2012 US General Election Discussions: Start to Finish

[Kobi]

http://news.yahoo.com/gay-gop-group-...-election.html

[Semantics]

Larry King is moderating a 3rd Party debate on CSPAN right now if anyone is interested. Participants are Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), Jill Stein (Green Party), Virgil Goode (Constitution Party) and Rocky Anderson (Justice Party).

[girl_dee]

i did not know that Romney is 65, must be all that black dye.

[Semantics]

Originally Posted by Cajun_dee

i did not know that Romney is 65, must be all that black dye.

He looks fifteen years younger. At least.

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by Semantics

He looks fifteen years younger. At least.

Yeah when i read his son Tagg (where the HELL do they get these names?) was 42 i had to look it up!

[Soon]

According to a BBC poll conducted in 21 countries, respondents who expressed a preference in the American election chose President Obama over Mitt Romney by a more than 5-1 margin.
The countries with the largest pro-Obama majorities were France (72 percent for Obama, 2 percent for Romney), Nigeria (66 percent for Obama, 11 percent for Romney), Canada (66 percent for Obama, 9 percent for Romney), the UK (65 percent for Obama, 7 percent for Romney) and Australia (67 percent for Obama, 6 percent for Romney). Romney received the most support in Kenya, where he registered an 18 percent approval rating, compared with Obama’s 66 percent. In Poland, Romney was also able to garner a bit more favor, with 16 percent supporting the Republican, compared to Obama’s 34 percent. Both candidates received relatively low scores in Pakistan, China, Malaysia and Japan. Pakistan was the only country where more respondents wanted to see Romney elected.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...views-poll.jpg

[Martina]

Re Romney's youthfulness.

He has never smoked or had a drink. No caffeine. Lots of money for health care. And primates who are socially privileged tend to be healthier and live longer.

The stress from being so competitive has to be taking a toll though. But his family of origin was close, if somewhat more dysfunctional than the the family he created, and he is very loved and supported by his wife and children. He has every right to look a little younger than his age.

I also think that working for others keeps one young(ish). And misguided as many of his efforts have been, he has put in many many hours of his life "helping" others as a Bishop and in politics. I think that much of what he does, he does with an open heart. That it is based on patriarchal and elitist ideas (he has instructed women to give up their children for adoption rather than raise them as single parents), I guess, doesn't alter the fact that he experiences it as working for others.

I doubt that one could count the number of people he helped move or arranged for jobs for or sat with in the hospital. That's what Mormon leaders do, day in and day out. They also maintain an organization that calls on parents to disown their gay children. I have no use for their religious beliefs or their organization. But the fact is that they work work work work for others. It's impressive.

His dad had some fine qualities. He bucked Nixon when he was a member of the cabinet and tried to make genuine change to encourage racial integration of neighborhoods, not just schools. He was for fair employment and supported civil rights when other Republican governors paid those ideas lip service. And like his son, he worked worked worked worked worked. I know it's a cliche about Mormons, but it's one that the Romney family illustrates. I absolutely don't doubt that Mitt Romney experiences himself as sincere in spite of the fact that he has to rationalize a lot of shit (the destruction caused by Bain, the fact that he lies to the public on a daily basis). He believes in himself and what he is doing. That keeps you young.

He is an integrated human being. He's not shallow or deeply selfish (as Bush and his buddies were). He's deeply WRONG. But he is a person to be reckoned with. Obama made a mistake by not respecting him, and it cost Obama a lot. Hopefully, not the election.

[Martina]

Wow to Palin's "shuck and jive" comment. I know it's Palin, but jeez. The good thing is that it hurts Romney so soon before the election.

And Coulter's "retard" comment.

And Murdock, the Indiana candidate for the Senate, who made the comment that pregnancies resulting from rape are part of God's plan -- this a candidate Romney supported.

Not a great couple of days for Romney with women, African-Americans, and people with disabilities.
------------------------

Someone on the Ed Show was saying that this might hurt Romney in Virginia -- with women in the north and with African Americans. Polls in VA are very close. Losing VA would make it much harder for Romney. He could lose while taking Ohio and Florida if he loses Virginia.

Seriously, we could lose Ohio, Florida, Colorado, and New Hampshire and win if we got Virginia. This assumes (reasonably) that we have Nevada, Iowa, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

[Martina]

I was just listening to a clip of Obama speaking in Colorado, and it sounds like he is losing his voice. Good. About time.

Seriously though, he was not holding back. Good to see.

[DMW]

Credo petition
"The Department of Justice must launch an immediate investigation into Hart Intercivic touch screen voting machines in Ohio, and take all actions necessary to block Republicans from stealing the 2012 presidential election with voting machines tied to the Romney family and campaign."


http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/...Fview.html%2F0

This is the main issue...i guess a trail of votes for verification was only assured or demanded in certain states. I grew weary from the wary of it all...i forget. Obviously, it never went federal and it is up to the individual states still. Of course...secretary of state of each state. Drives me nuts. Paper trail hard copy should be manditory across the country.
Smith said she's still not particularly concerned about Hart Intercivic. Her concern is over any equipment from any company that doesn't leave an auditable trail. "We need systems and rules in place that makes it irrelevant who owns the voting machines," she said. "Some of them are recountable and some of them are not. And that's the situation that's really unacceptable."

According to Verified Voting, there are 118 jurisdictions with as many as 7.8 million registered voters whose votes are counted by Hart Intercivic machines that produce no paper records whatsoever -- in other words, no way to make sure they've been counted properly. That includes jurisdictions in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...n_2006697.html

[Martina]

Polls are a little better today. Still basically a tie in terms of popular vote. No telling. But Nate Silver increased the probability of an Obama win to 73 percent. When it was in the low sixties, I was not sleeping well.

[Kobi]

I never know how much stock to put in polls. It's a math thing with probability and variables and target audiences and margins of error all hinging on unpredictable people.

But, I am curious as to the polls showing Romney gaining with women and Obama gaining with men.

Anyone have an opinion why this is happening?

[Corkey]

Polls only drive up my BP, so I don't put too much stock in them. The only thing that matters is to vote.

[Allison W]

In the same vein as what DMW posted, apparently a retired NSA analyst has spent the last several years analyzing vote records and vote counts in his home state of Arizona and then the greater United States, and found very, very suspicious anomalies strongly favouring the GOP across the board.

http://www.laprogressive.com/gop-is-....VAlnANuH.dpbs

[Martina]

Originally Posted by Kobi

But, I am curious as to the polls showing Romney gaining with women and Obama gaining with men.

Anyone have an opinion why this is happening?

In my opinion, it's because he is using the word "peace" every other second. He's pandering, and it's working.

[Allison W]

Originally Posted by Martina

In my opinion, it's because he is using the word "peace" every other second. He's pandering, and it's working.

I'm a little ashamed to think that all it takes to gain with women is to say "peace" a lot, like it's the equivalent of shitting sunshine and rainbows.

[DMW]

NARAL petition... telling Romney to withdraw his endorsement of yet another
dude who wants to control a womans body. Maybe this will help with the polls...


http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elec...ck-survey.html

Dear ,

Did you know that Mitt has endorsed a candidate who said that pregnancy from rape “is something that God intended to happen”?

Romney-Ryan's Endorsements

Tell Romney to take a stand for women and withdraw his endorsement.

I thought I had heard everything until a U.S. Senate candidate from Indiana, Richard Mourdock, said, “even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”

Who could be so callous as to deny a rape survivor the right to have full control over what happens to her body after such a traumatic experience?

What’s even more disturbing is that Mitt Romney endorsed this guy and appeared in a TV ad for Richard Mourdock.

I’ve called on Mitt Romney to withdraw his endorsement, and I know we can make a real impact if we can get 30,000 people to stand with me. Please add your name.

Romney’s campaign responded to the controversy saying that they did not agree with Mourdock’s comments—but Romney stopped short of withdrawing support for his campaign.

It is painfully clear that Mitt Romney places higher value in supporting his extreme anti-choice ally over supporting women who have survived a sexual assault.

Help me show Romney’s campaign and the media that Americans are appalled by his refusal to take a stand for women. Please add your name to our statement calling on Romney to withdraw his endorsement.

Thanks for speaking out.

Nancy Keenan

[Martina]

Ohio, state of my birth, don't let me down again.

It's just so close, and Ohio is . . . well, Ohio.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...bama-1860.html

[BullDog]

Obama has steadily been holding a small lead in Ohio for a very long time and other states are looking pretty good as well- but of course a small lead is a small lead.

Now I am worried about this damn storm- of course people's safety first- but also Turnout! I am a nervous wreck that this could throw everything out of whack.

[Corkey]

Originally Posted by BullDog

Obama has steadily been holding a small lead in Ohio for a very long time and other states are looking pretty good as well- but of course a small lead is a small lead.

Now I am worried about this damn storm- of course people's safety first- but also Turnout! I am a nervous wreck that this could throw everything out of whack.

We can walk to our precinct so no worries, may need paper ballots but we're going to vote no matter.