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Subscribe to RSSOver the last few weeks, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has argued that President Obama's policies have made the economy worse.
Here was Romney in New Hampshire on Monday:
The people of New Hampshire have waited long enough. They want to see good jobs. They want to see rising incomes. They want to see an economy that's growing again, and the president's failed. He did not cause this recession, but he made it worse.
And he said something similar at the New Hampshire debate earlier this month:
He didn't create the recession, but he made it worse and longer.
But at his press conference today in Allentown, PA -- where he was highlighting a company that had closed, after President Obama touted it benefitting from the stimulus -- Romney backtracked on the he-made-it-worse line.
When NBC producer Sue Kroll asked the former Massachusetts governor why he believes that Obama's policies have made the economy worse -- when the economy is now growing (and not shrinking like it was in 2009), when the Dow is climbing (and no longer in a free-fall like it was in '09), and when the unemployment rate is down a full percentage point from where it was in Oct. '09 -- Romney gave this answer:
I didn't say that things are worse.
Romney went on to say:
What I said was that economy hasn't turned around, that you've got 20 million Americans out of work, or seriously unemployed; housing values still going down. You have a crisis of foreclosures in this country. The economy, by the way, if you think the economy is great and going well, be my guest. But the president of the United States, when he put in place his stimulus plan and borrowed $787 billion, said he would hold unemployment below 8% -- and 8% seemed like an awfully high number. It hasn't been below 8% since. That's failure. We're over 9% unemployment. That's failure. He set the bogie himself at 8% ,which strikes me as a very high number and we're still above that three years later.
*** UPDATE *** About 24 hours after this story was published, the Romney campaign sent First Read this response: “Mitt Romney was responding to the reporter’s comment about the stock market," said spokeswoman Andrea Saul. "If the Democrats are waiting for Mitt Romney to ease up on his criticism of President Obama’s economic record, it’s simply not going to happen. It is an undeniable fact that Barack Obama has failed to create jobs and fix the economy. He is on track to be the only president to leave office with a net job loss. President Obama and the Democrats will spend the next 17 months trying to distract voters from their horrible record on the economy – and it’s not going to work.”
However NBC producer Sue Kroll asked Romney MORE than just about the stock market. Here's what Kroll asked the presidential candidate: "Gov. Romney, you continue to say that the economy is worse. But unemployment is lower than it was in 2009; the stock market was tumbling and is now above 12,000; and it is growing slowly -- we just had 12%, excuse me, 2% gain this quarter. So how do you continue to say that things are worse if they really aren't worse?"
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Time to stock up on those whiplash collars... they're gonna come in handy with this crowd of Teapublican candidates.
When did it become acceptable to toss your principles & ideology out the window?
This is one reason I'm not surprised well over 50% of Teapublicans are dissatisfied with the current crop of right wing clowns seeking the highest office in the land?
I'd be embarrassed too if this is the BEST they have to offer! lol
Hey, its nice to know that some consistencey remains in this topsy-turvy world. Mittens never met a political position he did not love at some point then hate later on (or the other way around in reverse). If you don't like a stance Mitt Romney takes on an issue, just wait 5 minutes.
Yep, Feisty, Thank God President O isn't a flip flopper, too.
All I want is the job creating the commercials. No more sucking off the government for me.
With material like this, I'll be set for life.
.
p.s. before the neo-cons go crazy, I don't suck off the government now. It was a joke.
Of course you don't suck off the federal government, Anna Molly, you're not a Republican. Republicans seem to have a lock on exploiting federal dollars, from Palin and her million federal dollars Wasilla Sports Arena to Bachmann's husband and his Medicaid revenue stream. Hypocrites
Republicans have diminished themselves into a group of power grabbing idiots. I mean above and beyond your normal politician.
Zero credibilty.
Breaking News coming from Countdown with Keith Olberman, Senator Schumer says Medicare & Medicaid are Off The Table in the current Debt talks!
This is why we need Schumer as Senate Majority Leader!
You Betcha!
What!?! The Mitt lied? Shocking! Shocking I say!
Since the government runs no business from which to earn anything, there never has been sucking off the government. All sucking has been from the earnings of hard working, productive Americans that the government confiscates and uses to provide the free stuff to others, some deserving, some not.
Seems like quite an effort by FR and sue kroll at spin and deflection. Nice to see FR to not provide links as to the actual press conference, but rather give just enough to feed the rabid lib dogs so easily led down the dark path of controlled thought.
I beg to differ that the government runs no business from which to earn anything.
How about roads. My father surveyed roads, he even surveyed logging roads. Just how much business you think would be done without roads? I'm sure that no one ever made money off logging.
How about the Mississippi river that the government constantly surveys to assure safe passage to the commercial vehicles.
How about the San Luis water canal that runs down California. The government paid to survey and build that little project that I think a lot of people got drinking water and turned the desert valleys in farming. No one I know drinks water or eats. I am sure no money was made off that little venture.
These are just the personal things I know my father did working for the government.
I know it is more fun to make up lies.
Total flip flopper! On Healthcare, on Right to Choose and now on what he stated about economy on Obama's watch. Info. on Romney's business practices follows:
http://anastasia-1782128.newsvine.com/_news/2011/06/30/6984188-ad-mitt-mistakes-romneys-past-is-more-a-working-class-zero-nypostcom
Would not want this guy running my country. He will give all our money away to his corporate buddies and then declare us bankrupt. He is bad for America.
...and the rest of the world.
Understand that morgan-chase and GE are putting obama and company under their influence as well. Makes one wonder what other corporations have obama and company under their control.
What where those other companies invited by obama to come up with a plan to create jobs back in 1st qtr 2011. Honeywell was one, what others are there controlling obama?
You are worried about who controls President Obama and you have almost all the republican house and senate member have signed a pledge to Norquist who stated goal is to make our government small enough to drag the American government in and drown it in a bathtub.
Norquist who has openly stated his goal of destroying America and are signing republicans up to help him and you are concerned about who might be controlling President Obama.
Get back to me when Obama signs a pledge with someone who stated goal is to bring America down.
The Republicans are trying to frame the 2012 election as completely on the economy...because they think that is their best bet to beat Obama. They can't use the "he's weak on foreign policy" angle, they can't say he is indecisive anymore, etc, etc. They've lost all other potential attack approaches.
I am trying to not be cynical, but I often wonder if they are trying to make the economy just enough worse that they can blame him. They weren't concerned about the debt or deficit when Bush was in power...now they can use this issue to make cut backs...which lead to more lost jobs...which is their winning ticket for 2012. I hope I am terribly wrong.
Senator Chuck Schumer seems to feel that the Repubs are intentionally sabotaging the economy for politics, and has publicly stated so:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/30/slash-and-burn-chuck-schu_n_887648.html?ref=fb&src=sp
I totally agree with him, but wonder what took him so long to actually say it. The Repubs have been actively sabotaging the recovery ever since President Obama took office and have only become more blatant with it as time goes on. If the Repubs/TPers continue this action then ALL of America is going to know who it was that actively worked to destroy our economy and then the Repub/TP party is going to go away. With the signing of Grover Norquist's Anti-Tax Pledge the Repubs have signed on to a Conspiracy to Commit Treason against the US of A and signed the death warrant for their own party....Good Riddance!
Colorado-
You seem to believe that you, and the rest of us are the victims of some vast conspiracy, perpetrated by some evil "them"...Be of good cheer as no such thing exists...
The voters, us, the ELECTORATE, decide what's important, not the candidates not the parties...circumstances dictate and politicians scurry to capitalize on events to their own benefit...
Think all the way back to 2008, when the #1 issue was supposed to be the war in Iraq...
The economy; housing, employment, the deficit etc, IS the issue right now and if things don't improve it will remain the issue, but no one can predict the future, we can only extrapolate based on what we know now.
As to being cynical;
"I often wonder if they are trying to make the economy just enough worse that they can blame him."
Who are they? People who own businesses? Involved in a vast conspiracy against one man? If you had a business would you deny yourself and your family just to spite the president? Do you know anyone who would?
"They weren't concerned about the debt or deficit when Bush was in power".
Again, who the heck are "they"?
Were you around in the Summer of 2008? Dealing with the financial crisis began BEFORE President Obama was elected, with things like the TARP program and those "bail-outs" you may have heard of. EVERYONE was pretty concerned when the stock market dropped over 1,000 points party be damned. Do you think only republicans have IRA's etc?
It is naive to assume that there is a vast conspiracy by business to slow the recovery to hurt the president's re-election chances. Do you think the world financial crisis in 2008 was a conspiracy to get him elected?
Do you know anyone who would intentionally lose money or business etc. to make a point?
Do you believe that all business owners bankers etc are republicans?
Viewing the world as US vs THEM is not very productive.
Liberals, conservatives and everyone in between are out of work, have lost their homes, and are having trouble making ends meet. The price of gas knows no political leanings, it's the same for everyone.
Most of the time everyone agrees what the problems are, it's only in the way to solve them and the assigning of blame that they tend to differ...
B-
The republicans had something stinky...the wars, and they went about doing everything they could to make the democrats at the very least, co-owners of that mess...and eventually they succeeded.
The economy is STINKY, and right now it belongs to the democrats, and there have already been catastrophic electoral repercussions in 2010 from that ownership in the public mind what would you do?
Politics is a game for grown-ups and none of them are pure. You always try to smear the other guy with your stinky mess too...
Chuck Schumer, one of my senators is doing what any good defense attorney would, creating reasonable doubt by providing a theory with a plausible hook in reality. If the shoe was on the other foot and we had a republican president, the same situation and one of his party's senators put forth the same theory, would you believe them?...
The Republicans #1 priority is to make President Obama fail. Stated many times by many Republicans. President fails - country fails. Not a conspiracy????
How right you are Elise! If it means bringing down the country in the process to achieve their objective, well then, SO be it!
Remember, they got theirs and screw the rest of the country!
Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL Ignoring author
Elise, SF
The Republicans #1 priority is to make President Obama fail.
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I think Mitch McConnel said something like that but I didn't realize that it was the republican platform...do you have a link to that?
No Dangerfield, it doesn't. The fact that you righties are feverishly trying to pin it on them is proof of the contrary,....and you know it.
We still have not recovered from the 3rd Bush recession.
An analogy I like to use: If I cut off your left hand with a hatchet tomorrow morning, I will still be at fault for doing that next month, no matter how hard I plead otherwise. I'll still be at fault, and you will still be without a hand. We are still living the fallout from the Bush years.
Republicans caused this economy, and Republicans own this economy.
The party of personal responsibility needs to come clean.
duh
The recession officially peaked in September 2008, before Obama was elected, and ended in June 2009, 6 months after Obama took office and before anything he did took effect.
Nevertheless, unemployment was 7.2% when Obama came into office. He promised if we spent almost a trillion, unemployment would not exceed 8%, if we did not spend the money it could hit 9%. He spent the money and unemployment went to 10.1%, twice as bad as his own worst case scenario if we had not spent the trillion!
Two years later and unemployment is still more than his worst case scenario. In other words, Obama has not created 1 NEW NET JOB above his worst case scenario, much less the o'tta sight number of 7.2% when he took office.
Pretty pathetic, huh? Yea the repubs should be able to run on the economy.
You're kidding right?
Afghanistan, the right war according to Obama, the war he said we had to win and he would win ...... Obama never even mentions the word win anymore ...... responsible withdrawal or whatever the euphanism is? He has lost more than TWICE the number of troops in 2.5 years than Bush lost in 8 years! What for ....... responsible withdrawal? Pathetic.
Lord Obama, the great slayer of the Bin Laden dragon? If that is the reason for being in Afghanistan, and Obama knew since last August that OBL was in Pakistan ........ why have another 430 Americans died in Afghanistan since Obama knew that? ( A total 411 died due to hostile action under Bush in 8 years!) Pathetic.
Obama said Iran would never be allowed to have the bomb. They have enough right now to make 4 bombs. Testing new missiles too!
Oh yea, missile defense? Obama gave our missile defense / security away to the Russians and then capped it with START. We now have a "Phased-adaptive approach" which means Obama is just making up bulls!t as he goes.......we have nothing credible that will work. Pathetic.
You are either horribly uniformed and cynical or a moron....... I dunno.
That's like complaining that nobody said anything when the 6"2" guy got up to 230 lbs. and now they are saying something when he kept eating, gained another 200-300 lbs. and now can't fit through the doors of the "Biggest Loser."
Well good news .... you are ..... on just about everything.
#3 - Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:11 PM EDT
Connieslapper
No Dangerfield, it doesn't. The fact that you righties...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Is it that you can't read or you don't read anything before you leap?
Hysterical accusatory rants are of course, the norm here so go ahead and work out your demons under the guise of caring about politics...
I voted for the president, support implementing the the President's bi-partisan Simpson-Bowles debt commission recommendations, support gay marriage and applaud it in my own state...
Saying that the party in power owns the economy is a fact, it isn't right or left. The President says so, the Vice-President says so, find me someone in either party who doesn't, why would any reasonable sane person dispute that or call it an ideological position? It doesn't make any sense. I was making an analogy to explain why the opposition EITHER OPPONENT, must by electoral necessity try to pin their own dirty laundry on their counterpart. If that kind of realpolitik is above your pay grade...
anyway, thanks for taking the time to illuminate your views and your opinions, I just wish you would maybe do a little more reading and thinking and a little less leaping to conclusions...
Now ol' Bob ####'s above is a different kettle of fish..the two of you seem like a match made in, well not heaven but you know what I mean...:)
Tell it to someone who has been unemployed since 2007.
bob-1805084
It really would take too long to wade through all of that Faux News manure that just spilled out of you. Most nights, I got the patience, but casting pearls to swine ain't my thing lately. Shooting down the same 12 repub talking points gets tiresome after awhile, and I really ain't in the mood for more Romper Room.
Dangerfield: Sorry if I jumped the gun. And to clarify,...I voted for Dennis Kucinich for the nomination. Someone said that Obama was too much of a corporatist. Turns out they were right.
dangerfield. Your response is a tad simplistic. Besides Mitch stating he wanted Obama to Fail, the repubs in general have been making moves since day one to make sure he would not have a second term. Many have stated as such. The only conspiracy in my mind is how each party (whoever is not in power), makes sure they give NOTHING to the other side to say the had a win. Regardless if it is good or bad for the country. Their single mission is to get their guy in office.
Or is the Reagan 6th recession? Or the Nixon 11th recession. Or the Eisenhower 17th recession?
Keeping it all within the Lefties GOP Theme of Blame of course.
Elise - that has always been the strategy of any political party, to control the WH or congress.
As long as all obama does is talk in a campaign style, he is at risk.
GOPisextinct - Amazing how no politician or economist has ever come up with a plan that could avoid regularly timed (7-12 yrs) recessions. How about you? Got a plan? A glimmer? Anything?
I appears whenever we elect a republican president we have a recession. If we can figure out how to never have another republican president I think our problems will be solved.
The republicans only care about deficits and budgets when we have a Democrat for president. Then they are in frantic urgency to get the debt down before the next republican president spends us into oblivion again. First with Reagan/Bush debt and now with BushII debt.
By Gov. Romney's standards, if the unemployment rate is at 8% next year, will that mean there's no need to vote for him? He says nothing about what HE can get the unemployment rate to....because he does at least understand how much or little of it is not under the control of the President.
One other thing -- Gov. Romney seems to take President Obama to task for fundraising while governing. Gov. Romney is one of a very few people who is wealthy enough he doesn't have to earn a living any more -- he hasn't held a job in five years and has been campaigning and fundraising (for himself or others) for most of that time. If he feels that it is not a good idea to have sitting Presidents do fundraising, perhaps he could suggest a way of public financing in order to limit the amount of fundraising and private cash candidates currently need. Most people in the US do not like the idea of wealthy people buying the Presidency for themselves.
Problem is, no one will think to ask. Romney will run ads showing what President Obama said, and all he has to say is that he can do better. If things aren't actually better by that time, no one will care what Romney says -- or doesn't say -- he will do.
And all around him, Republicans are doing what they can to ensure that things are NOT better.
Except for themselves, of course. As my financial advisor recently told me, you don't have to create jobs to make money in the market. That one statement, the truth of which I already knew, explained a lot.
It explained that conservatives really ARE thinking like that, contrary to what they try to tell people.
Ok Anna -
Now we have something. "all around him, Pupublicans are doing what they can to ensure that things are NOT better." The repubs don't have to do anything, most of what the dems are doing and have done will be sufficient. Because what Obama has said has not been what he has done.
That is what will cost him the election.
You have a financial advisor?
And when they do that will they be taking a page out of the obama playbook?
Anna - and you say you practise civil law? Somehow I think your "arguments" would be slammed by any judge as not having merit. Must be why you use them here.
Mr. Mitt FlipFlopper, where is your plan? Speak up man!!!
Weathervane Willard changes his postion again!?!?!. I tell you I am absoluely stunned and shocked by this!
Yep Romney's over, it's all the air (hot) he took in living in Mass. Keep him in for the RINO's but he's no threat to the real Republicans.
If Romney gets the nomination he will beat President O'Hypocrite no doubt about it - even the Government Run Liberal Whacko MSLSD media is calling him nasty names now.
Liberal wing nuts vastly underestimate the eagerness of not only Conservatives & Republicans but many Independents to get this guy out of office ASAP - in way over his head, incompetent and absolutely buried the country's economy. The country is suffering and O'bama is the reason, he can keep trying but at this point no one buys his pitiful blame game
The polls I just saw say Romney is the closest but no cigar.
I found the interesting part that 40% did not think Obama deserved to be re-elected , but when put head to head with all the republicans he won every race. It seems to me that people are unhappy with Obama but not unhappy enough to vote republican.
I can see you brought all your imaginary friends in to back you up but it does not make you right.
95% of all conservatives and republican agree with me that President Obama is the best ever. See how easy it is to manipulate imaginary friends.
I saw a post earlier that stated 75% want the cut and crap balance bill. The number I saw on a poll was 47% and I think that's high, I would like to see the wording on that poll.
Reminds me of an old saying "believe nothing that you hear, and only half what you see"
Romney can do the backtrack, sidestep, foxtrot, electric slide, funky four square, jitterbug and moonwalk, instead of running for president, he should be on Dancing With The Stars.
People forget how the Mittster made his fortune: Pirate Capitalism. Bain Financial. Bought companies, fired the workers, sucked out the value of the remaining assets and put the rest into bankruptcy. Yeah, he'll create jobs, for hedge fund managers and corporate raiders.
After watching the Republicans have so called debates I’m left wondering what all these people will do fix our nation that, according to Republicans, has been destroyed by Democrats.
After watching Republicans hate on all the people who voted for Democrats I realized this: That in order for Republicans to even get elected, they need to exploit the emotions of people using anti-gay rhetoric along with some fear mongering like “death panels” mixed with a little contentious associations such as the anti ACORN and Planned Parenthood right-wing propaganda. Throw all that in with the “Obama is a Kenyan Muslim” stuff and you get a whole lot of ignorant people throwing away their votes on the worst possible candidate.
Michel Bachman for example actively fights the teaching of evolution in science classes. After all that science has created for humanity, Republicans will still deny any science that contradicts their, cursory but required to be elected, political beliefs. Take away these tools of fear from the Republican Party and you are left with nothing. Crickets.
Republicans don’t actually stand for anything, and funny thing is, no one asks them to.
President Bush and his supporters argued that high-income tax cuts would benefit everybody because they would unleash investment that would spark widespread economic prosperity.
There is no evidence of this. From 2000 to 2007, the United States lost one in five (3.5 million) middle-class jobs. A majority of the new jobs created in the United States under Bush pay extremely low wages at less than $18,000 a year, usually without benefits. This is with corporate profits at an all time high since 1960.
The 2005 CBO data show that changes in law enacted since January 2001 increased the deficit by $539 billion in 2005. In the absence of such legislation, the nation would have a surplus that year. In 2010, when all the Bush tax cuts were finally phased in, a staggering 52.5 percent of the benefits went to the richest 5 percent of taxpayers.
People who vote for Republicans are just too angry with tragedian Republicans talking points to understand that a government with no money can't do any work for the people. The working class have been voting against their economic interests for decades. They continue to buy into the lies being sold to them by Republican politicians who can not point to one piece of Republican sponsored legislation that is pro-family, pro-consumer or pro-employee. Republicans consistently support and protect the interests of multinational big business and the rich, and yet poor and working class white stiffs remain loyal followers.
Republicans have become the peasants of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns a 7 percent stake in News Corp — the parent company of Fox News — making him the largest shareholder outside the family of News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch. U.S. buys Saudi Arabia's oil, and the bulk of his country's gross domestic product (GDP) comes from oil. Fox News reliably broadcasts misinformation on clean energy, and aggressively fights efforts to move America away from being dependent on fossil fuels.
I'm tired of Republicans. It was all a nice puppet show. Foolish elderly Republican voters actually think that Republicans are going to repeal the Heath Care Reforms and ban earmarks and bring "freedom" back.
Would you hire a confessed animal hater to run a pet store? No? Then why would you elect politicians who freely admit to despising government?
Republicans rally against regulation of industry, and then America sees how that turns out when BP spills a million barrels of oil in our seas. Republicans will rally against gay people, stripping them of civil rights, and then you find them tapping their toes in airport bathrooms looking for their gay lovers. Republicans will rally against non-existent communists but have no problem driving our economy to the ground with Karl Marx like spending of trillions of tax dollars that they borrowed from China for endless wars against enemies that did not attack us.
After the last ten years of watching Republicans one word stands out as defining them perfectly; hypocrite. A vote for a Republican is literally a vote for the absence of leadership.
Hands down, I'm voting for the Democrats for the next decade.
“There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”
- Warren Buffet, the 2nd richest man in America
I'm voting dem too I always do but before we puff our chest too far remember a few things.Obama has stated he against gay marriage,he Is starting to change his mind now.( oh yes campaign time)Obama is against abortion.
If you elect me and pass my stimulus plan enemployment will NEVER reach 8%.....oops. We will get out of gitmo within first month oops. We will get out of both wars, send MORE troops to Afgahnistan then bring them down to the levels Bush had. Get into another war. HYPOCRIT?
There has been NO leadership on the budget/debt ceiling now Obama calls out Congress ...really? 'Stay and work I've been here' if here is the golf course again. Obama is the leader in creating a greater debt and deficit. Clinton did raise taxes a little but CUT SPENDING A LOT. CUT SPENDING.
I was told Bush was the dumbest President EVER, So I voted for Obama The smartest President Ever. IF the smartest man ever, can't even turn things around A LITTLE in three years I think we should have voted for Hillary.
Obama said ' I don't want to be accused of fear mongering' then in next breath If you don't cut subsidies and tax breaks for people with private jets ....kids wont get to go to college, the ederly wont get life saving surgery, blah blah blah. Not fear mongering? Just for the record the tax cuts for private jet owners was in OBAMA'S stimulus plan. It was designed to get sales and manufacturing of jets back on track. HYPOCRIT?
Hillary 2012
Clinton raised taxes several times to get our country back on track. It worked.
This time we not allowed by the rich to every raise taxes again. The reason, it worked last time.
Sure, its Obama's fault.
Thank you, Sue Kroll! The truth from Romney with a lie today?? He's got a problem with this, sadly.
All the republican's are full of Sh##%T... They created this mess, and it wasn't a little one...When they decide to F$$#K things up they do it in real style...they collapse the entire financial system...
Then in 2 years with the blocking everything that might help claim the guy trying to fix things can't... I can't believe there are people that believe this stuff...
First off, the last time this happened (a crash) unemployment went ot 25%......not the 9% we have now...And it took 15 years to bring it down.... and least we forget republicans were in control both in 1929 and 2008.....
They should never be allowed to play in the sandbox again...because all they leave is crap.
Thanks to The Obama Diary for this article: {shortened version}
Posted by Desert Crone
I have been mulling over an idea that’s been rattling around in my head for a while, and that idea grew to fruition with two tweets by Lt. Dan Choi: “. . . .sad that Barack Obama would have voted no" and "Obama: ‘I have plenty of gay friends. Some of them work for me. I just feel they are inferior to me, and they don't deserve marriage.’" That set me off in an ugly old cranky rant on “Tweeter.” I called Lt. Choi a self-made martyr and a media whore. However, this wasn’t a spontaneous tweet; it was an opinion I’ve held about him since he came out. We drunks have a saying in AA, “Principles over personalities,” and Lt. Choi’s behavior and comments flew in the face of that belief.
His crusade became about himself and his rising star on MSNBC, not the greater good. In my opinion, President Obama became the target of “his” movement, and he lost sight of the LGBT movement. Of course, my criticism of Lt. Choi generated much support and criticism, some very harsh, which was of no surprise to me. However, I digress. In my mind Lt. Choi is hardly a martyr (which to my knowledge he has not claimed to be but acts like) because martyrs don’t throw others under the bus. Martyrs help people get on the bus and up on stools at Woolworth and into voting booths and into segregated public schools and universities. But my epiphany and the point of this post aren’t about Choi’s motive; they revolve around his criticism of President Obama.
As you know, Lt. Choi, Rachel Maddow, and Michael Moore all have the opinion that Obama would have voted against the gay marriage bill in NY. This is simply, unequivocally false. I am truly befuddled by this statement because I have read much of what Pres. Obama has said and written about gay marriage. Others are tweeting “evolve already” to the president, presumably assuming that Obama is struggling with moral or political issues around his view on gay marriage. I also disagree with that assumption.
I believe President Obama’s conundrum is whether or not gay marriage is a vehicle to achieving civil rights for LGBT’S, or whether gay marriage will come with the passing of more sweeping civil rights legislation and court rulings. If my observation does, in fact, define his conflicted feelings (or evolution), then his statements about gay marriage revolve around his search for the most pragmatic path to ensuring civil rights for LGBT’s.
The fact that Obama is a pragmatist and a Constitutional scholar with a brilliant mind leads me to believe that his positions on issues are not based on his religious beliefs or political scheming but the most pragmatic, quickest way to do the right thing for people of the United States.
Thus, he has used and is using his executive powers to make it easier for unions to organize, to implement parts of the DREAM Act, and to obtain civil rights for LGBT’s. If Congress won’t get the job done, then Obama looks for other avenues.
My point is that the criticism that Obama would have voted no on gay marriage or that he doesn’t support gay marriage is so simplistic to be laughable if it weren’t so tragically absurd. It might be true if he were a black and white thinker (no pun so don’t even go there), but he is not. He is a complex man. And don’t you ever forget it.
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Change has to come from us. We have a Congress who have zero intention of doing anything for any of us. Romney has no vision, no anything. As someone wrote last week on DKos, Romney is like Seinfeld - a candidate about nothing.
We have the leader right now who wants progress. We have to do our part. Are we leaders or just freakin' whiners?
The only progressive ideas Obama has concern taxes!
Feisty, the fact that you comment first on every story posted does not make you right! It proves that you have nothing productive to do. I suspect that you are not in the top 2-3% of earners.
TES GUESS WHAT
MOST AMERICANS ARE NOT IN THE 2 to 3 percent of TOP earners... in fact, thanks to RETHUGLIKKKANS
the top ONE PERCENT now OWNS MORE than the entire lower NINETY PERCENT. No wonder we have no recovery. This is rethuglikkkan social engineering...somehow when all America's wealth gets redistributed into the hands of a GREEDY FEW--- what do we call that? SOCIALISM???? hahhaha, nope , well IF socialism is the OPPOSITE of a few ROBBING all the rest of America to give to the greedy Koch bros and THEIR ilk-- GOOD!!! BRING IT and let's just keep SOCIALISM in place at least until we have REGAINED SOME OF WHAT WAS STOLEN BY THE ECONOMIC ENGINEERING OF THE RETHUGLIKKANS, otherwise, I promist you what happened in Greece will be coming to EVERY city in America.
RDSMH - MOST AMERICANS ARE NOT IN THE 2 to 3 percent of TOP earners... in fact, thanks to RETHUGLIKKKANS
Did you really think this out for yourself? I guess most aren't. I'll go out on a limb and say 97-98% are not in the top 2-3%.
Capital letters and clever (in your mind I am sure) word play on Republicans doesn't give your post more credibility. In fact, you might want to take a break and brush up on your math skills there Cap'n Obvious.
Tes, just because you are Jealous that Fiesty comments first on stories doesn't make her wrong. ;)
They caused the mess. For 8 years they were unable to fix the economy but just made it worse. How are they now going to fix i?
SAMMY------ Just so you know if you do some research Clinton left a recession for Bush! Oh my. These things happen. For the record I voted for Clinton twice I think he was a good Pres. I didn't vote for Bush. I voted for Obama once and ONLY ONCE.
Hillary 2012 another Clinton would be good.
Time to face the truth, Hillary isn't running in 2012. Some say she no longer wants to be president, not that anyone could blame her in todays environment with the party of no obstructing nearly everything. You may have to wait for Chelsea if you have made up your mind to only vote for a Clinton in the future.
Millions of middle class Americans know how frustrating it is whenever the banks or other financial institutions refuse to loan them money they need to enable them invest and create more wealth. We now see Republicans trying to do exactly the same thing to America as a country by trying to lower the Amount that America can borrow from the world’s financial market. Millions of middle class Americans lag behind in poverty because the banks put limits on what they can borrow despite their ability to pay back the loans if funds were made available to them as well.
The more you are able to borrow from the bank, the stronger your ability to transact business and also the better your chances of becoming financially stable and wealthy. When the bank raises your credit limit and allows you to borrow all that you need when you need it, you are more likely to remain financially stable and able to continue repaying your loans. Americans know this and is the reason why every single American strives everyday to have his/her credit limit increased and if possible have unlimited ability to borrow from the bank whenever he/she is in need of cash. Why are Republicans trying to lower America’s credit limit if it was not just for their political maneuvers?
If someone suddenly takes away your freedom to borrow what you need or drastically lowers the amount you are allowed to borrow, you will obviously become financially unstable and can easily default on your existing loan repayments just because of the disruption. This is what the power angry Republicans are scheming on so that they can destabilize the current Administration; and they do this without regard to the security and safety of their country.
As individual Americans, we all know that having a high credit limit does not mean that you have to borrow all that is made available to you. A high credit limit is essential for one’s security, safety and stability should need arises. A high debt ceiling for America is essential for the country’s safety, security and economic stability.
Is there any right thinking American who can come up and say that he/she will be happy and will be in a better position when the bank reduces the amount he/she is allowed to borrow? Corporations too would never favor the idea of the banks limiting the amount they can borrow.
Why then are ill motivated individuals trying to limit the amount of money this country can borrow from ‘wherever’ all other countries borrow? Countries which have restrictions on how much they can borrow are mostly the Third world countries. United States of America is not like the still backward Third world countries which still have to be controlled or limited on how much they can borrow. United States is a super power in all aspects and will always remain that way in many years to come.
When Republicans open their mouths, they need to watch their words because foreign countries which envy America are listening to the things they say. United States' strength and ability to make negotiations or dealings with foreign countries in the international arena is not something that any person in his right mind should put limits on. The country must be allowed flexibility when it comes to its dealings with foreign powers depending on the prevailing circumstances.
This bozo is like that flake Bachmann ...you can't believe a word either says ! Only Romney isn't quiet as..... ANTI AMERICAN as Bachmann is ...but he is still a crazy cult member ...i would hate to see him ...well you know ! Cult stuff !
CAN WE ALL AGREE THAT A PRESIDENT LEADS BY EXAMPLE?
Well, let's look at how ROMNEY made his money! He BOUGHT up corporations and then he DESTROYED THE JOBS of the people working in those businesses he bought. THERE IS NOT A SINGLE COMPANY that ROMNEY BOUGHT, where he did NOT reduce number of people working there. HE THEN PROFITEERED as he sent THOUSANDS of WORKERS into the unemployment lines and EXPORTED only, the jobs they once had. THAT is someone who will create jobs alright, he will create jobs for NON AMERICAN WORKERS. Vote for THAT if you want to see the unemployment lines GROW.
I agree about Romney, but Obama is forcing ALL business out of the country. We will have ZERO jobs left. Obama has only been a GOOD leader once ...Rest in Pieces Bin Laden
How exactly is Obama "forcing ALL business out of the country"? Perhaps you have just recently noticed that American corporations are feverishly shipping the jobs of American citizens to cheaper labor markets, but it has been going on for well over 30 years now. Are you suggesting Obama as a community organizer was somehow blackmailing these corporations to exploit the slave wages found in some countries, or are you assuming it is all Obama's fault that there is a minimum wage and he should have somehow convinced Americans to work for a couple of dollars a day?
If you take an honest look at the cause, tax breaks for moving operations overseas, lack of tarrifs to keep the jobs here in the United States (some countries such as China require companies to build factories there in order to sell their goods there), polluters who would rather move than find solutions to their destructive business practices, then you would likely notice it is the GOP that is preventing the removal of incentives for the offshoring of jobs.
xxx
How could anyone seriously backtrack on their thoughts that the current President made the economy worse??? Of course he did and his most recent proposals will continue to make it even worse yet. We need the kind of conservative that will tell the truth about what is happening to our economy and the next election will be a slam dunk. No more pansies playing politics.
Easy to continue the lie when you aren't depending on voters to get a job.
He was quoted twice at 2 different events saying "he made it worse" and they are on tape. Orwells doublespeak is alive and well in theRepublican party today. Imagine what will happen in forgien affairs if he keeps on this path..he didn't say it-yet youheard it and you have a taped record.
What will he say next that you can automatically disbelieve? When he talks about taxes pledging no taxes-will people yell out.."you didn't say that!" Maybe at Romney rallies people shoud start that-every time he makes a statement-yell out "you didn't say that!" to drive home the point that President need crediblity. And he doesn't have any....
McConnell has said from day one his most important job is to make Obama a one term President
So if he has to trash the Economy to do it that's what he and the Tea Party will do
I guess thats why Eric Cantor has all those Bonds to short, you know make millions while the rest of us tank
Maybe Romney can save us
There are $2.3 Trillion dollars in Fortune 1000 company accounts today. This is $1.3 trillion excess reserves in the banks.
What is Romney's definition of worse? Wall Street exs made $141 Billion in bonuses last year? That's worse? Fed Ex,Bank of america, Wells Fargo and GE all didn't pay any taxes last year?
The stock market today is over 12,000. What was it under Bush?
Define worse-Mitthead
In under 8 moths Apple sold 15 million Ipads. Does that sound like an econmic collapse to you?
What planet is Mitthead living on?
perhaps we should ask the GNOP how the country is worse....imagine if they stopped sitting on some of the job creating bills sitting around.....
How many bills as the house passed since January? Curious minds would like to know.
In all fairness, the approval rating of congress is considerably worse... maybe they are just confusing the two?