Election Insider
May 7 Election Insider
The North Carolina and Indiana primaries may have forced clarity upon the Democratic presidential race last night. With the math of the delegate race becoming increasingly implausible for the Clinton campaign, it is likely that the marathon race is close to a conclusion.
April 24 Election Insider
Political attention continues to be dominated by the seemingly never-ending drama for the Democratic presidential nomination, but while the Clinton and Obama camps slug it out, Democrats supporting either candidate are working tirelessly to solidify the Democratic majority in the Senate.
April 10 Election Insider
The results of the Democratic primary runoff last week suggest that a Democratic victory in the upcoming special election is very possible.
March 25 Election Insider
As this excursion from the frantic primary calendar unfolds, Pennsylvania is the next important primary on the horizon.
March 11 Election Insider
The Democratic Party scored a major victory last week, and unlike most current stories in politics, it had little to do with the presidential primaries.
February 25 Election Insider
So much has changed since Hillary Clinton won in New Hampshire. Barack Obama has turned the tide in his direction, scoring 10 straight victories and making inroads into every segment of the population that had overwhelmingly supported Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire.
February 15 Election Insider
The wealth of presidential primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday and beyond have failed to produce a clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination but have shown a population increasingly tuned in to and motivated by the Democratic contest.
February 4 Election Insider
The most striking feature of the Democratic primary season, at least to date, has been remarkable turnout. State after state -- Iowa , New Hampshire , South Carolina , Nevada , Florida -- has established turnout records.
January 31 Election Insider
Bereft of delegates to the National Convention, a penalty imposed by the Democratic National Committee for noncompliance with the prescribed calendar, Florida nevertheless is worth a look.
January 23 Election Insider
In the week leading up to the New Hampshire primary, poll after poll had Barack Obama well ahead of eventual winner Hillary Clinton. Obviously the polls were wrong, but there were several other factors that led to Clinton 's unexpected victory in New Hampshire , some of which carried over to Nevada .
January 15 Election Insider
The Iowa caucus is one of the most influential events in the presidential nomination process. It is a strong indicator of the mood of the country.
December 17 Election Insider
The 2008 election landscape is increasingly positive for Democrats. Republican retirements in the House and Senate have kept the GOP on the defensive, as several members have decided not to seek reelection in competitive districts.
November 28 Election Insider
Since 2004, Colorado has transformed from a solid Republican state to one of intense competition where Democrats have suddenly reached parity.
October 26 Election Insider
Americans want change. Despite low congressional approval ratings, polls show that Democrats have an advantage in the upcoming congressional and presidential elections. President Bush continues to cast a shadow over his party.
October 11 Election Insider
Virginia presents Democrats with the opportunity to reclaim a small portion of the South. The last two election cycles have shown a significant shift in the voting habits of Virginians, making the state contentious in all races including the presidency.
September 21 Election Insider
Democrats have a heavy advantage when looking at the Senate in 2008, and the news gets better by the day. Strong Democratic candidates are emerging, and unbeatable Republicans are retiring.
August 29 Election Insider
Republicans have vigorously campaigned since 1994 on a platform of social morals, family values, and bringing accountability to Washington . In the months leading up to the 2006 election, scandal after scandal emerged, showcasing their paper-thin rhetoric.
August 9 Election Insider
Previous issues of the Election Insider have focused on the importance of extending the Democratic majorities in Congress. In today's political reality, incumbents rarely lose.
July 27 Election Insider
Republicans have a simple strategy for winning back Congress in 2008: they plan to label the current Democratic majority as a "do-nothing" Congress.
July 11 Election Insider
The evolution of the Independent is one of the most important factors affecting American politics today. Americans are identifying themselves as Independent with greater frequency, making these swing voters essential to the success of almost any campaign.
June 28 Election Insider
Not a single vote has been cast in a presidential primary, but already it feels as though the country is neck deep in the presidential race.
June 13 Election Insider
In the past the party of a newly elected president enjoyed wholesale success, sweeping into power by winning in both the presidential race and the congressional elections.
May 29 Election Insider
One of the most important aspects of any campaign is formatting a message that can be repeated and that will stick with the voters. In 2006, Democrats employed the term “culture of corruption” to describe the Republican-held Congress.
May 17 Election Insider
The eyes of Americans are firmly fixated on the early-forming presidential campaign, but Democrats must not be complacent and single-minded or the consequences could be dire.
April 25 Election Insider
The litany of corruption that permeated the GOP-led Congress helped push voters away from Republicans in 2006.
April 18 Election Insider
The enthusiasm that propelled Democrats to take control of Congress remains, as Democratic fundraising remained competitive in congressional races for the first quarter of the year.
Election Insider
February 12 Election Insider
Bush’s 2008 Budget Confirms His Commitment to “Bait-and-Switch” and “Sleight-of-Hand” Accounting
The release of the President's budget for the next year provides insight into the priorities of the Bush administration, and forecast how the Republicans see the future in their perfect worlds. If passed, the budget will have negative effects for years to come, all in the name of preserving tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and achieving a balanced budget on the backs of the middle and lower classes.
The centerpiece of the new budget is protecting the tax cuts that were passed in 2001 and 2003. If passed, this budget would make those tax cuts permanent at a cost of $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years. The administration claims that this proposal will provide a balanced budget, and eventually lead to a budget surplus by 2012, but many have already disputed this claim. Recent estimates by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) suggest, “It would be difficult to balance the budget if the tax cuts—a collection of rate reductions and tax credits that have reduced Treasury collections by an estimated $1 trillion since 2001—continue.” The CBO also predicts, “If the tax cuts and other expiring tax provisions are extended, the deficit would hit $146 billion in 2012 and grow thereafter as healthcare costs skyrocket and the baby-boom generation retires.” Protection of their tax cuts has led the administration to manipulate its calculations in order to make it appear that this budget is financially sound. As some have pointed out, this budget doesn't address the Alternative Minimum Tax, which threatens to punish millions of middle-class taxpayers in the coming years. The President simply decided not to address it. They are manipulating their calculations in order to achieve their goals, which is a reoccurring theme for this administration.
This proposal shows how Republicans plan to solve the deficit they created, by further squeezing social programs that are exclusively used by the middle and lower classes. If this budget passes it will have tumultuous effects on our country long into the future. This proposal calls for cuts in domestic spending across the board, taking dramatic effect long after he has left office. Under this budget, domestic programs would be cut $34 billion in 2012, or 7.6 percent relative to 2007 spending levels according to the Center for Budget Priorities. The graph below shows a timeline in cuts called for by this proposal.
Under this budget, several areas of public policy would lose significant funding over the next few years including education, environmental protection, veteran's health care, and medical research. Medicare and Medicaid funding would be cut by $101 billion over the next 5 years. Shamefully, the proposal does not provide enough money to sustain current enrollment for the Children's Health Insurance Program, which seeks to provide poor children with health insurance. Other aspects of the program to be cut include HIV/AIDS programs, substance abuse, and mental health care. Other cuts include such programs as Head Start, and access to food stamps, all in the name of preserving tax cuts for the rich. President Bush is trying to leave a legacy of fiscal irresponsibility that will follow us into the next decade.
Defense spending is the one area that receives a large increase in funding, a whopping 11% increase. The proposal asks for $93.4 billion more for fiscal year 2007 to pay for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq , on top of the $70 billion already provided this year. In 2008, the proposal calls for $481.4 billion in defense spending, along with $141.7 billion in emergency supplemental funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq . Sadly, these figures do not include the money needed to pay for the President's new troop surge “plan.” However, in 2009, only $50 billion is requested for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq . This drop-off in the cost of the wars is essential to the administration's future financial projections. However, the administration denied that this projection represented any kind of a timetable for the war, and refused to explain further.
White House Can't Distinguish Between Rhetoric and Reality-and Doesn't Care
The new budget further shows the contradiction between what George W. Bush says and what he does. For instance, he began his first term as President wanting to be known as the “Education President,” yet his new budget proposal would cut K-12 funding by 6.8% by 2012. Recently, President Bush made protection of the environment one of the main themes of his recent State of the Union address, only to purpose slashes to EPA funding by $20.1 billion over the next four years. Some of these cuts include conservation and land management, recreational resources such as national parks, and pollution control and abatement. Funding for pollution control, which covers water safety would be cut by $706 million in 2008 and by $1.4 billion, or 15.7 percent, in 2012. As in previous years, there is no consistency between the rhetoric and the action of the Bush White House.
This budget proposal showcases the importance of our success in the 2006 election. With control of both houses of Congress, Democrats will be able to fight this budget and force change. In 2008, we must extend our majority in both houses to assure that Democratic priorities steer the country.
