Barack the Mitt-Buster — the Great Debate Trilogy, Episode 3!

We may not admit to liking trilogies   , but we sure eat them up.

There is something about three of something that forms a feeling of completeness. Three sides of a triangle. Three Wise Men. Three Musketeers. The three Matrix films. There were the three original Star Wars films, before the — some of us would say quite unnecessary — prequels. Each of the original three Star Wars movies has its plusses and minuses, though it is hard to beat the moment when Darth Vader revealed to Luke Skywalker, “Luke, I am your father.”

As this third debate began, I wondered if it might just be a replay of the first debate, including less-than-stellar performance by President Obama. Mitt Romney dominated the discussion, interrupting the president and the moderator, Bob Schieffer. At one point, Sehieffer had to instruct Romney to let the president answer the question he’d been asked.

When the president was able to start making complete statements, Romney did a lot of agreeing. He concurred with so many points of Obama’s foreign policy that I thought he might just change his mind about trying to remove Obama from office and just ask for a position in his Cabinet.

I think Romney’s least-presidential moment came when Sehieffer asked the question, “What if what if the prime minister of Israel called you on the phone and said, ‘Our bombers are on the way. We’re going to bomb Iran.’ What do you say?”

Romney dodged the question, “Bob, let’s not go into hypotheticals of that nature. Our relationship with Israel, my relationship with the prime minister of Israel is such that we would not get a call saying our bombers are on the way or their fighters are on the way. This is the kind of thing that would have been discussed and thoroughly evaluated well before that kind of action.”

It was a good question, which could have revealed a lot about Romney’s character. However, all it showed was that Romney overvalues his ability to foresee the future, that he lacks imagination, and he doesn’t have the      courage to try to deal with a situation that many watchers of the Middle-East consider at least somewhat likely to take place. What Romney was, in effect say was, Hey, this could never happen because of my superior leadership skills and my experience in the business world. So, maybe it did give us a window into Romney’s character after all.

Romney tried to criticize Obama for reducing the size of the US navy. “Our Navy is smaller now than at any time since 1917. The Navy said they needed 313 ships to carry out their mission. We’re now at under 285. … We’re headed down to the low 200s if we go through a sequestration. That’s unacceptable to me.”

Obama replied, “You mention the Navy, for example, and the fact that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets. We have these things called aircraft carriers and planes land on them. We have ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines. It’s not a game of Battleship where we’re counting ships, it’s ‘What are our priorities?’” Score a major homerun for Obama!

I know there was some criticism on Twitter and elsewhere that “the military still uses bayonets.” Well, of course it does, and I am sure there are still some horses serving the armed forces here and there. Obama could have substituted swords or M-1 rifles for bayonets and the point would have still been well made.

Most debate watchers give the win to Obama, and I say that is a great thing. I know the only thing that really counts is the actual election, but those who count such things tell us that this last debate was viewed by over fifty million people, so I would think these debates do count for something besides their entertainment value.

Entertainment value? Of course. Some moments were better than others. My favorite debate moment was when Romney turned to Obama and said “Barack, I am your father.”

 

He’s…Baaaaack!

I am so happy to be able to say that President Barack Obama showed up for the second presidential debate of 2012 on October 16. Oh, it wasn’t that he missed the first debate, or failed to appear. Most of us agree that he just didn’t put as much into it as would have liked.  

Let’s face it, Vice President Joe Biden set a good example of how to get tough, yet gentle, with one’s opponent. Obama followed Joe’s lead and called of Mythical Mitt on some of his bigger whoppers.

Candy Crowley was a great moderator, at least equal to and maybe superior to Martha Raddatz  She was able to fact-check one of Mitt’s fibs, practically before it was out of his mouth.

The upcoming debate will be about foreign policy. I think Mitt would be a foreign-relations disaster for this country and for the free world. I hope that Obama can be ready and primed to convince all of us voters of this fact.  

 

Release the Biden!

I saw this really cool graphic on Facebook, called “Obama did poorly at the Debate? Release the Biden!”

 

 

I enjoyed sharing that. I thought it showed a lot of hope, hope that Joe Biden would make up for Obama’s lackluster performance in the first presidential debate, and really stick it to Paul Ryan in the one and only vice presidential debate, held on 10/11/12.

By the way, October 11 was National Coming out Day, a day set aside for people to come out to their families and friends and reveal their differences. The day is intended mainly, I am assuming, for those gay Americans, who might have been hiding their ture feelings, to man up — or woman up — admit to everyone that they are not what they thought everyone thought they were.

Both Biden and Ryan came out all right — they came out swinging. Well, Biden was swinging, Ryan was mostly sweating. I think that was why he drank so much water during the debate. I’m sure he ran to the bathroom after the cameras were turned off. That is, of course, if he didn’t sweat all of that water out.

One of Ryan’s first attacks against the Obama administration had to do with green energy grants. He called them “green pork.” He failed to mention the fact that, for twelve years, he had sought some of those “green pork” dollars for his own district. I guess it’s different when you are working to get yourself re-elected and not for the good of the country. I wonder if he also took some green eggs to go with that green ham.

As Ryan might say, “I do not like green eggs and pork. But, if you’re paying, hand me a fork!”

Joe called Ryan on some of his fibs by using strong Joe Biden language, by which I mean he called Ryan’s statements “Malarkey.” I think this must be Irish for bullshit, but the latter is probably not something one should say in a presidential debate.

I find it interesting that Democrats and progressives are willing to admit that Obama did not live up to our expectations in the first debate with Romney. However, Republicans are unwilling to admit that Biden was the clear winner in the second.

Some critics have pointed out the way Biden kept referring to Ryan as “my friend.” Well, maybe, on a purely personal level, Biden genuinely likes Ryan. Don’t you have friends or relatives with whom you have serious political disagreements, maybe even those heated Thanksgiving day political arguments with dear family members, when tongues are loosened by wine, whipped cream, and tryptophan? Maybe even more heated debates about which football game to watch or which quarterback is a moron!

Maybe Biden was trying to project the image of his being the adult in the room. “My friend” could be taken to mean something like, “Don’t judge this little guy too harshly by his opinions. You know how cranky he gets when he’s up past his bedtime.”

People criticize Biden for his eye-rolling, smiling, smirking, and laughing at some of the things Ryan said. But, when you get down to it, who in his or her right mind wouldn’t react in just that way? It was probably all Joe could do to contain himself.

We get another chance to see Obama versus Romney tonight. Make some popcorn. Try to stay away from the wine, whipped cream, and tryptophan for just a few more weeks.

Was it the Altitude…or the Attitude?

The first of the debates is now history, and what a disappointing piece of history at that. Unless, of course, your household is one of the famed top one percent, which holds over 35 per cent of the nation’s wealth. Or, if you are one of the 99 bottom per cent — or even part of the 47 per cent that Mitt Romney has said he doesn’t care about — and you prefer to support Governor Romney for President, in spite of your own economic interest. I know, there are a lot of 99-per-centers out there who support Romney, for whatever reason, and those folks can be pretty happy about the outcome of debate number one.

That is, if they don’t value honesty as a debating skill.

Depending on whom you go to for factchecking, Romney told 18, 25, or 27 lies during the time he spoke in the debate. Some sources combine some statements into one or overlook some of allegations, but  even a dozen fibs should make those who support Romney think again.

I am not going to list them all here, but here are a few that caught my attention

Romney said, "If the president’s reelected you’ll see dramatic cuts to our military.” Obama opposed cuts to the Military. Remember that Republicans want to increase funding for military pork-barrel programs, that military leaders say they don’t want and don’t need.

Romney said, “I don’t have a five-trillion-dollar tax cut.” Independent analysis of Romney’s plan for a 20 per cent across-the-board tax cut in all federal income tax rates, eliminating the estate tax and including other tax reductions, would reduce federal revenue by $480 billion in 2015. This amounts to $5 trillion over the following decade.

Romney said that half of the green-energy firms the nation invested in under Obama have gone out of business. He said, “A number of them happened to be owned by people who were contributors to your campaigns.” Actually, only “three out of the 26 recipients of Section 1705 loan guarantees from the Department of energy have filed for bankruptcy, with losses estimated at just over $600 million. Those who have received loans and grants have been supporters of both parties’ candidates.

There were many more falsehoods — on taxes, on Medicare, on energy independence, and on other topics.

With so many myths and misstatements coming forth from Romney’s mouth, Obama’s supporters were angered and perplexed as to why our president did not do more to defend himself and his policies and performance.

NBC’s Saturday Night Live and other topical humor outlets have had a great time with this question. Serious columnists and pundits and commentators have asked why Obama did so poorly.

Was it the relatively thin air of the mile-high city, where the debate took place?

The debate happened to fall on Obama’s twentieth wedding anniversary. Had there been a family argument earlier?

“Here, Michelle. I wanted to give you your anniversary gift.”

“Oh, Barack, thank you. It’s a — a purse. But this is the same purse you gave me five years ago. I never used it, because I…well, I never liked the style…”

“Oh, honey, look. This purse is different.”

“No it’s not! This is the same handbag you gave me before. You just stuck a Presidential Seal sticker on it.”

“Well, it’s not like I’ve had a lot of time to go shopping at the mall! Oh, I knew I shouldn’t have listened to Biden…”

Well, maybe that wasn’t it either.

Maybe  Obama was just preoccupied with the weighty matters of running the country.  

Or maybe it was a combination of several things, many of which we will never know.

Neither Obama nor debate moderator Jim Lehrer was at the top of his game that night.

Maybe they were both affected by the noxious fumes emanating from Mitt Romney’s trousers, as they remained on fire, for an hour and a half.

The Elephant in the Mitt-Storm

The two major political conventions are over, so this seems like a good time to compare and contrast them.

The Republican National Convention took place in the City of Tampa, making use of our beautiful Tampa Convention Center, the Tampa Bay Times Forum, and other venues. Giant barriers were erected around the whole event, turning the RNC into a gated community. Many Tampanians — we much prefer Tampanians or Tampans to Tampons, and I am sure you understand why — were inconvenienced by detours and altered schedules. Many restaurateurs and other business owners who hoped to make a little extra money off the RNC were disappointed to find their business actually dropped below normal during that week, as convention attendees were encouraged to remain inside their de facto compound.

However, those of us who were not inside the walled fortress could still watch a lot of the goings-on, courtesy of the television networks and the Internet.

The first day was truncated to just a few minutes to open the convention and close the session for that day. Hurricane Isaac was in the area and represented a possible hazard to the convention.

On the second day, another large generator of great winds was allowed to speak before the assembled masses. I am, of course, referring to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who spent a lot of time talking about himself and seemed to almost forgot to mention the fact that somebody else was the party’s nominee for president.

Ann Romney did her best to humanize her husband, and to convince her audience that the theme of the convention, “We Built It,” did not refer specifically to the candidate, her husband. She did her best to convince everyone that, early in their marriage, they lived in a basement apartment, with an ironing board as a dining table, and barely avoided dumpster-diving to survive.

The next night featured speeches by Republican Chairman Reince Preibus who has a name that sounds like an anagram gone wrong. The letters in R. [for Rinehold] Reince Preibus can be rearranged to spell either Creepier Bruins or Crisp Beer Urine. Take your pick.

It also featured entertainment by the Oak Ridge Boys, one of the few bands that most of us have heard of who publically support the republicans. I suppose Ted Nugent might have been there, but the powers that be may have been afraid he might just shoot up the place. Or maybe he has finally come down with “Cat Scratch Fever.” We’ll move on after all of you put away your air guitars.

Rick Santorum came out and tried to pretend that he supported the godless, untraliberal duo which had somehow been chosen to populate the GOP ticket. Remember he had called Romney the “worse Republican” and indicated he should be the last choice for nominee. The death of Santorum’s race for the nomination brings to mind another question: Is it safe yet to Google Santorum without being grossed out? I’m not going to risk it.

Paul Ryan is a good-looking man, with eyes like blue pools you could drown Democratic kittens in. He delivered a speech which was filled with lots of words, but he still managed to keep his remarks nearly 100 per cent fact-free.

The final evening of a political convention is supposed to be the most powerful, the most moving, the most perfectly-planned night of the convention. This was, after all, the night that Willard Mitt Romney (a name the letters of which can be rearranged to spell Wintry Mermaid Toll or Randomly Twirl Item) formally accepted his party’s nomination for President of the United States. So, doesn’t it make sense that the item right before Romney would be solemn, motivational, and very, very, inspiring?

As you almost certainly know, the pre-Mitt Speaker was none other than Clint Eastwood, who chose to exceed his time limit and interview an empty chair!  This chair, which was supposed to represent President Obama, was especially feisty. Evidently it interrupted Cling, causing him to say things like, “what do you want me to tell Romney? I can’t tell him to do that. I can’t tell him to do that to himself!” After nervous laughter and applause from the party faithful, Eastwood said to the imaginary Obama, “You’re crazy. You’re absolutely crazy. You’re getting as bad a Biden.” More nervous laughter and applause.

Pundits were shocked. Some members of the audience, including Ann Romney, wore forced smiles.

I’ve always liked Clint Eastwood. I still do. After all, he was Rowdy Yates and Dirty Harry and that old man in Gran Torino. But I don’t think he properly prepared for his live audition for HBO’s next Young Comedians special.

Romney spoke after Clint, but I don’t remember what he said. I was too busy thinking about what Clint had said. I know that he made to mention of American troops fighting abroad in wars started by the former president in his own party. The entire RNC was virtually free of any reference to the American military forces or to our Veterans. If R&R are elected, they will be the first presidential ticket not to include a vetaran since 1932.

The entire event seemed to me like the Republican Party trying to convince itself that it really was happy Romney was the nominee, and that he wasn’t just the last candidate standing after all the other potentials ran out of money or support or were declared mentally incompetent.

The following week was the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. When you have a very recent convention to study and critique, there is a pretty good chance you will get just about everything right. And that is what the Dems did — held a rowdy, passion-filled, joyous convention. Many good an memorable speeches were given.

Michelle Obama gave one of the very best First Lady or First Lady candidate speeches ever. Joe Biden delivered one of his very best speeches ever. Not one gaffe; not one F-bomb. At the RNC, Clint Eastwood had said, “Biden is the Intellect of the Democratic Party.” Well, he showed that he is at least one of them, and maybe the party’s heart and soul of the party as well.

There had been some criticism of the Democratic Party Platform because it did not include the name “God” in it. There were mentions of faith, but that was not just enough for some who really don’t quite approve of the separation of church and state. There was also a problem about the platform’s not mentioning Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa called for the vote Wednesday afternoon to reinstate the omitted mentions. He had to call for the vote three times before ruling that the vote was affirmative, though, I have to admit, it sounded pretty close to me. There were some shouted protests and boos from the audience when Villaraigosa determined the convention had voted to restore the language. This may have been a move to dampen the criticism from the Republicans, but you know that the fact that this vote had to take place — and the way it was done — would silence only the most easily assuaged critics. So much for a no-win situation.

Still, it was a great convention. Obama and company had been dismayed at the post-convention bump Romney-Ryan had gotten in the polls since their convention. So, it was time to call in the big dogs. Or, the Big Dawg!

Bill Clinton gave what just might have been the best speech of his life. He spoke clearly and with just the right amount of urgency, just the right amount of humor. He laid out honestly just how the country got in the mess that we are in and what we were going o have to do to get out of it. He spoke to his audience like the reasoning adults he assumed us to be. He used logic and mathematics and lucid examples to explain exactly the path Obama has outlined for the country will work and why the plans laid out by Romney and Ryan would fail.

Finally, we heard from Barack Obama, who spoke, eloquently, and with passion. His address was met with thunderous applause and renewed commitment.

Currently, Barak Obama (the letters of which can be rearranges to spell Kenyan Muslim Socialist — well, that’s according to Fox News; I haven’t had time to fact-check that yet) is enjoying a lead in the poles over Romney. I would like to think that this is the result of the speeches made and arguments put forth during the Democratic National Convention. However, since that time a recording has surfaced, which has a major portion of the voting public responding with anger and disgust.

A bartender secretly recorded a speech made my Mitt Romney during a $50,000 a plate fundraiser. Former President Jimmy Carter’s grandson, Jimmy Carter IV, found the video online and helped make it public.

You have probably heard the video or parts of it. Just one quote: “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what.”

At this point you can find recording at: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiser

and the full text of the recording at: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/full-transcript-mitt-romney-secret-video

And there is another video recording which has surfaced. This one shows a much younger Mitt Romney, speaking when Bain Capital, Romney’s venture into vulture capitalism was in its early stages. In this recording, Mitt Romney boasted that his firm "harvested" the companies in which it invested to produce a "significant profit" for Bain. Maybe it’s a good thing Romney didn’t become a surgeon.

The debates are coming up later tonight. Let’s see how both candidates handle these issues. I’m making popcorn.