I think this little child from Colorado speaks for all Americans! And how adorable is it that she calls Obama "Bronco Bamma"? :)
This is the original video of Abigael Evans, posted by her mother.
And NPR has apologized on behalf of all the news reporters who are royally sick of covering the election, too. And as a blogger, I know just how they feel. We wish it was over yesterday.
"On behalf of NPR and all other news outlets, we apologize to Abigael and all the many others who probably feel like her," NPR's Mark Memmott writes. "We must confess, the campaign's gone on long enough for us, too. Let's just keep telling ourselves: 'Only a few more days, only a few more days, only a few more days.'"
Hindsight is always 20-20 especially when dealing with predicting the weather. But with Sandy, the forecasters got it all too right, even though many on Twitter and elsewhere made fun of the moniker "Frankenstorm," and CNN News supposedly banned the use of the name. Yet the hurricane really developed into the worst of the worst-case-scenarios and everyone's nightmare storm.
Luckily local officials listened to the scientists at NOAA and science saved lives.
From the air, the coast of New Jersey looks like a sandbox full of broken toy Monopoly houses in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the ironically named mega-storm. Ferris Wheels and roller coasters are twisted and stranded, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Boardwalks and docks are in splinters. Boats are tossed this way and that in the middle of towns and highways. It's very much like the scene after the tsunami in Japan, and the scope is just as epic.
Governor Chris Christie is doing a great job of putting his state first and politics second, and has had nothing but praise for President Obama. This is what statesmanship looks like, my friends. A week before the election, politics doesn't seem like the priority anymore. Some people can put partisan feelings aside and work together, and I hope this will continue. I believe the main thing Christie and Obama have in common is they both seem to have a lot of heart for the people of this country, and that's why they are suddenly bonding together. Mitt, not so much. He tried to fake it today while packing canned goods in Ohio, but he came across as oddly cheerful in the wake of other people's misfortune.
Survival is the key, and a big part of that is the Federal Emergency Management Organization, or FEMA. Voters watching this story unfold should remember that both Romney and Ryan have called for the end of FEMA without explaining how states or the private sector would begin paying for the cleanup of such a disaster. There really is no answer because it is the government's job to take care of its own. The National Guard and Coast Guard are helping in the rescue, the Army Corps of Engineers are going to pump out the subways, and Federal Assistance will help pay to get the lights and water back on, and provide disaster loans to get homes and businesses rebuilt.
And while charity organizations and volunteers will be needed in droves for the next few months as winter sets in, the bottom line is that the Federal Government is the only hope of millions right now. Their homes are flooded, their jobs are gone, their schools are in shambles. This is not the time to start lecturing people that they don't need "hand-outs" and they shouldn't be "moochers" or "takers." If Mitt, Ryan and other extreme Republicans don't understand that now, they never will. But they aren't known for the empathy or compassion.
Sandy isn't a normal storm - it's a Mega Monster Storm. Not only is it destroying piers, boats, beaches, and homes along the complete Eastern Shore of the United States, but it's also going to bring in a blizzard of snow - 1-2 FEET - in the Appalachian Mountain region. And then it's going to move into Canada and God only knows what sort of weather they will receive.
I'm saying a prayer for everyone in the path of this storm. Stay safe, and stay home.
Airlines have canceled more than 12,000 flights along the East Coast due to Hurricane #Sandy: on.wsj.com/SoHoau
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) October 29, 2012
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL182012
200 PM EDT MON OCT 29 2012
...SANDY MOVING MORE QUICKLY TOWARD SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY...
...LANDFALL EXPECTED EARLY THIS EVENING...
SUMMARY OF 200 PM EDT...1800 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...38.3N 73.1W
ABOUT 110 MI...180 KM SE OF ATLANTIC CITY NEW JERSEY
ABOUT 175 MI...285 KM SSE OF NEW YORK CITY
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...90 MPH...150 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 305 DEGREES AT 28 MPH...44 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...940 MB...27.76 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...
NONE
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* NORTH OF SURF CITY TO DUCK NORTH CAROLINA
* PAMLICO AND ALBEMARLE SOUNDS
IN ADDITION...HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED ALONG PORTIONS OFbTHE COAST BETWEEN CHINCOTEAGUE VIRGINIA AND CHATHAM MASSACHUSETTS.
THIS INCLUDES THE TIDAL POTOMAC FROM COBB ISLAND TO SMITH POINT... THE MIDDLE AND UPPER CHESAPEAKE BAY...DELAWARE BAY...AND THE COASTS OF THE NORTHERN DELMARVA PENINSULA...NEW JERSEY...THE NEW YORK CITY AREA...LONG ISLAND...CONNECTICUT...AND RHODE ISLAND.
TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED NORTH OF CHATHAM TO MERRIMACK RIVER MASSACHUSETTS...THE LOWER CHESAPEAKE BAY...AND SOUTH OF CHINCOTEAGUE TO DUCK NORTH CAROLINA...THE NORTHERN ENDPOINT OF THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING.
OTHER COASTAL AND INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THESE AREAS. PLEASE SEE STATEMENTS FROM LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICES.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 200 PM EDT...1800 UTC...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE SANDY WAS LOCATED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT AND NOAA DOPPLER WEATHER RADARS TO BE NEAR LATITUDE 38.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 73.1 WEST. SANDY IS NOW MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 28 MPH...
44 KM/H. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING UNTIL LANDFALL OCCURS...FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST TONIGHT. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF SANDY IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG OR JUST SOUTH OF
THE SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY COAST BY EARLY EVENING.
REPORTS FROM THE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 90 MPH...150 KM/H...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SANDY IS EXPECTED TO TRANSITION INTO A FRONTAL OR WINTERTIME LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THIS TRANSITION
WILL NOT BE ACCOMPANIED BY A WEAKENING OF THE SYSTEM...AND LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED PRIOR TO LANDFALL. SANDY IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN AFTER MOVING WELL INLAND.
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES...280 KM... MAINLY SOUTHWEST OF THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 485 MILES...780 KM. SUSTAINED WINDS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE ARE OCCURRING FROM SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND THROUGH LONG ISLAND AND LONG ISLAND SOUND...AND SOUTHWARD ALONG THE COASTS OF NEW JERSEY...DELAWARE...AND EASTERN VIRGINIA...AND INCLUDING ALL OF THE CHESAPEAKE AND DELAWARE BAYS. A WEATHERFLOW INSTRUMENT RECENTLY REPORTED A SUSTAINED WIND OF 54 MPH...87 KM/H...WITH A GUST TO 63 MPH...102 KM/H...ON LONG ISLAND AT EATONS NECK NEW YORK.
ALSO...A UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT BUOY LOCATED IN WESTERN LONG ISLAND SOUND RECENTLY REPORTED A SUSTAINED WIND OF 38 MPH...61 KM/H...WITH A GUST TO 54 MPH...87 KM/H...AT A HEIGHT OF 10 FEET ABOVE THE WATER.
THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE BASED ON REPORTS FROM RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS 940 MB...27.76 INCHES.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...GALE/TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE ALREADY OCCURRING OVER PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES FROM NORTH CAROLINA NORTHWARD TO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. GALE-FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO SPREAD OVER OTHER PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS COULD REACH THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES... INCLUDING NEW YORK CITY AND LONG ISLAND...BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WINDS AFFECTING THE UPPER FLOORS OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER THAN THOSE NEAR GROUND LEVEL.
STORM SURGE...THE COMBINATION OF AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS STORM SURGE AND THE TIDE WILL CAUSE NORMALLY DRY AREAS NEAR THE COAST TO BE FLOODED BY RISING WATERS. THE WATER COULD REACH THE FOLLOWING DEPTHS ABOVE GROUND IF THE PEAK SURGE OCCURS AT THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE...
NC NORTH OF SURF CITY INCLUDING PAMLICO/ALBEMARLE SOUNDS...4 TO 6 FT
SE VA AND DELMARVA INCLUDING LOWER CHESAPEAKE BAY...2 TO 4 FT
UPPER AND MIDDLE CHESAPEAKE BAY...1 TO 3 FT
LONG ISLAND SOUND...RARITAN BAY...AND NEW YORK HARBOR...6 TO 11 FT
ELSEWHERE FROM OCEAN CITY MD TO THE CT/RI BORDER...4 TO 8 FT
CT/RI BORDER TO THE SOUTH SHORE OF CAPE COD INCLUDING BUZZARDS
BAY AND NARRAGANSETT BAY...3 TO 6 FT
CAPE COD TO THE MA/NH BORDER INCLUDING CAPE COD BAY...2 TO 4 FT
MA/NH BORDER TO THE U.S./CANADA BORDER...1 TO 3 FT
SURGE-RELATED FLOODING DEPENDS ON THE RELATIVE TIMING OF THE SURGE AND THE TIDAL CYCLE...AND CAN VARY GREATLY OVER SHORT DISTANCES. GIVEN THE LARGE WIND FIELD ASSOCIATED WITH SANDY...ELEVATED WATER LEVELS COULD SPAN MULTIPLE TIDE CYCLES RESULTING IN REPEATED AND
EXTENDED PERIODS OF COASTAL AND BAYSIDE FLOODING. IN ADDITION... ELEVATED WATERS COULD OCCUR FAR REMOVED FROM THE CENTER OF SANDY. FURTHERMORE...THESE CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SANDY IS A TROPICAL OR POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE. FOR INFORMATION
SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE SEE PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
RAINFALL...RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER FAR NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM TOTALS OF 8 INCHES POSSIBLE. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF THE MID ATLANTIC STATES...INCLUDING THE DELMARVA
PENINSULA...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES POSSIBLE. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM THE SOUTHERN TIER OF NEW YORK STATE NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH NEW ENGLAND.
SNOWFALL..SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 FEET ARE EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WEST VIRGINIA WITH LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SNOWFALL OF 1 TO 2 FEET IS EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA TO THE KENTUCKY BORDER...WITH 12 TO 18 INCHES OF SNOW EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS NEAR THE NORTH CAROLINA/TENNESSEE BORDER AND IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN MARYLAND.
SURF...DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE FROM FLORIDA THROUGH
NEW ENGLAND FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
NEXT ADVISORY
------------- NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY...500 PM EDT.
TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATES WILL BE ISSUED AT 300 AND 400 PM EDT.
$$
FORECASTER STEWART
Yes, a vote for Mitt is a vote for the Zomney Apocalypse! And just in time for Halloween! So vote for Mitt and make sure the world as we know it ends quicker than we expected. By Thanksgiving you can be eating 47% swill with the best of demons.
Good News - the Tsunami Warning is now just an Advisory! :) So things weren't as bad as originally feared and evacuees can go home for the rest of the night. I'm relieved. Now we just sit around waiting for Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast! I'll write about that on Monday, I'm sure.
Gov. Abercrombie: Tsunami warning has been downgraded to an advisory. Beaches remain closed. #HITsunami
About a dozen waves have rolled in so far, but now they are getting higher, according to KHON News, with one measured at 4 feet on Hilo. So the authorities have not called off the tsunami warning, and won't do that until daylight at least, which will be several more hours in Hawaii.
~~~~~~
120K People evacuated from the Coastal Areas of Hawaii4 Waves have hit Kahului so far..Kahului is the largest on the island of Maui
What's strange is that the island of Hawaii has had 2 small earthquakes in the past few hours - both 2.3 - probably volcanic.
~~~~~~
Scary picture shown by reporter on KHON of wave heading straight from western Canada to Hawaii - Gov. Neil Abercrombie saying there will be multiple waves over several hours.
Civil Defense telling people to evacuate from all coastlines and go to local schools. Cars are backing up at gas stations and blocking roads.
6-7 ft wave possible for Kahului, Maui, 3-4 ft for Oahu, possible 4 ft for Hilo #HITsunami
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck off the British Columbia coast, triggering a tsunami warning for a region stretching from Vancouver Island to Alaska.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck just after 8 p.m. local time about 139 km south of Masset in the Haida Gwaii region, at a depth of about 17 kilometres.
Earthquakes Canada, which initially gave the quake a magnitude of 7.1, said the quake was felt across much of north-central B.C.
The quake was followed by an aftershock measuring 5.8 magnitude, the USGS said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The quake triggered a tsunami warning from Environment Canada for a region from the north tip of Vancouver Island up to Alaska.
“If you are in a low lying coastal area you are at risk and must move to higher ground or inland now,” the agency said.
I was about to go to bed when I discovered there was an earthquake in western Canada that was 7.7 on the Richter Scale. It's the third largest earthquake ever in Canada, and the largest since 1949. And while the area in the Queen Charlotte Islands isn't heavily populated, and Vancouver doesn't seem to be heavily damaged, the earthquake has created a Tsunami which is headed for the Hawaiian Islands.
Since I'm wide awake, I'll just liveblog whatever I find online in the coming hours.
Romney's Campaign knows there are few paths to victory without Ohio, and now that he seems to be losing there, desperation is setting in. So now we have a new website for fundraising called "Expand the Map," telling Republicans to donate money so Mitt can make a last ditch stand in Minnesota, Michigan and Maine. But M&M's aren't going to save Mitt now.
It is cool that they refer to the "Obama Juggernaut" as some mythical force. It's funny considering that for months on end the media touted Romney's deep pockets as insurmountable for the Democrats to overcome. Now we get the last laugh.
Romney and some of his advisers have talked up the possibility of making a late run at a new state – Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, etc. – but there's been precious little investment of money or the candidate's time to show for it. Outside groups have spent heavily to try and give Romney a shot at Minnesota, Michigan and Maine's 2nd Congressional District, which is worth a single electoral vote in the state's unusual system. If Romney seriously wants to "expand the map," look for him to make a late visit to one of those places in the next week and a half.
Today, we launched an opportunity to take our message into new states. Help us #ExpandTheMapmi.tt/WR9jCl
We're defying the odds and holding strong against the billion-dollar Obama juggernaut, but we need your help to win.
Today, we launch ExpandTheMap.com -- an opportunity to take our message into new states and tell voters about our plan to create 12 million new jobs.
Can you help us raise a million dollars a day for this program and finish strong?
Contribute now to help Romney-Ryan and the Republican team keep up the fight.
Thank you!
I hope everyone is taking advantage of early voting if you have it. Don't wait till the last minute when you might be ill, or have car trouble, or bad weather. It's such a relief to have a vote "in the bank" for Obama ~ take the opportunity to give yourself some peace of mind and VOTE, America!
Obama is the first sitting President to vote early. :) Voters in swing states it will be the key to this election, so don't wait, vote now!
“I wish we could have an honest and respectful dialogue about these complicated issues,” Fey said. “But it seems like we can’t right now. And if I have to listen to one more gray-faced man with a two-dollar haircut explain to me what rape is, I’m gonna lose my mind.”
“I watch these guys and I’m like what is happening? Am I a secretary on ‘Mad Men’?” Fey joked.
Fey then tried to summarize Akin’s views on pregnancy and rape, concluding “It’s making me dumber when I say it. But it’s something about the body not being able to get pregnant when it’s under physical stress. Mr. Akin I think you are confusing the phrase ‘legitimate rape’ with the phrase ‘competitive gymnastics.’”
It's incredible that a storm can come along so late in the hurricane season and be described as either "The Perfect Storm" (as in the Storm of the Century in 1993) or even worse - "The Frankenstorm" because it is supposed to hit close to Halloween. There's also another "spin" on Sandy (pardon the pun) that it will become a "Hybrid Freak" thanks to an arctic cold front moving across the country that will merge into the tropical low.
All of it spells trouble for New Jersey north into New England next week.
STATUS: Sandy remains a Category 2 hurricane, as of 10:30 p.m. Thursday STRENGTH: Maximum sustained winds of 100 mph; 965 mb pressure LOCATION: Center of the storm is between Cat Island and Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, 105 miles east of Nassau in the Bahamas, as of 9 p.m. Thursday SPEED & DIRECTION: Moving north-northwest at 17 mph Source: National Hurricane Center
. . . the forecast for the storm is highly complex, and has little to no historical comparison, according to David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University.
“It borders on rare to unprecedented on its potential,” he said. “This is a threat that should be taken seriously. I’m not suggesting people should run right now to the grocery store for your bread and milk, but it needs to be watched closely.”
A myriad of scenarios for how the situation will unfold exists, according to forecast guidance. Were Sandy to track inland just south of or on the New Jersey coast, major coastal flooding, hurricane force winds and torrential rain are all distinct possibilities. A track further to the north, in New England, and the Garden State may be spared some of the more severe impacts. Even the potential for Sandy to move out to sea (while the least likely) can’t be completely discounted at this point.
Because the ceiling of the storm’s impact is so high, forecasters and state officials are urging residents to monitor it closely. The threat of major coastal flooding, inland flooding and wind damage is very much in the realm of possibilities for New Jersey – a threat that should not be taken lightly, regardless of the outcome.
Colin Powell endorsed the President - for the second time - and shared some concerns about Mitt Romney's foreign policy flip-flops.
Charlie Rose: Will you endorse President Obama this race?
Colin Powell: Well, you know I voted for him in 2008 and I plan to stick with him in 2012, and I’ll be voting for he and for Vice President Joe Biden next month.
Rose: That's an endorsement for President Obama for re-election?
Powell: When he took over the country was in very, very difficult straits, we were in one of the worst recessions we had seen in recent times, close to a depression. The fiscal system was collapsing. Wall Street was in chaos. We had 800,000 jobs lost in that first month of the Obama administration and unemployment would peak a few months later at 10%. So we were in real trouble. The auto industry was collapsing. The housing industry was starting to collapse, and we were in very difficult straits. And I saw over the next several years stabilization come back in the financial community, housing is now starting to pick up after four years, it's starting to pick up. Consumer confidence is rising. So I think generally we've come out of the dive and we’re starting to gain altitude. It doesn't mean we are... problem solved, there are lots of problems still out there. The unemployment rate is too high. People are still hurting in housing. But I see that we are starting to rise up.
I also saw the President get us out of one war, start to get us out of a second war and did not get us into any new wars. And finally, I think that the actions he's taken with respect to protecting us from terrorism have been very, very solid. And so I think we ought to keep on the track that we are on.
With respect to Governor Romney, I have the utmost respect to him but as I listen to what his proposals are especially with respect to dealing with our most significant issue, the economy, it's essentially let's cut taxes and compensate for that with other things. But that compensation does not cover all of the cuts intended or the new expenses associated with defense.
Charlie Rose: Have you talked to Gov. Romney about this? Did you to give him an early notice that you planned to endorse the President again?
Colin Powell: No, I didn't give anyone early notice. I have spoken to Gov. Romney. We had a very good conversation a few weeks back.
Norah O'Donnell: Did he ask you for an endorsement of him back then?
Colin Powell: No.
Norah: And have you spoken with President Obama?
Colin Powell: I speak to the President on a regular basis. And he didn't ask either. This is my decision based on my looking at it as a citizen. I think this is an exciting race between two very very capable men, and I signed on for a long patrol with President Obama, and I don't think this is the time to make such a sudden change. And not only am I not comfortable with what Gov. Romney is proposing for his economic plan, I have concerns about his views on foreign policy.
The governor who was speaking on Monday night at the debate was saying things that were quite different from what he said earlier. I'm not quite sure which Gov. Romney we would be getting with respect to foreign policy.
Norah: What concerns do you have about Mitt Romney's foreign policy?
Colin Powell: Well, it's hard to fix it. It's a moving target. One day he has a certain strong view about staying in Afghanistan but then on Monday night he agrees with the withdrawal, same thing in Iraq. On almost every issue that was discussed on Monday night, Governor Romney agreed with the President with some nuances. But this is quite a different set of foreign policy views than he had earlier in the campaign. And my concern ... is that sometimes I don't sense that he has thought through these issues as thoroughly as he should have. And he gets advice from his campaign staff that he then has to adjust or modify as he goes along.
LOL! This is surely a new experience for Bob Schieffer. After a long career as a journalist at CBS he is now starring in animated gifs and youtube parodies.
OBAMA: Gov. Romney, I'm glad that you recognize that al Qaeda is a threat because a few months ago when you were asked what's the biggest geopolitical threat facing America, you said Russia.
The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War's been over for 20 years.
. . . Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s, and the economic policies of the 1920s.
The most famous lines of the night harkened back into history, evoking WWI or the Civil War to the days of warefare with "horses and bayonets" came during a discussion of military spending. Hilarious, and the best comeback line of all time! Twitter and Tumblr went nuts for this. At my house, we laughed and cheered.
ROMNEY: Our Navy is old -- excuse me, our Navy is smaller now than at any time since 1917. The Navy said they needed 313 ships to carry out their mission. We're now at under 285. We're headed down to the low 200s if we go through a sequestration. That's unacceptable to me.
I want to make sure that we have the ships that are required by our Navy. Our Air Force is older and smaller than at any time since it was founded in 1947.
We've changed for the first time since FDR -- since FDR we had the -- we've always had the strategy of saying we could fight in two conflicts at once. Now we're changing to one conflict. Look, this, in my view, is the highest responsibility of the President of the United States, which is to maintain the safety of the American people.
And I will not cut our military budget by a trillion dollars, which is a combination of the budget cuts the president has, as well as the sequestration cuts. That, in my view, is making -- is making our future less certain and less secure.
. . . I think Governor Romney maybe hasn't spent enough time looking at how our military works.
You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.
And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we're counting slips. It's what are our capabilities. And so when I sit down with the Secretary of the Navy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, we determine how are we going to be best able to meet all of our defense needs in a way that also keeps faith with our troops, that also makes sure that our veterans have the kind of support that they need when they come home.
And that is not reflected in the kind of budget that you're putting forward because it just doesn't work.
Obama also reminded Mitt of his "Romneyshambles World Tour" last summer, in which Mitt schmoozed and raised money in Israel from the likes of Sheldon Adelson. And to me, this quote is really all you need to know of the debate and the differences between Mitt and President Obama:
ROMNEY: ...Mr. President, the reason I call it an apology tour is because you went to the Middle East and you flew to Egypt and to Saudi Arabia and to Turkey and Iraq. And by the way, you skipped Israel, our closest friend in the region, but you went to the other nations.
And by the way, they noticed that you skipped Israel. And then in those nations, and on Arabic TV, you said that America had been dismissive and derisive. You said that on occasion America had dictated to other nations.
Mr. President, America has not dictated to other nations. We have freed other nations from dictators.
OBAMA: Bob, let me -- let me respond.
If we're going to talk about trips that we've taken -- when I was a candidate for office, first trip I took was to visit our troops. And when I went to Israel as a candidate, I didn't take donors. I didn't attend fundraisers. I went to Yad Beshef (ph), the Holocaust museum there, to remind myself the nature of evil and why our bond with Israel will be unbreakable.
And then I went down to the border towns of Storok (ph), which had experienced missiles raining dowm from Hamas. And I saw families there who showed me there where missiles had come down near their children's bedrooms. And I was reminded of what that would mean if those were my kids. Which is why as president, we funded an Iron Dome program to stop those missiles.
So that's how I've used my travels, when I travel to Israel and when I travel to the region. And the -- the central question at this point is going to be: Who is going to be credible to all parties involved? And they can look at my track record, whether it's Iran sanctions, whether it's dealing with counterterrorism, whether it's supporting democracy, whether it's supporting women's rights, whether it's supporting religious minorities.
And they can say that the President of the United States and the United States of America has stood on the right side of history. And that kind of credibility is precisely why we've been able to show leadership on a wide range of issues facing the world right now.
It was quite elegant the way Obama went through a check-list of the Romnesiac's previous positions. The biggest fib of the night was Mitt trying to walk back an Op-Ed that he wrote for the New York Times titled "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt." He tried to make it seem as if people misunderstood his position, forgetting that he put it in writing, and everyone knows there was no private money willing to bail-out the industry, so the government was their last hope. And it worked! And now he wants to take credit for what Obama did because people like himself, connected to Michigan and children of the auto-industry moguls did nothing to help a dying industry. Epic. Freakin'. Fail.
I'm a son of Detroit. I was born in Detroit. My dad was head of a car company. I like American cars. And I would do nothing to hurt the U.S. auto industry. My plan to get the industry on its feet when it was in real trouble was not to start writing checks. It was President Bush that wrote the first checks. I disagree with that. I said they need -- these companies need to go through a managed bankruptcy. And in that process, they can get government help and government guarantees, but they need to go through bankruptcy to get rid of excess cost and the debt burden that they'd -- they'd built up.
And fortunately...
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA: Governor Romney, that's not what you said...
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA: Governor Romney, you did not...
ROMNEY: You can take a look at the op-ed...
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA: You did not say that you would provide government help.
ROMNEY: I said that we would provide guarantees, and -- and that was what was able to allow these companies to go through bankruptcy, to come out of bankruptcy. Under no circumstances would I do anything other than to help this industry get on its feet. And the idea that has been suggested that I would liquidate the industry, of course not. Of course not.
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA: Let's check the record.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY: That's the height of silliness...
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA: Let -- let -- let's...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY: I have never said I would liquidate...
(CROSSTALK)
OBAM: ...at the record.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY: ...I would liquidate the industry.
(CROSSTALK) OBAMA: Governor, the people in Detroit don't forget.
. . . ROMNEY: ...if -- if you're...
(CROSSTALK)
OBAMA: ...you've had the floor for a while.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY: ...get someone else's.
OBAMA: The -- look, I think anybody out there can check the record. Governor Romney, you keep on trying to, you know airbrush history here. You were very clear that you would not provide, government assistance to the U.S. auto companies, even if they went through bankruptcy. You said that they could get it in the private marketplace. That wasn't true. They would have gone through a...
(CROSSTALK)
ROMNEY: You're wrong...
By the end of the debate, Obama had eviscerated Mitt, who was stammering incoherently about things he loves, as he does when he is thrown for a loop. Incredible.
Look, I love to -- I love teachers, and I'm happy to have states and communities that want to hire teachers do that. By the way, I don't like to have the federal government start pushing its weight deeper and deeper into our schools. Let the states and localities do that. I was a governor. The federal government didn't hire our teachers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor?
ROMNEY: But I love teachers. But I want to get our private sector growing and I know how to do it.
I love these kids. I can really see myself in them as a child, back when I didn't enjoy watching the news so much because of Vietnam and the Watergate Hearings. And of course it was always frustrating not being able to vote. I grew up and got over it of course, or I wouldn't be blogging and tweeting about the election day after day, but I have to admit it's still not always fun to face the realities of the political world.
Stay innocent, kids! With any luck, there's only 15 days of torture left.
I see many people on Twitter and elsewhere pretending the War on Women is a joke made up by "hysterical" Dems. But there are real things going on in government that are aimed at controlling and limiting women for years to come. No one should close their eyes. No one should think these guys (and some women) in the GOP are kidding around or that they "don't really mean it." They do. This is not a joke.Other politicians take them at their word and we should too.
This is not a game and we Democrats are not "hysterical" if we fight back every way we can.
Need a reminder of what the War on Women is all about?
Obama at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, October 19, 2012
(My Transcript)
The choice between going backward and going forward has never been so clear.
But now that we're 18 days out from the election, Mr. Severely Conservative wants you to think he was severely kidding about everything he said over the last year.
He told folks he was the 'ideal candidate' for the Tea Party. Now suddenly he is saying, 'What? Who me?'
He's forgetting what his own positions are. And he's bettin' that you are too.
I mean, he's changing up so much and he's backtracking, and side-steppin' -
We've gotta name this condition that he's going through.
I think it's called "Romnesia."
(Cheers from the Crowd)
I think that's what he's going through. I'm not a medical doctor, but I do want to go over some of the symptoms with you because I want to make sure no one else catches it.
(Clapping)
If you say you're for equal pay for equal work, but you keep refusing to say whether or not you'd sign a bill that protects equal pay for equal work, you might have Romnesia.
(Laughter and Cheers)
If you say women should have access to contraceptive care but you support legislation that would let your employer deny you contraceptive care, you might have a case of Romnesia.
If you say you'll protect a woman's right to choose, but you stand up at a primary debate and you said you'd be 'delighted' to sign a law outlawing that right to choose in all cases, man, you've definitely got Romnesia.
(Laughter and Cheers)
Now, this extends to other issues. If you say earlier in the year 'I'm going to give a tax cut to the top 1%, and then in a debate he says 'I don't know anything about giving tax cuts to the rich folks.' That - that - you need to get a thermometer and take a temperature, 'cause you've probably got Romnesia.
(Clapping and Cheers)
If you say that you're a champion of the coal industry, when while you were governor you stood in front of a coal plant and said 'This plant will kill you,' . . .
(Crowd Shouts "You Could Have Romnesia!)
That's the Romnesia.
So, I think you're becoming able to identify these symptoms. And if you come down with a case of Romnesia . . .
(President laughs, crowd laughs)
. . . and you can't seem to remember the policies that are still on your website, or the promises you've made over the six years you've been running for President, here's the Good News!
Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions!!!
(Crowd Roars)
We can fix you up!!! We've got a cure!!! We can make you well, Virginia. This is a curable disease. Ha ha.
Women! Men! All of you! These are family issues, these are economic issues. I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as anybody's sons. I believe America does better, the economy does better grows more and we create more jobs when everybody participates. When everyone's getting a fair shot. Everybody's getting a fair shake. Everybody's playing by the same rules. Everybody's doing their fair share.
That's why I'm running for a second term for President of the United States. I need you to help me finish the job!
A major news organization in Utah passed over Mitt Romney today in favor of endorsing Barack Obama for President of the United States.
This is a big flipping deal for Mitt, who prides himself on his Mormon heritage. Wow. And the Salt Lake Tribune editors were not complimentary to their Olympics-saving Native Son either. This must be devastating to the Romney family. Ann must be talking Mitt down right now, trying to "stabilize" him as she worries about his mental health.
Perhaps reading what's left of his bank book would do it? Or maybe Tagg can threaten to take a swing at Obama again? Or perhaps perusing that binder of women. *wink*
Some excerpts from this breathtaking document . . .
Nowhere has Mitt Romney’s pursuit of the presidency been more warmly welcomed or closely followed than here in Utah. The Republican nominee’s political and religious pedigrees, his adeptly bipartisan governorship of a Democratic state, and his head for business and the bottom line all inspire admiration and hope in our largely Mormon, Republican, business-friendly state.
But it was Romney’s singular role in rescuing Utah’s organization of the 2002 Olympics from a cesspool of scandal, and his oversight of the most successful Winter Games on record, that make him the Beehive State’s favorite adopted son. After all, Romney managed to save the state from ignominy, turning the extravaganza into a showcase for the matchless landscapes, volunteerism and efficiency that told the world what is best and most beautiful about Utah and its people.
BUT . . .
From his embrace of the party’s radical right wing, to subsequent portrayals of himself as a moderate champion of the middle class, Romney has raised the most frequently asked question of the campaign: "Who is this guy, really, and what in the world does he truly believe?"
. . . Where, we ask, is the pragmatic, inclusive Romney, the Massachusetts governor who left the state with a model health care plan in place, the Romney who led Utah to Olympic glory? That Romney skedaddled and is nowhere to be found.
Therefore . . .
The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board had hoped that Romney would exhibit the same talents for organization, pragmatic problem solving and inspired leadership that he displayed here more than a decade ago. Instead, we have watched him morph into a friend of the far right, then tack toward the center with breathtaking aplomb. Through a pair of presidential debates, Romney’s domestic agenda remains bereft of detail and worthy of mistrust.
Therefore, our endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term. Romney, in whatever guise, does not deserve a first.
