Romney's White Supporters

On October 24, 2012 Romney supporter Donald Trump offered $5 million to the charity of the President’s choice if he supplies his college records and US passport application - remember he reneged on this birth certificate offer – this flip-flopping seems to be a Republican staple. Barbara Walters on The View said Trump was making a fool out of himself. President Obama on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno said in reference to the Mourdock incident – I don’t know where these guys come up with these ideas – rape is rape.

Romney is saying his campaign is a growing movement across the country and this seems to be true as a poll shows white, married, middle class women are voting 60% Romney, 37% Obama and white men are 66% Romney to 32% Obama. I don’t understand the women’s vote. In addition to the reproductive issue a recent study found women are earning 82% of men working in the same field. If you check voting records you’ll find Paul Ryan and other Republicans are not in favor of equality for women – in or out – of the workplace.

On October 25 former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell speaking on CBS’ This Morning endorsed President Obama for reelection saying “I think that the actions he’s taken with respect to protecting us from terrorism have been very, very solid. And so I think we ought to keep on the track that we are on." Powell also said “I’m not quite sure which Governor Romney we’d be getting with respect to foreign policy” calling his positions a “moving target.” He also said “There are some very, very strong neo-conservative views that are presented by the Governor that I have some trouble with.” To this Republican John Sununu, former Governor of New Hampshire, said to Piers Morgan – he applauds Powell for standing with someone of his own race; Sununu later tried to backtrack on his comments.  

George Washington said “A man ought not to value himself of his achievements or rare qualities of wit, much less of his riches, virtue or kindred.” And “Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad company.” Romney is too egotistical, not only associates but joins fellow Republicans that have no respect for women, and picked a running mate whose ethics and character is very questionable. I’m sure Washington would not have associated with him. 

Support for Lies and Rape

On October 16, 2012 Michael Oren, Israel’s Ambassador to the US, was on The View and he said they are in very close contact with the US Administration on the Iranian program; he confirmed that the red line was for uranium development as Biden said in the October 11 debate. I also heard on this date that a University of California study said bosses don’t smile often at people they think are important; they smile more at people they feel are unimportant. I thought about the continual lies of Republicans and the Romney/Ryan campaign. Both the President and the Vice President give the American people more credit than I do - their smiling or laughing represented their faith that the people would value the truth over lies.

On October 24 we hear Richard Mourdock, running for the US Senate in Indiana, in a debate said “I came to realize that life is a gift from God and I think that even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, it is something that God intended to happen.” A statement came out saying that Romney disagrees with Mourdock but he’s still supporting the guy (don’t forget Paul Ryan and Todd Akin believe the same). Republicans publicly supporting Mourdock are: Senators Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), John McCain (Arizona), Marco Rubio (Florida.), Reince Priebus-Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Josh Mandel-Ohio State Treasurer and Newt Gingrich who said on October 28 “…he said what virtually every Catholic and every fundamentalist in the country believes…” and he asked why some people…could not "get over" the comments. It is NOT just these people, check the Republican governed states with laws hindering Roe v Wade. The idea that these people hold so dear the 6^th commandment-Thou shall not kill AND IGNORE commandment #3-Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain and #10-Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s house, wife…or anything that is thy neighbor’s just amazes me. Rape is a violation of the 10^th and their judging or deciding for God is a violation of the 3^rd commandment. In Nevada Romney said – I think of that single mom raising a child or two or three, scrimping for herself so she can put a good meal on the table-in the October 16 debate Romney said - we need parents helping to raise kids, stressed that kids get married before having kids and living in poverty increases with a single parent. It was reported that an 11 year old New Jersey boy wrote to the football commissioner and wanted the referee flags to be pink for breast cancer awareness instead of yellow; this boy showed more respect for women than the Republican Party. George Washington said “The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.” The Republicans have an attitude opposite of Washington and as I’ve said before violate our Constitution.     

The Debate Process

I’ve thought about all the comments made after the 3 presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. If the Republican was calm and unflustered (Ryan on October 11, 2012) it won over voters but when the President was the same way on October 3 they said he didn’t show up, it looked like he didn’t care, and called him week. Joe Biden was called aggressive and energetic, Elisabeth Hasselbeck said he was immature – I wonder how many times she’s been immature defending her truth on The View. Some didn’t like him laughing and interrupting Ryan in fact Republicans said he interrupted Ryan 82 times and yet, no one was counting in the October 3 Obama/Romney debate. Romney interrupted Obama and the moderator, Jim Lehrer even interrupted him to ask Romney if he agreed with something Obama said and Lehrer couldn’t get Romney to stop going over his allotted time. Romney’s aggressive behavior was called presidential instead of getting a negative comment for his behavior. I personally liked Martha Raddatz’ handling of the vice presidential debate as she had firsthand knowledge of the facts on the issues she was questioning. Jim Lehrer on the other hand didn’t question anything that was said and the American people were once again subjected to false information. In the October 16 presidential debate with Candy Crowley bantering occurred as in the first debate but Crowley had a better handle on it; she also corrected something Romney said and had to take flack for it from Republicans. In the final presidential debate of October 22 Bob Schieffer let some of the bantering go on for too long and did try to get some clarification on what was said.

It appears demeanor and not truth matters in these debates. If debates are just meant to be a face to face discussion without actual content than I believe we have achieved our objective. However, I disagree with this approach. I believe debates should be an arena in which specific points are addressed with complete and true information and not be a place for speech rhetoric as candidates already have that opportunity when travelling to constituents. If we want our system to change then we need to hold our representatives to a higher standard and demand more honesty and less bullying in campaigns. Debate moderators must therefore be familiar with the facts of the issues the candidates are responding to and be able to question the information given. Otherwise, devise an electronic mechanism with bells and whistles so the people know when they’re being lied to. I also don’t want any debate analyses that are not based on the facts. 

Comments After the Debate

On October 23, 2012 George Stephanopoulos when talking with Joe Biden said - One of Romney’s advisors said the statement about fewer bayonets and swords is not going to go down as one of the President’s finer moments – it was demeaning to the military and the mission abroad. Biden responded - what telling the truth that one aircraft carrier is more powerful than the entire Navy was back then; our Navy is superior to every other Navy in the world combined; it doesn’t rest on the number of ships – it rests on the total capacity; it’s clear that he (Romney) is not ready to be the Commander-in-Chief, he’s demonstrated his lack of sophistication about what’s going on in the world – his rapid change of positions; being President requires a clear vision and a steady hand and he (Romney) demonstrated that was lacking. George then spoke with Paul Ryan who of course disagreed with Biden and said – Americans for the third time got to see a man ready to become a great president – they got clear answers, a clear vision for foreign policy and a clear distinction on how we should go forward; what we got from the President was mostly attacks on Romney, no agenda on how we should move our country forward on foreign policy; he just defended his bad record; Ryan repeated what’s going on in the Middle East. George said he wasn’t surprised that Ryan thought Romney won the debate even though polls showed Obama had won. Ryan repeated himself on the reasons he thought Romney won. George said you pointed out the differences in the 2 men but most are saying Romney agreed with the President. Ryan said – we agree with getting Bin Laden, we agree with the 2014 transition from Afghanistan, we agree with the President’s decision to carry out the Bush administration’s drone strike policy, but we disagree on the handling of Iran and Russia, and the military cuts.

I don’t agree with what the Republicans have said here, I don’t agree that Romney established himself as a credible president as some are saying. For the life of me I don’t know why no one hears the contradictions and lies in Romney’s statements. On September 23 when Romney was asked why he was trailing he said “I think the President’s campaign has focused its advertising in many cases on very inaccurate portrayals of my positions…He’s trying to fool people into thinking I think things I don’t…and I think that ends during the debates”. Obama said he is for the middle class and will listen to both sides as long as it benefits them and he says ‘no’ to both sides when it doesn’t – this message has remained the same. Somehow the debates did benefit Romney and I do wonder if those voting for him are voting for Jekyll or Hyde. On October 25 the President in Nevada said Romney is counting on Americans forgetting what he’s said and called it Romnesia. It appears to be working.

Romney's Closing Statement

In closing the October 22, 2012 debate Mitt Romney said – I’m optimistic about our future, I’m excited about our prospects as a nation, I want to see growing peace in this country – it’s our objective, we have a real opportunity to have real leadership, America is going to continue to have that leadership and promote principles of peace that will make the world a safer place and make this country more confident that their future is secure, I also want to make sure to get this economy going and there are two very different paths the country can take – one is a path represented by the President which at the end of 4 years would mean that we will have $20 trillion in debt, heading toward Greece, I’ll get us on track for a balanced budget; the President’s path means continuing declining in take home pay, I want to make sure that our take home pay turns around and starts to grow, the President’s path means 20 million people out of work struggling for a job, I’ll get people back to work with 12 million new jobs, I’m going make sure we get people off food stamps not by cutting the program but by getting them good jobs; America is going to come back but for that to happen we’re going to have to have a President who can work across the aisle, I was in a state where my legislature was 87% Democrat, I learned how to get along on the other side of the aisle, we got to do that in Washington, Washington is broken, I know what it takes to get this country back, we’ll work with good Democrats and good Republicans to do that, this nation is the hope of the earth, we’ve been blessed by having a nation that is free and prosperous thanks to the contributions of the greatest generation, they held a torch for the world to see, a torch of freedom and hope and opportunity and now it’s our turn to take that torch, I’m convinced we’ll do it, we need strong leadership, I’d like to be that leader with your support, I’ll work with you, I’ll lead you in an open and honest way.

In Romney’s Republican Convention address he said everyone would get a job-yet he only promises to get 12 million employed will you be part of the 11 million that remain without a job and left on food stamps. Also, remember that business already said that they’d hire AFTER the election so what is he really doing for you. For a man who doesn’t like being attacked I found his message mostly just that – attacking. Even in this statement he had to point toward Greece – how can he handle foreign policy if every speech harms another country. George Washington said “Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” Romney is right in that it’s our turn to be great but to do so we have to recognize that he has no platform that is truly supportive of the average American or our Constitution. 

Obama's Closing Statement

In closing the October 22, 2012 debate President Obama said – now you have a choice, we’ve made real progress digging out of policies that have given us 2 prolonged wars, record deficits and the worst economic situation since the Great Depression and Romney wants to take us back to those polices, a foreign policy that’s wrong and reckless, economic policies that won’t create jobs or reduce our deficit but will ensure that those at the top won’t have to play by the same rules as you do, I’ve got a different vision for America, I want to build on our strengths and I put forward a plan that will bring manufacturing jobs back to our shores by rewarding companies and small businesses that are investing here, not overseas, I want to make sure that we have the best education system in the world and we’re retaining our workers for the jobs of tomorrow, I want to control our own energy, yes by developing oil and gas, but also the energy sources of the future, I want to reduce our deficit by cutting spending we don’t need but also by asking the wealthy to give a little bit more so we can invest in things like research and technology that are the key to a 21^st century economy, as Commander-in-Chief I will maintain the strongest military in the world – keep faith with our troops and go after those that would do us harm but after a decade of war I think we should recognize that we have to do some nation building here at home – roads and bridges and especially in caring for our veterans that sacrificed so much for our freedom; we’ve been through some tough times but we always bounce back because of our character because we always pull together; if I have the privilege of being your President for another 4 years I promise I will always listen to you voices, I will fight for your families and I will work every single day to make sure that America continues to be the greatest nation on earth.

The President’s closing was heartfelt, honest, and made me wonder what it is that people are not hearing. The only things I can guess is 1) the rich have a hold on employees – voter intimidation stories began to air in 2010, companies were telling employees that if they voted for Obama they would get laid off; 2) Fox News twists and leaves out much of the truth that their viewers are brainwashed; 3) Voter ID laws in Republican governed states are hindering some people from voting; and 4) people have become so self-centered that anything that goes against their personal view is more important than upholding our Constitution. This election could become America’s most embarrassing moment.    

Part 2 of the Threat to the US

In response to Mitt Romney’s October 22, 2012 answer to the question – what do you believe is the greatest future threat to the national security of this country? President Obama said – Romney is familiar with shipping jobs overseas and his polices would continue with the situation (tax credits, lack of funding for research and innovation, etc.); he said exports to China have doubled since he’s been in office and currency is at its most advantageous point since 1993; we have to make more progress and that’s why we’ll keep on pressing them; we were able to pivot our military to the Asian Pacific region after ending the Iraq war - sending a clear signal that America is a Pacific power and we’ll have a presence there; we’re organizing trade with other countries so China feels pressure about meeting international standards.

Again Romney said that attacking him is not an agenda for improving trade and he went on about his support of the auto industry which started bantering back and forth again. Romney said we can compete with anyone in the world but we’re going to have a President however that doesn’t think that investing in car companies like Tesla and Fisker making electric battery cars; he said investing in companies like Solyndra is government investing in companies not research; he wants to invest in research, providing funding to think tanks and Obama’s investing in companies won’t encourage private business to invest in America. The President said – Romney was trying to airbrush history and there was more bantering about the auto industry; Romney jumped and when Obama jumped in, Romney said I’m still talking; Obama waited to repeat that we need to invest in education, research and innovation. Romney jumped in again – but Obama didn’t say I’m still talking – he waited and said we have to make some smart choices here and pointed out Romney’s policies that won’t work and they’re the policies that got us into this difficulty; Obama said we’ve made progress and need to move forward, not back. Romney said he couldn’t agree more about moving forward and not back but not back to the last 4 years and he went on to again describe our situation. Moderator Bob Schieffer stopped the discussion and went on to closing statements.

Romney’s comments about the green energy projects tell me he has no inclination to develop alternative energy sources. And his defending his position on the auto industry lets me know that he has lied so much that he believes his lies are reality. In addition to thinking Schieffer should have stopped the bantering, I find Romney again whining about being attacked and his double standards on how to hold a conversation to be totally un-presidential behavior.