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Subscribe to RSSThe presidential race heated up as Mitt Romney continued his assault of President Obama's record in Florida, saying that a 7.8 percent unemployment rate is nothing to celebrate. NBC's Ron Mott reports.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Mitt Romney concluded a three-day Florida campaign swing with one of his largest crowds of the campaign season packing a town square to hear his retooled stump speech, which now highlights the sometimes-rigid candidate's personal side.
"Now I’m optimistic – I want you to know that great days are ahead," Romney said Sunday before more than 10,000 supporters. "I know something about great human beings in this country. It’s that that gives me the confidence that our future will be so bright, because I’ve seen how Americans respond to challenge – and even to tragedy."
Romney then repeated three tales of courage in the face of death and tragedy that he debuted days ago in this critical battleground state.
The stories, told in succession, have quickly become a staple of Romney's stump speech and are designed to highlight the candidate's personal compassion.
One story even makes note of Romney's time as a pastor of a Massachusetts ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – a period once all but off limits for Romney, who rarely spoke of his Mormon religion in the early months of the campaign.
“I was serving as a pastor in my congregation at church and the – young fellow in our ward named David Oparowski, his parents from Medford, Massachusetts – his dad a firefighter, his mom a stay at home mom. They raised their two sons. But at age 14, David contracted leukemia and became very, very ill," Romney said. "It was clear that there was no good conclusion to this leukemia."
Romney ends the story of David's untimely death with a recitation of the phrase: "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose," borrowed from the NBC’s high school football drama, "Friday Night Lights." That phrase, with the "can't lose" removed, also appeared in a campaign fundraising email from Ann Romney on Sunday.
The former Massachusetts governor also hit all five points of his economic plan. He also noted that his plan would protect Medicare for current seniors and reform it for the future.
Given the heated battle for the senior vote here in Florida, the Obama campaign quickly fired back on Medicare reform.
"Mitt Romney would turn Medicare into a voucher program and increase costs for retirees by more than $6,000,” Obama campaign spokesperson Lis Smith said in a statement. “The truth hurts – especially for the middle class families who would suffer under Romney’s policies.”
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The Governor has class our president is crass in his misrepresentations of facts.
Sweet Home Chicago Obama. Sing it baby!
Joe Biden had five differments between 1963 and 1968.
Is he a draft dodger too?
jobsbill - another prevaricator just like your hero Obama. Romney was reclassified 1A and eligible for the draft in 1969. He dodged nothing you liar.
He was lucky enough not to have his number come up in the draft lottery.
Publius, America should never have went into Viet Nam in the first place. The Ellsberg Papers, which were Pentagon inside documents, proved without doubt that Americans were being systematically lied to and told that we were winning when we were actually losing that war. This was high treason at its worst, treason that no one in government was ever prosecuted for.
Now, just why (if true) Joe Biden chose to avoid the draft during those Viet Nam years, why he did so we'll probably never know but I suspicion that he, like so many other "thinking" young Americans of the 60's saw the war as the result of the over active imaginings of the Republican Far Right lugnuts and a war not only immoral but a totally unnecessary one!
So which mitt is it this week. the man makes me ill!
Hilarious. I imagine you would be ill after that debate.
Did that lying SOB get interpersonal with the 47% he insulted and changed his tune numerous times......Listen up America... Gov. Romney will tell us surmountable amount of LIES just to get into the White House to pursue the 1% REPUBLICAN EXTREMIST TEA PARTY AGENDA.......THEY DOES NOT CARE A RATS BEHIND ABOUT NOBODY.......
VOTE EARLY
FORWARD
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
And if your a democrat, you can vote often even if your dead.
Obama sure di not in his speech a while ago when he called out the bible thumpin, gun totin middle america. you libs can have him.
If Gov Romney, thinks, telling us.... when I'm President... "the cow jump over moon"....without giving us some SPECIFICS HOW THIS COW JUMP OVER THE MOON...... GOING TO GET HIM INTO THE WHITE HOUSE HE IS IN FOR A RUDE AWAKENING.....
Why doesn't Romney run on his time as Mass Governor? Oops forgot he screwed that up! Then go with Bain, oops again outsourcing king wont work. Then the Olympics oops spent more then the last 10 Olympics , Darn nothing else to run on lololololol
Did you even see the debate??? He mentioned it in nearly every answer.
Why doesn't President Obama run on HIS record?
Record unemployment.
Record debt.
Record deficits.
Record foodstamp recipients.
Hey FOX hows things going over there on Bull$^&$ mountain?
PBO did not fix the mess that the GOP left fast enough for you I see lololololololololo
47%
Taxes
Facts
Honesty
The last Retardican in the White House
Need I say more?
Obama/Biden 2012 - like America's future and your children's lives depend on it, because they do!
47%? Are you referring to those who don't pay income taxes that are clamoring for the 53% to pay MORE?
Taxes? I still haven't figured out if Obama believes taxcuts are good or evil. He railed against the Bush taxcuts so hard and then signed an extension of them. He talked about "tweaking" SS to make it stronger, and yet cut SS taxes.
Facts? I wonder if President Obama has ever seen a fact that he didn't try to manipulate!
Honesty? Don't get started on President Obama's broken promises!
If you want a better life for yourself, your children, your gran-and great-grandchildren, you better vote for someone who just might have a little fiscal sanity instilled in him. That would automatically rule out President Obama--the President who gets to operate without a budget!
This is what the "Thief in Chief", plans to rob meidicare to pay for his Obamacare.
According to the CBO:
A $260 billion payment cut for hospital services.
A $39 billion payment cut for skilled nursing services.
A $17 billion payment cut for hospice services.
A $66 billion payment cut for home health services.
A $33 billion payment cut for all other services.
A $156 billion cut in payment rates in Medicare Advantage (MA); $156 billion is before considering interactions with other provisions.
The House Ways and Means Committee was able to include interactions with other provisions, estimating the cuts to MA to be even higher, coming in at $308 billion. $56 billion in cuts for disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments.* DSH payments go to hospitals that serve a large number of low-income patients. $114 billion in other provisions pertaining to Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP* (does not include coverage-related provisions.)
Obama is a thief and liar.
The Theif in Chief takes from the middle-class. What a horrible liar Obama is. Read the 2700 pages, it is full of hidden taxes. is an abbreviated list of taxes on families and businesses introduced by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), known as Obamacare, totalling more than $500 billion over the next ten years as prepared by the Americans for Tax Reform:
Excise taxes on charitable hospitals ($50,000 per hospital if they do not meet HHS criteria of "community health assessment needs," billing and collection," and "financial assistance" (PPACA, 2010, pp. 1,961-1,971)
Codify "economic substance doctrine" (IRS will not allow any legal deductions or tax-minimizing plans because it lacks "substance" and is intended to reduce taxes owed); this is a tax increase of $4.5 billion (Bill Reconciliation Act, 2010, pp. 108-113)
"Black liquor" tax on a special bio-fuel (Bill Reconciliation Act, 2010, p. 105)
Tax on innovating drug companies (PPACA, 2010, p. 1,971-1,980)
Blue Cross/Blue Shield Tax Increase (PPACA, 2010, p. 2,004)
Ten percent tax on indoor tanning (PPACA, 2010, pp. 2,397-2,399)
Medicine cabinet tax disallows Americans to use health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, or health reimbursement pre-tax money to buy over the counter medicines except insulin (PPACA, 2011, pp. 1,957-1,959)
HSA Withdrawal tax hike from 10 to 20 percent (PPACA, 2011, p. 1,959)
Employer reporting of insurance on W-2 forms, taxing health benefits on individual tax returns (PPACA, 2012, p. 1,957)
Surtax on investment income for families that make at least $250,000 or $200,00 single (Bill Reconciliation Act, 2013, pp. 87-93)
Medicare payroll tax increase (PPACA, Reconciliation Act, 2013, pp. 2,000-2,003, pp. 87-93)
A 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device manufacturers (PPACA, 2013, pp. 1,980-1,986)
Medical expenses can be itemized if they exceed 10 percent, no longer the previous 7.5 percent, resulting in fewer people being able to itemize (PPACA, 2013, pp. 1,994-1,995)
Flexible spending account cap of $2,500 which is now unlimited (PPACA, 2013, pp. 2,388-2,389)
Eliminate tax deductions for employer-provided retirement prescription drug coverage in coordination with Medicare Part D (PPACA, 2013, p. 1,994)
Limit of $500,000 annual executive compensation for health insurance executives (PPACA, 2013, pp. 1,995-2,000)
Individual mandate excise tax starting in 2014 if a person does not buy a "qualifying" health insurance, 1 percent in 2014, 2 percent in 2015, 2.5 percent in 2016; exempted are hardship cases as determined by HHS, religious objectors, undocumented immigrants, prisoners, those earning less than the poverty line, members of Indian tribes (PPACA, 2014, pp. 317-337)
Employer mandated tax, non-deductible of $2,000 per employee if the employer does not offer health coverage and at least one employee qualifies for a health tax credit; if an employee receives coverage through the government exchange, the employer penalty for that employee increases to $3,000 (PPACA, 2014, pp. 345-346)
Tax on health insurers based on premiums collected per year (PPACA, 2014, pp. 1,986-1,993 (this all but forces employers to stop offering insurance, forcing their employees onto the government exchanges)
40 percent excise tax on comprehensive health insurance plans or "Cadillac plans" (PPACA, 2018, pp. 1,941-1,956)
The Theif in Chief takes from the middle-class. What a horrible liar Obama is. Read the 2700 pages, it is full of hidden taxes. is an abbreviated list of taxes on families and businesses introduced by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), known as Obamacare, totalling more than $500 billion over the next ten years as prepared by the Americans for Tax Reform:
Excise taxes on charitable hospitals ($50,000 per hospital if they do not meet HHS criteria of "community health assessment needs," billing and collection," and "financial assistance" (PPACA, 2010, pp. 1,961-1,971)
Codify "economic substance doctrine" (IRS will not allow any legal deductions or tax-minimizing plans because it lacks "substance" and is intended to reduce taxes owed); this is a tax increase of $4.5 billion (Bill Reconciliation Act, 2010, pp. 108-113)
"Black liquor" tax on a special bio-fuel (Bill Reconciliation Act, 2010, p. 105)
Tax on innovating drug companies (PPACA, 2010, p. 1,971-1,980)
Blue Cross/Blue Shield Tax Increase (PPACA, 2010, p. 2,004)
Ten percent tax on indoor tanning (PPACA, 2010, pp. 2,397-2,399)
Medicine cabinet tax disallows Americans to use health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, or health reimbursement pre-tax money to buy over the counter medicines except insulin (PPACA, 2011, pp. 1,957-1,959)
HSA Withdrawal tax hike from 10 to 20 percent (PPACA, 2011, p. 1,959)
Employer reporting of insurance on W-2 forms, taxing health benefits on individual tax returns (PPACA, 2012, p. 1,957)
Surtax on investment income for families that make at least $250,000 or $200,00 single (Bill Reconciliation Act, 2013, pp. 87-93)
Medicare payroll tax increase (PPACA, Reconciliation Act, 2013, pp. 2,000-2,003, pp. 87-93)
A 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device manufacturers (PPACA, 2013, pp. 1,980-1,986)
Medical expenses can be itemized if they exceed 10 percent, no longer the previous 7.5 percent, resulting in fewer people being able to itemize (PPACA, 2013, pp. 1,994-1,995)
Flexible spending account cap of $2,500 which is now unlimited (PPACA, 2013, pp. 2,388-2,389)
Eliminate tax deductions for employer-provided retirement prescription drug coverage in coordination with Medicare Part D (PPACA, 2013, p. 1,994)
Limit of $500,000 annual executive compensation for health insurance executives (PPACA, 2013, pp. 1,995-2,000)
Individual mandate excise tax starting in 2014 if a person does not buy a "qualifying" health insurance, 1 percent in 2014, 2 percent in 2015, 2.5 percent in 2016; exempted are hardship cases as determined by HHS, religious objectors, undocumented immigrants, prisoners, those earning less than the poverty line, members of Indian tribes (PPACA, 2014, pp. 317-337)
Employer mandated tax, non-deductible of $2,000 per employee if the employer does not offer health coverage and at least one employee qualifies for a health tax credit; if an employee receives coverage through the government exchange, the employer penalty for that employee increases to $3,000 (PPACA, 2014, pp. 345-346)
Tax on health insurers based on premiums collected per year (PPACA, 2014, pp. 1,986-1,993 (this all but forces employers to stop offering insurance, forcing their employees onto the government exchanges)
40 percent excise tax on comprehensive health insurance plans or "Cadillac plans" (PPACA, 2018, pp. 1,941-1,956)
Romney's tirade about the 47% is right out of Ann Rand. You can bet he meant every word. Obama and Romney seem to be two intelligent, decent men with a different approach. Energy and medical care take too much of the GDP which cuts back on consumption which cuts back on jobs. Neither party has the solutions to the work problem, energy or medical care. There may not be one. We may just be headed for revolution.
It appears that the media is trying to walk back a little bit of their outrage over Obama's poor performance during the first debate. The debate let many Americans see Romney, not merely the political ads his opponent or his opponent's backers run on television. On the flip side, it also let America see Obama a little clearer. Whether THAT is a good thing really won't be determined until the election.
To those of you constantly harping on Romney's religion, are you even aware that the Senate Majority Leader is also a Mormon? Are you so blinded by your hatred of Romney that you can't see that the man takes his religion very seriously? Maybe if the President had taken his religion a little more seriously, he wouldn't have sat and listened to Reverend Wright for 20 years, only denouncing him when it was politically correct to do so.
In any event, the President's real problem is simple: he now HAS a record to run on. He can't hide behind "present" votes, he can't talk just about what he wants to do, he must also address what he HAS done. In any analysis, he will come up short on the economy and "hope and change" that he ran on last time. Come to think of it, I don't know if President Obama EVER really stopped campaigning!
Obama's candidacy, like his political views, are not "sustainable".
Sustainable being the new garbage being promulgated by liberal profs at a college near you soon. Basic doctrine is anyone who does not agree with their left wing whacko theory is a racist.
Romney is a Phoney
And Obama is the biggest liar to hit the Oval Office since Nixon. Romney phony? 67% of the viewers who saw the debate disagree with you according to a CNN poll.
So Romney pummels the liar and you and other Dem minions like you resort to name calling. Very inspiring to those who oppose you! Thanks!
The world is no longer a simple place where soldiers wore the uniform of a country. The enemy is now small groups of madmen who think they are "cosmic warriors". Their attacks are meant not to bring a military victory, but to provoke a political reaction. Under Obama, the war against al-Qaeda and other Islamic extremists are made up of operations by small units of special forces and drone attacks. These have been extremely effective in that they have limited any political reaction by Islamic communities.
In 2005, a report to the CIA's Directorate of Intelligence by the National Security Research Division (NSRD) stated:
"The rise of religious movements in the late 20th century with a proclivity toward violence and terrorism - predominantly Islamic extremism - has significantly changed the landscape of international politics. It has also shifted the focus in analyzing the international system from the power struggle of Cold War politics and its attendant conceptual toolbox to a reality that emphasizes culture, violence in the name of religion, identity, and nationalism.”
“The cosmic war concept refers to the metaphysical battle between the forces of Good and Evil that enlivens the religious imagination and compels violent action. Cosmic war has roots in the theology of most religions. In the three monotheistic religions, it is the Day of Judgment, the cosmic battle between Good and Evil, and the realization of God’s ultimate purpose for His creation.... It is more symbolic than pragmatic in intent and is performed in remarkably dramatic ways; its displays of violence find their moral justification in a religious imperative."
"States find themselves in a difficult position when confronting cosmic war. Tactically, the more states turn to military instruments, the more they run the risk of validating the theology of the cosmic warriors. In particular, the use of military force as a tool for combating cosmic war could be counterproductive; force could perpetuate the perception that a religious group is under attack and must fight for the preservation of the faith and its own existence. It validates the appeal of cosmic war... More generally, in dealing with a perceived clash between Islam and current U.S. foreign policy, an attempt ought to be made to blur the edges of that clash, not sharpen them."
This report was produced for the Bush administration in order to help it understand the continuing war in Iraq.
This new war is psychological rather then military. What to us may only be the exercising of free speech, is to the cosmic warrior a direct attack on them. President Obama clearly understands this, and just as clearly Mitt Romney does not. While the Obama administration tried to put out a fire, Mitt Romney chose, for political purposes, to pour gasoline on it.
See
At Cranbrook prep school, Mitt had his friends hold another boy down while Romney gave him a 'haircut'. Now he wants to do that to the rest of America.
You should judge an man by his actions not the many different faces he may try to present to different audiences. Romney has made his wealth at the expense of decent hard-working Americans. His success can be measured in the amount of unemployed Americans he has left behind in his ventures; he harvested profits regardless of the adverse effect it had on local economies. He would take away tax deductions specifically geared towards the middle class. He wants to lower the tax rate of the very wealthy while eliminating vital tax deductions for the average working American family. This man will lie to achieve his ultimate goal. To him the end justifies the means. I pray that America will see this man for what he truly is; check out his past record. View his record as governor in Massachusetts. He is not what he pretends to be; his wealthy donors and the Tea Party chose him because they know they can own him from day one. He is not the solution; he is part of the problem.
Don't be fooled!
Obama/Biden
Let's see. When there were 150,000 jobs created, the unemployment stayed at 8.2%. When 130,000 were created, it stayed at 8.2%. How in the world when only 111,000 jobs are created can the unemployment rate drop to 7.8%? Sleight of hand?
America beware!! "Robber Baron" Mitt Romney, if not stopped, will be the instrument that would take America into totally uncharted waters!!!
Since the 1980's and the Reagan policies which have so weakened and damaged the Middle Class, we are now transitioning from what once was the freest and most democratic nation in the world into one becoming more and more controlled by those few at the very pinnacle of the American economic pyramid!
Through massive contributions to those on the most extreme right of the Republican party, these few at the top have managed to strengthen their hold over our government, both the judicial and legislative branches of government; and now need only to put Romney--the third leg of their pyramid--in power to gain a final stranglehold! People, this would be nothing less than oligarchy: rule by the few and most powerful! And oligarchy at it's worst!!
Your guy is worth over 11 million bucks. Guess that makes him one of your enemies.
Vote for Barach Obama!
The only thing BO has been able to do while running for reelection is to call his opponent a liar. All of you adoring followers are doing the same. I guess that is all you can do when you have failed so miserably!
Madonna said it best, Obama is a b — — — k muslim" and you are all delusional if you think he has your best interest in mind.
Here's a new spin for all to ponder........how many U.S. Post Offices have closed down under the current (Obama) administration??? Think about that..........the feds control all Post Offices.........how many post offices have closed down near you in the past 4 years..........how many post offices have closed down near you in the past 50 years........scares the hell out of me.
I find it amazing that anyone who lives in the US would be upset that our unemployment numbers would go down. Those who are upset are those who don't want the ecomony to recover! It dropped from just over 8% to just under 8% and to listen to these Tea Party freaks, it had dropped down to 5%.
Romney won the debate by preformance, not substance because he lied his tail off. You can not reduce 20% in taxes, give even more tax breaks to the top dogs, more subsidies to the big companies, pay for our current war, pay down the debt WITHOUT raising taxes on some of us. That would be us pee-ons in the middle class. Get real.
The biggest lie of all was Romney said his health plan covers pre-existing conditions. That is an outright LIE and his staffer said after the debate this was NOT true. Romney does not have the kahuna's to correct this to the citizens. Paul Ryan also said Medicare would end and Allen West and the rest of those "conspiracy" fanatics will vote right along with it.
Mitt Romney: "I don't know what I said, but I stand by it, whatever it was"
Carol O Reduce taxes will increase productivity thus increase taxes overall, That's reality but it's too simple for you libs to understand. Next, Healthcare ---- that too, like the housing bubble that gave to those that abused the system. Pre-existing conditions, if you wish to invest and put your money into a burning barn go right ahead and at the end of the day you'll have a handfull of ashes. You're delusional and if you think for an instant that Obama has your best interest at heart, you're even a bigger fool.
SLICK MITT, IS A POLITICIAN/BUSINESSMAN. In different houses, he has different voices, and different values. In the company of "Americas Monied" MITT spoke his heart. That 47% of Americans whom MITT disregard and thus disrespect don't have personal wealth of $500 million. We don't have mansions, we don't live in. We do have a VOTE, and our VOTE is our VOICE. Because of MITT who declined to wear the uniform of the Armed Services, who declined to pay all income tax; instead chose to hide money in off shore accounts and foreign banks, and who declined to be honest to himself and America: Obama 2012........MY VOICE, MY VOTE
There have been no Mormons killing americans. There have been and continues to be, Muslims killing americans.
GOTO: youtube, search "Barack and the Holy Quran" See for yourself what he has to say about it.
Why would any president refuse to release college transcripts?
there has never been ONE president that has released his transcripts....google it. bush's were leaked to the press which is how we know how dumb he was
It's a silly and demeaning request that is only meant to try and humble the President into jumping hoops for the GOP.
Bsides, what's the worst thing you are going to see in someone's college transcripts? A failed grade? A dropped class?
Now, what's the worst thing you are going to see in someone's personal tax returns? Failure to report income? Failure to report wife's trust fund? Donations to questionable organizations?
Still waiting to see what Mr. Romney is hiding.