Read my blog and you know I am a Herman Cain supporter.  I do have some concerns and he has to get back up to speed after what for most of us would be the worst weeks of our lives.  But sadly this week, I learned that even though I work 8+ hours a day and am a father, I know more about this primary race than some well-paid and maybe overpaid conservative media types.

Or are they just more slimy media types spinning the facts for their agenda?  Could be.

Anyone that has even moderate knowledge of how people young and older deal with stress they know that we have an amazing ability to get through it and shine.  But that at some point the body demands a price.  After two weeks of assault on Herman Cain by the media on his honor, his goal of bringing change to the White House and his family, what we saw in that interview was the crash.  It usually comes just when you think the stressful time is getting manageable, the body stops pumping the hormones and adrenalin it used to react to the stress.  Then you crash, and in Cain's case that morning he was running on 4 hours sleep.

I understand because in the last year, our family suffered a terrible tragedy and it was my job as husband and father to organize and manage both our travel and work and my pain and anger.  After two weeks, I laid down on my bed and it was my turn to cry and feel like I was losing it.

If you look at it in this context and are well informed you see a man worried about being tricked, misquoted and over briefed.  The people whispering in his ears will have multiplied with his success and money.  It all came to a head in those painful seconds.

But people who I usually have respect for Laura Ingraham and Charles Krauthammer both have judged the bad answer from total ignorance of Cain's numerous public answers to the Libya question over the previous weeks. They talk about it like Herman Cain was clueless about Libya.  He was not and is not, he has answered this question before.  He in a moment, just needed time to reshuffle all the info in his mind.  You had better hope whoever sits in the Oval Office takes a few seconds when tired to think things through.  And when you compare 30 seconds to the 3 month brain freeze two years ago when President Obama couldn't decide to send supporting forces to the troops he already had in Afghanistan.  We realize while embarrassing for a proud, smart, well educated man.. it was just a moment of humanity, not a lack of knowledge.

This IS the big leagues.  Cain has to keep beefing up on issues he doesn't know, so that he has that to go with a superior passion for American exceptionalism and a plan for the White House, that when I red it in his book,  re-inspired me to stay with Cain and give him a chance to mount a comeback. 

I understand why Cain had his moment.  I have no clue why Ingraham and Krauthammer have been having a week long lapse of knowledge on a topic their jobs demand they know.   If I was that inaccurate and short of key info at my job, I would be out of work.

Time for these professionals to stop counting on research done by others and summaries of events, while the people they pretend to inform put aside family time, hobby time and date time to watch these debates.  The future of our country is at stake, and those who are lucky enough to get paid to talk about it need to do better.  If you ask me some pundits need to decide if they really care about their work or if its time to let others try.

Lets be honest they didn't even really give Ron Paul enough time to hang himself with his "Let them have nukes and they will be nice" view of the middle east.

Then CBS lets locals leave after an hour?  In Seattle the local mercenaries at KIRO cut away for a local news cast they will repeat 2-3 times this evening.  Because there is more money in that than the future of the nation.

Finally, I don't care about the CBS moderator's name.. he was the WORST moderator yet.  It was about how many new questions he could ask, not letting us hear different views on the same question.

And clearly the clock mattered more to him than the future of the nation.

I think they all did fine.  All but Ron Paul would be better than Obama on foreign policy.

FACT: More news reporters have been waterboarded for news stories on the topic than terrorists.  Anyone really think news reporters would volunteer for real torture?  'nough said.

The CBS debate is not worth writing about because it was so badly designed and moderated it made it hard for anything but short sound bits.

Winner:  The clock
Loser: America

If you read my blog you know I really respect Herman Cain, but in doing so I can't pander, this is my honest assessment of the CNBC Debate Wednesday November 9th, 2011.

This has to do with who help themselves or were better than expected vs worse and probably hurt themselves:


Night After Update

Winners:  

Newt (A) was as solid as I have seen him.  His only bad moment was the idea of 3 hour debates with Obama. Its not about the length its about the format and the stupid questions. I think Newt will benefit the most from tonight's debated.

Romney (B+) is coming out of the shadows I finally saw some fire that might be enough to match up with Obama. However, he clearly is pandering to class warfare with his selective tax cuts and he still ends up confused when he is around healthcare, because he can't say what he believes.  That at the wrong moment could cost us the election with Obama. I still think he improved his impression as a candidate even with troublesome stands.

Ron Paul (B) knows economics this was a good debate for him.  If you had not heard his terrfying "let Iran have nukes and they will stop hating us" take on forign policy you might think he is a viable option. The absence of foreign policy allowed Ron Paul to look normal.

Bachmann (B) I am not a fan of but, had some solid questions and understood what Cain didn't that you can't keep using your slogans at this point.  The core audience is informed and knows the message.  Not a Fan, but I think she helped herself.

Survivors:

Santorum (C) He seems like a nice guy. But there is something in his tone and phrasing that makes it sound like he is saying "Really, I am just as good as them"   I don't get confidence from him, I get the feeling he is looking for validation.  I don't think he helped or hurt himself.

Herman Cain (C-)  I love this guy.  I love his attitude. I love how he talks about America.  I think he started off really well given the vicious attacks on him like none we have seen, maybe even worse than Palin.  So I am going to cut him some slack and wait one more debate to reevaluate if he is growing enough to keep my support.  But in the second half, he became his own parody with the repeated use of "999" and "bold plan" both brands are now over exposed.  I think he did the most damage tonight of anyone that may survive into February.

Put a Fork in Them They are Done:

Huntsman (F) made it clear that when he hits DC he will bend to be accepted like a wet noodle.  How clueless is he to pander to Occupy Wall Street.  If he doesn't understand his own party, how will he ever understand America.  He was done long ago, but after tonight, can we stop inviting him to the debates? Please!!!

Perry (F-) Wow! That may be one of the most decisive ends to a campaign if not a political career I have ever seen.  Face it folks, even if he created all the jobs in Texas all by himself, a mistake like what we just saw would hand the election to Obama in a second it would be over.  We can't count on him for a single debate win against Obama.  Perry ended his campaign tonight, and probably has everyone hoping he doesn't endorse them.  I think he should find a Texas issue that needs him to pull out gracefully.

Summary:

• Newt Won, as solid as I have seen him.
• Romney helped his case as being able to beat Obama, but hurt his case for being a solid conservative
• Ron Paul looked sane
• Bachman looked plausible
• Santorum looked needy again
• Cain "999" failed in 2nd half of the debate, but has enough room to recover only with a top notch debate next time.
• Huntsman turned a failed campaign into a joke by pandering to Wall Street protesters
• Perry made it clear he is a ticking debate time-bomb that would re-elect Obama.

Updated with new info: Surprise woman who complained about Cain also complained and asked for thousands at next job.  So far all the named accusers are serial litigators.  Cain is now an example of what our overly litigious society can do to good people.   AP Story about Karen Kraushaar being a serial work place extortionist.

Wow, journalism is dead.  I just read a headline on MSNBC web says a Michigan woman sued Cain, 10 years ago.  You would assume they found a new accuser.  But it appears its referring to one of the two in the original claims which never went to court, guess their fact checker was out tonight?

This is where we stand:
Last week we had two complaints, with no details.  Literally Politico said two women they could not name, made charges they could not clearly define.  That's not a story.  Smoking pot in college will do that to your  editorial judgement.

Lets face it, Politico now has less credibility than the National Inquirer which had the John Edwards story while ethics for sale mainstream media was willing to let this guy campaign.  Keep that in mind, solid evidence that a front running presidential candidate was cheating on his dying wife during the campaign was not worth looking at then.  The media has gone past having some human bias to full on lies and propaganda for the political party of choice.

Until today we had no names, and still have no facts.  But lets make it clear the original two charges are the ONLY ONES that matter.  Because there was action taken then before accusations came with free trips to be on TV.  Something did happen with these two women.

What do we know?  Nothing.. Well we do know one thing.  In both cases while the severance package was increased and the attorneys for these women didn't request to interview Herman Cain.  That does tell us all we need to know, that while these woman may have been uncomfortable working for Herman Cain at some point, the attorney didn't even thing it was worth a few more billable hours to interview the person their client was accusing.  That's all I need to know about that.  I have never met an attorney, even the good ones that would avoid billable hours if might help their case.

Was there a misunderstanding?  Did proper DC decorum clash with Cain's very friendly attitude.  Did the women assume smiles and jokes means flirting for sex?  Did liberals in DC have a problem working for a conservative like Cain?  All we know is the claims they made didn't even warrant the attorney billing a couple of hours to interview Cain directly.  What ever happened its not worth the web space lazy, mindless reporters have given it.

What about 3,4 & 5? 
#3, still anonymous with no corroborating evidence, could be a copy cat.  Again you can't choose a president based on "nothing" reports.
And 5 said when Cain asked to take a woman to dinner she was concerned, but then went to dinner with him herself along with some friend and he did nothing wrong but let the representative for the organization that booked him pick up the tab.  When you travel, finding someone to have dinner with is normal.  Frankly women like this will hurt others, because if this odd accusation got any traction, that is the end of inviting women to business dinners.. too risky since we have no idea what sets them off.  When nothing happened, a sane person would have dropped it.

 writing dialog for porn is not so easy that a world class attorney can pull it off effectively.

So that takes us to #4,
Let me avoid my personal opinions and jokes that come to easy watching her read and speak.  Her story doesn't make sense.  She was fired from one part of the company, so flew to DC, got a room upgrade, had drinks, had dinner and then told the CEO why she was there.  If that is the order of events, I think we can guess how she might plan to get CEO to find her a new job.  But right down to the "open shirt" stereotype that doesn't fit Cain but fits bad porn or a malt liquor ad to the "You want a Job" -- "You know I have a boyfriend" we begin to understand that writing dialog for porn is not so easy that a world class attorney can pull it off effectively.

The political pleas wrapped around a story designed to by liberal racists to offend what they assume are conservative racist was pathetic.  Sharon Bialek has a history of litigation and bad choices. But only when added to her "giddy to be on TV" demeanor and poorly crafted story, does that background that lead me to assume the story is mostly or totally a fabrication. AND if the info on her I heard in an interview with a well respected CBS Anchor, that says she has a reputation back at his station is true we really can discount this one too. Here we find Bill Kurtis Audio about Sharon Bialek where he has learned details of her work at CBS.
What is Sharon getting?  Fame, hope for a media gig, maybe a little cash from neighbor David Axelrod. (Ain't that a coincidence, she lives in same building as Obama attack machine leader David Axelrod) Who knows, I just know at first I thought Gloria Allred was accusing Cain of being blind.. OK sorry that was mean, there are bars where Sharon is attractive before midnight.  Maybe

Final score:
Only two documented complaints the women's attorney didn't feel strong enough to pursue beyond a basic severance enhancement. And three copy cat "Me Too" claims.

How many of these women quickly without thinking, said they would be willing to take a lie detector?  The speed with which Cain said yes to that question, tells me he is certain he is innocent.


BTW, to all those loyal GOP voters who are saying, well I like Cain, but he is damaged.  If you let them take him down, this will happen to whoever we pick next October.  I am still with Cain, and frankly how fast he is learning the politics of personal destruction.. tells me he will be a quick study for job that no one is really prepared for.

All I ask is you assume this is a political smear and judge Cain the same way you would have the day before this story broke, and make sure you watch video of the Cain vs Gingrich debate (really a discussion)

I am tired.. sorry for typos.. I will fix them later....Thanks for reading.

America won, because we saw how a political dialog should take place so we can hear how our candidates think vs how they dodge silly questions from pompous moderators.

I am a Cain supporter but, tonight I saw two good men either of which I would be happy to vote for without feeling like I settled for a compromise picked by the media or the back room party.

These are two men who both are locked in an important battle for the same group of voters in which the outcome of every word can matter, who sat as friends of America and talked about ideas.  Didn't use the emptyness of the stage to attack those that were absent.  They didn't attack someone else to create the appearance of importance, they spoke of what they believe and would offer America.

For the first time we saw what a positive competition can look like in Politics.

This debate can't be scored and anyone who tries is silly.  All we can say is we need more events like this and fewer "class president" style debates.

The loser was the politics of personal destruction.

America Won
Intelligence Won
Honor Won

It was the first debate when I jumped on the Cain train.  Looking at the record in Texas and when Cain got sidetracked into the discussion of local Mosques, I wandered over to the Perry party, but left that party quickly when I realized the host is a progressive in his views that government can enforce solutions vs enable people to create solutions.

But as things continued there was one person who was able to clearly state his ideas.  He was willing to take risks.  And most importantly he is someone who has a positive passion for America and our good allies.

This week has been hard.  Politico did a hatched job.  A story with no real allegations and no facts, a story I am betting you could write about almost any man who has been in power.  "Some women may have felt uncomfortable at some point about something."  Politico chose to be a bad blog vs a site for journalism.

I hear people talk about how bad Cain handled this, and everyone knows a better way.

So you really think that the MSNBC and the lazy media that would copy them would ever say.  "Oh, I get it! Lets move on."  Tell me another joke.  If he is prepared, then he clearly knew this was a serious issue and is just another scripted politician.  If he says its not worth addressing, he is clearly hidding.

Trust me.. there is no way to gracefully handle vague accusations like these when there are people dedicated ending your campaign. So lets stop second guessing Cain.  Cain did it Cain's way.. he said what he knew when he remembered it.  And honesty is always messier than a script.  Honesty often falls between the perfect consistency of crafted lie and the contradictions of a sloppy lie.

For me I see a man who did one thing I respect.  He took it on and didn't hide from questions, when it would have made sense to pull back.  For that people are attacking him.  I for one am impressed that his first instinct it to talk to us as best he can, not wait for the script.

What about the gaffs and sometimes clear gaps in knowledge?  Name me one president that was perfect.  Some of our worst presidents have been very good at the facts, and failed because they had no understanding of the heart of the nation.  Some of our best have made gaffs and even had some serious character flaws.  Leading is not managing. Leading is not project management.  Leading is about a clear vision that can be communicated and choosing a good team without ego when it comes to choosing people smarter than yourself in their area of expertise.

Over the months, there are fewer of the GOP slate of candidates I would support for nomination and even one that I would choose Obama over, based on foreign policy.

But I am still sure that Cain offers the leadership, vision and passion for America that we need to see leading us through some hard times that have to come as we dig out of hole we started digging a long time ago.

I continue to listen, I have list of next in line if I lose the belief that Herman Cain is able to lead and create a team to execute his vision for America.  But for now, being human and being imperfect is not a disqualification for being a good president.

Added 11/4 After talking with my better half, we realized it comes down to:
You can vote for who you think will SAY the right thing, or you can vote for who you think will DO the right thing.  I still trust Herman most to DO the right thing.

If you talk with some conservatives they will tell you that shame has value in society.  The common argument is that if you remove shame from actions that break-down society there is nothing to motivate people to fight their urges and to do the right thing.

A Classic Example: Putting Shame in the Right Places Where Children Are Involved

the men who father children and walk away should be shamed to the extreme

There is some truth in this idea of shame controlling behavior.  The is no-longer shame in sex outside of marriage, we now see it on TV and we have an explosion of births outside of marriage.  No one should ever think a single mother loves her child less than married parents. Being a single mother should never come with shame, it is an act of making what one has work with love.  But it is a much harder job, so we need to remind people to avoid the behavior that causes this.  Having unprotected sex outside of marriage should have enough shame that it happens less. However, the men who father children and walk away should be shamed to the extreme and they are not.

Frankly I would also put shame on those who could scale down lifestyle and have one parent at home with a young child, but instead hand the kid to a nanny so they can afford a nicer house or car.  [I took time off from my career to raise our child for the first 18 months. We sold our house to make this happen.]  When the child was old enough to benefit from socialization, we used some daycare and lots of at home time.

Conservatives vs Liberals on Shame

they have at times created a deeper institutionalized shame that like many taxes may be hidden, but costs just as much.

Conservatives tend to believe that actions have consequence and that those consequences good or bad are what help us choose the right behavior.  Because of this they don't have a strong motivation to engineer shame out of society.
Liberals tend to want to create an even playing field for everyone and tend to assume circumstances vs actions determine one's place in life.  So they have been on an active path to remove shame from society.  I think their intentions are well meant.  However, they not only have suppressed the benefits of shame in guiding people to more productive behavior they have at times created a deeper institutionalized shame that like many taxes may be hidden, but costs just as much.

The "Shame" of Halloween

Out of that need to make due with less came creativity and a chance for my parents to model problem solving

It was the annual attack on Halloween that inspired me to write this post.  Some schools are again banning costumes partially to avoid the shame that might come from some students not having the money to wear a fancy store-bought costume.  This is done to avoid the "shame" of being poor.
What? There is shame in being poor?  Your economics should not create shame, only how you deal with it. 

Herman Cain has declared how poor he was when he grew up. His dad's drive to create a better life for his kids lead him to work three jobs and eventually gain the trust of a Coke executive as a chauffeur. Cain later used what his dad created to gain access to the business world in the southern US even as America was coming to terms with a badly need civil rights act.  So his dad working hard without shame, created opportunity for his son to move further.

When I grew up only my dad worked and we had a mortgage so we weren't poor but we didn't have money for fancy costumes.  Mine were always home made.   Out of that need to make due with less came creativity and a chance for my parents to model problem solving.  Frankly, if you have it too easy I think it inhibits growth.. how many children of means do we see become famous for flaming out?

Shame and Comfort

Preventing suffering is an act of kindness, preventing discomfort can be interference in someone's chance to grow

Which is worse for a kid, to come to school as a hobo or some other homemade costume or to be told that being poor is such a shameful thing to see, that their entire school can't have Halloween?  I think  the later message creates a deeper shame without the opportunity to overcome the barrier.

There are studies to show that people economically will live in whatever "comfort zone" they have learned.  That is why some work 16 hour days to have money and others don't feel a need to get the training needed to move into better paying work.  They may want more free time or more stuff, but both extremes have become comfortable with their economic place.  While there are good intentions to helping the poor, and we should work hard to prevent hunger and make sure all kids can go to a good school any program that makes poverty more comfortable also works against breaking the poverty cycle.  It is a sad catch 22.  Preventing suffering is an act of kindness, preventing discomfort can be interference in someone's chance to grow.

Shame and Race

How can we celebrate and embrace our differences if we make some of them unmentionable?

There should never be shame for how one is born either because of heredity or accidents that may bring disability.  Shame that can not bring positive change is counter productive. Shame for things that can not be changed actually is about others creating artificial comfort for who they are.  Racism is about holding others down, because you do not know how to build yourself up.  Racism not only hurts the person it is aimed at, it creates a comfort zone for the racist to avoid the hard work of building real self-esteem.

Liberal Shame About Race

No child should have to ask, "Am I unmentionable?"

We see unspoken shame with some liberals.  The say, "We can't do this because...," it might bring out the differences, like race or religion etc.  Schools avoid managing teaching moments about difference that are real real by trying to avoiding seeing differences.  The question is how many kids who see themself as different read this as some kind of shame that is soo bad they the school has to change things for them?  No child should have to ask, "Am I unmentionable?"

Another exampled happened years ago when on a liberal talk-show, the host refereed to an actress as the African American.  She was then attacked by callers for pointing out the race.  Why??!!  I was a big fan of the show and the actress she was talking about was my "crush" on the show.  She had a deep rich dark skin and big brown eyes!  She was gorgeous!  Yet in some perversion of trying to avoid racism callers convinced the host it was racist to point out that she was black or African American.  OMG!  This was an act of shaming the actress for her ethnicity. Like a stain on her dress or spinach in her teeth, race was not to be mentioned in "polite society." 

Its a complicated issue.  Liberals run studies and create forms to sort us by race trying to spot racisim, then at times get all jumpy when race is used as a descriptor as if seeing race is bad.  Is is bad to see blue eyes or red hair?  Why is it bad to see skin color or brown eyes etc.? It shouldn't be.

We have a black president.  I think he has made bad choices, but that has nothing to do with race so his race should NEVER be used as a descriptor in critical comments or signs of protests.  It doesn't matter.  In the short term Obama's policies are hurting the country.  In the long-term he has removed the impression that we can only have white presidents because he wasn't willing to buy into the idea that his race made him unelectable. Good for him.. too many assume before they try that there is enough racism to stop them  There is racism, but over and over we see success that shows it is not a barrier just an added obstacle that this country cheers being overcome.

One of the more truly racist comments about Obama I have heard in years came from Chris Mathews after Obama gave an effective "State of the Union" speech.  In a moment of ugly honesty, Mathews said "For an hour I forgot Obama was black."  Wow! think about the opinions he must hold for most blacks that an hour of successful communication counters how Mathew's sees blacks.  Is this an insight into how some liberals see blacks so much that they cringe when ethnicity is used as a as neutral or positive descriptor?

How can we celebrate and embrace our differences if we make some of them unmentionable?

The Shame of Being Hidden

Don't end Halloween to hide differences, create a Halloween where the differences are celebrated

Classic racism is an abuse of the emotion of shame, placing it on others for things they can't  and shouldn't want to change to create artificial esteem for others. However!  Placing race, economics or religion on the list of "unmentionables" that some liberals do places shame where there should be none.  Don't end Halloween to hide differences, create a Halloween where the differences are celebrated.  And please don't assume noticing someone's race is is any worse than noticing their hair color. This only brings shame to differences.

These differences should not be placed in a liberal "Do Not Mention" list.  Trying to remove shame in all cases is not productive, we need to be smarter about who deserves shame and who does not.

I had to pause the debate and write this I was so mad at Bachmann and Sanatorum.

Bachmann and Santorum just fell off their high moral road with lies meant to scare people about the 999 Plan.  We have a 35% corperate tax on profits now, loaded with special interest credits and deals paid for by lobbyists.  Cain wants to take it to 9% without all the credits and loopholes and tax business profits.

A VAT tax taxes good and services adding to the cost of doing busines before profits.  It has nothing in common with Herman's Corp. Tax.  Bachmann was either a very bad tax attorney, or she bore false wittiness against Herman Cain tonight making her a Faux Christian.

Santorum who I had lots of respect for even if I disagreed with him on some social stands, joined in the lies tonight.  Morality is not what you do when things are easy, its what you choose when things are tough and both Sen. Santorum and Rep. Bachmann chose to lie.

Frankly the GOP should be done with them for all offices.  If there is a GOP challenger in her congressional district I will be donating to get the liar out of congress.

Lying about 999 to scare people when you are out of the race in reality is just helping Obama if Cain is the nominee and getting in the way of real tax reform for whoever wins.  All to feed their personal egos.

I have as much respect for any GOP candidate willing to lie in a primary against another candidate as I have for Al Gore.. NONE!!

If you turned on the news this morning just as Romney was speaking in Nevada, you would have sworn it was an endorsement for Herman Cain!  He was telling the crowd "we don't need another career politician, we need someone from the private sector who knows how to create jobs."

This appears to be a very clumsy attempt to steal Herman Cain's message because he doesn't have one of his own that is working. But in the end it only reminds us Cain has not spent most of his recent years running for office, he has joined this race as one of us, a citizen who wants a better America for his grand daughter.

Romney has private sector experience, but he clearly is also a career politician.  So when he says "we don't need another career politician," he makes a stronger case for Cain than for himself!

So as a Herman Cain supporter, I would like to thank the Romney team for reminding us why Cain is the difference we need to turn America around.  
Thanks Team Romney!

Interesting news this week.

Huntsman and Gingrich campaigns are now in Debt with very little to show for it.

Perry and Romney are swimming in money and moving in the wrong direction.

What do all four have in common?  They learned bad management in the government!

This week Herman Cain has shot to the front, the establishment is saying he can't be a leader without spending more money on the ground. But he has managed his lead, with good communication using the new media and honest messages that don't feel like they were focus group tested and shrink wrapped for our protection.

Remember when the establishment says "you need a ground organization," they mean you need to curry favor with all the establishment political operatives we have in place in states like Iowa and New Hampshire.   What if Cain bypasses the blessing of an establishment trained to trade power and money for votes and influence and just talks to the people and earns their votes the honest way?

Cain is leading the pack, with less money and no debt!  Isn't this just the model we want for America?
Effective, restrained spending that finds new ways to do what others assume takes big money.

This is a record we need to pay attention to!  How a man leads his campaign is going to tell you a lot about how he will lead America.

It’s been a while since I have written.  Family and job searching, then job starting all takes a ton of time.  But I have a moment and I wanted to talk about Herman Cain.
Early on I was drawn to him.  I like his attitude; we need someone who looks at America and smiles, even when times are tough.   Cain doesn't do this because some focus group measured how much smile would help him, he does it because he has seen how bad it can get and he has seen what work and faith can create.

Cain's Life Matters
Herman Cain didn't grow up in the isolation of the tropical paradise of Hawaii or even the comfort of an establish political family.  He grew up in the cold, hard ugly that was the segregated south.  He hasn't had it easy, he has worked his way to success by being smart and getting along with people, even as he changed what need to be changed to turn around struggling businesses. He earned his success from real action, not charisma and politics. Then after all that success he was hit with multi-organ stage-four cancer.  I am a firm believer that attitude is key to surviving the attack of cancer then the poison of drugs that are used to kill it.  It is a measure of a person to survive and then take on life without fear.
I hear stuffed shirts like Bill O'Reilly dismiss him because of his lack of governmental experience.    This lack of vision has made me angry; I hated it when people like O’Reilly censor poll results because they don’t see what is possible. I apologize to Bill for some of my tweets, but he really abdicated his obligations for a while when it came to reporting Cain’s successes. Report the news honestly, then tells us what you think I am fine with that, but don’t hide the news you don’t like.
What Bill and others in all the media outlets seem to miss is that the government is only about 25% of the economy.  Yet no one questions electing someone who has never worked outside the government.  Today, we need someone who understands the other 75%.   They can hire someone who has worked in politics to advise them how to get real solutions passed.

Cain's Vision and View of Himself Matters
If I got the idea that Cain on his election would erect roman columns and stand alone on a stage as if HE won without the hard work of thousands and as if HE was smart enough to know it all, I might be worried.  But Cain clearly is comfortable with his own skin and with his limitations and is running to save the nation for his grand-kids, not as some teenage fantasy of success to fulfill. He is there because he feels a need the nation has, not because he needs to prove something.
He knows what he wants, a strong America that is loyal to its allies and an economy that can grow and offer opportunity to everyone on their terms, not the terms of a government program.  A smart man with a clear vision, who is honest, can build a team to get things done.
Both of those key visions are missing from our current president and even from some of the GOP candidates.

Where I Disagree
Do I agree with him on everything? of course not. 
I think he is smart to watch for the slow creep of Sharia law into our system, like it has in parts of Europe.  BUT I think he has over stated the problem and has gotten off message.  I suspect most Muslim immigrants are here because they can worship in their one faith without fear of attack from a competing sect of Islam, just as the pilgrims came here to avoid persecution by other Christians.  And most of those who choose the faith as Americans are just looking for a relationship with God that works for them.  For many Muslims the politicization and even militarization of Islam is as big a problem for them as it is for us watching on the outside.  It’s too easy to use broad language that sweeps these devout Americans into the wrong part of the discussion.  BTW, when a Muslim is elected I expect him to swear his oath on the Quran as I want the oath to protect our Constitution be sworn on what he olds holy in his life.
I also am very libertarian on Gay rights.  The legal term of “marriage” is woven throughout our laws and contracts.  It is a waste of money to rewrite everything to say "marriage and domestic partnership.”  Gays who want to commit and create a legal bond in their relationships should be able to do that.  But only if it comes from a vote of the people or an elected legislative body, it’s too important a change for judicial fiat. 
That said, I understand concerns people have in trying to protect marriage.  But the assault on marriage is not coming from people who value it, and are different from us.  It comes from those that avoid it and raise children without the protections and commitment of marriage and those that change spouses as often as they buy a new home.  And while I respect the faith of those that I disagree with politically on this issue, I ask that you at least get honest in your reasons.  "Biblical marriage" is often one man and several women, but I don't see you working for polygamy.  This is about what you feel is best for marriage and what you feel God wants from you.  The problem is the government is not God, and has not been since we got rid of the monarchy so let’s not return to that idea of the government enforcing the laws of God. 
I hope Cain is smart enough to know the Constitution is best when it limits the federal government’s reach, not when it is used to enforce a unified standard.  Marriage is an issue for the states, not an issue for our Constitution.

Back to Cain
This nation is depressed and scared.  Its current leader only shows passion when he is attacking other Americans for political gain.  Much like Reagan, who showed us a new morning in America, I think Cain can show us the light breaking at the end of this storm.
Humans are flawed; some give and some are selfish.  Some are honest and some are crooked.  Sometimes we see angels among us and sometimes humans create evil.
What the founding fathers knew is that liberty allows for us to adapt to our failings and that the opportunity for great success only happens when there is opportunity for failure.  Each time we have tried to either engineer the race to perfection as in the progressive eugenics movements of the early 20th century or tried to engineer the society as in the Soviet Union or even a socialized Europe we create failure, because we also control the greatness that we can achieve.

What I See in Herman Cain
In Cain I see someone who knows this truth.  He sees the greatness in all Americans and might even feel anger when some are "brainwashed" to believe their only hope is a strong, controlling government.  He knows from his own life that even in the face of what can be cruel circumstances, Americans can achieve greatness when they are accountable to themselves and their community.
When Cain speaks, I hear the voice of an America that has seen hard times but knows it can be great again when it puts aside fear and once again is excited by the idea that we can do the impossible.  Cain is trying to do the impossible, put a child once told to drink from a "coloreds only" water fountain into the White House as the leader of the free world.

I am excited about doing the impossible and support Herman Cain as our best choice for President in 2012.

 
The message of last night's election is pretty clear.  America does not like they way Democrats lead by Pelosi and Obama ruled the land from on high.  The message to the Republicans is don't give us fake conservatives. The message to the Tea Party is vet your candidates better! Agreeing is just not enough, learning some personal editing and decorum is needed also.

Lets talk about Delaware.  O'Donnell losing probably says more about Delaware having standards for candidate credentials higher than say the fools in Minnesota.  This is the state that elected Jessie Ventura and Al Franken.  Al Franken is no more qualified to be in the Senate than O'Donnell and yet there he sits. Problem was Castle was ready to "cross the isle" and be Obama's fig leaf on some key issues, and exit polls show he was not a sure thing either.  We need to make it clear to America what the Democrat progressives own and not add a single name to the list from the GOP.

We can all smile that the face of the Democrats in the Senate is Harry Reid and Al Franken, that should be easy to run against in 2012.  Harry is now impotent, with Nancy gone and the jar she kept his man treasure in gone with her

Unlike some conservatives, I am not opposed to crossing the isle if they are meeting me half-way.  For me as a libertarian thinker, Obama is a nightmare.  He is a progressive, which is not the same as a liberal.  Progressives are about power, personal power and agenda power.  If you look at his agenda it always skews to more control for him, for government, and for his operatives in the unions. This is why he is pro-war and slow to deal with "don't ask don't tell."  This is why he removed the ability of poor kids in DC to have a shot at the same schools his daughters are in.  This is why he has admitted that he knows raising tax rates can hurt real tax revenue for his programs, but he wants it more fair (meaning "let me spend the money").  This is why he has over and over in real action curried favored to Wall Street and helped them recover while many of us are out of work.

Liberals have a desire for more liberty and a feeling that we can all just get along if you buy everyone a free lunch and hug.  That is an over simplification for course, but it is very different from the use of government money to buy votes and favors to gain power vs trying to actually help people who are down and out.  If Democrat liberals are wondering what happened, its simple.  You mistook progressives offers of gifts paid for with the money of others for an actual social conscience.  This is why things like gay rights, help for illegal immigrants who you see as Americans in waiting and Gitmo have had nothing but lip service. Obama and Pelosi don't care about these as they don't advance real power.  They have gained a lot of power from fighting rules asking for proof of citizenship in voting, and they know that pushing too hard on amnesty will cost power from other places so they pretend to care and that is where it stops.

Finally, if you look at what they forced through the congress related to health care.  They did not guarantee coverage so much as guaranteeing that we will all pay more for coverage.  Unions may not see this until their next contract, but your benefits will cost you more in real pay to keep and soon Obamacare will tax you for having such nice plans,  What the bill did do is let the progressives tell us what we can't choose like lower cost plans and health savings accounts.  In the bill they protected control and took away more choice.


Now Republicans need to be clear on what they want to do.  Health care needs some changes.  Insurance companies have violated morals by using technicalities to remove people in crisis.  Their executives do make too much for what they do.  And we as a people do have a moral obligation to make sure there is access to basic and emergency health care for all our people.  Some of this should be the work of active shareholders who need to police pay for executives with votes from their shares.  But some of this might take government, because morals do have a place in government.  However, anyone who knows the reality of "free" government health care knows it is not a moral choice.  (I am close to someone who lost a friend waiting for a test in a good UK hospital, but still his access was slower than in the US.)

GOP HEAR US NOW!!! This is not about you spending on your projects or even you legislating your social agenda where it limits the rights of others.  This is about liberating our economic engine so there is real opportunity for success for all, not a system of Washington DC choosing winners and losers.  Let the people choose.

The Tea Party was smart in not going the third party route.  But the GOP needs to know they failed in what they had become and only succeeded with Tea Party principles of fiscal restraint and expanded power to the individual.  The new GOP needs to stand tough, because it will take years of real restraint to let the economy catch up to the size of government and the debt.

Even today Obama is talking about debt and credit cards for the next generation.   The shopping spree is over!! The truely needy need protection, but programs like we have had here in WA state that helped families making almost 90K buy homes must end.  Things like that just inflate the market and raise prices for everyone.

I am sad to say in Washington State the Kool-aid is still potent. But also the GOP candidate, Rossi, while a generally good man, doesn't get it.  He did not utilize the grass roots of the Tea Party and he ran the same campaign he ran that split the state and cost him the governors race twice.  Both the "I always vote (D)" crowd and the state GOP need to realize no more politics as usual.

My last message:  This is just the start!  Democrats you need to take your party back from the progressives and get it back to where it can work with a strong free market to empower all people and help the needy without punishing success.

* All Photos are linked, copyright by respective sources.

 

UPDATE10/28 : Moodys Agrees that Obama's Uncertainty is why we have no jobs.

ORIGINAL BLOG:
This week an AFL-CIO executive said 'Hey, Jesus Christ couldn't do anything more than President Obama has on the agenda we supported two years ago..."

Well that is of course just more Democrat sillyness. We didn't need Jesus to start the recovery again, we just needed one smart German chancellor named Angela Merkel.

If you read the news stories from 2009, you will find that Merkel worked with her coalition and attacked the recession with spending (yes it can work) but, she followed with a program of tax cuts and planned spending cuts.

Some of the left, like Paul Krugman have pointed out that Germany did some spending just like the US. He has also pointed out that much of the Germany austerity program has not been triggered. They are correct on both counts.  Germany jump started the economy with some quick spending and made it clear the spending was temporary and it would come with tax cuts.  They created an environment where business could bet that things would get better.  This optimism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The United States jump started the economy with some quick spending. As much as many Teaparty supporters may hate to hear this, done right it could have worked. However the alliance of Obama, Reid and Pelosi promised more government spending by passing a stimulus with much of its spending out in the future.  They then created enormous uncertainty by forcing through a giant 2200 page bill that not even the creators have read. The "health care" bill made so many changes to our health insurance system, including costs that not even the bill's creators know what is in it.  To add to the chaos they have promised to pass "Cap & Trade" that would charge working industry for CO2 emissions and make many associated with a new Chicago based "CO2 Exchange" very rich.

Finally, congressional democrats chose not to create a budget for 2011, they also chose not even vote on which tax rates would stay the same leaving almost every US tax payer and business due for a giant tax increase in Jan 2011.

Germany did spend, but tied it to a plan that would allow business to trust in the recovery.  The US spent, then planed for more spending, and used their control of Congress and the White House to plan for pushing years of failed agenda they have wanted for years.  Democrats have created years of uncertainty for businesses that are now happy to do what they can with the workforce they have.

This is why President Obama owns this jobless recovery

The Numbers

Lets look at some key charts from: Tradingeconomics.com  Chart Problems have been Figured out and fixed.. had to take image grabs from site as links changed as people played with new charts.


This is the chart of GDP growth Quarter over Quarter.   We see US and German spending spiked GDP, but as soon as core spending trailed off, Germany is seeing real business growth pick up the slack.  In the US we are heading back down again and may be one or two quarters away from a double-dip recession.

Good News:  Since I write this initial Q2 numbers added show GDP fall ("double dip fall") may be leveling off, I hope.

Recovering from Unemployment
Now more importantly to the claim that Obama just needs more time to start getting jobs back.  The US unemployment rate has not moved even as government payrolls have increased.  Why? Because every smart business in the US is streamlining for the coming increased costs of health insurance and the automatic tax increases coming on Jan 1, 2011.




Not Jesus - Just Willing to Accept Advice

We didn't need Obama to be Jesus, we just needed him to work with the GOP and take advice he has ignored from leaders in Europe about creating a plan business can trust.   The irony is if Obama had not gone it alone and taken a 100% progressive economic path, we might see jobs coming back. This of course could have meant he might not be loosing some or all of the congress and he would have created enough political capital to try his agenda in coming years, without trashing our economy to do it.

Hubris and impatience created a bad stimulus, a bad health insurance bill and a jobless recovery balanced on the edge a second recession.

Déjà vu
Finally, it is interesting to note that the New York Times and other media criticized Germany for planning to cut taxes and increasing the deficit.  Now, Germany is already seeing an increase in tax revenue from its smart business friendly policies.

Will They Never Learn?!

Links to Read:
Merkel 2009 Tax Cuts criticized by NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/business/global/14gcon.html
2009 Germany Media also assumes tax rate cuts will increase deficit:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5035680,00.html


Germany 2010 in growth ready for more tax cuts to keep it going while tax revenue is up:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20101023/tpl-uk-germany-taxes-20b2d2f.html

 
Being a conservative-libertarian leaning person who sees excessive government as a real problem I am going to disagree with Mr. Juan Williams more often than not.

Any person who has watched Juan in verbal battle on Fox News Sunday and other Fox News programming knows he has a unique style.  He is passionate while charming, he is steadfast while respectful.  Juan Williams is something I will never attain someone who has reached the nearly perfect balance of political passion with civility and class.

I was watching last Monday when Juan made his statement about feeling discomfort when those who choose to dress in Muslim attire share the plane with him.  I thought, “Wow that was honest.”  Juan Williams admitted that his gut reacts before his better-self kicks in.  But that is Juan, honest and willing to speak his mind.

Without a well crafted façade of political correctness, Juan is someone you have to listen to with respect even when you are sure he is totally wrong.  Why? because Juan isn’t faking it, he isn’t spinning for some other group to curry favor he is telling you how he sees it.

Juan Williams is at times very intimate with his audiences. There may be marriages that don’t share the level of sincere honesty that Juan chooses to share with his colleagues and viewers.

Today, Juan Williams was liberated from the prison of NPR liberal PC dogma. Today NPR showed it has a double standard.  That its OK for Nina Totenberg to wish AIDS on someone’s grandchildren, it is ok for her to lament that there are moderates in the Democrat party.  All this as she pretends to be a news correspondent for NPR.  Yet Williams as an analyst can not share a personal secret in an attempt to expand the dialog on what creates prejudice.

Ironically, Obama was willing to share this secret about his grandmother. Jessie Jackson once shared that even he at times felt uncomfortable when encountering black youth on the street.  What does this mean?  It means Obama’s grandma, Jessie Jackson and Juan Williams are human.  They they have a survival instinct that happens faster than the mind can insert reason.

Of course most Muslims are not terrorists, but most terrorism in the last two decades has been carried out in the name of Islam and that creates a pattern that few can ignore.  Juan is self-aware enough to know he has a reaction, he is honest enough to share that awareness. Outside of NPR anyone who has listened to Juan speak, knows he personally empowered enough to choose to treat people he meets as individuals and to fight for their right not to labeled with the horrific actions of others.

Many in the left will be cruel to Juan and CAIR has again outed itself as an enemy of the kind of discussion that can help us understand the true diversity of Muslim attitudes in America.  And again, Fox News wins as it is there to offer Juan a greater roll in expressing a view that goes counter to its editorial slant.

At NPR the kool-aid will be flowing strong. At Fox News Juan will now be free to share himself and work to bridge the ideological gap without worrying that one of his employers will be upset.  Juan is someone who can help us understand that liberals and conservatives all can share a love for America and have different views about how to fulfill its dream.  Today he is liberated from the “head in the sand” liberals at NPR and can now show us Liberalism in its best and most honorable form.

My only fear is that this truly nice man might actually win some people over to his views because of his respectful charm.  Its easy to dislike and dismiss the shrill cat calls of most left-wing commentators. It is never easy to dismiss Juan. Even when he is wrong, he will always have my respect.

Juan Williams, congratulations on your new found freedom to speak your truth where we can listen.

The liberty of America has created a place for some terrible hate groups to emerge.  From the KKK to the Weather Underground hate goes hand in hand with a faced of arrogance.  In truth haters feel so pathetic they can only "raise" how they see themselves by knocking down others.

In some cases involving the KKK the Constitution has protected hate speech made in a public venue.  In these cases it has been ruled that the community must tolerate the hate speech in the form of parades and protests.  Protecting the rights of even the vile in our communities is one of the things that makes America great.  Just north of us in Canada, people are arrested just for saying things that others consider hateful.  Free speech is under full attack above the 49th parallel.

But down here we need to be diligent in protecting the rights of free expression above the rights of the community to squelch it for comfort.

Too many people including, Glenn Beck, have mistaken what the monsters of the Westboro Hate Cult as a public protest.  If this was about the community preventing these hateful monsters from expressing their revolting views the Constitution wins the the community must tolerate this.  To do otherwise is to put the First Amendment in jeopardy.

However, these protests are not located to protest a public institution or public entity.  They are not even located to optimize visibility to the public as a parade or protest down "main street" would.  What this hate cult does is designed with the intent of targeting for maximum emotional damage.

These people pick an emotional event where they can inflict maximum pain and create a contrived feeling of power.  This is the key, their message is not about about changing public policy directed at those with the power to change it.  If you search for their website, look at the URL they have chosen.  This message is a personal attack of hate.  When they show up at funeral their hate becomes an attack on vulnerable people meant only to create a perverted power structure where the mourning families are meant to feel powerless. They are parasites feeding on the pain of others to create a feeling of personal empowerment what they are too weak and stupid to do for themselves.

This is not what the First Amendment was designed to protect.  It was meant to protect expression from censorship by government and by extension the community.  It never was intended to protect intentional infliction of harm on another.  This is where we have long had exceptions.  Slander and liable are not protected forms of speech, because they are designed to do harm.  They are sometimes protected when the target has by choice become a public figure.  These families are not mourning by choice. And it is this emotion of mourning that is targeted.

What this hate cult does has the same intent as a cross burning.  The Supreme Court has already ruled just seven years ago in Virginia v. Black that laws meant to prevent intimidation are constitutional.  In this case it is not a law, but the outcome of a civil suit.  The result of the suit was overturned on the assumption that this hate speech is protected. However the intent is the same, to intimidate and feed perverted needs by seeking out the most emotionally vulnerable in our communities, those mourning the loss of a loved one.

If this cult of hate wants to express their vile opinions within the bounds of the constitution, they should be required do it where those in mourning are not forced to see it.  That means away from the ceremonies and away from any routes required to arrive at and leave the cerimonies.  As long as the family can mourn and return home by at least one route without being the victim of these vile attacks, the rights of the vile to be vile in public should then be protected.

In this case the family was not protected they won a case, but a disconnected appeals court failed to understand the nature of this hate and reversed the will of a jury.  It is my hope that Supreme Court will realize this is not about protecting the speech of the Westboro haters who have nearly unlimited options to express their views, it is about protecting the vulnerable in a time of mourning.

 
In this week's debate, Jerry Brown said Meg Whitman should "just admit she made a mistake."

Here are the Facts:

• The Whitmans used an employment agency seeking a legal worker.
• Nicki Diaz had forged papers and has admitted to lying on multiple legal forms that proved she was legal.
• The Whitmans paid all her taxes and paid her $23 hour, not any hint of them trying to save money or avoid taxes like many politicians have been caught doing.
• The Social Security paper said there may be an issue and asked for more info and it specifically said that taking any legal action based on the inquiry could get the Whitmans in trouble.  They asked their long-time employee who provided all the legal documents to check into it.  She did not do that.
• When they found she was illegal, they followed what the law REQUIRED and terminated her employment. They did not opt to turn her into immigration.

So what is the mistake Jerry Brown sees?

A) Was it hiring a Hispanic and trusting her without doing a full background check?  If this is the mistake, then it would appear that Jerry Brown thinks it is common sense to racially profile Hispanics and do extra checks on them based on race. That means he thinks Whitman should have done MORE than the Arizona law calls for
.
B) Was it a mistake not to get her deported right away?  Given that Jerry Brown supporter Gloria Alred is doing all she can do to get Nick Diaz deported by putting her in the media, maybe Jerry Brown is a strong advocate of deporting illegals to deal with immigration issues. Again that would put him more inline with the Arizona approach than Meg Whitman who in a moment of compasion did not report her former employee.

Or maybe...
C) Jerry Brown is not in support of Arizona like policies, knows Whitman did nothing wrong and is willing to let his long time supporter Gloria Alred use Nick Diaz so he can get elected.

So my question for the voters of California is who will you be voting for:

• Jerry Brown the pro racial profiling and background checks on Hispanics candidate?
• Jerry Brown the it's a mistake not to deport illegals right away candidate?
• Jerry Brown I will say anything to get elected candidate?
• Meg Whitman the woman who trusted her employee, paid her very well and chose not to report her out of compassion?

Who best represents the heart of California?
 

UPDATE: See Gloria Alred Destroyed by superior legal mind Greta Van Susteren (Video Below)

Democrat Jerry Brown's attack dog, Gloria Alred, in an attempt to help her retread friend return to his glory days, has launched a campaign to make life harder for hard working Hispanics in California including the millions that are citizens and legal immigrants.  How do we know this? Would Democrats be running this smear attack if Meg Whitman's former housekeeper was Scandinavian?

Democrats Attack Whitman for Trusting a Hispanic
They are attacking Meg Whitman for hiring a Hispanic woman, paying her $23 an hour for nine years and accepting her employment papers as genuine.  She didn't pay her a low rate. She didn't forget to pay her taxes. She didn't pay her under the table.  Democrats are attacking Meg Whitman for treating her Hispanic house keeper like an American!


Democrats Explain How Employers Can Avoid Legal Action When Employing Hispanics
What is the real message employers are hearing from the Democrats in California?   Employers are hearing anytime you hire a Hispanic you should do a deep background check or you are placing yourself at risk of being sued.  Democrats are saying that it is wrong to trust a Hispanic when they say they are here legally and sign thier name legally to attest to that fact. Democrats are saying the first time you get any paper asking for information about a Hispanic worker, you should assume they are illegal and fire them right away.

Whitman Failed By Not Assuming Dias was Illegal
If Meg Whitman had racially profiled Nicki Diaz and made a deeper check of her identity she would not be under attack.  If they would have racially profiled and assumed clerical letters from Social Security which are "just paper work" for most Americans must be a red flag for Hispanics, they would not be under attack now.

If you are Hispanic in California, you had better have all your papers correct and make sure there are no mistakes on your computer records, because you can be sure employers, especially employers of domestic workers are getting the message Democrats are sending.  The message is being sent to money seeking attorneys statewide.  Every copycat low class attorney will be using Gloria Alred as template for new lawsuits against people who hire Hispanics.

The fear of copycat legal actions may lead many good people to require extra documentation from Hispanics just to get and keep a job.

Meg Whitman Treated Nicki Diaz Like An American
It was the Republican that paid Nick Diaz $23 an hour and paid all the proper taxes.  It was the Republican that allowed Nicki Diaz to bring her sick child to work. It was the Republican that did the minimum under the law when she learned Nicki Diaz was not here legally and did not report her long-time employee to immigration.


Democrats Treat Nick Diaz Like a Pawn
It is the Democrat that is saying employers who don't distrust the word and signature of Hispanics are now open to legal attacks. It is the Democrat that thinks it makes sense to do more background checks on Hispanics than one would expect for other American workers.  It is the Democrat that has now publicly identified Nick Diaz as here illegally. They have told the world that Nicki Diaz committed fraud to get her job.  It is the Democrats that may get her deported.


Jerry Brown is willing to teach Californians to distrust Hispanics, so he can win an election for a job he walked away from years ago to seek greater power.

New Video Added to Original Blog
Go Greta!!

Two Men Unprepared to Discuss Religion
This week Bill Maher knowing Bill O'Reilly would be terribly under educated and prepped to debate religion showed up with the boilerplate arguments Dawkins probably gave him over an imported beer. His counters to Bill were lazy and dripping with the confident ignorance only world class arrogance can bring.  His demeanor is that of someone who has grown so sociopathically sure of his superiority, that he can no longer connect with most of humanity enough to pretend civility. 

His goto tool for this interview was the straw man argument that has become a key tool of liberals recently.  I half expect to see Obama or Maher skipping down the yellow brick road looking for a tin man to dance with their troop of straw men.   (Ok that is pretty tortured imagery but if I keep it I promise to avoid any other OZ references, for now)

When you see the straw man you know the person is fully aware they would lose a debate over the real issues.  Or they assumed it is too much work to even learn the other side of the discussion, since they are always right. Rather than have a real discussion they carry around a ready made fake opposing positions they use in place of the real arguments and ideas they oppose. They can knock these down with cool skill that comes from practicing it in the mirror over and over.

Bill O'Reilly did Ok with the standard strawmen.  But he had problems with the typical misquotes and biblical references. We should all be ready to deal with them before walking into a discussion with Bill Maher style atheists.

Bill Maher's angry Atheist Straw Man Number One:
"All Jews and Christians have to believe all that is in their Holy Book and if they don't, my work is done and you are all hypocrites."  At this point the ignorant atheist before you has defined themselves unprepared for a serious discussion of religion.  You might land a glancing blow and offer a way out at this point.

Your response at this point is simple:  
"If that were true, there would not be the diverse denominations that create the rich tapestry of the Judeo–Christian community worldwide.  We can discuss what I believe or compromise on a discussion of how much faith it takes to remain a Seattle Mariners Fan."    [Make sure to use the word "diverse" it subtly points out their straw man is a bigoted stereotype. Those of you in Chicago should make the appropriate team substitution]

The key here is that there is no denomination that has not accepted that free will allows them to apply the Bible to the current century.  Bill Maher should thank God for this, because if even a few of his straw men Christians existed, they would have stoned him years ago.


Bill Maher's Angry Atheist Straw Man Number Two:
"The Bible IS written by YOUR God and no real god would have written such things. So I win"  If you get both of these you know your "worthy" opponent got his understanding of religion from Michael Moore, who learned what he knows about religion off a cereal box.  (I do claim bonus conservative points for gratuitous use of Micheal Moore at this point.)


Your response to this would be:
"The Bible was written by men gifted with the same free we all have, who added the flawed nature of man and the context of the time to any inspiration God gave them for the book. Like a tapestry if you look too close you can find those flaws and become obsessed with them and miss the artistry of the message and story that is meant to be seen in its entirety from the fall of Adam and Eve to atonement for all sin purchased for us by Christ's acceptance of the Crucifixion." 
I have no idea how your atheist will react here.  Concepts like self-sacrifice without tax-deductability and eternity tend to create a sputtering noise followed by a retort that will revive memories of elementary school.


Bill Maher's Angry Atheist Silly Argument #1
"You can't believe all that is in the Bible, its just so much fantasy and is just silly, Faith is about abandoning logical thought.  I believe in science and logic"   The basic idea here is that if you understand how the V-8 engine and five-speed transmission works, that is proof there is no Ford Motors.   Keep in mind if you suggest that it might make sense to look for a maker's mark on the engine, you are a heretic in their tiny world.

Your response would be: 
Odds are your Bill Maher type has no clue about Quantum Mechanics, Black Holes (except at feeding time) and M-theory if they did they would realize science is fluid and full of contradictions . "The science you believe it has postulated in the last few years that time can be stopped, the spontaneous creation of matter from nothing happens all the time and that is possible for something to exist in more than one place at the exact same point of time.  Which until about 50 years ago would have been the stuff of fantasy.  Science can not disprove a creator it can only improve our understanding of creation.  Atheism is a faith based religion, with people like your-self doing missionary work."


It is impossible to prove there is no God, so Atheism is the adoption of the belief with no proof.  An atheist without faith is called an agnostic"  Agnostics see no proof either way so they don't know.  It takes faith to come to any conclusion about God.

Alternate Current-Affairs Response for Silly argument #1 is:
"You support the Obama health-care bill right?  Have you read it? The blind faith needed to accept the miracle of creating savings from covering 30 million more people with  the same sized medical community and no rationing dwarfs the faith it takes to believe a man walked on water. I only pray I can someday bring that level of faith to my love of God." 

I took the time to cover some of the basic carbon copy straw man atheist arguments.  The moment someone declares them-self an Atheist, you have found common ground, faith.  No matter how well you understand the the universe understanding can not disprove the existence of a consciousness that existed outside of it and created it.  Science can never disprove God, it can only expand the on the elegance and mastery God would need to create what we have come to understand.

Atheist are people of strong faith and even if you come prepared with logic and facts about religion  and your faith they will ignore it because their doctrine requires them to simply religion to something they can criticize rather than deal with it as an key part of history and culture that is as diverse the cultures of the Earth.

Stealing Jefferson
Here it is FINALLY Definitive Proof Bill Maher is Ignorant. Not only is he unable to make his points without repeatedly making incorrect biblical references.  He like many atheist evangelicals loves to misquote Thomas Jefferson.   Watch here if you dare:  Unedited Interview

In the interview segment Bill O'Reilly aired on 9/30/2010.  Maher suggested he had a quote that proved Jefferson would "ridicule" the idea of a God.

The full quote is as follows:

Atheists love to take Jefferson out of context.  It is clear that Jefferson was comfortable questioning and even adjusting his faith in God. There is no indication that his version of being a Christian included a belief in the divinity of Jesus and yes he had disdain for doctrines like the immaculate conception and centuries of church created dogma.  (I would tend to agree with Jefferson on much of what has come since the Bible)  This makes for some juicy quotes that used out of context can be used in opposition of his actual beliefs.

Jefferson had a clear faith in God the "God of Jesus", one he shared with Adams. He believed in a God that actively created the world and one that he hoped would approve of his life's work.  He was not talking about a Gia like "Nature's god" as some atheist claim.  In many ways Jefferson is the modern doubting Thomas.  For him God was real, but he had no proof of Jesus divine nature so he questioned it. 


Any Atheist who quotes Jefferson to support an atheist faith, is proclaiming a deep ignorance of Jefferson and American history.  Congrats to Bill Maher for confirming what we have all known for a long time, he is just a grumpy dunderhead!  A man who lost relevance years ago.

  
This blog is written in the context of thoughts I laid out in my blog “The Poison of Right Meets the Teaparty.”

Utopia Declined
This week it is clear that Obama is clinging to his own “rightness.”  He is so sure of his academic theoretical vision of equality distributed by the educated elite; he refuses to see that more than half of America knows Utopia cannot be paid for with opportunity stolen from our children.

The Choices of Leaders
Not one of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence did so to increase their bottom line or lay the foundation for a coming election.  When they signed that document the chances that they would hang for it were very high.  They did so for one reason, they were proclaiming to God and humanity that the future of America, of their children and their neighbors’ children was more important than their personal safety and comfort.

America has reversed direction.  Not only do we have leaders that think the immediate safety and comfort of their supporters is worth borrowing from the future.  We now have leaders that are sure their own personal needs are more important than the future of a nation that includes their supporters.  They now buy personal comfort and power for themselves on promises that not only will burden our children with their excess, but promises timed to collapse after their term in office ends. 

We see the proof of this in a congress that has amassed a fleet of private jets so they not only can avoid flying with the “common folk” but will not be subjected to hopping a ride with our troops.  We have a congress that has failed for the first time ever to accomplish its primary job of creating and approving a budget, but will soon recess to ask for use to send them back to fail some more.

We have a President who claims he doesn’t go to church because it will create inconvenience for others but has no problem shutting down major sections of New Your City and Washington DC to take his wife on a date, this even as the White House hosts world class acts for his personal entertainment.  Entertainment enjoyed while oil spilled into the gulf and millions of Americans are losing their homes.

Intentions
At the very best President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid believe they are smart enough to chart the destiny of 300 million Americans.  They assume they are wise enough to choose the winners and losers across the diverse American map.   At best we have good intentions leading us to the hell of fiscal insolvency.

But history tells us we may have a new pantheon of political elites whose self-esteem is not built on personal accomplishment, but demands the edifices of generational reorganization with their names chiseled on cornerstones quarried from liberty of our children.

Do we have leaders who are comfortable fiddling while America’s future burns?

Strong Words
Yes these are strong words.  Words earned but a congressional leadership who made deals and twisted arms to pass legislation they never read.  Words earned by leaders who demanded a man leave his mother’s graveside to pass a bill in the middle of the night before America could read it.  Words earned by leaders who have confused an election with a coronation.

This week President Obama managed to create some passion.  Passion to blame others for problems he has created or failed to address.  He blamed his supporters for being lethargic, while failing to deliver well on even one promise. 

Utopia Denied
His supporters are not lethargic, they are feeling cheated.  They are cheated by a Gitmo without even the illusion of a plan to close it.  They are cheated by inaction on “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” They are cheated by the 50,000 troops in Iraq who still are in harm’s way but have been politically renamed “non-combat”  They are feeling cheated by a healthcare bill that was more about winning than healing.  They feel cheated because they see the political price their progressive movement has paid while the actual vision has moved forward very little.

Conservatives just know the cost of these incomplete promises will be opportunity and choice for generations to come without even the specter of Utopia that some progressives see in their policies

Enough Blame for All
From stump speeches in Wisconsin to his interview in Rolling Stone, we see a President who claims success and will deflect all blame towards his own supporters as easily as he will towards those who oppose his policies.  He has created a tightrope of “rightness” stretched over an America he sees as either lethargic and uncommitted or ignorant and selfish.   He walks above us on the thin idea that if we only understood his intentions we could forgive his results. 

His lack of ability to complete a single promise with overwhelming control of congress will not inspire his base.  His willingness to compromise America’s future for an incomplete vision of an impossible Utopia has created the Teaparty

No More Excuses
Obama, Pelosi and Reid are only the figureheads of a political class that has become more about being right, than constitutional rights.  They are more about personal comfort than economic empowerment.

America has been poisoned from the top down.  Come November not only should we want leaders who will move the country in the right direction, but we need leaders with the humanity to own when they are wrong or the same mistakes will be made with new excuses.