Note the low turnout in the special election to replace Anthony Weiner in New York’s 9th District. Turner 32,833 54% Weprin 27,908 46% That’s a pretty pathetically low turnout, so one should be careful about reading too much into it for 2012. It may reflect a very disaffected Democratic electorate in this 75% Dem 40% [...]
Ames Straw Poll: a Barrington Perspective
August 15, 2011 By
I attended the Ames Straw Poll this weekend, which was quite an experience. This reports my own perspective on the event as an independent observer from Illinois. I was unable to vote, but was very interested in the campaigns and the organizational work by volunteers across all of Iowa which the Straw Poll reflected. Incidentally, [...]
Credit downgrades – Obama’s experience in Illinois
August 12, 2011 By
Illinois has the distinction of having achieved 10 credit downgrades since the Democrats took complete power in 2003. See this undated article on the subject from Illinois Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno. In this context, it should be unsurprising that Obama’s reaction is to treat the AAA credit downgrade by S&P as just another political [...]
Is it 2012 yet? Yes!
August 5, 2011 By
National media attention has concentrated on the Republican candidates for the 2012 nomination for President, as well as the current debate between President Obama and the leaders of the House and Senate over the debt ceiling, spending, debt, tax reform and other issues. A lot of focus is already on the 2012 primary and general [...]
Dancing on the Debt Ceiling
August 4, 2011 By
Americans are pretty intuitive about budgets. It may be tempting to spend more than you can afford at times, but you know that there are bad consequences if you do this consistently. It may be possible to shift spending priorities or save or borrow a little more than usual so that you can splurge on [...]
Victory or Death? Liberty, or debt?
August 3, 2011 By
There are many different opinions about the debt ceiling vote in the House today. Was this a victory for the Tea Party movement, or a defeat? Was it progress, or deception? Were Tea Party folks acting like “extremists” or “terrorists” or “hobbits”, as the Democrats and their friends in the media have been branding us [...]
U.S. Public Debt Outstanding 1993-2011
August 1, 2011 By
This chart shows how the debt has been increasing since 1993. The “debt ceiling” debate over a $2.4 trillion increase would allow the debt to grow off the chart to roughly $16.7 trillion by the 2012 election. Since federal spending is forecast (“baseline budgeting”) to grow at a rate of roughly 7% per year, which [...]
Obama fundraising: Republicans need to focus and work, not worry
July 15, 2011 By
The media spin is that Obama raised more money in the last quarter ($47 million) than all of the Republican candidates combined. True enough – but there’s more to the story than the way that his friends are spinning it as another success. The OFA campaign has already scaled back their highly touted $1 billion [...]
Photo ID to Drink or Shop, But Not to Vote
June 13, 2011 By
Why doesn’t Illinois law require voters to show photo ID at the polls? How many people are offended by the need to show photo ID to get an alcoholic drink, or to verify identity when shopping with a credit card or cashing a check? It’s a pretty routine requirement of any adult in America. We don’t [...]
Time for a Tea Party “Money Bomb” Straw Poll
In addition to many fundraisers among wealthy donors at prices ranging from $1,000 to $35,000+ per person, the Obama for America (OFA) campaign recently sent out an appeal to millions of former supporters seeking donations of $3 by this Friday, Sept. 30. Friday is the quarterly reporting deadline for all campaigns, so they are all [...]