A Candidate Without Convictions:

In the sport of politics candidates can expect to be asked all sorts of questions and putting your own spin on the answer is part of the game. David Gregory likes to ask gotcha questions and as a result the public never gets a straight answer. On the other hand Bob Schieffer will ask rather straight-forward questions and expects to receive a straight-forward answer.

Politicians with convictions know that giving a straight-forward answer could alienate some voters, but on the flip-side, an honest answer will gain the trust of a large number of supporters. Politicians without convictions tend to be afraid of offending their base and will say anything to keep their base happy. What they do not understand is answering a question with gibberish undermines trust, even from their base.

Sunday on "Face the Nation" Romney was caught-up in this dilemma. He ducked, dodged and weaved and ended up saying he would CONSIDER repealing Obama's instructions to Homeland Security to discontinue the deportation of young aliens. In short, he did not answer the question. This would have been a golden opportunity for him to demonstrate some conviction. He could have said that he didn't believe in breaking up families, he supported President Obama's actions, and he would assist in getting a law passed in this session of Congress. Or he could have said that he is committed to his previous statements of self-deportation and he is in favor of sending undocumented youth back to their country of origin. At least we would know where he stands on the issue.

Unfortunately this is not the first time Willard has demonstrated his lack of leadership. With regard to economic security for women, Willard's campaign team said Romney would get back to the American people on his position on the Lily Ledbetter Act. He never did answer the question.

With regard to cuts in the Federal budget, Willard does not want to say what he would cut because he knows the American people would not like it. We do know he supports the "marvelous" Paul Ryan budget that destroys Medicare as we now know it in favor of a private enterprise voucher system.

So what we do know is that Romney has alienated women, Hispanics and trying to act like he is a typical American who is looking for a job. His campaign is operating on the notion that he knows best and the electorate should blindly trust him. From what he has shown so far, Romney lacks leadership, cannot be trusted to give straight answers, is opposed to equal rights for working women, and believes young undocumented aliens should be deported.

Someone should tell Willard that he does not have a winning strategy for becoming POTUS.

Looks like UpChuck Schumer has been assigned to try and get the Wall Street “fatcats” big money donations flowing back into Dem coffers. I find it Hillaryous that Dems love to publically club Wall Streeter’s like baby fur seals for public consumption, and then turn right around in private with their hands in the Wall Streeter’s pockets looking for donations to their political campaigns. The term “low rent whores” immediately comes to mind. LMAO!!!!

From Politico:

Can Chuck Schumer win back Wall St. for Democrats?
By: Kate Nocera and Manu Raju
June 19, 2012 04:37 AM EDT

One of New York’s top hedge fund managers got an unusual request from Sen. Chuck Schumer recently: Could he organize a private dinner so the senator could meet Wall Street executives from across the political spectrum?

“It was very candid,” Bill Ackman, the head of the multibillion-dollar hedge fund, Pershing Square Capital Management, said of the dinner.

Schumer in recent months has been on a fence-mending campaign with senior Wall Street executives, many of whom have grown furious with the Democratic Party. It’s a fence with a lot of holes: Leading Democrats have been bashing big banks for the better part of four years, and some magnates scoff at the idea of making up.

So the senator who wants to be seen as a friend to Wall Street has been engaged in an intense effort to rebuild trust with the industry that financed the 2006 and 2008 Democratic Senate campaigns. Schumer has been holding private dinners, organizing high-end fundraisers for Democratic candidates and quietly pressing for super PAC donations.

Some Wall Street executives say flatly they’ll never give campaign cash to Schumer again because of lingering resentment over the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law. But others are coming around, reporting an uptick in bridge-building talks with Schumer in recent months.

FR: The sticking point: Russia does not believe the U.S. has made a case that there's a credible Plan B that will allow for stability post-Assad.

Of Course Russia thinks this is a problem.

Look at the disasters that Egypt and Libya have become.

That's the problem with Liberals.

They never understand the consequences of their actions.

A new report list Illinois as the state with the highest unfunded public union pension, in @ $750 BILLION in unfunded public sector pensions. Dem gov Quinn has no clue what he is doing, yet Chicago elected this jerk again, being that Chicago is disgustingly corrupt. Currently Cook county (Chicago) has 1500 public servants that are in prison.

Illinois needs reform, and I mean NOW! Anyone have Scott Walker's phone number?

I have never in my life heard of an American President having as frank and direct talks with a Russian President as I've heard of President Obama and Putin having in Mexico. They met for two hours. And FR is actually reporting on Russia's position, ther thinking, and how it might change. This is huge. This is a step forward in the field of modern diplomacy. America and Russia are actually discussing the pros and cons on taking out Assad. I am very proud of President Obama and his team. I don't want to start over with Romney in foreign policy, for one thing, he doesn't have experience negotiating with Putin, and, for another, I think he'd go backward to the ineffective diplomacy of the Bush years.

Sirie

They could use a Rick Snyder as well.

Why these folks don't get it, is beyond me.

What would Willard do? Most likely he will have to get back to you. Or better yet, just vote for him to find out.

Backhouse, Feisty, and Ron:

What your posts illustrate is the raging cynicism of the right-wing propaganda machine. Day after day, we read news that falls into the "You just can't make this stuff up" file, more BS than you'll find in a Kansas City stockyard.

Call them on their lies, and caught flat-footed with their hands in the cookie jar, they simply double down on their lies, or they simply ignore you. They pretend you aren't there.

Look at the Romney/Palin Dodge - Don't like the question, don't answer it. The Cantor Crock - Don't like the question, make one up and answer that - "Well, if you're asking......" No, that's not what the reporter asked. The Gift Horse Beater, raised to an art form by Mitch McConnell whose paycheck has been coming from the federal government for decades. His wife ran the EPA - a favorite of right-wing government bashers. Pedigreed pandering a la Jon Kyl. This guy learned his lying from his father - a Congressman. Gummint been good to Kyl whose loyal staff reminds us his blathering is "not meant to be factual."

The right wing is based on lies and disinformation. There is no persuading the low-brow, low-class, low intellect denizens of their base that they are being fed a steady diet of lies. Once given their talking points and their narratives, they are literally unable to absorb facts that run counter to the word of their masters.

Therein lies strategy of the Republican Propaganda machine. Lie to the base. Lie all day long. They are obedient and repeat exactly what they are told.

How else does one explain Mitt Romney?

And you know what's even more sick?

*giggles* Oh I think we know.

White Collar Auto, your summary of history is so biased that you loose any credibility. Your buddy, George Bush, promoted free elections for the Palestinians. Look at that disaster, unless of course you support Hamas. Talk about not knowing the results of your actions......that's the problem with rightwingnuts. They can't take any responsibility for their own actions, but they can surely cry, complain and stamp their feet in protest against others.

Looks like MSDNC got caught doing some “creative” editing intended to make Mitt Romney look bad.

Why am I not surprised.

From Politico:

MSNBC mischaracterizes Romney remarks

By DYLAN BYERS | 6/18/12 7:49 PM EDT

MSNBC aired footage today that inaccurately portrayed Mitt Romney's remarks at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania.

Discussing how the public sector suffers from a lack of competition, Romney told the audience about an optometrist who wanted to change his address and subsequently received 33 pages of paperwork from the federal government, which begat a months-long bureaucratic nightmare during which the optometrist in question wasn't receiving his checks. "That's how government works," Romney said.

Then, to illustrate the advantages of competition in the private sector, Romney shared an anecdote from his visit to the local WaWa chain store. "I was at WaWas, I went in to order a sandwich. You press a little touchtone keypad -- you touch this, touch this, go pay the cashier -- there’s your sandwich. It’s amazing. People in the private sector have learned how to compete. It's time to bring some competition to the federal government."

But in the MSNBC clip, which first aired on Andrea Mitchell Reports, Romney's remarks begin with the WaWa anecdote and end at "It's amazing," an edit -- first noted by conservative blogger Sooper Mexican -- that makes it seem as though Romney was expressing amazement at the advent of touchtone screens.

The MSNBC clip feeds into the narrative, beloved by some on the left, that Romney is a 1950's throwback. After the clip cut, Mitchell and MSNBC contributor Chris Cillizza broke out into laughter -- which is understandable, given that they both had been led to believe that Romney was wowed by a simple machine. In fact, what Romney found so "amazing" was the discord between private sector innovation and public sector bureaucracy.

A spokesperson with MSNBC said she is looking into the matter. I will update here if and when I hear back.

Damage, death toll from Chicago shootings over the weekend - 8

They actually have a google map showing where the murders happened, that is scarry!

Backhouse, great points. The GOP legislators have done nothing to earn their $174,000 salary, not to mention benefits; no doubt Senators earn more but will have to check that out. It seems to me that if the GOP really wants to cut government spending, the first step is for the GOP to offer legislation that pays them only for the days they actually are on Capitol Hill. Boehner and the House crowd would be out a good chunk of change since they only work 9 days per month.

Feisty, that display by Montana republicans was disgusting. Steve Schmidt, republican strategist, said the MT GOP Chair should have been much harsher in his statement and that such behavior by extremists in the GOP simply turns off independents and moderates; and could cost Romney votes.

Ron, Indiana, well said. Schieffer is an excellent example of quality journalism that hosts like Gregory should emulate but David prefers nonsense over substance which is why this long-time MTP viewer no longer bothers to watch. Chris Matthews had an excellent commentary at the end of his show last night. He said Schieffer's questions like so many seem to surprise Mitt Romney. Matthews went on to describe Romney as the most dangerous kind of President, like President George W. Bush, because his views are not his views, they are simply the views fed to him by others. Romney's views on foreign policy are the neoconservative views, the same people who led Bush down the Iraq War trail. Matthews then said that Romney is not a candidate, he is a "speaker system." Perfect description. I may express frustration with Chris Matthews at times but not often and he was spot on last night; no doubt his comment is available on the Hardball website.

White Collar Auto, your summary of history is so biased that you loose any credibility.

Our cute little Blue Collar Auto isn't exactly what we would call enlightened. He thinks all the economic woes in the world are caused by liberals. But let's just completely overlook Ireland.

Sirie - please read the Q&A at

I don't know where you got the $750B number, but that should tell you something about your information source, how unreliable it is, and how gullible you are. The unfunded portion is 1/9th your number. Not a good number by any measure, but I wonder why you feel you have to inflate it as much as you (or your source) did.

"As one may expect, many of the most controversial cases remain pending, So it is likely that the sharp disagreement rate will go up next week and the week after."-Ruth Bader Ginsberg at the American Constitution Society's annual review of the court on Friday.

Two rulings currently pending that are germane to current political discussion, either of which could be handed down as early as Thursday (but no later than next Thursday if I understand Ginsberg correctly) are the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act and Arizona's illegal immigration legislation. Regardless of the outcomes, these decisions are sure to spark debates that will completely dominate political dialogue for the immediate future.

As a conservative, I believe that both of these cases present "no-win" scenerios to the liberals. Contrary to their positions on these issues, the majority of the population wants to see Arizona's law upheld and the ACA struck down. If the Supreme Court decides against liberals, conservatives can claim victory and argue that the left has been wasting the country's time. If the Court decides in their favor, the conservative base will be energized and they can make a compelling arguement to independents that the current administration is not looking out for their best interests.

the majority of the population wants to see Arizona's law upheld and the ACA struck down

The majority of the population is also about as educated as a rock.

In other words, elect me and THEN I will tell you what my plan is! *wink wink*

Kind of like the "We have to pass it to see what's in it" statement of Nancy Pelosi which was probably exactly what Obama was thinking. Dirty little secrets, dirty little lies.

Our Presidents accomplishment this week was to create a new humane way for immigration to work for our Latino children. A great first step for Citizenship for our Latin peoples. The Republicans response? THEY BUILT AN OUTHOUSE. Are these a bunch of sick puppies or what?

Looks like Rubio's out of the VP race. There's no need for a Latino now after the President's immigration move. So what does Romney do? Rubio gets thrown under the bus. Romney, what a guy.

Speaking of Romneykins, HOW ABOUT SEEING THOSE TAX RETURNS. HUMMM.

OBAMA IN 2012.

Hey Ruken shouldn't you be working on the graduate work to your "SIGMA Cum Laude" degree.

"The majority of the population is also about as educated as a rock."

Sure Ruken, except for you and your phony internet degree.

You have been outed here once already as a liar and a phony, sister, you really ought to stop playing.

During lesser recessions, previous Presidents (including GWB) increased public sector jobs to aid economic recovery.

So true. However, the right wing wants this President to fail, no matter the cost to the people of the United States.

You press a little touchtone keypad -- you touch this, touch this, go pay the cashier -- there’s your sandwich. It’s amazing

Touchtone keypad? Really??? WTF?

Figures Willard would get off seeing a keypad replace having an actual human being take the sandwich order...

Amazing is right...

Hey Ruken shouldn't you be working on the graduate work to your "SIGMA Cum Laude" degree.

"The majority of the population is also about as educated as a rock."

Sure Ruken, except for you and your phony internet degree.

You have been outed here once already as a liar and a phony, sister, you really ought to stop playing.

Don't be mad you fall into that category my cute little jobless Blue Collar Auto. Maybe you should just go back to dodging bullets in that slum you call your home. When you going to get a job?

Of course, you spend your evenings and weekends posting on this board, how awesome your life must be.

Hey Joe, is Feisty really that stupid?

Did she just do exactly what Politco said MSNBC did and then comment on it?

Really?

Bleary -

IL To Hire Actuary For Pensions

CHICAGO (AP) —
Illinois will hire a state actuary to report on pension systems.Gov. Pat Quinn
signed legislation Monday requiring an actuary who will monitor the state's five
pension systems. It's effective immediately.The actuary will report to the
auditor general.Democratic state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie says it's like having
a second set of eyes to look over figures already provided by the
systems.Lawmakers failed to pass bigger reforms that address closing an $83
billion funding gap.
$750 Billion is what the local news reported, I don't exactly see where that number comes from. I feel much better knowing that we are only $83 billion behind, lol.
Good eye Bleary Eye!

Hey Joe, is Feisty really that stupid?

Lewl, nothing like the pot calling the kettle black.

sirie, Governor Quinn is cleaning up the mess left by two previous governors who are now behind bars and note, one of those wearing prison stripes is a Republican named George Ryan. Guess that thought never occurs to conservatives any more than it occurs to them that President Obama is cleaning up a gigantic economic disaster created by, wait for it, REPUBLICANS who now claim innocence and worse, have done nothing to help the American people during the near depression.

David Walker, great points. One could say the GOP has turned lying into a money-making, art form. Democrats, as Barney Frank put it, are not perfect but at least they aren't crazy. There was a time when Frank would never have made that statement because there was a time when the GOP was actually a conservative party which worked for the common good and worked with democrats toward that common good.

I see the Newsvine Gremlins are back making it hard to add comments.

@ Feisty - Romney was amazed that private sector was so far advanced of the public sector, hence the WOW comment. MSNBC mis-reported the story, and has since posted a rebuttal.

Hi Jody,

Thanks for the reminder that GOP House is paid plenty in taxpayer dollars to govern - or just do it anyway, for a change.

On the MT GOP vulgarity, I looked online at reports in a local newspaper. I was thinking - the folks I know that live in MT would not appreciate what was done here. There is a mix of parties and this act was truly insensible of the fact that folks still have to get along - after the darned GOP rally is over.

A shocked resident of Corvallis said:

“Never have I been so embarrassed for the residents of this valley as I was when the Republican float passed by. Behind one of the pickups was an outhouse with the sign ‘Obama Presidential Library.’ I don’t care who you are or what party you vote for, Barack Obama is our president and deserves our respect as the Commander-in-Chief of our country.”

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/326945#ixzz1yFOhNrwA

Figures Willard would get off seeing a keypad replace having an actual human being take the sandwich order...

_____________________________________________________

Sort of like those new fangled elevators that don't require a human being elevator operator to get to your floor.

White Collar Auto wrote:

"That's the problem with Liberals.

They never understand the consequences of their actions."

That would be just about the apex of irony, WCA? It was the white collar and wingtip crowd that sat opposite the blue-collar union types at the bargaining table during contract negotiations. Yet, you snivel long and loud about how the union types ruined the industry.

Where were you white collar types during contract negotiations? Were you being victimized? Were you being outmaneuvered? Are blue-collar types smarter? Or maybe, just maybe, did you white-collar types not have a clue about the consequences of your actions?

Good Morning, taking my brake and I see the same old, same old frustration by the Liberales.

"The majority of the population is also about as educated as a rock."

Statements like the one above is what Liberals do best. Always putting down the majority of the population as being idiots. Yest the right wing does the same thing, but this site happens to be inundated by Liberals way out on the left ready to go off the cliff so Dem, Independents and Reps are outnumber.

Romney 2012, Correct the error of 2008.

Where were you white collar types during contract negotiations?

David, don't address Blue Collar Auto like he's in that category. Both you and I know he's far from it.

Who should be in government? Two types of people.

Those who didn't have much growing up, yet no matter how successful they became as adults, they never forgot where they came from.

And those really special people. The ones who never ever turned their backs on the needy in their home towns. Quietly, without fanfare. They wanted for nothing, yet never hesitated to assist others.

These are the backbone of who Americans are. They are kind caring people. These are the people who vote Democrat. These are the people who should be in government. These are the only people who should be in government.

I have never forgot who these people were. I don't know if they were Christian, but my guess is they were not. I say that because I don't recall them being in Church, ever. All I do know is that these are the people that stood out for me when I was growing up. They did not sit around judging people all day and night. They assaulted no one because their hair was different; they did not make fun of kids because their clothing was on the raggedy side, or because their skin was a different color. They were just decent people. That's all. That's who they wanted to be.

Mitt Romney has no business running for the presidency. He is in this for himself and his rich friends.

And when you see these republicans on tv talking about how poor they were or their parents were, turn them off. They learned nothing. It shows in their actions.

And the results are there for all of us to see. Our democracy is dying. It is being bought by rich old white men.

Who would have ever thought this could happen here in the United States of America? Right before our eyes. Because the media refuses to tell the truth.

After 35 months of office, President Reagan increased public sector jobs by 677,000 or 4.2%.
After 35 months of office, President GWBush increased public sector jobs by 33,000, or 1.5%.
-----But after 35 months of office, President Obama public sector jobs DECREASED by 601,000 or 2.7%.

Can you post me a link to this information? Is it broken down by state?

Hey Joe, is Feisty really that stupid?

Did she just do exactly what Politco said MSNBC did and then comment on it?

_______________________________________________

That does seem to be lhe case. Not surprising, is it??

That's the problem with Liberals.

They never understand the consequences of their actions

You mean as opposed to conservatives, who think lowering taxes while you fight wars will reduce the deficit? Who think lowering taxes for the wealthy will help the middle class in spite of 30 years of evidence to the contrary? Are those the clear-eyed realists?

You mean as opposed to conservatives, who think lowering taxes while you fight wars will reduce the deficit? Who think lowering taxes for the wealthy will help the middle class in spite of 30 years of evidence to the contrary? Are those the clear-eyed realists?

Look to Ireland for the results.

Joe,

Your post about Wall Street contributions is old news.

The slogan is "Go West Young Man, Go West. "

Even if it is western NY for the birthplace of Carl Forti. Founder of Black Rock Group, he is Romney's Super pac guy. Called the Alexander the Great of the GOP rich guys.LOL

Adelson from Nevada is out gambling any Wall Street backers.

Romney is hoping that money can buy an election and maybe even love....

The right wing is based on lies and disinformation. There is no persuading the low-brow, low-class, low intellect denizens of their base that they are being fed a steady diet of lies. Once given their talking points and their narratives, they are literally unable to absorb facts that run counter to the word of their masters.

And how is the left different? Are the worst schools not in urban areas? Is that not the reason there is an outcry for more funding for the inner city schools? If these citizens are so intellectual, classy and high-brow what is the need for additional funding? Are these not the areas that Democrats rely on for electoral success? Or are these highly intellectual residents more like this perpetrator?

http://www.suntimes.com/news/crime/13249312-418/17-year-old-accused-of-slaying-other-teen-after-handshake.html

Despite his young age, Tolliver is the father of two children, his attorney said. He has multiple tattoos showing an allegiance to the Latin Kings street gang, according to a police report.

He has two juvenile convictions for unlawful use of a weapon and has spent time in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, Groebner said.

Quick disclaimer...

I really hate when people use the term "Great Recession". That's like saying something is "Extra Medium". However, for clarity's sake, I'm going to bite the bullet and use it here.

What's different between the slow recovery from the great recession and every other recession we've had, going back to about Reagan? The loss of public sector jobs. I don't understand why there needs to be a conflict. The private sector creating jobs, isn't dependant on the public sector NOT creating jobs. Think about it, teachers, cops fire fighters, how would those skills transfer to the private sector? They're unique skills, that service the public good. Unless you're for privatizing EVERYTHING, in which case, you're completely off your rocker.

And I really loved when Romney made the comment about Obama wanting to hire more teachers, police, and fire fighters, when we should be putting Americans back to work. Hold on a sec, aren't teachers, cops, and fire fighters Americans too? Or are they Socialist, zombie, robots, planted by the ressurected Saul Alinksy who's hiding out in some cold war bunker under Montana?

Speaking of which, why isn't your precious private sector creating jobs for these people? If simply shrinking the size of government and the public pay roll is enough, why haven't we seen a boom in our economy? Afterall, private corporations are recording record profits. Where's the evidence that anything the GOP says works??? Tax cuts, de-regulation, fossil fuels, discretionary spending cuts, defense spending... You've gotten all those things for at least the past ten years. Look around you, we're at the threshold of economic hell.

Listen, I get it, we're in debt. Duh. However, do some of you not see that growth in the economy, any growth for that matter, will help solve the debt problem? That cutting jobs, any jobs, doesn't translate to solving economic woes or growth. You guys really can't grasp the fact that it has to be a two pronged solution???

Then you whine about your social issues. About your gays and your Mexicans. Your abortions and your Muslims. You've done more to stymie choice and freedom in those areas, then any congress since the civil rights movement, and you have the audacity to claim to be about fiscal responisibility and limited government???

WTF?

White Collar Auto

FR: The sticking point: Russia does not believe the U.S. has made a case that there's a credible Plan B that will allow for stability post-Assad.

Of Course Russia thinks this is a problem.

Look at the disasters that Egypt and Libya have become.

That's the problem with Liberals.

They never understand the consequences of their actions.

I didn't know John McCain and Lindsey Graham are liberals. McCain thought Obama's approach to Libya was too wishy-washy. He pushed for bombing Libya to bring down Khadaffi faster. He's also pushing for intervention in Syria, now. Of course, Al Qaeda is also backing the rebels in Syria, so I guess that makes McCain an Al Qaeda sympathizer. Maybe he's a secret Muslim, too.

That's the trouble with you wingnut conservatives: you're too simple-minded to understand that the world is a complex place, and you can't neatly divide it into good guys and bad guys.

And another problem with conservatives is that THEY never think about the consequences of their actions, as G. W. Bush proved with his disastrous strategy in Iraq: "Let's poke a stick in this hornet's nest and see what happens."

That's the problem with Liberals.

They never understand the consequences of their actions

Or you know starting wars on misinformation, without any exit strategy or plan to fund them???

Cheny: What do you want to do today, Mr. President?

Bush: How about we bomb some @!$%# in the desert?

Rove: Sounds good to me!

Wow, the DNC bloggers have been busy this morning.

Joe in Albany -

Okay, here's your "unedited" version of Romney's remarks at the Wawa (not "WaWas", by the way):

"I was at WaWas, I went in to order a sandwich. You press a little touchtone keypad -- you touch this, touch this, go pay the cashier -- there’s your sandwich. It’s amazing. People in the private sector have learned how to compete. It's time to bring some competition to the federal government."

Sorry, but even after reading it a half-dozen times, I can't even remotely get the sense that the "amazing" refers to the private sector learning how to compete and not to the touchscreen itself, which I'd be willing to bet Romney had never seen one of, despite the fact that they've been in use in every Wawa store for several years now and are hardly an example of any kind of exciting new technology. (Just checked the website - they started using them back in 1999).

P.S. - If there's anything at all "amazing" about this story, it's that Romney initially ordered a "sub", despite the fact that the amazing touchscreen and every amazing sign in the amazing store says "hoagie". Great sense of awareness there, Mitt. But then, I guess he got flustered by having to go to the second Wawa to avoid all the protesters at the one they planned to stop at. You know, the protesters being led by Ed Rendell, who's supposed to be the GOP's best friend these days? Of course, there were also a couple hundred Romney supporters who were there to see him who he blew off, too, but hey, who cares about people who'd been waiting there for an hour or more to show him their support?

Amazing.....

Alan, NJ

The right wing is based on lies and disinformation. There is no persuading the low-brow, low-class, low intellect denizens of their base that they are being fed a steady diet of lies. Once given their talking points and their narratives, they are literally unable to absorb facts that run counter to the word of their masters.

And how is the left different? Are the worst schools not in urban areas? Is that not the reason there is an outcry for more funding for the inner city schools? If these citizens are so intellectual, classy and high-brow what is the need for additional funding? Are these not the areas that Democrats rely on for electoral success? Or are these highly intellectual residents more like this perpetrator?

If you really think gang-bangers vote, then you're kind of illustrating David Walker's point.

BTW: You're habit of quoting other people without attribution is kind of annoying.

Last week WSJ had an article about Republicans essentially slowing done all legislation, including less controversial bills like the transportation bill. It's a matter of record now.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is urging Congress to act on the transportation bill now.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to lawmakers Monday urging them not to give up on a comprehensive bill. To do so would mean "the economic growth potential of infrastructure investment would be squandered and job losses would likely continue in the coming months and years," wrote Bruce Josten, the chamber's executive vice president.

http://nbcpolitics.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/19/12297287-lawmakers-try-to-save-stalled-transportation-bill?lite

Republicans are obstructing job growth. Livelihoods are at stake.

Do the Republicans care? Hell no.

Time to vote these obstructionists out of office in November.

So, Obama and Putin are not "palsy-walsy" right now, is that correct ? I guess Putin will have to wait until after the elections when Obama has stated he will have "more flexibility".

What does that mean Mr. President ? You already took down the Eastern European defense sheild. How are you going to have "more flexibility" when you already are weak and ineffective ?

How are you going to have "more flexibility" when you already are weak and ineffective ?

Yea! Nothing like the threat of war to show you mean business.

Looks like I struck a nerve this morning.

Guess the truth about Liberals and their "Unintended Consequences' hurt a bit.

Sometimes the truth hurts.

Jim,

Yes, because what this nation and the world needs is more nukes. Duh. I mean, we can only blow the Earth up once, is it necessary to have the capablity to blow it up 50 times over??? Once seems like it would be more then enough.

Alan, NJ wrote,

"Are the worst schools not in urban areas?"

Off on a tangent there, Alan. Lot of questions that don't have objective answers. For instance, how do we define "worst schools"?

For me, I'd say that "worst schools" include those that routinely turn out students who believe evolution is false, who believe an invisible guy created the planet in six days, and who believe that planet is somewhere between six and 10,000 years old. I would say it includes those schools that re-write history to suit their narratives. Know what I mean, Alan?

Sometimes the truth hurts.

Yea, like those effective GOP economics that have taken Ireland to the brink?

HEY!! You all see where MIke Bloomberg privately endosed Romney? IT'S TRUE. Look it up. It happened over the weekend at a party. Bloomberg was overheard by SEVERAL people saying that Romney "would do a better job running the country." How funny is that? The mayor of Gothem. A RINO.

Alas, Bloomberg also said he doesn't like Romney's stance on abortion and gun control. I guess that means Bloomberg wants to outlaw guns and WIDEN abortion "rights." How bout' that. He doesn't want people to be able to defend themselves from being killed, whether they are babies or adults. Gotta love Bloomberg. He wants to legalize marijuana but take away munchie foods. He wants to save lives, but not babies. What a tool.

The private sector creating jobs, isn't dependant on the public sector NOT creating jobs. Think about it, teachers, cops fire fighters, how would those skills transfer to the private sector? They're unique skills, that service the public good.

However, the converse is not true. The public sector is totally funded by the private sector. This is what so on this board do not seem to get. If you look back to stimulus it kept state government afloat for two years. But when that (borrowed) money ran out the private sector could not support the number of jobs in the public sector. The jobs are gone but the debt remains. Even worse is that if the interest on this debt rises from the unprecedented low rates there will be even less for the public sector.

As to your second point, there a numerous positions for teachers, police and firefighters in the private sector. Educational services are in high demand in the private sector, as is security and Emergency Response Teams.

Gotta love Bloomberg. He wants to legalize marijuana but take away munchie foods. He wants to save lives, but not babies. What a tool.

Fetuses aren't babies. It's about time you got that through your skull.

The public sector is totally funded by the private sector.

Not entirely.

Puken, You negotiate from strength, not from weakness. The stronger you are, the more willing the other side is to negotiate with you.

David,

Schiools are generally rated by things as Standardized tests and graduation rates.

This is how the General Public rates schools.

When you buy a house, the school district you are moving into often plays a very important role in the location.

So, even though you were asking Alan, I don't know what you mean. Other than the fact that you don't believe in a God.

For me, I'd say that "worst schools" include those that routinely turn out students who believe evolution is false, who believe an invisible guy created the planet in six days, and who believe that planet is somewhere between six and 10,000 years old. I would say it includes those schools that re-write history to suit their narratives. Know what I mean, Alan?

I disagree. The worst schools are the ones that turn out students that cannot refute the above argument through critical analysis. They are also the ones who cannot see that they have been voting for the same party or person for decades but nothing has improved.

Puken, You negotiate from strength, not from weakness. The stronger you are, the more willing the other side is to negotiate with you.

And the true strength of a leader is being a master diplomat. Any idiot can just threaten MAD.

The public sector is totally funded by the private sector.

Not entirely.

You're right. I forgot the public sector can simply print money to fund it. And to go back to David's argument regarding beliefs, there are those who believe that money grows on trees, and there is such a thing as a free lunch.

You're right. I forgot the public sector can simply print money to fund it.

No.

Certain agencies in the public sector actually do provide services that largely fund themselves.

Ruken- I agree that a brand new fetus is NOT a baby. First trimester an abortion is fine with me, although women that have them over and over as a form of birth control are just filthy sluts. After the first trimester however, it starts to get a little more complicated. YOUR MESSIAH, Hussein believes in a little process called Partial Birth Abortion, where a baby is actually "partially birthed"...then killed. Thankfully it was banned a few years ago but that doesn't change the fact that Hussein and many other TOP DEMS are in favor of it. The sick bastards.

Funded entirely by the private sector???

Am I mistaken, or don't public sector employees pay taxes as well???

"Obama’s immigration play looks to be an early winner:"

Really? Then why did Romney increase his lead in Rasmussen's national poll from 2% (47% - 45%), to 4% (48% - 44%) among Likely Voters?

Opinion polls of people who don't actually vote are meaningless.

...and the worst schools are the ones that concentrate LESS on reading, writing and math, science and the greatness of America and concentrate more on Slavery, Japanese internment and Vietnam. Those are the schools that are trying to (and do) turn out little brainless lefty, anti-American robots.

Joe in Albany -

Okay, here's your "unedited" version of Romney's remarks at the Wawa (not "WaWas", by the way):

"I was at WaWas, I went in to order a sandwich. You press a little touchtone keypad -- you touch this, touch this, go pay the cashier -- there’s your sandwich. It’s amazing. People in the private sector have learned how to compete. It's time to bring some competition to the federal government."

Sorry, but even after reading it a half-dozen times, I can't even remotely get the sense that the "amazing" refers to the private sector learning how to compete and not to the touchscreen itself, which I'd be willing to bet Romney had never seen one of, despite the fact that they've been in use in every Wawa store for several years now and are hardly an example of any kind of exciting new technology. (Just checked the website - they started using them back in 1999).

JoAnne, you can watch the UNEDITED video at the Politico link below. If it’s not clear to you that Romney is NOT amazed by the touchscreen after seeing the full video, I suggest you don’t risk your safety by using those new fangled passenger operated elevators. MSDNC got caught trying to play dirty tricks.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/06/msnbc-misportrays-romneys-wawa-remarks-126545.html

P.S. - If there's anything at all "amazing" about this story, it's that Romney initially ordered a "sub", despite the fact that the amazing touchscreen and every amazing sign in the amazing store says "hoagie".

Really?!?!

That “amazed” you????

WOW!!!

The worst schools are putting people into the workforce with inadequate reading, speech, and math skills. We have too many people judging others on their belief of the origin of man when they themselves haven't read either the Bible or Darwin ... or maybe they can't?

Amazing touch screens! People are really stretching if they think Romney is so disconnected that he has never seen a touch screen before. People are stretching even more if they think this advance in technology destroyed jobs.

My opinion is that he was referring to the inefficiencies of the private sector. The private sector must make advances like these to stay competitive. This is in stark contrast to how the government works which is why the lesser of the two evils, Romney, has a big advantage when it comes to the economy.

Ruken- I agree that a brand new fetus is NOT a baby. First trimester an abortion is fine with me, although women that have them over and over as a form of birth control are just filthy sluts.

You were doing so well until that last remark there.

After the first trimester however, it starts to get a little more complicated.

No, it doesn't.

YOUR MESSIAH, Hussein believes in a little process called Partial Birth Abortion, where a baby is actually "partially birthed"...then killed. Thankfully it was banned a few years ago but that doesn't change the fact that Hussein and many other TOP DEMS are in favor of it. The sick bastards.

It's illegal then, you said it yourself. The fact you dwell on something that's illegal shows me you need mental help.

Of course, partial birth abortions are barbaric, but invading Middle Eastern countries based on fabricated evidence result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians that were already born isn't?

WCA

Of Course Russia thinks this is a problem.

Look at the disasters that Egypt and Libya have become.

That's the problem with Liberals.

They never understand the consequences of their actions.

This is where you take your foot out of your mouth and aknowledge that the GOP and all of the war hawks had no idea how they were going to leave either Afghanistan or Iraq. You do remember mission accomplished 9 years early. Consequenses Huh?

Sarah,

Public sector employees certainly do pay taxes, but it's more a discounted rate than anything. If the state is paying, say, $50,000/year to some employee and can snag back $10,000 in various taxes (just totally throwing that number out, I'm not using the actual tax brackets) then the government still is in the negative for that employee. Tax money (largely from private sector employees) has to pick up the rest.

That's the only problem with reliance upon the public sector for creating jobs. Yes, it gets people to work and can do a lot of good for the individual family. But at a time when the government is in so much trouble with debt, it doesn't really have the freedom to expand. That said, hopefully the government doesn't have to contract too much until the recession is over, just to keep those public-sector families afloat.

JoAnne, so true. What's amazing to me is how "out of touch" Mitt Romney is with the real world. He didn't even know what a donut was last week. What is disturbing to me in his comment is the notion that Government should be run like a private business, run to compete for profit. President Obama has been doing his best to streamline and modernize Government but since the GOP has been starving the beast for 30 years, it is difficult to do without funds to do it. The effectiveness and modernization of the Government we have is the one we are willing to fund but that logic escapes Mr. Etch-a-Sketch.

NoLimitSoldier, sure candidates have lots of advisors. You missed the entire point, though, Romney's foreign policy advisors are the neoconservatives who support war for no good reason; they are the Dan Senor crowd who were literally blackballed from government jobs after their sales job for invading Iraq proved to be a total lie and a disaster for this country. Maybe you like that mentality of perpetual and expensive in blood and treasure war for no good reason but I don't. And I don't want another neocon-puppet and that is what Mitt Romney is; like Bush, the neocons pull his strings. One unnecessary, 9-year, trillion dollar unfunded war costing the lives of over 4,000 and another plus 30,000 wounded was enough. I would think that would be enough for anyone regardless of party affiliation. Please, spare us the President Obama expanded the war in Afghanistan nonsense because Obama did not start that war, Bush did; he didn't pay for that one either and he quit that war to start another.

Funded entirely by the private sector???

Am I mistaken, or don't public sector employees pay taxes as well???

So lets follow the money. Private sector and private employees pay taxes-->Fund operation of government including payroll-->pay taxes. So the original source of the public employees taxes is.....taxes on the private sector.

Certain agencies in the public sector actually do provide services that largely fund themselves.

Really? What services? Are they services mandated by government that are funded by fees and licenses? Sanitation maybe but that has now been outsourced. Any examples?

Backhouse

Norc/Alan,

That said, hopefully the government doesn't have to contract too much until the recession is over, just to keep those public-sector families afloat.

That's exactly my point, and exactly what's happening. This is the only recession where we haven't grown the public sector as a means to recovering, and it's also the slowest recovery.

That's why this can't be ALL austerity and cuts. Take a look at Europe for example, to see what happens when the Austerity Train rolls through the town of Recession. Investment in the public sector will also bleed into the private sector, as well as create/maintain jobs. This will lead to growth and greater revenue. Which leads to paying off the debt and closing the deficit.

How anyone can argue, that cutting jobs, even public ones, is the way to grow the economy, is beyond me.

Good to see right wing folks like W.C.A. support Russia and President/Prime Minister for Life Putin. Shows their true colors, their belief in autocracy over democracy and a true kleptocratic plutocracy for one nation under the dollar.

As for Rombot being amazed, he's no different than Bush 41 being amazed at laser scanners reading bar codes at the checkout counter. Out of touch one percenters who don't know how 99 percent of the country lives.

For all the less than enlighten persons that say, "We don't have enough money to fund teachers, cops, fire fighters and infrastructure." I ask why are we spending over $700,000,000,000 per YEAR on defense spending in a post cold war world? Since the new enemy seems to be quasi-stateless terrorists; how are gigantic infrastructures going to stop them? Where are the nation states that can even achieve a third of our spending on defense? Where are the nation states that even represent an existential threat to the United States? Answer, there aren't any, to many people are making to much money to kick over the apple cart (or Apple cart).

Stock market has erased all the losses of the last month; President going to get any credit? After all, it was all his fault that it went down, so it should be to his credit that it goes up, cretinous hilljacks of Montana notwithstanding.

Can't wait until Ron Paul hijacks the Teapublican convention in Tampa. Hurricane Paul is going to blow and then suck. Should be amazing because...

Rombot.Has. Nothing.

Really? What services? Are they services mandated by government that are funded by fees and licenses? Sanitation maybe but that has now been outsourced. Any examples?

USPS.

Noryc,

You are right about the residual costs. When benefits are taken into account, the cost is more. The problem with government grants for local public employee hiring is that they are not permanent. At some point the schools, fire departments, etc. are going to come looking for property tax increases to keep those people on the payroll. The focus needs to be on private sector jobs.

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL "Real erudite bunch the modern day GNOP are;"


So are the rapes, destructiveness and the killing by the 99%rs who support Obama reflective of the Democratic Party as well?


There are radical nuts on both sides of the political spectrum.

Feisty

Team Willard still doesn't have a clue on what he would do on immigration;

In other words, elect me and THEN I will tell you what my plan is! *wink wink*

This is the dumb down version of what American Politics has become. Don't vote for him so I can win... It's like here in Texas, two guys fighting for Kay Bailey's Republican Senate Seat. Neither have offered a plan on anything, their commercials are exactly the same stuff, Obama did this and did not do that so vote for me! Both of them... I see the same ignorant stuff coming from Willard and the GOP, no plan just the McConnell mantra, get Obama...

I just wish people would intelligently do some research with an open mind and get over the hateful rhetoric and vote with their brain based on facts and reality, not hate and scare crapola... Have a nice day Y'all!

knew you would go there Ruken. You are so easily predicatable.

And Wrong:

April 17, 2012

(AP) WASHINGTON - With big postal cuts looming, the Senate is deciding
whether to stabilize the ailing U.S. Postal Service with a short-term cash
infusion while delaying most decisions on closing post offices and ending
Saturday mail delivery by requiring further review.

The mail agency, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, says it needs to begin
closing thousands of low-revenue post offices and mail processing centers this
year as part of a billion-dollar cost-cutting effort to become profitable again
by 2015.

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL "Team Willard still doesn't have a clue on what he would do on immigration..........In other words, elect me and THEN I will tell you what my plan is! *wink wink*"


It sort of remind us of Obama in 2008, doesn't it?

and those would be?

Norye -- Does not government pay for labor when contracting out work to the private sector? Of course they do.

Take Lockheed for example. Work contracted with government in 2011 totaled roughly 40 billion dollars. Lockheed"s total revenues for 2011 totaled 46 billion dollars. They employ a lot of people and the taxpayer foots the bill. The cost of the employee is built into the bid.

Joe in Albany "From Politico: MSNBC mischaracterizes Romney remarks........A spokesperson with MSNBC said she is looking into the matter. I will update here if and when I hear back."

Fortunately, very few people watch msnbc, and the few that do are brainwashed Liberals who don't care about the truth.

Backhouse, complete worthless spin. Neither Reagan nor George W Bush saw public sector increases as the basis for their economic turnaround plans.

If public sector employees went up early in Reagan's term, it was because Democrats in Congress passed legislation allowing for it, and Reagan was increasing spending at the Dept of Defense. This had nothing to do with his plans for an economic recovery.

Citing 33,000 new public sector jobs as Bush "understanding the need for more public sector workers" as part of a turnaround is such a reach it's laughable. Yah, sounds like it was a huge priority for him. Why, that would almost bump unemployment down by .1%..if you multiplied it by 5.

Sarah-3043284 "That's why this can't be ALL austerity and cuts."

Austerity? What austerity?

Most people would think that 'Austerity' means cutting back on spending, but that is not at all what it means to the government. There has not been a single year since 1954 where federal spending has actually gone down. When the government decries 'austerity', it merely means that the government will not spend as much as they would LIKE to spend, but they still plan to spend more than in previous years. Even the so-called Ryan Budget by the Republicans, which the Democrats call 'extreme austerity that will devastate the poor' calls for an average spending increase of about 3% per year – The Democrats just don't want limits on their spending.

For an interesting 'read' on the subject, the following is a good article;

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_scott_rasmussen/austerity_talk_is_just_political_cover_for_more_government_spending

SSDD

Sarah,

Can't say I really see how investment in the public sector trickles into the privates sector... in general anyway, I can see a couple examples where it might. For example, infrastructure or defense contracting to private companies... or perhaps building a new military base can explode into small businesses. For the most part, though, I think you've made a good point.

The reason that this recession is different: it really boils down to the debt. I know that, as a conservative, I don't have a problem with the government steadily growing its workforce. I am, however, quite worried that by over-extending the government will not be in a position to improve the economy during the next recession in a decade or so (if the "sine-wave" economy is to be believed). I think that's why Republicans are so adamant about cutting spending, even though it may have an adverse effect on this recession; they're afraid that we'll become too reliant upon the public sector to keep our economy afloat when we should be focusing all of our efforts on nurturing the private sector.

It's sorta like my problem with Keynesian economics in general. During a recession, obviously increasing government spending helps soften the blow to the economy. It's artificially creating the demand that leads to the growth. But unfortunately, as we've seen historically, politicians (on both sides, I might add) don't reduce spending to pay off the debt during the good years. So what ends up happening is we over-extend and make ridiculous promises to the voting blocs and then, as a result, aren't prepared to deal with the next recession. So for that reason, I lean a bit more toward austerity as a general policy (even though I know it's not ideal) simply because I know that going on a spending-binge is like a runaway train... easy (and fun) to start up, much much harder to slow down.

Joe Albany -

Great - I watched your entire video. Still think it's obvious he was talking about the touch screen being "amazing", but hey, I wouldn't expect you to agree. And geez, I didn't realize he himself said the store name wrong so many times - I was actually ready to blame that on sloppy reporting myself, so thanks for the clarification.

So tell me - is there another video where he names the optometrist he talks about in his little anecdote about government paperwork? Or shows a copy of the actual 33 page form this optometrist supposedly received? I'll bet it would be fascinating.

Oh, and he might want to be careful about cozying up to Governor Corbett too much -

"The Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University released a poll June 12 that showed Corbett's approval rating sank to 36 percent — the lowest of his 18-month tenure and practically the kiss of death for anyone seeking re-election. That nearly echoed the 39 percent he scored in a Quinnipiac poll during budget talks a year ago, except that the proportion of disapproving votes widened from 38 percent then to 47 percent now."

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/06/17/news/doc4fde08f5a7fc3757025969.txt?viewmode=fullstory

That's why this can't be ALL austerity and cuts. Take a look at Europe for example, to see what happens when the Austerity Train rolls through the town of Recession. Investment in the public sector will also bleed into the private sector, as well as create/maintain jobs. This will lead to growth and greater revenue. Which leads to paying off the debt and closing the deficit.

Europe is experiencing austerity because there is no more money. Would you buy the government bonds of the PIGS? (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain). Their austerity is a condition of further borrowing to keep what's left going. It's not that they chose austerity. You seem to believe that we can expand public services here on more borrowed money and that will somehow be sustainable. That's what stimulus 1 attempted and the result was that when the money ran out there was no carry over. So, we are now at the stage where we have borrowed 100% of GDP. We can probably borrow another 25% - 40% but we also have a structural deficit because of the entitlements that have been promised to the baby boomers. Also, the current retirement benefits of the public sector are seriously underfunded.

So I'll ask again, where will the money come from? I would love to have class sizes of 15, with experienced teachers earning 6 figure salaries. I would love to flood the inner cities with cops and reduce crime. I would love to have a firehouse close enough to reduce response times, but the reality is we are broke and can't afford it. And I accept that the Bush administration bears most of the blame for this mess. However, they are no longer in charge, and the current administration has no clue how to get out of this mess. All they offer is more borrowing to keep thing going until they leave office.

Austerity is coming to this country no matter who is elected in November.

Dont-carry-it-all,

I'm not really sure what you're point is. Do you mind clarifying? Your facts seem right, I just don't see the agreement/disagreement.

knew you would go there Ruken. You are so easily predicatable.

And Wrong:

April 17, 2012

(AP) WASHINGTON - With big postal cuts looming, the Senate is deciding
whether to stabilize the ailing U.S. Postal Service with a short-term cash
infusion while delaying most decisions on closing post offices and ending
Saturday mail delivery by requiring further review.

The mail agency, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, says it needs to begin
closing thousands of low-revenue post offices and mail processing centers this
year as part of a billion-dollar cost-cutting effort to become profitable again
by 2015.

Which is only going bankrupt due to policies that it has to set aside massive amount of funds for pensions.

Of course, my cute little career-less Blue Collar Auto knew that.

Since you've touched on the subject (and I'm coming in half-way through your conversation here), Ruken, I'm curious what you think ought to be done about the USPS? Sure, the goal was to make it self-sustaining. But as the internet has rendered physical mail nearly obsolete (with the exception of packages, for which most people would prefer UPS or FedEx), there's less revenue for the USPS to pay their employees. Contracting the service could solve the problem (for now) but you're right that pensions play a huge role. So what can realistically be done?

Noryc,

The spending cuts that need to happen, don't and won't, because of one simple reason. Our law makers are paid for. Multi-national corporations bleed millions, if not billions, into our legislators pockets, to ensure our tax and trade policy favors them. Then, when our legislators retire, they end up with cushy jobs at those very same, private sector corporations.

That's why I'm leary of public/private entities. I favor, one or the other. Let's keep it clear and simple. I trust the private sector, and I trust the public sector. I just don't trust them together.

Thank you Democratic and Republican politicians for making national policy based on less than 5 states in the union. So if anyone wants their political voice to matter, they have to move to those states.

Really, I'm sure the founding fathers designed the Senate so that only 5 or less states would matter. Why not remove all senators, in fact, unless they come from Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado...and one other state picked at random and rotating every year.

Because one thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that limited representation, like the kind you find on the Supreme Court, always makes the best decisions.....

The 7 Major Issues Mitt Romney Won't Take A Position On

In March, Mitt Romney demanded "President Obama needs to level with the American public about his real agenda." But on numerous topics, Romney has refused to answer basic questions about his views, leaving voters to guess at where he stands on important issues. Romney's ambiguity appears to be a calculated strategy to avoid alienating the conservative base or moderate swing voters. If he's successful in avoiding articulating policy positions, he can market himself as the "generic Republican" alternative to President Obama.

Here are seven major issues on which Romney has refused to take a stand:

1. Romney won't say whether he would undo Obama's decision to end deportations of DREAM-eligible immigrants. Romney and his campaign passed up numerous opportunities over the weekend to say whether he agreed with the substance of the Obama administration's order to stop deporting some young undocumented immigrants and whether a President Romney would rescind the order, saying only, "We'll look at that — we'll look at that setting as we– as we reach that."

2. Romney won't say whether he'd support the Paycheck Fairness Act.Romney repeatedly dodged questions about whether he'd support the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill to crack down on wage discrimination and close the wage gap between men and women. His campaign didn't respond to five requests by the conservative Washington Times seeking his stance on the bill.

3. Romney won't specify which tax loopholes he'd close. Asked yesterday which tax deductions he would eliminate to offset his massive proposed tax-cuts for the rich, Romney refused to offer any specifics on a plan that he has admitted is so vague it cannot even be scored, saying only, "We'll go through that process with Congress."

4. Romney won't say which federal agencies he'd eliminate. At a private fundraiser, Romney reportedly told donors he would eliminate or combine "a lot of departments in Washington," but that he was "probably not going to lay out just exactly which ones are going to go." Why? Because he feared telling the voters his plans before the election might hurt his political chances

5. Romney won't say whether he supports the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Romney's campaign refused to say whether he would have signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a law that helps women hold employers accountable for discriminating in the pay practices based on gender. Romney said, "I'm not going to go back and look at all the prior laws and say had I been there which ones would I have supported and signed."

6. Romney won't say whether he'd support full reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Offering only general support for renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, Romney would not specify whether he supported the bipartisan Senate version or the GOP House rolllback bill. His spokeswoman said only that he "hopes [the bill] can be reauthorized without turning it into a political football."

7. Romney won't say whether say whether he'd eliminate the "carried interest" tax break for private equity partners. Romney's campaign hasrefused to answer questions about whether he supports eliminating the "carried interest" tax break for private equity partners, even when asked directly, saying only that we should probably "take a close look at to see if we're treating capital gains as capital gains or are we treating, in some cases, carried interest as capital gains when it's more like ordinary income."

Whether or not Romney can continue to campaign while avoiding taking a position on so many important issues depends on the how the media reacts. There are dozens of reporters following Romney every day. They can choose to either give him a pass on these important policy issues or continue asking him until he provides an answer.

By Josh Israel | Sourced from ThinkProgress

Posted at June 18, 2012, 9:50 am

As Mitt trips the light fantastic around the MidWest, dodging and weaving away from any questions that might give us an idea of his agenda, he needs more than I want to beat the President. That line of thinking might go over and suit the “Hate Obama” crowd, however, for the rest of us who have functioning brains, he’ll need to fill out his Etch-a-Sketch to do list. So far on the immigration issue he has been a massive fail. From my perspective, Romney is not very good at thinking on his feet, so far, he has, on this and other knotty subjects been extremely evasive. If he hopes to encourage any minority interests, be it Latinos, women, gays to even listen to him, he needs to better communicate with the electorate in general.

Ruken, I'm curious what you think ought to be done about the USPS? Sure, the goal was to make it self-sustaining. But as the internet has rendered physical mail nearly obsolete

Mail is far from obsolete. The fact the USPS is going bankrupt is due to the fact they are required to set aside massive amounts of funds for pensions that no other business would have to do.

We can start by amending that policy and going from there.

i work for a state run hospital. last year we had over $1.2B in revenue. 2% of our revenue was from state support. we made a $30M profit last year. $10M profit for the state if you consider the state support payments. we employ 10K public sector employees that put money into the local economy everday.

How anyone can argue, that cutting jobs, even public ones, is the way to grow the economy, is beyond me.

@Sarah - what these people cannot understand is that public employees pay both taxes (feeding back into the revenue stream), and they consume, which feeds directly back into the private sector, which in turn creates demand and private sector jobs, which in turn feeds the revenue stream and consumption stream .. and well you get it, the wheel goes round and round and picks up speed. Eliminating public sector jobs essentially applies the brakes to the wheel until it stops, goes into reverse, and kaboom, a depression.

That is why every Republican president, when faced with a recession, increased public sector employment - as the private sector contracted, the lifeline was the expansion of the public sector until the private sector reversed its contraction. One would think these people have never heard of supply and demand.

Sarah,

That's certainly one part of it. Corporations have way too much influence, I'll admit that. I don't have a problem with corporations petitioning the government for permits or other changes in concept (just like a business-investment pitch), but it has gone way out of proportion.

But there's one other side to that coin: the American people. The cuts that need to happen won't happen because - and I hate to say this - we are all very selfish people. It's easy for us to gang up on a different class or voting bloc and say "Hey! Tax them! Don't tax me! That's my money!" or "Don't you dare take away my benefits! Take theirs!" or "Look at those sponges sucking up my tax dollars!". Ultimately, the American people as a culture need to adopt a sacrificial stance; we're all going to have to suffer in order to get out of this. That's how cuts work. But right now the few politicians who aren't swayed by corporations are frozen into inaction because they know it can cost them their jobs. We can't touch Medicare, SS, and so on because politicians know that - regardless of whatever good intentions they might have - the other side will demonize them and rile up the seniors. We can't make serious cuts into defense spending because veterans or "pro-American militarism" folks would go nuts. We can't address our immigration issues because one of the two sides with be upset (the "rule of law" supporters or the "compassion" folks). And in the meantime, while our "dear leaders" are stuck playing the political game for our amusement, things just get worse and, therefore, people become only more entrenched. It's a vicious cycle that I don't see any way out of anymore. And to make matters worse, the only way to actually get something done nowadays is for the president to pass an executive order to bypass the inactive Congress... an action which, if made into a habit, starts trending dangerously close to despotism.

I'm trying but for the life of me cannot remember where this quote came from... "The day that people realize they can sell their vote for profit is the day that democracy dies." We're in that stage. Somehow we have to get out.

Ruken,

Well, I dunno about you but I think the last time I used the USPS was about four years ago. I just don't need to send letters or even pay my bills through the mail anymore. The need for physical mail isn't completely dead (that's why I said "nearly" obsolete) but the demand for the Service has definitely gone down.

So what I hear you saying is that we need to reduce/cut benefits for the public-sector employees in that agency? Or at the very least de-regulate on this issue? Seems like a pretty conservative position. I could be wrong.

So what I hear you saying is that we need to reduce/cut benefits for the public-sector employees in that agency?

No, I'm saying the manner in which they have to pony up retirement money is a flawed policy.

The fact the USPS is going bankrupt is due to the fact they are required to set aside massive amounts of funds for pensions that no other business would have to do.

_________________________________________________

Ruken, just like Barry, YOU don't know the first thing about businesses. Ever hear of the federal ERISA law of 1974??

"ERISA does the following: Sets minimum standards for participation, vesting, benefit accrual and funding. The law defines how long a person may be required to work before becoming eligible to participate in a plan, to accumulate benefits, and to have a non-forfeitable right to those benefits. The law also establishes detailed funding rules that require plan sponsors to provide adequate funding for your plan."

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_compliance_pension.html

Puken, Neville Chamberlain was also a great "negotiator", and all that "appeasement" of Adolf Hitler was a temporary stall in time.

Years and years of negotiations in the Middle East have not really solved anything either. Israel exists today because of military strength that can counter the on-going missile strikes of Hamas and the PLO.

WCA - Congress has not allowed the USPS to raise their rates, and they are required to deliver a letter anywhere in the US for the same low rate. UPS and FEDEX can charge whatever they want based on destinations without asking permission. USPS can do that with parcels, but not letters. How much does it cost for UPS or FEDEX to deliver a letter?

I would like to know what other aspects of the USPS are controlled by congress. Are they allowed to close facilites without congressional approval? Are they allowed to change delivery schedules?

I'd like to see them raise rates.

I'd like to see them continue to close or combine facilities based on need, or the lack of need.

I'd like to see them change neighbourhood delivery schedules to every-other-day. Maybe deliver to 1/2 the normal route on MWF and the other 1/2 on TThSat. That would reduce the delivery workforce by about 1/2 and reduce the number of delivery vehicles.

Ruken

Fools Gold: the majority of the population wants to see Arizona's law upheld and the ACA struck down

The majority of the population is also about as educated as a rock.

HAHAHAHA! Spoken like an angry third-grader... " Oh yeah... well you're just STUPID!"

What losers these liberals have turned out to be :-)

So the Adelsons cut another $10Mil check .... first of all can anyone just imagine being able to throw away that much cash on that bubble head.

And then I think what if all the super PACs took one of their big checks and funded an entrepreneurial fund for small business development.

robiscoole

WCA

Of Course Russia thinks this is a problem.

Look at the disasters that Egypt and Libya have become.

That's the problem with Liberals.

They never understand the consequences of their actions.

This is where you take your foot out of your mouth and aknowledge that the GOP and all of the war hawks had no idea how they were going to leave either Afghanistan or Iraq. You do remember mission accomplished 9 years early. Consequenses Huh?

No, this is where he dances away from his imbecilic taunt and pretends he didn't see all the responses that slapped him down with the inconvenient facts.

blearyeyed

I would like to know what other aspects of the USPS are controlled by congress. Are they allowed to close facilites without congressional approval? Are they allowed to change delivery schedules?

The Republicans in Congress have enough control to bring the USPS to its knees. They created serious problems at the USPS by forcing it to fund its pension program over an unreasonable short amount of time much farther into future than any private pension program would be required to do. Maybe the Republicans want to cut the competition to Fed Ex, but their real goal seems to be destroying the postal workers' union. Republican are experts at destroying things. They're just not very good at building things.

Joe in Albany:

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the main bureaucratic organization responsible for the human resources aspect of many federal agencies and their employees. The PAEA created the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefit Fund (PSRHB) after congress removed the Postal Service contribution to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Most other employees that contribute to the CSRS have 7% deducted from their wages. The PAEA enabled the prefunding of health insurance for employees by stipulating that the USPS was to not to have a surplus and end the use of its savings to eliminate postal debt, which it had been instructed to do in the Postal Civil Service Retirement System Funding Reform Act of 2003^[41]. The weekly payment of 115 million was ceased on June 24th 2011 due to the USPS's debt of 8 billion and a retirement benefits surplus of 6.2 million^[42]. The next prefund payment scheduled to make is 5.6 billion due by September 30th, 2012 however the S. 1789 21st Century Postal Service Act of 2011 would end the payments altogether, while making cuts across the board like reducing the USPS delivery days from 6 to 5 ^[

WCA:

A link for your edification, and from ALEC, no less. In spite of receiving far more dollars from the federal government than they pay in, the RED states, in general rate very poorly. http://www.alec.org/publications/report-card-on-american-education/

Give it up on the sigma, sigma, sigma crap. You can't even handle questions about your miserable failure as a white collar auto guy.

Alan, NJ:

Why do I bother to reply? No one can refute the argument that there is an invisible guy in the sky. Neither can they refute the argument that there is an Invisible Pink Unicorn. The burden of proof of course, is not on those who doubt the existence of these creatures, but rather on those who insist there are such creatures.

Roger lotsanumbers:

For obvious reasons, The Bible is hardly the last word on how the universe came into existence. As far as natural selection, Charles Darwin isn't even close to the final word on the subject.

@Feisty #1.1: Hee,haw,haw, um,ah, there's a heavy rumor afoot regarding that "outhouse" brought in and set up outside the hotel by the "Montana republicans" during their state convention. According to the rumor, seems several of the delegates, both men and women, used it during that convention. Yep. Both no.s 1 and 2. After a few days some said they did notice the smell, but took no notice, since it wasn't that much different from the usual GOP convention smell. They were more offended by the sh^tty discarded convention programs than the unapproved use of the outhouse. Usually not much more to such a prop pile than the odor. Here though, this one apparently left, seeped in the true character of the whole republican party.

PJ, someone has to compete with the most powerful super PAC that is the liberal media.

how much do you think MSNBC spends every year cheer leading for 0bama?

Sarah,

ANY government spending returns $0.89 of value for every dollar that it brings in that is historical fact. Keynsian theory claims that every dollar government spends will generate $1.60. In all the spending Obama has done to spur the economy, the CBO shows that we are spending over $200,000 per job we create/save.

Now, compare that to industry, which on average, returns 6-7% profits (dividends) per dollar in (the investment dollar still exists. Not only that but the value of that dollar also increases on a 6 - 7% basis per year. This is all done by producing goods and services that increase wealth.

While investing in teachers, especially quality teachers is a good idea, most people invest in private schools if they want to get results. My wife and I did, and we await the College Boards score for our daughter who had only 1 unanswered question on the SAT and 5 on the ACT.

After a few days some said they did notice the smell, but took no notice, since it wasn't that much different from the usual GOP convention smell

Hiya Mac!

Funny stuff! lmao

I'm sure these delegates who took pictures went home to show them with their kids & grandkids on how they too can grow up to be a racist!

What a sick bunch of F@cks!

Readhead @ 1.6: "Day three & counting...

Team Willard still doesn't have a clue on what he would do on immigration;"

Day 1,246 and counting.... Team Obama still doesn't have a clue on how to lead this nation nor solve its economic problems.

The left randomly pulling the racist card when they have nothing to stand on is simply comical. Do you not realize that your civil rights icons of the left, Sharpton and Jackson are not only race baiters, but the laughing stock of the country? Maybe some day you will learn that crying wolf, I mean racist, really only demeans your own cause.

Job creation under Romney included sending the state call center to India...what a great foreign policy

blearyeyed

Joe in Albany:

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the main bureaucratic organization responsible for the human resources aspect of many federal agencies and their employees

_________________________________________

What does that have to do with the fact that Ruken and Barry and the vast majority of lefty liberals don't know the first thing about businesses and the fact that Ruken made an idiotic statement about funding requirements for company pension plans that is refuted by Barry's USDOL's website??

RedDevPS "what these people cannot understand is that public employees pay both taxes (feeding back into the revenue stream), and they consume, which feeds directly back into the private sector"

And you have to take the money OUT of the private sector to pay the wages and benefits of the public worker, so it's a wash.

DB Akron -- I also invested in an education for my children... by paying taxes. They attended public schools, graduated at the very top of their class and have since graduated from top universities in this country. Imagine that. The public educational system works.

Hey Joe, is Feisty really that stupid?

Based on her continuously inane posting, I'd say the answer is a resounding, "Yes."

Ruken

The USPS is an ideal example of how a union can take out a company. For most of the last 40 yrs, the postal union has gotten everything they've asked for on threat of strikes. Low hours, high salaries, fat bennies. So Congress mandated that USPS had to cover those fat benefits, and that they woudn't be subsidized by the taxpayers. Now the "company" is going under, because the pensions are unsustainable. The sensible thing to do would be cut back the bennies to private sector levels... but Dems want those union votes, so they'll do everything they can to pump money into the failing corp rather than make it pay its own way.... a la GM.. watch for a "privatization" where unions get 30% of the company...

ROY WILSON-336103

RedDevPS "what these people cannot understand is that public employees pay both taxes (feeding back into the revenue stream), and they consume, which feeds directly back into the private sector"

And you have to take the money OUT of the private sector to pay the wages and benefits of the public worker, so it's a wash.

Maybe it's a bit better than a wash, since public sector employees do stuff for the private sector like food inspections and drug approvals to prevent you from being poisoned by what you eat or the drugs you take so you can live another day to gripe about the Big Bad Government.

Fed Up-2683606

The USPS is an ideal example of how a union can take out a company. For most of the last 40 yrs, the postal union has gotten everything they've asked for on threat of strikes. Low hours, high salaries, fat bennies.

You don't know what your blathering about. I happen to know someone who's a postal carrier. The hours are long and the work is hard. Here's some facts about those "fat bennies" that you're so angry about:

http://postalmag.com/retirement.htm

Many employees believe that USPS retirement benefits are some of the most substantial in the nation. Many, upon reaching retirement age, are shocked to learn they will be facing a 50% to 75% or more loss in income after retirement. Although, postal retirement benefits may not be all that public legend has them to be, they can provide a secure retirement with the proper planning.

And the median pay is $53,000 per year, about the median for all workers, public and private.

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/postal-service-workers.htm#tab-3

Most career Postal Service workers work full time. However, overtime may be required for workers, particularly during the holiday season. Because mail is delivered 6 days a week, many Postal Service workers must work on Saturdays.

Norye -- My point was government is not in the business of making profit. So whether government directly hires or government contracts out the work, we the taxpayer pay for it. That said, I do think I misunderstood your point. It appears you are concerned about expansion and spending, not privatizing.

Marco Rubio writes in his book An American Son (out today): "If my kids went to sleep hungry every night and my country didn't give me an opportunity to feed them, there isn't a law, no matter how restrictive, that would prevent me from coming here [USA]."

ABC News: Marco Rubio is not being vetted to be Mitt Romney's running mate.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/06/marco-rubio-not-being-vetted-to-be-mitt-romneys-running-mate/

I wonder if the two are connected.

Geez ! Another great post from Feasty ... something where she is not attacking anyone !

But then she gets 5 votes (as of now) ! Hell, I might have to wonder if this is her best comment ever !!

Dennis, good points. I had not heard that Rubio is not being vetted. Judging from the NY Times investigative reporting into Governor Christie added to the fact that at a Romney fund-raising event where Christie was supposed to speak and introduce Romney, Christie came late forcing Romney to speak first and introduce Christie, the NJ bully likely isn't being vetted either.

After President Obama announced and signed his Executive Order to stop deporting young people who consider this country their home and themselves as Americans, I heard a clip of Marco Rubio whining that the White House never contacted him to ask him to pass legislation to allow these young people to stay. LOL, Rubio, and his fellow GOPer Senators could have allowed the DREAM Act to come to the floor for debate and amendment but instead blocked it by filibuster several times in 2010. If Rubio had been serious, he could have written his version of DREAM legislation at any time since he won his Senate seat but he didn't. For a couple months, he's been claiming he has a DREAM plan yet has nothing on paper and his fellow Senators want no part of it anyway.

Rubio and Romney had a good bait and switch scheme going for them regarding this issue; they thought they could present a half plan and win some Latino votes. To put it bluntly, President Obama Friday stuck a fork in Rubio/Romney's sideshow diversion and pronounced the Rubio/Romney plan cooked. Neither Rubio or Romney saw that coming which is exactly why Romney cannot answer questions about it and why Rubio whined the White House did not call him. Let's just say that this liberal took great pleasure in watching Romney and Rubio try to untwist themselves.

Personally, I like Marco Rubio. I think he has potential except like so many other republicans, he is forced to dance with the Tea Party and Libertarian extremists. Too bad, he could be the future for the GOP but not as long as the extremists control the GOP.

red headed slut cocktail

you are the most hate filled person here.

Oh the hypocrisy.

ruken i love you, your eloquence and wit are without equal. Original is your flag my friend. As for Hypocrisy..who cares. I dot not claim to be full of love or tolerance, nor to wish to be. wrong charge my friend - i am proudly a black pot!

joshua w morris

ruken i love you, your eloquence and wit are without equal. Original is your flag my friend. As for Hypocrisy..who cares. I dot not claim to be full of love or tolerance, nor to wish to be. wrong charge my friend - i am proudly a black pot!

i.e. Do as I say and not as I do? Pretty much the mantra of GOP politics right there.

i did not say DO, sir! I simply respond to that what redheaded slut - and excellent cocktail - is saying. I am not giving direction for action or behavior, i am responding to comment with comment. Wrong charge!

ps i do not really love you either that was sarcasm (you can google the term)

joshua w morris

i did not say DO, sir! I simply respond to that what redheaded slut - and excellent cocktail - is saying. I am not giving direction for action or behavior, i am responding to comment with comment. Wrong charge!

Yea...I believe "WOOOOSH" is an applicable response here.

i agree that response does demonstrate your capabilities. But I assumed that long ago.

end of line

joshua w morris

LMAO.... perfect response Revenge. I think the term CheckMate would be appropriate.

i agree that response does demonstrate your capabilities. But I assumed that long ago.

You must hear that a lot, don't you?

Judging from the NY Times investigative reporting into Governor Christie added to the fact that at a Romney fund-raising event where Christie was supposed to speak and introduce Romney, Christie came late forcing Romney to speak first and introduce Christie, the NJ bully likely isn't being vetted either.

Thank God. We need him here. Best Governor since Tom Keane and that's not just my opinion.

In the just-released Rutgers-Eagleton poll, Christie's approval rating was 79 percent positive, 12 percent negative among Republicans, compared to 27 percent favorable, 62 percent unfavorable among Democrats. The key for Christie is that he has a 55 percent positive, 32 percent negative rating among independent voters.

Those of you on this board who complain about language, slander, epithets, hate should read closely RivengeofPodus's comment just above.

Actually fielden, there are quite a few others who exceed the language hatred of what you point out. Most of them are the usual Obama boot-lickers who launch into personal attacks the minute they don't like something you say.

JOS1 and jim- A BIG Ditto!

Fiesty is doing a good job of shaking right wing nuts rattles. Ohh the diapers are overflowing

dal,

Does your personal bio include: Fiesty fan club manager? Does it send a seismic wave up your leg when you read her posts? Maybe if you pulled your nose out of her anus you could come to grips with reality.

Is that an indication of your current state?

NON you just play your game and then go back to drinking out of the juicebox

It never tires me to see the endless stream of losers here who have absolutely nothing to say about any story. But cry about one poster, Feisty, non-stop. Do any of you have a thought in your head? If you don't like her opinion post support for your opinions instead of calling her names and complaining about how she posts first more than you.

I see more cerebral activity from the 8 year olds flaming each other on youtube comments.

Independent, thank you for this; it's just one more eye opener into what is considered journalism. I do blame the pundits as well though. Big time. Their on air opinions are based on what they read in the print media.

Look at what Eugene Robinson wrote below. It's eloquent, it's heartfelt and it's the truth.

Sí, se puede. Yes, it can be done.

President Obama showed last week that it’s possible to find a reasonable, humane solution for at least 800,000 young people who were illegally brought into this country as children. All you need is a moral compass and a heart.

Seems to me that Obama’s unilateral decision to let these non-citizens remain here without fear of deportation should have quieted critics who bray and whine about a supposed lack of bold presidential leadership. It didn’t, of course.

Where is Mitt Romney on all of this, you ask? Excellent question…..

…. It’s tiresome having to spend so much time trying to figure out what Romney really believes. If anything, I mean.

***********

I see nothing but a bunch of punks at the press conferences. Unprofessional, undignified and totally not how we should be seen around the world. I see dishonesty with people on tv every single night.

Republican analysts are put on tv for interviews. These are people who may disagree with Romney or Gingrich or Glenn Beck or Limbaugh. However, at the end of the day they will vote Republican without a care for the welfare for the people of our nation.

They make me sick with their excuses.

Independent R,

Seems like Opinion and Fact are being shmooshed together for us.

We're being conditioned to accept the end of true facts or data in the media.

No-win situations and boxes are controlling strategies.

Thanks Pat. And thank you for clarifing and expanding on a problem that I see as one that we are all going to have to contend with this cycle. As I have said the Yahoo's have gotten pretty good at "Working the Ref" to the detriment of us all both left and right.

Joe Williams does NOT deserve credit for his "objectivity" defense of piss-poor news coverage. The incredibly inept coverage of news is rooted in the idiotic notion that once a position is articulated, only an opponent is qualified to offer an "objective" view in opposition. That is just BS.

What kind of consumers have we become that we expect a reporter to find an honest view of opposition to any particular policy of the President? When McConnell and countless Republicans start spouting their "Obama is anti-business" crap, an HONEST reporter would look at them and say, "Yo there buckaroos, all the evidence says otherwise."

When a Republican liar says we really need to drill, drill, drill to get those oil prices down, an HONEST reporter would say, "Yo buckaroo, our supplies are in excess of demand and prices are climbing. What part of the Law of Supply and Demand don't you understand?"

When a Republican tags the President as being responsible for the run-up in gasoline prices, an HONEST reporter might check his futures file, and run off to that Republican and ask, "Yo buckaroo, why the silence as gas prices are falling? Doesn't the President get credit for that?"

No, the problem is reporters are afraid to confront liars with their lies. That's the problem with drawing your paycheck from Corporate America. You just can't piss off Big Money.

IR, terrific information and comment; you, too, Pat Boston.

If Woodward and Bernstein had the mentality of the so-called "objectivity" we see today by far too many who call themselves journalists covering Washington DC, the Watergate story and criminality of Nixon would never have been reported. Williams is right, the press does think of themselves as being objective but the trouble with that thinking is that the goal is not to be objective but to be factual.

Great points IR and Pat.

Republican analysts are put on tv for interviews. These are people who may disagree with Romney or Gingrich or Glenn Beck or Limbaugh. However, at the end of the day they will vote Republican without a care for the welfare for the people of our nation.

They make me sick with their excuses.

It reminds me of cheap fixed TV tag team wrestling.

Pat said: President Obama showed last week that it's possible to find a reasonable, humane solution for at least 800,000 young people who were illegally brought into this country as children. All you need is a moral compass and a heart.

The President made a wise, simple and logical decision - when was the last time a politician behaved in that manner?

The fact is the media won't call out the tea people Koch republicans for their lies because they want all that political ad money. If they don't side with the tea people Koch republicans or at least lump them together with the Democrats the tea people Koch republicans will pull their ads. It's sad when the news media that is supposed to inform us and give us the facts, is bought and paid for by citizens united.

As a republican I WANT THE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS TO OBSTRUCT.. i don't want the agenda of the current congress to pass. ANY OF IT..

learn that,

As a republican I WANT THE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS TO OBSTRUCT.. i don't want the agenda of the current congress to pass. ANY OF IT..

learn that,

Specifically, what agenda?

As a republican I WANT THE REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS TO OBSTRUCT.. i don't want the agenda of the current congress to pass. ANY OF IT..

So, you don't care about the people of the United States. And you hate America.

Bingo Job1. That's the current agenda of the tea people Koch republicans. And I quote "don't care about the people and hate America".

What's funny is they don't comprehend they are the people and they are America. And they'll be hurt just as bad by the tea people Koch republican agenda as the other people and Americans.

Grover Norquist is headed to Congress this week to tuter er neuter all the seditious GOP/TP members that signed his anti-tax pledge.

link to the pledge for feds.

ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and

TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.

link to the pledge for state reps

I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.

"The left has made a concerted effort to attack the pledge and misrepresent it," Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said in an interview. He said some lawmakers have been getting "bizarre hypotheticals" in journalists' questions and in debates, and he said he wants to help people feel comfortable discussing the pledge's meaning.

How hard is it to understand the pledge they signed with Norquist?? How hard is it to understand the oath of office they swore to??
This is sedition bordering on treason and I'm sick of it!

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/18/3664329/anti-tax-pledge-author-to-brief.html

No more "call it like you see it", it's "call it like you want it". After all, can't sell those Shell Oil ads without some "controversy". Nicely done, I.R.

How hard is it to understand the pledge they signed with Norquist?? How hard is it to understand the oath of office they swore to??
This is sedition bordering on treason and I'm sick of it!

Anyone who has signed the Norquist pledge should be removed from office for the crime of treason against the people of the United States.

NoLimitSoldier:

Given the fact that a pledge doesn't mean too much to you, perhaps you'd care to tell us what weight you assign to the oath (pledge) you took to protect the Constitution.

As far as treason, while you're explaining this stuff to us, maybe you'd tell us how Cantor's position as a lawmaker, and his investments in a fund that bets on the failure of the United States, is not pretty damned much like treason. You might write this while you listen to "The Twist".

No Limit,

Anyone who has signed the Norquist pledge should be removed from office for the crime of treason against the people of the United States.

Great post Job1, you are right on

No limit, do YOU know the definition of sedition?

The Norquist Pledge may not be a legal document, but Republicans are treating it as such. They are using the pledge as a reason to not support ANY bills before Congress save those meeting their own narrow agenda.

Jody---thanks for the report from the ground. The shot I saw on the news last night did not look like a big crowd. I'm not sure Romney has even thought about what he would do---I just think he wants to be President because, well, he wants to be President. I don't think he has thought farther than that and I don't think he will.

Steeler Fan, you are right. Romney wants to be President, wants to succeed where his father failed. Mitt Romney reminds me of George W. Bush who also wanted the title of President but beyond that was uninterested in doing the difficult work of being President.

Jody, thanks for summarizing what Hell for Americans looks like in a future leader.

Mr. Romney is running as leader-in-chief exclusively for the very top income bracket - and corporations are standing in the wings, ready to take over our government, get Romney to sign their stuff unchecked, and exploit us all to the very last hilt.

No dissenting voices, no vote, no pay, no rights, no regulations, no taxes, no limits to mega-corporate finaigling is indeed a recipe for short-term gains for the undisclosed few.

Jody,

Thanks for the update in Iowa. what he does not talk about speaks volumes. He is indeed just a ABO, but eventually he will have to state what he would do and give some details.

Looking forward to the debates ...

Did Romney say he would win Iowa? Or is he just betting on WI. LOL

I think the debates will tell quite a bit. Romney is not as conservative as some would make him out to be, both supporters and detractors. I think if anyone can balance the reduction of the burden of government (both cost and unnecessary actions) and the maintenance of the safety net, it would be him. I realize that to the EXTREME Left and EXTREME Right, that makes him look wishy-washy. My only fear is that he will get opposition from both the extreme left and right in the Congress and Senate, and we seem to be sending more people from those extremes to those bodies.

Brilliant!

Roger, anyone who is willing to except the notion that Mitt Romney is less conservative than he presents himself to be in order to justify voting for him would deserve the lack of a core they get. Romney has no convictions; if he did, he would stand by them instead of taking polar opposite positions sometimes within hours of the initial view. Do not kid yourself, Romney will govern exactly as he says because the truth is this: the GOP has become a party of extremists. One only needs to look at Cantor, Ryan, McConnell, Rand Paul etc to know that statement to be true. The moderates have all been driven out of the party from Specter to Leach to Hagel to Snowe and even Orrin Hatch had to fight during a primary. We have watched one moderate after another be primaried and lose to the Tea Party and Libertarian candidate. One cannot say the same for liberals because democrats run the gamut of pro-choice to pro-life, war hawks to peace-niks, and there's quite a few fiscally and socially conservative democrats, too; we call them blue dogs. When an entire party must cater to its extremes, there is no doubt that party's presidential candidate must do so, too.

Roger,

I agree that the moderates have no voices in Congress. It is gridlock. And Romney needs the base of the extreme tea party folks. So he is indeed a in a dilemna.

Jody, the problem is that everyone is running to the extremes. I don't think the country can prosper in either extreme, not the liberal tax and spend, or the Tea Party severe limits on government. Other than the "talking point" pros, people know that it would be foolish to raise taxes during a recession. On the other hand, if the recovery starts to progress, maybe taxes can be raised without aborting it. Neither extreme would be willing to say that, but a pragmatic leader will. We can't afford for the government to do everything for us, but we cannot just eliminate the safety net. The extremes won't find that middle ground without leadership.

So what you call "lack of core" seems to be that he is not a blind zealot to either extreme. To me, that is a good thing.

Romney will go back to Wawa where it is safe

I prefer to address Romney as "Dumb Sh*t". It's more accurate.

Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves. AFL, Respect for the President is important weather you are a supporter or not. You can speak out about all his policies that you disagree with all you want but please avoid the name calling.

Ruken; Calling Romney any name in the book is fair game as he does not hold the high office of POTUS but do you have to be so harsh?

Hate is the worst plague the country has been blighted with.

Ruken; Calling Romney any name in the book is fair game as he does not hold the high office of POTUS but do you have to be so harsh?

I call it like I see it. Maybe Romney should try being less of an idiot.

Be nice now!

Ruken -- You need to take your own advice -- be less of an idiot. The reason you see sh!t is because you have sh!t for brains.

Ruken -- You need to take your own advice -- be less of an idiot. The reason you see sh!t is because you have sh!t for brains.

If you consider yourself "smart", I will gladly accept a label of "idiot" from you.

@Ruken

Have you ever thought there are some in here to which believe YOU are a Dumb s^&%. You don't know anything about that man except what MSDNC feeds you.

Yea, and if those that would label me such think of themselves otherwise, I gladly accept the compliments.

I have often wondered WHY Obama's groupies and even HE himself seem to be ashamed of his middle name? Why is that? Is it because it's the a name shared with many Islamofacist terrorists? That's not HIS fault, right? There's no harm in using his middle name when talking about him. If it made you people so uncomfortable, why the hell did you vote for him? Would you vote for someone named Obama? I mean "Obam...er, I mean OSAMA. Rats! Those two names are only off by ONE letter. Makes it tough sometimes.

I look at it this way AFL CIA, whatever you post reflects on you personally; we know exactly what you are. I rarely agree with ATICUS Flinched but he is absolutely right on this and I thank him for saying it.

Willard is Romney's first name; there is nothing in the name Willard that denotes some sinister "other" factor as an inference which is intended by those like AFL CIA who imply Muslim, not American, "other". It is sad that conservatives have taken an honorable middle-eastern name and turned it into something to denote evil and un-American. King Hussein of Jordan was America's friend, it is a proud and honorable name. Hussein reflects President Obama's heritage just as surely as George or Abraham or Marco or Willard reflect heritage.

AFL - the difference is that Romney appears to be a bit confused as to what his first name is .. as opposed to President Obama, whose first name is Barack.

"I'm Wolf Blitzer and yes, that's my real name." —CNN's Wolf Blitzer at the beginning of a November 2011 Republican presidential debate
"I'm Mitt Romney—and yes Wolf, that's also my first name." —Mitt Romney, getting his own name wrong (his first name is "Willard," and his middle name is "Mitt")

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/mittromney/a/Mitt-Romney-Quotes.htm

Ruken is right. He is only responding to Karl Rove nonsense. Good job. Dirty play on both sides but if you can not handle the heat out of the frying pan. Fiesty is the same and I will talk nasty to a right nut who wants to run their mouth about me too. Be prepared.

@dal and Ruken.......why are you both so angry? You sound like crybabies. The only thing I need to be prepared for is more drivel out of a couple of whiners. Go ahead and spew your stupidity for all to see. You are only making yourselves look dumb.

Actually, more like "Dumb and Dumber". Maybe you can get them to tell us the latest unemployment numbers, or where the national debt is as of today. Maybe they can tell us where Obama's budget proposal is hiding.

Actually, more like "Dumb and Dumber"? That's President Odumbass to you, son.

AFL and jim you guys remind me a little children hitting your fists on the floor. You know Romney sucks so you both blither blather then blow smoke. Humerous.

So, based on your logic shouldn't we all be referring to Mitt Romney as "Governor Romney" or "Former Governor Romney"?

After all "he is an elected governor and should be addressed as "Governor Romney" or "Former Governor Romney". Is that too hard to remember?

Its seems like you only want the courtesy to go one way. You forget that it is a two way street.

It has also been traditional to address former office holders in similar fashion. So, it should be Mr. Governor or ex-Governor Romney. Is that hard to remember????? IDIOT.

Funny I never heard the liberals call the last president by any other name besides Bush, Hitler or Texas Monkey. Is JFK and FDR disrespectful names? Seriously, you libs need to get over Obama's color.

Seriously, you libs need to get over Obama's color.

That's the problem with the radical right.

Seriously, you libs right wingers need to get over Obama's color.

Read "The Amateur" by Ed Klein!!! A great read!!!!!

Do you need me to read it to you?

And more from Bennie( numbers) the birther.

Doesn't get more intellectually challenged than that!

Ruken.....I see that achieving academic utopia and living on 4 peaceful acres in the great prairies of Minnesota and riding your bicycle 20 miles a day has really done wonders for your disposition.....you seem so much happier and content and showing the love you have for all of mankind than you did last week?.....what happened? Did you read a Rasmussen poll this morning?

Founder of the Mormons

Nephi 12:23 And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations. (Joe Smith calls dark skinned people ugly, filthy, lazy, and perverts.)

Wow!

Well, how about that. All these years and I didn't even know there was a Christian flag. Wonders never cease. However, I will stick with flying the Red, White and Blue flag of the United States of America, it's a non-demonizational flag as declared by the U.S. Constitution.

I no longer respect the office of the Presidency. The only flag flown at my home is Christian.

Since you hate the United States, perhaps you should move to the Vatican, a Christian ruled country.

The Mormon Church has bragged the Book of Mormon is “the most correct book on the face of the earth”. Those words were uttered for the first time by none other than Joseph Smith himself on Sunday, October 28, 1841.

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

I don't think so. However, some mental therapy is needed for many right wingers.

The end of the world will be upon us in 140 days,

The only group interested ushering in the end of the world are the right wing crazy religious fundamentalists, like former presidential candidates Bachmann and Perry and their wild Dominionism cult.

Rant and Rave. Wow!

Nazarite. Excuse me but this is a political site not a church so spare us the sermons.

day one the bible is done

The Mormon Church has bragged the Book of Mormon is “the most correct book on the face of the earth”. Those words were uttered for the first time by none other than Joseph Smith himself on Sunday, October 28, 1841.

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

However, when we look beneath the veneer, we see truth. The Book of Mormon has had 3,913 grammatical changes made to it since its inception. As of this week you can add two more to that total.

job1 and fiesty.

I always say you two try and make the dumbest comments on here. You better watch your backs because dal is trying to take that prize from you.

rusuckingmeoff, you take the prize with your black hate comments

Plagiarized from this site, and God only knows where else. This poster is a fraud.

http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2011/10/06/s-e-cupp-what-does-2012-race-look-like-without-christie-palin/

Founder of Romneys Mormons

Nephi 12:23 And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations. (Joe Smith calls dark skinned people ugly, filthy, lazy, and perverts.)

The poster above refers to LBJ's "GREAT SOCIETY" where he decided that blacks could not compete in an industrialized society/economy so the government should provide their care. This was based on the 21pt IQ spread between blacks and whites. The unintended consequences have been horrible. THe housing projects has destroyed the neighborhoods adjoining them like a cancer. Our government is now head of household replacing the black male's role in the family unit as provider and protector. Having babies becomes a source of increased income which a negative inducement provided by uncle sugar. It must be dismantled. They may burn their neighborhoods when this occurs, but they need to be bulldozed anyway.

Just do not build them back! Blacks must once again assimilate into society. Take jobs that are being done by the illegals. Form family units that include a man not Uncle Sugar. Will it be difficult? Perhaps, but to continue 50 years of stupidity is no solution. Some do have diminished capacity to learn, but perhaps we can get some of the assembly work back that we have forced overseas. THe poor will always be with us, but local churches and charities are better equipped to know who truly needs help than Washington from afar.

Mental therapy!

Off meds much?

Plagiarized from this book, this poster is a fraud.

http://books.google.com/books?id=_l-zV7aQGHoC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=For+over+50+years,+European-+Americans+tried+to+make+amends+for+the+sins+of+past+racial+intolerance+spending+5.5+trillion+dollars+on+the+failed+War+on+Poverty.+This+program+actually+became+the+war+on+the+American+family&source=bl&ots=hQ2hmPyge9&sig=2CDMrltomB7Sr-YbIyFIb7CgMsE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NLDgT8bnHYKC8AGX2sDvCA&ved=0CEwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=For%20over%2050%20years%2C%20European-%20Americans%20tried%20to%20make%20amends%20for%20the%20sins%20of%20past%20racial%20intolerance%20spending%205.5%20trillion%20dollars%20on%20the%20failed%20War%20on%20Poverty.%20This%20program%20actually%20became%20the%20war%20on%20the%20American%20family&f=false

Founder of Romneys Mormons

Nephi 12:23 And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations. (Joe Smith calls dark skinned people ugly, filthy, lazy, and perverts.)

It is true that the Great Society created a lot of problems. When you remove personal responibilty, you take away a persons moral obugations to themselves, and society. The problem is most minortys leave school early, and are not motivated to stay, since many can earn more money quickly dealing drugs for example. Some schools just pass them on, some hold them back, in either case the person fails to learn, and then to join gangs for acceptance. The problem will continue until we change the system. Throwing more and more money has done nothing but made it worse. Basic skills Reading, writing, Math, does not take hardly any money to teach, but they are the foundation for all learning. We need to forget Esteem building and get back to basics. With proper learning Esteem will come natually.

Dal The term "dark" referances the evil nature, not ethnic. but the message is true.

Hot daddy you're really scared of President Obama aren't you. Get used to it, you'll have four more years of him. Thank God (that ought to win me some points with the radical right).

Not scared of Obama. I fear no man only God. The country will and has suffered for this mistake. Perhaps we will learn from it also to NEVER trust the democrats. I learned that a long time ago.

Not scared of Obama. I fear no man only God.

Those that fear God are the ones with reason to be afraid.

they would be Christians. those of you that don't believe is your biz and those that do is not your biz also. but as always the non believers really like to be bigots on that issue, you are no different than the rest of the bigots on the vine. those that profess to be all knowing are usually the least knowing but the mind does strange things to the self immersed that inwardly consider themselves to be inferior. By running down other people it allows the mind to fool itself for a short time but the insecurity creeps back in rapidly and then becomes a grinding phyphsocis for the insecure. this an unusual collection of individuals with similiar defects of this commentary site, quite unusual to that many people with the same mindset problems.

they would be Christians. those of you that don't believe is your biz and those that do is not your biz also.

That's right I was raised Catholic, clearly not a Christian.

What I got out of the Bible is that God doesn't want you quaking in fear over Him. All the stories of the Bible were meant to do is make you into the best moral person you can be. If you live your life to the best of your ability, there is no reason to be afraid of God.

Therefore I stand by what I said: those afraid of meeting with God are the ones whose souls aren't prepared.

hot poopy posts the same unfounded nonsense

So, "dal" .... are you a HYPOCRITE in your remarks at #14.6 ? I mean, seriously, you post your Mormon Church claptrap at #6.10 and then, thinking it is sooooo wonderful, you repeat it at #12.2 and then repeat it again at #13.5. LOL !!

It looks like the "hot poopy" posts are coming from you !

jim grow up. You are so childish

Atticus,

Joe from albany already posted this reference post of a blogger.

I agree that it is a slow news day even for bloggers.

Oops, Thanks Northstar!

Actually you posted 3 minutes before Joe did.

Excellent post and clarification. Crickets from the left.

You want a comment about a blog?

Just like the cut, sliced and diced reporting on ACORN which led to a worthwhile group to be defunded.

"Crickets from the left"

This "cricket" already chirped about this up at post #1.49 above. About 20 minutes before your post. And it was already more attention than this non-story merited.

But just for the record, Wawas are neither restaurants, nor sandwich shops, nor gas stations, as they were originally reported to be on Saturday. Wawa began as a dairy, with real cows and everything, opened their first convenience store three blocks from my house in 1964, sell sandwiches and milk and groceries and cigarettes and probably more coffee around here than Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks combined, and their newer stores now mostly have gas pumps as well.

And I don't care which way you edit or don't edit his comments, Romney was still talking about their touch screens (which have been around since 1999) when he said "amazing".

Now, are there any actual issues to talk about today?

Hey Mormons believe they can raise the dead....MORE VOTES!!!!

Man you Libs are getting desperate.

Nervous and deperate.

Just between us friends, you are a liberal lying progressive.

Nashville Fan=if you live in TN, your vote will be wasted/ you might as well stay home as TN is Romney all the way-we are so sick of Obama's lack of leadership.

Idiots don't succeed in everything they do:

1. Successfully ran Bain and saves hundreds of companies from going out of business while making money for investors which include pension funds and charities.

2. Successfully governed the liberal State of Massachusetts by balancing $3 billion deficit and reducing unemployment from 5.6% to 4.7% while INCREASING the state's labor force.

3. Successfully turned around the 2002 SLC Olympics by using all resources (yes, using federal funds) including managing 26,000 volunteers. BTW, Romney's model is now followed by all subsequent Olympics for its efficiency.

So... NOT an idiot.

;o)

So... NOT an idiot.

Indeed.

A "dumb f*ck" is a more accurate description of someone who advocates supply-side economics and thinks the Ryan plan is anything but a pile of hypocritical bullsh*t.

Question:

How does Mitt "The Idiot" Romney plan to give Russia "the message" that America means "bizness"?

Inquiring minds wanna know.

Let me think about that for three days. I'll get back to you. haha.

If President Obama takes time for a decision the liberals call it pensive, thoughtful or evolving. But Romney gets called an Idiot. Makes sense.

If President Obama takes time for a decision the liberals call it pensive, thoughtful or evolving. But Romney gets called an Idiot. Makes sense.

No, Romney gets called an idiot for supporting economics that even a ninth grader can tell you do not work.

nash fan - Romney will show Russia that america means business by defeating yur sugar daddy by a landslide.

Ruken,

I doubt that many 9th graders, especially in American Public Schools, truly can make a case for whether or not Romney's economics will work. Other that making that baseless statement, can you give a reason that these policies won't work? Are you at least as smart as a 9th grader?

I doubt that many 9th graders, especially in American Public Schools, truly can make a case for whether or not Romney's economics will work. Other that making that baseless statement, can you give a reason that these policies won't work? Are you at least as smart as a 9th grader?

Because the 1% i.e. "job creators" are not job creators. They are not the main driving force behind consumption in our GDP. The main force driving consumption in our economy is the middle class. Since the middle class has been declining, consumption has fallen, therefore demand has fallen. This result in loss of jobs, therefore people are out of work and have less money to spend, which results in lower consumption (round and round we go). Therefore making a strong middle class should be the top priority for politicians that want a strong economy.

The current GOP mantra of catering to the upper class does nothing to fix the problem of our endangered middle class. They think that by lowering taxes on the super wealthy, that the super wealthy will just create jobs. Wrong. This is because one cannot create jobs when demand is still down and the main force for consumption is hindered.

We need to increase the strength and size of the middle class. This involves giving the means for lower class individuals to more easily join the ranks of the middle class. Now how do we go about doing this? Education. Oh wait, the GOP loves cutting their states' education. So now we have GOP flaws in both taxation and education.

TDLR: Yes, I am that person you copied off in high school.

Ruken - Thanks for the response. The first error is that Romney's policies are aimed at the 1%. No, he is not proposing a tax increase on them (and many more since the $250K line is not limited to the 1%) like Obama, because the money raised would be nothing to compensate for all the additional spending Obama is proposing. There are a lot on non-1% small business owners that would effected by the increase. The corporate tax rates are higher than individual tax rates, so many small businesses are S Corporations, where the profits are taxed as personal income of the owners. Furthermore, the Obama administration is making it riskier to do business in the US. There is uncertainty on energy costs (the war on coal, limits on exploration, etc.), there is uncertainty on employment costs (healthcare, card check), there is uncertainty on availability of capital, and there is a trend toward taking more money from the private sector and moving it to the government. The government has become more active in favoring technologies, which limits the competitiveness of new technologies. I think we have learned that no matter how much battery capacity you build, if you don't have a supply chain or infrastructure to support their production and use, you are wasting money. Hiring more public employees will increase the tax burden on the middle class. Once temporary grants are gone, the maintenance of all these public employees is on the backs of the middle class property taxpayer.

Romney is talking about permanently lowering tax rates, by extending the current tax cuts, and working on a more rational tax system. If the tax cuts aren't extended, the middle class will be hurt the most, as we actually pay taxes and could use the discressionary income. Corporate tax reduction would allow more profit to be retained and taxed in the US. Look at what our policies are doing. The Chairman of GE is on Obama's job team, yet he is in the process of moving a plant from Wisconsin to China. GM, with substantial UAW ownership, is building plants in China and India. Shouldn't a government interested in creating/retaining good jobs address the issues that make GE and GM want to move overseas? Eaton Corporation is changing to an Irish Corporation, and without any changes in the operation, they will save $161,000,000 in taxes alone. Wouldn't the country be better off having Eaton pay taxes here instead of Ireland? What about energy policy? If we increased the development of our energy resources, we would have a safe supply, no matter what happens in the Middle East, and if we become a net exporter, the money brought into the country could finance more social programs, as in Norway.

Is the answer to better education to give teachers and their unions more money? If you look at the dollars paid per student in Chicago vs. the Chicago Suburbs, and look at the realtive success of the students of each, you could get a clear picture that the answer to our primary education problem isn't money. If the only plan is to throw money at education, then we should oppose it. We need to forget about PC in schools and give added challenges to the students who excel, and added effort to those with problems so they won't fall behind. I went to a grade school that had 45 students in a class, and somehow the teachers found time to get us educated, even if some had to be held back. (Of course, copying from you helped).

Education costs have to be sustainable. On a state level, the GOP has looked to prevent the threat of union action from allowing loss of control of the expense. Our government is a steward of our tax money, and must see that it is spent to the benefit of the taxpayer. If it means that pay and benefits should be similar those in the community, then that is what should be offered. Taking anything over that to the voters is not unreasonable. On a local level, we take a good hard look at administrative costs, too. Again, the education problem is not solved by throwing money at it, or adding more federal government direction to it.

I will agree that we need to increase the size, or at least the financial health of the middle class. The way to do that is to create productive private sector jobs so that people can buy houses into our neighborhoods and pay property tax to support schools. Picking people's pockets, and demonizing business are not the way to support the middle class.

I agree nash

I look at it this way Romney could not do any worse then Obama has done for the past three and a half years. His experance as govenor and Bain will help him. Obama's community organizationas skills have done nothing.

As for the middle class they turned into upper and lower classes. Even our lower class have more then one flat screen, most have more then one vehicle, and do not starve. Our current poor would have been called wealthy 40 years ago. It is our perception of what is middle class that has changed. 100K to 250K is middle class? It used to be 50K not that long ago. How many poor people have Iphones, paying hundreds for a phone and over a hundred a month for service? No wonder they don't have money to spend on other things. One other thing, poor people do not creat jobs, you need money to start a company, buildings, payrolls, insurance, taxes, permits, etc, cost money. Then you have to deal with regulations, attorneys, and other things that just make you just want to not even start one. I can see why the smart ones are leaving this county or moving their businesses overseas. It is cheaper, less lawsuits, and too many other things to mention. It would be nice if we could cut the regulations, taxes for them to stay here, but with the current anti-business sentiment I do not see that happening any time soon.

and an eternity before another black president is even considered.

Wow! There's really no words to describe the complete and utter ignorance of some people.

People "remember" and Obama has ruined it for many black politicians nationwide. People usually learn from mistakes, unless you are a liberal:)

Please explain how Obama has ruined it for many black politicians.

People "remember" and Obama has ruined it for many black politicians nationwide. People usually learn from mistakes, unless you are a liberal:)

I believe the quote from Tommy Lee Jones from "Men In Black" is applicable:

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals..."

hot daddy, Shame on you! I excommunicate you from being a conservative. Because, as you know we conservatives don't look at a person's skin color. That's what liberals do. That's WHY we don't believe in affirmative action. Shame on you! Shame!

The black men at our coffee group are staying home this time and have stated that they wished that the lst Black President could have be someone along the lines of a Bill Crosby that they could have been proud of.

Who is Bill Crosby?

You are right about Conservatives, but the general population which does control the outcome does not analysis to the depth that you do. Black President Obama-terrible time. We won't make that mistake again. They keep it simple. You should know that.

See a black man coming down an alley you are walking down; does the hair on your neck stand up? If not, it should do to their incarceration rate. Call it intuition- Call it prejudice- Call it survival instincts. It is life in this country.

Call it RACIEST. Dude, change your moniker and NEVER behave that way again!

Rita Crosby's dad? Nice catch Da Noid. Funny!

HotDaddy - DISGUSTING! Wherever and whoever your little group of "we" is, I hope it's in Northern Idaho. You are the type of person I have taught my children to run from. Seriously, how do you look at yourself every day in the morning without gagging on all of the hate rolling around inside of you?

Let us see what the founder of Romney's Mormon church says about color

Joseph Fielding Smith: "That negro race, for instance, have been placed under restrictions because of their attitude in the world of spirits, few will doubt. It cannot be looked upon as just that they should be deprived of the power of the Priesthood without it being a punishment for some act, or acts, performed before they were born." (The Way to Perfection, p. 43).

dal - looks like you're planning to convert.

yeah Roger you with more black hate comments...go figure

That is a great parody!

You need better sources than youtube.

That was not a "source" golf-left. That was a light moment during these dark times in our country's history.

"Here is a youtube video that respresent fairly the 99%ers who are just plain lazy thanks to a liberal welfare and government overly sensative to federal, state and county subsidies to the chronic dependents."

That sure seems like you are using youtube as a source.

Funny. She's cute but her singing, at the beginning, needs work.

Q: What's the difference between Mitt Romney and a statue of Mitt Romney?

A: The statue never changes its position.

-Stephen Colbert

You're repeating yourself.

cute (if mean-sprited jokes -- But the truth is the TV personaities you "quote" never actually said any of them-- not there style or humor. But since you are a right-winger -- the truth never seems to get in your way!

Most past Presidents working with Congress have turned around depressions. The only two that have not were FDR and Obama. The Senate bill creating low cost morgages for home buyers, (that could not afford them) back in 06 was the start of the problem, The unfunded wars where not that expensive compaired to the lost of home values, and jobs. Just like the Dot com bubble, they burst, the problem was people making less then $10 an hour should not be buying homes. When they walked away from them, no property taxes were paid for local schools and other items, the Banks had to recover homes that were often trashed, so money was tied up. Because Freddy and Fanny, covered the loans, they had to pay the banks for their losses, (which means the taxpayers) so that dried up nearly a trillion dollars. Like the great depression of the 30's the cause was years in the making. We are due for another crash because some of the laws just passed (the same ones that occured back in 1928) allowing margin buying of stocks and gold and silver. As long as the price of these goes up fine, but if it falls, many will walk away from their oblugations.

We are counting on enough normal people to offset the Brown/crazy coalition that Obama is assembling=Homosexuals, illegals, militant feminist, government union "workers", welfare queens, occupiers, weedheads, white apologists, tenure college humanity profs, etc.

Hot Daddy ... so what is your definiton of "normal" People like YOU???????????????????? GAG!

Duh, like a family unit-husband, wife, and maybe children?

That doesn't include any of these .... correct?

Homosexuals, illegals, militant feminist, government union "workers", welfare queens, occupiers, weedheads, white apologists, tenure college humanity profs, etc

Republicans will use the same get out the vote tactics that Democrats have used for decades. It worked in Wisconsin. It will work again. I like it when they say Romney is a Wall Streeter, when Obama collected more money from Wall Street then Romney ever will.

On the other hand, Romney was a guest speaker at Liberty for graduation and he wasn't received very well. If people in that area can get tripped up enough over Romney's "Mormon issue" then who knows? Obama might just have a shot in the county.

No way Hossa

just look between your legs

He did...all he sees when he looks down is your smiling face with your lips wrapped around his....well, you get the picture now, don't you?