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Sunday Roundup

Posted: 05/20/2012 12:00 am

This week, Facebook went public with the third largest IPO in history. On the downside of the ledger, Moody's downgraded more than three-dozen Spanish and Italian banks, and JPMorgan's trading losses zoomed past the original $2 billion estimate. On the political front, a pro-Romney super-PAC's plan to disentomb the Reverend Wright scandal made headlines. Some might question the wisdom of those backing a candidate who is an elder in a church known for magic underwear, baptizing dead people and a belief that Jesus visited America making religion a campaign issue -- but in a world where single-mom Bristol Palin shamelessly moralizes about the value of kids "growing up in a mother/father home," all bets are off. The controversy prompted Romney to deliver the quote of the week, saying of his stance on Reverend Wright: "I'm not familiar with precisely what I said, but I stand by what I said, whatever it was." Mitt, check your Facebook timeline!


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cheepseat
Smaller, Simpler, Smarter, Goner!
12:18 AM on 05/21/2012
All Super-PAC money should one day suddenly disappear in ummmm ........let's say ........... ok ummmmmmmm ...... in umm ........... in some nefarious bank account of a prominent bank like JP Moregain. Then candidates can only use PAC money for which they are directly responsible.
Just like money nowadays, nobody knows where the candidates message is coming from or where it's going . Living in a world of dilution.

Super-PACS are made every day. Rich people like Joe Ricketts have so much cash they don't know what to do with it so they make up names like:

Ending Spending Fund 2010
Campaign for Primary Accountability

I would like to see a comprehensive list before this never ending election season ends.

Thank you A.H. for a well rounded round up .
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
KS7
Let us be poised and wise
11:42 PM on 05/20/2012
The NEW issue with Reverend Wright is that New Klein book, The Amateur, reveals that Rev. Wright was offered a bribe to keep quiet during the last campaign, and that Obama came to him and asked him to stop talking. That's the new news.
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Catriona
Wha daur meddle wi me?
11:32 PM on 05/20/2012
"I'm not familiar with precisely what I said, but I stand by what I said, whatever it was."

I didn't do it! If I did do it I can explain. If I can't explain I'm sorry and I'll never do it again.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
lhoffman5
72 yr old,Eisenhower Rep. Retired history Teacher
08:11 PM on 05/20/2012
Dear Arianna, I would like to join you on Twitter: the problem for me is that it takes me the first 140 characters just to warm up! L O L
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Holymolly
Emotionally intellingent
12:24 AM on 05/21/2012
Time to step away from your computer, no?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
lhoffman5
72 yr old,Eisenhower Rep. Retired history Teacher
10:47 AM on 05/21/2012
:) l o l  nah, I just like to talk, with my two bad knees and an ankle slightlymessed up from a mtrcycle accident (totaled it) I sit a lot!  L O L
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
lhoffman5
72 yr old,Eisenhower Rep. Retired history Teacher
08:06 PM on 05/20/2012
The interesting thing about what the Mittster said was that with out a script or a teleprompter he is a lost soul. Unfortunately, we need a President who can think on his feet. Waiting for the Script writer will not cut it when talking to Alexander Putin! Sorry Mitt, your not the one! For that matter neither is the entire republican platform, which has yet to be announced other than the eternal tax cuts for the wealthy!
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Catriona
Wha daur meddle wi me?
11:33 PM on 05/20/2012
"The interesting thing about what the Mittster said was that with out a script or a teleprompter he is a lost soul."

If anybody finds his soul I hope they send it back to him....
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Holymolly
Emotionally intellingent
12:24 AM on 05/21/2012
You need a baptism. :O
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
lhoffman5
72 yr old,Eisenhower Rep. Retired history Teacher
10:50 AM on 05/21/2012
Cool, I wish I had thought of that line! nice work  :)
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Chopin
Multiply the truth. Speak truth through power.
07:36 PM on 05/20/2012
"SOBERING FACTS OF US ECONOMY, NATIONAL DEBT & IMPERIALISM":--

Connecting dots between Greece, Afghanistan, US, Iran:

April2012, nominal USGDP was $15.46Trillion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt

May20, 2012,
USNationalDebt= $15,723,800,392,387
one minute later= $15,723,803,142,752
growing $3.96Billion perday= $1.445Trillion peryear.
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

Assuming 1.5% GDP annual growth,
within 5years, by 2017, USGDP would reach $16.65Trillion,
USNationalDebt would reach $22.950Trillion or higher,
Debt to GDP ratio would reach 137%.
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp-growth

If US goes to war with Iran, oil price skyrockets, US economy enters prolonged recession, national debt explodes, creditworthiness plummets, interest rates skyrocket, less than 5years from now US Debt to GDP ratio would reach 146%, as intractable predicament as Greece is in today with about 150% debt to GDP ratio, highest in the world. THERE WILL BE NOBODY TO BAILOUT USA, except defacto debt default, devaluation + termination of USDollar as world reserve currency. USA would be consigned to thirdworld status determined by economics.

Terminal empires become aggressive + reckless, much as terminal alcoholics drug addicts become suicidally reckless. When national debt becomes unpayable, national leaders turn to aggression + scapegoating. The defunct WeimarRepublic morphing into ThirdReich was prime example. Thisweek, NATO discuss exit from Afghanistan. Lastweek, USCongress set stage for war with Iran:--
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-dennis-kucinich/ndaa-authorizes-war-again_b_1524474.html

Whatever the pretext + triggering event, war with Iran would precipitate end of AmericanEmpire.
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Beatriz09
06:30 PM on 05/20/2012
Once again, as a progressive I have to disagree. Mormons are Christians. They deserve to be respected as any other follower of one or the other religion on earth. 

I'm an agnostic, but each time someone attacks a presidential candidate just because of his religion, I will remember that imho that's simply despicable.

We should attack Romney's POLICY proposals, certainly NOT his religion.

Of course, everyone has the right to publicly disagree with one or the other aspect of a certain religion. The most easiest way to attack a monotheistic religion is to attack its belief in miracles and in the supra-natural world. But religions always refuted that kind of criticism using a perfectly rational argument: the truth about the world cannot possibly be reduced to what is visible. Science proves that point each and every day. 

That's why attacking a religion because it asks people to believe in things that go against common sense ideas will never work, and always be the cheapest kind of attack.
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lhoffman5
72 yr old,Eisenhower Rep. Retired history Teacher
08:08 PM on 05/20/2012
I agree with you lets attack Romney's POLICY! Oh sorry my bad, he doesn't have any policies!
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Beatriz09
10:03 PM on 05/20/2012
He rarely TALKS about his policies. But we shouldn't be mistaken: the rare times he does, it's PERFECTLY clear that he's listening to his financial bosses Rove and Norquist. As Norquist himself said: what he needs is a president who simply signs the bills a GOP Congress passes. In other words, a president who shuts up and does what his bosses tell him to do. THAT's why it's so important to not forget that his etch-a-sketch statements actually hide a 200% neocon Bush III ideology, and to ATTACK that ideology with facts and serious, respectful arguments. Because THAT's the debate that we should URGENTLY have, especially after the GOP won the House in 2010.
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marinemomof3
"They lied mom", I know son, I know.
08:27 PM on 05/20/2012
I have been doing more and more reading. Mormon is not Christian. When mormons die (the bishops) become gods.

THAT has nothing to do with Christianity.

The sorry thing is the election season is going to be long. The President and the DNC, Super PACS, what ever have to give him a couple one two punches. As wrong as it is to bring up religion, I hate to say this, but in '08 between Rev. Wright and the Muslim brother hood talk

FAIR GAME.

This is politics, not a popularity contest. I personally could care less, about someone's religion/faith/cult.

I personally can't go through another 2000 or 2004, what ever it takes.
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Beatriz09
10:01 PM on 05/20/2012
It's precisely BECAUSE this is politics that we should stop lowering ourselves to such an absurd levels. Obama has shown in 2008 that you can run a very disciplined and respectful campaign and nevertheless win the elections, or rather, because of the presidential way in which you campaigned win the elections. YES, we should fight VERY hard back. But that means SYSTEMATICALLY debunking EVERY lie Rove and his servant Romney will spread, talking to our neighbors, friends and colleagues, studying Obama's record, in other words: getting the TRUTH out, and getting the vote out. Because in the end, the truth always prevails. The only thing we have to do is to make sure that people know it BEFORE Nov. 2012. And if we start to lie and throw mud too, we'll only increase the overall cynicism, that makes people stay home instead of going to vote, and the more people stay home, the more the GOP has a chance to artificially win the elections. We should NOT allow them to do so this time!
11:59 PM on 05/20/2012
You need to keep reading and perhaps change your sources as you obviously haven't learned a thing about Mormonism.
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coutnac
05:16 PM on 05/20/2012
BEST EVER blog it say s it all !
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maximumride
04:33 PM on 05/20/2012
everybody remember myspace and how it was the next big thing? or yahoo? or borders? what has happened to them? what do you think will happen to FB?
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Christian Howell
The STEM. The Whole STEM. Nothing but the STEM.
03:14 PM on 05/20/2012
The POTUS can't forget stuff all the time... he has to remember treaties and stuff...
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AndKoolaidForAll
'Change' is the nature of OUR Universe
04:10 PM on 05/20/2012
GWB sort of proved it's not really a prerequisite since they can be ignored, anyway.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
fjpoblam
Âżdid I say something?
03:00 PM on 05/20/2012
And don't forget how, if I recall correctly, Mister Mitt got on the case of the press for covering him, while I'm sure he'd be even more upset if the press ignored him. I won't go into what Kurt Vonnegut said about such candidates for the Presidency, lest I step on some toes.
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SuperMoncho
The worst kind of prejudice is the kind against me
02:51 PM on 05/20/2012
Did you see Paul Ryan on meet the press, He said that if they dont win in November they will continue being the party of NO and will continue to purposely sabotage the country. Once again defying the will of the voters. Please vote Paul Ryan and his accomplices out.
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Konnie
GOP = GOLDEN CALF OLD PARTY
02:22 PM on 05/20/2012
i've been around a long time. i've watched and held my breath with the ebb and flow of the sanity of the voters. in my life time i've never seen it this bad. i fear for the country and the world - seems like everyone has lost their minds. thanks to inequality, greed, selfishness and the loss of common sense, we are standing on the cliff. will we pull back in time? just reading the headlines here at HP, much less other sites, networks, media is enough to know that some people are willing to sell their souls to the cheapest bidder. sad times indeed. it will take an alien invasion, or some catastrophic event to bi^ch slap enough people to change their ways, and pull together for everyone. at some point the haters and the billionaires are not going to be able eat or drive their money, it may build them a wall and a gate, but will not purchase their safety. never underestimate the power of millions of angry people trying to get food and shelter, justice and simple dignity.
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tony baggio
common sense not political blindness
02:37 PM on 05/20/2012
so sad, so true. F&F
05:54 PM on 05/20/2012
I've been saying that for years!
02:04 PM on 05/20/2012
By Wednesday 23 May 2012 the US ten year note and likely the thirty year bond will be at historically low -150 year low - interest rates.

Yes, the Italian banks and Spanish banks (and French and German banks) are insolvent and incredibly and unsustainably leveraged.

But May 2012 is not the quite end of the 155 year US second fractal nonlinear event. A final rebound will occur starting Thursday 24 May 2012.

The debt-money-asset macroeconomic system is patterned, providing the system the characteristics of a science.

Re : The nonlinear event : "For the masses this phase transition will occur both very unexpectedly and very suddenly. Approaching the global macro economy from such a causal and fractal Weltanschauung may help those considering further debt obligation and those in position of formulating future interest rate and monetary policy."

This country needs a labor based currency and a Krugman Keynesianism jobs program (yesterday).

http://www.economicfractalist.com/blog/
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marinemomof3
"They lied mom", I know son, I know.
08:32 PM on 05/20/2012
Did you get to see him this morning on Fareed Zakaria GPS ?

Another one I recorded was Golsby vs. Ryan with Chris Wallace.

The writing is on the wall, can anyone read?
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evgolightly
---------------------------------
01:22 PM on 05/20/2012
Arianna, thank you for pointing out some of Romney's religious vulnerabilities. While the Rev Wright has been litigated ad nauseum, Romney's devout Mormonism has not been touched at all.

I believe his religion is at the very core of who he is and why he wants to be president. A NYTimes article out yesterday confirms my suspicions.

Whether the Romney campaign chooses to go down the desperate road of resurrecting and further impugning the retired pastor and ex marine Rev Wright or not, I believe the American voter should be better informed about Romney's religion. If he has nothing to hide, Romney should welcome such scrutiny, just as Obama and Clinton faced during hours of televised religious tests during the 2008 campaign.
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Beatriz09
06:35 PM on 05/20/2012
I'm all for making Romney's religion better known, but if this is what we want, we should start by taking it seriously, instead of isolating some of its aspects and taking them out of their context to simply mock Mormons publicly.

We're certainly better than that!
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marinemomof3
"They lied mom", I know son, I know.
08:44 PM on 05/20/2012
I feel what you are saying, I do. This is going to come out sometime this late summer. Be prepared, this is going to get very dirty.

Supposedly neither Romney or the President have 'communications' with their PACS.

I really didn't know much about the religion, but spent several hours reading several different sources. It is right up there with Scientology, returning to Missouri an many other beliefs.

When the evangelicals put together the Apocolypse, the religious leader riding in on the White Horse, they are going to flip.

There are stories, (just that) when fleeing to MX they promised to come back and take over the US. There are several sites that repeat this.

I agree we should be better, just like the President was 'better' negotiating with Boehner.
Look where it got him. If he had held out for the $3 in spending cuts to $1 in revenue, this economy would be much further along.

Just sayin' it is going to get rough.
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Cory111
Life is truly good...
10:07 AM on 05/21/2012
We went through this before and won. It's just a desperate Party seeking some job security.

Obama 2012