Today's installment of campaign-related news items that won't necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* The Obama campaign unveiled several new ads over the last few days, including this back-to-basics spot going after Mitt Romney over his low tax rate. (Incidentally, Romney's secret tax returns still matter.)
* For his part, Romney's new ad goes after Vice President Biden for laughing during last week's debate with Paul Ryan.
* The new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows President Obama leading Romney by three, 49% to 46%. In swing states, the president's lead is slightly larger, 51% to 46%.
* In Ohio, Public Policy Polling now shows Obama ahead by five over Romney, 51% to 46%. The same poll shows Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) leading Josh Mandel (R) by seven, 49% to 42%.
* In Florida, PPP shows Romney pulling ahead, narrowly leading the president, 49% to 48%.
* In North Carolina, PPP also shows Romney with a narrow advantage, up by two over Obama, 49% to 47%. A High Point University poll released Friday, however, found Obama up by one, 46% to 45%.
* As the race enters the final stretch, Romney and his super PAC allies are investing heavily in 11th-hour advertising: "Ad purchases in the presidential race doubled or in some cases tripled last week in swing states such as Colorado, Florida, Iowa and Virginia."
* In Colorado, a SurveyUSA on behalf of the Denver Post found Romney up by one over Obama, 48% to 47%.
* In a very-hard-to-believe poll out of Arizona, a Rocky Mountain Poll found Obama ahead, 44% to 42%. Note: the Obama campaign has not shown any indication of treating Arizona as a battleground.
* And the Obama campaign announced over the weekend that it has passed 4 million donors for the cycle -- a record for either party in any race.
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The thing that all of this makes me wonder is what this means for down ticket stuff. As important as the Presidency is, if the house stays under GOP control we are basically guaranteed of four more years of "You Lie!" interjections and paralyzing obstructionism.
BUT ...
When Barry wins and IF the house stays with the GOPpers AND the GOP continues playing these games THEN it could spell the death of the GOP.
Only thing wrong with the GOP is Lunatics have taken control of it.
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All house Reps are up for reelection this year, with a 7% approval rating due to the GOTP obstructionists. Things could change for the better
...and the consequences of Mitt being president with a Dem-majority House and Senate?
How much could we get done with a mindless Republican Pen vetoing anything progressive?
What the heck is with this Romney when he cannot even think up anything on his own? Romney constantly uses somebody else’s comments and never shows any thought of his own. It is like Romney has a robot mind and has no real thought of his own, except to mimic someone like a parrot. It is one thing to read or hear somebody say something, but you still have your own thoughts of what you think about the subject matter. Romney lacks any thought to even understand or comprehend what he has read or even heard. Romney is so robotized, it even shows in his walking style which he of course looked to walk faster of late because it shows too much otherwise of how much he is a puppet or robot. Romney is really just a disgraceful example to corrupt politics. If that thing Romney actually really cared about people, besides himself it would be just too shocking to see or care to say even believable. Romney’s actions have spoken volumes to what that scum really is.
Nice to see Colorado continuing to prove me right about leaving that place as soon as I could after getting out of high school. If my graduating class is any example (as seen in their reunion booklet), the place is still filled with idiots
I thought the same thing about my home town...makes you wonder if it's in the water
“Who oversees the safety of compounding facilities?
Although the FDA regulates drug manufacturers, it does not have the same authority over drug compounders such as NECC.
This week, lawmakers in Washington called for a congressional investigation of the outbreak. "This incident raises serious concerns about the scope of the practice of pharmacy compounding in the United States and the current patchwork of federal and state laws and systems that oversee this practice," Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) and others wrote in a letter to the leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.”
This was from –http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-meningitis-q-and-a-20121012,0,58615.story?track=rss
Now here is a good example of how Republicans would like to get rid of regulation and laws that really help people. Republicans speak so boldly that all these regulations and laws are detrimental to businesses generating their huge amounts of profits. These Republicans and rich people want to keep pushing workers to work longer hours under strained conditions with less and less wages and benefits and for what? To have sloppy work done just so some rich bastard can have huge profits at the very expense of everybody’s lives and health. Now I know of a person who got this spinal meningitis and it has literally down graded the quality of her life. She cannot even walk anymore, because of this mess and lack of proper regulation. And the Republicans are going to sit there and try to tell me they are working on my and others behalf BULL CRAP. Republicans are doing the same typical crap they have always done and that is working for extreme greed at the very price of everybody else. You will never catch me voting for one of these bastard politicians again, you blood sucking low life leeches.
With Republicans running the show, we're likely to see more of this happen. More illness and death with the deregulation of these and other industries.
Why is Obama allowing Romney and Ryan to blame the debt and the slow economy on him?
Where is the backbone and hitting back on this issue?
The President does NOT pass jobs legislation. He just signs them.
Growth only happens if the “GOP owned congress” puts bills on the table to sign.
The uncompromising GOP has blocked, stopped, voted NO, obstructed, filibustered over 500 times and made pledges to NOT create jobs or bring cash to the government just to blame ONE man.
When is Obama going to say that to the millions watching?
When is he going to challenge the lies and tell the people that his policies are NOT at fault?
ALL GOP Policies are at fault because everything is directly involved with them.
Mr. Romney, let's do some ARITHMETIC...
#1 - Name the "Obama" POLICIES and the AMOUNTS that you say added trillions to the debt and “ADD” those amounts.
#2 –“DEDUCT” that Obama total from the current $16 TRILLION.
The balance = “GOP” spending.
DO Remember the following…
Expenses to “FIX” the GOP failed policies like TARP and the stimulus are still GOP spending and NOT Obama's fault so DO NOT count those policies.
All expenses from the previous GOP administration's “UNFUNDED” policies that Obama ADDED to his budget are ALSO Republican spending.
The INTEREST on the GOP TRILLIONS of debt is NOT for Obama to be responsible for either, it is GOP spending too.
The GOP “OWNS” that interest.
Also,
The “Bailouts” ARE “loans” to REPAIR more GOP screwed up policies, the GOP wanted those to be FREE of charge, a "going away gift" to the Banks and Wall Street from Bush. Obama made them loans.
Do not add policies before Reagan because there was NO DEBT PROBLEM before that, Reagan took office when the DEBT had ONE TRILLION and could have been tackled and fixed with comprehensive tax reform but Reagan did the opposite..
“Entitlements” are a tiny fraction of the debt and they always bring their own revenues through payroll deductions as premium payments. Entitlements are NOT free, it's paid-into insurance.
Be sure of this…
The Republicans will try blaming a Democratic majority that never actually had “control”.
Saying that the Democrats had a "Majority" doesn't count as “control”, because we all know the GOP had the "CONTROL" with their record filibusters and obstructions.
Remind the Republicans that "Total Control" is having a "Filibuster proof majority". The Democrats only had it for 6 months. After Teddy died, the Republicans went on a filibuster frenzy and BLOCKED everything.
All those failed GOP policies were drafted by Republicans AND all passed with GOP majority of votes going back to Reagan.
The Republicans will NEVER have policies or numbers to blame on the Democrats because they DO NOT exist.
Look them up, I tried. DO NOT call them “spending” if you cannot name the policies.
Every single policy at fault is GOP owned, drafted and vigorously voted by Republicans.
DO NOT get fooled into thinking it is Obama's fault. NOW is the time to stop that Myth.
Watch out for the following…
The Republicans and the Fox-Rush-bots are going to try to change the subject on this comment with insults, diversions and ridicules.
The Republicans will ask for budgets, but no one can pass budgets without Revenues. The GOP PLEDGED to NEVER raise revenues.
The Republicans will mention “bills” that are on Reid’s desk. I saw all those bills. NONE are for jobs or to fix the economy. ALL are for reducing regulations for the rich, cutting public services, more tax cuts for corporations etc.
The Republicans will blame gas prices on Obama but will fail to explain why a President seeking re-election would do that or how he could actually do that.
This is a WIN WIN on talks about the economy. Use it. Challenge every Republican. It will drive them mad with ZERO response.
This is NOT blaming the GOP or BUSH, this is ARITHMETIC !!!!
Voters feel that the economy won't alter its course radically under either Romney or Obama. So they are deciding on other grounds. They know the deficit's origins in the Bush years.
What is troubling to me is Mitt's disdain for us -- which is as palpable as his undeserved disdain for Obama during the debate.
(One commenter on a blog told a story that a black customer of his, discussing the debate, said that Romney 'boyed' Obama -- meaning he exuded disdain for him, to show his superiority. He also said that black people instantly recognized this -- and the Mexican American commenters concurred. Americans and their pundits all fell for this old racist trick.)
I didn't fall for it. I recognized it for what it was. Growing up in the South will give you the knowledge to recognize this.
Jonathan Chait's new piece in NY Magazine is probably the best analysis of the 2012 election you will read anywhere.
Diane Rehm had a show on the "tainted steroid injections" and compounding pharmacies on the 10 Oct. show.
Link:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-10-10/tainted-steroid-injections-and-public-health
There is a link to stream and the show is available via podcast (I don't see a podcast link on the page).
I guess to the anti regulation people 12 or 14 dead and those infected is the price for profit.
I believe the anti reg people are also those who also believe there are too many law suits, I guess until it's one of them or theirs who gets screwed.
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George Bailey: Just a minute... just a minute. Now, hold on, Mr. Potter.
You're right when you say my father was no businessman. I know that. Why
he ever started this cheap, penny-ante Building and Loan, I'll never know.
But neither you nor anyone else can say anything against his character,
because his whole life was... why, in the 25 years since he and his brother,
Uncle Billy, started this thing, he never once thought of himself. Isn't
that right, Uncle Billy? He didn't save enough money to send Harry away
to college, let alone me. But he did help a few people get out of your slums,
Mr. Potter, and what's wrong with that? Why... here, you're all businessmen
here. Doesn't it make them better citizens? Doesn't it make them better customers?
You... you said... what'd you say a minute ago? They had to wait and save
their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait?
Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're
so old and broken down that they... Do you know how long it takes a working
man to save $5,000? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're
talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying
in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live
and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't
think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated
old man, they're cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man
than you'll ever be!
Romney sayes Let's let them go to foreclosure and then rent it back to them.
We seen this movie. Mr Potter.
Whether it's because of Jim Lehrer's reticence or in spite of Martha Radditz's best attempts, debates remain mostly a fact-free zone. It doesn't matter if what you're saying isn't true, as long as it sounds good at the time.
So style becomes more important than substance. In the case of the VP debates, this is especially true, since to those of us who actually read, Biden clearly won on substance, so it's difficult for Republicans to claim Ryan won on that. So they attack Biden's style, "disrespectful, inappropriate, yada, yada..."
What I find so fascinating about this is when Romney talks over the moderator, interrupts his opponent, and basically acts like an entitled obnoxious bully, he's a "strong leader, presidential, alpha dog." But Biden is crazy Uncle Harry.
Spin 'til you're dizzy!
"crazy uncle Harry" ...lol
I loved Biden/ uncle Harry.
As a seasoned DC insider, he couldn't let Ryan get an upper hand. I think he played his hand well.
Are Romney's tax returns relevant? If they are, why isn't someone doing something about it?
People go to prison for tax evation. You would think the media would be all over this!
Mayber they are not all over this because he probably did not break any laws. Otherwise the IRS would have definitely done something by now with this very high profile individual. He may have used all the deductions/loolholes available to him - which a lot of people don't like to see - but they are legit deductions/loopholes put their by our legislators.
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/romney-s-controversial-tax-free-italian-deal-gTTwygCDSlWJ508kKprCgA.html
international tax free schemes, maybe. The Itailians are probably as interested in tax returns as anyone else.
Please, oh please, play this on the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4kkY2kmSTo
FDR calls out Romney from the grave! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4kkY2kmSTo