National
Dr. LaMont Penry sat at La Bistro Bonne in Northwest with a group of debate watchers Monday night, shaking his head from time-to-time and grimaced as he watched the sparring match in the third and final presidential debate.
At the end of the debate, which took place at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., and two weeks before the Nov. 6 general election, Penry's disappointment was palpable.
"I don't think that [Mitt] Romney came very prepared. Most of his jargon is repetitive and he was totally on the defensive," said Penry, a self-described 'Army brat' from North Carolina. "He goes back to when he was governor only to be made a complete fool of by something he said he did 10 years ago."
Penry was referring to Romney's assertion that 4th and 8th grade students ranked No. 1 in English and math while he was governor.
"But that was 10 years before you took office," Obama said twice, leaving Romney struggling to continue.
Penry said he is flabbergasted listening to Romney repeatedly and boldly deny statements and positions he once embraced.
"He denied on national TV that he didn't say troops should leave Afghanistan – blatant dishonesty. Typical Bush, typical Republican," he said. "He comes up with analogies that have no bearing. The concern I have is that people out there aren't informed."
At the end of the day, Penry said, he believes the third debate will make a critical difference.
"This debate has made a heck of a difference in terms of who's more believable," he explained. "This is about trust."
Pedra Chaffers, a teacher who recently relocated to the District, disagreed about the debate's importance.
"I don't know if the debate will make a difference," said the 46-year-old Anacostia resident. "For some people, it will clarify some things. That doesn't hurt."
Chaffers, however, said she questions Romney's motive for his desire to become president.
"I think Romney really wants to be president but hasn't really said how," she said.
Chaffers and Penry were among a small crowd of debate watchers at the bistro at an event sponsored by the Caribbean Professional Network on Oct. 22.
Obama and Romney discussed troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, the unrest and sectarian problems in Pakistan; Iran's attempts to become a nuclear nation; the ousting of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi; support for Israel and the Arab Spring in Tunisia, Egypt and other parts of the Middle East.
Even as Romney eschewed many of the positions he offered when seeking the GOP presidential nomination, Obama hammered him and cast a bright light on his many inconsistencies. The president castigated Romney, saying he was all over the map on a number of issues. The signature zinger of the night came as Obama ridiculed Romney's criticism of his defense strategy.
"The budget that we are talking about is not reducing our military spending. It is maintaining it. But I think Governor Romney maybe hasn't spent enough time looking at how our military works," Obama said. "You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines."
"And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we're counting ships. It's what are our capabilities."
Romney supporters lauded his performance and campaign aides exulted that the debate has not slowed the momentum he grabbed when he surprised Obama and beat him handily in the first debate.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Romney as saying that he could withstand two more weeks of attacks from Barack Obama but the country could not handle another four years of the president. Running mate Paul Ryan declared that Obama has run out of ideas, which is why he is running a small campaign about small things and hoping that he can distract people from the reality ...
Reaction to the last of three debates is decidedly mixed. While all the snap polls taken immediately after the debate gave Obama a clear win, it will be several days before it is known if that translates to a bump in the polls. At the moment, both men are running neck-and-neck with Obama maintaining an edge in Ohio and Wisconsin, while being slightly behind or within the margin of error in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia.
Romney was described as tentative, incoherent, unsure. Rather than present distinctive differences in his foreign policy portfolio, a range of critics, including the New York Times, criticized him for bringing little of consequence to the debate.
"Mitt Romney has nothing really coherent or substantive to say about domestic policy, but at least he can sound energetic and confident about it," according to an editorial published in the Times on Tuesday, Oct. 23. "On foreign policy, the subject of Monday night's final presidential debate, he had little coherent to say and often sounded completely lost. That's because he has no original ideas of substance on most world issues, including Syria, Iran and Afghanistan."
Penry and Alton Drew, an Atlanta-based legal and policy analyst, both said that they wished that Romney had better outlined his vision of foreign policy in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Drew, a Libertarian said he's deeply disappointed with both parties and both candidates, saying he would vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. He did say that if pushed, he would vote for Obama while holding his nose.
Drew said he's not surprised the combatants weren't able to drill deeply into some of foreign policy's juicier, more complex issues. And even to do so, would cause viewers to nod off, he said.
"It depends on how closely you follow policy. It's very difficult to get substantive in an hour- and-a-half. You can only get to so many details," said the 49-year-old father of one.
"You can only get to the tip of the iceberg. If you want to bore people to sleep, talk about foreign policy."
"It was part performance. Romney knew that there was too far to go with Benghazi – it's too complicated. Distinguishing a position doesn't mean you bring anything new."
To someone who makes their decision based on feelings they probably leaned to Obama, Drew said.
"If you were into the boxing match of it, it was a good debate. But there was no substance which was surprising," he said. "Romney allowed Obama to pull him to the middle. I asked on Facebook did Ann Romney know who she was hugging last night? Romney flip-flops. He's betting that people who are seeing him for the first time don't know what he said last week."
"Critics and pundits keep saying people are getting to know him. If you're serious about voting for someone, you avoid pundits. People are swayed by the NBCs and the Foxs. If people want to know where Romney stands, they can go to his website or Google it, but we don't invest that much time. He's making the bet that people in the middle don't know him."
President Barack Obama came prepared to be tough in Monday's final debate with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and he won, portraying his moderate Republican opponent as an unstable leader.
During the 90-minute face-off on foreign policy, which was moderated by CBS News' Bob Schieffer and held at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., Obama took an aggressive stance citing that it's been under his leadership that the war in Iraq has ended, brought Osama bin Laden to justice, restored America's standing around the world and effected a reduced threat of loose nuclear material.
"My job is to keep the American people safe and that's what I've done," said Obama. "When we received the phone call [about the attack in Libya] we did everything to secure Americans in harm's way . . . We will go after those who killed Americans and bring them to justice."
Romney, who agreed with Obama on many foreign policy issues, countered that his strategy is to go after the bad guys as well. However, "We must be able to get the Muslim world to reject extremism on its own . . . We have to help nations create civil societies."
Obama responded in part that he's made sure "those (Muslim) countries are supporting our counter terrorism efforts, and that we recognize we can't continue to do nation-building in those regions," when it's particularly needed at home.
Other highlights of the debate included these statements:
Romney: "It is important that we see Syria as a friend and an important party in the Mideast."
Obama: "We've been neglecting developing our economy while trying to develop leadership in other countries."
Romney: "Our purpose is to make sure the world is more peaceful, and that mantle has fallen on America."
Obama: "Romney has taken a different approach throughout the campaign with wrong and reckless policies."
Romney: "[When elected] I will increase trade . . . especially in Latin America".
Obama: "Israel is a true friend, ally. . . We will stand with Israel if they are attacked."
Romney: "When I'm president, we will stand with Israel. Our mission is to dissuade Iran from having nuclear weapons."
Obama: "Our goal is to get Iran to realize it needs to give up its nuclear program."
Romney: "Iran has found weaknesses in the [Obama] administration."
Obama: "Afghanistan was America's longest war; will have troops out by 2014."
Romney: "What happens in Pakistan will have a major impact on what happens in Afghanistan . . . Not time to divorce Pakistan. It has no civilian leadership that's calling the shots."
Both Obama and Romney agreed that while America can work with China, it has to play by the rules. "From day one, I labeled them a currency manipulator," said Romney. "I want a great relationship with China, but they can't just roll all over us." Again, Obama agreed.
However, in his closing remarks Obama said Romney wants to take America back to policies the country has spent the past four years digging its way out of. "I want to ask the wealthy to do a little more," Obama said.
Romney promised that when he's elected to get people back to work. "We have to have a president who can work across the aisle," he said. "[Washington,] D.C. is broken and I know what it takes to get it back."
Political strategist Donna Brazile said that hands down, Obama was the clear winner in the debate.
"This thing is so close right now that both sides have got to go after their base," Brazile said. "But Barack Obama won because he had a strategy that this is a time to have a strong leader in the White House."
President Barack Obama took the clear lead in Tuesday night's second of three presidential debates against Republican contender, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Throughout the 90-minute face-off held on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, Obama responded full force to Romney, delivering a performance that was a far cry from the mediocre presentation he rendered two weeks ago in Colorado. Although the president failed to knock Romney completely out, he was the victor on several points.
"Most improved -- that award goes to Barack Obama," CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen said afterward. "I think he had a much stronger debate tonight."
The event, which was offered in a town hall format, was moderated by Candy Crowley, CNN chief political correspondent, who allowed each candidate two minutes to respond to questions fielded from a small but diverse audience. Their questions ranged from the candidates' take on the country's ongoing rate of joblessness to last month's terrorist attack on the U. S. consulate in Libya.
Romney was the first to respond to a question about new college graduates' abilities to secure jobs in a weakened economy -- and how they would pay off exorbitant student loans.
"We have to make sure students can graduate and find jobs after college," Romney said. "[In order to do that] we have to keep Pell Grants and loans growing [in a society where there is] more debt and less jobs," he said. "But [if elected] we will change that – we're bringing back the economy . . . not like it was four years ago."
Obama responded, saying that students' futures are bright and the fact they're making an investment in their education is critical.
"I want to build on the five million jobs we've [already] created over the last 30 months in the private sector," he said.
To that, Romney explained that his goal in part, is to create 12 million jobs over a four-year span.
"The president's policies are not putting people back to work," Romney said. "The [current] 7.8 percent rate of unemployment is the same as it was four years ago."
On gas prices that spiked this past summer before beginning to dip just a few weeks ago, both Obama and Romney vowed a reduction, pledging they would do what they could to take control of costs that have repeatedly exceeded $4 per gallon.
"We have to make sure we can control our own energy," Obama said. "We have to have efficient energy to make gas prices lower. Romney got the oil and gas part, but he's not clear pm the energy part."
But Romney countered that Obama's energy plan is not working and if so, gas prices would have never reached the $4 per gallon mark.
The debate advanced to include questions about taxes, to which Romney answered that he would endeavor to bring rates down.
"I don't want people at the high end paying less now than middle income people – who will get a tax break," he said.
While Obama said he wants to give the middle class and others struggling to become part of it, tax reliefs, he added he is ready "to sign a bill now," but it hasn't happened because Congress wants to hold out for "the top two percent" [of taxpayers].
Regarding the attack on Benghazi where U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed, Obama confirmed that although terrorists were responsible and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she takes full responsibility, overall, he shoulders blame as well.
Romney appeared miffed that it took the administration "days" after the attack to confirm it was an act of terrorism, rather than the result of a video protest as news reports had previously stated.
Vice President Joe Biden rolled his eyes, held his hands up to the sky and snickered while his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, struggled to make a presence during the vice presidential debate that took place Oct. 11 on the campus of Centre College in Danville, Ky. The occasion marked the only time the two vice presidential candidates will meet during the campaign.
Biden, 69, showed his mastery of foreign policy which should be of no surprise. Before he became vice president, Biden served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and, when the Republicans were in charge of that chamber, he was its ranking member.
By the way, it's no secret in Washington that Biden would love to be secretary of state.
So when Ryan, 42, took the Obama administration to task for not properly responding to an attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya and the death of the American ambassador last month, Biden had enough. Ryan towed the line of his running mate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) when he said that "it took two weeks [for the Obama administration] to acknowledge that this was a terrorist attack."
In his now-famous line, Biden responded, "with all due respect, that's a bunch of malarkey."
Political analysts and observers understand that the vice presidential debates are, as in the words of Fox News journalist Chris Wallace, "fun, informative and they don't mean anything."
While the first presidential debate took place in 1960 with then-Vice President Richard Nixon and Sen. John F. Kennedy, the first vice presidential face-off did not occur until 16 years later, with Republican Sen. Robert Dole and Democrat Sen. Walter Mondale fighting it out.
Mondale, in reference to his opponent, said that Dole "earned his reputation as a hatchet man." That characterization of Dole stayed with him throughout his successful career in the U.S. Senate and when he lost his bid for the presidency to Bill Clinton in 1996.
Eight years later, then Republican Vice President George H.W. Bush debated Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in na historic contest in which the first woman on a major party ticket took on a sitting vice president. Most political analysts considered the debate a draw, but Bush got flak from some in the media when he told an aide after the debate that, "we kicked a little ass."
The most famous vice presidential debate took place in 1988, when seasoned Democratic U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen said to then-Republican Sen. Dan Quayle, "senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
Biden may have been aggressive in the debate with Ryan because of Obama's mediocre performance with Romney a week earlier. It is likely that Biden, a well-tested politician, wanted to rattle the young congressman who has only been on the national scene for a few years.
Biden's strategy must have worked, for Ryan said that things like "the vice president very well knows that sometimes the words don't come out of your mouth the right way."
Biden coolly, but firmly said, "but I always say what I mean."
Ryan, who seemed weary of interruptions and corrections by the vice president said, in a desperate, yet polite tone, "Mr. Vice President, I know that you are under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground, but I think the people would be better served if we don't keep interrupting each other."
HBO recently had a show, "Veep," that is about a vice president who is marginalized by the president and is never consulted on even minor policy decisions. John Nance Garner of Texas, who served as vice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933-1941, said that the vice presidency "is not worth a warm bucket of spit."
Still, one of these men will become president if the leader of their ticket dies or becomes incapacitated. Along those lines, the Biden-Ryan contest was worth watching.
Otherwise, it was pure entertainment.
Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who has been out of the public eyes for the past four months due to illness, is now under investigation for alleged misuse of campaign funds. The money was reportedly used to redecorate his house.
The FBI began making inquiries surrounding the 47-year-old Illinois Democrat prior to his hospitalization in June for depression, according to a New York Times report -- which also states that Jackson, who won his first election in 1995, is seeking another term in office.
Jackson, the son of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, first came under federal scrutiny in 2008 after being mentioned in connection with the case of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of trying to sell the senate seat that Barack Obama vacated when he became president.
Jackson, who reportedly aspired to be mayor of Chicago or U.S. senator, was not charged in that case.
However, his efforts to join the senate have been part of an ongoing House ethics investigation looking into claims that a longtime friend and supporter of Jackson offered Blagojevich significant contributions to appoint him to the seat.
Meanwhile, Jackson's Republican opponent in the November election, Brian Woodworth, said in a statement that "there is a cloud that surrounds this man."
Said Woodworth: "It should matter. One cannot assume guilt of course, but the flip side is how perception affects the district and the state."
Source: The New York Times
Race to the Top marks a historic moment in American education. This initiative offers bold incentives to states willing to spur systemic reform to improve teaching and learning in America's schools. Race to the Top has ushered in significant change in our education system, particularly in raising standards and aligning policies and structures to the goal of college and career readiness. Race to the Top has helped drive states nationwide to pursue higher standards, improve teacher effectiveness, use data effectively in the classroom, and adopt new strategies to help struggling schools.
To date, President Obama's Race to the Top initiative has dedicated over $4 billion to 19 states that have created robust plans that address the four key areas of K-12 education reform as described below. These states serve 22 million students and employ 1.5 million teachers in 42,000 schools, representing 45 percent of all K-12 students and 42 percent of all low-income students nationwide. The four key areas of reform include:
•Development of rigorous standards and better assessments
•Adoption of better data systems to provide schools, teachers, and parents with information about student progress
•Support for teachers and school leaders to become more effective
•Increased emphasis and resources for the rigorous interventions needed to turn around the lowest-performing schools
Forty-six states and the District of Columbia submitted comprehensive reform plans to compete in the Race to the Top competition. While 19 states have received funding so far, 34 states modified state education laws or policies to facilitate needed change, and 48 states worked together to create a voluntary set of rigorous college- and career-ready standards.
Race to the Top – District competition
In 2012, the Obama Administration launched a Race to the Top competition at the school district level. Known as Race to the Top – District, this program will invest nearly $400 million in 2012 in schools to create new models to personalize learning for students, so that they can engage their interests and take responsibility for their success.
Inspired by the education reform taking place in state K-12 systems nationwide, this next phase of RTT will build on the four core principles of reform at the classroom level, supplying teachers with the strategies and tools they need to help every student learn and succeed. The Race to the Top – District competition will encourage transformative change within schools, targeted toward leveraging, enhancing, and improving classroom practices and resources.
Source: Whitehouse.gov
Although many Americans are living longer, a new public policy analysis reveals that a disproportionate number of older people are also living in poverty – particularly if they are a person of color. According to the AARP Public Policy Institute, Social Security keeps about 30 percent of older African Americans and Hispanics from retirement poverty. Yet another 20 percent of these two ethnicities at ages 65 or older, live in poverty at a rate that is double that for whites.
The reasons for these disparities are tied to multiple economic impacts incurred over lifetimes spent in the workplace. Years of working at lower incomes and wages do not easily allow for aggressive savings or investment portfolios. Additionally, many people of color have or held jobs that did not provide for pensions or retirement accounts. For other workers whose employers provided some kind of retirement plan, often the benefits are smaller.
Among all people of color, AARP found that higher-income Asian-Americans were the most likely to receive diversified incomes in retirement years that included interest, dividends and rental income from assets.
For Black and Latino retirees, more than a quarter eventually rely on Social Security for 90 percent of their family income, says AARP. According to the report, "The median annual Social Security family income of older minorities is roughly 26 percent lower than that of older whites."
The worst disparities in Social Security benefits were found in comparing women by race and marital status. Never-married African-American women usually receive benefits at much lower rates than married women of color. By contrast, older white women regardless of marital status received benefits at much similar rates to white men.
Fortunately, the Social Security Administration provides options to increase the amount of monthly benefits by determining the best time to retire.
For example, most consumers can receive Social Security benefits as early as age 62. The trade-off is that the monthly payments will be lower than those choosing to wait for full benefits. People born before 1938 are eligible for full benefits at 65. For people born in 1960 or later, 67 is the age to receive full retirement. If retirement can be delayed until age 70, those extra years of working will earn higher benefits than those available at an earlier age.
Regardless of when people choose to retire, Social Security recipients are eligible for cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). After no COLAs were offered in 2010 or 2011, this year retirees will receive a 3.6 percent adjustment. Earlier this week, the Labor Department indicated an estimated 2013 increase will be in the range of 1.5-1.7 percent.
The Social Security Administration advises that a worker with average earnings can expect a retirement benefit equivalent to 40 percent of his/her lifetime earnings. Each worker's average index includes the 35 years in which the most earnings occurred.
Anyone planning to retire is advised to contact Social Security three months before the date desired for benefits to begin. When applying for benefits, documents such as birth and/or marriage certificates and the most recent W-2 form must be submitted to determine eligibility.
According to AARP, "Social Security is and will continue to be the main source of income for low-and moderate-wage retirees; but improvements in other programs would alleviate poverty and income insecurity among older Americans."
Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Vice President Joe Biden was the clear winner in Thursday's debate with GOP contender Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan -- and, in a sometimes heated exchange -- he did what President Barack Obama failed to do in last week's match with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Biden, 69, came to the table that was aggressively moderated by ABC News' Martha Raddatz, armed with plenty of heart, whereas Ryan, 42, didn't display much muster until the ending rounds of the 90-minute nationally televised debate. On the real side, Biden had a lot to say, and he was eager to say it, effectively reassuring voters that as a team, he and Obama understand what the American people deeply care about.
However, while the Biden-Ryan debate solidifies the position Obama assumed prior to the Oct. 3 square-off with Romney, the real fight won't be won until voters flock to the polls on Nov. 6.
In a feisty showdown where there were real clashes and exchanges from the start, Biden often flashed a toothy grin as if to brush off many of Ryan's non-detailed responses to a host of pointed questions by Raddatz.
Ryan who on the other hand, repeatedly harped on the Obama-Biden record of the last four years, was mostly intense and super sensitive. He expounded on the administration's policies – such as those he said have hindered economic recovery and weakened the country's standing and influence on issues that include ensuring American military forces will pull out of Afghanistan by 2014.
"[Americans] are going bankrupt," Ryan said about the future of programs like Medicare and Social Security. "Medicare was there for my grandmother and mother . . . [but in order to ensure] it for my generation, we must reform [those] programs."
He also accused the Obama administration of not having "any credible solutions [for Medicare and Social Security] on the table."
Biden, who insisted the GOP was never big on Medicare -- even from its beginning -- said the Obama administration wouldn't be part of efforts to privatize Social Security or to engage in a vouchers program.
Ryan in turn, took a shot at reviving the economy, noting that like Democrats, the promise of the Republican tax plan is to grow the economy and to create jobs.
"We want to lower tax rates across the board," Ryan said, to which Biden reasoned, "the only way we can close [any] loopholes, is to focus on efforts aimed at helping the middle class."
The U. S. unemployment rate finally dropped below 8 percent to 7.8 percent (.3 percentage points) last month, giving hope for a slowly recovering economy and a slight boost for the re-election of President Barack Obama. Unemployment in the Black community, which is now 13.4%, also showed slight improvements over the past year.
President Obama, still smarting from criticism of his first debate performance, boasted on the new jobs numbers, but said it’s just a start. He called on Congress for help.
“While there’s more work to do, America’s businesses have added 5.2 million jobs over the past 31 months and the unemployment rate is at the lowest level since the President took office,” he said at a campaign event in San Francisco this week. “To keep our country moving forward, Congress should act on the President’s plan to keep taxes low for 98 percent of the American people, rather than holding it hostage to give more budget-busting tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent.”
Though the Black unemployment rate remains extremely high compared to the White unemployment rate which is well below the national average, it also shows signs of recovery when measuring the decrease since last year.
The Black unemployment rate at this time last year was 15.9 percent overall, 16.6 percent for Black men, 13.2 percent for Black women, and 43.6 percent for Black teens. Currently, the rates for African-Americans are 13.4 percent overall (2.5 percent drop from last year); 14.2 percent for Black men (2.4 percent drop from last year); 10.9 percent for Black women (2.3 percent drop from last year); and 36.7 percent for Black teens (6.9 percent drop from last year).
The lowest Black unemployment rate over the past decade was 7.0 in April of 2000 during the Clinton presidential administration.
Comparatively, the White unemployment rate at this time last year was 7.9 percent overall, 7 percent now (.9 percentage point drop); 7.7 percent for White men last year, 6.6 percent now (1.1 percent drop); 7.1 percent for White women last year (.8 percentage point drop), 6.3 percent now, (.8 percentage point drop); and 21.2 percent for White teens last year, the same rate now.
The lowest White unemployment rate over the past decade was 3.4 percent in January of 2000, also during the Clinton administration.
Democrats are applauding the much-needed reduction in the unemployment rate as Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney says it’s far too slow.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in its monthly report Oct. 4, gave additional good news:
“Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 114,000,” the BLS reported on its home page at bls.gov. “For the first 8 months of the year, the rate held within a narrow range of 8.1 and 8.3 percent. The number of unemployed persons, at 12.1 million, decreased by 456,000 in September.”
Following the first debate between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, talk show host Bill Moyers said: "Romney was widely lauded as the winner of the first presidential debate. The loser, many agreed, was the truth..."
Both men clashed at the University of Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 3, offering their prescriptions on domestic and economic issues before moderator Jim Lehrer.
Jill Sheppard-Davenport, and her husband Lee, joined more than 100 people at a debate watch party at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Northwest.
"I enjoyed watching it and definitely approved of Obama's concentration on substance," said Sheppard-Davenport, a mental health specialist who has lived in the District for two years. "Romney engaged the audience but I got a little frustrated because it's not easy to look at a guy and say the things he did wrong, but I heard a lot more of that from Romney than what he would do going forward."
Conservative commentator and talk show host Armstrong Williams and Steve Walker, deputy national political director of the Democratic National Committee, who engaged in a mini-debate before the telecast, summarized the strong points of the candidates and explained what each needed to do to be deemed successful.
"We will continue to have the conversation about where we stand," Walker said. "We were going off a cliff, losing 800,000 jobs a month. Now we have 30 consecutive months of job growth. We were on the verge of losing all three automakers, now, they're healthy and can't keep up with the demand."
"The economy is not where we need it to be. We're working on an economy built to last, where everybody gets a fair shot and where it's a level playing field. With passage of the Affordable Care Act, 52 million people have [coverage], four million young people are on their parents' health [insurance plans] and women, congrats, you're no longer a pre-existing condition," Walker joked.
Williams threw participants for a loop with an unsolicited admission.
"I enjoyed Steve's eloquence and praise of the president. I believed in hope and change and voted for Obama four years ago. Don't be surprised, I'm free," he said. "Unemployment is not getting any better, we're losing jobs, not gaining."
Williams said the deficit must be trimmed and that more Americans should take responsibility for their health.
"Why should healthy people pay for the unhealthy?" he asked. "We should be rewarded for taking care of ourselves. The best health care is preventive care. We need to exercise, eat well and not smoke."
Viewers watched the debate on two large-screen televisions. Graphs below the debaters charted the reactions of 39 undecided Colorado voters.
Afterward, Lee Davenport shook his head and laughed wryly.
"I think it's almost impossible to imagine that our future is in the hands of the six percent who can't decide anything," he said. "We're really putting our hope and faith in them."
Davenport, 37 and an independent contractor, said he praised both candidates for appearing professional and engaging.
"They focused on issues of concern to people but I thought it would be difficult to get deeply into issues in the time allotted," he said.
Although the consensus of many at the event was that Obama did well and explained his positions thoroughly, he appeared listless, passing on the opportunity to challenge Romney about a pivotal issue, such as his dismissal of 47 percent of Americans at a private fundraiser.
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman said Romney lied when he "declared that pre-existing conditions are covered under his plan."
" ... His attempt to deceive voters on this issue was the biggest of many misleading and/or dishonest claims he made," said Krugman, an economist. "What Mr. Romney did in the debate, in other words, was, at best, to play a word game with voters, pretending to offer something substantive for the uninsured while actually offering nothing. For all intents and purposes, he lied about what his policy proposals will do."
Pundits pilloried Obama for his performance and Democrats worried that his less-than-stellar performance reinvigorated a sputtering Romney campaign.
Williams agreed during an interview two days later that Romney outclassed Obama.
"Romney showed up, Obama didn't," he said. "He [Romney] had everything to lose. Never underestimate an opponent. They did, and Obama wasn't prepared. Romney was in 21 debates – he was battle ready."
Williams said when someone is surrounded by sycophants, they will tell him he's great whether that's true or not, and they likely wouldn't push him, press those buttons to rattle her or do things to make her uncomfortable.
"Nobody [could] save him. He [Obama] did not have a teleprompter which is his greatest asset."
Williams said the shellacking is a wake-up call.
"Expect Obama to be prepared in the next debate," he asserted. "Will he be prepared? Absolutely. He's embarassed, humiliated. He didn't even know how to respond. He forgot everything because Romney shocked him. He was not there."
Yet, Williams said he didn't think Romney's debate win will make a measurable difference.
"No, it's not a game changer," he said. "For people who were dismissive of Romney, he got a first chance to show who he was. He was not seen through the lens of the media. This gives them [the public] an opportunity to take a closer look at him. At least they will take a closer look and he's saying 'I'm serious, intellectual, I'm bright.'"
Ray Barry, an international health care consultant, said he's mystified by Obama's performance.
"I don't know what happened. I don't understand that one. I think the president didn't show and then I'm hearing him on Friday and the points he should have been going at during the debate, he's hitting them," said Barry, a Virgin Islands resident. "The president should have called him on it when Romney said he's going to kill Big Bird. What impact is PBS going to have on the budget? [It's] 0.01 percent and the president didn't call him on the [crap]."
Barry, 47, said the debate result "affects [Obama] to the degree that people who're on the fence may begin to wonder about his ability to defend his record."
The debate, he said, marks the beginning of Romney's tack toward the center.
"He's not a right wing conservative," Barry said, adding that the GOP has "a serious inability to represent the mainstream Republican philosophy" because of the Tea Party and evangelical Christians.
November's winner could have a lasting impact on the Supreme Court, Barry said, with education, defense spending and health care being other significant issues to be tackled.
"New innovations are being developed to bend the cost-curve," he said. "The Affordable Care Act didn't do anything to deal with costs. The issue of pre-existing conditions is an important aspect to be dealt with but we have a serious, serious problem with ... costs."
Barry, who described himself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal, said Obamacare didn't address costs which are the highest in the world, and he also said America should regulate drug prices.
"We pay the highest pharmaceutical costs in the world. Most other countries regulate the price of drugs. I think companies should make a profit but this uncontrolled environment when it comes to pricing of pharmaceuticals is insane," he said.
Barry said the election is a toss-up.
"I don't know who'll win; it's too close to call. There are so many different things that could happen before now and Nov. 6th. My crystal ball isn't working on that one. I have to work with whoever is there. I'm moving my business plan forward regardless," he said.
Blacks and Latinos are solidly in the corner of President Barack Obama in the upcoming elections.
In 2008, 96 percent of Blacks and 67 percent of Latinos voted for Obama. He's going to need that support again on Nov. 6 to beat back the challenge of Mitt Romney, in a race that's too close to call.
The significance of these voting blocs was one of several issues raised in a spirited discussion among a panel of experts, "The 47 Percent Town Hall Meeting - Brown v 2012 Election: The Impact of the Minority Vote."
Tomorrow is Today, a Northwest-based non-profit dedicated to social change and economic development, hosted the event which was carried live on CNN.
Dorinda White, of Tomorrow is Today, prefaced the Tuesday, Oct. 2 panel discussion at the Civil War Museum in Northwest with data on voter suppression efforts by Republicans. Fourteen states have passed 25 measures restricting the right to vote. Those most affected live in states with the fastest growing black and Latino populations. As many as five million eligible voters could be barred from voting.
White and CNN political analyst Roland Martin – who served as moderator of the standing-room only event – said minority voter participation is pivotal in the upcoming elections.
Panelists pointed to the impact of changing demographics in America; the need to be less reactive; focusing on workable strategies that maximize their numbers; and having people on the streets and in the suites.
"Our community really got engaged and motivated. We talked a lot about change and voted for change," said Ron Busby, president of the U.S. Black Chamber, Inc. "This vote is about guarding that change we voted for in 2008."
Panelists said both groups share more similarities than differences. Neither group is a monolith, they argued, and any one person's political position is generally more nuanced and may reflect progressive and conservative elements, such as someone who is socially liberal but who also supports school choice and the School Reform Movement.
Clark Crook-Castan, of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, reminded the audience that the only constant in life is change. "If you're conservative, you're probably on the wrong side of it, and if you're liberal, you're probably too far ahead of it," he said.
Several of the nine panelists, who also included Estuardo Rodriguez and Brent Wilkes criticized both Republicans and Democrats.
"Is it racism or laziness?" asked media personality and Republican commentator Lenny McAllister. "There's a segment of politicians who take our votes for granted. They make laws not in our best interest. We need responsiveness from [them]."
McAllister, host of the radio show, "Get Right with Lenny McAllister," said, he fears that the overwhelming support Latinos and blacks give Democrats may impede their negotiating ability.
Clarissa Martinez de Castro said she wants "both parties to fight for our vote."
"... This should not be a partisan debate," said Martinez de Castro, director of Civic Engagement & Immigration with the National Council of La Raza. "We don't want to be neglected or taken for granted. They are not taking positions that energize our communities. Our voters are not being given a choice."
She grimaced at one point.
"This conversation gives me heartburn," she said. "It's very insulting to think that Latinos can't speak to other people's interests. We want to see Latinos represented in proportion to our numbers. This conversation hurts our communities."
Labor leader Hector Sanchez said Republicans have alienated Latinos, while Democrats have chosen not to expend political capital on passing, for example, the Dream Act.
"Democrats need to play offense and stop playing defense," said Sanchez, executive director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement in Northwest. "Immigration has not been a priority. It's unacceptable the level of racism, anti-immigrant statements and attacks on labor and education [from Republicans]. We need to be more aggressive."
McAllister said Republicans have made a political calculation.
"The reason why we see the war on women, labor and minorities is because they drive the vote," he said. "Fifty percent of African Americans live in the South – red states. You have to change the paradigm, not just see this through the prism of race."
Alex Nogales said Republicans continue to ignore a potent population.
"Latinos are overly fond of the president and not fond of the other party," said Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, based in Pasadena, Calif. "Republicans have been very consistent in the message of hate in terms of the Latino community. There is no real choice. They will take us to a place we don't want to go, especially when the other candidate says 47 percent consider themselves as victims."
President of the National Council of Black Women, E. Faye Williams, stressed coalition building.
"Dr. [Martin Luther] King spoke of a coalition of women, the poor, brown and black," she said. "We cannot get all of what we want unless someone gets all of what they want. Usually, we wait until the last minute to come together."
As all the hype over debate performances between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney continues, Black voter mobilization and election protection activists remain focused on a 'state of emergency' in preparation for Nov. 6 polling precincts where the real showdown will take place.
"I think this is the worst civil rights battle that I've seen in my lifetime," says Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "And I think it rivals the 1960s and the 50s actually. People have really decided that the only way to win elections is to suppress the Black vote. This is a purposeful, deliberate strategy. And the only thing we can do is to fight back and make sure they don't win."
Over the past two years, Republican administrations have moved to enact new legislation that require voter identification cards, photo identifications, cut backs on voting days and times, erroneous purging of voters from rolls and other rigid registration and identification requirements. Those most affected will be racial minorities, senior citizens, veterans, youth, low-income people and previously convicted felons. Though the supporters claim the new laws are to prevent voter fraud, there is little or no evidence of a voter fraud problem in U. S. politics.
Therefore, election protection activists by the millions will dispatch across the nation or monitor telephone lines before and on Election Day Nov. 6 in order to protect the sanctity of the vote. Having proclaimed the situation a "state of emergency", Black civil rights groups have initiated a a unified voter registration, get-out-to-vote and election protection campaign.
"It's as bad as we allow it to be," says Melanie Campbell, president/CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. "We know what we're up against. Everybody's exposed. No matter what the barriers are. Our history in this country, we've had barriers before."
Campbell continues, "The legal groups – the Lawyers' Committee, the Advancement Project, the ACLU – all of our legal groups have been doing a great job in pushing back from a legal perspective and winning in a lot of cases because it's egregious and it's obvious that these laws that have been passed over the last two years were based on a partisan advantage. We all know that and the public knows it more. Now people need the tools to know what to do about it."
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies recently released a statement reporting that a broad coalition of civil rights, social justice and faith-based and other organizations representing communities of color has "declared a state of emergency on voting rights in the U.S. and said that millions of people could be disenfranchised by restrictive voter laws."
The coalition has called for voters to take steps to ensure that they are aware of any new laws in their states and how to assure that their votes will be counted. Among the steps:
◦Check your registration status
◦Check the documentation needed to register and to vote
◦Check the deadlines for registration and early/absentee voting
◦Check your state voter laws
◦Check your polling location and hours
Among a number of community resources to assist with voter registration, information and problems with voting on Election Day are as follows:
◦NAACP – This is My Vote www.thisismyvote.org/
◦Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law - http://www.866ourvote.org/ 1-866-OURVOTE (To report voting problems)
◦National Council of La Raza – Mobilize to Vote www.nclr.org/register www.nclr.org/challenge.
◦National Urban League – Occupy the Vote www.iamempowered.com/occupythevote
◦PICO Network – Let My People Vote www.piconetwork.org/tools-resources/let-my-people-vote-resources
According to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York Law School,http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/2012_summary_of_voting_law_changes/, at least 180 restrictive bills have been introduced since the beginning of 2011 in 41 states*:
◦Twenty-seven restrictive bills are currently pending in six states.
◦Twenty-five laws and two executive actions have passed since the beginning of 2011 in the following 19 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Main, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
◦Seventeen states, which account for 218 electoral votes, or nearly 80 percent of the total needed to win the presidency, have passed restrictive voting laws and executive actions that have the potential to impact the 2012 election; Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginal, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
◦At least 34 states introduced legislation that requires voters to show photo identification in order to vote. An additional four states introduced into legislation request that voters show photo identification just to register to vote.
◦Virginia passed a law which eliminates the execution of an affidavit of identity to replace the voter ID requirements when voting at the polls or applying for an absentee ballot.
◦At least 17 states introduced into legislation requirements for proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, in order to register to vote. Proof of citizenship laws passed in Alabama, Kansas and Tennessee.
◦At least 16 states introduced bills eliminating Election Day and same-day voter registration. Florida, Illinois and Texas passed laws restricting voter registration drives, as well as Florida and Wisconsin passed laws making it more difficult for people who move to stay registered and vote. Ohio eliminated their week long same-day voter registration, and Main passed a law eliminating Election Day registration.
◦At least nine states introduced bills that reduce early voting period, four tried to reduce absentee voting opportunities as well. Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia were successful in reducing early voting.
◦Two states, Florida and Iowa, reversed prior executive actions which made it easier for citizens with past felonies to restore their voting rights. South Dakota passed a law imposing further restrictions on citizens with felony convictions by denying voting rights to persons on probation.
◦*Updates may apply based on recent court rulings. Please see http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/2012_summary_of_voting_law_changes/ for updates and more details.
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