Trump's Chaotic First Month

Trump & Putin - best of pals?

Now that General Flynn has been fired (read resigned) of lying about his contacts with the Russians to the Vice, it looks like I am beginning to see what might undo the Trump presidency - LEAKS! There seems to be competing power structures or competing power dynamics within the administration, and they are all vying for the President's ear or his trust. So they are willing to sabotage each other to have a leg up with Trump himself. This comes in the forms of anonymous leaks. I see that these leaks and hacks are going to undo Trump's presidency. 

Think about it: how can you actually hope to govern or achieve anything if the details of your secret deliberations with your inner sanctum are somehow leaked, by members of that inner sanctum, to the press? How can you get anything achieved if your plans or policies are, before they are actually implemented or fine-tuned, picked apart -warts and all - on the media? You might remember that during the election campaign, Trump smiled at and had fun with the fact that Russian hacks and leaks brought down or at least massively undermined the Clinton Campaign and eventually allowed him to win. He will find out soon enough that the same odious leaks and hacks are going to be deployed to undermine his administration. He is already crying about it, but it is only going to get worse. We have seen people parting company with Trump since the night he officially won the election. We shall see even more resignations or firings in the months ahead as the gross incompetence of his administration starts filtering out in anonymous leaks.

In fact, it is beginning to look like there is something that the Russians have on Trump - some kind of bargaining chip or trump card (pardon the pun) - that they know they can use with devastating effect on Trump. They have succeeded in making Trump "Putin's lapdog". 

It now leaves you to wonder what Trump's feckless and compromising deference to Putin might mean for the balance of American relations with Russia. Trump can run his mouth and attack anyone but when it comes to Vladmir Putin, a known thug and dictator, Trump becomes a meek lamb or worse a muzzled pitbull. This is an assessment that should have already begun to crystallize for even Trump's most ardent supporters. If they are capable of any self-introspection, Donald's transparently servile deference to Moscow should be worrisome if not downright frightening.

Why Is Abortion NOT Murder?

Okay, today's topic is ABORTION. 

First of all, I am male and so I know that for this topic, a lot of people, mostly women, are going to discount or disregard my view purely based on the fact of my gender. So I am going to approach this discussion differently. I do not aim to offend anyone so please, resist the urge to come to this topic with an emotional chip on your shoulder. Let us reason this out and submit to superior reason or logic.

"Human life begins at conception/fertilization." 

The question of when life begins is not even necessarily a philosophical or a theological one. Rather it can be easily answered with elementary biology (i.e science). There is really no dispute scientifically as to the fact that human biological life begins at the moment of conception - and if left undisturbed would develop into an adult. 

It seems the bitter debate therefore, is NOT really on whether human life begins at conception (because it does), but on when after conception can we assign person-hood. This is where it gets murky and begins to invite all sorts of philosophical debates. Some would say the living embryo only becomes a person as soon as a heartbeat is detected, some would say as soon as a brain has formed, others would say only when the fetus is developed enough to be able to survive outside the womb. But I hope you can see that so far, the question of when the life actually began remains pretty much universally agreed upon because it is not opinion but empirical fact.

Given this widely accepted fact, can someone respectfully and rationally explain to me why abortion is not murder (the taking of human life) even if the laws of a land permits it? I am open to be persuaded by reason or facts that I might not have given deeper or finer thought. Let's keep it civil and more importantly informative.

Any takers?

Adios Obama : A Changing Of The Guard

Outgoing 44th POTUS Barack Obama (right) & Incoming 45th POTUS Donald Trump (left).

Before Obama was sworn in as president in January of 2009, there were many African-Americans who were of the opinion that a black man (or a half-white man as the case may be) would never be elected to the highest office in the land. If you asked why this was the pervading sentiment then, you would have heard a range of reasons from the ugly history of slavery and the legacy of racial prejudice that still plagues this country, to the seemingly more practical issue of demographic trends and population sizes. 

Clearly, some were of the opinion that even if every black person in America voted for some as-yet-unknown black candidate, the white majority would be enough to balance out or perhaps swallow that massive bloc of black votes - enough, I would imagine, to guarantee that some as-yet-unknown white candidate would always emerge the winner. That was then. That was before an Obama arrived on the political scene.

He swept into power on the winds of Hope and Change. The rest they say, is history.

It has been 8 years of two terms for America's first black president. Today is his last day in office as he hands over power officially to the president-elect Donald Trump. Yes indeed - today Trump would be sworn in, and he'll officially become the 45th president of the United States.

Donald J.Trump: Categorically Unfit To Rule

Republican Presidential Nominee: Donald J. Trump

When I said sometime in the past that Donald Trump is the most idiotic, most clueless buffoon to ever run for president of the US, some people thought I was being hyperbolic. The truth is that this man is worse than just an embarrassment. He is a monumental joke. He is an incompetent, callous, greedy, self-absorbed, thin-skinned, racist demagogue but amazingly he has managed to con a lot of people into believing he is an agent of true positive change. Just take a look at the shambolic freewheeling public relations nightmare/disaster that is his campaign for president - it is at once hilarious, shocking and dangerous. In fact, in the bizarre fact-free bubble in which Trump and his campaign staffers operate, it is quite possible they see his conduct, utterances, and twitter fulminations thus far as the trappings of a well-coordinated campaign!

To add to it, he is an inveterate flip-flopper - and does not have any true position on any political issue at all. The man's mind is a basket or sieve, and whatever position he adopts in the morning, he is going to change or reverse in the evening. Donald Trump is just a big petulant child LYING and saying absolutely anything that comes to his head in order to deceive the simple-minded. Isn't it amazing that he still has the large following he has despite these? Is it simply that his base/supporters are immune to facts and clear, logical reasoning OR is it just that they are even more scared of the possibility of Hilary Clinton getting elected? Well, for a brief reminder of his thoughtless and now predictable waffling on the issues, watch the clip below:

Republicans are having a major case of "buyer's remorse" now. Many republicans have now - so late in the game - discovered that this man is not even really conservative, but alas there is nothing they can do about stopping him from representing the party at the November general elections. All they can now do is run from the Trump ship in droves while pointing out to anyone who cares to listen that they do not support the imposter who has managed to hijack their party. It is a pity that too many people have allowed themselves to be taken in (fooled) by this ignoramus sporting some "amber waves of grain" on the top of his skull. 

At any rate, by writing this, I am not asking or suggesting that you should support Hilary Clinton either, because she has her own issues, but she is managing to present herself as a better choice to the general public despite her own shortcomings. You really have to weigh these two candidates based on the issues and make an informed choice. But guess what? If you are dissatisfied with both, don't forget that there are also two other candidates out there that could use your vote. Have you discovered who they are and what their positions are on the issues?

Countering Anti-#BLM Lies

I saw a post on Facebook by one of my Facebook friends in Canada regarding the Black Lives Matter (#BLM) movement which pleasantly surprised me because of how accurately she was able to capture the essence of the movement especially now that we are noticing a concerted effort to de-legitimize the movement. I simply clicked the "like" button for that Facebook post and left not realizing that some serious discussions were raging down in the comments box. Somehow my attention was drawn to it, and upon reading the comments that followed, I realized that there were certain claims or lines of arguments that were being trotted out to silence the movement which needed to be countered. 

First of all, since I have now read them, I have to confess that I am baffled as to how people in other parts of the world can truly understand or empathize with the severity of  the terrible legacy of slavery and institutional racism in the US—especially how it has manifested in the lopsided or disproportionate incarcerations or killings of the black minority population—WHILE some people just across the border in Canada completely fail to recognize this. Are they truly that insulated, that aloof, that disconnected from these sad realities? Or is this just a case of intentionally turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the issue? I loathe to dismiss some with contrarian views as fundamentally comprehension-challenged, however it seems to be the most charitable characterization if one does not simply want to label them closet racists.

Now let's review some of the false claims now being leveled in arguing against the Black Lives Matter movement (claims which anyone with a functioning internet connection can check up on and refute):

Consider this quote:

…. If 6 months ago I started wearing a shirt that said White Lives Matter. Do u not think that would be offensive? Do u not think if I wore that around Regina or the University people would think I was a racist? I honestly find the entire black lives matter movement to be racist. It discriminates against all other races and perpetuates hate and disconnection.

White Lives have always mattered in the US and I suspect in Canada as well. Printing "White Lives Matter" on your t-shirt, if you are white, is just redundant. To use a terrible example, it would be like clamoring for a "Straight Pride Parade" day after witnessing a "Gay Pride Parade" day. Or for a "White History Month" after witnessing a "Black History Month". Anyone with any firing neurons would readily recognize that these days, parades etc are simply for recognizing and supporting minorities whose interests and vital contributions have not always been recognized. The unstated but obvious fact is that "Straightness" has always been the norm, the recognized, the celebrated. Or in the other case, that month was marked out to recognize and celebrate Black contributions—not because Whites did not contribute meaningfully, but that as the majority population, the rest of the months are, without explicitly stating it, already recognizing White contributions. As a matter of fact, you could argue that most of what passes for American history is "White American" history in this corner of the globe—even though there was significant contributions by people of other "races". 

Too Much Ado Over A Dead Gorilla?

Now, all I've been reading or viewing on the media is this gorilla shot in a zoo story. Yes, it is very regrettable that the zoo authorities felt they had to kill this gorilla to save the life of this child who somehow fell into the Gorilla Exhibit/Enclosure. Like many people had suggested, it would have been much better if the gorilla was tranquilized and the boy retrieved with no loss of life. If the zoo had no tranquilizer darts, that's the fault of the zoo keepers knowing that they have these wild animals and that accidents can and do happen.

However, a lot of people are now viciously attacking the parents of the boy even calling for them to be prosecuted. Some are even bringing up the father's past criminal history, and the man wasn't even at the zoo on that day. Yes, some measure of blame for the mom is necessary - as a matter of fact, that was my first reaction upon hearing this sad story. How on earth could she allow herself to be this reckless that a child under her care managed to fall into a gorilla enclosure? But I think that people criticizing might be overdoing it now. 

Yes, this gorilla should not have had to die this way, but on the flip side, a human life was saved. That ought to count for something. The sustained outrage against these unfortunate parents primarily from people who feel zealously attached to a dead ape is what I find a little over-the-top especially since: 

1) The child did not die in the melee 

2) Most of these uber- animal lovers and endangered species fanatics will probably not react with the same or more vitriol if a human life was lost instead. 

Some measure of moderation is badly needed here. A good number of people clamoring for "justice" and weeping profusely over the premature loss of a gorilla life are the same people who would oppose the BLM movement, or turn a blind eye to other unnecessary loss of the lives of their own species.

Is Bill Cosby A Serial Rapist?

77 year old Mr. Bill Cosby

Is it me or has anyone noticed all these women that are now coming out to accuse Bill Cosby of having raped them in the past? I think there are well over 15 different women that are now alleging that Bill Cosby sexually molested them one way or the other. 

What's Bill doing about this? Well, Nothing. 

His silence on the matter does not seem to be putting an end to the discussion unfortunately. So I have to ask: Is Mr Bill Cosby a serial rapist? 

At first, my gut told me that his accusers were just looking for hush money or worse, some cheap fame. At any rate,  as more and more women continue to come out to make similar accusations when there is perhaps no monetary incentive (and in some cases, no clear-cut path to fame) I am forced to ask myself if I was not perhaps being overly lenient towards and protective of a man who ought to be suffering the inevitable consequences of  his possible personal miscalculations and egregious misconduct. 

It seems that Bill Cosby has decided that the best course of action is to keep mum and hope that all these allegations would eventually die off. It may happen that way, but what about the public's perception? It is clear that he is being tried in the court of public opinion, and his reticence has actually been hurting him. 

Reflections On The Michael Brown Incident

Clearly, there is a problem in the United States that needs to be addressed urgently and jointly because it is now threatening to shatter the fabric of this society and bring with it far-ranging consequences—it is the menace of a mercenary, trigger-happy, brutal, rights-trampling police force. The stats have simply become alarming and something needs to be done urgently before popular discontent boils over into the kind of unrestrained outpouring of violence that hastens societal implosion.

First of all, as anyone might have noticed, the police force is increasingly becoming militarized. It seems that every police department in this country is being supplied, nay saturated indeed with increasingly sophisticated and terrifyingly destructive mass killing gadgetry. One suspects that as certain military equipment leave US military arsenals, they invariably wind up in police stations around the country. The effect is there for all to see: there has been a precipitous increase in police brutality and senseless civilian casualties especially in black communities. The cases are out there and in alarming proportions too— it seems the police force, for what reason I cannot exactly determine, are increasingly becoming trigger-happy, law-stomping, blood-thirsty hooligans who have forgotten that their primary responsibility or duty is to faithfully serve and protect the public. Only someone who is willfully ignorant or completely disingenuous would dispute this.

A popular adage suggests that if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Nowhere is this truer than in the way the police force has morphed over the years especially in the way they approach their duties. You get the nagging suspicion upon watching some of these police drills, that many of them actually carry themselves like they are supposed to be soldiers and secondly, that they are above the law and can indeed take actions including the careless termination of civilian life without fear of reprisal or reprimand. Could it be that many officers in the force need to be retrained and specifically instructed on other non-lethal means of conflict resolution? For that matter, do we need to psychologically profile prospective applicants to law enforcement to weed out unsavory and unprincipled elements who possess destructive, conflict-seeking personalities? Do these police departments really need all these heavy, scary, advanced military machinery (with full military battle regalia) to effectively discharge their duties to their respective communities?

What needs to be done before the growing number of senseless casualties at the hands of overzealous police officers (over incidents that could have been properly handled), and the rising numbers of police brutality cases, reaches a critical mass capable of sparking a bloody civilian backlash? How about the idea that police officers should be kitted with cameras on their persons to document their actions out in public? Those cameras and their recordings can serve as indispensable teaching/instructional tools for the police force on how to properly handle situations as well as function as an effective deterrent to police ego trips, dereliction of duty or the contravention of established laws or rules.

Now, I wish to make a caveat here—one which I ordinarily should not be making save to silence would-be knee-jerk critics. By no means am I alleging that I think blindly that ALL police officers are guilty of gross negligence or that all police officers have become incompetent, knee-jerk purveyors of death. I am certainly aware that the profession is inherently dangerous and furthermore that many men and women have lost their lives serving as police officers. There are numerous instances that a police officer's quick response was the difference between their own life and death. Nevertheless, this does nothing to diminish the larger point which is that despite the presence of honorable men and women in the police force who discharge their duties conscientiously, there is a creeping and troubling uptick in the number of police brutality cases and in the frequency of avoidable civilian deaths at the hands of their own colleagues. It is like the proverbial oily finger that soils the rest.

This brings me to the whole Michael Brown Incident.

Around The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Here are some of the pictures I took at and around the Thomas Jefferson Memorial not too long ago.

Comedian-In-Chief!

As usual, Obama does not disappoint in this year's edition of the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. You would be grossly mistaken to think that he'd just go up there and drop only quaint self-deprecatory lines. Infact, I think the reason we watch is because of the barbs and the zingers that are usually aimed squarely and perfectly at deserving targets.

Donald Sterling: Should He Be FORCEFULLY Stripped Of Clippers' Ownership?

Clippers' Owner Donald Sterling and his girlfriend.

I must confess that I am still baffled in this day and age when I come across overt hateful and racist behavior or speech such as those expressed by Donald Sterling. Now, I must preface by stating for the record that I am no doe-eyed idealist who fantasizes that because Obama was elected and re-elected in the USA, the xenophobic, anti-black, deep-seated racist hatred and demagoguery of the past are well behind us. I am also aware that deep-seated race-based prejudice against whites may still be harbored by many black people in America. This country has a very dark and checkered past, and I am sure that contentious race-based issues will continue to generate predictable furor and drive wedges amongst the American people long after Obama is gone. 

However, the country has come a very long way in addressing the monster of racial discrimination and prejudice—even if, as some may rightly suggest, a lot still needed to be done. There are tons of material out in public domain which expose and reveal the stark nature of race-based oppression or marginalization—from disparities in securing bank loans, to disparities in securing admissions to prestigious universities, to police brutality and victimization of blacks, to disproportionately higher arrest and incarceration rates for blacks, to gross miscarriages of justice for white crimes against blacks especially when compared with the speed and ferocity with which black crimes against whites are punished, etc. As a matter of fact, when you examine the legacy of American slavery and racism and its attendant effects on today's black population, you'd be forgiven for thinking that given the American mantra of freedom, this country perhaps ought to be embroiled in bitter and internecine race wars. Nevertheless, the country has come a long way from the time when blacks were considered only three-fifths human and thus worthy of being treated as chattel.

Of course, that does not mean that because the tireless efforts of dogged human rights activists have helped to pave a better world for blacks in America today, anyone ought to assume that racial discrimination and prejudice are now relics of a bitter past. I know it still exists and perhaps will continue to exist for as long as there are human beings; the only difference, as I reckoned, is that with all the damning negative press that trails a charge of racism, hateful discrimination based on color would simply become subterranean—i.e. it would go underground, cleverly concealed and perhaps fraught with disputatious litigations, or verbally expressed only in the confines of dark rooms amongst individuals of similar mien. You might ask why one might expect this: because even though we are well-aware that we all harbor biases of different sorts, the civil or rather noble aspiration of the human spirit, according to Martin Luther King Jr., should be to suppress these baser instincts of fear and race-based prejudice in order to judge each person, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. This is why allegations of racism if substantiated can seriously tarnish reputations or destroy entire careers; it is why society frowns on it and seeks to punish it.

"Not Guilty"

The jury acquitted George Zimmerman. And just like that, it now seems that a 17 year old black boy had died in vain. I regret the decision reached by this jury, but long before this day came, as I watched this trial, I couldn't help but realize that something like this was eventually going to happen.

George Zimmerman may have been declared NOT GUILTY in the eyes of the court, but he'll be fearful for the rest of his life. It seems almost unimaginable that he did not get any jail time for what happened--whether it was intentional or accidental. We do not know what exactly happened, but if there is any ultimate justice in the end, the death of Trayvon will be punished one way or the other. May his soul rest in perfect peace!

Armed Police Vs. A Protective Dog

   

To those apologists for police heavy-handedness, I’ll like to show you another heart-breaking example of police brutality.

In the video above, the cops have arrived at a house to make some arrests. A number of people have also gathered around with their smartphones and camcorders and they are recording the events going on just to make sure that there was not any now-familiar and alarmingly frequent incident of police ham-handedness—you know, the kind of incident where the people who have been sworn in to protect and to serve exceed themselves and take actions that are simply against the law that they are trying to enforce.

Watch closely and tell me why this man had to be arrested simply for videotaping the proceedings, or why his dog deserved to die. Is there absolutely no other way that this could have been handled to avoid this senseless police murder?

Saber-rattling In The Korean Peninsula?

Is Kim Jong-Un merely sabre-rattling?

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - The White House said on Saturday that it takes North Korea's latest saber-rattling threats seriously while cautioning that Pyongyang has a long history of bellicose rhetoric.

North Korea's latest bout of angry rhetoric included a vow that it is entering a "state of war" with South Korea a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed off on an order putting its missile units on standby to attack U.S. military bases in the South.

"We've seen reports of a new and unconstructive statement from North Korea. We take these threats seriously and remain in close contact with our South Korean allies," said Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council.

"But, we would also note that North Korea has a long history of bellicose rhetoric and threats and today's announcement follows that familiar pattern," she said.

I think we have seen this script too many times.  Whenever North Korea wants some concessions from the US and her allies, or from the UN, they have been known to raise nuclear tensions and the prospect of renewed war in the Korean peninsula. Whenever the crazed supreme leader of the isolated country does this saber-rattling, the world scrambles around and tries to listen to the demands made by North Korea—and for the most part, it is usually for some sort of aid. The positive thing about this I suppose, is that for 60 years, there has been an uneasy ‘peace’—an armistice really—between North and South Korea.

Sadly over the years, the proliferation of nukes, and the polarization of the active players in the region namely US, Russia, China, Japan, North and South Korea has made peace even more elusive. The entire region is on high alert and there is constant suspicion over the military exercises of power in the region. The region is really sitting on a proverbial keg of nuclear gunpowder, and all it might take is the sort of brash, careless talk that is now fashionable with North Korea to ignite a repeat of the Korean war of 1950-1953; only that this time, the conflict in the Korean peninsula would be over a hundred times more catastrophic than that fought 60 years ago. As a matter of fact, that war if or when it starts, might forever change the nature of the planet if it does not completely destroy it.

Too Little Too Late?

At long last, the Congress working with Obama, has finally passed a measure to prevent the nation from falling off the much-talked about fiscal cliff. The question that immediately arises however is if this 11^th hour affair is too little and too late to tackle the economic challenges that this nation faces. The answer to that question might vary depending on who you ask but the unmistakable albeit half-hearted agreement seems to be that the measure no matter how imperfect has been of enormous benefit for the nation.

Apparently, with the prospect of taxes hiking for 97% of American families and the return to pre-Bush tax framework of 39.6% for the top 2% staring the democrats and the republicans in the face if they did what they know how to do best (which is to do absolutely nothing for the American people), this “do-nothing” congress found a way to lay aside their interminable partisan wrangling to pass a “compromise bill”. The bill guarantees that the vast majority of American families will not see an abrupt rise in taxes. More importantly, this deal will temporarily prevent the kick-off of across-the-board stringent spending cuts known as Sequestration.

Nevertheless one must ask—and unfortunately, not too many Americans seem to be sufficiently engaged on this—whether this late compromise bill even remotely begins to address the gargantuan debt and deficit issues facing the nation. The answer should be pretty obvious: a resounding negative; we are by this bill simply kicking the proverbial can down the road.

Check this out: the White House declared somewhat triumphantly, after the congress managed to not sit on their hands and let the nation burn as was their custom, that the measure would raise $620 billion in new tax revenue over a 10 year period. That may sound impressive to you only if you have failed to realize that even with that, there will hardly be a dent in the deficits. As a matter of fact, that figure is less than the projected deficit for EVERY SINGLE YEAR over the 10 year period. Laughable, isn’t it?

Under Obama the debt is now at $16 trillion dollars; with this new measure, we’ll be tacking on another $4 trillion to the national debt. Yet, at every turn, everyone realizes that there needs be a serious reining in off spending if there’s ever to be the faintest hope that these debt and deficit issues will ever be successfully tackled.

Who wants to bother about problems that will most certainly show up in the future to jeopardize the economic life of the next generation of Americans if we continue at these present unsustainable spending levels? Perhaps the bold and honest answer is that most Americans have lost the vision of their forbears and the desire to make the future of the country brighter than what obtains presently because they are simply interested in taking maximum advantage of big government spending here and right now.

So yes, a compromise bill has been reached which would amongst many things extend the unemployment benefits and other assorted refundable tax-credits for the struggling working class. Capital gains taxes also which were sliced under Bush are now raised; the estate tax which were almost repealed under Bush have risen to 40% with this new measure as well.

It would seem that Obama’s re-election is yielding fantastic dividends for liberal causes. Frankly one cannot understand why the Republicans after holding out for so long on these hefty fiscal issues, and generally giving the impression that they were serious about reining in runaway spending, have managed to give their consent to this very progressive tax code. Were they intimidated or worse disorganized? If disorganized, was it Boehner’s fault? Could it be that Obama and the democrats compromised somewhat but held the line firmly at the prospect of  higher-than-Clinton-era tax hikes for the top 2%- the last straw that broke Republican backs and sent them scurrying to reach an agreement?

Whatever the story is, I suppose the nation can breathe a temporary sigh of relief for having managed to avoid the cataclysmic side effects of years of uncontrolled and riotous government spending. Of course it goes without saying that this temporary relief will be very much short-lived for sooner than many people recognize we shall witness once again, on the floor of congress, the next chapter of the debt limit fiasco.

Four More Years!

                 

What a rollercoaster ride this election season has been! Like many people, I am glad that at last the frenetic jostling for the office of the POTUS has come to an end. In the end, as I fully expected, Obama was re-elected as the president of the United States.

Yesterday morning I went to vote making fully sure that my iPod was fully charged. I knew that there’d be a great turnout so I braced myself for a long line. True to my expectations, there was a long line, but it wasn’t as long as I feared. Perhaps, it was because, like I thought, I had mercifully beaten the early morning rush by people who wanted to get in there early, vote and head off to work. I got in line around 9:45 am with other happy and excited people around.

One very chatty old white woman directly in front of me kept us all talking and laughing as she told us many of her previous election experiences. She was 93 years old but yet she could stand and walk around without aid. She stood with us throughout the 2 hours that it took for us to finish voting. I am still amazed at how strong that elderly white woman was. I remember that there were many times one of the election judges came over to her and kindly inquired if she needed a chair to sit. She smilingly declined, and stood with us all through as she regaled us fantastic stories about her life. I am not going to bore you with her tales anyway.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I got to the voter machine and promptly voted for Obama. I rolled out and came home to relax and wait for others to do the same.

Final Observations Before The Election

                            

The protracted 2012 Presidential election campaign season has less than 24 hours to wind up; it is coming to an end. We have seen the fiery exchanges between both campaigns; we have seen that mega-millions were sunk into targeted ad campaigns; we have seen the stump speeches; we have seen memorable moments from the GOP and the DNC conventions; we have seen a very damaging video of Romney in which he basically wrote off 47% of the electorate; we have seen a season of very passionate presidential debates filled with claims and counterclaims; we have seen countless thousands across the states participating in the electoral process by voting early; we have seen an avalanche of surveys and polls striving to correctly determine voter mood and direction; and we have seen the horrifying aftermath of Super-storm Sandy as we draw close to the election day.

As I was surveying the political landscape, I remembered that I made a prediction over a month ago regarding the possible winner of the election. I went ahead in that post to give reasons why I felt that Romney will most likely not win the election. However, in concluding that piece, I made this rejoinder:

It is on the strength of these assessments that I fail to see how Romney will eventually emerge the winner of the 2012 presidential elections. But as we all know, the truth (life) is sometimes stranger than fiction. We have a few weeks left before the country votes and something might still happen which could potentially zero out the scales in Romney’s favor. Until such a cataclysmic event happens, the die is cast against Romney.

Well, well, well…what a difference 6 weeks makes huh?

It is fair to say that a number of situations have tremendously impacted the trajectory of the race. One of such moments was the very first presidential debate. Before the debates, Obama held a narrow but steady lead over Romney in many of the credible polls held in the last days of September. This was at the height of his thoughtless 47% remark; it even seemed like he was losing seriously amongst women voters. Along comes the first debate with Obama and everything changed. Suddenly, Romney surged in the polls overtaking Obama in several polls and looking surprisingly competitive in the battleground states. The dismal effort that Obama put into that first debate was so devastating that many democrats grew nervous as the lead they once enjoyed disappeared overnight—even amongst female voters. I suppose it was the earnest performance that Romney put up as he sought to present himself as the more credible voice on issues concerning the economy and Obama’s embarrassing non-performance that helped to resurrect Romney’s bid for the top job. Seeing him on that stage clobber a dispirited Obama by relentlessly painting a grim picture of the economy and offering himself as a refreshing candidate of change and progress, one could immediately notice how that helped to energize the conservative faithful. Were the country to have voted based on the first debate alone, I daresay that Romney might have won; that would have been the October surprise most political pundits were perennially looking out for.

Fortunately for Team Obama, all was not lost. The vice-presidential debate and the other two presidential debates served to rekindle the fire and optimism that burned in the hearts of the Obama faithful. So, it would appear that after Obama’s belated but forceful performance in the remaining debates, he and Romney were locked in a statistical dead-heat as we approached the last lap of the campaign. This observation has been numerously corroborated by the polls out there that I won’t even bother you with several boring polls which have revealed that the race did tighten especially in the battleground states. What should one now make of the state of the race? Is there a clear front-runner? Has any cataclysmic events happened that might (in some definable fashion) impact the race? Have we seen any reason why my earlier prediction might not stand?

VP Debate: Ryan vs. Biden

 

You are probably getting ready for the debate between the current Vice-President Joe Biden and Mitt Romney’s running mate Congressman Paul Ryan, aren’t you? Well, if you are not, you should. In a few short hours, it will kick off in earnest, and millions of Americans will be tuned in to see how this debate goes.

Let us rewind. It was just a week ago and Obama was getting ready for his first nationally televised debate against Mitt Romney. At that time, Obama was clearly leading most (if not all) of the head-to-head polls against Romney especially in the critical swing states. It seemed all hope was lost for the Romney campaign; even some of his campaign staffers and big money donors began to take to the hills. Something dramatic desperately needed to happen to infuse his campaign with energy and optimism—maybe an unfortunate gaffe from the president; or perhaps devastating foreign policy news—whatever that was going to be no one could have easily guessed that it was going to be the debates.

And who would have guessed anyway? It was not like Obama had, prior to last week’s debate, shown himself to be helpless at debates. Besides, the punditocracy reminded us that these debates seldom change hearts and minds therefore they may not have a huge visible effect on a hardened fiercely and firmly partisan viewing public.

Somehow the prognostications have turned out wrong. Not only did Romney win, but he won big and with it came a tremendous boon for his campaign. Owing to Obama’s dismal performance, the polls are now currently showing that Mitt Romney has closed the yawning gap, and is surprisingly leading Obama in some of the polls! What a difference one debate makes, eh? Yes, Obama’s disastrous outing cannot be exaggerated for even by the most conservative estimates, the Romney campaign experienced a 5-8 point swing. The figure may even be higher amongst women. It is essentially game on now.

Presidential Debates: Romney vs. Obama

Question: Gov. Romney, you’ve said that you have a better vision and a better grasp of the economic issues facing our country. Please can you explain to our audience how you propose to bring down the national debt that is now in excess of $16 trillion by means of more tax cuts for the wealthy?

Romney: I can, but I don’t want to bore you with the math…..

Question: I understand that the issue may be difficult but can you break it down for us? Can you explain your tax code? If you are going to close some tax loopholes and cut down spending, what programs are you going to slash in your bid to stimulate the economy?

Romney: You know what? I know I have the better plan. You can read the details on my website www.mittromney.com. As for the rest of that question, uhmm see me after the election…

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(For starters, the above discussion is a parody of a possible scenario; it is completely fictional.)

Ever since the Republican National Convention, from which Mitt Romney’s Campaign got a short bump in the polls, he has been continuously trailing Obama in the polls since his infamous 47% remark with about 35 days left before the Election. Now, there are 3 presidential debates left. Romney has to use these debates to reverse his misfortunes. He has to use these debates to show to the over 50-60 million Americans that will be watching, and millions from around the world, that he will be the better person to fix the economic issues facing the country.

Now, Mitt Romney is a seasoned and accomplished debater. All you have to do is just look at his past debate reels to see how prepared he usually is for debates—with a lot of zingers for his opponents. We also know that he is getting ready with a rich arsenal of zingers for Obama as well. He needs to utterly dominate this debate, and show how his vision for the country would be a refreshing departure from Obama’s policies. More importantly, he’ll need to be able to explain his tax code or revenue generation formula in some better detail when pressed or he may find it difficult to beat a certain narrative that is now currently making the rounds in the media according to which he is all promise but ‘no specifics’.

Obama has the most to lose from these debates. He is currently leading in most of the national polls especially in the critical battleground states. He simply has to avoid speaking a costly political gaffe, and hope that there is no October Surprise that may arise so late in the game. He has to come to these debates fully ready to defend his record, and to project himself as the more reliable figure in these harsh economic times. If he allows Romney to clobber him in these debates, or if he appears too cautious as to not project a vision of competence, or worse if he fumbles with his facts and figures, we can see Romney easily reverse the gains that Obama has made since the end of Bill Clinton’s famous speech.

Tomorrow, the politically minded part of the American populace (with all of America’s trenchant punditocracy) will be tuned in to the various media stations and paying serious attention to see who they’ll go with for the next 4 years. Have you made up your mind yet?

Romney Will Lose The Elections

Given the events of the last two weeks, anyone can see that Mitt Romney’s campaign for the presidency of the United States is in serious danger of fatal derailment. If he eventually loses the election, I am going to identify the shocking sequence of mutilating strokes he dealt to himself and to his campaign over the last 2 weeks as the primary cause of his defeat. There are already many republicans who cannot understand and quite frankly openly wonder why Romney had been struggling in the polls to convincingly beat a president they have universally acknowledged as the worst president ever.

There is simply no easy way to slice this: given the suboptimal state of the economy, the degree of vilification that Obama has received from Republican quarters, and the active push by targeted ads financed by Romney’s rich sponsors and donors, it was simply baffling to notice how Romney had consistently found it difficult to spring forward in this hotly-contested race. Why, someone might ask, is Romney not handily beating Obama amongst likely voters if this election truly was a referendum on the performance of the Obama administration? Please hold that thought.

As if Romney wasn’t having a hard enough time convincing many Americans that he should be given the nation’s top job, the events of the past few weeks have all but put a nail on the coffin of Romney’s presidential aspirations. Indeed, as things stand now, this election is all but over. Let me take the remainder of this brief write-up to give reasons why I do not think that Romney will win come November 6:

A - Reminiscent of John McCain’s hasty and uncoordinated over-reaction in ‘suspending’ his campaign at a time when America stared at a crisis, [thereby prompting wide-mouthed disbelief and concern over his emotional state or his ability to perform under pressure] Mitt Romney has unwittingly generated serious concern over his ability to perform in times of great national or international uproar. Only last week when the nation was quietly mourning the loss of an ambassador, several embassy personnel, countless innocent lives, and the breaching or burning of American embassies or consulates in an orgy of violence that has erupted all over the middle East, Romney chose that singular moment of subdued national outrage to try to score a cheap political point. Without waiting to get the full picture or the facts in the case, he mistook a tweet emerging from a US embassy under siege, as the official statement of the Obama White House and launched off into a tasteless self-serving rant about how Obama (and his administration by extension I suppose) was supposedly apologizing to the Muslim world about American values; how Obama was not projecting strength and how his own administration would undoubtedly have risen to the challenge posed by the events that were yet unfolding.