Biden came to play

Last night, the Vice Presidential debate was held and one thing was clear from the start: Joe Biden came to play and more importantly, came to win. Within the first 15 minutes, the Vice President lambasted Paul Ryan over a range of subjects, including (but not limited to), Ryan's running mate's no infamous 47% comment, the thinly failed attempt to gut medicare, and the reasons the tax plan advocated by Mitt and company wouldn't work.

From an objective standpoint, Ryan did manage to not get flustered by the V.P. But the haymaker that Biden "cleared the beach" with was his allusion to the fact that Ryan took money from the very stimulus he has been criticizing on the campaign trail.

Ryan's feeble excuse was that this was all a part of "constituent service." Ryan tried to turn things around by saying that unemployment was higher in Scranton than when the current administration took office. But Biden wasn't biting and he immediately jumped on Ryan and Romney for distorting the facts by trying to dismiss the figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

On foreign policy, Ryan tried to say that the tragic death of American diplomats last month in Libya was the result of poor embassy security on the part of the State Department, and thus the Administration. But Biden was quick to point out that the failure of security was directly tied to the refusal of House Republicans, including Ryan, to grant the White House's request for additional embassy security funding. One thing curiously omitted by both parties was that the facility in Benghazi was actually a Consulate and not an embassy, which in general have lighter security. Nevertheless, Biden derided the response of the Romney campaign and in particular, Romney's attempt to politicize the event without having all the facts.

As to moderation, Martha Raddatz proved very adept at asking the question and then following up questions when she wasn't happy with the answers. Particularly, she held Ryan to the pledge that the tax plan advocated by Romney is workable.

In sum, Democrats were re-energized by Biden's performance and this will likely stop the momentum of Romney and his campaign in the wake of last week's debate.

As to reaction's, Republicans this morning feel that Biden's style was undignified. But when you're bitching about style as opposed to questioning substance, you can be pretty sure you lost.

Got a comment? List it here.
 

And now... The all new and improved Mitt romney!

So, Mitt Romney has caught back up to the President in the latest polls and the election is once again a contest that either man has a chance of winning.

For the moment, all the momentum is on the side of the challenger. This is indisputable. After he turned in a strong debate performance last week and the President's performance was poor, the President is now fighting hard to stay in the White House.

But this isn't the game changer everyone is making it out to be. Romney, for all his strengths on the debating stage, still has a credibility problem as well as an incapacity for honesty insofar as which position he takes on a plethora of issues.

On any given day, his position on hot button issues can change from favoring them to being in opposition. This week he loves teachers and wants more. Pretty soon he'll be lambasting government payrolls and stating we need to stop spending on social programs if we're ever going to balance the budget (which will translate into education).

He used to think there was too much government but now he says we need more regs (see my post below).

This guy is the king of flip flops and if you are planning on supporting him you need to take a hard look at his record. Moreover, doesn't it bother you that other Presidential candidates freely release tax returns, but Romney won't follow tradition? Personally, I really couldn't care less about how much he makes, but all the candidates release tax returns far further back than two years. Why not Mitt?

If you're a Romney supporter, please post your reasons why. I've freed up the comments so they won't require my review before you post. I only ask that you refrain from posting profanity. Flames and troll posts will be promptly deleted.



 

Jack Welch and the BLS

As a career employee of the U.S. Department of Labor, I was outraged the other night when Jack Welch tweeted that the Bureau of Labor statistics may have manipulated the unemployment numbers so as to help President Obama in his reelection bid.

His tweet read: "Unbelievable jobs numbers! These Chicago guys will do anything. Can't debate so change numbers"

I need to point out at the outset: I do NOT work for the BLS. I work for another Labor Department Agency. However, I know some current and former BLS employees and the very notion that these folks would manipulate data is insidious.

First of all, the BLS is staffed with career, professional civil servants. They are mostly college grads with degrees in relevant fields related to statistical research and analysis. Second, every federal agency is overseen by a cabinet secretary. Yes, they are political appointees. But they are also accountable to the United states congress. And ordering employees to engage in fraud would be result in Congressional hearings and a slew of other problems most likely resulting in a criminal conviction. Third, agencies like the BLS are covered under the Inspector General Act. The Inspector General is charged with ensuring there is no "fraud, waste, or abuse" by employees when they perform their duties. In sum, they are sort of like an internal affairs for each agency.

So it's safe to say that any manipulation like the type charged by Jack Welch would be investigated by the OIG for the DOL and to put it bluntly, heads would certainly roll. But the other problem is that Mr. Welch has over a million followers. While many people mocked the tweet of the former General Electric CEO, there are sure to be those who agree with him.

One of those who thinks Welch is right is Congressman Allen West of Florida, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. Mr. West has stated that he thinks "Chicago Politics are at work here." Respectfully, Colonel, you don't know what you're talking about. Your party holds a majority in the House of Representatives. Why are they not immediately reconvening and ordering Labor Secretary Solis and Current acting BLS Commissioner John Gavin to appear for official inquiries?

I'll answer it for you to save you some time: Because most of your colleagues already know that the charge from Welch is ludicrous on its face. Mr. Welch is supposed to be a well respected individual, but with this tweet, he has moved over into the extreme space shared with Michelle Bachman, Colonel West, and Joe Walsh.

Mr. Welch's feeble defense was that while he had no evidence, he had to "raise the question." Al lhe did was make himself look like the dottering old fool and a parody of himself. He should be ashamed of his actions and for calling into question the integrity of the employees of the BLS.

Mitt Romney the chameleon

So... Now Mitt Romney is a man of the people, was wrong about the 47% comment, and doesn't believe the new unemployment report out from the BLS.

And to top it all off, he was a bipartisan governor in Massachusetts, forging coalitions with the Democrats and making health insurance a reality for all the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Hmmm... That's a far cry from when he said he was a severe conservative, vetoed the majority of the legislation sent to him by the Massachusetts General Court, and never saw a regulation he didn't want to get rid of.

Make no mistake about it, President Obama lost the debate last Wednesday night. He lost it handily by not calling out the former Governor on a lot of the things he's been saying on the campaign trail. And strategy aside, nobody can say that this was a part of the President's plan. He even admitted he's not happy with his debate performance and David Axelrod has vowed that this won't happen again.

However, in winning the debate, the former Governor may have dug himself a deep hole. The next day, the Obama campaign began releasing new ads that quoted Romney on the campaign trail, and then contrasted those moments against what he said in the debate.

Thus, a well organized campaign has made a pretty good salvage effort out of what should have been the game changer for Governor Romney.

The latest polls show the President with narrow but consistent leads in most of the so called battleground states. So the debate did give Romney some momentum, but not what he needed to turn the race around.

Adding to the President's overall chances are the new unemployment numbers out from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which show unemployment has dropped below 8% for the first time since the President inherited the disaster left behind by his predecessor. This is important because it takes away a talking point from the Romney campaign.

So now, Governor Romney will have to change his campaign message yet again. I would be happy if someone would just tell me flat out who he is and what he stands for.

R.I.P. to my Blackberry Storm 2

Back in 2010, I upgraded my phone to a Blackberry Storm 2. It was a great device and RIM had improved upon the much maligned Blackberry Storm. Last Sunday, I dropped my S2 and cracked the screen, necessitating the purchase of a new phone.

I went with the Apple iPhone 4S and I have to say I am impressed. The iPhone is light years ahead of the S2 and it is a very capable and user friendly device with loads of features and plenty of power.

Nevertheless, I would be remiss if I failed to recognize what a great device the S2 was for me. It was a tough little phone and it served me very well over the last two years.

It's parked on my desk forever, in its cradle with the power down. It's a way of recognizing all that it was for me.

So thanks to RIM for making a great device, and RIP to my S2.

Been away for a while....

But I'm back and I intend to start posting with more regularity.

If you haven't figured it out from my previous posts, I'm a registered Democrat. But before you start to assume I'm all about abortion, gun control, and higher taxes for social spending, you need to know a few things.

Once upon a time, I was a registered Republican. When I got out of the Marines in 1986, the Republican party was a lot different than it is today. For starters, they hadn't yet been totally co-opted by the evangelicals and they stood for things like reduced government, a strong military and national unity.

The last Republican candidate who got my vote for President was George H.W. Bush.

But by 2000, the party had begun to become too radical, much the same way the Democratic party did in the 1960s and early 1970s. The religious right had begun to dictate what Republican values would be and thus, I began to identify with them less.

Following the election of President Obama, the party radically shifted right and now are dominated by those who think that unless one holds the same values as them, one is an enemy of America. And even more disturbing is those Republicans who are attacking candidates who are veterans.

The most insulting example is Congressman Joe Walsh attacking Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war vet and Army helicopter pilot who her legs flying a combat mission in Iraq in 2004. This is really below the belt in my opinion and regardless of the fact that he does think she's a hero, the fact that he calls her discussing her service too much is in my mind, reprehensible. But don't take my word for it. Decide for yourself:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78101.html

And now, the Republicans have as their candidate for the nation's highest office, a corporate raider who hides his money off shore and thinks that 47% of the American public are victims.

And they wonder why they are losing in the polls and have to resort to disenfranchising 10s of thousdands of Americans to win an election....

Yeah. Right.

Update: Battlestar Galactica

A couple of years back, I wrote about the best show of the 2000s (IMHO). In that post, I had said that thanks to the DVD, you can see the show whenever you want.

Now, you also have the option of seeing it on Netflix Instant, Amazon Instant Video, and iTunes, although it's been on iTunes for a few years.

Since then, there have been some new releases from the Battlestar franchise. In Fall of 2009, The Plan, which told the story of the genocide of the 12 colonies from the Cylon point of view, was released on DVD. It was a great movie that showed how incredibly rich the BSG universe is, and how many great stories there are.

In 2010, Caprica premiered on the SyFy channel. A prequel set 58 years before the 2004 series, it was intended to show the life of the colonists before and during the creation of the Cylons. However, the ratings were abysmal despite the solid story telling a,d plot and it was cancelled after its first season.

Last year, SyFy commissioned a new show called Blood and Chrome. This show was going to follow the early career of Bill Adama, the erstwhile Commander and later Admiral of the fleet of ships trying to find Earth.

Although the trailer looks incredible, the network chose not to pick it up as a series, although there are rumors they're going to show the pilot after all. I will say this for the SyFy Network. If anyone knows how to screw up and kill a show better than them, I have yet to see it.

Anyway, look for BSG and Caprica on streaming video services...

Winter's end

So... here we are on the verge of another Spring/ Summer. The Red Sox are in training camp, flowers are beginning to bloom, and the street sweepers are making their first rounds to clean up all the sand and salt from the snow (although admittedly, they have an easier task this year).

For me, it's a melancholy time of year. I know many of you will read this and go away thinking I'm out of whatever mind God gave me. But I'm a winter person thorugh and theough. I love the cold and the dark. And the snow? Can't get enough of it.

But, this winter (2011-2012) left a lot to be desired. We had one storm in October. I think we had one more storm after that in which we got a whopping 4". Other than that, nada. Zip. Zilch. We didn't even come close to the 60" or so we average each year.

But no matter. Now that Spring is upon us, we can look forward to at least 6 months of long days, mosquitoes, humidity, and let's see... Oh yeah... the occasional thunderstorm. Not to mention that by the middle of July, there is absolutely nothing going on until Labor Day.

Let's face the facts: the fall and the winter rock! When the NFL begins traiing camp, my whole attitude turns around because I know it won't be long before we're turning up the heat, watching the game every Sunday, and getting ready for Thanksgivng and Christmas.

It's at this time of the year that I am at my best. Everything is more fun, and I am looking forward to putting up the tree and watching Christmas movies and shows.

In my mind, I'd rather have it cold and snowy and have a lot to do , than be swatting mosquitoes and sweating.

Wouldn't you?

The Company Men

I just watched this simple, yet powerful movie that stars Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Maria Bello among others. In essence, it's a movie about corporate downsizing and the impact that mass firings have on the folks who are let go.

I won't spoil the movie, because I think everyone should see it. But I am going to describe one part of the film because of the powerful impact it had on me.

There is a scene where the characters played by Jones and Affleck are walking through an abandoned shipyard, following the suicide and subsequent funeral of Phil, one of their recently fired colleagues. Jones' character provides a narration:

"We used to build things, right here. In this spot there was a frigate. Back there, a guided missile cruiser. It was before we got lost in paperwork. Phil used to work right here. He was skinny as a rail and absolutely fearless. He would hang upside down in a boatswain's chair 70 feet above the factory floor welding seams. 2000 men worked 3 shifts a day. They could see the work the did in the ships they built, and they could provide for their families. Maybe put the kids through college or get a second car..."

I was profoundly affected by this scene. During the Second World War, America manufactured the tools to defeat fascism and nazism at a rate of 125% of its capacity. Now? Those days are gone. We don't build things in America anymore, because the markets don't like companies that have high labor costs. The market wants to see profits and profits are reduced when we ship labor overseas to places where folks will work for pennies on the dollar of what Americans work for.

And they are glad to do it, because there are no labor rights or regulations. The governments of those country rule with an iron fist and hat means cheap labor.

I'm no economist, so I don't know how to solve the problem, but I do know this: once upon a time, a product that said "Made in U.S.A." meant it was reliable and made with quality.

Kennedy Space Center

"For most of human history, a voyage to the moon was considered a journey of the addle brained or fool hardy. But then man went aloft on mechanical wings....."

The above quote is from the opening narration of episodes one and twelve of the excellent HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. The 1998 epic recounted the first 15 years of The United States' manned spacecraft programs, with most of the focus on the awe inspiring moon landing.

As an aspiring pilot who was grounded because of a genetic defect that causes me to mix up colors (sort of like a color type of dyslexia), I have been interested in the space program and flying ever since I saw an F-4 streak over my Grandma's house in 1971. She lived on an approachway to a Naval Air Station in Massachusetts that doesn't exist anymore.

I was in Florida recently for a three week training assignment. While there, I went to the Kennedy Space Center and saw up close the things I only had seen on T.V. For most of my life, I must confess that I never understood how somebody could be moved to tears by a song or a piece of art. The former I attribute to being somewhat ignorant of classical music, and the latter I suspect is related to my aforementioned color perception problems.

But last weekend, I walked into the Kennedy Space Center for the first time. I turned left after clearing the Visitor's Center and walked into the Rocket Garden.

For the first time in my life, I was moved to tears. I am a 47 year old former marine. I don't think I'm very tough, but I've always been stoic and cool headed. Not a lot gets to me. In my line of work as a federal investigator, emotional detachment is your best friend. The colder you are, the more precise. But this.... It was unlike anything I've ever felt.

I won't attempt to describe it in words, except to say that it was the best tourist thing I've ever done. I took a tour of the facility called "Cape Canaveral Then and Now." It was a journey back in time through the early years when computers that filled rooms had less than 100KB of memory and most of the heavy calculations were done by geniuses with slide rules.

Where we go from here is entirely up to us. Someone once said that Americans have short attention spans. He cynically observed that if you give us a job, a color T.V., and an occasional space shot, we're content. Whoever said that must not be from here. As a historian, I submit that the so-called short attention was mis-perceived. I think that it is in fact restlessness and the desire to explore. It's something we need to renew as the world moves ever faster. Humans are inquisitive and have a need to discover the unknown. Rather than ignore that need because of economic concerns, we should not only embrace it, but placate it by continuing to reach out.