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NYT Editorial: Mitt Romney wrapped the most important speech of his life around an extraordinary reinvention of history — that his party rallied behind President Obama when he won in 2008, hoping that he would succeed….
The truth, rarely heard this week in Tampa, is that the Republicans charted a course of denial and obstruction from the day Mr. Obama was inaugurated, determined to deny him a second term by denying him any achievement, no matter the cost to the economy or American security — even if it meant holding the nation’s credit rating hostage to a narrow partisan agenda.
Mr. Romney’s big speech, delivered in a treacly tone with a strange misty smile on his face suggesting he was always about to burst into tears, was of a piece with the rest of the convention. Republicans have offered precious little of substance …. but no subjects have received less attention, or been treated with less honesty, than foreign affairs and national security — and Mr. Romney’s banal speech was no exception.
It’s easy to understand why the Republicans have steered clear of these areas. While President Obama is vulnerable on some domestic issues, the Republicans have no purchase on foreign and security policy. In a television interview on Wednesday, Condoleezza Rice, the former secretary of state, could not name an area in which Mr. Obama had failed on foreign policy.
Full editorial here
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Cagle
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EJ Dionne: …. Once again, Romney showed that his campaign will launch attacks with little regard for their veracity. “Unlike President Obama,” he said, “I will not raise taxes on the middle class.” … Obama has in fact asked Congress to retain current tax rates for families earning less than $250,000 a year.
“I will begin my presidency with a jobs tour,” Romney also said. “President Obama began with an apology tour.” There was no apology tour. And Romney suggested that Republicans had been initially eager to work with the president, when in fact the party was determined from the beginning to oppose virtually all of Obama’s initiatives.
…. there will be a jarring contrast between the Romney who spoke of uniting the nation and his exceptionally harsh, relentless and divisive advertising campaign that includes factually-challenged spots on welfare plainly aimed at stirring resentment.
The stark disjunction will inevitably keep alive the question that his convention speech did not answer: Who is the real Romney?
Full article here
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Eugene Robinson (in Tampa): Has there ever been a more dishonest presidential campaign than the one Republicans are waging right now?
That’s a serious question, and it adds poignancy to the tragicomic spectacle of this ridiculous gathering…..
Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s speech Wednesday night was another demonstration that he and presidential nominee Mitt Romney have no apparent respect for the truth. Romney’s pollster, Neil Newhouse, boasted this week that “we’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers.” I’ll say.
…. For me, the ultimate dishonor goes to the untrue charge that Obama has eliminated the work requirement for welfare recipients — a lie designed not only to deceive but also to stoke racial resentment among working-class voters. There are also the cynical and misleading claims about Medicare savings under the Affordable Care Act. And Obama’s “You didn’t build that” line, taken out of context, has provided the convention’s main theme, a mantra recited by virtually every speaker.
It’s hardly unusual for politicians to highlight convenient facts and ignore inconvenient ones. But I honestly can’t recall a campaign so firmly grounded in untruth. Anyone who hoped Ryan might elevate the debate should be bitterly disappointed.
Full article here
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Paul Krugman: Paul Ryan’s speech Wednesday night may have accomplished one good thing: It finally may have dispelled the myth that he is a Serious, Honest Conservative. Indeed, Mr. Ryan’s brazen dishonesty left even his critics breathless.
Some of his fibs were trivial but telling, like his suggestion that President Obama is responsible for a closed auto plant in his hometown, even though the plant closed before Mr. Obama took office. Others were infuriating, like his sanctimonious declaration that “the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who cannot defend or care for themselves.” This from a man proposing savage cuts in Medicaid, which would cause tens of millions of vulnerable Americans to lose health coverage.
Full article here
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Michael Tomasky: Random Notes on Tampa …. you saw how little he, and everyone except Huckabee, talked about cultural and social issues. This means Democrats will talk a lot about them, as well they should. The D’s can pick up huge points, especially among women, if they do this correctly next week.
…. Romney didn’t lie on a Ryanesque scale, but he still came up with some whoppers. The imaginary (that word again!) apology tour. The same old Medicare lie. (Again, in case you’ve missed this: Romney’s plans, if carried out as promised, would force cuts of nearly 30 percent to Medicare in his first term.)
…. Three high-profile speeches – Christie, Rice, and Rubio, one each night – had people obviously positioning themselves for 2016. Doesn’t say much about their confidence in their man this year.
…. according to Sondra Locke’s longstanding testimony, which Eastwood hasn’t to my knowledge refuted, that she had two abortions at his urging. Democrats might not make a big deal out of this, but just imagine if a Hollywood person involved in business like that had spoken at a Democratic convention.
More here
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Stars and Stripes: President Barack Obama will sign an executive order Friday directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand mental health services and suicide prevention efforts.
The President will make the announcement in a speech to troops at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he’ll also hold a roundtable with soldiers and their families.
…. Obama is instructing the VA to ensure that any veteran with suicidal thoughts is seen by a mental health professional within 24 hours — a standard already set for the VA, but which the department often fails to meet.
To help the understaffed VA meet that ambitious requirement, the order directs the VA to partner with the Department of Health and Human Services to tap into community services to help meet demand. The two agencies will create 15 pilot sites in underserved areas by contracting with local facilities. They’ve also been ordered to develop a plan for rural areas, which are lacking in all health services. The plan is to include a way for areas to share mental health providers.
More here
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a4alice * Alycee * BWD * CollegeKay * Cookemom * DonnaDem4Obama
Hgerhard * HZ * Judith Fardig * Mae Who Love Our CIC
Marlz * Meta * Pamela *prettyfoot58 * proudmemberofglobalzero * Rita * Theo67 * The Obama Diary
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Today:
9:30: President Obama departs the White House
11:0: VP Biden travels to Lordstown, Ohio, to deliver remarks at a campaign event at UAW Local 1714
1:30: President Obama arrives in El Paso, Texas
2:15: Participates in a roundtable discussion with service-members and military families
3:00: Delivers remarks to troops
4:10: Departs El Paso en route Joint Base Andrews
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Morning everyone😉
First?
Sweet, and proud!
Tied?
Ok with me!
Morning DrDaddy and Roberta – and everyone😉
Fired up! What a great week!
Amazing round-up! Thanks Chips. Forward!
Thanks Chips. Just got back on line. Those faces tell it all. They agree with our POTUS🙂🙂
Good Morning Chips. 1st?
GM TOD!
Good morning all. That tweet by PBO has 27k RTs last time I checked.
WOW…once again, PBO wins the RNC convention. He won all the GOP primary debates too!🙂
He absolutely did…
I would like Chris Matthews to please explain the difference between Reince Priebus and Clint Eastwood…
Why is one lambasted and the other humored, protected, revered and elevated…
What is the difference between these two hateful racists who both embraced and supported George W. Bush (albeit it one more publicly than the other)…
Through 8 horrendous years inflicted on America and Americans by George W. Bush and nary a whimper from Clint Eastwood…
And we are still supposed to downplay his blatant acts of disrespect, make excuses for him, believe that this is an honorable man, a person of integrity… even as he publicly unmasks before our very eyes…
Fantastic. I was hoping it would be the RT of the evening. Awesome.
Congrats dr……………and a Fine Friday Morning It Is!
Talking to my Favorite Chair……..
Good morning all, and congrats to the good dr! Get paid today, so I plan to hit all the fr pages I can….every dollar countsI
Good Morning Sandee. . . here is my fundraising page *although I may be a bit late!
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/IfNotNow?mobile_optin=1
Hahahahaha. It’s always good to begin the day EastWooding.
Good-morning everybody at TOD. Thank you Chips for the good reading. I ‘LL be donating today, too. It’s a good way to fight off the poison from the media and the GOP.
GM everyone. What a way to start the day. Thanks Chips. Catching up from last night. My eyes are getting sore already. Time for breakfast. BB
Good morning, TODville!! I hope everyone has a great start to Labor Day Weekend.
San Francisco Watch Party has been selected to rep CA at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte via Google live stream!!
Morning! Happy Friday….
LOL I did not watch the speeches but was so happy to wake up this morning to find GOP FAIL. I can never watch a Clint Eastwood movie without LOL again!
and it’s delightful that his face is all over the tv in ads for his new movie. Just in case the Repubs would like us to forget….. heh.
aamom, I conked out before the speeches, although I probably would just have followed the live blogging. This morning was a big surprise. It’s all Eastwood all the time. Did Mitt even speak?
pox news’ sally kohn piece calling out that lyin’ lil’ ratfucker from WI made to the colbear show. Colbear, as usual, as fantaaastic.
GM Chips good morning everyone. Happy bday Iron man Bobfr. I have been mostly catching up on TOD due to work but having a blast doing so. Thanks
End of the month. Fundraiser list, please? I have a good-sized chunk of change from my husband’s Rush Limbaugh-loving friend (we did some work for him) and I want to send that money to PBO via my TOD family’s fundraisers.
Added the list to the post 57, thanks.
Thank YOU chips!
You’re welcome Pamela! Mooooooooooooooooooorning😉
Three cheers to 57f.
You can start here if you like!😆
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/Pamela?mobile_optin=1 😳
I wouldn’t be surprised if last night or this morning Clint Eastwood got a congratulatory call from PBO himself. You just can’t undercut a nominee any better than that.
Romney is making a surprise trip to New Orleans. This guy thinks he’s President.🙄
What a phoney…..
He wouldn’t go if the State had a Dem Governor…..
Wow, really pathetic grandstanding at this point. What’s he going to do? Pose for photos and talk about how bad government is?
Yeah. He’s going to ride it for all it’s worth. No surprise there.
More thank likely he will try to find a blame the President
He’s going to get in the way of workers trying to clean that mess up? How utterly selfish and self serving of him.
After he mocked the President, and dismissed natural disasters and climate change with his “rising oceans” comment, he’s going to NOLA for a photo-op?
Up and at ’em O’s!!!! It’s an even greater getting up day today in TOD town!! I hope everyone has recovered from that side-splitting, thigh-slapping, rip-roaring circus that was the RNC convention. My family took turns reading the @invisibleobama tweets last night and the howls were ear shattering. I’m sure the neighbors wondered what was going on over at the cookemom’s house. This is serious business, but that was wonderful comedic relief. Gosh, to think, all this time and I’m just now finding out that I could have had PBO sitting in the chair right next to me. Who knew?
My political take today is I think there is probably some real knock-em, sock-em, drag out fights going on behind the scenes between Mittiful’s campaign and the RNC. Somehow it feels as if the Romney guys wants to call the shots, but are way in over their heads. The RNC establishment guys who’ve done this many times before are being pushed aside by the know-it-all suits around Romney. That’s why all the crazy missteps.
So important to donate whatever you can here also
Okay, I’m confused. Eastwood is upset about PBO not closing Gitmo (hint, Clint: Repubs LOVE Gitmo. Ryan voted AGAINST closing Gitmo). and you’re also upset that terrorists would be tried in — gasp! — New York City. Exactly, what did you want done with the ‘terrorists’ at Gitmo after closing Gitmo? Can we bring them to your ranch?
57, you’re not confused, Eastwood is. He can’t keep things straight and doesn’t have a clue what he’s saying. He’s out of his element and needs to go back to Hollywood and do a movie.
I hope not. Imo he is exactly in his element. I hope he follows Romney around the country for the rest of the campaign season. Go Clint! And don’t forget the chair. By the time he’s through Anny Romney and Paul Ryan will be voting for PBO.
The whole thing was a rambling mess and the low point of their entire convention. That this is being treated as an innocuous performance piece is ticking me off. This man, whose was invited to the RNC for his jingoistic, feeling-lucky-punk, gun-wielding, white privilege porn, deigned to sit down the first black President and lecture him on how to be President.
His guys got us in Afghanistan and that party wants us stay there forever. The President gave an exit date and he criticizes him for being in a war he didn’t start and for ending it. He blames for keeping Gitmo open, when it’s Congress that made that call. He is an icon of American exceptionalism, but is basically saying our prisons and justice system are too weak to try terrorists on our shores.
Take away the fame and films, and it’s the same disjointed, contradictory politics you get from teabaggers.
Newsflash: the Superbowl ad that made you relevant again would not have been possible under Romney’s let them go bankrupt leadership or your laissez faire Libertariansim. It was because of the leadership of the President that you deigned to lecture to the delight of racists everywhere.
excellent comment FiredUp.
Most excellent comment. I must say, I was confused while watching it. They’ve gotten away with disrespecting this president and the office to such extent; that they were just carrying on, testing the limits. It’s an embarrassment. Even, that speech Romney gave, I don’t see the difference in its dishonesty from Ryan’s. It’s just shameful.
Well said, FiredUpInCA! I was disgusted with Eastwood’s disrespect of the President of the United states, trying to sit him down in a chair as if he was a stupid young boy that needed lecturing. I don’t care what any one says, that to me was veiled racism. I wish all the mfs would get it into their heads that President Obama is the PRESIDENT of the United States who was elected by the majority of Americans.
YES, YES AND YES…nathkatun7 you hit the nail on the head and if anyone disagree I suggest they read Invisible Man!
I forgot to mention that Eastwood grew up here in Oakland, CA and my (99 yr old) Granny worked for his family…his mother made the mistake of talking “down” to my Granny…Granny told her that she needed to find somebody else to clean her house and then she walked out!
CHECK THE GRAPHIC! I think we’ll be laughing about this for a long time!
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/08/31/eastwood-and-down/
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepin!!!!!!😆 Morning DF!!!
🙂 Morning, Chips:) I’ll have to wipe this shiteatting grin off my face at some point, right?
An absolute hoot DF, people are sooooooooooooooooo clever! Well, Dems are😉
https://twitter.com/JRubinBIogger/status/241003831436115968
What? Jennifer Rubin defending PBO? I must be dreaming.
No. It’s a snark twitter handle.
Okay thanks for that. I figured we hadn’t gone that far.
After his speech today, Mitt will head to New Orleans to assess the damage of Isaac.
Ben Labolt on Robney Speech-
http://m.cbsnews.com/postwatch.rbml?pageType=video&cbsID=7420084
I think Twitter suspended the @invisibleobama account. I’m not sure why. Did Willard pay them to do that?
No, it’s still active and working for me.
Gems!!! Morning amk.
Morning chips. Methinks clint was trolling the thugs’ convention. That mussed up hair was a dead give away.🙂
🙂 I honestly wondered that myself, amk, it was so utterly bizarre I began to think he was taking the piss out of them. Or maybe he’s just bonkers. Still trying to figure out which.
I am going with chris rock’s eastwood’s phone call to PBO – “Everything went according to plan tonight, sir.”
I had a similar thought last night amk, but I had already logged off to go to sleep. My thought was Mr. Eastwood is a consummate actor and director, yes. Therefore maybe he played his role last night exactly as he planned it …. and the Oscar goes to Clint Eastwood, supporting role honors to the empty chair!
The man is an old ‘geezer’ with nothing left but name recognition. A Rowdy Yates he ain’t anymore. And Good morning anyway.🙂
No, they suspended it. I actually got a message from Twitter that it was suspended when I tried to access it. Others seem to be confirming my observations.
what exactly suspended means ? If the a/c got suspended, I can still see it.
I believe it’s the same as terminated. Can you actually see tweets sent from the account, copy them and paste them here? Because I can’t do any of that. The account no longer even shows up in my search and I was a follower.
Yes, I just did above.
Okay, the account was suspended but is now back with much fewer followers.
I am seeing close to 40 K followers.
Ok, this just confirms you are not from this universe. What did you do with the real hf2?
Can you paste a tweet directly from the account you are seeing? Twitter seems to be playing some strange games here.
This the latest one about 18 m back
OK. LOL!
Happening Now – President Obama departs for Texas – http://www.cbsnews.com/liveFeed/widget.shtml
Thank you JER!
Last night was something special! I can’t stop laughing!
I need an explainer…
In his speech he said that (paraphasing) “when the world need need someone to lead, they need an American”…am I missing something? I thought the world already HAVE an American, name President Barack H. Obama, leading it out of the mess left on his door-step on 01/20/2009. Is he somehow suggesting (again) that the President of the Unites States in not an American?
Yup, it was a birther dog-whistle alright. The scummiest and the sleaziest candidate ever and anywhere.
MHP said last week, that it is Not a Dog Whistle…..it so loud that We hear it and people need to stop saying dog whistle and call it what it is.
Yep. That is what Mittens, the lying SOB bishop said. Both Big Ed and Dr. Maddow said so last night.
The important thing is for Us to work harder and Just win. That would be the Only goal for Nov 6, 2012.
AndreT, I heard that comment also,
Mark Halperin just said that Robney Campaign is outdoing the Obama Campaign in the lying Department.
Yeah, Ten fold.
Me thinks, Ohio is the key State and we have a good advantage there, because of the Auto bailout.
That is Why all this Janesville stuff, they are trying to Swiftboat Issues, as well.
It might come down to Ohio.
We are desperately trying to get College Students enrolled here in Florida, as they return from Summer break.
Big push, now until Election Day. We think that Florida will be very close, despite Viter suppression, trying to expand our Base, by entombing College Kids.
That is why the Robnry Camp went after College Kids, tried to dissuade them from voting for the President, played mind games with them.
The Robney Camp forgot one thong, they do not like Willard, and can be very informed on the issues. So, their ate all sorts of holes in Robney Strategy.
Rachel had a graph on her show this week as to how the FL voter signup rules that were enacted this year actually affected the Dem voter registrations. The GOP is way over the Dems on new registrations and the Dems is miniscule as compared with every other Presidential election year.
Good for you for helping us.
Ooooh, Charlotte’s looking nice:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=4
LOVE the setup! Let’s get close and personal.
DNC is having their unveilng of the stage today. Very cool. Stage will be closer to the audience this time!!
Check out their timeline for a real exciting and uplifting set of tweets!!
https://twitter.com/DemConvention
I just took a look. So impressive! Our team is so incredibly better at this than theirs. The arena looks gorgeous and I can just *feel* a different, more positive vibe through these pics.
Yes! It’s definitely more uplifting, inclusive, OPEN.
Morning Meta! They’re showing it at the moment on CNN streaming:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=4
Looks great!
Thank you!
It’s GORGEOUS. Made from recycled material. Deaf students are being given the first look. I’m so stoked!!
Thanks meta. I am very excited!
We built this!!
It was mentioned upthread…I can’t remember who said what a great job Colbert did on Ryan. Indeed he did. Check it out here:
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Zing!
Paul Ryan’s GOP Convention Speech
Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan delivers a speech that is more about big ideas than it is about facts — ideas like “Lying is handy.”
And his lying is like a dope. Just like you, if you believe him.
colbear at his best.
You know, that Mike Hickabee ad on the ACA, has been running since it’s inception. It’s on all the time, that costs a lot of money. I would not be surprised, if somebody has put 100 million behind that one Huckleberry Finn ad.
IMO.
Some good thoughts needed for Robin Roberts. Her mother has died.
May she rest in peace.
Oh, that’s terrible news for her and her family. May she rest in peace.
So sorry to hear about Robin’s mother.
I am so sorry to hear that…..her family has had a host of tragedities, katrina, Robins brush with cancer and now leukemia. Prayers and condolences to her family.
May Robin and her family have a time of quiet and gentle reflections on their lovely mother. Robin and her mother had such a beautiful relationship. I hope Robin’s mother had the opportunity to see her daughter last interviews with POB and FLOTUS,
Then remember Robin just announced last week that she would be taking a leave from GMA because of her medical condition. Now, her precious mother graced her daughter’s life just before she and her sister prepare for Robins procedure. I pray that Robin will find much strength in the last days and hours with her precious mother.
I hope that her mother was able to speak with Robin and her sister and to give them her last and gentle kiss and inspiration that will carry both of them through the journey that they are taking next. There is nothing like a wonderful and beautiful graceful mother to give you that loving last word, look, and squeeze during her last days or moments to her children, if possible.
(((((((((((((((((((( Robin, our loving prayers, meditations and peaceful walk during these days will be full of a sweet, sweet spirit within your space.))))))))))))))))) HZ
Romney’s Carter delusion
By Steve Kornacki
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His acceptance speech was perfectly tailored to topple a president he’s not running against
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http://www.salon.com/2012/08/31/romneys_carter_delusion/
Good morning everyone, have a wonderful day.
As for chuck Todd, “Democrats wish they had the diversity of the GOP” found it at mediate.com, Last night.
Heard him ask a Dem rep this morning about lack of diversity in governors and the Dem response was, look at legislature, other reps, not just Governors etc. Nice try Toad.
LOL. hf must be relieved.🙂
Yes, but Twitter took a way all Invisible’s followers! WHY?? That’s not right.
Talking to a chair and no substance from Romney. Look at what he DIDN’T talk about.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/08/31/781551/8-important-omissions-from-romneys-convention-speech/
Bloomburg crawler-
Philippines just had a major Earthquake, evacuation ordered for Eastern Seaboard there.
Robney has a new plane and it looks just like AF-1. Not kidding.
“The plane’s tail also features the candidate’s red, white and blue “R” logo, which has been compared to the logo for Aquafresh toothpaste”
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/mitt-romney-campaign-plane-132949731–election.html
WOW. They really are a disgusting bunch of nativist morons.
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/31/781511/rnc-delegate-offended-by-presence-of-mexican-at-disneys-epcot-center/
And Ann Romney thinks the Republican party is good for Latinos/Hispanics.
From Bill Krystal no less!! http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/what-war_651279.html
The United States has some 68,000 troops fighting in Afghanistan. Over two thousand Americans have died in the more than ten years of that war, a war Mitt Romney has supported. Yet in his speech accepting his party’s nomination to be commander in chief, Mitt Romney said not a word about the war in Afghanistan. Nor did he utter a word of appreciation to the troops fighting there, or to those who have fought there. Nor for that matter were there thanks for those who fought in Iraq, another conflict that went unmentioned.
Leave aside the question of the political wisdom of Romney’s silence, and the opportunities it opens up for President Obama next week. What about the civic propriety of a presidential nominee failing even to mention, in his acceptance speech, a war we’re fighting and our young men and women who are fighting it? Has it ever happened that we’ve been at war and a presidential nominee has ignored, in this kind of major and formal speech, the war and our warriors?
Well…Republicans never DID actually care about veterans anyway….
well, billy boy. the mittbot was not programmed to say that. fire that programmer. it’s his fault.
They didn’t want to overload his circuts….
How much more clearer does Romney have to spell it out? He doesn’t care.
The man who picks losing VPs – guess he’s picked another
A Very Goood Morning, Ms Chips & TODville! Thank God it’s Friday and the empty-headed, empty-chair circus is over! 😀😀
[BTW, anyone else getting unsolicited notification of new comments from the village?]
BTW #2 – Am I the first 100th commenter this morning?
https://twitter.com/NJedwina/status/241534664643317761
Edwina, this is great. Were you the TODer looking for a single place for all reports of RAyn’s lies? Looks like you found it.
Yes, I’m middle girl at DKos, my first diary ever. thanks for trying to help me yesterday, Susan, very kind of you.
Ann Robney just said, it’s time for a grown up.
Oh Boy.
We will leave it at that, let it fester for awhile!
Says the woman married to the guy who likes pushing kids’ faces into a plate of butter.
For the love of all that is right in the universe, what a slimy thing to say. She is really losing it, she is freaking out.
Grown up don’t dress up as Troopers….
Jovie, do you have a link or was it on teevee? Was it an interview?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80519.html
You asked.
LOLz. Thanks.
Queen Ann has no class. Do you ever hear FLOTUS say anything like that about Romney. No class Ann Romney.
So now the “inclusive” woman is calling the President, “Boy” ? Yeah, that’s what I heard
Did she say that too? Good grief. That is what She probably said to AA at her Country club? Sadly, it’s all She knows.
If they’re the “grown ups” why did they select a novice do nothing member of congress as the running mate who is younger than PBO?
Okay, that first ad provides a good low-key summary of what Mitt’s offering. Way to go Truth Team, – opening the door of the car to the part of the campaign that wraps this all up! Our convention will fill up the tank and then we’ll be picking up the speed for the final leg. Toot! Toot! Step out of the way Willard and Company! Let the experts show you how it’s done. 😆😆
Did Republicans deliberately crash the US economy?
BY MICHAEL COHEN
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Beyond McConnell’s words, though, there is circumstantial evidence to make the case. Republicans have opposed a lion’s share of stimulus measures that once they supported, such as a payroll tax break, which they grudgingly embraced earlier this year. Even unemployment insurance, a relatively uncontroversial tool for helping those in an economic downturn, has been consistently held up by Republicans or used as a bargaining chip for more tax cuts. Ten years ago, prominent conservatives were loudly making the case for fiscal stimulus to get the economy going; today, they treat such ideas like they’re the plague.
Traditionally, during economic recessions, Republicans have been supportive of loose monetary policy. Not this time. Rather, Republicans have upbraided Ben Bernanke, head of the Federal Reserve, for even considering policies that focus on growing the economy and creating jobs.
And then, there is the fact that since the original stimulus bill passed in February of 2009, Republicans have made practically no effort to draft comprehensive job creation legislation. Instead, they continue to pursue austerity policies, which reams of historical data suggest harms economic recovery and does little to create jobs. In fact, since taking control of the House of Representatives in 2011, Republicans have proposed hardly a single major jobs bill that didn’t revolve, in some way, around their one-stop solution for all the nation’s economic problems: more tax cuts.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/09/did-republicans-deliberately-crash-us-economy
excellent article! this needs to be on every front page and op-ed page and internet news page in america. when the dems point this out, they can’t help but sound whiny–it’s the job of the press to bring this truth to the people. cowboy up, reporters–it’s your job!
I’m so thrilled our convention is after that mess from the RNC. We’ll have the last word and the tone will be absolutely 180 from theirs, full of genuine voices and important issues, beautiful Americans who care about everyone in need. WOOOTT!!
Because, he wants to cut it and that does not poll well. Whatever polled well, he mentioned, whatever did not…
He didn’t mention many things. http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/08/31/781551/8-important-omissions-from-romneys-convention-speech/
If people knew the plans, they would never vote for him. He can’t say it out loud
I want to thank Chipsticks for her blog and all the great people who commented and tweeted during the hatefest these past three days. Your humor kept my blood pressure from not going up too much. We have to prevail in November. There is no other option.
New post everyone:
https://theobamadiary.com/2012/08/31/coming-up-45/
Democratic National Convention organizers on Friday released the names of more expected speakers in Charlotte, and the lineup reflects a heavy focus on women and minorities.
Not unexpectedly, House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are among the newly announced speakers, CNN’s Jessica Yellin reports.
Pelosi will lead a special presentation of other female House members, including Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Penn.), and Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D-N.Y.), according to CNN. It’s unclear if they will have full speaking roles.
The announcement brings the number of female participants to 28, out of a total of 61 people who will take the stage identified so far.
Also added to the roster are Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), chair of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus; Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, chair of the congressional Hispanic Caucus; and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).
Too bad the Democrats can’t find diversity in their elected officials…..Upchuck Toad is soooooo right. NOT!
Good Morning TOD’ers