[tomder55]

I agree that many of the 47%ers don't want to get locked into the future the President has mapped out for them... a future of permanent dependency. That is why Romney was clumsy in saying they were naturally Obama constituents. He should make the conservative case to all voters and strive for a 55-60% vote.

[paraclete]

Tom you have to face it this guy can't keep his foot out of his mouth, in fact he only stops talking so he can change feet, if he wants to win he needs to let the other guy do the talking.

I have seen his remarks on Palestine. Whilst he might be putting forward a realistic view, this is not demonstrating leadership qualtities in a world that needs either offer a plausible solution or remove yourself from the problem. Telling people the facts doesn't win elections

I could envisage this fellow making even more oafish decisions than Bush

[talaniman]

So the 47% lazy undeserving no taxing paying misceants are democrats?

[paraclete]

Tom obviously thinks so, but then with such a vision for the future which doesn't include them you could not blame them for voting for Obama

[talaniman]

Bob Woodward just told Erin Burnetton CNN that most of those 47% are republicans. Now what?

[talaniman]

Isn't Mitt Romney a Member of the 47 Percent? | The Nation

[paraclete]

Poor, unemployed white trash republicans, perish the thought, but then there is the red neck vote, maybe Romney was making a racist remark and referring to Obama's black constituency

[paraclete]

The attachment here has a link to a number of videos where Romney outlines his thoughts on many policy positions. If you want to hear these positions go to the foot of the article
Romney rules out Israel, Palestinian peace - World - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

He really doesn't have much to offer other than a hail mary but he is unlikely to pray that prayer

[excon]

Hello:

The good news about the Romney tape, is that it's hurting Republicans down stream. This guy is so toxic I think they may lose the House.

excon

[excon]

Hello again:

I figured out what's missing in Romney... He's NOT an optimist. I don't want to hire Debby Downer..

excon

[paraclete]

Good luck Ex

[excon]

Hello again,

Part of the 47%:

[paraclete]

Yes Ex I know you are right, they have short memories, about two years I think

[tomder55]

Hello:

The good news about the Romney tape, is that it's hurting Republicans down stream. This guy is so toxic I think they may lose the House.

Excon

If the goal is to win the election and destroy the country in the process... Obama's your man.

In politics, you can get into a lot of trouble if you're caught telling a lie.
There's only one thing worse: getting caught telling the truth.

That's what happened to Mitt Romney when that video surfaced of him chatting about the "47 percent of the people who will vote for President Obama no matter what."

In the leaked video of him addressing Republican donors, Romney went on to describe the 47 percent as people "who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them" and so on.


That was certainly an indelicate way for a political candidate to describe almost half the electorate. And Romney's getting pilloried by the Democrats for his comments.

But I imagine the Dems say the same sort of thing behind closed doors. I sincerely doubt if there's a single Democratic consultant out there who doesn't agree with Romney's assessment that "the president starts off with 48, 49 ... he starts off with a huge number"

Unfortunately for Romney, that number may be even higher. Greg Mankiw, a widely respected Harvard economist who is an adviser to Romney, recently posted on his blog figures showing that only the top two-fifths of American taxpayers are giving the government more in taxes than they get back in transfer payments.

Mankiw concluded that "the middle class, having long been a net contributor to the funding of government, is now a net recipient of government largess."

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2012/...transfers.html

How can a Republican win in that environment? He can't, says Reid Holloway.

Holloway is a stock trader from Connecticut with the solidest of conservative credentials. He served on the legendary Grace Commission on government waste during the Reagan administration. He's a market-oriented guy who criticizes Obama as "just another tax-and-spend Democrat."

In 1996, Holloway started predicting elections based on the same sort of economic data Romney referenced. He's been right every time. And more than six months ago, he predicted Obama will cruise to re-election with 325 electoral votes to Romney's 213.

"I usually don't make my predictions till July," he told me when I phoned him yesterday. "But I made that one in April and I'm sticking to it."

The reason is the change in the economy. Normally, an incumbent president is in trouble if he can't produce growth in the private sector. A Republican could always oust a Democrat by promising economic growth, as Ronald Reagan did in 1980.

But that model has broken down, he said. A lot of people no longer trust that "a rising tide lifts all boats," particularly aging Baby Boomers.

"Imagine an aging boomer approaching retirement who's dispirited about getting kicked out of job at 55 or 59," he said. "He doesn't want to take a risk by voting for a traditional conservative who believes in free-market job creation."

What he wants is to get on some government program, such as disability, and ride it into retirement. The Obama administration has been packing such programs with people. And these people aren't going to vote for Romney no matter how much they may agree with him on social issues, Holloway said.

All that stuff about religion, guns and abortion is great fun for us media types, he said. But people vote their pocketbooks.

Holloway assesses the race in terms of a figure familiar to New Jerseyans. "Its kind of a Tony Soprano relationship that most governments have with the people," he said. "People down on their luck look to government as benefactors a lot like people looked at Tony Soprano."

The only good news for Romney — from Holloway's perspective — is that this video can't really harm his chances. Thanks to the demographics, he doesn't have much of a chance anyway.

"You don't have many options when you're seven weeks out to the elections," he said.

No, you don't. Romney seems on his way to becoming a victim of the very problem he cited. But in Holloway's view, and mine, it's a very real problem. We, as a country, are never going to get our finances straightened out if a majority of voters have an incentive to support ever-increasing spending.
That is a debate we need to have. Even if Romney can't finish it, at least give him credit for starting it.

http://blog.nj.com/njv_paul_mulshine...ike_it_is.html

[speechlesstx]

Hello again,

Part of the 47%:

I don't think so.

Ken Smith, the former director of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, also came on Beck’s show to discuss what Buzzfeed called “a cringe worthy moment in 1994.”

During the visit to the shelter, Smith said Romney first looked at the shelter’s books for about 45 minutes and then took a tour of the facility. At the end of the tour, Romney asked what Smith’s biggest problem was. Smith told him the shelter had problems paying for milk, and Romney replied, “Well Ken, maybe you can teach the vets to milk cows.”

The next day, Smith said, the newspapers were killing him for the remark, and Romney called Smith to apologize. The following day, the milkman showed up, offloaded his milk and gave Smith a bill that was half of its normal size. The same things happened for a month, two months, three months, and then for a full two years, Smith said. Finally, on the day the milkman was to retire, he told Smith that Romney had been paying for the milk.

“Romney’s generosity has helped tens of thousands of veterans who are homeless, who have been through this facility, with nourishment,” Smith said. “The milk cartons said the name of the milk company, it didn’t say, ‘donated by Mitt Romney.’”

[excon]

If the goal is to win the election and destroy the country in the process...Obama's your man.

Hello tom:

The problem with your side, is you, along with Romney, BELIEVE what Rush Limprod is telling you.. I know, I know, you don't listen to him.. But, the people you DO listen to, listen to him. He IS the titular head of the right wing. THEY/HE says that Obama is a socialist and wants to destroy the country... Something about his upbringing NOT being American... You buy it...

Now, I agree that Obama has NOT been specific about his plans if he's reelected... You believe he'll spend, spend, spend... I believe he'll cut, cut, cut. After all, he's not a Muslim, and he doesn't want to destroy America..

Unlike, Romney, however, he understands ARITHMETIC. Bad arithmetic will destroy my beloved country too.

excon

[tomder55]

Weaving a lot of straw these days Ex. Too many to address. But show me anywhere where he has a plan hidden or otherwise to" cut, cut, cut. " He doesn't want that he wants stimulus redux ex machina .

[speechlesstx]

Seems your Mother Jones leaked an incomplete video they called complete then recanted when challenged. Some selective editing there? Whether it changes anything or not where's the full context??

[excon]

But show me anywhere where he has a plan hidden or otherwise to" cut, cut, cut. " He doesn't want that he wants stimulus redux ex machina .

Hello again, tom:

The Limp one needs an economics lesson... As a businessman, when I want to attract employees and new customers, I INVEST in my infrastructure. You know, clean up, fix up and paint up.. When things get rip roaring again, as they surly will, THAT'S the time to pay back my debt.

DURING my re-building faze, I'd cut, cut, cut programs that are wasteful and NOT necessary for my resurgence. That's the SMART way to go about it, and Obama IS smart.

excon

[speechlesstx]

Hello again, tom:

The Limp one needs an economics lesson... As a businessman, when I want to attract employees and new customers, I INVEST in my infrastructure. You know, clean up, fix up and paint up.. When things get rip roaring again, as they surly will, THAT'S the time to pay back my debt.

DURING my re-building faze, I'd cut, cut, cut programs that are wasteful and NOT necessary for my resurgence. That's the SMART way to go about it, and Obama IS smart.

Excon

So all his focus on fairness, income inequality (redistribution), "the American deal that says, you know, we are focused on building a strong middle class” as he puts it has gotten us what?

Unemployment is still 8 percent and the median income is below recession levels.

Incomes have dropped more since the beginning of the recovery than they did during the recession itself, when they declined 2.6 percent, according to the report...

Yep, he's a smart guy.