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[Puddles]

I spent a few minutes reading over various policy proposals from Republican presidential candidates, and now I'm pretty sure I have to vote for Obama, even though he sucks. Under the Republican luminaries who represent an alternative to four more years of Obama, the following could definitely happen:

- A full repeal of Dodd-Frank (lunacy, the bill should be made stronger if anything).
- A full repeal of the Affordable Care Act (insanity, if anything the public option should be added).
- Elimination of the capital gains tax (possibly not a high priority, but Huntsman would make it a part of his economic platform).
- Closing down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (I don't see how anyone can successfully spin this as being beneficial to the populace, but somehow they will).

I doubt they'd make any headway on abortion or gay issues, but those four alone are enough to make me question the sanity of anyone who would vote Republican.

Oh, and the Bush tax cuts would NEVER expire for the top bracket.


I HATE how anti-populist ideas can be spun as pro-populist with braindead strawmen arguments.

"So you want to punish success?"
"So you don't think you should keep what you earn?"
"So you think some unelected czar should be able to tell you what to do?"
"So you want us to be like Cuba?"

The left needs quick, easily-digestible talking points like these.

 

[jamesinclair]

I HATE how anti-populist ideas can be spun as pro-populist with braindead strawmen arguments.

"So you want to punish success?"
"So you don't think you should keep what you earn?"
"So you think some unelected czar should be able to tell you what to do?"
"So you want us to be like Cuba?"

The left needs quick, easily-digestible talking points like these.

So you want to punish effort?
So you dont think you should pay for what you use?
So you think some uneducated hobo should be able to tell you what to do because he was financed by a mega-corporation?
So you want us to be like Somalia?

 

[Puddles]

Jesus, it's not just Huntsman:

Five GOP candidates propose eliminating the capital gains tax.

Anyone know any single chicks in Europe?

 

[Plinko]

Jesus, it's not just Huntsman:

Five GOP candidates propose eliminating the capital gains tax.

Anyone know any single chicks in Europe?

Complete repeal, using data from the Congressional Budget Office, would cost about $1 trillion over 10 years.

Can't wait for them to find $1 trillion in cuts to make. That should be fun.

 

[Chichikov]

Jesus, it's not just Huntsman:

Five GOP candidates propose eliminating the capital gains tax.

Anyone know any single chicks in Europe?

If you really worry about that, put some money on any of them winning the presidency.
I'm sure their policies will serve you and the Scrooge McDuck fortune you made in political bets well.

 

[eznark]

Damn, this would have cost him Wisconsin without a doubt.

 

[ToxicAdam]

Oh yea? But what about all the people that will miss the pregame show featuring Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5 and Kid Rock?!?

There's going to be an uproar ...

 

[jamesinclair]

Oh yea? But what about all the people that will miss the pregame show featuring Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5 and Kid Rock?!?

There's going to be an uproar ...

Or the fact that west coast will be at work.

Terrible planning. Would have made more sense to be at 10pm est on the 7th, AFTER the republican debate.

 

[ToxicAdam]

I was being sarcastic about missing the pregame show.

 

[TacticalFox88]

Did Kosmo and Panther get a permaban?

 

[besada]

Did Kosmo and Panther get a permaban?

I don't imagine anyone knows but a mod. If you find out, let me know. I was curious why PL got booted in the first place. Not surprised, mind you, but curious.

 

[Particle Physicist]

Did Kosmo and Panther get a permaban?

I didn't even notice the banning, when and why did this happen?

 

[ToxicAdam]

I mentioned this the other day, but PL is the manager of this site. You could probably shoot him a message there. I'm sure he's probably on twitter also.


--- /// ---


More c-suckers impeding progress and costing people jobs:

President Obama now has a clear choice on climate change. Major energy corporations are seeking to build a 1700-mile oil pipeline from Canada’s tar sands to refineries in Texas. The Keystone XL Pipeline would itself carry social and environmental costs: cutting through fragile ecosystems, creating risk of spills, and negatively affecting indigenous communities. But, most significantly, it would be a boon to efforts to exploit the tar sands.

http://www.dissentmagazine.org/atw.php?id=542

Mckibbin's a fucking loon.

 

[ToxicAdam]

Nevertheless, it looks unlikely that another stimulus package will be forthcoming, Franken said. Thus, the economic “perpetual motion machine,” which is not an impossibility after all, Franken said.

“We have to create jobs with no money. I’ve seen jobs that do that,” Franken said. “There’s an air conditioning company called McQuay International in Owatonna and Faribault. What they do is essentially lend money to people who would use the air condition systems — colleges, university and such. There is no money out of pocket for the clients. They pay them back through the energy savings.”

Franken proposed such a system for broader job creation. If, for example, such a system had been used to renovate the ice center, the contractors would have fronted the money to the city and the city would have paid them back with the $77,000 in annual energy savings.

“There’s our perpetual motion machine,” Franken said. “We know that 40 percent of the energy used is used by buildings. With so many people in the building trades out of work, and out of work a long time, it feels to me that this is an area where we can put people back to work and not spend money out of pocket. Then we use the energy efficiency saving to pay off the capital.

I wonder if ideas like this will be part of Obama's job's plan.

 

[mj1108]

Can't wait for them to find $1 trillion in cuts to make. That should be fun.

Not to worry, they'll just cut things for the poor and middle class to pay for them.

It's the GOP way.

 

[hellclerk]

Yes. Glad that's settled.

It's not even that, it's a blatant straw-man. The Christian Sacrament of marriage is very clearly defined in both what it is (between a man and a woman) and its purpose (a stable environment for procreating and raising children) and has been for thousands of years. Gay couples can't fit this definition and thus cannot get married in the Catholic Church.

HOWEVER, the way the STATE defines marriage is different. It is literally ONLY a socio-economic contract between two consenting parties. There is absolutely zero religious implication in this. There legally can't be, constitutionally speaking.

So no, the Catholic Church and bible ARE NOT bigoted. They have their traditions, which stem from a different basis than US law. Pulling the church into this is not an excuse, it's a distraction, a decoy. It's not the Government's job to uphold the "sanctity" of religious sacraments, it's the Government's job to serve the people, no matter what religion says.

 

[eznark]

Not gonna be a good day.

By the way, I was half serious about that Packers game thing. For that day when people thought the Packers game was going to be pre-empted, people were freaking out.

 

[Averon]

Abysmal jobs report. A zero net gain in jobs for August.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

Abysmal jobs report. A zero net gain in jobs for August.

Three political system is a train wreck and unfortunately the bad economy only means america will reward the republicans next election cycle.

 

[thekad]

Three political system is a train wreck and unfortunately the bad economy only means america will reward the republicans next election cycle.

That's the plan.

 

[FrankT]

Abysmal jobs report. A zero net gain in jobs for August.

Almost no question this is actually a negative report come next month based on the last two down revisions. Could be a blip on the radar, but job losses is definitely not a good thing at this point. Down, down the rabbit hole we go when will we hit bottom who knows.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Three political system is a train wreck and unfortunately the bad economy only means america will reward the republicans next election cycle.

the GOP still remains relatively unfavored, and they were blamed for the Debt Ceiling ordeal.

 

[schuelma]

the GOP still remains relatively unfavored, and they were blamed for the Debt Ceiling ordeal.

If unemployment is still hovering around 9% next year, Obama is in major major trouble, no matter who the GOP nominates.

The GOP congress is a different story and a switch back to Pelosi and Co. isn't out of the question.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

If unemployment is still hovering around 9% next year, Obama is in major major trouble, no matter who the GOP nominates.

The GOP congress is a different story and a switch back to Pelosi and Co. isn't out of the question.

Just a few posts ago people were saying Reagan was re-elected under very similar conditions. The actual number of unemployment doesn't matter, it's the trend it's moving in (after all, FDR was re-elected with something like a 12% unemployment)

Obama remains a very popular president despite all the problems in the country. He has the fact he's an incumbent to back him up, plus he doesn't seem to have to face a strong opponent that would appeal to independents.

 

[Averon]

Three political system is a train wreck and unfortunately the bad economy only means america will reward the republicans next election cycle.

I honestly think we're heading into a mode of flip flops between Dem and GOP control of government as long as this joblessness remains. To the public, neither side is giving the them what they want, so their only (believed) recourse is vote the bums out and give the other guy a chance. And if that 'other guy' can't fix the economy in 2-4 years, flip to the previous guy. Congress' approval rating is abysmal (even by traditional congressional approval rating standards). I wouldn't be surprised if Obama lose the WH but the Dems winning back the House.

 

[schuelma]

Just a few posts ago people were saying Reagan was re-elected under very similar conditions. The actual number of unemployment doesn't matter, it's the trend it's moving in (after all, FDR was re-elected with something like a 12% unemployment)

Obama remains a very popular president despite all the problems in the country. He has the fact he's an incumbent to back him up, plus he doesn't seem to have to face a strong opponent that would appeal to independents.

Well yes, if the economy starts growing at a very high pace leading to high quarterly GDP and lowering the unemployment rate, that parallel can work.

But no one thinks that is going to happen.

 

[JohnnyPhatsaqs]

I'm not a fan of anyone the GOP is offering. But I also think it's silly to think that Obama is a lock for a second term. The infatuation he was enjoying in 08 is over. People have seen he is bringing no change, and it's politics as usual. I also highly doubt he will see the huge influx of young voters he had last time as well. Lot of folks are going to be apathetic this time.

Again, who knows. But thinking he's a lock for a second term is basically foolish at this point.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

I'm not a fan of anyone the GOP is offering. But I also think it's silly to think that Obama is a lock for a second term. The infatuation he was enjoying in 08 is over. People have seen he is bringing no change, and it's politics as usual. I also highly doubt he will see the huge influx of young voters he had last time as well. Lot of folks are going to be apathetic this time.

Again, who knows. But thinking he's a lock for a second term is basically foolish at this point.

but he is bringing change and has been his entire 3 years...


He's the first president in our entire history who managed to pass some sort of healtcare reform bill

He's reformed Wallstreet

He reformed student loans

He ended DADT

He's fighting DOMA



He doesn't need to bring more change, the people just need to know the very positive and very real effects of his legislation.
Right now, all the media is slamming everything he does. He has no media allies.

He needs to figure out a way to better explain things to people, I believe that is much more important to him winning.

 

[JohnnyPhatsaqs]

but he is bringing change and has been his entire 3 years...


He's the first president in our entire history who managed to pass some sort of healtcare reform bill

He's reformed Wallstreet

He reformed student loans

He ended DADT

He's fighting DOMA



He doesn't need to bring more change, the people just need to know the very positive and very real effects of his legislation.
Right now, all the media is slamming everything he does. He has no media allies.

He needs to figure out a way to better explain things to people, I believe that is much more important to him winning.

Be realistic about the UHC. The plan as it is is STUPID and immature. His all or nothing approach is ignorant. I agree there needs to be a reform, but this bill is trash.

It is amazing. It's wonderful, everyone should love it right? It's good for EVERYONE. Well, unless you're in Congress, or the Senate, or the unions or in a state that played ball.

Sickening. Change my ass. Just more favors for people that do what the people in charge like. You've got to see that.

I hope it gets repealed, or at least struck down by the SC.

Again, yes we need reform, but NOT like this.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Be realistic about the UHC. The plan as it is is STUPID and immature. His all or nothing approach is ignorant. I agree there needs to be a reform, but this bill is trash.

It is amazing. It's wonderful, everyone should love it right? It's good for EVERYONE. Well, unless you're in Congress, or the Senate, or the unions or in a state that played ball.

Sickening. Change my ass. Just more favors for people that do what the people in charge like. You've got to see that.

I hope it gets repealed, or at least struck down by the SC.

Again, yes we need reform, but NOT like this.

Let me tell you a quick story

Pre-healthcare reform: My insurance literally covered nothing. I had an HSA account which my dad put 100% of his own money into and apparently that was "insurance"

Post-healthcare reform: By LAW the HSA plan has to now cover 100% of preventative medicine. Meaning my family can actually afford to go to the doctor and make sure none of us die of colon cancer or whatever, a "luxury" we didn't have before Health Care Reform.

And HCR has now pushed NY to look into making their own state run health plan for everyone. And with MVP looking to raise rates almost 20% this year, the local politicians are pushing for a state health plan.

 

[JohnnyPhatsaqs]

Let me tell you a quick story

Pre-healthcare reform: My insurance literally covered nothing. I had an HSA account which my dad put 100% of his own money into and apparently that was "insurance"

Post-healthcare reform: By LAW the HSA plan has to now cover 100% of preventative medicine. Meaning my family can actually afford to go to the doctor and make sure none of us die of colon cancer or whatever, a "luxury" we didn't have before Health Care Reform.

And HCR has now pushed NY to look into making their own state run health plan for everyone. And with MVP looking to raise rates almost 20% this year, the local politicians are pushing for a state health plan.

Anecdotal

So what happens down the line, in this single payer bullshit, when we can't afford it anymore. The money has to come from somewhere. You also didn't address why certain groups are exempt from it. It also wrecks some small companies' plans. Again, it's an immature approach. I agree reform is needed, but help those that actually need it. I don't.

And to balladofwindfishes, believe it or not, people can understand it and still disagree with it. It's hilarious that there are those that think everyone will agree if he just explains it better. lol. Obama isn't the smarted man in the room. People do understand what is going on and just don't like it

 

[Particle Physicist]

Be realistic about the UHC. The plan as it is is STUPID and immature. His all or nothing approach is ignorant. I agree there needs to be a reform, but this bill is trash.

It is amazing. It's wonderful, everyone should love it right? It's good for EVERYONE. Well, unless you're in Congress, or the Senate, or the unions or in a state that played ball.

Sickening. Change my ass. Just more favors for people that do what the people in charge like. You've got to see that.

I hope it gets repealed, or at least struck down by the SC.

Again, yes we need reform, but NOT like this.

What? First of all.... the Healthcare Reform Act is not a Universal Health Care type of system.... and how exactly is it an all or nothing approach?

:/

 

[Particle Physicist]

Anecdotal

So what happens down the line, in this single payer bullshit, when we can't afford it anymore. The money has to come from somewhere. You also didn't address why certain groups are exempt from it. It also wrecks some small companies' plans. Again, it's an immature approach. I agree reform is needed, but help those that actually need it. I don't.

This isn't singlepayer... but if it were... it actually would be cheaper for the government to run than the current system we have right now.... and yes, there are tax dollars going towards healthcare in the current system.

It sounds like you have no idea what has passed and what the alternative systems actually entail.

 

[Tim-E]

It's depressing how successful the right was in brainwashing the American public into thinking that the Affordable Healtcare Act is universal healthcare and how prevalent that thinking still is.

 

[Averon]

If Obama is the fall, I'd have to pin-point the summer of 2009 where it all began. The entire HCR debate was becoming a disgusting sideshow with death panels and other such ridiculous crap being spewed as fact. Where were Obama and Dems? They certainly wasn't out in force pushing back the BS. Instead, they was being strung along by Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe (remember, as Ghal put it so elegantly many time before, 41>59 in the Senate.) It also didn't help that blue dogs made the whole process needlessly harder on the Dem side than it had to. Funny enough, many of those same blue dogs still lost in 2010.

 

[mernst23]

I never understood how people who don't have the basic grasp of the facts get all vocal about what they perceive to be a problem. Back when I was in school and I didn't understand something I shut up and tried to learn, or asked questions, as opposed to standing up in the class and saying "you are wrong."

I understand media bias in terms of creating a narrative but people who get all their news from a single source are just the most idiotic of the idiotic.

 

[Averon]

I never understood how people who don't have the basic grasp of the facts get all vocal about what they perceive to be a problem. Back when I was in school and I didn't understand something I shut up and tried to learn, or asked questions, as opposed to standing up in the class and saying "you are wrong."

I understand media bias in terms of creating a narrative but people who get all their news from a single source are just the most idiotic of the idiotic.

It would be nice if everyone was like that. But what you suggest requires effort and *gasp!* work. People are lazy. It's far easier and faster remain ignorant and/or trust your "gut" feelings. What's sad is that the internet--the greatest source of easily accessible information man has created--seems to have made this behavior worse.

 

[GhaleonEB]

That's the plan.

I'd wager Republicans are both surprised and giddy with how happily Obama is going along with the plan. Maybe even a bit confused, along with the rest of us.

 

[dabig2]

It's depressing how successful the right was in brainwashing the American public into thinking that the Affordable Healtcare Act is universal healthcare and how prevalent that thinking still is.

Liberals: "what is this halfway horseshit? It's literally a right-winger's plan!"
Conservatives: "what is this, communist Russia?!"

Rinse and repeat for virtually every other decision made over the past 3 years. So instead of 5 being the halfway mark between 1 and 10, it's more like 3; and then after extending that hand "across the aisle" 3 becomes 2.

 

[Averon]

I'd wager Republicans are both surprised and giddy with how happily Obama is going along with the plan. Maybe even a bit confused, along with the rest of us.

Obama has the balls to risk creating Black Hawk Down: The sequel to kill OBL, but he's completely pussy-whipped when it comes to dealing with the GOP (or most domestic opposition for that matter). I don't understand this.

 

[BotoxAgent]

It sounds like you have no idea what has passed and what the alternative systems actually entail.

this is the main problem we have. As much as I don't like Obama's timidness and lack of backbone, people just need to smarten up. There's only so much a man can do when he is faced with such an ignorant populace.

Republicans treat their audience like idiots and it's working.

 

[Averon]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/ar...alism_in_potential_perry_contrast_111183.html

Palin to Rip "Crony Capitalism" in Iowa Speech

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Though she won't be a candidate when she delivers a major address at a tea party rally in Iowa on Saturday, Sarah Palin will make it clear that she if enters the presidential race later this month she will vociferously challenge Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s engrained image of solidarity with the tea party movement.

In her speech at the bucolic National Balloon Classic field in Indianola, Palin will lean on loaded phrases like “crony capitalism” and “permanent political class” in laying out her view of the U.S. political system’s deep-rooted ills, according to a source close to Palin and familiar with the content of the speech.

Though she will not call Perry out by name, Palin’s carefully couched rhetoric will leave the impression that she may soon draw more overt attention to one of the Texan’s potential vulnerabilities as a candidate: his history of doling out plum positions and other benefits to generous campaign donors during his nearly 11-year tenure as the nation’s longest serving governor.

Perry vs. Palin. Fight!

 

[Jackson50]

Just a few posts ago people were saying Reagan was re-elected under very similar conditions. The actual number of unemployment doesn't matter, it's the trend it's moving in (after all, FDR was re-elected with something like a 12% unemployment)

Obama remains a very popular president despite all the problems in the country. He has the fact he's an incumbent to back him up, plus he doesn't seem to have to face a strong opponent that would appeal to independents.

Is a flat employment report indicative of a positive trend? Granted, it would be premature to infer a negative trend. Moreover, were the preceding employment reports robust enough to secure his reelection? No. Sure, being an incumbent confers an advantage. And a polarizing opponent would improve his prospects. Nevertheless, he remains acutely vulnerable because of the economy.

 

[ToxicAdam]

People are still peddeling the 'vast right-wing conspiracy' to tank the economy? Funny, that's the same thing the loons like Limbaugh and Beck were accusing Obama of doing in 2009.

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2009/05/11/sessions

 

[richiek]

From the NY Times:

BREAKING NEWS10:49 AM ET
Obama Pulls Back Proposal to Tighten Clean Air Rules

Great. Just great.

 

[Measley]

It's depressing how successful the right was in brainwashing the American public into thinking that the Affordable Healtcare Act is universal healthcare and how prevalent that thinking still is.

Its depressing how successful the right has been in brainwashing America period. Now we have ANOTHER conservative Texas governor running for president, and some people actually want him to be president.

 

[Jackson50]

People are still peddeling the 'vast right-wing conspiracy' to tank the economy? Funny, that's the same thing the loons like Limbaugh and Beck were accusing Obama of doing in 2009.

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2009/05/11/sessions

Think reparations. Think forced reparations here if you want to understand what actually is going on.

:lol Does it still qualify as dog-whistle politics if it's that blatant?

 

[eznark]

 

[Evlar]

From the NY Times:



Great. Just great.

Oh it's even better than that. From the article summary:

The Obama administration is abandoning a plan that would have cut emissions of smog-causing chemicals, after an intense lobbying campaign, officials said.

Not only did they capitulate, they couldn't even come up with a good excuse for it.

 

[gcubed]

eh, dont like the accuracy of the shirt. It should just be a straight line.

edit, i dont know why i posted the above