Mitt Romney

Two Republicans Not In Tune With Party Direction: Jeb Bush And John McCain!

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Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Arizona Senator John McCain have complained about the direction of the Republican Party in the past few days.

Bush, certainly a conservative, has questioned the rightward tilt of the party, saying it is a party that his dad, George H. W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, would have a problem recognizing, and a problem also being nominated by the present GOP.

McCain has been highly critical of the wild spending by billionaires, such as Sheldon Adelson and the Koch Brothers, and the former author of the McCain Feingold law that tried to limit campaign finance, made it clear that he disagreed with the Citizen United decision of the Supreme Court, and believed corporations were not people, a line that Mitt Romney has used in his campaign speeches.

The best thing that could happen is the walloping of the Tea Party Movement and its mentality in the upcoming elections, but there is no guarantee that such will happen, and therefore, there is concern that democracy will decline, with McCain referring to Theodore Roosevelt’s attack on monopolies in big business a century ago, an action totally reversed by the right wing Supreme Court two years ago.

One can long for the “good old days” of a reasonable Republican Party, and wonder if what Jeb Bush and John McCain advocate will ever return to American politics!

Tension Between Republicans And Conservative Ideologues Forecast Of Future

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Imagine this: Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, a hard line conservative Republican, is involved in a tense battle with right wing nut Michelle Malkin over the keeping of elements of the Obama Health Care Plan if the Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional later this month!

Blunt, no softee, proposes keeping elements of the Obama plan, including allowing children to be covered to age 26; closing the “donut hole” for senior citizens on prescription costs on Medicare; and allowing people with pre-existing conditions to be continued to be covered and guaranteed coverage. Malkin bitterly attacked Blunt for such advocacy!

Mitt Romney will find similar attacks by right wing ideologues if he becomes President, as they will never be satisfied until the middle class is made poor permanently, and the poor are on the streets dead!

Realize just how nuts Michelle Malkin is, making her reputation on defending the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II, even though her ethnic heritage is that she is a Japanese American! So this woman is a case of self hate, and of hard line nastiness and being mean spirited, a great case for a psychiatrist and psychologist to spend years trying to analyze why she advocates what she does!

The Crux Of The Matter: Barack Obama’s Speech In Cleveland Sets The Standard!

Ronald 1 Comment

President Obama today gave a rousing speech in Cleveland, making clear that he was not willing to give Mitt Romney a massive tax cut, along with other millionaires and billionaires, and that much more important was to give basic security to the elderly, the sick, and those seeking work and suffering from the Great Recession for the past four and a half years!

In a nation in which the average family has suffered a drop in assets of 39 percent in the past few years, including on retirement savings, housing, jobs, and ability to provide college education to one’s children, Obama said the only way to grow the economy was the creation of a strong middle class, based on education, investment in infrastructure projects, and the utilization of technology to find new methods of economic expansion, including energy projects that plan for a world less dependent on oil and coal.

Instead of returning to deregulation and massive tax cuts for the rich, Obama said government can be good and productive and helpful in bringing back the American economy, and that if we are all to be only thinking about ourselves, that will not revive the American economy.

The election is a clear cut choice between two philosophies, and Obama declared that it was a crucial, turning point election that will determine the long term direction of the country.

If one uses common sense, and realizes that the way to move forward is to think of ourselves as “WE”, instead of “ME”, then Obama will win the election in November!

The Future Is What Matters, Not the Past: Message To Barack Obama!

Ronald 2 Comments

President Barack Obama has been having a rough patch lately, and many people in his own party, as well as the Republican opposition, have been critical of his criticisms of the Bush Presidency, saying it is time for Obama to stop blaming Bush and take responsibility for mobilizing the nation to a better future!

While one needs to talk about history, that will not be enough to win the Presidential election this fall!

Instead, what must be done is demonstrate to the American people what the future will be, contrasting his own vision and hopes, looking to make America a better, fairer place for all, and show how Mitt Romney will be unsympathetic to the problems of the vast majority of Americans, and is only going to take us back to the Gilded Age and 1920s, and creating the greatest maldistribution of wealth in a century.

If the majority of middle class people, suffering and declining rapidly, can be made to understand that Mitt Romney has no clue as to how to create jobs, and to understand that Wall Street and wealthy billionaires have no one except themselves that they care about, then Barack Obama will sweep to victory in November by a massive margin!

Obama must be on the offensive in painting the gloomy future of a Romney Presidency, and the gloves must come off and stay off, and be replaced by a punching, aggressive manner! Being a nice guy will not work, and Obama will have more respect if he fights like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman did in the 1930s and 1940s!

We need a “Give Them Hell” Barack Obama and fast!

Return From Vacation To Horrible News! Mitt Romney, And The Ugandan Catholic Bishops!

Ronald 4 Comments

Having just returned from vacation in Charleston and Savannah, and only having contributed one entry about the Wisconsin recall election results while on vacation, the author returns to horrible news, making one wonder about humanity!

Mitt Romney has made it clear that if the Supreme Court rules against the Obama Health Care law later this month, he will not protect the millions with preexisting conditions, who would, effectively, left out of health care by such an action.

Romney has also made it clear that he feels the message of Wisconsin is that the American people do not wish to fund more jobs for badly needed teachers, firefighters, and police officers, an unbelievable conclusion based on one state’s results, and a slap in the face of the American people, and the honorable professions that are so essential to the nation, and are being treated as if they are “servants” who can be hired and fired as Mitt Romney loves to do with everyone, due to his obscene wealth, greed, and selfishness!

Mitt Romney is becoming worse by the day, a true monster who comes across as the worst GOP nominee in American history, with his lack of humanity or concern for the needs of the American nation!

The thought that this man without a conscience could actually become President is totally sickening!

But then, the news gets worse, as we learn that in Uganda, the Catholic bishops are endorsing legislation to kill gays or put them in prison for life, a bill already promoted by the evangelical Christian movement, and setting up a situation that would lead to a Holocaust not that different than the one in World War II against gays, as well as Jews and other groups, which was ignored by the then Pope Pius IX!

Pope Benedict XVI needs to condemn this endorsement immediately, and crack down on the Catholic bishops of Uganda, but will he? He is condemning the “radical” statements of nuns who are promoting a open mindedness on many issues within the Church, so can one be assured that he will take steps to crack down on the hate of the Ugandan Catholic bishops?

This is just more proof how organized religion has lost its humanity, and is about to make gays the new victims of a modern day Holocaust in the name of God!

This news about Mitt Romney and the Ugandan bishops is enough to make one wish to go back on vacation, and shut out the cruel world we live in!

The Wisconsin Disaster And What It May Portend

Ronald 2 Comments

The failure last Tuesday to remove Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker from office by recall is a major blow to the labor movement and to progressivism.

It is a warning sign that workers, whether union or non union, whether public service workers or those employed by private employers, can expect that many of the hard won reforms of the 20th century could be taken away by Republican Governors, a Republican controlled Congress and a Republican President in the future.

It is a sign also of the power of wealthy corporate interests to destroy our political system, with the assistance of the right wing Supreme Court which allowed the Citizens United decision in 2010, which has now led to the right wing takeover in many states, in the House of Representatives, and was able to help Scott Walker survive, despite the abuse of power by him and his Republican colleagues in the state legislature. The ability of wealthy individuals to contribute large amounts of money without limit distorted the whole political process!

The fact that Mitt Romney was able to raise more money last month than Barack Obama for the first time is another danger sign that everything progressives and liberals have fought for could be going down the drain!

It is hard not to be very pessimistic about the short term and long term future, but those who believe in the rights of workers, women, minorities, children, the elderly, and wish to promote education, health care and the environment, cannot sit back and mope over the results!

If the forces for democracy decide to give up, instead of mobilizing for the upcoming campaign, and if they do not convince citizens how important it is to vote for their own futures, then indeed the country will be moving closer to a form of corporate fascism that will destroy the great progress made over a long period of generations of hard fought struggles!

Barack Obama And Mitt Romney Have Similarities In Many Ways!

Ronald 2 Comments

It is certainly odd, but it is reality that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have many things in common.

Among them are the following:

Both were born to families that had polygamy in their family history–Obama’s father being a Muslim, and Romney coming from Mormon background.

Both have graduate degrees from Harvard University–Obama with a law degree, and Romney with a law and a business degree.

Both Obama and Romney served in their prominent position for only four years–Obama in the US Senate from Illinois, and Romney as Governor of Massachusetts.

Both Obama and Romney are very bright and knowledgeable, but people find both of them are somewhat aloof and difficult to know on a personal level.

Both Obama and Romney have wives who are very popular, more than they are, and their wives are major assets to their careers and candidacy.

Both Obama and Romney saw health care as a primary issue, with Romney promoting a program in many ways adopted by Obama nationally, although now Romney repudiates his health care program in Massachusetts as a model for a national plan, and endorses the end of the Obama Health Care legislation.

In their careers, both were more liberal than most members of their parties, but both became more moderate in office as time went by.

Both have an element of shyness, and are considered analytical introverts, as compared., say, to Bill Clinton or George W. Bush. In this way, they are more like Jimmy Carter or Richard Nixon.

Both are suspicious of the news media, but then most politicians are that way!

Both love Star Trek, which shows an interest in science fiction and imagination.

Both Obama and Romney have had their religious heritage from their fathers (Muslim and Mormon respectively) seen as suspect, particularly with the fact that their fathers were born in foreign countries (Obama, Kenya and Romney, Mexico).

Both Obama and Romney had strong mothers, not uncommon, and in fact, very common among recent Presidents (including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush).

Both Obama and Romney lost an earlier race of significance, Obama for the House of Representatives in 2000, and Romney for the US Senate in 1994.

Both Obama and Romney set a new standard for the Presidency, with Obama being the first African American President, and Romney potentially the first Mormon President.

Both Obama and Romney are excellent family men, with not a hint of personal scandal in either one’s background.

Both Obama and Romney would have to be considered among the most intellectual politicians and Presidential candidates we have ever had in US history.

There is no question that debates coming up in September and October will be fascinating to watch and analyze!

The Economy Issue Outweighing Foreign Policy And The Supreme Court: The Ultimate Tragedy For The Nation

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It has often been said that people vote their “pocketbook”, that is, how they are affected economically, including having employment, the inflation rate, the housing situation, and the ability to plan for their children’s college education and their own retirements.

So if the economy is in bad shape, the President or party in office loses the election, and that possibility now rears its “ugly head”, due to the downturn in the stock market this past month, and the slowing of job growth that hints at a stall, if not a reversal, in job growth.

The facts are that all economic conditions are much better than they were when Barack Obama took the oath of office, but since people tend to think of the moment, not of the previous few years, Barack Obama is seen as in danger of being defeated.

The odds are still that he will win re-election, but it is going to be a “nail biter” at best, and that is a true tragedy, considering Obama’s accomplishments in foreign policy, national security, and constitutional issues.

There is no question that, despite Republican propaganda to the contrary, that Barack Obama has accomplished a lot in these areas, but it is being overshadowed by the economic situation, which, no matter who is President, is going to take years to repair after the Great Recession that began under George W. Bush.

If Mitt Romney is elected President, we are not going to see a magical economic recovery! We are, instead, likely going to see austerity that will make things far worse! One can be assured that within six months of taking the oath, Romney’s honeymoon will have ended, and there will be “buyers’s remorse”!

And we will likely see the “necons” take back control of the White House, and decide on a new war with Iran, which will only further damage the deficit and the national debt!

And we will see up to three appointments by President Romney, turning the Supreme Court to the extreme right for a generation, the greatest tragedy of all, as it will set back gays, Hispanics and Latinos, African Americans, women, labor, the environment, and government regulation of Wall Street!

So the economy may be in bad shape, but the country will be in worst shape if Obama loses because of the economy!

An Outrage: 21,000 Wealthy Americans Avoid Paying ANY Income Tax!

Ronald 1 Comment

Deductions and exemptions in the US Tax Code have allowed approximately 21,000 wealthy Americans, including billionaires, to avoid paying ANY income tax to the US government!

How can one avoid paying taxes?

Donations to charity
Earning income overseas
Writing off doctor bills
Investing in state and local governments

This number, 21,000, is only one half of one percent of the 4 million taxpayers who make up the top 3 percent. So no one is saying that the wealthy do not pay taxes, as a group, but many pay only what Mitt Romney pays, less than 15 percent, because they do not work for a living, and instead make their income primarily on investments.

Altogether, about 3 million people who earn more than $50,000 pay no federal income taxes, while 56 million Americans who earn less than $50,000 avoid federal income taxes.

While there is a lot of anger about the 56 million, realize most of these people make so little, far less than $25,000 for most, and continue to pay medicare and social security taxes and sales and property taxes, and cannot make ends meet as it is, while the 21,000 who are wealthy and avoid taxes could contribute a decent percentage of their income, but have lawyers and accountants to avoid their responsibilities!

There is a dire need to crack down on tax avoiders, but it will not happen under a President Romney, and in fact, will only get worse if the former Massachusetts Governor is elected President, while the poor and working class will actually have more taken from them, when they already have so little!

“It’s The Economy, Stupid!”: How Obama Is Helped, Despite Economic Slowdown

Ronald 4 Comments

The latest news on the economy is very disconcerting, as we saw the smallest job growth in eleven months, 69,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate inching up to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent.

According to economists, the Great Recession started in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, and we are now into three years of “economic recovery”. After losing 7 million jobs, we have regained 4.2 million of them in the past three years.

Economic statistics can be used to prove or disprove any point. Obviously, the economy is a big problem, and Republican nominee Mitt Romney banks on that, and keeps on hammering it home, and will do that even more with the new economic figures.

But it is also important to realize that the economic recovery, the slowest since World War II, could also be seen in a different perspective, that the Great Recession has never really ended, and that the Republican opposition, by resisting any jobs legislation in the past year and a half, when they have controlled the House of Representatives, has massively contributed to it.

There is plenty of blame to go around, and Barack Obama and the Democrats must share the blame, but to claim that the GOP has no responsibility is ridiculous, and those who would claim that a President McCain would have had a better economic record must be smoking something that promotes delusions!

And the good aspect of the economic problem is that in seven of the ten “swing states” that the Obama Victory Fund contributes funds from sale of merchandise, the unemployment rate is lower, often substantially lower than in the nation at large.

This includes the following:

Iowa 5.1%
New Hampshire 5.0%
Virginia 5.6%
Wisconsin 6.7%
Ohio 7.4%
Pennsylvania 7.4%
Colorado 7.9%

The unemployment rate is higher in:

Florida 8.7%
North Carolina 9.4%
Nevada 11.7%

It should also be pointed out that in 34 states out of 50, two thirds, the unemployment rate is lower than the national average.

So Mitt Romney using the issue of unemployment in seven of the ten”swing states” is not going to ring as genuine, and if Obama wins those seven states, he can lose Florida, North Carolina, and Nevada, and still win a second term handily!