Presidential race rumbles into final 4 weeks
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Rumbling into its final four weeks, the presidential campaign is playing out on both coasts and multiple fronts, with Republican Mitt Romney seeking stature on foreign affairs and President Barack Obama raising political cash by the millions.
Negative ads, charges of dishonesty and dwindling time are all setting the tone.
Romney delivered a detailed foreign policy speech that answered criticism that he has not been specific enough in describing how he would lead the country and drew sharp distinctions with Obama's approach. "Hope is not a strategy," Romney said in the address at Virginia Military Institute. He argued Obama's leadership has been especially lacking in the Middle East as chaos continues to grow.
"It's clear that the risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the president took office," Romney argued.
Joining celebrities for fundraising in Los Angeles on Sunday, Obama for the first time needled himself over a poor debate performance. But he declared he had the right focus and "I intend to win."
The campaigns also were eyeing the next debate, the sole faceoff between Vice President Joe Biden and the GOP running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, which will grab even more attention as the Thursday night event nears. Ryan's challenge is to overcome his lack foreign policy expertise or national debate experience against Biden, who has extensive experience on both fronts.
Ryan said voters are paying closer attention as Election Day approaches and accused the Democratic ticket of distorting the GOP ticket's record.
"Believe you me, I understand this man is extremely experienced, he's a gifted speaker, he's a proven debater," the Republican vice presidential nominee said on The Frank Beckman Show on Detroit radio station WJR. "So we definitely have our work cut out for us. But the problem the vice president has that he just can't get around is he has to try and defend Barack Obama's record and it's not a very good record to defend."
The election hangs as ever on persuadable voters in fewer than 10 states, with Iowa, Ohio, Virginia and Florida all set for candidate visits this week.
In an election-year display of an incumbent's power, Obama on Monday was declaring a national monument at the home of Latino labor leader Cesar Chavez, the United Farmworkers Union founder who died in 1993. Sure to appeal to Hispanic voters in swing states, Obama's move comes at the start of a day in which he will later raise political cash at events in San Francisco.
Romney was after the bigger stage of the day.
His foreign policy speech sent tough signals to Iran and Syria and portrayed Obama as weak for his administration's changing explanation for the deadly attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Libya.
"We're not going to be lectured by someone who has been an unmitigated disaster on foreign policy," Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
Voters give Obama higher marks than Romney on questions of national security and crisis response, and world affairs in general are a distant priority compared with economic woes, polling shows. Romney, though, is seeking to broaden his explanation about how he would serve as commander in chief. He said he would not hesitate to impose new sanctions on Iran to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and promised to help arm opposition forces in Syria.
"We cannot support our friends and defeat our enemies in the Middle East when our words are not backed up by deeds," Romney said.
After polls recently suggested Obama had narrow leads in several swing states, the Romney campaign says the race is tightening following his strong performance in last week's debate. To help maintain his momentum, Romney has tweaked his message over the last week, highlighting his compassionate side and centrist political positions.
Beyond his speech, Romney has a Virginia rally scheduled for Monday evening, followed by events in Iowa and Ohio later in the week.
Obama displayed a little self-deprecation Sunday night to account for his own showing in last Wednesday's debate.
Taking to the Nokia Theatre stage after some musical stars performed, Obama said the entertainers seemed to have flawless nights all the time.
"I can't always say the same," he said. Everyone in the crowd of thousands seemed to get the joke.
Later in the Los Angeles evening, with actor George Clooney among those attending a $25,000-per-person fundraising dinner, Obama reminded donors that Wednesday's debate had fallen on his 20th wedding anniversary. "There was some speculation as to whether this had an impact on my performance," he said to laughter.
Obama also used that occasion to say he still had his focus on the people he is hired to help as president. Obama said he was reminded of the point by the waiter who spoke to him when he took his wife to dinner over the weekend. After serving the Obamas, the waiter thanked the president for a health care law he said saved his mother's life after she sustained a stroke.
Summarizing his case against Romney, Obama said, "Nothing that my opponent offers will create more jobs, reduce our deficit, grow our middle class, improve our education system, improve our environment or make us safer around the world."
He gave thanks for the help to the wealthy crowd but added: "We're not finished yet, and I'm a big believer in closing the deal."
Both candidates were getting help for the final push from outside groups. A pro-Obama super political action committee released a TV ad Monday accusing Romney of seeking to slash education funding and college financial aid. The Priorities USA Action spot says Romney would have to make the cuts in order to keep tax breaks for families making more than $250,000 a year.
The ad will run in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Virginia and Wisconsin as part of a $30 million campaign the super PAC launched earlier this year.
After the California cash rush, Obama was on to Ohio on Tuesday and was expected to campaign in Florida later in the week. He was then to hunker down over the weekend for another round of preparation for the second debate against Romney on Oct. 16 in New York.
Since the first debate, the Obama campaign has settled on a line of criticism that Romney is dishonest with voters; the Romney camp has returned fire.
Romney, campaigning in up-for-grabs Florida on Sunday, sought to build on the momentum from a debate performance that even Democrats conceded was "masterful." He told a crowd of about 12,000 that he had exposed Obama's shortcomings.
"And next January," he said, "we'll be watching him leave the White House for the last time."
Negative ads, charges of dishonesty and dwindling time are all setting the tone.
Romney delivered a detailed foreign policy speech that answered criticism that he has not been specific enough in describing how he would lead the country and drew sharp distinctions with Obama's approach. "Hope is not a strategy," Romney said in the address at Virginia Military Institute. He argued Obama's leadership has been especially lacking in the Middle East as chaos continues to grow.
"It's clear that the risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the president took office," Romney argued.
Joining celebrities for fundraising in Los Angeles on Sunday, Obama for the first time needled himself over a poor debate performance. But he declared he had the right focus and "I intend to win."
The campaigns also were eyeing the next debate, the sole faceoff between Vice President Joe Biden and the GOP running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, which will grab even more attention as the Thursday night event nears. Ryan's challenge is to overcome his lack foreign policy expertise or national debate experience against Biden, who has extensive experience on both fronts.
Ryan said voters are paying closer attention as Election Day approaches and accused the Democratic ticket of distorting the GOP ticket's record.
"Believe you me, I understand this man is extremely experienced, he's a gifted speaker, he's a proven debater," the Republican vice presidential nominee said on The Frank Beckman Show on Detroit radio station WJR. "So we definitely have our work cut out for us. But the problem the vice president has that he just can't get around is he has to try and defend Barack Obama's record and it's not a very good record to defend."
The election hangs as ever on persuadable voters in fewer than 10 states, with Iowa, Ohio, Virginia and Florida all set for candidate visits this week.
In an election-year display of an incumbent's power, Obama on Monday was declaring a national monument at the home of Latino labor leader Cesar Chavez, the United Farmworkers Union founder who died in 1993. Sure to appeal to Hispanic voters in swing states, Obama's move comes at the start of a day in which he will later raise political cash at events in San Francisco.
Romney was after the bigger stage of the day.
His foreign policy speech sent tough signals to Iran and Syria and portrayed Obama as weak for his administration's changing explanation for the deadly attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Libya.
"We're not going to be lectured by someone who has been an unmitigated disaster on foreign policy," Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
Voters give Obama higher marks than Romney on questions of national security and crisis response, and world affairs in general are a distant priority compared with economic woes, polling shows. Romney, though, is seeking to broaden his explanation about how he would serve as commander in chief. He said he would not hesitate to impose new sanctions on Iran to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and promised to help arm opposition forces in Syria.
"We cannot support our friends and defeat our enemies in the Middle East when our words are not backed up by deeds," Romney said.
After polls recently suggested Obama had narrow leads in several swing states, the Romney campaign says the race is tightening following his strong performance in last week's debate. To help maintain his momentum, Romney has tweaked his message over the last week, highlighting his compassionate side and centrist political positions.
Beyond his speech, Romney has a Virginia rally scheduled for Monday evening, followed by events in Iowa and Ohio later in the week.
Obama displayed a little self-deprecation Sunday night to account for his own showing in last Wednesday's debate.
Taking to the Nokia Theatre stage after some musical stars performed, Obama said the entertainers seemed to have flawless nights all the time.
"I can't always say the same," he said. Everyone in the crowd of thousands seemed to get the joke.
Later in the Los Angeles evening, with actor George Clooney among those attending a $25,000-per-person fundraising dinner, Obama reminded donors that Wednesday's debate had fallen on his 20th wedding anniversary. "There was some speculation as to whether this had an impact on my performance," he said to laughter.
Obama also used that occasion to say he still had his focus on the people he is hired to help as president. Obama said he was reminded of the point by the waiter who spoke to him when he took his wife to dinner over the weekend. After serving the Obamas, the waiter thanked the president for a health care law he said saved his mother's life after she sustained a stroke.
Summarizing his case against Romney, Obama said, "Nothing that my opponent offers will create more jobs, reduce our deficit, grow our middle class, improve our education system, improve our environment or make us safer around the world."
He gave thanks for the help to the wealthy crowd but added: "We're not finished yet, and I'm a big believer in closing the deal."
Both candidates were getting help for the final push from outside groups. A pro-Obama super political action committee released a TV ad Monday accusing Romney of seeking to slash education funding and college financial aid. The Priorities USA Action spot says Romney would have to make the cuts in order to keep tax breaks for families making more than $250,000 a year.
The ad will run in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Virginia and Wisconsin as part of a $30 million campaign the super PAC launched earlier this year.
After the California cash rush, Obama was on to Ohio on Tuesday and was expected to campaign in Florida later in the week. He was then to hunker down over the weekend for another round of preparation for the second debate against Romney on Oct. 16 in New York.
Since the first debate, the Obama campaign has settled on a line of criticism that Romney is dishonest with voters; the Romney camp has returned fire.
Romney, campaigning in up-for-grabs Florida on Sunday, sought to build on the momentum from a debate performance that even Democrats conceded was "masterful." He told a crowd of about 12,000 that he had exposed Obama's shortcomings.
"And next January," he said, "we'll be watching him leave the White House for the last time."
robdme has said....and remember rightees, it's on you tube !
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He is going to cut 20% off taxes that everyone pays "now", including the top 1% !
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He's going to add trillions to the military budget.
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He's going to pay down the national debt !
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How's he gonna do it, by closing "loopholes", "write offs" and "deductions"....
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Ly'n king , his adorable running mate , has stated that "mortgage deductions", "medical costs" and "child credits"Â are part of that plan...
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Ask yourself, whos gonna pay for his tax plan....now go stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself again. If you think the wealthy are going to pay more, not less, in taxes then you're not in reality ! Somebody has to make up the difference and it won't be the top 1%'ers !
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Go ahead rightees, vote against your own interests, wouldn't surprise me !
For fun we can counter all of the imagined things that liberals think will happen if Romney is elected by listing what Obama would actually do if he could. Obama would: take all of your gasoline powered cars away from everyone, force you to drive a little battery powered car,  destroy all hydroelectric dams, shut down all Nuclear power plants, quadruple the cost of electricity to all of us, shut down all oil exploration and refineries, force everyone to ride public transportation, double all taxes, make gun ownership illegal for private citizens, only the government to own guns, eliminate all US Nuclear Weapons, eliminate the US military, change our currency to the 'Euro', grant all illegals permanent citizenship, allow Sharia Law to be practiced in America.
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The sad part is, most of these are real, and are part of the liberal agenda.
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 @wahoo  @last You managed to make up a new name for every one of the people you dislike!
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That's awesome. Win!
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Liberals are sooo angry. Sooo much hate. sooo much intolerance.
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Obummers is a super-poopy-pants!
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No wonder America is so messed up. Pass an ammendment that only lets those who contribute to society vote!
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No more moocher voters!
You forgot he would kill the first born male in each family !
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The sad part, yes, is you believe these things....or maybe your just a nut !
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Oh and to gun control, lets see what YOUR mitt witt said....remember, they film these things that this goofballs says....or is it in your bag-o-nuts that this is a liberal "photo shop" and the goofball didn't say these things !
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj8Nk3p1wyY&feature=related
@last boyscout Hey BS, I'm a liberal, and none of those are my agenda, and I don't know of any liberal that has that agenda. Just a bunch of BS spoutted from more BS.
 @pdxd Thank you. That is exactly what I wanted to hear, I'm a die hard conservative and daily I'm being accused and told by liberals how I must hate clean water and air, and how I must hate blacks,gays etc...etc.... Which is of course total bull sh**. We are both constantly accused of BS.Â
he's an insecure idiot wahoo
 @wahoo  @last  @pdxdÂ
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Liberal debate.
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You're dumb! or You're a racist!
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Tough to argue against such brilliance.
Oh lets get this election over with! I'm tired of the BS on both sides. But having said that, a vote for Romney pushes us further towards WWWIII in the Middle East. A vote for Romney pushes us further towards denying the rights of homosexuals to marry and women to get abortions. A vote for Romney mean more tax cuts for the rich and increased taxes on the middle class. A vote for Romney pushes us closer to having two more Supreme Court judges like Scalia who has already made up his mind on most issues without hearing arguments and pushes us closer to a theocracy where biblical teachers become the law of the land. A vote for Romney pushes us away from universal health care and back to a system where only the well-to-do can afford decent health. A vote for Romney pushes us closer to more pollution from mining and burning coal and oil rigs off the coast of Oregon and all other coastal states.Â
Nice cut and paste swimmer. Got a few good laughs though. Turned around the auto industry? Improved America's image abroad? You guys are pretty tough to fool aren't you.
It was with complete joy watching Romney chew up our current clown in office.  If you did not know how uneducated Obama was BEFORE the debate, you sure in the heck know now. Â
no shiiit, cut and paste you fool. All you got to do is look through the net. Tell me how he didn't, with fact of coarse not your usual insecure rant. Â
Insecure boy, need more or can you wrap your little head around these:
1. Passed Health Care Reform: After five presidents over a century failed to create universal health insurance, signed the Affordable Care Act (2010). It will cover 32 million uninsured Americans beginning in 2014 and mandates a suite of experimental measures to cut health care cost growth, the number one cause of Americaâs long-term fiscal problems.
2. Passed the Stimulus: Signed $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to spur economic growth amid greatest recession since the Great Depression. Weeks after stimulus went into effect, unemployment claims began to subside. Twelve months later, the private sector began producing more jobs than it was losing, and it has continued to do so for twenty-three straight months, creating a total of nearly 3.7 million new private-sector jobs.
3. Passed Wall Street Reform: Signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010) to re-regulate the financial sector after its practices caused the Great Recession. The new law tightens capital requirements on large banks and other financial institutions, requires derivatives to be sold on clearinghouses and exchanges, mandates that large banks provide âliving willsâ to avoid chaotic bankruptcies, limits their ability to trade with customersâ money for their own profit, and creates the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (now headed by Richard Cordray) to crack down on abusive lending products and companies.
4. Ended the War in Iraq: Ordered all U.S. military forces out of the country. Last troops left on December 18, 2011.
5. Began Drawdown of War in Afghanistan: From a peak of 101,000 troops in June 2011, U.S. forces are now down to 91,000, with 23,000 slated to leave by the end of summer 2012. According to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the combat mission there will be over by next year.
6. Eliminated Osama bin laden: In 2011, ordered special forces raid of secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in which the terrorist leader was killed and a trove of al-Qaeda documents was discovered.
7. Turned Around U.S. Auto Industry: In 2009, injected $62 billion in federal money (on top of $13.4 billion in loans from the Bush administration) into ailing GM and Chrysler in return for equity stakes and agreements for massive restructuring. Since bottoming out in 2009, the auto industry has added more than 100,000 jobs. In 2011, the Big Three automakers all gained market share for the first time in two decades. The government expects to lose $16 billion of its investment, less if the price of the GM stock it still owns increases.
8. Recapitalized Banks: In the midst of financial crisis, approved controversial Treasury Department plan to lure private capital into the countryâs largest banks via âstress testsâ of their balance sheets and a public-private fund to buy their âtoxicâ assets. Got banks back on their feet at essentially zero cost to the government.
9. Repealed âDonât Ask, Donât Tellâ: Ended 1990s-era restriction and formalized new policy allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time.
10. Toppled Moammar Gaddafi: In March 2011, joined a coalition of European and Arab governments in military action, including air power and naval blockade, against Gaddafi regime to defend Libyan civilians and support rebel troops. Gaddafiâs forty-two-year rule ended when the dictator was overthrown and killed by rebels on October 20, 2011. No American lives were lost.
11. Told Mubarak to Go: On February 1, 2011, publicly called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to accept reform or step down, thus weakening the dictatorâs position and putting America on the right side of the Arab Spring. Mubarak ended thirty-year rule when overthrown on February 11.
12. Reversed Bush Torture Policies: Two days after taking office, nullified Bush-era rulings that had allowed detainees in U.S. custody to undergo certain âenhancedâ interrogation techniques considered inhumane under the Geneva Conventions. Also released the secret Bush legal rulings supporting the use of these techniques.
13. Improved Americaâs Image Abroad: With new policies, diplomacy, and rhetoric, reversed a sharp decline in world opinion toward the U.S. (and the corresponding loss of âsoft powerâ) during the Bush years. From 2008 to 2011, favorable opinion toward the United States rose in ten of fifteen countries surveyed by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, with an average increase of 26 percent.
14. Kicked Banks Out of Federal Student Loan Program, Expanded Pell Grant Spending: As part of the 2010 health care reform bill, signed measure ending the wasteful decades-old practice of subsidizing banks to provide college loans. Starting July 2010 all students began getting their federal student loans directly from the federal government. Treasury will save $67 billion over ten years, $36 billion of which will go to expanding Pell Grants to lower-income students.
15. Created Race to the Top: With funds from stimulus, started $4.35 billion program of competitive grants to encourage and reward states for education reform.
16. Boosted Fuel Efficiency Standards: Released new fuel efficiency standards in 2011 that will nearly double the fuel economy for cars and trucks by 2025.
17. Coordinated International Response to Financial Crisis: To keep world economy out of recession in 2009 and 2010, helped secure from G-20 nations more than $500 billion for the IMF to provide lines of credit and other support to emerging market countries, which kept them liquid and avoided crises with their currencies.
18. Passed Mini Stimuli: To help families hurt by the recession and spur the economy as stimulus spending declined, signed series of measures (July 22, 2010; December 17, 2010; December 23, 2011) to extend unemployment insurance and cut payroll taxes.
19. Began Asia âPivotâ: In 2011, reoriented American military and diplomatic priorities and focus from the Middle East and Europe to the Asian-Pacific region. Executed multipronged strategy of positively engaging China while reasserting U.S. leadership in the region by increasing American military presence and crafting new commercial, diplomatic, and military alliances with neighboring countries made uncomfortable by recent Chinese behavior.
20. Increased Support for Veterans: With so many soldiers coming home from Iraq and Iran with serious physical and mental health problems, yet facing long waits for services, increased 2010 Department of Veterans Affairs budget by 16 percent and 2011 budget by 10 percent. Also signed new GI bill offering $78 billion in tuition assistance over a decade, and provided multiple tax credits to encourage businesses to hire veterans.
21. Tightened Sanctions on Iran: In effort to deter Iranâs nuclear program, signed Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (2010) to punish firms and individuals who aid Iranâs petroleum sector. In late 2011 and early 2012, coordinated with other major Western powers to impose sanctions aimed at Iranâs banks and with Japan, South Korea, and China to shift their oil purchases away from Iran.
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 @swimmerÂ
BO has issued 923 executive orders in 40 months circumventing Congress compared to 118 from all the previous presidents back to Teddy Roosevelt. We don't have a president we have a Muslim dictator.
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Redistributing the wealth really means communism and nothing does that as well as Obama care. Obama care as well as all other so-called entitlements pushes ever closer to the communist style of government. Perhaps you know well from history that communism always leads to poverty and dictatorship.Â
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GM and Chrysler were not bailed out they were nationalized there was not a bankruptcy. In a bankruptcy creditors are paid first and the investors get the rest the unions would have received nothing. In this case the government seized the assets and split them up between themselves and the union stealing the money that should have gone to the investors. Not all investors are big corporations some are little people just trying to build a nest egg for their retirement and BO stole that money from them to give to the corrupt unions for for political support and his personal gain.Â
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As much as we like to blame the bankers for the current depression this process started as a mandate from Jimmy Carter and was expanded by each president thereafter. Banks were told they must give loans to people that wouldn't qualify under what was then the current standards or face not being able to borrow from the federal reserve. So though politicians like to point fingers at the industry government cause this problem. Again it was liberal thinking started by Carter that we should give things to the poor who are unwilling or unable to work to earn it for themselves. This concept on its own is part of the sickness of liberalism thinking that we can make everybody rich by spreading the wealth whether an individual works and earns what they have or not take it from those that do and give it to those that won't.Â
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At one time this country was known as the land of opportunity now it's the land of entitlements and that form of government cannot be sustained.Â
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When you look at the spread of liberalism one can't help but see the progression of a plan that destroys this country. Liberalism, progressive, communism, radical Muslim beliefs all are conspiring against this country and for all these forces to work together I believe it goes beyond one group or a conspiracy of groups or just combined hatred for this country's success but actually goes to something more basic and that is just evil. Evil that works in unison in the minds and hearts of those that assign themselves to it.Â
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To support BO or even to align with the Democratic Party one must be blinded and controlled by evil. Every plank in the platform of the Democratic Party has evil at its basis. Until they realized how evil they appear they didn't even mention the word God in their platform when it was pointed out to them they quickly overrode the voices of their delegates to insert God in the Democratic platform language in an attempt to confuse those who think of themselves as decent people with moral background and a connection to some religion. Unfortunately the fact is if you're truly a knowledgeable Christian you cannot align yourself with the Democratic Party if you don't know that you're being blinded and fooled by evil the Prince of lies.
@ORthinker @swimmer Romney is Mormon, Mormons practice spreading the wealth and in the 1800's practiced communism under the name of "Law of Consecration". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_consecration but in case you think wikipedia is unreliable, here's information from the BYU website http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Consecration
@swimmer  Boy Swimmer, time to check your meds...... the vast majority of that list is either, against the will of the majority (BarryCare), flat out bullsheet (saved the auto industry) or a complete failure (stimulus spending)
Hey liberals, instead of posting the same old liberal talking points over and over and over, why don't you make a long list of Obama's great accomplishments after four years. Like the price of our gasoline, or the latest Muslim terrorist murders of four Americans, or the U-6 national unemployment number of 14+ %.
@last boyscout "Like the price of our gasoline, or the latest Muslim terrorist murders of four Americans"
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1. When Bush was president remember all republicans saying this???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzEnKdBAb_oÂ
But wait, when Obama is President this is what they have to say
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztc8UxvSSTo&feature=relmfu
So how could the president, when republican, not be able to control the price of gas but when it is a Democrat it proves how much they hate the country?
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2. Funny you seemed so outraged at the president due to the murder of 4 Americas. Were you as mad at Bush when 3,000 people were murdered by Muslim terrorists? Or let me guess, you were part of the crowd that agrees there is no way we could have known it was going to happen (even though Bush got the memo "Bin Laden determined to strike inside the United States") Also I don't see any outrage about the hundred of thousand innocent Iraqis murdered by a war started on lies.....oh wait, you are a "conservative" I forgot, brown people don't matter to you!
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By the way in Bush's first term U6 unemployment hit a high of 10.7%, not quite as bad as Obama but nothing to crow about either!
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Wake up and smell the coffee....neither Mitt or Obama care about you! Mitt even admitted he won't balance the budget until "8 years down the road" (but won't show his plan) and even admitted that deficit spending is the only way to keep the economy moving....yeah, sounds like more "hope and change" to me!
@last boyscout Which Gov.Romney are you voting for? http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cPgfzknYd20
 @noneofyourbizzness If a candidate changing their opinion on anything disqualifies them as a candidate, then both Romney and Obama would have to step aside.Â
@B Smizzle @last boyscout Just ignore last BS, just a bunch of BS floating around.
 @last boyscout "I support what I heard the night of the debates for example"
Too bad we don't know what Mitt will show up if he wins huh? Will it be the debate Romney, will it be the 47% Romney....will it be the NRA Romney, or the gun control Romney, or the pro choice Romney, or the right to life Romney????
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Funny too, I can see you now in 2004 yelling "flip-flop.....flip-flop" at Jonh Kerry but when Romney does it he is just "showing integrity!" Nice "flip-flop" last boyscout
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Kind of reminds me of your outrage at gas prices under Obama but not Bush....
 @noneofyourbizzness I don't go for the split personality description. Those are someone else's view of Romney. I support what I heard the night of the debate for example. I don't agree with all of Romney's ideas, but i'm much closer aligned with Romney than with what Obama turned into once he was elected.Â
Not considering qualifications
@last boyscout I'm considering qualification.Romney has changed from moderate to conservative back to moderate again.Do you support the conservative Romney or the moderate Romney?
At this point who do I believe, Robme or Sandusky. Hmmmmmmm, Sandusky! Why?
âI believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it.â  Source
âRoe v. Wade has gone too far.â Source
âI donât line up with the NRA.â Source
âIâm a member of the [NRA].â Source
âI like mandates. The mandates work.â Source âI think itâs unconstitutional on the 10th Amendment front.â SourceÂ
âI respect and will protect a womanâs right to choose.â Source
âI never really called myself pro-choice.â Source
âI saw my father march with Martin Luther King.â Source
âI did not see it with my own eyes.â Source
âI supported the assault weapon ban.â Source
âI donât support any gun control legislation.â Source
âI think the minimum wage ought to keep pace with inflation.â Source
âThereâs no question raising the minimum wage excessively causes a loss of jobs.â Source
âI will work and fight for stem cell research.â Source
âIn the end, I became persuaded that the stem-cell debate was grounded in a false premise.â Source  Â
âI would like to have campaign spending limits.â Source  âThe American people should be free to advocate for their candidates and their positions without burdensome limitations.â Source Â
âIâm a strong believer in stating your position and not wavering.â
SourceâI changed my position.â SourceÂ
âDetroit needs a turnaround, not a check.â Source
âIâll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industryâs come back.â Source
âIâm not in favor of privatizing Social Security or making cuts.â SourceÂ
âSocial Securityâs the easiest and thatâs because you can give people a personal account.â Source
âIâm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.â SourceâRonald Reagan is⦠my hero.â Source Â
âIâve been a hunter pretty much all my life.â SourceâAny description of my being a hunter is an overstatement of capability.â SourceÂ
âIf Massachusetts succeeds in implementing it, then that will be a model for the nation.â Source âWhat works in one state may not be the answer for another.â Source
All robme flip flops:
âIt was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam.â Source
âI longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there.â Source
âItâs a tax cut for fat cats.â Source
âI believe the tax on capital gains should be zero.â Source
âItâs not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person.â SourceâHeâs going to pay, and he will die.â SourceÂ
âRelative to the leading candidates, some people see me as being more conservative.â Source
âIâm not the most conservative candidate.â âIâm not the most conservative candidate.â Source
âThe TARP program⦠was nevertheless necessary to keep banks from collapsing in a cascade of failures.â Source
âWhen government is⦠bailing out banks⦠we have every good reason to be alarmed.â Source
âThese carbon emission limits will provide real and immediate progress.â Source
âRepublicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore.â Source
âThis is a completely airtight kennel mounted on the top of our car.â Source
âTheyâre not happy that my dog loves fresh air.â Source
âThose⦠paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process toward application for citizenship.â Source
âAmnesty only led to more people coming into the country.â Source
âWhen I first heard of the Donât Ask, Donât Tell policy, I thought it sounded awfully silly.â Source
âDonât Ask, Donât Tell has worked well.â SourceÂ
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Its not what they dissagree on, its what they agree on; they both want ... Endless war, indefinite detention of citizens under the NDAA,police state terrorism and privacy loss under the "(un)patriot act and "homeland security " TSA (nazi brownshirts). Shipping jobs off to china... Giving illegals a free ride, crushing the second ammendment, the fed. printing off endless worthless paper , corporate personhood, Bribes-er' limitless campaign contributions, the ENDLESS war on drugs(the people)etc etc etc.... They both will continue the downward spiral...
The saddest part of all of this is that once this election is over, it just starts again.
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Like him or not, Romney has been campaigning for this job since 2008. Should he lose, he might just end up doing for 4 more years.
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And then there are mid term elections. Reguardless if your guy wins, he will have to pander to keep his allies in office and gain more. That means more companing, this time as a surrogate.
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Then he has to go look out for himself. Win or lose, he will face an opponent next term, AND then there will congressional elections.
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Win or lose, there will be again the mid-terms.
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Democracy is good, voting is good and the first amendment is good, but golly folks I am tired of all the campaigning. Maybe instead of a law limiting what people can spend in a campaign, maybe we should limit when they start saying it.
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âPay whatever you want SuperPAC on ads, just donât start until election year January 1.â
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Because we all know the right after the finger pointing stops on the losing team, both teams gear up for next season.
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Oh and Fox and MSNBC SHUT UP! You shouldn't be able to call yourself news ans pander so blatently. Even Stweart takes weeks off every now and then. Maybe you folks should too?
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 @Repoman ...seems to me I heard just last night Obama say he had been campaigning since 20092...also, these long drawn out campaigns start with the Clintons if I am remembering right....over the years it seems serious campaigning began about Jan of the National Election Day...Nov...now, who even notices a break from one Nov to the next...I'm with you ENOUGH..
"[Romney] Â argued Obama's leadership has been especially lacking in the Middle East as chaos continues to grow."
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It's hard to believe a US President would skip meetings with world leaders after a US Embassy terrorist attack left 4 Americans dead - to go on "The View" and campaign for re-election.
 @Hellbilly "It's hard to believe a US President would skip meetings with world leaders after a US Embassy terrorist attack left 4 Americans dead - to go on "The View""
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It's hard for me to believe a US President would ignore memos such as "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the US" or that a US President would sit reading My Pet Goat after being notified that the worst terror attack on American soil was taking place.....
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See, both the D's and the R's suck......
 @B Smizzle  @HellbillyÂ
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Not defending Bush, but Clinton got that memo first.
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That was the first attack on the World Trade Center.
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He launched a couple cruse missiles and wrung his hands of it.
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The area has been a problem since Hannibal and going into Iraq was not good idea. But just dumping the blame on a single president does not solve the issue, nor is it accurate.
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The US's problems with central Asia go back to Wilson.
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 @B Smizzle The advantage Obama has - is that no matter how bad he screws up, his followers always blame...... Bush!  He never has to actually take responsibility for anything.  There is always someone else to blame or some excuse.
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@Hellbilly I didn't blame Bush....I just showed how Bush, like Obama, ignored warnings. However it seems like the Republicans are more outraged about Libya than they are about 9/11!Â
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Both parties are exactly the same....both are working against your interestes!
 @Hellbilly I can't defend Obama, but what would mittens do? Invade more countries? "impose" our will on them (like years of that has done a lot for us /sarcasm)? Mittens says we left Iraq too early.....but they didn't want us there anymore (good, we didn't want to be there either), they told us to leave.
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A strong arm approach will hurt, not help. It'll create more danger, risk more American lives, but hey, at least the republicans and all their industrial complex war machine friends will continue to make fist fulls of money.
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 @deejm2112 .. how old are you anyway?  Too young apparently to formulate coherent thoughts....
The Biteme debate will bring some needed comic relief. Biteme is an idiot so there won't be any surprises there and Obama was never there for his first showing.
Why aren't people complaining about the gas prices and the high prices of food etc.. Oh that's right the libs and news media are covering for Obama and friends.. Letâs take America Back! Romney and Ryan..
I do not know what debate you Obamaites were looking at, but Gov. Romney was clear and concise! Pres. Obama was unclear, vague, tried talking points and lies. Gov. Romney addressed the correct record and took it to Obama the task and Obama failed. Also, after 4 yrs. of raising taxes, foreign policy ruin, sending U.S. $$$ to foreign countries, borrowing billions and spending $6 trillion in debt is your idea of a winner??? Also leaders, executives like Romney create strategist ideas, even if Romney gave details the avg American would be glazed over in 5 minutes. I know, when people ask me to explain planning, strategic biz objectives and how economics and local state and federal regulation and taxes effect decisions the glaze over in less than 5 min!!!  I have seen other polls saying the same thing and that is impossible unless you spam or it is our horrid education system at work. Though considering the Teachers Union and education in the U. S. I would not put anything past them! Why don't the Progressives tell the truth more often...BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD VOTE FOR THEM! Obama/Biden..."YES WE DO" WANT TO RAISE YOUR TAXES (AND THE COSTS OF ALL GOODS AND SERVICES SOLD BY SMALL BUSINESSES) BUT...what Progressives never admit, and hope you are too stupid to understand...is that every time you raise taxes (on anyone) they will simply pass the increase in taxes down the food chain (all goods and services) as higher prices...Only those at the bottom and are someone's employees...are unable to pass off the increase in taxes...so much for caring about the poor! Iâm stunned actually at the number of voters wearing blinders and do not know how to think for themselvesâ¦we really need to weed out teachers that pass their biases on to lazy studentsâ¦.
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 @KHEB "Why aren't people complaining about the gas prices and the high prices of food etc.. Oh that's right the libs and news media are covering for Obama and friends"
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzEnKdBAb_o
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But wait, when Obama is President this is what they have to say
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztc8UxvSSTo&feature=relmfu
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Just one of the many things wrong with your post!
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 @B Smizzle .. yep, youtube is really the authority....
 @KHEB Yeah you are right, I just saw a video on youtube that talked about 6 million jews being killed during this thing called World War 2...I also saw a video on youtube that said we went to war with some people called Nazi's and Japan in the 40's.....friggen youtube lying to us again!
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Great argument....no really, when someone shows video proof that you are wrong you attack the website that hosts the video, not disprove the video! You sir are briliant!
Well said, I am voting for Romney :)
 @KHEB and screw public education, social security, medicare, medicaid, school lunch.  screw student loans, the mortgage deduction, and infrastructure.  screw public health, women's rights, voting rights and public health.  Let's give a tax cut to the rich!!!!!!
 @blotto  @KHEB Blah blah blah liberal talking points blah blah blah, when you come up with some new info from your own research then you can come back to the debate.Â
 @blotto ...sure doin a lot of screwin it looks like - and each screw you mentioned is blatantly a wrong interpretation skewed from your obama-brain-soaked cellar view of facts....
 @blotto You sound confused, let me help you clear this up. What Gov. Romney has proposed is:
public education - Break the union stranglehold on the U.S. education system, vouchers would allow that simply by introducing school choice
social security - Make it solvent so the program can continue
medicare - Make it solvent so the program can continue
medicaid - Make it solvent so the program can continue
school lunch - Currently an abused system, reduce funding
student loans - College tuition has risen over 1000% since 1980 largely due to easy money backed by the fed, reduce funding
mortgage deduction - Allow $17k in deductions, use them on your mortgage if you want.
infrastructure -Â Reduce funding
public health - Repeal Obamacare
women's rights - Hyperbole from the left, women are entitled to all rights men are.
voting rights - Identify yourself and you can vote.
public health - Again, repeal Obamacare
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@Torino Okay, what is Romney's actual blueprint to keep Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid solvent? WTF are school vouchers? Womens rights being that women are entitled to all rights men are? I'm sorry, I'm a man, and last I checked, I can't pop a baby out of me, but a woman can. So, just because a man can't have an abortion, neither should a woman? Voting Rights: if only it were so easy for people born prior to modern record keeping to obtain those documents. With the Oregon DMV driver license requirements that went into effect a few years ago, my mom had to apply to a county in Idaho she was born in for the birth certificate, contact another county for her first marriage license, another county for her divorce decree, and yet another county for her last marriage when she married my dad. I'm sorry, but for the elderly population, or the low income, that is not going to be an easy task to track down all of the necessary documents that may be required, plus there are costs associated with that, which could prohibit many qualified voters from being able to cast their vote. The only component that I may agree with, is that something needs to be done about the mortgage interest deduction. But I disagree with how he propses it. I think the interest should be deductible up to say, $400,000 principle, and do away with the tax deduction for interest on a 2nd home. If you can afford a second house, then you can afford the interest.
@deejm2112
Respectfully, let's be honest about those job losses.
They are government jobs. The federal government employment roles have exploded under President Obama.
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"Federal employment grew 13% â 250,000 jobs â from the recession's start in December 2007 to a peak last September. During that time, private employment fell 5% and state and local governments cut staffs by 2%."
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-05-31/federal-workforce-decline-growth/55318944/1
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We simply have to stop spending as a country, there is no other option. Everything needs to be cut from entitlements to the military. We need to cut deeply so the pain is felt and (to coin Obama) SHARED by everyone. Eliminate all deductions from the tax code, lower all tax rates and reduce the size of the IRS by half. Pass legislation to cap federal spending at 15%-18% of GDP so we don't have to revisit this again.
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Incidentally, you would be surprised at the government spending I would support if we had our fiscal issues in order. It's time to get our finances back on solid footing, reset our government expenditures, reform entitlements and then look forward.
 @Torino  @blotto Reducing all that funding will set off major job losses, you know that right?
 @KHEB "Why aren't people complaining about the gas prices and the high prices of food etc.."
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Answer- they are, and to think the president can control those prices when they are dictated by weather (drought) and world market forces (growing economies) is truly delusional.....unless of course you want to implement "evil regulations".
 @deejm2112  @KHEB @pdxranger1Â
Not if the companies who would drill there, just decide to charge more anyway.
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Bear in mind the bottleneck in the US is refinement, not supply.
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The biggest is high ethanol states like the west. That fuel is only made for us, not anywhere else in the world.
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Thus a refinery has to do a bunch more work for just the three West states. Look at where fuel is the least expensive and supply does not make sense (except for Hawaii). It's about the type of fuel we are required to use based on local regulations.
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 @Repoman  @deejm2112  @KHEB Hmm, interesting that you list three western states that all use ethanol which are all left leaning states...makes sense.Â
 @deejm2112  @KHEB I suppose in theory the president could have some say in fuel prices. Opening up government lands for drilling could in time bring down prices as new oil comes onto the market.Â
@pdxranger1 @deejm2112 @KHEB Oil prices aren't as high as they once were, however, the gas companies are charging a premium because they know consumers will pay it. There's not a shortage of oil, but gas hungry Americans have more of a demand, therefore oil companies are making record profits, and have been continuously for years.
 @KHEB Nope.. Voting Obama still. Thanks!Â
 @fulcrum  @KHEB Good for you. I'm voting for change, not that it will happen in Oregon.