The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Remember when Donald Trump and his followers contended that then President Barack Obama was a tyrant because of all the executive orders he passed? Well, allow me to show everyone, including them, some interesting numbers pertaining to that. I was born in 1981, so let's just compare and contrast the number of executive orders starting with Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan: 381 (average of 47.63 per year) George H.W. Bush: 166 (41.50 p/year) Bill Clinton: 364 (45.50 p/year) George W. Bush: 291 (36.38 p/year) Barack Obama: 275 (34.38 p/year) So let's now rank these five presidents in descending order: 1) Ronald Reagan: 47.63 p/year 2) Bill Clinton: 45.50 p/year 3) George H.W. Bush: 41.50 p/year 4) George W. Bush: 36.38 p/year 5) Barack Obama: 34.38 p/year So, among these five presidents, Barack Obama averaged to issue the fewest executive orders per year. Who averaged to issue the most? Republican God Ronald Reagan. Through six days of Donald Trump's t...

It's been 3+ days since the inauguration of Donald Trump and I still have trouble coming to the realization that Barack Obama is no longer in the White House. While I know there were some promises he made which he either didn't keep or compromised, and there were some decisions he made which I didn't agree with, I'll still always see him as my president, as the first candidate on either side of the aisle who I sincerely fought to get elected, and I'd like to say thanks. For trying to bring us together, In spite of heavy obstruction, Never wanting to lose hope, Thanks, Obama, For favoring diplomacy over warfare, Thinking about our soldiers' lives first, For thinking before reacting, Thanks, Obama, For providing equality to more, Evolving on marriage rights, Looking past creed, gender, and race, Thanks, Obama, For bringing healthcare to millions, Saving lives in the process, Trying to do what's right, Thanks, Obama, For always keeping you...

In this country, we seem to be rather obsessed with rankings, and with that, hyperbole. Rarely does a sports fan shout out, "We're #17! We're #17! We're #17!" With regard to politics, rarely do you hear someone yell, "He's the 19th worst president in history!" No, it seems that most times, it's all about the "best" and the "worst," without allowing rationale and mathematical odds to enter the mind before speaking. Did I think George W. Bush was a bad president? Yes. However, am I about to call him the worst in our history? Not quite. First off, I've only been around for 33 years, so it's difficult for me to fully understand what each and every president went through during their tenure, and how the people at large were impacted by their policies. Secondly, I haven't done enough research to confidently declare that of all 44 presidents, Dubya is the very worst. I would garner a guess that he's down there a ways,...

Over the past week, polls have shown that President Obama's approval ratings have yet to be hampered by the recent controversies surrounding the administration. A right-leaning columnist responded to this by saying, "Just wait a couple months, and his numbers won't be nearly as high as they are today." The thing about it is the economy has been improving under President Obama, and an increasing number of people are beginning to both see and feel that for themselves. It's one thing to simply hear politicians state, "Things are looking up," and quite another to actually see and feel these improvements for yourself. As long as things are looking up as far as the economy is concerned, chances are the president's approval rating won't drop too significantly. Where the president may be most likely to see a drop in his approval numbers is with regard to his personal likability. However, one doesn't need to like a person in order to think he or...

This morning, I had the pleasure ::tries not to laugh:: of seeing a post on Facebook with a picture which said, "Obama lecturing us on gun rights is like getting parenting tips from Casey Anthony." I had to read this over several times and I imagine the look on my face was reminiscent of a person who just woke up at 6 am with a hangover, and is not exactly sure where they are. I suppose if we want to look at the comparison from a very vague, simplistic manner, then I suppose one could make the argument that since Casey Anthony was an awful parent, the post is merely trying to suggest that President Obama is an awful lecturer on gun rights. That's the only halfway feasible explanation I can come up with, however. Casey Anthony and her boyfriend appeared to be very careless with their daughter, which factored in to the child's death. They then allegedly attempted to cover up the girl's death out of sheer panic when they discovered she had indeed died. So no, i...

President Obama recently received some criticism for a remark he made regarding California Attorney General Kamala Harris, especially from some far-left women supporters of his. The one line these offended individuals pointed to is when the president said the following in reference to Ms. Harris - "She also happens to be by far the best-looking attorney general in the country..." Some claimed that was a sexist comment. I happen to disagree. The word "sexism" is defined as: 1. "attitudes or behavior based on traditional stereotypes of sexual roles." 2. "discrimination or devaluation based on a person's sex, as in restricted job opportunities; especially such discrimination directed against women." How was the president discriminating or devaluing this woman who happens to be the attorney general of California? He was simply complimenting her. If I tell a woman I find her physically attractive, does that make me sexist? I certainly ...

Conservative Eliana Johnson of the National Review made some headlines recently with her "piece" entitled, "President Obama Commemorates the 'Senseless' Holocaust." On Holocaust Rememberance Day, the president said the following - "[Survivors who bore witness to] the horrors of the cattle cars, ghettos, and concentration camps have witnessed humanity at its very worst and know too well the pain of losing loved ones to senseless violence." Ms. Johnson took great issue with the president's words "senseless violence" when describing the Holocaust. Johnson went on to say the following in her "piece" - "Nazism may have been an ideology to which the United States was - and to which the president is - implacably opposed, but it is hardly 'senseless.' By the early 1930s, the Nazi party had hundreds of thousands of devoted members and repeatedly attracted a third of the votes in German elections; its political lea...

Sheryl Nuxoll - Republican Idaho State Senator - just recently stated that the states, through the electoral college, can still refuse to election President Barack Obama to a second term in office, while giving the next four years to Republican nominee Mitt Romney. What is Nuxoll's reasoning? She said that the "states are going to have to stand up for our individual rights and for our collective rights," because Obama is "depriving us of our freedoms." Of course, she's wrong. As even the wacky right-wing conspiracy website World Net Daily noted, "Since this column was posted it has been discovered that the premise presented about the Electoral College and the Constitution is in error. According to the 12th Amendment, a two-thirds quorum is required in the House of Representatives, not the Electoral College." What I find both so appalling, yet hilarious, is the fact that Nuxoll is asking the states to take away the voters' rights - you kno...

I've read and heard about some pretty crazy conspiracy theories centering around President Barack Obama. The one I just read about may be the craziest. Alright, so perhaps it places second behind the theory that Obama was born from a man. On October 11th of this year, the Republican caucus, led by majority leader Chip Rogers, held a closed-door meeting at the Georgia state Capitol. At one point during the four-hour meeting, local conservative activist Field Searcy made the following comments regarding President Obama and liberal organizations: "They do that [use mind-control techniques] by a process known as the Delphi technique. The Delphi technique was developed by the Rand Corporation during the Cold War as a mind-control technique. It's also known as 'consensive process.' But basically the goal of the Delphi technique is to lead a targeted group of people to a pre-determined outcome while keeping the illusion of being open to public input." Yes, 39% ...

At a town hall on Sunday night, Republican Vice Presidential candidate and post-P90x workout Screen Powers lookalike - Paul Ryan, said the following: "(Obama's vision is) ...a path that grows government, restricts freedom and liberty and compromises those values -- those Judeo-Christian, Western civilization values that made us a great and exceptional nation in the first place." This is funny. Paul Ryan is laying claim that Barack Obama - a self-described "Christian" - will threaten this country's "Judeo-Christian" values, yet is campaigning to become second in power to a man that is Mormon. That'd be like if a Republican Vice Presidential candidate declared that the Democratic nominee for president intended to ruin the sanctity of marriage by making gay marriage legal in all fifty states, when the Republican nominee for president had been divorced four times. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/04/paul-ryan-social-conservatives-religio...

For any honest person who watched the debate last night will know, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney all but endorsed Barack Obama for a second-term as President of the United States. For those who didn't watch the debate, here's basically how it went: Obama: ::explains foreign policy position or what he's done with regard to foreign policy:: Romney: "Yeah, what he said." Obama: "I'm glad to know that you agree with what my administration and I have done with regard to this." Romney: ::changes subject to the economy and takes weak shot at Obama:: Obama: ::responds to the swipe and follows that with a lecture:: Romney: ::begins to sweat a great deal, checks his watch and prays to Joseph Smith that he's in a nightmare, before realizing he still has an hour and twenty minutes left of this same cycle, so he asks for a few towels, three pitchers of water and that everyone in the audience and at home close their e...

As is always the case post-debate, both campaigns are attempting to spin things in their favor to the media. This is a much more difficult task for the Romney camp than the Obama one, since most sane people with an average IQ or better believe Obama won the debate and quite handily at that. Among undecided voters, a CBS snap poll showcased that 53% felt Obama won, while only 23% thought Governor Romney did. According to a CNN snap poll, the margin was smaller, but Obama still won by the final count of 48% to 40%. The sample leaned Republican by five points, so when taking that into consideration, Obama's victory was closer to 13%. In a PPP poll of swing state voters, Obama won by the final of 53% to 42%. If we don't even include the weighting for the bias in the CNN poll, the three polls average out to about a 16-point victory for the president. So, how are Republicans attempting to spin the debate in Romney's favor? By saying things like the following: "Ro...

I had run a perfect record with my debate predictions through the first three, but that streak came to an end tonight and I'm perfectly okay with it.  In the first debate, as history has showcased, I thought the challenger - Mitt Romney in this case - would likely be perceived as winning the debate. According to a CBS snap poll of undecided voters, Romney did upend the president by the final count of 46% to 22%. With all the momentum Romney garnered from the first debate, I felt that his running mate - Paul Ryan - would be rather cautious in his approach and this would give Vice President Joe Biden the edge. The final result, according to the CBS snap poll was Biden with 50% and Ryan with 31%. President Obama needed a bounce-back in the second debate and I felt he'd alter his approach quite drastically and see positive results. CBS' poll showed Obama did win by a final of 37% to 30%. Leading up to tonight, I thought both candidates would play things a bit mor...

Not to brag, but I'm a perfect 3 for 3 with my debate predictions. Debate #1: I predicted Romney would win the snap polls and he won the CBS snap poll 46% to 22% for Obama. My personal grade for the debate was as follows: Style - Romney, Substance - Obama, Overall - Draw (but since style seems to matter more than substance to the average voter, I admitted that the majority probably saw Romney as the victor). Debate #2: I went with Biden and the CBS snap poll showed 50% felt Biden won and 31% felt similarly about Paul Ryan. My grade: Style - Draw, Substance - Biden, Overall - Biden Debate #3: I picked Obama by around 6 points. The CBS snap poll showed that Obama won by the final count of 37% to 30% for Mitt Romney. My grade: Style - Obama, Substance - Obama, Overall - Obama That brings us to the fourth and final debate, which will be held tomorrow night in Boca Raton, Florida and will focus mainly on foreign policy. Of all four debates, this is definitely the most diff...

I'm two for two thus far in my debate predictions. Due to the success the Romney team had at lowering expectations for the first debate, along with the fact that history has repeatedly told us that the challenger typically "wins" the first debate over the incumbent president, I felt that in the public's eyes, Romney would be seen as the ultimate victor at the debate two Wednesday's ago. With polls showcasing that Romney running mate Paul Ryan was favored to get the better of Joe Biden in the Vice Presidential debate and that he was likely asked not to spoil the momentum by being overly aggressive and potentially saying something that could backfire - likely being told to play things rather conservatively, I gave the edge to Biden in last Thursday night's Vice Presidential debate. While I personally feel the first presidential debate was a draw, polls show that the public largely feels Romney won said debate and that Biden was the victor last week. That bring...

The latest Obama rumor circulating the internet revolves around his wedding ring. Yes, Jerome Corsi - author of the book,  What's That Smell? Bulls**t. Oh, I Guess It's Just My Breath - posted that President Obama's wedding ring has a face in Arabic, which reads, "There is no God but Allah." That's right. President Obama has been married to First Lady Michelle since 1992, has gone through the State Senate in Illinois (1997-2004), the U.S. Senate (2005-2008) and got elected as President of the United States of America (2008-????), all the while wearing this ring which showcased that he's a devout Muslim, and not until 20 years later did anyone actually notice and say anything about this. Of course, fact-checkers have already reported that this rumor is false (surprise, surprise). Rumor has it that President Obama has had a giant tattoo across his face since birth, which reads "I was born in Kenya." On the eve of the election, a person will fin...

Upon going to a bar last night, I overheard some people talking about the "Obamaphone" - a program they claimed had started under President Obama - which provides free cell phones to low-income Americans via taxpayer money. I had merely heard about this through the grapevine and while my BS radar was going off upon haring about it, I still hadn't researched the matter greatly. I decided to stay quiet last night until I researched the matter further and decided to finally do that this afternoon. So, what's the real story? As my gut instinct told me, it's nonsense. Courtesy of the fact-checking site, Factcheck.org , the following was reported: "Q: Has the Obama administration started a program to use 'taxpayer money' to give free cell phones to welfare recipients? A: No. Low-income households have been eligible for discounted telephone service for more than a decade. But the program is funded by telecom companies, not by taxes, and the president...

I regularly do research on my books to see if there's anything interesting that pops up and couldn't help but laugh hysterically at what appeared before my eyes today. On what appears to be a far-right leaning site that isn't coy to debunked conspiracy theories, I found my most recent book - LOL at the GOP  - along with a description of it being advertised on this site (belligerentpolitics.com). Toward the top of the page are the words "Barack Obama Birthplace Kenya," with the following words written underneath it, "Is it time to stop questioning the birth certificate of Obama? Wednesday, the governor of Hawaii signed a bill that limits the number of requests that individuals can make a birth certificate for Obama..." Not far below that is a picture of my book with a description of it. In my book, which satirizes the far-right end of the political spectrum, I debunk many claims made about the president - one being that he was born in Kenya! Yes, on...

This is getting to be ridiculous. I take that back - it's been getting ridiculous for some time and there may not be a word in the English language fully appropriate for just how ridiculous things have gotten. At President Obama's Univision forum recently, he responded to a question with the following: "I think that I've learned some lessons over the last four years, and the most important lesson I've learned is that you can't change Washington from the inside. You can only change it from the outside. That's how I got elected, and that's how the big accomplishments like health care got done, was because we mobilized the American people to speak out." Now, I don't completely agree with the president, as I feel it's kind of silly to suggest you can't make a difference yourself and change Washington from the inside in addition to people on the outside working hard to bring about change in this nation's capital. However, I underst...

Over the past 3+ years, Republicans have laid claim that President Obama went on an apology tour early in his tenure and has consistently apologized for America ever since then. To these Republicans, for one to admit this country isn't perfect, that we made a mistake is akin to apologizing. I don't understand this. If I tell a woman that I'm not perfect, is that me apologizing for who I am? No - I'm simply being honest and I'm sure she'll appreciate that. I could do one better by telling her I'd work on these imperfections in an attempt to better myself and in turn, our relationship. That's not me saying I'm sorry. That's me being realistic and honest. There's a stark difference between the two.  Every fact-checking site out there has looked over these Republican accusations of the president apologizing for America and every one of them has come back with the same answer - it's not true.  Let's be realistic here - foreign ...