newday:

Only we political junkies are actually paying a great deal of attention to the race right now, the election won't actually begin for most of the electorate until after the Repulican convention. It wil be at this point that America gets to know Mitt Romney better. Whether they decide they like him remains to be seen.

As for him "keeping his shoes out of his mouth", I agree 100%. All he needs to do is compliment the host countries every chance he gets and talk about what strong allies we are. On all other topics he should just keep his mouth shut.

I respectfully disagree, Fool's Gold. People are going to pay attention to this, because it is the Olympics and is receiving an awful lot of press.

Moreover, our Allies are paying attention. They must wonder what has happened to our good sense.

The larger issue is this: we need two healthy political parties putting forth ideas, whether I agree with them or not. We have to ask in all seriousness...is this the BEST that the Republicans have? Really?

But, I appreciate your comment. So unusual to get feedback in a respectful way on this site.

It might make a difference if the British were allowed to vote in our elections, but they are not. With the possible exception of partisan Democrats and liberals, this is a non-issue. Remember, what Romney said may have been ill-advised, but it was the truth. It doesn't help his foreign policy creds though, which means he will have to do better in Poland and Isreal or make my day by putting Condi Rice on his ticket.

Except, Fool's Gold, the British are turning him into a joke. It will become fodder for late night comedians here. If he becomes a national joke, and I think he runs the risk of that happening, people won't vote for him, no matter HOW divided this country is.

I'm not sure I can deal with the idea of disagreement being handled respectfully here, do you think we might model new behavior for people?

...If he becomes a national joke, and I think he runs the risk of that happening...

We'll see.

Romney has a following on Twitter, it seems: #romneyshambles

Kinda says it all, huh.

We've yet to see how he'll place his foot in his mouth when he visits Israel. Seems Romney and Netanyahu might have some reminiscing to do, after all, Romney is his BFF:

Romney:

"We can almost speak in shorthand. We share common experiences and have a perspective and underpinning which is similar."

"Israel's current Prime Minister is not just a friend, he's an old friend".

Wow...pretty close friends, huh.

Netanyahu:

"I remember him for sure, but I don't think we had any particular connections, I knew him and he knew me, I suppose."

Yeah, I suppose...

Thanks for the discussion, Fool's Gold.

Good morning Dawn, I love the picture of your little dog. A Papillon right? Very cute.

Welllllll, I think the fool may have a point, but it will be pointless in the second half of the game as we shall see. With the naming of the VP choice and the two conventions Joe and Joleen Sixpack will wake up and notice that there is a Presidential Race underway and at this point it's fairly close.

That's the good news and the bad news. Everything that has gone before and been discussed and dissected adnausium (sp?) by the PJ's (Political Junkies) will be all new to them. They'll suddenly go "Bain Capital"? and that argument will have a second set of legs. Likewise, the slow economy will suddenly become an issue and have it's intended negative effect on the President. Only we, the PJ's, will understand that the slow economy is largely the result of Bush 43's mismanagement and the inability of Congress to work and play well with others.

So, it will almost be a new game.

The hit that "Mitt the Twit" (Geez, ya gotta love the brits) is taking now may have a greater impact than it deserves because Joe and Joleen ARE paying attention to the Olympics and from our standpoint that's good.

So, enjoy the halftime show. It ain't over till it's over, but I think we've got the best team in the league and the chances are looking better for a fourth quarter field goal and a big win.

Just keep chanting "TAX RETURNS..TAX RETURNS...TAX RETURNS..TAX RETURNS.." even if there are no smoking guns the perception that Romney is hiding something from the American people will be just as fatal.

Have a great weekend everybody, and I do mean everybody!

Obama/Biden 2012

Yes, skip, that is Jolie. I like the photo, looks like she is doing a perfect "watch me" with my name.

Hope your family is doing well.

The hits just keep on rolling;

The Telegraph: "Mitt Romney is perhaps the only politician who could start a trip that was supposed to be a charm offensive by being utterly devoid of charm and mildly offensive." ...

It's half time in America - Clint Eastwood in a SuperBowl Commercial earlier this year.

Yeah, U R right.

The Obama Presidency's half time.

NDD, Skip, Feisty, FoolsGold--it's the accumulation of "all of the above" that will have a fatal impact on Mitt Romney. I believe his multiple gaffes in London will resonate in the US--his ineptness overseas will remind voters of George W. Bush.

Fool's Gold, agree. Speaking the truth isn't the best political move when overseas. Sure the stories about preparedness were disconcerting. But as long as he doesn't have a "Polish Death Camp" moment, his minor gaffe is history by VP announcement.

his ineptness overseas will remind voters of George W. Bush.

You said it Jody!

With the way things are going so far, any guesses how long before they start flinging shoes at this nincompoop?

Here's what the Slovakian Foreign Minister thinks of Willard;

From ThinkProgress;

But it turns out that the Eastern European allies themselves don’t feel so spurned by President Obama’s decision, and some even support the new plan put in place. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal in Washington on Thursday, Slovakian foreign minister Miroslav Lajcak, who is also a deputy prime minister, said changing missile defense plans was a non-issue for his government:

People have moved on. We are in a different situation now. We are discussing a different project. I see no reason to revisit discussions from three years back.

In fact, this has been a non-issue for quite sometime. The Polish foreign minister said at the time of the new missile defense configuration announcement: “When President Obama announced the new configuration of the system, we did say that we liked the new configuration better, but I think you didn’t believe us.”

Lajcak went on to give the Journal an explicit endorsement of the Obama missile defense plan, lauding its NATO auspices rather than the abandoned Bush administration’s bi-lateral approach with host countries. While Romney said in his speech that Obama was bowing to Russia — whom he considers the U.S.’s “number one geopolitical foe” — Lajcak, in the Journal’s words, said “the U.S. and its European allies must continue to try and explain the defense plan to Russia, which remains skeptical.”

To Say:

To say that Mitt Romney is the master of flip-flopping is an understatement and really old news.

To say that Mitt Romney is so wealthy he can buy elevators for his cars is a fact.

To say that Mitt Romney is so disingenuous you can't believe a word he says is accurate.

To say that Mitt Romney destroys his political opponents with carpet-bombing negative ads is a true statement.

To say that Mitt Romney is disliked by his political opponents is legitimate because they have genuine reason to dislike him.

To say that Mitt Romney remained the CEO, sole shareholder, and President of Bain until 2002 is what the documents report.

To say that Mitt Romney is withholding his tax returns because he knows there is information there that is damaging is probably true.

To say that Mitt Romney can keep a secret regarding his taxes, but blurts-out to the world that he met with MI-6 chief Sir John Sawers is inexcusable (on both counts).

To say that Mitt Romney calls the UK Opposition Chief Millibrand "Mr. Leader" is pitiful and demonstrates no diplomatic skills.

To say that Mitt Romney is viewed more unfavorable than favorable is reflected in polling data.

To say that Mitt Romney has no soul could be true, but only God knows for sure.

And to say that Mitt Romney will win in November is wishful thinking.

I really enjoy laughing at lefty liberal’s whining and complaining about businesses that “send jobs overseas” or “outsourcing”. They claim to be “progressives”, yet they despise “progress”. And the funniest part is that they have no one else to blame except their beloved federal govt. Barry was right when he said the federal govt (not Al Gore LOL!!!) created the internet, which is a major factor in the ability of the global economy to function successfully. Even worse for the lefty liberals, the internet was created by the evil military-industrial complex (cue David Walker’s head to explode). The genesis of the internet was DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which pioneered the use of computer networks by Dept of Defense contractors (i.e. private industry) to communicate with each other on a real time basis. Capitalism is like water running downhill, it will overcome all barriers lefty liberals try to put in place toimpede it.

Ain't capitalism great!!

Wow...the First Read crew is at it early today!!! I blame it on Olympics fever!!! :-)

(And kudos to Fool's Gold and NewDay for starting the day with a really good and civil back and forth)

Romney - Biden 2012!!!

Wait....huh? Has Grimey gone crazy??

LOL...no. But, I read a really interesting article that detailed multiple scenarios in the electoral college that could result in the political story of the century...a 269-269 tie. And if that happens, the process would be the following. In the House, each state delegation would get a vote for President. Meaning that unless it is a crazy wave for the Dems, Romney would win the Presidency. (Republicans hold a 33-16 edge I believe). However, the Vice Presidency would be determined separately by the Senate. And if the Dems held the Senate, they could elect Biden. Thus, giving us a Romney - Biden administration. Far-fetched? Of course...but interesting to think about.

Have a great Friday and a great weekend everyone!!

USA!! USA!! USA!!

(Special shout out to Phine...have a GREAT weekend at home!!)

Romney's Apology Tour

Good morning' TGIF

I can't wait to see what that fool Mitt R-money will do stupidly today on his foreign trip . He has no bona fides. I find it hilarious that the right wing accused our President of being on an apology tour. Well, as it turns out this is defiantly Willard "Myth" Romney's" Apology Tour". LOL ☺ ☺ ☺!!!

Mitten's should be about 12 inches tall by now and shrinking incredibility more and more. Even the MI 16 won't be able to find him soon. ☺

I bet Willard "Myth" Romney's can get the gold for his flips during this joke of a Foreign Policy Tour.

10 Downing Street must think Willard "Myth" Romney's is doing a wonderful job of being a "Bloke" there in London. If I had to advise Mittens I would tell him:

Since you don't even know W-T-H you are most of the time ; just go see your Queene Anne's dressage or go check on your money in your safe haven and S-T-F-U; stop embarrassing US!!! You are nothing more than an outlet for fiascoes; as a possible presidential nominee you're already a laughing stock in the world; just an utter failure .
As Former American sprinter and gold medal winner Carl Lewis has waded into the row said... "stay home if you don't know what to say."

4 more years for 44
Obama/ Biden 2012

Mitt the Twit: Yep that fits.

Thanks, Frank, happy weekend to you too!

Scouring England’s newspapers last night and this morning I could not find one that did not bash Romney for his Olympic scale gaffs. I will leave it to Carl Lewis, who spoke to The Independent: "Every Olympics is ready, I don't care whatever he [Romney] said. I swear, sometimes I think some Americans shouldn't leave the country. Are you kidding me, stay home if you don't know what to say."

Well Carl, wait till he sets foot on the continent with snippets of dinner conversation as to how Americans must choose between "a European-style welfare state" or "a free land." Of course dissing the other members of NATO will be just fine seeing as they have not loaned us any of their busts.

Stay tuned for the Poland stopover and watch as he baptizes Birkenau-Auschwitz, then off to Israel to start Desert Storm part III.

That's pretty ironic newday since your boy obama has done all he can do lock and seal files away like crazy since he got in office.

If you @!$%#ing libs could at least admit fault in your politicians, then maybe some of us would take you a bit more serious. Instead, all you can do is blame it all on the right while you adjust the halos of the left.

Hypocrites.

October 2008 Charlie Rose and Tom Brokaw on PBS:

ROSE: I don't know what Barack Obama's worldview is.

BROKAW: No, I don't, either.

ROSE: I don't know how he really sees where China is.

BROKAW: We don't know a lot about Barack Obama and the universe of his thinking about foreign policy.

ROSE: I don't really know. And do we know anything about the people who are advising him?

BROKAW: Yeah, it's an interesting question.

ROSE: He is principally known through his autobiography and through very aspirational (sic) speeches.

BROKAW: Two of them! I don't know what books he's read.

ROSE: What do we know about the heroes of Barack Obama?

BROKAW: There's a lot about him we don't know

One of the Romney advisers claims that President Obama does not fully appreciate Anglo-Saxon heritage because he is not part of it. Hmmmm, I wonder what he was trying to imply.

Of course Romney's camp is denying the whole thing.

AlexM: provide a reputable source that your President has "locked files away."

As you may or may not know, the latest Quinnipiac poll has the Presidential race in the crucial state of Virginia in a dead heat at 44-44. Because of this, recently both sides have been ramping up their campaigns there which brought this little nugget to my attention:

Pets, deceased receive forms to vote in Va., fueling complaints

Voter-registration forms being mailed to Virginia residents are addressed to dead relatives, children, family members in other states, non-U.S. citizens, people with similar names, existing registered voters and residents' cats and dogs.

The errant forms are among tens of thousands being distributed in Virginia by a national voter-registration group that pre-populates the documents with key information, including names and addresses of prospective voters.


The mailings have become a source of confusion among many who receive them and are creating headaches for local registrar offices, which must spend time in a busy presidential election year investigating which of the forms are legitimate.

The mailings also can create opportunities for voter fraud, election officials say.

Virginia election officials have contacted the nonprofit group, the Washington-based Voter Participation Center, to express their concern and ask it to adjust its methods.

The Virginia Board of Elections has received more than 100 complaints so far from residents and state registrars about the third-party voter-registration forms. The Voter Participation Center mass-mails the forms, targeting Democrat-leaning voting blocks such as young adults, unmarried women, African-Americans and Latinos. The center calls these voting groups the "Rising American Electorate."

There is a lot more to this article which was originally printed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Sorry, I can't provide a link.

If I'm not mistaken, pre-populating the registration forms with information is illegal in most states although I'm not sure if this is true in Virginia. What makes this story suspicious is that that one of the senior staff members of The Voter Participation Center is Taylor Williams who previously worked forObama for America in the campaign's media planning department.

Recently, the Romney Campaign filed a complaint with the Virginia state attorney general. This prompted The Voter Participation Center to create an ad making fun of this complaint, pointing out that cats can't exactly walk into a polling center and vote. I think the concern here would be that in such a tight race some unscrupulous individuals would be able to use fruadulent registrations to vote absentee by mail.

Apologies for this semi-coherent post, but this morning I've got to fly and don't have the time to edit.

Have a good weekend.

Romney wanted to show off his diplomatic skills with the British, the Brits said Mitt Romney is a goofy dude !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

White Collar Auto

BROKAW: Two of them! I don't know what books he's read.

ROSE: What do we know about the heroes of Barack Obama?

so you are upset that you don't know what books Obama's read or who his heroes are? But you don't question 3 years of Romney's unknown role as Bain's CEO, whether he ever paid ZERO taxes, where his money is invested, and why he has a policy of a systematic elimination of hard drives that belong to the taxpayers?

You want to know what grades Obama got in school but you don't question the fact that Romney signed documents as the CEO and president of a company but today he claims he wasn't there?

Mitt totally cracks me up. But, being a pompous azzhole is what the Republican party is into so he will do well among his base quite likely... Still funny to watch though.

boy you people.

your hanging your hope and change on tax returns and bain capitol (a private equity firm that most people cannot spell) MORONS

YET ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE ULTRA LIBERAL MSNBC is .. yes the economy still sucks.. worst growth rate since WWII.. Then we have the up coming debt debate where President Obama is going to ask for permission to borrow a few billion more from China..

And you have tax returns.

one day, probably the first Wednesday in November, you people are going to realize that 2008 was a fluke and Limbaugh was right. It was Hillary that was running the campaign - issues and personal interest - and Obama was running on celebrity status , a nonsensical I am famous for being famous ideology (hope and change).

But reality is cruel and people again will vote their personel self interest. You can scream "TAX RETURNS" until the cows come home.

but at the end of the day your liberal voice put it best

:people will take the flo test then decide how to vote. Flo is the lady who works at Denny's 8-8. Shes working 12 hour days and still not making it, her friends aren't making it. She'd like to get her old job back but that company is gone. Come voting day all the political ad's in the world resonate because she only knows what's been happening just isn't working and something has to give. Then she will cast her vote:

Go tell Flo that Obama has actually been doing a GOOD JOB - and that the next 4 years wont be anything like the last 4 years. I am sure she's never heard a man tell her "i'm sorry baby that'll never happen again, It'll get better i promise.

joshua

newdayDAWNING...RETURNED

AlexM: provide a reputable source that your President has "locked files away."

Will he come up with Trump's "fake birth certificate" claim?

The Brits think Romney is a good old American Joke !!!!!!!!!!

Aaahhh, the Friday morning circle jerk of liberals is in full session. The Democratic strategy to destroy Romney, at all costs, is displayed in all its "un-glory".

Meanwhile, the 2nd guarter GDP report is out and it CONFIRMS .... the economy is not doing well under Obama's "leadership" ! The numbers just seem to get worse as time goes on, but MSDNC will totally ignore the reality of their significance, choosing instead to be a propaganda machine for Obama.

When will these numbers be discussed ? If MSDNC has their way, they will be swept under the rug because they demonstrate Obama's failure to improve the economy.

Hurry up November !

AlexM-2364525

That's pretty ironic newday since your boy obama has done all he can do lock and seal files away like crazy since he got in office.

If you @!$%#ing libs could at least admit fault in your politicians,

Hypocrites.

Hypocrites???

Look in the mirror; AlexM.

It's you and the people on your side violating the Constitution in numerous ways.

4morefor44

Obama/Biden 2012

The arguments on here are just a waste of time. I don't know what the readership of Newsvine is (or even the knowledge that it exists) but based on the viewership ratings of MSNBC, it can't be much. The conversations are degenerating to a point where it is sickening to one's stomach to see the name calling, impugning integrity of others, etc. The moderators have let a rancid low life gutter snipe like Seeking Sanity break all the Code of Conduct rules with her disgusting and cowardly attacks. The moderators are cowards as well.

Seeking Sanity is a troll of the worst kind, and unless the so-called right wing posters on here are just some made up entities to feed the likes of disgusting posters and human beings like Feisty, NewDay, Beverly, Ron, IR, Gingerbread, Auntie Facist, Jody, etc. they should be protesting to the high heavens to have her banned and vile attacks deleted. If you are protesting -- Fools, Joe, BrianB, NOJO, Spanky, WAC, etc. -- then the moderators are truly cowards.

Have we become a Jerry Springer society??? Is that what your vision for this country is?? My time is not worth this. There is not one left leaning poster on here that has the guts to come from behind the computer screen and face me or anyone else face-to face.

So, spend your time on here since it looks like some are doing it 24/7. That's good because your message is only going to choir. There is a little over 100 days left to save this country from the current tyrant and we are going to volunteer to man the phone banks to tell people just how much of a miserable piece of sh1t Barack Hussein Obama is and this country can not afford four more years of this socialist pig. I'll reach a helluva lot more people than you who sit around in this circle jerk.

The bottom line is I know the American people and they will vote not in the polls but with their hearts on the issues that are directly facing the country now -- deficit, taxes, economy, business, capitalism, borders, language, culture, spending. They will not vote on things that happen overseas, that happened 40 years ago, that happened 20 years ago, that happened 10 years ago. Barack Hussein Obama has been a liar and a deceiver and his socialist vision (with communist ties) are starting to show and it is making those who were on the fence but supported him the last time sick. The error of 2008 will be corrected this November.

RevengeofPodus

your hanging your hope and change on tax returns and bain capitol (a private equity firm that most people cannot spell) MORONS

YET ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE ULTRA LIBERAL MSNBC is .. yes the economy still sucks.. worst growth rate since WWII..

RevengeofPodus

Mitt and the Republicans suck BIG time. Check out the polls for the Congress & Mitt. Mitt is losing to President Obama in most swing states.

After the Olymics the people will paying more attention to Mitt. He will lose the election. I'm guessing the nomination too because the Republicans really don't like him and there is a great possibility Mitt is a felon. My guess is Mitt 's just riding the wave until Tampa. Either he will step down and nominate his VP choice or be forced to step down.

What is Mitt going to do take his retroactive position @ Bain?

4more for 44

Obama/Biden 2012

Bayliie, just pointing out the hypocrisy of the First Read Story.

You do get it, don't you?

Who did Tom Brokaw work for again?

FoolsGold, happy to oblige.

www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/jul/25/tdmain01-romney-camp-asks-va-to-probe-voter-forms-ar-2081517/

Good Morning to all.

I'm going to pick of my favorite person who writes about Romney,

He managed to dodge the draft in Viet Nam by peddling around France on his magical bicycle handing out Mormon Bibles.

And what did President Obama served in. Oh yes! Organizer in chief.

This chatter on the Olympics, and not talking about the Economy slowing (see MSNbc FR) is nothing more than garbage and distraction.

How many gafs does the President make? Are you folks Blided by the light that flows out of his hallo?

Fool's Gold

...If he becomes a national joke, and I think he runs the risk of that happening...

We'll see.

Fool's Gold,

Not only is he a national joke Willard is also an international. Did you hear what Charles Krathammer said?

Charles Krauthammer Runs Out Of Adjectives Slamming Romney's 'Olympics' Gaffe

He said Romney's comments were, "unbelievable, it's beyond human understanding, it's incomprehensible - I'm out of adjectives."

According to Krauthammer, Obama has done so many things to damage the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. that all Romney had to do was show up and "say nothing," that his very presence would be a rebuke to Obama. Krauthammer added, "It’s like a guy in the 100-meter dash. All he has to do is to finish, he doen’t have to win. And instead, he tackles the guy in the lane next to him and ends up disqualified.”

http://www.newshounds.us/charles_krauthammer_runs_out_of_adjectives_slamming_romney_s_olympics_gaffe_07262012

===============================

Now you know FOX NOISE spins Willard's bona fides; but even neo con Krathammer sees Willard's flaws.

4more for 44

Obama/Biden

Jody:

I believe his multiple gaffes in London will resonate in the US--his ineptness overseas will remind voters of George W. Bush.

He may be even more inept. Bush managed to turn Tony Blair, the liberal P.M. of Britain into his "poodle" in the view of British folks after he convinced Blair to join his dive into the Iraq quagmire. Romney goes over there and on his very first day he manages to anger the current conservative P.M., David Cameron.

Everyone needs to lay off Mitt Romney! You people need to understand he is the best candidate the republican party can come up with!

OMG that was fun! LMAO "You People"

I couldn't help myself!

Ben lotsanumbers wrote:

"The arguments on here are just a waste of time."

Isn't it wonderful that you never have to come back and read this awful stuff? Bye.

White Collar Auto:

This is 2012. Who freaking cares what Tom Brokaw and Charlie Rose DIDN'T know four years ago. Today, they sure as hell knows that President Obama wasted Osama bin Laden and has virtually decimated al Qaeda.

They know he has drawn down the troops in Iraq, as promised. Doesn't really matter who made the promise, does it? He did it.

They know that his commitment of air power in Libya hastened the departure of Khaddafi.

They know that he is aware of protocols in foreign countries that are mysteries to you and your fellow ideologues.

He ACTUALLY does know Netanyahu.

Oh, and that apology tour you snivelers drool about? It never happened, but based on Romney's oral diarrhea issues, you ain't seen any kind of apology tour that's going to compare to Mitt's, although it's not likely to be in the role of President.

2008? Really? Now that you seem to have your memory back, why not go back a little further and tell us about the invasion of Iraq, the WMD's, the yellowcake, and al Qaeda. Now, there was a foreign policy success.

Concern Citizen-856329

How many gafs does the President make? Are you folks Bli(n)ded by the light that flows out of his hallo?

And you folks are willing to blithely walk in the darkness that surrounds Romney. Buy some batteries for that flash-light of yours.

bayllie

White Collar Auto

so you are upset that you don't know what books Obama's read or who his heroes are? But you don't question 3 years of Romney's unknown role as Bain's CEO, whether he ever paid ZERO taxes, where his money is invested, and why he has a policy of a systematic elimination of hard drives that belong to the taxpayers?

You want to know what grades Obama got in school but you don't question the fact that Romney signed documents as the CEO and president of a company but today he claims he wasn't there?

bayllie, great points

One would think by now Stiff collar & his ilk would have have the ability to weigh the costs v the benefits.

It's just pathetic how the right spins Willard "Myth"Romeny's lack of transparency and then turn around to accuse our President of something as inconsequential as school records and a birth certificate

What a bunch of silly nonsense. The libs are going to town because Romney was asked for his "expert" opinion how the London games were progressing and he gave an honest critique.

Gee I wonder how many voters will change their mind over his statement?

All this while the Obama economy continues to implode.

--Unemployment over 8% for the longest period in over 50 years

--Increase the debt in less than 4 years more than all 41 prior Presidents combined.

And take a look below at what Obama's progressive policies have done to increase poverty in our country.

The answer is clear four more years of Obama would be the ruination of this country.

List compiled by Michael Snyder....

The following are 40 facts about poverty in America that will blow your mind….
#1 In the United States today, somewhere around 100 million Americans are considered to be either "poor" or "near poor".
#2 It is being projected that when the final numbers come out later this year that the U.S. poverty rate will be the highest that it has been in almost 50 years.
#3 Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be either "low income" or impoverished.
#4 Today, one out of every four workers in the United States brings home wages that are at or below the poverty level.
#5 According to the Wall Street Journal, 49.1 percent of all Americans live in a home where at least one person receives financial benefits from the government. Back in 1983, that number was below 30 percent.
#6 It is projected that about half of all American adults will spend at least some time living below the poverty line before they turn 65.
#7 Today, there are approximately 20.2 million Americans that spend more than half of their incomes on housing. That represents a 46 percent increase from 2001.
#8 During 2010, 2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty. That was the largest increase that we have seen since the U.S. government began keeping statistics on this back in 1959.
#9 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of "very poor" rose in 300 out of the 360 largest metropolitan areas during 2010.
#10 Since Barack Obama became president, the number of Americans living in poverty has risen by 6 million and the number of Americans on food stamps has risen by 14 million.
#11 Right now, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four American children is on food stamps.
#12 It is projected that half of all American children will be on food stamps at least once before they turn 18 years of age.
#13 The poverty rate for children living in the United States is 22 percent, although when the new numbers are released in the fall that number is expected to go even higher.
#14 One university study estimates that child poverty costs the U.S. economy 500 billion dollars a year.
#15 Households that are led by a single mother have a 31.6% poverty rate.
#16 In 2010, 42 percent of all single mothers in the United States were on food stamps.
#17 According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 36.4 percent of all children that live in Philadelphia are living in poverty, 40.1 percent of all children that live in Atlanta are living in poverty, 52.6 percent of all children that live in Cleveland are living in poverty and 53.6 percent of all children that live in Detroit are living in poverty.
#18 Since 2007, the number of children living in poverty in the state of California has increased by 30 percent.
#19 Child homelessness in the United States has risen by 33 percent since 2007.
#20 There are 314 counties in the United States where at least 30% of the children are facing food insecurity.
#21 More than 20 million U.S. children rely on school meal programs to keep from going hungry.
#22 A higher percentage of Americans is living in extreme poverty (6.7 percent) than has ever been measured before.
#23 If you can believe it, 37 percent of all U.S. households that are led by someone under the age of 35 have a net worth of zero or less than zero.
#24 A lot of younger Americans have found that they cannot make it on their own in this economy. Today, approximately25 million American adults are living with their parents.
#25 Today, one out of every six elderly Americans lives below the federal poverty line.
#26 Amazingly, the wealthiest 1 percent of all Americans own more wealth than the bottom 95 percent combined.
#27 The six heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton have a net worth that is roughly equal to the bottom 30 percent of all Americans combined.
#28 At this point, the poorest 50% of all Americans now control just 2.5% of all of the wealth in this country.
#29 Back in 1980, less than 30% of all jobs in the United States were low income jobs. Today, more than 40% of all jobs in the United States are low income jobs.
#30 Right now, the United States actually has a higher percentage of workers doing low wage work than any other major industrialized nation does.
#31 Half of all American workers earn $505 or less per week.
#32 In 1970, 65 percent of all Americans lived in "middle class neighborhoods". By 2007, only 44 percent of all Americans lived in "middle class neighborhoods".
#33 Federal housing assistance outlays increased by a whopping 42 percent between 2006 and 2010.
#34 Approximately 50 million Americans do not have any health insurance at all right now.
#35 Back in 1965, only one out of every 50 Americans was on Medicaid. Today, approximately one out of every 6Americans is on Medicaid.
#36 It is being projected that Obamacare will add 16 million more Americans to the Medicaid rolls.
#37 Back in 1990, the federal government accounted for 32 percent of all health care spending in America. Today, that figure is up to 45 percent and it is projected to surpass 50 percent very shortly.
#38 Overall, the amount of money that the federal government gives directly to the American people has risen by 32 percent since Barack Obama entered the White House.
#39 It was recently reported that 1.5 million American families live on less than two dollars a day (before counting government benefits).
#40 The unemployment rate in the U.S. has been above 8 percent for 40 months in a row, and 42 percent of all unemployed Americans have been out of work for at least half a year.

jim-1455434

Meanwhile, the 2nd guarter GDP report is out and it CONFIRMS .... the economy is not doing well under Obama's "leadership".

So, Obama is responsible for the global economic slowdown, including recessions in places like England,which has been under CONSERVATIVE government for several years?

Oh, I forgot. You don't answer simple questions, like the one you wormed your way out of answering about whether 100-round ammunition clips that are only useful for committing mass murder should be outlawed.

So, Obama is responsible for the global economic slowdown

That's a new one Houston. Instead of Bush, the Tea Party, Republicans in the house, the weather, the tsunami, 1%er's, our economy now sucks according to Houston because of the whole WORLD!

Got it - thanks

jim #'s -- Perhaps you better read that report in depth. The fact is consumers are hurting. Wages have been stagnant for decades now thanks to right wing policies. What's amazing is that in the past few years theses idiots are doubling down on stupidity with "right to work" laws that are nothing but an effort to keep the masses poor and the business owners rich. Pretty effing stupid, right? If the right continues on this path of destruction and obstruction eventually business will feel the full brunt of the consequences. They will lose a good portion of their customer base due to the fact that consumers no longer have extra money to spend. Thus the vicious cycle continues thanks to the right wingers bent on destructing the middle class. Take your complaints to those who deserve it, ignorant REPUBLICANS.

Perhaps you forget 70% of GDP is based on consumers spending.

bayllie: Will they use Trump? More than likely. Or nothing. I find when I challenge them on source, I don't get a response.

Heaven's to Betsy, Ben! Taking this all a bit too seriously aren't we. Now. Go take a walk, come back and re read that post, and figure out how you contribute to the coarseness of this site.

There's a good boy!

Fool's Gold

Pets, deceased receive forms to vote in Va., fueling complaints

Fool's Gold , I hope you don't think a pet can actually vote? I'm more concerned about voter suppression.

Pennsylvania Senator Turza Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of done".

GOP Senator: "Voter ID is gonna allow Governor Romney to win"

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/14/1109916/-GOP-Senator-Voter-ID-is-gonna-allow-Governor-Romney-to-win

============================================

Doesn't that concern you?

This is 2012. Who freaking cares what Tom Brokaw and Charlie Rose DIDN'T know four years ago. Today, they sure as hell knows that President Obama wasted Osama bin Laden and has virtually decimated al Qaeda.

They know he has drawn down the troops in Iraq, as promised. Doesn't really matter who made the promise, does it? He did it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/world/middleeast/al-qaeda-claims-new-attack-in-iraq.html

Can we expect drone attacks to be extended to Iraq?

They know that his commitment of air power in Libya hastened the departure of Khaddafi.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/w/war_powers_act_of_1973/index.html

On June 24, the House resoundingly defeated a bipartisan resolution that would have authorized the mission for a year, in a sharp rebuke to Mr. Obama, as 70 Democrats deserted him on the vote.

Didn't deter President Obama in a show of executive power that would have made Dick Cheney proud.

They know that he is aware of protocols in foreign countries that are mysteries to you and your fellow ideologues.

Maybe he is but the First Lady wasn't aware

The rules are set in stone, and so the eagerly watching British media sputtered when the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, briefly put her hand on the back of Queen Elizabeth II as the two chatted at a reception. Etiquette is quite stern about this ("Whatever you do, don't touch the Queen!"). In 2000 John Howard, then Prime Minister of Australia, got plenty of criticism for apparently putting his arm around the Queen to direct her through a crowd. He denied actually touching her, but photographs suggest that he came quite close. (Another former Australian Prime Minister did put his hand on the Queen in a similar circumstance and was later branded "the Lizard of Oz.")

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1888962,00.html#ixzz21pmRaCuI

And lets not forget about the President's latest gaffe regarding an ally when he spoke about Polish Death Camps. I know Romney is bad but even he shouldn't be able to top that one.

A year later, the president made himself the target of a searing denunciation by Mr. Tusk after he referred on Tuesday to a “Polish death camp,” instead of a Nazi death camp in Poland, in bestowing a Presidential Medal of Freedom on Jan Karski, a hero of the Polish resistance to the Germans during World War II. Mr. Obama was guilty of “ignorance, lack of knowledge, bad intentions,” Mr. Tusk said.

The White House expressed regret for what it described as a “misstatement.” But Mr. Tusk was not mollified, saying in a statement posted on his Web site that the United States needed to “end this with class.” Poland’s president, Bronislaw Komorowski, sent a more diplomatically worded letter to Mr. Obama asking him to correct the record.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/world/europe/poland-bristles-as-obama-says-polish-death-camps.html

And then there's my favorite Obama put-down...."You're likable enough"

White Collar Auto

Bayliie, just pointing out the hypocrisy of the First Read Story.

You do get it, don't you?

Who did Tom Brokaw work for again?

you are posting Rush Limbaugh’ snippets of an October 30, 2008, interview between PBS's Charlie Rose and NBC's Tom Brokaw. Limbaugh used Bernard Goldberg's edited transcript that falsely suggests that comments Brokaw and Rose made about their lack of familiarity with the candidates applied only to Obama when, in fact, they were referring to both Obama and McCain.

So before you accuse anyone of hypocrisy, please use something other than Limbaugh’s edited version of events!

BTW, the fact that Limbaugh was the only one who was attracted to this "transcript" like flies are attracted to $hit was not a big RED FLAG for you?

Houston, Once again you have a problem, a real problem .... you simply cannot tell the truth ! My last post to you promised an answer to your foolish, contrived question but ONLY after you proved the words you FALSELY ascribed to me ..... but, of course, you could not because it was "lies" to begin with.

Meanwhile, you and the other Obama apologists are floundering like fish out of water trying to alibi Obama's dismal record. You start with the blame game of global economics, while the statistics released this morning are based on GDP here in the U.S.

Challenge #2: Again, show me the words from my statements you accused me of yesterday if you can !

If you cannot, everyone will know what you are.

P.S. The best post of the day is by Ben in #1.36. SeekingSanity has been DIRECTLY reported by me to Tyler via his e-mail address several times for her ongoing, personal attacks. Tyler's response was to suspend me for 1 day because I had used the term "libtard". Usage of "rethuglicans" and "repukes", however, seems to be okay with him.

Perhaps you better read that report in depth. The fact is consumers are hurting. Wages have been stagnant for decades now thanks to right wing policies.

So 3.5 years into a Democratic Administration, 5.5 years into a Democratic Senate, 2 years of a Democratic House, 8 years of the Clinton administration with a Democratic House and Senate for periods of that Administration and its still right wing policies that are to be blame.

Can I ask what is the point of electing Democrats because they seem to be completely ineffectual at reversing "right wing policies".

I did laugh this morning a Mika Brezezinski's comment that Obama has been surprisingly strong on foreign policy (for a Democrat). That's because his foreign policy is indistinguishable from the Bush Administration.

Mitt Romney and likeable don't fit in the same sentence.

Arrogant-yes.

Privileged-yes.

Vacillating-yes.

Unprincipled-yes.

Tactless-yes.

Mendacious-yes.

Cultist-yes.

Bully-yes.

Likeable-hell no!

Bev,

It's just pathetic how the right spins Willard "Myth"Romeny's lack of transparency and then turn around to accuse our President of something as inconsequential as school records and a birth certificate

next they will ant Obama's parent-teacher confrence transcripts, medical records, library card records, and supermarket purcase history.

What I find interesting is that when asked by Williams if he ever paid zero in taxes, Romney ignored the question and instead gave his typical, vague, could mean this-and-that answer that expained nohing. All he had to do is say "NO I NEVER PAID ZERO IN TAXES." thigs that make you go hmmmmmm....

Yup, it's halftime, and according to Rasmussen, the most accurate of all the Presidential polls in the last election cycle,(when Obama won, remember), Mr. Romney is up by five and his lead has been steadilty growing. I guess the American People are no longer being dazzled by smoke and mirrors and are finally beginning to take a long hard look at the flim flam, snake oil saleman behind the curtain.

Baylie you can watch it on YouTube.

BTW I would like you to go back to any and all of my comments and show where I was guilty of any of the things that you claim "I" wanted in your Post 1.29.

Seems you throw the word "you" around rather easily.

What and who is Mitt Romney? Apparently no one knows but Romney, or, if others do know they won't tell. Why would anyone run for the US Presidency shrouded in such secrecy? Most obvious way to know someone is keeping a secret is for that someone to behave secretively when confronted with the obvious. This business of; "I'll reveal that after I'm President" won't cut the mustard with most people. His behavior gives cause and evidence that there is much wrong in His past. He believes, if He reveals it He's done. He believes, if He presents a coverup, it would yet be revealing enough to tell more than an up front admission. What to do? What to do? Clearly, Romney has adopted the "Rovian" campaign approach. Deflect, lie, and speak in explanations of sputterous scatter.They believe the majority of the American electorate doesn't have much sense anyway, and will settle for even less, claiming clear and glorious coherency of His innocence, honest resolve, and philanthropic intent. The real question now becomes; are Rove and Romney indeed right? For the sake of so many who suffer from, and the many who are overcome by, the lack of common necessities, inflicted upon them by an uncaring and foolish republican party, and literally, for the sake and continuation of the Republic, let us resolve to make liars of both these political outliers.

Alan NJ -- It took years and years for the Republicans and their policies to destroy the economy completely. I'm absolutely positive it will take more than 3 and a half years to fix it.

Are you intentionally ignoring that the economy under Bush was entirely based on leverage? Wake up Alan. It takes time to de-leverage. Read, read and read some more Alan.

next they will ant Obama's parent-teacher confrence transcripts, medical records, library card records, and supermarket purcase history.

Maybe there's a trust issue. When someone writes not one but two auto-biographies you think they are relating actual events as they happened. It's disconcerting to find out later that it's not so much an accurate historical record but more a "Hallmark" made for TV story where events and statements have been changed to fit a narrative and characters as described may not exist but are a composites to expedite the story line.

Alan NJ -- It took years and years for the Republicans and their policies to destroy the economy completely. I'm absolutely positive it will take more than 3 and a half years to fix it.

Are you intentionally ignoring that the economy under Bush was entirely based on leverage? Wake up Alan. It takes time to de-leverage. Read, read and read some more Alan.

I do read, and I know that the great economy under Bill Clinton was also aided by a dot com bubble. I know that the Bush economy was built on a Federal Deficit (Keynesian in nature) and by a housing bubble. I know that the current economy is limping along and the Administration is clueless on how to fix it.

I'm an equal opportunity detractor. The idea that this has been caused simply by "right wing policies" is ludicrous. It's like saying only one side was to blame for the housing bubble when I could name you 10 politicians of both parties, including the current President, who had the fingers in the cookie jar and helped keep the plates spinning. How about the Clinton Administration agreeing to NAFTA and to China's admission to the WTO. Think that had anything to do with middle class wages stagnating? In fact I'm still waiting on Obama's re-negotiation of NAFTA, or have we forgotten that?

It's time for the President to put his man pants on and take some responsibility for this economy.

jim-1455434

Houston, Once again you have a problem, a real problem .... you simply cannot tell the truth ! My last post to you promised an answer to your foolish, contrived question but ONLY after you proved the words you FALSELY ascribed to me ..... but, of course, you could not because it was "lies" to begin with.

You're the one who's lying. I didn't ascribe ANY words to you except those I put in blockquotes. What words did I put in quotes and attribute to you that were not your words? That's yet another simple question you'll worm your way out of answering. So your list in now:

1. Do you approve laws that would ban 100-round ammunition clips whose only purpose is to kill large numbers of people quickly?

2. Is Obama responsible for debt crisis in Europe, the economic slowdown in China, or the recession in Britain, a nation under conservative leadership?

3. What are those words I attributed to in block quotes you that you say weren't yours?

Let's hear what Buffet has to say:

Warren Buffett: US Economic Growth Slowing, Europe Slipping 'Pretty Fast'

Posted By: Alex Crippen | Executive Producer

cnbc.com

| 12 Jul 2012 | 07:38 AM ET

Warren Buffett has changed his view on the U.S. economy.

In a live CNBC interview from Sun Valley with Becky Quick of "Squawk Box," Buffett says the general economy's growth has "tempered down" so that it is now "more or less flat."

He does, however, see a "noticeable" pickup for residential housing from a "very low base" that "doesn't amount to a whole lot yet, but it's getting better."

For months, Buffett had been seeing general U.S. economic growth held back by a weak residential housing market.

Buffett also says things are beginning to "slip pretty fast" in Europe, especially over the past six weeks. He's confident "they'll get it worked out" by ten years from now, but right now there's no obvious answer. A big part of the problem: it's not clear who is in charge, if anyone, and Europe doesn't have its own "printing press."

Buffett says he "doesn't know" if the euro will still be a currency ten years from now. He thinks the euro zone can't exist as "originally designed."

Despite the slowdown, Buffett says the U.S. economy is still doing better than "virtually any other big economy" around the world.

He says that "to some extent," he is in a wait and see pattern on where the economy will going.

Asked about the scandal surrounding interest rate manipulation by Barclay's and other banks, Buffett called it a "big deal" and "can of worms" that "shakes your faith in certain institutions."

He believes Barclays CEO Bob Diamond had no choice except to resign.

Buffett did endorse JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, calling him "one of the best bankers in the world" who "understands banking and understands risk."

It seems he thinks despite our woes, we still are doing better than virtually any other economy in the world.

Alan, NJ

Maybe there's a trust issue. When someone writes not one but two auto-biographies you think they are relating actual events as they happened.

It's only disconcerting to those who desperately need a reason to be disconcerted now that the birther nonsense has been debunked. Obama explicitly stated what he was doing at the beginning of his book Dreams from My Father.

What might be more disconcerting, especially to people in Great Britain, our most important ally, is that Mitt Romney trashed their country in his No Apologies book as a "second tier nation" that doesn't produce much that other countries want to buy. Mitt owes THEM an apologies. Of course, they're not likely to get one because jerks never apologize to people they've insulted, as the title of the book implies.

NDD & Fool's Gold,

I agree with Frank, great way to start the day with a nice civil debate. I remember when I first started reading this blog, way more debates less attacks. To bad we cant turn back time.

Well I am off, lots to do, tomorrow is our 6th annual chili cook off.

Have a great weekend!

rockton Barlow

That's a new one Houston. Instead of Bush, the Tea Party, Republicans in the house, the weather, the tsunami, 1%er's, our economy now sucks according to Houston because of the whole WORLD!

That's an old one, Barlow. Blaming Obama for things that are obviously beyond his control. And the U.S. economy is doing much better than European countries with conservative austerity policies. Great Britain under Tory leadership is in recession and the U.S. is not. And Europeans are now socking their money away in the U.S. even though they get effectively negative interest rates because they have a lot more confidence the U.S. economy under Obama than they do in their own. But of course, the Obama haters wont' give him any credit for that, even though most economists credit him for the relative stability of the U.S. economy.

Wow! One day in jolly old Enland and Piss everyone off. Will see a repeat of the love between the 2 countries we had in 1812? Hopefully, he can keep his mouth shut in Poland and Israel. Shrub would have been a little smarter than this.

Ben, where do you get off telling me what I ought to be doing? The hell with you!!!!!!!!

Alan,

In the words of the late Gary Coleman, "What'choo talkin' bout Willis?"

What in the hell ARE you talking about?

To quote another TV icon, the late Jack Webb, "Just the facts ma'am".

The facts just don't support the fiction being spouted by the right. Bush 43 nearly crashed the world's economy by very nearly crashing our own economy. That's a fact. Bush 43, when he finally realized what he had done instituted TARP to pump cash into the economy and try to prevent the crash. It was a good idea but too little too late. That's a fact. President Obama inherited the financial crisis and as a stop-gap he continued Bush 43's TARP and added to it thereby saving the auto industry and countless millions of jobs. That's a fact. Europe was already on the brink of disaster and the damage done by Bush 43's mishandling of the US economy pushed them over the edge which in turn caused our economy to slow down. That's another fact.

When you add in the political games being played in Washington which caused the nation's credit rating to be downgraded and Mitch "I'll do everything in my power to make Obama a one-term President" McConnell's inability to work and play well with others. Yet one more fact. Then you have the current economic stagnation that is keeping the unemployment rate so high and the economy on life support.

None of that is the President's fault. Much of it could have been avoided and the economy in full recovery if the Republicans would stop playing political games in Washington. That is also a fact.

But I fully agree, it's hard for Joe and Joleen Sixpack to understand all that. They want ONE PERSON to blame and the real culprit, Bush 43, is a distant, bad memory.

Now, if you stir in just a pinch of racism, you have our current political situation.

It's a fact, Jack.

The GOP had their chance. Bush 43 had two full terms and through most of that time, thanks to the tragedy of 911, he got a pass from the news media and the support of the American people. That's a fact. Our trust was misplaced. He had a personal agenda and he darn near bankrupted the country pursuing that agenda. Yet another unfortunate fact.

That's why we're not willing to give the GOP one more chance at bat. They struck out. They damned near caused a world-wide depression. President Obama did the UNPOLITICAL THING and stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park. He stopped the economic crash and put us on the road to recovery. But the GOP has been throwing up speed bumps all along the way.

And who suffers. The American people suffer. It's tragic and in my opinion it's treason.

Just the facts ma'am, just the facts.

Obama/Biden 2012

Alan you always give so much flak to the left, but do not give the right their fair share as well. Even though the democrats did at times have signficant control, I would have to contend that the majority of our economic policy was based off of "conservative" principles. Well, besides spending, but ALL politicians spend.

Trickle down economics does not work is the conclusion we have noe come to. Yes it does create wealth but not for enough people to drive a nation's economy.

To imply Keynesian economics has failed is not fair. It has not really been applied. Yes we have tried spending and lowering interest rates to fight recession, but politicians will not do the opposite (decrease spending) during economic expansion.

Thanks thetotas, have a good weekend. Maybe more discussions like that can be had!

Joe in Albany: the federal govt (not Al Gore LOL!!!) created the internet

Yet another in a very long line of conservative/Republican misquotes and word twisting. Al Gore never claimed he created the internet. Look at: http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp

I see Brockton is AGAIN posting his list of problems the country is facing because of the Republican obstructionists. Too bad he's not truthful about any of it.

Mitt Romney went overseas to show his foreign credentials and has become the laughingstock of the world. Eighty thousand people gathered to hear the mayor call him "someone named Mitt Romney" then went on to bash him. All of the world is watching and now thinks about as much of the Republican party as most on this site do.

The reason this is important is that it made headlines in a country which has usually been our strong ally - yet Mitt insults them first words out of his mouth. He looks and acts like the arrogant a** we've all seen over and over again.

My guess is his visit to the Olympics will be far worse but we'll see. He certainly won't be greeted warmly.

This sets the tone for the rest of his trip. Each country has already seen him as a buffoon in London and will not be expecting anything more. He has hurt any chance at credibility he might have had. And, he has made the US look bad by being an absolute idiot.

Again, THIS is the best the GOP has. Pathetic.

Obama/Biden 2012

Kudos Skip Nicholson!!!! Very well said!

Akeem -- It boils down to understanding. Some lack that ability.

White Collar Auto

Baylie you can watch it on YouTube.

I understand I can watch the ENTIRE conversation on the net but the point is that YOU still chose to use parts of a transcript that were strategically clipped to make it look like they were talking about Obama only.

BTW I would like you to go back to any and all of my comments and show where I was guilty of any of the things that you claim "I" wanted in your Post 1.29.

Seems you throw the word "you" around rather easily.

when I cut and paste somethinglike an interview, it is to use it to make a point, prove a fact, etc. Maybe when you post something, the content is supposed to be irrelavant to what you are trying to imply, I don't know. All I can assume from your post is that you were referencing to Brokaw claim's that he didn't know anything about Obama in 2008, and I can only assume that your intent was to discredit left's claim about not knowing anything about Romney.

You can correct me if your intent was to post some random conversation that had no meaning or relevance whatsoever to what you were trying to imply or suggest but then you need to explain what hypocrisy you were trying so hard to prove.

The facts just don't support the fiction being spouted by the right. Bush 43 nearly crashed the world's economy by very nearly crashing our own economy. That's a fact. Bush 43, when he finally realized what he had done instituted TARP to pump cash into the economy and try to prevent the crash. It was a good idea but too little too late. That's a fact. President Obama inherited the financial crisis and as a stop-gap he continued Bush 43's TARP and added to it thereby saving the auto industry and countless millions of jobs. That's a fact. Europe was already on the brink of disaster and the damage done by Bush 43's mishandling of the US economy pushed them over the edge which in turn caused our economy to slow down. That's another fact.

What Bush policy initiated the crash? What regulation did he repeal or not enforce that caused a small unit of AIG, in London, to amass a huge amount of risk that created a systemic failure? What encouragement did he give to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy up huge amounts of sub-prime mortgages? Do the House and Senate Finance committees chaired by Chris Dodds and Barney frank bear any responsibility for their lack of oversight during the run up to the crash? What steps could his Administration taken to stem the flow of cheap money that funded the housing bubble? The fed, which is supposedly independent, is responsible for setting the interest rates on which mortgages are based, what was their responsibility during the sub-prime build up? Should Chairman Bernanke bear any of the responsibility for the cheap money that fueled the over-leveraging of the individual and enterprises? Finally, what responsibility does the individual have when they borrow more than they can possibly repay but decide to gamble on the asset they buy appreciating?

As I said there are so many parties that had their finger in the pie, so many incentives to do the wrong thing, the blame can spread over everybody....and this is not an attempt to vindicate Bush.

None of that is the President's fault. Much of it could have been avoided and the economy in full recovery if the Republicans would stop playing political games in Washington. That is also a fact.

If that is the truth then why does the President also blame the Tsunami, or the Europeans or maybe Chins slowing down. This is where I lose it with the President's supporters. basically their position is, he is responsible for all the good things that have happened but not the bad, that's still Bush's fault. This President appointed Tim Geinther. he had a hand in the financial crisis, the Libor scandal and the lack of conditions for TARP money....he foamed the runway for the banks. That is the President''s responsibility.

Alan you always give so much flak to the left, but do not give the right their fair share as well. Even though the democrats did at times have signficant control, I would have to contend that the majority of our economic policy was based off of "conservative" principles. Well, besides spending, but ALL politicians spend.

Trickle down economics does not work is the conclusion we have noe come to. Yes it does create wealth but not for enough people to drive a nation's economy.

To imply Keynesian economics has failed is not fair. It has not really been applied. Yes we have tried spending and lowering interest rates to fight recession, but politicians will not do the opposite (decrease spending) during economic expansion.

I give more flak to the left because most posters on this board only post one side of the story.

Trickle down may not work but no one has convinced me that the opposite is true either. It is a judgement as to what the "right" rate and type of tax should be. All I want to see is an attempt to pay for what we spend.

Trickle down has been discredited but so has Keynesian theory. By any measure Bush ran 8 years of deficit spending. It may have been tax cuts and guns not butter (although we did have Medicare-D), but it was Keynesian. This Administration has put Keynes of steroids. 8% - 10% of GDP deficit spending every year so far. The Fed has added over $3T to the money supply. How much more do want to see, how much more can we take, before the economy has self-sustaining economic growth? And sad part is that even if the economy does start to grow there are not enough politicians who will cut spending when times are good.

Romney said he put his life on the line to go to London and they made him look like a jerk !!!!!!

Romney is running the Olympic torch looking for Stardom !!!!!!!

Annie is at the Olympic horsing around with a Clown !!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Houston #1.65,

Keep up the distortions, you are proving to be quite adept with that !

First, Your question on do I approve of 100 round ammo clips has the further, unproven caveat assigned by you "..... whose only purpose is ..." is kind of like the old "wife beater" question. (Are you still beating your wife ?) It has a built-in assumption by you that you totally fail to prove. It is not a question where any thinking individual can give a simple "yes" or "no" answer to. You, however, take your assumption as "FACT" which it is not. Get me a statement from the manufacturer(s) of said clips that the sole purpose of these clips is to commit mass murder, then I will agree with you.

Second, this is another attempted distortion by you ! Bravo !! You start wandering to the economic condition of the world and relate it DIRECTLY to the poor GDP report of the U.S., then you asked me if Obama was responsible for all the financial issues of the world .... an asinine question. Obama is responsible to a very large degree for the stalling economy here in the U.S. Your attempts to change the focus of the U.S> GDP report are laughable.

Third, You did indeed try to put YOUR words in my mouth yesterday and you bobbed and weaved like a boxer in the ring trying to dodge the truth. In #23.6 you said: "What YOU are saying is that people should be able to by (buy) 100 round clips whose only purpose is to murder large numbers of people quickly".

I challenged you to prove where I said that and you have been doing the crawdad move ever since. Deny your own words if it makes you feel better ..... or maybe you can come back and try to reinvent the meaning like Obama does at times.

Ben, I didn't know you were the keeper of the "free speech" key. Trouble is, Ben, the reason you really think FR is a waste of your time has nothing to do with liberals. It is because you realized how flawed and inept Mitt Romney really is; you watched him embarrass the United States and embarrass all Americans including republicans and you don't want to waste your time defending Mitt Romney any more. Have a good weekend, Ben.

Dont_carry_it_all

It seems he [Warren Buffett] thinks despite our woes, we still are doing better than virtually any other economy in the world.

But God forbid that the GOP give Obama the credit he deserves for it.

Trickle down may not work but no one has convinced me that the opposite is true either.

Too bad Alan that you advocate for failed policies that promote a trickle down approach despite the fact that you now admit it never quite trickles down.

Ain't capitalism great!!

Yes it is!! Ain't nationalism great!! Country first, Business second. Priorities you know.

HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA,HA!!!!!!!

Too bad Alan that you advocate for failed policies that promote a trickle down approach despite the fact that you now admit it never quite trickles down.

If you would read further

It is a judgement as to what the "right" rate and type of tax should be. All I want to see is an attempt to pay for what we spend.

What I do agree with is that taxes are raised but spending is never cut. That is why these deals always fall apart. Even now as the President advocates raising taxes on the top earners he caveats it with "We need this to reduce the deficit"....this I agree with..."and to make investments in education and infrastructure". So basically he wants to spend more when we are already spend 1.3T more than we take in. Maybe we could pin him down on how much of the tax increase will actually go to deficit reduction in the first year...not in 2017.

Trickledown Theory?

Yeah, "don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining."

jim-1455434

First, Your question on do I approve of 100 round ammo clips has the further, unproven caveat assigned by you "..... whose only purpose is for mass MURDER" is kind of like the old "wife beater" question.

OK. Here's another question you'll worm your way out of answering: If not for mass murder, what are 100-round ammunition clips good for? Self-defense in case there's a Zombie Apocalypse? You've failed to point out any reasonable use other than murder for these clips because there is none. The Houston Chronicle reported today that national police organizations are once again calling for a ban on these clips, but what do they know compared to some clown yammering about how he's been misquoted on the Internet?

Obama is responsible to a very large degree for the stalling economy here in the U.S. Your attempts to change the focus of the U.S> GDP report are laughable.

Once again, who are we to believe? The economists, or a clown like you posting your unfounded and irrational opinions on the Internet? Decisions, decisions.

Third, You did indeed try to put YOUR words in my mouth yesterday and you bobbed and weaved like a boxer in the ring trying to dodge the truth. In #23.6 you said: "What YOU are saying is that people should be able to by (buy) 100 round clips whose only purpose is to murder large numbers of people quickly".

I wasn't attributing any words to you. I was not quoting you. Unless you're a complete idiot, you know that "What you are saying" is just a figure of speech that to point out the inescapable facts associated with an assertion.

You claim that no further gun laws are needed, which is EXACTLY equivalent to saying that it's OK for people to buy 100-round clips whose only purpose is to murder large number of people quickly because that's what anyone can buy UNDER CURRENT LAW. And that's what you are saying even though you don't like the stupidity of your claims is made plain when stripped of the nonsense about "the hearts of men" making additional laws useless.

And rather than trying to twist my words, please give us another use for these clips. Rapidly shooting tin cans off a fence doesn't count as a "use".

Alan NJ -- You've got to be kidding me. TAXES RAISED? What are you talking about? Really! You speak out of both sides of your mouth.

Not only does war cost us too much treasure, as in lives, it costs a lot of money to wage it. Taxes should have never been cut if they were insisting on war.

Ignorant Republicans at work.

Alan, NJ

Chris Dodds and Barney frank bear any responsibility for their lack of oversight during the run up to the crash?

I love when you guys bring this up. The Republican Party is against the government regulations but you claim that we had Financial Meltdown due to not enough regulation. Romney claims that he will deregulate, deregulate, deregulate. So Alan, NJ, are you admitting that regulation is good and the Republican Party is wrong?

The GOP had their chance. Bush 43 had two full terms and through most of that time, thanks to the tragedy of 911, he got a pass from the news media and the support of the American people. That's a fact. Our trust was misplaced. He had a personal agenda and he darn near bankrupted the country pursuing that agenda. Yet another unfortunate fact.

Skip,

I agree whole-heartedly with one exception. Bush 43 was absolutely clueless and did whatever Darth Vader Cheney told him to do. It was DICK "deficits don't matter" Cheney's personal agenda that sent our economy off the cliff. "Sign here, Mr. President. No, Mr. President, it's not important that you read it. Just sign."

Unfortunately, the rubberband man wants to be President so badly that a repeat performance of Bush 43 is inevitable if the evil empire regains control of the Executive Branch. Romney has the exact same cast of advisers that ran Bush 43's presidency and has already sucked up to Darth Vader himself. Those immoral bast*rds won't quit until they destroy what's left of the middle class and transfer all the nation's wealth to their corporate masters.

I love when you guys bring this up. The Republican Party is against the government regulations but you claim that we had Financial Meltdown due to not enough regulation. Romney claims that he will deregulate, deregulate, deregulate. So Alan, NJ, are you admitting that regulation is good and the Republican Party is wrong?

I'm taking about their oversight responsibilities of a GSE. I'll admit that regulation is necessary but just like taxes there instances of too much and too little. And I'm not a Republican so I'm not one of you guys.

Alan NJ -- You've got to be kidding me. TAXES RAISED? What are you talking about? Really! You speak out of both sides of your mouth.

I have to ask what you're speaking about. What context are you taking about? Simply writing TAXES RAISED in capitals is meaningless.

Then you have the personal dig "Ignorant Republicans at Work". You haven't put together a coherent argument this week. From your I ran business (let me guess you were an independent computer consultant), to your infantile digs " It boils down to understanding. Some lack that ability."

Jim

...Get me a statement from the manufacturer(s) of said clips that the sole purpose of these clips is to commit mass murder, then I will agree with you.

Seriously? You will only answer the question if the manufacturer admits to advocating mass murder?

Because as every hunter knows you NEED 100 round clips to bring down bambi...

Alan, NJ

And I'm not a Republican so I'm not one of you guys

sorry for offending you by saying "one of you guys." I actually meant "you guys" as Bush apologists and not as "you Republicans." I also didn't realize that being labelled "Republican" was offensive to you. Again, my apologies.

I'm taking about their oversight responsibilities of a GSE. I'll admit that regulation is necessary but just like taxes there instances of too much and too little.

yet the Repubs, and especially, Romney worship deregulation...

Houston - you're wasting your time trying to actually discuss with jim/Kirk. You'll find he changes his direction as you make each point and eventually he argues circularly - it's all he has. You will out-think him and out smart him but he'll continue with baseless charges against you.

Most of us give up talking/discussing with him because of it.

By the way, all of your posts make great sense!

Fool's Gold

newday:

Only we political junkies are actually paying a great deal of attention to the race right now, the election won't actually begin for most of the electorate until after the Repulican convention. It wil be at this point that America gets to know Mitt Romney better. Whether they decide they like him remains to be seen.

I wouldn't say that only political junkies are paying attention right now and that the remaining electorate will suddenly start to pay attention at Tampa; I think that is a gross miscalculation on Rmoney's part.

Instead, I would say that 45% of Americans have already decided that they are either for/against Obama, and that very, very little is going to happen between now-and-then that will change their minds. Obama could switch political parties and pass every Republican bill into law, and republicans will still vote for Rmoney.

However the other 10%, the largely undecided, do pay attention and are informed, and although they are not as swayed by the day-to-day happenings of the campaign, they will be focused on the aggregation of everything that happens during the campaign, including: international gaffes, misleading/hiding of informaiton, vp pick, convention, debates, and most importantly Rmoney's tone and message.

If he can frame a positive message and a clear direction of where he wants to take this country,then he has a chance to beat Obama. But if all he does is criticize others, including London's Olympic preparedness, then I don't think he has a snowball's chance.

Frankly, all we have heard from Rmoney is, "Our president is no good, I can do better" without any plans or specifics, which is a lot like saying to America, "Just trust me". And that is a losing proposition every time.

Newday,

A few that come to mind are F&F records, Brian Terry records, his own college records. I'm pretty you libs are smart enough to figure out google so do your own @!$%#ing research. I actually have a job which I need to get back to to fund all your damn 'entitlements'.

Alex - you're constantly carping about the college records. Try checking out my posts where I've debunked that over and over. The rest is stupidity too. You can't talk policy because you know he can run circles around Mitt wit. You have NO candidate so you try to castigate our very good President. You should be ashamed to attack a good man simply because the GOP is running an empty suit!

And, you don't fund programs for anyone on this post. Most of us work as hard or harder and better than you. The "entitlement" crap is just that and makes you look even less intelligent!

Obama/Biden 2012

so do your own @!$%#ing research. I actually have a job which I need to get back to to fund all your damn 'entitlements'

Odd...

Alex couldn't take the time to answer NDD but did manage to post this instead... lol

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/27/12988570-first-thoughts-halftime?last=1343410467&threadId=3528642&sp=0&pc=25#c68370095

This is what happens when you're shooting blanks like our little buddy here...

Alan,NJ

Another thing to add that Democrats did wrong was the weakening and repealing of the Glass Steagal Act in the late 1990's. Obviously it was replealed by Clinton, but the Republican sponsors of the act were all Republicans - Gramhm, Leach - Republican Senators.

I agree there is blame to go around with the financial crisis. People got into houses they couldn't afford, they used Home equity like an ATM . The Democrats, thinking home ownership provided stability, pushed for more ownership in the 1990's and home ownership soared. Yes, during that time some people who couldn't sustain a house were allowed to buy them. However, you don't seem to point out that the merging of the commerical and investment banks funnelling money into risky bets were a big reason for the crash as well. You don't mention that the credit default swaps and bundled mortgages sold and repackaged to overleveraged banks, with limited liquidity, had a hand to play.

You don't mention that the democrats although they made the mistakes of letting regulations lapse or weaken have tried to fix things. The GOP on the other hand scream for less regulations, when the weakened regulations fail the system the GOP cry "*&#%, Democrats didn't have enough regulations in place."

Perhaps you could show balance in the things that conservatives do wrong as well? How would the conservative plan which "generally" calls for less regulations have helped avert the crash?

One can surely blame the Fed and Bernanke and the oversight of the "negligient" regulators but why not blame the banking/gamblers that screwed the system? Where is the personal responsibilites for those criminals who willing played the system and lost our money?

You ask why we as Democrats vote for Democrats if they act like Republicans? Not so much as a "campaigner" as you call liberals but as a person I ask the same question. Why vote for democrats who say the right things but often don't do enough to truly change the wrong or fix the problem. Well it is far better to vote Democratic and get some improvement in lieu of voting Republican and have the problems get worse and have the GOP cause additional ones as well.

Alan NJ -- You said:

What I do agree with is that taxes are raised but spending is never cut

I couldn't get past that one statement. What's true is taxes have been cut and cut and spending continues on and on for things like the war Alan. When's the last time taxes were raised on the whole? Last I looked the Bush tax cuts are still in place. As for your gripe on spending, some things are worth spending on. Others are not. You say Obama has put Keynes on steroids yet everything Romney is calling for is Keynesian leaning as well. Is not boosting Defense spending Keynesian? It is you making various arguments and it's hard to keep track which side of the fence you're sitting on from one post to the next.

Here’s what you said to me the other day:

If you know anybody who has built their own business you would not try and make this argument. They make choices between work and family. Work and leisure. The majority of the time they choose work.

I answered:

Years ago I had a small business. I understand what it takes to grow a business to make it successful.

As for my not making coherent arguments this week. What's true is I've lost patience and that's not helpful when one is trying to make a point.

That dig was at Republican policies in general. But if the shoe fits Alan, wear it proudly. Quit jumping the fence for sake of argument. It's so damn disingenuous.

Just about time for Mr. Obama to "SPIKE the football" concerning "THE HURT LOCKER" since he cannot discuss HIS economy.

Wait a minute, the CIA and DOD is in court over this issue.

• http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/cia-discovers-more-documents-regarding-the-bin-laden-movie

I wonder how far up the "chain" this will go. Now who in the World would have released CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to Bollywood ?

The assistance to moviemakers has been roundly criticized by some Republican members of Congress. Rep. King Peter King of New York claimed that the White House gave the filmmakers access to top White House and Pentagon officials with knowledge of the bin Laden raid.

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/cia-discovers-more-documents-regarding-the-bin-laden-movie

Trickle down may not work but no one has convinced me that the opposite is true either. It is a judgement as to what the "right" rate and type of tax should be. All I want to see is an attempt to pay for what we spend.

Technically, the problem with the "right tax rate" is that it always changes; the top tax rate was though to be most effective during the 1950s was 94% due to the economic prosperity of the time; in the Reagan days, it was thought to be 28%, thanks to the temporary economic expansion; in the Clinton era, it was thought to be 39.6% due to the temporary expansion period that ensued.

Trickle down has been discredited but so has Keynesian theory. By any measure Bush ran 8 years of deficit spending. It may have been tax cuts and guns not butter (although we did have Medicare-D), but it was Keynesian. This Administration has put Keynes of steroids. 8% - 10% of GDP deficit spending every year so far. The Fed has added over $3T to the money supply. How much more do want to see, how much more can we take, before the economy has self-sustaining economic growth? And sad part is that even if the economy does start to grow there are not enough politicians who will cut spending when times are good.

Actually, Keynesian economics has NOT been disproved. For Bush, his main stimulative program (the Bush tax cuts) had a negligible effect on the economy; in fact, it hurt small businesses by increasing interest rates. And as for the housing bubble, that was mostly caused by the conservative (not necessarily Republican) concept of deregulation, which allowed banks to chop up subprime mortgages and sell them as AAA assets, which were ironically rated by the same agencies that cut the U.S. credit rating. For the Federal Reserve, you must understand that we are in a liquidity trap, where banks don't use the extra money to give loans; they mostly use it fix their balance sheets (this is an unusual crisis, but not entirely uncommon; the same thing happen to Asia in the 1990s). Now, the Fed could do some "unconventional" measures, like buying up long-term bonds and private sector debt, pushing down the value of the dollar temporarily to improve the export sector, or increasing the inflationary target rate to around 4% (the rate that we had under Reagan). Unfortunately, this won't be done in part due to political pressure on both Chairman Bernanke and the Federal Reserve itself. As for the Obama administration, he didn't really go big on his stimulus measures. Had he gone big, like advocating a 10 year, $2 trillion program to fix our physical and electrical infrastructure paid for by a mixture of special taxes and negative-interest Treasury bills; stimulating the consumer base by exempting anyone making under a certain amount from the payroll tax for a few years (paid for by reforming Social Security itself in a broad entitlement reform package done later); or fixing the housing industry by writing off underwater mortgages or enabling underwater homeowners to refinance at historically low rates. The problem is that he faces political pressure and obstruction, mostly from the GOP. And as for the deficit, most of it is caused by lower revenues and higher spending on social safety nets, which isn't the most sustainable form of stimulus.

What I do agree with is that taxes are raised but spending is never cut. That is why these deals always fall apart.

Not really; Clinton raised taxes AND cut spending in the 1990s.

Even now as the President advocates raising taxes on the top earners he caveats it with "We need this to reduce the deficit"....this I agree with..."and to make investments in education and infrastructure". So basically he wants to spend more when we are already spend 1.3T more than we take in. Maybe we could pin him down on how much of the tax increase will actually go to deficit reduction in the first year...not in 2017.

Well, I do understand your uncertainty, but I doubt that a significant amount of deficit savings would be spent immediately (political pressure would definitely reduce that possibility). Education spending would probably increase moderately, and other stimulus spending would probably be paid for separately (like Obama's Jobs Act) with a millionaire's tax or something like that. I would say that most of the deficit savings would go to deficit reduction, as I doubt that Obama would spend half of, say, $4 trillion in savings for immediate stimulus. The odds are just overwhelming. And let me point out that much of the $1.3 trillion is due to the lower revenues caused by the recession, while the rest is the increased spending on safety nets on top of the Bush tax cuts and the rest of Bush's fiscal policy.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

Romney is a bumbling idiot. The people in England know this now and don't care much for Romney.

Here in America, all Romney's ads against President Obama are nothing more than taking any speech by Obama and leaving out words to change the meaning. Then the republicans act all appalled at what the president said.

I am hoping that the American people are not as stupid as the republicans think.

"bain capitol (a private equity firm that most people cannot spell) MORONS"

RevengeofPodus, Capitol: a building in which a state legislative body meets

Capital: cash or goods used to generate income: or a town or city that is the official seat of government

President Obama's descendent from:
Edward I of England
William the Lion of Scotland
Brian Boru - Irish royalty
Martin Duval - French royalty
John II of France

Distant cousins - Hemingway, Steinback and Winston Churchill. Related to the Bush family too and a truckload of others. Google it.

More bad news for Obama and Company;

"The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows Mitt Romney attracting 49% of the vote, while President Obama earns support from 44%."

Rasmussen was perhaps the most accurate major pollster in the 2004 and 2008 Presidential elections, missing the actual results by only about 1% each time.

More bad news for Obama and Company;

"The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows Mitt Romney attracting 49% of the vote, while President Obama earns support from 44%."

This is among Likely Voters (the ones that actually vote). Rasmussen was perhaps the most accurate of the major pollsters in 2004 and 2008 - missing the actual results by only about 1% each year.

Only a week ago they were tied, so perhaps all of that negative campaigning by Obama didn't work out so well - time to try something new.

"The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows Mitt Romney attracting 49% of the vote, while President Obama earns support from 44%."

Roy-Boy - you just keep putting all of your eggs into one basket...

What ever it takes to help you sleep at night! lmao!

"the two teams are going into the locker room with Obama ahead of Romney ....... 49-43 if it's basketball"

According to that FARCE of a poll put out by NBC a few days ago? What a joke.

They included 52% more Democrats in their polling than Republicans, even though recent polls have them essentially equal in voters - one even has the Republicans slightly ahead of Democrats in political affiliation.

That ridiculous 'spiking' of the sample created as much as a 10% error in that poll in favor of Obama. Rasmussen, who polls 'Likely Voters' has Romney ahead by 5% now, and their track record is far better.

Actually, if you adjust for that polling error by NBC, the two polls are pretty much in agreement - Romney is ahead by 4% to 5% at this time.

Unfortunately, there is so much hate mongering on Democratic side of the isle, especially in the homosexual community, that we were bound to see Newton's third law come into play sooner or later and it is evidenced in some of these posts.

Obama's moral corruption is destined to create friction in the mind of any principled American. Interestingly, just when I personally thought Obama could not become any more morally corrupt, I recently learned he has made yet another Faustian deal with the devil. In this case, he has appointed the "King Of Gay Pornography" to his campaign finance committee, patted him on the back and told him to keep up the good work.

Barack Obama has made it clear he plans to continue with his war on America, the Catholic Church, US Christians, success, small business and American socioeconomic thinking! As a result, this is creating backlash, even from within his own party. Conservatives like to complain that Barack Obama is the most liberal president we've ever had, a closet Marxist who's determined to turn America into a socialist hell and that his despotic socialist agenda is the big lie of the twentieth century. Historians realize world history provides compelling proof that Obama's brand of socialism promised prosperity, equality, and security, but has only delivered poverty, misery, and tyranny. Historically, equality was achieved only in the sense that everyone was equal in his or her misery!

Those historic facts aside, Obama has crafted a shrewd campaign from a worldly perspective. Of note is the fact a significant portion of his campaign strategy was based on development of strategic alliances with many of the most godless and morally debased segments of our society in a thinly veiled effort to secure votes from those "the Obama administration believes" to be one dimensional, intellectually compromised, single issue constituencies. Many in this group had the misfortune of growing up in a broken home. The resulting dysfunction in these homes leads to emotional instability, mental illness and severe narcissism producing a common thread and liberal bias.

Beyond requisite intellectual acumen, our upcoming president MUST have a strong moral foundation and acute, politically savvy awareness the principles of prudent governance. Unfortunately for America, Obama's morally vapid strategic political alliances clearly disqualify him from this hallowed leadership role. For that reason, more and more moderate and conservative principled members of the democratic party believe they must abandon Obama's candidacy and their party line vote for the long term good of our country! Essentially, they believe it is best to retreat and return to fight another day when the Democratic party can submit a candidate who is willing to uphold traditional American values rather than to attempt to destroy the country from within.

Maybe someone should explain how polls work. They ask 100 random people what party they belong to and which candidate they support. Out of any 100 people there'll be more of one party than the other it doesn't mean they picked more democrats than republicans. Don't you people think?

Someone should also explain to Joe from Albany what capitalism means. He bashes liberals for opposing capitalism then goes on a rant about how the military created the internet seeming to imply that was an advance for capitalism. Sorry Joe but the military is funded by the government not private business.

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL The hits just keep on rolling;

The Telegraph: "Mitt Romney is perhaps the only politician who could start a trip that was supposed to be a charm offensive by being utterly devoid of charm and mildly offensive." ...

Romney has a long way to go to catch up with Pres Obama's hits as reported in the telegraph:

Barack Obama’s top ten insults against Britain – 2012
The Telegraph
Saturday 28 July 2012

For the past two years I have published a list of Barack Obama’s biggest insults against America’s foremost ally, Great Britain, during his time in office......

Mr Obama has been by far the most anti-British president in modern American history, .....

Here are the 2012 rankings:

1. Siding with Argentina over the Falkland Islands
2. Calling France America’s strongest ally
3. Lecturing Britain on a federal Europe and undercutting British sovereignty
4. Betraying Britain to appease Moscow over the New START Treaty
5. Airbrushing Britain from Europe
6. Throwing Churchill out of the Oval Office
7. Placing a “boot on the throat” of BP
8. DVDs for the Prime Minister
9. Insulting words from the State Department
10. Confusing England with Great Britain

blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100142971/barack-obamas-top-ten-insults-against-britain-2012-edition/

Larry-367607 "Maybe someone should explain how polls work. They ask 100 random people what party they belong to and which candidate they support. Out of any 100 people there'll be more of one party than the other it doesn't mean they picked more democrats than republicans. Don't you people think?"

How simplistic things seem to some people. If they had 'accidentally' picked 52% more Republicans and the poll showed that Romney was ahead by 10%, do you really think msnbc would have printed a story?

Actually, the expert pollsters don't just accept the random results of a poll because a skewed sampling would produce unreliable numbers - they 'norm' them by making adjustments to reflect how many estimated Democrats and Republicans are in the general population. It's not hard to do, and it provides much more accurate results. For example, if they surveyed 1000 registered voters and found that 350 were Democrats and only 230 were Republicans, when population studies show that there should have been 350 Republicans in the sample, they would know that their polling would under-estimate Republians by about 12%, which is a HUGE error. Apparently, NBC didn't take this normal additional step. Since exit polls show consistently that Democrats and Republicans vote 'party line' 90% of the time, this 'sampling error' would amount to an overall error favoring Obama of close to 10%.

The NBC poll did have some interesting information however. Since the percentage of Republicans and Democrats are essentially equal, this election will be decided by the 'Independents' - so what does the NBC poll show in that regard? NBC's poll says that 42% of their respondents are 'Independent', and according to their final numbers, only 14% of them said they would vote for Obama, which means that 28% of them plan to vote for Romney. This is devastating news for Obama, because if the "Independent' voters actually do vote 2 to 1 for Romney, and the Republicans and Democrats vote their normal patterns, Romney could win by as much as 10% to 15%.

AlexM: When I ask you to support a contention that you have made, I don't ask for further opinion.

I want hard sources.

It is up to YOU to support what you say. Not going to do your work for you.