Discussions about politics, like religion, brings out the worst in us. There is no use for any of us to nitpick or make personal replies (but I know sometimes they just slip out).

Doesn't anyone talk about sex anymore?

@ dapper don

Conservative radio is effective. We saw that last week when people came together in support of Chick-fil-A. So is liberal media. Remember when Jon Stewart and others did the anti-Beck rally in DC? So both sides have their guys who can rally the base. It's not just conservatives. Not recognizing this shows bias.

And just like there are people who get all or most of their news from Rush and Beck, there are many who get all their news from liberal sources like NY1, or NY Times.

People listen to or read what they want to hear. I'm glad that someone can hear Rush or Beck. I'm glad that someone can read Paul Krugman or Maureen Dowd. That's what makes America great. Opposing views are available. For now.

Thats the thing, the vast majority (over 75%) of people who read the NYTimes for example ALSO read the WSJ or the Wash Post, concurrently as opposed to the tens of millions who just listen to Rush or Beck on talk radio. Studies have shown this time and again. Some people attribute this to education, meaning that most people who read the NYTimes have a higher education (college+) and thus know on average that they should read an opposing paper (WSJ) to get both viewpoints and avoid any bias. I am not trying to offend anyone, its just that is what the data has shown.

Personally, I have had a subscription to the NYTimes and the WSJ (actively read both daily multiple times) since I was a freshman and my Economics 101 Professor made us get the WSJ for class. Unfortunately for me, these papers are STILL sending me their print editions!!!

When Jon Stewart came here to Tampa he bought a ton of ad time on Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on 970am. I asked someone at the station why a liberal commentator would target hardcore conservatives.

I was told that not all people who listen to Rush are conservative. Many are liberals tune-in for entertainment. Makes sense. I'm no liberal, but I do tune in to Al Sharpton on 1600am or Maddow on msnbc.

So it works both ways.

What's Dan Quayle's real name?

Potato?

Potato?

No, no. It's potatoe.

In other words, Joe's name really ain't an issue that holds up.

How is it misinformation if Joe uses his middle name instead of his first? That's hardly an issue. I "seized" on it to show how childish that kind of thinking really is.

I agree that people did buy guns when Obama won. That's their right. I have no problem with it. But why buy guns if they're only going to be taken away? Makes no sense unless you're going to buy the gun illegally.

TIS,

You said that people ran out and bought guns because they thought Obama was a "crazy liberal" who was going to take guns away.

Truth is, conservative pundits did recount a story from Chicago where a man shot a home intruder with an illegal handgun and Obama sided against the home owner. Obama has been painted as anti-gun by his opponents.

1. Sam the Non-Plumber told President Obama that his tax policies were going to penalize him as a middle class guy and keep him from realizing his dream of buying the plumbing contractor business where he was employed. He was then trotted out at several McCain campaign events as a symbol.

I mentioned it because he used the name "Joe the Plumber" and his name is Sam and he isn't a plumber. He lied about wanting to buy the business he worked for: he lacked the funds to do so and he wasn't a licensed plumber and therefore couldn't operate a plumbing contracting company. I don't know how else to make that point easier to understand, that it was complete and total misinformation.

2. People stockpiled guns and ammunition because they were told that serious gun control was on the way, so they were getting while the getting was good. They were stockpiling against a future when guns would be made unavailable; however, that day was never going to come. While he has been painted as "anti-gun" by conservatives, there is no basis for it. He has not passed any gun-control legislation in his years in the White House. Again, it's complete and total misinformation.

If someone wants to take issue with something the President did, at least let it be real, and not something someone made up.

I don't give a rat's ass if his name is Mitt. The point is that he was a sham from the start, and the Republican candidate trotted him out disguised as something else.

Also, don't forget that, as he told Sean Hannity in 2008, he was a welfare recipient as were his parents.

He's raising it because people are genuinely afraid Obama will win again.

Besides, a Republican has to raise more money to be competitive because the Democrats always have the media on their side which is worth hundreds-of-millions in free publicity.

So if Romney raises more money, he still may not have leveled the playing field.

I believe it. But the "gotcha" to his story is that he used his middle name, which is not uncommon, and worked for a licensed plumber but didn't have a license himself. So he did the sh!t work that a real plumber would be paid more for.

Calling yourself a plumber when you work for one is not dishonest.

1. Sam the Non-Plumber told President Obama that his tax policies were going to penalize him as a middle class guy and keep him from realizing his dream of buying the plumbing contractor business where he was employed. He was then trotted out at several McCain campaign events as a symbol.

I mentioned it because he used the name "Joe the Plumber" and his name is Sam and he isn't a plumber. He lied about wanting to buy the business he worked for: he lacked the funds to do so and he wasn't a licensed plumber and therefore couldn't operate a plumbing contracting company. I don't know how else to make that point easier to understand, that it was complete and total misinformation.

2. People stockpiled guns and ammunition because they were told that serious gun control was on the way, so they were getting while the getting was good. They were stockpiling against a future when guns would be made unavailable; however, that day was never going to come. While he has been painted as "anti-gun" by conservatives, there is no basis for it. He has not passed any gun-control legislation in his years in the White House. Again, it's complete and total misinformation.

If someone wants to take issue with something the President did, at least let it be real, and not something someone made up.

When I listen to talk radio it's mostly to listen to the people who call in. ...

Is Sandra Fluke a "Dupe" for being a figure in this election cycle? She's going to introduce Obama at a rally.