In the words of one long-time Republican, "The Republicans are making President Obama look good." Well, he makes a very good point about the Republican field of presidential candidates.
It appears that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is very frustrated. Despite his energetic campaign and strong debate performances, Romney cannot score more than 25% in polls of Republican voters. The problem is that he has changed positions on key issues in an effort to win more support in his party. And, just in case some Americans haven't noticed, the Democratic National Committee has been airing a political commercial called "Mitt vs. Mitt" that drives the point home.
Romney's campaign has recently resorted to airing a misleading political ad that shows President Barack Obama saying, "If we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose." But then candidate Obama was merely quoting a statement that Senator John McCain had made. When the president's campaign cried foul, Romney responded, "We are obviously getting under their skin."
Romney has dutifully avoided doing any press interviews. That is until he agreed to do a Fox News interview on Tuesday. Fox News anchor Brett Baier asked Romney, "You have been on both sides of many issues." He then cited some flip-flops before asking Romney how voters can trust him. Romney responded, "Your list is just not accurate. We're going to have to be better informed about my views on issues." He then looked very defensive for the remainder of the interview.
But if Romney looks uncomfortable, businessman Herman Cain appears under siege. Cain has been repeatedly asked questions about allegations from Ginger White that he had had a thirteen-year affair with her. Cain has already had to defend himself against allegations of sexual harassment involving several other women.
Cain was defiant on Wednesday saying, "They have been trying to do a character assassination on me." He told a crowd of supporters in Ohio, "They are attacking my character, my reputation and my name in order to try and bring me down." Cain has even suggested that Democrats were behind the charges in an effort to help former House Speaker Newt Gingrich win the nomination. Cain has announced he is reevaluating his campaign and he would have an announcement on his future plans next week.
The big winner has been Newt Gingrich. He has surged to the front of the Republican field fueled in part by strong debate performances. But new revelations that Gingrich has earned millions of dollars since leaving office advising health care related companies and the mortgage company Freddie Mac have raised some serious questions. His personal life, a joint appearance with Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi in a global warming ad and ethics violations while in Congress are among issues that he will have to overcome.
Meanwhile, President Obama has been unrelenting in his campaign effort to get his jobs bill passed. His most recent focus has been on extending and expanding the payroll tax cut, which is set to expire at the end of the year. If the payroll tax cuts are not extended it will cost the average American family $1,000. The president has proposed paying for the tax cut by raising taxes by on Americans earning a million dollars or more. Republicans in Congress oppose him saying they want to fund the extension with budget cuts. A majority of Americans support additional taxes on high-income earners.
The president's stock is rising as he has stepped up his reelection efforts. And, barring another economic set back, his chances of winning a second term are improving. Meanwhile, with a month to go before the Iowa Caucuses, the Republicans are stumbling badly towards the starting gate.
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 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
Meantime, the oligarchy is putting all the tools in place to ensure that Americans remain their peons.
WikiLeaks Releases Documents on Government Surveillance Tactics
For an ongoing project called Spy files, hundreds of documents on dozens of governments and contractors have been released
http://news.antiwar.com/2011/12/01/wikileaks-releases-documents-on-government-surveillance-tactics/
What of ideas and policy alternatives were all of a sudden featured by a press corps who decided that governance was a more serious topic than a football game?
The owners enforce that role. We will have to clean up the media as part of recovering ourt democracy.
You are right-on about the press corps treating politics like a football game, that is what is happening now with their coverage of the Republican presidential candidates.
Always remember that we elected him because he is intelligent . And remember how he took out OBL with the best poker face we've ever seen. I have no doubt that he has many things up his sleeves. We may not know what they are or understand them, but I fully trust the man.
I've been following politics for over 50 years and I feel that Obama is the best man for the job at this point in time. There is not a single republican candidate that deserves the kind of respect that I have for Obama.
Clinton left office with a $5 Trillion debt. GWB left with $11 Trillion (Historic in 2008), but neglected to include the cost of the 2 wars and Medicare D in the deficit. So the debt was already $13 Trillion before Obama spent his first dime.
Compare President Obama's unemployment numbers and President Reagan's unemployment numbers his 1st term!
http://www.davemanuel.com/historical-unemployment-rates-in-the-united-states.php
Wow! scary close!
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Good for what? To do what?
What do you imagine Obama will think his mandate is should he win reelection?
The "thinning of the herd" is what's happening. Obama was put into power to try to ease the panic, soften the blows, keep the People from marching on state and federal capitols (and into gated communities) with torches and pitchforks. To keep us 'frogs' in the pot until it boils us to death.
Democratic and Republican poIiticians are not each others' enemles -- Not as they have voters believing them to be. Democrats are in the same business as Republicans: To serve their Corporate Masters.
Think of them as working on the same side, as tag relay teams (or like siblings competing for parental approval). 'Good cop/bad cop'. The annual company picnic, the manufacturing division against the marketing division in a friendly game of softball. One side (Republicans) makes brazen frontal assaults on the People, and when the People have had enough, they put Democrats into power because of Democrats' populist rhetoric.
Once in power, Democrats consolidate Republicans' gains from previous years, continue on with Republican policies but renamed, with new advertising campaigns. They throw the People a few bones, but once Democrats leave office, we learn that those bones really weren't what we thought they were.
Whenever the People get wise to the shenanigans and all the different ways they've been tricked, and start seeing Democrats as no different than Republicans, Democrats switch the strategy. They invent new reasons for failing to achieve the People's business.
Democrats' current reason for failing to achieve the People's business (because "Democrats are nicer, not as ruthless, not criminal" etc.) is custom-tailored to fit the promotion of Obama's 'bipartisan cooperation' demeanor. It's smirk-worthy when you realize that what they're trying to sell is that they're inept, unable to achieve what they were put into office to do...And their ineptitude, like that's somehow "a good thing".
The report’s author, Rusty Weiss, notes that CH2M has received $1.961 billion in contracts from the Recovery Act despite a history of violations and fraud, to name a few:
In 2004, the Energy Department withheld $300,000 from the firm for poor conduct.
Between 2005 and 2006, the company was fined nearly $400,000 total for the radiological contamination of workers.
A “major spill” occurred in 2007 that resulted in over $683,000 in both fines and settlements to local agencies.
Timecard fraud at the CH2M HILL Hanford Group between January of 2002 and October of 2008, that was “widespread” and “routine.”
False claims and paid kickbacks at the Hanford nuclear site between 2003 and 2005 led to a recent settlement in which CH2M HILL agreed to pay the federal government $1.5 million
How did a company with a track record like that become the recipient of billions of dollars from the federal government? Giving over $380,000 to Democrats during the 2009-2010 cycle and over $512,000 during 2007-2008, including $45, 337 to Barack Obama, may have had something to do with it. In addition to political contributions to individual politicians, the AIM study cites the Center for Responsive Politics that reports that CH2M was lobbying their special interests via $455,000 worth of itemized expenditures in 2010.
I was comparing unemployment numbers of past presidents before their re-election bid. It's amazing how close President Obama's number are to President Reagan!
When President Obama and President Reagan each took office the unemployment level for each was 7.6% and 7.5% respectively. There mid term highs were 10.2% and 10.8% respectively. 14 months before the election their respective unemployment numbers were 9.1% and 9.2%!
November 84 President Reagan's unemployment numbers were 7.2% and he won in a land slide!
All President Obama has to do is have unemployment below 8% by November 2012. For the sake of the unemployed I wish him well but I don't see unemployment getting there!
We have to let the corporations know that we will appreciate them hiring Americans to get the Recovery going:
http://www.flixya.com/blog/3201910/Beautiful-Butterflys
A coalition of Republicans & Clinton Democrats, aka the kinder gentler Republicans aka Rockefeller Republicans.