Will catch up later 
Like this:
3 bloggers like this post.
08
Jan
12
249 Responses to “chat away”
Leave a Reply
Latest Comments
| LDS on wednesday | |
 | susanne on wednesday |
| LDS on wednesday | |
| Alycée (@jazziz2) on wednesday | |
| bestpresidentever on wednesday | |
| SueBee on wednesday | |
 | nathkatun7 on evening all |
| QuietObserver on wednesday | |
 | Bobfr (aka Our4thEst… on wednesday |
| Betsy on wednesday |
Flickr - White House
|
White House.gov
- President Obama Visits the EPA
- From the Archives: President Obama Honors Victims of Tucson Violence
- By the Numbers: 170,000
- USDA's Blueprint for Stronger Service
- Resurgence of the American Auto Industry
- Super Duper Space Toolbox
- Jack Lew Will Replace Bill Daley as Chief of Staff
- A Resurgent America on Display at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show
- Lowering Health Care Cost Growth to Get More Value for Consumers
- Protecting the Nation’s Electric Grid from Cyber Threats
OFA
- Dinner with Barack: Behind the Scenes
- Field Update—January 10th, 2012
- Did You See: Staying Power in New Hampshire
- It Happened to Kathie
- Polls Are Open in New Hampshire
- Watch the State of the Union in your Living Room
- @katieoneill12
- Update from New Hampshire
- Don’t Miss a Beat
- Field Update—January 9th, 2012
I’m not even gonna try
WHT?!! First?! ……….. Just when you least expect it
Best things in life…!
Wahhhh
Congrats Lisa
Congrats Lisa on being first without even trying
Congrats, lisa!
First
First runner up
Ha! Congrats LOL.
Third!
Good morning TOD and Chipsticks!
Leon Pannetta was excellent this morning on FTN.
He explained and supported the new leaner, meaner and technology advanced military.
Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.
“Pious Baloney Sandwich now on the menu at every New Hampshire deli ?”
I think Gingrich used that term? So, no thanks! NHers don’t wanna gag any more than they probably are now, with this crowd!
Judging on what Axelrod said on This Week in which he said that Romney’s “Bain Mentality” makes him a weak candidate in the general election, I fully expect the Obama team and Democrats to go after Romney’s Bain Mentality which is Profit over People: bankrupting companies, firing workers, and shipping American jobs overseas all for the bottom line which is money, is going to be what the Obama team will go after HARD if Romney is the GOP nominee.
Gingrich’s Super Pac which will release a 27 minute movie tomorrow with many commercials bashing Romney’s Bain work will help in this endeavor.
As somebody put it about Romney and Bain on Twitter (sorry - can’t remember who): No Job Left Behind !
I heard the right wing comeback for Romney’s corporate raider stuff last week. They’re saying that what Romney did is no different than what the President did with the auto dealerships, or what a company does when it’s failing - they restructure, sometimes let some non-performers go, etc. The difference is that President Obama’s actions were to rescue the failing auto industry and put it on a footing to grow and be revived. Romney’s actions were to find profitable, stable companies, then cut staff dramatically to reduce costs, overburden the companies by taking out massive loans and charging exorbitant fees, and then shutting down the company thru bankruptcy when they couldn’t pay or couldn’t function on such reduced staffing levels - all the while paying huge dividends to investors. Big difference. The auto industry is thriving, whereas many of the companies that Romney was involved with are gone.
The other thing is that Romney never actually ran a publicly traded company. Even the Staples story is an exaggeration. Romney got the idea from another analyst, never actually had a hand in running Staples - but he was on the board of directors - and most of Staples boom happened after Romney left Bain. It’s all an illusion.
Someone posted this story the other day. It’s worth a read. http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/02/mitt-romney-201202.print
It goes without saying that I think Romeny is unfit to lead for a whole host of reasons. However, just to clarify - I thought only distressed companies came to Bain for capital infusions? Companies that could not make payroll or purchase inventory - strapped for operating capital. I guess what’s amazing is that not being liquid and having no emergency reserves destroys families and companies. Then you have to deal with firms like Bain. People did not mind dismantling something when their blood, sweat, and tears did not build it. Maybe I will check out your link?
I need to do more research, but from what I understand (and some of this is in the article) they made investments in companies and some of them were distressed. In many cases, they were not. For example, Staples was an idea brought to them by an entrepreneur who thought that a consolidated location for all office supplies would be a good idea. Romney initially disagreed, but the entrepreneur insisted that the data in the field was wrong, and he ultimately convinced Bain that he was right. In the case of some of the other examples, the companies were strong - and therefore eligible to take out loans - and they were driven down into the ground by Bain’s practices. Bain wasn’t a turnaround company - they were seeking to maximize returns for their investors, and the quickest way to do that is to reduce costs - i.e. eliminate staff.
thanks for the clarification, Theo. I did not know about Staples.
yeah….. the difference is that PBO’s plan resulted in jobs, Willard’s plan resulted in outsourcing and drastic job losses for middle class Americans. WIllard Mitt Romeny: Bad For America.
The pundits right now are in a state of frustration. They don’t know quite what to say, how it’s going to turn out. They are not confident that ANY of the candidates can beat President Obama and it’s bothering them. They are having a hard time parsing through the same old talking points at every GOP debates. They are aware of the numerous lies told by all the candidates on the debate stage and know that the chickens will come to roost when the chosen candidate has to run against Barack Obama. The 3rd party efforts by Nader, OWS, Cenk and Moore have been colossal failures and the media is mighty annoyed. Cornel West, Tavis, and Troubled Waters have retreated back into silence because they have been exposed and have nothing more to say. Van Jones is quiet. The PUMAS who wanted to get rid of Biden have been given a STFU by the administration with Biden’s new international role. The jobs numbers are improving. Bin Laden is dead. It’s getting increasingly difficult to criticize PBO without telling an outright lie. The media now is grasping at straws by resorting to attacks on FLOTUS via books based on half-truths, lies, exaggerations and outright fiction.
It’s a hot mess out there in punditville.
Spot on, Hope!!
Right on target hope! well put and press on . The MSM is so full of shit they are pathetic, and why any of
those call journalists challange Mitt on realising his fucking tax returns.
I agree with the pundit desperation. The most comical one to me is the threat that Ron Paul supposedly poses to Obama. He is not attracting most of the voting-eligible youth as he and his fans would like us to believe. He is attracting the majority of youth who lean Libertarian.
Youth were 4% of the voters in Iowa. The same as in 2006. He did not grow the number of youth attracted to the Iowa caucus. He shrunk it compared to the Democrats, when 13% of the attendees were youth.
He got 8000 young people to support him. President Obama got 30,000 young people to support him in the same venue. Does Ron Paul and his fans seriously think that Ron Paul is going to attract young black voters as they watch him glibly say he didn’t support the 1964 Civil Rights act and he doesn’t know who wrote his racist newsletters?
Is Romney going to attract Obama’s voters? Is Santorum? Or Gary Johnson?
Get real.
Why do pundits on the Left want a one-term Presidency for the guy who presided over the end of the Iraq war and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?
What are they really about? Who do they think is really more allied with the purported values, President Obama who believes in government or Ron Paul?
This isn’t my notion. It comes from Patricia Evans, a writer on verbal abuse. Once I saw this theory, it not only helped me enormously but I use it to understand the irony you have noticed. Why would a supposed liberal want the President to have only one term? What is their real problem with him, and I say real because they just keep moving the goal posts, right, and holding him to a standard that is unabashedly and negatively biased. Ms. Evans describes two paradigms that I think the writer Thomas Franks noticed but explains differently, the power-over mindset and the mutual mindset. She posits that some people can only imagine the world from a power-over paradigm, meaning that there is never equality only a jockeying for power and position. In other words this mindset cannot be comfortable with mutuality because it in itself is a threat. If someone approaches a power-over person with a mutual perspective it sets off their alarms. This is why I think many describe the President as weak and ineffective. They can only value someone who is their champion in their power struggle to reign superior to as many people as possible. If the President respects, empowers and includes that leaves them with an enormous sense of vulnerability. Of course Ms. Evans relates a power-over mindset to deep-seated insecurity laid down at an early time in life when one was made to feel powerless. She says that having even one advocate in such a situation that can affirm that the powerlessness is occurring and that it is wrong is enough to break this cycle.
This is why perhaps Gorbachev is so different from Putin and why that country would prefer the second type of person to the first.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the subject, cuphalffull. What you’ve described seems to embody elements of Calvinism, the rugged individualism theory, and Darwinism all wrapped into one.
Insightful commentary.
I think it’s about race, as much as I hate to say it, what else could it be? It’s a sad indictment on those left pundits, very sad.
Yes Betsy is about race is sickining, the GOP and teh MSM would like to make it about race.
But we have to remember PBO has the support of AA, Hispanics, Gays, weman. the youth, and many
more groups that the GOP is no taking in consideration, right now they are pondering to the Conservative
right wing, so they want to bring the RACE UP fuckers.
I agree with your sentiments here, Betsy. It is about race. I think the Left represents themselves to be inclusive and respectful to all demographics. However, I truly think that the clear majority white members of the PL are comfortable merely tolerating minorities. They are accustomed to minorities being beholden to them. The bastions of political power were still largely white prior to PBO.
I think Bill Clinton did not mind being “black” or being culturally perceived as black because he can play the saxophone, and was rumored to spoke weed- or was “cool” enough (read: vile) to have oral sex performed on him in the White House. I will not delve into how ludicrous it is for those things to be culturally identified as blackness. To be fair, I think people were moved by Clinton’s comfort level with African Americans, gays, and others. I think even incremental progress can be refreshing. Regan and Bush (father) lived in all white worlds.
The PL still has antiquated views on race; consider Sen. Reid’s ignorant drivel about PBO and his complexion and speech. Even if on the surface you are more tolerant, if there is no one in the room to challenge your insensitivity and cloaked bigotry - you may still think you are forward thinking. The Clintons during the height of the prolonged 2008 Democratic primaries were vicious and race baited with the best of Conservatives.
To tolerate someone or to behave as a benevolent gracious patriarch toward them because your core belief is that they are not equipped to shape their own destiny is not the same as respecting them. PBO has flooded politics with “light”. He has treated the electorate like they have sense. He has encouraged everyone to reassume their power. Whenever PBO and FLOTUS has visited schools of color, they have collectively encouraged them to embrace their greatness, their innate ability to be self-reliant, to not depend on government to shape your life. Tavis, Michael Moore, Cornel West, Jesse Jackson, Sr. and a host of others are the brokers of misery, the ambassadors of the DuBosian notion of the “Talented Tenth” - they truly believe they alone are gifted and knowledgeable - their supposed concern for the people is dramatically dwarfed by their own arrogance
If you read all of this, kudos to you !
And, now I have to go research “DuBosian notion of the Talented Tenth.”
You have already found what you’re looking for, with just a couple of clicks. But I was referencing WEB DuBois and his theory of the Talented Tenth. The theory goes that a tenth of the AA community, his was a black political theorist, would be genetically pre-dispositioned to have all or the clear majority of the intelligence, social mobility, and wealth - and they were obligated to help the uneducated uncultured masses. While well-meaning, the notion is that the masses are unable to direct their own futures. That’s a brief summary anyway
Hi DreamChaser57,
Happy New Year to you and to everyone here at the awesome TOD!!! This is my first comment/reply for 2012. I must say that reading your analysis about the PL, and talking head pundits was good after the vile, and nasty comments from the other side. Yet, I encourage everyone to take a different approach in 2012. I have the warmest memories about the Obama/Biden campaign in 2008. I canvassed, and phone banked in DC, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. That campaign was filled with positive energy, and a sense that “together, we can elect Obama/Biden, and make positive changes in our daily lives.” I am 65, and I have participated in rallies, canvasses, sit-ins, and marches. The 2008 Obama/Biden campaign was extraordinary! I never once witnessed people speaking harshly to others; I never witnessed pushing, or unpleasant conversation among groups of people at the rallies; and I watched and participated in so many moving acts of kindness between complete strangers. This caring attitude was something that I saw from the top staff to the bottom volunteers. What we all did was to turn all of the negative into a positive reaction, and to work even harder to be more patient and kind to everyone around us. I believe that the positive energy we used helped us to focus only on the task at hand-which was then, and is now-the election,re-election, of the President. President Obama has lived up to the reasonable expectations of his supporters and of our nation. We were positive during the campaign, but everyone fought each and everytime we were engaged in combat by the other side. I think the way the campaign was conducted at our level-at the staff, supporter, and volunteer level made a huge difference in 2008. In 2012, let’s do it even bigger, and better! Let’s all do everything we can do to win. Let’s support The President!!! Let’s sponsor fund raisers, let’s canvass, let’s participate in phone banks, and let’s do it all in the wonderful spirit of 2008. “Together, we can re-elect President Obama, elect a Democratic majority in the House, expand the Democratic majority in the Senate, and make positive changes in our daily lives!”
The other side wants to distract us with racial remarks. They want to divide us so we will use our energies in a negative manner. They want us to think we have accomplished nothing. We know these are LIES!!! Let’s not be distracted. Let’s decide that everyday each of us will do at least ONE positive act to help re-elect President Obama. We have a true GIFT here at “TOD.” Chipsticks has given us an awesome community to interact, and to get the TRUTH about what President Obama has done and is doing each day for our nation. Let’s not play on their negative homefield. And, by the way, we have made those positive changes in our daily lives. Now we have to make sure they are made permanent, and expanded!!!
Perfect summary! Chickens are definitely coming home to roost. I hope they keep coming all through 2012 - people have short memories.
Thisssssssss..
Hopefruit, as always, you totally nailed it! I truly admire and value your analytical skills, as well as your fearlessness in standing up against liars, from both the rightists and the pretend leftists.
So what was the reason for the lame debate last night and the more fiery one this morning? Target audience? I mean 9-11 on a Saturday night vs the Sunday morning viewer is probably much different demographics one would assume. Or is the moderators more to blame as Sawyer and Stephanopoulous(I know I butchered that) are brutal, and Gregory actually made them debate policy?
I don’t care what anybody says, Huntsman would be the most dangerous in the general BY FAR. He’s much more conservative than he lets on, but folks think he is the likable moderate. He’s Rick Snyder, now Michigan Gov, who ran as “one tough nerd”, a technocrat rather than a hyper-partisan, and attracted a lot of cross over support both in the primary and the general. Of course once elected, Snyder is doing things that Walker wouldn’t ever have thought to try. If Huntsman were to win the primary, he’d be framed as a technocratic Renaissance man - the Mandarin speaking, dirt bike riding, rock band playing cool dad with two young adopted kids from Asia (Just like Bradgelina!!1!).
Huntman’s foreign policy plan is essentially President Obama’s. I am not sure how he would be “dangerous” in the general when most of his plans are President Obama’s.
That is what would make him dangerous. He by in large takes FP off the table as there would be little to argue between them. All other candidates, Pres Obama offers a huge contrast both in ideals and in experience. Now Huntsman seems to also come from the Scowcroft school of FP, and while obviously doesn’t have the experience the President does, Huntsman does have international experience.
He’s also socially more moderate - meaning the only place for distinct compare/contrast would be domestic economic policy and Huntsman could point to Utah being #1 in job growth during his time there as Governor, as well as being a business man given the Huntsman family business.
Like I said, I’ll breathe easier when he ends his campaign. I’d hope you folks are right if he did ever catch fire in the primary and won it. I can’t believe he’d be polling 2nd - because with Mitt polling in the low 40′s it would mean NH has near 60% of their population going for the same package. I think ARG was trying to create the meme of the great Huntsman surge in the final days. Though Nate Silver did tweet that Huntsman was inching up to making a play for 3rd place - I think that is his absolute ceiling in NH, and he’s more likely to finish 5th than third.
With Bachmann out and Perry an absolute non-entity, the not-Romney vote is being split only two ways anymore. There is probably 30% up for grabs by that base in NH, leaving 70% to Romney/Huntsman, and the Paulites. If Paul gets his 20% it means Romney and Huntsman have to figure out how they’ll divy up the 50% - 35-15ish or more 43-7ish?
stroscoe, as hopefruit2 pointed out, Huntsman is more boring than watching paint dry. Contrast that with PBO who is able to get crowds fired up. Also, a lot of Huntsman’s ideas are PBOs, why would any independent who is upset with PBO pull the lever for Huntsman, who is not only a practical PBO clone, but also farther to the right on some issues than PBO? PBO would also point out the fact that Huntsman is running against his former boss, and it’s game over.
I agree with your analysis on Huntsman. He’s not necessarily likeable or charismatic, but he’s definitely disarming.
I think it’s Santorum that is on the rise, Nate Silver I don’t trust as much after he went to the NYTimes, and that the votes away from Perry will go to Santorum, not Romney and definitely not Huntsman. I think he’ll be out by South Carolina or earlier.
Yeah, but there’s way, way, WAY too much stuff that has come out of Santorum’s mouth that will work against him. He is a mean, nasty, hateful person. to be polite, that’s only what I’ll say on TOD
You can’t really take foreign policy off the table when one (Huntsman) just talks about it, and was ineffective in his one foreign policy role with the most important foreign player in modern time - while the other (President Obama) has a whole slew of tangible and laudable victories under his belt - and sees the entire foreign policy field on a daily basis. Plus, President Obama has literally and single-handedly turned the world’s focus from Europe and the Middle East towards China and Asia in general. If Huntsman had been in the news making the news while he was the China ambassador (like the current China Ambassador, Gary Locke), then maybe he’d have a leg to stand on. But the question that can be posed is: “What was Huntsman doing when he was in China? What did he accomplish?”
Plus, President Obama is a Nobel Laureate.
I too worry about Huntsman being an actually stronger candidate against PBO for Independents and even disgruntled Dems. I think he might pull more votes. The working for Obama meme should actually work for Huntsman in the GE cuz people will think if Obama wanted him he is good. The basic conservative issues against the middle class could get buried by nonprobing journalists.
Jon Huntsman said he would invade Iran on suspicion of nukes. Sounds like when Bush invaded Iraq.
i won’t go where i was gonna go with that.
I disagree about Huntsman. In a room filled with Klowns, Huntsman can pass for “reasonable” or “sane.” That is not going to be the case when he is in a room with President Obama. The energy levels of the two are so different - it’s like night and day. Huntsman has the charisma of frozen yogurt. No amount of media polishing and messaging will help him - he has already tried all these gimmicks (e.g., pimping his daughters, using his adopted children, making media appearances despite 1% polling, etc.) Huntsman has sickly, anemic appearance and almost always sounds as though he’s fighting a bad cold or sore throat. Can you imagine Huntsman working up a crowd in the way President Obama does?
Another less obvious issue is that Huntsman would be the candidate that would most clearly expose the racism in America. Huntsman would present a dilemma for some pundits and voters because Many Democrats who have argued that Obama is not liberal enough would have to reconcile what it is about Huntsman that makes him more “liberal” than PBO. How can you be upset with Obama for supporting civil unions, but are ready to pull the lever for Huntsman who supports the same thing? How can you be upset with Obama for receiving Wall Street employee campaign contributions, but are ready to pull the level for Huntsman who whole-heartedly endorses the Ryan Plan?
Huntsman won’t be the candidate, but in case he is President Obama would wipe the floor with him too. He doesn’t scare me, I’m not concern about him or any of them. We get out people out to vote there is no doubt Obama will win, regardless who he runs against.
anniebella you can really be the voice of reason and comfort. Carry on GIRL!!
Absolutely! When my friends get anxious /scared about about PBO’s re-election, I just remind them that it is PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSIEN OBAMA who is running for president, the GOP don’t have nobody who can “beat” him. The GOP has known this since 2008. As you said anniebella, “we have to get out people ou to vote”.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
You are so right Anniebella!. The bottom line is that we have to work very hard to turn out the votes in support of Democrats and the President. So far as I am concerned all Republicans, including Huntsman, are in favor of the same policies advocated by the GOP-teabaggers.
charisma of frozen yogurt!?! I just can’t - hysterical. Anway, the republican party has completely capitulated to the tea baggers so Hunstman will not have a chance. The Right deplores civility - the note Huntsman wrote PBO demonstrating that he holds him in high esteem is incredibly damaging. The Right with their talking points are having people coalesce around their hatred of PBO instead of around policies and principles. People in the Senate (McConnell) has stated his ultimate desire is to unseat PBO. I heard Plouffe say in a speech at Google, someone posted it on here recently, that Fox nightly programs may garner an audience of 1-2 million out of 140 million potential voters - they do not represent the majority of this country, how they think and live.
My point also! But msnbc pushes huntsman, onto the democrats!
That is scary!
MSNBC has been wasting time scanning too many “liberal” blogs that praise huntsman and are garnering impressions based on what is posted. But they fail to take into account that people are posting opinions based on Huntsman next to the rest of the GOP Klown show. Huntsman isn’t much different from Romney or McCain - except he worked for Obama.
It seems a lot of the “Huntsman fan club” are emoprogs, no different from Paulites.
Yes, and like the Paulites they will need to put the delusions away soon.
Don’t be scared Jovie…PBO got this…we got this. You/we have to have faith…stay positive…and keep PRESSING ON…msnbc ain’t nothing, that’s why they resort to craziness…they think this is going to make them relevant…they don’t have any power (unless we give it to them) WE HAVE THE POWER. PRESS ON!
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
Huntsman was the one I worried about until he accepted a post in the Obama administration. I knew then that he would not pass the Tea Party sniff test, but still I worried about him. Romney, I am not that worried about. Truthfully, President Obama’s most devastating competitor is the economy and getting the American voters to pay attention.
The Rick Snyder comparison is dead-on, saintroscoe. He scares me the most as well. His proximity to Obama on foreign policy issues scares me. He is nota moderate just because he isn’t scary brain-dead enough to doubt the basics of science. To be a moderate should be a whole lot more than that. His policies are staunch conservative and he would implement them ruthlessly.
he sticks to the same policies that the other repubs promotes…destroying medicare…against workers rights…..in favor of voter suppression….tax the middle class….
i have not heard him say anything different,,,,
Do you think the Obama campaign is not going to expose that during the general? Huntsman won’t be running unopposed and he will have to pander to the right wing and he will have to eventually face scrutiny from the press.
Every single GOP candidate was supposed to be a major threat to Pres. Obama in the general and nearly all of them have been proven to be a joke. Its time people saw the same about Huntsman.
Huntsman will NOT win the nomination, so all concerns about him the GE are irrelevant. No matter how well he does in New Hampshire, he will not fair well in the Southern states and I don’t believe for one minute that there will be a brokered convention. That is simply too great a risk for the R’s to take, especially for the big money people. They would rather POUR money into Romney than show a rancorously splintered party on national television during their convention. Huntsman is still unknown in most of the country. He does not have the name recognition that would make him a strong contender against a sitting president. For good or ill, Romney has been around long enough for people to at recognize his name without having to go through months and months of introduction. Finally Huntsman is, at this very best, a very pale reflection of some parts of PBO. He could not stand up to scrutiny or contrast in a head to head matchup. In the game of presidential politics, PBO is the gifted star quarterback; Huntsman is the very weak fourth stringer who hasn’t a fraction of the talent, charisma, and intelligence of the top guy.
News reporters please ask Republican candidates these questions:
1. You insist low taxes are necessary for investment and we have the lowest rates, by far, on Earth. Why does the USA rank 98th place, out of 100, in industrial growth rate? Why does the USA rank no 10 in GDP per capita?
2. Why do you claim the minimum wage hurts job creation when in 1968 the $1.60 minimum wage had the same buying power that $10.40 has today?
3. Why do you support job outsourcing to foreign countries and keep complaining about undocumented workers taking jobs away from US citizens?
Oooh I really like #3. Would be a great one to ask.
Me too I like # 3 the GOP always bring the Undocument issue every election, so we in the Latino
comunity fell that we are been used as a punchig fucking bag, and believe me we are tired.
Great Questions, I have a couple myself.
1. If you believe in capitalism, and by extension market based approaches, how can you call the President a socialist when the stock market, a barometer of capitalism, has almost doubled since he has been office.
2. If President Obama is so weak, why was he able to kill Bin Laden in 2.5 years when the previous Republican administration could not do it in 8? Would you say that President Bush and V.P Cheney were also weak?
One thing I really want a debate moderator do is to show on a big screen a chart of how monies are spent…and point out the ridiculous Pentagon budget versus that of Foreign Aid, Education, and all the other things Reps say is killing our budget. And ask them how they would cut spending if they are not willing to touch Defense?
The White House put out a tool a while back that showed your “tax receipt”, i.e. where your specific taxes were spent. I was really impressed, but I don’t think a lot of people knew about it. I hope they roll it out again this year after tax season, so people can see exactly where their money is being spent.
I always used to feel ok paying taxes in Canada because I could actually see where my taxes were going: Safe communities, great public services (like libraries, good public transportation), clean streets, police presence, socialized medical services.
When I checked out the tax receipt tool, I actually felt the same kind of pride that my tax dollars had gone to worthwhile causes - I don’t have kids, but my money went to provide public school to someone’s children. Environmental protection,international development, etc. Here’s the link: http://www.whitehouse.gov/taxreceipt
LOL, here’s a question, all we hear is that Obama is beatable. Okay if true, then why didn’t the so call big names, so call stronger candidates in the Republican Party take him on. Governor Christie was beg to run several times, he refuse.
anniebella, I have to remind a friendgirl of mine, of this all the time. Governor Christie and everyone else who had even an ounce of sense, knew this (since 2008 to be honest).
This is a worthy endeavor, developing OUR questions. Maybe an idea for a future marathon blog day.
These questions are excellent. I agree with saintroscoe question 3 is pitch perfect.
Excellent questions, Linda! Question #3 really exposes the hypocrisy of the teabag-Republicans who claim to be such patriots who love America. Contrast that to President Obama who has been so focused on creating an economy that invests in America and produces products made in the U.S.A.
Think Again: Intelligence
I served in the CIA for 28 years and I can tell you: America’s screw-ups come from bad leaders, not lousy spies.
BY PAUL R. PILLAR | JAN/FEB 2012
From George W. Bush trumpeting WMD reports about Iraq to this year’s Republican presidential candidates vowing to set policy in Afghanistan based on the dictates of the intelligence community, Americans often get the sense that their leaders’ hands are guided abroad by their all-knowing spying apparatus. After all, the United States spends about $80 billion on intelligence each year, which provides a flood of important guidance every week on matters ranging from hunting terrorists to countering China’s growing military capabilities. This analysis informs policymakers’ day-to-day decision-making and sometimes gets them to look more closely at problems, such as the rising threat from al Qaeda in the late 1990s, than they otherwise would.
On major foreign-policy decisions, however, whether going to war or broadly rethinking U.S. strategy in the Arab world (as President Barack Obama is likely doing now), intelligence is not the decisive factor. The influences that really matter are the ones that leaders bring with them into office: their own strategic sense, the lessons they have drawn from history or personal experience, the imperatives of domestic politics, and their own neuroses. A memo or briefing emanating from some unfamiliar corner of the bureaucracy hardly stands a chance.
Read more: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/01/03/intelligence?page=0,0
I reposting Linda’s great comment from the last thread:
“Mitt believes life begins at incorporation.”
Must. be. tweeted.
Thanks Fired Up. !
Or IPo.
Are you indulging in “class warfare,” Mitt?!!
Romney Suggests Only Wealthy People Should Run For Office |
By Alex Seitz-Wald on Jan 8, 2025 at 10:41 am
During Sunday morning’s NBC News/Facebook debate, GOP front-runner Mitt Romney suggested that people who need a job to pay to their mortgage shouldn’t run for office. Recalling something his father, who served as governor of Michigan, told him, Romney said, “He had good advice to me. He said, ‘Mitt, never get involved in politics if you have to win an election to pay a mortgage. If you find yourself in a position when you can serve, why you ought to have a responsibility to do so if you think you can make a difference, you oughta have a responsibility to do so.’” A few moments later, Romney bragged about making former senator Ted Kennedy take out a mortgage on his house when Romney ran against him. “I was happy that he had to take a mortgage out on his house to ultimately defeat me,” Romney said. Watch it:
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/01/08/400052/romney-suggests-only-wealthy-people-should-run-for-office/
Once again, proving that Senator Kennedy was never one to shrink from making personal sacrifices to continue in his dedication to America and to serving in office! Thank you, Uncle Teddy!
This dude is sick. I’m serious. Something is seriously wrong with him.
I thought the Kennedy family was filthy rich?
May be the Kennedy family couldn’t match the wealth of the Romneys! You know, among the wealthy, there are millionaires and then there are multi-millionaires and billionaires. No wonder Willard Romney has no problem making $10, 000 bets! I suppose for him, 10,000 dollars is like one dollar for the ordinary person. I can hear Willard justifying his bet to Rick: If Rick Perry can’t afford to wager $10,000, he should have no business running for President.
Santorum Accuses Obama Of ‘Elitist Snobbery’ For Wanting Every Child To Go To College
By Travis Waldron on Jan 7, 2025 at 4:15 pm
President Obama has laid out an ambitious agenda for America’s high school students, stating that by 2020, he wants the United States to be the world’s leader in proportion of college students. At other times, he has said he wants every student to graduate “college and career ready.”
To many, that would seem an effort to improve America’s lagging educational stature among the world’s largest countries. To former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (R), however, that is a sign of Obama’s “elitist snobbery.”
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/education/2012/01/07/399915/santorum-elitist-snobbery-college/
THE LAST FIGURES I GOT STATED THAT AMERICA IS 27TH IN EDUCATION…THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR IT. PBO IS THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO HAVE FOUGHT SO VALIANTLY TO UPLIFT OUR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL STUDENTS. AMERICANS NEED TO GET THEIR HEADS OUT OF THE SAND AND PUT PRIORITIES AND VALUES IN THE RIGHT PLACE!
Santorum is a sick nasty bastard.
Just because he brought his dead baby home from the hospital, showd it to his kids and slept with it? Everyone does that, it’s the true American way.
Santorum lost a child, not to sound harsh, but so! So have alot of people. And so he brought it home to show it to his kids and he slept with it, so! He still is a racists bastard that loves his white kids.
And don’t give a dam about the blah kids.
This has got to be the weirdest thing I have ever heard of…I am so angry with Eugene Robinson for backing down on his statement he made on Rachel Maddow last week…Joke Scarsbourgh (sp?) jammed him up Friday about his comment and he tucked his tail and backed up. Besides being weird…I didn’t know you could take a dead body home to sleep with it.
I’ve heard a number of people here in PA who have said that if other states had any idea how awful Santorum is they would never even consider voting for him. Santorum will never win the nomination, but if he did, the state of PA would be a landslide for Obama. He left a very bad taste in the mouths of Pennsylvanians.
You are absolutely right, Jackie, “Santorum will never win the nomination….” At this point, it’s increasingly clear who the Republican nominee will be: Willard “Mitt” Romney. But then again I could be wrong.
Stipidityyyyyyyyyy…..
Oh wow! Thank you for the incredible wallpaper! Hey everyone, in and out, on and off today… Always delightful to be here!
Nice scarf Ron.
Thanks, I got it as a gift.
Another GREAT question would be to list the VERY LONG list of essential services and oversight provided for many years by the Dept. of Education, Commerce and …… and…. CAN’T REMEMBER Well, the other ones. I guess daft ole Mr. Paul wants to get rid of all of them.) Then remind everyone that these agencies came into being to fill the void of essential services and oversight THAT MOST STATES SIMPLY CANNOT PROVIDE to move American forward and have a safer more productive society for our children. So, what happens if those departments are sudddenly eliminated? Many states cannot or will not provide the essential services and oversight? How will ti work if a few affluent states provide some of those advantages and most other states do not? EVeryone moves to a few states?
Could it be?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/next-for-michele-bachmann-retirement/2012/01/05/gIQA2C24cP_blog.html
Will find out after redistricting maps come out the end of Feb….
Imagine the debates between Franken and Bachmann…
The mind reels!
GMTA!
It would be glorious, wouldn’t it?
With Bachmann’s hubby playing the role of “Androgynous Pat.”
Except Marcus is far, far, FAR from androgynous.
Can you imagine Bachmann in a debate against Al Franken? He would wipe the floor with her and make everyone laugh while he did it.
It would be hysterical if she lost the 6th district…
What we really dislike in MN is the potential that MIchele Bachmann will enter the race for Amy Klobuchar’s Senate Seat. Don’t get me wrong; I firmly believe Amy Klobuchar will win, but it would make it a nasty race full of the negative, horrendous comments that are so common from Michele Bachmann. It would also consume monetary and human resources we need to focus on Presidential, US House and MN House/Senate races. I hope she stays home and licks her wounds.
Remember during the US Census when Michele Bachmann was saying people should refuse to take the census because PBO was only going to use it to put them in concentration-like camps? I hope she lost constituent count from her own district on that putting her in this predicament.
Alexrod: I’m not sure Romney would have made the decision to order the raid in Abbottabad to get Osama bin Laden.
And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a kick to the nads.
I know he wouldn’t have. Too much of a risk, and nobody would have known if he chose not to do it.
He might have but 10 minutes later he would have changed his position and said no. Tick, tock another Romney flip-flop.
Buddy Roemer sounds like my crazy uncle.
He sounds like someone who needs a cigarette or drink first thing in the morning, and when it starts to wear off around mid-morning, his bad mood goes into overdrive.
Msnbc is absolutely infatuated with him, for some reason. Perplexing.
He says stuff Rethugs don’t like to hear and they’re a left-leaning network so why wouldn’t they invite him? He says get money out of politics, get rid of lobbyists, etc. Dems have been saying that, too. Makes sense to me. It’s like Fox news inviting a conservative Dem to sh*t on the democratic platform.
Ok, I was on FreeRepublic (Surprised myself even) I won’t link, per Chipstick’s rules, but I’ll just quote a couple of them.
To: BobL
Great point - they’ll simply wait until he has it locked up (which hopefully won’t happen), and THEN they’ll vet him…just as they did with McCain (not that he needed it).
I believe 100% that the MSM wants Romney to get the nomination because of his baggage. They would interview every person they could find that worked at a company that was bought and gutted by Bain, they would interview Romney’s relatives in Mexico, they would look at the lack of military service in the Romney family, they would look at his dad, they would look at his religion, they would make sure everybody knows who Warren Jeffs is and try and make the association with Mormons, etc. etc.
And while Romney would discourage many of us from voting for him, he would do wonders for Obama’s base.
1,444 posted on Sat Jan 07 2012 23:20:48 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time) by af_vet_rr
Got some deranged Gingrich supporter here.
My rating of these folks:
1-Gingrich, our next president. Every answer was reasonable, presidential and well explained.
2-Perry, he did far better than he has ever done. He could someday become a president, maybe.
3-Santorum, he just fails to impress me and he rambles, but he does do a good job at repeatedly saying, “I agree with Newt”. LOL
……….
Paul, still a loon and a liar, but he does make me laugh.
Romney, slimy lying baby killing POS, period.
Huntsman, I just can’t get interested… he almost puts me to sleep. He talks like a reasonably intelligent 10 year old.
Somebody who must not be voting next year.
To: NoPrisoners
“Anyone but Obama, Romney, and Paul.”
That’s who I’m voting for!
And this
To: Jane Long
“Even Mary Matilin in the tank for Myth. Said Newt’s the Truman Capote of politics/party?”
They are both Mormons, easy to figure out.
My question is, is it possible to pull support from Romney? I think it is impossible to sway voters from Romney because they are 95% Mormon.
There is only a very small turnout for these races and the Mormons are all showing up. The reason his vote count decreased in Iowa was due to the deaths of some of his older Mormon supporters.
and then there is the, “I know it, they are all shitty, but DAMNIT WE HAVE TO WIN!!!!!!!”
To: RitaOK
Okay,
Who sponges off the taxpayer thru Fannie Mae? Who supported Republican turned Democrat in the NY House race 23? Who sits comfortably on the couch with Nancy Pelosi? Who mouths off against Ryan’s plan first calling it social right wing engineering? Who supports amnesty? Who dodged the draft?
I’m just pointing out that none of these candidates are perfect, including yours and mine. All of their lists can be long on the good and not so good side. Get a grip.
I have never ever laughed so hard at a FreeRepublic thread. It. is. WILD!
The “I think it is impossible to sway voters from Romney because they are 95% Mormon. There is only a very small turnout for these races and the Mormons are all showing up. The reason his vote count decreased in Iowa was due to the deaths of some of his older Mormon supporters.” this had me ROFLMAO!!!
I liked the nickname “Myth” for Romney. Gonna use it!
I liked that, too. I also liked that even the crazies on freerepublic are recognizing that “Myth” is slimy and a liar. None of those comments had anything to do with PBO - no comparison of policy - they just want him out.
I need a shower.
LOL! Too funny….
Your GOP Class of 2012
Posted on Saturday, January 7, 2012, 5:00 pm by Paddy
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2012/01/07/your-gop-class-of-2012/
ht @muthrbear
Oh I like that Myth Romney….
Mitt lying during the debate about the pro-Romney SuperPac ads:
“Well, of course it’s former staff of mine. And, of course they’re people who support me. They wouldn’t be putting money into a PAC that supports me if they weren’t people who support me.
AND WITH REGARDS TO THEIR ADS, I HAVEN’T SEEN THEM….
(Mere seconds later…)
But let me tell you this. The — THE AD I SAW said that — that you’d been forced out of the speakership. That was correct.
GINGRICH: (INAUDIBLE).
ROMNEY: It said that — that you had sat down with Nancy Pelosi and — and argued for — for a climate change bill. That was correct. It said that you called the — the Ron Paul’s — Ron Paul — Paul Ryan’s plan to bu — to provide Medicare reform…
(LAUGHTER) ROMNEY: — a — a — a right-wing social engineering plan. It said that — that as part of an investigation, an ethics investigation, that you had to reimburse some $300,000. Those things were all true.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/new-hampshire-debate-meet-the-press-facebook-debate-transcript/2012/01/08/gIQAqYMDjP_blog.html?tid=sm_twitter_postpolitics
Another flip flop to add to the pile!
Axelrod on Sunday suggested that Mitt Romney wants the economy to falter to improve his odds in a potential general election tilt against Obama, and also accused the GOP presidential candidate of misrepresenting Obama’s economic record.
Responding to a question on ABC’s “This Week” from host George Stephanopoulos about Romney’s focus on high unemployment numbers during Obama’s presidency, Axelrod said “Governor Romney may be rooting for slips and falls here. We’re concentrating on moving this economy forward.”
Axelrod labeled as “preposterous” Romney’s assertions that Obama’s policies have worsened the recession, asserting Romney “has a lot of arguments, none of them are supported by facts.”
Returning to a line of attack that Democrats have repeatedly wielded against Romney, who is the prohibitive favorite to win the GOP presidential nomination, Axelrod cast as a liability the former Massachusetts governor’s time as head of an investment and consulting firm.
Pool-
He’s dropped 8 points in New Hampshire and South Carolina is nothing like Iowa or New Hampshire and this article is trying to insist “Romney, who is the prohibitive favorite.”
We’ll see. Campaigns in general and New Hampshire specifically is full of surprises.
He had the narrowest margin of (dubious) victory in the history of the Iowa caucus. That doesn’t sound like a “prohibitive favorite” to me yet.
HIllary was the prohibitive favorite because (1) she said so; and (2) her name was Clinton.
Romney may very likely be the nominee, but he will never be a ‘favorite’ of anyone.
Brilliant line: “[Romney] has a lot of arguments, none of them are supported by facts.”
Lord have mercy! Perfect, Nancy.
Madame Speaker! One articulate woman! Smart and sassy!
BWA AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Shazam Nancy!!!!
I love the interview with our soon to be again Speaker of the House too. Crowley tried and tried to get her to say something bad against the President , but she didn’t.
Why on earth would she? She knows PBO is the most capable and hard working President this country has seen in a very very long time!
Oh well said Nancy, well said!
Nancy’s sharp retorts are a sharp as a switchblade and just as deadly. I totally love her.
Sununu seems pretty high strung and overly defensive. I wonder if the polls are not looking as good for Romney.
He has drop 8 points I believe in the new poll. I think the poll is in the other thread.
Sununnu can bluster all he wants but the fact is Romney is caught on tape lying about his SuperPac ads:
“Romney, unfazed: “Of course it’s former people of mine. Of course it’s people who support me. They wouldn’t be putting money into a PAC that supports me if they weren’t people who support me,” he said.
Then, Romney told what can only be described as a bald-faced untruth.
“And as regards to their ads,” he said, “I haven’t seen ‘em.”
Yet, seconds later, he added, “But let me tell you this, the ad I saw [emphasis ours]…”
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-bad-blood-between-gingrich-romney-spills-over-20120108,0,2790104.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fmostviewed+%28L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
He wants to come off as wholesome and honorable but he lies and slanders routinely.
He lies so many times that it’s just routine for him.
Haiti: Where the Earthquake Money Did and Did Not Go
By Bill Quigley and Anna Ramanauskas| January 3, 2026
Haiti, a close neighbor of the US with over nine million people, was devastated by earthquake on January 12, 2010. Hundreds of thousands were killed and many more wounded. The UN estimated international donors gave Haiti over $1.6 billion in relief aid since the earthquake (about $155 per Haitian) and over $2 billion in recovery aid (about $173 per Haitian) over the last two years.
Yet Haiti looks like the earthquake happened two months ago, not two years. Over half a million people remain homeless in hundreds of informal camps, most of the tons of debris from destroyed buildings still lays where it fell, and cholera, a preventable disease, was introduced into the country and is now an epidemic killing thousands and sickening hundreds of thousands more.
It turns out that almost none of the money that the general public thought was going to Haiti actually went directly to Haiti.
Read more: http://www.alternet.org/story/153647/haiti%3A_where_the_earthquake_money_did_and_did_not_go/
I don’t mean to take away from the horrors that the people of Haiti are going through, but wasn’t Haiti considered one of the three poorest countries in the world BEFORE the earthquake? It’s unreasonable to assume that a country that had poor infrastructure, limited social services, crippling debt before a devastating earthquake, could recover to a semblance of normalcy after such a traumatic event - while bound by political turmoil. They were not earthquake ready, in terms of their building codes, so the devastation was even more brutal than it would have been in a more developed country. The US is still recovering from a financial catastrophe three years in - can we expect Haiti to turnaround even faster? People need to be realistic, and patient.
That said, if money has gone missing or been misused, then that should be investigated.
The NBC New Hampshire debate: five takeaways
http://blog.reidreport.com/2012/01/the-nbc-new-hampshire-debate-five-takeaways/#more-27525
Winning Our Future | King of Bain”When Mitt Romney Came To Town” [Trailer]
This is a HORROR film.
I think they are releasing it tomorrow.
Linda that video is Great! Great! Great! Why won’t Mitt release his tax returns? What is he hiding?
His tax rate is my guess.
Thanks, this seems to be a powerful film-and yes a Horror film, esp. for the workers, their families, and communities that were destroyed by CEO Willard and the Bain Capital Boys!
Thank you Linda.
Our4thEstate Bobfr
America - Want to know who’s destroying America? Check this - http://t.co/qJO972ES - It’s Greed. The sole objective of @MittRomney
Yes We Can … Do More Together - We Must! #LandslideOBAMA2012 #LandslideDEMS2012
Wow, this is powerful and says a lot about Mittens. The people in this film sure touched me. Just wait until we enter the general election. He should enjoy the pass he is getting while he can.
I f-ing LURV Leroy!!!!!!!! Love him, love him, m-fing Love HIM!!!!!!!!!!!! Stupid WIllard, shouldn’t have pissed Leroy off. Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids.
Wow!
5 Reasons To Be Glad You Didn’t Watch The Meet The Press Debate
Shame on the American media for giving no time to recover from last night’s GOP debate. Here are five reasons why you would have better off staying in bed than watching the Republican debate.
1). Career Politician Mitt Romney Claims Politics Is Not His Career- Mitt Romney actually tried to rewrite his history by trying to turn his consistent candidacies for office into a life in the private sector. Romney tried to turn his leaving as governor into a good thing. He ignored the fact that he quit on Massachusetts in order to run for president the first time. Gingrich called him out and told him to cut the baloney.
2). The GOP Candidates Won’t Tell Americans They Are Going To Kill Social Security and Medicare- David Gregory asked the candidates to name three programs they would cut that would cause Americans pain. All the candidates asked supported the Ryan plan, but none of them would admit that they are going to kill entitlements. Huntsman discussed means testing. Gingrich said he would eliminate theft, Perry would cut the kill the departments of Commerce and Education, and Santorum danced around his voucher plan for Medicare and his support of the privatization of Social Security.
3). Rick Perry Calls Those On Unemployment Un-American- A question from Facebook asked about the morality cutting aid to people who really need it in this economy, and Rick Perry responded by saying that those Americans who are clamoring for the government to help them are un-American. In a nutshell, that is the Republican position towards the American people. The it is the pull yourself up by your own bootstraps unless you are wealthy Republican mantra taken to the extreme.
http://www.politicususa.com/en/5-reasons-to-be-glad-you-didnt-watch-the-meet-the-press-debate
LMAO. thinkprogress “I know what its like to worry about whether you’re going to get fired.” — Mitt Romney (via @reidepstein) #regularguy
57 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite
SInce I’m a BILLIONAIRE, who cares!
For him to try and equate himself to normal Americans is just so laughable. Never gonna happen.
If he would only be honest about something, just one simple thing like the obvious one that he is wealthy.
On Gratitude, Politics, Staying Sane and Human Consciousness
By Seeta Persaud| January 08, 2025
As 2012 is a presidential election year, the darkest side of humanity will make itself prominent and loud in the form of the GOP political party — a party opposed to the evolution of human consciousness, good governance, an economic system based on abundance, and a socio-economic system based on solidarity rather than fear of the other.
I believe that the GOP is a party seeing its last days. The GOP embodies everything that is antithetical to gratitude, love, humanity, and oneness. Instead, the GOP chooses to embrace greed, oligarchy, hate, dehumanization, power and domination over other groups of people.
There is no doubt that we must do everything to GOTV and fight against GOP voter suppression efforts this year. And we must do everything possible to keep our sanity as this presidential election season gets underway.
Read more: http://criticalmassprogress.com/2012/01/08/on-gratitude-politics-staying-sane-and-human-consciousness/
Thank you for this, creolechild. Very reassuring!
Good day TOD Family!
Our4thEstate Bobfr
America - Your gravest threat is from within - http://t.co/RBdp2XTf - It’s Greed: the sole objective of Republicans. #LandslideOBAMA
And, an old favorite:
Our4thEstate Bobfr
@Messina2012 The GOP spent 3 yrs harming most Americans in order to destroy it’s 1st black President & instead it’s destroying itself. #VOTE
#PRESSON
Obama on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President”
Justin Frank
About the Program
Justin Frank, clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at George Washington University, presents a psychoanalytic study of President Obama. Mr. Frank, from examining the President’s upbringing, personal background, and public conduct, contends that the President has a strong need to create consensus, which according to the author, aided President Obama during his presidential campaign but has hurt his presidency. Justin Frank speaks at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C.
http://www.booktv.org/Program/12939/Obama+on+the+Couch+Inside+the+Mind+of+the+President.aspx
I watched this last night…..no video up at cspan until they replay it one more time…..
I am not sure how I feel about this…even though the author and the audience do appear to be supporters of the President. A couple people voiced disappointments in the area of Americans being assassinated and detention policy
The author also did a similar book about Bush, Jr. He does like PBO, but the book is getting very little publicity. I love Politics and Prose Bookstore, but the customers are very liberal and questions on “assassinated and detention” would be expected.
Thanks Bill…..that helps…..
I found the one on Bush. Watching it now…
I wouldn’t disagree. There will always be criticisms and armchair quarterbacking on a presidency. I don’t disagree with Obama carrying the consensus move too long, way past the point of common sense. Doesn’t mean I don’t adore the guy, but it’s a fair assessment.
I don’t think anyone can come out of the gate the perfect president, even if some of his vocal original supporters were childish enough to expect that.
Yet think of how much easier it would have been for him to push the envelope in the progressive direction, if those who turned their backs on him had indeed continued to have his back and look to the long term gains? That’s the sad irony: had they acted like adults and been appreciative of moving the ball down the progressive field, they would have better achieved their own goals and made it easier for this president to deliver what they say they want.
Perhaps in your opinion the President tried for consensus longer than you would have liked him to….however because the public has seen him try for consensus time and time again…only to be met with the wall of obstructionism…he is now able to do the things that he does….like appointing Corday/NLRB…he set the stage and the Repubs have beeb willing players….
The question I would ask those who believe the President should have given up his attempts at cooperating with Republicans is: “and then what?” - Once you blow up a bridge, how do you get over to the other side? Yes, the Republicans have been nearly 100% obstructionists. But, we’re hearing rumours now that some members of the GOP are thinking about cooperating because they realize they have nothing to show during the elections. And if the President had given up earlier, then people would be accusing the President of not working with the GOP - which the right wing are doing anyway, to no avail because the people have seen that the President bent over backwards to cooperate with the GOP (even though he got his way on much of what he sought).
The larger question is where will the country go when communication has completely broken down between the two parties. Now that the President has abandoned attempts to work with the GOP (who abandoned all attempts to work with the President upon his election), how will the country move forward? Will it transform into a dictatorship? Will the voters overwhelming denounce the GOP? That’s unlikely. Is the lesson then that unless one party has control of all chambers of Congress, plus the Presidency, then nothing can get done in this country?
I don’t know what the answers are, but personally, the President finally having to abandon his attempts at bi-partisanship is an extremely dangerous situation for the state of democracy in this country. It’s not his fault - the GOP did this. But, it’s not good.
Now that the President has abandoned attempts to work with the GOP (who abandoned all attempts to work with the President upon his election), how will the country move forward?
BUT HE HASN’T….HE CONTINUES TO EXTEND HIS HAND…like he says there are things that only the legislature can do…..The American Jobs Act….however whatever he can do using his executive power….he will do …
Presssssssssss ON….thump!!!!!
First of all the president has abandoned nothing. He has said before and said now, that he is willing to consider a good idea from anyone. That is his nature and it will always be his attitude.
Second,once we had a tea party Congress the President HAD to build consensus and negotiate beyond what many emprogs thought was reasonable for two very important reasons: a) Stuff like the debt ceiling and the budget HAD to get passed or the national consequences would have been catastrophic. b) He had to do everything he could to illustrate in starkest terms who was making good faith efforts to get important things done and who was engaging in relentless obstruction. Once he gets the year long extension of middle class tax cuts at the end of February, he is essentially free of this horrible tea party Congress, which gives him the rest of the year to run against that Congress and get done what he can at the Executive level.
All of the president’s superb negotiating skills brought huge advantages to the progressive cause despite enormous obstacles. Those who do not see this and who wanted the president to simply act like a benevolent dictator from day one are simply not in tune with the reality of American government.
Both you and prettyfoot are right - the President will continue to extend his hand. I was overly glib and should have been more careful with my comment.
Giving the side eye to any one outside of Pres.Obama’s family and inner circle knowing the presidents minds. He’s a consensus builder? no kidding. How many times has he told us this? geesh. Pete Souza has better knowledge of the president’s mind than Justin Frank.
GO BROOK/….GO BROOK….GO BROOK….GO BROOK…HA!
This!
January 08, 2025 10:35 AM
Romney: elected office is for the rich
By Steve Benen
About 10 hours after last night’s debate, the six Republican presidential candidates met again this morning for another debate, this time sponsored by NBC and Facebook.
This one was far livelier than its predecessor — maybe the GOP field is made up for morning people? — and one line in particular jumped out early on: Mitt Romney made the case that electoral politics is for wealthy people.
I happened to see my dad run for governor when he was 54 years old,” Romney said. “He had good advice to me. He said never get involved in politics if you have to win election to pay a mortgage. If you find yourself in a position when you can serve, you ought to have a responsibility to do so if you think you can make a difference, and don’t get involved in politics when your kids are still young because it may turn their heads.”
It’s an odd line for a candidate regularly accused of out-of-touch elitism. Only those who already have considerable wealth should “get involved in politics”? Really?
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2012_01/romney_elected_office_is_for_t034591.php
It’s an odd line for a candidate regularly accused of out-of-touch elitism.
—
That is just who he is….it appears he cannot hid it, which I think is a good thing.
This ought to be his campaign theme.
Good Day to my TOD Family. I have enjoyed reading your comments. I did not tune in to David Gregory this morning. Last night was a heart troubling night. So do decision was made to stress it to another level that I could not return.
However, your conversations gave me much to think on and much laughter. I love Lisa’s comments. Lisa, you bring so much intellect and snap to your comments. You need a paycheck from me for giving me great medicine. Thank you my dear one.
I have enjoyed just sitting and reading all of the comments. We are group of very, very smart people on this site. And Chips, that photo just set the tone for the entire thread. Love you so much for this beautiful place.
Hello to our Fred today. Hope all is going fine for your Mom and for you. Love you much , and keeping you in my thoughts as well.HZ
Hi HZ. Hope all is well
Thanks so much collegekay. It is always well ,when I come here and be with the most beautiful family of any election season that I have seen in my lifetime with all of the wonderful technology. You all are the best, and I love you.
I get great medicine here with our Chips and our entire TOD Family. Thank all of you so very much.HZ
HZ, someday I hope you will tell us how you became such a beautiful, spirit-filled woman. Though I have never met you, I feel all the love you pour into your words. They are like a balm to the spirit and I can’t thank you enough for always giving so much of your heart to all of us. You are, quite simply, the best.
Hey TOD fam! Just signed up on Twitter the other day. Gotta figure out how to tweet messages so I can tweet these clowns each and every day about bearing false witness. They claim Christianity, so why all the lying about our President?
What’s your Twitter name, debbyeoh?
Oops, as my gov Mr Perry would say(ugh, I know) I didnt think to check back. My twitter name is @debbyeoh.
. Thanks for asking!
January 08, 2025 9:25 AM
It’s about privacy, not contraception
By Steve Benen
One of the more noteworthy exchanges in last night’s debate came about mid-way through the event, when ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Mitt Romney about, of all things, contraception. The question was a bit of a mess, and the back and forth seemed to annoy just about everyone, but the exchange wasn’t completely inane.
Stephanopoulos asked, “Gov. Romney, do you believe that states have the right to ban contraception? Or is that trumped by a constitutional right to privacy?” Romney feigned ignorance about the entire subject. “George, this is an unusual topic that you’re raising,” he replied. “States have a right to ban contraception? I can’t imagine a state banning contraception.”
This led to an awkward Q&A that eventually drew howls from the audience.
………………………………………………
Here’s a better way to word the question, for media professionals who may want to follow up: “Governor, in a case regarding access to contraception, the Supreme Court ruled in 1965 that Americans have a right to privacy. Were the justices right or wrong?”
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2012_01/its_about_privacy_not_contrace034590.php
Detroit Vows To Close The Door On Emergency Financial Manager
On Monday, Jan. 2, to start the New Year off right and hit the ground running, a loudly vocal Detroit crowd of protesters joined Rep. John Conyers and a fairly large representation of the city’s leadership, including Detroit longtime NAACP President Rev. Wendell Anthony, to protest the possible appointment of an emergency financial manager (EFM). Those following the issue are well aware that this is not a new fight by any means, but it is a fight that is getting louder by the minute as Detroiters raise their voices – and combine forces – to do whatever is necessary to prevent an EFM from being appointed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to oversee Michigan’s largest city. Snyder already appointed managers over Detroit Public Schools and the cities of Pontiac, Benton Harbor, Ecorse and Flint. The City of Inkster is perched on the precipice, and an announcement was just made today that an EFM has been appointed to oversee Highland Park.
Just to review, it’s not that we in Detroit aren’t well aware of the fact that we’re short on cash, or that our elected leaders aren’t well aware of the fact that they have their work cut out for them to set this city back on course toward financial stability. Detroit didn’t just arrive on the shores of this crisis. We’ve been treading water in the eye of this storm for more than two decades at least. And to be sure, we are hardly blameless innocents in this mess. But Detroiters are not so far gone that we can’t work together with our elected leaders and figure our own way out. To offer us assistance is one thing, but to nullify the power of our vote by voiding the decision-making power of our elected leaders is an inexcusable overreach that could create disturbing and costly consequences for years to come.
As we head further down the road of Campaign 2012, Democratic candidates for office in Michigan and elsewhere should consider the fact that what is happening to Detroit – and all the other Michigan municipalities with large or predominant African American populations – is representative of what this fight is all about, because this really is about us versus them. This is just as much about whether Gov. Snyder can be allowed to put his state’s largest city back on the plantation through the forced appointment of an emergency financial manager as it is about stopping the Republicans from sabotaging President Obama’s agenda. This is just as much about protecting the sanctity of the vote and the power of a citizenry to elect its own leaders in Detroit as it is about the Republican-led effort nationwide to disenfranchise any and all voters who are likely to support the re-election of the President
http://www.politicususa.com/en/detroit-vows-to-close-the-door-on-emergency-financial-manager
That is just like our loving, thoughtful, and compassionate President. Love this man so much. From reading Rep. Gabby’s and Mark’s book, you can tell that the President , First Lady, Gabby and Mark along with Gabby’s mother made a beautiful connection. The story is a total inspiration told by Gabby and Mark.
Thanks for sharing this tweet defytheodds.HZ
OMG…Newt just got served. This black guy said he worked a low paying job, put himself through a Masters Program, has 4 kids, one a doctor and one an executive—and said he resented Newt’s blacks are on welfare comment. Getting GOoooooood.
YES WE CAN!!!!!!BAR=ROCK THE VOTE!!!2012
Yes I’m In 2012 Obama/Biden
@ Tulips “We Got This”
(Hugs)
Very inspiring video kasai, thanks, get ready 2012 here we come.
You Welcome
Wow, very moving. Going to tweet.
Thanks for twetting
That’s what’s up! Read read about this the other day. Someone tweeted a link to a BET article. I’m glad that they decided to get together, start a super PAC and target voter registration in the swing states. It would be cool if all of the fraternities and sororities could get together and form a super PAC
These young men are an inspiring!!! They are a reminder to us all that it is their future on the line in the upcoming election. Thanks kasai.
Yep..This Gen44 for sure
Ready to hold on to History on 2016 
WE READY TO MARCH ON!!!!!! For Barack Obama !!!!
Happy Sunday Everyone
Kasai, I sent you an email about Mitt’s latest lie to add to your collection.
Thanks, kasai for sharing this. I am ‘shouting’ in my bed!! I love to see the young people ready and willing to know what they are fighting for. This is so inspirational. Thanks so much.HZ
You Welcome HZ…I phone banked, volunteered today, young folks are energized, It inspires me to do everything in my bones to help re-elect President Obama. I owe it to these young men and for generations to come. HZ even though I don’t come here often due to tight schedule, please don’t forget how loved you are..You inspire me every single day with your loving words. Thank you:-)
((Hugs)) ~ Kasai
Thanks FiredUp
We are better,smarter,stronger,and more determined than ever.America’s coming back,fighting to be the best we can possibly be.For all those Americans who haven’t even been born yet!”I will live for the rest of my life in debt to all those who came before me.”Now it’s time to do the same, for those who will remain long after we are gone!”(The Grand Kids,I have not had the ability to afford yet!)LOL
cuphalffull-That was a wonderful post about why the far left gets “disappointed” with President Obama. Sometimes I can look at something, look and look at something, and then here comes along some words that makes it all clear. Thanks!
NEWT GINGRICH: NO REALLY, SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE BLACK
Black Man Confronts Gingrich On Food Stamps Comments: ‘Stop Using Blacks As A Punching Bag’
==========================================
At a town hall event meant to appeal to Latino voters at a Mexican restaurant in Manchester, an African-American man confronted Gingrich about recent comments he made that have drawn the ire of the NACCP and other civil rights leader. Gingrich controversially said last week, “I’m prepared, if the NAACP invites me, I’ll go to their convention and talk about why the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps.”
At the event today, Yvan Lamothe, a 59-year-old former New Hampshire state employee and small business owner, drew strong applause from the crowd when he told Gingrich that he has never taken welfare or food stamps and was offended by Gingrich’s suggestion that most African Americans do. Gingrich responded with something like the classic “some of my best friends are black” defense, noting that he has worked with people like Condaleeza Rice and Colin Powell in the past:
===========================================
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/01/08/400175/black-man-confronts-gingrich-food-stamps/
photo/1
Isn’t this the very thing that the former Dem candidate failed to do that ultimately doomed her? I can’t recall her name, but wasn’t she the one who refused to go and shake hands with the sports fans? Good move by Ms. Warren, and the good thing is that she is authentic, so this doesn’t come across as a political gimmick, but one can see that she really wants to meet these people.
Yes…
During that time, MA AG Martha Coakley went on vacation!
And, I agree about E. Warren. She’s the best candidate to unseat S. Brown for MA Senate seat…GO WARREN GO!!!
YES.WE.CAN…DO.(Much)More, Together - WE MUST! (Bobfr @our4thestate)
WE CAN’T WAIT…PRESS ON!
Panetta: Iran Not Building A Nuclear Weapon But ‘Trying To Develop A Nuclear Capability’
By Ben Armbruster posted on Jan 8, 2025 at 1:16 pm
Today on CBS’s Face the Nation, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reiterated the Obama administration’s positon that Iran has not yet made the decision to build a nuclear weapon, but added, “we know that they’re trying to develop a nuclear capability.” Panetta also said Iran getting the bomb would be a “red line” for the United States. They need to know that if they take that step, that they’re going to get stopped,” he said. Host Bob Schieffer asked Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey if the U.S. could take out Iran’s nuclear facilities with conventional weapons. “I certainly want them to believe that that’s the case,” Dempsey said:
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/01/08/400092/panetta-iran-nuclear-weapon/
Anyone of you are fan of iCarly on Nickelodeon.. Don’t forget watch or set on DVR on Jan 16.
The gang at iCarly have gotten into some high-level high jinks over the years, but this time it’s going all the way up to the White House. Yes, the First Lady herself, Michelle Obama, will guest-star on an episode of the hit Nickelodeon sitcom airing Jan. 16 at 8 p.m.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/03/michelle-obama-visits-icarly/
OFA NH twitter are giving updates every half hour! A very good ground game!
jovie thanks for all these heads up about @OFA_NH…
Primary is Jan 10th…GO OBAMA GO!!!
YES.WE.CAN…DO.(Much)More, Together - WE MUST! (Bobfr @our4thestate)
YES.WE.CAN, Again…Obama/Biden 2012!
FIRED UP & READY TO GO!
WE CAN’T WAIT…PRESS ON!
Racism Is A Vital Piece Of The 2012 Republican Platform
==================
Many pundits claim that racism rose as a result of President Obama’s election, but they fail to recognize that his election gave the existing bigots legitimacy as if they were only reacting to Obama’s policies. However, the rise of the teabaggers and their “taxed enough already” and “Socialist tyranny” mantras was code for opposition to a Black man illegitimately sitting in the White House. The only reason President Obama entered office to outrage and instant hatred was simply white supremacy that informs racists that an African American is not qualified to be president because he is not white. If President Obama were white, he would be hailed as a tax-cutting, terrorist killing, business friendly, and right-leaning centrist that deserves re-election and a place of honor on Mount Rushmore.
===================
http://www.politicususa.com/en/2012-gop-racism
The sheets came off.
The Kansas Speaker of the House, Mike O’Neal, needs to hear from all of us. Easy to email him. In case you don’t know he sent a horrid email about FLOTUS and a very bad quote from Pslams as a “prayer” for POTUS. Sorry if this has alrady been posted. I am so mad I could fly out there and castrate him! URRRRRH
Is this about the YoMama e-mail ? I did not read about the Pslams…..what was that one ?
Hallelujah! I seldom turn on my tv anymore, but am hoping to watch the beginning of season 2 of Downton Abbey tonight. Just now, opening the PBS viewer guide, here on page 9, I find the brilliant news that our very own unashamedly intelligent Bill Moyers is beginning a new series on 1/15, because as he says, “in tumultuous times like these I relish the company of people who make sense of the tumult!” . YES! It was on his old show Journal that I first saw and listened to Melissa-Harris Perry, who was a regular, she was still at Princeton then. After he retired and went off the air, I stopped watching tv completely. Nothing made sense, and I have low tolerance for educated people behaving in a ridiculsous manner! Now, maybe you all knew this series was coming, but I didn’t, it has made my day!
I’m dying to see the new Downton Abbey but bummed that it comes on at the same time as The Good Wife. Waaaah. And no, I don’t have a DVR!!
I remember seeing a lot of MHP on Moyers’ shows. I never turn on the TV until evening so I also don’t always hear about coming attractions. What is the title of the new show? One of my very, very, very favorite shows EVAH was his World of Ideas series, years and years ago. Brilliant.
If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend you download the OFA President’s 2012 calendar. It’s got everything on there, including the anniversaries of major legislation achievements. It even has Michelle’s birthday, which is coming right up!
http://www.barackobama.com/calendar?source=20120108_jb_12v&utm_medium=email&utm_source=obama&utm_campaign=20120108_jb_12v
Meta, I purchased 2 of the calendars and I agree. It is a great calendar. It also has dates for early voting in states. It is really worth the money I paid for it.
Oh, I forgot there must be a paper calendar, too. I bet it’s really nice!!
This is an electronic one that gets downloaded and gets directly synced with your iCal or Outlook or whatever you use. No photos, though!!
I downloaded the one for Google.
Greetings Everyone
I am building a web page we can use for short - sweet - and to the points factoids for promoting PBO and knocking down GOP lies.
It is not done (lots of blank spaces) but I wanted to show it to everyone and get their feedback.
So often I see folks post a question about “what do I tell my neighbor about …….?” or “how do i counter this twitter attack”
Folks in my OFA group often ask the same thing, a simple group of sentences they can use to make their case.
I have links to resources from folks here (Tien Le), links to OFA, some talking points that I keep getting in my mailbox from OFA and various other stuff.
I would like to redo almost all of the existing talking points, am hoping to get email from OFA on this or help from the folks here.
Please offer suggestions for what to add. I was thinking of making a link to tweets for the various subjects, but would need content from someone here.
Whatever is included I want it to be short 1-2 clicks from the page to the info.
Thanks to Tien Le for “inspiration” on the page name - Toolkit
http://www.whatisworking.com/2012/01/election-toolkit-for-50-states.html
Post your feedback below or send me an email. If anyone wants to help with talking points, tweet material, or general editing please let me know.
Terrific, terrific idea WIW. Exactly what we need.
I wanted to share my OFA experience from yesterday.
Tien Le wrote this in her magnificent blog post “On New Years Eve 2011 I witnessed tectonic shift in the blogosphere and twitterverse. The “Enthusiasm Gap” evaporated. It was as if we were all waiting for it to actually be 2012 to allow ourselves to become enthusiastic about re-electing the President. And wow, are people enthusiastic.”
Well the shift is not just online, it’s on the ground with volunteers showing up in droves.
We had 18 volunteers for a phone bank to Nevada. (our previous attendance was 6). The house was crammed, thank goodness we had sunshine so folks could go out on the deck. NO longer can we get away with just cleaning the living room and family room, I had to go into the “project room” which was a mess.
These folks were a mixture of experienced supporters from 08 to young folks who had only supported the president online. I was so busy helping the new folks I only called 2 pages worth of names.
Our regional coordinator came to our meeting and shared with us that there were 87 phone banks into Nevada from CA this weekend.
If you still haven’t joined an OFA group, please consider it. As our Team Leader Marie says “no effort is too small”.
I love this! Thank you for the wonderful report on people’s enthusiasm. You rock.
Hi everyone, new post here:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/01/08/a-year-ago-4/
JERK
Why is Chris Wallace arguing with DWS over Romney’s Bain problem?
His job is to ask questions, not stick up for candidates.
Amazing!
Hi what is working-make sure the toolkit gets posted every once in awhile. i get left behind and miss out on a lot of stuff
Oh man What is Working-that is a terrific site. Will use it a lot! Thanks
Romney’s fortune was gained by destroying other people lives. His comments today in the debate regarding Kennedy mortgaging his house to beat him showed his privileged way of thinking.
: D Just think, the Republican establishment delighted in the ruling….but little could they know or foresee that this decision may play a part in bringing down the establishment candidate (Romney) once this 27 min video is released.
Below is a brief summary of why the Citizens United case made its way to the Supreme Court.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 08-205 (2010), 558 U.S. ––––, 130 S.Ct. 876 (January 21, 2025), was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the First Amendment prohibits government from placing limits on independent spending for political purposes by corporations and unions. The 5–4 decision originated in a dispute over whether the non-profit corporation Citizens United could air a film critical of Hillary Clinton, and whether the group could advertise the film in broadcast ads featuring Clinton’s image, in apparent violation of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, commonly known as the McCain–Feingold Act in reference to its primary Senate sponsors.[2]
In that case, PBO will win. The Republicans have NOTHING on PBO when it comes to the economy. The GOP took control of the house in Jan 2011 and have produced ZERO new jobs. They have blocked most of the AJA, and insist on tax cuts for their rich buddies on Wall Street. There are recordings of Tea Party business owners who say that they will refuse to hire just to ensure Obama fails. By August 2012, the electorate will be fully engaged and ready to re-elect President Obama. The whole world is watching.
PBO WILL WIN!
PBO will win. As StR says, Huntsman would be the biggest threat. Always thought that. Again, any Rethug who can sound sane to good but uninformed citizens is a threat to Obama. Don’t forget that there is unlimited amount of corporate money that is gonna back them up, too. Gingrich knows what that can do.
None of these people are fit to tie PBO’s shoes. They could provide an exception and allow ALL the republican candidates as the nominee and PBO would still “crush” them.