Romney is living in a fantasy world if he thinks Hispanics are going to conveniently forget the GOP's anti-Latino immigration policies and if he believes women are going to be able to ignore the Republican Party's fiercely misogynistic political agendas. Furthermore, Independent voters are not going to be attracted to his dishonest, "reset-button" capmpaign philosophy, either. The only thing he said that is true is that FOX appeals to the "true believers" of the right wing lunatic fringe, but he is never going to see the American electorate embrace his and the GOP's hateful, selfish vision for our country.

President Obama by default in November! America is holding an election and the Republican Party isn't planning on showing up!

After stating he is the "true conservative" candidate 89,000 times during the debates, Romney now promises to eliminate loopholes for the wealthy and do incredibly wonderful things for Latinos. This is the same guy who "didn't make that much in speaker fees" at 375K per year. I don't buy his lame comment "I can't help it if I am a successful businessman." I don't care if Romney likes to live high, but he is just too much of a phony to be president.

Same old Romney message. Nothing new, all of these are Republican ideas. Here's my take: Romney wants to be president - so he can be president. That's it. He has no real policy approaches of his own. He has no real vision for America. He lacks the kind of broad societal vision that encompasses all or even most Americans. He also shows no depth of understanding global issues. Instead, like GW Bush, he is only looking at domestic changes he can make, ignoring the reality of the world and America's sworn enemies. This was a fatal flaw in Bush's presidency - the 9-11 attack threw him and his agenda for a loop and he never could get back on track (even though he finally had the support of Amercan public right after 9-11). That he doesn't seem as narrow-minded as Bush is because he has no ideology of his own - which is just as scary as one who does.

Hello, Elliot.

I wonder what the Republican Dream Act would look like?

I would like to see an expedited pathway to citizenship for educated people with a clean criminal record. Anyone who can bring something positive to the country should move to the head of the line. I know we are expected to take in the tired, hungry and weak, but we are chock full of that at the moment and need to shift gears into economic growth mode.

Consider these small pre-austerity measures needed to mitigate the possibility of a future social collapse when our productive members of society can no longer support the non productive members as well as the glutinous government.

Reality sucks, its time to get back to our roots of rugged individualism, anti-statism and entrepreneurship. You know, How we became the world superpower in record time, at least till Roosevelt downshifted in the 30's.

In a speech given on Jan. 4, 2012 Romney said that stay at home moms should go back to work to learn the dignity of working. Where is the outrage from the right about that? Is he saying that his wife lacks dignity since she chose to stay home and raise their kids?

• We see this misprint: Romney explained "The nice thing about lower rates is that small businesses not get to keep a larger share of what they're earning and plow it back in to hire more people and expand their business."

Elliot: Your version of a "GOP DREAM Act" would only allow those to emigrate who have no reason to emigrate. Even well-educated political dissenters likely have criminal records in their own country.

avaguant you sound like another idiot who is so blinded by a black man in the white house you can't think straight. I will say just one thing about the first two years of the President's administration. Hre spent those years trying to save this country from financial ruin and succeeded.

Here we go again. Every time you disagree with the president, you are a racist. And tell me, how has he succeeded? Throwing money at the economy only gets your country into debt.

Only? The fact is that it wont disallow anyone to immigrate, but will encourage People around the world to get educated and come here, or already educated people to come. Since globalization we have been competing with every country to attract the best and brightest, its time to try harder. Perhaps we need a more inviting corporate tax rate with more inviting regulations, rather than the worlds highest corporate tax rate and stringent regulations.

There are still many reasons for people from all over the world to want to come here.

Although education might be a crime in North Korea, it isn't in most of the world.

And for the record, US laws have nothing to do with other country's citizens "emigrating."

This entire article is based on some anonymous reporter sitting on the sidewalk. Please can msnbc.com find a way to be professional journalists rather than act like the paparazi who follow movie stars.

"I'm going to take a lot of departments in Washington, and agencies, and combine them. Some eliminate, but I'm probably not going to lay out just exactly which ones are going to go," Romney said.

Now I know this, and my resistance to release my taxes undercuts Republicans ability to attack President Obama’s lack of transparency, but you all know the president is only pretending not to take your guns away until after he is reelected.

Gov. Romney went further in engaging the so-called "war on moms" that followed in the media — upon which his campaign has been aggressively fundraising — calling it a "gift" that allowed his campaign to show contrast with Democrats in the general election's first week.

Now I know earlier in my campaign I said I wanted to get rid of welfare for single moms, even if they have a two-year old, because they need to learn the dignity of work. But this is consistent with what I’ve always believed, which is only rich women who stay home are working mothers.

Predicting that immigration would become a much larger issue in the fall campaign, Romney told his audience, "We have to get Hispanic voters to vote for our party," warning that recent polling showing Hispanics breaking in huge percentages for President Obama "spells doom for us."

So I plan several strategies. First is to try to divide minorities like Latinos from gays. Then make it look like we will offer the Dream Act that Democrats have pushed for “to give Hispanic voters a real choice between parties.” (WTF did he just say?) And most importantly, ensure the economy tanks so that immigration will be a forgotten issue.

He said his campaign had been well-covered by Fox News, but that Fox was watched by "the true believers," and that he knew he would have to reach out to a broader audience…

You know, the low-information voters who wouldn’t know a fact if it pinched them from behind, heheh, yuk, yuk, yuk.

vwterry -- Apparently poor mothers should work for minimum wage, while paying far more than they make on child care, which Romney said the government should pay for. How this is a good thing, maybe poor women are not good mothers so their kids should be raised in child care centers? This is mirrored in the tax code too. A married couple in which one spouse does not work gets a bigger tax break than married couples in which both spouses work.

It's idiotic right-wing social engineering. We have to get these morons out of government.

TruePatriot are you employed by msnbc because it's hard to believe that you actually believe anything this article is stating. This entire article is based on some anoyomus reporter sitting outside on the sidewalk. It's not even worth commenting on because is propaganda by msnbc.

Obama had two years to raise taxes on the rich without opposition, but he waited until now to mention it. Interesting timing on that issue. Makes you wonder why he waited until election year?

It's funny how the republicans seem to not take into account that they voted 100% partisan against any and everything the democrats tried to do for those first two years and along with them were five democrats that consistently voted along their own private party line with the republicans which completley negated the democrat majority. The only time these five false democrats voted with their own party was when the republicans forced the democrats to take out the public pay options of the healthcare bill and replacing it with the republicans version which was mandatory pay with fines and penalties. The republicans promised to vote with the democrats if they did this but decided to renege on that promise once the bill went to vote. This is the only time the republicans told their five democrats to actually vote with the democrats knowing fully well they would then use this as another way throwing the blame on everyone else but themselves in order to attract the blind people that did not remember the promises they made.

Never at any moment did the democrats ever have a real majority to pass anything. What needs to be done is these five conservatives in democrat clothing be ripped out of the democrat circle and tossed back with the bottom feeders where they belong and a super majority voted in this election year so we can sideline the hardcore and give the real republicans time to get their ship back in shape and get rid of these extremists that will simply destroy them.

that's exactly right Mike... if we could get the turncoats and most of the tea-baggers out of Congress, then we could see just what Pres. Obama is able to get done during his second term. And thanks to the lunatic fringe rightwing nutjobs who have taken over the Republican party...it's almost assured the President will get that second term

I find it amazing that y'all who don't plan to vote republican scream the loudest.

I think I should be the one screaming and others like me.

You have been screaming for the past three years. We heard your screams. You've been screaming the President is an illegal immigrant. You've been screaming the President is a muslim. You've been screaming the President is trying to take away gun rights. You've been screaming women belong in the kitchen and should be denied birth control. You've been screaming the immigrants are to blame for the nations unemployment rate. You've been screaming the elite should get even more tax breaks and deductions. You've been screaming the middle and lower classes should be paying more taxations to make up for the mess the middle and lower classes have driven this nation into. Heck, for awhile you guys even screamed you knew how to create back some of the many millions of jobs you helped to irradicate but in the end, even after the screams and promises, you never created a single job. What I do see your screams have done is simply sideline all the national issues and have not created a single thing to help undo the mess your party had the biggest hand in creating.

Romney explained. "The nice thing about lower rates is that small businesses not get to keep a larger share of what they're earning and plow it back in to hire more people and expand their business."

I don't know if this is a misprint or not. I do know Romney loves big business and likes to take apart the smaller acquisitions.

I wonder if anyone considered the misspeak of the woman (her name escapes me for now) about Mrs. Romney and her job as a mother. I wonder if she wasn't speaking of her having the help of nannies to raise her boys where women who would have liked to have been stay at home moms couldn't because many have to help bring in the bacon. I really do think that is making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Hey MSNBC, why the misleading headline? Why are you calling it a "closed-door fundraiser"? To make it sound secretive and making his comments seem somehow sinister? As if it's not meant for the public to know?

I'll give you an example of Obama's comments which he did not want the public to know about:

Obama: "This is my last election. After the election I'll have more flexibility..."

Medvedev of Russia: "I understand you. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."

Funny how MSNBC buried this story after two days! But imagine if Bush had made such treasonous comments about America's security, I bet MSNBC would be covering that day and night for weeks! They'd be accusing him of lying to the American people. Oh, wait a minute, they did!

Come to think about it, there's another story strangely missing from your "World" section. Why no reporting about the VERY IMPORTANT meeting between Iran and the P5+1??? What, no analysis at all about Barry's fabulous achievements in diplomacy? What, no commentary or in depth reporting about that incredible diplomatic savvy that Democrats said Barry would show in his international endeavors?

What? Nothing at all?

I guess the new "smarter" diplomacy is just too smart for MSNBC to report about it...

Duqu translated: 'Hey MSBC, Tell me what I want to hear, slanted the way I want it slanted!'

FYI: Closed door fundraiser means no press, no video, no recordings...

This article is a joke. Every president/presidential candidate has closed door fundraisers....this is nothing new. There is nothing to debate here. The only sad thing is that the "reporters" did what they do best...sneak around and lie.

I hate newspapermen. They come into camp and pick up their camp rumors and print them as facts. I regard them as spies, which, in truth, they are.

-William Tecumseh Sherman

Yes, goldcoast007. It's all a liberal media conspiracy. You don't sound paranoid at all. Shame on those "sneaky" journalists for sharing with the rest of the country what Romney actually said to a room full of supporters.

goldcoast - if Romney had nothing to hide why didn't he invite reporters in?

He has not appeared or spoke like the rest of any one running for an office in any other news outlet other than the ones he is sure will give him soft questions

Time to man up Willard you're running for president - come out of your soft cotton world and face some real interviews

Dear Ann Romney,

Here's a birthday gift to you, some beauty advice: a woman with your frame should not wear chunky jewelry. I'm sorry, those wide, gold bracelets and big beaded necklaces just make you look fat. And do you ever comb your hair? God knows you don't want to look loke Callista, with her unmoveable blonde 'do, but your hair is a mess. If you want to be blonde after 60, you need to weave some gray in, like Secretary of State Clinton, check her out. Honestly, you'd think a woman whose husband brings home 120 million dollars a year would look better.

PS You know nothing about real working moms and the challenges they face. You don't know what its like to care for an aging parent while trying to work. You've never tossed and turned, worrying about your student loan debt, or that of your children. You are George Bush in a skirt, born on 3rd base and thinking you hit a home run. Go back to your pottery classes, lady, Michelle Obama has the First Lady gig covered.

Im wondering how he is going to run for president without ever talking to anyone but Fox. Fox viewers are the most misinformed so I understand why he wants to spend all his time there, easier to lie to misinformed viewers than those that actually know the facts from news sources that dont lie to their audiences. However, he will only be speaking to those that will be voting for him anyway. I just dont get this guy, keep all his plans a secret until he becomes president, who would vote for someone like that? He just doesnt have any core values, anything he truely believes in. He changes opinions based on who he is talking to, who would really vote for this guy?

elliot-3020456

I would like to see an expedited pathway to citizenship for educated people with a clean criminal record.

Sounds good, but we are a country that CANNOT discriminate. Sooo, do you take only college degrees? Only high school grads? With a grade-point-average cut-off? This is why we're stuck. We're stuck because every "plan" put forth by the GOP, immigration or otherwise, is judgmental at best and nearly always aims at the least fortunate.

Consider these small pre-austerity measures needed to mitigate the possibility of a future social collapse when our productive members of society can no longer support the non productive members as well as the glutinous government.

Getting rid of the uneducated... pulling support for the poor... supporting the wealthy... on the backs of the middle class. Again, judgmental. When you exclude half of "our society" by either minimizing them or claiming they "drain" the other half, then your plan is not societal, it is discriminatory.

Glutinous government? Okay, we agree... but exactly how did we get here? I'll let you fumble with that answer for now.

Reality sucks, its time to get back to our roots of rugged individualism, anti-statism and entrepreneurship. You know, How we became the world superpower in record time, at least till Roosevelt downshifted in the 30's.

Rewriting history now? We became a "superpower" in our own minds until our excesses resulted directly in a worldwide depression. THE Depression. Is THAT what you call a Roosevelt "downshift"? It's the exact same inane tactic being used by the GOP on Obama today. Take us to our knees then blame the next guy.

Look. We know the GOP is going after "the next guy" because that's all they got... but it IS getting old. Very very tired and old.

I heard nothing about putting people back to work in the private sector ... nothing about how to actually attract the Latino voters ....

And when it comes to the soothing generic GOP attack on government ....

I think Perry had a better approach when he was going to eliminate ... let me see ... what three departments were they????

Same old, same old, same old, same old Republican solutions --- cut taxes for the rich and more deregulation. Republicans got their dream from 2001 to 2006 -- a Republican president and a Republican Congress. We all know what happened -- beginning in 2005 ---the worst economic crash since the depression. So now they want to try it again.

Insanity -- doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Run Forest run tell the village Romney has a plan run Forest

Sailcat... I urge you to use caution and rethink your assumptions. Consider the snake: this animal is a predator with no arms or legs and only two teeth to speak of. It looks like it should starve but it does quite well. It is very stealthy and sneaky. So is the GOP. The election in 2004 should have been an overwhelming blowout. It wasn't. Through outright lies and deceptions, the Rover managed to have his surrogates smear the reputation of a REAL war hero for a cowardly draft dodger. And then the coup de grace was having the CEO of Diebold make the statement " I will deliver Ohio for you". And between outright voter fraud by preventing blacks and Hispanics from voting and a little help from Diebold, Ohio was, in fact, delivered to Bushco and the election that should have been a rout was stolen. I will grant that Kerry and Gore were their own worst enemies. Obama is much smarter than them. But even as we speak, the repugnicans are working furiously nationwide on ways to disenfranchise and block voters whose demographic the thugs know will be against them. Make no mistake: this will be a fight. A snake may be without arms and legs but it is dangerous. I won't feel good about the 'pugs and TP until I see its head lying far from its body. You rarely see cancer, but it kills, nonetheless.

no joe,

And just what did Anne Romney's kids do without while she "struggled" with her cancer? I am positive that her children never had to worry about clothes to wear to school, or being annointed with plenty of enriching opportunities while they were growing up. I had to struggle to save enough money to let my kids play a single sport. I had to struggle to make sure that I could put food on the table. There are far too many mothers out there who have to worry about the fundamentals such as food, clothing, how they will pay for second rate medical care, all while maintaining a job to pay it. so spare us all the guilt trip, and take the equally mean fifth grade act somewhere else.

And for the record, Hillary Rosen said that Ann Romney doesn't understand the challenges of a working mother, BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT A WORKING MOTHER.

NOJO, no one plays the victim as well as a republican...and you.

When you have the money that the Romney's have, ALL things are possible, including the very best in healthcare, the very best and all you need in household help to make your pain and discomfort bearable. All the help in doing your laundry for five active boys, someone else to do the ironing, even someone to drive your children to their various activities that having a lot of money allows them to participate

I hope Ann Romney enjoys her birthday gift, she is no different than her husband, out of touch with all things ordinary folks encounter in their lives. She too thinks she is entitled and no one is, we all have to earn what we seek.

What did they have to worry about?

Losing their MOTHER.

That fundamental security was shaken in them. It's a terrible thing to be resoponsible for causing in your children.

I know- my son grew up with a mother with kidney disease- and I know what I did to mitigate his fears.

It is absolutely amazing to me that liberals so lack the ability to put themselves in other's shoes that they completely miss fundamental facts.

Then again, they only recognize victims. I suppose if Ann Romney stayed off the stage, nursing her illnesses, you'd have some sympathy. Because she chooses to own the disease, rather than have it own her, you can snipe.

Mostly because you despise those who have more character than you'd ever possess.

Closed door is right. He would close the doors on the Middle Class and the standard of living will dive for all but the elitists. His "plan" is to increase defense spending and decrease domestic spending---while lowering taxes, yet again. This guy sucks.

no joe,

Again, that's nothing that the working mom is also not dealing with, but she will not ever have to worry about paying for it all. She has LESS to worry about that MOST other people. How can you fail to see that which is so blatantly obvious? Is there some worry that Ann Romney has that another woman who is suffering with disease, working for a living, and raising children does not?

Mike 424. Interesting on how obama waited until mid 2010 to have any WH sitdowns with the minority congressional leaders. Apparently he and the congressional leaders saw no need to seek common ground with the right. Their attitude was more like "who gives a shlt about what the right thinks, we are only 1 vote short of doing anything we want!". Perhaps you need to read dale carnegies book on "How to win friends and influence people" then share it with obama.

Please do keep up with your obstructionist attitude and blame on the right rhetoric. When november comes all we need to remember is how many times obama wanted to kick the can past the 2012 general election rather than lead. To bad for the left obama hasn't delivered much hope and change.

@Amy I am appalled at your digs on Ann Romney. For all your "don't say bad things about the President and First Lady" you resort to name calling and derogatory remarks about her dress and weight? How childish.

No Jo,

Baloney. I've had Crohns Disease for 25 years. Always had to work outside the home AND Maintain a home. Have a co-worker in the next office. She has a chronic diease and maintains a home with 2 small children. Another co-worker-had radiation therapy in the morning, came to work immediately after, then went home to take care of an ailing mother. None of us had the luxury to stay at home. all three of us are single. None of us have nannies, cleaning help. I do hope for the best of health for Ann Romney, but she does Not speak for many, many women.

Say what you will about Ann Romney, I hold no ill will but you can't deny that having an enormous amount of money to help you get through life's struggles (which we all have) makes it much easier - simple as that.

Well Amy sure showed her claws this morning........ but who would have expected anything different.

Gingerbread, I doubt ann romney has any feelings on being entitled within the context that FR liberal/progressives think that she should be entitled.

More likely she is, as well as many other wealthy people are. thankful that they chose the risky path of wealth creation over just doing the minimum to get by. The main reason you seem to be jealous is that the wealthy spends their own money rather than the governments money. Yes, this does create quite a disconnect when it comes to being able to relate to other income groups.

At leat obama had it right in defending ann' s decision to be a stay at home mom, regardless of wealth.

....And it doesn't hurt that Ms Rommeny can get health insurance through her husband. I would love to start a business, but well, with a medical pre-condition, no individual insurance for me. same with changing jobs....90 day wait without any medicine. so I guess i'm stuck doing "the minimum to get by" as american says.

No Mitt...we shouldn't reduce the size of government. Government size should be increased. It should hire more people and give them more benefits and great retirements. Tax the rich to pay for it. If we don't do these things, how else will we collapse like Greece did?

It ticked me off to read Ann Romney chortling that comments about her stay at home mom status were an "early birthday gift."

I have no interest in this woman. She's nothing special. Last night I saw a clip of Mike Wallace interviewing Eleanor Roosevelt where she acknowledged people hated her. What do rightwingers hate Democratic First Ladies for? For making strides in civil rights, for caring about children and seniors, the environment, all those typical "liberal issues" rightwingers like to rant about. Why do I dislke Ann Romney? Because her hair is a mess and she has more money than taste. That is certainly shallow of me - about a shallow as she is.

How ignorant are those that feel all the riches in the world will take away disease or make dying and leaving loved ones behind better.

When Rosen spouted her infamous rant a few people neglected to catch the other word twisting that she did! She said that "Romney wanted to take money, via SNAP (formerly food stamps) away from the poor who need it to survive". What she neglected to tell you is that one of the funding mechanisms for ObamaCare is to take money from SNAP and dump it in to ObamaCare... But hey, don't let that get in the way of your Liberal self righteousness...

Every President for at least the last half century has said that he intends to downsize the federal bureaucracy, reorganize it, eliminate agencies and programs, etc. Every one has failed. HEW became HHS & DOE, GWB gave us DHS, Veterans Affairs, HUD, DOT, etc. Does Romney really think that the interest groups who benefit from these agencies and programs are going to sit on their hands while he messes about with the organization chart? Then there are the congressfolks who districts and states benefit from all that federal spending.

One of my favorite academic texts on DC begins with the line: "reorganization has become almost a religion in Washington, DC. " So now Romney wants to try his hand at it. good luck. Not going to happen.

american-2051576

Mike 424. Interesting on how obama waited until mid 2010 to have any WH sitdowns with the minority congressional leaders. Apparently he and the congressional leaders saw no need to seek common ground with the right. Their attitude was more like "who gives a shlt about what the right thinks, we are only 1 vote short of doing anything we want!".

There were two problems with the President during that time period. First being that he actually did waste precious time talking with them at all and in the end trying to appease them. All that was wrong with anything that went to the vote was the changes he made to the democratic bills with promises made from the right they would vote bipartrisan and then renege on their promises after the votes and blame the democrats for the trash they forced a bipartisan President to make in the bills. The second thing being that the President should have totally exposed the five traitor democrats that destroyed the majority we gave the democrats. The five that consistently voted with the republicans from day one and forced the bipartisanships that destroyed the best piece of legislation in 60 years when they forced the democrats to take the public options out of the healthcare bill and replace it with the republican sponsored mandatory pay with penalties and fines.

America, despite what the extremists want to believe have never given up hope. Our hope now is to get rid of not only the five democrat traitors but to also rid the republican party of their conservative extremists that have no brain left to play with as they broke theirs playing with them a very, very long time ago.

no joe, I am an Independent stay at home mom. I have several chronic health conditions (at least 2 of which are just as bad as MS and MS has not been completely ruled out) that have caused me to stop working. My plan in life was to work, have a child and keep working. I understand the GUILT of the ill mother and wife ... probably better than YOU do. My husband is a long-haul truck driver so I'm home ALONE with my child all day. I feel the guilt of not being a "good" mommy who can get down on the floor and play with my child because I'm in too much pain. I feel the guilt of having to rest so much just so I can make it through the day. I feel the guilt of not being able to keep my house picked up because I'm too tired and in too much pain. I will feel the guilt next year when I can't volunteer with my child's school because I can't predict what type of day I'll have until I wake up in the morning. But you know what? I don't consider myself the "victim" in this. I feel bad for my son and my husband. You see, I feel they got the short end of the deal because I'm so sick.

Ann Romney does NOT have the same type of guilt your wife had or I have. I don't think your wife even has the same type of guilt that I have since you were probably home at night during the week to help out and take pressure off. While I don't have the worry about dialysis that your wife had, I take a number of medications (all of which have side effects) every day. I get sick easily. I don't sleep well and studies have shown that not sleeping well leads to heart disease and heart attacks. Now, kidney disease is a big problem, but if your kidneys fail, you CAN be put on dialysis and put on the donor registries. If my heart fails, I can't be put on any machines to keep me alive (except maybe heart-lung machine in the hospital). I have a family history of heart issues and while my low blood pressure might give me a slight edge, it is erased by the poor sleep I get. My son is not yet old enough to understand the implications of my not sleeping ... just as your kids wouldn't have understood it when they were 5 ... but he WILL understand it later and be scared of losing his Mommy.

DO NOT tell me that all people who are not conservative play the victims. DO NOT tell me that Ann Romney understands the plight of those mothers who work outside the home or who don't have plenty of money to spend on specialists and experimental treatments. DO NOT tell me that Ann Romney cleaned her own house while her husband worked. Go change the page to Fox News and spew over there. You don't know what other people are going through.

Why does Mitt hate his father so much? It seems to me that everything his father once did to benefit his family Mitt rebels against. His father led the Department of Housing so Mitt will eliminate or consolidate it into an office so it's controlled by bureaucrats. His father was CEO of American Motors and Michigan Governor so Mitt states that he wouldn't have bailed out Detroit's Big 3 so Michigan would have suffered in general. Every decision Mitt has made in his politics seems to be against everything his father had done in the past.

LMarcT

Go read #1.15

I made no mention of discriminating, that's a straw man argument you are making and you know its wrong.

The rest of you disgust me. Do you really have a problem with someone who has more money than you? Would Ann Romney be more first lady material if she had collected cans and lived under an overpass? She never claimed to be poor, yet that's the angle you choose to attack her on. I don't hear people chastising the Obamas for not growing up in the projects and i don't hear you guys screaming about him being an Ivy League snob. I guess that leaves nothing but selective moral outrage, you are all fakes just looking for something to complain about.

From each according to their ability, to each according to their need? dose that sound "fair" to you?

Nobody should have more than their neighbor and if they do they should be stripped down to a fair level by the government?

Its time you guys take a look in the mirror and see just how far left you have become, you cant see the forest through the trees. Some of you would be shocked that you are endorsing socialism and even communism ( http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/14/11193302-swastika-on-the-ballot-american-nazi-party-gets-its-first-lobbyist?lite ).

Even Chris Matthews isn't so far over there he gets lost. He wrote a good book about American exceptionalism called American, read it. http://www.amazon.com/American-Beyond-Our-Grandest-Notions/dp/sitb-next/B00009V2NO

To those who keep saying Ann had to raise her kids the while battling MS, you need to know that her youngest was 14 years old and her oldest was 24 years old. Hardly the toddlers you all want to portray.

The breast cancer was found in 2008.

Although both are serious and unfortunate, the right trying to fan the flames with constant reference to these is shameless.

Mitt said that all mothers should get out of the house and "learn the dignity of working and having a job" even with kids as young as 2 years old. Where is your outrage? This man said by extension that mothers that choose to stay home and raise kids have no dignity. Why is that okay with you people?

I do have to wonder... do politicians have to pay a copay on their mandatory taxpayer supplied health insurances that cover not only them but their immediate family members? Does this insurance cease once they are out of the political arena? I'm just wondering how much out of pocket expenses the Romney's actual do pay themselves and not toss on the backs of the taxpayers...

Elliot 3020456....The idea of giving those illegals who are in the country today the chance to become citizens in my opinion is wrong..Reason is there are thousands who try to go through the legal system and get turned down...so why should all the illegals be given priority over those who go through the system...I could care less if a Dem or Rep proposes such a thing...it is wrong. Those who came to this country illegally are law breakers, not saying criminals, but law breakers just the same..Two wrongs do not make a right.

Stan, you are talking amnesty, I am not.

Like i stated before, if you want citizenship you should have something to bring to the country other than a need for government assistance.

vwterryIn a speech given on Jan. 4, 2012 Romney said that stay at home moms should go back to work to learn the dignity of working. Where is the outrage from the right about that? Is he saying that his wife lacks dignity since she chose to stay home and raise their kids?

He was referring to women who are on welfare. And not women who have recently fallen onto hard times, like being layed off of work, medical issues and having to make ends meet by going on food stamps or welfare until they get back on their feet. No he was referring to those unwedded mothers who have been on welfare since they popped out their first kid at 15 or 16 and continued to pop them out because their check gets higher with each one. I say make these women go back to work, supply paid daycare for them and maybe they would keep their legs crossed and give the children they have a decent life. Not to mention teach the next generation, their children, that welfare isn't the way.

Our government is so obese that it is obscene...I would welcome anyone who is capable of liposuctioning off the wasted fat materials, so that the money being spent actually gets to the people who need to benefit from the programs. Every separate department duplicates record keeping and requires staffing, facilities...and many things do overlap with one another and shouldn't require their own special interest offices. It is only one of the many things that need to be looked at to get our government back in line and cut the spending madness.

I watched the speech and he did say women on assistance, and he never qualified which mothers or how they ended up on assistance. More importantly, isn't that a very elitist attitude to say that women with husbands who make enough money to support the household on 1 income do not need to work to gain the "dignity" earned through working outside the home? The issue the right has created was wrapped around the statement, taken out of context, that Ann has never worked a day in her life and the response that raising kids is a job.

All the rest of your post concern socioeconomic issues that have been debated for years and are still a work in progress.

"I say make these women go back to work, supply paid daycare for them and maybe they would keep their legs crossed and give the children they have a decent life." Who would be responsible for the money needed to pay for childcare, you? What sense does it make to pay for childcare that costs more than their wages?

Reality sucks, its time to get back to our roots of rugged individualism, anti-statism and entrepreneurship. You know, How we became the world superpower in record time, at least till Roosevelt downshifted in the 30's.

In case you were sleeping in history class, we weren't a superpower until after World War II. We were a major power before the Depression (economic and political), but we still had to contend with Britain, France, and Russia. After World War II, we became a superpower along with Russia, and then became the only superpower after the Cold War.

And in case you didn't notice, the time before the Progressive Era was one where everyone was full of prosperity, but the working class was trampled on. Before we had Progressive leaders, we had no such things as minimum wage, unions, or safe working conditions. In fact, we had children working in industrial and textile factories until the early 20th century. And before Roosevelt, we were struggling under the burden that is now called the GREAT DEPRESSION. Roosevelt's New Deal, along with the expansion of the federal government and World War II, helped propel us to superpower status. Our schools were the best not because they were under the control of the state or local governments but because we invested billions of dollars and had the best people (young women) as teachers. Now women don't teach as much because they cannot afford it. The Progressive Era helped America evolve from its isolationist and every-man-for-himself state into a collective nation where we helped our neighbors and countrymen and worked not only for personal benefit but for the common good. If you want to go back to the Wild West, fine by me. But don't drag me and my country back with you.

Its time you guys take a look in the mirror and see just how far left you have become, you cant see the forest through the trees. Some of you would be shocked that you are endorsing socialism and even communism

Yeah, asking the wealthiest Americans to pay just a little more in taxes is socialist??? Socialism and communism states that there shouldn't be any wealthy people; that we should all make the same amount. We don't advocate that; at least I don't. We liberals simply seek that every man (or woman) should give according to what they make. Simply put, the more wealthy you are, the more in proportion to what you earn you ought to pay in taxes. What used to be far left (at least according to the GOP) was the Democratic Party of the 1950s and 60s, where we often advocated for strong safety nets, environmental regulations (which back then was bipartisan) and the like. The modern Democratic Party is a bit more moderate, still advocating things like that but we now consist of a largely moderate party. Essentially, we think the wealthy should pay more because they have more power (i.e. money=power).

I would like to see an expedited pathway to citizenship for educated people with a clean criminal record. Anyone who can bring something positive to the country should move to the head of the line. I know we are expected to take in the tired, hungry and weak, but we are chock full of that at the moment and need to shift gears into economic growth mode.

I agree with you on this. I do think we should allow educated people who are not criminals to come here. Yet I don't think we should limit it to only the educated. Many people who are uneducated are pretty talented, and what we in America could do is take people, ask them if they'd be willing to serve for America (military, Peace Corps, internship), or be willing to work here in America on a temporary license. After a small period of time, we check their record, and if it is mostly positive we allow them and their immediate family to come and settle here in America.

Consider these small pre-austerity measures needed to mitigate the possibility of a future social collapse when our productive members of society can no longer support the non productive members as well as the glutinous government.

Are you saying that half of America is lazy??? Granted, about 47% of people don't pay taxes (some are poor, some are retirees, some were given tax breaks under the recovery act, etc), but that doesn't mean that they are unproductive. They pay other taxes, like payroll and such, and most work hard. At least 85% of the country works full-time, and all their labor goes to benefit the economy. I highly doubt that the hard work of 85% of the nation will eventually collapse because the other 15% aren't working (and at least two-thirds of them want to work). Do you????

Obama Biden 2012

Romney does not have a viable nor fair economic plan for America.

His economic "platform" is confusing, misleading, non-productive and contradicting.

One possibility floated by Romney included the elimination of the Department of Housing and Urban Development,

Translation: Romney does not have a problem with using our government to eliminate housing subsidies for the middle class and the poor. It will not bother his conscience to throw the less fortunate onto the streets of America. We should not revisit the 1930's and see "shantytowns" spread across this land.

"I'm going to take a lot of departments in Washington, and agencies, and combine them. Some eliminate, but I'm probably not going to lay out just exactly which ones are going to go,

"Translation: The federal departments such as the dept of environment and the Department of Agriculture that ensures the health and safety of the people, but which the Republicans scorn, will be "merged" into larger agencies. Such "nuance" agencies as the EPA and DOA will be given little operating money. Thus they will become ineffective bureaus to protect the people. However, if [I] Romney tell the American people now which agencies I will eliminate, millions of voters will not vote for me and I will not get elected.

Asked about the fate of the Department of Education in a potential Romney administration, the former governor suggested it would also face a dramatic restructuring.

Translation: Romney will "downsize" the Department of Education so that it will no longer be a useful tool for structuring public education. The wealthy can afford extremely costly tuition fees at "selective" and swank private schools. Money can buy excellent curriculums. The rich do not need the Department of Education.

Romney said, explaining that part of his reasoning behind preserving the agency was to maintain a federal role in pushing back against teachers' unions.

The Department of Education exists so to ensure that America's youth will have at least minimum levels of learning and desirably globally competitve. Yet, this corporate king, sees this bureau only as a tool to eliminate the bargaining power of teachers. Most teachers are middle class and many have economic struggles. Our teachers should be competitively paid and have great job benefits.

Mrs. Romney acknowledged Republicans' deficit at present with female voters, and urged the women in attendance to talk to their friends, particularly about the economy.

Ann Romney is the wife of this former liberal governor of Massachusetts.

The Romneys should understand that if women do not have access to contraception, the choice to plan their family size, nor in an ectopic pregnancy, the right to save their own lives, their first concern will be about the GOP's goal to stop them from having control over their own bodies.

Romney went further in engaging the so-called "war on moms"

Mitt insisted that the mother of a 2 year old, should be sent to work.

He engaged in a "war on moms."

Romney also went into greater detail than he has on the campaign trail in describing how he would maintain the progressive structure in the tax code after implementing his 20 percent across-the-board tax cut.

The above plan would disproportionately benefit the wealthy.

Even without the 15% capital gains rate, an income tax earner making 1 million a year, would gain in a tax reduction conservatively maybe $40,000. An income tax earner making $75,000 would gain possibly only $3,000.

Romney identified specific loopholes and deductions for the wealthy that he would eliminate

Even if Mitt is telling the truth about closing loopholes for the rich, the 20% reduction that the wealthy would gain from a tax reduction, would offset the closing of such loopholes.

"I'm going to probably eliminate for high income people the second home mortgage deduction,"

If Romney actually achieves this, there is a good chance that he will give the wealthy "wiggle room" to get around such a law. The wealthy would probably continue to receive mortgage deductions for their 2nd home.

Romney does not have a clue about how to lead America...out of the economic turmoil that the GOP has put this country in, nor does he have a sensible plan to guide this country forward.

This candidate is best at being a phony.

Okay, here's my two cents, which is probably only worth about 1.3 but whatever.

Ann Romney - she got out there, she decided she could handle the fire. Now, it's backfiring. Yes, it's a tragedy that she has MS and had breast cancer. What is not a tragedy is that she has the best medical care available, because she has money. And she is fair game. She made the decision to wander onto the stage. If she had talked about her illness and linked it to health care, fine. But she chose to make a statement (or Mittens chose to make one for her) that she understands the plight of working women and that should count for something. Truth, she doesn't. She doesn't understand what it's like to be working for a living, because her husband brings in all the dough. She raises five kids, congratulations. Good job, assuming they turn out well. But she did it with advantages that working people don't generally have. Like millions of dollars. And yes, money does make these things easier. So, in short, she's fair game because she put herself out there, not because somebody dug up dirt on her to smear her husband.

It's like what people said about Michael Moore doing his interview with NRA leader Charlton Heston. They said it was horrible because Heston has alzheimer's disease. As a kid who watched his grandfather die of that disease, I know what it's like. It's rather horrible, indeed. However, Heston, knowing his disease and how it affected him, still chose to say stupid things on a public stage. We can't go around giving special treatment for bad ideas just because they come from people with disabilities or diseases. And those people should be made to defend those ideas, or be called out on it if they don't. You don't get a free pass in this country. We have no royalty.

I agree going after families is sick. The right wing does it a lot, the left seems less eager, particularly with Obama in charge. I remember what the right wing did to Chelsea Clinton years ago, a 13 year old girl. I remember what the left did with the Bush girls (though much of it was their own fault, admittedly breaking the law). You can still see what the right is doing to the Obama girls, though they've tempered it somewhat, and that's a good thing. But, when those family members put themselves on the stage, they should expect to see some backlash. Not like what Michelle Obama has put up with, because most of that is well off-topic. I mean, talking @!$%# about her dress, or hair, or facial expressions? While she's trying to set up activities for disadvantaged kids? That's low. If you questioned the way she was doing it, or complained that she was discriminating, that's another thing.

But, I guess that's politics.

Did you know a military grade satellite-under cover of FBI investigations-destroys citizens by manipulating their health without the target even knowing and sometimes using the same program the FBI can use a series of perfectly synchronized investigative pretexts to derail the target from employment, relationships, friends, ect also usually without the target ever knowing it where war time powers are concealed within the safety of national security investigations...

If that statement were to be true, what do you think the public's reaction to it should be?

There is no question Etch-A-Sketch is heading to a resounding failure in November. The only question is by what margin. Your delusions are not shared by the majority of American voters, however.

Not going to be running us over. No way Jose!

• And once Romney wins, NBC,ABC & CBS along with PBS and Comedy Central will be "Restructured or eliminated"!

That's what big government in a police state that Obama is currently creating would do. Don't you even see what their political views are? It's like saying if the Democrats win, then abortions are going to be illegal.

@ Iowa: It seems your interpetation of government is very different from the rest of the country. The only things that are going to be run over are the conservative ideals in our government.

@Avaguat

Except that abortion was made legal under an Republican administration. The s.h.i.t. that spews from your crop duster of a mind makes zero sense--zilch.

Typical sleight of hand from the Mittronic Rombot. Once you consolidate agencies, the consolidated then have their budget line erased from the new agency they were absorbed by.

So, he's not eliminating them until, of course, he eliminates them.

Just like they taught him at Bain.

avaguat - a police state - the only fascists in this country are on the supreme cout and in the republican state legislature. What a warped mind you have.

Iowa, just who do you think has been trying to get the fairness doctrine passed, THE DEMOCRATS.

They are the ones looking to control the media. They already have their tentacles all over MSNBC, Media Matters, ABC, CNN, NBC, PBS, NPR, and every other one in attendance in the white house private press grooming meetings.

Except that abortion was made legal under an Republican administration. The s.h.i.t. that spews from your crop duster of a mind makes zero sense--zilch

Because political parties don't influence what occurs in the courts. Something this president is working to change, in light of the Obama-Care dispute.

avaguant you sound like another idiot who is so blinded by a black man in the white house you can't think straight. I will say just one thing about the first two years of the President's administration. Hre spent those years trying to save this country from financial ruin and succeeded.

You are only as correct as your ability to prove it. Enough said.

Thanks for the insults too! It makes me feel even more mature despite my young age.

Avaguat,

Please remember that while Obama did have the majority in both houses to work towards his advantage, it was not a super majority needed to pass a filibuster (which was used often). The only reason the Healthcare bill passed was because of the procedure used to push it through the threat of a filibuster. A majority isn't a sure thing. Both sides will play dirty when given the chance. Please do a little research or think back further before spouting inaccuracies. It helps with your credibility.

Actually, Kyle, the dems had the power to do whatever they wanted and simply failed. The Senate rules can be changed at any time with a simple majority. Reid controlled 58 or 59 votes. All he had to do was change the threshold required to break a filibuster to 55 or 51 votes. It hasn't always been 60,btw. You may recall that Bill Frist repeatedly threatened that very thing. That is what Reid should have done. Power is no good unless you 1) know how to use it and 2) are willing to use it. My take on 2010 is not that Obama's ideas were rejected. It is that voters were frustrated with dems having a tollbox full of tools and not using them.

Phenominal...

The only things that are going to be run over are the conservative ideals in our government.

Cool, two rating agencies have already downgraded our credit rating, nice to see that more agencies will do the same if we continue the spending ways of the left. To think that even obamas "trickle down" economics will be even less effective than reagans.

BTW - To date our saving graces have been that our treasuries are looked on as safer than other countries (even with such low yields), that the US dollar is still considered as the worlds reserve currency and that foreign nationals are more than willing to spend the money to educate themeselves or their kids at our university and graduate programs. The fact that they are doing it mainly in the areas of math and sciences tells me they want to grow their own countries economic pie.

At least businesses have stopped waiting for obama and company to start delivering on "hope and change". Interesting on how the DC gridlock has shown us that business can grow without increased government meddling.

Thanks American!- These threads usually show just how little most people understand what is happening economically. If the european debt crisis wasn't occuring we would be SCREWED. Massive inflation is coming, Europe is simply buying us time and making our situation look better than it is for now.

You better hope not! Oh, wait a mintue. Maybe you are one of those "hard working" rich people who pooled their money with bain capital so mitt and the boys could take over companies with cash, suck the cash out, and close down the companies.

It's minute, not mintue. I'm a middleclass citizen of the USA. Romney is the best choice for the us. I know for a fact that Pennsylvania is going to vote Republican this year.

Random pennsylvanian--oh, you are "middle class." This means, what, that you make less money than Warren Buffet and more than the person with the food stamps at WalMart?

The term "middle class" is an extremely flexible one--I knew one fellow whose household income exceeded $125K a year who claimed to be "middle class." I know of other people who would agree with him--poor thing. He only took two vacations to the Carribbean that year.

Romney would be about as helpful to the "middle class" as Bush was--that is, not at all. The GOP are very good at fooling the affluent "middle class" voters into thinking that they will do something for them--and then mostly doing things for the wealthy. "Middle class" people who are actually quite affluent like the things that are done for the wealthy because they aspire to be wealthy and aspire to those same benefits.

Actual middle class people might be foolish enough to buy some of the story that Romney is selling--but trying to portray Ann Romney as a typical stay-at-home mom is a bit like selling Mitt as a responsible dog owner. I'm sure she's a lovely lady, and she's very likeable, but she is a woman with an excellent education, a wealthy husband, and stayed home to take care of her children as well as doing a bunch of other things that her husband's wealth allowed. There was no penny-pinching so that she could stay at home.

Ann Romney doesn't know anything about the struggles of women in the workplace--only about 5 million women are able to be stay-at-home moms. It is a sign of her family's wealth that she was able to do so. And, it is completely accurate to say that she cannot talk about the difficulties that the vast majority of other women have faced. Why is a perfectly accurate statement suddenly being marketed as an insult? Can Ann Romney--who never worked a day in her highly privileged, country-club life--speak for the majority of women who have to work but would much rather have stayed at home? I'd like to know how that would work. Badly, is about all I figure.

Wow, able to predict the future. Is that because you keep your women barefoot and pregnant or do you chain them to the bed to prevent them from voting...

How about not GOP 2012!

Random: "I know for a fact that Pennsylvania is going to vote Republican this year."

How do you know for a fact? Is it rigged? Has Pennsyvania been Florida-fied?

" able to predict the future. Is that because you keep your women barefoot and pregnant or do you chain them to the bed to prevent them from voting"

What? That's one of the most idiotic statements I've ever heard. Pennsylvania is voting RED this year because the "swing" counties are already leaning Republican. Incase you have not noticed, a lot of women from Pennsylvania vote Republican.

Random Pennsylvanian:

Didn't your (rep) governor in referencing vaginal probes say woman should just sit back and enjoy it?

Any woman in Pennsylvania who votes Republican is not paying attention

And didn't your (rep) governor allow the "stand your ground" law that former Gov Rendell vetoed to go thru?

And doesn't your republican gov and your soon to be candidate Mr Romney support defunding Planned Parenthood?

And your rep gov and Mr. Romney do not support equal pay for woman?

Do you have children? Do you care about their rights? I hope if you do - you have sons because your daughters are going to be out of luck if you are right about PA

I laugh about the so called republican FREEDOM agency - you can do anything you want except if you're a woman you have no control over your own body

Don't you think the women of this country are smarter than sound bites?

And by the way - you guy Mr Romney in January said that woman on welfare cannot stay home but need to work to get benefits - so it is cool to be a stay at home mom ONLY if you can afford it?

There but for the grace of god-

You can fool some of the people all the time. Random is is just one is just one of those stupid people who believe that mitt and ann really care about them.

That's funny... I'm from PA and I feel it's going Blue this year....

Well, Ann got one gift! Fake witch!

Obama 2012!

This is for Random Pennsylvania who I think touts a picture of Hillary Clinton

Ann Romney’s Life

She went to the private Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills,^[9]
which was the sister school to the all-boys Cranbrook School that he attended.^[9Immediately
after Romney's return from France in December 1968, the pair reconnected and
agreed to get married as soon as possible.^[12]
Ann Davies and Mitt Romney were married by a church elder in a civil ceremony on March
21, 1969, at her Bloomfield Hills home, with a reception afterwards at a local country club

The following day the couple flew to Utah for a wedding
ceremony inside the Salt Lake Temple; her family could not attend
since they were non-Mormons, but were present at a subsequent wedding breakfast
held for them across the street.^[4][14]

The couple's first son was born in 1970^[12]
while both were undergraduates at Brigham Young,^[15]
living in a $75-a-month basement apartment,^[16]
which Mitt had transferred to based upon her request.^[After he graduated, the couple moved to Boston and rented a house in a posh neighborhood so that he could attend Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School. Slowed down by parenthood,
she later finished her undergraduate work by gaining a semester and half's
worth of credits via taking night courses at Harvard University Extension School,^[15]
from which she graduated in 1975^[1]
with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree with a
concentration in French language.^[17]t

She has received recognition in dressage as an
adult amateur at the national level,^[18]
including earning her 2006 Gold Medal^[23]
and 2005 Silver Medal at the Grand Prix level from the United States Dressage Federation.^[17]
She also sometimes competes in professional dressage events and has broken the
60% level at Grand Prix.

Romney works with California trainer Jan Ebling,^[24]
who schools her and her horses in dressage and works with her importing new
stock from Europe. The pair qualified for the Pan-Am games in 2004. By 2011,
the horses she owned in California were valued at more than $250,000.^[25]

And Pennsylvania - one horse is worth $250,000 not a stable full - I know my son evented - cross country- stadium jumping and dressage

I had a horse farm in Virginia - 30 years ago a push button pony costs $5,000

Now while Ann Romney was raising her fine boys whom never had to worry about student loans - I had three children in college - worrying about student loans

And Pennsylvania, did you ever buy a cook book 100 and One Ways to cook hamburger?

No - then you must be one of the elite - because feeding a family of four and working and going to school is not fun

Finally find another Avatar - you don't deserve Hillary Clinton's face - she worked her entire life

I don't know what part of Pennsylvania you live in but where I live the people are suffering from loss of good paying jobs, replaced with min wage, no health care jobs that are making the "small" business owner wealthy on the backs of their employees. These are uneducated people who don't seem to know the difference between a party that wants to help them live a better life and a party that wants to take any and all assistance away from them. They seem to think that they shouldn't and don't deserve better. The Ryan budget proposes this very content and the President was exactly right when he referred to this budget as Darwinism. All the while our governor continues to cut education. You know when people are uneducated their offspring become uneducated as well. I mean how can you learn from someone who is illiterate? It just passes down from generation to generation. Haven't the Koreans just lowered its height for their army? This is because they have stunted their growth (literally) from lack of nutrition and it is now playing out in the newer generations. Same with education. Illiterates create illiterates.

very good posts, Barbara and Janet...kudos

Still to early to call, but the polling to date for PA has been Obama:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/pa/pennsylvania_romney_vs_obama-1891.html

Obviously, no new poll listed since Santorum dropped and thus the race there is likely to tighten up as the Republican message gets "firmed" up, but I don't think anyone could reasonably say with any certainty today that PA is going Romney.

Hey libs! spout a few of baracks great ideas that you keep comparing Mitts ideas too. (that was sarcasim because you don't actually compare anything, most likely because you can't name any barack ideas.) Now keep in mind not a single democrat voted for either of his last two budget proposals, also keep in mind that if taxes went up to 80% on those bad old rich people it would generate much less than 100 billion in revenue. Considering we have 14+ trillion in debt???? Can you do the math? I don't think you can. How about investing in "clean" energy? Umm, that's spending more on something that is rapidly proving un-profitable and it will not generate positive results for decades so that helps how?

You guys are giant hypocrites. "Mitts just a rich guy and more of the same old same old? No, your president just spewing the same "destroy the bad rich people" is the same old same old. Funny how what you say is the "Same old" just happens to be the only political philosophy that has built jobs, prosperity, and yes that bad word "wealth", in this country. The economic timeline and the philosophies that were implemented during those times are proof positive.

When it comes to wealth isn't that what this is really about? Everyone in this country or who comes to this country wants to strive to become wealthy by their own definition. Let's keep barack in office so the government will stand in the way, regulate the business world to death, destroy the dream of prosperity by destroying the reality of private sector prosperity and dividing this country into a ruling class of elitists and a poverty stricken labor force. That's your president...1979 USSR mentality, you're right...he's the man for the job.

By the way, I go back to my opening question; name of few of baracks great ideas that will turn this country around. It's been three and a half years, nothing yet...yeah lets give it another four.

Duffy, I suggest that you review what private equities do, both in terms of successes as well as failures. You make the erroneous assumption that their sole purpose is to liquidate all assets and leave.

Barbara, Janet...and now Thomas (for being a sheep),

Barbara; you're bitter. Sounds like you hate your parents for not providing you with wealth. You must really hate your life and wish to trade places with someone that has money. You also sound like a stalker and Ann Romney should possibly notify her security about your obsession with her financial past. What's my point? My point is; what's you're point? So what, they've got money...they've demonstrated that they are capable of achieving the American dream to the 10th power. When did that become a crime? Oh I know, when the modern day liberals and the likes of barack brainwashed a third of this country into thinking that building wealth is an evil thing. JFK is turning in his grave.

Janet

What an ignorant statement; "making the "small" business owner wealthy on the backs of their employees" WOW, that's just amazingly pathetic. You seem to be putting yourself on some sort of education pedestal but that single line makes you look as down right dumb as I've seen on these posts. Yeah I think you're on to something here. Let's punish those horrible, mean, small business owners for making all that money on the backs of their employees. Damn, this statement is so ridiculous I don't where to start so I'm not even going to bother trying to educate you on just how absurd and wrong your thought process is.

You think, as most liberals do, that you are somehow more intellectual than your average conservative. You insinuated and blatantly accused, multiple times in your post that conservatives are somehow uneducated. Yet you, by your insinuations, are so brilliant that we should marvel at the enormity of your "education". Well, in my experience some of the most inept and quite frankly, ignorant people I've encountered have had a great deal of "education" yet when it comes down to it are still, how should I put it? Well...dumb as a stump. By your uniformed statements I'm placing you in that category.

I'll also give you a little challenge, you know, to stimulate your over-powering education level and intellect. I challenge you to open up a debate with me on any of these current topics. You know, point-counter point. I want you to show the MSNBC world just how superior you are to us ignorant conservatives. This should be a walk in the park for you so I'll be standing by if you care to play along.

Rightwingwac...

The FR left can't answer you. Most of what obama proposes has either been kicked down the road until after the 2012 general election or has been crafted in political rhetoric of "fair", "balanced" or "affordable". We all know that rhetoric without a doable plan is still just rhetoric. Rhetoric by a wannabee is one thing, not so much for an incumbent.

If the middle class and poor were to have a "fair and balanced" approach in income taxes then either to wealthy taxes need to be reduced or the middle class and poors increased so that they matched the dollars contributed to the treasury by the wealthy.

Janet...

You know when people are uneducated their offspring become uneducated as well. I mean how can you learn from someone who is illiterate? It just passes down from generation to generation.

How inane... but it does reflect so well on how many FR lefties think. To think that my dad grew up in Germany during the teens and 20's and came to America being an illiterate in english. Guess he and his brothers were the exception to the rule, right? Oh no, what about all the other illiterates who also immigrated to America?

Janet, just a side note on small business owners...

80% of startups fail in the first 18 months. Google it or start watching the financial and economic news agencies to verify.

In the 70's a friend of mine had an electrical contracting business. He may have owned the business, but he still had to pay competitive wages. He never did become wealthy by paying those wages. In the 90's I ran a small wholesale/retail business. Between very competitive prices for "made in the USA" products, government paperwork, and increasing costs, I lost interest + $$$ in the endeavor and bailed out even as a full time, then part time owner over 13 years. Tell us again on how we all got wealthy?

All I know is that even not being from Pennsylvania....I consider myself middle class (well at least for this particular minute) as my hold on that distinction is tenuous. Our family has never managed to earn more than 70K per year and that is with both of us working full time and part time jobs....Now, my husband suffered illness, was cut by his company, found another job, but was cut again, because that company's business declined instead of increased. Each and every time, he has accepted jobs at lower pay in order to work at all, and our family assets are completely gone, savings, investments, retirement....house value is less than half and as a result the mortgage is under water. We can't sell. We can't refinance. We can't fish or cut bait, and this entire downward spiral has occurred over the past three years....At the beginning of Obama's presidency , we both had jobs and we weren't wealthy, but we were OK....Since then, not only are we down to one job in the household, but effectively, my income has declined-no raises (cost of living or otherwise), increased costs for healthcare coverage with lesser and lesser healthcare benefit, so higher co-payments and deductibles....increased taxes on income, increased property taxes, increased prices on every commodity.....And you are going to try to tell me that Obama and his wife care about me or my family?????? Get real.

in mind not a single democrat voted for either of his last two budget proposals, also keep in mind that if taxes went up to 80% on those bad old rich people it would generate much less than 100 billion in revenue.

Tell me, where is the proof that if taxes went up to 80% on the wealthy that it would generate less than $100 billion in revenue????

If the middle class and poor were to have a "fair and balanced" approach in income taxes then either to wealthy taxes need to be reduced or the middle class and poors increased so that they matched the dollars contributed to the treasury by the wealthy.

Not really. Most Americans are in favor of a progressive tax system. In order to reform the tax code to make it "fair and balanced," we must simply find the mathematical proportion that will enable the wealthy to pay the same amount of money (figuratively) as the middle class. Essentially speaking, 10% from a person who makes $100,000 is much more to them than 10% from someone who makes $1 million. If we were to be fair, and maintain our current 6-bracket income tax system, I would say that we slap an extra 5-7% as we go up. Essentially, if the lowest bracket is 12%, then the next is maybe 18%, then the next is 24%, and so on. As for capital gains, a 24% rate (minimum effective rate is 21%) with several deductions would suffice. That, in my opinion, would be fair.

Personally, I wish if someone would add a VAT or some other sort of consumption tax in order to encourage savings. We need to boost our savings rate in order to compete with Japan and China, who pour a lot more of their earnings into bank accounts then we do.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

Funny how what you say is the "Same old" just happens to be the only political philosophy that has built jobs, prosperity, and yes that bad word "wealth", in this country. The economic timeline and the philosophies that were implemented during those times are proof positive.

Not really. America prospered for decades before we adopted the idea of supply-side economics. In fact, our longest period of continuous economic prosperity was during the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, the economy boomed while tax rates for the wealthy stood at a whopping 90% (obviously the wealthy paid less, somewhere in the range of 40-50%, but that is still higher than now). And we still followed Keynesian economics and had a large government. Essentially, supply-side economics came in when economists thought that the wealthy could generate prosperity by spending money (as they had a lot of it) on products, which would benefit middle class manufacturers who would spend and benefit those below them economically. It isn't a bad idea on paper, but one must look at the behavior of each class. The members of the upper class spend money, but they tend to use more for investments and savings. Even with their massive budgets for spending, they tend to support the small luxury industry, and frankly there isn't enough wealthy people to sustain the entire economy. The best way to utilize tax cuts is to aim them at small businesses and middle class families, who make up the bulk of the economy and of consumers. Tax breaks for big corporations should be specifically targeted at things like R&D, purchasing American-made materials and machinery, and hiring Americans and manufacturing products or offering services in America. As for the upper class, tax breaks for them (which I think shouldn't be given as they have enough) should focus exclusively on investment. And they should also be specific. Give them a tax break that will incentivize investing in American companies that are expanding business domestically, for example, or who will invest in start-ups and provide capital for growing businesses in the US. This would be a great formula for tax breaks; the richer or bigger the beneficiaries, the more specifically targeted they are. That is a great formula for growth and revenues.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

For those people who keep whinning that we lost jobs to other countries due too high taxes and regulations, wake up. First of all, companies moved most factories to China in pursuit of their potential 1.3 billion new customers. Guess people aren't reading industry and finance magazines or just watching CNBC where US CEOs state this fact all the time. Second, Ireland had the lowest taxes and the most relaxed regulations in the Western world, and they also lost jobs to China. Third, the US corporate tax rate may be higher than others but with all the credits, write-offs, loopholes and etc, the effective US tax rate is much lower than most other countries. Did you forget that those other countries don't have a fraction of the loopholes and many in Europe have to add a VAT to boot. Finally, Germany is second to China in their productivity and have the greatest gdp growth in the Western world along with a high tax rate if you consider their VAT, intense regulations, and is highly unionized. Also due to Germany's banking regulation, they did not have a major housing/financial crisis.

With regard to Romney, he was a part of the culture that gutted our manufacturing base and sent it to China. Is this who you want to be in control of our country? To boot, the two companies, with massive growth, he brags about saving are retail establishments where most of the salaries are low and sell goods mostly from China. Funny how the Walton family is a major Romney supporter and campaign contributor (LMAO)? Totally out in left field here, but I would not be surprise if that close door meeting was about how they can continue policies intensified by Clinton to gut the US while hoodwinking idiots by keeping them occupied with petty social issues. (LOL) I am no conspiracy theorist, but the information is out there if you stop thinking via fear and political rhertoric.

BARB - Fantastic post!!! - RANDOM - I don't know where you are from in Pennsylvania. I am from Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) and have friends and family in Pittsburgh and they are embarrassed by Santorum and are not voting Republican. They are not rich just average working people - You must be rich and live somewhere detached from realty.

Kim- I can see why you are voting Democrat, you are from Pittsburg. I'll agree that not many Pennsylvanian's like Santorum, they prefer Romney more. Philidelphia and Pittsburg are obviously going to be Democratic. The rural parts of PA, such as York, Lancaster (The county I live in), and every other rural part will be mainly Republican. North Western PA is the 'swing county'. It's the county that can change the voting outcome of Pennsylvania. Right now, NW Pennsylvania is leaning Republican. I applaud you for keeping your comment mature, unlike some of the other comments on here...

Random - I really don't appreciate your comment about Pittsburgh. To bad you can't keep your comments mature. Perhaps you need to get to the big city now and then.

I didn't say anything offending about Pittsburg. I was just saying that the most of the people that live in Pittsburg are Democratic, not Republican. The same thing goes for Philly. Both of those cities do not have a lot of Republicans. How can saying that you are a Democrat from Pittsburg be offensive?

A failed country in less than eight years if Romney is elected and the Democrats do not retake the House.

Mitt and fellow Republicans still believe that "job creators" are the same thing as "personal wealth creators." Personal wealth creators put their money into Swiss and off-shore accounts, not growth investments that would create jobs.

Actually business has created jobs all throughout this economic downturn, they just never have stated they created US jobs........

and well he should !

Jim - I'm sure that is the comment that got out that he most regrets since he probably won't be invited to the next Tea Party. Just further proof that he panders to what ever group he happens to be talking to. Why should anyone believe a word he says?

Chris B: Yeah but he may have a point about Republicans on the Internet - there was no one more popular on Google than Santorum.

I guess technically he's correct then lol

It's true, no one is better at forwarding chain E-mails than conservatives. Send this to 10 friends. God bless America.

Factual content not required, just lots of hate mixed with flags and eagles and the conservatives will speed it all over kingdom come in days.

Republicans are great at "cut and pastes", too. They go on the internet, find some lunatic fringe post and put it up as gospel to "prove" that what ever crazy theory they have is written in stone. I wish FOX would allow them to post on their site. They could just have one, big, happy circle jerk!

Lets face it you do not know what Ann has done in her life..you can be jealous all you want......

They feel that it is a good thing if rich women can stay home and all cool, but the poor women with kids who can't afford daycare and want to actually be with their kids? Well...too bad I guess. They want them to make less than childcare. Oh, I guess it's because Ann knows how lovely it is to work and they wouldn't be working with their own kids at home. It's all so nasty underneath if you look at what they really mean. As if a single mom doesn't know already what work means. Geez...as opposed to vacations, nannies, and so forth that many upper class women can get. It's just another way to say we are better than you and deserve more.

You're right, Devdoc.

She probably cleans all of her mansions from stem to stern, all by herself.

She probably cooks all the meals and washes all the dishes.

When she was sick, she probably was terrified that she wouldn't be able to work to support her family. And, she probably worried that medical bills would throw her family into bankruptcy.

Hair in curlers, apron, dishpan hands - the whole deal...

.

She had to have sex with Mitt!!!

She's a saint!!!

c-roison-you sound jealous of those who are successful. Would you rather everyone be poor and work 14 hrs. a day, would that make you feel better.

GranCanyon: I dont think it is jealousy, I think what people are saying is she really doesnt know what its like for working moms. To work and pay most of your earnings to child care. Ann Romney has never had to deal with that. At one point in my life I stayed home with the kids, my husband worked, because it just didnt make sense to go to work and pay all my earnings to child care. I was one of the lucky ones, there are alot of women out there that dont have that choice.

you are so right on this topic. What's sad is she has no idea that she has no idea! When she was out chauffeuring her kids in those cadillacs, driving them to their pony lessons, while her hubby was busy pilfering companies and firing people she really thought she was living an "average" life??? Come on, she's so elite that she doesn't even realize she's elite. To her, it's a normal every day American Dream existence that "everyone" experiences, don't they? Oh, they don't?? ..oh jeeze, that's a shame isn't it. When you think about it, it's really sad that some people are so unaware of what their fellow Americans lives are like. Sad, Sad, Sad.....................

Janet, it kinda reminds be of Laura Bush saying in an interview how much she loved the pristine environment and wildlife on her and Boy George's "ranch" and how "environmentally" oriented they were while her husband was raping the rest of the country's environment in the name of business. What hypocrisy...

I don't fault or diminish stay at home Moms, but even back in the dark ages-the Great Depression, women did work along with their responsibilities as parents....in often very menial and physically demanding types of work. My Great Grandmother used to take in laundry to raise her five children after her husband died unexpectedly. You know, with the wash board and tub, the crank wringer, the irons that had to be heated on a stove.....the stove that was fueled by shovelling in coal or wood...The notion that being a full time Mom means that you don't do anything beyond taking kids to soccer practice or piano lessons is fairly new...Most famililes, up until recently, realized that agreeing to a one income household meant that the family could not necessarily afford the extra stuff....I remember growing up, and the households with only one income, had only one car. The household with one income, usually only had one TV and nobody was paying extra for cable or satellite, or netflix, nor were they paying for internet. There was one phone hanging on the wall in the kitchen, not a cell phone for every set of hands in the house.....Now we have another way to divide the country.....isn't this grand-working Moms vs Stay at Home Moms-Guilt Wars III- And you are all jumping on the bandwagon, taking sides, and allowing yourself to be subdivided even further than we already are, blaming somebody else for the fact that we don't all have the exact same in life.

Personally, I don't envy the wealthy (like Romney), but I have to agree with what Hillary Rosen said; Ann Romney doesn't really know what working moms (or lower-class moms, for that matter) have to deal with. I'm not a woman, so I cannot say so on based on past experience, but I can say that Ann never had to deal with the economic troubles that modern parents face. She was the wife of a millionaire, so naturally she didn't have the stress that many parents have when it comes to finances. I don't hate Ann Romney (I'm no Romney supporter, either), but I have to admit that she doesn't really know what it feels like to balance finances, work, and family. That's my two cents.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

Does anyone remember dear old Barbara Bush, Sr's. comment in September of 2005 while looking at the hundreds of people sleeping on cots and on the floor in Astrodome after Katrina? She commented that "So many people here were underprivileged anyway so this is working out well for them...and that they were actually better off in their makeshift camps than going back to their impoverished communities." This kind of epitomizes for me how out of touch the rich can be at times.

Mitt should just start letting his wife wear the pants in the campaign, it's her campaign anyway

Hilary was right all along. The truth will out!

Willard should keep doing what he is good at, being a trillionaire capitalist not our president.

Funny how if you're rich it is work to stay home with your kids, despite all the resources you have for help. If you're poor and have to do it all yourself for your kids you aren't working? Romney's camp are the ones insulting mothers.

Senator Warner started working on that over a year ago to cut out redundency and improve communication among departments and agencies that worked on similar or associated projects--all in the interest of saving the taxpayers money. President Obama included plans for the same kind of consolidation in the State of the Union address. Of course then he was accused of overreach by the Republicans, even though all departments involved were within the Executive branch jurisdiction.

re-alienated?

The military doesn't even want a bigger military. They want to be lean, mean, and mobile. They will be bringing the troops home from Afghanistan and plan on taking a cautious approach to involvement in far-reaching conflicts. This is eminently sound policy, as we need to concentrate on getting American back in good shape. Money spent on wars is money not spent on clean energy infrastructure, tech education, expansion of industry, and higher education, all of which will advance our economy.

He said what? Nope, that's what Rush Limbaugh told you he said

Derp de derp. Russia is Communist? They sure act like cut-throat capitalists. Hated dealing with Israel? Not quite - more like hating dealing with the current head of government there - seems like he's not alone there among the leaders of the free world...

But don't let that stop you from playing the fool, friend.

Russia is the most capitalist country in the world today, with no regulations and every politician with a price; its a republican heaven. Everyone and everything is for sale. But Mitt still lives in the last century; does not remember that the iron curtain came down under Reagan.

I was expecting someone to whine about the TRUTH being leaked/overheard.

Appropriate that it be coupled with paranoid conspiratorial delusions...

Everyone hates dealing with Isreal. Have you forgotten that they murdered 2 dozen of our sailors and steal 2-4 billion dollars a year from us with their "lobbying" groups"?( "If you give us a boatload of cash, we won't call you an anti-semite..")

Jim, did you not hear the audio?

Obviously Romney has no frigging idea how many republicans work for those agencies

He is only saying what the republican establishment has decided conservative voters want to hear and will vote for.

He has and will have no actual idea WHAT policy decisions/recommendations he would make until he actually gets elected and his corporate overlords (kidding but you get the idea) give him instructions. I expect the first policy would be to blame Obama for everything, but that's a gimme...

I am. *raises hand* Now you know at least one independent who lived below the poverty level for years, relied on government assistance, still has student loans and lots of other debts to pay off, HAS worked two jobs, and is female -- and is, at this point in time, voting for Romney.

Wow... sounds like you're just the kind of person that Romney could care less about...

NorCal, I guess you don't want anyone else to have the chance you did then. You don't see ...I ask sincerely...that they just aren't into you that much? They couldn't care less if you fall over dead in the road tomorrow? If you can't eat or have mo medical care if you are sick?

I don't understand your logic at all...your choice of course, but I don't get it. As a woman you do know how they feel about you, right? You aren't equal and they don't want to pay you what you earn, they want you to do just what they say...that is okay with you? Amazing.

NorCalModerate. Why?

NorCalMod: With Romney in the White House you never have to worry about future student loans - they wouldn't be available.

NorCalMod: Love your thinking: 'I got my assistance, now screw everyone else!'

I'm guessing you're the 'Anybody but Obama' type...

I just dont understand those people that vote against their own interests. You have student loans you must be educated. Have you been listening to what comes out of Romneys own mouth? Why would you vote against yourself?

Such a large portion of student loans are now in default. The system has to be revamped. The public should not be taking the risk for loaning this money.

We know 30 year treasuries cost about 2.8%. If we allow 1% per year for administration costs, we now are 3.8% for the cost. Now the dilemma, if we say we had a default rate 5% per year, we would suddenly charge 8.8% to cover the expenses and the default (which would be an extremely high interest rate for an education loan). The problem is the default rate is much higher than 5%.

We need to address the high default rate and come up with a better way to issue these loans.

Regarding the Department of Education, it should go. The education system should be handled at the local level. The $135 billion spent each by Washington on education is better spent at the local (certainly not beyond a state level).

Unlike, what the teacher's unions think, throwing money at a problem does not solve it. Duval County spends well $12000 per student is ranked 49th in Florida academically. Seminole County spends $2000 per pupil less and is ranked 7th. This is a problem that is rampant nationwide.

The issue will require parental involvement and low cost options like volunteer tutoring programs to resolve.

The local school boards can then decide whether the programs they have are worth spending for without federal intervention; which, has been a total failure.

What I find very disturbing is that Mr. Romney can't seem to take a stand on anything and stick to it. It's very telling that his own campaign team labeled him as an etch-a-sketch. He refuses to release more than his two recent tax returns, which doesn't sit well with a lot of the American people, since it has always been customary to release several years of them. It doesn't help him and works against him when one considers that his own father released 12 year's worth of tax returns. The fact that Mr. Romney doesn't understand why he is considered to be "out of touch" with the American people shows poor perceptive skills that may very well cause him even more trouble down the road. He, and the other members of the GOP vehemently deny that they have waged war on women, but again perception is a key issue. Every woman I have spoken with feels that the GOP policies have indeed been targeting women's rights. I am a woman and I agree with them. Now, we have Mr. Romney spelling out his plans should he become president and doing so behind closed doors. At this point in time, voting for him could be likened to buying a used car without seeing the Car Fax and not taking a test drive. How many of us would ever do that?

I personally know several Republicans who will not be voting for Mr. Romney. I did a Google search (just for fun.) I Googled "Republicans for Obama" and found an actual website. I went further and Googled "Democrats for Romney" and found no established website. I find that very interesting!

Sounds a little like little bush's energy conference, doesn't it? Closed doors, no notes, no agenda, no clue who was invited, no telling what was discussed or decided. But we do know that we paid for it, both at the time and later, and you can be sure they were given the red-carpet treatment and fed well on our dime. I will be very curious to find all of this out once FIA kicks in, assuming that Boy George doesn't contend there is no time limit on Executive Privilege.

I wonder what those stay-at-mom's are going to say when they find out they were being used as FAKE OUTRAGE! She considers them HER BIRTHDAY GIFT! LOL!!

Ann's a LIAR just like her husband!

Jim - it's a pretty safe bet that Mitts' Minions can eliminate the Department of Education ... they don't seem to have ever used it.

We were running deficits of $1.2 trillion to $1.6 trillion as Obama added 234,000 new permanent federal jobs. He is definitely more interested in creating jobs in the federal government than in the private sector.

Regarding layoffs. The federal attrition rate is 7%. Through attrition at the agencies being eliminated and transfers to the agencies that remain, we can eliminate most of these agencies over a 5 - 8 year period without massive layoffs.

I have a good friend who was hired by the IRS this time last year, he stayed 2 months and realized that with the public union running the show. It was damn near impossible to get anyone to actually do their job. He complained to his director and his director told him to relax thats how it is here. Things will get done in their own time. He quit the next week.

Clinton/Warren 2016!

There, foreign policy and economics expertise!

Jesse jackson/ al sharpton

@sleeplessinclay

Please not another community organizer that wants to let lawbreakers be given the gift of Citizenship.

Which lawbreakers are you referring to? The ones who were brought over the border at age 5? Yeah, they are truly gangsters.

Do Mormons eat cookies?

jim haha my grand kids sitter ia a very conservitive mormon and she said she will vote for obama!

Good, you grand kids are in safe hands... Come to think about it, I had an uncle that was a Mormon. Nobody wanted to invite them for dinner, he would eat everything on the table & he wasn't a big dude