Voter Political Blog

Contenders for the retiring Mel Martinez’s Senate Seat breathed a sigh of relief as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced that he would not be a 2010 Senate Candidate. Also breathing a sigh of relief are Florida Democrats who are undoubtedly planning a relatively easy pick up for their party in the next election cycle.

Although his brother made a mockery of the Republican Party in his second Presidential term, Jeb Bush is really a stand up Republican and a great servant for the people of Florida. I must admit that I’m disappointed that he won’t be running for office and I’m sure there is no shortage of Florida Republicans thinking the same thing.

In a message he sent to Facebook supporters, the Former Florida Governor said that he intended to stay as active as ever to support the principles he governed with and that he would help rebuild the Republican Party - which we all know is broken pretty severely.

This leaves one to wonder if Jeb’s people are booking airline tickets to Des Moines. You know, to look at the corn, drive around aimlessly, look at some more corn, maybe run for President. Obviously, Jeb is at an inherent disadvantage coming from the Bush family after his brother will leave office with under a 30% approval rating. That said, Jeb isn’t his brother and he may very well make an excellent Presidential candidate. I can think of a few better candidates personally, but aside from his name, Jeb is certainly acceptable and more than qualified.

I’ve had two friends who have worked in the White House tell me this exact thing, “Don’t throw out your Bush For President campaign signs.” Which means either Jeb is interested in a Presidential run, or that the signs are going to fetch a small fortune in 50 years on E-Bay. Judging by the context, I’m assessing Jeb is interested in the job.

But there is quite a bit of difference between “interest” and “campaign.” Unless Obama really screws up in his first term, I can’t imagine another Bush will be a viable candidate in 2012. And when I say screw up, I mean, “Opps, I didn’t mean to fire that nuke at Philadelphia.” Not only would that hurt Obama’s popularity, but with Pennsylvania missing one of it’s most liberal cities, Republicans would probably be able to win the state. That’s the kind of insane screw up I’m talking about.

Of course, Jeb could hire a boat load of image consultants, campaign as just “Jeb!” like he did for Governor, hope that the Republican field is incredibly weak, and maybe get lucky and have people vote on issues instead of name association.

Opinions by Kevin Tracy

Barack Obama’s Twitter account was hacked yesterday, which is very hard for me to believe. Not because I believe the internet is a safe, reliable place for social interaction that is free of malfunction, but Barack Obama on Twitter?

Twitter is a site whose purpose is to simply tell everyone “what you’re doing.”

I, myself, am addicted to my Twitter account, and constantly update my status with very important information such as: “My mom swears getting pooped on by birds is good luck. I think it’s just gross.” Or the very heady, “It’s 2am and I’m feeling bad for Britney Spears.” There aren’t many times I’ve read my list of friends’ Twitter updates and felt like a Ivy League scholar. (I’m not one.)

So what is someone like President Elect Barack Obama writing on his Twitter? I tried looking his at his account, but it’s been suspended since it was hacked. As a result, based on my personal experience with it, here’s my interpretation of what Barack Obama’s Twitter account may look like:

BarackObama: picked mah new headz of cia! holla! 42 minutes ago from web

BarackObama: just ate pint of ben and jerry’s while watching the hills. I feel gross! About 8 hours ago from twitterberry

BarackObama: brb, gg and fix economy. tax breaks! woot woot! about 18 hours ago from web

BarackObama: girlz first day of skool. hope they lurve it there! 1 day ago from web

BarackObama: LOL! u totes have to see this episode of facts of life! hilar! LOL! 1 day ago from twitterriffic

BarackObama: ew. richardson just withdrew! what up wth that? 2 days ago from web

BarackObama: sadz bout gaza. 9 days ago from web

Hopefully, he’ll get his Twitter account back up and running as soon as possible. And when he does, I’ll totes be reading his updates.

Humor provided by Joselyn Hughes

Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) — President-elect Barack Obama is pushing for tax cuts amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars in a stimulus package he’s asking Congress to pass within the next several weeks, a transition official and a Democratic aide say.

Obama is asking that tax cuts make up 40 percent of a stimulus package, the officials say. The measure may be worth as much as $775 billion, the Democratic aide says, meaning tax cuts may constitute more than $300 billion of the legislation.

Making tax cuts such a large part of the stimulus may help win support from congressional Republicans. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said today his party would support an immediate middle-class tax cut as part of any stimulus package.

“Republicans, by and large, think tax relief is a great way to get money to people immediately,’’ McConnell said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Obama’s plan would attempt to boost consumer demand by spending $140 billion on tax breaks worth $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples, according to a House Democratic aide. The change would come by altering tax-withholding rules, rather than though a rebate check as with the previous stimulus plan enacted last year, so that workers would see an immediate increase in their take-home pay.

Business Tax Breaks

The plan also includes business tax breaks, including ones allowing companies to write off more of their losses against previous years’ tax bills. Other provisions would allow companies to write off more of the cost of their equipment, the aide said. The plan also attempts to combat joblessness by offering companies tax breaks for hiring more workers, the aide said.

Many of the business tax incentives would be accelerated from future years so that any dollar written off now would not be able to be claimed in future years, the aide said. That would reduce the long-term impact of the tax cuts on the federal budget deficit.

The tax cuts would be part of stimulus Obama is seeking which will also boost spending for roads, bridges, power grids and other public works projects.

Lawmakers and Obama say it’s imperative for legislation to be passed to prop up the U.S. economy, which is in its worst slump in decades and could deteriorate further without significant fiscal stimulus. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg last month projected gross domestic product would shrink in the fourth quarter by 4.3 percent, the biggest decline since 1982.

The news on the size of the tax cuts was first reported in the Wall Street Journal.

(CNN) — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is withdrawing his nomination to be commerce secretary, citing the distraction of a federal investigation into ties to a company that has done business with his state.

Two Democratic officials told CNN the investigation involves a California company that won municipal bond business in New Mexico after contributing money to various Richardson causes.

In a statement Sunday, Richardson said he asked Obama “not to move forward” with his nomination now.

“I do so with great sorrow. But a pending investigation of a company that has done business with New Mexico state government promises to extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months,” the statement reads. “Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact. But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.

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