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Off Topic Forums => Off Topic Forum => Topic started by: tednlou2 on August 30, 2012, 04:23:41 pm

Title: Convention Chat
Post by: tednlou2 on August 30, 2012, 04:23:41 pm
Tonight's the night.  The GOP will host the Romney 3,000.  The droid has had technical problems.  It has been experiencing problems fully updating to the new software, without glitches of the old coming through. 

Last night, Ryan barely said a factual word.  There has been a rise in employment, due to so many fact checkers being hired to cover it all.  We see a lot of lies and half-truths, but this was over the top.  From the GM plant story to Medicare.  Ryan struck me as someone who would kill his
daughter's puppy in front of her, in order to teach her a lesson about the need to take the dog outside. 

Clint Eastwood is reportedly going to speak tonight.  I thought he did them car commercials for Obama.  Anyway, will be interested to hear thoughts of the nights so far, and then tonight after the big one. 
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: mecch on August 30, 2012, 06:49:41 pm
I'm with the Liberal Lamestream Media.  Just in wonderment over the amount of lies and stupified that they are proud of it and say they aren't going to let fact checkers run their campaign.

I had a thought today that maybe because there is SO much access to information we just catch out lies and half truths easier than ever.  I don't think we should put on rosy nostalgia glasses and assume Presidential campaigns of the past were filled with substance and truth.  Hardly likely.

The big question is, how much of the "base" believe the bullshit, and why?  The smart people running for office and running campaigns surely count on huge numbers of their base not giving a shit about lies.

The Medicare debate seems to be a key to this issue of how to spin and thoroughly confuse most voters until they just have to vote on feelings and insubstantials.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: mecch on August 30, 2012, 06:54:23 pm
Romney irons his shirt and they shop like normal people.
Ryan is up by his bootstraps and believes everyone can belong to any class they want. 
Since people want to believe this is true, they do believe it.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: WillyWump on August 30, 2012, 08:44:58 pm
This is what politicians do. They Lie. Most of these people were fairly moral and had great intentions until they hit politics. Then the money and power took over. You'll see a steady stream of lies and half-truths coming out of next weeks convention also.

-Will
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: buginme2 on August 30, 2012, 10:28:02 pm
Apparently not that many people are watching either

http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2012/08/30/13575475-honey-boo-boo-ratings-top-republican-national-convention?lite
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: GSOgymrat on August 30, 2012, 10:57:37 pm
Apparently not that many people are watching either

http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2012/08/30/13575475-honey-boo-boo-ratings-top-republican-national-convention?lite

'Honey Boo Boo' ratings top Republican National Convention

THAT is classic! If I think about the ramifications it's really scary... so I'm just not going to think too hard on that and go back to laughing.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: tednlou2 on August 30, 2012, 11:01:35 pm
I'm a little behind on TIVO.  Just saw Clint's very odd invisible puppet routine.  That was actually kinda sad.  He made fun of President Obama using Air Force One to fly to colleges to talk to students about student loans.  I know his kids wouldn't have needed student loans. 

What he said about Afghanistan was very odd, too.  Evidently, he is under the impression we got into that country in the last 3 years.  He said Obama didn't check with the Russians how that turned out for them.  That was such an odd statement to be making to that crowd.  Sure, people should debate whether the President should have ramped things up there, instead of just coming on home.   
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: tednlou2 on August 30, 2012, 11:19:47 pm
Just into Mitt's speech.  Already, he made a reference to Obama not being American, thinking it was cleverly disguised.  He said, "When you need someone to do the really big stuff, you need an American." 

Anyway, I was surprised FOX News put this criticism of Paul Ryan's speech on their website.  I wonder if any of this was allowed on TV.  Yes, many politicians lie and distort facts.  But, it was hard to find anything factual in his speech. 

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/

This is one of my favorite clips.  The dems just need to run this as an ad. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI9yjhd8b84
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: Ann on August 31, 2012, 05:52:58 am
'Honey Boo Boo' ratings top Republican National Convention

THAT is classic! If I think about the ramifications it's really scary... so I'm just not going to think too hard on that and go back to laughing.

I had to google Honey Boo Boo (http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/here-comes-honey-boo-boo/videos) and yes, the ramifications are really scary. I found myself thinking that Americans shouldn't be permitted to vote for their president - the rest of the world should do it for them. (Of course I don't seriously think this, but geeze, it's like permitting a three year old to drive a car. Dangerous.)
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: Buckmark on August 31, 2012, 07:22:42 am
Clint Eastwood's speech.  Wow.  I don't know how to say it kindly:  he looked and sounded like he was just a rambling old man who had trouble putting thoughts together. 

I really don't see how this helped the Republicans, especially in their pursuit of younger voters -- or anyone else, quite frankly.

Also, BeBe Winans is a Republican????

Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: GSOgymrat on August 31, 2012, 08:04:43 am
Clint Eastwood's speech.  Wow.  I don't know how to say it kindly:  he looked and sounded like he was just a rambling old man who had trouble putting thoughts together. 

I read "the only thing he forgot to yell was get off my lawn!"
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: Dachshund on August 31, 2012, 08:14:51 am
Clint Eastwood's speech.  Wow.  I don't know how to say it kindly:  he looked and sounded like he was just a rambling old man who had trouble putting thoughts together. 

I really don't see how this helped the Republicans, especially in their pursuit of younger voters -- or anyone else, quite frankly.

Also, BeBe Winans is a Republican????

It was perfect, an old white guy arguing with an imaginary Obama.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: WillyWump on August 31, 2012, 12:13:03 pm

Actress Mia Farrow tweeted that she thought Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who introduced Mitt Romney later in the evening, was the night's best speaker -- with one problem: "Rude to ignore invisible Obama sitting right there."

LMAO
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: thunter34 on August 31, 2012, 12:30:33 pm
Republicans have always been great believers in invisible beings.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: mitch777 on August 31, 2012, 02:11:47 pm
i think Clint Eastwood WAS a Obama supporter in the last election.
guess flip-floppers stick together.
but at least an 82 year old man might have the excuse that he simply forgot who he supported.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: mecch on August 31, 2012, 04:13:55 pm
Scuse me. The Republican organizers should be ashamed of themselves letting Clint flail and fail.  They've admitted he got very little to no rehearsal nor speech-writing help?  Or maybe whoever was helping is too embarrassed.  I heard he was scheduled for only 5 minutes. Maybe he went rogue?  Where is that old fashioned hook from vaudeville.  Or at least a band that plays the crazy windbag stars off the stage at the Oscars.

These are the people who are going to win a Campaign and run the Executive branch?

hmmmm

Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: WillyWump on August 31, 2012, 04:22:21 pm
i think Clint Eastwood WAS a Obama supporter in the last election.
guess flip-floppers stick together.


Maybe he's a girl...

http://news.yahoo.com/6-3-million-obama-2008-female-supporters-now-130642137.html

Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: mitch777 on August 31, 2012, 05:01:49 pm
yikes!
scarey in more ways than one.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: AlanBama on August 31, 2012, 05:32:12 pm
I found it all very weird....

Living in a 'red' state, I hear this shit all the time....but it is still difficult for me to watch/listen to it on TV.   I keep getting extremely anxious that these clowns might actually win; but I suppose that if they do, we will all deal with that, just as we've dealt with everything else since before Reagan....

Anyway, it makes for a lot of good fodder on Facebook.

 :D
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: J.R.E. on September 02, 2012, 05:55:46 pm
 :P

We were in  downtown Clearwater, at one of our local watering holes this afternoon. Talking to several people, that live or work on the beach, all they can say was they're glad it's all over.  Had very little impact for Clearwater.

Tampa business owners felt the same way:

http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2012/9/2/elephant_in_the_room.html


TAMPA --

It will be months for before the true calculative economic impact of the Republican National Convention on the Tampa Bay area is known, but some downtown Tampa owners already know the impact on them: grand old disappointment.

Hotels and catering companies were an obvious boon with the RNC crowd, but many business owners, such as restaurateurs just blocks from the main RNC stage, weren't holding back with their view of a RNC letdown as they push the 800 pound elephant right out of the room.

"It's an absolute delight that it's gone," Metro Restaurant and Lounge owner Bill Nelligar said. "We hired extra staff, we extended our hours -- and it was all for nothing." Over at Paninioteca, the preparations were the same, according to Mary Khabbaz. "We bought a lot of extra alcohol, a lot of extra food."

In all the economic hype, the reality of low downtown foot traffic translated to low business for many owners who decided to stick it out the entire convention week hoping to reel in the big bucks from the big crowd.

Those downtown Tampa business owners who closed their doors and went fishing for actual fish instead of patrons may have seen an economic bust coming with the Republican National Convention. "Local businesses closed for the week, so we didn't see any business from them. People downtown couldn't maneuver around the road closures," Khabbaz said. "So, if anything, we lost out big time."

As Tropical Storm Isaac loomed the Friday before the convention, Nelligar said there were 175 cancellations at his restaurant. The week of the convention, Nelligar said there were lots of empty seats and lots of wasted food. The owners and others were left feeling as though the RNC was just a big to-do that was nothing more than Really N Convenient.

"I think that the businesses did what we were asked to do -- we prepared for it," he said, "and I think we were misguided as to what the impact would be."

Even businesses that geared themselves specifically to delegates shared some disappointment. "Sales were OK, but my boss was saying that if we had the choice, we wouldn't do it again," Sean Lowe, with Encore Select, a company that sells sports collectibles and various memorabilia, said.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: WillyWump on September 02, 2012, 07:08:52 pm
My cute Mayor Julian Castro will be giving the Dems Keynote speech on Tuesday  :P

-W
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: Miss Philicia on September 03, 2012, 08:04:42 am
(http://i47.tinypic.com/zjxzxz.jpg)
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: tednlou2 on September 05, 2012, 12:02:17 am
MICHELLE 2016!!! Wow, wow, wow!

I think she has to be the best speaker we have.  I'm talking about in this entire country, and not just for us Dems.  She is better than her husband.  In so many speeches, I often start getting bored.  Not with her.  She had my attention all the way through, and I didn't want it to end.  If you missed it, I highly suggest watching a replay or watching on Youtube. 

And, I'm serious about Michelle running for president.  Out of everyone I can think of, who would make a good successor to Barack, it would be she.   
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: WillyWump on September 05, 2012, 12:07:37 am
MICHELLE 2016!!! Wow, wow, wow!

I think she has to be the best speaker we have.  I'm talking about in this entire country, and not just for us Dems.  She is better than her husband.  In so many speeches, I often start getting bored.  Not with her.  She had my attention all the way through, and I didn't want it to end.  If you missed it, I highly suggest watching a replay or watching on Youtube. 



Michelle is an excellent speaker, I too love to hear her talk. I didnt see all of her speach tonight but I will look it up and watch it.

I also thought Julian Castro did a good job tonight, great speaker with a cool story.

-W
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: emeraldize on September 05, 2012, 12:09:18 am
You're right. She was excellent tonight! She looked fantastic as well.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: leatherman on September 05, 2012, 12:39:15 am
I started off today listening to Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee speaking about "turning on the tide on HIV/AIDS in the us", Next had the most productive SC HIV task force exe committee meeting ever over at RAIN (Regional AIDS Interfaith Network). Spent the early evening roaming around my old home town of Charlotte in the pouring rain (Charlotte is nothing like it was back when I worked for downtown Belks in the early 80s). Then ended the loooong day hearing the most awesome speech by the FLOTUS.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: mecch on September 05, 2012, 12:58:36 am
Why did the Dems have this in a non Union state, however? 
It would be nice if one of the speakers throws a bone to the unions and says something along the lines of, UNIONS are very important to the new battle for living wages and secure standards of living for the new service economy of the USA. 

So many new jobs are service jobs with no benefits.  The lower middle class is being raked over the coals and what can be the future unless all these service jobs are unionized and companies have to plow some profits back into the service workers who are making it all possible.  Old "bedrock middle class" and lower middle class jobs are rare, threatened or non existent.  For example, its a bit gross for the "new" auto industry to have caps on new hires at less than half the old salaries of union employees. Even though maybe thats the only way it could survive.  And for Walmart type company employees being in public assistance to get by, feed their children, etc.

Something has to give.

And if the Republicans have their way, teachers, firefighters, librarians, etc etc they are all next.  Wipe away the standard of living of the middle middle class.  Yikes!

Not everyone has the education and preparation to be in the knowledge economy.  I would say most citizens do not.  How you going to run a consumer economy if everyone is making shit and scraping by? 

In Germany, blue collar workers have decent secure lives.  In the USA, its getting worse and worse.

POSTSCRIPT - OK i saw the speech. Brilliantly delivered.  And glad to see she hit all these aspirational issues of how everyone deserves a decent life. Seems like there were a LOT of last minute tweaks to get in great stuff responding to Republican convention speeches and current events.  Nice to hear her elegant support for marriage equality too without even saying the word gay or lesbian!
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: emeraldize on September 05, 2012, 08:08:41 am
Nice to hear her elegant support for marriage equality too without even saying the word gay or lesbian!

Well put. It was elegant support.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: leatherman on September 05, 2012, 11:28:17 am
Why did the Dems have this in a non Union state, however? 
I understand your point but think of it more as "going into the lion's den". I know that for us struggling Dems, just a little south of Charlotte into South Carolina, it sure was nice to - for a change - see such huge support for our party and it's ideals right here in the middle of "Tea Party Land".
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: Miss Philicia on September 05, 2012, 12:08:46 pm
The location was chosen because IIRC North Carolina was one by the slimmest of margins in '08, so it was an attempt to maintain those electoral votes (which, of course, current polling shows will not happen). In that context, and with 20/20 hindsight, it might have made more sense to hold the convention in Virginia. I think when polls close in that state in November if Obama wins Virginia again you can assume he will have won the entire election. He's pretty much said that himself, and also specified a handful of counties in northern Virginia will determine this.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: tednlou2 on September 05, 2012, 02:35:58 pm
What's going on with Indiana?  It seems all the media is painting it red, but I haven't seen a single poll on the news.  Guess I'll have to bypass the media.  I remember in '08, Obama campaigned in Indiana several times during the general election.  He flew into Louisville several times to drive across to southern Indiana.  Indiana back to red this time?
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: Miss Philicia on September 05, 2012, 05:17:35 pm
Come on girl, you can use google (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/in/indiana_romney_vs_obama-3167.html)

One thing to keep in mind, is that according to some strategists the undecided likely voter is ~4% in the six main battleground states, and when they ran those numbers it meant that something like 910,000 individuals will decide this election. That's less people than the city I live in.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: mitch777 on September 05, 2012, 06:20:40 pm
first of all, Miss P. ...
you nailed it on the importance of Virginia!
hope they really are for "lovers".
also finally happy to see the Democratic Party have equality as part of their platform. (a giant step forward but never fast enough for me)
kudos to all of the speakers on the advancement of health care! (again, we are WAY behind the rest of civilization)
get out the vote!!!!!!!
a Romney/Ryan win will set this country back 50 years.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: tednlou2 on September 06, 2012, 12:33:36 am
Bubba did a very good job at laying everything out in a way that anyone could understand.  He touched on just about every issue Repubs have attacked Obama on.  He said no president could turn this economy around in 4 years, but he said Obama created a floor to keep things from getting worse.  He said Dem presidents have created twice as many jobs.  He said repubs would gut Medicare and Medicaid.  He reminded everyone that many seniors in nursing homes rely on Medicaid, as do many disabled folks.  He said Romney would double-down on trickle-down. 

Clinton gave the facts about the welfare to work program.  He said Reagan quadrupled the budget before he took office, and then Bush doubled it.  He gave the facts about Obama's $700 Billion cut to Medicare, saying he took the funds from providers and insurance companies from programs that didn't work, and put it back in benefits to close the donut-hole and to make Medicare solvent for another 8 years.  It was a good decision to give Biden's night to Clinton.  Clinton spoke mostly without the teleprompter, the way he does best.

Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: tednlou2 on September 06, 2012, 01:39:04 am
FYI-  Here is the Presidential Debates schedule.  The VP debate is returning to Kentucky.  Cheney  and Liberman debated here in 2000.  That was back before Liberman turned to the dark side.  The first one is on October 3rd.  I know everyone was really wanting this info.

 http://www.2012presidentialelectionnews.com/2012-debate-schedule/2012-presidential-debate-schedule/
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: OneTampa on September 06, 2012, 10:56:18 pm
I agree that First Lady Michelle Obama worked it in a fantastic speech last night.

Montana Gov. David Schweitzer gave a good speech tonight.  He was lively and  even channeled the former Texas Gov. Ann Richards with "That dog won't hunt!"

President Obama is speaking now and the crowd is all worked up.  He is doing a very good job with his speech.  I like how he at the first few minutes on the start stated that he accepted the presidential nomination and then right to it.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: leatherman on September 06, 2012, 11:11:39 pm
Here is the Presidential Debates schedule.
at our DNC-sponsored HIV-related event, we discussed how the moderators of the debates need to be contacted via a letter-writing campaign to try to get the topic of HIV introduced into the debates - as it wasn't in previous debates - especially with a national strategy in place now and HIV being mentioned in the Democratic Party platform.
Title: Re: Convention Chat
Post by: tednlou2 on September 07, 2012, 12:20:41 am
at our DNC-sponsored HIV-related event, we discussed how the moderators of the debates need to be contacted via a letter-writing campaign to try to get the topic of HIV introduced into the debates - as it wasn't in previous debates - especially with a national strategy in place now and HIV being mentioned in the Democratic Party platform.

Without going back to the link, I think domestic policy is night one on Oct 3rd.  Jim Lehrer, right?  Actually, HIV is a topic for both domestic and foreign policy.  So, it would be good to contact Jim, Candy, Martha, and Bob.  I'm not sure they will actually read them.  The best bet would be with PBS' Lehrer.  I have a friend, who is a producer at CNN.  I will bring it up to him.  Wouldn't hurt.  Or, he can forward to Candy, who will be moderating the VP debate.  I would love to hear what Ryan has to say on it.  Addresses are very easy to find with a simple google search.  I promise to write all of them and have in the mail before Monday.  And/or, email.