Year: 2012

Categories
Mitt Romney Politics

Romney’s Bain Replaced American Flag With Chinese Flag While Outsourcing American Jobs

Mitt Romney is known for attacking President Obama on China’s Trade policies. He often tells his audiences that the President is not strong on China and if he were president, he would “crack down” on China’s unfair policies.

But what is Mitt Romney doing while the company he started – Bain Capital – is currently firing Americans and sending their jobs to China? Absolutely nothing.

Right now, as in today, Bain Capital is outsourcing jobs from Sensata Tech in Freeport Illinois. And to rub salt in the wounds of the American employees of Sensata, Romney’s Bain Capital brought workers from China to Sensata, and told the Sensata’s employees to train their Chinese replacements.

And get this – Romney’s Bain even replaced the American flag at the plant with a Chinese flag!

Thinking that Romney would stop this outsourcing of their jobs and keep the factory open, the employees at Sensata made a personal appeal to Mitt Romney, but so far, the Republican nominee for president has done nothing and refuses to meet with the employees. Instead, his campaign is blaming President Obama.

Curt Cashour, a spokesman for the Romney campaign had this to say;

“Governor Romney has not worked at Bain Capital for over a decade, but for four years President Obama has been presiding over an economy that is creating too few jobs and sending more jobs overseas. Despite the President being invested in Sensata through his personal pension fund, and the government owning a major Sensata customer in GM, President Obama has not used his powers to help this situation in any way.”

Outsourcing these jobs mean cheaper labor in China, thus, more money for Bain and their investors, including Mitt Romney. The New York Times had a report explaining why an intervention from Mitt Romney is highly unlikely.

Mr. Romney also has millions invested in a series of Bain funds that have a controlling stake in Sensata Technologies, a manufacturer of sensors and controls for vehicles, aircraft and electric motors that employs 4,000 workers in China. Since Bain took over the operation in 2006, its investment has quadrupled in value. Bain continues to own $2.6 billion worth of Sensata’s shares.

Two years ago, Sensata bought an operation that made automobile sensors in Freeport, Ill. At the first meeting with the plant’s 170 workers, Sensata managers announced that by the end of 2012 all the equipment and jobs would be relocated, mostly to Jiangsu Province. Workers have staged demonstrations, pleading for Mr. Romney to intervene on their behalf.

Chinese engineers, flown to Freeport for training on the equipment, described their salaries as a pittance compared with Freeport wages. Tom Gaulrapp, who has operated machines at the factory for 33 years, said he fears he will go bankrupt after he loses his job on Nov. 5.

“This goes to show the unbelievable hypocrisy of this man,” he said of Mr. Romney. “He talks about how we need to get tough on China and stop China from taking our jobs, and then he is making money off shipping our jobs there.”

So of course he is not going to stop this outsourcing from happening. But if you listen to Romney on the campaign trail, he still claims that he “will be tough on China.”

Yea, right!

Categories
Barack Obama Politics

Bruce Springsteen – On The Campaign Trail For President Obama

With a little over three weeks to go in the election and the polls dramatically tightening, Bruce Springsteen has decided to hit the campaign trail in support of President Barack Obama. Springsteen will campaign alongside Bill Clinton at a campaign rally in Parma, Ohio on Thursday, October 18th. That same day, he’ll appear at another event in Ames, Iowa.

“Bruce Springsteen’s values echo what the President and Vice President stand for: hard work, fairness, integrity,” said Jim Messina, Obama for America’s campaign manager, in a statement. “His appearances will help with our get out the vote effort in these critical swing states and we are thrilled with his ongoing support.”

Categories
Politics

President Obama Explains Why He Saved The Auto Industry – Video

The President:

“Every year around this time, American car companies start rolling out their newest, shiniest models, hoping to entice you into buying one. It’s Detroit’s chance to show you what they’ve been working on – the latest and greatest. And this year is no exception. They’ve got some pretty good-looking cars coming out.

But something is different this time around – and it starts with the auto companies themselves.

Just a few years ago, the auto industry wasn’t just struggling – it was flatlining. GM and Chrysler were on the verge of collapse. Suppliers and distributors were at risk of going under. More than a million jobs across the country were on the line – and not just auto jobs, but the jobs of teachers, small business owners, and everyone in communities that depend on this great American industry.

But we refused to throw in the towel and do nothing. We refused to let Detroit go bankrupt. We bet on American workers and American ingenuity, and three years later, that bet is paying off in a big way.”

Video:

Categories
Mitt Romney Paul Ryan Politics

Paul Ryan Caught On Tape Lying To The American People… Twice! – Video

Move along folks, there’s nothing to see here. Just another story pointing out something you’ve all heard before and know for a fact – that Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate and his running mate Paul Ryan, both lie.

In this posting, you’ll see Paul Ryan denying that he requested Stimulus funds, only to admit that he did in fact, asked for funds on two different occasions. This admission came when Ryan’s back was against the wall in the vice-presidential debate.

Categories
Paul Ryan Politics

Right Wing Goes Nuts – That Could Only Mean A Win For Joe Biden

The right-wing is having a hissy fit today. Just moments after the vice presidential debate ended, the Republican talkers received their talking-points and hit the waves with one intent –  trying to fool their followers into thinking that Paul Ryan won the debate. Personally I missed the debate because of some other pressing issues I had to deal with, but if the Republican fallout is any indication, Vice President Joe Biden cleaned the stage with Paul Ryan.

This could be one reason Republicans are up in arms today!

Fifty percent of uncommitted voters who tuned into Thursday night’s vice presidential debate in Danville, Ky., said they see Vice President Joe Biden as the winner over Mitt Romney’s GOP running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., according to an instant poll taken by CBS News.

Of the 431 polled immediately following the debate, 31 percent deemed Ryan the winner, and 19 percent said they felt it was a tie. Party-wise it’s a switch from last week’s presidential debate, which uncommitted voters handed easily to Romney over President Obama.

Both Biden and Ryan gained ground on relatability and knowledge. The percentage of voters who say they believe they can relate to Biden spiked from 34 percent before the debate to 55 percent; 48 percent think Ryan is relatable, up from 31 percent before the debate. Meanwhile, after watching the two candidates debate, 85 percent of those polled think Biden is knowledgeable about the issues; 75 percent say that about Ryan.

Ryan, though, faced a loss among voters’ opinions of which candidate would be an effective president, if necessary. Before the debate, he led Biden 45 percent to 39 percent; after the debate, 56 percent of those polled said Biden would be an effective president, with fewer – 49 percent–saying the same about Ryan.

The debate:

Categories
Barack Obama Politics Republican

Lifelong Republican Senator Explains Why He’s Voting For Barack Obama

By Larry Pressler:

[I am] a combat veteran of two tours in Vietnam with twenty-two years of service as a Republican member of the U.S. House and Senate, I endorse President Barack Obama for a second term as our Commander-in-Chief. Candidates publicly praise our service members, veterans and their families, but President Obama supports them in word and deed, anywhere and every time.

 As a Vietnam vet, one of the reasons I support President Obama is because he has consistently shown he understands that our commitment to our servicemen and women may begin when they put on their uniform, but that it must never end.
This decision is not easy for any lifelong Republican. In 2008 I voted for Barack Obama, the first time I ever voted for a Democrat, because the Republican Party was drifting toward a dangerous path that put extreme party ideology above national interest. Mitt Romney heads a party remaining on that dangerous path, proving the emptiness of their praise as they abandon our service members, veterans and military families along the way.

What really set me off was Romney’s reference to 47% of Americans to be written off – including any veteran collecting disability like myself, as a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) veteran.

[More]
Categories
Politics

Republican Lawmaker Endorsed By Paul Ryan Says – “Some Girls Rape Easy!”

A Wisconsin state lawmaker endorsed by Paul Ryan has come under criticism for suggesting that “some girls rape easy.” While discussing a case in which “a 17-year-old high school senior was charged with sexual assault for having sex with an underage girl in the school’s band room,” State Rep. Roger Rivard (R) told the Chetek Alert newspaper in December that his father taught him that some girls will portray a sexual encounter as rape if they become pregnant. He is now claiming that those remarks were taken out of context and has issued a statement condemning sexual violence:

On Wednesday, Rivard told the Journal Sentinel the article did not provide full context of his comments and that his father’s exact words had been slightly different from how they appeared in the Chetek Alert.

He told the Journal Sentinel that his father had advised him not to have premarital sex, and he took that seriously.

“He also told me one thing, ‘If you do (have premarital sex), just remember, consensual sex can turn into rape in an awful hurry,’ ” Rivard said. “Because all of a sudden a young lady gets pregnant and the parents are madder than a wet hen and she’s not going to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I was part of the program.’ All that she has to say or the parents have to say is it was rape because she’s underage. And he just said, ‘Remember, Roger, if you go down that road, some girls,’ he said, ‘they rape so easy.’

“What the whole genesis of it was, it was advice to me, telling me, ‘If you’re going to go down that road, you may have consensual sex that night and then the next morning it may be rape.’ So the way he said it was, ‘Just remember, Roger, some girls, they rape so easy. It may be rape the next morning.’

“So it’s been kind of taken out of context.”

Ryan endorsed Rivard on August 9, just two days before he was selected to be Mitt Romney’s running mate. “Roger needs to be reaffirmed to get this job done and fix the State of Wisconsin,” Ryan said.

h/t ThinkProgress

Categories
Barack Obama Politics

“Re-Elect Obama” – The Music Video

Good Stuff!

Categories
Benghazi Benghazi Mitt Romney Politics

Mitt Romney Uses SEAL’s Death For Political Gain… AGAIN!

Moments after our Embassy was attacked in Libya and four Americans died, Mitt Romney was in front the cameras criticizing President Obama for the attacks. And now, in another feeble attempt to appear human, Mitt Romney has told a story about a Navy SEAL he claimed he met. As fate would have it, that SEAL was killed in Benghazi Libya last month. His name was Glen Doherty and he died honorably serving this country.

Mitt saw an opportunity to use Glen’s death as a political ploy and began using his meeting with the SEAL to gain votes. Said Romney, “…he came from Massachusetts, where I’d been governor, had family there. He also had skied in some of the places, snow skiing that I had found during the Winter Olympics in Utah, that I’d skied at. And we had a nice chat together.”

Romney continued;

And you can imagine how shocked I was to learn that he was one of the two Navy — former Navy SEALs killed in Benghazi, just a couple of weeks ago. And I read on CNN International that when the report came that our consulate had been attacked, that he and the other SEAL that was killed with him, that they were in a different place, they were about a mile away, an annex somewhere else in the city. And when they heard that the consulate was under attack, they went to the attack.”

Enter Barbara Doherty, Glen’s mom. And like all moms, her paternal instincts kicked in. Realizing what Mitt Romney was doing to the memory of her son, Barbara stepped up and demanded that Romney stopped using her son for his political gain.

“I don’t trust Romney,” Mrs. Doherty told Boston’s  WHDH-TV. “He shouldn’t make my son’s death part of his political agenda. It’s wrong to use these brave young men, who wanted freedom for all, to degrade Obama.”

In a rare glimpse of morality, Romney’s campaign announced that they would stop using Glen for their cheap politics.

Categories
Abortion Politics Republican

Pro-Life Republican Congressman Forced Mistress To Get An Abortion

Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.), an anti-abortion activist, had an affair with a patient when he was a practicing physician and then pressured her to get an abortion, according to a report by The Huffington Post.

The report, which cites a phone call transcript from 2000, said DesJarlais was “trying to save his marriage at the time.” Said transcript and court documents showed that DesJarlais and the woman went back and forth about undergoing to the procedure.

Some of the quotes from the transcript, via the HuffPost:

“You told me you’d have an abortion, and now we’re getting too far along without one,” DesJarlais tells the woman at one point in the call while negotiating with her over whether he’ll reveal her identity to his wife. They then discuss whether he will accompany her to a procedure to end the sort of life the congressman now describes as “sacred.”

“You told me you would have time to go with me and everything,” the woman complains.

“I said, if I could, I would, didn’t I? And I will try,” DesJarlais says. “If I can [find] time, you’re saying you still will?”

“Yeah,” the woman answers.

The two bicker over when they can meet to hash out a solution, and they make clear the nature of their relationship when DesJarlais says delaying a resolution isn’t fair to his wife.

“This is not fair to me. I don’t want you in my life,” the woman says.

“Well, I didn’t want to be in your life either, but you lied to me about something that caused us to be in this situation, and that’s not my fault, that’s yours,” the doctor responds.

“Well, it’s [your] fault for sleeping with your patient,” the woman fires back.

DesJarlais’ wife had apparently filed for divorce two years prior. The HuffPost provided a copy of the transcript to the congressman — who “did not deny its contents.”

Categories
fail Mitt Romney Politics

Mitt Romney Debates Mitt Romney – The Video

What if Mitt Romney had to debate himself. Who will win, or in Romney’s case, who will lose?

The good people over at Daily Kos took three of the many different positions Romney adopted over the course of this campaign, and the result is shown in the clip below.

It’s a great idea. I would like to see a longer debate between these two.

Categories
Mitt Romney Politics

Romney Throws Conservatives Under The Bus With These 5 New Positions

He’s been called many things – Mr. Etch a Sketch, a Flip-Flopper, a Chameleon and some have even called Mitt Romney a liar. But how will Conservatives describe Mr. Romney and his newfound positions that he unveiled in the debate? Here are at least 5 new positions Romney’s supporters would have issues with;

1. “There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda.” In an interview with the Des Moines Register on Tuesday, Romney backed away from the promises listed on his own website to appoint Supreme Court judges who will overturn Roe v. Wade and end all federal funding for Planned Parenthood. In June 2011, he also specified his support for a “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” an abortion ban based on junk science. More generally, Romney said he would be “delighted” to sign a bill banning all abortions during his first presidential run.

2. “We want to reduce the burden on middle-income taxpayers, and we’re not going to provide a tax break to high-income taxpayers.” In the same interview, Romney disavowed his own tax plan, which would give high-income taxpayers a litany of tax breaks, including an across the board 20 percent tax cut and the elimination of the estate tax. During the Republican primary, Romney admitted that his plan gives tax breaks to high income tax payers, promising he was “going to cut taxes on everyone across the country by 20 percent, including the top 1 percent.” In order to pay for these tax cuts on the wealthy, Romney would have to raise taxes on middle class families by more than $2,000.

3. “Pre-existing conditions are covered under my plan.” Romney misrepresented his health care plan during the debate. In fact, only people who were continuously insured are protected from discrimination. Millions of Americans who have been denied insurance for their pre-existing conditions would be left to their own devices under Romney’s plan.

4. “You have to have regulation. And there are some parts of Dodd-Frank that make all the sense in the world.” Also during the debate, Romney suddenly embraced the bank reform law he previously said he would repeal entirely.

5. “The people who have received the special visa that the president has put in place, which is a two-year visa, should expect that the visa would continue to be valid.” Considered the most hard-line immigration candidate in a field of extreme Republican candidates, Romney said he would allow the young undocumented immigrants to keep their special work permits issued by President Obama, though he plans to end the directive if president.

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