6:30 A.M.: The tiny town of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire was the first to announce its results yesterday and Obama beat McCain by 15 votes  to 6. The last time the town voted in a Democrat was 1968. A harbinger, or just something for us to hang our hat on till the first results come out around 3 p.m. pacific?

Exit polls from early voting reveal a significant lead for Obama but the remaining voters are polling in a dead heat. Anything can happen. Here we go………..

7:06 A.M.: Barack and Michelle Obama have finished voting. Obama heads to Indiana to continue campaigning. The lage Biden family singlehandedly swings Delaware.

8:40 A.M.: Back from school drop-offs. Turns out Thornton Junior high, my son’s school is a polling place. A line snaked out from the polling room..not too long though. it was great to see democracy in action.

CNN reports bad weather in…..the ‘Red’ states! Hmmm, are all those prayers in Coimbatore working? Off to my polling place now. If you haven’t voted yet, go, go, go. Even votes in blue states count- if the results are close, a solid lead in the popular vote will give the candidate a better mandate.

9:17 A.M.: I did it! Just cast a historic vote for Barack Obama, who, if elected, will be the first African American President of the United States. Obama/Biden were fourth on the list in my precinct, after Cynthia McKinnley, Alan Keyes and Ralph Nader. Like a nervous test-giver, I checked and rechecked my inking. In Fremont, California, we don’t bubble in our selection – we draw a line connecting two sections of a broken arrow. There is a touchscreen voting machine, but nobody uses it and the poll workers don’t encourage it. It sits on its lonesome off to one side and is generally brought out only in case someone with a disability needs it.

If you are reading this, share your story of voting today.

9:38 A.M.: The talking heads on TV are being pretty cautious. Looks like it is going to be a close one, no matter what the pollsters have been saying. Virginia results come in early at 4 p.m. Pacific amd those should provide some idea of which way this election is going. In Indiana, some polls close at 6 and some at 7. I predict a narrow McCain win. If he loses, it is likely to be a landslide for Obama nationwide.

10:28 A.M.: Usual stories of problems with voting machines. In Philly, apparently voting for Obama and then pressing the button for straight Democratic ticket cancels the Obama vote out. Ridiculous. Why can’t we have simple paper ballots everywhere like we do at my precinct? This is the downside of federalism and privatization.

CNN just showed video of a woman making her decision via coin toss. “Heads it’s Obama, tails it’s McCain.” It landed heads. This is in Illinois.

11:32 A.M.: Going to take a break now. From all accounts voters are coming out in droves and treating this election with the seriousness it deserves. There is an electric feeling in the air. Keeping my fingers crossed that all the polls cannot be wrong.

1:05 P.M.: Obama plays basketball with friends. It is a superstitious pre-election ritual.

1:15 P.M.: I don’t think I can just sit around for the next couple of hours for the first results to trickle in. Going to make some calls to Get Out The Vote(GOTV). Montana voters, here I come. If you want to join me, head over to barackobama.com and follow directions.

1:53 P.M. Made a bunch of calls to Montana. Mostly encountered answering machines and left guilt-tripping messages asking them to get their butts off the couch and go vote( ok, not exactly in those terms). The few live ones I got had already voted. Yay!

2:08 P.M.: Still getting frantic emails from the Obama campaign to GOTV. They want a voting number so big it takes care of any kind of voter purge, voter suppression, machine problems….

2:18 P.M.: First exit polls are coming out on CNN. Beware, these were off 4 years ago when they predicted a Kerry victory and left the Democrats with a complete lack of belief in polls since then.

3: 12 P.M.:First results are due any moment from Kentucky and Indiana. Some polls in Indiana close at 4 pm Pacific.

3:21 P.M.: Early results from Kentucky going 59-40 for McCain. Yawwwn.

3:28 P.M.: Early results from Indiana. About 19000 votes in. Obama leading 55-44.

3: 37 P.M.: Indiana neck and neck now. At 4 the polls close in the Obama friendly counties.

3:50 P.M.: Still close in Indiana. According to 538.com, the counties that have reported are showing a much better result for Obama than they did for Kerry four years ago.

4:00 P.M.: CNN calls Vermont for Obama and Kentucky for McCain. No surprises.

4:18 P.M.: Virginia, Indiana, Georgia polls have closed but too close to call.

4:24 P.M. Politico has a great map on the home page that allows you to look at county by county results in each state.

6:35 P.M. Ohio goes to Obama. Time to break out the champagne?

6:45 P.M.  John King of CNN performs his magic on the board. Looks tough for McCain even if he wins all teh battleground states he is trailing in right now. Results are slow in coming in, the turnout was probably overwhelming for the election officials around the country.

7:39 P.M. Congratulations, President-elect Barack Hussein Obama!!!!!!!!!!!

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Bob Schieffer of CBS moderated the debate. Before the event, lefty bloggers raised some doubts about his sense of fairness, since he has been on record praising McCain to the heavens. But Bob Schieffer lived up to his stellar reputation as a journalist and directed the conversation wisely, mostly staying out of the debate and blending in with the wallpaper.

The early minutes of the debate were harrowing for me as an Obama supporter. McCain went aggressively on the attack, and the stupid CNN audience meter went too high for my comfort. “Why doesn’t Obama attack,” I vented in frustration, pacing around the room. The blood pressure went down as the debate progressed. Obama opted to stay above the fray the entire time, forbearing from pointing fingers at Senator McCain’s record even as the opportunities passed him by. Perhaps he was just running out the clock, given that he is leading his opponent in the polls by an average of 6-7 points. Or perhaps that is his natural temperament, calm and unflappable and unwilling to engage in mud-slinging.

As time went by and the debate settled down to familiar territory of talking points, it became obvious that the split screen display is horribly disadvantageous to Senator McCain, who rolled his eyes, sighed audibly ,grinned uncomfortably and managed to look like a jittery teenager when he was not talking.

My impression was that McCain won this debate, mainly because he went on the attack aggressively and happily delivered bare-faced lies without being challenged by his opponent. Imagine my surprise when every single snap poll after the debate gave the debate to Obama. Is the American electorate finally ready for a president who talks to them like an adult?

Oh, but we can’t forget Joe the plumber. Here is the video of the encounter that Senator Obama had with Joe Wurzelbacher. Basically Joe complains that Obama’s tax plan will hurt him, as he makes more than $250000, and Obama tries to reassure him.

Early in the debate, John MccCain completely adopted Joe as the poster child for the middle class(and in his multi-million dollar environment, it probably is!) and from then on Obama and McCain pretty much spent 20 minutes talking to Joe ( contacted later, Mr. Wurzelbacher thought the whole experience of being referenced in a debate was surreal !) I suspect that we’ll be hearing more about Joe than any substantive policy issues in the next couple of days.

Anyway, thank God the debates are over. McCain attempted to attack, Obama played defense. It is probably not going to be a game changer, but the Teevee talking heads will be glad to have something to chew over for a while.

UPDATE: Oh the irony..it appears Joe the plumber is not registered to vote( at least in Ohio) h/t Politico

UPDATE 2: Apparently he is registered..his name is just spelt wrong on the electoral rolls. Voter registration snafu…. in Ohio! Who woulda thunk?

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Move over  Bushisms – we now have Palinisms.  And while Katie Couric and Tina Fey are doing all they can to keep our sense of humor up in these dour times, a number of columnists/talk show hosts are doing their bit too. Here is a brief compilation of what some of the best are saying about the lady who is a 72-year old heartbeat away from the Presidency.

1.    Sarah Palin is the perfect exclamation point to the Bush years. Op-Ed Bob Herbert, Oct 4, 2008

2.    Sometimes, her sentences have a Yoda-like — “When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not” — splendor.  OP-ED COLUMNIST MAUREEN DOWD, OCT 4 , 2008

3.    After Ms. Palin had woven one of her particularly impenetrable linguistic webs, Joe Biden turned to the debate’s moderator, Gwen Ifill, and said: “Gwen, I don’t know where to start.” Of course he didn’t know where to start because Ms. Palin’s words don’t mean anything. She’s all punctuation.  Op-Ed Bob Herbert, Oct 4, 2008

4.    Will someone please put Sarah Palin out of her agony? Is it too much to ask that she come to realize that she wants, in that wonderful phrase in American politics, “to spend more time with her family”? Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek, Sept 27, 2008

5.    “BE AFRAID” (POINTING TO MCCAIN PICTURE). “BE VERY AFRAID” (POINTING TO SARAH PALIN PICTURE) – DEMONSTRATOR  CYNTHIA FRYBARGER IN SAN JOSE AT A LOCAL FUNDRAISER (FROM SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, DATED OCT 2008)

6.    “In Boca Raton, Florida, yesterday, a woman who looked like Sarah Palin caused a near riot when she walked into a diner for breakfast. And after a minute or two, people finally realized it wasn’t her when she started answering questions.” –Jay Leno

7.    “Are you excited about Sarah Palin? Well, yesterday she referred to Afghanistan as our neighboring country. Apparently, she can see bin Laden’s cave from her house.” –David Letterman

8.    “Actually, Sarah Palin is currently rehearsing for the debate, but insiders tell me it’s not going that well because she keeps saying, ‘I’d like to buy a vowel, Pat.’” –David Letterman

9.    “Meanwhile the big question that I don’t know if anyone has asked yet — while Sarah Palin’s yammering it up with Joe Biden in St. Louis, who’s keeping an eye on the Russians? What happens if Putin decides to rear his head?” –Jimmy Kimmel

10. “John McCain showed up without running mate Sarah Palin, which is a shame because she actually has a lot of experience with financial matters. You know, she lives right next to a bank.” Jimmy Kimmel, 27th September, 2008.

11.”The legislative panel in Alaska investing Troopergate released their report that says Sarah Palin illegally abused her power as governor by firing the state police chief because he wouldn’t fire her sister’s ex-husband. But they said she didn’t actually break the law so she won’t go to prison. Which is a pity because it would have been the first time she was ever involved in a complete sentence.” –Bill Maher

12. “In Boca Raton, Florida, yesterday, a woman who looked like Sarah Palin caused a near riot when she walked into a diner for breakfast. And after a minute or two, people finally realized it wasn’t her when she started answering questions.” –Jay Leno

13. “She kept reaching out to Joe Sixpack. That’s because her answers make more sense after six beers.” –David Letterman

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Over the course of the last election season, flip-flops went from being an item to carry on your summer vacation to a weapon of political destruction. Republicans successfully painted Senator John Kerry as a “flip-flopper” and the candidate did not help matters by issuing absurd statements like “I was for it before I was against it.”

This year this particular attack against the Democrat has not been as successful, though there are very specific instances of changes in positions by Senator Obama which have given even progressive voters heartburn. Perhaps the ineffectiveness of the meme can be explained by the even more egregious, almost dizzying, revisionism practiced by the Republican candidate for President.

While opponents of both candidates have eagerly pounced on every inflection, every nuance and every little bit of political ass-covering by the candidates, we recognize that not every change is a cause for censure. Keeping that in mind, we bring to you the highlight reel of the flip-flops of each candidate. It is by no means comprehensive, but since there are blogs that exclusively deal with each candidate’s position hopping, we thought we would use a common sense filter to remove the nonsensical accusations on both sides.

Barack Obama
Telecom Immunity – Obama’s U-turn on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance provoked outrage from the left-wing blogosphere. He defended his decision with an email to Daily Kos, http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/20/155839/542/779/539258 but this particular flip-flop had supporters fuming and threatening to cut off donations. Obama had promised to filibuster it if it retained the provision immunizing telecom companies from lawsuits arising from the companies’ compliance with Administration requests—orders, really—to coöperate in patently illegal activity. The bill did retain that provision, and Obama voted not only for the bill but against the filibuster.
Oil Drilling - After speaking out against offshore drilling when Sen. John McCain proposed striking down the federal moratorium banning offshore oil and gas drilling to help alleviate high gas prices, Obama said that he would be willing to compromise on his position against offshore oil drilling if it were part of a more overarching strategy to lower energy costs. “My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,” Obama told The Palm Beach Post.
Public financing – Obama replied “yes” in September 2007 when asked if he would agree to public financing of the presidential election if his GOP opponent did the same. Obama then attached several conditions to such an agreement, including regulating spending by outside groups. After his enormous success raising funds from small donors, he decided to opt out of public financing, a move that has given him a distinct advantage in the home stretch to Election Day.

Special interests – In January, the Obama campaign described union contributions to the campaigns of Clinton and John Edwards as “special interest” money. Obama changed his tune as he began gathering his own union endorsements. He now refers respectfully to unions as the representatives of “working people” and says he is “thrilled” by their support.
Illegal immigration In a March 2004 questionnaire, Obama was asked if the government should “crack down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants.” He replied “Oppose.” In a Jan. 31, 2008, televised debate, he said that “we do have to crack down on those employers that are taking advantage of the situation.”
John McCain
Regulation in the financial markets – After the bailout and the recent financial crisis, McCain said on the stump “Under my reforms the American people will be protected by comprehensive regulations that will apply the rules and enforcements to the fullest.” But McCain has had a long history of supporting deregulation. His own words have been, “I am fundamentally a deregulator.” McCain’s last experience with an economic crisis was during the Savings and Loans bust where he was one of the Keating 5, using his senate standing to press regulators to not get involved. His economic advisor, Phil Gramm, was one of the key architects of a piece of deregulation that’s been a big contributor to the current crisis in the financial markets.
Roe v. Wade – After stating categorically in 1999 that “I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations,” McCain now enthusiastically supports overturning it. The landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade gave women the right to choose an abortion to terminate a pregnancy.
Tax cuts – In 2001, McCain said of President Bush’s tax cuts, “I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle class Americans who most need tax relief.” He now supports extending the same tax cuts.
Immigration reform – McCain co-authored with Senator Ted Kennedy a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2005, which worked towards giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship as well as increased funding for border enforcement. When asked this year if he would vote for his own bill, he replied, “No, I would not, because we know what the situation is today. The people want the borders secured first.”
Offshore drilling – In 1999, Senator McCain opposed offshore drilling. He is now a staunch proponent of the same, inciting supporters to chant “Drill, baby, drill!”
Rights for detainees at Guantanamo – in 2005, Senator McCain said –“ I think, on balance, the argument has got to be–the weight of evidence has got to be that we’ve got to adjudicate these people’s cases, and that means that if it means releasing some of them, you’ll have to release them.” When the Supreme Court ruled this year that detainees were entitled to a fair trial, he said it was one of the worst decisions “in the history of the country.”
Privatizing Social Security – McCain has long been a proponent of privatizing social security, saying in 2004 – “Without privatization, I don’t see how you can possibly, over time, make sure that young Americans are able to receive Social Security benefits” and expressing his support for President Bush’s proposal to do the same in March of this year. However in a town hall event in New Hampshire in June he abruptly reversed position, saying, “I’m not for, quote, privatizing Social Security. I never have been. I never will be.”
Warrant-less wiretapping -  Early this year, McCain said, “McCain said, “There are some areas where the statutes don’t apply, such as in the surveillance of overseas communications. Where they do apply, however, I think that presidents have the obligation to obey and enforce laws that are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, no matter what the situation is.” In June of 2008 however, a top adviser to Senator John McCain says Mr. McCain believes that President Bush’s program of wiretapping without warrants was lawful.

And now, for your viewing pleasure.

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Barack Obama – With a thin resume in the Senate because of relatively brief career there, perhaps the best testimonial to Senator Obama’s understanding and appreciation of technology is the way his campaign has used to it mobilize support, collect record donations, create online volunteer opportunities and disseminate information. His appeal with young and tech savvy voters lies precisely in the way the campaign has used the most modern methods of communication.

Position( Highlights)

• Ensure an open Internet. – supports net neutrality and diversification of media ownership.
• Create a transparent and connected democracy.- Will open up government to the citizens and bring government into the 21st century using current technology.
• Encourage a modern communications infrastructure.- believes we can get true broadband to every community in America
• Improve America's competitiveness and commitment to science research.- supports doubling federal funding for basic research over ten years, changing the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology.
• Prepare all of our children for a 21st century economy. – wants to make math and science education a national priority.
• Employ science and technology to solve our nation's most pressing problems.

VOTING RECORD

• Barack Obama and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) teamed up to pass a law that will lift the veil of secrecy in Washington by creating a Google-like search engine that will allow ordinary Americans to track federal grants, contracts, earmarks, and loans online.
• In the U.S. Senate, Obama passed three amendments to the America COMPETES Act, which is now law, to increase participation of women and underrepresented minorities in the professions of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; offer competitive state grants to support summer term education programs to help students develop skills in math and problem solving; and establish a mentoring program for women and minorities as they advance in those fields.
• Is a co-sponsor of Connect The Nation Act, to encourage the rapid deployment of high-quality, affordable broadband internet service, especially in rural areas.
• Is a co-sponsor of the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, that amends the Communications Act of 1934 to establish certain Internet neutrality duties for broadband service providers (providers).

QUOTES
On net neutrality-“ I will take a backseat to no one in my commitment to network neutrality. The Internet is the most open network in history. We have to keep it that way.” November, 2007.

John McCain

Position(Highlights)

• Will keep capital gains tax low.
• Will reform and make permanent the R&D tax credit.
• Will lower the corporate tax rate to 25 percent to retain investment in U.S. technologies.
• Will Allow First-Year Expensing Of New Equipment And Technology.
• Does not believe in net neutrality.
• Will pursue high-speed internet access for all Americans.

VOTING RECORD

• Voted against the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which provided the foundation for much of the cell phone and Internet regulation over the next decade.  The bill passed 81-18 and was signed into law by President Clinton. 
• In 2002, McCain authored the "Consumer Broadband Deregulation Act of 2002" which eliminated the requirement of the 1996 law that telecommunication companies provide access to competitors.  It didn't pass.
•  McCain co-authored the CAN-SPAM Act in 2003 to regulate the sending of unsolicited commercial e-mail ("spam") to consumers and enable them to opt out of receiving such email.
• McCain authored the Securing Adolescents From Exploitation-Online (SAFE) Act to enhance reporting of online child pornography.( 2005)

QUOTES

On using the internet – “Not nearly as well as I should. My wife Cindy is a whiz. And when I want to find out what’s on CNN, or The NY Times, or other communist periodicals, I always go to it.” 2000.
On net neutrality – there should be as little government regulation of broadband as possible. The market should be allowed to solve the Net-neutrality issue: “When you control the pipe you should be able to get profit from your investment."May 2007.
On his qualifications in technology leadership –“I am uniquely qualified to lead our nation during this technological revolution. While in the Navy, I depended upon the technologies and information provided by our nation’s scientists and engineers with during each mission.” September 2008

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Carly Fiorina just went on record saying that none of the candidates was capable of running a corporation. In her words -

I don't think John McCain could run a major corporation. I don't think Barack Obama could run a major corporation. I don't think Joe Biden could. But it is not the same as being the president or vice president of the United States. It is a fallacy to suggest that the country is like a company, so of course, to run a business, you have to have a lifetime of experience in business, but that's not what Sarah Palin, John McCain, Barack Obama or Joe Biden are doing. 

With friends like these…

Apart from the fact that McCain really needs to keep a better handle on his surrogates, I happen to think she is completely wrong, even from her own party's point of view, which is to advocate running the country exactly like a business.

Here is what the CEO of a company( and by extension, the country) does -

• Has a vision for where the company(the US) is going to be in the long term.
• Insists on a policies that are beneficial to the company but also fall withing the regulatory framework of the land( in this case the constitution and the laws)
• Makes sure the company does not go spiralling into debt but wisely manages its money.
• Hires competent and qualified employees instead of cronies.
• Keeps harmony among the many egos that typically inhabit a large corporation.
• Is able to inspire employees to follow a common purpose and work towards a higher goal than their own self-interest.
• Is able to negotiate mergers and acquisitions with diplomacy instead of a scorched earth policy.
• Encourages transparency and accountability.
• Has a succession plan in place in case something happens to him/her.
• Looks after the shareholder interest.
• Expects to be judged on performance.
• At press conferences, answers the questions put to him/her instead of repeating talking points.
• In times of market panic, keeps a cool head and leads the company to safe harbor.
• Has a quick and appropriate response to crisis. Is able to make quick course corrections when conditions on the ground change.
• As a member of a larger community, has a world view of how the company must respond, react and pro-act with respect to its place in the world.

I'm sure more such analogies will occur to readers. ( Send them in, I'll update with credit to your handle).
Unfortunately, since CEOs in the US have stopped acting like the above mentioned ideal, nobody quite recognizes what it is we should be looking for in a leader. Every time someone mentions the term "Executive experience" to justify a decision in the polling booth, I point them to George W. Bush, who surely has the most executive experience at this point. In case anyone didn't notice, his own party kept him out of its convention, treating him like a member of their family that they're ashamed of.

When you go in to vote, think. Which of the two candidates best embodies this ideal of the Chief Executive Officer of your country?

UPDATE: On Constitution day, I found this article that lays out what exactly the President does, according to the constitution of the USA.( formatted, but not reworded from that great document itself)

• Shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States;
• He may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and
• He shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
• He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and
• He shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.
• The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.
• He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient;
• He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper;
• He shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers;
• He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and
• Shall commission all the officers of the United States.

Amazing how well it ties up with the CEO's duties.

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By Vidya Pradhan

Investment in quality education and a vision for increasing the competitiveness of future American workers is a crucial long-term issue that often gets forgotten in the immediacy of political campaigning. (Though one education legislation has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. A ridiculous and deceptive ad by the McCain campaign accused Obama of creating legislation to teach sex to kindergarteners. The facts? Obama supported, not sponsored, a bill whose purpose was primarily to make kids aware of the dangers of sexual predators.)

Here are the two candidates’ views on education.

Barack Obama

Official Position( highlights)

• A comprehensive “Zero to Five” plan that provides for the early care and education of children.
• Expand Early Head Start and Head Start.
• Reform No Child Left Behind by improving funding, supporting schools that need improvement and improving the assessment guidelines for schools.
• Make math and science education a national priority.
• Expand summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged kids
• Support college outreach programs to encourage more young people from low-income families to consider and prepare for college.

• Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward America's Teachers through Scholarship programs and incentive programs

• Make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, among other things.

Voting Record

• Sponsored( with Mike Honda) the Enhancing STEM( science, technology,engineering, mathematics) Act
• Sponsored Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act(S2111).
• Sponsored Back to School: Improving Standards for Nutrition and Physical Education in Schools Act of 2007(S2066).
• First Senate bill: increase Pell Grant from $4,050 to $5,100. (Aug 2007)
• Sponsored legislations that recruit and reward good teachers. (Sep 2004)
• Voted YES on $52M for "21st century community learning centers". (Oct 2005)
• Voted YES on $5B for grants to local educational agencies. (Oct 2005)

• Voted YES on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education. (Mar 2005)

Quotes

On his overall philosophy on education -“I believe it's time to lead a new era of mutual responsibility in education. One where we all come together for the sake of our children's success; an era where each of us does our part to make that success a reality – parents and teachers; leaders in Washington and citizens all across America.” May 2008. 

On the intersection of religion and science – “I do believe in evolution. I don't think that is incompatible with Christian faith. Just as I don't think science generally is incompatible with Christian faith. There are those who suggest that if you have a scientific bent of mind, then somehow you should reject religion. And I fundamentally disagree with that. In fact, the more I learn about the world, the more I know about science, the more I'm amazed about the mystery of this planet and this universe. And it strengthens my faith as opposed to weakens it.” April, 2008.

John McCain

Official Position( highlights)

• Will focus federal resources on ensuring that the neediest children have access to a range of high quality early education programs.
• Will Build On The Lessons Of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
• Encourage Alternative Certification Methods That Open The Door For Highly Motivated Teachers To Enter The Field.
• Provide Bonuses For Teachers Who Locate In Underperforming Schools And Demonstrate Strong Leadership As Measured By Student Improvement.
• Will Ensure Children Struggling To Meet State Standards Will Have Immediate Access To High Quality Tutoring Programs. These may be private providers who are federally certified.
• Will target $500 million in current federal funds to build new virtual schools and support development of online course offerings for students.
• Believes charters, homeschooling and vouchers are key to success.

Voting Record

• No new education bills sponsored.
• Voted NO on $52M for "21st century community learning centers". (Oct 2005)
• Voted NO on $5B for grants to local educational agencies. (Oct 2005)
• Voted NO on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education. (Mar 2005)
• Voted NO on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
• Voted NO on funding student testing instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
• Voted NO on spending $448B of tax cut on education & debt reduction. (Apr 2001)
• Voted YES on declaring memorial prayers and religious symbols OK at schools. (May 1999)
• Voted YES on allowing more flexibility in federal school rules. (Mar 1999)
• Voted YES on education savings accounts. (Jun 1998)
• Voted YES on school vouchers in DC. (Sep 1997)
• Voted YES on $75M for abstinence education. (Jul 1996)
• Voted YES on requiring schools to allow voluntary prayer. (Jul 1994)
• Voted NO on national education standards. (Feb 1994)

 Quotes

On creationism being taught in public schools – “I think that every American should be exposed to all theories. There's no doubt in my mind that the hand of God was in what we are today. And I do believe that we are unique, and I believe that God loves us. But I also believe that all of our children in school can be taught different views on different issues. I leave the curricula up to the school boards.” June 2007

Voting records from Ontheissues.org

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(UPDATE October 6th, 2008 : a graphic from the Economist -

The link to the entire article can be found here.)

It is hard to get a sense of which Presidential candidate is good for the economy from the campaign agendas – so much of it is pure pandering for the political season. However, here is an excerpt from an article in the International Herald Tribune that might surprise you –

“Simply put, the United States economy has grown faster, on average, under Democratic presidents than under Republicans.”

That said, here are the two candidates’ positions and plans for the economy.

Barack Obama

Policy Positions( highlights)

• Obama will enact a windfall profits tax on excessive oil company profits to give American families an immediate $1,000 emergency energy rebate to help families pay rising bills.
• Will provide $50 billion to Jumpstart the Economy and Prevent 1 Million Americans from Losing Their Jobs: This relief would include a $25 billion State Growth Fund to prevent state and local cuts in health, education, housing, and heating assistance or counterproductive increases in property taxes, tolls or fees.
• Obama will fight for a trade policy that opens up foreign markets to support good American jobs. He will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world and stand firm against agreements like the Central American Free Trade Agreement that fail to live up to those important benchmarks.
• Obama will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers.
• Obama would update the existing system of Trade Adjustment Assistance by extending it to service industries, creating flexible education accounts to help workers retrain, and providing retraining assistance for workers.
• Barack Obama introduced the Patriot Employer Act of 2007 with Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to reward companies that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers.
• Obama will create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to identify and invest in the most compelling advanced manufacturing strategies.
• Obama will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance a clean energy economy and create 5 million new jobs.
• Barack Obama will address the infrastructure challenge by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments.
• Barack Obama supports doubling federal funding for basic research and changing the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology.
• Barack Obama will eliminate all capital gains taxes on start-up and small businesses to encourage innovation and job creation.
• Obama will strengthen the ability of workers to organize unions. He will fight for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.

Balancing the budget
In December 2007, Barack Obama admitted that it would not be a cinch to dig the country out of the fiscal hole that the last 8 years had dumped it in. Given the proposed spending plans in infrastructure, health care and economic stimuli, it is unclear how Obama intends to pay for them. (A general reading of Obama’s various policy pronouncements tends to give the idea that a balanced budget is lower down the list of priorities for the candidates than jumpstarting the economy.) An analysis by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center shows an impact of $3.4 trillion in debt relative to current law by 2018.

John McCain

Policy Positions (highlights)

• Sending a strong message to world markets – under his plan, the United States will be telling oil producing countries and oil speculators that our dependence on foreign oil will come to an end – and the impact will be lower prices at the pump.
• McCain’s policies will increase the value of the dollar and thus reduce the price of oil.
• John McCain believes we should institute a summer gas tax holiday.
• John McCain will roll back corn-based ethanol mandates, which are contributing to the rising cost of food.
• McCain believes no taxpayer money should bail out real estate speculators or financial market participants who failed to perform due diligence in assessing credit risks.
• McCain has proposed a new “HOME Plan” to provide robust, timely and targeted help to those hurt by the housing crisis.
• To lower barriers to trade, the U.S. should engage in multilateral, regional and bilateral efforts to reduce barriers to trade, level the global playing field and build effective enforcement of global trading rules.
• John McCain will overhaul unemployment insurance and make it a program for retraining, relocating and assisting workers who have lost a job.
• John McCain will put our country on track to construct 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030 with the ultimate goal of eventually constructing 100 new plants.
• John McCain will commit $2 billion annually to advancing clean coal technologies.
• John McCain will commit our country to expanding domestic oil and natural gas exploration.
• Mr. McCain pledges to veto every bill that comes to his desk with earmarked pork-barrel projects in it, and to order a one-year freeze on increases in most discretionary spending — a relatively small portion of the overall federal budget.

Balancing the budget

After promising to balance the budget in February 2008, McCain backed off the position in April and returned to it in July.  In an analysis done by the Washington Post citing research from the Congressional Budget Office and the Tax Policy Center, the math did not hold up well.  Turns out McCain’s tax plan would add $5.0 trillion in debt relative to current law by 2018.

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Senator McCain’s pick of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate on Friday did exactly what it was supposed to do – take the attention away from the high of the Democratic convention and create a media buzz that still has the wires humming on Sunday.

Frank Rich opines in today’s New York Times, “The main reason McCain knuckled under to the religious right by picking Palin is that he actually believes there’s a large army of embittered Hillary loyalists who will vote for a hard-line conservative simply because she’s a woman.”

Only time will show if that belief holds water, but there is no doubt that Senator Clinton’s candidacy empowered millions of women voters and made their voices heard. Women, who have always been more reliable voters (they make up 54 percent of the population, 55 percent of registered voters and 60 percent of the electorate), are only now waking up to the power they have as a voting bloc.

Will they exercise their power to put one of their gender in the White House next year? Or will they take a closer look at each of the candidates’ voting records and position on women’s issues? We lay them out –

Barack Obama

Positions ( highlights)

Fixing the nation’s health care system -More than 19 million women are uninsured in this country, and women are more likely than men to delay or not get medical care because of high costs. Barack Obama is committed to ensuring that all Americans have health care coverage by the end of his first term in office.

Supporting research into women’s health – Barack Obama has fought to maintain funding for the Centers of Excellence in Women's Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. He also supports legislation to encourage research that will examine gender and health disparities.

Supports a woman’s right to choose – He has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.

Pay equity - Barack Obama believes the government needs to take steps to better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace.

Expanding paid medical leave -Barack Obama supports efforts to guarantee workers seven days of paid sick leave per year, a moderate proposal that should not impose too onerous a burden on employers.

Investing in women-owned businesses -Barack Obama encourages investing in women-owned businesses, providing more support to women business owners and reducing discrimination in lending.

Voting record

– Obama passed a law to create the Victim Economic Security and Safety Act(VESSA), which would help victims of abuse seek treatment without losing their job. 

– Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of Johanna's Law. Signed into law in January 2007, the law will educate women and increase awareness of ovarian cancer.

- Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods.

- In 2007, Obama sponsored an amendment, which became law, to the America Competes Act requiring that minorities and females be represented and consulted during the development of innovation/competitiveness strategies at the National Science and Technology Summit (NSTS), on the President's Council on Innovation and Competitiveness, and elsewhere.

– Barack Obama introduced legislation to combat domestic violence by providing $25 million a year for partnerships between domestic violence prevention organizations and Fatherhood or Marriage programs to train staff in domestic violence services, provide services to families affected by domestic violence, and to develop best practices in domestic violence prevention.

- Barack Obama introduced legislation to increase child support enforcement by an additional $4.9 billion over 10 years, a measure that will collect nearly $20 billion in payments from men who don't fulfill their parental responsibilities.

- Rated 100% by NARAL on pro-choice votes in 2005, 2006, 2007.

- “Present” vote on many abortion measures in the Illinois Senate was a strategy developed in consultation with Planned Parenthood and supported by pro-choice advocacy groups. 

- “NO” vote on the “Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act” or BAIPA was because BAIPA was backdoor anti-abortion legislation drafted by the hard-right.

John McCain

Positions(highlights)

Supports overturning Roe vs. Wade – believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench.

Promotes adoption – has cosponsored legislation to prohibit discrimination against families with adopted children, to provide adoption education, and to permit tax deductions for qualified adoption expenses, as well as to remove barriers to interracial and inter-ethnic adoptions.

Voting record

-Opposed equal pay for equal work – McCain skipped a vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that would ensure women have the opportunity to recover back pay for discrimination once they discover it. If he had been there to vote, he said he would have voted against it and that women “need education and training” rather than an equal pay bill.

-Opposed spending $100 million to prevent unintended and teen pregnancies -In 2005, McCain voted NO to allocate $100 million to expand access to preventive health care services that reduce the numbers of unintended and teen pregnancies and reduce the number of abortions.

-Opposed Title X, the federal family planning program- In 1990, McCain voted NO on legislation to extend the Title X federal family planning program, which provides low-income and uninsured women and families with health care services ranging from breast and cervical cancer screening to birth control.

-Opposed legislation requiring that abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based – McCain voted NO on legislation that would help reduce the number of teen pregnancies by providing funding for programs to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education and other programs to prevent unintended teen pregnancies.(2005)

-Voted against restoring Medicaid funding that could be used for family planning for low-income women (3/17/05).
-Voted against requiring health care plans to cover birth control (3/22/03).

-Rated 0% by NARAL, indocating an anti-choice voting record.

Here’s a video that encapsulates Senator McCain’s positions. It’s meant to be funny, but I found it grim. After all, just a few thousand votes could make that video a documentary.

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 “…the outlook for the economy has worsened in recent months, and the downside risks to growth have increased. …The softer labor market, together with factors including higher energy prices, lower equity prices, and declining home values, seem likely to weigh on consumer spending in the near term."

No surprise then, that the presidential candidates have made restoring economic luster a significant plank of their stump speeches. Even John McCain, who once said( in an unguarded moment that he probably now regrets) “The issue of economics is something that I've really never understood as well as I should” is talking the talk now on balancing the budget and bringing the burgeoning trade deficit under control.

To make the two candidates positions on improving the state of the US economy a little less opaque, we have decided to separately discuss three aspects of this issue – taxation, job growth & economic relief and balancing the budget. Today’s article covers the candidates’ tax policies. In an environment where the federal budget deficit is huge and Social Security payments are expected to increase substantially, taxation as a revenue source becomes crucial. Nearly all of the tax cuts established since 2001 are set to expire by 2010.

INCOME TAX

Here is an excellent chart from Photobucket to provide a snapshot of the two candidates' proposals on income tax -

Update: To calculate your income tax impact under Barack Obama's plan, check this out.

ESTATE TAX

Obama proposes freezing the estate tax at 2009 levels: a 45% tax rate on estates valued at more than $3.5 million. Married couples can combine their exemptions for a total of $7 million. The campaign claims that this would "shield all but about 100 estates (99.7%)with small business income from any estate taxation."

McCain favors a 15% tax rate, equal to the capital-gains tax rate, and an individual exemption of $5 million ($10 million for married couples).

Source- CNN.com 

TAX ON BUSINESS

Barack Obama 

· Consider reducing the corporate tax rate in conjunction with revising the tax code.

· Make R&D credit permanent.

· Impose windfall profits tax on oil and gas companies.

· Eliminate capital gains tax for start-ups.

· Make renewable production credit permanent.

· Require companies to verify transactions that have benefits other than their tax benefits.

John McCain 

· Reduce corporate tax rate to 25% from 35%.

· Make R&D credit permanent, but change formula.

· Repeal several oil company tax breaks.

· Accelerate business expense deductions.

· Broaden corporate base.

VOTING RECORD

BARACK OBAMA

• Voted YES on increasing tax rate for people earning over $1 million. (Mar 2008)
• Voted NO on allowing AMT reduction without budget offset
•  (Mar 2008)Voted NO on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M from $1M. (Feb 2008)
• Voted NO on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax (Mar 2007)
• Voted NO on raising estate tax exemption to $5 million(Mar 2007)
• Voted NO on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts (Aug 2006)
• Voted NO on permanently repealing the `death tax`(Jun 2006)
• Voted YES on $47B for military by repealing capital gains tax cut (Feb 2006)
• Voted NO on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends
• (Feb 2006)Voted NO on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends. (Nov 2005)
• Rated 100% by the CTJ, indicating support of progressive taxation(Dec 2006)
• Sponsored a bill a bill last year requiring a shareholder vote on compensation. Bill did not pass

JOHN MCCAIN

• Opposed bill sponsored by Senator Obama on regulating CEO compensation
• Farm Bill also contained a measure extending a tax break for developing wind power, which McCain  specifically opposed
• Voted YES on allowing AMT reduction without budget offset(Mar 2008)
• Voted YES on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M from $1M (Feb 2008)
• Voted YES on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax(Mar 2007)
• Voted YES on raising estate tax exemption to $5 million(Mar 2007)
• Voted YES on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts (Aug 2006)
• Voted YES on permanently repealing the `death tax`(Jun 2006)
• Voted NO on $47B for military by repealing capital gains tax cut (Feb 2006)
• Voted YES on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends(Feb 2006)
• Voted YES on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends(Nov 2005)

Source:  Ontheissues.org

QUOTES

BARACK OBAMA 

On overhauling the tax code: "Instead of having all of us pay our fair share, we've got over $1 trillion worth of loopholes in the corporate tax code. This isn't the invisible hand of the market at work. It's the successful work of special interests." September 2007.

On his approach to corporate America – "I'm a pro-market guy. And I always have been. What I do get frustrated with is an economy that is out of balance, that rewards a very few – with rewards that are all out of proportion to their actual success – while ordinary, hardworking Americans continue to get squeezed. Over the last decade or so, this economy grew substantially, and more than half of the total growth was captured by the top 1%." – June 2008. 

On July job-loss report  -“Today’s jobs report is an urgent reminder that we cannot afford four more years of the failed Bush economic policies, and that is what Senator McCain is offering. He’s proposing to cut the gasoline tax paid by the oil companies and trust that they will pass on the savings in the form of lower prices at the pump. And he’s also proposing tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans in the hopes that a little bit of it will trickle down to ordinary Americans.” – August 2008.

JOHN MCCAIN

“Unlike Sen. Obama, I do not believe that raising taxes is the answer to our economic problems. There is no surer way to force jobs overseas than to raise taxes on businesses. The American people cannot afford economic policies that will take us backward.”  August 2008. 

On CEO compensation – "Something is seriously wrong when the American people are left to bear the consequences of reckless corporate conduct while the offenders themselves are packed off with another $40 million or $50 million for the road." June 2008.

FACTCHECK.ORG

"McCain has repeatedly claimed that Obama would raise tax rates for 23 million small-business owners. It's a false figure. We find that the overwhelming majority of those small-business owners would see no increase, because they earn too little to be affected. Obama's tax proposal would raise rates only on couples making more than $250,000 or singles earning more than $200,000.

McCain argues that Obama's proposed increase is a job-killer. He has a point. It's true that increasing taxes on those at the top would leave them less money for other purposes, including investment and hiring in the case of business owners. But the number of business owners who would see their rates go up would be only a small fraction of what McCain says. Many would see their taxes go down."

UPDATE: A Wall Street Journal piece by Jason Furman and Austan Goolsbee, economic policy advisors for Obama, highlights the policy detail McCain prefers to downplay.    "…Sen. McCain’s plan does include one new proposal that would result in higher taxes on the middle class. As even Sen. McCain’s advisers have acknowledged, his health-care plan would impose a $3.6 trillion tax increase over 10 years on workers.   

Sen. McCain’s plan will count the health care you get from your employer as if it were taxable cash income. Even after accounting for Sen. McCain’s proposed health-care tax credits, this plan would eventually leave tens of millions of middle-class families paying higher taxes. In addition, as the Congressional Budget Office has shown, this kind of plan would push people into higher tax brackets and increase the taxes people pay as their compensation rises, raising marginal tax rates by even more than if we let the entire Bush tax-cut plan expire tomorrow. "

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