It was a horrible tableau. Crazed Papists flooded into the city of Norman and Memorial Stadium, swilling gallons of beer and Irish whiskey. The protestant resistance began drinking early themselves. As ESPN's "Gameday" aired Saturday morning, many of the onlookers were all ready chugging down sixteen ounce cans of Budweiser a full ten hours before kickoff. By early afternoon huge numbers of people were slobbering and speaking in tongues. The weak were carted away in straight jackets, only the strong survived
When it was over Notre Dame had once again crushed the hopes and dreams of Oklahoma fans everywhere. As the clock wound down in the fourth quarter hundreds of Anglicans chose the "Saipan Option" and threw themselves from the upper deck rather than face the final outcome. Their screams of anguish, frustration, and sheer pain could be heard all the way to the heavenly gates, where St. Peter punched their tickets as he chanted, "Forevermore, forevermore." Yes, revulsion and despair doesn't even begin to describe what went down Saturday night. Even the moon appeared to be nothing more than a skull in the sky.
Meanwhile, in the real world, word came to us that the AP conducted a poll which shows that 51% of Americans are racially prejudiced when it comes to black people. In fact it is so endemic that the poll predicts president Obama could suffer a voting loss of as much as 2 percentage points just because of his race.
This probably explains the existence of John Sununu as a spokes dingo for the Romney campaign. Earlier in the race Sununu told a crowd that Obama needed to "learn how to be an American." This weekend, after General, former secretary of the State, and republican, Colin Powell endorsed the president, Sununu claimed it was simply because both men were black.
On the stump in Ohio candidate Romney harangued a crowd with these words: "Mr. President take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago." Yes, lets paint that portrait of the angry black man who is out to make all of us white people pay for injustices past and present. If you think that comment isn't geared to that end I hope you enjoy waiting out in a field for the great pumpkin Wednesday night.
Well what should we expect from a guy who is a member of a church that until 1978 excluded black people from its priesthood. Especially one who needs every redneck vote he can lay his bony fingers on.
Many have known from the very beginning the tea party movement was racist at its dark and angry heart. The posters and campaign signs at their rallies were replete with images of witch doctors, stylized and grotesque caricatures of African tribesmen, and nooses. No, you don't do that sort of thing unless you think Jim Crow was a great idea and Lester Maddox was a true humanitarian.
So now the truth is out, but as with everything negative the conservative edge will just claim it is another liberal conspiracy. That there is no truth to the numbers at all. It isn't Obama's race that drives their rage, it is his policies. Sell that ice to an Eskimo, pal. It doesn't play that way to anyone who has ever listened to the old white guys talking about this president among themselves over cigars. Yes, in those smoke filled lounges things get ugly pretty quickly when it comes to the current commander in chief.
There is a week to go and it is still too close to call. However we have learned two things the past couple of days. One, racism is now a statistical reality, confirming what everyone should have known to begin with. Two, I still don't like Notre Dame.
Good thing I have a pitcher of Manhattans cooling in the refrigerator. Sometimes complete decompression is necessary.
sic vita est
10-29-12
Monday, October 29, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
White Noise and Notre Dame
It is clear, cold, and windy here on the southern plains this Friday, October 26th, 2012. There were clouds early in the day, but they have been chased away and now the sky is relentlessly blue.
In other parts of the country the presidential campaign rages on. It is a desperate struggle waged by increasingly bellicose candidates, frenzied staffs, and peppered with wild eyed partisan pundits who screech like a swirling flock of angry starlings. A variety of polls offer conflicting numbers, proving perhaps that the country has become so irrevocably divided that even statisticians are willing to twist facts to suit their own ends.
A cable outlet is showing a court hearing in Florida. George Zimmerman is sitting in a chair at the defense table staring directly ahead, rarely blinking, seemingly in a grim trance. The prosecution and defense are arguing about the amount of information that should be released to the public and accusing each other of conducting pre trial arguments in the court of public opinion. They are droning on and on. Listening to them is rather like hearing someone explain the millimeter by millimeter variances of the surface of a steel screw. There are no Perry Masons and Clarence Darrow is long gone. What we have left are hack politicians and barely articulate ambulance chasers.
In Oklahoma right now, for at least many hundreds of thousands of people, all that stuff is just white noise, a meaningless hum of static that no one pays attention to.
Yes to many in this wind whipped, dusty, state, especially to those of us of a certain age, who attended the University of Oklahoma, there is only one thing that matters at the moment. That is that Notre Dame's football team is in town for a game tomorrow night.
When Oklahoma and Notre Dame take the field none of the young men on either side of the ball will have a sense of the history or how important this contest is to old fucks like myself.
Oklahoma and Notre Dame are two of the traditional powers of the college sport. They are counted among a dozen or so schools who make up the truly elite of the game. In addition the two teams rarely meet.
The last time The Fighting Irish were in Norman for a game I was 16. When I was 7 they defeated Oklahoma at home to end the Sooner's 47 game winning streak, a record which stands to this day. The one and only time OU beat Notre Dame I was 5 years old. This January I turn 63.
No, the young guns can't possibly grasp what this contest means to someone who has spent 55 years waiting to get back at those sonsofbitches for that 1957 game.
I used to hate Notre Dame, even more than I despise the buffoons in orange we play every year. That has mellowed now. I recognize them as a class operation and as steeped in tradition, if not more so, than OU. I can identify with that and even admire it. Tomorrow before the game I will welcome their fans to Norman, shake their hands, maybe even have a drink or a beer with them.
Then I will enter the stadium and with 83,000 other loons, drunks, and outright psychopaths I will scream for their heads to be delivered to me on a plate. Such is the nature of the game and the beast. Simply put, I don't have another 55 years to wait.
victoria aut mors
10-26-12
In other parts of the country the presidential campaign rages on. It is a desperate struggle waged by increasingly bellicose candidates, frenzied staffs, and peppered with wild eyed partisan pundits who screech like a swirling flock of angry starlings. A variety of polls offer conflicting numbers, proving perhaps that the country has become so irrevocably divided that even statisticians are willing to twist facts to suit their own ends.
A cable outlet is showing a court hearing in Florida. George Zimmerman is sitting in a chair at the defense table staring directly ahead, rarely blinking, seemingly in a grim trance. The prosecution and defense are arguing about the amount of information that should be released to the public and accusing each other of conducting pre trial arguments in the court of public opinion. They are droning on and on. Listening to them is rather like hearing someone explain the millimeter by millimeter variances of the surface of a steel screw. There are no Perry Masons and Clarence Darrow is long gone. What we have left are hack politicians and barely articulate ambulance chasers.
In Oklahoma right now, for at least many hundreds of thousands of people, all that stuff is just white noise, a meaningless hum of static that no one pays attention to.
Yes to many in this wind whipped, dusty, state, especially to those of us of a certain age, who attended the University of Oklahoma, there is only one thing that matters at the moment. That is that Notre Dame's football team is in town for a game tomorrow night.
When Oklahoma and Notre Dame take the field none of the young men on either side of the ball will have a sense of the history or how important this contest is to old fucks like myself.
Oklahoma and Notre Dame are two of the traditional powers of the college sport. They are counted among a dozen or so schools who make up the truly elite of the game. In addition the two teams rarely meet.
The last time The Fighting Irish were in Norman for a game I was 16. When I was 7 they defeated Oklahoma at home to end the Sooner's 47 game winning streak, a record which stands to this day. The one and only time OU beat Notre Dame I was 5 years old. This January I turn 63.
No, the young guns can't possibly grasp what this contest means to someone who has spent 55 years waiting to get back at those sonsofbitches for that 1957 game.
I used to hate Notre Dame, even more than I despise the buffoons in orange we play every year. That has mellowed now. I recognize them as a class operation and as steeped in tradition, if not more so, than OU. I can identify with that and even admire it. Tomorrow before the game I will welcome their fans to Norman, shake their hands, maybe even have a drink or a beer with them.
Then I will enter the stadium and with 83,000 other loons, drunks, and outright psychopaths I will scream for their heads to be delivered to me on a plate. Such is the nature of the game and the beast. Simply put, I don't have another 55 years to wait.
victoria aut mors
10-26-12
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Coulter, Palin, Trump and Public Masturbation
I have a friend who likes to talk about the egos of politicians and how run amok they are. He is especially disdainful, not to mention wary, of all those who seek statewide and national offices. He is convinced, rightly or wrongly, that the people who campaign for our votes have a terribly warped picture of themselves and it all began when they were elected to student councils during their high school years. Sometimes I tend to think he is right. Then I remind myself this is a guy who is convinced some woman guru from India is the embodiment of Christ on earth: that she possesses the same divine powers and receives the exact blessings from God that Jesus of Nazareth did.
Well we're all a bit complicated and so is the world, but I digress.
We're talking about egos here.
Ann Coulter certainly has one. She loves to spew absolutely hateful things she knows people will react violently too. The latest, of course, is the whole "R" word thing. A few decades ago if she'd said such a thing about a sitting president her career would be over. No reputable news organization would allow her anywhere near a camera or print another word she says. Unfortunately in this day and age reputable journalism has gone the way of the Dodo and now she is the talk of the net and cable news. Her book sales will probably increase. Some awful evangelical college will no doubt invite her to speak at their graduation ceremony, after which the dean of the school of creationism will try to nail her bony ass in a cheap motel room.
Sarah Palin, late of the failed John McCain campaign, SNL parodies, and reality TV continues to run around screaming "look at me, look at me!" Her comments about the president's "shuck and jive shtick" crossed a couple of ethnic border lines. A few people reacted negatively, angrily, but most of us simply yawned and went straight to the sports page.
Then, finally, there is the sad case of Donald Trump. Lately he had been cryptically claiming he had huge news that would alter the outcome of the election. He showed up on TV the other day, shouting at the camera. His startling news was a nothing more than a cheap challenge. He dared the president to disclose his college transcript and passport application. Trump says if the president will do it he will donate $5 million to a charity of Obama's choice. One gets the impression brother Trump has just one degree of separation from the Shamwow sales guy.
What we have here are three examples of runaway egos my friend speaks so derisively of. With less than two weeks to go before the election Coulter, Palin and Trump have the temerity to think they can, number one, influence the outcome and number two remain relevant on the national scene. The second probably more important to them than the first.
Yes, this isn't about Obama and Romney. It isn't about the immediate future of the United States of America. It is all about them. "I'm important," they are shouting. "I'm worth listening to."
Right.
Well, okay, I suppose someone might actually listen, but that someone isn't going to vote for Barack Obama anyway. Quite honestly if any of them are delusional enough to think they have influenced even one independent, or undecided voter, they need to be on serious meds, or already are.
What we have here are two trailer park Barbies who might, or might not be dropping large doses of meth and a narcissistic multi-millionaire who is so enamored with himself that there probably isn't an inch of wall space in his home that isn't holding a mirror.
Will someone please tell these clowns we're all tired of them masturbating in front of us. As with all things pornographic it gets old quickly. Besides, none of them are that good looking to begin with.
10-25-12
Well we're all a bit complicated and so is the world, but I digress.
We're talking about egos here.
Ann Coulter certainly has one. She loves to spew absolutely hateful things she knows people will react violently too. The latest, of course, is the whole "R" word thing. A few decades ago if she'd said such a thing about a sitting president her career would be over. No reputable news organization would allow her anywhere near a camera or print another word she says. Unfortunately in this day and age reputable journalism has gone the way of the Dodo and now she is the talk of the net and cable news. Her book sales will probably increase. Some awful evangelical college will no doubt invite her to speak at their graduation ceremony, after which the dean of the school of creationism will try to nail her bony ass in a cheap motel room.
Sarah Palin, late of the failed John McCain campaign, SNL parodies, and reality TV continues to run around screaming "look at me, look at me!" Her comments about the president's "shuck and jive shtick" crossed a couple of ethnic border lines. A few people reacted negatively, angrily, but most of us simply yawned and went straight to the sports page.
Then, finally, there is the sad case of Donald Trump. Lately he had been cryptically claiming he had huge news that would alter the outcome of the election. He showed up on TV the other day, shouting at the camera. His startling news was a nothing more than a cheap challenge. He dared the president to disclose his college transcript and passport application. Trump says if the president will do it he will donate $5 million to a charity of Obama's choice. One gets the impression brother Trump has just one degree of separation from the Shamwow sales guy.
What we have here are three examples of runaway egos my friend speaks so derisively of. With less than two weeks to go before the election Coulter, Palin and Trump have the temerity to think they can, number one, influence the outcome and number two remain relevant on the national scene. The second probably more important to them than the first.
Yes, this isn't about Obama and Romney. It isn't about the immediate future of the United States of America. It is all about them. "I'm important," they are shouting. "I'm worth listening to."
Right.
Well, okay, I suppose someone might actually listen, but that someone isn't going to vote for Barack Obama anyway. Quite honestly if any of them are delusional enough to think they have influenced even one independent, or undecided voter, they need to be on serious meds, or already are.
What we have here are two trailer park Barbies who might, or might not be dropping large doses of meth and a narcissistic multi-millionaire who is so enamored with himself that there probably isn't an inch of wall space in his home that isn't holding a mirror.
Will someone please tell these clowns we're all tired of them masturbating in front of us. As with all things pornographic it gets old quickly. Besides, none of them are that good looking to begin with.
10-25-12
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Ann Coulter, Special Olympians, and The Rabid Hyenas Next Door
Here is what Ann Coulter thought of the third presidential debate. She tweeted, "I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard."
More than just a few people became angry about this. Not because her spin on the debate was a desperate excuse for her boy's poor showing, but because she used the hateful word "retard."
In fact John Stephens, a Special Olympian with Down syndrome wrote her an open letter that said, "You aren't dumb and you aren't shallow. So why are you continually using the "R" word as an insult. No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much. Come join us some day at the Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged."
Obviously young Mr. Stephens is a deeply intelligent, kind, and loving human being. Unfortunately he is benignly naive. First he is wrong about Ms. Coulter not being dumb and shallow. She can string some words together, most of them vile and filled with crude lies and everything she does is calculated to draw attention to herself. Those are pretty much the definitions of dumb and shallow. He also assumes she has a heart, which of course, she doesn't.
John, you aren't dealing with a fellow, thinking, human being here. Oh, she looks vaguely human in an anorexic, vampiric, sort of way and I assume she sleeps like we do. I'm not sure what she eats however, probably body parts gleaned from local morgues, but it is okay because all the evidence indicates she sticks her finger down her throat after every feeding.
Ms. Coulter didn't take long to prove my theories regarding her mental and physical beings. Her response to the outrage and criticisms of her original statement was another tweet. It read, "The only people who will be offended are too retarded to understand it."
And there you have it. Next stop for Ms. Coulter is the "N" word, one she has probably used in private multiple times when referring to the president of the United States.
Elsewhere, in Indiana republican senate candidate, Richard Mourdock had this to say when it came to abortion. "I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is a gift from God and I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape that it is something God intended to happen."
Rapists everywhere rejoice! You have just been given an excuse and a defense by brother Mourdock. All you have to say now is that God intended it to happen. Luckily for the rest of us the senator wanna be won't be on the bench or in the jury box when that ungainly plea is made.
Obviously Mr. Mourdock is at odds with fellow republican senate candidate, Todd Akin. Mr. Akin, of Missouri, is the grotesque clown who claims that in case of "legitimate rape" women's bodies have defense mechanisms that prevent pregnancies. Well perhaps Mourdock was referencing illegitimate rapes. One can never be too sure when these eloquent statesmen go off on issues of reproduction, God's greater plan, and women's health.
Mitt Romney's campaign quickly distanced themselves from ol' Mourdock just as they did from Akin. Yes, Mitt, you can run but you can't hide. You've endorsed this loon and in fact cut a TV ad for him. You can say you disagree with him, but there is your mug on television urging Indianans to vote for him. Now tell me again why you think you are trailing the president among women voters.
These are the monsters that are haunting the halls of the republican party. They're the people Mitt Romney is going to have to count on for support if he moves into the white house and they are elected to the senate. They're going to be his partners in governing America. They are going to help confirm or deny seats on the supreme court and federal judge ships throughout the land. All the while Ann Coulter will be leading cheers on the sideline.
Even as I type, Richard Mourdock is claiming his words were "twisted and taken out of context." Right. Well you have to say something when your shit blows back in your face don't you.
Welcome to the tea party dominated GOP. Or as I like to refer to it, the "Chock Full 'o Nuts" party. I'd ask where they find all these rabid hyenas, but I'm afraid they'd tell me right next door. And, frighteningly, they would probably be right.
10-24-12
More than just a few people became angry about this. Not because her spin on the debate was a desperate excuse for her boy's poor showing, but because she used the hateful word "retard."
In fact John Stephens, a Special Olympian with Down syndrome wrote her an open letter that said, "You aren't dumb and you aren't shallow. So why are you continually using the "R" word as an insult. No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much. Come join us some day at the Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged."
Obviously young Mr. Stephens is a deeply intelligent, kind, and loving human being. Unfortunately he is benignly naive. First he is wrong about Ms. Coulter not being dumb and shallow. She can string some words together, most of them vile and filled with crude lies and everything she does is calculated to draw attention to herself. Those are pretty much the definitions of dumb and shallow. He also assumes she has a heart, which of course, she doesn't.
John, you aren't dealing with a fellow, thinking, human being here. Oh, she looks vaguely human in an anorexic, vampiric, sort of way and I assume she sleeps like we do. I'm not sure what she eats however, probably body parts gleaned from local morgues, but it is okay because all the evidence indicates she sticks her finger down her throat after every feeding.
Ms. Coulter didn't take long to prove my theories regarding her mental and physical beings. Her response to the outrage and criticisms of her original statement was another tweet. It read, "The only people who will be offended are too retarded to understand it."
And there you have it. Next stop for Ms. Coulter is the "N" word, one she has probably used in private multiple times when referring to the president of the United States.
Elsewhere, in Indiana republican senate candidate, Richard Mourdock had this to say when it came to abortion. "I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is a gift from God and I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape that it is something God intended to happen."
Rapists everywhere rejoice! You have just been given an excuse and a defense by brother Mourdock. All you have to say now is that God intended it to happen. Luckily for the rest of us the senator wanna be won't be on the bench or in the jury box when that ungainly plea is made.
Obviously Mr. Mourdock is at odds with fellow republican senate candidate, Todd Akin. Mr. Akin, of Missouri, is the grotesque clown who claims that in case of "legitimate rape" women's bodies have defense mechanisms that prevent pregnancies. Well perhaps Mourdock was referencing illegitimate rapes. One can never be too sure when these eloquent statesmen go off on issues of reproduction, God's greater plan, and women's health.
Mitt Romney's campaign quickly distanced themselves from ol' Mourdock just as they did from Akin. Yes, Mitt, you can run but you can't hide. You've endorsed this loon and in fact cut a TV ad for him. You can say you disagree with him, but there is your mug on television urging Indianans to vote for him. Now tell me again why you think you are trailing the president among women voters.
These are the monsters that are haunting the halls of the republican party. They're the people Mitt Romney is going to have to count on for support if he moves into the white house and they are elected to the senate. They're going to be his partners in governing America. They are going to help confirm or deny seats on the supreme court and federal judge ships throughout the land. All the while Ann Coulter will be leading cheers on the sideline.
Even as I type, Richard Mourdock is claiming his words were "twisted and taken out of context." Right. Well you have to say something when your shit blows back in your face don't you.
Welcome to the tea party dominated GOP. Or as I like to refer to it, the "Chock Full 'o Nuts" party. I'd ask where they find all these rabid hyenas, but I'm afraid they'd tell me right next door. And, frighteningly, they would probably be right.
10-24-12
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Obama Wins the Battle, But the War is Still in Doubt
I suppose there are a ton of sports metaphors out there that could be used to describe last night's presidential debate. I'm not sure I want to drag any out though. Early on it became painfully obvious that Mitt Romney wasn't there to win any awards, or even the debate itself. He was just doing his best not to fuck up.
There were no more attempts to exploit the tragedy in Libya. That one burned him so badly in the second debate he ran from the topic yesterday like a rabbit who has just seen a wolf coming over a hill. In fact by the night's end it was hard to tell exactly what Mitt would do differently from President Obama when it comes to foreign policy. He sounded more like Obama's vice president than his opponent.
The one zinger came immediately after the Mittster lamented the fact the U.S. Navy now has fewer ships than it did in 1917. Obama responded with the sarcasm of a professor who is dealing with a complete dolt and is tired of doing so. "We also have fewer horses and bayonets," he said. The president went on to point out that the United States now has ships that "planes can actually land on, they're called aircraft carriers." After that Romney did everything in his power to redirect the conversation to the economy.
Mr. Romney what about the situation in Lower Slobovia? "Well Bob, as I was saying the other day the president has cost this country thousands of jobs which contributes to the increasing internal tensions within Lower Slobovia. Now if I'm elected I'll create more jobs, yada, yada, yada."
CBS's instant poll of undecided voters showed that 53% of them thought the president won the debate, while only 23% thought Mr. Romney did. The numbers were closer in the CNN poll. Obama won 48% to 40%. CNN's pollsters also found that 59% of those asked thought the president did better than expected.
This is all fine and good for Barak Obama, but I haven't seen the debate's ratings. You might beat the other guy like a gong for an hour and a half, but if everyone is watching the Bears-Lions game it doesn't do you a lot of good.
And the truth is millions of people in this country, especially those struggling economically, don't give a rat's ass about foreign policy. The general attitude among the dwindling blue collar work force when it comes to international crises is something along the lines of, "I don't care, drop some bombs on the bastards, then tell me when I'm getting my job back." The subtle nuances of diplomacy are are an unaffordable luxury when you're standing in the unemployment line.
The simple fact is that last night's debate probably had the least affect on the electorate of the three held. Mitt knew it and so did Obama. That is why he was swinging away so hard. He needed a knock out punch (sorry, there is that sports metaphor) to clearly prove the governor is unfit to be commander in chief. He needed a monumental meltdown on Romney's part that would play on the cable news outlets and over the net for days.That didn't happen. Obama won, but Mitt, while suffering a pummeling, made sure he didn't take himself out of the race.
So things are still too close to call and in the words of James Carville, "Its the economy, stupid." For the average American its always been that way and always will be.
Round three to Obama, but will it be enough? We'll know in two weeks.
10-23-12
There were no more attempts to exploit the tragedy in Libya. That one burned him so badly in the second debate he ran from the topic yesterday like a rabbit who has just seen a wolf coming over a hill. In fact by the night's end it was hard to tell exactly what Mitt would do differently from President Obama when it comes to foreign policy. He sounded more like Obama's vice president than his opponent.
The one zinger came immediately after the Mittster lamented the fact the U.S. Navy now has fewer ships than it did in 1917. Obama responded with the sarcasm of a professor who is dealing with a complete dolt and is tired of doing so. "We also have fewer horses and bayonets," he said. The president went on to point out that the United States now has ships that "planes can actually land on, they're called aircraft carriers." After that Romney did everything in his power to redirect the conversation to the economy.
Mr. Romney what about the situation in Lower Slobovia? "Well Bob, as I was saying the other day the president has cost this country thousands of jobs which contributes to the increasing internal tensions within Lower Slobovia. Now if I'm elected I'll create more jobs, yada, yada, yada."
CBS's instant poll of undecided voters showed that 53% of them thought the president won the debate, while only 23% thought Mr. Romney did. The numbers were closer in the CNN poll. Obama won 48% to 40%. CNN's pollsters also found that 59% of those asked thought the president did better than expected.
This is all fine and good for Barak Obama, but I haven't seen the debate's ratings. You might beat the other guy like a gong for an hour and a half, but if everyone is watching the Bears-Lions game it doesn't do you a lot of good.
And the truth is millions of people in this country, especially those struggling economically, don't give a rat's ass about foreign policy. The general attitude among the dwindling blue collar work force when it comes to international crises is something along the lines of, "I don't care, drop some bombs on the bastards, then tell me when I'm getting my job back." The subtle nuances of diplomacy are are an unaffordable luxury when you're standing in the unemployment line.
The simple fact is that last night's debate probably had the least affect on the electorate of the three held. Mitt knew it and so did Obama. That is why he was swinging away so hard. He needed a knock out punch (sorry, there is that sports metaphor) to clearly prove the governor is unfit to be commander in chief. He needed a monumental meltdown on Romney's part that would play on the cable news outlets and over the net for days.That didn't happen. Obama won, but Mitt, while suffering a pummeling, made sure he didn't take himself out of the race.
So things are still too close to call and in the words of James Carville, "Its the economy, stupid." For the average American its always been that way and always will be.
Round three to Obama, but will it be enough? We'll know in two weeks.
10-23-12
Monday, October 22, 2012
The Last Debate, Polls, and Republican Doublethink
So here we are. It is October 22 of the year of our Lord 2012. Tonight, President Barak Obama and former governor Mitt Romney will square off in the final debate of this campaign. The election is a mere fifteen days away, although early voting is taking place in more than a few states. No one in either camp will sleep for the next two weeks with the possible exception of the candidates themselves and even then the word nap will probably better describe their periods of rest.
The polls are a mish mash of confusing statistics and numbers that are swirling about in crazed and dizzying arcs. Some have Obama in the lead while others directly contradict those results. As with anything it depends on who you ask. If you were to poll this household, the president would be ahead 100% to nil. It is a shocking number that portends a landslide of epic and unseen proportions. Unfortunately my wife and I don't constitute a fair sampling of Oklahomans who will trudge to the polls two weeks from tomorrow so the results are a tad skewed.
Indeed it is the same everywhere. GOP operatives are pointing to their man closing the gap among Hispanic voters in Florida, but according to one report the Hispanics they actually asked were primarily of Cuban descent. The Cuban-American community hasn't voted for a democrat since the doomed Bay of Pigs invasion. A more realistic picture was painted by a NBC/WSJ/Telemundo poll that shows the president still holding a 45 point lead over Mr. Romney among that demographic.
Elsewhere things are down to the wire. CNN did a poll of polls, of all things, in Ohio which shows Obama ahead by 3%. Things aren't quite as tight for the president in Pennsylvania. The problem there is that you don't know who is actually going to show up to vote considering the relentless campaign of intimidation and mis-information waged by the local republican establishment.
Tonight's debate is supposed to center on foreign policy which, in theory, should favor the president. However, there is no telling what absolute bullshit Romney is willing to spew. There will be no Candy Crowley there to remind him of what actually has transpired the last four years. Before it is over Mitt could well be claiming Bin Laden is really alive, lounging on a beach in Fiji and the members of Seal Team Six were in truth stunt men from the set of "The A Team." I mean lets face it, the republicans have proven themselves time and again to be perfectly capable of creating an alternative universe that dovetails quite nicely into their campaign strategy and narrative while avoiding reality altogether. If Barak Obama were to stand in the bright sunshine and say it is noon, they would screech about left wing media shills and claim it is midnight. George Orwell coined the words newspeak and doublethink to describe such nonsense. It has taken the GOP nearly three decades beyond 1984 to begin to practice both on a day to day basis. Not even video evidence to the contrary budges them from their hallucinations. If something doesn't fit their agenda it is an outright lie and the product of a vast liberal conspiracy.
One major problem both candidates will face tonight is voter overload. For a lot of Americans, especially those who have all ready made up their minds, or those who simply loathe politics in general, this cascade of rhetoric and bomb bast is simply becoming too much. Look for huge numbers of TVs to be turned not to the debate, but either the Bears-Lions NFL game, or the St. Louis-San Francisco playoff contest.
Yes, lets get down to the important issues here. Will the Cardinals blow a three game to one advantage and will the Bears cover the six point spread? After all, bookies need our love and support too. And besides those two assholes are wearing us all out.
One thing is certain. If do you choose not to watch, you'll be able to tell if Obama cleans brother Romney's clock tomorrow by how loudly people like Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest of the conservative radio hosts screech that the fix was in. That everyone from the moderator to the camera operators were flaming communists. The yahoos at FOX will simply employ the previously mentioned newspeak/doublespeak process. No matter what is said they'll claim Romney not only won, but was utterly correct when he named the Shah of Iran as America's number one enemy. You see, even dead guys pose a threat to our way of life.
The older I get the less tolerant I am of these right wing assholes. Maybe it is the arthritis, or the fact I've seen them morph into something so ritualistically evil that the word coven seems passive and quaint.
Whatever the case I suppose I'm stuck with the bastards. You can say many things about them, but you certainly can't get rid of them. In the end they'll probably outlast the cockroaches.
It is down to a fortnight. The end, as they say, is near. Watch out for flying chairs.
10-22-12
The polls are a mish mash of confusing statistics and numbers that are swirling about in crazed and dizzying arcs. Some have Obama in the lead while others directly contradict those results. As with anything it depends on who you ask. If you were to poll this household, the president would be ahead 100% to nil. It is a shocking number that portends a landslide of epic and unseen proportions. Unfortunately my wife and I don't constitute a fair sampling of Oklahomans who will trudge to the polls two weeks from tomorrow so the results are a tad skewed.
Indeed it is the same everywhere. GOP operatives are pointing to their man closing the gap among Hispanic voters in Florida, but according to one report the Hispanics they actually asked were primarily of Cuban descent. The Cuban-American community hasn't voted for a democrat since the doomed Bay of Pigs invasion. A more realistic picture was painted by a NBC/WSJ/Telemundo poll that shows the president still holding a 45 point lead over Mr. Romney among that demographic.
Elsewhere things are down to the wire. CNN did a poll of polls, of all things, in Ohio which shows Obama ahead by 3%. Things aren't quite as tight for the president in Pennsylvania. The problem there is that you don't know who is actually going to show up to vote considering the relentless campaign of intimidation and mis-information waged by the local republican establishment.
Tonight's debate is supposed to center on foreign policy which, in theory, should favor the president. However, there is no telling what absolute bullshit Romney is willing to spew. There will be no Candy Crowley there to remind him of what actually has transpired the last four years. Before it is over Mitt could well be claiming Bin Laden is really alive, lounging on a beach in Fiji and the members of Seal Team Six were in truth stunt men from the set of "The A Team." I mean lets face it, the republicans have proven themselves time and again to be perfectly capable of creating an alternative universe that dovetails quite nicely into their campaign strategy and narrative while avoiding reality altogether. If Barak Obama were to stand in the bright sunshine and say it is noon, they would screech about left wing media shills and claim it is midnight. George Orwell coined the words newspeak and doublethink to describe such nonsense. It has taken the GOP nearly three decades beyond 1984 to begin to practice both on a day to day basis. Not even video evidence to the contrary budges them from their hallucinations. If something doesn't fit their agenda it is an outright lie and the product of a vast liberal conspiracy.
One major problem both candidates will face tonight is voter overload. For a lot of Americans, especially those who have all ready made up their minds, or those who simply loathe politics in general, this cascade of rhetoric and bomb bast is simply becoming too much. Look for huge numbers of TVs to be turned not to the debate, but either the Bears-Lions NFL game, or the St. Louis-San Francisco playoff contest.
Yes, lets get down to the important issues here. Will the Cardinals blow a three game to one advantage and will the Bears cover the six point spread? After all, bookies need our love and support too. And besides those two assholes are wearing us all out.
One thing is certain. If do you choose not to watch, you'll be able to tell if Obama cleans brother Romney's clock tomorrow by how loudly people like Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest of the conservative radio hosts screech that the fix was in. That everyone from the moderator to the camera operators were flaming communists. The yahoos at FOX will simply employ the previously mentioned newspeak/doublespeak process. No matter what is said they'll claim Romney not only won, but was utterly correct when he named the Shah of Iran as America's number one enemy. You see, even dead guys pose a threat to our way of life.
The older I get the less tolerant I am of these right wing assholes. Maybe it is the arthritis, or the fact I've seen them morph into something so ritualistically evil that the word coven seems passive and quaint.
Whatever the case I suppose I'm stuck with the bastards. You can say many things about them, but you certainly can't get rid of them. In the end they'll probably outlast the cockroaches.
It is down to a fortnight. The end, as they say, is near. Watch out for flying chairs.
10-22-12
Friday, October 19, 2012
Extortion, Lies, and Opportunism: The GOP Game Plan
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
Big Bill Shakespeare.
Well we're not in Denmark any more, Toto, but things have turned decidedly rotten. During a June sixth conference call to "small business owners" Mitt Romney had this to say, "I hope you make clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their jobs and their future in the upcoming elections."
David Siegel, the head of Westgate Resorts, was the first to act on this sage advice. He sent his 7,000 employees an email telling them if President Obama was reelected he would either drastically downsize his company, or close it altogether thereby laying most if not all of them off. When questioned about the email he responded, "I can't tell anyone to vote. (note he didn't say, I can't tell anyone how to vote) I just want my employees to be educated on what could happen to their future if the wrong person is elected."
Recently brothers David and Charles Koch of Wichita, Kansas had their corporate president Dave Robertson send out "voter information packets" to 45,000 employees of their Georgia Pacific subsidiary. A cover letter warns the workers that, "Many of our 50,000 employees and contractors may suffer the consequences" if the president is reelected as well as other democrats who are running in this cycle. The packet includes a list of conservative candidates that have been endorsed by the company's political action committee. It also includes a pro Romney op-ed piece by David and an anti Obama rant by Charles.
ASG Software Solutions head Arthur Allen has done something similar with employees of that company.
The Federal Election Commission used to have laws that forbade bullshit like this. Unfortunately, thanks to the "Citizens United" decision by a politically active and conservative supreme court it now falls under the heading of free speech.
Well it certainly falls under the heading of something. Not just a few might think that something is known as extortion. When your boss tells you you're going to get canned if Obama, or anyone else is elected to office there really is no other word for it. It is rather like some guy named Rocco showing up at your door telling you that if you don't use the Corleone garbage collection service your business might accidentally burn down.
Yes, this is certainly evil nonsense. As is the continued republican efforts to suppress the vote in Pennsylvania. A court recently ruled the state's new voter ID law could not be enforced in this November's election That has not stopped TV ads from appearing in key cities telling voters that they must have voter ID's in order to cast a ballot. In some parts of the state billboards have popped up, some in Spanish, which say the same thing.
Obviously the party that is reportedly worried about some sort of socialist takeover that will end democracy as we know it, doesn't care much for the institution itself. In fact it has become painfully apparent that the current GOP believes in democracy only so long as it pertains to white anglo saxon protestants with a few pale catholics thrown in for diversity's sake.
In the mean time it turns out their candidate lied about soliciting the "binders" containing women's names that he bragged about during the last debate. The truth is the "binders" were given to both gubernatorial candidates in Massachusetts prior to the election and were not asked for by governor elect Mitt Romney after the fact. Not that he hired any of them anyway, but hey, why worry about a few details? To quote old Will once again, "He waxes desperate with imagination."
In addition it turns out that during the course of the infamous Boca Raton, 47% speech, we find Mr. Romney had this to say in regard to some sort of international incident. "If something of that nature happens I will work to take advantage of the opportunity." Well we have to give it to Mitt. He was true to his word on that one. After the tragedy in Libya he went straight to the political well within twenty-four hours.
I never really liked these ruthless bastards to begin with. However, this season the lies, rank political opportunism on the heels of an attack on an American consulate, and outright in your face voter intimidation tactics have taken me beyond that. We are faced with a party that not only wants to retain de facto white rule, but is willing to do anything short of gunning down opposing candidates to achieve that goal. And honestly, given what is going on now, even that sort of thing suddenly seems a real possibility.
They have turned the American election process into one, that if held in a third world country, would be monitored and condemned by any outside neutral observers. They, not the current president, have reduced it to a vile farce usually witnessed only in places like Venezuela and Iran.
If you want to know who the real threat to American democracy is look no further than the Republican National Committee and its keepers. They not only hate 47% of us, they will do anything they can to keep us from voting.
So much for freedom.
10-19-12
Big Bill Shakespeare.
Well we're not in Denmark any more, Toto, but things have turned decidedly rotten. During a June sixth conference call to "small business owners" Mitt Romney had this to say, "I hope you make clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their jobs and their future in the upcoming elections."
David Siegel, the head of Westgate Resorts, was the first to act on this sage advice. He sent his 7,000 employees an email telling them if President Obama was reelected he would either drastically downsize his company, or close it altogether thereby laying most if not all of them off. When questioned about the email he responded, "I can't tell anyone to vote. (note he didn't say, I can't tell anyone how to vote) I just want my employees to be educated on what could happen to their future if the wrong person is elected."
Recently brothers David and Charles Koch of Wichita, Kansas had their corporate president Dave Robertson send out "voter information packets" to 45,000 employees of their Georgia Pacific subsidiary. A cover letter warns the workers that, "Many of our 50,000 employees and contractors may suffer the consequences" if the president is reelected as well as other democrats who are running in this cycle. The packet includes a list of conservative candidates that have been endorsed by the company's political action committee. It also includes a pro Romney op-ed piece by David and an anti Obama rant by Charles.
ASG Software Solutions head Arthur Allen has done something similar with employees of that company.
The Federal Election Commission used to have laws that forbade bullshit like this. Unfortunately, thanks to the "Citizens United" decision by a politically active and conservative supreme court it now falls under the heading of free speech.
Well it certainly falls under the heading of something. Not just a few might think that something is known as extortion. When your boss tells you you're going to get canned if Obama, or anyone else is elected to office there really is no other word for it. It is rather like some guy named Rocco showing up at your door telling you that if you don't use the Corleone garbage collection service your business might accidentally burn down.
Yes, this is certainly evil nonsense. As is the continued republican efforts to suppress the vote in Pennsylvania. A court recently ruled the state's new voter ID law could not be enforced in this November's election That has not stopped TV ads from appearing in key cities telling voters that they must have voter ID's in order to cast a ballot. In some parts of the state billboards have popped up, some in Spanish, which say the same thing.
Obviously the party that is reportedly worried about some sort of socialist takeover that will end democracy as we know it, doesn't care much for the institution itself. In fact it has become painfully apparent that the current GOP believes in democracy only so long as it pertains to white anglo saxon protestants with a few pale catholics thrown in for diversity's sake.
In the mean time it turns out their candidate lied about soliciting the "binders" containing women's names that he bragged about during the last debate. The truth is the "binders" were given to both gubernatorial candidates in Massachusetts prior to the election and were not asked for by governor elect Mitt Romney after the fact. Not that he hired any of them anyway, but hey, why worry about a few details? To quote old Will once again, "He waxes desperate with imagination."
In addition it turns out that during the course of the infamous Boca Raton, 47% speech, we find Mr. Romney had this to say in regard to some sort of international incident. "If something of that nature happens I will work to take advantage of the opportunity." Well we have to give it to Mitt. He was true to his word on that one. After the tragedy in Libya he went straight to the political well within twenty-four hours.
I never really liked these ruthless bastards to begin with. However, this season the lies, rank political opportunism on the heels of an attack on an American consulate, and outright in your face voter intimidation tactics have taken me beyond that. We are faced with a party that not only wants to retain de facto white rule, but is willing to do anything short of gunning down opposing candidates to achieve that goal. And honestly, given what is going on now, even that sort of thing suddenly seems a real possibility.
They have turned the American election process into one, that if held in a third world country, would be monitored and condemned by any outside neutral observers. They, not the current president, have reduced it to a vile farce usually witnessed only in places like Venezuela and Iran.
If you want to know who the real threat to American democracy is look no further than the Republican National Committee and its keepers. They not only hate 47% of us, they will do anything they can to keep us from voting.
So much for freedom.
10-19-12
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