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Subscribe to RSSThe New York Times’ Zeleny and Rutenberg go to Ohio: “If one place is emerging as a test of Mitt Romney’s ability to capitalize on a new dynamic in the presidential race, it is Ohio, where he is intensifying his advertising, deploying more troops and spending four of the next five days.”
Romney also will be in Iowa today. The Des Moines Register: “Mitt Romney in Iowa today will tell farmers that he favors policies that allow them to farm without overregulation, have access to world markets, pass down a farm to children without losing over half its value to taxes, and keep their energy costs as affordable as possible.”
Politico’s Gerstein: “Mitt Romney’s foreign policy speech Monday was filled with tough talk and slams of President Barack Obama’s leadership — but little of the clarity Romney has vowed to bring to the Oval Office. What the Republican nominee’s campaign billed as a major foreign policy address didn’t have much new in it and left some analysts unimpressed. The speech, they said, was much like Romney’s previous swings at laying out a foreign policy: couched in broad ideology and big ambitions and lacking the specifics for how he’d bring any of them about.”
The New York Times: “Mitt Romney launched a broad attack on Monday against what he termed President Obama’s failure ‘to shape history’ in the Middle East, but he found himself walking a fine line between criticizing the president he is running against and avoiding any endorsement of the type of international interventions undertaken by the most recent president from his own party, George W. Bush, whom he rarely mentions. Mr. Romney urged arming the rebels trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad of Syria so that they can ‘defeat Assad’s tanks, helicopters and fighter jets’ — a step that would go well beyond the president’s decision to provide only nonlethal aid. But speaking at the Virginia Military Institute, Mr. Romney stopped short of saying that the United States itself should provide the arms to the rebels directly, or get involved on the ground. Nor did he explain how he would handle what in the White House is termed ‘the Afghanistan problem’: that arms provided to the rebels could, in the wrong hands, be used against Americans in the future.”
“From the day in June 2011 when he announced his White House bid to the night last week when he delivered a commanding debate performance, Mitt Romney has slammed President Obama for a national unemployment rate that remained above 8 percent for 43 straight months,” the Boston Globe notes. “But with Friday’s news that unemployment has dipped to 7.8 percent, the Republican nominee has been forced to modify an attack he has levied countless times. ‘If not for all the people who have simply dropped out of the labor force, the real unemployment rate would be closer to 11 percent,’ Romney said.” More: “The evaporation of one oft-repeated number does not invalidate Romney’s overall message -- that the recovery has been inadequate and that he could accelerate growth, if elected -- but it does highlight some potential problems for the home stretch of the campaign. As the economy shows slow but steady signs of improvement, Romney’s argument that Obama’s policies are failing could become less convincing, particularly in those swing states where the unemployment rate is lower than the national average.”
“Even with his strong debate performance, Mitt Romney needs every possible advantage to overtake President Barack Obama in the next four weeks. Not helping him much is the Republican Party he leads,” AP writes. “Thanks in part to congressional Republicans’ no-compromise stands on key issues, and an unpopular past president in George W. Bush, the GOP’s image is at one of its lowest points in modern times. Romney is now distancing himself a bit from some party policies, most notably by emphasizing that he doesn’t want to cut taxes for high earners.”
Except that he would continue the Bush tax cuts and his tax plan would cut taxes for the wealthy as well as other income groups.
Allen and VandeHei: “For months, Ann Romney and her eldest son, Tagg, were dutifully supportive of the political professionals running Mitt Romney’s campaign. All the while, their private frustration was mounting. Shortly before the final debate, it finally boiled over. What followed was a family intervention. The candidate’s family prevailed on Mitt Romney, and the campaign operation, to shake things up dramatically, according to campaign insiders. The family pushed for a new message, putting an emphasis on a softer and more moderate image for the GOP nominee — a ‘let Mitt be Mitt’ approach they believed more accurately reflected the looser, generous and more approachable man they knew. Chief strategist Stuart Stevens — whom the family held responsible for allowing Romney’s personal side to be obscured by an anti-Obama economic message — has seen his once wide-ranging portfolio ‘fenced in’ to mainly the debates, and the television advertising that is his primary expertise, according to campaign officials. Tagg Romney, channeling his mother’s wishes, is taking a much more active role in how the campaign is run.”
“Mitt Romney may want to reconsider his campaign strategy involving the pint-size voters of tomorrow,” the AP writes. “The Republican presidential candidate skipped the chance to take part in Nickelodeon’s ‘‘Kids Pick the President’’ special that includes President Barack Obama, said Linda Ellerbee, the show’s host and executive producer. The decision ‘disses’ children, she said. During last week’s presidential debate, Romney vowed to cut federal funding for PBS while acknowledging it’s the home of popular ‘Sesame Street’ character Big Bird.”
Politico notes that in Britain Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband mocked Romney at an event last week: "Doing this job, you get called some names. Some of them nice, some of them not so nice. Let me tell you my favorite – it was when Mitt Romney came to Britain and called me ‘Mr. Leader,’" Miliband said. "I don’t know about you, but I think it has a certain ring to it myself. It’s sort of halfway to North Korea. Mitt – thanks a lot for that.”
Politico: “The ‘Mr. Leader’ gaffe didn't break through in the U.S. as much as the bigger kerfuffle over the Olympics, but from the reaction of Miliband's audience, it's evidently well remembered in some corners.”
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Are family farms actually over regulated? Are they even Obama era regulations? Family farms haven't been lost to the estate tax, they were lost to ADM and Cargill who made much better offers. The family farmer claim is in the same book of myths as the welfare queen. Inherited property or wealth has no greater virtue or immunity from the tax man, as the hard earned wages of the common worker toiling away in the city.
And the "small business person" who has over $250K per yr in AGI.
Family farms HAVE been slammed by the agressive tax structure of estate taxes in the past, and that is WHY they had to sell to ADM and Cargill, etc.
Inherited wealth has already been taxed at the income level, it has been taxed again as property taxes during its existence, and now you think it is okay to tax some more, at high estate tax rates again ????
How many times must taxes be imposed to satisfy your lust for taking what others have earned ?
The "People" can tax whatever they want. My income or your wealth, but we collectively make the decision. No one has a greater virtue to claim what he has.
I just love it when the LIB TARDS criticize Romney for a lack of detail in his plans....Obama has been President for 4 years now and doesn't have a BUDGET...I'd like to see a tad more detail in his plan's (or lack thereof) for America's financial future...I guess he's just too busy being "eye candy" and chatting it up with the GIRLZ on the VIEW for any of that nonsense.
BARRY THE LIAR/JOEY GAFFE/BIG BIRD 2012
I love it when Republicon Trolls ignore Romney's lack of substance for conjection of his plans....Obama has been POTUS for 4 years and did have a BUDGET...if you want to see details go to WH.gov and look it up for your self instead of reputing what you obviously don't know.
At least he was invited to The View, Etch didn't want to because he knows he would be hammered for details about what his clueless @$$ doesn't have to forward the country.
ETCH-A-SKECTH(STENCH)/MARATHON MAN 2012 NOT! XD
There's a great video on YouTube ( Search "Romney Debates Himself") that shows Romney in earlier speeches contradicting what he said during the debate last week. Etch-A-Sketch, Snake Oil Salesman. Mitt Romney.
Even our greatest ally knows the Mittster and what a fool he is regarding foreign policy.
Who saved the US Auto Industry Ohio? One of many things to think about before a person votes.
The only thing "saved" was the Cadillac health plans for union retirees.
Ford had its own recovery plan in motion and took no bailout money.
GM was bailed out, GM bondholders got screwed and GM filed for bankruptcy anyway .... not all loans are paid back, and the GM stock our government holds is worth substantially less.
Chysler did not pay back all loans, and they are now majority-owned by Fiat !
Mitt the Twit is the famous gaffe king....this man can sell ice to Eskimos...he can sell a lemon in five minutes as a used car salesman...but we the American people cannot afford to allow him to lie his way into The White House. Here are just few legitimate questions Gov Romney must come clean and also give us one unique position not changing positions depending on his listening audience at a particular time.
1. Taxes
2. Jobs Jobs Jobs
3. Education
4. Housing
5. Infrastructure
6. Immigration
7. Medic-Aid
8. Medic-Care
9. Health-Care etc etc
GBA, don't hold your breath. Willard isn't likely to take a final stand on anything. He has to please the Tea Party right wing extremist Fascist wannabes and at the same time appeal to those in the center and even a few on the left. Unfortunately he really isn't appealing to any of them. Some will hold their nose and vote party or on a single issue without considering the full package. Others will vote on stupid stuff like religion or race of a candidate but it is their right to vote for a candidate for whatever reason they choose.
Which Mitt is the liar? The new pretend moderate Mitt or the extreme right wing Mitt. Perhaps maybe both. It will make no difference because if elected he will be collared by the leash held by the zealot's in control of the GOP.
"The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living"
This was written by a 21 yr old female who gets it. It's her future she’s worried about and this is how she feels about the social welfare system that she’s being forced to live in! These solutions are just common sense in her opinion.
Put me in charge ...
Put me in charge of benefit payments. I'd get rid of cash payments and provide vouchers for 50kg bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese, basic sanitary items and all the powdered milk you can use.
If you want steak, burgers, takeaway and junk food, then get a job.
Put me in charge of the NHS. The first thing I'd do is to get women to have birth control implants.
Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. If you want to reproduce, use drugs, drink alcohol or smoke, then get a job.
Put me in charge of local authority housing. Ever live in military barracks?
You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair.
Your "home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried.
If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place.
Put me in charge of compulsory job search. You will either search for employment each week no matter what the job or you will report for community work.
This may be clearing the roadways and open spaces of rubbish, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you.
We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your dooff dooff stereo and speakers and put that money toward the “common good”
Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary.
If you want our hard earned cash and housing assistance, accept our rules...
Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin someone’s "self esteem," consider that it wasn’t that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.
If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards those for continuing to make bad choices.
AND - While you are on benefit income you no longer have the right to VOTE!
For you to vote would be a conflict of interest..... If you want to vote, then get a job.
Now, if you have the guts - PASS IT ON... BRING ON THE REVOLUTION
most all that wants obama back in is so they can get all the free things and not work for it. romney will try and get jobs here to keep the country from being destroyed by this president.
Hey Kimberly, tell that bs to the veteran who came back from the Iraq war in a wheelchar. Tell that to the families of our armed services who are lucky to have their loved ones back, but lost an arm or a leg or both and can no longer work. Tell that to the families who are not able to afford the basic necessities because they cannot find a job.
While I think what you wrote is a bunch of malarkey, there is a marine or someone from another branch of the armed services who fought (and might have even died) for your right to spout off that heinous crap.
And may you never find yourself in the position of being unable to work, of losing your home, of not being able to get health care for yourself or family. Karma will remember what you said, and we all know what karma is.