Monday, April 28, 2014
Thursday, October 18, 2012
2012, Debate # 2 analysis & how late night comedy writers will select our next President
While Tuesday’s debate was definitely a win for Obama, it left me with some very ambivalent feelings afterwards… The following is compiled from my Facebook posts that evening:
Yes, he's not my guy, and I wasn't rooting for him, but from as an unbiased as a perspective as I can manage, I just need to say this...
I think Mitt Romney's debate tonight was the worst performance I've ever seen by a presidential candidate from either party ever. (Well, since the first one I watched in 1984, at least).
Yeah, the post debate “Who Won Tonight?” polls are close, because about 95% of those polled will say their guy won, no matter what. And don't give me that undecided voter crap on a spot poll taken in the five minutes before the candidates have even left the stage.
But this was a bad night for Romney. It may take a few days for that really to emerge. But it was bad. Bad Bad Bad Bad. Bad.
Bad candidate. Bad. "Was he just trying to help Paul Ryan feel better?" bad.Going to the mat, standing by his misquote of the President, and then getting fact checked on the spot by the moderator, basically at his own request? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!
This man wants to be the leader of the free world? Oh hells no.
See, this pisses me off. Yeah, I want Romney and Ryan to lose, but this shit is just bad for America, PERIOD.
I WANT two qualified candidates. I want a tough, close election because there is a real choice, not because of blind party loyalties. I want to be able to take both the GOP and the Democrats seriously. While I rarely vote Republican, I want the option!
I take Obama seriously. Everyone else can pretty much piss off and die at this point. American politics? Dead.
Yeah, I was typing with fists on Tuesday…
As for the Town Hall format, the moderators (though a big thumbs up to Crowley, it’s not like she busted in unsolicited), and the debate coverage in general… In response to this post, “BTW, am I the only person that thinks regular Americans seem to ask better questions than paid reporters?—Dave” on The Pragmatic Progressive Page, I spat out, “Of course they do. Journalism is dead.”
Not a good campaign cycle for America.
Considering Romney’s train wreck of a performance on Tuesday, he is lucky that the takeaway is the “binders full of women” comment. This will not help him, but there were far worse gaffes in the evening than this one.
So, Obama supporters, yes it is funny, but shut up about it. People forgive legitimate jumbles of words in high stress situations. Instead, pound on him for the real mistakes.
Women in the workplace? Sure, and we’ll even try to get them home in time to cook dinner.
Getting fact checked by the moderator, at his own request, and losing a point where he actually has some valid concerns and questions about a serious national security failure?
Saying that gun violence would be reduced if only there were more two parent families?
This is what noise should be made about, not the “Binders Full of Women.” These jokes are funny, but they actually help Romney more than hurting him by distracting from his real gaffes on Tuesday. Gaffes that might actually work towards changing public perceptions about the GOP contender.
This first clip illustrates a couple points I've been making in several of my posts.
First, people are going to think their candidate won no matter what happened in the debate.
Second, those on the fence are going to be swayed not by what happened during the 90 minute debate, but by the sound bites they hear on a two minute news segment, or by the jokes they hear on late night shows, Facebook, and other sources.
These people are shown supporting their candidate, declaring it a win for their guy, spouting pre-debate buzz about debate expectations, without realizing that the debate has not even happened yet.
And people like this are going to be the one who decide this election, not the well informed voters who, on a regular basis, actually follow the issues being discussed in the debates.
This election will be won by whomever attracts the least attention from the comics. In elections that are not close, the jokes probably serve more as a barometer of public opinion, but in close elections, or even elections at decisive turning points, these jokes can actually shape public perceptions enough that they can change the outcome of an election.
A lot of words have been written over the years about how so many in the younger generations get most of their news from The Daily Show, Colbert, and other such sources, but this is not really a new phenomenon.
More than being the source for news, late night comics have provided the analysis of events that really tend to define how many Americans perceive their candidates. Dukakis was slayed by these folks, losing his lead in 1988 after a series of gaffes that gave the comedy writers a bushel of full of material. That election ended up not being as close as the last few, but…
Gore and the lock box in 2000? Probably worth at least a few hundred votes in Florida.
Kerry / Bush in 2004? Both were hammered about equally as hard. Well, in these cases, we see that the tie goes to the incumbent.
In 2008, one of the most masterful pieces of the Obama campaign was staying out of the late night headlights. McCain, wandering around the town hall debate, Palin’s, well, everything? These jokes sealed the deal for Obama. The piling on as the outcome of the election looked more and more certain through the month of October?
This year, we see this playing out again. Obama broadens his lead after a series of humorous gaffes by Romney, the race tightens after Obama is hammered in late night after the first debate, and now? Well, over the next few nights, we’ll see, though I think we know where this will go.
So, the winner of the debates is pretty much decided by headlines and short sound bites on the evening and morning news shows. The fallout, the shifts of momentum in close races, especially after conventions and debates? Decided by the late night comics.
A lot of people are saying that the damage done by the first debate to the Obama campaign may have been irreversible. Not necessarily ensuring a Romney victory, but ensuring a very close and tense election night. And it might have been the deciding factor if Romney had been able to settle down and keep a low profile for the next two debates and not make any more bad mistakes. Staying on script, never freewheeling it in public, let alone in front of cameras…
He didn’t do that.
Earlier, I mentioned The Daily Show, and they have always (deservedly, my bias) gone harder after the GOP than the Dems, but this show does not have the influence of Saturday Night Live, Leno, and Letterman because its viewers tend to be progressive anyway. Same for Fox News. Whatever these two outlets are saying about the candidates may influence the
passion of the GOP or Democratic base, but they don’t have much of an influence on the almost completely apolitical swing voters who decide close elections.
I was hoping to post up the Leno and Letterman monologues from last night, but I couldn’t find them anywhere yet. Apparently, CBS and NBC like to not post them online anywhere until they are stale and irrelevant. I haven’t seen them yet, myself.
So here’s Conan instead.
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Sunday, July 15, 2012
A climate change grab bag…
It’s Time for a Conversation, Climate Change Deniers - Truthdig:
June 2011 to June 2012 was the hottest 12-month period ever recorded in the mainland United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The report from the National Climatic Data Center does not even include early July’s scorching temperatures that broke more than 2,000 individual heat records across the nation. The heat wave resulted in the deaths of 22 people and left millions without power for days.
Actor Denis Leary Pillories Selfish Americans in Song: "Kiss My Ass" | AlterNet:
You know how Americans are accused of being apathetic, glued to the couch and entertainment and uninterested in grave social issues, how we're selfish consumers guzzling the world's energy without a shred of moral compunction?Well, actor Denis Leary has a new video on FunnyorDie that embodies that attitude in three short words.
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Sunday, May 13, 2012
Marriage Equality: President Obama & North Carolina
I think the President does a nice job of explaining his evolving position on marriage equality in the following email:
Friend --
Today, I was asked a direct question and gave a direct answer:
I believe that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.
I hope you'll take a moment to watch the conversation, consider it, and weigh in yourself on behalf of marriage equality:
http://my.barackobama.com/Marriage
I've always believed that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally. I was reluctant to use the term marriage because of the very powerful traditions it evokes. And I thought civil union laws that conferred legal rights upon gay and lesbian couples were a solution.
But over the course of several years I've talked to friends and family about this. I've thought about members of my staff in long-term, committed, same-sex relationships who are raising kids together. Through our efforts to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, I've gotten to know some of the gay and lesbian troops who are serving our country with honor and distinction.
What I've come to realize is that for loving, same-sex couples, the denial of marriage equality means that, in their eyes and the eyes of their children, they are still considered less than full citizens.
Even at my own dinner table, when I look at Sasha and Malia, who have friends whose parents are same-sex couples, I know it wouldn't dawn on them that their friends' parents should be treated differently.
So I decided it was time to affirm my personal belief that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.
I respect the beliefs of others, and the right of religious institutions to act in accordance with their own doctrines. But I believe that in the eyes of the law, all Americans should be treated equally. And where states enact same-sex marriage, no federal act should invalidate them.
If you agree, you can stand up with me here.
Thank you,
Barack
Unfortunately, President Obama’s shift on this issue, while important, does little to change actual policy. In fact, while this counts as one in the win column, in North Carolina, there is not only a set back on marriage equality, but yet another example of poorly written legislation coming out of the far right wing of the GOP.
It’s one thing to write laws that I disagree with, entirely another issue altogether to put poorly written laws in the books… One is politics, the other is incompetence.
4 Worst Media Misrepresentations of North Carolina's Anti-Gay Amendment One | Media | AlterNet:
UNC-Chapel Hill law professor Maxine Eichner has spoken extensively to delineate the definite consequences of the Amendment as well as the possible consequences. She says the Amendment definitely bars the state from passing same-sex marriage or civil union legislation, which extends rights to same-sex couples, in the future. Furthermore, it bans the State from passing domestic partnership laws, which extend legal rights to unmarried couples, no matter their sexual orientation. Not only that, but it invalidates “existing partnership benefits by municipalities for all unmarried couples,” no matter their sexual orientation. In other words, as Protect All NC Families, the coalition organization set up to fight Amendment One, explains on its website, the Amendment eliminates “health care, prescription drug coverage and other benefits for public employees and children receiving domestic partner benefits."
Of course, there is always the possibility that this new amendment does exactly what its authors want, limiting the legal rights of people who are immorally shacking up regardless of gender…
Considering the recent birth control debates, would this really be an unexpected development at this point?
| The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Lord of the Rings - The Right Side of History | ||||
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| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Barack Obama's Gay Blasphemy | ||||
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| The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Endless Suffrage 2012 - States' Rights Edition | ||||
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| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Barack Obama vs. North Carolina on Gay Marriage | ||||
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Thursday, April 26, 2012
General Election 2012: It’s on… Right after a nap… Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…….
This pretty much sums it up for me.
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Monday, April 23, 2012
The war on women & Santorum’s choice
As for this last image, on Facebook I wrote:
There is truth here. Not that these men are necessarily misogynists, they probably are not. But their campaign strategies are geared towards solidifying support of demographic groups who will actually vote for them, and in the general election the majority of women will vote Dem pretty much no matter what these fools do, so pissing them off really doesn't change the game for them at all.
Appealing to Non-College Educated White Males, however, the GOP's most dominant demographic, is a huge part of their game plan. The more heavily they dominate this segment of society, the more they can alienate these fellows from the democrats and Obama, the greater their chances of victory in the primaries and in November.
Being worried about what women think is a losing game for them, there is no reason for them to care what they think at all.
Since then, Romney has wrapped up the nomination. This came a little earlier than I thought it would. I actually suspected that Santorum would not give up until the convention, allowing the GOP as much of a chance as possible to try to get out of nominating Romney.
However, I think Santorum had a real moment of clarity leading to his withdrawal from the race. Brace yourselves, I am actually going to say something nice about this fellow.
I do suspect that staying in the race as long as humanly possible was Santorum's plan. I think, on the Friday before he dropped out, that he had every intention of still being in the race a week later.
I believe there were two factors that made him change his mind.
One, of course, was the fact that he was apparently looking at an embarrassing loss in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Santorum as the GOP’s next frontrunner
At this point in his campaign, politically, I think he should have been looking more towards the future than any real chance of being sworn in as president in 2013. Of course, he still had a long shot at widening the cracks between Romney and the, quite frankly, bigoted far right wing of the Republican Party to create some convention drama and an even longer shot at still derailing Romney’s nomination, either becoming the nominee himself or creating the possibility of another candidate stepping into the role.
But the odds of creating any of these scenarios were shrinking fast. Getting shellacked in Pennsylvania would have lowered the odds even further.
And I don’t think his eye should even have been on the nomination this year, at least for the last couple months. He should have been looking at 2016 or 2020, depending on Romney’s fate this fall. For Santorum, staying in the race as long as possible should have been all about positioning himself for the future. The longer he hung in there, collecting headlines if not delegates, he was building a solid foundation for a future run at the Presidency.
The GOP has a track record of elevating those who make a good showing one year to frontrunner status the next. Santorum’s campaign, for the last month or two, could have been following a John McCain strategy.
In 2000, McCain stayed in the race far past the point where Bush had locked up the nomination and was rewarded with front runner status for almost the entire duration of the 2008 Republican primaries, fairly easily wrapping up the nomination his next time out. Of course, he managed to stay in the race that year without becoming a joke.
In 2008, the McCain role was played not by Romney, but by Huckabee. However, since Huckabee decided, early, to sit this one out, Romney slid into the 2nd place role this year and, like McCain in 2008, has now completed a fairly easy primary season and secured the nomination without too much fuss or muss.
Let’s face it, the GOP primaries this year were not a close thing. Romney owned them. Most of the noise about any real competition this year was just that, noise from the media trying to keep a blowout interesting through the end of the fourth quarter. This is not to say that what competition there was wasn’t interesting, it was, and it revealed a lot about the nature of the GOP and its different demographic elements, but the race itself was not a close one at all.
If Santorum really wants to be president, he has a real chance at becoming the GOP front runner the next time around. Like McCain and Romney, he needs to spend the next four to eight years quietly organizing and he can, pretty much, claim early frontrunner status the next time around. Especially if the far right continues to dominate the party like it has, which is almost inevitable if Obama wins re-election.
However, this future front runner status depends on Santorum maintaining his credibility this year.
By pulling out when he did, the former Senator is ending on a relative high note, while he is still seen as a strong candidate. The story, however, could have changed if he stayed in the race and suffered an embarrassing loss in his home state.
So far, the humiliating 17 point loss of his Senate seat has remained out of the national press, for the most part, and has been forgotten by almost everyone.
After another brutal home state loss, I suspect that his past political failures would enter into the national conversation and the story would change from his relatively successful presidential campaign this year to his repeated failings as a candidate for political office.
In other words, the press about his campaign would turn from being mostly positive to mostly negative. By getting out now, as I said, he ends this year’s run on a high note and 2012 becomes a bright spot on his resume, not a hurdle to be overcome in the future.
Santorum’s Priorities
All of these considerations set aside, I still suspect that Santorum was in the race for the long run this year, until the weekend before he dropped out.
He was still seen as being a factor in this year’s nomination process, his campaign was still receiving decent press, though it was starting to turn a little negative as Pennsylvania approached, and, let’s face it, a part of me really wonders if Candidate Santorum is really savvy enough to consider the arguments I made above in defense of his campaign to this point and how it poses him for a future run for the nomination.
If there was ever a candidate to stay in the race far past the point of respectability, ruining his reputation and future in a blind run towards an unreachable finish line, it would seem to be the former Senator. This would be a move right out of his playbook, blind self-immolation.
Though I am sure his campaign advisors saw what I saw for the last couple of months and have been talking to the former Senator quite a bit about how long to stay in and when to drop out. In fact, I would strongly suspect that these voices in his ears were whispering that, in order to position himself properly for the next campaign, that he should drop out before the Pennsylvania contest.
And I am pretty sure that Santorum was ignoring these voices until his daughter was hospitalized the weekend before he dropped out.
That weekend, I bet, Rick got in touch not only with some big doses of reality but that he also took a long look at his priorities in life.
Whether or not he really believed that he still had a shot at the Presidency this year, I do not know, but even a rock would be having doubts by that point. But I think he was still having fun. I think, whether or not he believed he still had a chance, that he was enjoying the spotlight that was shining not only on himself but also on his (crazy, crazy, terrible, awful, horrible) political beliefs.
And, of course, inspiring national conversations about beliefs that are important to oneself would be a difficult role for anyone to walk away from. I suspect that as long as he was inspiring these conversations that Santorum wasn’t going anywhere, even if staying in the race eventually cost him his own political future.
Until his daughter’s hospitalization, I don’t think Santorum would have dropped out of the race until his campaign faded from the spotlight, until it resembled something like Newt Gingrich’s, and then I think he’d probably stay in the race until the money completely ran out or even longer, until, like Newt, he could sit there with his toe still in the pond while doing very little active campaigning.
But that takes a lot of time and effort and I am sure that even Santorum was beginning to see that his 2012 run was over. It is one thing to be taking time away from one’s family and an ill child when one has a real shot at the White House, it is quite another to take that time for what amounts to little more than political noisemaking and rabblerousing.
I think Santorum made a very healthy choice here for himself and his family. I applaud him for it. Sure, I wanted the man out of the race. Amusing (and infuriating) as he was, any chance he has at ever reaching the Oval Office needs to be shut down as soon as possible. But I also am glad to see him (or anyone) putting his family first like this.
Yet my applause are a little bitter sweet here. By making a great choice as a human and a father he has also, accidently, made a great political move. I would be very surprised if we are not dealing with frontrunner Santorum the next time out, and that is not a good thing for America at all.
I see his exit as coming about through the following process…
My advisors keep telling me that it is getting close to the time where I should walk away, but I am not there yet myself. Wait, I need to be with my family now. Oh, okay guys, let’s schedule a press event. Why are my advisors so happy? I though we were admitting defeat and going home? Why are they so happy about losing? Why are they chanting “2016… 2016… 2016…”? Boy, that volunteer has a cute butt, I wonder if he works out? Holy cow, I’ve got to go pray now!
Okay. I tried to keep those sorts of jabs out of this post. But I couldn’t resist just one.
See you the next time around, Rick. Though I can’t say that I look forward to it.
Facebook, Snip.it, & Pinterest
Yeah, it’s been way too long since I posted here. I’ve been throwing a lot of links up on Facebook, Snip.it, and Pinterest, but I have not had any time at all to write for the last several weeks.
Follow me on those sites for more content between my posts, and from the links I share, you can get a pretty good idea of what is distressing our democracy on an almost daily basis.
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Wednesday, March 14, 2012
A video from Anonymous: We are Humanity - A message to the World
Amen.
I really needed to see this today. This is why we all keep on keeping on.
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Monday, March 05, 2012
Same-sex marriage is an issue of civil rights
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Mostly around here, I do things quickly with little thought, especially when it comes to assigning tags to posts (itself a relatively recent addition to the blog). However, one issue I spent quite a bit of time thinking about was on how to tag LGBT issues.
I decided to just file them under “Civil Rights.”
The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capeheart pretty much sums up my thoughts in this clip.
On a side note, Gov. Christie comes across as a real ass in the brief clip of his appearance on Morning Joe. I thought his charm was supposed to be his selling point.
Oops, I forgot. This is what they call charm in many corners of the far right these days.
Dicks.
Blacks and gays: The shared struggle for civil rights - PostPartisan - The Washington Post:
“It’s an issue of civil rights, as you said. It’s an issue of equality. It’s an issue of equal treatment under the law,” I said. “No one is asking for special rights. No one is asking for any kind of special favors. We’re just looking for the same rights and responsibilities that come with marriage and also the protections that are provided under marriage. In that regard overall we’re talking about a civil rights issue and what African Americans continue to struggle with is exactly what lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are struggling with today.”
Men and women picket the White House on May 29, 1965, in a protest organized by the Mattachine Society of Washington ( File photo - United Press International )
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Thursday, March 01, 2012
Occupy Portland: F29 – Occupy the Corporations Grab-Bag
I have many pictures and videos that are currently loading up on my computers for editing. I will be posting these ASAP, not letting them sit forever like the Eviction and N17 photos and videos, which I also want to be done with by the end of the weekend.
Yesterday I had to bug out early, around 2 PM, to take my son to an appointment. Before I left, I saw no incidents with the police, though there might have been a little incident down around the federal courthouse that I did not witness directly, being distracted by taking pictures of the umbrella in the antlers…
Anyway…
Wednesday’s protest was called “F29,” as in February 29. Demonstrations were held in Portland and across the country to draw attention to a group called the American Legislative Exchange Council, also known as ALEC.
The Occupy movement’s biggest issue is with large corporations that they say use ALEC to craft legislation that favorable to them. The proposed laws are then forwarded to state lawmakers where they’re introduced in individual states.
Occupiers say that gives the appearance of popular support across the nation for any one particular issue. The protesters argue that’s essentially rigging the nation’s political system.
“Our goal today is to draw attention to the companies that are involved in ALEC and to expose that the biggest companies in the world are writing as much as 10 percent of the legislation that passes through our House here in Oregon,” said Brian Sloan with Occupy Portland.
Those behind the Occupy movement say ALEC allows corporations to influence laws without being held directly accountable for what those laws do.
7 arrests in Occupy Portland F29 protest | kgw.com Portland:
Portland Police called the demonstrations well facilitated, generally peaceful and largely non-contentious. Lt. Robert King says F29 organizers designated a police liaison which made for reduced tension and more effective communication between police and protesters.
In all, seven people were arrested throughout the day. At the Wells Fargo Tower, three people were charged with criminal trespassing after they chained themselves to property with bike locks.
Two were arrested along SW Broadway for vandalism after jumping on a Verizon van. At a Bank of America at NE 12th and Broadway, two people were arrested for criminal trespassing after they refused to leave.
While I was there, the only riot police I saw were staying about six blocks away from the march. As the march moved through the city, they would move as well, but keeping their distance unless legitimately needed. This sort of staging plan seemed to work well from what I saw, since closer proximity always seems to provoke people rather than deter people.
This article refers to an event late Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning…
Anarchists, Occupy split over bank vandalism | kgw.com Portland:
On their twitter account, Occupy fired back Wednesday morning at the vandals. "To the rock tossers: Thank you for not hiding behind Occupy and forcing peaceful marchers to take a beating for you this time."
Earlier this month, Occupy Portland activists called out anarchists who resorted to vandalism during a march on police use of force. Some marchers turned on each other as windows in cars and a restaurant were broken.
An anti-bank march last November called N17 turned ugly, with activists accusing the police of excessive force and police saying they were trying to keep roadways clear. The conflict received national attention because of a dramatic use of pepper spray by police. An image from that protest captured by an Oregonian photographer received worldwide distribution through social networks.
'F29' protesters take aim at corporations during march - KPTV - FOX 12:
The group spoke out specifically against the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, which is comprised of America's largest corporations like ExxonMobil, Wells Fargo and McDonalds.
When the demonstrators approached a building housing one of those corporations, they chanted and waved signs at those inside.…
A group appearing to be separate from Occupy Portland vandalized two banks and a Starbucks shop overnight, and then emailed a statement to media in which they wished the Occupy movement good luck with its protest.
Just for giggles, I checked Fox News.com… There is nothing on the landing page about any Occupation activities anywhere yesterday.
I suppose if they mentioned the F29 actions, they would have to mention ALEC, which would probably anger their dark overlords. (The local Portland affiliate is much less evil.)
Fox did have room on their home page for this today: “Escorts claim Utah law makes acting sexy illegal.” Insert your own joke about Fox News on-camera “talent.” Nothing from Fox on the politics page, either, though they did have room, again, for the article I mentioned above.
To be fair, I could not find mention of any actions on CNN.com or MSNBC, either. I guess the other actions around the country were not as big of a deal as was hoped.
If the main goal of the protest was 1) to call attention to ALEC, and 2) to remind people that people are still pissed off and that the Occupation is still active, then I think the day, in Portland, at least, was a success.
The next several videos are from someone who seems to be looking for dirt on the occupation. I do respect the fact that he actually went down and took a look at what was going on, but I am not sure that these videos actually accomplish his goals.
Uh oh, dude put on a bandana. The barbarians are at the gates!
I disagree with calling the cops assholes. I, however, agree that the horses and cars are owned by the people. Using the banners to provide a safe barrier between the horses and the crowd was a well-planned part of the action and a great idea.
This appears to show the tensest part of the day. It was after I left, so I am not sure. This is nothing compared to N17, and it looks like the police handled themselves well. (No pepper spray!)
With this next video, I saw this and I am actually on this video in the background (black hood with camera, 1:02), taking a picture from the other side of the horses. There was no incident here.
Ah, shucks. Vandalism!
Hee, hee… I love this next one. The only thing I don’t like is that there were as many photographers in there as there were protesters! McDonalds… Not worth risking jail for?
This person finally caught some real dirt on this last clip.
Yes, the fellow with the umbrella is a moron and you have called him out. My only disappointment with the protesters here is that no one pulled him aside and shut him down. The whole point of actions like this is to bring media attention to issues such as ALEC, and this sort of behavior does nothing to support the cause.
I've seen some idiots get really out of line, much worse than this, with the Fox 12 crews, which is very lame. Fox 12 is very balanced compared to the cable network and many other local Fox affiliates around the country.
I've also witnessed many of its staff expressing a lot of sympathy and support, off camera, for the Occupy movement, at least earlier on. This includes on-air personalities.
If these were the worst incidents of the day, then it was a very good day indeed. Good behavior marks all around, to both the protesters and the police.
My take is that the mood was very different than the November actions. It felt a lot more like the opening rally and march on October 6. Obviously the eviction was going to be a tense and violent time, but I think the feelings from that night and day spilled over to taint the actions of N17, both with the police and with the protesters, more than they would have if the two events had a little more space between them.
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Friday, February 10, 2012
Santorum & Obama: Which is worse for religion?
Some good points in this video…
What I want to know, if we are not supposed to be funding birth control with our tax dollars, we are also not funding erectile dysfunction treatments with our tax dollars, right?
That would just be crazy and hypocritical for insurance to cover one and not the other.
What? Really? One is a health issue and one is a moral issue?
Someone needs to explain that one to me.
The crazy right is always going off about how Obama is dangerous to religious freedom. I forget which one of the GOP candidates it was, they are blurring together a bit, was saying that one of his first acts upon taking office would be to overturn by executive order all of the anti-Christian acts put into place by the Obama Administration.
For the life of me, I can’t think of a single anti-religious executive order or bill signed by Obama, but maybe I am just getting my news from the wrong sources.
Watching this video, I realized they might be talking about women’s health issues. I forget that pro-woman’s health is often considered anti-Christian.
But, at least, if the GOP gains the Presidency, we can all rest assured that Islamic Sharia Laws will not be enacted in the United States. But who will protect us from these psychos wanting to write Leviticus into the U.S. Code and into the Constitution?
Well, if they do, we can rest assured that many of them will quickly be out of office, stoned to death for their sins…
Right?
To my way of thinking, these people harm religion more than Obama every would in a millions terms in office.
I suppose we do have to feel some sympathy since Christians are such a persecuted minority in this country.
ABCNEWS.com : Poll: Most Americans Say They're Christian:
Eighty-three percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. Most of the rest, 13 percent, have no religion. That leaves just 4 percent as adherents of all non-Christian religions combined — Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and a smattering of individual mentions.
Oh, there I go again. Listening to their words instead of checking their facts. Better quit while I am ahead.
Fortunately, I do believe that these far right nut jobs are a minority, and if they feel persecuted, it is only because being surrounded by sane people must be very frustrating for them. That does give me hope and faith in my fellow Americans.
I am also pleased if, as Uygur argues, this turn back to the crazy social agenda by the GOP candidates means that they are losing confidence on running on economic issues. I agree the figures are on Obama’s side when it comes to the economy.
And the GOP loses when they run from so far to the right on the social issues.
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Wednesday, February 01, 2012
From The Daily Show… All three parts of the interview with Jonathan Macey
This was really choppy on the show last night. Considering the length, I now understand why. But I thought it was a really worthwhile conversation. The clip at the end illustrates why the issues discussed matter.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Exclusive - Jonathan Macey Extended Interview Pt. 1 | ||||
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| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Exclusive - Jonathan Macey Extended Interview Pt. 2 | ||||
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| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Exclusive - Jonathan Macey Extended Interview Pt. 3 | ||||
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| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Indecision 2012 - Bain Man | ||||
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