Top 5 Mid-Term Races to Watch
With elections only two weeks away, my head is spinning because of all of the interesting races to watch. The races I've highlighted below have a theme; moderate independent Democrats.
Here are my top five races to watch.
1) Florida Congressional District 8 (Orlando)Charlie Stuart (D) vs. incumbent Ric Keller (R)
Why I'm watching: This is my district. This is where I live. I've also gotten to know Charlie Stuart. Charlie is a fellow Baptist like myself, and he is pro-life. 2) Senate Pennsylvania
Bob Casey Jr. (D) vs incumbent Rick Santorum
Why I'm watching: Again a great pro-life Democrat, Bob Casey Jr. is all set to win by at least 5% points against the powerful and elitist Republican Santorum.
3) Senate Tennessee (Open Seat)
Harold Ford Jr. (D) vs Bob Corker
Why I'm watching: Ford is a solid conservative politician. If he doesn't beat Corker, it's because the citizens of Tennessee simply vote party lines, and fail to research the candidates.
4) North Carolina Congressional District 11
Heath Shuler (D) vs incumbent Charles Taylor (R)
Why I'm watching: Have you noticed my theme, pro-life Democrats. Current polls show Heath, the former UT quarterback, with a slim lead. His opponent Charles Taylor has been in office for 16 years, and seems to have succumbed to corruption run amok.
5) South Carolina Congressional District 5
Ralph Norman (R) vs incumbent John Spratt (D)
Why I'm watching: John Spratt continues to get elected as a Democrat in the Republican stronghold of South Carolina. It's not likely, but I would love to see John Spratt run for The Speaker of House after he defeats Ralph Norman. A moderate Democrat from South Carolina would be like Teflon when the Republicans try to make him out to be a West Coast liberal.
Bounus: Connecticut Senate
Ned Lamont (D) vs. incumbent Joe Lieberman (I)
Why I'm watching: While I don't necessarily agree with Joe's position on Iraq, I'm okay with him having his own opinion and voting that way. In fact I'm all for candidates that don't tow the party line on every issue. This type of resolution shows courage and principles. A Ned Lamont victory (which isn't likely) would only empower the DailyKOS extreme lefties.
Continue reading Comments (2) Oct.24.2006.
Tax Relief for Whom?
In May, Congress passed $70 billion in tax cuts over the next five years. Guess who benefits?
If your annual income is...$10k - 20k you save $2
$20k - 30k you save $9
$30k - 40k you save $16
$40k - 50k you save $46
$50k - 75k you save $110
$75k - 100k you save $403
== Notice average savings increase == $100k - 200k they save $1,388
$200k - 500k they save $4,499
$500k - 1 Million they save $5,562
Over $1 Million they save $41,977
Source: Senate Finance Committee and Sojourners Magazine Thanks congress, I really appreciate you working so hard to save me a few dollars over the next five years. I will do my patriotic duty and immediately buy some $3 dollar per gallon gas!
Continue reading Comments (0) Jun.26.2006.
Pelosi - First Female Speaker of the House?
First of all I hope the Democrats take back the House. Having said that I don't think Nancy Pelosi should be the next Speaker of the House. Most experts agree that Pelosi has the best chance to be Mrs. Speaker if the Dems win control.
I would like to give the tip of the hat to John Spratt (D) of South Carolina for Mr. Speaker. Suprisingly, John Spratt has been a progressive Democrat in the South since 1983. Having a Speaker from the deep South would do major damage to the Republican image of us Democrats. On-the-hand, Pelosi would simply be a punching bag for the Republican minority.
The Republicans are coming after John Spratt this election cycle. His race will be reflective of the direction of our nation. Stay tuned...Continue reading Comments (1) Jun.04.2006.
Small Search Engines and their Non-Traditional PR Machines
I've been following a few small search engines for some time now. With search dominated by Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, can a start-up enter the market and how do they get attention? I’ve read many articles about Google's massive network of computers that can process more data than most if not all of the world's largest universities. Likewise we have to assume that Microsoft with their heaping pile of cash has replicated to some degree Google's indexing capabilities. How can a small search firm compete? The answer is small value-added over-lays to their search combined with aggressive marketing, but this still doesn't mean success.
Just over a year ago I discovered Mamma.com. Mamma.com is the self-described, "mother of all search engines." In addition to search they had a very small advertising network that appeared to be similar to Google's vastly popular Adsense program. I discovered Mamma.com after browsing Mark Cuban's personal blog. I was intrigued by Mamma because Mr. Cuban had made a substantial investment in the company. However he eventually sold all of his stock in Mamma.com because of frustrations with the company. So really my brief exposure to Mamma.com was a nothing more than viral marketing via a blog. As a result, I really tried to use Mamma.com, but their meta search was nothing compared to Google, and their site seemed sluggish.
Continue reading Comments (0) Mar.27.2006.