[maximum360]

Odd...that doesn't sound like Newt. Her ugliness would have been more forgivable if she wasn't such a ditz. She's horrible in interveiws. Dems shoulda picked somebody a little more intelligent and articulate for DNC chair.

Yep, she's a talking points machine.

[Oblivion]

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/...e_economy.html

[BotoxAgent]

Romney: ‘I’m not concerned with the very poor’ http://t.co/Jhg7k9ns LOL this guy just can't help himself. He would feel incomplete if he went a week without giving the democrats ammunition for the general.

He must have thought he was speaking in a quiet room

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

Romney: ‘I’m not concerned with the very poor’ http://t.co/Jhg7k9ns LOL this guy just can't help himself. He would feel incomplete if he went a week without giving the democrats ammunition for the general.

Sure didn't take him long to botch another statement that can be taken out of context. A few more of these and he's going to be doing nothing but explaining away these comments.
Maybe he just likes a good challenge and is never comfortable with a big lead : )

[Mike M]

Romney: ‘I’m not concerned with the very poor’ http://t.co/Jhg7k9ns LOL this guy just can't help himself. He would feel incomplete if he went a week without giving the democrats ammunition for the general.

He's not concerned because we have a safety net!

He's going to balance the budget and cut government spending without raising taxes!

He's also going to increase military spending!

Only two of those can be true.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/...e_economy.html

GOP will block it, obviously, and while the optics of them standing in the way of underwater homeowners refinancing would look bad, I don't know if it will counteract the inevitable summer slow down and unprecedented level of attack ads during the general election...

[Krauser Kat]

Romney looks like he is taking it. Thankfully he is full gafs.

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates.

Conservatives must be stopped. I hope Obama buries the Republican party this year. Not only serving them a defeat, but humiliating them every step of the way. They need to be banished to the corner until they decide to live in the real world with us.

[planar1280]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...usaolp00000008


Screw you Romney

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on Wednesday that he's "not concerned about the very poor," citing the social safety net in place for that segment of the populace and adding that he's focused on the middle class. "I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it," the Republican front-runner said Wednesday on CNN, following his victory in the Florida primary. "I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of the America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling." CNN's Soledad O'Brien pressed him on his comments, adding that they may sound odd for Americans who are very poor. "Well you had to finish the sentence, Soledad," he replied. "I said 'I'm not concerned about the very poor that have a safety net but if it has holes in it, I will repair them.' The challenge right now -- we will hear from the Democrat party the plight of the poor. And there's no question it's not good being poor and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. But my campaign is focused on middle-income Americans." "We have a very ample safety net," said Romney. "And we can talk about whether it needs to be strengthened or whether there are holes in it. But we have food stamps, we have Medicaid, we have housing vouchers, we have programs to help the poor." Programs in the "safety net" are also suffering during the economic recession. Medicaid, for example faces cuts as states attempt to balance budgets at a time when more people are using the program. GOP lawmakers have also eyed cuts in food stamps as food prices rise, even though more Americans are using the the program as a consequence of the economic recession. Romney's statement is part of a pattern of previously poorly-phrased remarks that give his competitors fodder to call the former Bain Capital founder -- who is worth between $190 million and $250 million -- out of touch with the economic recession. "Don't try and stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course and hit the bottom," he said last October in Las Vegas, the hardest-hit metro area by the foreclosure crisis. In January, Romney said, "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me" to explain why he favored competition among health insurers. "If someone doesn't give me the good service I need, I want to say I am going to get somebody else to provide that service to me."

Screw you romney, FU for. Play this again and again. This loser cannot come near the WH

[Tim-E]

It's another comment to out of his out-of-touch pile. This guy is not going to win in November. Most republicans I talk to even acknowledge that they likely aren't going to win already.

On top of that, his anti immigration comments are going to come back to bite him in the ass HARD in several swing states.

[hydragonwarrior]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...usaolp00000008 Screw you Romney Screw you romney, FU for. Play this again and again. This loser cannot come near the WH

Out of curiousity, but has Romney ever hit rock bottom to climb back out of it again? I thought he was basically rich for most (if not all) of his life?

[Rocket Scientist]

How can conservatives and religious folks continue to bash planned parenthood and sex ed when research has shown that abstinence ''programs'' result in higher teen pregnancies... You would think that they would oppose their children getting pregnant more than they would oppose condoms. Sheesh.

[Tim-E]

How can conservatives and religious folks continue to bash planned parenthood and sex ed when research has shown that abstinence ''programs'' result in higher teen pregnancies... You would think that they would oppose their children getting pregnant more than they would oppose condoms. Sheesh.

Conservatives dont like the words "research" or "evidence."

[Plinko]

Romney: ‘I’m not concerned with the very poor’ http://t.co/Jhg7k9ns LOL this guy just can't help himself. He would feel incomplete if he went a week without giving the democrats ammunition for the general.

*Facepalm*

What an idiot. Good luck spinning that one in the general election, Mitt.

[Averon]

Romney: ‘I’m not concerned with the very poor’ http://t.co/Jhg7k9ns LOL this guy just can't help himself. He would feel incomplete if he went a week without giving the democrats ammunition for the general.

LOL. Quotes like that just feeds the rich, Gordon Gekko imagine that's forming around Romney.

[AlteredBeast]

ehhh. he is caught in a soundbite, but the position is valid. Why does the president need to worry about the extreme poor? The middle class is his responsibility.

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

ehhh. he is caught in a soundbite, but the position is valid. Why does the president need to worry about the extreme poor? The middle class is his responsibility.

What?

[AlteredBeast]

He said if there are holes in the social safety net, he will repair them. What is he supposed to do, devote all of his time to tiny segment of people that fall into extreme poverty?

That is what dozens of charities, government programs, and religious organizations are for.

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

He said if there are holes in the social safety net, he will repair them. What is he supposed to do, devote all of his time to tiny segment of people that fall into extreme poverty? That is what dozens of charities, government programs, and religious organizations are for.

"The tiny segment of people that fall into extreme poverty".

Uh huh.

[Plinko]

He said if there are holes in the social safety net, he will repair them. What is he supposed to do, devote all of his time to tiny segment of people that fall into extreme poverty? That is what dozens of charities, government programs, and religious organizations are for.

I get your point, but I have a problem with it for two reasons:

1) He's running for office. This type of thing will destroy him in the primary. It was stupid, for Pete's sake.

2) There are more poor now and the number is growing. With the rising cost of necessities, our "safety net" isn't enough. That's a statement that isn't going to go over well with the general public at all.

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

He said if there are holes in the social safety net, he will repair them. What is he supposed to do, devote all of his time to tiny segment of people that fall into extreme poverty? That is what dozens of charities, government programs, and religious organizations are for.

I agree completely, but still an awkward way of phrasing things -and maybe too honest.

I get your point, but I have a problem with it for two reasons: 1) He's running for office. This type of thing will destroy him in the primary. It was stupid, for Pete's sake. 2) There are more poor now and the number is growing. With the rising cost of necessities, our "safety net" isn't enough. That's a statement that isn't going to go over well with the general public at all.

The point of his comment was that the number of poor is growing (middle class falling into poor) and it's his goal to stop it.

[ToxicAdam]

It's another one of those 'gaffes' that inflame the left. The rest understand what he's talking about.

[PhoenixPause]

That Romney quote will be taken out the context for months. To be fair, it does reinforce the image that he's completely out of touch with most people

To me the only thing of note is that his proposals actively attempt to dismantle the "safety net" poor people have.

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

It's another one of those 'gaffes' that inflame the left. The rest understand what he's talking about.

So disingenuous. I'm sure you're familiar with the 'starving the beast' strategy.

Yes, I'm sure he'll fix whatever hole he finds in the safety net.

[Plinko]

The point of his comment was that the number of poor is growing (middle class falling into poor) and it's his goal to stop it.

Understandable.

Like I said, I think my bigger complaint about it is that he should be smarter about what he's saying as he'll be the GOP nominee. Of course any statement like that will be taken out of context for months.

[GhaleonEB]

It's another one of those 'gaffes' that inflame the left. The rest understand what he's talking about.

I think the real gaffe is, "We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it."

If? Really?

Plus, cutting taxes for the wealthy puts the lie to his 'I'm not concerned about the very rich line'.

[RDreamer]

I understand what he's saying, and I suppose it's a valid point. As someone said, perhaps it's too honest. But man does he need to learn to phrase things. The guy's running for president. He should watch everything he says and meticulously look over each and every phrase. That is not how you word that viewpoint at all if you don't want it to become a soundbite. Dude needs to hire a good PR person and go through a ton of practice or something...

[Plinko]

I understand what he's saying, and I suppose it's a valid point. As someone said, perhaps it's too honest. But man does he need to learn to phrase things. The guy's running for president. He should watch everything he says and meticulously look over each and every phrase. That is not how you word that viewpoint at all if you don't want it to become a soundbite. Dude needs to hire a good PR person and go through a ton of practice or something...

This sums up my feelings a little better. I just can't believe he's been in politics for so long and when he wants to run for president he continues to do this.

[mckmas8808]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...usaolp00000008 Screw you Romney Screw you romney, FU for. Play this again and again. This loser cannot come near the WH

What's up with this Republican belief that the very poor are doing better than the middle class? People act like being poor is cool and great because the "safety net"/government takes care of them, while the middle class get nothing.

What's up with that?

[AlteredBeast]

Its true that honesty can be a detriment to almost any politician. Like his "I'm running for president, for pete's sake." I wouldn't care if illegals worked on my yard, but if the media caught wind of it, that would be not so good.

[mckmas8808]

It's another one of those 'gaffes' that inflame the left. The rest understand what he's talking about.

So what is he talking about specifically? Why do the poor have it so good while the middle class rarely get anything?

Does he even realize that the middle class takes advantage of our safety net also? I'm sure plenty of people in middle class America has heard of or received an unemployment check. How about CORBA? Heck I know some people in middle class America that were on food stamps for a short time.

[GhaleonEB]

Ohio

A new poll from Public Policy Polling (D) shows that while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is sewing up the Republican nomination, the process is dragging him down in key swing states — PPP numbers from Ohio show that a 56 percent majority of general election voters now view Romney unfavorably, which leads to a seven point deficit in a matchup with President Obama.

Obama leads Romney 49 - 42 in the new Ohio poll, a state where the political ground has shifted greatly over the last few months. After the massive defeat of SB 5, the anti-union legislation pushed by state Republicans, Obama has seen a major turnaround in his numbers on the ground.

Back in October, PPP’s President Dean Debnam said that were the election to have been held then, Obama would have lost. PPP’s analysis at the time suggested it would be hard to see more support coming to the president as the election got closer. The SB 5 vote moved the state back toward Obama in PPP’s November poll, resulting in a nine point lead, and it seems that trend is continuing into the new year.

...

“The race in Ohio is going to get closer because there are so many more undecided Republicans than Democrats,” PPP pollster Tom Jensen wrote in a email to TPM. “But it does look like Obama’s chances at matching his 3-4 point victory in the state from 2008 are pretty good right now. John Kasich has really hurt the Republican brand in the state and the economy’s getting better. Romney’s not popular enough to overcome those two factors if they persist through November.”

One of the more striking things about the primary is how Romney's favorables have tanked; he's almost at Newt levels.

[Flying_Phoenix]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...usaolp00000008 Screw you Romney Screw you romney, FU for. Play this again and again. This loser cannot come near the WH

What's wrong with his comment?

He said that he will fix the welfare state of the very poor if needed but will be focusing on the middle class so they themselves don't fall into extreme poverty.

[GhaleonEB]

What's wrong with his comment? He said that he will fix the welfare state of the very poor if needed but will be focusing on the middle class so they themselves don't fall into extreme poverty.

1) "if needed" - it's already needed.

2) He's still cutting taxes for the rich, yet claims he's not worried about them.

Taken together - he's cutting taxes for the very wealthy like himself (but doesn't worry about them, honest) and will fix the safety net for the poor "if needed" (no, really). I've met used car salesmen with a better game face.

[PhoenixPause]

Ohio A new poll from Public Policy Polling (D) shows that while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is sewing up the Republican nomination, the process is dragging him down in key swing states — PPP numbers from Ohio show that a 56 percent majority of general election voters now view Romney unfavorably, which leads to a seven point deficit in a matchup with President Obama. Obama leads Romney 49 - 42 in the new Ohio poll, a state where the political ground has shifted greatly over the last few months. After the massive defeat of SB 5, the anti-union legislation pushed by state Republicans, Obama has seen a major turnaround in his numbers on the ground. Back in October, PPP’s President Dean Debnam said that were the election to have been held then, Obama would have lost. PPP’s analysis at the time suggested it would be hard to see more support coming to the president as the election got closer. The SB 5 vote moved the state back toward Obama in PPP’s November poll, resulting in a nine point lead, and it seems that trend is continuing into the new year. ... “The race in Ohio is going to get closer because there are so many more undecided Republicans than Democrats,” PPP pollster Tom Jensen wrote in a email to TPM. “But it does look like Obama’s chances at matching his 3-4 point victory in the state from 2008 are pretty good right now. John Kasich has really hurt the Republican brand in the state and the economy’s getting better. Romney’s not popular enough to overcome those two factors if they persist through November.” One of the more striking things about the primary is how Romney's favorables have tanked; he's almost at Newt levels.

but this is EXACTLY like Obama v Clinton! Two great candidate duking it out amongst passionate supporters!

Romney's numbers will surely rebound to some degree once he becomes the nominee but he's sure doing a shitty job at selling himself.

[tranciful]

He said that he will fix the welfare state of the very poor if needed but will be focusing on the middle class so they themselves don't fall into extreme poverty.

He doesn't think it's needed. Otherwise he'd say he's concerned about them and his policy would reflect that. Instead his policy reflects the idea that he thinks the wealthy and middle class need help. I agree that the middle class needs help, but the middle class is shrinking right now -- more and more of the middle class is turning into the poor that he doesn't concern himself with.

[Flying_Phoenix]

1) "if needed" - it's already needed. 2) He's still cutting taxes for the rich, yet claims he's not worried about them. Taken together - he's cutting taxes for the very wealthy like himself (but doesn't worry about them, honest) and will fix the safety net for the poor "if needed" (no, really). I've met used car salesmen with a better game face.

99% of politicians are puppet figureheads who try as hard as possible to get reelected over and over to keep their power, who knew?

Of course Romney isn't as concerned about the poor as he is with his own interests (like a majority of politicians), but reading that comment their seems to be nothing wrong with it.

[mckmas8808]

I understand what he's saying, and I suppose it's a valid point. As someone said, perhaps it's too honest. But man does he need to learn to phrase things. The guy's running for president. He should watch everything he says and meticulously look over each and every phrase. That is not how you word that viewpoint at all if you don't want it to become a soundbite. Dude needs to hire a good PR person and go through a ton of practice or something...

What's valid about his point?

[thatbox]

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/...m_campaign=rss

Indiana Senate passes bill putting religion in science class

Yesterday, after almost no debate, the Indiana State Senate approved a bill that would allow its schools to teach the origin stories of various religions when a class touches on the origin of life. It now moves on to the state's House, where one of its cosponsors is currently the Speaker of the House.

Although the bill as written could be used to create a comparative religion class, its sponsor, Senator Dennis Kruse, has made it clear that he hopes to see it foster the teaching of creationism in science classes. The original text of the bill explicitly mentioned creation science; it has since been modified to mention a variety of religions, including Scientology. In a brief interview, Kruse expressed disdain for evolution, calling it a "Johnny-come-lately" theory.

As with many sponsors of bills of this sort, Kruse is apparently unaware of what evolution describes (hint: it's not the origin of life) and of the scientific meaning of the word "theory," which is not broad enough to encompass religious teachings. Unlike many of those other legislators, however, Kruse seems to be aware that legal precedent, in the form of Edwards v. Aguillard, prohibits the teaching of creation science in classrooms. Instead, he hopes that some school district in his state will shoulder the cost of returning the issue to the Supreme Court, which he thinks may choose to ignore precedent and revisit Edwards.

The year is young, but the National Center for Science Education is already tracking six bills in various states that target science education.

[PhoenixPause]

His point is not valid and further complicated by his plans to restrict and cut the security net. But I definitely think this is being overblown considering this is basically a tenet of US republican politics today. Poor people are on Medicaid, they get UE benefits, they're on welfare, etc. - while middle class folk who play by the rules pay for it all and get nothing in return.

[mckmas8808]

Of course Romney isn't as concerned about the poor as he is with his own interests (like a majority of politicians), but reading that comment their seems to be nothing wrong with it.

And that's the problem man! So if you were middle class 3 years ago, but are now poor he isn't concerned about you. But he's concerned about his own interest. You don't see a problem with that when wanting to be the President of the United States?

[Flying_Phoenix]

And that's the problem man! So if you were middle class 3 years ago, but are now poor he isn't concerned about you. But he's concerned about his own interest. You don't see a problem with that when wanting to be the President of the United States?

Did you read my post?

[mckmas8808]

His point is not valid and further complicated by his plans to restrict and cut the security net. But I definitely think this is being overblown considering this is basically a tenet of US republican politics today. Poor people are on Medicaid, they get UE benefits, they're on welfare, etc. - while middle class folk who play by the rules pay for it all and get nothing in return.

The middle class gets UE benefits too. The middle class gets government assistance in the tax code too. The middle class got a tax cut after a couple years ago. And the middle class mostly get insurance through their jobs, unlike the very poor. That's one of the reasons Medicaid is needed for the poor.

And heck lets be honest "Obamacare" is suppose to help more middle class people get healthcare. It's a government created system. This belief that the government cares about the poor, but doesn't care about the middle class is a shitty excuse to have a persecution complex about something in life.

[GhaleonEB]

99% of politicians are puppet figureheads who try as hard as possible to get reelected over and over to keep their power, who knew? Of course Romney isn't as concerned about the poor as he is with his own interests (like a majority of politicians), but reading that comment their seems to be nothing wrong with it.

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but I do think it's fair to critique Romney's comments. Just not for the reasons he's being attacked for.

Specifically, the safety net needs repair because several million people exhausted UI benefits and are out of luck due to the depth of the recession (the aptly titled 99'ers). His caveat of "if" the safety net needs repair tells me he's just tossing that line out to sound good, there's nothing behind it.

[RustyNails]

He said if there are holes in the social safety net, he will repair them. What is he supposed to do, devote all of his time to tiny segment of people that fall into extreme poverty? That is what dozens of charities, government programs, and religious organizations are for.

Soo...a President shouldn't be concerned about the very poor because we got soup kitchens?

[AlteredBeast]

Soo...a President shouldn't be concerned about the very poor because we got soup kitchens?

Yes?

What more should the President do?

[BotoxAgent]

ok I LOL'd

[Flying_Phoenix]

Yes? What more should the President do?

This is IGN level of trolling. Come on man you can do better.

[ToxicAdam]

So what is he talking about specifically? Why do the poor have it so good while the middle class rarely get anything?

I don't see how you can interpret it that way.

[gcubed]

that safety net just closed one avenue for cancer prevention because of people in his shitstain party

[RustyNails]

Yes? What more should the President do?

For one, making a climate so poor people can get out of poverty. Example, making college affordable and making it mandatory for kids to stay in school until they're 18. Another example, giving tax breaks to single families under poverty belt and working poor (payroll tax cuts), giving tax incentives to companies that hire them. There are tons of things a President can do to help the poor, least of which is establishing a safety net.