Debate Humor

A reader e-mailed me this picture. I thought I would share it with you all.

The Great Debate Reaction

After any big event, I like to use my Facebook friends as a barometer of public opinion. I have friends of all different backgrounds and beliefs from across the country, so it is interesting to see what they think.

Here is a quick snippet of Facebook statuses from friends in regards to the Vice Presidential Debate.

Jaya S. is wondering if it's rude that she might want Joe Biden for President. Yikes? Gobama though!

Ben S. Palin Rocks!

Trevor K is debated out, after watching both the US & Canadian election debates..LOL.

Kellie W. Holy crap balls, Palin may actually have a set of balls!

Rick W. wonders if the fourth grade class watching Palin feels dissed by not receiving a shoutout too.

Kenny G. sees how divided this country is in the status updates of his friends. So much hostility and mean-spiritedness on both sides. Makes me sad. :-(.

Andrea K. is laughing at the "Tina Fey in 08" picket sign in the background on MSNBC.

Joni N. didn't win the game of Palin Bingo. But "You Betcha" she marked out "Maverick."

Adam T. is happy how the debate went and had fun playing some Palin Bingo.

Al B. is still voting McCain/Palin and PROUD of it! You fu__ing ROCK Sarah Palin!!!

Fausto F. Oh Gwen is getting sassy! "Everyone gets extra credit tonight."

Sonia M is watching the debate...They're talking but they're not saying anything.

Ron R. is FRIGHTENED there are more than three people on the face of the planet that think Sarah Palin's ready to be 2nd in command of my country. Yikes!

Mark B. doesn't think that Sarah Palin knows the fundamental principals behind ANSWERING THE QUESTION! WTF!?!?!

Julie P. not a fan of Biden's dentures...McCain/Palin 2008!!

Laura L. can see Russia from her house!

Crystal B. is pissed, someone stole her McCain/Palin yard sign! Haters.

Fact Checking The Debate

Tonight’s debate was not nearly as train wreckish as I thought it would be. Joe Biden didn’t swallow his foot and Sarah Palin actually had a few answers prepared.

They both spouted off a great deal of facts and figures. They talked about voting records and called each other out on fudging the details. But, the average American sitting at home had no idea if those facts were even legitimate.

The guys over at the Associated Press did a little fact checking for us and came up with some interesting findings.

Here’s the article:

Some facts adrift in veep debate

Facts went adrift on taxes, deregulation and more Thursday when Republican Sarah Palin and Democrat Joe Biden clashed in the vice presidential debate.

Some examples:

PALIN: Said of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama: "94 times he voted to increase taxes or not support a tax reduction."
THE FACTS: The dubious count includes repetitive votes as well as votes to cut taxes for the middle class while raising them on the rich. An analysis by factcheck.org found that 23 of the votes were for measures that would have produced no tax increase at all, seven were in favor of measures that would have lowered taxes for many, 11 would have increased taxes on only those making more than $1 million a year.
___
BIDEN: Complained about "economic policies of the last eight years" that led to "excessive deregulation."
THE FACTS: Biden voted for 1999 deregulation that liberal groups are blaming for part of the financial crisis. The law allowed Wall Street investment banks to create the kind of mortgage-related securities at the core of the problem now. The law was widely backed by Republicans as well as by Democratic President Clinton, who argues it has stopped the crisis today from being worse.
___
PALIN: "Two years ago, remember, it was John McCain who pushed so hard with the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform measures. He sounded that warning bell."
THE FACTS: Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska led an effort in 2005 to tighten regulation on the mortgage underwriters — McCain joined as a co-sponsor a year later. The legislation was never taken up by the full Senate, then under Republican control.
___
BIDEN: Warned that Republican presidential candidate John McCain's $5,000 tax credit to help families buy health coverage "will go straight to the insurance company."
THE FACTS: Of course it would, because it's meant to pay for insurance. That's like saying money for a car loan will go straight to the car dealer.
___
PALIN: "We cannot afford to lose against al-Qaida and the Shia extremists who are still there, still fighting us."
THE FACTS: She appeared to confuse the two main Muslim sects in Iraq. Al-Qaida is solely made up of Sunni Muslim militants. Through the course of the war, U.S. forces fought ferocious opposition from both the Sunnis and the country's dominant Shiite sects. Now, both groups are largely maintaining a cease-fire with the U.S. A much-diminished al-Qaida, mainly foreign fighters, remains the primary threat.
___
BIDEN: Said McCain supports tax breaks for oil companies, and "wants to give them another $4 billion tax cut."
THE FACTS: Biden is repeating a favorite saw of the Obama campaign, and it's misleading. McCain supports a cut in income taxes for all corporations, and doesn't single out any one industry for that benefit.
___
PALIN: Said the United States has reduced its troop level in Iraq to a number below where it was when the troop increase began in early 2007.
THE FACTS: Not correct. The Pentagon says there are currently 152,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, about 17,000 more than there were before the 2007 military buildup began.
___
BIDEN: "As a matter of fact, John recently wrote an article in a major magazine saying that he wants to do for the health care industry — deregulate it and let the free market move — like he did for the banking industry."
THE FACTS: Biden and Obama have been perpetuating this distortion of what McCain wrote in an article for the American Academy of Actuaries. McCain, laying out his health plan, only referred to deregulation when saying people should be allowed to buy health insurance across state lines. In that context, he wrote: "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."
___
PALIN: Said Alaska is "building a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline, which is North America's largest and most expensive infrastructure project ever to flow those sources of energy into hungry markets."
THE FACTS: Not quite. Construction is at least six years away. So far the state has only awarded a license to Trans Canada Corp., that comes with $500 million in seed money in exchange for commitments toward a lengthy and costly process to getting a federal certificate. At an August news conference after the state Legislature approved the license, Palin said, "It's not a done deal."
___
PALIN: "Barack Obama even supported increasing taxes as late as last year for those families making only $42,000 a year."
BIDEN: "The charge is absolutely not true. Barack Obama did not vote to raise taxes. The vote she's referring to, John McCain voted the exact same way."
THE FACTS: The vote was on a nonbinding budget resolution that assumed that President Bush's tax cuts would expire, as scheduled, in 2011. If that actually happened, it could mean higher taxes for people making as little as about $42,000. But Obama is proposing tax increases only on the wealthy, and would cut taxes for most others. In the March 14 budget resolution supported by Obama and Biden, McCain actually did not vote.
___
PALIN: Said a McCain-Palin administration "will support Israel," including "building our embassy ... in Jerusalem."
THE FACTS: Moving the U.S. Embassy from its present location in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is a perennial promise of presidential candidates courting the Jewish-American vote. In fact, moving the embassy is actually required by U.S. law. But successive administrations of both parties, including President Bush's, have made the same pledge only to find that the realities of Middle East peacemaking have forced them to invoke a waiver to delay it. Jerusalem is claimed as a capital by both Israel and the Palestinians, and Israel's occupation of east Jerusalem is not internationally recognized. The city's status is a key issue of disagreement in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Sarah Palin Action Figures

Palin-mania has hit a new high. A month ago no one knew who this moose-hunting governor was and now she has an action figure.

You can own your very own pint-sized version of the hard-nosed hockey mom for a mere $27.95. She joins the political ranks for Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama, who are already immortalized in plastic.

How is it that the Vice Presidential candidate is more popular than the actual person vying for the top spot? Her sudden popularity is mind-boggling. But, it should be interesting to see little boys and girls across the nation battling evil with their little Palin dolls.

One question though: What is her super hero name?

Obama Speech By The Numbers

Here’s something a reader brought to my attention. It’s pretty interesting I must say. It’s a breakdown of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech from a blog at ABC News.

Obama By The Numbers

Uses of the word "America" or "American" -- 52

Duration, in minutes -- 44

Mentions of the word "work" -- 35

Mentions of specific policy proposals -- 35

Mentions of Sen. John McCain by name -- 21

Mentions of George W. Bush -- 8

Mentions of George W. Bush during John Kerry's 2004 speech -- 2

Mentions of George W. Bush during Al Gore's 2000 speech -- 0

Mentions of the word "change" -- 16

Mentions of troops or veterans -- 7

Allusions to Hurricane Katrina – 1

"Just Not In My Lifetime"

“I thought that it would happen eventually, just not in my lifetime.”

I heard some variation of those words twice in the last two days – about two different events. The first time was while interviewing a group of elderly black voters about Barack Obama’s historic nomination and the other was while interviewing a group of middle-aged Republicans about Sarah Palin.

I remember during the primary season welling up with pride when I saw Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton leading the way for the Democrats. I remember covering Obama and Clinton appearances and seeing people of all races, creeds and cultures coming together to push each forward. I knew we were on the edge of something special – I had no idea just how far it would go.


Now this morning, I wake up to the news that the Grand Old Party was considering a woman as the Vice Presidential pick. Where the hell did that come from? It’s a brand new day people – change is in the air everywhere you turn and there is thankfully no escaping it.

I’m so proud to be an American today. Only in this country could we see the events of the last year. 2008 will go down in history as the beginning of an era of diversity and equality. How far will this go? A gay or lesbian presidential candidate some day? Can it happen? Only time will tell.

No matter which party walks away victorious in November, the glass ceiling is at least cracked – if not shattered.

God Bless America.

VP Watch The Sequel

A real quick one before I go to the morning meeting.

Sen. John McCain is set to announce his running mate this afternoon in just a few hours and he’s got something up his sleeves. I woke up this morning to two surprises – Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty says it's not him and so does Mitt Romney. Say what?

My next logical conclusion – Joe Lieberman it is. Forget logical thinking, there seems to be a new front-runner out of nowhere. Fox News is reporting that Alaska governor Sarah Palin is likely the choice. If this is true, the game has in fact changed.

What some Democrats are calling the “Biden Blunder” could become a fatal mistake.

I don’t know much about Palin, but from what I understand she has more executive experience than Obama, McCain and Biden. An already interesting race could heat up.

We’ll talk again after the announcement.

A Generation Sees A Dream Fulfilled

Today, I spent the afternoon interviewing a room full of black senior citizens. The average age was about 78 – all old enough to remember the last wave of “change” to wash over this country.

They remember the birth of the civil rights movement. Sit-ins, marches and protests are more to them than mere history; it’s a part of their journey. I had the honor of telling their stories as they reacted to the nomination of a black man for president.
I don’t think you can really grasp what a momentous event we witnessed tonight until you sit down and really talk to one of these people.

I remember as a kindergartener having to draw a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up. I drew myself in an Abe Lincoln hat with an Abe Lincoln beard. I wanted to be President.

My teacher, Mrs. Pontiff, who happened to be white, said something to the affect of, “then you go right ahead and do it.” She helped me believe. I brought that picture home and my Mom told me, “do your best, and you can be anything you want to be.” She gave me permission to believe. My older cousin came over to visit one day and asked about the picture. I told her that I wanted to be President of the United States some day. She looked at it, laughed and said, “black people can’t be President.” I’m stubborn though and she taught me to fight for what I believe.

That picture hung in my bedroom for the next few years… even long after I moved on to about 30 other career choices. I think my Mom simply wanted to remind me that anything was possible with hard work and faith.

You see, I never really doubted that this day would come for someone. But, those men and women who were spat at, beaten and had fire hoses turned on them were fighting for a dream they never knew could really ever come true. They fought on faith and faith alone.

So many people say that this presidential race should not be about race. I’ve said that myself. But, when you look into the eyes of the men and women I talked with today and see the pride in their soul – you know that race is important, if only for the dreams we saw realized tonight. There are elderly people who never thought this would happen in their lifetime.

The most amazing lesson I learned from these wise men and women today – humility. It was not the fact that a black man could lead the country that brought about their jubilation. They were thrilled that a black man was elected nominee by black and white voters -- excited that a black man was placed in this position because of the content of his character. All those years ago, they weren’t fighting for superiority, but rather acceptance. They watched a black man accepted as an equal tonight and for them their battle was won.

Is race important? Yes and no. Yes – this night means that we as Americans... as humans have come a long way. No – Barack Obama doesn’t deserve to be a presidential nominee because of his race.

I promised to always be honest in these blogs. And honestly, though I gave up the desire to become president by first grade, there is a little boy inside of me who is looking closely at a little brown stick figure with an Abe Lincoln hat -- still wondering "can it really happen?"

Bill Clinton Shatters Doubt

The master wordsmith, Bill Clinton, exercised one the most influential and difficult-to-use tools in his arsenal – restraint. He was careful not to overshadow his wife or the party’s nominee. His entire address was a love letter to Barack Obama and a throwing down of the gauntlet to John McCain; leaving no room for Clinton conspiracy theorists to speculate about hidden agendas.

He took the GOP to task and dared them to argue. He finally addressed the elephant in the room – Obama’s experience or lack thereof. He reminded the critics that they said the same thing about his experience back in ’92. I don’t know that that's a fair or accurate comparison. There is a stark difference between Clinton’s experience at the time and Obama’s current resume. Mr. Clinton, just saying it out loud does not make it so.

His jewel of the night…

“Most important, Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are strong at home. People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power. Look at the example the Republicans have set.”

“A place called hope” and “the audacity of hope” finally meet face to face on the battleground – finally on the same side.

Denver Heats Up Already

***Warning: Adult language in video***

Let me tell you from experience, this is a reporter’s worst nightmare. It’s not forgetting your script, stumbling over words or forgetting an official’s name during a live interview. They all suck and I’ve done them all, but the biggest fear is losing control of the situation.

Our jobs can get very dangerous and this is the perfect example of that.

The reporter was a bit of an antagonist, but that could have turned ugly very quickly.

The group is called Recreate ’68. They are planning an anti-war protest during the Democratic Convention. I am all for the anti-war movement and there is nothing wrong with exercising your 1st Amendment rights.

I guess you get what you ask for when you go into the belly of the beast and stick your Fox News microphone flag in the middle of a group of obviously angry people with a clear agenda and message.

The group itself is pretty interesting. Media outlets across the country claim the organizaion hopes to recreate the riots of the Democratic Convention of 1968. But, the group has a statement of nonviolence on their web page. They also address the media accusations.

They did train before today’s protest (video). They claim it is to protect members from counter-protesters.

Denver should be interesting.

My First Time With Joe Biden

I first met Sen. Obama’s second-in-command while he was in town for the Presidential Debate at The Citadel. He met with a group of reporters at Brittlebank Park in Downtown Charleston to give a big pat on the back to Force Protection and Protected Vehicles.

Honestly, I rushed through this appearance. I didn’t know much about Sen. Biden and I was in a hurry to try to get on the other side of town to get John Edwards playing with his sons in the fountain. Edwards, a former VP candidate and Carolina native, had more star power and that's what my viewers wanted at the time.

I don't rememeber much about the Biden visit. I do remember that he was serious and knowledgeable about what was needed to keep the troops safe. He seemed dedicated and studied. I know that’s not much, but that is exactly the shot in the arm that the Obama camp needs. He brings a foreign policies understanding that adds a good deal of credence to the ticket.

I just wish I would have spent more time with Sen. Biden and less time chasing the Edwards kids playing football in a fountain. Hindsight! :sigh:

Here is Sen. Biden in Charleston:

Top Photo from Charleston Regional Business Journal

Obama VP Announcement: Wake Up Voters!

The Democratic VP watch is officially over and as expected Senator Joe Biden is Barack’s Number 2.

I woke up this morning expecting another day of sitting with my cell phone in hand waiting. I thought the announcement text message would come at around Noon or so. Imagine my surprise when I saw a message from the Obama camp waiting there innocently looking up at me from my inbox. They sent the freaking message out at 3 in the morning!

Text message:
Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee. Watch the first Obama-Biden rally live at 3pm ET on http://www.barackobama.com/. Spread the word!

Couldn’t that have waited until at least sunrise?

Talk about killing a moment. 75% of his supporters were sound asleep when he made the biggest announcement since his declaration of candidacy. I just don’t get it. He has guys on staff who make a lot of money to make these decisions and I have no doubt that they are much more intelligent in these matters, but something just doesn't seem right about that decision.

Maybe it’s some kind of “wake up call for change.” Who knows? It did wake a lot of people from a good sleep. One guy on Flickr wrote, “If that s**t woke me up, Obama would be getting the phone shoved where the sun don't shine!” Sure he’s exaggerating a bit, but you get the idea.

Here’s a funny theory on a blog… Obama made the announcement at 3 AM in response to the Clinton Ads about trusting Obama with that 3 AM phone call. Remember the Ad? Was the annoucement a little tongue-in-cheek?



The kids over at MSNBC have some interesting thoughts on the Biden choice, The Hillary Backlash and how the early morning wake up call was met in their offices.

The McCain camp is quick on the draw with a new ad. They go after Biden for saying in 2005 that he would be honored to run for President with McCain.

Mr. McCain you're up -- please no 3 AM phone calls or texts when you decide.

VP Watch Continues

VP Watch 2008 enters day 8 million and I’m more than ready for something to happen. Obama can pick Kermit the Frog for all I care at this point. I just need him to announce something soon.

All signs point to Obama sending out the announcement via text message to his supporters Saturday morning. I signed up for the text alert Wednesday, because I get paid to be nosy. The pundits and “experts” were convinced that the text would come Wednesday afternoon -- nada.

I check my phone every time a text comes in like I’m waiting for Ed McMahon to knock on my front door. 3 Days, 50 Twitter messages, 30 weather alerts and 20 personal messages – not a single blip from Barack. Mr. Obama let’s get this show on the road. You have a captive audience that you are letting slip away.

You just don’t make huge announcements like that on a Saturday, unless it’s someone the media will go after. It’s a proven fact that significantly fewer people watch the news during the weekends. You would think he would want this announcement on Nightly News on a Wednesday or Thursday. The timing is a little odd. Unless he wants the full attention of the battlefield of Florida who were in the grips of Fay – who knows?

CNN is locked into Joe Biden as the pick. ABC’s going so far as to report a Secret Service presence at Biden’s home. It’s a choice that makes the most sense, but why a weekend announcement? It makes me think that his number one choice turned him down earlier this week. That’s just mindless speculation of course. We’ll see in a few hours.

While we wait… let’s have some fun.

You can send a fake VP Announcement to your friends’ cell phones that looks authentic. This blog shows you how!

See you after the official announcement.