2012 US General Election Discussions: Start to Finish

[deeperstill]

ok, so a great turn of phrase in a speech delivered well, yeah, makes me wet*
(*disclaimer: this neither does nor does not endorse the content of anything said)

[Kobi]

That State of the Union address was a classic. Obama has always impressed me with his grasp of the issues I see as important and to break them down into easy to understand pieces and solutions. To me, he makes sense.

However, I am always mindful that he faces an uphill battle every step of the way from republicans, business, various interest groups, other countries etc.

Dont always like the compromises he makes or the watering down of key things to appease the $$$$, but the guys ideas I like. He reminds me a lot of the democrats of old, looking to even the playing field some while not totally upsetting the status quo.

[Cin]

You know the fact that Obama can give a pretty speech was, in my mind, never in question. And his State of the Union/reelection speech was no different. He knows what we want to hear. He knows what needs to be done. And he has great ideas for getting it done. Unfortunately that has yet to translate into him actually doing it.

The remark he made during his speech about students who face the threat of deportation is particularly telling. Telling in that there are so many issues which have played out exactly like this. Obama is accused of being soft on something or having an agenda surrounding something. He bends over backwards in the other direction to prove them wrong. His opponents continue to insist he is doing the opposite. And on and on it goes. It seems he never will stand up and do what he says he wants to do and what they say he is doing anyway. It makes my head hurt.

During the Obama administration there have been more deportation than ever before, close to 400,000 just this year alone. And still the GOP makes claims that Obama is soft on immigration. Right now the Halt Act, a bill to stop the Obama administration from blocking deportation for families of U.S. citizens who are being sent to dangerous countries, is in the House and while it is unlikely it will ever pass, it does act as a counter balance to the Democrats’ urging that Obama use this presidential power. This will likely, as we have seen over and over around a variety of issues during his administration, lead to Obama doing nothing at all. Nothing that is, but giving the issue lip service. Obama loves to give lip service. Apparently that costs him nothing at all and it might get him some votes back.

I think Obama would like to do at least some of the things he promised when many of us saw him as America’s great hope but he’s not going to. The cost during his time in office and after is too great. That said I am too frightened of what would happen should a Republican take office to vote for anyone else.

But according to the polls after the State of the Union, the prediction seems to be that a Republican will be elected. And you can be sure he, whoever he is, won’t be afraid to do exactly what he said he was going to do and he’ll have the support of the corporate media, Wall Street and the 1% behind him. Which means when the middle class gasps it’s last breath, it’s dead weight will come crashing down on top of the working class and the poor squeezing them into an even more limited future. All the while mainstream corporate owned media will tell us how much everything is improving now that the job creators are getting even more corporate welfare. And if you are part of the 99% and you happened to vote republican yet you are feeling the economic pinch, don’t worry because I’m sure the new republican administration in conjunction with that delightful republican congress will take some food stamps away from the hungry and some social security from the aged poor. No doubt that will tide you over while you wait for those job creators to commence creating.

[MsMerrick]

President Obama, has done some things, and can do more.. Yep, he ain't perfect, but . Are you seriously considering any of the alternatives ?
And we seem to neglect to point out what he has done.
Me ? I wouldn't now have Health Insurance if it wasn't for "Obamacare" !

Here's some basics, some of which I am not crazy about but many of whom I am happy about..
This is are posted post from Facebook...

MY President (reposted) 1. Got Osama Bin Laden...check 2. Unemployment rate 8.5%...check. 3. 1.6 million jobs created with no GOP help...check 4. 22 months of job and economic growth with no help...check 5. Ended war in Iraq ...check 6. Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal...check 7. Not one tax hike in 3 years....check 8. Brought out the extreme racism in the Gop...check 9. Still carry 80% of the black vote...check 10. Same wife for 15 years with no extramarital affairs...check 11. Save auto industry and 1.5 million jobs.. check 12. Assisted in ousting Khaddafi...check 13. Only active President to receive Nobel Peace prize while in office. 14. Mortgage modification to prevent home owners from losing their home. 15. STILL fighting for middle class families. 16. Reform Affordable healthcare.... check Despite what the GOP would have you believe, the President has been doing these things and more. Obama 2012 - RE-POST to support!!

[Kobi]

Interesting theories.




The main reason the Republican establishment overwhelmingly favors Mitt Romney over Newt Gingrich is that Romney stands a better chance of beating Barack Obama," says Jonathan Chait at New York. So it's a problem for Romney that "as the campaign goes on, this seems to be growing less true." A new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that negative views of Romney have "spiked" over the past two weeks, from a net +4 favorability rating (39 positive/34 negative) to a -18 rating (31 positive/49 negative) — very similar to Gingrich's -22 rating (29/51).

The shift is most notable among independents, who went from generally liking Romney (41/34) to disliking him by a 2-to-1 margin (23/51). Democrats (21/62) and Republicans (58/32) have soured on Mitt, too. What's behind Romney's newfound unpopularity? Here, seven theories:

1. Voters are turned off by his wealth Americans have long known that Romney is rich, but his just-released tax returns highlight just how much he earns from doing so little, says Peter Foster at Britain's Telegraph. Someone who rakes in $60,000 a day from personal investments is clearly "part of the elite – the '1 percent' that lives by different rules from ordinary Americans." But "the raw amount of money isn't really Romney's problem," says Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post. "It's the exoticness of his finances" — a Swiss bank account, money parked in Luxembourg and the Cayman Islands. "There is nothing more dangerous in politics than 'otherness,'" and Romney's fortune reeks of it.

2. And he's cagey about his fortune Romney's big weakness is that "he squirms like a worm on a hook whenever someone points out his wealth," says Charles Blow in The New York Times. Gingrich has deftly exploited that in recent debates, getting Romney to make a point of "'not apologizing' for getting filthy rich" by buying and disposing of companies. These "non-apologies reek of guilt and shame, which in turn puts people's antenna up."

3. Romney has alienated Reagan Democrats Romney's support has dropped among all voters, but it has plummeted among "blue-collar whites," says Greg Sargent at The Washington Post. That suggests his "wealth, privilege, low tax rates, and generally out-of-touch persona" are becoming a problem. "A smart candidate would use this fact and retool his message," at least acknowledging that Americans don't like "massive disparities of wealth," says Jamelle Bouie at The American Prospect. "But, like a petulant teenager, Romney has gone in the opposite direction," accusing critics of envy. Way to go, Romney, says Dan Riehl at Riehl World View. You've lost us the Reagan Democrats.

4. Being a venture capitalist turned out to be a liability Voters started turning on Romney when his rivals started attacking a resume line Romney had touted as a selling point: His private-sector success at private equity firm Bain Capital. And no wonder, says AJ Strata at Strata-Sphere. Romney isn't a product of Main Street who worked his way up. He's a "corporate raider who made millions the easy way — the Haarvaaard way." That's a liability with Wall Street Occupiers and Tea Partiers. Romney's not a job creator, he's a vulture capitalist. "Vultures have their purpose in nature and economics, but they are not what someone wants in a national leader."

5. The inevitability gambit backfired If I had to sum up Romney's growing unpopularity in one word, I'd pick "entitlement," says The American Prospect's Bouie. "From his refusal to engage his opponents for much of the primary, to his transparent pandering on virtually every issue under the sun, this sense of entitlement has carried over to every inch of his presidential campaign." Voters aren't stupid: They know when a candidate takes them for granted, and they much prefer to be seen as "supporters to be won, not obstacles to endure."

6. He can't handle his rivals' attacks Romney's spiking unpopularity "coincides with a difficult period" on the trail, says Nate Silver at The New York Times. His GOP rivals have been drawing blood with "attacks against him that may resonate more with independent voters than among actual Republicans." That validates my long-held theory that Romney can't "withstand the types of attacks used by Ted Kennedy (Bain) and John McCain (lack of core convictions)," says William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection. Romney never went through the "withering assault and scrutiny" his opponents did last fall. Now that he is finally getting a taste, it's "showing up in polling."

7. Going negative hurt him After losing big in South Carolina, Romney and his surrogates started "going far more negative on Newt Gingrich," calling him a "disgrace" who "embarrassed his party," says Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway. The problem is, "Romney isn't necessarily very good when he goes on the attack." Worse, this "Mad Mitt Beyond BlunderDome" routine is "most un-presidential and runs contrary to the finely crafted image his army of consultants have crafted for him," says Dan Riehl. When people ask for him to show more passion, they don't mean "angrily spewing slander."

http://news.yahoo.com/7-reasons-vote...094700884.html

[AtLast]

All SOTU speeches are political and more so in a general election year.

What I keep thinking about is without re-electing Obama and not getting more Democrats in Congress, we are just handing everthing to a republican party that will tear every piece of what Obama has been able to do apart. that is just unacceptable to me because I see hope in the Occupy Movement finally getting large factions of voters (including the so called "cloth coat," blue collar Republicans) to see and combat big money that has taken away every avenue of opportunity from the middle class.


I can't just sit back and stop fighting. Is Obama perfect in my eyes- hell no! But I can't accept the alternative without a fight. Although, I think that we need to be active locally in order to effect change. A foundation has to be built as it was during transformative political times in our past.

If one doesn't think voting matters- take a look at what is going on in the republican primary races. The establishment GOP can't even stop the anti-Romney sentiment by voters. yes, big money is involved, but voters are saying no to who the GOP establishment thinks is the best to run against Obama.

And look back to the '08 Democratic primaries when Hillary Clinton was the all out "favorite" for more than a year prior to those elections. Voters did speak.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by MsMerrick

President Obama, has done some things, and can do more.. Yep, he ain't perfect, but . Are you seriously considering any of the alternatives ?
And we seem to neglect to point out what he has done.
Me ? I wouldn't now have Health Insurance if it wasn't for "Obamacare" !

Here's some basics, some of which I am not crazy about but many of whom I am happy about..
This is are posted post from Facebook...

MY President (reposted) 1. Got Osama Bin Laden...check 2. Unemployment rate 8.5%...check. 3. 1.6 million jobs created with no GOP help...check 4. 22 months of job and economic growth with no help...check 5. Ended war in Iraq ...check 6. Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal...check 7. Not one tax hike in 3 years....check 8. Brought out the extreme racism in the Gop...check 9. Still carry 80% of the black vote...check 10. Same wife for 15 years with no extramarital affairs...check 11. Save auto industry and 1.5 million jobs.. check 12. Assisted in ousting Khaddafi...check 13. Only active President to receive Nobel Peace prize while in office. 14. Mortgage modification to prevent home owners from losing their home. 15. STILL fighting for middle class families. 16. Reform Affordable healthcare.... check Despite what the GOP would have you believe, the President has been doing these things and more. Obama 2012 - RE-POST to support!!

I'm with you! When will what he has accomplished without support from even his own base be recognized?!!

Also, the Healthcare reforms have not even fully been implemented and there are many just like you that finally have coverage. Also, this year I finally got to tell some of my right-wing family members in small business (really small in the scheme of things) "Told Ya' So" because their cost to provide employee health care did decrease without any decrease in coverage (always a key issue in negotiating for employee programs)! Until now, those cost rose every year for at least a decade. Also, the choices did expand and that mean't being able to get plans that are just easier for employees to use overall (transportation & services more centralized- making these decisions also has to take into account your retirees that are aging).

I will never fully agree with any politician even if I loved them- who does! But, you bet I will be voting for him and giving my time for his re-election!

[Kobi]

He's making this up as he goes huh?

----------------

The race for the Republican presidential nomination is about to blast off into outer space: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced that, if elected, he'd establish a colony on the moon by 2020.

In a speech to supporters on the Florida space coast, Gingrich called for a "grandiose" effort to colonize space. "It's the second great launch of the adventure John F. Kennedy started," said Gingrich.

Gingrich opened up the possibility of the moon becoming the 51st state, something he believes could happen once a permanent settlement reaches a population of 13,000 Americans. While a 1967 United Nations document says that no one country can claim sovereignty over the moon, the U.S., Russia, and China failed to sign a more recent U.N. treaty to settle the question of who owns the moon.

The bold move hopes to boost the former speaker's presidential campaign in the Sunshine State, where space exploration remains a big industry. Florida will hold its GOP presidential primary vote on Tuesday, January 31. Polls show the race is close.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technolo...211103078.html

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Kobi

He's making this up as he goes huh?

----------------

The race for the Republican presidential nomination is about to blast off into outer space: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced that, if elected, he'd establish a colony on the moon by 2020.

In a speech to supporters on the Florida space coast, Gingrich called for a "grandiose" effort to colonize space. "It's the second great launch of the adventure John F. Kennedy started," said Gingrich.

Gingrich opened up the possibility of the moon becoming the 51st state, something he believes could happen once a permanent settlement reaches a population of 13,000 Americans. While a 1967 United Nations document says that no one country can claim sovereignty over the moon, the U.S., Russia, and China failed to sign a more recent U.N. treaty to settle the question of who owns the moon.

The bold move hopes to boost the former speaker's presidential campaign in the Sunshine State, where space exploration remains a big industry. Florida will hold its GOP presidential primary vote on Tuesday, January 31. Polls show the race is close.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technolo...211103078.html

He's in a manic phase, or off meds - and in Florida, the space industry is big.

What bugs me the most with this is his attempt to sound Kennedy-esqe. He's no JFK!