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The Presidential Election In The USA..........

Started by Rad, Jul 18, 2012, 10:34 AM

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Rad

Romney Economic Policy Director Was Lobbying For Wall Street Three Months Ago

By Travis Waldron on Oct 18, 2012 at 2:15 pm

A recently hired economic policy director for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign was a top lobbyist for JP Morgan Chase, Wall Street's biggest bank, and federal documents show that he lobbied Congress and federal regulators this year on issues ranging from the implementation of new financial regulations to corporate tax reform.

Pierce Scranton, who became Romney's economic policy director in August, is listed as JP Morgan's executive director of the bank's lobbying department on public federal documents filed in 2012. Those documents show that between January and July of this year, Scranton oversaw lobbying activities on a host of economic issues, including legislation dealing with home mortgage modifications and foreclosures, Chinese trade and currency manipulation, the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act and other financial regulations, the Jumpstart Our Small Businesses (JOBS) Act, and corporate tax reform.

Scranton, according to the documents, lobbied Congress and federal regulatory agencies on legislation regarding the "implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act." Scranton and JP Morgan, at the time, were lobbying for a loophole in a regulation that limited risky trading; months later, the bank lost billions of dollars on risky trades that would be prohibited without such a loophole. Scranton lobbied on four pieces of legislation dealing with Dodd-Frank's regulation of the derivatives market, according to the documents. He also met with Treasury officials in January of 2011 regarding Dodd-Frank, according to the Sunlight Foundation.

JP Morgan has been an ardent opponent of many of the rules contained in Dodd-Frank, including the regulation of the derivatives market. JP Morgan has spent nearly $10 million lobbying since the beginning of 2011, much of it aimed at Dodd-Frank and regulations it includes.

Romney pledged to repeal Dodd-Frank early in his presidential campaign. He has offered vague support for "enhanced capital requirements" and the regulation of derivatives and has said he plans to replace Dodd-Frank with a "streamlined regulatory framework," but the only specifics he has offered are already in Dodd-Frank (which he admits in his plan).

While Scranton oversaw JP Morgan's lobbying, the bank also lobbied against legislation meant to address Chinese trade and currency manipulation. JP Morgan and other banks and financial services companies lobbied against the bill. Romney, however, has talked openly about signing an executive order on his first day in office that would declare China a currency manipulator.

Scranton also "discussed the issue of corporate tax reform" and a special tax break for banks' offshore profits, according to the documents. Corporate taxation has also been a prominent issue for Romney's campaign. His tax plan cuts the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent and would institute a territorial tax system that would exempt American corporations from paying taxes on the profits they earn abroad.

The Romney campaign did not respond to Think Progress' request for comment.

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Romney Cites Study Based On Repealing Almost All Middle Class Tax Breaks To Bolster His Tax Plan

By Pat Garofalo posted from ThinkProgress Economy on Oct 19, 2012 at 10:02 am

Mitt Romney has been desperately trying to refute a study by the Tax Policy Center showing that he can't mathematically achieve his goals of reducing income tax rates while shielding the middle class from a tax increase and not adding to the deficit. If Romney is committed to his rate reduction and deficit neutrality, he would have to raise middle class taxes by $2,000, even under the most generous assumptions.

Romney has been pointing to "six studies" that he claims show that his tax plan work. However, those "studies" (which are mostly blog posts and op-eds) show no such thing.

So now the Romney campaign is touting a 2006 study from the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation that he claims vindicates his approach, telling Roll Call the study shows "how a "˜Romney-style tax plan' could bolster growth." According to the study, tax reform that eliminates deductions and loopholes and reduces income tax rates will slightly increase economic growth over a decade. But the study assumes that nearly all middle class tax breaks - including those for children, mortgages, and employer contributions for health care - are repealed in their entirety:

    Under the proposal, all personal exemptions, itemized deductions, personal credits except for the earned income credit, and all above-the-line adjustments to income except for retirement savings deductions and the deduction for self employment taxes would be repealed. The largest categories of deductions repealed are present-law deductions for home mortgage interest expenses, State and local taxes, and charitable contributions. In addition, the exclusions for certain employee fringe benefits, such as employer contributions for health and life insurance, would be repealed. The standard deduction would remain.

The study also found that such a plan would result in the "redistribution" of income tax liability from high-income earners to the middle class. And the promised job growth is only between 1 and 2 percent over ten years (one to two million jobs), while Romney promises that his tax plan will create seven million jobs over four years.

Romney's claims about job creation under his tax plan are almost entirely fabricated. An economic adviser for both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations said this week that Romney's tax plan won't create jobs.

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New Proposal Doesn't Stop Romney's Plan From Giving A Huge Tax Cut To The Rich

By Travis Waldron posted from ThinkProgress Economy on Oct 18, 2012 at 6:16 pm

During Tuesday's second presidential debate, Republican nominee Mitt Romney floated a new idea to pay for his tax plan, which provides nearly $5 trillion in tax cuts. Romney introduced this proposal after analysts showed that Romney can't mathematically achieve his goals of reducing income tax rates by 20 percent while not increasing middle class taxes or adding to the deficit.

But a Tax Policy Center analysis found Romney's idea, to cap the amount of deductions each taxpayer can take advantage of at $25,000, also fails to make his plan add up.

And as the Center for American Progress' Seth Hanlon noted in a column on Thursday, Romney's plan would still provide a massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans, even if a deduction cap were in place. After they hit the cap on deductions, members of the top one percent would get tax cuts totaling more than $105,000. And for wealthier taxpayers, the breaks get even bigger, Hanlon found:

The tax cuts from Romney's plan would come on top of the reductions they received from extending the Bush tax rates, which Romney wants to make permanent. According to Citizens for Tax Justice, the average millionaire would save more than $250,000 a year when the Bush and Romney tax cuts are combined, even if Romney eliminates all of their deductions.

Romney also floated another idea: capping deductions at $50,000 instead of $25,000. That plan would indeed make the tax cut for the rich smaller, but it would also reduce the amount of revenue gained, making the math of Romney's plan even worse. And it would render the idea of capping deductions almost irrelevant, since the average member of the top one percent claimed just over $43,000 in tax deductions last year.

Rad


Obama Mocks Romney's Lies and Flip-flops by Coining the Term Romnesia

By: Jason Easley October 19th, 2012

While speaking at George Mason University today President Obama coined the term Romnesia to describe Mitt Romney's shifts, flip-flops, and lies.

Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8BBEXB1Wf9c

Obama said,

    But now that we're 18 days out from the election, Mr. "Severely Conservative" wants you to think he was "severely kidding" about everything he's said over the last year. He told folks he was "the ideal candidate" for the Tea Party, now suddenly he's saying, "what, who, me?" He's forgetting what his own positions are, and he's betting that you will too.

    I mean he's changing up so much - backtracking and sidestepping. We've gotta name this condition that he's going through.. I think it's called "Romnesia." That's what it's called. I think that's what he's going through.

    Now, I'm not a medical doctor but I do want to go over some of the symptoms with you because I want to make sure nobody else catches it.

    If you say you're for equal pay for equal work, but you keep refusing to say whether or not you'd sign a bill that protects equal pay for equal work - you might have Romnesia.

    If you say women should have access to contraceptive care, but you support legislation that would let your employer deny you contraceptive care - you might have a case of Romnesia.

    If you say you'll protect a woman's right to choose, but you stand up at a primary debate and said that you'd be "delighted" to sign a law outlawing that right to choose in all cases - man, you've definitely got Romnesia.

    Now, this extends to other issues. If you say earlier in the year I'm going to give a tax cut to the top 1 percent and then in a debate you say, I don't know anything about giving tax cuts to rich folks - you need to get a thermometer, take your temperature, because you've probably got Romnesia.

    If you say that you're a champion of the coal industry when while you were Governor you stood in front of a coal plant and said, this plant will kill you - that's some Romnesia.

    So - I think you're beginning to be able to identify these symptoms. And if you come down with a case of Romnesia, and you can't seem to remember the policies that are still on your website, or the promises you've made over the six years you've been running for President, here's the good news: Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions.

    We can fix you up. We've got a cure. We can make you well, Virginia. This is a curable disease.

    Women, men, all of you. These are family issues. These are economic issues. I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as anybody's sons. I believe America does better, the economy grows more, we create more when everybody participates, when everyone's getting a fair shot, everybody's getting a fair shake, everybody's playing by the same rules, everybody's doing their fair share. That's why I'm asking you for another term as President of the United States. I need you to help me finish the job.

President Obama has coined a new and humorous way to call Mitt Romney a liar. Not only was Obama calling out Romney for not telling the truth, he also threw a jab in there about this being a "preexisting condition." That was a little hint to voters that the political shape shifting and lies they are currently seeing from Romney is who the candidate really is.

If there was any doubt left about just how much President Obama dislikes Mitt Romney, that should be erased now. Throughout the 2008 election and his presidency, Obama has never openly mocked an opponent in the manner that he has with Mitt Romney. John McCain deserved the respect that Obama gave him in 2008, and no matter how nasty things became during the Obama/Clinton Democratic primary, then candidate Obama never showed his feelings about Hillary Clinton as openly as he does when it comes to Romney.

Of course, Mitt Romney has a way of bringing this out of people. Newt Gingrich, John McCain, and Mike Huckabee all openly loathe the guy. It seems that anyone who has ever shared a political stage with Romney comes away with an intense dislike for him.

The Obama campaign seems to have an endless supply of nice or humorous ways to call Mitt Romney a liar without sounding mean, nasty, or negative.

His sense of humor is one of the reasons that many Americans find President Obama to be so likable.

It turns out that behind the charm the million megawatt smile, the Obama sense of humor can also be a dangerous political weapon.

Obama has the permanent cure for Romnesia, and it is going to be administered in about 17 days.

Rad


Bipartisan Mitt Myth Busted: As Gov, Romney Didn't Even Know Legislators' Names

By: Sarah JonesOctober 19th, 2012

During a press conference call Friday afternoon, Democratic Massachusetts state Senator Karen Spilka debunked Mitt Romney's claims of bipartisanship. She said many legislators- including Republicans - would say that Mitt Romney not only wasn't bipartisan, but he didn't even know where that aisle was.

Sen. Spilka recounted that at one point, after she had been working with Romney for weeks, he still didn't know who she was. Romney then came to her district and still didn't know who she was. In retelling this to a Republican colleague, the colleague told her not to feel bad because Romney didn't know who the Republican legislators were either. He said, "Karen, don't feel so badly. He doesn't know who we are either."

The picture painted by Senator Spilka is not one of a hard working Governor, much less a bipartisan one. Spilka said contrary to the fairy tale Romney is selling the public about how he convinced the lions to lay down with the lambs and used his business experience to bring everyone together, the Mitt Romney they know from Massachusetts belongs in a "Grimm Fairy Tale". She said it was clear by the end of year two that Mitt Romney was more interested in running for president than anything to do with Massachusetts. He was gone 417 days from Massachusetts, prompting the New York Times to dub him the "absentee" governor.

Spilka repeated the often echoed charges that Romney was aloof and distant to such an extent that he had stationed police around his office so that the legislators and public couldn't get in to see him. According to her, no other governor before or since has done that. She said, "He treated us like employees."

A reporter from the Wall Street Journal brought up the bipartisan healthcare reform law passed under Romney as an example of him working across the aisle. The Senator explained that they had been working on that for years, "We had been talking about reforming healthcare in the early 2000"²s. Romney embraced it. This is his major achievement in helping getting it through." However, she continued, "As soon as it was signed, he ran away from it - went around the country and mocked it. It is the single example of Romney actually sitting down, rolling up his sleeves, working with legislature. In all other instances, he wanted to tell us what should happen. When there was other dialogue, it was his way or the highway."

The Senator charged that Romney failed to deliver on his promises of jobs and a balanced budget, noting that even as the national economy was growing, "We were sinking." Spilka added, "He promised to balance budget, but he left his successor with billion dollar deficit." Businessman Romney also left the highest debt per person of any state in the country.

The Senator is correct about the deficit Romney left in Massachusetts. Massachusetts' long-term debt increased by 16.4 percent, or by $2.6 billion over four years. [Source: Massachusetts Office Of The Treasurer] and Romney left behind a billion-dollar deficit when he left office. [Source: Boston Globe, 12/30/06]

With job creation, income and wages lagging well behind the rest of the country, 222,000 residents left the state, the third-highest rate of population loss in the country. In 2007, the Boston Globe noted that under Romney, "We were one of only two states to have experienced no growth in its resident labor force."

Additionally, her other charges regarding Romney's economic record are also accurate. According to Think Progress:

    Under Mitt Romney's leadership, Massachusetts ranked 47th among the 50 states in job creation.

    During Mitt Romney's tenure, Massachusetts' job growth was at 0.9 percent, far behind the national average of over 5 percent.

    A Northeastern University economist found that Massachusetts lagged on virtually every economic indicator while Mitt Romney was in office.

    Mitt Romney called for taxes on the poor, saying low-income Americans having no income tax liability is "a problem" that will "kill the country."

The Boston Globe confirms the Senator's story about the troopers being used to cut off access to the governor, "During Romney's four years as governor, the troopers reserved one of the two elevators outside the Corner Office solely for Romney's use. They also erected velvet ropes in front of his office, allowing only those approved to enter. The beefy men and unflinching women of the detail ensured that few approached the governor who were not expected." (Boston Globe, 2/3/12)

Mitt Romney didn't even know the names of Republican legislators, let alone the Democrats. It's not just that Romney failed to be bipartisan, but that he was so absent he didn't even know the names of some of the Republican legislators.

Senator Spilka pointed out, "Why would anyone think he would be any different as president? We've seen the real Mitt Romney we know his record. Massachusetts knows Mitt Romney more than anyone else in the country, and Massachusetts is voting for Barack Obama."

Rad


Mitt Romney is the Tip of the Republican Religious Extremist Spear

By: Rmuse October 19th, 2012

It is always fascinating that a country responsible for stunning technological advancements, groundbreaking scientific research, and engineering marvels is painfully slow to change on social issues. American conservatism at one time preferred gradual to abrupt change and believed defending civilization from modernistic culture was crucial to social stability. America has made gradual social changes over the past 50 years, and conservatives fought to preserve the status quo every inch of the way, but since 2009, a new form of conservatism is threatening to take this country to late-17th Century America where the rule of law is the Christian religion and social progress is eradicated making the concept of maintaining tradition highly desirable. There have always been crackpots and religious fanatics preaching the virtues of biblical rule, but between growing numbers of Christian conservatives in Congress, and the Republican presidential ticket, Americans are precariously close to living under scriptural edict that will make the Taliban look tame.

Religious extremists directing Republicans have sought to impose their worldview on all Americans and are a stark reminder of the need to enforce the First Amendment's Establishment Clause which keeps religious groups from controlling the government. A perennial example in Congress is Louis Gohmert who recently said slavery was an ugly moment in the nation's history, but the situation now is even worse. Gohmert said America was coming to the "end of its existence" as evidenced by leaders and citizens neglecting to remain true to biblical teachings, and that the situation is worse because "the entire nation  is far away from God's teaching and so openly rebelling, even from the top, against God's teachings in the Bible." Gohmert is an extreme example, but he is not far removed from Willard Romney and Paul Ryan's vision of America under a bible-inspired set of rules dictating how Americans conduct their personal lives.

Both Romney and Ryan signed the National Organization of Marriage (NOM) pledge agreeing if they reach the White House, they will appoint U.S. Supreme Court and federal bench judges and an attorney general who reject the idea the Founding Fathers inserted a right to gay marriage into the Constitution. They will also defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) vigorously in court, and establish a presidential commission on religious liberty to investigate reports of Americans who have been harassed or threatened for exercising civil rights to organize, to speak, to donate or to vote for marriage and to propose new protections. Although every part of the NOM pledge is offensive on its face, it is the last section that portends danger for any American who supports same-sex marriage, because if there is one thing Christian conservatives and Republicans have made an issue of, it is their claim of persecution when they are prevented from exercising their religious liberty to impose bible edicts on the rest of the population. Don't believe it?

In August, the Family Research Council and Liberty Institute released a joint report entitled "The Survey on Religious Hostility in America" which is a "collection of more than 600 cases, detailing religious bigotry throughout America." Extremist Christian David Barton commented on the alleged persecution of Christians saying People For the American Way (PFAW) and other groups have created a "toxic" and "hostile" environment where public officials are pressured into persecuting Christians. Translation; the Constitution prohibits Christians from imposing their beliefs on the government and rest of the population. A Romney presidency that appoints a commission to investigate and regulate so-called "persecutors" will become a 21st Century American Inquisition to ferret out and punish same-sex marriage supporters.

The gay community faces more trouble if Romney appoints federal judges and Supreme Court justices who agree with current Justice Antonin Scalia who recently said, "outlawing homosexual sodomy is a no-brainer." Scalia wrote that nowhere in the Constitution does it say "homosexual sodomy is a "˜fundamental right, and that Americans do not want persons who openly engage in homosexual conduct as partners in their business, scoutmasters, teachers, or boarders in their home. They are protecting themselves and their families from a lifestyle they believe to be immoral and destructive." This attitude falls directly in line with Romney's pledge to propose a constitutional amendment defining marriage according to Christian tradition and vigorously defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Interestingly, on Thursday the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals became the second federal appeals court to strike down DOMA as an unconstitutional violation of equal protection. However, with Christian bible dogmata replacing the Constitution, the concept of equal protection will be a distant memory.

Women should be most frightened of Romney and Ryan's religious fundamentalism that abhors a woman's right to choose their own reproductive health. Romney said he strongly supported "personhood" measures since they were introduced several years ago, and he supports a constitutional amendment that would establish the definition of life at conception.  His position has been consistent, clear, and far outside the mainstream as well as a serious threat to women's health. Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, cosponsored the bill, with Todd Akin,  that presented America the despicable term "forcible rape." Ryan and Akin also cosponsored a federal personhood bill, the Sanctity of Human Life Act, that declares a fertilized egg is entitled to the exact same legal rights as an adult human being. If Ryan's bill became law, the likely effect would be to treat killing a fertilized egg as the same thing as homicide. Subsequently, nearly all forms of contraception would become murder weapons and the law would effectively ban contraception in the United States.

It would be a tragic mistake for any woman, or man for that matter, to think if Romney and Ryan were elected they would tack to the center and relax their religious tendencies to impose biblical dogma on the nation. Romney and Ryan have been consistent in opposing abortion in any situation as cited in a disturbing instance of Romney pressuring a Mormon woman to have a baby despite a life threatening condition where both doctors, and even the Mormon Stake President, recommended an abortion. The woman's father said Romney pressured them mercilessly and that he had "never been so upset about anything in my life; Romney is an authoritative fellow who thinks he is in charge of the world." It is important to remember that Romney's religion dictates that if he wins the White House, he will be in charge of the world and one of his duties is imposing his religious beliefs on the American people; especially women.

This election is crucial in many respects, but none as important as maintaining the separation of church and state. With a growing number of legislators subscribing to the Christian bible as rule of law mindset, and a presidential ticket replete with hardline religious fanatics who signed a solemn pledge to enforce biblical ideology on all Americans, there is no demographic that will be safe; especially women and gays. It is one thing for conservatives and their Christian fanatics to prefer gradual change and maintain traditions, but this new conservative is harkening back to the pre-Constitution era more in line with the Salem witch trials of 1692 than 21st Century America.

The religious right, Dominionists, and theocracy proponents pose a clear and present danger to all Americans regardless of their religious persuasion. There are historical instances of entire populations being caught up in religious-like frenzy and sweeping away all those who stand opposed, and it is certain that in pre-Nazi Germany, good German people had no more reason to assist in the slaughter of six million Jews than they would exterminate their own children, but when incited to action borne of fear-mongering and state-sponsored hate, there are no groups that can remain safe. America is nearing that point, and Republicans have fallen in line with extremist Christian fanatics whose sole intent is replacing the Constitution with the Christian bible, and America's worst nightmare is a Romney presidency bolstered by conservative Christians in Congress and a bible-based Supreme Court that outlaws homosexuality, contraception, abortion, and gives full Constitutional rights to a single-celled organism. America does change slowly, but a Republican victory in November will bring a rapid change taking America into Dark Ages when there was no Constitution, no equal rights, and the bible's Old Testament was the law of the land.

Rad


In a Devastating Turn for Romney, Swing State and Home State Papers Endorse Obama

By: Sarah Jones October 19th, 2012

Major papers in two swing states (Florida and Colorado) endorsed President Barack Obama for a second term, and in Utah - considered by some a home state of Mitt Romney's - the Salt Lake Tribune has also endorsed President Barack Obama.

In the heart of Utah (one of Mitt Romney's many home states), the Salt Lake Tribune endorses President Barack Obama for a second term. The self-described "largely Mormon, Republican and business friendly state" is going for the incumbent Democrat. They conclude, "(O)ur endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term." The Salt Lake Tribune:

    Nowhere has Mitt Romney's pursuit of the presidency been more warmly welcomed or closely followed than here in Utah. The Republican nominee's political and religious pedigrees, his adeptly bipartisan governorship of a Democratic state, and his head for business and the bottom line all inspire admiration and hope in our largely Mormon, Republican, business-friendly state"¦

    In considering which candidate to endorse, The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board had hoped that Romney would exhibit the same talents for organization, pragmatic problem-solving and inspired leadership that he displayed here more than a decade ago. Instead, we have watched him morph into a friend of the far right, then tack toward the center with breathtaking aplomb. Through a pair of presidential debates, Romney's domestic agenda remains bereft of detail and worthy of mistrust.
    Therefore, our endorsement must go to the incumbent, a competent leader who, against tough odds, has guided the country through catastrophe and set a course that, while rocky, is pointing toward a brighter day. The president has earned a second term. Romney, in whatever guise, does not deserve a first.

The Florida Tampa Bay Times cites Romney's "fanciful math" that would increase taxes on the middle class. They conclude, "Obama has capably steered the nation through an incredibly difficult period at home and abroad, often with little help from Congress.":

    In contrast, Romney would transform Medicare into a voucher program that likely would force many future seniors to pay more for less coverage. He rejects raising even $1 of new revenue for every $10 in spending cuts, and he promises to cut taxes by $5 trillion but won't say which loopholes or tax breaks he would end to cover the cost. Meanwhile, he wants to reduce the federal deficit while increasing spending on defense beyond what even the Pentagon requests - even though the United States spends nearly as much on its military as the rest of the world combined. This fanciful math could only add up to deep cuts in spending on education and other domestic programs - and tax increases on the middle class.
    We wish the economic recovery was more vigorous, and we would like the president to present a sharper vision for a second term. But Obama has capably steered the nation through an incredibly difficult period at home and abroad, often with little help from Congress. The next four years will not be easy for whoever occupies the Oval Office, but Obama has been tested by harsh circumstance and proven himself worthy of a second term.
    For president of the United States, the Tampa Bay Times recommends Barack Obama.

In Colorado, The Denver Post cites Romney's troubling comments about the 47% painting him as someone who won't bring his party closer to the center where it needs to be right now. They conclude, "Obama, on the other hand, has shown throughout his term that he is a steady leader who keeps the interests of a broad array of Americans in mind."

    And though there is much in Mitt Romney's résumé to suggest he is a capable problem-solver, the Republican nominee has not presented himself as a leader who will bring his party closer to the center at a time when that is what this country needs.

    His comments on the 47 percent of Americans who refuse to "take personal responsibility and care for their lives" were a telling insight into his views and a low point of the campaign.

    Obama, on the other hand, has shown throughout his term that he is a steady leader who keeps the interests of a broad array of Americans in mind.

    We urge Coloradans to re-elect him to a second term.

Romney didn't get any primary love from his home state of Massachusetts, where he was governor for four years. The Boston Globe, the biggest Massachusetts paper, endorsed Jon Hunstman over Romney in the primary. No word yet from Michigan's the Detroit Free Press, but the state where Romney grew up is polling solidly for the President, as is Massachusetts where the President's lead is in double digits.

Rad


Republicans are Engaging in a Concerted Illegal Effort to Hijack the Election

By: Rmuse October 20th, 2012

There is a debate within psychology that is concerned with the extent to which particular aspects of behavior are a product of either inherited (genetic) or acquired (learned) characteristics referred to as nature versus nurture. It is difficult to look carefully at human behavior and succumb to one or the other side in the nature v. nurture debate, and it is reasonable to conclude that both inherited and personal experiences shape a human being's character and behavior. There are some behaviors that appear to be innate in groups, and the persistent reports of voter fraud specific to Republicans leads one to wonder if it is a learned or natural behavior to commit fraud on the electorate at such high frequency. It certainly appears that cheating to win elections is intrinsic to Republicans, and especially the GOP's standard bearer, Willard Romney. After observing Romney over the past ten months, it is obvious his megalomania and mendacity did not come from his father, and it leads one wonder if Willard taught his sons that, in the pursuit of power and greed, nothing is out of bounds.

With all the reports of GOP voter fraud and attempts to suppress the vote, it appears that cheating is endemic to Republicans and apparently, Willard Romney. Any questions about the legitimacy of Romney's campaign were answered when a recording surfaced where he asked business owners to pressure employees to influence their votes. Intimidation, restricting voting access, and disposing of voter registration forms are all despicable attempts to fix an election, but Romney, his wife, son, and brother have taken the next logical step and bought electronic voting machines used in Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, Washington and Colorado. Apparently in politics, electoral fraud is a learned behavior inherent to Republicans, especially those named Romney.

On Wednesday this column reported that Romney's Bain Capital business partners owned electronic voting machines in Ohio through H.I.G. Capital that took over Hart Intercivic last year.  H.I.G. employees contributed to Romney's campaign, and two H.I.G. Directors are major Romney fundraisers that should have raised the alarm and a Department of Justice investigation. Now it is confirmed that "through a closely held equity fund called Solamere, Romney, his wife, son, and brother are major investors in H.I.G. Capital that holds a majority share and three out of five board members in Hart Intercivic," the electronic voting machine company.

The Romney gang investments are through the private equity firm Solamere Capital run by Tagg Romney, Willard's eldest son. Recent revelations and disclosures from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) link Willard and Tagg Romney to Solamere Advisors, a company that maintains ties with the Ponzi-linked firm, Solamere Advisors. Romney invested $10 million in Tagg's Solamere Capital venture, which suggests Willard has a financial relationship with fraudsters involved in a Ponzi scheme. In May, Willard and Tagg Romney were implicated in an $8.5 billion Ponzi scheme with Wall Street investors Allen Stanford and James M. Davis.

Romney's problems with Ponzi scheme corruption notwithstanding, with the help of his family and Bain Capital connections, appears to be more than willing to try to take the White House through illegitimate and highly unethical, if not specifically illegal means. However, he is not alone among Republicans attempting to hijack the election. In Ohio, despite the Supreme Court upholding two lower court rulings that Secretary of State John Husted cannot restrict early voting, he quickly limited early voting hours on the three days before the general election to just 16 hours. In Virginia, a 23-year-old man working for the Virginia Republican Party, Republican National Committee, and prior to that, as an Intern for Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa), was charged with attempting to destroy voter registration forms by tossing them into a dumpster behind a shopping center in Harrisonburg. The man, Colin Small, was "working as a supervisor as part of a registration operation in eight swing states financed by the Republican National Committee." There is no end to the voter fraud at the highest levels of the Republican establishment and coupled with the Romney family's ownership of electronic voting machines in multiple states, a petition was created for concerned citizens who believe an electoral emergency exists and are appealing to the Department of Justice for intervention and to save free and fair elections in America.

The petition is to be delivered to The Honorable Eric Holder, Attorney General, United States of America and The Honorable Thomas Perez, Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights and it reads;

Nullify the vote count from Hart Intercivic voting machines tied to "Romney Bundlers," disqualify Romney's candidacy based on the Republican Party's massive pre-election illegal activities and conflict-of-interest in voting machine ownership. The petition outlines the massive fraud on democracy and ends poignantly with a plea for "Restoration of Democracy in the United States, beginning with Restoration of ACTUAL ELECTIONS rather than Fraudulently Manipulated Elections in the United States of America."

It is a sad time in America when a major political party undertakes a concerted, illegal, and fraudulent effort to deny the American people the right to participate in free and fair elections. The corruption and fraud is a learned behavior that found success in 2000 and 2004, and if the Department of Justice had done due diligence under the Bush administration, perhaps Republicans would think twice before blatantly suppressing and denying American citizens the right to vote. However, as corrupt and scandalous as the Republican Party is, they pale in comparison to Willard Romney's encouraging business owners to intimidate their employees, and his family's back-door purchase of electronic voting machines to be placed in critical swing states to affect the outcome of the general election.

America cannot survive as long as wealthy corporations, vulture capitalists, and the entire Republican Party have the ability to subvert democracy with impunity, and it is why it is crucial for the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law every last Republican, investor, and Republican candidate for president for electoral fraud, voter suppression, and destroying voter registration forms. With just over two weeks before the election to decide whether America continues making economic progress after suffering 8 years of Republican malfeasance that lead to a world-changing economic recession, it is critical to pressure the Justice Department to, once and for all, put a stop to Romney, Republicans, and their Super-PAC's illegal electoral fraud and restore America's storied "˜free and fair" elections. The question the mainstream media and all Americans should be asking is; if Willard Romney has the innate gifts he claims, why does his family buy voting machines, lie, and go to illegal lengths to try to win the election?

Please sign and distribute the petition to hold Romney and the Republican Party responsible for their illegal voter suppression tactics and electoral fraud because it may be the final opportunity to have your voice heard; especially if your vote is hijacked by the Romney family's voting machines.

Wendy

#66
Hey Rad and All,

I saw this circulating on Facebook tonight and hope you'll appreciate it as much as I did.  Really gave me a good laugh! and still is...



This is also a great YouTube video about Women's Reproductive Rights, encouraging voters to vote for reproductive rights:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdaJtc5AEyYxg5CDVDGOy6Q

Cheers,
Wendy

Rad

October 19, 2012

A World of Harm for Women

NYT Editorial

If Mitt Romney and his vice-presidential running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, were to win next month's election, the harm to women's reproductive rights would extend far beyond the borders of the United States.

In this country, they would support the recriminalization of abortion with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and they would limit access to contraception and other services. But they have also promised to promote policies abroad that would affect millions of women in the world's poorest countries, where lack of access to contraception, prenatal care and competent help at childbirth often results in serious illness and thousands of deaths yearly. And the wreckage would begin on Day 1 of a Romney administration.

Mr. Romney has pledged that, on his first day in the White House, he would reinstate the "global gag rule," the odious restriction that has been used to deny federal money for family-planning work abroad to any organization that provided information, advice, referrals or services for legal abortion or supported the legalization of abortion, even using its own money.

Merely talking about abortion could cost groups not only federal money, but also useful technical support and American-donated supplies of contraceptives, including condoms for distribution in the communities they serve.

The gag rule, also known as the "Mexico City policy," was imposed by the last three Republican presidents, beginning with Ronald Reagan in 1984. It was rescinded by President Bill Clinton in 1993, then reinstated by President George W. Bush in 2001. President Obama, fulfilling a campaign pledge, signed an executive order lifting the global gag rule shortly after taking office in 2009.

The gag rule did nothing to prevent use of government financing for abortions because that was already illegal under federal law. But it badly hampered the work of family-planning groups overseas, forcing clinic closures, reduced services and fee increases. It also violated principles of informed consent by requiring health care providers to withhold medical information from female patients. And, by stifling political debate on abortion-related issues and violating free speech principles, the gag rule badly undermined America's credibility as it tries to promote democracy abroad.

Republican opponents of family planning and women's reproductive autonomy in Congress have been trying to reinstate the gag rule by legislation. If elected, Mr. Romney has said he would do so with a stroke of the pen.

Mr. Romney also vows to renew another of George W. Bush's shameful policies (which was ended by President Obama), which blocked the United States from contributing to the United Nations Population Fund. That fund supports programs in some 150 countries to improve poor women's reproductive health, reduce infant mortality, end the sexual trafficking of women and prevent the spread of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS. Like Mr. Bush, Mr. Romney has embraced the bogus charge that the Population Fund supports coerced abortions in China, ignoring a State Department investigation that found no evidence for that claim. In fact, the fund has helped promote a voluntary approach to family planning.

The annual federal contribution to the fund is now down to $35 million, compared with $55 million in fiscal years 2010 and 2011; overall support for international family planning and reproductive health programs stands at $610 million - far short of the need. Even so, this amount of money pays for contraceptive services and supplies that reach more than 31 million women and couples, averting 9.4 million unintended pregnancies, 4 million abortions (three-quarters of them unsafe) and 22,000 maternal deaths annually, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

House Republicans want to cut the nation's investment in international family planning severely. Mr. Romney's record of bending to suit the most extreme elements of the Republican Party suggests that he may well go along on this critical issue as well.

Rad


Cleveland Plain Dealer Endorses Obama, Criticizes GOP Belligerence and Swagger

By: Sarah JonesOctober 20th, 2012

The largest newspaper in the swing state of Ohio, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, endorsed President Obama for a second term today, citing his policies as best for Ohio, noting that's he's been met with unbending resistance and belligerence from Republicans and sounding the alarm on etch-a-sketch Mitt Romney's domestic and foreign policies.

They write:

    Much of what beset America during Obama's first term lay outside his direct control. The bobsled slide into recession was in full motion when he took office. The economic calamity has been global; recovery, sporadic and weak. Obama's attempts to reach across the aisle politically were met with unbending resistance, even belligerence"¦

Not impressed with Romney's ever-changing domestic policies or his inability to reign in the extreme elements of his party (Ohio is very aware of Ryan et al's obstruction to Speaker Boehner's deficit and debt deals), it's Romney's blustering, swaggering foreign policy that raises even more alarms:

    Romney's tendency to bluster on foreign policy provides more cause for doubt. With tens of thousands of young Americans still in harm's way in Afghanistan, the United States cannot afford to be drawn into new wars without clear national interests at stake or to sap its resources in further open-ended conflicts. The Benghazi killings reveal the risks of an "Arab Spring" in which terrorists have gained new weaponry and new freedom to operate. But these challenges require inventive diplomacy and international engagement, not slogans or swagger.

On the auto bailout, they praise Obama's auto rescue plan and explain the differences between what Romney advocated for and what Obama did, saying Obama's plan was gutsy as it was unpopular at the time - and it worked:

    Public opinion opposed another bailout. Romney urged the companies to file for traditional bankruptcy - at a time when private-sector credit was frozen even for healthy firms.

    Obama told the companies to restructure using the Bankruptcy Court and set conditions for government financing: GM's chairman had to go. Excess plants and dealerships had to close. Chrysler had to be bought out by Fiat. Contracts had to be renegotiated"¦ It was unpopular but gutsy. And it worked. That's leadership that deserves a chance to finish the job. Re-elect President Obama.

Newspaper endorsements might not seem important in the larger context of an election, but they can have an important impact locally, where they are viewed as a trusted source of information. This is just one of many endorsements flooding in for the President this week, and they've all been thoughtful, important reads in the sense that they provide an overview of how newspaper editors, who follow politics closely, view the actions of our elected officials.

Editorial endorsements offer us a chance at the big picture, instead of the 24 hour cable news cycle race. For this reason alone, it's worth noting how many of them mention the President's calm, steady leadership, the obstructionism of the Republican Congress (specifically the House where Ryan resides), the unnerving changes of Mitt Romney's positions on domestic issues and his damaging swagger on foreign policy.

Another swing state paper has endorsed Obama, and they did it by explaining the auto rescue in a way that debunks Romney's talking points. This isn't good news for the Romney campaign.

Click to read their full endorsement:

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/10/on_the_basis_of_sound_leadersh.html

Rad


At this point, a Vote for a Republican is an Endorsement of Election Fraud

By: Adalia Woodbury October 20th, 2012

Republicans are at it again. This time, a man from Pennsylvania was arrested in Virginia after he dispensed with some voter registration forms. According to Ryan J. Reilly of Talking Points Memo,
The investigation of 23-year-old Colin Small began when he was spotted throwing a folder of voter registration forms in a dumpster behind the shopping center where he works.

    Prosecutors charged him with four counts of destruction of voter registration applications, eight counts of failing to disclose voter registration applications and one count of obstruction of justice.

According to several reports, Small worked for a company called Pinpoint. According to the New York Times, Small had previously worked for Strategic Allied Consulting. Pinpoint was a subcontractor to Strategic Allied Consulting.

Yes, the Strategic Allied Consulting that is owned by longtime Republican "strategist" Nathan Sproul. This is the same Strategic Allied Consulting that was embroiled in similar conduct in Florida and the Republican Party said they were firing because they don't tolerate Election Fraud.

This is the same Nathan Sproul who was paid millions of dollars in previous elections to provide similar services.

Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Pat Mullins said that he was "alarmed by the allegations" and that Small was "fired immediately" when the allegations surfaced. "The Republican Party of Virginia will not tolerate any action by any person that could threaten the integrity of our electoral process," Mullins said.

Right. Where have we heard that before?

The fact that Small was charged is some consolation. However, in the eyes of those who make the decision to engage in systematic election fraud, Small and others like him are just casualties in their war against the vote. Perhaps there will be some more Colin Smalls and more shell companies "fired" by State and National Officials of the Republican Party. Perhaps there will be more statements of zero tolerance for election fraud and assurances that this is an isolated incident.

I'm reminded of a previous time, with a previous president, albeit with a very different problem. When we first heard about Abu Graib, then President Bush "assured" us that the torture in that prison was an "isolated incident" committed by "a few bad apples." Eventually, we learned about the Torture Memos, and the wide spread torture. To this day, they are still referring to that program as "enhanced interrogation techniques."

Let's get back to the republican crime du jour: election fraud. Maybe another of Sproul's numerous shell companies may go down, only to be replaced by another one. Sproul will continue to profit from election fraud and Republicans will continue to protest that they really don't tolerate election fraud.

The problem doesn't end with Nathan Sproul. Republican officials at the state level are doing all they can to suppress the vote. Jon Husted, fought to the Supreme Court in an effort to restrict early voting in Ohio. When that didn't work, he cut the hours during which Early Voting will be available. Rick Scott and his henchman in Florida utilized purge lists, as well repressive voter ID laws; restrictions on voter registration drives. Other states, including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania established repressive new Voter ID laws, though the courts struck them down.

In addition, the Tea Party's True to Vote group is out there establishing its own purge lists, and promising to intimidate voters in Democratic strongholds across the country.

Then, of course, there are the voting machines in which the Romney family has both a political and financial stake. No appearance of a conflict of interest there right?
This will continue unless all those involved in the decision making process are held accountable. Actually, not only will it continue, it will get worse should Republicans be given the opportunity. At this point, I can only see a vote for a Republican candidate as a tacit endorsement of election fraud and voter suppression, in addition to the Republicans' attacks on everything that doesn't benefit the 1%.
There are so many reasons to throw these people out. Their involvement in election fraud is one of the more serious reasons. It isn't the only reason. It isn't even the only serious reason.

Rad


Romnesia Spreads to Paul Ryan as He Forgets Romney's "˜Coal Kills' Record

By: Sarah JonesOctober 20th, 2012

Paul Ryan was stumping for his ticket in at campaign rally Saturday in Moon Township, Pennsylvania when he attacked President Obama's record on coal as part of the Romney campaign's "Pennsylvania crush". Speaking to a few hundred supporters, Ryan said, "He'll keep his war on coal going. Not only are these policies wrong, they are keeping us from having a boom. They are keeping us from having jobs."

Paul Ryan must have Romnesia. This is bad news, because it means Romnesia is, indeed, contagious. For those inoculated, Ryan's running mate Mitt Romney said coal kills back when he espoused the dangers of acid rain. Standing in front of coal plant, Romney said, "That plant kills people." He then regulated carbon dioxide.

Here's Mitt Romney saying coal kills in 2003:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HZAs6vrgr6I

Danny Kanner, campaign spokesman for Obama for America, came back with, "Congressman Ryan either doesn't know his running mate's record or he's just not telling the truth about it. As Governor, Mitt Romney said a coal-fired plant "˜kills people' and touted his power plant regulations as the "˜toughest in the nation.'"

This is true.

    Just after he (Romney) took office, in 2003, he had attended a news conference at Salem Harbor, Mass., vowing to close an aged coal-fired power plant and declaring: "˜That plant kills people.' His administration went to work on what would become the nation's first regulations on the emission of carbon dioxide, and helped launch negotiations on a Northeast regional compact to curb greenhouse-gas emissions." [Wall Street Journal, 11/11/11]

Furthermore, Romney used the exact same coal plants as the Bad Guy in 2003 for failing to meet Massachusetts clean air standards. He said "Massachusetts was under siege from "˜acid rain and air pollution from the Midwest' and that it "˜would be wrong, even hypocritical' not to pursue upgrades to "˜antiquated coal combustion technologies.'" Now, Romney calls those same emissions standards that he was calling for a "war on coal".

If Romney really believed that coal killed in 2003, what are we to make of his latest policy of let them do whatever they want? Is he saying that he now doesn't care if coal kills Americans - have at it coal, because he's being funded by the Appalachian Koch brothers?

Kanner pointed out that coal jobs are at a 15 year high, "But under President Obama, employment in coal mining hit a 15 year high in 2011 while he's making historic investments in clean coal research and development."

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan don't want to explain that their energy policy was written by oil and gas industry executives, so they couch their policy gifts of further deregulation in obscure "jobs" language. No one ever asks them how deregulation, which leads to offshoring and outsourcing, actually works to create jobs here, in the United States instead of Romney's preferred labor market of China.

Romney promises to create 12 million jobs, which is the exact amount economists predict will be created if we do nothing but continue at the current recovery. But Romney/Ryan also believes that government can't create jobs. This is Ryan's excuse for voting no on Obama's jobs bills, so it's anyone's guess as to how their base can buy a promise that flies in the face of their championed laissez-faire economic policies.

Perhaps Republicans love that Romney is running on the issue of our time by claiming, "I will do nothing about jobs. Laissez-faire!" Somehow that's not as appealing, especially when contrasted with President Obama's Bedford Falls vision of America where we pass laws to encourage manufacturing here in the U.S. and hard work is rewarded while the rich pay their fair share.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan can't talk about their jobs plan because they don't have one, unless you call doubling down on Bush's trickle down tax cuts and deregulation a jobs plan - in which case, please go explain to the workers at Sensata just how that's working out. So instead, Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney will continue spreading Romnesia to as many people as possible.

Beware the Republican tea.

Rad

What is wrong with about half of the voting age population in America ?

Mitt Romney is the Executioner Who is Leading His Supporters to the Gallows

By: Rmuse October 21st, 2012

In the Aesop fable, "The Ass and His Purchaser," the moral of the story is that you are known by the company you keep, and it suggests that an adult is apt to be judged by their friends, associates, and heroes, but it does not mean they have to choose to be like them. It is related to another message in "The Farmer and the Stork" whose moral is "birds of a feather flock together," and it is apropos to who one supports in the upcoming general election. The choice Americans make in November informs they either identify as associates of warmongers, racists, corrupt corporatists, and phony Christians, or as citizens of a country founded on equality and fairness.

At this late date in the campaign, it is unfathomable that any American would associate themselves with Republicans or Willard Romney. Romney promises to lead the GOP in cementing their reputation as enemies of the people and friends of corporations and the wealthy elite, and the idea that half of America yearns to cede government control to corruption and religion is beyond the pale. However, the past eleven years has proven that a large segment of the population is stupid enough to wildly cheer as their executioners lead them willingly to the gallows, and defines the sad state of affairs America appears unlikely to escape.

There is no demographic that supports Romney that is not inexorably linked to their own destruction and unfortunately, to their family members, friends, and this country's future. Republicans have panted to turn government over to corporations, religion, and the wealthy since their man-turned-god, Ronald Reagan, was president.  For three-and-a-half years, Republicans actively and with malice aforethought worked to retard economic recovery and keep millions of Americans unemployed and hungry while they fought to increase entitlements to the wealthy, oil industry, and Israel. One hoped Republican supporters were not willing participants in inflicting damage to their fellow citizens and this country, but the 2010 midterm elections were proof positive that a majority of Americans thought so little of their countrymen and government, that they elected the most vindictive and incompetent representatives in the nation's history.

What boggles the mind is the groups supporting Republicans and Romney know exactly what awaits them if they are victorious in November. Senior citizens who support Romney and Ryan know they intend on ending Medicare in its present form, and guarantee its insolvency by 2016. Veterans who support the current Republican ticket know the Veteran's Health Administration faces steep cuts as Romney promotes giving Veterans a coupon to buy private healthcare insurance as well as cutting their benefits. Women supporting Republicans are crying out for lower pay, discrimination, allowing Christian men to dictate their reproductive health, and to become birth machines to produce cannon fodder for perpetual Middle East wars.

One may think that Romney supporters may have forgotten the devastation their champions caused this country during the Bush presidency, but that is highly unlikely because it has only been two years since Republicans toured the nation promising their focus was creating jobs, jobs, jobs, only to begin the 112th Congress attacking women, women, women. Despite high unemployment and several jobs bills sitting idle on John Boehner's desk, he led House Republicans on a campaign to ban contraception, drastically slash social safety nets, and strive to make America number one with the highest child poverty rate in the entire world. It must make Republican supporters proud that they are associated with harsh overlords influenced by religious fanatics and corporate cash. However, it is the number of Americans identifying with Willard Romney that associates them with racism, religious extremism, and corruption.

Willard Romney is a pathological liar with a business history steeped in corruption and fraud as he destroyed entire companies and consorted with the likes of disgraced junk bond king Michael Milken, his son Tagg's Ponzi schemers, and foreign countries he contends are enemies of the state. Americans love a success story, but Romney's support informs that they also love his un-American tactics that raided employees' pensions, shipped jobs to China, and sent his ill-gained wealth offshore to avoid paying taxes. Romney's supporters may claim that accusations of his malfeasance are historical, but how many corruption accusations does it take before an intelligent human being thinks, "where there's smoke, there's fire?"  The only conclusion one can make is that a large segment of the population loves associating with liars, economic traitors, and tax evaders and still call themselves "real Americans."

It is incredibly curious that so many Americans identify with a party of anti-government corporatists and corrupt businessmen and claim to be good Americans, and it is incomprehensible why they support a Republican candidate with a shadowy business record, hatred for at least 47% of the population, and fallaciously claims to be a Christian. For the record, Jesus Christ never condoned lying, restricting healthcare and food for the poor, children, and seniors, or advocated for war, and yet that is Romney's appeal to the American people; particularly the religious right.

It is troubling to portray Romney supporters as pathetic sycophants yearning for Dark Age social policy and government by theocratic plutocracy, but the alternative explanation is worse; racism. That is what this election is coming down to and it has been the driving force behind Romney's popularity and the ease at selling a Draconian corporatist agenda to the American people. Over six months ago during an interview with four retired middle class men, the question was posed; "do you really want a government controlled by corporations and religious extremists?"   The spokesman's reply was instantaneous; "We'd rather have a corporate theocracy than a n*gger in the White House," as his compatriots nodded in agreement and patted him on the back. That one statement defines Romney supporters and a great portion of America. This is America drives a large segment of the population to forfeit Medicare, contraception, and peace, and they will give up economic freedom willingly to see a white man, even a corrupt white man, in the Oval Office.

A large number of Americans are disappointing in their bigotry and willingness to see friends, family members, and neighbors suffer just to defeat an African American President. What is most disappointing though, is their inclination to associate with a false Christian, corrupt business man, and coward who will send their children to die in the Middle East to satisfy his allegiance to Bush warmongers and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Based on their support for Romney, one can only conclude that by association, a large number of Americans want corruption, lying, greed, and racism to define America, and it is another sign this country will never be exceptional until every American is afforded the same deference as the hallowed white man with a Cayman Island bank account, a bible, and wrapped in an Israeli flag.

Rad

The Very Latest: "Keep the faith"

By Zara on October 3, 2012

    "I had this impulse to hug him, so I did. And I cried. I think I even got tears on the Vice President's suit jacket! ... I am hugging the man who will help me and help our President move forward."
    -Kobe

Standing at the back of a packed high school gym as Vice President Biden finished speaking in Ft. Myers, Florida, on Saturday was 15-year-old Kobe Groce. He cradled a "Forward" sign, hoping to get the Vice President to sign it for his brother, Kaelin. After unsuccessfully trying to make it to the front of the event, a staff member asked if he could help. Kobe told his story, and the staffer left for a moment and came back, saying simply: "The Vice President would like to meet you."

    "I turned around and looked back at my mother as I was walking with the staffer in disbelief-I didn't know how to react. I was about to meet the man that helped make my life so much better.

    "My mother, Jessica, raised us as a single mother. She's a teacher and has worked so hard to support her four children. I wanted the Vice President to know that yes, we are definitely better off than we were four years ago. My family has received the tax cuts for the middle class that the President and Vice President passed, and it has helped us tremendously.

    "The President and Vice President have gone above and beyond for people like me and my family, and they stand for things like keeping school affordable. My older brother uses Pell Grants and college loans to be able to afford school, and I'm thankful for that. I want to be able to go to Florida State University one day, and now I know I don't have to worry about being able to afford it. Life would not be the way it is today if they hadn't taken office four years ago.

    "The Vice President approached me and I was introduced to him as a "˜special guest.' I was overwhelmed with different emotions. I had this impulse to hug him, so I did. And I cried. I think I even got tears on the Vice President's suit jacket! I met someone who has done so much for my family without even knowing us, and that was an incredible, overwhelming feeling. I felt like he really heard me, like he knew who I was. I am hugging the man who will help me and help our President move forward."

Kobe was very grateful for the chance to meet the Vice President, but he didn't want to leave without something for his brother.

    "I explained to the Vice President that the reason I was there was because my older brother inspired me to do so. He said, 'Do you have his phone number?' Then he called him and said, 'Kaelin, this is Vice President Biden' and they chatted for about five minutes! He also signed my placard, and the last line of his note really has stuck with me. He wrote: 'It was a pleasure meeting you, keep the faith.'

    "I'm definitely going to keep the faith, and the thing I'm most looking forward to is watching President Obama and Vice President Biden being sworn in for a second term on January 20th, 2013."

Today, Kobe is signing up to spend the last 34 days of this campaign working as hard to re-elect President Obama and Vice President Biden as they are working for him. Follow Kobe's lead and sign up to volunteer now.

Rad


Swing State Papers Flock to Obama, Deem Romney Unworthy of Presidency

By: Sarah JonesOctober 21st, 2012

Swing state papers in Colorado, Ohio, North Carolina, and Arizona (yes, Arizona is turning out to be a 2012 surprise of a swing state) endorsed President Obama this weekend. They write that Romney has no core conviction other than thinking he should be president, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Akron Beacon Journal writes that Romney's comments about the 47% render him unworthy of the presidency, "He either was telling the crowd what he thought it wanted to hear, or he believes what he said. Either way, the words aren't worthy of a president."

The swing state Colorado Durango Herald endorsed Obama for a second term, writing that Romney is not even a viable alternative and his mysterious platform consists of nothing more than nostalgia for the 1950s. Most damaging, and a sentiment shared by many editorials endorsing Obama, they write that Romney has no core conviction other than that he should be president:

    The question before presidential voters is simple: Who will better serve this country for the next four years, Mitt Romney or Barack Obama? When couched in straightforward terms, the answer is clear: President Obama should be re-elected.

    Unfortunately, the Republican Party has offered no credible alternative. Its platform consists of little more than nostalgia for the 1950s, and its presidential candidate largely remains a mystery. Romney has publicly demonstrated no core convictions beyond his obvious belief that he should be president. He apparently thinks that simply not being Obama is qualification enough. It is not.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Akron Beacon Journal of swing state Ohio endorses Obama for a second term recalling how "dire" things were when Obama took office in 2009:

    Recall how dire things were when he arrived at the White House, the economy plunging downward, at a pace much worse than almost anyone thought, contracting 8.9 percent in the final quarter of 2008, and then another 6.5 percent the following three months. The job losses were staggering, the contraction the most severe since the Great Depression. The blows to housing, construction and finance made certain the recovery would be slow and halting, many coping with diminished assets and heavy debt, all of it setting back demand.

They note that Obama and the Democrats in Congress did everything they could to save the economy within the confines of the "political landscape" - a dig at Congressional Republicans who obstructed Obama's efforts to do even more.

    In response, the Obama White House and a Democratic Congress acted as aggressively as the political landscape would allow. They enacted a stimulus package that prevented something much worse and set the economy on a path of growth. They rescued the auto industry. They strengthened regulation of Wall Street.

They also point out what few have mentioned about the Obama Stimulus, "It looked forward via the first substantial commitment to research and development of green technology"¦" They praise Obama for elevating our image overseas by working with other nations, and cite his sanctions on Iran as an effective example of Obama working with other nations.

Of all of the thoughtful editorials out there, this one got to something too often ignored - how we use government, what its purpose is. They write that Obama has used government to bolster the economy, invest in education, innovation and more.

    What is telling about a presidency is its tilt, its direction, spirit and priorities. Thus, to those who argue the president lacks a plan for a second term: Look at the foundation that has been set. He has used the levers of government to bolster the economy, investing in education, innovation and health care, understanding the essential role of the public sector in competitiveness. Those tasks are not complete. They would continue.

They call out Romney for his far right positioning and failure to acknowledge the necessity of raising revenue in his promise to address the debt. They say "Romney would be more credible as a candidate if on one occasion he had told the far right something it did not want to hear." And they find Romney's job plan to be a vague rehash in part of things the President is already doing. They also call Romney out for his comments about the 47%, writing that these comments alone make him unworthy to be President. "He either was telling the crowd what he thought it wanted to hear, or he believes what he said. Either way, the words aren't worthy of a president."

The Asheville Citizen-Times of North Carolina (Asheville is a very liberal part of NC) endorses Obama for a second term as President, citing Romney's ever changing positions. With Obama, they write, we know what we are getting and to continue his progress, they endorse him for re-elction:

    It's hard to know exactly how these differences apply to the presidential race because, despite having essentially run for president for six years, it's still hard to get a handle on many of Romney's positions. It is difficult to know whether a President Romney would be the progressive who governed Massachusetts or the partisan of the campaign trail.

    With Obama, we know what we are getting. He has consistently embraced the concept of community. Obama believes we are not just a bunch of individuals but a nation, and that we must work together to address the challenges we face.

    We feel the best way to continue that progress to re-elect President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Nov. 6.

In the surprising 2012 swing state of Arizona, the Arizona Daily Star endorsed Obama for a second term, writing, "America needs a leader with a strong moral compass who is steadfast but not rigid - a leader whose views evolve within a consistent and inclusive world view." They note the progress made in Arizona, and that this is not the time to change course, and they point to the need for a unified agenda in Congress in a subtle reminder to vote downticket if you want faster results:

    Changing course would undercut that progress and create further uncertainty - two things we cannot afford. We can and must move ahead. And no matter who we elect to the White House, we'll still have a divided Congress. Anything possible and good must first come through consensus-building leadership in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. No president will be successful without one unified American agenda.

They sum up their endorsement for Obama noting his principled leadership:

    Principled leadership, consensus and time are required. Obama's accomplishments and positions on health care, higher education, and economic and social issues continue to make him the best choice for the interests at home in Southern Arizona and in our country.

    This is why the Arizona Daily Star endorses Barack Obama for a second term.

Every editorial covered so far has been thoughtful and interesting in terms of how the editors see the President's policies impacting their local area. But most interesting to me was the Akron Beacon Journal's deep analysis of how a leader uses government. As the nation was focused on avoiding another Great Depression, few noticed how Obama's stimulus invested in our nation. Those choices spoke volumes about his vision for this country - green energy, better education, investment in scientific research, infrastructure and manufacturing jobs.

Perhaps it doesn't get talked about often because we focus on the minutiae, lurching from one Republican manufactured crisis to another, but if you stand back from this Presidency, you can see a vision as big as FDR's in terms of how we use government. If you believe that government was designed to stand for the common good, your choice is clear.

*************

The Conservative LA Times: "The only thing he (Romney) really stands for is his own election"

By: Sarah JonesOctober 22nd, 2012

In a flood of new endorsements for Obama, the consensus is that Obama has a vision for this country while Romney stands for nothing except a belief that he should be president.

While we've been focused on swing state endorsements, Obama also got an endorsement from the conservative LA Times in which they write that Romney's ever-changing positions leave the impression that "the only thing he really stands for is his own election." Additionally the Sante Fe New Mexican wrote passionately about the President's gutsy leadership in getting Osama and Obama's slow and steady approach that is focused on the needs of the country, working for the collective good.

The Sante Fe New Mexican endorsed President Obama for a second term, saying his steady leadership stayed focused on the collective good. They note Obama's gutsy leadership in getting Osama bin Laden:

    He inherited an unholy mess - an economy teetering on the edge of a second Great Depression and two foreign wars top the list of disasters. Slowly, steadily and with his eye fixed firmly on the needs of the country, the president has worked hard every day to improve our collective good. It was President Obama who bailed out the auto industry, salvaging 1.1 million jobs and keeping manufacturing alive in this country. It was President Obama who made the gutsy call to invade a compound in Pakistan, tracking down and killing Osama bin Laden. It was President Obama who finally signed comprehensive health reform so that no American has to fear bankruptcy because of a medical catastrophe. More work remains for a second term"¦

    So much accomplished in four years. So much remaining to be done.

The conservative LA Times (yes, Virginia, conservatives do have a voice in Los Angeles) that Murdoch is eyeing up to buy in order to spread his filthy propaganda endorsed Obama, saying Romney is flat out wrong on the issues and his willingness to pander raise questions about who he is.

    Republicans have sought to make the presidential election an up-or-down vote on Obama, hoping that voters will hold him accountable for the country's stubbornly high unemployment and sluggish economy. But this election isn't a referendum on one candidate, it's a choice between two. And unfortunately for the GOP, its candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has demonstrated clearly that he's the wrong choice. He's wrong on the issues, from immigration to tax policy to the use of American power to gay rights and beyond. And his shifting positions and willingness to pander have raised questions about who he is and what he stands for.

They call Romney out for not standing for anything other than his own reelection:

    The most troubling aspect of Romney's candidacy is that we still don't know what his principles are. Is he the relatively moderate Republican who was governor of Massachusetts, the "severely conservative" one on display in the GOP primaries or the more reasonable-sounding fellow who reappeared at the presidential debates? His modulating positions on his own tax plan, healthcare reform, financial regulation, Medicare, immigration and the national safety net add to the impression that the only thing he really stands for is his own election.

Repeatedly, the editorials endorsing Obama call Mitt Romney out for standing for nothing but his own election. He is a man who has shown himself to have no core convictions other than a belief that he is entitled to the White House. On the other hand, we have President Obama who is praised for his guiding principles of working for the common good of all Americans, his steady hand on a teetering economy, and his diplomatic finesse in foreign relations.

The Republicans put up a candidate who quite simply has offered the American people nothing but his belief in his entitlement to the White House.

Rad


Obama Camp: It Only Took Romney One Term as Governor to Raise the Debt and Ruin Jobs

By: Sarah Jones October 21st, 2012

In spite of Romney's claims that a businessman can fix what's broken, his record in one term as Governor of Massachusetts tells another story. In one term, he managed to explode the debt per capita and decimate job growth, in addition to raising taxes and fees on everyone but the wealthiest residents.

Yet in Romney's new ad, his campaign claims "Some can't live up to their promises. Others find a way." The narrator says that a four-year term is "all Mitt Romney needed. He turned Massachusetts around, cut unemployment, turned the deficit he inherited into a rainy day fund, all with an 85% Democratic legislature."

Kudos to the Romney camp for finally managing the adjective "Democratic" instead of "Democrat" (that intentional misuse of the English language is an old and deliberate Republican trick intended to deny Democrats being associated with "democratic".)

Obama for America spokeswoman Lis Smith released the following statement on Mitt Romney's new ad:

"If his latest ad is any indication, Mitt Romney's Romnesia is only getting worse. But he is right on one point- he only needed four years as governor of Massachusetts. That's because in just one term, Romney drove the state down to 47th out of 50th in job creation, increased per capita debt to the largest in the nation, left his successor a $1 billion deficit, and pushed through a tax cut that overwhelmingly benefited 278 of the wealthiest residents while raising taxes and fees on everyone else. And he did all of this while refusing to work across the aisle. Mitt Romney wouldn't make Washington better- he'd make it worse."

In one term, Romney did manage to decimate job growth. "Unlike Obama, Romney took office during an economic uptick. Massachusetts had a net job growth of 1.4 percent under Romney. However, that was far slower growth than the national average of 5.3%. As Romney's opponents have frequently, and correctly, noted, Massachusetts ranked 47th in job growth over the entirety of Romney's term. The only states that did worse: Louisiana, Michigan and Ohio." [Fact Check, USA Today, 1/5/12]

Romney and Republicans like to paint their party as the party of low spending, but George W Bush's term of drunken spending that was not paid for tells the real story. Romney has a similar record in Massachusetts, where "State Spending Rose By 22% On Romney's Watch, Nearly Double The Rate Of Inflation." [Los Angeles Times, 6/9/12]

Romney left a billion dollar deficit in his wake, even though he claims otherwise in public. From an op-ed by Peter Gelzinis: "In off-the-record comments to reporters, those leftover Romney aides conceded that the state's finances were in much rougher shape than their boss with Potomac fever had admitted to. Even as Mitt's mouthpiece, Eric Fehrnstrom, scrambled to get out of Dodge a year ago, he declined to offer an on-the-record explanation for the huge discrepancy between what Mitt and his people were claiming in public and what they were privately telling their successors in Deval Patrick's administration." [Boston Herald, op-ed, 2/1/08]

The debt per capital did increase under Romney, to such an extent that Massachusetts topped U.S. as debtor state. [The Republican, 2/3/07] The Tax Foundation listed their debt as first in the nation, and per capita as $10,546 at the end of fiscal year 2007. (Alaska was second.)

So unconcerned was Romney with the debt that he found a way to reimburse the wealthiest in his state for capital gains they had paid 3 years previously. "Gov. Mitt Romney proposed on Friday that Massachusetts residents forced to pay retroactive capital gains taxes from 2002 get the money back in rebates over three years"¦ The Department of Revenue has already begun mailing out the new tax bills. About $78 million of that is owed by just 278 wealthy people, who would pay an average of $281,000 each." [Associated Press, 11/18/05]

According to a Mitt Romney press release, "The state is required to refund between $225 million and $275 million to the estimated 157,000 taxpayers who paid the higher capital gains tax rate in the last eight months of 2002." Press Release, Mitt Romney, 12/8/05]

There's always money in the till to reimburse the folks like Romney - those who aren't "victims" and shouldn't have to pay their fair share. It doesn't matter how much it balloons the deficit, so long as entitlements for the rich are in place.

You know how Romney is always saying that he won't raise taxes (when he's not saying that he will), and then he launches into loopholes and deductions but fails to be specific? In spite of his claims that he didn't raise taxes in Massachusetts, he did in fact raise taxes in Massachusetts through fees and loophole closures, and he raised fees more than any other state in the nation:

"The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation Estimated That The Former Governor Raised An Extra $750 Million Per Year Through Fees And Loophole Closures." [Washington Post, Fact Checker, 6/12/12]

Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation also found that Romney's fees hit just like a tax, and hit less fairly than a regular tax would. That sounds like our venture capitalist, harvesting the middle class to give tax cuts to the rich - which is exactly what he did in Massachusetts by cutting the capital gains tax and reimbursing the wealthiest for previous years while hitting the middle class and poor with fees and closed loopholes.

History does not confirm Romney's claims that a businessman can do a better job in the White House, but even if it did, Romney's own record speaks for itself. Furthermore, Romney's experience as a businessman was not that of someone who grew a business or created jobs, but rather someone who harvested existing companies for revenue for his investors.

It only took Romney one term to leave Massachusetts in such bitter dismay that his disapproval ratings were exceptionally high. In one term, Romney built more debt, less job growth, and higher taxes on everyone but the rich. If his record is anything to go on, had Romney been at the wheel in the last four years we would not be in an economic recovery - we would be knee deep in Bushian fiscal failure for all but the wealthiest Americans.