Marco Rubio on Life

Stop Pulling Chris Matthew's Leg

At the Las Vegas GOP Debate, MSNBC political color commentator Chris Matthews got an offbeat question by a puckish conservative journalist asking about his leg.

Matthew's "bromance" with Obama has been on the skids since last October, when Matthews blurted out that the President was getting intellectually lazy.  

Granted, the exchange was amusing but an ambush interview is uncouth. But judging by Matthews reaction after the MRC reporter steps away, Matthews just does not like having his leg pulled by others about his Obama thrill.

Lindsey Graham on Fighting ISIS

CO2 Driven Climate Change Is Not Settled Science

During the first Democrat Debate, Senator Bernie Sanders (Socialist-VT) proclaimed that climate change was America's most pressing National Security threat.  In fact, the unabashedly unreligious Sanders was pleased to praise  Pope Francis' environmental encyclical Laudato Si in order to convince America to do something by giving more money and power to governments and international organizations to combat anthropogenic climate change.

Last week, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, the Sierra Club President Aaron Mair was ill prepared to accept Senator Ted Cruz' scientific point that satellite data has not demonstrated global warming in the last 18 years.  However, if one dares to dissent from the false study claiming that 94% of scientists agree about global climate change, progressives will unleash an alluvia of bile which rivals the EPA polluting the Animus River.

So much of this environmental alarmism is premised on the notion that anthropogenic climate change is "settled science".  However, Dr. David Evans, a former climate modeler for the Australian Government has found two errors in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change model that significantly skews the IPCC findings.

Dr David Evans: Prime Minister wrong on... by MaribelMansfield

When the physics in the IPCC model is corrected, it seems that CO2 levels have been overestimated by a factor of 10.  Taking this into consideration, CO2 levels have been only 20% of global warming over the last few decades.

So the rush to surrender individual liberty and the Western post industrial way of life as will be discussed during the Paris COP21 Conference on Climate Change in December 2015 might be falsely premised.  Of course, this would not be the first time that international scientists have sought to foist faux data to push for more funding and radical political solutions to address climate change.  Take the now thoroughly discredited  East Anglia hockey stick model. 

Fabian Society Window designed by George Bernard Shaw(1910)
now displayed at the London School of Economics Shaw Library 

It seems like a contemporary progressive tactic to demand emergency action  on flimsy premises which aggregates power in centralized governments (both national and international) at the expense of individual liberty. The irony is that for climate change it is being sold as science but treated like a religion. Before we succumb to Fabian solutions to recast the world, we should rightly discern if that mold is already cracked. 

Aw Huck, Not More Cornpone!

The Democrats held their first Primary "Debate" (more of a candidate forum) at a Las Vegas casino. Most political pundits expected a snoozefest which lays a foundation to a Primary Coronation.

So that Republicans did not totally cede the news cycle to a progressive politics lovefest, a couple of Republican aspirants to the Oval Office took to Twitter to counter-program by chiming in on the process. It was a cheap way to gain attention and get the message out, going over the heads of the established media through the new media.

Donald Trump made headlines with his announcement that he would live tweet the event.  Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) also wanted to get in on the action.  The latter leader's sharing seems to epitomize his campaign thus far--  cornpone slung just to win attention.

Take some of the @GovMikeHuckabee tweets--

They seemed like stale standbys to get some yucks. But unlike Huckabee's two debate performances when he dished out canned ham, it seems that the self nicknamed "Duck Hunter" did actually seem to watch the Democrat Debate.

That being said, Huckabee tried to be funny rather than to score points with his big campaign themes. 


In contrast, Donald Trump tried to steal the spotlight by starting with his star-appeal schtick thru @realDonaldTrump tweets--

Trump used social media to leverage his message by retweeting others who echoed or enhanced his memes and campaign messaging, whereas Huckabee basically used Twitter as a platform to share his pre-scripted one liners.

However, it looked like Donald Trump was genuinely reacting to the debate.  His social media responses reinforced his campaign messages on immigration, Washington is broken, helping Veterans and Hillary's hypocrisy.

One indication that Trump was not totally rehearsed in his responses is a short missive "Good move by Bernie S." that has no reference point, hash tags or even Twitter handles.  Presumably, this was when Senator Bernie Sanders (Socialist-VT) said: "Enough with the emails already!".

On the one hand, Trump generated excitement with his social media participation in the Democrat Debates with authenticity, branding and passively marketing his message. On the other hand, Huckabee served up more cornpone which were groaners to political pundits but did little to advance his own message via social media.

With the revised qualifications for the CNBC debate, this might be one of the last servings of cornpone and canned ham from the Huckster.


Post Scriptus 10/15:  Governor Huckabee has raised the hackles of #BlackLivesMatter activists on social media for his tweet "I trust @berniesanders with my tax dollars like I trust a North Korean chef with my Labrador" as being racist.  

The Huckabee campaign would not back down from this quip.  In an email, the campaign asserted: "Poor liberals, no sense of humor and no sense of reality.  Leave it to liberals to ignore injustices and atrocities of a totalitarian nation on human beings and put more importance on a nations diet which includes grass clippings and canines. Facts: North Koreans eat dog and Bernie Sanders wants to spend 18 trillion dollars of your money. What's so hard to understand?"

Where these social media activists went awry was claiming that the quip was racist instead of being more canned ham from the Huckster.

Carly Fiorina: "I didn't get a call from Bill Clinton before jumping in the race."

Bobby Jindal on Planned Parenthood

Debating the Debut Debate Details

Fox News will be host the first of the Republican Presidential debates.  Currently there are 17 announced candidates for the Republican nomination. Rather than have a dozen and a half politicos get little more than three minutes on center stage for a “debate”, Fox News announced that it would only host the ten top national candidates based on polling.

This criterion caused a crimp in some candidate’s modus operendi.  Candidates like former Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) can try to use their national fund raising prowess and success to sustain a long primary battle. Whereas insurgent candidates, like Ben Carson or Carly Fiorina, hope that national exposure from being in the GOP debates may spark a surprise early victory and generate a groundswell that leads to the nomination.

Other  credible Republican candidates, however,  may employ other strategies and have different (if unspoken) ultimate goals.  Donald Trump relishes his time in the limelight. It is unclear if Trump is preparing for a sustained primary effort, but Trump’s bluster on illegal aliens combined with the tragic San Francisco killer has made sanctuary cities a real issue in the campaign.

 Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) launched a quixotic campaign for President.  Aside from being Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) “reasonable Republican” sidekick, Graham has little following outside of the Palmetto State.  Nevertheless, with his 32 years of military service along with being on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Graham seemed to be well positioned to be a champion for War Hawks and a voice for a robust military in the primaries.

Graham’s road to success to the nomination would be to make a splash during the debates, catch fire during the early February 20th South Carolina primary then do well during the SEC primaries on March 1st, which includes North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.  That would give Graham a voice at the table in Cleveland.

The Fox News debate rules moot that strategy.  Graham is not in the top ten while publicity phenomenon Donald Trump is.  So Graham has acerbically opined about Fox News rules.

Pretty funny lines, from a reputedly pretty funny guy in private.  But Graham’s Presidential campaign announcement had all of the ardor of an accountant. It is dubious if his political gift is to draw crowds or attract enthusiastic audiences.

Unlike the 2012 cycle, where there were over twenty debates, this time the venues will be fewer and supposedly the GOP will be more careful about the hosts to avoid set ups, like George Stephanopolis’ out of the blue contraception question. So getting on-stage for the big event is vital for a periphery presidential candidate like Graham.

According to the latest poll by The Economist and YouGov.US, Graham only garners 1% and obviously does not make the top ten cut.  What is interesting is former Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) also did not make the prime time debate, despite rabble rousing against the current frontrunner Donald Trump.


At a time when military readiness issues, such as responding to the not yet announced Iran Nuclear Deal and the continued draconian cuts of armed forces personnel, Senator Graham chooses to make his mark by complaining about Fox News debate rules and how Trump is killing the Republican party.  It’s a pity that Lindsey Graham  has shown his lack of leadership skills on issues of crucial importance to his campaign and the country.  If Graham is smart, he would use his time at the “Kiddie Table” to set the table about issues that he his passionate about rather than berate the system.

Bobby Jindal on Radical Islam

In the wake of the Chattanooga terrorist attack, Republican Presidential candidate Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R-LA) had harsh words for the Obama Administration and their inability to admit that radical Islamists are inflicting violence on America. 

Some jaded political pundits perceive Governor Jindal's statements as being calculated comments to draw attention to his fledgling Presidential campaign or even to make the top ten cut for the Fox News opening debate. These analysis are either ignorant of Governor Jindal's hard hitting January 2015 foreign policy speech in London when he criticized Sharia "no go zones", his commitment to protecting religious liberty for persecuted Christians or his evangelical political appeal. 

These Cocktail Party commentators seemingly prefer that people ruminate on whether Caitlyn (ne Bruce) Jenner should have received the ESPY "Courage" award or wiping the Confederate Flag from the Dukes of Hazzard car because of the Charleston church shooting.  Mainstream media commentators like symbolism and ultimately ineffective action rather than dealing with a prickly socio-political problem which regularly costs lives throughout the globe and continues to come to our shores. 

Donald Trump has made a splash on the campaign circuit with his tough talk on America's illegal immigration morass and has rocked up the polls. While this Trump popularity may not last, it does show that a wide segment of the Republican electorate are tired of mealy mouthed politicos who spout politically correct platitudes while doing nothing to tend to festering wounds to the American body.

Rather than perceive Gov. Jindal's comments as a cynical campaign strategy, it would be wise to appreciate Jindal naming Radical Islam as the enemy as plain talk on real problems which have been ignored during the Obama Administration. Perhaps that is eventually a winning strategy. Nevertheless, it beats robotically recited platitudes, carefully controlled listening tours and a strange Scooby mobile.

Mark Pryor on the Middle Class

 Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) is engaged in a tough fight to retain his Senate seat against freshman Congressman  Tom Cotton (R-AR 4th).   Pryor is a two term incumbent who was also the scion of former Arkansan Governor and US Senator David Pryor (D-AR).

 Politically, Arkansas skews conservative as it voted 60% for Republicans in the 2012 Presidential race.  So the Democrat can not just make a party appeal to Democrats and expect to be victorious.  In fact, Senator Pryor is one of the vulnerable Democrats who will do anything to separate their campaigns from the Obama White House, even though Senator Pryor has voted with President Obama 95% of the time.

 Thus it is key for Senator Pryor to re-connect with Arkansan voters.  But Senator Pryor's musing about the "middle class" during a recent debate did not work to that end.
 


 Arkansas is 49th in the nation in median home-income between 2009-2011 averaging $39,806.   So it must have been a surprise for Razorback voters to hear them associated with a middle class earning $150,000 to $200,000.  

The Obama Debate Bubble?

It is unclear if this political satire could be considered funny but true as it presumes that the Chosen One listens to people (aside from Valerie Jarrett).

h/t: Gary Varvel

William F. Buckley on Liberals

Debate at the Justice League?

Question:  Where is Poison Ivy?

It's not much of a stretch after the display in Danville, Kentucky

h/t: PatriotBites.com

Is Laughter Becoming a Vice...President?

During the only Vice Presidential Debate in Danville, Kentucky, one could not help but notice sitting Vice President Joe Biden's laughing demeanor.



Biden was chosen four years ago by President Obama to give gravitas to the ticket particularly on foreign policy.  Will attentive votes who watched the debate have such an impression as Biden from the debate?  As his opponent ticked off facts about the mess in the Maghreb, Biden  condescendingly smirked during answers about Ambassador Steven's assassination in Libya, or as the Vice President lied about the facts in the September 11th attack.

Some playful pundits suggested a drinking game during the debate every time old "Lunch Bucket Joe" mentioned the term Scranton.  In that sense, Biden's performance was a sobering affair.  The Vice President focused his faux smile to dismiss his opponent as he interrupted GOP V.P. nominee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI 1st) 83 times in 90 minutes.

This bravado blustery performance may have feed the party faithful with some red meat to sustain them after President Obama's listless demeanor in the Denver debate.  But surely campaign staffers who were ready to rumble must have remembered then Vice President Gore's debate of sighs, where the incumbent lost ground due to public perceptions of personality.   Granted, many already consider Biden to be a fool, but is the independent voter inspired by an insufferable boor?

Vice Presidential debates do not seem to decisively determine a Presidential campaign.  However, they can impact momentum as well as setting a tone.  Biden's boorishness will long be remembered for its egregiousness, but the question for undecided voters may be is laughter becoming a Vice...President, who will be just a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.

h/t: Gary McCoy

Dubious Denver Debate Notes

The tally is not in doubt but the title as trumpeted by the media is.

Clearly this scratch pad is satirical, but it does give a flavor for the train of thought from the incumbent's podium during the Denver Debate. As Sally Field's character in An Absence of Malice put it: "It's not the truth, but it's accurate."

Using Our Brains When Voting

A couple of days ago, the Obama 2012 Campaign posted a plucky piece on Tumblr urging its youthful users to vote with their “Lady Parts."

After this unorthodox "Lady Parts" appeal for support drew outraged criticism, the post was quickly withdrawn and the campaign maintained that it was not properly vetted. But considering the emphasis that the DNC convention put on protecting “Women’s Health Services” (read abortion on demand), even so far as to give Georgetown Law School graduate Sandra Fluke a prime time speaking spot to tout free contraception in Obamacare.

 This was not an unexpected bundle of joy. The Lady Parts campaign was trying to be hip and capitalize on a wedge issue on social media site. When it became inconvenient, it was aborted. Sound familiar?

 While the Obama “Lady Parts” campaign is gone, it is not forgotten. Social media sharing sites also posted this retort:

 Maybe after Obama’s disastrous debate performance in Denver, it is reasonable to expect the endangered incumbent to come out swinging and try to rally the base by trumpeting these comfortable liberal social policy memes which worked so well in the past.

 But now that Romney and Obama share a stage which gives them equal stature, it is not as easy to demonize an opponent who can not make a timely response. Now that people are paying attention to the Presidential race in earnest, I expect that voters will use their brains when exercising their franchise.

Dark Alley Off of Main and Sesame Street

During the first Presidential Debate in Denver, GOP Presidential Nominee Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) indicated that there would have to be some pairing of the Federal budget to cut out extraneous discretionary federal spending.   Mr. Romney offered a test on federal spending --Is this program worth borrowing money from the Chinese in order to fund?



But the budget cuts contemplated including PBS and (by extension) Sesame Street.  Some wags think that those Sesame Street Muppets are just federal puppets.

Barack Obama on the Economy

This was President Obama's last word on economics during the Denver Debate.

Preparing to Judge the First Presidential Debate in Denver

 

Tonight is the first of the three scheduled head-to-head debates between incumbent Democrat President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential nominee Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA). These debates are the only times that voters are able to see both candidates on the same stage. So it is not just the candidate’s articulation of the issues, but also how they comport themselves.

 Depending upon the debate rules, these encounters can sometimes seem more like side-by-side press conferences. This is less likely when there are only two candidates on stage. Moderator Jim Lehrer who formerly anchored PBS’s NewsHour before retiring have promised that the first three segments will touch on the economy, with the remaining questions to center on health care, governance and the role of government. For those of you who consider politics to be just infotainment, you might consider the drinking game for the Presidential Debates.

 As fun as that sounds, I will be live blogging the debate as CalamityDC on Twitter using the #DenverDebate or #Debates hashtag.

I encourage people interested in public affairs to join in. It used to be that political junkies would wait to watch the spin-rooms after the main event to listen to pundits tell you what to think. Now with the advent of social media, parroting the pontification of pundits is unnecessary and your real time opinions can be shared. READ MORE at the DCBarroco.com website

Are You Ready to Rhetorically Rumble?

[L] Ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D-NY) and [R] Glenn Beck at "The War of the Words"

  With less than a month before the Presidential Election, this is the equivalence of the drive to the World Series for political junkies.  While I look forward to the main event in the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates this month, there are two warm ups that should appeal to the general public. Tonight at 10 PM EDT, Dish Network (and on Dish's Facebook page) is going to broadcast “The War of the Words” between former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer (D-NY) and Glenn Beck.

 

 On October 6th, Comedy Central’s Daily Show faux news host Jon Stewart will take on Fox News Channel’s Grand Poobah Bill O’Reilly at George Washington University in what is ironically billed as  the  “Rumble in the Air Conditioned Auditorium.”.  That 90 minute clash before a sold out Lisner Auditorium will be broadcast pay-per-view to be streamed live online.

Here's hoping that low information voters get exposed to some election issues rather than ad hominem attacks and that they stay engaged to make informed opinions as they exercise their franchise which so many American servicemen have died to protect.

SEE MORE at the DCBarroco.com website