Great Saturday Morning Political Radio - Listen Live

Want to talk to The Elephant in the Room's main contributor LME and the best Saturday morning political talk show panel on the internet? Join us! Listen to The 405 Live on the web from 10:00 - 11:00am EST on Saturday, September 1st. The show is hosted by @johng405.  Listen at the following link:

http://the405radio.com/

If you'd like to call in, please do so at 877-297-8022. Feedback on the segment is greatly appreciated.

Republican National Convention Open Forum 8/27/12 - 8/31/12

This is an open forum for the Republican National Convention. We do want to steal the convention's thunder ( :-) ), and this post will be near the top of the blog feed all week.

As the convention goes on, please share your thoughts, observations, links, and any other information you would like people to see below. Of course, we will post news headlines daily, and as other articles/write-ups are finished, they will be posted, too. Thank you for all your comments, links, and opinions, and we hope Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and the rest of the GOP a safe and successful convention. #GOP2012

UPDATED: 8/31/2012

So, the 2012 Republican National Convention came to an end... what did you think? Who was your favorite speaker? What was the biggest surprise? What did you think of Mitt Romney's speech? Please share your opinions below. Thank you!

*** Be sure to vote in the weekly LME Paul Ryan VP Nominee poll on the left side of this blog ***

August 31, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- In his widely-anticipate nomination acceptance speech, Mitt Romney laid out his case to elect him as the next president:

     CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/31/politics/five-things-from-rnc/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

     Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/30/romney-accepts-gop-presidential-nomination/

     ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romney-accepts-nomination-promises-restore-america/story?id=17117919

     CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57504001-503544/romney-time-to-put-obama-behind-us/?tag=cbsContent;cbsCarousel

     NBC News: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/30/13578981-romney-accepts-nomination-says-the-time-has-come-to-turn-the-page?lite

- The defense for Colorado movie theater shooting suspect James Holmes claims he tried to call his psychiatrist's after-hours number 9 minutes before he went on his shooting rampage (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/30/psychiatrist-says-only-met-with-colorado-shooting-suspect-once/?test=latestnews?test=latestnews

-Additional cases of hantavirus, which has killed two Americans, have been found at Yosemite National Park (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/30/health/california-yosemite-hantavirus/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

*** Be sure to vote in the weekly LME Paul Ryan VP Nominee poll on the left side of this blog ***

Fact Checking a Fact Check: Did CNN Rush to Judgement?

So what did you think of Paul Ryan's speech last night? I thought he did a great job. He said what was needed: that the economy is not recovering quickly enough, that 23 million Americans are unemployed or underemployed, that one in six Americans now live in poverty, and yes, logically, we need a change in leadership. These are facts, and there really is no way around them. Of course, without hesitation, the liberal media was quick to jump on Ryan's speech, searching for any little tidbit of information they could to show he was a "liar" and "short on facts." But it didn't start with the media. Last night, Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter, who falsely (by a matter of 4x1) claimed "Obama has created more jobs than Ronald Reagan" tweeted the following during Ryan's speech:

August 30, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- In his first formal introduction to the country, Vice President nominee Paul Ryan ignited the Republican National Convention:

     NBC News: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/29/13557231-ryan-accepts-vp-nod-lets-get-this-done?lite

     Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/29/ryan-calls-for-american-turnaround-with-romney-in-lead/

     ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/paul-ryan-thrills-republicans-telling-lets/story?id=17108748#.UD9HVMGPVK8

- In Florida, a three-judge panel has determined that the man accused of murdering teenager Trayvon Martin deserves a new judge in his case (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57503044-504083/george-zimmerman-deserves-new-judge-in-martin-murder-case-panel-rules-a.g-plans-no-appeal/?tag=stack

- What is left of hurricane Isaac, now a tropical storm, moves inward through central Louisiana (USA Today): http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/story/2012-08-29/isaac-tropical-storm/57420246/1

*** Be sure to vote in the weekly LME Paul Ryan VP Nominee poll on the left side of this blog ***

Mitt Romney has a Women Problem? What About Obama's Men Problem?

We've heard it over and over and over again: "Women voters favor Barack Obama." Or "Mitt Romney has a problem with women voters." Or the big one: "Gender gap!"

A "problem?" A "gap?" Nice word choices. Of course, this is heavily broadcast in the liberal media. Any time they can put out a headline that lines up "problem" and "Romney," they will happily jump on the chance. This headingling of a gender gap is the "effect" of the media-induced "war on women". Yes, the fake war on women is the "cause," so to speak.

August 29, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- As Mitt Romney's wife Ann gave a speech about her husband, ABC News released a timely poll showing Mitt Romney's popularity is low: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/republicans-celebrate-mitt-romney-nomination-poll-highlights-low/story?id=17097297#.UD32u8GPVK8

- Hurricane Isaac made landfall twice since 9pm last night, and storm surges as high as 12 feet have toppled over an 18-mile stretch of Louisiana's levees (NBC News): http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/29/13543307-officials-hurricane-isaacs-storm-surge-overtops-levee-sends-12-foot-flood-into-la-homes?lite

- The Syrian government claims its war against the country's rebels is getting better and that it needs time to quell the rebellion (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57502308/bashar-assad-fight-against-syria-rebels-better-govt-forces-moving-forward/?tag=stack

*** Be sure to vote in the weekly LME Paul Ryan VP Nominee poll on the left side of this blog ***

August 28, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Hurricane Issac is expected to make landfall as a category 1 hurricane. It is taking direct aim at New Orleans and is expected to carry with it 12-foot storm surges (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2012/08/27/isaac-poised-to-strengthen-into-robust-hurricane-taking-aim-at-new-orleans/

- An Israeli court has ruled that US peace activist Rachel Corrie's death was an accident (USA Today): http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-08-28/israel-us-activist-death-accident/57362318/1

- As the excitement and pomp and circumstance roll around, the GOP is prepared to officially name Mitt Romney its candidate for President of the United States (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/28/politics/gop-convention-wrap/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

*** Be sure to vote in the weekly LME Paul Ryan VP Nominee poll on the left side of this blog ***

August 27, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- In another example of a "green-on-blue" attack, an Afghan soldier turned against his NATO allies killing two before being killed himself (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/27/world/asia/afghanistan-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

- A series of small earthquakes struck southern California Sunday ranging from 3.5 to 5.5 on the Richter scale (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/series-earthquakes-rattle-california-17083595#.UDtTosGPVK8

- As Tropical Storm barrels through the Gulf of Mexico, the GOP is shrinking the Republican National Convention from four days to three (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/08/republican-conventions-big-squeeze-planners-trim-schedule-to-three-days/

- At the Republican National Convention, the GOP is putting a national debt clock on display (USA Today): http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/republicans-unveil-national-debt-clock/1#.UDtVPMGPVK8

*** Be sure to vote in the weekly LME Paul Ryan VP Nominee poll on the left side of this blog ***

Listen to LME On the Radio. Call in to Talk to our Panel!

Join me on the radio! Listen to The 405 Live on the web from 10:00 - 11:00am EST on Saturday, August 25th. The show is hosted by @johng405. We have brought in more co-hosts for a larger political discussion.  Listen at the following link:

http://the405radio.com/

If you'd like to call in, please do so at 877-297-8022. Feedback on the segment is greatly appreciated.

Friday Lie-Day!!!

Happy Friday everyone!

So why does the title of this post say "Friday Lie-Day?" Well, surprisingly, Anderson Cooper is at it again... he is calling out DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz for her blatantly dishonest claim about Mitt Romney's stance on abortion and her intentional misquoting of the LA Times. I'm not big on "gotcha" politics, and I prefer deep economic analysis, but hey, it's Friday, viewership is typically lower, and sometimes we can have a little fun. I mean, heck... when the media, late night talk show hosts, and those of the like continually ridicule the GOP (sometimes legitimately, mostly not, and mostly creating fake "gaffes" and twists), I think we on the right can play by the same rules. This is not my video; it's from The Right Scoop, and it shows Anderson Cooper standing up for truth. Check it out: http://www.therightscoop.com/brutal-anderson-cooper-obliterates-dnc-chair-over-her-lies-about-romneys-stance-on-abortion/

August 24, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- US cyclist Lance Armstrong, in a defiant statement, has said he will no longer fight the US Anti-Doping Agency's accusations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong claims he is innocent, but can no longer let the investigation hurt his life. He will be formally stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/23/sport/lance-armstrong-investigation/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

- Norway massacre suspect Anders Breivik has been sentenced to 21 years in prison, the longest possible sentence under Norwegian law. He can apply for parole in 10 years (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/24/norway-court-deems-breivik-sane-sentences-killer-to-prison/

- Hurricane Issac, considered to be a threat to the republican national convention beginning Monday, appears to be weakening and shifting its trajectory west (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/tropical-storm-isaac-lashes-northern-caribbean-17064134#.UDdeXMGPVK8

- The FBI is investigating threats against Todd Akin, the Missouri representative who earlier this week made comments about a woman's ability to "get rid of" an unwanted pregnancy if it was the result of a "legitimate" rape (USA Today): http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/08/capitol-police-fbi-probe-threats-against-mo-rep-akin/1?loc=interstitialskip#.UDdet8GPVK8

Obama Continues to Lie about Taxes

As I have previously written, it seems that President Obama is taking the "throw it at the wall and see what sticks" approach to his campaign ads. This means that he is making claims, regardless of how false they are, while hoping they get enough viewership without the average American even checking on the validity of these claims for themselves. If repeated often enough, the electorate will simply believe these claims, without question, ultimately voting for a president based on lies and misinformation. For additional examples, see this post: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/06/fill-in-blank-obama-campaign-is-based.html. In fact, I highlighted the "science" behind the President's campaign strategy here: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/06/obama-campaign-deceit-machine-rolls-on.html

In Obama's newest campaign ad, he goes right after Mitt Romney and his tax rate. First,... why??? What in the world does this have to do with anything? Does Obama really think the American people are that stupid? Let's get some things straight:

August 23, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Ex-energy loans watchdog Herbert M. Allison Jr. is now an Obama donor (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57498780/ap-ex-energy-loans-watchdog-became-obama-donor/?tag=stack

- A US Navy seal, using a pen name, who was involved in the killing of Osama Bin Laden, will release a firsthand account of the raid on September 11th (USA Today): http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/08/seal-writes-firsthand-account-of-bin-laden-raid/1#.UDYOkMGPVK8

- Tropical storm Issac, which could strengthen to a hurricane, threatens to disrupt the Republican National Convention in Tampa starting Monday (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/22/tampa-mayor-prepared-to-order-evacuation-if-convention-city-threatened-by/

A Quick Thought About the CBO's $1.1 Trillion Budget Deficit Prediction

Yes, you read the headline correctly. The Congressional Budget Office has predicted that the final budget deficit, the amount by which the government spends more than it takes in for a year, will close the 2012 fiscal year at about $1.1 trillion (see it here: http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43539). The government will have spent $3.8 trillion while taking in revenues of $2.7 trillion. And yes, I must through this out there, taxing the rich more will not change the $1.1 trillion deficit. See those numbers here: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/03/tax-rich-obama-class-warfarecampaign.html

This post isn't scientific; it's just some thoughts about these numbers. Think about this:

August 22, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- A Washington state resident was arrested for emailing death threats against the President to the FBI (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/22/armed-washington-man-arrested-for-emailed-obama-threats/#ixzz24F83W8dZ?test=latestnews

- Russia has issued a stern warning to the White House if Obama goes ahead with his threat of "enormous consequences" against Syria (NBC News): http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/22/13409128-syria-crisis-russia-warns-obama-against-violation-of-international-law?lite

- Presumptive GOP Vice President nominee Paul Ryan has joined the rank-and-file GOP who have asked representative Akin to withdraw from the Missouri senate race (USA Today): http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/todd-akin-rape-abortion-missouri-senate-race/1#.UDTGjKmPVK8

August 21, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey's C-17 plane was struck with fragments from rocket fire launched into Bagram Airfield by Afghan militants overnight. Dempsey was not hurt, but his plane was damaged and he had to leave Afghanistan on a different C-17 (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/International/afghan-militants-hit-gen-martin-dempseys-plane/story?id=17046984#.UDNnsamPVK8

- Pressure mounts on GOP representative and senate candidate Todd Akin to resign his bid for the senate. The GOP is cutting off support, but Akin does not appear as if he wants to drop out of the race (USA Today): http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-08-20/akin-mccaskill-rape-senate-gop/57169562/1

- Iran claims it has upgraded its short range ballistic missiles. The move will most likely add additional tension to the current political climate bubbling in the Middle East (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/21/iran-says-it-has-upgraded-short-range-missile/#ixzz249rLzy00?test=latestnews

- After stunning growth over the last 12 years, Apple is now the most valuable company in world history (CNN Money): http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/20/technology/apple-most-valuable-company/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

A Well-Written Case Against the Re-election of Barack Obama

As a writer and a blogger, I stand for one thing: truth. Sadly, it seems that truth is hard to come by nowadays. But taking a deeper look at the concept of truth leads me to ask, "what does truth mean?" To me, truth means substance. It means real, cited, repeatable data. It means, and this is the biggest driver of why I write, when you have an opinion, you back it with fact. You back it with... truth. 

Now, of course, truth begets interpretation. What do I mean? Referencing my introduction paragraph, it means that I'm growing very tired of hollow opinions. I'm tired of empty rhetoric such as, "Bush was a bad president" or "Obama hates America" (to highlight how, yes, this does occur on both sides). Anyone can have an opinion, and debating what someone feels is useless, but opinions that are backed with facts, examples, citations, studies, etc. go much further than those that lack these opinion-promoting artifacts. 

August 20, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Missouri republican representative Todd Akin is under fire for claiming that "legitimate rape" rarely causes pregnancy. The GOP senate candidate claims he misspoke (CNN): http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/19/missouri-republican-claims-legitimate-rape-rarely-results-in-pregnancy/?hpt=hp_t1

- As an increasing amount of Afghan security forces turn against their allied counterparts, US Army general Martin Dempsey flew to Afghanistan to begin talks with Afghan officials about this problem (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/20/top-us-military-general-in-afghanistan-to-discuss-insider-attacks-on-troops/#ixzz244H8WbCE?test=latestnews

- More than a thousand firefighters are wrestling quickly growing flames ravaging California's central valley approximately 170 miles north of Sacramento (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57496142/thousands-flee-ahead-of-northern-calif-wildfire/?tag=stack

- In his now famous speech from the Ecuadorian embassy balcony in London, Julian Assange asked President Obama to release Bradley Manning, the accused US Army whistle blower who provided thousands of secret US cables to Wikileaks (NBC News): http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/19/13360956-assange-in-balcony-appeal-to-obama-release-leak-suspect-bradley-manning?lite

Join LME on the Radio - Call in and Join the Debate!

After a nice vacation, it's time to get back to work spreading the truth about economic and political issues. Join me and listen to The 405 Live on the web from 10:00 - 11:00am EST on Saturday, August 18th. The show is hosted by @johng405. Listen at the following link:

http://the405radio.com/

If you'd like to call in, please do so at 877-297-8022. Feedback on the segment is greatly appreciated.

The July 2012 Jobs Report

Here is the July 2012 employment situation report from the BLS: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf

Key Highlights:

- The unemployment rate rose to 8.3%. Non-farm employers added only 163,000 new jobs. 80,000 jobs were added in June. For 2012, the economy has averaged about 151,000 new jobs per month. Through the same time period in 2011, 153,000 new jobs per month were added.

- The number of unemployed persons rose to 12.8 million.

- The civilian labor force participation rate also dropped to 63.7%.

Share your thoughts, feelings, and analysis below.

The Elephant in the Room Goes on Vacation

Good morning to all those in the Blogosphere. I am writing a quick post to let everyone know that I will be going on vacation to Europe until August 17th.

Many of you will probably say, "who cares." A few might say, "good riddance."  :-) But I just wanted to inform those that stop by daily that I most likely won't be updating The Elephant in the Room while I'm out. I'll try, but it might be difficult.

I will be back on The 405 Live Radio show on Saturday, August 18th at 10:00am EST. As always, the show is hosted by @johng405. If you'd like to listen, please do so at the following link:

http://the405radio.com/

I will miss writing posts and debating with everyone out there. Please know that I'm looking forward to returning and getting back to work on the blog. I will have access to email, so if anyone comments, I can do my best to approve them quickly so they go live ASAP. Who knows, maybe this post will be a long comment board :-)

Thank you all for your support. It has been an amazing year, and I look forward to continuing the discussion, analysis, and civil debate when I get back. Go forth, and be Loudmouth Elephants. 

- Mike (LME)

August 2, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- This city of San Bernardino, California filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday joining the city of Stockton, California as a cash-strapped municipality riddled with debt (NBC News): http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/01/13077304-san-bernardino-calif-files-for-bankruptcy-with-over-1-billion-in-debts?lite

- Three US Airways commuter jets narrowly avoided a collision at DC's Reagan Airport on Tuesday (http://abcnews.go.com/US/us-airways-commuter-jets-avoid-collision-washington-dc/story?id=16910493

- Weekly jobless claims rose by a less-than-expected 8,000 on Thursday. The BLS releases its July jobs report tomorrow (Fox News): http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/2012/08/02/weekly-jobless-claims/?test=latestnews

*** Be sure to vote in the weekly LME Obama Bain Attack Ads poll on the left side of this blog ***

August 1, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz went on to win the GOP's senate nomination in Texas last night (CNN): http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/31/conservatives-congratulate-cruz-on-senate-win/

- A state department report released Tuesday claims that though Al Qaeda has suffered core losses, its operational capacity is expanding (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/31/al-qaeda-gaining-operational-capability-despite-core-losses-report-shows/#ixzz22GE1srOQ

- A United Airlines flight from Dallas to Denver landed safely after striking a bird in flight (NBC News): http://overheadbin.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/31/13055656-united-flight-lands-safely-after-bird-strikes-plane?lite

- Power has been resorted in India after nearly 620 people were left without electricity for 2 days (USA Today): http://www.usatoday.com/news/story/2012-08-01/india-power-restored/56636300/1?loc=interstitialskip

*** Be sure to vote in the weekly LME Obama Bain Attack Ads poll on the left side of this blog ***