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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Mark Murray joins Daily Rundown guest host Luke Russert to discuss Rick Santorum's decision to suspend his presidential campaign.
What we learned from the GOP race… And three questions we have after it’s now over: Did Romney win because he was a better candidate than in ’08? Or because the field was weaker?... Did Santorum help or hurt the GOP?... And can Romney win over his conservative critics?... What’s next for Newt? He’s staying in the race… Team Obama releases web video with Romney’s “greatest hits” from the primary season… Obama delivers statement on the Romney -- err, Buffett -- Rule at 10:15 am ET, while Romney camp holds conference call at the same time… And Crossroads GPS joins the TV-ad tag team against Obama on gas prices.
Jeff Swensen / Getty Images
Surrounded by members of his family, Republican presidential candidate, former Sen. Rick Santorum announces he will be suspending his campaign during a press conference at the Gettysburg Hotel on April 10, 2012 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
*** What we learned from GOP race: After 32 state contests, 20 debates, some $190 million spent by the candidates, and $50 million in ads by the various Super PACs, the Republican presidential primary race officially ended yesterday when Rick Santorum suspended his campaign. (Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul would disagree, but it's the reality.) So what we did learn? That money and organization still matter. That a lack of money and organization can get you second place (at least in this field). That, despite all of his advantages, there was a conservative resistance to Mitt Romney. That, despite this resistance, Romney was always the GOP's best chance at defeating President Obama. That the nearly yearlong primary race -- remember, the first debate was in May 2011 -- has taken a toll on the party and its presidential candidates. And that, because of it, the conclusion to the primary season couldn't have come at a moment too soon for the GOP.
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum announced Tuesday that is suspending his presidential campaign, effectively giving the GOP nomination to Mitt Romney. NBC's Peter Alexander reports.
*** Did Romney win because he was a better candidate than in ’08? Or was it simply a weaker field? But the biggest question we have after the past year: Did Romney triumph the GOP nomination because he was better than he was in '08 (when he finished third, behind John McCain and Mike Huckabee)? Supporting this would be his improved debate performances, knocking Rick Perry down in Sept. 2011, and a more comfortable issue terrain (the economy vs. social issues and national security in '08). Or did he win due to extraordinarily weak field? Backing that up would be the quality of his GOP rivals (hello Herman Cain!), his current poll numbers, and his numerous gaffes and unforced errors. We’ll have an answer to this question come November 6. Many in RomneyWorld believe that what they've pulled off -- convincing a Southern conservative evangelical Christian party to nominate a Northeastern moderate Mormon -- doesn't get enough credit. Of course, they wouldn't use the word "moderate" (at least right now).
*** Did Santorum help or hurt the GOP? Here’s another question: Did Santorum help or hurt the Republican Party in this primary race? As we pointed out a week ago, Santorum accomplished a lot: He won more states than Huckabee did in ’08 and as many as Romney did four years ago; he has the potential to be a significant player in 2016 or 2020; and he repaired some of the damage from his ’06 Senate loss. But you could make the argument that the GOP’s current struggles with female voters and independents can be attributed to some of Santorum’s rhetoric on the trail (calling Obama a “snob” for wanting everyone to go to college, saying that JFK’s 1960 speech on the separation of church and state made him want to “throw up.”). In the general election, we’re going to see Democrats try to make Romney own some of the things that Santorum said. And unfortunately for Romney, he never aggressively differentiated himself from -- or tried to denounce -- that rhetoric. Team Romney believes it's only casual voters who conflate Santorum's comments on women with Romney. And that in time, Romney can fix this.
*** Can Romney win over his conservative critics? And here’s a third question: Can Romney win over the conservatives who’ve been resistant to him? Just check out some of the quotes in today’s New York Times. Tony Perkins: “I just think it’s going to be a much harder lift to take someone who seems like a moderate and try to get conservatives excited about it.” Richard Viguerie: “After having destroyed every conservative that came on the scene, you can’t say ‘You have to line up behind me.’ No, no, no. Conservatives are not going to jump until they hear where Governor Romney wants to take everybody.” And, of course, we weren’t the only ones to notice the folks who endorsed Romney ONLY AFTER Santorum bowed out of the race -- Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, Rick Scott, Pat Toomey. In the next couple of months, Romney will have to fight a two-front war -- against Obama and the Democrats and the conservatives who are still kicking and screaming. Romney probably has no choice but to roll the dice that conservatives will rally. The longer he waits to pivot, the harder it will be.
*** And what about Newt Gingrich? He told NBC’s David Gregory that he will stay in the race and focus for the next 10 days on Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and North Carolina. Beyond that, Gingrich said Santorum’s exit clarifies the race. He wants to spend this period defining what the platform should be and what the issues should be. The implication, according to Gregory: He thinks he has more influence staying in right now. But here’s the problem for Gingrich as he stays in the race. He has to battle embarrassing stories like this one: His $500 check bounced in trying to qualify for Utah’s June 26 primary. Gingrich likes to note that he's come back before, even when folks like us referred to him as Bruce Willis' character in the "Sixth Sense." The better comparison might now be to the Japanese soldiers found after WWII in the Pacific who had no idea the war was over.
*** On the trail, per NBC’s Adam Perez: Romney campaigns in Connecticut and Rhode Island… Gingrich is in Delaware… And Paul holds a town hall in Fort Worth, TX.
*** Romney’s greatest hits (by Team Obama): Now that the GOP primary race is officially behind us, the Obama campaign is out with a searing web video reminding voters of what Romney said during it. “Corporations are people, my friend.” “I like being able to fire people.” “I was a severely conservative Republican governor.” Etc. Bottom line, here’s what the next six months are going to look like: Obama and his allies will try to disqualify him, while Team Romney is going to try to make the state of the U.S. economy stick to Obama.
*** Let’s call it by its real name -- the Romney Rule: Another day, another event around the so-called Buffett Rule. At 10:15 am ET from the White House, President Obama will deliver a statement on the Buffett Rule. But let’s cut to the chase: This isn’t the Buffett Rule; it’s the Romney Rule. While this might not poll well with independent voters, as we wrote yesterday, this Democratic drumbeat is a way to make Romney seem out of touch. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has released this press statement on Obama’s upcoming remarks today: “Sadly, an administration that promised it would focus on jobs is wasting yet another day on a political event that won’t take a single person off the unemployment line.” And at the same time Obama will be speaking, the Romney campaign is holding a conference call on the “Obama economy.”
*** Crossroads joins TV-ad tag team against Obama: This is what the next two or three months will look like as Romney begins to fill his general-election campaign war chest: Crossroads GPS, the outside GOP group backed by former George W. Bush political adviser Karl Rove and others, has a new TV ad knocking President Obama on the issue of gas prices. In what Crossroads GPS says is a $1.7 million buy, the ad is airing in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia. And it's in direct response to an Obama campaign TV ad in these same states -- which was rebutting an earlier ad from a GOP conservative outside group, American Energy Alliance, with ties to the conservative Koch Brothers.
*** Veepstakes watch: The Wall Street Journal writes that there’s growing buzz over Rob Portman… And check out what Paul Ryan said about Romney: “He's kind of a throwback to the '50s.” He later said: “I grew up watching ‘Leave it to Beaver,’ idolizing Mr. Cleaver, Ward Cleaver, and [Romney] has these great attributes, which is he’s a very nice, civil man and he’s very earnest.”
Countdown to the CT, DE, NY, PA, and RI primaries: 13 days
Countdown to Election Day: 209 days
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Dear MSNBC: I agree that Romney will most likely be the GOP nominee, but you should look up the definition of "officially" before using it again. Best regards...
Mitten is toast. His negative rating is about minus 20. The radical right fringe will write the GOP platform which Mittens will be forced to embrace. The only "group" he can hope to capture on election day is old white men. Women, blacks, hispanics will turn out in droves to re-elect the President. Look at the youtube video. Mittens will be destroyed by his own words.
You are probably correct.
Romney has already endorsed the Ryan budget as being 'marvelous'. When voters, including Republican voters, understand that that budget reduces the top tax rate down to 25% while Medicare is decimated and handed over to the private health insurance industry, every senior citizen will cringe.
I wouldn't call the Republican primary over just yet. There is always the possibility that the conservatives that hate Romney so much may rally behind Gingrich now that Santorum is gone. I don't think there is any possible way for Gingrich to get 1144 delegates but I think he could still prevent Romney from getting it as well.
Now this is a stupid comment:
A party that is trying to fight the notion that they are trying to live in the past, push women's rights into the past, should not be saying things like this.
Obama's record is his worst enemy ....
Almost $16 trillion in debt and rocketing upward ....
He can't even slow it down at all ....
Every day he's been in office , he's set a new record high debt .... every day .... "LOL"
10 Trillion is this debt is from Bush's 8 years. Remember Bush came into office with a surplus. What happened?
Obama did not rack up 16 Trillion on his own in 3 years.
Obama's record is his worst enemy ....
Almost $16 trillion in debt and rocketing upward ....
He can't even slow it down at all ....
Every day he's been in office , he's set a new record high debt .... every day .... "LOL"
Every day Obama has a new record high debt .... every day ....
And tomorrow it will be another record high ....
You can bet on it ....
And win that bet ....
"Obama's record is his worst enemy ...."
Is that so?? This is his record
Job losses per month in January 2008: 700,000
Job gains last month: 120,000
25 straight months of private sector gob growth
GDP growth in 2008: negative 6%
GDP growth last year 2.9%
Dow Jones Average in January 2008: Under 8000
Dow Jones Average today: 13,000+
Record domestic oil production
GMC – all time record profits
Near record corporate profits across the board
Osama Bin Laden --- dead
Iraq war --- over
Thank you Mr. Santorum for helping define the real Willard Mitt Romney for all Americans...
Rick Santorum’s TOP TEN Attacks on Mitt Romney courtesy of the Progress Report:
1. LIAR: “If [Romney's health care] policy is bad, the policy is bad. And a bad policy is one thing. But lying to the American people is something else.” [National Journal]
2. “ULTIMATE FLIP-FLOPPER:” “He glosses over and doesn’t even tell the truth. … Here is a guy who is the ultimate flip-flopper running for president, and he’s attacking me for not being principled? That doesn’t wash.” [Examiner]
3. ETCH A SKETCH CANDIDATE: “One of Governor Romney’s aides today on television said that Governor Romney, after he wins the primaries, will be like an [Etch A Sketch] — you take whatever he said and you can shake it up and it will be gone, and he’s going to draw a whole new picture for the general election.” [Washington Post]
4. MIGHT AS WELL RE-ELECT OBAMA: “You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who’s just going to be a little different than the person in there. If they’re going to be a little different,we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk of what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate for the future.” [AP]
5. OBAMACARE: “He created the blueprint for Obamacare and advocated for exactly what Obamacare is, which is a mandated health insurance program…it is exactly the Massachusetts health care plan. …He is uniquely disqualified.” [MSNBC]
6. “WORST REPUBLICAN IN THE COUNTRY”: “Pick any other Republican in the country. He is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama.” [NBC]
7. “WEAK CANDIDATE:” “We can’t nominate such a weak candidate. I’d love to be able to get one-on-one with Gov. Romney and expose the record that would be the weakest record we could possibly put up against Barack Obama.” [Huffington Post]
8. “WALL STREET FINANCIER:” “I heard Governor Romney here called me an economic lightweight because I wasn’t a Wall Street financier like he was. Do you really believe this country wants to elect a Wall Street financier as the president of the United States? Do you think that’s the experience that we need? Someone who’s going to take and look after as he did his friends on Wall Street and bail them out at the expense of Main Street America.” [ABC]
9. BUSINESS EXPERIENCE DOESN’T MATTER: “Running a business is not the sameas being president of the United States.” [CNN]
10. BAILOUT HYPOCRISY: “Governor Romney supported the bailout of Wall Street and decided not to support the bailout of Detroit. [http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Santorum-challenges-Romney-in-Michigan-speech-3335097.php#ixzz1rfPlz3BH">AP]
http://thinkprogress.org/progress-report/rick-santorums-top-ten-attacks-on-mitt-romney/?mobile=nc
Come to think of it...Mitt, why don't you also just drop out of the presidential race now and contribute your campaign money to reducing the huge deficit that the last Republican administration created by starting the war in Iraq, tax cuts for the rich, signing into law a costly Rx program that is nothing but a giveaway to big pharma, and facilitating the Great Recession through deregulation of Wall Street and other failed ecomonic policies. Mitt, America needs you like we need another hole in our heads.
Obama's massive debt and deficit is the biggest war on women , children and families ....
Since cave men ....
Save what's left of America ....
Obama out in 2012 ....
"What we learned about the GOP"
We learned that the GOP/TEA/Dumb FUX NEWS party are completely out of their minds, are a bunch of frightened, angry, weak, gun toting, bible thumping nuts with absolutely no sense of humor and that believe the poor and middle class have too much and the wealthiest corporations and individuals don't have enough...
Obama 2012!!!
Yup, that sums it. what a lot of people forget that there were more "winner take all" states four years ago. The GOP - that Grand old Party has turned into the Great Obstructionists Party." Mitch McConnell, the fossil from Kentucky has finally figured out (maybe) that Job 1 was not defeating Obama for a second term but jobs, the economy , the debt and taking care of the people, ruling what's good for people not big oil and their cronies (Halliburtom, any one?) This is not our grandfathers' GOP
Reagan had a bruising battle with Bush in 1980 and didn't have the nomination wrapped up until May. In February of that year, Carter was ahead of Reagan 34% in a CBS poll. Then gas lines, green energy debacles, no jobs and Iran hostage made Carter a one termer.
What we learned from the GOP race? We learned not to have a gazillion debates prior to the convention. They only proved humorous, shocking and showed us the REAL Repub party: old white guys acting like clowns.
Any candidate who cannot "filter" his remarks without creating gaffes has no chance - he just sounds stupid!
99% of voters don't watch debates. They look in their wallets and the gas pump. The latest polls have Obama ahead on likability, but way behind on the economy, deficit and jobs.
Road Warrior, so are you advocating that the oil companies be nationalized like they are in Venezuela? If not, what are you proposing that the President, any President, do to reduce gasoline prices?
Bruce,
I'm saying high gas prices and no jobs for new grads equal one term. It's simply as that. Producing more oil here at home can't hurt. Even if the prices don't come down, at least there will be more jobs. It's like building more cars with nobody buying here, but they are sold overseas.
Suzq
As Obama does?
Road Warrior, we already produce more oil here at home. But they make more money selling it elsewhere then in the USA. Right now oil is our BIGGEST export.
The fact is that the United States actually exports a large amount of its domestically produced oil to other countries. Ironically, it is one of the few things that the United States is actually an exporter of considering how almost every other domestic industry has been shipped overseas by design.
According to USA TODAY, the U.S. exported so much oil in the first nine months of 2011 that it might be the first year since 1949 that the U.S. is a net exporter of oil and oil-based goods. Not only that, but the United States has been increasing its crude oil production every year since 2008. Meanwhile the stagnant global economy has experienced a reduction in oil demand since oil's previous peak in 2008.
Nevertheless, oil produced and drilled inside the United States is not required to stay inside the United States. It can go wherever the producer can achieve the highest price. Therefore, increasing the amount of oil produced inside the United States would not likely change the forces of the market. Therefore, to suggest that the increase in production would result in greater energy independence for the United States is simply untrue.
But what of the issue of oil/gas prices?
Here, as in the case of national energy independence, one must ask what evidence we have been given to show us that the increased availability of oil will lower the price of oil and gas at the pump. The fact is, we have been given no evidence that this will be the case. Indeed, the evidence that we do have shows that results will be quite the opposite.
Case in point: Since 2009, gas prices have more than doubled, yet U.S. domestic oil production has steadily risen. Obama himself has followed along with the plan touted by reactionaries like Gingrich and Romney when he opened vast swaths of American coastline to oil companies for offshore drilling in 2010. If Gingrich’s solutions are legitimate, then Americans should have been seeing their gas prices decrease over the last three years. They haven’t.
This is because of the radical idea that oil companies are not necessarily concerned with the national interest nor are they concerned with the pain felt at the pump by the average consumer. Major international oil companies are actually nothing more than an international cartel bent on making astronomical profits for themselves regardless of the consequences to the consumer.
Although gas prices will no doubt occasionally go down from time to time, the trend unquestionably moves upward. When there is downward trend in demand (i.e. the economy is in the tank and no one can afford gas), prices still miraculously go up due to “lack of demand.” When there is an increase in demand, prices still go up because a “lack of capacity,” “scarcity,” or some other market-centered or manufactured excuse. Regardless of the situation, the prices inevitably move up. This is the hallmark of a cartel.
Indeed, Sara Banaszak of the American Petroleum Institute confirmed this fact when she stated to the Washington Post, “I wouldn’t say you would expect inventories to dictate the direction of prices.” By this, she means that higher oil inventories do not equal lower prices. This much is true.
Indeed, it is also important for Americans to understand that what they consider to be “their” oil companies are anything but. Oil is an international business and the major corporations who deal in this business are likewise international. Borders are essentially meaningless to them. In short, major oil companies do not have the national interest at heart.
The fact that more oil does not equal lower prices is relatively well established by our current experience. But what are the causes of rising gas prices? Obviously, the traditional laws of supply and demand still play a small role. However, as has already been demonstrated, the oil industry has been so dominated by the international cartel network of corporations and banking institutions that prices now rise regardless of the level of supply or demand.
Greed, of course, is another major issue and one that has been the focus of much resentment toward the industry. While Americans have suffered under record gas prices this year, the five major oil companies – EXXON MOBIL, Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, and BP – all raked in massive fourth quarter profits of $137 billion. The oil companies enjoyed these profits while retaining a cash reserve of approximately $58 billion and; and on top of that, they receive large subsidies and tax breaks from the U.S. government.
Speculation, however, seems to be one of the most important factors regarding the price of oil and gas worldwide. In this regard, one can even see the hand of the usual suspects who have made a living for generations on the back of the “small people.”
Indeed, in a report that came out about this time last year, Goldman Sachs, an infamous institution of speculation, freely admitted that speculators like themselves are responsible for a $27 a barrel hike in the price of crude oil. The speculation trade, according to Goldman Sachs, has been known to provide investors with returns of up to 25% of their investment in four months.
Alain Sherter of CBS News wrote shortly after the initial report and admission by Goldman Sachs,
How much does speculation drive up oil prices? By roughly 20 percent, or between $21.40 and $26.75 a barrel, Goldman suggested. Every million barrels of oil held by speculators results in a price of 8-10 percent. Not surprisingly, such increases coincide with record levels of oil futures, Commodity Futures Trading Commission officials note. Since June 2008, the number of energy contracts held by such investors has risen 64 percent.
Likewise, as Webster Griffin Tarpley wrote in his seminal work “Surviving the Cataclysm,”
Banks like JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, and the Bank of America long ago gave up providing commercial bank services in the form of loans to companies seeking to purchase new plant and equipment for new capital investment and job creation. The banks do not discount commercial paper anymore. They deal in derivatives and speculation, and little else. A year ago, JP Morgan Chase had $93 TRILLION in derivatives of certain types – more than six times the total Gross Domestic Product of the United States, and this is a very low-ball estimate indeed. When they were still investment banks, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley created the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in London to facilitate their oil futures speculation; there are indications that Goldman and Morgan between them accounted for almost half of the run-up of the world oil price, meaning in effect that these two criminal organizations were responsible for almost 25% of the total price of oil. This means that about a quarter out of every dollar paid at the gas pump by commuters, cab drivers, and truckers was going to subsidize Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. (Brandon Turbeville)
Sassoon, David. “US Oil Exports Hit Record Pace. That’s Right, Exports.” Huffington Post
Tarpley, Webster Griffin. “Surviving The Cataclysm.” Progressive Press. 3rd Edition. 2011. P.83.
Hope this helps you to understand why gas is so high at the pumps.
Knine,
Wow, you are a fast typer. What is wrong with exporting oil? We have plenty of oil sitting in the ground. Even if the price at home doesn't drop one cent, the oil production is a huge job creator, both the production itself and companies that support the effort. Jobs, jobs, jobs. That is why Houston is always hiring when nobody is. If you have a product the whole world wants, not producing it is crazy. For Obama's sake, the prices better come down or the voters will boot him out in 209 days.
Yes ......He can overcome the "Bruising Primaries" ......But isn't that what your afraid of MSNBC ? Now he can get down to business. Out with OBAMA in 2012 !!!!
Obama's debt is rising at $1 million every 20 seconds ....
He can't even slow it down ....
What happened to him cutting our deficit in halve in his first term .... "LOL"
Too late to get that one done ....
Obama's debt is rising at $1 million every 20 seconds ....
Listening to these Republicans, one would think that on January 19, 2009 the country was in great shape with a massive surplus, record low unemployment, a booming economy, increasing wages -- everything was just outstanding. Then -- Obama took office on Jan 20, 2009 and everything immediately came crashing down.
Now -- how about a reality check? The nation was much closer to that ideal on January 19, 2001 when Clinton left office but on January 19, 2009 when Bush left office, we were on the verge of a depression.
A man that saved the U.S. Olympics and ran them with a profit, a successful governor, and a successful business man, running against a "community organizer" that "taught" the Constitution but doesn't even know the Constitution, and throws untrue, denigrating comments at and about the Supreme Court?
A successful executive that created upwards of 100,000 jobs, running against a man that has spent more money in a RECORD amount of time than any President in history, who's borrowed more money in a RECORD amount of time than any President in history, who has raised our RECORD debt faster than any President in history, and who literally LIES to the American people when he gives his TAXPAYER FUNDED campaign speeches?
I'll take the HONEST success story over the hate and fear mongering, class warfare filth spewing, dishonest, nation bankrupting "leader", EVERY single time.
Wait a minute, Cheryl, women(I assume you are one) hate Romney and LOVE Obama. Just ask the mainstream media. Women have suffered the most under Obama. They have lost jobs at a higher percentage than men.
Obama should have never been elected, period. The so called "mainstream" media wanted a "history maker" and they got one.
And the nation is suffering for it.
Watch this year, the same "mainstream" media that did NOT cover anything about Obama but instead just attacked McCain/Palin, including making up and reporting lies about them, and then talked about "making history" when it came to Obama, will spend the next seven months attacking Romney about everything and defending Obama at every turn.
By running extremely negative campaigns on his fellow republicans Romney has tainted himself for life.
There are other Republicans that have a better chance of beating Obama besides the candidates that ran this primary season. Why did they choose to sit out?
I know, the state of the GOP is disarray because of the tea party. This primary was funny and the general election will be hilarious; but the facts are a campaign of anyone but Obama is not going to work. Independents do not like the tea party and the leader's of the GOP know that. The margin of defeat will not be larger, but Obama is going to win in November.
I agree, McCain/Palin revisited. Republicans make it tough for Republicans to vote Republican.
The Republican primary season has been a circus to watch. Over the last year they've done everything they can to anger every demographic in the nation. Republicans have made it very clear that Hispanics, blacks, women, gays, lesbians, auto workers, union people, teachers, policemen, firemen, public employees, atheist, main stream Christians, people in California, people in New England and young people (to mention a few) are NOT welcomed in the Republican Party. The only group they seem to want is old, overweight, white haired, southern, white guys. So -- who ends up as their nominee -- a guy even old, overweight, white haired, southern white guys can't stand.
Nasty, ugly GOP Primary... just goes to show the state of affairs in American politics. Back stabbing, mud slinging, infighting, etc., all in the GOP. I'm a Republican disgusted with our so-called leaders.
I am an old white guy. A self employed independent. I will not vote for Romney or any other repubican candidate in this field. I did not vote for Obama in the last election but will this time. It seems to me that the more desparate conservatives become the more mean spirited they get. They are going to fix the deficit without admitting that it was their policy to fight two wars while not paying for them and in fact lowering taxes. I guess they should fix it. The budget was balanced when Clinton left. Democrats have their issues too but this is about Romney and his party.
I agree, Bush used up all the surplus and stole social security to fund his war and now the repubs say too bad you are not getting it back and you need to live without it and while we're at it we want to take your medicare too. They are hell bent on making this a two class country, then have the nerve to chastise the middle class for not planning ahead for their old age. There is no way either party could have fixed the mess Bush left in 4 years, probably not in a decade even. Romney is nothing but a leftover from other failed attempts that just lucked out to get 3 even more repulsive candidates to run at the same time. Not a great accomplishment to win this one.
Thank God for the long Republican Primary. It was an opportunity to see the real Mitt Romney. Etch-a-sketch will not be able to change his reputation. I hope women will not buy into any of his acts. If he was a person with principles than he would have taken a stand on Rush Limbaugh, denounced the blunt amendment, and so forth. America knows that his own party does not like him. They Republican party are very reluctant to endorse this man. No one knows what he stands for and the problem is would you believe him at this point. I do not think so!!
Lessons learned from the GOP race: TIME TO FOCUS ON OBAMA AND EXPOSE HIM for the MARXIST he is!! Kick him out of the WH 2012!
I had a laugh when I read why Romney won, the weak field? Ya think? Ever hear the phrase the one with the most money wins? When you can outspend all the other mediocre candidates you will win, not that it is such a great accomplishment given the other candidates. He is the face of corporate America and big business and that is where his alliances lie. He agrees with Ryan and will take away social security and medicare all the while still handing all the subsidies to big oil and tax breaks for big business so they can give more millions in bonuses to their CEO's. Just like the repubs in office now they don't give a rats a$$ about middle America they have been throwing us under the bus to make sure nothing goes through with this administration, just as they said in '08 they want to make sure this administration fails.
Correct. McConnel the fossil is eating hs own words now and will when the Senate stays Dem and they House reverts back to Dem . Not that I like Pelosi but Bonehead has proven too much to be a lacky of the Tea Shyters.
What did we learn: We learned that none of the republican candidates have a chance in hell of winning in November 2012.
Spoken by Ann Coulter: If we don't run Chris Christy, Romney will be the nominee and "we'll" lose.
President Barack Obama has my vote "again" in November 2012 and so will all the other democrats on the ticket.
There's an open minded person!
If you enjoy Obama's total debt per family ....
Which is now at $691,132 per family .... "LOL"
If you enjoy Obama's total debt per family ....
Remember -- it was George W. Bush and his Republican Congress who brought us two unfunded wars, two unfunded tax cuts, a massive, unfunded, new entitlement, the largest expansion of government since LBJ, the largest increase in energy prices in any 8 year period in our history, along with a net loss of jobs over 8 years all while turning the largest surplus of all times into the largest deficit of all times and leaving office with the worst economy since the depressions.
Listening to you Republicans, one would think that on January 19, 2009 the country was in great shape with a massive surplus, record low unemployment, a booming economy, increasing wages -- everything was just outstanding. Then -- Obama took office on Jan 20, 2009 and everything immediately came crashing down.
Now -- how about a reality check? The nation was much closer to that ideal on January 19, 2001 when Clinton left office but on January 19, 2009 when Bush left office, we were on the verge of a depression.
Well , we learned something from all this mess ....
"Community Organizers" do not make good presidents ....
Less than mediocre doesn't cut it as president ....
We confirmed that there are TWO Republican Parties. The very Rich / Big Corporate Republicans / Romey and the Right Wing.. Bible bangers, NRA and racist Santorium Party.
i wonder when the Santorium ... Right Wing party of the Republicans figure out that there are TWO Republican parties and ONLY ONE AGENDA. The agenda is slash Social Security and Medicare to pay for the Tax evasion / no tax policy on the wealthy 1% and and Big Corporations! Some day the Santorium / Right Wingof the Republican party will figure out that abortion, gays and guns are always going to be part of America! The blue collar / NRA middle Class Republicans are going to be REAL PISSES OFF that the Wealthy Republican Party / Romney could care less about the Right Wing agenda. Then when the Santorium Party finds out that the Rich Republican Part just used their votes to loot the country / bankrupt the country / the middle class social security then these santoruium Republican Party will be really really pissed off! It will be too late by then.. The thieves will have looted our once fine country!!!
Jim, you are incorrect. Neither Santorium or Romney (or even Gingrich) are true Republicans any more then Obama is a true Democrat. The people both the party's are running are all representing foreign interests, not American interests.
Obama himself has told the American people many times throughout this term that he does NOT represent the USA, but is a representative for the UN, that the UN has "Supreme Authority" over the US military and over America and the Constitution.
The only one who actually is running on American values is Ron Paul, who is kept quiet about in mainstream media or ridiculed. They only print what their owners allow them to print, in the way they want it printed.
Yet Ron Paul, despite the media black out, draws 1000's to OVER 10,000 to his speeches, etc, has in every state he has spoken in. No one else running on either side (Dem or Repub) can do that without the media and the corporate/banking funding backing them; NOT Obama, Romney, Gingrich - none of them can do that.
So those of you who are on here and not "paid" to represent Obama and his interests and to track those who speak against him (the ones with the software that makes 1 account that act like 50 separate accounts that we the tax payer paid for) ought to go see for yourself exactly what Ron Paul is standing for. If you track his history, you will see he has always stood for the US Constitution and the American people.
As Dr. Paul says: "We are witnessing a failed system," Paul announced. Speaking of Wall Street executives, Paul stated, "There should have been a depression for them, not us."
Ron Paul denounces America's wars, the NDAA, the PATRIOT Act, the war on drugs, the bailouts and the 40,000 new laws that went into effect in this nation in January. "I'd like to be the first President to repeal 40,000 laws.
"It is time to bring our troops home from around the World. World War II is over." He points out that we are sending troops into war to "protect oil." "I want to end those wars, end them quickly."
Paul speaks about the use of troops to protect oil and pointed out that we have a foreign policy of perpetual war.
He also points out that the best way to save Social Security is to end wars that are being used to drain the Social Security fund.
Paul suggests a Golden Rule for foreign policy: Don't do unto other countries what you wouldn't want them to do unto you. He pointed out that if we were truly exceptional, then other nations would voluntarily emulate us and we wouldn't have to go to war with them to get that result.
"Under the guise of war, it is easier to undermine civil liberties at home." Ron Paul.
Paul, a firm believer in privacy rights, notes that we need to know what the government is doing, but they (the government officials) have no business knowing what we're doing. He states that the government is not supposed to be spying on us. Instead, it is supposed to protect our privacy
He blasts our leaders for the PATRIOT Act, the NDAA and other infringements on our liberties.
Paul also rebukes the mainstream press, noting "you didn't hear about the NDAA on the evening news."
"What happened to the rule of law?" Ron Paul asks.
Paul has been informing all Americans about the Department of Homeland Security placing purchase orders for half a billion rounds of ammunition. (Homeland Security has the job of monitoring us -- why the half a billion rounds of ammunition?)
and about Obama is planning to launch "nuclear" drones that will stay in the sky for months, he plans to have 30,000 drones flying over American skies.
On the issue of drugs, Dr. Paul points out that the most dangerous and most addictive drugs are prescription drugs.
He believes states have the right to make their own policies as the Constitution says.
ETC
”We, the people, are the rightful masters of both congress and the courts - not to overthrow the constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution” Abraham Lincoln
First Read - First, the race is not "officially" over. I think you need to look up what that word means. For intents and purposes, it is over, but it is certainly not "officially" over. Second, how did we learn from the primary that "Romney was always the GOP's best chance at defeating President Obama"? Finally, "a lack of money and organization can get you second place" makes no sense... you probably should have said "you can get second place even with a lack of money and organization." In short, what terrible asinine analysis.
Don, you hit the nail on the head.
What we've learned is Romney can't relate to the middle class and he doesn't know how to give a decent speech, he's always sweaty and nervous...he seems scared.... This is going to be fun to watch.
His audience always seems bored and they look embarrassed to be supporting him...check out his background crowd.
What color is the sky in your world?
Obama's false economy and massive record high debt and deficit ....
Is the biggest war on women , children and families ....
Since cave men ....
Obama out in 2012 ....
Below mediocre just doesn't cut it as president ....
They are talking about another credit downgrade now ....
Great ....
BBA, your opinions change like most GOP types. Are you sarah's child?
No ....
I knew Obama was all talk from the beginning ....
He never fooled me ....