Obama Wins, reports CNN

CNN reports that it projects that President Obama wins.

Coney Island Election Problems

2013 New York City Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson posted this photograph on Facebook with this caption :

"I just witnessed chaos at 2950 West 33rd Street poll site in Coney Island. The site didn't open until after 9 a.m., and then the machines were not ready. This is the line to vote."

I posted a comment on the photograph, thanking Mr. Thompson for sharing this information. I also asked Mr. Thompson if he would help bring reforms to the Board of Elections. Later in the day, when I went to blog this photo, I noticed that I had been unfriended by Mr. Thompson. So, I guess he won't agree to help bring reforms to the Board of Elections ?

Hurricane Sandy Bloomberg Nursing Home Evacuation Scandal

Rockaway Beach Nursing Homes Told Not To Evacuate Ahead Of Hurricane Sandy, Officials Say

Five nursing homes in floods zones in New York City were told by officials not to evacuate before Hurricane Sandy made landfall, The Huffington Post reported.

Residents of the nursing homes, which were located just blocks off the New York City coastline with the Atlantic Ocean, experienced the horror of Hurricane Sandy's destructive winds, rains, and storm surge.

"It was like Niagara Falls," said an employee, who asked to remain anonymous, about the four foot flooding on the first floor of Rockaway Care Center.

"The New York Office of Emergency Management did not return multiple calls or emails about the condition of the nursing homes, the status of the residents, or the decision not to evacuate prior to the storm," reported The Huffington Post.

While politicians, such as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall tour some of the areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy, politicians are using the emergency with the subway system and the power outages to cover up for the hospital evacuation crisis, this nursing home crisis, and the upcoming Election Day voting crisis.

Gary Tilzer, the political journalist, posted a blog post in which he asked, "Why Is the Media Silent On the Board of Elections Lack of A Plan to Allow People to Vote in the Black Out Areas ?"

Frank Rich and Fran Lebowitz - A Review of the Town Hall Conversation

A State of the Union Conversation : An Evening With Frank Rich and Fran Lebowitz

Two plush chairs sat empty on an area rug in the middle of the stage last night at the Town Hall, near Times Square in New York City. The setting was meant to be cozy, but early on the anticipation and tension was already palatable.

Some people who bought tickets were so late taking their seats that, twice, the early birds amongst the audience made noise to bring out the stars of the evening, who eventually took to the stage about 8:15 p.m. or so.

Frank Rich, the former op-ed columnist and drama critic for The New York Times, and Fran Lebowitz, the author and social critic, took to their chairs and shared a conversation about the 2012 presidential election with the audience.

"The whole United States is a protest zone," said Ms. Lebowitz.

Recording devices were banned, so I live-Tweeted some of the more memorable remarks of their conversation.

@healthcarefor99 #FranLebowitz said #healthcare reform should have moved us to a #singlepayer system

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

The Town Hall offered an intimate setting for the conversation. At many times, Mr. Rich and Ms. Lebowitz received loud cheers in recognition of their especially brilliant observations from the audience. A few people even shouted affirmations or retorts, whenever the conversation touched a nerve. At one point, when the same gentleman in the audience made two loud comments in reply to Ms. Lebowitz's witticisms, she said, "Let us know where you are appearing tomorrow, so we can attend." Lots of people wanted to dive into the luxury of taking part in this conversation, because just sitting in their wise presence just wasn't enough.

#FranLebowitz says #racism explains #GOP hate ; #racists get offended if you out them ; msm cowers away calling out racism

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

Mr. Rich and Ms. Lebowitz spoke about the tour that their "conversation" was taking them : they had recently appeared in Las Vegas and in Washington, D.C.

#FranLebowitz says if you want a better #government then you have to be a better #citizen

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

Mr. Rich began their conversation on a sick and twisted (my words, not his) puff piece published by The Times in which Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticised President Barack Obama and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

#FranLebowitz said when she was young, being #gay was different. "It was illegal."

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

Ms. Lebowitz offered a simple explanation for Mayor Bloomberg's interloping : he is envious that he could not become president.

Ms. Lebowitz said that when she saw Mayor Bloomberg get all involved up in Albany over last year's push for marriage equality in New York State, she said she hoped that Mayor Bloomberg would inspect Park Avenue for potholes as he was driven up to Albany, because potholes in New York City was his elected responsibility as a municipal administrator. This hilarious comment elicited many laughs from the audience.

#FranLebowitz said if we had a #draft in USA then #Bush would not have invaded #Iraq and #Afghanistan

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

At some point, Mr. Rich observed how none of the debates have touched on issues of LGBT equality. And Ms. Lebowitz observed that she was left confused by the LGBT equality movement's focus on getting married and joining the military, because, she said, when she was young, the two advantages of being gay was that you didn't have to get married, and you didn't have to go fight in any wars. There was also the obligatory joke about baby strollers. Her dry wit makes Ms. Leibowitz so attractive to people, who are sick and tired of the political spin of the talking heads on television news.

#FrankRich wondered whether #Obama would ask #Romney which of his sons would #enlist to serve in any future #GOP wars ?

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

Mr. Rich circled back to the Bloomberg article in The Times and the observations were made about the shortcomings of the mainstream media.

#FranLebowitz said reporters don't focus on getting real answers from politicians

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

Ms. Lebowitz couldn't resist making a joke about Jim Leher getting rolled over in the first presidential debate between President Obama and former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney.

#FrankRich questioned why newspapers write #factcheck articles separate from #news articles ? Do #facts not belong in #news ?

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

The conversation by Mr. Rich and Ms. Lebowitz was very current, you could not tell if any parts of their talk had already been shared at prior speaking events, but Ms. Lebowitz and Mr. Rich did touch on some very basic concerns among progressive voters.

#FranLebowitz said when #GOP say the want to take the country #back they really mean #backwards : repeal of #civilrightsact

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

Eventually, the moment of glory : the conversation was opened up to questions from the audience.

#FranLebowitz mocked#MikeBloomberg #sodaban : Why he is #obsessedwithsize ? She doesn't know .... LOL

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

Ms. Lebowitz's wisdom and humor was praised by many people in the audience, she is such an insightful thinker and speaker.

#FranLebowitz not surprised #CityCouncil never stood up to #MikeBloomberg and #NYPD treatment of #OWS #rubberstamp

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

Her use of humor must have been an embarrassment to many politicians, and Ms. Lebowitz was bipartisan in her criticisms of Mayor Bloomberg, who she called the #Moncarchofminutiae, and of the New York City Council, who did not do anything to keep the NYPD in check as it set out to deliberately crush the #OccupyWallStreet movement. Ms. Lebowitz made the observation that when Mayor Bloomberg shut down efforts by protesters to demonstrate against the invasion of Iraq and against the Republican National Convention in 2004, he did so by trying to designate restricted areas, where activists could hold their protests. Ms. Lebowitz was infuriated. She said that the mayor did not know how the U.S. Constitution worked. Mayor Bloomberg could not restrict areas where protesters could hold their demonstrations. "The whole United States is a protest zone," said Ms. Lebowitz.

#FrankRich questioned why #Obama doesn't raise #environment ; #FranLebowitz said because #Obama takes money to promote #cleancoal

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

Ms. Lebowitz said at one point in the conversation that she didn't believe that voters were interested enough to hear the truth and facts in the news. She said that she thought that people were more interested in hearing lies. She made this observation in connection to some of the salacious political television ads now being aired in the Las Vegas television market. (Her observation was no doubt informed by other experiences.) She said that our whole culture is geared toward fantasy. No child asks their parent, "Daddy, tell me some more statistics before I go to sleep," or some outlandish request along those lines, is what she said. And she is correct. Ms. Lebowitz has rightly tuned into the fact that people are interested in hearing fabrication and lies -- a story of pure make believe. Early on, Ms. Lebowitz also expressed criticisms about the style of reporting in newspapers that placed an emphasis on elaborate literary descriptions of quaint village settings over just reporting facts, which, she said, normally showed up in the third paragraph.

Many people in the audience deliberately took seats that put them closer to the stage, which was a hassle to the staff at the Town Hall, who had to check tickets and move people back to their rightful seats.

One good thing about #OWS was that it brought up the subject of #incomeinequality said #FranLebowitz

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) October 21, 2012

For my part, I would like to register a complaint : even though I bought and paid for my ticket online from Ticketmaster to sit in the second row, for which I paid a fee of $12.55 for that "convenience," and another $1.00 fee for the "facility," the Town Hall still saw fit to charge me $5.00 to pick up my tickets at the Box Office. When I demanded a receipt, the box office assistant refused to give me a receipt.

Our lives are at the mercy of all these fucking fees ! In the "Twilight Zone" that is our political reality in the United States, they can nickel and dime people trying to access a little bit of REAL TALK about the State of the Union. Note how the controversial issues discussed during last night's conversation never seems to take place right on the front pages of The New York Times, not even the issue of race, which, both Mr. Rich and Ms. Lebowitz claimed is the motivation behind the GOP hatred of President Obama. I had to pay an unfair extra $5 for the privilege of hearing Mr. Rich and Ms. Lebowitz, but I wonder what is the real price society-at-large pays for being shut out of this critical conversation ?

Romney Uses Job Intimidation To Extort Votes ?

In a leaked audio recording, GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney is heard telling employers to bully their employees to vote against Barack Obama.

I hope you make it very clear to your employees what you believe is in the best interest of your enterprise and therefore their job and their future in the upcoming elections. And whether you agree with me or you agree with President Obama, or whatever your political view, I hope — I hope you pass those along to your employees. Nothing illegal about you talking to your employees about what you believe is best for the business, because I think that will figure into their election decision, their voting decision and of course doing that with your family and your kids as well.

Romney Ohio Voting Machine Scandal

Updated 20 October 2012 : 3:40 p.m. Forbes Magazine Article : Romney Family Investment Ties To Voting Machine Company That Could Decide The Election Causing Concern

From Politicol News :

The new owners of Ohio’s voting machines under the brand name HART Intercivic is none other than Tagg Romney the son of one of the candidates Mitt Romney. In recent weeks Tagg has taken a more “active role in his father’s campaign management” but when you look further, he also has a major problem with that role.

By virtue of conflict of interest alone, this role should be investigated by the DOJ preferably involving the addition of the FBI, Homeland Security and the CIA to ensure this connection will not endanger the vote in Ohio and other states.

Paul Ryan Joe Biden Gaydar Internet Meme

Many photo illustrations have been being created since last week's vice presidential debate between Paul Ryan and Joe Biden. Many focused on Vice President Biden's smile and his laughter, and on Mr. Ryan's widow's peak. Leading up to the debate, many LGBT activists made fun of Mr. Ryan's workout photoshoot for Time magazine. Below is an Internet meme of the debate participates in what has become known as the "death stare" by some. In this photo, a political parody of the intensity of the stare between the two men alludes to the blockbuster gay movie, "Brokeback Mountain."

Mitt Romney on Obama's 47% Voters

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 Americans as freeloaders who pay no taxes, who don't assume responsibility for their lives, and who think government should take care of them.

Read more : SECRET VIDEO : Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He REALLY Thinks of Obama Voters

Rupert Murdoch Endorses Paul Ryan

Rupert Murdoch endorses Paul Ryan selection for GOP VP candidate.

News Corporation Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch tweeted yesterday that he supported Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as the vice presidential running mate for the 2012 GOP presidential ticket. Mr. Ryan has a history of trying to destroy Medicare.

Rupert Murdoch ‏@rupertmurdoch : Thank God! Now we might have a real election on the great issues of the day. Paul Ryan almost perfect choice.

Mitt Romney Hamptons Protests : OWS Electoral Politics

Mitt Romney appeared in campaign fundraisers in the Hamptons last weekend, where he raised close to $4 million dollars. But his campaign fundraisers, in the exclusive VIP enclave, became the impromptu backdrop for Occupy Wall Street-inspired protests. The protests seem to be the first major time that Occupy Wall Street protests take part in 2012 Presidential Election politics, rather than the movement organising truly autonomous, grassroots demonstrations, depending on the editorial portrayal of yesterday's demonstrations.