Mitt Romney

Firsts In Presidential Election Contests: Path Breaking Moments!

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Now that Mitt Romney has become the official GOP Presidential candidate, another barrier has been broken in Presidential contests.

As the first Mormon Presidential candidate, Romney has accomplished what one could call a “civil rights moment”.

We have had to wait a long time for new attitudes to develop, but we have so far accomplished the following:

1928–first Catholic nominee for President, Al Smith.
1928–first Quaker President elected, Herbert Hoover
1928–first Native American Vice President elected, Charles Curtis
1960–first Catholic President elected, John F. Kennedy
1968–first Catholic Vice Presidential candidate, Edmund Muskie
1984–first woman Vice Presidential candidate, Geraldine Ferraro
2000–first Jewish Vice Presidential candidate, Joe Lieberman
2008–first African American President elected, Barack Obama
2008–first Catholic Vice President elected, Joe Biden

And notice that with the exceptions of Hoover, Curtis and Romney, all of the “firsts” were by the Democratic Party, NOT the Republican Party!

Mitt Romney Advocate Of Limiting Presidency To Those Who Have Been In Business World!

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Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney has endorsed a constitutional amendment, further limiting who could be eligible for President to only those who have worked in the business world.

Under his idea, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt and other Presidents would not have been eligible for the White House!

John McCain, Bob Dole, and other Presidential nominees would also be ineligible!

This is crazy, as to say that our President MUST have experience in the business world makes that more important than being in the military, or serving in government, learning the ins and outs of state and national government!

Looking at the record of those who have been in the business world, such as George W. Bush and Herbert Hoover, one has to say that Mitt Romney has no understanding of what the Presidency is all about!

Thankfully, no such crazy idea will ever go anywhere as a constitutional amendment, and hopefully, Mitt Romney will be able to go back to the business world, if he wishes, after losing the Presidential Election of 2012!

Labor Unions: The Unsung Creator And Persistent Supporter Of The Middle Class In America!

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We live in an era where labor unions have been under attack since the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, and the “Bully” Governors elected in 2010 have been mounting a major effort against labor unions, trying to set back labor conditions to what they were in the Gilded Age of the late 19th century.

Many Americans, who should know better, tend to agree with the conservative and Republican propaganda against labor unions, whether public or private. The Republican Party has always been against labor rights, and that is why labor is strongly Democratic on election days throughout the past century, as their greatest triumphs have come under Democratic Presidents and Congresses.

But the lack of care and respect for labor unions is because many do not realize how important they have been to the rise of the middle class in America, particularly after World War II.

What have labor unions done for us, even those who have never been members of unions?

In no special order, the benefits include:

Weekends or Five Day Work Week
Lunch Breaks
Paid Vacation
Family Medical Leave
Sick Leave
Social Security
Minimum Wage
Civil Rights Laws barring work discrimination
8 hour work day
Overtime Pay
Child Labor Laws
Occupational Safety and Health Act
40 hour work week
Workers Compensation
Unemployment Compensation
Pensions
Employer Health Care Insurance
Collective Bargaining Rights For Workers
Sexual Harassment Laws
Americans With Disabilities Act
Holiday Pay
Employer Dental, Life, and Vision Insurance
Pregnancy and Paternal Leave
Military Leave
Right Of Workers To Strike
Age and Gender Discrimination Banned

There are even more points than the long list above, but realize corporations and businesses did not give these rights and privileges out the goodness of their heart, and fought “tooth and nail” against all of them, but with progressive and liberal reform over a long period of time, these benefits were finally won!

If the conservative agenda and Mitt Romney win out, we will see a further deterioration of labor rights, as already is occurring in states governed by Republican Governors and legislatures. And if Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin wins the recall election scheduled for next Tuesday, June 5, it will be a major blow to the labor movement and a danger sign for November!

This is NOT political propaganda! These are the unvarnished facts and truth! We would, literally, go back a century and more, to the harsh economic conditions of the Gilded Age!

Donald Trump: Opinions, Not Facts! Respectable Media Needs To Boycott This Publicity Hound!

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Donald Trump, the real estate magnate, who has been bankrupt a few times,.and is no genius, just lucky to have been born to wealth, is really hurting Mitt Romney, another person who while brighter than Trump is not a genius either, just lucky to have been born to wealth!

It is time for respectable news media to boycott Trump, who is just a publicity hound, and claims his opinions are facts, regarding Barack Obama’s birth, when in fact, they are simply opinions, not based on fact! This “Birther” mythology must be retired by the media, by simply refusing to give any time or space to this man who needs a psychiatric examination, as do those who agree with his idiotic assertions about our President!

If Obama was white, this would not be happening, and no matter what Trump and other “Birthers” say, they are simply racists all the way!

We have heard enough from this moron, and if Mitt Romney chooses to associate with this nutcake, then the American people have yet another reason to repudiate him soundly in November!

Mitt Romney: A Chameleon, But Also A Damned Liar!

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Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee, has often been described as a chameleon, a person who constantly changes his views, which already makes him a suspect candidate, as one finds it hard to believe anything he says, and to accept any position he takes on any subject as being his final view.

But worse than being a chameleon is the reality that he also is a damned liar!

Romney has been campaigning on the idea that Barack Obama is a wild spender, when the truth is that federal spending has slowed up under his Presidency.

Federal spending increased the most under George W. Bush, 7.3 percent in his first term and 8.1 percent in his second term, followed by Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and finally, Barack Obama, with only 1.4 percent annually during his first term.

Romney, as Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post observes, lies about Obama “apologizing for America” when he has never done that; claims that Obama does not believe in American “Exceptionalism”, which is also false; and says that Obama is guilty of “appeasement”, which is ridiculous, considering Obama’s exceptional work against terrorism; and while stating all these falsehoods about Obama, Romney exaggerates his job creating while at Bain Capital, another total lie.

For a person who claims to be a “good Mormon”, very religious, it makes one wonder what that term “very religious” means! Apparently, it is the right to lie through one’s teeth and keep a straight face!

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley: The Man To Watch For 2016

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Maryland Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley, who has been successful as Mayor of Baltimore and Governor, is actively campaigning for Barack Obama, and is one of his best surrogates.

Already having bested Virginia Republican Governor Bob McDonnell in a debate a few months ago, O’Malley was on Meet The Press this morning, and debating former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, no easy challenge as a debater.

O’Malley again performed very well, and came across as cool, calm, and collected in his defense of President Obama, and critical in a respectful way of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee.

Realize that IF Romney were to be elected this year, O’Malley could very well be his opponent in 2016!

But even if Obama is re-elected, it is clear that O’Malley plans to run for President in 2016, and has been doing the legwork required at this distant point from 2016.

O’Malley, however, when asked about running in 2016, said he was not thinking that far ahead, even when David Gregory asked if he was waiting to see if Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Vice President Joe Biden would end up declaring for the nomination.

That is a smart tack to take at this early point, but the reality is that the battle for 2016 in the Democratic Party could be between the “Old Timers”, Clinton and Biden, and the “Newcomers”, the younger generation, including O’Malley and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Struggling Working Class Whites And The Presidential Election Of 2012

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Polls make it clear that President Barack Obama is having a very tough time connecting with struggling working class whites, as he also experienced in 2008 against Senator John McCain.

With the economy still in trouble, although the situation is far better than when Obama became President, the question that arises is why this classification of voters is so anti Obama.

How can these people, who were victimized by the economic policies of the George W. Bush administration, and now see that Mitt Romney wants to go back to the policy of no regulation at all, plus more tax cuts for the wealthy, and who himself is from the “one percent”, wish to vote Republican?

How can they ignore that Barack Obama, while certainly not solving the economic problems in four years since the inception of the Great Recession, has made a lot of progress, and has presided over 4.2 million jobs created over the past 26 months?

Sadly, two factors play a major role:

Pure ignorance, lack of knowledge of what has been happening, and lack of understanding that Mitt Romney, no more than John McCain, or ANYONE, is going to have magical powers to create a quick revival of the economy. It is highly doubtful that the economy would have improved more now if John McCain had been President.

The element of racism, which rears its ugly head too often on conservative talk radio, Fox News Channel, and numerous blogs, including the idea that Obama was born in Kenya, is anti white in his policies, is a Marxist, or a Socialist, or a Communist, or a Nazi or whatever new appellation they can come up with. Demagoguery and the promotion of hate has a great role in promoting this mythology about Barack Obama, and it is very hard to overcome. If a white had been President, this element would not exist, without any doubt, no matter how much conservatives and Republicans will deny it!

It would be extremely ironic if Mitt Romney won, the economy assuredly would NOT get better quickly, and we would go into a new era of right wing conservatism, nastier and more mean spirited than under Bush, and prefaced by the “Bully Governors” in the states who are making life miserable for millions of Americans, while corporations continue their destructive policies, and the top one percent get richer at the expense of these very people, struggling working class whites, as well as people of minority status, who are even worse off!

And what would the GOP say in 2016, after four years of worsening conditions, than they are in 2012? Blame African Americans and Hispanics and Latinos for the plight of the struggling working class whites, continuing the mythology that keeps their support from this group which is being exploited, and does not realize it!

The true champion of the struggling working class whites is Barack Obama, but they do not realize it, tragic as that is!

Why Should Mitt Romney Be Able To Set Up Limits Of What Is An Issue In Presidential Campaign Of 2012?

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Why is Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee, able to declare that his years as Massachusetts Governor from 2003-2007, and his Mormon religion, are off limits as topics for discussion and debate in the 2012 Presidential campaign? And why is he not required to explain the truth of the effect of Bain Capital on workers and communities which lost out because of the drive for profits over 25 years?

All that Romney seems to want to be discussed is his “success” at Bain Capital for 25 years, making lots of profit for himself and stockholders, but not willing to admit that hundreds of thousands of workers lost their jobs, and that his equity company undermined many towns and other communities with the shutdown of many companies that were taken over by Romney’s company.

And the fact that he promoted a health care plan similar to that passed under Barack Obama is something else he wishes to avoid. Plus the fact that his state was 47th in job creation during his years as Governor!

And forbid the idea of him discussing his religious beliefs, knowing full well that it might antagonize many evangelical Christians and others, who are suspicious of the religion they and many others consider to be a cult.

But since when does a candidate get to decide what can be discussed about his past?

Did Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton or others, each of which had so called “skeletons in their closet”, have that same freedom?

The answer is NO, and Mitt Romney MUST be forced to discuss the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about EVERYTHING in his background!

He is not, despite what he may think, a “privileged character” who must be treated with “kid gloves”, so as not to hurt his feelings or sensitivities!

Nothing is off limits, as it is not with Barack Obama, so the opposition must not be cautious or careful in their exposure of Mitt Romney, with all the warts included!

Mitt Romney And Donald Trump: A Mistaken Alliance!

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Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney has decided to associate himself closely with Donald Trump, a massive mistake!

Trump is an arrogant, condescending jerk, and unfortunately, Mitt Romney already comes across as an arrogant, condescending individual, leaving out the word “jerk”!

Trump is now promoting the “Birther” idea anew, that Barack Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, and Romney spokesmen say that does not mean that Romney endorses what Trump is promoting.

But it is not that easy, as the old saying is that we are “judged by the company we keep.”

There is no way that allying with Trump helps Romney, and one wonders why he cannot see that.

All the connection does is promote the idea of one very rich man supporting another very rich man, with neither having a clue as to the struggles of everyday Americans in the midst of the recovery from the Great Recession!

Romney is casting his lot with a notorious publicity seeker, and will be held accountable for whatever Trump says as his surrogate during the next five months.

And one can be sure that IF Romney somehow wins, the “friendship” between Romney and Trump will deteriorate, and Romney will come to rue the day that he decided to associate so closely with the man who, for anyone who is sane, comes across as a clown!

The Wisdom And Good Sense Of Colin Powell On Gay Marriage And Economic And Foreign Policy

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Former Secretary of State and General Colin Powell is on a book tour, and he has made clear his views on issues that really matter.

For one, he has now endorsed gay marriage, saying he has no problem with it, as he knows gay couples who are bringing up children and creating a stable, loving environment. At the same time, he said he understands how some religious groups disagree, so he makes it clear that if a religious group is against endorsing gay marriage, that is fine, but that gays should be able to marry through civil legal authority.

Regarding foreign policy, Powell said that Mitt Romney is totally wrong in saying that the Russian government is no different than it was under the old Soviet Union during the era of the Cold War. He pointed out that Russia is now about half its size, and is working to provide better economic opportunity to its citizens, and that they have been cooperative over the years on many international issues, while at times disagreeing with American views. But in the course of normal diplomacy among nations, the fact that Russia does not always agree with America is not something to be alarmed over, and that Romney needs to realize the changed times, and be more cautious in making public statements that could undermine future diplomacy if he is President next year.

Powell also expressed the desire for better coordination between President Obama, Congress, and business leaders to help promote economic recovery sooner.

These views on gay marriage, Russian relations, and economic issues demonstrate that Colin Powell remains a very admirable figure, and one could only wish that others who call themselves Republicans would have the sensible views that the former Bush cabinet member has!