You know you have a die-hard interest in politics when you want to see the national presidential debate, and it becomes a major commitment just to find a place to watch.  That was my case last week while I was in southern Turkey as the Turkish conflict with Syria was heating up.  I had limited television options and just could not tune into one of the U.S. national networks, or even CNN International.  And even if I could find a station, the time difference meant I would be watching at 3:00 am. No such stations beaming into Turkey could be found.  Apparently, we are not as important in this part of the world as many in Washington think.

As usual in these kinds of cases, the reason for the intensity of Louisiana’s Third House District contest between U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany and Jeff Landry is because they are so similar on the issues – which produces an opportunity actually to dissect and discuss the issues.

Trying for his fifth term, Boustany, from an old-line political family in Lafayette, got matched with freshman Landry, with a much newer political pedigree, because of redistricting brought about by Louisiana’s failure to grow much in population in the last decade. Both being Republicans in an area that has evolved into a solidly conservative national electoral district, one will win.

The focus for Mitt Romney last week at the Republican National Convention was supposed be his plan to create jobs and strengthen the economy. It was supposed to be all about the candidate, with the party faithful rallying around both him and his vision to put Americans back to work.  Romney and his wife did their job and carried the main political load. But overall, just how well did Romney and his supporting cast rate with voters throughout the country in “closing the deal?”

this has been a hell of a bad week for republicans. no one can wreck the gop like the gop can:

-it’s been disclosed that even now, today, willard mitt romney is making millions of dollars outsourcing u.s. workers’ jobs to china, closing an illinois factory to pursue cheaper labor and excess profits in communist china; what’s worse, adding insult to injury, the displaced workers are being compelled to train their chinese replacements before they get sent to the welfare lines.