Day: April 12, 2008

McCain’s Aid For Home Owners

First he was against nay help for “speculators”, a traditional yell for the Repubs.  But now he wants to help some people.  Why?  Election time is the only answer.  He is plugging for votes and if he appears to care about home owners in distress, it can only strengthen his political position.

But like his new best friend Bush the plan does little for people in real distress.  McCain did not mention how much his plan would cost, but his aides said it would help 200,000 to 400,000 homeowners. That would help more people than President Bush’s plan, but fewer than the plans put forward by Democrats.

The people that will receive assistance are the people who will need it the less.  As usual the Repubs have no concern for the millions who could lose their homes.  Any plan they come up with will benefit the corporate end of the problem and the people will just have to make do.

How about McKinney?

That is Cynthia McKinney; you will most likely remember her from her altercation with the Capitol Police. She supposedly attack a policeman, it got lost of play on CNN and probably cost her re-election. But beyond that, she is trying to win the nomination for the Green Party and if one is a true Progressive her record and evals by various groups is pretty impressive.

Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance.

Rated 80% by the HRC, indicating a pro-gay-rights stance.

Rated 97% by the NAACP, indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance.

Rated 80% by CURE, indicating pro-rehabilitation crime votes.Rated +20 by NORML, indicating a pro-drug-reform stance.

Rated 100% by the CAF, indicating support for energy independence.

  • Voted NO on ‘Fast Track’ authority for trade agreements.
  • No MFN for China; condition trade on human rights.

She has a strong pro-environmental stand, pro-family stand, and pro-worker stand. Her stands are consistent with those of “real” progressives. She deserves a good hard look if you are looking for a candidate other than the Big 3.

DLC: The Trouble With Class-Interest Populism by Stephen Rose

DLC: The Trouble With Class-Interest Populism by Stephen Rose

This paper is pure bovine fecal matter. It supposes that the working class is all about high end jobs and corporate related interests by the workers. This is just another lame attempt to high jack the progressive label. This paper should be published by some conservative think tank and not one called the Progressive policy Institute….there is NOTHING progressive about this. It just illustrates how far right the DLC and its mouthpiece the PPI have moved.

Is Obama An Elitist?

I have heard this question posed many times and the answer is: “Of course, he is!” When was the last time that a presidential nominee was not an elitist? From the very beginning of this country elitist have ruled.

But the humorous part is it is the Clinton group that is calling him an elitist. The same arrogant bunch that have this air of inevitability around them. The same group that feels it is their birth right to be the next president. By any stretch of the imagination, that is an ELITIST.

Clinton said on the stump in Pennsylvania, “As I travel around Pennsylvania, I meet people who are resilient, who are optimistic, who are positive. . . . They’re working hard every day for a better future for themselves and their children. Pennsylvanians don’t need a president who looks down on them. They need a president who stands up for them, who fights for them.”

This coming from a member of the DLC, the poster child for elitism.

So yes, Obama is an elitist, but so is every other person running for President. Americans have a long history of letting the rich and the elite push them around and I do not see any change in the near future.

Is There A Difference?

Here are some of the most significant points of contention that may help voters in the 10 contests choose between Clinton and Obama.

HEALTH CARE

Both say they have a goal of providing universal coverage and will try to lower costs to make it more affordable. The biggest difference is that Clinton would require everyone to get health insurance while Obama would not. Clinton says her plan is the only one that is truly universal because people won’t get coverage unless they are required to, similar to auto insurance. Obama says people will get insurance only if they can afford it.

HOUSING

Both want to help homeowners facing foreclosure, but Clinton’s plan includes a five-year freeze on interest rates for all subprime mortgages, which often go to borrowers with the poorest credit. Obama disagrees with the proposed freeze, saying it will drive up interest rates and keep other people from getting mortgages.

Both candidates also support legislation to help homeowners with “underwater mortgages” — meaning their homes are worth less than the mortgage. That legislation would provide government guarantees for their mortgages, but Clinton wants to go one step further than Obama. She wants the federal government to buy underwater mortgages and reduce payments to a level homeowners can afford.

EDUCATION

Obama has called for something that irks teachers’ unions. He says educators should be rewarded based on performance as long as test scores aren’t the sole measure. Clinton says she would support merit pay, as long as it was based on school-wide performance and not the individual teacher.

At the college level, both want to provide more tuition relief through tax credits — up to $3,500 for Clinton and $4,000 for Obama. Obama also would require something Clinton does not. Students would have to perform 100 hours of community service to qualify each year.

RETIREMENT

Both candidates say they would help low- and middle-income workers set up personal retirement accounts and provide government matches for the first $1,000 saved annually. But they would go about it differently.

Clinton would match 100 percent for families earning $60,000 or less, with smaller breaks for those earning up to $100,000. Obama would match 50 percent of the first $1,000 for families making less than $75,000.

On Social Security, Clinton has refused to say publicly what options she would consider to keep the system afloat long term. Obama has said the best choice is to raise Social Security taxes on people earning more than $200,000.

FOREIGN POLICY

The debate over whether the president should directly negotiate with rogue leaders has been one of the most prominent issue differences in the campaign. Obama says he would meet with heads of state in places like Cuba, Iran and North Korea. Clinton says those meetings could be used for propaganda and her first response will be outreach through other diplomatic channels.

IMMIGRATION

Another much-discussed division: whether to give driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Obama says yes, for safety reasons. Clinton says no.

TAXES

Both candidates would repeal Bush’s tax cuts on wealthy Americans to pay for their programs. Obama also has a plan for across-the-board tax cuts for most workers. Clinton doesn’t support Obama’s plan because of it $80 billion cost and because it would apply to families with significant incomes. Obama’s campaign says it would begin a phase-out for households that earn around $150,000.