Gas Prices (and Exxon’s Profits) are High; Hillary has Something to Say About that
By D. Cupples on May 3, 2008 at 2:46 PM in Barack Obama, Gas Prices, Hillary Clinton, John McCain
Today, I bought gas in North Florida: $3.79 a gallon for regular, up about 83 cents since early February. Friday, Exxon Mobil reported quarterly profits of $10.9 billion. Last quarter, Exxon listed the highest quarterly profits in U.S. corporate history ($11.66 billion), as well as record-high annual profits of $40.66 billion in 2007.
Exxon’s share prices fell anyway, because analysts had expected even better performance.
While it’s nice to know that we consumers are helping pay for record-high oil company profits again, that’s not all we’re helping pay for.
Profits are calculated after expenses are accounted for. Expenses include executive compensation packages. Some big oil execs pocket tens (or even hundreds) of millions of shareholder dollars in salaries and perks — courtesy, in part, of us consumers.
In 2006, for example, Exxon’s ex-CEO Lee Raymond got a $400 million retirement package.
While individuals employed as Exxon Mobil executives have been hyper-generous to themselves, they’ve been expert penny pinchers toward us consumers and taxpayers.
By 2001, for example, 15 oil companies (including Exxon and Mobil) settled Justice Department lawsuits for a combined $438 million after they allegedly failed to pay us taxpayers the royalties they owed on oil extracted from U.S. government-owned (i.e., taxpayer-owned) lands. They may have actually owed us more than the settlement amount.
Last year, a Department of Interior official resigned after media reports showed that she had failed to enforce oil companies’ obligations to pay royalties to us taxpayers. Apparently, collecting royalties has not been a big priority for Bush Administration officials.
Sen. Hillary Clinton has something to say about the gas-price situation:
"There is something seriously wrong with our economy when Exxon’s record $11 billion in quarterly profits are seen as a disappointment by Wall Street. This is truly Dick Cheney’s wonderland.
"But on Main Street, middle class families are facing devastating choices every day between buying groceries and filling up their gas tanks to get to work. They are being squeezed by a vice grip of record high gas prices, record declines in housing values and an economy that is shedding jobs and tumbling into recession.
"I believe these families need immediate relief. That’s why I have called for making Exxon and other oil companies with record profits pay the federal gas tax this summer. Now, Senator Obama doesn’t believe in any kind of gas tax holiday. And Senator McCain doesn’t want to pay for one. I believe we should impose a windfall profits tax on big oil companies and use that money to suspend the gas tax and give families relief at the pump. They typical family could get $70 in relief, and families that drive more for work could get even more. Truckers will get a $50 break every time they fill up their tanks.
"At the same time, we need to set a new course for our long term energy strategy, and move away from oil and towards new sources of clean energy. That’s why I have proposed a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund that will invest that money in clean energy sources like wind and solar."
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Cross-posted from my blog, Buck Naked Politics.
$4.10 at my local southern California station.
Same here in No Cal.
What is going to happen when you can’t afford the gas to get to work to buy the food that you can’t afford to purchase?
NUTS! Grapes of Wrath Redux
Raymo,
I’m sorry to hear that.
What needs to be addressed is that this also hurts the working poor who rely on public transportation. Rates are going up. For a family without a vehicle each rate hike per family member cuts into a very tight budget. Not all school systems offer Bussing to schools and many municipalities are cutting services.
An excellent point that I hadn’t thought of!
I live in a town that installed rail ( going north/south ) jst a few years ago. In the 1980’s a local politician was laughed out of office because this city and it’s rapid growth was 40 yrs + behind in public transportation. Most workers ride public buses to the suburbs to work and to get across town it can easily take 2 hrs. during peak schedules.
Services are cut with little warning…..The average family of three would pay about $195.00/month for two adults and one child. Most of the folks who ride public transportation in these parts do not own vehicles.
They are hourly wage earners or disabled or retired. To save money my daughter and I walk a mile to the grocey store and get what we can carry in back packs. Up until 2 weeks ago when construction of her school was completed she spent 2 1/2 hrs. each way by rail and bus to get to school that was 20 mi. away. She spent 5 hours each day just to get to and from school. I feel confident that what ever policies Clinton has in mind to address this issue she will not forget the working poor.
The ice cream man was in our neighborhood this evening. Ice cream is up $.50 from last summer. He said it was the gas that is killing him. I know it is a luxury not a necessity but it just underscores how the high gas prices are affecting everyone.
Not sure whether many other rural dwellers such as hubby and I are managing, but we have pretty much parked our diesel truck (needed for farm purposes and not exactly easy to sell these days anyway) and use our more energy efficient vehicle.
I’m fortunate enough to be a rural dweller with cable internet access which enables me to run my own business from home. I work remotely via the internet with my clients. This has enabled us to only have to rarely if ever use the diesel truck and go as long as a month and a half on one tank of fuel.
Yes, this gas-price problem certainly has wide-spreading ripple effects.
Higher fuel prices drive up the cost of everything.
Higher fuel economy is a good long-term measure. But it has a serious flaw. The people who are having the most trouble paying for gasoline are hardly going to be able to buy a new, fuel-efficient car. bush’s motto is “poor people, fu*k ‘em.” Hopefully Clinton can change this. Obama shows no inclination to do it.
Yes, let’s hope that Hillary gets elected, as she seems the most inclined of the three to solve such problems.
I am from rural Colrado. I drive 45 miles each way to work. Because I have to get to work in the winter, I have to drive an SUV. I get 18 mpg, and right now I am spending $600+/month just for commuting. It is causing a lot of distress at our house.
I worked for oil refineries for 15 years. They were always crying about going broke (when negotiation time rolled around), and always posted high profits. They can afford to pay taxes, they just don’t want to and are pretty good at getting out of it.
Congress is just fine with giving handouts to banks, mortgage companies, airlines, etc., but when taxpayers want some of what we’ve given these corporations back, then we can’t afford it. These copmpanies owe us. They have had handouts from us when they needed it. It is time for payback.
And I am tired of hearing that Exxon will shut up shop if they are forced to pay the taxes they already owe.
These oil companies may in fact be paying for one more item which is more bothersome to me and that would be Barack Obama’s campaign. Not by donations from oil companies (illegal) in this country but from middle eastern monies which are controlled by folks that are known to those of us who watch the Rezko trial. I am sorry for my disbelief but I simply do not believe that there is any basis for the kind of broad and deep contributions the Obama campaign continues to trumpet. It makes far more sense that he is actually being “used” by interests out of Syria, Iran, Iraq and perhaps even Saudi Arabia who wish to control (or at least influence) the US presidential election. There is no one in Obama’s campaign that strikes me as above being willing to respond to the highest bidder. Do we yet know who Obama is and what he wants?? Large holes in his background still exist and I have appreciated Larry Johnson’s questions here about the missing years etc.
And I realize that the election laws are complex in this area but it is my understanding that it is possible for a primary campaign (or a related PAC) to give freely to the campaigns of other politicians (and for all I know, the individuals themselves although in many instances there are no differences.) And who of these Super Delegates have received money?? One thing that brought this thought into greater viability for me was watching Bill Richardson trying to explain his choice to back Obama and when and how it was made. I have watched how Richardson operates from time to time. Disingenious would be putting it mildly. But when pushed by Carville on the specifics of his choice to back Obama, Richardson became almost hysterical… he clearly behaved in a way that I considered inappropriate to a mere justification of a choice. The concept of being “paid off” suddenly had a great deal more clarity. And this is not only common-place in Chicago politics, it is really expected - it is the way business is done.
I don’t see a strong interest in where the campaign money is coming from and where it is going. And I do believe it is indirectly coming from the pockets of you and I as it makes its way through the OPEC countries and those who do business with them.
Just a thought here… BTW, my ancient 19 year old BMW requires little maintainence but $4.10 gas. Large sigh….
I haven’t researched that particular money trail, but it’s a good idea. And amen on Larry Johnson — and Susan and Alegre… everyone at NQ.
What I find
interestingdisgusting about the oil companies is that when they are questioned about their profits the first thing out of their mouths is how the are investing in the future to provide alternative fuels blah blah blah. Never mentioning that those expenses are taken into consideration on the spread sheet before profits as a R&D expense.Profits are fucking profits and become golden parachut es for the exects.
They also don’t mention the subsidies. Just like the pharmaceutical companies who whine about their research.
I can really appreciate you comments here about the lack of transparency. Considering BO has doled out 750k donated to SD’s from his PAC since 2005, it is difficult to not question the import of paying off campaign debts for support.
What is more striking for me is the how many people I speak to about this nothing about it. Then the eyes glaze over and and I am looked at like I have a tin foil hat…
Well, I see no tin foil hat but I do know what you mean and I have yet to see how one can properly follow that money trail but I smell that this may be what’s behind the great rush to get Hillary out NOW. Can you imagine if anyone actually could follow that trail??? Something tells me that those breadcrumbs in the woods may be something that the British press is interested in looking into.
But I appreciate that you understood my really strong aggitation that we can’t get behind the Axelrod machine properly.
Please back up your comments that Obama and his campaign are somehow being used by Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc. - that is really some theory there, so I would really like to know what brings you to seeing it this way.
Obama’s money given to superdelegates is campaign contributions - he even gave to Hillary’s campaign in 2006 -
$4.15 in Westchester, NY, for super that is. My husband has had it drilled in my head that super is better for the engine. Well, I can say that we have not had problems in that direction. But thank God we downsized from a Pathfinder to a Rogue, four cylinders and much better with gas.
My mother bought a hybird in ‘07. I’m thinking about it but not for a couple of years, because I already bought a new car 1/2 way through ‘05 (it’s a Toyota, and the MPG isn’t bad).
Fire Trucks, EMT vehicles etc. often buy gas at the pump — and to keep the trucks filled is very expensive.
So much of our economy is oil based — transportation for food — the planting season is here in many places — fuel to run the tractors etc.
Then in the west — the place was build (and re-built) as a automobile mecca.
My life was west coast & Hawaii — then I went to Europe during my summer break from college. I was amazed to be able to get just about anywhere without a car — public transportation in the British Isles and Continental Europe was fantastic. Plus the cars were small and fuel efficient for the time.
I experienced a reverse cultural shock when I returned to the West Coat — the cars were HUGE. And everything was about cars — prime land was used to move thousands of cars from one place to another place.
Weaning us away from vehicles on the west coast will be a long term project.
Hillary mentioned the fact that we are going to have to make some changes. She also said that some major investigations into the oil companies are needed.
snObama on the subject of oil companies ah hummm ah ah ah ah what was the question?
And with all your points in mind, a terrorist hit on public transportation here wouldn’t have as much effect as it does overseas, whereas, hitting our gas tanks does. Cripple us in another way.
In the Puget Sound region — there are refineries all over — close to the water to give the oil tankers easy access to unload.
Any of these huge tank farms could be easily accessed by a group determined to do America harm. And as we’ve learned the DOMESTIC terrorists are far more dangerous — because the domestic terrorists look and act and talk just like we do.
Even a natural disaster can cause havoc — Hurricane Katrina took out oil platforms and refineries were shut down — which impacted the fuel supply for a huge area.
With all this money, wind fall profits, of the oil companies — I don’t see them investing much at all in research and in upgrading and improving facilities.
I’ll tell you who’s hurting: the young families in my neighborhood who commute in two different directions to jobs to support their kids. Only a complete elitist would consider a gas tax savings not helpful.
Obama is so out of touch. Every cent counts to my people.
Please go recommend SusanUnPC’s piece on the victims of the Weathermen bombings at MyDD. That will help keep it up for a while so others can read it.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/5/3/154710/8013
It is like playing “Pass the Kryptonite.”
I was checking the comments below the article. A majority of pro BO comments expose the “moral relativism” meme that attempts to equate two different levels of behavior and associations as the same.
Senator Clinton has attempted to focus on the issues of the present and future , offering critiques of her opponent within what moral confines will allow for.
Senator Obama has attempted to focus on the issues of the past and demeaning his opponent, the abstract, offering no detail of the future or held to the same accounting that moral confines will allow for.
These differences do not cancel each other out and never will.
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Since we are talking about energy costs, our last PG&E bill was $530.00…When Enron hit California, Bush said what happened in California was not important…he forgot which way the wind blows.
The state of California was ripped off to the tune of 15 billion dollars with bonus rounds of rolling brown outs. And the state has been broke ever since.
Just in the last two weeks I have had four power spikes. De-regulation has very little upside when corporations can defer maintenance to favor the profit side. Much the same has occurred across the nation, including the state of Illinois. Billions of dollars clean coal tenchnology investments left the state and Obama said nothing. Why?
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and there offf it’s neck and neck…on the outside rail its 13, 17 18 1; now outside 1/2 mile to go….. no 18 it from the back…home stretch out in front now Big Brown….5 and it’s 20, Big Brown for the win!!! What can Brown do for you?
But please note that the wonderful big powerful black filly named 8 Bells, is dead because she had such heart that she won a major race on Friday and then ran the last - who knows how long - on fractured two front fractured ankles. She was put down on the track - mercifully because no horse can stand on two legs. I somehow knew this analogy would show up as I watched it happen. Since I have six horses outside my back door who are family, it put a huge hole in my heart… it is a hole that will heal but nonetheless…
And had Big Brown done anything wrong - not changed leads properly, stumbled at the gate etc - the filly would have won the Ky Derby and she would still be dead. We have to be careful with this analogy, I think.
I believe that our wonderfull filly (who has only been painted black by the media) has the ability to measure her stamina and hold on to her appropriate energy and I believe she is adored and loved by her family while the “Big Brown” is probably closer to an indentured servant to Michelle… Can’t say much more here: too sad.
BTW, I mostly reacted to the bottom of your post (the horse race part) but it is a wonderfully insightful post and Oh So Very True….
Four years ago, cost $400 approximately to fill the oil tank to heat the house, this year $1200 for the same fill up, and even turning the thermostat down, this year due to the longer cold spells it cost almost 4 times the amount of 4 years ago to heat the house, from about $1800 4 yrs ago to $7100 this year and still climbing!
Imagine how people on fixed incomes and retirement incomes are managing, it is rediculous!
Driving you can curb somewhat to reduce expenses by not going here and there, but you have to heat your home in the winter and have hot water simply to live!
I get my oil from an independant dealer because he is a friend and asked him why the high amount, interestingly, he said one problem this year is the refineries didn’t begin the heating fuel oil production (same oil as diesel) early enough and thus they were backlogged from the start of the season!
The other reason, two refinery fires that knocked out production for several weeks, one of the fires was from old equipment and instead of spending the profits in refinery upgrades, the oil companies are giving out huge shareholder dividends.
This they deserve high compensation for when acting like idiots in supply and demand?
In otherwords, fuck you consumers, so this spring, converting to natural gas!
converting to natural gas!
If you bottle the methane emanating from “Witness CC’s” mouth you could power the nation for years.
It wouldn’t be the first pipline straight to the middle east. Auchi;Oil;Food;Rezko;Obama.
Obama has held our dreams hostage for a lie. Sound familar?
Good one teak…..I’m all for Methane……chuckle……
Hillary wants the gas tax holiday and wants to tax the oil companies while Obama doesn’t. He and his supporters say that it will only save consumers around $20-$30 bucks. What they don’t seem to address is the tax on the oil companies. I personally would love to save only $20 if it means that the oil companies will get the pump shoved right up their greedy a$$es! Obama’s not interested in saving consumers a buck on gas if it means taxing the oil companies. Why? Because he’s making love to them right now and they’re going to fund his general election. Why do you think Obama interjected himself in Kenya’s elections? He didn’t just get behind Odinga, the Islamic Socialist, because of their family and tribal connections or because he’s naive. What US Senator would interject themselves into the election of another country without the permission of the United States government? It doesn’t happen. Odinga is a very wealthy man. He’s in the oil business with Gaddafi. Congratulations America, So are we!
Bush sent over 4000 US soldiers to their death in Iraq in the name of democracy. Bush sent Obama and Dicky Morris to Kenya to get Raila Odinga elected President even if it meant that Kenya’s democracy would be replaced by Sharia law and socialism. It’s quite a contradiction. The only common denominator is oil. Ask George Soros.
Completely off topic, but I couldn’t help myself. As a christian this is just for fun, but anything to keep my humor up till Tuesday.
Found this at TM. Hillary, like me, is a Scorpio. I don’t pay attention to this stuff, but the date mentioned below, May 5th is my name day (I’m an Orthodox Christian, for those who don’t know, the Byzantine version of Christianity.) The fact that I’m mixing up everything from horoscope to religious beliefs shows a little bit of “insanity” LMAO, but whatever works till Tuesday :):
For artists, it’s called postmodern intertextuality, and it’s a sign of higher intellect,(for anyone) understanding relationships between otherwise seemingly disparate factors.
We see it in music, and art, literature, even science, (for the truly brilliant), and soon enough, we will see it in everyday thinking, it will be a hallmark of the period, such as nature and chaos were to the neoclassic writers, say.
So, I admire your thinking, and bring more of it in, the new is always good, Americans are known for their ingenuity.
BTW, if I were to fight an asymmetric war, this is the first thing I look for, commonalities between relationships thought incongruent.
It’s also a way to order chaos.
Thanks Simon…..I thought it was just a symptom of being……
multi polar so to speak…..chuckle……..
By the way…..had to add this….This is often called Global Thinking and is a hallmark of ADHD…..Non linear thinking but rather a global approach to problem solving….A plus for creative types and fly by the seat o yo pants folks….Not so much for accountants….
Simon, thank you for your remarks. I try to keep an open mind, although I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I discuss the horoscope with my priest lol.
BTW, our Easter was last week. We celebrate it Saturday at midnight. It was a beautiful liturgy, lighted up a candle at Church for our girl. In contrast with Rev Wright Easter tirade, our priest had only uplifting words and prayers for the congregation. Fire works (we really get very festive in our Easter Celebration) and singing, and rejoicing. That’s the Easter I know, and for that reason alone I don’t think Wright is fit to have the title “reverend”. As far as Obama’s judgment, I don’t know if it’s fit even for state legislator.
(May 3, 2008) By Mark Steyn “Obama Surrenders”
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(May 3, 2008) By Mark Steyn “Obama Surrenders”
Quote:
Grandma Got Over at the Press Club
Obama Surrenders.
By Mark Steyn
Four score and seven years ago… No, wait, my mistake. Two score and seven or eight days ago, Barack Obama gave the greatest speech since the Gettysburg Address, or FDR’s First Inaugural, or JFK’s religion speech, or (if like Garry Wills in The New York Review of Books, you find those comparisons drearily obvious) Lincoln’s Cooper Union speech of 1860. And, of course, the Senator’s speech does share one quality with Cooper Union, Gettysburg, the FDR Inaugural, Henry V at Agincourt, Socrates’s Apology, etc: It’s history. He said, apropos the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, that “I could no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother.” But last week he did disown him. So, great-speech-wise, it’s a bit like Churchill promising to fight them on the beaches and never surrender, and then surrendering a month and a half later, and on a beach he decided not to fight on.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q…3MDlmZDQ=#more
It wasn’t a great speech either. It was just another Obama speech.The only people who pretend he is JFK, RFK, MLK and everybody else are is zombies. The rest of us remember JFK, RFK and MKL and know that the only similarity he has to any of them is that he mentions them a lot. Barky Obama is a slug next to these guys. Even dead they are better men than he is.
Ehemmmm…….These are the same folks that describe Paris Hilton as an actress……nuff said…….
Susaninbosque said: These oil companies may in fact be paying for one more item which is more bothersome to me and that would be Barack Obama’s campaign…
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Susan, you’re right on target. Obama will have his whole general election funded by the oil money. Bush and Cheney know this. Our government sent Obama to Kenya to help Raila Odinga get elected as President for oil. Obama’s in bed with the Bush administration.
Bush administration and Obama are responsible for the deaths of 1200 Kenyans and the 300,000 displaced Kenyans due to the violence that Occurred after Odinga lost the election. They did this! Bush and Obama did this and they did it for oil! Raila Odinga is a complete buffoon. His eccentricities reminds me of Idi Amin only he doesn’t have the same ability to gain power and control like Amin. Odinga couldn’t win an election without the help of the US government. The US Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, just announced Bush would be sending an additional 25 million to Kenya to help the displaced. Guilt money indeed. But hey, Bush does what he has to do to secure oil. To bad the media won’t talk about this or at least until the primaries and GE are over.
I agree with you completely in reference to Kenya and I don’t think anyone in the media has looked at this closely and it seems oh so clear to me that in reality - knowing that a Republican can’t win following the Bush mess - that Obama is everything he says he isn’t and has stepped in the next Bush in line. Axelrod has no party scruples or even any interests, he’s just in it for the power and the money and the idea that he could look as good as Rove. Now we all know that Rove quit early for some really “valliant” reason, don’t we, and I doubt it was to write his great American novel. So the Repub win both ways: they get McCain or they get Obama who is really a Bush II…. great huh?
This could keep you up nights. The only time I saw our media even look toward the problems in Kenya was when the elections were in progress on CNN and (the person’s name escapes me now but very good journalist) came from Kenya.
Oh, this is not good….
The oil companies know Americans will continue paying higher prices for gas. For the time being we will not give up our SUV’s. So prices will continue to rise. The top oil execs are happy with the job the US government is doing with our present oil situation. Thanks Dumbya. This is the perfect situation that works against the majority of americans. The only power we have is to elect a Democrat and hope they will look after the needs of the middle class. Obama probably would once he develops a plan and figures out how he can carry it out. Hillary has a plan and will be ready day one to carry it out.
I read somewhere in a speech Obama gave recently where he disputed what people said about him being an elite. If I remember correctly he said something like: I have actually filled up my own gas tank before.
Now with an idiotic comment like that he expects that the rest of us won’t view him as an elite? How out of touch can someone be?
I am fairly certain the guy has never gone a day in his life wondering if he would be able to afford to feed himself. His biggest challenge was probably when he was younger trying to make sure he had enough money to buy some blow.
XOM $89.61, down .09%, YTD price performance -4.3%. HES is doing alot better, the Rockerfeller family pitchin’ an enviornmental fit last week didn’t help XOM much either. Hillary can run to the WTO all she wants, but we have a very weak dollar & that’s not OPEC’s fault. If she gets her way & the taxpayers are forced to pony up 30Billion to bail out 4% of ARM mortgages, primarily caused by the The Community Reinvestment Act debacle the dollar will loose even more value. You guys need to come out of the echo chamber every once in awhile & get some air.
Most pension funds usually have about 15 to 20% in Big Oil. Think about that for a minute. BTW, I don’t own any oil stock, no skin in the game. Hillary needs to support Kaye Baily Hutchinson’s legislation to “pause” the use of grain for fuel in a world with food riots, it’s really obscene. Ditto for Obama & McCain.
how about the tie in OOPS OBAMA WIN
50-50 good job Hillary you almost overtook him let them count the last few votes and she probably won but, hey she did what she needed to do as this was HIS country..SO GOOD JOB RISING HILLARY RISING
Anyone listening to the two candidates today will find one whining and complaining playing dirty politics and continuing his spiel (I DON’T TAKE ANY MONEY FROM THE OIL COMPANIES) of course inferring that Hillary does..
this little pipsqueak of a man..
oooh not me I don’t campaign dirty..only the Clintons do that..Well I have listened to the Clintons plus all the money spent by taxpayers by Kenny boy Starr..Hey if they could have gotten the Clintons on ANYTHING they would have been long gone.. The only thing is they couldn’t so I don’t think the country will be quite as willing to listen to any garbage about them..
So come on Hill Let’s see those numbers keep rising and take both states..
Just had a discussion with son..who doesn’t want to see another republican but, I told him that if Hillary doesn’t get the nom. then I cannot vote for Obama and to check out NOQUARTER AND TAYLOR he will see and understand the WHY…He is coming in off the road going to work in a shop as the fuel etc is eating them up…
A trucking outfit in Ga (i think) in business for 40 years and folded because of fuel prices ..
These fuel prices effect everything..
I am on fixed income and thought I was not too bad off had bought a 1978 camper and a used boat (live 5 mi from lake) well now can’t afford to even go..
While prices were lower didn’t have the stuff and was trying to put things together and get the older camper fixed up so could use..
Now the damn fuel is so high can’t afford to travel anywhere..
Glad I didn’t go into debt for a newer one like I had thought of doing..whew!!!!!
Also these Zogby polls this year cannot be believed as they are in the tank for Obama as a family.l..so I don’t trust them or the Bloomberg polls..
woman vet for Hillary
concerned American
Oh one more thing
I THINK IT IS TIME FOR OBAMA TO STEP OUT OF THE RACE AND APOLOGIZE TO THE COUNTRY FOR THE MESS AND ASK THE COUNTRY TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO BE A GOOD SENATOR AND WHEN HE PROVES TO US BY ACTIONS who he is then maybe the country would be willing to take a gamble on him..
But not now…I don’t know what he believes and everything around him..and his friends and aquaintances tell me it sure isn’t what I want for a president of ALL THE UNITED STATES FOR ALL THE PEOPLE
He just doesn’t have it and isn’t there
PLEASE MR. OBAMA WHY NOT STEP DOWN AS YOU KNOW THAT AFTER THE REV WRIGHT WITH REPUBS ALREADY USING IT ALL OVER THE PLACE..WON’T FLY IN THE FALL
THE GAFFE IN SAN FRANSICO..
AND THIS IS NO ONES FAULT EXCEPT HIS…
HE WAS NOT HONEST WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
PLUS HIS CHILDHOOD STORY DOESN’T FIT EITHER..
HIS GRANDPARENTS WERE WELL EDUCATED PEOPLE AND HIS MOTHER WAS IN COLLEGE DOING HER THING WHEN SHE MET THIS MAN WHO TURNED OUT TO BE A DEADBEAT HUSBAND (SOUNDS TO ME ANYWAY) His mother remarried and he didn’t want to be there with new step dad so returned to live with affluent grandparents..
His mother pregnant with his sister I guess that pick of a mate didn’t work either divorced him and moved back to Hawaii..So this terrible difficulty he talks about was mainly in his head and his feelings of abandonment ..that’s what it sounds to me..
When he got to Chicago he basically had denounced his white heritage and embraced this new radical friends and acquaintances to learn his BLACKNESS..
So what does he believe..
Letting his children go up in that church also..
with the hate spewed from the pulpit..
later
Raise the interest rates a full point at a time, strengthen the dollar & the price of gas will go down. This isn’t rocket science.
Mark Halperin (The Page) has the script of Obama’s 2-minute message to air Sunday & Monday in IN & NC. This is my answer to it:
Obama’s message is only empty words. As his aide told Canada, don’t believe him, it’s only political rhetoric. And, as his preacher said, he’s a politician who says whatever he has to.
Obama has a complete lack of experience and no record of accomplishments. His ego made him jump into this race unprepared and much too soon. We are supposed to be electing a president, not a person who gives good speeches. This is not the time for a novice.
Hillary has decades of experience and accomplishments that she can be proud of. She has worked long and hard for us. And, she stood right next to the man who gave us the Greatest Economic Expansion in History.
After college, Obama went to work for Rezko, the slumlord, and Ayers, the terrorist bomber. He didn’t stand up to anyone or take a stand on anything. Obama took hundreds of thousands of dollars from Big Nuke, Exelon, to do their bidding at the expense of the people of Illinois. Hillary actually did stand up to special interests many times.
Obama’s idea of changing politics is to block the re-voting in FL and MI, and to send thugs into the Texas caucuses to threaten people into leaving. Funny, how Hillary won the primary and Obama stole the caucuses and the delegates. I call that attacking democracy, not a change I’m looking forward to.
Obama doesn’t know what the truth is, he’s a chronic liar. He lies, bigtime, about all the lobbyist money he takes in. He lies about his background. He lied and said he didn’t hear his anti-American preacher, then said he did hear him. He lied about the amount of money he took from Rezko. He lied about the millions he took from Auchi, the Iraqi billionaire. He lied about his ties to his close friend, Ayers, the terrroist bomber. Ayers hired Obama to work for him, helped him launch this campaign, and their wives worked together. He lies about Hillary’s plans and programs. I don’t think there is anything he doesn’t lie about.
Obama doesn’t know the first thing about the economy, including gas taxes. Hillary will improve the situation short term and long term.
President Clinton, Hillary’s advisor, gave us the Greatest Economic Expansion in History and they will do it again. Hillary represents REAL CHANGE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. She’s been on that road before and knows it well. She also has the character, maturity, determination, experience, and knowledge to get the job done, and done right.
The thing about the price of gas, is that the price of a barrel of oil typically (there is that word again) rises when the value of the U.S. dollar drops.
Since the middle of March, the value of the dollar has been rising, so the price of a barrel of oil (and therefore the price of a gallon of gas) should be dropping in relation to what we pay on international markets.
When the dollar is rising and gas is rising, something is wrong.
If Obama is elected president, he won’t have any time left over to attend to presidential matters:
As Obama got ready to leave the VFW hall, another man piped up and asked about the downturn in the housing market, and credit problems a lot of people are experiencing.
Obama says he would negotiate between lenders and borrowers to establish fixed-rate mortgages for people with so-called “subprime mortgages,” whose rates are skyrocketing.
“Once people feel confident about the housing market, credit is going to start flowing,” Obama said.
I can only think with disgust what my brother in law said last winter when discussing W and how he says such stupid things. He said” I didn’t always understand Ronald Regan but I felt good when he spoke. this is the problem for over 30 years we have had assholes like this voting for the Republicans because they buy the corporate media novels about how Democrats are snobs and Republicans are the clean, decent, virtuous kind of people you’d like to have a beer with. I’m voting Democrat no matter who get the nomination and I’m voting Democrat up and down the ticket. If we don’t start pulling together we will be stuck with McInsane and a narrow or no majority in either house. This means more war, obscene corporate profits, and judges that are in the corporations pockets.