Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Michelle Obama and liberal elitism

2014-10-15T19:43:25Z

MorrisF: also elitist on food

In 2008, the Huffington Post was reported that Michelle Obama wore $540 sneakers to a food bank.
<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/michelle-obama-wears-silv_n_193138.html</ref>

Powerline offers the following criticism of Michelle Obama:
{{cquote|She says that she and Barack were born to parents of modest means, not with "silver spoons" in their mouths. Nobody knows the trouble they've seen. The burden of paying for her undergraduate education at [[Princeton]] and her law school education at [[Harvard]] has scarred her. It remains a motif of her stump speech. No one is accorded a chance to ask her if she thought about attending the University of Illinois, or if she's grateful for any of the financial assistance that facilitated her and her husband's attendance at the finest institutions of higher learning in the United States.<ref>http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2008/05/020456.php</ref>}}

Michelle Obama also not only holds but tries to force elitist attitudes on diet and lifestyle, arguing for laws that would allow the government to choose how to raise and feed children instead of leaving the decisions to their parents.

Michelle Obama's [[liberal elite|liberal elitism]] is not surprising given the [[Barack Obama and liberal elitism|high degree of liberal elitism that Barack Obama continually displays]].

For more information please see: [[Barack Obama and liberal elitism]]
==References==
{{reflist|3}}

[[Category: Michelle Obama]]
[[Category: Liberalism]]
[[Category: Politics]]

Star Trek franchise

2013-05-15T16:46:27Z

MorrisF: correct info on god

''This article is an overview of all the Star Trek productions. For the original television series, see [[Star Trek (original series)]]''
[[Image:startrektoscast.jpg|thumb|right|The crew of the Enterprise from the original 1960s show.]]
The '''Star Trek franchise''' began with [[Star Trek]], a television series produced by [[Gene Roddenberry]] (1966-69), and includes four other TV series and several movies.
These [[television]] series and [[movie]]s are set in a science fiction future when mankind is exploring the [[galaxy]] in [[spaceship]]s and encountering other [[sentience|sentient]] inhabitants of the galaxy.

''Star Trek'' has a large following among [[science fiction]] fans, with books, magazines, websites, and conventions.

== The series ==

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right"
|-
! Series name || Original air dates || Number of episodes
|-
| [[Star Trek (original series)|Star Trek]] || 1966-1969 || style="text-align:right" | 80  
|-
| Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS) || 1973-1974 || style="text-align:right" | 22  
|-
| Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) || 1987-1994 || style="text-align:right" | 178  
|-
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) || 1993-1999 || style="text-align:right" | 176  
|-
| Star Trek: Voyager (VOY) || 1995-2001 || style="text-align:right" | 172  
|-
| Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT) || 2001-2005 || style="text-align:right" | 98  
|}

Five live-action series have been made, plus one animated series.

=== The original series ===
{{main|Star Trek (original series)}}

The [[Star Trek (original series)|original series]] has the mostly-[[human]] crew of the ''U.S.S. Enterprise'' exploring the galaxy and performing various missions for ''Starfleet'', the authority which controls the ship.
These missions may be diplomatic or defensive, particularly in connection with the hostile races, the [[Extraterrestrial life in Star Trek#Klingon|Klingon]]s and the [[Extraterrestrial life in Star Trek#Romulan|Romulan]]s.

=== The Next Generation ===
''The Next Generation'' followed the theme of the original series, but set some years later with a new crew and a new ship, also named the ''U.S.S. Enterprise''.
By this time, the Klingons were at peace with the Federation, and the crew included a Klingon security officer, as well as various other non-human races.
Also on the crew was ''Data'', an android.

A major foe introduced with this series was the [[Borg]], a "collective" of [[drone]]s, beings from various races who were "assimilated" into the collective.
When encountering another spaceship, the Borg would often introduce themselves with the statement "''"We are the Borg. Lower your shields. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile!''". The "resistance is futile" phrase has since entered popular culture.

=== Deep Space Nine ===
Unlike each of the other series, ''Deep Space Nine'' was set on a space station near the planet Bajor, around the time that the ''Next Generation'' series finished.
The station, originally built by the Cardassians, was administered by Starfleet and with a mixed Starfleet and Bajoran workforce.

The space station protected the only known stable [[wormhole]] through which ships could pass to another part of the galaxy.
One of the characters on the space station was a "shape-shifter", a being that could assume any form.

=== Voyager ===
''Voyager'' was the name of a Starfleet ship that became trapped in another part of the galaxy, and the series revolved around the crew's attempts to return home, encountering many new races along the way.
The series was set around the same time as ''Deep Space 9''.

The part of the galaxy ''Voyager'' was trapped in was also the part of the galaxy from which the Borg originated, and the Borg is an enemy they encounter numerous times.
Additionally, one of the characters who joins the series part way through is "Seven of Nine", a former Borg drone, originally human, who is successfully largely transformed back into a human, although retaining some of the Borg implants and struggling to adapt to human society, having been assimilated into the Borg at a young age.

=== Enterprise ===
''Enterprise'' is set prior to any other series, at the time when humans are first starting to travel well beyond Earth, and develop much of the technology that would be common-place in series set later.
The mostly-human crew travel in a ship also named ''Enterprise''

== The movies ==

Ten Star Trek movies have been produced, with an eleventh due out in May 2009.

The first six follow on from the original television series.
The seventh (''Generations'') was made after ''The Next Generation'' series, but includes a "crossover" from the original series.
The eighth to tenth movies follow on from ''The Next Generation'' series.
The eleventh movie is a prequel to the original series.

{| class="wikitable"
!Movie Name || Year of Release || MPAA Rating
|-
|Star Trek: The Motion Picture || 1979 || PG
|-
|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan || 1982 || PG
|-
|Star Trek III: The Search for Spock || 1984 || PG
|-
|Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home || 1986 || PG
|-
|Star Trek V: The Final Frontier || 1989 || PG
|-
|Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country || 1991 || PG
|-
|Star Trek: Generations || 1994 || PG
|-
|Star Trek: First Contact || 1996 || PG-13
|-
|Star Trek: Insurrection || 1998 || PG
|-
|Star Trek: Nemesis || 2002 || PG-13
|-
|Star Trek || 2009 || PG-13
|}

== Extraterrestrial life ==
{{main|Extraterrestrial life in Star Trek}}

The drama of the shows typically arises from the crew's contact with various forms of [[extraterrestrial life]], mostly, but not always, [[humanoid]] (e.g. the "Crystalline Entity"). In various ways, the [[premise]] of the [[ancient astronaut theory]] is used to assert the seeding of [[life]] throughout the [[galaxy]] as brought up in ''The Next Generation'', although not to the overt extent of a later, unrelated, TV series, [[Stargate SG-1]].

== Religion in Star Trek ==
As a [[humanist]], Gene Roddenberry infused Star Trek with humanism's dream of a world (or galaxy in this case) where humanity (and many other intelligent beings) were constantly improving the life quality of all beings both through improving technology and improving societal conditions.
People worked together for the common good, rather than for money, and without any class or other distinctions.
This is a small part of what is expected in the Christian view of [[heaven]], except that humanism wrongly believes that mankind can achieve this through its own efforts, rather than with the help of God. In reality, however, God is needed for humanity to reach its full potential.

Roddenberry rarely had the shows overtly reject religion, although some episodes would make reference to it as a part of culture. For instance in an episode with a man who could not die, it was noted that in one of his personas in Earth history he had been [[Lazarus]] (who [[Jesus]] raised from the dead). In another episode a world where the [[Roman Empire]] never fell was now chasing down followers of "the son" (which the crew mistook to be "sun") and their message of peace and love instead of violence and oppression.

Later series, under the control of other producers particularly after Roddenberry died, also brought religious concepts into the show, but seldom with the same direct references to Christianity, but rather to more generic religious thought.

=== The Next Generation ===

An episode of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' has one major example of anti-religion bias. The third-season episode entitled "Who Watches the Watchers," implies that an alien culture discarding religious beliefs is a positive development.
In the episode "Tapestry", Captain Picard dies and goes to the "afterlife" where he meets his erstwhile adversary "Q" who implies that he is God. Picard refuses to believe this, and makes a comment that "The Universe is not so badly run." However the majority of episodes remain silent on religion. In another episode where the ship is trapped and an alien will perform experiments that will kill up to half the crew, Picard discusses with 'Data' (actually the alien in disguise) what happens after one dies and says some believe in a god who keeps them in their present form forever and others believe that this is all there is. When questioned further, he says that he finds the universe is too orderly to believe that this is all there is and thinks that we will go on existing in a reality that we can not currently comprehend.<ref>Episode [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Where_Silence_Has_Lease Where Silence has Lease] on Memory-Alpha.</ref><ref>[http://tng.trekcore.com/episodes/scripts/128.txt Episode Script]</ref>

=== Bajoran religion ===

''Star Trek: Deep Space 9'' included religion more than any other series. An overarching theme of the series was the relation of the main character, Captain Benjamin Sisko, to the Bajoran religion in his role as the emissary to the Bajoran prophets. The prophets were beings who lived in a stable wormhole (a unique phenomenon in the Star Trek universe referred to by the Bajorans as the Celestial Temple) that perceived all of time as a single event with no concept of past, present, or future. Despite their immense dissimilarity to other races in the galaxy, the Prophets took unusual interest in Bajor, sending 'orbs' which were used as tools of prophecy by the Bajoran clergy, and in Sisko who it is revealed exists solely to fulfill a predetermined historical path in an Armageddon-like showdown as the avatar of the prophets against the 'Pah Wraiths' (aliens like the Prophets who were expelled from the Celestial Temple).

=== Other religions ===

''Star Trek: Deep Space 9'' also had the Dominion, in which the Founders (shape-shifting aliens sometimes called changelings) are treated as living gods by the races under their control.

The Klingon religion in various series suggests that the first Klingons realized they had no need for their gods, and killed them, although they still hold to an afterlife where the honorable dead join with the deified Kahless and the dishonorable dead are forced to spend eternity on the Barge of the Dead with the demon-like figure Fecklarr.

The Ferengi (mainly in ''Star Trek: Deep Space 9'') had a religion of sorts based on the concept of The Great River (as shown in "Faith, Treachery and The Great River"), which was similar to "[[The invisible hand]]" a phrase coined by [[Adam Smith]]. Ferengi also hold that if they achieve enough profit during their lives, they will meet the Blessed Exchequer who will grant them access to the Divine Treasury, whereas an unsuccessful Ferengi may find himself left in the Vault of Eternal Destitution.

== Relationship Views ==

In addition to his views on religion, Gene Roddenberry had views on relationships which were considered controversial at the time the Original Series was on air, and even today. In fact, a historic event—the first interracial kiss on network television—was between Lieutenant Uhura ([[Nichelle Nichols]]) and Captain Kirk ([[William Shatner]]).<ref>''Plato's Stepchildren'', originally aired Nov. 22, 1968</ref> (Note that it was portrayed as something the characters were psychically compelled to do; it was not a willing kiss between romantic partners.)

Gene Roddenberry was also supportive of same-sex relationships, and wanted to integrate homosexual characters into his second series, ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', reasoning that by the 24th century "no one would care." However, this proposal was met with resistance by [[Paramount Studios]] who reasoned that because the show would eventually be syndicated, it would be accessible to young children for whom such material would be extremely inappropriate.

Despite the absence of major homosexual characters, several storylines have indirectly depicted homosexual and other relationships in a positive, or at the very least ambiguous light. For example, in ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', Commander William Riker (presumed heterosexual from a previous relationship with Deanna Troi) falls in love with an individual from an androgynous race.<ref>''The Outcast'', originally aired Mar. 16, 1992.</ref>
In ''Star Trek: DS9'', Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax (a [[Trill]], a being comprising a humanoid host of a member of another, asexual, species) briefly resumes a relationship with a wife from a previous lifetime (a male host of the same symbiont), and they are shown kissing on screen.<ref>''Rejoined'', originally aired Oct. 30, 1995.</ref>

== Institutions ==

The ''United Federation of Planets'' is the multi-world government based on [[Earth]], and under which auspices Starfleet operates.

''Starfleet'' is the exploratory and defensive organisation which operates the various starships.

The ''Academy'' is where Starfleet officers and crew are trained.

== Technology ==
The universe of Star Trek has an array of advanced technology, some of which has foreshadowed real developments.
This technology includes computer speech recognition, atom-level fabrication, massive energy production, and faster-than-light travel.

All Starfleet members from the time of ''The Next Generation'' on wear broach-size devices on their uniforms which allow instant two-way communication between crew-members or between the crew-member and the ship's computer.

The ''transporters'', being developed at the time of ''Enterprise'', disassemble and reassemble inanimate and animate things, including people, allowing them to be transported over moderate distances. For example, transporters are frequently used to send people from a spaceship in orbit to the surface of a planet and return.

''Replicators'', introduced in ''The Next Generation'' use similar technology to fabricate inanimate objects from a molecular or atomic level. This includes spare parts for the ships. Specialised ''food replicators'' can fabricate a wide variety of food, which is suitable for everyday use, but can on occasions not be quite as good as the real thing.

''Holodecks'' and ''holosuites'' (the latter on Deep Space Nine) are rooms containing ''holoprojectors'' that project holographic images with solidity, allowing people to interact with the images. A computer controls the images, which includes holographic people who appear just like real people.
The ''Voyager'' series introduced an "emergency medical hologram", a holographic doctor which could be activated in the case of an emergency.
In this case, the ship's real doctor was killed, and the holographic doctor was a regular character, with enhanced abilities including being able to activate and deactivate himself.
He also managed to acquire a portable holographic projector that he could wear, allowing him to leave the confines of the ship's sick bay and its fixed holographic projectors.

''Phasers'' are the classic "ray gun", emitting a beam that, depending on the setting, was capable of stunning or killing the person on the receiving end.

''Tricorders'' were hand-held devices combining the functions of a computer, communicator, and laboratory for sensing and testing objects.
Specialised ''medical tricorders'' were also used by medical officers.

''Warp drives'' allow spaceships to travel vast distances by creating a sub-space 'bubble' around the ship, allowing faster-than-light travel, a necessity when travelling around the galaxy as part of a day's work.

== The Prime Directive ==
Starfleet had The Prime Directive which said that they should not interfere with the natural progression of a species. The directive sometimes clashed with morality or common sense and on many occasions was ignored by Starfleet officers. There was also a Temporal Prime Directive which said that when going into the past (by various means) they should not try to alter the course of history. When someone from Starfleet (or elsewhere) violated the directive officers were justified in working to stop them as long as they did not violate the directive themselves.

== Star Trek in culture ==

[[image:284699main image 1204 946-710.jpg|300px|thumb|Gene Roddenberry and original series cast members at the launch of the space shuttle ''Enterprise''.]]
Various concepts from Star Trek have entered popular culture, including the following:
* The [[Extraterrestrial life in Star Trek#Vulcan|Vulcan]] greeting, ''Live long and prosper''.
* The [[Borg]] warning that ''resistance is futile''.
* The [[Klingon]] language has been developed as a complete [[constructed language|artificial language]].
* The first [[space shuttle]], ''Enterprise'', was named for the ship in [[Star Trek (original series)|the original series]].

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Television Shows]]
[[Category:Movies]]
[[Category:Science fiction]]
[[Category:Star Trek| ]]

Arlen Specter

2012-10-15T01:44:09Z

MorrisF: update for death

{{Officeholder
|name=Arlen Specter
|image=Specter-0.jpg
|party=[[Democrat]]
|spouse=Joan Specter
|religion=Judaism
|offices=
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Pennsylvania
|terms=January 5, 1981 – January 5, 2011
|preceded=Richard Schweiker
|former=n
|succeeded=[[Pat Toomey]]
}}
}}

'''Arlen Specter''' (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) is the former Democratic senior [[United States]] Senator from [[Pennsylvania]]. He was first elected in 1980, and has been reelected five times since then. He has moderate to liberal viewpoints - particularly when it comes to economic and social issues. He supported Obama's massive stimulus bill in 2009. He also opposed trying to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Before defecting to the [[Democratic Party]] (see below), Senator Specter was a liberal [[Republican]], disagreeing with the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] Administration on numerous issues. He was one of three Republicans who supported Obama's stimulus bill in 2009. Threatened with a [[conservative]] [[primary]] challenger for his seat in 2010, on April 28, 2009, he announced he was switching to the Democratic party. Once [[Al Franken]] was declared the victor in the [[Minnesota]] Senate race, Specter's vote provided the crucial 60th vote needed for the Democrats (and the two independents) to stop GOP [[filibusters]]. However, that filibuster-proof majority ended when [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Scott Brown]] won the [[Massachusetts]] special Senate election in January 2010.

Specter was defeated in the Democratic primary by Joe Sestak for his reelection in the [[2010 Midterm Elections]].
==Career==
He is a [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] veteran, serving within the U.S. as an officer within the Air Force Office of Special Investigations during the [[Korean War]].

==Political Career==
Specter's first foray into politics was his election as [[Philadelphia]]'s District Attorney in 1965. He mounted an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Philadelphia in 1967 and was defeated for reelection to a third term as District Attorney in 1973. He was defeated in the 1976 Republican Primary for U.S. Senate by John Heinz and in the 1978 primary for Governor of Pennsylvania by Dick Thornburgh. Arlen Specter was elected to the Senate in 1980 and is currently serving his fifth term. In 2005, Senator Specter became Pennsylvania's longest-serving U.S. Senator. He was formerly Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and was a senior member of the Appropriations and Veterans Affairs committees. However, after defecting from the Republican Party and joining the Democrat caucus, Specter lost all of his seniority. Specter went from serving as the most powerful Republican on the Judiciary Committee to the lowest-ranking Democrat in four out of his five committee assignments. <ref>http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/arlen_specter_stripped/2009/05/06/211368.html</ref>

Arlen Specter made an unsuccessful run for the presidency in 1996 and ended up supporting Republican nominee [[Robert Dole]].

====The Unicorn murder====
[[File:The Unicorn Killer.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Ira Einhorn]]
Specter has a knack for notoriety; in one such case he was a member of the Warren Commission investigating the death of President [[John F. Kennedy]] when he was credited with creating the "magic bullet" theory, which in essence was a single bullet that wounded Kennedy and Texas governor John Connoly, but not before it went through a pair of right-angle turns in mid-air before hitting Connoly.

But his most notorious case - and one which he rarely talks about - is his getting the release on bail of [[Ira Einhorn]], a celebrated Philadelphia liberal and leftist who had strong ties to the elite in the city, and who was scheduled to go to trial for the murder of his former girlfriend, Holly Maddux, who was two-years dead when her mummified body was found stuffed in a trunk in Einhorn's closet in 1979. Specter - who also shared the same elite ties with Einhorn, convinced the judge to have his bail reduced from and "excessive" $100,000 to $40,000, with Einhorn putting up a mere 10% to be released. Judge William Marutani had initially thought that Einhorn might flee to Norway; "I have to disagree with your last statement," replied Specter. "Anybody is as likely to go to Norway as anybody else." Einhorn did flee the country before his trial started in 1981, to Sweden. He remained a fugitive until 1997, when he was extradited from France, convicted in a new trial, and sentenced to life in prison. [http://www.nationalreview.com/miller/miller200404080822.asp][http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2009/04/29/specter-switches-ira-einhorn-saga-deserves-wider-mention]

==Political Views==
Specter's moderate to liberal views have affected his political career as a Republican. Many considered him a RINO (Republican in Name Only) while he was in that party. For example, his status as the Chairman of the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]] (a position he held from January, 2005 through January, 2007) was in question when he made comments hinting that he would oppose candidates who would overturn [[Roe v. Wade]]. In addition, in the 2004 Republican Senate Primary Election, he only received 51% of the vote when the conservative [[Patrick Toomey]] challenged him.

Arlen Specter was the only Republican in the Senate to vote for the [[Employee Free Choice Act]], <ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/27/nation/na-union27</ref>, legislation supported by big labor that would eliminate a private-ballot vote over whether workers would [[union]]ize. Specter was also one of only three Republicans in the United State Congress to vote for the 2009 economic stimulus bill. Additionally, Specter has announced he supports Single Payer [[Healthcare]]. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb-6QfxqKnk&feature=channel</ref>

In the past, there were issues where Specter was considered marginally [[conservative]]. In 2002, he voted to authorize the use of military force in [[Iraq]], although many Democrats did so as well. A native of [[Kansas]], Specter supports [[Second Amendment]] rights, receiving an A rating from the National Rifle Association, and [[capital punishment]]. Specter also supported the confirmation of conservative Clarence Thomas when he was appointed by President Bush to the US Supreme Court in 1991 and aroused considerable controversy through his questioning of Anita Hill, a witness who accused Thomas of sexual harassment. Specter generally supported Republican nominees although he cast a crucial vote against conservative Robert Bork, who was nominated by President Reagan to the Supreme Court.

===Interest Group Ratings===

Prior to changing parties, political interest groups reflected Arlen Specter's moderate to liberal reputation. <ref>https://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=53340&type=category&category=10&go.x=5&go.y=13</ref>

*Received a 100% rating from [[NARAL Pro-Choice America]]
*Received a 79% rating from [[Planned Parenthood]]
*Received a 14% rating from the [[National Right to Life Committee]]
*Rated '''D''' by the [[National Taxpayers Union]]
*Received a 43% rating from the [[American Civil Liberties Union]]
*Received a 42% rating from the [[American Conservative Union]]
*Received a 60% rating from the [[League of Conservation Voters]]
*Received a 43% rating from the [[American Family Association]]
*Received an A from the [[National Rifle Association]]
*Received a 100% rating from [[Gun Owners of America]]
*Received a '''D-''' from [[Americans for Better Immigration]]

==Health Problems==
On February 16, 2005, Specter announced that he had been diagnosed with an advanced form of Hodgkin's disease, a type of cancer. Despite the advanced form, Specter continued working during chemotherapy. He ended treatment on July 22. Senator John Sununu shaved his head to show solidarity with Specter when he was undergoing chemotherapy and was temporarily bald.

==2010 Reelection==

[[File:Specter graph.PNG|left|300px|thumb|Studies show Arlen Specter's 2010 reelection campaign has influenced his voting record.]]Specter barely won the 2004 Republican primary, which allows only registered Republicans to vote, by less than 2% against [[conservative]] challenger [[Pat Toomey]]. [[Rick Santorum]], himself a former Pennsylvania senator, described that "Specter's biggest problem ... may be that thousands of southeastern Pennsylvania Republicans who voted for him in 2004 can't vote for him in the (2010) primary. Why? Because they're no longer Republicans." In fact, the number of registered Republicans in Pennsylvania decreased by 162,000 between 2004 and 2008.<ref>http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/americandebate/Arlen_Specter_tilting_rightward.html</ref> This is one of the main reasons why Specter switched parties; to get re-elected in 2010, he needed to rely on his left-leaning supporters. However, Specter was denied the 2010 Democratic senatorial nomination, and the more conservative Republican Pat Toomey , who lost the Republican primary to Specter six years earlier, narrowly won the general election for the seat in a strongly Republican year in Pennsylvania.

==References==
<references/>

==See also==
*[[Ira Einhorn]]

==External links==
*[http://specter.senate.gov/ Official Senate website]

{{DEFAULTSORT: Specter, Arlen}}
[[Category:Former United States Senators]]
[[Category:111th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Reagan Era]]
[[Category:2010 Midterm Elections]]
[[Category:American Jews]]

Auguste Escoffier

2012-09-30T20:38:44Z

MorrisF: creating page

'''Auguste Escoffier''' was a [[French]] [[chef]] who is credited with popularizing, updating and cataloguing cooking styles and recipes.<ref>http://www.worldculinaryinstitute.com/A_escoffier.html</ref> He was born in 1846 and died in 1935 in [[Monte Carlo]].<ref>http://www.escoffier-society.com/biography.php</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Chefs]]

Zagreb

2012-09-30T20:33:05Z

MorrisF: creating

'''Zagreb''' is the capital of and largest city in [[Croatia]]. It lies on the [[Sava]] river.

[[Category:Capital Cities]]

George Bush

2012-04-11T04:24:30Z

MorrisF: reorder

{{Disambiguation}}

George Bush could refer to two different [[President of the United States of America|United States Presidents]].
See
*[[George H. W. Bush]] 41st president (1989-1993) or
*[[George W. Bush]] 43rd president (2001-2009)

Angus King

2012-03-10T06:03:32Z

MorrisF: expand

'''Angus King''' was the governor of [[Maine]] from 1995 to 2003. He was the second independent to serve in the position.<ref>http://bangordailynews.com/2012/03/01/politics/angus-king-eliot-cutler-could-substantially-affect-u-s-senate-race-in-maine/</ref>

==2012 Senate election==
King is a candidate in the 2012 election for the seat of retiring senator [[Olympia Snowe]].<ref>http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2012/03/former-maine-governor-angus-king-announce-senate-run/Ro56ihWcMnGaLax5mqS98H/index.html</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Maine Governors]]
[[Category:Independent Goverors]]
[[Category:Third Party Politicians]]

Angus King

2012-03-10T06:01:07Z

MorrisF: creating

'''Angus King''' was the governor of [[Maine]] from 1995 to 2003. He was the second independent to serve in the position.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Maine Governors]]
[[Category:Independent Goverors]]
[[Category:Third Party Politicians]]

Ken Ard

2012-03-10T05:50:31Z

MorrisF: creating

'''Ken Ard''' was the [[Lieutenant Governor]] of [[South Carolina]] from January 12, 2011 to March 9, 2012. He resigned from the office on the same day he was indicted for corruption by state [[attorney general]] [[Alan Wilson]].<ref>http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/10/2185468/lieutenant-governor-indicted-in.html</ref>

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:United States Lieutenant Governors]]

Laura Bush

2012-03-07T22:28:18Z

MorrisF: info about marriage

[[Image:Mrsbush-20060206.jpg|right|thumb|Laura Lane Welch Bush]]
'''Laura Bush''' is the previous [[First Lady]] of the [[United States]] and the wife of US President [[George W. Bush]]. She and the President have twin daughters, [[Jenna Bush|Jenna]] and Barbara. Prior to becoming First Lady of the Nation, she served as First Lady of [[Texas]].

Laura Bush was born on November 4, 1946, in [[Midland]], Texas. Her parents were Harold and Jenna Welch. She attended [[Southern Methodist University]], and received a bachelor's degree in education, later receiving a master's degree in [[library]] science at the [[University of Texas]] at [[Austin]]. She was also a [[public school]] [[teacher]] and [[librarian]] and has since set up a national reading program called ''America's Children Read Books'' and has been active in anti-smoking campaigns.

She met her husband in 1977 and married him that same year.

Together with the [[Library of Congress]], Laura Bush launched the first National Book Festival in [[Washington, D.C.]], in September 2001. The 2004 National Book Festival drew 85,000 book-lovers from across the nation. Also included in Mrs. Bush's projects are support for education campaigns for [[breast cancer]] and heart disease. She also helped to start Preserve America, a national initiative to protect our cultural and natural heritage. <ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/firstlady/flbio.html Biography] The White House</ref>

== 1963 Car Accident ==
In 1963 Laura Bush, then known as Laura Welch and only 17 years old at the time, was driving her [[Chevrolet]] sedan on a clear night shortly after 8 p.m. on Nov. 6, 1963. She ran a [[stop sign]] at an intersection and struck a Corvair sedan driven by 17 year old Michael Douglas. Douglas was killed. This is recorded in a two-page accident report released by the city of Midland, Texas. No charges were filed.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/e1698.htm 1963 accident]</ref> Mrs. Bush was emotionally very hurt by this event, but through her faith she has worked for forgiveness without simply trying to avoid being blamed.
 
[[Image:Laura Bush.jpg|center]]
<center>
Laura Bush hosts a press preview of the White House Spring Garden Tour

in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden Friday morning, April 16, 2004.
</center>

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, Laura}}
[[category:First Ladies]]

Laura Bush

2012-03-07T22:25:39Z

MorrisF:

[[Image:Mrsbush-20060206.jpg|right|thumb|Laura Lane Welch Bush]]
'''Laura Bush''' is the previous [[First Lady]] of the [[United States]] and the wife of US President [[George W. Bush]]. She and the President have twin daughters, [[Jenna Bush|Jenna]] and Barbara. Prior to becoming First Lady of the Nation, she served as First Lady of [[Texas]].

Laura Bush was born on November 4, 1946, in [[Midland]], Texas. Her parents were Harold and Jenna Welch. She attended [[Southern Methodist University]], and received a bachelor's degree in education, later receiving a master's degree in [[library]] science at the [[University of Texas]] at [[Austin]]. She was also a [[public school]] [[teacher]] and [[librarian]] and has since set up a national reading program called ''America's Children Read Books'' and has been active in anti-smoking campaigns.

Together with the [[Library of Congress]], Laura Bush launched the first National Book Festival in [[Washington, D.C.]], in September 2001. The 2004 National Book Festival drew 85,000 book-lovers from across the nation. Also included in Mrs. Bush's projects are support for education campaigns for [[breast cancer]] and heart disease. She also helped to start Preserve America, a national initiative to protect our cultural and natural heritage. <ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/firstlady/flbio.html Biography] The White House</ref>

== 1963 Car Accident ==
In 1963 Laura Bush, then known as Laura Welch and only 17 years old at the time, was driving her [[Chevrolet]] sedan on a clear night shortly after 8 p.m. on Nov. 6, 1963. She ran a [[stop sign]] at an intersection and struck a Corvair sedan driven by 17 year old Michael Douglas. Douglas was killed. This is recorded in a two-page accident report released by the city of Midland, Texas. No charges were filed.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/e1698.htm 1963 accident]</ref> Mrs. Bush was emotionally very hurt by this event, but through her faith she has worked for forgiveness without simply trying to avoid being blamed.
 
[[Image:Laura Bush.jpg|center]]
<center>
Laura Bush hosts a press preview of the White House Spring Garden Tour

in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden Friday morning, April 16, 2004.
</center>

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, Laura}}
[[category:First Ladies]]

New York City

2012-03-07T22:13:31Z

MorrisF: /* Politics */ adding info on congressional delegation

{{City
|picture =Liberty2.jpg
|picture2 =
|map =
|country =United States
|state =New York
|region =
|settled =1624
|charter =
|population =19,750,000
|area =6,720
|density =1,104
|mayor =Michael Bloomberg
|demonym =New Yorker
}}

[[File:Nyc1.jpg|thumb|450px|the center of the metropolitan area, which stretches into Connecticut (to the northeast) and New Jersey (to the west)]]
'''New York City''', officially the '''City of New York''', is a city and metropolitan area in the state of [[New York]], located on the East coast of the [[United States of America]]. With a population of 19 million in the three-state metropolitan area (and 8,140,000 in the city as in 2005), it is the most populous urban area in the [[United States]]. The city is divided into five different counties, called boroughs. Manhattan is the financial, commercial, and tourist center. Brooklyn is the most populous of the boroughs, and suburban Queens (Queen's County) is the largest in area. The other two boroughs are The Bronx, a downscale residential area, and suburban Staten Island. The modern city was formed in 1898 through a merger of the original New York City with Brooklyn.

New York is the cultural capital of the world; it has global importance in fashion, finance, news, diplomacy, education, medicine and arts. The city is a world-class tourist destination. It contains many landmarks, including the [[Statue of Liberty]], [[Wall Street]], in [[Lower Manhattan]], and many others. The city (along with its #2 rival Chicago) invented the skyscraper, and still has some of the tallest buildings in the world, like [[Empire State Building]]; the [[World Trade Center]] towers were destroyed by terrorists in the September 11, 2001 attacks. [[File:Gotham1.jpg|thumb|220px]]
==Transportation==
New York owes its success to its status as the major hub of world transportation by air and water. It grew because it has one of the world's finest natural harbors. It is ice-free year-round and deep enough to enable large ships to reach its piers regardless of the tide. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was established in 1921 by the two states in order to administer jointly the shared waterfront. Most traffic is now handled through containers. Three major airports serve the city: John F. Kennedy International Airport (for international travel) and La Guardia Airport (for domestic travel), as well as nearby Newark International Airport. All are operated by the Port Authority, which also runs the bridges and subways.

When [[Hurricane Irene]] was headed for the city in August 2011, the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) shut down all its commuter rail, subway and buses. This move was criticized by some as excessively cautious.

== History ==
The first Dutch settlers arrived on Manhattan in 1624, naming the town New Amsterdam. Indian claims were bought out for the equivalent of $24. The Dutch sent settlers up the Hudson River (which is easily navigable by sailing vessels) to Albany. The Dutch colony, named New Amsterdam, was run in autocratic fashion by Governor Peter Stuyvesant. It soon had a cosmopolitan flavor, with freedom of religion and numerous ethnic and religious groups; the Dutch brought slaves as house servants.<ref>Slavery was finally abolished in 1799.</ref> The city was captured in war by the British in 1664; they renamed both the city and the colony for the duke of York (who later became King [[James II]]).
[[File:Nyc2.jpg|thumb|450px|Manhattan neighborhoods]]
The use of [[Ellis Island]] as the checkpoint for millions of European immigrants in the late 1800s caused New York City's population to swell, as many settled in nearby areas.

[[Image:800px-Times Square Panorama1.jpg|thumb|800px|center|Times Square.]]

== Politics ==

New York City is historically considered a liberal city, with the majority of the population voting Democratic. However, the mayor has recently been [[Republican]] (Rudy Giuliani) or independent (Michael Bloomberg). [[Fox News Channel]] is based in NYC. Of the 13 congressional districts that include parts of New York City, two are represented by Republicans ([[Michael Grimm]] of [[Staten Island]] and [[Bob Turner]] of Queens).

== Culture ==
[[Image:Duke Ellington Statue.jpg|thumb|[[Duke Ellington]] Statue.]]
New York City is home to top-notch museums in [[art]], [[architecture]], photography, natural history, television, radio and technology, like: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Frick Collection, the National Design Museum, the Museum of Natural History,
and the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts. <ref>[http://www.ny.com/museums/mile.html Museums in New York City] </ref>

Featured cultural sites are:

•Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

•Carnegie Hall

•Radio City Music Hall

•Hayden Planetarium

•New York Aquarium

•The Morgan Library

•New York Public Library

•Rose Center for Earth and Space

•International Center of Photography

•Empire State Building Lobby Gallery

•SculptureCenter

•Museum of Biblical Art

•Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences

•Center for Architecture

•Studio Museum in Harlem

==Boroughs==

Each of New York City's [[borough]]s is [[coterminous]] with a [[county]] in the State of New York. The five boroughs are:
* [[Manhattan]] (New York County)
* [[Brooklyn]] (Kings County)
* [[Queens]] (Queens County)
* [[The Bronx]] (Bronx County)
* [[Staten Island]] (Richmond County)

Unlike the [[London]] boroughs, the boroughs of New York City do not operate as [[local government]]s. All of the non-Manhattan boroughs are sometimes referred to collectively as "the outer boroughs" as they are arranged in a sort of semicircle around Manhattan.

Many places have been proposed as "Sixth Boroughs," which can carry a different meaning depending on who is asked. Some areas often cited as "Sixth Boroughs" include:
* [[Hudson County]], [[New Jersey]]
* [[Nassau County]], [[Long Island]], [[New York]]
* [[Westchester County]], [[New York]]
* [[Newark]], [[New Jersey]]
* [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]]

== See also ==

[[Image:NYC.jpg|thumb|400px|Historic Manhattan]]
* [[The Bronx]]
*[[Fiorello La Guardia]]
*[[Art cities]]
*[[Washington, D.C.]]
*[[New York Yankees]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.ny.com/museums/museum.of.american.financial.history.html Museum of American Financial History.]
*[http://www.metmuseum.org/ The Met.]
*[http://www.nyc-arts.org/ NYC ARTS.]
*[http://www.nycwalk.com/rock.html A Walking Tour of Rockefeller Center's Public Art.]
==Further reading==
[[Image:Prometheus Fountain at the Rockefeller Center.jpg|thumb|240px|Prometheus Fountain at the Rockefeller Center.]]
* Burrows, Edwin G., and Mike Wallace. ''Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Gotham-History-York-City-1898/dp/0195140494/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262334804&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search], the best history; Pulitzer prize
* Caro, Robert. ''The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York.'' (1973) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0394720245/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link excerpt and text search]
* Jackson, Kenneth, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of New York City'' (1995), the best reference book; 1350pp; [http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-New-York-City/dp/0300055366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240594479&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Jackson, Kenneth and Sam Roberts, eds. ''The Almanac of New York City'' (2008)
* Kessner, Thomas. ''Fiorello H. LaGuardia and the Making of Modern New York'' (1989) the most detailed standard scholarly biography
* Slayton, Robert A. ''Empire Statesman: The Rise and Redemption of Al Smith,'' (2001), 480pp, the standard scholarly biography; [http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Statesman-Rise-Redemption-Smith/dp/1416567771/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196822024&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]

==References==
*[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html Information Please - Top 50 Cities in the U.S.]
<references/>

[[Category:New York Cities and Towns]]
[[Category:New York City]]
[[category:Urban History]]

Gulf of Mexico oil spill

2012-03-07T22:07:31Z

MorrisF: /* The Obama plan */ removing liberal defense of Obama's actions

[[File:Dispersants spraying.jpg|right|300px|thumb|President Obama directed the [[United States Coast Guard]] to dump [[toxic]] disperants into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] despite known health hazards to humans and wildlife. [http://www.oilspillupdates.com/oil-spill-videos/obama-oil-spill-bill-on-bp-chem-spray-to-save-nature/http://www.oilspillupdates.com/oil-spill-videos/obama-oil-spill-bill-on-bp-chem-spray-to-save-nature/] ]]The '''Gulf of Mexico oil spill''' began on 20 April 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling rig operated by [[BP]] (known as British Petroleum until 2000) exploded and sank.<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/gulf-of-mexico-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-2010-4 Here's The Questions You Should Be Asking About The Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill]</ref> Oil began leaking at a rate eventually estimated at 2.5 million gallons per day, resulting in massive environmental degradation.<ref>[http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hSaoIddZwUtk-BTcIDuy6AjaHwSgD9GBV0GO0 Scientists: Oil leaking up to 2.52M gallons daily]</ref> The federal government reported that 206 million gallons of crude oil leaked before the spill was stopped on July 15.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38557520/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf Disaster in the Gulf]</ref> The blowout killed eleven workers. Despite the known [[toxic]]ity of the dispersant Corexit, the [[Obama administration]] dumped millions of gallons of the hazardous chemical into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] with C-130 aircraft provided by the [[U.S. Coast Guard]]<ref>http://vodpod.com/watch/3962219-confirmed-corexit-being-sprayed-from-coast-guard-planes</ref>and the [[Air Force]].<ref>http://bpoilslick.blogspot.com/2010/07/us-air-force-sprays-corexit-from-plane.html</ref>

On 31 March 2010 [[President Obama]] announced a plan for exploitation of offshore oil reserves during a speech at Andrews Air Force Base outside [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/user/AssociatedPress#p/u/6/mA7RAfHN-wo Obama Lifts Ban on Offshore Drilling,] ''[[Associated Press]],'' 31 March 2010. Retrieved from [[Youtube]] 9 May 2010.</ref> The President's actions have been labeled, "a decision to endanger our coastal [[ecosystem]]s with the risk of catastrophic oil spills."<ref>[http://members.greenpeace.org/blog/greenpeaceusa_blog/2010/04/30/president_obama_committed_to_endangering President Obama must reinstate moratorium on offshore drilling,] [[Greenpeace]] USA blogs, 30 Apr 2010.</ref> Defending the decision, the President remarked,
{{cquote|'''oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills. They are technologically very advanced."<ref>White House Press Release, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-a-discussion-jobs-and-economy-charlotte-north-carolina Remarks by the President in a Discussion on Jobs and the Economy in Charlotte, North Carolina,] Office of the Press Secretary, April 02, 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 3 May 2010.</ref><ref>Video: [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/04/29/flashback_obama_says_oil_rigs_today_dont_generally_cause_spills.html Obama Says "Oil Rigs Today Don't Generally Cause Spills"], 2 April 2010. Retrieved from RealClearPolitics.com 12 May 2010.</ref>}}

Since taking office the [[Obama administration]] approved 346 oil drilling plans without securing permits required by law from the [[federal]] agency that assesses environmental impacts.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/us/14agency.html?partner=rss&emc=rss U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits,] Ian Urbina, ''New York Times'', 13 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.</ref> [[President Barack Obama]] has been widely criticized for an unprepared and bungled response, most notably from former supporters.
 

As of 15 July 2010 BP announced that the gushing well had been successfully capped. As of 4 August the government reported that only 26% of the originally leaked oil could be located in the Gulf.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38557520/ns/disaster_in_the_gulf Disaster in the Gulf]</ref>

==The Obama plan ==
[[File:OCS Eastern Gulf of Mexico Strategy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Map of expanded areas of offshore oil drilling authorized by President Obama on 31 March 2010.<ref>[http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/2010/04/01/obama-offshore-oil-drilling-details.htm Obama Offshore Oil Drilling Details,] 1 April 2010. Retrieved from About.com Guide to US Government Info 16 May 2010.</ref> ''Source: United States Department of Interior.'']]
Obama called for expanded development and production throughout the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. The [[Department of Interior]]'s [[Minerals Management Service]] (MMS) estimates that the Gulf of Mexico contains 36-41.5 billion barrels of oil and 161-207 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resources. According a DOI press release, Obama's plan would "expand oil and gas development and exploration" while "protecting fisheries, [[tourism]], and places off U.S. coasts that are not appropriate for development."<ref>[http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/2010_03_31_release.cfm Department of Interior Press Release,] 31 March 2010.</ref>

The ''[[Associated Press]]'' has reported on the role ex-government regulators play in [[lobby]]ing and influence; the chief of staff of the MSS's Gulf of Mexico region once stated that deep water drilling had "few or no regulations or standards."<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/a-2649320~INFLUENCE_GAME__Govt_regulators_hired_by_companies.html INFLUENCE GAME: Govt regulators hired by companies,] Frederic J. Frommer, ''Associated Press'', 26 May 2010. Retrieved from examiner.com 26 May 2010.</ref> Two years later the senior official left his job in the MMS to work for BP.<ref>Ibid.</ref> During President Obama's first year in office, as BP's regulatory compliance and environmental manager, the ex-MMS official lobbied the U.S. Ocean Policy Task Force to "carefully weigh policies that may establish exclusionary zones" or "disrupt the MMS leasing program," according to a statement posted at whitehouse.gov.<ref>Influence Game, Frederic J. Frommer, ''Associated Press'', 26 May 2010.</ref> He further stated that BP wanted access to off-limit areas such as the eastern [[Gulf of Mexico]]<ref>Ibid.</ref> which President Obama approved in March 2010.

Total U.S. offshore [[crude oil]] production in 2009 was 1.7 million barrels a day, of which 1.6 million barrels a day came from the U.S. section of the Gulf of Mexico.<ref>[http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/info_glance/petroleum.html Energy Information Administration.]</ref>

According to the ''New York Times'', President Obama "said several times during his [[Barack Hussein Obama 2008 Presidential campaign|presidential campaign]] that he supported expanded offshore drilling. He noted in his [[State of the Union]] address<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/Executive/State-of-the-Union.aspx Barack Obama State of the Union Address 2010]. Retrieved from [[C-SPAN]].org 15 May 2010.</ref> in January [2010] that weaning the country from imported oil would require “tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development.”<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/science/earth/31energy.html Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time,] John M. Broder, ''[[New York Times]]'', March 30, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/03/obama_clears_way_for_oil_drill.html Obama clears way for oil drilling off U.S. coasts], Associated Press, March 31, 2010, Retrieved from nola.com 8 May 2010.</ref>

When questioned about the Obama regulators "cozy relationship" with oil companies the president responded, "absolutely I take responsibility for that."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-gulf-oil-spill Remarks by President Obama on the Gulf Oil Spill,] Office of the Press Secretary, 27 May 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 29 May 2010.</ref>
=== Obama administration asks Court to allow BP drilling in the Gulf of Mexico ===

Less than four months after [[President Barack Obama]] took office a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. found that the U.S. Government was unprepared for a major spill at sea, relying on an "irrational" environmental analysis of the risks of offshore drilling. The Obama administration urged the court to revisit the decision. In its arguments to the court, the Obama administration said that the loss of royalties on the oil, estimated at almost $10 billion, "may have significant financial consequences for the federal government."

Among the existing leases was the Lease Sale #206. That deal included BP's acquisition, for $34 million, of the acreage encompassing the Deep Water Horizons well.

A day after the administration's petition, the industry's main lobbying group, the American Petroleum Institute, made its own case echoing the government's arguments. "The significance of [Gulf of Mexico] activities under the five-year program cannot be overstated," the API argued.

Secretary [[Ken Salazar]] expressed confidence that problems within the [[Minerals Management Service]] that led to poor oversight of offshore drilling were resolved. In September 2009, in testimony before the House Natural Resources Committee, Salazar listed steps he had taken to make sure problems "don't occur in the future."

In [[Senate]] hearings held in mid-November 2009, Obama MMS Deputy Director Walter Cruickshank assured the Committee panel fears of containing a catastrophic blowout were misplaced, saying the U.S. had "what we believe is the most aggressive oil spill contingency planning...in the world."<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704699604575342843359124882.html</ref>

=== Approval of BP's response plan ===
The [[Obama administration]] accepted and approved BP's regional oil spill response plan for the [[Gulf of Mexico]] dated 30 June 2009<ref>[http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1351 Did anyone actually read BP's oil spill response plan?] Walruses and Seals, Non-Existent Equipment Lists and Other Fanciful References, 27 May 2010. Retrieved from peer.org 19 June 2010.</ref> and covered all the company’s operations in the Gulf. The plan lists
:*“Sea Lions, Seals, Sea Otters [and] [[Walrus]]es” as “Sensitive Biological Resources” in the Gulf, suggesting that portions were cribbed from previous [[Arctic]] exploratory planning;
:* Gives a web site for a [[Japan]]ese home shopping site as the link to one of its “primary equipment providers for BP in the Gulf of Mexico Region [for] rapid deployment of spill response resources on a 24 hour, 7 days a week basis;” and
:* Directs its media spokespeople to never make “promises that [[property]], [[ecology]], or anything else will be restored to normal.”<ref>http://www.mms.gov/DeepwaterHorizon/BP_Regional_OSRP_Redactedv2.pdf</ref>

The government approved plan made no mention about tracking sub-surface oil plumes from deepwater blowouts or preventing [[disease]] ([[virus]]es, [[bacteria]], etc.) transmission to captured [[animal]]s in rehabilitation facilities.

=== British Petroleum ===
During the first 100 days of the [[Obama administration]], the Minerals Management Service ([[MMS]]) of the [[Department of the Interior]] granted a “categorical exclusion” from a detailed environmental impact statement required under [[law]]<ref>[http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/nepa/nepaeqia.htm The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended.]</ref> to BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling operation, according to the ''[[Washington Post]].''<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050404118.html U.S. exempted BP's Gulf of Mexico drilling from environmental impact study,] Juliet Eilperin, ''Washington Post,'' 5 May 2010.</ref> BP's exploration plan received in the Administration's MMS field office on 23 March 2009 states "no mitigation measures other than those required by regulation and BP policy will be employed to avoid, diminish or eliminate potential impacts on environmental resources." It declared any spill would have only "sub-lethal" effects on fish and marine [[mammal]]s but it was "unlikely that an accidental oil spill would occur from the proposed activities."<ref>http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/documents/initial_exploration_plan050410.pdf</ref>

As Senator, and while running for president, [[Barack Obama]] received a total of $77,051 from BP<ref>http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/BP?view=detail&siteid=nwhwk</ref> and has taken more money from BP's [[Political Action Committee]] and individuals connected with BP over the past 20 years than any other candidate, according to [[FEC]] disclosure records.<ref>[http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0505/obama-biggest-recipient-bp-political-action-money-20-years Obama is biggest recipient of BP’s political action cash in the last 20 years,] John Byrne, 5 May 2010. Retrieved from rawstory.com 9 May 2010.</ref> Likewise, the independent watchdog Center for Responsive Politics noted, "the “top recipient of BP-related donations during the 2008 cycle was President Barack Obama himself.”<ref>Jake Tapper, Political Punch, [[ABC News]], 5 May 2010. [http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/05/white-house-idea-that-bp-given-special-exemption-because-of-campaign-cash-to-obama-silly-and-ridiculous.html?cid=6a00d8341c4df253ef0134807669a3970c]</ref><ref>http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/04/on-thursday-oil-giant-bp.html</ref>
[[File:Bp-obama-logo.jpg|right|225px|thumb|Obama approved drilling permits for BP without the statutory requirement to file an environmental impact assessment,<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/us/14agency.html?partner=rss&emc=rss U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits,] Ian Urbina, ''New York Times'', 13 May 2010.</ref> the handling of spills in a worst-case scenario,<ref>[http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/bp-exempted-05-05-2010.html Interior Department Exempted BP Drilling From Environmental Review]: In Rush to Expand Offshore Oil Drilling, Interior Secretary Salazar Abandoned Pledge to Reform
Industry-dominated Mineral Management Service. Press Release, Center for Biological Diversity, 5 May 2010. Retrieved from www.biologicaldiversity.org, 30 May 2010.</ref> and fostered a cozy relationship between government and the oil industry.<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10745153 Govt Regulators Hired by Companies, Influence Game: Drilling regulators move from government to industry through revolving door,] Frederic J. Frommer, ''Associated Press'', 26 May 2010. Retrieved from abcnews.go.com 30 May 2010.</ref> No other candidate took more money from BP in the past two decades than Obama received in only six years.<ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36783.html Obama biggest recipient of BP cash,] Erika Lovley, 5 May 2010. Retrieved from Politico.com 30 May 2010.</ref>]]
Talk show personality Ed Schultz of [[MSNBC]] reiterated a call for campaign finance reform as a result of Barack Obama's ties to BP and the government's response.<ref>[http://www.mrc.org/biasalert/2010/20100602102656.aspx MSNBC's Schultz Draws Bizarre Connection Between Oil Spill and Campaign Finance Reform.] Alex Fitzsimmons, Media Research Center, 2 June 2010.</ref>

Transocean, owner of the Deepwater Horizons drilling rig leased to BP, was the recipient of the Obama [[Mineral Management Service]]'s, ''Safety Award for Excellence''.<ref>[http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=66303 Democratic Leader Hoyer Doesn’t Know Whether Obama Administration was Prepared for Oil Spill,] Matt Cover, CNSNews.com, May 20, 2010.</ref><ref>MMS Thought Deepwater Horizon was Award-Winningly SAFE, The Project on Government Oversight, Exposing Government Corruption, 29 April 2010.</ref> On 30 April 2010 Transocean's stock fell after [[President Obama]]’s chief strategist, [[David Axelrod]], made comments nine days into the disaster and the [[government]] raised estimates to more than fives times of what had previously been reported about how much oil was leaking into the [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-30/transocean-drops-after-axelrod-comments-on-drilling-update2-.html Transocean Drops After Axelrod Comments on Drilling,] Edward Klump, ''Bloomberg Business Week'', 30 April 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.</ref>

It has been reported in the [[finance|financial]] press that among owners of BP<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/story/obama-aims-at-bp-hits-state-pensions-2010-06-09 President Obama's ramped up rhetoric over the BP oil spill is beginning to have an effect,] ''MarketWatch, 9 June 2010.</ref> are
*New Jersey Division of Investment (51 million shares)
*California Public Employees Retirement System (36 million shares)
*Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System (7.1 million shares)
*Teachers Retirement System of Alabama (4.5 million shares)
*Employees Retirement System of Texas (4.1 million shares)
*Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (1.1 million shares)
*Illinois State Board of Investment (1.1 million shares)<ref>In 1990 Barack Obama took a job with the Law Firm of Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland ([http://articles.latimes.com/2008/apr/06/nation/na-obamalegal6 Obama's lawyer days: brief and not all civil rights,] Dan Morain, ''Los Angeles Times'' 2008-04-06). Allison S. Davis, a senior partner in the firm, went into business with [[Chicago]] slumlord [[Tony Rezko]]. Davis was appointed to the Illinois State Board of Investment by Governor [[Rod Blagojevich]] at Rezko's request in 2003. ([http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/644511 How reform-minded City Hall critic became a cozy insider,] Tim Novak, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', 2007-11-11).</ref>
*Indiana Public Employees' Retirement Fund (0.7 million shares)
*Washington State Investment Board (1.2 million shares)
*United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (21.9 million shares).

BP was found [[Negligence|wilfully negligent]] during the [[Bush administration]] in a [[Texas]] refinery explosion incident, and was assessed $108 million in fines - the highest workplace safety fines in U.S. history.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/16/60minutes/main6490197_page5.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody Blowout: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster,] ''[[60 Minutes]]'', 16 May 2010. Retrieved from cbsnews.com, 2 June 2010.</ref>

=== Nalco and Corexit ===
[[File:Dermatitis4.jpg|right|375px|thumb|Dermatitis is one immediate health concern<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/28/bp-gulf-oil-spill-pollution Gulf oil spill is public health risk, environmental scientists warn,] Suzanne Goldenberg, ''[[Guardian (uk)]]'', 28 May 2010.</ref> of the [[Obama administration]]'s decision to use [[toxic]] substances to disperse the visibility of the spill.
[http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CB4QFjAD&url=http://www.chemie.uni-regensburg.de/Physikalische_Chemie/Kunz/student/Uebung_Formulierung/Clark_presentation.pdf&rct=j&q=photo+dermatitis+corexit&ei=qn0ITPGEM-qXlAfeo8TSAQ&usg=AFQjCNHp_FTjbxFEzZI4o9iMcapG_kFO3Q&sig2=zxmIoVnIi2vekrq3WB6ztA]Residents, cleanup workers, and tourists alike may be affected. [http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=31005&news_channel_id=145&channel_id=145] ]]
Nalco of Naperville, Illinois formed a joint venture with Exxon Chemical in 1994 and the company's current leadership includes several executives from BP. Nalco reported it sold in excess of $40 million to BP of its dispersant, Corexit, shortly after the [[Gulf of Mexico]] oil spill disaster.

Of 18 dispersants approved by the [[Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA), 12 were found to be more effective on southern [[Louisiana]] crude than Corexit, EPA data show.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/business/energy-environment/13greenwire-less-toxic-dispersants-lose-out-in-bp-oil-spil-81183.html Less Toxic Dispersants Lose Out in BP Oil Spill Cleanup,]
Paul Quinlan, ''Greenwire'', May 13, 2010. Retrieved from nytimes.com 25 May 2010.</ref> Two of the 12 were found to be 100 percent effective on [[Gulf of Mexico]] crude, whereas two Corexit products rated only 56 percent and 63 percent effective.<ref>Ibid.</ref> The [[toxic]]ity of the other 12 was shown to be in some cases 10 or 20 times less than Corexit, according to the EPA.<ref>Ibid.</ref> "It's a chemical that the oil industry makes to sell to itself, basically," said Richard Charter, a senior policy adviser for Defenders of Wildlife.<ref>Ibid.</ref>

Corexit was found to be one of the most toxic dispersal agents ever developed.<ref>''Acute Aquatic Toxicity of Three Corexit Products: An Overview'', Anita George-Ares and James R. Clark. Report prepared for Exxon Biomedical Sciences.</ref> With seasonal warming of water temperature the toxicity grows. Corexit is banned in the [[United Kingdom]] due to [[environment]]al concerns.<ref>[http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/05/epa-bp-dispersants Why Is the EPA Letting BP Use Dirty Dispersants?], Kate Sheppard, ''Mother Jones'', 19 May 19 2010.</ref> The Obama EPA gave BP the green light to apply Corexit to the spill.<ref>Ibid.</ref> At the Congressional hearing investigating the Gulf oil spill disaster, [[Democratic]] Representative Jerrold Nadler of [[New York]] raised the prospect of "thousands and thousands of people getting sick or dying" as a result of the administration's sanctioned use of the dispersant.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/science/earth/28workers.html Worry About Dispersant Rises as Men in Work Crew Complain of Health Problems,] Leslie Kaufman and Elizabeth Rosenthal, ''New York Times'', 27 May 2010.</ref> Critics allege use of dispersants like Corexit are largely for cosmetic purposes. Nalco has been a frequent contributor to the campaign of Sen. [[Mary Landrieu]]<ref>http://saveourwetlands.org/index-landrieu.html/</ref> of Louisiana.<ref>http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/fec/?id=273&cycle=2007-2008</ref>

== Deepwater Horizon ==
[[File:Deepwater Horizon Fire.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, April 21, 2010 (U.S. Coast Guard)]]
On [[Earth Day]] 2010, a BP-leased oil drilling rig sank to the bottom of the [[Gulf of Mexico]] two days after it exploded, creating what has been described as the "worst environmental disaster in [[American History Lectures|US history]]."<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/x-33986-Political-Spin-Examiner~y2010m4d29-Worst-environmental-disaster-in-US-history-Oil-slick-in-Gulf-of-Mexico-is-set-on-fire Worst environmental disaster in US history,] Maryann Tobin, ''Examiner'', April 29, 2010.</ref> [[Secretary of the Interior]] [[Ken Salazar]] told [[CNN]] "It potentially is catastrophic," and "I think we have to prepare for the worst."<ref>[http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/gulf-oil-spill:-impossible-to-measure-impact-of-%22unprecedented-environmental-disaster%22-477603.html?tickers=BP,HAL,CAM,RIG,XLE,OIL,USO Gulf Oil Spill: Impossible to Measure Impact of "Unprecedented Environmental Disaster",] Aaron Task, May 03, 2010. Retrieved from Yahoo Finance 12 May 2010.</ref><ref>[http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/02/salazar-oil-spill-massive-and-a-potential-catastrophe/ Salazar: Oil spill 'massive' and a potential catastrophe,] [[CNN]], 3 May 2010.</ref>

Congressional investigators think they have identified the rigs blowout preventer as the cause of the explosion. <ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703339304575240323493707434.html Congress Homes In on Rig's Blowout Preventer,] Ben Casselman and Jennifer Levitz, ''Wall Street Journal Online,'' 13 May 2010.</ref> The blowout preventer was leaking hydraulic fluid, had a dead battery,<ref>Ibid.</ref> and was inspected by the Obama [[Minerals Management Service]] (MMS) only two weeks before to the explosion<ref>White House Press Office, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/press-briefing-bp-oil-spill-gulf-coast Press Briefing on the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf Coast,] 29 April 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 12 May 2010.</ref> which killed 11 people. [[Amy Goodman]], a [[leftist]] radio talk show host, has suggested those responsible should be [[prosecute]]d for [[manslaughter]].<ref>[http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/law_order_corporate_crime_unit_20100518/ Law & Order,] Amy Goodman, 18 May 2010. Retrieved from truthdigg.com 30 May 2010.</ref>

Blowout preventers are meant to shut off the well, and the last line of defense is a set of shear rams which cut the pipe and seal off the well.<ref>Congress Homes In on Rig's Blowout Preventer, Ben Casselman and Jennifer Levitz, ''WSJ Online,'' 13 May 2010.</ref> The MMS, the [[Obama administration]] agency that regulates offshore drilling along with the Coast Guard, is supposed to require proof that shear rams are powerful enough to shut the well. Michael Saucier, MMS's regional supervisor testified before Congress that the MMS did not require BP to file a "scenario for potential blowout."<ref>Ibid.</ref> The MMS certified that BP "has the capacity to respond, to the maximum extent practicable, to a worst-case discharge, or a substantial threat of such a discharge."<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/29/gulf-oil-spill-exceeds-bp_n_556798.html</ref>

A May 2010 Inspector General's report revealed at least two MMS regulatory inspectors admitted to being under the influence of the [[illegal drug]] [[methamphetamine]] while on the job.<ref>[http://www.wusf.usf.edu/news/2010/05/25/drugs_free_football_tickets_and_porn_at_minerals_management_service Drugs, Free Football Tickets and Porn at Minerals Management Service,] 25 May 2010. Retrieved from wusf.usf.edu 26 May 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.tgdaily.com/business-and-law-features/49932-us-bureaucrats-smoked-crystal-meth-watched-porn-as-bp-oil-rig-blew US bureaucrats smoked crystal meth, watched porn as BP oil rig blew,] Starr Keshet, 25 May 2010. Retrieved from tgdaily.com 26 May 2010.</ref>

==Environmental disaster ==
[[File:Oil slick map.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Projections of the flow of the spill over the summer of 2010. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37497578/ns/local_news-new_york_ny/] ]]
On 29 April 2010 oil began washing ashore in Plaquemines Parish, [[Louisiana]]; four weeks later local leaders still were begging [[President Obama]] for federal assistance in responding to the disaster which was overtaking hundreds of miles of shoreline.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/26/gulf.oil.spill.plaquemines/index.html Plaquemines Parish president blasts federal response to oil spill,] CNN, 26 May 2010.</ref>

Crude oil has washed into marshes, estuaries and onto beaches in [[Mississippi]] and [[Alabama]]. Wildlife has been killed and efforts are underway to save oil-coated
birds. Without capping the well [[Florida]]'s Everglades may be turned into a "dead zone." Scientists expect currents to carry the oil slick to the eastern seaboard of the [[United States]], fouling beaches and estuaries like the [[Chesapeake Bay]] and fishing grounds of the Grand Banks off [[Newfoundland]].

=== Silverfish ===

Most scientists agree that Corexit 9500 will have a much larger biological effect when it reaches coastal areas teeming with wildlife.<ref>Toxic Oil Dispersant Used in Gulf Despite Better Alternative, Brandon Keim, ''Wired Science,'' 5 May 2010.</ref> Many species are being threatened at a crucial time in their life cycle.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2818588720100428 FACTBOX-Possible environmental impact of Gulf oil spill,] ''[[Reuters]]'', 28 April 2010.</ref> In testing done by the U.S. [[Environmental Protection Agency]] the dispersant Corexit 9500 was found to be extremely lethal to silverfish, a benchmark [[organism]] in [[toxic]]ity testing.<ref>Toxic Oil Dispersant Used in Gulf Despite Better Alternative, Brandon Keim, ''Wired Science,'' 5 May 2010.</ref>

=== Gulf menhaden ===

Gulf menhaden are a [[specie]]s harvested mostly for fish meal and fish oil. Menhaden could be badly affected
by the spill.

=== Coral, oyster and shrimp ===

Corals, oyster and shrimp likewise are critically affected. Richard Charter, a foremost expert on marine biology and oil spills who is a senior policy advisor for Marine Programmes for Defenders of Wildlife and is chairman of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council has said, “There is a [[chemical]] [[toxic]]ity to the dispersant compound that in many ways is worse than oil,” which "in so doing you may be more seriously damaging the ecosystem offshore.”<ref>Chemical dispersants seem to be keeping oil from Gulf shore, but results may range from simply cosmetic to very toxic. Retreived from Belona.org 15 May 2010.</ref> Shrimp were found to be extremely vulnerable to the lethal effects of the chemical dispersant Corexit 9500 used by [[Obama administration]] disaster relief agencies and BP in testing done by the [[Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA).<ref>Toxic Oil Dispersant Used in Gulf Despite Better Alternative, Brandon Keim, ''Wired Science,'' 5 May 2010.</ref>

=== Brown pelican ===
[[File:Dead birds and sea turtles.jpg|right|325px|thumb|Dead birds and sea turtles. ]]
The [[Louisiana]] state bird, the Brown Pelican, was removed from protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2009. The Obama administration approved BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig without the proper environmental impact assessment (EIA) required by law. The disaster occurred just as breeding season commenced.

=== Other bird species ===

Other species endangered by the oil spill are American oystercatcher and Wilson's plover.

=== Sea turtles ===

As several species of sea turtles move through the Gulf during their spring nesting season, they need to surface to breathe.

=== Toxic oil spill rain ===
A report prepared by the [[Russia]]n Ministry of Natural Resources warned that the leaking [[crude oil]] into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] is about to become the worst [[environment]]al catastrophe in all of human history, threatening the entire eastern half of [[North America]] with “total destruction.” Russian scientists based the assessment on the use of millions of gallons of the government approved chemical dispersant Corexit.

The Russian scientists outlined that Corexit, with its 2.61ppm [[toxic]]ity level, combined with the seasonal warming of Gulf of Mexico waters, the [[molecule]]s will be able to “phase transition” from their present [[liquid]] to a gaseous state allowing them to be absorbed into clouds and released as “toxic rain” upon all of Eastern North America.

The scientists warned should a [[Hurricane Katrina]] like storm form in the Gulf while tens of millions of gallons of Corexit are floating on or near the surface, the resulting “toxic rain” falling upon the North American continent could “theoretically” destroy all microbial life to any depth it reaches resulting in an “unimaginable environmental catastrophe” destroying all kinds of life forms.<ref>[http://www.eutimes.net/2010/05/toxic-oil-spill-rains-warned-could-destroy-north-america/ Toxic oil spill rains warned could destroy North America,'] EUTimes, 24 May 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2010.</ref>

== The response ==

Initially [[Department of Homeland Security]] and the [[U.S. Coast Guard]] reported on 23 April 2010 there was no leak from the sunken oil rig.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-23-deepwater-horizon_N.htm Coast Guard: No oil leaking from sunken rig,] Rick Jervis, ''[[USA TODAY]]'', 23 April 2010.</ref> The next day the [[Obama administration]] officially estimated a leak from the sunken well at 1000 barrels per day.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/24/oil-rig-deepwater-horizon_0_n_550849.html Oil Rig, Deepwater Horizon, Leaking Into Gulf Of Mexico,] Cain Burdeau, 4 April 2010. Retrieved from the ''[[Huffington Post]],'' 15 May 2010.</ref> The ''[[Associated Press]]'' reported it took nine days after the explosion and the tragic loss of 11 workers lives before Obama made public commenta and acknowledged the disaster<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100509/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_gulf_oil_spill_obama_s_response Obama oil response: aggressive as crisis unfolded,] ,H. Josef Hebert and Erica Werner, ''Associated Press'', 9 May 2010. Retrieved from news.yahoo.com 2 June 2010.</ref> and appointed a national incident commander.<ref>http://wallstcheatsheet.com/breaking-news/a-timeline-of-the-bp-oil-spill-crisis-pics/?p=10743/</ref>

BP's stock fell<ref>[http://in.reuters.com/article/idINLDE63S0HR20100429 European shares turn negative; BP falls,] ''Reuters'' 29 April 2010.</ref> on news of the "the worsening oil spill. " Administration estimates were raised to 5000 barrels per day.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/us/29spill.html Size of Spill in Gulf of Mexico Is Larger Than Thought,] Campbell Robertson and Leslie Kaufman, ''New York Times,'' 28 April 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2010.</ref>
=== U.S. Government dumps toxic dispersants into the Gulf of Mexico ===
[[File:Bp-oil-spill-cam234234.jpg|left|275px|thumb|After President Obama's approval of the Deepwater Horizon's drilling rig permit and regulatory failures costing 11 workers their lives, the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico continued unabated for 86 days.]]
''Wired Science'' reports the [[Obama administration]] disaster-relief agencies are using a toxic chemical to disperse oil in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster. Use of dispersants are said to be a public relations strategy.<ref>[http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/05/gulf-dispersants/ Toxic Oil Dispersant Used in Gulf Despite Better Alternative,] Brandon Keim, 5 May 2010. Retrieved from ''Wired Science'' 15 May 2010.</ref> Secretary [[Janet Napolitano]] of the [[Department of Homeland Security]] acknowledged<ref>[http://www.oilspillupdates.com/oil-spill-videos/obama-oil-spill-bill-on-bp-chem-spray-to-save-nature/ Obama: Oil spill bill on BP, Chem spray to save nature,] Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Updates, 04th May 2010. Retrieved from oilspillupdates.com 29 May 2010.</ref> the U.S government was dumping toxic chemicals from [[C-130]] cargo aircraft onto the spill.<ref>[http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-05-02/news/os-oil-disaster-chemical-cleanup-20100502_1_dispersant-spill-crude Oil-spill disaster: Chemicals used in cleanup add to toxic mix,] Kevin Spear, ''Orlando Sentinel,'' 2 May 2010.</ref> Jackie Savitz of the ocean-conservation group Oceana stated the use of dispersants is only slightly less horrendous than the Gulf oil spill itself. "You're basically pouring chemicals into the ocean, which is never a good thing."<ref>Ibid.</ref> According to a 2009 [[Environmental Protection Agency]] report dispersants have not been used in the United State prior to the Obama administration's approval at BP'S request "because of possible long-term environmental effects, difficulties with timely and effective application, disagreement among [[scientist]]s and research data about their environmental effects, effectiveness, and [[toxic]]ity concerns" and the effects "are still unknown."<ref>Ibid.</ref> Residents in areas close to the oil spill have reported odors and symptoms such as [[headache]]s, dizziness, [[nausea]], eye irritation, and respiratory problems.<ref>[http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/gsolomon/gulf_oil_spill_air_quality_upd.html Gulf Oil Spill Air Quality,] Gina Solomon, 24 May 2010. Retrieved from Natural Resources Defense Council Staff Blog, 3 June 2010.</ref>

=== Disregard for worker safety ===
[[File:Cleaup300.jpg|right|275px|thumb|Cleanup workers exposed to the Obama adminsitration's decision to use known [[toxic]] substances to disperse the spill. Critics allege dispersants are ineffective and largely for cosmetic purposes. ]]
The ''[[Guardian (uk)]]'' has reported the controversy over Corexit exposes the [[Obama administration]] to criticism that its scientific agencies have been too accommodating to BP's strategy. In addition to the use of Corexit, the Obama [[Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) came under fire for withholding test results on the toxicity of the water close to shore.<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/20/gulf-oil-spill-chemical-dispersant</ref>

The dispersant 2-BE is known to cause heath dangers to clean up workers<ref>http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/gsolomon/oil_spill_clean-up_workers_get.html</ref> and wildlife alike.<ref>[http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2010/chem_dispersants_work_at_cost Chemical dispersants seem to be keeping oil from Gulf shore, but results may range from simply cosmetic to very toxic.] Retrieved from Belona.org 15 May 2010.</ref> 2-BE has been documented to cause the breakdown of [[red blood cell]]s, leading to blood in urine and feces, and can damage the kidneys, liver, spleen and [[bone marrow]] of humans – effects not included on the information sheet for workers.<ref>Ibid.</ref> The dispersant Corexit 9500 is associated with headaches, vomiting and reproductive problems as sides effects to clean-up workers.<ref>Ibid.</ref> Lawrence Duffy of the University of Alaska claims dispersants "are more a public relations measure than a preventive one. It has an effect on our psychology because we don't see the oil slick,"<ref>Ibid.</ref> though oil particles continue to do damage.<ref>Oil-spill disaster: Chemicals used in cleanup add to toxic mix, Kevin Spear, ''Orlando Sentinel,'' 2 May 2010.</ref>

=== Government mismanagement of relief efforts ===

Three weeks into the disaster [[National Public Radio]] reported the [[Obama administration]]'s official figures were still grossly underestimated<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126809525 Gulf Spill May Far Exceed Official Estimates,] Richard Harris, ''National Public Radio,'' 14 May 2010.</ref> and after the first month it was finally admitted the spill was nearly three times larger than earlier thought.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/us/28flow.html Estimates Suggest Spill Is Biggest in U.S. History,] Tom Zeller, Jr., ''New York Times'', 27 May 2010.</ref>

Federal officials did not begin burning the leaking oil off the surface of the water until one full week after the rig collapsed.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/live/2010/04/burning_should_have_started_a.html Burning should have started a week ago, former NOAA official says,] Ben Raines, ''Mobile Press-Register'', 29 April 2010.</ref> Louisiana Governor [[Bobby Jindal]] criticized [[President Obama]] for his slow response.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzEntQPr9OA</ref> ''The New York Times'' castigated the [[White House]] for delays and not moving quick enough, calling the evidence "damning" and declaring the Gulf oil spill a "huge disaster whose consequences might have been minimized with swifter action" from the [[Obama administration]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/opinion/01sat1.html Unanswered Questions on the Spill,] ''New York Times'' Editorial, 30 April 2010.</ref> One month into the spill, [[Democrat]]ic stalwarts [[James Carville]],<ref>[http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2521614/posts Is James Carville racist?], 26 May 2010. Retrieved from freerepublic.com 30 May 2010.</ref> [[Chris Matthews]],<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37632.html#ixzz0om46RhGH</ref> and Donna Brazile<ref>http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/99375-donna-brazile-calls-obamas-oil-spill-response-not-tough-enough</ref> criticized the inept and bungled response to the spreading catastrophe.
[[File:Finalisttransoce.jpeg|left|250px|thumb|Chris Oynes (left) of the Mineral Management Service presents Keelan Adamson (right) of Transocean the MMS's, ''Safety Award for Excellence'' (SAFE),<ref>http://www.mms.gov/awards/SAFEcriteria.htm</ref> at the MMS National Award luncheon, 7 May 2009.<ref>http://www.beaconmag.com/gomrigteamswinmm.html</ref> ''Source: Beacon magazine'']]
The [[White House]] lacked any type of plan to combat the disaster. [[U.S. House of Representatives|House]] Democratic Majority Leader [[Steny Hoyer]] publicly admitted that the [[Obama Administration]] was ill-prepared to deal with the situation. <ref>[http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2010/04/mms-thought-deepwater-horizon-was-awardwinningly-safe.html MMS Thought Deepwater Horizon was Award-Winningly SAFE,] The Project on Government Oversight, Exposing Government Corruption, 29 April 2010.</ref> While the disaster steadily grew, Obama did not discuss the crisis at length until he appeared at a photo op at Venice, Louisiana on 3 May 2010.<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126467960 Obama Says Oil Spill Damage Could Be Unprecedented,] Scott Horsley, [[NPR]], 3 May 2010.</ref> He would order a moratorium on all future deep sea oil platforms until they determine the problems associated with the current situation. As to be expected, Obama tries to remove himself from blame saying "the system failed", this despite the fact the he heads the system. Then he pointed fingers of blame at oil companies while taking an indirect jab at the Bush administration. <ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20005039-503544.html Angry Obama Seeks to Deflect Blame for Gulf Oil Spill Crisis, CBS, May 14, 2010]</ref>
{{cquote|For too long, for a decade or more, there has been a cozy relationship between the oil companies and the federal agency that permits them to drill. It seems as if permits were too often issued based on little more than assurances of safety from the oil companies. That cannot and will not happen anymore.}}
White House spokesman [[Robert Gibbs]] did his best to put a good spin on the disaster claiming the response was "comprehensive and fast." Meanwhile, the [[Democrat]]-led Congress ordered public hearings from oil executives. President Obama blamed others saying the answers from oil executives were a "ridiculous spectacle," "You had executives of BP and Transocean and Halliburton falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else." <ref>[http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/burning_rig_of_fire_VkeuMCffwTUd9IBS7gUV7K?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz0oWm4u9zQ New look at Gulf oil spill as cleanup continues, NYPost, May 15, 2010]</ref> As the disaster progressed and questions arose over the government's misreporting and withholding<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/bp-feds-withheld-videos-showing-massive-scope-oil/story?id=10819367 BP and Feds Withheld Videos Showing Massive Scope of Oil Spill:] Coast Guard Told Public Not to 'Fixate' On Rate of Spill While Sitting On Video, Brian Ross, Matthew York, and Avni Patel, ABC News, 3 June 2010.</ref> of information from the [[public]] about the true dimensions of the calamity, the ''[[Associated Press]]'' noted,
{{cquote|First [Obama] was going to make BP pay for the Gulf oil mess. Then he declared himself in charge. Now he's trying to find out 'whose ass to kick' and making clear he'd fire BP's chief if only he could.<ref>http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100608/D9G7C5U00.html</ref>}}
[[File:Energy Tax bill.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Estimated impact of Obama Energy Tax in job losses. Total job loss: 2.2 million. ''Source: National Black Chamber of Commerce'' [http://www.nationalbcc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=750:nbcc-study-generates-concerns-about-waxmanmarkey-climate-change-bill-costs-are-high-but-benefits-are-uncertain&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=7] ]]
=== Revitalizing cap and trade energy tax ===
:''Main article:'' '''[[Cap and trade]]'''
[[President Obama]] has been roundly criticized by [[Democrat]]s and [[Republican]]s alike for attempting to use the [[nation]]al tragedy to revitalized his failed Cap and Trade energy proposals. The Obama proposal, widely perceived as a job-killer tax increase, has stalled in the [[U.S. Senate]]. [[California]] Senator [[Dianne Feinstein]] has stated the climate bill "isn't going to stop the oil leak."<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/15/obamas-pitch-energy-speech-gulf-crisis-infuriates-republicans/ Obama Draws Bipartisan Criticism for Using Oil Spill to Push Energy Policy,] [[FOXNews]].com, 16 June 2010.</ref>

[[Environmentalist]]s want the President to push the program. Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund calls the opportunity "a political moment" to pass a carbon tax estimated to cost the average U.S. household $4300 per year.<ref>[http://blog.heritage.org/2009/05/15/the-4300-energy-tax/ The $4300 Energy Tax,] Nicolas Loris, 15 May 2009. Retrieved from Heritage.org, 19 June 2010.</ref>

Joel Benenson, who conducted polling for Obama’s presidential campaign, thinks the tax increase could pass, but wary Senate Democrats say otherwise. “There’s not a great call for it" said [[West Virginia]] Democratic Senator [[Jay Rockefeller]]. “It’s unrelated” to the immediate crisis in the Gulf noted Senator [[Ben Nelson]], Democrat from [[Nebraska]].<ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-16/democrats-say-climate-bill-lacks-momentum-after-spill-update3-.html Democrats Say Climate Bill Lacks Momentum After Spill,] Lisa Lerer and Simon Lomax, ''Bloomberg'', 16 June 2010. </ref>

=== Assistance of foreign governments ===
Nearly two-months after the disaster took place, the Obama administration decides to utilize the assistance offered by 17 countries, the U.N and the European Union. <ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/13/AR2010061304232.html After delays, [[U.S.]] begins to tap foreign aid for gulf oil spill, WaPo, June 14, 2010]</ref> International aid offers already accepted include two skimmers and 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) of boom from [[Mexico]], three sets of sweeping arm systems from the Netherlands and 1.86 miles (3.0 kilometers) of boom from Canada, the State Department said. The State Department noted that it has assisted BP in directly sourcing equipment and technical experts from around the world, including from Algeria, Australia, Bahrain, [[Brazil]], [[Canada]], China, Denmark, Latvia, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the [[United Kingdom]]. <ref>[http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20100615-275709/US-taps-into-foreign-assistance-for-Gulf-oil-spill US taps into foreign assistance for Gulf oil spill, Agence France-Presse, June 15, 2010]</ref>

===Public relations offensive===
Faced with declining poll numbers and a public relations calamity, [[President Obama]] took to the airwaves nearly 60 days into the spill. A ''New York Times'' Op-ed commented,
{{cquote|All we got from President Obama was a vague call for some sort of new energy policy. Plus a Gulf Coast Restoration Plan, an oil spill study commission, a reminder that the secretary of energy won a Nobel Prize in physics and 17 references to God, prayer, blessings or faith.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/opinion/17collins.html The Boring Speech Policy,] Gail Collins, ''New York Times'' Op-ed, 16 June 2010.</ref><ref>[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brad-wilmouth/2010/06/17/behar-laments-shocking-bush-obama-garofalo-slams-anti-intellectual-pr Behar Panel Sees '[[Bush]]-Like' and '[[Corporatist]]' [[Obama]], [[Janeane Garofalo|Garofalo]] Slams 'Anti-Intellectual' [[Prayer]],] Joy Behar Show, [[CNN]]. Retrieved from newsbusters.org, 20 June 2010.</ref>}}
Former speechwriter for President [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Chris Matthews]], chided the President after his address to the nation,
{{cquote|Ludicrous that he keeps saying [Secretary of Energy] [[Steven Chu|Chu]] has a [[Nobel prize]]. I'll barf if he does it one more time.<ref>[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/06/15/msnbc_trashes_obamas_address_compared_to_carter_i_dont_sense_executive_command.html MSNBC Trashes Obama's Address: Compared To Carter, "I Don't Sense Executive Command,"]. Retrieved from RealClearPolitics.com, 20 June 2010.</ref>}}

===Misrepresentation of evidence===
:'''Drilling moratorium based on junk science'''
The ''Washington Post'' reported in Novemeber 2010 the oil spill that damaged the Gulf of Mexico's reefs and wetlands also threatens to stain the [[Obama administration]]'s reputation for relying on [[science]] to guide policy. The [[Department of Interior]]'s concluded that the White House edited a drilling safety report in a way that made it [[false]]ly appear that scientists and experts backed the administration's six-month moratorium on new deep-water drilling. The editing changes by the [[White House]] resulted "in the implication that the moratorium recommendation had been peer reviewed." But it hadn't been. Outside scientists were asked only to review new safety measures for offshore drilling.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/10/AR2010111007479.html Critics say White House misconstrued spill data,] Dina Cappiello, ''Washington Post'', November 11, 2010.</ref>

In October 2010 the Presidential Oil Spill Commission said that the White House [[Office of Management and Budget]] delayed publication of a scientific report that forecast how much oil could reach the gulf's shores. The report said that [[President Obama]]'s energy adviser and [[Socialist International]] operative [[Carol Browner]],<ref>http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/12/obama-climate-czar-has-socialist-ties/</ref> mischaracterized on national TV a government analysis about where the oil went, saying it showed most of the oil was "gone." It also said Browner and the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Jane Lubchenco, contributed to the public's perception that the report was more exact than it was.

Academics, environmentalists and federal investigators have accused the administration since the April 2010 spill of downplaying scientific findings, misrepresenting data and misconstruing the opinions of experts it solicited.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/04/AR2010080407082.html Scientists question government team's report of shrinking gulf oil spill,] David A. Fahrenthold, ''Washington Post,'' August 5, 2010.</ref>

==Economic impacts==
[[File:Oilslick.png|right|275px|thumb| Oil slick map as of May 30, 2010.]]
The economic impact of the [[Gulf of Mexico]] oil drilling disaster will be large and devastating to several key industries, including fishing, tourism, and transportation.<ref>[http://www.ihsglobalinsight.com/Perspective/PerspectiveDetail18638.htm Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Gulf Coast Oil Spill,] Nariman Behravesh, 4 May 2010. Retrieved from ihsglobalinsights.com 8 May 2020.</ref>

The top commercial species in terms of value are shrimp ($367 million), menhaden ($64 million), oysters ($59 million), and blue crab ($38 million).<ref>National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Fisheries Economics of the United States, Silver Spring, MD, 2008.</ref> As of 25 May 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) closed 54,096 square miles to commercial and recreational fishing.<ref>http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.htm</ref> These areas are some of the richest fishing grounds in the Gulf of Mexico for major commercial species such as white shrimp, blue crab, and oysters.

===Employment in fishing===
The most immediate economic impact of the oil spill has been on the Gulf fishing<ref>http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/fishing-industry-hammered-by-gulf-oil-spill/41612D0E-B338-464D-A15E-5885B1D227D6</ref> industry. The number of [[job]]s at stake, which includes seafood processing and related wholesale and retail, is over 200,000 with related [[economic]] activity of $5.5 billion.<ref>[http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41262.pdf Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Selected Issues for Congress,] Curry L. Hagerty and Jonathan L. Ramseur, Congressional Research Service, 27 May 2010. (pdf p. 2.).</ref>

Dockside sales in [[Louisiana]] are approximately $660 million.<ref>National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Departtment of Commerce, [http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st5/publication/econ/2008/FEUS%202008%20ALL.pdf Fisheries Economics of the United States,] Silver Spring, MD, 2008. (pdf).</ref> Loses to the Louisiana fishing could be as high as $2.5 billion.<ref>http://www.marketwatch.com/story/insurers-brace-for-liability-hit-from-oil-spill-2010-05-05</ref>

===Employment in tourism===

The tourist industry employs 620,000 people who earn over $9 billion in wages in the Gulf of Mexico region. Analysts say [[Florida]] alone could lose $3 billion in tourism.<ref>[http://www.royalgazette.com/rg/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7da532730030019&sectionId=65 Insurance industry concern grows over oil spill liability,] Alistair Barr, ''Royal Press Gazette'', 6 May 2010.</ref>

In 2008, recreational anglers took 25.4 million fishing trips and spent over $12 billion on equipment and trips in the Gulf region.<ref>National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Fisheries Economics of the United States, Silver Spring, MD, 2008.</ref> Some of the most popular recreational species include snappers, several types of drum, sheepshead, and Spanish mackerel. Recreational fisheries support businesses such as charters, bait and tackle, and services such as restaurants and hotels.

In 2000, 21.9 million people visited Gulf beaches and accounted for 177.2 million beach days.<ref>Brent Ache, David Bylsma, and Kristen Crossett, et al., The Gulf of Mexico at a Glance, National Ocean Service, NOAA, A Tool for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and the American Public, Washington, DC, 2008. [http://gulfofmexicoalliance.org/pdfs/gulf_glance_1008.pdf pdf].</ref>

===Transportation===
The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA),<ref>[http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2010jun00034.html OMSA slams offshore drilling moratorium,] 3 June 2010. Retrieved from Marinelog.com, 19 June 2010.</ref> the national trade association for U.S. flag vessels in the energy sector, criticized the [[Obama administration]]'s moratorium on offshore drilling projects. 100,000 jobs were immediately affected by the president's decision as companies began cancelling contracts to carry supplies, forcing layoffs. "The industry has struggled to climb out of a severe economic downturn. The moratorium threatens any hope of recovery and creates the potential for economic hardship that could last a decade or longer," remarked OMSA President Ken Wells.

OMSA estimates that for every mariner who works on-board a vessel, there are nine other Americans working in shore-side jobs that support vessel operations. Beyond the vessel crew, the negative consequences of the moratorium could impact everyone from service technicians supporting everything from diesel engines to the air condition systems to the local grocer who supplies food for the boat's galley.

Offshore vessels are a major part of the tax base in many coastal communities. Gulf Coast state and local government revenues will also decrease due to lower [[income tax]] and [[sales tax]] collections.

Disruption of shipping traffic in and out of the Port of [[New Orleans]] will impact barge, container, and tanker traffic in the Mississippi Delta and along the [[Mississippi River]]. Prices of all types of commodities would affected.

=== Insurance industry ===

BP, the operator on the oil drilling lease with a 65% stake, insured itself, rather than buying coverage from insurance companies. Industry analysts estimate total costs related to the oil spill cleanup and damages could exceed $14 billion. <ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE6410IJ20100502 U.S. oil spill could bill could exceed $14 billion,] Tom Bergin, ''Reuters,'' 2 May 2010.</ref>

=== Lost revenue to state and local governments ===
:'''Louisiana'''
A Greater New Orleans study indicates the [[Obama administration]]'s moratorium could cost [[Louisiana]] as many as 22,000 jobs and more than $782 million in revenues.

With the average deepwater rig employing 230 workers with an average salary of $98,000, the study puts the tax revenue impact at $151 million if drilling were to resume within 18 months. Greater New Orleans President and CEO Michael Hecht says it’s difficult to be optimistic based on President Obama’s [[Oval Office]] address on 15 June 2010. President Obama's action “has the potential to turn an ecological tragedy into an economic calamity,” Hecht said.<ref>[http://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2010/06/16/study-moratorium-could-cost-up-to-22000-jobs-782m-in-lost-revenue/ Study: Moratorium could cost up to 22,000 jobs, $782M in lost revenue,] Greg LaRose, ''New Orleans City Business'', 16 June 2010.</ref> The study foresees in a worse case scenario the loss of more than 22,000 jobs, 3,450 of them directly tied to the operating rigs and 18,945 with indirect ties such as catering firms and other companies that serve U.S energy producers.

Fearing that the drilling moratorium "could exacerbate, rather than alleviate, the impacts of this spill upon both our [[economy]] and our [[environment]]," U.S. Senator [[Mary Landrieu]] wrote to President Obama on 11 June 2010.<ref>http://landrieu.senate.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases/06-11-2010-1.cfm</ref> Landrieu stated,
{{Cquote|more than 300,000 Louisianians are employed either directly or indirectly by the oil and gas industry. ..The immediate impacts to the economy are devastating enough: idling the 33 rigs currently permitted to drill in the deepwater Gulf would immediately impact [[employment]] for roughly 38,000 crewmen, deck hands, engineers, welders, ROV operators, caterers, helicopter pilots, and others who operate and service these vessels. That's like closing 12 large motor vehicle assembly plants in one state, all at once.}}

Lost state and local tax revenues will accrue at a rate between $8 million and $15 million a month. Federal royalty losses will be substantial and a significant drop in tolls collected for the Louisiana Highway 1 bridge at Leeville, the main artery to the Port Fourchon energy port is projected as well.
:'''Texas'''
The [[Texas]] state comptroller’s office reported collection of $2.3 billion in oil and natural gas production taxes in fiscal year 2009 and $4.1 billion in 2008. The tax revenue is used to repair roads and fund schools, among other state services. Although no official analysis of President Obama's decision to place a moratorium on offshore production has been compiled yet, the Texas comptroller’s office said it’s unclear how much of an impact the president's decision will have on state services. Experts warn the president's decision could threaten tens of thousands of jobs in the [[Houston]] area.<ref>[http://www.kvue.com/news/state/Deepwater-drilling-moratorium-threatens-Texas-tax-revenue-95848579.html Deepwater drilling moratorium threatens Texas' tax revenue,] Gabe Gutierrez, 8 June 2010. Retrieved from kvue.com, 20 June 2010.</ref>
:'''Alabama'''
Manufacturing jobs in [[Alabama]] are at risk as a result of [[President Obama]]'s actions, as no new orders for equipment are coming in.<ref>[http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=94652 NOIA Member Cos Feel Drilling Moratorium Impacts,] National Ocean Industries Association, 11 June 2010.</ref>

=== Increased dependency on foreign oil ===

[[New Jersey]] Democrat Senator [[Robert Menendez]] proposed a ban on new offshore drilling permits and submitted a bill that would retroactively raise the financial liability of BP from $75 million to $10 billion. <ref>[http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2010/05/senator-menendez-on-oil-spill-no-new-drilling-permits.html Senator Menendez on Oil Spill: No New Drilling Permits, ABCNews, May 12, 2010]</ref> Oklahoma [[Republican]] Senator [[James Inhofe]] successfully killed the bill saying it would reduce competition and shut down smaller independent oil companies in favor of larger companies.

=== Too big to fail ===
An oil industry trade publication<ref>[http://oilprice.com/Environment/Oil-Spills/The-Cover-up-BP-s-Crude-Politics-and-the-Looming-Environmental-Mega-Disaster.html The Cover-up: BP's Crude Politics and the Looming Environmental Mega-Disaster,] Wayne Madsen, 06 May 2010. Retrieved from oilprice.com 6 June 2010.</ref> reports [[President Obama]] and senior White House staff, as well as Interior Secretary [[Ken Salazar]], are working with BP on [[legislation]] that would raise the cap on [[liability]] for damage claims from those affected by the oil disaster from $75 million to $10 billion. However the disaster has the real potential of costing nearly $1 trillion. Critics point out that in the deal between Obama and BP, $10 billion is a drop in the bucket for a trillion dollar disaster. Talk is noted in government circles, including [[FEMA]], of the need to nationalize BP in order to compensate those who will ultimately be affected by the worst oil disaster in the history of the world, and BP would, if its assets were nationalized, be credited with almost a trillion dollars for compensation purposes.<ref>[http://www.infowars.com/the-cover-up-bps-crude-politics-and-the-looming-environmental-mega-disaster-2/ The Cover-up: BP's Crude Politics and the Looming Environmental Mega-Disaster,] Wayne Madsen, 06 May 2010. Retrieved from infowars.com 6 June 2010.</ref><ref>[http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/31/why_obama_should_put_bp_under_temporary_receiversh/ Why Obama Should Put BP Under Temporary Receivership,] [[Obama_doublespeak#Change|Robert Reich]], 31 May 2010. Retrieved from talkingpointsmemo.com, 6 June 2010.</ref>

After Obama charged [[Attorney General]] [[Eric Holder]] to investigate the disaster, BP establish a $20 billion extrajudicial fund managed by an Obama appointee.<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37574 Obama's Latest Shakedown,] David Limbaugh, ''Human Events'', 06/20/2010.</ref> Former [[CNN]] news writer and radio talk show host Mike Malloy suggested Holder is beholden to [[corporatist]] interests.<ref>[http://www.mrc.org/biasalert/2010/20100603042451.aspx The AG vs. BP: Little Skepticism on ABC and NBC, While Lefty Talker Blasts Holder as 'Corporatist' Pretender], Rich Noyes, Media Research Center, 3 June 2010.</ref>

== Criticism of the Obama administration's handling of the disaster ==
[[File:Memorial for oil workers.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Memorial service for the 11 workers killed in the explosion. ''Reuters'' [http://www.daylife.com/photo/00nya1C9URdAy?q=Mississippi] ]]
Former top adviser to President [[Bill Clinton]], [[James Carville]], turned visibly emotional in a interview with [[George Stephanopoulos]] on [[ABC]]'s ''[[Good Morning America]]'' over [[President Barack Obama]]'s "lackadaisical" response to the Gulf oil spill disaster.
{{Cquote|The political [[stupid]]ity is unbelievable. ... The President of the United States could have come down here. He could have been involved with the families of these 11 people...... He could have implemented a plan in anticipation of this... He could be commandeering tankers and making BP bring tankers in and clean this up.... He could be deploying people to the coast. He could be with the corps of engineers and the Coast Guard with these people in Plaquemines Parish, doing something about these regulations. These people are crying. They're begging for something down here. And it just looks like he's not involved in this! Man, you have got to get down here and take control of this! Put somebody in charge of this and get this thing moving! We're about to die down here!<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/bp-oil-spill-political-headache-obama-democrats-slam/story?id=10746519 'Political Stupidity': Democrat James Carville Slams Obama's Response to BP Oil Spill; Democratic Strategist Said White House Should've Acted Quickly: 'We're About to Die Down Here',] Jake Tapper and Huma Khan, ''Good Morning America,'' 26 May 2010. Retrieved from abcnews.go.com 28 May 2010.</ref><ref>[http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0526/unhinged-carville-obama-gulf/ Unhinged Carville goes off on Obama on oil spill, The Raw Story, May 26, 2010]</ref><ref>http://www.mediaresearch.org/biasalert/2010/20100526121155.aspx</ref>}}
Carville also said in a separate interview on [[CNN]] with [[Anderson Cooper]],
{{Cquote|They are risking everything by this ‘go along with BP’ strategy they have. They seem, like, lackadaisical on this...they seem like they’re inconvenienced by this, this is some giant thing getting in their way and somehow or another, if you let BP handle it, it’ll all go away. It’s not going away. It’s growing out there. It is a disaster of the first magnitude...the government thinks that they are partnering with BP. I think they actually believe that BP has some kind of a good motivation here. That’s one of the, sort of, whole flaws is they're naïve.<ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1005/23/sotu.01.html State of the Union with Candy Crowley,] CNN, 23 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.</ref><ref>http://www.mediaite.com/tv/james-carville-obama-administration-seems-inconvenienced-by-bp-oil-spill/</ref>}}
Obama acknowledged the criticism days later in a televised press conference:
{{Cquote|Where I was wrong was in my belief that the oil companies had their act together when it came to worst-case scenarios.<ref>Remarks by President Obama on the Gulf Oil Spill, Office of the Press Secretary, 27 May 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 29 May 2010.</ref>}}
[[File:Day12 comedyskit1.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Day 12 of the Disaster: Obama enjoys an evening of levity and banter with the Washington Press Corps at the White House Correspondent's Dinner.]]
[[MSNBC]] talk show host [[Chris Matthews]]<ref>Matthews said of Obama during the Potomac Primaries, "it's part of reporting this case, this election, the feeling most people get when they hear Barack Obama's speech. My, I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often." [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/13/chris-matthews-i-felt-thi_n_86449.html]</ref> said on [[Jay Leno]]'s ''Tonight Show'',
{{Cquote|The president scares me. He's been acting a little like a Vatican Observer here. When is he actually going to do something? And I worry. I know he doesn't want to take ownership of it. I know politics. He said the minute he says, 'I'm in charge,' he takes the blame.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100524/pl_ynews/ynews_pl2219 White House seeks to fend off growing chorus of critics on handling of Gulf spill,] ''Yahoo News'', 24 May 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2010.</ref>}}

[[Secretary of State]] [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]]'s presidential campaign manager in 2008 questioned if [[Democratic]] primary [[voter]]s had
{{Cquote|underestimated the value of experience and crisis management as important attributes for their president.<ref>[http://topics.npr.org/article/04M3gpJa4p92Z?q=NPR Did 2008 Democratic primary voters underestimate value of experience?] Alex Pappas, ''The Daily Caller'', 06/06/10. Retrieved from npr.org, 6 June 2010.</ref>}}

Donna Brazile, who managed the presidential campaign of Democratic [[candidate]] [[Al Gore]] in 2000 said on [[ABC]]'s ''[[This Week]]'',
{{Cquote|One of the problems I have with the administration is that they're not tough enough. They are waiting for BP to say, ‘oh, we've got a new plan to stop the oil leak.’ They need to stop it, contain it, clean it up, and try to help us conserve our coastal wetlands.<ref>[http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/99375-donna-brazile-calls-obamas-oil-spill-response-not-tough-enough Donna Brazile calls Obama’s oil spill response ‘not tough enough’,] Ben Geman, ''The Hill'', 23 May 2010.</ref>}}

[[Dick Morris]], an intimate adviser to President [[Bill Clinton]] observed,
{{Cquote|these failings show that Obama is in over his head. But to the [[left]], which bleeds for each drop of water in the gulf and cries over every turtle or shrimp or sea bird, it is an unpardonable sin...Obama's incompetence and inexperience is causing [[liberal]]s to see him as arrogant, aloof, removed, conceited, suspicious of outside advice and even lazy...these character defects will haunt the president until 2012 and beyond.<ref>[http://townhall.com/columnists/DickMorrisandEileenMcGann/2010/06/19/dems_turn_on_obama?page=full&comments=true Dems Turn On Obama,] Dick Morris and Eileen McGann, 19 June 2010. Retrieved from Townhall.com 19 June 2010.</ref>}}

David Gergen worked in the [[Reagan]], [[George H.W. Bush]], and Clinton White House remarked,
{{Cquote|If our government had fought [[WWII]] like the way we’re fighting the oil spill, there’s a good chance many of us would be speaking [[German]] today.<ref>[http://www.ihatethemedia.com/david-gergen-rips-obama-oil-spill-response Another Democrat turns on Obama: David Gergen rips Obama’s oil spill response, Ihatethemedia.com, May 27, 2010]</ref>}}

Republican Chairman [[Michael Steele]] criticized the president for golfing while the oil crisis worsened. <ref>[http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/06/cincinnati-billboard-serves-boehner-political-water-hazard?test=latestnews#ixzz0vt9Ojx4N Cincinnati Billboard Serves As Boehner Political Water Hazard, FOXNews, August 6, 2010</ref> {{cquote|Until this problem is fixed, no more golf outings.}}

[[Peggy Noonan]], a speech writer for President's Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, summed up public perceptions with,
{{Cquote|The president, in my view, continues to govern in a way that suggests he is chronically detached from the central and immediate concerns of his countrymen.... he has not, almost from the day he was inaugurated, been in sync with the [[Centrist|center]]....The American people have spent at least two years worrying that high government spending would, in the end, undo the republic. They saw the dollars gushing night and day...And now we have a videotape metaphor for all the public’s fears: the well gushing black oil into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] ...His philosophy is that it is appropriate for the federal government to occupy a more burly, significant and powerful place in America—confronting its problems of need, injustice, inequality. ... Then the oil spill came and government could not do the job, could not meet the need ...[[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]] illustrate[d] that even though the federal government in our time has continually taken on new missions and responsibilities, the more it took on, the less it seemed capable of performing even its most essential jobs. [[Conservative]]s got this point—they know it without being told—but [[liberal]]s and [[progressive]]s did not. They thought Katrina was the result only of [[George W. Bush]]’s incompetence and conservatives’ failure to “believe in government.” But Mr. Obama was supposed to be competent....It’s not good to have a president in this position—weakened, polarizing and lacking broad public support—less than halfway through his term. That it is his fault is no comfort.<ref>[http://www.peggynoonan.com/article.php?article=524 He Was Supposed to Be Competent]: The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy., Peggy Noonan, ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', 29 May 2010.</ref>}}

''[[New York Times]]'' columnist [[Liberal_hate_speech#Against_the_disabled|Maureen Dowd]] wrote,
{{Cquote|Obama and top aides who believe in his [[divinity]] make a mistake to dismiss complaints of his aloofness as Washington white noise. He treats the press as a nuisance rather than examining his own inability to encapsulate Americans’ feelings.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/opinion/30dowd.html Once More, With Feeling,] Maureen Dowd, ''New York Time'' Op Ed, 29 mMay 2010.l</ref>}}

Actor Robert Redford demanded action from the [[Obama administration]]. The liberal special interest group [[Natural Resources Defense Council]] has Redford in a new ad decrying the lackluster response.<ref>[http://biggovernment.com/jmeath/2010/05/25/obamas-katrina-in-the-gulf/ Obama’s ‘Katrina’ in the Gulf, BigGovernment.com, May 25, 2010]</ref> Redford made an appearance on MSNBC and said there is no one manning this ship,
{{Cquote|In this case, we don’t need a disaster manager, we need a leader.}}

[[Hollywood values|Liberal Hollywood]] director [[James Cameron]] says;
{{cquote|Over the last few weeks I've watched, as we all have, with growing horror and heartache, watching what's happening in the Gulf and thinking those morons don't know what they're doing. <ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/cameron-titanic-spill-morons/2010/06/03/id/361007 'Titanic' Director Cameron: 'Morons' Directing Spill Efforts, NewsMax, June, 2010]</ref>}}

Obnoxious Hollywood liberal [[Rosie O'Donnell]] said, "We broke the womb of freaking mother Earth." <ref>[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2010/06/08/rosie-odonnell-wants-bps-assets-seized-we-broke-freakin-womb-mother-eart Rosie O'Donnell Wants BP's Assets Seized, NewsBusters.org, June 8, 2010]</ref> In addition, O'Donnell accused BP of
{{cquote|willful homicide, willful mass murder" and demanded BP be nationalized immediately: "I say seize their assets. Right now. Seize their assets today. Take over the company.}}

[[Brad Pitt]], appears in a Spike Lee film denouncing the oil spill and his desire to see BP executives get the death penalty. <ref>[http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1008/pitt_death_penalty_for_bp.html Brad Pitt: Death Penalty For BP, Politico, August 23, 2010]</ref>

===Foreign reaction===
Relations between allies the [[U.K.]] and U.S. are now at historic lows thanks to Barack Obama's mishandling of the oil spill. Britain had been repeatedly mocked by Obama prior to the spill<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/mar/06/obama-dvd-brown Obama's DVD gift to Brown - it's the thought that counts,] ''Guardian UK,'' March 6, 2009.</ref> <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4623148/Barack-Obama-sends-bust-of-Winston-Churchill-on-its-way-back-to-Britain.html Barack Obama sends bust of Winston Churchill on its way back to Britain,] ''Telegraph UK,'' February 14, 2009.</ref> <ref>[http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/03/obama_disses_brit_pm.html Obama disses Brit PM, American Thinker,] March 5, 2009.</ref> but now find themselves subjected to endless [[propaganda]]. Prominent foreign dignitaries have expressed the public's growing frustration with the administration's posturing and hunt for scapegoats. The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who supported Obama in 2008, decried "anti-British rhetoric, buck-passing and name-calling" while Lord Tebbit branded Mr Obama's conduct “despicable” and the president's rhetoric
{{cquote|a crude, [[bigot]]ed, [[xenophobic]] display of [[partisan]] political Presidential petulance."<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1285467/BP-OIL-SPILL-Lord-Tebbit-Boris-Johnson-attack-Obamas-anti-British-rhetoric.html#ixzz0rK7zthtN</ref><ref>[http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23843524-boris-johnson-tells-barack-obama-stop-bashing-britain.do Boris Johnson tells Barack Obama: Stop bashing Britain,] London Evening Standard, June 6, 2010.</ref>}}
The atmosphere Obama created in Britain is so toxic that the British press has labelled Barack Obama the most unpopular man in England. <ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/06/17/2010-06-17_president_barack_obama_is_the_most_hated_man_in_england_says_british_reporter.html Barack Obama: the most unpopular man in Britain?,] Telegraph UK, June 17, 2010.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|3}}

[[Category:Obama Administration]]
[[Category:Obama Presidency]]
[[Category:Disasters]]
[[Category: Environment]]

==External Links==
* [http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23oilspill Twitter Feed: #Oilspill (warning vulgar comments left)]
* [http://www.bp.com/bodycopyarticle.do?categoryId=1&contentId=7052055&nicam=USCSBaselineCrisis&nisrc=Google&nigrp=Non_Branded Official BP Global Oil Spill News Website]
* [http://dailybail.com/slideshows/bp-disaster-dying-birds/5613601 Photos of Gulf birds covered in oil]

Government funding for anti-Christian values

2012-03-07T21:52:24Z

MorrisF: mention Liberal charity

Since liberals are usually the ones who push for a greater government role in public life, very often one will find '''government funding going towards projects that are atheistic or anti-Christian''', in line with liberal beliefs.

==Examples==
*In 2009, it was discovered that officials at the Federally funded [[National Endowment for the Arts]] were promoting projects that supported President [[Barack Obama|Barack Obama's]] legislative agenda.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/11/nea-reassigns-communications-director-following-uproar-obama-initiative/</ref>
*In the 1980s it was discovered that funds from the NEA had been given to artist Andres Serrano for his photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine, leading to outrage among conservatives
*In April of 2012, the government of the Australian state of Victoria will provide funding for the Global [[Atheist]] convention, which will include anti-Christian activists such as [[Richard Dawkins]].<ref>http://www.smh.com.au/national/government-funds-atheist-talkfest-20110514-1en8p.html</ref>
*In [[Colorado]], two women's shelters lost their federal funding for having religious programs and bible readings. The regulations of Obama's HUD department required the removal of Christian elements from the shelters.<ref>http://www.theblaze.com/stories/co-womens-shelters-loses-federal-funding-over-mandatory-bible-studies/</ref> This is not surprising considering the low rates of [[Liberal charity]].
*more to come

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
*[[Big government]]

{{Liberalism}}

Government funding for anti-Christian values

2012-03-07T21:51:19Z

MorrisF: another

Since liberals are usually the ones who push for a greater government role in public life, very often one will find '''government funding going towards projects that are atheistic or anti-Christian''', in line with liberal beliefs.

==Examples==
*In 2009, it was discovered that officials at the Federally funded [[National Endowment for the Arts]] were promoting projects that supported President [[Barack Obama|Barack Obama's]] legislative agenda.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/11/nea-reassigns-communications-director-following-uproar-obama-initiative/</ref>
*In the 1980s it was discovered that funds from the NEA had been given to artist Andres Serrano for his photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine, leading to outrage among conservatives
*In April of 2012, the government of the Australian state of Victoria will provide funding for the Global [[Atheist]] convention, which will include anti-Christian activists such as [[Richard Dawkins]].<ref>http://www.smh.com.au/national/government-funds-atheist-talkfest-20110514-1en8p.html</ref>
*In [[Colorado]], two women's shelters lost their federal funding for having religious programs and bible readings. The regulations of Obama's HUD department required the removal of Christian elements from the shelters.<ref>http://www.theblaze.com/stories/co-womens-shelters-loses-federal-funding-over-mandatory-bible-studies/</ref>
*more to come

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
*[[Big government]]

{{Liberalism}}

Government funding for anti-Christian values

2012-03-07T21:45:14Z

MorrisF: liberalism

Since liberals are usually the ones who push for a greater government role in public life, very often one will find '''government funding going towards projects that are atheistic or anti-Christian''', in line with liberal beliefs.

==Examples==
*In 2009, it was discovered that officials at the Federally funded [[National Endowment for the Arts]] were promoting projects that supported President [[Barack Obama|Barack Obama's]] legislative agenda.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/11/nea-reassigns-communications-director-following-uproar-obama-initiative/</ref>
*In the 1980s it was discovered that funds from the NEA had been given to artist Andres Serrano for his photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine, leading to outrage among conservatives
*In April of 2012, the government of the Australian state of Victoria will provide funding for the Global [[Atheist]] convention, which will include anti-Christian activists such as [[Richard Dawkins]].<ref>http://www.smh.com.au/national/government-funds-atheist-talkfest-20110514-1en8p.html</ref>
*more to come

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
*[[Big government]]

{{Liberalism}}

Government funding for anti-Christian values

2012-03-07T21:44:34Z

MorrisF: another

Since liberals are usually the ones who push for a greater government role in public life, very often one will find '''government funding going towards projects that are atheistic or anti-Christian''', in line with liberal beliefs.

==Examples==
*In 2009, it was discovered that officials at the Federally funded [[National Endowment for the Arts]] were promoting projects that supported President [[Barack Obama|Barack Obama's]] legislative agenda.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/11/nea-reassigns-communications-director-following-uproar-obama-initiative/</ref>
*In the 1980s it was discovered that funds from the NEA had been given to artist Andres Serrano for his photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine, leading to outrage among conservatives
*In April of 2012, the government of the Australian state of Victoria will provide funding for the Global [[Atheist]] convention, which will include anti-Christian activists such as [[Richard Dawkins]].<ref>http://www.smh.com.au/national/government-funds-atheist-talkfest-20110514-1en8p.html</ref>
*more to come

==References==
{{reflist}}

==See also==
*[[Big government]]

Government funding for anti-Christian values

2012-03-07T21:32:35Z

MorrisF: creating a page

Hooverville

2012-02-17T22:31:57Z

MorrisF: redirect to modern day equivalent

#REDIRECT [[Obamaville]]

Gotcha question

2012-02-17T22:28:35Z

MorrisF: creating redirect

#REDIRECT [[Gotcha journalism]]

Gary Locke

2012-02-03T16:24:27Z

MorrisF: update

'''Gary Faye Locke''' is a [[Chinese]]-[[American]] politician who served as [[Governor]] of [[Washington]] from 1997 to 2005. He is the former [[United States Secretary of Commerce]]. To this day, he remains the only Chinese-American to serve as a [[United States]] governor.

Throughout much of his career, Locke was considered a possible [[Vice President of the United States|Vice Presidential]] candidate by the Democratic Party.

In 2003, after rebutting President [[George W. Bush]]'s 2003 [[State of the Union]] address, Locke is said to have received hundreds of threats in letter and e-mail form, with several threatening the safety of Locke's children. This is said to have contributed to his decision to leave office.

In 2008, Locke was considered a forerunner for the position of [[Secretary of the Interior]] in the [[Barack Hussein Obama|Obama]] administration. Eventually, however, Ken Salazar was chosen for that position.

Locke was sworn in as Secretary of Commerce on March 26, 2009.

Locke currently serves as the United States Ambassador to [[China]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Locke, Gary}}

[[Category:Obama Administration]]
[[Category:Washington Governors]]
[[Category:Democratic Governors]]

Phil Bryant

2012-02-01T18:47:56Z

MorrisF: creating

{{Officeholder
|name=Phil Bryant
|image=
|party=[[Republican]]
|spouse=
|religion=
|offices=

{{Officeholder/governor
|state=Mississippi
|terms=January, 2012 – Present
|preceded=[[Haley Barbour]]
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
}}

'''Phil Bryant''' is the [[Republican]] governor of [[Mississippi]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Phil}}
[[Category:United States Governors]]
[[Category: Republican Governors]]

Swing States 2012

2011-12-16T16:00:39Z

MorrisF: mitt's father

Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]], ranked by likelihood that [[Barack Obama]] will likely lose them despite winning them in 2008. These eight swing states will have a total of 122 [[Electoral College]] votes in 2012. (In 2008 Obama won by a margin of only six states.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Margin of [[Obama]]'s win in 2008
!Indicators
!Electoral Votes in 2012
|-
|Indiana
|1.03%
|Indiana was a red state from 1964 to 2004, and when Obama took the state in 2008 it was by a very narrow margin. Obama is currently very unpopular in the state
|11
|-
|Virginia
|
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2011 elections the Republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature
|13
|-
|Pennsylvania
|10.3%
|Obama's disapproval rating is high: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref>
|20
|-
|Florida
|
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections; however, Governor [[Rick Scott]] is currently (Dec. 2011) very unpopular in the state.
|29
|-
|Ohio
|
|
|18
|-
|Wisconsin
|
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, recall attempts in 2011 failed to overturn the GOP majority in the state senate.
|10
|-
|North Carolina
|
|The current [[Democratic]] governor, [[Bev Perdue]], is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff.
|15
|-
|Nevada
|
|A recent special election for the state's 2nd congressional district was predicted to be competitive but resulted in a decisive victory for [[Republican]] [[Mark Amodei]]. [[Harry Reid]] won reelection in 2010 despite [[Tea Party]] opposition, but this may have been due to discrepancies and corruption in the voting process.
|6
|-
|Colorado
|
|
|9
|-
|Michigan
|
|Mitt Romney, though not ideal for the average conservative, grew up in Michigan and could put it into play. His father, [[George Romney]], served as governor of the state.
|16
|-
|Iowa
|
|
|6
|-
|New Hampshire
|
|
|4
|-
|New Mexico
|
|
|5
|}

== See also ==

*[[Presidential Election 2012]]
*[[Endorsements 2012]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.tnr.com/article/the-vital-center/95467/obama-mccain-elections-gop-democrats Analysis of Electoral College and popular vote]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:politics]]

United States presidential election, 2012

2011-12-14T06:17:49Z

MorrisF: /* Ranking by Likelihood of Winning Republican Nomination */ Cuccinelli update

'''''The next presidential debate is on December 15, 2011 in Sioux City, IA.'''''

The '''Presidential Election 2012''' is on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. No incumbent has won reelection in the past 70 years with unemployment above 7.2%; unemployment is at about 9% less than 12 months before the election. [[Barack Obama]] also cannot win reelection unless he carries [[Florida]], where he has a high disapproval rating; he is likewise polling poorly in the key swing states of [[Ohio]], [[Virginia]] and [[North Carolina]].

For the Republican nomination, it is becoming a two-man race between [[Newt Gingrich]] and [[Mitt Romney]].<ref>For the dates of early primaries, see http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/events.phtml?s=c</ref> About 1,214 delegates are needed to win the nomination, and for primaries held before April 1, 2012, delegates will be awarded based on the proportionality of the votes (except for Florida, which will be winner-take-all).<ref>Beginning on April 1, the traditional winner-take-all system prevails for every primary, making it easier then for a candidate to win big.</ref> ''Conservapedia'' ranks Newt as most likely to win because of expected [[Endorsements 2012]] and how the [[Fox News Channel]] favors him.
__NOTOC__
== Ranking by Likelihood of Winning Republican Nomination ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Candidate
!Pros
!Cons
!Trending ...
|-
|[[Newt Gingrich]]
|Has the backing of Fox News and will likely receive the endorsement of those who appear on it: [[Sarah Palin]], [[John McCain]], [[Mike Huckabee]], [[Lindsey Graham]] (influential in [[South Carolina]]), etc.; Newt has already won the endorsement of the most influential newspaper in [[New Hampshire]] and is likely to obtain endorsement by older "right to life" groups against Mitt; as [[Speaker of the House]] in the 1990s, Gingrich had a strong record of passing [[conservative]] legislation, including welfare reform, [[DOMA]], the [[Solomon Amendment]], and even [[term limits]]. He also had the courage to shut down the government.
|Has previously endorsed [[liberal]] ideas like "[[cap-and-trade]]" ([[global warming]] hoax) and a [[Con Con]]. Advocated a limited amnesty for illegal immigrants during the November 22 debate. Resigned as Speaker rather than follow through with the impeachment of [[Bill Clinton]]; divorced twice and married three times, most recently to a woman 23 years younger than he; has never won statewide office. Since 9/11, Newt has come to adopt more big-government and pro-regulatory [[neoconservative]] views, unlike the push for limited-government and [[deregulation]] he spearheaded during the 1990s.
|Retook the #1 spot on Nov. 27, 2011, after trending higher for weeks, as Mitt continued to play too much political defense without advancing [[conservative]] values. Five nationwide polls released in November showed Newt in 1st place. His debate performances have earned him a reputation as the most knowledgeable of the Republican candidates and the one most capable of winning next year's debates against Obama. His strategy of criticizing the media in the debates has been brilliant. He will probably pick up most of Cain's supporters.
|-
|[[Mitt Romney]]
|First runner-up in 2008, business experience, Republican governor of a Democratic state, cut taxes and the deficit, prodigious fundraiser and tireless campaigner, polling at 40% in the key early primary state of [[New Hampshire]], credited for helping [[Scott Brown]] win an upset victory for the seat long held by [[Ted Kennedy]]. Likely to be endorsed by [[Marsha Blackburn]], [[Jim Talent]], etc. Only 26% of voters said they would '''''never''''' vote for him, which is the lowest negative of any major Republican candidate.<ref name="Quinnipiac">http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1595</ref> Has come out with a new jobs plan. Received endorsements from [[Kelly Ayotte]], [[John Thune]] and [[Chris Christie]].<ref>[http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Chris-Christie-Mitt-Romney-Endorse-GOP-Republicans-2012-131530343.html http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Chris-Christie-Mitt-Romney-Endorse-GOP-Republicans-2012-131530343.html]</ref>
|Weak on the pivotal pro-life issue, and even refuses to sign the same [[pro-life]] pledge that all other major [[Republican]] candidates signed;<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/57256.html</ref> continues to believe in [[liberal]] propaganda claiming [[global warming]]; Romney once supported [[abortion]] and [[civil unions]], is criticized by the [[Tea Party Express]] chairwoman and others due to his [[ObamaCare]]-like health plan in [[Massachusetts]], which featured "the mandate" and taxpayer-funded abortion; struggles in Iowa and won only 15% in the South Carolina primary in 2008. The lack of criticism of Romney by the [[lamestream media]] suggests that they want him to win so that they can defeat him in the general election.
|Has failed to pick up much additional support, but remains strong in [[New Hampshire]] and [[Nevada]], and has done well in the debates so far. Yet has done poorly in straw polls, and the vast majority of [[Republican]] voters are apparently looking for an alternative.
|-
|[[Herman Cain]]
|Seems less scripted than other candidates. A former successful Godfathers Pizza CEO, conservative radio host, Tea Party favorite, tremendous speaker, triumphed over a health problem. Won a stunning landslide victory in the Florida [[straw poll]] on September 24 that led to an October surge. Finished second in the Values Voter Summit in Oct. 2011 and took the lead in several national polls.
|His 9-9-9 plan for tax reform and economic recovery helped him gain a nationwide following but also drew fire for introducing a new federal tax resembling the tax of the left-wing [[European Union]]. Cain has had few staff and little organization in the early primary and caucus states. Has never held elected office. Stated on CNN that abortion should be a [[Pro-abortion|decision of the family and not the government]].<ref>http://www.mediaite.com/tv/herman-cain-tells-piers-morgan-that-he-is-anti-abortion-yet-pro-choice/</ref>
|Cain suspended his campaign on December 3, 2011, several days after stating his wife was unaware of gifts and money he had given to a woman who had alleged a 13-year long sexual affair with him. Cain denied any wrongdoing.<ref>[http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/herman-cain-suspends-his-presidential-campaign/ Herman Cain Suspends His Presidential Campaign] Susan Saulny and Robbie Brown, December 3, 2011, The Caucus: The Political and Government Blog of the Times, NYTimes.com, retrieved December 3, 2011</ref> His candidacy may have been damaged by inexplicable lapses during televised interviews as well as by charges of sexual impropriety.
|-
|[[Jeb Bush]]
|The opportunity for Jeb to win is now, not in 2016 when another Republican would be the incumbent; Jeb is sure to win Florida and Obama cannot win reelection without Florida; [[George W. Bush]]'s book sold far better than expectations, making the name an asset again; Jeb could unite the Republican Party with a late candidacy; is more conservative than his brother [[George W. Bush]]; Jeb has already criticized Palin as a rival candidate might;<ref>In a Newsmax interview in February 2010, Jeb criticized Palin by saying, "my belief is in 2010 and 2012, public leaders need to have intellectual curiosity." [http://www.newser.com/story/81720/jeb-bush-sarah-palin-not-intellectual-enough.html]</ref> Jeb published an editorial on Jan. 3, 2011 taking credit for saving Florida [[public schools]] with vouchers.<ref>http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2011/jan/03/jeb-bush/jeb-bush-touts-education-gains-wall-street-journal/</ref>
|The deadlines have passed for getting on the ballot in New Hampshire, Florida and South Carolina. Also, in February Jeb polled unusually poorly (54-34%) against [[Barack Obama]];<ref>http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/14/obama-would-beat-jeb-bush-big-says-poll/</ref> Jeb says he does not intend to run in 2012. Knows that he would be viewed negatively by some as the "third" Bush, refused to run in 2008 on these grounds. Is disliked by many Tea Partiers.
|With increased likelihood that no candidate will obtain a majority before the convention next August, Jeb's best chance is to be chosen at the convention. Jeb will not want to wait until 2020 to run, which may be his next opportunity if a Republican wins in 2012 amid the persistent high unemployment.
|-
|[[Ron Paul]]
|Terrific on economic issues, can raise the money needed to win; people may look to an anti-war Republican; Won the [[CPAC]] Poll. Appeals to many social liberals. Runs [[pro-life]] ads while Romney says little about the issue. Also, Obama's support in polls is lowest when Paul is his opponent.
|Voted twice to repeal [[DADT|Don't Ask, Don't Tell]], which the vast majority of Republican primary voters support; his age (76 in 2012) will be used against him; has never won statewide office; his views on the war on drugs and the military also alienate many Republicans. Other candidates have adopted some of his economic ideas. The media in general treats him as a non-contender despite his performance in polls.
|Easily won the [[MSNBC]]-sponsored candidates' debate at the [[Reagan Library]] on September 7. Paul has won at least fifteen regional straw polls and online polls and, surprisingly, won the Values Voter Summit [[straw poll]] in a landslide in Oct. 2011. Was the clear crowd favorite in the [[Iowa]] debate on Aug. 10 and appears headed for a strong showing in the Iowa caucuses on January 3. Scientific polls of Republican voters in general, however, have usually shown him running well behind Gingrich and Romney.
|-
|[[Rick Perry]]
|Announced his candidacy late, on August 13. He is a conservative-talking governor who has run [[Texas]] for a decade (since [[George W. Bush]] became president); crushed [[RINO]] [[Kay Bailey Hutchison]] in the 2010 primary and then won a landslide in the general election, carrying others to victory on his strong coattails; has an excellent jobs record in his State and which he can contrast with liberal-run states. Strong religious faith that he is not afraid to show. Understands the concept of [[states' rights]]. Is a formidable fundraiser with plenty of funds on hand.
|It can be argued is more conservative in his rhetoric than his policies; endorsed [[RINO]] [[Rudy Giuliani]] in 2008; tried by executive order to force all schoolgirls (except for parental opt-outs) to receive the [[HPV vaccine]]; raised business taxes while governor; supports exceptions for allowing [[abortion]]; and continues to champion a Texas policy that allows in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. ''Could simply block [[Mitt Romney]] from winning the nomination, without winning it himself''.
|Stumbled in his first major statements on [[abortion]], [[same-sex marriage]], and the question of building a fence to reduce illegal immigration. May be counting on the South to deliver the votes needed to win the nomination, but currently trails in most of the Southern states. Was ahead in national polls after his declaration of candidacy, then fell dramatically.
Did well in the first debate that he participated in, but seemed tired or unprepared during a string of later debates, raising doubts about his electablility. Did poorly in the Values Voter Summit [[straw poll]].
|-
|[[Michele Bachmann]]
|A [[movement conservative]] who "knocked the ball out of the park" with her nationally televised response to Obama's [[State of the Union]] address in January 2011, Bachmann is popular with the [[Tea Party movement]]; she is a strong fundraiser and won a stunning 52-40% landslide in 2010 in a liberal-leaning district in [[Minnesota]]. Did very well at [[CPAC]] in Feb. 2011. Bachmann's beliefs are similar to [[Ron Paul]]'s, but she is more of a conservative than libertarian, and is trying to appeal to Ron Paul's fanbase<ref>http://www.lewrockwell.com/politicaltheatre/2011/06/dont-read-that-dangerous-mises/</ref>, thus a Bachmann candidacy could unite Tea Party conservatives.
|As with [[Sarah Palin]], [[liberal bias]] is at its worst against her; has never won statewide office.
|Did extremely well in the first debate and jumped to #1 in Zogby poll of primary voters. Won the [[Ames Straw Poll]] but was upstaged by Rick Perry's declaration of candidacy on the same day. Has slipped badly in the polls since her Iowa victory.

|-
|[[Rick Santorum]]
|Outspoken supporter of conservative values as a senator, well-received by Iowan evangelicals at campaign-like event in March 2010, strongly conservative across the board.
|His all-out support of [[RINO]] and now-Democrat [[Arlen Specter]] prevented [[Pat Toomey]] from defeating him in 2002, although he regretted it at CPAC 2010; endorsed Romney in 2008.
|Was fabulous in the Iowa debate August 10th, and has won praise for his performance in more recent debates, but has remained near the bottom in most polls. Has campaigned relentlessly in Iowa where he succeeded in picking up several important endorsements this fall.
|-
|[[Jon Huntsman, Jr.]]
|Has foreign policy and executive experience. Appealing to moderates, although this is because he holds numerous liberal stances.
|Worked in the Obama administration; Criticized the [[economic stimulus package]] as not being big enough, favors Comprehensive Immigration Reform, supports civil unions, and is a believer in man-made global warming; the "civility" candidate adored by the media for being more willing to attack his fellow Republicans than the Democrats; could simply be a [[Utah]] decoy used by [[Team Newt]] to siphon support from [[Mitt Romney]]
|Getting only minimal support, except among the media and multiple Democrats
|-
|[[Marco Rubio]]
|A [[movement conservative]] who could unite the Party, he is the most charismatic speaker in politics today; in the general election he would pull [[Florida]] and many Hispanic voters away from the Democrats. Both of his parents were Cuban exiles seeking asylum in the U.S. at the time of his birth in Miami, making him an inspiring, uniquely American success story. Many Republican voters think he would be the ideal candidate for Vice President.
|Could face the liberal [[double standard]] on two fronts: 1) what's OK for Obama (e.g., inexperience) is somehow not OK for a [[conservative]]. 2) Liberals who have been deriding the strict definition of "natural born citizen" which some conservatives have been applying to Obama might also turn around and use the same logic with Rubio, claiming that his non-citizen parents invalidate his natural-born status. 
|Declared on October 5 that he will not be a candidate for Vice President
|-
|[[Sarah Palin]]
|Empathetic, attracts crowds, personally [[pro-life]], fiscal conservative, popular, track record of supporting upset victories in primaries; had a popular television series and book tour that emphasizes the grassroots rather than the "inside the Beltway" mentality.
|It's difficult to take seriously someone who relies so heavily on [[Facebook]]. Her taxation policies were somewhat liberal.<ref>http://community.adn.com/node/112712</ref> Appointed a former [[Planned Parenthood]] board member to the [[Alaska]] Supreme Court and inexplicably resigned early as governor; lagged in fundraising despite publicity, came in a disappointing fifth in the [[Values Voter Summit]] in September 2010 and fared badly at [[CPAC]]. Several of her prominent 2010 candidates (Ken Buck, Joe Miller, Christine O'Donnell) struck out on Nov. 2nd, and many Republicans from [[George W. Bush]] (allegedly) to [[Peggy Noonan]] have been critical of her running for president.<ref>http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Election-2010/Vox-News/2010/1106/Republican-establishment-takes-on-Sarah-Palin</ref> 58% of American voters in a May poll said they would '''''never''''' vote for her.<ref name="Quinnipiac"/>. Frequently mocked by the [[liberal media]].
|Announced on October 5 that she would not be a candidate for president in 2012. Marist poll conducted September 13-14, 2011 showed gains for her but also that a large majority of Republicans still didn't want her to run.
|-
|[[Mike Huckabee]]
|Pro-life in rhetoric, pro-Second Amendment and pro-Bible; strong in polling, particularly among evangelicals
|Announced on May 14th that he's not running; was stuck at 20-30%; as governor raised taxes and state spending; released man who later killed officers; disliked by [[CPAC]]-types and by [[Club for Growth]]; supported the cave-in by the Republican leadership to continue funding [[Planned Parenthood]] (the nation's largest [[abortion]] provider) as part of the budget deal in April 2011. Has ruled himself out of contention.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2011-05-15-republican-huckabee-president_n.htm</ref>
|Losing relevancy
|-
|[[Donald Trump]]
|Tied for first in [[Gallup Poll]];<ref>As of April 22, 2011.</ref> forced Obama's to take seriously voters' concerns over his birth certificate, and is also willing to criticize liberal media; has business savvy and resources as a billionaire; is well-known.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/05/trump-seriously-considering-presidential-bid/?test=latestnews Trump 'Seriously Considering' 2012 Presidential Bid, FOXNews, October 5, 2010]</ref> His unscripted, abrasive and arrogant style may be just what voters want. Not a career politician helps his cause.
|Said he's not running,<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/16/trump-declines-run-president/</ref>but continues to say that he might become an Independent candidate if the GOP chooses the wrong person. Criticized for his ego and has never held elected office. Needs to explain his previous support of liberal policies such as socialized medicine,<ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2291263/</ref> as well as donating to various Democrats including [[Harry Reid]] in the past. A reliable poll (Quinnipiac) found that 58% of voters said they would '''''never''''' vote for Trump.<ref name="Quinnipiac"/>
|Declining in support
|-
|[[Thad McCotter]]
|Congressman from Michigan who is sometimes promoted by [[Fox News]], and does not need to read from a [[teleprompter]] to give a speech.
|''Thad who?'' Not enough people know who he is. Twice this year voted against ending the preference for union labor in government construction projects. Could have been seeking name recognition rather than the Republican nomination.<ref>http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php </ref>
|Never rose above 1% in polls. Ended his campaign on September 22, 2011 and endorsed Romney.
|-
|[[Rand Paul]]
|Could be the next [[Ronald Reagan]]; is the heir-apparent to massive support for [[Ron Paul]]; won the [[U.S. Senate]] seat by a 56-44% landslide in 2010, despite an intense effort by [[liberals]] to smear and defeat him; is 100% [[pro-life]]. Failure of Congress to cut spending enhances likelihood that voters will turn to someone strong on reducing government.
|Rand, immensely popular after his landslide victory for Senate, will not run for president unless his dad drops his own campaign for the same office. Time is running out for Rand to assert himself as the candidate in 2012.
|Supporting his dad's run for President.
|-
|[[Allen West]]
|'America First' conservative patriot, Lt. Col West knows leadership from experience. He won the Florida [[U.S. House of Representatives]] seat in the [[2010 Midterm Elections]], and kept a high profile ever since. Sports a crew cut, usually rises above petty [[inside the Beltway]] bickering, and carries a camouflage bag rather than a briefcase
|New to national politics, not well known and maybe a future presidential candidate beyond 2012.
|A terrific congressman
|-
|[[Jim DeMint]]
|Strong support by social conservatives, libertarians,<ref>Jim Demint has the best favorable-unfavorable rating of anyone at CPAC 2010.</ref> Tea Party, and evangelicals; a tenacious advocate willing to criticize Obama
|Stated at a conservative conference in July 2010 that he is not running for president, but after [[Mike Pence]] pulled out in Jan. 2011 Jim DeMint is showing interest again, before announcing again in late March that he is not running; as a Southern conservative, he would need to work hard to gain support in Iowa and New Hampshire, the key early primary states<ref>http://politics.theatlantic.com/2010/02/the_2012_dark_horse_is.php</ref>
|Definitely not running now.
|-
|[[Ken Cuccinelli]]
|Has won statewide office. Leader in challenging [[ObamaCare]], advancing [[pro-life]] principles, and opposing the [[global warming]] hoax, including investigating Liberal [[University of Virginia]]'s involvement in the [[Climategate]] scandal. Wants to stop the homosexual agenda prevalent at the University of Virginia and other Virginia universities.
|Only 42 years old, he'll probably become governor of Virginia before running for president. Not as frequent a speaker at Tea Party events as others, such as Steve King and Michele Bachmann. Also, Cuccinelli may be more influential on domestic policy in his current position than a president is.
|Running for governor in 2013.<ref>http://www.politico.com/blogs/davidcatanese/1211/Cuccinelli_I_have_decided_to_run_for_governor.html</ref>
|-
|[[Bobby Jindal]]
|Conservative Governor of [[Louisiana]], strong critic of [[Obama]]'s handling of the [[Gulf oil spill]] in the summer of 2010.
|Says he's not running for president. Has endorsed Perry.
|Made a good statement on birth certificate issue
|-
|[[Tim Pawlenty]]
|Young; popular in his home state of [[Minnesota]]; Had a surprisingly good record on immigration.
|Still not well known outside of Minnesota; signed $893 million in meddlesome fees/taxes including a "health fee" for cigarette smokers (which was ruled unconstitutional), a harvest fee for farmers, a 9-1-1 fee on all telephone lines, a fee for traditional marriage, and large increase in parking fees;<ref>[http://tinyurl.com/3k4p8jf ''Duluth News Tribune'': Fees soar as state taxes hold steady] (2006)</ref> supported the liberal [[cap and trade]]; accepted stimulus funds after arguing against them; lacks a socially conservative base; arranged a meeting with a liberal medical society in 2003 in order to cave into the pro-[[abortion]] side by downplaying medical harm caused by abortion,<ref>http://www.lifenews.com/2003/12/30/state-281/</ref> despite hard-fought passage of the Woman's Right to Know Act mandating disclosure. Came off as drab and uncompelling. He endorsed Mitt Romney after he ended his own bid.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/12/pawlenty-endorses-romney-for-president/</ref>
|Lost ground after a perception of underachieving in the first debate June 13; then his criticism of Michele Bachmann seemed to backfire with her rebuttal in the second debate. Pawlenty finished third in the Iowa Straw Poll and quickly announced that he was ending his bid for the nomination.
|-
|[[Mitch Daniels]]
|Signed a law that defunds [[Planned Parenthood]], has been an effective [[Rust Belt]] governor and critic of the Obama administration, promoted heavily by [[neoconservatives]]
|Stated in May 2011 that he's not running for president. Sided with [[Democrats]] in 2011 in opposing [[right-to-work laws|right-to-work legislation]], is little known nationally, was criticized when he tried to downplay significance of social issues, is not telegenic, lacks a socially conservative base, and his state budget relies heavily on [[gambling]] revenue. Has chastised conservatives for calling Obama a [[socialist]].
|Although not a candidate for President, he has declined to rule out accepting the nomination for Vice President.
|-
|[[Steve King]]
|A conservative Iowa congressman who could win the [[Iowa caucuses]]; resonates well with independents; recommended by Bachmann<ref name="Bachmann">http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/app/blogs/politically_speaking/?p=1205</ref>
|Not well known yet; has never won statewide office.
|Likely to endorse Michele Bachmann, and stay in the House
|-
|[[Mike Pence]]
|Communicates a very strong conservative message: "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order." Won straw poll held at the [[Values Voter Summit]] in September 2010. On Nov. 3rd, gave up his House leadership position. Has since announced a run for Governor of Indiana in 2012.
|Announced on Jan. 27, 2011 that he's not running for president; previously he unsuccessfully proposed a "comprehensive" immigration plan that was widely criticized by conservatives; lacks legislative achievements; not well-known and has never won statewide office; either he or Huckabee could become a stalking horse for Newt Gingrich with respect to evangelical voters in Iowa
|Focusing on the Indiana governorship
|-
|[[Todd Akin]]
|A [[movement conservative]] from Missouri, which he serves as a congressman
|Running to win a [[U.S. Senate]] seat from a [[liberal]] instead
|Gaining in ability to defeat an incumbent liberal senator
|-
|[[Bob McDonnell]]
|Won landslide election as [[Virginia]] governor; has Obama's height
|Not widely known yet, but gave Republican response to State of the Union in 2010; seemed more conservative as a candidate than as governor
|Falling into obscurity but may re-emerge as a Vice Presidential contender because of Virginia's importance as a swing state that Obama won in 2008.
|-
|[[Gary Johnson]]
|Former [[libertarian]] two-term governor of [[New Mexico]], he has been recommended by [[Ron Paul]], Johnson is a strong advocate of a libertarian belief system.
|Like other libertarians but unlike most Republicans, Johnson favors legalizing marijuana, expanding legal [[immigration]] and allowing same-sex unions. Given Ron Paul's run, there seems to be little support for Gary Johnson in this election cycle.
|Cannot get much support and is underfunded, but he did quite well in the second debate that he was allowed to appear in.
|-
|[[Rudy Giuliani]]
|Widely respected for his post-9/11 leadership in New York City
|Struck out completely as a candidate in 2008; very weak on important social issues; cross-dressing for comedic purposes when it suited him
|A throwback to an era and issues that matter less now
|-
|[[Dick Cheney]]
|Prominent and consistent opposition to Obama
|Of dubious health; has explicitly disavowed interest in running
|Not running
|-
|[[John Bolton]]
|Expert on foreign policy and national security issues <ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9I4TTT82&show_article=1 POLITICAL INSIDER: John Bolton weighs a WH run, Breitbart, September 10, 2010]</ref>
|Polarizing figure that Democrats refused to appoint to permanent UN position
|Has ruled out running
|-
|[[Fred Thompson]]
|Former Republican Senator from [[Tennessee]], former presidential candidate, has a loyal following
|Hollywood type, sided with McCain in campaign finance laws that the Supreme Court overturned.
|Not running
|-
|[[Scott Brown]]
|Proven ability to appeal to moderate voters even in a blue state
|Inexperience; already voting with the Democrats in the Senate; voted to repeal [[DADT]], will not repeal [[Obamacare]].
|Is running for re-election to the Senate
|-
|[[Haley Barbour]]
|Rose in ranking based on the victory of his choice as the new [[RNC]] chairman;<ref>http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/14/barbour-defeats-boehner-proxy-battle-control-rnc-s/</ref> has a [[conservative]] record as governor of [[Mississippi]]; was a consummate lobbyist and could raise many tens of millions for a campaign.
|Announced in late April 2011 that he is not running; also, rarely seen at conservative conferences, and a Republican from the [[Deep South]] may have trouble attracting independent voters.
|Isn't running
|-
|[[John Thune]]
|Defeated [[Tom Daschle]], relatively conservative voting record for a senator; also taller than Obama, and enjoys broad support
|Announced on Feb. 22, 2011 that he's not running; may lack an essential "fire in the belly";<ref>http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2012/assessing-john-thunes-2012-cha.html?referrer=emaillink</ref> voted for TARP financial bailout<ref>http://hoghouseblog.com/2009/09/01/thune-wants-to-end-bailout-he-voted-for/</ref> and McCain-Feingold campaign finance; no-show at some conservative events; hasn't effectively criticized Obama; could simply become a stalking horse candidate for Gingrich, brought 100 million worth of earmarks in a spending bill, then awkwardly claimed he backed the projects but opposed the bill.
|Not running
|-
|[[Jan Brewer]]
|In 2010, stood up to [[Hillary Clinton]] and [[Barack Obama]] on issue of [[illegal aliens]]
|Caved in to the [[liberals]] in vetoing legislation requiring a birth certificate to get on the presidential ballot for Arizona in 2012; if Brewer ever was conservative, she seems increasingly less so
|Not even conservatives support her after all her vetoes of good bills this year
|-
|[[George Pataki]]
|Well known former 3-term Gov. of New York. Has a track record of tax cuts
|[[RINO]] candidate, [[Pro-abortion]], had health issues in the past, not very compelling
|Not running
|-
|[[Peter King]]
|Conservative congressman from New York that supports [[Pro-life]], energy independence, free trade, expand border fence, battles Muslim extremists in the USA by Homeland Security position.
|Fiscal conservatism lacking: voted for TARP, Cash for Clunkers, CHIP
|Seems more focused on his Homeland Security position in the House than any Presidential aspirations
|-
|}

=== The Chess Game for the Republican Party ===

====Short form====

The short form analysis is this: it probably requires a minimum of $25 million in campaign funds to win the nomination, and more if the candidate lacks a strong [[conservative]] base. Many of the candidates are probably looking to big fundraisers for support, but they are unsure of whom to back. Karl Rove, with all of his contacts from the Bush years, may be able to raise $20 million for a candidate; Haley Barbour might be able to raise even more. Fox News and its allies can raise eight figures also, as they helped reelect [[John McCain]] as senator in 2010.

The fundraising obstacle is no problem for Mitt Romney. Michelle Bachmann could reach that goal also, and benefits from having a strong conservative base too. Ron Paul could sustain his campaign as he did in 2008, relying heavily on the internet. But others lacking in a strong base will struggle unless they can obtain the support of either the Bush/Rove group, or Barbour's network, or Fox News and its allies.

====Long form====

There are three key steps to the Republican nomination: Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Mitt can win only one out of the three (New Hampshire), leaving an opening for another candidate to win the other two.

There are four basic components of the Republican Party. '''To win the nomination, a candidate needs to obtain the support of at least two out of four''':<ref>Traditionally commentators have referred to the three legs of the Republican Party: the values voters, the small businessmen, and the national security supporters. While that model still has support, it fails to account for recent shifts (such as the Tea Party Movement) and the impact of new media (such as FoxNews).</ref>

#social conservatives (pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-Republican Party platform)
#libertarians (lower taxes, less government, pro-market, anti-union)
#religious voters (Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, evangelicals, Mormons)
#neoconservatives (foreign intervention, "better" government)

In 2008, John McCain won the nomination by capturing the support of 1 and 4 above. Ron Paul had the support of 2. Mitt Romney enjoyed support by 2 and part of 3. Mike Huckabee had support of 1 and part of 3. The division of 3 by Romney and Huckabee caused them to block each other: Huckabee blocked Romney in Iowa, and Romney returned the favor in New Hampshire. This dynamic prevented either from winning the nomination.

In 2000, George Bush won with the support of 1 and 3. But John McCain enjoyed the support from 2 and 4 and this enabled him to win the New Hampshire and Michigan primaries, giving Bush a close contest. Some felt McCain mishandled his victory in Michigan.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan had the support of 1 and 2.

== Potential Democratic Candidates ==

McClatchy-Marist survey after the [[2010 Midterm elections]] revealed 46% of Democrats and Democratic leaning independent voters said they don't want President Obama to face a Democratic primary challenge, with 45% saying they do want such a challenge to occur. 40% of Democrats and independents who lean towards the Democrats say they prefer a more conservative challenger, while 39% say they want a challenger who is more liberal. The Marist poll says,
{{Cquote|Interestingly, a plurality of Democrats – 42 percent – would like to see a more liberal challenger while half of Democratic leaning independents – 50 percent – would like to see a more conservative one.}}
The McClatchy-Marist poll indicates that 48 percent of registered voters nationwide plan to vote against the president in 2012, with 36 percent saying they'll vote to re-elect Obama.

A Quinnipiac University survey released after the [[2010 Midterm elections]] indicated that a plurality of Americans don't think Obama deserves to be re-elected to a second term, and an Associated Press-GfK survey in the same time span indicates that 54% believe Obama should be voted out of office in 2012.<ref>http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/24/poll-democrats-split-on-2012-obama-primary-challenge/</ref> Former DNC chairman [[Ed Rendell]] suggested on [[MSNBC]], liberal anger over Obama's escalation of the war in Afghanistan could lead to a primary challenge.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20011923-503544.html</ref>

The ''[[New York Times]]'' reported many [[liberal]]s are so upset over recommendations by the Deficit Reduction Commission which President Obama himself created after the Democratic controlled Congress voted the idea down,<ref>http://peoplesworld.org/senate-defeats-deficit-commission/</ref> "if Mr. Obama were to embrace its major parts, he would invite a primary challenge in 2012."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/us/politics/12fiscal.html</ref> Clarence B. Jones, who was a personal advisor, legal counsel, and close friend of Dr. [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], has called for a primary challenge to President Obama.<ref>http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/former-mlk-advisor-calls-primary-chal</ref>

Also Obama's [[Libya#Libyan_uprising_2011|Libyan intervention]] has raised the ire of many prominent leftists who question the [[wisdom]] and [[legal]]ity of the president's actions.<ref>http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51595.html</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Candidate
!Pros
!Cons
![[MSNBC]] exposure
|-
|[[Barack Obama]]
|Ability to compromise and act in a spirit of bi-partisanship when his back's against the wall and career on the line; he's not Hillary Clinton, and he receives enduring support from the media. Has the historical benefit of being the incumbent.
|He depends on a teleprompter to speak, and has run the nation into the ground. Numerous broken<ref>http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/rulings/promise-broken/</ref> and unfulfilled<ref>http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/rulings/stalled/</ref> campaign promises, implementation of socialist [[Obamacare]] program. Maybe uphill without help from [[ACORN]].
|Heavily promoted on MSNBC.
|-
|[[Hillary Clinton]]
|Her criticism of Obama's massive deficits hinted at a possible run against him in 2012, and [[Ted Kennedy]] cannot interfere with her nomination this time; moreover, waiting until 2016 is unattractive because she will be 71 then. A recent Bloomberg poll shows she has a 64% approval rating, higher than any other national political figure.<ref>[http://yourjewishnews.com/11198.aspx Hillary Clinton approval rating jumps to 64%.], September 17, 2011. October 1, 2011.</ref> Tested the waters with Bill backing a challenger to Obama's Colorado Senate candidate (who then lost), and by Hillary saying she won't serve a second term as Obama's Secretary of State. The chances of Hillary running and winning the nomination increase with every decline in Obama's approval ratings.
|Has stated numerous times that she will not seek an elected position once she leaves her current position as Secretary of State. Her [[feminism]] is disliked by conservatives, but is popular with liberal women. She'd lose the general election as [[Martha Coakley]] did.
|Disfavored on MSNBC.
|-
|[[Randall Terry]]
|Pro-life, and ardently so, unlike most Democrats. Will make this issue, which most Americans agree with, the cornerstone of his campaign. Is a conservative, and argued in favor of Terri Schavio's family in the case to allow her to live.
|Only recently joined the Democrats, in order to run against Obama in the primary; largely seen as a 'joke' candidate by most people; no media attention, and he likely will never get a chance to go up against Obama in a debate.
|Disfavored on MSNBC, when he's mentioned
|-
|[[Russ Feingold]]
|His dedication to [[progressive]] causes rivals that of Obama, Feingold now has the time to run since his defeat in the 2010 midterms.<ref>http://usforruss.com/?p=55</ref>
|Considered a maverick and [[reform]]er within the Democratic party.
|Disfavored on MSNBC.
|-
|[[Howard Dean]]
|Liberal media personality, politician with physician's license and a former Vermont governor. Opposed [[Obamacare]] in its current form, and declared that government cannot force people to buy health insurance.
|Progressive/Socialist/Marxist philosophy combined with numerous public gaffes. Dean ran in the 2004 presidential elections.
|Heavily promoted on MSNBC.
|-
|[[Bernie Sanders]]
|Has pledged to "do whatever I can" to thwart compromise and thinks the President's legislative proposals are "an absolute disaster and an insult to the vast majority of the American people."
|Genuine out-of-the-closet [[Socialist]], will need to formally register as a Democrat.
|Has appeared on MSNBC.<ref>http://www.thestatecolumn.com/blog/2010/12/sen-bernie-sanders-issues-a-challenge-to-president-obama/</ref>
|-
|[[Evan Bayh]]
|Democratic base sees Bayh's retirement from the Senate as "a symbol of what's wrong with the party" as moderates are increasingly marginalized. <ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/15/evan-bayh-for-president-s_n_463202.html?view=screen Evan Bayh For President? Senator May Be Eyeing White House Run,] Ryan Grim, ''Huffington Post'', 02-15-10.</ref>
|Lags behind Obama in fundraising. [http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00003762&cycle=2010]
|Has appeared on MSNBC.
|-
|[[Dennis Kucinich]]
|Outspoken critic of Obama's escalation of the War in Afghanistan, sellout of the public option and tax cuts for the rich.
|Perennial favorite of special interests, particularly [[AFSCME]], lacks popular support and a wider appeal.
|Promoted on MSNBC.
|-
|[[Alan Grayson]]
|Could do well to rally the progressive base in the anti-war early primary and caucus states of Iowa and New Hampshire.<ref>[http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/12/28/an-anti-war-challenge-to-obama-in-2012-the-case-for-alan-grayso/ "An Anti-War Challenge to Obama in 2012: The Case for Alan Grayson"], ''Politics Daily'', 12-28-2010.</ref>
|Ethical concerns over his 2010 failed reelection bid for the House.
|Heavily favored on MSNBC.
|}

== Independent Candidacy by Mike Bloomberg ==

The man who spent $185 per vote to garner 51% of the vote to remain as Mayor of [[New York City]] in 2009, [[Mike Bloomberg]], is increasingly looking like an independent, self-funded candidate for president in 2012.

$185 per vote times 50 million voters equals $9.25 billion, which he can easily afford as one of the richest men in the world. The catch is that 50 million Americans are not as likely to be persuaded by self-funded campaign ads as 51% of New Yorkers were. Also, it is possible that money is becoming ''less influential'' in campaigns, not more so. The most likely result from a Bloomberg candidacy would be a split in the [[pro-abortion]], pro-[[homosexual agenda]] vote with the [[Democratic]] nominee, facilitating election of the Republican nominee.

==References==
{{reflist}}

== See also ==

*[[Endorsements 2012]]
*[[Swing States 2012]]
*[[Presidential Election 2012 (disambiguation)]]'' for other presidential elections
*[[Gubernatorial elections, 2010]]

[[Category: United States]]
[[Category: United States Presidential Elections]]
[[Category: United States Presidential Election, 2012]]

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:36:30Z

MorrisF: adding electoral vote #s

Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]], ranked by likelihood that [[Barack Obama]] will likely lose them despite winning them in 2008. (In 2008 Obama won by a margin of six states.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Margin of [[Obama]]'s win in 2008
!Indicators
!Electoral Votes in 2012
|-
|Indiana
|
|
|11
|-
|Virginia
|
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2011 elections the Republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature
|13
|-
|Pennsylvania
|10.3%
|Obama's disapproval rating is high: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref>
|20
|-
|Florida
|
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections.
|29
|-
|Ohio
|
|
|18
|-
|Wisconsin
|
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, recall attempts in 2011 failed to overturn the GOP majority in the state senate.
|10
|-
|North Carolina
|
|The current [[Democratic]] governor, [[Bev Perdue]], is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff.
|15
|-
|Nevada
|
|A recent special election for the state's 2nd congressional district was predicted to be competitive but resulted in a decisive victory for [[Republican]] [[Mark Amodei]]. [[Harry Reid]] won reelection in 2010 despite [[Tea Party]] opposition, but this may have been due to discrepancies and corruption in the voting process.
|6
|}

== See also ==

*[[Presidential Election 2012]]
*[[Endorsements 2012]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.tnr.com/article/the-vital-center/95467/obama-mccain-elections-gop-democrats Analysis of Electoral College and popular vote]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:politics]]

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:34:18Z

MorrisF: date fix

Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]], ranked by likelihood that [[Barack Obama]] will likely lose them despite winning them in 2008. (In 2008 Obama won by a margin of six states.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Margin of [[Obama]]'s win in 2008
!Indicators
!Electoral Votes in 2012
|-
|Indiana
|
|
|
|-
|Virginia
|
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2011 elections the Republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature
|
|-
|Pennsylvania
|10.3%
|Obama's disapproval rating is high: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref>
|20
|-
|Florida
|
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections.
|29
|-
|Ohio
|
|
|18
|-
|Wisconsin
|
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, recall attempts in 2011 failed to overturn the GOP majority in the state senate.
|10
|-
|North Carolina
|
|The current [[Democratic]] governor, [[Bev Perdue]], is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff.
|
|-
|Nevada
|
|A recent special election for the state's 2nd congressional district was predicted to be competitive but resulted in a decisive victory for [[Republican]] [[Mark Amodei]]. [[Harry Reid]] won reelection in 2010 despite [[Tea Party]] opposition, but this may have been due to discrepancies and corruption in the voting process.
|
|}

== See also ==

*[[Presidential Election 2012]]
*[[Endorsements 2012]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.tnr.com/article/the-vital-center/95467/obama-mccain-elections-gop-democrats Analysis of Electoral College and popular vote]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:politics]]

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:32:46Z

MorrisF: link fix

Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]], ranked by likelihood that [[Barack Obama]] will likely lose them despite winning them in 2008. (In 2008 Obama won by a margin of six states.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Margin of [[Obama]]'s win in 2008
!Indicators
!Electoral Votes in 2012
|-
|Indiana
|
|
|
|-
|Virginia
|
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2010 elections the republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature
|
|-
|Pennsylvania
|10.3%
|Obama's disapproval rating is high: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref>
|20
|-
|Florida
|
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections.
|29
|-
|Ohio
|
|
|18
|-
|Wisconsin
|
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, recall attempts in 2011 failed to overturn the GOP majority in the state senate.
|10
|-
|North Carolina
|
|The current [[Democratic]] governor, [[Bev Perdue]], is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff.
|
|-
|Nevada
|
|A recent special election for the state's 2nd congressional district was predicted to be competitive but resulted in a decisive victory for [[Republican]] [[Mark Amodei]]. [[Harry Reid]] won reelection in 2010 despite [[Tea Party]] opposition, but this may have been due to discrepancies and corruption in the voting process.
|
|}

== See also ==

*[[Presidential Election 2012]]
*[[Endorsements 2012]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.tnr.com/article/the-vital-center/95467/obama-mccain-elections-gop-democrats Analysis of Electoral College and popular vote]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:politics]]

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:32:20Z

MorrisF: update for nev corruption

Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]], ranked by likelihood that [[Barack Obama]] will likely lose them despite winning them in 2008. (In 2008 Obama won by a margin of six states.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Margin of [[Obama]]'s win in 2008
!Indicators
!Electoral Votes in 2012
|-
|Indiana
|
|
|
|-
|Virginia
|
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2010 elections the republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature
|
|-
|Pennsylvania
|10.3%
|Obama's disapproval rating is high: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref>
|20
|-
|Florida
|
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections.
|29
|-
|Ohio
|
|
|18
|-
|Wisconsin
|
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, recall attempts in 2011 failed to overturn the GOP majority in the state senate.
|10
|-
|North Carolina
|
|The current [[Democratic]] governor, [[Bev Perdue]], is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff.
|
|-
|Nevada
|
|A recent special election for the state's 2nd congressional district was predicted to be competitive but resulted in a decisive victory for [[Republican]] Mark [[Amodei]]. [[Harry Reid]] won reelection in 2010 despite [[Tea Party]] opposition, but this may have been due to discrepancies and corruption in the voting process.
|
|}

== See also ==

*[[Presidential Election 2012]]
*[[Endorsements 2012]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.tnr.com/article/the-vital-center/95467/obama-mccain-elections-gop-democrats Analysis of Electoral College and popular vote]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:politics]]

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:31:09Z

MorrisF: nevada indicators

Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]], ranked by likelihood that [[Barack Obama]] will likely lose them despite winning them in 2008. (In 2008 Obama won by a margin of six states.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Margin of [[Obama]]'s win in 2008
!Indicators
!Electoral Votes in 2012
|-
|Indiana
|
|
|
|-
|Virginia
|
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2010 elections the republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature
|
|-
|Pennsylvania
|10.3%
|Obama's disapproval rating is high: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref>
|20
|-
|Florida
|
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections.
|29
|-
|Ohio
|
|
|18
|-
|Wisconsin
|
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, recall attempts in 2011 failed to overturn the GOP majority in the state senate.
|10
|-
|North Carolina
|
|The current [[Democratic]] governor, [[Bev Perdue]], is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff.
|
|-
|Nevada
|
|A recent special election for the state's 2nd congressional district was predicted to be competitive but resulted in a decisive victory for [[Republican]] Mark Amodei
|
|}

== See also ==

*[[Presidential Election 2012]]
*[[Endorsements 2012]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.tnr.com/article/the-vital-center/95467/obama-mccain-elections-gop-democrats Analysis of Electoral College and popular vote]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:politics]]

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:30:00Z

MorrisF: N. Cal indicators

Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]], ranked by likelihood that [[Barack Obama]] will likely lose them despite winning them in 2008. (In 2008 Obama won by a margin of six states.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Margin of [[Obama]]'s win in 2008
!Indicators
!Electoral Votes in 2012
|-
|Indiana
|
|
|
|-
|Virginia
|
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2010 elections the republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature
|
|-
|Pennsylvania
|10.3%
|Obama's disapproval rating is high: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref>
|20
|-
|Florida
|
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections.
|29
|-
|Ohio
|
|
|18
|-
|Wisconsin
|
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, recall attempts in 2011 failed to overturn the GOP majority in the state senate.
|10
|-
|North Carolina
|
|The current [[Democratic]] governor, [[Bev Perdue]], is highly unpopular and polling badly, especially in the wake of recent scandals among her staff.
|
|-
|Nevada
|
|
|
|}

== See also ==

*[[Presidential Election 2012]]
*[[Endorsements 2012]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.tnr.com/article/the-vital-center/95467/obama-mccain-elections-gop-democrats Analysis of Electoral College and popular vote]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:politics]]

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:28:58Z

MorrisF: wisconsin indicators

Here are the key swing states for the [[Presidential Election 2012]], ranked by likelihood that [[Barack Obama]] will likely lose them despite winning them in 2008. (In 2008 Obama won by a margin of six states.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!State
!Margin of [[Obama]]'s win in 2008
!Indicators
!Electoral Votes in 2012
|-
|Indiana
|
|
|
|-
|Virginia
|
|Elected a Republican governor, [[Bob McDonnell]], in 2009. In the 2010 elections the republican party took the state senate, giving them control over both houses of the legislature
|
|-
|Pennsylvania
|10.3%
|Obama's disapproval rating is high: 54%, and [[Republicans]] swept the elections in 2010; also, Obama polled poorly here in 2008 against [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1653 Quinnipiac poll done late September 2011]</ref>
|20
|-
|Florida
|
|Elected a Republican for both governor and Senate in the 2010 midterm elections.
|29
|-
|Ohio
|
|
|18
|-
|Wisconsin
|
|Elected Republicans to the state legislature, governor's office, and Senate in 2010. Despite much complaining by Democrats and their [[labor union]] allies, recall attempts in 2011 failed to overturn the GOP majority in the state senate.
|10
|-
|North Carolina
|
|
|
|-
|Nevada
|
|
|
|}

== See also ==

*[[Presidential Election 2012]]
*[[Endorsements 2012]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.tnr.com/article/the-vital-center/95467/obama-mccain-elections-gop-democrats Analysis of Electoral College and popular vote]

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:politics]]

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:27:29Z

MorrisF: Florida indicators

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:26:35Z

MorrisF: fix

Swing States 2012

2011-12-13T19:26:16Z

MorrisF: virginia update

Mazie Hirono

2011-12-13T19:22:17Z

MorrisF: creating

'''Mazie Hirono''' is is the U.S. Representative for [[Hawaii]]'s 2nd congressional district. She was first elected in 2006. Previously she served as the state's lieutenant governor. She ran for governor in 2002, winning the [[Democratic party]] primary but losing to [[Linda Lingle]] in the general election.

==2012 Senate Election==
Hirono is currently running as a candidate to replace retiring senator [[Daniel Akaka]].<ref>http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/polls/198863-poll-hirono-in-solid-shape-in-senate-primary</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Hawaii]]

User:MorrisF

2011-12-12T21:51:50Z

MorrisF: +1

== Mottoes to live by ==

*Hard work pays off
*When you have nothing, you still have your faith

{{User Vandalized|7}}

Herman Cain

2011-12-12T21:26:13Z

MorrisF: suspended campaign, didn't totally drop out

[[File:HCain4.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Herman Cain]]
'''Herman Cain''' (born December 13, 1945) is an American journalist, businessman, politician, and broadcaster. He is a prominent [[African American]] conservative. He ran for the Republican Party's nomination for President of the United States in the [[2012 Presidential election]], but suspended his campaign out after several women made allegations that he had inappropriate relations with them including one allegation of an affiar.

Cain was born in [[Georgia]] and grew up there. He earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics at Morehouse College in 1967, and a master's degree in computer science from Purdue University. He married his wife, Gloria, in 1968. They have two children.

Cain worked for the [[United States Navy]] as a civilian ballistics analyst, then as a business analyst for the [[Coca-Cola Company]] and [[Pillsbury Company]] in 1977. While there, Cain moved to Pillsbury's [[Burger King]] division, eventually overseeing 400 Philadelphia franchises. He then moved to their Godfather's Pizza chain in 1986 and returned it to profitability. He then served on the National Restaurant Association board, becoming President and CEO in 1996.

Cain was a senior advisor to the 1996 [[Bob Dole|Dole]]/[[Jack Kemp|Kemp]] campaign for the Presidency. In 2004, he ran for the United States Senate in Georgia as a Republican, facing Congressmen Johnny Isakson and Mac Collins for the seat formerly held by [[Zell Miller]]. Collins got 20% of the vote, Cain got 26%, and Isakson avoided a runoff by getting 53%.<ref name="senate">[[Associated Press]] (July 21, 2004). [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,126389,00.html Ga. Dems Forced Into Senate Runoff.] ''[[Fox News]]''</ref>

''The Herman Cain Show'' radio program is based in Atlanta. Cain founded the leadership consulting company T*H*E New Voice, Inc. He has authored four books on leadership and self-empowerment, including ''Leadership is Common Sense'' and ''CEO of Self''.

==2012 Presidential Run==
Herman Cain officially announced his decision to enter the presidential race of 2012. He has a decent following courtesy of the [[Tea Party movement]], [[Op-Ed]] articles and a radio program through [[Conservative media]] outlets. If declared the winner, many people would consider Cain to be this nation's first [[African-American]] president. Cain prefers the term "black American" to "African-American", stating, "My roots go back through slavery in this country. Yes, they came from Africa. But the roots of my heritage are in the United States of America. So I consider myself a black American."<ref>[http://www.theblaze.com/stories/herman-cain-i-prefer-black-american/ Herman Cain: I Prefer 'Black American'] Morgenstern, Madeleine, October 16, 2011, theblaze.com, retrieved October 20, 2011</ref>

Cain is widely believed to have won the [[South Carolina]] debates, though the potential field of candidates was limited.<ref name="debate">[[CBS News]] [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504943_162-20060614-10391715.html How Herman Cain won the GOP debate.]'</ref>

The significance of his [[Florida]] straw poll victory cannot be overlooked. He is officially a top tier candidate.

On December 3rd Cain announced, that his campaign is "suspended". This was the result of a relentless campaign of smear tactics and outright fabrications created and amplified by the media in order to keep black voters, who are overwhelmingly God-fearing Christians opposed to sexual deviance, voting for the Democratic party, despite the growing realization among blacks that they have more in common with the GOP and its message of self-success than with the "gravy-train politics" of the outdated Democrats. It is interesting that media coverage of Bill Clinton's numerous instances of sexual harassment and adultery were reported in a much more favorable light than Cain's few minor indiscretions, which were vague accusations of "inappropriate conduct" from women who were fired from the NRA and chose to remain anonymous to avoid being questioned over their alleged experiences. It should be noted that commenting on the height of one of his coworkers is apparently the worst instance of sexual harassment that the media could dig up; he used his hand to compare the height of a female subordinate to his wife of similar height. It is also interesting that one of the more offensive nicknames that Bill Clinton has accepted from his "not-racist-at-all" liberal worshippers is "The First Black President," apparently because all black people play the saxophone and cheat on their wives. Cain will remain an important voice of conservativism.

==Controversial campaign ad ==
In October of 2011, the Cain campaign released a [http://conservativebyte.com/2011/10/have-you-seen-herman-cain‘s-new-’smoking’-ad/ controversial political campaign advertisement], which featured filmed comments from his chief of staff, Mark Block, and a final shot of Block, in a close-up, inhaling on a cigarette. The comments made in the ad, in contrast with the highly scripted, edited and vetted content of even "grassroots" Obama campaign videos, are the real feelings of Cain's right hand man, and reflect the general sentiment of the people who had worked with Cain on his campaign and in the National Restaurant Association. Contrary to the impression left by mainstream news coverage of the ad itself, smoking a cigarette on TV is not yet a crime. More time was taken criticizing Block's smoking than analyzing the very salient points made in this and other Cain ads.<ref>http://calconservatives.com/archives/4284] Calconservatives website</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.hermancain.com/ Herman Cain: Official website]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ADaC7AahRM Cain's Gospel recordings]
*[http://www.newvoicefoundation.org/ T*H*E New Voice Foundation]
*[http://www.northstarwriters.com/ North Star Writers Group]
*[http://www.newvotersalliance.org/ New Voters Alliance]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cain, Herman}}
[[category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Tea Party Movement]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:2012 Presidential Candidates]]

Mikhail Prokhorov

2011-12-12T21:22:38Z

MorrisF: create

'''Mikhail Prokhorov''' is a [[Russian]] businessman, owning gold producer Polyus Gold and the [[New Jersey Nets]] basketball team. In December of 2011 he announced that he would challenge [[Vladimir Putin]] in his run for president.<ref>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203430404577094252356699954.html</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Business People]]

Caviar

2011-10-17T18:32:12Z

MorrisF: linking

'''Caviar''' is a name given to the unhatched [[roe]] of [[fish]] in the [[sturgeon]] family. It is also used as a generic term for the edible roe of any fish.

True caviar comes from either the [[Beluga (sturgeon)|Beluga]], Sevruga, or Ossetra sturgeons. Due to its rarity and popularity it is very expensive.

In recent years there has been an [[embargo]] on some caviars in the [[United States]] due to the overfishing and rarity of the fish.

[[category:Food and Drink]]
[[Category:Luxury]]

Seas

2011-10-17T18:31:19Z

MorrisF: create rd

#REDIRECT [[Sea]]

Beluga (sturgeon)

2011-10-17T18:30:48Z

MorrisF: starting

The '''Beluga''' is a type of [[sturgeon]] found mainly in Eurasia, especially in the [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]] and [[Black Sea|Black]] [[seas]]. It is best known for its [[caviar]], which is considered to be one of the most expensive foods in the world. As a result, the species suffers from poaching and overfishing. Despite government restrictions, there is a thriving black market for the roe.

[[Category:Fish]]

Beluga

2011-10-17T18:27:41Z

MorrisF: add top note

''Beluga can also refer to a [[Beluga (sturgeon)|type of sturgeon]]''
{{Taxonomy
|name=Beluga
|image=Beluga2.jpg
|caption=
|superkingdom=
|kingdom=Amimalia
|subkingdom=
|superphylum=
|phylum=Chordata
|subphylum=
|infraphylum=
|microphylum=
|superdivision=
|division=
|subdivision=
|superclass=
|class=Mammalia
|subclass=
|infraclass=
|superorder=
|order=Cetacea
|suborder=
|infraorder=
|superfamily=
|families=
|family=Monodontidae
|subfamily=
|supertribe=
|tribe=
|subtribe=
|genera=
|genus=Delphinapterus
|subgenus=
|species=D. leucas
|binomialname=
|syn=white whale sea canary
|sub=
|alt=
|regionimg=
|pop=100,000+
|conservation=
}}
The '''beluga whale''' (''Delphinapterus leucas'') is a small, white whale found in the Arctic.

==Description==
Adult belugas may reach a length of 16 feet (5 m), though average size is 12 to 14 ft (about 4 m). Males may weigh about 3,300 lbs (1,500 kg) and females 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg). Beluga whales lack a dorsal fin and do not typically produce a visible "blow" when breathing at the surface.

Unlike other cetaceans, belugas can move their head up, down, and side to side, because their cervical vertebrae are not fused. This feature appears to be an adaptation to maneuvering and catching prey in muddy or ice-covered areas.

Beluga whales are covered with a thick layer of blubber that accounts for as much as 40 percent of their body mass. This fat provides thermal protection and stores energy. Belugas are unique among cetaceans in that they shed their outer layer of skin, or molt, each summer around July. They concentrate in shallow water where there is coarse gravel to rub against. The rubbing action helps remove the top layer of old yellow skin and reveal the new skin underneath.

Beluga whales mate in the spring, usually in March or April, in small bays and estuaries. Gestation lasts about 14-15 months, and calves are born between March and September, mostly between May and July. Females give birth to single calves (and on rare occasion twins) every two to three years on average. They give birth where the water is relatively warm (50-60° F or 10-15° C). Beluga calves nurse for at least 12 to 18 months, until their teeth emerge, at which point they supplement their diets with shrimp and small fishes. Most calves continue to nurse for another year after beginning to eat solid food. Female belugas are old enough to reproduce at around 4 to 7 years of age and males around 7 to 9 years. Their lifespan is thought to be about 35-50 years.

Belugas are extremely social animals that typically migrate, hunt, and interact together in groups of 10 to several hundred. They are known as the "canaries of the sea," because they produce a vast repertoire of sounds including whistles, squeals, moos, chirps, and clicks. They have a well-developed sense of hearing and echolocation, and are reported to have acute vision both in and out of water. Belugas are opportunistic feeders, eating octopus, squid, crabs, shrimp, clams, mussels, snails, sandworms, and fishes, including anadromous eulachon and salmon and marine species such as capelin, cod, herring, smelt, flounder, sole, sculpin, lamprey, and lingcod.

==Habitat==
Beluga whales are generally found in shallow coastal waters, often in water barely deep enough to cover their bodies, but have also been seen in deep waters. They seem well adapted to both a cold ocean habitat and a warmer freshwater habitat. Belugas can be found swimming among icebergs and ice floes in the waters of the Arctic and subarctic, where water temperatures may be as low as 32° F (0° C). They can also be found in estuaries and river basins.

==Distribution==
Beluga whales are circumpolar in distribution. Beluga whales inhabit the Arctic and subarctic regions of Russia, Greenland, and North America. They inhabit the Arctic Ocean and its adjoining seas, including the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, the Beaufort Sea, Baffin Bay, Hudson Bay, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. During certain times of the year, belugas may also be found in large rivers, such as the Yukon, as they seem to be unaffected by salinity changes.

==Threats==
Natural predators of belugas are [[polar bear]]s and [[orca]]s. Predation by orcas is estimated at least 1 animal per year. According to some population models, this is just below a level that would lead to population declines. Beluga whales trapped by ice are often susceptible to predation by polar bears, starvation, and suffocation. Strandings are common in this population and seem to result from avoidance of killer whales plus other unknown causes. The low reproductive rate of beluga whales is also a concern.

Belugas are the only cetacean with skin thick enough to be used as leather when tanned. For this and other reasons they have been harvested over the years. Human-caused mortality, primarily legal subsistence harvest by Alaska Natives, has been the most significant source of mortality of this species during recent times. The stock of belugas isolated in Alaska's Cook Inlet suffered severe losses during the past twenty years as a result of increased human activity (fishing, shipping, etc), dropping the population to roughly 280 individuals, and causing the federal government to list this stock as endangered[http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20081017_belugawhale.html].

{| style="width: 100%; background:transparent; border: 2px solid #000099;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/belugawhale.htm]}}}.
|}

{{Nb zm whales}}

User talk:MorrisF

2011-10-17T18:24:57Z

MorrisF: /* Return */ tres bien

Please discuss any issues with me on this page. Thank you.
{{welcome}}--[[User:JamesWilson|JamesWilson]] 00:56, 28 July 2011 (EDT)

== New pages ==

Thanks for the new pages! However, could you please bold your titles, like this: <nowiki>'''Pizza'''</nowiki> and find an appropriate category and put it at the bottom of the page like this:<nowiki>[[Category:Something]]</nowiki>. Thank you and enjoy your editing experience!--[[User:JamesWilson|JamesWilson]] 17:58, 31 July 2011 (EDT)
:Certainly, thanks (I'm constantly improving, I now know how to sign my name with just one click)! --[[User:MorrisF|MorrisF]] 18:13, 31 July 2011 (EDT)
::I think you got it!--[[User:JamesWilson|JamesWilson]] 18:23, 31 July 2011 (EDT)

== [[June Carter Cash]] ==

I am on an endeavor to improve Conservapedia's articles on musicians. The two I have been working on the most are [[Elvis Presley]] and [[Bob Seger]]. I am also going to work on [[Johnny Cash]]. Would you like me to add your stub to my "improve" list, or do you plan to work on it?--[[User:JamesWilson|JamesWilson]] 20:10, 31 July 2011 (EDT)
:Oh absolutely, go ahead and make whatever improvements you want. I only started it off because I saw it as a red link in your Johnny Cash article, and thought that a tiny stub was at least a better start than nothing. So go for it, consider it yours. Cheers.--[[User:MorrisF|MorrisF]] 20:14, 31 July 2011 (EDT)
::I'll add it to the list then!--[[User:JamesWilson|JamesWilson]] 20:16, 31 July 2011 (EDT)

== University of Michigan ==

Instead of revert warring on the [[University of Michigan]] article, please discuss the situation with [[User:RudrickBoucher]] on the article's talk page. Thanks. --[[User:SharonW|SharonW]] 20:00, 15 August 2011 (EDT)

== 5 times now? ==

This is crazy.--[[User:JamesWilson|JamesWilson]] 15:53, 19 August 2011 (EDT)
:Yeah. I considered removing that, but decided that it's better for them to mess around on my page then to vandalize actual articles; it takes just as much time to revert, but there isn't any public damage. But anyway, is there no way to block the IP as a whole (do they keep switching it or something)?--[[User:MorrisF|MorrisF]] 15:56, 19 August 2011 (EDT)
::That is true. As for the IPs, they seem to just be switching and there isn't anything we can do about that but block each vandal as they come.--[[User:JamesWilson|JamesWilson]] 15:59, 19 August 2011 (EDT)
:::Oh well, I guess we'll just have to be vigilant. I'll keep an eye out for more vandalism, and maybe if I get blocking rights someday I'll be able to help you guys out on that front too.--[[User:MorrisF|MorrisF]] 16:07, 19 August 2011 (EDT)

== Return ==

I returned, as there is much work to do. I was in a state of indecision.--[[User:JamesWilson|James Wilson]] 14:02, 15 October 2011 (EDT)
:Ausgezeichnet!--[[User:MorrisF|MorrisF]] 14:24, 17 October 2011 (EDT)

Baden-Baden

2011-10-14T15:54:34Z

MorrisF: change

'''Baden-Baden''' is a city in the [[German]] state of [[Baden-Wuerttemberg|Baden-Württemberg]]. The city became fashionable in the Nineteenth Century as a spa resort due to the apparent beneficial effects of the spring waters there.

When Germany was partitioned after [[World War II]], the city became the headquarters for the French zone.
<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/874732202.html?dids=874732202:874732202&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+06%2C+1947&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=French+Make+Reich+Zone+Pay+Own+Way&pqatl=google</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Germany]]
[[Category:Cities]]

Beverly Perdue

2011-10-13T19:33:31Z

MorrisF: creating

#REDIRECT [[Bev Perdue]]

Liberal anti-Christian hate

2011-09-27T18:19:27Z

MorrisF: another

'''Liberal anti-Christian hate''' refers to the forced removal from the public sphere any references to [[Christianity]] and the [[Bible]] by the use of threat, intimidation, or legal action. Such actions violate four of the five clauses of the [[First Amendment]] to the Constitution, which states:
{{cquote|'''[[Congress]] shall make no law respecting an establishment of [[religion]], or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the [[freedom of speech]], or of the [[press]]; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the [[government]] for a redress of grievances.'''}}

==Fined for a Bible study==
Chuck and Stephanie Fromm regularly hold Bible studies in their home, yet the city of Capistrano, California demands they get a "conditional use" permit to hold them, an expensive procedure which would take months to get and put their Bible studies on hold. Already, the city has fined the Fromms $300 dollars, with $500 dollars tacked on for each additional gathering they hold. Currently, the case is going to trial.<ref>http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=345073</ref><ref>http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/san-juan-capistrano-family-fined-for-holding-bible-study-in-home.html</ref>

==Removal of 9/11 Cross==
Atheist groups have protested the inclusion of the [[World Trade Center Cross]] in the memorial to the 9/11 attacks. The cross served as an inspiration and source of hope for the heroes and victims of the attacks, yet liberals still want it removed because of its Christian nature.<ref>http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-26/us/new.york.wtc.cross_1_atheist-group-american-atheists-cross?_s=PM:US</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{liberalism}}
[[Category:Liberalism]]
[[Category:Liberal Traits]]

Politico

2011-09-26T03:10:13Z

MorrisF: editor in chief is

'''POLITICO''' or Politico.com is a political news resource owned by Capitol News Company LLC. The website states, 'POLITICO is the first true multiplatform news source for people interested in politics.' It launched a highly visible website January 23, 2007 with over 6 million visitors a month. The print operation has a circulation of 50,000 readers. Politico has an unparalleled coverage of Congress as it publishes Tuesday through Thursday when Congress is in session and exclusively on Tuesdays when Congress is in recess. <ref>[http://www.politico.com/advertising/ About Politico Newspaper]</ref> It is known for closely working with [[mainstream media]] companies such as CBS, USAToday, CNN, the [[L.A. Times]] and many [[newspaper]]s, [[television]] and radio companies. Politico boasts its audience is the 24 hour news cycle.

Politico's current editor in chief is John F. Harris.

Politico pretends to be unbiased but their reporting has leaned overwhelmingly to the left. They consistently attack [[conservative]] positions and people such as [[congresswoman]] [[Michele Bachmann]] <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22541.html Michele Bachmann still a lightning rod] Politico, may 15, 2009</ref> and former [[Alaska]] Governor [[Sarah Palin]]. <ref>[http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=4E2E5BFD-18FE-70B2-A815903CFF648F68 Palin's earmarks: Not just for the halibut] Politico, September 10, 2008</ref> Politico writes unsourced articles making dubious claims just like tabloids do. <ref>[http://bigjournalism.com/driehl/2010/10/22/politicos-jonathan-martin-humiliated-by-multiple-named-sources/ Politico’s Jonathan Martin Humiliated by Multiple Named Sources, BigGovernment.com, October 22, 2010]</ref> Their position has been outed and they are members of the out-of-touch D.C. beltway crowd, a full fledged member of the [[lamestream media]].

[[Sarah Palin]] calls Politico, "puppy-kicking, chain-smoking, porn producers.” <ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2010/11/20/rise-of-conservative-displeasure-over-politiconbc-debate/ Rise of conservative displeasure over Politico/NBC debate, The Daily Caller, November 20, 2010]</ref>

== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Websites]]
[[Category:United States Newspapers]]
==External Links ==
* [http://www.politico.com Politico.com Homepage]
{{liberalism}}

DSK

2011-09-26T03:08:52Z

MorrisF: redirect

#REDIRECT [[Dominique Strauss-Kahn]]

Politico

2011-09-26T03:07:27Z

MorrisF: this just looks dumb

'''POLITICO''' or Politico.com is a political news resource owned by Capitol News Company LLC. The website states, 'POLITICO is the first true multiplatform news source for people interested in politics.' It launched a highly visible website January 23, 2007 with over 6 million visitors a month. The print operation has a circulation of 50,000 readers. Politico has an unparalleled coverage of Congress as it publishes Tuesday through Thursday when Congress is in session and exclusively on Tuesdays when Congress is in recess. <ref>[http://www.politico.com/advertising/ About Politico Newspaper]</ref> It is known for closely working with [[mainstream media]] companies such as CBS, USAToday, CNN, the [[L.A. Times]] and many [[newspaper]]s, [[television]] and radio companies. Politico boasts its audience is the 24 hour news cycle.

Politico pretends to be unbiased but their reporting has leaned overwhelmingly to the left. They consistently attack [[conservative]] positions and people such as [[congresswoman]] [[Michele Bachmann]] <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22541.html Michele Bachmann still a lightning rod] Politico, may 15, 2009</ref> and former [[Alaska]] Governor [[Sarah Palin]]. <ref>[http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=4E2E5BFD-18FE-70B2-A815903CFF648F68 Palin's earmarks: Not just for the halibut] Politico, September 10, 2008</ref> Politico writes unsourced articles making dubious claims just like tabloids do. <ref>[http://bigjournalism.com/driehl/2010/10/22/politicos-jonathan-martin-humiliated-by-multiple-named-sources/ Politico’s Jonathan Martin Humiliated by Multiple Named Sources, BigGovernment.com, October 22, 2010]</ref> Their position has been outed and they are members of the out-of-touch D.C. beltway crowd, a full fledged member of the [[lamestream media]].

[[Sarah Palin]] calls Politico, "puppy-kicking, chain-smoking, porn producers.” <ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2010/11/20/rise-of-conservative-displeasure-over-politiconbc-debate/ Rise of conservative displeasure over Politico/NBC debate, The Daily Caller, November 20, 2010]</ref>

== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Websites]]
[[Category:United States Newspapers]]
==External Links ==
* [http://www.politico.com Politico.com Homepage]
{{liberalism}}

Muscat

2011-09-26T02:36:26Z

MorrisF: muscat

'''Muscat''' is the capital of [[Oman]].

[[Category:Capital Cities]]