The Political Voices of Women

This is an interesting question. Are you better off than you were eight years ago? Do you know anyone who is? Just wondering. Let me know in comments.

So, the bailout was rejected, and the DOW tumbled 777 points.  Is it the end of the world as we know it? Let’s take a closer look at the bailout. What are the pros and cons? How did we get here? Who is to blame? And, most importantly…What do you think?

My personal (non financial expert) opinion:  If you don’t have much money, you probably haven’t lost much.  If you have a bunch of money, you might have lost a bunch.   Of course, as always, the middle class will be hurt the most from this crisis.  They are already struggling, and bailout or no bailout, the middle class stands to pay the greatest price.  But, that’s just my opinion, and I’m no financial expert.

Understanding the bailout…

How does this affect the presidential election?

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Here is a guest post from community member Marcella Peralta Simon.

[If you would like to be a guest blogger on The Political Voices of Women, just join our community, and start posting.]

How did we get into this mess and what sort of neat soundbites can Obama provide in ads and in debates?

Banks were flush with cash from the 90s boom and had to do something with it. They did some risky things with other people’s money and a few individuals made out like bandits while others lost their houses and life savings. The administration (Phil Gramm and co) did not want to interfere with the private sector so they were basically asleep at the switch. Things got so risky that whole companies started to implode, affecting global markets (when the US sneezes, etc.). Now, they want the taxpayers to bail out these banks and buy up their bad debt.

Obama can say under his tax policies, you will pay less for this bailout but under McCain’s proposal, you will pay proportionatly much much more. The people that made this happen and benefitted from this irresponsible excess will not be penalized under such a plan, you will. Also, banks have lobbyists crawling all over to make sure they get the best deal from the government, where are your advocates?

Its a start.

P.S. Nothing made me angrier than to hear Carly F smugly blame the Democratic Congress for this mess, after she lost big money for HP shareholders and walked away with a golden parachute.

With much of US oil production temporarily shut down due to Hurricane Ike there could not have been a worse time for the US’ relationship with Venezuela to be strained further. But it has.

As reported by The New York Times:

The United States stepped up the diplomatic skirmish with its left-wing adversaries in Latin America on Friday, saying it would expel the Venezuelan ambassador and declaring that Venezuela’s top two intelligence officials had supported the “narco-terrorist activities” of rebels in the region.

The moves heightened the political tensions that have been building between the United States, Venezuela and Bolivia in recent days. On Wednesday, Bolivia’s embattled president, Evo Morales, expelled the American ambassador there, Philip S. Goldberg, accusing him of supporting rebellious groups in eastern Bolivia.

Then on Thursday, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela said he was expelling the American ambassador to his country, Patrick Duddy, contending that an American-supported coup plot had been discovered.

The State Department responded by declaring Bolivia’s ambassador to Washington persona non grata. Then on Friday morning, it said it would expel Venezuela’s ambassador, while the Treasury Department accused the Venezuelan intelligence officials of aiding Colombia’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, “even as it terrorized and kidnapped innocents.”

The latest moves represent a low point in Venezuela’s political relations with the United States, which imported more than $40 billion in oil from Venezuela last year. Trade between the countries has remained resilient, topping $50 billion in 2007, despite repeated threats by Mr. Chávez to halt oil exports to the United States, a warning he reiterated on Thursday

In her post “We live in a global village“, Political Voices of Women blogger Paula Hall raises the question of why the US Presidential Candidates have seldom addressed this issue:

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The Onion has made a video that takes a serious (yet satirical) look at the Bush presidency. It would be a lot more funny, if it wasn’t so true. But, I guess it is important to lighten things up from time to time. So, here goes.

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency


You can see more videos from The Onion here.

This is really funny. Paris Hilton Responds to John McCain’s Smear Ad on Barack Obama…

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Just in case you haven’t seen the controversial video and commentary, here is a video clip…



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So…What do you think? Does this help or hurt McCain? What about Obama? Or, is it just plain silly? Personally, I hate attack ads, especially when they provide no helpful information for voters, at least the Hilton response, had addressed an issue. Let me know what you think in comments.

See more on this at BlogHer.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if the GOP members of Congress have tapped into something with their protest against Nancy Pelosi?  The latest Gallup numbers show there is a window, just a small one, but there is a window of opportunity to make some inroads in the House this year.  I think the American people want to see a little bit of courage.  And, like Medved pointed out yesterday on his show, they don’t like to vote for “angry” people.  If they can keep their heads…. (nah, that was a pipe dream).

According to The Hill, Newt Gingrich is going to be meeting with the GOP Protesters on the Hill Wednesday morning.  It’s about time someone called in the good doctor so he could deal with what ails ‘em, but the real problem is abject lack of leadership.  Fortunately Eric Cantor is showing some with his Call Congress Back petition. Nancy Pelosi says that the GOP push for more drilling is “unworthy of serious debate!”  I kid you not.  There is a bottom line here.  Excitement is rippling through the GOP world.  Are our Republicans in Congress finally growing backbones? On the other hand, how much of this is Nancy Pelosi grandstanding for her liberal voters back in San Francisco? It is quite obvious Pelosi is more interested in pandering to her ultra liberal voters back home than she is doing her job as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  As the Speaker she should be putting the needs of the nation above the needs of the one.  Instead she is blasting John McCain who is demanding she return to Washington and take are of business.

“…The Speaker added that “McCain’s absent leadership on energy independence doesn’t match his rhetoric.””

Someone is not flying on all thrusters, and it certainly isn’t John McCain.  There are theories that Pelosi is playing “bad cop” so her disingenuous partners in crime in the House can go home and campaign that they are for “drilling”.  It is also rather obvious that Pelosi is taking her orders from MoveOn, who plans to slam the Republicans in the House this year. 

Are they making a big mistake?

The latest Gallup shows that there is a strong anti-incumbant feeling against members of the House.  If this holds, while the GOP would lose some seats, and deservedly so, the Dems, as the Majority, stand to lose more than the GOP.  Only something like 36% of ‘registered voters’ think the “house” deserves re-election.  The rub, though is 57% think their representative deserves re-election.  But - those who are in districts where their member of Congress is a Democrat think that the Dem does not deserve re-election.  The numbers aren’t strong, but they are enough, I hope, to force the Cowards of the Congress to listen to Newt. 

There’s one other thing at work here.  If Eric Cantor continues in his leadership role, and it looks like the GOP could make a few inroads in the House, is he going to want to be VP or go for a House leadership position?

It is possible that the Dems have taken another wrong step.  The big question, will their voters hold them responsible?

There’s one other interesting little tidbit today.  If, as Zogby finds (and he is an Obama shill) that Obama is losing support among the young and among women, is this going to make a difference.  I suspect “the young” simply won’t vote.  Women are still angry with Obama.   If McCain does “make it” could he have some coat-tails? 

Wouldn’t it be wild if he did?

Why Did Consumers Spend More Money In June?

So…Why did consumers spend more money in June? Unfortunately, it’s not because consumers are feeling confident in the economy (nor should they). It seems that the reason consumers spent more, was because the prices of just about everything has increased.

Here is a clip from The Associated Press…

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Have you been spending more money? Why is that? Is it because you have more money to spend, or because the things you have to buy cost more money? Let me know in comments.

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Here is a clip from Sen. Obama’s speech on energy, earlier today…

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What do you think of the Obama energy plan? Let me know in comments.

If you are interested in reading the full transcript of todays speech, it is here on the Obama website.This is the Obama New Energy For America Plan, as seen on his website (see full plan pdf here)…

• Provide short‐term relief to American families facing pain at the pump
• Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
• Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
• Put 1 million Plug‐In Hybrid cars – cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon – on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.
• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Implement an economy‐wide cap‐and‐trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

From CNN Politics…

Obama has previously said he was opposed to using the strategic reserves, but on Monday he proposed selling 70 million barrels of oil from the reserves in order to lower gas prices.

Speaking before a crowd in Lansing, Michigan, the senator from Illinois said the country’s “addiction to oil … is one of the most dangerous and urgent threats this nation has ever faced.”

Obama unveiled his energy plan, which includes a windfall profits tax on big oil corporations that would be used to provide a $1,000 rebate to people struggling with high energy costs.

Here is the full video of speech…

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Here is what other bloggers are saying about Barack Obama’s Energy Policy…

BlogHer Contributing Editor Erin Kotecki Vest…

As the Senator discussed his very detailed New Energy for American plan, touted by Climate Progress as “…easily the best energy plan ever put forward by a nominee of either party…” republicans were emailing me to let me know they were handing out tire gauges to mock Obama’s reminders that keeping your tires properly inflated saves gas.

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Barack Obama was in Jacksonville, Florida today. He talked about the rising cost of gas prices, and his opposition of offshore drilling. See video and what other bloggers are saying. And, let me know what you think in comments.

This is from a post by Carol Nissen at the Obama Community Blog…

“Obama risks ire of Voters by opposing new oil drilling” (From AP of course, they make almost every single headline on Obama something negative) I think they have NO idea of how angry the American people are at having their country trashed for the past 8 years. It’s NOT just the oil, it’s the un necessary Iraq war, the falling apart infrastructure, the self serving of many politicians, the trampling of the constitution, the lowest ranked healthcare of an industrial nation, the treatment of our soliders, on and on and on.

The truth is the only ones who are going to have the “ire” are the already obscenely profiting oil companies. All this talk of Obama being “uppity”, “arrogant”, etc. stinks to me of a bunch of good ole boys who just might not get their way. The truth is there is going to be a big struggle in this country over how we get our energy and the fossil fuel gang has no plans for being replaced anytime soon. Why that’s why GWB was elected…and now that he and his cronies have screwed things up royally, well McCain will say and do as he’s told.

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