I honestly cant believe people really think they cant win. Democrats are acting like because Todd Akin said something stupid all of a sudden we are up 20 points. They dont get that even with all the republican bungling, Romney is still gaining on Obama in the polls. They're already within the margin of error. They may very well be ahead after the convention. If we get bad jobs reports from August and September those numbers will stick and you can say goodbye to everything we fought for in the last 4 years.
And I'll also say, progressives are equally insane to say Obama and Romney are the same. They very obviously are not, and that kind of contrarian bullshit will be what dooms all hope of making any of the progress they pretend to want. Obamacare was not enough, but it was by no means nothing. Banning discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions is a monumental achievement, as is adding 30 million people to the insurance rolls. Financial regulation was not enough, but it too was by no means nothing. Likewise in green energy investments, pell grants, dont ask dont tell, executive orders on immigration, ending two wars and keeping us out of countless others, Obama has done things that no republican will. If you really think Obama has done nothing you simply aren't paying attention. This hyper-lefty flagellation is worse than just self destructive, its fucking idiotic. People said the same thing about Bush and Gore, and look where it got us.
And to add: w,wynne, if Obama gets elected for a second term we will move closer to a politician who will say something like that, in 8 or 12 years, than we will if Romney is elected. Politics, and change, moves slowly.
"there are a few factors that are unique to this election that the model dosen't factor in.
1. Romney is rich. in this post 2008 world most americans hate the rich and realize that they are greedy liars.
2. Romney looks like your boss. Most people hate their boss."
Interesting worldview.
How much income does one have to make before one is "rich" and hated by most people? Just wondering where I stand. :)
just pointing out a fact. In good times people look at the rich and think "that will be me one day" in bad times, people think "those mother fuckers took my shit" Hope of prosperity is the only thing that keeps the poor and middle class from resenting that huge gap in wealth and power. That hope is gone for many people. The majority of the nation is financially fucked. We all know that greed and corporatism is to blame. Romney completely personifies the corporate villian.
Most people hate their boss. It's true. If you don't know this, chances are you are the boss.
How much income does one have to make before one is "rich" and hated by most people? Just wondering where I stand. :)
Its all a matter of perception I guess. No one hates the rich neurosurgeon, they hate the billionare banker type. People who make money by working hard are still respected.
Actually - i wish I could like Romney 2.0 - I agreed with many of his ideas and a large enough chunk of his platform when he ran for Gov in my state, but he's gone back on a lot of things and has headed way too far to the right on social issues. I was waiting to see who he picked for his VP, but his selection of Paul Ryan tipped me back toward Obama.
He's still for increasing minimum wage in line with inflation - which I agree with - but he's gone back on his idea of using tax penalties to influence bad behaviors - which I thought was a far better tactic than the current mode of just more regulation and/or tax breaks. I think he's still for consolidating some bloated agencies (like HUD and transit) - faster, smaller, and more responsive government (not weakened government), and still believes in the principles of smart growth. he's a city person - which I think influences his outlook on where government money is best spent - however I don't think he'll have any control over a GOP controlled house full of ignorant tea party morons - I think he'd be much better as a foil to a strong Dem legislature (because they'd both be interested in getting shit done - not the current GOP who has no f-ing clue what the hell they're doing) - i think he has better ideas when he's being pulled toward the center.
A lot of people in Massachusetts are still pissed off for his time spent outside the state making fun of it - that side of him still bugs me - but I think if the current GOP wasn't full of crazy people then maybe we'd be having a much more civil debate over differences in Obama and Romney's platforms.
@toasteroven: "however I don't think he'll have any control over a GOP controlled house full of ignorant tea party morons"
Roger that ! The man doesn't seem to have any solid core values regarding governance of the country. He allows himself to be blown by whatever wind is most likely to help him get elected.
I suspect at some basic level Mitt is a decent human being and probably holds personal views not very dissimilar from my own. However, throughout the entire primary season, he seemed to say whatever he thought he needed to say to ensure the nomination. I can't respect him for being such a chameleon.
This is as good as CNN. I think that if the Town idiot (Romney) and the Village fool (Ryan) are elected we will have to pack our babies up to send them off to die again. These disrespectful little bull frogs went skinny dipping in the sea of Galilee, insulted our oldest ally, pissed off the Palestinians by agitating one of the most volatile situation that ever existed in the middle east and did it all in record time. And did it all in the name of the American people. "Out-Fucking-Standing"
They are detached from the realities of the world and the american people. We are falling behind big time. Our kids are watching "So you think you can dance" and listening to "Snoop dogg" while our global neighbor's kids are coming here to our country making use of our educational system and obtaining Masters and Ph.D's and then return home and compete with us. Ain't that a bitch. Education is the key to prosperity anywhere on earth. These jerk-offs want to abolish the federal education department. Not to mention how radical the entire party is in their archaic beliefs of america being the leader of the free world. Have they not learned that economics is important, but, the driving force behind the economics is the human resource that produces it. The people are the strength and power of america. They don't get it. They are out of touch. Its not about a few on the top. Obama is correct, the beat cop that insures your safety, the teacher who produces your new intern, the garbage man that removes the office trash are all integral to our success. Yeah you built it, but, on an existing infrastructure that facilitated it.
Finally, Look at that buffoon Akin who said a woman's body can shut down a pregnancy if it is initiated through a forcible rape or illegitimate rape. Really Dude!! What other kind of rape is there? Somebody should smack him with a copy of Black's Law Dictionary. His wife should beat the dog shit out of him and divorce him, his daughter should kick him in the shin bone, the university from which he graduated should demand that he cease and desist from stating that he graduated there and a whole bunch of other atrocities should befall him as well. The sad thing is, this is what these people believe and that village fool Ryan, co-sponsored a bill re-iterating and supporting it. Damn it!! Whatever happens we should re-elect Obama or we are doomed. The worst thing that has happened to our country and the world was George W. Bush. We sent our babies off to die for a lie. His father sold Saddam the same mustard gas that we were supposedly search for (and by the way never found) to kill off the Kurds who were posing a threat to the oil reserves because it constituted a national security interest. Then we decided that maybe the Kurds would be a better ally and we backed them. So, Saddam got pissed and tried to knock off our president. I can't say I like that but it was part of the game. War is Hell. Then his Idiot son wants to revenge it. By the way who the hell names there son Jeb anyway. Ohh God!! they upset me as you can see. I leave you with this. Republicans are like Crack "Don't Do it"
Roger that ! The man doesn't seem to have any solid core values regarding governance of the country. He allows himself to be blown by whatever wind is most likely to help him get elected.
I suspect at some basic level Mitt is a decent human being and probably holds personal views not very dissimilar from my own. However, throughout the entire primary season, he seemed to say whatever he thought he needed to say to ensure the nomination. I can't respect him for being such a chameleon.
well - I think part of it is the lessons he learned when his father ran for president - George Romney was a very blunt person - he wasn't afraid to piss people off - was very pro-civil rights when it was unpopular within his own party, and ended up losing the nomination to Goldwater in '64 - came out against Veitnam (using some unfortunate language) in his '68 run and ended up losing the nomination to Nixon. Can't blame Mitt for being cautious.
@toasteroven: "Can't blame Mitt for being cautious."
So -- you are saying the Republican party would end up with someone a whole lot worse -- à la Goldwater or Nixon -- if Mitt spent more time being Mitt. Presumably, that'd be a true loser like Gingrich or Cain or Bachman. Okay, I see your logic, although it still leaves me with an uncomfortable feeling.
At some point this country must start focusing on electing the "best, most qualified leader" -- not just the person most skillful at convincing us he's the "most electable" candidate.
I think the nominee would have been Santorum if Romney 2.0 ran as Romney 1.0. I'm wondering about his VP pick, though - Ryan is the face of the do-nothing dipshit GOP congress - either he's taking him out of the equation, is using him to push his agenda through congress, or he actually agrees with his asinine budget plan. I don't have a good feeling either - maybe after he locks in the nomination this week we'll see a different Mitt - or not...
i don't see what's wrong with swimming naked in the galilee. i wouldn't be surprised if some of the people listening to jesus on a hot day went for a swim after his speech. i assume people were a bit less prude than americans at that point in time. getting your robes all wet would have been an inconvenience.
this is a stretch. wright < > rand is a tenuous connection at best, so to make the additional leap rand < > ryan < > romney is over the top. as hawthorne even mentions, wright wanted little to do with rand.
she did successfully convince neutra to design a house for her. so maybe if the stage looked more like his work...
Frac you do realize Romney's "economic plan" is a big pile of shit, right? Like it has occurred to you that if your guy is claiming his plan to curb debt is to give tax breaks and increase military spending, hes probably just a liar, right?
The insane thing to me is if republicans actually wanted what they say they want they'd be voting for Obama.
In fairness, it is Randian. Just fool everbody into letting them spend 4 years stripping what's left of the country's assets before they disappear off to ski and drink Monfortino for the rest of their lives in some gated enclave in switzerland.
"Republicans are not serious about deficit reduction."
Amen to that. The Repubs just want to cut taxes for their rich pals, keep spending at unreasonable, and unsustainable, levels for "national security" and blame the Democrats for the huge deficit run-up that started under, and is directly attributable to, the Bush/Cheney economic collapse.
If you haven't heard yet, the United States of America just hit $16 trillion in debt yesterday. On a gross, nominal basis, this makes the US, by far, the greatest debtor in the history of the world.
It took the United States government over 200 years to accumulate its first trillion dollars of debt. It took only 286 days to accumulate the most recent trillion dollars of debt. 200 years vs. 286 days. This portends two key points:
1. Anyone who thinks that inflation doesn't exist is a complete idiot;
2. To say that the trend is unsustainable is a massive understatement.
At an average interest rate of 2.130%, Uncle Sam will shuffle $340 billion out the door just in interest payments this year... and it's a number that's only going up. To put it in context, China owns so much US debt that the INTEREST INCOME they receive from the Treasury Department is nearly enough to fund their entire military budget.
It's rather disgusting when you think about it.
Yet when you look at the raw numbers, there is no sign of improvement anywhere on the horizon. Last year, the Treasury Department brought in about $2.3 trillion in tax revenue. They spent $2.9 trillion JUST on -mandatory- programs like Social Security and Medicare, plus the very sacrosanct defense budget.
In other words, the US government was $600 billion dollars in the hole before paying a dime of interest on the debt, or paying the light bill at the White House. In fact the government's own numbers reflect a budget deficit through the end of the decade, i.e. the debt level is only going to get higher. These are their own figures.
In the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was facing a similar debt crisis. In just 11-years, the Ottoman central government went from spending 17% of its tax revenue on interest payments, to spending over 52% of its tax revenue on interest payments. Then came default. Eleven years. The US is at 15% right now. How long will it take for the interest burden to become unbearable?
History is full of examples of superpowers bucking under the weight of their debt. This is not the first time that it's happened, and it won't be the last.
Sovereign debt is a giant confidence game. Investors buy bonds on the belief that governments can (and will) pay. When that confidence is chipped away, the cost of capital becomes debilitating. And people tend to notice a $16 trillion debt burden.
This is banana republic stuff, plain and simple... and smart, thinking people ought to be planning on capital controls, wage and price controls, pension confiscation, and selective default. Because the next trillion will be here before you know it.
The security of governmental bonds is based fundamentally on the "full faith and credit" of governmental entities that issue those bonds. Historically, this concept gave bond holders confidence because governments could tax its citizens to cover the cost of bond repayments.
In this current 'knee jerk' environment related to taxation, the "full faith and credit" of the US has been cast in doubt because the cowardly Republicans - in particular - refuse to stand up to Grover Norquist.
The problem wurdan describes above will NOT -- and CANNOT -- be solved by spending reductions alone. Revenues must increase; taxes must increase; and Grover Norquist (and his philosophical soul mates) can just go to hell, as far as I'm concerned.
Here is a big part of why our Country's financial mess got to this point. First, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel on his priorities. Please keep in mind this is a high leadership position, not just 1 in 100 people creating the policies that lead our country:
Second, there was a deal to at least start addressing the problems. President Obama and House Majority Leader Boehner worked together. We call that "bipartisanship," which Christie mentioned at least 3 times in his convention speech yesterday:
On Thursday, Pelosi told reporters that when Obama had asked congressional Dems if they would support him in a deficit deal with fewer revenues than painful cuts, “We said go for it. … We were with him.” To date, Boehner’s members have not said they would have stuck by him in a deal that included significant revenues. And ever since the deal collapsed, Boehner has tread carefully with his rank-and-file.
I'm sure you can find others. So let me go ahead and extend another olive branch to the other side of the aisle. It's not all republicans. Sure, the Minority Leader of the Senate is actively trying to prevent sound legislation from being passed so he can blame someone else. Eric Cantor isn't helping either. But we at least know that for a while there, the House Majority Leader really did want to try to fix it. If there are still people out there who want to consider themselves Republican, I would offer this (fictional) perspective:
"Please quit coddling and pandering to the stupid people among you."
Absolutely the right way to go -- on both sides of the aisle.
Best quote from the movie The American President: "We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, [insert name of your congressional representative] is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections."
It seems pretty obvious to me is what has happened is that Obama has basically behaved in office like a moderate republican. He did a stimulus package that was 40% tax cuts, he did the republican healthcare bill from the 90's, a financial regulation bill that made only modest changes, he extended the bush tax cuts, he did a troop surge in Afghanistan and drastically increased drone strikes and covert action in the middle east, and then spent the next year and half trying to get the budget under control. Obviously republicans had no actual intention of letting that happen. So now, the trouble conservatives are having is, if you've already told everyone that the guy is black karl marx, and Obama is basically acting like a republican governor, where do you have left to go? You have no choice but to remove your own brain and enter some Ayn Rand lala land where military spending and tax cuts improve the deficit. You just start making shit up and pretending like the stuff Obama has done isn't what republicans have spent the last 20 years advocating for. My suspicion is the people at the top cant possibly actually believe this shit, and most of them are just lying. They have auctioned themselves off as a political avenue for rich pricks to lower their own taxes and strip out meddlesome worker safety and environmental regulations. I mean thats beyond obvious in Mitt's case. He just drips with insincerity, he isn't stupid enough to believe this crap makes sense. I'm convinced at this point Paul Ryan is actually a doe-eyed moron. People call him a wonk because he's fluent in conservative economic snake-oil, without noticing that doesn't actually require him to be capable of basic math. I mean the medicare "plan"? A budget composed of magical asterisks? Continuing to lie about welfare work requirements? Is there anything at all that's pretending to be real there? The entire party is at this point a gelatinous mass of resentment and misinformation.
But who knows. Maybe they're right. Maybe americans are idiots, and in blind frustration at the gridlock republicans deliberately created, tired of the hard work it takes to actually solve problems, we'll throw Obama out and hand the country back to the conmen who fucked us over last decade. Tax cuts for the job creators! Drill baby drill! Abolish the EPA! Airstrikes on Iran! Like most conservative ideas, it sounds great if you don't think about it too much.
metal - it's rather important to include this explanation with the numbers above:
"These tables list the top donors to these candidates in the 2012 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate , rather the money came from the organizations' PACs, their individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates."
What if Romney + Ryan win?
2 da TOP!
1. Romney is rich. in this post 2008 world most americans hate the rich and realize that they are greedy liars.
wut
The first election made history (first black president) people wanted to be part of that.
shhhh! you're not supposed to say he was elected because he is black!
Fact of the day: He's as much white as he is black.
They will not win, but then our current President is not so much different as a representative of the Banking Power Elite.
Voting this time is the flip of a coin essentially for two candidates from the Right Wing.
Where is a man like FDR? "I welcome the hatred of the power elite."
I honestly cant believe people really think they cant win. Democrats are acting like because Todd Akin said something stupid all of a sudden we are up 20 points. They dont get that even with all the republican bungling, Romney is still gaining on Obama in the polls. They're already within the margin of error. They may very well be ahead after the convention. If we get bad jobs reports from August and September those numbers will stick and you can say goodbye to everything we fought for in the last 4 years.
And I'll also say, progressives are equally insane to say Obama and Romney are the same. They very obviously are not, and that kind of contrarian bullshit will be what dooms all hope of making any of the progress they pretend to want. Obamacare was not enough, but it was by no means nothing. Banning discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions is a monumental achievement, as is adding 30 million people to the insurance rolls. Financial regulation was not enough, but it too was by no means nothing. Likewise in green energy investments, pell grants, dont ask dont tell, executive orders on immigration, ending two wars and keeping us out of countless others, Obama has done things that no republican will. If you really think Obama has done nothing you simply aren't paying attention. This hyper-lefty flagellation is worse than just self destructive, its fucking idiotic. People said the same thing about Bush and Gore, and look where it got us.
Good post, oe. I agree.
And to add: w,wynne, if Obama gets elected for a second term we will move closer to a politician who will say something like that, in 8 or 12 years, than we will if Romney is elected. Politics, and change, moves slowly.
"there are a few factors that are unique to this election that the model dosen't factor in. 1. Romney is rich. in this post 2008 world most americans hate the rich and realize that they are greedy liars. 2. Romney looks like your boss. Most people hate their boss." Interesting worldview. How much income does one have to make before one is "rich" and hated by most people? Just wondering where I stand. :)
just pointing out a fact. In good times people look at the rich and think "that will be me one day" in bad times, people think "those mother fuckers took my shit" Hope of prosperity is the only thing that keeps the poor and middle class from resenting that huge gap in wealth and power. That hope is gone for many people. The majority of the nation is financially fucked. We all know that greed and corporatism is to blame. Romney completely personifies the corporate villian.
Most people hate their boss. It's true. If you don't know this, chances are you are the boss.
l
How much income does one have to make before one is "rich" and hated by most people? Just wondering where I stand. :)
Its all a matter of perception I guess. No one hates the rich neurosurgeon, they hate the billionare banker type. People who make money by working hard are still respected.
I have never hated any boss I ever had. Not one of them.
me either, but most people are haters.
man jla-x don't perpetuate such dumb views of democrats, that is all Frac & EKE go looking for.
Articulate a non-hippie economic perspective
I don't think that's true.
today I learned that if I don't think Obama is a Kenyan Muslim socialist, I am a tree hugging hippy liberal.
J James R.
your right but if a man were to be raped he wouldn't have to worry about
getting pregnant, so it doesn't really concern us. You know?
fuck it, if those assholes win then I'm packing my little family - we're going to move to vancouver b.c.
promise?
cross my heart
want to join us FRaC - it's beautiful up there
but i like those assholes
:'(
you'll forget about those assholes once you've had the wonderful vancouver dim sum and sunshine
=)
I really hope the Ron Paul delegates pull some shit at the GOP convention. That'll be fun to watch.
I wish Ron Paul delegates would realize they have no business voting republican.
Actually - i wish I could like Romney 2.0 - I agreed with many of his ideas and a large enough chunk of his platform when he ran for Gov in my state, but he's gone back on a lot of things and has headed way too far to the right on social issues. I was waiting to see who he picked for his VP, but his selection of Paul Ryan tipped me back toward Obama.
He's still for increasing minimum wage in line with inflation - which I agree with - but he's gone back on his idea of using tax penalties to influence bad behaviors - which I thought was a far better tactic than the current mode of just more regulation and/or tax breaks. I think he's still for consolidating some bloated agencies (like HUD and transit) - faster, smaller, and more responsive government (not weakened government), and still believes in the principles of smart growth. he's a city person - which I think influences his outlook on where government money is best spent - however I don't think he'll have any control over a GOP controlled house full of ignorant tea party morons - I think he'd be much better as a foil to a strong Dem legislature (because they'd both be interested in getting shit done - not the current GOP who has no f-ing clue what the hell they're doing) - i think he has better ideas when he's being pulled toward the center.
A lot of people in Massachusetts are still pissed off for his time spent outside the state making fun of it - that side of him still bugs me - but I think if the current GOP wasn't full of crazy people then maybe we'd be having a much more civil debate over differences in Obama and Romney's platforms.
@toasteroven: "however I don't think he'll have any control over a GOP controlled house full of ignorant tea party morons"
Roger that ! The man doesn't seem to have any solid core values regarding governance of the country. He allows himself to be blown by whatever wind is most likely to help him get elected.
I suspect at some basic level Mitt is a decent human being and probably holds personal views not very dissimilar from my own. However, throughout the entire primary season, he seemed to say whatever he thought he needed to say to ensure the nomination. I can't respect him for being such a chameleon.
Wow,
This is as good as CNN. I think that if the Town idiot (Romney) and the Village fool (Ryan) are elected we will have to pack our babies up to send them off to die again. These disrespectful little bull frogs went skinny dipping in the sea of Galilee, insulted our oldest ally, pissed off the Palestinians by agitating one of the most volatile situation that ever existed in the middle east and did it all in record time. And did it all in the name of the American people. "Out-Fucking-Standing"
They are detached from the realities of the world and the american people. We are falling behind big time. Our kids are watching "So you think you can dance" and listening to "Snoop dogg" while our global neighbor's kids are coming here to our country making use of our educational system and obtaining Masters and Ph.D's and then return home and compete with us. Ain't that a bitch. Education is the key to prosperity anywhere on earth. These jerk-offs want to abolish the federal education department. Not to mention how radical the entire party is in their archaic beliefs of america being the leader of the free world. Have they not learned that economics is important, but, the driving force behind the economics is the human resource that produces it. The people are the strength and power of america. They don't get it. They are out of touch. Its not about a few on the top. Obama is correct, the beat cop that insures your safety, the teacher who produces your new intern, the garbage man that removes the office trash are all integral to our success. Yeah you built it, but, on an existing infrastructure that facilitated it.
Finally, Look at that buffoon Akin who said a woman's body can shut down a pregnancy if it is initiated through a forcible rape or illegitimate rape. Really Dude!! What other kind of rape is there? Somebody should smack him with a copy of Black's Law Dictionary. His wife should beat the dog shit out of him and divorce him, his daughter should kick him in the shin bone, the university from which he graduated should demand that he cease and desist from stating that he graduated there and a whole bunch of other atrocities should befall him as well. The sad thing is, this is what these people believe and that village fool Ryan, co-sponsored a bill re-iterating and supporting it. Damn it!! Whatever happens we should re-elect Obama or we are doomed. The worst thing that has happened to our country and the world was George W. Bush. We sent our babies off to die for a lie. His father sold Saddam the same mustard gas that we were supposedly search for (and by the way never found) to kill off the Kurds who were posing a threat to the oil reserves because it constituted a national security interest. Then we decided that maybe the Kurds would be a better ally and we backed them. So, Saddam got pissed and tried to knock off our president. I can't say I like that but it was part of the game. War is Hell. Then his Idiot son wants to revenge it. By the way who the hell names there son Jeb anyway. Ohh God!! they upset me as you can see. I leave you with this. Republicans are like Crack "Don't Do it"
Roger that ! The man doesn't seem to have any solid core values regarding governance of the country. He allows himself to be blown by whatever wind is most likely to help him get elected.
I suspect at some basic level Mitt is a decent human being and probably holds personal views not very dissimilar from my own. However, throughout the entire primary season, he seemed to say whatever he thought he needed to say to ensure the nomination. I can't respect him for being such a chameleon.
well - I think part of it is the lessons he learned when his father ran for president - George Romney was a very blunt person - he wasn't afraid to piss people off - was very pro-civil rights when it was unpopular within his own party, and ended up losing the nomination to Goldwater in '64 - came out against Veitnam (using some unfortunate language) in his '68 run and ended up losing the nomination to Nixon. Can't blame Mitt for being cautious.
@toasteroven: "Can't blame Mitt for being cautious."
So -- you are saying the Republican party would end up with someone a whole lot worse -- à la Goldwater or Nixon -- if Mitt spent more time being Mitt. Presumably, that'd be a true loser like Gingrich or Cain or Bachman. Okay, I see your logic, although it still leaves me with an uncomfortable feeling.
At some point this country must start focusing on electing the "best, most qualified leader" -- not just the person most skillful at convincing us he's the "most electable" candidate.
I think the nominee would have been Santorum if Romney 2.0 ran as Romney 1.0. I'm wondering about his VP pick, though - Ryan is the face of the do-nothing dipshit GOP congress - either he's taking him out of the equation, is using him to push his agenda through congress, or he actually agrees with his asinine budget plan. I don't have a good feeling either - maybe after he locks in the nomination this week we'll see a different Mitt - or not...
i don't see what's wrong with swimming naked in the galilee. i wouldn't be surprised if some of the people listening to jesus on a hot day went for a swim after his speech. i assume people were a bit less prude than americans at that point in time. getting your robes all wet would have been an inconvenience.
http://archrecord.construction.com/yb/ar/article.aspx?story_id=176288015
this is a stretch. wright < > rand is a tenuous connection at best, so to make the additional leap rand < > ryan < > romney is over the top. as hawthorne even mentions, wright wanted little to do with rand.
she did successfully convince neutra to design a house for her. so maybe if the stage looked more like his work...
you're right, Al-Malik, 'Jeb' is a stupid name
"skinny dipping in the sea of Galilee"
That reminds me, how could someone advocate for less government, yet welcome expanding military crusades? Is that Romney's idea of job creation?
As far as he's been willing to tell us anything he's willing to do, yes, that's pretty much it.
and chains
chains you can believe in!
Frac you do realize Romney's "economic plan" is a big pile of shit, right? Like it has occurred to you that if your guy is claiming his plan to curb debt is to give tax breaks and increase military spending, hes probably just a liar, right?
The insane thing to me is if republicans actually wanted what they say they want they'd be voting for Obama.
In fairness, it is Randian. Just fool everbody into letting them spend 4 years stripping what's left of the country's assets before they disappear off to ski and drink Monfortino for the rest of their lives in some gated enclave in switzerland.
The insane thing to me is if republicans actually wanted what they say they want they'd be voting for Obama.
There is some truth to this. Republicans are not serious about deficit reduction.
"Republicans are not serious about deficit reduction."
Amen to that. The Repubs just want to cut taxes for their rich pals, keep spending at unreasonable, and unsustainable, levels for "national security" and blame the Democrats for the huge deficit run-up that started under, and is directly attributable to, the Bush/Cheney economic collapse.
If you haven't heard yet, the United States of America just hit $16 trillion in debt yesterday. On a gross, nominal basis, this makes the US, by far, the greatest debtor in the history of the world.
It took the United States government over 200 years to accumulate its first trillion dollars of debt. It took only 286 days to accumulate the most recent trillion dollars of debt. 200 years vs. 286 days. This portends two key points:
1. Anyone who thinks that inflation doesn't exist is a complete idiot;
2. To say that the trend is unsustainable is a massive understatement.
At an average interest rate of 2.130%, Uncle Sam will shuffle $340 billion out the door just in interest payments this year... and it's a number that's only going up. To put it in context, China owns so much US debt that the INTEREST INCOME they receive from the Treasury Department is nearly enough to fund their entire military budget.
It's rather disgusting when you think about it.
Yet when you look at the raw numbers, there is no sign of improvement anywhere on the horizon. Last year, the Treasury Department brought in about $2.3 trillion in tax revenue. They spent $2.9 trillion JUST on -mandatory- programs like Social Security and Medicare, plus the very sacrosanct defense budget.
In other words, the US government was $600 billion dollars in the hole before paying a dime of interest on the debt, or paying the light bill at the White House. In fact the government's own numbers reflect a budget deficit through the end of the decade, i.e. the debt level is only going to get higher. These are their own figures.
In the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was facing a similar debt crisis. In just 11-years, the Ottoman central government went from spending 17% of its tax revenue on interest payments, to spending over 52% of its tax revenue on interest payments. Then came default. Eleven years. The US is at 15% right now. How long will it take for the interest burden to become unbearable?
History is full of examples of superpowers bucking under the weight of their debt. This is not the first time that it's happened, and it won't be the last.
Sovereign debt is a giant confidence game. Investors buy bonds on the belief that governments can (and will) pay. When that confidence is chipped away, the cost of capital becomes debilitating. And people tend to notice a $16 trillion debt burden.
This is banana republic stuff, plain and simple... and smart, thinking people ought to be planning on capital controls, wage and price controls, pension confiscation, and selective default. Because the next trillion will be here before you know it.
Courtesy of Simon Black.
"2. To say that the trend is unsustainable is a massive understatement."
That isn't really an understatement, just a factual one.
The security of governmental bonds is based fundamentally on the "full faith and credit" of governmental entities that issue those bonds. Historically, this concept gave bond holders confidence because governments could tax its citizens to cover the cost of bond repayments.
In this current 'knee jerk' environment related to taxation, the "full faith and credit" of the US has been cast in doubt because the cowardly Republicans - in particular - refuse to stand up to Grover Norquist.
The problem wurdan describes above will NOT -- and CANNOT -- be solved by spending reductions alone. Revenues must increase; taxes must increase; and Grover Norquist (and his philosophical soul mates) can just go to hell, as far as I'm concerned.
Here is a big part of why our Country's financial mess got to this point. First, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel on his priorities. Please keep in mind this is a high leadership position, not just 1 in 100 people creating the policies that lead our country:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-A09a_gHJc
Second, there was a deal to at least start addressing the problems. President Obama and House Majority Leader Boehner worked together. We call that "bipartisanship," which Christie mentioned at least 3 times in his convention speech yesterday:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/magazine/obama-vs-boehner-who-killed-the-debt-deal.html?pagewanted=all
here is another perspective:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/04/boehner-pelosi-grand-bargain-fiasco.php
On Thursday, Pelosi told reporters that when Obama had asked congressional Dems if they would support him in a deficit deal with fewer revenues than painful cuts, “We said go for it. … We were with him.” To date, Boehner’s members have not said they would have stuck by him in a deal that included significant revenues. And ever since the deal collapsed, Boehner has tread carefully with his rank-and-file.
I'm sure you can find others. So let me go ahead and extend another olive branch to the other side of the aisle. It's not all republicans. Sure, the Minority Leader of the Senate is actively trying to prevent sound legislation from being passed so he can blame someone else. Eric Cantor isn't helping either. But we at least know that for a while there, the House Majority Leader really did want to try to fix it. If there are still people out there who want to consider themselves Republican, I would offer this (fictional) perspective:
http://youtu.be/yGAvwSp86hY
Please quit coddling and pandering to the stupid people among you. Thanks.
"Please quit coddling and pandering to the stupid people among you."
Absolutely the right way to go -- on both sides of the aisle.
Best quote from the movie The American President: "We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, [insert name of your congressional representative] is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections."
Sometimes, art does imitate life.
It seems pretty obvious to me is what has happened is that Obama has basically behaved in office like a moderate republican. He did a stimulus package that was 40% tax cuts, he did the republican healthcare bill from the 90's, a financial regulation bill that made only modest changes, he extended the bush tax cuts, he did a troop surge in Afghanistan and drastically increased drone strikes and covert action in the middle east, and then spent the next year and half trying to get the budget under control. Obviously republicans had no actual intention of letting that happen. So now, the trouble conservatives are having is, if you've already told everyone that the guy is black karl marx, and Obama is basically acting like a republican governor, where do you have left to go? You have no choice but to remove your own brain and enter some Ayn Rand lala land where military spending and tax cuts improve the deficit. You just start making shit up and pretending like the stuff Obama has done isn't what republicans have spent the last 20 years advocating for. My suspicion is the people at the top cant possibly actually believe this shit, and most of them are just lying. They have auctioned themselves off as a political avenue for rich pricks to lower their own taxes and strip out meddlesome worker safety and environmental regulations. I mean thats beyond obvious in Mitt's case. He just drips with insincerity, he isn't stupid enough to believe this crap makes sense. I'm convinced at this point Paul Ryan is actually a doe-eyed moron. People call him a wonk because he's fluent in conservative economic snake-oil, without noticing that doesn't actually require him to be capable of basic math. I mean the medicare "plan"? A budget composed of magical asterisks? Continuing to lie about welfare work requirements? Is there anything at all that's pretending to be real there? The entire party is at this point a gelatinous mass of resentment and misinformation.
But who knows. Maybe they're right. Maybe americans are idiots, and in blind frustration at the gridlock republicans deliberately created, tired of the hard work it takes to actually solve problems, we'll throw Obama out and hand the country back to the conmen who fucked us over last decade. Tax cuts for the job creators! Drill baby drill! Abolish the EPA! Airstrikes on Iran! Like most conservative ideas, it sounds great if you don't think about it too much.
^---oh yeah
kind of illustrated here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax15XRL1URQ
follow the money
2012
Barack Obama
University of California $491,868
Microsoft Corp $443,748
Google Inc $357,382
DLA Piper $331,715
Harvard University $317,516
Mitt Romney
Goldman Sachs $676,080
JPMorgan Chase & Co $520,299
Morgan Stanley $513,647
Bank of America $510,728
Credit Suisse Group $427,560
2008
Goldman Sachs: Obama $1,019,991, McCain $240,295
JP Morgan: Obama $807,799, McCain $345,505
Morgan Stanley: Obama $517,332, McCain $271,902
Bank of America: Obama $395,492, McCain $167,826
Credit Suisse Group: Obama $303,403, McCain $184,153
metal - it's rather important to include this explanation with the numbers above: "These tables list the top donors to these candidates in the 2012 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate , rather the money came from the organizations' PACs, their individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates."
I am with Stone, metal please to explain sir. What are we to conclude from your numbers.
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