2012 US General Election Discussions: Start to Finish

[Linus]

Originally Posted by SelfMadeMan

"George W. Bush did a incredible job in the presidency, defending us from freedom." –Rick Perry

That's the level of intelligence we're dealing with here...

From freedom, eh? At least someone admits it!

[SelfMadeMan]

"If you're envious of somebody that happens to be rich, that you call a fat cat - go and get rich, instead of expecting them to walk outside of their office and write you a check. That's not how America works, WORK FOR IT"
- Herman Cain

Yeah Cain, it's that easy. Those of us who aren't rich, it's because we just don't work hard enough for it, we don't take advantage of this prosperous economy offered to us. Moron.

[Soon]

Herman Cain Addresses Sexual Harassment Settlement

/snip/

Cain entered the Press Club less than 24 hours after Politico reported that the former Godfather's Pizza CEO and head of the National Restaurant Association was accused of sexual harassment by two unnamed women at the association. The charges were not detailed but Politico reported that both women received payments as settlement. NBC News reported Monday that they had independently confirmed a settlement with one of the two women.
...
Cain was not asked how he could have been unaware of a settlement if he knew the results of an investigation into the charges. He said that once the charges were brought against him he recused himself from the investigation.
And he added that he does not want the NRA to confirm or deny the settlements, or give any information at all about the incidents.

[AtLast]

What a day today was with the Cain sexual harrassment story and Perry's NH speech!!!

I sear, Perry was either drunk, high or in a manic phase due to too much halloween candy! Yikes!

You know, I get so tired of the hypocritical nature of GOP candidates or elected politicians. All the preaching about Christian values and the the real stories come out.

The other thing on my mind about this is that it seems like when a Democrat gets caught in one of these scandals, it is about consensual actions. Sexual harrassment is not consensual and is a crime and abusive.

The other thing is that I wish that women (or it could be a man) that has beenj sexually harrassed would not take pay-offs. This always brings up talk of that was they were after and sexual harrassment never gets the attention it deserves as a very common crime commited.

I know that many women in this situation are trying to deal with this under the age old "boys club," but damn if i don't wish they would go on to make charges. Then there are all of the fears of losing one's job and thinking about how many single parents there are that need their job in order to support their kids, I get why this happens so often.Then there is all of the blaming the victim that goes on.

I don't ever want any person unfairly charged with sexual harrassment, but I don't know we can ever fight it effectively if back room settlements are made.

[Soon]

The instantly infamous line allegedly uttered by Herman Cain as he pushed his accuser's head onto his crotch.

joemygod

[AtLast]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics...,7925369.story

By Tom Hamburger and Robin Abcarian

Herman Cain's accusers may band together at news conference

November 8, 2011, 8:43 p.m.

The women whose complaints Herman Cain attacked in a news conference Tuesday are planning to counter with a news conference of their own, attorneys for the women said Tuesday night.

"My client has decided to hold a joint news conference with as many of the women who complained of sexual harassment by Herman Cain as will participate," said Joel P. Bennett, the Washington lawyer for Karen Kraushaar, whose harassment claims against Cain got the current controversy rolling after a report of it appeared last week in Politico.

On Tuesday afternoon, Cain called a news conference in Arizona to address several additional allegations of sexual harassment that have surfaced since the initial article appeared. The allegations have immediately pulled the spotlight away from nearly all other topics in the Republican presidential contest.

At the outset of the news conference Tuesday, Cain focused his ire on claims from Sharon Bialek, the Chicago woman who says she was groped by Cain when she met with him in 1997 to ask for help finding a job.

He said when he watched her news conference Monday, he did not even recognize her, and that her account of inappropriate sexual conduct "simply didn't happen."

At one point Cain called the Chicagoan a "troubled woman," claiming that her allegations were put forward by the "Democrat machine."

Kraushaar, 55, sought anonymity at first and her name was not revealed by Politico or in other initial press reports. But she confirmed to several news organizations Tuesday that she was behind the first known sexual harassment complaint. She works as a communications director in a Treasury Department inspector general's office.

She left her job at the National Restaurant Assn. in 1999 after she complained of harassment by Cain, who was the association's chief executive from 1996 to 1999. At the time, she received a $45,000 settlement from the restaurant group, which agreed to pay the
claim without acknowledging its validity. That period of Cain's biography, when he lived part of each week in Washington without his wife and family, is likely to come under more intense scrutiny.

"We will advise all media in advance of the date, time and location of the conference," Bennett said in the email to The Times, noting that he had already been in contact with Bialek's attorney, Gloria Allred, to discuss the news conference.

Allred confirmed that in an email to The Times: "I said I would recommend it to my client, and I think she would want to participate, but I have no details yet and have not had a chance to discuss it with her," Allred wrote.

[*Anya*]

This reminds me of Clarence Thomas, another Republican Conservative, Anita Hill, and sexual harassment.

I watched those hearings. I believed Anita Hill.

We all know how well that turned out.

Poll presented on AM news yesterday stated the majority of Republicans consider sexual harassment (specifically when asked about Cain) a non-issue:

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011
Republicans say sexual harassment charges against Cain don’t matter

"A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll of Republican voters scheduled to be released later today is expected to report that the sexual harassment charges against Cain have NOT diminished his support nor raised any real concern among the majority of Republicans. Only 13% of Republicans surveyed said they are a "great deal" or "quite a bit" concerned about voting for Cain because of the sexual harassment charges."

Read more: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news...of-republicans

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by *Anya*

This reminds me of Clarence Thomas, another Republican Conservative, Anita Hill, and sexual harassment.

I watched those hearings. I believed Anita Hill.

We all know how well that turned out.

Poll presented on AM news yesterday stated the majority of Republicans consider sexual harassment (specifically when asked about Cain) a non-issue:

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011
Republicans say sexual harassment charges against Cain don’t matter

"A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll of Republican voters scheduled to be released later today is expected to report that the sexual harassment charges against Cain have NOT diminished his support nor raised any real concern among the majority of Republicans. Only 13% of Republicans surveyed said they are a "great deal" or "quite a bit" concerned about voting for Cain because of the sexual harassment charges."

Read more: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news...of-republicans

Yes and the GOP/TP just chalk it up as not a big deal- they don't believe sexual harrassment even exists!! And women that cry foul just want money.

We have NOT come a long way, baby!!

[Soon]

Since coming to power last fall, many Tea Party-GOP dominated state legislatures have installed new laws requiring a photo ID to vote. The above graphic tells us exactly why.

[Toughy]

actually I'm not to upset by photo ID AS LONG AS it's free, transportation to and from DMV provided for those who need it and there are ways folks who do not have birth certificates and proof of residence (like homeless folks or folks living in detox centers or group homes, etc) can get a photo ID...

I'm more stunned by Newt.......WTF??????? I wish Cain had stayed in and gotten the nomination........laughing.....can you just see him and Obama in a debate.......Bachman would be just as good....Newt might stand up well against Obama in a debate....

I still say if the Republicans were actually serious about winning the White House they would nominate Jon Huntsman (instead of the clowns Newt with his book sales and Mitty with his magic underwear). Many many independents who voted Obama would vote Huntsman....a moderate kind of Republican..........his stance on abortions sucks big time so he would never get my vote....he supports a right to life amendment and would make 2nd and 3rd trimester abortions illegal.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Toughy

actually I'm not to upset by photo ID AS LONG AS it's free, transportation to and from DMV provided for those who need it and there are ways folks who do not have birth certificates and proof of residence (like homeless folks or folks living in detox centers or group homes, etc) can get a photo ID...

I'm more stunned by Newt.......WTF??????? I wish Cain had stayed in and gotten the nomination........laughing.....can you just see him and Obama in a debate.......Bachman would be just as good....Newt might stand up well against Obama in a debate....

I still say if the Republicans were actually serious about winning the White House they would nominate Jon Huntsman (instead of the clowns Newt with his book sales and Mitty with his magic underwear). Many many independents who voted Obama would vote Huntsman....a moderate kind of Republican..........his stance on abortions sucks big time so he would never get my vote....he supports a right to life amendment and would make 2nd and 3rd trimester abortions illegal.

I'm with you- Cain made me crazy, but Newt is capitalizing (pun INtented) on his departure. Newt is an able debater and there are tons of present day right-wing voters that were too young to vote during his ethics problems in the 90's as well his hypocracy around family values. They will see him as he has re-invented himself only. The Dems have a big problem with his surge and possible mojo, I think. Plus, even moderate Republicans and Independents don't like Romney's lack of pizazz.

His Trump-Hug might hurt him, especially if he partakes in that not-really a GOP debate-but-a-Donald-infomercial might pull support away from him by the more sane.

This GOP nomination bid has taken craziness in politics to an all time high. I'm insulted by it all.

[AtLast]

What do you know- recent polls are showing that Obama has an edge (slight) over both Ginrich & Romney. Interesting and hopeful.

[Soon]

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by HowSoonIsNow

Wonder if since the GOP's actual voting is starting, the clowns will depart?

[MsDemeanor]

Wednesday can not come fast enough. I am sick to death of the only political news being about a few thousand christian fundamentalists picking the next republican presidential nominee. Hey MSNBC, there is actually real shit going on in the world. Care to cover it?

[AtLast]

Kind of an interesting walk through Gingrich's marriages-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...washingtonpost

Yes MsDemeanor- let us move on to other primary states and issues of the day!

[theoddz]

One idiot speeds away in a clown car.

Michele Bachmann drops her presidential election campaign.

~Theo~

[UofMfan]

One less psycho in the race.


I stayed up way past 2:00 a.m. to see the results of the caucus.

I have not been that interested in this primary because what it mainly does is upset me, but I could not help but watch the train wreck that was last night's race.

To win a race by 8 votes is such an embarrassment to someone who poured so much money into this campaign.

A party divided, lack of enthusiasm, all good news for those of us who are not Republican.

[Soon]

"In the repellent race to the bottom (no pun intended) it should be no surprise that Santorum did so well in the Iowa caucuses. Mitt Romney is in a major stall, and in a field of class clowns Rick Santorum stands out as particularly cartoonish. [snip] Santorum's win is not a referendum on who he is as a man (inhumane and ignorant), or who he is as a candidate (pandering and mean). It is simply the gasping statement of a thankfully dying breed of Americans -- those who fear, loathe or hate anyone different from themselves, who mistrust or reject the idea that government can and should be a force for good, and who detest even the slightest exposure to information or ideas that challenge their world view."

- Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center For Lesbian Rights, via press release.

[Soon]

Rick Santorum’s surprising second-place finish in Iowa comes after months of dogged campaigning throughout the sate’s 99 counties and more than 350 town halls. ThinkProgress tracked the former Pennsylvania senator throughout this period and has compiled a list of his top 10 most outrageous claims:

1) ANNUL ALL SAME-SEX MARRIAGES: Arguing that gay relationships “destabilize” society, Santorum wouldn’t offer any legal protections to gay relationships and has pledged to annul all same-sex marriages if elected president. During his 99-country tour of Iowa, Santorum frequently compared same-sex relationships to inanimate objects like trees, basketballs, beer, and paper towels and even tried to blame the economic crisis on gay people. As Santorum explained back in August, religious people have a constitutional right to discriminate against gays: “We have a right the Constitution of religious liberty but now the courts have created a super-right that’s above a right that’s actually in the Constitution, and that’s of sexual liberty. And I think that’s a wrong, that’s a destructive element.”

2) ‘I’M FOR INCOME INEQUALITY’: “They talk about income inequality. I’m for income inequality,” Santorum said during an event in Pella, Iowa in December. “I think some people should make more than other people, because some people work harder and have better ideas and take more risk, and they should be rewarded for it. I have no problem with income inequality.”

3) CONTRACEPTION IS ‘A LICENSE TO DO THINGS’: Santorum has pledged to repeal all federal funding for contraception and allow the states to outlaw birth control, insisting that “it’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”

4) GAY SOLDIERS ‘CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN CLOSE QUARTERS’: During an appearance on Fox News Sunday in October, Santorum defended his support for Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by arguing that gay soldiers would disrupt the military because “they’re in close quarters, they live with people, they obviously shower with people.” He also suggested that “there are people who were gay and lived the gay lifestyle and aren’t anymore.”

5) OBAMA SHOULD OPPOSE ABORTION BECAUSE HE’S BLACK: During an appearance on Christian television in January, Santorum said he was surprised that President Obama didn’t know when life began — given his skin color. “I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say ‘now we are going to decide who are people and who are not people,” he explained.

6) WE DON’T NEED FOOD STAMPS BECAUSE OBESITY RATES ARE SO HIGH: Speaking in Le Mars, Iowa in December, Santorum promised to significantly reduce federal funding for food stamps, arguing that the nation’s increasing obesity rates render the program unnecessary.

7) ABORTION EXCEPTIONS TO PROTECT WOMEN’S HEALTH ARE ‘PHONY’: While discussing his track record as a champion of the partial birth abortion ban in June, Santorum dismissed exceptions other senators wanted to carve out to protect the life and health of mothers, calling such exceptions “phony.” “They wanted a health exception, which of course is a phony exception which would make the ban ineffective,” he said.

8) HEALTH REFORM WILL KILL MY CHILD: Santorum, who claims that Obamacare motivated him to run for president, told reporters in April that his daughter Bella — who was born with a genetic abnormality — wouldn’t survive in a country with “socialized medicine.” “Children like Bella are not given the treatment that other children are given.”

9) UNINSURED AMERICANS SHOULD SPEND LESS ON CELL-PHONE BILLS: During a meeting with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register in August, Santorum said that people who can’t afford health care should stop whining about the high costs of medical treatments and medications and spend less on non essentials. Answering a question about the uninsured, Santorum explained that health care, like a car, is a luxury resource that is rationed by society and recalled the story of a woman who said she was spending $200 a month on life-saving prescriptions. Santorum told her to stop complaining and instead lower her cable and cell phone bills.

10) INSURERS SHOULD DISCRIMINATE AGAINST PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: Santorum sounded like a representative from the health insurance industry when he addressed a small group of high school students in Merrimack, New Hampshire in December. The former Pennsylvania senator not only defended insurers for denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, he also argued that individuals who are sick should pay higher premiums because they cost more money to insure.

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/0...gn-statements/