• HEALTHCARE

Why Obama's Health Plan Is Better, Wall St. Journal.

In contrast, Sen. McCain, who constantly repeats his no-new-taxes promise on the campaign trail, proposes a big tax hike as the solution to our health-care crisis. His plan would raise taxes on workers who receive health benefits, with the idea of encouraging their employers to drop coverage. A study conducted by University of Michigan economist Tom Buchmueller and colleagues published in the journal Health Affairs suggests that the McCain tax hike will lead employers to drop coverage for over 20 million Americans. More...

• ECONOMY

New York Times 'Spreading the Wealth' as Both Accusation and Prescription, Sun, 19 Oct 2008.

"I'm going to spend a lot of money to bring relief to you," Mr. McCain pledged to cheers at a rally here Sunday, just a few minutes after criticizing Mr. Obama for wanting to "spread the wealth around."

At times the message sounds a bit mixed.

For several days, Mr. McCain has been trying to paint Mr. Obama as something of a socialist, largely because of his plan to let the Bush tax cuts expire for people making more than $250,000 and to give tax cuts to people making less than that.

A transcript of the encounter from ABC News indicates that Mr. Obama used the phrase after Mr. Wurzelbacher wondered if Mr. Obama might support a flat tax. Mr. Obama said he did not because he did not think it was fair for someone as well-off as himself to pay the same tax rate as a waitress.

"My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's going to be good for everybody," Mr. Obama said, according to the transcript, adding that plumbers are better off when there are more customers who can afford to hire them. "And right now everybody's so pinched that business is bad for everybody, and I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody," Mr. Obama said.


New York Times Rivals' Visions Differ on Unleashing Innovation, Fri, 17 Oct 2008.

Yet their visions are strikingly different. They diverge mainly on the appropriate role for the federal government in education, in spending on research, and in building, maintaining and regulating the complex infrastructure on which innovation depends. The visions both face tough questions on their viability amid the nation's deepening financial crisis.

In Senator Barack Obama's view, the United States must compete far more effectively against an array of international rivals who are growing more technically adept. Mr. Obama, the Democratic nominee, looks to the federal government to finance science, math and engineering education and the kind of basic research that can produce valuable industrial spinoffs.

Blueprint for Change | Economy >>

On almost every issue, McCain and the Democratic Party's nominee, Barack Obama, speak the generalized language of "reform," but only Obama has provided a convincing, rational, and fully developed vision.

By contrast, Obama has made a serious study of the mechanics and the history of this economic disaster and of the possibilities of stimulating a recovery. Last March, in New York, in a speech notable for its depth, balance, and foresight, he said, "A complete disdain for pay-as-you-go budgeting, coupled with a generally scornful attitude towards oversight and enforcement, allowed far too many to put short-term gain ahead of long-term consequences." Obama is committed to reforms that value not only the restoration of stability but also the protection of the vast majority of the population, which did not partake of the fruits of the binge years. More...

A list of articles on the so-called "Bradley Affect" which is being largely discounted. The final argument being--that people stating they will vote one way, but do something different in the booth-- is that it would have happened by now.

RENObama! is predicting a Reverse Bradley Affect this year based on canvassing Republicans. Republicans may say they are voting for McCain, but in the booth they may jump their party. Stay tuned...