Little Difference Between Obama And McCain

I may have alienated both Barack Obama and John McCain supporters during today’s News Talk Online on Paltalk.com. But I concluded that, not only are the claims that Obama’s tax plan makes him a socialist overblown, but there’s relatively little difference between his and McCain’s.

We played Obama’s discussion with “Joe The Plumber.” Then we went back to what McCain was saying in 2000 about taxation. I didn’t hear much of a difference between them.

So that begs the question. Which plan does McCain really support? The one he proposed eight years ago? Or the one that’s become a staple of this campaign?

He’s not the only one who has “flipped” or “evolved” on the issues, of course. The first and only goal is to get elected. Say whatever you think will propel you into office. Figure out the rest after Election Day.

As we went to air, the news of the plot to kill Obama and more than 100 black Americans broke. So I’d like to make mention of the fine job the ATF did in thwarting the plot.

It reminds us, as we were in 1995 when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed in Oklahoma City that not all terrorists are foreign born.

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GOP Hopes For Florida

Swier

Florida remains up for grabs in the presidential election and remains a key battleground state.

 

 

Both parties are active in getting out the vote – their vote.

 

 

The Obama campaign has established an early voting website which directs Barack Obama supporters to the locations where they may vote now.

 

 

Efforts are underway by Republicans in conservative areas of the state to get out the early vote as well – in that case in support of John McCain. Unfortunately, a Florida Republican website reportedly gave incorrect information on early voting polling places. Some Democrats charged that this was done to deliberately misdirect Obama supporters. A state GOP spokeswoman says it was an “honest mistake” that was being corrected.

 

 

Regardless, news reports indicate there’s been record early voter turnout throughout the sunshine state.

 

 

The latest Reuters/Zogby poll finds Florida, with its coveted 27 electoral votes as a dead heat.

 

 

Conservative Florida web and radio political commentator Dr. Rich Swier, who will be my guest on News Talk Online on Paltalk.com Wednesday October 29, believes two factors may swing his state into the McCain column.

 

 

Swier says a statewide referendum on marriage, Amendment 2, is drawing out a lot of conservative votes. Rallies have been held in support of and in opposition to the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, which opponents decry as an attack on domestic partner benefits. Polls indicate support for the amendment but perhaps not strong enough to garner the 60 percent vote it needs for passage. But even if the amendment fails, presumably a substantial number of those who turn out to vote for it will also cast ballots for McCain.

 

 

Another factor that could help McCain in Florida, Swier says, is that it boasts a large number of veterans as residents.

 

 

Swier is a 23-year Army veteran who retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1990. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his years of service. Additionally, he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” for heroism in ground combat, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.

 

 

Swier was the founder/CEO of Sarasota Online, a high technology company that was sold to Comcast Cable in 1996. He is president of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission, and has been appointed as chairman of the Sarasota National Cemetery Advisory Committee by Congressman Vern Buchanan. Swier is also publisher of FromtheDuke, an internationally read website dedicated to families, traditional values, a strong national defense and personal responsibility.

 

 

To talk to Swier at 5 PM New York time Wednesday October 29 CLICK HERE. There is no charge.

 

 

Paltalk is the largest multimedia interactive program on the Internet with more than 4 million unique users.

 

 

News Talk Online is also syndicated by CRN Digital Talk Radio to an additional 12 million households.

Is There A President Bloomberg In Our Future?

Presidential aspirations?

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has successfully gotten the Big Apple’s city council to extend term limits to a third four-year stint for mayor. Obviously, presuming the extension survives a court challenge, Bloomberg has his eye on the mayoral pie in 2009. But it could be that his real target is the presidency in 2012.

 

 

Bloomberg is a Democrat-turned Republican-turned independent who certainly is aware that many voters are disappointed in both major parties in the United States. Candidates re-posture themselves to accommodate different phases of their political careers.

 

 

When they run for Congress they take positions they believe to be meaningful to their districts. Then when they get to Washington, they are strong-armed by party leaders to vote the party line or face retribution.

 

 

They can be rewarded for voting the way the party leadership directs with better (read high-profile) committee assignments. Or they can be punished by getting appointed to obscure sub-committees that don’t even warrant coverage on C-Span much less by their local news corp.

 

 

Those that run for president make statements that appeal to the party base during the primaries. Then flip to positions they believe resonate more with the general voting public when they win their party’s nomination.

 

 

In other words, we don’t know where they really stand on the issues.

 

 

Those who buck this trend and try to stay true to their own political beliefs are ostracized by their parties. One has only to look at Ron Paul’s candidacy to see how that worked this year.

 

 

The nation is ripe for an independent candidate who appeals to the populous. Bloomberg could just be that guy. A self-made billionaire, he is already offering the next president his services as an economic adviser.

 

 

Bloomberg believes he should be given another term as New York’s mayor because he possesses the business aptitude and experience to guide the city through these hard economic times. If he is indeed given the opportunity to run – and wins – and is successful – his standing as a potential presidential candidate will likely soar.

 

 

The extension of term limits will likely face a court challenge. The two-term-limit that was in effect when Bloomberg entered office was imposed by referendum. The case will argue that the city council cannot usurp the will of the people. If Bloomberg wants to run for a third term, it will be argued, then he needs to ask the people – not the city council – to change the law.

 

 

But assuming that he is successful and his name is placed on the ballot next year, and assuming he wins, he will be one public servant well worth keeping an eye on as a possible presidential candidate in 2012.

Spreading The Wealth

“I heard him say it, those exact words!”

Waiting For The Fat Lady

I really don’t know where that phrase comes from, that it ain’t over until the fat lady sings (a reference to the final act in an opera?) but there’s no doubt that John McCain isn’t conceding the election until she does.

On NBC’s Meet The Press today McCain “guaranteed” the election will be close and said he believes he will win it.