And The October Surprise Is...Chris Christie

Chris Christie on ABC talking to George Stephanopoulos.

It has become an American electoral tradition. The October surprise. The term was coined in 1972 when on the eve of the presidential election the Nixon White House announced that "peace is at hand" in Vietnam.

George H.W. Bush blamed his loss to Bill Clinton on an October surprise. Four days before the 1992 election, Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh announced the indictment of Caspar Weinberger over the Iran-Contra affair. In 2000, George W. Bush seemed to be cruising to an easy victory over Al Gore when his 1976 DUI arrest hit the headlines.

The Incredible Shrinking Mitt

(Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo)



Earlier in the day of the final presidential debate, a blimp displaying the slogan "America Needs Romney" crash landed in Davie, Florida. How appropriate! I cannot think of a better metaphor for what happened to Mitt Romney than a crashing bag of hot air. I could actually hear the air seeping out as Romney just kept getting smaller and smaller as the 90 minutes worn on.

Joe Biden To The Rescue

One thing is absolutely clear from the last night's vice presidential debate: time for Jim Lehrer to retire.

What a difference does a moderator make! Martha Raddatz was splendid. She did not let the Romney backers intimidate her. The Breitbart crowd is no match for a war correspondent like Ms. Raddatz. Unlike Lehrer, she kept control. Her follow-up questions were on point and tough. As a result, the debate was informative, fast moving. A real service to voters.

Why I Support Gary Johnson - Part Two

Yesterday, Mitt Romney continued his speed walk to the center that started last week. Moderate Mitt is making a comeback.

During the presidential debate, Romney revealed that there was some fine print attached to his big bold tax plan to cut marginal rates by 20% across the board.  The print said that no tax cuts will happen if they increase the deficit (read that as no tax cuts).

Mitt 10.0 still vows to repeal Obamacare. However, he now pledges to keep all the popular parts of the bill like covering pre-existing conditions. Just give him a couple of more days and he will be buying Sandra Fluke's birth control.

Obama's Long Game

 

If Obama's team is shocked about anything it is probably the reaction by their supporters to the first debate. Talk about an overreaction! What hurt Obama was the overwrought, hysterical reviews by Democrat commentators. That's what the polls are reflecting.

It was not a great night for Obama but it was not a disaster. He didn't make any major gaffes. The only part of the debate where Obama was truly awful was the closing statement. He looked down or away instead of engaging the viewing audience. Yes, he needs to get his energy level up for the next debate. But the last thing he needs to do is to try to pin Romney down. That would be playing Mitt's game.

My Reaction To The First Presidential Debate

(Michael Reynolds-Pool/AP Photo)

I guess it all comes down to expectations. Clearly Ed Schultz and Chris Matthews expected President Obama to nail Governor Romney to the wall over the 47% tape (BTW guys, that's what political ads are for). So they are despondent tonight. Romney was on the attack all night. Instead, Obama was his usual calm, cool self.

Why I Support Gary Johnson

Recently, I was having a discussion about the Iraq War with a Facebook friend. After a little back and forth, she remarked that I was very hawkish for a Gary Johnson supporter. And she was right. I am a hawk. So why am I putting my talons away and supporting Gary Johnson? Very simple. He is the most qualified candidate on the ballot this November.

Gary Johnson has more executive experience than President Obama and Governor Romney. He was a successful two term governor of New Mexico. He reduced the size of government through better management. Left a $1 billion surplus without raising taxes. He has a better job creation record than either Romney or Obama. In terms of record, Gary Johnson is the best man running.