Take a look at the picture above. It’s from a long time ago. A very long time ago. A time nearly 100 million years ago when the oceans covered portions of North America. Pay extra attention to the coast line that runs through modern day Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and the Carolinas.
The Deep South had a shoreline that curled through the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, and there, in the shallow waters just offshore, were immense populations of floating, single-celled creatures who drifted about, trapped sunshine, captured carbon, then died and sank to the sea bottom. Those creatures became long stretches of nutritious chalk. (I love chalk.) When sea levels dropped and North America took on its modern shape, those ancient beaches — so alkaline, porous and rich with organic material — became a “black belt” of rich soil, running right through the South.
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And because this stretch was so rich and fertile, when cotton farmers moved here in the 19th century, this stretch produced the most cotton per acre. Harvests of 4,000-plus bales were common here. Notice that the most productive plantations mirror the ancient coastline.
Then came slavery.
McClain, quoting from Booker T. Washington’s autobiography, Up From Slavery, points out: “The part of the country possessing this thick, dark and naturally rich soil was, of course, the part of the South where the slaves were most profitable, and consequently they were taken there in the largest numbers.” After the Civil War, a lot of former slaves stayed on this land, and while many migrated North, their families are still there.
I have to admit that I tuned into the debate late; I was watching the football game and only was able to play catch up. Additionally, I admit to being a member of the “Ryan is going to kick his ass” club after the Romney-Obama debate last week.
That said. Here Goes.
Biden won.
The take away from the Presidential debate was that Obama didn’t call out Romney on perceived lies and that he didn’t exert himself in regards to the moderator. Further, I get the feeling that folks didn’t think that Obama “spoke to them.”
Biden delivered on all accounts. Joe was aggressive, he called bullshit when he saw it [right or wrong] and he drove the conversation. Further, it is clear, starkly clear, that Biden has two advantages over Ryan:
He is incredibly more comfortable in the rough and tumble debate format than Ryan.
His foreign policy experience dwarfs Ryan’s.
Obama was criticized for letting Romney control the conversation, for “lying” and for being less than aggressive. Biden rang the bell on all counts.
I think people will resonate with that.
With that said, Biden looked like a fool; he was openly laughing and smirking the entire time. He played the part of the ass. It turned me off, but the rest of the folks? We’ll see.
Going into Wednesday last week Romney had experienced a series of perceived setbacks. The video of Romney talking to high dollar donors about the 47% certainly played into Obama’s attempt to characterize him as a member of the rich white guy club. This only contributed to the continued bad press Romney was generating for his critique of the White House during the Libya crisis.
Romney was having a hard time of it.
People said his only hope was the debate. However, there was little belief that Romney would even win the debate much less win it by enough to influence polls:
The overwhelming odds on favorite was Obama heading into the debate. While I favored Romney, he has better ideas and isn’t hampered by Obama’s habit of “aaahhhhing” everything, I thought the win wouldn’t matter. Further, I was sure that the polls would suggest Obama won regardless of what I thought.
I was wrong:
It wasn’t just “not close” it was historical. Never before has a debate been so lopsided as this one. From the opening bell to the final round Romney completely dominated Obama. There wasn’t even one time where Obama even looked like he might rally and make a showing of it. The night was completely and wholly Romney’s.
Obama’s fate was sealed when he issued this advise to the moderator:
You might wanna switch topics Jim.
Even Obama knew this was a disaster.
However, what NO ONE could have anticipated was the impact this debate would have on the race. As I mentioned, Romney came into last week’s contest behind, way behind. And today…? Today’s he’s not only closed the gap, he’s leading:
Romney has moved ahead of Obama.
This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who has the ability to be objective. Obama has been an abject failure. His policies haven’t led to prosperity, they’ve led to a suppressed recovery. His policies overseas are failing, or worse, are undefined to the point that success or failure can’t be determined.
Last week we saw what happens when a life long community organizer goes up against a successful CEO.
The elections of 2010 continue to have consequences. One of the biggest of those is the passage of voter ID laws across the nation. In general, I have no issue with the concept of having to prove you are who you say you are. In fact, it’s my belief that if you make rules limiting the age, the residence or the number of times an individual can vote, it should be a requirement to validate proof of identification.
Pennsylvania Voter ID Law
Pennsylvania is just one of those states that have enacted such laws. In fact, the law is set to go into effect in time for this election cycle in November, just 5 weeks away. The law, and especially the timing, has drawn the ire of liberals all over the country.
The law requires:
That people show either a state driver’s license, government employee ID or a state non-driver ID card in order to vote on November 6.
Again, by itself, the law is perfectly reasonable in my mind and, in fact, should have been enacted long long ago.
Judge Rules To Halt Law
However, while the requirement to display valid ID is a good one, the judge has ruled that the law imposed significant hurdles in obtaining the proper ID before election time and was unreasonable in its timeline.
In short, the law stands but won’t take effect for the upcoming election.
I agree with the judge on this one. The idea of the law is that we protect the sanctity of the voting process. Given that we have been faced with lax laws regarding this for decades, one more election isn’t going to result in a result incongruous with past elections. However, if the law was passed in order to affect the outcome of THIS election, then I have an issue with an unstated voter restriction for the very specific purpose of electing a specific candidate.
Crunch time is right around the corner. Soon September will give way to October and then it’s only one month until the election. I don’t think we can call it over, but the polls are certainly pointing to the end of the horse race.
Are The Polls Correct
This, of course, is the $20,000 question. With all of the polling coming in right now the question that’s burning up the inter-tubes is this:
Are the polls telling the right story or are they just pulling for Obama?
I tend to believe two things:
Journalists are, by nature, liberal.
We all allow bias into our belief systems.
There is no grand conspiracy.
Okay, so that’s three, but still. I do think that people who conduct polls are human, that as humans they are subject to their tribalism and yet still they try to remain objective. I simply don’t believe that these pollsters are in cahoots with one another in order to bring about an Obama 2nd term.
Is Rasmussen Right
Of all the major polling outfits, only Rasmussen has Romney ahead or even close. Every other poll is showing Obama up slightly or even by 7. So, is Rasmussen overly partisan or do they have a secret?
A professor at Fordham University went back and checked. Of the 23 polls conducted only two were wight on the money; Pew and – you guessed it – Rasmussen. Whatever those folks are doing over there, agree or not, they did a heck of a job last time around.
And even more than that, the 3 polls that over estimated the republican ticket were still in the top 7.
Instead of arguing that Rasmussen is too far off on the Romney side I’d make the argument that the other polls are further off on the Obama side.
I’ve been away for awhile. Life has been busy and I thought it was a good time to step away from the files of the Tarheel. However, during that time I have been paying attention and it’s hard to ignore the fact that since the conventions, the terror attacks in Libya and Romney’s comments regarding the 47%, Obama has been surging in the polls. And I’ve thought about Romney’s comments.
Why The Negative Reaction
I listened to the words Romney used that night at his fundraiser. And I remember I cringed. I was disappointed that Romney had been taped like this and his views “revealed.” And as I watched the reaction on the news and in the media, my fears were confirmed – disaster.
Since then I’ve thought about it. And I’ve come to this conclusion:
Romney was RIGHT!
There are, absolutely positively ARE, people who make a living identifying the handouts and the give-aways provided by the government and will vote to keep those benefits coming. Some of these folks, to be sure, are aware that this is a gravy train and are just going to ride it for as long as they can. And then there are others that really, honestly feel that they are entitled to these benefits from their government. They feel that they are entitled to food and to a home and to clothing and to medical care. That by simply breathing, these things are owed to them.
And these people will vote for Obama.
The reason for this reaction from the left? Because it’s TRUE!
Who Isn’t The 47 Percent
Romney isn’t stupid. And his number is correct; 47% of America doesn’t pay a federal income tax. And further, if asked, he would know and admit that of that 47% some folks are retired seniors living on social security. Some are veterans who’ve served their country. Of course he knew that. And of course he knows that he isn’t referring to that demographic.
When you hear a conservative remark with disdain that group of people who don’t pay taxes and live off the government, the image isn’t one of a tired old warrior resting after years of service. Nor is it one of grandma rocking to the tunes of the Grand ol Opre while knitting her most recent baby blanket.
No, the image is that of the individual who claims unemployment while not looking for a job. The image of that person is one of the single mother with more than 3 kids, never having been married and not even looking to make life for her family better. The image is that of the moocher.
Romney isn’t talking about the soldier or grandma.
And he’s right. The folks he’s invoking are going to vote for Obama.
Who Is Left
Romney isn’t admitting anything controversial. There isn’t a single person that’s going to disagree with the fact that the chronic dependent of government isn’t going to vote for more government. So, who is Romney going after? He’s going after the middle. The independent voter who isn’t trapped by the siren song of the check and is capable of thoughtful independent decision making.
He’s going after that 10% in the middle. He’s acknowledging that he’s got 45 in the bag for him, he’s got 45% against him and he needs to resonate with those not yet committed. And for whatever reason, people think that because Romney said this in a private meeting with large dollar donors that this is somehow a sin.
What Should Romney Do Now
Sing it from every rooftop and street corner that’ll have him. Romney needs to create an image of a strong candidate that has the conviction of his beliefs. Make the left challenge him, make the democrats attack his position. And then hammer ’em. We DO have a moocher class. We KNOW they’ll vote for anyone who enables their life. And any reasonable person wants to REDUCE the number of that population.
I’ll have that debate any day. Let someone tell me that we wanna increase those on food stamps and I’ll call ’em a fool. We wanna increase the number of folks receiving Section 8? I’ll take them to task for creating a dependency lifestyle without creating an incentive to strive for a life of dignity where an individual is capable of caring for themselves.
Bring me the democrat that makes the argument we want more people receiving these entitlements and I’ll show you a winning argument.
Sing it Romney; Sing it to everyone who’ll hear ya!
I’ve listened to the Mother Jones video several times now – I just listened to it again – and I don’t hear a controversy. I don’t hear anything inflammatory. I don’t hear one word said in malice or with the intent to hurt anyone. And I certainly don’t hear anything not true.
Nearly Half of Americans Don’t Pay Federal Income Tax
In the Mother Jones video Romney makes the claim that 47% of Americans don’t pay a federal income tax. He’s right, or at least he was right when he made the claim. In 2011 that number was only 46%, but in 2010 the percentage of Americans not paying the tax was 47%. Just like Romney said.
According to the CBO, in aggregate, the poorest 60% of us don’t pay a federal income tax. Worse, the top quintile, the wealthiest 20%, pay more than 94% of federal incomes taxes according to the most recent numbers in 2009.
Lewis said among the issues of concern was a new evaluation that she said would be unfair to teachers because it relied too heavily on students’ standardized test scores and does not take into account external factors that affect performance, including poverty, violence and homelessness.
I’ve often encountered this line of reasoning when discussing teacher evaluations. First, I find it unfathomable that an educated group of experts who routinely adjudicate proficiency of very subjective materials find it completely out of the realm of possibility to measure the effectiveness of teachers themselves. Second, if they are unwilling to allow themselves to be measured on their effectiveness based on poverty, violence and homelessness, can we expect them to adjust grades so that such impacts are taken into account?
For example, I’ve heard that teachers won’t accept performance based measurements because, “a dog may be barking during the test.” Yet, are these same teachers willing to change the test scores of those kids subjected to the barking dog?
I get the feeling that people like Barack Obama. And while they like him, they know he’s failed. And when they come to peace with the idea that they can like him AND not vote for him, it’s curtains.
A majority of voters believe the country is worse off today than it was four years ago and that President Obama does not deserve reelection, according to a new poll for The Hill.
Fifty-two percent of likely voters say the nation is in “worse condition” now than in September 2008, while 54 percent say Obama does not deserve reelection based solely on his job performance.
Only 31 percent of voters believe the nation is in “better condition,” while 15 percent say it is “about the same,” the poll found. Just 40 percent of voters said Obama deserves reelection.
The results highlight the depth of voter dissatisfaction confronting Obama as he makes his case for a second term at this week’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.
