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2012

Russia 2012: Putin and Medvedev to Square Off?

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Over the past couple of months, maybe even over a year, things in Russia have certainly been interesting to try to follow. As in the United States, Russia will be facing presidential elections in 2012. But it seems that there may be a face-off with current President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for the top spot.

WallStreetJournal | Head to Head in Moscow Power Play

As much as anything can be sure in the world of Russian politics, there is no likelihood of Mr. Medvedev running off in open competition against Mr. Putin in next year’s presidential elections. The men are political intimates and have been for a decade. There is a bond of trust between them that would be remarkable in any country’s leading politicians.Another thing that is not changing is Mr. Putin’s seniority in the partnership, at least not immediately, and not to any degree that makes a jot of difference to the safety of foreign investments in Russia.

There is, probably, also no change in the relative realities of power and office in Russia. Mr. Putin, for the past four years, has not needed to be in the Kremlin to exercise effective supreme power. Whether, after 2012, Mr. Putin is in the Kremlin and Mr. Medvedev is in the White House, or the other way around, is of limited importance. They will continue to exercise real power.

The only change that one can be truly sure of is a generational one, and this will be a very gradual one.

Russian political cycles have tended to be longer than those in western Europe. Its transition from centrally-planned, autarkic and dysfunctional empire to a more pluralistic, modern and dynamic element of a multi-polar world is lasting decades.

Even if it has been inevitably buffeted by external events and retarded by misjudgments and creeping venality, that process is Mr. Putin’s life mission.

Trouble Ahead for Romney 2012 Run

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It is still early for possible Republican 2012 nominees, but they are not shaping up well for a Mitt Romney run.

One of the main issues that will plague him is his inability to connect with voters. It seems that every time Romney pops up, he is re-inventing himself. Seen as the business man during his 2008 run, he was viewed as the one who could really turn things around. A far cry from the jeans and tie-less image he is sporting now.

However, image tweaks are but only the beginning of some of the problems. As controversial as Obamacare is, Romneycare – Massachusetts health care plan – is not sitting well with conservatives and those members of the tea-party. As it continues to be a hot-button issue with both sides of the aisle, the heath care debate will stay and will be one of the things that will help decide the 2012 front-runners. And, his defense for Romneycare will certainly hinder his chances.

The other thing that will hurt Romney’s chances, the Southern state voters. While Romney doesn’t do all that bad polling wise, his ‘genuine’ factor comes into play when compared to other possible Republican options. With the likes of Huckabee and Christie, Romney will have his hands full fighting the image factor in the south. But, as he goes through his image reinvention, it will not sit well potential voters as they continue to view him as less genuine than other opponents.

Money, money, money. One thing his opponents would struggle with in comparison. Romney is personally very wealthy, and is already amounting a great deal of money to formulate another run to the White House. But, his money can also be seen as a problem. With all that money, he could be seen as buying his way in – a problem that Obama could also face as he is heavily funded by the likes of Global funding giant George Soros. And, with another round of recent donations by Romney to sitting members of Congress, it adds fuel to this question.

In the end, Romney feels that people want one thing: “People in America want to know who can get 15 million people back to work.”

Electing Putin in 2012

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In Russia, there is no question who is leading things and that person is Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Having served as President from 2000 through 2008, he certainly knows a thing or two about how Russia operates. And, as elections are fast approaching for 2012, there is a buzz about him throwing his name in the hat. But, there is more to it for Russia than electing Putin.

As he looks to be the more popular choice, it certainly seems an easy win. But, if he were to become elected, things could change. One of those things could be what ex-Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has been talking about for nearly a year, a sliding back into Soviet authoritarian ways. Which could severely reverse the growth that Russia has taken advantage of over recent years. In other words, the electing of Putin in 2012 could lead to stagnation both economically and politically.

Political stagnation would be very harmful, as political parties have been calling for change. A change to policy that has been sought after for some time. And, with the possible electing of Putin, it could most definitely bring a Cold-War era type of change that would not be liked by the United States and its European allies.

But, that should come as no surprise with the recent START treaty as it heavily favors Russia and their nuclear weapons systems. Even so much on their side, that Russia announced that they would be seeking a more ‘modern’ military by increasing defense spending. Priced at $650B and a GDP impact that would triple it from 0.5% to 1.5%. This is cause enough to see the direction that Russia is headed.

So, you see, it is more than just the politics that are in play with the future election of Vladimir Putin, it is the global impact that it would play.

Pence Urged to Enter 2012 Presidential Race

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by Townhall.com

Mike PenceAn independent campaign to draw GOP Rep. Mike Pence into the 2012 presidential race is under way, with a veteran of the Reagan White House launching a petition drive on Monday urging him to enter the primary contests.

Ralph Benko, a deputy counsel to Ronald Reagan, announced the America’s President Committee to encourage a Pence-for-president bid. Former Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., is also helping the campaign to collect signatures from conservatives and tea party activists.

“Mike Pence extraordinarily exemplifies the optimistic, pro-growth, pro-job creation Reagan-Kemp wing of the GOP. Grass-roots conservatives, Republicans, the tea party and populists are looking for a man or woman of principle who can champion and unite the newly energized and engaged citizenry,” Benko said. “Mike Pence is the best choice to lead us into a new era of peace and prosperity.”     Continue reading . . .

Wikileaks: Obama vs Clinton?

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No doubt that Wikileaks hit it big with the newest dump of documents. Which leads many to question what the real purpose is. Was it sabotage? We may never know.

But, what we do know is the old addage of, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Meaning there is real reason to why Obama chose Clinton to be Secretary of State. He needs her there to show experience, but the million dollar reason why is to hope she fails big time. And with a great deal of the dumped documents deal with foreign policy, it puts Hillary’s reputation on the line.

Her reputation is important, especially for her hope at another presidential run for 2012. And, with the hope off stealling the light, Obama has been looking for any reason to take that opportunity away. With his approval numbers at all time lows, anything to boost his standing instead of his closest opponent is needed to give any hope at all for a re-election bid.

Clinton Stumping For Clinton

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It should come as no surprise that former President Bill Clinton would be out stumping for his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when she started campaigning again for office.

And, while there have been talks of Obama picking Clinton as running mate for 2012, Bill is out to save the Clinton name. Separating the Clinton name from Obama and what he has done, is a saving grace for Hillary come campaign season.

Not wanting to be tied to Obama and his policies, Hillary has Bill out on the stumping block to do just that. Separation is key for anyone in the Democratic party if they look for a chance of victory. And, if the upcoming elections in November are a telling sign of a dominating victory, sending out a party powerhouse like President Bill Clinton might not be enough.

Although, wouldn’t it be interesting to see Billy-Boy in the White House again, only this time as the First-Man?

Obama Challenges For Ideas

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The time has come for Obama to get desperate. He was out giving a speech the other day and offered that those who don’t agree with him or his administration could take the time to share their ideas. If they were as good as everyone argued they were, he wanted to hear them.

So, what’s wrong with that? It shows that he is desperate for ideas. He has recognized that what he has to offer isn’t exactly working and he needs new ideas. This is all strategy by Obama and his minions.

What this comes to is positioning himself for another run in 2012. He sees that the tides of the ocean he spoke of are pulling away from him, and that his power in both the House and Senate will be diminished.

But, he is smart enough to see that people may become less involved and less in tune with his agenda as they see less Democrats in office. Taking the opportunity to then say that they had two years to try and change things and didn’t will be his mantra. It will be the platform that could get him re-elected.

This is why he is willing to lend an ear to those ideas that the people have. He is lost at sea and doesn’t have a compass to point the way. His position with this is exactly why those with ideas should be silent. Silence in this case would cause the Obama team to go nuts.

They want the peoples ideas so they can take the credit. At least then it will make stump speeches possible for his run in 2012.

2012 Groundwork of Hillary Clinton

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by Dick Morris

Has the Democratic presidential primary of 2012 started already? Is Hillary Clinton beginning to position herself for a challenge to her boss? Yesterday, Hillary fired what may have been the first shot:

She said:

“I think that our rising debt level poses a national security threat, and it poses a national security threat in two ways: It undermines our capacity to act in our own interests, and it does constrain us where constraint may be undesirable. And it also sends a message of weakness, internationally.”

The contrast with her husband’s presidency is implicit: He balanced the budget and reduced the debt to the point where Wall Street fretted that there would be no more federal debt instruments to buy, leaving them without a safe place to park their money.

Hillary does nothing — nothing — without forethought. She plans every word, particularly when the words are critical of her president. By framing the “debt level” as a “national security threat,” she gives herself jurisdiction over budget policy and makes her comments about it appropriate for a secretary of state. And by criticizing the debt level that her president has amassed, she sets up the basis for a fiscal/economic critique of his presidency.

Continue reading . . .