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NASA Space shuttle fueling test looks successful
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
PC makers voluntarily supply Web filter in China
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Michelle Obama bringing glamour to Moscow
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Woods and Kim tied for lead at Congressional
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Moyers strong start helps Phillies beat Mets
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Morneau leads Twins in 4-3 comeback win vs. Tigers
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Reports Turkoglu headed to Toronto Raptors
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Federer takes on Roddick, history at Wimbledon
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
Former NFL quarterback McNair killed in Tennessee
Southern Ledger - July 4, 2009 |
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THE VEEPSTAKES BEGINS.
July 2, 2008 -
July 9, 2008
Barack Obama and John McCain will soon intensify the process of selecting their Vice Presidential nominees. Pundits will earnestly debate the merits of each prospective candidate in exhaustive detail. But ultimately the test that will determine each man’s choice is relatively simple: “Who best helps me win the White House?”
The most important factor in picking a Vice Presidential nominee should be whether or not the person is ready and able to serve as President. In reality the selection hinges on a calculation focused exclusively on whether he or she helps the Presidential nominee win the election. Once that calculation is completed each campaign will develop many reasons to justify that choice. But no matter who finally gets the nod it is actually because they were deemed the best selection to help secure victory.
Several political factors will be examined (and polled) during the process of making that decision. Topping the list will be whether the potential Veep brings any states into the Electoral Vote column that might otherwise go to the “other side?” This year the presidential battle will play out in about ten or twelve “toss up” states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, New Hampshire and New Mexico. Bonus points will be awarded to those who help in those states.
Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton rejected geographic balance as a consideration when he picked Senator Al Gore from neighboring Tennessee as his running mate in 1992. And Texas Governor George W. Bush ignored Electoral outreach (and math) in picking Dick Cheney to lock up the three Electoral Votes from Wyoming. But in 2008 the Electoral map will play a huge role in the choices the campaigns will make.
Other considerations will include whether the prospect brings ideological balance to the ticket? Does the addition of that person to the team bring added “gravitas” or experience that the nominee himself/herself is missing? Do the two candidates like each other, or at the very least have the ability to tolerate the other? And an element that may loom particularly large in 2008: is there a gender or ethnic reason to select someone?
For McCain the best choice appears to be former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Romney adds state-level domestic policy experience to the ticket, but he also brings real world expertise in revitalizing companies struggling with economic challenges. But most importantly, he helps the McCain campaign in a handful of those critical swing states: including Michigan, New Hampshire, Colorado and Nevada. The fact that he can quickly infuse about $60 million into the McCain campaign coffers doesn’t hurt his prospects.
Obama will continue to get pressure to select Hillary Clinton as his running mate. But with each passing day the animosity from the bitter and divisive Democratic Primary diminishes…along with Hillary’s chances of being selected. Thus, Obama will also look to the Electoral map for guidance in selecting his Vice Presidential nominee. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson may be the logical choice. Not only does he add foreign policy credentials to the ticket, his state-level domestic policy experience helps underscore the Obama theme of looking for answers to the nation’s ills outside of Washington. In 2008 the number of Hispanic voters will equal, if not exceed, the number of African-American voters. Those Hispanic votes could provide a winning edge in several swing states, including New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Florida. While Obama has many to choose from, the Electoral map and Latino-factor seem to point to Richardson.
Regardless of who the two campaigns ultimately select, the bottom line for both teams is getting a win in the Super Bowl of politics. That “bottom-line” will be the entire focal point of filling out the bottom of each ticket.
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THE BATTLE OVER GUNS WILL CONTINUE. -
June 26, 2008 -
July 3, 2008
The ink was barely dry on the historic Supreme Court decision in Heller when the anti-gun crowd started a new assault on gun rights. In Heller the Court struck down a 32 year old gun ban in Washington, D.C. and specifically recognized the Second Amendment as an individual right rather than a collective right.
The Court, in a 5-4 decision written by Justice Antonin Scalia, also found a Constitutional right to possess a handgun as a matter of personal self defense: “There are many reason... |
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JUDGES GONE WILD! -
June 19, 2008 -
June 26, 2008
In recent years many black-robed judges have shown themselves to be legislators at heart, as they impose their political ideology and agendas from the bench. Though they apparently lack the willingness, or ability, to win such legislative battles at the ballot box they are able to succeed in both writing the laws AND interpreting them thanks to the weak-kneed acquiescence of the Legislative and Executive branches of government. But having achieved the ability to dictate their will to society at... |
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WILL NEW NASHVILLE CONVENTION CENTER BE NAMED FOR TAXPAYERS? -
June 12, 2008 -
June 19, 2008
The planned new convention center for downtown Nashville is back in the news with the selection of a Maryland-based Clark Construction Group as construction manager. The costs for the project have already risen from a “mere” $455 million when first announced two years ago to what is expected to be an amount in excess of $635 million. The ultimate cost is almost certain to be much higher than that, since public projects seldom come in at the promotional “sticker price.”
In fact, the cost... |
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ECONOMICS 101 REVEALS THE TRUTH ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES -
June 5, 2008 -
June 12, 2008
As gasoline prices nudge closer and closer to an average of $4 a gallon there is a lot of hue and cry in Washington about who to blame. The blame game makes for interesting political banter, but it is highly unlikely that drivers will see any relief at the pump coming from the posturing and posing bureaucrats and political hacks in D.C.
The Democrats blame Big Oil, despite the fact that Big Government actually takes a much larger share from the price of a gallon of gas in the form of l... |
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ELECTORAL MAP MAY GIVE GOP A GLIMMER OF HOPE IN THE FALL. -
May 28, 2008 -
June 4, 2008
2006 was a bad year for Republicans. Democrats took control of the U.S.
House and Senate as the tide turned strongly against President George W.
Bush and his party. 2008 has been shaping up as a year when GOP fortunes
could swing from bad to even worse. While some Republican leaders in
Washington have been claiming to see some light at the end of the
political tunnel three straight special election losses in Illinois,
Mississippi and Louisiana in House races that were co... |
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