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Entries in Barack Obama (143)

Thursday
Jun122008

Republicans have "answers" to rising gas prices 

In a press conference regarding gas prices, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY.) said that the Republican Party is committed to creating more American energy in order to lower gas prices. He criticized Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama and his stance on gas prices. He said that apparently Senator Obama is not concerned about the rising gas prices, only the fact that they rose so abruptly. McConnell said that lowering gas prices in the America is a top priority for the Republican Party.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH.) said that the U.S. must produce more oil in an environmentally friendly way. He said that the Democrats who run the Senate are not allowing sensible bills to be brought to the floor. He said that Democratic Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid (D-NY.) is taking partisan advantage in the Senate and it is making it impossible for Republicans to introduce legislation.

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tex.) said that the Republican Party is prepared to act on lower gas prices, with an understanding that the issue involves supply, demand, and conservation. He said that most Republican senators voted for higher fuel efficiency standards, which according to Alexander, is essential to lowering gas prices.
Wednesday
Jun112008

Republicans regret lack of progress on oil

At a pen and pad briefing, House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) discussed high-energy costs and unemployment insurance.

On the topic of oil, Blunt said that the failure to pursue what Republicans have wanted for years has led to the high prices seen now. He said that the Republicans have specific solutions to the oil crisis and expressed remorse that nothing has been done in the House to solve the problem.

When asked about the unemployment insurance bill, Blunt voiced his opposition. He said that the bill would allow employees who work for as little as two weeks to get up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits. Putnam said that the bill is unnecessary because there is a proven model in place that the Democrats want to break.

Also, when asked about Barack Obama’s nomination, Putnam said that the Democrats’ have a lot of patching up to do to achieve party unity.

Monday
Jun092008

Obama Campaign: relieve the squeeze on ordinary Americans

Jason Furman, Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) economic policy advisor, along with Austan Goolsbee held a conference call as a preview for Obama’s speech to take place in Raleigh, North Carolina as part of his “Change That Works for You” campaign. The purpose of the call was to contrast the economic proposals of presidential candidates Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Goolsbee explained the “economic pinch” that the American population has been feeling due to the jump in the unemployment rate and the rising cost of oil. He said that the dismal state of the economy is a culmination of a failed philosophy of cutting taxes for wealthy Americans without making investments for ordinary citizens.

Furman explained the clear and direct contrasts between Obama and McCain’s economic policies, saying that McCain has no short run stimulus plan and a long run theory that is “flat out false.” While McCain proposes enormous tax cuts, nearly twice as large as President Bush’s current plan, Obama wants to implement a tax relief for ordinary Americans, cutting up to $1,000 worth of taxes and giving direct tax relief to subsidized interest payments, a program which would not increase the economic deficit.

Both Furman and Goolsbee explained Obama’s belief that a short run stimulus is crucial for the American economy. After five consecutive months of job decline, a job stimulus is needed in order to get money into Americans’ pockets.
Friday
Jun062008

Obama campaign: McCain misinformed

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain’s position on the preservation of the Florida Everglades was discussed by former Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.) during an Obama for America conference call. Graham said that the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) had not been passed since 2000 and that years without funding threatened to cause further harm to the Everglades and southern Florida.

WRDA was passed into law despite a presidential veto and a no-vote from McCain. According to Graham, McCain voted against WRDA, believing it to be an appropriations bill. He said that WRDA is in fact not an appropriations bill but that projects now qualify for appropriations after its enactment. The act intends to sustain the Everglades over the next twenty to thirty years. Funds are shared evenly by the federal government and the State of Florida. .

Graham said that Sen. McCain’s disapproval of WRDA shows that his views are out of sync with a large number of floridians, saying that environmental concerns consistently rank high among voters’ issues in the state. Graham emphasized that growth into the Everglades threatens 40 percent of floridians’ fresh water sources. According to Graham, the Everglades are currently in a state of jeopardy, causing him to question whether Sen. McCain is concerned with issues important to Florida’s voters.
Monday
Jun022008

Obama campaign responds to McCain’s attacks on his stance on labeling terrorist organizations

The Obama campaign held a conference call with Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Senior Foreign Policy Adviser Denis McDonough to respond to John McCain’s address to The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPCA). McDonough said McCain asserted that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) does not support labeling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp as a terrorist organization. McDonough said Obama had co-sponsored the Senate Iran Counter-Proliferation Act to “make that point clear” that the group is a terrorist organization, which he still supports today.

McDonough said McCain is trying to run on the Democratic tradition of a strong foreign policy and strong support for Israel, but that his series of policy choices will have the opposite impact. He said there is very little difference in what McCain outlined at the conference and what President Bush undertook the last eight years.

McDonough also said that Obama opposed keeping troops in Iraq and adding a mission countering the Iranian influence inside Iraq. He said Obama is concerned about threats posed to troops in Iraq as a result of support provided by Iranian entities.

Schiff said Obama gave a “stirring speech” to the AIPAC in the past, and will use his chance to address the committee this week to amplify his policy, objectives, and steadfast commitment to Israel. He said Obama will set out his own vision without distortion from the McCain campaign.