How Romney’s Olympic Gold May Turn To Lead

Memo Pad

previous | next

How Romney’s Olympic Gold May Turn To Lead

May 24th, 2012 8:05 am Joe Conason

To win the White House, every viable candidate needs a compelling rationale that relies on biography at least as much as ideology. But the impressive resume that lies at the heart of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign has created more controversy than confidence during this election cycle so far. His record as Governor of Massachusetts included not only a “socialistic” health-care reform with an individual mandate, but featured tax increases too — all anathema to the Republican base. His private equity career, which made him a millionaire many times over, left a strong residue of bitterness among the thousands whose livelihoods were destroyed in buyouts and bankruptcies.

If Mitt can’t tout Romneycare or Bain Capital, what’s left for him to talk about? There’s still his rescue of the troubled 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, whose organizing he took over when the winter games were threatened by a burgeoning corruption scandal. Romney wrote a book recounting the entire episode, titled Turnaround, which led directly into his first gubernatorial campaign only days after the games concluded.

But ten years later, a series of articles by investigative reporter Wayne Barrett in the Daily Beast shows how Romney is currently cashing in on his Olympic connections — by raising enormous sums of campaign money from businessmen tainted by the Salt Lake bribery scandal. Although the Barrett series has attracted far less attention than it deserves, to date, he risks drawing fresh scrutiny to his relationships with those tainted figures whenever he mentions the subject (which will inevitably arise as this year’s Summer Olympics begin).

Continue Reading >> 1 2

Tags: 2012 campaign, 2012 olympics, campaign funding, front.page.blog.post, Mitt Romney, Olympics, Winter Olympics

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

He’s a rich guy , that knows how to steal money from the naive, and with his great love of the U.S. stow that money in Swiss bank Accounts, what more is there.

ObozoMustGo

OK Ed… I should have known all along… that the secret to becoming rich is to steal money from people that dont have any money! Yeah…. that’ll work!

Have a nice day, Ed!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

Most of the time these days you are right, most inventers get beat out of thier proffits if their product makes money evenif it isn’t any good. While Doctors make a really good living, its the insurance companies that make the killing (pun intended) and yet what to the insurance companies actually do? Most private homes are built by none union or even illegal labor, but how come they cost the same as if they were built by union labor on hollowdaytime? How come people who work in the bank make very little money, but people who run the bank from remote areas make a hell of a lot? How come city administrators make a bundle yet the city can’t can’t get any road improvement, or even protection from pervents in their parks? How come the President of Los Angeles’s School board retired on $330, 000, yet he fired dozens of teachers who made only $40,000 a year? How come all you people praise Carley Ferrio, for wirtting herself million dollar checks monthly, yet you say nothing about the hundreds of thousands of jobs she “created” for India, Tiawan, Korea and China? Back to you, OBB

ObozoMustGo

Ed… should everyone be paid the same thing? Should we all be equal?

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

Everyone should be paid fairley. Romney owns several gymcanna pony’s he should pay his groomers what he would do it for. Lou Dobbs has several ponies of his own he uses illegals, pays them litterly nothing and bitches about it. Writting your own paycheck and neglectng the people who work or worked for you is wrong, Buying a company and not paying its debts is wrong especially if you are making not just a proffit, but a humoungous proffit. Having the tax payer bail out the pension plan that the company you bought and made a proffit is wrong. If, Bozo, yo worked for someone and his buddy bought him out and told you to go cut bait, you wren’t going to get what was promiced, how would you feel about it.
ObozoMustGo

Ed… who determines the definition of “fair”?
ObozoMustGo

Ed… who determines the definition of “fair”?

http://profiles.google.com/bonniewhitsellmfg Bonnie Parmenter

Why are you so against non-union workers? The unions have pushed so many bills to hurt small businesses and independent contractors that everyone is left working for the either the government or huge corporations. People should have a choice. That makes fair play. Unions have a purpose, Governments have a purpose, Corporations have a purpose, Militaries have a purpose but they all have to be put in check so as not to take way personal freedoms. When they get too much power and control they become corrupt. We see it in our government with our unions and corporations. We need to be supporting small businesses and independent contractors. We can see directly what has happened to our educational system with unions having too much control. It is almost impossible to fire someone no matter how bad their performance. People are no longer paid or rewarded on merit. Just put in your time and get a check. (Don’t get me wrong, I have seen the other side where corporations abuse workers by trying to ditch them when they are getting close to retirement.) It is a two way street and must have balance.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

Bonnie I want you to think about this if twenty men make only ten dollars an hour, and their employer would charge thirty dollars an hour for himself to do the same work, and even then charges thirty dollars an hour to the customer per man plus his take, these guys only buy food enough to feed themselves and their families. However since the employer is already chargeing the customer thirty dollars an hour, the customer pays the same thing. Now if the guys get thirty dollars an hour instead of the employer, they go out an spend money on takeing their families out to dinner, or to the movies, that way they are creating jobs for other people, who when they have a job, in turn they spend money creating more jobs. The notion that Unions kill small business is brought to you so that you will not ask for union wages, not because it kills business.
STORMENHARD

RIGHT ON ED!!!
joyscarbo

I couldn’t disagree with you more, Ed. Unions are there for the employees. They establish fair rules for hiring and firing. They establish and promote fair wages for experience and fight for fair pay increases. I’m sorry… I don’t big business to do the right thing. They don’t and they’ve proved it so many times before in history- that’s why unions are necessary. My father was a unionized Boeing worker. And as a nurse, I have been protected by union representation when the hospital administration thought they could do what they wanted. They got slapped down and other nurses benefited as well.
Sorry…I’m thankful for unions.
ObozoMustGo

Bonnie… good, smart, and rational post. Thank you.

EdC is a really nice guy. His intentions are good, but his thinking is extremely clouded. Like a lot of leftists, they dont understand how or why people behave like they do. They only see a vision of what they believe must be true if only everyone complied with their desires and rules. In general, many really are very nice people. They’re just wrong.

Remember this: Liberalism is the disease that presents itself as its own cure.

Have a nice day and a great Memorial Day weekend!
http://www.facebook.com/Clarkpark24 Howard Evans

People have never been paid or rewarded on merit. How many bosses have you ever had that favored critical input over yes men, productivity over ass-kissing, or attention to the job over office politics? Seniority is hardly the perfect criteria, but it isn’t subject to manipulation.

We used to fight this battle constantly at the post office. Our craft truck drivers made $20 an hour and constantly lost work to contractors who cost just as much, had idiotically restrictive contracts, and whose drivers made $10 an hour. The difference was the contractor who schmoozed postal officials and congressmen, did no work and got rich.

If you didn’t like the way I ran our union local, you could argue the point with me, come to meetings and voice your opinion, vote for someone else in the next election, or run against me yourself. If you didn’t like the way your boss ran your work unit, you could complain to him and get dumped on until he got promoted.

You’re right that there has to be balance. But there hasn’t been balance between employers and unions for thirty years. The employers have all the guns.

http://profile.yahoo.com/JNWA4EME5IGDYOGNGI7ZKO6BZM Terry

so the word “naive” is now a definition of “people that dont [sic] have any money” other than probably quoting FOX news or RushLimburger where did that nonsense come from–or is it just the result of inbreeding — after all, what kind of name is ObozoMustGo — obviously the result of very low self esteem. Hope your day and the rest of your life continues to suck.

ObozoMustGo

Don’t be mean, now, Terrry! I know it’s hard for you leftist nujobs (and I mean that affectionately) to understand that the rest of the world is just not as pissed off as you guys, but it’s true. We aren’t.

Have a nice day, and a pleasant Memorial Day weekend!

http://profile.yahoo.com/KWVFASTNOYNKVRCWCY5APR3GI4 Joyce

This is what he and his cronies call PATRIOTISM. It is in fact Patriotism in reverse

ObozoMustGo

Yet another Joe “I work for the Obozo Campaign” Conason hit piece. Romney’s credentials and resume is 1000% better than the disgrace of a track record that Obozo had coming in.

Let’s recount Obozo’s credentials (or major lack thereof):

1) US Senator for 2 years. NO legislative achievements AT ALL. NONE.
2) IL Senator for 7 years. NO legislative achievement… wait… he did support that bill that said it was OK for doctors to kill babies born live from botched abortions.
3) ACORN community thug
4) Never had a real job in his life

To everyone reading my words, you will see that Joe Conason is just a useful idiot tool of the Obozo propaganda machine. This same topic will become the chatter of leftist nutjob media in the coming days. They will all echo the same exact phrases and words. You’ll see. Nothing happens by accident with these knuckleheads. And the legion of leftist nutjobs and morons that come on this site will lick it up like dogs eating their own vomit!

Have a nice day!

johninPCFL

Much better to hire an actor who was the union leader. At least he only added $3.5T to the national debt during his tenure.

CPANY

Much, much better not to have to vote for either one of them.

johninPCFL

The duopoly system that the parties have forced on the states retty much guarantees that no independent will ever be elected. Even the ‘independent’ Congressmen have to start with one of the two parties, get elected o build name recognition, and quit the party to run ‘i’.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YTHABIH46I3B6OCMWAPIIB2RUI Mike R

Keep chanting tea-bagger. Maybe one day it’ll make it all magically come true.
CPANY

Good comment. Obama is a lightweight who has zero achievments, except that he got elected president in 2008.

Romney is a rich prick who believes that those who own the country should rule it. His mantra is “Tell me what you weant to hear and I’ll say it.”

ObozoMustGo

CPANY… you are correct. Obozo is The Amature. And Romney may be a rich prick. But I’ll take a rich prick ANY DAY over a seemingly Marxist/Socialist that is spending us into oblivion without restraint. Romney is the only responsible choice for America, here.

Have a nice day!

johninPCFL

Closer examination shows that it is the TP in Congress that is spending us into oblivion. By being intransigent, bipartisan spending bills fail, and the pre-existing spending levels continue. Since the President has no “line-item” veto, he has little choice but to sign whatever gets to his desk to keep the military funded and the government operating.

ObozoMustGo

uhhh…. john…. find out how many bills have been sent to the senate and Dirty Harry hasnt even sent them to committee let alone have a vote on any of them. So your nonsense of Obozo not getting any bills because of the Tea Party is just another lie and misrepresentation in a never-ending sea of stupidity and useful idiots that simply parrot the DumbocRAT party line.

I’m not going to defend the feckless and weak Repubs either. They were complicit in creating our financial situation over the years, as well. But the fact is, we are in a world of financial trouble and politicians have been kicking the can down the road for too long. All of us need to put the pressure on our political leaders to CUT spending, and cutting the rate of growth of spending does not count as a cut.

Obozo IS NOT the guy that’s going to reign in spending. Obozo Must Go!

Have a nice day!
johninPCFL

Like I said, if the TP would pass any reasonable bills, they’d make it through the Senate and be signed. By being the ignorant idiots they are, they have forced year after year of overspending.

Obama proposed $4.6T in cuts for the next decade last year. The GOP decided that having the President say “yes” to cuts wasn’t in their political best interest.
ObozoMustGo

Ohhhh… I get it… if conservatives would just act like irresponsible DemocRATS and do what they say, then they would not be blocking Obozo’s agenda and we’d have progresss, correct? Is that what you mean?

Obozo proposed a budget that was defeated 97 – 0 in the Senate, you dope. Not even that craggly piece of crap Harry “Cowboy Poetry” Reid voted for it.

And, it wasnt $4.6T in cuts, you fool. It was reductions in planned increases which are NOT really cuts. Only in leftist nutjob world are reductions in future increases called cuts.

Have a nice day!
johninPCFL

Not exactly.

“- Rep. Mick Mulvaney, who defeated Budget chairman John Spratt for his seat, introduced an amendment consisting of the numbers and appropriations of Barack Obama’s 2012 budget. “It’s not a gimmick unless what the President sent us is the same,” Mulvaney snarked. “We are voting on the President’s budget. I would encourage the Democrats to embrace this landmark Democrat document and support it.”

They didn’t introduce the President’s budget proposal. They amended the numbers onto another piece of TP trash legislation.

Idiots.
ObozoMustGo

You don’t like resounding defeats do you?
johninPCFL

So Jeff Sessions is the new White House Senate liaison (R-Al)? Cool, at least the President is having the GOP carry his water now.

Last year it was a TP bill making all abortions illegal.

Typical TP stunt, nothing more.

http://profile.yahoo.com/XWNK5E33OIFUMQVAGQQA7GDM2M Bigspender

The obligatory republican falsehood that we always hear is that Obama spending is out of control. It takes only a moment of research to see that isn’t true. In fact spending has been increasing much more modestly than under any administration in decades. It was the GWB administration that lifted spending to record heights every single year. But the republicans want people to believe this lie so they just keep repeating it ad nauseum. Its the favorite falsehood on FOX these days. But all this GOP lying doesn’t make it true.

ObozoMustGo

Bigblunder…. how stupid can you be? Maybe you’re not stupid, you just think everyone else is. Look at the numbers. Go to the government’s site and look at the numbers.

Bush’s largest deficit was about $500B. That’s horrible. Obozo’s run deficits EACH YEAR of at least $1.3TRILLION!!!

OK Kids… lets have a quiz.

What # is bigger?
n) $500BILLION
o) $1.3 TRILLION
Fill in your answer here: _______

Bush starts, debt $6T, leaves debt = $10T. How much did the debt increase in 8 years?
l) $100 BILLION
m) $4 TRILLION
Fill in your answer here: _______

Obozo starts, debt $10T, has not left yet, debt = $16T. How much did the debt increase in 3.5 years?
f) $4TRILLION
g) $6 TRILLION
Fill in your answer here: _______

[psssst... here's the cheat sheet: put the answers in this order O M G]

Bigblunder, you are one of the biggest useful idiots on this site if you believe your own Obozo campaign talking points.

Have a nice day!
johninPCFL

Budget isn’t spending, dopo. GWBs budgets were low because military spending wasn’t included (and hadn’t been since King Reagan.) GWB started with $5.8T debt on 10/1/2001 and left $12.8T (his last budget ended 10/1/2009.)

So, adding $600B to each of GWBs deficits starting in 2003 makes each one over $1T. Obama started at GWBs $12.8T an is now near $16T. Thats about the same rate GWB increased the debt per year, as I noted below.
ObozoMustGo

You have been fooled by Nutting from MarketWatch, john.

#1 – military spending IS in the budget you dummy. Dont you remember the battles in congress where the DumbocRATS threatend to take away funding for the wars? Dont you remember the debt ceiling deal where autmatic cuts to military budget of 1/2 Trillion dollars were negotiated? Of course the military spending is on budget you dope. Defense is the #1 purpose of the Fed Gov, you idiot!

#2) Blaming Bush for Obozo’s wilde spending in his first year in office is the growing mantra of the leftist nutjobs and the Obozo propaganda machine, but it’s a flat out lie. Here are the facts as laid out by Ann Coulter on Human Events where this piece is excerpted from:
—————————-
That means, for example, the $825 billion stimulus bill, proposed, lobbied for, signed and spent by Obama, goes in … Bush’s column. (And if we attribute all of Bush’s spending for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and No Child Left Behind to William Howard Taft, Bush didn’t spend much either.)

Nutting’s “analysis” is so dishonest, even The New York Times has ignored it. He includes only the $140 billion of stimulus money spent after Oct. 1, 2009, as Obama’s spending. And he’s testy about that, grudgingly admitting that Obama “is responsible (along with the Congress) for about $140 billion in extra spending in the 2009 fiscal year from the stimulus bill.”

Nutting acts as if it’s the height of magnanimity to “attribute that $140 billion in stimulus to Obama and not to Bush …”

On what possible theory would that be Bush’s spending? Hey — we just found out that Obamacare’s going to cost triple the estimate. Let’s blame it on Calvin Coolidge!

Nutting’s “and not to Bush” line is just a sleight of hand. He’s hoping you won’t notice that he said “$140 billion” and not “$825 billion,” and will be fooled into thinking that he’s counting the entire stimulus bill as Obama’s spending. (He fooled Ed Schultz!)

The theory is that a new president is stuck with the budget of his predecessor, so the entire 2009 fiscal year should be attributed to Bush.

But Obama didn’t come in and live with the budget Bush had approved. He immediately signed off on enormous spending programs that had been specifically rejected by Bush. This included a $410 billion spending bill that Bush had refused to sign before he left office. Obama signed it on March 10, 2009. Bush had been chopping brush in Texas for two months at that point. Marketwatch’s Nutting says that’s Bush’s spending.

Obama also spent the second half of the Troubled Asset Relief Fund (TARP). These were discretionary funds meant to prevent a market meltdown after Lehman Brothers collapsed. By the end of 2008, it was clear the panic had passed, and Bush announced that he wouldn’t need to spend the second half of the TARP money.

But on Jan. 12, 2009, Obama asked Bush to release the remaining TARP funds for Obama to spend as soon as he took office. By Oct. 1, Obama had spent another $200 billion in TARP money. That, too, gets credited to Bush, according to the creative accounting of Rex Nutting.

There are other spending bills that Obama signed in the first quarter of his presidency, bills that would be considered massive under any other president — such as the $40 billion child health care bill, which extended coverage to immigrants as well as millions of additional Americans. These, too, are called Bush’s spending

Frustrated that he can’t shift all of Obama’s spending to Bush, Nutting also lowballs the spending estimates during the later Obama years. For example, although he claims to be using the White House’s numbers, the White House’s estimate for 2012 spending is $3.795 trillion. Nutting helpfully knocks that down to $3.63 trillion.
———————————

Your lies about the national debt dont stand up either. Here are the figures from the US Treasury’s own web site:
treasurydirect dot gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo5 dot htm

Date——— Dollar Amount
09/30/2010 13,561,623,030,891.79
09/30/2009 11,909,829,003,511.75
09/30/2008 10,024,724,896,912.49
09/30/2007 9,007,653,372,262.48
09/30/2006 8,506,973,899,215.23
09/30/2005 7,932,709,661,723.50
09/30/2004 7,379,052,696,330.32
09/30/2003 6,783,231,062,743.62
09/30/2002 6,228,235,965,597.16
09/30/2001 5,807,463,412,200.06
09/30/2000 5,674,178,209,886.86

Sorry to burst your leftist nutjob bubble, john.

Have a nice day!
johninPCFL

Nice skip past the clarification to spin the results, Bozo. Did you miss the part where I said that Obama had PUT MILITARY SPENDING BACK IN after Reagan through GWB left it out? Maybe reading comprehension isn’t your strong suit.

Obama’s “wild spending” was GWBs budget.

When did you invent the $825B stimulus? Congress’ version was $787B and $260B of that were tax incentives, not spending.

Obama loaned TARP money to Detroit rather than give it away as GWB had done, then bought assetts. That’s why there’s $51B we won’t ever see again – GWB giveaways.

GWBs $T+++ unfunded welfare bill for seniors dwarfs $40B for child wellness. I see from your gist that GWBs massive giveaways and spending are OK, but Obama being stuck with GWBs bills hangs around his neck.
ObozoMustGo

uhhh… dummy…. Obozo signed off on all that spending when he came in. It was Obozo’s “stimulus”, not Bush’s.

And you cant bash Bush for being a fiscal disaster, especially in his last 3 years since the DemocRATS controlled congress, and NOT bash Obozo for being 3 times as bad as Bush. They are both horrible. It’s why we are in the mess we are in. And this may come as a surprise to you leftist nutjobs, but the government CANNOT spend us into prosperity by taking us further in debt. It’s not mathematically possible. But Obozo believes it is.

Have a nice day!
johninPCFL

Thick is your strong suit I see. GWBs deficits ran near and over $1T every year after he started the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. You may remember that the GOP owned Congress from 1994 (Newty and crew) until 2007, so that would be, at most, two years of Democrat control under Obama.
http://profile.yahoo.com/HFYZP2APYPP7H6PWS2ZDQRWFEQ Hillbilly

johninPCTL, it doesn’t do anygood to show the paid obozomustgo poster the truth, he only believes what he hear out of a Republican mouth. You did forget two things about Bush2 budget . He is the one that started the borrowing from China to cover the cost of his two wars and used Social Security funds as security. He also took money out of the Social Security fund at least once if not twice to help cover up what he was actually spending look lower. Two acts that should have sent him to jail because of a law his dad signed in 1990 that said the money in the Social Security fund could only be used for SS and nothing else .
johninPCFL

Federal and local government spending (per Keynes) to pull out of a recession has been used by every President, including Saint Reagan, who added $3.5T to pull the country out of the recession that started under Ford.
ObozoMustGo

Actually, john, that recession started with Nixon taking America off of the Gold Standard in 1971.

I have noticed a definite trend here… every one of the leftists that comment on this site are sold hook, line, and sinker on Keynesian economics. 10 to 1, most of you are just parroting what you’ve heard others say. But you all seem to like it because it gives you theoretical cover for the favorite activity of the left…. spending other people’s money. The problem is, and even Keynes knew himself, that when your spending not only other people’s money, but FAR out into the future the money of people who have yet to be born 2 or 3 generations ahead (read excessively high debt), the so-called “multiplier effect” is diminished significantly to actually not even exist and is most likely negative. For every dollar borrowed, there is interest cost that continues to build. The more debt we have, the more likely costs of borrowing are to increase. As costs of borrowing escalate, the same downward spiral that has gripped Greece and much of Europe will grip America. It’s not a political problem, john, it’s a math problem. And the laws of math apply evenly everywhere, unfortunately.

So while you like to argue this “party vs. party” crap, and buy off on the lies that Obozo is NOT a big spender, the very facts published by his own Treasury Dept. contradict such a wacky notion.

The fact that Obozo is out there stumping and saying he’s not a big spender is actually embarrassing. He looks like a complete fool, and he’s making American’s look like complete fools.

Obozo cannot hide from his record, no matter how much he lies about it.

Have nice day and a great Memorial Day weekend, john!
johninPCFL

If taxes are looked on as an annuity, there is reason to presume to borrow against future contributions. (If the Mayan calendar is correct, there is reason to borrow against future contributions.) If the economic outlook is bleak for generations ahead, then not so much. Apparently I have a more positive view of the American future than you. I believe the recession is temporary and that the economic recovery will allow the debt to be reduced. Since we’ve spent 40 years building it, it’ll also take decades to pay it off. Fortunately (?) the treasury bonds issued today have a 30-year maturation period, meaning that an early surrender would ultimately cost far less than the full payout. If the Chinese were really dopes, they’d try to cash in all their bonds today and we’d pay less to buy them back than they paid to get them.

The “primary activity of the left” is to try to ensure that no-one in the society is discriminated against (even if some are temporarily put upon); no-one is left behind. They presume to use governmental action to try to accomplish this. The far right also espouses the same goals but assumes that people left to their own devices will ultimately arrive at the same place. Those who cannot are lebelled “leftist slackers” and left to die on a deserted roadside?

Not to be too subtle about it, but “All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives” (you may recognize the phrase from Section 7.) Until the house produces a sanely structured budget than both parties can agree to, as opposed to budget language scabbed onto an anti-abortion bill or other such nonsense, there is no budget. “Obama’s wild spending” is driven by the CRs, which in turn derive from the last budget approved by Congress. He cannot spend willy-nilly (only Congress can do that), but only on what hits his desk, meaning that the $1.5T debt increase per year is driven by Congressional (in)action and low tax revenues. McCain or Romney would be doing the same thing Obama is doing, though possibly excoriating Congress along the way.

Have a great weekend.
johninPCFL

Clarification of comments below: Reagan removed military funding from his budget proposals to Congress, claiming that the cost of the military was required by the Constitution, so was not subject to Congressional approval. Congress still passed Pentagon funding bills annually, and Reagan singned them (he never vetoed a spending bill.)

Obama put the military spending back into the budget proposal he sends to Congress. Thus Reagan proposed nearly balanced budgets (as did GWB) but blew out the debt (Reagan added $3.5T on his watch, GWB added $7T.) GWBs last three years of spending outpaced Obama’s first year. Obama’s budget was out so far because it included $600B of war costs that GWBs never included.
ObozoMustGo

jonh… you live in a fantasy land. Looks like you’ve eaten all of the Obozo propaganda machine vomit and think it’s filet mignon. You still cite this phony $7T number for Bush despite the fact that the numbers from the US Treasury’s very own website prove you wrong. Military funding has been in every budget, you dummy. Every one.

Speaking of budgets….. we have not had a single budget passed since Obozo came into office. NOT ONE!! The reason Obozo doesnt want any budgets passed is so he can blame his spending on Bush. It’s the only reason. He’s a complete failure as a president, dude. Just admit it.

Have a nice day!
johninPCFL

Every one since Obama was was elected, troll.

I’ll accept your $11.9T number since it’s from the same website I got the $12.8T number two years ago. So GWB ran up the debt $6T.

Obama doesn’t pass budgets, that’s Congress’ job. Until the TP gets it’s act together and begins to act responsibly, there won’t be any budgets.

GM is alive and Bin Laden is dead. That’s a success.
ObozoMustGo

still trying to pin Obozo’s 2009 spending bills on Bush, arent you? As if Obozo did absolutely nothing. He didnt sign a stimulus bill or any of those other spending bills did he? Noooooooooo! Of course he did not do what he did. You did not see what you saw, did you?

Obozo owns $6TRILLION added to the debt in 3.5 years, you dope. And you know it!
johninPCFL

Question: How much of the tax reductions in the stimulus bill show up on the national debt? They make up $260B of the $787B bill, but don’t directly show up on the national debt. As of 2011, $100B of the $260B in tax reductions remained unclaimed.

Question: When did the remainder of the bill’s cost end up on the debt? Well, the bill spread the spending out over several years, mostly to give Congressmen the “pork” to point to in 2010, so 2009 was the low-water mark of the stimulus spending. The total for projects started in 2009 was $83B, but most of that ended up being paid in 2010.

Therefore, GWBs 2009 spending plan accounted for most of the deficit for 2009.
ObozoMustGo

Sorry to burst your bubble, dope, but it’s Obozo’s signature on the spending bills. You can’t run from that. It is what it is. Obozo has spent us into oblivion and most Americans know that to be the truth. Only the most hardcore leftist nutjobs think otherwise. Like you.
johninPCFL

True. How much WAS SPENT in 2009? $50B. How much of the tax cuts show up in the debt increase? According to the gop party line, none. Therefore, all but $50B of the 2009 debt increase is due to GWBs budget.
ObozoMustGo

john… you’re nuts! Obozo signed an $854B wastelous….. err..”stimulus” , and that amount was baselined into the spending that kept being reauthorized through continuing resolutions. You cant say Obozo put Defense spending back into the budget…. in fact, you cant say he put ANYTHING back into the budget….. BECAUSE HE’S NEVER GOTTEN A BUDGET PASSED… NOT A SINGLE ONE!!!!! It’s all been done with CRs expressly for the purpose of NOT being pegged to all the spending he has done.

Every single year, Obozo spends in deficit about $1.5TRILLION. You have to be high on crack to dispute this. No sane person does. Only the most hardcore leftist nutjobs believe anything other. Obozo has been the biggest spender in our nation’s history and it’s not even close, except maybe that disaster and spawn of the devil himself FDR.

FACT from the US Treasury — Obozo’s government is spending $9.8BILLION per day. Bush was horrible and his government spent $6.5B per day. Clinton was at $4.1B and Reagan was at $2.5B. I forget what GHWB was, but it was more than Reagan and less than Clinton.

Have a nice day, and a pleasant Memorial Day weekend, jonh!
johninPCFL

Why is every post you do about the stimulus quoted with a different valuation? Congress specified $787B, yet you’ve quoted $825B, and now $854B. Are you just making up numbers to fel better?

The 2009 spending from the stimulus was (at maximum) $83B in infrastructure pending plus whatever was claimed by businesses taking the tax deductions (do they add to the deficit?) plus the direct payments to taxpayers (which don’t count as spending since they’re just returning peoples money, right?) The balance of the money spent by the fedgov in 2009 was from GWBs last budget. And yes, that is the baseline – Congress’ last budget.

“All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives”. Congress defines how and how much spending occurs. The current spending is defined by Congress. Obama signs legislation passed by Congress. Congress is responsible for the spending. Obama may WANT to spend more (or differently), but we’ll never know because Congress dictates the spending, just as they did when conservative Reagan added $3.5T to the national debt (up from $400B) and just as they did when conservative GWB added $6T to the national debt. And as with Obama today, the never vetoed a spending bill and spent what Congress dictated.

Have a great weekend.

http://profile.yahoo.com/XWNK5E33OIFUMQVAGQQA7GDM2M Bigspender

BOZO — this from the Drudge Report May 2012:

For the first time in 40 years, the government sector of the American economy has shrunk during the first three years of a presidential administration. In the first quarter of this year, the real gross domestic product for the government — including state and local governments as well as federal — was 2 percent lower than it was three years earlier, when Barack Obama took office in early 2009. The last time the government actually got smaller over the first three years of a presidential term was when Richard M. Nixon was president. That decrease was largely because of declining spending on the Vietnam War.

Economy Growing under Obama: The private sector grew faster in the first three years of the Obama administration than it did in three of the previous five administrations — the exception being Bill Clinton’s administrations, when private sector growth was more rapid. In both of George W. Bush’s terms as well as in the first three years of the George H. W. Bush administration, though, the private sector grew more slowly.

Need more?

joujou228

He was honest about his resume, not try to run from some and hide the other. Romney is a liar and we’ve had enough of that in the white house. Huntsman should have been the republican nominee, then we could have had an honest debate about direction for the country.

ObozoMustGo

joujou… I don’t think Obozo has been honest about a single thing in his life. In fact, he’s even claimed in a public speech that his father’s coffin is draped with an American flag…. when his father was from Kenya and died in Kenya and was a Marxist anti-colonialist who hated America. If you opened your eyes to be objective, Obozo has been lying about his past for longer than even he can remember.

You are correct, we need a debate about the direction of our country. But to have that debate, we first must debate what the proper role of the Federal Government is in America. If we dont like what the Constitution says, there is a process that we follow for changing it. Once we do that, then we can discuss direction and have an honest and reasonable debate.

Have a nice day!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

Again peerless leader regail us with the virtures of God Romney, as far as honesty you can’ forget that Obama has given Romney the full credit for Obamacare.

johninPCFL

He could have properly stopped after the first four words…
ObozoMustGo

Ed, Obozo lies about his past. And we need a discussion about the proper role of the fed govt in America. What’s so difficult about that?

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

Huntsman wsa good but I would have like to see what Buddy Roamer and Gary Patterson had to say. does it not strike you interesting that Reagans chief of staff says romney is wrong, and that Gringridge, and Santorum, and Paul have still not indorsed him

William Deutschlander

Obozomuzt go – there are two evidences in what you try to trash

1. You have not trthfully said anything, so you are lying.

2. One can not possibly miss that you are a GENERATIONAL REPUBLICAN, who is incapable of thinking for oneself and drinks up the poison talking points that are not true.

ObozoMustGo

Nazi Bill… How are you buddy? I hope this day finds you well.

You’re wrong. What I typed is factually true. Romney has WAAAAYYYYY better credentials for running for Prez than did Obozo. Not even close. You must be honest, at least a little bit, and admit it, Nazi Bill.

Have a nice day!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

Oh PLEEEESE give the high dope of feerless one we are waiting with baited breath, leed us us to the great fantasy.
STORMENHARD

A little lesson for you…actually Nazis are on the extreme right and Communists are on the extreme left of the political spectrum…I would guess by your right wing diatribes that you’re are closer to being a Nazi then Bill is…I don’t think you’d know a Socialist or Communist if it bit you on the ass ’cause Obama isn’t even close…
Cheers….

ObozoMustGo

Hard… Communists are socialists. Nazi is an acronym for National Socialist Party. Socialists are socialists. Plain and simple. Both are just varying degrees of leftist ideology. You are wrong by simple definition.

Go back to your bong!
http://profile.yahoo.com/YPI4NVMAWGSK43SFUAL6OUISGA Bunny

You forgot !
Have a nice day !
ObozoMustGo

You’re right, Bunny. I was typing on my iPhone and was lazy. My apologies to Hard.

Have a great day, Bunny, and a pleasant Memorial Day weekend!

geoelb

I like “generational Republican” describes the no-thinkum followers of
Carl Rove and good ole’ Grover

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

Since I know you can’t give credit to some one you don’t like Colon Powell, not know as a liberal, stated on 5/23/12 “Obama, brought back from a cliff the countries economy.” I know you will say it was the seals that got bin Laden, but it was in the pre stage, guided by Obama, when Obama was cleaning Trumps clock on birth certificates. Romney the finacial wizzard said to dump the Auto industry, Obama gave them a loan, which they have paid back, and become the number one and number three auto makers in the world. As I said it was a loan, not a gift like the republicans gave to Wall Street. Somali Pirates,for some reason all those cruise ships now fly American flags, cause Somalis know not to mess With them, who gave the order to take them out. Who is getting the grief of taking out Al Quada officials with drones, and who has had twentysix consecutive months of Private corporation job growth. If the Republicans would help instead of doing their best to destroy the country, the job growth would have even been higher, Yet they want to go back to the plan that lost an average of three hundred thousand jobs a month for the last six months of their leaders term. Yeah thats the real credentuals of Obama.

ObozoMustGo

Ed… Colin Powelll has always been a liberal in Republican clothes. That’s OK, I like him anyway. But what you dont quote him on is that he has not decided whether or not to endorse Romney or Obozo this time around. What’s that tell you?

And Ed… I think you need to reconsider what the definition of a “cliff” is. In truth, your messiah the conductor has put the pedal to the medal and is driving that train at top speed now.

Obozo “cleaning Trump’s clock on birth certs”? Who are you kidding? Trump, a private citizen, successfully smoked Obozo out of his hole and made him release a birth certificate, which by the way has been proven a fraud. I’d say, a private citizen forcing the hand of the POTUS is NOT a victory for Obozo.

Re: Bin Laden… Obozo had almost nothing to do with it. You watched the Tom Hanks propaganda film that did not even tell the truth about the fact that Obozo was on the golf course playing up until 20 minutes before the landing in Pakistan. The real leader was the Navy SEAL Commander. Obozo the narcissist just wants all the credit because he has nothing else to claim as a victory.

Yeah… Obozo orders drone strikes. WOW!!!! What a leader!!! Who else could have possibly done that? What a leader!!! Yeah, right. Sure, Sure!

And you want to give Obozo credit because ships fly an American flag now? Dude, you are grasping at straws with that nonsense. Don’t be so naive.

Have a nice day!

http://profile.yahoo.com/HFYZP2APYPP7H6PWS2ZDQRWFEQ Hillbilly

Obozomustgo, how much are you being paid get on here every day to twist the truth or out and out lie about President Obama while praising a selfish uncaring person like Romney. If Romney had any real business savvy then not one company that he and Bain took over would have gone bankrupt but there are lots of companies that did go bankrupt under their so called management policies yet Romney and Bain walked away from these companies with millions in their pockets and those millions included the pension funds of the employees including the money employees had put in the fund and we the taxpayers had replace that money because it was in federally insuranced. All the business savy Mitt Romney has is how to destroy businesses and walk away with millions. This man doesn’t deserve to be the President of anything. Since you say the same things over & over it shows you are being paid to do so because if you weren’t being paid, you use diiffrent wording every day to get your point over. Don’t have a nice day

ObozoMustGo

hillbilly…. your crack pipe is waiting for you…..
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

Gee’s Bozo, if you can’t come up with a decent comment, you gotta come with insults,not to mention that crack is not what us semi-wanna be hillbillys indulge in. Everyone knows we race the fastest cars haulin moonshine, you otta try it instead Republican Cool aid, while I’m at it the order was given to kill bin laden by Obama, and I mentioned 5that you would not give him credit for it. Since Powell is “aliberal in republican clothes how about Gingridge, Santorium, Paul, Reagans chief of staff, and Joe Scarborough, none of which have endorsed Romney. The Colonel as a Republican has not endorsed Romey, and would like to endorse a REpublican, but can’t make himself do it for Romney. Joe Scarborough, said today that he liked Romney stand on must issues until he changes it. He went on to say that on every issue that Romney has brought up he has changed his stand three times. Even Romney’s own chief of staff has admitted that they are the etch a sketch group. Please again list his many virtues, don’t forget to mention that in job creation, in his governorship his state was 47th.
ObozoMustGo

Ed… You watch too much MSLSD

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000335064977 Roni Harvey

Mittens only “saved” the Olympics because the US taxpayer bailed it out. He went to congress and asked for a ton more money to pay the bills. He didn’t do it…WE did it!

joyscarbo

Right, Roni…Mitt hasn’t saved much of anything and certainly not the Olympics.

CPANY

The more that I learn about that rich sleazebag, the more I hate his guts.
http://profile.yahoo.com/XWNK5E33OIFUMQVAGQQA7GDM2M Bigspender

While its an incontestable fact that Mitt Romney is a serial liar, he actually does have some commendable history as the article points out. But its those few good works that he tries so hard to conceal from the gutter trash in his own party, i.e. birthers and teabaggers, to advance his quest for the presidency. He is undoubtedly the candidate which GOP voters hate the least.
monster5588

Why do you not say culture as opposed to biography and ideology? Give back more to the US Citizen. I think we as Americans have done our fair share in the likelihood of “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” We have bleed for this country long enough!!! Our people are suffering because of the economy, People’s homes, cars, farms and much more being taken away. We need action not politics you Blow Hole. Romney is not who we need in office. We need someone with experience. I will have to stick with Obama. Romneycare sucks!!
William Deutschlander

FACT! Romney has never contributed anything of value to the ECONOMY, his only claim is funneling a bunch of money, out of the economy, to stash in his and his buddies offshore money accounts. In honest words he is a PREDATOR, a PARASITE.
ilady55

Hey Guys! What happened to the saying “Do as I say Not as I do.” He is a Politician. If you actually believe what comes out of any politician’s mouth, I got a bridge you can buy. Why can’t we be like our fore fathers and demand a change and make it happen. Why is it that there are over 300 million residents of the United States and we let a few hundred take our money(and keep taking) and spend it foolishly., and we keep letting them.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4JK5UTBYBW34I6QZZXYEBMSTT4 TEN-OF-WANDS

This man is the embodiment of what is wrong with America: the idolatry of success that has LESS TO DO WITH THE VIRTUES OF THE SUCCESSFUL than this society is willing to admit. I PREDICT THAT 80 % OF AMERICANS WHO READ THIS WILL DISMISS ME AS A BITTER ‘SOUR GRAPES’ RANT. I FURTHER predict that this demographic parameter would be at < 50% in West Europe and at < 10% in EAST EUROPE.
Gammaanya

EdC – Don’t answer Obozo must go – he is a bootlicker, the 1% wanna be and he/she can’t see the trees for the forest. He is one of the dumbest, see nothing good in anyone of the working stiffs, because he is racist and got a hood on his head. Most people ignor him or reply just t to get him to spew more crap of Faux News. He doesn’t know squat, being nowhere except his LR and TV with Rush on, listening to their bigotry, lies and distortions. He doesn’t know that Bain is the owner of Clear Channel Communications that owns Rushie, Beck, Hannity etc. He doesn’t know that It was Reagan who sold the arms to Iran. Repukes they just love to talk about other people thoughts and actions, and they take them out of context, twist things around and will spin it long enough for some dumb, hard core know nothing will listen and then they will spew more distortions to fit even the dumbest one. The 1% owns the bootlickers that think they will be 1% and they push down their ideology to the totally dumbed down Republicans and religious zelots that know nothing. It’s like taking advise from Casey Anthony on parenting skills. While Romney was at Bain he helped LDS invest money in companies in US and aboad. They own Beneficial Life Ins. CO (if RoMoney becomes Pres. he will privatize SS, Medicare to them I am sure (speculating like the Greedy One Percent does), cattles ranches, hunting lodges (Utah/Nebraska/Oregon)hotels, shopping centers, lands in FL all for profit co. They LDS is nonprofit but invest in profitable companies and DON’T PAY TAXES.It’s all legal but it’s moral????
Why he doesn’t show where his money is coming from?? I know, and it would shock you.
Think where you buy gas, shop for food, buy insurance euther car ot supplemental health. His hands in allover this. With out strong middle class this country would be worse than Nigeria. We are getting there. It’s sad that the 1% most richest company owns US government and rules the 99% with permission to do so. Ignoarnce is a bliss. Now you see why they cutting on Education down the south. Educated voter is dangerous voter, dumbdown voter is a easily manipulated. Dangle a carrot on fron his/hers face and they will follow and fall off the cliff. Most Americans are followers and the rich getting richer and the poor poorer and will do anything to be the 1% even if it kills them. They love money more than life. When you are dead the money do you no good except familly squabbles for leftovers. Seems to me that Republicans and Obozomust go never run out of saliva to bash Obama. They talk about sociaizm, communizm etc but don’t know true meanings of that. Each country have a littlebit of everything. Communizm is here now under RepuliKKKans. restriction adn laws agains most of your freedom. Go Figure.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UNRSOQB7TEU2XBPPAZ7GZPVNXM EdC

Thank you; you are so right. You are especially right about, I’m sorry dam near everything, but it brought back memories. When I was little, my Dad was a union retail milkman, and at least twice a month we could get into the car, and dad would say to mom which way do you want to go and we would spend a couple of days out of town. I could be the desert, it could be the mountains, or especially it would be the beach. As a working person, myself and I made three times what my dad made, we would have to save for two months for me to take my family anywhere. That was twenty years ago, now as a retiree. I even make more than that, with my pension, my social security and the money I make playing my horn in Jazz clubs. We have been planning a trip now for six months just to get to Vegas, and even then some of my musican buddies, in Vegas, have offered me a couple of stand ins in their bands. In ’76 Reagan asked “Are you better off now, then you were four years ago.” Sorry Ronnie it has gone downhill eversince you screwed up the economy, and gave the tools to you Republican Political off spring. I believe that you are right about Rebozo, futher the cause he doesn’t understand that the minate they don’t need him they will through him under the bus as fast as they can. You are right about the money too, my old preacher use to say “I have never seen a hearse with a u-haul trailer behind it.” Thank you Gammy for trying to keep my head clear.

http://profile.yahoo.com/KWVFASTNOYNKVRCWCY5APR3GI4 Joyce

Lies more lies and lies again is the hallmark of Romney

jimackermann

And how would this be. Did he set in a church where the minister said “God Damn America”? Did he say in his book that he was seeking to undermine American Corporations. Did he not have Congress waste close to a TRILLION dollars in a stimulis bill that produced nothing. Did there not be a health care bill that was pass without anyone reading it.

Do you have a brain or do you just follow the Democrats mantra?

I am a “Based on Results” kind of guy. Based on result, how is this country better?

I’ll set in church with Romney any day. You set in church with the guy that hates America. And by the way, I went to war for America. What did you do?

STORMENHARD

Are you familiar with ROMENEY CARE??? It has actually worked very well in Mass!!!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_V2GZMDSV3PM34RT72YSHCJ7WMM Chiron8839

And of course Romney has since hypocritically condemned his own Massachusetts health care law, not because there was a problem with it, but because of its commonalities with Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

johninPCFL

Does your trillion bucks properly account for the $260B in tax cuts that were part of the $787B bill?

You forget that the GOP added 168 amendments to the HC bill?

Bin Laden’s dead and GM is alive. Those kind of results?

http://profiles.google.com/bonniewhitsellmfg Bonnie Parmenter

Mitt Romney was my last choice on the Republican ticket but I will be voting for him. I do think he has the ability and desire to turn our economy around. I am not sure how much is for mere personal gain. I am really disappointed in people for not supporting Ron Paul.
He has stood for preserving our personal freedoms since day one and has not wavered. He takes no back room money. He had no Super PAC supporters and he lives a modest lifestyle. Democrats just can’t stand the thoughts of not having this huge government controlling their lives no matter how corrupt they are.

http://profile.yahoo.com/XWNK5E33OIFUMQVAGQQA7GDM2M Bigspender

…then I guess democrats will get their wish if Romney is elected, i.e. corruption will be the trademark of our executive administration.

jimackermann

Corruption? I’m guessing that you were not around when Aboma Care was shoved down the throats of America. Not on legislator had read the bill. My sweetheart “Nancy” said, vote on it now, read it later. Is that how America does business? Come June, the arrogance or the Democratic Party may be looking for a spin on why all of this is not legal.

Do know this. I am quit willing to go to jail to not pay for this absurdity. Than you can pay for my health care.

And I am so glad that you are a “Big Spender”. I am not. I try to live within my means.

johninPCFL

Yeah no GOP support at all. Other than the 168 GOP amendments, of course. And the Dole/Romney mandate was included, or course.

Look up the Pelosi quote and you’ll find she was talking about the HOUSE reading the SENATE bill; i.e. the SENATE would have to pass the bill for the HOUSE members to find out what was in it.

ExPAVIC

Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie

In order to be a viable presidential candidate, one is expected to be reasonably alert and in touch with current political problems and needs of the voting populace.

Now please inform me how Paul qualifies as a presidential candidate with just those three qualification parameters.

http://www.facebook.com/richardbluemb Richard Hansen

my opinion is banks pay little or no dividen on deeposits ,SO THEN WE JUST TAKE OUR MONEY OUT OF THE BANKS. same with credit cards, miss a paymont and they charge from 30 up to 40 %
so tighten your belts because they are stealing your money …then maby we can get a better return
on our money, they get about $400.000 a year pay check 111111111111111
jimackermann

Could it be that he cares a lot more about the American Citizen the the current President? Could it be that he is not a socialist or a Communist. Could it be that he is moral? Let me check, our setting President sat in a church where the minister said, “God Damn America”.

ExPAVIC

Get real Jim

At latest check, we still enjoy freedom of speech in this country and we certainly enjoy freedom of listening. Just because someone is present during another’s rantings doesn’t mean that they believe in what was said.

The American Taliban Party (Republicans) have been spending extra time trying to tag Obama with some sort of labeling to counter the total lack of politically positive traits in their candidate.

Even their bad handle expert Karl Rove has had problems tagging Obama with something that will stick. So if you can’t contest your opponent’s politics, you divert and attack a personal trait. You will recall that this practice was perfected by Rove’s idol Dr. Joseph Goebbels of Hitler service.

http://profile.yahoo.com/3J6OEWYHKZIJQD5X4CJCRJTKPE Patricia

Can’t wait for the presidential debates. Obama’s ratings will go through the roof.

http://profile.yahoo.com/YPI4NVMAWGSK43SFUAL6OUISGA Bunny

You are so right ! ! ! Obama will de great ! I just hope our government won’t screw us over like they did with the election in Florida in 2008 ! I do not trust the Electoral College ! We do NOT need them ! ! !

Memo Pad

How Romney’s Olympic Gold May Turn To Lead

Continue Reading >> 1 2

Follow Us

Newsmaker Memo

Most Read

Most Comments