Clown fest 3

Republican presidential candidates held their third debate last night.  I watched.

For those who missed it, here is the debate in 100 seconds.

Remember how President Obama was criticized for not holding his hand over his heart during the National Anthem? This picture was taken during last week's debate.

Can we assume that Rick Perry is un-American?  Is his patriotism questionable?

And Joe My God points out what we've heard from the three debates.

CHEERS for the death penalty.
CHEERS for letting people die without insurance.
BOOS for active duty gay soldiers.

I cannot believe that Republicans would boo an active duty soldier who is putting his life on the line every day for our nation. Of course, last week I couldn't believe they cheered for letting an uninsured 30 year old man in a coma (hypothetical) die, or that they would cheer because Texas murders a lot of it's citizens.

Seriously, though, while the president is out promoting his jobs plan around the country, his foes are not offering any solutions to the problems the country faces. All they can do is bash the administration. And they can't even be honest while doing it.

Some statements from last night's debate; there are more from this source.

BACHMANN: "President Obama has the lowest public approval ratings of any president in modern time."

THE FACTS: That's true, if you leave out Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford. All of them at some point in their terms dipped lower than Obama's low point of 38 percent job approval, according to Gallup's comparison.

ROMNEY: "I don't support any particular program that he's describing," he said, disputing Perry's claim that Romney favors some of President Barack Obama's education initiatives, specifically the Race to the Top program.

THE FACTS: Romney was reluctant to tell Republican primary voters he doesn't hate every Obama policy. Romney does indeed support some of the specific policy changes encouraged by the Race to the Top program and said as much earlier in the week. Speaking in Miami on Wednesday, he praised the president's education secretary, Arne Duncan, for the program. And during the debate, Romney acknowledged supporting elements of the initiative, including teacher evaluations and charter schools.

BACHMANN: "I didn't make that claim nor did I make that statement," she said when asked by a moderator if she stood by her comment that the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer was "potentially dangerous."

THE FACTS: Bachmann can't escape the tape. Bachmann used that exact phrase during the last debate when she criticized Perry for trying to order pre-teen girls to get the vaccine in Texas. "Little girls who have a negative reaction to this potentially dangerous drug don't get a mulligan. They don't get a do-over," Bachmann said then. Bachmann has tried to distance herself from remarks she made after the debate linking the vaccine to mental retardation — a claim debunked by scientists. She said then and now she was relaying the story of another mother whose daughter had the shot.

PERRY: It's not the first time that Mitt has been wrong on some issues before. And the bottom line is, we never said that we were going to move this (Social Security) back to the states."

ROMNEY: "Well, it's different than what the governor put in his book just, what, six months (ago), and what you said in your interviews following the book. So I don't know. There's a Rick Perry out there (who) ... says that the federal government shouldn't be in the pension business, that it's unconstitutional. Unconstitutional and it should be returned to the states."

THE FACTS: In his book Perry heavily criticized Social Security, advocated states' rights and suggested federal entitlements were unconstitutional in general, but he never tied these beliefs together as succinctly as Romney claimed.

Even so, he danced close to branding Social Security as unconstitutional. He called Social Security the best example of a program that tosses "aside any respect for our founding principles of federalism." He also lamented: "If only the New Dealers had been kind enough to allow workers to make their own choice about whether to participate." And he said the program was introduced "at the expense of respect for the Constitution and limited government."

Republicans will have to choose one of these clowns as their candidate (or someone who has not entered the race yet). But American's will have the final choice, and surely we will not be fooled.  We must re-elect President Obama.

Rick Perry!!!

All excited about Rick Perry? Here in Alabama he created a stir when he breezed in and made a speech and then won the straw pole for the state Republicans.

Of course, in many cases, serpent can come in, make a fancy presentation, and win over the hearts and minds. Look what happened in the Garden of Eden.

And you may not recognize him as such, but Rick Perry is a serpent as well. No offense to my slithering friends (I sort of like snakes), but lets look at some facts.

He has a horrible record on the environment, as this Washington Post article shows us.

He "prays daily" for the EPA to fail, and has filed a lawsuit against them. He (and many Republicans) don't give a rat's hiney about the environment. Not if it interferes with drilling and spilling. I mean, he did make the claim that the Gulf oil spill was "an act of God." In other words, hating the Environmental Protection Agency, and claiming that a man made disaster is an act of God gives license to call anything that happens an act of God and release his or his cronies from responsibility of what might happen under their leadership.

I'll highlight a few other things here that Perry might not be so proud of, from Think Progress.

Rick Perry wants to do away with Medicaid and Social Security, or at least let states drop out of the social programs.

Rick Perry wants to do away with Federal Income Tax (from his book).

Rick Perry cut child services by $10 billion even though 1 in 4 Texas children lives in poverty.

Rick Perry wants to re-criminalize sodomy and advocated keeping the law on the Texas books even after the US Supreme Court ("nine oligarchs in robes") struck it down.

Rick Perry is a (this is where the slithering comes in) hypocrite that accepted billions of dollars in Federal stimulus money to balance the budget in Texas and fund highway projects, while criticizing the recovery program, saying that "we (Texas) can take care of ourselves." Sneaky snake.

Rick Perry says Texas might need to secede from the Union.

Rick Perry lies (more snake like activity) saying that Texas has "the best health care in the country." Texas also has the nation's highest uninsured rate. More than 25% of Texans lack health insurance, as opposed to a national average of 15.4%. Is that the "best health care?"

Rick Perry has that "I'm better than you" type of handshake/greeting and smirk, that is too, too much reminiscent of George W. Bush.





Ugh! Texas smug.

But listen, Perry and several of the other Republican candidates for president want to turn our country into a theocracy, but the majority of Americans recognize the separation of church and state. Perry even believes that God has "anointed him" to run (and if he wins, God will have anointed him President too, I'm sure).

Let's hope the majority of Americans also recognize the danger of electing this man as president.

I'm in

Barack Obama is the first candidate of either party to make it official.




I'm like Ed. I don't agree with everything Obama has done. In fact, some of my important issues got brushed aside while the president dealt with the mess he inherited.

I'm already convinced that Obama will be next to impossible to beat in 2012, and shared poll results in January to back me up.

But since January, as we have seen what the Republicans in congress want to do, it is absolutely necessary that Obama keeps the White House. And along with this, Democrats need to regain the house. But this is about the presidency.

There will be plenty of time to look at the issues (environment, energy, LGBT rights, wars, economy) over the next year and a half. But right now, it's just about the candidates.

Let's look at some of the competition, even though none of these potential candidates has made it official.

Donald Trump has only one issue - being top birther. In 2009 we all saw Obama's birth certificate and I wrote a newspaper column about it. Surely Trump does not really believe that Obama was not born in the United States. He needs to pay more attention to Bessemer Opinions.

Newt Gingrich has had too many wives and too many affairs.

Sarah Palin can see Alaska from her porch, (and Canada).

Michele Bachmann has made so many crazy statements and come up with so many goofy ideas that only the most far out Americans would ever want her to lead the country.

Mitt Romney is a Mormon and even though that in itself should not make a difference, Americans might be wary of a president that is against coffee and hot tea (among other things).

Mike Huckabee is a dominionist, and that alone should scare the wits out of you.

But even if the Republicans could come up with a decent conservative candidate, I think after seeing the agenda of the Republicans in congress that most Americans will reject their slash and burn type of government and will want to remain with the cool and calm Obama that has guided us through the storm.



So I'm in. Are you? Visit the Obama 2012 web site.

As I said before, this campaign season is going to be enjoyable and entertaining.

Debate Winner

The winner of last night's presidential debate was Joe the Plumber (for a while he had his own Wikipedia page, now it's redirected to that link).

So let's see what the polls say. Again, call-in and text-in polls don't count. Scientific polls do.

CNN Obama 58 McCain 31

CBS Obama 53 McCain 22

Insider Advantage Obama 49 McCain 46

All that adds up to no gain for McCain.

The hardest thing to believe is that there are still people who are undecided as to who they will vote for. What does it take?

Anyway, this morning Joe the writer is about to become Joe the wallpaper stripper/painter. Let's get busy.

Camellias, a Bessemer video and a Quiz

I asked a couple of days ago if it is Spring? and I know it is not. The Camellias are blooming, and most don't bloom in the Spring, they bloom in the Winter. How refreshing to walk out on a cold morning and find these (providing the temps haven't dipped too far below freezing). I remember when growing up in Vestavia that on Comer Circle there was a yard where on occasion a bush (shrub, not a president) was wrapped in a sheet. Mom explained that it was a camellia. Of course, as I have reminded you before, it is our non native state flower.

And I said I would let you know when the camellia show is at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and I didn't do it. The show was this past weekend. Sorry. To make up, just a little for it, I will provide a camellia show here, of the ones blooming in the yard.

After the pictures you will find a video about Bessemer and a quiz.







This video was posted by photographer Larry O. Gay, who many of us know.



This quiz was in The New Yorker Shouts and Murmurs.

It is great. Thanks Paul Slansky.

SHOUTS & MURMURS Changes A 2008 Campaign Quiz. by Paul Slansky

1
1. Who is Michael Palladino?

(a) One of two young men who interrupted a speech by Hillary Clinton by yelling, “Iron my shirt! Iron my shirt!”

(b) The aide to Barack Obama who was shoved by Bill O’Reilly at a rally.

(c) The adviser to Fred Thompson’s campaign who turned out to have been convicted of cocaine trafficking.

(d) The boxer who hosted a Nevada Obama event and who had been convicted of battery.

(e) The New York City police detective who scoffed at Rudolph Giuliani’s claim to have been “at Ground Zero as often as, if not more than, most of the workers.”

(f) The formerly gay gospel singer who advocates “curing” homosexuality with prayer, and whose performance at Obama-sponsored concerts upset gays and liberals.
2
2. What did Bill Clinton call a “fairy tale”?

(a) Mike Huckabee’s contention that gay marriage would lead to increased bestiality.

(b) Obama’s claim that he has consistently opposed the Iraq war from the beginning.

(c) Mitt Romney’s positive remarks about Hitler’s scientific achievement in creating “liquefied coal.”

(d) Chuck Norris’s endorsement of Huckabee on the ground that he is “not afraid to stand up for a Creator.”

(e) The report that Obama and Dick Cheney might be distant cousins, which prompted Obama to remark, “He’s the black sheep of the family.”

(f) The suggestion by David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, that Hillary Clinton bore some responsibility for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
3
3. True or false: When the Clinton camp was mocked for its efforts to turn a kindergarten essay written by Obama into a reason not to vote for him, campaign officials claimed that the press release had been intended as “a joke.”

(a) True.

(b) False.
4
4. Three of these statements refer to Fred Thompson. Choose the one that refers to Mitt Romney.

(a) He asked an unresponsive audience, “Can I have some applause?”

(b) He referred to Russia as the “Soviet Union,” which it stopped being seventeen years ago.

(c) He said, “Some people have said we ought to close Guantánamo. My view is we ought to double Guantánamo.”

(d) He avoided a question about the Terri Schiavo controversy by saying, “That’s going back in history. I don’t remember the details of it.”
5
5. Wayne Dumond is to Mike Huckabee as ________ is to Mike Dukakis.

(a) Willie Horton

(b) John Kerry

(c) John Sasso
6
6. Who is Marianne Pernold Young?

(a) The Iowa college student planted in the audience by the Clinton campaign to ask the candidate a question that she was eager to answer.

(b) The CNN reporter whom Bill Clinton scolded by saying, “This is what you live for,” after she asked him to comment on a former supporter’s observation that the Clintons’ distortion of Obama’s record is “reprehensible.”

(c) The New Hampshire photographer who asked Hillary Clinton the question that made her choke up.

(d) The CBS newswoman who asked Elizabeth Kucinich, “Would you remove [your tongue stud] if you became First Lady, or leave it in?”

(e) The owner of the landscaping company that employed illegal immigrants to mow Romney’s lawn, prompting accusations that he lives in a “sanctuary mansion.”
7
7. Two of these statements refer to John McCain. Choose the one that refers to Ron Paul.

(a) When a supporter, referring to Hillary Clinton, asked, “How do we beat the bitch?” he replied, “That’s an excellent question.”

(b) He said that he would “prefer” a Christian president to a Muslim one.

(c) He voted against giving the Congressional Medal of Honor to Rosa Parks.
8
8. True or false: An hour after attacking Barack Obama’s voting record on “Meet the Press,” Hillary Clinton appeared at a black church and declared herself to be “so proud” of him.

(a) True.

(b) False.
9
9. Who said of MoveOn.org’s “General Betray Us” ad, “It passed a line that we should not allow American political organizations to pass”—Mike Huckabee or Rudy Giuliani?

(a) Rudy Giuliani.

(b) Mike Huckabee.
10
10. Who, when asked about financial disclosures, said, “I’m not doing more than what is absolutely required”?

(a) Rudy Giuliani.

(b) Mike Huckabee.
11
11. Who asked, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the Devil are brothers?”

(a) Rudy Giuliani.

(b) Mike Huckabee.
12
12.Who said, “Most of our prisoners would love to be in a facility more like Guantánamo”?

(a) Rudy Giuliani.

(b) Mike Huckabee.
13
13. Who scoffed at the notion that sleep deprivation is torture, saying, “On that theory, I’m getting tortured running for President of the United States. That’s plain silly”?

(a) Rudy Giuliani.

(b) Mike Huckabee.
14
14. Who turned up on Outdoor Life’s list of the twenty-five most influential people in hunting and fishing?

(a) Rudy Giuliani.

(b) Mike Huckabee.
15
15. Of whom was it written that “[His] Nixonian soul comes bearing the face of a particularly cruel Renaissance cardinal”?

(a) Rudy Giuliani.

(b) Mike Huckabee.
16
16.Ten years ago, whose son was allegedly involved in the hanging of a dog while at Boy Scout camp?

(a) Rudy Giuliani.

(b) Mike Huckabee.
17
17. Who is James Clyburn?

(a) The Clinton campaign official who resigned after raising the issue of Obama’s youthful drug use.

(b) The Georgia congressman who said that Obama is “no Martin Luther King.”

(c) The Clinton adviser who said that Obama appeals to voters who want an “imaginary hip black friend.”

(d) The South Carolina congressman who told Bill Clinton to “chill a little bit” with the race-baiting.

(e) The Obama press secretary who took the blame for a memo cataloguing race-related verbal gaffes by the Clintons and their supporters.

(f) The indicted Chicago slumlord to whom Obama returned more than forty thousand dollars in contributions.
18
18. Who said, “Americans are looking for a change”?

(a) Barack Obama.

(b) Mike Huckabee.

(c) Mitt Romney.

(d) John Edwards.
19
19. Who said, “Our time for change has come”?

(a) Barack Obama.

(b) Mike Huckabee.

(c) Mitt Romney.

(d) John Edwards.
20
20. Who said, “I believe deeply in change”?

(a) Barack Obama.

(b) John McCain.

(c) Bill Richardson.

(d) John Edwards.
21
21. Who said, “Look, what we need is change, there’s no question”?

(a) Barack Obama.

(b) John McCain.

(c) Bill Richardson.

(d) John Edwards.
22
22. Who said, “I know that I have been an agent of change”?

(a) Barack Obama.

(b) John McCain.

(c) Hillary Clinton.

(d) Mitt Romney.
23
23. Who said, “I want to make change but I’ve already made change. I will continue to make change. . . . I embody change”?

(a) Barack Obama.

(b) Mike Huckabee.

(c) Hillary Clinton.

(d) Mitt Romney.
24
24. Who said, “Not only can I talk change with you, I’ve lived it”?

(a) Barack Obama.

(b) Mike Huckabee.

(c) Hillary Clinton.

(d) Mitt Romney.
25
25. Who said, “We don’t mention September 11th nearly as much as people think”?

(a) Barack Obama.

(b) Mike Huckabee.

(c) John McCain.

(d) Rudy Giuliani.

For the answers you will either have to read the magazine like I did (I got most of them right) or go to the link and take the quiz and submit.

Iowa Caucus Guide for Republicans and Democrats

What is a blogger in Bessemer, Alabama doing giving advice to Iowans as they make their final decisions before Caucus Day on Thursday?

What you do in Iowa affects how Alabamians will vote next month in our primaries. And I do have a connection of sorts. I have a brother who with his family lived in Des Moines for several years, and as an aside, on a visit with my children when they were little kids one summer, we were caught in the middle of a tornado south of Iowa City during which we had to abandon our vehicle and seek safety in a water filled ditch. But that is a story for another day.

From Bessemer Opinions, this can serve as a guide for Iowa caucus participants as they express their preference for president in the upcoming caucus. Key candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties will be given a yea, a nay, or an OK, and a reason.

First the Republicans

Mike Huckabee – Nay. Huckabee has shown himself to be a joke of a candidate. His lack of knowledge regarding foreign affairs is frightening.

Think: NIE blunder and Iran nuclear program.

Think: Comments regarding immigrants from Pakistan after the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

His comments regarding HIV and quarantine are demeaning and show that when he made those remarks he had a complete misunderstanding of the knowledge that was current at the time.

His latest antic, calling a press conference to “show” his “negative ad” before claiming to be above such, then telling the media he will show it to them but not release it is just the strangest thing any candidate has done. Trying to put negative information out and…, or rather trying to get the media to do it for you is low and deceitful. We do not want this uninformed, deceitful man as president.

Mitt Romney - Nay. Romney is the prince of flip flop, as his changing positions on a woman’s choice and gay rights confirms. Whatever position gets him the votes he thinks he needs to win is the position he will take on an issue.

Rudy Giuliani – Nay. This man, after the first attack on the World Trade Center, moved emergency operations in to the buildings. That shows how much sense he has. Listen to what the firefighters of New York are saying. Giuliani wanted to “scoop up and dump” debris from the Trade Centers. This “debris” contained the remains of firefighters and others who were killed in the attack.
Here is the story on Fox News. In addition there is this: “Meanwhile America's mayor Rudy Giuliani is trying to figure out how to explain to the Christian Conservatives why he lived with two gay men, and why he married his second cousin Regina Peruggi and about being pro-choice.” (From the Archives ) .

Wait, I spent this much time thinking about what to say about Giuliani and he is not even campaigning in Iowa? What a waste of my time…and yours.

Fred Thompson – Nay. Is this guy even awake? Reagan slept through half his presidency, but at least he was awake during the campaign. Nothing about this man seems presidential.

John McCain - Nay. McCain is a hero to our country, but he is not presidential material. Plus he is too old. I am not one to discriminate based on age (I’m a 53 year old college student, after all) but I think we need a president who is not approaching the average life expectancy for someone his age. If that seems cold, sorry. McCain missed his chance in 2000.

Ron Paul – OK. Ron Paul makes the most sense of all the Republicans, especially when he is talking about the war or about corporate fascism and the military industrial complex that runs this country. But his solution to federal tyranny is giving control of issues like protecting rights and liberties over to individual states and this reeks of the racist cries of “states' rights” that we heard in the south over the years. Change that “OK” to a “Nay.”


Democrats

Barack Obama – Nay. Obama would make a fine president but lacks experience in dealing with foreign policy, and would require some on the job training. In addition while he probably is as gay friendly as any democratic candidate, he is too close to his homophobic pastor, and his South Carolina gay...anti-gay tour episode really lost favor among the community of those who believe all people were created equal. Remember what the Declaration of Independence says: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Hillary Clinton – Yea. It is no secret that I am a Hillary Clinton supporter. She has the experience and the knowledge and skills to become an effective president, and she is ready now and will not need on the job training. She is strong on defense, yet realizes we need to change course in Iraq. She understands that the focus should be in Afghanistan. She has a winning health care policy as well as progressive environmental policies. Plus she comes with someone who has White House experience who will give her worlds of advice – Chelsea Clinton. Chelsea is 27 years old and just a few years older than my daughter, and I am sure she is full of advice for both of her parents.

But Senator Clinton as President Clinton would not rely on her daughter or her husband for advice on running the country. Hillary is intelligent enough to lead the country on her on, but also smart enough to surround herself with quality advisors.

This is very important. Hillary Clinton, among all the candidates of both parties, will be able to restore our standing in the world in less time than any of the others. First we have to regain the trust of the leaders of other countries, and only then can we begin to regain their respect. And with respect comes leadership, and only then will we be able to regain that position in the world that we lost soon after 9-11.

A vote for Hilary Clinton is a vote for a secure, sound America that treats all of its citizens with respect and dignity, and an America that respects science and the environment as well.

And maybe she will choose General Wesley Clark as vice president candidate. Wouldn’t that be nice?

John Edwards – Nay. Edwards would make a good president but I don’t think he generates the excitement necessary to win the race in November. His experience does not begin to compare with Clinton’s and his negativity in the debates turned me off.

Bill Richardson – OK. Richardson has plenty of experience, both with domestic issues and in dealing with foreign policy. In addition his role as a successful governor shows that he has leadership qualities that are required to head an executive branch of government. However Richardson did give a weird answer at the so called “gay debate” when asked whether homosexuality is a choice or not. See video here Video from the debate . Some of the video here does show that he has an impressive gay record as governor, though. But again, Richardson does not generate the excitement in the party to get him elected. But look for him in the administration.

Dennis Kucinich – Nay. Kucinich has a role, but unfortunately being president is not in the cards for him. It’s too bad, because he does make sense at times, especially when he is not talking about UFO’s and Shirley McLain.

So, Iowans, your big day is almost here. Make your choice wisely, and make those of us in the rest of the country proud.

Dems Take Control...and Candidate's Faith

There are polls and lists and surveys…everybody tries to find ways to compartmentalize people or rate people, and when it comes to politicians, there is no exception.

So last week’s list of the Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill just adds more floof to the political arena. I mean, we all know that a good looking candidate has a better chance of being elected than an, er, ugly one (we won’t talk about my loss in the city council race here). But back to the list. I was a little disappointed that the list includes staffers as well as elected officials. Who cares? I was hoping that there were at least 50 elected officials considered attractive enough to make such a list, but no.

But of interest, Democrats far outnumber Republicans on the list. Part of that may be that there are many more Democrats in Washington now to choose from. Or, maybe the compilers of the list had a difficult time seeing underlying attractiveness through the ugly policy that Republicans cling to.


Anyway, the Most Beautiful person is Representative Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, and the next elected official on the list is number 4 Nancy Pelosi, both Democrats, of course. Many people had lots to say about a 67 year old grandmother being the best looking woman in congress, most of which I won’t repeat here. In fact all of which I won’t repeat here.


So Democrats control the House and the Senate, and now the Most Beautiful list (both male and female). What more can we ask for? How about the White House?






But when it comes to presidential candidates people aren’t comparing their looks much except to discuss Hillary’s cleavage or Romney’s hair (Boston Globe), neither of which impress me, but they are talking about faith. Seventeen presidential candidates’ (including Fred Thompson and excluding Mike Gravel) religious affiliations are listed in today’s Birmingham News . Catholics (7 total, 4 democrats, 3 republicans) far outnumber the rest, with Baptist coming in second (4 republicans). In addition, there are 2 Methodists (Dems), 1 each of Church of Christ (Dem), Episcopalian (Repub), Presbyterian (Repub), and Mormon (Repub).

I am not at all surprised that all the Baptist candidates are Republican. But I would have thought that Catholics would be more likely to fall on the Republican side with the Baptists. And I would have thought the Presbyterians and Episcopalians would land on the Democrat’s side. Not the candidates, of course, just the denominations, which are a little bit progressive.

This just goes to show that religious affiliation is no great predictor of party affiliation among candidates, and among voters the same is true. Even among Baptists, there are voters who are so disgusted with the republican leadership and who are realizing that things such as the environment are important so are more likely to vote democratic than they were in the past. Even in Alabama, where the democratic candidate could carry the state for the fist time in decades. It could happen! Just wait.