a presidential candidate threatens the future of a beloved childhood icon, it’s not impossible to predict where the conversation is going to go.

To date, it has been ongoing. The participants in this conversation have not just been teenagers fooling around on Photoshop: PBS had choice words for Mr. Romney in a statement released shortly after the debate. So did the creators of Sesame Street, as well as different voices in circulations such as the Times. What could only have been a spur-of-the-moment example has set off some type of debate across different media spheres.

Romney’s reasoning seems off the mark when the numbers are considered. According to the Huffington Post, only one fifteenth of the federal budget goes to public broadcasting. And that small part only makes up seven percent of the overall costs for the show. That’s a very small percent. The rest is covered by licensing and sponsorships. The “public” in public broadcasting does not seem all that public in the larger picture.

It was a dent in what was decided to be a surprisingly good performance on the part of Romney. A bad example completely overshadowed what was meant to be an entirely different statement. Our economic debt with China is going to be Goliath for whoever it is that will have to make our future executive decisions. It goes back to the core disagreement between the candidates: How much should government be involved? And to that extent, how much should it invest in its citizens?

Next time though, Sesame Street should be kept out of it.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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Boca Raton, U.S.A — The candidates aren’t the only ones preparing for the October 22 presidential debate. AT&T is beefing up its mobile Internet network for the big event at Lynn University in Boca Raton. A Cell on Wheels, or COW, has been rolled in and an antenna system installed to boost mobile Internet coverage and capacity on the campus. Recognized as a top social media college, Lynn University is anticipating a high volume of mobile Internet usage on campus during the debate.

The AT&T COW, located at the edge of the campus, will help bolster voice connectivity and enhance performance of mobile Internet service. The antenna system, installed at the debate hall, will help accommodate the high volume of network traffic anticipated in the venue during the debate.

AT&T often rolls in mobile cell sites and makes other network upgrades for large events that generate a spike in network traffic in a specific geographic area.

“We realize how important the upcoming debate is, especially for those on the Lynn University campus,” said Marshall Criser, lll, president, AT&T Florida. “The network preparations we’ve made are designed to provide the best possible mobile Internet experience for the event.”

AT&T is driving investment and innovation across Florida to deliver a superior wireless experience. In the first half of 2012, we invested more than $400 million in our Florida wireless and wired networks. Network upgrades completed in South Florida this year include the activation of new cell sites to improve network coverage, deploying faster connections to enable 4G speeds, and adding spectrum capacity to support additional traffic. AT&T also launched 4G LTE in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in July and have since expanded the service in those markets.

AT&T has the nation’s largest 4G network, covering 275 million people with ultra-fast speeds and a more consistent user experience. AT&T is the only U.S. service provider to deploy two compatible 4G technologies to deliver more speed to more customers. Our 4G LTE networks delivered faster average download speeds than any of our competitors in PCWorld’s most recent 13-market speed tests.

For more information about AT&T’s local network upgrades, visit our focus: South Florida microsite. For updates on the AT&T wireless network, please visit the AT&T network news page.

AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T.

Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets. Deployment ongoing.4G LTE device and data plan required. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. 4G speeds not available everywhere. Learn more about 4G LTE at att.com/network.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore & mistydawnphoto / Shutterstock.com

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Chicago, U.S.A — There are truisms, and then there are “really truisms.” And one of them is the notion that a person doesn’t have the right to complain, if he or she didn’t bother to vote. Democrat, Republican, or fiercely Independent – it is a rally cry that transcends political affiliations. And yet while the number of complainers continues to increase, those who express their feelings in the voting booth continues to decrease.

It is with this in mind that Chicago-based “Attention Agency” Third Street conceived the idea of launching a national, multimedia campaign entitled Real Complainers Vote – a non-partisan effort designed to encourage young registered voters to embrace two American privileges: Voting and Complaining. To achieve this goal, they teamed up with frequent collaborator, Foundation Content as well as acclaimed street artist Ray Noland and comedian TJ Miller.

Real Complainers Vote takes a “seriously humorous” look at how our nation isn’t just comprised of complainers; it was founded and built by them. Through a unique viral video, social media and street-level campaign materials, Real Complainers Vote seeks to motivate young voters to express themselves where it matters most – in the voting booth — on November 6.

Third Street Chief Creative Officer David T. Jones sums up the essence of the campaign: “We know that we don’t need to convince Americans to complain. We only need to convince them that complaining has a cover charge. And that cover charge is voting.”

Foundation Content’s Kyle Shoup, who served as Creative Director for the Real Complainers Vote project, said, “We wanted to take the opportunity to make something fun, but unique. The result was a piece that incorporated stop-motion, handmade, 2D & 3D design and animation. Mixed media is really what this piece became, and it gives the message an unusual and compelling look.”

To view the animated, viral video within this campaign, please see: http://realcomplainersvote.com/ and follow the Griping on twitter at: @complainersvote

Image Courtesy of  Mark Scott Spatny / Shutterstock.com

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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 Republican Primaries have been a surprise for the world. Most of those who do not live in the United States, are unable to explain how a figure like Rick Santorum became so popular and, for some time, threatened the now certain Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

Santorum has turned into a political figure worth studying.  The other aspirants competing to become the Republican candidate never viewed him as a serious rival. However, Santorum was certain that poll results do not win elections; votes do.  He was also certain that if he worked hard, he would have his chance.

He knew that some of the other possible nominees were arrogant and would never consider him a serious threat unless he could really scare them. At the beginning, he had the huge advantage of having no pressure and of not being committed to anyone. He had more freedom to develop his political program because no one expected anything from him.

In order to understand how Rick Santorum had so much popularity with his speeches that sometimes seemed as if a reverend was giving them, and not a politician, it’s  necessary to have some facts about how religious the United States really is. Gallup International indicated, in 2010, that 43% of Americans  reported they go to church regularly. This is a much higher percentage than in Europe,where in countries like France the church attendance percentage is  21%. The United States is a very religious country, and that is why someone like Rick Santorum was able to persuade so many voters.

Rick Santorum had a good strategy. He knew where to hit first, and he did it hard. He won the conservative state of Iowa in the primaries, and suddenly, he appeared on the map. The voters in the rest of the country realized that Perry, Cain, Gingrich, and Romney were not the only ones competing; Santorum had something to say too. The former senator of Pennsylvania appeared on the political map and, although now he has already retired from the primaries, I am sure that this is not the last that we will hear from him; in the future he may have his chance.

Santorum ended his journey winning eleven states. He’s the first politician that I can truly say seemed really sincere, and he didn’t mind being politically incorrect, since he was more worried about saying what he really thought. It was a positive experience seeing someone in politics with clear principles about controversial topics, which most politicians are not willing to talk about because they could lose votes.

Rick Santorum had success in his speeches because the most conservative bases of the Republican Party, which includes evangelical and rural voters, loved him. They realized that he was sincere and Romney, on the other hand, was seen as a questionable conservative.

In the end reality shut down the dream of Rick Santorum when the voters realized that he would not win an election in November, and so they chose Romney, who is a more electable candidate. This story is worthy of study. It was amazing the way a little and insignificant fish almost ate a shark, and how Santorum became even more popular than figures known all around the country; it shows us that in politics nothing is written.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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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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Outside of the U.S., if you read the book “Diplomacy” by Henry Kissinger, you realize that Democrats and Republicans do not follow parallel or even similar foreign policies.

On November 6, 2012, the colors of red and blue will once again confront to each other and spearheading the event will most likely be President Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Two different schools of thought, fighting to occupy a seat in the White House. It could bring a complete change in American foreign policy and consequently spread to affect the policies of their allies.

Foreign policy of a powerful nation has repeatedly throughout history proven to have great influence in the countries that surround it. In Spain, they know through experience that the support of the right-wing President, Jose Maria Aznar, in the Iraq war contributed to the final result of the Spanish elections and allowed the Socialist party to win the Presidential post, despite popular beliefs.

And the trend goes the other way around too – who knows if the Arab Spring and President Obama’s support of the people in the Arab world will have built relations that could influence new movements in the future.

Even though the Republicans have always had a more clear foreign policy, while Democrats have had a more changing vision, it seems that many trust President Obama’s foreign policy so far. Obama’s vision of the world helped him win his first elections by declaring his opposition of the war in Iraq.

That could happen again. Even today Obama’s supporters give him credit for his fight against terrorism and for inspiring democracy in the Arab world: Osama Bin Laden, Anuar al Aulaki, and Muamar Gaddafi are out of the game, Al Qaeda is against the ropes, and three Middle Eastern countries have begun the transition into democracy. Last but not least, no more American soldier will die in Iraq after this year, and a date has been fixed for the complete removal of American troops from Afghanistan.

In spite of all the good results yielded by the Obama administration’s foreign policy, the flipside is ever present. Republicans accuse President Obama of compromising American interests in the Middle East by supporting the Arab Spring and other movements for uprising. Some are also criticizing Obama for not supporting the movement until it was clear that success was within reach.

It has been further questioned why there is no support for democratic movements in other dictatorial regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen or Bahrain, all traditional allies of the U.S.A.

It is still widely recognized that the American support to democracies in the Middle East could open up new opportunities for the United States and its relations with Arab countries. Still, it is to be seen if the American people can agree with this policy in the long run and value it when they vote this fall.

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When taking a look at the United States’ history, you learn that it is a country built by immigrants. This cultural mix has brought the country to a point so high that the fathers of the Constitution could have never imagined it. Today, South Americans are the ones going into the so-called ‘Land of Opportunities’, and they are doing so very rapidly.

The latest census data indicated that in 2008, there were around 46.7 million documented Hispanics residing in the U.S., which represents more than 15 percent of the U.S. population. Of this, about 18 million voters are registered to vote. With presidential elections just around the corner and with the growing Hispanic population, it appears that these citizens will play a predominant role in the elections since they constitute such a large number of voters.

In the 2008 elections, over 60 percent of Hispanics voted for Obama, motivated by his promises of immigration reform. Today, many of them feel disappointed and cheated because they think that Obama will not follow through, especially since Democrats lost their hegemony in the House of Representatives. Neither have they forgotten that under a President Obama mandate, there have been more illegal immigrants deported than ever.

However, different surveys indicate that the vast majority of Latinos will vote for President Obama again, not because they are happy with what he has done, but to punish the Republicans, who they accuse of being anti-illegal immigrant. Arizona is one of the “anti-illegal immigrant” bastions. It was there the controversial SB1070 law was approved. This could bring overwhelming Latino support for Obama in Arizona, which could be lethal against Romney’s aspirations.

Romney is not doing much to obtain the support of this part of the electorate. He supports the Arizona law and seems to refuse the Dream Act law. Today, Latinos are nearly 16 percent of the country, and in 2050, they will make up about 30 percent, so Republicans must change their illegal immigration policy if they want more votes.

The first step has been given by the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Marco Rubio, who has Cuban roots. An immigration bill that he says is a “humanitarian mission” and that he plans to promote is the way to win over an electorate that seems to only trust Obama nowadays .

In every presidential election since 1992, the Republican Party has won about one quarter of the Latino vote, while the Democratic Party has received at least half of the support of this community. The remaining 25 percent is at stake. Who will win the election in 2012?

Image Courtesy of   Natursports / Shutterstock.com

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Last week President Obama officially launched his re-election campaign. The announcement and speech were covered by all news outlets, but with a tongue in cheek tone to the coverage. This is because it was generally acknowledged that President Obama began his reelection campaign weeks ago and was beefing up the Democratic camp in response to Mitt Romney’s candidacy and the Republican Party. What republicans find even more obvious is the strategy that President Obama plans to use to win re-election.

In many ways, I believe President Obama is lucky. His personal approval ratings are still high because people like him. Even most republicans do not dislike President Obama personally. This is a great boon to his campaign, because his policies have otherwise been deflating since he took office.

Not since the Presidency of Jimmy Carter has a President had so many failures on the domestic front. Unemployment has stayed above 8% in the last four years. The government spent nearly a trillion dollars to jump start the economy, and it had little to no effect. The country has 500,000 fewer jobs than when Obama took the office. He spent his entire first two years pursuing an unpopular health care bill, and is poised to see it shot down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.

He has triumphed green energy as the job sector of the future, but now has Solyndra as the symbol of green energy failures. He campaigned on cutting the deficit, but has run over 1 trillion dollar in deficits in each of the years he’s been in office. It took 43 Presidents and over 200 years to rack up a national debt of 10 trillion dollars, but President Obama has managed to add 6 trillion to it in just three years. For many, this amounts to a very weak record to run for re-election on.

Therefore, his campaign looks to be latching on to another strategy. In the last few weeks, President Obama has intensively been out speaking with very different demographics. The strategy seems to be based upon stitching together different groups with under a united democratic agenda, either through promises of the future or warnings of what a republican government would stand for. One of the topics is the “War on Women,” spun out of republican opposition to free birth control to women.

The President has promised to make sure all women have access to the pill, even if it means having taxpayers money cover the expense. Another topic is the youth vote, as Obama spoke at college after college about lowering the interest rates of student loans, promising to fight for loan forgiveness.

He has been continuously reminding his younger voters about how everyone should pay their fair share and fight for “shared prosperity.” This week he rounded out his strategy with a public affirmation of his personal support for gay marriage in a ploy to court the gay vote and gay donors. In a few weeks, we should be seeing him appeal to the all important Latino vote. With a stitch here, and a stitch there, he hopes to sew together all these disparate groups for him and in opposition to the republicans.

I believe it is a decent, if not desperate strategy but also one fraught with danger. Very few Presidents or presidential candidates have won with messages of opposition versus values. The Obama mantra of “Hope and Change” was a message of value, while an attempt at framing republicans as ‘social Darwinists’ is not.

In this area Romney has an advantage: A fresh slate to prove himself the man for a better economy, a better fiscal policy, and for the opportunity of all citizens to become successful. He can, if he chooses, be a conservative version of what Obama was in 2008. He could speak to issues that are of vital importance to all the different groups the president is courting at the moment. Thus far he has not done that, choosing instead to point out the miserable record of the President.

That tactic will not get him far. I believe Romney will have to campaign on what he will work to make America into, not on what people need to be afraid about. That tactic would have worked on Carter, but will not on Obama because of his personal likeability

More than anything the President’s personal approval ratings are boosting his political appeal. As the campaign rolls on, however, I expect he will need to hope for a misstep from Romney or for some surprise good economic news. Going from group to group, and speaking specifically to that group about only the things they want is a transparent tactic.

If he panders too much to separate groups, he will get run over in the all important election ads, and independents will flock to Romney. It may be the best he can do, but he will have to disguise it better as the campaign goes on. One thing he cannot afford is to be seen as just another politician.

Image Courtesy of  Solaria / Shutterstock.com

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Republican convention organizers have announced that AT&T has been named the “Official Wireless Provider of the 2012 Republican National Convention” and will provide an array of products and services to support and enhance carrier-provided wireless communications in and around key convention venues in the Tampa Bay area.

Under an agreement with the convention, AT&T will support convention planners’ overall mobility efforts by providing voice and data communication services and a variety of mobile devices to help maintain fully integrated communications throughout the convention process.

In addition, AT&T is helping the convention expand its outreach and communications through the development of mobile applications and other services.

As part of the official provider announcement, the Republican National Convention announced a text messaging campaign, supported by AT&T technologies, that allows interested parties to sign up to be among the first to receive breaking news about the August event, including convention speakers and a schedule of daily events.

To sign up for these alerts, text “convention” to 99000 from your mobile device.

“This will be the first national political convention of the social networking era, with unprecedented demand for carrier-provided wireless broadband and AT&T is working to making sure that the convention is more than up to the task,” said convention Chief Executive Officer William Harris.

“Thanks to the improvements we envision, Tampa Bay will be the envy of the world,” said Harris. “This will help ensure convention-goers are able to share the sights, sounds and excitement as we nominate the next president of the United States.”

“We are delighted to be working with the Republic National Convention to provide wireless service and support at this summer’s convention,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility.

“AT&T is privileged to offer the technical expertise of our employees and the capabilities of our wireless network to serve the 50,000 visitors expected in the Tampa Bay region. We look forward to continuing to invest and providing Floridians with superior service long after the convention is over.”

Image Courtesy of   Gage Skidmore

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Super Tuesday, which stands as a litmus test for candidates’ prospective national electability, is the day when ten states hold their Republican primaries. A new infographic from consumer research firm Scarborough reveals insights into American adults who are registered to vote, self-identify as Republican and “always” vote in elections. These Republican Voters make up more than one-quarter (28%) of the American adult population and they are a key piece of the GOP voter block.

Scarborough’s Super Tuesday infographic reveals that Republican Voters are 34% more likely than all Americans to listen to news/talk/information radio formats, 10% more likely to read the Sports section of the newspaper and 26% more likely than all Americans to watch Religious television programs.

Though other formats might be more widely listened to, read or watched, the aforementioned media types draw the interest of the highest concentration of Republican Voters. By pinpointing Republican Voters’ media consumption, marketers can tailor their campaigns to situate themselves in the minds of this target demographic.

Republican Voters are 60% more likely than all Americans to contribute to a political organization and 42% more likely to contribute to a religious one. The environmentally-friendly activities that are popular with Republican Voters are recycling glass, paper, plastic (67%) and electronics (33%), as well as purchasing locally grown food (32%).

By identifying how Republican Voters can be reached and revealing activities and organizations that matter most to them candidates and their teams can plan grassroots campaigns with optimal reach and efficiency in the areas and mediums that best capture the Republican Voters’ attention.

The top local markets for American adults who self-identify as Republican, that fall within the states that are holding Super Tuesday primaries, are Tulsa (31%), Oklahoma City (30%) and Cincinnati (27%). Once Super Tuesday concludes and an official Republican frontrunner is clear, the rest of the top Republican markets will be back in the spotlight as the election year continues. Overall, the top local markets for Republicans are Harrisburg, PA (34%); Tulsa, OK (31%); and Salt Lake City (31%).

More information on Republican Voters can be found in the infographic issued by Scarborough and is available for download at www.Scarborough.com/FreeStudies.php

Continue the dialogue with Scarborough over Twitter by reaching out to @ScarboroughInfo using hashtag #SuperTuesday and be sure to visit it on Facebook at Facebook.com/ScarboroughResearch.

To obtain additional reports regarding American behavior by political affiliation, please contact Brad Sherer, Manager of Stat Shop Services, at brad.sherer@scarborough.com.

This data is from Scarborough USA+, Release 2 2011. Scarborough measures 210,000 adults aged 18+ annually across a wide variety of media, lifestyle, shopping and demographic categories.

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Richard A. Viguerie, the Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, along with conservative activists Bill Wichterman and Rebecca Hagelin, hosted a luncheon and hour-long question and answer period for 90 national conservative leaders at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C.

“Four weeks ago, a large group of national conservative leaders met in Texas and came to the consensus that we should back Rick Santorum’s campaign for President,” noted Viguerie. “With relatively few resources, but lots of grassroots conservative support, Rick went on to win the Republican contests in Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado,” observed Viguerie.

“Today’s meeting will build more grassroots conservative momentum behind Rick’s campaign.” “Rick Santorum is the only reliable conservative left in the race.  Whatever others may say, no other candidate can be counted on to populate his administration with conservatives the way Santorum can be.  No other candidate can be depended upon to govern as a conservative the way Santorum can be,” said Viguerie.

Santorum’s unscripted remarks at the luncheon focused on his commitment to the conservative agenda, the importance of the conservative movement in winning the 2012 election, and the important role conservatives will play in a Santorum administration. “Conservative principles are the things that win elections,” said Santorum, who also noted, “Conservatives aren’t merely a wing of the Republican Party–they are the Republican Party.”

Santorum’s biggest applause came when, in a not-so-subtle reference to Mitt Romney, he promised the conservative leaders that, if elected, he “would not walk away from the conservative message. It is who I am.  I do what I do from the heart, not because some consultant or focus group tells me this is what to do or what to say.”

“Rick Santorum is no stranger to the conservative movement.  We know Rick Santorum.  He walks with us, eats with us, and prays with us. He has celebrated our victories and mourned our losses,” concluded Viguerie.

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After 31 years of torture and terror, China’s One-Child Policy has finally been brought up as an important issue in a U.S. presidential race. The reference to China’s coercive birth control policy surfaced in a new 30 second “super-pac” ad entitled “Happy”. The ad points out that Newt Gingrich co-sponsored a bill that gave $60 million a year to a U.N. program supporting China’s One-Child Policy.

With so much recent research highlighting the policy’s threat to America’s security and economy, and with abortion taking its place as a top issue in the 2012 debate, many have asked why this ad is the first mention of an issue of such critical importance to millions of Americans.

“It’s becoming clear that America wants to know where its next leader stands on China, its relationship to the U.S, and its brutality towards women,” says Chai Ling, former commander-in-chief of students at the 1989 Tiananmen Square Student Movement and founder of All Girls Allowed.

She continues, “Both pro-choice and pro-life groups have interest in this issue and it should be highlighted in upcoming debates. Mothers in China are given no choice and 400 million lives have been “prevented”, according to Chinese government statistics. Unfortunately, because of son-preference, most of these lives were girls, leading to a gender imbalance that deeply affects the U.S.”

The Economist recently reported that in China, today’s unmarried young men know there are five women for every six men (largely as a result of the policy and cultural preference for sons), and tend to save money to attract a wife. Unmarried men are un-spending men, leading to artificial inflation of China’s currency. This has helped generate the current trade imbalance and daily impacts the U.S. economy.

Historically, countries with an excess of men have attacked other countries, says this Newsweek article, which first brought China’s problem to national attention.  Just weeks ago, Chinese President Hu Jintao’s call  to “prepare for war” has propelled it to national concern.

“For years, it should have mattered in national presidential debates that millions of mothers were forced to abort, and that whole villages were being sterilized in China,” says Ling.  She points to two horrific and recent stories: the killing of Ma Jihong, second-time mother (at the hands of Chinese officials) and the kidnapping of infants (by Chinese officials) for sale to U.S. adoption agencies.

“But with the danger facing America in this hour, we cannot remain ignorant.  The One-Child Policy must be brought up as an issue in the U.S. Presidential election, ” says Chai Ling.  “Everybody wants to know what is going to be done with China, and where each candidate stands on the human rights atrocity that many have deemed ‘the greatest crime ever committed against humanity.”

The economy, foreign policy and abortion are in the top 5 issues for candidates.  Questions about the One-Child Policy in China and national security are absolutely vital for each of these three categories.

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced Tuesday that he will not run in the presidential race in 2012. Christie declared his love for his job as Governor: “I’m doing a job that I love in the state I grew up in. In the end, what I always felt was the right decision remains the right decision today — now is not my time.”

Christie said the reason he has made the definitive decision not to run for president is because he feels he is not ready to leave his position as Governor of New Jersey after only 20 months on the job. Christie said he had taken to heart the appeals of influential Republicans and the American public to reconsider an 11th-hour campaign but there is still a lot of work to do with New Jersey adding “my job here isn’t done”.

He said he has a commitment to New Jersey that he simply will not abandon. Christie said he made his decision on Monday evening after spending the weekend with his family and had no communication from his ‘folks’. He said he gathered all the available information and thought about what was right for him and for the state of New Jersey.

Former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean, speaking on Monday 3rd said “I know he’s getting advice from all sides.” He added that Christie will make clear soon whether he’s changed his mind stating: “he’s not going to tease anybody”. Back in April this year, Christie told ABC he was categorically not running for president. “You don’t make a decision to run for president of the United States based on impulse.

I don’t feel ready in my heart to be president. Unless I do, I don’t have any right offering myself to the people of this country. It’s much too big a job. And so you have to first feel in your heart that you’re ready and that you want it more than anything else.” Christie was pursued to reconsider by influential Republican donors as well as a handful of elected officials and party activists in vital states.

Reuters reported the only potential candidate left who could make a major impact on the race is former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who is still considering it. She did however state last week the title of president might “shackle” her. Christie’s decision is the last major candidate to fall in the Republican race. There are discussions if he may run for Vice-president instead of the presidential race.

In the words of Christie “So, New Jersey, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”

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According to the bureau of Labor statistics, the American economy added a shocking “zero” number of jobs in the month of August. This makes it the worst monthly job report this year, fueling doubts about economic recovery and increasing the pressure on President Obama.

Despite a big effort by the Obama administration to design a simulative fiscal policy in the recent past, the overall picture is still very negative. The greatest impact of this may be the Democrats’ ability to contest elections in 2012; in effect, the presidential approval index fell to the lowest of its time in office.

In August people who strongly approved of Obama’s performance fell 3 percent from 24 percent to 21 percent. On the other hand the number of people who strongly disapprove of the President’s performance rose to 42 percent from 38 percent.

Variations in this index show to what degree voters are satisfied with the performance of the President; if there is a rise in approval rating it shows that people’s concerns are being taken care of, or they feel happy. Likewise, if there is a fall in this index then voters are unhappy with the President.

The essential idea is that the President is in the midst of an uncertain economy and the political crisis will have major bearing on his hopes for a return to the White House in 2012. Everything depends on what the President has in store this time, but it will be far less ambitious than the $825 billion stimulus package of 2009.

Economists in the U.S. who advocated for government intervention call for a package of at least $300 billion to avoid backsliding of the economy. Overall unemployment rates are steady at 9.1 percent; anything less than 100,000 jobs a month would be catastrophic for the democratic campaign in 2012.

Economists estimated that the economy needs 150,000 jobs per month in order to keep pace with the growth rate of the population. But to reduce unemployment to below 8 percent, the economy needs to create more than 275,000 jobs in one month.

Initially President Obama had agreed to deliver the speech on his new job proposal on September 7, but incidentally (or intentionally) the Republican Party chose the same date to hold a televised debate. Just like with the debt deal, this incident became a platform for conflict between democrats and republicans, but the White House said it was just a matter of coincidence.

The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, asked Obama to rescheduled his speech on September 8 and the White House agreed. This shows the basic idea that even in dire economic condition and undeniable uncertainty over the future of U.S economy, Republicans are enjoying their play in politics.

But all in all, the campaigning for 2012 is firing up. From the President to the presidential candidates — everyone is preparing to roll out thier agendas in order to cement their chances. They are very much concerned with what voters are concerned with, and of utmost importantly: Jobs, jobs, and jobs.

The political environment in the U.S. is driven by the unemployment agenda because ultimately it will determine the destiny of the front-runners for 2012. Everything depends on how well they sail the American citizens out of this mess.

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