Romney is funny

[spence]

He goes on the stump and drops the Birther card. No, really!

Four Laughable Explanations for Mitt Romney's Birther Joke

Then he says he believes Obama was born in the US.

Then he says it was just a joke and he'd like everyone to put his and Obama's past behind them and focus on the issues.

Stuff like this will kill him with the independent voters.

-spence

[scottw]

Originally Posted by spence

He goes on the stump and drops the Birther card. No, really!

Four Laughable Explanations for Mitt Romney's Birther Joke

Then he says he believes Obama was born in the US.

Then he says it was just a joke and he'd like everyone to put his and Obama's past behind them and focus on the issues.

Stuff like this will kill him with the independent voters.

-spence

I watched it....horribly offensive and will probably derail the entire campaign...weren't both Presidential candidates asked about their birth certificates the last time around and wasn't the republican the first to be asked about his birthplace or certificate?...maybe he's just getting that one out of the way probably very smart and prudent


McCain's Birth Abroad Stirs Legal Debate

[spence]

Originally Posted by scottw

I watched it....horribly offensive and will probably derail the entire campaign...

You're missing the point. Romney can't come off as genuine even when he's trying...and you guys think Obama is fake. I'm really surprised actually that he'd go there.

And the Ryan addition looks like it will just highlight Romney's flip flops.

-spence

[scottw]

Originally Posted by spence

You're missing the point. Romney can't come off as genuine even when he's trying...and you guys think Obama is fake. I'm really surprised actually that he'd go there.

And the Ryan addition looks like it will just highlight Romney's flip flops.

-spence

that's at least one point of view...cheers!

[striperman36]

Originally Posted by spence

You're missing the point. Romney can't come off as genuine even when he's trying...and you guys think Obama is fake. I'm really surprised actually that he'd go there.

And the Ryan addition looks like it will just highlight Romney's flip flops.

-spence

I did think it was a pretty crude attempt at pokin Obama
and the guy gets offended about askin for tax returns and he said that we should let Detroit go bankrupt after getting a bailout at Bain.
Do as I say not as I do

[Fly Rod]

He had a GREAT SPEECH today....He will be the next president....regardless of the birth certificate remark.

Barry is a fake

[Nebe]

How anyone can support Romney after his history at Bain Capital or what ever that place is spelled is beyond me... Lets see.. Bain Capital buys a company, fires everyone and outsources the jobs overseas..

mmmm yeah.. thats patriotic.

[Sea Dangles]

Running a business is about the bottom line,when a new leader comes in loyalty is not the issue.Profit margin is pretty much the only factor stockholders are concaerned with.
Romney has business experience
Romney knows youmust balance a checkbook
Romney will not tolerate giving money to the sad sacks of society
So all the armchair patriots who drive imported automobiles or hire immigrants workers on the cheap can speak up about how to be an American.
If Obama is still inspiring hope with anyone,raise your hand and be ridiculed.

[striperman36]

there is no inspiration in this election

[Jackbass]

Originally Posted by spence

Stuff like this will kill him with the independent voters.

-spence

Yeah because all the good things Obama has done over the past four years are going to be difficult to overcome.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[scottw]

Originally Posted by Jackbass

Yeah because all the good things Obama has done over the past four years are going to be difficult to overcome.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

best four years of your life...except you might not be smart enough to know or understand why...that's the schtick

B O should be grateful for this "off color humor" ...it might not only help with independents but also with his lackluster fundraising



“Governor Romney has embraced the most strident voices in his party instead of standing up to them,” Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said in an e-mail. “But Governor Romney’s decision to directly enlist himself in the birther movement should give pause to any rational voter across America.”

The Obama forces followed up with its appeal for money. An e-mail sent by Jim Messina, the campaign’s manager, reprised the birth certificate remark and asks recipients to “take a moment or two to think about that, what he’s actually saying and what it says about Mitt Romney.”

It then asked for donations of $3 or more.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by spence

Stuff like this will kill him with the independent voters.

-spence

Not as much as an election year of pander to Independents, with talks about crossing the aisle, and then doing the exact opposite for the last 4 years will do to Obama.

[detbuch]

Originally Posted by Nebe

How anyone can support Romney after his history at Bain Capital or what ever that place is spelled is beyond me... Lets see.. Bain Capital buys a company, fires everyone and outsources the jobs overseas..

mmmm yeah.. thats patriotic.

His record at Bain was largely successful. The company you refer to, and which Obama campaign spews the drivel that you have bought into, GS Steel, was already on the verge of collapse when Bain invested in it, in order to return it to profitability. Actually, Bain kept the company running for seven years longer that it would have if it hadn't taken over. We were being flooded with cheap steel imports during this period and many steel companies (about 30) went out of business. Bain was accused of loading the company with debt in order to suck money out of it for consulting fees, etc. But GS Steel had outdated equipment, was in financial difficulty due to the cheap imports, so money had to be borrowed to update the company and grow it to a competitive size if it was to be profitable. So the Obama campaign team accused it of being driven by greed and profits rather than caring about jobs. It is obvious that the nature of business is driven by profit. Without profit there would be no jobs. The investment failed and the company went bankrupt. The jobs from GS Steel were not outsourced overseas.

As an interesting sidenote to Obama's team painting Bain as an evil vampire that sucks the life out of business, so far Obama has received $150,000 in campaign contributions from Bain. Democrats have received more contributions from Bain than have Republicans. In the last three election cycles, Bain employees have given Democrats $1.2 million (mostly from top executives), and have given Republicans over $480,000. Obama, in spite of defining Bain as greedy corporate job destroyers, has hired Bain executives to help his administration or his campaign. He named Boris Borshteyn, a former consultant for Bain Capital, to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. In Jan. 2012 he named Jeffrey Zients as his acting budget chief. Zients worked at Bain & Co. from 1988 to 1990. And Obama hired Jonathan Levine as his major fund raiser for his campaign. Levine is the person who was ACTUALLY in charge of Bain Capital at the time GS Steel went bankrupt. So Obama hires the man who was actually in charge during the time when he accuses Romney of being responsible for the layoffs.

[spence]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Not as much as an election year of pander to Independents, with talks about crossing the aisle, and then doing the exact opposite for the last 4 years will do to Obama.

There are some interesting articles that discuss this very topic.

Supposing Obama Were a Bipartisan | The Weekly Standard

Why Did Obama?s Bipartisanship Fail? -- Daily Intel

-spence

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Nebe

How anyone can support Romney after his history at Bain Capital or what ever that place is spelled is beyond me... Lets see.. Bain Capital buys a company, fires everyone and outsources the jobs overseas..

mmmm yeah.. thats patriotic.

True, but fortunately the man at the helm the past four years had vast business experience before entering public service, exceptional history of running successful organizations, and a generally positive track record of saving businesses with private sector funds.

Oh, wait.

Spence often highlights we are choosing the lesser of two evils - maybe he is right....

[spence]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

Running a business is about the bottom line,when a new leader comes in loyalty is not the issue.Profit margin is pretty much the only factor stockholders are concaerned with.
Romney has business experience

So we should run the USA on the basis of shareholder value?

It is incredibly rare for a large company to have a compact with it's employees where everybody is genuinely in it to keep the ship afloat. Perhaps the only one I can think of is Lincoln Electric Corp...

Romney knows youmust balance a checkbook

Didn't MA lead the country in debt per person when he was Gov?

Romney will not tolerate giving money to the sad sacks of society

Sure he will.

It's easy to make grand promises about letting the poor fend for themselves when you're on the campaign trail pandering to ex-Palin devotees.

But once that decision will be recorded in real statistics of child malnourishment and homelessness under your watch things get a bit more tricky.

So all the armchair patriots who drive imported automobiles or hire immigrants workers on the cheap can speak up about how to be an American.

Every car these days is imported. Your GM or Ford is jacked with nearly 1/2 it's parts parts made in Mexico or other countries. That Toyota or BMW might have just been assembled by Americans in South Carolina, Indiana or Tennessee depending on the model.

If Obama is still inspiring hope with anyone,raise your hand and be ridiculed.

Bush wasn't inspiring hope in 2004 and yet he won. People don't vote for the best choice, they vote for the least worst choice.

-spence

[spence]

Originally Posted by detbuch

His record at Bain was largely successful.

While I would agree that calling out a single anecdote to pain a larger picture isn't exactly fair, I do think assessing what Romney might have really learned at Bain is fair in context of how he might apply it to Presidential leadership.

A large private equity firm like Bain isn't like a normal business. Certainly private equity serves a necessary purpose in the marketplace, but these organizations are known for pushing the envelope when it comes to secrecy, intentional organizational complexity and tax avoidance schemes.

Romney made a hell of a lot of money at Bain and by some reports continued to after he technically left the company. It's interesting that with the transparency which usually accompanies a Presidential nominee, we still understand very little about Romney's fortune.

That Romney is being so tight lipped on the subject does leave several questions lingering.

-spence

[scottw]

Originally Posted by spence

Bush wasn't inspiring hope in 2004 and yet he won. People don't vote for the best choice, they vote for the least worst choice.

-spence

when you are doing a decent job, inspiring hope isn't essential to getting re-elected....

when you are doing a lousy job...well...you say stuff like this

AP Interview: Obama Says Romney Holds "Extreme" Views | RealClearPolitics

this election will be about changing vectors....we know where the current vector is taking us and consistently 60% don't like the current vector RealClearPolitics - Election Other - Direction of Country
....which means that the guy resposible for the current vector in large part is going to have to convince most of the country that it makes sense to continue on, despite the lack of any substantial improvement now or on the horizon for the important indicators, or he's going to have to convince a majority that the vector proposed by his opponent will be worse...that'll be a tough sell, particularly if the current economic/employment vector continues to slide...


http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/106512...four-years-ago
You Are Probably Worse Off Than You Were Four Years Ago

All told, this is a stunningly bad economic record for an incumbent president to run on. The fact that Obama’s still the favorite testifies to how uniquely terrible the Romney-Ryan ticket is, and perhaps also to how much blame extremist congressional Republicans deserve for consistently blocking nearly every plausible avenue to economic recovery. Still, there’s no avoiding the fact that the economy has worsened over four years for the typical American household, even as it has improved for the one percent. Thank goodness Mitt Romney is about the last person on earth who would ever want to point that discrepancy out.

[spence]

Originally Posted by scottw

when you are doing a decent job, inspiring hope isn't essential to getting re-elected....

when you are doing a lousy job...well...you say stuff like this

AP Interview: Obama Says Romney Holds "Extreme" Views | RealClearPolitics

Actually Obama appears quite lucid in that article. He's also exactly right, on big issues like abortion, immigration, health care etc... the GOP platform has taken a hard right stance which compared to Romney's history is quite a radical shift.

this election will be about changing vectors....we know where the current vector is taking us and consistently 60% don't like the current vector RealClearPolitics - Election Other - Direction of Country
....which means that the guy resposible for the current vector in large part is going to have to convince most of the country that it makes sense to continue on, despite the lack of any substantial improvement now or on the horizon for the important indicators, or he's going to have to convince a majority that the vector proposed by his opponent will be worse...that'll be a tough sell, particularly if the current economic/employment vector continues to slide...

I don't believe people assign the current vector to Obama, they're smart enough to understand the issues that face the country are much, much larger than the past 3+ years.

I also don't believe most people think the country needs a big ideological shift but rather just basic governmental responsibility. This is independent of party...

-spence

[scottw]

Originally Posted by spence

Actually Obama appears quite lucid in that article. yeah, "small" is the word I would use He's also exactly right, on big issues like abortion, immigration, health care etc... the GOP platform has taken a hard right stance which compared to Romney's history is quite a radical shift. where has the GOP platform shifted radically or otherwise on these BIG issues?


I don't believe people assign the current vector to Obama .....some applaud and some disdain the better living through more encompassing government vector...he is the assignee , they're smart enough to understand the issues that face the country are much, much larger than the past 3+ years. you (and Zimmy) can't seem to decide whether they're smart enough or not smart enough, either way another gross generalization

I also don't believe most people think the country needs a big ideological shift but rather just basic governmental responsibility. This is independent of party...if most people(reference the RCP poll) feel the country is headed in the wrong direction consistently over a long period, that might indicate the desire for a big idealogical shift which is actually not a shift but a return to our founding ideals and principles in response to the BIG idealogical shift currently being forced on us...most people can't help it, it's ingrained in us as Americans...at least "most people"

-spence

tossing around the "extreme" card is a little silly and desperate sounding...it's been grossly overused

[likwid]

Originally Posted by scottw

tossing around the "extreme" card is a little silly and desperate sounding...it's been grossly overused

Then stop using it.

Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - Search Results

[scottw]

Originally Posted by likwid

Then stop using it.

Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - Search Results

you probably should have done a bit more investigation before posting that...

these are great examples of where extreme has appeared in my posts, can't promise I haven't used in the context I mentioned ("extreme" card) myself but ...truly apples and oranges as Spence would say

thanks to an extreme negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation

economic slumps by use of extreme monetary stimulus

“I am a socialist. I live to the extreme left, the extreme left of you mere liberals,” O'Donnell said:

Instead, privileged, wealthy, white Democrats attacked Brown as an "extreme right-wing" judge who didn't care about "civil rights" or the "down-trodden." They were unconstrained by accusations of racism and sexism.

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) ridiculed Bush nominees including Brown, as "Neanderthals." He attacked Brown as "another extreme right-wing candidate ... a judicial activist who will roll back basic rights."

Sen. #^&#^&#^&#^& Durbin (D-Ill.) said: "Janice Rogers Brown is one of President Bush's most ideological and extreme judicial nominees."


but at least you got a self satisfied chuckle

oh, this is a good one where I quoted Spence

Originally Posted by spence
Any good engineer knows you make something better by taking it to the extreme to see where it breaks

and quoting the one and only Zimmy

Originally Posted by zimmy
and extreme eastern Montana

[detbuch]

Originally Posted by spence

While I would agree that calling out a single anecdote to pain a larger picture isn't exactly fair,

It isn't even inexactly fair, and in the case of Romney/Bain, the picture painted by Obama's team is a distortion verging on a lie.

I do think assessing what Romney might have really learned at Bain is fair in context of how he might apply it to Presidential leadership.

So now he must not only disclose tax returns, but also what he has learned? Perhaps Obama should disclose what he learned in college by disclosing his school records.

A large private equity firm like Bain isn't like a normal business. Certainly private equity serves a necessary purpose in the marketplace, but these organizations are known for pushing the envelope when it comes to secrecy, intentional organizational complexity and tax avoidance schemes.

You could say the same thing about most members of Congress. And tax avoidance "schemes" are available to everybody. There is an abundance of investment firms, estate planners, and tax preparers who advertise their ability to shelter your income from taxes. If venture capital firms "are known for pushing the envelope when it comes to secrecy," perhaps they are merely exercising their 14th Ammendment right to privacy, as do those who get abortions. You imply that there may be some unnamed thing wrong, or perhaps illegal(?) about these things.

Romney made a hell of a lot of money at Bain and by some reports continued to after he technically left the company. It's interesting that with the transparency which usually accompanies a Presidential nominee, we still understand very little about Romney's fortune.
That Romney is being so tight lipped on the subject does leave several questions lingering.

-spence

Nor do we understand much about the fortunes of the vast majority of members of Congress, including Pelosi and Reid who shout for the disclosure of Romney's tax records for the last 10 years instead of only the two years that he is submitting. They submit financial disclosures that are required by Congress, but not tax records which are far fuller and more detailed. Their claim is that they are not running for President. Well, they have as much to do with tax policies, and maybe more, as the President. Why shouldn't We the People know what venture capital firms they invest in and in what tax schemes they take advantage of and in which offshore tax shelters?

You are typically vague on the subject of leaving several questions lingering. That the questions are posed originally by Romney's opponents also leaves questions lingering. Could it be that they want to see those tax records, as legal as they apparently are, to find "evidence" that Romney is not "in touch" with the rest of us. That he is one of the rich one percenters who get special tax breaks and don't live by the same rules that the rest of us have to live by. Is that also why Pelosi and Reid and most members of Congress refuse to release their tax records? Nancy Pelosi's husband heads one of those super secretive venture capital firms, and the details of his tax records are not being disclosed in her financial disclosure to Congress. Yet they can accuse Romney of the same "secrecy" because they are not running for President?

[likwid]

Originally Posted by scottw

you probably should have done a bit more investigation before posting that...

these are great examples of where extreme has appeared in my posts, can't promise I haven't used in the context I mentioned ("extreme" card) myself but ...truly apples and oranges as Spence would say

boring wall of text proving scottw doesn't fish

go fishing.

[scottw]

Originally Posted by likwid

go fishing.

I accept your apology...fishing was great this weekend, got my neighbor and his boy out on their yak alongside one of my daughters and I for a great morning Sunday, they're addicted now, fun to see....Saturday morning produced bigger fish though......one of the twins is already got me scheduled to fish this afternoon..... so I guess I appreciate your advice but I've got that covered

[Sea Dangles]

Originally Posted by spence

So we should run the USA on the basis of shareholder value?

It is incredibly rare for a large company to have a compact with it's employees where everybody is genuinely in it to keep the ship afloat. Perhaps the only one I can think of is Lincoln Electric Corp...


Didn't MA lead the country in debt per person when he was Gov?


Sure he will.

It's easy to make grand promises about letting the poor fend for themselves when you're on the campaign trail pandering to ex-Palin devotees.

But once that decision will be recorded in real statistics of child malnourishment and homelessness under your watch things get a bit more tricky.



Every car these days is imported. Your GM or Ford is jacked with nearly 1/2 it's parts parts made in Mexico or other countries. That Toyota or BMW might have just been assembled by Americans in South Carolina, Indiana or Tennessee depending on the model.


Bush wasn't inspiring hope in 2004 and yet he won. People don't vote for the best choice, they vote for the least worst choice.

-spence

When he ran that company he was not auditioning for the presidency,he was merely trying to make it profitable.

Debt per person isa deceiving statistic if you don't understand what debt really is;wealthy people can incur more more debt as a result of their wealth and per capita income. (see CT)

Spence,like most dems the picture you paint regarding the nations sad sacks is purely sensationalism.Put the broad brush away,anyone with common sense can understand there is too much abuse of the current system.The Palin comment is puzzling to me but typical of one who may be grasping at straws.

Thank you for explaining the ins and outs of car assembly but either you missed the point or didn't understand it.

Do you really think another 4 years of Obama is going to benefit the United States Jeff?

[PaulS]

Nothing more than a poor attempt at humour but also shows why there is no real connection btw him and the public.

[RIJIMMY]

Originally Posted by PaulS

Nothing more than a poor attempt at humour but also shows why there is no real connection btw him and the public.

FDR was one out greatest presidents, during one of our most troubling times. He was beyond rich and didnt earn it himself. He never knew a hard days work. Did he need to "connect" to the public?

This whole connection thing is marketing by the Dems. I guaranty 80% of Americans cant connect with Nancy Pelosi. I know very few who "connect" with Obama.

This is simple and should be an add by Romney. List all the current problems in the country - debt, unemployment , etc and then say you have 2 choices - list Obamas resume and list Romney's resume. Who in their right mind would hire a law professor and community organizer to solve this country's problems? It doesnt add up

[Typhoon]

Republicans don't represent me.
Democrats really don't represent me.

Who to vote for?

[PaulS]

Originally Posted by RIJIMMY

Did he need to "connect" to the public?

But don't you think people are more apt to vote for someone they think can relate to them? Romney doesn't poll as good as Ryan or Obama on that. I see Ryan in a golf shirt and he seems comfortable - Romney looks more comfortable in a tie or a sports jacket.