Line Drive: Debate Night Preview & Voter Registration

It's Presidential Debate Night in America - and you should tune in. The first of the four debates (three presidential, one vice presidential) is tonight at 9 P.M. EST and will be airing on all major local and cable networks, and will also be live streamed online on many mainstream news media sites.

Jim Lehrer of PBS Newshour  will be the moderator. The debate will be split up into six segments of 15 minutes each. The topic choices were previously announced by the moderator, and will consist of three segments on the economy, one segment on health care, one segment on the role of government, and one segment on governing. Per the CPD, "The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic." It was determined by a coin toss that President Obama will speak first during opening remarks, and Mitt Romney chose to speak second during closing remarks.

Debate Preview
I briefly laid out some things to look for during the debate in First Pitch earlier this week. Many media outlets have their own debate prep for viewers, which I encourage you to look at if you have time before tonight's debate. One headline that caught my attention was this one from NPR: "OMG! A Deb8! What Young People Really Want To Ask Obama And Romney," which discusses the genuine interest of young Americans in this election, particularly due to how the economy has impacted them in recent years.

Many pundits believe that President Obama will need to play defense and avoid saying anything that would be damaging during the debate tonight. They also believe that Mitt Romney needs to use the opportunity to showcase his ability to relate and empathize with the American people, particularly due to the fact that he is still recovering from his comments on the 47%.

Here were the things I said earlier this week to look for during tonight's debate:

1. How many "zingers" does Romney get in? A New York Times article from last Friday discusses Romney's preparation for the debates, in which it says that "Mr. Romney’s team has concluded that debates are about creating moments and has equipped him with a series of zingers that he has memorized and has been practicing on aides since August." The media has jumped on the article, and now expectations for Romney have been slightly raised. This is a stark contrast from what the Obama and Romney campaigns have been doing in recent days leading up to the debate, which is do downplay expectations from their side and praise the skills of the other. Body language, delivery, timing, and context will also be important, regardless of zingers.
2. Will Romney find time to explain the math? In an interview with Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday," Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan said that "I don’t have the ... It would take me too long to go through all of the math" when asked for specifics on how the Romney tax plan would be able to reduce taxes 20% without raising the deficit. If the moderator of the first debate, Jim Lehrer, doesn't press Romney on this issue, expect President Obama to do so. Aside from the fact that Ryan doesn't have the time to explain the math, his budget plan would also cut funding to education, that way he doesn't have to explain math (or anything else) to you. The real reason he doesn't want to "go through all of the math" is that doing so would show that their policies doesn't add up. Then again, this is the same campaign that said it wouldn't be dictated by fact-checkers.
3. How will Obama respond if Romney steers the conversation towards Libya and foreign policy? As I mentioned earlier, I expect Romney to try to bring up Libya in the first debate. He wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal yesterday talking about Middle East foreign policy. I think he should be careful, however, because there is a difference between having military strength and saying that the U.S. should be engaged in more wars abroad. Support for the war in Afghanistan is decreasing by the day, and the idea of going to more wars in the Middle East will gain little traction, especially considering our economy and our deficit. There is no math behind ideas in which we should go to war and spend more money in defense while cutting taxes 20% for everyone. Does this sound familiar?

In addition, it will be interesting to see how President Obama and Mitt Romney respond to each other verbally and non-verbally. The President has been known to get frustrated during debates while Mitt Romney has been known to ask his challenger to make $10,000 bets, so how these two respond to one another in this head-to-head environment on a national stage will be important. Voters will want to see which person can keep a level head and deliver clear, concise responses to questions posed by the moderator and his opponent.

I wrote in a Foul Ball post last week that poor polling numbers might drive donors away from supporting Romney and shifting their dollars toward down-ballot races, and this week it was reported that it may be an accurate assessment. This is important because the Romney campaign has spent the last few weeks saying that the first debate will be a turning point in this election, so Mitt has a lot at stake tonight. Couple that with the a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that shows the President up a point over Romney, 51%-43% in Ohio among likely voters (with a sample that was less Democrat leaning), and you see why this debate is important for Romney. Early voting is already occurring in Ohio and in many states across the country, and if Romney does lose Ohio, he has to win EVERY other swing state still up for grabs in order to beat the President. It is also worth noting that no Republican has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio. So yeah, while this debate is a big deal for both candidates, it is really important for Mitt Romney.

I believe President Obama should focus on the clear distinctions between him and Mitt Romney. Here's what I think he should say:

• While Romney has business and private sector experience, the United States government shouldn't be run as a business. A business' main purpose is to generate profit, and it will pursue anything that will result in it, regardless of the consequences to people. This is clearly demonstrated in Mitt Romney's business experience at Bain Capital, which loaded up companies in debt, sent jobs overseas, and took investor fees while those companies were forced to declare bankruptcy. 
• The President should also answer Romney's question on whether or not we are better off now than we were four years ago. He should remind the American people that four years ago we were losing 750,000 jobs per month, the stock market was in complete disarray, we were in two wars, and economic uncertainty was its worst since the Great Depression. He should also note the progress we have made and what he plans to do moving forward. Mitt Romney will say that he will create 12 million jobs over the next four years, if elected. The problem with that statement is that Moody's Analytics says that 12 million new jobs will be created regardless of who is the next U.S. president. Also, the war in Iraq has ended and the President has not thrown America into any additional unfunded, unending wars. Personally, I would rather have our tax dollars used for investing in roads and bridges in the U.S. than roads and bridges in Iraq or Afghanistan. I would rather have our government spending money at home than on a war abroad. Are we where we need to be? No. Have we made significant progress from four years ago? Absolutely.
• In Mitt Romney's convention speech, he said "That president [Barack Obama] was not the choice of our party but Americans always come together after elections" and "I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed." Except that he (and Republicans in Congress) didn't want President Obama or America to succeed. The 2010 mid-term elections were led under the guise of the Republican and Tea Party rallying cry of "jobs, jobs, jobs," only to have Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell say "the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." But it started well before 2010. On the night Obama was elected in November 2008, Republicans were already meeting on how to stop the President from succeeding. TIME put out an article in August discussing it based on a book by Michael Grunwald (I highly encourage you to read this link). Considering we were in the midst of the worst economic and financial crisis since the Great Depression with no end in sight, you would think that this time, one of the greatest times of need in our history, would be the time America's elected officials put partisan differences aside to help get the country back on track. But the answer, as has been the answer by Republicans to anything supported by Obama, was an emphatic NO. If the GOP couldn't put aside partisan differences for the country in its greatest time of need, why would they do it now? If not then, when? I hope that Obama makes this message clear to all Americans tonight and hammers the do-nothing Congress of the last two years and the do-nothing Republicans of the last four years (Don't believe me?: Senate Republicans even blocked a jobs bill for veterans, who have a higher unemployment rate than the national average).

While that is my hope for what President Obama will say, I don't think he'll say it. I don't think the country wants to hear the President talk about how the Republicans have stopped progress. He will probably play it safe and outline his vision for the future instead of reflecting on the past, and try to contrast his plan with Mitt Romney's. We'll see how it plays out - remember to tune in!

Voter Registration
Finally, please take a few moments to check and see if you are registered to vote. Voter registration deadlines are quickly approaching, so if you aren't registered - please register right now. Voter ID laws have also changed and recent judicial rulings on those laws (including a ruling on the controversial Pennsylvania Voter ID Law) may cause confusion. Check the Voter ID map at the end of this post to see the rules in your state. You can find more information by clicking on the Register to Vote tab underneath the LfLF logo or below:

Why Should I Vote? 
The most important thing you can do this (or any) election cycle is vote. Regardless of the amount of money you can donate to Obama/Biden 2012, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, MoveOn, or Priorities USA (if you can afford to, please do!), voting is the only way you can make a difference in November. The money will continue to flow in to the parties, campaigns, and Super PACs, but none of that money will actually vote. If you haven't registered, do so today. If you think you're registered, check again. If you aren't aware of what you'll need to bring with you to the polls on election day, get informed.

Voter ID
Republican state legislatures across the country, most notably in Pennsylvania and Florida, have passed and tried to implement new voter ID laws to suppress votes under the ruse of "voter fraud." Many sources, including the USA Today, have referenced a study by News21 that found there have been 10 cases of voter fraud since 2000. As the USA Today puts it, "with 146 million registered voters in the United States, those represent about one for every 15 million prospective voters." Voter fraud is simply not an issue in this country and voter ID laws are only in place to disenfranchise those in urban areas and major cities who don't have photo identification (like a driver's license) because they are poor, elderly, or haven't needed a driver's license because they don't drive a car. These people are also generally minorities and African Americans, who (surprise!) tend to vote for Democrats. This is not a coincidence - if you live in a state with voter ID laws, check out the map below from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to determine what type of ID you need to vote on election day.

UPDATE (10/2/2012): Per the NCSL, "A state judge temporarily halted enforcement of Pennsylvania's voter ID law for the November election. The judge stated that an insufficient number of IDs had been issued for voting purposes at the five-week mark preceding the election, and ordered that while poll workers can still ask voters for ID, they must allow those without ID to vote. Read the order here. There will be a status conference on December 13, 2012 to prepare for a trial on the application for a permanent injunction."

Get Informed & Register to Vote
Different states have voter registration deadlines, so be sure to stay informed and get registered! If you haven't registered, want to confirm that you are registered, need absentee ballot or photo ID information, or have any other questions, please visit these sites:

Rock The Vote: http://www.rockthevote.org/

USA.gov: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Register.shtml

Gotta Vote (via the Obama Campaign): http://vote.barackobama.com/en/

Vote411: http://www.vote411.org

Photo ID Laws: http://www.ncsl.org/legislatures-elections/elections/voter-id.aspx

Source (Map up-to-date as of 10/2/12): National Conference of State Legislatures

First Pitch: Weekend Recap & the First Presidential Debate

Happy Monday and happy October, Life from Left Field readers! It's been a crazy few days in sports and politics - let's recap the weekend and take a look at what we've got to look forward to this week.

NFL Week 4
The regular NFL referees were greeted in most stadiums as returning heroes, but the verdict on their performance based on Sunday's games: rusty. There were some blown calls, including a missed turnover on a kickoff in the Packers game, but most would agree they are a vast improvement over the replacements refs.

I was a New Orleans holding penalty away from going 0-4 on my Sunday picks. Looking at it another way, I was two bad play calls away in the Giants-Eagles game from going 2-2. The Packers-Saints game was close at the end and kicker Garrett Hartley appeared to kick a field goal to put the Saints up late, but there was a holding call pushing the Saints back 10 yards. After an encroachment call on the defense, Hartley hooked a 48 yard attempt left and the Packers were able to run out the clock after getting a first down. However, even if Hartley made it, it's probably safe to say that Rodgers would have driven the Pack down the field in the 3 minutes or so that remained on the clock.

It was a misguided attempt to try to convince myself that the Chiefs would beat the Chargers. I'm actually happy the Vikings beat the Lions (even though I picked the Lions), helping further build the NFC North storyline that that the Lions are a talented yet dysfunctional group with no sense of leadership or self-control. Even with wins over talented teams like the Lions and the 49ers, the Vikings are still not garnering a ton of respect around the league - probably because they lost to the Colts in Week 2.

I went on a mini-Twitter rant at the end of the Giants-Eagles game because of the baffling play calling down the stretch by the Giants. They were given a gift in the form of a first down on a phantom pass interference call on Nnamdi Asomugha. They had a 1 yd run on first down to set up 2nd and 9 from the 27 yard line with about 28 seconds left. Instead of running the ball on second down and then spiking the ball on third down to stop the clock, Eli goes for a 25 yard pass to Ramses Barden down the sideline, who pushes off and is (correctly) called for offensive pass interference. Tynes ends up missing two field goal attempts (he got a second try after hooking the first attempt due to Andy Reid trying to freeze the kicker and calling timeout), including the second attempt falling a few yards short of going over the post. All this could have been avoided had the Giants just RUN THE FOOTBALL. Even if they don't pick up any yards on the hypothetical run on second down, it still means that Tynes is trying a 44 yard field goal instead of a 54 yard field goal. I'm not even a Giants fan, and I'm frustrated (side note: I despise all Philadelphia sports teams).

Other Sports Notes
The Ryder Cup was held in the backyard of my hometown at Medinah Country Club. I admit that I didn't get to watch most of the Cup, but I had been following the highlights and did catch it late Sunday afternoon. I'm not going to pretend that I'm a golf analyst or expert, but I am very familiar with watching teams collapse - and this was quite the collapse.

The MLB regular season comes to a close this week - with the Cubs on the verge of another unremarkable, 100-loss season (currently at 60-99 with 3 games to play). While there are a lot of big story lines in the league this week, including playoff races and positioning, the one that I am most interested in is whether Miguel Cabrera can win the MLB Triple Crown. He currently leads or is tied for the lead in home runs, batting average and RBIs. I know he has had a troubled history off the field, but seeing how there hasn't been a Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, I hope he pulls it off.

And finally, NBA training camp kicks off this week. The Chicago Bulls open camp with media day today and have their first preseason game next week on October 9. I will be writing a Bulls preview before the start of the season, but I always recommend checking out official Bulls writer Sam Smith on bulls.com. He posted an article last Friday on ten questions facing the Bulls which is definitely a worthwhile read for Bulls fans.

Big game in big D tonight - let's go Bears. Sounds like Matt Forte will be a game-time decision, but unless there are any setbacks in warm-ups, my guess is that he'll play.

Politics Recap
You want to know when the real important stories come out this election season? Friday afternoon. This is when campaigns try to dump stories to the press that they don't want people to be talking about because they are politically or personally damaging. A few examples of this in recent weeks:

• Florida voter fraud - Last Friday, the RNC confirmed it had severed ties with a consulting firm after it was discovered that the firm was sending in fraudulent voter registration forms, including forms missing social security numbers and forms with incorrect house numbers and birth dates. The Romney campaign has tried to distance itself from the controversy, but that task gets increasingly difficult when considering the fact that the RNC had hired this firm to help register voters in several states across the country. So much for those Republican-controlled state legislatures passing voter ID laws to "stop voter fraud." Next time, they should try this.
• Libya attack re-characterized - Also last Friday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that U.S. embassy attacks in Benghazi on September 11 "were linked to groups affiliated with, or sympathetic to, al-Qaeda." This is a marked shift from the original stance by the administration in which the attack was said to be unplanned and had happened in reaction to an anti-Muslim video posted on YouTube. As an Obama supporter, there are certainly more questions to be asked regarding the intelligence available at the time and the action taken, and I'm sure the Romney campaign and the media will continue to press the administration on what happened. It is clear to see why this announcement was made Friday opposed to today, when the media will steer the conversation toward the debate instead of primarily focusing on an important story in relation to U.S. foreign policy.
• Romney's 2011 tax return - Two weeks ago, the Romney campaign released (on a Friday) the candidate's 2011 tax return, in which he paid a 14.1% percent tax rate, a rate which was only achieved by not taking the full deduction on his charitable contributions. In addition, Romney can amend his return after the election to take the full deduction. In an interview Romney did in July with ABC News' David Muir, he said "I don't pay more than are legally due and frankly if I had paid more than are legally due I don't think I'd be qualified to become president. I'd think people would want me to follow the law and pay only what the tax code requires." Again, there's a reason the Romney campaign released the return on a Friday.

Clearly politics has a lot to do with messaging and spin, so it is logical that campaigns do this. However, the debates won't allow candidates to shy away on issues they don't want discuss or only release statements based on political convenience, and this Wednesday at 9:00pm EST we will have the first of those debates. Here are a few things to look for on Wednesday:

1. How many "zingers" does Romney get in? A New York Times article from last Friday discusses Romney's preparation for the debates, in which it says that "Mr. Romney’s team has concluded that debates are about creating moments and has equipped him with a series of zingers that he has memorized and has been practicing on aides since August." The media has jumped on the article, and now expectations for Romney have been slightly raised. This is a stark contrast from what the Obama and Romney campaigns have been doing in recent days leading up to the debate, which is do downplay expectations from their side and praise the skills of the other. Body language, delivery, timing, and context will also be important, regardless of zingers.
2. Will Romney find time to explain the math? In an interview with Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday," Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan said that "I don’t have the ... It would take me too long to go through all of the math" when asked for specifics on how the Romney tax plan would be able to reduce taxes 20% without raising the deficit. If the moderator of the first debate, Jim Lehrer, doesn't press Romney on this issue, expect President Obama to do so. Aside from the fact that Ryan doesn't have the time to explain the math, his budget plan would also cut funding to education, that way he doesn't have to explain math (or anything else) to you. The real reason he doesn't want to "go through all of the math" is that doing so would show that their policies doesn't add up. Then again, this is the same campaign that said it wouldn't be dictated by fact-checkers.
3. How will Obama respond if Romney steers the conversation towards Libya and foreign policy? As I mentioned earlier, I expect Romney to try to bring up Libya in the first debate. He wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal yesterday talking about Middle East foreign policy. I think he should be careful, however, because there is a difference between having military strength and saying that the U.S. should be engaged in more wars abroad. Support for the war in Afghanistan is decreasing by the day, and the idea of going to more wars in the Middle East will gain little traction, especially considering our economy and our deficit. There is no math behind ideas in which we should go to war and spend more money in defense while cutting taxes 20% for everyone. Does this sound familiar?

Final Score: Cry Me a River - The Beginning of the Roger Goodell Apology Tour

Earlier today, Roger Goodell released an open letter to fans regarding the replacement referees:

To NFL Fans:
The National Football League is at its best when the focus is on the players and the action on the field, not on labor negotiations.
All of us who love the sport appreciate the skills and dedication of the players and coaches. That is why we are focused not just on what happens on the field but what our game will be like in another decade or two. The NFL has always tried to look ahead, to innovate, and to constantly improve in all we do.
We recognize that some decisions may be difficult to accept in the passion of the moment, but my most important responsibility is to improve the game for this generation and the next.
I believe in accountability, not excuses. And I regret we were not able to secure an agreement sooner in the process and avoid the unfortunate distractions to the game. You deserve better.
As a lifelong fan, this wasn’t an easy process for anyone involved. I particularly want to commend the replacement officials for taking on an unenviable task and doing it with focus and dedication in the most adverse of circumstances.
Our new agreement gives long-term stability to an important aspect of our game, officiating. More important, with this agreement, officiating will be better in the long run. While the financial issues received the most attention, these negotiations were much more about long-term reforms. For example, beginning with the 2013 season, the NFL will have the option of hiring a number of officials on a full-time basis to work year-round, including on the field. In addition, the NFL will have the option to retain additional officials for training and development purposes, and may assign those additional officials to work NFL games.
We are moving forward with the finest officials in sports back on the field. It’s time to put the focus where it belongs — on the clubs and players and our magnificent game, with a special thanks to our fans for their passion.
- Roger Goodell

We do deserve better. But "regretting" not having an agreement in place is not going give the Packers the win they earned. It's not going to make up for any of the terrible calls from the last few weeks. To be sure, the regular referees will make bad calls in the future, but having incompetent replacement refs for games that matter was irresponsible.

This might not be the only time Goodell may apologize this season. According to CBSSports, he met with Scott Fujita today in the final individual meeting with the players accused in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal after an appeals panel "ruled Goodell must redefine the parameters of the suspensions, showing they were for an intent-to-injure program." If Goodell cannot show enough evidence to prove this, another apology letter will have to be written. Regardless of the outcome, expect to see more players challenge Goodell in the future as the hits on his credibility continue to pile up.

Picks for Week 4
Each week, I will pick three games in addition to the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs (girlfriend grew up in KC) matchups.

San Diego (2-1, 1-0 away) @ Kansas City (1-2, 0-1 home): Jamaal Charles looked great last week, and he hopes to string together two strong performances. Philip Rivers will look for a bounce-back week, but the Charges have lost the last two in KC. Just like last week, I see a Chiefs upset. Kansas City 24, San Diego 20.

Minnesota (2-1, 0-1 away) at Detroit (1-2, 1-0 home): Christian Ponder looked great for the Vikings last week in a very impressive win over the 49ers. It sounds like Matthew Stafford will be able to play on Sunday, and they'll need him and a victory to stay afloat in a tough NFC North. I think Detroit will shake off last week's heartbreaker. Detroit 31, Minnesota 17.

New Orleans (0-3, 0-1 away) at Green Bay (1-2, 1-1 home): The Packers are coming off a short week filled with controversy, and the Saints are playing to save their season. New Orleans defense is awful, and Green Bay is averaging 19.0 points per game after playing three very good defenses in San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle. Green Bay 35, New Orleans 21.

New York Giants (2-1, 1-0 away) at Philadelphia (2-1, 1-0 home): Philadelphia leads the league in turnovers, and Jay Cutler is not their quarterback. The Giants have some injury concerns, but that didn't stop them from destroying Carolina on the road last week. I expect a close one only because I believe that Michael Vick will play more like himself and less like Rex Grossman. New York Giants 27, Philadelphia 24.

Chicago (2-1, 0-1 away) at Dallas (2-1, 0-1 home): The last time the Bears played at Dallas was in September 2010 and everyone was talking about their offensive line problems. Not much has changed for the better in terms of the O-line for Chicago, and the Cowboys have issues there as well. Matt Forte practiced yesterday and today, and I'm assuming he'll play Monday. This will be a defensive battle, but I think the Bears start to piece it together on offense, especially if Forte plays. Chicago 24, Dallas 21.

Foul Ball: "All polls have a liberal bias...including our own here at Fox"

If you've noticed a shift in narrative recently from the Romney campaign and Fox News, it's probably because:

1. The Romney campaign and Fox News want to talk about anything but Mitt Romney's comments on the 47%.
2. The 47% comments appear to be as damaging in the opinion of voters as the media portrays them to be, leading to Mitt Romney losing in major polls nationally and in most swing states.
3. Since he is losing in polls, the Romney campaign is afraid of losing fundraising dollars as financial backers begin to perceive the campaign as a lost cause, thus re-focusing their attention and dollars to down-ballot races.

So what do you do if you're the Romney campaign and Fox News? Blame the polls! A few days ago, Romney said, "at this early stage, polls go up, polls go down." Someone should tell Mitt Romney that early voting has begun, and according to the Washington Post, people in 34 states and the District of Columbia can vote early. Fox News takes this a step further, saying that "the polls are misleading" (more on their reasoning in a minute). If you haven't noticed, there are many problems with trusting Fox News as a credible media source, but that problem becomes more significant when you consider where the "fair and balanced" network finds people to provide "news and analysis" for this election cycle:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now, it's true that Rachel Maddow can sometimes be loud and overbearing. It's also true that Obama campaign advisers and staffers appear on cable news channels like MSNBC all the time. But there is a significant distinction between appearing on these channels and speaking for the campaign compared to being a paid contributor by the network while also working for the campaign. It's not a coincidence that the content provided on Fox News often aligns with the rhetoric coming from the Romney campaign, and now you know why.

Going back to the uproar over the alleged bias in polling, the Fox News opinion I cited earlier in this post puts emphasis on a website called unskewedpolls.com by conservative blogger Dean Chambers. Chambers thought the major national polls "just didn't look right" and re-weighted the polls to correct the bias. So he's going to show us how skewed the polls are by skewing the polls himself? Stephen Colbert poked fun at the issue last night on The Colbert Report:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

The other issue with the Fox News opinion that the polls are skewed is the person they are talking to at the Romney campaign that would help "confirm" their assertion: Romney pollster Neil Newhouse. In a recent interview cited by the Fox News opinion, he said, "I don’t think [the polls] reflect the composition of what 2012 is going to look like." On its own, that might seem like a sound statement that any campaign pollster might say when their team is losing, which is fine. However, this is the same Neil Newhouse who said "we're not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers." I'm not going to trust anything coming from Neil Newhouse, because if he won't let facts get in the way of the Romney campaign, as a pollster for the campaign, would he let facts get in the way of how he polls for them?

The latest RealClearPolitics average of national polls shows Obama up 4.1% (48.7%-41.6%). That average includes a Fox News poll from 9/24-9/26 that has Obama up 5% (48%-43%). So to recap, all the polls have a liberal bias, including those left-wing crazies at Fox News! To top it off, because you can't make this stuff up (though I'm sure Neil Newhouse would find a way), the latest UnSkewedPolls average has Romney up 7.4% on Obama (51.5% Romney-44.1% Obama), with the results of every "re-weighted" poll showing Romney ahead - except for the one done by Fox News. Finally, proof that Fox News is fair and balanced.

First Pitch (Opening Day Edition): Fly ball to left, toward the line, Alou over...

Welcome to Life from Left Field (LfLF)
Hi, my name is Brian, and I am a Chicago Cubs fan. Sports didn't begin or end for me in the moment that fly ball was hit into left field on October 14, 2003, but the way I viewed sports was never the same after this moment. Welcome to Life from Left Field - a blog about sports, politics, and everything in between (and sometimes outside) the foul poles of life.

While a brief summary can be found on the "About Me" section of the blog, since this is the first "real" post, let me take a second to talk about who I am. My parents were Christian born and raised in India and moved to the suburbs of Chicago in the early 80s, where my my older brother and I were born and raised. My dad has spent most of his career in the pharmaceutical industry and my mom has been a nurse for over 30 years, including the last 10+ years in the spinal cord unit at a VA hospital. I am fortunate to come from a great home and a strong, supportive, and loyal family. Our loyalty extends to most Chicago sports teams, including the Bulls, Bears, Cubs, and Blackhawks. In addition, they have graciously adopted my affinity and love for my undergraduate alma mater, the University of Connecticut Huskies.

I graduated from UConn in 2010 with a B.S. in Sport Management and a Minor in Business Administration. I also recently earned my M.B.A. from the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University with concentrations in Sport Management and Marketing. In addition to sports, I love politics, I am a supporter of President Obama and the Democratic Party, and I generally approach issues from a liberal perspective. If you're still reading - thank you, and welcome to LfLF.

Sports from Left Field
That fly ball (clip is the preview for Catching Hell, an ESPN Films original documentary) changed my worldview in terms of sports. It was the start of a collapse of moments unlike any I had witnessed at the time, and in some ways was a coming of age for me as a fan.

I was a spoiled sports fan growing up. Born in 1988 in the suburbs of Chicago, the fondest sports memories I have from childhood are all of Michael Jeffrey Jordan, and most are of him (and the Chicago Bulls) winning. Basketball was my favorite sport as a kid and still is to this day, and Jordan played hero in the Bulls fairy tale of the 1990s. Sure, I really like baseball, football, hockey, and other sports, but basketball is my obsession. I didn't fully grasp or appreciate the sports that I have since come to love today until Jordan retired.

The main reason I fell in love with basketball is my parents. They are both big basketball fans and my dad also likes football and baseball, which is how I became a Bears and Cubs fan. That, and the Sosa-McGwire home run chase in the summer of 1998. I'll never forget a parody of Love Rollercoaster that a local radio show did with Sammy Sosa that summer and fall, which recently resurfaced online. My love for the Cubs grew with the steroid era, bringing more home runs and zero world series rings to the North Side.

There is no way to describe the feeling in Chicago on that fateful day in October 2003 with the Cubs on the cusp of reaching the World Series. You could argue that every city knocking on the door of any championship series or game has that feeling, but none of them have the same history of losing. It was all set to change on that day, and through 8 1/3 innings, it was. Then the Bartman incident happens, and Alex Gonzalez bobbles a sure double play ball, and the Cubs lose that game and game 7 at home. What was set to change remained the same - the Cubs lost, and they haven't won a playoff game since.

Even after Jordan retired, I never stopped being a Bulls fan - I didn't know how to stop. I knew Jordan was irreplaceable, but I never gave up on the Bulls. I always thought they would make a big move in the offseason or at the trade deadline, or develop stars with their draft picks, anything that would make the team respectable again. Maybe I was naive, but I stuck with them through the losses because I love basketball, I love that team, and as a Cubs fan, losing was something I've grown used to. You can imagine how excited I was when the Bulls started winning again with Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Joakim Noah.  That excitement grew when the Bulls got a really, really lucky bounce in winning the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery with just a 1.7% chance of doing so. They drafted hometown kid Derrick Rose, he became the youngest MVP in league history, and then broke the hearts of everyone in Chicago when he tore his ACL in Game 1 of the playoffs this year. Adidas has started a marketing campaign called #TheReturn, and their latest ad released just a few days ago. I think I can speak on behalf of all Bulls fans and say that we can't wait for him to get back on the court again.

Politics from Left Field
My parents have always been Democrats and that's how I was raised, but I never really cared for politics when I was younger. I was in high school when then-U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama gave the keynote address at the 2004 DNC Convention, and I didn't watch. In fact, the first time I heard of Barack Obama was when he visited my high school for a town hall meeting in 2005, where he was asked if he would run for President one day. For me, change began on that day.

I began to pay more attention to politics, particularly when I started undergrad at the University of Connecticut. When Obama officially entered the Democratic primary race in February 2007, I was still a freshman and in my second semester, but I definitely believed he would be president. I was taking a public speaking course at the time, and throughout the semester we had to give three kinds of speeches: informative, narrative, and persuasive. My persuasive speech was on "Why Barack Obama is the Best Presidential Candidate." Safe to say I fell for hope and change, voted for him in the primary and the general election, and will never forget talking on the phone with my dad right before he gave his acceptance speech in Chicago. Since that day, change has happened for the better - in the US economy, in healthcare reform, financial and consumer protection, saving the auto industry, ending the war in Iraq, and many other accomplishments - and the importance of this election has led me to why I am writing this blog today.

Why write LfLF?
The main reason I am writing this blog is to try to make a difference in the 2012 election. I know that their is no shortage of media attention or information about the election, but I do know that there are many people who are uninformed or misinformed about politics today. Instead of taking the time to learn and understand the facts and just keeping them to myself, I think it would be best to have a conversation about them with as many people as possible. I think a blog is the best way to present a consistent, organized dialogue and it is the proper format to have such a conversation. At the very least, I hope that having this conversation will persuade more people to vote and participate in the election process.

My Bias
In terms of politics, I hope that I've made it pretty clear that this blog is not pretending to be "fair and balanced." My opinions will generally be liberal, and my support will generally favor Democrats. Regardless of my opinions, I will provide context and facts, and in cases were I do make an error, I will correct them.

In terms of sports, much of my coverage will focus on the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Blackhawks, UConn Huskies, major sporting news and events, and unapologetic, blind support for Derrick Rose (get well soon, D-Rose!).

Goals & Expectations
I know a lot of people hate to talk politics. I also know that I have family, friends, and colleagues that hold different political views and may prefer to abstain from participating - and that's completely fine. Here are some of my primary goals and expectations for this blog:

1. My main goal is to present my opinion, facts that support my opinion, and present an opportunity for you to respond, if you choose. While my opinion is provided, I know it's not the only opinion or the best opinion. The key is to be inform and discuss, not tell you what to believe. 
2. My secondary goal is to build a consistent dialogue through this medium - giving readers an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and opinions with one another.
3. I also hope that this blog can inform people about voter registration and information on how to register to vote.
4. Finally, let's be civil in our discussion. I expect that everyone who participates is respectful of others and their opinions.

Clearly my goals and expectations are limited in size and scope. I don't know if this blog will take off, but I will do my best to provide the best content that I can for my readers.

Format
Sticking with the baseball theme, I've come up with a few title categories that you can expect to see regularly on the blog:

First Pitch* - Mondays: a recap of weekend events in politics and sports (*In honor of this being the first "real" post on the blog - this post is the honorary "Opening Day Edition" of First Pitch)
Line Drive - General posts
7th Inning Stretch - Thursdays: what's on tap for the weekend
Final Score -  Fridays: weekly summary/recap of major events
Foul Ball - Reactions to unexpected events

In addition, you'll notice several pages titles that run across the top of your screen:

Videos  - These are clips that I think are relevant and important, and sometimes funny and entertaining, depending on the topic.
Register to Vote  - LOOK AT THIS PAGE. I cannot stress this enough. Check your registration today, and if you aren't registered, REGISTER RIGHT NOW. If you're not sure if you are going to vote in November, register anyway so that you will have that option available to you.
2012 Presidential Debate Schedule  - A quick and handy breakdown of this year's debate schedule. Topics will be updated as they become available.
About Me & Contact Information/Photo Credits  - General information about me and ways to contact me, along with photo credits for background images on this blog.

I'm really excited to get started with this. Thank you all for your support. Let's play ball.

Follow @brianthomas12

First [Real] Post - Coming Soon!

Thanks for visiting! My first "real" blog post will be coming soon! I appreciate your patience!

- BT