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Subscribe to RSSPolitico: “It isn’t the chair or the ho-hum convention. Or the leaked video. Or Stuart Stevens. Or the improving economy. Or media bias. Or distorted polls. Or the message. Or Mormonism. It’s Mitt.
“With Republicans everywhere wondering what has happened to the Mitt Romney campaign, people who know the candidate personally and professionally offer a simple explanation: It’s the candidate himself. Slowly and reluctantly, Republicans who love and work for Romney are concluding that for all his gifts as a leader, businessman and role model, he’s just not a good political candidate in this era.”
Hotline’s Reid Wilson: “If Romney does lose this year, blame will quickly shift to the Republican presidential nominee himself, his shortcomings, and his ability to articulate a conservative vision for the country. And the fallout from a Romney loss has the potential to reverberate through the Republican Party for a decade… One can imagine the thought process: Romney, the moderate Massachusetts flip-flopper, was insufficiently clear in articulating the views of the conservative movement and allowed his own shortcomings to distract from the cause, both of beating Obama and of advancing the agenda.”
More: “If Republicans do lurch to the right, history suggests they will be vindicated in the near-term. The mid-term election under a second-term president is typically disastrous for the incumbent party as the six-year itch takes effect. Even if Republicans can't win back the Senate this year, their chances against the Democrats swept in by the Obama wave in 2008 will be strong. By 2016, Republicans searching for a presidential nominee may incorporate two lessons from the previous two election cycles into their decision: 2012 will hint that moderates unable to articulate the most conservative vision can't win nationally, and 2014 will show conservatives can win.”
“His path to victory narrowing, Mitt Romney is looking to Pennsylvania to help slow President Barack Obama’s momentum ahead of a high-stakes meeting on the debate stage next week,” AP writes. “The Republican presidential nominee was to campaign Friday in the Philadelphia area, first courting donors at a high-dollar fundraiser and then meeting voters at a midday rally. Fresh off a promise to spend more time in the swing states that matter most, Romney will pass much of the day in a state that has not supported a Republican presidential candidate in nearly a quarter-century. His campaign is not running any television ads in Pennsylvania, and aides privately concede that Obama has a significant advantage just 40 days before Election Day. They suggest that Romney’s visit — his first to the state in more than two months — is largely designed to raise the money needed to narrow Obama’s edge in more competitive states.”
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Lurch to the right???
You mean the republicons haven't already done that?
Any more "lurching" and they"ll only have the Adams Family as supporters.
shocker! It took them this long to figure this one out?
"....for all his gifts as a leader..."? Are you kidding me? Mr. Romney seems to be unable to get out of the box he has created for himself. What makes anyone think he can lead others?
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
While Willard Mitt Romney may not be the most eloquent of speakers, it is not just the speaker, but the message itself that is causing the Republican party to lose.
Whether it is Todd Akin, Rush Limbaugh, or Paul Ryan, the nation is very much aware that the Republican does not show women the respect women deserve.
The recent vote in the US Senate demonstrating that the GOP does not respect its veterans.
The budget being advanced by the GOP and written by Paul Ryan showing the GOP has no respect for senior citizens, the poor, the disabled and students.
The GOP let itself be taken over by the Tea Party crazies who really are intent on destroying the government of the United States. As a direct result of trying to appeal to that group, Mitt Romney has fully stated what that group stands for, and the consequences are obvious.
President Reagan may have been right, a government which fails to serve the people is the problem. It is time to remove the GOP from control of the House and turn the Congress over to people who actually want to govern.
This is how our divider in chief gets his votes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio
He lies all the time...
It’s not that I dislike Mitt Romney, it’s just, well geese…
Flip…Mitt Romney said…The Middle East will "remain an unsolved problem... and we will kick that ball down the field". He dismissed Israel's concerns about Iran as mere "noise" that he prefers to "block out." And at a time when Israel needs America to stand with it, he declined to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Flop…At the Fox News Google debate in September of 2011, Governor Romney was asked how he would address the middle east given the new realities in the region. He answered that the first action should be to ensure that everyone knows that the US will stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and not let any light be shown between the two of you.
Flip…Mitt Romney said…"There are 47% who are with him(Obama)” (lower income families, elderly, veterans, disabled Americans) who are dependent upon government,” Mr Romney said in the video that his role "is not to worry about those people”.
Flop…“It’s not those at the low end and it’s certainly not for those at the very high end. It’s for the great middle class, the 80 to 90 percent of us in this country.”
Flip…Mitt Romney said…”I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country, and you will never see me wavering on that”.
Flop…"I believe people understand that I'm firmly pro-life.
Flipity-Flop…“When I am asked if I am pro-choice or pro-life, I say I refuse to accept either label.
Flip/Flop/Flip…On stem cell research…‘Look, you don’t have to think about this stem cell research as a moral issue, because we kill the embryos after 14 days.’
Flip…Mitt Romney said…“The middle class should not be expecting a cut in taxes because I'm also going to lower deductions and exemptions,”
Flop…“My own view with regards to tax policy is that we ought to provide help to the people that have been hurt most by the Obama economy, and that’s the middle class.”
Flip…Mitt Romney said… Millionaire Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday that he was seeking better tax policies for people in the middle class like himself.
Fact…The former Massachusetts governor has a net worth estimated at 250 million dollars.
Flip…“I think I’m best off to describe my own positions. And my positions, I think I’ve just described for you – secure the border, employment verification and no special pathway to citizenship.”
Flop…Mitt Romney said illegal immigrants should have a chance to obtain citizenship.”
Flipity Flop…Mitt actually employed a contractor, of whom had 5 illegal immigrants working at his site, on his own ranch.
Flip…Gov. Mitt Romney (R) signed a bill Wednesday (4-12-06) requiring all Massachusetts residents to purchase health insurance.
Flop…He’s now a critic of his own biggest achievement.
Worth Repeating…
Flip…Mitt Romney said… Millionaire Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday that he was seeking better tax policies for people in the middle class like himself.
Fact…The former Massachusetts governor has a net worth estimated at 250 million dollars.
Mitt’s last words before killing of Osama Bin Laden…”It’s not worth moving heaven and earth just trying to catch one man.”
Mitt’s first words after killing of Osama Bin Laden…”Of course I would have given that order, even Jimmy Carter would’ve given that order.”
On second thought, I do dislike this man.
Dog abusers are not "role models."
Dog eaters are not role models.
Hi Parent,
Isn't it what you used to do when you were in the low level areas of P-V: eating dogs? Go get your guitar, man and celebrate OBAMA-BIDEN incoming victory.
If Romney loses, the Republicans will, indeed, turn on him and blame him personally for that loss. They will say that he was too moderate or too inept or that it was voter fraud or whatever (In fact, they've already begun to do so, making excuses and looking for someone or something to blame). For some reason, they can't seem to fathom that perhaps it's their ideas that people don't like, ideas that favor extremely wealthy white men (and the corporations that they control) to the detriment of the vast majority of working and middle class people. Perhaps it's just that voters are tired of Republican politicians who stubbornly and blindly support the interests of their party (and the billionaires that pay for the majority of its ads) over country, their constituents, and EVERYTHING else. Or perhaps it's just that people are tired of what the Republican party has wrought--ill-advised and trumped-up wars, an economy in shambles after a decade of deregulation for Wall Street tycoons, and no progress on climate control whatsoever, not to mention their narrow-minded social agendas.
.... "if" ? .... not a question of if ... he is going to lose and its his own fault ...
---- flip flops
---- lies
---- 47% - throws veterans, gramma/grampa, hardworking peeps under the bus
---- dogs on the car roof
---- open plane windows
---- flip flops
---- harvesting votes
---- cayman island funds, swiss bank funds, IDIGIT funds
---- just plain out of touch with us regular folks ...
MITT - NONE, DONE, GONE
OBAMA 2012
You've got it all wrong. I'm not sure WHO decided to withhold details of Mitt's plans from voters, but any Republican candidate would have to do so. The only candidate who might have been able to campaign mostly on plans for solutions (and less on criticizing the other guy) was Huntsman, and Daniels had he run - BUT neither of these was nutty enough to gain attention of the GOP circus-goers during the primary - and few candidates could outlast Mitt's money. Blame the GOP and the rightwingnuts for turning their party into an ineffective bunch of sideshow acts - they'll have to implode, throw the radical base to the side, and move toward the center to get anywhere. The MAIN problem is the GOP wants to cut taxes for their high enders and that's not going to help the economy at this point - normal voters can see this, rightwingnuts don't care.
I agree with you chris87654.
Wages for the middleclass have been stagnant for over a decade, even as we have seen executive salaries triple (at least) and hear about bonuses paid to managers in failed businesses, not to mention the fact, fired CEOs get golden parachutes with their pink slips.
The 14% Romney paid in federal taxes is emblematic of something very wrong in our country. I think many of us feel that the 1%ers are rigging the system to protect themselves, even in face of failure. Businesses made bad decisions, tanked the economy, and CEOS's still got bonuses? It goes against free market principles.
Most interesting is how GOP peons whined about bailouts (loans) and TARP etc but they don't want those who benefit from them to pay 3-5% extra tax, and now (under Mitt's plan) they are willing to subsidize more high-end tax cuts under the threadbare promise that if we give high-enders another $250K/year tax cut they will FINALLY have enough money to start creating jobs on Main Street. Any non-GOP idiot knows no one will get hired until demand makes it profitable to increase labor/production, and that savings from these tax cuts end up on Wall Street earning lower taxed dividends and cap gains. Mitt is lucky that most of his supporters (the non-1-2%ers) are too emotional to care about numbers and facts, but it's still not enough to win a general election.
late to reply to you, but, once again, I agree.
When the middleclass has more money in it's pockets, then demand for consumer goods goes up. When you give extra money to the 1%, they hardly notice.
Mittnoid is an old disaster - Ryan is a young disaster. Where will they go....back to the future? Newt, The Booty Hunter?
Personally I blame the right wing individuals in every state that voted for him in their Primary. Also for the Republican National Committee for not putting a stronger candidate up against the President. Don't get me wrong - I am voting for President Obama.
However - if people are looking to blame someone they only have to look in the mirror if they supported him. Not a strong candidate, doesn't have a strong message, doesn't have any true core values that relates to the working middle class in Amercia. It truly feels like he just wants to be President for the title not to actually help anyone.
He shouldn't be afraid to stick his neck out for what he believes. That is where the President has one up on him. Yes - you may not agree with his policies - but atleast he got them passed or implemented - ACA, Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, in favor of Gay Marriage, Fair Pay Act, and so on.
Voted for Mitt? As opposed to who? Santorum? Gingrich?
You can't blame the voters for picking the bologna when the other options are all rat-meat. Romney was clearly their best candidate, and the fact that he is losing so badly is just proof that the problem isn't only the candidate, it's the party.
The party is too radical, too extreme, too illogical. The Tea Party is pushing the Republican party off the ideological cliff and into the chasm of irrelevancy.
That's where the party is, but I honestly don't think that's where most Republican voters are. That the John McCains and Mitt Romneys win their presidential nominations shows that, on a national scale, Republicans do not embrace the extremism of the modern conservative Tea Party movement.
The question is whether the party establishment and the plutocrats that back it will decide to change things. Will they realize that the Tea Party is a damaged brand and that social conservatives have cost their guy a chance at the presidency and make moves to address that? Or will they take the opposite tack, say, "Mitt wasn't a true conservative, and that's why he lost" and go even harder right? If they choose the latter, it's bad news for the party, which I could live with if they didn't risk destroying the nation as collateral damage.
The party has gone over to the extremists and the corporations.
A moderate, like Jon Huntsman, did not have a chance.
Maybe if the party really, really gets smacked down, then it will return to the center once occupied by the likes of Dwight Eisenhower and even Richard Nixon. The time for the politicians who are anti-women, anti-poor, anti-veterans, anti-government being in charge is over. It is time to elect people who want to govern for all of the people, not rule for a few.
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower in a letter to his brother Edgar, November 8, 1954
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron."
-- Dwight Eisenhower, April 16, 1953
It's not Mitt, it's the media. The media created Mitt by convincing him and the voters that Mitt is, " a gifted leader, businessman and role model, but he’s just not a good political candidate in this era.” Willard has proven over and over he's a media created card board cutout that is not a gifted leader, businessman or role model. All his life Willard has just been a figure head to do what ever his rich masters tell him to do. Ryan's the same way, a media created politician with no substance. Sorry media the voters won't fall for another media created politician like George W. Bush. As Bush tried to say once, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". As Bush said "fool me once shame on ah ah ah, fool me twice well you can't get fooled again". This is what the media thinks is an intellect.
The problem is Rove. He developed a base that turned into a monster. They have a significant number of votes and influence within the GOP but are only a LOUD minority in a general election. The GOP paraded a host of political sideshows during the primary and they ended up with Mitt. Had they been normal, the GOP might have listened to solutions by people like Huntsman and Daniels, but they called these people RINOs. Palin was responsible for stirring up this base and creating a split between normal Republicans. Remember that many people once thought Palin could be a good president, and they nominated Christine O'Donnell in the primary. The problem is with the GOP itself. They are divided, and win or lose, will be back at each others throats when the election's over (if win - which is doubtful - it will be over federal cuts and financial burdens getting dumped on states... if they lose, we'll see new levels in the Blame Game). The rightwingnuts need to splinter off and get their own party (on their own planet really.. maybe a moon colony) and normal Republicans need to start thinking about benefiting the country instead of just their high-end contributors - a strong economy is built from the middle class up, not by having the "haves" squeeze them for all they can grab (high-enders and corporations are sitting on mountains of cash now - they won't hire anyone until demand increases).
The problem is the vicious haters and the Lamestream media who won't let the clowns slide when they shovel BS and evade relevant questions. If everyone blindly followed Republicans like the good, doe-eyed minions, Mitt might win by a landslide.
Has msnbc sought verification for its altered video of Romney versus Ryan campaign stop in Ohio?
JJ , Politics is a CURRENT event, it changes daily..
Micro-soft (MS) LEFT NBC almost a MONTH AGO...
IF you desire to maintain any semblance of character here...
you NEED to learn that MSNBC died...
to continue to refer to this site in the way you do only debases YOU.
& colors everyones perception, of a person who cannot stay abreast of the times .
PLEASE try to stay current if you expect respect here !
Has msnbc as yet verified the authenticity of the video from a Romney/Ryan campaign event in Ohio that was used on Morning Joe this am?
No America! Instead it is 'Romulian Romney!' The GOP/RNC "Speculator and Chief," who does not believe in representing all of America. It is the GOP/RNC "Poltical Flip-Flopper" who has NO clue of what staying on task means, and has NO specifics concerning his polticies. It is the GOP/RNC "War Hawk and Chief" who believes strongly in the "Brainless Bush Doctrine." It is the GOP/RNC "Bain Trained" Speculator that has invested in China on outsourcing American Jobs, and investing in Chinese Industry. It is the GOP/RNC "Social Intervert" that likes to speak the truth only in quiet rooms where expensive dinners are held. It is the "Deregulator and Chief" who will destroy all financial regulations. Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! The Party of NO has got to GO!
Romney is the reason that he is losing:
1) His records are not impressive
2) His tax returns are unknown
3) He only supports the wealthy
4) His arguments about Obama can't be proved
5) His running mate can't help him get more votes (Santorum or Ron Paul could be better choices)
6) His frequent fumbles
7) He does look like a reguar guy (he can't help it)
He may be a "good guy", but just not in touch with the majority of the country.
Why not use the money that would be given to billionaires by that tax break to hire people directly by the government. That way unemployment would go down, there would be money to buy things increasing the demand ,by the private sector to hire more people, which would produce more people with money to buy more stuff and so on.
Unemployment would not go down. There needs to be something to connect the goverment jobs to the private sector. We are still in a recession, only because a greater evil had to be thwarted, depression. Now we need a boost, something to kick it all back in gear. I just don't see the answer in Romney's so called plan. I don't even see much of a plan.
Everyone is complaining about Mitts taxes - take a look - why complain about what the law allows? I don't like anymore that anyone else but if it's allowed by the law then I'd jump on it too! And before you jump all over me - check it out first!
I watched last night and yeah - a lot of Mitt's stuff made sense. Why not check it out I said - so I am - lots of interesting reading, hard to swallow being that I'm a Democrat but facts are facts - can't argue with that.
In the United States of America, individuals and corporations pay income tax on the net total of all their capital gains just as they do on other sorts of income. Capital gains are generally taxed at a preferential rate in comparison to ordinary income (26 U.S.C. §1(h)). The amount an investor is taxed depends on both his or her tax bracket, and the amount of time the investment was held before being sold. Short-term capital gains are taxed at the investor's ordinary income tax rate and are defined as investments held for a year or less before being sold. Long-term capital gains, which are gains on dispositions of assets held for more than one year, are taxed at a lower rate than short-term gains. In 2003, this rate was reduced to 15%, and to 5% for individuals in the lowest two income tax brackets. The reduced 15% tax rate on qualified dividends and long term capital gains, previously scheduled to expire in 2008, was extended through 2010 as a result of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 signed into law by President George W. Bush. This was extended through 2012 in legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama on Dec 17, 2010. As a result: