Month: July 2012

Is Mitt Romney A Pathological Liar?

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee, is looking worse every day he is on the campaign trail.

Romney is demonstrating to millions of Americans that he has, sadly, what seems like a pathological liar syndrome!

He has “flip flopped” on every issue he has ever taken a stand on, since he first ran for public office in 1994 against Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts, when he said he would be to the left of Kennedy on abortion and gay rights!

He told us “RomneyCare” was good for Massachusetts, but now wishes to obliterate “ObamaCare”, despite the fact that the Supreme Court has upheld it, and it has brought great benefits to millions of Americans, who would now lose those benefits!

Romney has refused to release any tax returns except for 2010, and has delayed submitting his 2011 taxes, even though his father, George Romney, had released 12 years of tax returns back in the 1960s, and EVERY other candidate for the Presidency, including recent GOP nominees John McCain and George W. Bush did so, and even potential running mate Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota Governor, did a complete vetting when considered for Vice President with John McCain in 2008!

Romney has sent a large portion of his massive fortune to accounts in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda (rather than the mistake of the author, who had previously said the Bahamas), and Switzerland, and refuses to release any information about those accounts

Romney refuses also to give more details about his years at Bain Capital, about his governorship in Massachusetts, and even denies remembering the bullying of a schoolmate in high school that others remember vividly! And he also thinks that putting a dog on the roof of an automobile for many hours while on a vacation trip is something that a dog, or any pet, would automatically love!

Romney’s body language reveals so much about him, and his failure to look people or the camera directly in the eye, also reveals that he is constantly lying!

Now there are reports, not yet proven, that he and his son Tagg MIGHT have been involved in a Ponzi scheme, which, even if not proved true, cannot surprise anyone who has watched him dart back and forth when answering questions, or making daily changes in his stand on issues!

One has to say: Is this what the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, TR, and Ike wants as the inheritor of their traditions and beliefs, which made the party a great institution historically?

Is this what the American people deserve–a conniving, open faced liar, who seems not even to know he is lying and covering up, since it seems pathological in nature?

One would have to worry about high level corruption under a Romney Presidency, since the top one percent would have a “field day”, with secretiveness, paranoia, and personal insecurity returning to the White House!

If this sounds like Richard Nixon returning, in many ways it would be, EXCEPT that Nixon, believe it or not, also had real PRINCIPLES mixed in with his faults and shortcomings,while Romney is just a very wealthy guy who wants power for power’s sake and to enrich his friends and his own pockets!

Now some might say, come on, ALL politicians are crooks, are self servers, are liars!

To which the answer is YES, MANY are, although not all! But there are levels of lying, and being self serving, and Mitt Romney is the true champion on the top of the heap in that regard!

America deserves better and can do better than Mitt Romney!

POLITICAL ANIMALS Series Starting Sunday On USA Network: Worth Seeing!

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A new limited six part series is premiering on Sunday, July 15, on the USA Network, entitled POLITICAL ANIMALS, starring Sigourney Weaver as a former First Lady who is Secretary of State in the administration of the rival who defeated her for the Presidency.

If someone was to wonder: is this closely following Hillary Clinton, the answer would be, of course YES!

It should be a fascinating series, produced by Greg Berlanti, one of the best writers, producers and directors in television today, and with Weaver in the lead role, how can it be anything else than superlative?

Will Chief Justice John Roberts Be In The Tradition Of John Marshall, Charles Evans Hughes, And Earl Warren? The Question For The Long Term Future

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Chief Justice John Roberts made history in a way that he had to realize would happen, when he broke with the conservative wing of the Court, shocking conservatives and cheering liberals and progressives on the Affordable Care Act, known to its critics as “ObamaCare”.

The question is whether this is a one time aberration, or a beginning of a reconsideration of the philosophy that will govern the future decisions of Chief Justice Roberts.

Has Roberts had an “epiphany”, or did he do this for his own reputation and that of the Court as an institution?

Is Roberts ready to continue to antagonize Associate Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito, two of whom will be likely staying on the Supreme Court for a long period of years, maybe as long as he will?

Does Roberts have a sense of history, and wants to be leagued with other great Chief Justices?

Certainly, seeing the harsh, bitter reaction of many conservative talk show hosts, Republicans and others of the right wing in our politics, might give Roberts pause, and possibly make him reluctant to go against the tide again.

A sign that he will not give in to the attacks would be to push another Citizens United case to be considered by the Court, and this time, to take the proper side for the people of America against the corporations and their power, but who can say that will happen?

In any case, Roberts at least has the potential, if he has the courage and principles to do so, to go down in history as in the tradition of Chief Justices John Marshall (1801-1835), Charles Evans Hughes (1930-1941), and Earl Warren (1953-1969)!

He also has the potential to go down as an “also ran’! It is all up to him, and him alone!

Mitt Romney’s Pandering, And Cynical Appeal To White Supremacists

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee, showed his true nature today in a way we had not seen before.

Romney went before the national meeting of The National Association For The Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the original and most prestigious civil rights organization in America, which celebrated its centennial in 2009.

He told the delegates that he was going to work to repeal “ObamaCare”, the Affordable Care Act declared constitutional by the Supreme Court two weeks ago, knowing full well that they would boo loudly at that statement. He seemed to revel in being booed, as it was very obvious that he wished to antagonize that group as part of a ploy to gain white supremacist support.

Romney went into that meeting knowing that many evangelical Christians and conservatives really do not like him, and are suspicious of his Mormon beliefs. So the answer was to show them how unpopular he was among African Americans, so as to make them realize that they have no choice but to support him, as with his Mormon faith,which did not allow blacks in the church before an epiphany by the Church leadership in 1978, he might not be all that bad for them, and certainly better than a mixed race President named Barack Obama.

Romney has demonstrated once again, but more nakedly than before, that he has no scruples, ethics, or morals, and will sell his soul to become President!

He also has made it clear by his pandering and cynicism that he is out to take any possibility of hope of a better life for African Americans and other minorities away from them, as he is simply a very wealthy man who could not care less about the plight of people who are poor or struggling, and not even just minorities, but also whites, who are down and out in the present economic recession!

Mitt Romney may have been born in the Midwest, and served in government in the Northeast, but he has shown that the old Southern strategy pursued regularly in the Republican Party since Richard Nixon’s election in 1968 is still alive and well in 2012, a strategy that appealed to white supremacists and very religious conservative voters who were drawn to the party by Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, starting in the late 1970s.

If Mitt Romney had any ethics, he would be totally ashamed of himself, but he is not ashamed, and that is ultimately the problem–that he has no conscience, but only a mad obsession with becoming President without any sincerity, and with no principles at all, except self aggrandizement!

Florida Congressman Allen West Says Social Security Is A Modern Form Of Slavery!

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Florida Republican Congressman Allen West created a controversy over the weekend, when he compared Social Security and disability benefits to a modern form of slavery.

West said that Barack Obama and the Democrats were promoting dependency and a “plantation mentality” in promoting “welfare programs”.

The problem with what West said is that Social Security payments and disability benefit payments are NOT welfare, as they are contributed to by all those who work, and these payments go primarily to senior citizens, widows and orphans, and those who are disabled through no fault of their own.

This is just another example of the reckless behavior and rhetoric of a Congressman who presently represents a district with a large population of people who receive such benefits, and his new district in Northern Palm Beach County, and Martin and St Lucie Counties, also has a substantial population of such citizens.

So it would seem suicidal what West is saying, but if citizens are not informed, or simply vote out of lack of understanding of the issues that affect them daily, then Allen West could very well be elected to another term in his new district.

It is up to the Democrats and nominee Patrick Murphy to make a concerted campaign to inform the citizens of the new congressional district of the danger and threat that electing West will bring upon them.

West already is on the so called “hit list” of Democrats, and fellow Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, head of the Democratic National Committee, and regularly bitterly attacked by West, is committed to do what is possible to retire Allen West, which would be a great plus for the citizens of his district, Florida, and the nation at large!

The “Two Ricks”: Dangerous To The Less Fortunate People Of Texas And Florida!

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It is really a sad state of affairs when the Republican Governors of the two largest GOP governed states (Texas and Florida) refuse to consider expansion of Medicaid, and also reject willingness to start planning health exchanges to promote development of ObamaCare, now that the Supreme Court has declared it constitutional.

Texas is the second largest state in population, and Florida is fourth, and that means millions of unfortunate Texans and Floridians will be victims of the refusal of the “two Ricks”, Rick Perry and Rick Scott, to accept federal money, and face the facts that citizens will die because of the refusal to provide health care to the needy and disabled of their states.

It is reprehensible and shows no conscience, as both governors play politics, and make ObamaCare seem radical, when the basis of it is RomneyCare, and the Heritage Foundation and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich endorsed the idea in 1993 as an alternative to so called HillaryCare, the proposal of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton for a more advanced health care system than ObamaCare is.

ObamaCare is far more limited and, really, conservative in nature, but it is all part of the plan to oppose EVERYTHING promoted by President Barack Obama.

But with the Supreme Court having backed ObamaCare, for these two large state governors, and others, such as Scott Walker of WIsconsin, Paul LePage of Maine, and other GOP governors, to work to undermine it, knowing that it affects the lives of millions of the less fortunate among us, is beyond rational thought!

Tension Between Chief Justice John Roberts And Conservative Justices On Supreme Court Reported: What It Might Mean!

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In an extremely rare inside look at the Supreme Court, which tends to keep secret the interactions of its members, there are strong indications that the decision of Chief Justice John Roberts to side with the liberals on the Court and uphold “ObamaCare” may have caused what might be a permanent rift on the Court between Roberts and Associate Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.

No one is likely to ever confirm such a rift explicitly, but it will be very interesting to observe the body language of the Court in oral arguments, decision announcement days, and other public meetings where the members of the Court will be together in public places.

One could wish that he or she was a “fly on the wall” figuratively, to see what has really gone on, and will occur, in the future.

The situation could transform the Court IF Roberts continues to side with the liberals, but few expect that to happen. But the old warmth and respect for each other that the Court is famous for in most of its past may be done, nevertheless.

It also makes one wonder, particularly IF Roberts continues the course he is on at the moment, whether it will convince Antonin Scalia to quit the Court, at age 76 and counting, and may be determined by who is elected President in November.

It is hard to imagine Scalia leaving, or even Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, if Barack Obama is elected to a second term, but if Romney is elected, it is conceivable that both might leave sooner rather than later, if either or both feel uncomfortable working with Roberts in the future.

One can forget about Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito leaving, however, as neither would plan to leave anytime soon!

No Love Affair Between Mitt Romney And Conservative Leaders! Major Obstacle To Reaching The White House!

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Mitt Romney has a major problem we have long been aware of!

Conservative leadership is NOT in love with the former Massachusetts Governor!

The Wall Street Journal, Fox News Channel, and other conservative media owned by Rupert Murdoch, has major problems with Romney.

So does Bill Kristol of the WEEKLY STANDARD, the major conservative weekly journal of opinion, and the center of neoconservatives, who brought us into the Iraq War under George W. Bush, and still believe in an aggressive, muscular, foreign policy.

Additionally, evangelical Christians have a major problem with Romney being a Mormon, and the Tea Party Movement is not happy about Romney’s promotion of RomneyCare in Massachusetts, and Romney’s fidgeting about the Supreme Court backing of ObamaCare, which is seen as too similar to RomneyCare, although Romney has now repudiated it for the nation!

So Romney already is behind in electoral votes on the Electoral College map of states, and even with loads of money raised by billionaires and political action committees, and the attempt to disfranchise millions of voters in many states, a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, it will be extremely difficult for him to win the White House!

The Vice Presidency Competition: Only Tim Pawlenty Or Rob Portman Makes Sense!

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More speculation about the race to be Vice Presidential nominee with Mitt Romney has been churning lately, with one clear conclusion: Only former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty or Ohio Senator Rob Portman make any sense!

Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan is simply too toxic with his plan to privatize Medicare and Social Security, although Mitt Romney has endorsed the plan. It would harm Romney in a major way in the upcoming campaign.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is simply too controversial and outspoken, not a good match for the reserved Mitt Romney. His image as a “Bully” Governor would be harmful.

New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte, the only woman mentioned, has too little experience to be a heartbeat away, and might bring about comparisons to Sarah Palin, although obviously Ayotte is much smarter and more intelligent than Sarah.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal would bring little to Romney’s candidacy, and there are doubts about either being qualified to be a heartbeat away from the White House.

Marco Rubio would be too controversial, too much of a lightning rod, and would not draw Hispanic or Latino support of Mexican Americans or Puerto Rican Americans, or others, other than Cuban Americans.

The only possible alternative to Pawlenty or Portman might be Senator John Thune of South Dakota, but it is clear that Pawlenty and Portman are both qualified, non controversial, and most important, from the heartland Midwest, which Romney must win to become President. Only Thune is from the same area, unless you include Ryan, who again is extremely toxic, and would be unwise for Romney to select!

A Liberal-Progressive Mount Rushmore And A Conservative Mount Rushmore: Who Would Be On Such Mount Rushmores?

Ronald 9 Comments

Last Friday, Joe Scarborough and MORNING JOE on MSNBC had distinguished historians assess which Presidents might be on a new, second Mount Rushmore, if such a monument were ever built.

This brought to mind the idea of who might be on a Liberal-Progressive Mount Rushmore, and who would be on a Conservative Mount Rushmore, if such were ever constructed anywhere in America.

This is mostly just interesting scholarly speculation, but here goes my suggestions for such honoring on both sides of the political spectrum.

LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE MOUNT RUSHMORE

Robert La Follette, Sr.–Republican Governor (1900-1906) and Senator (1906-1925) of Wisconsin–Mr. Progressive of the early 20th century and 1924 Progressive Party nominee for President.

George Norris–Republican Congressman (1902-1912) and Senator (1912-1942) of Nebraska–the most creative reform figure and longevity of the first half of the 20th century, a bridge between the Progressive Era of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Hubert H. Humphrey–Democratic Mayor Of Minneapolis (1945-1949), Senator (1949-1964, 1970-1978) of Minnesota, and Vice President of the United States (1965-1969) and Democratic Presidential nominee in 1968, who had the most creative record of promoting reform in the years after World War II throughout the 1960s.

Ted Kennedy–Democratic Senator (1962-2009) of Massachusetts, the fourth longest serving US Senator in American history, and the most creative reformer in the years from the 1970s until his death in 2009.

A possible alternative would be Democratic Senator George McGovern of
South Dakota (1922-2012), who ran for President in 1972, and was a major critic of the Vietnam War, one of the most decent men ever in American politics, serving in the Senate from 1963-1981.

CONSERVATIVE MOUNT RUSHMORE

Arthur Vandenberg–Republican Senator (1928-1951) of Michigan, who opposed the New Deal and was an isolationist in foreign policy through World War II, but then became an internationalist in support of the United Nations and President Harry Truman’s Cold War policy against the Soviet Union after World War II, and potential Presidential candidate twice.

Robert Taft–Republican Senator (1939-1953) of Ohio, son of President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft, promoted the anti labor union Taft-Hartley Act, promoted an isolationist foreign policy, and considered Mr. Conservative by his party, and a potential Presidential candidate numerous times.

Barry Goldwater–Senator (1952-1964, 1968-1986) of Arizona, succeeding Robert Taft as Mr. Conservative, and 1964 Republican nominee for President, becoming the hero of conservatives long term, and having an effect on President Ronald Reagan.

Ronald Reagan–Republican Governor of California (1966-1974), and President of the United States (1981-1989), after a career as a movie actor, influenced by the principles and ideas of Barry Goldwater, who he publicly backed in a famous speech in 1964.

The author welcomes commentary on these selections!