WebProNews

Tag: Presidential Campaign

  • GOP Convention Begins With a “Debt Clock”

    An abbreviated 2012 Republican National Convention will begin today with the activation of a “debt clock.” Repbulican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus will call the convention to order at 2 p.m. this afternoon. He will then promptly activate the “debt clock,” which will show a representation of the total U.S. National debt and count up towards $16 Trillion during the convention.

    “This clock reminds every delegate and every American why we are here in Tampa – because America can and must do better,” said Priebus. “Every American’s share of the national debt has increased by approximately $16,000 during the current administration.”

    Priebus added that Mitt Romney would be able to “turn this fiscal mess around.”

    The activation of the debt clock will be the only official event of the Republican National Convention on Monday. A full speaking lineup was originally scheduled, but worries about Tropical Storm Isaac caused convention organizers to rearrange the schedule. Nearly the entire convention will now take place in three days instead of four.

    A full current schedule for the convention can be found on the Republican National Convention’s website. Some of the speakers to be featured during the convention include Speaker of the House John Boehner, former senator Rick Santorum, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who recently became the first woman to join Augusta National), and, of course, Mitt Romney.

  • Bill Clinton Appears in New Ad For Obama

    Bill Clinton Appears in New Ad For Obama

    The re-election campaign for President Barack Obama this week released a new TV ad featuring former President Bill Clinton. In the ad, Clinton endorses President Obama’s economic vision, comparing it to his own in the 90s.

    The ad begins with President Clinton framing the election in terms of job-creation. “This election, to me, is about which candidate is more likely to return us to full employment,” said Clinton. “This is a clear choice. The Republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper-income people and go back to deregulation – that’s what got us in trouble in the first place.”

    This short speech is followed by fast cuts showing working-class Americans and President Obama interacting with them in a friendly manner. Clinton speaks over these images and strongly associates Obama’s economic plan with the one he had in the 90s.

    The choice to focus on job creation is an interesting and potentially risky one for President Obama. While the economy has recovered slightly over Obama’s first term, in absolute terms it still has a long way to go before it could be called “good.” This type of economy generally favors the challenger in presidential elections. However, as University of Colorado political scientists Michael Berry and Kenneth Bickers point out, job creation, historically speaking, is an issue that can swing votes for Democrats. Their election prediction, which yesterday pegged Mitt Romney as a clear winner, was based on state economies. It took both unemployment figures and changes in real per capita income into account.