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DOVER, NH -- Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan spoke of the need to encourage "self-sufficiency" amid an uproar over Mitt Romney's recently-surfaced comments about voters' dependency on government.
Brian Snyder / Reuters
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan answers a question at a campaign stop in Dover, New Hampshire September 18, 2012.
Ryan, campaigning Tuesday in New Hampshire, made an oblique reference to the controversial video publicized by the liberal magazine Mother Jones but no explicit mention of the video or its contents.
Related: Leaked video is the latest hit for Romney
The Wisconsin congressman, instead, launched into a more detailed defense of the social safety net and how he and Romney think it is important to move voters off of those programs, and guard against dependence on the government.
The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd reports on a statement that may significantly damage Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
“By promoting more dependency, by not having jobs and economic growth, people miss their potential,” Ryan said inside the McConnell Community Center. “We should not be measuring the progress of our social programs – programs like food stamps – based upon how many people receive them. We should be measuring the progress of our social programs by how many people we transition off of them into lives of self-sufficiency and jobs and upward mobility.”
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The congressman continued: “We believe in a safety net. We believe in a safety net that is there for people who truly cannot help themselves so they can live a life of dignity but we also believe in a safety net that is there for people who are down on their luck so that they can get back on their feet. We don’t want a safety net that encourages more dependency because there is no economic growth behind it because what that ends up doing is it drains people of their will and their incentive to make the most of their lives, to tap their potential, to get on their path to prosperity. That is what unfortunately is what we are seeing in the Obama economy.”
Romney himself is still wrestling with the fallout from the video, having hastily arranged a press conference last night to explain that his words caught on tape were "not elegantly stated." The former Massachusetts governor had been set to spend the day in fundraisers, but added a late afternoon interview on Fox News to his schedule today.
Stephanie Cutter, deputy campaign manager for President Obama, responds to Mitt Romney's leaked private fundraising remarks and argues President Barack Obama wants support from all Americans, not just some.
Ryan, at his first of two public events today, stood by his running mate -- making the case for how the GOP ticket would reduce the number of Americans who fall dependent on the government.
Recommended: Conservatives reaction mixed to Romney 47 percent video
“Our goal, our mission is to address the root causes of poverty instead of simply treating the symptoms of poverty. That's very critical,” Ryan said. “You see, by going after the root causes of poverty and trying to break the cycle of poverty, you need economic growth, you need job creation, you need higher take-home pay.”
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flip-flop, flip-flop , who is the greatest flip-flopper of them all. Obama has it hands down as the following will show.
Obama has raised the debt limits 3 times in 3.75 years and has asked for his fourth debt limited raise, so how does Obama feel about raising the debt limit? He tells you in this speech. Notice how he uses the word "debt" and explains its impact on our country and economy.
The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance
from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies.
And the cost of our debt is one of the fastest growing expenses in the Federal budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy, robbing our cities and States of critical investments in infrastructure like bridges, ports, and levees; robbing our families and our children of critical investments in education and health care reform; robbing our seniors of the retirement and health security they have counted on.
Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America's priorities. Instead,
interest payments are a significant tax on all Americans–a debt tax that Washington doesn't want to talk
about. If Washington were serious about honest tax relief in this country, we would see an effort to reduce our national debt by returning to responsible fiscal policies.
Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that "the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.
I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit.
Sen. Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., (Senate – March 16, 2006)
If no one else has said it:
"In all likelihood the National Debt will be paid off using money from future income, a future so distant that no one alive today will be seen paying a dime, and no one in the future will know to whom the debt is even owed."
"The National debt we borrowed from for ourselves and the National debt we will pay back to ourselves."
We run the charade of the debts and deficits as political a circus, a lengthy distracting entertainment that has cost the Unites States four full years of government salaries, a huge loss of productive time, and the utterly futile expenditure for warfare and not an ounce of prevention for the benefit of the energy dependent country. This is worse than doing nothing, because it stops us from doing anything.
billy bob philly
Since its obvious by your post that you missed the warnings in Obama's words in the above speech which are in plain English, it show somethng about you; 1. you didn't read the speech 2. You have no comprehension of the English language. 3. You are stupid.
I'm betting its number 3 as Obama clearly stated that increasing our debt weakens us internationally and domestically in the above speech and it has become a matter of fact.
There is no doubt that Obama's adding $5.9 trillion to the national debt in 3.75 years has weaken us domestically because his dept crisis made our government is unstable.
The attacks against our nation are a result of Obama's leadership making this country look weak in the international community. The entire world saw Obama almost shut our government down on August 2, 2011. That is a sign of weakness.
Hate to hurt your feelings but it was raised by Bush, 7 times. It has been raised a total of 74 times. So, it was ok for Bush to raise it, but not Obama? You are a hyprocrite.
This is just the forplay to the biggest stroking the american people have ever gotten ! this up coming election is already rigged for obama to win ! its been in the works for a long time, How can he be up in the polls when everybody I know and everybody they know and so on and so forth wants him out of office.This same sentiment about him is across the entire country, I have never seen so many negative jokes, cartoons,billboards and youtube videos about how bad the man is. The documented proof of the crap he's been pulling and the media says he's winning the popularity polls ? Give me a break ! The american people are getting the biggest F— — _ing in their lives and nobody is willing to do anything but sit back and let it happen. . . .May God help us all !!!
PAUL Ryan has always depended on the government for his job. His district needs to get him off the federal teat. Republicans in Congress don't work for a living. They have done nothing for the past two years but bite the hand that feeds them.
I thought Romney was an empty suit, now I have to rethink my theory and declare Ryan another empty suit.
The typical right wing GOP/TP posture: you have to help yourself even if you can't, because you can expect no help from us.
Of course this is the "christian" thing to do.
i really dont see why there is all this uproar about these comments. The harsh reality is that most people on disability/welfare are choosing that life. They have gotten used to it and certainly dont want to change that.
He is simply saying that IF you are able to work, we need to score ourselves on how many people we get OFF the program, not on. I know a guy who lost both legs in iraq, he could have stayed on the dole forever pretty much but he got his life back together and realized that he can still do a lot of jobs. He got a degree and works successfully now.
Hahahahaha!....Mittsy and the Repunklicans just got PUNKED!!! Aston Kutcher couldn't have done it any better. Did you guys see Mittsy 's face in that press conference...priceless! Trust me it will take years to wipe this rotten egg off of the faces of Repunklican party. I can't believe this sheet! hahahahahahahahahahah!
Oh, and all you so called repub bots bloggers, imagine how this will play out in the debates....get your popcorn ready boys and girls. It's gonna be a smash!
(Limbaugh, Rove and the rest of that thieving, racist gang heads will explode when Obama is inaugurated for a second term...priceless!!)
Amen brother. But it's hard to make people self-sufficient when we have the jobkiller-in-chief in the White House, 1200 more coal jobs gone because it's no longer feasible to mine coal for fuel due to Obama's policies.
But that's not what the statist Obama believes, he's always believed the govt should just take from the producers and give it to others regardless of their circumstances. He wants people reliant on the govt to build his party's base. Then the left has the nerve to feign indignance when it's pointed out that their base is made up largely of people dependent on govt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge3aGJfDSg4
Even Jay gets it
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/09/18/leno-obamas-encouraging-more-americans-give-looking-work-bring-down-u#ixzz26pkt6S00
Stories the lapdog media is ignoring:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/17/us-usa-egypt-warning-idUSBRE88G1HG20120917
(Obama's "foreign policy" is incompetent at best)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/17/lambasted-chinese-solar-panels-placed-on-governmen/
(where's the investigation)
http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/18/reporters-havent-asked-about-sebelius-breaking-law-in-w-h-briefings/
(where's the charges)
http://washingtonexaminer.com/80-million-hours-needed-to-tackle-obamacare-tax-rules/article/2508316#.UFiTC41lREN
(what the ?)
http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/18/emails-reveal-justice-dept-regularly-enlists-media-matters-to-spin-press/
(why hasn't these people been impeached)
billy bob fool
Yes, the host country is responsible for the safety of the invited guests. Ultimately, our govt is responsible for the safety of Americans. It is why we post the marines. To protect our peeople when the host govt fails to do so. It is the weak such as the Obama administration who tie their hands.
Fools such as you are unworthy of response but here you go simpleton:
Obama assigned the ambassadors and diplomats.
Sebelius broke the law you simple fool.
Placing you on ignore because you are just a stupid troll.
so on one hand, the repubs think we pay too many taxes, but obviously they really think that only the wealthy pay too many taxes and the poor should pay more taxes. I guess you can have it both ways! By the way, repubs don't have a monopoly on "personal responsibility" or "self sufficiency" as they would have us believe, actually, registered repubs have a higher rate of unemployment than dems, on a personal note, my only repub sibling (I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters) is the only one of us who has filed bankruptcy, the rest of us hand wringing liberals have managed to earn our own keep all these years. Ironically, he was always the one screaming (as repubs tend to do) about "personal responsibility". Of course, now he blames Obama for losing his job, not the fact that he lived way beyond his means.
Don't believe the lies!!
Where are they getting this poll? Ask any of the 15% of all americans that are on food stamps, any of the 8.1% unemployed americans, or any americans who've lost their house if they feel better off than 4 years ago....what a bogus report!!!!
Obama lies and lies to get elected and does NOTHING to help americans!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where are they getting this poll? Ask any of the 15% of all americans that are on food stamps, any of the 8.1% unemployed americans, or any americans who've lost their house if they feel better off than 4 years ago....what a bogus report!!!!
Obama lies and lies to get elected and does NOTHING to help americans!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A synonym for self-reliant in this context would be selfish. I am amazed when these Value Voters sound so unchristian.
By self-suffiency does Mr. Ryan mean contributing the maximum to a pension for 20 years then being completely screwed over because the company went bankrupt but not before raiding the pension funds?
To make this situation even better the owner then re-opened the company under a new name with mostly the same management in place. The company then began a brand new practice of offering it's old employees jobs at close to half of what they were previously paid. If the person turned the job down the person would be reported to the unemployment office and in some cases lose their benefits. But wait, it gets even better. Those that did accept the jobs would be allowed to work between 85 - 89 days then be laid off. Guess what?!?! The states unemployment laws say a person must work 90 consecutive days to qualify for benenfits.
Please keep in mind the owner kept his mansion. Kept his vacation homes. Kept his luxury cars etc.
For the rest of us? We got 10 cents on the dollar. Self-suffiency my A$$ Mr. Ryan !!!!!!!!!!!
Ryan and Romney aren't trashing the economy, but Oboma is....
Another infamous record for Obama....
"The United States’ reputation as home to one of the world’s freest economies continues to decline, according to an international report released Tuesday.
The U.S. dropped to 18th worldwide, compared to 10th in 2008 and third from 1980 to 2000, the 2012 Economic Freedom of the World report found.
“The U.S. is on the wrong track,” said co-author James Gwartney, a Florida State University economics professor."
And there are soooo many people, wallmart greeters, who work several jobs, but have too many children and dependents to pay any taxes. They can cling to their guns & religion but will be taken to the wood shed financially. Mr grover, the gop, the rushbo, & foxnews.com including the romney man intend to raise their taxes, cut their food stamps, medical care, housing allowances, everything the safety net provides them. Everything. The tea party motto - the rich get richer, the poor poorer. The romney man made it clear. The 47% who pay no income taxes have been written off as obama voters. And after the election mr grover, the gop, the rushbo, & foxnews.com & the tea party intends to exploit them some more.
To balance the entire federal budget on their shoulders. While the poor cling to their guns & religion. Mr grover, the gop, the rushbo, & foxnews.com including the romney man enact a govt by the coal & oil kocks, of the kocks, & for the kocks. And that govt of the people & for the people shall perish from the earth. Watch the kock parade video again
http://october2011.org/blogs/kevin-zeese/lone-protester-faces-down-bill-koch-owned-tank-colorado-4th-july-parade
And look who is standing in front of the lead tank. A small businessman hair dresser, tianamen ted, carrying a sign about how the kocks are buying democracy.
It's why the romeny man wants to give vouchers to those on social security & medicare. So that he can stop the spending on the programs and lower taxes on the upper 1% more as he is proposing. It's the only way romney will balance his budget since he wants to continue spending on defense at a level of the rest of the world combined. To secure more oil fields in the middle east. Libya & iran.
And the romney man's ideas are the same as the tea partier's whose approval of the house & senate is at 8%. The clint man told you what you need to do. The tea party members are not doing their jobs. The lowest productivity for a congress ever. Their motto - no compromise ... my way or the highway. You need to give the tea party members in the house & senate their walking papers too. Help obama. Save yourselves.
Where are they getting this poll? Ask any of the 15% of all americans that are on food stamps, any of the 8.1% unemployed americans, or any americans who've lost their house if they feel better off than 4 years ago....what a bogus report!!!!
Obama lies and lies to get elected and does NOTHING to help americans!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Want a crying towel?
"Do Nothing" Career Congressman Ryan has been sucking on the Taxpayers Teat since day one!
Self sufficiency! That's right every man for himself. Just because your Mom has a stroke is no reason to help her out. She needs to take care of herself.
Paul Ryan said in a video 3 years ago that he absolutely agreed with the morals and philosophy of Ayn Rand, a bitter Russian athiest, who said that the MIDDLE class and POOR are LEECHES on capitalism. She believed in every person for him/herself..no matter who it hurts. She HATED social security and medicare, but, like ALL hypocrites, she used it before the end of her life, because she was POOR. Ryan says in the video that he requires ALL his people who work for him, to read her book. This is the way the tea party republicans ALSO believe. Apparantly, Mitt Romney thinks so also. I dread to think of the damage these two...together with republicon congressmen will do to the hard working people who have paid all those taxes their entire lives only to have it taken from them and given to millionaires...thats the heck of it...it wont even go for the deficit. Should we stand by and let this group of athiests (sorry to you decent ones) do this to the American people?
The picture of Ryan shows a bunch of crazy white people behind him that look like they belong in a mental institution. Can't they find some crazy blacks and crazy Asians and crazy American Indians to diversify the picture or are the only crazy people white people. Being white, I'm offended by that picture.
ludvig - And Lyin Ryan looks like that little monkey that the guy stuck in his pants trying to smuggle it into the US
Lyin Ryan a true MARSUPIAL - bulging eyes and all
Oops a Marsupial is a kangaroo - oh well that little monkey spelled Ryan all over him - bulging eyes - grasping fingers - and vacant stare
...lying Ryan speaking to a bunch of retards, Alzheimer patients, hillbillies, hicks, white supremacists....
I bet, some of them are Coo Coo's Clowns !
What else do you expect from the other half of the duo of Village Idiots, Liar Romney and Lyin Ryan. They need to go bankrupt so they can see how the middle and poor class live, or TRY to live on a day to day basis. Romney is totally against anyone except for the filthy rich. You vote for him you deserve to lose one way or the other, so think before you vote.
O&Joe 2012
With Ryan we have moved from "A chicken in every pot" to "A voucher in every wrinkled hand" His plan to replace Medicare with vouchers that seniors can attempt to redeem gets little mention in his travels. Nor does his long held crusade to make Social Security voluntary. Ryan is the seniors' boogeyman.
Oh yeah, the banks got theirs, the mortgage
companies got theirs, the credit card companies got
theirs, Detroit got theirs, the insurance companies
are getting theirs, in fact every mother's son who
gave to Obama's campaign has lined up and gotten
theirs, and now, it's the Union's turn.
Four more years, of cleaning America out.
First the teachers, then nurses, then policemen.
then firemen, then custodians down to the United
Widget cleaners of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory
are gonna line up at the Obama Whitehouse and get
theirs. You heard of date rape? Bend over America,
you ain't seen nothing like Democrat rape.
Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan spoke of the need to encourage "self-sufficiency" amid an uproar over Mitt Romney's recently-surfaced comments about voters' dependency on government.
Ryan inserts his foot again.
If he wants America to be self sufficent and less dependant on the government then why is he running as the Vice President the second highest seat in the nation?
Being that high up in the government means that he wants America to be dependant upon him.
Ryan is a spin doctor. Spinning everything around in your head to keep you confused so that he can simply take your wallet from your back pocket to feed his desires.
Romney and Ryan are free loaders.
The ony reason that Ryan worked at McDonalds was to lure such workers to his side during and election.
Gather information on people and what they do when using the Free Wifi service so that he can then hand such information off to Romney so that lists can be built about those who do not attend church so such people can be made to pay more money so that Romney and the GOP can keep their profits up.
“Our goal, our mission is to address the root causes of poverty instead of simply treating the symptoms of poverty. That's very critical,” Ryan said. “You see, by going after the root causes of poverty and trying to break the cycle of poverty, you need economic growth, you need job creation, you need higher take-home pay.”
So...with their policy of 'trickle-down economics' how do they propose to get to the root cause of poverty? And...didn't the President propose a Jobs Bill to create more jobs, but the Republican controlled House has blocked it?
They can't argue that the President has not accomplished something if the reason it hasn't been accomplished was due to a filibuster. I have yet to hear the Republicans say that the President's Jobs Bill would not create jobs.
It's time for the Republicans to quit stalling and work to create jobs. Finally, they should NOT be rewarded with votes if they REFUSE to do their part. They haven't done anything to help the 99% in the past 4 years, in fact, they've done everything they could to destroy us.
I am senior with social security and medicare. My wife and I worked hard all our lives.We were not born with a silver spoon. We took responsibility for our lives. We earned our benefits. Yes, we count on social security to supplement our other income. We are NOT, I repeat NOT victims. Romney just doesn't get it. He seems to live on another planet.