Factcheck: Warren is correct; Brown’s ad is a distortion.

Natalie-

I wanted to pass on this factcheck for you to use when you're talking to your neighbors, friends and family.

Scott Brown's lies are a sign of his flailing campaign. He's desperate and slinging mud, but we still need to fight back. The best way for us to get the truth out about Scott Brown's record is to have grassroots volunteers like you start conversations in your community.

This weekend thousands of grassroots volunteers will knock on doors for Elizabeth Warren and our Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. Will you join them?

Please check out this link to get involved: http://www.massdems.org/get-involved/

Thanks,


Matt House
Director of Rapid Response
Massachusetts Democratic Party

Warren’s Role in Asbestos Case

Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren are accusing each other of “not telling the truth.” Brown says Warren worked to “restrict payments” to asbestos victims, while Warren says she worked to “get more money” for them. We find Warren is correct; Brown’s ad is a distortion.
It may seem counter-intuitive that Warren’s work on behalf of an insurance company that covered an asbestos manufacturer could be work on the same side as the victims of the case. But Warren was brought in as a bankruptcy expert on a case before the Supreme Court to secure a $500 million trust to pay asbestos victims. As part of a settlement that Warren worked to preserve, the insurance company sought immunity from lawsuits in exchange for releasing the $500 million trust. Attorneys for most of the asbestos victims supported Warren’s efforts.

Here are the two narratives portrayed by the competing campaigns.
Brown’s Version

In recent TV and radio ads, the Brown campaign begins with a narrator saying, “Elizabeth Warren’s not telling the truth about her career.” It then cuts to a clip of Warren saying, “I’ve been out there working for people who have been injured by big corporations.”

The narrator then says, “But the [Boston] Globe says Elizabeth Warren was a key lawyer in an asbestos case working for a big corporation. Warren helped Travelers Insurance restrict payments to victims of asbestos poisoning. The results were disastrous for the victims. The insurance company saved millions. And Elizabeth Warren got paid 40 times what they paid victims. Elizabeth Warren’s just not who she says she is.”

Brown echoed those comments during a debate on Sept. 20, saying, “You chose to side with one of the biggest corporations in the United States: Travelers Insurance. When you worked to prohibit people who got asbestos poisoning, and I hope all the asbestos union workers are watching right now. She denied, she helped Travelers deny those benefits for asbestos poisoning, made over $250,000 in an effort to protect big corporations. There is only one person in this debate, right now, Jon, who is protecting corporations. She has a history of it.”
“It’s just not true,” Warren said at the debate. ”The facts speak for themselves.”
Warren’s Version

Although she didn’t elaborate during the debate, Warren’s camp later fired back with two ads featuring family members of victims of mesothelioma who describe Warren as a champion of their cause.

“I’ve been a widow since 1990 when my husband, Sam, died of mesothelioma,” says Ginny Jackson. “He was exposed to asbestos when he worked at the Quincy shipyard. It’s a terrible, terrible way to die. Elizabeth Warren went all the way to the Supreme Court to try to get more money for asbestos victims and families. Now Scott Brown is attacking Elizabeth Warren about her work. Scott Brown is not telling the truth. He’s trying to use our suffering to help himself. He outta be ashamed.”

Warren’s version of the case has been publicly backed by several attorneys representing the asbestos victims, as well as leaders of an asbestos workers’ union.
“He’s flat out misrepresenting the facts,” Francis C. Boudrow, business manager for the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers Union, Local No. 6 told the Boston Globe. “It’s offensive to all these people who’ve lost lives” to asbestos-­related illness, he said.

Warren’s Work

At the heart of this issue is an ongoing asbestos case involving the nation’s largest asbestos manufacturer, Johns-Manville Corp. The company ended up in bankruptcy, leaving some victims, who did not develop symptoms until more than a decade after others, seeking compensation from an ever-shrinking victims fund. By the time Warren entered the case in 2008, more than $3.2 billion had been paid out to over 600,000 claimants.

Warren was brought into the case by Travelers Insurance, one of the insurers of Johns-Manville. Specifically, Warren worked on the case Travelers v. Baily to preserve a $500 million trust from which current and future victims would be paid — part of a settlement agreement previously reached between lawyers for Travelers and the victims.

According to Warren’s financial disclosure forms, Warren was hired by Travelers in April 2008 and did work for the company through September 2010. By that time, Travelers and the asbestos victims were working together on a common goal: to preserve the $500 million trust both sides had agreed to. Another insurance company, Chubb, was contesting the settlement agreement, and Warren ended up making her one and only appearance before the Supreme Court arguing on behalf of Travelers to uphold the trust. As part of the deal, Travelers would be permanently immune from future asbestos-related lawsuits concerning Johns-Manville. Warren’s argument prevailed. According to the Globe, Warren was paid $212,000 over three years by Travelers.

So it’s true, as the Brown ad says, that a Boston Globe headline on May 1 described Warren as playing a “key role in an asbestos court case.” But the subhead of the story — “Worked for insurer on fund for victims” — belies the ad’s claim about her opposing the interest of the victims.

Specifically, the ad leaves out this pivotal paragraph from the same Globe story:

Boston Globe, May 1: Travelers won most of what it wanted from the Supreme Court, and in doing so Warren helped preserve an element of bankruptcy law that ensured that victims of large-scale corporate malfeasance would have a better chance of getting compensated, even when the responsible companies go bankrupt.
Unfortunately for the asbestos victims, the Supreme Court’s decision wasn’t the final word on this case. After Warren left the case, it took a “disastrous” turn for the victims when a lower court issued a ruling on Feb. 29, 2012, that, as the Globe reported, took Travelers “off the hook for paying out the $500 million settlement.”
The Globe noted that according to one judge who tried to preserve the settlement, Travelers received “something for nothing” — immunity from future lawsuits without having to pay out the $500 million trust.
Warren has said she believes the lower court erred. The ruling is still under appeal.

Bruce Carter, an Ohio attorney whose firm has worked on behalf of over 19,000 claimants in the case, told us Brown has simply mischaracterized Warren’s role. The idea that Warren was working against the interests of the victims, he said, is ”not true.”

“During the period she worked with Travelers, the claimants (the victims) and Travelers were working together to do what was necessary to get these funds approved and established,” Carter said. “We were all working together for the benefit of the victims. We were working together toward a common goal.”
The trust established through a settlement with Travelers avoided further legal wrangling that “could have taken many, many more years, if ever, to succeed,” Carter said. In other words, he said, the trust provided a mechanism for victims to actually get paid.

In an interview with the Globe in May, Warren said, “The issue I was focused on like a laser was the constitutionality of preserving the trust, because the trust is a critical tool for making sure that people who’ve been hurt have a fair shot at compensation. Without it, millions of people who’ve already been injured will get nothing, and millions more in the future will get nothing.”

How close was the relationship between Travelers and victims? Before the Supreme Court, the attorneys representing the victims gave Travelers’ attorneys their time so they could provide a more complete argument in favor of the settlement agreement, Carter said.

“That tells you, we worked together toward a common goal,” Carter said. “We gave them our time to argue to the panel.”

It was only after Warren left the case, he said, that Travelers “tried to back out of the deal and try to get something for nothing.”

Another lawyer representing victims in the case, Edwin L. Wallace with the law firm Thornton & Naumes in Boston, echoed Carter’s assessment.

“She was working for the victims,” Wallace said.

“In order to pay the victims, we needed a settlement trust,” said Wallace, who has contributed to Warren’s campaign. “She represented Travelers for that argument.”
Warren’s work for Travelers was over by the time a lower court ruled that Travelers would not have to pay the $500 million trust. So no one — including Ginny Jackson, the woman featured in the Warren ad — has been paid yet.

Carter and Wallace both said that — contrary to what the Brown campaign is now saying — neither they nor Warren could have foreseen the lower court ruling that let Travelers off the hook for the $500 million trust.
And Wallace is confident that ruling will be overturned. “They will get paid,” Wallace predicted.
– Robert Farley

Stunningly Losing our Collective Minds -- Nate Silver NYT statistician

Today's post of the NYT electoral statistician is here or below. A blog to the Times.

Yes, I am an unabashed Obama supporter. It is staggering to me that ONE only ONE debate in which the president's opponent was caught lying not once but NUMEROUS times could have that big an impact as to change totally the trajectory of the race. Mr. Obama was NOT mute in the first debate but he simply was certainly more thoughtful while he was peppered with opinions and reversal of opinions so many times. Never has one presidential debate where the challenger lies constantly or even one who does not ever produced this kind of dramatic change.

For those of us who are merely cogs in a wheel, who are not involved in the day to day power machine, I am HUGELY skeptical not of Nate Silver's analysis but am continually now thinking that the fix for Mr. Romney is in by those whose money soaked contributions eclipses anything we the 99% could imagine! It is hard so very hard to believe the candidate Mr. Romney so weak on SO many issues and such a phony charlatan is now coming close to overtaking the president who is superior to him beyond words and ahead by miles just two weeks ago. A Romney presidency complete with an overturn of Roe v. Wade, contraception bans, control by the state of women's health care and sexuality, and complete Wall Street deregulation not to mention the eradication of Social Security and Medicare will take us backwards to a 19th century nation probably killing thousands. Have we lost our collective minds while religion becomes enmeshed with the state that must have our Founders rolling around in their respective graves?

One wonders if the NYT will even print this. Passionately questioning everything does not always rise to the level of mainstream media acceptance. It's too bad because this nation needs a severe questioning of its money soaked stunning political realities. Stunning indeed!http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/author/nate-silver/

The Debate -- a Cooler Look

My first post last night was a little emotionally driven because I was SO happy that the VP was a TIGER.  If you go to a conservative blog you will be reading only about style NOT substance.  They do not like that Biden smiled.  Well, I loved it as it showed passion.  The VP KNEW he had to deliver the base and he SURELY did.  We were out for bear and we got it.  The experience of Joe Biden showed.  There was no match.  

On Afghanistan Biden knocked Ryan out of the water.  Ryan knows little about it.  He is much too inexperienced and Republicans are a trigger happy ticket.  It's easy to bloviate from a chair in a college auditorium MUCH harder to do in reality when one MUST deal with allies who want NO MORE WAR, the American people who want NO MORE WAR and the indigenous people of Afghanistan if we stay forever will just hate us more and find a way to God forbid attack us.  The Afghanistani street wants us out of their country.  Even Ron Paul says that we cannot afford another expensive war making trillions for the corporatists who live on making war.  Ryan said he went to Afghanistan several times and Joe said he went 1200 times.  It was laughable.  And Biden laughing?  Well I'd rather have that then someone looking down at a pad of paper taking notes thinking he did not want to be impolite.  If it's one thing Biden will do on policy issues he cares about is not care about being polite!  

What you have to know:  Republicans say they are about the 100% but they are NOT as Romney was caught red handed saying he knows he lost 47%. Republicans lie ALL the time which is why it is so hard to keep up with them in a debate unless you have a memory that remembers the date you first learned to tie your shoe.  But Biden hit those lies and hammered his opponent with them.  

Republicans since Social Security was conceived by FDR have wanted to get rid of it not caring about the 99% who will need it when they age.  They were looking for it then and want it now for their Wall Street cronies who stand to make not billions but trillions permanently IF it is privatized.  You, however, stand to lose your shirt when you need it most as you age because the market is a gambling casino and the house will NEVER lose but you will.

A voucher for Medicare will leave seniors ultimately with money that is laughable to pay for the humongous costs of health care.  It's simply ridiculous and takes the onus off of the government help those who cannot help themselves.  It will in a word leave you ultimately BROKE as a voucher system will leave the 99% incapable of affording health care and permanently broke if a catastrophic illness ensues.  As people age we KNOW most do not leave this earth easily in their sleep at age 95 with no prior illness.  We age, our bodies break down over years and ultimately death's release comes with dollar bills attached to it.  It's the reality of our culture that can extend life well beyond the average span of our species.  We are a patchwork of treatments that cures nothing but keeps the human body functioning.  THAT requires big bucks in pharmaceutical, doctor and hospital costs. 

KUDOS, VP Biden.  You did a FANTASTIC job.  It was EXACTLY what the doctor ordered.  In the morning i.e. now I did not have to wake up and say what went wrong.  EVERYTHING for those of us who are progressive went absolutely right.  

BIG WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BIG WIN FOR THE VP BIDEN.   THANK YOU, JOE, YOU DID WHAT YOU HAD TO DO!!!

  INFINITELY HAPPIER TONIGHT!!!  wow what a great night!!

yeehaa!  FORWARD ALWAYS FORWARD.

An Unmanly Man

Mitt Romney is a MOST impolitic, unprincipled and a truly unmanly man. I know this because I have made an assessment based on the commission by Mitt Romney of three egregious things that, in my view, make him so.

The story, Mitt says he does not remember but others who were with him that day still do, as a teen away at an impressive upper crust boys’ school Mitt Romney decided another boy in his class did not meet his expectations of how a manly man should be. So he did what any manly man would do he led with others an attack on the boy whose hair was a bit too long for Mitt Romney's manly taste. They attacked the boy by taking a pair of scissors and cutting the boy's hair unmoved by the boy’s screams and protestations. The manly man Mitt Romney assaulted, pinned the hapless boy down and then cut his slightly-too-long-hair because he did not quite meet up to Romney's ever-so-high manly standards.

I aver, though, Mitt Romney is NOT a manly man but is a most UNMANLY man if he at that time attacked a boy for such a trivial matter as the length of his hair and then professes loudly now when it is revealed that he does not remember such an event. Who could forget that? A man who is secure in his manhood does not care about the effeminacy of another man, indeed, does not feel threatened but a man who does not feel quite manly enough DOES care. After all he must affirm to HIMSELF alone that he is certainly not made of effeminate stuff like the boy whose hair he cut. Mitt Romney, though, is in reality the thing he fears the most. He is a most unmanly man.

Unmanly men who feel in their heart not quite secure enough often bully and go after those people or even animals that are less powerful to prove their own strength. They need to bask in the security of their control by controlling everything around them even if it is just simply a dog. Shamus, Romney’s dog, if he could have spoken, I am sure would tell us he did not like one bit being imprisoned in a crate strapped to the roof of the Romney car in the summer heat riding many miles north to Canada while Manly Mitt drove him there. When the dog became sick and excreted on the roof and while the excretion ran down the back window of the car Manly Mitt simply drove his car to a car wash, hosed it and the dog off then drove away again with the dog in tow. Who of us could do such a shameful thing to an animal – ONE'S dog!? Mitt Romney could and this makes Manly Mitt ever-so UNMANLY to me.

Perhaps the most telling story of Mitt’s dishonorable behavior is the story which was iterated on Larry O’Donnell’s “The Last Word.” According to “Newsday” “Romney in recent days has been telling voters on the stump of a chance encounter with a former Navy SEAL, Glen Doherty, at a Christmas party two or three years ago. Doherty was among four Americans killed in the attacks in Benghazi.” Doherty’s mother, Barbara, angry at Mitt’s use of her son’s name said "I don't trust Romney. He shouldn't make my son's death part of his political agenda. It's wrong to use these brave young men, who wanted freedom for all, to degrade Obama." Worse, Doherty’s brother further iterates that Glen told him something odd about the chance encounter with Mitt Romney at the Christmas party. In a span of twenty minutes Mitt Romney went over to Glen Doherty and introduced himself to him four times. Clearly, Mitt Romney either could not have cared less about the SEAL or we should very much care if Mitt Romney has a touch of Alzheimer’s. If you were at a party and not inebriated, as Mormons do not drink, wouldn't you remember at least the third time within a span of 20 minutes that you already met this person ESPECIALLY if he were as notable as a Navy SEAL? This is the behavior of a boorish, self absorbed man who does not give proper honor to a man he says impressed him so but yet when they met he did not remember he introduced himself to Glen Doherty four times within a period of twenty minutes. Unmanly Mitt does not give a rat’s petuti about anyone other than himself. It accounts for the fact that, as John Fugelsang said on the Stephanie Miller Show “Mitt Romney flip-flops more times than a mattress at a crack house!” He does not care what he says, what positions he takes as long as Mitt has sold himself to whatever group he needs to seal (pardon the pun) the deal. We see faux tears well up in his eyes wondering why no tears were running down his cheeks as he paused as if waxing emotional but clearly not being so.

Are these things the acts of a manly man? I think they are the acts of a selfish, self-serving, self absorbed, indecorous, unprincipled and unmanly man who will do anything, say anything and be anything to advance solely himself. He is, indeed, the most impolitic, impolite and UNMANLY of men trying to soar like an eagle to Olympian heights in pursuit of the highest echelon of power. May this unmanly man go down in flames before his flames engulf us all!

The Politics of Fear--the Right (as in correct) Robert Reich

Robert Reich in his article in Reader Supported News entitled "The Politics of Fear" hit many nails on many heads. Read here or below if you want an opinion on our current political volcanic milieu of a SMART former Secretary of Labor under Clinton who has a way with words!

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/13891-focus-the-politics-of-fear

THE PRESIDENT IN SPANISH

Our president speaks to the Hispanic community in Spanish that is EXCELLENT!

Our president spoke it like it was his native language. Just another reason why the Hispanic community should vote for the president and it is why we should vote for him too. He is the BEST representative of diversity and will have the back of the poor, the disadvantaged, the disabled, seniors and immigrants who want to dream.

President Obama is the Dream we have been waiting for. He simply needs time to finish the difficult, difficult job with the worst opposition a sitting president has ever had to face.

Send this to whomever you think should see it. It made tears run down my face because it is not just a Spanish message it is a HUMAN message and who better than the president to deliver it?

RE-ELECT THE PRESIDENT AND ELIZABETH WARREN TO THE SENATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS!

Here or below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRCitjn7Ojs

Fire Under the Base

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/after-conventions-follow-the-bouncing-poll-numbers/

Nate Silver here or above is the BEST election pollster EVER!! I trust him the most even IF it comes out not as I personally desire. He is the BEST of the BEST of that I am quite sure. Was the debate loss a strategy? Could very well be. Will this light a fire under the Obama base? It DAMN well better!

The Gattling Gun

It is hard -- VERY VERY hard -- for me to believe that one debate of a superficial Gatling Gun rant and dance FILLED with lies, etch-a-sketching, indeed, reinventing an entirely new Romney done at break-neck speed would be enough to create a tsunami change of what was looking like a clear win for Obama. I STILL believe it will be a victory for the president because Romney has lied so extensively and so often flip flopping from one view to the next ready to change at a moment's notice to get Romney into the oval office. I believe it will NOT do the trick. I do not believe that an Etch-A-Sketch expert and quick-change-artist supreme will be voted to lead the most powerful nation on earth.

I refuse to believe the American people are that insane to want another Bush on steroids to return this country not only to a Great Recession but possibly another Great Depression, gutting health care and returning the sick to the ER for treatment just exactly what NO one wants most especially hospitals or those that depend on them for what should be primary physician care. I won't even go into detail mentioning a bomb which Romney seems to be itching to drop on Iran to start yet another war paid for how? More blood of this nation's youth and more treasure will be wasted measured in decades not in days.

A Romney victory WILL be a death knell for this country and I simply cannot imagine with the unbelievable success this president has had to get us out of a HUGE sinkhole made by Republicans while he finally got Bin Laden to boot that the American electorate would step on their own toes by voting a Mitt Romney into the most powerful office on this planet.

He may have sounded like a winner of the first debate to some even to most but to me he sounded like like death incarnate for a nation that has suffered so much under Republican politics of the 1% duping some that their message is about the 99% instead of what their message really is: of the very rich, by the very rich and for the very rich seeing to it that this nation will certainly perish from the earth if the 1% comes to power yet again.


YET AGAIN WHY THIS PRESIDENT MUST WITHOUT FAIL BE RE-ELECTED and the GREAT AND THE PRICE-ABOVE-RUBIES ELIZABETH WARREN ELECTED TO THE US SENATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS

A Felonious Fellow?

From: Justin Ruben, MoveOn.org Political Action [mailto:moveon-help@list.moveon.org]
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2012 1:40 PM
To: Jean Laplante
Subject: Did Romney commit a felony?

 

Dear MoveOn member,

We all saw in the debate on Wednesday how Mitt Romney is trying to lie his way into the White House—but did you know that one of his lies may actually be criminal?

That's right—there's substantial evidence that Romney may have broken the law by lying to the American people about when he left Bain Capital on a legally required candidate disclosure form. This could be the straw that breaks the camel's back in his campaign of lies.

That's why, last week, MoveOn delivered a legal memo to the Department of Justice outlining the evidence and requesting a formal investigation into Romney's possible crime.

With Romney trying to win this election with lies, it's important that every American knows the truth as soon as possible. But much of the mainstream media has been scared to touch the story, saying "it's too hot to cover." So we need to get the word out ourselves through social media and email.

Can you share this memo outlining evidence of a possible crime committed by Romney with everyone you know?

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Emily, Steven, Lenore, and the rest of the team

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

SECOND GRADE NO LONGER!

For any who have commented and did not see your opinion for some reason I never got it but now just did in another way.  I don't know what happened.  To LHK, sorry, I am  not branding EVERYTHING racism but simply take a look at the signs on so many REpublican groups that stand in opposition to him.  Simply listen to code words and sometimes NOT so coded words and you can understand.  I suspect even though you would like to suppress it you have supported policy that kills. It kills Americans, it kills innocents and robs people of hope.  A patriot does not go along to get along, a patriot does NOT forget the poor in public policy, a patriot does not refuse citizens who cannot afford it health care, a patriot does not condone voter suppression of the black vote, a patriot does not deny endemic racism that exists in this culture for centuries, a patriot does not deny historial veracity and a patriot does NOT blindly obey when the obeying of policy is simply downright unjust. 

Are you that kind of patriot?  I doubt it.  If you fought, came back with injury then I truly am sorry for that.  Perhaps if the policy makers in Washington who do not send their OWN kids to war would make a better choice whom they do send into battle.  They don't. They choose as Eisenhower said himself the military industiral complex which matter more than life itself.

NOT YOUR SECOND GRADE GIRLFRIEND ANY MORE BUT GLAD TO SEE  YOU CANNOT RESIST MY BLOG! AND BTW I do get comments and publish those that are thoughtful and NOT rude.  Others I had in the system but did not even know they were there.  Whatever, it does not matter.  The enthusiasm is HUGELY for the president.  Yes, I love him.  Now I call that patriotism don't you?

Obama lost the first debate, but he will still win the election--Washington Post

Rethinking the "debate." This is a very good opinion in the Washington Post.

Obama lost the first debate, but he will still win the election

By James Downie

In case you had not heard yet, President Obama had a poor first debate on Wednesday night. From the start, the president looked tired, unfocused and unprepared. His answers were rambling, his personal anecdotes were few, and his effective punches were even fewer. He never mentioned the “47 percent” video, Bain Capital or any number of other attacks that have hurt Republican nominee Mitt Romney both across the country and in swing states. Aside from two sequences — Obama getting Romney to concede that his Medicare plan is essentially a voucher and asking if Romney was “keeping all [his] plans secret because they’re too good”— the president was certainly outclassed.

And yet, the president’s supporters would be wrong to wring their hands. Fundamentally, Obama’s loss will not matter. At most, Wednesday night was a case of “too little, too late” for Romney. Yes, the polls will probably move a point or two in Romney’s direction after the first debate. But all the evidence suggests that for Romney, whether or not you believe he should be president, closing the gap and beating Obama is a bridge too far.

Consider the task facing Romney going into Wednesday’s debate: Nationally, RealClearPolitics’s poll average had him down three points;Nate Silver’s model had him down four. He had held a lead in a major poll exactly once since the end of August. The electoral college looked even worse for him: RealClear’s map gave Obama 269 electoral votes safe or leaning to Romney’s 181 (with 88 in toss-up states); HuffPost Pollster gave Obama a 290-191 lead; and Nate Silver’s model had Obama winning an average of 319 electoral votes to Romney’s 218, a comfortable margin. Even Karl Rove had 277 votes safe or leaning to Obama, with another 70 as toss-ups.

“Ah,” you say, “that may be true, but surely the gap is small enough to close? And wouldn’t the first debate be enough to bring this race back to a dead heat?” In a word, no.

Let’s start with the second question. Incumbent presidents almost always have a poor first debate: George W. Bush lost to John Kerry in 2004, for example, and Walter Mondale beat Ronald Reagan so badly in 1984 that there was a spate of articles asking if the incumbent was too old for the presidency. Yet never has a challenger’s strong first debate performance closed as large a national polling gap as Romney faced going into last night’s debate. Furthermore, most post-debate polling bumps come from previously undecided voters, of which there is a historically small amount in this campaign, thus making it even less likely that Romney could exceed past norms. And Romney would need to outdo history by quite a distance — only Harry Truman has come back from a national deficit as large or larger than Romney’s at this point in the campaign.

If Romney would have to pull off a miracle to close the gap in national polling, he has no shot at matching the president in the electoral college. As mentioned above, forecasters commonly predict that Obama already has a big lead of safe and leaning states. If we assume Romney will improve in the polls, there would be around nine “swing states”: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. There’s one problem here for Romney: He is trailing, and has been consistently trailing, in all but two — North Carolina, where he’s held a small lead, and Florida, this election’s closest thing to a 50-50 state. Romney doesn’t need to win two out of those nine; in almost every scenario, he will need six or seven out of those nine to win, including at least two or three states where he is behind by several points more than he is nationally.

All of which brings me to the final point: Given the state of the race before last night’s debate, even most Romney backers would agree that a Romney victory would require a flawless campaign the rest of the way from Romney and a blunder or two from Obama. After six years of both these men running for and/or being president of the United States, is there really anyone out there who thinks Mitt Romney can go a month without making a single mistake? Who thinks Barack Obama, who has been playing it safe for at least several months now, will suddenly make a reckless error, as opposed to a merely lackluster performance? (Or, if you’re Sean Hannity and co., do you believe the lamestream media will suddenly forget their liberal bias and stop protecting the president while assaulting Mitt Romney?)

Seriously, does anyone believe that?

The fact is that, come October, presidential elections cannot permanently change course over a few days or hours (unlike, say, media narratives). The majority of voters have already made their decision, and the debates won’t provide enough of a boost to alter the contest’s trajectory. Sadly for Romney, the path the race is stuck on ends with his defeat.

WHY WE NEED TO MAKE SURE OF THE RE-ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT!!!

Romney wins the all important BS Contest -- Matt Taibbi

Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone Magazine and all around economic wonder boy does it again with this short summary of one of the worst "debates" in US history. Lincoln Douglas it was not of that one can be sure. Read here or below for the view of an ALWAYS entertaining and very smart writer!

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/13830-focus-mitt-romney-wins-all-important-bs-contest

27 MYTHS in 38 MINUTES

27 MYTHS in 38 Minutes

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/279-82/13803-romney-told-27-myths-in-38-minutes

Liar-in-Chief

Yet another vile thing one should know about Mitt Romney's tenure in Massachusetts here or below before anyone decides to immorally place a check by his name.

This man will DO ANYTHING, SAY ANYTHING, BE ANYONE to put his rancid self into the White House. Spread the word do NOT let this unacceptable thing happen. Massachusetts knows he was a lousy governor, increased unemployment and worse lied on his qualification of residence in the state to run for governor. He lived in Massachusetts then like I lived at the North Pole although I am looking into a residence there if the worst thing on planet earth should happen to this nation and that is this flip-flopper liar-in chief get elected.


http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/13829-romney-helped-monsanto-poison-massachusetts

SOME GOOD NEWS

US JOBLESS RATE DIPS TO 7.8% AS ECONOMY ADDS 114,000 NEW JOBS

The lamestream media STILL will find fault although blathering endlessly it was over 8.0% THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE PRESIDENT!
IT IS ANOTHER REASON AMONG MANY THE PRESIDENT WILL AND SHOULD BE RE-ELECTED!!

TELEPROMPTER MADNESS ON MORNING JOE

An opinion to Morning Joe:

Your show, NBC News, and even other newscasts are impossible to watch. YOU and they keep skewering the president's "performance" in the debate. He may have not been able to be on Broadway with it BUT he was right on substance. That is more than I could say about Romney even with his perfect dance. SURELY a walk down memory lane with George Bush one wonders how the guy lasted eight years even WITH a teleprompter.

You criticize the president for not being able to perform without a teleprompter? Are you kidding me? What would all the newscasters be like without a teleprompter? What would you, Mika and the rest of your cast be like without a teleprompter--mute perhaps?

All presidents use teleprompters now. George Bush could hardly speak WITHOUT a teleprompter. Romney has a good memory big deal and spent days rehearsing. Without the media beating an issue to death it would be a one event moment and not a game changer. The news and news shows are often insufferable to watch as they thrive on the endless sound bites CREATING the news instead of merely reporting it!

WHY WE MUST MUST REELECT THE PRESIDENT AND THE GREAT ELIZABETH WARREN TO US SENATE

A Valentine for Valentine

Sometimes I wonder if anything good can ever last. The Red Sox were on top of the world and it was so much fun. Then it seemed like the bottom fell out. Sports is such a difficult occupation because it relies on one's body to be 100%, injuries set in, tempers flair and each minute of the clock ticks away while the player understands his abilities are hitched to time. Time always sits on a player's shoulder. Beyond that as in any job multiple personalities have to engage ramping up the difficulty.

The Sox now bring back fond memories of those days in the 50's and 60's where one player would shine like Yastremski or Malzone but the rest of the team were less than, well, perfect and the Sox saw the cellar or close to it for most of my childhood life. Still my father, a crazed Red Sox fan, stuck it out always faithful and so was I. The Red Sox were a part of our DNA.

Now that we have seen the mountain top it is hard to climb back down but we do because we have no choice, hoping like in life, a better day will be around the corner.

I do not follow sports now except minimally but the Red Sox will always hold a place in my heart for the next great season just around the corner. I liked Bobby Valentine and felt sorry for him as I could only imagine the emotional difficulty. I wanted, like the lovely Elizabeth Warren said, to give him one more chance. But business is business and sports is NOT a humane and understanding endeavor. What is? I do not know what really happened as we never do unless we are involved in it directly. I am sure Valentine tried, wanted the best for the team and him but it was not to be. I love second chances but sometimes things are simply over. Good luck, Bobby, this is one fan that has empathy for you and wishes you the best.

Final Thought on the Debate

ROMNEY DEMONSTRABLY ON TAPE AND PROVABLY LIED!  BIG SURPRISE.

Did Romney Win the Debate ?-- ANOTHER VIEW PLEASE READ

I have learned the hard way that it is VERY bad to make snap judgments. Read this article by Robert Parry, Consortium News in "Reader Supported News" for what I think is a very interesting and cogent opinion stating who he thought the winner of the debate was and guess what? It is NOT Mitt Romney! The reasons he posts for that are ones which I sometimes consciously and sometimes subconsciously thought, for example, Romney's eyes blinked a million times faster than the president. It means something when someone exhibits this uncontrollable reaction. It often means their nervous, scared or SURPRISE -- LYING. Moreover, Romney's smile seemed plastered on his face. This author says it far better than I so I will simply paste it here and below for you to review. 

Maybe my emigration from this country might still NOT be necessary as it may be that Barack Obama WILL, in fact, in the end, remain president when Romney's lies and nasty temperament are discussed by the all knowing pundits! 

WHY THE PRESIDENT WILL BE RE-ELECTED IN NOVEMBER PLEASE WORK FOR THE ELECTION OF ELIZABETH WARREN TO THE US SENATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/13795-focus-did-romney-win-the-debate

Scam

Okay so now after one debate the media is going ballistic and calling it emphatically and nearly universally that the president lost and did so badly. If the American people fall for the Republican Party of lies then, as they did during the Bush years, they get the disaster they deserve. Do not come whining when NOTHING comes trickling down from the top, when the 1% go yachting and when they CREATE no jobs, nada, zilch for middle America. They WILL ship jobs overseas and we will continue to see everything on planet earth made in China. Big government bad, federal government bad are good sound bites BUT it IS JUST a sound bite. We are a HUGE country and each state on the big issues cannot be going its own way. Federalism DOES work as one can historically see from the Great Depression years of FDR.

The flaw I saw and the nearly universal flaw about which the media is blathering is that the president did not verbally chop the deception that is Romney's whole policy head off. Appeal Obamacare? Really? And replace it with what, vouchers and then what? 30 more million in ER's as Romney suggested on the stump? BAD VERY BAD and the sooner the American public gets it, IF they ever do, the better. Why did the president not get more done? Lay that at Republican obstructionist feet.

The Republican Party is NOT about you and it never will be unless you are part of the 1% wealthiest. Romney has nice hair and permanent TAX CUTS FOR THE VERY rich? WHY? So they can go to the Cayman Islands with their off shore tax free accounts, have a great time and still call themselves American? WAKE UP AMERICA YOU ARE BEING SCAMMED!

The Verdict Reworked -- a better opinion of the Brown/Warren Debate

My previous summary opinion of the Brown/Warren debate was done too hastily and at a late hour. Please forgive the less-than-well-formulated opinion. For my own pacification I reworked the following updated and more cogent (I hope!) reply.

Brown, always the bully, showed his condescending and rude character as he told Warren she was "not his professor." Moreover, he is still stuck in Cherokee nation, to which a polled electorate clearly shows it does not care about that. Elizabeth answered as completely as possible. At this point who the heck cares what part of her DNA imprint is Cherokee and which box she checked? Why doesn't Brown simply ask for a genetic sample!

Brown is NOT the Independent he says he is. He is a Republican and he does NOT vote an even Democratic and Republican split. He would vote Mitch McConnell in as leader if Republicans were to win the Senate and most probably lied when he muddied his response to that question. Not only would McConnell, for whom the unseating of the president was his only goal in a country yearning for compromise but many Republican enemies of science would be chairing committees that hold the fate of the nation’s health in their hands.

When asked who his favorite Supreme Court Justice is his poorest response and one which Brown blew a hole as wide as the ocean in his candidacy was Scalia. He squirmed and figured this was NOT the right answer or it was the "right" answer in an electorate that is not rightwingnut so he then went to Kennedy and finally to Sotomayer! From Scalia to Sotomayer — two justices who could not be more philosophically further apart! Scalia is so right wing he falls off the rightwing side of the fence. The audience booed and then laughed at Brown’s preposterously ridiculous retort. The answer to THIS question, as I see it, marks Brown's loss certainly of this debate and perhaps of the election as well. It pegged him as one of the dumbest senators posing as someone who is supposed to be smart. He isn't. He is a bully who happens to throw his weight around and knows how to be a politician.

Elizabeth Warren was superb and, as usual, brilliant. Her response to that question she zinged over the plate with a pitch of about 100 MPH. She answered easily and smiling as she probably knew Brown's all-over-the-map response could be his death knell said simply: Kagan. Yes, she got an "A+." I believe this is Scott Brown's Waterloo answer to a question that was simple. This floundering flub of a thug politician could not have answered it worse and it was an accurate reflection of his poor intellectual ability. This proof of his lack of cerebral acumen could not have happened to a more significant BULLY. He should and, hopefully, will be unseated in November.

Verdict!

The Supreme Court favorite question asked by David Gregory is the one that Brown blew by his answer a hole as wide as the ocean!!! He chose Scalia and then when he squirmed and figured this was NOT the right answer or it was the "right" answer in an electorate that is not rightwingnut so he went to Kennedy and then to Sotomayer! The audience had first a boo and then a laugh at this preposterous answer. THIS is the question that marks Brown's loss and pegs him as one of the DUMBEST senators posing as someone who is supposed to be smart. He isn't. He is a bully who happens to throw his weight around and knows how to be a politician.

Elizabeth Warren was SUPERB, utterly brilliant and her answer to that question she zinged over the plate with a pitch of about 100 MPH. She said simply and smiling as she KNEW this was Brown's death blow as she said: Kagan. Yep she got an "A++" This is Scott Brown's Waterloo answer to a question that was simple and it could not have happened to a more significant BULLY and all around JERK!
EXACTLY WHY WE NEED TO ELECT ELIZABETH WARREN TO THE US SENATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS WITHOUT FAIL!

Good Luck

Good luck to the lovely, dignified and brilliant Elizabeth Warren. She is our Song of Solomon, a virtuous woman whose price is far above rubies!!

Not So Fine with Me

I encourage you to read this attached article by Jonathan Chait in Reader Supported News entitled "The Poetic Justice of Romney’s Self Immolation" here or below.

 

This is a perfect article and right on the money (pardon the pun.)  No surprises from Mitt Romney here.

 

The American political right now residing in the Republican Party is mean, racist, and presently MOST unethical as we can now see by the Republican voter suppression tactics in all the major so called swing states.  There is something, I believe, about my liberal compatriots that says we would never deprive anyone in our nation of that which makes us us - the ability to cast a vote.  It is for most of us the only power we have.  But the right does NOT care.  If anything they want to remove even from life itself those who think a nation has the duty to provide those who cannot help themselves the basics - food, clothing, shelter and health care. 

 

Romney and his Republican Party of charlatans and those know nothings who do not know enough to figure out Romney does not give a damn about anyone but himself and those of his own class.  His class does not include most Tea Baggers who erroneously think Romney cares about them.  He doesn’t.

 

If one thinks back to the picnic table campaign lunch Romney had with middle class people one can read his body language to see how ill at ease he was with the regular folks of Bethel Park, Pittsburgh.  He even insulted their freely-provided cookies.  But when he was attending the infamous 47% comment Florida dinner of those millionaires and billionaires whom he counted on for cash he felt just fine.  One can see it.

 

He did not fool me for a minute.  He and his Republican Party surely are not and never have been fine with me!

 

http://readersupportednews.org/off-site-opinion-section/72-72/13737-the-poetic-justice-of-romneys-self-immolation

 

Why we MUST UNEQUIVOCALLY support the re-election of our president and of course elect the GREAT Elizabeth Warren to the US Senate from Massachusetts!

A Price Above Rubies

I have said this until I am blue (pardon the pun) in the face. Elizabeth Warren is one of the greatest senatorial candidates that Massachusetts ever has had the opportunity for whom to vote. We are so lucky. Not only is she committed to the middle class but she is a brilliant academic scholar of economics at a time when we need such expertise. Scott Brown with his tomahawk chops, insulting and racist staff rants cannot hold a candle to this woman of character and integrity. I am hoping fervently that the voters of Massachusetts will see what I see having met Elizabeth Warren on three separate occasions. Since listening to her interview with Bill Moyers on PBS during the near total economic collapse of 2008 I was convinced of her phenomenal ability.

Unless you are part of the 1% wealthiest then YOU should vote for Elizabeth Warren. If you are a Massachusetts resident and part of the 99% YOU should vote for Elizabeth Warren. If you want a more equitable, fair and just nation then YOU should vote for Elizabeth Warren. She will not let us down. In addition to her academic excellence she is a humane and wonderful human being whom I will be proud to call my senator from the great State of Massachusetts!

Elizabeth Warren is a GEM, a price above rubies, and Massachusetts should NOT let this gem slip through our fingers.

The Company Brown Keeps -- Brown Has Some Splainin to Do!

While it is true, gotcha politics stinks, sometimes it is necessary to fight fire with so called proverbial fire. Scott Brown has recently taken some necessary return fire from the great Elizabeth Warren. Scott Brown is full of himself, thinks his Senate seat is permanent and that he is immune from scandal. Certainly a woman like Elizabeth Warren could never ruin his ever-so-masculine image and career by trouncing him in this Senatorial election. Well, it's ALL image as the vicious Cherokee tomahawk chop racist rant of Brown's campaign cronies proves. That IS backfiring and it SHOULD.

However, on another and very important front, I suggest Brown yet again take that nasty log out of his eye. The article below says legions about Brown's involvement as attorney for one of the most flagrant real estate scam companies writing so called "liars loans" leading up to the 2008 crash. What did Mr. Brown know and when did he know it? This is a question NO candidate wants to be asked.

I will let you read all about it here and below for details. Scott Brown has some BIG splainin to do and the press has some Fourth Estate investigation to do into this possible fatal black eye-punch which WILL, HOPEFULLY, land on Brown soon.

http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/09/28/scott-brown-worked-as-real-estate-attorney-with-notorious-document-fraudster-lps/
Scott Brown Worked as a Real Estate Attorney For Notorious Document Fraudster LPS


Why it is VITAL to elect the great Elizabeth Warren to the US Senate!

A must watch from today's news -- FIND OUT ABOUT ALEC and its SUBVERSION of YOU!

This was forwarded to me and is SPOT ON!:

Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! today dedicated a segment to Bill Moyers upcoming PBS special on the American Legislative Exchange Commission (aka ALEC). It is important for everyone to know about this organization which works for a very silent, corporate/1% elite that is subverting our democracy and has been for decades since Ronald Reagan.

I’m amazed in my work with local political leaders for the upcoming 2012 election here in MetroWest how NO ONE knew what ALEC was when I mentioned it.

Amy’s been featuring news on ALEC for years – finally, I’m glad to see more coming to light.

This is the organization that is spreading voter suppression laws, thousands of bills throughout the country limiting woman’s reproductive rights, gun control laws – pushed through which are not popular with citizens (i.e. Stand Your Ground).

We all need to know about this organization financed by corporations and private, monied interests from around the globe – which is financing the campaigns of many state and local politicians, including SCOTT BROWN.

Remember that in November when you step into the booth.

Link: http://www.democracynow.org/2012/9/27/the_united_states_of_alec_bill

Cherokee Nation Full Statement

Here is the full statement by the Cherokee Nation:

The Cherokee Nation is  disappointed in and denounces the disrespectful actions of staffers and  supporters of Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown. The conduct of these individuals  goes far beyond what is appropriate and proper in political discourse. The use  of stereotypical “war whoop chants” and “tomahawk chops” are offensive and  downright racist. It is those types of actions that perpetuate negative  stereotypes and continue to minimize and degrade all native peoples.

The individuals involved  in this unfortunate incident are high ranking staffers in both the senate office  and the Brown campaign. A campaign that would allow and condone such offensive  and racist behavior must be called to task for their actions.

The Cherokee Nation is a  modern, productive society, and I am blessed to be their chief. I will not be  silent when individuals mock and insult our people and our great nation.

We need individuals in the  United States Senate who respect Native Americans and have an understanding of  tribal issues. For that reason, I call upon Sen. Brown to apologize for the  offensive actions of his staff and their uneducated, unenlightened and racist  portrayal of native peoples.

Truth or Consequences -- A Statement from the Cherokee Nation

A letter and statement from The Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation standing in FIRM opposition and denouncement of Senator Brown's staff and what racist behavior Scott Brown allowed them, with out consequences, to commit in his name is here or below -- Please pass this along:

http://samuel-warde.com/2012/09/cherokee-nation-actions-of-senator-brown-staff-racist-and-offensive/


Why we MUST elect the qualified, dignified, mature and brilliant Elizabeth Warren to the US Senate because she belongs there and Scott Brown does NOT!

A Letter to Barbara

I enclose a wonderfully written opinion by the great Barbara Streisand here and below entitled: Obama vs. Romney: A Clear Choice. I urge you to read it. It is exquisitely written. I commented:

I love you, Barbara Streisand, and I always will. Your article is beautifully written and everything you say is exactly correct. It is gorgeously choreographed like the many talented things you have done during your life.

Ms. Streisand, you are a superstar and you are my superstar. There will never be another like you. Moreover, not only can you do superbly all the artistic things you have done you also have honed a political philosophy that is, at its core, humane to work for the betterment of our nation and our world.

Thank you for all you have given us, our country and for all that you have given to the progression of men and women through the arts. You are our national treasure!


http://www.readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/13550-focus-obama-vs-romney-a-clear-choice

What Ryan is Calling Romney and Scott Brown's Classless Racism

According to Larry O'Donnell quoting Politico, Paul Ryan is calling Romney "The Stench!" i.e. if "The Stench calls tell him I'm having finger cookies with Peggie Noonan."

If this gives you pause to laugh, do so BUT NEVER take anything for granted. Keep working hard AND keep telling everyone you know to REGISTER TO VOTE especially if you have friends in states like Florida, Ohio and other swing states who are voting Democratic but who Republicans want to suppress their vote.

Moreover, the ballot in Florida is long and that is an understatement. NO MATTER, tell your friends in Florida to become familiar with it and do NOT let that impede their voting for the president!

These things are of the UTMOST importance. COMPLACENCY IS NOT A STRATEGY. Complacency is a strategy for losing -- and a Romney presidency would be Bush on steroids and is unacceptable. Take NOTHING for granted.

I might add another shameful action by Scott Brown's own STAFF. The Native American racism they exhibited at a get together of staff reminded me of a lynching in the south during the era of Jim Crow. It was an EMBARRASSMENT to not only to the bully candidate Brown but an INSULT to Massachusetts citizens in general everywhere. See Rachel Maddow if you want the disgusting details of the latest Scott Brown racist malfeasance. He is an ABOMINATION. It should remind you that the Republicans have NOTHING and is the reason we CANNOT be complacent and MUST re-elect the president and the GREAT BRILLIANT Elizabeth Warren to the US Senate!

Scott Brown's Log

Now Brown is criticizing Elizabeth again for whom she represented, LTV Steel in the 1990s, allegedly, as the Boston Globe said, "assisting the former industrial conglomerate in its fight against a congressional requirement that it pay millions of dollars into a fund for its retired coal miners’ health care." Elizabeth answered the charge. Naturally I will not leave our great candidate Elizabeth Warren without coming to HER defense.

Look, this is simply RIDICULOUS. Get a check on reality. People had LIVES BEFORE running for office now and, as an attorney it included working sometimes with different corporations or on behalf of them. Sometimes especially in the legal field, as I personally have experienced in a NON-attorney role, one must represent many different interests. Guess what? We LIVE in a capitalist society in case you haven't noticed. In our system even corporations deserve representation as well. You may not love the company you represent but in our system EVERYONE deserves their day in court. THIS is a good thing AND the attorney in a firm does NOT often get to pick and choose whom they represent. Without corporation attorney advocacy the entire economic system would collapse as companies ad infinitum would be sued with NO representation. Even plaintiffs would suffer by that.

1993 is a long time ago and ONCE AGAIN I think Elizabeth has answered this sufficiently. I was ALWAYS a left of center cause advocate but that did not mean I did not have to make a living. Companies, corporations and those involved in bankruptcy need representation too and sometimes as in life things are not neatly wrapped packages.

GET A GRIP Senator Brown, my image is of you and your staff wading through all kinds of material just to get a GOTCHA MOMENT on this gem of a candidate. You were a BULLY in the first debate and you continue to be so. I look at Elizabeth Warren now who formed the Consumer Protection Bureau for what she IS and WILL be a STRONG ADVOCATE FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS. Massachusetts should consider itself LUCKY to get this brilliant woman.

Mr. Brown, Jesus said, do not look at the speck the other man's eye when YOU have a LOG in your own and I say YOU HAVE A BIG ONE!

Why we need to send the great Elizabeth Warren to the US Senate from Massachusetts now more than ever.

Send Mitt to the ER!!!

Sorry just have to let'r rip.  Romneybot says the poor can get treatment in the ER here or below.  HE IS AN IDIOT?!!!Can this jerk say ANYTHING without putting his foot and this time his whole one in his mouth. WHAT AN AWFUL disgusting candidate. That is EXACTLY what hospitals DO NOT WANT TO DO and why the health care bill was so important. Using ER's for medical care hurts EVERYONE including those that really do need the ER! 

Mitt you are beyond belief -- worse than Sarah Palin if that is possible! It was HE that got ER treatment down in Mass.  MITT YOU TWITT, oh maybe you forget that. Great a presidential candidate who cannot remember his own policy!  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/23/mitt-romney-60-minutes-health-care_n_1908129.html#comments

Why we need to re-elect the president more than ever and send the GREAT Elizabeth Warren to the Senate!

Through My Eyes -- Voting Smart -- Warren v. Brown

A relative and I always state that we are a suckers for smart and we surely are. One thing is certain Elizabeth is very very smart and it showed during the debate. The appellation of professor which Brown stated so often to me is a plus. He must think it not. One wonders how anyone could think that being a professor is not an advantage. The problems our country faces are daunting and economic difficulties are, indeed, understatedly complex. She formed, through the president's appointment, the Consumer Protection Bureau. That speaks for itself.

I thought Brown came out of the starting gate a bully. He was snarky, sometimes rude and to me generally unlikable. He attacked her for the inane Cherokee native issue. I tell the story that in my youth my father said we might have some Scottish ancestry. I was incredulous. How could a seemingly 100% Jewish family think some were Scottish? They thought so because of family Ellis Island lore. In fact, I became very good friends with a woman in my dorm who had heard the story too. We found out later we were related. That's how genealogical issues get transmitted. They are often verbally handed down from generation to generation. Truly though with all the difficult issues the nation faces this native American story means nothing.

I thought Brown seemed nervous especially in the beginning. He sweated profusely.Moreover, he came across as particularly abrasive especially when he said she obviously did not "look like" a native American and we, he said, could see that. Well, I do not look Scottish either, Senator. So, what the heck does THAT mean? Nothing. Maybe he should do a DNA analysis!

Yes, she is softer and has a softer classier voice. I personally like that. He reminded me of a piece of sandpaper and a battering ram -- rough and harsh.

Further, and more importantly, I NEVER would vote for Brown not because of how he appears but because of who he politically is. He is bought, signed, sealed and delivered by the banks, the big corporatists and voted as such. He would and does represent the top 1%. He tried DESPERATELY to stay away from the name Romney, did not mention it once and I can understand why but he still is who he is.

If the Republicans take over the Senate it changes everything from who chairs important committees like the climate change denier Sen. Inhofe whom Warren mentioned could control the committee that votes on environmental protection issues to what votes are taken up and when. Brown thought that not important but it is it's VERY important. If Republicans take control of the Senate right wing extremists will have control of it too. Mitch McConnell would be its leader and that is a bad thing for all of us.

In sum, Elizabeth Warren is INFINITELY smarter than Brown, set up the Consumer Protection Agency through presidential appointment, her economic credentials are sky high and to me those are her most important qualities. She is better because she understands the complexities of our economic system better and SHE would TRULY be on the side of the 99% which includes most of us.

Just because Scott Brown looks good in a truck does NOT mean he looks good in the Senate. He should NOT be there and Elizabeth Warren should. The electorate should vote SMART and in November put her there!

Why we need to elect Elizabeth Warren to the US Senate! Work for hard for her and do so.

The paragraph in red at the bottom is mine. Read and Heed! THEN LISTEN ON YOUTUBE GEORGE CARLIN'S AMERICAN DREAM!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acLW1vFO-2Q

Four Reasons Romney Might Still Win

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog

20 September 12

 an Romney possibly recover? A survey conducted between Sept. 12 and Sept. 16 by the Pew Research Center - before the "47 percent victim" video came to light - showed Obama ahead of Romney 51% to 43% among likely voters.

That's the biggest margin in the September survey prior to a presidential election since Bill Clinton led Bob Dole, 50% to 38% in 1996.

And, remember, this recent poll was done before America watched Romney belittle almost half the nation.

For the last several days I've been deluged with calls from my inside-the-beltway friends telling me "Romney's dead."

Hold it. Rumors of Romney's demise are premature for at least four reasons:

1.                              Between now and Election Day come two jobs reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics - October 5 and November 2. If they're as bad as the last report, showing only 96,000 jobs added in August (125,000 are needed just to keep up with population growth) and the lowest percentage of employed adults since 1981, Romney's claim the economy is off track becomes more credible, and Obama's that it's on the mend harder to defend.

With gas prices rising, corporate profits shrinking, most of Europe in recession, Japan still a basket case, and the Chinese economy slowing, the upcoming job reports are unlikely to be stellar.

 

2.                              Also between now and Election Day are three presidential debates, starting October 3. It's commonly thought Obama will win them handily but that expectation may be very wrong - and could work against him. Yes, Romney is an automaton - but when the dials are set properly he can give a good imitation of a human engaged in sharp debate. He did well in the Republican primary debates.

Obama, by contrast, can come off slow and ponderous. Recall how he stuttered and stumbled during the 2008 Democratic primary debates. And he hasn't been in a real-live debate for four years; Romney recently emerged from almost a year of them.

 

3.                              During the next 7 final weeks of the campaign, the anti-Obama forces will be spending a gigantic amount of money. Not just the Romney campaign and Romney's super PACs, but other super PACS aligned with Romney, billionaires spending their own fortunes, and non-profit "social welfare" organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Karl Rove's "Crossroads," and various Koch-brothers political fronts - all will dump hundreds of millions on TV and radio spots, much of it spreading lies and distortions. Some of this money will be devoted to get-out-the-vote drives - to phone banks and door-to-door canvassing to identify favorable voters, and vans to bring them to the polling stations.

It's an easy bet they'll far outspend Obama and his allies. I've heard two-to-one. The race is still close enough that a comparative handful of voters in swing states can make the difference - which means gobs of money used to motivate voters to polling stations can be critical.

 

4.                              As they've displayed before, the Republican Party will do whatever it can to win - even if it means disenfranchising certain voters. To date, 11 states have enacted voter identification laws, all designed by Republican legislatures and governors to dampen Democratic turnout.

The GOP is also encouraging what can only be termed "voter vigilante" groups to "monitor polling stations to prevent fraud" - which means intimidating minorities who have every right to vote. We can't know at this point how successful these efforts may be but it's a dangerous wildcard. And what about those Diebold voting machines?

So don't for a moment believe "Romney's dead," and don't be complacent. The hard work lies ahead, in the next seven weeks.

And even if Obama is reelected, more hard work begins after Inauguration Day - when we must push him to be tougher on the Republicans than he was in his first term, and do what the nation needs.

GET OUT AND REGISTER TO VOTE AND IF YOU KNOW SWING STATE VOTERS GET THEM REGISTERED AND VOTE DEMOCRATIC UP AND DOWN THE TICKET!!!

---

Robert B. Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration. Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written thirteen books, including the best sellers "Aftershock" and "The Work of Nations." His latest is an e-book, "Beyond Outrage." He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.