Thread: Mitt Romney

And then there's this.
Seems like everytime Romney takes a swing at Obama he lands a knockout punch to himself.

Romney in 2008: Stimulus, not spending cuts, is the way to boost the economy
By Greg Sargent
I’ve been working my way through Michael Grunwald’s excellent book on Obama’s stimulus, “The New New Deal,” and here’s another choice nugget: In 2008, Mitt Romney attacked spending cuts as the wrong way to boost the economy, and made the Keynesian argument that stimulus in the form of tax cuts was the better way to do it, even if it resulted in a short term hit to the deficit. Needless to say, this is at odds with the argument he is making today, which is that the best way to speed the recovery is to cut spending. And it again raises a question: Is Mitt Romney a closet Keynesian?
In 2008, Romney was running for president, and during a debate in January of that year, John McCain was asked what short term government fix he’d support, given that the economy looked like it was headed for a downturn. McCain said: “the first thing we need to do is stop the out-of- control spending.”
Romney, seeking to distinguish himself from McCain, rolled out his own $250 billion stimulus plan in an interview with John Harwood later that month, a plan that mostly consisted of tax cuts, some of which were targeted at low and moderate incomes. He explicitly criticized McCain’s claim that cutting spending would help the economy, claiming: “That’s not stimulative.”
When Harwood followed up by asking him whether his own stimulus plan would boost the deficit, Romney replied: “If we go into recession, the cost to our balanced budget is going to be far more severe than the cost of this program.” So it’s okay to allow the deficit to increase in the short term to help the economy?

snip

Indeed, as Jonathan Cohn has written, even Paul Ryan used to agree that Keynesian fiscal policy during bad economies is not only a good idea, but should err in the direction of making it bigger.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/romney-in-2008-stimulus-not-spending-cuts-is-the-way-to-boost-the-economy/2012/08/15/0dae4c7a-e6e5-11e1-8f62-58260e3940a0_blog.html

Originally Posted by Minnie Maugham

Ya, Romney left Bain in 1999, but as the commie Guardian notes: "Bain bought the firm that was to become Sensata in 2006, when it was the Texan arm of a Dutch company." Stretching the truth, again, Dems.

Romney retroactively left Bain in 1999.

Since he still owns a huge chunk of it and will stand to profit from any benefits that this move produces you'd think he would prevail upon Bain to hold off at least until after the election. He's running for office for Pete's sake, to paraphrase.

Romney is running weird campaign. He doesn't seem to want to be questioned on anything, this is what I see so far:

- Anything he did during his term as governor
- Anything he did in his executive job before becoming governor
- Anything the company he built did after he retroactively left, despite the fact he is still the major stockholder
- Any trouble he got into/caused at school before getting a job (OK, this one is silly, but still, it's out there and the right is squawking about Obama's school)
- His free-time activities (Dressage, etc) and family life (dog on the car, etc)
- His taxes (outside of the single year where disclosure is required by law)
- His political plans for the nation apart from 'Obama Bad'!
- His recent trip overseas (3 press questions in a whole week? C'mon!)
- His funding

and now

- His VP's political positions
- His VP's funding
- His VP in general

So... what? People are supposed to talk about his funding of the Salt Lake Olympics alone for the next three months? How do they talk about that without bringing up his religion or Fed funding? I mean, isn't that the main reason he was involved in the first place?

the romney / ryan campaign took a short break from trying to steal your grandmother's social security and medicare.....to steal copyrighted material.

The Los Angeles-based band's attorney sent a cease and desist letter to the Republican presidential candidate's campaign on Wednesday. A news release says neither the band nor its representatives were contacted for permission to use the 2009 alternative rock hit and the group "has no intention of endorsing the Romney campaign."
"We don't like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking

the band sent romney this letter:

"As the former governor (of) the state of Massachusetts, a graduate of Harvard Law School, and candidate for U.S. President, we're pretty sure you're familiar with the laws of this great country of ours," it reads in part. "We're writing because we, like you, think these laws are important."

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012...1&ref=aponline

they think the rules just don't apply to them.

Originally Posted by Koojo

The supreme arrogance of these privilidged prep school boys just takes my breath way. I don't like Obama, but these guys far and away worse.

Could be said by me. However in this case I do wonder about the laws.

Are there special laws about using music in political gatherings?

Otherwise I would believe this music is public. The user pays royalties if played in public but does not have to ask the musician.

Originally Posted by Koojo

I can't believe the rural christian uneducated redneck voter is going to go go for these rich kids.

Why? The GOP 'base' have been voting against their own interests for 30 odd years. Check out the GOP supporters on this little forum, unless they are multi-millionaires they are actively supporting policies that will actively hurt them and their offspring, and they'll gleefully do it to 'stick it to the libs'.

Originally Posted by raycarey

the romney / ryan campaign took a short break from trying to steal your grandmother's social security and medicare.....to steal copyrighted material.

...
they think the rules just don't apply to them.

Never heard of this band. Nevertheless, let's not be hypocritical, shall we?

Soul singer Sam Moore asked President Barack Obama to stop the use of "Soul Man" in his 2008 campaign.

Read it on Global News: Global News | Silversun Pickups issue cease and desist order to Romney campaign

MediScare Fail: Romney Leads in Florida

Romney's support among seniors has increased. Today, Romney leads Obama by 24 points among those 65 and older.

Source

Guess those 'oldsters' haven't succumbed to that Obama Kool-Aid, eh?

Obama campaign: If Romney releases 5 years of tax returns, White House won't ask for more - The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s campaign is offering Mitt Romney a deal: if he releases five years of tax returns, Obama’s team won’t criticize him for not releasing any more.

Obama campaign manager Jim Messina made the offer to Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades in a letter Friday. Messina says he is taking the step because Romney “apparently fears the more he offers, the more our campaign will demand that he provide.”

Romney released his 2010 taxes and plans to release his 2011 returns. Messina says he wants Romney to provide three more years of returns.

Obama’s campaign has questioned whether there are years when Romney paid no taxes. Romney said Thursday he has paid at least 13 percent of his income in federal taxes every year for the past decade.

don't hold your breath

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Romney said Thursday he has paid at least 13 percent of his income in federal taxes every year for the past decade.

Romney's income is a small percentage of his total earnings. Rich folk minimise their 'income', and thus their income taxes. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates earn very little 'income', indeed- less than their secretaries probably. So when Mitt says he paid at least 13% on his 'income', he is probably telling the truth- but he paid way less than that on his earnings.

Romney said, "for a decade or a century" and they concentrate on the word "century". "Japan expert" Devin Stewart says the Japanese are very sensitive about this thing. I guess Mr Stewart thinks the Japaneses leadership is too stupid to differentiate between campaign rhetoric and official US policy. I guess expert Devon Stewart doesn't think the Japanese leadership can distinguish rhetoric meant for domestic consumption and official US foreign policy.

Besides, it's true the Japanese lost decade has lengthened to become decades. Romney went on to say,"We're on the cusp of a very different economic future" meaning if we don't make changes we, the USA, will have a lost century.

During one of the recent economic summits the South Korean president took a couple of shots at the USA. It was said for domestic consumption. The Brazilian president recently criticized the USA about US monetary policy. People understand it for what it is.

The article is passing gas and some people are right there breathing in deep.

Clinton says 'comfort women' should be referred to as 'enforced sex slaves'

Politics Jul. 11, 2012 - 12:24PM JST ( 211 )


TOKYO —
The Japanese government expressed concern Tuesday over remarks attributed to U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton in which she said that the “comfort women,” a euphemism for Asian women who were forced to serve as prostitutes for the Japanese military during World War II, was inaccurate and that the term “enforced sex slaves” was more accurate.

I wonder how that went over with the Japanese?

One of the GOP's key points is that rich people need their taxes lowered. Tradition aside, Romney releasing his returns would be a great way to prove that point if he was paying some hugely burdensome rate.

So far, he's released only one part of one return and that one still shows he pays less, as a percentage of income, than almost everybody else!

It certainly is if you are a Republican nominee being asked for specifics on their budget policy- voodoonomics that can be exposed as nonsense on the back of an envelope if you know basic maths, which apparently most republicans don't (or just don't care). US politics has indeed got to a fairly sad point, when one of the two major parties refuses to provide any details about something as fundamental as it's fiscal policies, but the electorate has got to an even sadder point if they actually believe this voodoo nonsense about how the GOP is going to cut taxes (on corporations & the already rich), increase military spending, axe health care reform, and still eliminate the Deficit. This so soon after the utterly failed, and damaging, Bush tax cuts. That just plain doesn't compute- so it's no wonder the Romney campaign is maintaining an official silence when asked to show their maths-

"The nature of running a presidential campaign is that you're communicating direction to the American people," a Romney adviser, who is not named, told Politico. "Campaigns that are about specifics, particularly in today's environment, get tripped up."

The issue of the budget, particularly taxes and cuts to entitlement programs, is a pivotal one for the election and is one both campaigns are trying to exploit. For the Romney campaign, that has meant accusing President Barack Obama of decimating Medicare by taking funds from it for his health care law, even though that is a false claim. Ryan's own budget would transform the program to make it almost unrecognizable.

Romney was vague about his budget plans during the Republican primary -- he said he would cut funding to Planned Parenthood but not much else -- and will continue to be, according to the adviser.

"What you're going to see is a campaign that has clear direction, but not a Simpson-Bowles or Ryan-budget level of detail," the adviser told Politico. "It's not only politically unwise to do that, but it's not how the voters engage in a presidential campaign."

Ryan said earlier this week that he plans to discuss tax plans, but not until after the election.
Romney Adviser: It's 'Politically Unwise' To Campaign In Specifics


Any political party that treats the voter with such unbridled contempt deserves only to lose. Any nation that votes in such a snake oil economic platform deserves what it will surely get.

Originally Posted by sabang

Any political party that treats the voter with such unbridled contempt deserves only to lose. Any nation that votes in such a snake oil economic platform deserves what it will surely get.

True. Unfortuntaly, a lot of innocent people are going to get what they don't deserve--no healthcare, no services, no safety-net, no infrastructure, no jobs and no hope--until it gets bad enough to turn things around. Even at that point, I think the country is genetically just enough to the Right of center that it could be talked into a Cheney type quicker than it could another FDR.

Even David Stockman, the economic & budgetary guru under Reagan, has lambasted this pure republican snake oil. The USA is either the worlds largest or second largest democracy, depending on how you look at it. How dare the GOP- one of the two major political parties- treat the voting population with such utter contempt.

Paul Ryan’s Fairy-Tale Budget Plan

[I]Mr. Ryan’s sonorous campaign rhetoric about shrinking Big Government and giving tax cuts to “job creators” (read: the top 2 percent) will do nothing to reverse the nation’s economic decline and arrest its fiscal collapse.

.... Ryan professes to be a defense hawk, though the true conservatives of modern times — Calvin Coolidge, Herbert C. Hoover, Robert A. Taft, Dwight D. Eisenhower, even Gerald R. Ford — would have had no use for the neoconconservative imperialism that the G.O.P. cobbled from policy salons run by Irving Kristol’s ex-Trotskyites three decades ago. These doctrines now saddle our bankrupt nation with a roughly $775 billion “defense” budget in a world where we have no advanced industrial state enemies and have been fired (appropriately) as the global policeman.

.... Similarly, there can be no hope of a return to vibrant capitalism unless there is a sweeping housecleaning at the Federal Reserve and a thorough renunciation of its interest-rate fixing, bond buying and recurring bailouts of Wall Street speculators. The Greenspan-Bernanke campaigns to repress interest rates have crushed savers, mocked thrift and fueled enormous overconsumption and trade deficits.

The greatest regulatory problem — far more urgent that the environmental marginalia Mitt Romney has fumed about — is that the giant Wall Street banks remain dangerous quasi-wards of the state and are inexorably prone to speculative abuse of taxpayer-insured deposits and the Fed’s cheap money. Forget about “too big to fail.” These banks are too big to exist ..... what’s needed is a restoration of Glass-Steagall, the Depression-era legislation that separated commercial and investment banking.

...A true agenda to reform the welfare state would require a sweeping, income-based eligibility test, which would reduce or eliminate social insurance benefits for millions of affluent retirees. Without it, there is no math that can avoid giant tax increases or vast new borrowing. Yet the supposedly courageous Ryan plan would not cut one dime over the next decade from the $1.3 trillion-per-year cost of Social Security and Medicare.

Instead, it shreds the measly means-tested safety net for the vulnerable: the roughly $100 billion per year for food stamps and cash assistance for needy families and the $300 billion budget for Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled.
David A. Stockman was the director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1981 to 1985
Full Article http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/op...it_th_20120814


I'm not even American, but this is a grave insult to the American people, from a bunch of plutocrats and crony capitalists that just plain think you are stoopid.

^ wow booner- deep and meaningful.

At least the democrat supporters here have not demeaned themselves so much as to show people standing in lines, be it for Chick-a-fil or a Campaign speech.

Real serious Issue's stuff. Your boy trails in the Polls, and showing photo's of people standing in a line will not affect that one iota. It's just a shame some of them are not black or hispanic citizens.

Soul singer Sam Moore asked President Barack Obama to stop the use of "Soul Man" in his 2008 campaign

In January 2009, Moore performed with Sting and Elvis Costello at the Creative Colition's Presidential Inaugural Ball for Barack Obama.