Displaying 1,501 To 1,530 Of 16,275 Comments I still do not understand this at all. Are too many people uneducated on what is in the ACA, is it because of the word mandate or the Blackman in the WH? A combination? POLL: Americans Support Obamacare Provisions, Oppose Obamacare Ahead of the Supreme Court’s Affordable Care Act ruling that’s expected Thursday, a new poll shows that while 56 percent of Americans oppose the law as a whole, most back its key provisions. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that absent the controversy of the individual mandate, strong majorities favor most of what is actually in the health care law: 61 percent of respondents favored allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26. http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/06/25/505526/poll-most-americans-support-obamacare-provisions/ » Posted By bito On June 25, 2012 @ 5:03 pm Reporters have been referred to this statement from Mitt on the decision by the SCOTUS on immigration: Boston, MA Today, Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Arizona immigration law: “Today’s decision underscores the need for a President who will lead on this critical issue and work in a bipartisan fashion to pursue a national immigration strategy. President Obama has failed to provide any leadership on immigration. This represents yet another broken promise by this President. I believe that each state has the duty–and the right–to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities. As Candidate Obama, he promised to present an immigration plan during his first year in office. But 4 years later, we are still waiting.” Now exactly what does he say about the decision? Agree, disagree? What’s his plan? Is that going to be his whole campaign? Anybody but Obama and I’ll tell you my plan after I get elected? Must be because his statements are beyond vague bordering invisibility. How many ways can Romney’s spokesperson avoid answering? Cowardly Romney Dodges Supreme Court Immigration Ruling Question 20 Times » Posted By bito On June 25, 2012 @ 4:31 pm What exactly did Mitt say and what exactly is his policy? Is the SCOTUS decision a muddle or is Willard in a muddle? Romney says immigration law has become a ‘muddle’ The likely Republican nominee declined to address the specifics of the court’s decision….. Asked in February during a GOP primary debate in Arizona whether he supported tough immigration enforcement that includes arrests, Romney said: “I think you see a model in Arizona.” This is leaving me in a muddle, what Mitt are you saying? From WaPo: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, for his part, issued a statement that did not comment on the specifics of the ruling but instead said the decision “underscores the need for a President who will lead on this critical issue and work in a bipartisan fashion to pursue a national immigration strategy.” Obama “has failed to provide any leadership on immigration,” the former Massachusetts governor said. What??? 50 states=50 different laws, is that what you want Willard, and how do you plan to do any better than GW and Obama in getting a comprehensive law passed? There is not one Republican member in the house that will even touch immigration reform, if they did some one from the right(er) would challenge them in the primaries. » Posted By bito On June 25, 2012 @ 3:44 pm BINGO! » Posted By bito On June 25, 2012 @ 1:50 pm C,Lady, tanks for your thoughts and the link to Ezra Kleins Blog. I am finding many articles today on the ACA and it’s benefits than I have seen in quite awhile, too bad they are being run at the 11th hour. Had there been more articles showing the benefits, there may have been more support and fewer lawsuits. The whole thing about the mandate from the right seems to be more ideology than wanting to fix the problem of rising medical costs to taxpayer via the use of the ER’s. Just the use of the word “mandate” seems to cause anger in them. I am of the opinion that the SCOTUS is not conservative as much as they are corporate and that is also why if the vote doesn’t go 6-3 for in a moment of sanity, they will strike down the mandate and preexisting coverage which can harm a huge number of people. We will see, but I do hope and pray that the act is upheld, not because of the Dems or Obama but for the those whose lives may/will be devastated from lack of medical care. » Posted By bito On June 25, 2012 @ 1:48 pm And you think you have a hard job! How about a recruiter for AA members into the Koch Brothers FreedomWorks or the Tea Party? Can Deneen Borelli Convince Black People To Vote For Republicans? A difficult job. Deneen Borelli of the Koch-backed FreedomWorks, says conservatives need to work harder at “reaching the black community with message of limited government.” “I know from reading and from other conversations that there are a number of black voters who voted for Obama because he’s black, because of ethnic pride,” she said. “In my opinion you should do your research and see where a politician stands on your policies.” […] Borelli rejects the perception of racism among the tea party as “nonsense.” “We educate, we inform, we inspire individuals to get engaged and get involved,” she said. “And it has absolutely nothing to do about race.” http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/can-daneen-borelli-convince-black-people-to-vote-f#HTWF2 Reminds me of what my father, a strong trade unionist, told me in my teens about voting, “I’m not saying you should vote for Democrats, just look at and ask yourself ‘What have the republicans ever done FOR the working man?'” » Posted By bito On June 25, 2012 @ 1:11 pm OMG, funk, that’s way too much revenue- Mitt and Ryan will cut that in half! » Posted By bito On June 24, 2012 @ 8:18 pm Charts, Charts, Charts! http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/Documents/20120502_EconomicGrowth.pdf » Posted By bito On June 24, 2012 @ 6:22 pm Romney response to Bain story: Outsourcing vs. offshoring Blah,Blah, Blah,Blah, Blah,Blah, Blah,Blah, Blah! » Posted By bito On June 24, 2012 @ 6:03 pm Now if we could get cable and broadcast outlets on board! 3 days and 3 investigative stories on Mitt and his “bidness experience” in 3 major newspapers. Also one magazine in Utah did a piece on his “Olympic experience,” none of them complimentary in the least. Friday was one by WaPO and how Mitt/Bain were pioneers on offshoring US jobs Romney’s Bain Capital invested in companies that moved jobs overseas Saturday was from the NYT and how Mitt/Bain always made money through enormous fees even if the company they leveraged went bankrupt. Companies’ Ills Did Not Harm Romney’s Firm And today from The Boston Globe a piece on how Mitt/Bain had dealings with the felon and junk bond king Michael Milken. It was at the height of the 1980s buyout boom when Mitt Romney went in search of $300 million to finance one of the most lucrative deals he would ever manage. The man who would help provide the money was none other than the famed junk-bond king Michael Milken. What transpired would become not just one of the most profitable leveraged buyouts of the era, but also one of the most revealing stories of Romney’s Bain Capital career. It showed how he pivoted from being a relatively cautious investor to risking his reputation for a big payoff. It is one that Romney has rarely, if ever, mentioned in his two bids for the presidency, perhaps because the Houston-based department store chain that Bain assembled later went into bankruptcy. As has been discussed here, many of the beltway bellows have been hard at work saying the whole Mitt/Bain thing matters little and telling the Obama 2012 campaign that it’s mean and wrong to even bring up their equity buddies. Much to their dismay, the Mitt/Bain thing is taking hold with the voters who know what outsoucing and offshoring of jobs really is and how it feels what stagnant or lower wages are. All three articles are well worth reading! Bonus read: Mitt Romney’s Three Big Lies » Posted By bito On June 24, 2012 @ 4:46 pm It is a bit funny that such a big deal is made out of the VP choice when it has little to no effect on the popular vote for president. True a bad choice for VP may add to the vote total of the loser but it was the head of the ticket that caused the loss. One exception may have been Palin, after much enthusiasm when she was first chosen, she may have cost McCain the election. At least without her, it would have been much closer. » Posted By bito On June 24, 2012 @ 3:45 pm Striking down the ACA by SCOTUS will enshrine this court as The Most Partisan Court in History. The U.S. Supreme Court should uphold a law requiring most Americans to have health insurance if the justices follow legal precedent, according to 19 of 21 constitutional law professors who ventured an opinion on the most-anticipated ruling in years. Only eight of them predicted the court would do so. […] “The precedent makes this a very easy case,” said Christina Whitman, a University of Michigan law professor. “But the oral argument indicated that the more conservative justices are striving to find a way to strike down the mandate.” […] Eighteen of the 21 professors said the court’s credibility will be damaged if the insurance requirement — which passed Congress without a single Republican vote — is ruled unconstitutional by a 5-4 majority of justices appointed by Republican presidents. “When you take the fact of a high-profile, enormously controversial and politically salient case — to have it decided by the narrowest majority with a party-line split looks very bad, it looks like the court is simply an arm of one political party,” University of Chicago Law Professor Dennis Hutchinson said in an interview. By striking down just the mandate they will be going against the corporate insurance who lobbied for the mandate as a trade off for preexisting illness. Put’s this court in a sticky position doesn’t it? That is why they may strike down the whole act, IMHO, no matter what the precedents may be. Nine of the law professors said if the coverage mandate is invalidated the justices are likely or very likely to throw out several related provisions, such as requiring insurance companies to offer policies without regard to pre-existing medical conditions. This court would be an interesting and fun thing to study as history lesson, too bad we can’t and they exist during our lifetimes. » Posted By bito On June 24, 2012 @ 3:15 pm A great deal of “food for thought” in this article that may also pertain to the 2012 elections and beyond. The Wisconsin Recall Results: A Post Post-Mortem http://www.progressive.org/wisconsin_recall_post_mortem.html Key among the “wedge issues” was that of race, utterly ignored by the overwhelming majority of commentators. It is well known that Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in the country, surrounded by bands of predominantly white suburbs. (Walker was the former county supervisor of Milwaukee County, put there by a suburban “white flight” Republican electorate.) […] Reportedly in some up-state and out-state media markets, anti-Barrett ads paid for by Super Pac or Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) spoke of Barrett’s failures while showing images of people of color. […] Other “wedge issues” contributed to the outcome. The right wing assault, the absolute vilification of all things “liberal,” pushed not just by the Tea Party, but by the conservative movement as a whole over a longer period of time, took its toll. “Liberal” in the minds of many has replaced “communism” as the bogeyman of the post-Cold War era. For some these days, it has become interchangeable with “socialism”! (One only had to witness the signs at any of the right-wing mobilizations in the state over the last year to get a sense of that.) A companion article that is also quite good: Will Labor Learn Recall’s Lessons in Battleground States? http://www.progressive.org/will_labor_learn_recall_lessons.html » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 9:29 pm It’s not just about money, it’s a lot about power: I’m not talking only about the pedophilia and murder cases like the killing of the Swiss Guard and the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi, but about money laundering, corruption, and threats.” » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 6:42 pm AdLib, and even more news, this scandal seems to really have the Vatican shaken. Pope Convenes Cardinals to Discuss Leak Scandal
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI convened a special meeting of cardinals Saturday for advice on how to deal with the Vatican’s leaked documents scandal — another sign of the damage the leaks have done to trust in the Holy See’s governance. http://www.thechurchreport.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=siteContent.default&objectID=156984 » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 6:14 pm AdLib, this should help the Vatican get their side of the story “right” APNewsBreak: Vatican gets Fox media adviser VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican has brought in the Fox News correspondent in Rome to help improve its communications strategy as it tries to cope with years of communications blunders and one of its most serious scandals in decades, The Associated Press learned Saturday. Greg Burke, 52, will leave Fox to become a senior communications adviser in the Vatican’s secretariat of state, the Vatican and Burke told the AP. “I’m a bit nervous but very excited. Let’s just say it’s a challenge,” Burke said in a phone interview. He defined his job, which he said he had been offered twice before, as: “You’re shaping the message, you’re molding the message, and you’re trying to make sure everyone remains on-message. And that’s tough.” Hiring a guy from Fox? How is this supposed to help the Vatican on the truth part? » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 5:24 pm I don’t really care how lucrative it may be, I ain’t traipsing though no glades hunting pythons! 🙂 » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 3:44 pm That one was a complete joke. “Black Man likes brown mustard!” Like he was some sort of effete snob. » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 3:40 pm Not to mention that speech that that phrase was almost a non story, because it dealt with the European economy (?)until the GOP made it a story with a single talking point. Cillizza was one of the non reporters that obliged the GOP into trying to make it a story. You’re right, people do have many more important things in their lives than paying attention to an out of context “gaffe” that is important to the MSM. ABL has an article posted (see twwitter feed) on the out and out drivel that is on TV that is called news, it’s shameful no matter how important Cillizza thinks he and what he writes is. The Sad State Of What Americans See In The Media http://angryblackladychronicles.com/2012/06/22/the-sad-state-of-what-americans-see-in-the-media/ (here is a plug for our “blogroll”: Clicking and reading one story from each one is quite informative.) » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 3:36 pm Hey, most days I could use a mask. 😆 » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 2:58 pm Mitch McConnell Sums Up GOP Economic Vision Besides all the lies it seems to come down to: The poor have it too good. Note the clever propaganda-spreading in McConnell’s interview. Almost 70 percent of the federal revenue is provided by the top 10 percent of taxpayers now. Between 45 percent and 50 percent of Americans pay no income tax at all. We have an extraordinarily progressive tax code already. It is a mess and needs to be revisited again, […] The first sentence in McConnell’s assertion is an out-and-out lie. Top 10% of taxpayers do not provide 70% of federal revenue. Rather, they provide for 70% of federal income tax revenue, and the federal income tax itself accounts for only about 40% of total federal revenue. But what McConnell and the Republicans hope no one will notice is that income taxes, oddly enough, aren’t the only taxes that comes out of one’s income. If you earn your income from, you know, working (as opposed to the way Mitt Romney makes his money), the primary taxes coming out of your paycheck are the income tax (federal and state, if your state has any) as well as payroll taxes. McConnell’s propaganda calculation does not include payroll taxes, which are a much greater burden on the poor and the middle class than for the rich. [img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gzWnq0oETtQ/T-DLiFUONDI/AAAAAAAADGU/cVA6M0iUjE0/s1600/tax+revenue+distribution+2010.gif[/img] http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2012/06/mitch-mcconnell-sums-up-gop-economic.html » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 2:45 pm A little perspective and Chris Cillizza is a dunce. BREAKING: Many Americans Don’t Have Any Idea that All-Important Political Gaffes Even Happen After Obama made his comment that the “private sector was doing fine” at that press conference, Chris Cillizza defended the notion that “political gaffes matter” and wrote: Is there anyone paying even passing attention to politics who hasn’t seen the Obama clip five times at this point — which, by the way, is less than 96 hours after he said it? Answer: no. Jon Bernstein was dubious. I was too. So in a June 16-18 YouGov poll—about a week after the press conference….. […] In total, 47% of respondents gave the correct answer (“doing fine”). Nine percent said “struggling” and 4% said “mostly the same.” About 39% said that they had not heard. So, in total, 53% of Americans were apparently not paying even “passing attention to politics” and thereby did not learn—much less 5 different times—what Obama had said. [….] What this survey makes clear is that even after national headlines, some kinds of stories just don’t register to busy Americans who have more things to do than follow every jot and tittle of the news. Which is one reason why the attention devoted to gaffes dwarfs their actual impact at the ballot box. » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 2:04 pm Ah, a silver lining? 😆 Python cook-off to raise awareness of Florida invasive species Haven Gastro-Lounge executive chef Todd Erickson will be cooking braised python. He told the Miami Herald the event will show how these animals can be a “viable food source.” Any bets that it “tastes just like chicken?” 😉 » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 12:23 pm Funny how the beltway blubbers all said that the Bain ads from Obama were mean/negative/not working, yet studies have shown that outside DC where the voters are, that they are working. People seem to be adverse to a company coming in and shutting down a plant and offshoring jobs, their jobs, for some odd reason. » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 11:04 am AdLib, perhaps a bit of a divergence, but with this article, the ones below on Sandusky and the RC molestation, it makes me want to read the new book by Chris Hayes (The Nation, Up with Chris Hayes) concerning the the breakdown and mistrust of our major institutions. Is this new or just cycle that the world is going through? Whichever, it seems that there are few if any large institutions the public can trust, everything seems to be a scam or a cover-up. » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 10:55 am Meanwhile, this case got very little national coverage: Philadelphia monsignor guilty of mishandling Catholic sex-abuse cases A Catholic church official has become the first in the US to be convicted of covering up clerical child sex abuse in a verdict that victim advocates say sends a clear message to others shielding paedophiles. After 10 weeks of harrowing testimony and lengthy deliberations, a jury in Philadelphia found Monsignor William Lynn guilty of child endangerment relating to the handling of known predatory priests who were allowed to continue ministering to youths. [….] Lynn’s conviction came after a near-three month trial during which more than a dozen victims testified about the wrenching abuse they suffered at the hands of revered priests in a power of authority. A former seminarian said he was raped throughout high school at a priest’s mountain house. Meanwhile a nun testified that she and two female relatives were sexually abused by a priest described by a church official as “one of the sickest people I ever knew”. A further victim described being sexually assaulted as a 10-year-old altar boy in 1999 by the Reverand Edward Avery. The paedophile priest admitted the assault just days before Lynn’s trial and is now serving a two-and-a-half to five-year prison term. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/22/philadelphia-monsignor-guilty-abuse-cases?CMP=twt_gu » Posted By bito On June 23, 2012 @ 9:32 am A Dem Senate seat and an Obama pick-up in AZ?? It’s possible! GOP could blow Arizona A brutal GOP primary is boosting Democrats’ chances of taking a Senate seat — and Obama’s chance to win the state As Arizona’s unpredictable monsoon season approaches, ominous storm clouds are appearing that could threaten Republican prospects of holding retiring Sen. Jon Kyl’s seat and once again thrust another relatively unknown Tucson Democrat into the Senate. Democrats are hoping that former U.S. Surgeon General Rich Carmona, a George W. Bush appointee, will be the lightning rod that finally arouses the long dormant Latino vote and propels Carmona into the Senate and delivers Arizona to Barack Obama. A poll from Public Policy Polling this week showed this as a distinct possibility. Carmona trailed his likely Republican opponent, Rep. Jeff Flake, by just 2 points, and Obama trailed Mitt Romney in Arizona by only 3 points, 49-46. http://www.salon.com/2012/06/22/gop_could_blow_arizona/singleton/ Ironically, I find myself rooting for the millionaire T-party guy to beat up on the GOP guy during the primary. 🙂 » Posted By bito On June 22, 2012 @ 9:41 pm Mitt keeps saying that the Prez doesn’t have any business experience. Two questions: Does Mitt have any experience of real life day to day struggles of the working person and is this the kind of business experience that we need in the White House? Companies’ Ills Did Not Harm Romney’s Firm Cambridge Industries, an automotive plastics supplier whose losses had been building for three consecutive years, finally filed for bankruptcy in May 2000 under a mountain of debt that had ballooned to more than $300 million. Yet Bain Capital, the private equity firm that controlled the Michigan-based company, continued to religiously collect its $950,000-a-year “advisory fee” in quarterly installments, even to the very end, according to court documents. In all, Bain garnered more than $10 million in fees from Cambridge over five years, including a $2.25 million payment just for buying the company, according to bankruptcy records and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Meanwhile, Bain’s investors saw their $16 million investment in Cambridge wiped out. […] Bain structured deals so that it was difficult for the firm and its executives to ever really lose, even if practically everyone else involved with the company that Bain owned did, including its employees, creditors and even, at times, investors in Bain’s funds. » Posted By bito On June 22, 2012 @ 6:53 pm I loved this line from the speech: I’ve said time and again: Send me the DREAM Act; I will sign it right away. (Applause.) And I’m still willing to work with anyone from either party who is committed to real reform. But in the meantime, the question we should consider is this: Was providing these young people with the opportunity for a temporary measure of relief the right thing to do? AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Yes! THE PRESIDENT: I think it was. It’s long past time that we gave them a sense of hope. Your speaker from yesterday has a different view. In his speech, he said that when he makes a promise to you, he’ll keep it. Well, he has promised to veto the DREAM Act, and we should take him at his word. (Applause.) I’m just saying. (Laughter and applause.) And I believe that would be a tragic mistake. You do, too. » Posted By bito On June 22, 2012 @ 5:35 pm President Obama on Mitt Romney’s Outsourcing of American Jobs The President is referring to this WaPo article: Mitt Romney’s financial company, Bain Capital, invested in a series of firms that specialized in relocating jobs done by American workers to new facilities in low-wage countries like China and India. During the nearly 15 years that Romney was actively involved in running Bain, a private equity firm that he founded, it owned companies that were pioneers in the practice of shipping work from the United States to overseas call centers and factories making computer components, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. [….] ….Romney in recent months has lamented the toll it’s taken on the U.S. economy. He has repeatedly pledged he would protect American employment by getting tough on China. “They’ve been able to put American businesses out of business and kill American jobs,” he told workers at a Toledo fence factory in February. “If I’m president of the United States, that’s going to end.” So we are led to believe that this man who is beholden to big business/banks and wants to cut the taxes on companies that have outsourced jobs already is now going to change his stripes? (Good Rapid Response by the Prez, keeping Romney on the defense!) » Posted By bito On June 22, 2012 @ 5:11 pmComments Posted By bito
72 percent of respondents wish to maintain the requirement that companies with more than 50 workers provide health insurance for their employees.
82 percent of respondents favored banning insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
United States
“I would have preferred to see the Supreme Court give more latitude to states, not less. And the states, now under this decision, have less authority, less latitude, to enforce immigration law,” Romney told donors at a fundraiser in Scottsdale, a wealthy enclave outside Phoenix. The event raised $2 million, the campaign said……
While the AZ ruling did bring some minor hope that the SCOUS has suddenly decided to put politics aside, they have made some other decisions lately that reinforce their lean to corporate power. I heard that The Chamber of Commerce has won over 2/3’s of the cases they backed/briefed this session and real actual living people were on the losing end.
Think about it, people pay more in sales tax on a roll of toilet paper in some places as do the corporations pay taxes. Not a good comparison perhaps, but it does tick one off.
MUST SEE CHARTS: US Treasury Recent Economic Growth:
Mitt and the junk bond king
Obama Health Law Seen Valid, Scholars Expect Rejection
Kidding aside, it is a sad commentary on society.
Posted by Deaniac83
At times I think some of these pudnuts are just as out of touch as is Romney.
There is probably no coincidence that most of these institutions have to do with power and/or money, does it?
«« Back To Stats Page
Romney’s Bain Capital invested in companies that moved jobs overseas
Home Stats