WE MUST ALL work to get out the vote. Talk to your neighbors, family members, friends. Everyone does NOT pay attention the way we do.
It’s ground game from this point FORWARD. The vote total must be so big, so huge, SO GIHUGENORMOUS that the Re-thugs can’t steal it. Because the only way they can win is to steal this election.
WE MUST GIVE PBO and VPB a majority Democratic House and Senate to work with!!
The Republican ticket is all hair, no heart! We can’t take anything for granted in this age of voter suppression and desperation to perhaps hack the vote. Our turnout for Obama/Biden MUST be overwhelming and verifiable!
Don’t forget…Ryan was one of those congresspeople that thought it would be a great idea to CHARGE A FEE TO SPEAK TO HIM AS AN ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE! Then this………………
Mitt the Bully, picks another Bully as his running mate!
From the addictinginfo article above: “Rep. Ryan has refused to address his constituents in the past and at this particular meeting, which was held at Klemmer’s Banquet Hall in Milwaukee, Ryan charged $15 to attend. When some who had paid their money stood up and began to question Ryan about the jobless rate and the Bush Tax cuts, they found themselves under arrest.
To make a joke as a senior citizen is being shoved to the ground for vocalizing their concerns and questions to their Congressman Representative reveals much about Ryan’s character. In the last video, he actually waves to the reporters who are shaming him and the police officers for arresting people for no cause.
Since this is the man Romney picked as his running mate, it speaks volumes about Romney’s character as well.”
Well, I read my email, and I am pleased to be considered one of the gold medalists, but I can tell you all right now I will never win a prize: the prize is a congratulatory tweet from PBO, and I don’t use Twitter! So, that’s that, but I am keeping on keeping on with my FR page, and will raise the goal as it fills up! (plus a monthly auto donation, plus you know how I love to buy campaign stuff to give away, just got another 50 buttons to hand out! So love to see people when they get free stuff!) 😆
Meta, you have to post these again tomorrow morning when more people are awake. It seems awfully quiet around here tonight, so I’m guessing people have gone ‘partying’ or gone to bed.
Oh, that’s right, I have an email congratulating me on being a gold medal contestant. But I have not read it yet… Better to read it, meanwhile, would love any donations as tomorrow is the deadline….. Hang on…https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/Pamela
Thanks VC – here’s my fundraising link. Any donations will be very much appreciated! I’m far away from the top of the leader board, but happy to be on the gold pedestal. 🙂
Someone with initials MG gave me a nice donation but the dashboard isn’t giving me a thank you prompt. I’m sorry but please know I sincerely appreciate your donation. And PBO surely does, too!
I have noticed this sometimes happens meta, when there is no thank you prompt, I just send an email. I just love to send those thanks out to people who are so generous!
It doesn’t seem to send out a “thank you” prompt for repeat donors, but if you go to the page to manage your fundraising page, you can look at the dates for the last donation and see who made a recent one.
We’ll soon see a significant amount of polling on Mitt Romney’s pick of Paul Ryan as his running mate, but for now, we have a Democracy Corps survey conducted last month. It’s conclusion was stunning:
“At the outset, the Ryan budget (described in Ryan’s actual language) barely garners majority support. And voters raise serious doubts when they hear about proposed cuts — particularly to Medicare, education, and children of the working poor. President Obama’s lead against Romney more than doubles when the election is framed as a choice between the two candidates’ positions on the Ryan budget — particularly its impact on the most vulnerable. The President makes significant gains among key groups, including independents and voters in the Rising American Electorate (the unmarried women, youth, and minority voters who drove Obama to victory in 2008).”
John Heilemann: “This was why Chicago was planning to hang the Ryan budget around Romney’s neck regardless of whether the congressman was on the ticket or not. Obama’s data jockeys have been polling and focus-grouping on this for months, and they are over the moon about what they have found.”
df, our team knows what its doing, for sure, and given the Kochs control of the GOP, probably considered Ryan a highly likely VP pick (btw, I won a couple cases of wine today because I picked him as the VP candidate months ago 🙂 ).
What I’ve not heard anyone comment is the outcome of the Exit Polling at the WI Recall. As you probably remember President Obama polled 51% to #RomneyHood’s 41% …
Why anyone would think that adding Ryan to the ticket would help #BainMitt in WI would help is an indication they didn’t think about it very long, if at all. When you hang the Ryan Plan and the intense hatred of the Kochs on #BainMitt he’s not going to win an WI Electoral College votes, imho.
What I hate is how the Romney campaign takes what their plans will do and lies that Obama’s will do that. Then the media does not dispute it so all of those people seeing the ads will think what the GOP ad says is true. I like that the Dems have been quick to put out ads refuting the opposition claims. Hope the people will get it!
Rand is indeed one scary woman. She puts an “intellectual veneer” on the basest of human character traits: greed and selfishness. She is the perfect symbol for the 1% and GOP who do their bidding.
Yes, the choice is clear so; in fact so clear I am spending more time at OFA to help get out the vote. I abhor the thought of a Romney/ Ryan win. That would be the end of America as we know it for sure.
Paul Ryan Social Security Plan Calls For Private Accounts
“MYTH” Romney is clueless and neither he nor Ryan will not be the next President although they plan on cheating with FAKE VOTER SUPPRESSION laws.
Bad luck is in store for Romney/Ryan even George Bush couldn’t get that one. Romney/ Ryan just lost the nation without out a doubt on that. “MYTH” should no that by now.
← return to Inside Politics
David Eldridge Published on August 11, 2012
Democrats on Saturday afternoon were already using the Romney campaign’s vice presidential pick of Rep. Paul Ryan to rally donors.
In an email from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Kelly Ward warns that “Romney’s pick of Ryan will open the floodgates to new campaign donations from conservatives.”
“This is a big moment,” the DCCC political director writes. “Mitt Romney is going to raise tens of millions of dollars off of the Paul Ryan VP announcement. We have to have President Obama’s back right now. … Don’t let them use this moment to beat us. Help us keep pace.”
But behind-the-scenes, Obama campaign operatives were confident about taking on Mr. Ryan.
One unnamed Democrat told the National Journal the election is now effectively over. Another told the Journal they could now use campaign donations to buy margarita machines because the party is about to start.
On the record, the Obama campaign wasted no time Saturday in painting a target on the Wisconsin Republican, with the president’s re-election website warning that the Ryan budget “would turn Medicare into a voucher program, increasing seniors’ costs by up to $6,350 per year.”
Campaign manager Jim Messina, in a statement emailed to reporters, said Mr. Ryan favors “the flawed theory that new budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy, while placing greater burdens on the middle class and seniors, will somehow deliver a stronger economy.”
Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, which Mr. Ryan chairs, told NBC News he likes his fellow House member, but said the Ryan pick “is essentially telling independent voters to take a hike.”
“I think it will help the president and other Democratic candidates win the middle,” he said.
I don’t think it’s great for our side to give quotes like this for 2 reasons. First, I just finished making 3 donations on this site…and I still would have if I had read this first. But as long as the campaign needs donations the election is NOT over. Second, the only time the 2004 campaign slipped up was in NH by being overconfident. I don’t want that to happen again.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves because there is still a lot of work to do.
Surprisingly interesting gallery of photos. What struck me was seeing the contrast in decor between what the Bushes left (traditional, formal,museum-like, coffee table made to look at rather than use; china plates on the bookshelves) and the changes the Obamas made (modern, vibrant workspace comfort, nod to the country’s ethnic history – indian pottery on the bookshelves).
I agree with Dudette. The Oval Office now looks warm and inviting. Seems I remember seeing those Bush chairs in front of the Whtie House about every night on the news when soe visitor came to visit. One difference is that President Obama really inhabits the office, and it has become his, and warm like him. The decor definitely helps too. Bush was like a child visiting his dad’s office for eight years…..I love apples as a centerpiece!
All those who tweet, try to end your tweet with a reminder about Mitt’s taxes…
I know the President’s campaign will double down because you see how Mitt asked for a truce on Friday but his tone and words towards the President are now worse.. Robney can never be trusted and that’s why we have to keep hitting hard everyday until the last polls close on 11-6-12.
NOPE. Didn’t Work..Now where are those Tax Returns willard mitt?
John SFC RET USA”
“There is a legitimate reason to see Romney’s tax records, and anything else the nation feels is important about his character. He is essentially trying to get the highest security clearance and he needs to be put under the microscope. This is more than just another glee club popularity event for the rich Prince.”
Mitt Romney’s safe and squishy campaign just took on a much harder edge. A candidate of no details — I’ll cut the budget but no need to explain just how — has named a vice-presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, whose vision is filled with endless columns of minus signs. Voters will now be able to see with painful clarity just what the Republican Party has in store for them.
As House Budget Committee chairman, Mr. Ryan has drawn a blueprint of a government that will be absent when people need it the most. It will not be there when the unemployed need job training, or when a struggling student needs help to get into college. It will not be there when a miner needs more than a hardhat for protection, or when a city is unable to replace a crumbling bridge.
And it will be silent when the elderly cannot keep up with the costs of M.R.I.’s or prescription medicines, or when the poor and uninsured become increasingly sick through lack of preventive care.
More than three-fifths of the cuts proposed by Mr. Ryan, and eagerly accepted by the Tea Party-driven House, come from programs for low-income Americans. That means billions of dollars lost for job training for the displaced, Pell grants for students and food stamps for the hungry. These cuts are so severe that the nation’s Catholic bishops raised their voices in protest at the shredding of the nation’s moral obligations.
Mr. Ryan’s budget “will hurt hungry children, poor families, vulnerable seniors and workers who cannot find employment,” the bishops wrote in an April letter to the House. “These cuts are unjustified and wrong.”
One of the greatest stark contrasts is that PBO and VPJoe come from families with strong middle class values, they know hard work and family suffering, they worked their way to the top and they are STILL in touch with those same values and principles. They are living examples of honor and integrity and are absolute champions for all of us. My admiration and love for them grows every day.
But but but Joe Scarborough said he Worked with Ryan in Congress and he loves individualism and we should give all our needs to ourselves and not a collective and…
Staying like that and maintaining that kind of attitude will keep you sick and then he is really going to need all of those government programs he is soooo upset about and wanting to get rid of. JUST SAYIN’
…and disbelief. I always think he can’t believe PBO is PBO. Then he tries to intimidate anyone weak enough (that be you, Mika) into agreeing with him. Sad, sad, sad.
He was a bad fiscal conservative because he was a good partisan, but there was never a time before that when he demonstrated a commitment to fiscal responsibility in practice. Just like Santorum’s weak “team player” excuse for voting for legislation that supposedly contradicted his principles, Ryan’s claim that his spending votes made him “miserable” doesn’t make things better. If he was so miserable, why did he vote for the bills? Because he has consistently put partisan loyalty ahead of fiscal responsibility. That’s not a reason to give Ryan a pass on these votes. That’s precisely the reason to hold those votes against him.
Here is the “advice” that Lyin’ Ryan has for a 71 year old man.
Ryan: “Most of our debt in the future comes from our entitlement programs.”
Senior citizen: “Hey, (Garbled; Ryan continues to speak). I paid into that for 50 years, my unemployment and my Social Security and my Medicare, and now you’re gonna…” At this point you hear the police who are dragging him out shouting, “on the ground, on the ground”.
Ryan then jokes: “I hope he’s taken his blood-pressure medication”, and the room laughs with him.
Obviously, looking at the video I posted, Ryan has not one ounce of concern for others’ well being. Not a drop. Callous, cold, mean-spirited are word that come to mind to describe him.
Fits in well with Mitt Romney – what is in the water supply that makes these folks act this way? The EPA should be investigation – they act like kids who have eaten too many of the wrong food additives.
Just imagine the reaction of President Obama – allow the man to speak, address his concerns.
looking at Ryan’s body language in an earlier video of the $15 a head meeting when someone was speaking about the tax breaks for the rich and money from the entitlement programs Ryan was busy making sure the AV equipment was working for his speech and pretty much ignoring the constituent that was speaking. That pretty well summed it up for me. He doesn’t care what his constituents think or want. I hope he loses his Rep seat and the VP bid and is just out.
Paul Ryan is completely phony. He acts like a consultant – a bad one – who’s acting in a smarmy, arrogant way that he thinks evokes confidence. Two phony people up against two genuine ones – we’ll see what happens.
Rachel and Lawrence both had the nuns on the bus Sister representative come on to talk about their bus tour. They were criticizing Ryan’s Budget Plan and wanted Romney to come with them to see the people it would affect. He didn’t he chose Ryan instead.
Remember when Paul Ryan was confronted by a Catholic person who tried to give him a bible, to make sure he had access to one? And Paul Ryan declined? Personally, I think Paul Ryan uses Catholicism as a manipulative tool. He’s a coward, too.
I believe there is a gender gap for Obama, but there are also many men like my husband in the supposed anti-Obama demographic who are just as strong as their wives are for the President. I feel so sorry for wives who have to whisper when they differ from their husbands. Sadly, a lot of women live this way. I am fortunate: my mother didn’t have to live that way, and I certainly don’t.
I believe men who love and respect their wives and mothers, and love their daughters and sisters know why it is important to re-elect President Obama. They want their daughters to have the same opportunities as their sons. All the more reason to work hard for our President……and for a Congress that will work with him.
I agree. Even if the husband disagrees with his wife, he should respect her opinion. Why should a wife have to keep her opinions to herself? She should be able to say loud and clear, ‘yes I am voting for President Obama’ without FEAR of her husband.
I am a solidly middle class, married, white man and I oppose RYAN/romney 2012. I also oppose “men” whose wives have to whisper that they’ve got their own ideas not identical to their husband’s.
A few hours ago, found out that one of my great-aunts died of the cancer 😦 Third person close to me lost to cancer in the last 3 months. Not to be a downer; just sharing. Still full on-board, just like all of you 😉
I’m so sorry for your loss, thoughtful3. I’m sending love your way and making a small donation to the American Cancer Society in honor of your loved ones.
April 30, 2012
The Republican Congressman is trying to rewrite his past statements about author and philosopher, Ayn Rand. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains the contradiction in tonight’s Rewrite.
Chips, please feature this clip of Lawrence O’Donnell’s…. I heard the two most deterimental things to a person’s politically aspirations is being a Liar and a atheist and Ryan has two traits in his corner…
This is a good thing for Central Illinois (and other locations around the country).
Peoria introduces ‘Don’t Shoot’ initiative at bike ride
PEORIA, Ill. — Peoria Police are hoping a new initiative called “Don’t Shoot” will help curb gun violence in the city. The “Don’t Shoot” program was introduced today in conjunction with the 2nd annual “Riding 4 a Safer Tomorrow” bicycle ride.
The height of arrogance, really. They don’t even respect the office, and they feel entitled. They think that just because they want it, they should have it. It’s disgusting.
UPDATED: Six Things to Know About Ryan (and Romney)
1. Ryan really believes in ending Medicare as we know it.
2. Ryan really believes in ending Medicaid as we know it
3. Ryan really pushed for privatization of Social Security.
4. Ryan really would decimate government funding, to the point it could no longer carry on many routine operations.
5. Ryan really does want the biggest transfer of wealth, from poor and middle class to rich, in modern U.S. history. Forgive the long direct quote, but this statement from Robert Greenstein, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, is something that every single reporter covering the campaign should read—and that every American planning to vote should understand:
HERE'S SOME OF THE MUST READ!!!! Go to the site:)
And finally…the Libertarian that thinks we should just keep govt out of our business and let people be, except if you're a woman….believes this:
6. Ryan really holds an extreme position on abortion rights, even relative to other conservatives. I didn't grasp this until I learned, via twitter, that he’d co-sponsored a bill declaring that life begins at fertilization and defining fertilization as “the process of a human spermatozoan penetrating the cell membrane of a human oocyte to create a human zygote, a one-celled human embryo, which is a new unique human being.”
Just in case your sense of reproductive biology is a little fuzzy, let me explain why that’s so significant. This is the earliest possible point at which you could define life, unless you want to go all Dr. Strangelove. As far as I know, it would effectively prohibit intrauterine devices (IUD) and some oral contraceptives, since those forms of birth control can stop pregnancy by preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. It would also ban in vitro fertilization.
Of course, fertilized eggs fail to implant all the time. That is how nature works. And that is one reason why even the ultra-conservative, rabidly anti-abortion voters of Mississippi rejected a similar proposal.
Paul Ryan And His Family To Benefit From The $45 Billion In Subsidies For Big Oil In His Budget
Paul Ryan’s budget, which means austerity for most Americans, turns out to mean prosperity for Ryan and his family.
That budget, which the GOP-led House adopted as its blueprint, slashes funding for everyone from seniors to the disabled to students while preserving $45 billion in tax breaks and subsidies for Big Oil over the next 10 years, as has been widely reported.
But what we have only just learned from Ryan’s financial disclosure forms for Congress (here) that were made public this week is “he and his wife, Janna, own stakes in four family companies that lease land in Texas and Oklahoma to the very energy companies that benefit from the tax subsidies in Ryan’s budget plan,” as The Daily Beast reported today.
Ryan’s father-in-law, Daniel Little, who runs the companies, told Newsweek and The Daily Beast that the family companies are currently leasing the land for mining and drilling to energy giants such as Chesapeake Energy, Devon, and XTO Energy, a recently acquired subsidiary of ExxonMobil.
These energy giants stand to profit directly from the $45 billion in subsidies and tax breaks.
They all seem to do it – that’s why they fought so hard to limit restrictions on insider trading legislation – and to carve out exemptions for themselves and their families.
(Reuters) – Barack Obama often gets slammed for his stewardship of the U.S. economy, but for stock investors, he’s been one of the best presidents since World War Two.
At 1,400, the S&P 500 on Friday was closing in on a four-year high and was up 74 percent since January 20, 2009, the day Obama took office. Not since Dwight Eisenhower’s first term has a president had such a strong run for their first term.
That rally might be just enough to get Obama re-elected, making him the first sitting president in the post-war era to win a second term with a jobless rate higher than 7.2 percent.
“Even though business and corporate sentiment is not good for Obama because they don’t think he’s been good for the economy, the fact that the market has done very well under him is a positive,” said Ethan Siegal, head of The Washington Exchange, which analyzes politics for institutional investors… [more in the article]
COLUMBIA, South Carolina | Sun May 13, 2012 3:01am EDT
(Reuters) – Mack McDowell likes to spend time at the local knife and gun show “drooling over firearms,” as he puts it. Retired after 30 years in the U.S. Army, he has lined his study with books on war, framed battalion patches from his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a John Wayne poster, and an 1861 Springfield rifle from an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
But when it comes to the 2012 presidential election, Master Sergeant McDowell is no hawk.
In South Carolina’s January primary, the one-time Reagan supporter voted for Ron Paul “because of his unchanging stand against overseas involvement.” In November, McDowell plans to vote for the candidate least likely to wage “knee-jerk reaction wars.”
Disaffection with the politics of shock and awe runs deep among men and women who have served in the military during the past decade of conflict. Only 32 percent think the war in Iraq ended successfully, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. And far more of them would pull out of Afghanistan than continue military operations there.
While the 2012 campaign today is dominated by economic and domestic issues, military concerns could easily jump to the fore. Nearly 90,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. Israeli politicians and their U.S. supporters debate over whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities as partisans bicker over proposed Pentagon budget cuts… [snip]
…If the election were held today, Obama would win the veteran vote by as much as seven points over Romney, higher than his margin in the general population… [more in the article]
By Deepa Seetharaman
CHICAGO | Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:29pm EDT
(Reuters) – The Obama administration’s proposed fuel economy standards for 2025 are unfairly tilted in favor of the three U.S. automakers and put their foreign-based rivals at a disadvantage, according to a House Republicans report released on Friday.
According to the report written by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee staff, the standards are also based on an “overly optimistic” outlook of American consumers’ willingness to buy hybrid and electric cars. The committee is chaired by California Republican Darrell Issa.
The report comes days before the White House is expected to release the fuel economy standards in their finalized form. The proposed standards call for companies to roughly double their average fuel efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
The figure was announced last year after more than a year of talks between the Obama administration and automakers. The House Republicans’ report quotes emails and handwritten notes from executives and government officials that shed light on those negotiations over a new target for automakers’ corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE.
White House spokesman Clark Stevens defended the new CAFE standards, saying they “will save families thousands of dollars at the pump and dramatically reduce oil consumption.” Stevens said more than a dozen major automakers supported the new rules.
According to Friday’s report, one key point of contention was the separate standards made for cars and light trucks, which some executives said favored General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler Group LLC.
According to the proposed standards, automakers must show an average annual increases in fuel economy of 5 percent for cars and 3.5 percent for light trucks through 2021, with a 5 percent increase for all vehicles after that.
In an email, Tom Lehner, a lobbyist for Toyota Motor Corp, described the separate fuel economy standards for light trucks as a “second auto bailout.”… [more in the article]
======================
Well Mr. Issa, guess what? I drive a Toyota and I’m not bothered by this AT ALL.
Obama White House.gov
The Obama Diary 
Fighting For My Team…the middle class 🙂
Congrats on 1dt Bobfr. We do have a choice this election. Never was a choice for me. Always Obama/Biden. 4mor for 44. Yahoo:)
Ditto Roberta. I’ve been a “decided voter” for years now.
Thanks and ditto, Roberta!
Also, a matter of history …
WE MUST ALL work to get out the vote. Talk to your neighbors, family members, friends. Everyone does NOT pay attention the way we do.
It’s ground game from this point FORWARD. The vote total must be so big, so huge, SO GIHUGENORMOUS that the Re-thugs can’t steal it. Because the only way they can win is to steal this election.
WE MUST GIVE PBO and VPB a majority Democratic House and Senate to work with!!
GOTV!!! GOTV!!! GOTV!!! GOTV!!! GOTV!!! GOTV!!! GOTV!!! GOTV!!!
The Republican ticket is all hair, no heart! We can’t take anything for granted in this age of voter suppression and desperation to perhaps hack the vote. Our turnout for Obama/Biden MUST be overwhelming and verifiable!
Concur Judith and isonprize. Moving FORWARD with all the we have to put forth for #44. HZ
I love that… ‘All hair and no heart!’ That should be a tweet hashtag!!
And ‘4MoreFor44’ from Roberta above 🙂
http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Paul_Ryan.htm/ Short version..it ain’t pretty.
Awesome.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/08/11/paul-ryan-cracks-joke-as-71-year-old-citizen-is-forced-to-the-ground-videos/
Don’t forget…Ryan was one of those congresspeople that thought it would be a great idea to CHARGE A FEE TO SPEAK TO HIM AS AN ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE! Then this………………
Mitt the Bully, picks another Bully as his running mate!
From the addictinginfo article above: “Rep. Ryan has refused to address his constituents in the past and at this particular meeting, which was held at Klemmer’s Banquet Hall in Milwaukee, Ryan charged $15 to attend. When some who had paid their money stood up and began to question Ryan about the jobless rate and the Bush Tax cuts, they found themselves under arrest.
To make a joke as a senior citizen is being shoved to the ground for vocalizing their concerns and questions to their Congressman Representative reveals much about Ryan’s character. In the last video, he actually waves to the reporters who are shaming him and the police officers for arresting people for no cause.
Since this is the man Romney picked as his running mate, it speaks volumes about Romney’s character as well.”
When they lose they can bully one another.
They are heartless. They have no business being in public service.
I read that Ryan charged $15 for entrance to his “Town Halls” meetings. Wow, just wow.
Chipstarrrr!! The deadline to win the gold is tomorrow night at midnight.
You’ve slipped and are currently in 3rd place. We can’t have that!
DonnaDem is in 8th place.
Pamela is in 19th place
I’ve fallen to 24th place. LOLz.
Not sure if any other folks from TODville are in the mix.
http://www.barackobama.com/Summer-Grassroots-Challenge
Here is Chips’ fundraising page:
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/TheObamaDiary
Here is DonnaDems:
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/donnanoshock3
Here is mine:
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/meta
Pamela, are you in the house?
I gave to all 3 of you. It wasn’t much; but every little bit helps
THANKS so much!
I forgot to say that it’s the NUMBER of donations that is tallied and not the amount raised, so giving just a little bit is a great strategy.
Have a great evening.
Right, I was just about to say the same… We all know, small donations add up to big support!
Well, I read my email, and I am pleased to be considered one of the gold medalists, but I can tell you all right now I will never win a prize: the prize is a congratulatory tweet from PBO, and I don’t use Twitter! So, that’s that, but I am keeping on keeping on with my FR page, and will raise the goal as it fills up! (plus a monthly auto donation, plus you know how I love to buy campaign stuff to give away, just got another 50 buttons to hand out! So love to see people when they get free stuff!) 😆
Excellent rll. My suggestion is always to give to all TOD fundraisers.
I just gave to you and DonnaDems. I wish it could be more. FORWARD!!!!!!
Thank you, LaDLove! Every dollar counts in our grassroots movement!
Meta, you have to post these again tomorrow morning when more people are awake. It seems awfully quiet around here tonight, so I’m guessing people have gone ‘partying’ or gone to bed.
Thanks, vc. Will do.
Oh, that’s right, I have an email congratulating me on being a gold medal contestant. But I have not read it yet… Better to read it, meanwhile, would love any donations as tomorrow is the deadline….. Hang on…https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/Pamela
Thank you, Pamela!
…and 3’s the charm! I just gave (after making a donation to meta and DonnaDem). Wish it were more. FORWARD!!!!
Judith F. Nomsa & Alycee are also TODobots.
Awesome! I hope they will post their links.
would love to be considered too 🙂 https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/ritafundraiser
Thanks!!
Thanks VC – here’s my fundraising link. Any donations will be very much appreciated! I’m far away from the top of the leader board, but happy to be on the gold pedestal. 🙂
https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/Theo67
Come on TOD’ers. Loosen up your purses and wallets.
Just $3 is all it takes! And what we’re able to raise in August will come in very, very handy after both conventions.
Someone with initials MG gave me a nice donation but the dashboard isn’t giving me a thank you prompt. I’m sorry but please know I sincerely appreciate your donation. And PBO surely does, too!
I have noticed this sometimes happens meta, when there is no thank you prompt, I just send an email. I just love to send those thanks out to people who are so generous!
It doesn’t seem to send out a “thank you” prompt for repeat donors, but if you go to the page to manage your fundraising page, you can look at the dates for the last donation and see who made a recent one.
wait wait here’s mine: https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/Cookemom
btw, today is Donna Dem’s birthday.
Ooooo, that’s right! She is celebrating on her vacation.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DonnaDem, wherever you are! Sending your favorite yellow cake with chocolate frosting into cyberspace!
I just donated, cookemom. FORWARD!!!
Thank You so much LadLove! I really appreciate it.
Helping to understand what Ryan wants to do seniors on Medicare.
http://www.seniorinfo4u.com/blog/featured-blog-posts/what-of-youd-gotten-a-medicare-voucher-in-2001-youd-have-1170-to-pay-for-that-insurance-today/
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/08/11/why_obama_loves_the_ryan_pick.html
We’ll soon see a significant amount of polling on Mitt Romney’s pick of Paul Ryan as his running mate, but for now, we have a Democracy Corps survey conducted last month. It’s conclusion was stunning:
“At the outset, the Ryan budget (described in Ryan’s actual language) barely garners majority support. And voters raise serious doubts when they hear about proposed cuts — particularly to Medicare, education, and children of the working poor. President Obama’s lead against Romney more than doubles when the election is framed as a choice between the two candidates’ positions on the Ryan budget — particularly its impact on the most vulnerable. The President makes significant gains among key groups, including independents and voters in the Rising American Electorate (the unmarried women, youth, and minority voters who drove Obama to victory in 2008).”
John Heilemann: “This was why Chicago was planning to hang the Ryan budget around Romney’s neck regardless of whether the congressman was on the ticket or not. Obama’s data jockeys have been polling and focus-grouping on this for months, and they are over the moon about what they have found.”
http://www.democracycorps.com/National-Surveys/serious-attack-on-ryan-budget-takes-toll-on-mitt-romney/
df, our team knows what its doing, for sure, and given the Kochs control of the GOP, probably considered Ryan a highly likely VP pick (btw, I won a couple cases of wine today because I picked him as the VP candidate months ago 🙂 ).
What I’ve not heard anyone comment is the outcome of the Exit Polling at the WI Recall. As you probably remember President Obama polled 51% to #RomneyHood’s 41% …
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/05/us/politics/wisconsin-recall-exit-polls.html
Why anyone would think that adding Ryan to the ticket would help #BainMitt in WI would help is an indication they didn’t think about it very long, if at all. When you hang the Ryan Plan and the intense hatred of the Kochs on #BainMitt he’s not going to win an WI Electoral College votes, imho.
What I hate is how the Romney campaign takes what their plans will do and lies that Obama’s will do that. Then the media does not dispute it so all of those people seeing the ads will think what the GOP ad says is true. I like that the Dems have been quick to put out ads refuting the opposition claims. Hope the people will get it!
Click on chart to make larger.
Thank you forus … and the video attached with this tweet needs to be widely viewed, as well …
Rand is indeed one scary woman. She puts an “intellectual veneer” on the basest of human character traits: greed and selfishness. She is the perfect symbol for the 1% and GOP who do their bidding.
Can you just imagine if Barack Obama said he was a fan of something like that woman?. OMG She is Paul Ryan’s hero. OMG
She sponged off the Government just like her #1 Fan Paul Ryan…..
http://boingboing.net/2011/01/28/ayn-rand-took-govern.html
Congrats on # 1 Bobfr
Yes, the choice is clear so; in fact so clear I am spending more time at OFA to help get out the vote. I abhor the thought of a Romney/ Ryan win. That would be the end of America as we know it for sure.
Paul Ryan Social Security Plan Calls For Private Accounts
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014191304
========================================================================
“MYTH” Romney is clueless and neither he nor Ryan will not be the next President although they plan on cheating with FAKE VOTER SUPPRESSION laws.
Bad luck is in store for Romney/Ryan even George Bush couldn’t get that one. Romney/ Ryan just lost the nation without out a doubt on that. “MYTH” should no that by now.
“MYTH” should also show US his Taxes
Good night Chips and TODville
Sweet!
← return to Inside Politics
David Eldridge Published on August 11, 2012
Democrats on Saturday afternoon were already using the Romney campaign’s vice presidential pick of Rep. Paul Ryan to rally donors.
In an email from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Kelly Ward warns that “Romney’s pick of Ryan will open the floodgates to new campaign donations from conservatives.”
“This is a big moment,” the DCCC political director writes. “Mitt Romney is going to raise tens of millions of dollars off of the Paul Ryan VP announcement. We have to have President Obama’s back right now. … Don’t let them use this moment to beat us. Help us keep pace.”
But behind-the-scenes, Obama campaign operatives were confident about taking on Mr. Ryan.
One unnamed Democrat told the National Journal the election is now effectively over. Another told the Journal they could now use campaign donations to buy margarita machines because the party is about to start.
On the record, the Obama campaign wasted no time Saturday in painting a target on the Wisconsin Republican, with the president’s re-election website warning that the Ryan budget “would turn Medicare into a voucher program, increasing seniors’ costs by up to $6,350 per year.”
Campaign manager Jim Messina, in a statement emailed to reporters, said Mr. Ryan favors “the flawed theory that new budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy, while placing greater burdens on the middle class and seniors, will somehow deliver a stronger economy.”
Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, which Mr. Ryan chairs, told NBC News he likes his fellow House member, but said the Ryan pick “is essentially telling independent voters to take a hike.”
“I think it will help the president and other Democratic candidates win the middle,” he said.
I don’t see how this helps RMoney at all. But, it’s great for our side!
Go Obama!
I don’t think it’s great for our side to give quotes like this for 2 reasons. First, I just finished making 3 donations on this site…and I still would have if I had read this first. But as long as the campaign needs donations the election is NOT over. Second, the only time the 2004 campaign slipped up was in NH by being overconfident. I don’t want that to happen again.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves because there is still a lot of work to do.
Oops, I meant 2008 campaign.
40 Photos of the Oval Office Apple Bowl
http://www.buzzfeed.com/nycsouthpaw/40-photos-of-the-oval-office-apple-bowl
Surprisingly interesting gallery of photos. What struck me was seeing the contrast in decor between what the Bushes left (traditional, formal,museum-like, coffee table made to look at rather than use; china plates on the bookshelves) and the changes the Obamas made (modern, vibrant workspace comfort, nod to the country’s ethnic history – indian pottery on the bookshelves).
I agree with Dudette. The Oval Office now looks warm and inviting. Seems I remember seeing those Bush chairs in front of the Whtie House about every night on the news when soe visitor came to visit. One difference is that President Obama really inhabits the office, and it has become his, and warm like him. The decor definitely helps too. Bush was like a child visiting his dad’s office for eight years…..I love apples as a centerpiece!
Their is no choice. The only choice is President Obama and VP Biden.
All those who tweet, try to end your tweet with a reminder about Mitt’s taxes…
I know the President’s campaign will double down because you see how Mitt asked for a truce on Friday but his tone and words towards the President are now worse.. Robney can never be trusted and that’s why we have to keep hitting hard everyday until the last polls close on 11-6-12.
Indeed, Michele …
NOPE. Didn’t Work..Now where are those Tax Returns willard mitt?
John SFC RET USA”
“There is a legitimate reason to see Romney’s tax records, and anything else the nation feels is important about his character. He is essentially trying to get the highest security clearance and he needs to be put under the microscope. This is more than just another glee club popularity event for the rich Prince.”
Thx for Tweeting, Tweeter BOB!
OMG!
https://twitter.com/BernheimKY/status/234471482468728833
meta !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that photo !!!!!!!!!!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀
Pretty wild, eh?!!
To say the least 😉
Hahahahahahahahah…..this is too funny.
He looks better, actually! 😉
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/11/opinion/paul-ryans-cramped-vision.html?_r=1
Mitt Romney’s safe and squishy campaign just took on a much harder edge. A candidate of no details — I’ll cut the budget but no need to explain just how — has named a vice-presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, whose vision is filled with endless columns of minus signs. Voters will now be able to see with painful clarity just what the Republican Party has in store for them.
As House Budget Committee chairman, Mr. Ryan has drawn a blueprint of a government that will be absent when people need it the most. It will not be there when the unemployed need job training, or when a struggling student needs help to get into college. It will not be there when a miner needs more than a hardhat for protection, or when a city is unable to replace a crumbling bridge.
And it will be silent when the elderly cannot keep up with the costs of M.R.I.’s or prescription medicines, or when the poor and uninsured become increasingly sick through lack of preventive care.
More than three-fifths of the cuts proposed by Mr. Ryan, and eagerly accepted by the Tea Party-driven House, come from programs for low-income Americans. That means billions of dollars lost for job training for the displaced, Pell grants for students and food stamps for the hungry. These cuts are so severe that the nation’s Catholic bishops raised their voices in protest at the shredding of the nation’s moral obligations.
Mr. Ryan’s budget “will hurt hungry children, poor families, vulnerable seniors and workers who cannot find employment,” the bishops wrote in an April letter to the House. “These cuts are unjustified and wrong.”
Is the ‘lame stream media’ lurning ?
President Obama and Vice-President Biden are just plain handsomer and smarter and cooler than those other two on that OTHER side.
And their policies are BETTER for this country than that of those other two.
Which makes them even more attractive.
One of the greatest stark contrasts is that PBO and VPJoe come from families with strong middle class values, they know hard work and family suffering, they worked their way to the top and they are STILL in touch with those same values and principles. They are living examples of honor and integrity and are absolute champions for all of us. My admiration and love for them grows every day.
Spot on!
But but but Joe Scarborough said he Worked with Ryan in Congress and he loves individualism and we should give all our needs to ourselves and not a collective and…
To me Joke Scarfacebourough is in a constant state of anger and dismay.
Staying like that and maintaining that kind of attitude will keep you sick and then he is really going to need all of those government programs he is soooo upset about and wanting to get rid of. JUST SAYIN’
True.
…and disbelief. I always think he can’t believe PBO is PBO. Then he tries to intimidate anyone weak enough (that be you, Mika) into agreeing with him. Sad, sad, sad.
Toolbox info: SS, Medicare etc http://www.retiredamericans.org/members/retiree-resources/facts_sheets/Medicare
Watch this. Just watch.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/paul-ryan-team-player/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=paul-ryan-team-player
He was a bad fiscal conservative because he was a good partisan, but there was never a time before that when he demonstrated a commitment to fiscal responsibility in practice. Just like Santorum’s weak “team player” excuse for voting for legislation that supposedly contradicted his principles, Ryan’s claim that his spending votes made him “miserable” doesn’t make things better. If he was so miserable, why did he vote for the bills? Because he has consistently put partisan loyalty ahead of fiscal responsibility. That’s not a reason to give Ryan a pass on these votes. That’s precisely the reason to hold those votes against him.
Woot! That is SO on point!
THIS.
Someone wrote that the ticket bumper sticker should read:
Vulture/Voucher 2012 “You people are on your own”
Look into his eyes. Empty. No soul.
He looks pasty.
Here is the “advice” that Lyin’ Ryan has for a 71 year old man.
Ryan: “Most of our debt in the future comes from our entitlement programs.”
Senior citizen: “Hey, (Garbled; Ryan continues to speak). I paid into that for 50 years, my unemployment and my Social Security and my Medicare, and now you’re gonna…” At this point you hear the police who are dragging him out shouting, “on the ground, on the ground”.
Ryan then jokes: “I hope he’s taken his blood-pressure medication”, and the room laughs with him.
They are simply hateful.
“When we develop a sense of concern for others’ well being then the very basis of anger is no longer there.” ~ HHDL 10 Aug 2012 @DalaiLama
Obviously, looking at the video I posted, Ryan has not one ounce of concern for others’ well being. Not a drop. Callous, cold, mean-spirited are word that come to mind to describe him.
Fits in well with Mitt Romney – what is in the water supply that makes these folks act this way? The EPA should be investigation – they act like kids who have eaten too many of the wrong food additives.
Just imagine the reaction of President Obama – allow the man to speak, address his concerns.
They have made selfishness into a virtue.
Paul Ryan is a disciple of Ayn Rand. Here is an article by Gore Vidal written in the 60’s beating the crap out of the nonsense that Ayn Rand spewed.
http://www.esquire.com/features/gore-vidal-archive/comment-0761
looking at Ryan’s body language in an earlier video of the $15 a head meeting when someone was speaking about the tax breaks for the rich and money from the entitlement programs Ryan was busy making sure the AV equipment was working for his speech and pretty much ignoring the constituent that was speaking. That pretty well summed it up for me. He doesn’t care what his constituents think or want. I hope he loses his Rep seat and the VP bid and is just out.
Paul Ryan is completely phony. He acts like a consultant – a bad one – who’s acting in a smarmy, arrogant way that he thinks evokes confidence. Two phony people up against two genuine ones – we’ll see what happens.
Very good.
Btw- what does Halperin mean? Consensus? His analysis has nothing to do with consensus-
http://thepage.time.com/2012/08/11/consensus/
ryan: I grew up reading ayn rand, and it taught me quite a bit about who I am and what my value systems are, and what my beliefs are.
Is ryan an atheist like rand?
I believe he is a catholic – wonder if his wife uses birth control?
Probably. Lots of Republicans are in denial on several Democratic policies.
She probably doesn’t tell him – I knew just too many catholic wives in the 60s/70s who lived in fear of their husband finding the pills.
I think he pretends to be Catholic… he embraces the values and beliefs of an atheist. The Catholic Church rejects the values of ayn rand.
Rachel and Lawrence both had the nuns on the bus Sister representative come on to talk about their bus tour. They were criticizing Ryan’s Budget Plan and wanted Romney to come with them to see the people it would affect. He didn’t he chose Ryan instead.
Remember when Paul Ryan was confronted by a Catholic person who tried to give him a bible, to make sure he had access to one? And Paul Ryan declined? Personally, I think Paul Ryan uses Catholicism as a manipulative tool. He’s a coward, too.
Ooopsie:
It’s what the GOP legislators do – discussion here
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-11-15/news/30400492_1_insider-material-non-public-information-congress
Thx, 99ts.
I believe there is a gender gap for Obama, but there are also many men like my husband in the supposed anti-Obama demographic who are just as strong as their wives are for the President. I feel so sorry for wives who have to whisper when they differ from their husbands. Sadly, a lot of women live this way. I am fortunate: my mother didn’t have to live that way, and I certainly don’t.
I believe men who love and respect their wives and mothers, and love their daughters and sisters know why it is important to re-elect President Obama. They want their daughters to have the same opportunities as their sons. All the more reason to work hard for our President……and for a Congress that will work with him.
Good for that woman thinking for herself!
I agree. Even if the husband disagrees with his wife, he should respect her opinion. Why should a wife have to keep her opinions to herself? She should be able to say loud and clear, ‘yes I am voting for President Obama’ without FEAR of her husband.
I am a solidly middle class, married, white man and I oppose RYAN/romney 2012. I also oppose “men” whose wives have to whisper that they’ve got their own ideas not identical to their husband’s.
hilarious
What’s to hate? Does he listen to brainwashing tv and radio? I have no patience with idiots.
A few hours ago, found out that one of my great-aunts died of the cancer 😦 Third person close to me lost to cancer in the last 3 months. Not to be a downer; just sharing. Still full on-board, just like all of you 😉
I am so sorry, thoughtful3, to hear of your sad loss over these last three months. Will keep your family in my thoughts and prayers.
Sending you comforting thoughts.
I’m so sorry for your loss, thoughtful3. I’m sending love your way and making a small donation to the American Cancer Society in honor of your loved ones.
April 30, 2012
The Republican Congressman is trying to rewrite his past statements about author and philosopher, Ayn Rand. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains the contradiction in tonight’s Rewrite.
Chips, please feature this clip of Lawrence O’Donnell’s…. I heard the two most deterimental things to a person’s politically aspirations is being a Liar and a atheist and Ryan has two traits in his corner…
This is a good thing for Central Illinois (and other locations around the country).
Peoria introduces ‘Don’t Shoot’ initiative at bike ride
PEORIA, Ill. — Peoria Police are hoping a new initiative called “Don’t Shoot” will help curb gun violence in the city. The “Don’t Shoot” program was introduced today in conjunction with the 2nd annual “Riding 4 a Safer Tomorrow” bicycle ride.
http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Peoria-introduces-Dont-Shoot-initiative-at-bike-ride-165858716.html
So far this year, there have been 582 gun-related crimes in Peoria. http://www.don'tshootpeoria.com
‘Nite all. Heart is kinda heavy right now, but we press on…
Goodnight thoughtful. Sorry to hear about your loss. Sleep well, there are good thoughts coming your way.
That was nice of FLOTUS.
OMG! Love this!
Nice:)
I love this tweetpic!!!!
If anyone is interested this is the CBO scoring of Ryan Budget….Medicare and Medicaid
Click to access 04-05-ryan_letter.pdf
The arrogance of Ryan adopting a twitter account as “VP” has definitely been noticed, already, by many …
Please only use @RepPaulRyan in your tweets.
#PRESSON
The height of arrogance, really. They don’t even respect the office, and they feel entitled. They think that just because they want it, they should have it. It’s disgusting.
A MUST< MUST<MUST READ!!!!!!!!! http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/106029/ryan-romney-vp-budget-cuts-medicare-medicaid-voucher-tax-cut
UPDATED: Six Things to Know About Ryan (and Romney)
1. Ryan really believes in ending Medicare as we know it.
2. Ryan really believes in ending Medicaid as we know it
3. Ryan really pushed for privatization of Social Security.
4. Ryan really would decimate government funding, to the point it could no longer carry on many routine operations.
5. Ryan really does want the biggest transfer of wealth, from poor and middle class to rich, in modern U.S. history. Forgive the long direct quote, but this statement from Robert Greenstein, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, is something that every single reporter covering the campaign should read—and that every American planning to vote should understand:
HERE'S SOME OF THE MUST READ!!!! Go to the site:)
And finally…the Libertarian that thinks we should just keep govt out of our business and let people be, except if you're a woman….believes this:
6. Ryan really holds an extreme position on abortion rights, even relative to other conservatives. I didn't grasp this until I learned, via twitter, that he’d co-sponsored a bill declaring that life begins at fertilization and defining fertilization as “the process of a human spermatozoan penetrating the cell membrane of a human oocyte to create a human zygote, a one-celled human embryo, which is a new unique human being.”
Just in case your sense of reproductive biology is a little fuzzy, let me explain why that’s so significant. This is the earliest possible point at which you could define life, unless you want to go all Dr. Strangelove. As far as I know, it would effectively prohibit intrauterine devices (IUD) and some oral contraceptives, since those forms of birth control can stop pregnancy by preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. It would also ban in vitro fertilization.
Of course, fertilized eggs fail to implant all the time. That is how nature works. And that is one reason why even the ultra-conservative, rabidly anti-abortion voters of Mississippi rejected a similar proposal.
Another MUST READ 🙂
http://www.timwise.org/2012/08/were-gonna-scapegoat-like-its-1995-welfare-and-the-never-ending-lies-of-the-american-right/
Rugged Individualism ? http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/06/17/247570/paul-ryan-family-beneft-subsidies-for-big-oil-in-his-budget/
Paul Ryan And His Family To Benefit From The $45 Billion In Subsidies For Big Oil In His Budget
Paul Ryan’s budget, which means austerity for most Americans, turns out to mean prosperity for Ryan and his family.
That budget, which the GOP-led House adopted as its blueprint, slashes funding for everyone from seniors to the disabled to students while preserving $45 billion in tax breaks and subsidies for Big Oil over the next 10 years, as has been widely reported.
But what we have only just learned from Ryan’s financial disclosure forms for Congress (here) that were made public this week is “he and his wife, Janna, own stakes in four family companies that lease land in Texas and Oklahoma to the very energy companies that benefit from the tax subsidies in Ryan’s budget plan,” as The Daily Beast reported today.
Ryan’s father-in-law, Daniel Little, who runs the companies, told Newsweek and The Daily Beast that the family companies are currently leasing the land for mining and drilling to energy giants such as Chesapeake Energy, Devon, and XTO Energy, a recently acquired subsidiary of ExxonMobil.
These energy giants stand to profit directly from the $45 billion in subsidies and tax breaks.
His financial disclosure http://clerk.house.gov/public_disc/financial-pdfs/2011/8202728.pdf
You all remember that he was using insider trading as a member of Congress, right?
They all seem to do it – that’s why they fought so hard to limit restrictions on insider trading legislation – and to carve out exemptions for themselves and their families.
Tweeters can you Tweet this??? Disturbing chart included!
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/08/11/677751/paul-ryans-original-medicare-plan-ends-medicare-period/
The choice in this election is very obvious
Analysis: Obama presidency great for stocks. Will it help him?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/11/us-usa-campaign-obama-stocks-idUSBRE8790VX20120811
——————-
By Steven C. Johnson and Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK | Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:30pm EDT
(Reuters) – Barack Obama often gets slammed for his stewardship of the U.S. economy, but for stock investors, he’s been one of the best presidents since World War Two.
At 1,400, the S&P 500 on Friday was closing in on a four-year high and was up 74 percent since January 20, 2009, the day Obama took office. Not since Dwight Eisenhower’s first term has a president had such a strong run for their first term.
That rally might be just enough to get Obama re-elected, making him the first sitting president in the post-war era to win a second term with a jobless rate higher than 7.2 percent.
“Even though business and corporate sentiment is not good for Obama because they don’t think he’s been good for the economy, the fact that the market has done very well under him is a positive,” said Ethan Siegal, head of The Washington Exchange, which analyzes politics for institutional investors… [more in the article]
Weary warriors favor Obama
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/13/us-usa-poll-military-idUSBRE84C02120120513
——————-
By Margot Roosevelt
COLUMBIA, South Carolina | Sun May 13, 2012 3:01am EDT
(Reuters) – Mack McDowell likes to spend time at the local knife and gun show “drooling over firearms,” as he puts it. Retired after 30 years in the U.S. Army, he has lined his study with books on war, framed battalion patches from his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a John Wayne poster, and an 1861 Springfield rifle from an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
But when it comes to the 2012 presidential election, Master Sergeant McDowell is no hawk.
In South Carolina’s January primary, the one-time Reagan supporter voted for Ron Paul “because of his unchanging stand against overseas involvement.” In November, McDowell plans to vote for the candidate least likely to wage “knee-jerk reaction wars.”
Disaffection with the politics of shock and awe runs deep among men and women who have served in the military during the past decade of conflict. Only 32 percent think the war in Iraq ended successfully, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. And far more of them would pull out of Afghanistan than continue military operations there.
While the 2012 campaign today is dominated by economic and domestic issues, military concerns could easily jump to the fore. Nearly 90,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. Israeli politicians and their U.S. supporters debate over whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities as partisans bicker over proposed Pentagon budget cuts… [snip]
…If the election were held today, Obama would win the veteran vote by as much as seven points over Romney, higher than his margin in the general population… [more in the article]
New fuel economy rules favor Detroit Three: report
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/11/us-autos-fueleconomy-idUSBRE87A00P20120811
——————-
By Deepa Seetharaman
CHICAGO | Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:29pm EDT
(Reuters) – The Obama administration’s proposed fuel economy standards for 2025 are unfairly tilted in favor of the three U.S. automakers and put their foreign-based rivals at a disadvantage, according to a House Republicans report released on Friday.
According to the report written by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee staff, the standards are also based on an “overly optimistic” outlook of American consumers’ willingness to buy hybrid and electric cars. The committee is chaired by California Republican Darrell Issa.
The report comes days before the White House is expected to release the fuel economy standards in their finalized form. The proposed standards call for companies to roughly double their average fuel efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
The figure was announced last year after more than a year of talks between the Obama administration and automakers. The House Republicans’ report quotes emails and handwritten notes from executives and government officials that shed light on those negotiations over a new target for automakers’ corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE.
White House spokesman Clark Stevens defended the new CAFE standards, saying they “will save families thousands of dollars at the pump and dramatically reduce oil consumption.” Stevens said more than a dozen major automakers supported the new rules.
According to Friday’s report, one key point of contention was the separate standards made for cars and light trucks, which some executives said favored General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler Group LLC.
According to the proposed standards, automakers must show an average annual increases in fuel economy of 5 percent for cars and 3.5 percent for light trucks through 2021, with a 5 percent increase for all vehicles after that.
In an email, Tom Lehner, a lobbyist for Toyota Motor Corp, described the separate fuel economy standards for light trucks as a “second auto bailout.”… [more in the article]
======================
Well Mr. Issa, guess what? I drive a Toyota and I’m not bothered by this AT ALL.
PBO’s Chgo activities—lots of fundraisers
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-president-in-chicago-for-fundraisers-20120811,0,1505943.story
Morning everyone:
http://theobamadiary.com/2012/08/12/rise-and-shine-265/