... you realize that Obama was still paying off his student loans until he became a best selling author, right?
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PoliGAF 2012 Community Thread
- Thread starter AlteredBeast
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... you realize that Obama was still paying off his student loans until he became a best selling author, right?
PhoenixDark
Banned
Obama is certainly awkward and a bit out of touch, but he gets away with it due to being charasmatic and being rather handsome. Romney comes off like a robot whereas Obama is like a lit professor who hung around jazz clubs
I don't think Obama is so much awkward as he is intellectual. I work in a University and a lot of our professors have that weird "we overthink everything" aspect that normal people just don't concern themselves with
But luckily for him as you say the charisma overpowers that, if you have ever met him he can turn on the charm instantly even if it is just pandering.
I really wonder what Romney is like in private, he can't be that aloof and out of it as he appears. Even if he was just a plain asshole that would be better than his neutral robot personality.
Dr. Pangloss
Member
Does Romney want to be successful? Sure, who doesn't want to be good at what they do? But don't attribute success to beliefs. Ron Paul obviously believes everything you stated. Perry obviously believes what common social conservatives do. Let's not forget that Romney not only increased state fees on his constituents but also implemented a government mandate for health insurance. Those run counter to get government out of my life. He did those things because his constituents asked him to. His beliefs didn't play a role.
Romney is playing a role at the moment. He has for most of his career. He has not implemented conservative ideology whenever he had the reins of power. This is not to say he won't if he wins the presidency. After all, Massachusetts is a different ballgame from the rest of the country. I just think he doesn't hold core convictions. He is more of politician that looks at where the wind is blowing. Not a leader.
No, Obama's not out of touch.
Just because you're rich doesn't mean you're out of touch.
Whatever happened to Romney, you can bet he had the door to high management open to him due to the amounts of wealth his family had and their connections. Even had he flunked out of college due to being a party animal, he would have easily been able to ascend the corporate ladder because of his connections.
That's what makes him out of touch. He's never had to deal with the worries other people did. He's never lived the way other people do. It isn't necessarily entirely his fault, or a bad thing itself, but it isn't something you want in someone dedicated to public service. Elected officials need to be able to relate to their constituents in order to act on behalf of improving the lives of their constituents.
Warren Buffett is the 3rd richest person on the planet, but I wouldn't call him out of touch. He lives a humble lifestyle, eats out only once or twice a week (He is a regular at a saturday breakfast joint near his home for pancakes), and the only extravagance he indulges in is a new corvette every year.
Is he rich? Yes. Does he have the luxury of not having to worry about being able to afford personal debts and bills? Yes, that's what it means to be rich. It means you have a large buffer to work with and plenty of moving room.
But it doesn't make him out of touch.
Just because you're rich doesn't mean you're out of touch.
Whatever happened to Romney, you can bet he had the door to high management open to him due to the amounts of wealth his family had and their connections. Even had he flunked out of college due to being a party animal, he would have easily been able to ascend the corporate ladder because of his connections.
That's what makes him out of touch. He's never had to deal with the worries other people did. He's never lived the way other people do. It isn't necessarily entirely his fault, or a bad thing itself, but it isn't something you want in someone dedicated to public service. Elected officials need to be able to relate to their constituents in order to act on behalf of improving the lives of their constituents.
Warren Buffett is the 3rd richest person on the planet, but I wouldn't call him out of touch. He lives a humble lifestyle, eats out only once or twice a week (He is a regular at a saturday breakfast joint near his home for pancakes), and the only extravagance he indulges in is a new corvette every year.
Is he rich? Yes. Does he have the luxury of not having to worry about being able to afford personal debts and bills? Yes, that's what it means to be rich. It means you have a large buffer to work with and plenty of moving room.
But it doesn't make him out of touch.
Everything. Romney isn't simply out of touch, he also seems almost willfully ignorant about even the simplest social things. His comment on 711 baked goods was completely bizarre. The comment about firing people. Horses. Everything that falls out of his head.
Look, this whole false euqivalency thing is beyond fucked up. Obama is nowhere near as out of touch as Romney. It's not an opinion, it's demonstrated every time Romney opens his mouth. Obama is the most powerful man in the world, he has the most sophisticated private jet in the world, he probably hasn't cooked a meal in six years, but to even BEGIN to compare his personal approach to human things with Romney's is hilarious.
It's OK to prefer Romney's policies or philosophy to Obama's, but do we have to maintain this absurd pretence that there is equivalency for every negative or positive aspect?
RustyNails
Member
I'm telling you, Obama is going to have to WORK to stay ahead of Romney in Michigan. Snyder has been kicking ass, getting our books in order and not getting bogged down in "politics for politics sake." I think many voters will view Romney/Obama as analogous to Snyder/Granholm - which wouldn't be good for Obama.
Dr. Pangloss
Member
If only you had been around in 2008. I would have loved your comparisons back then of Obama and Kwame Kilpatrick.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
Did you read the quote? Obama is still ahead of Romney even though the poll's internals skew majorly towards Replican strengths.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
83% of that poll was over 51 and white. lol
Hobbestetrician
Member
Doesn't Snyder have pretty low approval ratings?
Edit: I see it has gone up since I last checked.
As someone who lives in the Council Bluffs / Omaha area, where most of us clean off our tables before even letting the waiter do anything at a restaurant, a staff trashing a place like that and leaving it to be cleaned up later is seen as disrespectful.
He done pissed off a lot of Republicans around here that I've talked to today. Especially the Dixiecrats in CB.
He done pissed off a lot of Republicans around here that I've talked to today. Especially the Dixiecrats in CB.
David Incorporated Esq.
Member
I have to wonder how effective a cut and dry campaign of "Romney: He's just a lousy guy" would do.
AlteredBeast
Fork 'em, Sparky!
As someone who lives in Omaha, I know that people in CB clean off their tables with their tongues.
I have talked to a lot of people on this side of the river and not one heard anything about this. Must be a CB thing.
As someone who lives in Omaha, I know that people in CB clean off their tables with their tongues.
I have talked to a lot of people on this side of the river and not one heard anything about this. Must be a CB thing.
Dunno. I live in South O, so we're literally a bridge hop away from CB, so there's a lot of CB/Omaha resident intermingling down here.
Good ol' Counciltucky.
AlteredBeast
Fork 'em, Sparky!
Admittedly, I work in North O and live in Papillion, so who knows. Most people up north don't read newspapers or watch the news, and Papillion is white suburbia to a T
GODSPEED
If I usually have to go to a Wal Mart, I go to the Papillion one. I can feel the whiteness wafting off the ground. Same with Ralston and La Vista. Actually, let's just say "Sarpy County"
But either way, yeah, Romney should probably just shut up and let his PR people talk for him sometimes.
Solyndra, Bobby Ferguson, not a huge difference, IMO. Then again, all Presidents enrich their donors.
I give Obama credit for not sleeping around on his wife recklessly.
PhoenixDark
Banned
I don't think Obama can take Michigan for granted (like say, Minnesota) but I don't see it being in danger, sorry. That poll's internals has problems you'd probably be pointed to if it was a Virginia or Florida poll.
I do believe some of Obama's "saved Detroit" rhetoric rings a tad hallow for people who actually live in Detroit or have to deal with it, considering it's imploding by the second. But still, most people recognize if it wasn't for the bailout, a lot of jobs would have been lost in and outside of Detroit.
Even my pro-Obama slappy, state employee dad is becoming a Snyder fan. He's rather concerned about talk of privatizing prisons (he works part time as a dentist at a women's facility) but overall seems to have completely come around on Snyder. He, like most people in Michigan, couldn't stand Jenny from the block.
Talk about trying to hard, lmao
Polling seems to all the more increasingly fall victim to politics and not striving to get a realistic sampling of the electorate. Sad.
Objectively, I think Snyder is what we should be looking for from politicians - he doesn't really pander for votes and the only times we really hear from him is when he is doing something to get the State back into good fiscal shape. We'll see if he can keep it up.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
"Solyndra loan guarantee was a multi-year process that the Bush Administration launched in 2007."
lol
PhoenixDark
Banned
I must admit I find it interesting that despite pure republican control of the state, he hasn't truly gone full right wing like Walker and some other governors. His budget certainly made bad cuts but that's to be expected of republicans. But he also ended some tax exemptions for higher income folks
As soon as Obama get in, his administration quickly moved and gave them $500M+.
You really shouldn't quote thinkprogress.com - they miss things like this
AlteredBeast
Fork 'em, Sparky!
Black Republican
Member
i suspect we wont be seeing Mr Alter on msnbc for a while heh
It was a lot of money?
Invisible_Insane
Member
I suspect your referencing things obliquely without providing links is only going to get more annoying.
Relative to what?
Relative to regular people's income, maybe?
Solyndra went tits up and it was a loss of money. Nobody should be just brushing it off as "oh it wasn't that bad".
I really don't see how you can compare deals like that to regular income.
While even the comparison of CEO pay and regular people income can be tenuous given what is being compared, this is really really stretching it.
empty vessel
Member
What happened to that money?
I'm sure some of it was injected back into the economy, but some if it is sitting idle in a closed factory. Potentially better off elsewhere.
I'm not opposed to using monies to fund things like solyndra and such, but you can't just brush it aside either.
empty vessel
Member
Well, I may be more opposed to it than you, then, but not because of the spending or "lost" money (which isn't lost so much as misdirected). I think if the government wants to invest in technological progress, it should spend money on public research from which the whole public benefits, instead of handing money over to (or guaranteeing loans for) private profiteers. It's stimulus, but neither efficient nor equitable stimulus.
I have no idea why conservatives would be up in arms about it, apart from the obvious political leverage. Seems like the kind of government spending they normally wholesale support--the kind from which private investors can directly profit.
"I like things."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=812fbaau7qQ
Auto Tune The News did another Mitt Romney song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=812fbaau7qQ
Auto Tune The News did another Mitt Romney song.
ErasureAcer
Banned
Obama only up 1 in Michigan? Electoral Vote still looks in his favor if he takes Ohio/Virginia.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
AlteredBeast
Fork 'em, Sparky!
LOL. The sample was all sorts of messed up. In reality, he is probably up 5 or 6...
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
No, I'm sorry. Kosmo is retarded. Was Solyndra a stupid loan? Yes. Was there some grand conspiracy from the Obama administration? Considering Bush's administration was also pushing for them to get a loan..... Kosmo is retarded. Overall it was something like 1% of the loans given from the program, and it seems to be the only example of some possible mistake with the loans given out.
Maybe you shouldn't be taking your news from the nation.foxnews.com ?
http://nation.foxnews.com/solyndra/2011/09/14/bush-admin-voted-against-solyndra-loan
?
because...
Oh what? What happened in March? Let's ignore that stuff. Let's also ignore that this was a long ongoing, multi-year process, and was not pushed through by Obama's administration in a few days like you implied.
EDIT
I had to bold the key words, cause I figure you'll have a bit of trouble with it.
Arrowgigantic
Member
And if you look at the full data, you can see that 14% blamed Obama "a great deal" six months after he took office, compared to 23% who do now. Without that Tea Party effect, you've got 9% currently, compared to Bush's 35%.
Lamentably, the general public lacks the understanding of valid survey methodology to contextualize polls with peculiar skews. And the media frequently fails to provide the proper analysis. The reaction to PPP's latest survey of NC encapsulates this problem. The results suggest Obama's position in NC, especially with black voters, is foundering. Yet his support among white voters is indistinguishable from 2008. Moreover, as PPP noted, the sample size for black voters was small producing a considerable margin of error. Thus, it's likely noise is responsible for the results instead of a shift in the black electorate.
RustyNails
Member
So..Egypt just witnessed the most silent and smoothest coup d'etat today. Supreme council court declares Parliament invalid, SCAF says it will command total legislative authority, dissolve the parliament and create a new legislative assembly. That historic election couple of weeks ago? lol
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