[reilo]

Watching that TDS segment on Wanda Brown was like a real life Michael Scott sketch. If Michael Scott was a piece of shit.

[Rocket Scientist]

It's really weird that out of state financing of local elections is allowed.

[Dax01]

Looks like Rom-bot screwed up the reaction to the April jobs numbers: "...anything over four percent, is not a cause for celebration." Plus his comment about jobs growth should be 500,000 per month.

[thefro]

Looks like Rom-bot screwed up the reaction to the April jobs numbers: "...anything over four percent, is not a cause for celebration." Plus his comment about jobs growth should be 500,000 per month.

I'd make a $10,000 bet with Romney if he got elected that he'll never have 500k jobs growth in any month in his term.

[cartoon_soldier]

Looks like Rom-bot screwed up the reaction to the April jobs numbers: "...anything over four percent, is not a cause for celebration." Plus his comment about jobs growth should be 500,000 per month.

The good thing when you are a Republican running against a Democratic President is you can lie, fabricate, make shit up.

Media won't call you out.

[Dax01]

The good thing when you are a Republican running against a Democratic President is you can lie, fabricate, make shit up. Media won't call you out.

Luckily then Holtz-Eakin is. http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.co...t-is?ref=fpblg

[Aaron Strife]

Democrats shouldn't get their hopes up too much. Mourdock will defeat Donnelly easily there I think, especially as he will have a lot more outside help than Donnelly. The bigger and better news for Democrats is that if things like this continue to happen in other states, there changes in the future to pick up Senate seats picks up.

Most polls have it as a toss-up between Donnelly and Mourdock. It's still early and a lot of things could change, but Donnelly is the best candidate Democrats could get there.

You're right that it does more to speak for the broader trend, but against Mourdock I'd feel safe pegging the race at Lean R at worst.

[Averon]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.co...ong-minorities

Voter Registration Down Among Minorities

The number of people registered to vote among Hispanics and blacks has dropped significantly, reports the Washington Post: That figure fell 5 percent across the country, to about 11 million, according to the Census Bureau. But in some politically important swing states, the decline among Hispanics, who are considered critical in the 2012 presidential contest, is much higher: just over 28 percent in New Mexico, for example, and about 10 percent in Florida.

[Dax01]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.co...ong-minorities Voter Registration Down Among Minorities

I'm not too worried. The Obama campaign is already in full swing here in NC. I got a call just last night about registering voters for the election, and I've been receiving calls from them since early April.

[Hobbestetrician]

I'm not too worried. The Obama campaign is already in full swing here in NC. I got a call just last night about registering voters for the election, and I've been receiving calls from them since early April.

Unfortunate numbers but, yeah, the Obama campaign will be in full-on registering mode, especially in those important states. Anyone have numbers of how many people they were able to register in 2008?

[Dax01]

Speaking of NC, gay marriage ban is likely to pass, per Nate Silver.
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes...medium=twitter

[cartoon_soldier]

Speaking of NC, gay marriage ban is likely to pass, per Nate Silver. http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes...medium=twitter

Yea, I am in NC. It sucks, sucks even more that I can't vote :(

[PhoenixPause]

Third best jobs prediction. Bodes well for November

Horrible jobs report. Also, who decided Obama should officially start his campaign on a day that the jobs report would likely dominate the news?

The only reason the unemployment rate is 8.1 is because people have completely given up on finding work. That's nothing to celebrate. People are hurting bad, and they should have next to no hope for a second term of this nightmare.

It would actually be better for Obama if he lost. Winning with a divided government would just guarantee more of this stagnation

[cartoon_soldier]

Third best jobs prediction. Bodes well for November Horrible jobs report. Also, who decided Obama should officially start his campaign on a day that the jobs report would likely dominate the news? The only reason the unemployment rate is 8.1 is because people have completely given up on finding work. That's nothing to celebrate. People are hurting bad, and they should have next to no hope for a second term of this nightmare. It would actually be better for Obama if he lost. Winning with a divided government would just guarantee more of this stagnation

The Paul Ryan plan is not going to boost the economy.

[Aaron Strife]

Speaking of NC, gay marriage ban is likely to pass, per Nate Silver. http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes...medium=twitter

It's pretty terrible, especially considering it's not even just a gay marriage ban. Fortunately, NOM are idiots and there will probably be extensive litigation over this, due to the can of worms it opens up for unmarried couples.

The only reason the unemployment rate is 8.1 is because people have completely given up on finding work. That's nothing to celebrate. People are hurting bad, and they should have next to no hope for a second term of this nightmare.

Yeah, I guess Scott Walker is also doomed then.

[markatisu]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.co...ong-minorities Voter Registration Down Among Minorities

Would only be a problem if this was Sept or Oct, given Obama is spending money to blanket the SW with Hispanic ads vs the $0 Romney is doing as of the latest ad buys I think the voter registration drives will come shortly after that

[jamesinclair]

Unemployment is down?

Its great to see that the leadership by the republican house has resulted in substantial and measurable job creation and prosperity for the american people.

Its so clear that the only thing holding back the UE rate from falling to 7, 6 and even 5% is that while a democrat is in the oval office, theres just too much uncertainty for companies to hire all the people they want to hire.

I predict that the second romney is announced as the winner, the fog of uncertainty will lift and hundreds of thousands of jobs will be created within a week.

And once the Ryan budget goes into effect, theres no stopping the job train. They say unemployment shouldnt go below 3%. With a republican president, house, senate and budget, I can see it going down to 2%, if not lower.

[ToxicAdam]

I think I'm one of the only people that doesn't pay attention at all to gas prices. My dad would always ask me what gas prices are down here and I could never answer. I don't really give a shit. I have no control over the price and I don't drive anywhere frivolous ever. What I drive I have to drive, so there's really no use in getting pissy over it raising or lowering. And I'm not going to waste a ton of time trying to find a station with a few cents lower prices.

It's another crazy thing that people do. I have literally seen people's worldview shift because gas is 4.00 dollars versus below-3.00. They become more easily agitated or more fretful about the future.

It's silly, because the average person goes through about 10-20 gallons a week, which means they are spending about 20 more dollars a week. That's enough to bring you down, really?


edit: I should point out that it also increases prices of all other goods slightly, but I don't think people really think about that when they are bitching about gas prices.

[Hobbestetrician]

It's another crazy thing that people do. I have literally seen people's worldview shift because gas is 4.00 dollars versus below-3.00. They become more easily agitated or more fretful about the future. It's silly, because the average person goes through about 10-20 gallons a week, which means they are spending about 20 more dollars a week. That's enough to bring you down, really?

And how different that worldview is depending on where in the world you are. As an American living in Canada, it is strange to see gas at around $1.33/liter (over $5/gallon) and not hearing uproar about it.

[Aaron Strife]

Lugar to Indiana voters: "At this point, help"

Lugar's one of the better Republicans, but I can't gin up much sympathy for someone who played as equal a part as Mitch McConnell in obstructing Obama's agenda and rallying idiots to vote against themselves and for the moneyed interests of society.

Sort of like the beltway sentiment when Snowe retired. "Oh no, we've lost a moderate Republican!" Whatever. You created this monster.

[Dr. Pangloss]

Actually Obama is to blame for the current UE rate. Government has lost 600k jobs in the last year. He helped that happen by advocating austerity. Reagan didn't have that kind of drag.

[Rocket Scientist]

Actually Obama is to blame for the current UE rate. Government has lost 600k jobs in the last year. He helped that happen by advocating austerity. Reagan didn't have that kind of drag.

I will never understand why the government is not at least trying to have a 0 net balance for jobs during a recession. If the private sector is performing shit, the government should not make it worse.

[Dax01]

Third best jobs prediction. Bodes well for November Horrible jobs report. Also, who decided Obama should officially start his campaign on a day that the jobs report would likely dominate the news? The only reason the unemployment rate is 8.1 is because people have completely given up on finding work. That's nothing to celebrate. People are hurting bad, and they should have next to no hope for a second term of this nightmare. It would actually be better for Obama if he lost. Winning with a divided government would just guarantee more of this stagnation

We're at that point where you posts don't even phase me any more. lulz.

[RDreamer]

I will never understand why the government is not at least trying to have a 0 net balance for jobs during a recession. If the private sector is performing shit, the government should not make it worse.

Because dumbasses on the right felt the need to push the deficit problem during the same time as the recession. Those same dumbasses seem to feel like government jobs don't count and shouldn't exist.

[cartoon_soldier]

[Skiptastic]

Lugar to Indiana voters: "At this point, help" Lugar's one of the better Republicans, but I can't gin up much sympathy for someone who played as equal a part as Mitch McConnell in obstructing Obama's agenda and rallying idiots to vote against themselves and for the moneyed interests of society. Sort of like the beltway sentiment when Snowe retired. "Oh no, we've lost a moderate Republican!" Whatever. You created this monster.

Go ahead and roll the dice, then. Get the known quantity in Lugar, who is "one of the better Republicans" and a guaranteed win. Or roll the dice that Mourdock would lose to Donnelly in the Senate race. Because if he doesn't lose, you're fucked even worse. You'll get someone more obstructionist, more polarized, and less willing to compromise.

Actually, looking at Donnelly's record, I'm pretty sure you won't like his stances on things either, unless Harry Reid can whip the Blue Dog out of him. lol

[Manmademan]

Because dumbasses on the right felt the need to push the deficit problem during the same time as the recession. Those same dumbasses seem to feel like government jobs don't count and shouldn't exist.

yup. when your position is "government doesn't work" and "any government is bad" and "any tax increase for any reason is unjustified" it sort of makes it impossible to embrace any kind of government solution to boost employment.

This is why the republican solution was nothing but "tax cuts!"

[RDreamer]

Speaking of possible new senators, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin is retiring, so his seat is up for grabs. Tommy Thompson, 14 year governor of Wisconsin is running on the Republican side, so it's going to be a tough fight for Democrats. Right now I think Tammy Baldwin is down in the polls to him.

[eBay Huckster]

Also, if the economy starts picking up, all it will take is 6 million of those 86 million to start looking for jobs and the UE rate will jump to over 11%.

So what you're saying is that all it'll take is a jump in labour force participation rate that has heretoforth never happened (and in fact has never even come close to happening)

[Clevinger]

yup. when your position is "government doesn't work" and "any government is bad" and "any tax increase for any reason is unjustified" it sort of makes it impossible to embrace any kind of government solution to boost employment. This is why the republican solution was nothing but "tax cuts!"

Don't forget killing regulations.

[Kad5]

Hey guys. I'm curious about the Bain Capital issue relating to Romney. what's that about?

[Clevinger]

Hey guys. I'm curious about the Bain Capital issue relating to Romney. what's that about?

extensive article about it

[Manmademan]

extensive article about it

That article is more than just a LITTLE slanted, but there's some nuggets of truth in there. The purpose of Bain (and companies like them) is to purchase companies and generate a positive return on the investment by the time they "flip" ownership elsewhere.

This generally is a positive thing for shareholders in the short term, but is typically done by moving jobs overseas, reducing headcount, eliminating capital investments that might make sense in the long term, that kind of thing.

When thinking about if romney's experience with Bain is a good thing, one has to ask what the measure of a successful business is, and if government should be run like one. Personally, i feel that government's responsibility is the welfare of its citizens, not strictly to maximize profit, so I'm not one of those that believes the Bain experience is a positive.

[Clevinger]

That article is more than just a LITTLE slanted, but there's some nuggets of truth in there. The purpose of Bain (and companies like them) is to purchase companies and generate a positive return on the investment by the time they "flip" ownership elsewhere. This generally is a positive thing for shareholders in the short term, but is typically done by moving jobs overseas, reducing headcount, eliminating capital investments that might make sense in the long term, that kind of thing. When thinking about if romney's experience with Bain is a good thing, one has to ask what the measure of a successful business is, and if government should be run like one. Personally, i feel that government's responsibility is the welfare of its citizens, not strictly to maximize profit, so I'm not one of those that believes the Bain experience is a positive.

And even if people want government to be run like a business, there's more than one type of business, and I doubt even the people who think like that would be enthusiastic about a Bain style government.

[Kad5]

That article is more than just a LITTLE slanted, but there's some nuggets of truth in there. The purpose of Bain (and companies like them) is to purchase companies and generate a positive return on the investment by the time they "flip" ownership elsewhere. This generally is a positive thing for shareholders in the short term, but is typically done by moving jobs overseas, reducing headcount, eliminating capital investments that might make sense in the long term, that kind of thing. When thinking about if romney's experience with Bain is a good thing, one has to ask what the measure of a successful business is, and if government should be run like one. Personally, i feel that government's responsibility is the welfare of its citizens, not strictly to maximize profit, so I'm not one of those that believes the Bain experience is a positive.

I can understand that but in a business is it not normal to maximize profit? I can see why this is a criticism of Romney running for president though.

But I would figure in that kind of business that is expected is it not?

Not trying to say I support Romney i'm just trying to understand this as much as I can cuz I hear different people with different points of view.

[ErasureAcer]

Go ahead and roll the dice, then. Get the known quantity in Lugar, who is "one of the better Republicans" and a guaranteed win. Or roll the dice that Mourdock would lose to Donnelly in the Senate race. Because if he doesn't lose, you're fucked even worse. You'll get someone more obstructionist, more polarized, and less willing to compromise. Actually, looking at Donnelly's record, I'm pretty sure you won't like his stances on things either, unless Harry Reid can whip the Blue Dog out of him. lol

Yeah I checked out Donnelly a week ago when I saw him tied with Mourdock. Donnelly is Pro Life. I hope he wins or moreso Mourdock loses but I won't be supporting him with cash nor my vote as I don't live there. Even if I did live there I probably wouldn't vote for him.

[reggieandTFE]

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.co...ong-minorities Voter Registration Down Among Minorities

Something, something killing Acorn. Besides being communist abortionists, Acorn had an important place in registering voters.

[GhaleonEB]

I sent a note to Greg Sargent regarding his latest post about Obama's jobs record. It makes some good points, but the graph he got from Kevin Drum is wrong. Obama's record (counting from February 2009) is still in the hole by 572k, as he could see easily if he'd checked the data. I think that might be only private sector employment, not offset by public job losses.

[Rocket Scientist]

I can understand that but in a business is it not normal to maximize profit? I can see why this is a criticism of Romney running for president though. But I would figure in that kind of business that is expected is it not? Not trying to say I support Romney i'm just trying to understand this as much as I can cuz I hear different people with different points of view.

It would be best to read the linked article first. I think it answers any questions you might have.

[Snake]

Actually Obama is to blame for the current UE rate. Government has lost 600k jobs in the last year. He helped that happen by advocating austerity. Reagan didn't have that kind of drag.

What are the losses in the Federal government versus State and Local?

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

So what you're saying is that all it'll take is a jump in labour force participation rate that has heretoforth never happened (and in fact has never even come close to happening)

That was an example from CNN. (see link in my original post). The fact of the matter is, if people start looking for jobs again with this kind of job growth, the UE rate will shoot up.
We haven't had this low of a participation rate in our lifetimes either, so who knows what will happen.

[Black Mamba]

I can understand that but in a business is it not normal to maximize profit? I can see why this is a criticism of Romney running for president though. But I would figure in that kind of business that is expected is it not? Not trying to say I support Romney i'm just trying to understand this as much as I can cuz I hear different people with different points of view.

These days it's often more about maximizing stock prices (at least in a short period of time) than actual profits.


But you're right in that, objectively from a economic perspective, a company's goal should be to maximize profits. At the same time, we're human and that means we could take slightly smaller profits if it means actual employing people or not exploiting people. In the long run, this is beneficial, too.

That was an example from CNN. (see link in my original post). The fact of the matter is, if people start looking for jobs again with this kind of job growth, the UE rate will shoot up. We haven't had this low of a participation rate in our lifetimes either, so who knows what will happen.

Most have left the labor market for good. I don't think it would have a big difference. The long term unemployment is still high.

[faceless007]

That article is more than just a LITTLE slanted, but there's some nuggets of truth in there. The purpose of Bain (and companies like them) is to purchase companies and generate a positive return on the investment by the time they "flip" ownership elsewhere. This generally is a positive thing for shareholders in the short term, but is typically done by moving jobs overseas, reducing headcount, eliminating capital investments that might make sense in the long term, that kind of thing. When thinking about if romney's experience with Bain is a good thing, one has to ask what the measure of a successful business is, and if government should be run like one. Personally, i feel that government's responsibility is the welfare of its citizens, not strictly to maximize profit, so I'm not one of those that believes the Bain experience is a positive.

Holy crap, I just figured it out: When Romney gets elected, his plan is to outsource the whole federal government to China. Boom, government spending down to nothing, no more useless federal bureaucracies with expensive American employees, and we maintain good relations with China. ITS GENIUS.

[Chumly]

I can understand that but in a business is it not normal to maximize profit? I can see why this is a criticism of Romney running for president though. But I would figure in that kind of business that is expected is it not? Not trying to say I support Romney i'm just trying to understand this as much as I can cuz I hear different people with different points of view.

There is a difference between maximizing short term gains and growing a business for the long term. Romney style management is terrible for growing and expanding a business long term. Which is why people think he would be terrible as a president

[Flying_Phoenix]

It's silly, because the average person goes through about 10-20 gallons a week, which means they are spending about 20 more dollars a week. That's enough to bring you down, really?

$80-$100 a month is the difference between some people being able to pay their bills or live life comfortably and not being able to pay their bills or not live life comfortably.

[cartoon_soldier]

I can understand that but in a business is it not normal to maximize profit? I can see why this is a criticism of Romney running for president though. But I would figure in that kind of business that is expected is it not? Not trying to say I support Romney i'm just trying to understand this as much as I can cuz I hear different people with different points of view.

He is saying his experience at Bain will allow him to turn the country around and that is why the criticism stands. Running a country is not like running a private company.

[speculawyer]

So during Obama's time in office, private sector employment has recovered and public sector employment has gone down.


But he is constantly called a commie muslim that hates business and the only way he helps reduce employment is by growing government.

Go Figure.


Forget the silly racial stereotypes, Obama is a huge victim of political stereotypes.

[ToxicAdam]

$80-$100 a month is the difference between some people being able to pay their bills or live life comfortably and not being able to pay their bills or not live life comfortably.

Bullshit

The median household wage is around 40k. Which means you are bringing home about 750 dollars a week.

That's what my post was talking about .. the average working person.

[Black Mamba]

So during Obama's time in office, private sector employment has recovered and public sector employment has gone down. But he is constantly called a commie muslim that hates business and the only way he helps reduce employment is by growing government. Go Figure. Forget the silly racial stereotypes, Obama is a huge victim of political stereotypes.

And I'll repeat, the gov't numbers are state funding cuts, mostly from Republican governors, especially in the area of education.

[Cyan]

But you're right in that, objectively from a economic perspective, a company's goal should be to maximize profits.

This is true for public companies, not all companies.