Pelosi: Talented Obama Economic Team Will Help Lead Our Nation During Serious Economic Crisis

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on President-elect Obama's announcement of his economic team:

"President-elect Barack Obama has assembled an exceptionally talented and diverse economic team to help him lead our nation during the most serious economic crisis in generations. Congress stands ready to work with the new President on his bold plan to restore confidence to our economy, create and save 2.5 million good-paying jobs here at home, and make us more competitive in the 21st century global economy.

"Having crafted recovery proposals that have been debated and passed the House, Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey is already working to draft legislation that will help create new jobs by investing in a cleaner energy future, build a high-tech infrastructure that brings the power of renewable energy and broadband to communities across America, rebuild our bridges and modernize our schools. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel is working with the new Administration on a tax cut proposal that will make the tax code more fair for the middle class. We will work with the President-elect and his team so that 111th Congress can immediately act upon this New Direction for our economy.

"But Americans cannot wait until January for concrete action to restore our economic strength, which is why Democrats again urge President Bush and Senate Republicans to work with us to enact the economic recovery package the House passed in September. Enacting this legislation would provide a down payment on new job-creating infrastructure investments, help states avoid deep cuts to health care and other essential services, and provide nutrition assistance to struggling families.

"President Bush and Treasury Secretary Paulson can also strengthen our economy immediately by acting on FDIC Chair Sheila Bair's plan to help as many as 2 million Americans avoid foreclosure. Helping Americans avoid foreclosure is at the heart of solving our economic crisis, and will help millions of families and communities around the nation.

"In this time of economic crisis, bipartisan action is not only in order, it is essential. I urge President Bush to use his remaining days in office to work cooperatively with Congress and President-elect Obama to stabilize the economy, help struggling families, and prepare us for economic recovery in the new year."

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Businessmen are Bad for Capitalism, Says Libertarian Party

"CEOs and government 'altruism' are standing in the way of effective economic turnaround," says Libertarian Party spokesperson Andrew Davis.

"Businessmen are bad for capitalism when they use the government as life support for failing ventures," explains Davis. "Instead of letting other companies absorb these failing businesses, CEOs and government bailouts have distorted the natural forces of capitalism and prevented the necessary—and effective—economic turnaround that only comes through an unfettered free market. These bailouts do nothing but prolong the inevitable collapse of companies suffering from extreme mismanagement and poor investments."

"The Libertarian Party is adamantly opposed to any sort of bailout of American corporations who, through their own mismanagement, find themselves at the brink of failure," says Davis. "This includes Detroit auto manufacturers who have failed to keep up with trends in the automotive industry, locked themselves into destructive union contracts and have demonstrated a complete lack of initiative in automotive innovations that make their products enticing to consumers."

"Should the government bail-out Detroit, it will essentially create a white-collar soup kitchen for American corporations looking for a handout," Davis observes.

"There is no incentive for managerial reform when government provides a safety net for crooked CEOs," says Davis. "And taxpayers end up paying their million-dollar bonuses."

Davis says the solution is not more bailouts and more regulation, but "giving the natural forces of capitalism the time it takes to correct the mistakes of the past by letting failing companies be absorbed and reformed by bigger and stronger entities."

"This, of course, is not without its share of hardships," Davis explains, "but it will be the most effective plan for long-term economic stability. There are countless examples in American history where big corporations have faltered and failed, and were replaced by new businesses that became bigger and better. Had government stepped in at the time, it would have only prolonged the misery."

"We must not mistake this type of pro-government regulation as true capitalism," says Davis. "President Bush and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have created a new economic vision of loss-free capitalism, which simply does not exist in reality. The so-called fiscal conservatives have adopted a new philosophy of economic altruism that is based on corporate welfare and market regulation."

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Secretary of State Karen Handel Certifies General Election Results

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel today certified the results for the November 4 General Election. The certified results of state and federal races can be found on the Secretary of State’s website: http://sos.georgia.gov/elections

In certifying the results, the Secretary of State affirmed that all 159 counties have provided to the state the total votes tabulated for each federal and state candidate, as well as all state Constitutional Amendments. Further, the Secretary of State affirms that the statewide consolidated returns for federal and state offices, as well as the proposed Constitutional Amendments, are a true and correct tabulation of the certified returns received by this office from each county.

Additionally, with the certification, the time period for a candidate for state office to request a recount begins, and the run-off election for United States Senate, Georgia State Appeals Court, and Public Service Commission-District 4 are officially set for December 2, 2008. Certification does not preclude the state from continuing any current investigations related to the General Election or from pursuing any future allegations that may arise from the election.

Counties should be prepared to begin early voting on Monday, November 17 and no later than Wednesday, November 19. Advance voting week will be held Monday, November 24 through Wednesday, November 26, 2008. To find early and advance voting locations in your county, please contact your county registrar’s office. Contact information can be found on the Secretary of State’s website: http://www.sos.ga.gov/elections/. On Election Day December 2, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters can request a mail-in/absentee ballot from their county registrar’s office through the close of business on Wednesday, November 26, 2008. All absentee ballots must be received by the county registrar by close of polls on Election Day, December 2, 2008. Photo identification is not required when voting by mail. Mail-in/absentee ballots must be received by the appropriate county registrars’ office by close of business on December 2. Given the short timeline leading to the deadline, voters choosing to vote by mail are urged to submit their application as soon as possible and, upon receipt of the ballot, to return the ballot immediately in order to ensure its receipt by the deadline.

Voters will be required to show photo identification when voting in person. For more information on the requirements for photo ID, please call 1-877-725-9797 or visit www.GaPhotoID.com.

Karen Handel was sworn in as Secretary of State in January 2007. The Secretary of State's office offers important services to our citizens and our business community. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives and the Capitol Museum.

Message from Senator John McCain re: Saxby Chambliss

My Friends,

I sincerely appreciate your hard work on our presidential campaign. Although we fell short of our ultimate goal, we were victorious in Georgia due to your tireless efforts. Now I am asking you to go on one more mission with me. Please join me in helping re-elect my good friend Saxby Chambliss to the United States Senate.

Saxby has a runoff election on Tuesday, December 2nd. We must get our fellow Republicans back to the polls and send Saxby back to Washington. We need Senator Chambliss there to protect your Georgia values and the Georgia taxpayers.

I want to start our effort by inviting you to my campaign rally for Saxby this Thursday, November 13, 2008 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway in Atlanta, Georgia. I will be joined by Senator Chambliss and Senator Johnny Isakson along with many federal, state, and local officials. This event is free of charge, and the doors open at 4:00 p.m.

If you cannot make the political rally, please visit www.saxby.org to volunteer your help for the campaign. Also, please request and return your absentee ballot as soon as possible! Remember you do not need an excuse to vote absentee.

Again, thank you so much for all you've done. Let's turn out the vote in Georgia one more time.

Sincerely,

John McCain

Financial Advisers Lack Confidence in Obama's Ability to Heal U.S. Economy, According to InvestmentNews Survey

PRNewswire/ -- The majority of financial advisers have little confidence in President-elect Barack Obama's ability to put the U.S. back on sound economic footing, according to a new online survey by InvestmentNews, the leading news source for financial advisers. Of the 968 financial advisers surveyed on November 6 and 7, 61% said they lack confidence in the new commander-in-chief's ability to resolve the country's economic woes.

Besides restoring economic stability, 39% of 997 advisers said the development of a workable energy policy was the most important issue facing the country, the survey found. Terrorism, the war in Iraq and health care were picked as the No. 1 issue by 23%, 21% and 17% of respondents, respectively.

"Despite Obama's historic election last week, our survey reveals that financial advisers are still unsure about his ability to resolve our nation's most pressing economic issues," said Jim Pavia, editor of InvestmentNews. "This just goes to show that the President-elect has his work cut out for him in the months ahead - not just in creating a path to prosperity but in proving himself with the financial community."

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Georgia Secretary of State Handel Issues Preliminary General Election Statement

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel today released the following statement regarding the 2008 General Election:

“An estimated 3.9 million Georgia voters cast ballots in the 2008 General Election, roughly 74.1 percent of active voters. Additionally, over 2 million voters cast ballots during early voting, over 53 percent of total votes cast. Ninety-three percent of voters cast ballots in person using an approved form of photo identification – without incident.”

In 2004, roughly 3.3 million voters cast ballots, comprising 77 percent of active voters. Voters cast 422,485 ballots during early voting.

“On Election Day across the state, voters experienced minimal lines and wait times thanks to the preparation and hard work of our county election officials and poll workers. The work of these individuals makes democracy possible and I am grateful for their dedication.”

Ballots from military and overseas voters will be received and counted by county election officials through Friday, November 7. County election officials and voters must resolve any issues regarding provisional ballots and add them to election totals by Thursday, November 6. Further, county elections officials cannot certify the election until issues regarding challenged ballots have been resolved.

Once counties complete their certifications, the Secretary of State will certify the statewide results. Any run-offs will be announced upon certification, which should occur sometime next week.
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Statement by John Oxendine - Candidate for Governor of Georgia 2010 on the election of President-elect Obama:

Tonight, America spoke.

While millions of Americans are disappointed, even concerned, we remain a united America. Our country is blessed to be guided by a Constitution which has ensured a peaceful transition of
power longer than any other nation in the history of man. Tonight, our nation is at peace and our nation remains the single best hope for mankind.

America is in transition. However, America remains strong, free, and united. I congratulate President-elect Obama and hope that he will govern with a humble heart and inclusive manner and respect the Judeo-Christian values which have built America. Like so many conservatives, I am determined to stand as the loyal opposition, to fight for those conservative values that I consider vital to Georgia families. But, that is for another day. Tonight, I wish my friends Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin Godspeed and say thank you for your campaign
and I keep President-elect Obama and Vice-President-elect Biden in my prayers.

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In Wake of Virginia Lawsuit, Blunt Presses Congress to Address Military Voting

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the wake of a lawsuit in Virginia to extend the deadline for the state's acceptance of military absentee ballots by ten days, House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today released the following statement urging Congress to do more to ensure that the ballots of the nation's armed forces are counted:

"Our soldiers stationed over seas should not be disenfranchised from voting. For many of our servicemen and women, this election is not only their first but also one of the most important, and they should have every opportunity to have their vote counted and their voice heard.

"Given the situation in Virginia and elsewhere across the country, it's clear that military voting remains a major problem and ballots should have been mailed out sooner to ensure that members of our armed forces could participate in this historic election.

"Congress had the opportunity to safeguard the votes of our military this year, but regrettably chose instead to do too little, too late. Given their sacrifice for our nation, I urge Democrat leadership to do more in the next Congress to make sure that military participation in our democratic process is vastly improved in the future."

NOTE: Blunt authored a congressional resolution, H. Con. Res. 388, that passed the House in September expressing the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense and the Federal Voting Assistance Program take additional steps to ensure that members of the Armed Forces and their families have ample information on registering to vote and voting in the 2008 election. Similar legislation, authored by Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), was never considered by the Senate.

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) released a report last September citing that less than 17 percent of the 6 million citizens eligible under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act chose to participate in the 2006 general election. The EAC further found that of the 48,600 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act ballots that were not counted by States and local jurisdictions in the November 2006 elections, 70 percent were not counted due to incorrect or undeliverable addresses and that more than 10 percent of all uncounted military and overseas absentee ballots were rejected because they were received past the required deadline.

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