[Black Republican]

Nevada Gop has to be one of the worst ran conservative states in ages, not surprised the rnc wont waste time with them

[Chumly]

Nevada Gop has to be one of the worst ran conservative states in ages, not surprised the rnc wont waste time with them

Aren't the paulites in charge there?

[hydragonwarrior]

So who thinks Walker will win back Winsconsin?

Because it's starting to look like the recall was indeed pointless...

[Oblivion]

It also misses the point because my point was purely economic not prescriptive. You can give poor people money with no strings attached. Or you can also put money in poor people's hands by offering them a government job. Presumably, you would have no objections to the latter approach?

While FDR and I wouldn't exactly be on the same page (he did save capitalism after all), I have no objection to this at all. In fact, what he was saying was that it was our duty to offer jobs to people who want to work but could not find a job. You know that 8.1% unemployment rate. That is all the people who want to find work but are unable to do so, because there simply are not enough being offered by the private sector. The private sector is choosing, for market reasons, not to hire all the people who want to work. So I propose, like FDR did, that work "must be found" for the unemployed. And that is accomplished by the federal government offering every person who wants one a job. But I suspect you oppose this, even though you just provided the rationale for it.

THIS THIS THIS.

We used to have an argument with the righties about giving them lazy poors free money. They used to say that they don't have a problem giving poor people money as long as they weren't loafing about in their mansions in Bel Air. But now, even giving money for work is considered taboo for Republicans because that money comes from spending, and government spending on anything that's not Pentagon or tax cut for the rich related is taboo now.

[eznark]

It is unusual for a state to release these figures before they are vetted and blessed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hence, Walker’s opponents, who have been accusing him of killing jobs, are now accusing him of – gasp! – playing politics. But just how foul is Walker’s move? This is what the Bureau told the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal via email: “No, BLS does not have any concerns. Wisconsin is free to publish its data as it wishes.”

Lol @ saying Wisconsin is making up numbers. It's simply a different data collection. The Dems are touting a sample survey of 1000 businesses. Walker is publishing actual reports from all businesses in the state.

The guy who gathered that data is the states chief economist. Surely a Walker supporter!.....except he signed the recall petition.

Cry more.

[GhaleonEB]

The National Coalition for Men has endorsed the House GOP’s version of the Violence Against Women Act.

Adjectives fail me.

[ToxicAdam]

-deregulation -tax cuts for the rich -fighting two wars (one of which was under false pretenses) You know. Pretty much the standard Republican platform?

What deregulation laws?

How did tax cuts for the entire country tank the economy (specifically in 2008)? The same laws that Obama refused to rescind because they could trigger a second recession.

How did fighting the wars tank the economy? If anything, they were a massive stimulative action.


I know of two Bush policies. TARP and using tarp money for the auto bailouts. Something the Democrats seem keen on campaigning on this fall.

[Tim-E]

Saw the Bain ad during a commercial break on our local news earlier. It took up the entire break.

[cartoon_soldier]

dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb (in Southpark episode voice and tune)

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dru...-need-get-work

"With the global war against terrorism, it is now incumbent on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yasir Arafat to clamp down on Palestinian extremists that have perpetuated violence and to restart a peace process that has collapsed," wrote Pitts in a recent, rather outdated response letter to a constituent. Arafat has been dead for eight years and Sharon has been in a coma for six. Sadly, "dead" and "comatose" are two adjectives people might use to describe the peace process itself.

[Oblivion]

What deregulation laws?

Didn't Bush further deregulate the housing market at some point in his first term?

[ToxicAdam]

Didn't Bush further deregulate the housing market at some point in his first term?

You mean when he expanded the Clinton program to allow more low income people the chance to be home owners? That evil, nefarious Republican plan?

[Tim-E]

Bush is giving speeches and will soon be releasing/promoting a book on economic ideas? The last thing the Romney camp wants is Bush out there talking about a book that likely discusses the republican economic policies Romney is pushing. I'll bet his campaign staff will be pulling their hair out in two months when it releases and Bush is on all sorts of shows.

[Oblivion]

You mean when he expanded the Clinton program to allow more low income people the chance to be home owners? That evil, nefarious Republican plan?

The same program that mortgage lenders coincidentally seemed to fully endorse?

[Kosmo]

The same program that mortgage lenders coincidentally seemed to fully endorse?

When you can make risky loans and flip them to Fannie/Freddie basically risk free, why wouldn't you be for them?

[makingmusic476]

Does anybody have that poll that broke down the Affordable Care Act into parts (covering pre-existing conditions, insurance mandate, etc.) and polled each individually? Google is failing me.

[Aaron Strife]

Nate Silver's new Senate forecast: Democrats' Odds of Retaining the Senate Improve

Right now, his most likely outcome is 50 Republicans, 49 Democrats, and 1 Angus King, essentially resulting in a 50-50 split. I'm more bullish than he is (gun to my head, I'd say Democrats will hold between 52 and 54 seats), but that's based on the economy improving and Obama winning comfortably over Romney, being less of a drag on red/purple state candidates. As the man himself puts it:

However, it should be remembered that this is just one potential outcome out of a fairly wide range of possibilities. In 2006 and 2008, Democrats won all or almost all of the races that would have been classified as tossups or as leaning toward one party at this stage. Republicans did the same in 2010. This year, if Republicans won all the lean and tossup races, they would pick up a net of nine seats from Democrats. That would give them control of 56 seats — a sizable majority whether or not Mr. King aligned with them. Conversely, if Democrats won all the lean and tossup races, they would actually gain a net of three seats from Republicans, or four if Mr. King caucused with them. That would give them 55 or 56 seats over all. What would produce such a shift in the overall partisan environment is unclear, but a substantial economic upturn or downturn, a major foreign policy success or failure, a significant gap in turnout among Democratic and Republican voters, a partisan row in Congress like last year’s debt ceiling debate or a major scandal involving Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney are all possibilities. Put more simply, the possibility for major news events is a “known unknown,” and there is plenty of time between now and November.

[RustyNails]

dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb (in Southpark episode voice and tune) http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dru...-need-get-work

What the fucking fuck lol? Did this guy just got out of a time capsule from 1994?

[Orpheus]

The National Coalition for Men has endorsed the House GOP’s version of the Violence Against Women Act. Adjectives fail me.

I suppose the title of that bill is accurate, in a way. It's a sort of an assault on the livelihood of women.

[Tim-E]

I'm kind of offended that an organization called the "National Coalition for Men" exists.

[PantherLotus]

I'm kind of offended that an organization called the "National Coalition for Men" exists.

I know, right? It used to just be called "the entire history of human society."

[Chichikov]

I know, right? It used to just be called "the entire history of human society."

BUT GIRLS GET FREE DRINKS ON TUESDAYS!
OMG! REVERSE CHAUVINISM!!

[sc0la]

I'm kind of offended that an organization called the "National Coalition for Men" exists.

I was going to make a joke about NAAWP but a quick wikipedia check shows me that it has indeed existed in the past :(

[Dominican Power]

Who liked Biden's populist speech?

[Officerrob]

Who liked Biden's populist speech?

It was fantastic. Biden will be a valuable asset this cycle using a populist message

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

Who liked Biden's populist speech?

I hope they keep letting Joey talk. It's only a matter of time.

[Krauser Kat]

Here is he transcript of Nick Hanauer TED talk which ted has not posted for some reason or another

It is astounding how significantly one idea can shape a society and its policies. Consider this one. If taxes on the rich go up, job creation will go down. This idea is an article of faith for republicans and seldom challenged by democrats and has shaped much of today's economic landscape. But sometimes the ideas that we know to be true are dead wrong. For thousands of years people were sure that earth was at the center of the universe. It's not, and an astronomer who still believed that it was, would do some lousy astronomy. In the same way, a policy maker who believed that the rich and businesses are "job creators" and therefore should not be taxed, would make equally bad policy. I have started or helped start, dozens of businesses and initially hired lots of people. But if no one could have afforded to buy what we had to sell, my businesses would all have failed and all those jobs would have evaporated. That's why I can say with confidence that rich people don't create jobs, nor do businesses, large or small. What does lead to more employment is a "circle of life" like feedback loop between customers and businesses. And only consumers can set in motion this virtuous cycle of increasing demand and hiring. In this sense, an ordinary middle-class consumer is far more of a job creator than a capitalist like me. So when businesspeople take credit for creating jobs, it's a little like squirrels taking credit for creating evolution. In fact, it's the other way around. Anyone who's ever run a business knows that hiring more people is a capitalists course of last resort, something we do only when increasing customer demand requires it. In this sense, calling ourselves job creators isn't just inaccurate, it's disingenuous. That's why our current policies are so upside down. When you have a tax system in which most of the exemptions and the lowest rates benefit the richest, all in the name of job creation, all that happens is that the rich get richer. Since 1980 the share of income for the richest Americans has more than tripled while effective tax rates have declined by close to 50%. If it were true that lower tax rates and more wealth for the wealthy would lead to more job creation, then today we would be drowning in jobs. And yet unemployment and under-employment is at record highs. Another reason this idea is so wrong-headed is that there can never be enough superrich Americans to power a great economy. The annual earnings of people like me are hundreds, if not thousands, of times greater than those of the median American, but we don't buy hundreds or thousands of times more stuff. My family owns three cars, not 3,000. I buy a few pairs of pants and a few shirts a year, just like most American men. Like everyone else, we go out to eat with friends and family only occasionally. I can't buy enough of anything to make up for the fact that millions of unemployed and underemployed Americans can't buy any new clothes or cars or enjoy any meals out. Or to make up for the decreasing consumption of the vast majority of American families that are barely squeaking by, buried by spiraling costs and trapped by stagnant or declining wages. Here's an incredible fact. If the typical American family still got today the same share of income they earned in 1980, they would earn about 25% more and have an astounding $13,000 more a year. Where would the economy be if that were the case? Significant privileges have come to capitalists like me for being perceived as "job creators" at the center of the economic universe, and the language and metaphors we use to defend the fairness of the current social and economic arrangements is telling. For instance, it is a small step from "job creator" to "The Creator". We did not accidentally choose this language. It is only honest to admit that calling oneself a "job creator" is both an assertion about how economics works and the a claim on status and privileges. The extraordinary differential between a 15% tax rate on capital gains, dividends, and carried interest for capitalists, and the 35% top marginal rate on work for ordinary Americans is a privilege that is hard to justify without just a touch of deification We've had it backward for the last 30 years. Rich businesspeople like me don't create jobs. Rather they are a consequence of an eco-systemic feedback loop animated by middle-class consumers, and when they thrive, businesses grow and hire, and owners profit. That's why taxing the rich to pay for investments that benefit all is a great deal for both the middle class and the rich. So here's an idea worth spreading. In a capitalist economy, the true job creators are consumers, the middle class. And taxing the rich to make investments that grow the middle class, is the single smartest thing we can do for the middle class, the poor and the rich. Thank You.

Visual Aids he used during the talk
http://www.businessinsider.com/nick-...job-creators-4


Ted may or may not be pandering to their donors who are almost all rich.
(sorry if you saw this on reddit already)

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

I hope they keep letting Joey talk. It's only a matter of time.

Biden is the best. He's the perfect contrast to politicians on the right- a character who actually has character.

[Matthew Gallant]

Joe Biden is the best, he and Barack are a great team.

[RDreamer]

Romney's breaking out the debt clock again

Here is he transcript of Nick Hanauer TED talk which ted has not posted for some reason or another Visual Aids he used during the talk http://www.businessinsider.com/nick-...job-creators-4 Ted may or may not be pandering to their donors who are almost all rich. (sorry if you saw this on reddit already)

Pretty disappointing that they wouldn't put it up. However, they do still have this one on income inequality up, and it's a pretty in depth look at income inequality. Anyone interested in this stuff should watch that.

[Gr1mLock]

Who liked Biden's populist speech?

Biden is totally the inappropriate uncle, however he's maybe one of 3 people in Washington who actually seems to give fucks.

[RustyNails]

Joe Biden is everything George W Bush wished and wasn't: straight-shootin, folksy, charming, and 40 years of solid foreign policy experience. Without the stupid Texas belt buckle and hat.

[empty vessel]

Romney's breaking out the debt clock again

Mitt Romney: I don't understand our government's monetary system. Make me president!

[cartoon_soldier]

Romney matches Obama fundraising at 40 million dollars to Obama's 43.1 million dollars.

That is bad news for O-camp with Dem donors shunning Super PACs and Rove group already on the air with negative ads containing false information.

Unemployment claims unchanged from last week.

[Rocket Scientist]

Joe Biden is everything George W Bush wished and wasn't: straight-shootin, folksy, charming, and 40 years of solid foreign policy experience. Without the stupid Texas belt buckle and hat.

Is there a chance he could run in 2016 or is he going to be too old? I wish we still had time to see both a Biden and Clinton presidency.

[PantherLotus]

I think the reason nobody on the left is really afraid of a Biden gaffe is because outside of looking slightly silly (asking a man in a wheelchair to stand up, for example), everybody kinda assumes and agrees that he's a genuine man with real thoughts, real reactions, and a visceral sense of what it means to be lower middle class.

We simply don't get those types any more. We get blue dogs, who attempt to bridge the gap between economic populism and social conservatism, or we get tea baggers capturing the anger but throwing it in every direction but the obvious (their corporate sponsors).

I mean, Biden. If he was an ounce more calculating and a touch more reserved, he'd be a perfect president -- but he wouldn't be the sincere middle class warrior he's become.

[PhoenixPause]

Romney matches Obama fundraising at 40 million dollars to Obama's 43.1 million dollars. That is bad news for O-camp with Dem donors shunning Super PACs and Rove group already on the air with negative ads containing false information. Unemployment claims unchanged from last week.

Seems like every Obama advantage disappeared this month, from fundraising to the female vote. But no worries, dems are fired up and the economy is steadily improving right

[ToxicAdam]

The same program that mortgage lenders coincidentally seemed to fully endorse?

So, you agree it was a Clinton program. I'm still waiting on your answers on what policies Bush pushed through that ruined the economy.

We get blue dogs, who attempt to bridge the gap between economic populism and social conservatism

These people can't actually exist in America? These ideals can only come from a cynical, politically calculated place?

--- // ---


Anyone else think that these SuperPACS have a chance to backfire? Negative ads are effective, but there comes a tipping point where if the ads go too far or are too numerous, they actually turn off the voter (either from the candidate or voting all together). In the past, a campaign has the ability to temper their message if they go too far, but with SuperPACS (supposedly) a crazy billionaire could just decide to flood the airwaves with crazy attack messages and no one can stop him if they backfire.

[markatisu]

Seems like every Obama advantage disappeared this month, from fundraising to the female vote. But no worries, dems are fired up and the economy is steadily improving right

And soon Romney will have the Latino vote, the Black vote, and the youth vote...Obama is doomed...oh wait that's right we are not really talking about reality

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

So, you agree it was a Clinton program. I'm still waiting on your answers on what policies Bush pushed through that ruined the economy.

Come on, man.

[ToxicAdam]

That's not a response. If you have nothing to say, don't bother replying.

[Incognito]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/us...-obama.html?hp

was cursing at the report then i realized i have no leg to stand on. just yesterday i was at a prominent lawyer's office picking up materials from the PAC he created solely to bludgeon my candidate's opponent.

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

That's not a response. If you have nothing to say, don't bother replying.

A few good ones:

-telling Greenspan to keep interest rates low, increasing government spending and cutting taxes while the economy was strong
-grew the size of the financial sector
-Iraq War on credit

[ToxicAdam]

A few good ones: -telling Greenspan to keep interest rates low, increasing government spending and cutting taxes while the economy was strong -grew the size of the financial sector -Iraq War on credit

How does a president "grow the size of the financial sector"? What does that even mean? Now, you can argue that Bush's inactions were a root problem, but that's not how the initial argument was framed. This was about what Bush DID, not what he didn't do.

When was the economy strong? Bush mostly had an anemic/backsliding economy for his entire first term when those actions you listed were enacted.

What does "Iraq War on credit" mean? Was the Afghanistan War prepaid? All wars are engaged with deficit spending. How exactly did spending invisible money on a war exacerbate the collapse of the economy in 2008? Was this mythical mound of money somehow going to prevent it from happening?

[Black Republican]

so according to nytimes rev wright is making a comeback through a negative gop super pac

get ready again white america!

[Rocket Scientist]

SuperPAC's are fucking scary shit. Reading that article makes the US sound like Russia.

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

How does a president "grow the size of the financial sector"? What does that even mean? Now, you can argue that Bush's inactions were a root problem, but that's not how the initial argument was framed. This was about what Bush DID, not what he didn't do. When was the economy strong? Bush mostly had an anemic/backsliding economy for his entire first term when those actions you listed were enacted. What does "Iraq War on credit" mean? Was the Afghanistan War prepaid? All wars are engaged with deficit spending. How exactly did spending invisible money on a war exacerbate the collapse of the economy in 2008? Was this mythical mound of money somehow going to prevent it from happening?

It's amazing how quick some of us are to forget the Bush Admin. Wish there was a more polite way to put this, but I'm just not that interested in belaboring the obvious. Bullet points should be adequate at this point.

[gcubed]

--- // --- Anyone else think that these SuperPACS have a chance to backfire? Negative ads are effective, but there comes a tipping point where if the ads go too far or are too numerous, they actually turn off the voter (either from the candidate or voting all together). In the past, a campaign has the ability to temper their message if they go too far, but with SuperPACS (supposedly) a crazy billionaire could just decide to flood the airwaves with crazy attack messages and no one can stop him if they backfire.

It depends. I understand negative ads backfire, will general attack ads backfire if there isn't a "Romney" tagline at the end? Thats going to be the telling point. It certainly could, and i think people are going to be pretty annoyed this year by the amount of advertising, which will be an increase from the insane amounts last presidential election. At some point i see superpacs going down the drain because they will have no restraint and the general public will become very hostile to them

[ToxicAdam]

It's amazing how quick some of us are to forget the Bush Admin. Wish there was a more polite way to put this, but I'm just not that interested in belaboring the obvious. Bullet points should be adequate at this point.

I agree, it is amazing how fast people can forget what happened during the Bush adminstration. You would need to state the obvious first before you belabour it. You have done nothing to even state an effective case. Just your typical parroting of a pedantic, comment section narrative.

[Officerrob]

Romney matches Obama fundraising at 40 million dollars to Obama's 43.1 million dollars. That is bad news for O-camp with Dem donors shunning Super PACs and Rove group already on the air with negative ads containing false information. Unemployment claims unchanged from last week.

Are they only running their ads on Fox News? Here in southwest Virginia, I expected to be bombarded by Romney and Pro-Romney Super PAC ads, and I've yet to see one. On the other hand, I've probably seen 15-20 Obama ads (dating back 2-3 weeks) during various primetime network shows as well as syndicated showings of "The Big Bang Theory"

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

I agree, it is amazing how fast people can forget what happened during the Bush adminstration. You would need to state the obvious first before you belabour it. You have done nothing to even state an effective case. Just your typical parroting of a pedantic, comment section narrative.

TA, you were arguing if the economy could even be regarded as 'strong' when Bush took office. What do you expect from me if even something like that is up in the air?

The obvious was stated.