SDB Evening News Reads for 081111: Debate Preview, News Round-up and Tin Roof Rusted Dinosaurs
Posted: August 11, 2011 | Author: JJ Lopez aka Minkoff Minx | Filed under: 2012 presidential campaign, Barack Obama, Domestic Policy, Economic Develpment, Economy, Elections, jobs, religious extremists, Republican politics, Republican presidential politics, SDB Evening News Reads, U.S. Politics, We are so F'd | Tags: fossils, GOP presidential candidates, Iowa Debate, PA Judge convicted, Warren |
Oof, I have got lots of links to share with you today. So I will try to keep this post as succinct as I can.
Iowa Republican Debate Preview:
Yes, tonight is the night the cornfields of Iowa get national attention. It all starts at 9pm Eastern, so are you ready? Honestly, when Obama started speechifying this afternoon I had to walk out of the room, can’t take listening to that man at all.
The debate tonight is sure to yield some gems, as far as quotes go. So here is a preview and what to expect from the mouths of those who have gotten the “call” to run, whether that call was from rich businesses or some old man up in the clouds, is tough to say…cough, cough.
Crucial three days in Iowa – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs
Thursday night the eight major GOP candidates face off in the first presidential debate since a CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader showdown nearly two months ago. There will be a lot on the line at the debate for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota as it’s the first head to head clash for the candidates in Iowa, the state that votes first in the primary and caucus calendar.
Just about all the White House hopefuls are also making stops at the state fair, which is a picture perfect example of retail politics. From taking questions directly from Iowa voters at the famous Soap Box, to walking the fair grounds and shaking hands, to eating fried Twinkies and any kind of meat on a stick, the Iowa State Fair has become a top item on the to-do list for presidential candidates.
So you have the debate and the Iowa State Fair, the third component this weekend is of course, the Ames Straw Poll.
And then there’s the Ames Straw Poll, which traditionally alters the battle for the Republican nomination. The event, on Saturday on the Iowa State campus in nearby Ames, is part straw poll, part party, and part fundraiser. And for the campaigns, “it’s truly an organizational test on all fronts,” says Mary Cownie, former communications director for the Iowa GOP. “It’s unique because it’s an all day event, where all the candidates can come, where all Iowans can go and speak to each of the candidates, and then vote in the straw poll.”
More on the debate below, check it out. There are a bunch of articles with the same titles, just different media outlets…so here are the links, and you can take your pick.
This Time link starts off with reminding us that there are 5 more Republican debates before Halloween, frightening isn’t it? But the author, Michael Crowley points out that this one tonight in Iowa is a biggie. Crowley’s talking points can give you a quick review of what he is looking for. Watch to Watch for in Tonight’s GOP Debate in Iowa | Swampland
Romney’s balancing act
T-Paw v. “Bobblehead”
The back of the pack
The specter of Rick Perry
And btw, Bobblehead is none other than Bachmann, if you did not know, and in the back of the pack, Crowley list Santorum, Cain, Paul, Gingrich and Huntsman. Pointing out that Huntsman is really aiming for 2016.
This next one is from Jonathan Bernstein, What to watch for at tonight’s debate – The Plum Line – The Washington Post He mentions the article over at the NYT about the five things to watch for, but says there is only one thing to watch…and that is Tim Pawlenty.
Speaking of the New York Times link: Five Things to Watch for in Iowa Debate – NYTimes.com I will again highlight the talking points…
A Huntsman pulse?
Beat up on Romney time.
Pawlenty’s spine.
Is Bachmann presidential?
Best Obama attack line.
Notice the lack of things to watch for from the rest of the crew…
Here is another article from the Washington Post, this one is by Chris Cillizza: The Ames presidential debate: What to watch for – The Fix – The Washington Post
* Target Bachmann
* No more Mr. Nice Guy
* In absentia
* Fresh faced appeal?
* How do you solve a problem like Ron Paul?
Of course, the no more Mr. Nice Guy which Cillizza is speaking of is Pawlenty, saying he has to go after Romney. Palin and Perry are in “absentia.” And Huntsman has that fresh face appeal. Meh…unfortunately, this particular article has gotten that song from Sound of Music stuck in my head.
Moving on…Factbox: Five keys to the US Republican debate in Iowa | Reuters which is pretty much the same list of stuff as the others. I will highlight this bit, since it is sure to bring about some of those “gems” I spoke about earlier.
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said the candidates with thinner support — such as Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich — are most likely to make statements designed to get noticed.
“Expect the wildest jabs and the most outrageous statements from them. They know the clock is ticking in the winnowing process. That’s what Iowa’s for: not to pick the eventual nominee but to narrow the field,” he wrote in a debate preview.
Enough of that, ay?
Here are a few links for you on the RNC and DNC, if you want to take the time:
Okay, on this next link, I will quote a bit because it is the RNC’s chairman response to the recall election results in Wisconsin. Of course, it is one of many talking points the GOP seems to be pushing…like usual. Reince Priebus Shrugs: ‘We Need to Have a Country of Makers and Not Takers’ | Video Cafe
While discussing his opinions on the Wisconsin recall elections and the Republicans hanging onto their one seat majority in the Senate, RNC Chair Reince Priebus said the elections presented a lesson for the whole nation. One as TPM noted was pretty well a “pocket-sized John Galt speech” — Priebus Toasts Wis. Recalls: ‘We Need To Have A Country Of Makers, And Not A Country Of Takers’ (VIDEO):
“I think for the country, it’s the start of having a debate, and winning the debate, that we need to have a country of makers, and not a country of takers. And I think that’s important in saving not only Wisconsin, but a lot of other states that are watching. And I think it’s a good signal, and a good sign, and a good tell, for the rest of America as to where the electorate is moving, and they’re moving to winning a battle of individual freedom for America.”
Gotta give it up for these dudes’ ability to keep this meme going, I mean at what point are these “takers” going to pick up the pitchforks and brooms?
Over in Iowa, the Ames Tribune has this op-ed that was published yesterday, take a look: Ames Tribune > Opinion > Don’t accept statements at face value
Expanded coverage of the Ames Straw Poll starts today, with the first of four daily four-page spreads full of facts, analysis and commentary to keep you informed as Republican presidential candidates set their sights on Ames and beyond.
If the GOP field wasn’t full enough already, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is poised to steal the spotlight Saturday when he makes the expected announcement that he is entering the race for the White House. To seal the all-but-done deal, Perry has also announced plans to speak at a GOP fundraiser in Waterloo, Iowa, Sunday.
We’d be surprised if Perry’s name didn’t turn up in the write-in field on more than a few Straw Poll ballots. He’ll be vying for Iowa approval with nine previously declared candidates: Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Thaddeus McCotter, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.
The question is will the write-ins be spelled Parry?
As Republicans ponder their choice to go up against President Obama in November 2012, and even as Democrats consider Obama’s worthiness for a second term, all voters would be wise to approach the candidates with a measure of skepticism, even, maybe especially, the candidates they favor.
Politicians are naturally given to hyperbole and exaggeration. That’s how they fire up their supporters and excoriate their opponents. In recent years, however, some politicians’ pronouncements have lost even a nodding acquaintance with the truth and have veered off into outright falsehood.
The opinion goes on to list some of the examples of the “pronouncements” and ends with this:
Has truth lost its value, its power to vanquish lies?
We hope not. But we as voters must demand it from our leaders and those who wish to lead us. If we accept at face value statements that are demonstrably false, we will waste our emotion and energy opposing or supporting conditions that don’t exist. Instead, we must demand of ourselves and our leaders that we deal in facts — empirical, palpable, measurable facts — or we’ll have no chance of solving the very real problems that face us as a nation.
Journalists have a creaky old saying we like to dust off to illustrate our professional skepticism: If your mother says she loves you, check it out. We’d all do well to apply that to the politicians who say they love us, too.
To bad these journalist don’t exercise that “creaky old saying” a bit more than it seems they do now.
Okay, just a few other items of interest…
Why Aren’t More People Moving To Jobs? | ThinkProgress
Well, I just have one thing to say, because they can’t afford to move. There is no money or credit available for people to go in search of these jobs. Believe me, my family is experience this exact thing now. We can move so that my husband can move up the “Walmart” ladder, but there is no funds to get us there. You don’t think that extra 10 to 15 thousand a year would help us out?
(Sorry for the rant…I will carry on…)
Alrighty then…here is some more for ya…
If you did not catch BB’s awesome post this morning on the London Riots, go there now and read it.
And lastly, thank you Boston Boomer for sending me this link about “Tin Roof Rusted” aka “Knocked-up” aka pregnant Plesiosaurs giving live birth. (You know those plesiosaurs are what people think Nessie is over in Loch Ness.)
Pregnant Fossil Confirms Live Birth in Ancient ‘Sea Monster’ – FoxNews.com
The unique 78-million-year-old fossils of an adult plesiosaur and its unborn baby may provide the first evidence that these ancient animals gave live births, according to scientists.
The 15.4-foot-long adult specimen is one of the giant, carnivorous, four-flippered reptiles that lived during the Mesozoic Era. Dr. F. Robin O’Keefe of Marshal University in Huntington, W. Va., and Dr. Luis Chiappe, director of the Natural History Museum’s Dinosaur Institute, have determined that the skeleton contained within the creature is an embryo — including ribs, 20 vertebrae, shoulders, hips, and paddle bones.
The research — to be published August 12 in Science magazine — establishes that plesiosaurs gave birth to live young, rather than hatching their offspring from eggs on land.
Wow, that is my offering today, I am going to be dealing with my little monsters this evening, since today was their first day of school. I am sure we will have a live blog going on during the debate, and hope to see you there…could be a fun way to release some of the frustration that we have built up lately. I feel like making some witty remarks and making fun of tonight’s event in the cornfields…Don’t you?
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Damn, my mistake, this post published a few minutes before I finished reviewing it. A few changes were made, so oops, my bad.
Oh boy, this is huge: Postal Service considers cutting 120,000 jobs – USATODAY.com
More on this:
USPS proposes cutting 120,000 jobs, pulling out of health-care plan – The Washington Post
Wow. That’s going to cause a huge fight.
I know, and I wonder if many rural delivery postal workers will be the first ones to go.
I guess we won’t be mailing in our ballots, instead we’ll be voting on line, and all the votes can get tallied up Waukesha Co. Wisc.
Oh Joy.
Republican Rep. David Camp says he won’t rule out tax increases. He’s on the Super Committee….
I wonder what Boehner will say?
Camp is not to be trusted, considering he is a member of ALEC. Kyl is too. I am sure Boehner is not going to worry about Camp. The fix is in.
Love the pregnant pleiosaur! But wait – I thought the earth was only 6,000 years old! 😉
LOL!
U.S. Women Senators Urge Clinton to Act on Burma Rapes « VOA Breaking News http://fb.me/DZRFwFwP
I’d like to read the letter. It cites a gang rape by armed troops. I find it interesting that these same senators are not more vocal about the gang rapes here in the states (eg, the little girl in Cleveland, TX). Hillary has been screaming about this for years, and now is when they remember the powerhouse at Foggy Bottom.
Hillary 2012
Underscoring my normal shallowness, because the Red Sox have an off night I may very well join you at 9pm just to keep the yucks alive and the snark on at full force.
Will I have to censor my responses because quite often I have the tendency to use “harsh”language any time one of these Dementos speak?
Oh good. We can put up an open thread, and then people can either talk about the debate or something else. I’m going to listen to it just for laughs. I don’t know if I can stand to both watch AND listen. That might be too much stimulation for the way I’m feeling tonight.
I may not be around, my husband just got bit by around 20 yellow jackets. May be heading to ER.
Oh no! I’m so sorry. I hope he’ll be OK!
He is in a lot of pain, but there is nothing we can really do about it. Just has to wait and let the swelling go down.
Rural mail delivery is via contract carriers — at least in my neck of the woods. So ballots probably won’t be affected. We’ve had a po box for years (rural drive by shootings of mail boxes).
mail Truck deliveries to from from PO are also contract — so the post office has already cut costs to the bone in the northwest.
I’m expecting that there is going to be a push for more PO Box — and fewer home deliveries. Somewhere a few years back that’s what an outside consultant recommended. As it is FedEx — does some of the cross country shipments. We discovered that little detail when we were trying to track a package that was shipped postal service — but it turns out that it was only delivered to the PO box after FedEx did most of the carrying.
Urban and suburban mail — that’s where the employees are and it could be that mail delivery could be cut back to every other day or something. I’ve read rumors along those lines.
They were talking about cutting out Sat. deliveries, but a study showed that would cost more in the long run because of all the mail that would build up over the weekend. I would think it would be the same if they did it every other day.
The other option is to completely privatize mail delivery. For people who travel — they have mail sent to a forwarding service. And in some places the small general store was also the local mail service.
Mail delivery is some small Caribbean islands is via post office only. USA third world mail delivery service in our future?
Could be that some of the cuts in the US postal service need to be at the top?