Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sandy: New York Power Station Explosion
A Con Edison power station at 14th Street and FDR Drive in Manhattan explodes after Sandy pounded the city. No one was injured in the explosion. ConEd did not know whether the explosion was caused by flooding or by flying debris. Almost 2 million New Yorkers are now without power.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Vote for Martin Pleasant for the U.S. Senate
Martin Pleasant is a 43-year-old environmental engineer from Knox County and the Tennessee Green Party's candidate for U.S. Senate. He lives in South Knoxville and works with the Knox County Engineering & Public Works department, where he works to solves drainage problems and restores unhealthy creeks. His service includes crafting new ordinances that promote ecological practices in community development.
He is a devoted husband and father and an active member of his community. Along with his wife Virginia and their children, he operates a small organic farm and community garden space near Vestal, Tennessee. Martin has also devoted himself to the welfare of Tennessee and its citizens by doing volunteer work with Americorps, Community Creek Clean-ups, River Rescue, coaching youth sports, and serving as President of Vine Middle School Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO).
Martin holds two degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville – Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering. Martin’s education and experience have given him the ability to work with a diverse group of people to solve problems. He feels that this is a valuable skill to bring to public service in the U.S. Senate.
Mr. Pleasant has stated that "Climate change is for real" and that he will work diligently to make sure environmental regulations address climate change.
He has said that he "wants to establish a new regulatory banking act, develop a comprehensive set of incentives for businesses and homeowners to incorporate energy efficiency, and overhaul our energy system through a New Green Deal."
He certainly speaks more knowledgeably about climate change than the incumbent, Senator Bob Corker.
The so-called Democrat in the race, Mark Clayton, is associated with a known conservative hate group in Washington, D.C.. The Tennessee Democratic Party in a statement shortly after the primary said that the only time the insurance agent had voted in a Democratic primary "was when he was voting for himself," declaring that Clayton won only because he was listed first on the ballot. The Tennessee Democratic Party has disavowed Clayton's candidacy and has urged Democrats to write-in a candidate of their choice in November.
From The Chattanooga Times Free Press
published Sunday, October 28th, 2012
2nd Scott DesJarlais girlfriend talks
On the heels of a sex scandal involving a female patient, another woman has acknowledged having a sexual relationship with physician and U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais while she was under his medical care.
The second woman described DesJarlais as "the nicest guy" and said he cooked dinner for her at their first get-together in 2000.
But she also said they smoked marijuana during their relationship and remembered DesJarlais prescribing her pain medication on dates at his home.
"His biggest thing that's completely unethical is him just picking up women while he's a doctor," the woman said in an interview last week. "I mean, seriously, that's his big no-no. ... He's just a hound."
The woman said the affair lasted six months and included mutual illicit drug use.
"Scott was just a regular guy," she said. "He smoked. I mean, he smoked pot. He [did] all that stuff."
The woman's remarks about marijuana use could not be independently verified.
DesJarlais is a Republican seeking re-election in the 4th District. In a prepared statement Saturday, his campaign did not dispute any specific allegations by the woman, instead condemning "personal smear campaigns that hurt families" and "have no place in politics."
To read the entire article click here.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Eastwood Was Wrong in More Ways than One
by Dee Newman
Do you remember what Clint Eastwood said about President Obama (a trained Harvard lawyer, constitutional law scholar and former law professor) during his faltering and stammering monologue at the Republican National Convention? Here's a reminder:
“See, I never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to be the president, anyway. . . [interrupted by applause from convention delegates] . . . I think attorneys are so busy – you know they’re always taught to argue everything, and always weigh everything, weigh both sides. They are always devil’s advocating this and bifurcating this and bifurcating that, you know, all that stuff.”Well, as we know, Mr. Eastwood was wrong about inferring that Mr. Romney is not a trained Harvard lawyer, he is. But, he was correct in his essential point – that Mr. Romney unlike President Obama thinks more like a businessman than a lawyer.
A good lawyer like our President is able to analyze, organize and present coherent, persuasive and reasoned positions; they are able to think independently and critically, analyzing the utility and effectiveness of an argument; and they are able to choose and devise strategies for setting goals that can be accomplished.
Mr. Eastwood was also wrong about lawyers not making good Presidents. More than half of our presidents have been lawyers, including some of our nation’s best: Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt just to name three.
You would think, given recent history of those presidents who were former GOP businessmen (comprising the likes of Harding, Hoover and George W. Bush) that a man of Eastwood’s intellect would know that having another Republican businessman in the Oval Office might prove disastrous.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
The Etch-a-Sketch-Man
by Dee Newman
There’s not a damn thing that he professed to believe a decade ago (Hell! even a month ago) that he now considers politically acceptable, including his most signature accomplishments – Romney Care.
Is he Mitt-the-moderate, or Mitt-the-severe-conservative?
He spent month after month campaigning that he would initiate an additional twenty percent tax cut over and above the Bush tax cuts, only to discard them as soon as the debates began, claiming his tax cuts would not actually be tax cuts, merely a tax reform plan that would have no tangible tax impact (both deficit and burden neutral) – which of course begs the question: why push for tax cuts that in the end do nothing, much less promote them as your signature campaign theme?
Romney has surrounded himself with old Bush administration neoconservative foreign policy veterans, many of them known for their role in initiating the war in Iraq. With their advice he has (up until the debates) been highly critical of the President’s foreign policy. And then, suddenly an abrupt turn around.
During the last debate, Mr. Romney not only agreed with President Obama's foreign policy decisions, he did so, with the same intensity with which he had previously and passionately derided the President's policies. In fact, the only discernable difference between the two was Romney’s inexplicable desire to spend more money on boats.
Yes, what we’ve seen in the last month is the Etch-a-Sketch-man in full operating mode, shaking off all his old extreme positions for some new more politically viable ones, trying not to alienate his base while courting moderate independent voters.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
An Open Letter to Ann Coulter
From specialolympicsblog.wordpress.com
by John Franklin Stephens
Dear Ann Coulter,Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?
I’m a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.
I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.
Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.
Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.
Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are – and much, much more.
After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.
I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.
Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.
No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.
Come join us someday at Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.
A friend you haven’t made yet,
John Franklin Stephens
Global Messenger
Special Olympics Virginia
From The Rachel Maddow Show
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Greg Palast: "Mitt Romney's Bailout Bonanza: How He Made Millions From The Rescue of Detroit"
Published on Oct 18, 2012 by democracynow
DemocracyNow.org: We turn now to a major new exposé on the cover of The Nation magazine called, "Mitt Romney's Bailout Bonanza: How He Made Millions From The Rescue of Detroit." Investigative reporter Greg Palast reveals how Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney made some $15 million on the auto bailout and that three of Romney's top donors made more than $4 billion for their hedge funds from the bailout. Palast's report is part of a film-in-progress called, "Romney's Bailout Bonanza." Palast is the author of several books, including recently released New York Times best seller, "Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal An Election in 9 Easy Steps."
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Identity Theft
by Dee Newman
Pandering to moderate independent voters, Mr. Romney not only agreed with President Obama's foreign policy decisions (from the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt to the killing of Osama bin Laden, from the the President's sanctions on Iran to his decision to liberate Libya, from the Presidents withdrawal timetable in Afghanistan to his reluctance to put boots on the ground in Syria, from drone strikes to the use of military force, even the President's bail out of Detroit), he did so, with the same intensity with which he had previously and passionately derided the President's policies.
Hell, at one point in the debate I thought Romney was actually going to endorse the President.
What a flip-flop! Romney proved once again that he could lie with a straight face, that he has no integrity and that he is willing to say or do anything to get elected, even to impersonate his opponent.
Apparently, his handlers thought that their strategy to assume the identity of the President in order to commit fraud was successful. But, why would anyone vote for an impostor when they already have the real thing?
In the end, the Republican spin-machine was only left with – the Governor passed the "commander-in-chief test," he looked "presidential."
If the "far right" continues to back Romney after last night's impersonation of the President, then they have no integrity as well.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Issa, the Partisan Hack
by Dee Newman
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last Wednesday held hearings to examine so-called "security failures that led to the Benghazi tragedy.” The committee’s chairman, Representative Darrell Issa, Republican of California, in criticizing the Obama Administration declared that lawmakers are obligated to protect federal workers overseas and that we should spend more on diplomatic security.Issa’s consistent effort to use the committee's oversight authority as a partisan attack on President Obama has greatly damaged his and the committee's credibility. Given the fact that Mr. Issa joined his Republican colleagues in the House in cutting nearly a half-billion dollars from the State Department’s two main security accounts, his latest attacks seem almost ludicrous. The cuts would have covered things like security staffing, providing more local guards, armored vehicles and security technology, as well as, other things like embassy construction and upgrades.
In addition, in 2009, Mr. Issa voted for an amendment that would have cut nearly 300 diplomatic security positions. Issa also supported Representative Paul Ryan's ( Mitt Romney’s running mate's) draconian budget proposal that cuts foreign affairs spending by more than 10 percent.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Arguments from an Old High School Friend and My Response
DEE, OBAMA HAS INCREASED THE DEBT MORE THEN ALL THE PRESIDENTS BEFORE HIM PUT TOGETHER. BUSH'S WAS OVER 8 YEARS, OBAMA'S 3 1/2 YEARS. 6 TRILLION DOLLARS. BUSH'S LAST 2 YEARS, CONGRESS WAS CONTROLLED BY GUESS WHO – DEMORCRATS. I WOULD RATHER DOUBLE BILLIONS THAN TRILLIONS. REMEMBER OBAMA HAD BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE, AND WHAT DID HE GIVE US .....DEBT.....NO BUDGET SINCE IN OFFICE...OH WAIT, OBAMA'S BUDGET DIDN'T GET A SINGLE VOTE, SO EXTREME NOT EVEN DEMS WOULD VOTE FOR IT....AND DEE, THE BIGGEST PITFALL WAS THE GOV FORCING BANKS TO LEND TO PEOPLE WHO COULD NOT MEET THEIR PAYMENTS BECAUSE THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN THE LOAN TO BEGIN WITH....BOTH PARTIES ARE GUILTY....WHO'S OBAMA BORROWING FROM AND MUCH MORE....HOW CAN WE GET OUT OF DEBT BY BORROWING MORE AND SPENDING MORE. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DONE THAT. IF THAT WAS THE WAY TO GO, EVERYBODY WOULD BE DOING JUST FINE-------OBAMA SAID THE MIDDLE CLASS WAS DOING JUST FINE AND BIDEN SAID THEY HAVE BEEN BURIED FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS....AND BY THE WAY DEE, KENNEDYS TAX CUT WAS FOR -----EVERBODY====CORPORATIONS DON'T PAY TAXES, THEY ONLY COLLECT THEM......PRESIDENTT DO NOT CREATE JOBS-----UNLESS YOU PUT ON MORE GOVERNMENT WORKERS.....TO CREATTE AN ENVIRONMENT FOR THE CREATION OF JOBS...YOU CAN SEE THE FAILED POLICIES OF OBAMA HAS NOT WORKED. BELIEFS AND FACT ARE NOT THE SAME.......I'M TIRED, ....NO MORE RACE CARD, CLASS WARFARE, ABORTION, { REMEMBER OBAMA WAS FOR KILLING A BABY AFTER A BOTCHED ABORTION}
The following is my Response:
Glen – First off, I believe, like Obama, that a woman, like a man, should have control over her own body. Not the government.
The reason the national debt continues to increase is because of the Bush tax cuts, Bush's 2 unpaid for wars, Bush's unpaid for Medicare drug plan and an economy that tanked under Bush and a Republican Congress. We are on the road to recovery, thanks to Obama. Republicans never take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. Only a fool would want to go back to trickle-down economics.
You are reaping what you sowed. Bush's tax cuts for the rich have been in effect for over a decade now and they still have not helped to create jobs. There have been more private sector jobs created over the last three years than during Bush's entire 8 yrs. Your knowledge is limited by you willingness to know the facts. Ignorance is always the first line of defense for an irrational mind. I read and watch everything, both sides. You obviously don't. One of my double majors in college was history. You should take some time and read a little more about the 1920s and what caused the Great Depression – massive tax cuts for the filth rich and deregulation.
Do you know anything about mathematics and an exponential growth rate (EGR)? Example: when you and I were born the human population on earth was less than 2 billion. It took millions of years for the human population to reach that figure. Because of the exponential growth rate it has taken less than 70 years to more than triple it to over 7 billion and growing.
Unfortunately, even if we only replace ourselves the EGR would continue to grow exponentially for a generation or more before it began to level off.
The same exponential grow rate is happening with the national debt. According to economists it will take more than a decade no matter who is in office and what their economic policies are for the debt to start leveling off. Hell, it took Clinton 8 years to balance the budget (level it off) after Reagan/Bush. If Romney/Ryan take office their plan will add an additional 5 trillion $ to the debt which will only make the ERG go up even faster. Now, do you understand?
As for the housing crisis and collapse. That happened under Bush and a Republican controlled Congress. For 6 years in every speech he gave Bush touted the housing boom, that is, until the shit hit the fan, and then suddenly, he went mute. That's what deregulation will get you. Lending to people who could not afford the payments. It was a banking scam under Bush's watch, not Obama's. You can try to blame everything on President Obama, but you are fool to do it.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected the fiscal year 2009 deficit at $1.2 trillion two weeks before President Obama took office. (We were losing nearly 800,000 jobs per month.) That fiscal year started Oct. 1, 2008. The fiscal year was already nearly one-third over when Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2009. After Obama took office, the deficit increased to $1.4 trillion for fiscal year 2009. At the end of the fiscal year, the CBO largely blamed the 2009 deficit on the Great Recession (nearly another Great Depression), specifically a sharp decline in tax revenues and an increase in spending in response to the economic crisis — first by Bush and later by Obama.
Under Obama's watch, federal spending has remained at or near that level. Let me repeat that – federal spending has remained at or near that level. In an April 2011 report, the CBO said the actual deficit for fiscal year 2010 was nearly $1.3 trillion and the estimated deficit for the current budget is $1.4 trillion.
Even Romney has criticized Bush for allowing federal spending to increase so dramatically during his administration. Borrow and spend, borrow and spend – deregulate and cut taxes for the filthy rich – the wealth will trickle down. Ha!!!! You have been bamboozled and flimflammed by the polutocrats for so long, voting against your own interests, that to recognize it would so demoralize you now that it has become psychologically impossible for you to confront the consequences of your pathetic, double-think, delusional beliefs and horrific actions.
Now Glen, I could go on and on, but I won't. It is obvious from your arguments that you are trapped in what a behavioral psychologist would describe as an either-or fallacy, black-and/or-white thinking. Believe me, I do not think that you are deceiving yourself deliberately. The fallacy arises probably from some deep seated need on your part to justify your biases and reconcile your fears. Yeah, yeah, I know this all sounds pretty damn arrogant and pretentious on my part, but I'm fed up with hypocrisy and double-think, especially from folks who should know better.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
What is Really Disturbing
by Dee Newman
The internet is awash with articles describing Mitt Romney as a sociopath. The evidence that he exhibits sociopathic behavior is convincing.
Mr. Romney does has a history of bullying others, of being a chronic, if not a pathological liar who seems to have no remorse, guilt, shame or concern for the consequences of his words or deeds.
He lacks authenticity and integrity. He is consistently inconsistent. His behavior indicates that he believes the end always justifies the means. He appears to believe that the universe revolves around him and has often remarked that others "envy" who he is.
He seems to be emotionally shallow, incapable of real warmth, empathy or compassion.
Romney has gravitated toward and held leadership positions in three of the most prominent professions that reward sociopathy: religion, venture capital and politics.
During a 1983 family vacation, Romney drove twelve hours (650-miles) with the family dog Seamus strapped to the top of his car in a carrier. During the long trip, Seamus defecated liquid fecal matter down the car windows, forcing Romney to stopped at a gas station to wash Seamus, the carrier and the car. Placing Seamus back in the carrier, the family continued on their way. When confronted about his lack of compassion for his dog Romney exhibited no empathy nor shame, proclaiming that Seamus actually like riding on top of the car.
When he was a senior at a prestigious all-boys school in Michigan, he led an attack on a fellow student who he believed to be gay. After tackling the the young man and pinning him down with help from his friends Romney cut off the teenager's long bleached-blonde-hair with a pair of scissors. When asked about the attack, Romney's only response was that he did not recall the incident.
In 1990 a pregnant Mormon mother of five with a serious life-threatening blood-clot in her pelvis was told by her doctors that she had only a 50 percent chance of delivering a full-term healthy baby. Instead of offering her compassion and support, her spiritual adviser, Bishop Mitt Romney, according to her account only offer her "judgment, criticism, prejudicial advice and rejection.” Later, Romney, once again, contended that he could not recall the incident.
Now, I suppose that these despicable acts might be considered minor offenses when compared to his years at Bain Capital where he became a multi-millionaire not by growing businesses and creating jobs but by buying existing companies and siphoned off wealth for himself and his investors, often liquidating a company in the process and destroying jobs.
I do not know if Mitt Romney is a sociopath or not. I've never met him. What I know about him I do not like. I do know that he is a liar who is willing to say just about anything to become the next president of the United States.
What is really disturbing though is not that Romney is a liar or that he may possibly be a sociopath, but that there are millions of folks in this country who are prepare to vote for him and against their own interests – who have allowed themselves to be hoodwinked by his manipulative lies.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
If the Mission of the Press is Compromised
by Dee Newman
The United States of America is suppose to be a representative democracy.
To function properly a democracy is dependent upon an informed, well educated electorate.
A free press (journalism) and public education are therefore crucial components of good governance. Without them our nation fails to be "of the people, by the people and for the people."
Conservative legislators have been attacking public education for decades. Why?
Could it be that they realize and desire to exploit the fact that ignorance is more easily manipulated with fear and lies?
The mission of the Fourth Estate envisioned by our founding fathers as necessary should be to investigate, inform and serve the public's interests in the name of truth and justice.
Granted, it is the duty of each individual voter to know facts and issues pertaining to candidates and their campaigns. However, if the mission of the Press is compromised – made up of merely the news divisions of multinational entertainment corporations – then the public (no matter how educated) may suffer the consequences of misinformation.
Transparency and accountability are essential elements in the establishment of a sustainable democracy. A strong viable press should force all candidates and their campaigns to be accountable and transparent, impugning any attempt for them to be otherwise.
Surely, a truly free and independent press would have (by now) informed a well educated public and exposed Romney for that he is – a pernicious, ambitious, deceitful and well-oiled weathervane of a candidate.
Ryan calls rape a "method of conception"
When the Republicans’ vice presidential nominee, Paul Ryan, implies that rape is just another “method of conception," he clearly believes the government should force women to take their pregnancy to term if they are impregnated by a rapist or a blood relative. Though Ryan has tried to distance themselves from Todd Akin, it is evident that he shares Akin's views.
Ryan would like for us to believe that his perspective is not terribly important, because he would only be the vice president, and his running-mate, Mitt Romney, does not share his extreme views.
Does he really believe that the American people do not comprehend that he would only be a heart-beat away from the most powerful position in the world?
Or, that Romney picked him, one of the most conservative Republicans in congress on issues of choice and reproductive freedom, and did not agree with his views?
Perhaps, he's right. Romney has gotten away with being the most ardent flip-flopper in our nation's history, saying and doing anything to try and get elected.
Yesterday Romney said: "There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda."
Less than 2 hours later his campaign said: "Governor Romney would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life."
And, earlier this year he wrote an op-ed in the National Review telling us that he would do "everything in [his] power" to curtail abortion rights, including supporting a number of specific pieces of legislation.
In fact, he has told us on numerous occasions that he not only opposes abortion, he supports a constitutional amendment banning all abortion, that he will shut down Planned Parenthood, defund health care for women, and appoint activist judges to the Supreme Court who will overturn Roe v. Wade.
If the American people are persuaded to vote for these fanatics by such lame subterfuge, then woman can kiss their fundamental right to determine what they do with their bodies good-by.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Sad News: Brother Al (Whiddler) has passed beyond the absurdity
Remembering Brother Al by Sydney Reichman
Dear South
by Sydney Reichman
He was your sun,
tatooed with a cotton sack
from the day he could stand
growing fierce
against the dirt of poverty
and song that captured an innocent babe
and turned him wild
into all that he could alchemize
for he was
born with a science mind
an artist hand
an engineers soul
and a heart for those that
needed heart
and he spun, and wove and pounded the metal of
all he was and would become
on an anvil
carved out of the bones
of all that he could never be
his song came from something deep
something in us all
something we could never be
I could have learned so much more
about each bark and leaf and how the
stars collided
about the rains and what they
would bring
for the stories he told
so many years ago
the inventions he created
they are talking of them now
and yet this mind of poverty?
this small bundle of dynamic muscle
knew it so long ago
ahhh what poverty does to us all
Deprives us of our richest ones
who go unnoticed on
account of being born in a
cotton field
so while dear south, he was your sun
he was my TRUE NORTH
Friday, October 5, 2012
An Explanation for the President's Performance
Al Gore offered an explanation Wednesday night for President Obama's poor debate performance:
“I’m going to say something controversial here . . . Obama arrived in Denver at 2 p.m. today, just a few hours before the debate started. Romney did his debate prep in Denver. When you go to 5,000 feet, and you only have a few hours to adjust. I don't know... Maybe."Speaking from experience, I would say that Gore may be right. Every time I have flown into Denver it has always taken me awhile to adjust to the altitude. When your lungs are not acclimated to the thin air, it does makes you lethargic and off your game.
And, believe me we all know, even conservatives, that the president was off his game.
7.8%: Great News for the President, Bad News for Romney
The U.S. unemployment rate dropped below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years to 7.8 percent, matching its level in January 2009 when President Obama took office. According to the Labor Department employers added 114,000 jobs in September as wages rose. There were also an additional 86,000 jobs created in July and August than previously reported.
We can only guess what the impact of this jobs report on undecided voters in the final month before the presidential election will be. But, it doesn't look good for Romney.
Now that the Dust has begun to Settle
by Dee Newman
Now that the dust has begun to settle and the political pundits and spin-doctors have had their say (officially declaring that Mr. Romney won the debate on style) we are beginning to hear from "regular people" about the debate. As it turns out the harshest critic of the President's performance came from his most ardent supporters, not Independents nor even Republicans. They were disappointed that the President failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities to attack his challenger. But, it seems that many Americans believe (as I do) that there is something truly perverse about giving Mr. Romney the "win" when he literally lied his way through the entire debate.
Now that the dust has begun to settle and the political pundits and spin-doctors have had their say (officially declaring that Mr. Romney won the debate on style) we are beginning to hear from "regular people" about the debate. As it turns out the harshest critic of the President's performance came from his most ardent supporters, not Independents nor even Republicans. They were disappointed that the President failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities to attack his challenger. But, it seems that many Americans believe (as I do) that there is something truly perverse about giving Mr. Romney the "win" when he literally lied his way through the entire debate.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Obama's Missed Opportunities
One of them was when Romney said, “Look, I got five boys. I’m used to people saying something that’s not always true, but just keep on repeating it and ultimately hoping I will believe it.” I wanted the President to response with “like father like son.”
I know, I know . . . it wouldn't've appeared Presidential.
Romney Won the Performance, Not the Debate
by Dee Newman
Unfortunately, a debate’s outcome is often determined by “performance art”, rather than objective facts. Logical consistency and factual accuracy are frequently eclipsed by a brazen, unashamed willingness to lie. That, it seems, is what happened in last night’s debate.
Scoring the debate, the political pundits gave Romney the win. Time and again Mr. Romney refused to be dismayed or deterred in his audacious effort to represent himself as a man of the people through a subterfuge of incredible incarnations, acute contradictions and glaring gaps in his policies. Though President Obama repeatedly pointed them out, he did so with an air of exasperation rather than determined resilience.
Romney reiterated his empty promises of more jobs, fewer regulations, and lower marginal tax rates. He refused to acknowledge any missing details in his proposals, or any inconsistency in his budget arithmetic. And, he did it with an air of audacious confidence that seemed to confuse and confound the President, not to mention the moderator, the press afterwards, as well as, millions watching “the performance”.
It is easy to fault the President for his “lethargic” performance, as many have done. But, when we allow substantive facts to be trumped by bad math, inconsistent rhetoric, and brazen lies the art of persuasion becomes more “performance art” than a debate of interactive and factual arguments, examining what is or isn't true.
If delivering (with conviction) vague, misleading policy explanations riddled with falsehoods makes Romney an acceptable candidate to the most powerful position in the world, then what does that say about us?
In short, Romney won “the performance”. The facts and the truth still remain with the Presidents.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Remembering Paul Cobb
A year ago today the youngest son of my dear friends, Jill and Don Cobb, was accidentally and tragically killed by a train. He was only 24 years old.
Paul was an accomplished artist, musician, and skilled outdoorsman. He was a quiet, humble and sensitive free-spirit who lived a life of integrity. He played a number of musical instruments for two bands: Amo Joy and The Accordians.
When he died he left behind numerous unfinished musical ideas on tape, along with a sketchbooks of his remarkable artwork. For the past year Paul’s musical companions (with help from his family and friends) have been on a journey to honor his life and gifts. Their plan is to produce an album of his unfinished and unreleased songs on vinyl and cassette (Paul's preferred format). The project is nearing completion.
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