What they told Us: Reviewing Key Polls the week of June 14-20.

Much of the action was overseas this past week, with Americans assessing their place in the world amidst global events beyond their control. Protests over a disputed presidential election flared up in Iran, and a plurality of U.S. voters (43%) say President Obama has wisely kept the United States out of the spat so far. But 35% agree with Senator John McCain.
Read all the report: Click Here

Political Opportunities - June 7-17

Click on the Opportunity you may be interested in and then scroll down until you locate it.

National Director of Government Relations
Posted date [Jun-17-2009]Position Description: The National Director of Government Relations provides leadership in developing and implementing the PKD Foundation’s public policy agenda and strategy, with responsibilities for the overall direction of all lobbying and public policy activities of the organization at (primarily) the federal level.

Congressional Affairs Specialist
The Department of Defense (Arlington, Virginia)Posted: June 4, 2009Address: Arlington, VA 22201Type: Full-time

Director of Policy Coalitions
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (District of Columbia)Posted: June 8, 2009Address: Washington, DC 20036Occu: Public PolicyType: Full-time

Legislative Researcher
Congressional Quarterly (District of Columbia)Posted: June 17, 2009Address: Washington, DC 20002Type: Full-time

Executive Director – Equality Maryland
Equality Maryland seeks a dynamic and proven leader to implement the mission, goals and objectives of Maryland's largest LGBT organization.
Posted date [Jun-12-2009]

Deputy Director, Public Policy Office
amfAR, THE FOUNDATION FOR AIDS RESEARCH
Posted date [Jun-01-2009]

The Washington Post effort to hype the upcoming Virginia and New Jersey Governor Campaigns
By Dan Balz
Sunday, June 7, 2009

Off-year elections rarely predict the future -- except when press reporters are looking for something o hype and get print. That's why this reporter has chosen to closely write about the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and especially Virginia between now and November. It is also interesting that the paper for which he writes has boosted the candidacy of one candidate through the endorsement of the editorial page of his newspaper. It is an interesting early move by a national newspaper to put itself in the middle of the primary elections and an attempt to hype the far away November election.

Read the Interesting Article: Click here:
What last weeks polls Told Us: Reviewing the key Polls of the week.
Rasmussen Reports
Saturday, June 06, 2009

Most voters continue to approve of the job President Obama is doing, but, as is often the case, the devil is in the details.
Sixty-two percent (62%) of U.S. voters agree with the president that
the nation’s ongoing economic problems are due to the recession that began under the Bush administration and don’t blame the actions Obama’s taken since assuming office.

Read the full report: Click Here
CEO’s stll bring up the rear in Public’s Opinion
Friday, June 05, 2009
With two of the nation’s Big Three automakers in bankruptcy and the economy still a mess, Americans continue to view corporate chief executive officers as the lowest of the low.
Health Care Reform Begins - Taking the Hill
By MATT BAI
Sometime in the next few weeks, Congress and the White House will descend into the labyrinthine politics of comprehensive health care reform. For Barack Obama, this signals the end, in a sense, of the eventful prologue to his presidency. Impressive as they are, Obama’s legislative victories to this point — most notably the $787 billion stimulus bill and a stunningly ambitious $3.6 trillion budget resolution — have been relatively easy lifts for a popular new president installed at a time of economic crisis and buffered by comfortable majorities in the House and Senate. Facing a fight on health care — and trying to avoid the mistakes of the past — President Obama’s team is working Congress from the inside.

This article is long but comprehensive and detailed but certainly worth the reading. To read the full Article: Click Here

Uninsured Health Care Costs are a ‘Hidden Tax’ all Insured Americans are already paying in their Health Care Insurance Premiums

WASHINGTON -- The average family with health insurance shells out an extra $1,000 a year in premiums to pay for health care for the uninsured, a new study finds.



KEY FINDINGS just released:

While people without health insurance often delay or forgo care, in 2008, the uninsured received $116 billion worth of care from hospitals, doctors, and other providers. Those costs were covered in the following ways:

The uninsured paid for, on average, more than one-third (37 percent) of the total costs of the care they received out of their own pockets.


  • Third-party sources, such as government programs and charities, paid for another 26 percent of that care.
  • The remaining amount, approximately $42.7 billion in 2008, was unpaid and constituted uncompensated care.

To make up for this uncompensated care, the costs were shifted to insurers in the form of higher charges for health services. These higher charges are then passed on to families and businesses as higher premiums. The impact of this hidden health tax on annual premiums for families and individuals in 2008 was as follows:

  • For family health care coverage, the hidden health tax was $1,017.
  • For health coverage provided to single individuals, the hidden health tax was $368.

Read more:

Click Here:

Check out Political Opportunities – Paid & Unpaid - NEW POST 5-28-09

NEW POSITION POSTED
Position: Congressional Affairs Specialist Location: Arlington, Virgina More info: http://www.jobsinlobbying.com

More info: http://www.jobsinlobbying.com

The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) offers potential applicants more than just jobs and professions. A career with the DOD OIG offers those who qualify, an opportunity to serve our Nation and those who are defending it worldwide. The agency promotes integrity, accountability and improvement of DoD personnel, programs and operations to support the Department's mission and to serve the public interest. This position is in the Office of the Assistant Inspector General for the Office of Communications and Congressional Liaison (OAIG-OCCL) and serves as the primary point of contact with congressional staff members regarding congressional inquiries requests for assistance that are diverse and highly complex. **** Please mention you saw this position on JobsinLobbying.com ****
--> We don't post all of our positions in this group.

So, join our Linkedin group - JobsinLobbying - http://www.linkedin.com/groupInvitation?groupID=1917201&sharedKey=1589F841F709


Should You Interact with Your Boss on the Web?
The pitfalls and perks of interacting with your boss on a social networking Web site.
It is not advisable to trust that what is on your social web page is not going to be used in any employment evaluation – be careful! - DAR


POSITION POSTED
Title: Government Affairs Professional
Location: Jacksonville, FL Company: Comcast
more info: http://www.jobsinlobbying.com/

The government affairs professional will:
- Maintain files and databases, track state, federal and local legislative and regulatory matters and ensure contract compliance.
- Implement and coordinate government and community affairs initiatives in Florida, Coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
- Represent the company at government and community functions. - Develop and maintain relationships and communicate regularly with officials and staff.
- Resolve customer issues escalated to government affairs by key constituents. - Assist the regional vice president of government affairs in community relationship-building, community grant applications, scholarships, management of community events and corporate initiatives such as Comcast Cares Day.
- Prepare and proofread media advisories, talking points and other internal and external communications.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills:
- Demonstrated project-management and organizational skills and a solid understanding of how government operates.
- Excellent writing and proofreading skills
- Ability to complete an assignment on time.
- Demonstrated ability to interact well with local, state and federal government staffers, elected and appointed officials.
- Punctual, regular and consistent attendance; some weekend and evenings required.
- Excellent relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
- Public relations experience.
- BA/BS in political science, legal administration or related field.
- Five years of government or community affairs experience, (eg. employment as staffer for an elected official, government department political organization or corporate government affairs department).
- Familiar with Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

*** Please mention you saw this job on JobsinLobbying.com ****
________________________________________


To tweet or not to tweet? For Execs, that is the question
Boston Business Journal - by Lisa van der Pool

Edward Boches, chief creative officer at the ad agency Mullen, recently wrote a blog post titled “10 Reasons why every CEO has to get on Twitter now.” “I have found it to be one of the most remarkable tools,” said Boches, who joined Twitter less than a year ago and has nearly 4,500 followers. “For CEOs, it’s the simplest and easiest way to stay in touch with your customers. It will get you out of the ivory tower and closer to the thinking and conversations in the marketplace.”
Dave Balter, CEO of word-of-mouth marketing firm BzzAgent Inc. in Boston, might seem like he would have been an early adopter of Twitter. But he wasn’t. “I’m a non-tweeter. The fact is, I don’t think that the minutia of my life is all that interesting,” he said. “As an organization, we tweet. It’s just not for me.
Read More: Click Here
Blackwell exhibits W’s ability to miss speak and uses his political shotgun to shoot himself in the foot
Former Republican gubernatorial nominee J. Kenneth Blackwell trying to stay in the political limelight has charged that President Barack Obama's Supreme Court pick, Sonia Sotomayor, is "a declaration of war against America's gun owners."

The “W” problem with Blackwell is that he cited a case in which some of the nation's most conservative judges agree with Sotomayor.

In an article written last month for Fox News' blog, Blackwell pointed to a decision Sotomayor joined this year on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that concluded states and local governments were not necessarily bound by the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms. The judges concluded that they were following precedents by the U.S. Supreme Court, which so far has ruled that the Second Amendment covers only federal laws and laws in the District of Columbia.

But last week, a three-judge panel on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the exact ruling as Sotomayor's panel. The decision was signed by Judges Frank Easterbrook and Richard Posner, two conservatives. The Supreme Court is expected to eventually decide whether the Second Amendment prevents state and local governments from banning guns.

There you go again, Mr. Blackwell – open mouth lack research and insert your foot. Next you will be yelling “Racist” with your hoof and mouth right wing spin misters.
Ohio Statehouse museum goes 21st century
Visitors to the Ohio Statehouse soon will be able to balance the state’s budget, give a State of the State speech and cast a vote in the legislature.
Not for real, of course, but they can experience those tasks and others as part of a new museum wing opening June 10 in the capital building.
The relocation of the museum gift shop last year made room for the 5,000-square-foot museum space, which is chock-full of interactive displays, colorful storyboards and computerized exhibits.
The modernization project, which has cost about $3 million so far, has expanded the 15,000-square-foot Statehouse museum’s offerings from a mishmash of staid historical displays to include an array of dynamic exhibits tied to the daily activities of Ohio government.

Related News
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Historical society transfers management of Statehouse museum, other sites
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Statehouse museum up for a renewal
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Statehouse outdoor performances set for summer
The Hispanic Vote
Blog post by John Feehery
May 28, 2009 @ 12:52 pm

Much has been said about the importance of the Hispanic vote.

Some Republican strategists say that for the GOP to be competitive in future presidential elections, they’ll have to capture about 40 percent of this fastest-growing minority group.
President George W. Bush, who spoke a bit of Spanish, had a strategy to reach out to Hispanic voters and actually hit that 40 percent number in the 2004 election.

But it has been a bad couple of years for the Republicans when it comes to the Hispanic vote.
As a Pew survey points out, “Some 57 percent of Hispanic registered voters now call themselves Democrats or say they lean to the Democratic Party, while just 23 percent align with the Republican Party — meaning there is now a 34-percentage-point gap in partisan affiliation among Latinos. In July 2006, the same gap measured just 21 percentage points — whereas back in 1999, it had been 33 percentage points.”

The debate over President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, may make that trend even more pronounced.

What has caused this collapse of Republican support in the Hispanic community?

Read te whole Blog Posting: Click Here
A lift for the laid-off, COBRA changes bedevil employers
MAy 18, 2009

Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle) - by Peter Neurath Contributing WriterThe federal government has begun picking up most of the tab for laid-off workers to continue their health coverage, but employers are feeling pinched by additional costs and hassles.Since 1985, employees who left their jobs could stay covered under the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA. The ex-workers had to pay 100 percent of the premium plus 2 percent for administrative costs.President Barack Obama’s federal stimulus bill extends COBRA coverage to employees who’ve been involuntarily terminated since Sept. 1. Employees now pay only 35 percent of the premium, for up to nine months.Employers shoulder the other 65 percent, but can recapture this expense later by taking a credit against federal payroll taxes.
Read More: Click Here


A Conversation with Barack Obama


By Jon Meacham NEWSWEEK
Published May 16, 2009
From the magazine issue dated May 25, 2009

Four months into his term as commander in chief, Obama has had little time to reflect upon his achievements in office. Aboard Air Force One en route from Washington to Phoenix, President Obama paused to give NEWSWEEK’s Jon Meacham a rare glimpse into his world. In a 30 minute conservation aboard Air Force One, the two men discussed Obama’s successes and regrets in his first few months, his strategic goals in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, Dick Cheney—and Star Trek and family life in the White House.

Read the Whole Article: Click Here

Political battles already lining up – A portrait of Redfern
Ohio Democratic chief keeps eyes on future
By Dennis J. Willard

Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau
Published on Thursday, May 14, 2009


COLUMBUS: Chris Redfern, the boyish-looking state chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, stood Tuesday with his back against the headquarters' wall.
Normally, the main attraction in any room he consumes, the gregarious, outspoken, funny and biting Redfern instead stood removed, attentive himself, as David Pepper, a Hamilton County commissioner, announced plans to run against Republican incumbent Mary Taylor for state auditor next year…
… As Pepper spoke eloquently about his intentions, it was impossible not to notice the concern and strain on Redfern's face as he took serious measure of the candidate's mien…
… In finding Pepper to run against Taylor, Redfern went to Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The last Democrat to win statewide from the southwestern corner of the state was Gov. John Gilligan in 1970. He lost his bid for re-election four years later…
…Is it any wonder the 44-year-old Redfern looks like he has aged in recent weeks so that he appears to be 29 instead of 25?
Presidency 2012: The Invisible Primary Begins
A Commentary By Larry J. Sabato
Friday, May 08, 2009


We at the Crystal Ball must beg your forgiveness. With fewer than 1,300 days left until the next general election for President, we have failed to offer a single analysis of this historic upcoming battle. With humility, and hoping for mercy, we submit this first update on 2012.
The start of the nomination battle is even closer, of
course. The two major parties are fiddling with their primary and caucus calendars again, probably in order to delay the start of the process from early January until February 2012. That will be welcome, after the ridiculously early January 3rd Iowa kick-off in 2008. Even political types ought to get an end-of-year holiday.
Read more - Click Here
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