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Sunday Roundup

Posted: 10/28/2012 12:01 am

The week started off with our last chance to have a real debate between the two presidential candidates. But the Battle in Boca was less of a vetting of the status quo than a ratification of it, as Romney essentially endorsed Obama's foreign policy. Why are we staying in Afghanistan until the end of 2014? What of the drones, killing people (including civilians) in our name and with little oversight? Instead of answers to those questions, we got horses, bayonets and Battleship. Midweek brought yet another edition of GOP Inappropriate Rape Comment Theater, this one starring Richard Mourdock and "God's will." The reviews weren't good. The chance for meaningful debate might have passed, but the window for jaw-dropping remarks about rape will apparently stay open right up to Election Day.


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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
JimBobPete
If "less is more", is more worth less?
10:13 PM on 10/28/2012
Foreign policy? Sure.!
One size fits all.
It's called, drones....
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TonyOnly
Truth matters.
08:13 PM on 10/28/2012
FOX News has become the highest rated news media outlet in America. Not by scooping other networks. Or by having the best reporters. Or by their investigative accuracy. Not even by telling Americans the truth. Their formula is quite simple. Arouse people's anger, then give them someone to blame.

The tactic works so well, most of their audience would rather go back to to the same Republican policies that created the economic meltdown, than continue with the Obama recovery they consider to be not quick enough.

And no matter how bad, or how many inappropriate statements we hear from Romney and other Republicans, it doesn't seem to tarnish the whitewash FOX has given the party. To the point where other networks are starting to copy FOX in an attempt to attract their viewers and duplicate their ratings.

Every once in awhile people should remind themselves, FOX News Corp is not impartial or objective. They're owned, operated and financed by conservatives. Their raison d'etre is a Republican in the White House. Forever.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ray Mehan
08:39 PM on 10/28/2012
The republicans have Fox. The democrats have MSNBC, Hollywood, and many in the "mainstream" media.
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timesjoke
No matter how hard you try, time always wins.
09:14 PM on 10/28/2012
While ABC, NBC, CBS, and almost all of the other smaller cable outlets are all owned by far left Liberals, so what is your point?

CBS just had to admit they withheld part of an Obama interview from sept 12 where Obama admits the Benghazi attack was the work of radicals but later changed his mind and had his cabinet pushing the idea it was a random riot caused by a video. A month after the 60 minute video was made CBS reluctantly released the video segment they previously refused to release.

FOX gave Hillary Clinton the only fair interview when she was running for President because all the other Networks already pocked Obama as their guy. The big 3 Networks are no longer impartial delivery agents for the news, they pick sides early on and manipulate the news in the favor of their candidate.
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timesjoke
No matter how hard you try, time always wins.
07:02 PM on 10/28/2012
The media has been giving Obama a pass on anything the Administration simply does not want to talk about. We get a no frills debate process because we have a media that is used to 4 years of soft balling everything in the first place.

Why is it still today that none of the big 3 Networks take the story of Benghazi seriously and only ABC has given it a little bit of coverage, http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/documents-back-up-claims-of-requests-for-greater-security-in-benghazi/

America's biggest problem is jobs, and the second biggest is the economy. But the media ignores these two large issues and they want to spam silly things like the rape/God connection by some guy just trying to be sensational for votes.

Yes, rape is a serious issue, but it is not destroying America, unemployment and a ruined economy can if we refuse to act fast and decisive to counter these problems.
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Think for once
Liberate Liberty
08:50 PM on 10/28/2012
Anytime Govt. decides to involve itself in the personal life of it's citizens it is a very serious issue.

President Obama has accepted full responsibility for the situation in Benghazi because he is The President of the United States, To refresh your memory re-watch the second debate.

One should assume that our Intelligence Agencies made every effort to supply President Obama with up-to-date information as it became available.

Our State Dept. has missions in very hostile situations around the world, The risks are well known, and no one is forced to serve anywhere.

Rape pregnancies are a very big deal, affecting daughters, mothers, and family members. There is no choice in the conception, only in the decision of how the victim chooses to heal herself.
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timesjoke
No matter how hard you try, time always wins.
09:35 PM on 10/28/2012
Obama spent weeks trying to tell us this was just a riot caused by a video. Why were they doing that if it was clear to Obama this was the work of terrorists?

Case in point, CBS just released a previously hidden video segment from Sept 12th where Obama openly admits the attack was the work of terrorists but that segment was edited out and never shown while Obama has everyone out at interviews saying this was just a simple riot caused by a video.....why?

Either this was the work of terrorists or it was not, he can't have it both ways. There is no possible way the State department was blaming this on a video without the permission of Obama. They are his official voice on these matters.

So why lie?

New released documents prove there were many, many requests for more security "before" the attack....all declined. Who refused the request for more security?

Rape, incest, and medical need account for less than 1% of all abortions in America. We have more cases of Lyme disease in America than rape caused abortion. Yes, this is a very serious event for those having to deal with it but it is being used as a distraction from real issues we have in America. You ever hear of using a priority system for dealing with issues? We should use most of our energy working on the big issues like jobs and the economy.
06:14 PM on 10/28/2012
PART I
This week, it seems clear we might have crossed a line. Libya. Benghazi. Cairo. The Muslim Brotherhood. Terrorists. Al Qaeda and Ansar Al-Shariah. Sharia Law based democracies and the Blind Sheik. etc. Granted the line has been pushed so far away from any notion of integrity and honesty, or even simple rhetorical points, one must have wondered how far we could go. Libya proves that the culpability is may now be widespread.
People can believe that a $716 cut in Medicare and looting the Social Security trust fund through a FICA (payroll tax) cut are good things for those safety net programs. It is ones purgative to believe that someone is a murder, felon or tax cheat. One can cling to the 3B rationalizations and actually think reporting endlessly on Binders, Big Bird and Bayonets is what people really care about. Whether one thinks it intellectually dishonest or not. One may want believe a NYT's created headline on an OpEd had anything to do with the content on the auto bailout. Or believe that Fast and Furious was harmless. Or thinking that leaking National Security secrets detailing our activities in the Iran nuclear program was just ho-hum. Or that no one will think a mosque next to the world trade center would be considered a victory destination.
However, input for the decision on Commander in Chief must include the precise, accurate and full reporting of exactly what happened in Libya before and after 9/11/2012.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jaguarmissing
05:52 PM on 10/28/2012
arianna, your criticism would be more relevant if it were directed at the media for agreeing to the format instead of the politicians or the people. it takes two to tango...and the media did its share of dancing into irrelevancy and superficiality. the press is supposed to be the people's protection from political influence, lies and exploitation, yet you were all too willing to be the foil.

the only other issue i have in questioning your analysis, was that there was no mention of the influence of unaccountable groups who paid for the messages the media enabled. how do you expect a debate on substance when it is in the interest of the money people to present biased and superficial views. who speaks for the individual voter???????
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
BillKen
07:06 PM on 10/28/2012
The Individual Voter.
Semper Fi
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timesjoke
No matter how hard you try, time always wins.
09:38 PM on 10/28/2012
What about the influence of the media directly taking sides? The main 3 had picked Obama as their guy early in the process for the 2008 election to the point Hillary could not get a single fair interview from anyone on ABC, CBS, or NBC. Strange as it may seem, the best interview she had was on FOX.
Genders
Love, Tolerance, Enlightenment
04:55 PM on 10/28/2012
Please explain to folks how the debate commission is a non-profit private corporation formed by the Dem and GOP and funded by corporations.

Explain how the debates were are a mockery of democracy, shutting out all the third party candidates, and with approved questions.

Yet we put up with it.,
04:55 PM on 10/28/2012
The question for today frankly is whether Obama or Biden (or both) in the very same situation room they watched a live video feed when OBL was shot, also watching for hours and hours on 9/11/2102 as our best and bravest were left to die without help? If so, why did they behave the way they did for weeks afterward and still to today?
05:00 PM on 10/28/2012
9/11/2012.
05:13 PM on 10/28/2012
Obama and Biden pressured Panetta to call off the rescue and hoped they could sell the incident as an overheated reaction by some devout Muslims upset by the video. To DO the rescue would have tagged the whole thing as a TERRORIST ATTACK --- and which had completely blindsided them. On the anniversary of 9-11, for crying out loud !!!!!!

But, if the polls in the tossup states deteriorate much for Obama by next Thursday, Panetta may be pressured into falling on his sword and resigning in a pathetically desperate move to try to save the election for Obama. It won't work, though.

Panetta's excuse was, "you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on." No kidding? Just that simple, huh? What kind of military doctrine is that? Do they teach that at West Point and Annapolis? Did that apply at Iwo Jima? At the Normandy beaches? At the response to the Tet offensive? That's pure bull**it and every military officer who ever served knows it. Panetta is toast, no matter WHAT happens.
05:33 PM on 10/28/2012
Right now they handed over everyone we captured and all were released except for one in Turkey. This shameless administration will probably bring that one person out the day before the Election, after the shameless Weinstein propaganda and make him out to be a number 2 in command or some kind of mastermind. They are so predictably corrupt and without any integrity for honor for the office and feel that conning America is their right. A warren commission is justified or even a recall if Obama gets in with everything he did here. Right now blood is on the hands of anyone that is complict in letting them get away with such a violation of our trust and our consititution.
05:41 PM on 10/28/2012
I heard that Obama was the coward. Biden wanted out of OBL, but that was just a cover story to make it sound like Obama made a hard decision.  Libya was a hard decision and he failed.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
CollectiveNotIndividual
04:33 PM on 10/28/2012
In The United States of America the median working family income is $49,400 per year.
In the United States of America the grossed up value of Medicaid, AFDC cash payments, food stamps (family of 3), Section 8 housing, WIC, school lunches, and heating substances is $71,000.
I know most you posters are extream leftist liberal progressive democrats...but can't you see that this in just not right?
Genders
Love, Tolerance, Enlightenment
04:59 PM on 10/28/2012
left is the people, right is the rich. really, look it up, so you don't make such stupid asides.

Automation and tech have multiplied our productively to the point where were can easily afford to offer everyone who needs it free education, healthcare, and modest room and board. Obviously letting you citizens be born malnutritioned sick and retarded as a result then refusing children and adults these minimum services will make you country weaker, not strong.

Capitalism has a flaw, it concentrates welt, and the kills the republic and democracy.

"When economic power became concentrat­­­ed in a few hands, then political power flowed to those possessors and away from the citizens, ultimately resulting in an oligarchy or tyranny." John Adams

The solution is progressive taxation on income and gains. 50% over a million, 90% over a billion with 10 year averaging and inflation adjusted basis.
03:52 PM on 10/28/2012
Isn't that really shameful, that people are talking about some stupid comments made by some narrow minded guy, thas has not even been elected to anything and we are not talking about 4 Americans that were murdered, asking for help to the Government and were denied help. Those Amercans were begging for help at somone at the administration denied the aid why? The blood of those americans are in someone's at this admnistration hands, and nobody is asking, and nobody is talking about as if the lives of those people serving this country were not worthy.
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HUFFPOST PUNDIT
Bloggerrogr
Fired Up - Ready To Go!
04:07 PM on 10/28/2012
The 5,000+ Americans who died in Iraq would differ with your poorly-informed blather.


FWIW
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Gun toting bible thumper
April 6 2008 San Fran.
07:20 PM on 10/28/2012
Your post does not relate to Melburne2012's post.

Are you saying that the 5,000 dead would prefer to discuss the comments of some narrow minded guy that is not even elected yet instead of the 4 Americans killed in Libya? Or are you saying that disagree that no one is asking why those 4 dead Americans were not given help?

It sounds like you insert reference to the 5,000 soldiers killed in Iraq to elicit an emotional response even though HOW you use them does not make sense.
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timesjoke
No matter how hard you try, time always wins.
10:32 PM on 10/28/2012
Irrelevant, both Republicans and Democrats fully supported the actions in Iraq. They were soldiers and served with the knowledge that they were facing their death as an every day part of their service. They had all the gear and the troops the leadership asked for.

Benghazi on the other hand had political leadership in the region asking for more security long before the attack but the Obama Administration refused the many requests.
Genders
Love, Tolerance, Enlightenment
05:01 PM on 10/28/2012
Really, and not talking about the GOPT Ryan attempt and promise to cut embassy security funding?

Tell us what embassy you would have moved the guards from.

Tell us how many would have taken to stop the assault.

Discuss the many embassy attacks that happened when Bush was pres.

Tell us how many other embassy asked for addition guards.

Then explain again how you are going to vote in the folks who will cut embassy security funding.
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Gun toting bible thumper
April 6 2008 San Fran.
07:26 PM on 10/28/2012
The embassy in France had more security than the consulate in Libya. There... are you happy?

The question is not about funding but about how it is apportioned.

Throwing money at a problem does not always fix it. Spending it smartly certainly does help.

Look at the education system. What states spend per student does not transfer to achievement. In other words the states that spend the most per student do not have the highest test scores or graduation rates.
08:01 PM on 10/28/2012
It has been reported that funding was NOT an issue. So Ryan can't be blamed for this. You could try blaming Bush though.
03:41 PM on 10/28/2012
“Rev Up Your Engines”
Help Our President Barack Obama And Voluntarily Tax Your Income at 75%.
Like they do in France!

Dear Obama Supporter!

The Romney machine provides a plan for a new world based on tax cuts for the rich while our country spirals into unprecedented economic depression. Democrats need to present a vision that is clear and bold:

The rich have to pay their share

Capitalism does not work!

We live in America were the gulf between the rich and poor is grotesque and where the hard work is not rewarded.

It’s time to tax Arianna Huffington 75%!

Support at: http://reoa.net/rev-up.html

Camouflage – the Famous Detroit Abstract Artist
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02:58 PM on 10/28/2012
What about that Sununu? He's a nasty one.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Cody Seth Crawford
Freedom is a word
03:36 PM on 10/28/2012
http://wwaspsurvivors.com/dr-phil-troubled-teen-program/
wwaspsurvivorThe #Bain connection between #Romney and the #Torture of Youth.
"Darkside of Bain" - Salon Article
http://www.salon.com/2012/07/18/dark_side_of_a_bain_success/

...
TIME MAG
http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/20/new-abuse-allegations-arise-at-drug-treatment-programs-owned-by-bain-capital/

Huffington Post
...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/romney-profits-from-baino_b_1700711.html

Romney Torture and Teens
http://reason.com/archives/2007/06/27/romney-torture-and-teens
See More— with Adrienne Jones, Daniel Hazen, Jessica Ramos and 26 othersAdrienne Jones, Daniel Hazen, Jessica Ramos, Sarah Garrigues, Katherine Daniel, Julia Scheeres, Christy Renee Underwood, Chelsea Filer, Aubray Jackson, Shain Neumeier, Rk T, Laura Lutrell Purviance, Alanna Klein, Bill Boyles, Alana Karsch, Adam Weissman, Kathy Moya, Kate Logan, Sunny Linkfield, Jonathan Dosick, Liam Weikart, Jennifer Lav, Dore Mann, Chelsea Maldonado, Tony Connelly, Daniel Widrew, David Paul Krug, Susan Hawthorne Lawrence and Sonya Dawson.Justice for SergeyThe Anti-Torture CoalitionYouth M.O.V.E OregonCAFETY's Starp Rapid Mobilization Protester MapCommunity Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth (CAFETY)
Tags: Justice for Sergey, The Anti-Torture Coalition, Youth M.O.V.E Oregon, CAFETY's Starp Rapid Mobilization Protester Map and Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth (CAFETY)
See More
Dark side of a Bain success
www.salon.com
A for-profit health company bought by Bain -- that Romney profits from -- has exploded in size and tales of neglects.com
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03:49 PM on 10/28/2012
When individuals are hurting themselves more than their intention to hurt others, it is a classic sign of early stage dementia. It seems that the condition is running rampant among prominent Republicans.
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shootr687
Liberty, not false security
02:58 PM on 10/28/2012
What a poor, slanted Sunday roundup. Slam the GOP and not even mention BenghaziGate. In a short time you will have no choice but to run a few stories on the cover up. The clicks and the need for relevancy will win out.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mark331blue
Left leaning independent
02:42 PM on 10/28/2012
I'm certainly glad we no longer destroy trees for this claptrap.
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02:38 PM on 10/28/2012
The electoral and legislative systems in the US have been captured, compromised and manipulated to an extent that any semblance between them and an actual majority-rule democracy is purely coincidental. No rational person can believe that the Democrat/Republican duopoly works in the interest of the majority. If it were not so sad a state of affairs, it would make for good comedy. In any case, I'm sure that most of the other advanced countries are quietly enjoying humor in our misfortune and the satisfaction of having provided superior social systems for their citizens.
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MyTake
Release the Hydrogen Economy now!
02:17 PM on 10/28/2012
--Romney essentially endorsed Obama's foreign policy--

Oh, come now, the foreign policy script is exclusive to The Pratt House (NY).

Here is HRC picking up her script; http://bit.ly/sKdmni .

And it don't matter what party is in power because the power of Pratt is absolute.

Embedded in their 4000+ membership base of wealthy and corporate elites (including the heads of the media), a amassed power that has controlled U.S. politics since Carter onwards and they don't really care which party you vote for because each head is sponsored from their base.

The heads of the allied corporate state, embedded in Pratt membership, control the Senate and Congress while each incoming President is handed 250 names from the Pratt membership base for appointment to the key positions across each Administration.

Here is a highly despised V/P talking to his real boss at Pratt; http://bit.ly/Ktq0i5 . Note the gloating at the end on withholding his Pratt Directorship from the government vetting process.

The 1% and globalization policies will continue out of Pratt regardless of which party is in power.

Until such time that 500,000 people amass in protest in front of 58 East 68th Street, NY , nothing will change.