Romney doesn't support the Lily Ledbetter Act. He never answered the equal pay question. Who in their right mind thinks women should earn less than men?

I find the reference to be a cheap and patronizing ploy for the so-called Latino vote. But "Latino" isn't synonymous with "Mexican". In my own apartment complex, there are Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Salvadoreans, and Cubans, among still other nations. All of those home countries have different cultures and intense pride in their own heritage. What I've found is that all of them resent the hell out of being tossed into a giant group together as if they're all the same,with the same issues and needs.

For Romney to insinuate that he understands the concerns and needs of "Latinos" because his ancestors were forced there is as ludicrous and offensive as if I made myself an expert on all Latinos because I went to Cancun.

I sent this in last night:


Dear Mitt Romney,

Let me tell you about the American people.

American people, at least the vast majority of them, do not live the way you do.

They don't have elevators for their cars.

They don't have millions of dollars in off-shore accounts.

They don't have trust funds they can pull money out of when they are sick of eating tuna fish in college.

Their wives don't wear $8000 suits.

Most of all, they don't live in the stone age where "IF" women are going to be in the workforce.

Newsflash: There is no "if" with regard to women in the workforce. We're here and have been for a very long time. I know it's probably hard for you to understand because the women in your life have been Nannies and Cooks and Stepford Wives who are supposed to be seen and not heard.

I work hard every single day and the idea that you think that there is an "if" in the workforce that apparently doesn't deserve equal pay, the right to choose what to do with my body, or the right to marry my partner is not only grotesque and offensive but is probably the most blinding display of sexism and privilege that I've seen in the political arena ever.

I don't want you leading this country if this is what you stand for. I wouldn't even want you taking out my garbage if this is what you stand for. You, sir, are a cookie-cutter shadow of all of the old rich white men who have come before you who believe that pandering and lying are the way to get into office.

See, I don't live in a world where other people are "beneathe" me. You apparently do. Your vision of the world is not a shiny new adventure toward renewal as you paint it to be, it is the same tired stereotypically lazy concept that white men get to call the shots for everyone around them.

I'm not buying it. What I *am* doing, however, is hitting 'send' on this email to you and going straight over to the donation page for Barack Obama.
That's my money talking. The money I worked for. The money that you don't believe in protecting with the equal pay act.

Thanks,
Angie

Angie, I nominate you as one of my favorite people ever.

I don't think I've spent anywhere close to $8000 on clothes in thirty years. I hyperventilate if I have to buy a $200 suit.

I may not have agreed with the President in everything he's done (or not done), but at least he's living on the same damn planet.

I posted this on my Facebook wall last night and I'm going to repost it here:

If you are forming a band and are looking for a name, Binders Full of Women. You're welcome.

Cheers
Aj

I posted something similar on Facebook after I heard he was running an ad where his son (?) does the ad in Spanish, to "reach the Latino vote". My reaction was: Are you freakin' kidding me??? His family FLED to Mexico to avoid persecution for practicing polygamy which is illegal in the U.S.! That hardly qualifies them as "Mexicans". To add insult to injury, look at his stance on immigration!! To say he sympathizes because his family are/were immigrants is bullshit.

My other post from FB last night:

Dear Mittens;

Here are the President's words, verbatim, from the Rose Garden:

"No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for."

Best,
A Citizen

I *loved* that look that Obama gave Romney after Romney all but said that the President did not care about the people who were killed in Libya and took a swipe at Mr. Obama's very genuine taking on the responsibility. I think that had it *not* been live on TV, he would have gone across the stage at Romney exclaiming "okay motherf---er I'm going to kick your butt up and down this stage...tell *me* I don't care about people I put in harm's way!"

Yesterday, at the train station platform, a homeless black man had a carton of blackberry pies on hand in exchange for a bus pass for the day, if he could get one. I loved the ingenuity behind exchanging something of value for something he needed dearly - a paid bus ticket so he could get to work on time. I was done for the day (it was early afternoon) and traded my paid bus pass for the day (a five dollar pass) for a berry pie.

He then asked me if I was voting for Romney while trying to ask me for part of the tacos I had in my possession (the supper Eddie wanted me to get for him that he paid for by dropping funds into my account) and I looked at him and said: "No, I'm not giving you my son's supper nor am I voting for Romney and if Romney becomes president, you'll witness a nuclear explosion unheard of in this neighborhood. I'm fresh out of gaskets to blow. I am voting for President Obama: No. One. Deserves. My. Vote. Other. Than. Obama" (Served with a Femme Death Stare).


My hope is that Michelle Obama runs for President in 2016.

I for one am tired of hearing about the attack in Libya. Of course it was an act of terror. No one needs to say anything about that. We all know this. Americans are targeted whether we are in or out of our own country. Whether they are targeted in or out of our country it is an act of terrorism when it is aimed at the Americans. It was very bold of Hillary Clinton to take the blame and responsibility for what happened. All of our leaders should. All of them. . I think Obama is just tired of hearing about it and getting all the rage and blame from it. He just needs to take responsibility as Clinton has, admit a mistake and assure the Americans it won't happen again. Yeah it's difficult to take care of every single American especially when they are in other countries but there are steps one can take to assure that they can be safe.


As for China and anyone getting tough on them. I think no President is about to get tough on China. We need them and want a defense relationship with them. They are a powerhouse and we need that global security. They provide military assets and resources for us. We like it that way to counter Russia and Iran. Ever since the bombing of Pearl Harbor we have been on the Chinese side. The United States has poured a great amount of aid to help the Chinese, vice versa, and it hasn't changed much since. We need to keep partner with China. They are a global economic power and we have increased trade with them over the years. Obama hasn't gotten tough with them and I don't see it happening with any one.

My concern with the upcoming Presidency is more with the American economy, jobs, healthcare, education, etc.. and I wish someone would step up and not just debate this but actually provide some relief and solutions to help us Americans here at home.

http://ltncdn.livetradingnews.netdna...6c904a257d.gif

For the record, Obama has taken responsibility. He did that last night. "I'm the President. I'm always responsible." Those were his words last night.

This is absolutely true. No President is going to 'get tough' with China.

This I'm not so sure of. We certainly don't behave as if we want a defense relationship with them. We don't perform joint military exercises like we do with Japan and South Korea. I think that the military leadership of *both* nations are concerned that, eventually, they are going to have a conflict over Taiwan.

What assets and resources? I like to think I keep up on these matters and I certainly have a go-to person who is a military historian who I *know* keeps up on them and neither I nor my friend could come up with any instances of the Chinese providing either military assets or resources in the way that, say, the British do.

Ummm, no we haven't. After Mao came to power in 1949 we pretty much broke off contact with China until, I believe, 1972 when Nixon went to China. It is not for nothing that we have that saying "Only Nixon could go to China". We have probably had a less hostile relationship with China than with any other Communist country save, perhaps, Hungary but I would not say we have been on China's side since before the Maoist revolution.

Outside of humanitarian relief, I'm not sure how much aid the US has given to China. What aid have the Chinese given us? Again, I can't think of any. Trade isn't aid.

Cheers
Aj

It forever blows my mind that out of all the Republicans in this country, Romney is the best that they could come up with to run for president.

Abraham Lincoln must turn over in his grave 10 times per day to see what has been made of his party.

Pissed me off this morning on my drive to work, the guy doing the news for KRock in LA, 106.7, gave the most recent poll results and kept calling President Obama, Mr. Obama.

WTF.

Yes, finally Obama has taken responsiblity. That's all he had to do. As soon as Clinton did, everyone dropped the subject of Libya except Romney who keeps wanting to bring it up. No leader should lie or cover up a mess, but more importantly step up, acknowledge, and take responsibility for outcomes and things happening under their control. This upsets me the most right now with the debates from both candidates and the "real" numbers of unemployment, jobs created, taxes on Americans, etc..

China does provide us with monetary resources.. some of our debt is contributed to China and the human rights we are trying to help them achieve. There is one China and it includes Taiwan according to the U.S. Taiwan has purchased billions in arms from the U.S. under Bush and China protested it suspending military contacts, but that's where we need them on board with us and recently in 09 China resumed military contact again.

My point is just that I'm more concerned with our American's struggling here and I don't see anyone getting tough on China and why would that even matter or help our issues we are having now. Besides, I may wonder where are these billions from arms are that are being sold to multiple countries and where is that being allocated to.

I beg to differ that trade is not aid. If we have Made in China stuff in the American stores how is that not aid.. American Jobs going out to China, fund going to China to help them with human rights when ours are not up to par, etc..

Again, the point I'm making is this is maybe a bit of a concern for me considering the debt and trade equality and keeping jobs in the U.S., however China is not gonna assist us with that besides maybe sending some debt relief and adding to it only to be used on other things and not what America needs right now to get back on track with the middle class and poverty numbers.

all because of single moms.

CNN.com - U.S. violent crime up for first time in years

Crime rates had been dropping steadily for nearly two decades, but recent statistics show that the increase pushed up the overall rate for violent crime for the first time since 1993. Are you surprised?


I think Obama gained some more support from women again with that whole Binder thing..

Re us and China, the Korean War was a bump in the road. My dad was in the airforce and tells stories of running from Chinese troops as they over-ran his airport during a "human wave" attack.

At dinner I was reading an article in the Economist that said that China thinks our good relationship with Myanmar -- thanks to Hillary -- is an effort to threaten their hegemony in the region. They def don't see us as their buddy.

-----

re single parenting and poverty, it is kind of ironic that Romney was standing right next to someone raised by a financially struggling single mother. One of her kids became a professor and the other got even a better job.

Ok...this link isn't technically about the debate...but the reviews are hysterically funny!
http://www.amazon.com/Avery-Durable-...DateDescending

Romney was funnier at the Al Smith dinner. I thought anyway. His jokes were funny. He delivered them well. He meant the serious things he said (for once).

One thing he knows how to do is win. He's talented in his way. And just so determined. I can't help but admire him as a competitor. Just please, higher power, do not let the man win this thing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obama joke from the Al Smith dinner ---

Another one that gave me a chuckle --

I don't know. He had his moments. I do not want Romney as my President. But as a human being, he has some true strengths. One of them is his tendency to win. He is one of those people who makes it happen for himself. I do not always like that. But I admire it. It's a quality that many better men lack. It's a scary trait for him to have at this moment. Fortunately, the President has a lot of it too. Plus better media consultants and just as much money to spend.

I think the next debates on Monday are about Foreign policy.



I don't know how to take this. :(


750,000 more women unemployed since Obama took office.
.. and the number one issue for women is free birth control.

how can we even begin to talk about equal pay for women when we are all struggling for a damn job.

ever hear of multi-tasking, especially when the tasks are pretty solidly linked....a women's economic capability and freedom entirely depends on how many crumb snatchers she will have responsibility for...Remember in the debate Romney said since mothers were going to work for him then he had to give them flex hours so they can take care of the wee ones....and for less pay but he did not outright say that.

The BIGGEST hinder is the fact men don't do 'womens work'................cooking bathing feeding all the mouths at the table. then the rest of the housework and finally the outside the home job...............

I haven't done the fact checking on the 750000 number however my inclination is the numbers are manipulated...........

The facts:

The Romney statement would imply that between January 2009 (when Obama took office) and September 2012 (the most recent month for which we have statistics), that 580,000 women have lost their jobs.

According to the monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were about 66.1 million women on nonfarm payrolls in January 2009. In September 2012, that number was 65.8 million. That's a loss of roughly 300,000 jobs -- 283,000, to be precise.

So where does the 580,000 jobs lost claim come from? It could be 6 months old.

In March, 65.5 million women were employed -- a net loss of 583,000 jobs since January 2009. That would give Romney the magic number. But, since March, 300,000 jobs have been added to the economy, reducing the jobs lost number to 283,000.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/17/politi...obs/index.html

Who Owns America’s Debt?
 

As the U.S. continues to rack up more than $1 trillion of new debt every year, Americans are beginning to worry about who we owe this money to and how much power our creditors have over us.

According to Barry P. Bosworth, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, our two biggest foreign creditors are Japan and China.

Although it may seem as though our debt to these countries renders us a puppet on strings, Bosworth says this fear is overblown. The U.S. market is very important to China's economy, so China would be loathe to do anything that might exacerbate tensions or disrupt trade between the two countries. And the same can be said for Japan. China owns $1.15 trillion of U.S. government debt -- more than any other country -- but U.S. taxpayers actually owe less money to China compared to recent years. China holds 10% of U.S. Treasuries, down from 12% two years ago.

And what about all the anti-China rhetoric that we hear about on the campaign trail?

Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney has been promising the country that he will declare China a "currency manipulator" on the first day of his presidency--and then enact tariffs as necessary until he forces China to level the trading playing field. Is that something that Romney is actually likely to do if he gets elected?

No, says Bosworth.

Tough talk with respect to China has become standard rhetoric for any presidential challenger. If and when Romney becomes president, his position will likely mellow.

Bosworth also says that the problem with the U.S.-China trade relationship is not, as is commonly believed, that China doesn't play fair. China has actually addressed lots of its unfair practices over the past decade, Bosworth says, while the U.S. is still pursuing the same old self-destructive habits. Until we stop consuming so much and start producing more, Bosworth says, we're in no position to demand anything.

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily...191108431.html

Thanks Kobi....I appreciate you pointing out that neither China or Japan want our economy to fail when they depend on it. Very true.

Also, people forget that the "national debt" is the sum of the Treasury bills that are issued. Essentially, we've written an IOU and promise to pay with interest. The vast majority of Treasury bills are owned by U.S. citizens and our own Social Security Trust Fund. So, essentially, the bulk of our debt is in our own hands.

Having said that, I'm not comfortable with us having this much debt. It's simply bad policy...much like an individual living off their credit card. At some point, there's a reckoning, and the amount spent on interest could have been better used on other things.

However, the Republican/Tea Party spin on the national debt is all about fear mongering.....big surprise, right?

Look here if you want to see the breakdown.

Debt that we pay because corporations and the super wealthy do not pay is unnecessary and can be stopped easily and at once. We have to make corporations and rich folk pay their fair share. And we have to stop fighting expensive wars. We do not need another dot com bubble to get us out of debt.

Reducing debt would free some money to help reduce the problem of unemployment, which is the more important issue. Full employment would end the debt crisis in a few years. There is a gallup poll out today that says that only 45 percent of Americans over 18 have full time jobs.

We have got to get money into the economy from the banks, meaning force them to lend again, especially to small businesses. And we have to make sure that public sector jobs are not cut to the bone, which means stimulus spending. And we must repair our crumbling infrastructure.

The jobs we do have are low end jobs. It is ironic that Romney was talking about flexible scheduling. That is a high end problem. Here's what most women in the economy are encountering:

We tax to get money to reach meaningful full employment and reduce the debt. End of story. Taxes on the wealthy and an end corporate tax breaks. And we need to improve the working conditions for all workers, which means regulation, so that the jobs we do have actually make it possible for people to live and raise a family. It's crazy that working people in this country live in poverty so that a few can become super wealthy instead of just wealthy.

i'm looking forward to the 3rd party debate
even with larry king as moderator
- did stein make bail
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...,5390151.story

That does look fun.

Re tonight, Romney won both coin tosses and gets to go first and last. Romney . . . . grrrrrr.

I love MSNBC's coverage
 

I love MSNBC's coverage...get to see the debate with Maddow! Check it out.

http://www.showbiz411.com/wp-content...l-maddow-2.jpg

Who else is feeling anxiety right at the moment? :worried:

My cat is right at my head purring way louder than she usually does. I think she's trying to lower my blood pressure.

I'm trying to decide on a glass of wine or a cup of tea to settle my nerves. I think I will start with tea and then take it from there.

Before the last debate my mother texted me to remind me it was on.

I told her that I was at the ready for it to begin.

Then she texted me that she would be praying while she was watching it.

She is voting for Romney.

I told her I would be praying too...for Obama. :cheesy:

Great line by Romney -- We can't kill our way out of this mess.

In the documentary I saw last night, someone said re Obama that he's the only Nobel Peace Prize winner with a kill list.

Romney sounds like a Democrat -- invest in education for poor people overseas.


WHoah-- Obama says something like the eighties are calling to get their foreign policy back. lol.

He is kicking A so far!!!!
 

DUDE...note to self...Romney... you are an extremist and that is why we cannot afford to have you and your crusaders help "civilize" other countries that you do not agree with... especially when you would be taking this country back to 1940...UGH..civilize yourself MITT...MOTHER FER