Political party conventions offer free air time for candidates, really. In an election like this one, so close (and yet so far), every minute counts. Or does it? Let’s analyze a little.
Item: Paul Ryan gets the crowd fired up and ready to go, but he gets his facts wrong. Progressive web sites start calling him “Lyin’ Ryan.”
False: President Obama didn’t save a General Motors plant in Wisconsin.
Truth: First, Obama wasn’t even in office when the GM plant closed.
False: President Obama ignored recommendations of a bipartisan debt commission.
Truth: Paul Ryan actually sat on that commission. And he led Republicans in voting down the commission’s own recommendation. So the commission never gave a report to Obama, because Ryan himself voted to kill the report before it could.
There were more conflicting statements in Ryan’s speeches. Keep an eye on the press. Move On Civic Action is sponsoring a petition asking members of the press to “…Fact-check and call out candidates when they lie. You have an obligation as journalists to educate the public on the facts of the major campaign issues.”
Item: Clint Eastwood talks to an empty chair.
- He gets mocked by slide shows all over the internet
- Clint manages to upstage Romney’s acceptance speech – during prime time, too
- Fans start wondering if he’s losing his marbles in his old age
- Obama has a simple response: This Seat is Taken.
That’s the trouble with free air time. Anything goes – almost. In the same vein as “Buyer Beware” let’s add “Listeners, look it up”. Check the facts. Check the sources. Voters, let’s not allow falsehoods like Ryan’s or oddball statements like Clint’s influence our votes.
After all, President Obama looks mighty nice in his chair. He belongs there.
Closed or not when Obama took office, the auto plant remains closed. Just saying. Sad!
The mascot of the Kimberly schools is the Papermakers. It is sad there are no “true Papermakers” left in Kimberly since the mill closed. Same story in Port Edwards.
Wisconsin Rapids sold some of their paper machines to China.
Now we buy our paper from China. Sad
Who is at fault? I just don’t know. We sure could use the jobs those paper machines created.
It’s important to remember that NO president can “create” jobs. It is not something that happens because one person wills it to be so. Others must be on board and willing to help it become reality. There must be the give and take of (dare I say it) compromise and collegiality in order for this entire complex situation to be addressed.
Hopefully when Romney takes office he will find the compromise and jobs will follow.
Meanwhile, my first grade Grandaughter is in a school that has 150 first graders. That would mean 6 classes of 25— correct?
No, she is in a class of 30 first graders. They made 150 children into 5 large classes.
And today I was informed of another grandchild on the way. That will mean two new grandchildren in one year. When will my worries stop.
I didn’t see the Obama response until this post. Love it. It is quite scary when politicians get the masses riled up over a bunch of lies. There was a great Daily Show segment about that with a exchange between John Stewart and Jon Oliver. I need to start watching that show on a regular basis.
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