The Big Squeeze

You've likely noticed that you can't open a newspaper or your mailbox, or turn on a TV, radio, or computer without being flooded by political ads lately.

Even though ads aren't likely to change anyone's mind at this point, that isn't going to stop either side from dumping millions more into political advertising over the next two weeks. If you're tired of the monster of campaign advertisements choking all of us, let us remind you of something we've said for several years now.

The single biggest problem in our political system is money, in large part thanks to the Supreme Court, Citizens United, and the ideas that money is speech and corporations are - legally - people. No matter who wins, we need to make sure that after this election, we all focus on getting the money out of elections. As it is, advertising isn't the only place money is being unethically spent in this election.

The Romney family also has been putting their money into the voting machine company that will count the votes in Ohio - and that's a HUGE problem. Multiple investors and top level executives at Hart Intercivic have deep ties to the Romney family, including Mr. Romney's own son Tagg - the hothead who claimed he wanted to take a swing at the President (which is technically a Federal crime).

If you're wondering why we're not as focused on the substance of tonight's debate - foreign policy - the answer should be fairly obvious. When it comes to the facts of foreign policy, President Barack Obama and his administration have been amazingly successful during his first term.

The news that leaked out Saturday - that the U.S. and Iran may be on the verge of nuclear talks - was retracted publicly on Sunday. Because of the sources and writers associated with the news of this situation, we have no doubt that even if public talks are being denied, private talks are now likely ongoing. The steep sanctions President Obama has inflicted on Iran are driving its government closer to a diplomatic solution every day.

As far as Libya goes, as more details emerge, it appears the information given to Obama's State Department (including Susan Rice) that pointed to local non-al Qaeda militias being responsible was far more correct than the al Qaeda scare story that the right-wing has been pushing.

This is what actual diplomacy looks like under President Obama - and it's exactly the opposite of Mitt Romney's foreign policy.

Seventeen of twenty-four of Mitt Romney's foreign policy advisors are Bush era neocons, led by the same people who got us into the war in Iraq, including Dan Senor. Last week, Senor - one of the top members of a group called "The Foreign Policy Initiative" - even advocated the United States get involved with 'boots on the ground' in the civil war in Syria.

There is a serious reason why Mitt Romney remains vague about his foreign policy, and why - among all those ads swamping you right now - you will not see a single one that even comes close to describing Mitt Romney's foreign policy approach.

That's because Mitt Romney's foreign policy is the same as George W. Bush's & Dick Cheney's. Choosing Romney as our next leader very likely means Americans will keep sending our young men and women to die, for the indefinite future, into any country that doesn't bow to the bullying and cowboy diplomacy of a Mitt Romney administration.

President Obama, on the other hand got us out of war in Iraq, is pushing to get us out of Afghanistan, and - in case you forgot - President Obama is directly responsible for the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Keep these details in mind when you watch the debate tonight - which will thankfully be ad-free.

Friday Funday: Cleaning Up, Counting Down

As we're sure you're aware, the election is two weeks from next Tuesday, and the final presidential debate is next Monday.

While we're not exactly planning on resting and relaxing all weekend, we are hoping to catch up on some reading and catch some time with the family, outdoors - preferably in less windy conditions. We hope to catch a few games on TV too - along with all the hypocritical, lie-filled political ads.

In general, though, right now seems like the calm before the media storm, with no real single story dominating the media. So we're doing a little autumn clean-up today, trying to tackle a few mostly unrelated items that you may want to know about heading into the weekend.

For those of you still screaming at us about polling, the great Nate Silver over at FiveThirtyEight.com has a serious and unquestionable breakdown of why the current Gallup Daily Tracking poll isn't something you should be putting too much stock in. The other six daily tracking polls have now swung back towards the President, as we thought they would. All six say roughly the same thing: that President Obama has a slight lead, overall. The positive trend for Mr. Obama from Tuesday's big debate win is only now really being picked up by the polls, though, so most polling experts - including Nate - seem to think Obama will be doing a bit better again before the weekend is over.

Speaking of politics, if you haven't gotten involved, now is definitely the time. Today - October 19th - is the LAST day to register to vote this year in Nebraska. Registration deadlines are still open in many states, so check websites like GottaRegister.com to see if you still can register, and if you haven't done so yet, make that a priority this weekend too.

Something else we hope that you'll make a priority is fighting cancer. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and we think this weekend is as good a time as any to get out, and get involved in that battle. There are big events scheduled this weekend around the nation, including near our offices in Washington, DC, Nebraska, and South Florida. Cancer sucks. That's something we can all agree on, regardless of our political affiliation.

No matter what you're doing this weekend, whether it's recovering from travel, cleaning up leaves, or just watching the game on TV, we hope that you get some rest. You can guarantee our staff will be getting in as much sleep as we can.

The last two weeks of Election 2012 begin next week - and we have a feeling there won't be very much time for resting again till after the election.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

While some members of our staff are still laughing at some of the crazy online things poking fun at Mitt Romney's disastrous showing at the second Presidential debate ("binders full of women"? Who says that kind of thing?), the fact is, there are far more important things going on today even more likely to put a smile on your face.

Of course, if you're a Republican or if you subsist on a steady diet of Fox News and right-wing talk radio, the facts we're about to share with you might truly stun you. We know this because some of us do have conservative friends - friends who were actually quite surprised when we showed them the facts behind how positive the U.S. economy has become, especially lately.

Sometimes we find ourselves looking at our right-wing friends as though they've suddenly sprouted two extra heads, as though these people we've known and loved have become infected with some kind of twisted virus that numbs them to facts and reality. Down deep, we think that many of them are still the same people we've always known - which is why we keep trying to help them with facts.

For example, new housing starts surged last month to its fastest rate in more than four years, according to new data from the Commerce Department. By itself, that number might seem like an outlier, just a blip in the data.

However, these numbers on new homes don't exist in a vacuum.

The unemployment rate is at its lowest point since President Obama took over the disaster left to him by his predecessor. Consumer confidence is also at its highest point in five years. Retail sales are up, American industrial production numbers are up - even car sales are surging again.

Stocks are finding new highs too.

What's more, the Federal budget deficit is shrinking, down over $200 billion from just last year, and down $311 billion from Obama's first year when  - and remember, he inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit the moment he became President.

In short, the economy is looking up, thanks in large part to the policies of the Obama Administration.

Could things still be better yet? Absolutely. Congress could come back, and handle the responsibilities they've been shirking for most of the last two years, since the Republicans took over the House. They could pass the Farm Bill, fix the tax cut for the middle class, ditch the tax cut for the rich - and even pass President Obama's jobs bill, which is still languishing in the House.

Economists across the political spectrum agree that Obama's jobs bill would reduce the unemployment rate another full point - just the kind of economic boost that could turn all of these other numbers into a strong, self-sustaining economic recovery.

Of course, if you're like our three-headed friends, the only economic news you've likely heard is how bad things still are, compared to where everyone wishes they were.

The facts don't lie though - and neither do we. The economy is getting better - and it's certainly better than it was four years ago at this time.

Maybe we should keep the guy responsible for this economic miracle in place, for just a bit longer. Say... four years or so...