Depending on how far back you're going, could you possibly be referring to our former Governor who slept through Cabinet meetings when he was Prez?

Pretty funny. Sort of the same thing we get constantly from the RNC charwoman.

Think about the comparison:

Italian Captain- Wanted to wave at girlfriend on the rocks while driving his luxurious cruise ship, drove the ship into the rocks. Then jumped into a lifeboat and blamed everyone else for the crash and his "falling" into the lifeboat. Gone is a working $490 million dollar ship.

PBO- Likes to wave to his voters while going on frequent luxury vacations, all while the economy stagnates and he uses policy changes to further slow the economy down. He too likes to jump away from the trouble (paying off friends with taxdollar funded stimulus, influence peddling, creating more costly legislation, more wars, etc.) and blames everyone else for the problems with the economy. Gone is another $5 trillion in US debt (and counting).

Bush = Capt. Schettino

Obama is the rescue party captain trying to refloat USS America sunk by GOP.

.

Awwww, did we huwt the feewings of this pwesident?? Someone called Obama a name and that is just not fair!! WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

If the dems made the comparison against Romney or Newt, folks like the so called 'Orlando Patriot' would be screaming for thier heads instead of being a condescending dirt bag in thier comments.

It's too bad they have to be so blatantly and obviously two faced about things like this.

Please Orlando. No one forgets the way Republicans acted when anyone dared to even disagree with Bush, let alone call him a name. You called us traitors and unAmerican and you demanded respect for the office of the Presidency.

Well where's that respect for the office from your side now?

Hypocrisy is spelled G-O-P.

Democrats have no desire to work with us

Really? Then why do we constantly see Obama reaching across the aisle? Why is he constantly talking to the folks who have vowed to do anything to make him a one-term President?

Please, the GOP have lost the 'we play nice' award and did so over a decade ago (during Newt's last stint in office), and while the Dems certainly have their moments of being jackwagons, the GOP set the bar to which no one aspires.

It's pretty obvious that the RNC want (needs) to create any image other that the one many Americans have of BO. This is a President who believes in fairness for all Americans, saved capitalism from its excesses, saved the auto industry, saves the environment, ends wars, and actually understands the issues.

What a contrast from the party of ignorance, fear, and greed. I feel his Republican pain. He'll go meet with Fox, the Koch bros, Armey, Ailes, Beck, etc and find some new lie to spread with the propaganda machine..

Bill-Austin - If I were Priebus I would be very concerned right now of his own future Big FBI investigation going on right now in Wisconsin of fund raising discrepancies and I understand one of the people arrested is willing to cooperate in the investigation and Walker and Priebus are names that have come up as part and parcel of this criminality

Patriotism is a participatory activity - one sees and acts as one of the many, part of the entire country.

Thank you, Bill Crane! Well said. Nothing bothers me more than those who hijacked this term as their own. I am a patriot, but no longer a Republican. As a kid, I used to see people place decals with "Your flag - Love it or Leave" on their car windows. My only thought then, as now, is "Democracy - Practice it or Don't Preach It!". This is a country built on compromise. Each side needs to get off their butts and find a way to move forward which includes the needs of the many over the demands of the few. Seriously, if you don't want to pay your fair share, then you are NOT a patriot and I suggest you move to wherever you keep your off-shore dollars and stop pretending you care for this country.

Orlando - do us all a favor a remove the Patriot from your name. You only spew hateful things at your fellow citizens. This country is for all of us, not just you and your ilk. Nice post, Joel58.

Very well said Joel58! I'm really tired of the journalistic drivel that comes from opportunistic people who make remarks against the President when a camera or microphone is on them. I see our Congress and some journalists acting very much like all of those who were in office and in the press for the decades that led up to the Civil War on the issues of slavery. That stubbornness divided this country and we are here again because many of those in office refuse to cooperate. It seems to me that other Presidents waved their hands at people when they were on duty and off. I'm embarrassed by Republicans, whom I once loved very much. I looked to them to lead us. Comparing our President (whoever it is, whenever) to the tragedy that just happened to the cruise ship and everyone aboard is inconsiderate and below the belt to say the least.

Obama is Irked? Some of his positions have Irked me. Does he care? Obama is Irked. Too damned bad. Must be a little thin skinned. Get over it.

Reince Priebus reminds me of a little momma's boy that runs and tattles on everyone about anything.

What he needs is a good old fashion wedgy, up over the head!

Bill Crane

Here's the real joke - the Republican Party. The leaders of this party have lost all faith in average Americans. And vice-versa.

Really? Is that why 7 of the top 10 richest members of Congress are Democrats? What would your party know about "the common folk"? You've been trying for 6 decades to separate us all into government-dependent groups of dumbed-down, semi-illiterate hedonists that you set upon each other like animals in the Colisseum to distract the public whenever you want to raise taxes or plunder the Federal Reserve to pay off your union thugs or attack the Bill of Rights.

plain_bob, you're unbelievable!

plain bob

i was just watching the you-tube of the president answering select question's live...can you say out of touch...then say weasel...

During the previous administration, 'free speech' zones were introduced and enforced at sufficient distance from presidential appearances so as to keep citizens with opposing or contrary views well away from their 'elected' representative and thus ensure that 'Baby George' didn't have to face anybody who didn't genuflect in his presence. Only those who were determined to be sufficiently sycophantic and other 'GWB is God' brown-nosers were permitted into the 'divine presence'. So don't give me any garbage about President Obama being out of touch. Hell, he was even prepared to talk to Arizona crazy Jan Brewer. Compared to your beloved King George, President Obama is more hands-on than a deep tissue masseur.

Cat, because of repubilicans? Dems had control at that time and did what they wanted to do. My take is, dems new national healthcare wouldn't work but they made a show of "caring" and trying to get it but "it's not our fault" the repubs didn't like it. If the dems actually wanted national healthcare, we'd have it. They wanted to look good, obtain votes and blame the repubs.

Just ask yourself...what would Bush be doing in the same situation?!

I wonder if there will ever be another Federal budget. Obama has no budget since he's been elected. If he is reelected will he bother?

And let's see. How many times was George Bush compared to Hitler? So Pres. Obama doesn't like the comparison? Such criticism goes with the office. Get used to or get out!

Do us a favor Orlando Patriot and just leave. If you are a patriot then I am from Newt's Moon Space station. Go back to kindergarten and learn what being a patriot really means.

After 3 years of persistent destruction of our country, that is a pretty mild comparison. He's done pretty much everything possible to date to tear down our country, bankrupt it, destroy the military, cause it to be overrun with drug dealers crossing the border, stealing from the working to give to the unwilling to work and this site is overrun with the obot morons with their tongues hanging out for more freebies.

Try reading Ameritopia, the destruction of the United States. It's a good read. And you may just learn why it's failing before it's too late. In this case, the capain may not have jumped ship, but he's certainly been poking holes in the boat.

UnitedStates1776, "Bush = Capt. Schettino Obama is the rescue party captain trying to refloat USS America sunk by GOP."

Your name suggests you understand the US Constitution and the framers when they made the Constitution. Your comment shows you do not. It is both parties that are working very hard to sink America and American citizens. Obama has continued Bush inroads into destroying America, and illegally taking away our Rights when they do NOT have the legal authority to do so. See they HAVE to "support and defend the US Constitution or they are illegally in the position they currently occupy (POTUS has to "Preserve, Protect, and Defend the US Constitution").

So what we currently have, and what those who are following party are doing, is supporting those illegally occupying positions in the three branches of our government (and as domestic enemies) destroying our nation, our Constitution, our ways of life.

If you do NOT believe this, then you have forgotten that those 545 people exercise the complete power of the federal government, and that what exists today is what they wanted to exist. Those 545 (minus a few - VERY FEW) human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million who are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country today.

You no longer have a job, it is their fault for making policies that supported foreign countries, banks, mega corporations, and big pharma instead of the American people. You no longer have a house, is their fault for making policies that supported foreign countries, banks, mega corporations, and big pharma instead of the American people.

The Constitutional framers believed that our Rights in the US Constitution, and others not written there, are our natural Rights. The US Constitution was created to define the way our government will operate, and to Protect our Rights from those who might serve in our government who would take them away. In fact, the Bill of Rights sets limits on our federal government, making clear our federal government has NO power to infringe on rights we already naturally possess, or to limit traditionally held privileges, such as trial by jury. The Constitution only grants our federal government certain, specified powers. The US Constitution serves as a grant of specific written powers to, and a blueprint for, the structure of the federal government; plus as the written guarantee that those within the three branches can never take our Rights away.

The framers wanted to make sure everyone understood that the Constitution only grants the feds prescribed, specific, enumerated powers, that our federal government cannot exercise ANY powers other than those (constitutionally) granted. The 9th Amendment makes the limiting nature of the Constitution clear: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.".

The states and the people possesses all other powers not specifically given to the fed gov by the US Constitution: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people" 10th Amendment

By the way, Oath Breakers, and Domestic enemies are both prosecutable. And Impeachable.

But it is easier to believe the lies instead of what is actually happening around you. You have less freedom, you are watched when you drive, your cell phones are not private, etc.

The Georgia court found Obama to NOT meet the requirements to run for president. Obama essentially said yesterday that the judicial branch has no power over him. He ordered his attorneys to stay away from the hearing. He didn’t petition a higher court in a legitimate attempt to stay the hearing. Instead he showed complete contempt for the entire judicial branch and for the rule of law. Rather than respecting the legal process Obama went around the courts and tried to put political pressure directly on the Georgia Secretary of State. When that failed, he simply ignored the judicial branch completely.

The rule of law, and our three-branch system of government, now hang in the balance. If the Georgia court issues a ruling on the merits and an order finding Obama in contempt of court, and if that contempt order actually results in real punishment of some kind, then we will still have a Constitutional Republic. If this doesn’t happen, then Obama will have been rewarded for showing complete contempt for the judicial branch.

So thank you to all of you who supported those destroying our country. It will be a difficult time for those who support freedom, the US Constitution over a dictatorship to get us back on track. Since you like the controls put on you, the world is full of dictatorships and monarchies; but one federal republic under the US Constitution. I hope you will find one to your liking because the rest of us will defend the USA, Home of the Brave, Land of the Free with everything we have.

The White House is irked at Italian cruse ship captain comparison.

I always wondered what happened to Irkle!

Sorry! My mistake

Irkle said "Did I do that?" when he screwed up.

Obama says "It's not my fault, I inherited it from Bush!"

Dambed, Obama scores lower on the integrity scale than sit-com charactor Irkle.

Barack (the buck stopped with Bush) Obama, hasn't got the integrity to take ownership of what is now His responsibility, no matter how we got here.

I am tired of the whole mess. The DEMs and REB both are not what we need for leadership. For years the progressives have been pushing for 1 world economy. We as a nation are doomed to be equal to a 3rd world country in economy to have evey one on equal ground? And why should I be in a union or have a right to work card. The DEMs are pushing the union agenda, Healthcare run by the FEDS? They can't even fix the problems we already have with Medicare or SS. Give me a break, they will screw it up too. The Democrat party are pushing for more welfare. Check out Lyndon Johnson and his legacy. Go back in history and check out what has been done in deregulation and who controlled the banking industry. We have economic depression because we are being forced to a 1 world government.

My goodness that's a bunch of Hogwash.

I read all these comments, and what really grabs Me is everyone calling the republicans the party of no. Well Bush had a democratic majority His last two years, Clinton had Republican majority half of His two terms, and I didn't here either one of them calling the other the party of no. I think the buck stops with the big guy at the top, He has to bring everything together, and obviously Obama can't do it. I almost feel that He is dividing the country on purpose! His ideas are just so radical that neither party can go along with Him. When He submitted the only budget He has tried to do, even His own party wouldn't support it. I just feel everyone is barking up the wrong tree. Sure they are all worthless Dems. and Repubs. , but really, to give the job to a guy that Has never really held a job outside of polical office, what would You expect!

Jan Brewer is Crazy?? why, because she wants to secure our borders? keep drug cartels out? Keep mass graves popping up in Arizona like they do just south of her. Yeah, she is reaally crazy. Maybe you should get off your knees every time The almighty 'O' shows up on TV. Take a look at why people are getting Pi$$ed off in this country.

Lets raise the debt ceiling again, and again, and.....lets get another "super" committee of Dems to try and solve a problem....hmmm, their 'super 'minds couldnt make a decision even if there was only one option. What a joke.

The "can" Boehner was talking about "kicking down the road" is turning more into a 55 gallon drum at the top of a 1000 foot hill. 1000 days without a budget? The can is about to roll over all of us.

Then who are going to blame and say is out of touch??. Oh wait, your still going to re-gurgitate "its all GW's fault". Seems someone made a campaign promise just over 3 years ago, something to the effect of "If I cant fix it in 3 years I'll be a 1 term President.". Well? its not fixed, and we over twice as far in debt as we were. I wish he would keep at least one promise. Hope and change baby, you got it.

To bad mr president, it comes with the territory. I did so like some of the cartoons posted on these boards. So appropriate!

Well god forbid that anybody say anything that IRKS Obama!!!!!.As another poster said he does say and do plenty that irks me. Guess I don't have the right to feel irked with any of the politicians that were HIRED by people like me and we expect them to understand that they WORK FOR "we the people, NOT THEMSELVES or for their best interests? considering the tragedy that occurred maybe the comparison is a bit out of line, but the sentiment behind it is not. Lot of politicians in office right now deserve to be FIRED and they should be damn well worried about irking "WE THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

This is really an insult to Captain Schettino. Schettino killed about 17 people and wrecked a $500M ship.

Obama got 25 SEAL's killed by opening his big mouth about Seal Team 6 and bin Laden. He has done irreparable damage to the American Dream, saddling generations of Americans with a staggering $6T debt in only 3 years, making him the biggest spender in the history of mankind.

Cat-1200657

JK, are you aware that in the Healthcare Reform Bill it was the Republicans who wanted the Individual Mandate?

Cat, the Repubs who fell for the lure of the individual mandate did so only because they weren't allowed to read the bill first. Remember Nancy Pelosi and her now-infamous "We have to pass the bill to know what's in the bill" remark? Republicans are all about individual freedoms and taking personal responsibility, whereas Dems are all for centralized planning and government controls on everything, so when they saw the term "individual" that your teflon-slick Democratic lawmakers put on there, they initially went for it. Once they got a look at the whole bill and saw how the federal govenment could use this new law to force people to buy something that many of us neither want nor need, using the IRS to enforce it, and putting those of us who defied it in jail, or paying a hefty fine, or both, they balked, and rightly so.

Once again total disrespect to the Office of the President of the United States it ok to disagee with him but he has never abandon this country and if he got the right support instead of rederick from all theses that think they can do it better then maybe we and he can get more done this really needs to STOP nothing gets done when we forget who we are love it or leave it we have the Greatest Country when we stand for something and care about All, not just the Money,Politics and the Haves and Forget the Have Not the 95%er of this country that foots 100% of all cost,This is what you get so please listen and Vote to make things happen for all not just for Some .........................PS Government will always grow so dont drink the kool aid that there will ever be small Government thoses doors dont close they just get contained its a Wish not a reality(Small Government)

These scumbs (GOP) have never learned what respect is all about. If they would have learned this early in life they would not be calling OUR President Captain Schettino. Shame on you. Respect is what our country is missing. All they want is give me more and more.

Marlene - Republicans tend to talk in generalities, e.g, "bankrupt the country", "destroy the military", "drug dealers crossing the border", and "He's done pretty much everything possible to date to tear down this country." Maybe if you threw in some facts now and then you could have an educated opinion? Ask the auto industry about the rescue of their industry - which, by the way, hasn't cost this country one dime.

Knine--Right On! Well said!

The Republicans and the Democrats need to come together and UNITE this country. We are sinking in an abyss with no leadership. Quit the name calling. We need to work together to bring this country back to where we once proudly stood.

lojack and thankful, political cartoons are rarely respectful, get over it and have a chuckle.

Link to some of these cartoons...

http://www.verumserum.com/?p=37356

Hey "longdin"

Marlene - Republicans tend to talk in generalities

As a matter of fact, Mr. Obama's campaign promises "Change" "Hope" etc were pretty generic. Are you saying he's a closet Republican?

longdin - The auto bailout hasn't cost the taxpayers one dime? Boy are you out of touch! GM stock has to rise to around $55/share and then sold for the taxpayers to break even. P.S. GM stock is currently trading at around $25/share.

Interesting on how you portray obama as talking in generalities. It is indeed an accurate description.

Doug In Reno-2751675, at this point in the Bush 43 administration, Howard Dean was Chairman of the DNC. Did Howard Dean compare Pres. George Bush to Hitler? Absolutely not! Every earnest Democrat would have pushed for his immediate dismissal. That's the difference between Democrats and Republicans, Howard Dean and Reince Priebus, and especially you and me.

you can all rant a rave about the president, but have you looked at the rest of the world. I'm yelling at you (they took it away from me)because it seems none of you have any idea what is going on. grow up and do something about it. write to your congressperson and bit*h to them, get out and vote and be involved instead of shooting blanks here.

Who gets to decide what is off topic?? Doesn't seem that it's gotten to far off topic as everyone has been closely related. I suppose it's "off topic" if it's something you don't personally like?????????????

Neighborofthebeast:

Really? Is that why 7 of the top 10 richest members of Congress are Democrats? What would your party know about "the common folk"? You've been trying for 6 decades to separate us all into government-dependent groups of dumbed-down, semi-illiterate hedonists that you set upon each other like animals in the Colisseum to distract the public whenever you want to raise taxes or plunder the Federal Reserve to pay off your union thugs or attack the Bill of Rights.

It is funny you should say that, because isn't it a cornerstone of the democratic party the principle that people who have more money, should pay a higher percentage in taxes than those of lower incomes, so if 7 of the 10 richest people in congress are democrats, that means these people are actually advocating policies that would raise taxes on theirselves, which means they are not a bunch of greedy bastards, like most rich republicans. Middle class republicans annoy me because they are in a party that is not looking out for their intrests at all. That is really stupid.

MTpolitico:

Barack (the buck stopped with Bush) Obama, hasn't got the integrity to take ownership of what is now His responsibility, no matter how we got here.

In case you have been living under a rock, the economy is improving from the worst economic collapse since the great depression. I for one think it is worth mentioning that we got here because of Bush, and is plain ignorant, shallow minded, greedy republican policies. The best indicator of the future is the past, so I think the past is worth mentioning.

yup, pelosi and reid were so happy to be back in power under George Bush that they forgot what their job was.

marlene hessler -- huh??? You have made some pretty bold statements, without backing up one. Can you? While Mr. Obama may not be the best President we have had, he certainly has not all that you have accused him of. Rather, he has been trying to repair many of the "oopses" of past Presidents. While I may not agree with everything he has done or wants to do, I understand that he is trying and it is difficult when you do not have the backing of those necessary. Instead of constantly running the President down and blaming everything on him and the Democratic party, let's put the blame where the blame belongs -- POLITICIANS IN GENERAL!!!!! I learned years ago -- and I do mean years as I am 68 -- not to vote for the party, but rather listen to what those running are saying and mating that with what I believe. While this approach to politics may not always work at least I am voting MY beliefs and not the beliefs of the masses. Oh, well, I know this means "nuttin' to no one" but at least I got it out there. Have a great day, all, and for pity sake quit all the infighting and try to get along.

Hey longdin,

Okay, a few facts for you. In the three years since Mr. Obama has become president he has overseen an increase in the national debt of $4.8 trillion, which is more than Mr. Bush did in 8 years.

Since Mr. Obama's stimulus package has passed the USA has had a net loss of over 1 million jobs.

Even if you were to take into account Mr. Obama's claim that he has saved or created 3 million jobs, the cost per job saved or created is around 2/3 of a million dollars, which is an amount we will never recover in taxes paid, or economic activity generated. What this means is that our nation is less wealthy than had the stimulus not been spent.

Mr. Obama, you claim, has saved the auto industry. While untrue economically I know the talking points, and obviously you do as well. But your claim it has cost us nothing is patently untrue. Forget the arguments about the constitutionality of the government buying up private equity in firms, but we are at this point at least $130 billion UPSIDE DOWN on the various investments in private equity.

Mr. Obama has failed to lead. Even democrats in the house and senate complain that he doesn't talk with them--this is not just a republican complaint. He was pointedly absent in the debt ceiling debate. Calling it "Obamacare" is in some ways unfair if only because Mr. Obama wasn't involved in crafting it, leaving the Congress to try to figure it out for themselves. In this regard, like him or not, he is pretty pathetic.

Mr. Obama has failed to produce results on his campaign promises regarding GITMO, or the Patriot Act. Worse, he really hasn't given much of a try. From my perspective I say great, but you should be a little more than just perturbed at his fecklessness.

Since Mr. Obama has become president poverty is up. The number on food assistance is up. The number employed is down. The average household earnings are down.

Lastly, if the best one can do after spending more than $2 trillion more than trends prior to one's election indicated is to achieve 1.7% GDP growth, then one is incompetent.

Enjoy.

Gov, Brewer was right....Gov.Jindal was right.....He is the President of the Thin-Skinned Society of America.....If his skin gets any thinner we'll be able to see right through him....Oh wait....Americans DO see right through him.............The Bloom is long gone off this Petunia...

Hey Genius,

To your first point...well, not really. Look at the list and you will see that the money they earned which made them so wealthy was in capital gains, and democrats have been pushing for increases in the marginal tax rate, on wages and salaries--quite a bit different than capital gains. But there is another way you are wrong as well. We don't tax wealth in the USA, we tax income, and so just being wealthy and making a public plea to raise taxes would do nothing to raise taxes on themselves.

But it was a good try on your part!

Too bad we got rid of dueling in this country. Politics would be infinitely more civilized if remarks like this could be challenged on the field of honor.

Knine, you had me for a quite awhile until I finally discovered the point of your lengthy argument. Federal courts always hold precedent over state courts. The President of the United States is an official of the Federal government, not the State of Georgia. Under your premise, the Florida Supreme Court have would appointed Gore President in election 2000 and overridden the United States Supreme Court that appointed Bush.

I found the entire process of any court appointed Presidency very unpalatable, but the powers that be declared it legal and valid. To propose that any one State shall have the power to declare that any legally elected President is serving illegally and remove him from office(or prevent him from running for re-election) is preposterous.

We all have become a nation of babbling idiots politicians included. Reminds me of my ex. I say blue she says green. Whatever the opposing view is... go for it!

Hey Joe,

You'd kind of think that. But when dueling was still permitted American politics was far nastier than even today. We are powderpuffs compared to the political fighting the early presidents dished out.

Oh wait....Americans DO see right through him.............The Bloom is long gone off this Petunia...

Stop including the word "Americans" in your comments. Many of us are "Americans" and find your comments really annoying and disturbing.

How about "Many of us Tea Party" members "Republicans " or whatever you are...Don't care either

Rich - Thanks for the reply. It's nice to see something cogent on these pages. I think that my main fault for the president is that he didn't get forceful enough soon enough. There are, however, suggestions that his domestic policies are producing positive results such as a continuing decrease in unemployment and the success of the rescued auto companies - except Ford, who didn't take a nickel. There would have been a 1930's kind of depression if the million or so auto workers and suppliers went under. And don't forget that Bush and Paulson were engaged in the bailouts before Obama. I would most likely agree with you more if Obama had been handed a level playing field. But don't blame Congress. After all, they didn't do anything!

Hey Commonsense,

I didn't read Knine, but I think you have one major error in your post regardless of what you were replying to. The case in Georgia (which I think has no merit but that's another debate) is about whether or not Mr. Obama can appear on the ballot in Georgia, not whether he can serve as president if elected. This is starkly different than the 14th amendment claim in Florida in 2000 that the USSC settled.

United we stand; divided we fall. We better get it together and stop all this nonsense.

I find the hateful tone in American politics to be repulsive. Takes a lot of energy and self loathing to be that negative.

well we got bad politicians in both parties...that do nothing to get america back on track... has the greatest nation on earth...repeal nafta...close our borders ...let the middle east control their own...those illegals in our country should be forced to leave along time ago...no more green cards ...workers are losing all their rights...if you had watch the president you would see how corporately controlled the dude is...throw more money to other country's while we go further in debt...this guy is not in touch ...but neither are the repubs...plain bob 2012...what ya think bout that thar...mark r...i like to end it with a rhyme..some time...now back to my cheetos...and fritos...

Laughable. GOP so full of shame.

I totally agree with you, but the problem are the republicans and tea party, they don't want to compromise, its their way or the high way. Well I say take the highway repugs & teabaggers, we've had enough of your crap, you are destroying this country and the majority of the people will not let you get away with it, just watch the 2012 election, but first watch what happens in WI that will speak volumes.

And Prebius is just another puppet of Republican party, even his own party is against what he said about the President, what a jerk.

Hey longdin,

You're welcome. And thanks for your words. I do thoroughly disagree with any claim about the automaker bailout though. For many reasons too...

Mr. Obama in the SOTU just 6 days ago both patted himself on the back for the bailouts and said that bailouts, essentially, are wrong and we should never do them. Well, they are either good or bad. I say bad.

Bad because the cost of the bailout far exceeds any economic benefit of keeping the firms solvent. Those employees you think would all be unemployed would, for the most part, keep right on working. See, bankruptcy is not synonymous with, or indicative of, going out of business. GM and Chrysler could have gone through the bankruptcy courts seeking protection while they reorganized their operations. A federal judge, using experts in the various fields involved, would decide to approve any reorganization plan. Some elements of the firms might be sold, or conceivably could even be shut down, but in the vast majority of cases the firms shed debt, or reorganize it, have their various barganing agreements vacated and reworked, and then continue on in business.

Mr. Obama went far outside the law here. He went well beyond what the constitution permits--legal cases might prevail on this. He simply created his own law, rendering secured creditors and bond holders harmed, while benefitting unsecured creditors. A major purpose of the federal government is in establishing laws, and courts to adjudicate cases brought under those laws, regarding contracts. The damage Mr. Obama has done here to contract law, bankruptcy law, and the constitution, will be far-reaching.

So the jobs would not have been lost. The firms would likely have continued to exist largely intact. The laws were violated. And we are upside down, still, on the equity investment. TARP watchers believe the USA will end up with a net negative equity position in GM.

In no way can I call this action by Mr. Obama a success.

The only feelings that will be hurt are the republicans and TPers the night of the elections in November when they loose control of the house and face a super majority in the senate because of all their hatred and over reaches they have done since 2010. Go Newton Go! Go Willard Go!

Obama/Biden 2012 Dem House 2012 Dem Senate 2012 Many state houses returns to Dems 2012.

Rich: While you defend such inane disrespect for the President of the United States, at least do some homework. Obama has ADDED 2 million jobs in under 3 years...5 times more than your hero added in all 8 years of his Presidency. Your hero took a budget surplus and blew it into the largest deficits into huge deficits in a short time with wild spending and two wars that he kept off the accounting books in a successful effort to fool your ilk that they cost nothing. If anyone had claimed something similar about GW, abandoned ship?? the politest names they would have been called would have been "terrorist". This is why Republicans are in the shape they are in: a race to the bottom to put country last and hate first. I'd tell you to be ashamed of yourself but you're probably not capable of it.

Obama is gonna get re elected anyways

stop sulking already, it unsightly...

i mean how much lower can you get ?

its like a 3 layer cake of :

@!$%#

hell

GOP

oh yes, and hypocrisy as the frosting. btw, dont eat it guys D:<!

Rich-281385, How many red states would it take to disqualify President Obama from their ballots to prevent his re-election? Such an act would destroy the Republic as we know it. We have seen this movie before with Georgia playing a starring role. It was called "The Civil War".

Like I said, the entire concept is preposterous and has absolutely nothing to do with States Rights or The Constitution. It is political grandstanding at best and utter foolishness to say the least. Exactly like the Florida Supreme Court trying to stand against the United States Supreme Court.

The economy is going down the tube--someone do something and quit acting like egotistical maniacs--posturing does not save us--I know you do not get this because it cannot be ME!!!!!

Hi AP,

Let's see if I can help you out here. I didn't defend calling Mr. Obama "Capt. Schettino". Why you would say I did when I didn't write one word about it speaks to your ability to see what you want, but little more.

Mr. Obama claims he's saved or created 3 million jobs. You might imagine that is 2 million created and one million saved, but it's a think point to argue none the less. But I didn't write that Mr. Obama didn't create or save jobs (though it's manifestly true imo that he hasn't). I wrote that since Mr. Obama became president more than one million fewer Americans are employed. And, for the record (though I suspect you will read whatever you want anyhow), Bush didn't create jobs either. Presidents don't create jobs, and the sooner people on either side accept this reality the sooner we can end our self-delusion into thinking that with just more money borrowed from the future we can create nirvana today.

We have not had an actual budget surplus in many decades. There was a technical balance in the late 90s, but we accrued more debt in each of those supposedly surplus years. It is IMPOSSIBLE to both have a surplus AND increase the debt we owe in the same year. Perhaps you missed that class in accounting.

No federal spending is "off the books". It may not be in the budget, but it must be paid for either with more taxes being paid or more debt being owed.

The things said about Mr. Bush, that he was Hitler, that he was a chimp, that he lied to get us into war, and so on, were pretty vile. I think that color suits you though.

I don't think republicans are in trouble, I think Americans are in trouble. Mostly for the reasons exhibted by you. Your unwillingness to think beyond your political designation. Your economic illiteracy. Your constitutional ignorance.

I hope you enjoy your bread and circus.

rednawt you must be one of my fellow Democrats who constantly vote Democrat regardless of the candidate and their position on issues. The image of Democrats working for the poor people is a joke. Democrats have sold out to government agency unions forever to obtain support and campaign contributions that are impacting our economy. You probably believe too that all the campaign contributions are from the people not corporations. Obama already had a Democratic congress but avoided all the important and risky issues. Will anything change if Obama is elected for another term? Sure illegals will get amnesty, taxes will increase, and our economy will sink deeper into the toilet.

I enjoy seeing pictures of Obama. I always notice he has his nose in the air. Does that mean he looks down at the Ameican people as beneath him.

Obama certainly is a fine example of the Democratic mascot. The short version of donkey.

Name calling. Bullying. "I know I am, but what are you?" debate tactics. Why don't you just put Obama in a headlock and finish your third grade school yard tricks.

We're not offended, we're discouraged. You see, in order to undo the economic collapse and get people working, we have to come to some kind of compromise with what is now the most unreasonable and immature political group in history.

We have every reason to be discouraged.

Hey commonsense1,

Every safe "red" state could disqualify Mr. Obama from their ballot and it would do nothing to negatively alter his ability to win in November. See, those states are going to place their electoral college votes with the republican candidate, so if Mr. Obama wasn't even running in them it wouldn't matter.

But I think you miss a larger constitutional point. This is a bad case to make it, but it's the case that has come forward so far. The states are assigned the duty of conducting elections, and of establishing the rules about how to admit candidates to the ballot. They could not operate to deny the equal protection clause, and in no way could they operate to usurp the power of the constitution in determining the qualifiers for potential candidates. One qualifier is being a natural born citizen. I think Mr. Obama is one. The case in Georgia is, in part, about that question. There is no federal mechanism by which we can determine if a candidate meets the constitutional requirements for the office, but there MAY be at the state level, where the method of elections is reserved.

If Georgia has a statute which compels all candidates to present proof of their constitutional qualifications then I think the case could, and should, go forward. The problem is that no one else is asked to present proof, and this is because no law exists in Georgia, apparently, to demand it. So the case will fail, as it should, based solely on the law. The facts will not be adjudicated.

Rich,

Bush was handed a budget surplus... you can argue with the actuals but the point remains the same... it was close.

The real point is that Bush created his "Bush Debt Train" consisting of an UNFUNDED Iraq war, an UNFUNDED Afghan war, a huge expansion of homeland security WITHOUT FUNDING, UNFUNDED Medicaid Drug Plan, and the BUSH tax cuts that went years beyond their effectiveness. The Bush Debt Train burned over $500 Billion a year and is only now slowing down a little. Add another $500 Billion in fewer tax revenues coming from a Bush economy and you have a real nice, clean, cool $1 Trillion in annual deficits directly traceable to your daddy Bush.

And your party leaders accuse Obama of abandoning ship? What a farce.

I hope this is on the subject.

Both sides of this tension need to grow up!

Tom, I haven't always voted dem. I actually voted for Nixon, first term. I actually voted for Reagan, first term. Corporations ARE people. The super rich are to. Can you say $10 million from a husband and wife to a pac for Newton? Money must be people too.

What I see are the republicans pandering big time. I see them stretching the truth big time. I see them flop flopping all the time big time. I know what I would like to hear, the truth and I don't hear any of the republicans speak it. I do see them over reaching in a lot of cases. I see the governors who have over reached are in big time trouble but for some of them I give credit for pulling back. If the republicans would like more of the independent vote, they would stop demonizing the American worker. As it stands now, the polls are showing the republicans losing the all important independents big time.

The dems may get some union pac money, the repubs have their pac supporters too. Why must unions always be demonized? Do you realize where this country would have been without unions? Unions at one time represented 30% of all workers in this country, now only 6% non-government workers, 16% total. Not exactly a majority. We had a huge middle class when we had 30% non-civil service union members. The weaker the unions get, the smaller the middle class get. The smaller the middle class gets the smaller the tax revenues get. Looks like a race to the bottom.

As I look at the field of republicans running, only one might have been someone I could consider voting for but he dropped out, Mr Huntsman. The rest, in my opinion, are just loony clowns masquerading as viable presidential candidates.

CRY BABY OBAMA

Ya'll need to be crying about the shape the country is in or the trillions it's gonna take to get obama care started or wanting the rich to fund his overspent government. Now go cry!

Rich: Your 'no hope, no change' mantra is old and tired and you have yet to understand how it will lose the Republicans this election. Deny the facts if you like, but you can't expect all Americans to follow you...That federal stimuls spending doesn't count in creating jobs may be your idealogy but jobs are jobs, even if they are inconvenient to your total and your politics. At least you are consistently partisan and consistenly wrong, I'll give you that. Not only do jobs not count if they are created under a democratic administration, apparantly surpluses aren't even surpluses if they happen when a Democrat is in the White House. One might have thought until your Mr. Bush came along that it would have been impossible in 8 short years to take a surplus and create one of the largest deficits in history in such a short time, and if I hadn't lived through it, I might have not believed it either, but unfortunately that was indeed the case. I have NO idea what you're talking about with your "hitler" accusations ...I don't stoop to using such hateful accusations about those whose politics I don't agree with--I'll leave that to you.

LMarcT

Maybe you should do some research.

The HIGHEST deficit from 2001 to 2008 was 458,553,000,000

Now the FY 2009 was done with Continuing Resolutions. Obama signed the LAST Continuing Resolution in Mr. 2009. So it is hard to separate Bush from Obama.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals

You will need Excel to read the Tables.

At least this media sees Obama for what he really is. Thank the lord for people like me that can cancel out a vote for Obama. I only graduated 3rd grade and would vote for Obama but I am smarter than that.

genius12

...isn't it a cornerstone of the democratic party the principle that people who have more money, should pay a higher percentage in taxes than those of lower incomes, so if 7 of the 10 richest people in congress are democrats, that means these people are actually advocating policies that would raise taxes on theirselves, which means they are not a bunch of greedy bastards

Actually, Genius, what makes them greedy bastards is wanting to pay for social programs with MY money. Your rich Democratic friends are free to donate as much of their wealth to private charities as they wish and there's even a government program that allows private citizens to donate whatever they want to the IRS, anytime they want. They don't even have to take the tax deduction if they really want to be noble. No one's stopping them. I am not rich, but I donate to local food banks when I can, I toss my change into the red buckets the Salvation Army has outside stores on the holidays and I've even been known to give a few bucks to a passing homeless person, so don't give me any lectures about generosity, but when you pass laws FORCING me to give some of what I've earned to someone else, you've crossed the line. When you look at the enormous number of people who abuse those government programs, or scam the system by using up resources they don't need because they are too drunk, stoned or lazy to get or keep a job or they lie about their resources, is it really any wonder that many conservatives have shied away from giving to the charities that used to be available to help these people? We should have a choice in the matter of who gets the benefit of our largess. Some tough love with these deadbeats is badly needed.

Middle class republicans annoy me because they are in a party that is not looking out for their intrests at all. That is really stupid

You just don't get it. I don't want a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent, a Libertarian or any other political party looking out for my interests. I can do that myself. It's called freedom, and it's what this country was founded on.

Hey AP,

I'll try one last time. In no year for the past more than 50 years has the US national debt failed to go up. You can claim that when debt increases that we have a surplus if you want, but the numbers just don't lie. Bush went WAY too far, imo, regarding government spending, but it is nothing compared to what Mr. Obama has engaged in. The total debt under Bush is LESS than the total debt under Obama, and this is with 8 years compared to Mr. Obama's 3 years. Again, you can pretend it isn't so, but the numbers just don't lie.

The better area for debate, I think anyhow, is over your claim that the government in spending money creates jobs. It's easy to see the new hires--the media loved showing video of people who claimed they just found work because of this, or that, program. But there is a problem with this. It assumes that no jobs were lost because of the spending that was otherwise squeezed out by the additional government money. And as far as efficacy goes the problem is even worse. Say that we only spent $200 k per job saved or created (this is an amount less than the government itself concludes was spent), and say that the average taxes paid because that job was created by that spending is $10 k per year. Using those numbers, and assuming not a single job was lost because of the programs, and you will just possibly reach break even, that is, the amount spent will over the life of the people who got the jobs involved be repaid through taxes on the increased economic activity.

But, like I said, this amount is LESS than the government itself accounts for, and doesn't take into consideration those jobs lost because of the programs in place. The actual numbers exceed $660k PER JOB saved or created, and that still doesn't take into account the jobs lost, or not created, because of the programs involved. So, you say that jobs are jobs, which is true, but I would reply that less wealth is less wealth. We will never recover the spent money for the jobs you claim were created through taxation. We are a less wealthy nation as a result. We have made the future for our heirs less prosperous. All so you could say "jobs are jobs".

I'm glad you say you didn't stoop to low and hateful accusations of Mr. Bush. Your posts are clearly less than neighborly, so I'll leave your veracity to those reading what you've written, but I would appreciate it if you'd stop lying about what I have said, or written. I've never said that Obama is anything other than the sum total of my arguments--an epic failure. But there is no reason to be insulting in making the case. With some luck you will see I haven't done aything you claim. Reality speaks to a different outcome.

This level of discourse is getting real close to people shooting at each other. Republicans in Florida said this weekend that democrats are un-american and should 'get the hell out' of this country. It is time for everyone to take a deep breath and start acting like adults.

@genius "that means these people are actually advocating policies that would raise taxes on theirselves".

Do you honestly think they are willing to pass laws that effect them???? Google Kerry's stand on tax increases then learn how he avoided paying US taxes when he HE WENT OFFSHORE TO PURCHASE HIS $7 million yacht where the taxes are cheaper. Not to mention he wouldn't even dock it in his own state because the docking fees/taxes are too high. He's put it in another state, Rhode Island, saving $500,000 annually in taxes. However, once the media got wind of it he decided to pay the taxes. The guy and his wife are worth anywhere from $700 million to $2 billion, yet in 2003 paid 15% on a declared income of $5million.

Then there is Charlie Rangel..he voted for lots of tax increases too. Didn't bother him..he wasn't paying taxes.

Take a look at former Vice Presidential Candidate John Edwards's 2003 tax returns, and you'll find that he paid an astonishingly low rate of 5.1%. Seems a bit low for a man with a net worth hovering around $54.7 million.

Hillary Clinton,, when running for president said she wanted to close the ``loopholes'' for ``people who create a mailbox, or a drop, or send one person to sit on the beach in some island paradise and claim that it is their offshore headquarters.'' But......her financial- disclosure forms show that Bill Clinton, 61, had a financial stake in three investment entities registered in the Cayman Islands by Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. LLC. Off shore investments...less taxes.

These guys can pass any law they want because they know all the loopholes. Dems do not pay the taxes they vote to increase.

Hey Steve,

I've heard the same from democrats and liberals. We are in a fix, to be sure. I don't think that at this point we are able to even agree on actual facts, and so policy agreements are probably not possible in the near future. Perhaps one side must win before we can move ahead, I don't know. For many decades republicans did compromise with democrats, and we've ended up with ever larger government, and now ever larger debt. Maybe it's time to give liberty a chance, cut the government, and rely upon those things which in the past made us great. Not that this will undercut the vitriol.

Hi Rich,

I believe the majority of Americans are rational people that want to move forward; somehow we have let the extremes on both sides take over. I used to be a Republican, but the part left me when they gave up fiscal responsibility and started pandering to people's lowest triggers. I am now a Libertarian, but feel that Ron Paul has taken this to extremes as well ... lot of good ideas, but I don't think we need to let people die on the doorsteps of hospitals if they don't have insurance. It is time for a new party that stands for old American values, with a focus on civil discourse and respect for all Americans. I may disagree with you at times, but I will fight for your right to disagree with me.

Give Liberty a Chance

On behalf of MSNBC and Newsvine; I'd like to welcome all the new Conservatives who have joined us in the last two years. Thank you for increasing the MSNBC and Newsvine revenue triple fold with all your clicks on our topics. Tell your friends - the more the merrier, Fox won't miss their faithful.

Anger and fear - sure things in business.

This one page alone must have brought in a couple hundred bucks.

WAAAHHHHHH!! Someone is calling the president names and that is huwting his fewlings!! WAAAHHHHH!!!

The only thing more perplexing that the fact that the RNC's head would make such abhorrent, ill-conceived, mean-spirited remarks is that anyone -- anyone -- would be surprised by them.

This is, after all, the party of Lee Atwater, Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, Dick (how appropriate!) Cheney, Karl Rove, Swiftboating, on and on ad infinititum, ad nauseam.

Hence, the GOP shall now be known as "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Think Straight."

Well, I stand corrected!

Obviously, Orlando Patriot, isn't surprised... as he or she found his or her own commentary so terribly, terribly witty he or she has reposted it three times.

As I said, "ad infinitum, ad nauseam."

The only cowards I see in the picture are the wimps on the Republican side who are too afraid of that weenie who dares them to raise taxes on the rich. Grow a pair will you. Previce or whatever the hell his name is, is showing fear of the inevitable. He is part of the reason that good honorable men decided not to represent his party during this season.(Whoever they may be). Anyone can sit back and throw juvenile insults out to the press, but it also reflects on the interviewer that didn't challenge his horrendous assertion.

There is apparently no comment or behavior left on the right that they deem innapropriate. Please continue your vitriol and outlandish charges and innuendoes. The American public will let you know how much they approve of boorish behavior in the fall. By the way, take a minute and read a few of the collapsed comments. many are on topic and not innapropriate. Someone has a god complex i do believe.

Don't mind Orlando people he/she is just an internet troll. Back to the point at hand everyone insulting Bush/obama/dumba$$ Jr Bush/clinton. Look at their entire history. It's all the same only different names for all of it. Anyone who disagrees with me look at the facts.

Obama is a great president. There is no one else of his quality. I'll bet 10 thousand dollars he will be reelected.

I was going to make a comment but I'm afraid I'll get collapsed.

Hey O'Bama - TRUTH HURTS!!! I can't wait to hear some more of your "substance Free" speeches, long on unfulfilled promises and short or non-existent details.

takenaka - You'll have to give back a lot of your 99 weeks of Unemployment, Welfare & Food Stamps to pay that $10,000 - but you'll probably like O'Bama in that you expect someone else to pay you bills.

Obama might get his second term, after all he appeals to stupid voters. Hope and change certainly didn't last long. Nothing else about his first term is worth touting. Bush raised the debt ceiling 4 trillion over 8 years and Obama will end his first term with over 6 trillion in debt ceiling increases. What do we have to show for it? Nothing. Unless you believe the endless rhetoric spewed by Washington about jobs saved or created (like Solyndra), or that the bailouts worked. As if any business or bank that was saved would not have worked through their problems regardless of the government handout.

Obama has failed plain and simple. Whoops, that must make me a racist. Say anything, ask a tough question, and you are a racist. Obama was smart enough to get elected and that is where his intelligence ends. He has outsourced his presidency to Pelosi and Reid so he and his family can live the Presidency the Ride. Jet setting around the globe, vacations of kings, concerts, parties, and the best of the best. A wave to the little people his policies have forgotten as he boards AF1 for yet another vacation. How many rounds of golf or vacations did Bush take in comparison to Obama again? Oh, sorry I must be a racist for pointing out a one time vocal complaint that doesn't matter now.

If you love this president you do so without reason. He has done nothing positive for this country and his whole re-election strategy is to divide the nation even further with class warfare and out right hatred. If you can't stand this president because he has failed so miserably, then you are a racist. Wow, how convenient to just be able to pull out the race card whenever the tiny hairs on that ultra thin skin begin to quiver. Sort of like the threads you see collapsed by the community on this forum, they were all posts by racists. History will judge this president very harshly and congress right along with him. It will be criticism well deserved for living the dream but failing the country.

Most generally during an argument or debate, the one who calls others names, or makes negative remarks, are the one's who have run out of intelligent conversation.

Isn't the "Analogy" really "the Boat", itself?

I thought it was a great analagy! It's so obvious to all who pay attention that this president is super good at campaigning, not so interested in governing and really happy doing vacations. If we could keep him campaigning 100% of the time, he would be happy as a clam.

Hey JK1963 -

Yep. Those are the selfsame Democrats - who aren't afraid to take on the health care lobby.

Yes, they did make a mess of health care (but by no means a bigger mess than was already there). What the Democrats screwed up on is that they failed to take this far enough.

It's time for a one-payer system (call it socialized medicine if you will, I don't care... it can join the ranks of "socialized police services" and "socialized fire services" for all I care).

If you don't think the insurance companies have driven this country right down into the dirt - take a LOOK at how your "empathetic" and "socially responsible" health insurance companies have reacted ever since the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

When the components that required them to write policies for all children under a certain age went into effect - what did your health insurance companies do? I'm not talking about one insurance company... I'm talking about ALL insurance companies. Like petulant little children (who, if the rules aren't their rules, will pack up their toys and storm off home), they stopped offering health coverage to kids as individual policies. Now, the states have come in and said... either you offer policies in our state for kids or you don't do business in our state - they begrudgingly offer policies now.

Take a look at those policies. In Kentucky, the BEST policy you can get for a child has a $5,000 deductible (no, you're not reading that incorrectly... that would be a 5 with three zeroes after it). We have an open enrollment for children's policies only in the month of January outside of certain qualifying events (fine, I'm used to that with group coverage). Let me give you an example of how screwed up this whole thing is.

My companies health insurance is through UnitedHealthCare. For the past three years, we've been a pretty nice cash cow for them (each year, for every dollar we pay in premiums, they paid out between $0.65 and $0.75 in claims). This year, our employees did the unthinkable and actually used their health insurance (maternity claims were the largest offender as we had a few employees who had premature children). The insurance company paid out $0.92 for each dollar in premiums.

For that, we were awarded a 23% - non-negotiable jack up in rates. Since we're under 100 employees participating now, as soon as the other two companies with whom we can deal (we're a national company and only three companies in Kentucky have the capacity to deal with our geographic base of people) - Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Humana - got a wiff of the increase, they conveniently were "unable to match" UHCs prices. So... that left my company holding a nice large steaming turd sammich that every employee got to take a bite out of.

We had two medical plans. One, we dropped to get a 1.5% decrease in overall premiums. One of my employees was on the second plan - for which, she paid around $650 per month for the crappy coverage. This year, she's looking at just north of $900 for coverage - an increase of over $250 per month. She barely makes enough to cover the cost of her insurance - so when the choice was put in front of her to either a) put bread on the table or b) pay for the health insurance for her children, she had to drop coverage for her kids.

Now... enter individual policies for children.

She applied for a policy and was turned down because she had access to group insurance. Nevermind the fact that it was insurance she couldn't afford. The cost of the policy that she was turned down for? $120 a month to cover BOTH children. That coverage was every bit as crappy as the policy she had in 2011... but at least, her kids would be covered if something catastrophic happened. Their excuse? "Well, the state of Kentucky is forcing us to write child only policies... but they did say that if the child has access to group coverage - and it doesn't matter whether she can afford it or not - we don't have to write a policy".

Nevermind that these kids haven't even been to the doctor in over two years and have had zero claims. The right thing to do would be to say... you know what? The law doesn't REQUIRE us to do it... but the ethical thing to do would be to allow it. But, unfortunately, the word "ethical" and "health insurance companies" simply don't run in the same sentence. Never have - never will. Your Republicans want to understand why everything has to be made a law? Because your "fleece the people" companies that know they have the populace over a barrel will continue to deny what's "right" for what's "profitable". Instead of standing up for the health care lobby who lines your pockets so well with the almighty greenbacks - why don't you stand up for the small/mid-sized company that you so often tout as the people you're protecting. When your options as a company are to not offer health insurance or offer health insurance that no one can afford... or spend yourself into bankruptcy trying to keep up with the health insurance companys' greed... well, you really don't have much of an option, do you?

You want the straight dope? The insurance companies have been squeezing every penny of profit they can out of America while they can. If you're a Republican and you see nothing wrong with hurting the demographic of our country least able to defend itself (primarly, because it's not of age yet to vote by and large) - then SHAME on you.

I *hope* that Obama wins a second term. I also *hope* that the Democrats manage to secure a majority in the house and a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Perhaps, they'll develop the testicular fortitude to actually do the business of the American people and THROW THE "PROFITEERS FOR PAIN" OUT THE DAMN DOOR BY SOCIALIZING HEALTH CARE. While you're at it, put the doctors and pharmacists on notice that they're next.

And don't tell me doctor's don't milk it for everything they can too. When I see the Explanation of Benefits from the health insurance company that a 15 minute surgery (and no, that's not an exaggeration... it took 15 minutes to do the surgery) to put ear tubes in my two year old child's ears costs $26,000 ($13,000 per ear) - of which, the doctor received $1,700 total... there's something very wrong with the "doctor" side of things as well.

Here endeth the rant.

Leaving many comments collapsed for veering off-topic.

Stay on it, folks.

Are you kidding? The conservatives are collapsing unoffensive pertinent comments because they don't like the content, many are not off-topic in the slightest.

getalifevirginia-892326, #1.120- I pay attention. So obviously I'm not part of your "All". Could that possibly have anything to do with why "I", also, don't agree with your disparaging assignment onto me? Sometimes I use the word "inflicted" as the action(able) verb, instead. (:

I also thought it was a great analogy! I thought it seemed to perfectly, self-fulfillingly "beg the question"; to only itself, though. Making it not only inappropriate but also improper, to its obvious original intention, to be directed at "the other".

I was the only one in my 6th grade class that loved diagraming sentences!

The only thing that the GOP has to sell is hate.

Here we go again with removing comments that we all want to see!!!

Sally forgets what her boss stated when he bought newsvine:

"Tillinghast said msnbc.com was racing to foster a community among its readers and to exploit the power of unmoderated user commentary and ranking of the news."

I have only asked Sally about 10 times for Tillinghast's email or telephone number to confront him with this blatant abuse of power in violation of his direct statement that all comments would be unmoderated.

We don't have to live in China, Iran, Syria or North Korea, we can experience the joys here in the U.S.A.

These a$$es like to jump on these things when they obviously and accurately describe themselves and turn it around on their enemies.

1. For example, Newt Blingrich is absolutely the most like the Italian captain. He abandoned his family, congress, his party, associates, friends. Most who worked with him say he was totally selfish and irresponsible!!
2. Leatherface Brewer of AZ and Sarah "Once you've had black.." Palin come in a close second for their pomposity and yet total incompetence!!

Rick,

The bailout of the banks came directly from the pen of bush43.

Actually Obummer can be more accurately be compared to the legend of Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burned. And Rome did burn while Nero was emperor. Nero was found of burning Christians in his back yard to have light to read by. Perhaps that started the fire?

The United States needs so many reforms in its political system and so many changes in its government that do not cost money, that it does appear that Obummer is blind to the needs of its citizens.

The education system needs an immediate and drastic overhaul. The school unions have to be eliminated. Illinois now in a horrific cash crunch is now reducing the time to fire a teacher from TWO YEARS to 3-4 months. That meant that over $90,000 was paid to a teacher on administrative leave and reduced funds available for teaching children.

Funds for research into the use of the renewable hydrogen fuels has been cut back 90%. Meanwhile England, China, Japan and Norway are spending billions on research. Norway even has vehicles using hydrogen as a fuel and a highway with hydrogen filling stations.

Obummer gave a Finnish car company $500,000,000 to develop an electric car to compete with the GM electric car.

Obummer is worse than the Italian captain.

These Teapublican losers will make the stupidest statements just to sell more books to more losers...

It's sad really.

Obama 2012 in a landslide you Tea Party losers!

Fred Evil, #1.122- I thoroughly agree with you about "content" seeming to be the factor of axe-weilding judgment.

I can't get behind you, though, on naming who is actually doing the judging and collapsing. It seems to me that the answer is behind the http: inflictingly-informed propoganda; which, itself, first stands in front of and prohibiting and preventing any real look-sie at any Technological Truth of captured goings-on behind The Iron Curtain. Is it a segway or a veering off to now ask if this is anywhere akin to how Musician's like Tom Petty, for example, lost the Rights to "their own" Intellectual Properties"; and the impending myriad-unlawful IPO capture of "MUCH" by Facebook, for another example? In my Free Speech writer's mind, and Media term, I'm properly segwaying. A segway to related, relevant and "pertinent" questioning that has been brought up in my mind from thusfar(ly) written material.

Segwaying back, Time will tell, and Great post. I don't think [offensive-unoffensive] is a legitimately "pertinent" question when it comes to "Individual" Free Speech. But "pertinent", definately; in the proper context, though.

Tired of Stupidity-946705, #1.121- OMG!!!!!! Reading (knowing) is/was like someone finally connecting "the tube" on the ventillator to the gasping, convulsing Patient's brain cells!!!!!!!

Can you get this post to an "AUTHORITATIVE SOMEONE", like a Judge-with-brain-cells who is required to READ!??!! I might be back. I have to go spend some time "BREATHING" now, for how ever long [that] highlight of Life may last, before, in case, it goes away again and the convulsive gasping Brain Cells return.

This is some of the most idiotic and irresponsible talk from a public official since that Governor in Conn. about tacos.

And the people that have posted here are showing their total lack of respect for anyone.

It's a complete shame that all of you don't seem to be able to grow up out of the infantile stage of name calling and false accusations.

Please speak the truth or don't say anything at all. That goes for politicians as well as most the posters here.

I am just ashamed of it all.

@ Knine re: post 1.38 Yours was absolutely, without a doubt one of the best posts I think I have ever read here. It is a joy to see someone who actually knows something about the Constitution! And our Bill of Rights! It's a shame to see how many know so little about the greatest documents ever written. It's an even greater shame to know how many don't even realize how much of their freedoms they are happily, almost gratefully, giving away in the name of the "greater good"

As far as Mr. Obama taking offense at the analogy presented, well he's a big boy and should know he's going to get criticism, lots of it! In my own personal experience I have found when people react so strongly to negativity, that reaction reflects a knowing or sometimes unknowing realization that there is a profound element of truth in that criticism.

Hey Rod_Father,

I'm sure you were equally upset when the likes of Maxine Waters called Bush a racist, and if so then you might be something other than a political hack. I wouldn't call it hate from either side though. It's just politics, and it's cleaner than normal over our history. Reince Preibus was making the case that this president has been irresponsible (I think that is fair to conclude) in how he performs his duties, and shovels blame to everyone but himself (a fair conclusion again). So I wouldn't call it hate. Just politics.

On your point about the bank bailouts...Bush did want Congress to act, and did work with Congress to pass TARP, but you have a problem here too. See, if you are to believe Mr. Obama then the TARP monies were both successful in terms of their goal and were repaid to the Treasury. So when someone complains about the bailouts the right response wouldn't be to use Mr. Bush as a reason to justify Mr. Obama, but it would be a reason to thank Mr. Bush for what you claim saved the USA. I don't buy it, but given the left's political posturing you really must.

See, some of us conservatives thought the bailouts were wrong before, during, and after they occurred. We think Mr. Bush and Congress were wrong, and that Mr. Obama continues to be wrong, in using TARP money to shift wealth from you to the bankers/financiers/industrialists people on your side often decry. It's an odd outcome, really, that so many liberals who otherwise claim to despise the unfairly wealthy then support Mr. Obama's use of TARP money to make people unfairly wealthy at your own expense, but that is another story. In short, defending Mr. Obama by using the example of Mr. Bush, when you really disliked Mr. Bush, well, that dog won't hunt.

We are talking about the same Democrats that excluded the Republicans in the largest farce of a health care reform,

EXCLUDED!?!? He essentially TOOK A REPUBLICAN IDEA, and THEN they hated it!

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/top-house-republicans-throw-co.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/07/AR2010020703003.html

Go ahead, tell us again how Obama EXCLUDED Republicans! If anything, he ignored his liberal base and excluded any idea of single-payer system, as a Republican you should be THANKING Obama, instead of vilifying him inaccurately.

He is the President of this country. Period. He is doing the best he can. He can pull a budget together because anytime he tries to do ANYTHING the RIGHT stops it. They have said that they will stop at nothing to make him a one term president. I am surprised they haven't tried to kill him yet. Sick bastards.

Hi Divverdown1,

You are right that this president is doing the best he can. You are wrong to think he can't get a budget delivered to him because the right stops it. Some bills, among them the budget, require just a simple majority to be passed. No, the real problem here is with democrats. In the senate and house the democrats didn't want to put a budget together so that their political opponents could use the written words against them. And the president isn't much of a leader--he certainly hasn't demanded that the law be complied with and a budget be passed.

You are also completely wrong that this is the result of the opposition's desire that Mr. Obama be a one term president. EVERY opposition since our nation has been founded has wanted the president to serve a single term. Yes, even democrats when Bush 43, or Bush 41, or Reagan, or Nixon, or Ike, or...well the list goes all the way back to Lincoln. Grow up, learn that these things are normal, and instead of whining about your political opponents for doing the very same things those you support have done try to get those you support to do their job.

ummm...when you are leader of the free world "doing the best you can" is not good enough.

when you are leader of the free world "doing the best you can" is not good enough.

Ah, over-reactive hyperbole strikes again! 'The best you can' is the best anyone can do. And I think with as divided a Congress as we have, that far better than most.

Thought I agree it is WAY, WAY, WAY past time we get an actual budget passed!!

Rich-281385, you would make a great "Philadelphia Lawyer". Intelligent enough to make a strong case, but foolish enough to believe that the judge or jury would ignore the facts to grant you a victory. Such tactics may sometimes win in politics. Karl Rove, George W. Bush and John McCain can all testify to the success of that practice during the Republican primaries of election 2000.

I believe that the majority of American people are wise to such tactics today. I believe that the many retorts to your cleverly distorted arguments on this forum alone demonstrate that fact.

"You can fool some of the people all of the time. You can fool all of the people sometimes. You can never fool all of the people all of the time." You might want to check with G.W. to insure the accuracy of this quote.

God bless you. You must strongly believe in everything you say to work so hard to distort the truth. Sadly, your best efforts are doomed to failure. Give my best to Murdoch, Ailes, and the Koch brothers. Your lonely tears will be lost in the sea of tears shed by the once mighty that have fallen much harder than you.

NeighborOfTheBeast

Cat-1200657

JK, are you aware that in the Healthcare Reform Bill it was the Republicans who wanted the Individual Mandate?

Cat, the Repubs who fell for the lure of the individual mandate did so only because they weren't allowed to read the bill first. Remember Nancy Pelosi and her now-infamous "We have to pass the bill to know what's in the bill" remark?

I'm sorry to the news to you, but the Individual Mandate was part of the republican Health Care Proposal during the Clinton Administration.

Hey Rich-281385, I'd just like to start out by saying that I love how pretentious you are. I can just feel it oozing out of every word you've typed.

I'm sure you were equally upset when the likes of Maxine Waters called Bush a racist

Yeah but the thing is Bush was racist. Just kidding, or not. But I, as an African American, feel very offended when the likes of Newt Gingrich says that people in poor black communities have no work ethic, when in fact he has probably never been to a poor black community, and doesn't know anything about their work ethic, when in fact poor people are a lot of the times more willing to work than rich people, seeming as though most rich people inherit their wealth. That said, I also feel offended when people like Gingrich say that black people need to get off of food stamps when the majority of people on food stamps are white. I feel as though he is singling out black people and playing on a very offensive stereotype that people have, and in fact making it worse. I also feel offended when people like Ron Paul voted against making Martin Luther King Jr. day a national holiday, yet when election time comes around, Mr. King is his hero. I also feel offended when old journals come out with his name on it with clearly flat out racist comments in it, yet he casts it aside. So if you are wondering why some people call the republican party the party of racists, there it is. I don't necessarily think all republicans are racist, but I feel that most racist people are republicans.

TARP money to shift wealth from you to the bankers/financiers/industrialists people on your side often decry. It's an odd outcome, really, that so many liberals who otherwise claim to despise the unfairly wealthy then support Mr. Obama's use of TARP money to make people unfairly wealthy at your own expense, but that is another story

Well you forget that banks also employ middle class employees. So that means that if these banks fail, thousands of middle class families will disappear, further shrinking the heart of our economy. Also, even if those banks had failed, the people at the top most likely would have still been in a favorable financial situation. We can worry about equality later, but the least we can do is try to stabalize the middle class, something the Right sees as unnecessary.

Now we all know that there is a consequence to telling a "Spilled Milk" joke during an important speech...

Seems Priebus does owe the ship captain an apology for the comparison. The little Italian ran a ship onto the rocks then steered into shallow water. Obamas has run the country onto the rocks ( staggering dept) where we're in danger of sinking it and it's full speed ahead into deeper water. Which is the bigger tragedy?

Democrats have been in control of the budget for 5 years and the White House for 3 years...stop blaming Bush, it makes you look absolutely clueless.

If the U.S. was a company, the new CEO would have no room for blaming the old CEO 3 years after taking over....the buck stops with the President so quit blaming the last one and start talking about the current one.

Someone better report this to attackwatch.com

Bill-742678, Replying to you would be like replying to a braindead molerat. In other words it would be like replying to Prebus.

justina... nailed it...and got collapsed...yupp ...the truth ...collapsed...

J R Browenstein

Democrats have been in control of the budget for 5 years and the White House for 3 years...stop blaming Bush, it makes you look absolutely clueless.

#1, The budget begins in the house where the republicans have control. They decided they would write a budget without dem help and send it to the senate who could not accept most of what was in it. Even if they did, the republicans would filibuster it, so thank the dems for giving all you tp'ers cover.

#2. The whitehouse does not control the budget. So stop blaming this president on it. On second thought, go right ahead! Please, by all means blame Obama on the budget and spending.

The Republicans have had a majority in the House for only the last year out of the last 5...what's the excuse for the preceeding 4 years when the Democrats had control of the budget, including the two years leading up to the recession? As you pointed out, the President is not constitutionally responsible for determining how any money is spent so why argue that Bush spent us into a recession? Every dollar spent was appropriated by Congress, not President Bush.

As for your second point, it would seem contradictory to state that Obama has been controlling the budget after my previous statement but, in effect, that is exactly what has transpired during his first two years...where a Dem majority/supermajority gave him carte blanche without reservation. In fact, the Democratic congress gave him an unprecedented ability to spend almost a trillion dollars at his discretion...something no other previous president had ever been able to do. Oddly enough, every other Congress prior to the Dem Congress of 2008-2010 understood that giving a President a blank check violated the separation of powers in the Constitution. For all the whining libs did about Bush hijacking the Constitution...they've made him look like an amateur since Obama took office.

never had a super-majority. And I wish Reed would have changed the filibuster rules. To allow one person to filibuster without having to actually do something other than to say he/she is going to filibuster is ludicrous. For that I agree.

I personally never blamed Bush for spending money, just a congress giving him a blank check to fight illegal wars. And for bailing out failed banks, but we won't say that too loudly. That was actually needed as was the LOANS and other steps taken to save the American auto companies.

I'll repeat this again, just for you and all the others that continue with the Senate Super Majority lie. Here are the facts for you about "control" of the Senate. A party majority does not give you control when it comes to the Senate rules of filibuster. Every bill must have 60 votes to pass.

President Obama spoke about collective amnesia and rightly so. Apparently, there is an epidemic of selective amnesia concerning the 2009 and 2010 Senate "Super Majority".

For those who persist in the Senate Super majority lie of the 111th Congress and the continuing obstruction of the 112th Congress. So, how did anything get passed?( ie. Healthcare Reform, unemployment benefit extensions, payroll tax cuts) Ah, that dirty word -compromise. Even then and today, every bill needed votes from the Independents, Blue dog Dems and Republicans.

No matter how many times you repeat that Super Majority lie it is still a lie. Did everyone forget the Blue Dog Dems (ie. Evan Bayh, Nelson,etc?) In fact, they never had a Democratic Senate super majority because of Leiberman(I. Conn), just another pissed off Independent that consistently votes with the Republicans even though he will caucus with the Dems. He backed McCain, didn't he?

There was never a "Senate Super Majority". The GOP/TP has set a historical record for the number of filibusters in this administration and it still continues to obstruct any bills to move us forward.

The Senate Super majority myth

January 3, 2009 - 111th Congress sworn in. 55 Democrats, 41 Republicans, 2 Independents, 2 vacant.

January 15, 2009 - Roland Burris sworn in to Barack Obama's seat. 56 Democrats, 41 Republicans, 2 Independents, 2 vacant.

April 30, 2009 – Arlen Specter changes parties. 57 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independents, 1 vacant.

July 7, 2009 – Al Franken seated. 58 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independents.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE DEMOCRATS HAD A SHOT AT A
60-VOTE MAJORITY AND STILL NEEDED BOTH INDEPENDENTS.

August 25, 2009 – Teddy Kennedy dies. Kennedy had missed 97% of the votes in 2009 and over 90% in the last half of 2008. 57 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independents, 1 vacant.

September 25, 2009 – Paul Kirk appointed to Teddy Kennedy's seat. 58 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independents.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE DEMOCRATS HAD A SHOT AT A 60-VOTE MAJORITY AND STILL NEEDED THE INDEPENDENTS.

February 4, 2010 – Scott Brown sworn in to replace Paul Kirk. 57 Democrats, 41 Republicans, 2 Independents.

June 28, 2010 – Robert Byrd dies. Byrd had missed over 90% of the votes in 2010 and almost 50% in 2009 due to illness. 56 Democrats, 41 Republicans, 2 Independents, 1 vacant.

November 29, 2010 - Mark Kirk sworn in to replace Roland Burris. 56 Democrats, 42 Republicans, 2 Independents.

Super-majority? It never existed because even during
two periods when Teddy Kennedy and/or Robert Byrd were unable to vote they still needed to get the votes of every Democrat plus BOTH independents.

FACT: The "Democrat Senate Super Majority" is a G.O.P. lie.

FACT: The GOP used every roadblock, filibuster, and secret hold they could think of so that EVERY bill had to have a 60-vote margin to pass.

Cynthia, great post but I might correct you that it is every bill needs 60 votes for cloture. That is to say to end debate and move to a vote. Any one senator can filibuster at this point and that is what has happened. For a bill to pass after cloture, it only takes 51 votes to pass it or turn it down.

You have got to love those that find pointing out the use of a filibuster as the reason this president and our congress has failed. There is no such thing as good sound policy coming from Washington, just partisan bickering and extreme ideology. The use of a filibuster is not against the rules, and it is not as if both sides haven't used it. If it were good sound policy for this country, like Simpson/Boles or a balanced budget amendment, the votes should be there.

To suggest bad policies should be passed because one side wants them is ridiculous. All Washington can do is talk a good game, but the facts of their efforts speak louder then words. They have failed this country and in reality it has been a long slow death that has taken far more years then the Bush haters will ever admit. Lobbyists, special interest groups, and congress has flushed this country down the toilet at every opportunity. All for personal gain, and all without the slightest concern for the damage they were inflicting.

We will never be able to borrow and spend our way out of this mess. You can't do it in your own household, and they certainly can't do it in Washington. There is absolutely no fiscal sense from anyone in Washington that has the power to change our destiny. So they are either too stupid or incapable of fixing the mess they all have created, or they have motives driven by personal gains where the consequences of their actions are otherwise meaningless. If could actually be they want capitalism to fail, at least for everyone outside of Washington.

Actually, Bush was awake, as in comparison to Biden. Cheney was the mouthpiece for Bush, Jr., as Obama is the mouthpiece for Biden. Both pairs were the spokespersons for their respective parties, and neither side has a whit of care for the average person, working to pay their fair share to keep this nation going.

The only thing I see, is a total disregard for Mr. and Mrs. Average American, by all the political affiliations. Their only concern is getting elected, (or reelected.)

This vitriole by the participants in these forums just gives the politicians more ammunition to say "I am right and you are wrong. The People agree with me," when in point of fact, a good percentage are getting sick and tired of all this bulls**t they are spouting, versus doing the job they are PAID to do, by us, the people that HIRED them.

Cynthia's Point I just checked three internet sites and a simple majority is needed to pass a bill in each house of the congress. Site your source that 60 votes is needed in the senate. At least don't print facetious and obviously wrong statements that can easily be checked.

Both Houses need over 50% of either house to pass a bill on to the President.
For an ordinary bill to pass each chamber or house of the US congress, it needs a simple majority of yea votes which would be 50% + 1 vote.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_votes_are_needed_to_pass_a_bill_in_the_Senate#ixzz1l3AMfvoK

First, a bill must pass both houses of Congress by a majority vote. After it has passed out of Congress, it is sent along to the President. If the President signs the bill, it becomes law.

A simple majority of Senators voting can pass a bill. If every single Senator votes, this means 51 votes out of 100 votes cast are needed for a bill to pass in the US Senate.

Read more: How many votes are needed to pass a bill in the US senate? | Answerbag http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1009761#ixzz1l3BLzyg3

rednawt You have two problems with cloture. First Ted Kennedy did not vote on over 95% of the Senate votes. Second another democratic senate was absent at over 98% of the votes.

Lastly do you know why bin Laden ordered 9/11

1.) Kill Americans

2.) America's support for Israel

3.) America's support for an embargo on Iraq.

You do remember Chemical Ali who used poison gas against the Iraqi Kurds, the Iraqis in the south and the Iranians? You are aware that Saddam Hussein ordered triggers from England for nuclear bombs in 1991? Why did Iraq order those triggers?

What would you have done after 9/11 instead of sitting in your living room?

Gilligan?

And Cheney would be the Tycoon.

Popeye?

chuckling at gilligan...good one.

If they are going to call him the Captain what would Bush have been called -

Dip @!$%#

Mrs. Howl(sic)

boy george...

We have a highly active Congress but a "DO NOTHING SENATE" led by Harry Reid who never brings up any of the bills the Congress has passed! The Dems have had the majority in the House/Senate/ Presidency and FAILED to come up with something called a B U D G E T!!!!!! Our President is indeed "asleep at the wheel."

Hmm what is the President working on??? What can we expect him to accomplish between now and November?? Besides reeling in another 220 million for his campaign?? Needs to be a maximum that can be spent on a campaign and should be considerably less than what is being spent now. It needs to be reduced so that more of the average income people can get in the race as these multi-millionares+ are way to out of touch with the realities of poor, low, and middle income lives. They only care about increasing their bottom line by what ever means necessary even if they are throwing the country under the bus. (outsourcing jobs, funneling profits through other countries to avoid taxes etc..) I say to hell with both parties it's time to start fresh with real Americans at the helm.

Cathy, you like so many others, keep making the same mistake....Congress includes the Senate.....you need to remember that the HOUSE is part of Congress....it is NOT the Congress. That is the reason why no member of the House should ever be referred to as Congressman/woman unless you are also going to call senators by the same term. The correct title for members of the House is Representative, not Congressman/woman.

The reason Reid doesn't bring up many of the House passed bills is because they are frivolous bills or contain too many non-germane amendments that will tie up the bill (filibusters) in the Senate. If he knows that the bill will never get past cloture, he has the right not to even waste the Senate's time bringing it to the floor. The GOP did the same thing when they had control of the Senate.

As far as the budget goes, NO president ever "comes up with something called a budget". He/she presents a budget proposal that outlines the direction Congress should take in passing THEIR budget resolution that becomes their guide for appropriations bills that the president then either signs or vetoes. BOTH houses of Congress failed to pass a 2012 budget resolution during the 2011 session (which is supposed to be passed by April 15th). It wasn't just a matter of the Senate not passing Obama's proposed budget guidelines.

@skrewdworld: Where do you propose to find any "real Americans" to run for political office? All politicians are corrupt, from the local dog catcher all the way to the top of the federal offices. But that is why some of us proposed the Election/Campaign Finance Reform constitutional amendment back in August 2010 (posted at faircampaignreform(dot)us). Have you helped to circulate this petition? Have you gotten involved in correcting the problem?

Petition for US Constitutional Amendment For Election Reform

We, the undersigned US citizens, duly registered voters in our respective states/territories, do hereby petition for our state to approve the following amendment to the United States Constitution by the method noted below.

Election Reform:
1. Abolish the Electoral College (Repeal Amendment 12)
2. ONE NATIONAL primary date to be held on the Tuesday eight (8) weeks prior to the General Election day for Congressional offices and for the President. Candidate petitions must be filed with the local/state elections boards 60 days prior to the Primary Election date. Federal election petitions shall be uniform in every state and shall include a “contract with the voters” that spells out clearly what that candidate stands for on all issues that they may have to address in elected office. They shall be held accountable in court for breach of that contract if elected and any/all terms are not met.
3. NO campaigning allowed for any elective federal office more than 60 days prior to the National Primary Date.
4. NO campaign contribution shall be donated to any candidate of more than $200 from an individual or $500 maximum from a family (spouses/children living in the same household.) No donations shall be made to a candidate more than sixty days prior to the primary date. No candidate shall contribute from their own funds more than 60% of the total donations from other private individuals.
5. NO campaign contribution from any PAC, corporation, union, non-profit organization, special interest group, etc. shall be allowed for any elected federal office.
6. NO third party campaigning (separate PAC ads, corporate ads, etc.) for/against any candidate shall be allowed at any time during or before the election season.
7. NO party conventions shall be held to select the presidential candidates. The selection must be done at the ballot box in the primary election.
8. The One Man/One Vote Supreme Court ruling shall be enforced by this Amendment, namely that NO federal candidate selection shall be by any means other than the ballot box on Primary/General Election Dates.
9. National Party Organizations shall NOT raise money for or donate to specific candidates of their party prior to the dates outlined above.
10. PAC’s shall NOT be granted tax-exempt status by the IRS, and any non-profit organization who uses their funding for political purposes shall lose their tax-exempt status.
11. All lobbyists shall be outlawed from influencing Congress at all times.

This amendment shall be approved ONLY by State Constitutional Conventions to be called within 90 days of this petition being submmitted to a state’s Secretary of State. A minimum of 25% of the registered voters in each state shall be required to further this petition to the respective Secretary of State.

Name Signature State Address

Petition for US Constitutional Amendment For Congressional Term Limits

We, the undersigned US citizens, duly registered voters in our respective states/territories, do hereby petition for our state to approve the following amendment to the United States Constitution by the method noted below.

Term Limits for Congress:
1. Representatives to Congress shall serve no more than two two-year terms in the House.
2. Senators shall be elected to no more than two six year terms in the Senate.
3. No elected official shall serve more than six terms in office in any combined elected offices (House/Senate/Presidency.)

This amendment shall be approved ONLY by State Constitutional Conventions to be called within 90 days of this petition being submmitted to a state’s Secretary of State. A minimum of 25% of the registered voters in each state shall be required to further this petition to the respective Secretary of State.

Name Signature State Address

anti

Obama seems to have supported some of the frivolous bills.

Didn't Obama just recently open up Oil Leases in the Gulf and Alaska?

HR 1230 HR1229 HR 1315 HR 2021 and HR1938.

Didn't Obama tell the EPA to take into consideration the Economic effects of its NEW Regulation?

HR 872 and HR 910

Looks like Harry Reid is scared that the rest of the 20 or so Bills would pass since DEMOCRATS voted for those Bills also.

Term limits amendment? Where does that fit in this discussion? If you want to expend the energy and time an amendment declaring that corperations are NOT a living breathing entity would do much more to reform our system. Thank you Slodon for affirming the fact that President Obama is in fact a centrist.

An amendment saying that corporations are not a living breathing entity would NOT fully correct the problem of the SCOTUS ruling, since SuperPAC's would not be banned by your suggestion. The Term Limits amendment is part of the constitutional convention petition drive and that is why I included BOTH petitions. The ECFR amendment is the most extensive election/campaign finance reform amendment being proposed (yes, there are several other groups pushing various amendments and every one of those groups are also asking for donations to support their "cause"......with no transparency of where their money is coming from. PAM asks for NO donations, only YOUR time to start your own grassroots organization in your community to get enough signatures to prompt your Secretary of State to call for a constitutional convention to pass one or both amendments.)

People, anti-trust proponent has it correct, (note the non-use of the word "right, deliberately avoided so people will not mistake this as a partisan statement.) We need MAJOR REFORM of our political system. Our supposedly honestly elected "representatives" and "senators" and "President" need to get off their dead butts and actually do the job they were HIRED to do, instead of what they want to do to advance their own personal, political agendas.

Until we have this major reformation of the entire political system, nothing is going to be done. Vitriole and distasteful rhetoric will not accomplish this, only action, by the voting public, counts.

Thank you Frosty. Now, cut and paste (or download the .pdf files from the website), print them out, sign them, circulate them among family, friends, neighbors, and help form a local grassroots organization to further promote the petitions in YOUR community. This is a truly grassroots movement that relies solely on the work of each and every supporter of these petitions' positions. There is NO financial support from any individual, group, or organization (unlike all of the other "reform" options) other than my paying for the hosting of the PAM website to further make these petitions available to all US citizens. I am a resident of the USVI where we don't even get to vote for the office of the president, have NO representation in the Senate, have only Delegate representation with voice/vote in whatever committee(s) he/she can get appointed to, and are under the total control of YOUR elected officials through Congress and the Organic Act of 1954. I am supporting the Popular Amendment Movement and their website simply because as a GDI, I believe we need to take personal responsibility to help reform our election/campaign finance system. We all know that Congress will never make any of these changes, and even if they do, the right-wing activist SCOTUS will overturn any laws they pass. The ONLY way to reform the system is through this Populist method of getting a constitutional amendment passed. The SCOTUS CANNOT rule a constitutional amendment unconstitutional the way they can a Congressional passed law.

Did you not read my post? It was about changing things. I most certainly would be happy to do any thing in my power to help acheive that. On several stories I have asked people to post ways they know of for people to get involved. BAsically got no responses. However, I do believe there are hardworking, honest people out there that could do a very good job in any elected office if they had support of the people and had a real financial chance at it. Thats why I said there needs to be limilts on what candidates can spend. Millions are wasted on negative ads, flyers, automated/in person phone calls from candidate offices etc.. Attack ads shouldn't even be allowed, and the money spent on this stuff needs to be a small percentage of what gets wasted. Maybe not even any taxpayer matching funds, Think you for your post giving people something to look into and possibly use to contribute towards such sorely needed change.

@skrewdworld. That is exactly what I've been trying to accomplish here on Newsvine since the PAM amendments were created in 8/10. Only the citizens getting active will ever bring about change. Sitting here at their keyboards isn't "being active", it's only "complaining." I helped start a recall effort five years ago against four of our "at-large" senators here in the USVI. This petition drive is a similar type of grassroots effort. It takes people being willing to print out the petitions, and carry them with them wherever they go. Email them to all of your contacts and encourage others to get involved. That is how grassroots movements get started. Section 4 of the ECFR will greatly reduce the expense of a campaign, simply by the reduced individual/family donation limits, the candidate's personal expenditure limitation, and the banning of all non-individual/family donations and third party advertising (Sections 5 & 6.)

What is the point of collapsing posts? We can read them anyway. Get over trying to do away with opinions you don't like.

Perhaps you should educate yourself as to what a 'Present' vote means in the Illinois Senate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html?pagewanted=all

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/707/present-votes-illinois

http://www.factcheck.org/2008/09/obamas-legislative-record/

McWacky

Present votes were used only in cases where the outcome of the legislation was never in doubt, usually when there were good reasons not be be on either side of a bill. If there is a particular vote with which you disagree you might have an issue .... as it is you are merely ranting.

don97524 - facts don't bother the right wing haters.

They'll bring up things that have nothing to do with the current issue where a right winger was an idiot just to deflect the conversation from thier own moron to something that someone on the other side did - usually misquoting them, misrepresenting something they did or just blatantly lying.

In this case, it's a little of all of the above. It's amazing how they will try stunts like this constantly.

And I'd be surprised if there weren't MANY Republicans who've done worse on the 'present' voting anyway. It's not like Obama's the first or only one to do it.

"Present" votes are used when the legislator does not want to commit himself/herself but when they want to show that they are there for their constituents. Seems like kind of an oxymoron to me.

ANYONE BUT obama

Ah yes, the mating call of the utterly ignorant.

While 'Present' can be used as a way to not commit to an issue, it is frequently a strategic maneuver to register opposition to to portions of a legislative package. Few bills reach the voting stage as solitary creatures; most will have had riders and amendments or unrelated bills attached before coming up for a vote as a package deal.

Yep, lets not let the facts get in the way of the conservative "Think Tank".

If this is all you got "Reince Priebus" (name sounds like a car douche), then you are in a bad way.

formermarine....if you spend anytime on these boards at all, you will notice both parties represented here have their share of haters.

This forum is a joke! I've read Orlando Patriot's "collapsed by the community" comments and there was nothing inflamatory about them. In fact, they were presented logically and intelligently. Unlike some of the name calling (on both sides) that has been non collapsed. Free speech does not exist here.

Anyone but BARACK HUSSAIN OBAMA in 2012 !!! VOTE REPUBLICAN if you want to be employed this year !!!!

Time to stop wacking your paddy,paddywhack, it's affecting your brain.

FormerMarineSgt, Do you remember the Oaths you took? Do you realize they are for life?

Military: "I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

"I, ____— (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of ____— do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God." (DA Form 71, 1 August 1959, for officers.)

Notice that the three branches of our government, the military, all law enforcement, the heads of the States, all federal employees are required to take an Oath to support and defend the Constitution and not an individual leader, ruler, office, or entity. Notice that the support and defense of the US Constitution comes before obeying the orders of the president or the duties of the office you were in.

So what are you doing to get rid of the Patriot Act, NDAA, warrantless searches, all the other stuff destroying the US Constitution, taking away our Rights, the destructive acts to America and Americans, etc? What are you doing to stop domestic enemies within the executive branch, legislative branch, and the judicial branch of our government?

What? You forgot you, the rest of the military, and the Law Enforcement took Oaths? Did you think that if the Oaths require you to "support and defend the US Constitution from domestic enemies means nothing? Did you think that if everyone who is required to take an Oath as a condition of the position/office they want, that if there were never intended to be action to defend the Constitution from those who are domestically attempting to destroy its power and authority, why would each Oath require it?

Johnny N.:

Anyone but BARACK HUSSAIN OBAMA in 2012 !!! VOTE REPUBLICAN if you want to be employed this year !!!!

What are you talking about? They were probably jobless because of the republicans, and Barack Obama is reversing their policies. Vote Obama if you want the economy to keep growing so you can have a job.

ANYONE BUT OBAMA!!!!

The Fails to enter constructive criticism....

• just state a few reasons please...its like i said, very fathomable

Genius12

ignore them lol, theyre trolls...

im on msnbc and reading an article and people blame journalism for doing wrong...

but the conservatives like to instantly sprout anti obama chants at the very top with nothing to back it up..

it happens once every post

ALTHOUGH. credit to him

he is a GOOD troll

Maybe Johnny is hoping to trail Romney around and catch some spare hundred dollar bills falling out of his pocket...what else could he possiblly mean by putting the two words "republican" and "jobs" together in the same sentence??

1. Newt Blingrich is absolutely the most like the Italian captain. He abandoned his family, congress, his party, associates, friends. Most who worked with him say he was totally selfish and irresponsible!!
2. Leatherface Brewer of AZ and Sarah "Once you've had black.." Palin come in a close second for their pomposity and yet total incompetence!!
3. Stupid Teapublican losers just trying to sell books, speaking engagements, radio shows by making these statements and their idiot followers!
4. Obama wins! 4 more years! Ha, ha, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

"Anyone but Obama" implies that you would gladly cast your vote for Charles Manson. That would make you appear desperate, thoughtless and creepy. Grow up. You know we're going to be paying for the Bush robbery for years to come.

mcpaddywack

The Captain of the ship was already gone from the ship and on shore, so should they blame the First Officer for the shipwreck because he was officially in charge when the Captain is off the ship?

Dear mcpaddywack,

In the words of Shakespeare, the evil that men do lives long after them. Bush/Cheney may be gone; thankfully the voters rejected the opportunity to elect McCain/Palin to what would have been Bush's third term. On the other hand, the financial structure he created, the one that reduced taxes and doubled military spending, the wars that he took us into, the lack of oversight that allowed Wall Street to become las Vegas, all of those and thero associated costs are still in place. The folks you support have done everything they can to block the President's attempts to correct the course, on the premise that he would get the credit and it would help his reelection. This is of course true, but to someone who is an American first and a Republican (or Democrat) second, that should not matter. As Senator McCain told us (but has forgotten) - "Country First"!

We are "holding Obama responsible" for the steps he took to prevent the country from going into the second Great Depression, for the fact that American cars are still being manufactured and sold by the millions by profitable companies, for the fact that we're out of Iraq and will soon be exiting Afghanistan, for the fact that Ghadaffi is not running Libya any more, and not a single American died to accomplish that, and for the fact that Bin Laden has paid for his crimes. All of these accomplishments have been in the face of scorched earth opposition from the GOP, whose only strategy is to obstruct progress, blame the President for the lack of progress and then, if they get enough idiots to buy their story, to go back to the Bush policies.

Orlando, you spout a lot but say little. What Anti-Business policies do you mean exactly? Are the Bailouts of Wall Street and the Auto-Industries anti-Business??? Really???

With the GOP fighting every step he makes these day, you have very few other "policies" that Obama has instituted that you can speak of. Looks like its the Congress that has created the stagnation you speak of.

Orlando Patriot brought to you by the Koch Brother's tea party... where you receive your full lifetime supply of spouting talking points that were handed to you without reading a lick of actual legislative documents.

mcpaddywack

Get over it! Bush is gone and it is time that you obama whiners start holding your chosen one accountable for the damage he is doing.

Bush may be gone, but the damage he did will take years to repair. Blaming it on Obama is like blaming a doctor for being too slow at curing a disease that was brought on by years of poor lifestyle choices.

Orlando Patriot - These actions may appear to be "anti-business" to you, but they are certainly pro -American to me. The Supreme Court may have decided that corporations are people, but they have not yet decided that America is a corporation. The recovery is stagnant because the Republicans in Congress have only been interested in one thing since January 2008 - the ending of Obama Administration after one term. They have even stated so. You and your corporate fat cat corporate friends can cry in their champagne (bought with bonuses provided by the banking bailouts - GW Bush's bailouts, remember?).

Obama is anti-business? You Republicans are so out of arguments and totally gone off the reservation. If Bush policies where for Business then why did the economy totally collapsed under his watch? What did Obama do? He save our car industry and countless jobs. He's been trying to keep this economy up but 2 years of Republican Congress who has done nothing but create 0 jobs on their watch again, just continue to block any and all effort to improve this situation we are in.

Wake up for once and realize you're running your mouth without anyone with common sense is listening to you blaming Obama for everything.

Hey orlandopatriot

Congress has been controlled by the republicans for a year now. people like west, rand, etc said that they were going to create jobs. all they came up with is more tax cuts for the job creators. the bush tax-cuts for the job creators are still in effect, costing 120 bn last year, and no jobs.

given this fact alone, is it any wonder that no-one with some semblance of a brain wants to take you guys seriously? instead of throwing dirt, come up with something decent! after you tpers threw your own (boehner) under the bus, do you wonder why we laugh at you?

take a serious hard look at the facts, and no, fox is infotainment, not news - as per the beckster. beck is dutch for mouth - fyi.

Why has Orlando Patriot's Comment been "collapsed?" - I may disagree with him, but he has a right to express himself on this forum. What guidelines cause a comment to be "collapsed by the community?"

this country and economy sucks and although I have had three years I couldn't do a darn thing and actually made it worse but you need to reelect me because it will be worse if you don't".

You really need to re-examine your thoughts. It is like saying to the people of Japan one week after the Tsunami: What? A week and you have not done anything? What a group of incompetent people!

You people keep saying that we should now focus on what President Obama "should "and "have not" done. Basically he is rescuing a country totally devastated by the Republicans for 8 years. And he has done many things. The first one is to finally set some rules for health care. Yeah! yeah! "We must repeal Obamacare" That is all that we hear from your group of heros.

However, for the first time, women can have PREVENTIVE exams thanks to his policies. TEENS can have access to affordable birth control,etc. etc.something that NEVER happened under a Republican president

Oh NO! NOTHING matters to you Republicans! All that you want is a white guy full of himself and talking BS rhetoric, like Invading Iran because they are A****s that do not deserve to have weapons.

You either are very rich, and out of touch, or something else that I can't say, because I do not want to be taken out by the vine moderator.

Orlando Patriot

You know nothing about economics or how congress works. It took 8 years to destroy the economy and you expect it to turn around in 3 years with a congressional house that has done NOTHING to help him succeed. Try running a simple company were all the employees go against the CEO at every turn and undermine his authority and legitimacy. You are one of the most clueless people I have run into on this forum.

I suppose it was his fault that our economy has turned into a paper economy with incentives to ship jobs overseas? He must have been the one to create derivatives to! Or to give tax breaks for the ultra wealthy that were not paid for. We hardly make everything anymore. Giving tax breaks to spur the economy will only work if it is in the middle class because they will buy goods. This is NOT a trickle Down economy, it is a consumer based economy that requires the masses to have jobs. The investors will not invest unless there are people who will buy their goods or services.

Please wave that magic wand you have that that stimulates the economy better than what cooperation between the branches of government can do. Government can create influence the economy (just look at the Bush Years) too little regulation and corporations abuse, too much and they do not expand. Having an attitude of solving problems over partisan tribal war is what is needed.

This is the first presidency where all I have hear is how can the republicans undermine him. Not how can we succeed for the american populace. President Obama is our president and though you may disagree with political philosphies he deserves our respect and wishes for success not the greed of power struggle.

So when Obama finally gets booted out are you going to blame him for the trillions of dollars of debt that he is going to leave behind along with all of his other epic failures or are you still going to blame Bush? It's getting so old listening to all the BS!

Brian: by 2017, when you're hapless incompetent party of old white men is finally able to get another shot at hoping the country forgets what you've done to this country, even you won't be able to deny the Obama recovery, so perhaps your blame game will by then be recognizable even to you. Having amnesia about how we got here is becoming a Republican staple, but for real Americans, the memory of how Bush managed to turn a budget surplus into record deficits in 8 years is pretty hard to forget. Not all of us just discovered deficits, spending or wars as you apparantly did when the guy you love to hate took office to clean up your Texan's mess. I'm betting memories of most Americans run just a little longer and a bit clearer than yours...We'd all love to forget the "decider's" fiasco of a presidency as you have...but unfortunately we live in the real world.

In "the real world" nothing has changed and it's only getting worse.

Sally,

Are you serious?? You suspend mcpaddywack and Orlando Patriot for such minor comments but allow people to have names like "NewtisaPig" spewing racial comments about Sarah Palin and calling governor Jan Brewer a "Leatherface"?

Then allow AP1414066 (just a few above) to say "when you're hapless incompetent party of old white men is finally able to get another shot at hoping the country forgets what you've done to this country"? Somehow THAT is acceptable but mcpaddywack calling some liberals "obama whiners" justifies suspension?

And how about IRESPOND saying "Oh NO! NOTHING matters to you Republicans! All that you want is a white guy full of himself and talking BS rhetoric, like Invading Iran because they are A****s that do not deserve to have weapons." THAT is appropriate but Orlando Patriot telling a person to go back out for recess is inappropriate?

Sally, I don't mind you being an Obama supporter but is it possible that you could be a FAIR Obama supporter? Your clear bias towards Obama does not portray this thread as "fair". You either need to stop ALL heated debate (in which case you might as well shut this thread down) or back away and stay out of the kitchen. Nothing I have seen justifies suspension (at least not suspension that justifies a small handful). Yes, suspend for profanity. Suspend for promotion of businesses or links. Suspend for vulgarity but biased suspension based on whether the comment was for or against Obama is certainly not fair.

I agree 100% with ProBusiness. People of differing views need to be able to express their opinions and should have adult conversation about it instead of the Dem vs. Reb back stabbing and name calling. However, doesn't seem like that is happening these days. But suspending some of these posters due to disliking Obama or not agreeing with his policies and what he has/hasn't done is not very adult or promoting free speach. Not suspending some of the truly nasty posters because they are Pro-Obama is just as bad. Pro is right, if this site can't be fair to all you might as well close it down.

So, you have no disdain for the DNC chair tying theArizona murders to the Tea-Party?

Living, I believe he blamed it on Palin, not the Tea Party. She is the one who put the targets on those areas. So pick your poison.

Verno, it was a Democrat who put crosshairs on the FACE of her opponent first. Palin put crosshairs on a map. Now who incites the wacko's?

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. BEN FRANKLIN

Obama has signed 4500+ new regulations on businesses. More than the last two presidents combined.

If you want to see who the liars are, go to factcheck. org. or politico.com . You will find all politicians are liars. The top 3 right now are Ginrich, Obama, and romney.

Of course, the democratic faithful will never go near either one. Both are non-partisan. They check claims and statements against known facts. There are truths, half truths, lies, and pants on fire.

If we don't have common sense regulation , especially for BIG business they bend us over and do what they have been doing for the last 30 years( since Reagan zap). We need common sense protections against those that care about no one nor anything but the almighty dollar , in their pocket. When the top 2.7% have been forced to pay as the rest of us have ( now include what they have reaped from the last 30 years) then maybe honesty might be a topic for discusion again.

@ Oldman Young eyes:

We have our glasses on, If your eyes are that young anyway, you do not need to use the big font to write all that. Just because it's in a bigger font does not make it better or real.

lvingbarefoot - lol, you are part of the problem. Of course a leader tying the Arizona attack by a lone crazy idiot to the tea party is reprehensible... but there was zero mention to that incident in this article. Why would you bring that up at all in this thread? You're just looking for a fight for no reason.

"Rince Privates" actually implies self-aware, mature, socially acceptable behavior. As much as it cracks me up, I don't really think it applies to this dirty little scum bag.

barefoot and brainless is more like it!

Actually, here in the real world, I think we ALL know America is in recovery from the horrific joke of a president known as GW, but don't let the facts or the complete fallacy of the comparison stop you. Your party has nothing but hate, denegration and empty rhetoric. I guess that's what happens when you have no ideas, no clue and no candidate with a hope of winning a national election.

So when the head of the DNC tied the Arizona murders to the Tea Party, where was your outrage?

There was no outrage because it was true, get it?

Let's just ignore that brown shirt reference.....

He is

Mark Thomas , Ever hear the old saying" If you sleep with Dogs ,you wake up with Fleas ? " Our fearless leader has surrounded himself with Communists, Tax Cheats, Progressives and Ultra Liberals from day one! He was brought up as a young man in a MUSLIM country ( Indonesia ) ! And went to the Islamic Schools there. Indonesian Law requires you to be a Muslim and a Indonesian Citizen in order to attend any of their schools. Don't want to see his Passport? Good for you, I have some Real Estate in the middle of Florida for Sale (Swampland) maybe you would like to buy that without looking too? His record as a Senator from Illinois was terrible to say the least. He voted "Present" most of the time on any issues . What the hell is " Present "? Oh yea , I know, NO BALLS ! Liberalism is a Mental Disease !

What matters is that he does not meet the requirements to run for president let alone be one. This is what he does not meet: “natural born citizen” in Article II of the Constitution, require a Presidential candidate to have two parents that were U.S. citizens at the time the candidate was born". Check out Georgia vs Obama

Then he has a fake social security number, that is fraud. He is a domestic enemy, and an Oath breaker; yes, along with those in the other three branches. Those are impeachable and prosecutable offenses (Yes, there IS legal precedence).

So, what, you want to follow party so badly that you don't care about OUR Nation? About our Freedom? My solution si to dump all parties, and just have candidates we choose between. Then if we can get people to realize that choosing the "lesser of two evils" is still putting the wrong person in ("evil") instead of demanding that we are only going to allow people who have some morals at least, are honest most of the time at least, that ... grrrrr

Never mind, I can tell that most don't really care or they would have bothered to read this stuff, read the bills, executive orders, laws ...

No constitution, no court, no law can save liberty when it dies in the hearts and minds of men. John Perkins

Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so. Bertrand Russell

Marcel
Do you watch FOX news much? Ho hum.
This is about a head of the GOP calling a sitting president a coward and other unsavory things.
I realize that this is lost on you as you continue to pander to the tea party and the Reich wing.
I believe the hatred and lack of civility is reprehensible. Many fine republicans do not find your
comments either factual or amusing.

Marcel: "ultra liberals"???? Oh no!!! That's not still legal is it??? How did they get in the White House???? Did Obama actually talk to any??? Did the secret service know? Were they wearing love beads???

Under Bush, or after the D's to control of the purse strings and recovered after the R's took over in 2010?

Health care cost have risen, that is not what we wanted. Capitalism was the proper fix, not the crap we got.

Health care costs have risen on average 10% for each of the last 10-15 years. A small part of the increase this year was attributable to the health care bill, though in the long run it should reduce health care costs for those people covered and, by extension, the rest of us.

So living, if the unemployment goes down it is because of the 2010 election, but if it goes up it is because of Obama. Do I have that right???? You can't have it both ways buddy!!

Oh, and by the way....what have the Republicans done since 2010 to help unemployment and create jobs?? Just curious.

My grandaughter is upset that her children will have to try to repay the debt accumulated during Obama's Presidency. The health insurance plan passed during the same time, can't be paid for by anyone alive today.

The national debt is like a cancer. We have bought into the idea that if the deficit is reduced, that is a good thing. Sorry, if you go to the doctor and he doesn't treat your cancer you find a new doctor. If the doctor says this year I'm going to reduce the amount of cancer I give you this year (the deficit) and not treat the cancer you already have, you find a new doctor.

The budget must be balanced every year. Payments against that debt must be made every year. The Republican/Democrat bickering and name calling must stop. We are in an "American" problem that has no end in sight without serious changes in our country. We need to elect someone that is willing to treat the cancer that has been created.

The Republican Congress - For Your Information - has passed 30!!! JOBS BILLS that Harry Reid has FAILED TO BRING UP IN THE SENATE.

And not one of them does anything that will spread the burden to the top 2.7% that have benefited over 237% to the better over the last 25 (or more) years. Enough with the protecting the rich ! It is time to protect and serve ALL of the citizens and spread the pain and actually lead for achange. But they (repubs. ) Don't know how to actually do that anymore now do they!!!

And OH by the way the debt this country is facing is mostly here because of Bush and DEREGULATION!

READ!!!!

Wayupnorth, did you tell your granddaughter about how this debt was initially incurred? Did you explain in great detail about the decision to go to war in Iraq and to not pay for it? Did you tell her about medicare part D - how much it cost and why it wasn't paid for initially? How about the Bush Tax Cuts - did you tell her who benefited the most, what it cost the country in revenue, and how many jobs it created from 2000-2008? Of course, I'm sure you explained to her that with the Health Insurance Affordability Act, she can stay on her parents insurance plan until she's through with college, and that nobody can turn her down for insurance if she's found to have a pre-existing condition.

I'm sure you've explained all the above, clearly and fairly, just as a good grandmother would.

Does it matter who gave us the cancer or should we just accept more of it because it is the other party's fault?

The bottom line is she really doesn't care who's fault it is. She cares that no one seems to care enough to fix it.

How do know that All 30 bills do nothing but protect the rich? Have you read any of them? Just curious.

If you have give us a insight on them would ya!

Nancy - Don't confuse them with verifiable facts. They usually get their facts from Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck - three entertainers without a college degree among them. Speaking of Beck, he's really not the author of his books - you have to go to the second flyleaf to see the name of the real author.

Way up North

In #16.4 you complain that your daughter is concerned her children will have to pay debt from Obama

When "Pedestrian #16.8 challenges you to the fact Obama didn't create all the debt...

You come back in #16.9 and say does it matter who created the debt....

Well - it must have because you are the one who wanted to "emphasize you and your daughter blames Obama!

I'm thinking if you only debated yourself - you would lose 60% of the time!

b dune

Wow! you be a really goodly reader. I will go slower for you. I w a s s p e a k i n g m e t a p h o r i c a l l y because my GRANDAUGHTER is only two.

It truely does not matter who created the debt even though the Obama administration has the championship belt on that one as far back as the recorded history of our nation goes.

While you would like to point blame at whom ever apposes what ever your contorted view is, you miss the point. This is, again, an "American" problem. More specifically, it is a problem that will be left to my grandaughter and her family long after we are gone if there are not fundemental changes made in our country.

I guess the way you view the world, someone who debates themself does lose 60% of the time. Ffortunately he who debates himself wins 100% of the time according to my wife.

So, you're not interested in the truth are you, wayupnorth. You're interested in blaming Obama and using your 2 year old granddaughter to score some cheap political points. She'll figure it out some day as it's easy information to find for anyone with the desire to know the truth. Bush left over 7 trillion in bills for Obama to pay, and he had to figure out how to keep us from nose-diving into a depression. I don't suppose you're ponying up to pay extra for that war you probably supported or those tax breaks you doubtless crowed about - make sure your granddaughter knows exactly how you benefitted from the bills she'll have to pay, okay? I notice you didn't say anything about how she'll benefit from the health care bill - she'll find out about that too on her own though.

wayupnorth, now wait a second. Your granddaughter is only 2 metaphorically? Wouldn't that also mean the 'cancerous' growth is also a hypothetical metaphor which holds no water? Though it may be true that in the long run, it doesn't matter WHO created the debt, how is it that President Obama 'championed' it? You can not rant on one without the other, it just doesn't work that way, Grandpa. BTW, if you are debating yourself, it makes you look flip-floppy.

Nancy 607557-Wasn't the preexisting condition deal not supposed to come into effect until 2014?

"""encouraged their constitutents to attend political rally's "armed"""

You have that mixed up. It was Obama who said "if they bring a knife to the fight, we'll bring a gun", and called Republicans (members of his constituency!!!!) enemies, and told them they can ride the back of the bus.

Mark Thomas-371822. "To compare Obama to a captain who cowardly abandons his command is just more of the same for GOP"

Actually I agree the comparison is incorrect. It is more that he is the captain shooting holes in the boat with a cannon, and everyone is pretending to themselves it is not happening and are going on with their lives. That both parties, the three branches are the ship staff and they are assisting the captain in sinking the ship, while saying to the paying passengers that, "it is not OUR fault"

"Boat" = "Free United States" not a dictatorship.

Think I am not right, go up and read the one about our Constitution; because it is obvious you do not understand it or what the Constitution does for us. Learn a little bit.

If you are in any branch of the military, in any US or State law enforcement, are a federal employee you are aiding and abetting the destruction of the USA by not keeping your Oath to "Support and Defend the US Constitution". (The three branches of our government, the military, all law enforcement, the heads of the States, all federal employees are required to take an Oath to support and defend the Constitution and not an individual leader, ruler, office, or entity)

That is right, it IS YOUR job to start stopping this instead of ignoring it. Thankfully there are a LOT of American citizens, active and inactive military, and law enforcement who feel that they MUST keep that Oath to defend our country from domestic (enemies within our country, our government) enemies

It seems that the only mantra you lunatics know is to say that Obama is killing the country, or democracy, or jobs, or capitalism, or manufacturing, etc.etc.

You should be pissed at the fact that the only source of information you have is Fox and its scumbags pundits, but then again you don't know any better. Poor slob.

.

Only a "lunatic" would think that adding $ 5 trillion in debt, dividing Americans, taxing job creators, Dodd-Frank, over regulation, 50 Czars, 46 million on food stamps, 48% of all households getting some type of government assistance, $ 1 billion in green energy waste, picing winners and loosers, government intervention into the private markets, stomping on the Constitution, suing states, ObamaCare, no federal budget in 1006 days of his Presidency, etc............ would not kill a nation. Keep listening to CNN and MSMBC and you'll continue to be stupid!

As soon as I read "job creators" I knew the entire post was crap.

Punjab:

idiotic comment.

mhemjay--Punjab made a comment. You can disagree of course, but at least he relied on facts. All you could do was rely upon name calling.

Doug in Reno -

I thought that the comment was idiotic but nowhere in my post did I issue personal insult to Punjab nor did I participate in any name calling. Read carefully before jumping to criticism just because you didn't like what I said.

Rasputin-2589057 "It seems that the only mantra you lunatics know is to say that Obama is killing the country, or democracy, or jobs, or capitalism, or manufacturing, etc.etc.

You should be pissed at the fact that the only source of information you have is Fox and its scumbags pundits, but then again you don't know any better. Poor slob."

You are incorrect and either not knowledgeable about our Constitution and the limits it puts on our government and the Rights it guarantees American citizens that those who serve in our government cannot legally take away, ever! (Me, years studying, and still studying the US Constitution and the Framers intent)

Or

You are one of the people Obama pays to track his ratings, what is said about him, and to defend the indefensible.

Extending Patriot Act - Not Constitutional, since it is not then it really cannot be law here. That means those who enforce it are being made criminals (happened before in Germany, don't say cannot say that, it IS history, it happened)

NDAA - so far from Constitutional I am surprised he was not immediately arrested, with people screaming "hang him".

Fast and Furious - makes him a Traitor for selling arms to illegal gunrunners thru the ATF for a foreign country which was used on American soil to murder US citizens. We are not sure exactly how many since he fought for and got on his 2nd try the funding for this illegal and unconstitutional action. Plus under the penal code Obama, Holder, etc are also murderers.

Chair for UN - again against the US Constitution, but then so is him signing away our free speech, internet to the UN with no legislative branch or publicity, or anything else (ACTA)

etc, 21 pages of them illegal acts he has done in 3 years of office. But because you do not bother to actually know what he can or cannot do as POTUS you put others down who actually do know. You assist domestic enemies in the destruction of our country and defend their actions. When we get this straightened out, ... because here you are a part of the problem, not the solutions

If you are a paid employee of Obama, he BETTER not be using OUR money to do it, it better be out of HIS personal account. If you are a citizens of the USA or planning on being a citizen, you might want to take another look at what Obama has been doing. (Yes, you should be able to google to see that Obama actually pays people to do that)

Knine, you say you have studied/are studing the Constitution and the 'Framer's' intent. There was your 1st mistake, which blows everything else you post out of the water. 'Studying' something to understand the intent is nothing more than making an opinion on something you do not or ever will know, since you were never there at it's conception to converse on the subject with them, thereby gaining the knowledge TO have THE definitive opnion as to what the intent really was. Since 'extending' the Patriot Act is Unconstitutional in your eyes, isn't the MAKING of the Patriot Act in the beginning? If so, why wasn't President Bush arrested? You spout about Fast n Furious, but wasn't President Reagan involved in something called Iran-Contra and nothing was done? You want to talk about 'domestic enemies,' does that include someone in Congress to call out President Obama on the House floor during a SOTU speech, and say '"YOU LIE!",' or say treasonous things in public which are base lies? Isn't THAT assisting in the destruction of our country? Cherry-pick what you will, Knine, it doesn't deter from HISTORICAL FACTS.

Time for the GOP to starting like adults instead of fighting like children in the playground, calling each other names.

You are implying that Bush and any other president in the past didn't go campaigning just as Obama is doing now, right?

Get informed, if you are capable of doing it.

Obama wanted this job...and badly....now he has it...and he's performing it very badly.....time for democrats to wake up...

Your hyperbolic harangue is bristling with barbs and insults, but contains no facts.

Bush put America in the poorhouse, so if more Americans are now on food assistance, remember it was Bush and the policies of ten years of tax holidays for the rich that put us in the economic rut.

Obama asked for stimulus in 2008 and the Republicans blocked that, and only gave him about a third of the stimulus he asked for, and even then they demanded further tax cuts for billionaires before they would support it. So America got a reduced stimulus because the Republicans opposed him even if it meant pain and suffering for American citizens.

Then after a year of wailing about the cost of the Bush deficits, they caused an unneeded crisis by blocking the required vote to extend the debt ceiling. This cost American a few more billions just because they wanted to screw our economy to make President Obama look bad.

I am proud of the work my president has done, despite the destructive obstructions of the Republican party.

In our next election, for any office, I am voting ABAR (Anyone But A Republican).

Just call him the traveling man he has spent more time out of office than in it . He acts like King and his wife Queen ,Let them eat cake just a little from the past.

During the Bush administation MANY Republicans, including Bush, tried to awaken the Dems who couldn't wait to make sure every minority person got a loan and DEMANDED IT (including "community organizer" OBAMA) and then of course all hell broke loose with the housing/banking crisis! DUH!! It was Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, who chaired the Financial Services Commmittee in the House & Senate - they LOVED Fannie & Freddie and swore they were solvent until they went B U S T!!!! Then...blamed Bush!!

Anyone who quoted that a different party was to blame are both incorrect. It was both the dems and the repubs, BOTH.

Notice who voted for NDAA? Both the republicans and the democrats. It was also a democrat who warned America that it was Obama who fought to have the right to indefinitely detain (arrest forever) American citizens with no evidence of wrong doing, no representation at all. That is right, a democrat warned Americans but Obama's speechwriters do a great job, and he reads them so well, that no one listened to the warning. Even Levin, D, who is Chairman of the Armed Services Committee: "The language which precluded the application of Section 1031 to American citizens was in the bill that we originally approved ... and the (Obama) administration asked us to remove the language which says that U.S. citizens and lawful residents would NOT be subject to this section."

While all along the Obama administration pretended to paint itself as an oppositional force against the bill, threatening to veto it if it passed. But Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich., left), co-author of the bill, says that the (Obama) administration in fact heavily lobbied to have removed from the bill's language that would have protected American citizens from some of the bill’s provisions, such as indefinite detention without trial.

Wood also notes that the Obama administration never explicitly took issue with 1031, only Section 1032, which is “unrelated” to the indefinite detention provision. (this one has nothing to do with indefinite detention or arrest forever with no crime committed - and unless you have read the bill, most do not know that. The bill is in two sections, one "sounds" more benign .. the other is a direct assault on us, our freedoms, our liberty's)

But Woods contends that the President is NOT opposed to the indefinite detention of American citizens without due process.
“Confusingly, Obama threatened a veto for 1032, but NOT 1031. 1032 is UNRELATED to imprisoning citizens without a trial. Obama has NEVER suggested using a veto to stop Section 1031 citizen imprisonment,” writes Woods.

Sometimes reading is a good thing. You might actually learn something about what is REALLY going on, and that is VERY important.

Downtown Brown - First, there are no food stamps any more - but never having to use them probably kept you from that information. What we have now is an electronic voucher system. When unemployment is up, as it was at the end of the Bush years, and at least Obama hasn't increased the level he was handed, we are going to experience the need for more public aid. I think we should keep these people alive at least.

Regardless of party affiliation - what a PATHETIC attempt for attention - Really - the Concordia was a Tragic Event - People are still missing - Talk about grasping for POLITICALLY INCORRECT straws - pardon the punn

Food Stamps....electronic vouchers......voucher checks (yes they are still used) what difference does it make WHAT YOU CALL IT....it's still FOOD STAMPS......and it's still the TAX PAYER money footing the bill...because of a poor leader in the White House.

Ok, so downtown, on your planet there were no food stamps under Republican Presidents? (care to look up the numbers and the dollars under GW?) You do realize you can't even get food stamps any more unless you have children? Are we ALL supposed to be like you and not give a damn about hungry children in this country because they picked the wrong parents? Geez...your humanity is stunning. With friends like you, the party of 'let em eat cake' needs no enemies.

Days of 'vacation' comparison - President Obama's 1st 31 months in office, 61 days vacation. President Bush's, same months, 180 days of vacation. Fact.

Downtown, try seeing the 700,000 a month job loss the last couple months of Bush's term being the REASON for the influx of social services, unless you don't mind the overwhelming amount of the poor being RED state recipients.

AP-you can get food stamps without having any children.Plenty of people do. Disabled folks on social security and ssi, unemployed or under employed persons etc.. Get the facts ok? Also not everybody getting food stamps are lazy druggies or welfare moms. Plenty of folks laid off, jobs outsourced etc.. trying to survive.

Downtown???? I am in awe of you and your blind eyes. Starve them all...I bet you are a really empathetic, caring person. I can just feel it.

Sickening

HUH??????

Atta Boy Wayno6-1 ! These demo-craps will never ever agree that someone other than their man can do something better. Of course we know there was only one other Guy in History that could "Walk on Water" and he was probably a Jewish Republican ! Rather than all the name calling these guys are doing against each other , they should be focusing on getting Obumma Out in Nov. Get some basic facts out there ! Ask yourself ARE YOU BETTER OFF NOW WITH THE PRESENT PRICES FOR FOOD, GASOLINE, AIRLINE FARES, BUILT UP EQUITY IN YOUR HOME, AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS SINCE THIS CON ARTIST TOOK OFFICE THREE YEARS AGO ? If you answer NO to any of these then YOU MUST VOTE HIM Out!

Remember O M G Means Obama Must Go !!

Agreed! He is nothing but a liar and scammer and needs to go

Well George actually left us 10.5 trillion in debt, an economy beginning signs of tanking in 2006 when we were cut a check from the treasury debt for $1425 and told to "spend it" then the auto industry near collapse and he summons the McCain team and Obama team because first of all he had no answer and he knew one of the two suckers would inherit it along with the mortgage crisis, and a year later what appeared to be an economy headed for depression. The fact that we as a nation have been stumbling around somewhat stabilized with signs of growth is impressive alomost miraculous considering what your Bush gave us. Good ole Republicanism. Did Obama deliver his promises, hell no, considering what was given him, the fact the economy has been fluttering is miraculous.

HUH!!!!!!!!! That makes no sense whatsoever. Explain please -- if you can.

so youll vote for someone who will screw you worse?

Marcel: wow...anti-semitism, ridiculous childish insults and lies all in one post! Congrats or something.

Why under the Bush administration was each American given a treasury check for $1425 in 2006 with instructions to go out and spend it?? A Republican telling us to go out and spend government money???? Because they knew the economy was in trouble and in a desperate attempt to stimulate it they told us to go out and spend on anything. The final analysis showed 70% of Americans receiving the stimulus check used it to pay off debt. Which is one of the reasons we are in the dilemma that we face now, is Americans who over the last 30 years have become "debt saturated" and it hit a peak where people quit spending due to too much debt. One of the least talked about dilemma's in this recession, both Republican & Democrat are way over their head in DEBT. How does that not make sense.

Do you really believe that bull@!$%#?

Martha-2024651 - Your post is beyond belief. The ignorance and lack of integrity it shows is amazing. You are one of the reasons the GOP has become the sad little party it now is. Pathetic really.

Of course they don't actually believe it , they just NEED to say it because it's not their guy in the office.

To them it's all a game , and if they don't win - this is what the US electorate gets. Pathetic. How else to explain not a whimper of protest as Bush/Cheney & Company drove us to the brink of disaster. Until I start hearing my fellow Republicans disavow these types of comments , and start to be truthful about the mess - they will NEVER get my vote again. And I don't care if they are running for dogcatcher.

Bunch of whiny crybabys. They certainly ARE NOT patriots.

Evidence? All the verifiable facts indicate that the Republicans are opposing our national best interests to make President Obama look bad. Your party has hurt average Americans so you can give more tax money to the richest swindlers in America.

The "Party of No" is going down this fall!

I am voting in ALL offices, national and local for "ABAR".

Anyone But A Republican!

obama is a liar and hasn't done anything he promised. Why are people still sticking up for him? People who actually believe in this guy must be delusional.

Any Republican who calls any Democrat a liar should first remember George HW Bush's campaign cry: "Read my lips! NO NEW TAXES!" Talk about a liar!

misskb -

The Obameter Scorecard-Politifact

• Promise Kept 163
• Compromise 50 Promise Broken 56
• Stalled 64
• In the Works 173
• Not yet rated 2

Those that say we do not believe that Obama is a domestic enemy and is deliberately destroying this country, American citizens are incorrect. Though it is not that we "believe" it, we know it because we know our Constitution and what the three branches of our government are allowed to do.

Brief education: US Constitution was created to define the way our government will operate and to Protect our Rights from those who serve in our government who would take them away. The Bill of Rights sets limits on our federal government, making clear it has NO power to infringe on Rights we already naturally possess, or to limit traditionally held privileges, such as trial by jury. The framers wanted to make sure that EVERYONE understood that the Constitution only grants our federal govenrment prescribed, specific, enumerated powers; and that our federal government cannot exercise ANY powers other than those granted.

Who does possesses all other powers? The states and the People do. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people" 10th Amendment

Hope that helps you to understand how our government is REQUIRED to work.

Only a Republican could be so lousy at math.

Hey, coming from a public school educated demostupid, I take that as a compliment!

Martha,

Thank You for telling thr truth

Knine: do open a window or take that dog for a walk and try to calm down. Here on planet earth, democracy is doing just fine...you even get to vote for someone else, remember?

I read the articles and then the comments. By the time I have finished reading the comments I am sick to my stomach. This country is in trouble and has been in trouble. THE PRESIDENT is trying to undo what has been done. He published all his contributors today. The man is trying. Those of you who can't see that are just hopeless. I don't know what else to say.

He has as much chance as anybody in the insane clown posse. Zero.

bgun2 - and he would of course be on the GOP ticket!

It is interesting that he makes light of the death of many, including Americans, in this tragedy and you think it qualifies him to be POTUS.

Abandoning ship? He must have been referring to darling Sarah.

"Captain B O". Has a nice ring to it.

I vote for Sarah "once you've had black.." Palin as being a lot like the Italian ship captain. Pompous and totally incompetent!! Leatherface Brewer and, of course, "Family Abandoning" Gingrich make that list as well.

W. Bush also deserves the honor. Heck of a job, brownies!!!!