Debate #2

Tonight is the first and only vice-presidential debate.  After Obama's catatonia last week, the democrats have more to lose tonight, than win.  Their expectations of Joe Biden are huge.  They hope his performance will change the dramatic move in recent polls that now show Romney ahead nationally, and in many swing states.  Romney's lead may be even larger due to the democratic over-sampling that continues and will up until the last couple weeks of the campaign.

Joe might be a bulldog and will definitely be more aggressive than Obama was, but does he have a chance?  Not really.  The reason is the Obama-Biden ticket has this huge problem they did not have in 2008. They have a record they really can't run on.  Sure, Biden will bloviate on how the economy is turning based on an unemployment rate that has dropped below 8% for the first time during Obama's administration.  But that will be in Ryan's wheelhouse.  Ryan is at his best when making the complex simple.  I am positive he will destroy the unemployment report that nobody really believes with a couple of sentences.

And then there is always Joe's propensity to say something stupid, like when he asked the paralyzed veteran to stand up and take a bow.  Or when he characterized the campaign as being about a three letter word, J - O - B - S.  Or when he said the middle class has been buried the past 4 years.  Biden isn't smart enough to outwit Ryan.  Ryan may not win as convincingly as Romney did, but a trouncing of that magnitude has never happened before and may never again.  But in the end, Ryan will be perceived as the winner based on the poor record of his opponent.  Biden is taking a knife to a gunfight.  He doesn't have the weapons needed to win.

Reveiwing Debate #1

As I am watching the first Presidential debate last night, my mind tried to find the correct analogy.  Sports analogies were dominate.  Was I watching a string of touchdowns or home runs?  Was it a knockout?  Did Romney blow the doors off of Obama?  Then the perfect analogy hit me.  It wasn’t a sports analogy, but rather a business analogy that I have seen dozens of times.  Last night, I saw seasoned executive matching wits with a new manager.  

The analogy fits perfectly.  Romney is an executive with over twenty years of experience.  Obama is a community organizer thrust into the presidency without the needed executive experience.  He is tackling the job as a manager, not an executive.  This became apparent when he repeatedly asked for details on Romney’s plans.  That is how a manager operates.  Romney was completely correct when he pointed out the job of a president is to lay out his principals, gain consensus by working with both parties in congress, and make the case with the American people. That is how an executive gets things done.  An inexperienced manager will dictate how something must be done, and push it through based solely on the strength of their own will power - sort of how Obamacare was passed through the congress.  

Romney did a great job of making all the key points, and doing so without blatant ridicule of Obama’s performance over the past few years.  By the end of the debate, I was pretty confident that Romney won it handily.  But knowing that I can be biased, I decided to watch a couple of NBC channels to see how their bias was reported.  I first tuned to NBC.  Wow, they were agreeing with my judgment!  As hard as it must have been for their news department to report, Romney had done well, in fact, much better than Obama.  For the ultimate test, I then tuned to MSNBC with Racheal Maddow, Chris Matthews, and a few more from the looney left.  Same story.  Romney wins.  The only detectible difference was the sense of rage I noticed.  Chris Matthews was angry.  He spewed venom on Obama for his lackluster performance.  I guess the thrill was gone from Mr. Tingle’s leg.

It really isn’t hard to understand why Obama did so poorly.  He wasn’t prepared for the job, and since taking it the press has not challenged him.  Obama doesn’t do press conferences, preferring soft news interviews with friendly hosts.  When you are never stretched, you get lazy.  Romney directly challenged Obama for the first time in 4 years.  Obama crumbled.

I suspect that Obama will come out swinging in the next debate, but also confident that it will hardly matter.  Obama is out of his depth.  He is no match for Romney's experience.  The next debates will end much like the first. Romney wins.  His election is almost certain.

Debate #1

Tonight is the first of three debates between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.  The mainstream press has it completely wrong.  To win, they believe Romney must increase his likability and avoid gaffs.  What they are really saying is that Romney shouldn’t attack Obama on his record.  They are trying to steal Romney’s inherent advantage.

Mitt has the advantage in these contests.  All he needs to do is stick to facts, call out Obama on his lies, and draw Obama off script.  Teleprompters are off, so Obama will ad lib to his disadvantage.  Here are the Romney touchdown plays I hope to see:

• Point out that Obama claimed that if the first stimulus was passed, unemployment would not go over 8%.  We have seen unemployment greater than 8% for 40 consecutive months.
• Tell America that family income has dropped by 8% and that gas prices have doubled since Obama took office.  This make it hard to say that anyone, black, brown or white, is better off than before.
• Obama will blame others for his lack of success.  Romney should point out that Obama has been president for nearly four years, he wanted the job, had a democratically controlled congress for two years, is not the first president forced to work with a divided congress, and George Bush is not running this year.
• Call out Obama on his promise to halve the deficit in his first four years.  Obama called George Bush unpatriotic for running up $4 trillion in new debt during his 8 years, while Obama has run up $6 trillion in just four years.
• Obama promised to change the tone in Washington and pledged a return to unity and bi-partisanship, but has been nothing but uncompromising and divisive.
• Noted economists now believe we are not in economic recovery, but headed for a new recession.
• Tax Armageddon on January 1 will surely return the economy to recession, and is mostly due to Obama’s pigheadedness over raising taxes on the “rich”.
• Obama’s plan to increase taxes on those earning more that $250,000 a year would fund the government for 11 minutes.

The coupe de grace could be if Obama dares to repeat his fabricated lie about Romney wanting to raise middle class taxes by $2,000 per year.  Romney should calmly ask Obama to point out where in his plan that fact would be found.  He should do so in such a manner that requires Obama’s allies (the press) to follow up.  He could say “Mr. President, I would be satisfied if any undecided voter made their choice based on whether your statement is true or completely fabricated.  If you are lying to them about this, they should be curious about what else are you lying about.”

The Next, Next Four Years

Yesterday I expressed my fear that a second Obama term could catastrophic for America.  Sounds grim, and maybe a little overstated?  Not really.  I base my rational fear on Obama’s actions during his first term.  Consider the facts.  During his first term, Obama has:

• Forced a government controlled healthcare system through Congress by bribing certain members for their vote and using a questionable tactic (reconciliation) so that he would only need a simple majority in the Senate.
• Redirecting over $700 billion from Medicare to Obamacare in an attempt to make the financials look better.  Regardless, the Congressional Budget Office now believes that Obamacare will add $2.5 trillion to the debt over 10 years. 
• Obama made recess appointments while the Senate was still in session, avoiding Senate augment over the qualifications of his appointment.  This was a clear violation of the powers given to the president by the constitution. 
• Obama violated the Constitution when he bypassed Congress and granted amnesty to illegal aliens.  His way of purchasing Hispanic votes. 
• Obama bullied Chrysler's secured creditors into accepting 30 cents on the dollar, while junior creditors such as labor unions received much more. This ignoring of creditor rights violated not just bankruptcy law but also the federal constitution. 
• The Department of Health and Human Services granted nearly 2,000 waivers to employers seeking relief from Obamacare's regulations. Nearly 20 percent of these waivers went to gourmet restaurants and other businesses in Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district. Nevada, home to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, got a blanket waiver, while Republican-controlled states like Indiana and Louisiana were denied. 
• Congress approved and president Clinton signed welfare reform into law. Obama did not have the authority to waive the work requirement, and by doing so he violated the constitution.  Presidents are not allowed to rewrite existing legislation.

The blatant disregard for the U.S. Constitution, and the balance of power should strike fear into all Americans.  Maybe these things don’t mean much to you personally, but Obama has gotten away with it so far.  Imagine how far he might go if he had no fear of another reelection campaign?  Or even worse, might he believe that a two term limit doesn't apply to him?  It's not hard to imagine.

The Trinket

A bright and shiny trinket was held up in front of the masses.  They stood in awe of its dazzling brilliance.  They couldn't take their eyes from it.  Many entered a hypnotic state where nothing could be perceived except the bright shiny object.  They placed their faith and hope in the trinket thinking that something so brilliant would ensure their well-being.  They followed the trinket.

And so the trinket led.  Being only a trinket, it led poorly.  Soon the people under the trinket's leadership began to suffer.  Many of them lost jobs and fell into poverty.  Others relinquished control of their lives by accepting unearned gifts from the trinket.  Yet, many still believed the trinket gave them the best hope for better days.

The trinket gave them hope that if given another chance, it would move forward with the change they wanted.  Many of the people succumbed to the shiny brilliance that remained.  How could the trinket let them down twice?  Their devotion to the trinket even increased.  They became willing to tell lies about how much better they are under the trinket's leadership.  They were also willing to lie about anyone who opposed the trinket.  This is the country we now live in.

Four years ago, I blogged that we would survive an Obama administration.  I wrote "the greatest danger of the Obama presidency will be the Supreme Court nominations he will no doubt make. Currently the court is slightly tilted to the conservative. With at least 2 justices on the verge of retirement, this balance will quickly reverse. This change will be the lasting damage of our collective mistake."

It was brilliantly written, but wrong.  While Obama did name two Supreme Court justices and both were hard left, the only real damage done by the court was done by a Bush appointee.  The most devastating impacts of Obama's first four years are the massive deficit spending that has raised the national debt to $16 trillion, and the expansion of poverty under his watch.  It is simply unbelievable that 8% unemployment is now considered the "new normal".  It is criminal that we have saddled future generations with debt.

After four years under the trinket, America is like a massive, powerful battleship that once ruled the ocean, but has taken multiple torpedo hits and is beginning to flounder.  Survival of the battleship is not certain.  One more blow could send it to the bottom.  That blow could be a second administration for the trinket. 

Love Mia

The Republican convention began a day late in Tampa on Tuesday.  While I only watched the prime time speeches, the best speech of the evening happened early.  So early that it was not covered by anyone but Fox News.

I doubt whether MSNBC, NBC, CBS or ABC would have televised it regardless of when it occurred.  Mia Love, delivered a speech that I can only describe as democratic poison. The Obama security team, MSNBC, NBC, CBS and ABC, wouldn't risk airing the speech because it made so much sense and effectively attacked the foundation of modern socialism.

For those like I who missed it, here is the transcript:

Praise, in support for Mitt Romney.

Let me tell you about the America I know.

My parents immigrated to this country with ten dollars in their pocket,
and the hope … that the America that they had heard about … really did exist.
When tough times came, they didn’t look to Washington, they looked within.

So the America I grew up knowing ... was centered in self reliance,
and filled with the possibilities of living the American dream.

The America I know is grounded in the determination found in patriots and pioneers,
in small businesses with big ideals.
It's found in the farmers who work in the beauty of our landscape, and our heroic military.
It's found in the Olympic Athletes
and every child who looks at the seemingly impossible and says, “I can do that.”
That is the America I know!

President Obama’s version of America is a divided one --
often pitting us against each other bases on our income level, gender, and social status.
His policies have failed us!
We're NOT better off than we were 4 years ago,
and NO rhetoric, bumper sticker, or Hollywood campaign ad can change that.

Mr. President,
I'm here to tell you the American People are awake
and we're not buying what you're selling in 2012.

The American Dream isn't just my story.
It isn't just your story.
It's our story.
It's a story ... of human struggle, standing up and striving for more.
Our story has been told for over 200 years … with small steps and giant leaps;
from a woman on a bus ... to a man with a dream;
from the bravery of the greatest generation, to the innovators and entrepreneurs of today.
This is our story.
This is our America.
This is the America we know … because WE BUILT IT.

Thank you.
Yes we did.
Thank you. With Paul Ryan,
With Mitt Romney as President,
and Paul Ryan as Vice President,
we can restore and revive that America,
that American Story we know and love.
The world will know it.
Our children will tell it and our grandchildren will possess it for years to come!

God bless America.

This is our time.
We are truly THE ...BEST ... LAST ... HOPE ... ON ... EARTH !

Thank you.

I especially liked her mention of Dr. King and Rosa Parks.  You see, Mia Love is a Black female conservative.  She has the authority to say "They were talking about me!  They were speaking of a day of equal opportunity, and based on personal responsibility, not entitlement!"  Mia wins day one.

Center of the Political Universe

Kansas and Missouri became the center of the political universe yesterday.  So much so, that NBC spent the first 11 minutes reporting 2 stories during their nightly news.  It was really incredible when considering what they reported.

First, Kevin Yoder, a tea party conservative from the house district where I once lived, was reported by the Politico to have skinny dipped in the Sea of Galilee a year ago.  Second, Todd Akin, a conservative running to unseat Claire McCaskill in the Missouri Senate race, informed us again that he is pro-life even in the case of rape, and that he is ignorant of women's physiology.  Let's break these scandals down.

Kevin Yoder is now one of billions of people who have skinny dipped in their life.  I suspect that a large number of these skinny dippers skinny dipped in the Sea of Galilee.  Yoder profusely apologized and admitted that congressmen should be held to a higher standard.  "I feel incredibly remorseful that I have caused embarrassment to my constituents and I have caused folks who believe in me to be disappointed.  The gravity of the situation and the actions I've taken are not lost on me, and I feel certainly regret at what has occurred. Part of the reason I made that decision at that moment was there was really nobody in the vicinity who could see me, I dove in, hopped right back out, put my clothes on and, regardless, that was still not the behavior people expected out of their congressman."  The Kansas Democrat Party leader is calling for his resignation.

Todd Akin believes that life begins at conception and that even in the case of rape, a child's life must be protected.  Pro-lifer's will sometimes disagree on this point, but Akin is by no means the only politician to hold that belief.  Akin has articulated the position before, and remains consistent.  His sin was saying "legitimate rape" instead of "forcible rape".  He also claimed that a woman's body could avoid conception in the case of rape.  For the unfortunate gaff followed by a very stupid statement, Akin has also apologized repeatedly: "Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong way, and for that I apologize. The fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy. The truth is, rape has many victims. The mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the heart I hold. I ask for your forgiveness,"

We can conclude that both were stupid and both seem contrite. What we can also learn for these two events is that when a republican screws up, they apologize.  History tells us that when a democrat screws up, they lie, stonewall, obfuscate, and very rarely apologize.  You don't need to look back much farther that Anthony Wiener.  Or Joe Biden.  Or Charlie Rangel.  Or Bill Clinton.  Akin's and Yoder's crimes are misdemeanors when compared with these felonies.

Of the two "scandals", only the Akin issue is newsworthy because it may turn the election in Missouri - not because of his words.  Akin had a double-digit lead over McCaskill in the polls, but that may change.  I would hope that Akin would decide quickly if he can still beat McCaskill and withdraw if he cannot.  The majority control of the Senate could be at stake, and with Obamacare set to take effect in 2013, conservatives must win control of the Senate.

Yesterday, NBC News again diverted attention from a failed presidency.  Otherwise, they might have asked Obama why he chose yesterday to hold a press conference - the first in over 2 months.  A press conference he used to get his whacks in on Akin and attempt to tie Akin to Romney-Ryan.  NBC is guilty of Obama-favorable reporting.