Winter Woo Wisdom
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Thursday, 15 January 09 - 12:21 AM (GMT -05:00) By Mark R Filippi in Naked Soma Radio |
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We searched in vain during the show for a clip of 'bikini girl' Katrina Darrell from the opening night of this year's American Idol. I found one to post here to sort of demonstrate in 'rapid-fire' fashion the hidden dynamics of human energy exchange. The upshot of this exchange is new judge, Kara DioGuardi has the same primary domain as Katrina - ONTO. So right away they clash and have an instant 'oh no you didint' cat fight when Kara tries to show up Katrina's singing voice. Jumping into the mix is peacemaker, PHYLO Paula Abdul, who goes all junkyard on Katarina after she rejects Kara's criticism. Amused by all this silliness is ONTO Supreme, Simon who, along with ECO Randy, vote to put Katrina, and her bikini, through to Hollywood, to the utter disgust of Kara and Paula. I know this is a long way to go to demonstrate the invisible conversation we're all in, but it's an easy example of how people feed off each other's energy, positive or negative, and how at the moment of exchange, it's all domain-to-domain.
So watch for more power plays between Simon and Kara next week...
In the meantime...
Click here to listen to the show 'on-demand' 
The Day After Election Night
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Wednesday, 05 November 08 - 04:12 PM (GMT -05:00) By Mark R Filippi in Naked Soma Radio |
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He's What??!!
Since the Democratic Primaries ended with that surreal SAT 'concession' speech by Hillary "No Puma" Clinton, the labels applied to Barack Hussein Obama were endless. Hmmm...we had not black enough, inexperienced, unqualified, most liberal, naive about foriegn policy, and THEN it got personal! He's too passive, he doesn't fight back, he's an elitist, he's a celebrity, he's anti-American...wait, he's a Muslim? No, but he was born in Keyna and they faked his birth certificate right? No, well he did have a racist preacher as his spiritual mentor (which makes him a Muslim?). Damn.
Hmmm...seems like that was a red herring too because he REALLY was a radical Marxist who cavorted with domestic terrorists and other unseemly malcontents in the dirty, dirty Chicago political circles. What? There were Republicans on that board? McCain gave the self-same domestic terrorists nearly $500K? Ugh...well, just look at his ideas? Yes, look at them! He's obviously a commie or at the very least, he's definitely a socialist! C'mon, that's the real Barack Hussein Obama - a Wall Street funded socialist! What...you're kidding...another distorted claim? Seems like the moment the polls closed in California and 284 electoral votes were projected as his, suddenly, this man, this candidate, was suddenly black, very black! The first black. He was JFK, MLK, Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods all at once. How ironic. Turns out we elected this well-educated black dude from Chicago? I know the campaign went on for 2 years but...who is Barack Obama? We need to know! Tell me, who IS he?
President, Baby!
While this intergalactic event unfolded, we took a seat in the peanut gallery on the show and examined the campaign and the landscape of the culture with some Soma Stars of our own. In the first hour, we were joined by David Goodman, Ph.D. who gave us some 'food for thought' on the way the last culture war ended in the 60's. His research on frontal brain development revealed five distinct stages of an increasingly creative and autonomous nature. We all seem to hit a ceiling at stage 2, which is where we can think, but not act freely. Stages three, four and five are repentance, pure innovation, and steadfast pursuit and curiosity and altruism despite strong opposition. These are powers of right posterior, right prefrontal and anterior pole. His explanation of why 200,000 professors and ten times that in teachers could have warded off everything bad and yet they did nothing was even more controversial.
In fact, one of the tactics David cited that was used on the masses was to paint the drug-based approach to mental illness as mainstream and self-development ones to mental health as fringe and unsavory. This, in addition to the inclusion of high fructose corn syrup into the diet, which David revealed in one of the major reasons for the rise in Alzheimer's disease, and you have a recipe for what he calls a mass marketed lobotomy. The offshoots of that, childhood obesity, women's health issues, and chronic mental illness are all byproducts of 40 years of this...
This all played out as we watched McCain's concession speech, where the entrained eye could see those 40 years personified. It was a chilling sight.
To listen to David's take, check out the Election Night 1st hour replay. (1)
His book, The Hidden Neurology of The Lord's Prayer: Creating the Right Spirit for Human Genius, will be available soon on tomorrowwillcare.com
In the second hour, we all took in Obama's acceptance speech, and then we all toweled off and took a deeper look at the state and future of health care, a Top 5 issue of the campaign. We were joined by fellow BTR host, Dr. Robert Affolter, who has experience in both economics and clinical delivery, specifically chiropractic care. The election allowed him to reflect on his positions about how to best handle what will be an incredible crisis. This is an era of both personal responsibility and professional accountability when it concerns our vitality. Dr. Affolter told us why...
To listen to his take, check out the Election Night 2nd hour replay. (2)
We also had two other guests pre-record their interviews. Due to time concerns, we split up the interview with Kevin Dooley, Ph.D. from wonkosphere.net - who gave us an insider's view of the way the blogosphere shaped the campaign. His insights were sobering about both the growth and the direction of politics on the web. Our other contributor was the editor of jvsr.com - Dr. Matt McCoy who gave us his take on how the health care system has already been socialized and how it may be too late to expect it to meet the needs of an aging, and largely unhealthy population.
Whew! So there's our slice of sunshine for the night. It was a nice scene in Grant Park, and around the world as well. Now the unseen steps begin.
Dr. Matt McCoy's Full Interview >>>
Kevin Dooley, Ph.D. Full Interview >>>
The Innate Debate
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Wednesday, 15 October 08 - 05:35 PM (GMT -05:00) By Mark R Filippi in Naked Soma Radio |
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If you're looking for a wrinkle to the 3rd Presidential Debate, use this post as a 'scorecard' of sorts to get yourself acquainted with some of the tools of The Somatic Method (TSM). All you need to participate is your powers of observation and the ability to record their physiological responses at critical points in the ~90-minute process. Here's the keys to look for:
Senator John McCain
His campaign has been sending mixed messages leading into this debate. Will be take on the cultural issues and attack Obama on his shady associations, his tax voting record and his lack of experience or take the initiative and focus on painting himself as the better leader who is the person to be trusted to resolve the economic crisis, win the war and restore prosperity?
Just watch his eyes...
As a question is directed to him, (while he's listening) , does McCain...
[place a check each time you notice him do this next to each response below]
Look up:
Look down:
Look at the moderator:
Look away from the moderator:
When a response to an Obama answer is requested of him, does McCain...
[place a check each time you notice him do this next to each response below]
Smile:
Scowl:
Squint:
Stare:
Senator Barack Obama
His campaign has been straining to not beat it's chest as they continue to take the high road while the economy takes center stage in the mind's of the voters. Does he continue to speak directly to his audience and repeat his talking points about the connection of McCain to Bush on the war, the nuances of his economic plans, his middle class tax cut minutia and green job creation or does he face off with McCain on his record, his political origins and the other more saucy aspect of his candidacy, namely race, class and experience?
Just watch his face...
As a question is directed to him, (while he's listening) does Obama..
[place a check each time you notice him do this next to each response below]
Nod:
Shake his head no:
Tilt his head to one side:
Remain perfectly still:
When a response to a McCain answer is requested of him, does Obama...
[place a check each time you notice him do this next to each response below]
Smile:
Scowl:
Squint:
Stare:
The best way to keep track is to take a each 15 minute interval and just focus in on one question and one answer from each candidate. Your own bias, background noise and whether or not you're listening along with us on the BlogTalkRadio SOMACAST will influence your accuracy. The point of the exercise is to see how SPONTANEOUS each of them performs. The more 'canned' and 'prerecorded' they seem, the less likely they'll evoke a positive response.
Here's the way to score your answers...
For McCain...
Listening To Questions
Look up: 3 points each time
Look down: 4 points each time
Look at the moderator: 1 point each time
Look away from the moderator: 2 points each time
Responding To Obama
Smile: 1 point each time
Scowl: 4 point each time
Squint: 3 point each time
Stare: 2 point each time
For Obama...
Listening To Questions
Nod: 1 points each time
Shake his head no: 2 points each time
Tilt his head to one side: 3 points each time
Remain perfectly still: 4 points each time
Responding To McCain
Smile: 2 point each time
Scowl: 1 point each time
Squint: 3 point each time
Stare: 4 point each time
So at the end of the first hour, you'll have a total for each candidate that'll look like this:
9:00pm to 9:15pm
McCain: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
Obama: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
9:00pm to 9:15pm
McCain: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
Obama: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
9:15pm to 9:30pm
McCain: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
Obama: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
9:30pm to 9:45pm
McCain: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
Obama: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
9:45pm to 10:00pm
McCain: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
Obama: Listening ___ Responding ___ Total ____
If you're tracking along with us, head to the chat room on
http://www.somaspace.org/chat.html
We'll be updating this post on THURS with the results of our analysis with some added tidbits...We invite your comments to this SOMACAST debut.
Tacitly, MRF 10.15
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OK, we're back here on THURS to break this debate down...which took me until FRI to finish!
First, let me review how I scored the first hour of interaction...
9:00pm to 9:15pm
McCain: Listening (5) Responding (10) Total: 15
Obama: Listening (12) Responding (3) Total: 15
9:15pm to 9:30pm
McCain: Listening (17) Responding (5) Total: 22
Obama: Listening (2) Responding (8) Total: 10
9:30pm to 9:45pm
McCain: Listening (15) Responding (7) Total: 22
Obama: Listening (0) Responding (15) Total: 15
9:45pm to 10:00pm
McCain: Listening (11) Responding (12) Total: 23
Obama: Listening (13) Responding (8) Total: 21
McCain Total: 81
Obama Total: 61
OK, now for the explanation of these numbers.
For McCain...
Listening To Questions
Look up: 3 points each time
Look down: 4 points each time
Look at the moderator: 1 point each time
Look away from the moderator: 2 points each time
Responding To Obama
Smile: 1 point each time
Scowl: 4 point each time
Squint: 3 point each time
Stare: 2 point each time
The way the points were assigned to McCain suits two factors. The first one is that when someone is in a social environment where you KNOW people are paying attention to every little reaction, the signals put out have an altered meaning. For that reason, a smile, which is a natural for a bonding-oriented PHYLO like McCain, has less social currency and a scowl, the ONTO look of disapproval have more. The quizzical squint earns him 3 points for allowing emotion to surface. But the blank stare is actually a way to suppress that emotion on this self-conscious stage, so it got only 2 points. The way to better understand it is that the responses are on under control of the motor system, so the person can influence them more directly. Here's the tapestry for McCain's 'social face' for this hour:
Smile: 20 for 20 points
Scowl: 3 for 12 points
Squint: 0 for 0 points
Stare: 2 point each time
The listening patterns are more filtered through the sensory system. This gets into our second factor; authenticity. Your eyes move in certain directions to access different types of information from the brain. These are more difficult to 'fake' so it's a better indicator of how the person is processing the question being posed to them internally. So this scoring follows along with the usual patterns you'd see for someone with McCain's social profile of PHYLO. He earns more points for dipping into his body and looking down while he listens than up into his mind or the external patterns of looking at the moderator or around the room. Here's his sensory map.
Look up: 3 points each time
Look down: 4 points each time
Look at the moderator: 1 point each time
Look away from the moderator: 2 points each time
When you look at his splits [sensory or listening vs. motor or responding] McCain was only balanced in the last quarter of the hour we observed him. What you can glean from that is when he's listening with more authenticity as he did in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the hour, he's feeling the full brunt of his vulnerability, which makes him want to protect himself. Then you see the more self-conscious side slide out in the 1st and 4th quarter when his responses detoured into that overly 'friendly' tone, when a smile is not really a smile. McCain had that 'jab' going the whole time, registering 4, 5, 7 and 4 smiles in the intervals we tracked.
For Obama...
Listening To Questions
Nod: 1 points each time
Shake his head no: 2 points each time
Tilt his head to one side: 3 points each time
Remain perfectly still: 4 points each time
Responding To McCain
Smile: 2 point each time
Scowl: 1 point each time
Squint: 3 point each time
Stare: 4 point each time
Obama has an entirely different somatic terrain from McCain. Obama has a rare social brain design called EXO, so his motor response scoring is much different. Unlike McCain, an EXO is not concerned with social approval so he's more authentic in these responses. So he gets one point for scowling disapproval since an EXO will naturally reject information they 'compute' as false or illogical. The typical EXO stare gets him 4 points for being able to remain motionless and fixated on the moderator, which in EXO-shorthand translates to an actively managed 'yes', as if to say, what you say is understood and worthy of being attended to as valid. I know, ice cold, but this is WHAT Obama is. The smiles and squints are more like lane changes and indicate Obama senses irony or an embellishment in McCain's words...
Here's how Obama's 'social face' showed up on our scorecard:
Nod: 4 for 4 points
Shake his head no: 1 for 2 points
Tilt his head to one side: 7 for 21 points
Remain perfectly still: 0 points each time
Smile: 15 for 30 points
Scowl: 1 for 1 point
Squint: 1 for 3 points
Stare: 0 for 0 points
His splits were also a stark example of his social design. Obama had a +9, a +6, a +15 and a +5 differential in the four 15 minute intervals. The interesting thing about Obama's patterns is that unlike McCain, he never expressed the 4 point behaviors on either side. So he was 'outside' his map the whole hour, mostly smiling and tilting his head (which is the listening equivalent of looking away from the moderator), so he WAS getting emotional but it shows up in the background like an EXO wants it.
So to reduce all this drivel to common terms, when McCain was more reserved and contemplative his was less likely to flash a phony smile when he was trying to conceal his frustration or a sense of unfairness.So while demonstrated a more intense amount of spontaneity, he appeared less centered in doing so. Obama, as has been his pattern throughout the debates, dampened his behavior on both sides and actually avoided his nonverbal strengths of staring and remaining still. Unlike McCain, who seemed to show a more staccato rhythm throughout, Obama was a smooth operator and never seemed to let the pressure get to him. As we'll see in the examination of the transcripts, the candidates had their agendas in tact and spent most of the debate we tracked pushing it.
Transcript Highlights
I'm pasting in the discernable questions the moderator, Bob Schieffer, posed during the entire debate (even the final 30 minutes we didn't track). What I'll offer is some of the key phrases from each candidate that followed with my interpretation in italiacs afterwards. Then I'll sum it up.
SCHIEFFER: Another very bad day on Wall Street, as both of you know. Both of you proposed new plans this week to address the economic crisis. Senator McCain, you proposed a $52 billion plan that includes new tax cuts on capital gains, tax breaks for seniors, write-offs for stock losses, among other things. Senator Obama, you proposed $60 billion in tax cuts for middle- income and lower-income people, more tax breaks to create jobs, new spending for public works projects to create jobs. I will ask both of you: Why is your plan better than his?
MCCAIN: The catalyst for this housing crisis was the Fannie and Freddie Mae that caused subprime lending situation that now caused the housing market in America to collapse. I am convinced that, until we reverse this continued decline in home ownership and put....
...a floor under it, and so that people have not only the hope and belief they can stay in their homes and realize the American dream, but that value will come up.
OBAMA: Number one, let's focus on jobs. I want to end the tax breaks for companies that are shipping jobs overseas and provide a tax credit for every company that's creating a job right here in America. Number two, let's help families right away by providing them a tax cut -- a middle-class tax cut for people making less than $200,000, and let's allow them to access their IRA accounts without penalty if they're experiencing a crisis. Now Senator McCain and I agree with your idea that we've got to help homeowners. That's why we included in the financial package a proposal to get homeowners in a position where they can renegotiate their mortgages. I disagree with Senator McCain in how to do it, because the way Senator McCain has designed his plan, it could be a giveaway to banks if we're buying full price for mortgages that now are worth a lot less. And we don't want to waste taxpayer money. And we've got to get the financial package working much quicker than it has been working.
So far only Obama is offering a reason why his plan is better...then...
MCCAIN: I would like to mention that a couple days ago Senator Obama was out in Ohio and he had an encounter with a guy who's a plumber, his name is Joe Wurzelbacher. Joe wants to buy the business that he has been in for all of these years, worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes. You were going to put him in a higher tax bracket which was going to increase his taxes, which was going to cause him not to be able to employ people, which Joe was trying to realize the American dream.
Now Senator Obama talks about the very, very rich. Joe, I want to tell you, I'll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for and be able -- and I'll keep your taxes low and I'll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees.
And I will not have -- I will not stand for a tax increase on small business income. Fifty percent of small business income taxes are paid by small businesses. That's 16 million jobs in America. And what you want to do to Joe the plumber and millions more like him is have their taxes increased and not be able to realize the American dream of owning their own business.
Enter Joe the Plumber!
OBAMA: He has been watching ads of Senator McCain's. Let me tell you what I'm actually going to do. I think tax policy is a major difference between Senator McCain and myself. And we both want to cut taxes, the difference is who we want to cut taxes for.
Now, Senator McCain, the centerpiece of his economic proposal is to provide $200 billion in additional tax breaks to some of the wealthiest corporations in America. Exxon Mobil, and other oil companies, for example, would get an additional $4 billion in tax breaks.
What I've said is I want to provide a tax cut for 95 percent of working Americans, 95 percent. If you make more -- if you make less than a quarter million dollars a year, then you will not see your income tax go up, your capital gains tax go up, your payroll tax. Not one dime. And 95 percent of working families, 95 percent of you out there, will get a tax cut. In fact, independent studies have looked at our respective plans and have concluded that I provide three times the amount of tax relief to middle-class families than Senator McCain does.
This recurring theme of using Joe the Plumber became the sidestory of the night. As usual, the day after the debate, Joe the Plumber was vetted and his actual story and the one McCain was promoting to invalidate Obama was pryed apart at it's seams. (1)
SCHIEFFER: We found out yesterday that this year's deficit will reach an astounding record high $455 billion. Some experts say it could go to $1 trillion next year. Both of you have said you want to reduce the deficit, but the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget ran the numbers on both of your proposals and they say the cost of your proposals, even with the savings you claim can be made, each will add more than $200 billion to the deficit. Aren't you both ignoring reality? Won't some of the programs you are proposing have to be trimmed, postponed, even eliminated? Give us some specifics on what you're going to cut back.
OBAMA: And some of the cuts, just to give you an example, we spend $15 billion a year on subsidies to insurance companies. It doesn't -- under the Medicare plan -- it doesn't help seniors get any better. It's not improving our health care system. It's just a giveaway. We need to eliminate a whole host of programs that don't work. And I want to go through the federal budget line by line, page by page, programs that don't work, we should cut. Programs that we need, we should make them work better...
...But what is absolutely true is that, once we get through this economic crisis and some of the specific proposals to get us out of this slump, that we're not going to be able to go back to our profligate ways.
And we're going to have to embrace a culture and an ethic of responsibility, all of us, corporations, the federal government, and individuals out there who may be living beyond their means.
MCCAIN: Well, thank you, Bob. I just want to get back to this home ownership. During the Depression era, we had a thing called the home ownership loan corporation.
And they went out and bought up these mortgages. And people were able to stay in their homes, and eventually the values of those homes went up, and they actually made money. And, by the way, this was a proposal made by Senator Clinton not too long ago.
So, obviously, if we can start increasing home values, then there will be creation of wealth.
SCHIEFFER: The question was, what are you going to cut?
MCCAIN: Energy -- well, first -- second of all, energy independence. We have to have nuclear power. We have to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much. It's wind, tide, solar, natural gas, nuclear, off-shore drilling, which Senator Obama has opposed.
And the point is that we become energy independent and we will create millions of jobs -- millions of jobs in America.
OK, what -- what would I cut? I would have, first of all, across-the-board spending freeze, OK? Some people say that's a hatchet. That's a hatchet, and then I would get out a scalpel, OK?
Did you get the feeling that McCain was lost in the mental Home Depot at this point?
MCCAIN: Government spending has gone completely out of control; $10 trillion dollar debt we're giving to our kids, a half-a-trillion dollars we owe China.
I know how to save billions of dollars in defense spending. I know how to eliminate programs.
SCHIEFFER: Which ones?
MCCAIN: I have fought against -- well, one of them would be the marketing assistance program. Another one would be a number of subsidies for ethanol.
I oppose subsidies for ethanol because I thought it distorted the market and created inflation; Senator Obama supported those subsidies.
I would eliminate the tariff on imported sugarcane-based ethanol from Brazil.
I know how to save billions. I saved the taxpayer $6.8 billion by fighting a deal for a couple of years, as you might recall, that was a sweetheart deal between an aircraft manufacturer, DOD, and people ended up in jail.
But I would fight for a line-item veto, and I would certainly veto every earmark pork-barrel bill. Senator Obama has asked for nearly $1 billion in pork-barrel earmark projects...
SCHIEFFER: Time's up.
MCCAIN: ... including $3 million for an overhead projector in a planetarium in his hometown. That's not the way we cut -- we'll cut out all the pork.
Old Bob wasn't getting his answer...seemed more like a bad round of Match Game PM
SCHIEFFER: Do either of you think you can balance the budget in four years? You have said previously you thought you could, Senator McCain.
MCCAIN: Sure I do. And let me tell you...
SCHIEFFER: You can still do that?
MCCAIN: Yes. Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago. I'm going to give a new direction to this economy in this country.
Senator Obama talks about voting for budgets. He voted twice for a budget resolution that increases the taxes on individuals making $42,000 a year. Of course, we can take a hatchet and a scalpel to this budget. It's completely out of control.
Again we're at the mental Home Depot with the hatchet and the scapel...ugh...
SCHIEFFER: In four years?
MCCAIN: ... reduce this -- I can -- we can do it with this kind of job creation of energy independence.
Now, look, Americans are hurting tonight and they're angry and I understand that, and they want a new direction. I can bring them in that direction by eliminating spending.
SCHIEFFER: Barack.
OBAMA: Well, there's a lot of stuff that was put out there, so let me try to address it. First of all, in terms of standing up to the leaders of my party, the first major bill that I voted on in the Senate was in support of tort reform, which wasn't very popular with trial lawyers, a major constituency in the Democratic Party. I support...
MCCAIN: An overwhelming vote.
Buttinsky!
OBAMA: I support charter schools and pay for performance for teachers. Doesn't make me popular with the teachers union. I support clean coal technology. Doesn't make me popular with environmentalists. So I've got a history of reaching across the aisle.
Now with respect to a couple of things Senator McCain said, the notion that I voted for a tax increase for people making $42,000 a year has been disputed by everybody who has looked at this claim that Senator McCain keeps on making.
Even FOX News disputes it, and that doesn't happen very often when it comes to accusations about me. So the fact of the matter is that if I occasionally have mistaken your policies for George Bush's policies, it's because on the core economic issues that matter to the American people, on tax policy, on energy policy, on spending priorities, you have been a vigorous supporter of President Bush.
Now, you've shown independence -- commendable independence, on some key issues like torture, for example, and I give you enormous credit for that. But when it comes to economic policies, essentially what you're proposing is eight more years of the same thing. And it hasn't worked.
And I think the American people understand it hasn't worked. We need to move in a new direction.
If I'm Schieffer I'd be flipping out by now. It was a yes or no question within the framework of four years given the current economic situation. In a way, he was trying to give them a chance to 'hedge' on the campaign promises from the Spring and even their convention speeches, which both look unrealistic now. But all these two did was fluff.
SCHIEFFER: All right. We're going to move to another question and the topic is leadership in this campaign. Both of you pledged to take the high road in this campaign yet it has turned very nasty. Senator Obama, your campaign has used words like "erratic," "out of touch," "lie," "angry," "losing his bearings" to describe Senator McCain. Senator McCain, your commercials have included words like "disrespectful," "dangerous," "dishonorable," "he lied." Your running mate said he "palled around with terrorists." Are each of you tonight willing to sit at this table and say to each other's face what your campaigns and the people in your campaigns have said about each other?
MCCAIN: Well, this has been a tough campaign. It's been a very tough campaign. And I know from my experience in many campaigns that, if Senator Obama had asked -- responded to my urgent request to sit down, and do town hall meetings, and come before the American people, we could have done at least 10 of them by now...
So I want to tell you, we will run a truthful campaign. This is a tough campaign. And it's a matter of fact that Senator Obama has spent more money on negative ads than any political campaign in history. And I can prove it. And, Senator Obama, when he said -- and he signed a piece of paper that said he would take public financing for his campaign if I did -- that was back when he was a long-shot candidate -- you didn't keep your word. And when you looked into the camera in a debate with Senator Clinton and said, "I will sit down and negotiate with John McCain about public financing before I make a decision," you didn't tell the American people the truth because you didn't.
OBAMA: Well, look, you know, I think that we expect presidential campaigns to be tough. I think that, if you look at the record and the impressions of the American people -- Bob, your network just did a poll, showing that two-thirds of the American people think that Senator McCain is running a negative campaign versus one-third of mine. And 100 percent, John, of your ads -- 100 percent of them have been negative.
MCCAIN: It's not true.
OK, now we're getting past the talking points and some of the real nastiness is here...
OBAMA: It absolutely is true. And, now, I think the American people are less interested in our hurt feelings during the course of the campaign than addressing the issues that matter to them so deeply.
This is a classic EXO/PHYLO distinction. McCain, as a PHYLO craves public approval and a sense of group acceptance. Obama, as a rational EXO, is interested in an external truth that can be tangibly measured by anyone, sort of a lasting truth. So to him, the personal and internal feelings he and McCain have are more or less minor distractions while to McCain these are evidence of being dishonest, insenstive and a form of character attack.
Here's an example of that playing out later in this exchange...
OBAMA: Bob, I think it's going to be important to just -- I'll respond to these two particular allegations that Senator McCain has made and that have gotten a lot of attention.
In fact, Mr. Ayers has become the centerpiece of Senator McCain's campaign over the last two or three weeks. This has been their primary focus. So let's get the record straight. Bill Ayers is a professor of education in Chicago.
Forty years ago, when I was 8 years old, he engaged in despicable acts with a radical domestic group. I have roundly condemned those acts. Ten years ago he served and I served on a school reform board that was funded by one of Ronald Reagan's former ambassadors and close friends, Mr. Annenberg.
Other members on that board were the presidents of the University of Illinois, the president of Northwestern University, who happens to be a Republican, the president of The Chicago Tribune, a Republican-leaning newspaper.
Mr. Ayers is not involved in my campaign. He has never been involved in this campaign. And he will not advise me in the White House. So that's Mr. Ayers.
Now, with respect to ACORN, ACORN is a community organization. Apparently what they've done is they were paying people to go out and register folks, and apparently some of the people who were out there didn't really register people, they just filled out a bunch of names.
It had nothing to do with us. We were not involved. The only involvement I've had with ACORN was I represented them alongside the U.S. Justice Department in making Illinois implement a motor voter law that helped people get registered at DMVs.
Now, the reason I think that it's important to just get these facts out is because the allegation that Senator McCain has continually made is that somehow my associations are troubling.
MCCAIN: Well, again, while you were on the board of the Woods Foundation, you and Mr. Ayers, together, you sent $230,000 to ACORN. So -- and you launched your political campaign in Mr. Ayers' living room.
OBAMA: That's absolutely not true.
MCCAIN: And the facts are facts and records are records.
OBAMA: And that's not the facts.
MCCAIN: And it's not the fact -- it's not the fact that Senator Obama chooses to associate with a guy who in 2001 said that he wished he had have bombed more, and he had a long association with him. It's the fact that all the -- all of the details need to be known about Senator Obama's relationship with them and with ACORN and the American people will make a judgment.
And my campaign is about getting this economy back on track, about creating jobs, about a brighter future for America. And that's what my campaign is about and I'm not going to raise taxes the way Senator Obama wants to raise taxes in a tough economy. And that's really what this campaign is going to be about.
So all that fake confrontation to get back to saying Obama is a tax and spender and he's a fountain a new jobs and tax cuts....incredible.
SCHIEFFER: So I'll begin by asking both of you this question, and I'll ask you to answer first, Senator Obama. Why would the country be better off if your running mate became president rather than his running mate?
OBAMA: ...on the key issues that are of importance to American families, Joe Biden's always been on the right side, and I think he will make an outstanding president if, heaven forbid, something happened to me.
MCCAIN: Well, Americans have gotten to know Sarah Palin. They know that she's a role model to women and other -- and reformers all over America. She's a reformer. She is -- she took on a governor who was a member of her own party when she ran for governor. When she was the head of their energy and natural resources board, she saw corruption, she resigned and said, "This can't go on." She's given money back to the taxpayers. She's cut the size of government. She negotiated with the oil companies and faced them down, a $40 billion pipeline of natural gas that's going to relieve the energy needs of the United -- of what they call the lower 48. She's a reformer through and through. And it's time we had that bresh of freth air (sic) -- breath of fresh air coming into our nation's capital and sweep out the old-boy network and the cronyism that's been so much a part of it that I've fought against for all these years.
So that pile of steaming bullcrap led to this followup...
SCHIEFFER: Do you think she's qualified to be president?
OBAMA: You know, I think it's -- that's going to be up to the American people. I think that, obviously, she's a capable politician who has, I think, excited the -- a base in the Republican Party.
He didn't just say that! LOL - She excited the base...bartender, page Dr. Freud!
SCHIEFFER: Do you think Senator Biden is qualified?
MCCAIN: I think that Joe Biden is qualified in many respects. But I do point out that he's been wrong on many foreign policy and national security issues, which is supposed to be his strength.
Translations: Obama says Palin a red meat pandering airhead who has been exposed as an empty-headed puppet and McCain says sure Biden is a qualified Senator but he's a buffoon who is a foreign policy moron so he's more of a potential hazard than my bimbo.
SCHIEFFER: Let's go to -- let's go to a new topic. We're running a little behind. Let's talk about energy and climate control. Every president since Nixon has said what both of you...
MCCAIN: Climate change.
Again, Buttinsky! Geez...
SCHIEFFER: Climate change, yes -- has said what both of you have said, and, that is, we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil. When Nixon said it, we imported from 17 to 34 percent of our foreign oil. Now, we're importing more than 60 percent. Would each of you give us a number, a specific number of how much you believe we can reduce our foreign oil imports during your first term?
MCCAIN: I think we can, for all intents and purposes, eliminate our dependence on Middle Eastern oil and Venezuelan oil. Canadian oil is fine. Look, we've sailed Navy ships around the world for 60 years with nuclear power plants on them. We can store and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, Senator Obama, no problem.
So the point is with nuclear power, with wind, tide, solar, natural gas, with development of flex fuel, hybrid, clean coal technology, clean coal technology is key in the heartland of America that's hurting rather badly.
So I think we can easily, within seven, eight, ten years, if we put our minds to it, we can eliminate our dependence on the places in the world that harm our national security if we don't achieve our independence.
SCHIEFFER: All right. Can we reduce our dependence on foreign oil and by how much in the first term, in four years?
OBAMA: I think that in ten years, we can reduce our dependence so that we no longer have to import oil from the Middle East or Venezuela. I think that's about a realistic timeframe. Now, from the start of this campaign, I've identified this as one of my top priorities and here is what I think we have to do. Number one, we do need to expand domestic production and that means, for example, telling the oil companies the 68 million acres that they currently have leased that they're not drilling, use them or lose them.
And I think that we should look at offshore drilling and implement it in a way that allows us to get some additional oil. But understand, we only have three to four percent of the world's oil reserves and we use 25 percent of the world's oil, which means that we can't drill our way out of the problem.
I was impressed with both answers here. Schieffer could of taken a sigh of relief there. But eventually they both went on to their old tangents and McCain got to say once again, in case you forgot...
MCCAIN: I don't think there's any doubt that Senator Obama wants to restrict trade and he wants to raise taxes. And the last president of the United States that tried that was Herbert Hoover, and we went from a deep recession into a depression. We're not going to follow that path while I'm -- when I'm president of the United States.
SCHIEFFER: All right, let's go to a new topic, health care. Given the current economic situation, would either of you now favor controlling health care costs over expanding health care coverage? The question is first to Senator Obama.
OBAMA: We've got to do both, and that's exactly what my plan does...
...So here's what my plan does. If you have health insurance, then you don't have to do anything. If you've got health insurance through your employer, you can keep your health insurance, keep your choice of doctor, keep your plan.
The only thing we're going to try to do is lower costs so that those cost savings are passed onto you. And we estimate we can cut the average family's premium by about $2,500 per year. If you don't have health insurance, then what we're going to do is to provide you the option of buying into the same kind of federal pool that both Senator McCain and I enjoy as federal employees, which will give you high-quality care, choice of doctors, at lower costs, because so many people are part of this insured group.
We're going to make sure that insurance companies can't discriminate on the basis of pre-existing conditions. We'll negotiate with the drug companies for the cheapest available price on drugs...We are going to invest in information technology to eliminate bureaucracy and make the system more efficient...And we are going to make sure that we manage chronic illnesses, like diabetes and heart disease, that cost a huge amount, but could be prevented. We've got to put more money into preventive care.
MCCAIN: Well, it is a terribly painful situation for Americans. They're seeing their premiums, their co-pays go up. Forty-seven million Americans are without health insurance in America today...
....We need to put health care records online. The V.A. does that. That will -- that will reduce costs. We need to have more community health centers. We need to have walk-in clinics. The rise of obesity amongst young Americans is one of the most alarming statistics that there is. We should have physical fitness programs and nutrition programs in schools. Every parent should know what's going on there.
We -- we need to have -- we need to have employers reward employees who join health clubs and practice wellness and fitness...But I want to give every American family a $5,000 refundable tax credit. Take it and get anywhere in America the health care that you wish...Now, my old buddy, Joe, Joe the plumber, is out there. Now, Joe, Senator Obama's plan, if you're a small business and you are able -- and your -- the guy that sells to you will not have his capital gains tax increase, which Senator Obama wants, if you're out there, my friend, and you've got employees, and you've got kids, if you don't get -- adopt the health care plan that Senator Obama mandates, he's going to fine you.
At this point Joe the Strawman has become McCain's surrogate voter for all issues...and this led to the second 'big nasty' exchange of the evening...
MCCAIN: Now, Senator Obama, I'd like -- still like to know what that fine is going to be, and I don't think that Joe right now wants to pay a fine when he is seeing such difficult times in America's economy. Senator Obama wants to set up health care bureaucracies, take over the health care of America through -- as he said, his object is a single payer system. If you like that, you'll love Canada and England. So the point is...
SCHIEFFER: So that's your objective?
OBAMA: It is not and I didn't describe it...
MCCAIN: No, you stated it.
OBAMA: I just...
MCCAIN: Excuse me.
OBAMA: I just described what my plan is. And I'm happy to talk to you, Joe, too, if you're out there. Here's your fine -- zero. You won't pay a fine, because...
MCCAIN: Zero?
OBAMA: Zero, because as I said in our last debate and I'll repeat, John, I exempt small businesses from the requirement for large businesses that can afford to provide health care to their employees, but are not doing it. I exempt small businesses from having to pay into a kitty. But large businesses that can afford it, we've got a choice. Either they provide health insurance to their employees or somebody has to.
It continued like that for awhile until Obama was able to end this loop with his agenda:
OBAMA: All I want to do, if you've already got health care, is lower your costs. That includes you, Joe.
SCHIEFFER: All right. Let's stop there and go to another question. And this one goes to Senator McCain. Senator McCain, you believe Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Senator Obama, you believe it shouldn't. Could either of you ever nominate someone to the Supreme Court who disagrees with you on this issue? Senator McCain?
MCCAIN: I would never and have never in all the years I've been there imposed a litmus test on any nominee to the court. That's not appropriate to do.
SCHIEFFER: But you don't want Roe v. Wade to be overturned?
MCCAIN: I thought it was a bad decision. I think there were a lot of decisions that were bad. I think that decisions should rest in the hands of the states. I'm a federalist. And I believe strongly that we should have nominees to the United States Supreme Court based on their qualifications rather than any litmus test...I will find the best people in the world -- in the United States of America who have a history of strict adherence to the Constitution. And not legislating from the bench.
OBAMA: Well, I think it's true that we shouldn't apply a strict litmus test and the most important thing in any judge is their capacity to provide fairness and justice to the American people...And it is true that this is going to be, I think, one of the most consequential decisions of the next president. It is very likely that one of us will be making at least one and probably more than one appointments and Roe versus Wade probably hangs in the balance.
Now I would not provide a litmus test. But I am somebody who believes that Roe versus Wade was rightly decided. I think that abortion is a very difficult issue and it is a moral issue and one that I think good people on both sides can disagree on... So this is going to be an important issue. I will look for those judges who have an outstanding judicial record, who have the intellect, and who hopefully have a sense of what real-world folks are going through.
It went on to the point where everyone was exhausted and Schieffer turned for home.
SCHIEFFER: Let's stop there, because I want to get in a question on education and I'm afraid this is going to have to be our last question, gentlemen. The question is this: the U.S. spends more per capita than any other country on education. Yet, by every international measurement, in math and science competence, from kindergarten through the 12th grade, we trail most of the countries of the world. The implications of this are clearly obvious. Some even say it poses a threat to our national security. Do you feel that way and what do you intend to do about it?
OBAMA: This probably has more to do with our economic future than anything and that means it also has a national security implication, because there's never been a nation on earth that saw its economy decline and continued to maintain its primacy as a military power. So we've got to get our education system right. Now, typically, what's happened is that there's been a debate between more money or reform, and I think we need both.
In some cases, we are going to have to invest. Early childhood education, which closes the achievement gap, so that every child is prepared for school, every dollar we invest in that, we end up getting huge benefits with improved reading scores, reduced dropout rates, reduced delinquency rates.
I think it's going to be critically important for us to recruit a generation of new teachers, an army of new teachers, especially in math and science, give them higher pay, give them more professional development and support in exchange for higher standards and accountability.
MCCAIN: Well, it's the civil rights issue of the 21st century. There's no doubt that we have achieved equal access to schools in America after a long and difficult and terrible struggle.
But what is the advantage in a low income area of sending a child to a failed school and that being your only choice?
So choice and competition amongst schools is one of the key elements that's already been proven in places in like New Orleans and New York City and other places, where we have charter schools, where we take good teachers and we reward them and promote them.
And we find bad teachers another line of work. And we have to be able to give parents the same choice, frankly, that Senator Obama and Mrs. Obama had and Cindy and I had to send our kids to the school -- their kids to the school of their choice. Charter schools aren't the only answer, but they're providing competition. They are providing the kind of competitions that have upgraded both schools -- types of schools.
Now, throwing money at the problem is not the answer. You will find that some of the worst school systems in America get the most money per student. So I believe that we need to reward these good teachers. We need to encourage programs such as Teach for America and Troops to Teachers where people, after having served in the military, can go right to teaching and not have to take these examinations which -- or have the certification that some are required in some states.
Look, we must improve education in this country. As far as college education is concerned, we need to make those student loans available. We need to give them a repayment schedule that they can meet. We need to have full student loan program for in-state tuition. And we certainly need to adjust the certain loan eligibility to inflation.
SCHIEFFER: Do you think the federal government should play a larger role in the schools? And I mean, more federal money?
OBAMA: Well, we have a tradition of local control of the schools and that's a tradition that has served us well. But I do think that it is important for the federal government to step up and help local school districts do some of the things they need to do.
MCCAIN: Let's reform it. Let's reform it and fund it. That was, of course, out-of-bounds by the Democrats. We need to reform these programs. We need to have transparency. We need to have rewards. It's a system that cries out for accountability and transparency and the adequate funding.
The rest of their responses were pure fluff. Short story was neither one of them has a clue how utterly screwed the education system really is and have less of a clue how to address it outside of reciting their talking points. So I'll skip to their closing bs now...
SCHIEFFER: All right. Gentlemen, we have come to the close. Before I ask both of you for your closing statements tonight, I'd like to invite our viewers and listeners to go to MyDebates.org, where you will find this evening's debates and the three that preceded tonight's debate.
Now, for the final statements, by a coin toss, Senator McCain goes first.
MCCAIN: My friends, as I said in my opening remarks, these are very difficult times and challenges for America. And they were graphically demonstrated again today...America needs a new direction. We cannot be satisfied with what we've been doing for the last eight years...We have to stop the spending. We have to stop the spending, which has mortgaged your children's futures.
Enough already...OK, Obama, put a cork in this thing...
OBAMA: We need fundamental change in this country, and that's what I'd like to bring. You know, over the last 20 months, you've invited me into your homes. You've shared your stories with me. And you've confirmed once again the fundamental decency and generosity of the American people. And that's why I'm sure that our brighter days are still ahead. But we're going to have to invest in the American people again, in tax cuts for the middle class, in health care for all Americans, and college for every young person who wants to go. In businesses that can create the new energy economy of the future. In policies that will lift wages and will grow our middle class.
Long story short - Bush sucked. McCain wants to return to a more traditional way of governing under the Reagan-like strategies of 'peace through strength', which means more defense money, less for social programs and free market rules where there's no ceiling or floor and everyone fends for themselves so essentially more have's and have not's. Obama, OTOH, wants to gut the system and dismantle the infrastructure of all the old Cold War policies and put in their place his bottom-up social reform programs that will be subsidized by his green economy agenda which levels the playing field in his head. Obama wants to operationalize the Flat Earth post-Cold War world and reign in corporate America's power, essentially pushing > money to the middle. Both are flawed.
But then again, we can always vote for Ralph Nader! (2)
You can read the entire transcripts here (3)
OK, I'm done...Pass this post on...or get some beers and watch it again.
ECO Out, MRF 10.17
PS: For more information on all the EXO, ECO, ONTO, PHYLO stuff...
For more pop culture examples of all 4 social brain patterns visit
http://www.somaspace.org/slisted.html
For some baseball-based examples of this work, see my essays on:
http://snipurl.com/4a4×5 [www_blogsoma_net]
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