Using the connectivity that social media and smartphones as a whole offer the political platform we can only wonder exactly where it is headed. If our inkling is correct Follow My Vote will surely be able to help greatly!

Four years ago today, President Barack Obama was gearing up to announce his reelection campaign, Mitt Romney was leading Newt Gingrich in the polls, and roughly one out of every three American adults owned a smartphone. You read that right: In the spring of 2011, just 35 percent of American adults owned a smartphone, according to Pew Research. The Internet and social media may have been changing politics in myriad ways, but news consumption was mostly a sedentary experience. Today, as Hillary Clinton prepares for the formal launch of her campaign, and as Jeb Bush and Scott Walker are neck and neck in the polls, roughly two out of every three American adults, or 64 percent, own a smartphone, according to a new report from Pew. The new mobile reality is changing the state of news and advertising, and it will also change the dynamic of American politics – especially during the 2016 campaign season, journalists and political operatives said.

“Mobile is going to be the big thing in 2016,” Chris Lehane, the Democratic strategist and Clinton White House alum, told the On Media blog. “It is what any sophisticated campaign will be trying to figure out and then maximize in 2016 – and all the campaigns from both parties will be in a race to see who can figure out the tools to best lever the power of mobile.”?

On the consumption side, the rise in mobile will “change politics the same way it is changing American life broadly,” said Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed. “People will organize and persuade on mobile devices and apps, the same way they live on them more broadly.”

Full Article: The Mobile Election: How smartphones will change the 2016 presidential race – POLITICO.com.

Source: https://www.verifiedvoting.org/the-mobile-election-how-smartphones-will-change-the-2016-presidential-race-politico/

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Marco Rubio, often mentioned as a frontrunner for the Republican nomination, made news this past week when he unveiled a plan that would make drastic changes to the country’s healthcare and Social Security frameworks, making the argument that these programs are not sustainable under the country’s current spending path.

Rubio argues that, with longer life expectancies and the baby boomer generation reaching retirement age, measures must be taken to ensure the survival of America’s largest entitlement, which is Social Security.

In a speech to the National Press Club, the first term Florida senator proposed raising the retirement age, which would apply to workers who are currently under the age of 55.  This proposal was accompanied by his plan to reduce the growth rate on Social Security benefits to retirees in the higher income brackets.

Rubio (currently 42 years old) points out that under the current make-up of the Social Security system, he himself will not be able to tap into the benefits guaranteed him upon reaching Florida’s retirement age of 67, as the current program cannot be sustained for another 25 years.

Following the conservative line, he also suggested that the 12.4% payroll tax on retirees’ income be removed to encourage people who reach the qualifying age to remain in the workforce.

Rubio followed suit on his plan for entitlement reform with suggestions of reforming the Medicare system to allow Americans to have more freedom of choice than offered under Obamacare, by encouraging a premium support plan that opens up the ability for Americans to enroll in private plans or traditional Medicare.

Entitlement spending between these programs has grown to account for 49% of all federal spending.

With all this in mind, one might argue that Republicans are moving to provide appealing options on entitlement reform in recent months to provide a platform on such issues to counteract criticism that they do not have viable options to cut spending and save entitlements instead of simply opposing any Democratic legislation coming from The President of the United States.

Source: washingtonexaminer.com.

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When it comes to elections in the United States, more recently than ever, it’s anybody’s game. Check out some of these possible match-ups for the 2016 United States Presidential Election and let us know which one you think will actually happen in 2016!

The post What If? appeared first on Follow My Vote.

Fast forward six months and it seems to be all the media is talking about these days. And, we’re here to say, it’s ok! Talk away!!

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