Posts Tagged ‘2012 Election’

Romney Slays at the Alfred E. Smith Dinner

Thursday, October 18th, 2012

Mitt Romney just kept slamming them out of the park at the Alfred E. Smith Dinner. “In the spirit of Sesame Street tonight, the President’s remarks are brought to you by the letter O and the number 16 trillion.”

Background on the Alfred E. Smith dinner.

(Hat tip: Ramparts 360’s twitter feed.)

Quick Texas Senate Race Q3 Fundraising Update

Wednesday, October 17th, 2012

Barring any catastrophic event, Ted Cruz is going to be the next Senator from Texas, but the campaign keeps on chugging along. The official fundraising forms from the FEC aren’t up yet, but the two campaigns have announced the totals raised.

Ted Cruz raised $3.5 million in Q3, $2 million of it after the runoff.

I can’t find any mention of Paul Sadler’s fundraising numbers on his press release page, but according to the Houston Chronicle, Sadler raised “about $358,734” in Q3. In truth, that’s a bit more than I expected him to raise, given that he has about as much hope of being elected Senator than the Cleveland Browns do of winning the 2013 Superbowl.

Oh, and just for the record: Losing Democratic Senate runoff candidate Grady Yarbrough did finally file his FEC report.

Assault Weapons Vital Topic Among America’s 23 Million Unemployed

Wednesday, October 17th, 2012

Hempstead, N.Y.: All across the country, millions of unemployed Americans expressed relief and gratitude that Obama finally addressed their most important issue at last night’s Presidential debate: assault weapons.

“I’m glad Obama is finally tackling assault weapons,” said Barbara Rheems, taking a brief pause from brushing her teeth in the 1998 Honda Civic that has been her home for the last three years. “I think that’s the greatest concern facing our country.”

“Thank God Nina Gonzales had the courage to ask about assault weapons,” said Richard Smith, an unemployed construction worker, speaking from the cot in his mother’s basement. “I can’t think of a single more pressing issue.”

“Assault weapons terrify me,” said mother Gladys Castle, who was busy preparing an “Obama soup” made from pilfered ketchup packets for her three hungry children. “I’m afraid that at any moment they might burst out of closets and gun safes and start shooting people.”

“Well it’s about time someone dealt with America’s biggest challenge, which is reinstating the Clinton-era assault weapons ban,” said Tom Feller, who spoke to us from behind his homemade cardboard WILL WORK ANY JOB/HAVE CHILDREN TO FEED/GOD BLESS sign. “The fact is that Americans just don’t need a weapon that has any two of a folding stock, a pistol grip, a bayonet mount, or a flash suppressor, and it’s high time we moved to disarm ordinary Americans citizens who purchased such weapons in a completely lawful manner.”

A CNN poll of America’s unemployed showed that assault weapons were far and away the most pressing issue this election, with 78% citing them as their biggest concern, while those who said that their top issue was forcing Catholics to pay for contraception were a distant second at 19%.

“You are over the daily limit for sending Tweets.”

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

I didn’t even know Twitter had a daily limit for sending tweets, but evidently I exceeded it livetweeting the Presidential debate. Fortunately that didn’t kick in until the very end.

Anyway, if you follow me on Twitter, you might send out a note to that effect, just in case people wonder where I went…

I Will Be Live-Tweeting Tonight’s Presidential Debate

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

Attention the Internets: I will be live-tweeting tonight’s debate between Romney and Obama. Tune in or follow me if you are so inclined.

Joe Biden’s Creepy Smile Take Two

Saturday, October 13th, 2012

The Night of 53 Smiles

Vice Presidential Debate Reaction Roundup

Friday, October 12th, 2012

Lots of commentators said that Joe Biden did better debating against Paul Ryan than Obama did against Mitt Romney. I found Biden the far more irritating of the two, his his constant grinning and interrupting. He was like some weird, glad-handing political coelecanth that had somehow survived into the 21st century, and didn’t realize how fake his antics look on high def television. (And that’s to say nothing of Biden’s outright lies. No evidence of green pork cronyism? Right. Pull the other one.)

Other reactions:

  • 48% of CNN viewers thought Ryan won the debate, as opposed to 44% who thought Biden won.
  • This unsigned Houston Chronicle liveblog tries to be evenhanded, but dings Biden for his jackassery. “Biden’s contempt for his rival is palpable. Biden’s constant interruptions and grinning and head shaking could turn off some viewers.”
  • The Weekly Standard notes that “You don’t win a nationally televised debate by being rude and obnoxious. You don’t win by interrupting your opponent time after time after time or by being a blowhard. You don’t win with facial expressions, especially smirks or fake laughs, or by pretending to be utterly exasperated with what your opponent is saying.”
  • NRO’s Yuval Levin thinks that “Biden’s hyper-aggressive and at times buffoonish performance (and perhaps especially his Joker grin, which seemed to me as much a product of nervousness as of intent) hurt the ticket some with independent voters and especially with women,” but also thinks he did what he needed to do (stop the liberal bleeding).
  • By contrast, NRO compatriot John O’Sullivan thinks Biden won on points, but as engendered a “hostile reaction from women to his amazingly blatant mugging and grinning at the camera during Ryan’s arguments.”
  • “Coprophagic Smirks” would be a good name for a rock band.
  • Forbes also wasn’t impressed with Biden: “Television provided split screens, so while viewers saw Ryan calmly responding to the questions that came his way, on the other half of the screen they saw a batty older man laughing obnoxiously at someone who, even if voters disagree with him, comes off as very reasonable. The contrast can’t have worked in Biden’s favor.”
  • The Daily Gator says that Biden was “rude, condescending, and acted like a bully. Biden did not make any glaring gaffes, but, how he conducted himself might have been more damaging. His over the top smiles, really creepy smiles to be honest, his constant interruptions, which the moderator did nothing to stop, and his other facial gymnastics made him look like a man with nothing to say.”
  • “Paul Ryan Beats Blustering Buffoon Joe Biden in Vice Presidential Debate.”
  • “Ryan won by staying cool and composed.”
  • Best tweet of the night (from Dave Itzkoff): “I’m told Joe Biden was just a small-time hood before Batman dropped him in the vat of chemicals that left him with a permanent grin.”
  • This RNC ad spliced together from last night’s debate already has over a quarter-million hits:

  • And finally, complete video of the debate in case you missed it:

  • Joe Biden’s Carter Smile

    Thursday, October 11th, 2012

    Separated at birth: Jimmy Carter:

    and Joe Biden?

    So What Was It Romney Said About Libya, Again?

    Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

    So remember right after assault on our Libyan embassy in Benghazi, Mitt Romney issued a statement, then clarified those statements the next day?

    Let’s roll the video, shall we?

    Remember how the press jumped all over him, said it was a potentially campaign-ending gaffe?

    Since then we’ve learned that:

  • The Obama Administration lied about embassy assaults being the result of riots over an anti-Islamic YouTube video.
  • In fact, they now admit that there were no protests at all.
  • The Libyan embassy had repeatedly asked for additional security and were refused In fact, their security was reduced. “We couldn’t even keep what we had.”
  • That the American embassy was being guarded by an unpaid militia made up of shopkeepers.
  • That UN Ambassador Susan Rice was still peddling the “protest” line long after the Administration knew it was a terrorist attack.
  • This video timeline might help:

    Watching and listening to Romney now, who do you agree with more: Mitt Romney, or reporters sounding outraged at his criticisms of the Obama Administration?

    Both the Obama Administration and their lapdog media surrogates seem far more interested in defeating Obama’s political opponent than America’s Jihadest enemies, or telling the American people the truth.

    Romney-Obama Debate Roundup Part 3

    Thursday, October 4th, 2012

    More Romney-Obama Denver debate fallout:

  • Liberals want Obama to step up personal attacks and spew liberal talking points. Let’s hope Obama takes their advice. “Shorn of the demonization of the GOP, Obama is left with nothing.”
  • The Onion is merciless: “President Barack Obama’s 11-year-old daughter Sasha reportedly asked her father why he was ‘acting like such a goddamned pussy up there.’ ‘Daddy, how come you were being such a little bitch?'”
  • Uh:

  • Jon Stewart piles on:

  • How do you know Romney slaughtered Obama? Even Taiwanese animators celebrate the pummeling:

  • And the first debate-based attack ad is out:

  • (Hat tips: Ace of Spades, Moe Lane, Instapundit, others.)