Election Reflection

by Blueberry T

Victory is sweet!  What a relief that the long, long election is over, with such wonderful results:  President Obama and VP Biden re-elected, gains in the Senate and House, several important ballot questions on marriage equality, abortion rights, legalization of marijuana and curtailing the influence of money in campaigns.  Tuesday was a great day in American history!

Here are some reflections on the election:

Big Winners:

• Democracy, which survived Big Money and SCOTUS’s Citizens United ruling (this time)
• The American people – especially the poor, middle class, women, veterans, Latinos, students, elderly, those who are at (physical and financial) risk due to health issues
• President and Mrs. Obama, and the campaign (from top to grassroots)
• Joe Biden (who did such a fine job in his debate and the campaign that he quieted many critics)
• Democrats, Progressives and Moderates (together, we can!)
• Our soldiers and veterans (whom Romney rarely mentioned, but Obama always did)
• Women, EMILY’s List, Planned Parenthood
• Progressives in the Senate, who have old and new allies in Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Baldwin, Mazie Hirono, Heidi Heitkamp, Amy Klobuchar and others 
• LGBT Community, abortion rights advocates and other social policy liberals
• PBS, Big Bird, Martha Raddatz and Candy Crowley, Mother Jones
• The environment (even though it never became a core campaign issue)

Heroes: 

• Voters, especially those who had to wait in long lines for hours to exercise their rights, with a special tip of the hat to Latinos, blacks, women, and young voters 
• Bill Clinton for his hard work and clear explanations that everyone could understand
• Messina, Axelrod, Plouffe, Cutter, campaign strategists, managers, staff and volunteers, who were too organized, too good and worked too hard to be overcome by big, dark money
• Ted Kennedy, who helped strategize about how to beat Romney before he died
• Patty Murray, who headed up efforts to win the Senate
• The Bain former employees/insiders who went on record about how Bain operates
• AnneOnymouse670, the secret videographer at the Romney “47%” fundraiser, Mother Jones, and others, including Politicalgates (even before MoJo’s report) that exposed Romney
• Bloggers, new media and those few in the MSM who consistently pointed out Romney’s lies, flip-flops and the real issues in the campaign; a special hat-tip to Steve Benen of Maddow’s blog for his extraordinary documentation of Romney’s lies
• The writers, budget analysts and others  (like Bernie Sanders and Paul Krugman) who publicized what Romney and Ryan’s budget and other proposals would really mean
• Those like Matt Taibbi, Vanity Fair and others, who dug through Romney’s business, tax and financial records to expose Bain's predatory business practices and Romney's tax evasion tactics
• Nate Silver, several pollsters and analysts who collected and analyzed data and kept us informed (and sane)
• Business leaders (Buffett, Gates, many others), scientists and economists who came out strongly in favor of Obama’s policies, helping to weaken Romney’s credentials regarding the economy and business
• The Nuns on the Bus
• Many artists and celebrities who spoke up and helped out in a big way, including Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Eva Longoria, George Clooney, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Jay Z, Scarlett Johansson, Kerry Washington, Cher, Kathy Griffin,  and others.
• Colin Powell, David Stockton, Lincoln Chafee, Larry Pressler and other Republicans, along with Indies Michael Bloomberg, Charlie Christ and Angus King, who either rebutted Romney and/or endorsed President Obama; despite his Romney endorsement, Chris Christie gets some points, too
• The middle-left of American politics, which mostly stuck together and didn’t freak out (except once) or do the circular firing squad thing
• All of us who did whatever we could – wrote blog posts, shared information on Twitter, corrected the record, wrote letters to editors, donated money, made phone calls, canvassed, went to rallies, held signs, helped GOTV.  This victory is ours.

The Biggest Losers: 

• Mitt and Ann Romney and some of the <1%, ultra-wealthy they represent
• Paul Ryan, who was shown to be a lightweight, a liar and not too good with numbers
• Tea Party and other right-wing extremists
• Karl Rove
• Koch Brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Donald Trump, other right-wing financiers and blowhards
• Vulture/vampire businesses and tax evaders (whose tactics are now in the open)
• Catholic bishops, Evangelicals and other social conservatives
• Senate and House whack-jobs like Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock, Joe Walsh,  and those like Scott Brown who chose to go nasty and in doing so, ruined their own image.  
• Right-wing media (Fox, Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck, Coulter, etc.)
• Misogynists and homophobes, those opposing social and economic justice, health insurance reform, marriage equality
• Bibi Netanyahoo (spelling deliberate)
• Others, including more moderate voices like David Frum, Andrew Sullivan, Peggy Noonan and Maureen Dowd, did themselves some harm.

Leadership:  President Obama ran an excellent campaign, proved his leadership many times, took some risks (especially going big early in the campaign to define Mitt Romney) and campaigned incredibly hard, all while doing his day job (which, it turns out, is actually a 24/7 job).  He deserves a lot of credit for clearly defining the campaign as a real choice between very different visions, policies, and pathways for America – this is essential going #forward.  He managed to rekindle the progressive fires, maintained a moderate tone, all the while dealing with issues from the global to the local that are part of his job.

Romney’s Business Record:  The Obama campaign, and many others, did an excellent job at recasting Romney’s strength – his business record – as a liability.  The campaign, with a lot of support from researchers, writers, former employees, and many others, exposed the predatory tactics that Bain used to suck the life, and jobs, out of successful companies and harvest their assets.  The returns for Bain were always huge; investors usually made out well too; but all too often, the employees lost their jobs and were robbed of their pensions, and communities that had once had healthy economies went bust.  This was an ugly picture and really undermined Romney’s core argument as to why people should vote for him.  He also helped reveal himself as a corporatist with his "corporations are people, my friend" comment.  By summer, he was trying to run away from his record at Bain, rather than on it. 

Summer trip and conventions:  The Romney's spent part of the summer on a trip to Europe that was meant to burnish his foreign policy credentials, but ended up being a gaffe-a-minute, insulting one country after the other.  Then, the Republican convention was delayed because of another of those pesky hurricanes, although it didn't stop Romney from making a joke about rising oceans and also offering useless advice to those hit by the hurricane.  The convention itself was a true benefit only to insomniacs.  Governor Chris Christie's keynote failed to mention the actual candidate; Romney's biopic was not shown; and Romney's own acceptance speech was upstaged by Clint Eastwood's bizarre "dialog" with an empty chair.  In contrast, the DNC was electrifying, with one dazzling and inspiring speech after the other.  Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and President Obama were of course the highlights, and there were many other inspiring moments, including Gabby Giffords leading the Pledge of Allegiance.   

Libya:  The horrific attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was a defining moment, not so obviously for President Obama as for Mitt Romney.  His opportunistic attack on the President even as the attack was unfolding, followed by the infamous smirking press conference, caused even staunch Republicans to criticize his craven exploitation of the tragedy for political purposes.  While the confusion about what happened when did hurt the President somewhat (apparently unjustly), Romney’s opportunism was widely derided.  Instead of having the good sense to STFU about it, he reprised his criticism in the second debate, with devastating consequences to his own campaign. 

47% Video:  Mother Jones release of the video in which Mitt Romney dismissed almost half the population as a bunch of irresponsible moochers was a major turning point.  Now there was direct evidence of what Mitt Romney really thinks about many Americans.  Unfortunately for him, not only was it taped, but by conflating Obama supporters, people who receive government assistance and people who pay no federal income taxes, he managed to actually alienate all three groups.  He later tried to walk back his remarks, but it was too little too late.

The first debate:  I can see where the President was coming from in the first debate, since Romney lied so much and disavowed positions that his campaign was based on (and that were still on his website despite his disavowal).  I think Obama may have been cautious about stooping to Romney’s level and thus seeming “unpresidential.”  Perhaps he assumed that the fact-checkers would nail Romney after the debate.  Unfortunately, Obama’s passive performance left Romney unchallenged, so he got away with his lies and misrepresentations.  Instead of putting Romney away, the debate allowed Romney to reinvent himself to some voters.   

Yet Obama wasn’t that bad and Romney wasn’t that good.  In the days following the debate, though, the “left” was overly critical and negative, making things worse.  But the debate did allow Romney to re-create the impression of a competent leader, thus allowing him to overcome some of the negative impressions that had built up through a summer of gaffes, insults to allies, a mismanaged convention and embarrassing revelations like the 47% video.  I can well imagine that President Obama was a little surprised that all Romney’s failings were forgotten or forgiven based on the President’s weak debate.   

Joe Biden comes through:  I don’t think Joe Biden has gotten the credit he deserves for stopping that narrative in its tracks.  He did a great job of being Joe Biden, and that made for a terrific comparison with Paul Ryan, who was revealed as pretty shallow, somewhat petty and out of his league.

Presidential Debates #2 and #3:  The Libya exchange, and particularly President Obama’s brilliant, “Please proceed,Governor,” followed by Candy Crowley debunking Romney’s claim, will be replayed for years to come.  The President came ready for action, and while he remained his usual polite self, he was still sharp, quick-witted, well-informed and much more successful at challenging Romney’s smoke and mirrors.   

Superstorm Sandy:  The devastation of New Jersey and New York evoked memories of the Bush Administration’s pitiful response to Katrina, and also brought attention to Romney’s ill-advised joke about rising oceans and more importantly, his vows to reduce the federal role and budget for disaster relief.  Yet, it was not without risks for Obama, not the least of which was that Governor Christie is one of the GOP’s rising stars.  But because Obama is naturally attuned to bringing people together, the way they were able to put partisanship aside reminded people of how government can and should work.  At the same time, Romney’s lame attempt to appear relevant and generous fell flat, making him look like an opportunist.  Which he is.   

Let Detroit Go Bankrupt/Lies about Jeep:  As our reader maelewis pointed out, Mitt Romney's words came back to haunt him.  Try as he might, he couldn't distance himself from the opinion piece that he had written for the New York Times back in November 2008.  Nor could he rewrite history about what he really meant, even though he tried. Not only did Detroit and Michigan remember that he had argued for the demise of the auto industry, but Ohio remembered, too.  It was a really wonderful thing that he wasn't able to spin this, and in the end it killed him in several swing states he really needed to carry.  Then, late in the campaign, Romney continually lied about Jeep sending jobs to China.  This was particularly ironic for someone who could have become the Outsourcer-in-Chief. However, his lies were debunked by every news outlet and by the VP and later the CEO of Chrysler.  (h/t sleuth1) In effect, what Romney did was prove himself a liar, and voters noticed.

Beautiful Karma:  I have had a not-so-secret hope for weeks that Romney’s final vote tally would be 47%, and it looks like I will get my wish.  Poetic justice.

Non-Democratic House:  One of the few really unfortunate outcomes of the election is that the GOP held onto its majority in the House, so it looks like we are stuck with Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, certifiably whacky Michele Bachmann (on Intelligence Committee-gag) and other unqualified hacks for another two years.   Ironically, Democrats received more votes (in aggregate) in the House races than Republicans, by more than a half-million votes.  Gerrymandered districts are the reason that many House seats stayed in Republican hands.  This needs to be solved.   

Voter Suppression:  I wasn’t the only one who felt that Karl Rove’s meltdown on Fox News was due to his belief that voter suppression and tampering with the vote totals would deliver Ohio to the GOP, as in 2004.  My impression was that he wasn’t going on like that because of the numbers; it was because they weren’t factoring in enough dirty tricks.  This needs to be solved.

It’s not over.  Concerns for the future:  I am so relieved that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan lost, and that the margin of victory was so significant – an Electoral College landslide.  We all deserve to truly savor this victory.    

Yet, of course, this is one election.  Karl Rove was embarrassed and criticized, but he’s already shrugging it off as if nothing happened, and getting ready to work some more of his dark magic. 

I am also very concerned that Romney got as many votes as he did, despite his extreme dishonesty and non-disclosure.  The media was not effective in preventing him from running a campaign of lies, distortions, misleading statements, and dizzying flip-flops that is unparalleled in American history.  He (sort of) got away with refusing to even engage with the media for much of the campaign, except in pre-scripted ways.  He (sort of) got away with cheating and certainly got away with lying through his teeth at the first debate.  He raised lying to an art form, and although he lost, he set a horrible precedent in that the media (despite occasional efforts) was really not able to pin him down on the lies.  He disregarded and (to some degree) made a mockery of fact-checking.  He also (almost) got away with not releasing his tax returns; ironically, since it was his father who had set the precedent, the fact that he (almost) successfully stonewalled on this seems all the more troubling.  Serious questions about his character were raised and undoubtedly made an impression on some voters, but he was still largely successful in portraying himself as a successful businessman and a man of personal integrity.  Many voters voted for an illusion of what Mitt Romney wanted them to believe about him, rather than who he really is.  Fortunately, despite seemingly "getting away" with these things, he LOST.  Of course, chances are if he HAD disclosed his taxes or been held accountable for his lies, he would have lost by more.    

Another concern, of course, is Citizens United.  Yes, we survived this election, but what about the mid-terms in 2014?  What is going to get out the vote then, so that we don’t regress to the Tea Party dominance that happened in 2010?  Who is going to so inspire the minority communities in 2016 to enable the Dems to get out the vote?  What about the obvious impacts of gerrymandering; how will we solve that? 

Let’s celebrate, and then let’s roll up our sleeves and get back to work!  

Countdown to Election 2012: Week Thirteen in Review - Bonus: New "zinger" by Stratfor Vice President Fred Burton

by Sunnyjane

What, you thought I was gonna choose HER?
Come on, she's one of those 'sheik' people!

Romney Tapped Paul Ryan and  Obama Shrugged: We're Ready

We're both too marvelous for words!

Mitt Romney, who never met an adverb he didn't love, has marvelously chosen the most severely conservative member of the House of Representatives to be his vice presidential candidate.  Privatizing Ryan is supposed to save the Republican candidate's ass flagging campaign by taking the heat for his budget plan so the press and the Obama campaign will stop asking for Romney's tax returns.  That may work for a few days, guys, but don't start popping those lemonade corks quite yet.

This new Republican team, which is blatantly representative of the current wave of vulturalism -- a devastating combination of vulture and cultural conservative principles -- is eager to take America backward to the disastrous polices of the Bush administration, and beyond.   Ryan's budget is little more than a Creed of Greed on Speed, and he's a strict adherent to his own gospel. David Frum, feature writer for The Daily Beast and Newsweek, called Ryan's plan wrong, and dangerously wrong.  Even the right-leaning New York Times was appalled,  saying in March 2012: Mr. Ryan became well known last year as the face of the most extreme budget plan passed by a house of Congress in modern times. His new budget is, if anything, worse, full of bigger, emptier promises. Oddly enough, Romney is now trying hard to distance himself from the Ryan budget plan.  Forget that act, Willard; you've shown your support for that marvelous document too many times.   You chose your running mate based on this anti-American piece of trash, and now you own it.  You are the one who said of Paul Ryan while announcing him, He appeals to the better angels of our nature.   [Call me stupid, but I have absolutely no idea what message that sappy, sentimental pronouncement conveys.]  

Paul Krugman, among other outstanding credentials a Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences winner, stated recently:  [Ryan] is, in fact, a big fraud, who doesn't care at all about fiscal responsibility, and whose policy proposals are sloppy as well as dishonest. Of course, this means that he’ll fit into the Romney campaign just fine ... He's a hard-core conservative, with a voting record as far right as Michelle Bachmann's, who has shown no competence at all on the numbers thing.

As for Romney's contention that Ryan's plan is not his budget plan, David Axelrod nailed it when he said, It's  laughable ... For the middle class it feels like a choice between a punch in the nose and a knee to the groin. The fact is both plans call for trillions and trillions of dollars of new tax cuts skewed to the wealthy.

Here, I think, is the bottom line:  A presidential candidate's budget plan is an ideological statement of priorities and values.  Of the current presidential candidates' plans, which most justly fulfills the needs and ideals of ninety-nine percent of Americans?  

Romney, Ryan, and Other News from Far Right Wingnutterstan

*To a budget question from Bob Schieffer on 60 Minutes Sunday night, Paul Ryan made a response that earned him a decidedly oh-shit-don't-say-that look from Mitt Romney: What we’re saying is, taking away the tax shelters that are uniquely enjoyed by people in the top tax brackets so they can’t shelter as much money from taxation, should lower tax rates for everybody to make America more competitive.  Makes you wonder how Romney's big backers are feeling about their marvelous ticket now.  

I am so also too
marvelous!

*Is Mitt Romney demonstrating that he has even a modicum of good sense in refusing Sarah Palin a speaking gig at the GOP convention?  No, more likely he's indulging in a bit of spite towards the failed 2008 vice presidential contender and quitter governor of Alaska: she ruined his big I'm-running-for-president announcement in June 2011 when she stalked him during her asinine One Nation bus tour.   Palin never formally threw her endorsement behind Gingrich, but she certainly supported him during the primaries. She has never given her infamous Mama Grizzly endorsement to Romney and merely took to Facebook to congratulate Paul Ryan as an excuse to further spew her hatred for President Obama. So how's that It's God's Plan thingy workin' for you, Sarah?

*While he voted against the stimulus package and has promised in his budget to slash government spending, the entire state of Wisconsin and Paul Ryan's own district have certainly benefited from that nasty old government spending.  

*Mitt Romney still has no intention of releasing more of his past years' tax returns, even at the urging of Jon Huntsman, Sr., who said he was disappointed that  the presumptive Republican presidential nominee won’t be fair with the American people.

And those same American people want to know how many years of tax return Romney demanded of those he was vetting. We received some insight from always-a-contender-but-never-a-champion Tim Pawlenty who, when asked on ABC's This Week if he had submitted more than two years of returns to the Romney campaign said, Well, we don’t get into the details of the vetting process, but I — I gave them a bunch of tax returns. I don’t remember the exact number of years.  

Staying true to his brown-nosing history, Paul Ryan kissed Mitt's cheesy grits and announced that while he had given several years of tax returns to the Romney campaign, he would only be releasing two years for public scrutiny.   So there!

*Outside that tiny rarified bubble in which the One Percent lives, Romney and the Righties have managed to alienate most every demographic in the country.  With the addition of Ryan on the ticket affording closer scrutiny of his anti-American budget plan, it is easier for seniors to get the full impact of how that little proposal affects them.   In Florida alone, the negative reaction has reached Hurricane Romney Level Five strength for its Medicare/Medicaid proposed slashing.  The Sunday papers absolutely destroyed the Romney/Ryan ticket.

*Early in the debacle that would become Week Thirteen, another campaign staffer went face-first into a huge pile of elephant poop.   While pushing back against an Obama campaign ad that showed the story of a man's wife who had died because they did not have affordable health care, Andrea Saul said, if the people had been in Massachusetts, under Governor Romney’s health care plan, they would have had health care.  You know if Red State's Erick Erickson's reaction was blood-pressure popping, Romney must actually have uttered a real American swear word.

*No matter.  Mitt committed his own political and social faux pas when he outsourced calling Tim Pawlenty to give him the bad news to his son, Tagg.  Does this mean when the 3:00 AM call comes to a White House inhabited by Mitt Romney, it will be answered by a call center in India?

*In his continuing effort to destroy the good will President Obama has built with our allied nations, Romney insulted the Japanese by telling a group of donors, We are not Japan. We are not going to be a nation that suffers in decline and distress for a decade or a century.  What a baka: fool, idiot, jerk, dolt, imbecile, or idiotic dumb ass!

*The GOP candidate attempted to find some empathy with the common people by visiting a millionaire farmer in Iowa to discuss the state's withering corn crop.  Hardly a get-your-hands-dirty toiler of the soil, his host is also a real estate developer and concert promoter for his 24,000 square-foot event center.  But wait, that's not all, shoppers!  This poor guy has also received $133,000 in federal payments for not growing crops on a small portion of his land.  [We're a little confused, Mitt, so could you explain to us  again how those sworn-by-GOP no hand-outs, no culture of dependency thingies go again?]

From the Sane Side of the 2012 Election Campaign

*President Obama signed an executive order to further enhance the administration's efforts to advance the rights and status of women and girls, to promote gender equality in U.S. foreign policy, and to bring about a world in which all individuals can pursue their aspirations without the threat of violence.

*In a stick-it-to-Michele Bachmann moment -- and to everyone else on the right who believes her racist fairy tales -- President Obama praised Huma Abedin at a Ramadan Iftar dinner at the White House:  The American people owe her a debt of gratitude -- because Huma is an American patriot, and an example of what we need in this country -- more public servants with her sense of decency, her grace and her generosity of spirit.  So, on behalf of all Americans, we thank you so much.

*After the Islamic Society of Joplin mosque was burned to the ground by suspected arson, the people of this Missouri town are fighting back with a mighty message against intolerance and hatred.   As they came together in community spirit after the devastating tornado struck their town, they are vowing to help rebuild the mosque.  Way to go, Joplin!

*In a snort-inducing turn of events, a judge has ordered Judson Phillips, the Tea Party Nation "CEO" to repay $748,000 to the Venetian Las Vegas Casino Resort for a bill he incurred by reserving more than sixteen hundred rooms and then cancelling a few weeks before the event because nobody wanted to go.  [For a stranger-than-fiction bit of irony, the Venetian is owned by Sheldon Adelson.]

*And some really great news:  Gabby Giffords goes home to Tucson!  

End Note

(Courtesy of The Obama Diary)

Always remember: Mitt Romney lost to the man who lost to Barack Obama in 2008.

+++

Bonus by Patrick:

Many thanks to Sunnyjane for another great post!

There is something I just have to add.

At the beginning of the post, Sunnyjane included the following joke:

So far, so good. But WHO would actually joke about a person of Indian descent like that...?

Well, our new "friend" Fred Burton, Vice-President of the private global intelligence company "Stratfor", who we know enjoys to drop "zingers" in his work emails (see here, here and here), made a remark in the leaked Stratfor emails which comes...well, very close. :-)

See this email exchange, one of the most entertaining exchanges I found in the Stratfor-emails so far:

burton@stratfor.com wrote:

Bobby Jindel? He's some sort of Indian.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Isn't that epic! You simply cannot make it up.

Also, nice how Fred Burton asks his colleagues:

"Want me to ask michael steele?"

Just sweet.

Speaking of sweet: Our incredibly talented reader AzureGhost created another great piece - meet Anntoinette Romney:

It’s Time For Americans To Stop Being So Reactive and Start to be Proactive

Enough already with Mitt and his wife trying to portray them as your everyday, average American!  Enough with this War on Woman crap in relation to Ann Romney! Seriously folks, the media really needs to stop with all the drama and the Romney’s need to stop trying to portray themselves as something they never were and never will be. The bloggers also need to stop mocking the Romneys when they are actually telling the truth about themselves; they need to embrace it. Blog about how the Romney’s are different, but stop with the rhetoric and stick to the facts.

The reason people are looking for anyone but Mitt is because the man doesn’t know who he is or what he stands for. The man could not publicly tell the truth to save his life for two reasons: the media will attack him, and he is trying his damnest to be someone he’s not. When Mitt said he has friends who are NASCAR team owners, that was the truth! Why should he be ashamed of it? He is freaking rich after all. Would you really expect him to be friends with his gardener? No you would not! However, the media went directly on the attack, calling it a gaffe. It wasn’t a gaffe - it was another moment when Mitt told the truth in public.

He likes firing people who work for him. Again the media called it a gaffe. It wasn’t a gaffe - once again, it was the truth. Most people in positions of power do not like firing people, but his business was Bain Capital, which was responsible to buying distressed companies and turned them around or dismantling them.  Part of that process involved people losing their jobs so the companies could become profitable again. Why is anyone surprised he would say this? Ann has a couple Cadillacs. Really, again what is so shocking about that? Our favorite Tundra Twit bought a Cadillac Escalade very soon after coming off the 2008 campaign trail. Was anyone surprised? If yes, why were you surprised?

This is what some of newly rich or the mega rich people do. They buy expensive cars, expensive homes and live a lavish lifestyles. Does anyone remember the TV show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” hosted by Robin Leach? Ann has dressage horses. Again so what! She is rich, always has been, always will be. More power to her. Enjoy your horses Ann, keep spending your money. I don’t envy your lifestyle one bit.

Here’s a thought for the Romneys: if you really want to be President and First Lady of the United States of America, how about just being yourselves. Pick a position and stick to it! How about doing some research or paying someone to actually do some real research on the issues facing Americans? Don’t rely on conservative think tanks, the Tea Party, the Koch Bros & Fox News to define your positions. Mitt & Ann, I don’t really care about your wealth or your religion. Your wealth and religious beliefs should not be the main talking point, however it is part of the whole picture. What I do care about is whether or not you have the basic qualifications to be President. I want to know which direction your moral compass is pointed. I want you to show me in what ways you think you’d do a better job than our current President. I want to know where you stand on basic ethics and what your positions are on the issues which affect all Americans not just the ultra-rich, and not just Republicans.  Because, you see, Mitt there is a reason why the picture below resonates with people: We all want to ride inside; not just you, Ann, your children and your friends and relations. Not just the GOP, the Koch Brothers, the Heritage Foundation, and the Tea Partyers; All Americans, including Democrats, we all should ride inside – because we’re all Americans. The President is everyone’s President, not just the privileged few! 

AND while I’m on my soapbox… (it's okay I made sure to ask KAO for permission first)

Is anyone else appalled at the media coverage regarding Travon Martin and George Zimmerman? Forgive me, but justice cannot and should not be decided in the media. We have a judicial system for a reason; is our Justice system broken? No. I don’t think it is. Does the Justice system fail? Yes, from time-to-time it does.  After all, it is humans who make the decisions. However, the coverage by MSNBC the past two week was over the top in my opinion; frankly, I finally turned it off.  Before anyone calls me out in the comment section, yes - I felt the same way about the Casey Anthony coverage too.  There is a difference between presenting the facts and sensationalizing the facts in a matter to promote ratings.

Which leads us to the latest Bristol vs. Levi media circus.

If for one minute anyone other than LeadFoot (just kidding) thought the media would actually show something negative against the Palins I have a bridge in AZ to sell you for a great price, brand spanking new and never used. Call Me! The media is constantly going to the Palins to get their rebuttal statements before airing anything that could be possibly or remotely cast them in a negative light. However, the media has no problem what so ever in providing the Palin free publicity. Case in point: Bristol’s “Trial Marriage” announcement, showcasing her and Gino kissing while she is holding Tripp. Did anyone see a statement from Levi published on his thoughts regarding this development? No? Me Neither!

Lastly, OMG: people need to just stop with the fake outrage!  Just Stop it – right now! Not everything said in the media is about You, Your Cause or Your Choices. Seriously. It isn’t. Lady Gaga tweeted this last week:

When I read this my first and only thought was “Yep - know that feeling.”  I’m not a Pop Singer, but yeah - I’ve eaten salad wishing it was something better. As a matter of fact as I am writing this I am also eating salad, and also wishing I was eating something besides a salad AGAIN today for lunch.  But, apparently I’m not normal, because according to all the negative media coverage of Gaga’s tweet I should have been outraged. I should have taken to my keyboard to pound-out my outrage immediately!  Oh, puhleeze! Stop and re-read the first sentence in this paragraph: when hasn’t anyone ever ate something wishing it was something else? Examples are found all over in the media: the woman munching a bread stick, wishing she could have dessert; the child that must eat his vege’s before having something he really wants. 

Ask yourself, before you fire-off a tweet or write a comment or even blog about it, whatever it may be: in what way did this tweet impact your life or your decision making skills right here, right now? Not at all did it? Next, in what way did this tweet, blog post or comment impact your life for the next 24 hours? Still didn’t, did it? Good! Finally, in what way did this tweet, comment or blog post impact your life at ANY point? Still nothing?? GOOD! That is how it should be.  We do not need to respond to every single thing that may pique us, or may not necessarily agree with. Because responding to anything happening anywhere is NOT always our business. Responding is not always in our or societies best interest. Sometimes, its best not to take the bait, but let it silently slide by…

In the end  there will be many days when you just need to say....

and let it all go. Have an adult beverage or two! Take a long walk, watch a movie or just hang with your real friends or your internet friends. It will get better it always does. 

It is time for Americans to stop be so reactive and start to be proactive. People need to take a deep breath in and hold it…. hold it… now, release it and go about your daily lives. Be proactive in your community. Be proactive on social networks but stop with the personal assaults on people who in no way have any impact on your daily lives and decision making. Point out the differences between what a politicians says and what that politician does. Same with companies and government, but stop with the hateful and hurtful rhetoric that has engulfed our country. Lady Gaga is an entertainer but she is not responsible for the choices each and every one of us chooses to make on a daily basis. Bristol and Levi are not news and not even entertaining to anyone but a select few. They are also not solely responsible for any choices anyone anywhere makes. We all have the right to make choices and decisions for ourselves. In the end it is our responsibility to make or not to make the right choices. The right choices being your right choices. My choices may not be your choices and your choices may not be right for me. However the key is we all make mistakes and we all do some things right. 

Whew. Remember it is called a SoapBox for a reason…

To wrap up the first edition of Dusty’s Soapbox how about some absolutely adorable pictures I found over at The Obama Diary? Just gotta love that smile! 

Many Thanks to KAO for her wonderful graphic and editing! The opinions posted here is solely mine. 

Dusty's Corner - Why Americans Vote for Mitt Romney & Newt Gingrich Plus Bonus Game Change Trailer The Sarah Palin Edition

Why Americans are voting for anybody but Willard “Mittens” Romney boils down to just one simple point- The man could not tell the truth if a gun was held to his head and nor does the man understand the concept of empathy for others. 

Most Americans know Mitt is rich and they do NOT have an issue with his wealth nor do they care that he has offshore bank accounts. Rich people and offshore bank accounts and evading paying their fair share of taxes all go together in America. Admit it, it is not his wealth or the fact that he has offshore bank accounts and he obviously knows how to only pay the bare minimum in taxes that bothers you, it is the lying and the lack of empathy for his fellow Americans. 

The real issues with Mitt is that the man sees absolutely nothing wrong with lying about anything- big lie, small lie it doesn’t matter to Mitt. Politicians, Lawyers, Sales and Marketing professions all know how to ‘lie’ within the context of their professions to market themselves, their clients or their product otherwise they wouldn’t be successful. Lying is an accepted practice known as just ‘Politics’ or just ‘Sales’ but in Mitt’s case his lying goes much, much deeper and is much more dangerous as he has been running for President for quite a long time and he has very, very deep pockets in which to pay his way into office. Time and time again it has been proven that people do not like nor do they respect a liar.

What separates Mitt from other Politicians, Lawyers and Sales and Marketing professionals is his complete and utter distain and lack of empathy for those who are not just like him. Mitt like Sarah Palin has completely mastered Personal Greetings and Charm School 101: How to shake hands, use eye contact and mutter the superficial greeting “Hi, how are you? Oh, that is great” and leave them charmed and blinded by your warmth. It is when the next person in line doesn’t respond as expected that the world (well only those who are really looking) sees the real Mitt. 

Mitt does not like other people who are different from him or his beliefs. He has no patience or empathy for anyone who is in need or doesn’t subscribe (Note to Sarah Palin- that is how to correctly use the word subscribe in a sentence) to Mitt’s rigid views. Mitt like Rick Santorum holds a very rigid view of the world and he only functions at his best when he is operating within the confines of his rigid views. Mitt will never support the Dream Act, Gay Marriage or the American Affordable Health Care Act unless his church tells him to or unless he sees an opportunity to make money or prestige.

Where President Obama has said repeatedly that he did not have the patience nor the tolerance for ‘politics as usual’ neither did Mitt. Mitt’s only public office was ten years ago as a one term Governor of Massachusetts. He did not run for reelection. Ten years ago he was the Governor of Massachusetts! A lot of things have changed in ten years, but the one thing that has stayed the same is Mitt. He did not understand the world outside his world then and he still doesn’t understand it now. A man who would allow a dog to ride in a pet carrier on top of his car while in distress is not a person who should ever be elected to a position that requires thinking outside the box. If anyone could get Mitt to tell the truth would anyone be surprised if Mitt said he didn’t run for reelection for the simple reason he could not govern within his own rigid sets of rules and ethics?

I am sure you are thinking now, well hell Dusty, why are people voting for Newt? Newt has issues with the truth & ethics and there is that whole thing with his warped family values too. The man just has a ton of baggage. So why would anyone vote for him?

The people who vote for Newt are those who hate or fear anyone who does not have their same pasty white skin color and refuse to deal with change. Newt is the polar opposite of President Obama. He is white, older, overweight, married multiple times, fiery personality aka a bully, he is the master in the ‘politics as usual’ game and his middle name is Leroy. How much more common can you get than with a middle name than of Leroy? Again no offense to anyone named Leroy or anyone who knows someone named Leroy. 

Newt is was master politician of his time, but that time has passed. I would have used the title of fly by night used car salesman but I didn’t want to offend any fly by night used car sales people out there by comparing them to Newt. I firmly believe that if Newt had not been run out office in 1999 he would still be in Congress today or had retired from Congress by now.

Average Americans generally don’t hold grudges for long so almost all of Newt’s ethics baggage is pretty much water under the bridge since it was 1999 when he was booted out of office. Multiple marriages and affairs while in office or out of office is par for the course for politicians and some Americans. However there has been an increase in race baiting and bullying since 2008 and quite frankly those who vote for Newt or support Newt cannot stand the thought of a bi-racial man as President of the United States. 

I am refusing to call President Obama a black man from this point forward because he is in fact a bi-racial man and I am sick to death of the racism that is once again running rampant in our county. To continually refer to President Obama as a black man discounts his white roots and his white heritage and places the focus on half the man not the whole man.

The people who vote for and support Newt are those who continue whine that President Obama is in a bubble and he doesn’t connect with the American people. That President Obama is too controlled and does not make use of the ‘bully pulpit’. Notice those two words ‘bully’ and ‘pulpit’? Yep those are the folks who will vote for Newt. Those who want a bully in office and those who failed to comprehend the separation of church and state.  

So while Calista Gingrich has contacted Nancy Reagan's stylist to assist her with revamping her image from one of the much younger third wife (wonder when they'll confess she is much older than 45) to an image of one worthy of an elder statesmen's third spouse it will be money ill spent as all that glitters is not gold and Newt will soon to be another failed politician.  

The world of politics has changed since 1999 and while Newt is digging in his old bag of tricks from the past, his biggest cheerleaders are Sarah Palin and Herman Cain. One a failed politician who has yet to meet a thought she can articulate coherently or correctly and a one a failed candidate who has the morals of an old dinged up alley cat.  Can't see anything wrong there can you? To the Moon Newt...To the Moon and Godspeed. 

Happy One Year Anniversary PoliticalGates! 

My gift to you is an awesome positive campaign ad that will bring a smile to your face. May this brighten the day of those who have been or who are currently being bombarded with the negative attacks ads that are the product of the republican party and their superpacs. 

UPDATE:
Sarah Palin sooooooo did not want to go back to Alaska. Glimpse the meltdown and the awful, dawning realisation by the campaign staff and John McCain that Palin is nuts. Trailer for the film Game Change h/t to Carriesblank.

  

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UPDATE 2:


Remember how Sarah reacted when she was asked about the upcoming HBO movie...?