More Thoughts on the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin Case

Last night, George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the death of Travyon Martin. Zimmerman's supporters and his detractors will never come to a consensus on his guilt or innocence. However, one thing we should all be able to agree on is that only two people know for sure what happened on the fateful night of February 26, 2012 and one of them isn't in the position to give his side of the story. 

One of the sad aspects of this case is how it became a left-right issue. I think it turned into one because of the involvement of the Rev. Al Sharpton and the comments made by President Barack Obama. Just to be clear, I don't think the actions and/or words of these men made it a political issue. It was how these actions and words were interpreted by many on the right which turned it into one. Because many on the right have a dislike/hatred for the Rev. Sharpton and President Obama, I think they automatically took what they perceived to be the opposite side. What many on the right seemed to have missed is that the Rev. Sharpton only became involved after being contacted by the lawyer for Travyon's family. It's not like he was combing the internet and thumbing through newspapers looking for a case in which the victim was black. Also, the Rev. Sharpton took action and President Obama said what he said (only after being asked to comment by a reporter) because they wanted justice to be served... which is perfectly understandable. 

"If anybody watching this show -- either live or on the Internet -- doesn’t believe that if an African-American shot a 17-year-old white boy walking through a neighborhood carrying ice tea and Skittles…if they do not believe that an arraignment would be scheduled by the next morning for the African-American shooter and that the white boy’s family would be called immediately…that an office would actually drive to the white boy’s home and sit down with the parents on the couch and console them because they have lost a 17-year-old son. If you don’t believe that this case and the handling of this case by the people in Florida has nothing to do with race, you are living in a fantasy world."- Joe Scarborough, 3/21/12

Here's my question for the righties: If one of your loved ones was killed and the killer was still walking the streets, wouldn't you want some answers?

With the not guilty verdict, the NRA folks must be dancing in the streets. I don't know about you, but I don't feel safe in those streets... especially if I was in Florida. You think I'm kidding?!

Rob Portman's Flip-Flop On Gay Rights

On March 14, 2013, Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) announced he had changed his stance on same-sex marriage. The change came as a result of his son Will coming out as gay to Portman and his wife in 2011. Before this, Sen. Portman's opposition to gay rights was reflected in his voting record. He co-sponsored the 1996 federal ban on same-sex marriage and in 1999 voted for a measure prohibiting same-sex couples in Washington, D.C. from adopting children. You can watch an exclusive interview with CNN in which Sen. Portman discusses changing his stance on same-sex marriage.

While I'm glad Sen. Portman has come over to my side on this issue, his change in stance seems hollow. Usually when it comes to social issues, it seems the only time conservatives can consider another perspective is when it affects them. One exception which comes to mind is when Rep. State Representative Maureen Walsh made a plea to fellow legislators about same-sex marriage in 2012. Even in that case, it's fair to question whether or not Rep. Walsh's feelings about same-sex marriage were changed by her daughter coming out as gay. However, whereas Walsh's speech was full of passion, humor and honesty, Portman came off as robotic and political.

Here is my question for conservatives: Why does it seem your side has to be personally affected by an issue in order to consider another perspective?

In the clip below, The Majority Report host Sam Seder (sitting on the right) and guest Cliff Schecter discuss Sen. Portman and other instances of conservative politicians changing their stance on positions only after they are affected personally by an issue.

Bill Maher's Response to ODS and the Politicization of Everything

I found this on Facebook today so I thought I'd share it here. When I heard that Michelle Obama had made a surprise appearance (via satellite) during the recent Oscar telecast, I knew some on the right would go on the attack. Sadly, some people have to make damn near everything political.

A Tale of Two Michel(l)es

During her husband's race for the White House in 2008, soon-to-be First Lady Michelle Obama made a controversial comment about her being proud of her country for the first time in her adult life.  In the 2011 clip below, Melissa Harris-Perry discusses how the media portrayed Ms. Obama's comments vs. similar ones made by Republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann. You may be wondering why I'm posting about a topic that should be dead and buried. The reason is because while most people have either forgiven or forgotten about Michelle's statements, people on the right like my good friend "dmarks" can't let it go.

Here's my question for the righties who continue to trash Michelle Obama for this: How is what she said any different from the comments made by Congresswoman Bachmann?

By the way, happy belated 49th birthday to Ms. Obama (who is rocking the bangs quite nicely).

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Colin Powell Discusses the Problems of the GOP

On the January 13th edition of Meet the Press, David Gregory questioned Colin Powell on whether or not he's still a Republican. Along with saying he still is, Powell also outlined why he thinks the GOP has lost it's way. Among the reasons Powell discussed were Romney surrogate John Sununu referring to President Obama as “lazy” and Sarah Palin accusing the president of shucking and jiving in regards to the Sept. 11 2012 attack against a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. You can watch the segment below:




Colin Powell could have gone on, but don't fault him. After all, he only had approx. 30 minutes. Sadly, Powell seems to be the exception instead of the rule when it comes to prominent Republicans. The far right will likely dismiss his comments, label him a RINO, etc. However, unless the GOP wants to continue losing national elections, they'll listen to him. There are solid reasons why Mitt Romney lost to President Obama and no it's not the fault of the so-called mainstream media or any other BS excuse conservatives have used. The GOP is in trouble, but it can be fixed. So in the words of the Captain (played by Strother Martin) in the movie Cool Hand Luke, my message to the GOP is simple: "It's all up to you".

Lawrence O'Donnell Pulls the Wheels Off the Romney Bandwagon

Leading up to the 2012 presidential election, I had planned on doing some gloating if President Obama won. Some would argue I should be bigger than that and it's a fair point. However, after all the shit President Obama has taken from the right over the last 4 years, they deserve to have their noses rubbed in it! On his show last Friday, Lawrence O'Donnell put together an awesome montage of the various conservative pundits  who predicted a Romney victory. Some of them were right in one regard: they predicted 300+ electoral votes for the winner. They just picked the wrong candidate. Just to recap, here is a tally of the electoral votes for each candidate:

President Barack Obama- 332
Mitt Romney- 206

Don't worry conservatives/Republicans. Just turn back the clock to the night after the first debate when you were all smug and self-satisfied because of Romney's "victory". Like I said back then, a poor performance in the first debate by President Obama would likely be irrelevant. If the conservative media's colossal failure in predicting the 2012 presidential election doesn't make it's followers pissed, it should.

Here is the Lawrence O'Donnell clip I mentioned earlier. Liberals/progressives/Democrats, enjoy!

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President Obama Defeats Mitt Romney: Four More Years!!!

Four more years, four more years! Come on righties, say it with me!! Although it was touch and go for awhile, President Obama managed to defeat Mitt Romney. Although it wasn't a blow out, I thought the electoral college tally would be closer than it was.

Outside of the obvious, I can understand why righties are pissed off because President Obama was beatable. Even though I think the president deserved a 2nd term, this was a winnable election for the GOP.

Here are some of the reasons I think Romney lost:

• Alienating Hispanic voters, the fastest growing demographic in the country. The number of Latinos who voted for President Obama in the 2012 election was over 70%, while Romney got less than 30%! Unless Republicans want to keep losing presidential elections, they better come up with a new game plan to woo Latino voters. 

• Four words... Let Detroit Go Bankrupt. Although Romney didn't choose the title of the op-ed, he echoed its sentiments. The fact that President Obama saved the auto industry while Romney was content to kiss it off virtually guaranteed that Michigan and Ohio would go to O. 

• 47%... need I say more?!

Besides the obvious, there are two other reasons I'm glad President Obama won a 2nd term. Had Romney won, it would give license for future candidates to constantly change positions and brazenly lie about it. Romney went back and forth and back so much, he probably lost track of which "Mitt was Mitt" himself! An Obama defeat would also have sent a message to the GOP that obstruction is a winning strategy. Since there is work to be done to get this country back on track, being the "party of NO" isn't going to cut it.

Hopefully, the GOP will do some serious soul searching and get their act together. If they don't, this could prove to be the beginning of the end for them. Since right-wing pundits and bloggers aren't likely to realize that moving farther to the right is not the way to go, it'll be up to one of the GOP politicians to take the reins and be the proverbial adult in the room.

While the right stews in its own juice, please enjoy President Obama's victory speech.

Chris Matthews and Alex Wagner Respond to Mitt Romney's Birther "Joke"

While on a campaign stop in Commerce Twp, MI last Friday, Mitt Romney made a so-called joke about President Obama's place of birth. Stay classy Willard!

In the first clip, Hardball's Chris Matthews takes RNC chairman Reince Priebus apart during a segment on Morning Joe. In addition to confronting Reince on Romney's birther "joke", Chris also called him out for the Romney ad which falsely claims President Obama ended the work requirement for welfare. Since I cannot stand Priebus, it was a pleasure watching Chris gut him on live TV.

In the second clip, Alex Wagner (the host of MSNBC's NOW with Alex Wagner) took her turn addressing Romney's alleged attempt at humor. As one of the most congenial political pundits on TV, Alex usually keeps her anger in check. However, you could see she was pissed about what Romney said. Still, she handled it with her customary class and intelligence. 

Ever since President Obama was sworn in, some on the right have been directing race-based jabs at him (both overt and covert). And every time they do, it's the job of the media to call them on it.  Props to both Chris and Alex!

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The Hypocrisy of Paul Ryan

On the Sunday 8/19 installment of Up with Chris Hayes, the host revealed a devastating 2002 clip of Paul Ryan giving an impassioned plea for stimulus. You're not likely to see this clip air on Fox "News".



This is yet another case of IOKIYAR. The stimulus was OK under then-President Bush, but it's not now that President Obama is in office. I don't see how even the most ardent Ryan supporter can spin this one. If any of you want to give it a try, I'm all ears.

Final Results of the Recent Mitt Romney/VP Poll

In the poll where I asked readers who they felt Mitt Romney would select as his running mate in the upcoming election, 3/4 of you picked U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH). Here are the final results:

Rob Portman- 75%
Bob McDonnell- 25%

Thanks to everyone who participated.

The Obama Campaign's bin Laden Ad: Fair or Foul?

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of bin Laden's death (5/2/11). To coincide with this historic event, President Obama's campaign released the following ad featuring Bill Clinton:



In the latest round of IOKIYAR, many on the right have hypocritically accused President Obama of "spiking the football", politicizing the death of bin Laden, etc.  Because the raid which killed bin Laden happened under President Obama's watch, he effectively took away one of the GOP's biggest talking points against Democrats: their alleged softness on terror. Outside of the fact they weren't able to do it, I don't see why the right is upset with President Obama for touting this accomplishment. If a Republican president had ordered the raid which took out bin Laden, do you think the right would have been low-key about it? Please!

In the clip below from Hardball with Chris Matthews, he discusses the GOP's phony outrage over the ad with David Corn of Mother Jones magazine and Ron Reagan.

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The ad also drew criticism from the left, including Dana Milbank and Arianna Huffington. Their beef was with the portion of the ad which asked if Mitt Romney would have done the same thing if he were president. While I think the criticism is valid,  I also feel the question posed in the ad is fair as well. After all, the ad did use Romney's own words.Speaking of Romney, I think he lost any sympathy points the ad may have generated for him by taking a cheap shot at one of the Right's favorite punching bags, Jimmy Carter.


What are your thoughts on the Obama campaign's bin Laden ad?

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the "Mitt Romney's VP Choice" Poll... Thank You

 

Now that it's become certain Mitt Romney will be the GOP's choice to face off against President Obama in the upcoming election, speculation has increased about who Romney will select as his running mate. Several names have been tossed around (see the accompanying poll in the sidebar). All of them have strengths and weaknesses. The question is, will Romney take the predictable route (for example, McDonnell or Portman) or will he attempt to move the needle by selecting a "game changer" along the lines of Jeb Bush or Nikki Haley? Let the vetting process begin!

The GOP and Their Feminine Mistake

Over the past several weeks, the GOP has seemed hell bent on pissing off one of the key voting blocs needed to win a presidential election... women. As a result, President Obama's lead over Mitt Romney among women voters has continued to grow.

On the 4/4/12 installment of his MSNBC program Politics Nation, Al Sharpton and his guests (NOW president Terry O'Neill and HuffPo writer Laura Bassett) discuss how the GOP has alienated many women voters and whether or not the likely Republican presidential nominee (Mitt Romney) can turn it around by November.You can watch the segment below.

Do you think the GOP can win back women voters in time for the 2012 presidential election?

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Please Take A Moment To Vote In the "Game Change" Poll... Thank You

Ed Harris, Julianne Moore, and Woody Harrelson

Two nights after its 3/10 HBO premiere, I watched the movie Game Change. Based on the 2010 book of the same name, it details events of the 2008 presidential campaign. Although the book covers both the Democratic and the Republican sides from the primary races up to the election, the film narrows its focus by detailing the decision of John McCain (Ed Harris) and campaign strategist Steve Schmidt (Woody Harrelson) to select Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore) as the vice-presidential running mate.

Simply put, I thought the movie was awesome! In terms of great political movies, it ranks up there with the 1949 version of All the King's Men. For the most part, I thought the performances in the film were solid. However, the one which obviously has most people talking is Julianne Moore's uncanny portrayal of Sarah Palin. Moore has talked about the research she did on Palin in preparation for the role and it shows. The mark of a great performance is when you forget you're watching an actor and instead feel you are seeing the genuine article. When the Emmys and Golden Globes roll around, Julianne Moore's performance as Sarah Palin is going to be damn tough to beat.

One thing that may surprise people about Game Change is that it's not a hatchet job on Sarah Palin. Although the movie doesn't shy away from Palin's flaws, she comes off as a sympathetic figure at times. Credit for that goes to Moore's nuanced performance. Even when it's clear that Palin is in over her head, it's easy to feel a bit of empathy for her as she drowns in a sea of note cards prepping for interviews and the VP debate. The same goes for the scenes in which Sarah watches Tina Fey skewer her on SNL.

Whether or not you're a Palin detractor or a supporter, I think Game Change is a must-see film. However, I'm interested to hear what you think about the movie. In addition to voting in the poll (which is located at the top of the sidebar), please don't hesitate to share your thoughts about Game Change in the comments section.

Final Results of the Recent Clint Eastwood "Halftime in America" Ad Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked people to give their opinion of the Chrysler ad featuring Clint Eastwood, an overwhelming majority of you voted "thumbs up". Here are the final results:

Thumbs up: 82%
Thumbs down: 17%

Thanks to all of you who participated in and commented on this poll. Below, "Clint Eastwood" has a few choice words for the people who misinterpreted the Chrysler ad.

Republican State Representative Gives A Heartfelt Speech On Marriage Equality

No, the title of this post is not a typo. Even though I rip on Republicans (deservedly so) either with family and friends or in the blogosphere on a regular basis, I have no issue praising them when I think it's warranted. On February 8, 2012, the Washington House of Representatives debated on the legalization of same-sex marriage. During this, Republican State Representative Maureen Walsh made an emotional appeal to the legislators. This is one of the best political speeches I've heard in a long time. Ironically, what I loved about the speech is that it wasn't the typical political speech you hear these days. You could tell that Rep. Walsh was speaking from the heart. Judge for yourself:



By the way, the House voted 55-43 in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage!!

The Book Fox "News" Doesn't Want You to Read...

On Tuesday February 21, Random House is scheduled to release the book The Fox Effect: How Roger Ailes Turned a Network into a Propaganda Machine. Written by Media Matters for America founder David Brock and the progressive media watchdog group's VP Ari Rabin-Havt, this exposé has already got people of all political stripes talking.

From the "About the Book" section of the RH page for The Fox Effect:

Based on the meticulous research of the news watchdog organization Media Matters for America, David Brock and Ari Rabin-Havt show how Fox News, under its president Roger Ailes, changed from a right-leaning news network into a partisan advocate for the Republican Party.
The Fox Effect follows the career of Ailes from his early work as a television producer and media consultant for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush. Consequently, when he was hired in 1996 as the president of Rupert Murdoch’s flagship conservative cable news network, Ailes had little journalism experience, but brought to the job the mindset of a political operative. As Brock and Rabin-Havt demonstrate through numerous examples, Ailes used his extraordinary power and influence to spread a partisan political agenda that is at odds with long-established, widely held standards of fairness and objectivity in news reporting.

Featuring transcripts of leaked audio and memos from Fox News reporters and executives, The Fox Effect is a damning indictment of how the network’s news coverage and commentators have biased reporting, drummed up marginal stories, and even consciously manipulated established facts in their efforts to attack the Obama administration. 


To pre-order the book, click here.  

Fox already appears to be in damage control mode because on at least two of its programs (The O'Reilly Factor and Fox & Friends) there have been negative segments on MMFA. Expect Fox to step up its attacks against MMFA once the book comes out.  

The following clip is the book trailer for The Fox Effect: How Roger Ailes Turned a Network into a Propaganda Machine:

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Clint Eastwood "Halftime in America" Ad... Thank You

Please note that this post is "future dated" because it's poll-related. For posts which were written after this one, but have their actual date attached to them, please scroll down. Thank you.

During the halftime of Super Bowl XLV, Clint Eastwood appeared in a Chrysler ad titled "Halftime in America". Feelings on the ad seem to be divided along party lines. While David Axelrod (President Obama’s campaign manager) and Dan Pfeiffer (the White House communications director) praised the ad, Fox News contributors Karl Rove and Michelle Malkin weren't so enthused.

I thought the ad was both positive and powerful in its "we may be down, but we're not out" message about America. Since when did promoting the spirit of America become a bad thing in the collective eyes of some on the right?! You can show how you felt about the Chrysler ad by voting thumbs up or down in the poll in the upper portion of the sidebar on the right.

Below is the ad followed by the Hardball segment in which Chris Matthews discusses the ad with political consultant Mark McKinnon.

Speaking of controversial Super Bowl ads, please see the post dated February 7th below.  

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Pete Hoekstra Ad Draws Criticism For Racial Insensitivity Against Asians

While getting ready to head out to a Super Bowl party, I saw the now infamous ad run by U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra against Michigan incumbent Debbie Stabenow. The ad features a young Asian actress thanking Sen. Stabenow for weakening the U.S. economy and making China's stronger. The problem with the ad is that it has the actress speaking in broken English as if she just stepped off the set of a Charlie Chan flick. It was kinda surreal for me when I first saw the ad because I had to ask myself if I saw and heard what I think I did.

Although the ad only aired in Michigan markets before and during The Super Bowl, it is getting criticism on a nationwide level (from both sides of the political aisle) due to its racial insensitivity.  In the article that I linked to above, Hoekstra defended the ad (which is scheduled to run for two weeks on cable stations across Michigan).

By the way, there is actually a website titled Debbiespenditnow.com and it's as over-the-top with the Asian imagery as you can imagine.

In the clips below, Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks and Lawrence O'Donnell attack the ad... but from different angles.

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Please Take A Moment To Vote In the GOP Nominee Poll... Thank You

On Tuesday November 6th, one of these four men (Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul) will go up against President Barack Obama in the general election. Who will it be? I think it's a two-man race between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Although his impressive showing in the South Carolina primary could be an isolated incident, I'm leaning toward Newt Gingrich getting the nomination. I say this because I think the Republican base wants an angry candidate who they believe can go toe-to-toe with President Obama. They couldn't care less about all the baggage that makes up the personal and political life of Newt "Samsonite" Gingrich. What they want to see is the political destruction of President Obama and they think Newt is the man for the job.

If you want to share your reasoning for why you feel the person you selected will win the nomination, feel free to do so in the comments section.