Good Result for Biden Despite Disrespectful Moderator

Objective my ASS! She clearly can't stand Joe Biden and had no business moderating!

This is a tough one for me as a fan of Rachel Maddow. I have to get that out of the way right away, along with the fact that while I am a progressive Democrat and therefore very pleased with the outcome of the VP Debate last night, I am apparently in the minority of people entirely and vocally displeased with the performance of the moderator, Martha Raddatz. This also pains me because I am a "natural born feminist". It has never occurred to me that as a woman I cannot do anything a man can do, just as well, if not better, unless it involves certain feats involving upper body strength and organs I do not possess, and for that we have...other options.

Immediately after the debate I fired off a few tweets, hoping to let off some steam and perhaps see some people of like mind doing the same. Nope. *Late note: I did eventually find something informative and interesting from The Guardian UK (sometimes I swear I should just move over there because aside from MSNBC and a couple other shows, all I watch is BBC America's great programming anyway (and I do NOT mean all that stupid cooking and racing). Bow ties ARE cool! Anyway, here's the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/12/raddatz-debate-objectivity?commentpage=last#end-of-comments

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Back to the debate. Twenty four hours later, Rachel rubbed salt in my still-bleeding moderator inflicted wounds by (I will NOT say "doubling down" because that phrase is so over-used by TV talkers I am ready to throw my nice HD TV out my energy efficient window, which would not be a good idea, given winter is coming on) ...so I will say she rubbed salt in my still bleeding wounds by not only praising Ms. Raddatz with such outrageous hyperbole and schoolgirl crush gushing that ***I*** actually blushed, but followed all that with the statement that Dear Martha was SO good that she, Rachel Maddow, would support her, Martha, the Muddling Moderator, for President! I mean just because she was a hair better than the barely breathing (wheezing?) Lehrer does not maker her GOOD? Am I the only person old enough to remember GOOD News? The only person to remember when evening news was really evening NEWS? 

Needless to say I really regretted those @Maddow @Martha Raddatz post debate suggestions that the anything but divine Miss Martha did literally everything but dive under the table to "service" Congressman Ryan during the debate while he was giving his long winded soliloquies during the #VPDebate. Oops.

As a Rachel fan I am so... *sigh* ...disillusioned. I can barely enjoy the afterglow of Biden's shellacking of Congressman Ryan, which Martha did call him, against his request, the ONE thing for which I CAN give her full credit, with extra points for intent to unnerve. That WAS good.  But still...

Rachel..please...don't DO this to me! I have always thought so highly of you! Cutesy ageism aside, I really do love your show! It's witty and informative and usually so well researched. I can believe what you tell me if I don't already know it by the time I hear it on your show! I can be a lazy viewer and take you at your word. That's not something I usually allow myself when watching TV "news" shows.

Geez. First I lose my beloved Keith Olbermann--twice--then, well I won't say because it's too mean, then Ed starts having TIA's or maybe taking anti-depressants or needs new glasses or whatever is making him stumble continually over his words, to the point where I'm leaning forward kind of psychically trying to help him read the prompter as I watch the show. I feel for him with his wife's cancer, having lost my career, my health, my parents and my only brother within the past few years (and I wasn't even half-way through a normal life-span yet!) but it's kind of hard to watch him struggle. I do the same thing so I guess I empathize...and digress. Sorry. 

Now I'm losing faith in Rachel. Looks like all I have left is Lawrence...but he's a keeper. One hopes. *ulp*

Life isn't easy in winter for someone with auto-immune disease and no Romney resources...so yeah, my TV is my friend...the only one I have left it seems sometimes. (Oh for God's sake woman, cry them a river).

Fortunately MSNBC closed my Friday evening viewing with the treat of a live Lawrence O'Donnell show,  in which he renewed my hope for a brighter debate future. First he addressed Thursday night's shortfalls, such as Raddatz approaching abortion from the stance of religion and the male experience rather than as an issue in and of itself. I would suggest addressing it as what it is, an issue one in three women will face at some point in their lives. That is the reality according to A is For.org., a women's reproductive rights group.

When the Nuns on the Bus were interviewed they too pointed out that it was odd to them how the abortion issue was broached and that no mention was made of other humanitarian needs and the ways each candidate would approach and/or meet them...if at all in Romney's case. But sadly, Ms. Raddatz was rather too busy smiling into Paul Ryan's pretty blue eyes and losing track of time as he rambled on, and on, and on. One could almost write a book on this debate and the blunders, assumptions, presumptions, interruptions and under handling of one candidate and highly inappropriate OVER handling of the other. 

Lawrence helpfully explained how current debates have evolved and stated his strong opinion that they need to move on to a more real-world look at how each candidate would deal with the actual policy issues of the day, not as an exercise in memorization, which any actor can bluff his way through (think Ronald Reagan with his economy and education-killing agenda) but as policy is actually thought through over a reasonable period of time, with facts at hand to steer the process. As noted, any idiot can memorize and deliver a script (think Sarah Palin) but it takes a President to formulate and carry out complex and effective plans of action (think President Clinton). I like Lawrence's ideas regarding giving the candidates the questions ahead of time, and allowing them, as happens in office, to have a silent aide, too. These debates, by by the end of the series of them, will actually help we the people know who is truly fit to be President.

What we saw Thursday night was an entirely different matter with an entirely different set of goals. I try to avoid being absolutely certain of anything, because it interferes with my open-mindedness, but I have zero doubt of this:

Debates are NOT supposed to be televised for the purpose of stroking the ego of the moderator, whether or not she has ambitions of playing vitriolic tutor on foreign policy and military chain of command to the sitting Vice President of the United States of America, no matter HOW qualified she feels she is as a "well traveled foreign correspondent" (with ex husband issues).

Seriously how out of line can a person be? She was presuming to lecture the man who regularly phones, skypes and/or meets with heads of state, sees the Joint Chiefs as a regular part of his daily activities and is briefed daily if not more often on the most recent, most secret of secret intelligence in the world from all the sources the most powerful nation in the world has at hand...and she decided the debate was a good time to give him a lecture on who thinks, knows and decides what--and when. 

I WAS HORRIFIED! 

Maybe it's my military training, but I've been a PFC, a Private F**king Civilian, for a good long time now, and I don't think my training is still that ingrained in me any longer. She was just THAT out of line.

So... Perhaps I have overly high standards, but someone with that kind of ...of ...lack of respect is not the kind of person I would even jokingly put forward, even in a moment of joyously joking hyperbole, as a candidate for President. 

This is (supposed to be) serious stuff. When you treat it like a joke you get W. Bush for Resident. That was a GREAT TIME for all the comics, wasn't it? ....a real "wheeee this is FUN!" time for all, except for the hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians, lost in a "for profit" effort to turn a sovereign into a giant business tax free utopia for Halliburton and friends. On a smaller scale, the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement money people like my parents lost, along with their homes, which led to three early deaths in my family alone. Big joke. Ha ha. 

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AND ANOTHER THING...

I don't know what the issue is with so many of the in-crowd of the "media elite" at ABC and NBC/MSNBC that has their collective shorts and panties in such a wad and their ire aimed toward the White House, but observation and intuition lead me to believe it has something to do with the embassy attack and likely some perceived misinformation or failure on the administration's part to make them PRIORITY ONE while dealing with that very fluid and tragic situation. I'm always too wordy, so let me put it this way. 

Looks like Ms. Raddatz didn't get what she wanted when she wanted it, nor did some other people, so now they're all in a little snit flexing their little muscles...as much as possible given its an election season and they don't want the Fresh Prince of Losing Debates to actually BE a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

 http://twitpic.com/b3a14y  

I would just remind these verbal muscle flexers of something I remember all too well. Perhaps they were in high school or middle school at the time, but I remember the Dubya Bush misadministration and what happened to the press back then. Muzzled anchors with on-site thugs. Reporters kept in line with threats of non-access. U.S. media functioning behind a virtual iron curtain and most insulting to me as a woman, the revered Helen Thomas moved from her rightful front row seat in the briefing room because she dared be an "irritant" and speak truths Bush mouth piece Ari Fleischer didn't want to deal with. Who sat back in her rightful place again at President Obama's FIRST Press Conference? Yeah... Helen Thomas. 

So whatever this "issue" is you boys and girls have against Obama/Biden, I suggest you get over it and stop celebrating mediocrity, because "good Mormon" that  he is, Mitt Romney is going to rain HELLS down on women and children and those old people you so disdain and yes, disabled veterans like me. My sons are barely hanging on to minimum wage jobs. In fact my older son, who was 3/4 of the way through college when I got sick, had to take a job serving food to rich people who leave $2.00 tips because they think he MUST be gay if he works as a server at his age. He isn't really making it at all so we share expenses rather than be those horrible "takers" blue eyes Ryan whines about. Mitt Romney would be the literal death of us all. Clearly that's the plan, so forgive me if I get a little testy about the whole thing. 

Sununu Goes Low with Black People Are Lazy Innuendo

It's hard to debate someone who lies constantly. In fact it's exhausting, for the person debating truthfully against a greasy liar and for the staff of said liar who has to follow behind and undo all the lies to keep the republican base from jumping ship the next day. So today someone had to throw some "red meat" to the GOP the masses confused by all their suddenly and strangely "nice" seeming candidate's lies. Someone had to reboot their hate machines, if you'll forgive me for mangling the metaphor. That person was John Sununu. He hit hard and fast with the lowest blow in a low down dirty campaign by calling the president (and you know, all them there black-type, non-white kinda people) lazy.

To John Sununu, this is what "Lazy" looks like.

Today in their post-debate hysteria, while simultaneously back-pedaling as fast as humanly possible on EVERYTHING Romney said during the debate, his team finally had the inevitable crash and burn. 

On MSNBC today John Sununu, Romney Advisor and Campaign Co-chair, actually said President Obama was "too lazy" to prepare for the debate. Yes, he said "too lazy."

Never mind the Middle East is burning, the economy is still in need of daily attention as the tea-bag congress REFUSES to do anything but OBSTRUCT, OBSTRUCT, OBSTRUCT, and Social Security and Medicare have become a major battle WITHIN the President's own party...and most importantly of all, WE STILL HAVE TROOPS and INTEL OFFICERS IN HARM'S WAY, people about whom our CURRENT POTUS actually CARES! 

Never mind Obama has real concern for the people of this nation, not just the fake kind Romney shows during debate performances only. Sununu had to return once again, even on the GOP day of celebration, to that old racist idiom that all black people are lazy. It's DISGUSTING! It's also extremely telling that he didn't even consider there may be things happening in the real world that may be more taxing on the president's attention than a mere debate. Lazy and disengaged my round white butt. He's simply engaged with things more important than a dog and pony show!

Please notice how many actual women are in that HAND PICKED
back-drop audience behind her!

But Sununu can only imagine that none of that matters to President Obama because none of that would matter to Mitt Romney, or ANY REPUBLICAN for that matter! President Obama didn't want to take days and days (or months and months, as in Romney's case) to prepare for a single debate against a known liar because he had REAL WORK to do...work that impacts the lives of people ALL AROUND THE GLOBE! 

So you, Mr. Sununu and your LYING BUFFOON of a candidate, who stood on a stage with the President of the United States in front of 58 million people and lied his ASS off, time after time after time, can go straight to HELL for all I care, if such a place exists! I'm done playing nice, I'm done being polite and I'm done giving respect where it's not earned. Romney is a lying piece of shit, he's a tax felon (being pardoned doesn't change the fact that he had his money off shore in the first place) and he is not worthy of the office of president. 

So THIS is where he got all that unnatural energy last night...
And I thought it was crystal meth...

He would do nothing but throw veterans, the elderly and children to the wolves so that his rich friends could become even MORE rich. What you saw lighting his eyes so feverishly in that debate last night was the light of GREED and AVARICE! He is POSSESSED ...and not by anything holy. He is evil incarnate, and if Ann of the fangs thinks he is so great SHE can worship him as their demented cult demands. I want NONE OF IT!

The REAL reason Paul Ryan took the job!

Love at first sneer!

Mitt Romney does everything that is BAD for this country. He invests money with China. He lies CONTINUALLY! He lies about his plans and changes his mind and has ZERO empathy, then comes up with ridiculous plans to pay for trillions of dollars in tax cuts and HUGE GOVERNMENT GROWTH, including increases in military spending the military hasn't even ASKED FOR (which doesn't add to the pay for our service members OR their health care of course) by getting rid of Big Bird! The guy is INSANE! But we knew that already. He had all the signs, way back from prep school days when he bullied weaker students and intentionally led that poor blind teacher into the door...for laughs. Sicko. He has all the diplomatic skill of a...George W. Bush. Remember the London Olympics when he made such a total ass of himself and caused an international incident on the first day of his great trip overseas? The dolt would have us in WWIII on that "day one" he has so many plans for. In fact he might as well add that to his ridiculous right now.

The whole thing, thank Goddess, is a fantasy anyway!

Romney Presidency, end of day one...