Friday Open Thread [5.11.12]
Joe Klein: “I fear that I went too easy on Mitt Romney with regard to his high school bullying escapades. It’s not the incident itself that troubles me — though it was, obviously, outrageous and disgraceful — so much as his current response: He doesn’t remember it. This is patent nonsense. How could he not remember it? Obviously, he remembers it or he wouldn’t have been so quick to issue his blanket apology yesterday for any and all hurt he may have caused at Cranbrook. And this transparent fudge once again raises questions about his character.”
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Andrew Sullivan: “I do not believe Romney has no memory of this. I believe he is lying. His absurd statement that he has no memory of the event but that he didn’t target the boy for being gay is hilarious for its self-contradiction. A boy who routinely snickered ‘Atta girl!’ when one young gay kid in his class spoke up is not just bashing hippies. I went to an all boys high school in the 1970s. What Romney did was a gay-bashing.”
I think it is going to become so acceptable as conventional wisdom that Romney is a liar, and Romney will continue to tell the most outrageous and pathological lies over the next five months, that President Obama will actually be forced to call him a liar to his face during the debates.
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First Read: “But this story exposed a bigger problem for Romney. The first thing anyone running for office has to do is own their own narrative; they need to define themselves before the other side does it for them. And the bigger issue here is that the story brings to light how Romney – despite running for president for five years – is still not completely defined; his narrative is still being formed. The question of, ‘Who is Mitt Romney,’ is still out there. Just because you have high name ID, doesn’t mean people know who you are. It’s the great mistake that John Kerry made in 2004. When you first start running as a presidential candidate, you’re usually a two-dimensional figure. By the general election, you’re 3D; you’re fully formed. Romney’s STILL not yet fully formed despite fact that he’s run for president for so long. The story’s a reminder of how easily others are trying to fill in the blanks. Which begs the question: why is Romney still not fully-formed in the minds of the public?”
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Bloomberg reports that almost two-thirds of private-sector job growth in the past five decades came with Democrats in the White House.
“The BGOV Barometer shows that since Democrat John F. Kennedy took office in January 1961, non-government payrolls in the U.S. swelled by almost 42 million jobs under Democrats, compared with 24 million for Republican presidents… Democrats hold the edge though they occupied the Oval Office for 23 years since Kennedy’s inauguration, compared with 28 for the Republicans.”
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Corporate Personhood Rulez.
https://www.facebook.com/mcvay.will/posts/332783133459838
I’m pretty sure that “open thread” is not an invitation to advertise your web site/facebook page. If I’m going to read the opinions of a libertarian, it’s going to be Steve Newton, not some numbnuts with delusions of adequacy.
After less than two months as a citizen of Switzerland, Michele Bachmann has asked the Swiss government not to consider her one of them. I know what you’re thinking: Bachmann couldn’t stand being connected somehow to a country where the Geneva Conventions were signed. How can you then argue that waterboarding is not torture? Nor is it the country’s official neutral stance.
No, sadly, this act of familial togetherness has been broken up by, wait for it, partisan politics. It seems the right-wing paranoia-sphere descended upon Mrs. Bachmann quickly and in ill humor, with some demanding she be arrested for treason. Lovely times we live in here.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76211.html
Compare what Mitt Romney alledgeadly did 47 years ago as a teenager, to what President Obama is doing today as current President of the United States
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304070304577396412560038208.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
Steve Newton is not a libertarian. He is a “libertarian when it suits him.” according to his blog. In a previous thread he made this abundantly clear to me.
Just wanted to clarify.
Ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTVFNZKuN-g
@Rd “…what President Obama is doing today…”
Maybe Obama is a fan of Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”.
Look… Court records are in the public domain. If you have a sleazy past, maybe it’s better to not put yourself in the public eye with partisan political activity. Both parties research their opponents and disseminate what juicy tidbits they find.
“Steve Newton is not a libertarian.” Based on his comments here, I’d say that Newton is an embarrassed Republican, but at least he has enough sense to be embarrassed.
Newt had the guts to call him a liar I hope Obama does also besides being a liar Mittens has committed a hate crime of which he can’t remember. But he remembers saving Gm and advising Obama on how to get OBL.
Too many links, not enough beer. I went to This American Life Live last night. I’m very supportive and satisfied and entertained with NPR and PBS. An encore is scheduled for http://hypercompact.com/tal-okgo/Tuesday, and if you go definitely get the app. I hope I did that right. And just to wet your whistle, or whet your appetite, Mike Birbiglio does a hilarious short with Terry Gross, YES, OUR terry Gross! WHYY in the opening scene. Trying to link the funny
Dang. I really wanted to see that. I guess they’ve been successful enough that I should have another chance sometime.
What debates, obama is going to run away from debates faster than sherman through georgia
I’ve been at this for a while, and I’ can’t remember a more nonsensical, reality-impaired troll.
So if I am reality impaired, then that means my statements are incorrect.
And sense you guys mostly or completely disagree with me, that must mean your statements and beliefs are correct. So that must mean todays rasmussen poll showing romney up nationally 50, to 43, must not be real.
Keep believing those Rasmussen polls, Rusty. They’re 99.999% accurate.
/sarcasm
Just look at Rasmussen’s track record in 2010
from 538.
Rusty, what kind of analogy is that? are you saying that Obama is Sherman? because he didn’t “run away” through Georgia… while I think what he did was a war crime…. what he DID was break the Confederacy. Now, if what you are saying is, Obama is going to decimate Romney’s candidacy and embarrass anti-government conservative ideas… then yes, it could be like Sherman.
We need some kind of letter writing campaign to get Loudell to stop treating Rassmussen as a legitimate poll and objective guest.
@J “…to stop treating Rassmussen as a legitimate poll…”
But this is one of their religious fantasies. “…You’re going to Heaven when you die. Your candidate will win….”
It’s like telling a kid that there’s no Santa. See how happy it’s making Rusty?
What Mitt Romney did to that young man was assault and battery with a potentially deadly insturment. It was also a hate crime since he believed the young man was gay. That he is lying about remembering it YEARS LATER fits the profile of someone who has committed a sociopathic act. That he lies about many things (like things he said and has written in his recent past) to create a false image of himself to manipulate.others is indicative of a fairly.pervasive sociopathic orientation. He’s bad news. Unlike George Bush’s evil which was.somewhat mitigated by his.stupidity, Mitt.Romney’s evil is more dangerous because he is relatively.smart and expertly contriving.
Geezer, did you even read the post? Are you saying that you support Delaware’s current campaign financing system? Trust me, I have no delusions of adequacy, but I also have no delusions about Delaware’s adequacy either. Why all the hate?
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.228053153972028.45079.227674470676563