The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

In light of the 2'' of snow some portions of the Southeast got last week and the teasing they received from comedians due to how massive they made the storm out to be, some such residents posted this meme on Facebook: "So you're from the Northeast and making fun of people in the South who are in a mess because of the snow? Please tell me again how well you all handled Hurricane Sandy and the aftermath. Oh, the North just is not used to it? You don't say. Same for the South and snow. Now sit down and shut up!" This is a ridiculous comparison on multiple fronts. First off, when just comparing the size of the storms, Hurricane Sandy was a category 3 hurricane, where winds reached up to 115 mph, and the storm resulted in 286 casualties and over $68 billion in damage. It was the most destructive hurricane of 2012 and the second-costliest in this country's history. The snowstorm in the South - Atlanta, in particular - resulted in 13 deaths and closer to $68...

Over the past week or so, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has decided to start speaking publicly more. No, I'm not sure why this is either, especially after reading his most recent comments regarding Hurricane Sandy. When speaking to Neil Cavuto of Fox News this past Friday, Romney said, "I can tell you the hurricane didn't come at the right time." Earlier in the week, Romney said the following on CNN: "I wish the hurricane hadn't have happened when it did, because it gave the President a chance to be presidential, and to be out showing sympathy for folks. That's one of the advantages of incumbency." No, Mitt Romney has never been known as a smooth-talker and these preceding comments again showcase that. The hurricane didn't come at the right time? When was the right time then? When was the "right" time for Hurricane Sandy to kill 159 people and inflict between $50 and $100 billion of damage? Let me answer that q...

I'm really beginning to feel sorry for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. As much as I'd like to see the guy run for the presidency and become the Republican nominee (not saying I'd vote for the guy necessarily, but also wouldn't be incredibly bummed if he won, which is a definite step up from previous Republican nominees), I'm becoming more pessimistic that he'd be able to come out on top when the Republican Primaries are all said and done. The thing about Christie is, for as much as Independents, Reagan Democrats, and middle-of-the-road Republicans like him, conservative Republicans can't seem to stand the guy, and they'll probably be the bloc of voters most likely to participate in the primaries. While Christie would likely give his party its best chance of winning back the White House in 2016 (January of 2017, I suppose), I have trouble seeing him get past the primaries. I've especially felt this way since Hurricane Sandy struck New Jersey nea...

Another right-wing conspiracy theory is circulating the web and airwaves. For some strange reason, the jobless claims increasing this week is part of some grand conspiracy. You see, if those claims were reported from the government prior to the election, Mitt Romney would have won - erasing a 3.5 million vote deficit in the popular vote and 126 vote difference in the electoral college. It was all about the Obama Administration "cooking the books," as the saying goes. Okay, I'm going to try and use as small of words as possible, speak incredibly slowly, and perhaps even draw some pictures so that these conspiracy theorists can better understand the situation. Okay, here I go. Wish me luck... Remember what happened just before the election? There was some really yucky weather in the top right part of the country (look at a map....no, your other right...there you go...). This storm was called a hurricane. It did very bad things to states like New Jersey, New York, an...

The supposed party of responsibility is at it again - finding others to blame for their defeat in the election. Not only did they fall short in the presidential election, but lost seats in both chambers of Congress as well. So, what are some of these reasons for defeat that the Republican Party has been citing in the days following the election? Let me list off a few: 1) The electoral college - When President Obama was announced as the winner of the 2012 presidential election, he had a smaller share of the overall popular vote than did Mitt Romney. This caused an uproar among many in conservative circles at first. What they failed to realize, however, is that there were millions of votes yet to be tallied and as of now, President Obama leads by approximately 3,000,000 votes nationally to go along with his 332 electoral votes. This theory lasted all but about 28 minutes. There are stoners' theories about being able to fly with their arms that have lasted longer than that. 2) G...

Shortly after Hurricane Sandy struck the northeastern part of the country, Republican nominee Mitt Romney canceled a campaign rally in the critical battleground state of Ohio - the city of Kettering to be exact - and held a disaster-relief event in one Kettering, Ohio instead. At this rally - I mean, disaster-relief event - Romney shared a story with Ohioans which showcased that he is just as capable of leading in the wake of a natural disaster as President Obama when he illustrated this in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. According to Romney, his own Hurricane Sandy went as follows: "I remember once we had a football field at my high school. The field was covered with rubbish and paper goods from people who'd had a big celebration there at the game. And there was a group of us there assigned to clean it up. And I thought, 'how are we going to clean up all the mess on this football field?' There were just a few of us. And the person responsible for organizing the ...

I guess, even when the state of which one is Governor has been struck by a hurricane, a Republican Governor is still not to cooperate with a Democratic President for the benefit of his or her people. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has run into this very problem. Jersey was struck by Hurricane Sandy and for the benefit of citizens in the state, the Republican Governor worked with President Obama and even complimented the president on the work he's done with regard to the devastating hurricane. What has been the reaction of many Republican talking heads? They've more or less thrown Christie under the bus - some even going so far as to insinuate that if Obama wins the election on Tuesday, Christie may be to blame. Rupert Murdoch of Fox "News" tweeted the following, "Thanks Bloomberg right decision. @Now Christie, while thanking O, must re-declare for Romney, or take blame for next four dire years." Seriously? Chris Christie was the keynote speaker on be...

Unfortunately, as is so often the case in the fall months, a devastating hurricane struck the U.S. just recently - this time along the northeastern part of the country by way of one Hurricane Sandy. What's also been common in light of these devastating hurricanes is at least one religious leader going off the deep end with comments explaining exactly why that particular hurricane took place. Preacher and sexiest man this side of nowhere - John McTernan - is just the latest such person to enlighten the masses with his infinite wisdom regarding natural disasters. In a blog on his website, McTernan wrote: "Just last August, Hurricane Isaac hit New Orleans seven years later, on the exact day of Hurricane Katrina. Both hit during the week of the homosexual event called Southern Decadence in New Orleans!" That's not all! Oh no... Since Hurricane Sandy struck the U.S. 21 years after what was called "The Perfect Storm," and the number 3 is considered to be q...