Biden Strikes Back

So now that Joe Biden has thrown a big bucket of water on all the liberals who have been running around with their hair on fire this week, we can get back to the stark choices of this campaign. In a feisty 90 minute debate, It was clear right out of the blocks that Joe Biden put the wood to his Republican counter-part. Biden was animated, used facts, and called Ryan out on the non-sense Romney got away with in the first debate. Bottom line, Biden did what he had to do to stop the momentum shift Romney gained last week.

Ryan was scripted, stiff, drank enough water to drown a camel, and continued to push an economic plan that doesn't pass the math test, or the give the details needed to explain that fuzzy math. His lack of foreign policy experience was no match for Biden's years of experience, and it showed. He agreed with the draw down in Afghanistan, but wanted to leave the final decision to the commanders on the ground. The President is Command-in-Chief, not the generals on the ground, that's what you call leadership. If generals ran our foreign policy there would always be a war to fight, and deferring to them on matters of war, is clearly leading from behind. A term they like to pin on the President, but have no facts to back it up.

As for the media, they kill me. First President Obama was to calm, to disconnected, to disengaged, and now when Biden stands up and calls the Republicans out on all their crap, he was to aggressive, to emotional and dismissive. You're God damn right! These people are running to control the free world, not city council. Somebody needed to stand up and say enough already with the double speak, and smoke and mirrors. Now if Obama can repeat what Biden did, it's game over. The American electorate isn't as informed on these things as I'd like, but people can generally recognize a pair of bullshit artists when they see them. They're going to cut taxes (mainly for the rich) 8 Trillion dollars, and have the nerve to say to American people, but we can't tell you how until AFTER the election. They are going to create 12 million jobs, and don't give us any idea how that's going to happen. They are going to make us energy independent by 2020? Are you kidding me? I can hear the roar of laughter at Exxon-Mobil as we speak! Stop for a minute and just listen to what these clowns are saying? It's sunshine and happy days, if we just go back to the policies that got us into this mess in the first place, it's INSANE!

It really is pretty simple, it you want more tax breaks for the wealthy, and an 8 Trillion dollar bill added to the debt that gets paid for with pixy dust?
If you want another war in the middle east in Syria, or Iran, or both?
If you want to overturn Roe v. Wade  and let states decide abortion policy?
If you want women to pay more for insurance just because they're women, abolish Planned Parenthood, and impose invasive medically unnecessary procedures to get a abortion?
If you DON'T agree in equal pay for equal work for women?
If you want to throw 40 Million Americans back into the ranks of the uninsured?
If you think the auto industry should have gone bankrupt?
If after the biggest financial meltdown since the great depression, you want less regulation on Wall street so they can go back to business as usual?
If after over a decade of war, you still want an open ended commitment in Afghanistan?
If you think Mitt Romney just made a mistake when he called 47% of Americans victims and deadbeats, who won't take responsibility for their own lives?
If you want a lier for President and Vice President?
If you want all these things, then your choice is clear. However if you want the opposite of all these things, your choice is equally clear. Your choice could never be more important. Get fired up, get to the polls, and vote, vote, VOTE!

How Do You Fight A Lie?

Some would call it a stroke of political genius. Others underhanded and patently unethical, but no matter how you score Mitt Romney's debate performance this week, the facts had nothing to do with it. The man has long had a reputation as a political shape shifter, but the size and scope of what he did this week goes beyond words. Oh some may say I may have a case of sour grapes, the fact is I thought Romney won the debate hands down and have said so. The issue I raise is that the man took command of the debate stage last Wednesday by introducing 80 million Americans to a man that doesn't exist. He took advantage of the millions of Americans known as "low information voters", and fed them exactly what he thought they wanted to hear. Then when the debate ended and everybody had changed the channel, his advisers came out to "clarify" what Governor Romney meant about this, and what Governor Romney meant about that.

A good example of what I mean,  Romney said his health plan covers pre-existing conditions. However, unlike the Presidents plan that covers them in all cases, he conveniently left out the part where his plan only covers pre-existing conditions if you already have insurance, and have had it since birth, oh details, details, details. That is not just misleading, IT'S A LIE! It's not a gaff, not a misstatement, not a poor choice of words, it was a political calculation to lie to an audience of 80 million people, and worry about the fact checkers later, which in this case were his own people just minutes after the debate ended.

After his win Wednesday, his 47% comment went from being "inelegantly stated" to a complete retraction of the comments. Once again changing his tune to shield himself from any criticism he no doubt knows will be tossed his way in the next debate. He can say he is for 100% of Americans until he's blue, the fact is he got caught behind closed doors with a room full of rich like minded conservatives, and told us what he really thinks. We are a nation of makers and takers. A full 47% of this country are deadbeats, victims, and dependents hooked on the government dole, and don't pay federal income tax. Strong words from a man who keeps most of his money in offshore accounts around the world so he doesn't have to pay federal income tax. In fact, he wants to abolish the estate tax so the haves and have mores like him, can pass their money to their kids without having to pay taxes on that!

So the question remains, how do you fight a lie? Well, a good place to start is to call him out on the alternate universe he wants the American people to hear, and the reality of what he really stands for. I'm not going to re litigate the first debate, but Obama better damn well start countering some of Romney's nonsense if wants to regain some credibility for his "Forward" campaign. Look up, not down, look at Romney and say "who the hell are you?" How can you stand here and bold face lie to the American people? Are you so ethically bankrupt that you feel this is the only way you can win? The man is a politically expedient chameleon, and for the legions of "low information voters" out there, that's a dangerous thing.