October 31, 2012

RFK, Jr: Democracy Under Assault




A Hostile Takeover of Our Country
By Robert F. Kennedy Jr., EcoWatch
29 October 12

American democracy is under assault.

In one super-PAC alone, Karl Rove and the Enron grifter Ed Gillespie, have assembled $200 million from big polluters and Wall Street moguls to buy the 2012 election.

Two of the Koch Brothers, Charles and David, pledged $130 million to elect candidates who favor unrestrained corporate profiteering.

The senators and congressmen they fund and elect are not representing the United States-they are representing Koch and its oil industry cronies, Big Pharma, and the Wall Street banksters currently mounting a hostile takeover of our government.

I have no problem characterizing these corporate-centric super-PACs as treasonous. We are now in a free fall toward old-fashioned oligarchy; noxious, thieving and tyrannical.
(More at: http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/14252-a-hostile-takeover-of-our-country)


Dear Brothers & Sisters; Friends & Acquaintances; Strangers & Sparring Partners:

Next Tuesday is an important day for our nation. Many forum participants have been investing time, money, and effort in the numerous local, state, and national campaign contests that should be decided upon Election Day. Some of us have been doing this for decades -- as the comments found here when George McGovern showed. Others are newer to politics, and bring the awesome energy that gives old folks like myself a renewed confidence in our future.

I posted the RFK Jr., article and link to illustrate a large part of the dark forces we find ourselves up against today. I do so knowing full well that some here are not inclined to like Robert -- to the extent that they sometimes react to information by or about him -- without taking the time required to actually respond to the message. However, I will respectfully submit that I have known him far longer and far better than anyone here, and I would ask that you consider reading the linked essay, for discussion here on this thread.

No one is perfect -- no presidential candidate, no senator or congressman, no state/county/city candidate. Nor are any journalists, political operatives, or citizens. But most of us share not only the imperfections that define the human condition …..we also have an interest in what happens in the next five days, on Election Day, and in the future. A common interest, and enough common causes, that we can find Common Ground. And that includes voting, and making sure everyone can vote. We can’t take that for granted.

The opposition we face includes enemies who do not have the least bit of “Good” within them. Or in their agendas, their blue-prints, and their plans for the future. They will tell any lie, sell any poison, steal without remorse, and cause suffering and death without conscience.

A “great lie” would be that our work ends on Tuesday night, with either a victory party or an Irish wake. No matter who wins the White House, the Congress, and state/local elections, we have to keep fighting the Good Fight. Our tactics will be adjusted by what the election outcomes are.

Another “great lie” is that you don’t matter …..that there is nothing you can do …….that it ain’t worth your time to keep on struggling. That isn’t a new lie for many (perhaps most) here on this forum. People have been pushing that lie in your faces since you were little. You may have learned it in school, or on the job. Indeed, the foundation for our enemies’ goals is built firmly upon repeating that lie so many times that it becomes entrenched in the social consciousness.

That’s bullshit. And we aren’t going to be stopped by the lies of shitheads in the 1% club. We aren’t looking to be viewed as acceptable by polite company. Don’t want to get ahead by crushing others and destroying the environment. We want what is our’s: democracy, a fair chance, and a fair share.

Peace,
H2O Man

October 29, 2012

The Unknown Soldier

Wait until the war is over
And we're both a little older
The unknown soldier

Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Unborn living, living, dead
Bullet strikes the helmet's head

And it's all over
For the unknown soldier
It's all over
For the unknown soldier

Hut
Hut
Hut ho hee up
Hut
Hut
Hut ho hee up
Hut
Hut
Hut ho hee up
Comp'nee
Halt
Preeee-zent!
Arms!

Make a grave for the unknown soldier
Nestled in your hollow shoulder
The unknown soldier

Breakfast where the news is read
Television children fed
Bullet strikes the helmet's head

And, it's all over
The war is over
It's all over
The war is over
Well, all over, baby
All over, baby
Oh, over, yeah
All over, baby
Wooooo, hah-hah
All over
All over, baby
Oh, woa-yeah
All over
All over
Heeeeyyyy
-- The Doors; The Unknown Soldier


There is currently a bit of controversy on DU:GD over a photograph of the “tomb of the unknown soldier.” I think that good and decent people can have very different opinions on what the photo -- and the tomb -- symbolize. I also think that there are certain topics provide fertile ground for those who enjoy stirring the pot.

Of course, stirring the pot can be either a good or bad thing, depending upon one’s point of view.

Older forum members will recall that the first “famous” rock group to record an anti-war song was The Doors. The song was “The Unknown Soldier.” (Note: yes, there were both folk groups and individuals writing and performing anti-war songs before The Doors. But they were the first nationally known rock group to do so.)

Strange, the things that people argue about on this forum. Strange days have found us, so to speak.

October 29, 2012

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son ?
And what did you hear, my darling young one ?
I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin'
I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world
I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin'
I heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin'
I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin'
Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter
Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
-- Bob Dylan; A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall


A storm-related story:

Last week, in Sidney, NY, there was a candidates’ debate featuring the five men who are competing for two seats on the Town Board. Forum readers may recall that Sidney made the national news in late 2010, when Supervisor Bob McCarthy and two tea party board members attempted to force a tiny Sufi farming settlement to destroy its legal cemetery.

One of the two tea party councilmen would lose his seat in the 2011 elections. However, shortly after taking office, the newly elected member (from Sidney’s bi-partisan committee) would die unexpectedly. McCarthy, in a move that underscores his bull-headedness, would “appoint” the tea party loser as “deputy town supervisor.” He is, of course, one of the five current candidates.

I travel to Sidney from time to time, because the bi-partisan committee and the town and county Democratic Committees have requested my assistance. More, one of the five candidates is my nephew. More than twenty years ago, when my nephew was a young teenager, he attended local town board meetings where Onondaga Chief Paul Waterman and I led a six year struggle to protect Sacred Ground ( an ancient Native American burial ground, which the county’s political machine eventually destroyed for gravel to cover a toxic industrial waste dump site). Paul told me that when he came of age, my nephew would be the one to take over for us. So I attended this debate primarily to watch my nephew, who has come of age.

One of the questions the moderator, who is the editor of the largest area daily newspaper, asked was, “What lessons did you learn from the floods of 2006 and 2011 ?” Both of these floods caused severe damage along the Susquehanna River basin, including doing millions of dollars in damage to Sidney. Four of the five candidates gave rational answers. Then it was tea party time.

The tea partier said (approximately): “Oh, I kind of enjoyed the floods. In fact, I’m looking forward to the next one.”

The audience did not react favorably to those words. More, since the 90-minute debate has played a couple times on the Sidney radio station since, there has been a strong response. People have actually taken out ads in which they point out the heartlessness of a local merchant who “enjoyed” the floods, and “looks forward to” the next one. And when these ads play next to the weather updates, it is helping to define the sickness of the tea party candidate.

I hope that all forum participants are safe through the storm. Stay positive. We will get through this.

I plan to hang out in my cabin, along with my herd of dogs.

Positive vibrations!
H2O Man

October 27, 2012

Mitt's Glasses: Lost & Found

{Note: The following “Breaking News!” is brought to you by the combined forces of The Glass Onion’s editorial and investigative staff. For those questioning if the entire report is accurate and true, I can say without hesitation that it is just as true as anything uttered from the mouth of Willard “Mitt” Romney during his three televised debates with President Barack Obama. Yours truly, H2O Maniac)


Los Paranois, CA: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney filed a sealed motion in Superior Court for the safe return of a pair of eye glasses that he lost in August of 1969. The glasses, which were found at the scene of a multiple-murder at 10050 Ceilo Drive, have long presented a puzzle to police who investigated the Tate homicides. An unidentified source from the court reported that Romney’s sworn affidavit read, in part, “I paid very good money for those glasses. They are mine, and I want them back.”

Sources close to the Romney campaign have confirmed that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department had contacted Romney in the late summer. While investigating tape recordings that Charles “Tex” Watson made with his attorney before being convicted for seven homicides, there was mention that Watson’s cousin, Mitt Romney, and his wife Ann had stayed with the Manson Family in Death Valley.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office confirmed today that both Mitt and Ann Romney are “persons of interest” in several unsolved homicides that involved other unidentified members of the Manson Family.

The Romney campaign’s spokesperson, speaking anonymously, said that “this is much ado about nothing. It shows just how desperate the Obama campaign has become in the final two weeks of this contest.” He further noted that while Mitt Romney did have “a close relationship” with his cousin Tex Watson, and did spend “summer months with Watson in the late 1960s,” that there is “a totally innocent explanation for why his glasses were found at the alleged murder scene.”

“While Barack Obama’s pals were busy playing Weathermen, Mitt Romney was serving his country. The only reason that Mitt was at 10050 Cielo Drive that night was to baptize the unfortunate victims of the reported crime,” the spokesman told reporters.

October 25, 2012

RIP Manny Steward

Manny Steward died today. He was 68 years old. DU sports forum members know him as the trainer of Tommy Hearns, Lennox Lewis, and the Klitschko brothers. He also was HBO's best boxing commentator.

My brother used to hang out in the Kronk gym during the Hearns era. I think that I've posted some photos here, over the years, of Tommy in training, and of some of his fights, such as his 2-round knockout of Roberto Duran.

A couple of years ago, Manny actually approached me about having my boy join his training camp. Manny and D talked on the phone that day, and he gave me his card with contact information.

I'll post more later. While I am not pretending I knew him well, I really had great respect for Manny. He was one of the most honorable people in the sport.

October 23, 2012

H2Omen's DU Exclusive !!!!

(Warning: The following letter from Willard Romney was received at the editor’s office of the Glass Onion this morning. I am publishing it here on the Democratic Underground as an exclusive, even before our legal staff can authenticate it. The last such exclusive that I posted caused discomfort among a few folks that reached almost to the level that led Mitt Romney to write this very letter in the wee morning hours of his sleepless night. So be mighty careful: do not read this while operating intoxicated machinery. Hide the children. And use every opportunity possible to make Mitt Romney the butt of cruel jokes for the next two weeks. I am H2O Man, and I approve of the following message.)





Dear Patriotic Voter:

Last night, you watched me confront Barack Obama in our third presidential debate. Be assured that while I was bravely defending our nation from the dangerous foreign agenda that Obama has subjected America to, I was thinking of you and your family. I was reminded of how the trees on your lawn had grown to the perfect height. It occurred to me that you could cut those trees down, split them up, and sell them as firewood for a small fund-raiser. Won’t you help me cut Mr. Obama down?

In the hours since the debate ended, our campaign -- yours’ and mine -- has been extremely busy. I agree with you that Mr. Obama’s constant attacking not only me, but everything the country stands for, was disgraceful. Even Senator John McCain has expressed outrage on this un-American activity.

Thus, our campaign has decided on two Emergency Actions we must take. The first is to challenge Mr. Obama to a fourth debate. We believe that it should be conducted in the format of the seventh-grade book report. Under these ideal, patriotic circumstances, the American public could benefit enormously from a shallow presentation based solely upon style of delivery.

I am willing to let my challenger select the site of this debate. Mr. Obama can pick between Brigham Young University, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii, and the LDS Business School. In fact, I will allow him to select the moderator: two of my junior high school teachers are still alive.

Second, our attorneys are preparing an emergency filing for the Supreme Court. I have ordered this action, because Barack Obama is now four years closer to acquiring a nuclear weapon, than he was when he took office. We cannot afford to allow the enemies of our nation to attack us. Hence, I have contributed my favorite quote from President Ronald Reagan:

“The streets of our country are in turmoil. The universities are filled with students rebelling and rioting. Communists are seeking to destroy our country. Russia is threatening us with her might, and the Republic is in danger. Yes - danger from within and without. We need law and order! Without it our nation cannot survive.”

Based upon the potential wide-spread voter fraud and the threat of rioting, our campaign is asking the Supreme Court to take bold and patriotic action. Based upon the 2000 case 531 U.S. 98, the Supreme Court can overrule a presidential election after it happens. We believe that they must take this a bold step forward, and rule that I am the winner even before Election Day. A pur curiam decision would allow them to bravely and collectively issue an anonymous decision.

These are the two patriotic steps that we are undertaking on behalf of our campaign. You can also take two steps to prevent your Job Creator from having to fire you and your family members. First, we need your generous financial contributions to help us offset the forces of Hollywood, teachers’ unions, and Muslims seeking to destroy our country. Ask your parents for help with this, or take out a second mortgage.

Second, because I know that you were as offended as I by Mr. Osama’s “bayonets and horses” gaff last night, please call Congress. Demand that they immediately impeach Mr. Obama for his cavalier failure to provide the 7th Cavalry with the proper weapons needed to defend our shores from foreign attack at the Little Big Horn on June 25th and 26th, 1876. This was perhaps the most disgraceful failure of any democrat president to protect our interests, and the entire Obama administration remains suspiciously quiet.

Was, as UN Ambassador Rice has claimed, this simply a case of people protesting the movie “Dances With Wolves”? Or was it a terrorist attack upon all that we hold sacred? I am prepared to address this disgraceful inaction on Mr. Obama’s part tonight, on Fox News. I’ll report, and you’ll decide to contribute to our campaign.

Yours in Faith,

Mitt Romney

October 22, 2012

Willard ain't got a Soul

Podium rocks in the crowded waves.
The speaker talks of the beautiful saves
That went down long before he played this role
For the hotel queens and the magazines,
Test tube genes and slot machines

Where even Richard Nixon has got soul.
Even Richard Nixon has got it, soul.

Hospitals have made him cry,
But there`s always a free way in his eye,
Though his beach just got too crowded for his stroll.
Roads stretch out like healthy veins,
And wild gift horses strain the reins,

Where even Richard Nixon has got soul.
Even Richard Nixon has got soul.

I am a lonely visitor.
I came to late to cause a stir,
Though I campaigned all my life towards that goal.
-- Neal Young; Campaigner


Tonight’s debate between President Obama and Willard Romney can be regarded as the “rubber match,” to decide the one-to-one split thus far. Although Romney lied virtually every time he spoke in Debate #1, he was given credit for a “victory.” Barack Obama then thrashed Willard in the next contest. Because tonight’s debate is supposed to focus on “foreign policy” -- and Romney’s “experience” is limited to friendly financial dealings with the most brutal, vicious of El Salvador’s “leaders,” sending US jobs to foreign lands, and investing his profits off-shore -- we can expect him to actually lie even more tonight. In fact, it is impossible for Willard Romney to tell the truth, because he is a lie. And he doesn’t even have a soul.

Thus, I thought it might be interesting to consider two questions: (1) What can we expect from President Obama tonight ?; and (2) What do we wish President Obama would say or do? I am hoping that a wide range of forum participants will take the time to answer both of these questions today, not because I’m authoring the OP, but because I think that there might be both value and entertainment if a good discussion follows. Here is my opinion.

#1: As always, a campaign has three groups to consider. The first is its base, or those who will generally be in agreement with your campaign on most issues. The second is the opposition, which can be counted on to disagree with most things from your campaign. And third is the “undecided.”

As a general rule, a campaign should motivate the base; not stir up and energize the opposition; and appeal to the “undecided,” especially in a close election contest. A good example of this balance is found in President Obama’s performance at the second debate. Because of the wide-spread perception that Romney “won” the first debate -- no matter if we agree with that or not -- it was essential for President Obama to appeal to his base. He did. But he didn’t strike any hornets’ nests, to provide the opposition with something to use against him. And he presented solid reasons for any sincere “undecided” voters to support him.

This doesn’t imply that he can merely have a repeat performance. The Romney camp will surely be looking to reach new lows, and Obama must be fully prepared for each new lie that Willard spouts. And that brings us to question #2.

A lot of good people, both on this forum and beyond, would like President Obama to say that Willard is a liar. This includes many who want the President to use that word -- “liar.” The reason that he will not use that word are found in each of the three groups. First, it would energize the opposition; the corporate media would definitely add fuel to the fire, and fan the flames up until Election Day. Second, that would result in the “undecided” leaning towards Romney. And third, it would force the base to waste time by responding to the “controversy.”

Instead, what I hope to see is President Obama exposing Romney’s “errors” in such a way that it appeals to the entire audience to decide if Romney is a pathological liar, or just a dangerously ignorant damned fool. That energizes the base, by allowing them to exercise control over the post-debate discussions. Why is Romney saying these things? Is he purposely fronting for the neoconservative war party? Is he that stupid? Or a combination of both?

It also appeals to the undecided voters. And it does more: it forces the republican voters, especially the republican women, to evaluate if they can actually vote for Romney. I’m not concerned about what they may say in public, or how they respond to poll-takers. What matters is how they vote. And I can say that the two registered republicans that I talk to about politics the most have decided to vote for President Obama. They know that Willard Romney ain’t got a soul.

What do you think will happen tonight?

October 21, 2012

George McGovern's Garden

….and I will leave
But the birds stay, singing
And my garden will stay,
With its green trees,
With its water well.
Many afternoons the skies will be
Blue and placid, and the bells
In the belfry will chime,
As they are chimming this very afternoon.
The people who have loved me
Will pass away, and the town
Will burst anew every year.
But my spirit will always wander
Nostalgic in the same recondite
Corner of my flowery garden.
-- Juan Ramon Jimerez; El Viaje Definitive (The Definitive Journey)

George McGovern created a beautiful garden here on earth. Now, upon his death, the news media will invest a small corner of their product to the man and his garden. But these reports pale in significance, to me, to the posts on DU:GD that tell of forum participants having cast their vote -- often, their first actual vote, and other times, in a grade school “mock” election -- for Senator McGovern.

Much of the corporate coverage will center upon his 1972 run against Nixon. Although it was an important part of his political career, I would advise against separating it from that career in its entirety. Indeed, it is best to view it in the context of not only McGovern’s pre- and post-1972 career, but more, as the result of the first actual “grass roots” campaign that led to a major party nomination. And add that it was against the active, wide-spread Watergate corruption of the Nixon administration.

Watergate was not, of course, a mere example of political corruption. It involved gross violations of the law, a severe threat to the Constitution, and the decay of the social fabric. Yes, Nixon won the election. And yes, McGovern’s fall campaign involved serious errors by both the candidate and his staff. These facts were part and parcel in 1972. But there was more -- much more -- and that is exactly why the ‘72 contest is generally lost in the current study of historic presidential campaigns.

That McGovern’s grass roots campaign won the democratic primaries is as important, as it is historic. That his grass roots campaign lost in November was not shocking -- no political party or movement tends to capture the White House on its first try. And that was compounded by the lack of energetic support from the Democratic Party machine for the McGovern campaign.

I will remember George McGovern for many reasons: his honesty (rare indeed at that level of politics), his passion, his optimism, and his compassion. These were what McGovern planted in his garden. The harvest is found in the assistance to the poor and needy in our society. The hungry fed, the naked clothed.

And it is still more: that harvest includes the wonderful, though saddened, comments that our friends in the Democratic Underground are expressing today. A part of this saddness is the recognition that just as “time” moves forward, our experiences -- including many of the most meaningful -- are now becoming the more distant past.

George McGovern lived for 90 years; in that time, he made a meaningful contribution to the Good Fight. He tended his garden in an honorable way ….not only far more so than Dick Nixon, but than almost any other politician of the past 100 years. We can keep that garden alive, by taking a small sprout from George’s garden, and nurturing it in our own. And that is the most important tribute we can pay to this honorable man.

Thank you,
H2O Man

October 20, 2012

Vote

Voting is not only a right, it is a responsibility. Thus, when I hear a person say, “I don’t bother to vote, because it doesn’t make any difference,” I know that person is not only ignorant, but also irresponsible. And, in my opinion, they are traitors to democracy. Let me explain.

“Democracy” is not a system provided by the nation-state; it is a process that citizens engage in. It is, by definition, a continuous -- thus constant -- process. The right and responsibility to vote is a significant part of that process. Nothing can make this clearer than to consider the current attempts by members of the republican party to deny groups of people this right, in the context of the historical struggle of various groups to secure the right to vote.

“Voting rights,” and the right to run for office, are defined by both state and federal laws. Thus, where the US Constitution and federal law do not define voter/ candidate eligibility, the various states have the discretion to determine the individual’s rights. And frequently, the individual states have created laws to disenfranchise specific groups of people.

Even after the Revolutionary War, various states disenfranchised not only all non-white male property owners, but groups of white men who owned property. These restrictions, not surprisingly, targeted Catholics, Jews, and Quakers. Officer-holders in Delaware had to take a specific “Christian” oath. South Carolina only allowed Protestants to hold office. And in Maryland, Jewish men would not have voting rights until 1828.

The question of Native American voting rights has always been complicated. It wasn’t until the 1879 Standing Bear trial in Nebraska, that Indians were deemed human beings “within the meaning of law” in the United States. Just how “human” was long a matter of individual state interpretation, of course: up until the mid-1960s, for example, a white man who raped an Indian woman could only be charged with a misdemeanor.

By no coincidence, issues of voting rights began to change in the post-Civil War era. The 14th Amendment (1866) provided citizenship to black people -- in theory, though not often practice, this added 2/5ths to their previous 3/5ths legal status as “humans.” Then, in 1869, the 15th Amendment determined that black citizens could not be denied the right to vote based upon race.

Thus, in the years between 1890 and 1908, ten of the 11 former Confederate states would ratify new constitutions with provisions to disenfranchise potential voters by way of literacy tests and poll taxes. This, of course, provided the added bonus to restricting the rights of poor white men, as well: it targeted specific ethnic groups that had immigrated to the US in recent decades, such as the Irish and Italians.

In 1913, the 17th Amendment allowed for voters to determine who their US Senators would be. Until then, a handful of people in each state selected their Senators.

The right of women to vote cannot be found in Mitt Romney’s binders. The 19th Amendment (1920) provided women with the right to vote. There had been individual states that recognized this right even before 1920: Wyoming had provided for this right in order to be granted statehood. And women could vote in Colorado before 1920; however, women’s votes didn’t count as much as men’s votes.

In 1962, the state of Arizona was still attempting to deny voting rights to non-white citizens with “Operation Eagle Eye,” which enforced literacy tests. And it wasn’t until the US Supreme Court ruled in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections that poll taxes were found to be unconstitutional.

The 2000 presidential election involved the state of Florida’s denying a large number of citizens the right to vote. The vast majority of those disenfranchised were black people. Surprising, right?

In 2002, the Bush-Cheney administration -- installed by the Supreme Court in opposition to the actual 2000 election results -- would pass the Help Americans Vote Act (HAVA). In 2004, the Bush vs. Kerry election would be determined by voter suppression in Ohio.

Only 14 states do not require a mailing address to register to vote. In the others, those who are homeless (or frequently move, due to low income) are disenfranchised. Residents of Washington, DC, have long had separate, but unequal, voting rights. Citizens with past felony convictions face hurdles intended to keep them from voting. And the current “voter ID” law movement is certainly just the updated version of the historic effort to declare that while all people are created equal, some are a heck of a lot more equal than others.

Democracy is a muscle. Voting is one important exercise. Exercising that right to vote is a vital part of the process of keeping democracy in proper shape. Having it in proper shape is the best option for preventing the theft of the 2012 elections.

Thanks,
H2O Man

October 17, 2012

Mitt's Mutt Whistle

CROWLEY: Mr. President, let me get — let me get the governor in on this. And Governor, let’s — before we get into a…

ROMNEY: I — I…

CROWLEY: …vast array of who says — what study says what, if it shouldn’t add up. If somehow when you get in there, there isn’t enough tax revenue coming in. If somehow the numbers don’t add up, would you be willing to look again at a 20 percent…

ROMNEY: Well of course they add up. I — I was — I was someone who ran businesses for 25 years, and balanced the budget. I ran the Olympics and balanced the budget. I ran the — the state of Massachusetts as a governor, to the extent any governor does, and balanced the budget all four years. When we’re talking about math that doesn’t add up, how about $4 trillion of deficits over the last four years, $5 trillion? That’s math that doesn’t add up. We have — we have a president talking about someone’s plan in a way that’s COMPLETELY FOREIGN to what my real plan is. (Emphasis by H2O Man)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/10/16/full-transcript-of-the-second-presidential-debate/?wprss=rss_business


The transcript alone does not tell the whole story behind this little exchange in last night’s debate. (You have to watch it, to fully appreciate how Romney is attempting to insult Barack Obama.) And I have been disappointed that no journalist has focused on it -- yet. But I do expect that either Chris Matthews or Lawrence O’Donnell will report on it soon.

Simply put, at a time when Romney was getting his ass kicked by President Obama, he pulled this line out. It was one that his campaign had prepared, and that Willard had rehearsed, for two reasons: one, it was an obvious shout-out to the rabid right wing; and second, it was intended to throw the President off balance, by showing the willingness to deliver the dirtiest of low-blows.

It didn’t work in the intended manner.