Blog News – Page 64 – Politics Plus

Monthly Report – 12/1/2009

Posted by TomCat at 12:15 pm Blog News, Monthly Report

Dec 012009

Politics Plus returned to the Internet on September 5 as a brand new blog. Our first three months show a steady increase in activity after a great start.. As of Midnight we have had 17,872 visitors. Last month, we had 7,212 visitors, up 651 from October, an increase of 10%. We also has 8,632 page views, up 617 from October, an increase of 8%. This averages to 240/288 visits/views per day, up 28/19 from October. I’m quite pleased. After an amazing start in September and a surge ahead in October, we made steady progress. Here’s a graph of visits and views.

Here’s a graph of how long people are staying while they’re here. It covers only the last five hundred visitors.

And here is our most recent ClustrMap, showing our readers from all over the world:

Our 11,000th through 17,000th visitors, respectively, were RJ, Josie, Ivan, Sue, Mark, Reality Zone and Punky Penny. You’ll find a special section in our sidebar honoring them and linking to their blogs.

Technorati is not being kind to us. We still have a Technorati Authority of 1, which means they do not see the hundreds of links we have. Although I ping their server with every post, they have not updated us since the day they recognized we exist. I guess fixing that will have to be my next project. We need Authority of 100 to be on the B list again. So please keep linking the articles you like here to your facebook pages, stumble upon pages, etc. When you see material you like here, the operative commandment is: “Thou shalt steal!!” Please do link back though. Hat-tips are much appreciated.

I use the terms “we” and “our” while referring to Politics Plus, since this is a one-person blog. I assure you, I’m not doing so in the royal sense. My Kingship ends with my kitty box. The we in Politics Plus includes you. Without your readership and comments, this blog would be pointless. Whatever success this blog does and will enjoy is because of you, so please congratulate yourself. Thank you all for another fantastic month.

Poll Results – 11/17/2009

Posted by TomCat at 4:18 am Blog News, Politics

Nov 172009

Here are the results of our latest poll, one that had lots of participation.

F was the most popular choice, as disgruntled progressive combined forces with right wingers who wandered in. Over all the results were quite even, though, with 81 favorable votes as opposed to 80 unfavorable votes.

Your comments were also quite diverse:

From Jo on November 15, 2009 at 10:02 pm.

Where is the "change"?

You American folks are too nice, and too trusting.

From Shar on November 14, 2009 at 5:05 pm.

I think Obama is just an African American Bush. No bringing the troops home, no help for foreclosures, lots of help for the wealthy, no single payer health care and no job creation. I think Congress and the President should have to live on the wages of the poor. I don’t think poverty would stay around too long. How anyone who is in their right mind could give Obama anything above a D is living in a different reality than most of us.

From adamondc in reply to Shar on November 15, 2009 at 9:50 pm.

Clearly, Obama is an ass and does not have a clue on anything representing economics….or anything else for that matter.

From Vigilante on November 14, 2009 at 12:32 pm.

He gets a "B", however his class performance has been sliding of late. On economics, he has to be graded "Pass-fail"; on Health Reform it’s a "C". Afghanistan is his mid-term examination. IMO, there’s only one question on it and only once correct answer. If he doesn’t nail his mid-term, he only get a single term as president.

From ml on November 12, 2009 at 8:47 am.

Take a deep look at our country – need I say more. He is still on a campaign trail –

From ed subusinowski on November 11, 2009 at 8:41 am.

obama sucks….. sooner

he is out of office the better the US will be,,,,

From Oso on November 6, 2009 at 6:39 pm.

gave him an F.Bush policy with a less stupid-looking face. Same F.I.RE bailout policy same pro-war Zionist foreign policy.If I hated Bush for doing why give Obama a pass for the same policy.

From Gwendolyn H. Barry on November 5, 2009 at 8:45 am.

Ok, it’s working! I gave him a B. Not too shabby!

From Marva on November 4, 2009 at 7:17 pm.

Voted B because he doesn’t sign an executive order to get rid of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell. He is the Commander in Chief, after all. There are a few other things he’s foot-dragging on in my "liberal" agenda. I try to appreciate the caution and deliberation, but I really wish he’d squash those Re-bug-licans into the dirt. They deserve squashing, and I want to see it.

From Grung_e_Gene on November 4, 2009 at 1:25 pm.

Obama has done an excellent job in the face of the Zealous Fanaticism of the Right. He’d be an Aplus (and one of the Greatest Presidents ever) if he’s able to extricate us from Afghanistan and pass Real Health Care Reform.

From LCMike in reply to Grung_e_Gene on November 4, 2009 at 6:41 pm.

Oh my God! Misguided is hardly the word– at least on the financial front. Check out the following to see where I come from:

http://dailybail.com/home/the-national-debt-road-trip-video-warning-not-for-the-faint.html

From Kevin on November 4, 2009 at 9:41 am.

I think Obama has done well, and I do not believe McCain, or any other candidate offered any better suggestions for the economy. I agree with Obama’s diplomacy with the remainder of the world and I voted a B only because of the hesitance to tackle some Bush administration policies that have held over…

From adamondc in reply to Kevin on November 15, 2009 at 9:31 pm.

If you think Obama hads done well, you have your head up your ass.

From LCMike on November 4, 2009 at 6:48 am.

How anyone could think Obama and his financial team has done an "A" or "B" job is beyond me. With the dollar tanking towards zero… soon..and perhaps sooner… we will sink into the quick sand of hell. Meanwhile, Obama continues to campaign daily while the Congress does their thing. Ugh!

From rjs on November 3, 2009 at 10:34 am.

im the F; we may as well have bush III

From Bush III in reply to rjs on November 10, 2009 at 7:01 am.

Thanks for your vote b###h.

From TomCat on November 2, 2009 at 9:52 am.

Not sure what happened. I reset the votes to zero. Please vote again.

From Gwendolyn H. Barry on November 2, 2009 at 8:34 am.

ah, ditto the above comment…

From Marie (themom) on November 2, 2009 at 8:22 am.

Hey, I voted "B". The poll shows 2 votes for "F". That’s not my vote.

Would you like to discuss how you voted and why? I voted C. While Obama has started to restore America in the eyes of the world and provided a magnificent contrast to the foreign policy of the Bush/GOP regime and started move toward much needed reform in health care, energy, and finance, he has been far too slow to keep his promises on human rights, transparency and open government. He has appointed too many advisers from the neoconservative and neoliberal camps and far too few progressives. He has refused to hold the GOP criminals accountable for their behavior. He has been far to solicitous of the right and far to respectful to the Repiglicans, who have opposed and undermined him at every opportunity. He has virtually ignored his base, the people that put him in power by donating in the face of hunger and working our asses off to put him in office and provide him strong majorities in Congress. With all that said, I could not rate him below a C, because every time I think of where we might be if McConJob and Mooseolini had won, I cringe.

There is a new poll up on Afghanistan. Enjoy!

Poll Results – 11/2/2009

Posted by TomCat at 2:33 am Blog News, Politics

Nov 022009

Here are the results of the Net Neutrality poll.

There is no that our readers are pro net neutrality even though we had five right wing votes and one from a teabagger. 😉

Our only comment was also from a right-winger.

Showing comments 1-1 of 1.

From J. Smith on October 30, 2009 at 9:15 am.

You socialist, communist, marxist fools. Get your crap together.

Typically, J Smith ignored the respect rule here. Also typically, most extremists express intolerance, lacking the intellectual wherewithal to mount a legitimate argument.

Do you care to discuss your vote? I voted ‘Strongly Support’ because Net Neutrality is the only thing preventing the telecom giants from effectively silencing opposition to their right-wing corporate agenda.

Monthly Report – October 2009

Posted by TomCat at 2:30 am Blog News, Monthly Report

Nov 012009

Politics Plus returned to the Internet on September 5 as a brand new blog. I felt quite happy about our initial month, and October was even better. As of Midnight we have had 10,660 visitors. Last month, we had 6,561 visitors, up 2,519 from September, an increase of 62%. We also has 8,015 page views, up 2,898 from September, an increase of 57%. This averages to 212/259 visits/views per day, up 77/88 from September. I’m thrilled. After an amazing start in September, we surged ahead last month. Here’s a graph of visits and views.

Unfortunately, far too many of our visits were “pit stops”, but I hope that will change. Here’s a graph breaking down the last 500 visitors only.

And here is our most recent ClustrMap, showing our readers from all over the world:

Our 5,000th through 10,000th visitors, respectively, were Nunly, Gwen, Buckdog, Jack Jodell, Jack Jodell, and Mad Mike. You’ll find a special section in our sidebar honoring them and linking to their blogs.

This morning we received a wonderful gift from Technorati. They finally recognized that we exist. We have a Technorati Authority of 1. So we could not have a lower ranking, but that will change. We need 100 to be on the B list again. So please keep linking the articles you like here to your facebook pages, stumble upon pages, etc. When you see material you like here, the operative commandment is: “Thou shalt steal!!” Please do link back though. Hat-tips are much appreciated.

I use the terms “we” and “our” while referring to Politics Plus, since this is a one-person blog. I assure you, I’m not doing so in the regal sense. The we in Politics Plus includes you. Without your readership and comments, this blog would be pointless. Whatever success this blog does and will enjoy is because of you, so please congratulate yourself. Thank you all for a great month.

Poll Results 10/23/2009

Posted by TomCat at 1:28 am Blog News

Oct 232009

The low participation in our most recent poll showed me that you are tired of the subject, but that’s OK. Here are the results.

Several choices were close, with troops home from Iraq taking #1, clean energy #2, and the restoration of human rights in the US and convicting Bush regime leaders tied for #3. I paid little attention to other for reasons that will become obvious. Here are the comments left, newest first.

Showing comments 1–7 of 7.

From I suppose he could… on October 22, 2009 at 10:07 am.

Resign. Oh crap, Biden…we’re screwed.

From New order on October 22, 2009 at 10:00 am.

1. Eliminate all aspects of cap and trade

2. Support the troops in Afghanistan – NOW, not after some election whose results will still be suspect.

3. Don’t censure the media by having so many meetings behind closed doors (don’t have longer meetings with select media regarding your image then you do with your Generals who have pressing needs).

4. Surround yourself with some advisers with experience and insight not yes men and women whom you owe favors — Washington DC is NOT Chicago, man up.

From Seriously ?!!! on October 22, 2009 at 9:53 am.

As an attorney I am impressed with your ability to covertly slant a question to this extreme — I’m shocked it doesn’t slide off the page, TO THE LEFT of course!

You would see a clearer picture if you opened your right eye too – let’s you focus on things in front of your face, say in the middle or center, not waaaaaaaay over to one side.

From Bottomless Pit on October 22, 2009 at 9:46 am.

STOP SPENDING MONEY WE DON"T HAVE!!!

From Kevin Kelley on October 21, 2009 at 10:21 am.

I would think that it is of most importance to focus on paying off the national debt.

From paul on October 20, 2009 at 6:05 pm.

Fix the imigration problem !!

From Dustin on October 17, 2009 at 6:00 pm.

Step down and let Ron Paul fix the last 30 years of big government mess!

A couple of the comments are actually reasonable. Paul and Kevin offered reasonable suggestions. Just because I do not agree, that does not make their opinions less valid. I trust that Dustin is sincere, although I think that the devil will go ice skating at home before his candidate has a serious chance of gaining the presidency. The top four comments with votes for other all come from one person. My tracking software logs IP addresses, so I was able to determine that easily. This person also has a right to his or her opinion as well, but consider the source. This person found Politics Plus dong a Google search on the health insurance company exemption from antitrust laws. The person’s IP address belongs to an insurance company in Amarillo, Texas.

I voted for clean energy, because a major climate change could destroy everything we are working to achieve. Do you care to discuss your vote?

There’s a new poll up on Net Neutrality until the beginning of next month. Don’t forget to vote!!

Poll Results: 10/15/2009

Posted by TomCat at 1:50 am Blog News

Oct 152009

Here are the results of our poll that I replaced yesterday afternoon.

The winner this time was Infrastructure and Jobs, followed by Troops home from Afghanistan and Clean energy.

Do you care to discuss your vote? I voted for Infrastructure and Jobs, because, unless the economy turns around, Republicans will have an opportunity to blame the mess they caused on Democrats, counting on public apathy to get away with the lie. Sadly, the strategy will likely work unless we make a strong dent in unemployment in the next year.

The new poll is up. It’s the same as the old poll except that I have removed Infrastructure and Jobs.

Don’t forget to vote.

Poll Results – 10/8/2009

Posted by TomCat at 3:10 am Blog News

Oct 082009

Here are the results of our most recent poll.

And here are your comments:

Showing comments 1-3 of 3.

From Allison on October 5, 2009 at 3:46 pm.

More people would rather convict and jail the Bush Regime and regulate Wall Street than bring their sons and daughters home from Iraq? We are a sick society.

From Vigilante on October 4, 2009 at 11:08 pm.

Gr8 poll! Maybe do an IRV ballot?

From Annette on October 2, 2009 at 8:52 am.

It is not up to President Obama to convict Bush and others.. that is up to AG Holder.. so that is a bad question.. and not really a valid selection. I think the Clean Energy should be his next fight. He has already stated what he wants done as far as Wall Street regulation and now Congress has to do something about it.. but he has to push the Senate now to get the ACES bill passed.

Wall street regulation had a clear plurality. We had one Republican who actually wants forced worship. Unfortunately, the two that voted other comment on what other was.

Annette, most of the items on this poll are up to someone other Obama. Obama seems to have told Holder to limit investigations. Your choice, for instance, is up to Congress, not Obama. Obama can use the prestige if the Presidency to facilitate or delay any of these choices, so I have to disagree with you. It’s as valid to include as the others.

Vig, thanks! I’m not aware of any polling widgets for Blogger that support IRV. That’s what I’m doing through a series of short polls. If you know any that support IRV, please let me know,

Allison, I’m sorry you feel that those who disagree represent sickness in our society. I wonder how many lives will be ruined if Wall Street is allowed to collapse our economy again. I wonder how many will die in the next Iraq if politicians do not have an example that starting wars of aggression based on lies, and committing war crimes and crimes against the Constitution have consequences. Different people have different priorities, and everyone has a right to their opinion.

For the record, I voted to regulate Wall Street. Unless corporate power is curtailed, no real reform is possible anywhere.

There is a new poll up now. It’s the same as the old poll minus this week’s winner. If you want to vote for something not on the list, please choose other and comment on what other is.

Poll Results – 10/2/2009

Posted by TomCat at 1:59 am Blog News

Oct 022009

Here are the results of out most recent poll.

87 of you (50%) want ton reject any bill that does not contain a public option. 46 (26%) want a bill with no public option. By way of explanation, two of our articles were prominently placed in the Google News listings, prompting several comments from GOP spin-mavens under blank profiles. Tracking their visits revealed that a couple of them cleaned their cookies and voted several times to skew the results. To combat that, I changed polling applications. 30 (17%) of you want a public option, but think that less is better than nothing. 8 (5%) of you are still undecided. 4 (2%) of you don’t care. I fail to understand how anyone doesn’t care about this issue.

My heart is clearly with the plurality in this poll, but my vote went to “better than nothing”. I desperately want a public option to pass. However, it may be that too many Democratic Senators are in the pockets of greedy corporations to get it through. If, and only if that happens, I would accept a lesser bill that contained strict regulation over insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and absolutely no welfare for those companies. That would mean removing the mandate (requirement to buy insurance) and removing all the funding, except funding to states to expand Medicaid to cover the working poor.

How did you vote and why?

There is now a new poll up. It is the first in a series of short polls (7 – 10 days) intended establish a priority ranking of progressive concerns. I know I have left out several, because I brain-farted when putting it up, so if something else is your first choice, please choose other, and comment (in the poll itself) to identify the option. Thanks!

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