After a Denny’s franchisee threatened to impose a surcharge to cover the cost of The Affordable Health Care Act, Ed Show viewers react to the new cost.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
The losing presidential candidate who won't go away
Mitt Romney's "gifts" remarks prompt Governor Bobby Jindal to issue a sharp
rebuke. MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell discusses the losing presidential candidate
who won't go away with MSNBC's Chris Hayes and Alex Wagner.
Anonymous Claims It Stopped Karl Rove From Hacking The Election By Hacking ORCA
By
Oh cool, Anonymous (we think it is Anonymous?) says Karl Rove was gonna vote fraud all the Machines, and that’s why he was so flabbergasted and refused to believe it when Fox called Ohio for Bamz, but they stopped him from stealing all the Machines by jamming up ORCA, because it was not actually a GOTV system but a “steal the vote” system, but they stopped him, we are pretty sure that is what the following letter, which we guess is from Anonymous probably, says. Seems legit! But here is our question! If Anonymous hacked ORCA and caused it to explode miserably on Election Day, how could Anonymous ever prove that ORCA was actually a vote-thieving program? If they hacked in, couldn’t they have planted code to make it look like Rove was gonna fraud the election? (Not that we believe for a second that Rove wasn’t trying to fraud the election, we are just saying, it seems like “logic.”)
Oh, and is that Assange they’re talking about at the end? We assume that is Assange. We never did pay attention like we should have.
[scribd]
When Ohio was called for Barack Obama on Election Night, thereby
pushing him over the top in the Electoral College, Karl Rove didn’t take
it very well, as he encouraged Mitt Romney not to concede for several
hours. In fact, Romney didn’t concede until after Obama had won enough
states to win the election even without Ohio. From the Washington Guardian:
Rove insisted that only part of the vote had been counted? As we all know, states are routinely called for one candidate or another when only part of the vote is counted – based on statistical analysis of a combination of the current vote count, exit polls, and what parts of the state have yet to be counted. So what was Karl Rove so sure he knew about the vote count – or looming vote count – that none of the network statisticians knew, even at FOX news? To consider that question, let’s go back to 2004:
Election Night 2004
In the official 2004 Ohio vote count, George W. Bush beat John Kerry by about 118 thousand votes, a margin of about 2.5%. But according to the final Ohio exit polls, John Kerry was predicted to win by a whopping 4.2% – thus producing a huge discrepancy between the exit polls and the official vote count.
Prior to Election Day 2004, it was evident that Ohio was the most critical swing state in the country. Late on Election Night, it became apparent that whoever won Ohio would win the presidency. TV commentators discussed how the situation looked very bad for George W. Bush. Even the right wing political hack Robert Novak acknowledged that Bush had little chance of winning Ohio – and thus the election.
So what happened then? Stephen Spoonamore, a computer expert and close associate of Michael Connell, who was widely known as “Karl Rove’s IT guru”, provided a likely answer to that question in a sworn affidavit on October 26, 2008.
The aborted testimony of Michael Connell
The SmartTech system that Spoonamore referred to was operated by Michael Connell – “Karl Rove’s IT guru”. Two days after Spoonamore’s affadavit, attorneys filed a motion to compel testimony of Connell regarding his knowledge of the workings of the GOP computer systems. On October 31 a federal judge ordered Connell to submit to a deposition on possible election manipulation. Connell gave the deposition on November 4, providing as little information as possible, but eventually he was forced to admit that “he brought Triad and SmartTech into the Ohio election game”.
When it became apparent that Connell would testify in the case, Connell was warned not to fly his plane. Cliff Arnebeck, the Ohio lawyer who brought the suit and subpoenaed Connell, warned the U.S. Justice Department that Connell’s life might be in danger, and requested witness protection. Connell never did get to testify. On December 19, shortly before he was due to testify, he died in a plane crash, presumably caused by his plane running out of gas.
What happened on Election Night 2012?
If up to the point where the TV networks were discussing how hopeless Ohio looked for Mitt Romney on Election Night 2012 seems to you to be eerily similar to Election Night 2004, you’re not alone. As in 2004, Ohio was the critical swing state. As in 2004, the situation looked very bad for the Republican candidate. As in 2004, the Ohio election was being handled by a highly partisan Republican administration. As in 2004, Karl Rove seemed to be a key player. And as in 2004, SmartTech computers played a central role in tabulating the Ohio vote. As explained here two months prior to the 2012 election:
But there were a couple of big differences between 2004 and 2012. One is that the Republican candidate apparently was substantially further behind in Ohio in 2012 than in 2004. And the other difference is that – as we found out soon – it turned out that the Democratic candidate didn’t need Ohio to win the election. So apparently for one or both of those reasons we didn’t see a repeat of 2004 in 2008. Perhaps the decision was made to pull back when it became apparent that even if he won Ohio Romney couldn’t win the election. Perhaps the decision was made a little sooner, when the approximate magnitude the number of votes needed became apparent.
In any event, despite all the evidence to the contrary, both Karl Rove and Kenneth Blackwell (Ohio Secretary of State in charge of the Ohio election in 2004) denied any knowledge of SmartTech. Democracy Now! Producer Mike Burke summed up the situation two months prior to the 2012 election:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021835756
Oh cool, Anonymous (we think it is Anonymous?) says Karl Rove was gonna vote fraud all the Machines, and that’s why he was so flabbergasted and refused to believe it when Fox called Ohio for Bamz, but they stopped him from stealing all the Machines by jamming up ORCA, because it was not actually a GOTV system but a “steal the vote” system, but they stopped him, we are pretty sure that is what the following letter, which we guess is from Anonymous probably, says. Seems legit! But here is our question! If Anonymous hacked ORCA and caused it to explode miserably on Election Day, how could Anonymous ever prove that ORCA was actually a vote-thieving program? If they hacked in, couldn’t they have planted code to make it look like Rove was gonna fraud the election? (Not that we believe for a second that Rove wasn’t trying to fraud the election, we are just saying, it seems like “logic.”)
Oh, and is that Assange they’re talking about at the end? We assume that is Assange. We never did pay attention like we should have.
[scribd]
Hmmm… Why Was Karl Rove So Adamant that Romney Not Concede Ohio?
The prominent Republican strategist and former
Bush White House guru didn’t seem able to deal with Mitt Romney’s loss
on Election Night. When the network he was appearing on, Fox News,
called that Ohio had voted for President Barack Obama, thereby
effectively ending the election, Rove strongly pushed back.
"I think this is premature," Rove said, insisting that only part of the vote had been counted. "I don't know what the outcome is going to be, but we gotta be careful about calling things when we have like 991 votes separating the two candidates."
Rove put up so much protest, in fact, that anchor Megyn Kelly traveled back into Fox’s studio to speak with their statisticians and experts who were calling each state. Even before Rove almost had a conniption, Fox in fact had been one of the last to call Ohio for Obama.
"I think this is premature," Rove said, insisting that only part of the vote had been counted. "I don't know what the outcome is going to be, but we gotta be careful about calling things when we have like 991 votes separating the two candidates."
Rove put up so much protest, in fact, that anchor Megyn Kelly traveled back into Fox’s studio to speak with their statisticians and experts who were calling each state. Even before Rove almost had a conniption, Fox in fact had been one of the last to call Ohio for Obama.
Rove insisted that only part of the vote had been counted? As we all know, states are routinely called for one candidate or another when only part of the vote is counted – based on statistical analysis of a combination of the current vote count, exit polls, and what parts of the state have yet to be counted. So what was Karl Rove so sure he knew about the vote count – or looming vote count – that none of the network statisticians knew, even at FOX news? To consider that question, let’s go back to 2004:
Election Night 2004
In the official 2004 Ohio vote count, George W. Bush beat John Kerry by about 118 thousand votes, a margin of about 2.5%. But according to the final Ohio exit polls, John Kerry was predicted to win by a whopping 4.2% – thus producing a huge discrepancy between the exit polls and the official vote count.
Prior to Election Day 2004, it was evident that Ohio was the most critical swing state in the country. Late on Election Night, it became apparent that whoever won Ohio would win the presidency. TV commentators discussed how the situation looked very bad for George W. Bush. Even the right wing political hack Robert Novak acknowledged that Bush had little chance of winning Ohio – and thus the election.
So what happened then? Stephen Spoonamore, a computer expert and close associate of Michael Connell, who was widely known as “Karl Rove’s IT guru”, provided a likely answer to that question in a sworn affidavit on October 26, 2008.
During the evening and early morning on the
2004 General Election in Ohio, on my own computer I was watching the
results of incoming counties and precincts. I believed there was a more
than likely chance County Tabulators had been programmed to manipulate
votes…. As early results showed Kerry ahead, I noticed a trend in a very
few counties (I believe I noted 8 counties on election night) that at
about 11 p.m. suddenly began reporting radically different ratios of
Kerry to Bush votes. All in favor of Mr. Bush. This sudden rate of
change… resembled a fraud technique called an Intelligent Man In the
Middle, or KingPin Attack. This type of attack requires a computer to be
inserted into the communications flow of an IT system…
Other experts found additional data indicating Bush's increase in votes from these counties, and Kerry's decrease in votes… When information about the SmartTech IT routing switch became public… I again stated that we now have confirmation of a KingPin, or Intelligent Man in the Middle position had been created… The SmartTech system was set up precisely as a KingPin computer used in criminal acts against banking or credit card processes and had the needed level of access to both county tabulators and Secretary of States computers to allow whoever was running SmartTech's computers to decide the output of the county tabulators under its control… The SmartTech computer would as the results of the evening proceeded be able to know how many votes Bush needed to steal from Kerry, and flip enough votes on the desired county tabulators to reverse the outcome of the election…
Other experts found additional data indicating Bush's increase in votes from these counties, and Kerry's decrease in votes… When information about the SmartTech IT routing switch became public… I again stated that we now have confirmation of a KingPin, or Intelligent Man in the Middle position had been created… The SmartTech system was set up precisely as a KingPin computer used in criminal acts against banking or credit card processes and had the needed level of access to both county tabulators and Secretary of States computers to allow whoever was running SmartTech's computers to decide the output of the county tabulators under its control… The SmartTech computer would as the results of the evening proceeded be able to know how many votes Bush needed to steal from Kerry, and flip enough votes on the desired county tabulators to reverse the outcome of the election…
The aborted testimony of Michael Connell
The SmartTech system that Spoonamore referred to was operated by Michael Connell – “Karl Rove’s IT guru”. Two days after Spoonamore’s affadavit, attorneys filed a motion to compel testimony of Connell regarding his knowledge of the workings of the GOP computer systems. On October 31 a federal judge ordered Connell to submit to a deposition on possible election manipulation. Connell gave the deposition on November 4, providing as little information as possible, but eventually he was forced to admit that “he brought Triad and SmartTech into the Ohio election game”.
When it became apparent that Connell would testify in the case, Connell was warned not to fly his plane. Cliff Arnebeck, the Ohio lawyer who brought the suit and subpoenaed Connell, warned the U.S. Justice Department that Connell’s life might be in danger, and requested witness protection. Connell never did get to testify. On December 19, shortly before he was due to testify, he died in a plane crash, presumably caused by his plane running out of gas.
What happened on Election Night 2012?
If up to the point where the TV networks were discussing how hopeless Ohio looked for Mitt Romney on Election Night 2012 seems to you to be eerily similar to Election Night 2004, you’re not alone. As in 2004, Ohio was the critical swing state. As in 2004, the situation looked very bad for the Republican candidate. As in 2004, the Ohio election was being handled by a highly partisan Republican administration. As in 2004, Karl Rove seemed to be a key player. And as in 2004, SmartTech computers played a central role in tabulating the Ohio vote. As explained here two months prior to the 2012 election:
In 2012 the current Ohio GOP Secretary of State
Jon Husted plans to once again use SMARTech for the 2012 Ohio
Presidential Election. It would be interesting to know how SOS Husted
plans to utilize SMARTech and if he will admit knowledge of the use of
SMARTech. Will the computer IT architecture be similar to the one
created in 2004 where Stephen Spoonamore claimed the architecture was a
classic Man-In-The Middle attack format for the ability to manipulate vote totals.
But there were a couple of big differences between 2004 and 2012. One is that the Republican candidate apparently was substantially further behind in Ohio in 2012 than in 2004. And the other difference is that – as we found out soon – it turned out that the Democratic candidate didn’t need Ohio to win the election. So apparently for one or both of those reasons we didn’t see a repeat of 2004 in 2008. Perhaps the decision was made to pull back when it became apparent that even if he won Ohio Romney couldn’t win the election. Perhaps the decision was made a little sooner, when the approximate magnitude the number of votes needed became apparent.
In any event, despite all the evidence to the contrary, both Karl Rove and Kenneth Blackwell (Ohio Secretary of State in charge of the Ohio election in 2004) denied any knowledge of SmartTech. Democracy Now! Producer Mike Burke summed up the situation two months prior to the 2012 election:
Do you think Karl Rove and Ken Blackwell need
to take lie detector tests? How can they possibly deny knowledge of
SMARTech with a straight face? Will Ohio election integrity folks check
into the status of the use of SMARTech in the 2004 and 2012 elections?
Perhaps for the integrity of the vote totals in Ohio it would seem like a
pretty good idea.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021835756
Friday, November 16, 2012
Twinkies maker Hostess going out of business
Nearly 18,500 workers will lose their jobs as the company succumbs to the crippling effects of a nationwide union strike.
By Tanya Agrawal, Reuters
Hostess Brands, the bankrupt maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, said it has sought court permission to go out of business after failing to get wage and benefit cuts from thousands of its striking bakery workers.
Hostess said a national strike by members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union that began last week had crippled its ability to produce and deliver products at several facilities.
The liquidation of the company will mean that most of its 18,500 employees will lose their jobs, Hostess said on Friday.
The 82-year-old company said it took the decision to shut down after determining that not enough employees had returned to work by a deadline on Thursday.
The company, which filed for bankruptcy in January for the second time since 2004, said it had filed a motion with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain in White Plains, New York, for permission to shut down and sell assets.
The Irving, Texas, company has 565 distribution centers and 570 bakery outlet stores, as well as the 33 bakeries. Its brands include Wonder, Nature's Pride, Dolly Madison, Drake's, Butternut, Home Pride and Merita, but it is probably best known for Twinkies -- basically a cream-filled sponge cake.
"We deeply regret the necessity of today's decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike," Chief Executive Gregory Rayburn said in a statement.
"Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders," Rayburn added.
Union President Frank Hurt said on Thursday that the crisis at the company was the "result of nearly a decade of financial and operational mismanagement" and that management was trying to make union workers the scapegoats for a plan by Wall Street investors to sell Hostess.
Hostess said its debtor-in-possession lenders had agreed to allow it to continue to have access to $75 million to fund the wind-down process.
"There's no way to soften the fact that this will hurt every Hostess Brands employee. All Hostess Brands employees will eventually lose their jobs - some sooner than others," Rayburn said in a letter to employees.
The company has canceled all orders in process with its suppliers and said any product in transit would be returned to the shipper.
In its filing with the court, the company said it would have incurred a loss of between $7.5 million and $9.5 million from November 9 to November 19 in lost sales and increased costs.
"These losses and other factors, including increased vendor payment terms contraction, have resulted in a significant weakening of the debtors' cash position and, if continued, would soon result in the debtors completely running out of cash," it said.
Hostess had already reached agreement on pay and benefit cuts with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, its largest union.
Republicans lick their wounds
Republicans are trying desperately to make sense of President Obama's decisive
victory over Mitt Romney last Tuesday. MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell discusses
with Newsweek's David Frum, author of "Why Romney Lost" and The Grio's Joy Reid.
The real Mitt Romney on display
Martin Bashir examines the real Mitt Romney on display via his newly discovered “free gifts” remarks to donors – and then explains that while Romney no longer has a chance to put his fiscal ideas into practice, Paul Ryan does.
Republicans distance themselves from Mitt Romney
See you later. Or never. Is never good for
you?
As the Republican Party struggles to understand why their platform of screwing over pretty much every group of Americans that do not personally own their own yachts was not the path to election-day success they thought it would be, they have undertaken that first, crucial step: the ceremonial dismantling of the last Republican nominee to make way for the next.
Marco Rubio, angling for a 2016 spot himself, let it be known that he wanted nothing to do with Mitt's old/new theory that Obama's supposed "gifts" to voters is what turned the election:
"I don’t want to rebut him point by point," Rubio said of Romney. "I would just say to you, I don’t believe that we have millions and millions of people in this country that don’t want to work. I’m not saying that’s what he said. I think we have millions of people in this country that are out of work and are dependent on the government because they can't find a job."Sen. Kelly Ayotte:
Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), who endorsed Romney for president and was once mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate, told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell that she doesn't agree, but also doesn't know the "full context" of the comments. "I don't agree with the comments," Ayotte said.Indeed, there's no doubt some "full context" here that we've been missing. Perhaps Romney prefaced his remarks by saying, "If I were a gigantic, irredeemable asshole, I would have to say that …" Past Republican important person Bobby Jindal, of course, was among the more forceful objectors:
“Two points on that: One, we have got to stop dividing the American voters. We need to go after 100 percent of the votes, not 53 percent. We need to go after every single vote. “And, secondly, we need to continue to show how our policies help every voter out there achieve the American Dream, which is to be in the middle class, which is to be able to give their children an opportunity to be able to get a great education. … So, I absolutely reject that notion, that description. I think that’s absolutely wrong.”And Reagan-era strategist Ed Rogers was exceedingly blunt about it:
“There is no Romney wing in the party that he needs to address,” said Ed Rogers, a longtime Republican strategist. “He never developed an emotional foothold within the GOP so he can exit the stage anytime and no one will mourn.”Past Virginia representative Tom Davis was happy to pile on:
“It shows a huge misreading of the electoral landscape. A rather elitist misread. Where does he think his votes came from in rural America?”Florida Gov. Rick Scott. Et tu, Florida Gov. Rick Scott?
“It’s wrong, it’s not true,” Scott told POLITICO, adding: “What we’ve got to do is say we want every vote, we want to take care of every citizen in our state.Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad:
“I don’t think it’s helpful,” [...] “I guess my feeling is that we need to turn the page, and we need to focus on the future and not make excuses for the past.”Hear that, Mitt? You're already "the past." The very, very unhelpful past.
Hands Off Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid
WASHINGTON - A group of progressive lawmakers led by Sen. Bernie
Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday called for protecting Social Security and Medicare benefits in any deficit reduction deal.
"We're going to send a loud message to the leadership in the House, in the Senate and President Obama. Do not cut Social Security, do not cut Medicare, do not cut Medicaid," Sanders said. "Deficit reduction is a serious issue but it must be done in a way that is fair. We must not balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, the sick, the children or the poor."
Thursday's press conference was the latest in a series of high-profile events surrounding negotiations to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff," a set of tax increases and spending cuts set to go into effect on Jan. 1. Although no immediate economic damage will be inflicted if Congress and President Barack Obama fail to act by the new year, several months of higher tax rates on the middle class would likely throw the country into a recession.
Obama has said forcefully that he will allow the Bush-era tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 a year to expire at the end of the year, but he has been much less clear about the fate of Social Security and Medicare. On Wednesday, Obama told reporters he wants to cut "a big deal, a comprehensive deal" with Republicans to reduce the federal budget deficit that will tackle "entitlements."
"We're going to send a loud message to the leadership in the House, in the Senate and President Obama. Do not cut Social Security, do not cut Medicare, do not cut Medicaid," Sanders said. "Deficit reduction is a serious issue but it must be done in a way that is fair. We must not balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, the sick, the children or the poor."
Thursday's press conference was the latest in a series of high-profile events surrounding negotiations to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff," a set of tax increases and spending cuts set to go into effect on Jan. 1. Although no immediate economic damage will be inflicted if Congress and President Barack Obama fail to act by the new year, several months of higher tax rates on the middle class would likely throw the country into a recession.
Obama has said forcefully that he will allow the Bush-era tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 a year to expire at the end of the year, but he has been much less clear about the fate of Social Security and Medicare. On Wednesday, Obama told reporters he wants to cut "a big deal, a comprehensive deal" with Republicans to reduce the federal budget deficit that will tackle "entitlements."
Thursday, November 15, 2012
President Obama – Get Tough Against GOP Obstruction
Last week, Progressives across the country were put into positions of
power in Washington, sending a message to conservatives that their reign
of terror was over. Mike Papantonio spoke with Katrina Vanden Heuvel,
editor and part owner of The Nation Magazine, about what Obama can do
with his progressive surge to overcome the obstruction of the right
wing.
Grand Theft Auto V Official Trailer
Grand Theft Auto V, commonly shortened to GTA V, is an upcoming open world action-adventure video game being developed by games developer Rockstar North, and published by Rockstar Games.
The game will be the first major title in the Grand Theft Auto series since Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), and a continuation of the fictional universe that was introduced in that game.
The fifteenth game in the series overall, GTA V is to be set in fictional Los Santos in the state of San Andreas and its surrounding areas, based on modern-day Los Angeles and Southern California.
A rendition of Los Santos was previously featured as one of three cities in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released in 2004.
According to Rockstar, Grand Theft Auto V is destined to be their biggest open world game to date. The game will concentrate on "the pursuit of the almighty dollar". A highly anticipated game, Grand Theft Auto V was officially announced on 25 October 2011, but it was a further year before the release window of Q2 2013 was announced.
The debut trailer for the game was unveiled on 2 November 2011. The first demo of the game was revealed to press on 11 October 2012. Release date: Q2 2013
New Grand Theft Auto V trailer. Here it is.
The game will be the first major title in the Grand Theft Auto series since Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), and a continuation of the fictional universe that was introduced in that game.
The fifteenth game in the series overall, GTA V is to be set in fictional Los Santos in the state of San Andreas and its surrounding areas, based on modern-day Los Angeles and Southern California.
A rendition of Los Santos was previously featured as one of three cities in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released in 2004.
According to Rockstar, Grand Theft Auto V is destined to be their biggest open world game to date. The game will concentrate on "the pursuit of the almighty dollar". A highly anticipated game, Grand Theft Auto V was officially announced on 25 October 2011, but it was a further year before the release window of Q2 2013 was announced.
The debut trailer for the game was unveiled on 2 November 2011. The first demo of the game was revealed to press on 11 October 2012. Release date: Q2 2013
New Grand Theft Auto V trailer. Here it is.
The New Economic Patriotism: A Look At Obama’s 27 Point Economic Plan (Part 1)
By Elisabeth Parker
While astutely leveraging cutting-edge technology and social networking, President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign also gave a nostalgic nod towards the classic medium of print with a beautifully designed, eight-page booklet entitled The New Economic Patriotism: A Plan for Jobs and Middle Class Security (we, here at AI, have obtained the PDF file for you to read, print, and enjoy in its full glory). Distributed mainly in swing states during the increasingly chaotic and acrimonious final weeks of the presidential election, the booklet was overlooked by much of the media. After all, how can one compete with that dog in the tin hat trying to get more Facebook “likes” than conservative pundit, Glenn Beck?
Obama’s 27 points are organized under his seven main priorities, which are to:
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt tried a variety of approaches towards ending the catastrophic Great Depression (1929-1941), including public works projects, financial reform (including the Glass-Steagall
act — the 1990′s GOP-led repeal of which led directly to our current
economic crisis), increased regulation, subsidies, and more. When FDR
assumed the presidency for his first of his unprecedented three terms,
few people believed that the government could — or even should —
intervene. Now, the vast majority of Americans expect their Federal,
State, and/or Local governments to do something when disaster strikes.
In keeping with these expectations, Obama is doing everything he can,
and has managed to accomplish quite a lot despite a hostile congress and
filibuster-proof minority of Senators.
Obama’s five proposals for increasing manufacturing jobs in the US are as follows:
1. Cut tax rates for domestic manufacturing by nearly 25%. According to Business Insider, this would lower the top rate to 26.25%. It is unclear whether lower domestic tax rates would create more manufacturing jobs.
2. End tax deductions for shipping jobs overseas and create tax credits for bringing jobs home. Unfortunately — as reported by The Hill’s Ramsey Cox – GOP senators blocked Obama’s Bring Jobs Home Act bill with their usual obstructive filibustering. The “Insourcing Bill” would have created a 20% tax credit for companies that move their operations back to the US.
3. Create a Trade Enforcement unit to “level the playing field” with China. Many Americans feel that China’s devalued currency, lack of regulation, government-subsidized industries, trade barriers, theft of intellectual property, and low wages gives their workers and companies an unfair advantage. Obama’s administration therefore acts aggressively towards China with lawsuits, sanctions, and other approaches. On September 17th, the U.S. filed the latest in a barrage of complaints against China with the World Trade Organization — this time on behalf of the Auto industry — and the President announced, “We’ve brought more trade cases against China in one term than the previous administration did in two — and every case we’ve brought that’s been decided, we won.” On October 19th, Tom Miles and Rachelle Younglai from Reuters reported that the World Trade Organization barred China from charging tariffs on steel from the U.S. Each case brought before the WTO takes a year-and-a-half or longer to decide.
4. Train two million workers through partnerships between community colleges and employers. Partnerships that match career training with needs in the workplace would help address mismatches between the skills workers have and the skills companies need. In her 2011 Slate article – “Does Job Retraining Work?” — Ann Lawrie wrote that the answer depends on whether the unemployment is “cyclical” (temporary lack of demand) or “structural” (permanent shifts in the labor market). Today’s improving, but still sluggish, economy seems more like the latter. According to Lawrie, some economic sectors are still growing, demand is up for “science, engineering, plumbing, and various health trades.” A survey conducted by The Manufacturing Institute revealed that two thirds of manufacturers had a “moderate to severe” shortage of workers in specialized, skilled trades.
5. Create a network of 15-20 “Manufacturing Innovation Institutes.” A collaboration among businesses, research universities, and government could help “ensure that the next generation of products are invented and manufactured here.” The development of the Internet — which evolved through universities participating in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — could serve as a model for how such a partnership could work. More ominously — as Business Insider points out — so could the World War II-era partnership between the U.S. government, industry leaders, and the University of California at Los Alamos, which resulted in the atomic bomb.
CNN Money’s Chris Isidore agrees that our exports have increased, but points out that our imports have also increased, leaving barely a dent in our trade imbalance. Some experts — including Robert Reich (Secretary of Labor under the Clinton administration) — express skepticism about whether manufacturing offers the answer to the middle class’s economic woes. In his February, 2012 article for the Christian Science Monitor, Reich explains: ”The real issue isn’t whether and how we get manufacturing back. It’s how we get good jobs and good wages back. And they aren’t at all the same thing.” He goes on to explain that US manufacturers are “doing wonderfully well,” and the real problem is “the declining power of American workers to get a portion of the gains. That’s why we need strong unions.”
So far, Obama hasn’t had much to say about unions, though he met with union leaders on Tuesday and is talking tough to Congress about the looming fiscal cliff.
6. Increase exploration and development. Tired of those danged mullahs in Iran sticking it to us with high gas prices? No problem, we can drill ’n’ hydro-frack our own. Obama cheerily pledges to open up “millions of acres for exploration and development, including undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic.” But wait … there’s a REASON why we aren’t ALREADY drilling and fracking in these places … because nobody wants this stuff going on anywhere near them, due to earthquakes, oil spills, pollution, unsightly installations, and other inconveniences. Hey, kids, it’s the new NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), and it’s gone totally BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near ANYTHING)!
7. Invest in clean energy. Obama calls for big investments in carbon neutral energy sources, like wind and solar. What’s not to love? Other than the facts that the sun and wind are often unreliable, and their energy can only be captured and saved in very limited quantities (though that could improve — see item #8 regarding high tech batteries, below). Technology is improving, but it still takes a huge bank of solar panels the size of a small living room to provide enough electricity to this writer’s mom and step-dad, who live off the grid — and very sparingly — in the Bahamas. Their power supply is adequate, but it’s a good thing my mom adores mathematics: Living off-the-grid requires a LOT of calculations concerning electric usage vs. available kilowatts, despite the long hours of sunlight. As for wind energy, that’s great, as long as you’re not among the half million birds killed by wind turbines each year. And please don’t get the psycho, anti-government, Ayn Randers started on Solyndra — a promising solar company that got the rug ripped from under them when Chinese companies stole their technology and flooded the market with cheap solar panels. Oh, and did you know that Obama’s big tent of “clean energy” now includes “clean coal” and “safe nuclear” plants under its all-encompassing umbrella? D’OH! I feel like such an (oxy)moron!
8. Double down on fuel economy. Obama wants to ramp up standard mileage for cars and light trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, which will reduce oil consumption by 2.2 million barrels a day and save consumers more than $8,000 per year at the gas pump. This all sounds impressively sleek, shiny, and futuristic, unless you’re old enough to remember the energy crisis throughout the 1970′s, followed by — and strongly related to — the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-1981. Back then, you could easily snap up one of those cheap, teensy, new-fangled Japanese gas-sippers that got 40-50 miles per gallon, easy! Back then, the sort of cheap, poorly made crap that now says “Made in China” used to say “Made in Japan,” so you had to be totally desperate to try one of these things. But lots of folks really WERE desperate — hammered by high gas prices, stagflation, and waiting on long lines for gas (you had to plan ahead because your turn alternated, based on whether the first or last number — I can’t remember which — on your license plate was even or odd). One day in 1979, my dad took took the plunge and bought this silvery, new-fangled, pod-shaped thang called a “Celica” from this Japanese company called “Toyota.” Since it looked like something from the Star Trek episodes we regularly watched, plus we now had extra time and money for Dunkin’ Donuts or White Castle stops, I was totally down with that “Celica” thang. But seriously, please don’t expect me to feel impressed with a measly 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, when my dad drove a car that got 50 MPG highway way back in 1979, before some of you young whippersnappers were even born!
9. Lead the world in high-tech batteries. Obama wants to extend tax credits to support manufacturing in industries related to clean energy, and particularly wants the good old U.S. of A. to emerge as the “world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries.” Personally, I would rather be the “world’s leading manufacturer of fabulous hair,” but on second thought, high tech batteries are a good thing, too — as anyone who constantly has to recharge their iPhone can appreciate. Long-life, lightweight batteries that can be recharged quickly and disposed of safely are the Holy Grail for campers, electronics manufacturers, and parents of children who love battery-operated toys alike. There are some highly promising technologies out there, including: photovoltaic paint that turns any surface into a battery; lighter and longer-lasting lithium ion batteries, and even the formerly novel combination hand-cranked and solar-powered emergency radios which are now commonly available.
10. Mandate 80% clean electricity by 2035. Obama wants to create a universal standard for utility companies to ensure that 80% of America’s electricity comes from clean sources by the year 2035 — 32 years from now. This would give us “cheaper, more secure energy” while creating a new market for American manufacturers. For a quick overview of your electricity’s cleanliness (based on power grid information from 2009) visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Power Profiler” page and type in your zip code. You can then select your power company from a pull-down list (if your area has more than one) to display a page that shows how your “fuel mix” (energy sources) and emissions rate compares with the rest of the country. Here in San Jose, CA, our nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide emissions are well under half the nation’s average, but the amounts of fossil fuels (gas and coal) we consume are through the roof!
Elisabeth Parker is a writer, Web designer, mom, political junkie, and dilettante. Come visit her at ElisabethParker.Com, friend her on facebook, or follow her on Twitter.
The
president presents his 27-point job plan at a swing state rally in
October, 2012. (Photo courtesy of Barack Obama’s facebook timeline)
The New Economic Patriotism: A Look At Obama’s 27-Point Economic Plan
This is Part 1 (Manufacturing and energy) | Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 (Small businesses, education, the deficit, healthcare, and social security)
This is Part 1 (Manufacturing and energy) | Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 (Small businesses, education, the deficit, healthcare, and social security)
While astutely leveraging cutting-edge technology and social networking, President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign also gave a nostalgic nod towards the classic medium of print with a beautifully designed, eight-page booklet entitled The New Economic Patriotism: A Plan for Jobs and Middle Class Security (we, here at AI, have obtained the PDF file for you to read, print, and enjoy in its full glory). Distributed mainly in swing states during the increasingly chaotic and acrimonious final weeks of the presidential election, the booklet was overlooked by much of the media. After all, how can one compete with that dog in the tin hat trying to get more Facebook “likes” than conservative pundit, Glenn Beck?
Obama’s 27 points are organized under his seven main priorities, which are to:
- Revive US manufacturing;
- Increase domestic energy production;
- Grow small businesses;
- Revamp education;
- Eliminate the deficit;
- Reform healthcare; and
- Protect retirement (Social Security).
Why Obama’s Plan Is Worth A Look
Now that the dust has settled, the booklet is worth a look. Although The New Economic Patriotism offers little fresh material, this writer finds it notable for three reasons: (1) It so charmingly harks back to the political pamphlets of our “ye olde mouldey historie,” like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense back in 1776; (2) The authors assume voters are intelligent, and jam-pack their booklet with facts, numbers, and almost 4,000 words — many of which have more than two syllables — in addition to the usual photos, charts, and other eye candy; and (3) The booklet provides Obama-watchers with a clear-cut guide to the president’s positions on employment and the economy in one handy-dandy document.Will Obama’s Plan Work?
Sure it will, but is that necessarily the point? Economists and pundits have long debated whether the solutions proposed (and sometimes even partially- or fully- implemented) will have the desired effects on improving America’s economic prospects. It may not even matter whether all of Obama’s plans work right away, so much as whether the majority of people believe that he’s doing everything possible to help them, that things will get better, and that the system will treat them fairly.
Photo meme by Elisabeth Parker for Addicting Info.
On Reviving US Manufacturing (Points 1-5)
The President has emphasized the importance of manufacturing jobs to America’s declining middle class from early on. In his 2010 State of the Union Address, Obama announced his National Export Initiative and pledged to “double our exports over the next five years, an increase that will support two million jobs in America.” When accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for his second term at the 2012 convention, Obama declared, “After a decade of decline, this country created over half a million manufacturing jobs in the last two and a half years.” With a dash of whipped cream and a cherry on top, the campaign brochure proudly adds that “exports have risen 36%” since Obama took office.Obama’s five proposals for increasing manufacturing jobs in the US are as follows:
1. Cut tax rates for domestic manufacturing by nearly 25%. According to Business Insider, this would lower the top rate to 26.25%. It is unclear whether lower domestic tax rates would create more manufacturing jobs.
2. End tax deductions for shipping jobs overseas and create tax credits for bringing jobs home. Unfortunately — as reported by The Hill’s Ramsey Cox – GOP senators blocked Obama’s Bring Jobs Home Act bill with their usual obstructive filibustering. The “Insourcing Bill” would have created a 20% tax credit for companies that move their operations back to the US.
3. Create a Trade Enforcement unit to “level the playing field” with China. Many Americans feel that China’s devalued currency, lack of regulation, government-subsidized industries, trade barriers, theft of intellectual property, and low wages gives their workers and companies an unfair advantage. Obama’s administration therefore acts aggressively towards China with lawsuits, sanctions, and other approaches. On September 17th, the U.S. filed the latest in a barrage of complaints against China with the World Trade Organization — this time on behalf of the Auto industry — and the President announced, “We’ve brought more trade cases against China in one term than the previous administration did in two — and every case we’ve brought that’s been decided, we won.” On October 19th, Tom Miles and Rachelle Younglai from Reuters reported that the World Trade Organization barred China from charging tariffs on steel from the U.S. Each case brought before the WTO takes a year-and-a-half or longer to decide.
4. Train two million workers through partnerships between community colleges and employers. Partnerships that match career training with needs in the workplace would help address mismatches between the skills workers have and the skills companies need. In her 2011 Slate article – “Does Job Retraining Work?” — Ann Lawrie wrote that the answer depends on whether the unemployment is “cyclical” (temporary lack of demand) or “structural” (permanent shifts in the labor market). Today’s improving, but still sluggish, economy seems more like the latter. According to Lawrie, some economic sectors are still growing, demand is up for “science, engineering, plumbing, and various health trades.” A survey conducted by The Manufacturing Institute revealed that two thirds of manufacturers had a “moderate to severe” shortage of workers in specialized, skilled trades.
5. Create a network of 15-20 “Manufacturing Innovation Institutes.” A collaboration among businesses, research universities, and government could help “ensure that the next generation of products are invented and manufactured here.” The development of the Internet — which evolved through universities participating in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — could serve as a model for how such a partnership could work. More ominously — as Business Insider points out — so could the World War II-era partnership between the U.S. government, industry leaders, and the University of California at Los Alamos, which resulted in the atomic bomb.
CNN Money’s Chris Isidore agrees that our exports have increased, but points out that our imports have also increased, leaving barely a dent in our trade imbalance. Some experts — including Robert Reich (Secretary of Labor under the Clinton administration) — express skepticism about whether manufacturing offers the answer to the middle class’s economic woes. In his February, 2012 article for the Christian Science Monitor, Reich explains: ”The real issue isn’t whether and how we get manufacturing back. It’s how we get good jobs and good wages back. And they aren’t at all the same thing.” He goes on to explain that US manufacturers are “doing wonderfully well,” and the real problem is “the declining power of American workers to get a portion of the gains. That’s why we need strong unions.”
So far, Obama hasn’t had much to say about unions, though he met with union leaders on Tuesday and is talking tough to Congress about the looming fiscal cliff.
This writer sincerely apologizes to her beloved Hayao Miyazaki, creator of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
Increase Domestic Energy Production (Points 6-10)
Increasing domestic energy production seems like a no-brainer, since it would create jobs, reduce dependence on foreign oil, decrease energy costs, and diminish our carbon footprint … But leave it to resourceful Americans on both sides of the political aisle to find issues they can vehemently object to:6. Increase exploration and development. Tired of those danged mullahs in Iran sticking it to us with high gas prices? No problem, we can drill ’n’ hydro-frack our own. Obama cheerily pledges to open up “millions of acres for exploration and development, including undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic.” But wait … there’s a REASON why we aren’t ALREADY drilling and fracking in these places … because nobody wants this stuff going on anywhere near them, due to earthquakes, oil spills, pollution, unsightly installations, and other inconveniences. Hey, kids, it’s the new NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), and it’s gone totally BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near ANYTHING)!
7. Invest in clean energy. Obama calls for big investments in carbon neutral energy sources, like wind and solar. What’s not to love? Other than the facts that the sun and wind are often unreliable, and their energy can only be captured and saved in very limited quantities (though that could improve — see item #8 regarding high tech batteries, below). Technology is improving, but it still takes a huge bank of solar panels the size of a small living room to provide enough electricity to this writer’s mom and step-dad, who live off the grid — and very sparingly — in the Bahamas. Their power supply is adequate, but it’s a good thing my mom adores mathematics: Living off-the-grid requires a LOT of calculations concerning electric usage vs. available kilowatts, despite the long hours of sunlight. As for wind energy, that’s great, as long as you’re not among the half million birds killed by wind turbines each year. And please don’t get the psycho, anti-government, Ayn Randers started on Solyndra — a promising solar company that got the rug ripped from under them when Chinese companies stole their technology and flooded the market with cheap solar panels. Oh, and did you know that Obama’s big tent of “clean energy” now includes “clean coal” and “safe nuclear” plants under its all-encompassing umbrella? D’OH! I feel like such an (oxy)moron!
8. Double down on fuel economy. Obama wants to ramp up standard mileage for cars and light trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, which will reduce oil consumption by 2.2 million barrels a day and save consumers more than $8,000 per year at the gas pump. This all sounds impressively sleek, shiny, and futuristic, unless you’re old enough to remember the energy crisis throughout the 1970′s, followed by — and strongly related to — the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-1981. Back then, you could easily snap up one of those cheap, teensy, new-fangled Japanese gas-sippers that got 40-50 miles per gallon, easy! Back then, the sort of cheap, poorly made crap that now says “Made in China” used to say “Made in Japan,” so you had to be totally desperate to try one of these things. But lots of folks really WERE desperate — hammered by high gas prices, stagflation, and waiting on long lines for gas (you had to plan ahead because your turn alternated, based on whether the first or last number — I can’t remember which — on your license plate was even or odd). One day in 1979, my dad took took the plunge and bought this silvery, new-fangled, pod-shaped thang called a “Celica” from this Japanese company called “Toyota.” Since it looked like something from the Star Trek episodes we regularly watched, plus we now had extra time and money for Dunkin’ Donuts or White Castle stops, I was totally down with that “Celica” thang. But seriously, please don’t expect me to feel impressed with a measly 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, when my dad drove a car that got 50 MPG highway way back in 1979, before some of you young whippersnappers were even born!
9. Lead the world in high-tech batteries. Obama wants to extend tax credits to support manufacturing in industries related to clean energy, and particularly wants the good old U.S. of A. to emerge as the “world’s leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries.” Personally, I would rather be the “world’s leading manufacturer of fabulous hair,” but on second thought, high tech batteries are a good thing, too — as anyone who constantly has to recharge their iPhone can appreciate. Long-life, lightweight batteries that can be recharged quickly and disposed of safely are the Holy Grail for campers, electronics manufacturers, and parents of children who love battery-operated toys alike. There are some highly promising technologies out there, including: photovoltaic paint that turns any surface into a battery; lighter and longer-lasting lithium ion batteries, and even the formerly novel combination hand-cranked and solar-powered emergency radios which are now commonly available.
10. Mandate 80% clean electricity by 2035. Obama wants to create a universal standard for utility companies to ensure that 80% of America’s electricity comes from clean sources by the year 2035 — 32 years from now. This would give us “cheaper, more secure energy” while creating a new market for American manufacturers. For a quick overview of your electricity’s cleanliness (based on power grid information from 2009) visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Power Profiler” page and type in your zip code. You can then select your power company from a pull-down list (if your area has more than one) to display a page that shows how your “fuel mix” (energy sources) and emissions rate compares with the rest of the country. Here in San Jose, CA, our nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide emissions are well under half the nation’s average, but the amounts of fossil fuels (gas and coal) we consume are through the roof!
The New Economic Patriotism: A Look At Obama’s 27-Point Economic Plan
This was Part 1 (Manufacturing and energy) | Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 (Small businesses, education, the deficit, healthcare, and social security)
Elisabeth Parker is a writer, Web designer, mom, political junkie, and dilettante. Come visit her at ElisabethParker.Com, friend her on facebook, or follow her on Twitter.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Romney rides off into the sunset, as big a dick as always
By kos
Mitt Romney didn't lose because he was awful and the GOP message was awful and the rest of the Republican Party was awful. No, it was because President Barack Obama gave people free shit.
“With regards to the young people, for instance, a forgiveness of college loan interest, was a big gift,” he said. “Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women. And then, finally, Obama care also made a difference for them, because as you know, anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents’ plan, and that was a big gift to young people.
They turned out in large numbers, a larger share in this election even than in 2008.
”The president’s health care plan, he added, was also a useful tool in mobilizing African-American and Hispanic voters. Though Mr. Romney won the white vote with 59 percent, according to exit polls, minorities coalesced around the president in overwhelming numbers — 93 percent of blacks and 71 percent of Hispanics voted to re-elect Mr. Obama.
“You can imagine for somebody making $25,000 or $30,000 or $35,000 a year, being told you’re now going to get free health care, particularly if you don’t have it, getting free health care worth, what, $10,000 per family, in perpetuity, I mean, this is huge,” he said. “Likewise with Hispanic voters, free health care was a big plus. But in addition with regards to Hispanic voters, the amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called Dream Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group.”
Phew! He no longer has to pretend that his 47 percent remarks were "just completely wrong."
He can go back to his belief that 47 percent of Americans are leeches on society. And bragging to his country club friends about all the NASCAR team owners he knows, as if anyone gives a shit.
Mitt Romney didn't lose because he was awful and the GOP message was awful and the rest of the Republican Party was awful. No, it was because President Barack Obama gave people free shit.
“With regards to the young people, for instance, a forgiveness of college loan interest, was a big gift,” he said. “Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women. And then, finally, Obama care also made a difference for them, because as you know, anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents’ plan, and that was a big gift to young people.
They turned out in large numbers, a larger share in this election even than in 2008.
”The president’s health care plan, he added, was also a useful tool in mobilizing African-American and Hispanic voters. Though Mr. Romney won the white vote with 59 percent, according to exit polls, minorities coalesced around the president in overwhelming numbers — 93 percent of blacks and 71 percent of Hispanics voted to re-elect Mr. Obama.
“You can imagine for somebody making $25,000 or $30,000 or $35,000 a year, being told you’re now going to get free health care, particularly if you don’t have it, getting free health care worth, what, $10,000 per family, in perpetuity, I mean, this is huge,” he said. “Likewise with Hispanic voters, free health care was a big plus. But in addition with regards to Hispanic voters, the amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called Dream Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group.”
Phew! He no longer has to pretend that his 47 percent remarks were "just completely wrong."
He can go back to his belief that 47 percent of Americans are leeches on society. And bragging to his country club friends about all the NASCAR team owners he knows, as if anyone gives a shit.
Dear President Obama, Please do not sit down with Romney
Respectfully, after Romney's horrendously racist summation to his
donors, as to why he thinks he lost, sitting down and speaking with him
would be slap in the face to those who voted for you.
Mr. Romney has forfeited any right to have any input at all. Perhaps you and your team think it's good politics and a good optic to have Mr. Romney to the White House. I don't believe that's so. It legitimizes the racist and classicist tripe that both Mr. Romney and Representative Ryan are spreading.
Sincerely,
a supporter.
Mr. Romney has forfeited any right to have any input at all. Perhaps you and your team think it's good politics and a good optic to have Mr. Romney to the White House. I don't believe that's so. It legitimizes the racist and classicist tripe that both Mr. Romney and Representative Ryan are spreading.
Sincerely,
a supporter.
And now a message from sore fucking racist loser Mitt Romney
Romney Says Obama Only Won Because He Gave ‘Big Gifts’ To Blacks And Latinos
By Igor Volsky
Mitt Romney is attributing his loss in the 2012 election to the “gifts” President Obama gave to minority voters, the Los Angeles Times is reporting. Speaking to donors on Wednesday, the former Massachusetts governor praised his own campaign, but speculated that Obama won because he was “very generous” to his base:
UPDATE
By Igor Volsky
Mitt Romney is attributing his loss in the 2012 election to the “gifts” President Obama gave to minority voters, the Los Angeles Times is reporting. Speaking to donors on Wednesday, the former Massachusetts governor praised his own campaign, but speculated that Obama won because he was “very generous” to his base:
Mitt Romney told his top donors Wednesday that his loss to President Obama was a disappointing result that neither he or his top aides had expected, but said he believed his team ran a “superb” campaign with “no drama,” and attributed his rival’s victory to “the gifts” the administration had given to blacks, Hispanics and young voters during Obama’s first term.The comments echo the claims Romney made during a private high-dollar fundraiser earlier this year. In the video first published by Mother Jones, Romney argued that 47 percent of Americans are “dependent upon government.”
Obama, Romney argued, had been “very generous” to blacks, Hispanics and young voters. He cited as motivating factors to young voters the administration’s plan for partial forgiveness of college loan interest and the extension of health coverage for students on their parents’ insurance plans well into their 20s. Free contraception coverage under Obama’s healthcare plan, he added, gave an extra incentive to college-aged women to back the president.
“The President’s campaign,” he said, “focused on giving targeted groups a big gift—so he made a big effort on small things. Those small things, by the way, add up to trillions of dollars.”
UPDATE
The New York Times has more quotes: “Our campaign, in contrast, was talking about big issues for the whole country —military strategy, foreign policy, a strong economy, creating jobs and so forth,” he said. “And by the way, as you’ll hear from Neil, our strategy worked well with many people, but for those who were given a specific gift, if you will, our strategy did not work terribly well.”http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/11/14/1193471/romney-says-obama-only-won-because-he-gave-big-gifts-to-blacks-and-latinos/
It has been a week and one day since President Obama kicked Mitt Romney's ass!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101778182
The People of Florida move to Impeach The Fool Rick Scott
Petition by
Jacksonville, FL
The
Constitution of Florida provides for impeachment and removal from office
for officials who have committed misdemeanors or worse crimes.
The citizens of Florida urgently call for the Impeachment of Florida Governor Rick Scott for his blatant voter suppression activity during the 2012 elections.
Florida Governor Rick Scott has done his best to prevent Democrats from voting in the 2012 Presidential Election. First, Scott and his Republican legislature undertook a purge of Florida’s voting lists that were so biased against minorities (who tend to vote Democratic) that the state was sued by the Department of Justice for violating the National Voter Registration Act. The purge was so overly aggressive that there are now reports of multiple military personnel being disenfranchised by the State of Florida for the 2012 election. In addition, Scott and his Republican co-conspirators in the legislature dramatically cut back on early voting hours in Florida.
Their moves now stand as a clear indicator that Florida’s Governor and legislature have no qualms about suppressing the votes of their opponents.
Governor Rick Scott led efforts to suppress voter turnout by curtailing early voting hours which resulted in confusion and extended waiting periods for voters all across the state.
Florida’s Republican Governor Rick Scott cut the number of early voting days from 14 to eight, Scott signed into law changes in 2011 that cut early voting days from 14 to eight. As the early voting lines grew longer, he refused requests to issue an executive order adding more days.
All early voting was cut except in the five counties covered by the Voting Rights Act. Those counties continued to have 12 days of early voting. Scott also eliminated early voting on the Sunday before the election, a heavy voting day for minorities. In 2008, 33.2% of Floridians who voted on that Sunday were black, while 23.6% were Hispanic, these actions clearly show that the Governor sought to use suppression tactics on the Democratic voters of the State of Florida.
Additionally the number of voting machine allocated to Democratic areas, versus Republican areas was severely limited, with some polling areas having insufficient machines to handle the high voter turnout.
His Failure to allocate sufficient voting machines to Democratic areas is deliberate voter suppression and should be deemed illegal simply because of a lack and insensitivity to the rights of Democratic voters.
We the citizens of Florida strongly feel it is time to investigate and impeach Gov. Scott because Florida can do much better!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Papa John's health care problems
The CEO and founder of Papa John's Pizza was a big time Romney supporter and
fundraiser, so when Mitt lost he started complaining about The Affordable Care
Act. He says he might be forced to cut employees' hours. Sam Stein of the
Huffington Post joins Ed Schultz with all the latest.
Wolfgang Puck praises Meal on Wheels for helping sick and disabled Americans eat well and consistently
Celebrity chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck shares a personal story about
helping a friend diagnosed with HIV/AIDS get regular meals thanks to the Meals on
Wheels program.
“We are supposed to be the richest country in the world,” Puck says. “So it should mean that everybody goes to bed happy and with a full stomach.”
For more of our Currently: Feeding the Need initiative to fight hunger, watch TONIGHT at 7E/4P or go to current.com/currently.
“We are supposed to be the richest country in the world,” Puck says. “So it should mean that everybody goes to bed happy and with a full stomach.”
For more of our Currently: Feeding the Need initiative to fight hunger, watch TONIGHT at 7E/4P or go to current.com/currently.
Can Karl Rove survive his $300 million debacle?
Politico's Ken Vogel and Former Newt Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler question if Karl Rove's final days as a GOP heavyweight are done, after he blew through more than $300 million of donor money; then examine why Rove claims that his performance isn't nearly as bad as his critics say.
America has NEVER been a center right nation!
When does the Democratic Party do best? When it champions the
progressive policies and causes that will build a stronger America. With
the fiscal cliff negotiations heating up - will Democrats heed the
advice of FDR - and stick to the party's progressive roots?
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