Barack Obama will air a 30-minute program at 7 tonight, the first time since Ross Perot that a presidential candidate has aired a prolonged campaign commercial in prime time. Based on the trailer and Obama’s campaign speeches this week, the program will make a closing argument for his campaign and will highlight everyday voters, their everyday troubles and his plans to address them, the New York Times reported. The program will also include a live broadcast from an Obama rally in Florida.
Given that Obama has a lead in polls, is the program a risk? Could it come across as over the top? A “Saturday Night Live” skit had Obama playing it safe by turning the program into a variety show that included a singing Bill Clinton.
We are in a recession and the only question is how deep it will be. A new fiscal stimulus package would, by redirecting spending and employment, prevent the U.S. economy from trending further into the danger zone. How large should the stimulus package be? Given the uncertainty involved, an immediate stimulus package of $200 billion, with preparation of an additional $100 billion to be triggered if unemployment goes over 7.5 percent, would be appropriate. Every taxpayer should be concerned about how this additional spending – on top of the $700 billion bailout package – will further contribute to the budget deficit. If the economy goes into a severe recession, however, tax revenues will fall sharply and the impact on the budget deficit likely will be even worse than the effects of the fiscal stimulus. – Martin Neil Baily, senior economics fellow at the Brookings Institution
The last stimulus plan was a tax rebate for most Americans. It was delivered during the spring and summer and was responsible, some economists say, for what amounted to a brief postponement of the worst of the worst. This is the problem with tax cuts, especially the one-time-only variety: You can buy whatever you want with the money. That includes cheap imports made with the cut-rate labor of exploited workers abroad. Job losses – as much as the credit squeeze that is partly responsible for them – are pushing us deeper and deeper into the hole. House Democrats are correctly pondering an immediate infusion of cash to the states. The second-best expenditure is in public-works projects, such as road repair or expansion and mass transit. Not only does this direct spending produce high-wage jobs, the infrastructure improvements pay off later in greater productivity for the work force. – Marie Cocco, Washington Post columnist
Good news for Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston: After a promising start, Republican Mark Schoenhofer’s aggressive challenge looks to be stuck in the ’30s, judging from Survey USA polling for KWCH, Channel 12. In a weekend poll of 800 adults, Foulston led Schoenhofer 55 to 38 percent, compared with 54 to 39 percent a month ago and 51 to 45 percent in August.
It’s encouraging that more than 42,000 people in Sedgwick County had voted in advance as of Monday. That suggests that voter turnout this election could be high – and that the lines on Election Day might not be too long. Voting delays became a real concern after Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Bill Gale reduced the number of polling places by 70 percent in 2006. But one proactive part of his plan was an expansion and emphasis on early voting. Voting centers are open at more than a dozen area locations through Saturday and on Monday morning at the Sedgwick County Election Office, 510 N. Main. Voters can still vote by mail if they apply by 5 p.m. Friday. But whether you do so by mail, at an advanced voting center or at a polling place next Tuesday, be sure to vote.
Barack Obama will air a 30-minute program at 7 tonight, the first time since Ross Perot that a presidential candidate has aired a prolonged campaign commercial in prime time. Based on the trailer and Obama’s campaign speeches this week, the program will make a closing argument for his campaign and will highlight everyday voters, their everyday troubles and his plans to address them, the New York Times reported. The program will also include a live broadcast from an Obama rally in Florida.
