E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
NEW YORK -- Less than a month after Mitt Romney's bid for the White House was suddenly snuffed out, his vice-presidential nominee and another top surrogate -- and fellow potential 2016 presidential candidate --delivered dueling speeches Tuesday that attempted to reframe Republican philosophy in what was a strikingly "Un-Romney" tone.
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) spoke first at the dinner, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who was receiving an award from the foundation of Ryan's mentor, former Rep. Jack Kemp. Ryan's speech -- his first public address since the Nov. 6th loss -- echoed themes from his late October speech in Ohio on economic mobility, but little else from the fall campaign.
"We have a compassionate vision based on ideas that work - but sometimes we don't do a good job of laying out that vision. We need to do better," Ryan said Tuesday night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, an almost word-for-word recitation of what he said Oct. 24th in Cleveland.
It was in that policy speech just two weeks before Election Day that a glimpse of what the post-election Wisconsin congressman would look like. The Ohio speech was Ryan's brainchild on the trail, reflecting his personal passion for the topic, and the idea of an upwardly mobile society that could be built on Republican principles.
The speech was the only one of its kind Ryan gave during the 80-plus days he was on Romney's ticket, and perhaps reflecting concerns that Ryan's remarks were off the nominee's messaging, Romney held his own event during Ryan's speech that day, which soaked up news coverage.
But speaking at the Kemp dinner Tuesday evening, the seven-term congressman launched himself back onto the national stage without Romney or his advisers guiding the message.
While Ryan praised Romney by name as someone who he felt "would have been a great president," he also very publically distanced himself from his former ticket mate’s "47 percent" remarks to donors at a private fundraiser last spring.
In the remarks, captured by surreptitious video recording, Romney claimed 47 percent of Americans are "dependent upon government" and would therefor only vote for President Barack Obama and his vision of a larger government.
"Both parties tend to divide Americans into 'our voters' and 'their voters,'” Ryan said. “But Republicans must steer far clear of that trap. We must speak to the aspirations and anxieties of every American. I believe we can turn the engines of upward mobility back on, so that no one is left out from the promise of America. But it's going to require a bold departure from the approach that government has taken for the last five decades."
If Ryan was cautiously backing away from the GOP ticket's rhetoric in his remarks, Rubio turned on his heel and walked away from it completely. In his 4,185 words of prepared remarks, two words were notably missing: Mitt and Romney.
The Florida senator and Tea Party darling focused his remarks on a segment of the population whose imagination the Romney campaign tried, and largely failed, to capture: the middle class.
Praising the large and stable middle class as something uniquely American, Rubio took aim at what he called a growing "opportunity gap" between those born into the middle class and those who are left to struggle from humbler means to try and get there.
"For those of us blessed with the opportunity to serve our country in government, one of the fundamental challenges before us is to find an appropriate and sustainable role for government in closing this gap between the dreams of millions of Americans and the opportunities for them to actually realize them," Rubio said, according to prepared remarks.
"The key to a vibrant middle class is an abundance of jobs that pay enough so that workers can provide for themselves and their families, enjoy leisure time, save for retirement, and pay for their children’s education, so they can grow up and earn even more than their parents."
Compare that to Romney's own comments on what he called the "opportunity society" he hoped to create, which focused more on the idea of government getting out of the way of business, which could lift up the American people.
"I will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of our opportunity society, led by free people and their free enterprises," Romney said in a speech in Wisconsin March 30th. "The only real solution to help communities devastated by lost jobs is more jobs. President Obama never seems to have understood the basic point that a plant closes when the business starts to lose money. So when the president attacks businesses for making money, and when his policies make it more difficult for businesses to make money, he's also attacking the very communities he wanted to help."
Romney's rhetoric toward the middle class focused, as did much of his campaign, on creating jobs. His five-point plan for creating jobs and helping the middle class touched on macro issues like controlling debt, supporting free trade and the amorphous phrase "champion small business."
That type of tone, appealing to the “job creators” more than those looking for work could have led to the polling data First Read noted this morning: Obama beat Romney by 10 points (53%-43%) on which candidate was more in touch with people like you, and, 53% said Romney's policies would favor the rich (compared to just 10% for Obama).
And while Rubio's policy prescriptions rarely deviated from Republican orthodoxy (he noted he opposed tax increases, and praised faith-based and community organizations as key to stemming "societal breakdown,") he used even his personal story -- and son-of-immigrants background -- to create a contrast with the former Republican standard bearer and paint the Republican Party as not just the party of the wealthy.
Whereas Romney infamously noted his well-to-do friends (NASCAR and NFL team owners have dubious mentions in the campaign record) and regularly highlighted successful entrepreneurs he had met on the campaign trail, Rubio closed with an anecdote of someone further down the income ladder.
"A few weeks ago, I was giving a speech at a fancy hotel in New York City,” he said. “When I arrived in the banquet hall, I was approached by a group of three uniformed employees from the hotels catering department. They had seen my speech at the Republican Convention, where I told the story of my father the ‘Banquet Bartender.’ And they had a gift for me. They presented me with this name tag, which says, ‘Rubio, Banquet Bartender.’ That moment reminded me that there are millions of Mario Rubios all across America today. They aren’t looking for a handout; they just want a job that provides for their families."
With both men striking similar notes it seems clear that at least these top Republican leaders see an inclusive message as a possible path back from the wilderness. Whether either of Tuesday's speakers will become the messenger, remains to be seen.
Garrett Haake and Alex Moe were both 2012 presidential campaign embeds for NBC News. Haake covered Mitt Romney and Moe covered Paul Ryan and others.
Leave a Comment:
thanks for the warning!
I hope they run together! They can do a P90X contest to see who gets dibs on the president ticket. Loser takes the VP slot.
Millions of MARIO Rubios is fine - but I'd say one MARCO Rubio is more than enough!
(Okay, just re-read this - Mario was his father's name?)
Stop throwing Mitt under the bus - advice to future stars of the GOP
The right approach for these ambitious GOP young guns is to be 'Un-GOP.' Mitt is not the problem, GOP as a party itself is its own worst enemy. Time to live up to one of core principles of conservatism, that is 'pragmatic,' not 'dogmatic.' Just as Eisenhower continued social security and other new deal programs, the GOP should learn a thing or two from Obama, or just wholesale adopt Obama's policies, then GOP will have a chance in the future to at least survive as the OTHER party.
yup,the Obama option.Unconditional surrender.Not an option but an ultimatum.
Love it! The Romney "wilderness" taking the GOP where no man has been before nor do they want to return to!
"just wholesale adopt Obama's policies"
piggy, you can't expect the GOP to do the right thing. They haven't, including Reagan, why would they start now? Obama has done all the right things in my opinion.
Oh, little miss piggy, I think we can all assume that their people are dissecting Obama's golden touch as we speak....or write as the case may be! I find it laughable that the GOP thinks that they can change what their party has become, overnight. Kinda the same mindset that they have in regards to how Obama should have been able to turn our country around in a nano-second with the big pile of @!$%# they placed in his hands. He has made great strides, but I do not think the GOP can do it, not in the next few election cycles, anyway.
yeah John,Obama has done everything right if you consider that he is trying to destroy Capitalism and Democracy to create a socialist state.I also hope you are overjoyed when they raise your taxes after they realize that taxing the rich was'nt enough.But you will have free healthcare so,no worries.
Romney who?
"Ryan, Rubio reach for the 'Un-Romney' in dueling speeches"
Cool....now, can they reach for the 'un-republican'?
Or 'un-evangelical'
Or 'un-teabagee'
Or 'un-hypocrit'
Or 'un-bunghole'?
"...yeah John,Obama has done everything right if you consider that he is trying to destroy Capitalism and Democracy to create a socialist state..."
Mmm Hmm. I see. And just what is in it for him if he turns us into a socialist state?
Exactly??
yeah 'Buzz' is right. Nothing could possible be obtain from such silliness. Just like Lenin had nothing to gain either, he was a man of the people.
They do? I'm shocked to think that a month after their @sses were handed to them, they still think that vision was right. In fact Mr. Ryan, I think it was your vision that helped sink the ship. My advice is wipe the board clean and start over again. First order would be to absolve any relations with anyone even remotely associated with the Tea Party.
"Just like Lenin had nothing to gain either, he was a man of the people."
OK. So Obama wants nothing for himself.
Or us.
He just wants to be a 'man of the people"?'
Does 'us' know about this??
Hey 'Buzz' don't strain yourself :0) *popcorn?
Posted this below as Pat and I were discussing Ryan's issues but thought you all might want to take a look ... appears that a LOT of the GOP suffer from this disorder! (I know my Senators do!)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652/DSECTION=symptoms
The highlights ...
Narcissistic personality disorder symptoms may include:
Sound familiar??? ;-) (sorry about the BIG font, bullets come over weird!)
That sure sounds like a line of poetry! :)
Still celebrating here!
So your saying that Lenan was a man of the people so he did not have the best food or the best cavar the best vodka and the best Russian cars the best furs and I'm sure he and his cohorts just like the Republicans didn;t have a few Rubles in the bank
It's not the message or the messenger. It's the policies. You want to be taken seriously as a party again? Stop being the party that fights tooth and nail for tax cuts for millionaires. Stop being the party that tells women they have no personal say in their health and reproductive decisions. Stop being the party that rejects and opposes science at every turn. Stop being the party that throws away a chance for the U.S. to lead the world in rejecting discrimination against the disabled just because you're scared that the U.N. threatens our sovereignty when it clearly does not. Just stop.
Wolfhound/ C.A. Define socialism, and at least be able to apply socialism to any policy that Obama has. Or be able to apply it to anything that Obama has done while president? Oh you can't? Might it be you are wrong and just following hate radio, or Fox tv's suggestive oratory?
Like cutting people's social security and medicare then making less people eligible for them. Or forcing women to get unnecessary trans-vaginal ultra-sounds.
As I see it, it is the messenger, not so much the message. I suggest the entire GOP is not the problem. I say it is their leadership and their spokespeople that is the problem. Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, John McCain are all has beens, all clogs in the drain that know how to work the system and stop progress for you and I. Graham and McCain are war mongers that we do not need anymore. How can we pay for their military machine without taxing those that are taxable? Karl Rove, and many spokespeople on Faux News don't help their cause.
Rubio and Ryan did not win their hometown elections. How do you think they will do nationally running alone? Had it not been for Jeb Bush, Rubio would be a stockboy at Publix Supermarkets. And Ryan ought to try selling his ideas in his backyard before he goes national one more time. He and his mother lost Janesville handily.
You all know how screwed up Florida state government is and has been for the past ten years? Well it is completely run by Republicans. Governor Scott did more for Democrats in this election than any Karl Rove misleading paid advertising did.
You can wrap these two turds up in fancy paper and a pretty bow, but now matter how you package it, they both still STINK!
It is most entertaining watching which one can throw Willard under the bus faster, though... lol
*popcorn*?
Mitt is not the problem...The Ryan Budget is much worse a problem the GOP should wisely throw away...if the GOP is capable of being 'wise.'
Nice cutting pun there Pigotry.A fine way to represent the party.
Feisty, in congress they are busy throwing each other under the bus. Romney would have been a better candidate if he had stayed on the bus. I sure enjoy my pop corn watching the tea bags brains implode. I was wrong they do have brains.
Feisty, Pigotry (I love your avitar), John, etc. - good day and I'm off to my 2nd meeting. Had time to get back on for a while but - alas - it is over!
Have a great evening all! Feisty - getting cold again! Ugh! Oh well! 'Nite!
This part time Congress is taking yet another break. Let's see they have 3 working days left for this year.
Hi Feisty,
They are like turds that won't flush.
That is the one thing Republicans do so well.
And here Ryan and Romney were so chummy leading up to the election - didn't they liken it to a father/son relationship? Guess it's the 'estranged' father figure now!
An undeniable fact of life is - no one wants to be associated with a loser.
nor with a ranting and raving Nazicrat like yourself.
Indeed Ryan was one of the GOP's reasons "sometimes [they] don't do a good job of laying out that vision". Romney could never get a divided electorate's vote with a VP pick with such suicidally-extreme positions, and both doubled down on those positions (except solely when they felt moderation would have won hearts during debate-time) to catastrophic ruin.
Sometimes even your wisest words can reveal your inner fool.
wolfhound,
Who ARE you addressing? Ursula's post was spot on as was Pigotry's ... were you trying to post on the White Supremacist link and forgot where you were?
And here they are !!! The two poster children for the Tea-Party, the most extreme faction of the GOP !! If they are the Nominees in 2016, I will sit back and laugh my rear-end off ! If they think, that they can suddenly change the demographics of the electorate, they are mistaken. Rubio is an Hispanic, yes, but his family is from Cuba, and most Cuban-Americans are Conservative. Whereas almost all other Hispanics, are either from Mexico or South-America, and are traditionally Liberal. So, I don't see where there would be a sudden change, if Rubio decides to run for President, or Ryan for that matter, the worshipper of Ayn Rand is a recipe for foolishness, for the GOP if they decide that he is the best choice. The rhetoric has'nt really changed, it's just being masked, for now, to try and improve the Extremist Image that the GOP are stuck with, thanks to that self-same Tea-Party that LOVE these two so much.
"Victory has a hundred fathers but defeat is an orphan." - John F. Kennedy
I feel sorry for Mr. Romney in a way. The GOP can't run far enough or fast enough away from the guy after the loss in November. I know he still has his fortune and his business acumen and he'll be fine in the long run but politically he reminds me of the old blues standard...
Once I lived the life of a millionaire,
Spent all my money, I just did not care.
Took all my friends out for a good time,
Bought bootleg whiskey, champagne and wine.
Then I began to fall so low,
Lost all my good friends, I did not have nowhere to go.
I get my hands on a dollar again,
I'm gonna hang on to it till that eagle grins.
Cause no, no, nobody knows you
When you're down and out.
In your pocket, not one penny,
And as for friends, you don't have any.
When you finally get back up on your feet again,
Everybody wants to be your old long-lost friend.
Said it's mighty strange, without a doubt,
Nobody knows you when you're down and out.
Kennedy would have made a great republican today...
...just like Ronald Reagan would have been branded a "RINO".
For that matter, Dwight Eisenhower would have been a Democrat today. He was too liberal for today's GOP. George H.W. Bush doesn't want to have anything to do with today's GOP either. Notice how he was also not around Tampa this year.
Kennedy would not have been a Republican. He believed in rights for Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, the poor, the disabled, and women. Kennedy loved women, which would have disqualified him for the GOP.
While today's Democratic party may be not as radically liberal as that of Kennedy's day, the Republican party has made up for that by taking an 87 degree turn to the right and kept on going. They aim to take America Back, to 1818.
Da Noid, beautiful words you posted. Really beautiful.
dirp, I'm not sure if I remember this correctly, but I thought I had read somewhere that when certain people went to Eisenhower and asked him to run for the presidency in '52, Ike said he was rather confused as to whether he should run as a democrat or republican. And their advice to him was to run as a republican.
He evidently had no feeling one way or the other as to which party to belong to.
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I could very well be. It's just one of those facts that has sat in the back of my mind for many years and I have always wondered if it is factual.
I think you are correct Pat, another interesting fact about Ike. He was vilified in the press for all the golf he played while president. He was also the one that got the U.S. involved in Viet Nam. I am sure he would have never sent as many troops there like Johnson did. But he was the first president to offer the U.S. troops, under SEATO I believe. From memory there was a lot of good parts to Ike too. It was a time of relative peace and prosperity.
I guess that adage about rats deserting a sinking (or sunk) ship holds a lot of truth when we are talking about members of the gop...especially these two cheese nibblers.
Jeez, the GOP is truly devoid of leadership talent if this is the best they've got. It will be 2012 all over again in four years.
This country as a whole has no leadership.Just vote for the guy with the most promises and the biggest smile.Does'nt matter if they are lieing though their teeth or not.the only winners we have had in decades have been the politicians.The Politicians are all in the same bed in case you hav'nt noticed.WE THE people were thrown off the bus long ago.The only thing WE the people are needed for is to make money for the government and vote every few years.
wolfhound27, there's a reason why Elizabeth Warren was elected and is now about to be appointed to an important committee. Funny how the GOP aren't happy about it.
What are they afraid of? Accountability?
wolfhound,
Being an eternal optimist, I beg to differ from your post. I realize things don't always go the way I wish (Good laws, I live in UTAH and my senators can't unglue themselves from the teaparty!), but I do think many that are sent to Washington to represent their States can and do with fresh ideas. I have hope for this country and I believe President Obama is the man that can bring this country together. By him standing up to Boehner and the Congress, I'm more impressed with him than I was before. I knew (and posted as much) that with his second term, he would become the formidable President of the people.
Just wait and watch, it will get better!
Layton... My dear, I could'nt agree more, but you see.. people like wolfhound, are eternal pessimists, and prefer to not see the good in anything, whether they agree with you or not. I, like you, voted for President Obama, because I have hope, and faith in him, to do what is right for ALL of the people of this Great Nation of ours ! I too, believe that it will get better, for EVERYONE, no matter what some may say. It would be a GREAT thing for our Senators to unglue themselves from the Tea-Party, unfortunatley I don't see that happening anytime soon! Funny.... the GOP, constantly moan and complain about Government, and that it is too Big. BUT, then they want to stick their noses into a Woman's private parts, and dictate what choices she does and does'nt have, if THAT isn't BIG Government, I am not sure what is !! (Sorry, got a little off topic !) Hope you had a good day !.............. P.S. LOVE the new Avatar ! Rudolph is one of my favorite Christmas shows, and little Clarice, just adorable !!!
If Republicans want future success, the GOP should do the following -
1. Un-Ryan
2. Un-Norquist
3. Un-Boner; and most important -
4. Un-GOP
But it's Un-likely, so the GOP will continue to be Un-successful because GOP leaders are very Un-American (outsourcing jobs and destroying American ideals).
Somehow i doubt that the GOP wastes their time reading your biased Democrat posts.I am sure they get enough of that in Washington.
Un-boner??
LMFMO...
advice to all men...get some protection, and wear your magic underwear (this last part is also an advice to Mitt).
Actually wolfhound27, the GOP are hearing what Democrats have been saying for years and years.
It only took this past election for them to figure out that their long standing policies are no damn good.
Listen to some of the republican politicians who have their eyes set on 2016. They're pretending to change their tune to sound more and more like democrats.
Wonder why that is?
Pigotry you are just a fool with nothing better to say.Your kind of woman should be at home,barefoot and pregnant. There you have it..A little of your own insulting medicine.Don't like it? too bad baby girl.you give bacon a bad name. lololol IGo ahead say what you will i can get just as insulting as you.
Pat, How do you expect any of these politicians to cooperate when both sides are too busy bashing each other which Pigotry is providing the example of?Pigotry would'nt know what political party cooperation was if it slapped her up side the head.Personally i would rather stick to foreign policy as i am currently stationed overseas.
@wolf,
Nice job of name calling to promote your argument.
(note sarcasm)
wolfhound27, Pigotry is doing no such thing. This is a blog, not the Senate chambers.
The bashing is coming from the Republican Party. We have a president who has lost patience with their games. We all have, including many in the Republican Party itself.
If you don't mind me asking, where are you stationed?
Bali i have YEARS of practice in the Military.There are alot of people here who can dish it out but can't take it and most of those who can't take it are Democrats even though they like to dish it out.So play the game or whimper back to BALI.
@pat sorry for the delay,i fell victim to the(you move you lose rule)on this shared comp.i will say that i am stationed?operating in the vicinity of Gardez south of Kabul.Unable to say much more though,sorry.
wolfhound27, do you need anything? I was told that our troops are pretty well supplied so I've been sending books, mostly spy and biographies.
Let us know please, particularly at this time of year. Take care of yourself.
Thanks PAT,sorry i have been in a horrible mood,I got a piece of shrapnel through my right hand yesterday and the burning is driving me absolutley insane.Typing one handed is agonizingly slow.Over 25 years in the Army and this is the second time this has happened.The 1st time was in mogadishu.Thanks for your offer but i will be coming home in Febuary as part of my mandatory retirement age.Thanks again but where i am it is Morning time and time for the morning Briefing.Have a good day.Maybe i will stop by my alma mater in Boston when i get back.have to go.U4v41 out here.
wolfhound, be well.
Pigotry: "GOP destroying American ideals"! jotg, the comments posted here are pathetic
And Yet , YOU are here ?
Yeah, Tea Party, yeah.
Drive yourselves right off the cliff.
The rest of us will carry on.
FORWARD
yup,they will drive themselves off a cliff right after they push you off it.
Paul Ryan going after Mitt Romney, the man who chose him as his running mate.
What backstabbers.
@Pat,
Ironic, eh?
Can you say "karma"?
Bali Bob, ironic and definitely not surprising. Paul Ryan is under the impression that he has something to offer working/middle class Americans. He's quite the ambitious one. President Obama has cleaned his clock more than once.
He is the female version of Sarah Palin right now.
Don't they say that "All's fair in love and politics"?
Oh, hey, there is breaking news about Syria loading up chemical bombs so I was reading the article and scrolled down to see what kind of comments were being posted. Boy, post an article with words Syria, bombs, or chemicals and the crazy people come crawling out of the woodwork! Lots of conspiracy theorists and war mongers and your typical haters. Just a nut fest going on over at that article!
Pat, I think Ryan IS Sarah Palin! There! My one and only conspiracy theory! LOL
@Pat,
Reckon we just saw a Republican power grab backed by huge $$$ rejected by the voting public. Republicans now desperate and fighting amongst themselves. More concerned about Party than Country.
Your thoughts?
@Alaska,
Was that the Fox News site you visited?
Cheers
Bali Bob, I have seen nothing to indicate since the election that the GOP are more concerned about the country than about their party. That will never change.
They are an ambitious bunch of people, but that's it. They are now relegated to repeating democratic ideas in the hopes that they won't turn people off. Again.
The $$$ people in the GOP have a huge problem on their hands. They want to buy the sell-out politicians, but the politicians they hope to buy can't win nationally. And that includes both Rubio and Ryan.
Nope, Bali Bob. Right here on NBC breaking news headlines. Most of the nut bags posting on there you never see posting on FR.
@Pat and Alaska,
Wow. What a state we're in. Can only hope that Reason (and humor) will prevail.
Cheers
FORWARD
The problem that the GOP is going to have now with attempting to emulate Democratic principles or ideas is that a majority of people(myself included) will see right through it. They are being seen as dishonest and not to be trusted in their efforts. I would also suggest that Romney really did alot of damage to the party in as much as he kept changing his stance on issues. So, in essence, why would anyone truly believe what Republicans/Conservatives are dishing out? There will be much skepticism, plus the party itself got in bed with extremism and the extremists will not shake loose. In my opinion, until the party can shake that stench off of them, they will have a long road ahead of them filled with pot holes.
@Alaska,
The Republicans have ruined their own "brand"... by just being so damned mean to so many people.
AlaskaGirl, I think too that the GOP allowed Rush Limbaugh and Norquist to dictate to them (why?) and it's going to take a long long long time for them to get out from under their spell.
They forgot all about the people who vote, in the millions.
They have to relearn how to stand on their own two feet. What a mess the GOP have created in our government. A real mess.
Pat,
Exactly. He "thinks" he has something to offer when in fact his budget became that of his ticket as Romney never had one. I think Ryan suffers from the same delusions of grandeur that Mitt did.
@Layton,
Nice avatar. Watched "Rudolph" last night!
I agree, Pat and Bob. Fox and Rush have been cultivating their audience for the last 15 years or so, and the Republican party pandered to those venues. As long as they were in the driver's seat they didn't care what kinds of lies and craziness that Fox and Rush were turning out. I don't know if the party has gotten that far yet in their thinking, and even if they have, it's almost too late. You cannot undue the culture within that party in one election cycle. It just won't happen. There is too much absolute insanity in that party and what is worse than that is that the Republican Senate and the Republican House is filled with nut bags. There is more purging that has got to be done on the state and federal levels. They think that Democrats are ruining this country, when truth be told it is their elected people that are doing their best to ruin this country. That is fact whether they choose to see it or not.
I watched Rudolph, too!
Layton,
Delusions of grandeur is a great description! I will have to write that one down. Love it!
Rudolph with your nose so bright...
Bali Bob ...
As did I. They always remind me of when I was young and there were so few channels to choose from. My brother and sister and I used to anxiously await the yearly Christmas specials! They are all near and dear to my heart.
Happy Holidays and thank you!
AlaskaGirl, reading your post I'm reminded of Barack Obama's word - change.
The changes are happening right before our eyes and it wasn't Obama who did it, it was the American people. We were all waiting for him to do it, but he said he couldn't do it, we had to do it. We did, and now the GOP is lost.
This past election was huge insofar as change goes. And to think - we've only just begun.
Yes, Pat we the American people did make change, but I myself believe it took a man like Barack Obama, for us who wanted the change, to finally stand up together and fight for it. His inspiration was the catalyst for the changes we have witnessed and will witness and I will be forever proud that I was a part of it.
Layton: So totally the same with me and my sister and brothers! Growing up I think there were 4 channels, not including PBS. ABC, CBS, NBC, and usually a local station.
FORWARD!
Hillary 2016! ONWARD!
AlaskaGirl, you should be proud. Very proud. And I so agree that it wouldn't have happened unless Barack Hussein Obama came into our lives at this moment in time.
I saw over at the Obama Diary that a giant of a man has died.
Jack Brooks, co-author of the 1964 Civil Rights Act -
http://thegrio.com/2012/12/05/rep-jack-brooks-co-author-of-1964-civil-rights-act-dead-at-89/
I wonder if Lawrence will speak of him this evening. I hope so.
Pat,
Delusions of grandeur was being kind. :) Actually Romney, Ryan, Graham, Hatch and many other actually suffer from a Narcissistic Personality Disorder ...
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652/DSECTION=symptoms
Just reading the symptoms makes one say out loud, yep, yep, yep, and more yep!
Pat, I was just reading a post of yours where you were wondering about whether or not Eisenhower himself asked if he should run as a Repub or a Dem. There is a book out recently by his son, David Eisenhower, about his father, of course. Maybe the answer to your question lies in the book. I don't remember the name of the book, but he was interviewed just in the last couple of days by Lawrence O'Donnell ( I think it was his show I saw him on). They were actually discussing the upcoming U.N. Disability Treaty that was coming up for vote, so it must have been Monday's broadcast.
Thank you AlaskaGirl. I did come across the book on Amazon but forgot about it until you just mentioned it. I will be taking time off during the holidays, so I think I'm going to order it. It sounds like a really good read.
Thanks for the reminder.
Rubio/Ryan, now that's the ticket. For us democrats.
Ryan is an extremist....his Medicare-into-vouchers plan is fiscal-weapons-of-mass-destruction (FWMD).
It kind of reminds me of when Bush wanted to turn all of our SS moneys over to Wall Street and privatize it completely. Yeah, like it would have been a good idea putting all those trillions of dollars into the hands of greedy money managers. He and many other Republicans seemed to think it would be.
Can you imagine what would have happened to it during the Great Meltdown? We'd have all been wiped out. I am so glad that never happened.
Mo Romney had very little effect upon his losing to President Obama. The GOP party platform, its leaders, and its presented actions made certain that the GOP would lose at the national level.
The GOP could perhaps have run an aardvark and the ardvark might have done at least as well as Mo Romney.
LTC Rattus, USA, ret.
You know, you could almost see those 53% of the American electorate lining up at the polling places just to say "Oh Hell no!!!" to Mitt and Ryan.
Well, Ryan is trying to make nice but you only have to take a look at the posts on the Vine to realize that the rank(and I do mean rank) and file will not be changing anytime soon. You look at the various posts by conservatives and baggers and you see all the hatred, racism and greed that has always been there. These posters aren't even capable of thinly disguising it. It's just hilarious.
So Ryan can continue to put all the lipstick he wants on this pig but he will never change the black hearts of the tea party faithful or CONservatives. Those folks alone will be very busy driving the final nails into the Republican coffin and there is nothing Ryan or Rubio can do to stop them.
Lets see.
"In a radio interview before his Republican National Convention speech last week, which was itself heavily criticized for factual deficiencies and outright fabrications, (Paul) Ryan claimed that when he was younger he had run a "2 hour and 50-something" marathon.
"Runners World found this impressive feat surprising and sought to verify it. After digging, they found that Ryan had finished only one marathon, in 4 hours, 1 minute and 25 seconds, an average time. The vice presidential candidate was later forced to walk back his misstatement."
Paul Ryan Explains Marathon Time Snafu: I Made Up What I Thought Was 'An Ordinary Time'
The Huffington Post | By Nick Wing Posted: 09/05/2012 2:22 pm."
"During his rise to political prominence, Sen. Marco Rubio frequently repeated a compelling version of his family’s history that had special resonance in South Florida. He was the “son of exiles,” he told audiences, Cuban Americans forced off their beloved island after “a thug,” Fidel Castro, took power.But a review of documents — including naturalization papers and other official records — reveals that the Florida Republican’s account embellishes the facts. The documents show that Rubio’s parents came to the United States and were admitted for permanent residence more than two-and-a-half years before Castro’s forces overthrew the Cuban government and took power on New Year’s Day 1959."
Marco Rubio Lied About Parents’ Escape From Cuba
See Article, December 6, 2012, Newstaco.com.
Rep. Paul Ryan Received Social Security Benefits at 16, But Now Wants Cuts in the Program
By Michael Allen, Fri, September 21, 2012
"GOP vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan often talks about cutting government entitlement programs, but has not mentioned that he received Social Security payments after his 55-year-old father died from a heart attack.
"When Ryan was 16, he began receiving Social Security benefits, which he saved to pay for college. Ryan stopped receiving benefits when he was 18 years old, reports Alternet.org.
"Ironically, Ryan has proposed cutting Social Security and Pell Grants, which help college students go to college today.
"Undernews reported: "Without this benefit, his mother would have had to make even tougher decisions and Representative Paul Ryan may not have been able to pay for his college education."
"According to the HuffingtonPost.com, Ryan proposed cutting and partly privatizing Social Security benefits: "The cuts would affect about 70 percent of all Social Security beneficiaries, including everyone who earns above $22,000."
From these articles, the ineluctable conclusion is that, despite their cultural differences, both Ryan and Rubio are lying hypocrites and therefore perfect candidates for the Republican Party in 2016.
Please ask Paul 'The Numbersman' Ryan how he happened to overlook 20% of his income for 2011. If he can't balance his own books how is he going to balance a trillion dollar budget?
Please ask Mr. 'Scam Artist' Romney if he filed his amended return yet. Remember that he fudged his tax return to make it look like he paid 13%. He didn't claim all deductions he was entitled to. He can now file his amended return and get the extra $225,000 he is owed. Must be nice not to need $225,000. More proof that trickle down doesn't work.
We need to be able to sequester congress just like we can juries. Lock them in a room and don't let them come out until they can come up with a budget. Their main responsibility is to create a budget. Create it or don't come out. Pure and simple.
oh yeah! how fast did Ryan run that race????????????????????????????????????
2 hours and 50 minutes. Then he took a break and finished the race. He did beat Chris Christie.
Ryan's call for what he called 'compassion' is total lip service. Just look at his Ryan Budget...destructive to the well-being of people - from every possible angle you look at it.
.
GOP losing in this election is no fluke...RepubliCONs have been on its losing path for some time now...its past policies are the best guide for our understanding of failure of the GOP. Rome was not built in one day, marathon can't be run in 3 minutes, or even 3 hours.
The GOP does have a lot of compassion - for the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Karl Rove, Grover Norquist etc.
I hope the GOP has someone other than Ryan or Rubio in mind for 2016. I'm hoping for Christy (if he doesn't explode first).
Strange But Worth A Few Lines:
Look At All Those "R"s
Must Be Part Of The GOP Candidate Qualifications Requirements???
"R"epublican
"R"omney ( Current Status -- Out Of Order )
"R"yan ( A Potential Two Time Loser -- Nope )
"R"ubio ( How Many Cuban Votes Is He Worth -- Sorry Not Enough )
The Magic Letter "R" Like In "R"eagan -- The GOP's Last Super Hero!
Sorry Nice Try But There Are No "R"eagans In Any Of Those "R"s Above That's For Sure!!!
In Todays World Your Super Hero "R"eagan The Liberal Wouldn't Fit The Current Republican Profile -- He Would
However Slide Right In With The Democrates Of Today!
Maybe You GOP Folks Should Try Running A Democrate Next Time?
Keep Trying -- Any More "R"s Out There?!
Strange But Worth A Few Lines:
Look At All Those "R"s
Must Be Part Of The GOP Candidate Qualifications Requirements???
"R"epublican
"R"omney ( Current Status -- Out Of Order )
"R"yan ( A Potential Two Time Loser -- Nope )
"R"ubio ( How Many Cuban Votes Is He Worth -- Sorry Not Enough )
The Magic Letter "R" Like In "R"eagan -- The GOP's Last Super Hero!
Sorry Nice Try But There Are No "R"eagans In Any Of Those "R"s Above That's For Sure!!!
In Today's World Your Super Hero "R"eagan The Liberal Wouldn't Fit The Current Republican Profile -- He Would
However Slide Right In With The Democrat Of Today!
Maybe You GOP Folks Should Try Running A Democrat Next Time?
Keep Trying -- Any More "R"s Out There?!
They both will be signing up for spanish classes tomorrow, and will speak fluent spanish/espanol by 2015 so they can shoot their BS in as many languages as possible (Mitt can do the french translation).
They should both have come out in blackface.
It would have been more believable.
Democrats discover secret to electoral victory in 2012.
"Don't be a r.acist"
Paul Ryan could not even win his own district.....like he thinks anyone cares what he says?
Loser.....
You may want to do a little research before you spout off....Ryan won re-election quite handily in his district 55 - 43%
bookem.....bigdog was trying to say he couldn't win his own state....ryan and romney both lost their states and romney lost two of his states...Michigan and Mass..........