Tuesday should be a very interesting (and late) night. My prediction? Obama wins it, but not by much.

Bob in VA and White Collar Auto,

enjoy your two days of fantasy....

Will remind you both of your posts on Wednesday AM. when Obama will be declared the winner of the electoral count.

have a great Sunday.

Let's hope that voters don't fall for the two faced lies that Romney tells the moderates in his party and then tells the conservatives something else. I think, hope and PRAY the rest of us have brains enough to realize that Romney and Lying Ryan are speaking out of both sides of their mouth!

state poll in PA, huh? where on the drudge report? FoxNoise?

keep telling yourself comforting thoughts

PA is not even close..and the only swing state mittens has a chance at winning is Florida and even that is only at about a 53% chance

the American Taliban-Teabagger reign of terror is over

The Republicans have been rooting for America to fail ever since we the people elected President Obama to office in 2008.

I for one want America to prosper and will vote for our President!

I am an Navy veteran tax payer and loyal citizen for Obama.

Will remind you both of your posts on Wednesday AM. when Obama will be declared the winner of the electoral count.

Wishful thinking? lol

Highly doubtful either one of them has the balls to show up, given their past behavior when Team Red takes a loss...

Keyboard warriors have NO backbone when push comes to shove!

the American Taliban-Teabagger reign of terror is over

Not a moment too soon!

Every Republic in history has fallen from the top down!

Why do Republican always find some pollster willing to "create" favorable polls? Is it because they want more money from billionaires for ads? Then keep publishing bogus numbers. I want Billionaires to spend as much as they can to send Romney and his investors away wealthier than ever after this election. Time for Romney to join W. and visit his money in the Caymans and let this country keep moving forward don't you think?

President Bush was in the identical situation 8 years ago...and won.

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

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

Approval around 50%

Unemployment below 8% (I said 2 years ago that the President's reelection was directly tied to the UE number)

President is reelected. Closer popular vote than electoral vote, due to the big storm.

2 years ago I said that the Democrats were going to lose the house and retain minimal control of the Senate, to much derision from those who think with their hearts.

This year the Democrats look like they will retain the White House, gain a seat or two in the Senate and pick up some seats in the house, though not enough to change the dynamic.

It's the Economy, and it is barely above the line, but coupled with the past week's events, enough to get the ball over the goal line, although the play might be subject to review...

NorthstarDFL

I have to wonder why you believe that either of the two parties has done anything good for us in MN. In 2006 MN was the sixth highest taxed state per capita and was the 46th in receiving our money back from the Federal government. It has been a long progression of both parties and the federal government to take from us to fund the rest of the country.

Look at the Dept of Education. Before it began MN had some of the highest educated people in the country and the world. We were on the cutting edge in developing programs to help our kids learn and we had no problem funding it because we believe that the future demands it. Now we are in the middle of the pack of states because our funding is being used elsewhere and we have no control over curriculum.

Personally, I think we should secede from the union and show the rest of the country how it can be done. I am positive the first thing we would fund is education and infrastructure.

Nope Danger - the economy is in the toilet.

no jobs, but lots of food stamps.

Early voting is close if not tied, overall turnout will be republican +1.

Plus independents are solidly for Mitt.

Now Nate Silver sure did blow the last election with his silly prediction them [2010], but his point about is spot on.

You cannot win without independents.

Hey Northstar - you know how many libbies said the exact same thing about Walker?

Wednesday will be a very entertaining day.

It used to be called voodoo economics. The give away to the rich with supposed trickle down effects has been shown to be complete bull$#!&. Romney's economic plan is merely smoke and mirrors.

Here's what the non partisan Congressional Research Service has to say about cutting taxes to increase revenue. (Summary below)

Throughout the late-1940s and 1950s, the top marginal tax rate was typically above 90%; today it is 35%. Additionally, the top capital gains tax rate was 25% in the 1950s and 1960s, 35% in the 1970s; today it is 15%. The real GDP growth rate averaged 4.2% and real per capita GDP increased annually by 2.4% in the 1950s. In the 2000s, the average real GDP growth rate was 1.7% and real per capita GDP increased annually by less than 1%.

There is not conclusive evidence, however, to substantiate a clear relationship between the 65-year steady reduction in the top tax rates and economic growth. Analysis of such data suggests the reduction in the top tax rates have had little association with saving, investment, or productivity growth. However, the top tax rate reductions appear to be associated with the increasing concentration of income at the top of the income distribution.

The share of income accruing to the top 0.1% of U.S. families increased from 4.2% in 1945 to 12.3% by 2007 before falling to 9.2% due to the 2007-2009 recession. The evidence does not suggest necessarily a relationship between tax policy with regard to the top tax rates and the size of the economic pie, but there may be a relationship to how the economic pie is sliced.

Romney's whole economic platform is refuted by these findings, there is no way his tax cuts will bring the economy back. Senator Mitch McConnell (R) blocked the release of the Report. It surfaced again in the Nov 1 2012 New York Times.

http://dbcc.senate.gov/files/documents/CRStaxesandtheeconomy%20top%20rates.pdf

and don't forget the Redskins Rule

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redskins_Rule

the only time it's been wrong since The Redskins have moved to Washington was in 2004...and everyone knows Rove and ken Blackwell pulled some serious sh|t during that election

President Bush was in the identical situation 8 years ago...and won.

Dangerfield:

That's because historically Republicans turn out in greater numbers than Democrats on election day. Why do you think the Obama campaign has invested so heavily in the early voting and get out the vote efforts? Unfortunately for Dems, this cycle the Republicans are matching their efforts. Good luck closing the turnout gap on Tuesday, because it's not going to happen.

Well DF, UE Under 8% doesn't really say it all now does it?

In November 2004 the UE rate was 5.4%. That is a hell of a big difference.

IF UE was at 5.4% and the economy was as good now as it was in 2004, Obama would be a lock.

Not a chance.

I waited until today to make a prediciton, cuz what fun is it if you don't have a dog in the fight?

Romney wins. The momentum carries the Senate and the house stays Republican.

THe only questionable one I really have is the Senate. That will be tough, but I have to make a pick.

Sp-

I was right 2 years ago and the Blue team was singing the same tune as you. My advantage is that I am not rooting for either guy. In fact I am not voting for either guy

======================================================

My first day here, I said that if unemployment was below 8.5% on election day, the democrats would retain both houses, if it was above 8.5% they would lose one or both..It isn't a mystery a conspiracy or even that hard to figure out...
• 8
• !
#18 - Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:46 AM ED

===========================================================

The Blue team was where you are now 2 years ago, but I am as confident of my prediction now as I was then, and as they say "You could look it up"...and WCA, you picked the Tigers and they got swept...who did I pick?

DF, picking the Tigers can't count!

Hell I think the Lions have a chance every weekend too.

BTW, 32 out of 39 National Sportwriters picked the Tigers.

That's why they play the games. (And hold the elections).

I do not know about dire firewalls but Princeton holds ... as of today he EC count is

Obama 319

Romney 219

BCWC 0 and sinking

WCA-

It is as shocking when a conservative picks a conservative to win as it is when a liberal predicts a liberal will win.

Stating that the Republicans will take back the Senate pushes you into the same category as those telling me the democrats were going to retain both houses 2 years ago...and those are the folks you chide as being unrealistic or worse now...

========================

President is reelected, Democrats pick up a couple in the Senate and a handful in the House...

And the Danger, is why they play the game.

But seriously a prediction based upon 8.5%?

Not much of a limb.

10/28/10...seems like just a couple of weeks ago.

ED - funny thing is I was just reading a article on France's fantastic new 75% rate. Projections are that France is going to lose a large amount of tax revenue from the huge increase.

People with means are very mobile.

Hey Blackcat - did Princeton do as horribly as Nate Silver in '10? It relies on the same top line numbers as does Silver, yes?

As the republicans have voted against jobs every chance they get, even to voting against jobs for our returning veterans.

And now they want you to blame President Obama for the republican votes in congress against jobs.

Then the republicans want to blame the partisanship on President Obama as they attack Christy for working with the president.

Republicans need to learn to love America again. We are well aware that your obstruction has hurt Americans as you are trying to prove that the black man can't lead.

Yes America would be a lot better off and more jobs if the republicans hadn't voted against America every chance they got. The republicans lied about wanting to create jobs in 2010 and are lying to you again.

VOTE FOR WOMEN'S FREEDOM...VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT 2012

Dangerfield

With both Parties claiming to be the Party of Change, I predict that the Party of Change will win and the other Party of Change will lose.

Hope your 'field-trip' yesterday had some bright moments.

SP-

Your doppelgangers were as dismissive as you...how did that work out? from 2 years ago..

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

Here's my over-under for the election next Tuesday;
Congress; Repubs 45 seats
Senate; Repubs 6 seats

• !
#8 - Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:27 AM EDT

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

I am as confident now as I was then. This time the Blue Team will agree, and the Red team will protest...

==================================================

bcwc...no bright spots at all as we salvaged what was left of their possessions and walked through streets of stunned, crying, desperate faces whose world changed in one day...

Spanky,

Did you even read the article, or did you just not understand it.

There are going to be a lot of bitter people on the day after, however remember the Majority will vote for the winner and the rest will HAVE TO "get over"it and support whoever wins. If not it will be bad for ALL of us in this country.

and those are the folks you chide as being unrealistic or worse now...

The DF, in the next sentence you claim a Democrat sweep in numbers.

Not sure who is being a Homer and who's not here.

Anyway, those that are "Unrealistic" are the folks who think this is in the bag either way.

TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, THE PARTIES OVER. Even the WSJ shows President Obama ahead in the popular vote. He's even further ahead in the electoral vote. Repugs, all your lying and cheating didn't work. Nice try, but we gotcha.

OBAMA IN 2 DAYS.

Romney's obsession of Prevarication is Schizophrenic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WCA-

Funny thing is you sound just like Nashville Fan 2 years ago. I bet that makes you smile...

I was a "homer" for your team then lol

=========================================

I will be here Wednesday. I fully expect the Red Team not only to disagree, but J'accuse!

But it is what it is. The incumbent is reelected. The Democrats gain a couple of seats in the Senate, and a handful (10-12) in the house...if that's (the status quo) a sweep.

I don't know what to call what the Giants did to the Tigers...

WCA-

You predict that the Republicans sweep? (Pres. Senate and house?) just confirming...

America loses reguardless who wins this election - Unless there is a record number of Independents elected to change the coarse of the House and the Senate. America needs the "Blame Game" to stop. Dems blame the Reps and the Reps blame the Dems - I am just so sick of it. Wake up America - We need a Third party majority in Congress, the Senate and one in the White House. This would send a clear message that the people really want change and have taken action to correct our problems. Although Reps and Dems actually siding with each other to prevent Independent proposals may not resolve anything, it would at least make this a bit more interesting!

Two days to go

From the article above:

While both Obama and Romney are running virtually even in this national poll, a majority of surveys from the battleground states – especially in the crucial battlegrounds of Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin – show the president with a slight advantage.

The President's "fire wall" is holding strong and steady, thank you.

The election will be over Tuesday night around 8PM EST, when the President will be declared the victor.

Final tally: President Obama 332 Electoral Votes, the Governor 206 Electoral Votes.

President Obama's win will include Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Virginia, and Florida.

God Bless President Obama.

Salud

I don't know what to call what the Giants did to the Tigers...

Well, where I'm from it's called an "Ass Whoopin'"

Of course I picked a Republican sweep. With a caveat on the Senate. Looks like a toss-up for Prez, so why not go with the guy I want to win.

Pretty sure by this time next week Nate Silver will no longer be the Left's favorite pollster.

Media Bias = voter suppression..........When Romney wins the People will deal with 4 Yrs of cover up from the main stream meida for O'Baggers failures....

Tom:

So how is liberalism working out for you in California? Does it make you glad that you can over-tax the wealthy and small businesses? Are you enjoying that 10.2% unemployment rate? How about all of the towns filing for bankruptcy because of Democratic overspending? Fortunately, the rest don't want our country to become a giant California which is why Romney will win on Tuesday.

I have never seen so much division in our great country....I see people nearly getting into fist fights over who to vote for in the lobby where I wait on people all day long....How did we ever let political ideas seperate us as Americans....I have people telling me how I will vote because that is how I have to vote...and the last time I looked...this is still America and I have the right to vote for who I want.... and I have already voted and I stay neutral and watch the dog fight every day.....and will be very glad when it is over....

WCA-

That's what I called it in 2010 mid-terms...This election is not going to be seen that way by anyone...

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

This election's outcome is not going to be seen as a "mandate" for either Party. It is going to be seen as a signal to start working together or the next mid-terms (2014) are gonna make the last one look like a garden party...

Spanky-

Hey Blackcat - did Princeton do as horribly as Nate Silver in '10? It relies on the same top line numbers as does Silver, yes?

Here's what Nate Silver said in October 2010.

October 1, 2010, 8:07 pm

House Forecast: As October Dawns, November’s Math Still Strong for G.O.P.
By NATE SILVER

Our House forecasting model continues to show Republicans as having about a two-in-three chance — 67 percent — of taking over the House on Nov. 2, similar to the forecast in recent weeks.

The most likely number of Republican pickups is in the range of about 45 seats — although significantly larger or smaller gains remain possible. The model does not expect a clean sweep: Democrats are favorites in 4 seats currently held by Republicans. But Republicans are favorites in exactly 50 Democratic-held seats, according to the model, which would be enough to give them control of the House.

October 20, 2010, 8:52 pm84 Comments

G.O.P. Odds of House Majority Now 3-in-4

By NATE SILVER

The latest FiveThirtyEight projection for the House of Representatives shows little overall change from our previous update, released this weekend, but the Republican position has improved slightly. They are now given a 75 percent chance of winning the House on Nov. 2, up from 73 percent previously. During an average simulation run, the Republicans finished with a total of 228 seats (up from 227): this would reflect a net gain of 49 seats from their current position.

Odd definition of "horrible" on your part, Spanky.

ED (#1.20):

The fact that the findings of this study are being buried for ideological purposes by the Republicans shows the parties true intent; of caring about the wealthiest few rather than the majority.

We, as a nation, are witnessing a slow erosion of democracy within our country.

The nation is being slowly undermined by a fascist movement sponsored by the wealthiest few within our nation through such organizations such as ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) and the use of bribery through oversight committees which combined with the financial activities of lobbyists circumvent democracy within our nation.

While the Conservatives put on a good show about caring about the rights of the unborn they are more than happy to downsize and eliminate those over 50 within their corporations. The fact that Romney feigns to care about the middle class this late in the election and can only refer to many as the the 47 % shows his true character.

As far as his 12,000,000 good paying jobs for the middle class this sounds like an unusual comment from a person who makes a lot of money from sending jobs overseas.

The importing of technicians and engineers within our country while our own people need jobs is reprehensible especially when their are many unemployed qualified people here.

We are slowly becoming dispossessed from our rights as citizens within our country by the wealthiest few who not only seek to keep widening the wealth gap; but to also continue an all out class war against the once middle class within our nation.

This will end in either an economic collapse because the wealthiest few feel that they need not pay anything back into the system or through a revolution that will overthrow the banana republic this country is turning into.

The Republican money machine is getting desperate. They have realized that you can't win by running a campaigned based on 90% lie's. Here's is one of there biggest which is the platform of his whole campaign.Mr. Romney says when I'm president, I will create 12 million jobs, but in the next breath Romney says the Government doesn't create jobs.

So how does that work? If the government can't create jobs then how can the government create 12 million jobs?

Obama wins by double digits.

Spanky,

Unlike you I avoid the hubris of predicting.

As to Princeton, I am merely reporting their numbers. If I claim any stellar accuracy on their part it lies within my EC count of zero.

tick tick tick ... 60 hours out now ... tick tick tick ... I wonder how many RWNJ's heads will explode come Tuesday night ... tick tick tick ... I'm pretty sure somewhere in Ohio there will be a flash of light as Ticked Off's head explodes ... tick tick tick... Obama 2012 ... tick tick tick ...

Some of you seem to prefer one to another so...

Electoral College maps;

RCP no tossups

290-248 incumbent

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

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

Rasmussen Reports

237-206 (95 tossup) Incumbent

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/archive/2012_electoral_college_scoreboard

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

538...(Nate Silver)

307-231 Incumbent

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/author/nate-silver/

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

Michael Barone (No relation to Raymond) has the challenger in a romp;

This year Rove has Romney winning at least 279 electoral votes and Barone has him catching a red wave in the midwest and surfing all the way to 315.

http://hotair.com/archives/2012/11/02/michael-barones-prediction-romney-315-obama-223/

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

I think Barone and Silver represent the outliers here, but Barone is really just an entertainer...

I can fudge polls to make an utter failure somehow seem like he's winning too. Does that mean I can work for WSJ? Or am I not racist enough?

Inflated NBC/WSJ polls favoring Mr. Obama thinking American voters will flock to a "preceived winner".

American voters are smarter than that.

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

Voted for Mr. Obama in 2008 ? Embarrassed yet ?

Bob, Ticked and Co. - We'll be checking back with you on Wednesday. When Obama wins, will you tuck your tails and run, or come back here to eat your words? We'll see....

If I was a Liberal, or an Independent, I would not vote for Obama again. Simply put, he failed on far too many fronts and his incompetence showed plainly in the Benghazi tragedy and cover up by Obama and his media, ABC, CBS, and NBC, covered it up. FOUR AMERICANS DIED and it is only being covered by Fox News? What the hell is happening to this country? The media was all over Watergate, and it was just a wire-tapping. No one got killed or physically hurt. Then they were going to impeach Nixon for his cover-up. What are they going to do to their hero, Obama, on this one? He lied to the American people for 14 days, saying the attack was due to the YouTube video, when, in fact, he knew it was not. Yesterday he said you need someone you can trust. Can you trust him after this? The military sure can't and neither should you. Vote him out. Be sure to vote.

Educated Thinker,

If Obama wins, you will then know that there really isn't any hope for the America we once knew. It will be the end as we fall into a socialist or communist state with Obama's leadership. People are too stupid to realize it. Pretty sad.

Romney closing Nonunion plant in Freeport on Nov 5th and shipping jobs to China!

Mr. Romney holds a controlling share (51%) in Bain.

Nine years ago, the company bought two camshaft factories that employed about 500 people in Michigan. By 2007 both were shut down. Now Asimco manufactures the same components in China on government-donated land in a coastal region that China has designated an export base, where companies are eligible for the sort of subsidies Mr. Romney says create an unfair trade imbalance.

But there is a twist to the Asimco story that would not fit neatly into a Romney stump speech: Since 2010, it has been owned by Bain Capital, the private equity firm founded by Mr. Romney, who has as much as $2.25 million invested in three Bain funds with large stakes in Asimco and at least seven other Chinese businesses, according to his 2012 candidate financial disclosure and other documents.

That and other China-related holdings by Bain funds in which Mr. Romney has invested are a reminder of how he inhabits two worlds that at times have come into conflict during his campaign for the White House.

As a candidate, Mr. Romney uses China as a punching bag. He accuses Beijing of unfairly subsidizing Chinese exports, artificially holding down the value of its currency to keep exports cheap, stealing American technology and hacking into corporate and government computers.

“How is it China’s been so successful in taking away our jobs?” he asked recently. “Well, let me tell you how: by cheating.”

But his private equity dealings, both while he headed Bain and since, complicate that message.

Mr. Romney’s campaign insists he has no control over his investments since they are held in a blind trust. That said, a confidential prospectus for one of the Bain funds, obtained by The New York Times, promotes China as a good investment for some of the same reasons that Mr. Romney has said concern him: “Strong fundamentals” like manufacturing wages 85 percent lower than what Americans earn, vast foreign exchange reserves and the likelihood that China will surpass the United States as the world’s largest economy.

“Accordingly, Bain Capital expects to see an increasing array of high-growth companies available for investment,” the prospectus says, noting the relative dearth of private equity in China.

Among the companies in which the Bain funds have invested is a global auto parts maker that is in the process of closing a factory in Illinois and moving most of the equipment and jobs to Jiangsu Province, where the Chinese government has built it a new plant; a Chinese electronics retailer accused by Microsoft of selling computers with pirated software; and a Hong Kong-based Chinese appliance maker that was sued for copying another company’s design for a deep-fat fryer.

Asked if Mr. Romney sees any conflict between his Bain investments in China and his policy positions, the campaign said: “Only the president has the power to level the playing field with China. No private citizen can do that alone.”

The campaign said Mr. Romney put his fortune, estimated at $250 million, in a “blind trust” when he became Massachusetts governor in 2003. “The trustee of the blind trust has said publicly that he will endeavor to make the investments in the blind trust conform to Governor Romney’s positions, and whenever it comes to his attention that there is something inconsistent, he ends the investment,” the statement said.

Should Mr. Romney become president, however, the structure of the trust would most likely not meet the federal requirements for independent management. It is managed by a Boston-based law firm, Ropes & Gray, that has a long history of doing legal work for both Mr. Romney and Bain Capital, including representing some of the same Bain funds in which it invested Mr. Romney’s money.

Mr. Romney’s trustee, R. Bradford Malt, who is chairman of Ropes & Gray, declined to comment.

Bain Capital declined to comment on specific investments, but said in a statement that its Chinese holdings “are consistent with the widely accepted principle that the private sector has a critical role to play in the continuing interdependence of the world’s economies.”

Last year, Mr. Romney’s trust sold its stake in an array of foreign holdings, including two Chinese state-owned companies: an oil company and a bank that have done business in Iran. But Mr. Romney continues to have money in Bain funds with sizable holdings in China.

He has as much as $250,000 in the Bain Capital Asia Fund and as much as $1 million each in Bain Capital Funds IX and X, all Cayman Islands entities used by Bain to make sizable investments in China, according to the 2012 candidate financial disclosures and confidential Bain prospectuses obtained by The Times through a public records request.

Among those funds’ holdings is $234 million that Bain invested in 2009 in Gome Electrical Appliances, a major Chinese retailer that was accused by Microsoft this year of selling computers with pirated software. In 2007, Bain’s Asia fund also invested $39 million in Feixiang Group, a Chinese producer and exporter of chemicals that is a designated “state high-tech enterprise,” making it eligible for tax breaks and other government incentives. Ropes & Gray represented Bain in the partial sale of Feixiang three years later for a 53 percent return on the fund’s investment.

The Asia fund withdrew from another deal in 2008 that could have proved politically embarrassing to Mr. Romney. After the Bush administration objected, Bain dropped plans to team up with a Chinese technology giant, Huawei, to buy 3Com, a network equipment maker that supplies software and equipment to the Pentagon and other federal agencies.

The administration said intelligence reports indicated that Huawei, which was founded by a former People’s Liberation Army officer, posed “national security problems,” according to a lawsuit stemming from the deal’s collapse. A House Intelligence Committee report released Monday said Huawei continued to have troubling connections to the Chinese government, something the company denies.

Bain’s interest in China dates to when Mr. Romney ran the firm. During a panel discussion at the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston in February 1998, he told of touring an appliance factory in China where 5,000 employees “were working, working, working, as hard as they could, at rates of roughly 50 cents an hour.”

Not long afterward, a Bain affiliate, Brookside Capital Partners, acquired about 6 percent of Global-Tech Appliances, whose factory in many ways matched Mr. Romney’s description. The next year, Brookside and another Bain-related entity increased their stake to 9 percent, before selling their shares in 2000.

Just before Bain bought shares, a French firm accused Global-Tech of stealing its deep-fat fryer design. In a decision affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2011, the company was found to have willfully violated the French firm’s United States patent, selling the knockoffs even after it was sued.

Mr. Romney also has millions invested in a series of Bain funds that have a controlling stake in Sensata Technologies, a manufacturer of sensors and controls for vehicles, aircraft and electric motors that employs 4,000 workers in China. Since Bain took over the operation in 2006, its investment has quadrupled in value. Bain continues to own $2.6 billion worth of Sensata’s shares.

Two years ago, Sensata bought an operation that made automobile sensors in Freeport, Ill. At the first meeting with the plant’s 170 workers, Sensata managers announced that by the end of 2012 all the equipment and jobs would be relocated, mostly to Jiangsu Province. Workers have staged demonstrations, pleading for Mr. Romney to intervene on their behalf.

Chinese engineers, flown to Freeport for training on the equipment, described their salaries as a pittance compared with Freeport wages. Tom Gaulrapp, who has operated machines at the factory for 33 years, said he fears he will go bankrupt after he loses his job on Nov. 5.

“This goes to show the unbelievable hypocrisy of this man,” he said of Mr. Romney. “He talks about how we need to get tough on China and stop China from taking our jobs, and then he is making money off shipping our jobs there.”

It is often difficult to determine precisely how much Mr. Romney benefits from specific investments by Bain funds, since his money goes into a pool used to buy stakes in companies. In the case of Sensata, however, it is clearer because he reported a charitable donation of $405,000 in Sensata stock that he received as “partnership distributions” in 2010 and 2011, according to his tax returns.

Jiangsu Province, where most of the Freeport jobs are moving, is one of China’s designated “export bases” for auto parts. Asimco, the other auto parts manufacturer in Bain’s portfolio, also has factories in Jiangsu Province and three other regions designated as export bases.

The Chinese government incentives offered to companies in those “bases” set off a complaint from the United States to the World Trade Organization last month. The United States asserted that in 2011, China spent $1 billion on grants, tax preferences, lowered interest rates and other subsidies to increase exports of auto parts in violation of fair trade rules.

Mr. Romney has been critical of these types of Chinese incentives to bolster exports.

The state-controlled Chinese Academy of Sciences has provided free research and development to Asimco, which exports at least 15 percent of its products, primarily to the United States. The authorities also gave the company land to build the factory that replaced the plants in Grand Haven, Mich.

Asimco’s China operations became a point of contention in bankruptcy proceedings that accompanied the closing of the Michigan plants. The bankruptcy trustee said that internal Asimco e-mails showed the company had transferred money to China to qualify for a Chinese tax rebate available only to manufacturers of exported products.

Jack Perkowski, the former longtime chairman of Asimco who now advises Western companies seeking to enter the Chinese market, said Asimco never benefited from export-related subsidies because most of its customers are in China. “I honestly can’t think of anything we could have gotten that was tied to the fact we were exporting,” he said.

But the company is striving for more overseas buyers. Last year Zhang Dejiang, the Chinese vice prime minister in charge of transportation, visited an Asimco assembly line and offered encouragement to workers. According to a statement on the company’s Web site, Mr. Zhang was particularly impressed that “the company’s products can rival their Western counterparts.”

Keith Bradsher contributed reporting from Beijing. Amy Qin and Shi Da contributed research from Beijing. Jeffrey E. Singer contributed research from New York

I have to ask myself, If Obama were white how close would this election campaign be?

I would be willing to bet the margin would be 75%-25% Obama's favor. If not greater.

ldo

Voted for Mr. Obama in 2008 ?

Sure did.

Embarrassed yet ?

Not at all, and I've already voted for him again.

Also did my small part to evict every obstructing phony "patriot" teabagger from Washington.

I'm not interested in any more attempts to roll this country back one hundred years, nor in any further grandstanding and divisiveness from those teabagging @ssholes. The "tea party" is a stain, a pox, an embarrassment on this country.

There is still plenty of time for Romney and Ryan to tell more lies to get votes. Remember everyone, your social security and medicare is on the line. A vote for Romney/Ryan you cut your own throat with these two programs. I will stay with President Obama and keep social security and medicare.

A few of the gun groups have been quite a bit silent because they know how bad a record Romney has when he was governor. I am from Pennsylvania and I would rather stay with President Obama on his positions on guns than, I have killed a few varments Romney. The I voted for the Brady bill and I supported the assult weapons ban Romney. Obama/Biden 2012

Hey Teabaggers,

Libya has already been debunked, It was a CIA outpost. Ambassador Stevens security was to be provided by the CIA when visiting the outpost. I guess they don't tell that on FUCX News.

alan It will be the end as we fall into a socialist or communist state............

Yes and a 1000 years of darkness will fall upon us. More Doom & Gloom.

One really fed up boomer

It is just as likely that it could be 25%-75% due to PC

As politically polarized as this country is, here is what it will all boil down to:

Come Wednesday morning, about half the country will be unhappy with the outcome of the election, no matter who wins. The last time this country was as polarized was in the 1860s, but this time the issues are much more varied than slavery, and the geography is much more intermixed. It is not North vs. South. It is the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas vs. rural Pennsylvania. It is California vs. Wyoming. It is old rich white people in Florida vs. the young, hispanic, and black population. It is Rush Limbaugh fans vs. Jon Stewart fans. It is the extreme "Christian" right vs. the "sinners who will burn in hell after the rapture" - aka everyone else.

Man you can feel the desperation in this room from the Rep's. Ticked off in Ohio head is going to explode. you guy's need to except things for what they are. The President is going to win, no matter how much money Koch Brother and there friends have spent. No matter how many times Koch's told there employees that if they didn't vote for Romney they would lose there jobs. Big money can't buy this Election, like they did with Little Bush in 2000. The Supreme Court will not through another Election for the Rep's ever again. Time for all you Rep tea party people to move to Mexico and take over that country. Then you can have a country of your own and wont have to deal with us 47%. You see Mitt don't know what he is talking about, that 47% is really 98% deal with it.

alan - You wouldn't know sodialist from communicst from pugilist. Just spouting rwnj BS doesn't show any intelligence or education. Get a clue. It was the fascist right which destroyed this country as we once knew it - a country that was once based on the rule of law, intellectual curiosity and scientific freedom, not moronic blind belief in what uneducated talking blowhards spout.

Foxes Brit Hume can't seem to figure out why Romney is losing. But we can you can't win by running on 95% lies. Money can buy a lot of things but it can't buy a presidential election like the Koch brothers, Karl Rove, Grover Norquist, Sheldon Adelson and other billionaires though it could.

On the Sunday before the 2012 presidential election, Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume is saying that it’s “puzzling” that national polls indicate GOP hopeful Mitt Romney is tied with President Barack Obama while swing state polls suggest that Democrats are going to win enough electoral votes for to keep the White House.

“I think the conventional wisdom is trending now towards a Obama win, something along the lines of what Karl Rove and his team pulled off for President Bush in 2004, but I’m by no means certain,” Hume told Fox News host Chris Wallace. “And there’s this striking discrepancy between national polls — which tend to be done, by and large, by older, more-seasoned polling firms — and state polls — a number of which are done by less-established firms. The national polls have this a tie. The state polls, as you just suggested — the battleground state polls suggest and indicate that President Obama is ahead in all of them.”

“It seems striking that there would be this difference,” he added. “And it is sobering, if you’re a Romney supporter, to think that he is trailing or just tied in so many of those states.”

HEY ONE REALLY FED UP BOOMER,

I have to ask myself, If Obama were white how close would this election campaign be?

I would be willing to bet the margin would be 75%-25% Obama's favor. If not greater.

REALLY?...with 97% of the black vote gone?...You are overdosing on the kool-aid!

I HAVE TO ASK MYSELF...If 97% of WHITES voted for Romney, how many of you libs would be SCREAMING RACE?????

HEADLINE NOVEMBER 7TH, 2012

ROMNEY WINS!!!....RECORD REPUBLICAN VOTER TURNOUT!!!

...

Educated Thinker - The big mouths all sputtering their "socialism" and "liberalism" are a joke. I can prove it. Who do you think will be the first ones on line for FEMA aid (a government program funded by taxpayers of every state and too much "socialism" for these loonies) and who do you think are the first ones on line to the state funded relief programs for those devastated by Hurricane Sandy?

This is what the neoconartistry is all about. Demonize people who have needs until these selfish, narcissistic pigs are in need and then they take their huge gas guzzling SUVs and do the pushy shovey routine to get ahead of everyone else on the NJ gas rationing lines.

These are also the one who complain the loudest because their hoochie coo McMansions have no electric power or heat...the poor lil dears...their little butt ends are freezing. They sit around the McMansions waiting for someone to "rescue" them...and then open their big mouths demonizing the truly less fortunate.

Their excesses are now biting them hard and they can't take it. So much for their survival reality shows.

ticked off in ohio. Really?

You sound like your pissing down your leg with that angry post.

Hey smitty,

Yes REALLY!

You know it's true...Obama gets the black vote simply because he's black...and if you think otherwise you're lying to yourself!

Tell me which other presidential election that 97% blacks voted for a white candidate?

Hey Tickhead in Ohio, don't wear the Broomstick out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Any sitting President that uses the word REVENGE, in any manner, especially against a portion of his citizens, that he can't compromise with, needs to be ousted!! "REVENGE," Obama? Shameful. You are no different than most narcissistic prisoners!!

Romney/Ryan 2012

What you going to do when all the whites turn out and vote for Romney? The O'Bamas are angry black people who want revenge.......

GOP Elector resigns, says she can't support Romney !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two Republicans that know what's best for America, Bloomberg & Powell American Heroes !!!!

Discused with all the foreign aid that our taxpayers give away to other countries to help them when they have a disaster....where is those courties stepping up to help Americna citizens in need. BILLIONS of DOLLARS...stop ALL FOREIGN...KEEP OUR MONEY HOME for our citizens. AMERICNA CITIZENS COME FIRST!!!!!

Stop all foreign aid immeidatily and give it to the folk on the EasT cCoast Americns who need it. NO MORE FOREIGN AID UNIL OUR ISSUES have been taken care off.

SharonCariato

lee...Whistlin' Dixie and waving the Stars and Bars much? Isn't it time the reddies stopped their ignorant racism no matter how they try to cover it up?

REVENGE is dumping the GOP for destroying our Country, don't give the Keys back to the Losers that got us into this Mess, let's not make another mistake like "W" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is good either way. Most of us will learn a lesson. Some will learn it in 4 and others in 8. Maybe.

Patriotic:

Surprise, Obama is OUR president, not just yours. REVENGE, is against a portion of his OWN people. DISGUSTING!!!!!

Romney/Ryan 2012

doesn't matter what the national poll says:

Romney has to get FL (probable) and any TWO of

- OH, PA, WI, MI, IL

Romney is behind 4.0 or more in all 5.... it's over... 4 more years....

Fed Up Boomer -

I have to ask myself, If Obama were white how close would this election campaign be?

I would be willing to bet the margin would be 75%-25% Obama's favor. If not greater.

Are you saying that if Obama was white and all he had going for him was his record he'd be ahead? Are you really saying that because he is black he is not doing as well as he should be based on his performance? Because I'm pretty sure his race is what puts him ahead that small sliver and that's only because the academics and the celebutards think this great experiment will eventually pan out. It has to doesn't it? If we equal the playing field (and ignore ability and experience) certainly he will rise to the occasion. It hasn't worked, it can't work. The thing is the celebrities who support him can afford to live in a world for another 4 years with Obama at the helm, the rest of us can't.

Red,

that was well put and only the ignorant could disagree with the facts.

I posted this in another TAINTED BULL SH*T ARTICLE by NBC/MSNBC/NEWSVINE---and the SAME HOLDS true for all the OBAMA-ZOMBIES---

READING down to here I see some of the DUMBEST,STUPIDEST comments ever---BRAIN-CRAPPED is the TERM for anyone who votes for the "ARAB" in our WHITE HOUSE----GOT THAT--ARAB-MUSLIME----

My Name is African Swahili - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means 'blessed' in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.

Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. He is the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya , his father's family was mainly Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro). Go to:
http://www.arcadeathome.com/newsboy.phtml?Barack_Hussein_Obama_...an%2c_only_6.25%25_African">http://www.arcadeathome.com/newsboy.phtml?Barack_Hussein_Obama_-_Arab-Americ<http://www.arcadeathome.com/newsboy.phtml?Barack_Hussein_Obama_...an%2c_only_6.25%25_African

I Never Practiced Islam - NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.

4-3-08 Article 'Obama was 'quite religious in Islam''
#HYPERLINK "http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view<http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view">http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view%22;;http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view<http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view>
<#HYPERLINK "http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559null">http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559";http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559<http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559> > &pageId=60559

ADD to the above the fact that CLINTOON was IMPEACHED ---

The OBAMA depends on a CLINTOON to assist him in KEEPING his CROWN ---a CROWN of failure upon FAILURE. HERE'S a LITTLE tid bit about BILLY BOOB----

Former President Bill Clinton was suspended from practicing law in
Arkansas and paid a $250,000 fine as a result of the Monica Lewinski
incident.

He also paid a $850,000 settlement over the Paula Jones incident.

He was also disbarred from practicing law in front of the Supreme Court.

So, if I understand correctly, Bill Clinton, a disbarred lawyer, a
President who was impeached for lying under oath, is now asking the
American people to believe him when he says the best thing for the country is four
more years of Obama.

Just wanted to make sure.......that I had that right!!.

ROFLMFAO---TWO of the BIGGEST LIARS,THIEVES and CORRUPT PEOPLE who EVER were in OUR WHITE HOUSE!!!

ONE AND DONE---BURNED BLACK TOAST---TIME to SHIP the LIAR OUT and BACK TO AFRICA!

Sueb16 or 7 state polls show Obama ahead in Pennsylvania by 6 or 7 points, 1 poll shows it tied.

If that is indeed the case, which it is not (most have within the 3-4% margin of error), then why would the GOP waste money with politcal ads in the State let alone Romney travel to the State at last minute. In the last week they have beefed up their campaign ads here, Ryan has been here twice and now Romney will be here. The Coal industry is FURIOUS with Obama and are going door to door asking people to not vote for him. Not to mention signs practically every mile on the mountain roads here. And the Union isn't endorsing Obama.

If the right is so confident in the majority of the polls oversampling democrats, meaning that Romney is ahead----why are so many republican governors and state parties suppressing the vote?......oh....so they can say that democrats were oversampled........that's not democracy and it is most certainly unAmerican!

No one's vote is being surpressed. What you mean ID's, give me a break!! You can't do a dam thing in this country without a Photo ID. Not even cash in your welfare check or use your foodstamps. As for PA, ID is not required because the courts suspended that for this election. The only fraud I see in the news with the exception of a GOP woman who tried to vote twice in NV, most of the fraud has been on the Democrat side. Fortunately for every America voter Dem & Rep & Ind, fraud by any individual voter is both irrational and extremely rare.

Well I keep asking this question - the wealthy got tax breaks from Bush because they are the job creators. Romney wants to give them more tax cuts because they are the job creators. So......the wealthy have been enjoying over 10 years of Bush's tax break so where the heck are those job that they were suppose to create?

Obama/Biden

Life goes on without Romney, looks like he's finish !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What we see now is extreme polarization, fueled by a media so polarized that the half who watch FAUX Noise and listen to Hate Radio now live in an alternative universe known as The Republican Zone. No matter how bad the GOP/TP candidate, these rightwingers will vote for the Republican candidate regardless of how pitiful the ticket is.

When McCain picked Sarah Palin, I was astounded that so many rightwingers not only continued to support McCain, but they were actually enamored with her. Fortunately there were enough sane voters who joined progressives in electing President Obama -- by a landslide (which I did not see coming due to fears about racism).

We all watched the Republican Primary, and the flavor of the month as rightwingers struggled to find an acceptable candidate. The FACT is the GOP has not produced impressive candidates for several cycles. And to make matters worse, radical Teabaggers getting nominations has damaged the brand even worse. When Republicans or pundits say there is a deep bench, or rising stars, they are shoveling more sh!t onto the deep pile.

And this lack of quality candidates in the Republican Party boils down to the lack of a good platform for the Party as well. Read the platform put out this time by the RNC -- Just the part about a fertilized egg having the same rights as a living breathing woman, which would make all abortions and some contraceptives illegal and even criminalized.

But getting back to the circus of clowns that was the Republican primary this cycle, Mitt Romney was only able to secure the nomination because the field was so pitiful. And because he uses underhanded tactics (ask Gingrich, Perry, etc.) such as "gushing" lies and he does it shamelessly -- Just like he has run the ad about Jeep and a return to the lie about the president taking the work requirement out of welfare.

The economy or hate (partially racism) was all Romney really had to run on, but regardless of how truly poor a candidate Romney is, the rightwing will stand by him or any candidate they get "stuck" with because that is the conservative profile. They would support Mickey Mouse if he had an 'R' next to his name, and FAUX Noise will always help these folks overcome any cognitive dissonance they may have with propaganda.

Romney's record at Bain, as Governor in MA, or the Olympics are all negatives, his gravitas is completely lacking especially in foreign policy, and his far-Right positions on social issues including equality not only for women but for ALL is so pathetic. I can only hope deep in rightwing hearts voters will turn out to give the president the second term he has earned and deserves. As the Salt Lake Tribune said, Romney has not earned nor deserves any term in the White House.

Don't set precedence with a bar so low to become POTUS, Commander in Chief, and leader of the free world. Demand that anyone seeking this highest office provide full tax returns for multiple years, that s/he proves his/her passion for public and foreign policy, and life's achievements thereof, and that s/he provides a clear and detailed proposal of what should be accomplished -- and is consistent and does not flip-flop in regard to those goals.

President Obama has more than proved himself in foreign policy, whereas Romney/Ryan are the worst ticket ever in regard to foreign policy credentials. If you have forgotten Romney's embarrassing trip overseas already, then you have no business voting.

Their social agenda, most notably the War on Women is beyond politics -- It is so backward it's disgusting. The Supreme Court is teetering on the edge, not just in regard to rulings like Citizen's United but Roe v Wade -- Decisions that will affect you and your children for decades.

The unemployment rate is below 8% (despite Republican obstructionism) and the economy IS on the right track. Romney's plan is the same old failed GOP/Bush-era voodoo economics of tax cuts for the rich, wrapped with a pretty bow pretending to be a "fresh start."

The devastation of Sandy reminds us again that President Obama is not only very competent, we know he believes in science and wants to prepare our nation for climate change. He believes the role of government is to keep the people safe, not just pretend to do that by starting new and unnecessary wars.

Don't let the Republicans running many of the swing states steal this elections. Remember Dubya and how much better we would be right now if Gore had won. Get out and VOTE for Obama/Biden -- Our countries future truly depends on it.

This is an election where the biggest losers will be the Pollsters. And Nate Silver will be riding high. There are lots of faults with the polls this year that only magnify the problems with the 2008 polls:

1) The media's obsessive attention to national polls is intended to show a "razor-close" race. This is because close races sell ad time and not-close elections sell much less. Currently it is estimated that ad buys will exceed one billion dollars, not an inconsiderable chunk of change. But they carefully avoid mentioning the electoral vote.

2) The pollsters are commissioned by various media organizations and are keenly aware that unless they deliver the expected results, that next time the sponsor will choose a "better" polling organization. It's about the money. That's the primary reason why so many polls have a significant "house bias."

3) The polls are primarily polling landline telephone users only. This is because getting to cell phone users can violate a number of laws and that makes it incredibly more expensive by a factor of 8 to 20+. So the polls try to poll only landline users with listed numbers and hope they can extrapolate that to the 1/3 of voters who only have an unlisted number or a cell phone. Unfortunately that builds in a house bias towards the GOP.

4) The pollsters do not poll in Spanish because of the expense. Spanish-speaking voters, exen ones with no trouble with English, often consider calls in which they are not offered a Spanish option as "rude" or "inconsiderate" according to studies done on behalf of online marketing. Ignoring Latino voters in this day and age introduces a level of error that is difficult to overcome.

5) The level of responses are far too low to be accurate. From 35% response rates in the 1970's down to less than 9% today with some polls reporting as little as 3-5% response rate. A lot of this is due to telemarketers using "political polling" as a way to get around the Federal No-Call List and try to sell things. You really need around a 25% response rate to be really very meaningful.

6) Third party candidates are not considered in most polls. In some states, Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate will take as many as 3-5% of Romnbey's voters away. In a state like Florida, which is a Libertarian hotbed, that is easily enough to throw the electioral votes to Obama in that state.

7) The reason that the national popular vote is so much closer than the projected electoral vote is because the popular vote does not count. Only electoral college votes count. And Obama has spent virtuallly zero dollars on states like Alabama (Roll Tide) where he has around a 100% chance of winning. If you take this national with the popular vote, it tends to inflate the popular vote in the red states much more than it does in the electoral vote. If you look at a map, it looks prettu evenly split. But if you look at a map with the states sized according to population it looks more like blue states are about twice to three times the population of red states.

8) The most bizarre thing is that Obama's campaign spend an average of $280 an ad-minute for TV ads in the "battleground" states because they booked their ads very early. The Romney campaign is spending as much as $4,000-$5,000 per ad minute to run against those ads because they essentially had no strategy. So Romney is outspending Obama about 4-to-1 in battleground states, but only getting about a third of the ad-minutes. This also has a massive effect on the polls that show only the national voter preferences.

9) The advent of early voting is really screwing up the polls. Most polls are counting people who have already voted as "likely" voters, even though they do not fit in that category. Even common sense would tell you that after you have voted, you are a "certain" not a "likely" voter.

The reasons that I stick with 538's predictions are that 538 does NO polling of its own. 538 looks at all polls and adjusts each for its historical house bias and past accuracy. Then the data is entered into a linear deterministic model along with economic data, historical data, and lots of other stuff. One great strength of 538 is that it uses sophisticated "neighbor analysis" to fill in the gaps and holes in polling in states where there is very little or no polling. While the Drudges say that it is owned by the NY Times and therefore biased, that allegation is false. 538 operates behind an editorial and pay firewall, meaning that NYT editors have no control over Silver and have no influence over his pay. But the most important reason that I follow 538 is that Silver is very transparent and tells you the reasoning behind his modeling choices. I have never seen a detectable bias towards Democrats or anyone else in Silver's discussions. He can't help it if Obama is winning.

The bottom line is that 538 only had McCain leading in 2008 for a paltry four days, even the media conbstantly claimed that the race was "razor-close." (The four days after he announced Palin but before anyone knew anything about her.) The media was still claiming a close race in 2008 after McCain's campaign had collapsed for the second time and staff was resigning right and left. Romney has led for exactly ZERO days in the polls.

If you haven't taken a look at 538, here is a link: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/

As of last night, 538 is giving Obama a 85.1% chance of winning to Romney's 14.9% --- almost 6-to-1 odds. They are predicting 307 electoral votes and Romney only carrying Florida and North Carolina of all the battleground states. And they show all the polling data to back it up.

Personally, I think that 538 is too backloaded with old data that is given too much weight. American voters tend to have too short an attention span, especially low0-information voters, for that to be accurate. And also 538 tends to place too much emphasis on the mean (average) rather than the trend. If I am correct, Florida will go to Obama, not Romney and the final electoral vote will be around 330. I think the election will be called when the Ohio polls close because by then both Virginia and Florida will be in the Obama column.

Based on what is out there, it looks very, very good for Obama and the right should be bracing itself for four more years of Obama and eight years of Hillary Clinton. That will give the GOP 12 years in which to decide that they made a serious mistake when they closed the "Big Tent" and drive out Latinos, Gays, African-Americans, and women in favor of older, white, southern and western men. There is no way that the GOP can be competitive in future national elections with the demographics the way they are. The GOP is in serious danger of fragmenting into three parties: a Libertarian-like party of tiny government, a hate-filled anti-"47%" party of the radical far right, and the remnants of the moderate and liberal Republicans. A fragmented GOP will not be able to win elections --- remember what Ross Perot did to the GOP?

They talk about Tuesday being a late night. Only the Obama hopefuls talk like that. Romney will sweep the electoral votes on Tuesday fast and early, and the libby nuts will go to bed stunned and dazed.

when the midwest finishes getting called at about 10pm itll be over

Updated for 1:00pm EST on Sunday, November 4, 2012:

*** Mischief alert: Quite a bit of suspect outlier polling favorable to Romney being floated out in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan today in the face of multiple polling which confirms strong Obama leads in each of these states. The Karl Rove axiom of 'shape perceptions to alter outcomes,' perhaps?

Obama's leads have been strengthening in Ohio and Nevada over the weekend and Romney has stabilized his position in both Florida and North Carolina.

Iowa, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Virginia remain in a state of flux with new RCP numbers likely to be released within hours.

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

Real Clear Politics (RCP) consistently has been the "go-to" source for accurate averaged daily polling data for both FOXNEWS and NBCNEWS. With less than 35 hours to go in the 2012 presidential campaign, RCP continues to report that Obama leads in eight of their 11 toss-up states with Romney leading in three.

In descending order of 'percentage of lead' in favor of Obama, followed in ascending order of 'percentage of lead' in favor of Romney, here are the published averaged numbers from RCP as of 1:00pm EST together with the most recent FiveThirtyEight election night probabilities of victory for either candidate:

In WISCONSIN, with 10 electoral votes, Obama's lead has fallen to 4.2%, down from 5.0% on Saturday. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 94.2% chance of victory here, up by 0.9% from Friday and by an astounding 8.5% since Tuesday.

*** It should be noted that RCP's average in Wisconsin has been influenced by an outlier poll from the right-leaning Rassmussen which has the race at a dead heat when four other current polls have Obama leading by 8.0%, 7.0%, 3.0%, and 3.0%. In fact, the 7.0% Obama lead was affirmed recently by another Right-leaning poll (WeAskAmerica) which is wholly funded by the conservative Illinois Manufacturing Association.

In PENNSYLVANIA, with 20 electoral votes, Obama's lead has fallen to 3.9%, down from 4.1% on Saturday. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 97.3% chance of victory here, up by 1.2% from Friday and by a significant 3.2% since Tuesday.

*** It should be noted that RCP's average in Pennsylvania also has been influenced this weekend by the release of an outlier poll from the conservative Pittsburgh Tribune-Review which has the race at a dead heat when two other findings have Obama's lead at 6.0% and 3.0%.

In MICHIGAN, with 16 electoral votes, Obama's lead has fallen to 3.8%, down from 4.0% on Saturday. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 98.8% chance of victory here, up 0.4% from Friday and by 0.7% since Tuesday.

*** It should be noted that RCP's average here has been influenced by yet another outlier poll released by Baydoun/Foster (D), a self-described Democrat-leaning voter analytics consulting firm based in Michigan, which has Romney up by 1.0% when four other polls have Obama leading by 6.0%, 6.0%, 5.0%, and 3.0%. In fact, the 5.0% finding for Obama was published late last week by Rasmussen, another Right-leaning poll. The irony is that Baydoun/Foster has consistently produced polling results which favor Republican candidates up and down the ticket in Michigan and their results, by and large, remain highly suspect.

In OHIO, with 18 electoral votes, Obama's lead has settled at 2.8%, up from 2.6% on Friday. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama an 85.0% chance of victory here, up by 4.3% from Friday and by an astronomical 11.7% since Tuesday.

In NEVADA, with 6 electoral votes, Obama's lead has risen to 2.8%, up from 2.4% on Friday.
FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama an 89.5% chance of victory here, up by 2.3% from Friday and by an astonishing 9.8% since Tuesday.

In IOWA, with 6 electoral votes, Obama's lead has risen to 2.5%, up from 2.0% on Saturday morning. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama an 83.1% chance of victory here, up by 1.5% from Friday and by an astounding 9.2% since Tuesday.

In NEW HAMPSHIRE, with 4 electoral votes, Obama's lead has fallen to 1.5%, down from 1.8% on Friday. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama an 79.4% chance of victory here, up by 0.7% from Friday and by an astounding 9.1% since Tuesday.

In COLORADO, with 9 electoral votes, Obama's lead has fallen to 0.6%, down from 0.9% on Friday. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Obama a 68.1% chance of victory here, up by 2.4% from Friday and by an astronomical 12.7% since Tuesday.

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

In VIRGINIA, with 13 electoral votes, Romney's lead has fallen to 0.3%, down from 0.5% on Friday. Interestingly, FiveThirtyEight increased Obama's chance of victory here (and not Romney's) to 71.0%, up by a substantial 6.2% from Friday.

In FLORIDA, with 29 electoral votes, Romney's lead has risen to 1.4%, up from 1.2% on Friday. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Romney a 53.8% chance of victory here, down by 1.0% from Friday and by a stunning 10.9% from Tuesday.

*** It should be noted that RCP's average in Florida does appear to have been hyper-inflated by two recent outlier findings in favor of Romney, the first a 6.0% margin yesterday from the right-leaning Mason-Dixon Group with localized results for only the two cities of Tampa Bay (site of the 2012 RNC) and Miami (Marco Rubio stronghold), the second a 3.0% margin from Gravis Marketing, a polling firm funded in large part by BAIN Capital, and an appreciably older finding by The Sunshine State News, an ultra-conservative website/blog which had Romney leading by 5.0% on October 24. Minus the influences of these extreme outliers, Romney's true lead is likely well under 1.0% and quite possibly closer to that of dead heat.

In NORTH CAROLINA, with 15 electoral votes, Romney's lead is holding at 3.8%. FiveThirtyEight currently gives Romney a 78.7% chance of victory here, down 1.2% from Friday.

So...

In order for Obama to win re-election the least complex route would be through maintaining his current lead in the five toss-up states where his existing margins are widest (Wisconsin at 4.2%, Pennsylvania at 3.9%, Michigan at 3.8%, Ohio at 2.8%, and Nevada at 2.8%). Doing so would bring his electoral vote total on Election Day to 271. In this scenario, Obama could still surpass 270 while failing to hold Iowa, New Hampshire, and Colorado.

However, should Obama fail to hold the strategic prize of a hotly-contested Ohio, the loss could effectively be neutralized by any of the following combination of wins from states where FiveThirtyEight is currently forecasting Obama victories:

Path #1: Obama loses Ohio but holds the remaining three states where he presently leads, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Colorado resulting in 272 electoral votes.

Path #2: Obama loses Ohio but steals Virginia while also taking only one state from among New Hampshire, Iowa, or Colorado resulting in 270, 272, or 275 electoral votes, respectively.

Interestingly, with Romney's lead having diminished significantly in Florida over the past two weeks and with Hurricane Sandy forcefully highlighting the stark contrast between the candidates regarding the value and necessity if not the mere existence of FEMA in a state which has perhaps the greatest dependence on federal storm relief efforts in the nation, a 3rd path has now emerged which could provide for some interesting election night television:

Path #3: Obama comes from behind to win Florida. This scenario would require only that Obama win the three states in which his present leads are widest (Wisconsin at 4.2%, Pennsylvania at 3.9%, and Michigan at 3.8%), resulting in 276 electoral votes.

For Romney to unseat Obama, he not only would have to hold the three states in which he presently leads, North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia bringing his electoral vote total to 248, but also steal victories in at least one of the following possible combinations from states currently leaning Obama, listed in descending order of likelihood based on the reverse engineering of current FiveThirtyEight numbers for election night chances of victory:

Path A: Romney steals both Ohio and Colorado resulting in 275 electoral votes (least unlikely outcome).

Path B: Romney steals both Ohio and New Hampshire resulting in 270 electoral votes.

Path C: Romney steals both Pennsylvania and Colorado resulting in 277 electoral votes.

Path D: Romney steals both Pennsylvania and New Hampshire resulting in 272 electoral votes (most unlikely).

Working against two of these scenarios (Paths A and B) are rising averaged polling numbers over the past two days for Obama in Ohio; however, in that same forty-eight hour period Romney has succeeded in reducing Obama's averaged leads in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and New Hampshire. Perhaps somewhat mystifyingly, the Romney campaign continues to make pronouncements alluding to their having embraced the "Pennsylvania Strategy" included in Paths 3 and 4 above, the two paths which have the least likely chance of success.

So, is this a bold strategic maneuver on the part of Eric Fehrnstrom or a feint designed to counter Obama's anticipated re-allocation of campaign resources to a quantifiably softening political landscape in Florida? If it's the latter, a review of the published travel schedules for the President and key Democrat surrogates in these final two days does not suggest the Obama campaign is taking the bait.

In any event, should Romney fail to steal either Ohio or Pennsylvania he could overcome this shortfall by capturing the four other states in which Obama's current leads are smallest (Colorado at 0.6%, New Hampshire at 1.5%, Iowa at 2.5%, and Nevada at 2.8%) resulting in an electoral vote total of 273.

FiveThirtyEight this morning estimates the chance of Election Day victory for each candidate as follows: Obama 85.1% (up significantly from Friday morning's 80.9%) and Romney 14.9% (down by a similar margin from Friday's 19.1%).

FiveThirtyEight now also projects that on Election Day the final electoral tally will be as follows: Obama 307 (up 8 from Wednesday's 299) and Romney 231 (down 8 from Wednesday's 239).

Lastly, although it makes no difference in terms of the final result which can only be determined by the Electoral College, FiveThirtyEight currently predicts a national popular vote distribution on Election Day as follows: Obama 50.6% (up from Thursday's 50.4%) and Romney 48.3% (down from Thursday's 48.6%).

With only 35 hours of campaigning left, and with Friday's published October jobs report playing to predictably mixed reviews (economy adding more jobs than expected; unemployment rate ticking up one tenth of one percent to 7.9%), holdout voters may now be left to nothing more than the proverbial 'feel in their gut' as Tuesday approaches.

Don't forget to stock up on the 7-layer dip for an exhilarating night of television on Tuesday!

Elise, SFWell I keep asking this question - the wealthy got tax breaks from Bush because they are the job creators.

And you got tax breaks from Bush also, so what have you created!!!!

Romney wants to give them more tax cuts because they are the job creators. So......the wealthy have been enjoying over 10 years of Bush's tax break so where the heck are those job that they were suppose to create?

And as you have, enjoyed 10 yrs of Bush's tax cuts, far more than the 1% got. So what job have you created????

That said, lets look at the numbers at the time of the tax cuts.

According to the CES data , the employment numbers during the period commencing in June 2001 through January, 2008 were as follows:
•June 2001: 132,047,000 people employed
•January 2008: 137,996,000 people employed
Total Increase: 5,949,000 more people employed.

If you use the Labor's Current Population Survey (CPS) the number are better.
•June 2001: 136,873,000 people employed
•January 2008: 146,407,000 people employed
Total Increase: 9,534,000 more people employed

CES survey, employment during the period measured grew 4.5%. Using the CPS approach, employment grew 7%.

Today, where are the jobs? Well lets see, we cannot drill, we cannot build a pipeline, we have new regulations on Coal causing shut downs of mines, we have more importantly uncertainty. Congress & this President can't work to pass anything so this creates uncertainty. See, unlike our federal government, private business have budget's based on future earnings. Because Congress & this President have kick the can down the road a month here, a month their, business cannot predict their operating capital which includes employment. So thus hiring stalls or halts. Once their is certainty, jobs will come. Uncertainty happens when you have lawyers running the show instead of business leaders. So go ahead and vote for your lawyer but know this, you will not have job growth.

In a nutshell, Romney is so pathetic of a candidate, he shouldn't even be in the running let alone trailing by a small percent. Even if we were back in a depression -- Wake up people -- Mittwit's not qualified, not remotely, not in your alternative universe, not qualified at all!

This just in. A win for the Status Que is a loss for America.

The return of most of the same players to Congress is a recipe for continued gridlock, partisanship and a loss to all of America. If we don't sweep out the incumbents we are the problem not the solution. I don't care what party you belong to if the members of Congress don't have a turnover the change will be stalled for four more years.

The same can be said of the Presidency since President Obama is one of the most divisive, partisan, political hacks of all time. No leadership, no ability to compromise, and now runs a campaign on "revenge through your vote". Revenge of what...the inept who have been in Congress to long or an inept President who has overstayed his welcome by four years already? Revenge against those who believe in the freedoms afforded by the Constitution? Revenge against those who believe in paying the bills and not running record deficits? Revenge against those who believe in budgets? Revenge against those who believe in legal government through Congressional actions not "executive order"? Revenge against those who believe we have gone backwards in terms of racial division since President Obama came to the White House (supported by current research here on MS-NBC)? Revenge on those who do not by the lies? Revenge on those who believe the federal government is responsible for 12 million illegal immigrants and the associated costs to taxpayers? Revenge on those who are among the 23 million unemployed? Is that the Revenge you declare Mr. President? If so you are contemptible and pathetic...but your record already established that.

Bob in VA -

Like the rest of your party, I don't know whether to consider you a habitual liar or just too lazy to do your own research.

Nate Silver reports three Pennsylvania polls today:
Public Policy Polling Obama +6%
Pulse Opinion Research Obama +3%
Susquehannah tie (Obama +4% since pre-Denver debate)

Michigan:
Public Policy Polling Obama +6%

Minnesota:
Public Policy Polling Obama +8%

I'd say that's "state POLL shows Pennsylvania tied", not "state POLLS show Pennsylvania tied".

Every other one - not so much.

I think I'll just settle for "telling a lie by only telling the part of the truth that suits your viewpoint".

Oh, and here's Nate's overall view of the race:

Obama chance of winning: 85.1%
Romney chance of winning: 14.9%

Left that out, didn't you?

Notsosure10 - A win for the Status Que is a loss for America.

You know, notsosure, I think I agree with you.

Because if Romney wins, only those in the "Status Que" are going to get diddlysquat.

Those of us in the 99% line will only get screwed.

Independent Thought - Surprise, Obama is OUR president, not just yours.

Only when you don't like what he says, Independent.

I've seen you declare that he's NOT your President in the past.

Well, I guess you get 4 more years to decide. Make up your mind.

Here you go Bob. This is why you need to read the "whole article" and not just grab the one data point that suits your purpose:

From that same Nate Silver article you got the Susquehanna data from:

One poll of Pennsylvania on Saturday, from Susquehanna Polling and Research, showed a different result, with the two candidates tied at 47 percent. But in context, this is not such a great poll for Mr. Romney.

The polling firm has had a very strong Republican lean this cycle — about five percentage points relative to the consensus, a much larger lean than firms like Rasmussen Reports and Public Policy Polling that are often criticized for having partisan results. Susquehanna is the only pollster to have shown Mr. Romney ahead in Pennsylvania at any point in the race, as they did on one occasion in February and another in October (Mr. Romney led by four points in their previous poll of the state). Perhaps they will be proven right, but it is usually a bad bet to bank on the one poll rather than the many.

I'm still waiting for Romney to prove to me that 2+2 = 6 and show how he is going to grow the military, cut taxes and reduce the deficit. Oh yeah, he's going to cut federal funding for PBS and dismantle FEMA.

Hahaha, the status quo -- Like socialism, fascism, etc., the rightwing doesn't know what these terms mean. And of course the Projection Politics, the GOPee Wee Herman "I know you are but what am I?" lack of reason continues with Me Too Romney.

Look it up -- status quo is a conservative thing -- rightwingers fear change, and cling to the status quo (especially when it favors them, e.g., the white Christian males) along with God, guns, etc. "For Pete's sake," get a clue!

CLINTON ENDORSES ROMNEY!

In an interview with CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight," Bill Clinton, a top Obama surrogate who is set to raise cash with the president next week, directly contradicted Democrats who have attacked Romney's business record, suggesting it does qualify him for president.

"I think he had a good business career," Clinton told guest host Harvey Weinstein, a movie mogul who is one of Obama's top fundraisers. "There's no question that in terms of getting up and going to the office and, you know, basically performing the essential functions of the office, the man who has been governor and had a sterling business career crosses the qualification threshold."

Adding that he has "friends" in the private equity business," Clinton suggested it was dangerous for Democrats to go after Romney's record at Bain Capital—adding that in private equity, "like everything else you try, you don't always succeed" in saving companies or making them more productive.

"I don't think that we ought to get into the position where we say this is bad work," Clinton said. "This is good work."

Thank you Bill Clinton, your endorsement proves Romney is the right choice for America.

Greed isn’t someone wanting to keep more of what they earn, its people demanding a greater share of money that someone else has earned.

I'll vote for anyone who will try to improve my standard of living ...without destroying someone else’s!

ROMNEY/RYAN 2012 FOR REAL AMERICANS©

NOTE: Liberals/Progressives remember to vote on November 7th.

JimSpence - you're such a loser.

You couldn't tell the truth if it was constantly attached to your backside. Your last line alone disqualifies you from ever being taken seriously.

Grow up.

To all those who don't like the word "revenge".

Al Gore won the 2000 election by over half a million votes.

But because the GOP was so scummy they stole the election, this country had to suffer through Iraq, Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib, 9/11, the total annihilation of America's values of truth and justice, and the greatest economic collapse this country has seen since the Great Depression.

Frankly, I think "revenge" in this election is too mild a remedy.

Call it "poetic justice" or "taking our country back" if that suits your vernacular better. Either way, the fat lady is singing.

Here's what the well respected Gallup has to say about it:

Gallup uncovered one very significant shift in this year’s voting electorate. There has been a remarkable movement toward the Republican party. As Gallup reports:

The largest changes in the composition of the electorate compared with the last presidential election concern the partisan affiliation of voters. Currently, 46% of likely voters identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, compared with 54% in 2008. But in 2008, Democrats enjoyed a wide 12-point advantage in party affiliation among national adults, the largest Gallup had seen in at least two decades. More recently, Americans have been about as likely to identify as or lean Republican as to identify as or lean Democratic. Consequently, the electorate has also become less Democratic and more Republican in its political orientation than in 2008. In fact, the party composition of the electorate this year looks more similar to the electorate in 2004 than 2008.

If anything, Gallup understates the case. In 2008, Democrats enjoyed a decisive ten-point advantage in partisan affiliation, 39 percent to 29 percent. When undecided voters were pushed to choose a party, the Democrats’ edge grew by another two points, to 54 percent to 42 percent. Yet in the Gallup polls conducted since October 1, the two parties have pulled even, with Republicans actually ahead by a statistically insignificant percentage point, 36 percent to 35 percent. After being pushed to choose a party, likely voters give the Republicans a further boost, resulting in an overall three-point advantage of 49 percent to 46 percent

RUT ROH LIBBIES!!!!

Well it appears that the taxpayer bailed-out Chrysler is looking back and now considering cutting costs by shifting production of all Jeeps to China, which has a strong desire for Jeeps.

In a Bloomberg interview, Jeep's president said the automaker plans to restore Jeep production in China, suspended in 2009, and is considering making all Jeeps in China. "Fiat SpA, majority owner of Chrysler Group LLC, plans to return Jeep output to China and may eventually make all of its models in that country, according to the head of both automakers' operations in the region," reported the business wire service.

Mike Manley, chief operating officer of Fiat and Chrysler in Asia and president of the Jeep brand, told Bloomberg, "We're reviewing the opportunities within existing capacity" as well as "should we be localizing the entire Jeep portfolio or some of the Jeep portfolio" to China.

Chrysler builds Jeep SUV models at plants in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio. Manley said the firm is in talks with China's Guangzhou Automobile Group Co.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2511703#.UIlutq5eJ2K

Fiat SpA (F), majority owner of Chrysler Group LLC, plans to return Jeep output to China and may eventually make all of its models in that country, according to the head of both automakers’ operations in the region.

Fiat is in “very detailed conversations” with its Chinese partner, Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. (2238), about making Jeeps in the world’s largest auto market, said Mike Manley, chief operating officer of Fiat and Chrysler in Asia. Chrysler hasn’t built Jeeps there since before Fiat took control in 2009.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-21/fiat-says-china-may-build-all-jeep-models-as-suv-demand-climbs.html

In another potential blow for the president's Ohio reelection campaign, Jeep, the rugged brand President Obama once said symbolized American freedom, is considering giving up on the United States and shifting production to China.

Such a move would crash the economy in towns like Toledo, Ohio, where Jeeps are made and supplied, and rob the community of the economic security they thought Obama's auto bailout assured them.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2012/10/25/chrysler_alive_but_jeep_about_to_shift_production_to_china

Michigan, 22 Oct. (AKI/Bloomberg) - Italian car gian Fiat, which controls the Chrysler Group plans to return Jeep output to China and may eventually make all of its models in that country, according to the head of both automakers’ operations in the region.

Fiat is in “very detailed conversations” with its Chinese partner, Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. (2238), about making Jeeps in the world’s largest auto market, said Mike Manley, chief operating officer of Fiat and Chrysler in Asia.

Chrysler hasn’t built Jeeps there since before Fiat took control in 2009. “The volume opportunity for us is very significant,” Manley, who is also president of the Jeep brand, said in an interview at Chrysler’s Auburn Hills, Michigan, headquarters.

“We’re reviewing the opportunities within existing capacity” as well as “should we be localizing the entire Jeep portfolio or some of the Jeep portfolio.”

Chrysler, which entered an alliance with Turin, Italy-based Fiat as part of its US-government-backed bankruptcy, is relying on growth in China to counter weakness in Europe’s auto market. The carmaker is targeting 500,000 annual sales outside North America by 2014, more than triple its overseas deliveries in 2009.

http://www.adnkronos.com/IGN/Aki/English/Business/Asia-Fiat-says-China-may-build-all-Jeep-models-as-SUV-demand-grows_313817399262.html

Greed isn’t someone wanting to keep more of what they earn, its people demanding a greater share of money that someone else has earned.

I'll vote for anyone who will try to improve my standard of living ...without destroying someone else’s!

ROMNEY/RYAN 2012 FOR REAL AMERICANS©

NOTE: Liberals/Progressives remember to vote on November 7th.

Redhead Ranting

If Obama wins it's four more years of the same gridlock and expansion of the government which really sucks at things like school, healthcare and the postal service.

In case you haven't noticed, the gridlock came from the REPUBLICANS. 385 filibusters have been passed by the GOP Senate over the past 5 years. 385; that's more than during the previous 5 years, and a helluva lot more than the historical average when it used to be one per DECADE. And since when does the government suck at education, healthcare, and the postal service??? Our education system used to be the best in the world thanks to state-federal partnerships and investments; now its a shell of its former self. The states cannot handle all the new reforms that our system needs; the federal government needs to assert greater control in order to make broad reforms. And what about healthcare???? Just about every other industrialized nation has universal healthcare, and their systems are much more affordable and fine-tuned than our obsolete mess. Private healthcare has failed; the government needs to assert more control over the system: if it were up to me, single-payer would be the solution, along with other reforms like bundled payments and commissions on how to reduce waste, fraud, and institute malpractice reform.

If Romney wins we have less expensive fuel, more people going back to work and the ones who are working will see an increase in their paycheck.

Hahahahaha; gas prices will NEVER go down to $2.50 a gallon. For God's sake, we sell oil on the GLOBAL MARKET; the world sets the price of oil, not us. And since when does cutting taxes for the wealthy and deregulating the economy create anything but more debt, more income inequality, and more suffering for the middle and working class??? Median incomes have stagnated ever since Ronald Reagan's stupid supply-side experiment, and I highly doubt repeating that mistake will do anything but make things worse.

What I cannot understand; what I cannot fathom; what I cannot get, is how forgetful half of the country is. I cannot understand how people can go against facts, actual facts, and vote for a schmuck who has no visible core and is merely offering the same policies that did us in the first place??? How the hell can 45% of the country buy into the crap that Dubya tried on for 8 years that miserably failed???? Are they stupid?? Are they gullible??? Are they devoid of all rational thought and complex thinking??? Apparently so. I do not claim superiority over Republicans; I do not claim to be inherently smarter than them or inherently better than them. I have my own faults, as does each and every person who calls himself a liberal or a Democrat. But at least I do not go against pure facts. Romney's tax plan goes against basic arithmetic: he cannot make it work without sticking it to the bottom 90% of Americans or ballooning the deficits. If he wins and puts his tax plan into motion, we'll have to see which Mitt emerges: the so-called adept businessmen who claims that he can balance a budget, or the hard-line right-winger who sold his soul to the Tea Party and the wealthiest Americans and pledged to cut taxes for all Americans, including the top 1%. Any poor or middle class person voting for Romney is voting against their best interests, and that is the truth. He is a symbol of what is wrong with America: how politicians think that they can wipe their slate clean with a few good speeches and a nicely-advertised tax cut, most of which will be given to those at the top of the economic hierarchy. I will not say that Obama is perfect; he was too willing to compromise, too idealistic early in his term, and (in my opinion) too focused on tax cuts and buying votes than articulating a broad plan to fix the nation that would be advertised to the American people regardless of whether Republicans liked it or not. But I still remember the jolly young man that I and millions of Americans, young like me or old like my parents, were enthralled and inspired by in 2008. The man who seemed like the 21st century's reincarnation of Jack Kennedy, so charismatic and inspiring. I still remember that Barack Obama, fresh from the Senate and hopeful for the future of the nation, and I embrace that spirit that Hope and Change will come, as long as we work hard and tirelessly. Call me a youthful idealist all you want, but I still believe in Hope and Change, and that the best way to achieve that change is to re-elect the man who tried so hard and succeeded to achieve that change. It will not be easy, but if we work together and reject the partisan obstructionism that extremist right-wingers have used to fight that change, we will overcome and we will succeed.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

HOPE AND CHANGE 2012

@onereallyfedupboomer,

Nate Silver actually did a really nice Ted Talk on racial disparities in voting. It is well worth watching. Here is a link: www.ted.com/talks/nate_silver_on_race_and_politics.html

The bottom line is that if you look at the exit polls of people who voted for McCain, and subtracted the people who said that race was themost important reason why they voyed for McCain, then Obama won by the largest landslide since George Washington (who ran unopposed.)

Racism plays a huge role in this election, whether people want to admit it or not.

JimSpence - Are you too lazy to do any research for yourself?

Or are you like Romney, with no regard for the truth even when you know you're lying?

From FactCheck.org:

Mitt Romney falsely claimed in a recent speech that “Jeep, now owned by the Italians, is thinking of moving all production to China.” Chrysler says it is considering adding Jeep production sites in China to address rising demand in that market. But the company says it is “a leap that would be difficult even for professional circus acrobats” to suggest that it would close U.S. facilities and move all operations to China.

Despite Chrysler’s admonition, Romney is now making a similar claim in a new TV ad.

Unfortunately for Romney, everyone knows it's a lie. Except, perhaps, people like yourself.

I see today is no different than yesterday. More lying from the Romney camp. Here's what I've heard so far today and it was back to back. Josh Mandel Candidate here in Ohio claims the economy in Ohio under his leadership is doing great, He's Ohio State Treasurer. Romney claims the economy in Ohio is failing and blames the President for this. Well people guess what? Both are Republicans. So who do you believe? I Emailed Josh and he assures me he isn't lying! He said he will bet his carrier on it. Romney doesn't have a carrier he only has his record of lying, cheating and running and that's not running for office it's running from the draft, the Vietnam Draft. How does that make you vets feel? My son is on his 19 year in the Military and has been telling me for years he feels only those that serve our country in the Military should be President but he will obey his superiors just the same. I think it's time we make that a requirement, no one should be in charge that doesn't know we still use Bayonets or Iran has beaches. Romney has a commercial claiming the President has sided with Iran instead of Israel. Does Romney even know where either of those countries are or the difference between the two? If you're voting in Ohio do the right thing and take your Treasurers words as the truth. Ohio is doing great and is continuing to grow and prosper. Romney hasn't spent enough time in this state to see the truth. He only hears what the racist side of Ohioans tell him. I always thought California and Ohio where pretty closely related in their thoughts of what this country should be like. But when it comes to racism Ohio is 50 years behind California. I know this for a fact I've just moved back to Ohio (4 years ago) after living in California for the last 35 years, it's like night and day. I'm 54 year old white male and I'm ashamed of those whites in Ohio that are upset because an African American has moved in next door. Guess what whitie, you're going to be the minority soon and in some states you already are! Learn to live together or find some where else to live.

For all you who are still undecided, please take a look at the videos on this site:

http://www.policymic.com/articles/17986/presidential-polls-2012-obama-will-ride-electoral-college-advantage-and-key-endorsements-to-victory-on-tuesday/268812

let Mr. Romney close the deal for you! No lie!

OBAMA’S JOBS COST $200,000 EACH AND ONLY PAY $25,000 EACH.

Forward?

Seems more like REARWARD!

Obama aide explains 'voting is best revenge' comment.

Obama cites gains of more than 5 million new jobs since he took office.

Hmmmm, 5 million jobs.

We The People are on the hook for the $863 billion $timulu$. Remember, this is borrowed money. For this "investment" we have allegedly been blesses with these 5 million jobs. Simple math shows this has cost us over $200,000 per job. If this isn't enough to outrage you about Keynesianism, you are hopelessly indoctrinated.

Now, let me educate you about what types of jobs your $200,000 investment are being created.

Although six in 10 jobs lost during the Great Recession paid mid-level wages, the majority of new jobs created in the recovery -- positions such as store clerks, laborers and home healthcare aides -- pay much less, according to a new study by the National Employment Law Project.

The study covered jobs created from the first quarter of 2010 through the first quarter of 2012.

Lower-paying jobs, with median hourly wages from $7.69 to $13.83, accounted for just 21% of the job losses during the recession. But they've made up about 58% of the job growth from the end of the recession in late 2009 through early 2012.

Those jobs have been concentrated in three industries: food services, retail and employment services, such as office clerks and customer service representatives, the study found.

In contrast, mid-wage occupations with median hourly wages from $13.84 to $21.13 -- jobs such as construction workers, real estate brokers, and data entry clerks -- have accounted for just 22% of the new jobs in the recovery after making up 60% of the job losses in the recession.

So, we're paying $200,000 to create jobs making $25,000 a year. I'm not an economist but it would seem like our return on investment isn't very good.

THESE ARE THE "GREEN SHOOTS", THE "RECOVERY SUMMER" AND WHAT "FOCUSED LIKE A LASER" GIVES US.

Greed isn’t someone wanting to keep more of what they earn, its people demanding a greater share of money that someone else has earned.

I'll vote for anyone who will try to improve my standard of living ...without destroying someone else’s!

ROMNEY/RYAN 2012 FOR REAL AMERICANS©

NOTE: Liberals/Progressives remember to vote on November 7th.

Amazing!, and May The Lord Bless YOU RepublicansForObama-618! And Here AGAIN is a PreviousRankAndFile republican seeing that party hijacked by these aristocratCrimeCartelSoldiers MittTaxPittancRommel and his sidekick Lyin'Ryan, A Proven SocioipathicHabitual Liar; Not to be trusted. Here is a HelpfulPost: And For the Very Few NAIVE American voters who are thinking of voting for Mitt
Tax Pittance Rommel and Lyin'Ryan out of desperation and hope that THESE
TWO
MONSTERS will rescue your life, Better look AT THE FACTS. CountDracula and
EdddiMunster are going to keep the bush TAX EVASION BONUSES FOR THE EVIL

RICH In Effect: with TheCount's Crappy excuse? "I won't LOWER the taxes on

the Rich!!!!" Well, Thanks Count, as you 1-10% and Corporate
rich

already pay the Lowest taxes in American History and taxes are
REALLY on
the Backs of Working Americans @37%. AND!!! WE DO NOT Even Get A
Universal
HealthCare System Like THE SANE Countries Have; Instead We GOT SCREWED By
KingGeorge THE VacuumBrained and his republicanCrimeCartel "WMD" Wars. Gas and
Oil Prices????,
What a Sucker Punch AT Voters!! The Count and EddiMunster
PERSONALLY Dreamed
up the $4.00p/g at the pump to blame it on Prez O, Like
their pals in the
House Of Reptiles STALLING Prez O Legislation to Create
Meaningful Jobs and
Careers. AND! AND!! AND!!! JUST WHO do you voters think

sets Gas& Oil prices, "Healthcare" policy prices, Hiring, Job/Career
Outsourcing,
Burger Flipping pay for NET $4.50p/hr while TheCount and HIS

republicanCrimecartel Soldiers are SUCKING YOU DRY for
$4.00p/gal gas
and oil,
$1100.00p/m for "healthinsurance",
while mind you!, Rommel's
FRIEND, the ceoVampire
at united healthcare, took home
$128,000,000
*CASH* for salary year 2008!!!!!!!!!, PLEASE Research This FACT So
YOU KNOW
PhantomBeast IS NOT
BSing You, While the Crook Paid No taxes with capital
Gains
LoopHoles, Thanks to The republicanCrimeCartel which Perverted the tax
laws FOR
THE EVIL RICH, LEAVING
WE American TaxPayers to Pay HIS Taxes.
These Clowns are
aristocrat decendents of the Plantation and Slave Owners
who were the ruling
idiots who
started the civil war and ran the south
into ruination; SOUND
FAMILIAR? AND
in 2010?, These
republicanCrimeCartel gonifs (CROOKS) convinced NAIVE voters to
vote them
into controlling the House Of Representatives, PROMISING Renewed

republicanCrimeCartel power to be used to
Create jobs and Government
services. What A Cruel Laugh!, FOOLED YOU AGAIN!! These

republicanCrimeCartelPoliticos have
used the House of Reptiles to BLOCK
EVERY
HELPFUL Bill and Law Prez O has created for Meaningful
jobs and helping WE
AMERICANS. And Some of you are STILL considering voting for THIS EVIL And VILE GROUP?, Who will use your vote to Hurt YOU And Your Family AND give it ALL AWAY to themselves and the 1-10% and Evil
Corporate Rich While THEY RAPE America AS THEY DID during The King's NOTORIOUSLY
SHAMEFUL Shrubber Reign 2001-2008. Ooh and "jim spence" You Don't Know What You Are Saying; You're Anger has Gotten You ALL Twisted Up Boy. Please see a Shrink
Here Is a
Very VERY Helpful Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og35U0d6WKY&feature=player_detailpage

2 more days and America will be rid on the great mistake of 2008.

So many have realized what a horrible mistake they made voting based on emotions rather than policy.

As real Americans vote to correct the incompetence of a junior senator whose only accomplishments were organizing a few picnics in Chicago and writing a couple books, about himself, we see the tide has turned to a real leader, Mitt Romney.

It's so sad to see so many Americans supporting a statist who promotes class-warfare in our nation. The nation built on Freedom, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. So many submit to his advocacy of only being middle class rather than striving for more.

I don't know anyone who grows up wanting to be poor or middle-class, everyone wants to be rich someday. Of course in the statists mind the only wealth should be with the chosen few in government because they know what is best for everyone else.

Outlaw 16 oz. beverages. Shut down children’s lemonade stands for lack of permits. Free birth control so 30 year old professional student bimbo’s can have recreational sex at will. Name one thing that isn't taxed, regulated or subsidized.

America is no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave, it's the land of the herded and home of the scared. It's time to rid ourselves of this social/economic justice nonsense and expression crippling political correctness that Progressivism wreaks on us.

Barrack Hussein promotes mediocrity. Our great Republic was built on American exceptionalism. It's time to elect a leader who promotes that.

Greed isn’t someone wanting to keep more of what they earn, its people demanding a greater share of money that someone else has earned.

I'll vote for anyone who will try to improve my standard of living ...without destroying someone else’s!

ROMNEY/RYAN 2012 FOR REAL AMERICANS©

NOTE: Liberals/Progressives remember to vote on November 7th.

PhantomBeast

Evil Rich? How exactly do you feel that you have rights to what others have earned? You do realize that the Constitution guarantees against seizure, right? Money is property, right?

Perhaps, instead of blaming others for your lot in life, you should crawl out of your parents basement, quit feeling sorry for yourself, make a life for yourself, and join the "rich" you write of. Then see how you feel, paying for the social welfare of the masses.

Or maybe just watch "Atlas Shrugged" 1 & 2 and understand that in reality, the rich and innovators you speak of do have a choice to simply walk away and watch you starve to death. Who would replace them? You? Grow the @!$%# up and do something with your life and quit blaming others.

Who is John Galt anyway?

AG99: Tuesday should be a very interesting (and late) night. My prediction? Obama wins it, but not by much.

Perhaps, but a win is a win. And --- he'll win it by more than Dumbya Bush won his first election, which was actually an appointment. And he'll do it legally (another difference) -- and he'll do it in spite of all the Republican Voter Fraud going on in the swing states.

Tickhead in Ohio is just D**khead in Ohio.

He'll have to go back on his meds and back to that mental health institution on Wednesday.

Ticked Off In Ohio:

Without a doubt you are 100% racist. The fact that you are coming to this comment section trying to claim that the only reason black people vote for him is because he is black, shows just how racist you are. I'll make another prediction: You aren't from Ohio either.

John,

Behind every great fortune, lies a great crime.

It is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Everytime I read Independent's post about the word "revenge" I have to laugh.

Word games. So silly. Such a waste of time and oxygen.

Freshieee-

I don't care where the gridlock comes from, it's a problem that Obama can't control or stop. He's not an effective president. I don't care about excuses or blame, I just want someone to fix the mess and it has been proven over and over again for the last four years that Obama can't do it.

Our schools suck. They used to be great but since the department of education took over they have declined. They lowered the bar, the least common denominator, and we barely meet that.

The postal service is so horribly inefficient that they coined "going postal" to describe when someone is so frustrated he shoots all his coworkers.

Healthcare is a joke. You have no idea how bad it's going to get when we have no more talented doctors.

The worst part is that you don't have any idea why all this is happening.

Redheadrant,

Gridlock= republicans

No child left behind= Bush republicans

Postal service= Media dubbed it going postal, but it happens somewhere every week.

Healthcare: ACA was a step in the right direction, but single payer is the civilized, christian way to go. Perhaps doctors should be satisfied making $3-400,000, instead of driving up the costs all the time. To the rest of the healthcare gougers, profiting off of the suffering of others is a concept whose time is past.

And as we speak Romneys vulture business Bain Capitol which he is still a huge shareholder is dismantling and shipping American jobs from a profitable U.S. company(Sensata) to China. Romney is the most ruthless and despicable type of business man in our country and the right wants him to be our president. I hope all you conservatives are willing to move to China if you still want your job.

On the day before an election that's supposed to hinge on jobs, taxes and the middle class, Bain Capital, the company Mitt Romney founded, will close the doors of a factory in Freeport, Illinois, and ship 170 good, high-tech jobs to China.

The employees of Sensata Technologies were forced to train their Chinese replacements, and the American flag that long flew over the factory was reportedly removed while the Chinese engineers were visiting the site. A group of workers have set up camp across from the factory -- calling it “Bainport” -- and some supporters have tried to block the trucks hauling equipment out of the plant. According to Dave Johnson, there have been several arrests.

Sensata workers have asked to meet with Mitt Romney and hoped to enlist his help keeping their jobs in the United States, but he has refused, instead remaining on the campaign trail where he speaks often about “getting tough” with China.

The most important part of the story is that Sensata Technologies is profitable operating in Illinois. Net income last year was $355 million, up 16 percent from 2010. The company reported total revenues of $1.8 billion in 2011, up almost 19 percent from the year before. According to a company financial statement, “both 2011 net revenue and adjusted net income represent record levels for the company.”

So this has nothing to do with “making hard choices” in the process of turning around a failing business, which is how the Romney campaign describes Bain's corporate raiding. Bain's partners are looking for a modest boost in profits by locating the plant closer to the booming Asian automotive market (Sensata makes high-tech automotive parts). They'll get a small tax break for relocating the plant – the one Mitt Romney insisted did not exist during the first debate – and possibly defer taxes on some of the income the company generates.

Ed -

Gridlock = won't go away if Obama secures a second term. The morality doesn't matter, it's the truth.

No Child Left Behind was an immense failure. Get the fed out of our schools. Get the best teachers and pay them accordingly. Fire the ones who are phoning it in.

Postal service needs competition or to be ended. They are inefficient and Fedex, UPS and all the others prove it can be done far better. Remove the fed funded postal service and the cost of Fedex, UPS and the rest will come down, and you will get your mail on time.

The doctors aren't the problem with healthcare, it's the insurance companies that have created this mess. They have tied the hands of doctors. Inserting the government isn't going to untie the doctors hands, it's just going to make them retire early and prevent people from becoming doctors because it isn't profitable. The doctors didn't drive up the cost of health care.

We can argue the fine points all day but the bottom line is Obama can't get it done. If he wins it just means four more years of slow growth, gridlock, poverty, lower wages, fewer jobs etc. An Obama win is a loss for this country.

He might be a really nice guy, and he probably wants the best for the US, he's just ineffective at the job. If we have learned nothing in the last four years it is that sad fact.

ED-2874315

That is not necessarily true. George lucas who has entertained millions with Star Wars is giving the 4 billion he made by selling the company to charity. A fortune made through hard work and imagination being distributed to the masses.

And getting into the kingdom of Heaven is relative to whether you believe in such things. But, to assume that every fortune is at the expense of others is evil, is evil in itself. Who are you to judge whether my toils are a benefit to mankind or not? Are you my judge? I think not.

Redheadrant

Single payer takes insurance companies out of of the loop. Other countries that have single payer, Canada for instance, pay about 10% of GDP for healthcare, It's 18% in the US and rising. The government sets guidelines, but decisions are left up to the Doctor and patient. Outcomes are better and there's a lot less malpractice. Doctors make less in Canada but $300,000 is enough to keep them in the 1%. I know a lot of Doctors.

Romney's plan is no plan at all. It is a give away to the rich. There is no correlation between tax cuts for the rich and job creation.(Congressional Research Service) Calling them job creators is just a slick sales job. Romney will loot America for the rich and life for the 99% will get tougher.

Ed -

The difference between your candidate and mine is not an intellectual one. Everything you say might be true, and it might not be. It really doesn't matter because Obama can't reach across the aisle.

When you remove motivation you end up with nothing. That can be applied to doctors, small business or large corporations.

I know you don't get it. There isn't time now but find out who John Galt is and you will understand.

redheadrant,

When offers to work together are met by an opposition who is recalcitrant, there is little room for negotiation. Republicans put their party above the good of their country in a time of need, which is a loathsome and treasonous act. It will not be forgotten.

We are not talking about the removal of motivation. We're not talking about Soviet communism.

We are talking about Responsible Capitalism (Canada) where the rate for upward mobility is much higher than in the US. There are plenty of Millionaires and some Billionaires, and the Family net worth is now higher than in the US. The crime rate is tiny there because of the strong social safety net. There are a lot less despirate people and more have a chance to make a good life for themselves. Some people will abuse such a system but to focus on that is a serious mistake. The cost of abuse to the system is only a tiny fraction of the overall benefit.

You do realise that John Galt is a fictional character. (I don't think you are referring to the Scottish author.)

John,

George lucas is the exception not the rule. It is fitting that he use the money to educate. Maybe that makes up a little for selling out to the Dark Side(Disney).

Funny! Selling out to the dark side? I thought we were discussing George Lucas, not American politicians.

And John Galt is only a fictional character in as much as the symbolism that the name engenders. Those that believe that the world can survive without those that are movers and shakers, misjudges what they move and shake. We are half way to Soylent Green and the masses will never get it.

Ed -

I don't think I'm making myself clear. It doesn't matter why there is gridlock, Obama can't seem to end it.

When I was a kid and my brother and I broke something we each tried to blame it on the other. I often ended up taking the blame because my brother was bigger and older than me and would threaten to beat me up if I told the truth. Once my father figured this out he ended the bickering by announcing he didn't care who started it or who broke it, we both were responsible for cleaning it up. Obama is too busy blaming his lack of leadership on the republicans. Maybe he has a point, but the bottom line is if he can't, as President, get them to come to the table and get the job done he is a failure as a president.

We aren't Canadians. I love them and they have a beautiful country but I don't want my government or country to be like theirs. Their healthcare is horrible.

Yes, I know John Galt is a fictional character, one I hated when I first read the book 20 years ago. However, the top earners, the movers and shakers, the go getters won't put up with being taxed, vilified and ridiculed forever. Eventually they will take their toys and go play in another sandbox.

Redhead Ranting

Ed -

Gridlock = won't go away if Obama secures a second term. The morality doesn't matter, it's the truth.

If so, then it definitely won't end if Romney is re-elected. What the GOP created in 2009 and upgraded in 2011 was a massive fireball of partisan reciprocity that they knew would be costly. And they unleashed that fireball on the American people, hampering what would already be a weak economy. Romney claims that he will bring in bipartisanship; that he is the only one to mend the division between Democrats and Republicans. He actually thinks the Democrats are gonna lap all over his "bipartisan" attitude. Obama had the exact same attitude, and the GOP trashed it for good. The Democrats aren't gonna work with the Republicans, not after all the pain and suffering they exacted on the American people. If by some chance Romney wins, the Democrats are gonna give the GOP a taste of their own damn medicine. What comes around goes around.

No Child Left Behind was an immense failure. Get the fed out of our schools. Get the best teachers and pay them accordingly. Fire the ones who are phoning it in.

No Child Left Behind was a failure, but it does not mean that the feds shouldn't have some degree of control over education. Most of the world's education systems are run by the national government, and if we are ever to regain the edge in education, we have to have more federal control. Funding should be mostly (if not all) from the feds; that would enable the national government to appropriate funds to school districts that need it the most. We do need merit-based pay and the best teachers, and we need to reform tenure, but we have to admit that the states can't solve this problem alone; we need federal help.

Postal service needs competition or to be ended. They are inefficient and Fedex, UPS and all the others prove it can be done far better. Remove the fed funded postal service and the cost of Fedex, UPS and the rest will come down, and you will get your mail on time.

Maybe. Maybe the Postal Service is obsolete.

The doctors aren't the problem with healthcare, it's the insurance companies that have created this mess. They have tied the hands of doctors. Inserting the government isn't going to untie the doctors hands, it's just going to make them retire early and prevent people from becoming doctors because it isn't profitable. The doctors didn't drive up the cost of health care.

Oh contraire. The private healthcare industry has failed, end of story. Costs have spiraled, quality of care is adequate at best, and millions of Americans are uninsured. Most other nations have universal healthcare, with some level of government intervention. Contrary to your laissez-faire assertions, the government can improve both the quality of care while decreasing costs. Countries like Britain, France, and Canada have excellent healthcare systems, each with a varying degree of government control (Britain and full-on socialist system with government-run hospitals and clinics, France and Canada with government-issued insurance). Hell, if the Canadians can cut costs and have a decent system, we ought to be able to do it.

john-737278

PhantomBeast

Evil Rich? How exactly do you feel that you have rights to what others have earned? You do realize that the Constitution guarantees against seizure, right? Money is property, right?

Money is property. We are not talking about theft or something of that sort; we are talking about taxation, a constitutionally-approved method of redistributing wealth. And by the way, redistribution IS a part of America: we used to have a consumption tax (redistributed wealth to investors and savers), and just about every tax system in the world redistributes wealth in one way or another. Even the damn flat tax and fair tax.

Perhaps, instead of blaming others for your lot in life, you should crawl out of your parents basement, quit feeling sorry for yourself, make a life for yourself, and join the "rich" you write of. Then see how you feel, paying for the social welfare of the masses.

Ah, going into name-calling and bullying are we??? So much for trying to persuade a person. It is fitting that the wealthy, being the most powerful citizens in society, ought to manage at least some of the burden for society as a whole. I believe that the roots of progressivism and a progressive tax system lies in the old saying of the great Enlightenment thinker Voltaire: "With great power, comes great responsibility." The richest Americans have the greatest power in society, even in a democracy, because they have the money and the connections to directly influence society. After all, money is power.

Or maybe just watch "Atlas Shrugged" 1 & 2 and understand that in reality, the rich and innovators you speak of do have a choice to simply walk away and watch you starve to death. Who would replace them? You? Grow the @!$%# up and do something with your life and quit blaming others.

"Atlas Shrugged" was the radical individualist rantings of a former middle-class Russian woman whose family was persecuted during Stalin's many purges and who forever bore a grudge against those who seek to promote the common good. I should know; I am currently reading that book. The entire concept behind "Atlas Shrugged" is that if society's Atlas (an allusion to the old Greek Titan who held up the sky on his back), otherwise known as the wealthy, are pushed too far by the government, that they ought to stage a capital strike and prove how crucial they are to society. Unfortunately, the wealthy and the innovators are NOT the producers and supporters of modern society. The consumer, essentially the working man, is. The so-called "producers," otherwise known as CEOs, aren't the only producers. The average worker, who spends most of his income on purchasing goods and products sustains the entrepreneurial spirit of society with demand, which supports our economy. If there are no consumers, even the best enterprise will go out of business. The so-called looters and moochers are actually part of the equation to the existence of modern society; without them, innovators wouldn't innovate because there would be no need of their skills. The innovators and rich are not the key to economic growth: the consumer (aka the middle class and working poor) is. All programs to help the economy recover, both in the short-term and in the long-term, have to consider the plight of the consumer and find a way to help him, so that he can help the innovator and the businessman survive and thrive in this society. The rich aren't Atlas; we all are.

Who is John Galt anyway?

The consumer is John Galt.

OBAMA BIDEN 2012

Freshieee

1 You are right. the gridlock will not go away either way.

2 The trickle down and redistribution of education dollars by the federal government has destroyed education. 1.17

3 Money is property. The US functioned just fine before the 16th Amendment. It also might be interesting to note that the founders only wanted property owners to be able to vote so that the masses couldn't vote themselves welfare pay increases. If you din't work, you starved.

4 Sorry, beast angered me. I am not rich, but to vilify them and suggest that they have no rights to their toils will not save the world. It removes every motivation to do well for yourself when you know huge portions will be given to others with nothing expected in return. Regardless of what those who want redistribution believe, they do have a choice. They can just sit this one out.

5 You are right to a certain degree, we are all atlas. But the world is buckling under the weight of overpopulation. John Galt is everyone who sees humanity self-destructing and decides to sit it out, refuse to play the game, and simply watch it happen. Imagine what will happen when the first garage inventor comes up with free energy and gives it to the world. Oil is so engrained in all economies that it would put a billion people in the oil industry out of work from those that drill to those that are checkers at the local gas stations. Economies would crash because most currencies in one way or another are based on barrel price of oil. Social welfare programs would cease to exist. Atlas would shrug and throw a few billion people off the planet and the world would reset.

In that sense, consumer based society would come to an end. Unless you produce, you have nothing to trade.

Freshiee . . You are wrong again. Steven Jobs was John Galt. Without him Chinese and American consumers have no "apples" to buy. A hundred other Jon Galts could be named . . Marc Andreesen, Steven Spielberg, Walt Disney, anyone who has created significant technology or IP.

Read the book again . . perhaps you are getting caught up in Dagny's romances and missing the main points. There is a reason Mr. Galt left the real world. While I wasn't sure on that point when I first read it at 17, it is clear now, especially in the context of this election and our society. I chose my career in part because of that book. I'll go live with John Galt, you can live with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and their supporters.

Now that Obama has won I can't wait for the Romneybots to start with their excuses for where it all went terribly wrong and the election was stolen from them.

Long live socialism!

MarkG

I guess you got your definition of socialism from FOX news.

Vive la France! and long live socialism!

Each French cuisine. It's a lot better! Though, I have to admit, Californian wines are better!--At least California votes Democrat.

Feather -

If you are so enamored of French socialism feel free to move there.

B707320C: I have to agree with you about Cali wines...but look where voting Democrat has gotten the state of Cali...I wouldn't say it's a great track record.

Four more years !