Time for candidates to be positive and say what they would do if elected. Whining time is over.

When is the Obama/Vermin Supreme debate scheduled?

“I like being able to fire people.”

   – Willard Mitt Romney, 9 January 2012.

“We’ve got to keep creating jobs. And we’ve got to keep rebuilding our economy so that everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share — and everyone plays by the same rules.”

   – President Obama, 7 January 2012.

The weaknesses of Mitt Romney and his record are finally being exploited by his Republican opponents. Romney is poised for a big win in New Hampshire, and is likely to win the nomination outright, but he has become damaged goods as far as the general election and matching up with President Obama. There are a litany of serious questions about Mitt’s character, his honesty, his qualificat­ions for the job, and his record of killing jobs to make himself a fat profit. Romney is winning the GOP fight, but appears to be losing the overall war for the White House.   www.sunstateactivist.org

You can count on morning Joe to have republicans on to bash other republicans.  Popular?  What a kiss-up, and it sure worked on little man Joe.

Tina, I truly don’t see how it would be possible for a news program not to cover Republicans bashing other Republicans. Republican cannibalism is every bit as much prevalent in America as Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies and Lard Limbaugh’s Viagra. To ignore this news would reduce reputable and responsible news agencies and programs to FOX “News”/Gretchen O’Van Karlsen level.

People who mischaracterize quotes can never be trusted.

“I want people to be able to own insurance if they wish to, and to buy it for themselves and perhaps keep it for the rest of their life, and to choose among different policies offered from companies across the nation.
I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means if you don’t like what they do, you can fire them.I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.
If someone doesn’t give me the good service I need, I’m going to go get somebody else to provide that service to me.
“Mitt Romney, January 9, 2012.

“Hey Rahm, it’s me, Barry. I dumped Daley after Mr. Trumka told me to, and also because he wouldn’t let me use the helicopter on the golf course, instead of a golf cart.”

Barack Obama, January, 9, 2012

Big Petty quotes Willard Mitt “I like being able to fire people ….” We seem to be in agreement Willard Mitt said this, which is something of a reflection on his predatory “business” career.

I would like you to source the latter quote, Big Petty, because you and my legions of readers and I all know it is a lie. This was never said by President Obama. I suppose the fact that you had to resort to a lie is evidence of your concern over Willard Mitt’s lack of concern.

Please stop the PERSONAL ATTACKS on me, sir or madame.

You are vexing my spirit.

Buddy Roemer seems like the sanest, most principled guy running for president on the right this time around. It’s a shame the establishment seem determined to ignore him or shift the goalposts to make sure he never gets onto a national debate,

I hope that you are dedicated to more than fantasy Steve. Try fly fishing or the culinary arts. Association with real things can only have a very fine influence.

Then reality hits and people realize Obama renewed the Patriot Act and signed the The National Defense Authorization Act and now can imprison anyone at will, for as long as he wants, without Due Process…

Only one man will restore Liberty and Due Process of law and it is not Romney.
If you are concerned for this country, you should look at Ron Paul and his consistent support for the Constitution and Individual Liberty.

Ron Paul who polls consistently well against Obama and challenges the youth in Obama’s base directly.

You’re absolutely right.  He’s the only one that has correctly targeted the primary source of the majority of our present woes: corporate corruption within the infrastructure of our government. 

Corporate corruption is the issue we must deal with first, otherwise every other legitimate debate we have regarding other issues will be corrupted by corporate monies.  We’ll effectively be debating what policy is or isn’t beneficial for our ‘corporate citizens’ rather than our real, flesh-and-blood, conscience-having citizens.

Dear. Another lie.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/brakes-on-mitt-romneys-i-enjoy-being-able-to-fire-people-comment-part-of-larger-health-care-quote/

Buddy’s making an excellent point about the entire mess. This is by no means a Republican problem, as evidenced by Obama’s fervent hope to spend a billion dollars trying to keep a $400K/year job. But the truth is the matter is that it’s our fault. The only thing PAC money does in campaigns is buy ads. As long as people are going to depend on what is shoved at them through the idiot box to make their voting decisions, as opposed to doing their own research and drawing fact based conclusions, we’re going to keep getting the government we deserve.

 Romney’s complete quote (not chopped up like liberals do):

“I want people to be able to own insurance if they wish to, and to buy it for themselves and perhaps keep it for the rest of their life, and to choose among different policies offered from companies across the nation. I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means if you don’t like what they do, you can fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. If someone doesn’t give me the good service I need, I’m going to go get somebody else to provide that service to me.”always having to educate them bobbleheads!

Do you take issue with what Romney actually said, Kook? What he said, mind you, and not what you’re projecting into it. Would you prefer not having the option to change service providers when their service is subpar?

Here’s the thing: It’s government corruption, not corporate corruption. Corporations (and rich people, let’s face it) are only buying what’s for sale but shouldn’t be. The wrongdoing here is on the part of people who work for us or want to work for us and who are selling the power that our trust grants them. That’s what needs to stop.

Don’t blame the junkies, blame the dealers.

Well spoken Pablo.

(hope my endorsement does not discredit you among you peers)

“Don’t blame the junkies, blame the dealers.”

I blame neither.  Both are only symptoms of a larger problem.  It has gotten to the point that one MUST take corporate monies to run for any larger office, be it national, state or local.  I blame the massively flawed system that facilitates such anti-democratic practices. 

I don’t really agree with your analogy.  Arguably, politicians and corporations are both dealer and junkie.

ummmm. there is a primary going on….that’s what politicians do.

Who built the system? Did it build itself? No, government (politicians) built it and its currency is the power that government wields.

That’s semantic nonsense.  Dealers and junkies are BOTH problems – you don’t address just one or the other.  You address the problem systemically.  It is the people’s RESPONSIBILITY to do what they can to make the field of play navigable for our representatives to do their job without having to resort to courting gigantic corporations simply in order to survive.  Get the money out and you will have people who are – as Roemer intones – “free to lead.”

They don’t HAVE TO resort to courting gigantic corporations. The problem exists because THEY DO. They do because they want to.

These are the people that work for US and swear an oath to protect our interests. They can’t be bought if they’re not for sale and they shouldn’t be for sale.

You’re actually totally unrealistic about that.  Yes, technically, theoretically – they don’t “have” to.  And yet they all do – even well-meaning ones – because that is the practical reality that they face.  Read any Robert Caro book and you’ll see what I mean. It is a contest, and money serves as a tool in what is essentially an arms race.  The face that Buddy’s actually getting some press because he DOESN’T play this game just shows you how completely corrupted the rest of the contenders are.  And yet even now it’s clear how Romney can use vast amounts of money to basically bludgeon the other voices out of the room.  It’s politicians AND corporations – they need each other.  

Indeed, it is well written. I’m not surprised. Paulie may be a shrill partisan at times, but he is one of the few rightists here who can put together an intelligent, articulate argument.

Actually, Pablo money is always going to be in politics.  It is part of the nature of capitalism.  But what made it really get out of hand is Reagan dramatically changing the tax code that greatly benefited the wealthy and corporations.  Also with his breaking the flight controllers union he gave the thumbs up to break unions where Democrats had received so much money.  But instead of the trickle down theory working, you had the rise of corporate lobbying with big money influencing law makers.  When Clinton took office he decided to go the route of taking corporate money (because that is really where the money is) which took the Democratic Party further to the right.  Fast forward to now and you have all this deregulation and corporate welfare and a tax code that greatly benefits the rich that has created giant multi-national corporations, banks, and billionaires like the Koch brothers and Rupert Murdoch who can spend millions (a drop in the bucket for them) on influencing law makers and creating a propaganda media (Fox News, Rush Limbaugh) that divides the masses (who are the only ones who can change this) by brainwashing ignorant fools like yourself.  This is one of the oldest tools in the oligarchs’ (vultures) playbook.  This is also the very definition that Benito Mussolini defined as Fascism.  Therefore Pablo, you and your kind are indirectly supporting Fascism.

Who built the system is irrelevant in terms of solving this problem.  Finger-pointing will not fix a systemic problem.

A more pertinent question would try and indicate at what points (because I assume they are numerous) within the history of the system did these flaws become exacerbated, at what point did they become out of our control.  The correct way to deal with a systemic problem is to drill down and determine the exact mechanism(s) within the system that is causing the problem.

But, you know, that requires work, so instead we point fingers at politicians (if one is a righty) and corporations (if you’re a lefty).  It’s just so much easier to lay blame than it is to buckle down and fix the system that is currently incentivizing corruption.

Paulie, there are a couple of problems with that. No one is locking anyone into one particular or a small group of providers other than the market, insurance regulatory laws and, when applicable, employer group plan. Willard is merely pandering. Shamelessly. Again. Secondly, changing service providers isn’t firing, is it? It is exercising an available option. See, Willard’s problem here was nothing more than the gusto and intensity with which he was pandering. In the course of his pandering ecstasy, he ripped off a sock and showed the entire world his dirty and deformed Achilles’ heel. And, that problem began when he, who knows better than most by reason of his Boston experience, he refused to acknowledge that there is slight intercourse, if any, between medical services and the free market. Willard is simply so desperate to dispel the notion that Romenycare and HCR are identical, his heel crippled him. That’s what happens from living a lie.

They DO because they have to in order to reach higher elected office.  Those that choose not to feed from the corporate trough, such as Roemer, raise much, much lower sums than those that do.  And it’s telling that nearly every single winning presidential campaign within the last few decades have been the ones that raised the most money.

OK, why was that comment removed?

And then have it deleted! Yay, me!

Who built the system is irrelevant in terms of solving this problem.  Finger-pointing will not fix a systemic problem.

You can’t fix a problem you can’t identify. “Money” is not the problem.

And that’s because we allow it to go on. Money doesn’t get people elected. Votes get people elected. As long as we keep voting for whoever dumps the most ads on us, and as long as we keep tolerating politicians selling influence to fund them, that’s what we’re going to get.

Buddy who??

I support Buddy Roemer. He is the man!