Can Clinton muscle her way into V.P. slot?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Senator Hillary Clinton is reportedly trying to muscle her way onto the ticket as Barack Obama's vice presidential candidate.
Politico reports a senior Obama adviser says that some Clinton supporters are "pushing real, real hard to get her on the ticket." According to Time Magazine, one of those supporters is her husband, former president Bill Clinton, who apparently thinks his wife has earned a place on Obama's ticket.
Clinton's wins in key states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia – along with her support from women and white working-class voters – are all strong arguments why Obama should include her.
However, the unnamed Obama adviser suggests Clinton would "take away" from the ticket, citing her "baggage" and the fact that a majority of voters think she's "dishonest." It would also detract from Obama's message of "change," and a shift away from politics as usual.
This aide believes Obama will wind up attracting a lot of Democratic women who have been voting for Clinton, once they have the choice between Obama and McCain. Also, this person claims that even though Clinton attracts some white voters Obama hasn't been getting "some of them will never vote for Obama anyway."
But not everyone agrees that Hillary Clinton would weigh down the ticket. One former congressman and associate of the Clintons says putting Hillary on the ticket makes sense. He says the race is "as close to a tie" as anything in recent memory and uniting the two candidates would merge the party.
Here’s my question to you: Can Hillary Clinton muscle her way into the V.P. slot?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Rebate checks = confidence in economy?
US Federal Reserve Building in Washington, DC. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
So far, the government's big solution to fixing our sluggish economy has been to pour $150 billion into tax rebate checks for about 130 million Americans. The idea behind it is to bolster the confidence of U.S. consumers, and to get them to spend that money to jump-start our economy.
But, turns out the checks – in the amount of $600 per individual and $1,200 per couple – may not be doing the trick. A new Gallup Poll shows people who have already received their tax rebates feel just as uneasy about the state of our economy as those who haven't yet gotten the checks.
43% of those who received the rebates rate the economy as "poor" while 18% say it's "excellent or good." That's nearly identical to the 43% of those who haven't received a rebate and say the economy is "poor”, while 16% of them say "excellent or good."
87% of those who have received a rebate say the economy is getting worse, not better. That's about the same as the 86% who haven't gotten a check and hold the same view.
Also, the tax rebates seem to have done very little in the way of relieving Americans' worries about their own financial situations. Almost the same percentages of people say they "worried about money yesterday" – regardless of whether or not they've received a rebate check.
Here’s my question to you: Do the government’s rebate checks make you more confident in the U.S. economy?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
FULL POST
Does Obama have a problem with Jewish voters in Florida?
Sen. Barack Obama at an event to honor the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence in Washington, D.C. Click the Play Button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say.(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
"The fate of the world for the next four years... it's all going to boil down to a few old Jews in Century Village"… that's the assessment of the 2008 election campaign by Rabbi Ruvi New, according to the New York Times.
While the line is the kind that will get a laugh, the point he's making is very serious: Barack Obama could have a problem with some Jewish voters, especially in Florida.
Obama was in Boca Raton today speaking in a synagogue about foreign policy and his approach to Israel. Florida is critical, and Jews make up almost 4% of voters there. Many of them are elderly, and that's the group that has concerns about Obama.
He has received a lot of support from younger Jews – winning 45% of the Jewish vote in the primaries – if you don't include Florida and Michigan. But the latest Florida poll suggests Obama would lose to John McCain, while Hillary Clinton would win.
Obama didn't campaign in Florida and voters didn't get a chance to know him. It is a hotbed for rumors about him: people think he's Arab – he's not; that he's part of Chicago's Palestinian community – he's not; that al Qaeda is backing him – they aren't; that he'll fill his cabinet with supporters of Louis Farrakhan – he won't; and that the Reverend Jeremiah Wright is the godfather of his children – he isn't. It's amazing with all the access to accurate information that people could be so pathetically uninformed.
Others are worried about Obama's commitment to Israel or have reservations about his willingness to talk with Iran. And for some, it's a question of race.
Here’s my question to you: What does Barack Obama have to do to persuade Florida's Jewish population to support him?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
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