These facts and figures say quite the contrary to what Willard has been touting as his economic triumphs.

Since Willard refuses to tell us what his grand plan is to restore economic prosperity to all
citizens of this country, not just the 1% bank-rolling his campaign, every American with a functioning brain cell should take a long hard look at what Willard accomplished during his tenure as Governor of MA;

1. Ranked 47th in job growth:
Despite Romney’s professed expertise in creating jobs, Massachusetts ranked 47th in job growth during his time as governor. The state’s total job growth was just 0.9 percent, well behind other high-wage, high-skill economies in New York (2.7), California (4.7), and North
Carolina (7.6). The national average, meanwhile, was better than 5 percent.

2. Suffered the second-largest labor force
decline in the nation: Only Louisiana, which was ravaged by
Hurricane Katrina in 2005, saw a bigger decline in its labor force than
Massachusetts during Romney’s tenure as governor. The US Census Bureau
estimated that between July 2002 and July 2006, 222,000 more residents left
Massachusetts for other states than came to it. That decline largely explains
the state’s decreasing unemployment rate (from 5.6 to 4.7 percent) while Romney
was in office, according to Northeastern University economics professor Andrew
Sum. At the same time, the nation as a whole added 8 million people to the labor force.

3. Lost 14 percent of its manufacturing
jobs: Massachusetts lost 14 percent of its manufacturing jobs during
Romney’s time in office, according to Sum. The loss was double the rate that
the nation as a whole lost manufacturing jobs. In 2004, Romney vetoed legislation
that would have banned companies doing business with the state from outsourcing
jobs to other countries.

4. Experienced “below average” economic
growth and was “often near the bottom”: “There was not one measure where the state did well under his term in office. We were below average and often near the bottom,” Sum
told the Washington Post in February. As a result, the state was more comparable to Rust Belt states like Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio than it was to other high-tech economies it typically competes with.

5. Piled on more debt than any other state: Romney left Massachusetts residents with $10,504 in per capita bond debt, the highest of any state in the nation when he left office in 2007. The state ranked second in debt as a percentage of personal income. Romney regularly omits those statistics from his Massachusetts record, instead touting the fact that he balanced the state’s budget (he was constitutionally required to do so). He wouldn’t be much different as president: his proposed tax plan adds more than $10 trillion to the national debt.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/06/04/494282/5-facts-about-the-massachusetts-economy-under-mitt-romney/

If this is considered success – I would hate to see what the RWNJ’s consider failure…

Willard is a dog-hating, store bought cookie snob, serial flip-flopper, draft dodger!

When did it become acceptable in this country to support someone with no core, moral
compass or integrity?

30+ years of the disastrous trickle policies led us to the brink; do we really want to take the plunge to finish the job, if given the choice?

Figures don't lie, but liars sure figure...

When did it become acceptable in this country to support someone with no core, moral compass or integrity?

Is this a trick question? It became acceptable in 2008 when the fraud who currently resides in the oval office was elected.

Definately need to revisit the "Citizens United", and get the election process back in control...

Corporations are chartered to make profits and they do it by cutting costs, cutting corners, and paying workers as little as possible. How they impact the lives of the people in the countries where they do business, is not their concern.

These transnational, foreign and domestic entities aren't governments, but their goal is to commandeer OUR government. They act as though their money entitles them to influence who U.S. elections and the direction of this country, and we are letting them do it.

But starting right now, we can say no to Citizens' United, no to endless secret money, and no to foreign influences of ANY kind in American elections.

and thats the way it is to corporate rule of the world, a facist take over, one which will take a civil war in each country to overturn.

Why is no one investigating...unrestricted money into American elections thanks to Citizens' United?

Because most of that money goes to buy air time, and the media doesn't want to kill the golden goose by reporting on the source of all that msm "stimulus."

Hopefully, the upcoming election will have people contemplating what our society will be like. What do YOU want our society to be like?

I would like to see our society reflect the best attributes of human nature, such as compassion, integrity, empathy, equanimity, fairness, generosity, nurturance, serenity and kindness.

I want to live in a society for the people, where we can live in peace and without the corruption and coercive powers of influential interest groups enriching themselves at the expense of others or restricting the liberty others have to choose how to live their lives. We should have peaceful co-existence of individuals and groups with differing interests and values to flourish. Our society must focus on enabling the human to flourish by supporting societal structures that will maximize that probability for the individual to flourish. I believe that a society needs to provide its members security against threats of harm, not only from outside sources of aggression, but also against corruption in its government that allows narrow groups to acquire and maintain disproportionate influences in the policy making processes.

I would like to live in a society that will protect "the commons" and provide its members a degree of personal economic security against misfortunes like accidents, ill-health and unemployment.

I do not want to live in a society directed by the wealthy: plutocracy, or by the few: oligarchy, or by the religious: theocracy.

I want to live in a society for and by the "People".

I am with you Steve.

Amy,

You are right, but what is going on is much vaster, murkier and stickier than the $millions received by advertizers.

Even the obvious impact of foreign influence on the American political process, has not yet been exposed.

Corporate profits are at record levels. They *ARE* fine. Obama was right but still shouldn't have said it.

Feisty has her DNC, Organizing Against America, Obama Against America talking points all queued up like a good little campaign paid blogger. Bless her heart....

Let's face it, the reason the comments stick is because it proves Obama is totally out of touch.

He says, everything is fine, a few hours later, everything is not fine.

He says, Republicans and Democrats need to work together, he then says, get in the back seat of the car.

He says we need to be civil, he said before, “they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun”

He says his administration will be the most transparent in history, the very first meeting on the topic after taking office lead by Joey Biden, closed to the press.

He takes full credit for killing Bin Laden, fails to mention it was based on intelligence garnered under Bush WITH tactics he has forbidden to be used any longer. No hypocrisy here….

We could go on and on… but you get the idea.

Complete and total nonsense, TexasT. The President rightly pointed out that economic growth would be higher and unemployment lower were it not for the concerted effort by Republicans to destroy employment in the public sectore. Over 200,000 teachers have lost their jobs in the last year. That isn't a small matter. When Republicans around the country are eliminating tens of thousands of jobs per MONTH it's a drain on employment numbers and a drain on the economy as a whole. Democrats are trying to be a fountain, Republicans the drain...that's the difference in a nutshell.

I've been reading a lot in the last few weeks how giddy the Republicans are that the US economy is tanking. :)

Think about it folks...

CBS News has learned the House Oversight Committee will vote next week on whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57450110-503544/house-committee-schedules-contempt-vote-against-holder/?tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea

Holder is a piece of work too. He sits there and tries to tell Congress that references to "Fast and Furious" in his e-mails are not references to "Fast and Furious".

Next up for Congress is Obama's NSA team on the "leaks", followed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson who seems to like to drive his car into other cars.

Over 200,000 teachers have lost their jobs in the last year.

So you now agree that stimulus failed? Wasn't the stimulus supposed to jump start the economy such that self-sustaining economic activity would generate revenues for local government? Instead the stimulus was used to pay for two years of public spending at the local level and when the borrowed money ran out nothing had changed and the teachers were still unaffordable. It also proves that creating government jobs alone does not generate enough economic activity to became self-sustaining.

It's also ironic that the changes that Scott Walker has implemented in Wisconsin resulted in no teacher lay-offs.

Over 200,000 teachers have lost their jobs in the last year.

So you now agree that stimulus failed? Wasn't the stimulus supposed to jump start the economy such that self-sustaining economic activity would generate revenues for local government? Instead the stimulus was used to pay for two years of public spending at the local level and when the borrowed money ran out nothing had changed and the teachers were still unaffordable. It also proves that creating government jobs alone does not generate enough economic activity to became self-sustaining.

It's also ironic that the changes that Scott Walker has implemented in Wisconsin resulted in no teacher lay-offs.

Over 200,000 teachers have lost their jobs in the last year.

So you now agree that stimulus failed? Wasn't the stimulus supposed to jump start the economy such that self-sustaining economic activity would generate revenues for local government? Instead the stimulus was used to pay for two years of public spending at the local level and when the borrowed money ran out nothing had changed and the teachers were still unaffordable. It also proves that creating government jobs alone does not generate enough economic activity to became self-sustaining.

It's also ironic that the changes that Scott Walker has implemented in Wisconsin resulted in no teacher lay-offs.

Over 200,000 teachers have lost their jobs in the last year.

So you now agree that stimulus failed? Wasn't the stimulus supposed to jump start the economy such that self-sustaining economic activity would generate revenues for local government? Instead the stimulus was used to pay for two years of public spending at the local level and when the borrowed money ran out nothing had changed and the teachers were still unaffordable. It also proves that creating government jobs alone does not generate enough economic activity to became self-sustaining.

It's also ironic that the changes that Scott Walker has implemented in Wisconsin resulted in no teacher lay-offs.

Oops sorry for the multiple posts. Kept getting Bubblegum when I pressed the Post Comment button.

John, agreed. Of course President Obama was right!

The private sector has never made more profits. The top income bracket in this country is the wealthiest group in the history of the world.

Silly, ignorant Romney said, "It's time for us to cut back on government and help the American people."

Doesn't Romney know that since 2010 --- Republican governors have fired 700,000 public sector workers - including 250,000 (it may be more now) teachers, mostly women. Bad strategy for a recovery.

Previous Presidents, including GWB have INCREASED government workers in a recession. President Reagan INCREASED the number of teachers as a recovery strategy.

No, Alan, I'm saying that the Republican war on public employment is creating failure within the larger economy. I think that's obvious, particularly in that states controlled by Republicans are giving massive, new tax breaks to business and the wealthy and then rebalancing their budgets by cutting public employment...including 200,000 teachers.

I'm saying that if Republicans had maintained those jobs by holding the course on budgeting it's easy to see that the economy would be doing better.

I'm saying that if 1/3 of the stimulus had not been in the form of tax breaks as Republicans insisted but as spending instead the economy would be doing better.

I'm sorry, but Conservatives don't get off the hook for demanding austerity and the economic failure that comes from that.

I've been reading a lot in the last few weeks how giddy the Republicans are that the US economy is tanking. :)

Giddy? No. Truthful? Yes. At least someone is telling the truth. Obama is trying to spin the current economy as completely normal, and in fact is running well. Little delusional on Obama's part, no?

John B: No, Alan, I'm saying that the Republican war on public employment

These so called Republican "War on things" are getting a little wordy.

Say thanks, moonbats: the Citizens United decision helped the public sector unions in the recent Wisconsin recall.

Wall Street Journal piece this morning:

Labor unions poured millions into the state. Little or none of such expenditures were legal before the Citizens United decision.

By contrast, large individual contributions to Gov Walker had nothing to do with the Citizens United decision, and had been protected free speech since the 1976 Buckley v. Valeo decision.

There were apparently few 'corporate' donations to Walker.

Citizens United is more likely to benefit Democrats than Republicans. Corporations rarely make independent expenditures during candidate elections in their own names. But unions have no such compunction.

Backhouse, Feisty, Steven Delaware, John B, well said. Gave up trying to add my thoughts and if this posts without a gremlin attack, it will be the first this morning.

Apologies for my really gremlin-laden #14 below; please see my #18 which is the way I wrote it this morning but the gremlins added a repeat and refused to let me edit back out what they added. #18 the gremlins left alone.

When corporations are doing fine then millions upon millions of middle class and senior Americans are doing fine. We are counting on them doing fine because this is where our retirements and pensions are based. What part of this do people not comprehend?

No one in the right mind would give any weight to job stats from Massachusetts as compared to the rest of the country. Exactly what natural resources is Massachusetts so rich in that they should have outstanding job numbers? Tourism maybe?

Gee Ben, when the CEO of GM said "what's good for General Motors is good for America" in the 1950s people had the good sense to laugh him out of the hearing room.

Now it's what passes for "common sense" in the Conservative Movement.

Of course he can't shake it off. The GOP has absolutely NOTHING to beat him with. Now they feel "empowered" by Walker winning the elections, and they will take any little word that the President speaks and magnify it, to make their case.

Never mind the tirade of stupidities that we have listened while they were electing their "hopeful"

Talk about desperation. The GOP is pathetic. They are stealing private parks and privatizing them, Wall Street is doing better than ever, and there are more weapons in the arms of private citizens now that we could start a revolution without the army, easily.

But of course, their greed knows NO LIMITS.

Please vote Democrat to save SOME of what is left to the middle class.

hs321 - They make one hell of a lobster roll at Logan airport. Could this be it?

Alan, NJ - The stimulus worked (A bunch of information out there on that it worked so much better than you poeple will ever admit.) but it was never described as a pancea. Most economist have noted that the stimulus was too small (a bunch of it was tax breaks, which you guys are supposed to like.) You do remember that the economy was going to crash don't you? You do remember all those 500- 750,000 job losses per month don't you? Well that has stopped and we are now at least creating jobs. 4.2 million jobs have been created, that is saving the economy if you have any brains at all or I should say an honest bone in your body. Do not try and tell me that Scott Walkers union busting, budget reduction to education did not cost any teacher jobs.

It had to have cost jobs. If not whose jobs were lost? And which of that group deserved to lose their jobs?You really fell for those PAC money lies did'nt you?

Quit with the demonizing of government workers (I am not one.) they needed their jobs too. They have children too. They are also Americans too. So stop with the rooting against other Americans and tell your congressmen to vote for the jobs bill.

JohnB -- Aren't you a little confused???? Didn't conservatives want GM to go through a managed bankruptcy rather than a tax payer bailout -- which has not been paid back yet??? Besides what has that got to do with my statement about retirements and pensions counting on corporations doing fine?

I'm saying that if 1/3 of the stimulus had not been in the form of tax breaks as Republicans insisted but as spending instead the economy would be doing better.

I love this statement. I put it in the same category as the Republicans made the President put the individual mandate in the ACA.

Go read Christine Romner's rational for putting tax breaks into the stimulus. It had nothing to do with the Republicans. It was because there was no way spend the money quick enough, you remember "Not enough Shovel ready Jobs".

How many Republicans voted for the Stimulus again?

Obama - Friday, June 8th 10am: "The private sector is doing fine."

Obama - Friday, June 8th 1pm: "The private sector is not doing fine."

Dumb Fux: I would say the President knows what he's talking about!

So what's he talking about?

According to the right wing of the republican party, the private sector is do TOO good, so much so that they want to strip them of health-care, social security, Medicare etc. Give more tax breaks to the wealthiest one percent on the backs of the middle class workers in this country...

Political bashing, nothing short of political bashing. Obama is on the run and scared. Romney is confident, pointing out obama's shameful administration. Hey folks, be sure to read the best seller, AMATUER, its about obama and his failure to the American people and to the Government as well, and it is a best seller. By the way, be sure to listen to the DOJ's excuses during his testimony about his activity in the arm's dispersal to the Mexican's and its ongoing drug war. Pretty interesting. These two birds are flocking together. Interesting to see why the US is bordering on depression....................hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Our tax dollars was used to finance this operation, not chump change either, but million's!

Obama did not slip. In his mind, multi-national corporations are the "private sector", and yes for the most part up until now they are doing very well. They 1st laid off, trimmed internal expenses, and depended on emerging markets to carry the growth to the topline.

However, multi-nationals are NOT the job creators and this is where Obama shows he is not able to understand the business community. Obama moves with the big boys and so he only knows the big names and knows they are sitting on lots of cash unwilling to make any big moves due to lack of demand and frankly direction of the US fiscal policies.

What I see every single day is empty storefronts. This is mainstreet USA that are the JOB CREATORS. The big corporations had to go to emerging markets to seek profits, but mainstreet can't do that. The private sector is NOT DOING WELL, but Obama and his team of experts don't know this because they live in a bubble called Washington DC. BTW, Washington got a lot of the stimulus money and yes they are doing fine.

The federal jobs in Washington have seen an uptick of jobs over the past couple years thanks to more regulations, IRS expansion, and Obamacare gearing up. It is at the local levels that government workers have declined with most choosing to retire or see hours cut. That is because state and local governments must balance their budgets - sort of. I say that with a wink because they all use creative accounting to make this happen.

When Obama took office, he made it clear that he felt college students should choose to do government work rather than choose the private sector that supposedly made more money and was less valuable in his eyes. So he sees the government job as a more meaningful and almost more patriotic than a private job which he sees as more selfish and just looking for a bigger salary. Of course now we know that government jobs in fact get paid more for the same job and have much higher benefits thanks to those in the private sector that are selfish and supporting public workers by paying taxes to create those jobs. Obama accidentally let pandora out of the box by emphasizing government jobs as holier than thou and what Americans have found out about those salaries and benefits have been an big eye opener.

Keep talking Mr President.

Steven, Delaware

What Hallmark card did you get that BS from. Funny thing is that I felt like that in the early sixties but those freedoms were not extended to everybody. I was fortunate to be a white male.

Then there was a movement to bring everybody up to speed. Great idea! But like most great ideas like that the liberals screwed it up by screaming about respecting the rights of those that have no respect for the rights of others.

You and those like you need to grow up and realize that what you are dreaming of is not free. If you ask the government to provide it for you then the government will ask you to give up freedoms in return.

The community I live in was put in place in the late 50s and early 60s. It has been a fairly nice place to live but the only reason it has remained that way is because we the residents have insisted that newbies moving to our pleasant little community respect our rights to peace and quite

We all should expect our constabulary to protect our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness but our police can not do it alone especially if we continue to hamper their efforts.

Vaginal probe-This is the biggest whopper in a string of misinformation that you have stated. Citizens United was made by and for the corporations and the unions don't have a fraction of the money that corporations will contribute to buy elections all over this land. This decision by the fraternity of five will go down in history as the end of Supreme Court independence.

Joannasmith1

fiesty and beverly are birds of a feather, to bad they are DODO birds!

Funny how the President and all the talking heads say what we need are more cops, firefighters and teachers, as if those are the only Government workers that exist. Governments at the State and Federal level are bloated and inefficient and rarely get smaller and reforms are needed.

1. Do we really need the Federal Executive Boards, established in 1961, before the age of cell phones and the internet?

http://www.feb.gov/

2. Are more teachers the solution to our nation’s problems or do we need better teaches that are more accountable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_%22Superman%22

3. Do we need more firefighters and Police or do we need pension reform? In NJ and many other states, Public Sector Unions allow people to work tremendous overtime the year before they retire, inflating their final year’s pay, generating much larger life time benefits. They pay into the system for 29 years at 70K, then work their last year making $150K and get to retire based on their highest pay.

http://www.newjerseyhunter.com/article91688.htm

What our country needs are solutions, like those advanced by Gov. Walker in Wisconsin. Not shallow demagoguery, like that practiced by the President and his pathetic political advisers like David Axlerod.

NOBAMA 2012

Feisty so what now you are left with trying to defend your POTUS as being better than Bush. Yep his three and a half year record is so bad you can't point to his successes you are still clinging to Bush as your excuse for this pariah. You left wing socialists who think the government spends your money so wisely now want to rely on the government to be the sole provider of jobs. You won't be happy until the government cooks your meals and cleans your house with an over paid government worker with golden parachute. Oh wait maybe you already get that being from Chicago and seemingly always at home to blog and campaign for this Obamination. You like that free check and government housing you so deserve while you sit on your rear and campaign don't you?

Please point to one single government expendature where they didn't overpay, one job that they don't overpay for, one program they don't overspend on. You can't because they set their own salaries, healthcare and retirement, they have no motivation to cut themselves down to the average workers benefits when they can control everything for themselves with your money. It's rigged and they want it that way so either your in the rigged game and like it or you are too stupid to understand you aren't. Anyone else that doesn't fit those two categories will be voting anybody but Obama this next election.

It is going to be fun to watch what the redhead posts after obama goes back to chicago.

Dontcha just love it when mr. ego is pointing that finger to make the trite seem important?

No need to spend much on anti-obama ads when the fool puts both feet in his mouth..

Employment in the private sector ok, too, barry? BWHAHAHAHA! Stay in line lil lemmings...the cliff is near!

No jo - The hypocrisy on the left? 75% of Obama's money did not come from big donors, that was the one of the big things that came out of the election. I do not know the exact breakdown but it certainly was not big dollar donors on the level you decribed.

Why are you complaining about the drone kills? You all of a sudden worried about the terroist rights? Now that is hypocrisy. And if you have not heard all the crap Obama has taken from the left for trying to work with this lousy congress on many levels you have not paid attention.

The right might have may something to say about how Obama policies are not the best for the country, everything is debateable and we used to have debates and comprosmises in this country until the extreme right took over the republican party and now it is their way or the highway bulls*&t

How you can look yourself in the mirror and call someone else hypocrite, is amazing.

The President has always said the private sector creates jobs, while Government can help smooth the way, overcome hurdles and help facilitate.

GOP in Congress has BLOCKED job creation for the past 3.5 years, including two million jobs in the American Jobs Act - which they would not allow to come up for debate.

This Administration made 18 tax cuts for small businesses and has presented Congress with endless ways to help them expand and hire.

Government is there to do what we cannot do alone. This is by far the most transparent government in the history of America.

Go to www.whitehouse.gov and search on this inter-active and easy-to-navigate site on actions taken to create jobs and help businesses IN SPITE of GOP elected officials in Congress.

Every blog post by MSN MSNBC the past several weeks is an anti President Obama theme. Guess the real owners have set the tone. All of the media bought up and now we have ..what...4-5 major outlets left now.?.......ALEC, Murdoch, Koch Bros, etc........Buy the media and brainwash the masses. Corporations are people......Bought and paid for ......

The economy sucks and we all know it.
If you are a progressive you are stuck with Obama. You have no choice. Independents can think for themselves.

The folks I know, can "think for themselves".

The evidence is in 3D, though Faux may cover it up and lie about it.

While GOP/Koch/Crossroads continue sabotaging the economy, the Administration has created the conditions for 4.3 million jobs over the last 27 months.

This President inherited a 7.8% unemployment rate from President Bush and stalled a freefall economy. Without the actions taken by President Obama we would have had a full-blown Depression. Our economy is stabilized, unlike Europe where unemployment is running from 11.8% to 25%.

The private sector has never done better, and it is doing better than VERY fine.

The party of no will soon stumble. It's their nature. At the end, we will have a gaffe war.

Quit with the demonizing of government workers (I am not one.) they needed their jobs too. They have children too. They are also Americans too. So stop with the rooting against other Americans and tell your congressmen to vote for the jobs bill.

I'm not demonizing government workers I'm demonizing government. I am also questioning the logic of how increasing the public sector, when we are already borrowing 40 cents on the dollar, is going help the economy. I am demonizing politicians (of both parties) who promised benefits to workers knowing they would not be around when the bill came due.

The stimulus only worked in the computer models of economists. If it had worked then we would be seeing an increase in employment every month, at an accelerated rate. Instead, once the money ran out there was no lasting effect and the public sector workers who had been retained using the borrowed money had to be let go.

As to the stimulus being too small how much more would you want to spend? 800B in borrowed money. Over 3T in monetary expansion.

Let me ask you a specific question. What tax rates would you want to pay for the government as it is currently structured? Remember we have a 1.3T deficit. When you reach that figure add in the additional costs to pay for Medicare over the next decade as the Baby Boomers. Once you have your Federal Tax rates add on the State taxes required to pay for a system that allows workers to retire after 25 years on full pension and benefits.

It's math and its unsustainable, nothing to do with politics.

The "Job creator" Mitt Romney is becoming real cozy with Donald Trump. Is there any surprise that a State Park in upstate New York is turning into a golf course for the rich, just as we speak? The owner: you guessed it: Donald Trump.

Donald Trump and Mitt Romney are NOT what we need in this country. Corporate greed and rip offs, drilling for oil in Alaska and many other things that only will line their pockets.NONE of their policies will benefit us. They will just stick us in the back, like Walker did to all those teachers.

The GOP spent as much money as they wanted to re-elect that worm Walker. Please be sure not to let money influence your decision.

VOTE DEMOCRAT!!!

Say NO to the GOP.!!!

This is all they can run on because republican economic plans are nothing but a failure

Just_D_Facts

I think you are wrong on your facts...

Let's face it, the reason the comments stick is because it proves Obama is totally out of touch.

Obama out of touch??? Really, please give me concrete facts. Also, please show me clear examples of how Romney is in touch. I have yet to see his economic plan. What is he doing to do if he gets a do nothing Congress to move the country forward.

He says, everything is fine, a few hours later, everything is not fine. He says, Republicans and Democrats need to work together, he then says, get in the back seat of the car.

When is Congress going to act? They have a less than 13% approval rating. So far, all I see from the GOP is pointing, blaming, and whining, but ZERO action.

He says we need to be civil, he said before, “they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun” He says his administration will be the most transparent in history, the very first meeting on the topic after taking office lead by Joey Biden, closed to the press.

Well so far, I think it has been fairly transparent. However, there are things that need to be 'kept' under wraps, don't you agree?

He takes full credit for killing Bin Laden, fails to mention it was based on intelligence garnered under Bush WITH tactics he has forbidden to be used any longer. No hypocrisy here….

Umm... http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/bush-officials-praise-obama-say-they-also-contributed-to-bin-laden-capture/2011/05/02/AFBnstbF_story.html Obama also called Former President Bush from the Situation room after it was over. Try doing a fact check first.

We could go on and on… but you get the idea.

Fiesty,

“The private sector is doing fine.”

Corporate profits and CEO compensation are at record levels...

I would say the President knows what he's talking about!

I guess that's the problem.... you and the President seem to be confused into believing that the private sector consists only of corporations and CEO's. You and he would be better off recognizing that small businesses provide the vast majority of jobs in the country. Then perhaps you would realize that the private sector is NOT doing fine.

ROMNEY 2012

@Damage123, i like your latest photo (obama and romney, let's kiss and make up), cute, humorous and all that jazz. romney will still get the vote in November though!

The party of no will soon stumble. It's their nature. At the end, we will have a gaffe war.

With all due respect I do not agree. At this moment in time Obama will have to get a miracle to pull this election out. The Republicans pretty much did a good job keeping the economy from improving and Obama himself has done nothing but stuff his foot in his mouth almost like he doesn't want another term.

Between the Republicans F'ing US up and Obama I'd say your next pres will likely be a Mormon.

And honestly, that's not a concern, what is happens to be his priorities. But Americans do a great job of screwing themselves in the long run.

Alan, NJ

2012 = Willard is a dog-hating, store bought cookie snob, serial flip-flopper, draft dodger!

A couple questions

Since Mr Obama is a dog lover, what breed is his favorite flavor? and is that with or without ketchup?

Seeing as Mr Romney has a draft status of 1-A and was eligible to be drafted in the '69 draft lottery, how is he a draft dodger?

What is that "draft dodger" Joe Biden doing?

This is clearly a fatal message that will be played over and over again, rightfully so.

Obama saying the 'private sector is doing fine' is a grain of sand compared to his actual deeds and onerous fiscal policies! It is that, that has ruined the private sector! I only wish Barry's idiotic comments were the only problem of this administration!

Bill, you might be wrong. Hundreds of millions of dollars flowed into the Obama campaign via small donations charged to credit cards. No attempt was made to trace those donations back to individual people. Think how easy it would be to set up 1000 checking accounts and then send $100 from each one, especially if you owned the bank. Since no attempt was made to trace the money back, if could easily have come from foreigners, George Soros, the Chinese government or who knows who else. The mainstream media wasn't interested and, obviously, the Justice department wasn't going to look into this. The money may have come from lots of hard-working US citizens but it's unlikely that we will ever know for sure.

And, taking a cheap shot here, isn't it the Democrats that are so concerned about money and politics and which candidate was it that followed the federal campaign finance rules and which one didn't. For those of you who didn't follow the election last time, McCain kept to the federal limits while Obama collected nearly twice as much. So much for Democrats being concerned about the effects of unlimited money on elections. The Democrats are only concerned when it is not their ox being gored.

THANKS FOR TELLING ME WHAT TO THINK AGAIN!

Everybody in the news wants to tell me about how Obama's comments linger or Romney's comments linger, either based on their little opinions, or a poll of about 1000 people. Gee, because I can't read the comments and see how I feel about them myself.

Hey, look, you voter. You, who's vote should not matter in the eye of those who run this country. You there, you need to think like someone who matters. You should think like a Democrat or Republican and you should district yourself to one of our color coded communities. Or you should relocated to a battleground state where all the election money is being spent and all the national decisions are faked being made. You hurry up now and remember to read the opinions posted as news so you can know how to think!

Corporate profits and CEO compensation are at record levels...

I would say the President knows what he's talking about

Liberals always looking for the way to spin the lies. Ludicrous. There is no way you can defend the Messiha , he was under influence of dog meat when he make those comments.

Corporate profits and CEO compensation are at record levels...

And...

Liberals always looking for the way to spin the lies.

Oddly enough... :)

For Big Companies, Life Is Good

Big U.S. companies have emerged from the deepest recession since World War II more productive, more profitable, flush with cash and less burdened by debt.

An analysis by The Wall Street Journal of corporate financial reports finds that cumulative sales, profits and employment last year among members of the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index exceeded the totals of 2007, before the recession and financial crisis.

Deep cost cutting during the downturn and caution during the recovery put the companies on firmer financial footing, helping them to outperform the rest of the economy and gather a greater share of the nation's income. The rebound is reflected in the stock market, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average at a four-year high.

"U.S. companies became leaner, meaner and hungrier," said Sung Won Sohn, a former chief economist at Wells FargoWFC -0.65% & Co.

The performance hasn't translated into significant gains in U.S. employment. Many of the 1.1 million jobs the big companies added since 2007 were outside the U.S. So, too, was much of the $1.2 trillion added to corporate treasuries. Two-thirds of Apple Inc.'s AAPL +1.00% $82 billion in cash and marketable securities as of Sept. 30 was held by foreign subsidiaries, for example.

The Labor Department said Friday that employers added fewer jobs than expected in March, reigniting concerns that the economic recovery would stall again. Much of Europe is in recession and growth is slowing in China. Even before Friday's report, analysts expected earnings from S&P 500 companies to rise 9% this year, down from 15% last year.

Overall, though, the Journal found that S&P 500 companies have become more efficient—and more productive. In 2007, the companies generated an average of $378,000 in revenue for every employee on their payrolls. Last year, that figure rose to $420,000.

Consider Agilent Technologies Inc., A 0.00% a Santa Clara, Calif., maker of scientific equipment, that was suffering from the shock of the economic crisis. In 2009, the company laid off 4,000 employees, or 20% of its work force, as revenue plunged 22% and the company posted a loss.

More to read here...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303815404577331660464739018.html

So I take it you mean Liberals are right because what he actually said is the truth? Unless of course you're trying to "spin" the Wall Street Journal as some kind of "Liberal" rag now? :)

Hate being pw3nd I bet. :D

It's an election year, this is MSNB and First Read, the Obama Cheering Section. Talk about bleeding, most people are sick unto death of the blather. Lies, propaganda and utter nonsense bandied about like it meant something. Romney democrats republicans Obama blah, blah, blah....

Nothing of substance, all talk and more talk and the economy continues to limp along, nothing ever really changes. Obama is Romney, both are puppets and the puppet masters, well, let's just say that they don't belong to any political party, they play whatever side of the aisle suits their purpose while the little people squabble amongst themselves and accomplish nothing.

I do think this is indicative of Obama's belief about how our economy should work. He seems to be of the school of thought that the important thing is for everyone to have a job - whether it's public or private. I think this type of thinking is a large part of what's sunk Greece's economy, and I definitely do not want to go that way in this US.

Also, concerning using more federal government money to hire teachers, how much do we need to spend on education? We already spend significantly more per person than any other country in the world. It seems to me that the first thing we need to do is take a hard look at how that money is being spent before we start throwing more money at the problem.

@John B, Des Moines, IA

Complete and total nonsense, TexasT. The President rightly pointed out that economic growth would be higher and unemployment lower were it not for the concerted effort by Republicans to destroy employment in the public sectore

Public sector jobs DO NOT spur economic growth nor do they raise much needed revenue for the government. If they did Greece would be experiencing a new golden age instead of falling off a cliff. Where the hell do you think the money to support those jobs comes from? Taxes prevent economic growth and public sector is paid with yours and mine tax dollars. If you pay an extra buck to support a public sector job that's one less buck you have to support someone in the private sector. Someone in the private sector adds revenue to the government when they pay their taxes, someone in the public sector takes revenue from the government when they get their paycheck. Dems want to pull at your heart strings with talks of firemen and teachers well how about all of the friggin, bureaucrats? Let's get rid of some of those over paid paper pushers. 10 of the richest 15 counties in the entire nation are found surrounding Washington DC. Coincidence?

@ Fiesty

If you can't see that there is a problem when 2008 = Hope and Change and 2012 = Hate and Spin (yes, I am talking Obama), you should take a step back and try to look at Obama and his record as if he were just some white Repub politician. I think you are being blinded by the man and not seeing what has happened in the 2008 to 2012 under Obama.

I am not going to say the Romney is perfect and that all will be roses because no one is perfect and if I had a choice in the matter I would far rather see Hillary/Bill or Colin Powell be president (my favorite Democrats or Republican, respectively). Basically we are in a house that is on fire and instead of fighting and arguing over who started it, who fanned it, is fire bad, and hitting each other with the empty water buckets we need to pull together. I think Obama has pathological NPD which explains a lot of the problems with his administration and thus I am expecting things to get worse not better if he gets in for 4 more years.

I get so sick and tired of hearing that Obama is better than Bush. That is like saying a president's ethics and personal accountability is better than Nixon. In my mind Bush and Obama are running neck and neck for worst president ever with a large gap between them and third. I think history may be kinder to GW than Obama because at least as far as I can see no matter how misguided and messed over Bush was at least he tried to do what he felt was the right thing for the country and the world. Obama on the other hand appears to be doing only what he thinks is best for Obama (as he appears to be the main focus of his own world).

So what is my plan with really no great option for voting. Unless there is a huge shake up at the DNC convention and somehow Hillary gets the nomination (which if this happened I would be ecstatic), I will be voting for Romney because I think we can keep on him to get him to do the right thing. Then start early and plan for 2016. In regard to Obama, he was a blank slate in 2008 and it was a historic moment so I decided to give him a chance but I have been there and seriously regret it though I did not want Palin in as VP either so I still don't know if I would have voted McCain - Palin.

So drop the hate, drop the blind partisan politics, look up NPD (and then look at Obama - his speeches, his actions, all his book publishing, changing presidential biographies to point at him, all of it), and then get a pic of someone else in your mind and go over the 2008 - 2012 administration and see if maybe you don't understand why people are saying no more and we need a change.

What I took away from Obama's comments is that he doesn't want to be bothered with the private sector. He wants to leave it alone and focus on what he really loves: Government. Government employees, government spending, government regulations, more government, etc. He justifies this preoccupation with government by telling himself (and us) that the private sector is doing, "just fine", and hence he really needs to be focused on government.

Someone once said that when the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to view every problem as a nail. In Obama's case, his "hammer" is government spending, so it becomes the solution to every problem, regardless of what it is. That is his goal. Make no mistake about it.

His comment that the private sector is "doing just fine" was his honest and heartfelt way of saying, "I REALLY want to focus here on government, not the private sector."

So Commerce Secretary Bryson decided to take a page from the Obama/Holder play book and run away from his responsibilities! Why should he be held accountable for his actions when Holder is stalling a congressional Fast and Furious investigation and Obama condones it? We have a "Hit And Run" President and Attorney General and the corruption is trickling down through the cabinet appointments to the point that Commerce Secretary Bryson feels that he can get away with his lack of duty. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in the Obama mis-administration

From self proclaimed Messiah to incredibly obvious Clueless Wonder in just 4 short years... Who'da thunk it?

MTpolitico, did you fall out of bed and hit your head on the wrong story?

oskar, Yes, the spin and the lies continue from the left. If corporate profits are at all time highs, then why are corporate income tax collections so low ? The left is having a "brain-cramp" because this does not make sense !

Furthermore, the left likes to ignore the many thousands of small to medium-sized businesses all across this country that are struggling for survival. They focus instead on Wall Street where those publicly-traded companies have publicly reported financial reports.

Care to tackle this Jim being Oskar won't and you seem to be a stupid as he is? :)

For Big Companies, Life Is Good

Big U.S. companies have emerged from the deepest recession since World War II more productive, more profitable, flush with cash and less burdened by debt.

An analysis by The Wall Street Journal of corporate financial reports finds that cumulative sales, profits and employment last year among members of the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index exceeded the totals of 2007, before the recession and financial crisis.

Deep cost cutting during the downturn and caution during the recovery put the companies on firmer financial footing, helping them to outperform the rest of the economy and gather a greater share of the nation's income. The rebound is reflected in the stock market, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average at a four-year high.

"U.S. companies became leaner, meaner and hungrier," said Sung Won Sohn, a former chief economist at Wells FargoWFC -0.65% & Co.

The performance hasn't translated into significant gains in U.S. employment. Many of the 1.1 million jobs the big companies added since 2007 were outside the U.S. So, too, was much of the $1.2 trillion added to corporate treasuries. Two-thirds of Apple Inc.'s AAPL +1.00% $82 billion in cash and marketable securities as of Sept. 30 was held by foreign subsidiaries, for example.

The Labor Department said Friday that employers added fewer jobs than expected in March, reigniting concerns that the economic recovery would stall again. Much of Europe is in recession and growth is slowing in China. Even before Friday's report, analysts expected earnings from S&P 500 companies to rise 9% this year, down from 15% last year.

Overall, though, the Journal found that S&P 500 companies have become more efficient—and more productive. In 2007, the companies generated an average of $378,000 in revenue for every employee on their payrolls. Last year, that figure rose to $420,000.

Consider Agilent Technologies Inc., A 0.00% a Santa Clara, Calif., maker of scientific equipment, that was suffering from the shock of the economic crisis. In 2009, the company laid off 4,000 employees, or 20% of its work force, as revenue plunged 22% and the company posted a loss.

More to read here...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303815404577331660464739018.html

So next time you and Oskar wish to point fingers how the dreaded "Left" is spinning things maybe you should stop twirling around in all directions first yourself. Then again you probably won't get the analogy so I am sure it's wasted on you. :D

Obama seems to think we can fix the job market if we hire more firemen.

There are about 280,000 career firemen in the US. To lower the unemployment rate 0.1 by hiring firemen we would need 155,000 firemen added to the payroll. A 55% increase in firemen. That's a whole bunch of firemen. Is there that much demand for firemen? Not withstanding the forest fires in the west, but that is a huge increase in firemen just sitting around waiting for the bell to ring and the pensions to flow. The average pay of a fireman is $42K plus benefits = $70k per person. Taxpayers would be on the hook for $10.85 Billion a year.

There are 3.2 million teachers in the US. To reduce the unemployment rate another 0.2 points we would have to add 310,000 teachers to the roles at the snap of the fingers. Again the average pay of a teacher is $42K + benefits totaling a mere $21.7 Billion charged to the tax payer per year.

Policemen - About 700,000 cops out there keeping us safe from ourselves. To reduce the, unemployment rate another 0.1 points we would need another 155,000 cops on the taxpayer dole to the tune of $50K + benefits = $80,000 or another $12.4 Billion.

So for Obama to lower his Unemployment Rate from 8.2 to 7.8 he is only asking for $45 BILLION a year from our bankrupt nation. Only $45 Billion. Only another $500 a year from every household in the United States.

This model assumes there are 620,000 available firemen, teachers and policemen ready to fill those slots - a mighty big assumption no doubt.

So Mr. Obama, do you think all Americans are stupid? Do you think we can just keep pouring money into the public union sector so that you can lower you unemployment numbers? Last time I checked most cops and teachers have degrees.

Feel free to comment. I would love for the Democrats to explain how we are going to hire 620,000 people into these three sectors in an instant. Are you going to ask for a tax increase of $500 per household? Are you going to charge the national credit card? What?

Or are you just campaigning hoping no one would do the math. DING DING DING, we have a winner!

One more question- how much of that $45 Billion would would go to unions? Let's assume 1.5% or about $675 Million a year. Hmmm!

Your not voting for a representative you are voting against the other parties leaders.

Anti-democrat
Anti-republican

Stop funding ............. they aren't overpaying for the green jobs that are being created. They are only costing us as taxpayers about 300k per job. Even though most are going bankrupt, and 2/3 of this "green money" has went to Obama bundlers from 2008, doesn't this make all the taxpayers here excited that our money went for that. I'm down right giddy.

Good points. While Obama seeks more and more 'public' sector everything, not once does he stop to consider the annoying little question of who is going to pay for his largesse? His loyal lapdogs don't do the math, they're all caught up in his rhetoric, whatever he says they parrot, rather like a lynch mob, all mouth, no intelligence in evidence. Sadly, they vote.

@Mr. Clark: You can continue to belive that, despite evidence that indicates that the primary reason he was elected was the color of his skin. Perhaps America is finally waking up to the fact that character, integrity and moral values are far more important than political correctness, skin color and rhetoric.

As to the rest of the world, well, let's see how well they fare left to their own devices. Think China is the answer?

JC-1439099

I guess that's the problem.... you and the President seem to be confused into believing that the private sector consists only of corporations and CEO's. You and he would be better off recognizing that small businesses provide the vast majority of jobs in the country. Then perhaps you would realize that the private sector is NOT doing fine.

Small businesses are not sitting on trillions of dollars in jobs.

Perhaps, you need to spend more time comprehending if the House Republicans would pass the President's bills AJA small businesses would grow faster.

You know they do that in order to setback to President Barack Obama because the only job they are interested in is "ONE". That'd be President Obama's.

What have the republicans done for the small buinesses besides sitting on their hands not working???

2/3 of the time they are off. When they are there they propose bills about social issues; not J-0-B-S!!!

This is the dagger. Obama, unscripted or teleprompted, boldly proclaimed our only way forward is to grow government. He believes this and he has now owned it 100%.

This is your economy.

This is your economy on Obama.

Any questions?

MyGirl, he will tell you exactly who will pay for it .... the rich. The only problem is the Buffett rule on the rich only brings in about 4 or 5 Billion a year. When he says "pay your fair share" with this Buffett rule most people don't realize how little it will bring in. A lot assume raising taxes will cure our ills but it would turn our 1.3 Trillion deficit into a 1.295 Trillion deficit. It won't even make a minute dent in the deficit, much less the debt or any new spending.

You know, if you made a law that nothing that you could not campaign using any negative wording...

...politicians in this country would realize they don't actually do anything for a living.

...

Hey Jeff 1.93, try reading the whole First Thoughts column. Typical Lib jumping to conclusions and getting on board without bothering to read the article. Take off your blinders and look at the big picture. Dumb a55!

Mr. Clarke

Why don't people, just say why they really don't like President Obama. They don't like him because he is a Negro. (or half) Get rid of all this pollitical correctness and say what you are thinking. You don't like the guy because he is black.

I don't like Obama's economic policies or his leadership style - it has nothing to do with him personally. In fact, based on an incident when a friend of mine met him (after he became president), I think he is a good person. However, as a president, I think he's just as bad as GWB and Carter - which is why I do not think I'll be voting for him again.

Bev, do you realize the American jobs act didn't even pass a cloture vote in the Senate? A Democrat proposed Bill by the prez is defeated in a Democrat Senate and it's the fault of the Republicans in the House? LOL Seriously?

MTpolitico! blah, blah, blah, blah...

He had a seizer moron. :)

Feisty

"

"The private sector is doing fine."

Corporate profits and CEO compensation are at record levels...

I would say the President knows what he's talking about!"

So you are saying that the 1% is what Obama is saying is doing OK, or the 1% is America as Obama puts it???

Wrong answer for sure for when a President speaks about America he speaks about all the PEOPLE...

Feisty you are a true lib with false beliefs!!!!!!

MSNBC continues to prove they endorse Corporate Raider Willard Romney. I have noticed that both Fox-MSNBC and Fox-CNN continue to slide in viewer ratings, as they adapt Conservative values and views. Both Fox Clones do not realize that its the conservative values and views that are causing them to loose people left and right.

If you all think things will get better under the Technocratic rule of Corporate Raider Willard Romney well here are the hard facts. In Iowa Willard said he was NOT the benefits President. And Of course Millions of Americans lost good jobs because of the Corporate Raider. He WILL do the same to the USA. Just think of the damage and destruction that will be done if a Corporate Raider becomes President!!!

We barely have a Middle Class now. If Willard wins. There will not be a Middle class at all.

Shameful that you support this monster Willard Romney, MSNBC SHAME!!!

And thats my opinion!!!

Bitterhawk

"When did it become acceptable in this country to support someone with no core, moral compass or integrity?"

"Is this a trick question? It became acceptable in 2008 when the fraud who currently resides in the oval office was elected."

Don't forget Bill Clinton, and I'm sure he's not the first either. It's just when I hear about a lack of moral compass & integrity his name always pops into my head.

A likely story!! Seems like he was well enough to get out of his car and converse with the passengers of the car he rear-ended. I don't think seizures allow someone to do that. Try adding some reality to the koolaide and have another.

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say
something.” - Plato

Nuff Said...

Considering you're a copy-and-paste, liberal talking point wanna-be diva and rarely articulate anything beyond a 4th grade level one-liner I hope you do realize that you are indeed a member of the latter. Since you really have nothing original to say reason would dictate that you must just love reading yourself and feel like you have to say something.

Obama deeply devouted to Marxist/Alinsky ideals, vote no to stop this building of government that will end this country.

“[Obama] says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin?” Romney said in Iowa. “The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.”

Is just me, or isn't Romney calling those that perform these jobs "Un-American??" I think that is worst than saying the private sector economy is fine... given the fact that it added +80k jobs last month and didn't loose +700k under the same policies the republicans want to take us back to. It is also local govt that are shedding more jobs than are created.

Tell those that depend on these govt jobs to put their kids to school and pay their mortgages or buy the supplies the govt needs, if they are part of the America the republican nominee needs to think about when setting their policies. This can almost be called another "War on___" the republicans like to engage in to try and divide the American public

Hey Fiesty 1.96 That info wasn't included in the article. Since I don't have my earpiece plugged into the DNC spin machine like you do I guess I didn't hear the excuse being put forward. I won't debate you regarding venom. You are definitely the expert at slash and burn political commentary heavy with spewed venom. Did Obama and Holder have seizures too? That might help to explain some of their lack of good judgement and responsibility dodging.

Since you really have nothing original to say reason would dictate that you must just love reading yourself and feel like you have to say something.

Thanks Dopey for identifying which catagory you fall into.. lol

Just couldn't resist could ya honey?

wow some great comments.good thread.fedup;buddy youre right on the money.and to those that collapse comments it just makes me want to read them all the more

“The private sector is doing fine.” In context, the president was noting that the private sector is doing fine IN COMPARISON with the public sector, and the job numbers back that up.

The President is also incorrect to be comparing job creation in the private sector to the public sector. Job creation that would be equal in both areas would be bad for the country. Higher job creation in public sector than the private would be even worse! (Yet, he continues to be a broken record, the only jobs he can see are those that drag the economy down.) All the way around, he was wrong. And yes, it does show his lack of knowledge on the subject. If he continues as he has been these last weeks, the Media will have to stop covering his speeches to help him out. It is definitely time for a change!

NOBAMA2012!

Watching Feisty and Beverly try to spin Obama back into favor is very entertaining.....better than Gleason and Carney

A verbal gaffe, "The Private Sector is doing fine"; along with re tracking is bad news--In the next 4 years, we need progress, not blame.

Obama has made many that were acceptable. To "tap" into 23.2 million unemployed, and looking for work is deplorable by this comment. (It could have been the worst one to date)

He wants to be re elected for a second Term. No more Interns who are at the helm of the Presidency. We need help and concentrating on the issues that directly affect all Americans. The Economy, and future are dismal.

While his daughter is celebrating her 11th b-day at Red Robin with friends and Mom, he is mingling among celebrities at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. That is offensive to any American who has a brain.

Work with the Private Sector; be among the needy. Go to a Homeless Shelter. Talk to the people who have no Hope--no nothing, not because they are "LAZY" as he once said, but because businesses and Corps are not hiring for fear of the future, under this Administration. Get the Priorities straight as Commander in Chief. Out of Afghanistan!.

This is the reality of no Change.

Thank you MSNBC for being a much more free forum now, debating this Administration..

I'm demonizing government.

Which is for once an honest admission of the Conservative message. It's a message that says all government is bad, ignoring any and all facts to the contrary. I don't demonize government, I'd like it to work as well as possible.

I'd like to continue the tradition of public education that gave us the a strong middle class workforce with the thinking skills necessary to continue our system of representative government this long.

I'd like to continue the tradition of higher education being available to all with the ability to complete the work, giving us the most capable workforce in the world, and the most innovative.

I'd like to continue the tradition of public works that gave us rural electrification, flood control, and the Interstate System, allowing that workforce to provide the fire in the greatest economic engine in the history of the world.

I'd like to provide a basic safety net, giving those who fall a hand up, allowing them to rise and place their shoulders once again against the load with the rest of us rather than being trampled underfoot.

I'd like, in short, to continue a society that allows a strong middle class, the engine of our economy, the strength of our nation, a beacon of hope for the world.

That's why I'm behind Obama/Biden in 2012.

Well from some of the comments one thing is certain. There seems to be many from both the Obama Camp and Romney Camp regurgitating what each of their campaigns are saying. Its amusing to watch so many who just can't seem to think for them self. One thing for certain is both these guys are showing they are both out of touch!

We need a person to step up to the plate and be a real leader and lead this nation instead of worrying about his/her next political meal ticket. When we finally reform campaign finance rulings then we will maybe be able to put the power back into the peoples hand.

Are we a democratic republic a republic based democracy or global capitalism?

I agree the swordnpen79 they are both out of touch.

Just more proof the President is completely out of touch with reality. Time for the right kind of Change. No BO 2012!

And to think I voted for this idiot.

^^^TheSwordNPen79^^^

Are we a democratic republic a republic based democracy or global capitalism?

We are raging HORMONES for dumb Republicans and Democrats.

@Jeff-1592116

Care to tackle this Jim being Oskar won't and you seem to be a stupid as he is? :)

For Big Companies, Life Is Good

You libs love to focus on "big companies" but the reality is that the VAST majority of companies in this country have fewer than 100 employees. These small comapnies find it MUCH harder to deal with the burden of government. Care to address that Jeff or don't your talking points cover the REAL PROBLEMS?

Obama can't run on his record, it's a complete disaster. Even his stimulus was nothing more than a payoff to bail out wall street's biggest firms, or a payment to states to shore up the unions. Saving GM was all about saving the unions, if saving the unions mean't saving GM, then it had to be done.
He rammed a severely flawed healthcare bill in the most underhanded way possible, then gave every crony a waiver. Hell, he let the big pharma write the damn thing.

Since he can't possibly run on his record, he must TRY to destroy Mitt, and he's even failing at that. :-)

Which is for once an honest admission of the Conservative message. It's a message that says all government is bad, ignoring any and all facts to the contrary. I don't demonize government, I'd like it to work as well as possible.

Lay out your structure as to how government can work "as well as possible".

I'd like to continue the tradition of public education that gave us the a strong middle class workforce with the thinking skills necessary to continue our system of representative government this long.

Was this before or after the Federal Government decided to help with a local function?

I'd like to continue the tradition of higher education being available to all with the ability to complete the work, giving us the most capable workforce in the world, and the most innovative.

Like sending home all those highly trained immigrants who completed their PHDs and paid for them?

I'd like to continue the tradition of public works that gave us rural electrification, flood control, and the Interstate System, allowing that workforce to provide the fire in the greatest economic engine in the history of the world.

Except that it was moving the workforce to the cities that made the economics possible. Your statement makes no sense.

I'd like to provide a basic safety net, giving those who fall a hand up, allowing them to rise and place their shoulders once again against the load with the rest of us rather than being trampled underfoot.

Me too. I would love that government had enough discipline that it would restrict itself to a basic safety net instead of attempting to solve all of society's' ills. Unfortunately empirical evidence suggests otherwise.

I'd like, in short, to continue a society that allows a strong middle class, the engine of our economy, the strength of our nation, a beacon of hope for the world.

So you look to the Federal Government? I agree Obama is the correct choice for your worldview.

John B .......hardly anyone thinks all govt is bad, not even Ron Paul. It's just massive and extremely inefficient. I've been in 3 federal agencies over the last 21 years and can tell you they are all very innefficient and waste tons of money. We laugh constatntly (although its not really funny) at the huge amounts of pissed away money. And how virtually all agencies and departments go on spending sprees in September, so they can make sure all their money is spent so they will get at least the same amount of money the next year. Furniture, flat screens, computers flying all over the place that isn't needed.

Our favorite saying is "if it makes sense it aint gonna happen". And we say that a lot. We all chuckle when we hear people want to send more money to this massive consuming machine. Coming from an AFGE union member.

Thank you Alan, I'm glad you concede that President Obama is the right President to hep us continue building a stronger America.

John B, Des Moines, IA

Complete and total nonsense, TexasT. The President rightly pointed out that economic growth would be higher and unemployment lower were it not for the concerted effort by Republicans to destroy employment in the public sectore.

Compared to what Democrats have done to jobs in the private sector? Over the top regulations, NAFTA and WTO free trade agreements, what is it now? G8?

And it is not a concerted effort to "destroy employment"...let me say this loud enough that you can hear...

WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO CONTINUE CREATING JOBS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR!

Stimulus? More borrowed money? This clown in the whitehouse is already spending double what he takes in. Why should he care? Makes him look good for the time being, and he'll be long gone doing speaking engagements and writing more crappy books when the interest on his loans come due.

Over 200,000 teachers have lost their jobs in the last year. That isn't a small matter. When Republicans around the country are eliminating tens of thousands of jobs per MONTH it's a drain on employment numbers and a drain on the economy as a whole. Democrats are trying to be a fountain, Republicans the drain...that's the difference in a nutshell.

Democrats currently are the biggest money drain in history.

Really! Really Think about this one for just a second. You Tea Party and Occupy People! Then you decide who is controlling this nation and then decide when you want it back. The number one donor to the Obama Campaign in many ways that he could was George Soro's, also a multi-billionaire self proclaimed socialist. Kind of a oxymoron billionaire vs socialist! Then his statement about Romney to the European Bankers. " I wouldn't worry about a Romney Presidency compared to a Obama Presidency! Not much will change other than some of the baggage he will have to bring. ie; Gingrich, Santorum, Rubio or Christie for VP. then most of the cabinet will be Romneyites. Which will be influenced by the same donors of either house. Nothing changes other than the faces to protect the guilty!

Actually it is kinda sad that they are running on competition. Rather than Creation. Meaning they both would rather let their campaigns slander each other. Than actually coming up with ideas on how to get us out of this mess.

And the same goes for Corporate America. They are also in major competition mode. Which only lasts so long. Without creation the Corporations will suffer sooner or later. Without creation there is product that is not thought up and the old product wont sustain growth.

The issues really started in the 80's with pension reform. More and more Corporations no longer had to have Pensions. And the need to invest for retirement fell to IRA's. Unfortunately the vast majority of the middle class that relied on the pension Idea. Did not and still do not know how to Create wealth out of an IRA.

The last issue is we have the Republican controlled congress in Competition with a Dem president. They are not in Creation mode. So they cannot Create jobs or funding for projects here ate home. And Corporations are CASH rich Waiting for opportunity where there is none Here at home. Why hire when the Government wont even Create stimulus or jobs. Wont invest in roads to drive business.

Think about who wants to create rather than leave it up to Corporations that wont hire to create at this time. Very few are on the frontier of creation now. And The USA was made huge by Creation. We created the Atom bomb Computing technology the Smart Phone. The Internet. Now we are falling behind and other Nations are doing the Creating.

BTW I may seem disgruntled with both parties. I am for good reason. Why? Because I have personally witnessed "GROSS HYPOCRISY" from both PARTIES and I wouldn't give either of the them the time of day! Gingrich the SELL OUT for REPAYMENT of his BAD CAMPAIGN DEBT! The Rest of them for similar reason and opportunity. Listen up people your congressman and senators have been selling you out for decades and now this is the what we are getting because of lack of " Real Leaders in the Halls of Government" and yes we need Government just as much as we need the Private Sector which for most middle class Americans "It SUCKS!" So yeah lets Vote for the same ole "Brain Damage".

Care to tackle this Jim being Oskar won't and you seem to be a stupid as he is? :)

For Big Companies, Life Is Good

Big U.S. companies have emerged from the deepest recession since World War II more productive, more profitable, flush with cash and less burdened by debt

This is another spin, Obama said the private sector is doing well, to demand more bureaucracy and bigger government, his political base. If private sector is doing fine our economy will do fine, bit it is not, , big corporations cut jobs and never toke them back, small business are struggling and working with minimum staff, 70,000 unemployment will lose their benefits this month, because they can't get a job, it will count to lower the percentage of unemployed and spin more the real numbers. This government is all about spin and lie to hide the failure of this administration.

oskar, you are correct we wouldn't have a 1.9% gdp growth if all was well in the private sector. All post recession growth at some point usually hits between 4 and 6% gdp growth by now.

Why don't people, just say why they really don't like President Obama. They don't like him because he is a Negro. (or half) Get rid of all this pollitical correctness and say what you are thinking. You don't like the guy because he is black. (or at least half black)

I am COMPLETELY insulted by people like you who play the race card at every turn, thinking that because Obama is black (or half black, as you put it) then his far left policies can't be scrutinized or criticized. I have absolutely ZERO problem with a black president, and in fact would be voting for Herman Cain if he were still in the race. However, I have a HUGE problem with a president that describes himself as a transparent uniter and then proceeds to try to jam European socialism down the throats of the American people all the while flatly denying what he's doing. I have HUGE problems with a president who continues to see increasing the debt and bigger government as the answer to every problem. This thing of calling everyone a racist bigot who dares disagree with the president has got to stop. It's insulting the intelligence of people who actually care about the issues and vote on principle instead of color. If you want to talk racist, how about telling my exactly WHY 95%+ of all blacks voted for Mr Obama. Can you tell me they were thoughtfully analyzing his policies and then decided he was the best candidate? Millions more whites voted for Obama than blacks voted for McCain. It's time to quit playing the race card and admit the man's policies are failing terribly.

@ John B, Des Moines I read with interest your post #1.125. It was well written until you got to the last sentence. How you can conclude that re-electing Obama would achieve your goals is a total disconnect in rational thought. But then, from what I've seen on these posts and in Washington, the Left has no basic Math skills. 1+2 does not equal 13, no matter which way you spin it. You will not see your wishes come to fruition by re-electing Obama either.

In further thought about your post.....

We lost the tradition of a strong public education some time ago, encouraging hiring even more Teachers will not make that happen. In contrast, a study was done that said if the worst 3% of Teachers were fired, the US educational system would go from being 14 in the top 5. Obama will never let that happen.

Higher education is not appropriate for all, nor should it be free or really low cost. There should be a balanced system of assistance that covers only the necessities, not cars and home and fertility treatments...(In the case of Octomom.)

Public works, especially the electric company is under attack from Obama. You do remember he was on a mission to close the coal powered factories? Considering we do not have enough alternatives for these yet is the only thing that has stopped him. Yet, the process is going on, in a couple of years, the energy cost in my state is going up due to Obama's policies. No one is looking forward to that.

You said "basic safety net." It would be great if we could GET BACK TO THAT. Right now, we have those in the class who are receiving so much, you can't tell they are in need. And yet, the Democrats want to give them more...(the latest being gas cards.) Basic, should mean basic. They shouldn't be running around in designer clothes with smart phones, flat screens, X boxes, and cash. There is ZERO incentive to not live on the dole.

Overall, the President has missed the mark, (and possibly you too) None of the things you want can be paid for until we increase the private, product-producing jobs in this country. When it comes down to it, the product producing jobs are the only ones that will pay for all the entitlements. Hiring more service workers will NEVER make this happen. This is partly why the stimulus was such a failure. Propping up public sector workers was prolonging the inevitable. We would have been further along in this recession had we not spent the money in the manner.

I too want to return to a strong America, but I am sure it won't be by re-electing Obama.

Doesn't matter how many economist in this country or the world that say the stimulus worked and the amount of jobs it saved/created, republicans still refuse to come to grips with this fact and many like it. For example, anyone that continues to say that this president added $5 trillion to the our debt without first stating the fact that this president did what was right by putting all the war spending on the books as opposed to Bush (or Romney if he were to get elected) or the fact that the 2nd biggest part of those $5 trillion was due to the Bush tax cut that were only continued because republicans took the unemployment benefits of so many Americans hostage for these cuts. I dare anyone find any statistics that say the continuation (or enactment) of those tax cuts created any jobs. Show me a direct and clear connection that says those cuts amounted to X amounts of jobs??

It is abyssmal how so many comment without using their thought process. What does it take for you to wake up and find yourselves engaging in how politics is manipulating you as opposed to looking at the reality of the mockery that Corporate Business has done on what's left of this Democracy? With few exceptions your posts spit and spew for the sake of partisanship instead of actually voting and communicating with the representatives who are supposed to keep Democracy safe for EVERYONE by holding accountable those entities who would undermine our Economy (Deregulation, Tax Loophole Seeking Individuals and Corporations, etc.) and our Scoiety. POTUS is NOT a DICTATOR. POTUS CANNOT DICTATE TO CONGRESS AND THE SENATE. THIS IS A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE AND IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GET ANGRY ENOUGH TO VOTE OUT THOSE WHO SUPPORT THEIR OWN SELFISH INTERSTS & IDEOLOGY TOWARD OBSTRUCTIONISM AND DECONSTRUCTIONISM. You all seem to get lost in the smokescreen created by those who would sell your livlihood from under you. Mexican Immigrants are not the problem...they came here to work since the 1940's. The greater issue are the "Refugees" from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars who collect General Assistance, Medicaid and Food Stamps with absolutely no job skills except to "start a business" and refuse to assimilate into our Society and Culture which has become at best narcissistic without regard for anything or anyone. Many of you seem unable to look at the Romney Campaign as part of the problem instead of the solution. Has he once stated the reasoning for his desire to become POTUS? No. His arrogance and ability to purchase ugly comments to push out his GOP Peers speaks volumes. Public Servant? I don't think so. HE IS THE PRIVATE SECTOR! So few of you seem to understand that.Civil Service is gone. State Governments run by Republican Governors awarded the top with fat pensions leaving the direct service providers with hedge fund stocks for retirement. Instead of rewarding Public Service employees for competent dedicated work, they are punished through eliination of retention incentives. Do any of you know a Public School Teacher who retires wealthy? The Superintendants to. The Union Leaders do. Mitt Romney's business practices contributed to the disenfranchisment of millions of those who were employed by the Companies he fragmented then reabsorbed. Is that a skill? Is that advocating for the Consitution? Is that the "New Business Ethic" replacing the Protestant Work Ethic so many of us were raised into? Think not. Obama's Intelligence and experiential knowledge and Belief in the Constitution is doing exactly what needs to be done...holding you the voters accountable for your participation in your Government. If you do not participate you will lose it to the highest international bidder. That is the practice of the Business World. Business has now become the Government at all levels. If you want to hold on to what is left of your Constitution, start looking at Facts...A President cannot be effective when Partisan Politics Obstructs the framework of what elected representatives are responsible to duty. Hold your representatives accountable by communicating with them regularly and stay informed. Voter apathy is partly responsible for for what has been allowed to occur in D.C. What Business Model is our Federal, State and local Governments utilizing? If Business was held accountable like the Medical and Nursing Professions, we would not be in the quagmire we are in.

The latest from Rasmussen Polls, the most accurate pollster in 2008;

"The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows Mitt Romney attracting 47% of the vote, while President Obama earns 44%. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided."

The trend is clearly up for Romney and down for Obama.

" private sector is doing fine" wasn't accurate, "private sector is doing better than the public sector" would be accurate.

the private sector is growing, albeit slowly, with all of the growth going straight to those at the very top

Obama an extreme "Leftist"? Think again. His actions have been far more Right of center! What are you reading? What Charts do you look at? Maybe its a good thing you don't vote. Obama has Presided over a Congress that collectively has refused to work for their electorate and a Senate that isn't much better. These representatives do not (with few exception of both Parties.) work for you and I. They are interested in padding their own interests as career politicians.

Jeff-159 thanks for the WSJ article showing that austerity really does work and that obama and company could learn from it.

Whitefeather, we are a republic not a democracy.

GAWD! Look at all of the new posters this Month! I took a vacation and this place is saturated with TROLLS! Click on any anti Obama comment and see new registrants from June 1 (May Jobs reports) to June 5 (Walker Recall Election Results) wow! Troll city! JoannaSmith1 (arguably the most misleading poster on MSNBC) went from 15 likes in May to like 100 plus! We anoint you "Troll Queen"

JohnB, sure sounds like you want to live in the past... Wasn't that your argument not to long ago that living in the past was only what conservatives wanted.

Now you say you have changed? LOL, make up your mind...

Mr Clarke said

Why don't people, just say why they really don't like President Obama. They don't like him because he is a Negro. (or half) Get rid of all this pollitical correctness and say what you are thinking. You don't like the guy because he is black.

Is that STILL an issue? I didn't vote for Obama in 08 because he was unqualified! Now he has proven it, we can vote him out and get someone else who at least has a clue. Using this race card deal is sooo yesterday and cliche' now it really has no bearing in the matter, it only means something if someone can make political hay out of it.

Soundbite... Got anything to say in rebuttal other than running off at the mouth? I find it interesting that posters only refute JAS1 posts with denigrating comments. What is the matter with the FR left, can't prove that she is wrong?

@ LosMan - the whole point it, those figures are talking points, not reality. The Republicans know this, yet have to continue to fight against those, like yourself that believe this drivel. Let alone you are putting stock in those "Economists" who couldn't understand as the weeks and months went by why the economy didn't do what they predicted. The vast majority have either been consistently wrong, or were receiving "puffed" information from the Administration. Don't you remember the running gag that we tracked every week when the next article came out with the words, "unexpected" as part of the opening paragraph? For a while, they cut off the ability to post on those articles because the posts were scathing concerning the credibility of these articles. And finally, the way the tax cuts were talked about in the Media is retarded. You do not count on money you was not receiving in the first place. I heard the Democrats carry on about how the cuts was costing them money. It only cost them because they spent the money they didn't have, counting on FUTURE revenue to make it up. WAAAAY wong thing to do. We need fiscal responsibility from our Govt., not shell games and spending way beyond our means to garner votes.

Mark Taft

The economy sucks and we all know it.
If you are a progressive you are stuck with Obama. You have no choice. Independents can think for themselves.

Mark,

Since 1980, the GOP has stayed in the mud of the "Trickle/Down Supply-Side" economics theory. This theory does not bring prosperity to the majority of the population. Yet, in their quest for a limited and privileged "class," the Republicans arduously fight to recycle this economic failure. If the economy "sucks," blame the GOP. Progressives are not "stuck" with Obama. People can vote for the candidate of their choice. However, to bring back the policies that encouraged the grand looting of America from 2000-2008 and caused this country's economic collapse, is certain to bring more staggering failure upon this land.

Obama/Biden 2012!

I juss came here 2 C who's gettin' banned first, so I can sing the peanut butter jelly song.

(hahahaha)

If someone pulled their head out of their ass long enough to take a breath - you would have heard it has been confirned Mr. Bryson suffered a seizure!

It's not like something like that would ever stop you from spitting your venom!

While I'll buy that a seizure could be the cause of the accidents the seizure surely didn't make him drive away. We're talking hit and run. You don't get to say "Well a seizure caused me to crash into a bunch of stuff so I didn't think I needed to stick around."

Since you really have nothing original to say reason would dictate that you must just love reading yourself and feel like you have to say something.

Thanks Dopey for identifying which catagory you fall into.. lol

And thank you for confirming my point and observation of you.

Roy Wilson - So the only accurate pollster is the one with Obama losing? He is losing ground but do not give me the only accurate polling crap.

This is for all of you government job haters out there and their impact on recessions. The last really deep recession was the Carter/Regan back in the 70's and 80's that had has many bad numbers as this one, but one number you ALL should be aware of is that Government spending went up and employees of the government were not losing their jobs during the heart of the recession. At least not like this - 750,000 jobs lost and for those of you who keep talking about federal hiring for all of Obamas taxes is just a flat untruth. There are fewer (I do not know the exact number) federal jobs than when he came into office. Do you not remember how much GW increased the size of the federal government.

All other recessions that ended quickly did not have the government job losses that this one has had. Blaming the Government for all problems is just plain too easy, not thought out, and, just makes me think; that the low information voter is going to steal this election and give it to Romney. How could the congress approval rating be so low, yet the President gets all the blame from the right.

I also love that so many of you call this one "Gaffe" the Presidents actual feeling on the economy. You know it was a "gaffe", you know that he was doing a comparison thing and trying to articulate the need for more government money going into the economy. The best way to use government money in a recession is to help give people spending money as this economy is I am told is based on 70% of the people buying stuff. Teachers and firefighters without jobs don't spend money either.

Whitefeather you are correct. Thank you for reminding us that, the

POTUS CANNOT DICTATE TO CONGRESS AND THE SENATE. THIS IS A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE.

I have things I like and dislike about both candidates. It is my responsibility to educate myself about the candidates and vote not on my anger, but on the facts. I do not see how getting me angry by waging a private sector vs public sector food fight benefits anyone. Food fights are costly to clean up as well.

Both the public sector and the private sector include important jobs. The sectors have coexisted for centuries and they feed each other. Private sector would not get educated employees without teachers. Firefighters and policemen protect private businesses. The post office delivers mail to private businesses. Construction crews build roads and infrastructure the private businesses use. Yet the public jobs would not exist without the private sector. The private sector provides taxes dollars which pay for the public sector jobs. The private sector drives innovation.

We do not need a weak public sector. We do not need a weak private sector. We need to provide a strong economy feed by both the private and the public sectors.

What he should have said was... the private sector is doing fine in fact much better than when he came into office.. then he should have added .. CEOs and Corporations are makeing record profits at the expense of the tax payer thru loop holes and tax breaks ... small business needs a hand ... congress has rejected the tax break for small business proposal and rejected the idea that women deserve to be paid at the same rate as a man ..yes the private sector is doing fine its the public sector that needs help

No wonder the GOPers follow Mitt ROmney and all the others. They flip flop just as much as they do. These post were put IN THE SAME PAGE BY THE SAME PERSON. MAKE UP YOUR MIND, WOULD YOU?

We do not need flip floppers. Vote Democrat!!!!

Good points. While Obama seeks more and more 'public' sector everything, not once does he stop to consider the annoying little question of who is going to pay for his largesse? His loyal lapdogs don't do the math, they're all caught up in his rhetoric, whatever he says they parrot, rather like a lynch mob, all mouth, no intelligence in evidence. Sadly, they vote.

Nothing of substance, all talk and more talk and the economy continues to limp along, nothing ever really changes. Obama is Romney, both are puppets and the puppet masters, well, let's just say that they don't belong to any political party, they play whatever side of the aisle suits their purpose while the little people squabble amongst themselves and accomplish nothing.

All of yer whinin', moanin' & bitchin' isn't solving anything.

Ya'll do realize that, don't ya?

Udon't say - have a nice wait, this is first read, if fiesty, bev, mickey and others haven't been banned yet then no one will be banned.

25Walker, if trickle down is a failure, why is obama embracing it? Does he think that forcing it is better than the voluntary approach?

Big ATC -- What was GDP growth the last quarter in 2008? It was NEGATIVE 6.3% or near that.

"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group within a society, they will create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a societal moral code that glorifies it".* Frederic Bastiat, Writer and economist, France 1850.

@american,

Yeah, Fiesty isn't being so fiesty today; She hasn't yet called anyone a moron, an idiot or an azz.

Now, just WHERE IS that hypocrite skrewdworld???

For those of you trying your gosh darn best to make the feeble argument that the private sector economy is all hunky dory, why then oh why did Obama flip flop, I mean evolve on the issue faster than than a $5 crack HO turns a trick?

@ Steven, Delaware 1.12: AMEN and AMEN!

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL

1. Ranked 47th in job growth:

Romney was sworn in as governor of Massachusetts on January 2, 2003 & left in Dec 31 2007

US Dept of Labor Stats:

3,365.2 as of Dec 2002 were in the Labor Force of those 175.7 were unemployed (5.2%)

3,398.5 as of Dec 2007 were in the Labor Force of those 151.4 were unemployed (4.5%)

Census Bureau Data:

6.42 Population July 2002

6.43 Population July 2003

6.45 Population July 2007

Increase in population 2003-2007 0.02 million. According to the Census Bureau the state had
a 3.9% increase in population 2000-2009

Source: Table 4. Cumulative Estimates of the Components of Resident Population Change for the
United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 US Census Bureau
(NST-EST2009-04)

2. Suffered the second-largest labor force decline in the nation:

See above statistics. Labor force increased. Population Increased.

3. Lost 14 percent of its manufacturing jobs:

In the 2000s, U.S. manufacturing suffered its worst performance in American history in
terms of jobs. Not only did America lose 5.7 million manufacturing jobs, but
the decline as a share of total manufacturing jobs (33 percent) exceeded the
rate of loss in the Great Depression. Every Governor Democrat & Republican
lost manufacturing jobs at an all time high. My guess is you certainly wouldn't
blame any Democrat Governor for their losses in your State. How about IL, you blame those Dems...no I didn't think so.

4. Experienced “below average” economic growth and was “often near the bottom”:

Someone quoting to the Washington Post is your source!! ROTFLMAO Every state posted GDP growth between 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S Department of Commerce data released in 2011. Also according to the US Dept of Commerce report; Massachusetts' population grew 3.1% between 2000 and 2010. One of the critical factors for relatively low GDP growth in Massachusetts is that the state's largest companies are in the financial services and retail industries. These include Liberty Mutual,
Mass Mutual, TJ Maxx, and BJ's Wholesale Club. A disproportionate portion of the workers in Massachusetts are employed by colleges.

Massachusetts

> Pct. Change in GDP: 24.4%

> Pct. Change in Population: +3.1%

>Median Household Income: $64,081

> Change in Household Income: +37.1%
(second highest)

No year by year data available at Dept of Commerce. But considering that the Financial Markets
crashed and that’s the bulk of their companies, these numbers would probably be better. Or maybe we can just blame the Democrat Governor that took over!! Since you're into an uneven blame game.

5. Piled on more debt than any other state:

No one has piled more dept on their people than California a State that’s been on the verge of bankruptcy for years. But since you have done nothing to research your copied talking points (which is the norm for you) how you would even know what State’s debt was the worst.

Get over the talking points and get a real education by actually doing legitimate research on those numbers you read off of liberal sites.

I think instead of requiring Photo ID's at the polling centers they need to Testing individuals on their knowledge of candidates. I think you would not be voting if you had to take that test......

JohnB, sure sounds like you want to live in the past...

If you define current application of principles that have been proven over time to work and work well as "living in the past" then that's fine with me.

And in fact that's the case. We have plenty of data proving that targeted application of good economic principles to get the economy growing SOON will will work.

We also have plenty of data proving that the Republican fetish for austerity has already dropped Europe into recession and will surely do the same if applied here...and already has to the extent that it's been applied by Republican-controlled states. Conservatives refuse to learn from the mistakes of the past, however, and as such are determined to recreate the recession of 1937.

Bill-314065 "Roy Wilson - So the only accurate pollster is the one with Obama losing? He is losing ground but do not give me the only accurate polling crap."

It's not my opinion, but that of the experts;

http://virginiavirtucon.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/most-accurate-polls-for-2008/

Taking the words literally, the private sector IS just fine. Speaking for corporate America and small business alike, and I am a member of both, there is ABSOLUTELY nothing we need to advance our cause except DEMAND. We don't need a tax break because you only get that after you have business. We don't need a loan... why would we increase our capacity or our inventory WITHOUT DEMAND? Banks aren't lending because there IS NO DEMAND! The Republican narrative borders on idiocy!

Prime start jobs. Support the public sector. Compromise in Congress and quit f@#$king with consumer confidence. Remove the ridiculous false negativity and maybe we'll go somewhere. Until then we'll be stuck in this mire we call economic partisanship.

@LosMan123

For example, anyone that continues to say that this president added $5 trillion to the our debt without first stating the fact that this president did what was right by putting all the war spending on the books as opposed to Bush (or Romney if he were to get elected)

Any and all money spent by the government for any purpose is figured into the debt. Bush fudged numbers in the BUDGET but what he left out of the BUDGET was still added to the DEBT. The idea that Bush spent government money and that somehow it was "left off the books" in term of the National debt is beyond ridiculous. Bush added 5 trillion to the debt in 8 years, that number includes all defense spending. Obama has added 5 trillion to the debt in half that time.

the fact that the 2nd biggest part of those $5 trillion was due to the Bush tax cut that were only continued because republicans took the unemployment benefits of so many Americans hostage for these cuts.

Obama willingly extended the tax cuts from DAY ONE. If the republicans had so much clout then how on Earth did the stimulus and Obamacare ever get passed? Bill Clinton to this day believes all of the tax cuts should continue. The idea that the tax cuts were only extended because the republicans forced it is even more ridiculous than your claims about the debt. Even the dems don't try pretend they were forced into it.

LMarcT,

Well, since you don't have demand to hire more, do you think it might make sense to provide an environment where other NEW businesses might want to locate? Do you think that lower taxes or tax incentives might get them to do that, rather than selecting a different state or country? Do you think that NEW start-up businesses might need loans?

Perhaps you should realize that growth does not mean just the companies that exist now......

Roy,

RCP Average
5/16 - 6/10
--
46.3
44.9
Obama +1.4

Rasmussen Tracking
6/8 - 6/10
1500 LV
44
47
Romney +3

Gallup Tracking
6/4 - 6/10
3050 RV
45
46
Romney +1

IBD/CSM/TIPP
6/1 - 6/8
841 RV
46
42
Obama +4

Monmouth/SurveyUSA/Braun
6/4 - 6/6
1152 LV
47
46
Obama +1

FOX News
6/3 - 6/5
907 RV
43
43
Tie

CNN/Opinion Research
5/29 - 5/31
895 RV
49
46
Obama +3

ABC News/Wash Post
5/17 - 5/20
874 RV
49
46
Obama +3

NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl
5/16 - 5/20
RV
47
43
Obama +4

And as far as you poll of polls for most accurate? Look at the dates. The most accurate one was closest to the election and the least accurate one was way in advance of the election. Sometimes we can fool ourselves with contrived and misleading data.

But, to your real earlier point, the TREND is with Romney. I agree.

Bill-314065 " There are fewer (I do not know the exact number) federal jobs than when he (Obama) came into office."

I don't have the latest figures, but the average number of Federal civilian employees for Bush was 2,648,000 jobs, a drop of 136,000 from Clinton's average.

For Obama, it has increased by an average of 128,000 jobs.

So Bush managed to get the Federal work done with about 5% fewer workers, but Obama has hired about 5% more workers, not less.

LMarcT

Rasmussen has the best track record (See Post #1.173 above).

You might want to look at the polls a bit more critically, because most of the pollsters poll 'Registered Voters' until just a few weeks before an election, which overstates the Democratic numbers because Republicans are more likely to vote than Democrats. The 'spread' between Likely Voters and Registered Voters is typically about 4%, but can vary from about 2% to 6% depending on the excitement generated in an election. As an example, the polls among Registered Voters in 2004 showed Kerry winning by 2%, but polls of Likely Voters put Bush ahead by 2% - Bush won by 2.5% of the actual votes.

There is far less excitement about Obama this time around, so you can make your own 'mental adjustments'.

oh lord dont bring up bush.not our nations finest and thats for sure.what id like to know is why the feds are hiring at all.the middle class is taking cuts and paying less.we all know the rich/job creators are paying less tax.how are these people getting paid

In plain fact, the private economy IS doing fine. Corporations are enjoying record profits and there is virtually no element of the private economy (excepting jobs) that isn't better off today than three and a half years ago. Now, what about those jobs? Given that there are record profits (in spite of record CEO salaries), why hasn't the job picture improved? Pardon me for being pedantic but this is almost a rhetorical question.

The heart and soul of Conservative Republicanism is supply-side economics: suck the money to the top and it will trickle down to the masses. Well, there it is; the money is at the top, let the trickling begin. For every extra million that a CEO draws down, 25 decent paying jobs are eliminated. Do the math. If the CEO of of Megalopolis, Inc finds he can't live on 100-million a year but must have 200 to make ends meet, he has eliminated 2,500 jobs (5,000 at the crappy wages usually paid). Don't you think that would improve he job picture?

I've debunked Roy's claim of accuracy being one of Rasmussen's attributes before, but clearly facts that disagree with the "truth" he's been told on Fox and talk radio are of no interest to him. For those who actually live in the reality-based community here's how Rasmussen REALLY performs;

The 105 polls released in Senate and gubernatorial races by Rasmussen Reports and its subsidiary, Pulse Opinion Research, missed the final margin between the candidates by 5.8 points, a considerably higher figure than that achieved by most other pollsters. Some 13 of its polls missed by 10 or more points, including one in the Hawaii Senate race that missed the final margin between the candidates by 40 points, the largest error ever recorded in a general election in FiveThirtyEight’s database, which includes all polls conducted since 1998.

Moreover, Rasmussen’s polls were quite biased, overestimating the standing of the Republican candidate by almost 4 points on average. In just 12 cases, Rasmussen’s polls overestimated the margin for the Democrat by 3 or more points. But it did so for the Republican candidate in 55 cases — that is, in more than half of the polls that it issued.

If one focused solely on the final poll issued by Rasmussen Reports or Pulse Opinion Research in each state — rather than including all polls within the three-week interval — it would not have made much difference. Their average error would be 5.7 points rather than 5.8, and their average bias 3.8 points rather than 3.9.

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/rasmussen-polls-were-biased-and-inaccurate-quinnipiac-surveyusa-performed-strongly/

None of which will stop Roy from saying the same thing again tomorrow.

RTSOB,

Large corporations may be enjoying record profits, but that's certainly not true for the vast majority of small businesses in the country and they make up the largest part of the economy. To suggest that because large, international corporations are making record profits (due to diverse operations in multiple countries) and their CEO's are being compensated accordingly, shows a fundamental lack of understanding about our economy. Until Main Street is doing well again, the private sector is NOT fine.

Correct JC, as far as it goes.

On the other hand, as long as deregulation remains the order of the day and large competitors are able to dominate the landscape, gobbling up or squashing smaller competitors, that is where we are. The Conservative fetish for deregulation and idolization of the wealthy elites is destroying Main Street.

LMarcT

You miss one very important tiny detail. Obama leads area ALOST EXCLUSIVELY in Registered voter polls. That's fine to do those and see those, because it tells the democrats that they can still win. IF you use Likely voter polls to figure the Electoral College Obama currently has between 287 and 303 Electoral votes.

What counts is the LV or likely voter polls. That is who is going to show up on election day. Obama has between 257 and 287 on Likely voter polls. This is DOWN since a month ago.

You should be alarmed about the RV tracking poll done by Gallup. Today, is showed Romney up one point.

Oh, yes. The All people poll has begun to show up occaisionally. That is what you could get in votes IF everybody was registered and everybody actually showed up to vote. I bet that's would happen.

RTSOB

Any organizations top priority is to survive. The reason big corporations have big profits is the following.

All products have built into the price not only proft, but a worst case scenario of cost which includes cost to expand production.

What the corporations have done is correctly adjust labor levels to the level of demand AND stopped many capital improvements and most plans to expand. Since they have not reduced what they are charging, the reduction in expenditures translates to a higher profit. Basically they haven't done anything wrong or evil, like people you trust want you to believe.

Willowbrook, I agree with a lot of what you said and i remember that about the "unexpected" stuff but we are talking about professionals assessing a situation that is no longer on going. the affects of the stimulus has been viewed as a positive step in our recovery given that all that data is "in" regarding to its affects. But the point in every election, given that fact that politician on both sides are corrupt, i tend to lean towards the lesser of the two evils and a Romney presidency scares the $hit out of me.

Backcountry, you have at least one fact incorrect. The extension of those bush tax cuts was done in a lame duck session after the 2010 elections where during the holiday season this agreement was reached. I know because i had a healthy dose of Fox News, MSNBS, and CNN at the time due to my unemployment and feeling like the republicans were messing with my money to get the rich yet another tax cut. And yes, i said MY MONEY because i had been paying taxes all my adult life and never took in any unemployment benefits in my life prior to that...

Clinton, BTW, said they should continue with the cuts for a short period after the election and not indefinatlly. He also said they should only be extended for those making under $250k. Which i think should be more like under $500k or a million

great conversation today from everyone. Its quitting time for the day. Have good one everyone!

Romney: Obama didn't clean up our mess fast enough. Let the private sector run its course and hit the bottom. Let the states go bankrupt.

JoAnnaSmith1

Obama: “The private sector is doing fine.”

For some odd reason the media is spinning this as some sort of gaffe. It isn't. This is exactly what Obama and his inner circle of "advisers" (read: "Yes men/women") are telling him.

And what are Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers telling Romney??? The public sector is evil???? Besides, part of the private sector IS doing just fine. Corporate profits are up; the rich are getting richer; businessmen have millions of spare money to use to buy elections; and Corporate America is sitting on a $2 trillion mountain. As for the rest of the private sector, not so much. But compared to the public sector, they are doing just fine (and that is the truth). At least the private sector is creating jobs; governments are now SHEDDING jobs.

Obama followed this up with his standard line for MORE government workers. Sure, that's the answer, we don't have enough government, we need more. Obama never says the government should help the tech industry, textiles, communications, grocery stores, McDonalds, Blockbuster video, or any other of the many different companies in the country.

Okay, first of all unemployment would be at 7.2% if we had kept the 600,000 employees that were laid off by the states and local governments (thank you balanced budget amendments). Second of all, it is normal for the government to intervene in the economy during a recession (that is, until you supply-siders screwed up our entire economy); in fact, people usually clamor for it. It's normal for the government to hire tens of thousands of employees to build roads and bridges. To any schmuck who claims that infrastructure building is a temporary stimulus, your wrong. Our infrastructure is our way of transporting goods and services all across the country; and, according to an economic rule of thumb, spending a mere billion dollars on a project would create roughly 25,000 jobs. Imagine if we invested just another $60 billion every year...

As for public employees (teachers, policemen, etc), usually that isn't necessary. But due to the fact that public workers have been fired en mass due to stupid and restrictive balanced budget amendments, there is a huge need to hire public employees to help our current social institutions and to increase demand and thus create private sector jobs. Conservatives need to realize that public workers create DEMAND, based on which companies hire or fire people. Not tax breaks, not certainty, but demand.

Nope, it's always government workers that are "failing" and need the extra taxpayer dollars to keep them going.

Tell that to the brave soldiers who caught bin Laden. If you want to bash government workers, you might as well bash the troops...

Alan, NJ

Over 200,000 teachers have lost their jobs in the last year.

So you now agree that stimulus failed? Wasn't the stimulus supposed to jump start the economy such that self-sustaining economic activity would generate revenues for local government? Instead the stimulus was used to pay for two years of public spending at the local level and when the borrowed money ran out nothing had changed and the teachers were still unaffordable. It also proves that creating government jobs alone does not generate enough economic activity to became self-sustaining.

Look Alan, the stimulus didn't fail. It managed to reverse the recession and set the motion for a slow but steady economic recovery. The main problem with the stimulus was that it was too small; many economists (even Obama himself) wanted one that was around $1 trillion. But that was politically impossible, so he settled for $787 billion. It just wasn't enough to plug a trillion-dollar gap. Stimulus programs usually have to be continuous; like a fire started by gas. If you use gunpowder, it just explodes all at once. Had it been stretched over a while or followed up with continuous stimulus packages that gave aid to states and still spent funds on infrastructure projects (which we need; check our crumbling bridges), we would be in a much better recovery. But, with a bunch of spineless hypocritical deficit hawks in Congress holding things up, this is gonna be a long recovery.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

JC-1439099:

...large, international corporations are making record profits (due to diverse operations in multiple countries) and their CEO's are being compensated accordingly,

DB Akron : ...

The reason big corporations have big profits is the following.

All products have built into the price not only proft, but a worst case scenario of cost which includes cost to expand production.

What the corporations have done is correctly adjust labor levels to the level of demand AND stopped many capital improvements and most plans to expand. Since they have not reduced what they are charging, the reduction in expenditures translates to a higher profit...

While the two of you fight about the reasons large corporations have made record profits, I'll just step aside and hold your coats. By the way JC, Main Street will never get back to doing well until Wall Street gets off their billfolds. Demand is created by a healthy middle class; an unhealthy middle class is created by employers laying off their workers. No money for the middle class = no money to create demand. No demand = no expansion. No expansion = no jobs. It all starts at the top and trickles down (there's that term again). What the two of you DO seem to agree on is that those CEO bonuses and salaries are somehow justified; by expanding and hiring overseas, in the one scenario, and by mismanagement and poor planning in the other. What isn't addressed in either case is the fact that, as the jobless rate has gone up, the CEO salaries have gone up as well. That is unconscionable.

John B, Des Moines, IA "I've debunked Roy's claim of accuracy being one of Rasmussen's attributes before"

Your 'spin' still ignores that Rasmussen was the most accurate pollster in the 2008 Presidential election - here's the independent analysis by Fordham University;
http://virginiavirtucon.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/most-accurate-polls-for-2008/

By the way - Do you REALLY think that an article by the NY Times is 'unbiased'? And Quinnipiac didn't make the list of the top 23 pollsters in the Fordham University study, while SurveyUSA is not a pollster, but merely averages the actual pollsters to get a broad 'average' of polls.

willowbrook

@ LosMan - the whole point it, those figures are talking points, not reality. The Republicans know this, yet have to continue to fight against those, like yourself that believe this drivel. Let alone you are putting stock in those "Economists" who couldn't understand as the weeks and months went by why the economy didn't do what they predicted. The vast majority have either been consistently wrong, or were receiving "puffed" information from the Administration.

Are you kidding me??? Are you @!$%#ing kidding me??? The stimulus WORKED, I say again, the stimulus WORKED. It created roughly 1.8 to 3.3 million jobs, lifted GDP into the positive area, and gave rise to 27 consecutive months of private sector growth and continuous economic growth. That in itself shows that it succeeded. The reason why it didn't work to ensure a strong long-term recovery is because it was simply too small. The hole was much too large for the soil piled into it to fill it up completely. Had we made the stimulus larger and continued to invest money in giving aid to states so they keep their employees, kept on investing in infrastructure and energy development and taken out the useless tax cuts, we would be in a much stronger recovery. However, the stimulus petered out by 2011, and due to the deficit hawks in Congress the only economic bills that were passed by the House (as the Senate was filibustered non-stop) were mostly conservative red meat, with no short-term economic benefit.

And finally, the way the tax cuts were talked about in the Media is retarded. You do not count on money you was not receiving in the first place. I heard the Democrats carry on about how the cuts was costing them money. It only cost them because they spent the money they didn't have, counting on FUTURE revenue to make it up. WAAAAY wong thing to do. We need fiscal responsibility from our Govt., not shell games and spending way beyond our means to garner votes.

Are you @!$%#ing kidding me???? How the @!$%# would cutting spending fix the damn economy??? We tried that in 1937, and that led us to freaking recession!!!! The ONLY way to fix the economy is to SPEND money. Not give tax cuts, not cut spending, but increase spending. We've done that in every recession since the Great Recession, and they helped get us out. Now, for the first time in US history since the days before the Great Depression, lawmakers are actually advocating for austerity during the feeble recovery. That is absolute madness. If you cut spending and raise taxes during a recession OR a feeble recovery, you are simply taking money out of the economy, or essentially sucking gas out of the tank. That is absolute madness. You want to focus on the deficit and debt??? Sure, go ahead. But it is COMPLETELY against economic law to cut spending and/or raise taxes during a feeble recovery or a recession. If we go into premature austerity, we will be dragged into the same economic hole where Europe is fighting to get out. That doesn't have to be our fate. Aside from what every damn right-wing leader is telling you, we will not end up like Europe, at least not now. Our fiscal crisis isn't immediate; there is time to address it. There ISN'T time to address our economy; we need stimulus NOW. If we merely spent an extra $60 billion every year on infrastructure projects, we could hire approximately 1.5 million people EVERY YEAR. If we gave states aid, we could stem the flow of public sector layoffs, maybe even plug the sink itself, and then maybe hire more workers. Spending money is how America has gotten out of every recession since the Great Depression. Conservatives like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush have even spent heavily during a recessionary economy. Now is not the time to cut spending. Now is the time to INCREASE spending. With interest rates at record lows; in some cases Treasury bond yields being negative for more short-term bonds, we can borrow heavily now to fix our economy and thus help us cut the deficit in the long-term, so we don't have to focus on keeping cuts and revenue increases from hurting the recovery. Cutting spending will worsen the problem. Any person who advocates cutting spending now is a stupid idiot. The best way is to spend in the short-term, reduce the deficit in the long-term, and do a mixture of both in the medium-term. THAT is what we should do; not embarking on austerity.

And by the way, whoever says that by borrowing more we will cause people to leave the dollar, that is only true if we just continue to pursue premature austerity in the short-term; it won't cut the debt, and it will cause people to lose confidence in America. Spending now and balancing the budget later is the best thing we could do. People will leave the dollar if we don't deal with the deficit eventually, but now will only worsen the economy.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

american-2051576

25Walker, if trickle down is a failure, why is obama embracing it? Does he think that forcing it is better than the voluntary approach?

american,

If the "Trickle-Down Theory" was a viable economic platform, America's middle class and the poor would not be struggling. In 1980, Reagan initiated this economic principle. Yet, 32 years later and with the exception of the Clinton years, from the rich no wealth has trickled down to the "little guy." Supply-Side economics is a sham theory. It does not have any economic validity, except to bestow more wealth on the rich. If there was any substance to this economic theory, at least a couple of dollars would have "drizzled down" on the rest of us!

To prevent further damage to our economy, Obama provided the banks with a bailout package. So that America would have an auto industry and a substantive manufacturing sector, he bailed out Detroit.

Here is a direct contraction to your statement that, "Obama has embraced "Supply-Side" economics."

He offered a stimulus package to most Americans.

How did you reach your conclusion?

...is there silence that is heard?

lots of economic experts in here have their heads in a dark place.......

Steven in Delaware I would settle for this country reflecting the US Constitution. It was a pretty good country when it used to reflect it. Now it doesn't reflect it especially the bill of Rights part of it. It is what our president is going to swear to uphold after all in January.

mrwarmth

lots of economic experts in here have their heads in a dark place.......

mrwarmth,

Have you ever heard of the saying, "when you do not have any facts to respond with a rebuttal, nor anything substantive to say....just say "something." You have accomplished this.

Krugman is a Pulitzer Prize winning economist. Do you agree with his viewpoints on the American economy?

@ IRRESPOND - what a hysterical post.....talking about the GOP "flip-flopping." Betting you love how your President has "evolved." Guess wording makes all the difference to you. LOLROF!!!!!!

@ Freshiee - you have a very narrow view of the big picture. The Stimulus created "temporary" jobs and kept the Public sector from trimming their staff as soon as they should. Temporary is not the goal, long lasting PRODUCT-PRODUCING jobs are what we needed THEN and still need NOW. The Presdient has consistently supported increasing jobs in the service sector, which is incorrect, we need product -producing jobs to pay for the service jobs. Service jobs do not help the economy. Also, the stimulus actually extending the time it is taking to recover, so NO the stimulus only kicked the can down the road, it solved NOTHING. Oh and the use of lots of profanity does not help your argument.

The bottom line, you cannot spend your way out of debt or a recession. You have to step up to the austerity and buckle down, pay off the debt and then start the process of rebuilding. We cannot become Greece or Spain.

And, BTW, our company now has fewer employees than we did in 2009, as the stimulus did nothing to help our industry. (metals) So we're not seeing that help the stimulus gave and we are also so close to losing our health care due to Obamacare. You can keep your President, I want a President with a solution that will help all Americans, not just those who supported his campaign.

Congratulations to Rasmussen, they came the closest in the final poll of one race 4 years ago. C'mon Roy, even you must recognize this as cherry picking the data.

Then again, you probably don't.

Willowbrook, the 1/3 of the stimulus were tax cuts just as the GOP requested, and it did work as evidenced by the fact that we don't have double digit unemployment and double dipped recessions like many of the European nations that cut their budgets via austerity instead of implementing implementing stimulus packages. Many countries in Europe have over 20% in unemployment. Now, you are suggesting austerity after seeing what is happening in Europe??????????? are you insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Historical facts: 1.) it was WW2 spending that took us out of the great depression and 2.) Reagan who was dealing with a much milder recession doubled the debt and budget. Heck, which mean that if Obama did what Reagan did he would have spent $9 trillion instead of $4.

Show me one example where a recession or depression was successfully managed without government spending. Next, Japan who had a recession nearly as bad as ours didn't have big stimulus packages and it took them 10 years to get to where we are now. Stop looking at your little world and look at the big picture and related history.

Finally, Obama is right, private sector corporations are doing better, but employees are not due to automation via technological advances and outsourcing. They are making record profits. However, unlike Germany, US companies dont give a darn about you and didnt retrain its employees to fit in the paradigm shifts in US workforce that has been formulating for the past 20 years. This just didnt happen overnight.

I see the republicans have found a quote they like.Well anyway election day may well be the most entertaining day of the year.

Personally i have to give the American People more credit than they are getting .There is no way the Republicans will win.What you see now is the two step.When we get to the big dance and the debates start the party will begin.

The bullsh,it the Republicans are pushing now is so old people don't even pay attention anymore and they still have no plan that they can call their own. Can you see Mitt at a National security council meeting, or a world conference on nuclear weapon proliferation

@ Freshiee - you have a very narrow view of the big picture. The Stimulus created "temporary" jobs and kept the Public sector from trimming their staff as soon as they should. Temporary is not the goal, long lasting PRODUCT-PRODUCING jobs are what we needed THEN and still need NOW.

You aren't getting the point; in recessions, the government ought to SPEND money in order to make up for the loss of private sector investment. Had we simply gone all out on spending, continuously providing aid to states so that they didn't need to lay off people, the economy would be more robust and the private sector would, by now, have the balls to invest again, decreasing the need for government spending. Why did states and cities have to "trim their staffs???" A friend of mine worked at the Department of Public Works in LA, and he saw his department slashed due to the weakened economy. Now they are buried in paperwork. We don't need to fire teachers because that would dramatically increase class sizes; we don't need to lay off nurses as that would lead to declining health standards; we don't need to cut police and firefighter departments that can lead to higher crime rates. That only compounds the problem. And by the way, are policemen not producing more stable communities via reduced crime rates??? Aren't teachers producing wealth by teaching children the lessons that they will need in the future??? How can you say that the stimulus created no productive jobs when it saved thousands of state workers who contribute both to the economy as consumers and through their jobs.

The Presdient has consistently supported increasing jobs in the service sector, which is incorrect, we need product -producing jobs to pay for the service jobs. Service jobs do not help the economy. Also, the stimulus actually extending the time it is taking to recover, so NO the stimulus only kicked the can down the road, it solved NOTHING. Oh and the use of lots of profanity does not help your argument.

How come manufacturing jobs have been on the rebound??? How come construction workers would have been back to work rebuilding our infrastructure had Congress passed Obama's Jobs Bill???? Last time I checked, both of those sectors produce needed goods. And service jobs do help the economy by strengthening consumer demand, but their long-term value is debatable. And how did the stimulus kick the can down the road???? Most economists agree that it rescued the nation from recession. How come GDP growth suddenly turned from -9% to roughly 2 or 3% after the stimulus was passed??? How come job losses began reverse after the stimulus was put into effect??? The facts don't support your position.

The bottom line, you cannot spend your way out of debt or a recession. You have to step up to the austerity and buckle down, pay off the debt and then start the process of rebuilding. We cannot become Greece or Spain.

I'd refer to Pamela on this. Didn't we spend billions of dollars in World War II, lifting us out of the Great Depression??? How come now we can't spend more money now???? Greece and Spain are SUFFERING because they went into harsh austerity. We cannot cut spending during a recession because it takes money out of the economy. We need to SPEND more money on building roads and bridges and on rehiring teachers and policemen to strengthen demand. If we were to go into austerity we would drag the whole world into a recession!!!! Only an idiot would try to balance the budget during an anemic recovery. You are proposing that we ought to impose an entire program of agony and suffering on the backs of millions of Americans, based on an ideology that has never been proven to work. Don't you realize how much unnecessary suffering that bring on the American people??? Now is not the time to worry about the debt; investors are literally scrambling to safe investments, including the dollar. They will only leave if we fail to balance the budget AFTER the recession. If we go into austerity now, we will only extend the length of this downturn and add MORE debt to our economy. If we simply use stimulus in the short-term to improve the economy, reduce the deficit over the LONG-TERM, and use a combination of both in the medium-term. That is the ONLY way we can get out of this slowdown. Unless you want live the next 5 to 10 years of your life in this economic downturn, it's time to spend like drunken sailors.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

Freshieee - Will you and the rest of the kids be watching Mr Obama's concession speech this November and crying into your Diet Coke's and whining "If I only could have voted"?

NH_Shellback

Freshieee - Will you and the rest of the kids be watching Mr Obama's concession speech this November and crying into your Diet Coke's and whining "If I only could have voted"?

No, shelly. I won't. I'll be one those kids watching Mr. Obama's victory speech in November wishing "If only I could be a part of that."

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

By the way, nice move. Not many people would have taken such a cheap shot....

Repost from another discussion. 3.4 million and Romney is ahead by 1 point. It seems even with unlimited support Mitt Romney has a hard mountain to climb in Michigan. Team Obama has accumulated 204 million dollars thus far. Team O'bama can easily commit $4.08 million in every state, and if its just 6 or 7 battle ground states, $29.14 million. What is more Team O'bama will continue to raise funds between now and November. The numbers in this first read support my post of a few days ago.

Summerlight-2713606, I don't care HOW you feel about O'bama, I want Mitt Romney, to be president like I want another hole in my head.

I get so sick and tired of hearing that Obama is better than Bush. Duh O'bama is better than Bush and Romney combined. Romney has told out right lies to the public. Been caught telling lies and he has not admitted to any of them.

Mitt Romney has been accused by his detractors, Democrat and Republican alike, of being a flip flopper. I'm not sure if the term "flip flopper" adequately describes the chameleon like transformations-of-convenience that mark Romney's political history.

Issue shifting and volte face switcheroos that would embarrass many a candidate seem natural for Romney. It's so much a part of the man, it's almost second nature. Of course he's never without a gloss or rationalization to explain his ever-changing mind - the deeply felt convictions that prompted yet another reconsideration on issues as various as abortion, healthcare, climate change, gun control, gay rights, immigration, tax pledges, Ronald Reagan and the auto industry... to name a few.

Romney's checkered past makes you wonder if playing fast and loose is part of an actual strategy of sorts. Take the ad the Romney campaign ran that willfully distorted a quote by President Obama.

In the ad, the President is heard saying "If we keep talking about the economy. we're going to lose."

The Romney ad conveniently ignores the context in which those comments were made during the 2008 presidential campaign. The President in fact said:

“Senator McCain’s campaign actually said, and I quote, ‘If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.’ ”

Obama was referencing a quote by a McCain adviser that appeared in the New York Daily News. The spin in the Romney ad deliberately misrepresents the President. Not that a bit of flimflammery bothers Mitt and his team. In a New York Times article titled "The Reinvention of Political Morality" a Romney operative passed off the ad deception as propaganda: "We are in the persuasion business, the propaganda business…. Ads are agitprop…. Ads are about hyperbole, they are about editing."

The shift in Romney's positions on some issues is so stark and self-serving it speaks to a level of political cynicism that is breathtaking. Take his positions on abortion as an example, bearing in mind that in his latest pro-life incarnation he claims he never adopted the term "pro-choice."

"I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I have since the time when my Mom took that position when she ran in 1970 as a U.S. Senate candidate. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years that we should sustain and support it, and I sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice."
Senatorial debate (1994)

"I respect and willfully protect a woman's right to choose. That choice is a deeply personal one, and the women of our state should make it based on their beliefs, not mine and not the government's."
GOP acceptance speech (2002)

"I've never called myself pro-choice."
Redstate interview (2006)

He attributed his right-to-choose convictions to a family tragedy. A young relative named Ann Keenan died as a result of a botched abortion. Following that in 1994 Romney told voters he had switched from anti-abortion to pro-choice. It didn't last long. In 2005 when he was looking at a run on the GOP ticket he reversed positions and declared that he was anti-abortion.

Romney has also been falsifying Obama's policies and record. He claims the President wants to create "an entitlement society" in which everyone gets "the same rewards." Obama has never proposed anything of the sort or enacted policies with any such stated objective. Even as "hyperbole" it fails.

None of this stuff is new. In the 2008 campaign Romney was caught out on a few fast ones. There was the story about how he and his dad marched with the late Martin Luther King - here. Even when the story was debunked he persisted in digging deeper.

Other incidents from a few years back raise questions about character, for example the Obama/Osama and dog box incidents - here.

With respect to tall tales, Romney shares a few traits with Joseph Smith, the prophet who helped pave the way for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints aka the Mormons.

On a recent show Rachel Maddow called Romney out on falsehoods - "false about being false" - and provides video evidence to back it up - beneath:

http://www.drivebyplanet.com/2012/01/mitt-romney-lies-and-lies-about-lies.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9K79AUzgQc&feature=player_embedded

You would trust a man who lies to further his own agenda, who doesn't care about the poor, the elderly, or the disabled, with the office of the presidency. I find it hard to believe you voted for O'bama in 2008. Mccain was a man of integrity, Romney is not. A vote for Romney is a vote for fascism this November.

I'm a proud believer in Capitalism. Over 20 years in management have taught me to appreciate change, anticipate it, and take advantages of opportunities. I've been at companies that were very good at those things, others that haven't been. I've spent some time working as a free agent on a project basis, and that was also good. My wife has run her own business, very small, but that income has been crucial at times. It's all been a good thing, which is why I'm grateful for the following words from within the US Constitution, from Article 1 Section 8; http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_A1Sec8.html

The Congress shall have Power...

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

...To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

That's right, contrary to the Libertarian Kool Aid being distributed by the Tea Parties and John Birch Society, bankrolled by the Koch brothers and other radical Conservatives, The Constitution says CONGRESS SHALL REGULATE INTERSTATE COMMERCE. The claim by Conservatives that government has no role in the business world is pure hooey, and history shows us why.

We might still be a second rate economy if not for tariffs that allowed American industry a little breathing room for its early development. http://americanhistory.about.com/od/industrialrev/a/indrevoverview.htm

Once those major industries began to develop it quickly became apparent that there was a downside as well. By the Gilded Age no one could deny that big imbalances in wealth brought big imbalances in power. In particular the Robber Barons of the railroad industry kept farmers in the new, midsection of the United States impoverished through punishing transportation costs. The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 made the railroads the first formally regulated industry in the US. It was a smart and successful move.

Elsewhere in the economy the predatory nature of unregulated Capitalism was plainly evident. The American Sugar Refining Company controlled 98% of all sugar refining. With such consolidation of power, from whence would innovation come? What power would consumers have in the unfettered market in the face of such concentration of ownership? How would ANY competitor arise when they could be quickly squashed with a localized price war? The Sherman Antitrust Act lay dormant, hobbled by a Supreme Court which, like today's SCOTUS had a majority in the back pockets of big business.

Republicans recognized that his swelling anger among Americans at Robber Barons who continually exploited them presented a problem. Even within their own ranks a fiery Populist existed with the ability to make trouble. Giving him a powerless position as Vice President might have helped stem the tide, but with the assassination of William McKinley the thing powerful American elites feared second only to Anarchists entered the White House...the spector of Theodore Roosevelt as President became real. The era of the Trust Buster was at its dawn. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h951.html

Standard Oil is the prototypical example in many ways. Chief among them is the history of what happened when they were broken up. http://www.us-highways.com/sohist.htm As it turns out the wealthy by no means became an endangered species, and by 1910 American was a solidly middle class nation. The pieces, now owned and operated independently, turned out to be more valuable than the previous whole.

That's a pattern that continued through most of the next 70 years, with the exception of a brief reemergence of Laissez Faire in the 1920s that ended up blowing an enormous bubble in the economy that burst into the Great Depression. The last 30 years, however, represents a dismantling of what we learned from over 150 years of reasonable regulation. The result, when viewed through the lens of history, should come as no surprise. As wealth concentration has increased and the biggest companies have bought or destroyed their competitors the vitality of our economy has been sapped. As markets have moved toward monopoly speculators have moved to effectively steal from their customers, as for example the price of oil remains much higher than supply and demand justify. As responsible regulation was removed from the financial markets criminals became free to work within those markets without breaking the law, and idiots with money blew a bubble not seen since the Roaring Twenties. Same thinking, same policies, same results...it's that simple.

What happens when people at large begin to feel the market is rigged, unfair, a place where there's no way to win? That's a dangerous place for Capitalists like me. That's why I'm a Liberal.

@John B

I agree. Be pro-market not pro-business. That's why when the government tries to pick winners, solar power, ethanol etc it doesn't work. By all means put into practice policies to direct companies towards a national goal but attempting to pick particular winners within an industry just does work as shown by your Standard Oil example. The parts became greater than the whole.

This is why I think corporation tax should be removed and subsidies to business should be ended. Taxes should be collected from the individual using dividend or Capital Gains taxes. The government should only be supporting basic research.

Another intelligent post by Feisty....... and who the hell is voting for a ".", really?

Blind leading the blind..........

Then Alan, if you don't want government to pick winners and losers you must be incensed that Florida Republicans are giving over $100M in tax credits, but only to employers who are non union.

That is the most blatant form of picking winners possible, and it's entirely focused on making sure working Americans with good pay are the losers.

John B, excellent post!

When we look at the Great Depression era in comparison to the near second Great Depression in 2008, the similarities are beyond dispute. Both reflect the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, lack of government regulation to prevent corruption, fraud and abuse, and political polarization.

"What experience and history teach is this: that people and governments have never learned anything from history." Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, German philosopher, 1770-1831.

Alan, then the government picking defense contract winners should also be unacceptable and government should never have gotten into the space effort where it selected winners as well. Romney as Governor of MA invested state money in several solar, clean energy firms. You see, Alan, the difference is in recognizing what the GOP says and what they really do. That was something I learned from Ronald Reagan--do as I say, not as I do could have been his motto as well as Romney, Bush 43, etc.

johnnyb: Please note what you pointed out. That is "regulate commerce between the states." That doesn't mean regulate and create commerce of all individuals. There is a big difference. Historically, the clause is there to give Congress the power to prevent states from things like imposing tariffs on goods coming into a state from another state or otherwise adversely affecting commerce between the states by preventing goods made in one state from coming into another state. An appropriate use of the commerce clause would be to prevent states from restricting the sales of health insurance, as is currently done, as we've seen, to the detriment of the people. Last I checked, that's exactly what the repubs tried to address. But, the dems didn't like that idea and instead decided that it should force everyone to buy insurance and to dictate what those policies must provide. Next, they'll dictate that one must buy one loaf of bread a week, and only one. Obviously, you and the other libs believe that is within the constitutional authority of the federal government.

As for the President, he said exactly what he believes. In his mind he has been very successful and the economy is doing exactly what he has intended, putting more people on the public dole. As for the spin of it being a "comparison" with the public sector, that is just mindless BS. The public sector doesn't create any wealth. The private sector can create jobs and wealth and make things better for everyone. The public sector, by definition, can't. All it can do is take money out of the private sector and spend it on itself. If the public sector isn't doing well, it is only because it is spending more than it is taking in.

But, I guess Obama hasn't seen the full picture. I guess traveling to 57 states isn't enough. Although, it may be that there are many more states that he hasn't visited.

Go ahead and vote your blessed party lines.

There is no difference between Obama and Romney. Please don't fall for the hype.

When nothing changes I will try to act surprised.

Another intelligent post by Feisty....... and who the hell is voting for a ".", really?

Just D Facts, as you can see carrot top gets voted up for saying nothing.... just like Obama's minions that 'vote him up' for doing nothing positive for the country! Crazy world we live in, eh?

Then Alan, if you don't want government to pick winners and losers you must be incensed that Florida Republicans are giving over $100M in tax credits, but only to employers who are non union.

Neither incensed nor surprised. The difference is is that I am not tied to a party so the fact that crony-capitalism is practiced by both parties is just sad. I thought George W Bush was one of the worst practitioners of crony capitalism and this Administration is no improvement.

As to Florida, if they were pro-market they would extend the tax credits to all and the market would pick the winner. On the other hand, as I said before, if there was no corporate taxes, then government could not decide which ones would get the breaks.

Alan, then the government picking defense contract winners should also be unacceptable and government should never have gotten into the space effort where it selected winners as well.

Jody, there is a difference between the Government contracting for services through a transparent process and the government picking winners in a sector.

It is easy to see but hard to understand. The fact that this is the lowest spending administration, the layoff of federal employees, the diminished aid or distribution to states under the republican congress budget cuts seems to indicate that the times are a changing. Until we get a congress that is not beholden to their donor base of banks, big pharma, energy companies and defense contractors, we will never be a government of the people by the people and for the people unless you only count the one-tenth of the 1%. Yes I understand that if you get a paycheck from a big corporation or run a small business that you are seeing a decrease in your revenues and therefore have to conclude that the economy is bad and with the looming ACA that you know nothing about except Fox News and the RNC claim is job killing you will not hire anyone new for your company. But due to limited vision, you don't realize that with one fourth of your potential customers out of work living on unemployment and SNAP they just don't have the funds to buy what your are selling or making. Until Johnny Boehnor and Mitch McConnell become patriotic legislators instead of partisan bigots and pass the proposed Jobs Act we will have no expansion of our economy. The fact that multinational Corporations are sitting on $2 trillion offshore not paying taxes and the continuation of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts we must run a deficit to pay for our wars, our economic safety nets and those things we as a society expect from OUR government.

The real fear is that if we keep electing people to represent us, who claim that government doesn't work and continue to starve the beast to prove it we will all suffer in the long haul. We elect people who don't believe in regulation of the banks and this includes past Presidents who repealed Glass-Siegal and we have witnessed the results in 2008 and are still suffering. We don't want to pass legislation that regulates greenhouse gases because it will increase energy costs for all of us, but if we become the ostriches and keep our heads in the sand we just might solve the over population problem. And if we continue to neglect our infrastructure as we have been doing for the past thirty years we may witness more bridges falling into rivers, more power blackouts, more water lines bursting and lets not forget the natural gas lines and fuel delivery system failures. It is not a pretty picture but I expect that even the most under educated amongst us would decry the conditions and point their middle finger at whomever is the head of OUR country and seek change with hope that the next person would do a better job.

When Barak Obama was elected, I thought why would anyone take the job much let want it considering the challenges that WE as a country faced. Our society gave him a majority in both the House and Senate to assist him(?) but within two years we got some things passed and they all had compromises because of the fillibusters and feet dragging opposition. I saw Republican congressmen standing with those big stimulus checks being distributed in their districts even though they voted against the bill that allowed it, grinning with pride. Those are the phony politicos that we need to eliminate from the supposed august body that writes our laws(with the help of the industry lobbyists) that affect each and everyone of us.

All I ask of voters in November, is look at who is paying for the ads of the candidates and if it is one of the super pacs like Crossroads, Crossroads GPS, Americans for Prosperity, The US Chamber of Commerce, The American Future Fund, The Soros Superpac please take it with a grain of salt.

Love the MSNBC morning lies. The car bailout a success? When you "owe" us the taxpayers tens of BILLIONS that is not a success. GM stock has to get to $58 a share, it's now at $26. So when do you think the taxpayers will get their money back? How about never. It was a payoff to the UAW nothing more. Keep the lies coming MSNBC. Frauds.

Here ya go with the 57 states thing again. The only ammo these guys seem to have against Obama are a couple of sort-of gaffes. On policy, everyone knows trickle down economics do not and never will work. But that is what the GOP is trying to sell.

Romneyismynightmare - isn't it pathetic that the far right has to harp on little gaffes because they have nothing good to say about their own sorry candidate, Romney. They can't talk about the strong programs he's suggesting - because he has none. They can't talk about his stellar life because there is nothing stellar about him. He's all greed and nothing for the common people. He has no use for the middle class and has poor judgement.

What other candidate would be clueless that they would be building a car elevator for their wife while running for office during a very difficult financial time for many people. Romney is less than clueless - he is just plain stupid!

Obama/Biden 2012

See witchrunner, you get to say the Commerce Clause whatever you think it should when you misquote it. Specifically, here it is again;

The Congress shall have Power...

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

...To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Now, I've edited it, but only in the places shown and only to leave out other powers enumerated in the article that have no bearing on the discussion...things like the power to oversee the capital of the nation (DC).

When you read the actual words (instead of your misquote) it specifically says TO REGULATE COMMERCE.

And contrary to what you state that is what our government has traditionally done -- REGULATE COMMERCE -- as opposed to the Liberatarian fantasy currently espouced by the Conservative Movement.

Which is why this Capitalist is a Liberal.

If you are still unemployed today ,you have only G.W.Bush ,John the drunken Beohner and a do nothing racists republican party to thank for it.One might say that there other races in the republican congressional house ,then I would say yes but they 're in a domestic capacity and do not realize that they are free to think for themselves. PASS THE DAMN JOBS BILL, AND STOP BULL @!$%#TING WITH PEOPLE LIVES....WE'RE MAD AS HELL AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE ANYMORE.......OBAMA 2012

"Romney is less than clueless - he is just plain stupid!"

"What other candidate would be clueless that they would be building a car elevator for their wife while running for office during a very difficult financial time for many people"

Why don't you go say that to the contractors that built his car elevator, and the landscape architects that did his grounds over, and the renovation team that redid his home how stupid their client is? Your hatred of wealth, tells the whole story about the way you think. And you have the audacity to use the word stupid, LOL.

Boy, I sure would like to that stupid and have made the money that man has made. Why don't you go tell the Olympic officials for the Utah games how "stupid" he is, and see what they have to say? Stupid eh? I think we all know who is stupid on here. Keep drinking the koolaid, kook.

@stutz-531066

It is easy to see but hard to understand. The fact that this is the lowest spending administration

The lowest spending administration?!?! OMG! Clearly it is hard for you to understand because you're buying into the BS Rhetoric. This administration is the HIGHEST SPENDING, you can't actually be dense enough to believe the budgt is less now than it has been in the past can you? It has the lowest rate of growth BUT that's only because the last one grew it so much. We all agree that Bush spent WAY TOO MUCH money. Obama is spending MORE than that even. Lowest spending, ROTFLMAO!

Just D Facts,

What your simple mind is unable to comprehend is that it is the gop supporters who vote for "." because they believe it is the best thing that Feisty has said.

Your response indicates to me the circle jerk that you and your consorts are caught up in. You cannot tell fact from fiction, therefore you become irrelevent (sp?).

Which jobs bill demetrius should the house pass?

Seekingsanity- In response to your comment about the the far right picking on this gaffe that Obama made, now come on here the Left don't do it? I remember in the 08 election Obama ripped McCain in his gaffes. I find you one sided. I also Like to say that the unions are greedy and selfish and do not care about the damage cost of the states and the tax payers who have to suffer to pay for it. I also do not like unions for one main reason, I dont believe in unions using workers money for politicial parties, that money should be for the workers not the politicians in their elections.

I say your all fools,Obama and Romney are both tax and spenders,support more war. I couldnt vote for either one and live with myself.Since we have only experienced the genius of Obama.Il comment on him.

People vote with feelings and their wallet.Look around and watch the news,you think things are good?

I really dont like people who blame others for problems.Try to devide the country with race and class warfare.Obama wanted the job,he should man up and do it.Instead of relying on Reid to do his job,actually meet with people and get congress to do something,make some deals.

Ill write in Ron Paul,anti war.willing to tackle the debt.not bought and payed for.

bbyanko, as a union member myself you would be surprised at the number of union people that don't want their money going for political purpose. The national heads look at it as a necessary thing to further its agenda. While most of the conversation at the local level wonders how the hundreds of millions spent every year would work if spent towards a good dental plan or other benefits. I have seen good from unions like seeing people obviously fired wrongfully, and the union gets their job back. While admitting the benefits can be a little too sweet to be paid for respnsibally by the taxpayers.

The thoughtless idiocy of First Read has finally rendered Feisty Redhead speechless. Never thought I would see the day.

I don't understand some of you people. The fact that Obama said that the middle class is doing fine simply cuts me to the core. The middle class doesn't count as far as he is concerned and he has proven that time and again. He cares about the very poor who suck off the government, he cares about more blood suckers under the guise of illegal aliens, he cares about playing king or a god by giving useless bailouts and "tarps" which really were either a huge waste of money and didn't make any difference; he cares about his "green" policies which lost so much of our, the taxpayers, money. He doesn't care that he - and he alone- increased our national debt to unprecedented heights and destroyed our sterling credit rating. Many of the middle class is so much worse off than before Obama took office that they are considered poor. Prices of food, gasoline, and commodities are sky high and rising. Obama, the one who wanted to change things is such a wonderful hero to some, probably because of party lines, and these same people want to blame everything on Bush. This narrow-minded thinking is less than logical in my mind. All I can say is - we need a change for the better. ROMNEY IN 2012!!!

Witchrunner/JohnnyB: I think you're both right to a degree.

What we have is a failure to balance the public sector with the private sector. The public sector does not by definition just take in money. The public sector creates wealth and jobs by paying individuals who go out and spend money in the private sector. Without the direct spending of the public sector a company like Ford would have gone belly-up. Many people think they didn't take a handout like GM and Chrysler but really the government bought a lot of Ford autos (police cruisers) over the years. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Grumman Northrop, Raytheon simlar situations. How many sales does Microsoft, Intel, IBM have to the public sector?

Government is there to protect and to let people do business and if someone gets too big where it affects the livelyhood of others, to a large enough scale, then REGULATE or balance the playing field just enough. They're not there to specifically create jobs or over spend, but to keep things in balance. And, unfortunately, I don't think they've done a good enough job over the past few decades.

Feisty Redhead speechless, now when President Obama loses the election maybe she will not go away mad, but just go away, that will be priceless

johnb: among, between, yes, technically it is among. But, that doesn't change the meaning. Whether libs like it or not, the Constitution was set up to limit the powers of the federal government. Obama, like most libs, few the Constitution as more of annoyance than anything else. Dictating to individuals that they have to buy something far exceeds the bounds of the federal government authority by any reasonable standard. Once you've given the government that kind of power, there isn't anything they can't do.

Liberal capitalist? Sounds like an oxymoron to me. Kind of like "the freedom of sharia law."

I love how you ignore the article completely and go into your MSLSD talking points..but am proud you haven't accused anyone of being racist because they had the audacity to criticise your messiah

WOW! Comments like these really go overboard. Considering the fact that it is the GOP that is pushing the "religious agenda" into us, using Jesus as an excuse to indoctrinate people into making them believe that the earth was created in 7 days, and calling everybody else "atheist"'and "socialist" and "anti patriotic" if we don't believe this type of rhetoric.

We call oil "foosil fuel" All the ignorant people that continue pushing this GOP lie about science, just to rip off the earth -and deregulate even more the EPA- should look in the dictionary what the meaning of the word "fossil" is.

As far as regulating commerce, that is different than requiring someone to buy a good or service just because they are a citizen, or be fined. The constitution was not set up to give the federal govt that kind of power. The fact that it is health care is irrelevant, could be any product. If this passes the govt could require everyone to wear a hat to help prevent skin cancer and that commerce it creates from health care. Or an administration to the far right requires everyone to own a gun to protect your home and the unnecessary cost of robberies. It sounds silly but those scenarios are possible if this passes. If someone told me 4 years ago that govt could make me buy a product (healthcare) or they would fine me i would have laughed very hard at them.

Wake up Republican BlUE COLLAR VOTERS !!! Those rich a**holes on top don't give a S**t about you, except for your vote or labor on a job that has been competing with ILLEGAL (not "undocumented" ) ALIENS for years now. The reason those jobs either go away or don't see a wage increase is because you are competing with folks who have no rights and are here illegally and therefore are being ABUSED by their employers/hiring bosses.

The Republican front runner follows a religion started by the polygamist JOSEPH SMITH, who was lynched by a mob in Illinois because he was promoting polygamy.

The Republican front runner has one million dollars ( $ 1,000,000.00 ) in a SWISS BANK ACCOUNT according to reports. Yes he's got a lot in common with the working class republican voters.

The Republican front runner thinks (and said) "The trees in Michigan are the right height"......the what ? What in sam hill is he talking about ? People are voting for this rich a**hole ?

WAKE UP, Republican blue collar people, you have been tricked for too long, and even if you don't agree with many Democratic issues (gun control, abortion,etc..) don't be fooled by the RICH ELITE AGENDA of the Republicans and their corporate buddies to ruin the nation in name of their profits. you would be better off trying to change policies with Democrats than thinking the Republicans give a S**t about anyone making less than $80k per year !!

President Obama didn't create the current financial situation, it's been brewing since the 1980's with greed and lack of oversight by every department, both private and public, including local governments. Take a look at the student loan scam, no collateral no credit, and just sign here, by the way it's "secure debt" like back taxes, it NEVER goes away, and good luck trying to get a high paying job 6 months after you graduate from college(said the banker and student loan counselor who were happy to gain more job security).

Well witchrunner, I've just laid out the history of effective regulation over 150 years and you've declared it unconstitutional. It looks like about 6 generations of Americans disagrees with your view of the Commerce Clause.

That's a big disagreement. Which is why this Capitalist is a Liberal.

You'll have to talk to your Conservative friends of the Evangelical Fundamentalist persuasion about building a government around a particular religion...that's a discussion for another time.

THIS is what I hate about politics. Everyone takes something someone says and twists it so much you have no idea WHAT was meant and by whom...people take the fact that, from what I read, some guy had a medical emergency...maybe he's a diabetic...maybe he's got some other malady that causes seizures...that he tried to push somone into an oncoming train...but no one wants to say what it was because then it would just be what it is...a medical problem. No bad press in that, is there?

I think the candidates need to do their own thing and not rely on someone else to try and explain things while also trying to sling @!$%# at the other one.

Oh, and here's another thought...how about you NOT follow the parties so blindly and actually look at the person?

BigATC

As far as regulating commerce, that is different than requiring someone to buy a good or service just because they are a citizen, or be fined.

The government should have taxed your butt and purchased health care for you so you quit leaching off the rest of us. They have every right to do that, but have no right to, instead, ask you to purchase to be fair? The fine just covers the cost that the rest of us must bare when the uninsured force hospitals to spend thousands of dollars on them.

So the GOP cries foul about a commerce technicality, all-the-while never providing a solution for the biggest drive to health care cost overruns. Typical.

Backcountry164

@stutz-531066

It is easy to see but hard to understand. The fact that this is the lowest spending administration

The lowest spending administration?!?! OMG! Clearly it is hard for you to understand because you're buying into the BS Rhetoric. This administration is the HIGHEST SPENDING, you can't actually be dense enough to believe the budgt is less now than it has been in the past can you? It has the lowest rate of growth BUT that's only because the last one grew it so much. We all agree that Bush spent WAY TOO MUCH money. Obama is spending MORE than that even. Lowest spending, ROTFLMAO!

Backcountry, you are claiming that Obama's administration is the highest spending administration in the history of the US. Well, isn't that true for every president excluding George Washington??? Almost every president has seen spending increase (excepting Harry Truman after WWII). Stutz was using the growth of spending of Obama's administration. It is very inaccurate to use absolute numbers because they don't account for inflation. And btw, spending is so high because of the RECESSION, I say again, the RECESSION. Not because of liberal policies, not because of a new war, but because of the RECESSION.

As for the President, he said exactly what he believes. In his mind he has been very successful and the economy is doing exactly what he has intended, putting more people on the public dole. As for the spin of it being a "comparison" with the public sector, that is just mindless BS. The public sector doesn't create any wealth.

Okay, hold on a second. Lemme ask you a question: do you know ANYTHING about economics??? If you did, you'd realize that it is NORMAL that when a recession happens people flock to the public dole. It is even a good thing during the short-term, as it allows people to stay afloat financially and to continue spending money on essential goods that boost demand and keep the economy growing. And technically, the public sector DOES create wealth, much more wealth than the private sector. First of all, public employees SPEND money. In a recovery that is lacking strong demand, consumer spending is vital, and so firing teachers would only decrease economic output, and thus wealth creation. Secondly, and most importantly, teachers are majorly responsible for long-term economic growth. A proficient education system can add hundreds of billions of dollars to GDP growth. Take a look at the education systems of prosperous countries and see how they affect economic growth. A good education system, with a plentiful amount of teachers, moderate class sizes, and up-to-date technology and techniques, is the foundation of any prosperous civilization. Without a good education, many of today's private sector geniuses and innovators would never have been able to succeed. So technically, if you factor in the effect of a good education on economic growth, public sector employees are responsible for most, if not all, of the wealth created in the economy. Not to mention the growth that they support via consumer demand.....

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

The private sector can create jobs and wealth and make things better for everyone. The public sector, by definition, can't. All it can do is take money out of the private sector and spend it on itself. If the public sector isn't doing well, it is only because it is spending more than it is taking in.

The private sector can create jobs and wealth and make things better for everyone. The public sector, by definition, can't. All it can do is take money out of the private sector and spend it on itself. If the public sector isn't doing well, it is only because it is spending more than it is taking in.

Now the questions is what to do when they are taking in more than they are spending? and is that even possible?

TexasFighterGal

The private sector can create jobs and wealth and make things better for everyone. The public sector, by definition, can't. All it can do is take money out of the private sector and spend it on itself. If the public sector isn't doing well, it is only because it is spending more than it is taking in.

Now the questions is what to do when they are taking in more than they are spending? and is that even possible?

Actually, Texas, public sector employees DO create wealth. They don't necessarily produce commodities (although good teachers are teaching tomorrow's leaders), but they create the consumer demand that lead to the creation of wealth.

I was quoting you goof!!! Not my words, those were yours!!!

Funny thing; I wanted to clarify that I made a mistake, but then thought that you might be quoting Backcountry. Ah well...

Good luck trying to vilify private citizens who contribute to political campaigns. You do realize that selective outrage is not very effective, correct? There is one name you never mention- Jon Corzine, who stole client funds and has not been charged with a crime because he bundles-that's the present tense- for Obama.

It's also interesting that you bring up Watergate. On the heels of that, most wrote the Republican party off for dead.

Jimmy Carter single handedly resurrected it.

Funny- Obama did the same thing.

Ahhhh, that's right. We saw a preview of this during last week's Wisconsin disaster for the Dems. They plan to claim in November that Obama LOST THE ELECTION because the Republicans BOUGHT IT. Apparently, outspending the Dems will now be seen as a form of "cheating" by these pathetic weasels. The Dems just can't compete because they are the party of the common, working man, like George Soros, HOLLYWOOD, Wall Street etc... What a crock of s**t. They can never, ever seem to accept the fact that their ideas are once again being rejected.

Obama brings home $15 million in one night by rubbing elbow with the Hollywood elite - and he is hailed.

Romney brings in money from top donors, and he's an evil tool of the 1%.

Make up your mind.

What the gop has been successful doing is saying if you want the government to tax the top 1% then you are jealous of them and want what is theirs.

But, you should look across your neighbors fenceline and be jealous of their healthcare plan and attack it. While you are looking over the fenceline check out what they are doing in their bedrooms.

Good post, IR.

I see the peanut gallery is chiming in to register their outrage over our Liberal belief that elections shouldn't be for sale to the highest bidder.

Since I learned in Civics that our system consisted of "one man, one vote" it seemed obvious that "one dollar, one vote" is a completely different system.

What is the status of the John Doe prosecution of Failed Governor Scott Walker?

IR, excellent information as well as redneck pearls of wisdom.

Hopey, apparently you fail to recognize there is a BIG difference between money raised by both the Obama and Romney campaigns which means they are required to be reported, disclosed and meet campaign finance rules and SuperPAC money which is secret and on which there are no rules. Doesn't matter if you are a republican, democrat or independent--NO ONE should want unlimited, undisclosed, secret multi-million/billionaire money in our elections. Your comment proves ignorance of what is really happening; afterall, those billionaires are buying out your stake in democracy, too.

Damage123,

It will be interesting to hear what is said. If you've been following the campaign expenditures that FR has been posting, it is looking like Romney will never catch up to Obama in total dollars spent. In the states listed this week, Obama out spent Romney by as much as ten to one! The Pacs seem to be in parity in spending. But is it really all about money? When I was going to school and learning how our government is supposed to work, we were taught to make up our own minds about who to vote for as a candidate. Let them spend their money for all the advertising they can get, my decision will still be based on where our country is and what our country is doing.

To all those complaining about campaign spending, remember your vote is always your choice! Those who complain and vote straight party lines with no consideration of other candidates or factors, then complain that the elections were bought are hypocrites. They refuse to responsibly do their homework come election time.

So John B and all the other Libs talking about "elections being for sale", I guess you forgot how Obama had pledged to use only public financing for hi election, until he won th eprimary. Then he raised hundreds of millions in donations online that are non-verifiable because he turned off the credit card verification app. FYI, he's doing it this election cycle too.

So basically what you are saying is "we need to take money out of campaigns (which I totally agree with), unless it's our guy that has more money."

The rising unemployment number? It has dropped from a year ago.

Walker's indictment is forthcoming.

Not at all, VTBobb, I'm all in favor of taking money out of campaigns That is why I strongly backed the DISCLOSE Act, designed to remove the anonymity that Citizens United allowed.

So why did Republicans block that bill?

To: Leftists, Occupiers, Unionists, Malcontents, etc.

Thank you! What an election! We couldn't have done it without you. Without your tantrums, outbursts and boorish behavior we might have stayed home for this election. Without your filthy, pot smoking hemp-headed minions occupying and violating the Capitol we might have been complacent. Without your obnoxious protests, boycotts and other actions from your union playbook, we might have sat this one out. But you couldn't hold back. You couldn't restrain yourselves and behave like adults. You couldn't accept the 2010 election results. We sat and watched as you erupted in a juvenile hissy fit that embarrassed Wisconsin .. The spectacle you created is what motivated us.

And thanks to your ill-mannered behavior, we won. We turned out. Big time! And now we are organized and energized -- committed -- "all in". And we aren't going away. We now have our own organizations (no dues required), an army of volunteers and the means to communicate, as well as countless new sources of funding, including a donor base from all 50 states. And we have "verify the recall" to ferret out your infiltrators in our future local elections.

So thank you Mike Tate, Graeme Zielinski, Fred "Loony" Levenhagen, Ismael Ozanne, Maryanne Sumi, Noble Ray, Charles Tubbs, Joanne Kloppenberg, Segway Boy, public employee union activists, UW TA's, WEAC, SEIU, MTI, AFSCME Council 24 in Union Grove and WI prison guards. Thanks for the death threats, the intimidation, the bullying, belligerence, thuggery and goonish behavior and the lack of ethics and the failure to enforce rules and laws. Thank you for putting your selfish, greedy motives on display for all taxpayers to see. Your antics might have made you feel good but they didn't make you look good. They sickened the rest of us.

Thank you Shirley Abrahamson and Ann Walsh Bradley. Your petty politics woke us up. Thank you Miles Kristan for dumping the beer on Robin Vos' head; University doctors for writing the phony excuses; Madison teachers for calling in sick or dragging your students to the protests without permission; Katherine Windels for making death threats against the Governor; the noontime capitol singers who taunted Sheboygan high school students; WEAC Trust for raping Wisconsin taxpayers. Especial thanks to Gwen Moore for her embarrassing minstrel show and all those ignorant folks for harassing the Walker family at their private home. You have all been exposed. Your tactics have been rejected. Your bad behavior has been forever captured on You Tube.

Some additional thanks go to Peter Barca and fellow Assembly members for donning your foolish orange T-shirts and screaming "shame" at legislators just doing their jobs and to Mark Miller and all 14 senators for fleeing the state and making fools of yourselves in the process. Illinois needs a few more village idiots. Thanks for showing us what democracy doesn't look like.

And Mayor Barrett -- how grateful we are that you chose one low road after another in your issue-less campaign against the Governor. This was your strike three. You are out. Take a seat on the bench and stay there. We have a hunch this was your final at-bat.

All of you are helping turn Wisconsin permanently red. Your Governor, Scott Walker, will not just complete his first term, he is all but assured as many future terms as he seeks. He will be your governor for a long, long time. Get used to it. And his national "rock star" status just might lead him to be your President some day. Just think, it couldn't have happened without you! So to all of you blue fisters, thank you from the bottom of our happy, red hearts.

Sincerely,

Wisconsin Taxpayers

ditto for Obama.

@Crystal, I live in texas and watch what happened with great interest. It was pretty nasty looking from down here. You won great going and two thumbs up. Now if we could only get the rest of the people of this country togather and let it be know that we want real politisions in office doing the right thing. not these self centered gready whaatevers are there now. We just might make it through this EU calamity a little better. It'll take some tough decission makers to do it. Congradulations.

NICE POST IR- Is Mitt still wearing denim ?

By the way a POLYGAMIST is having multiple wives, incase anyone who read my earlier post wasn't aware of that antiquated term. ( research: JOSEPH SMITH )

So how many wives does Harry Reid have?

as well as countless new sources of funding, including a donor base from all 50 states. And we have "verify the recall" to ferret out your infiltrators in our future local elections.

You got that one correct! Paul Ryan emptied the pockets of all the GOP for this one. How can they sustain such a blow? He spent just as much money as President Clinton spent on his first election as PRESIDENT.

I guess the GOP has you in their pocket as well.

Sincerely,

Wisconsin Taxpayers

This is where you are WRONG. Most of that re-election was a thug of war between Walker and the unions. The taxpayers did not want to get involved that much. They are just waiting to re-elect a Governonr that would not be bought by EITHER : the Unions or the hypocritical pigs of the GOP.

SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!!!!

IR - Ah tricky dick. At least both he and LBJ knew when to call it quits. Just what is your point about romney's contributors?? Other than stroking your fan base why not provide the same "insights" on obama contributors?

After all the 3/4 billion dollars that obama raised in 2008 didn't come from only $5 and $10 contributions.

Think the obama campaign will raise the billion dollars they want to this go around? He sure does have a lot of $35,000 and $40,000/plate fundraisers just in the NYC area. Wonder how many of the poor could even afford his $250/seat theatre fund raiser?

Rod_Father

"Walker's indictment is forthcoming."

Yeah, sure it is. Keep beating that drum in LaLa Land

Crystal Harry Ried has 1 (one) wife, her name is Landra Ried, formerly Landra Gould. Like wise Mitt Romney has only one. I have enough reasons to dislike Romney, I needn't include his religion. Do you ever dig deeper and try to find out the truth for yourself or are you content to be spoonfed bile by the R.N.C.?

Your twisted post is exactly right except for one thing, most of the items on your list are what republicans are killing not President Obama. I really think you people believe if you say something enough times it becomes true. The Republicans are hell bent on doing absolutley nothing except ruin this nation for their rich friends.

GOP Kill List

They dont have one! Even the terrorist are donating to the GOP super pacs!! lololololololololololol

Yeah, sure. Obama wants to tank the economy and destroy the middle class. He became president because he wanted to destroy the country. It can't possibly be that his ideas about how best to run the country are different from yours. Nope, he's sinister, through and through.

It's a shame that you think allowing gays to marry would somehow harm traditional marriage. Luckily, my marriage to my wife is much stronger than that.

LMAO..... Im finding Foxturds brand of humor quite amusing! I loved the NPR rep on with Chris Wallace yesterday...... out of 10 she rated a 6 that the Security leak came out of the white house. This is going to be a fun summer. Lets see if Detroit goes broke this week, will Mr Obama bail them out...... Same bat channel!

I loved the "Green Eggs And Ham" style poem. I thought maybe Jesse "Baby Mama" Jackson wrote it. He's not a big fan of Hussein either. Remember Jesse's speech he made after he was caught paying off some skank he knocked up?

"The...contraception, was a deception...which has led to this...conception.

"I am, feeling rejection...over this...misguided erection."

"To be is to do"

"To do is to...be."

"Do be do be do be do."

TNR-"

You mean Obama's friends like William Ayers are donating? Obama is personal friends with a convicted domestic terrorist. Or did you conveniently forget."

Actually, TN, Commie terrorist, dirtbag, America hater and now college professor, Bill Ayers was never convicted, I don't think. I think he may have walked on technicalities. His quote at the time was "free as a bird and guilty as hell."

However, his wife is an equally anti-American lefty scumsucker and so are SEVERAL of their friends, including some who MURDERED 3 or 4 cops and Brinks Armored Truck drivers in 1981. Hussein sure knows how to pick em' doesn't he?

Looks like a list of his accomplishments - ha ha ha ha

Foxturd - You are well named. You list problems as if they will all go away if Romney is elected al those things will become fixed?

Quit calling the President a liar. You have no proof that this man intentionally lied to the american people. Things might not have worked out exactly as he would have liked, but, this is a decent family man with damn good integrity. What your doing is just aboslute hate, and, ignorance and it is not funny.

Are we going to perpetuate this kind of talk forever now? Is this politics now? Just hateful lying and insulting the family of the President. No one from the left ever took shots at the Bush family the same way shot are always being taken against this family.

There have even been hateful, spiteful, debasing remarks about his daughters, as if they are fair game. Disgusting politics and a pox on your houses for doing it.

One last thing for all you Romney supporters (70% of them, hated him until just recently; makes you wonder.) this election is along way from being over and I think you might be riding a little too high right now. A lot of americans understand history and the real world and know we cannot keep going with the coporate control of the country, which is pretty how it was going with the "Great Depression." That tooks a couple of decades and a war to get over, yet you expected the "Great Recession." would be all fixed in 3 years?

Tell me is Romney going to ask for a jobs bill when if he becomes president or is it just more tax breaks for the rich and a $100 tax on the super poor?

Foxturd, OMG funniest thing I have seen in weeks. So true!!!

Well the name suits him or her.
Hating Obama is easier than admitting the right has failed the country and sold the working class out to corporate interests. I guess that some people will never admit that they backed corruption and greed over their country. Even if you are a racist bigot as some are, you ought to be concerned about letting corporations have total control over running our country. Obama is not the one who has sold out, it is YOU on the right!

Say What Bill? You dont remember the god awful things the left said about Dubya and Cheney? Still do..... hell there are people on this site that think both of them would be arrested and tried for war crimes if they leave the US. That alone is pretty funny.

"Tell me is Romney going to ask for a jobs bill when if he becomes president or is it just more tax breaks for the rich and a $100 tax on the super poor?"

No government has ever produced sustained employment growth. Love 'em or hate 'em, the private sector is the only way to get sustainable long term jobs. While I don't like it, I see a lot of truth in the cliche "the country needs the rich a lot more than the rich need the country" Whether we like it or not, companies and wealth create jobs. If we make it more appealing for them to take their wealth eslewhere, we only hurt ourselves. This may not be the popular answer that everyone wants to hear, but it is the reality of the world we live in. We can either try to make it work for us, or sabatoge our own futures in the punitive processes of retribution.

TNRebel-

No I did not forget about that and i also did not forget about GW bush and Chaney protecting a child molester neither!

With the current congress knothing is going to happen. when europe goes down we well follow.Our country cant make it on debt and money printing.Get ready.

GOP KIll LIst:

1. Jobs and Revenue.
2. Renewable Energy Resources.
3. Environment (Keystone Pipeline and DRILL DRILL DRILL)
4. Infrastructure (going to the moon is more important)
5. Equal Rights (Women, Gays/Lesbians, Immigrants on their way to becoming American Citizens)
6. America as an ally and world leader.
7. Existing Renewable Energy Resources/The Environment and National Parks
8. All other Religions but Christianity. (The GOP Christanity is the only way)
9. Investments in our People (Schools, Hospitals, Firemen, Police, Teachers, and on and on)
10. Bipartisanship
11. Economic growth for middle class/lower class
12. Healthcare (If you get sick, we won't help you.)
13. The rest of the world, unless we can buy all of your resources.
14. The Constitution & The Bill of Rights
15. Credit Rating

January 2013 GOP Headlines: The United States of Corporate America begins....
1. Romney becomes President - Yellowstone Park begins Oil Drilling Expedition. MILLIONS of jobs expected to be created in 1 day!!!!
2. Romney sells Florida to China to pay off National Debt. All Americans have 1 year to move.
3. Statue of Liberty Changed to "Give us your Money, Stocks, and Bonds, they are better than liberty)
4. Christanity becomes national religion, Consitution to be updated.
5. Sale of American Government to the GOP/Corporate America Complete... all non corporate welfare and military welfare programs cut immediately. Taxes cut to 0% for all top 1%, and 50% for all middle class, and 100% for poor.

Canada and Europe expect massive immigration as people leave the United States....

lmao...... the Catskills are waiting for your act.

jollyoldsoul1

Say What Bill? You dont remember the god awful things the left said about Dubya and Cheney? Still do..... hell there are people on this site that think both of them would be arrested and tried for war crimes if they leave the US. That alone is pretty funny.

Well, jollyoldsoul1, do you remember the last time anybody ever questioned Bush's citizenship???? Or his religion??? And whether than questioning led to an entire movement in the Democratic Party???

OBAMA BIDEN 2012