Around The Campaign 2008 Sphere July 8, 2008

The economy has now become a campaign issue almost as big as the two presumptive Presidential candidates’ flip flops. Here are some links to websites of varying viewpoints. Links do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Moderate Voice or its writers.

SO WHO WOULD OBAMA NOMINATE TO THE SUPREME COURT? Orin Kerr has a list…

YESTERDAY WAS THE DAY OF DUELING MCCAIN OBAMA ECONOMIC PLANS and partisans on both sides were shooting out helpful emails and infolinks (and some sent out recriminations to blogs that did not dare run their candidate’s ideas). So how did the candidates fare? MSNBC’s First Read reports:

The day after McCain and Obama spoke on the economy, the big papers — not surprisingly — have fact-checked their economic plans and budget numbers. And neither is passing the smell test.

McCain’s assertion that he will balance the budget after his first term is getting the most scrutiny. The reason: Accomplishing that feat is difficult, especially when fighting a war and advocating big tax cuts. “It would be very difficult to achieve in the best of circumstances, and even more difficult under the policies that Senator McCain has proposed,” Robert Bixby of the Concord Coalition told the New York Times. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times adds up Obama’s spending proposals and notes that it’s unlikely he will be able to pay for them as he asserts.

Read it in its entirety.

It stands to reason that neither candidate is receiving hosannas. The economic mess is a tough nut to crack and both are hamstrung by some of their parties’ political constraints in offering solutions to dig the U.S. out of this mess (one that can’t be passed off by the Bush administration again as the “Clinton recession” as was done in the early 2000s…). Among other things, McCain has promised to clean up entitlement programs. McCain got one vote…

ANOTHER AREA WHERE THE CANDIDATES GREATLY DIFFER is Social Security.

IS THIS A DANGER FOR OBAMA? or not? On the other hand, it now sounds like he’ll reap a media bonanza in Denver due to these plans that will get lots of media hype and on-the-scene coverage.

JESSE HELMS HAS GONE TO HEAVEN OR HOTTER CLIMES. He was around for awhile and on the political stage for several generations. Here’s how one college political science student sees him — as indicative of something conservatives must move beyond…

It’s Summer So What Are Obama and McCain Doing? They’re trying to appear as just plain folks (who happen to be running for President, like many of your neighbors have…).

MCCAIN’S CAMPAIGN STAFFING MAY SOON GET ANOTHER BOOST: A political big gun who has worked for him in the past may return.

A NEW LOOK FOR NEWSBUSTERS: The lively conservative media watchdog site has undergone an impressive revamp. Details from Matt Sheffield. (If you read this and the liberal media watchdog site Media Matters during election year you have a good grasp on the media and how it is being perceived on both sides…)

SEEK AND DESTROY POLITICS: The frenzy to show that Obama’s birth certificate is a fake. And why not? This is more important to Americans than whether they lose their homes, teachers are laid off, a discussion over the kind of endgame needed in Iraq, not having health insurance, skyrocketing gas prices and other distractions. The birth certificate, Obama’s middle name and John McCain’s age is what (21st century American) politics is all about… Or is the answer to that “NOT!” Our bet: Americans will take issues very seriously when they vote in November.

SOME REPUBLICANS FEELS THE MEDIA IS BIASED IN FAVOR OF OBAMA and some Democrats feel it is biased in favor of McCain.

SPEAKING OF OBAMA, is he using a “dogwhistle?” Is he really moving to the middle?