Political Arena Editor’s Note – Let us just roll up our sleeves and hunker down for a moment to chat. I am not a pop culture fan. I do not watch TV as it makes me ill, although from time to time I turn one on to remind me why I stopped watching it. I watch the TV news I must subject myself to online via streams. I do not know much about Lindsey Lohan except that she is troubled, not that bright, a bit tattered by substance abuse I suspect, and is the butt of comedian Jeff Dunham’s jokes, but in spite of that has a certain appeal and people flock to see her.
Lohan is a low informed voter, like so many who vote some for the right reasons and some for the wrong reasons. She is likely a typical young troubled girl who is a product of declining pop culture; in other words she is like almost half of the voters out there. If there can be one girl who is the poster child for uninformed, messed up American culture this young lady is it…and yet look at what she has to say…it is spot on.
While most would, at first glance, write this off as gossip, it’s the latest instance of an evolving trend that jeopardizes President Obama’s chance at winning the White House.
Lohan, by all accounts, is a typical low-information voter. And low information voters, like it or not, will decide this election.
These people don’t follow politics, don’t understand the issues with depth, and plan to vote based on what little information they’ve gleaned.
Wrestler Hulk Hogan has backed Romney because he wants someone to “just take the lead and run.” Lohan said that the reason she was voting Romney was “employment.” From The Blaze:
“I just think employment is really important right now,” the troubled star told E!, while at Mr. Pink’s Ginseng Drink event in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday. “So, as of now, Mitt Romney. As of now.”
Here’s why the Obama campaign should be worried.
Lohan is a low information voter convinced that (a) employment is really important, (b) thinks that employment is not being sufficiently handled by the White House right now and (c) thinks that Mitt Romney is better equipped to handle employment.
That arguably logical sequence is all that it takes for a low-information voter to support Mitt Romney. The thing is, there are millions of voters like her. That should terrify the Obama campaign.
Political Arena Editor’s Note – To test how well we did fact checking we compared some of the the elite media’s fact check with our own. What is in italics is how we did.
UPDATE II– It seems we missed that Biden lied about how he voted on the wars. He said he voted against them and trashed Ryan for voting for them, but it turns out that Biden voted for all of the wars. Usually politicians get their own voting records right so we took that one for granted. We will NEVER make that mistake again – Editor.
I have been writing about politics since the early 1990’s and I have to say that while we expect politics to dissemble and spin and occasionally lie to get themselves out of trouble I have never seen a politicians just flat-out lie about facts and subjects that most anyone can check in minutes and out as just plain false. Parts of the debate that are directionally accurate but not precise comes with the territory of a debate with a two minute format so we will be focusing on the whoppers and rank dishonesty.
Ryan lost his assertive footing a few times, but Biden’s smirking and laughing was over played. In general Biden was almost on an emotional roller coaster which comes across as too slick by half and insincere. I would make a commercial with just the faces and the changes in emotions edited together. The way that the debate worked out was that if you listened to it on the radio Biden sounded better, but if you watched it on TV Biden came across as rude and too slick.
In this video you will see Brit Hume’s take which was similar to ours –
UPDATE II – And here is the ad we predicted would be made –
Biden did not want to talk about how the Obama Administration lied about the embassy attacks for two weeks. Every time it came up he changed the subject to Afghanistan or the Iraq surge and such and the moderator let him get away with it.
Washington Post Fact Checker:
“We weren’t told they wanted more security there. We did not know they wanted more security.” —Biden, speaking of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya
“All of us at post were in sync that we wanted these resources,” said Eric Nordstrom, the top regional security officer in Libya earlier this year. A Utah national guardsman who led a security team, Lt. Col. Andrew Wood, said: “We felt great frustration that those requests were ignored or just never met.”
Maybe Biden was too busy in debate prep to watch?
The embassy attacks issue came back up later. Biden tried to blame the lack of security at our embassies on Paul Ryan who voted to cut a part of the embassy budget some time ago. The Obama Admin was using the Embassy Budget to buy Chevy Volts for diplomatic staff… and its Ryan’s fault that the Obama Admin cut security in Benghazi? That was so dishonest that it even set an old pro like me aback. Ryan hit home with (paraphrase) “Look this was the anniversary of 9/11 and they had security taken away”.
Washington Post Fact Checker:
“The congressman here cut embassy security in his budget by $300 million below what we asked for.” –Biden
Ryan, as head of the House Budget Committee, set broad targets for spending in his budget blueprint that would have cut nondefense discretionary spending by 19 percent in 2014.
There were no specific cuts in embassy security, but Democrats have extrapolated the number, across the board, to come up with this statistic. But it is not a real number with true budget impact.
By the way, our definitive timeline on shifting administration statements on the Libya terrorist attack can be found here.
Again about Libya Biden pivots to Osama bin Laden:
Washington Post Fact Checker:
“Prior to the election, prior to him being sworn in, Governor Romney was asked the question about how he would proceed. He said, ‘I wouldn’t move heaven and earth to get bin Laden.’” –Biden
Romney made this statement in a 2007 interview with the Associated Press: “It’s not worth moving heaven and earth and spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person.”
But Biden has ignored the rest of the interview, in which the AP quoted Romney as saying “he supports a broader strategy to defeat the Islamic jihad movement.” Just a few days later, Romney expanded on his remarks during a debate:
“We’ll move everything to get him. But I don’t want to buy into the Democratic pitch that this is all about one person — Osama bin Laden — because after we get him, there’s going to be another and another. This is about Shia and Sunni. This is about Hezbollah and Hamas and al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood. This is a worldwide jihadist effort to try and cause the collapse of all moderate Islamic governments and replace them with a caliphate.”
The subject turns to Iran. Ryan charged that the Obama Administration counted on watered down sanctions. That is true and is compounded by the fact that oil rich countries are VERY good at getting around such sanctions…. Saddam Hussein was getting around the sanctions and the UN was helping Iraq get around them with bribes all the way up to Kofi Annon’s son. Sanctions just let the Obama Administration talk tough, while really doing very little and giving Iran time to enrich uranium.
USA Today Fact Checker:
The facts: This is mostly true. Iraq’s exports fell from 2 million barrels of oil a day in early 2012 to 1 million barrels a day by July, though they recovered to 1.2 million barrels by September, according to the Financial Times of London. [Political Arena Editor’s Note – Iran has already recovered 20% of the lost oil exports that we tried to block through the sanctions….and that is just what we are able to measure.]
Joe Biden says “we will not let Iran get a nuclear weapon and they don’t have a weapon to put uranium into”, this was my “throw the brick at the TV” moment. The simple truth is that once Iran has the uranium, making the weapons is easy. Every test detonation of a nuclear warhead with the proper amount of fissionable material in history has resulted in a nuclear detonation (there have been fizzles from failures to achieve critical mass but state sponsored bomb programs have always been able to get by that problem eventually and there is a great deal more nuclear know how readily available today); I know as I have expertise on WMD’s. There is no way that Biden doesn’t know this. This level of dishonesty is just not acceptable.
Washington Post Fact Checker:
“When Barack Obama was elected, they [Iran] had enough fissile material — nuclear material to make one bomb. Now they have enough for five. They’re racing toward a nuclear weapon. They’re four years closer toward a nuclear weapons capability…In Congress, I’ve been fighting for these sanctions since 2009. The administration was blocking us every step of the way.” –Ryan
Ryan greatly simplifies things here. Iran has built up its supply of nuclear material, but none of it is useable in a weapon yet [Political Arena Editor’s Note – as far as the Washington Post knows. Remember that Ryan and Biden get intelligence that the public will never see. What does matter is that Iran is producing uranium that is enriched over 20% and when that is achieved the ability to make a bomb becomes simply a matter of time.] Most experts say the United States and its allies would have ample warning if Iran tried to enrich its nuclear material to weapons grade. (Biden confused matters by asserting that both the Israelis and the United States would know when Iran starts “building a weapon”–that is much more difficult to track.)
Meanwhile, the debate on Iran sanctions is rather familiar. If you go back four years, you will see that it was the Obama campaign that made claims of weakness and fecklessness on Iran. President George W. Bush had considered the building of a multinational coalition seeking to negotiate with Iran as one of his foreign-policy legacies, but Obama officials were critical, saying it offered “weak carrots and weak sticks.”
Joe Biden blasted Romney for saying that we need “let foreclosures hit the bottom”. Folks this is a fact of basic market economics. The market needs to bottom out before it can recover. People jump back in when people thinks it hits bottom and the result is a quicker recovery. The housing problems lingers and drops over 40 months because government is trying to prop up housing prices… and they are failing miserably in the process.
Joe Biden pulled the old nonsense class envy card, so Ryan pulls out “This is not what a real recovery looks like” card and goes right into the “Five Point Plan” which are solid and simple talking points. That got repetitive during the debate and was a wash.
Paul Ryan went into a “Mitt Romney is a good man” speech which was devastatingly effective. A YouTube moment that we are going to see for a long time and we will post the video as soon as it is available.
Biden said that the economic collapse was because of the Iraq war and the highly successful (came in 40% under budget folks) prescription drug benefit passed by Republicans. Wow, even for a politician that is a whopper. Biden then went after Paul Ryan for helping some constituents apply for stimulus dollars. Wait a minute – so when Ryan’s office helps a constituent apply for stimulus dollars that is a policy position?? Joe knows better than that. It is the duty of every Member of Congress to help with such requests once the law is enacted. There is no excuse for this.
When the debate turned to Medicare Paul Ryan started quoting the published numbers from Obama’s own Medicare Actuary which showed that ObamaCare will drive up deficits and health care costs and Biden denied his own administrations published numbers and conclusions (that they have not publicize but has been reported). This very writer wrote about the Medicare Actuary and these numbers HERE – HERE – HERE and HERE.
Washington Post Fact Checker:
“Their own actuary from the administration came to Congress and said one out of six hospitals and nursing homes are going to go out of business as a result of this.” –Ryan
“That’s not what they said.” –Biden
Ryan is right, and Biden is wrong.
“It is doubtful that many [hospitals and other health care providers] will be able to improve their own productivity to the degree” necessary to accommodate the cuts, Medicare actuary Richard S. Foster has written. “Thus, providers for whom Medicare constitutes a substantial portion of their business could find it difficult to remain profitable, and, absent legislative intervention, might end their participation in the program (possibly jeopardizing care for beneficiaries. [Our] simulations…suggest that roughly 15 percent of [hospitalization] providers would become unprofitable within the 10-year projection as a result of the [spending cuts].”
Last time we checked, 15 percent is just shy of “one out six” (16.67 percent) .
When Ryan talks numbers he does well. He drew a solid contrast when he talked about how the Obama Administration wants to tax small businesses at 44% and Romney wants to tax them at 28%. Ryan also points out that Canada has lowered their business taxes to even quite a bit lower. NOTE – Ryan’s 44.x figure includes payroll taxes, but if memory serves the 28% figures does not, so it would have been more accurate for Ryan to say 39.9% vs 28%. So in this case Ryan is getting cute with that comparison and should not have. There is no excuse for that kind of mistake, unless of course, the Romney 28% proposal includes payroll taxes.
When Paul Ryan hit Biden on the illegal abortion mandate against Catholic institutions it hit home so Biden of curse, lied about it. Biden – “No Catholic Institution has to pay for abortions or abortion drugs or birth control and that is a fact”. Yes, it is today, BUT next year when the MANDATE KICKS IN then the mandate is the fact Joe. Then Catholic institutions will be forced to pay for abortions services and drugs etc through any insurance they buy. I am still in shock over the level of dishonesty.
Washington Post Fact Checker:
“With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear: No religious institution, Catholic or otherwise — including Catholic Social Services, Georgetown Hospital, Mercy, any hospital — none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact.” –Biden
Biden went a bit far saying it is “a fact” that religious groups will not pay for contraceptives under the health care law.
Biden was referring to the so-called contraceptive mandate, which requires insurers to provide coverage for birth control without charging additional co-payments. (We has touched on this issue in two separatecolumns).
Biden was instrumental in brokering that accommodation in an effort to quell an outcry from Catholic leaders otherwise sympathetic to the Obama administration.
The Obama administration made a decision to fully exempt religious institutions such as churches from this rule. It also said it will exempt religiously affiliated organizations such as Catholic schools and hospitals, but their insurance providers must still cover birth control with no out-of-pocket costs for the insured. [Political Arena Editor’s Note – So all that has happened is that the person who writes the final check has been one step removed. The premiums will rise and if a religious institution wants to buy health insurance for its employees it MUST provide the birth control/abortion mandate. Biden’s accommodation amounts to a distinction without a difference].
Rep. Paul Ryan pointed out that the accommodations failed to satisfy many religious groups. “If they agree with you … why would they keep suing you?” he asked.
As far as Syria, if we help the forces who are fighting Assad we will be effectively handing the country over to the Muslim Brotherhood. There is no good way the Syrian problem ends so our take is that Biden and Ryan are both wrongheaded on this issue.
It is likely that Ryan had other factual deficits, but Biden’s were so whopping and fast coming that I was working to keep them straight. I will look over the YouTube later and focus on Ryan more. This piece also focused less on Ryan because the things he said in the debate are things the Romney/Ryan team has been saying for some time now so there was very little that was new.
Washington Post Fact Checker:
“He’ll keep saying this $5 trillion plan, I suppose. It’s been discredited by six other studies…Six studies have guaranteed — six studies have verified that this math adds up.” –Ryan
Romney would cut tax rates by 20 percent and eliminate the estate tax, the alternative minimum tax and reduce the corporate tax, which analysts say will reduce revenue by $5 trillion over ten years. But Romney also has said he will make his plan “revenue neutral” by eliminating tax loopholes and deductions, much as Ronald Reagan did when he passed a tax reform in 1986. [Political Arena Editor’s Note – Like we said previously HERE ].
The fact checkers, if they do their job, are going to hit Biden good tomorrow. The best line in the debate was probably from Paul Ryan when he said, “If you can’t run on your record paint your opponent as someone to run from.” That is what Biden tried to do tonight.
Editor: Biden’s Performance the Most Dishonest I Have Ever Witnessed – LINK
Chuck Norton – Joe is a very likable fellow. He always has been. Look at how fast he changed the subject to Bin Laden.
Chuck Norton – Ryan has good points, but he is being a tad scripted. But granted any normal human would be nervous.
Chuck Norton – Oh come on Joe, the Obama Admin was using the Embassy Budget to buy Chevy Volts for diplomatic staff… and its Ryan’s fault that the Obama Admin cut security in Banghazi? Gimme an effing break….
Laurie Blackert Harris – ONLY good point…he has to stick with the only thing they have..
Chuck Norton – Look this is the anniversary of 9/11…. and – Go Paul Ryan – totally correct.
Laurie Blackert Harris – I MEAN Bin laden dead… is the ONLY thing they have… then got our seals killed when they bragged about it… STUPID
Chuck Norton – OK the administration counted on watered down sanctions…. but to be fair, oil rich countries are VERY good at getting around such sanctions…. Saddam Hussien was getting around the sanctions and the UN was helping Iraq get around them with bribes all the way up to Kofi Annon’s son.
Chuck Norton – Paul Ryan is talking too much. Let Joe talk so he can gaff… because he always does….
Chuck Norton – Joe says that “we will not let Iran get a nuclear weapon and they don’t have a weapon to put uranium into” – OH COME ON – once they have the uranium making the weapons is so easy it is silly. I know as I have expertise on WMD’s.
Chuck Norton – Sanctions just give the illusion of doing something while Iran gets time to enrich uranium.
Chuck Norton – Joe says – Romney says “let foreclosures hit the bottom” the market needs to bottom out before it can recover. The problem came about and lingers because government is trying to prop up housing prices… and they are failing miserably in the process.
Kimberly Eason Saunders – Why the hell is Biden laughing all the time?
Chuck Norton – Joe pulls the old BS class envy card – so Ryan pulls out “This is not what a real recovery looks like” card and goes right into the “Five Point Plan” which are solid and simple talking points.
Chuck Norton – Wow – Paul Ryan did his “Mitt Romney is a good man” speech which was devastatingly effective. A YouTube moment that we are going to see for a long time.
Kimberly Eason Saunders – Ryan better come back on this one — show me something? Where’s your budget?
Chuck Norton – Wow the war and the prescription drug benefit caused the collapse Joe??? WTF – Wow such lies. Wow, even for a politician that is a whopper.
Chuck Norton – Wait a minute – so when Ryan’s office helps a constituent apply for stimulus dollars that is a policy position?? Joe knows better than that. It is the duty of every Member of Congress to help with such requests once the law is enacted. – This is terribly dishonest.
Kimberly Eason Saunders – Moderator sucks — she keeps changing topic and not let Ryan answer
Chuck Norton – Yes when Ryan is moving in for the kill she wants to change.
Chuck Norton – Wow the dishonesty is really getting thick. The fact checkers are going to cream Biden tomorrow.
Kimberly Eason Saunders – interrupting again! UGH! I want to slap him
Kimberly Eason Saunders – How many times has he said Martha? Good thing this isn’t a drinking game!
Chuck Norton – Biden is denying what his own Medicare Actuary is on the record saying.
Chuck Norton – 28% of small business income vs 44% of that income Obama wants to take – that one hit home.
Chuck Norton – Ohh these taxes on small business speech Ryan is going is devastating – another youtube moment.
Chuck Norton – Reagan and Tip O’Neill – lets do what they did – smart
Chuck Norton – Arguing statistics against Paul Ryan – Ryan will win every time.
Chuck Norton – Getting in the weeds vs Paul Ryan is a losing strat Joe – Hit Paul Ryan on specifics ….Ryan can give them to you.
Chuck Norton – Joe is right about the budget deal – Boehner got totally out foxed.
Kimberly Eason Saunders – Gotta give Ryan credit for keeping his cool against this dimwit
Chuck Norton – Joe Biden: Afghan security is THEIR responsibility not ours. A good point, but unless the Taliban is whipped they will own Afghanistan again and we will be right at square one. We are being too restrained in fighting the Taliban.
Kimberly Eason Saunders – it is almost unbearable to watch Biden’s smug face
Chuck Norton – Let me be clear, either go ape on the Taliban and wipe them out whatever it takes, or take all our allies and those who want to leave (like all the women who hate the taliban) and we leave. We must NOT leave the innocent to twist in the wind.
Kimberly Eason Saunders – Why is Biden yelling?
Rey Brandt – Because he is losing?
Rey Brandt – Just talk over the top Joe it’s not like the moderator will call you on it.
Chuck Norton – Joe knows how to sound assertive – even when he is just so full of it.
Chuck Norton – I think people tuned out after the medicare part of the debate – now only the politiwonks are watching.
Chuck Norton – Both of them are wrong on this Syria thing……..
Chuck Norton – LOL, Biden can take a pile of nonsense and make it sound like a good answer, but like I said, wow are the fact checkers going to skewer Biden tomorrow.
Kimberly Eason Saunders – I am totally against forcing religious hospitals to cover abortions as it’s against their religious beliefs
Chuck Norton – Ryan nailing them on the abortion mandate against catholic institutions hit home.
Chuck Norton – Oh wow, Biden is going to get hammered tomorrow – “That is a fact” Yes, it is today – BUT next year when the MANDATE KICKS IN then the mandate is the fact Joe. Then Catholic institutions will be forced to pay for abortions services and drugs etc.
Kimberly Eason Saunders – LOL! Yeah, like Kagan had no hidden agenda? gimme a flipping break?
Chuck Norton – I read Kagen’s law review article that argued against the First Amendment – it was scarey.
Chuck Norton – OK all they are closing up – While both sides had a few factual deficits, Joe Biden was repeatedly and fantastically dishonest on several points. So much so that even I am a bit surprised. Ryan’s closing is devastating.
Rey Brandt Closing time to blame Bush!
Chuck Norton – Joe was on an emotional roller-coaster and that is the ad to make against him – it comes across as insincere… as slick. Ryan had a few times where he was not asserting himself well.
Rey Brandt – Best line? “If you can’t run on your record paint your opponent as someone to run from.”
Are they paid to be there or just victims of DC public schools? Your guess is as good as mine. This is from our pal Michelle Fields at The Daily Caller:
This is the product of radicalized leftists that have so much influence on campus. Why does the Democratic Leadership actively go out of the way to conceal just how far to the left they are?
Government spends money for political reasons, cronyismn etc. That is why government spending tends not to create wealth or have much velocity because the money is not spent in the way that will do the most economic good.
Many politicians tend to spin or dissemble, but in the case of this group from Chicago, the lies are so stark that it is a simple case of calculated aggression.
Editor’s Note – This very writer has written on this subject several times both here and on my former college blog (LINK – LINK). During 2008-09 I was one of the very few who was not surprised in the least to see Obama appoint several arch antisemites such as Samantha Power and Robert Malley. Why was this writer not surprised? Because Obama came from radicalized leftist academia and antisemitism among university leftists is fashion at most large universities. Obama hung out with Frank Marshall Davis, Bill Ayers, and Obama’s own mother was an academic who specialized in “critical theory” which is Marxism on steroids. Obama even says in his own book that Marxist academics are who he sought out to associate with.
A new, 18-minute mini-documentary follows the journey of Irina, a 23-year-old liberal, Jewish New Yorker who voted for Obama in 2008. Yet as her connection to Israel has grown, and she has learned more about the President’s policies across the Middle East and towards Israel in particular, Irina has come to realize that “when the chips are down,” the President may not “have Israel’s back” as he says.
The short film features:
Exclusive interviews with leading journalists and politicians in Israel
(Bloomberg, London Times, Jerusalem Post, etc.)
Clips from longtime Democratic supporters including: Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)
[Editor’s Note – Bila is one of the best in the business, so naturally her advice is about as solid as any can be, but even so we would like to add a little to it:
The press likes to steer the debate format to 30 or 60 second answers. This favors Democrats because one can spew several lies in such a time, and one cannot respond to such lies with specifics in the same time frame, and since almost every major progressive thinker has written that deception is a valid political tactic it is a problem. Republicans should resist or insist on rules that do not have time limits that are too short. The elite media also likes such short times because it helps create sound bites, gaffes and promotes emotionally charged drama that helps media ratings but is bad for the country.
Debate moderators, such as Gwen Ifel and George Stephanopoulos are entrenched Democratic Party hired guns, who get hired by networks because, well because of just that reason; they will ask questions that will steer the debate about non-issues (like birth control), and will steer the debate away from Obama’s record, don’t let them get away with it. It is appropriate and necessary to take a reporter to task for not doing an ethical job so if that means calling them out and humiliating then Newt style, than by all means do so.]
Tonight, voters across the country will tune in to the first 2012 presidential debate. President Obama and Governor Romney will take the stage at the University of Denver to debate domestic policy from 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET. This is an incredibly important night for Romney, a chance for him to define himself to voters still on the fence and an opportunity to draw a clear, bold contrast between his vision and that of our President.
To be blunt, Romney must have a successful night. In order to make that happen, there are a few things I think he needs to do.
Communications Strategist Jedediah Bila
Governor Romney, here’s my advice:
1) Clearly articulate the discrepancy between Obama’s 2008 campaign promises and what he delivered as President. What did Obama say the unemployment rate would be if his stimulus was passed? Remember when Obama said that adding $4 trillion in debt was unpatriotic? Where was his leadership on tax reform and responsible budgeting? Was entertaining lobbyists part of his plan to change business as usual in Washington? The list goes on and on. People need to be reminded that what they voted for in 2008 is not what they received.
2) Dismantle Obama’s supposed allegiance to the middle class. What about Obamacare’s tax hikes on the middle class? Heritage reminds us: “Obamacare imposes a penalty—or tax increase—on Americans who do not purchase health insurance. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that most of those paying these taxes are middle-class individuals and families making less than 500 percent of the federal poverty level: $59,000 for an individual and $120,000 for a family of four. Three million lower-income and middle-class Americans will pay an estimated $2 billion in these ‘mandate taxes.’”
What about middle-class coal workers suffering at the hands of Obama’s overregulation? Perhaps some Americans weren’t paying attention when Senator Obama talked about bankrupting the coal industry in 2008. Remind them in light of coal plant closures in 2012.
Keep in mind that Obama will present his allegiance to the middle class within the larger context of his class-warfare strategy of imposing tax hikes on small business owners and other hard-working Americans he broadly labels “millionaires and billionaires.” Never–ever–be afraid to tackle class warfare. Let President Obama pit Americans against each other; be the leader who unites us under policies that benefit all.
3) Be bold in drawing a distinction between your vision and that of Obama (as reflected through his policies these last four years). If this is going to be a choice election, the choice needs to be abundantly clear. Part of outlining that distinction is a willingness to get specific. Voters have little patience for ambiguity at this point, particularly those disheartened Independents who fell for ‘hope’ and ‘change’ in 2008. When asked a specific question, give very specific answers–numbers, facts, figures, policy outlines, cost, and benefits. Details inspire voter confidence in you and your vision.
4) Delivery matters. Leave talking points, affected tones, rigidity, and timidity behind. Instead, bring to the stage realness, empathy for the plight of struggling Americans, fearlessness with respect to tackling Obama’s failed policies and this country’s challenges, and confidence about both your policy and your ability to execute it.
You have been painted by the opposition as out of touch, detached, and unable to connect with voters. The only person who can prove that caricature wrong is you. Remember that Ronald Reagan didn’t just get elected because people believed he was the guy who could fix things; he also got elected because underneath all of that political talk, voters saw a real person who connected with them. In the 2008 vice-presidential debate, Sarah Palin reminded voters of that element by focusing her attention not on Biden or the moderators, but right through the camera’s lens on the American people. Remember to talk directly tovoters, and it will make all the difference.
Most importantly, recall that Obama has a tendency to get defensive and arrogant when challenged. Be his opposite. Welcome the challenges and refute the President’s claims with a down-to-earth, fact-filled rebuttal. Always remember that arrogance does not equal confidence. Confidence inspires voters; arrogance conveys that you think you’re smarter than the rest of us. Confidence is appealing; arrogance is not.
5) Finally, own the Bain Capital argument, the tax return argument, and any other petty distraction put forth by Obama to draw the curtain over the unemployment numbers, ballooning debt and deficit, overregulation, and the rest of his policy disasters.
Mitt, you have a choice: Either own the narrative or President Obama will. It’s up to you.
In 1990, the year before the collapse of the Soviet Union, I attended an economic conference in Moscow.
Like my father during his visits to the U.S.S.R. in the early 1930s, I was astonished and appalled by what I saw.
Simple necessities, such as toilet paper, were in short supply. In fact, there was none at all in the airport bathroom stalls for fear it would be stolen. Visitors using the facilities had to request a portion of tissue from an attendant beforehand.
When I walked into one of Moscow’s giant department stores, there was next to nothing on the shelves. For those shoppers who were lucky enough to find something they actually wanted to buy, the purchase process was maddening and time-consuming.
Although the government provided universal healthcare, I never met anyone who wanted to stay in a Soviet hospital. Medical services might have been “free,” but the quality of care was notoriously poor.
Reality Check
My experiences in the Soviet Union underscore why economic freedom is so important for all of us.
Nations with the greatest degree of economic freedom tend to have citizens who are much better off in every way.
No centralized government, no matter how big, how smart or how powerful, can effectively and efficiently control much of society in a beneficial way. On the contrary, big governments are inherently inefficient and harmful.
And yet, the tendency of our own government here in the U.S. has been to grow bigger and bigger, controlling more and more. This is why America keeps dropping in the annual ranking of economic freedom.
Devil’s Bargain
Citizens who over-rely on their government to do everything not only become dependent on their government, they end up having to do whatever the government demands. In the meantime, their initiative and self-respect are destroyed.
It was President Franklin Roosevelt who said: “Continued dependence on [government support] induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit.”
Businesses can become dependents, too. If your struggling car company wants a government bailout, you’ll probably have to build the government’s car – even if it’s a car very few people want to buy.
Repeatedly asking for government help undermines the foundations of society by destroying initiative and responsibility. It is also a fatal blow to efficiency and corrupts the political process.
When everyone gets something for nothing, soon no one will have anything, because no one will be producing anything.
Cronyism
Under the Soviet system, special traffic lanes were set aside for the sole use of officials in their limousines. This worsened driving conditions for everyone else, but those receiving favored treatment didn’t care.
Today, many governments give special treatment to a favored few businesses that eagerly accept those favors. This is the essence of cronyism.
Many businesses with unpopular products or inefficient production find it much easier to curry the favor of a few influential politicians or a government agency than to compete in the open market.
After all, the government can literally guarantee customers and profitability by mandating the use of certain products, subsidizing production or providing protection from more efficient competitors.
Cronyism enables favored companies to reap huge financial rewards, leaving the rest of us – customers and competitors alike – worse off.
One obvious example of this involves wind farms. Most cannot turn a profit without the costly subsidies the government provides. Meanwhile, consumers and taxpayers are forced to pay an average of five times more for wind-generated electricity.
We see far too many legislative proposals that would subsidize one form of energy over another, penalize certain emissions from one industry but not another, or place protective tariffs that hurt consumers.
Legacies
Karl Marx famously said: “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.”
The result of this approach is not equality, but rather a lowering of everyone’s standards to some minimal level.
Some people worry about the disparity of wealth in a system of economic freedom. What they don’t realize is that the same disparity exists in the least-free countries.
The difference is who is better off.
Under economic freedom, it is the people who do the best job of producing products and services that make people’s lives better.
On the other hand, in a system without economic freedom, the wealthiest are the tyrants who make people’s lives miserable.
As a result of this, the income of the poorest in the least-free countries is one-tenth of what it is in the freest.
Elected officials are often asked what they would like as their legacy. I’m never going to run for office, but I can tell you how I would answer that question.
I want my legacy to be greater freedom, greater prosperity and a better way of life for my family, our employees and all Americans. And I wish the same for every nation on earth.
Charles Koch is the Chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, Inc.
Democrats will do anything to try and cover up the fact that Democrats have gutted a near broke Medicare system and after 2014 the rationing begins all because of ObamaCare.
Judy Walkman, a professional genealogy researcher in southern California, was doing some personal work on her own family tree. She discovered that Senator Harry Reid’s great-great uncle, Remus Reid, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. Both Judy and Harry Reid share this common ancestor. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows in Montana Territory:
On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription: ‘Remus Reid, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.’
So Judy recently e-mailed Senator Harry Reid for information about their great-great uncle.
Harry Reid’s response:
Believe it or not, Harry Reid’s staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research: “Remus Reid was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory . His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed.”
UPDATE II – Obama lied about his campaign not linking Romney to “murder” – LINK – LINK.
Coulter is right. This is an embarrassment. Andrea Saul did not even seem to have the best facts straight before responding on behalf of the Romney Campaign. The question is, why does a presidential campaign have a twenty-something hottie for a campaign spokesman?
In case you missed it, here is Andrea Saul responding to an Obama ad accusing Mitt Romney of costing a man his job and health care for his family. His wife didn’t want to report she was sick and died of stage four cancer. The accusation is silly on its face. We will give the answer she should have given in a moment, but first watch this spectacle:
SAUL: To that point, you know, if people had been in Massachusetts under Governor Romney’s health care plan, they would have had health care. There are a lot of people losing their jobs and their health care in President Obama’s economy.
2 – The company was dying and Bain tried to rescue GST Steel. The man in the video has Bain Capital to thank because without them GST Steel would have died three years earlier.
3 – The woman who died had insurance when her husband left GST Steel.
4 – And she didn’t get very ill until 2006!
5 – The Obama campaign says that the ad was done by a 527 group and that it has no control over what they do, but what they don’t say is that Obama Cabinet members are the ones funding the 527.
6 – Obama is directly responsible for almost 100,000 energy jobs lost and those are top jobs with insurance. Obama is also responsible for retirees at Delphi losing many of their benefits. Only FDR beats Obama when it comes to sustained job losses over time.
UPDATE – Soptic was offered a buyout from Bain when he worked for the company and CHOSE NOT TO TAKE THE INSURANCE – LINK.
That is why this ad is such an outrage. So it is not as if Andrea Saul did not have plenty of legit ammo to use in her response. You can be sure that some conservative voters will stay home on election day simply because they saw Andrea Saul’s remarks.
Ann Coulter:
I am going to get in trouble for what I am about to say here but it must be said. There is a problem in insider American politics that people should be aware of.
Let me preface my remarks by saying that candidates for Congress ask me for advice often as well as communications pros from around the country. While we are not nearly as popular as Hotair.com or Gateway Pundit this web site has a big enough impact that many in political journalism are very aware of us (and at the risk of being immodest have been aware of yours truly for several years). I spent some time in DC. When looking for work I learned that my competition for most any position included at least a dozen ladies who all are wielding serious cleavage, sparkling hair, a come hither smile, and a Masters Degree. I know through experience that countless women like this come to DC to get their Congressional and Executive Branch knee pads. If anyone thinks that “Monica Lewinsky’s” are uncommon they have not spent time in DC. Sex appeal is a weapon in politics and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you or hasn’t actually spent time in the district.
With that said does this mean that we are accusing Andrea Saul of sleeping her way to the top? No we are not. But what we will say is that she has been around for a few years, we are aware of her, and while she is certainly a hottie, her skills as a crisis communications pundit have never seemed particularly impressive [Editor’s Note – we take no pleasure in saying this and we understand that Miss Saul is a real person with real feelings. With that said this is a presidential camnpaign and the stakes are just too high to have this kind of a problem. We wish Miss Saul all the best in her future endeavors].
I jump on every opportunity to respectfully challenge my 84-year-old black dad’s loyalty to Obama. Dad has been a Christian pastor over 50 years. He lives in Maryland, and I live in Florida. I called Dad to ask if he participated in Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. He said no, he had not heard about it. Then, he added, “All I know is Chick-fil-A discriminates against gays.”
Folks, I was outraged. Struggling to keep my composure, I passionately said, “Dad, that is a lie! You have got to stop getting your news from the mainstream media!”
I went on to explain to my dad what the protest and appreciation day were really about. Dad was shocked. He does not support same-sex marriage, and he was pretty grossed out when I told him that in retaliation homosexuals have planned a “kiss-in” at Chick-fil-A restaurants.
I also took the occasion to inform Dad that black pastors across America have organized to protest Obama’s support of same-sex marriage. Again, Dad knew nothing about the black pastors’ protest.
At my local Chick-fil-A restaurant, Mavis and I were the only blacks there in support of the protest, amongst hundreds of white Christians and Tea Party patriots.
So what is going on? Why is the truth not getting to a majority of black Americans? I fault a majority of black media outlets and the mainstream media.
For the most part, conservative talk radio is a white thing. Even black conservative radio talk show hosts have a mostly white following.
How do we get the truth to black America? Since I am writing about this problem, one might assume I have a solution. Well, I do not, and it frustrates me.
My conversation with Dad was yesterday. He called me at 9 AM this morning. “Why haven’t I heard about what Christians were doing in support of Chick-fil-A?” I told Dad the reason is because the mainstream media, where he gets his news, is in the pocket of the socialists/progressives who embrace same-sex marriage. The mainstream media (CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC) gave the phenomenon minimal coverage.
Dad was surprised to learn that all who oppose same-sex marriage are branded bigots and haters by his beloved Democratic Party and the mainstream media. Dad said he does not hate or judge anyone. However, the Bible says homosexuality is wrong. He must stand on the Word of God.
Patriots, my excitement was overwhelming. For years I have been waiting for the correct moment and approach to “respectfully” tell Dad that his blind loyalty to Obama and the Democrats contradicts everything he has stood for and taught me. The moment was miraculously here. Dad was on the phone, asking questions and listening.
My mind was racing. “OK! OK! How can I give him a history lesson and Conservatism vs. Liberalism 101 in as few words as possible?” I thought, “Calm down and take it slow.” We talked for an hour.
Dad did not know that not only did Obama say that he supports same-sex marriage, but he vowed to be an advocate of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities. Dad told me to send him the link, which is pretty amazing, considering I have not been successful getting Dad to check his e-mail.
Dad was unaware that the Democratic Party is considering making same-sex marriage a part of its platform.
I explained to Dad that the mainstream media spins the truth and, in many cases, lies to support its socialist/progressive, anti-Christian, anti-God agenda.
For example: Dad heard from his media sources that Republicans, Christians, and conservatives are trying to ban contraception for women. Yes, Dad was familiar with the reported “War on Women.”
I told Dad that no one is trying to stop women from obtaining birth control. Contraception is cheap — available at Walmart for five bucks or so. I explained that under ObamaCare, Christian institutions and Christians will be forced to fund contraception and abortion services against their will and their faith. Again, Dad was shocked. Dad said he does not want to fund such services.
My 84-year-old dad joined the Democratic Party in his youth, believing it to be for the hardworking little guy. I informed Dad that that Democratic Party no longer exists. In short, spoiled-brat old hippies run the Democratic Party today.
A majority of the Democratic Party leadership comprises far-left liberals who hate America and believe that man can fix every problem. God is an imaginary being clung to by ignorant, bitter, and racist middle Americans. These Democrats believe they are intellectually superior — and thus far better-qualified to manage our lives. This is why the Democratic Party seeks ever-expanding governmental controls over our behavior. Outrageously, death panels in ObamaCare even give government power to decide who lives and who dies.
In response to the socialists/progressives’ disbelief in God, Dad, a preacher over 50 years, said, “Your house had a builder. I did not see him. Nor do I know him. But I know he exists. Man also had a builder.”
Dad ended our conservation with “I’m going to Chick-fil-A today to spend some money”.
“If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” – Malcolm X
Political Arena 