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Subscribe to RSSIn Florida, President Obama slammed Romney, arguing the GOP candidate's math doesn't add up. Meanwhile, a pizza parlor owner swept the president off his feet. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
MELBOURNE, Fla. – Hours after his opponents Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan did a Sunday morning TV show blitz, President Barack Obama criticized them for not offering more specifics on how they would keep revenue stable while not raising taxes on the wealthy.
“Governor Romney and his allies tell us that we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions on new tax breaks for the wealthy. Listen, you’ve got to do the math because when my opponents were asked about it today, they couldn’t. It was like two plus one equals five,” Obama told a crowd of more than 3,000 in a gymnasium at the Florida Institute of Technology here.
When asked during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” what tax loopholes he would eliminate, Romney got no more specific than telling host David Gregory, “high income taxpayers are going to have fewer deductions and exemptions.”
On ABC News’ “This Week,” Ryan said Romney and he would consult with Congress before deciding which loopholes to cut. “We want to do this with the consent of the elected representatives of the people and figure out what loopholes should stay or go,” he said.
Of their lack of specifics, Obama said, “That’s not bold leadership, that’s bad math.”
Ever mindful of his local audience, Obama also focused heavily on Medicare, an important issue to the 17.6 percent of Florida’s population over age 65 – more than four percentage points over the national average.
He cited a new study by Harvard Professor David Cutler that found seniors who qualify for Medicare beginning in 2023 would see higher premiums over the course of their retirement under the Romney/Ryan plan, which would give seniors the option of getting a voucher to help pay for private insurance in addition to the traditional government-run program.
Cutler, one of the Obama campaign’s chief health care advisers in 2008, conducted the study on behalf of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a liberal advocacy organization.
“Basically your profits would decline by the thousands so their profits could rise by the billions,” Obama said of the study’s conclusion.
The Romney campaign responded with a statement from spokesman Ryan Williams calling the study "discredited."
"President Obama’s latest false attacks are a sign of desperation. Only one candidate in this race has robbed today’s Medicare of $716 billion to pay for Obamacare – Barack Obama. He has done nothing to reform Medicare for the long haul and prevent it from going bankrupt, and on his watch family health care premiums have increased by nearly $2,500," the statement read in part.
In Melbourne, the president also mentioned another issue important to voters on this slice of Florida’s coast, whose economy is buoyed in part by the space industry.
“Here on the Space Coast, we started a new era of American exploration that is creating more jobs right here,” Obama said, noting the Curiosity rover that landed on Mars last month.
He warned that Republicans would stifle the research and development that his administration has encouraged.
“This is where we’ve got a choice. We could, as the House Republican budget proposes, cut back on research and technology or we can continue to be at the cutting edge because that’s what we’ve always been about,” he said.
The president is now on his way to West Palm Beach for the fourth and final stop on his two-day Sunshine State campaign swing, after which he’ll return to the White House – hopefully, he said this afternoon, in time to catch Sunday Night Football.
“We intend to be finished to get home in time for kickoff,” he told the crowd in Melbourne.
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The Republicon crickets can chirp all they want. They just don't matter anymore.
One thing is certain with Mr. Romney, If you don't like his position on a issue, just wait long enough and it's bound to change. At the RNC he wanted to repeal Obamacare, but on Sunday's "Meet the Press" he said, he wants to keep aspects of healthcare reform known as ACA, or as it's known in the south "Obamacare".
I guess Clint Eastwood was wrong, he can do that to himself?
Obama should-not be slamming anyone....where's his plan....he dosen't have a freaking clue...like Clint said...he is the biggest hoax in american history...and you liberals are just as bad....and if you people think things will get better with four more years of Obama...you are as dumb as he is.....
Romney/Ryan 2012
I think Romney is hiding money offshore and that's why he doesn't want to release his tax returns… I read about it here:
Cutting taxes while trying to lowr the deficit is simply bad "ARITHMETIC".
Also remember, there will be some Supreme Court openings during next 4 years. What kind of justices will Romney Ryan pair nominate. Democracy is already up for sale. With Romney-Ryan justices, it will be auctioned.
...With Obama, it's already been sold.
A.Amdani
The Democrats could have rewritten the tax code with their majorities, but apparently it was low priority. President Obama has cut taxes while doing nothing to reduce the deficit. He called for "his" Simpson-Bowles commission to come up with a bipartisan solution. President Obama walked away from the findings...
Mr. Romney is talking about tax reform. The most important part of tax reform is to have more people actually contributing. The reduction of loopholes will do that. Depending on the loopholes cut and the proposed rates; we could actually raise revenue without raising rates.
...Headline should read "Obama Forced to Eat His Own Doo Doo - Blames Romney Because It Tastes Bad". ...LMAO!!!
Let;s just for a minute forget about the elections. Let's take a look at the state of the country. President Bush did a job to this country and let's face it, there is no quick remedy! As long as we have a president who atleast has it going forward and not backward I for one am NOT changing up. Mitt flop flops so much he makes me nervous and the way he is selling out this country to the highest bidder is very serious. People need to put aside the Obama hate and take a good long look at Mitt and Ryan. How can anyone vote for a two time loser? Obama may not have done miracles but we atleast are going in the right direction. As for debt, we will need a lot more money to pull us out of this mess. No one complained about the money Bush wasted telling a lie. Oh it's ok for the repubs to spend but not for the dems. This is a different repub party. It's a party of deceit and lies. Mitt is desperate. Mitt wants the job but he doesn't want the work of the job or the responsibility. It's another notch on his belt. The man is not serious.
cantbelieveitno
The financial crisis started well before President Bush came into office. The causes most cited; housing crisis, banking de-regulation, and unregulated derivatives.
The current administration has done little to address these.
M.J.-CT, if the financial crisis started well before Bush as you claim, tell me, why Bush didn't do something about? He had eight years .We all know and you do too that he didn't do anything other then make it worse with two unpaid for wars (one he lied about)and tax breaks for the wealthy. Think before you post such garbage.
The House and Senate saw the same information that Bush saw to make a decision to go into Iraq; please don't forget that. The information received was from our intelligence agencies....so, to say that Bush lied and made a unilateral decision to go into Iraq is fibbing...to put it nicely.
Obama does not have it going forward. We are over $16 trillion in debt....with Obama adding more to the debt in 3.5 years that any president in history. At least Bush took eight years to spend that much. And, lastly, Bush inherited the dot com bubble burst, the 9/11 attack, the housing crisis landed on his watch...although it was something that was started before he took office... Did he whine and cry and blame other administrations? There were a lot of things that Bush did that I didn't agree with.....but at least he took responsibility and ACTION for everything that went wrong! He signed the GM ballout....Obama takes credit for the good it did, but he won't touch the fact that it raised the debt....that part wasn't his issue!
FAE2010, sorry you're wrong. The information that the House and the Senate saw was what Bush and Cheney wanted them to see. Remember the Plame incident? Powell was sceptical of it all and also a lot of other people including Russian intelligence. Now that(Russian intelligence) might irk a lot of people but be honest, not everyone was aboard . There were questions from the start. Anyway the people in command will bear the brunt of their misguided, Bush called it a 'crusade'. The rest is history. Thousands of Americans dead and tens thousands wounded and probably a hundred thousand Iraq's dead and more wounded not to mention the US treasury squandered and the country left in shambles for Obama. I think that's closer to the truth then any Republican will admitt. No? Yes?
LIAR in CHIEF, no one believes what you say any more, you can no longer fool the masses with your lying words, Americans can and will vote you out of office in a very FAST & FURIOUS WAY in November.
Romney/Ryan in November
Dream on Alice! Dream on!
stclaire, so you're putting your faith in a couple of scumbag liars instead.
sounds like a major downgrade to me...
Isn't that a hoot!!! Romney's henchman calls the President's analyst's report discredited...and procedes to attack with Skippy's already nationally if not internationally debunked lie about the President robbing Medicare - when in fact he saved $716 billion in Medicare fees that would have made providers and hospitals richer and used it to close the donut hole for seniors. I guess if your name has "Ryan" in it you can't help but lie - even with old, stale, hollow worn out lies!
Lib
That $716B not only closes the donut hole, it "strengthens" Medicare, AND it contributes to Obamacare.
The elimination of $716B from care providers, hospitals, and insurers won't effect the seniors...
I don't know how some people do it, I keep repeating it, but I still don't believe it...
The hospitals went along with the agreement to lower their fees (thus cutting AHA expenses) because they realize that if everyone is insured, no one is going to go to the emergency room and then skip town.
The CBO has formally estimated that something needs to be done about Medicare or, under the Affordable Care Act and with rocketing expenses for items like drugs, it won't be able to pay full benefits somewhere around 2024.
The CBO also estimates that under Ryan's voucher plan, Medicare will be in the same boat in 2016.
Scream all you like Republicon dinosaurs. Your fear and panic won't slow down the asteroid one bit. Come November 7th your reign of terror on this Earth ends. We really appreciate all your valuable help in defeating you. Say hello to the Mad Hatter when you get home! I hear Alice misses you very much! We sure as Hell won't. Bye!
I really believe the GOP is dieing, as well it should. When I listen to Mr. Romney speak, and Mr. Ryan, I cant help but see that lieing and re-lieing is all they know how to do. When I watched the RNC, I noticed how 1950's the whole convention looked. I havent seen that many blonde and gray-gone-blonde people in one room in ..... well, 4 years. Then the repubs talked like they wanted to go back to the 50's. Their tent has shrunk way too small, and the lack of representation of the diversity in our country was apparent. If they could only stop including their views on religion, God, sex, and women, that THEIR way is the only right way, and trying to legislate those views, they might stand a chance. Romney's flip-flopping has evolved into serial lieing, and he is an embarrassment to both his party and his country. Is R&R really the very best the repubs could come up with???? Mr. Reagan must be flip-flopping in his grave. I used to respect the GOP, even if I didnt agree with all their policies, but my respect has evolved into shock and embarrassment. The GOP is taking its last breaths and it is hard to watch.
Julia -
You need a better education! Lying is LYING...spell it right!
Julia is a SHOCK and EMBARRASSMENT
shan.....tx for the spelling correction.
So...Let's see...
Obama is going to fix this mess? Are YOU serious? Look how much trouble we are in RIGHT NOW! RIGHT NOW!!! Right f*cking NOW! Pelosi passed a healthcare bill that nobody was allowed to read!!!!! You are kidding me! You think that bill isn't FULL of new taxes on the middle class? This President of our United States needs to shut his beak and go back to Illinois and fix that g*ddamn Union crisis and the absurdly high murder rate! We are sending Obama PACKING...
Dream on Alice! Carry your silly arse back to Wonderland or to the 18th century. Either one would work for the likes of you. Stupid is as stupid does! What a bunch of losers you right wingnuts are!
John Rational ---It's amazing that I see a bunch of words that your wrote....but there is no subsistence to your diatribe.
Shanaldo, careful what you say about health care. Flip flopping Romney is all for it now with a few improvements, but you don't care about those pesky facts, do you?
The more the GOP fanatics rant, rave and lie the deeper they dig their own grave. What's your plan Romney. We all know you have no principles with all the lies and flip flopping you've done. Show your taxes Willard. That would be a start.
And, what is Obama's plan? More spending? I didn't hear a clear cut plan out of him when he was running in 2008, and I still honestly couldn't tell you what his plan is even though I watch his speeches. And, the taxes...my goodness y'all are beating that into the ground.....I've seen them and know he makes more than I do.....Obama makes more than I do......they are both rich, and both take advantage of the screwed up tax code we have. We really have larger issues, here are the top four, just in case you didn't know:
1. The Economy
2. Jobs
3. The Debt
4. Entitlements
Obama and "bad math" certainly applies to himself. Obama need to learn to subtract not only add. Easy for him to spend the taxpayers dollars, but does not understand how to cut. Too bad most of his spending to spur the economy has been a failure.
Bill Clinton making comments about Republicans creating the mess is another joke. He certainly did his part with his actions resultingin the housing crash and the basis for our economic problems. Clintons policy making banks make no down payment and no income verification resulting in thousand of unqualified buyers without the ability to pay created our current problems. Add on the fact he took money from Social Security as a loan to use to show a budget deficit. Certainly the IOU will stay there and never be repaid. Socail Security would be stable if Democrats had not raided Social Security for years without repaying.
Clinton and Obama are cut from the same cloth. Silver tongue speakers who can lie with a straight face. Sadly too many people believe them.
Republican I am not but a Democrat tired of all the BS.
Fae2010, although I would have liked to have seen Obama have better results but in spite of the 'Party of No' his record is positive. Not like the last Administration. My biggest concern is that Romney has no plan. Just the same old bash the President that we've had for almost four years now. Lay some words of wisdom on me as to how Romney will address the four larger issues that you list. Going to repeal heath care? Nope. Going to create ten million jobs.How? Reduce debt? By starting a war with Iran? Entitlement's? Guess lying Ryan will get his chance there. Lets face it, he's got the Bush cronies all lined up to do the job. It appears that from your point of view that's a winning platform to take to the people. Correct me if I'm wrong. Show me your taxes Willard.That would be a start.
If a kid did this talk in school, he'd be charged with bullying. The US President is a childish bully. He has messed up the US economy and plans to do more of the same - that is the definition of insanity. Nothing changes when you increase debt and attack employers. Employers, large and small, say to Obama "FU".
You mean those same employers that are laying workers off by the thousands, reducing their wages below the rate of inflation, collecting tax breaks for sending American jobs to other countries, all the while increasing their base pay, increasing payouts to share holders and board members for not actually producing anything....those employers?
Or the ones who respect their workers contributions b/c they know their business couldn't survive without them, the ones who provides a fair and decent wage, the ones who put people over profits?
Adrift - In response to your question, here is some of Romney's plan:
1. The Economy
a. Promote domestic energy development
b. Expand the market for US goods overseas by negotiating new trade agreements
c. Reduce marginal tax rates on business and wage incomes and broaden the tax base to increase investment, jobs, and living standards.
2. Jobs
a. By promoting domestic energy development it helps the economy and job growth
b. Reshape the regulatory climate to encourage and promote small business.
c. Also see "1 c"
3. The Debt
a. Budget Cuts
b. End the exploding federal debt by controlling the growth of spending so federal spending does not exceed 20 percent of the economy.
4. Entitlements
a. Improve our Social Security and Medicare programs by reducing their growth to sustainable levels, ensuring their viability over the long term, and protecting those in or near retirement.
(Most of these ideas have been backed and approved by Nobel Economist)
What are Obama's plans?
FAE2010. Wow. I like all the things that you say Romney is going to do but you miss the point completely. My simple question to you was and is, how is Romney going to do all these things? We know Obama's plans. He's there and he's doing that. Not as fast as you and I would like but Romney has nothing to stand on unless you believe in what he says are his principles. He has no resume. He has done nothing but bash the President and tout his record as a vulture capitalist which has nothing to do with being the commander in chief of the most powerful nation. Get serious. Show me your taxes Willard.
Adrift2 - you asked, " Lay some words of wisdom on me as to how Romney will address the four larger issues that you list.".....I did that.
No, we don't know Obama's plans. I asked you to give me a plan, and you haven't provided that information. All you have provided is diatribe regarding Romney.....
FAE2010, your words of wisdom are only a wish list and I'm sure everyone has written a letter to Santa Claus but that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen. You and I can easily look up Obama's accomplishments. May I suggest Google. What are Willard's accomplishments? A successful vulture capitalist. Oh ya, he bailed out the Olympics with tax payers money. He has principles if you count lying and flip flopping on every issue. Draft dodger and if that's not good enough he said he wished every day he was in Vietnam, a lie because nobody is that stupid, not even Romney. He says he's going to change the tax code but can't say what he means by that. He was for health care and then against it and now is for it and wants to improve on it. Pour more money into an already bloated military budget. Why? Guess we can look forward to more wars. Embraced Lying Ryan's draconian budget proposal and then said he has his own which can be anyones guess. Promises ten million jobs but keeps it a secret as to how he will do it. Tax dodger and possible felon. Easy to prove, show your taxes Willard. Your words of wisdom raise more questions then answers.
May I suggest google to you. I did what you asked, obviously, you can't reciprocate. Also, Biden didn't serve in the military during Vietnam either.
"Biden received five student draft deferments during this period, with the first
coming in late 1963 and the last in early 1968, at the peak of the Vietnam War. In April 1968, he was reclassified by the Selective Service System as not available for service due to having had asthma as a teenager."
I would ask you to explain the difference between Romney not serving and Biden not serving....but you will go back to your "talking points" opposed to having a conversation and HONEST debate.
Odd, I was in the army at that time....We had one guy in our company who only had one lung. He had to drop back every time we double timed to anywhere....No deferments for him... It was mostly rich peoples kids and politicians kids who automatically got deferments....It was an early deferment if you were married, so many got married. Then they took married guys...and then with kids. It was also a deferment if you were going to college, so many signed up for college...and then they drafted college kids...It seemed that you were going to be drafted unless you could get a politician to pull strings for you...and I saw that happen several times.... I decided to join up and have some say about my job in the service....I wasnt rich, I knew that there was no chance that I was not going in.... There was a democrat state senators kid, my age, that lived nearby. He certainly got his deferment. It was like he existed in another world than us regular guys.....My two brothers also got drafted...
Barack Hussein Obama ll is not an American, but an Islamic socialist. Born from a Communist mother and socialist father. Raised in Indonesia by his step-father Lolo Soetoro, then later, sent to Hawaii to live with his Communist grandparents. There, Barry Soetoro (only 10 yrs. old) was mentored by a known Communist, Frank Marshall Davis and Barry’s grandparents, until he graduated from high school.
Barry entered Occidental College as Barry Soetoro, an exchange student from Indonesia. Two years later, he enrolled @ Columbia University where Obama networks with Marxist professors/followers, black radicals and Pakistani students.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Obama meets Bill Ayers, known terrorist and co-founder of the Underground Weather. Obama is inspired by Ayers to run for public office and is supported by the “New Party”, an organization that was originally called the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Barack Obama’s 20 yr. association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright had left Obama with many political scars and enhanced Obama’s desire for social order in government.
Today, Barack Obama still claims his devotion to Islam, while mocking Christianity. President Barack Obama plans to cut military spending in half, eliminating 80% of our defense weapons, including nuclear weapons and make the US dependent of energy, especially from petroleum oil. The economy is sliding back into recession, with a good chance to hit rock bottom. If this happens, the free world, as we know it, will be devastated. It will be then when the Islamic nations take over, with the help of Russia, ending democracy.
There is a dark side of Barack Obama that separates his ideals from those who live and believe in “We the People………….”. Form your own opinion, if you like, but mine rests heavily on the future of our great nation.
May God bless America.
TopDrum, the first thing you said in your post makes you a birther so no need to read further. Get up to speed dude, even the most looniest of them all have dropped that garbage. And stop the phony,'God Bless America' BS. If you believed that you wouldn't post such tripe.
Nothing like a bunch of democrats arguing with each other over which one told the biggest lie.
Voodkokk yeah, you'll never see Republicans doing that because everything that spews from the pie holes is a lie.
They wouldn't know the truth if it bit them on the nose.
Perhaps some one can tell me the difference between raising taxes on the wealthy with no change to the tax code, and closing loop holes and not raising the tax rate. Either way it seems to me that the wealthy are going to be paying more in taxes with either plan!
why are the dems harping so much about tax returns when they should be wondering about the potus sealing all his personal info? I still have not heard a straight answer on what is obamas plans
Obama's plans...
1. Support Dream Act to be re-elected.
2. Take a vacation.
You left out some...
3. Blame someone else for everything.
4. After another failed four years, just tell everyone that it is Bushs fault and that it was much worse than you realized.
5. Tell everyone that the recovery is just around the corner and all will be great in just 9 yrs after you were first elected. Everyone will soon be rich if they just stick to the Obama plan.
6. That after 8 yrs the middle east wars will show progress and will be over in a few more years.
7. In eight years all of the middle east countries are our allies now that Israel is gone....
When someone gets laid off their credit many times takes a hit. When your credit goes down your chances of a decent job go down...which makes your credit go down further. At this point changing careers is useless and the only one's that will profit from it are the schools. Obama has done nothing to end the downward spiral.
i'm asking a question are you better off today than you were four years ago>
Well i think that we'er going to stay in this mess for many years to come. I think that we'er in a time that we need to help each other in order for us to suvive what is coming aroung our corner.
Now Mr. President, we don't have your plan either. I would like to know how you would reform the tax code? I would like to know which loop holes are you planning on eliminating? Medicare and Social Security reform, what exactly are you proposing to make them more solvent again? You have my vote b/c I can't stomach the extremism coming from the other side, now let me know I won't regret it.