This week, Clint Eastwood's rambling chat with an empty chair spawned a run of comical memes. But the moment was actually an apt visual metaphor for the convention itself, with the empty chair representing not Invisible Obama but the Invisible Issues that went unmentioned -- including the issues HuffPost sought to put a spotlight on this week with our Shadow Convention: the corrupting influence of money on our politics, the persistence of poverty in America, and the disastrous war on drugs. It was a site-wide effort. To see the breadth of what our HuffPost editors did, click here. And click here to watch HuffPost Live's amazing, comprehensive coverage. And because the neglect is a bipartisan affair, we're doing it again during the DNC, taking on these issues from a whole different set of angles. Don't miss HuffPost Live's Shadow Coverage this coming Tuesday-Thursday between 12-4 p.m. EST.
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1. the corrupting influence of:
2. disastrous war on:
3 the persistence of:
A. money.
B. drugs.
C. poverty.
The amount of money being spent on campaigning is obscene. Communities already struggling to balance budgets are being forced to incur the expense of providing security for the candidates. The DNC and RNC monies should be paying those costs instead of buying more ads - that might earn more votes. I no longer see the presence of any candidate in my town or state as an honor but as the loss of a job for a policeman, fireman, teacher or other unfortunate citizen.
Today I read two articles from the September 13, 2012 issue of Rolling Stone, "Greed and Debt: The True Story of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital" (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/greed-and-debt-the-true-story-of-mitt-romney-and-bain-capital-20120829 ) and "How the GOP became the Party of the Rich" (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109 w). Enlightening.
We need truth, honesty and accountability. Those in the media are in the position to fulfill those needs
Romney believes in rewarding success. That said, we can hardly believe that Romney would treat the GI's with any respect at all.
In Todays Sunday talk and especially after the GOP Convention one thing has become clear. We need a Glossary to better understand the conversation. Coupled with the Re.th.ug Playbook it helps.
SPIN = Lying for my Purpose
POLITICAL or POLITICS = Lying for a Purpose
GAFFE = To inadvertently tell the truth a about a topic or subject.
BOTH SIDES = term used to Equivocate. Usually used as a means to qualify a statement, justify the indefensible or appear even-handed.
WORSE OFF = term used to ignore the economic starting point; predicated on the nai.vety of the listener to know for themselves the levity of the economic starting point so as to gauge it as better or worse.
NEED A BUSINESSMAN = term used to ignore the causal effect of 2008; thereby setting the premise that business (wall st. gambler) had nothing to do with 2008s economic collapse therefore a businessman is needed to correct what may have been a businessmans contribution to the collapse.
FLIP FLOP = term used to say that a politician has gone whatever way the wind blows. Misnomer when used to describe someone who has changed their minds, in particular, when the mind change has reoccurred again and again.
It was riveting TV in it's way but I can't help but wonder if the Governor had been better, if he had announced some striking solution to something, anything, maybe there wouldn't be all of these residual memories of Clint dragging done this event.
The same is true of C.E., especially after he hit it out of the park in his directing role of "Midnight in the Garden..."
So to one incredible superstar, in assessment of another, are you totally convinced that this was his worst performance ever, or could it just as possibly have been his BEST??
After a 24 hour cooling off, I just can't HELP but consider the latter!
Scammin' the scammers! (Ought we really expect anything less from Mr. Eastwood??)
Legislate a Constitutional amendment of the U.S. Constitution. If you will, a type of 'personhood' amendment, granting such status (PERSON) as solely belonging to individual, living breathing humans, and NOT POSSIBLY to any organization, corporation, or other collection thereof.
But trying to leap over the various conservative State Houses who want to pass a "personhood amendment", something that will take power away from the organizations that assign lobbyists and funding to politicians, I think is a bridge too far.
They might compromise by offering that they will write a law that says that any living breathing human, whether gestating or not, is a person with all the Constitutional writes a person is allowed, and then recommend to the Supreme Court that Corporations may not qualify. I don't think they would go further than that.
The only way the Supreme Court will revisit this is when the Democratic Party wins elections so consistently and consistently underspending Republicans that it is apparent that money alone won't turn elections. At that point, look for Republican plan II.