Where are we as a nation now that the 2012 Presidential campaign is almost over?

Where are we as a nation now that the 2012 Presidential campaign is almost over?

We, as a divided political nation are about one Social Network post away from delusional madness, because if there’s one thing for certain, this campaign has proved; the partisan divide has widened, people have lost the ability to talk in a calm mature manner, and people will post whatever no matter the content just to get someone enraged.

As technology grows and more avenues open for people to voice their political opinion, the more distant the civility horizon becomes. We are at the moment in time when simple disagreement once was to just walk away, not now, nope we now must badger and poke further to make sure one gets the final word no matter what it may be without regard of the verbal opponent. “Keyboard bravery” or “Keyboard strong” has become this decade’s version of writing on the bathroom stall.

Yes, it’s easy to stand tall from a mouse click away, throw verbal abuse after verbal abuse to another, and then block them when the battle obviously has been lost.

I’ve been on discussion boards and been through these battles, only to be the one blocked by my adversary. I fight my political discussion board battles clean, I try to steer away from name calling and lead the opponent further into their thought.

It’s a game, yet when the opponent obviously sticks to one side of the argument, frustration sets in for them. Capital letters, misspelling, curse words galore, and quoting one’s IQ makes them all the more game for fun until you call them “cupcake” and they block you from seeing any more posts.

So bad is the divide, “people” of some sort feel it’s necessary to warn everyone that if Obama loses the election there will be rioting of a National “Rodney King” magnitude. And yes, I’ve heard Media report, been told by family and received messages from people that plan on taking Nov 7 off work and not send their children to school for fear of rioting and violence.

If these “riot” conversations are true, why is Media not attempting to tap down the flames instead of stoking the fire as they are?

So how did we come to this point?

Who pushed the buttons to this point?

It may sound silly but the Media has held our collective hand to this abyss. No one will believe it, because why would Fox or MSNBC not report the truth? It’s called ratings and the adage of “if it bleeds it leads” is a placard on the newsroom wall.

Over the past 4 weeks, the partisan divide has widened due to Punditry Worlds reviews and so-called reporting that one would think they were on a grade school playground listening to their demographics arguing the misleading points.

Until people stop refusing to change the channel and spend time listening to the other side or click to another website to read another view, the divide will widened ever further. It’s come to the point that one must click on Drudge Report to read an article and then find a similar article at Thinkprogress, cut and paste parts of the article to get the complete detail of a story.

Yes Yellow Journalism of the internet age rules the partisanship divide and it seems as the day grows longer is when the vulgarity grows louder and that’s by the pundit host from both walks of political life.

A good ear in a political conversation can tell who listens/reads who in Punditry World, it’s all in the “facts” they use and it’s almost forbidden to add another view or counter “facts” to indulge further thought. Take the ever present argument of the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline.

As the everlasting argument begins “If we drill here, fuel costs will go down, American jobs will be created, and our dependence of foreign oil will dry up,” yet that is mere political talking point banter with Punditry World leading the way.

Simple research, wait, who has time for research when their favorite talker did it for them, right? Wrong.

The original TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline application never guaranteed American jobs in the numbers we’ve been told through Media, as their repeated number seems to grow with each breathe. 500 jobs one week rolls into 1500 jobs the following week and ends up at 20K jobs in the end and it’s that number that gets repeated.

TransCanada’s only mention of jobs in their application mentions “possible 4,000 temporary jobs” and those jobs are sporadic at best from manufacturing and construction. However, half of the manufactured piping and steel used in the construction of the pipeline has already been imported from China and Japan.

Landowners in Texas are forming opposition and filing lawsuits against TransCanada due to shady business practices and the lack of guaranteed American jobs.
Nor had/has TransCanada guaranteed that the oil flowing through the pipeline will be sold in the US to start with.

But, the misleading talking point Punditry World will not discuss those facts and instead argue what has already been voiced.

How bad is the argument over oil and pricing?

When mentioning on a post that Big Oil has pulled out of sending natural gas drilled from the Alaskan North Face to the lower 48 and selling it to Asia instead, many people will defend Big Oil because they can’t point a finger at the current Administration.

Yet, if it were a Republican President, MSNBC’s Ed Shultz would probably be reporting from the North Face tonight, screaming about a piss poor job that fictional president was doing with a mass of Liberals freezing behind him.

If it doesn’t fit ones narrative, it’s easy to argue with limited facts. But who wants to know full facts in an argument?

As long as “we the people” play the snakes to the Media Piper, we’re screwed as a nation, just look over the past 20 years for proof.

That’s it, Slap the Tap, pour me some smooth Black Strap Stout and get off my barstool because the Election Day countdown clock just started and Chris Matthews’ tingly leg meter just spiked.

Cheers!

Town Hall Forum Recap: How To Hold In A Fart On National TV

So after 2 Presidential debates and 1 VP debate what have we learned? Absolutely nothing other than the partisan divide grows larger every day and Punditry World only likes the moderators when they work in their favor.


As Media outlets restarted their debate def-com countdown clocks on Tuesday morning, the parade of partisan wonks lined the sidewalks of Hofstra University, drank their kool-aid and counted the timing of tingly spasms in Chris Matthews’ leg.

I, however, was more worried about which Presidential debate drinking game to follow for the night and what insightful comedic commentary would ensue on my Facebook & Twitter pages.

One of the biggest questions for the night on Social Media wasn’t if O’Barry would show up or of Willard raided Barry Manilow’s closet, but where the hell did these 80 “Undecided” voters come from and did they take the “pinky swear of death” to verify such?

Have no fear because since 1992 the Commission for Presidential Debate has contracted the Gallup Organization to survey and use Jedi mind tricks to probe prospective undecided individuals of their political bias to sit in a stuffy auditorium and act as if they are holding in a fart while attending Sunday Mass.

So for 90 grueling nauseating minutes of interruptions, stare down contests, zingers, laughs and political mythology, we still received no answers and felt pity for those 80 “undecided” souls.

Yes, both candidates bickered about the other’s IKEA instructional plans on how to fix our economy using their MacGyver survival booklet.

In the previous Presidential debate, Willard talked about his “12 million” jobs plan that somehow became discounted during the VP debate by running mate Paul Ryan to “7 million” jobs, yet returned to the original “12 million” for this Presidential debate. Did you get all that, because Punditry World missed it.

So how does the plan roller coaster, well it seems Ryan’s statement is correct and here’s how: Willard’s numeric wizardry involves numbers provided by economists.

Economists projected future jobs forecast tells us that 3 million jobs will be added over the next 4 years with today’s current economic climate and that 2 million jobs will return to the manufacturing sector thanks to the Chinese Intellectual Property lawsuit.

Willard’s plan actually calls for 7 million jobs created, not the 12 million he’s been fibbing about. Yet, like most politicians, simple math only adds up to what they want us to believe, however, my 1st grader can tell Willard that 3+2+7= 12 (million).

But that’s just math, Punditry World and constituents don’t care how the number comes about, they only like a solid even number.

Have no fear, because O’Barry’s jobs creation plan follows Willard’s, but he’s only looks at the 5 million over 4 years, relying heavily on the return of manufacturing from China. Tada!

The large misconception that Punditry World and the lemmings care for talking about was over the term “Terror” and the Benghazi consulate attack.

We’ve seen the replay from Fox to MSNBC to the Daily Show, everyone has interpreted what really transpired between Crowley, Willard, and O’Barry in retrospect to what was said, how it was said, and when it was said by the President in the Rose Garden concerning the Benghazi consulate attack.

O’Barry stated that “the day after the attack, I stood in the Rose garden, and I told the American people, the world that we are going to find out exactly what happened, that this was an act of terror.”

That is factually true, so point to O’Barry, but Willard wouldn’t let him off the hook and kept pressing that it took O’Barry 14 days to announce the Benghazi consulate attack as terrorism.

What everyone should be focusing on is when Willard kept pressing and O’Barry called for Crowley to “get the script.”

Per the transcripts, Crowley stated, “He did call it an act of terror. It did as well take — it did as well take two weeks or so for the whole idea of there being a riot out there about this tape to come out. You are correct about that.”

This is what many have missed. Crowley actually backed up both O’Barry and Willard in her answer.

The other question is how did Crowley produce one upon request?

This all leads into what a sham this Town Hall forum actually was, from Gallup to Crowley to the staged antics and everyone screaming on social Networks as to who actually won the debate.

My final count for the Presidential Debate drinking game was:
Willard- 18 bottles
O'Barry- 15 bottles

Good thing I recycle.

In the end, it’s another draw between campaigns with Willard having one decided victory and the sigh we heard at the end of this shameful forum was from the so-called “undecided” voters unclenching their butt cheeks in relief.

However, the lemmings will believe their guy won hands down beause their favorite Punditry World talker said so.

That’s it, slap the tap on some frosty cold Oban Bay Kilt Lifter and pass the Animal Crackers. Cheers!

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/us/politics/transcript-of-the-second-presidential-debate-in-hempstead-ny.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/Decoder-Wire/2012/1018/Presidential-debate-101-When-did-Obama-label-Libya-attack-terror
http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-romney-town-hall-debate-how-voters-were-selected-2012-10
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/10/secret-debate-rules-obama-and-romney-agreed/57974/
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/August/12-civ-1036.html

VP Debate Reaction: The lost footage of "Up" sums it up

As Democrats wallowed in an emotional abyss for a week as their leader, O'Barry, gave one of the most pitiful unemotional detached presidential debate performances of modern history the previous week, Republicans danced with glee upon his political grave.



But somewhere in Danville, KY, a man was placed in hiding, stood in front of a mirror and repeated to himself “who’s got 2 thumbs, great set of teeth and doesn’t give a f*ck? This guy, Joe Biden.”

That’s right, the plight of the Democratic Party presidential survival stood on the shoulders of the human gaffe-laugh track, VP Joe Biden. And amazingly, after one debate a party’s political emotional abyss turned into rainbows and unicorns.

As I mocked, laughed and cursed while watching the debate and gave commentary on Social Networking, I was shocked by other comments attacking Biden. Don’t these people know who this guy is?

I guess not, because if they did they would’ve known that this is the real Joe Biden; arrogant, smirky, obnoxious, and asshole-ish to the highest degree. And the Democratic Party needed him and he knew it.

But as Democrats waited for their hero to emerge, the Republicans danced with glee for a week, mocking Biden, Pres O’Barry for his poor performance and even though they wouldn’t say it, they were acting as if they had the Chris Matthews’ “tingly leg syndrome” after Romney’s performance.

To the Conservative cheerleaders of Hannity, Malkin, Coulter, and a few FOX News anchors, O’Barry’s 2nd term was dead.

I watched the VP debate with anticipated interest, not because of Biden, but because I wanted to see how Congressman, err I mean, Mr. Ryan would perform. And by my best estimation, Mr. Ryan performed extremely well on the national stage.

Why did I correct myself and call him Mr. Ryan? Well that’s because that was one of the agreed upon requirements by the Commission of Presidential Debate with both campaigns.

Yes there is such a commission and the reasoning behind the salutation of “Mr.” instead of “Congressman” was due to the very low Congressional approval ratings and the Romney campaign did not want to associate Ryan with Congress.

As I said, I was pleased with Ryan’s performance as many in Con-Punditry World should be, however as they did somberly praise Ryan, they spent more time attacking Biden for his “Un-Vice Presidential” antics in front of the cameras during their after show.

They too forgot who Joe Biden really is.

The complaints about Biden’s performance from the Conservative Right’s cheerleading section shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, it’s a given. Hell, there should be a drinking game for the after debate talk shows.

Biden’s theatrics during the debate was nauseating at times and other times I was left wondering if he would blow a blood vessel as he interrupted Ryan like a runaway steamroller.

Ryan, held his own, stayed calm, seemed flustered to start the debate but reigned himself in and stayed strong with his dreamy-eye angelic school boy charm.

One must be thick skinned to be a VP, as historical their presence is nothing but a shadow behind the president. Dick Cheney is the modern day exception to the rule, yet was the model for the Biden choice over the popular Hillary Clinton.

Both Biden and Ryan attacked policy, both domestic and foreign, with flair, intrigue and fact. Well as some stated on my FB page “Biden's truth and facts are his and his alone" can justly be said of Ryan as well.

As Biden pushed Ryan to further the Romney tax policy, Ryan towed the campaign line and pushed the "6 Economic Studies" theory that agree with their plan. And this is where Biden failed.

Biden needed to address these "studies" as pure fiction because they are not studies but op-ed pieces that ranged from The Wall Street Journal to The Heritage Foundation from partisan Conservative media.

As the bickering leaped to Afghanistan, Biden's forward thinking of "we need to leave as they need to survive on their own" as well as "they, as well as our allies, want us out" was followed up with Ryan talking about "we need to stay there as long as necessary as they need to us to survive" thought made me wonder "should we consider Afghanistan as part of the 47%, leeches and moochers that need US government funding?"

When Ryan attacked the idea of higher taxes for the wealthy and small business, I am not positive, but I believed Ryan may have slipped when he stated "if everyone paid income taxes last year, including successful small business doubled their income taxes this year we'd have a deficit of $300 billion dollar deficit."

As my Twitter feed exploded and my running commentary on Facebook gave me blisters, the joy of many or was that delusion, of the decided victor is left to them alone.

Last I saw, the current U.S. deficit was around the $1.4 trillion mark.

Personally, I'm calling the debate a draw as both men gave vehement and valid responses. However, people will turn to the Polls to determine who the debate, it just depends on what Poll one believes in.

As I mention often, I hate Polls, because I disagree with them. Yes, I disagree with them in that polling 200 people within moments after a debate or event does not speak for 300+ million of this nation.

Please leave the poles to strippers and firemen.

One of the best after show comments placed on my Facebook page was "it looked like the polite, young, middle aged son having a conversation with his confused father in a nursing home"

That’s it, Slap the tap on a frosty cold Alimony Ale, refill the Cheeto’s bowl and here’s hoping this election cycle ends quickly because the Pundit Media is already looking towards 2016.

Cheers!

Presidential Debate Schedule: Please return to your regularly scheduled program

What the hell was the Commission on Presidential debates thinking when it created the Presidential and Vice Presidential debate schedule?

Did they not consult the TV Guide as to what is more important to the American viewer because these debates are messing with DVR scheduled recordings?

These debates are going to interfere with my regularly scheduled programming. Its worse enough that CBS makes me have to wait 30 minutes later on a Sunday night to watch the Amazing Race, but this is inexcusable.

Quick, call Alex Jones over at Infowars.com; I smell a conspiracy of political indoctrination by both Republicans and Democrats alike. But now they are going to make me choose between watching the VP debate Biden vs. Ryan or the Steelers vs. Titans this Thursday. Have they no shame? Don’t they know my fantasy football team depends on this game?

As my 6 year old half-pint bodyguard, ConJay, likes to say “Geez Louise!”

This Presidential Debate schedule is a boondoggle for the politico and sports fan like me, because sports will win 85% of the time, especially when it comes to football, any rank of football.

As we look at the only VP debate, the punditry and their minions are near orgasmic blindness waiting for this debate. I’m positive the debate will garner high ratings, as Con-talk radio has been promoting it as “the Biden Gaffe hour.” It’s more likely to be compared to watching an episode of the Munsters; Eddie vs. Grandpa, minus Cousin It.



But the VP debate is not a ratings juggernaut by any means, it’s more like Olympic Handball, very little viewership. Ratings history shows that during the time slot for such debate, Networks average 15% of viewers; only Bush vs. Ferraro and Biden vs. Palin have racked up 23% of the viewers.

Not only does Biden/Ryan have to contend with NFL’s Steelers/Titans game, it also has ESPN Arizona State/Colorado and of course the season finale of Project Runway.

Hell even the rerun of Jersey Shore scheduled in this time slot will receive higher ratings.

Many Americans get pretty uptight when their regular scheduled program is pre-empted by some “special” or news program. It’s not like students at WVU are burning couches in the streets at the end of a political debate. But then again, it’s WVU and they’d burn a couch if they won a game of checkers.

But the rest of debate schedule has larger issues coming up.

The next Pres debate is scheduled for Oct 16. To me, the Town Hall forum is the best of the three as the candidates get to walk around the stage and receive questions from the audience. This is the style of debate that helped Clinton in ’92 win the presidency because it showed his “true” likability factor.

But on this day, the debate will have to contend with Major League Baseball’s ALCS Game #3. Well not the game itself, but the ratings as more people will be betting on the game then betting on whether or not O’Barry will stage a comeback.

And by skipping down the TV Guide to the final debate on Monday, October 22, the debate will have to fight over the NFL’s Bears/Lions on ESPN, a possible MLB NLCS Game #7 on WTBS and WWE Raw on USA!

However, thank the Network gods that the Oct 22 debate is scheduled for 9pm, because we don’t want to interrupt the brain numbing shows of Dancing with the Stars, The Voice and X Factor, all major money makers for the networks, but part of the reason of social decay as we know it.

Could you imagine the outcry from the masses if they miss an episode of one of the above shows, it would be equal to that of the Granny brigade when Young and the Restless is preempted for some odd reason. Never piss off grammas!

Just look at the conspiracy back in May 2011 when Navy SEALS captured and killed America's enemy #1, Osama bin Laden, and NBC interrupted the last 15 minutes of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice.

Viewers were livid and cried outrageous conspiratorial expletives at their flat screens all because they believed Pres Obama held a grudge against America’s favorite promotional whore Trump in the release of Obama’s birth certificate.

Yes, let’s hold off on capturing America's enemy #1 till 945pm eastern standard time so we can interrupt a two bit hack giving 3rd rate celebrities some relevance to their has been careers. Kudos to you Pres Obama, checkmate.

But that’s how we are these days, short sighted and narrow minded in a “me me” generation.

In 1980, when Cable was still in its infancy and roof top antennae stretched across the suburban sky, roughly 80 million Americans watched the only debate between Pres Jimmy Carter and GOP candidate Ronald Reagan. No one complained that they were missing an episode of the Love Boat!

Fast forward to today and see how our lives have been manipulated by Cable TV and modern technology. Just look around, wherever you may be and you’ll see Android and I Phones being pecked at or an I Pad or two being flicked or a laptop being plugged in to keep up with Social Media and their favorite websites.

And Lord forbid anyone at anytime try to make actual conversation with another with actual eye contact, let alone have a respectful conversation about politics.

Contrary to my ramblings during the debates on my Twitter and Facebook pages, I actually enjoy watching the debates, alone. And out there, somewhere some geeky pimply face kid has just become the latest millionaire by creating a politicalmatchmaker.com website for the masses, because no one wants to see what happens when a Liberal and Conservative get together for a one night stand.

Wait that sounds like an awesome premise for a new Reality TV Show, quick get me Trump’s number.

That’s it, Slap the Tap on another Guinness and return to your regularly scheduled programming

Cheers!

Twitter: #bigpopapolitics
Facebook: todd Kelly (bigpoppapolitics)

1st Pres Debate Reaction: Who da’ thunk Big Bird was an Enemy of the State

In the first Presidential debate of 2012, President Obama spent too much time trying not to say “George W Bush” and leading Willard Romney into questions for specific policy information. By leading Willard to proverbial “water” got kicked in the balls and there is no way the Liberal Pundits can spin it to favor the president.

And with that said, it’s time for me to have fun and tell O’Barry what he should’ve responded before I drive to the White House, slap him around and give him debate pointers.

First of all, fire John Kerry as your practice partner. What the hell were the two of you doing in Nevada, wind surfing in the desert?

No wonder you looked drab, tired and unconscious during the debate, John Kerry can suck the life from anything under the sun. Where was the O’Barry enthusiasm we saw at the DNC Convention a few weeks ago?

Secondly, let’s talk the debate, O’Barry you simply sucked.

O’Barry lacked any sort of appeal and cemented the notion that he’s only as good as the teleprompter in front of him. What happened to the “Great Orator?” Instead O’Barry looked like a sweaty pimply faced 4th grader trying to do a book report on a book you never read!

O’Barry’s fight, ambition and futile rebuttals were pathetically trumped by Willard before he finished the sentence.

Willard said he likes part of the Affordable Care Act, the rebuttal should’ve been about how there’s very little difference between the two of them and how it was former Romney advisers that modeled the creation of the Affordable Care Act.

And if Willard likes parts of the Affordable Care Act so much, why change it?

Willard talked about how he did not raise taxes in Massachusetts to pay for “Romneycare.” Immediately O’Barry’s response should’ve been “Correct, you worked with a Democratic legislation but raised many fees and license application costs in the process to offset cost.”

Let’s see in Willard’s first 2 years as Mass Governor, he and the Dem Legislature raised close to $350 million by raising fees on such things as Marriage License ($4 to $50), Mortgage Recording fees ($36 to $158) and even Firearms Registration fees ($25 to $75), plus adding fees to services that were once free.

Willard mentioned “firing Big Bird and ending federal funding of PBS” and the appropriate O’Barry response should’ve been about how Sesame Street, as well as PBS, has helped educate children for decades from all economic levels. Sure, slyly interjecting the “47%” into the conversation by using Sesame Street or note that Federal funding of the Public Broadcasting System costs $1.35 per taxpayer, less than a large McDonald’s latte!

Willard gave us the “5 point plan” idea of 12 million jobs, energy independence, and yadda yadda yadda.

Willard’s example of energy independence of the Keystone XL Pipeline was a fumble that O’Barry failed to pounce on. As I’ve talked many blogs ago, the Keystone XL Pipeline (TransCanada) never promised the amount of jobs the GOP and their pundits keep repeating, nor was there any promise that materials needed were to be crafted and manufactured here either. As a matter of fact, the mountains of pipes laying in Oklahoma right now were imported from Japan and China.

But no, O’Barry, just stood there and doodled in his Blue’s Clues notebook.

On and on Willard went, even introducing how grocery prices have risen under the O’Barry administration and he stood there, lifeless. The door was open to spin this nugget with a zinger and nothing but air escaped his mouth.

Let me answer this one for you O’Barry (as I’ve been doing this entire blog): “Yes, grocery prices have risen for multiple reasons, some out of my control, such as Congress leaving town before even attempting to forum on an Agriculture bill. And then there was the Midwestern drought, I mean seriously, contrary to Rush Limbaugh I can’t control the weather (ZING!).”

Ugh, no wonder I drink when discussing politics.

What O’Barry did do well, give Punditry a treasure trove of missteps and depression pill popping video to dissect and spin.

Yes, the Media spent all day preparing and sparing for the first debate. It was as nauseating as ESPN on Super Bowl Sunday and even more nauseating 24 hours later.

All these Con-talking pundits, like Ann Coulter, that spent weeks whining and crying about having such a despondent candidate in Willard going into the debate are glowingly orgasmic the day after.

Hell even Coulter is talking about Willard as if they regularly have tea and crumpets at the country club.

Meanwhile, Chris Matthews’ tingling feeling in his leg when O’Barry speaks has changed to urinating himself in disbelief during the ultimate meltdown on live TV.

However, the greatest stupidity goes to Current TV chairman Al Gore and his explanation that O’Barry flew in just 2 hours prior to the debate and that the high altitude of Denver caused O’Barry’s vague actions during the debate.

I just want to hold Gore’s head next to the exhaust pipe of a 1978 VW Rabbit diesel because all that clean air he promotes has rotted his brain.

One stupid factoid of the debate comes from MSNBC’s Chuck Todd in that O’Barry had more face time with the American audience as he spoke 500 more words then Willard. Apparently too many meaningless words.

Willard was better prepared and schooled for the debate compared to the sappy O’Barry. Out in Punditry world, some Liberals are using the idea that Willard was a seasoned veteran after going thru months of Primary debates. Or was he?

Let me throw this nugget out for people to chew on.

Since O’Barry likes sports, maybe he purposely failed at Wednesday’s debate to give Willard some over confidence and then at the Open Forum debate in a few weeks becomes “Super Orator” and breaks Willard.

Its ok Liberals, it’s up to Joe Biden to rescue the campaign







That’s it, Slap the tap and pour me a frosty cold Guinness, pass on the Blazin’ Buffalo & Ranch Doritos, and pray that Oscar the Grouch moderates the rest of the debates.
Cheers!