Let’s Talk Context

Ken AshfordElection 2012Leave a Comment

So now Romney is trying to utz Obama for something Obama said in 1998 about redistribution.  The Romney clip has Obama saying "I actually believe in redistribution", and goes on to say how Obama wants a government-centered system which redistributes wealth, etc. Uh-oh. But NBC got the full clip, in context.  In the whole clip, Obama says: I think the … Read More

Let’s Talk Context

Ken AshfordElection 2012Leave a Comment

So now Romney is trying to utz Obama for something Obama said in 1998 about redistribution.  The Romney clip has Obama saying "I actually believe in redistribution", and goes on to say how Obama wants a government-centered system which redistributes wealth, etc. Uh-oh. But NBC got the full clip, in context.  In the whole clip, Obama says: I think the … Read More

Romney’s September Popularity

Ken AshfordElection 2012Leave a Comment

This Pew chart has got to hurt.  It shows that at this point — September — in every Presidential campaign going back to 1988, BOTH candidates had a net positive favorability rating.  Even the candidates who ended up losing. Except Romney. Ouch.  I hope his staff is keeping this chart away from Romney.

Jesus Had A Wife?

Ken AshfordGodstuff, HistoryLeave a Comment

A historian of early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School has identified a scrap of papyrus that she says was written in Coptic in the fourth century and contains a phrase never seen in any piece of Scripture: “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife …’ ” Read the whole thing…. And read from the doubters.

Chick-Fil-A Announces New Policy

Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Power to the people: Chicago, Illinois – The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA), Illinois' leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights advocacy organization, has learned that Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno has finalized his negotiations with Chick-Fil-A.  Alderman Moreno has confirmed that Chick-fil-A will no longer give money to anti-gay organizations and that they have clarified in an internal document … Read More

Romney Hits Back With Old Obama Video Talking About “Redistribution”

Ken AshfordBloggingLeave a Comment

Apparently, the Romney campaign has an audio clip stuffed in a drawer for such an eventuality as this. The audio clip first surfaced Tuesday, as Democrats were seizing upon their own video of Romney speaking at a private fund-raiser in Florida. That event was held in May. The clip of Obama was recorded in 1998 at Loyola University, according to Romney's campaign … Read More

What About The Senate?

Ken AshfordElection 2012Leave a Comment

At FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver has published his first official Senate forecast of the year, and it gives Democrats some good news: [T]he odds of a favorable overall outcome for Democrats have increased in recent weeks. The forecast model now gives them a 70 percent chance of controlling the chamber, either by having at least 50 seats and the presidency, or 51 without … Read More

Matt Welch On The 47% Trope

Ken AshfordElection 2012Leave a Comment

Everybody is weighing in, but I wanted to highlight this from Reason.com, a libertarian site: Most people at some point will be part of the 47 percent (indeed, nearly most already are). When my friends and I were comparatively poor, as people often are in their 20s and early 30s, we (for the most part) didn't "believe" that we were … Read More

Must-See TV

Ken AshfordElection 2012Leave a Comment

Pick your pundit when Bill O'Reilly and Jon Stewart face off for a special 90-minute debate about the 2012 presidential race. The host of Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" and the anchor of Comedy Central's fake newscast "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" have announced they will clash in the event, dubbed "The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium." This live debate will be streamed … Read More

The 47% Fallout: Romney’s Class Warfare Comments Spell His Doom

Ken AshfordElection 2012Leave a Comment

Well, here's the Mother Jones version of the video:   For those who have been under a rock the past 18 hours, the controversy is this: During a private fundraiser earlier this year, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told a small group of wealthy contributors what he truly thinks of all the voters who support President Barack Obama. He dismissed these … Read More

But Climate Change Is A Hoax, Right?

Ken AshfordEnvironment & Global Warming & EnergyLeave a Comment

Graph don't lie… The average global land surface temperature between June and August of 2012 was the warmest ever recorded,according to data from the National Climatic Data Center. The three month period saw an average land temperature that was 1.03°C (1.85°F) above the 20th century average. This follows a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showing that the period between January … Read More

Leaked Romney Video

Ken AshfordElection 2012Leave a Comment

Huffington Post has a breaking story about a video which, if authentic, is going to hurt Romney even more.   The video appears in Youtube right now as a black screen with words.  You can hear Romney talking to a group at a closed-door fundraiser where press was not allowed. And in his speech, Romney goes on to insult 47% … Read More