ABC Censors Obama-Communist Joke

Michael Schneider reported about campaign plot lines showing up in network sitcoms in the October 15-21 edition of TV Guide. NBC's gay sitcom "The New Normal" had an "Obama Mama" episode,  and ABC's Tim Allen sitcom "Last Man Standing" will debut in November with an Obama-fan-vs-. Romney- fan plot.

In an age in which the networks can't seem to censor anything -- and in which ABC can put on a show like "Good Christian Bitches" (oops, let's abbreviate it) -- the censors will spike some things...like joking Barack Obama is a communist:

On Last Man Standing’s Season 2 premiere, set to air November 2 – four days before the election – Allen’s character, a Romney supporter lobbies his daughter, Mandy, to vote for the Republican candidate. On the other side, Mandy’s older sister makes a push for Obama. “It’ll be something regular people care about, so our characters should care about it,” says exec producer Tim Doyle.

Helping to balance the show is the fact that Doyle leans left, while Allen leans slightly right of center. Allen says the episode goes “back and forth, weighted so it’s like a teeter-totter. But at the end, I wanted it off balance.” He won’t say how it finally tilts.

Doyle and Allen did have to fight the network and studio on some content. Specifically, Allen says the standards department took issue with his character calling Obama a communist. Allen fought to keep that in – noting he finds it funny when conservatives paint the president with that label – but it appears he lost that battle as none of the references made the final cut.

"We all really love Archie Bunker," said Allen of playing a Bunkeresque character. "And that's where we're going. I push every button and love pushing them." ABC won't allow certain buttons to be touched. It's almost funny that the censors would be so lax on sex and violence, but will clamp down like Bonnie Bluehair on Obama jokes. Is this their only Thou Shalt Not?

Update 12:42 | Matthew Sheffield. This isn't the first time that ABC has censored its own programming to please Democratic sensibilities. The famous 2006 mini-series "The Path to 9/11" was gutted by ABC at the behest of former president Bill Clinton. To this day, unlike any other highly rated programming that ABC has paid for, "Path" actually still has not been released on DVD due to pressure from Democrats.

Via: Newsbusters

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Ryan cites increased unemployment rate in Biden’s hometown to drive economic argument

Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan slammed Vice President Joe Biden and the Obama administration’s economic record during Thursday night’s debate, referencing the high unemployment rate of Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

“You and I are from similar towns. He’s from Scranton, Pennsylvania, I’m from Janesville, Wisconsin. Do you know what the unemployment rate in Scranton is today?” Ryan asked.

“Sure do,” Biden responded.\

“Ten percent,” Ryan continued, “You know what it was the day you guys came in? 8.5 percent. That is happening all around America.”

“That’s not how it’s going,” Biden protested, “It’s going down!”

“Look, did they come into and we were in a tough situation? Absolutely, but we are going in the wrong direction,” Ryan explained. “Look at where we are. The economy is barely moving along. It is going at 1.3 percent — that is lower than it grew last year and last year was slower than the year before. Job growth in September was slower than it was in August and August was slower than it was in July. We are headed in the wrong direction.”

Ryan repeated some of the the statistics Romney used last week in his debate against Obama — including the 23 million Americans “struggling for work,” and high poverty rate.

“This is not what a real recovery looks like. We need new reforms for a real recovery,” he said.

Via: Daily Caller

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CBS 5 Poll: Romney Gains 8 Points On Faltering Obama In California

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) — The effects of President Barack Obama’s falter in the first debate with Mitt Romney are not just being felt in battleground states, according to KPIX-TV CBS 5′s latest tracking poll of California which shows Romney slicing eight points off Obama’s lead.

Obama had led by 22 points in the CBS 5 tracking poll released four weeks ago. Obama now leads by only 14 points, an 8-point improvement for Romney. At the same time, the poll found U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s support for her re-election bid remained largely unchanged, month-on-month, suggesting that the erosion in Democratic support is not across-the-board, but contained to Obama. Unclear is whether the Obama erosion is fleeting or long-lasting.

RELATED CONTENT:
Download The Complete CBS 5 Poll Results Data (.pdf)
Exclusive Presidential Forum – Get Obama and Romney’s takes on the most important election issues.

The poll data released Wednesday showed Obama 53%, Romney 39%, in California. Obama carried the Golden State by 24 points in 2008, so the poll found Obama is now running 10 points weaker than he ran 4 years ago. Among Independents, Obama led by 14 in September, but now trails by 9 in October, a 23-point right turn among the most coveted voters. One explanation, based on the poll data: The number of Romney supporters who said they were voting “for Mitt Romney” as opposed to “against Barack Obama” is way up, month over month.

In the U.S. Senate race, the poll showed Feinstein 54%, Republican Elizabeth Emken 35%. That’s largely unchanged from CBS 5′s last measurement, when Emken trailed incumbent Feinstein by 18 points.

On Proposition 30, the poll showed the issue to be a toss-up at this point. Among the most committed likely voters – those who said they “strongly support” or “strongly oppose” the measure, No narrowly leads Yes 38% to 33% with 29% uncretain. Among the larger group of likely voters, including those with soft support, Yes narrowly leads No 45% to 39% with 16% undecided.

National General Election

Obama          48% Romney        48%

Source: Rasmussen 10/6-8

National General Election

Obama          45% Romney        49%

Source: Pew Research 10/4-7

National General Election

Obama          47% Romney        49%

Source: Gallup 10/2-8

Via: CBS San Francisco

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BIDEN CHALLENGE: KEEP DOWN-BALLOT DEMS FROM JUMPING SHIP

I have cautioned Republicans that we shouldn't get too excited about Thursday's VP debate. Yes, Paul Ryan has forgotten more about the federal budget than Joe Biden ever knew. But, sometimes, having too much knowledge can trip you up in a debate. More troubling, Biden has a habit of just making stuff up on the fly. Its hard to debate crazy. That said, the real pressure is on the Vice President. If he whiffs this debate, Democrats will start running away from the Obama ticket. 

If I had to make a bet, I would wager that Paul Ryan will do very well in the VP debate. As I have noted, though, I don't think its the slam-dunk many people think and, given Biden's tendencies to just make shit up, there is no telling how the debate will go. I fully expect, at some point in the debate, Ryan will be forced to give a WTF look at the moderator because of something "Grandpa Joe" says. 

That said, the pressure on Biden is enormous. Last week, President Obama gave the worst debate performance in history. A Gallup poll of adults, which provides some institutional bias for Democrats, found that Romney beat Obama on the question of who won the debate by a 52-point margin. It was the biggest victory margin in history. 

Its another week until Romney and Obama face off again. Since the first debate, Romney is surging in virtually every poll. He is confident and steady on the campaign trail. Even if Obama can pick up his game in the next debate, that is a week away. Another week of "Romney crushed Obama in the debate" would be a terrible blow to Obama's reelection. So, all eyes are on the VP debate. 

Biden needs to go beyond his tendency to misspeak and make gaffes and nail a coherent vision for Obama's second term. If he doesn't, down-ballot Dems running for the Senate or the House will start to aggressively move away from the national ticket. Obama may do a better job in the debate next week, but without a powerful assist from Biden on Thursday, many Dems won't be able to wait that long. 

Via: Breitbart

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IBD/TIPP Poll: Romney Jumps To 5-Point Lead Over Obama, 48% – 43%…

IBD/TIPP 2012 Presidential Election
Daily Tracking Poll

Day 2: Oct. 10, 2012

Romney: +5.0

• Romney’s lead widened to 5 points from 2 points on Tuesday, as he continues to chip away at key Obama support.
• Romney’s edge among independents widened to 20 points from 18 just a day before.
• Obama’s lead among women narrowed from 10 points to 8 points.
• Romney also continues to make inroads among middle-class voters, moving from a 6-point lead against Obama with this group to a 10-point lead.
• The current data include only polls taken after Romney’s resounding debate win over Obama on Oct. 3.

	Obama	Romney	Not Sure
OVERALL	43.7%	48.7%	6.1%
REGION
Northeast	49%	42%	9%
Midwest	47%	47%	4%
South	40%	54%	5%
West	43%	46%	9%
AGE
18-44	50%	44%	6%
45-64	40%	51%	7%
65+	37%	54%	5%
GENDER
Male	36%	57%	6%
Female	50%	42%	6%
RACE
White	34%	58%	7%
Black/Hispanic	82%	13%	3%
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Under 30K	50%	44%	5%
30K-50K	46%	49%	4%
50-75K	41%	48%	11%
75K+	44%	51%	5%
PARTY
Democrats	86%	7%	5%
Republicans	3%	95%	1%
Ind./Other	34%	54%	12%
INVESTOR CLASS
Yes	44%	50%	6%
No	44%	47%	7%
AREA TYPE
Urban	48%	43%	7%
Suburban	47%	46%	6%
Rural	34%	58%	6%
WHITE
White men	28%	64%	6%
White women	39%	52%	7%
BLACK/HISPANIC
Black*	91%	6%	3%
Hispanic*	64%	30%	4%
WOMEN
Single women	58%	37%	5%
Married women	43%	47%	8%
EDUCATION
High School	41%	47%	9%
Some College	42%	52%	5%
College Degree+	46%	48%	5%
IDEOLOGY
Conservative	18%	76%	5%
Moderate	54%	37%	8%
Liberal	89%	4%	5%
HOUSEHOLD DESCRIPTION
Upper/Upper Middle	52%	41%	7%
Middle	41%	51%	5%
Working	40%	50%	8%
Lower*	50%	45%	6%
RELIGION
Protestant	35%	60%	5%
Catholic	43%	46%	6%
Other Christian	40%	56%	3%
Jewish*	47%	25%	28%
Other*	51%	36%	11%
None	67%	27%	5%
UNION HOUSEHOLD
Yes	59%	33%	6%
No	41%	51%	6%
2008 VOTE
Obama	83%	9%	8%
McCain	2%	94%	4%

Polling period: 10/4 - 10/9
Margin of Error: +/- 3.5%
Sample Size: 757 likely voters (identified from 873 registered voters with party affiliation of 39% Dem, 31% GOP, 30% Ind.)
Methodology: Traditional telephone methodology using Random Digit Dial (RDD) landline and cell phone samples

Via: IBD

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More polls: Romney now within three points in Michigan,

In case there was any lingering shred of doubt that Romney helped himself considerably last week, this ought to finish it off. Michigan:

Obama’s 10 percentage point lead (47%-37%) in a poll conducted last month by EPIC-MRA of Lansing dropped to 3 points (48% to 45%), according to the poll of 600 likely voters conducted by EPIC-MRA of Lansing. The gap between Romney and Obama was within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points…

“Romney has come back like gangbusters,” said EPIC-MRA President Bernie Porn. “Whether or not it’s long-lasting, only time will tell, but probably the remaining debates will be key.”

Conducted in the three days following the Wednesday debate, the poll showed more than five times as many Michiganders interviewed named Romney, not Obama, as the debate’s winner. Romney’s numbers improved most dramatically among independent and undecided voters.

Worth noting: Per the article, Romney’s closing the gap on O in Michigan even while other prominent Dems are expanding their leads. Debbie Stabenow went from being 11 points up on Pete Hoekstra last month to 20 points up now. That’s in line with Obama’s 2008 margin in Michigan of 16.5 points. Fast forward four years and she’s keeping pace with that advantage while he’s … now statistically tied with his Republican challenger. Must be a lot of left-leaning independents thinking of splitting their ballot to produce a result like that.

Via: Hot Air

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OPINION: Why Obama's Falling Apart

A presidential reelection campaign needs three key elements: a defense of the incumbent’s record, a successful effort to define the opposition and a compelling vision of a second term.

President Obama may well celebrate a second term in Chicago next month, but the conventional wisdom underestimates the difficulty he faces, as his campaign has distinct problems with all three elements

.

His defense of his record is exceptionally weak, his effort to define Mitt Romney is nearly exhausted, and his vision for the next four years — perhaps the most important — has been largely missing from his effort this year.

Defense of the incumbent’s record

Four years ago, Obama expressed great confidence that he would be running amid renewed prosperity; he famously told Matt Lauer, “One nice thing about the situation I find myself in is that I will be held accountable. You know, I’ve got four years...If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”

In February 2009, even most Republicans would probably have predicted that by 2012, the country would be feeling much more prosperous, with much lower unemployment.

Friday’s jobs report brought much-needed good news, with the 114,000 new jobs in the payroll survey meeting economists’ expectations and bringing unemployment down to 7.8% — but that was fueled by 582,000 part-time jobs. GDP growth is at a meager 1.3%, gasoline is averaging $3.78 per gallon nationally and the foreclosure rate is only slightly below 2011’s 17-year peak.

Any fan of Obama who tells you he expected the country to be in this condition at this moment is either lying to you or lying to themselves.

Still, Obama’s poll numbers have overcome the economic gloom for much of the year, because many Americans concluded he was doing the best he could after stepping into a bad situation. Probably the single most effective line of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte was Bill Clinton’s declaration, “no President — not me, not any of my predecessors — no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years.”

Via: Daily News

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Military Times Poll: Romney Bests Obama, 2-1

The professional core of the U.S. military overwhelmingly favors Mitt Romney over President Obama in the upcoming election — but not because of any particular military issues, according to a new poll of more than 3,100 active and reserve troops.

Respondents rated the economy and the candidates’ character as their most important considerations and all but ignored the war in Afghanistan as an issue of concern.

The Military Times Poll is a secure email survey of active-duty, National Guard and reserve members who are subscribers to the Military Times newspapers (see How We Did It, below).

This population is older and more senior than the military population at large, but it is representative of the professional core of the all-volunteer force.

The 3,100 respondents — roughly two-thirds active-duty and one-third reserve component members — are about 80 percent white and 91 percent male. Forty percent are in paygrades E-5 through E-8, while more than 35 percent are in paygrades O-3 through O-5.

Almost 80 percent of respondents have a college degree — including 27 percent with a graduate degree and more than 11 percent with a post-graduate degree — while an additional 18.5 percent have some college under their belts.

And they are battle-hardened; almost 29 percent have spent more than two cumulative years deployed since 9/11, while a similar percentage has spent one to two cumulative years deployed.

The Military Times poll shows that Republicans continue to enjoy overwhelming support among the military’s professional ranks.

“There is really an affinity for Republican candidates, even though [troops] say that what counts is character and handling the economy,” said Richard Kohn, who teaches military history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Via: Army Times

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Mitt Romney Just Hammered Obama On Libya In A Big, Wide-Ranging Foreign Policy Speech

Republican nominee Mitt Romney gave a highly pumped-up foreign policy speech Monday that hammered President Barack Obama's foreign policy direction, including his handling of the recent attacks in Libya that left a U.S. ambassador dead.

Here's the full text of Romney's speech:

"I particularly appreciate the introduction from my good friend and tireless campaign companion, Gov. Bob McDonnell.  He is showing what conservative leadership can do to build a stronger economy.  Thank you also Congressman Goodlatte for joining us today. And particular thanks to Gen. Peay. I appreciate your invitation to be with you today at the Virginia Military Institute.  It is a great privilege to be here at an Institution that has done so much for our nation, both in war and in peace.  

For more than 170 years, VMI has done more than educate students.  It has guided their transformation into citizens, and warriors, and leaders.  VMI graduates have served with honor in our nation’s defense, just as many are doing today in Afghanistan and other lands.  Since the September 11^th attacks, many of VMI’s sons and daughters have defended America, and I mourn with you the 15 brave souls who have been lost. I join you in praying for the many VMI graduates and all Americans who are now serving in harm’s way.  May God bless all who serve, and all who have served.

Of all the VMI graduates, none is more distinguished than George Marshall—the Chief of Staff of the Army who became Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, who helped to vanquish fascism and then planned Europe’s rescue from despair. His commitment to peace was born of his direct knowledge of the awful costs and consequences of war.

General Marshall once said, “The only way human beings can win a war is to prevent it.”  Those words were true in his time—and they still echo in ours.

Via: Business Insider

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Romney’s Strong Debate Performance Erases Obama’s Lead

Mitt Romney no longer trails Barack Obama in the Pew Research Center’s presidential election polling. By about three-to-one, voters say Romney did a better job than Obama in the Oct. 3 debate, and the Republican is now better regarded on most personal dimensions and on most issues than he was in September. Romney is seen as the candidate who has new ideas and is viewed as better able than Obama to improve the jobs situation and reduce the budget deficit.

Fully 66% of registered voters say Romney did the better job in last Wednesday’s debate, compared with just 20% who say Obama did better. A majority (64%) of voters who watched the debate describe it as mostly informative; just 26% say it was mostly confusing.

In turn, Romney has drawn even with Obama in the presidential race among registered voters (46% to 46%) after trailing by nine points (42% to 51%) in September. Among likely voters, Romney holds a slight 49% to 45% edge over Obama. He trailed by eight points among likely voters last month.

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Oct. 4-7 among 1,511 adults, including 1,201 registered voters (1,112 likely voters), finds that 67% of Romney’s backers support him strongly, up from 56% last month. For the first time in the campaign, Romney draws as much strong support as does Obama.

Via: Pew Research Center

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The scale of Obama's humiliation revealed: Romney scores 52-point debate victory - the BIGGEST in Gallup poll history

• Romney also enjoyed a five-point national poll swing putting him level pegging with Obama at 47% 
• Even among Democrats, 49 per cent thought Romney was the winner with only 39 per cent of his own supporters saying Obama had won the day
• Latest: Pew Research Center reported Romney taking a four-point lead among likely voters since the debate - 12-point swing from mid-September

Mitt Romney won the first presidential debate by a whopping 52-point margin according to Gallup - the most resounding margin since the polling giant began tracking debates 20 years ago.

The stunning judgement on the debate came as a bombshell Pew national poll put Romney four points ahead of President Barack Obama by 49 to 45 points - a huge swing of 12 points from mid-September, when Pew found Obama leading by 51 to 43 points.

In Gallup debate results published today, three times more people thought Romney did a better job than Obama in last week's so-called Duel in Denver presidential debate.

The poll about the Wednesday night's debate in Denver, watched by 67 million people, was conducted on Thursday and Friday. Of those who watched, 72 per cent thought Romney did a better job compared to 20 per cent for Obama.

Meanwhile, the respected Pew Research Center reported the most dramatic shift in a national poll during the entire general election campaign, with Romney’s fortunes improving in almost every respect. The center reported also pulling even with Obama on 46 per cent among registered voters and taking the lead by three points among likely voters.

Via: Daily Mail

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