@RationalOne

The numbers that matter: 2012 President Obama 54% GOP challenger 46%

I am turning into a conspiracy theorist. You cant tell me out of all the well educated, relatively normal, well adjusted people with common sense I meet and work with every single day .....these idiots are the only ones the Republican party could get to run for president? of one of the most powerful countries in the world?

Seriously?

I was out walking the dogs down to the lake and I came upon a guy doing the same and as we got to talking he started telling me about The Illuminatie and the power struggle to control the world and how both democrat and republicans were part of the same faction.....I have been desensitized by idiot politicians because I sat there and listened to this guy for a good fifteen minutes. HE MADE MORE SENSE THAN THE CURRENT POLITICAL SYSTEM!

Really people, it is time to throw out anyone that has ran for government before and start fresh.

Fun with numbers irrationalone?

Unemployment at 4.8% when Bush took office and 8.7% when he left. Two unpaid wars, pharmaceutical bill and tax cuts for his buddies left off of his budget. Go smoke your dope over at the Michael Berry forums. He needs your help in his times of troubles.

For two years the right has been railing away, telling us how they won't have to "settle" and how the dogcatcher could beat Obama. What happened? The GOP is practically handing Obama the election on a platter.

@john-537378, so you admit the numbers are true, but you would still vote for obama? Why?

RationalOne-674831 Thank you so much for the very accurate data. I would like to ask a favor may I copy and paste this to my Facebook page? And RationalOne-674831 is it ok if others SHARE this on their Facebook page? Obama needs to go back to Chicago. Anyone that reads this data and thinks Obama should be retained has a few loose screws rattling around in their heads!

I do not know if the numbers are true or not. What I do know there is NO GOP candidate better than President Obama. Not Newt, not Rick, not Ron, and not Mitt. That I admit to that.

RationalOne-674831...Yes just ignore the fact that Bush was handed a prosperous economy with a surplus, and handed over the country 8 years later, in the midst of a complete economic meltdown unlike anything ever seen before, and then threw in a couple of unfunded wars with no purpose and the cherry on top was a completely unfunded health care prescription drug boondoggle.

I'm not that thrilled with the recovery effort, but you cannot deny that one president turned a glowing economy into a bag of schit and then handed that bag off as he ran out the door to hide !

The Clinton staff was deeply criticized ( rightly so ) for taking the W keys off of the keyboards. The Bush staff destroyed the economy, left us embroiled in two wars, and just walked away !

By RationalOne ~ Bush was an idiot, but Obama is an idiot on steroids.

He can only run on his own dismal record.

You should change your name to Ration-One in honor of the insane right-wing who now believe austerity is the way to prosperity because Jesus said so ...

So why would you even mention your previous messiah Bush ?

There's a reason todays insane right-wing never does.

Michigan is neck and neck,” says pollster Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion

As usual, Politicians only look at poor cities during election time. Rommney now "loves the trees" in Michigan. In two weeks he won't give a $%#@ about it. Just as he always has. Showing pictures of him and his father in New York, and saying that it was Michigan. Digging deep in his "weapons arsenal" to find something to convince the people of his "love"

Sure...The love of a Vulture capitalist that wanted to really kill the automotive industry. HYPOCRITE

Wow -- What selective memories we have after 9-11. This country was attacked but we went to war with no purpose?? We went to war without the overwhelming majority of Congress approving the attacks??? How can one "walk away" when one can only serve two consecutive terms??? Did Clinton walk away from his successes???? Are you saying you want to pull the prescription drug plan from seniors??? Are you willing to kick in more to fund the program????

@MM-584706, so you're not thrilled with the recovery effort, but making the situation worse is...You all talk about how Bush created this mess - fine, he ran the numbers and I object. But to have this president make matters worse makes you feel better? Relieved? Satisfied? What is it?

@MM-584706 - That is what the democrats would have done anyways. Get things without paying for them. Do not excuse someone that said and promised things that he hasn't accomplished. That is just BS as the rest of the politicians before him. Him being the biggest crook. "HOPE" meant nothing but to the people that believed it.

Romney 2012 !!

@ Rational One, great posts, with sources. It never ceases to amaze me that anyone would STILL support a second term for Obama. When you have a President whose only success was signing off on the death of Bin Laden, that's not saying much. I would take a chance with any of the Republican candidates (except Ron Paul) rather than be assured of another 4 years of downward spiral. Why would we want more of the worst Presidency in history? And yes, Ben, you are very correct, these folks have a very short memory of recent events and the cost of those events. Let's talk about the billions that were poured into NYC after 911. Most thought this was appropriate, now, they have a different story.

Rationalone, if your numbers were a problem, no one would be investing in the United States. That just does not seem to be a problem, so your are just blowing smoke. When people invest, their number one concern is that they are going to get their money back. That has never been an issue until last year when the Republicans decided they could just let the United States default. That has never happened before in the history of the United States and we will make sure it does not happen again in November.

IrrationalOne: Only an idiot on steroids could honestly look at Romney or the rest of the clown-car car occupants and actually think their better than our President?

that's "they're"

Apparently you don't know anyone who's really been sick after years of neglect to his body. This Country was infected by an illness which can't be cured by two aspirins. It is going to take costly medical procedures to regain its health. Doctors and Nurses and Specialist don't come cheap if we are to save the patient. It takes twenty four hour round the clock care. Which would you rather have the life saving care or the two aspirins. You would opt for your family to spend every dime they had, could beg, borrow or steal to save your life. I won't say Bush alone, but his ideas and ideals left this Country in a life threatening condition, we have a doctor at the helm who is doing every thing in his power, including calling in specialist, and round the clock care, despite an insurance company ( debt detractors) who say its costing too much to save this patient. Sometimes the medicine seems worse than the illness, but if the patient walks away from the hospital he's damn glad he had the right doctor treating him. You keep spewing your numbers about how much its costing us, but one day we will walk out of this hospital and deal with whatever it cost to save our life.

@Ben. We went to war with the wrong country. Iraq had nothing to do with 911. Thousands of US lives, hundreds of thousands of civilians killed and billions upon billions of dollars wasted for absolutely nothing.

Bush received a brand new Cadillac when he took office and September 11th was like that Cadillac getting hit by an 18-wheeler. The Cadillac was was no doubt in bad shape, but not totalled and after getting some minor repairs done, he goes out and gets that minor repaired Cadillac stuck on the railroad tracks and the 3:36 Amtrak to DC hits it head on (Iraq), but this time, he doesn't even bother taking it to the shop. After driving it around for a few years, he decided it was time to get rid of it and he donated it to charity. Now, this new guy is happy to have a car, so he thought, until he found out how much it was going to cost him in repairs on the darn thing, but he has no choice now. He owns it! He has no choice but to spend the money for repairs because it's not like he can just give it back at this point, so he spends the money. He spends money and every time something is fixed, it seems like something else breaks, I mean afterall, this is the same Cadillac that was hit by a semi and a damn train!

Kallie

I am turning into a conspiracy theorist. You cant tell me out of all the well educated, relatively normal, well adjusted people with common sense I meet and work with every single day .....these idiots are the only ones the Republican party could get to run for president? of one of the most powerful countries in the world? Seriously?

And here's the conspiracy... the Republican party leaders DON"T WANT TO WIN. It's the only thing that makes sense. They must be saving the cream of the crop for 2016... don't want to waste the "good" candidate(s) on trying to 1) stop a second term that's inevitable, and 2) getting rid of Obama when they actually like his policies better than the ones the current crop of candidates are spewing.

The alternate theory? They're just a bunch of whacked-out idiots.

Take your pick.

@BALANCE DA BUDGET

RationalOne-674831 Thank you so much for the very accurate data. I would like to ask a favor may I copy and paste this to my Facebook page?

Share away, these numbers are readily available from the listed government sources.

Why rational one is wrong

Rational one thinks that as bad as it was for Bush to burn the house down with his debt, it was not needed for the Republican's to pay for the mistakes as well. Instead, they tried to turn it all into the problems of the democrats and their need to pay for it. Can't have it both ways as they are finding out.

True, Obama has ran up more debt but this would NOT have happened had Bush not run up so much debt of his own.

False, Bush's debt is productive debt. No. Bush's debt are sunk costs. We will be paying more for Bush's debt in the long run.

Roy

To say he's making the situation worse is so blind. If you think we would have been better off without the auto industry and millions more out of work without the stimulus, you obviously need a lesson in rational thought and a reality check.

To paraphrase the president, you can't cut your way to prosperity. There are no jobs with budget cuts. There is NO evidence that tax cuts provide more jobs....ever! There is PROOF that government money does provide jobs.

As soon as the right wing becomes rational they may have a chance at helping the situation. Don't hold your breath!

Facts Republicans Hate:

Job losses per month in January 2008: 700,000

Job gains last month: 250,000

GDP growth in 2008: negative 6%

GDP growth last year 2.9%

Dow Jones Average in January 2008: Under 8000

Dow Jones Average today: 12,900+

22 straight months of job gains

Record domestic oil production

GM – all time record profits

Near record corporate profits across the board

Osama Bin Laden --- dead

Iraq war --- over

CNN said the DOW is up 63% since Obama took office

Where was it at the end of Bush?

Fun with numbers irrationalone? Unemployment at 4.8% when Bush took office and 8.7% when he left.

My numbers are UNADJUSTED ANNUAL figures, which is a much better indicator of the overall economy than monthly figures. I gave you the link, you can double-check them yourself. Also, you are right. Bush was a weak, lame-duck president that couldn't get much done. I didn't like him (that's why I showed his numbers). However, Obama took what was left and flushed it down the toilet.

This is more proof that the GOP are really playing the Anybody but Romney card. He is their sanest candidate and yet, he's having to do conservative back-flips just to keep pace with the zealot Santorum. It would be funny, if it wasn't for the fact that the GOP voters are ultimately to blame for this situation. You would've thought they would've learned something from 2010, and the ensuing negativity from those bad choices.

RationalOne-674831,

And your raw numbers are probably correct or close.

But to take them as they are is asinine.

Factor in the "Bush Momentum" or the "Bush Debt Train" and you'll see the whole story.

For instance... Bush handed Obama and economy that generates $500 Billion less tax revenue than when he had it.

Another for instance... Bush started the Afghan war, the Iraqi war, Homeland Security, Medicaid, and his famous tax cuts WITHOUT FUNDING THEM. Everything listed here takes time to stop and contributes another $500 Billion to the deficit.

So, basically, those of us that actually ANALYZE the numbers instead of just spewing them, give Obama a $1 Trillion handicap on the deficit and a 10% handicap on unemployment before he even starts his 1st term.

Look at his performance from there and consider the blocking done by the right and you have your true "numbers".

@Charlie-1915998 - Hey, I posted my sources, where are yours???

And your raw numbers are probably correct or close.

But to take them as they are is asinine.

Your "ANALYSIS" only tells part of the story, LMarcT. Even if we were to factor in a $1 Trillion "handicap", Obama has been overspending $1.5 Trillion for THREE YEARS running. It's pretty consistent. One would think that, okay, first year we give him a break. Second year... hmmm. Third year with the same spending??? I see a pattern here, and it's not because of Bush.

Really people, it is time to throw out anyone that has ran for government before and start fresh.

I agree.. The only thing I see coming as far as a future or even light is a War with Iran..Why, because they have no Idea how to solve problems here at home..So sanctions begin for Iran and look at the Gas prices and who does it hurt the most.

So lets blow the sh1t out of Iran gas prices will rise out of sight the middle class will suffer more, then they'll go back down and they'll think they've helped ..

aggie, read nc and mom. just because bush left (with his tail between his legs and yes he is in hiding) doesnt mean all his mistakes left with him. it will take govt action (NOT) tax cuts, but they will have to spend money to get this country on the right track.

The fact that Santorum and Romney are running neck and neck in Michigan just goes to show what a pathetic candidate each of them is.

Anyone decent could mop the floor with either of them.

Both of them could get more votes if they just kept their mouths shut.

Ration is playing with numbers. Notice how Ration lists 2008 figures in some cases. This is done to deceive.

Bush's term began in Jan. 2001. Bush left office in Jan. 2009.

When Bush took office unemployment was at 4.2%, when he left office unemployment was at 7.8%

In eight years, the net jobs gained under Bush: 1.1 million. That averages to be 137,500 jobs added per YEAR,not month, but year.

I suspect the U6 numbers for Jan. 09 are different. Ration only list through 08.

I have to agree with those that feel the Republican party feels this election is a foregone conclusion. The fact is Obama can say or do anything and nothing sticks to him. He blames everyone else for everything that goes wrong, and so far hasn't even been able to credit for anything that has gone right. But his supporters could care less since their entire focus is the utter hatred of the Republican party whether justified or not.

Obama supporters would have been screaming at the top of their lungs over gas and heating oil prices today if Bush was in office. But Obama gets a total pass, not even a mention of the pain at the pump or the affects it is having on our economy. Obama claims domestic oil production is up in the US, but he had nothing to do with opening those leases that was Bush. Obama shot down the Keystone Pipeline and today he is blaming the Republicans for his failure on that project, and you can bank on the fact his supporters will proudly wave that flag of lies.

As long as Obama can successfully blame everyone else for his failures he has the next election in the bag. Obama supporters find no shortage of justification for those failures, and absolutely none of them stick to Obama. The mere fact the White House is now saying that the Republicans and not Obama killed the Keystone Pipeline proves they realize their supporters will never be deterred by totally idiotic statements or outright lies.

Washington, and I do mean both parties have done nothing but create one problem after another for this country and there is no end in sight. Washington, and I do mean both parties have no clue how to manage the economy anymore then they can find so much as a dime of actual spending to cut. Putting your faith or your handout to Washington shows you to be nothing more then a fool. We need to kick every last incumbent out of Washington and start the whole process over, because one thing is for sure Obama isn't the answer.

This Jeff Carter fellow is just an ignorant mouth piece for old arguments that hold no water. Influential blogger? What does that mean? Rush Limbaugh is influential too but he is also a liar. Austerity is not a solution to our economic mess. It will crush growth and eliminate jobs. The only policy I see coming from the Right is the same old tired and failed trickle down voodoo economics. Tax breaks and deregulation so the rich can continue to get richer. It is astounding that anyone other than the ultra wealthy ever vote republican. They always try to find some social issue to attract the dimwitted masses to their cause but it remains a true mystery to me how so many people can vote against their own self interests and the interests of the vast majority of the nation. The national debt is a concern that will be addressed in due time but to slash spending in the midst of a slow and difficult recovery is to doom it for certain. Obama has done a near miraculous job of correcting a grotesquely miss-managed situation. His foreign policy is the envy of the Republicans because he has restored the good name of the United States of America across the globe. It is so easy to conduct the load mouthed do nothing but talk a big game foriegn policy of the "bring it on" neocons. It takes a world leader to speak softly but carry a big stick. Obama is willing to talk with anyone and he is no international bully, but ask Bin Laden if he is someone you want to mess with. This Carter blog is useless drivel.

"Job losses per month in January 2008: 700,000

Job gains last month: 250,000

GDP growth in 2008: negative 6%

GDP growth last year 2.9%

Dow Jones Average in January 2008: Under 8000"

Don't you mean 2009?

...

RationalOne; the numbers you posted may be close to correct (time will revise them), the problem is, you don't connect the dots to those numbers (that you left out) to get a logical progression! There needs to be perspective! Which apparently and intentionally you left out! I hope you don't teach economics.

Neither is polling well against Obama so it is great to see the 1% blow their money on bad bets.

to thornton #1.21

obummer is a doctor at the helm calling in specialists?

i think you meant to say spacialists, or was that socialists?

ABO

Everyone of you follow your brand of politics as if only your "team" has all the answers, and anyone who disagrees must be an idiot. Bush this, Obama that, you sound like petulant children. What ever happened to the courage to make tough decisions based on the facts rather than focus on who is to blame? Your "one-up" talk is complete nonsense. Its not the end of the world to make a mistake, but its complete insanity to continue the mistake. Our debt will very soon be out of control, and it wont matter what party you belong to, all our futures will be at stake. Its simple economics, 40+ trillion in unfunded liabilites. Not radically changing our course now is immoral and dangerous. So keep up your childish name calling and arrogant comments against each other, soon we'll all be in the soup line together.

Alex, 4 more years of Obama and yes, all of us, save the Union membership and the very rich will be in that soup line. There is nothing petulant or childish about identifying the problem and wanting to FIX the problem.

BTW, our debt has been WAAAAY out of control for some time, the time for change is NOW! Actually we needed to fix this some years ago, but Washington was too busy buying votes and are still trying to buy votes even now.

willowbrook

@ Rational One, great posts, with sources. It never ceases to amaze me that anyone would STILL support a second term for Obama. When you have a President whose only success was signing off on the death of Bin Laden, that's not saying much. I would take a chance with any of the Republican candidates (except Ron Paul) rather than be assured of another 4 years of downward spiral. Why would we want more of the worst Presidency in history?

Willowbrook.....I read you post almost agreeing with you , then realizing that you have absolutely no clue of what you are talking about. Yes, why would anyone "STILL" support a second term Obama? I have absolutely no clue....seems they are still grasping for his hope and dreams.....kind of like a race horse chasing the rabbit...never gonna get it!

As for as taking a chance on (what you claim is the worst president) ....why would you take a chance? Vote for who you believe in....regardless of party affiliation. They are all the same (except for Ron Paul). While you say you would vote for any GOP (except for Ron Paul) you are not choosing anyone much better. I guess what i am trying to understand is you bash Obama, but then you say you will pick the worst GOP choices!!! So what is it that you know or dont know? Obama and Romney are puppets of the same contollers. Santorum is WWIII waiting to happen....if you would vote for Santorum....you obviously have no clue....at all! I wont even get into Newt

As for Ron Paul....I would like to know why you would vote for more of the same (especially since you have stated that Obama is the worst president) ....so WHY would you vote for similar? You contradict your self....i am just trying to understand this ignorance.

@ mqira - seeing Obama for what he is is not bashing, only identifying. I would "take a chance" as the odds are against any of the GOP candidates could do worse than what we have now. Why won't I support Ron Paul, he is as radical in his own way as Obama is. I don't believe a polar opposite is in our best interest. Do I believe any of the GOP candidates are "great?" NO. Do they have the advantage of seeing what didn't work in this Presidency and try not to make the same mistake, YES. Has Obama, to date, changed his MO after seeing what has not worked in his Presidency. NO. I don't see where Obama has learned anything in the last 3 years than to cater to those who donated to his Campaign War Chest.

In all fairness, the radical left in Congress needs to go too. We need a Senate that will actually do something, instead of playing games to spin things around to lay blame on anyone but them. We need to get rid of legislators who are arrogant enough to say "you have to pass the bill to see what's in the bill." We're not that ignorant. As a health care administrator who has had to deal with all the negatives concerning that bill, we can do much better than we are now.

NBC poll???? Can this really be trusted?

hmm, i held my own poll...what it revealed was crazy, ....

Obama 50% Vs ROmney 50% (understandable...they are very much alike)

Obama 99% vs Santorum 1% (understandable, Obama is terrible, but Santorum is an extremist)

Obama 59% vs Newt 41% (Sorry Newt....go find another wife)

Obama 13% vs Ron Paul 87% (i guess Obama has still convinced some gullible people)

NBC polls mean nothing!

Willowbrook I understand that an inherent part of solving problems is identifying the problem, but BLAME is not identification. I was speaking to the fact that blind party loyalty has completely surpassed our ability to use common sense. Libitard, radical right, its all completely ridiculous and does nothing but pump up the ego of the author. We all see things a little differently, but we have to agree that when the numbers don't add up, something must be done. Yes I know the debt has been an issue for a few decades now, but barring all scare tactics, it truly is approaching critical mass. Projections for debt growth rate are based on best-case-possible analysis, and any deviation will bring disaster sooner than later. Within the decade we will either have learned our lesson, or be learning chinese.

Critical thinking skills are diapering at a phenomenal rate.

I see that the socialist indoctrination is coming along just
as planned.

Thumbs up if you have ever read the US Constitution :)

@ oatswilly your post is interesting, but flawed. If Rush was lying, he would have been sued long before today, so that doesn't wash. 2. To some extent, austerity will be our only solution to the economic mess we are in. Either we start cutting back now, or the cutting will be forced upon us when we run out of other people's money. Me, I'd rather start the austerity now, as it will be far worse when it is forced upon us. But also, I don't call it austerity as much as fiscal responsibility. I had fiscal responsibility forced upon me due to a bad marriage. I had no choice, except buckle down and fix the mess. Took me 4 years, but I paid all bills that were in my name, bills created by my ex in my name behind my back. This is no different now. The govt. is creating debt in all our names. More debt than necessary or prudent. I can tell you from experience, it is better to take charge before it blows up in your face. I do not want to become Greece on steroids, do you?

@willowbrook

I agree with you on Obama, and maybe i was emphasizing when i used "bashing" to make a point. However, you now say that "any" of the GOP would be better than Obama, but then go on to say you wont support Ron Paul! So what you are saying is that Obama is the worst but you would still vote for the worst????

I am just trying to understand, because i feel Ron Paul is exactly what we need, and that he is not radical at all....unless you mean he soooo different from the mess that we are in? Unless you mean that with all the failed policies that are currently in place, Ron Paul's is radically different?

If things are currently bad, and there are 3 GOP candidates who are similar.....but then you have 1 GOP candidate who is different...dont you think that should be worth something!

The way i see it, Ron Paul is correct in every issue at hand, however people are afraid of change....real change, (not Obama "hope and change'). Why not stop foreign aid? Lets focus on America! Why not stop the false wars, and its billions in wasteful spending! Why not defend our civil liberties? What is wrong with this? How about a free market? These are not radical ideas....

Idk....maybe we are doomed, maybe not.....but i think Ron Paul is the ONLY solution

Rick-3416939 I seem to recall Republican supporters whining and complaining and blaming Clinton for all of what they thought was wrong with America. So what you are saying is that GWB was perfect and all that support him see that everything was fine. He never made any mistakes it is either the fault of Clinton or Obama but never, ever, ever anyone with the R beside their names, right? Yeah I thought so.

baldeagle11 - it's not even worth discussions with the Republicans. They list worthless"facts" with no rationale (yep I did say it) beside them; put Obama down even though the country is in a definite upward swing since he took the helm from Bush (notice how Dubya and Cheney have been suspiciously silent lately); the automotive industry is coming back; the DOW is up; jobs are increasing (but we still have a long way to go); and President Obama isn't attacking women and the middle class. The GOP can't discuss these issues because they have nothing to offer. Romney (with his offshore accounts - don't we want a president who has no more faith in the US than that) and Santorum who needs to regulate everyone's sex lives; are pathetic people who intelligent voters will avoid like the plague.

Like it or not folks, there is not a golden idiot coming out of the GOP dust that stands a chance against Obama. Like it or not, he will win the election and serve 4 more years and you haters can scream Islam Lover, Birther BS, Socialist, American hater and all sorts of insults like I screamed for the 8 years that the pimple on the ass of society George W. Bush was in office. He ruined a nation that Clinton had set on a staight path of prosperity. And NO!!!! Newt and his rag tag team of blundering idiots had nothing to do with American Prosperity. he had no previous track record of turning around government before. Clinton took a shamble of a state in Arkansas, turned it around, balanced the budget and set them on a path of prosperity with surplus left behind. he did the same thing with America.

Ron Paul can win. He has tremendous support among the youth and among true liberals. He thinks the consequences through, and he is been correct on everything. He predicted the housing bubble, the dotcom bubble, and the banking crisis. He wants to bring the troops home today, not years from now. Obama has put soldiers on the ground in 4 new countries in Africa just this week alone. We now have over 400,000 soldiers on the ground in 154 countries.

Did you know that Ron Paul correctly predicted the citizens united decision.......in 2006?

He even tried to propose legislation that would have prevented it. Something Obama is so far unwilling to talk about.

The legislation he proposed was very simple to follow.

Let's look at HJ Res78.

"

`Section 1. Nothing in this Constitution shall prohibit Congress and the States from imposing content-neutral regulations and restrictions on the expenditure of funds for political activity by any corporation, limited liability company, or other corporate entity, including but not limited to contributions in support of, or in opposition to, a candidate for public office.

`Section 2. Nothing contained in this Article shall be construed to abridge the freedom of the press.'.

He saw it coming people. Just as he has been proven correct on many other issues.

Liberals for Ron Paul 2012

No more dead soldiers to protect corporate interests.

Ah, I see it now, we have some of the rabid Paul crowd here..... Well that's fine, but look at these posts, we have a conservative and a Liberal both with rabid support. The same sort of thing we saw in 2008 with Obama. At that time, it was clear Obama didn't have the life/work experiences to make him a good President, yet the rabid faction totally ignored that and voted for "hope and change." Well, that turned into a big pile of doo doo. In all honestly, there is no candidate currently up that I can give rabid support to. Additionally, Ron Paul, at this time cannot win. This "support" you speak of has not been reflected in the polls and the primaries. Unless all the other candidates step aside, right now, he has no chance of being the GOP candidate.

The bottom line is still the same (and we agree on,) we need a different President, one who demand fiscal responsibility, not the run-a-way spend/tax MO we have from Obama and his supporters.

We do not agree we need a new president, especially when the opposition candidates are hateful religious extremists, cynical political opportunists, and unrepentant philanderers. The people voted for Obama in the spirit of hope and he proved without a shadow of a doubt that he is more honest, trustworthy, and effective as president than his benighted predecessor.

Obama will win in November because the GOP is self destructing. Look at their floundering quartet of candidates and look at the Republican Party's narrow voter base that is composed primarily of the right wing christian lunatic fringe. The bottom line is the GOP is a party of exclusion, not inclusion and that is not a strategy that wins elections. Look at the polls.

Obama in 2012 by default: America is holding an election and the Republican Party isn't going to show up!

Sailcat,

Since President Obama is statistically tied or barely leading in the head-to-head polls versus Romney and Santorum (though he is definitely trouncing Gingrich) and behind Paul, it seems a bit premature to think that Obama will win by default - especially since the real campaign hasn't even started yet. If the rising gas prices have a negative effect on the economic recovery, the President could have a very difficult time convincing the electorate to give him a second term.

I voted for Obama because I hate the indignant, greedy, stupid assed conservatives that claim Christianity but act like devils. george bush was a crook in the 80's when he and Neil Bush helped ruin the nation and cause a trillion dollar bailout of the nation's S & L's after that assbag reagan deregulated the industry. Bush 43 did the same thing in the spirit of Reagan and the tried and failed policies of trickle down economics and deregulations. Conservatives want smaller government except when it comes to them having their say on social issues and getting inside your bedroom. Obstructionists, do nothing wind bags that care more about what letter follows the fellow in the White House and the majority paty in congress than they care for you and me.

Unless you look at polls that call mostly conservatives, Obama is ahead of Romney by 18 points.

The RealClearPolitics national average currently has President Obama ahead by 5.7 points over Governor Romney. The 18 point lead you are referencing is for Michigan only and the RCP average is actually 14 points.

"Since President Obama is statistically tied or barely leading in the head-to-head polls versus Romney and Santorum..."

Really? Let's take a look, shall we?

Obama vs. Santorum

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/general_election_santorum_vs_obama-2912.html

Obama vs. Romney

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/general_election_romney_vs_obama-1171.html

Obama vs. Gingrich (just for fun)

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/us/general_election_gingrich_vs_obama-1453.html

It looks to me that Obama is clearly leading this sad pack and it is important to remember that he has not begun to campaign in earnest yet.

Looks like Romney is behind by 5.7 to me - just as I said. And, surprisingly enough, the Republicans (although they are making the President a target during their speeches and debates) have not begun their campaign against President Obama yet either.

Well, when you look at the conservative polls Romney does better, but when you poll harvard Law Fellows, Obama is ahead by 40 points. LMAO

Regardless, Obama is yet to spend any of that billion dollar campaign fund and even begin to formally campaign. Once the republican candidates get finished slurring each other and throwing mud, he will simply need to turn that back around on the GOP candidate when they start throwing mud at him.

What polls are you reading JC? The latest Rasmussen poll (2/20 - 2/22) shows Romney behind by 10 points.

And the Republicans have been holding center stage on the media with ads, debates, interviews, events, and a constant stream of press releases. They have been campaigning furiously to get their message in the voters' faces, and after all that media attention, the polls clearly show they prefer Obama.

So. Let's see if I have this right. You give me links to the RCP pages and then totally ignore the RCP average that is at the top of the list? That pretty much sum up your methodology?

Here's a hint................. there's a reason that they take an average.......

The average shows Obama is up 6.3 points, not 5.7, and the polls are listed by date. You can accept the average or go with the most recent numbers. Either way, you can't read or can't comprehend.

Rasmussen is the most conservative based poll out there.

It says 6.3 now, but it did show 5.7 at the time I wrote #1.66. So, I read and comprehend just fine. If you really think that this lead "clearly show they prefer Obama", you're just fooling yourself.

The simple fact is, if you look at the history for the Obama/Romney polls, you will see that who is up keeps changing. To assume that because he has a lead of a few points (which he has had numerous times before) is somehow significant, does not really seem realistic. Add $0.25 to the price of gas and it could be a tie again. Add $1.00 to the price of gas and Romney could be ahead by 15 points. There are too many things that could happen in the coming months for a lead that small to have any significance whatsoever.

NEW HEADLINES:

Obama gaining a half a point per day in poll averages over first loser Romney.

Actually the Bush Peep's didn't just walk away. They planted landmines in the form of GOPeep led disasters everywhere. The reason stuff doesn't stick to President Obama, is that each time we look into things it turns out that Bush policies and programs are behind it....again....

"The simple fact is, if you look at the history for the Obama/Romney polls, you will see that who is up keeps changing."

The simple fact is Obama's lead is growing (refer to the Rasmussen poll I mentioned earlier) and confidence in Romney is shrinking as people come to know more about him. A ten point spread is pretty convincing evidence that Obama holds a commanding lead over the GOP's #1 loser.

I hope you can comprehend that, by the way.

If mittens is leading the GOP race, and everyone (outside of his own camp) says that he's virtually another Obama...in terms of his beliefs....does that mean that the repubs want an Obama-like President? I mean, if Mitt is winning, and he's just like Obama.....repub voters must like Obama, eh?

A ten point spread is pretty convincing evidence that Obama holds a commanding lead over the GOP's #1 loser.

If you look at the history of the Obama/Romney polls, you will see that President Obama has had leads of 13 points before. He has also been behind Romney by 6 points. It has gone back-and-forth numerous times.

I know you want to believe that the President is going to win, but it doesn't hurt to temper your zeal with a little bit of reality.

Until evidence to the contrary presents itself, the polls that you seem to have trouble reading and the sad state of the GOP's incompetent hopefuls are saying Obama is going to win, hands down. That's reality.

Read 'em and weep.

Fine. If you want to believe that polls taken in February are an indication that Obama is going to win, feel free to indulge your fantasy. Who knows, you may turn out to be correct.

Of course, Romney may not even be the nominee. If there's a brokered convention, Obama could be running against someone entirely different.

But, if you're an unhatched chicken counter, by all means.... count away.....

What is wrong is that with only one primary we only hear the far right debating. There is no debate on the left. And as much as both sides think they have all the answers there is a large group of people who don't feel either side speaks for them. I would like to have an intelligent discussion on the health care bill but that isn't possible at this time. After researching 7 sites this morning all I found was more questions and that everybody had an agenda and I couldn't trust any of them. Ignorance was bliss. I'm more confused now than before.

Ron Paul is the only keeper.

One a religious NUT, another a Wall Street insider. Who to pick?

I'll leave that to my horse Rex...

After some careful thought, apples and carrots; my horse Rex and I are voting for ...

Tell em Rex! Let me hold ya beer...

"Obama/Biden 2012"...

Psst, even a horse knows who's best to get the country going in the right direction. He thinks the rest of em folks (Santorum, Romney) remind him of his neighbors...the jackasses!

And we are to put any credence and/or credibility to someone conversing with an imaginary horse. You totally invalidate yourself. ROFLMAO. It's time to go back to your playroom now. Mommy should take away the computer privileges.

Oh BTW -- just like a libtard trying to get a non citizen to vote in an election. Typical.

The question that keeps nagging me is why isn't Ron Paul higher up on the political pole in his State. If his ideas are so great why hasn't Texas made him into a Governor or a Senator. I keep getting the idea that the Great State of Texas doesn't quite trust him at a higher position than he currently occupies. In this regard he comes off to me like that bungling brother in the family who has a lot of radical ideas but is never put in any critical position in the family business. Mainly because he does a lot of complaining about what is wrong, but offers no real solutions about how to fix anything. Its hard to think about family values when your kids are hungry and there is no prospect of a job in your future.

Doc H,

As a horse owner myself, I find that my horse's manure doesn't stink anything like the steaming piles that spew out of the mouths of the Saintly Rick, Mitt, and Newt on a daily basis.

Hey Ben, I'd rather vote for Doc's horse than any of the horse's a$$es running on the Republican side.

Your call Bill and your demise.

Bill...We ALREADY have a horses a$$ in the W.H.

Ron Paul is like your nutty old uncle. As long as he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else, just leave him be, but never, ever leave him alone with the kids.

Mitt Romney is the biggest hypocrite in politics tday, and that's saying a LOT. He cheats on his taxes, he wants American manufacturers to go out of business, he wants more people to lose their homes to foreclosures so that rich investors have a guaranteed place to make money by buying up homes on the cheap, he fled the country so that he wouldn't have to serve in the military, his kids have managed to make $100 million in income without paying a penny in taxes.

Does Rick Santorum believe even half the garbage that comes out of his mouth? Because if he does, it's scary, (and he probably believes the wrong half).

Newt is a little more fun and a little more reasonable when it comes to policy, but with so many ex-wives and a censure from the House of Representatives, every vote for him just underscores that fact that the other three candidates are worthless.

The last time a Republican ran for president without changing all his views to please 'the base', George W. Bush won two consecutive terms. Bob Dole and John McCain went down in flames by NOT sticking to their principles.

Hypocrisy will get you the nomination, Mitt, but it won't win the election.

We Americans are not quite that stupid.

Ron Paul is the only keeper

Yes, please keep him in Texas and away from the Washington. As bad as the quality of life is in Texas for most people, I can't help but be disgusted with the way these GOP politicians keep harping about the "Texas miracle" which actually seems like some type of conspiracy to turn Texas into China in a real "race to the bottom".

Ron Paul is a sick joke of an old man. He's never passed a single piece of legislation in his career...not ONE because his own colleagues think he's a loon. There's some question about why this racist isolationist nutjob isn't higher in the polls????

Oh he did pass ONE but we just can't remember what it is.

This is rather lengthy, but well worth the read. It is written by jeff Carter who writes one of the 20 most influential financial blogs in the country.

************************************************************************************

If you deny that there is liberal bias in the mainstream media, you are living under a rock. We saw George Stephanopolos take marching orders into debate questioning.

The only thing they don’t ask Republican candidates about much is economic questions and debt questions. Instead they ask horribly slanted, often irrelevant questions designed to make them look bad and help Obama. We’ve heard questions about contraceptives, religion, Newt’s angry ex-wife, Cain’s employees, Romney’s personal wealth, Gardasil, etc. Newt’s rise was because of the way he attacked the media and Obama in the debates because of the stupid and obviously planted questions.

So, what would happen if the mainstream media treated Barack Obama the exact same way they treat Republicans? The questions might sound a little something like this.

1) Numerous Mexican citizens and an American citizen have been murdered with weapons knowingly provided to criminals by our own government during Operation Fast and Furious. If Eric Holder was aware that was going on, do you think he should step down as Attorney General? Were you aware of Fast and Furious and if so, shouldn’t you resign?

2) In 2010 you said Solyndra, a company that donated heavily to your political campaign, was “leading the way toward a brighter and more prosperous future.” Today, Solyndra is bankrupt and the taxpayers lost over $500 million on loans that your administration knew might never be paid off when you made them. How do you respond to citizens who say this is evidence of corruption in your administration?

3) Unions invested a lot of time and money in helping to get you elected. In return, unions gained majority control of Chrysler, the taxpayers lost $14 billion dollars on General Motors, and General Motors received a special $45 billion dollar tax break. What do you say to people who view this as corruption on a scale never before seen in American history?

4) Through dubious means you and your Democrat allies in Congress managed to force through an incredibly unpopular health care bill that helped lead to the worst election night for the Democrat Party in 50 years. Since the bill has passed, many of your claims about the bill have proven to be untrue. For example, we now know the bill won’t lower health care costs and despite your assurances to the contrary, big companies like McDonald’s say they may drop health care because of the health care reform. Congress has exempted themselves from the health care reform and instead has their own taxpayer-funded premium health care plan. Many large companies (that donate to Democrat political campaigns) have received special exemptions from the health care plan. Since the majority of the American people have rejected your health care reform and it doesn’t do what you said it would, shouldn’t you work with the Republicans to repeal it?

5) When you took office, the national average for one gallon of gas was $1.89 per gallon. Since then, you’ve demonized the oil industry, dramatically slowed offshore drilling, blocked ANWAR, and rejected the Keystone Pipeline. Now, gas is $3.54 per gallon and rising and is expected to reach $5 per gallon by May of this year. How much higher do you anticipate driving gas prices?

6) Occupy Wall Street has been protesting against Wall Street and the richest 1 percent in America. You are in the top 1 percent of income earners in America and you have collected more cash from Wall Street than any other President in history. So, aren’t you exactly the sort of politician that Occupy Wall Street wants to get rid of?

7) How do you decide which foreign leaders to submissively bow towards and why do you think that’s appropriate for an American President?

If they could, don’t you think the Nobel Committee would take back the Nobel Peace Prize that you were awarded after serving just one month in office?

9) You made bipartisanship one of the central themes of your campaign in 2008. Yet, you’ve worked to push bills through Congress with almost no Republican support, spent much less time negotiating with Congress than George Bush did, and you’ve said things like, “But, I don’t want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don’t mind cleaning up after them, but don’t do a lot of talking.” Why did you decide to break your campaign promise to pursue bipartisanship?

10) America lost its AAA credit rating for the first time under your watch. What do you think you should have done differently to have prevented that historic failure?

11) You cut more than 500 billion dollars out of Medicare to fund your wildly unpopular health care reform bill. Given that Medicare is running in the red already, don’t you think it’s irresponsible to cut money out of one entitlement program, that millions of seniors depend on — to put it into a risky new entitlement program?

12) Back in July, you said, “Nobody’s looking to raise taxes right now. We’re talking about potentially 2013 and the out years.” Since you plan to raise taxes if you’re elected and you’ve had kind words for a value added tax, shouldn’t every American expect a tax increase if you’re reelected?

13) Why should the American people reelect you when your 10 year budget saddles America with more debt than all previous Presidents combined?

14) Your stimulus bill cost more in real dollars than the moon landing and the interstate highway system combined. Many prominent economists have concluded the stimulus plan was a total failure. What do we have to show for all of that money spent?

15) Members of your administration promised that the trillion dollar stimulus would keep unemployment under 8 percent. Instead, we’ve had 35+ months of 8% and above unemployment. Doesn’t that mean we wasted a trillion dollars on nothing?

I never saw a bigger bunch of morons!

MkeMike

Ron Paul is the only keeper

Yes, please keep him in Texas and away from the Washington. As bad as the quality of life is in Texas for most people, I can't help but be disgusted with the way these GOP politicians keep harping about the "Texas miracle" which actually seems like some type of conspiracy to turn Texas into China in a real "race to the bottom".

Mikemike....We are in this situation because of the failed policies in Washington...Romney, Sanitarium, and Newt.....AND Obama...are all the same garbage. Ron Paul does offer solutions to fix our problems....not bullsh*t politics that cater to your limited attention span!

AP-1414066

Ron Paul is a sick joke of an old man. He's never passed a single piece of legislation in his career...not ONE because his own colleagues think he's a loon. There's some question about why this racist isolationist nutjob isn't higher in the polls????

Now AP.... Here, you probably have one of the most uneducated, ignorant comments i have seen. Ron Paul's legislation doesnt get passed, because the corruption in Washington...NOT because of his bills! Why has the Senate not passed looking into Halliburtons 1.5 Billion fraudulent overcharges in Iraq....because they corrupt! So it is not because (Fox and CNN brainwashed you) of what people think of him...it is because he's a threat to political corruption! And about the polls....He is being hidden from the media.....if the election process was fair....he would be dominating.....but i doubt you can rationally think and understand this!

commonsense....

Ron Paul is like your nutty old uncle. As long as he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else, just leave him be, but never, ever leave him alone with the kids.

So you listen to FOX much??? CNN???? are you able to think for yourself? and last....commonsense??? NOT much as i can see from your comment! While he is 76 years old....he has more energy than anyone up there, and his solutions are the best, his policies are the best.....you need some commonsense!

N.C. Thornton

The question that keeps nagging me is why isn't Ron Paul higher up on the political pole in his State. If his ideas are so great why hasn't Texas made him into a Governor or a Senator

Why was Texas bumped from Super Tuesday? becausethey fear Ron getting delegates and momentum, and this will ultimately show that Romney and Santorum are "selected" as the media only shows them....c'mon, you dont really believe that the elite would willingly give up all the corruption without a fight.....or voting fraud!

Plain ans simple Obama SUCKS....and the 3 "chosen" GOP's are no different!

What happened was they didnt realize that American people would use their heads and realize Ron Paul actually has something to offer that NONE of the other offer! Now they are scrambling to keep him off the air.....lying and twisting when he is on the air! For those who want Obama....what is it that he has done???? I'll wait!

Funny how Liberals are the only people I see on here that demean, and discount entire States. once and a while you will see someone from the right put a city on the discussion (Chicago, NewYork or San Fran) but not an entire state. I wonder if even the Left people from Texas take offense to that?

Santorum and Grinch are both scumbag losers who CANNOT WIN. Only two people are on the ballot in all 50 states. Mittens and Ron Paul.

The mainstream media and the big money are just propping up Santorum and Gingrich so they can continue to marginalize Ron Paul. Once there are only two people up there, they can't ignore him anymore.

No true liberal could support a man who signed into law the NDAA. No true liberal could support a man who swore to repeal the patriot act, but instead expanded and extended it. No tru liberal could support a man who refused to take public money in 2008 so he could be funded by superpacs. No true liberal could support a man who now likes superpacs, and wants to lower taxes on the corporations who fund superpacs. No true liberal could support the endless wars and the endless stream of dead soldiers coming home in body bags. Hypocrisy is Obama all day long.

Ron Paul can win. He has tremendous support among the youth and among true liberals. If nominated, he will also get the republican vote, or the "ABO" vote.

He thinks the consequences through, and he is been correct on everything. He predicted the housing bubble, the dotcom bubble, and the banking crisis. He wants to bring the troops home today, not years from now. Obama has put soldiers on the ground in 4 new countries in Africa just this week alone. We now have over 400,000 soldiers on the ground in 154 countries.

Did you know that Ron Paul correctly predicted the citizens united decision.......in 2006?

He even tried to propose legislation that would have prevented it. Something Obama is so far unwilling to talk about.

The legislation he proposed was very simple to follow.

Let's look at HJ Res78.

"

`Section 1. Nothing in this Constitution shall prohibit Congress and the States from imposing content-neutral regulations and restrictions on the expenditure of funds for political activity by any corporation, limited liability company, or other corporate entity, including but not limited to contributions in support of, or in opposition to, a candidate for public office.

`Section 2. Nothing contained in this Article shall be construed to abridge the freedom of the press.'.

He saw it coming people. Just as he has been proven correct on many other issues.

Liberals for Ron Paul 2012

Hahaha... people say the funniest things when trying to make an argument that's not based on logic. I found this one especially funny,

The question that keeps nagging me is why isn't Ron Paul higher up on the political pole in his State. If his ideas are so great why hasn't Texas made him into a Governor or a Senator. I keep getting the idea that the Great State of Texas doesn't quite trust him at a higher position than he currently occupies.

Thank you N.C. Thornton for such insight. However you're reasoning and theories are wrong. First of all the people of any State in this Union just don't decide, hmmmm We want John/Jane Doe to be our Governor or Senator by random out of the general population. There's a thing called a ballot and people put on that ballot have to register in order to run for said positions. Ron Paul hasn't ever ran for the office of Governor. In '82 he ran for Senate and lost to Phil Gramm. Also you are assuming that a Congressman is lesser than a Governor or a Senator. This is also false. Congress has the greater enumerated powers in our Constitution because they are to represent us the people. The people in his district like him very much and have sent him back to Washington many times.

In this regard he comes off to me like that bungling brother in the family who has a lot of radical ideas but is never put in any critical position in the family business. Mainly because he does a lot of complaining about what is wrong, but offers no real solutions about how to fix anything. Its hard to think about family values when your kids are hungry and there is no prospect of a job in your future.

I'm really sorry but this rant doesn't make any sense to me. Ron Paul has been re-elected by his district many times. This shows a great deal of faith in him by the people who count, his constituents. He sits on the following committees:

Member, House Committee on Financial Services

Chair, Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee
Member, Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee

Member, House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Member, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee
Member, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee

He also served on the Committee of Education and Workforce.

You say he has no real solutions to fix the problems he complains about. Can you tell us what "non real" solutions Paul offers. Do you even know what ideas he's put forth in the committees he's sat on? And do you understand the internal politics in Washington enough to see why Paul would have trouble getting some of his proposals out of Committee?

NC we can only vote for Ron Paul in the races he enters. He isn't in my district so I don't vote for him at all. Before we can make him Governor he has to run for governor. And survive the primary and runoff elections. In a general election in Texas to get on the ballot you have to have 50% of the vote in the primary or there is a runoff between the top two vote getters. Maybe he doesn't want to campaign twice against his own people and once against the other party to get the job.

This also makes no sense. Thank you AP for you're oh so logical comment.

Ron Paul is a sick joke of an old man. He's never passed a single piece of legislation in his career...not ONE because his own colleagues think he's a loon.

Ron Paul at least has sponsored many bills. This means he's actually putting ideas out there. In the 112th Congress Paul's sponsored 48 bills. Most Congressmen/women have sponsored an average of about 7 bills, some only 1 or 2, and most of the legislators haven't had many or any pass at all. Paul has also co-sponsored 270 bills this Congressional session and 4 have passed.

http://www.opencongress.org/people/bills/400311_Ronald_Paul?page=6

Ronald Paul has sponsored 422 bills since Jan 7, 1997 of which 419 haven't made it out of committee and 1 were successfully enacted. Paul has co-sponsored 2,395 bills during the same time period.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400311

It seems most data of his record doesn't go back farther than 1997.

I don't think many people understand the legislative process. It's not like a congressman/woman writes a bill, saunters up the podium and delivers a speech and subsequently demands a vote on their bill. There's a process. A long drawn out process that plays on the inner politics of Washington. Here's a little education.

Once the bill is introduced into the House or the Senate, it is then assigned to an appropriate committee in that chamber. Within the committee process, it is assigned to a subcommittee for specific consideration. If the subcommittee discusses and approves it, the bill goes on to be discussed by the full committee. If the subcommittee either does not discuss the bill or discusses the bill and decides against it (or "kills" it), the bill "dies" in subcommittee and is never even discussed by the full committee, let alone the full Congress.

If the full committee discussed the bill and approves it, it then may be ready to be placed on the agenda for discussion by the full chamber. However, if the full committee never takes up the bill or if it disapproves of the bill, the bill will "die" in committee and never have a chance to be discussed by the full House or the full Senate. This is an important point. The fact is that 90 percent of the legislation introduced into either the House or Senate never makes it beyond the committee process. Since committees can effectively block the consideration and passage of legislation--even if that legislation is popular enough to pass if it ever reached the floor the specific committee to which a bill is assigned is a very important matter. If a bill is assigned to a "friendly" committee, it is likely to be discussed rather quickly and reported to the full body; if a bill is assigned to an "unfriendly" committee, it may never be discussed, discussion of it may drag on indefinitely, or it may be voted down in committee.

In order for a bill to reach the floor, it must be given a place on the agenda. In the House of Representativessuch placement on the agenda represents another potentially significant roadblock for legislation.

Since so many bills are introduced each session, many major bills might not be discussed. In order to avoid this, the House Rules Committee must propose a special rule or procedural arrangement by which the bill will be discussed. If the House Rules Committee does not report such a rule, the bill will very likely die without ever being considered. This means that even if a bill is approved by a regular committee, it can still die without being discussed on the floor of the House if it does not receive a rule from the Rules Committee.

Thus, the Rules Committee in the House constitutes a major hurdleto the passage of any piece of legislation. This Committee, therefore, is an extremely important one, and is usually made up of the more senior members of each party. Over the years, ways have been developed in the House to bypass the House Rules Committee, but these procedures are difficult at best and rarely used. Since the Senate is made up of far fewer members than the House, such similarly formal scheduling procedures are not necessary and the Senate Rules Committee has no similar powers in the legislative process.

http://www.polisci.ccsu.edu/trieb/Cong-2.html

Did you see that part of the lesson above? 90% of bills never make it out of committee. Just because Paul has only had 1 bill enacted doesn't mean he's ineffectual. Just sponsoring bills and bringing ideas to the table can really help ideas grow. Paul has been trying to audit the Fed for decades, and just this congressional session he has 199 co-sponsors as of Feb. 7th 2012. He only needs 19 more members of the House to get a majority.

Ron Paul has endurance, conviction and a steadfastness that no other Congressman/woman has, since the early years of this Country.

I wouldn't look at a legislator's record of how many bills got passed or enacted and judge their worth by that alone. I don't care about the quantity but the quality. Exactly what bills are being passed, that's the concern. How do these bills affect the average American, or even the not so average American. There are many laws Americans can do without, such as, the Military Commissions Act, The Patriot Act. Laws that put into place Homeland Security and the TSA. The legislators that sponsored or co-sponsored those bills might have gotten legislation pushed through, but at what cost to the citizen?

And instead of saying Ron Paul is ineffectual because he hasn't gotten much passed in the House. I would ask, what is it about his bills that these committees don't want them going to the floor? Have any of you even read any of his bills?

And BTW wanting to end the Federal Reserve is not crazy. There have been a few central banks in America, and many times contested by congress, and charters not renewed by congress. Andrew Jackson ran his campaign against the Central Bank at the time and won. He in fact is the ONLY President to pay off the national Debt by taking out the US treasuries from the Central Bank and Having the US Treasury print it's own money interest free. Most panics and depressions or recessions happen because of fractional reserve banking and crooked deals and bad loans. Our current Federal Reserve, which is neither Federal, nor has any reserves, was supposed to stop financial crises like the Panic of 1907(which was started by NY bankers and financiers,aka JP Morgan, whom then bought out the crashed banks for pennies on the dollar in an effort to "help" the failing banks. Just think Mr. Potter in it's A Wonderful Life.) Well we've had them for a hundred years almost and we've had a great depression, many recessions, and are now in a great depression again. And who bought out all the troubled banks a few years ago, why JP Morgan Bank. They're swindlers and use Keynesian Economics to perpetual their fractional reserve banking which causes high inflation resulting in recessions and depressions. And gee the big bankers get to reap all the rewards and get gov bailout money. Suckers.

The GOP will find it has a tough sell in Michigan, just as Romney is finding he has a tough sell in Michigan.

Michigan voters remember both the GOP and Romney's spin on the loans to the auto industry (aka "bailouts"). Much of Michigan's economy is auto industry related, and without government intervention the job losses would have been horrendous. Now Michigan is rebounding, and Obama is reaping the reward.

Interestingly, the loans were the idea of the George W Bush administration which Obama followed through with. Both Bush and Obama took the heat for that decision, a decision that Bush has gone on record as saying he has no regrets over and would do again.

Had the GOP gotten on board with Bush then, they would own Michigan today.

They are both losers

Except for one thing Sharkey...Bush did not want loans, he wanted to give the money to banks and the auto industry. The first payment to the auto industry will never be recovered because Bush gave them the money.

Yes GOPisextinct, and how many people in Michigan are unemployed? Your president is sure helping them out, yessir, what a great job he's done getting the unemployment down...

Romney gets elected, Chryslers debt is called for the bailout, Bain steps in and saves the day, for Bain. Santorium gets elected, contraceptive sales are banned and made illegal, Drug Barons switch from Cocaine and Meth to contraceptives which are easier to smuggle. The Pope is made head of the Department of Religion, a new cabinet post in Washington. Any woman having an abortion can be stoned by the Priest and Nuns of the local Parish. Prenatal testing is banned in all hospitals. Gays move to Canada in unprecedented numbers and Canada is put o the terrorist list for operating abortion clinics. Paul is elected, all of the above plus you are required to attend Church two days a week for instructions in family values. Gingrich is elected, every man is required to have a wife and a mistress, not necessarily in that order while he figures out which of the above proposals he will put in place.

N.C............................With those choices I guess I would vote for Gingrich........at least I could then still use contraceptives with my mistress and drive my GM car to church.

N.C. - you need to take a look into writing a novel..... you have the makings of a fine fantasy author

"Romney / Santorum,........who's the loser in Michigan?

Answer: 9 million Michiganians if either gets elected!!"

OBAMA/BIDEN 2012!!! Lets make Detroit our model!!!

JC, I'm thinking N.C.'s comment is sarcasim. Illustrating, through hyperbole, the ridiculous myths that the left would have everyone believe if one of the GOP candidates were to be elected President.

Don't even have to speculate on the country according to Obama. He said he would change America, and he sure is trying. Too bad we couldn't have even imagined what he meant by that. We're living in it, and it is dismal. Four more years and we'll all be calling one another comrade while waiting in the soup line for our Government approved food, in our Government approved fabric clothing, while waiting for the handouts distributed and carefully monitored for equal amounts, from some czar or another. And everyone will have to face Chicago, because that's where the W.H. will be moved. See? Conservatives can be sarcastic too...only we already are experiencing the birth of my scenario. Oops...I said "birth". Instead of "product of pregnancy".

If this angers anyone...too bad. I'm having fun with it...

Ron Paul - Consistently too far afield. Santorum - Courage to say the most unreasonable and despicable things in the name of his God. Romney - Resolute in his attachment to the 1 %. Gingrich - Cheerful about how screwed up everything is, because an atmosphere of total anarchy and confusion is the only one where he has a shot in h3ll.

That field may clear itself. Ron Paul 2012!

Whose chief values are solidified and not transient. Romney is a flop.

I agree, they are leaving me no choice. I have to vote, so it will be for Obama probably. I am upset at many of the things Obama has done ( not done) this cycle. The one item that I am most upset with is that Obama re-signed the Patriot Act without even making drastic changes. Obama has set us up for more government control in our daily lives, more big brother monitoring......but I can't vote for the republican idiots either ( they are blatantly dangerous)

((As for Ron Paul. He said health care is a privilege not a right, Working class people deserve health care coverage. Most doctors struggle through medical school and internship to make a difference in peoples lives. They put their lives at risk every single day and Ron Paul wants to sit there and tell them that good basic medical care is a luxury. This is the richest country in the world we can easily provide health care to every single citizen. Every doctor I talk to agrees. BTW: Ron Paul we can also provide good basic public school education too. Its all about priorities, Ron Pauls would be to dump more money in defense )) This guy really gets under my skin because I think he is smart enough to be really dangerous.

Ron Paul has stated that he'd scrap sexual harassment laws, because "a woman always has the option of quitting her job if she doesn't like the atmosphere." That's all I needed to hear out of Ron Paul. Rick Santorum wants to enshrine the Bible AS the Constitution. Can't get past Newt's affairs. And Romney is so plastic he probably contains PCBs. What a sad commentary on the current state of American politics.

Kallie,

You don't have a clue to what Dr Paul really stands for, he never said Medical care was a luxury, pretty much everything in this country is something you have to earn, therefore it is also a privilege to have. he is also for good basic education, not education edicts from on high, before the Department of education was formed (by carter in '77 I believe) the US had the best education system in the world lauded world over. Today, many High School students can barely read.

Dr Paul is talking about taking our defense budget back to '06 levels, that is 25% of what we spend today, and is twice what everyone else in the world COMBINED spends on defense.

You really want to know what Dr Paul stands for here....

Ron Paul On The Issues

There you go, do not take what you hear from the media nor the other candidates, Nor from this blog, get it from the source himself.....

Kallie you are completely wrong about Ron Paul

When he was a practicing dr. he treated people without ins. for free.

He wants to bring troops home and end the wars.

He wants to protect America within our borders with those troops.

much more.

Egilman is absolutely right go to the source and check it out.

Also, Kallie, there is no one more dangerous to this country that has already proven he wants to exert government control and take away the freedoms of the American people and lying about that during his campaign.

The problem with most of the media and the Republican followers is they can't see through the smoke and mirrors of the Republican candidacy. These are but the preliminaries of who is to face the champion and I don't see a Rocky among them. None of them are Presidential timbre. They don't have the class and finesse that is required of a man who hopes to be President of the United States. Obama has style going for him despite all that they try to put him down, He has not resorted to the backbiting, accusatory, dirt throwing type campaigning that typifies the Republican candidates and the American people, Democrats and Republicans see this as being a plus. We have enough dirt on both sides to do us for the next twenty years, what we want to see is solutions to our problems. We don't care how many times someone has been married or under what circumstances, we are saddened about the loss and condition of someones children but these are personal matters. It is good to have family values but they too are personal qualities, and if a man has made millions, bully for him, but that is not the question Americans want answered. We want to know Mr. Presidential hopeful, how are you going to put my behind back on the job, how are my children going to be educated, how will I be able to get medical help when I need it. Obama is at least trying to address these problems. None of his potential contenders seem to have a clue about not only solving these problems they don't seem to even recognize these as problems.

Ron Paul stated that the woman has recourse under law already, but it should not fall under federal law, as stated clearly in the Constitution. And yes, she can quit her job if she doesn't choose the recourse of the courts. But she can also stand and fight, go to lunch, start a movement. She can do whatever she feels she should, barring killing the idiot. That's the point. It's always the point. But not to participate in creating the overreach of the federal government by giving them more unlimited control (which it increases daily, counter to the Constitution). Rather to return to giving the individual the control as guaranteed under the Constitution. Under our law of the land, the federal government is supposed to be a restricted 'force' that provides freedom to all individuals - Constitutional law - and the states who legislate through their people to protect their citizens. New federal laws restricting every new concept of offense is not the role of federal law - it has only been unlawfully permitted by over-reaching administrations and bureaucrats to keep legistors ever legislating new restrictions pandering to groups and diminishing individuals. It is taking power it does not have. Its the states responsibility, where you will have the ability to seek protection under laws not covered by the federal government per the Constitution. It was never intended that the federal government be in its present overreaching state. It is not our parent. It is not our boss. It is not our personal cop. It is not our benevolent benefactor. It is unlawful for it to choose you or me over someone else. The division you see in America today comes from the federal government 'choosing' some people over other people. It changes favorites with each administration to the detriment of everyone. Everything the federal government gives you today (pandering to 'groups' and the nanny state) it takes from someone else. It is also making us broke. Do we want it pandering to evangelicals? Do we want it pandering to corporations?It is not for the federal government to determine the direction of your life'. It is not for presidents or congress to inject their personal views into law or onto individuals. You are in charge of your life and the government is required by law to give you the freedom to live it. That's what liberty is. That's what Ron Paul fights for on our behalf everyday, to return us our rights under the Constitution. To have the constant of fair, legal defense and recourse. To keep the bulk of your money. To choose how you save or spend it. To buy what you please. To think what you please. To live how you please. With whom you please. To only go to war after the people have spoken through Congress and that Congress - in the name of all the people - declares it. That is the limited Constitutional government that intends to protect your individual rights that we blindly wave off. It is everything we are trying to hold on to in the face of more government control. Ron Paul voted to repel 'don't ask, don't tell'. Why? Because it restricted the rights of individuals to be who they are. It denies them their guaranteed liberty under the Constitution. Ron Paul voted against both amendments; to 'limit marriage to heterosexuals' as well as one to 'include homosexuals and transsexual couples under the heading of marriage'. Why? Because you already have the freedom to voluntary association with anyone and to call it anything you want, to marry whom you wish - under the Constitution. It is not for the federal government to further dictate. To do more is to take away your rights as well as the rights of someone else. The present overreach of the federal government forces us to stand on our heads. Following the Constitution - made up of the federal government, the state governments, and the individual (that's all - only those 3 entities are addressed in the Constitution) puts us back on our feet again. I hope I explained that somewhat clearly. That's why I support Ron Paul above any other presidential candidate, running or seated.

I don't see him taking a stand to stop all these intrusive sick and crazy anti-abortion laws or extreme laws against women being able to get even BIRTH control COVERED under their health plans. He's eerily quiet there because he hates on women just as much as the rest of the gop does. Why SHOULD women put up with sexual harassment at work and don't tell that piss poor excuse of" Well they can just quit if they don't like the atmosphere is an acceptable reason".

It is complete an utter CRAP as why should an employee who is doing a fine job put up with some slug who IS harassing her and THEY be allowed to get away with it and her only recourse is to QUIT if she doesn't like it or "fight back where it's her word against theirs?" This is WHY we have laws like this but I realize "corporations are people now" and employees have next to NO RIGHTS anymore in the workplace which is just the way the far right WANTS IT ,especialy for women and minorities as racial, gender and bigotry against sexual orientation as well as WHOSE RELIGION should rule the roost in the good ol' US of A since 01/2011 has become priority one for the teahadists. FKA: The gop

Alim - use paragraphs and you'll be read. I couldn't get through the poor writing to understand you.

What do Paul supporters really think Day 1 would look like? How about the end of Year 1? or 4? I'd like to understand how they think a President Paul would act.

teresa...You say Republicans are inconsiderate towards women...have you looked at how Hillary Clinton was treated, Janet Reno, Madeline Albright, Sarah Palin, Geraldine Ferraro, Condleeza Rice, just to mention a very few, were disrespected, shredded, made fun of, were criticized about how they looked, how they dressed, their weight, questioned and mocked their "woman's" minds and intelligence, their very gender was discounted from being of any value. They even made crude and rude remarks if the women were attractive. And some of them are women from their own Democratic Party. The Democratic "good old BOY'S club" is alive and well.

teresa the debate isn't just on your level. As things stand my government will force ME to make a choice between not supporting my church financially or being complicit in the sin of murder. Your beliefs are irrelevant in this instance. The only relevant ones are mine. I see no seperation of church and state I see state imposing its beliefs on me.

In 2008, my 84 year old mother who had been a lifelong Republican and church-goer- on her own- said she was voting for Obama.

Her stated reasons: she didn't like the wars that Bush had started and she didn't like the Republicans cutting Medicaid and Medicare for the elderly and the poor.

THEN, she asked for me to get her an Obama sign for her yard- a busy street.

She no longer considers herself a Republican. I was pleasantly flabbergasted.

Sara, you tell your mother a hearty thank you and many more years of a good life. She typifies a real American lady in my book. By that I mean she's more American than Republican, maybe by 2016 she can vote Republican if the right man comes along. I trust her vote in any case

Sara - I'm sorry to hear that your mother fell for the Democrat's misinformation about the Republican positions on Medicaid and Medicare. Hopefully she will realize what a mistake she has made before the election.

Well this used to be democrat cannot vote for Obama. This has divided our people to the point there hasn't been a rational discussion in months.

northlite.....it is called "selling your soul". He will say and do anything that he thinks will gain him a favorable position with the audience of the day. He forgot that there are recordings and video of everything he has said and flipped on. The very things he says to curry favor with the right wing extremists who control the republican party, will blow up in his face if he wins the nomination and has to gain support from moderate centrist Americans.

But plenty of idiots will still vote for him....

No man is totally an idiot who casts a vote pro or con, Republican or Democrat. I do not see those who support any of the Republican candidates as being idiots. They are voting as a part of their beliefs and that is not idiocy. As in most things which have large numbers in all fields there is a curve which is shaped like an inverted bell. In the political bell we have Republicans on one side and Democrats on the other side and the numbers in between these two sides represent a curve which is partially Republican and partially Democrat which is a large middle which can be looked as Rep-Dems. They may call themselves by either name but they will invariably vote for who they see is the best choice for the moment. As Rep-Dems we idiots, as you call us, sometimes make a bad choice but we can correct that in four years. We can be fooled by not paying attention, but take my job away and you've got my undivided attention. They didn't elect Roosevelt four times to Presidency because he was a Democrat, they elected him to that office because he had every man in this Country working. When he took office the unemployment stood at thirteen million men unemployed and the population was only 230 million total, men, women and children. When he died in 1945 we had to dip into the women pool to find workers. You put this Country back to work and we'll elect a Baboon as President and he can call himself a Republican or a Democrat .

As Teddy said: "Mitt is not pro-choice, he is multiple choice". R.I.P. Teddy as you never wavered and always stood fast on your principles as a strong progressive Democrat who fought to the end for what you believed was right and the Senate has not been the same w/o you. I only the people of MA elect Elizabeth Warren to that seat in 11/2012 and WI elects Tammy Baldwin in 11/2012 to takeover for Herb Kohl as two STRONG progressive, intelligent experienced tough women who will stand on the issues that need addressing and not back down or be "floppy Mittens".

Here's one way. Everyone needs to stop making this about religion and focus on the issues of this country. Only the least politically non astute, ignorant voter would walk into the booth and say to themselves I will pull the lever on religion because the branches of government our Founding Fathers set up for checks and balances won't come into play. That this country will be a country of laws based on the "personal" beliefs of the president is the most inane, idiotic thinking any one could have. This is an attempt of the MS media and the left -- who has absolutely near zero record to run one (thank your rational one).

Grow up, get your heads out of your collective arses, stop the personal attacks and examine if you want four more years of the same (God forbid) or a new direction and admitting that electing a "community organizer" with no experience to the highest office in the land was a failed experiment. To the president's credit, he does have good singing ability but as Jamie Foxx pointed out absolutely no rhythm.

Ben-Religion is absolutely the #1 reason not to vote for a Mormon and a candidate's religious beliefs should be the first thing a voter looks at. I don't know how you can say 'stop focusing on religion', when religion is what most people's belief systems are based on and formed from. Let me take a wild guess, you are a member of LDS, right?

Ben-636050...it is these two candidates and their proxies who insist on bringing religion into the debate, certainly not the democratic party making it an issue. Your opinion that it is the left wing bringing religion into the argument is patently absurd.

kenhenburn...religion is for people unable to think for themselves who prefer to be led around by the nose by mystics and charlatans. Organized Christian religion in America is little different than the Taliban, just not as well organized.

@Ken -- Wrong guess but I am a believer of the separation of powers and the separation of church and state when it comes to government interfering with religious freedoms. In my life I have experienced many Protestant Christian religions. As a young man going to the EUB church (which eventually became the United Methodist) with my family, to becoming a Catholic for 35 years during my marriage until she passed and now a Baptist with my second wife. I am a Christian by my belief that I am forgiven and by His Grace saved. I hold no ill will to any religion or beliefs.

MM -- you need to take the blinders off. This contraceptive issue was created by the G. Stepha.... planted question in a Republican debate. Maybe the candidates who are repeatedly asked about religion (which Obama is not asked) should deflect the questions about religion since they are personal and not an issue since church and state are separated and balanced by the three branches of government and just stick to the economic and other issues facing this country. I'm sure you would agree right?

Ben. My point was not about religion but gullibility. Objectively you must say that creationists and mormons are among the most gullible people around. Not a good trait for a President.

The discussion on religion is a smoke screen to keep from talking about the real issues and points that they would rather keep silentsuch as their corruption.

kenhenburn bassackwards views on contraception, womens rights and the various other social agendas presented by the GOP will not put this country back to work. The guidance this country looks to concerning these social issues is from the constitution not the bible.

Please explain to me how the issue of contraception will put this country to work. Or how any of these issues will help our economy for that matter. When I look for religious guidance I will look to my pastor not a politician. When I look for answers to my economic questions on our economy, I look to those in government.

Johnny -- How do you measure gullibility???? Creationism??? Well as I recall, Creationism is the foundation of the Christian world. I am sure you believe that the president is a Christian right??? Surely, when it comes to being a Christian and Creationism you can't believe there are "degrees" of gullibility because that would be hypocritical. You know that a woman in the first few months of pregnancy is still pregnant just like the woman about to give birth.

Creationsim as opposed to evolution is NOT accepted by the majority of christians - not even by the leader of Santorum's church.

Ben,

It is not most voters who make a "religious test"- it is the right-wing religious nuts and the Republican candidates THEMSELVES that are making this an issue. Good grief- they are trying to promote NO CONTRACEPTION??????

I find them nothing but lying, hypocritical, sexist bigots. And thank you to the movie 9-5 for the line.

Johnny -- Please post links to your "facts and absolutes" you state. I would find it fascinating to read where the Pope said he does not believe in Creationism. Creationism is the belief that the earth and universe and the various kinds of animals and plants was created by God

Sara -- You are so wrong and closed minded. How can you say the "contraceptive" issue was brought up by the candidates when Steph..... brought up the question at a debate out of the blue when it has nothing to do with the issues facing this country. A person's religious beliefs are personal but it does not mean they are "forcing" anything on any one. Do you only have a circle of friends that see the wrold the same you you do on all issues. You need to grow up and look at the big picture.

The Pope is against the literal interpretation of Genesis and the idea that everything was created in 3 days. This is clear because he said “This clash (between creation and evolution) is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19956961/ns/world_news-europe/t/pope-creation-vs-evolution-clash-absurdity/

Those who believe in 3 day creation 6000 years ago are patently stupid.

“They are presented as alternatives that exclude each other,” the pope said. “This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.”

He said evolution did not answer all the questions: “Above all it does not answer the great philosophical question, ‘Where does everything come from?’”

This is the entire quote in the story context you quote. He never said that his belief in the written Word of God is not just that. He said the clash is absurd which sort of puts you in your place when it comes to this argument. It is absurd to label people gullible or stupid that believe in the Word of God. P.S. -- I think it was six days and on the seventh day He rested.

ben, i agree with many of your points. however; i, too, grew up in church, and it is the biggest reason i could never vote for a candidate who makes his religious beliefs an issue, especially someone who skirts his beliefs when politics and profits are at stake. in the 70's i witnessed first hand the hatred and hypocrisy that comes with mixing religion and politics. Jesus himself said "render unto caesar that which is caesar's, and unto God that which is God's"; there has never been a more perfect endorsement of the separation of church and state. religion has no place in politics (in a free land), and politics has no place in religion.

Evolution and science may not answer all the questions but they do answer one - and that is that creation did not take 6 literal days as described in the bible and certainly did not take place 6000 years ago.

I'm afraid that I do not think that someone gets special dispensation from being called a fool just because his foolishness stems from religious belief.

@mad -- Do the candidates make an issue or does the media??? Have any of the candidates made their religious views a major focus of a campaign speech??? Do you favor a candidate just not answering religious questions???? Would not that person be labeled as "avoiding" the issue and the press keep asking the question??? Then if they answer, they are accused of being fanatics and religion becomes the major focus of the media and a party that has no positive record to run on.

i agree the media pushes the envelope of religion, and i don't have so much of a problem with Romney's approach, as some of the buffoons who have already dropped out (perry, bachmann). if you want to preach be an evangelist! we cannot have leaders who blame natural disasters on God. i have no problem with candidates answering questions on religion with "that is a personal issue, and has nothing to do with this election"; as a matter of fact, i would applaud that answer unless the candidate had demonstrated beliefs contrary to our freedom as a nation.

yea santorum

Great one side cannot elucidate the contistutional arguement that affects his religion (the people of said faith ) and the other thinks they will win the arguement by calling everybody that doesn't accept their ideas idiots. OOOh I miss the days when politicians talked about the issues and not in 30second sound bytes.

I miss the days when politicians talked about the issues and not in 30second sound bytes.

If they did that, people would actually be able to figure out what they were talking about and they would never get elected.......

Santorum has managed to alienate Protestants, most Catholics, minorities, independents, the LGBT community, and women. He doesn't stand a chance with anyone except religious extremist reactionaries. In other words, he doesn't stand a chance.

WOW!!! I had no idea. Please post your links to the polls of those groups surveyed cause he sure hasn't alienated me.

I highly doubt you are in ANY of the above categories.

I am guessing white male FOX viewer, Limbaugh listener.

And I thought your last comment to me was rude.

I am actually EXTREMELY well-informed and educated. And yes, I believe scientists when they warn us of the global warming crisis.

Sara M

Very good. This guy Ben seems to be your typical Santorum follower. Fortunately they are in the minority in this country. No Ben, I don't have a link for that but if you want, I can do a quick pole and see how people actually feel about you.

I think smart women kind of scare guys like Ben. I knows they can spot him and his type a mile away so he can't try to fool them. Ben, it doesn't pay to be a bully. We all have a very low tolerance for that.

The "liberal media" (what a broke record that is) is NOT the republicans' problem. The problem is your total lack of any ideas, any solutions, anything new. Regardless of the problem, you have 3 answers and 3 answers only --- give it a tax cut, deregulate it or bomb it.

And the Dems solution is to TAX IT, Regulate IT, and Spend IT.

the reason why is because of the ridiculous # of debates and Romney has by far and away been the most consistent debator. but lets not forget that obama and hillary clinton was also a very tough, long contest that resolved itself eventually

"The liberal media just must love Romney and the poll takers must really ask some loaded questions."

How about the American people are rejecting the right wing extremists that the GOP has been attracting lately? You are witnessing America turning its back on the Republican Party's failed political ideology. They are handing President Obama a landslide victory in November.

Loaded questions? I mean, damn.

kenhenburn I truly believe you are a straight up hillbilly bigot! Do you think Romney is going to try to convert you to mormonism? How about a jew scary huh? Catholic ok with you? Romney is a smart capable businessman that doesn't wear his religion on his sleeve! GROW UP kenhenburn!~ You sir are a problem because you sir are the type of person that discriminates against good people because their religion is different than what your hillbilly pastor has taught you.

I'd take any of those over a Mormon and so would most people I know.

Do you think Romney will try to convert you? This is not about religion? Off to church with you pastor is playing with poisonous vipers I hear today! This man Romney is a technocrat not a religious nutjob that wants to convert you.

When it comes time to vote, are YOU going to vote for a Mormon to run your country?

Have you ever read the Constitution? Do you understand it? Do you understand the principles that this Country was founded on? Let me say, I'm no fan of Romney, but his religion is not what I'd be voting on. If he were pushing it far enough to change separation, then I'd have a problem, but it's Santorum that's doing that! Religion needs to stay in the home and out of politics, period!

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

I can think of a 100 reasons not to vote form Romney but the fact that's he's a Moran is NOT one of them. I would rather have a Mormon in the White House than a hate filled, religious fanatic like Santorum. And for the record -- I'm a Catholic.

Most people that have gotten to know a Mormon would say they are honest and helpful people who have a great love for personal freedoms and that everyone has a right to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience, let them worship how, where or what they may. I served my country for over 21 years in the military and I was willing to die for everyone's belief. I did not and would not exclude any one group. I defended our country so that all people have a right to pursue happiness and the freedom to worship. If we voted on moral character than Romney would be one of the strongest. We need a leader in the White House. Obama is a weak leader that's what makes it wrong to vote for him. He was handed debt and two wars we all know that. But that does not give him a pass on leadership. He is a weak leader and the world knows it. We need someone that is willing to lead and sorry that is not Obama. It is also funny that Santorum was against the auto industry bailouts but he get a pass and that the tea party is supporting someone that has grown government and increased the debt. So what does the Tea Party stand for? If they give support to Santorum they will lose all creditablitly they need to look at his record that Santorum has forgotten. Santorum was named one of the Senate's most corrupt Senators in 2006. Look it up Tea Party his record should speak louder than his words. If you give him a pass what do you stand for?

The fact that Romney is a Mormon frankly does not bother me. I'm sorry, I believe in God, but religion, all religions, are sets of rules made up by men who know no more and no less than you or I about what is going to happen to us when we die or how the Earth came to be. Mormonism may have strange beliefs like magic underwear and the idea that the Native Americans are a lost tribe of Israel. But is that any more outrageous than a parting seas, turning water into wine and virgin births?

Santorum's "mainstream" Catholic beliefs bother me far more than Romney's "crazy" Mormon ones because it is Santorum who wants to inflict his beliefs onto the American people with his stances on gay marriage, contraception, etc. Romney has not done or said anything to make me think he has any interest in implementing Mormonism into government. Santorum has such things quite often. If you think sex is so icky outside of marriage then don't engage in pre-marital sex. Nobody is going into churches and forcing anyone to do anything. But stop trying to make your beliefs the law and then saying anything otherwise violates religious freedom. Laws allowing abortion or requiring contraception coverage don't affect your life if you choose to not have them affect your life.

I'm an atheist so whether a candidate believes in the sky fairy is the dead LAST on my priorities compared to how well they can run the affairs of our country and see to it that we ARE the superpower we once were instead of the banana republic we've become because of greed and 30 years of NOT changing our economic model or antiquated energy policy.

Voter ID is unconstitutional and a farce created to suppress the vote based on the Fux News amd gop witch hunt that brought down Acorn because some workers registered some "fake names" on voter registration forms. When are you loons ever going to get it that NONE of those "names" actually VOTED and cast a REAL BALLOT and the case of real voter fraud are so minute that these laws are complete unwarranted?
Want to talk actual voter fraud? Go talk to "some guy on Newt's campaign staff" who in VA bumped his ballot count by 1,500 to pad the numbers after Newt failed to get enough ballots to get on the primary in his OWN state and then told the media, " It was just a MISTAKE!!!" and THIS barely gets a ripple in the media but the Acord incident is still being ranted about over and over by the right wing nut jobs and where are all these "liberal judges" you shriek about? I sure would like to meet some but of course they're all in your "head" so that explains why I have yet to meet the vast majority of them that seem to dominate our benches.
They don't exist outside of your imagination and what you hear on Fux Noise and right wing pundits, "spin doctors" from the radio waves and endless internet BS sites like WND and Newsmax for starters.

and end the dozens of loopholes and subsidies...or did you conveniently miss that part? Oh and a minimum tax for those who wish to send jobs out of the country. Must be nice to cherry pick your facts.

'We can't have Obama for another 4!"

Well -- get used to President Obama because he isn't leaving the White House until January, 2017. The Republicans are committing suicide. The question is not who's going to win the November presidential election -- that's a lock for Obama. The short term question is will his coattails be ling enough to hold the Senate and flip the House. The long term question is will the Republican Party continue to exist or will it go the way of the Whig Party of the 19th century.

"The amercian auto industry should have gone out of business but he decided to save them, that's a communistic move right there"

Which "he" are you talking about -- Obama or Bush?? The auto bailout started under Bush. And don't forget -- Reagan also bailed out an auto company. So tell us -- was Reagan a communist? How about Bush -- was he a communist too?

To Baldeaglewrappedinanamericanflag. Your type of thinking is exactly why none of the republicans will win the election. While everyone is entitled to their opinions, your type of thinking is the type of followers the Republican candidates have and that is not good for this country. I am sick and tired of all of you bringing religion into politics. Keep your religion where it belongs in your own home. The Republicans ruined this country and President Obama is the only one good enought to get us out of the mess.

Baldy, this is tongue in cheek, right?

You got it joe -- the dreaded "new world order" is coming soon. Why just yesterday I saw a black helicopter flying over my house.

Bald Eagle: that was either a very satirical comment or you're an absolute idiot.

Argh-h-h and there's "commies under my bed"!!!! Go build a bomb shelter in the backyard, QUICK and stock it up with water and food!!!!!! Actually, I'm more worried about saving our water and food from all this endless unregulated pushing for the oil, coal and GAS companies to mine, frack and drill the crap our the country that the freaking gop wants because anything that has to do with clean, renewable, energy is a scam UnAmerican, including building fuel efficent cars-(how HORRIBLE!!!), so stocking up clean water and untainted food before it's all chemically poisoned and MGA by the Monsanto Corporation is probably a GOOD idea anyway.
At least until I can afford to move to Austria where they don't allow this BS.

beats starving

Joe:

Liberal judges? Where?

Joe, Bald Eagle and Charlie: You are some mighty fine trolls boys spewing that typical fear mongering truth free crap but as long as it entertains you and the stupid "low information suckers" who still lap it up, have AT IT. Franklin Grahams' garbage the other day was right up your alley I suppose and the Girl Scouts being an institution that is really a "tool for doing the work of Planned Parenthood and promoting gay and lesbians in their ranks" too?.
Spreading that around these forums as your "truth" too yet? Better get busy. So many conspiracy theories and lies for your kind to pollute the news blogs paid trolls of the Rove and Breitbart set. Run along now.

Well that's very close minded of you. How do you define greedy? How do you define bigot? I know how you define stupid by looking in the mirror.

And you saw yourself Ben. Thank you for making this an open and shut case for you being THE classic example of "stupid personified". Run along and go learn something substantial for a change, like maybe out of a REAL history book. You know BEFORE the right wing religious extremists of TX altered them to fit their Douglas Coe Dominionist agenda and school children have to learn that Ronald Reagan is some kind of economic genius and the labour movement does not exist anymore?

rob, it sounds like you are worried that your government tit might soon be running dry.

Not quite yet texasbob. Ron Paul is STILL alive and HE' S STILL sucking off it while telling everyone ELSE what rugged individualism is all about, how WE have to fend for ourselves and not depend on "hand outs" when he's been getting taxpayer funded healthcare, a salary and the best pension taxpayer money can buy for HOW many years now? Him and creeps like Dick Cheney who have had HIS heart surgeries paid for by the taxpayers in the best hsps, by the best surgeoens and not costed him a DIME even though he is a mega millionaire and could pay for this himself if he WANTED to but will never HAVE to while I struggle to pay the mortgage, feed my family, pay our regular bills, health insurance premiums for our "for profit health insurance" and its outrageous ded/coins and ridiculous OOP that we have to meet every year that practically KILL our savings account for the costs of my 8 rx meds and my daughter's by the end of May and medical expenses that are "not covered as in-plan" but these guys get OUR tax dollars to pay for THEIR "socilaized healthcare".
Of course it is NOT "government run or socialism when THEY get it from us" only when WE get anything and now they're after our SS, MC and MA as "unsustainable ENTITLEMENTS that are bankrupting the country that we somehow don't deserve, need anymore and the old people should have a CHOICE as tpo whether or not they should have to be stuck in these messed up programs or save on their own and do a BETTER job then the lousy government".
SS, MC and MA were doing fine until the goverment started using them as a piggy bank to fund wars, pork barrel projects and multiple other crap that had NOTHING to with SS and filled with IOUs they had no ontention of paying back to the American peope but of courtse now that is OUR fault so we should be on the hook and have what paid inot from all our years oworking and contributing to "reformed" and "privatized now?". I DON'T THINK SO!!! Give us BACK our money and leave SS, MC and MA ALONE and stop ripping off the people and LYING to us so the mega rich can keep getting their useless tax cuts extended that created next to no jobs in the last going on 11 years now but the greed mongers want to make PERMANENT so beat it out of the vanishing middle class of course by cutting or eliminating our programs some more. NOPE!! Enough is ENOUGH!!!!!