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Subscribe to RSSGovernment Gone Wild… Does this perception hurt the man in charge of the government?... Romney gives speech attacking Obama record in Ohio -- not far away from where Obama spoke yesterday… NBC/WSJ poll day! Full poll comes out at 6:30 pm ET… Democrats’ mess in North Carolina… And Lugar trails Mourdock by two points, per internal Mourdock poll.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
General Services Administration Inspector General Brian Miller, right, and acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 18, 2012, before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing investigating the misuse of taxpayer's money by officials of the General Services Administration.
*** Government Gone Wild? In American politics, there are actual problems and perceived problems. And when it comes to that exorbitant GSA trip to Las Vegas or the Secret Service prostitution scandal in Colombia, those are perceived problems -- that somehow the government isn’t working and a handful of employees aren’t taking their jobs seriously. The question, in this election year, is whether that perception hurts the guy running the government. Make no mistake: These scandals aren’t coming from the Obama White House or from the aides working closest with the president. More importantly, the Obama White House hasn’t tolerated that “Government Gone Wild” behavior (see the GSA resignation, as well as those exits from the Secret Service). And Barney Frank made a good point in his fascinating interview with New York magazine that the media focuses only when something negative happens in government, usually ignoring the positive. But the attention on these GSA and Secret Service stories only sullies the government’s reputation. Bottom line: The government can’t afford another one to surface again anytime soon, and neither can the party that has come to represent the idea that government is at least part of the solution to collective problems -- the Democrats.
The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd talks about Mitt Romney's week on the political trail attempting to "pre-but" President Barack Obama's convention speech.
*** Every breath you take, every move you make … I’ll be watching you: This afternoon, Mitt Romney delivers a speech attacking President Obama’s economic record in Lorain, OH -- which isn’t that far away from where Obama spoke yesterday. And yesterday, Romney gave a speech in Charlotte, NC to “pre-but” Obama’s convention speech, which won’t take place for another four months. No doubt the Romney campaign wants to ensure the presidential election is a referendum on Obama’s record and wants to shadow him to the point that every single event the president holds is viewed through ONLY a campaign lens. But as that Tampa focus group of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents revealed, people also want to learn more about Romney and his plans for the country. In that focus group, Democratic pollster Peter Hart showed the participants a clip of Romney’s recent speech to newspaper editors, in which Romney blasted Obama’s record on the economy and spending. Most of the participants agreed with what Romney said in the speech, but they weren’t completely satisfied. “I don’t have a lot of faith in him that he could do any better,” said one. Added another: “What are we going to do? I haven’t heard one [plan].” As the Washington Post’s Dan Balz writes in his write-up of the focus group, “Romney remains an opaque and distant figure.”
*** NBC/WSJ poll day! In the latest national survey measuring the nascent general election, a Quinnipiac poll finds Obama leading Romney by four points among registered voters, 46%-42%. And in what will probably be the final survey of the week, our very own NBC/WSJ poll comes out tonight at 6:30 pm ET. Is Romney gaining on Obama? How do voters view them on key personal and professional qualities? And what are their views on the economy? Be sure to tune into “Nightly News” or click on to MSNBC.com for the answers.
*** Democrats’ mess in North Carolina: Allegations of sexual harassment inside the North Carolina Democratic Party has turned into a mess for the state party, as well as the national one. Why? Because North Carolina is the convention state, thus ensuring that any problems or controversy there will be magnified. And it isn’t helping the Democrats that the state party chair, David Parker, is refusing to step down from his post.
*** On the GOP trail, per NBC’s Adam Perez: Romney delivers a speech attacking Obama’s economic record in Lorain, OH at 1:15 pm ET… Paul is in New York, where he stumps at Cornell University in Ithaca… And Gingrich
*** Lugar trails Mourdock by 2: For the May 8 GOP primary in Indiana, state Treasurer Richard Mourdock leads incumbent Sen. Dick Lugar by two points, 42%-40%, according to an internal Mourdock poll obtained by First Read. More ominously for Lugar, 65% of Indiana Republican voters agree with the statement that Lugar has been in DC too long, and 57% agree that Lugar has voted for more government spending and “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. Also from the poll: Mourdock’s lead is thanks to Republicans. What’s keeping Lugar competitive? He leads among NON-Republican voters, but they make up less than 15% of the electorate unless Lugar can change that. Any registered voter can participate in the primary. Politico reports that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and GOP Sen. John McCain have cut ads on Lugar’s behalf to help him. The questions we have: Is this too late? And does John McCain really help Lugar with GOP primary voters? Or is the McCain play about wooing indies to the primary? By the way, Sarah Palin had a higher FAV rating than both Lugar and Mourdock in this poll.
Countdown to the CT, DE, NY, PA, and RI primaries: 5 days
Countdown to Election Day: 201 days
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Obama has destroyed the US....in less than four years yet.
where were you from 2001-2008?
3000 dead on 9-11 while bush looked like a deer in the headlights...
2 wars unpaid for
massive tax cuts while passing an unfunded Medicare Part B "reform" and fighting 2 wars that he kept off of the books
shredding the Constitution
arresting American citizens on American soil and denying them due process
almost 5000 dead American servicemen in a war where they were sure we would be greeted as heroes
hundreds dead in New Orleans with no water,housing, or power while bush tells FEMA cheif,"heckuva job"
bush states "bring it on and invites insurgents to attack us, which they do
bush creates the culture for the Abu Ghraib mess and then prosecutes low lever soldiers for following orders while no officers or politicians are held accountable
bush dismantles the SEC and MSM and then scratches his head as Wall St. devours the poor and then crashes taking the world economy with it and NO ONE GETS PROSECUTED
7+ years and 2 wars but no wmd's and no OBL
The list goes on and on. The country was on its knees when bush slunk out of DC with his tail between his legs, a beaten man. Where were you to not know these things? And if you know these things, what sort of cognitive dissonance do you use to convince yourself you're not a bald-faced liar? The Neocons destroyed our country before Mr. Obama ever took the oath of office. If you're intelligent enough to turn on your computer yourself, you must know this.
Thomas Blue......terrific post. Reading over the posts of the last few days, of those on the right, it is evident they are all suffering from collective and selective amnesia. Guess someone sent out party emails with instructions to override any facts from the previous administration as many of them have the same spin.
And the same people who served in the Bush administration are for the most part now advising Romney, and he wants us to believe he can fix the economy. They have such chutzpah and think no one is paying attention.
you know i wonder meny times how our great nation got to this point, we hace been lied to,misled and cheated by a commy. what really bothers me is we still have the sheep grazing in the paster supporting this socialist. in guess maybe its because their all on the couch waiting for the mail man to come with their check. i know what made this country great and this is not it. god help our country in this time of need
How dare you call GWB a commie???
It took 30+ years to get here. Do you really think it would only take a mere 3+ years?? Your thinking process is as bad as your spelling.
You need to stop watching the political infotainment shows masquerading as news programs - try the Daily Show or the Colbert Report. Much more news there and more entertaining too.
hmmm...another one....see post 26.1
After Romney gets elected in November, one of the first things he should do is decrease the Federal Gov't budget in all Dept's by 50 % and have ALL Gov't workers reapply for their jobs - accept back only 1 in 2 workers -
EXCEPT for the military which deserves individual attention -
that's one way to stop this crap !!!
okay Poindexter. How many people are we talking about firing? What does that do to the economy? And when it tanks the economy and unemployment again spikes, that decreases the tax base. Deficit again increases. Do you then lay off more? This is called "managing diminishing revenues" in business and it's generally accepted that once you lock yourself into this spiral, you're done. There's a reason why surgeons use scalpels and lasers instead of chainsaws.
They don't care, Thomas. They will just blame it on Obama, like they do everything else. Though they hypocritically criticize those who (rightfully) blame GWB for the mess he started.
I pray "and i never do", that the american people can see this idiot for what he is 'just another money hungry person who will drive us further towards insolvency'. And i pray for water to wash these @!$%# heads out to sea... lol
You mis-spelled alienlore.
Another Day Closer, we're approaching the end,
Of The Mistake of 08, we won't do that again!
Mr. Obama, and his "scandalous crew",
Will find new surroundings as past presidents do.
NO More Years, the people have spoken,
It's time to move on and fix all that's broken.
Especially the Hope and belief in ourselves
And the promise of a future for our children as well.
We're not better off than 4 years ago
And Mr. Obama seemed lost in this show.
A leader he's not, and we all know that now
We'll get back on course and correct it somehow.
A new day is coming, November can't wait,
Till we all place our votes that begins a new day!
So spread the word now to your family and friends,
Vote HOPE and CHANGE so that freedom can live!
America is so much better than what,
Mr. Obama and Biden, they seem to've forgot
I'll end this rhyme with a thought to remain,
In 2012, Vote for HOPE and CHANGE! Change America needs now! (We win with love not Hate. Stop the hate and anger tactics like Class warfare)
Nuf C Nuf !
the mistake occurred in 1980 first and then we sealed the deal 2000. By 2008, it would have taken a miracle to repair 3 decades of Voodoo Economics. In retrospect, we should have known that the job of an actor is to convince you that something is real when you know for a fact that it isn't. He was convincing and we have been paying for it.
Yes, JoAnne, it is. Day after day, the democrats and republicans, the conservatives and the liberals, continue to try to one-up the other with insults, mis-direction, sometimes outright lies, sometimes rumors and innuendos. This is indeed what America has become.
I'd really just like to know what each candidate really wants to do in the next four years, the direction they want to take OUR country and where they stand on some of the lesser known issues, you know like unemployment, healthcare, the economy. I don't want to read insults about the President or insults about Romney, when it is all intended to be some political clap-trap. I want to know what that person will do to fix the problems. Then perhaps I can make an informed, intelligent decision in November.
Everyone is too busy putting their hats on every morning, insulting and trolling (Yes, you know who you are) and trying to prove that they are so much smarter, so much better and so much more American than everyone else. Yes, indeed, JoAnne in PA, this is what America has become.
Romney is right to be talking about job creation considering the unemployment rate, but his record in the private sector is one of job destruction. As Politico detailed, Romney’s company, Bain Capital, was in the business of buying up distressed companies, slashing them to bits, and then selling them off, resulting in lots of job losses:
– In 1992, the firm acquired American Pad & Paper. By 1999, the year Romney left Bain, two American plants were closed, 385 jobs had been cut and the company was $392 million in debt. The next year, Ampad was forced into bankruptcy.
– Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs bought Dade International for about $450 million in 1994. The firm quickly fired or relocated at least 900 workers. Over the next several years, it sunk increasingly into debt and laid off 1,000 workers. In 2002 — after Romney had left Bain — it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
– A 1997 buyout of LIVE Entertainment for $150 million resulted in 40 layoffs, roughly one in four of the company’s 166 workers. The job cuts affected all aspects of the company, from production and acquisition to legal and public relations.
– In 1997, Bain bought a stake in DDI Corp., a maker of electronic circuit boards. Three years later, Bain took the company public and collected a $36 million payout. But by August 2003, the company filed for bankruptcy protection, laying off more than 2,100 workers.
22 percent of the money Bain Capital raised from 1987 to 1995 was invested in five businesses — Stage Stores, American Pad & Paper, GS Indusries, Dade, and Details. These five made Bain $578 million in profit, even as all five eventually went bankrupt.
As the New York Post’s Josh Koshman wrote, “there’s little question made a fortune from businesses he helped destroy.” Travis Waldron noted today that Romney’s company also boosted its profits — and thus enriched Romney — by abusing offshore tax havens.
By Pat Garofalo
Obama is trailing Romney in the polls now, probably because of the gas prices. Also, the electorate now knows who the Republican nominee is. As long as the Republicans were fighting each other, people were sticking with Obama. I don't think the scandal stuff is that big of a deal, but Obama better hope that gas prices go down in the fall.
Romney has the experience of being Governor of a disgustingly liberal State - mine !! ( groan !!! )
Obama knew nothihng when he came into office and it quckly became apparent -
what we have now are the results of a bull@!$%#-ing con artist that is running this country into the ground -
Government gone wild started when the leader of the pack keeps taking lavished vacations on the taxpayers dime. The GSA and others just Follow the leader
The Obama's pay for their own vacations, we pay for the SS protection. What's lavish about that?
bleary, open your eyes and mind. flying the family to where-ever they choose...such as hawaii. personnel and automobiles are transported by plane...the president pays for that...no. all personnel involved for family and staff protection...more tax payer funding. I choose to not go on. my examples alone are far and above the out of pocket cost for potus.
The Obamas pay for their own vacations. They are not required to pay for trips for Official Business. For Both, we pay for security, etc. The same is true of Presidents in the past. Hell, GWB spent 1020 days on vacation during his presidency, 490 of those days spent at his Crawford Ranch.
Of course the government has gone wild.... what do you think we've all been complaining about?
And, it is NOT just a few as the article alledges, it is rampant! There are so many involved it will be easier to fire everyone and start over!
Our taxes are at least 30% of our net income... and you don't see a problem with that? There are bureaucracies to watch over the bureaucracies, to watch over the bureaucracies.... ad infinitum.
One thing that frustrates me is there is a Constitutional mandate that government have open financial statements on everything it spends - yet that hasn't actually happened for over 70 years! We don't even know if the Gold in Ft. Knox is still there! Our government could have sold it off long ago - or sold interest to China for them to buy our debt.
We don't know!
Our country has been mismanaged for quite some time now, no single person is responsible - it's been gaining momentum for awhile and the administrator right now is simply making it worse, much worse.....
Fire them all, start over and stop the insanity of a country mismanaged by the people elected to preserve, not destroy!
Gullible is not in the dictionary. Look it up!
xx
That is a bad move. "Old school Republicans" are the problem with the republican party. We need people that will take the oath of office for real which is to "Defend and Uphold" the Constitution. NO ONE in Washington is doing this today and have not been doing it for more than 70 years, since Wilson was president and it is getting worse every day.
Be a proper Dim - shut up, pay taxes, and don't criticize how your money is (mis-)spent!
GSA is on trial - not just for the Las Vegas thingy.
SS agents have been fired or retired.
Welfare fraudsters are being prosecuted (i.e. the lottery winner).
Medicare fraudsters are being prosecuted.
Please provide a list of your pet money wasting by the fed govt. Here are some of mine:
1. the U.S. has 662 overseas bases in 38 foreign countries,
2. Hospital ERs cannot refuse treatment regardless of the ability to pay, and the tab is picked up by medicaid/medicare/insurance companies.
3. About 50% of taxpayers don't pay any fed inc tax - thank you, GWB, for 2 tax cuts. Thank you repubs for forcing Obama to extend the cuts under threat of cutting unemployment benefits during a recession.
4. Eligibility ages for Soc Security need to be adjusted to account for longer life spans. Social security withholding needs a higher ceiling (currently $106k). Could the payout be based on need? I doubt Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, the Koch Brothers. etc need much (if any).
5. Dividend income over $200k needs to contribute to medicare. Hedge fund managers (and their ilk) get a free ride from soc security and medicare. BTW, this was addressed in Obamacare and is the REAL reason the very rich are against the bill. They invented the 'pull the plug on grandma', and 'this is socialism gone wild' battlecries to hide it.
Club Obama = No adult leadership "up in here"
Have you seen my 5 iron?
Let's do some golf Eric...have Joe get those big jets ready for our "little get away."
Do as I say folks, not as I do. lol ha ha :) and I mean it!
I can "run the hell out of a campaign" but running America....well....let's just say....I need another vacay! :)
Mr. Obama is that coach that "just can't make it happen"
NO more years! We need HOPE and CHANGE!
Is this all you got???? No facts...just lots of bitter, sarcastic rhetoric? That's pretty lame...
George W Bush spent 1020 days of his Presidency on vacation, more than any other President. About 1/3 of his time in office. He used Air Force One 77 times just to fly to his ranch in Crawford, TX.where he spent 490 days of his Presidency. He was the most expensive vacation President in US history.
Obama spent our 5 trillion foolishly and then ate my dog.
This is not an indictment of Obama per se, nor of one party over the another. It is a testament to the nature of government itself and the depths to which this particular government has sunk. Government by its nature is wasteful, oppressive and exploitative. The more resources and power it is given, the more egregious is its behavior.
This should also be a wake-up call to anyone who harbors illusions that America even vaguely resembles the republic defined in its Constitution, or that the American government is still dedicated to protecting the civil rights of its citizens. The American government is a self-perpetuating enterprise that survives by enslaving and consuming its citizens like livestock. The only reason citizens to not generally appreciate their plight is due to the massive, perpetual propaganda campaign waged by government to justify its own existence.
The only way to reverse this trend is to pare government back to its constitutional scope and then to assiduously constrain it.
Well said gjdavis60, Well said.
to gjdavis - I agree ! stop feeding the monster with tax dollars -
support TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party !!!
Say "NO" to Obama and his tax and spend Dem cronies -
Dems never run out of ideas on how to spend our tax dollars - they never have enough until
"We The People" say enough and shut them down !!
Wake up Tom. Take off the red glasses. Bushco took over a balanced budget and turned it into a massive deficit and even hid the real cost. Part of the deficit you're whining about is servicing the interest on the money that your drunken sailors spent. Were you railing about spending when DC was painted red?
A more Creditable website is now releasing the Story about Leon Pannetta's $880,000.00 Thousand dollar trips to California....Yep, these Liberal Socialist Demoncrats look at the taxpayers money they extorted through various taxes and fees as their Money to spend as much as they want on what they want...And you wonder why Government expands under the Demoncrats..
They are your Lords and Masters and think they deserve better than you, primarily because they know you are not that smart because you believed the garbage and propaganda they fed you that you followed to vote for them....So now with the truth revealed they all act "Shocked"! Lol's Lemmings and Obamians, well I need not say any more...
Sort of the like the same disgust Police across the Nation have for "Civilians" which has a very negative connotation to it...like your all dumb and they are smart...
More credible than Mis NBC. Impossible
Road Warrior-252445
And what good has come of it heh heh. People keep voting in the same old same old. Need a third party and it's out there. Figure people would learn after 45 years LOL. Guess not heh heh
This morning there was a story about unemployment numbers going up. NBC closed the discussion page after 2 comments. Then buried the story. NBC is ALL IN.
Yes LEROY, It's all part of one big conspirocy by the "Liberal Media". Wonder what the right would use for an excuse if they didn't have this tired canard to puke up with each and every new story.
Thank god for unbiased purveryors of the truth Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes. Both on a mission from god for truth, beauty and the American dream.
do you have a job? Unemployment doesn't bother you? don't you think it is important for our country?
What has NBC said about the tornado damage in Kansas/Oklahoma after their initial report? Have they wondered why Obama has totally ignored the suffering there and instead of visiting the area and leading the relief effort - like every past president has done - he flies to Michigan for a fundraising and campaign visit? Remember how NBC crucified Bush for taking 36 hours to get FEMA to New Orleans after Katrina and how they did daily follow-ups to show the suffering? Anyone heard about how Dallas is doing after that one day reporting, or Alabama a year later? Media bias is the most dangerous thing in America today - reminds of the TASS media network in Russia. If not for Fox News and talk radio our country would be gone!
Obama’s lawyer admits his birth certificate is a forgery..........
http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/obamas-lawyer-admits-his-birth-certificate-is-a-forgery/
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/2015/855/Obama_Lawyer_Admits_Forgery_But_Disregards_image_As_Indication_Of_Obama_s_Ineligibility.html
http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/barack-obamas-lawyer-admits-birth-certificate-is-forged/question-2594035/
LEATERNECK: Get a frigging brain transplant you dummy. You're a disgrace to mankind.
Atty. Alexandri Hill admitted in a New Jersey Courtroom that the released Obama birth certificate was an obvious forgery. SHERIFF JOE was RIGHT. Alexandria Hill was representing Barack Obama.
Chicken Shiites won't investigate. No balls.
Unemployment ticks up. NBC buries story.
Leroy, you must be a republican...you'r e such a jerk.
Leatherneck - give it up. There are hundreds of reasons why Obama has to be dumped in 2012 but this is not one of them! Join the world of 2012! You are touting the one area where liberals can defend this amoral horrid man and remain credible.
Watermoon: Never. If Obama does not have proof to be elgiable to be President. Obama and anyone who has helped him into office, when not Qualified too is GUILTY OF TREASON.
What should be hurting Obama is his completely ignoring the suffering of citizens in Kansas and Oklahoma after those devastating tornadoes last weekend. He flew back from the meeting in Columbia and went directly to Michigan for fundraising and campaigning. He hasn't even mentioned the disaster to his citizens.
Every past president would have visited the areas and led the relief effort bt this uncaring man seems to not give a damn. Compare the news coverage of this to what they did to Bush when he took 36 hours to get FEMA to New Orleans after Katrina. And they did daily updates on the suffering there for a month while nothing has been said about how Dallas has fared since their tornadoes, or even the disasters of 2011.
Obama is an uncaring horrid man and must be dumped in 2012. That he is incompetent and clearly over his head in this position is one thing. That he is so totally into himself and uncaring about the suffering of others is yet another an important reason for getting him out of office.
Yawn. Take your whining someplace else you fool. Yea, Obama is a heartless, cold blooded bastard who cares nothing for the common man. Feel better now???
Whining? That's your defense for his not caring? Can you give a reasonable defense for his not being there or are you using the Obama defense of attacking the person when you have no answer.
Government gone wild is the GOP becoming the genital police, taking workers rights, environmental laws, using "religion" as a cover for fascism, making the US government work for the benefit of the very very rich at expense of all the rest of us.
Government gone wild is republicans in Congress saying their priority is defeating President Obama no matter what cost to the American working people.
The GOP in political power now IS government gone wild...they are the most dangerous extremists we face in America at this time. We need to get all of them out of office.
Rather have Romney in the White House than someone who talks freedom but acts like Carl Marx. Obama wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. However, he was born with a forked tongue in it.
This election comes down to this. If you owned a large company that was going bankrupt would you hire Obama or Romney to be your CEO. Seems like a no brainer to me.
47: You're right, you have no brains.
Here's a clue for you. Running a nation has ZERO to do with business background. Was the hero of the GOP, The Gipper a businessman? Or Eisenhower, or Nixon or Ford???
Obama's baby spoon evidently had dog meat on it....just like his policies. How ironic that his DNC convention acceptance speech was among a backdrop of Greek columns. Every Obama policy has put us on a glide path to Greece with their austerity measures, depression and the actual destruction of their economy which have hurt their middle and lower class populations the worst. I'm guessing you won't see Greek columns at this years convention.
Dear voters,
Please think before you vote this time. The Obama experiment has failed. This administration has officially imploded.