From time to time, this blog will update and combine new statistics on this very important election 2008. Not since the depression has this country seen the demise of banks and investment companies. Now we steady ourselves for the stock market with the demise of Lehman Bros. It is very important that each of us research and determine who is the candidate to take us out of economic hell.

From Docticker, I found the Annenberg Report from the Annenberg Pubic Policy organization on both conventions and the viewers. What it showed is that Republicans watched their convention and Democrats watched theirs. Independents mostly watched the Democratic convention. So if this is true, why the “bumps” in campaigns following the conventions?

From the Congressional Budget Office blog on the economy: ”

The Budget and Economic Outlook: An Update
Source: Congressional Budget Office
From Director’s Blog:

CBO released the annual summer update to the Budget and Economic Outlook for Fiscal Years 2008 to 2018 today. (Today’s report updates the Budget and Economic Outlook published in January 2008.)

Today’s report makes it challenging to avoid playing the dismal economist, which I generally dislike doing. The budget deficit has risen substantially over the past year. And according to CBO’s updated economic forecast, the economy is likely to experience at least several more months of weakness. (Whether this period will ultimately be designated a recession or not is still uncertain, but the increase in the unemployment rate and the pace of economic growth are similar to conditions during previous periods of mild recession.) Finally, the Treasury and Federal Housing Finance Agency have announced significant steps regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which carry important implications for how the operations of those entities should be reflected in the federal budget. The estimates presented in the report CBO released today do not reflect the specific details of those actions.”

Obama statement on economy: “”The challenges facing our financial system today are more evidence that too many folks in Washington and on Wall Street weren’t minding the store,” Obama said in a statement. “Eight years of policies that have shredded consumer protections, loosened oversight and regulation, and encouraged outsized bonuses to CEOs while ignoring middle-class Americans have brought us to the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression.”

“I certainly don’t fault Sen. McCain for these problems,” Obama said, “but I do fault the economic philosophy he subscribes to.”

McCain’s statement on economy:”"It is essential for us to make sure that the U.S. remains the pre-eminent financial market of the world. This will be a highest priority of my administration. In order to do this, major reform must be made in Washington and on Wall Street,” McCain said in his statement.

He added: “The McCain-Palin administration will replace the outdated and ineffective patchwork quilt of regulatory oversight in Washington and bring transparency and accountability to Wall Street. We will rebuild confidence in our markets and restore our leadership in the financial world.”

STAND UP FOR HEALTHCARE asks the question: Would Sarah Palin be covered by McCain’s health plan? To read more and get a non-profit organization take on the candidates’ health care reform, click here  Stay informed!

According to Chris Frates on Politico site, “Giants such as AARP, the insurance industry, Health Care for America Now and the American Medical Association used the August congressional recess to blanket the country in a similar, if not coordinated, message: The country needs health care reform. … Essentially, the groups spent the summer building needed infrastructure for next year’s anticipated showdown on health care.” To read more about inside the world of lobbying for and or against healthcare reform, click here.

Who will really reform health care in 08? What is the role Congress will play in all this? Read interesting blog on healthcare reform and politics on Health Care Policy blog here.

A list of articles on the election summarized for easy viewing on our favorite elderblog: Time Goes By. Read them here.

What are your thoughts? Favorite informational sites?

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