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AMES, Iowa -- Mitt Romney’s chances of winning Iowa could have as much to do with Ron Paul as with Romney himself.
“No one will come back here in four years if Ron Paul wins,” said Craig Wearmouth, an undecided Republican from nearby Ogden.
“We’re worried about the caucuses,” said Norm Hill, also from Ogden and who traveled with Wearmouth to this warehouse of Kinzler Construction to hear Romney speak tonight.
Wearmouth, his wife Sue, Hill, and about a half-dozen other voters of the 400 or so here to hear Romney that First Read spoke with, who said they were undecided, echoed those sentiments. And they are now strongly considering voting for Romney.
For these Republicans, nowhere near the staunchly social conservative Western part of the state, the most important thing is beating Barack Obama, they said.
“He’s a great man, just a fantastic guy,” said Dean Thompson gesturing toward Romney, as Romney shook hands with everyone who wanted to following his speech. “I’d vote for anything that had a chance to get Obama out.”
Thompson said he leans to the libertarian wing of the Republican Party and even voted for Paul at the Ames Straw Poll. But, “I can’t,” he said of Paul. “The way he’s voiced his opinions on Iran – that’s a downfall for me.”
The Wearmouths, Hill, and Thompson all said they were Herman Cain supporters, but are still searching. They like Bachmann and Santorum, but worry about their electability. They like Perry, but said his debate performances were too damaging. And Gingrich just has too much “baggage.”
Romney’s “steady, no extremes,” Thompson said.
Still, none of these undecided had their minds made up on Romney yet. Thompson said he likes that Romney is talking about “spending more than we take in,” but wishes he were a little bolder on tax policy – like a consumption tax (aka Fair Tax) or a more “innovative” flat tax, kind of like, oh, 9-9-9.
But they liked what they heard tonight.
“Yeah,” Wearmouth said. “He was good.”
Thompson put it this way: “He’s the presumptive nominee,” he said, with a shrug of the shoulders, “So….”
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The only positive outcome of Paul's surging, would be there are a LOT less mess on all of ours ankles...
WRAP it UP... I'll take it...
Bonus points for the old coot being too old to procreate! lol!
Alas, one of his "surges" gave us Rand Paul :(
Did you see the front page of the Huffington Post? Romney calling Obama Marie Antoinette?
Here is a response from a commentor who nailed it:
It takes some real cojones for a silver spoon kid who had everything growing up, executive of a multi-billion dollar investment company, to call out a man who worked his way up from nothing; with a single mom and grand parents, to scholarships for hard work and good grades all the way to Harvard Law School and the presidency. Real self-infatuated in denial cojones.
Pat, It has nothing to do with "real cojones", it is metaphor that shows his ignorance. As a life long member of the "ancien regime" class here in the US he is out of touch with the middle class and the history of what makes a radical revolution.
Response From DNC:
"It is actually laughable that the 'Quarter-Billion-Dollar Man' would call President Obama out of touch -- and use the example of a French monarch to make the point," DNC spokeswoman Melanie Roussell said in a statement to The Huffington Post on Thursday evening.
"This is the same guy who joked that he was 'unemployed,' offered a $10,000 bet as casually as one might buy a cup of coffee, and said 'corporations are people.' He's also the same person who, as a former corporate buyout specialist for Bain Capital, made his fortune firing thousands of workers, cutting benefits, bankrupting American companies and outsourcing jobs overseas. He's the one who won't release his tax returns -- most likely because we would all learn that he pays a lower tax rate than middle class wage-earners. Laughable."
************************
And to make matters worse, the Quarter Billion Dollar Man has GWB's team to help him. Because he obviously can't do anything on his own. So enter Karl Rove.
This is the guy who wouldn't do interviews. This is the guy who cleaned his hard drives to hide what was on them from the media and opponents. This is the guy who was FOR the Iraq War, yet didn't believe in it enough to send his own damn kids.
Karl Rove. Mitt Romney. Republican Party.
Makes perfect sense.
Ron Paul = wasted vote
Time to start talking about serious issues, not clown issues. Let's hear Romney vs. Obama and let the adults speak please...
“I’d vote for anything that had a chance to get Obama out.” and therein lies the problem. No thoughts about what the candidate stands for, no concrete ideas to help the country out of this economic trap, no worries about baggage from the past (lies, infidelity, flip-flopping on issues, etc.), lack of intelligence, never answering questions about serious issues, blathering on about hot-button issues rather than the serious issues that are facing this country....No critical thinking at all! That is really the way to solve our problems! What a waste!
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
nurse, when President Obama faces Willard in the debates, he's going to have quite a resume. There is nothing in Romney's background which will afford him the luxury of standing on higher ground than the president. Nothing.
The primaries are really just a cleaning out process. They don't mean too much, especially this year. All they have showcased is how incompetent and yes, racist, some of these candidates are. It has been truly ugly. You would think our Nation would be able to bring forth better candidates. They like to talk about how we're the greatest nation in the world. Well, they surely don't act it.
If people in this country want to vote out Obama for no particular reason, then there will never be any getting through to them. But I think when most people cast a vote, they are quite serious when doing so. It is after all their future at stake. The GOP doesn't care about the future.
This is what we know about the Republican Party:
They only care about two things - their whacked out beliefs or their money. Nothing else matters to them.
Nurse, it's a continuation of the "No-way Jose" strategy that the GOP has been pushing since President Obama was elected.
Hope that "hope and change" thingy worked out for you. Nice to know that coming soon to anyone whose employer contributes to their healthcare insurance a nice individual tax increase. All courtesy of obamacare.
reference section 1502 of public law 111-148.
Keep on spinning girls...
Nurse: You are exactly right! It's really sad to see so many people oppose the president JUST because he is president. There are a group of people that have real objections to his policies and there will always be people that would vote against a Democrat just because they are a Democrat, BUT this overwhelming group with PURE hatred towards our president is just SCAREY!
People that will vote for IDIOTS just to get Obama out of office are complete MORONS!
Romney is a great guy?
So much so that his healthy sons are all on the campaign trail while our veterans have had a tough go of it since returning from what? - 3 tours, 4 tours, 5 tours?
They fought in a war that Romney was for, yet his own sons didn't sign up for.
That's not the definition of a great guy. That's the definition of a 1%er sitting back while the 99%ers fight his war. That was based on a lie, just like everything out of Willard's mouth.
If you are going to be pro-war, then go and fight the damn war, or at the very least, sent your own damn children to go & fight it. Otherwise, STAND UP AGAINST IT.
Pat,
I have said this before, if the GOP is so set on starting wars, they had better reinstate the draft (which I don't like). The entire country needs to have "skin" in the game of war - not just less the 1% of the population. Bet that would make them rethink all this sabre rattling!
While the Iowa caucus seems to work for the Dems, it seems to have no bearing on who the GOP nominee will be. I wonder, in all seriousness, why that is?
Feisty,
On the other thread, I see our little friend nojo is out trolling after dark!
Phine,
And tomorrow is the day she gets on the Romney bandwagon. I have the bet that it will be Friday.
The PPP poll clearly showed that the great grandparents were FIRM Romney supporters, so what is being said in the article doesn't surprise me at all.
That being said, He's killin Mitts in the youth, (better than 4-1) adults, (better than 2-1) with the grandparents they are even with mitts having a slight (miniscule) lead. That's 7/8ths of the poll going for the Good Dr. winning.
Paul surged up today because they were in a hurry to claim the grinch losses for Mittney yesterday, when today those losses actually went to Dr Paul.
The Establishment Republicans REALLY are not liking Dr Paul showing himself as electable. It is clear that the establishment is threatening the electorate in Iowa that if they want to maintain their first in the nation status they better not vote for Paul....
He's the guy driving in the right lane at a steady 55 mph ... because that's what's posted and that's fast enough!
Well, that didn't come out quite right...I'm directionally challenged. Have you ever tried to pass someone in the LEFT lane who wouldn't move over? It's a republican.
Ursula,
I know exactly what you mean, now. I live in Florida where the snowbirds LOVE to drive slow in the fast lane while reading a map during rush hour!
phinephancy, you're directionally challenged too! lol
my mistake was to suggest the 'fast' lane was on the right!
Ursula,
Maybe we should move to the British Commonwealth - at least we wouldn't be so directionally challenged! LOL
We're on the same page, girl!
(In best British accent) Jolly Good! Care for a nightcap?
i'm a scotch ahead of you! (but not driving)
I do believe they revoked our driving privileges for the evening
Don’t be fooled by the mainstream media’s disinformation campaign to marginalize RonPaul’s pro-peace, anti-war message.
What grass-roots African-Americans think about the “vicious racist” Ron Paul
What active duty service men and women think about the “isolationist appeaser” Ron Paul
What veterans think about the “uncaring and uncompassionate” Ron Paul
What women think about the “hateful misogynist” Ron Paul
What is really funny is that the Ron Paul supporters seem to think that he will make a real difference. It is as if he would be a dictator. Maybe they want a dictator. No Congress to vote on his cokamamie ideas, no Supreme Court to rule on the Constitutionality of his idiocy just their demigod the good doctor.
Instead of staying home and taking care of patients or representing his Congressional district he's out spouting nonsense and people are falling for it. On the surface some of what he says, I must admit, sounds reasonable but when one analyzes the feasability of accomplishing such things the truth comes out and he is totally unacceptable.
To his supporters anyone who dares to disagree with their demigod are brainwashed by the media or some mysterious force. Because they don't think they think others don't either. Anyone who considers the consequences would NOT vote for Ron Paul. He might be a nice man, so was Dubya but he made a lousey president.
What? If you want to vote what the establishment is telling you, what is the point of having elections. Elections are for the people to choose and not for the people to become mere puppets of establishment.
Agreed, I've never paid much attention to politics before this year so its an eye opening experience. Having the guy I most agree with get bashed by all angles from the media is uppalling to the point where its hard to believe what I'm seeing.
The fact is Obama and Romney recieve a majority of their campaign donations from big finance; go figure.
Ron Paul is #1 in Iowa and New Hampshire because of all the presidential candidates of both major parties, only he has repeatedly spoken out clearly and forcefully against the belligerent war propaganda and calculated lies in the bipartisan lead up to war with Iran, against the bipartisan campaign for punitive sanctions against Iran, and against further covert operations to destabilize the fragile geopolitical situation in the Mideast.
Ron Paul is not afraid to speak truth to power, which is why he is greatly admired by stalwart GOP conservatives, grass-roots tea party activists, independents, and disillusioned Obama Democrats. Accordingly the veteran Air Force flight surgeon Ron Paul receives more financial contributions and support from present active duty military personnel than all other Republicans candidates combined. They know he has seen first-hand the ravages and toil of combat and as presidential commander-in-chief will not carelessly place them in harm’s way in no-win wars. President Paul will only commit combat troops with the proper constitutional declaration of war and the full support of the American people.
Never forget that these same duplicitous chickenhawk jihadists (Gingrich, Romney, Santorum, Bachmann, and Perry) beat the propaganda war drums of “weapons of mass destruction” in the failed war in Iraq. The American people know the bitter tragedy of war. They are tired of being lied to about these futile conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, who were seriously maimed, irreparably disabled, and needlessly killed, never to return physically or psychologically intact as they were when they marched off to these egregious follies.
The principled constitutionalist and noninterventionist Paul was right from the start about our disastrous preemptive imperial wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, right from the start about the destructive 'blowback' fomenting more hatred directed towards America, right from the start about the Federal Reserve's monetary policies creating the housing bubble which led to the 2008 financial meltdown, right from the start about the War on Drugs, the USA Patriot Act and the TSA imposing a police state upon the American people.
Charles, you have made an eloquent post as to why Ron Paul should win the nomination. Unfortunately, when it comes to war - Americans, politicians and the media are afraid to just say no.
He's not going to win. Too much money in the game for Romney.
Romney gets to say nothing and let his money do the talking - in ads - courtesy of Karl Rove. Remember him? He's baaaaaaaaaaaaaack and Mitt has him.
I'm a little unclear on where Paul is in the polls in Iowa. One day he's ahead, and then I hear Romney is. It's confusing.
Pat,
ABC jumped the gun yesterday trying to push the grinch losses to mitts, PPP waited and their poll clearly shows that they went to the Dr.
The establishment is really getting DESPERATE! From what I've heard they are almost in a frenzied panic...
Just a suggestion, watch this Bachmann defection money thing going on, if they can produce evidence and make it stick, they can eliminate Dr Paul without a vote....
It's gonna really get nasty....
Egilman, it was reported this evening that there are a lot of Paul supporters on the ground in Iowa, so I agree. It's gonna really get nasty...
Excellent, Charles, I could have not written better myself.
Romney is a lying sac of dung ..He lies and changes his views daily ..The one thing i must say i love about him ..is he is taking the religious cult members for millions ..i find that amusing ..your already poor and you give some fool what you have left ...then your asked to grab your ankles one last time ...he gets in and ignores you totally ! A true politician
Well, that what makes Willard so predictable. His daily flips and his weekly flops.
Say so, that's a really good point that I hadn't considered. The flock suck up all that crap and the Mormon 'flock's' funding is substantial!
Substitute "Obama" for "Romney" and you would be correct. Say it isn't so !
I also wish they would start that flat tax , with no exceptions for corporations ect...
No argument from any conservative on that one. Only you must remember that corporations only pay taxes on their actual profits, not just their sales figures, so if they lose money they pay nothing, and they carry their losses into later years as well.
Still it would be a bargain for corporations if they would pay the same tax rates as everyone else. The economy would boom and the cost of living would go down, because consumers would have less corporate tax passed on to them
The flat tax, while it sounds good at first, is actually regressive. When one considers the actual amounts they would pay consider this:
Woman, single mother, makes 35K a year. Pays rent, buys clothes and school supplies, high gas prices to take the kids off to school and has to pay high medical costs whenever one of the kids has an ear ache or bad cold. After paying her 10% in taxes she only has 31,500 to live on. Maybe she can do that if she lives in a single wide in Alabama but most of us don't.
The 1%er by contrast makes, let us be conservative and say he had a bad year and only was able to pocket $1million. At the same 10% rate he would pay $100.000 in taxes. Do you think he will be struggling to put food on the table or to have a place to live? No, he will have the finest food probably cooked by an employee where he dines in his expensive home. He has a yacht, a private plane, and his chauffer drives him around in a car that cost 80 to 100 thousand dollars or more.
Both pay 10 percent tax but what is left over affects the single mother in a much more harsh way than the millionaire.
Both are hard working and both have children to support. One is chauffered around in an expensive care the other drives a beater on it's last legs. One eats caviar while the other eats spam. One buys clothes on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills while the other goes to the thrift store or Walmart. Neither wastes money but clearly the millionaire has no worry about the basics in life while the single mother worries constantly about how she is going make ends wave at each other let alone meet.
Those who can afford it most should pay accordingly. The % they pay should be greater than those less able to pay. It doesn't matter how they got where they are they are there and that is the reality of it.
That mans practicability is as reliable as "Prune Juice " lil fla joke
Was just at the grocery, and noticed a shortage of prune juice. Then I realized it was snowbird season. That explains all the flushing I have been hearing.
lol...I live in Palm Springs Calif ..the Snow birds are here also ..driving in the fast lane going 25 miles per hour...but at least today it was 76 degrees...
Cold in NE Florida today - only 67. Didn't stop our old coots, either!
When I lived in Tuscon, we had the same problem, they also just loved to pull over to the side in the bottom of the washes though, even as much as we told them not to they would still do it...
Crazy old coots...
predictability...
Forrest Gump would be better than the current pretender in the White House. Mr. T would say... "Pity the fool who votes for Obama." Obama has had his chance nad he blew it. Too bad, so sad. Hope and change was not delivered as promised. Just same old, same old. Anyone but Obama 2012 !
Not to worry.
The clown in our White House will be gone in a year. Then, after a proper cleaning, it will be occupied by a REAL President, with REAL business experience, who will lead us out of this Great Obama Depression.
No more social experiments with our Presidency. 2012, the end of an error.
Ron Paul will win Iowa, because he shows the American people, the folly of side-stepping the Constitution, the continuing slide of the dollar, the failure of the federal reserve, ( which has nothing to do with the federal gov't ), spending money we don't have on wars we never proclaimed, allowing jobs to evaporate, and basically stealing the peoples money through bale-outs, he has the concept to get us out of this mess..of course, AIPAC, and their cronnies control the smut..
Ron Paul 2012
There actually is a lot of Ron Paul support here in Virgina, too. I see a lot of signs up for him. I think a lot of people who're discounting him are going to get a real surprise. There are a lot more of us around than one would think. Dr Paul is the right choice, many who believe that simply haven't voiced their opinions yet. We'll do our talking at the polls.
No surprise there, with all the time he has spent in Washington nearby.
As crude as they are, I like the words I read a few months back...
"You voted for Obama to prove you're not a racist. Now vote for Ron Paul to prove you're not an idiot"
For me the choice is simple:
I believe that if Dr. Paul is NOT elected this country will go 'third world' quickly.
Obama is a pseudo Democrat,he's really a socialist or communist. Bigger Gov't,more tax payer handouts to the welfare moms and dads,Gov't run health care, and the list goes on and on. The Repubs aren't any better,in bed with BigOil,BigBanks,Military Industrial Complex and the stinking Jewish Lobby. We need a strong,fair minded third party candidate like a Teddy Roosevelt or Harry Truman type to get this country back on solid ground. If we don't, one fine morning will wake, and Peking will be the new white house.
With all the media support for Romney and Gingrich , Ron Paul finally got some attention ? After being demonized by the media , people realize that the others are just clowns and Ron Paul is the best candidate. If the Republican Party wants to lose against Obama just pick Romney. Obama will beat him easily , he is not the total zero that Romney's opponent ( a woman ) in MA was. Obama is smart, a much better speaker than Romney and he will pound on Romney about his "business experience " of laying people off and "job creation " out of thin air. Everyone should know, that you can not create jobs if your country has open borders and is flooded with slave labor imports that are killing American jobs. Ron Paul would have a field day with Obama and would win because Obama did not deliver what he promised, on the countrary, he did what Bush did. Obama's empty promises Paul needs to expose and his bailout of the banksters -the contest will be over. Ron Paul will be our next president.
yes let's base the future of the country on whether or not iowa is not first in four years. I gues the old retards are still believe the MSM..They have tried every single angle to stop ron paul. Racism, Unlectable, Anti-Semite, Isolationist, Conspiracy Theorist, Truther,Too old, Will ruin iowa status..Even if you do not support him you have to admit the establishment both right and left all MSM number one objective is too not let him win. And if all this does not work they will probably fudge the numbers..The reason is simple he is the only one going against the war machine, and the federal reserve who really runs this country.its that simple..So if you like the way this country going go ahead and vote for somebody else
ANY Republican will be better for the country than the liberals who are running the Obama administration.
Liberals, like Obama, are attacking the private sector .
Without the private sector , there are no tax dollars.
Tax dollars support the govt. jobs and programs.
Liberal survive off the govt. jobs and programs.
A clear example of "bite the hand that feeds you."
Vote Romney/Rubio 2012 for private sector JOBS.
Good Lord, are you REALLY that ignorant? Rubio has stated time and again that he will NOT, WILL NOT accept a VP nod. It is DANGEROUS to have a running mate that it the middle of their first term of whatever they are serving. We must have someone who has been re-elected at least once or at least would have completed their first term in 2012. With the shellacking in 2006 there are few that fit that bill, just as the Democrats will have trouble finding viable candidates in the future after their farm team got destroyed in 2010. But we do have one strong conservative governor that was re-elected in 2011, but felt there wasn't enough time afterward to launch a Presidential campaign which is why no one is talking about him. And that candidate is Bobby Jindal.
beachkrp,
Jindal has endorsed Perry. He can't be VP to Romney after that endorsement.
"Good Lord, are you REALLY that ignorant?"
Leona, when corporations start paying taxes what you say would ring true. Unfortunately the tax burden is on the middle class, some of whom are now living pay check to pay check if they even have jobs, you know those jobs that the tax breaks for the wealthy corporations are supposed to generate.
So what would be your alternative. Would you opt for a corporatocricy where everything is for the benefit of corporate bottom lines rather than the people. The people who would be dying because there would be no FDA to protect them from bad food or bad drugs. Would you love to breathe bad air or your asthmatic neighbor can just die because she can't breathe. We don't want her to be able to afford treatment either do we. That would only be for the deserving rich people.
It kind of reminds me of Dicken's "A Crhistmas Carol" where miser Ebeneezer Scrooge acts like an ultra conservative until he gets visited, on Christmas eve night, by 4 spirits including his old partner Jacob Marlye who was, like Scrooge a miser, and is tranformed into a liberal. He is generous and shares his good fortune with others. He even shows concern for the child of one of his employees and makes sure that "tiny" Tim Cratchett has the surgery needed to correct a debilitating condition.
Going back to 1840s England may be desireable to the right wing extremist elements in our society but I don't believe most people want to go back to those bad old days.
media discredited
polls discredited
independents
Cell Phones
new voters
The big wigs out there running everything are the ones saying all this BS about Paul because they know if he gets elected no more money flowing into their pockets and they won't be controlling everything anymore. Romney is a puppet who is just doing this for the power and money. Who are you going to trust, a doctor with a $300k home living like a pretty normal American with his wife of umpteen years or the millionaire with estates all over the country who's made money tearing apart US companies and constantly lies about his obamacare support and his theft of the government files when he was in office?
Pat From Boston, Obama was given the Presidency. He did nothing to earn it. Romney has worked hard from as far back as you want to investigate. Big Difference between a person who uses wealth to serve others vs. Obama who uses power for himself and his crooked cronies. And Obama was NOT born in the U.S.
Gary stein-3153914......Sen Rand Paul was officially named Randal Howard Paul. His wife gave him the nickname "Rand" and went by Randy, while growing up.
So this makes you 100% wrong about Dr. Paul. Why not start learning about him by reading his suggested fed budget , plans, etc....Thx