To my conservative colleagues

As a registered fellow Republican, I feel obligated to address the compatriots in my party. This address is in regards to an alarming amount of reconcilable differences that are permeating our culture and being galvanized and exacerbated on mainstream media rather than rectified.

In the past twelve months, I have witnessed some ridiculous interpretations of what is fact, faith and fiction from several conservative journalists, pundits and politicians.

My diatribe is not so much a song about highlighting the severe academic deficiencies of an entire party as it is an exclamation of dismay at the direction of objective knowledge.

On Aug. 19, 2012, Todd Akin ushered in a tsunami of public scathing with his comments about “legitimate rape”, touting his blatant illiteracy at how a female’s body works. His misogynistic statements came with no medical validity. He lost the election due primarily to overwhelming backlash from female voters.

Paul Broun, U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 10^th congressional district, has been publicly saying stupid things since 2008.  In Nov., he compared Obama’s call for a civilian national service corps to that of Hitler and the Soviet Union. Although President Bush had endorsed a similar idea in 2006, Broun was unapologetic for invoking Godwin’s Law without fully understanding what it was he was criticizing. Rather, he is so embittered due to his preconceptions that he is entirely incapable of humility.

Fast-forward to Sept. 27, 2012 - where Broun stated that the sciences of evolution, embryology and the Big Bang were “lies straight from the pit of Hell.” Mr. Broun is also a young-Earth creationist, who believes the Earth “is about 9,000 years old” and was literally created in six, 24-hour days. Did I mention that Mr. Broun was serving on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology!?

 

Upon hearing that, I had the same reaction I heard when I read this story from April, 2010.

Game over: UN elects Iran to its commission on … women’s rights

Yes, that really happened. Facepalm.

Fortunately, someone smarter than I was listening to Broun’s comments. International smart-man Bill Nye the Science Guy commented on Broun’s speech, and questioned Broun’s ability to serve on the Science Committee.

“Broun’s views are not in the national interest,” Nye said. “He is, by any measure, unqualified to make decisions about science, space and technology.”

The next chairman of the House Sciences Committee, Republican Lamar Smith - a climate change antagonist - openly criticized the media in 2009 for not airing enough “dissenting opinions” about man-made global warming.

Just to be clear; there is an overwhelming amount of evidence within the scientific community supporting man-made global warming. It really isn’t much harder than using Google Scholar to find one of the thousands and thousands of peer-reviewed papers (as if the independent lines of evidence from every branch of natural sciences converging on the same, irrefutable logic wasn’t convincing enough). It also takes a little bit of historical and geological knowledge; not just temperature comparisons.

There is no more a controversy over the validity to global warming than there is about the Earth being flat, or revolving around the sun. (Or evolution. Yes, evolution is both a fact and a theory. The theory explains the facts)

Former House science panel chairman, Rep. Ralph Hall, ridiculously said about global warming that he is “really more fearful of freezing,” but admittedly had ZERO science to prove that scenario was eminent. Was this a joke? It certainly wasn’t science.

Mainstream media: can we please stop pitting the ignorant against the educated, then framing it as though it were a debate?

The frontier of scientific knowledge would truly appreciate it.

Thanks,
Justin Chandler Porter

Coverage Comparison

FOX 

For election night, I was at the Marriott for the GOP Watch Party. There, they were playing FOX news on two giant screens at opposite ends of the room for participants to keep up with the score.

By 10:00 p.m., Obama was at 244 electoral votes while Romney was trailing with 203.

Fox correspondents Bret Baer, Brit Hume and Megyn Kelly were covering the action at Fox studios.

“Obama is more likely to try and work with republicans, now that he is a lame duck,” said Kelly.

Bret Baer subjectively said, “Obama had to appease democrats, his base, by not working with republicans.” However, it is a lack of bipartisan governing from both sides that has seen a gridlock in government productivity.

A democratic guest (unnamed during my viewing) claimed the gridlock came from republicans, who outnumbered the democratic voice in the House of Representatives 233-195.

Brit Hume said, “Raising taxes on the rich doesn’t achieve nearly enough money” to impact the deficit, but didn’t comment on what it does do.

It seems like Fox is looking for a single jubilee that can fix the economy, rather than blending ideas and micromanaging.

Hume said the Obama administration has tried to paint Romney as a vulture capitalist, citing Obama’s $100 million negative ad campaign.

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, Fox’s most notoriously frequent guest, said it was an unusual election and that Romney did great for a northeastern liberal. He said this year has seen a “very weak field of candidates”, but was very optimistic about the next generation of candidates, like Fla. Sen. Marco Rubio.

“The future of the party is bright,” Krauthammer said.

CNN

When I turned on CNN, Wolf Blitzer was saying Obama was projected to win Iowa. There were roars of applause from Obama fans as the race drew to a close.

Jessica Yellin, Chief White House Correspondent, said this election was “a lesson the Republican party will learn from.”

By this time, Obama had received 43.8 million (49%) of the popular vote, with Romney slightly ahead at 44.0 million votes (49%). Romney would go on to win the popular vote, with Obama collecting the required 270 electoral votes.

“I think it is a myth out there that [Obama] does not want to cooperate,” said Van Jones, a CNN contributor. “I think he did want to. I think he had a hard time finding a partner because of the Tea Party caucus.”

By 11:30 p.m., several news stations had projected Obama as the overall winner.

Jim Acosta, CNN national political correspondent reported the Romney campaign was not ready to concede the election.

As of 11:46 p.m., CNN reported Romney was not ready to concede.

The reason was the Romney campaign had disputed the Ohio call, which went against some of Fox’s officials’ reports.

MSNBC 

Chris Matthews, host of Hardball, called the election shortly after 11:00 p.m.

Al Sharpton hilariously called Obama’s campaign “flawless,” saying Obama “brought us back from the ugliness politics have become.”

Then again, hindsight is 20-20.

It seems that, upon hearing the projection, Sharpton had forgotten all the vitriolic, antagonistic, mud-slinging tactics presented from both sides throughout the race. He also didn’t seem to realize that Romney won the popular vote, which is far from a “flawless” victory.

Correspondents said it was a much harder race than in 2008 for both sides.

They agreed Romney’s 47% remark was fatal, and reported the mood at the Romney campaign was “deflated.”

“[Republicans] will continue to lose, and marginalize themselves,” Sharpton added.

Rachel Maddow quickly jumped on the fact that FOX was refusing to believe some of their own officials.

Maddow said, if Romney won, Obama’s policies “would have been dialed back along with the rest of his legacy.”

Bringin' it Home

An excruciatingly long election campaign journeys into its final hours.

As the 2012 election draws to a close, it seems that every ounce of news has been juiced from the fruit of our labors.

But the final hours of the election roll on, and journalistic pundits scoop up the few remaining details that could help change the minds of undecided voters.

The Poynter Institute reported at least 30 newspapers across the nation switched from endorsing Obama in 2008 to Romney this year.

Twenty-four of those papers were swing-state papers, like the Wisconsin State Journal. Although the Journal touts Obama as a “more likable and inspiring speaker”, it says “This is now Obama’s economy, even though the GOP shares in the blame for partisan games.”

Sharing is caring. With all the negative spin, vitriolic remarks and persistent gaffes, at least we can all share the blame.

Some of the other re-opinionated newspapers include the New York Daily News, the Reno Gazette-Journal, the Orlando Sentinel and the Houston Chronicle.

Meanwhile, only a handful of papers have flipped to Obama, including The San Antonio Express-News, the San Francisco Examiner and the Winston-Salem Journal – all who endorsed McCain in 2008.

Hurricane Sandy Helps Coordinate Campaign Strategy

The pull for Ohio is shaping up to be fundamental to Governor Romney's potential presidency.

Polls currently show a tie at 49 percent among voters. But, with a margin of error at over three percent, it's anybody's game.

Republican Sen. Rob Portman, on Fox News Sunday, said the energy, momentum and enthusiasm is on his side.

Obama campaign manager, Stephanie Cutter, said on ABC, "we feel pretty good about Ohio and think we're going to win it."

President Obama rescheduled his Orlando rally this weekend due to the latest trajectory of Hurricane Sandy.

Romney was also forced to cancel a rally in New Hampshire.

Both candidates have had to suspend campaign duties along the East coast, including fundraisers in New Jersey, Virginia and North Carolina - all anticipated to receive Sandy's wrath.

A CNN report shows Hurricane Sandy expected to make landfall near the Jersey shore the evening of Oct. 29.

In response, the New York City Stock Exchange, the Subway, the U.N. building and the Broadway Theatres have all closed in anticipation of the storm.

Written by: Justin Chandler Porter

Face the Nation

Election Day is two weeks away, and Monday’s debate will be the last opportunity for President Obama and Governor Romney to make their case for America.

According to a Sunday poll from NBC News / Wall Street Journal, both candidates are tied at 47 percent, while a Politico tracking poll shows Romney slightly leading, 49-47.

An enduring performance could mean a significant bump in the polls, while a gaffe could spell the end of a hard-fought brawl with very little time to recover. Either way, this could be the most important 90 minutes of the election.

The candidates have previously argued about domestic issues, like border-control, healthcare and social programs.

Major talking points for Monday’s debate will likely revolve around details of the Benghazi attack in Libya, mounting discord in Syria and sanctions against Iran for its nuclear pursuits.

The final debate will take place at 9 p.m. EST at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. It will air on NBCNews.com and NBCPolitics.com.

Moderator and veteran journalist Bob Schieffer will take the middle seat for the night’s debate. He told CNN.com he was ready to endure the scrutiny of being caught in the crossfire of the heated debaters.

Schieffer has, since 1972, covered every presidential race and convention. He has been the host of CBS’ “Face the Nation” since 1991.

Huffington Post reporter Paul Abrams said in a report that Schieffer should not focus too much on Benghazi, but rather on heavier issues.

“Benghazi is neither the most important, nor a symptom of the most important foreign policy matters that need to be discussed,” Abrams wrote in a report Oct. 22.

Round 2: Fact or Friction

President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney met Tuesday night at the Town Hall in Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

The venue, much different than the first two, featured undecided voters asking questions directly to the participants.

Much of the heated back-and-forth between the incumbent and the GOP nominee revolved around the loss of Ambassador Chris Stevens, three American soldiers and the confusing aftermath that ensued.

“it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in Benghazi an act of terror,” Romney said. Moderator Candy Crowley acknowledged that argument.

Although, the day after the attack, Obama spoke at the Rose Garden with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, where he said,  “no acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation.”

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, went on several networks less than a week after the Benghazi attack, saying the incident was uncoordinated and unplanned.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice addresses the U.N.

Obama fired back by saying, “The suggestion that … my team … would play politics … when we’ve lost four of our own … is offensive.”

The event was a fun chance for both men on stage to dole out archaic gaffes and regrettable one-liners.

We saw cameos from Romney’s “47%” line, as well as his line about “letting Detroit go bankrupt.”

Before the Benghazi issue, Sen. Rob Portman said foreign policy was in the president’s favor.

“That has changed now,” Portman said on CNN.

Decisive Denver Debate

Squaring-off at the University of Denver, the incumbent Barack Obama and the GOP nominee Mitt Romney met face-to-face for the first of three presidential debates Wednesday night.

The event, hosted by moderator Jim Lehrer, focused on domestic policies, including the deficit, Medicare and education.

Post-debate polls immediately went to Romney, citing his aggression, passion and energy, but with his all-to-familiar lack of detail. The same polls cited Obama as underwhelming; even cold.

Romney introduced a five-step process that diverges from the President’s current “top-down” policies. It included getting America energy-independent, opening up more foreign trade, balancing the federal budget and championing small business.

Romney also urged America to crack down on China, “if and when they cheat.”

Romney said the role of government is not to be the economic player, picking winners and losers, but to make the private sector more efficient and effective.

Obama persistently referred to Romney’s $5 trillion tax cuts, accusing the nominee of exacerbating the problems that have devastated the economy over the past decade.

“If you believe we can cut taxes by $5 trillion and add $2 trillion in additional spending the military is not asking for,” Obama said, “then Governor Romney’s plan may work for you.”

Obama said asking how we pay for that without dumping costs onto middle-class Americans is a central question of the campaign.

The Brooking Institute’s Tax Policy Center determined large tax cuts to high-income households while increasing the tax burdens on middle-class families under the Romney plan.

Despite the finding, Romney acknowledges, “You’ll never balance the budget by raising taxes.”

ObamaCare, the President’s signature health-care law, was an issue of contention. While Romney aspires to cleave the program if elected, he lacked specifics on how he would replace the program.

Liberal comedian Bill Maher tweeted during the event, “Obama is not looking like he came for a job interview; Romney does.”

Democratic strategist James Carville said it looked like Obama did not want to be there, but expected a big pushback from the President.

This is reflective of the mounting pressure, as absentee ballots are already being filled just weeks before the election.