There was actually an interesting analysis on MSNBC after last weeks debate.

One of the talking heads discussed how in 2004 after Kerry beat Bush in the First debate, Dick Cheney was able to stop any momentum that Kerry had by thoroughly whipping John Edwards in the VP debate.

So, based on that analogy and beating that Obama took on Wednesday I would guess the pressure is on Biden.

Don't know if I put that much stock in the VP debate, but if I were a Liberal and was counting on Biden to hit a home run, I'd be a bit nervous right now.

Is the Barry admin incompetent??

Is the Barry admin a bunch of liars??

I’m going to go with the Barry admin is a bunch of incompetent liars.

Looks like the wheels are starting to come off the Barry Benghazi cover-up story bus.

The Barry admin clearly missed the obvious terrorist attack dangers of the conjunction of the anniversary of 9/11 and unstable middle-eastern Arab countries a couple of months before the US Presidential election. And a US ambassador and several others died as a result of that incompetence.

To cover-up their obvious incompetence, they trotted out a story about how it was all tied to protests about some obscure internet film that “extremists” hijacked and used as a pretext for a spontaneous terrorist attack. They even had the US ambassador to the UN spin this lie to the news media.

Well, now the FACTS are coming out and the Barry admin lies are being exposed for all to see. Even Barry’s own State Dept is trying to distance themselve’s from the Barry admin’s incompetence and lying. See the bold italics highlighted below.

Gee, I wonder if this issue will come up in the next Presidential debate??

Nobama 2012 Really, Things Could Be Worse-

Give Me Four More Years and I’ll Prove It

From Politico:

• Officials: No protests before Benghazi attack

By MAGGIE HABERMAN |

10/10/12 12:01 AM EDT

ABC News has the latest on the Benghazi timeline, which has a stark discrepency from the initial description of events offered by some Obama administration officials and that was presented for over nine days after the attack:

The biggest difference was a clear statement that there were no protests before the attack. Also it was revealed that former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods died from a mortar attack and that officials still do not know how Stevens, who was suffering from severe smoke inhalation, made it from the compound to the hospital.

The officials gave a vivid narrative of the events of the night, painting a picture of exactly what the compound looked like...

...On Sept. 11, [slain Ambassador Chris] Stevens did not leave the compound because of security fears due to the 9/11 anniversary. He had arrived in Benghazi the day before with five guards in total. Two additional Diplomatic Security agents from Tripoli were with him in addition to the three agents normally detailed to the compound.

Though some administration officials had initially said that the attack grew out of protests over an anti-Muslim film, the senior State Department official told reporters today that "nothing was out of the ordinary" on the night of the attack.

• State officials also made clear that they were not the ones who reached a "conclusion" about a protest being the causal, or preceding, event before the violence that claimed Stevens and three other U.S. diplomats' lives.

The new revelations surrounding what happened — including security around the diplomatic compound and the Obama administration's ultimate declaration nine days after the attack that it was a "self-evident" terror act — will be the subject of a congressional hearing Wednesday morning.

There has been a lot said about President Obama's poor performance last week, including the sense from Democrats that it went as poorly for him as it could have. But the fact that he didn't get asked about Libya and the administration's versions of events actually was a reprieve — and not one he is likely to get at next week's debate at Hofstra University in New York.

The Romney Tax Plan

"Romney wants to give a $5 trillion tax cut to his rich friends and raise taxes on the middle class to pay for it." As incredible as it may seem to anyone with even half a brain, that's actually the snake oil the left is trying to sell on this issue. There are lots of ways to debunk this abject nonsense, let's consider a few.

First, let's assume for the sake of argument that Romney actually does want to cut his rich buds a huge tax break then dump the tab on the middle class. Question: how many folks out there think their congressman and senator would actually vote to pass such a plan? For crying out loud, if Romney ever sent a proposal like that to Congress it would be DOA before the ink was dry, just like Obama's budgets. No politician, whether they be Republican or Democrat, would want to face voters in their next election to try and explain why they raised taxes on hard working middle class families while reducing taxes on high earners. That notion is a total crap sandwich and ludicrous on its face, but this is what the left actually wants the lemmings to believe. Good grief, let's get real.

Second, the concept of tax reform is different from the concept of cutting taxes. Romney's plan is to cut marginal tax rates (for all American, not just rich folks) AND to reduce or eliminate deductions so that the entire package is both revenue and distributionally neutral. But while left wing talking heads go apopleptic at the part about cutting tax rates for the rich, they conveniently fail to mention the part about the reduced tax deductions that would keep their net tax burden about the same. This oversight results in a twisted view of what Romney actually wants to do since it ignores the distributional neutrality enforced by reducing tax deductions for the wealthy. Instead, their soundbite of choice is to deliberately distort Romney's position by portraying the $5 trillion number as a huge tax cut for the rich -- a distortion that Obama himself tried to peddle in the debate last week. These people have no shame.

Third, the allegedly non-partisan Tax Policy Center (TPC) did wade into this tax deduction issue and concluded that it would be mathematically impossible for Romney's plan to avoid raising taxes on the middle class – a headline grabbing conclusion that was widely disseminated by an accommodating MSM. But what the MSM doesn't tell us is that in order for the TPC folks to arrive at that conclusion they had to make a range of assumptions about what would and would not be on the table in terms of the tax deductions that would need to be eliminated in order to implement the distributionally neutral tax reform Romney is proposing. And therein lies the fatal flaw with the TPC analysis: the assumptions they make are theirs, not Romney's.

In particular, the TPC assumes that two large tax deductions would go untouched, the exclusion of interest on tax exempt bonds and the exclusion of interest on life insurance savings. Both of these deductions disproportionately favor the wealthy, so when the TPC takes them off the table the results of their analysis are necessarily skewed against the middle class. But the Romney folks have never taken those deductions off the table, and both the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute have challenged the TPC analysis on this point. The Heritage Foundation goes even further and makes the case that the TPC conclusion is only one of many possible analytic outcomes, and an outcome heavily influenced by the assumptions TPC used: "The authors' assumptions largely determine the report's conclusions. The carefully chosen assumptions underlying TPC's analysis misrepresent the outcome of Governor Romney's plan and misrepresent the results of pro-growth tax reform in general."

But this aspect of the story gets even worse. Harvey Rosen is a Princeton economist who also did an analysis of Romney's plan. The Obama campaign cited Rosen's work to argue that "paying for Romney's tax cuts would require large tax increases on families making between $100,000 and $200,000." But Rosen has responded that the Obama campaign is misrepresenting his paper: "The main conclusion of my study is that under plausible assumptions, a proposal along the lines suggested by Governor Romney can both be revenue neutral and keep the net tax burden on taxpayers with incomes above $200,000 about the same."

Here's the bottom line: if you were ever curious to see what a lying sack of $hit looks like, then just watch any Democrat who moves their lips when discussing Romney's tax reform plan.

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/09/tax-policy-centers-skewed-analysis-of-governor-romneys-tax-plan#_ftn5

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/princeton-economist-obama-campaign-misrepresenting-my-study-romneys-tax-plan_653917.html

If Obama had spent as much time and effort protecting Benghazi and our Embassy as he has protecting Big Bird (who's richer than Romney), FOUR Americans would still be alive today.

Looks like Barry’s ClunkerCare HCR may be a job creating “success” after all.

The article below discusses how one restaurant chain employer will create new jobs in response the looming cost increases that will be imposed on them under ClunkerCare.

Here’s the ClunkerCare new jobs recipe:

Take one full-time job that would be subject to the ClunkerCare costs and eliminate it.

Replace it with two or three part-time jobs that would not be subject to the Clunkercare costs.

Abracadabra……. Where there was one job, there are now three jobs, for a net increase of two jobs!!!!

Repeat as necessary across the economy and there will be MILLIONS of “new jobs” Barry can take "credit" for because of ClunkerCare!!!!!!!!!!!

Morons.

Prepping for Obamacare, Chain Cuts Workers' Hours

The Associated Press

| 09 Oct 2012 | 10:47 AM ET

The owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants is putting more workers on part-time status in a test aimed at limiting the impact of looming health coverage requirements.

Darden Restaurants declined to give details but said the test is only in restaurants in four markets across the country. The test entails increasing the number of workers on part-time status, meaning they work less than 30 hours a week. Under the new health care act, companies will be required to provide health care to full-time employees by 2014. That would significantly boost labor costs for businesses.

About 75 percent of Darden's employees are currently part-timers.

Bob McAdam, who heads government affairs and community relations for Darden, said the company is still learning from the tests, which was first reported by The Orlando Sentinel.

"We're not at a point where we have results," he said. McAdam also noted that Darden is not alone in looking at ways to keep labor costs in check, with companies industry wide prepping for the new regulations to take effect.

Also I expect to see an entirely different President Obama at the next debate,

But, but, California Tom are you saying we never know which Obama is going to show up?

Isn't that what you folks have been railing against Romney for all week?

Again, do you guys even think before you post?

With four weeks to go until the election, it is time to call out the media. Start with this simple truth. No reporter is unbiased and we are being completely unrealistic to imagine they are. They buy goods. They need insurance. Their cars burn fuel. They have families. They face the same issues we do.

It is foolish to imagine they don't see food prices rising, or that gasoline prices seem to be follow the yo-yo model. It is foolish to think they don't face medical problems and the sky-high costs of treatment. Their kids go to school, they have spiritual issues, they have marital problems. Why wouldn't they have biases similar to ours?

Why wouldn't they pull into a service station and wonder why gasoline prices are skyrocketing? Why wouldn't they notice their grocery bills are going up and wonder why? Why wouldn't they notice their kids are not getting the education they did? They're the media. Why aren't they asking how this is happening?

There's a bargain here; something of a social contract. We build roads, homes, grow food, keep records, issue permits, build and repair cars, and a host of things that keep the country running. That keeps us busy, so in exchange for our labor and effort, we ask reporters to ask the questions we can't. Let's see that bias. Dammit, ask those legislators AND the gasoline producers why prices are going up and down. Ask grocers why our food prices are skyrocketing.

Don't give us that crap that you just report the news. You know something is wrong. We do. Ask the questions we would and when some mealy-mouthed legislator hems and haws, or deflects, or simply walks away and refuses to answer, call the punk out. If and when they do answer and they hand you a line of crap, don't ignore him and find someone to rebut the BS, call him out right then and there.

And now we have an election coming, and you don't have the guts to ask the tough questions. Here's a few for Mitt. Why are you lying about your tax cut and the deficit it will create? Why are you lying about the Medicare vouchers? Why are you lying about your position(s) on abortion? Why do you tell your rich donors it's not your job to be concerned about half of America and then turn around and say you were horribly mistaken? Why won't you really show us your tax returns? Why won't you tell us about the loopholes you are going to close?

And the President doesn't get a free ride. Why didn't he call Romney out for his lies? Why do we still have people in Guantanamo awaiting trial? Why do we have drones spying on Americans right here in our country? Why are we REALLY still in Afghanistan? Why is your administration packed with financial advisers who are part of the Wall Street culture that loots America? Why are so many looters not just walking the streets, but still paying themselves bonuses with taxpayer dollars? Why haven't you prosecuted the looters? Why is your administration packed with Monsanto shills who lie about the safety of GMO's?

Can't bite the hand that feeds you, is that it? The newsmakers won't talk to you if you call them out them as the shills, liars, and panderers they are, is that it? Or are you really too stupid to see their lies?

Come on, what's it going to be - Fourth estate or Fifth column?

I find it interesting how both candidates are arguing about who is going to provide more for seniors on Medicare. Yeah, let's double down on a broken system. It needs to be cut by 43%, not increased. But not making promises they can't keep would be too adult like and honest for a politician I guess.

Gary Johnson 2012

@ California Tom -

a different moderator should help too.

Sounding pretty desperate, maybe go back to the Big Bird attacks, at least they are comical!

WCA - Interesting analysis. Yes Joe Biden can blunt the GOP bounce. The thing I don't get is how is it that perceptions trumps policy? Sure Romney won the debate he was good using non-verbal communication, posture and energy.

However, the thing is, he changed his policies and flip flopped about his idea about tax cuts for the rich. He has always said he wants to lower rates so the upper class job creators can save the economy and hire. Now he says all of his tax cuts are going to the middle class and the richer will pay more and lose their deductions. He said then that regulations are necessary and that he isn't going to cut all regulations. Now in the latest rallies he says he will cut regulations. He said that abortion restricting legislation isn't on his agenda, but throughout the primaries he rallied votes by proclaiming he would end Roe.

This guy will say anything, except, own his own policies. He will not admit that his medicare plan is a voucher. He will not admit that he plans to slash the Social security. He will not explain how his tax cut plan will be deficit nuetral.

Another thing, how do Conservatives feel about Mitt's etch a sketch recant of his 47% comment? Every GOP I saw here praised the "Truth" that Romeny proclaimed in Boca Raton. Now, how do they feel that he has said he was totally wrong? You seem to be a smart enough guy, but how can you accept this waffler?

David Walker

Spot on. That's the status quo, and, as evidenced by the polls, we too conditioned to it to realize it's even happening most of the time. Vote the status quo, vote Mittarack Robamney.

Despite Pelosi's blatant fabrications, today's testimony will reveal the security was cut in Libya not for cost savings, but because Obama had the pie-in-the-sky idea that if he cut security, attacks against our interests there would decrease.

I suppose this is the same thinking that holds the murder rate down in Chicago.

Ah. Liberals! They'd be laughable, were their idiotic ideas not so damaging. Of course, they are the open minded, tolerant group, right?

Wrong

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/10/09/actress_stacey_dash_on_receiving_racist_hate_for_supporting_romney.html

What brand of bigotry is it that liberals espouse? The type that says if you are a person of color, you have no choice but to vote for the democrat?

In my book, that's called racism. I guess liberals call it something else. Doesn't change it one iota.

You're absolutely right, David. The media HASN'T asked the tough questions. That's how your beloved Chosen One got as far as he did with no vetting. And now look at him. He's got his groupies flailing away and close to a panic because when he was forced to finally FACE THE MUSIC, he fell apart like a cheap suit and revealed himself to be the idiot we always knew he was. You sure you want the media asking tough questions, David? Of course you want them drilling Romney. But he can take it. Maybe Obama should do an interview with FOX NEWS. It's only fair, right? Obama is gonna stay as far away from any microphones as he can for the next 3 weeks that might ask him to explain his policies. Except, of course, the microphones of MSNBC and the ones situated in front of crowds of brain-dead groupies like you people.

I'd love to hear from my hard-core anti-abortion friends on the right how they feel about Mitt's "pander du jour" to women --

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/mitt-romney-abortion_n_1952780.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Mitt Romney said Tuesday he has no plans to push for legislation limiting abortion, a softer stance from a candidate who has said he would "get rid of" funding for Planned Parenthood and appoint Supreme Court who would overturn Roe v. Wade.

"There's no legislation with regards to abortion that I'm familiar with that would become part of my agenda," the Republican presidential nominee told The Des Moines Register in an interview.

Of course, as always, what Mitt giveth with one hand, his campaign immediately taketh away with the other --

The Romney campaign walked back the remark within two hours of the Register posting its story. Spokeswoman Andrea Saul told the National Review Online's Katrina Trinko that Romney "would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life."

His statement could put him at odds with congressional Republicans who have made limiting abortion central to their messages. His own running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), has introduced bills to restrict access to abortion. And the Republican Party platform toughened its anti-abortion stance earlier this year.

Seriously. Anyone considering a vote for Mitt Romney based on his professed stand on abortion -- or any other given issue -- at any given time -- really ought to reconsider.

It's like the weather in Wisconsin. You don't like it? Wait five minutes.

The man simply cannot be trusted to go down to the corner and buy an ice cream cone.

Why would women trust him with their bodies?

Why would anyone trust him at all?

chris -- i believe congratulations are in order. You appear to be the first guy that has a reason to vote for obama instead of just telling us everything the left thinks is wrong with right.

i do not watch baseball very much anymore since the millionaire/billionaire strikes of the '80s and '90s.

do you think there is another Lolich in the pen for the Tigers? i still remember the matchup with gibson in game 7

Despite Pelosi's blatant fabrications, today's testimony will reveal the security was cut in Libya not for cost savings, but because Obama had the pie-in-the-sky idea that if he cut security, attacks against our interests there would decrease.

Yes, because "no joe" knows all and tells all. Hell, why even bother having testimony today when we can get it all straight from the horse's mouth?

No, noid- it's because I read newspapers with my morning coffee. The article I read in The Star Ledger this morning, from MCT, stated just that- despite repeated attacks, including an IED attack that blew a hole in the wall of the compound just weeks before security was cut back, their request for increased security was denied because the Obama administration was seeking to "normalize" relations on an artificial timetable, paying absolutely no attention to the ongoing- heck, increasing- dangers in the area.

If you got your news from any source other than this network, you might know a little more about what's going on yourself.

As it is, you are stuck in the land of plaid skies.

DingleB

Spot on. That's the status quo, and, as evidenced by the polls, we too conditioned to it to realize it's even happening most of the time. Vote the status quo, vote Mittarack Robamney.

Ah, Romney 2.0 ... aka the white Obama ... in stores as soon as he finds the right shade of spray tan.

Dennis, Columbus --

Mitt Romney’s 20% tax cuts for those making over $200,000/$250,000 totals $2.7 trillion over 10 years. He says he will pay for those tax cuts by closing loopholes. However there are only $1.7 trillion worth of loopholes in total that can be closed.

This is EXACTLY what the President was trying to say during the debate, but Romney just kept denying it.

I understood clearly what the President was trying to say. What I do not understand is how Chris Mathews, Rachel Maddow, and Ed Schultz all missed these things.

Dennis, Feisty, Backhouse, terrific way to start the day.

Romney does not tell little white lies or shade the truth, he tells WHOPPER LIES. Mr. Etch-a-Sketch has no core, no sense of honesty. In short, Mitt Romney simply does not give a darn--he will say and do whatever it takes to fool voters into thinking he no longer believes what he believed, his views are no longer those he had during 18 months of campaigning, they are now the opposite. Trust him? Why would anyone trust him? Any details from him? Not one, just generalities and Etch-a-Sketch shake ups.

As for the GOP's criticism of what took place in Libya, one must ask why they are so frantic to find fault with President Obama and the Department of State? The answer is, politics, all things must be political; all tragedies must be sliced and diced for how it plays in elections. One wonders where Albany Joe and the Fast & Furious Crowd were when Bush/Cheney and their officials ignored the warnings before 9/11? One wonders where Albany Joe and the Fast & Furious Crowd were when the Bush/Cheney administration, when their Secretary of State, when their Department of State were busy trumping up Iraq WMDs, and touting fear of the smoking gun being a mushroom cloud. While I feel much sadness at what took place in Libya, the GOPTP politicizing the tragedy disgusts me, repulses me. As a country, as Americans, WE SHOULD BE BETTER THAN THAT.

Fairfax Bill's well-written analysis would have some value IF Romney had identified the cuts he will make and the loopholes he will close to make his proposed tax cut revenue-neutral.

Both Romney and Ryan have refused to identify any serious specific cuts or tax reforms in the loophole arena. Further, they have proposed a defense spending increase that is ridiculous on its face. However, Reagan also asked for a ridiculous increase in defense spending and got it.

It is utter nonsense to imagine that a Republican House with it's low-intellect Tea Party contingent wouldn't put the hurt to 99% of Americans on taxes.

Thus far, the Romney/Ryan proposals, such as they are, guarantee continued deficit spending and a continued and gigantic increase in the national debt.

Metamorphosis Mitt's change is almost complete. As described on Morning Joe, he is shucking is Severely Conservative skin and Moderate Mitt is the new emerging shyster. He no longer is against abortions. Those tax cuts costing 4.8 trillion don't exist. He now loves him some 47% of the population along with the other 53%. He never despised 'those' people.

To make his transformation complete, Mitt will soon be offering free cell phones to all people. He will order the Treasury and the Fed to open the printing presses and giving free money to every automobile maker in the US. Hell, he will fund the massive Toyota recall. Food stamps for all is the next campaign slogan. Obamacare will be recalled, and Romneycare (an exact duplicate plan) will be implemented, giving free healthcare to every American. Every illegal will be provided citizenship. Talk of Medicare vouchers will be a thing of the past. Social Security will be fully funded complete with an easing of eligibility requirements.

You conservatives must be thrilled with your new Mattel doll, Metamorphosis Mitt.

President Obama was fully prepared for the debate and he answered questions in his usual "No drama" Obama style. (Take a break here and go look up the word "truth".) President Obama, like millions of others who actually appreciate truth and the value of facts, was stunned by the scope of Romney's lies. Romney and Ryan are first-order liars. That, in and of itself, is shocking.

Too funny. Comical in fact. There is a small amount of delusional people that think Obama somehow won the debate. Here's one of them.

What makes this even more shocking is that people like you don't mind it a bit that your favored candidates are liars. You know they're liars and you'll vote for them anyway.

Odd. Romney had nothing to do with the 27 stories the Obama administration has come up with concerning Benghazi. Some would call those stories "lies". Yet the Left cannot defend Obama abysmal performance, both in general and at the debate, so they have to come with some kind of excuse. They Left knows Obama is a failure and a liar, but they'll vote for him anyway.

Obama's answer to all of this? To talk about a bird.

Obama 2012 - The Year of the Big Bird

no joe, no bo, nj --

The article I read in The Star Ledger this morning, from MCT, stated just that- despite repeated attacks, including an IED attack that blew a hole in the wall of the compound just weeks before security was cut back, their request for increased security was denied because the Obama administration was seeking to "normalize" relations on an artificial timetable, paying absolutely no attention to the ongoing- heck, increasing- dangers in the area.

And did your article also explain why, if that be the case, Chris Stevens was even at the consulate on September 11 when he could have stayed safe at home in the embassy at Tripoli?

THAT'S the question that all you self-styled critics need to answer before you go one step further with this witch hunt.

JoAnna Smith --

Obama's answer to all of this? To talk about a bird.

If it's as stupid as you are suggesting it is, then why did Romney feel the need to bring it up?

Besides, you know as well as I do that this has nothing to do with Big Bird. It has everything to do with Romney's desire to silence public radio and television news reporting.

Big Bird is nothing more than collateral damage in the right wing's assault on public broadcasting.

Why are you all so afraid of the "public"?

AlterNet / By Steven Rosenfeld

Florida Democrats Crushing The GOP in 2012 Voter Registrations

On the last day to register for the 2012 election, new Democratic voters outnumber the GOP by five-to-one or more.

October 9, 2012 |

Don’t get depressed by the latest polls with Mitt Romney pulling ahead in Florida or by reports of the GOP’s plans to steal the election there by falsifying Democratic voter registration files. Today is the final day to register to vote for the presidential election in Florida and Democrats have trounced the GOP’s efforts to register voters.

Consider these numbers from the Florida Secretary of State’s website (Click the right-hand corner link for " Total Non-Blank State & Federal Applications Received ," which will bring up the figures). The Democratic Party in Florida has turned in more than 290,000 voter registration applications this year, compared to less than 50,000 for the state’s Republican Party.

Two big Latino groups, representing a demographic where Obama has consistently outpolled Romney, The National Council of La Raza/Democracia USA, and Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, have turned in a total of nearly 70,000 voter applications. Miami-Dade public schools have turned in more than 13,000. The Florida Consumer Action Network turned in nearly 6,000. The state’s NAACP chapters have submitted several thousand as well, as have other student and immigrant groups.

Beyond the state’s Republican Party, there only appears to be a trickle of new voter registration forms from Christian Conservatives, despite outsized announcements by longtime organizers such as Ralph Reed of an evangelical voter wave. The Faith and Freedom Coalition only turned in 145 new voter registrations.

What this means that despite Romney’s bounce in the polls after the first presidential debate—including this summary of post-debate polls putting Romney up by 0.7 percent in Florida—is that the Democrats appear to be far better organized on the ground with their likely voters. While it is true that the GOP’s voter turnout strategy has historically relied on turning out existing voters, these latest numbers are a sizeable achievement in a state of 11.4 million voters.

If all these likely Democrats voted, they could comprise nearly 3 percent of the state’s electorate—assuming every registered voter casts a presidential ballot. That is far more statistically significant than the split in the latest polls, and it also is a far bigger number that the reported chicanery by GOP consultants who are now under investigation by law enforcement in Florida and several other states for filing falsified voter information.

Tuesday is the final day for Florida’s eligible voters to register for the November election. People who have moved from one county to another should file a change of address form today. (Florida Republicans recently changed state law to add that requirement, even though the state’s electronic voter file can easily transfer records between Florida counties).

People who are not on local voter rolls, or who have moved across county lines and have not filed the change of address will be given a provisional ballot on Election Day, according to Chris Cate, Florida Department of State spokesperson. That ballot will not count unless people go to county offices within 48 hours and present ID showing their address. Voters who move within the same county can fill out a change of address form at the polls, Cate said, and then vote by a regular ballot.

Steven Rosenfeld covers democracy issues for AlterNet and is the author of "Count My Vote: A Citizen's Guide to Voting" (AlterNet Books, 2008).

There is some good news here for Democrats in Florida, and let’s hope they all vote. The ballots in the various counties are lengthy, they range from 12 pages in the Miami Dade area to 8 in other areas. These will require longer time than usual so voters are advised to take advantage of early voting or absentee voting where possible. There are 11 amendments on all ballots these are seen as an attempt by the Republican Governor and Republican Legislature to deliberately slow down the process of voting.

The League of Women Voters have been contacting voters and telling them to vote NO on all 11 as they are all for special interests and are not for the good of all the residents of Florida.

VOTE NO TO ALL 11 AMENDMENTS IN FLORIDA.

no jo reminds me more and more of Queen Ann. Stamping her feet and screaming at the top of her lungs "IT'S THE BLACK GUY'S FAULT!"

No jo, never good at insight, can't take in the fact that if she demands that someone be blamed over that attack, it is her crush Hillary that holds the portfolio.

How very loyal you are no jo. to Hillary, and to the United States of America.

So riddle me this: what ownership do you assign to the obstructionist Republicans, and to the thugs that attacked that Embassy?

Or does that not play well in your drive to do whatever you can to denigrate a President that you hate with irrational fervor?

Hmmmm?

I"ve been trying to explain why people would continue to vote for one of two choices of candidates from political parties with abysmal records when it comes to the economy.

I believe it is a matter of conditioning first. It's a matter of "that's the way it's always been done;" people don't know any better. Secondly, I think people have a powerful desire to belong to a group which, in their own minds, gives them authority to bash on, criticize, and threaten anyone who is not part of that group. If you think I'm wrong, just look at these comments.

These two theories may explain why people choose to be so oblivious to the faults of a two party system; the system is all they know, and the system satisfies their deeply rooted insecurities.

White Collar -

Who cares what you think.

OBAMA IN 2012.

DingleB

Well I live in a system which depending on the wind has three or four major parties so you get to dump on either 66% or 75%. It's just the nature of politics ... thou shalt demean. Hey if you are a commie you get to dump on 99.999%.

blackcatwhitecat

I imagine Robamney 2.0, "The White Obama", as an everything to everybody, super human, capable of increasing benefits, while lowering taxes, increasing military presence over seas and bombing new countries, while winning the hearts and minds of our enemies. Someone not restrained by the limits of the constitution, someone who the country will not call out on their trampling of civil liberties, someone......

RE: tax cuts not passing congress per Bill's post

don't forget that tax cuts can be accomplished through budget reconciliation, bypassing other congressional rules about filibusters and such. Saying that congress would prevent this tax cut is such tripe when the likely scenario of a Romney presidency leads to a republican majority in both house and senate. that is just how this will fall out if Mr. Romney wins, and to claim that a republican dominated congress is going to not pass his tax cuts is pure fantasy.

Given Obama's performance last week, I would say he succeeded in lowering the expectations for Biden! :)

Anna, dear, you DO understand the concept of a chain of command? That someone has a superior to whom he or she reports, from whom he or she is given direct orders, with which he or she must comply or lose employment?

Stevens was SENT out to take part in a marketing meeting- his diary, (obtained by CNN, which seems, like the WaPo, to have had no trouble accessing the site, something the FBI seemed to find impossible to do for almost three weeks), makes it clear that HE understood the dangers. Too bad he paid with his life for Obama's idiocy. It wasn't all bad, though- Obama instigated violence throughout the Muslim world with his repeated lie about an amateur video no one would have heard of if not for him- and he didn't miss that Vegas fundraiser, so, whatever.

oh, and, noid? Could not find the article in the newspaper on line, but here is a pertinent part of the story from the AP

     |WASHINGTON — A top State Department security official in Libya told a congressional investigator that he had argued unsuccessfully for more security in the weeks before Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed. Department officials instead wanted to "normalize operations and reduce security resources," he wrote in an email obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.
Eric Nordstrom, who was the regional security officer in Libya, also referenced a State Department document that detailed 230 security incidents in Libya between June 2011 and July 2012 that demonstrated the danger there to Americans.

Read more: http://triblive.com/usworld/world/2749546-74/security-libya-department-state-attack-benghazi-committee-diplomatic-nordstrom-democratic#ixzz28u7S8Pz3 
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook|

I suggest you read the whole article.  I also suggest you pay attention to the other disasters this unqualified teen idol has wrought on the country, and start thinking, instead of chanting.  The sooner he sails off to Hawaii, the better.

Joe " foot in mouth" Biden needs to save the Obama Presidency! Wow, How far have things come. The exposure of Obama continues with his idiotic Big Bird speech's. Everytime the American public sees this they have to wonder, how in the hell can I vote for this guy. Thursday debate will see Gaffe Biden trying to make up for his boss's incompetent performance. Gaffe Biden will be on the attack, Ryan needs to be steady and let Gaffe Biden implode. Gaffe Biden has NO PLAN to help FUTURE Americans concerning Medicare or Social Security solvency. All he has is FEAR!

Let's remember who Biden really is. He ran for President in 1988 but had to quit when it was learned that he plagiarized - not only a speech of British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock - but Mr. Kinnock's life story. He lied about being the first of his family to attend college and lied about his ancestor's working in the coal mines.

Think about that all you Obama supporters who are throwing the word liar at Ryan and Romney. Of all the people running in the presidential election only one has been caught red handed as a complete and utter liar and that is Joe Biden.

Ann Molly

"Big Bird" is worth $350 Million. That's more than Mitt Romney ($250 Million). Mitt left the nest years ago. It's time for the bird to leave the nest don't you think?

Anna, dear, you DO understand the concept of a chain of command? That someone has a superior to whom he or she reports, from whom he or she is given direct orders, with which he or she must comply or lose employment?

Stevens was SENT out to take part in a marketing meeting- his diary, (obtained by CNN, which seems, like the WaPo, to have had no trouble accessing the site, something the FBI seemed to find impossible to do for almost three weeks), makes it clear that HE understood the dangers.

Thanks for the softball, no joe. I am already aware that the answer is that Chris Stevens understood the dangers and mostly ignored them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/world/middleeast/us-ambassador-to-libya-knew-the-ways-of-the-arab-street.html?pagewanted=all

But the rest of what you say is nothing but speculation, or even worse.

Until you produce credible evidence of a "direct" order that Chris Stevens was obeying by going to the consulate that day, I'll just stick with he knew the risks.

And so should you.

DB Akron --

"Big Bird" is worth $350 Million. That's more than Mitt Romney ($250 Million). Mitt left the nest years ago. It's time for the bird to leave the nest don't you think?

Are you so obtuse that you didn't get my point?

I already know Big Bird is self-sustaining. Big Bird isn't really the issue. Romney just wants to censor public broadcasting and public news reporting.

And shallow thinkers like you are about to let him do it.

whats with the LWNJ's today. Feisty was on the edge of a coronary yesterday. NoJoe and Thetotas had her all riled.

big bird is too big too fail? Lets see them talk about big bird but nothing on libya or the economy. Good policy Obama. Lets see, our profligate president thinks if he ignores things, they will go away and his Presidental Legacy will be remembered as a success. MEGALOMANIAC.

I had Feisty, Amy and NDD claiming i was a sexist because Amy is partisan hack that will walk on hot coals for a 'handsome president'. Oh thats right, He cares about women and is giving them all sorts of rights they never had before. Like owning land, voting, equal pay. Yep Obama promising women what they already have. WHAT A JOKE. Keep voting for stupidity libs and enjoy those 'Sigma' Cum Laude degrees HAHAHAHA

David Walker, Yellowdog Mark, Anna Molly, Northstar, NDD--love it, terrific posts. Fired up, Ready to Go!

Debate viewers and the media were/are shallow in their assessment of last week's debate. Shallow indeed when debates are measured by animation, by Flash over substance. While President Obama was off his game he actually did fine, he had the facts on his side--provided one bothered to listen to what he said instead of cheering Romney's hyper, rapid-fire word salad of denying everything he has been running on for 18 months.

Mitt Romney stood on that debate stage and told one LIE after another to over 60 million viewers. Are people that gullible and stupid to believe that Mitt has moved to the middle, that all his previous statements should be erased from the whiteboard because he was only playing to his extremist base and now he is a changed person? Romney has been inconsistent since he first ran for the Senate in 1994, Inconsistent again in his race for Governor. Inconsistent again in 2007/08 and once again Romney is a new version in 2011/12. Then again on October 3, 2012, a NEW MITT flip flopped his way through a debate.....and was declared the winner. As President Obama said, Romney is now saying "never mind" and oddly enough viewers and the media willingly accepted the "never mind" version of Mitt Romney.

Dennis and Molly

You fail to recognize that those tax cuts don't happen unless deductions are eliminated.

What you don't realize is that one of the reasons businesses don't spend is because they have to have the money for the taxes at the end of the year.

If you lower the tax rates by taking away deductions, you will make their life a whole lot simpler.

Making Big Bird independent isn't censoring it is making Big Bird pay for itself as it should.

As far the rest of PBS, it is pure political, not neutral. The government has no business supporting one political party or the other in opinion, which is what PBS news and commentaries do.

AM: And did your article also explain why, if that be the case, Chris Stevens was even at the consulate on September 11 when he could have stayed safe at home in the embassy at Tripoli?

In their never ending attempt to deflect blame from the Obama administration, some on the Left have concocted this notion that it is Stevens who was at fault for his, and his staffs, deaths in Benghazi. Taking that position is really more a kind of illness than anything else.

If it's as stupid as you are suggesting it is, then why did Romney feel the need to bring it up?

Romney brought it up, handed it off to Obama, who is now running around with it like it is some kind of trophy. It was one answer from Romney, for Obama it has become the center of his campaign strategy.

Besides, you know as well as I do that this has nothing to do with Big Bird. It has everything to do with Romney's desire to silence public radio and television news reporting.

PBS would be fine with private financing, because if you were not aware, the country is running a little low on funds. So let the east side New Yorkers and the Hollywood types kick in a few million to make up for the lost public funds. Then they can take the "P" off of "PBS" and call it just BS.

ca tom -- i care what wca thinks. but for those that just do namecalling, insults and attack the opposition i don't care

interesting isn't it that three of obama's big points in the debate have all generated negative responses from those he called out -- aarp said to stop, sesame street said to stop, the professor said they were not reading his paper correctly.

kinda 0-fer for the bo

Jody - Is it considered a lie when Obama says his Administration created 5.2 million jobs when the fact is his Administration is a net + 125,000 jobs?

Obama looked like he really needed a teleprompter in his debate, I'm afraid sleepy joe will need more than that... perhaps some meds before and after....

The tone of the libbies is remarkably changed these days, a sense of dread, a feeling their days on the government dole may be reduced significantly! They may even have to get jobs soon!!!! Yikes!

@ DB Akron --

Once again, your obtuseness is on display. The President rightly pointed out that Romney cannot produce enough deductions to offset the tax cuts unless the middle class is severely impacted.

Do try to pay attention, dear. It doesn't work with me to merely restate the obvious.

And I still don't see how eliminating deductions so the net tax burden is the same is supposed to stimulate growth, even if there WERE enough deductions to eliminate.

Riddle me that, why don't you, Brainiac?

As far the rest of PBS, it is pure political, not neutral. The government has no business supporting one political party or the other in opinion, which is what PBS news and commentaries do.

Ah. I see you DO understand the true agenda and accept it.

That makes you a tool of the right.

Keep going. This is fun.

JoAnna --

PBS would be fine with private financing. And if you were not aware, the country is running a little low on funds, so let the east side New Yorkers and Hollywood types kick in a few million to make up for the lost public funds.

And accordingly, we'll save next to nothing ... nothing like what we'll need to finance Romney's 100,000 new soldiers or all those new boats he wants to float that the Pentagon doesn't even want.

How does it square with your "conservative" philosophy to be a tool of the military industrial complex?

Didn't you listen to Eisenhower?

And ultimately, how is cutting PBS going to make one hill of beans of difference against our federal debt, which keeps growing indefinitely, even under the Ryan budget, in terms of your espoused concern for our children and grandchildren?

What difference will it make if they have no debt when they grow up if they have nothing else that makes life worthwhile?

Well, AM, I guess you've just explained Obama-worship more clearly than anyone before you.

It depends on telling yourself one lie after another, ignoring proof even when it is presented to you, and attempting to deflect onto something irrelevent.

So, your contention is that Stevens, et als, committed suicide? Stick with that.

Just for entertainment value, tell me why Obama jetted off to Vegas for that fundraiser the same day he got the news. Or why he lied about a video he knew had nothing whatsoever to do with anything- thereby publicizing, and inciting violent protests over, a video no one otherwise would have ever heart about.

I'm sure you've got stock answers all ready.

Anna Molly

See how NoJo is so quick to heap blame before all the facts are know. Here is her pinning the blame for the killing of Stevens on Libyan rebels

no joe, no bo, nj Comment collapsed by the community

I notice there was no mention of the fact that the very people who killed our Ambassador are the people Obama engaged in an illegal "kinetic military action" to assist in taking over their government.

Job1 said:

You really have to question the gullibility factor of anyone who supports the likes of Willard Romney and Lyan Ryan.

We've been saying this about Obama supporters for 4 years. Mr. Transparent is nothing but opaque.

Sure is funny that the liberals will now claim that Romney is lying but they never take the time to examine the lies of their master Obama.

The President rightly pointed out that Romney cannot produce enough deductions to offset the tax cuts unless the middle class is severely impacted.

the president points out many things, mostly erroneous and misleading. Obtuse, pffft AM. stick to big bird that seems to be a 'winning' strategy.

Well, no matter which team you root for, it is obvious that the 1st Presidential debate has had an effect on the race. Senator Kerry all but erased President Bush's lead after winning their 1st debate in 2004, and Governor Romney appears to have done the same since last week.

What does that bode for the remaining two? Is it better to crush the first debate or the LAST debate?

Ultimately, how much of a factor will the debates be in the election? What are the odds that the two candidates will be considered TIED going into the final debate?

As for the GOP's criticism of what took place in Libya, one must ask why they are so frantic to find fault with President Obama and the Department of State? The answer is, politics,

@Jody - I couldn't agree more. These highly disgusting life forms posing as humans do not give a damn about the lives lost. The one and only thing they care about is eulogizing them for their political cause and to tout their hatred of Muslims. For proof, you need only to ask them where was their outrage over every other embassy attack. We know for sure they weren't posting comments. More likely, they were on their way to Vegas or out playing golf.

Obama lied about what Romney said, the Media Matters controlled "news" keeps repeating it and you morons are stupid enough to believe it.

The so called "Moderator" is a personal friend of The Obama, he went to their wedding and appointed her husband as the head of the FCC. You people don't even try to hide your corruption anymore, it's sickening.

I feel very sorry for you (more so for your children) that you people are stupid enough to believe these things at face value and are not smart enough to do some fact checking and bust The Obama for constantly lying to you.

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL

What the hell are you babbling about?

Do you have another case of the DT's this morning?

Why don't you mix up one of those Bloody Mary's you brag about curing your hang-overs!

While you're at it, put an aspirin between you knees...

...and call the rehab center yourself, your family might appreciate a sober father & husband for a change!

Internet Bullies......Because talking Sh!# in person is dangerous.

DingleB, the U.S. is an incredibly diverse country of over 300 million people from all backgrounds and walks of life, each with particular interests and issues. We are a violent nation, both physically and verbally. We air our dirty laundry in public. Perhaps moreso than any other country, we freely admit our faults because we believe we cannot solve our problems by hiding or ignoring them.

That we are this way is due in part to our tradition of rebellion, of individuality, and of freedom of speech.

Yes, the political system here has become unwieldy and is often ineffective. I don't think Americans like sweeping changes in government or the political process, and so we progressives must settle for inching forward in the right direction. Has Obama been a perfect president? No, but there has never been and will never be a perfect president or political system. The best we can hope for, given our penchant for apathy over involvement, entertainment over information, and divisiveness over community is to keep moving forward. We are doing that with the leadership of Barack Obama.

As for the conservative mindset, it is ruled by fear and loathing. They are the victims of their own lust for power and priviledge. Conservatives must learn to reframe their message to bring progress, peace and prosperity to all of us, not just a select few.

It's not easy to make progress with that elephant blocking the way.

The choice is yours.

1. End subsidies to Public Television and Radio.

2. Turn Medicare and Medicaid into voucher programs run by the states.

3. De-regulate Wall Street.

4. Repeal the Affordable Health Care act and it's provisions regarding pre-existing conditions.

5. Add 100,000 troops to the military.

6. Buy more military hardware.

7. Curb EPA regulation of the oil and gas industry.

8. Eliminate the Department of Education, turn those functions over to the states.

9. Keep 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, indefinitely.

10. Send arms to the Syrian Rebels.

11. Make the Bush tax cuts permanent.

12. End funding for "unnecessary" programs/agencies.

13. Turn Social Security over to Wall Street replacing the current system with "investment accounts".

14. Open up the federal parks to oil and gas drilling.

Or.....Vote to re-elect the President!

Save Big Bird and Save America!

Obama/Biden 2012

Gee, screaming lib, has there been some evidence that, oh, say, Martians, are responsible?

CA said: big bird is too big too fail? Lets see them talk about big bird but nothing on libya or the economy. Good policy Obama. Lets see, our profligate president thinks if he ignores things, they will go away and his Presidental Legacy will be remembered as a success. MEGALOMANIAC.

You have to realize the liberals have NOTHING on Romney. This group of people is so hung up on minuscule talking points it has turned them into a laughing stock. When election day comes around, do you really think the voter will make his selection based on Big Bird? NO! The voter will make his/her selection based on the economy, the events in Libya, the affairs of this nation, etc... Big Bird won't even be thought of... but the liberals drone on and on like what they say matters... The American people see through the falsehood of the liberal claims of lies...

The liberals are becoming so desperate to find something, they even make things up.

I'm going out on a limb here but considering all the crap the liberals are throwing out there, and how stupid it all is, Romney isn't only going to win, he's going to win by a landslide.

Dangerfield...

What does that bode for the remaining two? Is it better to crush the first debate or the LAST debate?

Ultimately, how much of a factor will the debates be in the election? What are the odds that the two candidates will be considered TIED going into the final debate?

In the past, I would have said that you want to crush it in the last debate...because that would give you momentum heading toward election day...and really, it would be the last major event with which to create momentum. However, in the era of early voting, where we can start voting like 2 years before the election, I don't think it's so clear cut. Crushing it in the first debate may get people to make up their minds then and head to the polls and not care about subsequent debates. It is definitely NOT as clear cut as it once was.

I think the possible danger for the President in the subsequent debates is coming out a little too negative. Not sure how many of you were watching the first debate on CNN, but whenever one of the candidates would attack, the "dials" of the independent voters would go down (negative). So clearly, the independent voters don't want to hear too much attacking. So the President and Mr. Romney will need to find that delicate balance of attacking enough to make points and satisfy the base, while at the same time not attacking to much and turning off independents.

I think the odds that the candidates are tied heading into the last debates are pretty good.

Good questions DF.

Hey dangerfield, morning. I know you compare or see similarities to 04 but tell me how big did Bush win by? I think it was a close election. However Bush had the Al Qaida boogeyman on his side. Economic boogeyman is not in Obama's favor. Obama also has a far worse record domestically and internationally at this point. Things are stacking up against Obama now and not in a good way. Sure things can change between now and then. could get much better for Obama, could get worse. plus 2 more debates. polls are meaningless in my opinion and Nov 6 is reckoning day

More likely, they were on their way to Vegas or out playing golf.

so you're saying Obama is leading by example then Reddev?

The one and only thing they care about is eulogizing them for their political cause and to tout their hatred of Muslims

hatred for Muslims, no vigilant of their radical religion. But tell Reddev how many times have you chimed in about Romney's 'Magical Underwear'? Yeah liberals are tolerant, just like Islam is a religion of Peace.

For proof, you need only to ask them where was their outrage over every other embassy attack.

everytime, regardless who's president. Remember in 98 when it happened. clinton was president. outraged then as well. and I dont really dislike clinton.

no joe, no bo, nj

Gee, screaming lib, has there been some evidence that, oh, say, Martians, are responsible?

Nope. Never said there was

Just pointing out how you are always quick to point blame (and frequently wrong)

Internet Bullies......Because talking Sh!# in person is dangerous.

Feisty didn't see that. Too busy posting s#*t on Stacey Dash's twitter account

Brianb1956

I'm going out on a limb here but considering all the crap the liberals are throwing out there, and how stupid it all is, Romney isn't only going to win, he's going to win by a landslide.

Are you taking a saw with you?

Romney's 20% tax cut proposal was supposed to stimulate the economy. Now, he says it will be paid for by eliminating or limiting deductions. The math doesn't add up. So now his defenders say it assumes 3% + growth rate in economy. But how do we get 3% growth?

His plan now is revenue neutral so it contains no stimulus effect. He is counting on Obama's policies to produce this 3% growth while condemning Obama's policies.

Romney has essentially endorsed the President's plan. Independent business analysts such as Moody's project job growth of 12 million in the next 4 years based on current economy and Obama policies. Romney cites this figure for his own plan. Again, Romney is essentially endorsing the President's plan here.

Romney is a hypocrite. Either the President's plan is working (Romney's economic plan assumes this) or it's not (Romney has nothing to stimulate economy in his plan).

Obama deserves the credit for the projected 12 million jobs in the next 4 years. Romney is just a "free rider" here.

Obama saved our economy from another Great Depression and despite Republican Congress attempts to thwart Obama's plan for recovery, our economy is growing. According to employment report, housing reports, manufacturing reports, and consumer spending reports, we are growing at an accelerating rate.

OBAMA 2012.....for America's Future.

Q22

Internet Bullies......Because talking Sh!# in person is dangerous.

Feisty didn't see that. Too busy posting s#*t on Stacey Dash's twitter account

Feisty was far worse yesterday afternoon. Ask thetotas. Ask Nojoe but she has Feisty the Red on ignore. She's a pile of refuse as far as I am concerned. Nah I'd rather have Feisty whine about big bird like the rest of our liberal friends.

NOJO,

You cited the article from triblive.com to under gird your post about the attack in Libya. I did read the whole article.

Issa committee hearing is nothing but a partisan politics at its worst. Also included in the article is this paragraph:

"Democrats on the Oversight committee were sharply critical of Issa, the chairman.“Although Chairman Issa has claimed publicly that ‘we are pursuing this on a bipartisan basis,’ the committee’s investigation into the attack in Benghazi has been extremely partisan,” a Democratic staff memo said.“The chairman and his staff failed to consult with Democratic members prior to issuing public letters with unverified allegations, concealed witnesses and refused to make one hearing witness available to Democratic staff, withheld documents obtained by the committee during the investigation, and effectively excluded Democratic committee members from joining a poorly-planned congressional delegation to Libya,” the memo said.The Democrats said that in the previous two years, House Republicans have voted to cut the Obama administration’s requests for embassy security by some $459 million."

Read more: http://triblive.com/usworld/world/2749546-74

Security for our diplomats, especially in learning from the terrible tragedy in Libya, should be the main concern. Not a Issac self serving committee hearing.

And accordingly, we'll save next to nothing ... nothing like what we'll need to finance Romney's 100,000 new soldiers or all those new boats he wants to float that the Pentagon doesn't even want.

There she goes, off the rails, out into the weeds. Again.

Maybe you can get Willie Nelson, who if he paid his taxes there wouldn't be a problem, to give a concert. He can call it "Give Us the Bird".".

Got, it, screaming lib. Stevens and three others must have been strangled by a video tape that went haywire.

Oh, and dangerfield- I'm sorry, but you are wrong about Bush/Kerry

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/election_2012_vs_election_2004_eight_years_ago_today.html

Kerry had the lead in July through most of Auguat- after the conventions, not the debates. He never got the lead back.

Moreover, in my opinion, all three debates were draws, but I suppose Kerry had an edge. It certainly was not the 52 point blow out, (Gallup's numbers), that Romney had. Biggest point spread ever in their history- only Clinton's 42 points against GHW Bush came close.

Romney's 20% tax cut proposal was supposed to stimulate the economy. Now, he says it will be paid for by eliminating or limiting deductions. The math doesn't add up. So now his defenders say it assumes 3% + growth rate in economy. But how do we get 3% growth?

Reagan did the same thing. Lowered the marginal rate and closed loopholes and deductions. Worked then because deductions and loopholes cause people to hide money, when you take them away it frees up trapped assets.

Biden is a mean drunk who spouts idiotic rhetoric!! This will be a really informative debate!!!

Obama has been in office four years and the economy has still not bounced back and the only talk coming from him is to raise taxes on the rich. How does raising taxes make the economy better? What is he going to do about a budget? Why can't he get congress to move on anything? A leader is someone who can get two sides to agree on SOMETHING that will be for the good of everyone, not sit back and point the finger and blame the "other side". And what about what happened in Libya? Why did they start by saying it was a protest gone wild and now it is coming out there was a real threat before this happened and that threat was ignored?

I think the next debate will be a tell all, win all event. Since the debate is going to be a town hall debate, it will expose Obama for everything he isn't. If you think the first debate had a negative effect on Obama, just wait. Town hall debates cover a wide range of topics. I can't wait to hear Obama's answer to a question like this:

Mr. President, since the economy is still very sluggish, what are your plans to make improvements?

Obama: Uh, ahh, uh, as you know, I was completely taken by surprise by the horrible economy my predecessor left me. Uhh, I had no idea how bad it really was. Let me make this perfectly clear, it was all Bush's fault and I had no support to help me fix it. I am relying on the sympathy of the American public to re-elect me. It's only the republicans that want this economy to be bad. I want it to be good. It's all the republicans fault. I can now claim that my golf score is under a hundred and while playing golf I imagine things will be better. I will use those thoughts to wish well on the economy, so that's my plan.

Maybe you can get Willie Nelson, who if he paid his taxes there wouldn't be a problem, to give a concert. We can call it "Bird Aid".

get them all together (music artists) and we can have USA for the Big Bird.

Security for our diplomats, especially in learning from the terrible tragedy in Libya, should be the main concern. Not a Issac self serving committee hearing.

Wouldn't want the truth to come out would you. Issa's committee has already caused the State department to contradict the White House and state that they always knew it was a terrorist attack and not a response to an obscure video. Obama administration was feeding that line for days after the attack. I'd call it a lie but I am sure you will say it was an "innocent mistake"

All Joe Biden has to do to win the debate is to tell Paul Ryan to go ahead and explain how they plan to cut taxes by 20%, increase defense spending and not increase the deficit. If Ryan says there is not enough time, the Vice President can easily just give Ryan all the time he needs.

There is not enough time left in the entire universe to explain away the big lie.

Yes, because "no joe" knows all and tells all. Hell, why even bother having testimony today when we can get it all straight from the horse's mouth?

More like the "horse's ass".

There is no pressure on middle class Joe, after all he is just going to make it up as the goes along. Biden has been doing that his entire political career. The mainstream media calls is gaffs, and liberal supporter give him a pass because he is just being Joe. Everyone should just call him an habitual liar, but then again liberals only have standards for everyone else.

It's always nice to have an "In" when you have a debate:

President Barack Obama was a guest at the 1991 wedding of ABC senior foreign correspondent and vice presidential debate moderator Martha Raddatz, The Daily Caller has learned. Obama and groom Julius Genachowski, whom Obama would later tap to head the Federal Communications Commission, were Harvard Law School classmates at the time and members of the Harvard Law Review.

Source: http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/10/abc-news-scrambles-to-cover-up-barack-obamas-attendance-at-vp-debate-moderators-wedding/

The media, the Obama administration. One of the same.

To be fair, maybe ABC can replace Martha with George Stephanopoulos.

Gee, Northstar- democrats complaining that republicans investigating a royal screw up by a democratic president is "political".

I wonder what your response would be if the parties were reversed?

Good lord. Four people were slaughtered because Obama has some air-headed idea that if he just cuts security, everybody will be fine and dandy- and you're focused on unnamed democratic staffers whining?

That's a tactic often employed by Obama worshippers- but I have to say, AM does a better job. It doesn't work, but it is a little more elegantly stated.

Caesar Augustus- Nah I'd rather have Feisty whine about big bird like the rest of our liberal friends.

You would prefer they whine about Ken Burns ... ? Should I list the hundreds of programs that show America its artistic heritage ... maybe some Eugene O'Neill?

What's the new mantra Caesar? America should live by bread alone?

I'd call it a lie but I am sure you will say it was an "innocent mistake"

i thought it was evolution. it evolved from a spontaneous attack based on a youtube video to a planned attack by Al Qaeda

What's the new mantra Caesar? America should live by bread alone?

you tell me Ikarus, you come up with more and more silly things everyday. I'd rather talk about things that matter. I dont hate PBS, but really the gov needs to fund it? Perhaps the govenment can fun Oprah's channel or Spike TV too. Nah Ikarus, keep flying closer to that sun, you'll eventually come crashing down.

blackcatwhitecat said:

Brianb1956

I'm going out on a limb here but considering all the crap the liberals are throwing out there, and how stupid it all is, Romney isn't only going to win, he's going to win by a landslide.

Are you taking a saw with you?

Not at all. You don't realize the size of the limb I'm going out on. It's proven to be quite solid. As I inch out there, I realize that it's growing stronger...

How's that for confidence? I've been observing the antics of the liberals for months concerning this election. One thing is for certain... they are running scared. Conservative momentum is building, the shift last week only bolsters that thought. Liberals are throwing everything including the kitchen sink out there in the hopes that something will stick... Nothing will... Obama is going down...

You would prefer they whine about Ken Burns ... ? Should I list the hundreds of programs that show America its artistic heritage ... maybe some Eugene O'Neill?

First, Sesame Workshop alone has assets of over $250 million. Between CPB, NPR and PBS they have more than enough assets in both non-profit and for profit ventures to keep them afloat.

Second, there are many cable channels that would scoop up PBS programming in a heartbeat. Between the History channel, Discovery, National Geographic and others there is enough of a private market for "heritage" broadcasts and like 15 kids channels - some commercial free - for the children's programming.

There was a time before cable when choices were narrow. That isn't the case any more.

JoannaSmith1: I see you have already picked up the talking points memo today.

Is the GOP afraid of the media ? Are the conservatives afraid that Martha Raddatz might ask Paul Ryan what books or magazines he has read or similar "gotcha" questions ?

We already know that the GOP "numbers guy" can't do math, is the GOP afraid their VP candidate just doesn't add up to being VP material ?

Kaybeetoys - You were mentioning the little steps progressives are making towards reaching their goal... Let me ask, do you know what the goals are of the progressives... Yes, it's rhetorical, but I would love to know if you actually understand what their goals are.

Save Big Bird and save America!

Obama/Biden 2012

skip Nicholson, Oklahoma City

Save Big Bird and save America!

its a winning strategy Skip. keep it going.

NOJO,

One thing we agree on is that Anna Molly is an elegant poster.

Who would have thought...

You might learn something from her. I do every time she posts.

Avg Joe said: And what about what happened in Libya? Why did they start by saying it was a protest gone wild and now it is coming out there was a real threat before this happened and that threat was ignored?

Don't expect an answer from a liberal on this one. The key word is ignore. They ignore this as if it's something the right made up. It's all about the unaccountability factor. They hold Obama unaccountable for anything that really matters. Don't you know liberals only perceive Obama as a saintly figure... he does NO wrong...

On this BS about Big Bird......................cuts in spending are going to have to come from somewhere. We have hundreds of cable TV channels that we are glad to pay for out of our own pockets. Does it make since to keep funding PBS and Big Bird and make cuts for social security, medicare, or defense. I'm not even going to add welfare and food stamps.

Is the GOP afraid of the media ?

No, not at all. They are just keenly aware of what they are.

Maybe get someone from Fox to mediate the debate? You wouldn't have a problem with that, would you dirp? Or, speaking of math, would you be afraid of them asking Biden a gotcha question like "Your administration promised 'shovel-ready' jobs from the stimulus. You yourself said in 2009 that we'd soon be creating 300,000 to 400,000 jobs per month. Why did that not happen?"

skip Nicholson, Oklahoma City said:

Save Big Bird and save America!

Obama/Biden 2012

Are you trying out for the liberal slogan of the week?

nojoe-

I think you have what I said backwards.

Kerry erased Bush's lead after the 1st debate. The consensus was that Kerry won the debates, but the incumbent won the election.

-------------------------------------------------------

Newsweek reported that Thursday's debate in Miami, Florida, had "erased the lead" that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have held over Kerry and running mate Sen. John Edwards since the Republican National Convention in New York.

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/10/14340705-first-thoughts-the-pressure-is-on?threadId=3586201&commentId=70897300#c70897300

--------------------------------------

http://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=10454.0;wap2

---------------------------------

The scenario from 2004 would favor the Democrats and President Obama in 2012. In that election, Democratic contender John Kerry made up 9 points on the incumbent, President Bush, after their first debate. Kerry had trailed by 11 points in the Gallup poll, and was within just 2 points of Bush after their first debate.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/Romneys_post-debate_surge_historic_but_not_a_clincher.html

---------------------------------------------------------

I see the incumbent beating the challenger, just like 2004.

I don't get what you were trying to say...

The only thing I've ever learned is how the Obama cult mindset works.

I notice AM has no answers or explanations for Obama lying about a video- or jetting off to Vegas for a fundraiser upon learning of what happened in Libya.

I guess some things are beyond even her rhetorical abilities.

I was talking about the realclearpolitics average of polls, dangerfield- a metric I believe is superior to one poll- particularly, Newsweek. It's as bad as UNH.

Kerry had a lead from July, 2004, through August of that year. While Kerry did, in fact, gain two points after the first debate, it did not translate into a lead in the head-to-head match-up, and it dwindled very quickly.

Romney, on the other hand, has gained since the debate- he now has the lead for the first time in the RCP average, and it has grown. Is that being fed by other factors? I assume so- this Libya fiasco certainly is not helping Obama. Neither is clinging to Big Bird.

dirp said:

All Joe Biden has to do to win the debate is to tell Paul Ryan to go ahead and explain how they plan to cut taxes by 20%, increase defense spending and not increase the deficit. If Ryan says there is not enough time, the Vice President can easily just give Ryan all the time he needs.

There is not enough time left in the entire universe to explain away the big lie.

You really don't know Ryan, do you? All you have is false illusions pretty much like you did about Romney. If Biden were smart, and we know he's pretty stupid, he would steer clear from any mention of this. Ryan's answer will blow Mighty Joe Dumb away, along with most of the audience.

I can hear it now on Friday... Liberals will be saying lies, lies and more lies... you people are so predictable.

Dirty rotten 1%-ers.

Yep, they seem to be everywhere. Guy in the Big Bird suit pulls down $315k per year. PBS CEO nabs $650k.

ANd of course here at First Read we got Anna MOlly and Steeler Fan billing out at $300 per hour X 1900 hours per year.

Oh and AM - what up with Susan Rice going on TEEVEE and telling us it was all about a movie?

Big fat lie, which of course was repeated by Hillary and O.

Whoops!

according to O, 250k a year is rich. uh oh. Tax Big Bird

Hey Spanky AM is doing Pro Bono for the people. AM is all about 'fair'. Right AM? Lis alibi pendens perpetuus

2012 PRESIDENTIAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The reigning champions fighting out of the "HOAX AND CHAINS" corner:
Barack Hussein "YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT" Obama and
Joe"FOOT IN MOUTH" Biden

The challengers fighting out of the "LET'S SAVE AMERICA" corner:
Mitt "MADE IN AMERICA" Romney and
Paul "THE BUDGETNATOR" Ryan

Let's get ready to rumbleeeeeeeeeee................

Round 1- Romney came out swinging and caught Obama by surprise. Obama took a right to the "24 MILLION UN/UNDER EMPLOYED" and a left to "SOLYNDRA",
Romney followed that up with a right uppercut to the "$16 TRILLION DEBT". Dazed at this point, Obama employed the rope-a-dope defense.
Romney proceeded to pummel Obama into a "NEVER-ENDING RECESSION"

Romney/Ryan- 1
Obama/Biden- 0

To be continued..........

Shaak322:

"Romney's 20% tax cut proposal was supposed to stimulate the economy. Now, he says it will be paid for by eliminating or limiting deductions. The math doesn't add up. So now his defenders say it assumes 3% + growth rate in economy. But how do we get 3% growth?"

How can I dumb this down...

You get more money when you tax more people.

More people work when there is more money in the economy.

More money is in the economy when the government is taking less.

When the government spends less it needs less in taxes.

The government can not create wealth, its a basic fact and yet for some reason all you libs can't wrap your tiny little brains around it. Go take a class on economics before spouting your ignorance on the internet. The math doesn't add up when using "Liberal Mathematics" but in reality it works, where as in reality The Obama's policies have compounded the problem and not fixed anything.

Well after reading some of your Reich Wing Knuckle-dragging Neo Con Fascists posts this Morning........ I opened up my checkbook and sent another $1,000.00 to President Obama Super Pac. While you paid $8-$9 Koch/Rove Trolls spew your lies and half truths to the ill informed. I will make a difference,

OBAMA/BIDEN 2012.

Your Childrens Lives Depend on it

when in trouble deflect and babble nonsence . or just blame poor old hillary. god forbid taking responsibility for anything. time to go!

Bill Fairfax, VA

The only thing wrong with your theory is the Republican Party is owned by Grover Norquist and history. You may remember these individuals you have so much faith in gave us two tax cuts and two unfunded wars. If they vote against a tax cut, they will not have to worry about their constituents. Grover will take them out.

You really have to question the gullibility factor of anyone who supports the likes of Willard Romney and Lyan Ryan.

You really have to question the gullibility factor of anyone who supports a proven failure like Obama.

There, fixed it for you.

The nit-pickety personal outrage because I am for the other team crap is most naked during one of our nation's periodic sex scandals.

When it comes to something like the tragedy of the attacks on our embassies this past September 11th, it is less obvious but just as hypocritical...

I watch the NEWSHOUR on PBS, where they devote a whole 15 minutes per segment to the issues of the day, and the idea that the attack on our embassy in Libya and the tragic deaths (or SLAUGHTER if you are looking to dial up the outrage to 11) of our embassy personnel is the result of some grand failure by the current administration or that the ongoing investigation is a coverup is frankly as insulting to our institutions as the claims that the previous administration was to blame or somehow should have or could have prevented the (shall I use your term?) slaughter of thousands here in my city, at the Pentagon and in a deserted Pennsylvania field 11 years ago.

The manipulation of tragedy for the sake of political or rhetorical advantage is despicable no matter who is using it.

I differ with most here in their unbridled hate/love for the current administration, but the partisan attacks on the administration's generally successful foreign policy, using the tragic deaths of our brave foreign service people, is another example of the corrosive effects of our compartmentalized and personalized sources of information and our politically expedient personalized outrage...

I long for some congressman of either party to get caught twittering pics of his "BVD's" or taking a "wide stance" to change the meme....

Biden is best suited to debate the average third grader that is in the lower fifth of their class...

Obama has set the Table for 12 Million more jobs to be created in the next four Years, why would anyone of sound mind Vote for Robme who supports the same policys of Bush that tanked the USA and lost a Million jobs a Month his last year in office. Yes we are better off than 4 years ago, and if you are not take some prsonal responsibility, everyone I know who did not have a job 2 years ago now currently has a Good Job, and with Obama at the Helm there will be 12 Million more jobs

Obama/Biden going Forward for all Americans

Save Big Bird, Elmo and Grover.

What kind of person would vote against Elmo?

They'd have to be the lowest, low-down snake that ever slithered it's way into a voting booth. They'd be LOWER than a snakes belly in a wagon rut. They'd be lower than a ditto-head's IQ. They'd be lower than whale poop on the bottom of the sea.

Is that the kind of person you want sitting in the Oval Office?

Somebody lower than whale poop on the bottom of the sea?

Then, I guess you'll be voting Republican.

Save Big Bird and Save America.

Obama/Biden 2012

314519

Biden is best suited to debate the average third grader that is in the lower fifth of their class... Which includes Ryan/Robme and 90% of the GOP/ American Taliban

There i fixed it for you.... Your welcome

Fiesty your back. I was afraid your head exploded when you saw Obamas performance in the debate.

So, let me here your argument.

I know the first phrase, "Romney lied"

got anything else?

LMFAO

What a campaign stratagy. "I'll Save Big Bird, and by the way Romney lied. Now can I have another 4 years."

Romney calls for increased defense spending of $2 trillion. Where does this money come from?

On his own website, he claims he will not start spending cuts until 2016 if growth is at 4%. How do we get to 4% growth?

Romney leaves so many questions unanswered, that it is obvious he is cooking the books. He has no coherent plan for economic growth or job creation.

As Governor of Massachusetts, according to nonpartisan Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center's Sept. 3, 2006 report, in his first 2.5 years, Romney presided over the slowest jobs recovery (200,000 jobs lost in 2001) in the state's recorded history.

How'd he rank in this period? Romney was 43rd in job growth and last in median wage increases.

Romney, a mediocre economic record as Governor of Massachusetts.

Romney, no coherent economic plan for America's future.

Romney, flip-flopping away.

First, let's assume for the sake of argument that Romney actually does want to cut his rich buds a huge tax break then dump the tab on the middle class. Question: how many folks out there think their congressman and senator would actually vote to pass such a plan?

Mr Romney's problem is that after his big flipflop during the debate, he is now presenting himself as Obama Lite. Which simply begs the question - why wouldn't any rational voter just go for the real deal?

IndependentinSD said:

Well after reading some of your Reich Wing Knuckle-dragging Neo Con Fascists posts this Morning........ I opened up my checkbook and sent another $1,000.00 to President Obama Super Pac. While you paid $8-$9 Koch/Rove Trolls spew your lies and half truths to the ill informed. I will make a difference,

OBAMA/BIDEN 2012.

The only difference you made was lowering your checkbook balance. If you, for one moment think that Obama appreciates your money, you are as disillusioned as someone getting hit by a sledge hammer.

I appreciate your contribution though... someday, somehow, you will learn a lesson that giving money to a losing proposition is bad for your personal economy.

IndependentinSD - Obama has set the table for 12 million jobs? HOW?

Ridglon,

You are indeed dumbing it down. In fact, you make a dumb argument.

When you tax more people, those "more" people will have less to spend after their taxes are paid.

If people have less to spend, economic growth will slow and tax revenues will decline.

Revenue neutral means that for every cut in taxes there will be a corresponding cut in deductions. In theory, every group will not see their tax liability change. This is what Romney said about the rich "they will not get any net tax cut under my plan". In other words, no additional money for the rich. He jettisoned his trickle down plan for growth here.

Romney, confusing even his own supporters with his ever changing tax plan.

Romney, bad for America, bad for the triumph of arithmetic in policy analysis.

OBAMA 2012.....For America's Future.

JoannaSmith1: The reason they won't use anyone from Fox is that the commission on presidential debates requires that the moderators be journalists. As has repeatedly been pointed out by Fox itself, the programs on Fox are not news, they are entertainment.

Brianb1956: Paul Ryan could not answer the questions given to him in an hour long interview, what makes you think he'll be able to do it during a debate ? The TRUTH is, Paul Ryan can't tell the truth. There is no amount of time which will be able to justify the Republican positions and make sense of them. Even President Reagan had to raise taxes and still did not balance the budget, after he said he would increase defense spending, cut taxes and balance the budget.

While President Reagan's statements were what he wanted to do, the words coming from Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney are lies. The difference is what a candidate believes he can accomplish and what the know is not possible, yet they say it anyway. When you say a statement that you know is false, THAT is a lie.

Perhaps Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan truly do not know that when they state something that has been repeatedly proven to be false or impossible, it is no longer possible to be true, i.e., it is a lie. They continue to believe it and have no concept that they are lying. In that case they are delusional and not qualified to be the President and Vice President.

Why this debate really matters?

Romney bet Ryan $25,000 that he could not tell more lies in a debate. Remember, 27 lies in 28 minutes.

Obama/Biden 2012

...they (liberals) may even have to get jobs soon!!!! Yikes!

Mark 1.65 Yes, carrot top, bev the corrupt, backwash and the rest of them are part of a group called the 'Sponge Committee', dedicated to get every possible benefit from our government without giving back.... it's folks like that desperately want that gravy train to continue, but realize it will end with Romney's election!

Romney/Ryan to keep the country out of bankruptcy!

Joe "Robinette" Biden, AKA Joe "Bite Me" Biden, vs Paul Ryan.

This will be a cakewalk for Ryan against good ole "Gaffe-A-Minute" Biden.

I understand they have sequestered Joe Bite Me to a secret place to practice for his big debate tomorrow. He's been removed from the mainstream for his buffoonery, NOT to practice.

Pure and simple, he is the best surrogate Romney/Ryan could ever hope for.

They have to keep him from insulting more black people by putting "y'all in chains" or admitting the middle class has been ruined for the last four years.

ROTFLMAO!!!!

What a moron. This bobblehead has been a heartbeat from the presidency and you Libbies think this is a good thing? Your delusion just consumes you doesn't it?

He's busily memorizing numbers for the debate to pretend he has a clue about what's happening. The problem is Ryan KNOWS numbers.

The scene at Blair House in 2010 was stunning. Barrack Hussein and Joe Robinette sat in stunned silence as Ryan demolished Obamacare. Not only did he predict that the actual cost would double, the CBO has confirmed that the stated $904 billion cost is now over $1.76 trillion, he also predicted that the CLASS Act would never succeed as it simply takes the money from premiums that are designed for that benefit and instead counts them as offsets. Right again!

He also pointed out that the Doc Fix was simply removed from the legislation and continues to be a stand-alone legislation for over $370 billion a year.

Of course the 800 pound gorilla back then, and still today, is the massive Medicare Unfunded Liabilities. These range from a conservative $38.6 trillion to a jaw-dropping $90 trillion by the Medicare actuary. Unless there are significant changes in Medicare its $300 billion annual shortfall will not only continue, it will grow.

For 10 minutes Barrack Hussein had that same look as he had when Prime Minister Netanyahu schooled him about the meaning of being an ally and the Israeli 1967 borders.

The look on Barrack Husseins face was basically,,,,PRICELESS!

I didn't see Joe Robinettes face during the Blair House Beat Down Ryan was giving the Libbies, but I'm sure it was the same as it was during Barrack Husseins speech last year at GWU on the National Debt,,,,

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Now as the disaster in Benghazi, Libya begins to unravel we will see more failed foreign policy as the security was driven by political factors rather than policy. This must be an outrage as we had to return 4 more coffins to grieving families that should never had to happen.

Tomorrow will be another embarrassment for America as the world watches Biden undressed just like Barrack Hussein was last week. The world will finally realize what a horrible mistake was made in 2008.

It's sad that our media has kept this administration in a cocoon for nearly 4 years because of their incompetence. Had the media done its job, asked difficult questions and challenged all these failed policies, we wouldn't have to see our great Republic shamed by Barrack Husseins and Joe Bite Me's ineptness.

The obvious solution is to evict this empty chair president and his empty suit vice-president. We owe that much to our own pride and belief in our nation.

ROMNEY/RYAN 2012 FOR REAL AMERICANS©

Geo

by Greg Sargent at WP

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/romney-my-one-page-plan-will-create-12-million-jobs/2012/08/03/85b51d3a-dd84-11e1-8e43-4a3c4375504a_blog.html

"SNIP.........................................

The current Moody’s Analytics baseline forecast is for payroll employment to increase by 12 million jobs from the start of 2013 to the end of 2016 (134 million to 146).

If Romney is elected and the trajectory of the U.S. economy plays out according to script, obviously he’ll be able to take credit for those 12 million new jobs.

However, the economic assumptions embedded in our forecast include only an extension of Bush-era tax rates for those under 250K, which is more closely aligned with the Obama administration’s position. We also assume a bipartisan deal to scale back sequestration and achieve a long-run fiscally sustainable path, with Democrats accepting reforms to Social Security and Medicare in exchange for the increase in top tax rates.

In effect, therefore, Romney is essentially promising no more jobs than we currently expect to gain under proposals similar to those advanced by the Obama administration. There’s not enough in Romney’s plan to estimate how many jobs it would create. If he’s saying the net change will be 12 million jobs, that’s exactly what we’re estimating without Romney’s plan.

Once again Obama has set the table.

Obama/Biden 2012

We dont need 2 more wars from republicons, we dont need no vouchers so the wealthy can get a Bigger Tax Break, We dont need to privatize Social Security, WE DONT NEED ROBME/LYIN RYAN

What REALLY matters is the abysmal failure of the Obama administration in Libya.

Obama (and a willing, ass-licking media) continues to 'evolve' the events that took place when a US Ambassador was murdered in a pre-planned terrorist attack.

Obama tried to blame a video, now he's flip-flopping (or, as the Obama toadies like to call it 'evolving'.

Obama: One and DONE!

.

.

“The problem is, is that the way Bush has done it over the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion for the first 42 presidents – #43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome, so that we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back — $30,000 for every man, woman and child. That’s irresponsible. It’s unpatriotic.”.

-Barak Hussein Obama

“today I’m pledging to cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term in office. This will not be easy. It will require us to make difficult decisions and face challenges we’ve long neglected. But I refuse to leave our children with a debt that they cannot repay — and that means taking responsibility right now, in this administration, for getting our spending under control.”

-Barak Hussein Obama

Which Obama will liberals vote for? The one who made these promises, or the one who did the exact opposite???

It is not really about cutting taxes. I believe Romney would like to do it, but knows the numbers will not work. However, he watched both Reagan and Bush promise tax cuts and they won their election. And look where we are now.

Dirp said: While President Reagan's statements were what he wanted to do, the words coming from Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney are lies. The difference is what a candidate believes he can accomplish and what the know is not possible, yet they say it anyway. When you say a statement that you know is false, THAT is a lie.

Shall we list all the lies of Obama then? Since you actually think this is what's happening with Romney/Ryan... You shouldn't talk about lies when your candidate hasn't told the truth in 4 years...

I still got to ask, how many of you right wonders are going to have to hold your nose when you vote for Romney? The changing of positions from tea bag to democrat and back to tea bag or maybe republican and then back to democrat? How can you vote at all if he is all you have to vote for. I sure hope America is a lot smarter then you folks and returns the man of the people back to the presidency.

Shaak said:

OBAMA 2012.....For America's Future. Failure

More Robme Lies

. An ‘Unelected Board’ Controlling Your Health Care

Despite President Obama trying to push back on this lie, Romney made this claim a few times last night. Obamacare, according to Romney, “puts in place an unelected board that's going to tell people ultimately what kind of treatments they can have.” In reality, as the Associated Press points out , the board that is tasked with bringing down Medicare costs is prohibited from “rationing care, shifting costs to retirees, restricting benefits or raising the Medicare eligibility age. So the board doesn't have the power to dictate to doctors what treatments they can prescribe.” This Romney claim also hearkened back to Sarah Palin’s lie that Obamacare created “death panels,” which was a straight up lie.

ItsAboutTime-3704531 said:

Why this debate really matters?

Romney bet Ryan $25,000 that he could not tell more lies in a debate. Remember, 27 lies in 28 minutes.

Obama/Biden 2012

I keep on hearing the liberals claim this, but have yet to see any proof of their claims... not opinion, but proof... Since no liberal is willing to step up to the plate and provide such proof, I'll keep on believing it's nothing but a fabrication that liberals will cling to like a life line tossed out to them while drowning in the sea.

I sincerely hope the organizers for this debate have an Emergency Rescue Squad on hand for health reasons ... old Joe may require assistance in dislodging his foot from his mouth at some point in the debate ! Joe has been known to suffer from "hoof in mouth disease" many times previously !!

It is funny how the progressives and liberals here started out on the front page using misdirection over the real issues being raised in the article. How about a recap to get us back on task.

"Concerned enough that the State Department -- after weeks of near-silence -- yesterday gave a tick-tock of what happened in Libya, and that tick-tock doesn’t even remotely match what UN Ambassador Susan Rice said in the days after the attack (that it was sparked by that anti-Islam video and that it wasn’t premeditated). Of course, the Obama administration has since revised its story, and it’s better to be late than never. But there’s no doubt that today’s hearing is going to be – at the very least -- a headache for the White House. An example: Today’s Washington Post report on the State Department concluding, back in July, “that the risk of violence to diplomats and other Americans in Libya was high and that the weak U.S.-backed government in Tripoli could do little about it.” Just askin’, but where is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? Why isn’t the administration sending her out to help explain what happened? Isn’t this her turf? Also, did the intelligence community really let Susan Rice go out FIVE DAYS after the attack and say what she said? They didn’t know FIVE DAYS LATER that there was not a single protest at all in Benghazi?"

Amazing even though the article asks about the lies and misdirection from the Presidents office on the Libyan attack everyone wants to change the conversation and ignore the donkey standing in the room. How predictable, this is a clear example of the "paucity of ideas" of this administration and its blind followers.

How about the two Seals who were killed...I noticed in yesterdays tick-tock analysis they were not even mentioned...why is that? Could it be because the President made it look like it was their responsibility to cover the Ambassador as his "security team" when in fact they might have been tasked to find out what happened to 20,000 missing missiles in Libya? They just happened to hear the call for help and ran from half a mile away to render assistance...yet the guards on scene could not find the Ambassador in the smoke...these Seals went above and beyond their mission and provided cover to an uncovered situation...it cost them their lives and the President makes it look like they were not successful protecting the Ambassador. Possible the President was covering for their actual mission in Libya but given the wording and posture who besides the President really knows? Just amazing and really sad.

Next

Mitt Romney's 20% tax cuts for those making over $200,000/$250,000 totals $2.7 trillion over 10 years. He says he will pay for those tax cuts by closing loopholes. However there are only $1.7 trillion worth of loopholes in total that can be closed.

Well, first off, your numbers are wrong. According to the Tax Policy Center Romney's tax cuts would reduce federal revenues by $480 billion in 2015 over and above the cost of extending the Bush tax cuts.

Over 10 years, that is a reduction in government revenue by $4.8T!!! According to the LA Times:

The campaign has pushed back against the Tax Policy Center report, offering other economic surveys that show its tax plan can achieve its goals without hitting middle-income earners – largely by economic growth.

Here we go again! Does anyone remember the promises about George W. Bush's tax cuts?

Back in 2001, as chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, Hubbard predicted that tax cuts slanted disproportionately to Americans in the topmost tier of income and wealth distribution would "quickly deliver a boost to move the economy back toward its long-run growth path," starting with adding 300,000 more jobs and half a percentage point to the 2002 growth rate.

Unfortunately for American workers, these rosy predictions failed to pan out. In fact, total employment in the U.S. economy created only 2.4 million new jobs by the end of 2004, or less than half of what Hubbard predicted. By 2007 the economy was running nearly 8 million jobs short of what Hubbard predicted.

And it really isn't surprising that we are hearing the same recycled crap that we got from the Bush administration. Who do you think Romney's economic advisors are?

From Bloomberg Businessweek:

Romney said two of his top economic advisers, Glenn Hubbard of Columbia University and Greg Mankiw of Harvard University, are "excellent" aides when asked today during an interview on Fox Business Network.

That's right! The same idiots who gave George W. Bush such sound economic advice!

Romney is advocating the same "voodoo economics" (a phrase coined by no less than George H. W. Bush, by the way) that George W. Bush used to drive the American economy into the ground! It didn't work then and it won't work now!

If America is stupid enough to elect Romney as president then 5 years from now we can all bitch about the "Romney Recession".

Ridglon,

You said the government cannot create wealth. Really? Is this a right wing talking point?

When a government, any government, awards a defense contract or a road building contract to a private company, it is recorded as a sale on that company's books. They then build whatever they are contracted to do and take a profit. Same as if they were selling to you or me.

Increased sales normally creates increased jobs and increased profits. Increased jobs and increased profits produce increased wealth.

Private or public spending both yield opportunities for businesses and workers to add more to their own wealth.

Romney's plan is revenue neutral. As such, it will have little overall impact on the economy.

For example, eliminating home mortgage interest deduction will hurt the housing industry and any other industry that relies on home equity loans taken out by their customers to finance their purchases.

Those people who don't take home mortgage deduction may have more money to spend as result of their tax rate cut, but its effect on economy will be cancelled out by all those who pay more tax as result of losing their home mortgage deduction.

Revenue neutral essentially results in zero sum gain for the economy. Actually, Romney's tax cut plan may actually hurt the economy by eliminating incentive to purchase a home. We need more home sales now, not less. Recovery of home prices is tied to increased home sales.

Obama 2012... for America's Future.

5 years from now we can all bitch about the "Romney Recession".

EEngineer seems thoroughly confused.... Obama's recession never went away, despite the spin from the old liberal media... we are just entering into the 2nd phase of the economic decline barry and his socialist policies has put us in...!

Romney/Paul are the only anwser to change the direction the country's going... but it won't be easy!

Romney/Paul.. to get the country back to work!!

Brianb1956

Kaybeetoys - You were mentioning the little steps progressives are making towards reaching their goal... Let me ask, do you know what the goals are of the progressives... Yes, it's rhetorical, but I would love to know if you actually understand what their goals are.

Progressives want to find logical and empirical solutions to the problems we face. We fully understand that compromise is necessary and are not hog tied to failed ideologies like trickle-down economics. We realize that it is foolish to bind ourselves to the Grover Norquist pledge.

Our goals center on the basic reality that the strength of this country depends on the strength of the middle class, and so policies that promote the health, education and employment of the middle class should be the top priority of all branches of government.

There are huge problems in the world that affect everyone: overpopulation, pollution, climate change, poverty, war, global trade imbalances. Progressives want to find solutions to these problems by working together within our country and with other nations.

We believe that personal issues like religion, abortion rights and gay marriage should be left to the individual and are not the province of government.

Conservatives want to maintain the status quo that keeps the wealthy corporate elites in power so that they can continue to milk America. They have no desire to work with others or to compromise. They are more than willing to lie to manipulate the people they have marginalized, the people they have impoverished and kept fearful and ignorant.

Look back at history, Brianb, and you will see how all the great powers have fallen. Progressives are those who are willing to make the changes and the sacrifices necessary to keep America strong and vibrant, even if some of the steps we need to take will not benefit us personally.

We understand that reality must be met, that problems must be faced head-on. We are realists who care about community, both national and global.

... are you kidding me. Seame Street and Dora The Explorer make over $600,000,000.00 per year on their own. Are you telling me we can't strip away the public financing. My wife and I are teachers in Calironia and we have given up 7% of our income along with 400,000 other teachers in our state. Also, State, County, City employees are giving up about 10% of their income as well Police and Fire Depts. I think Big Bird can get by without public funding.

Is this Obama's plan ... tell me Big Bird isn't running the White House and President Obama's campaign ... If this is it ... then we are voting for the other guy cause if the economy doesn't grow we can kiss a millions of public employees good bye ...

There has been a HUGE COVER-UP on the embassy attack that killed four Americans and NBC does not make it a top headline? They just did a small video. I guess a story about the debate and a story about the idiots (and they are idiots) buying coffee at a 7-eleven and who they will vote for is more important than the incompetence of this administration and its cover-up of this disaster. This is worse than Watergate. Shame on NBC.

This is Jimmy Carter's second term. Attacks on our embassy and a horrible economy. And, a new Iran developing in Egypt. Pretty sad, sad state of affairs.

Dorr, please stop associating Nobama with the Tigers. The Tigers are winners, at least to date. Obama is not a winner and in fact is being proven a bigger loser every day.....

Nobama 2012

Hey biden....explain why BOZOhussen went all over telling everyone that a youtube video killed the USA embassy people in the Middle-East??...Even Over-the-Hill'ry says it was Muslim-Terrorists!!

Even the Prez. of Libya says it was not the video!! .. Jimmy Carter did nOT have the embassy people murdered!! but then they had Marines...The cables from the embassy asking for security are being hidden with the rest of obama's records!!
What a liar and incompetent leader we have..OMG===ObamaMustGOooo!!
He even stood before the UN and belittled our Constitution and 1 st Amendment rights!!

Kaybeetoys said:

Progressives want to find logical and empirical solutions to the problems we face. We fully understand that compromise is necessary and are not hog tied to failed ideologies like trickle-down economics. We realize that it is foolish to bind ourselves to the Grover Norquist pledge.

Enough... you don't know the progressive's agenda. Just as I thought... another liberal signing onto the progressive point of view without knowing what they have signed onto.

For all your political interjection, you still have no idea what you are professing. The progressives have you right where they want you... unknowing and witless... and witless is not a slam... it's a correct correlation to the amount of actual knowledge the progressives expect of you.

For your own good, you might want to do some research on the progressives and what their goals are.

In contemporary times, the term progressivism is used to describe a wide range of views associated with left-wing political movements.

Maybe you should first establish the definition of left wing and what that means... not only in political terms, but in life terms.

State spending increased at well over rate of inflation under Romney’s watch,
estimated at 24% - more than$5 billion – over
Romney’s final three years.


Under Romney, Massachusetts dramatically underperformed the rest of the nation
in terms of job growth.


Romney has been criticized by experts for failing to deliver on issues of
business development and economic growth after selling himself as the “CEO
governor.”

 2006
report issued by quasi-public Massachusetts Technology Collaborative warned the
state was losing itsgrip as leader in “innovation economy” and that tech job was
alarmingly slow.

If Romney owns State does not Support Him what does that say about Romney?

Romney Bad for Seniors and Middleclass, and Really Bad for ALL AMERICANS

This debate is going to be bias, in favor of Biden, the moderator is married to a Obamas appointee for the FCC , Obama is friend of the couple and he assist to their wedding .

There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that
would become part of my agenda,” the GOP presidential candidate told The Des
Moines Register’s editorial board during a meeting today before his campaign
rally at a Van Meter farm.

What?
WHAT? The candidate of the most militantly anti-abortion party in American
political history is saying this?!? The man whose VP nominee is so radical that
he refuses to allow for an abortion even for a woman who has been impregnated by
a rapist?!? What in the HELL is Willard talking about?!? He's gone ON RECORD as
saying he'd support a "personhood" amendment to the Constiution that would not
only ban every kind of abortion for any reason but would even outlaw certain
kinds of birth control.

And
wouldn't you know it, a few hours after Willard said this, his campaign was
walking it back

Who is the real Robme? If you dont know who the real Robme is, then he should not get your vote for the #1 job in the free world

Obama/Biden 2012

The first sentence of this article says it all:

"Team Obama needs a strong showing by Biden tonight to make up for last week and to change the subject."

In other words, Team Obama cannot defend their record. The more they debate, the more our citizenry will see how Obama has failed them.

I'm getting a kick out of IndependentinSD this morning. I hope this post prompts him to send another $1K to that sinking Obama ship.

Biden is in retreat, by the Obama campaign in order to avoid more gaffes from the old man , that can be used in the debate against him and Obama, like meddle class buried the last four year, or if you go to 7 Eleven you need to speak Hindu. They want him fresh and ready.

The debate exposed the myth the media portrays about obalmer -- that he's smart. He isn't, he's an affirmative action dolt -- never had to study, never had to prepare anything, just coasted through on the choom bus becuase the liberal establishment universities needed to fill their quotas.

Guess what, now america knows exactly what he is. The BB ad's fell flat because america knows it's all he's got, to try to discredit the honest, smart, competent person america saw in the debates and they ain't failling for it.

Joe cannot bail him out, Romney will steamroll him in the next debates and win the election, it's already over.

Read this article from Thomas Sowell before you even consider to vote this November. Forward it to all that you know:
_____
If Obama wins, "then the fate of America -- and of Western nations, including Israel -- will be left in the hands of a man with a lifelong hostility to Western values and Western interests.
President Obama is such a genial man that many people, across the ideological space, cannot see him as a danger.
For every hundred people who can see his geniality, probably only a handful see the grave danger his warped policies and ruthless tactics pose to a whole way of life that has given generation after generation of Americans unprecedented freedom and prosperity.
The election next November will not be just another election, and the stakes add up to far more than the sum of the individual issues. Moreover, if reelected and facing no future election, whatever political constraints may have limited how far Obama would push his radical agenda will be gone.
He would have the closest thing to a blank check. Nothing could stop him but impeachment or a military coup, and both are very unlikely. A genial corrupter is all the more dangerous for being genial.

Abortion

 Romney
says he changed his mind on abortion meeting with Harvard stem cell researcher –
Romney claims the doctor said scientists “kill” embryos after 14 days, but
doctor later said Romney “mischaracterized my position.”

 Months
after his “conversion,” Romney stated his commitment to upholding Massachusetts’
abortion laws and appointed pro-choice judge to state district
court.

 In
October 2005, Romney signed bill expanding family planning services, including
abortion counseling andmorning-after pill.

 In December 2005, Romney “abruptly ordered his
administration to reverse course … and require Catholic hospitals to provide
emergency contraception medication to rape victims.”

I stand by what I said but I dont remember what I said but i stand by what I said. Now that is the guy the RWNJ want to be president. Mitt the Vietnam war draft dodger

MUCH NEEDED GOOD NEWS FOR OBAMA/BIDEN

Obama just signed an executive order allowing Biden to wear a big bird costume at the debate with Ryan. The DNC has advised Biden to just stand there and chirp now and then......

Sure the next debate seems important with the national media exposure AND/But Gosh Sister and Brother Americans! Maybe, JUST MAYBE, those coffee-cup voters are Feeling, And Voting, what their Inner Voices are saying. If the elitist/aristocrat republicanCrimeCartelSoldiers MittTaxPittanceRommel and his buddy Lyin'Ryan get Control of our Government with their Pals at The House Of Reptiles on Crapital Hill, like they did during the Terrible and Notoriously Shameful reign of KingGeorge TheVacuumBrained 2001-2008, WHAT kind of Catastrophic MONEYHAVOC will they wreak on US to feed their Greed AT OUR, We Americans, EXPENSE AGAIN!??!!! We are already HOPING to avoid a World depression as this Horrible Mess WAS CAUSED by these republicanGreedMongers. Here is a helpful link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og35U0d6WKY&feature=player_detailpage

Alan 3008

Huge coverup? How do you know about it? Who's telling you its a huge coverup?

I have seen numerous reports on Benghazi attack and no one has indicated that there is any coverup. Details are coming out which indicates there is not a coverup at all.

Initially, there were conflicting reports coming out of Benghazi. I watched interviews where one Libyan said there was a demonstration and another Libyan said there wasn't any demonstration. Did one lie and another tell the truth here? I don't know and neither do you.

As the FBI interviews witnesses, a more accurate picture will evolve. Jumping to conclusions here strikes me as a desperate attempt to find a foreign policy failure to pin on Obama.

I'm guessing here, but I bet you still can't get over the fact that on Obama's watch, we finally got Bin Laden.

I was at a conference this week in Colorado and met up with some professional acquaintances. One woman told me that she is an Independent and was on the fence on how she would vote... she watched the first presidential debate and her initial impression was that Romney did better. Following the debate she went to factcheck.org and discovered that Romney was lying through his teeth. She said she had voted that very same day in early voting for President Obama.

Just because talking heads on cable news want a horse-race to boost ratings doesn't mean that Romney's "performance" will result in votes for Romney. Many Independents will be looking at the facts, and the fact that Romney lies pathologically may just trump his theatrics.

But Biden is also a strong debater. And he has the same thing going for him that benefitted Dick Cheney against John Edwards eight years ago: gravitas. You might disagree with him on the issues, but Biden knows A LOT about national security and foreign affairs, about domestic policy, and about the judiciary.

LOL! Biden a strong debater? I'd like to see some evidence of that. This guy is the biggest boob to come down the pike in a long time. This will be another example for America to see the difference between the current amateurs running the country and the sane and rational choice to get America back on track. I think the only possible chance for Obama winning this thing is for Joe to have another stroke or at least fake it and cancel his appearance. Otherwise you're just showing America how bad this administration really is - Again. My prediction is that Ryan will win in a KO. It will be like a grown man beating up on a child.

shaak322,

Initially, there were conflicting reports coming out of Benghazi. I watched interviews where one Libyan said there was a demonstration and another Libyan said there wasn't any demonstration.

You were mistaken. That one Libyan who said it was a demonstration was Obama. He just looks Libyan.

I saw the interview. The Libyan civilian said he saw the demonstration.

And your remark about our President is racist.

The more the Republicons open there Mouth , The more they look like KKK Members

I am a Obama supporter but i will admit this debate worries me a little.

Yeah Ryan is easy to attack but he is no Sarah Palin, and Biden's mind seems to be leaving him in his old age.

Its hard to lose a debate against someone that has a 4th grade understanding of history and civics. Not so hard to lose against a narcissistic member of the house.

shaak322,

And your remark about our President is racist.

Really? Would it have been more apropos to have said he looks like a Kenyan? No, I think with his white/black heritage he would probably not have a problem passing as a Libyan. He would probably have had more of a problem passing as a Kenyan. You're wayyyy too sensitive about race. Most of the other posters thought it was funny not racist. I bet you laughed a little too. Didn't ya. C'mon, admit it. It's ok. I wouldn't think any less of you.

Svenolafson

That you bring up race when I said I saw a Libyan make statement about seeing a demonstration, proves that you look at the world through your racial preconceptions. I certainly know what the President looks like as do all but the most out-of-touch Americans.

I hope you were just joking, but really race should have no place in our discussion, yet you brought it up, didn't you.

IndependentinSD - So By doing NOTHING Obama deserves credit for 12 million future jobs. OK, let me get this straight, by following Bush's policy and taxing the rich more and letting the Republicans reform SS and Medicare that will create 12 million jobs as Hopkins points out. What EXACTLY did Obama do to help the process? That article was the most ignorant piece of crap I have read this year!

Republicons and the GOP/ American Taliban havent done SHYTE, The Teaparty and GOP are going to pay a HEAVEY PRICE for doing nothing come this November. The GOP is just 1 step below Communists

Geo.......Obama set the Table for 12 million jobs.......Mittens your man just wants to try and take credit,

So the final consensus on the left, after all the different "theories" of why Obama did so badly (after finally discarding the "Altitude" theory") is because Romney did a 180. Obama didn't know who he was debating and that flustered him so much, that he did poorly.

So raise your hand if you want a President that can loose his game when a polite man "flusters" him. Is that "Presidential"? Is that the strong man we want leading our country? If Hillary was on that stage, she would have been twice the man that Obama was.

Go ahead lefties. Get pissy about that.

In contemporary times, the term progressivism is used to describe a wide range of views associated with left-wing political movements.

Maybe you should first establish the definition of left wing and what that means... not only in political terms, but in life terms.

Well shame on me, brianb, for thinking that you actually wanted to know my opinion, that you actually wanted to have a substantive discussion. I'll know better next time you ask me something.

That's a huge part of the problem in America. We don't have a political dialogue between opposing ideas. Your mind seems so set on your own viewpoint I wonder if you accidentally poured cement in your ear at the job site. I would be happy to debate issues, but it seems to go nowhere here when people have attitudes like yours.

I am not a leader in the progressive movement and if the positions they espouse don't match mine I would not support their agenda either. I am a pragmatist, not an ideologue.

My opinions are based on my education (MBA, not Political Science) occupation and life experiences (having lived abroad for many years), as well as a study of the issues. I don't align myself with either of the major political parties, and I'm certainly not taken in by the conservative ideology. I'm familiar enough with Republicanism to believe it no longer works for America.

The socialists just want me to be their daddy.

Hows it working out in the black community, I think they are up to 80% with a government daddy. Was not always that way you know, the liberals changed that with welfare replace real daddy scheme. You sure showed those men who was boss. Now the government daddy is catching on with the other races who also had strong families.

Since you little entitled parasites never had a real dad, you don't know that real one attaches some to the money he gives that will help them grow up and have some self respect. That is because he loves you.

Without those words of advice and sometimes a kick in the pants from dad people tend to remain pathetic little maladjusted parasites on the government tit until the shear wight of their filth collapses the nation.

I have an offer for you, I promise not to remind you of your pathetic dependant behavior and general failure as a man if you promise not to take any more of my money

Love

Dad

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL,

Romney is a bipolar backpedalling hypocrite who worships at the throne of Money and Power. He will stoop to any level, including lie with a straight face and use the death of a Navy SEAL to obtain that money and/or power. The man has no compassion for anyone other than rich white people or white Mormons. He fakes sincerity and his own wife is concerned about his mental well being. We should not have a bipolar sociopath in the White House with access to nuclear weapons.

Bill, Fairfax VA

The Romney Tax Plan

"Romney wants to give a $5 trillion tax cut to his rich friends and raise taxes on the middle class to pay for it." As incredible as it may seem to anyone with even half a brain, that's actually the snake oil the left is trying to sell on this issue. There are lots of ways to debunk this abject nonsense, let's consider a few.

Oh great. Another defense of supply-side economic policies that failed when Ronald Reagan tried them in the 80s.

First, let's assume for the sake of argument that Romney actually does want to cut his rich buds a huge tax break then dump the tab on the middle class. Question: how many folks out there think their congressman and senator would actually vote to pass such a plan? For crying out loud, if Romney ever sent a proposal like that to Congress it would be DOA before the ink was dry, just like Obama's budgets. No politician, whether they be Republican or Democrat, would want to face voters in their next election to try and explain why they raised taxes on hard working middle class families while reducing taxes on high earners. That notion is a total crap sandwich and ludicrous on its face, but this is what the left actually wants the lemmings to believe. Good grief, let's get real.

They said the same thing about the Bush tax cuts; fortunately for the Republicans, they managed to cover their tails with an extension of the Earned Income Tax Credit and some other low-income tax credits so that they could cut higher-end rates and seem "fair." Unfortunately for Romney, he promised to do two impossible things at once: not add to the deficit and not raise taxes on the middle class. Don't give me that compassionate crap; there are plenty of people in America who think that supply-side tax cuts boost the economy and create jobs. Plus if that was true, Romney should have had barely 35% of nation's vote 3 months ago.

Second, the concept of tax reform is different from the concept of cutting taxes. Romney's plan is to cut marginal tax rates (for all American, not just rich folks) AND to reduce or eliminate deductions so that the entire package is both revenue and distributionally neutral. But while left wing talking heads go apoplectic at the part about cutting tax rates for the rich, they conveniently fail to mention the part about the reduced tax deductions that would keep their net tax burden about the same.

Yes, there is a difference between tax reform and cutting taxes. Tax reform aims to either increase or stabilize revenues via base broadening or rate hikes; tax cuts either add deductions or lower marginal rates. The problem with your argument is simple: Romney hasn't stated ANY of the deductions he'd be willing to ax or limit. We cannot infer that economic growth will pay for all of it, half of it, or even a quarter of it, for economic growth over that period would have to average at about 17% every year, not adjusting for inflation. And since Romney proposed to pay for the tax plan via "broadening the base," he'd have to eliminate numerous middle class tax deductions, thus raising their taxes while cutting those for the wealthy.

This oversight results in a twisted view of what Romney actually wants to do since it ignores the distributional neutrality enforced by reducing tax deductions for the wealthy. Instead, their soundbite of choice is to deliberately distort Romney's position by portraying the $5 trillion number as a huge tax cut for the rich -- a distortion that Obama himself tried to peddle in the debate last week. These people have no shame.

No; the people who throw a $5 trillion tax cut around as a magic solution for economic growth and broad-based prosperity. Well, there was prosperity, and there was economic growth, but not for the bottom 80% of Americans.

Third, the allegedly non-partisan Tax Policy Center (TPC) did wade into this tax deduction issue and concluded that it would be mathematically impossible for Romney's plan to avoid raising taxes on the middle class – a headline grabbing conclusion that was widely disseminated by an accommodating MSM. But what the MSM doesn't tell us is that in order for the TPC folks to arrive at that conclusion they had to make a range of assumptions about what would and would not be on the table in terms of the tax deductions that would need to be eliminated in order to implement the distributionally neutral tax reform Romney is proposing. And therein lies the fatal flaw with the TPC analysis: the assumptions they make are theirs, not Romney's.

The problem is that Romney has not SPECIFIED which deductions are on the table. He literally hasn't named one. The only thing he has promised to reduce costs is cap deductions, but that doesn't pay for all of the tax cuts.

In particular, the TPC assumes that two large tax deductions would go untouched, the exclusion of interest on tax exempt bonds and the exclusion of interest on life insurance savings. Both of these deductions disproportionately favor the wealthy, so when the TPC takes them off the table the results of their analysis are necessarily skewed against the middle class. But the Romney folks have never taken those deductions off the table, and both the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute have challenged the TPC analysis on this point. The Heritage Foundation goes even further and makes the case that the TPC conclusion is only one of many possible analytic outcomes, and an outcome heavily influenced by the assumptions TPC used: "The authors' assumptions largely determine the report's conclusions. The carefully chosen assumptions underlying TPC's analysis misrepresent the outcome of Governor Romney's plan and misrepresent the results of pro-growth tax reform in general."

Really, you're bringing up the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute?? They are obviously skewed towards Romney, just like Huffington Post and Mother Jones are skewed toward Obama. Romney promised to reduce taxes on savings and investment on his own damn website (click the tax policy button on "Taxes| Mitt Romney for President" page); that means he would keep the lower taxes on savings and investment passed by Bush and keep those deductions in place. If not, he has already broken one promise for taxes on investment and savings. And don't tell me that Romney's tax plan is "pro-growth:" people said the same thing about the Bush tax cuts, that did SQUAT. And now Romney wants to lower rates even further. Didn't a wise man once say "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results??"

But this aspect of the story gets even worse. Harvey Rosen is a Princeton economist who also did an analysis of Romney's plan. The Obama campaign cited Rosen's work to argue that "paying for Romney's tax cuts would require large tax increases on families making between $100,000 and $200,000." But Rosen has responded that the Obama campaign is misrepresenting his paper: "The main conclusion of my study is that under plausible assumptions, a proposal along the lines suggested by Governor Romney can both be revenue neutral and keep the net tax burden on taxpayers with incomes above $200,000 about the same."

Lemme guess; did Rosen add in the words "dynamic economic growth" in his study?? Tell me how you can keep taxes the same on people below $200,000 the same while cutting taxes by $5 trillion across the board??? Even if you add in the savings and investment deductions, you don't come close to solving the problem.

Here's the bottom line: if you were ever curious to see what a lying sack of $hit looks like, then just watch any Democrat who moves their lips when discussing Romney's tax reform plan.

Look dude, Romney's tax plan is a rehash of the Bush tax plan. Both of them promised it wouldn't add to the deficit, and look what happened to Bush. Both of them promised that they would benefit the middle class, and look at what happened to Bush. Both of them promised "dynamic economic growth" and broad-based prosperity, and we had the worst economic period under Bush. History doesn't support Romney; why should America??

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

The Obama Campaign knows they're in trouble if they have to rely on Joe Biden to save them.