Carly Fiorina Explains Tax Breaks for Offshoring

Posted on September 16, 2008 by billmanzi

Yes former CEO Carly Fiorina explains why John McCain continues to support tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas and keep profits overseas. Fiorina’s point on low marginal tax rates drawing business is correct. What is left out or she refuses to answer is the continued favorable tax treatment for such activity. And most notably neither Fiorina or anyone else will explain why products that are made for the AMERICAN MARKET are given this type of favored treatment. A further testament to some of the destructive aspects of free trade. We outsource the work, and our government allows these products back in to be bought by Americans. These policies, promulgated by the trade at all cost wing of the Republican Party, have hollowed out (with apologies to Buchanan) the American industrial base. I guess at this point we are done talking about lipstick on pigs and sex education. Lets see how long the Palin political bubble lasts now.

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Carly Fiorina Presents:

Posted on September 16, 2008 by billmanzi

Former H.P. CEO Carly Fiorina has said that Sarah Palin would not be qualified to run a Fortune 500 Company like H.P., but she certainly would be qualified to be the Vice President of the United States. Carly Fiorina was the CEO of H.P. until she was asked by the board to leave, and never return. I wonder if John McCain will send Carly off to the same place he sent Phil Gramm? I hope not, because she is doing the Obama campaign a whole lot of good right now.

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Gambling on McCain

Posted on September 16, 2008 by billmanzi

A new Obama ad that has extra bite in light of the economic meltdown on Wall Street, with major financial houses going belly up after “gambling” incorrectly on housing prices and sub-prime mortgages.

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McCain Called to task for the low road

Posted on September 16, 2008 by billmanzi

A new Obama ad, again calling McCain to task for the distortions contained in his ads. McCain has been placed on the defensive by claims made in his ads that are clearly false, and which he continues to cling to. Obama has weathered the storm, and is now begining to play offense. Has the McCain political surge begun to dissipate?

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Campbell For Representative

Posted on September 15, 2008 by billmanzi

Campbell

Tommorow is the Democratic primary in Methuen where we have a State Reps race, with the incumbent Linda Dean Campbell facing Attorney Chris Dibella. I urge voters to turn out and support Representative Campbell’s re-election.

Representative Campbell is a freshman Representative who has already made a big mark in Boston and Methuen. In her first term she was a leader in bringing home to Methuen a major renovation of our High School in the first year of financing by the MSBA. Rep. Campbell was a tireless force advocating for Methuen, and her hard work and perserverance paid off. Rep. Campbell also fought hard for a new community center in the Arlington Neighborhood. This project was kicked around for several years, but Campbell brought Lt. Governor Tim Murray in many months ago to look at the old center and worked with him to finalize the necessary state funding for the new center. This new center serves as an after school program for some of our most at risk students, and the staff there truly has made a major mark in turning around their neighborhood.

Rep. Campbell also fought for and brought to Methuen the access lane to Rte 93 at Pelham Street, a major infrastructure project. It was directly through her efforts that downtown Methuen received $200,000 to remediate the remaining enviromental issues at the Appleyard site, a key to promoting downtown development. She secured additional monies for our recreation department, and has been a force to be reckoned with on issues impacting senior citizens.

Finally Campbell is a veteran who understands how important veteran services are to Methuen’s many vets. She serves on the Veterans Committee, and has widespread support from those veterans who realize that having someone who knows these issues firsthand is vitally important to them.

Lastly let me deal with some of the politics involved. Rep. Campbell voted against the casino bill that went down to defeat in the House. After that vote the Teamsters Union made a threat to try to drive those Reps out of office who had voted against the casino bill. While that threat has not been enforced evenly throughout the State it has been an issue in this campaign, with Teamster support targeting Rep. Campbell in this primary. Her opponent has spoken in favor of the casino bill, and the Teamsters have done mailings for Attorney Dibella based on his support for casinos. As a Mayor I lent my support to the Governor’s casino bill, but I feel that this one issue targeting is wrong and should be exposed for what it is. Out of Methuen casino interests should not dictate this race.

Please remember to vote tommorow, primary day, with polls open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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Obama sharpens Message

Posted on September 14, 2008 by billmanzi

The campaigns continue to fight over the turf called “change”. The latest Obama ad, hitting McCain on his cozy relationship with lobbyists.

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Clinton-Palin SNL “Joint Statement”

Posted on September 14, 2008 by billmanzi

SNL returns with a great opening bit featuring “Hillary and Sarah”. You knew it was coming, but great stuff anyway.

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Lt Governor Murray in Methuen

Posted on September 13, 2008 by billmanzi

Murray2

Lt. Governor Tim Murray visited Methuen recently, touring our city with Representative Linda Dean Campbell. We brought Lt Governor Murray to tour our High School, (which is scheduled for a major renovation) he visited the Arlington Neighborhood’s brand new community center, and he also visited the Methuen Housing Authority at Mystic Street. The Lt. Governor had visited some months back, before we had constructed the new Arlington Neighborhood Center. He was amazed at the progress. That community center was built with State money, and the Lt Governor and State Representative Campbell were instrumental in securing that money. Tim Murray has also been a leader with Rep Campbell in bringing long overdue modernization money to Housing Authoritys all over the state. He was warmly received by the seniors at Mystic Street. My thanks to Rep. Campbell and Lt Governor Murray for their time and good work.

Murray

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The Battlegound States: PA, FLA, Ohio

Posted on September 13, 2008 by billmanzi

Quinnipiac University has unveiled a September 11 survey of three key swing states, FLA, Ohio, and PA. The data reflect a positive bounce for McCain based on the Palin choice in all three states, but show Obama ahead in two of the three. From Quinnipiac:

No one has been elected President since 1960 without taking two of these three largest swing states in the Electoral College. Results from the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University polls show:
Florida: McCain leads 50 – 43 percent, compared to 47 – 43 percent August 26;
Ohio: Obama is up 49 – 44 percent, compared to 44 – 43 percent last time;
Pennsylvania: Obama leads 48 – 45 percent, compared to 49 – 42 percent.

Voters in all three states say Sen. McCain’s selection of Gov. Palin is a good choice: 60 – 26 percent in Florida, 57 – 30 percent in Ohio and 55 – 33 percent in Pennsylvania.

Since August 26, McCain’s support among white women is up four percentage points in Ohio and five points in Pennsylvania, and dropped two points in Florida, where it was high to start.

So Obama has taken the hard shots of the past week and stayed ahead in Ohio and PA. As we all know the key battleground states are still tilting in Obama’s favor. Maybe it is time for another peek at the electoral map exercise put out by the Washington Post.

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Look whose pants are on fire.

Posted on September 13, 2008 by billmanzi

John McCain, seemingly getting a boost from all of the attacks on Barack Obama, is now taking some heat for the obvious distortions (lies) put out in two of those ads. McCain’s claims on Obama’s “support” for sex education in kindergarten has been thouroughly debunked, and his attacks on Obama for the lipstick on the pig comment have been contrasted with his own use of that very same phrase to describe the Hillary Clinton health plan. Was McCain calling Clinton a pig? From the New York Times:

Mr. Obama has also been accused of distortions, but this week Mr. McCain has found himself under particularly heavy fire for a pair of headline-grabbing attacks. First the McCain campaign twisted Mr. Obama’s words to suggest that he had compared Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, to a pig after Mr. Obama said, in questioning Mr. McCain’s claim to be the change agent in the race, “You can put lipstick on a pig; it’s still a pig.” (Mr. McCain once used the same expression to describe Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s health plan.)

Then he falsely claimed that Mr. Obama supported “comprehensive sex education” for kindergartners (he supported teaching them to be alert for inappropriate advances from adults).

The Straight Talk Express apparently has gotten a little bent.

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