CNN Shamelessly Misleads On Economic Report

Last Friday, the Commerce Department released a report claiming the economy grew at a dismal 2.0% annualized rate. By most economists' standards, an economy whose output exceeds last year's output by 2.0% is not growing quickly or strongly by any stretch of the imagination. But that didn't stop CNN from claiming it was a different story. See the article here: http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/26/news/economy/gdp-report/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Here is the front page headline from CNN.com:

Click Image for Expanded View

October 31, 2012 - Morning Headlines - Happy Halloween!

- For some, the recovery from Hurricane Sandy is beginning (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/US/superstorm-sandy-ravaged-states-steps-recovery/story?id=17594562#.UJEEMm_7KWg

- Help for the storm victims comes from all sources as the head of the Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa has offered to send doctors, supplies, food, and medicine to the US (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/31/world/asia/pakistan-us-sandy-offer/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

- Former GOP presidential candidate John McCain rips into President Obama for his handling of the conflict in Libya (NBC News): http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/30/14810005-mccain-rips-obama-on-libya-at-relief-event?lite

*** Be sure to vote in our final Obama v Romney poll on the left side of the blog ***

October 30, 2012 - Morning Headlines - Better Late than Never

Late today... thanks Hurricane Sandy, and thanks to everyone for the concern...

- The following links are from major news sites regarding Hurricane Sandy:

     - CNN: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/30/superstorm-sandys-wrath/?hpt=hp_t1

     - Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2012/10/30/at-least-17-dead-millions-without-power-in-sandy-aftermath/

     - ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/US/superstorm-sandy-17-dead-estimated-million-power/story?id=17594562#.UI_kOLHA_pc

- The judge in the George Zimmerman case has denied the prosecutor's request for a gag order that would have prevented the defense from posting documents online (NBC News): http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/29/14786126-zimmerman-murder-case-judge-denies-request-for-gag-order?lite

*** Be sure to vote in our final Obama v Romney poll on the left side of the blog ***

October 29, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- As Hurricane Sandy barrels down on the Eastern Seaboard, track the storms potential path and follow news updates at the major news websites:

     - CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/29/us/tropical-weather-sandy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

     - Fox News: http://www.myfoxhurricane.com/

     - ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricanes/page/hurricane-tracker-hurricane-sandy-2012-current-position-path-14355852

- The touchy case of police dog searches and the Fourth Amendment is about to get a review by the Supreme Court (NBC News): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49587699/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

*** Be sure to vote in our final Obama v Romney poll on the left side of the blog ***

Team Obama's "My First Time" Ad

Here is the new controversial ad from Team Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o6G3nwhPuR4 #MyFirstTime

Does anyone see a problem with this? Is Obama's campaign seriously comparing voting for Obama to a young woman losing her virginity? Is this how democrats view women? That when they vote, it's like a hook-up? That voting for your unquestioned, unchecked king is something sensual? That they chastise republicans for a "war on women" and wanting to take away women's rights, but "hey, voting for us is like sex! Bring it on!?" Lena Dunham, in the clip, says that voting caused her to go from being a girl to a woman. Come on!

Honestly, in my opinion, this ad lacks class. Mixing sex, especially when sensitivities are high from recent statements about rape and sexuality in general have been made, with voting seems to be going too far. Yes, this is done by Team Obama. It's on their barackobamadotcom YouTube channel.

But maybe I'm way off on this one. I don't have kids, but I'm curious how mothers feel about this. How does the mother of a 16-18 year old feel about the innuendos in this ad. I'm not religious, but how do religious fathers of teenage daughters feel about this ad? I think, personally, that the ad sinks to a new low in campaigning. And, of course, I predict the media won't even make this a story. Can you imagine the media outrage if the GOP dared to put something like this out?

What do you think? Am I way off? Please share your opinions below. Happy Friday!

October 26, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- 40 Afghans are dead when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in the northern part of the country (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/world/asia/afghanistan-unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

- The 2012 campaign has been the costliest in history as the candidates and associated SuperPACs have no raised over $2 billion (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/26/presidential-campaign-to-top-2b-with-less-than-two-weeks-until-election-day/

- In spite of a recently agreed upon cease fire by the Syrian government to honor the Eid al-Adha holiday, residents in Damascus are reporting shelling by government forces (NBC News): http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/25/14701991-syrian-military-agrees-to-eid-cease-fire-residents-report-shelling?lite

*** Be sure to vote in our final presidential home-stretch poll on the left side of the blog ***

October 25, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- President Obama, on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, slammed Indiana republican senatorial candidate Richard Mourdock over his comments recently about rape (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57539782/obama-slams-mourdock-rape-comments/?tag=cbsnewsHardNewsFDArea;fdmodule

- Hurricane Sandy, which has passed through Jamaica and now Cuba as a category 2 storm, could slam the East Coast with torrential downpours and high winds as it mixes with a cold front coming in from the north (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/hybrid-sandy-winter-storm-threatens-east-coast-17558643

- Information discovered regarding the attack on the US consulate in Libya shows the US was prepared to strike back and/or rescue the Americans at the compound, but the response was too slow (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/24/us-military-response-questioned-in-wake-deadly-libya-attack/

Obama's Second Term Plan Diagnosis: Déjà Vu

Okay, I'll admit it... all the good titles for this post were used already. What I wanted to use was "does the math add up," but that was taken already. I'll get to that in a second. Moving on, here is the official second term plan from President Barack Obama titled, "A Plan for Jobs and Middle Class Security - The New Economic Patriotism"

See Obama's second term plan here: https://secure.assets.bostatic.com/pdfs/Jobs_Plan_Booklet.pdf

The first surprising thing to me is that CNN's Jessica Yellin said, "it's not anything significantly new." - Check it out: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/10/23/cnns-jessica-yellin-not-anything-significantly-new-obamas-just-releas

October 24, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Emails obtained by CNN claim that the White House knew the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi were carried out by extremists (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/24/us/libya-benghazi-e-mails/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

- Retailer Barnes & Noble says that 63 of its store's PIN scanners were hacked and that the hackers have made some unauthorized purchases on victims' credit cards (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/barnes-noble-pin-pads-63-stores-hacked-17549638#.UIfH2G_7KWg

- US officials claim that Iran is behind a September cyber attack that was launched against the Saudi Arabian  oil firm Aramco (NBC News): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49528938/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/

October 23, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- The major news networks have posted their post final-debate news:

     - CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/23/politics/debate-five-things-we-learned/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

     - Fox: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/22/obama-romney-set-to-face-off-in-foreign-policy-debate-with-two-weeks-until/

     - CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57537776/in-final-debate-fierce-battle-over-foreign-policy/?tag=MaxDeep;leadHed

- Italy has incarcerated 6 scientists under manslaughter convictions for failing to predict a deadly earthquake (CNN): http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/23/italian-court-sentences-scientists-to-6-years-in-prison-over-laquila-earthquake/?hpt=hp_t3

- The pharmacy responsible for producing the meningitis-laden steroid has had a history of problems (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57537885/meningitis-linked-pharmacy-has-history-of-problems-documents-show/?tag=cbsnewsHardNewsFDArea;fdmodule

The Third Presidential Debate - Open Forum

The debate will air live at 9:00pm tonight on all major networks. 

The final presidential debate is supposed to center on foreign policy.

Pre-debate questions:

- Who do you predict will win? 

- Will Obama continue with his aggressive approach?

- Will Mitt Romney be able to unseat Obama's "successes"?

After the debate:

- Who won? 

- Did this debate sway your vote?
- Who do you think will win the election?

After the debate, join me and the usual crew on The 405 Live at 10:30pm EST tonight for our special post debate show!  The show is hosted by @johng405. Listen at the following link:

http://the405radio.com/

Call in at 877-297-8022 to give your take on the presidential debate. Jump on the air and join us in the fun! As always, feedback on the segment is greatly appreciated. 

October 22, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- A gunman allegedly went after his estranged wife and attacked her at her workplace in Brookfield, Wisconsin. 45 year old Radcliffe Haughton, who had a history of domestic violence issues, opened fire at the Azana Salon, killing his wife and two others before killing himself (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/21/us/wisconsin-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

- Authorities in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan claimed to have busted a suspected Al Qaeda terror plot that would have targeted shopping malls and western interests in the country (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/21/jordan-says-its-foils-al-qaeda-linked-terror-plot/?test=latestnews

- Regardless of who is elected president, the temporary payroll tax holiday is expected to expire at the turn of the year, increasing taxes on nearly 163 million working Americans (NBC News): http://economywatch.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/21/14596820-taxes-go-up-next-year-no-matter-whos-president?lite

October 19, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- President Obama went on The Daily Show and defended his administration's response to the attacks in Libya (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/president-obama-defends-libya-response-on-daily-show/

- President Obama and Mitt Romney dropped the gloves and "squared off" in comic fashion, hurling jokes instead of debate one liners, at the Alfred E. Smith Catholic charity dinner last night (CBS): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57535709/sharing-a-stage-romney-and-obama-go-after-laughs-not-each-other/?tag=AverageHero;leadHed

- A suspected Al Qaeda suicide bomb attack on a Yemeni army base has killed 26 (13 Yemeni soldiers and 13 Al Qaeda militants) (NBC News): http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/19/14550140-suspected-al-qaida-attack-on-yemen-army-base-kills-26?lite

*** Be sure to vote in our second presidential debate poll on the left side of this blog ***

October 18, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- The Boy Scouts of America will be releasing more than 20,000 pages of once confidential documents regarding sexual abuse by adults in the organization from 1965 to 1985. Victims names will not be released (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/17/justice/boys-scouts-sex-abuse/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

- Romney supporters, many of them former female staffers, are rallying behind the former governor after his "binders of women" quote began spreading around the internet (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/17/women-including-ex-cabinet-members-rally-around-romney-binder-project/#ixzz29cStvHVz

- Bangladeshi national, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis was arrested for plotting to blow up the New York Federal Reserve. He had been tracked by US officials and was unknowingly working with US law enforcement on his plot (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/terrorist-bomb-york-federal-reserve-bank-feds/story?id=17502708

*** Be sure to vote in our second presidential debate poll on the left side of this blog ***

October 17, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- The major news networks have posted their post-debate news:

     - CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/17/politics/debate-five-things-we-learned/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

     - Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/16/obama-romney-face-off-in-second-presidential-debate/

     - NBC News: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/16/14490356-sharp-exchanges-between-obama-romney-at-second-debate?lite

- A rare earthquake, magnitude 4.0, struck off the coast of Portland, Maine, and rattled much of New England (CNN): http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/16/earthquake-recorded-in-maine/?hpt=hp_t3

- A new report claims the Libya rebels that ultimately captured Muammar Qaddafi brutally executed him and many of his cabinet members in a way that would be considered war crimes (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57533909/libyan-rebels-may-have-killed-qaddafi-scores-of-loyalists-human-rights-activists-say/?tag=cbsnewsHardNewsFDArea;fdmodule

The Presidential Town Hall Debate Open Forum

As with the recent VP Debate, this is an open forum to discuss tonight's Presidential town hall debate.

Pre-debate questions:

- Who do you predict will win? 

- Will Obama be more successful with is "aggressive" approach?

- What would YOU ask the candidates?

After the debate:

- Who won? 

- Has your vote been swayed?
- Best line? Worst line?
- Who do you think will win the election?

After the debate, join me and the usual crew on The 405 Live at 10:30pm EST tonight for our special post debate show!  The show is hosted by @johng405. Listen at the following link:

http://the405radio.com/

Call in at 877-297-8022 to give your take on the presidential debate. Jump on the air and join us in the fun! As always, feedback on the segment is greatly appreciated. 

October 16, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now taking full responsibility for the lack of security in Libya that led to the loss of US ambassador Chris Stevens (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/hillary-clinton-takes-responsibility-consulate-security-lapses/story?id=17487223#.UH08VW_7KWg

- The US is currently weighing retaliatory strikes against Al Qaeda strongholds in Libya (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57533022/u.s-said-to-mull-strikes-vs-benghazi-attackers/?tag=AverageMixRelated

- Two new drugs are found to have been linked to the fungal meningitis outbreak that has affected 214 people nationwide (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/10/15/cdc-says-nine-more-cases-meningitis-confirmed-in-us-outbreak/?test=latestnews

"I'm Barack Obama, and I'm Going to Deceive You in This Message"

Harsh, huh? Maybe. But true? Absolutely.

If you watch his most recent ad, President Obama is using the same old lie: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/12/obama-mitt-romney-tax-rate_n_1962187.html (the video is near the bottom).

Why is this deception? Well, I've written about that before... many times: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/08/obama-continues-to-lie-about-taxes.html

October 15, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousufzai is on her way to Great Britain to receive medical treatment for a gunshot wound she received while being brutally attacked by the Taliban (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/15/world/asia/pakistan-teen-activist-attack/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

- The US Navy nuclear sub the USS Montpelier and the guided missile cruiser USS San Jacinto collided off the Florida coast this weekend. No one was hurt and each vessel received minor damages (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/navy-submarine-and-cruiser-collide-off-florida/

- "Fearless Felix" Baumgartner broke through the sound barrier with is record breaking jump from around 24 miles up. See pictures and video here (MSNBC): http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/14/14434503-fearless-felix-succeeds-in-record-skydive-from-edge-of-space?lite

Fact Check Friday - #VPDebate

Now that the storm that was the Vice Presidential debate has passed, the media's "fact checkers" are out in full force. I have to admit, ever since the RNC, I've been skeptical of the media's brand of fact checking: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/08/fact-checking-fact-check-did-cnn-rush.html

I wanted to put this out there so that people can contribute if they'd like. I think it's up to us, the "little guys," to dig and fact check and find the truth. I'm going to start off with one, and if you would like to contribute, please share them below.

Fact Check: Did Joe Biden vote against the wars in the Middle East?

October 12, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- The major news networks have posted their post-debate news:

     - CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/12/politics/debate-five-things-learned/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

     - Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/11/biden-ryan-face-off-in-high-stakes-vice-presidential-debate-in-kentucky/

     - NBC News: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/11/14376267-biden-plays-aggressor-in-debate-as-ryan-makes-gop-case?lite

- US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta claims that Iranian hackers are responsible for cyber attacks on US interests in the Persian Gulf (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/us-blaming-iran-persian-gulf-cyberattacks-17458254#.UHf3A2_7KWh

- The European Union has been awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Price (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57531115/european-union-wins-nobel-peace-prize/?tag=cbsnewsHardNewsFDArea;fdmodule

The Vice Presidential Debate - Open Forum and Radio Show

Let's get ready to rumble!!!! #VPDebate

Image source: Wikipedia

Okay, maybe not. This isn't a fight. It's a serious chance to learn about our candidates' positions on how they would help or hurt the country over the next 4 years. It's old school democrat versus young-gun conservative.

October 11, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- The US Anti-Doping Agency has presented its evidence against Lance Armstrong. The report claims Armstrong was at the center of a complicated ring whose goal it was to cheat. Armstrong denies ever doping or cheating (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/10/sport/armstrong-doping-investigation/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

- US Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner spoke at a conference in Toyko and exclaimed that in spite of all the difficult times ahead, the US economy is growing (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/geithner-us-economy-growing-headwinds-17449783#.UHaij2_7KWg

- The head of security at the US embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa was assassinated. Qassem Aqlani had worked at the embassy for 20 years. The killing took place away from the embassy (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57530289/yemen-security-chief-at-u.s-embassy-killed/?tag=cbsnewsHardNewsFDArea;fdmodule

Who Should Get Credit for "Saving" the Auto Industry?

First, before I start, I need to get this out there: I was/am firmly against the auto industry "bailouts." I don't care who did it; I do not believe the government should have rewarded poor business decisions. It's quite simple in my book. If you make good business decisions, you survive. If you don't, you fail. By bailing out GM and Chrysler, the government ultimately mitigated risk away from a company and ensured that they would be preserved no matter how badly they performed. The cost of setting this precedent outweighs the short-term benefit of saving these companies. I wrote about this in one of my first ever blog posts: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2011/11/too-big-to-fail-dangerous-precedent.html

But why am I writing about this now? For one, Vice President Joe Biden and Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan are set to debate tomorrow, and I'm sure this will come up. Joe Biden is often heard at campaign rallies touting the "Bin Laden is dead and GM is alive" line. Take a look: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120903/POLITICS01/209030369. He even said it in his DNC speech in Charlotte, North Carolina earlier this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKCwQnIygcw

October 10, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- The official death count in the meningitis outbreak has reached 12. There have been 119 reported cases of meningitis since the story of the infected steroid case was first reported (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/health/meningitis-exposure/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

- Affirmative Action has made its way to the Supreme Court. In one of the most widely watched cases of this court's year, 8 of the 9 judges (Justice Kagan has recused herself) will debate the University of Texas' program that admits up to 25% of its students based on race (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/10/supreme-court-takes-up-affirmative-action-case/?test=latestnews

- The regional security office for the US embassy in Libya compiled a running tab of security incidents starting in July of this year. The memo shows the increased concern of American statesmen in Libya as their requests for increased security were ignored (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57529066/u.s-memo-warned-of-high-risk-of-libya-violence/?tag=cbsnewsHardNewsFDArea;fdmodule

October 9, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Convicted former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky will proclaim his innocence in front of a judge at his sentencing hearing today. He is expected to receive a sentence of life in prison (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/justice/pennsylvania-sandusky-sentencing/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

- North Korea now claims that the US mainland is within striking distance of its missiles and claims the new US agreement with South Korea is evidence that an invasion of the North is part of the plan (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/nkorea-skorea-us-missile-range-17428830#.UHQDKC77KWg

- Mexican authorities are claiming that one of the leaders of the famed Zetas drug cartels has been killed by Mexican Marines (NBC News): http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/09/14308864-mexico-strong-evidence-zetas-drug-cartel-capo-the-executioner-killed-by-marines?lite

Did ABC News Intentionally Remove Mitt Romney's Opening Statement from its Transcript of the First Debate?

This was reported on Breitbart.com: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/10/08/ABC-News-Removes-Transcript - I did not write this, and I am posting this on my blog to pass along information. I think this is an interesting find, and I decided to "fact-check" the issue myself. Additionally, I think the questions the people at Breitbart ask are relevant.

First, the ABC transcript where the opening statements occured: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/presidential-debate-transcript-denver-colo-oct/story?id=17390260&page=6#.UHLDBZj7KWg

If you watched the debate Wednesday night, you remember that Obama had the first thing to say. His first lines were:

October 8, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez was elected to another six-year term as he defeated a strong challenge from Henrique Capriles Radonski (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/08/world/americas/venezuela-elections/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will give a foreign policy speech at the Virginia Military institute today (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/08/romney-to-deliver-foreign-policy-speech-amid-big-questions-on-libya-global/

- According to the a special forces head of a "site security team," Lt. Col. Andy Wood said he and other officials in Libya pleaded with the State Department for more security at the US consulate in Benghazi only to see the security at the US outpost downgraded (CBS News): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57527659/ex-u.s-security-team-leader-in-libya-we-needed-more-not-less-security-staff/?tag=MidDeep;leadHed

*** Be sure to check the un-skewed polls database at the top of the blog - Updated 10/3/2012 ***

The September 2012 Jobs Report - UPDATED

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

Key Highlights:

- The unemployment rate fell to 7.8%. Non-farm employers added only 114,000 new jobs. In spite of the low number of new jobs, the unemployed rate dropped because of the revisions to July's and August's numbers. July's total jobs added figure was adjusted upward from 141,000 to 181,000 while August's total jobs added figure was adjusted from 96,000 to 142,000. For these two revisions, added 86,000 new jobs to the numbers.

October 5, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- President Obama, in his first campaign events since Wednesday night's defeat, claims that during the debate Mitt Romney was dishonest (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/politics/debate-main/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

- GOP nominee Mitt Romney claimed that his video-taped comments about the "47%" were completely wrong in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/romney-says-he-was-completely-wrong-about-47-percent-comments/

- Economists are expecting the September Jobs report to show only modest job creation. This will be posted on the blog at 8:30 (USA Today): http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/10/04/unemployment-benefits-claims/1612609/

October 4, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- The first of three presidential debates is the focus of the news world today. Here are some major cable networks sites' takes:

     - CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/politics/debate-5-things-learned/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

     - Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/04/obama-romney-battle-over-economic-policies-in-first-presidential-debate

     - NBC News: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/03/14207942-policy-differences-take-center-stage-in-first-presidential-debate?lite

- An American citizen has been sentenced to life in Iraqi prison for assisting Al Qaeda (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraqi-officials-car-bomb-kills-baghdad-17393628#.UG1pyJj7KWg

- Though it says it has no intention of declaring war, Turkey has fired artillery strikes on Syria for the second day (USA Today): http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/10/04/syria-turkey-violence/1612505/

*** Be sure to share your opinions of last night's debate in our open debate forum here: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/10/post-debate-radio-show-tonight.html ***

Open Thread Today and Post Debate Radio Show Tonight!

This post is an open thread dedicated to sharing your views, thoughts, and opinions of the presidential debate. Share anything you'd like from media positions to predictions to live updates if you're following.

Then...........

Can you think of a better way to cap off the first presidential debate tonight than with a......... debate?! :-). Join me and the usual crew on The 405 Live at 10:30pm EST tonight for our special post debate show!  The show is hosted by @johng405. Listen at the following link:

http://the405radio.com/

Call in at 877-297-8022 to give your take on the presidential debate. Jump on the air and join us in the fun! As always, feedback on the segment is greatly appreciated.

October 3, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- All eyes will be on Mitt Romney and President Obama as they engage in the first of three presidential debates tonight:

     - CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/03/politics/debate-walkup/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

     - ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/colorado-presidential-race-dead-heat/story?id=17378472

     - CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57524729/the-first-debate-high-stakes-for-obama-romney/?tag=AverageHero;leadHed

- US Homeland Security "fusion" centers are built around collecting information on US citizens (NBC News): http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/02/14187433-homeland-security-fusion-centers-spy-on-citizens-produce-shoddy-work-report-says?lite

- Conservatives are jumping on a 2007 video of then Senator Obama praising reverend Jeremiah Wright and claiming New Orleans' residents received shoddy government assistance because of their race (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/02/video-surfaces-obama-in-2007-suggesting-racism-slowed-aid-to-post-katrina-new/

*** Be sure to check the un-skewed polls database at the top of the blog - Updated 10/3/2012 ***

Getting to the Bottom of Skewed Polls - Part 1

This is labeled as "Part 1" because if more email correspondence exists between me and various pollsters, I will add them as further posts. Of course, if pollsters are afraid to respond, I will write about that, too. Sorry, Mr. Cooper... but this is my version of "Keeping Them Honest." :-)

There has been much written about the skewing or "oversampling" of democrat respondents in recent polls. I wrote about how I believe this is a form of psychological voter suppression being employed by the media: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/09/voter-suppression-look-no-further-than.html. In short, the oversampling of democrats in polls allows the results to be skewed in favor of Obama, promoting a "Romney can't win this race" situation in an effort to get republican voters to stay home since their efforts would be futile. CNN wrote a "debunk" piece of my theory here: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/28/analysis-polling-criticism-unfounded/. And yes, I have been skeptical of these polls before usual the conservative pundits got on board.

October 2, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Tax hikes for citizens and trouble for the country is the message that is resounding if the US Congress doesn't do something about the impending "fiscal cliff" scheduled to hit after the turn of the year (CNN Money): http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/01/pf/taxes/fiscal-cliff-tax/index.html?iid=Lead&hpt=hp_t3

- A ruling on Pennsylvania's photo ID law is required to be made today, just 5 weeks before the general election (Yahoo!): http://news.yahoo.com/pa-voter-id-law-ruling-could-mean-political-063903743.html

- The ACLU claims that electronic monitoring of communications by the Justice department is up as much as 60% under President Obama. These monitorings do not record content, but they do monitor time of call, number called, etc. (Fox News): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/01/aclu-police-use-phone-other-electronic-device-tracking-up-as-much-as-60-percent/?test=latestnews

*** Be sure to check the un-skewed polls database at the top of the blog ***

Un-skewed State Polls Update

This is just a quick update post to put the un-skewed poll tracker front and center. Check it out here:

http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2012/09/lme-presidential-poll-tracker-database.html

Key battleground polls have been released over the weekend and today, and while these polls show some significant leads for Obama, once the data is scrubbed and un-skewed, the picture isn't as bleak for Romney. In fact, in North Carolina, the un-skewed calculation of PPP's poll shows Romney with a 9 point lead. Check it out!

October 1, 2012 - Morning Headlines

- Today marks the beginning of the next Supreme Court term. This year's docket contains some high-profile cases such as Affirmative Action, Gay Marriage, and Voter's Rights issues (ABC News): http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/big-supreme-court-term-starts-monday-17363207#.UGl1DJj7KWg

- California governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that would give inmates that were sentenced as juveniles and are serving life sentences without parole the ability to have their case for release heard after 15 years. Judges, upon reviewing the cases, can then sentence the inmates to 25 years to live, giving the prisoners a chance at freedom some day (NBC News): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49233283/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

- Reports show that the Syrian government is systematically eliminating suspected rebel strongholds by destroying civilian neighborhoods in Hama. Thousands of refugees have been displaced (CNN): http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/01/world/meast/syria-hama-neighborhood/index.html?hpt=hp_t1