The Last Presidential Debate - WOW

source: gifwich tumblr

What a great night for President Obama! He had zingers ready and Mitt didn't get away with most of his silly flip-flops and lies.

The theme of the night was "Mitt is Old-Fashioned" and Obama pointed this out at every opportunity:

Full Transcript of the Debate on ABC News

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.



source: weneedmorehorsesandbayonets tumblr

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.



source: havelogicwilltravel

OBAMA: Bob, I just need to comment on this.

. . . 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.



via gifwich
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.

 source: plures on tumblr

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.

SCHIEFFER: I think we all love teachers.

(LAUGHTER)

Women Want to be Just Like Ann Romney

Liz Trotta, ancient pundit, says modern women are jealous of Ann Romney.

From Fox News Via Media Matters

When Ann Romney showed up at the Olympics equestrian competition in London's Greenwich Park last week, the media scrum around her would lead some to believe that Michael Phelps had dropped in.

Mrs. Romney was there to watch her horse, Rafalca, compete in dressage, once the sport of ancient kings. The uninitiated call it 'horse ballet.' Rafalca, a German-bred mare, didn't miss a pirouette as her patron cheered and pronounced the performance constant and elegant.

Some would say not unlike her mistress, Ann Romney, is not to be taken lightly. Perhaps that's why President Obama's political operatives, most of them women of the left, have the knives out for her, casting the potential first lady of the United States as a modern day Marie Antoinette, out of touch with common folk.

. . . Recently the lefty WAGs [wives and girlfriends] went on about Romney’s $1,000 blouse, a scandal. But the $7,000 jacket Michelle Obama wore to Buckingham Palace drew only approving nods from her fans in the left-wing media.

“Don’t try to make any sense of this hypocrisy. For with their inborn sense of class warfare — as well as their funny clothes — the ladies of the press really believe they are acting on principle, except that the principle is driven by envy, envy of a woman who managed to do exactly what their mothers told them, although they would never admit it: marry a good, preferably rich man; raise your children full time and dress like a lady.”

Come on, girls. Play fair.

OMG - yes, in here in 1952 America, Ann is everything we women aspire to be, right?

*looks at calendar*

Whoops - this is 2012. Ohhhh, you mean "retroactively" jealous!

I agree with you that Ann is exactly like a show-pony, though.


But here's the thing - I wasn't born till 1960, and even in 1970 my Mama never told me to go marry a rich man, have babies, and talk about "those people." My mother - a classy woman herself, though not married to a wealthy man - didn't raise me to be a snob, and I didn't go to college to get my MRS degree, LOL.

It's incredible that anyone would believe that female journalists or any female would be jealous of a woman who is married "for eternity" to the robotic and rather clueless Mitt Romney. I can't imagine a worse fate, except that all that money is supposed to be the icing on the cake. Something tells me that isn't quite enough.

Of course, this is coming from Fox Snooze, so consider the source. Out of touch television for the out of date and low-info voter.

One-Trick Trickle-Down Pony

Rafalca Romney made an appearance at the London Olympics yesterday. Ann Romney gave her reaction to the press:
"She was consistent and elegant. She did not disappoint. She thrilled me to death."

With perfect timing aimed to lampoon the Romney's expensive hobby, MoveOn.org released a new ad featuring a talking Rafalca Romney. The White House has promised not to "attack" Rafalca again, but some of these other democratic groups have not.

Explanation from Justin Ruben, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Political Action

In our ad, voters hear the truth about Mitt Romney straight from the horse’s mouth: Romney seems to think many Americans deserve to be treated worse than a horse. There’s nothing wrong with taking good care of a horse, but there’s something messed up about a millionaire who spends twice what most Americans make in a year caring for a horse, but wants to take away people’s health care and offshore their jobs. We’re rooting for Rafalca and all of our Olympians to bring home the gold, but we’re sure not rooting for Mitt Romney to send jobs overseas. Voters had best steer clear of Romney unless they’re looking for a ride on a one-trick trickle down pony

It makes me want to paraphrase the theme song of the Mr. Ed television program:
"A horse is a horse, of course, of course . . . so to keep us on a steady course, Obama's the candidate you should endorse . . . and Romney's campaign is dead!"

Find Out Romney VP by SmartPhone

This makes sense for a candidate nicknamed "Romneybot" for his mechanical delivery and lack of common ground with most human beings. Maybe his handlers think some of the "smart" will rub off on them, too. ;) This beats any other marketing ploy I've ever seen. I wonder how much Romney has invested in Smartphone?

And what could go wrong? Ummmmmmmmm . . . remember the previous times the Romney camp dabbled in technology, when they spelled "America" as "Amercia," "Sneak Peek" as "Sneak Peak," and the best . . . "Official" as "Offical." LOL
Reminder: Here on Snark Amendment

Via PC Mag

"Users of the app will be the first to get the news on the biggest presidential decision of the year through an instantaneous alert on the one device most people carry around the clock – their phone" . . .
As soon as the final decision is announced, app users will receive a push notification on their device, and can then share what a Romney press release called "the exciting news" among friends and family.
"The historic announcement is getting closer," Beth Myers, Romney campaign senior advisor, said in a statement. "With this new app, users can be the first to know the second member of America's Comeback Team."
Users will also have the opportunity to earn exclusive campaign gear.
The app's website builds up the suspense, saying "There's no telling when Mitt will choose his VP," but Myers said the decision will be announced "soon."

But as the Guardian UK points out, it all depends upon when Rafalca the Dancing Horse finishes at the Olympics

Apparently it all depends on how the Romney dressage horse Rafalca gets on at the London Olympics:

Romney is heading back to the United States from Europe on Tuesday and is expected to announce his vice presidential pick in the next few weeks. He’s likely to wait for his wife Ann to return from London, where she’s watching her horse Rafalca compete in the Olympics. Rafalca will compete August 2 and 3, a Romney spokesperson told ABC News on Monday.
The horse could also compete August 8 and 9, depending on how well he performs this week, and Ann would likely stay for that as well. Romney probably won’t announce his VP pick without his wife by his side.
There's a first: presidential campaign delayed by dancing horse.

Obama Camp Keeps Ads Coming

I can't get enough! :) Glad to see the Obama Campaign is taking advantage of Romney's tax tailspin and general confusion.




And yay - a second Dancing Horse Ad!

Obama Ad Horses Around with Mitt

This ad is sublimely snarky! The only thing that could make it better is if they had mentioned the $77,000 tax write-off, but they probably want to wait and see if Mitt releases more returns so they can add it up over several years. I hope this isn't the last ad with Refalca the Dancing Horse.

And before people say "leave horses alone!" I love horses as much as anyone. But let's recall the Sununu and Limbaugh attacks just yesterday saying that President Obama isn't really an American even though he's been President for four years. This is tame compared to that.

Plus, the a dancing dressage horse used for "therapy" is a luxury item, people. My father had multiple sclerosis and the freakin' VA certainly didn't offer him a horse to ride as part of his medical coverage! Frankly, I don't know how someone with MS can climb up on a horse in the first place - most people can't even walk on carpet or sidewalks, let alone put their foot in a stirrup. But perhaps Ann has a servant to help her with that, and with Jet Skis too.  [/snark]

But then again, if you really want to talk horses, watch the "White Horse Prophecy" from the Mormon Church about something Joseph Smith said over a century ago about his descendents saving the Constitution as it "hangs by a thread." I don't think we as Democrats should be respectors of Sacred Cows,or Sacred White Horses, so to speak, but one could say that Romney is such a horrible candidate that he will save Democracy as we know it by letting Obama have an easy win, thus saving the Constitution from a future Supreme Court stacked with more Scalias. Thus the dancing horse will play a role, I'm sure of it, as it makes Romney look as ridiculous as possible. Country saved. [/more snark]