Newt or Mitt VS Obama. Can either of 'em beat him?

[Shadow]

Romney sure has a way to provide more jobs...

"When you have a fire in an aircraft, there's no place to go, exactly, there's no - and you can't find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don't open. I don't know why they don't do that. It's a real problem. So it's very dangerous."

http://gawker.com/5945967/romney-doesnt-know-why-airplane-windows-wont-open-calls-the-closed-window-policy-a-real-problem

 

[Gator]

Romney sure has a way to provide more jobs...

And you believe Romney is that dumb?  He graduated in the top five percent of his Harvard MBA class and the top third of his  Harvard law school class (incidentally both his JD and MBA were earned concurrently in a 4-year program limited to 15 star students). 
 
Romney is highly intelligent, so Romney's quote makes me wonder about the context.
 
It also makes me wonder about people who might believe Romney was serious.  Reminds me of a staff meeting at my military unit in Viet Nam in 1966.  I was a green lieutenant filling in for one of the staff.  The S-2, another lieutenant, read his weekly intelligence report from "Saigon command" advising that the Viet Cong could be planning an offensive and were armed with a new Soviet weapon - nuclear hand grenades.  The S-2 was serious.  The Colonel snapped back, "What is the date of that report?"  "April first, sir."  "And you believe that shit.  Good grief!" 
 
 

[Faux Pas]

All funny stuff...

The internet is a 'wild west' of information and disinformation.

Seems this story first appeared 9/18 at:

http://www.redstate.com/2012/09/18/obama-negotiating-release-of-omar-abdel-rahman/

based largely on a 9/12 blog at:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/service-blind-sheikh_652250.html?nopager=1

based largely on a 6/21 blog at:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/21/member-of-egyptian-terror-group-goes-to-washington.html

It all goes semi mainstream with an opinion on WSJ about 9 hours ago.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444358804578014531735055120.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Bottom line there is absolutely nothing official at all about any of this.  It is pure conjecture and extrapolation aimed at those that will not do the research necessary to discern fact from fiction.

Otherwise this 'story' has been largely ignored, but of course pundits will latch on any straws they can.

Here is something I ran across today. All of it I believe to be substantiated. Interesting read

http://issuu.com/opubco/docs/obama-behind-the-image

[BC]

Here is something I ran across today. All of it I believe to be substantiated. Interesting read

http://issuu.com/opubco/docs/obama-behind-the-image

Interesting article, but nothing startling taken at face value. 

[GQBlues]

Not quite sure why there's early voting this election? They've even started it before any of the debates...Does anyone know the reason behind this?

[Faux Pas]

Interesting article, but nothing startling taken at face value.

A good look at Chicago politics and the deep corruption that gave birth to *cough* Hope and Change 

[BC]

Not quite sure why there's early voting this election? They've even started it before any of the debates...Does anyone know the reason behind this?

For folks like myself and my son who are overseas and visiting close to election time.

[GQBlues]

For folks like myself and my son who are overseas and visiting close to election time.

It may well be BC. But didn't absentee voting took care of all that before? Just odd to me how in a lot of places one can actually vote an entire month ahead of time without exemption. Methinks this election is all but over anyway....just the formalities to follow. Hope not.

[Eduard]

It may well be BC. But didn't absentee voting took care of all that before? Just odd to me how in a lot of places one can actually vote an entire month ahead of time without exemption. Methinks this election is all but over anyway....just the formalities to follow. Hope not.

yep, this will prolly be a Chicago-Acorn style voting all the way...

[BC]

yep, this will prolly be a Chicago-Acorn style voting all the way...

And if it is?

Guess that is not democratic enough for you?

[Faux Pas]

And if it is?

Guess that is not democratic enough for you?

Would you disagree that it is certainly a breeding ground for fraud?

[Eduard]

And if it is?

Guess that is not democratic enough for you?

I suppose fraud can be a part of any system, but personally I prefer a clean and honest election process.

[Shadow]

And you believe Romney is that dumb?  He graduated in the top five percent of his Harvard MBA class and the top third of his  Harvard law school class (incidentally both his JD and MBA were earned concurrently in a 4-year program limited to 15 star students). 
 
Romney is highly intelligent, so Romney's quote makes me wonder about the context.
 
It also makes me wonder about people who might believe Romney was serious.  Reminds me of a staff meeting at my military unit in Viet Nam in 1966.  I was a green lieutenant filling in for one of the staff.  The S-2, another lieutenant, read his weekly intelligence report from "Saigon command" advising that the Viet Cong could be planning an offensive and were armed with a new Soviet weapon - nuclear hand grenades.  The S-2 was serious.  The Colonel snapped back, "What is the date of that report?"  "April first, sir."  "And you believe that shit.  Good grief!" 

You know my opinion on education 
Just to show how Romney is portrayed in Europe....I have no doubt that someone managing to run for President is not ever as stupid as some media try to show him.

[tfcrew]

Just to show how Romney is portrayed in Europe....I have no doubt that someone managing to run for President is not ever as stupid as some media try to show him.

One does wonder...

The president earns a $400,000 annual salary, along with a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account and $19,000 for entertainment.^[74][75] The most recent raise in salary was approved by Congress and President Bill Clinton in 1999 and went into effect in 2001.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States

Mitt Romney released his 2010 tax return on Monday. His total income for the year was listed as **$21.6 million, more than one-half of which came from capital gains.

http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2012/01/romney_income_calculator_how_much_does_mitt_make_how_long_would_it_take_him_to_earn_your_salary_.html

** So when he says 'we can't afford 4 more years' I think he really means... me.

[Faux Pas]

tfcrew

Is capital gains income tainted?  Uncle Sam didn't think so when he paid IIRC, 4 mil in tax and another 2 mil in charity donations

I'd much rather have Romney's 14% than Obama's 20%, wouldn't you?

[tfcrew]

 

Herbert Hoover and John Kennedy both donated their salaries to charity.
 George Washington,when he learned the US Congress had voted to pay him a sum of $25,000/year, did not want to take a salary.  However, it was pointed out to him that some future presidents might find it a real hardship to do without pay and that he should not set the precedent of refusing a salary.

Would Romney take the pres pay? He did waive his gov pay.
 

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/06/would-president-romney-take-performance-based-bonus/53458/

[Gator]

tfcrew

Is capital gains income tainted?  Uncle Sam didn't think so when he paid IIRC, 4 mil in tax and another 2 mil in charity donations

I'd much rather have Romney's 14% than Obama's 20%, wouldn't you?

Actually Mitt contributed $4 million to charity, but wrote off only $2 million so that his tax rate would not drop below 14%.  He gave not just his money but his time.  An interesting article about the compassion of conservatives vs. liberals.  Liberals want big government to decide how the needy are taken care of with tax money.  Conservatives tend to give directly, thinking the direct approach is more efficient than government control.
 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/sep/26/ambrose-romneys-charitable-giving-ignored/?opinion=1

[tfcrew]

Based on contemporary wealth, George Washington was the country's richest president.

I would not say that Obama has a silver tongue...more like chrome plated.
He will beat Romney in the debates probably.

[oldernotwiser]

Actually Mitt contributed $4 million to charity, but wrote off only $2 million so that his tax rate would not drop below 14%. 

Why would he do that??

[Gator]

Why would he do that??

It does seem odd.  I read  Romney had explained a long time ago that he has never paid less than 14%.  If he deducted the full $4 million, his rate would have dropped below 14%.   BTW, his $4 million given to charity is equal to 29% of his gross income, twice his tax payments.  And do not forget the amount of his personal time that he gave.
 
I guess Romney is intent on speaking the truth, which many would assert makes him ineligible to be a politician.   Now compare Romney's attitude with Obama's.   
 
Residing in a swing  state, I see the political advertisements.  Obama's ads are deceitful, yet a significant number of voters will believe his crap.
 
I watched the 60 Minutes  interview of Obama last Sunday.  CBS decided not to air these words from Obama:   "Do we see sometimes us going overboard in our campaign, mistakes that are made, areas where there's no doubt that somebody could dispute how we are presenting things, that happens in politics."
 
To quote an Obama critic:     "Note the passive voice, as if the President's re-election campaign is disembodied from the President. If Mr. Obama's campaign seems dishonest enough that even Mr. Obama is forced to admit it, this is because it's coming from the top."
 
Obama is indeed wallowing in his element, mud.  Disgusting, but it probably works better at winning than trying to stay above it. 
 
Hopefully the independent voters will come to their senses.  If not, I see more struggles between Democrats and Republicans.  After another four years of increasing the debt and growing the government, Obama will easily go down as the worst President in history.   And it will not bother him, even when Republicans sweep in 2016.  Now that scares me almost as much as an Obama victory in 2012, because unfettered Republicans will swing the pendulum too far.
 

[Muzh]

Why would he do that??

Oh, because he wanted to pay his fair share. 

[GoodOlBoy]

If not, I see more struggles between Democrats and Republicans.

Worse than that..... with 4 more years of Obama I see serious struggles between the perceived "rich" folks in the GoodOl' USA and the "poor" folks.
 
I see the chasm between the 2 classes only getting deeper and wider with resentment, fueled by Obama's public rants about the rick folks not paying their fair share.
 
Barack Hussein Obama is one of the most divisive presidents we have ever had sitting in the White House.
 
GOB

[Gator]

Oh, because he wanted to pay his fair share. 

Muzh,
 
Just wondering.  How many of your liberal friends contribute as much time to charity?  And what do you guess is their average financial contributions as a percentage of AGI?
 
You can defend the Democratic platform and I respect you for key reasons, one being that I subscribe to some of their policies.   But to defend the person sitting in the White House is beyond me. 

[Muzh]

Muzh,
 
Just wondering.  How many of your liberal friends contribute as much time to charity?  And what do you guess is their average financial contributions as a percentage of AGI?
 
You can defend the Democratic platform and I respect you for key reasons, one being that I subscribe to some of their policies.   But to defend the person sitting in the White House is beyond me.

Gator, you could say that 100% of my work is for charity benefiting the needy.

Actually, the majority of my friends don't just write a check to those "poor bastards" but they roll their sleeves and do the real work.

[Eduard]

Gator, you could say that 100% of my work is for charity benefiting the needy.

That would mean you are not getting paid for your work...