Year: 2012

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Health Care Healthcare Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney To Americans – Use The Emergency Room As Your Primary Health Care Provider

With 46 days to go before the general election, Romney is shedding some light on his plans for Americans after he repeal ObamaCare. The Mitt Romney Health Care plan for Americans would be to get your healthcare needs from your local emergency room.

No joke. In an appearance on 60 Minutes, host Scott Pelley got Mr. Romney to shed some details on his plans for the millions of uninsured Americans. Romney replied;

“Well, we do provide care for people who don’t have insurance,” Romney said. “If someone has a heart attack, they don’t sit in their apartment and die. We pick them up in an ambulance, and take them to the hospital, and give them care.”

Crazy… yea, I know. Mitt Romney is promising to Repeal ObamaCare – the legislation signed into law by President Obama that finally addresses the health needs of most Americans – and Romney will replace ObamaCare with the suggestion that people get their healthcare from the emergency room.

But wait. That was what Mitt Romney said yesterday. Do we know how he felt about people using the emergency room for their primary care, say… two years ago? We do.

The Huffington Post quotes a Morning Joe interview from two years ago in which Romney said it “doesn’t make a lot of sense” to have millions of uninsured Americans who get “entirely free care” with “no responsibility” from emergency rooms, especially when those people “have sufficient means to pay their own way.”

And in his book, No Apology, Romney recalls the “collective epiphany” that lead to the creation of Romneycare: “The people in Massachusetts who didn’t have health insurance were, in fact, already receiving health care [from emergency rooms].”

He continues:

Under federal law, hospitals had to stabilize and treat people who arrived at their emergency rooms with acute conditions. And our state’s hospitals were offering even more assistance than the federal government required. That meant that someone was already paying for the cost of treating people who didn’t have health insurance. If we could get our hands on that money, and therefore redirect it to help the uninsured buy insurance instead and obtain treatment in the way that the vast majority of individuals did — before acute conditions developed — the cost of insuring everyone in the state might not be as expensive as I had feared.

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Mitt Romney Politics

Another Romney Lie Targets Obama’s “You Can’t Change Washington From Inside” Comment

By now, Americans are so used to the dishonesty of Mitt Romney‘s campaign ads that the Republican presidential candidate is barely even trying to disguise it anymore. On Monday morning, the Romney campaign released an ad (sure to become a weeks-long series) targeting younger voters, based on President Obama‘s recent declaration that “You can’t change Washington from the inside.”

The ad is so clumsy in its execution and self-evident in its dishonesty, though, that even the fifth-grader who wrote it would immediately know that the Romney campaign is twisting the quote out of context.

In case you missed it, here’s what the President actually said at that Univision forum (the day after Mitt Romney’s rigged Univision forum):

You can’t change Washington from the inside. You can only change it from the outside. That’s how I got elected and how the big accomplishments like health care got done – was because we mobilized the American people to speak out. That’s how we were able to cut taxes for middle class families. So, something I’d really like to concentrate on in my second term is being in a much more constant conversation with the American people, so that they can put pressure on Congress to move some of these issues forward.

So the President says that the American people must be involved in the process before any real change can come to Washington, and he makes that statement based on his own experiences. But Mitt Romney, being so comfortable with lying to and misleading the American people, decides to do it again.

Here’s the ad, where Romney takes one sentence of the president’s remarks, and makes a totally baseless claim.

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Mitt Romney Politics

Romney’s Huge Lead Among Seniors Has Disappeared

New polling by Reuters/Ipsos indicates that during the past two weeks – since just after the Democratic National Convention – support for Romney among Americans age 60 and older has crumbled, from a 20-point lead over Democratic President Barack Obama to less than 4 points.

Romney’s double-digit advantages among older voters on the issues of healthcare and Medicare – the nation’s health insurance program for those over 65 and the disabled – also have evaporated, and Obama has begun to build an advantage in both areas.

Voting preferences among seniors could change in the final six weeks of the campaign, but the polling suggests that a series of recent episodes favoring Obama and the Democrats could be chipping away at Romney’s support among older Americans.

Romney’s selection of Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate put the federal budget and Medicare at center stage in the campaign. But the debate over spending and entitlement programs that Romney seemed to be seeking has not unfolded the way Republicans wanted.

At the Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 5, former President Bill Clinton gave a folksy but blistering critique of Ryan’s plan to revamp Medicare, warning that it could leave seniors unprotected from escalating healthcare costs.

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Barack Obama Mitt Romney Politics

The Issue With Issues

Remember when Paul Ryan’s selection meant that the 2012 campaign was going to be about issues? Like the “Scott Brown Means the End of Healthcare” and “The Supreme Court Will End Obamacare” narratives, this one also might turn out to be wrong. So far this is a campaign about Mitt Romney tripping over his own tongue and Paul Ryan trying to sweep it up from the floor. At some point, though, Mitt will stop saying destructive things and President Obama will need to confront the economy, so this race has some tread on it going forward. Given the polls, though, Romney had better step hard on the gas, and soon.

The Medicare debate does not seem to be hurting Romney in Florida, at least according to the latest poll from the Miami Herald. That’s good news for the Republicans. The problem is that they’re not saying exactly how they would pay for those over 55 to stay on traditional Medicare while weaning those younger onto a voucher system (a teat of a different size?). Perhaps the elderly voters have already internalized that they wouldn’t be touched by the Romney/Ryan plan, so why oppose it? Those who would fall into the voucher zone have plenty of reason to be nervous, suspicious and demanding of details. I wouldn’t hold my breath. This is the same team that says they aren’t going to tell us what taxes they’re going to cut until they get elected. If the polls are correct, that could be years from now.

The economy, which was supposed to be the downfall of the president, doesn’t seem to be hurting him at this point, but there’s still time for the GOP to highlight it every day and remind people about the unemployment rate and the deficit. Mitt’s 47% comments didn’t help him and several polls have shown that Americans now say that Obama would be the better candidate when it comes to fixing our economic house. This is a huge turnaround since the spring and, with women and more enthusiastic Democrats, is providing him with the polling bump he’s received since the Democratic National Convention. Keep in mind that there are two more employment reports to be released between now and election day, so the danger isn’t past for Obama. But now a plurality of voters think that Mitt Romney is an out-of-touch rich guy who can’t be trusted on jobs, so he has his work cut out for him if he hopes to catch up.

Neither party has highlighted the old standby social issues of abortion, marriage equality and prayer in schools, so we’ve been spared the usual fights over who’s more moral. Part of that, I think is that the GOP understands that most young people don’t want to fight those fights and most older people have already staked their territory on those issues. Whatever the reason, it’s good news.

The presidential debates are next week and I’m sure we’ll get an earful on the issues from both candidates. The conventional wisdom says that debate gaffes, missteps or forceful performances will affect people’s votes. The research says that’s not really true. That’s not good news for Romney, who is behind in the key swing states and needs a defining moment to build upon for the final six weeks of the campaign.

With most voters having made up their minds, and with a small slice of independents still on the fence, this election could turn on a mistake by either candidate, so look for them to play it safe and stick to well-worn scripts. It’s not the most interesting way to conduct a campaign, but it’s the system we have.

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Categories
Mitt Romney Politics

Mitt Romney Spends $55,000 For Car Elevators, But Vetoed a $40,000 Elevator For The Disabled

By now, you’ve all heard the news of Mitt Romney and the car elevators he had installed in his home. Car elevators – you know, that machine that brings his cars from their storage in his home to the street level. The price tag for such a luxury item is about $55,000, but apparently car elevators are a must have for the Republican presidential candidate.

But did you know that when Romney was governor in Massachusetts he vetoed multiple bills that would provide elevators to the disabled? The report;

On June 26, 2006 Romney vetoed an improvement project with the price tag of $40,000 with his line item veto. The project would have allocated the money to Woburn Development Authority for improvements to an elevator to meet the standards set in the ADA.

Also on that day Romney vetoed an additional $25,000 to the Braintree, Massachusetts Council on Aging. The money was again proposed to meet improvements with the ADA.

Romney justified the cuts saying the programs along with others he vetoed “would be nice to have, but which we cannot justify paying for out of rainy day funds. A smaller number of these projects are just pure pork.”

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Mitt Romney Politics

The New Mitt Romney Controversy – Bussing In Supporters To Univision Event

According to Buzzfeed, Mitt Romney’s recent appearance at the Univision event had some issues. The report quotes Maria Salinas, one of the anchors at the event that catered mainly to the Spanish-speaking audience, where she explained that a special exemption to the rules had to be made before Romney came onstage.

Buzzfeed reports that the event that featured a student audience but Romney had problems filling the seats, so he was allowed to bus in “rowdy activists” supporters from other parts of the state.

(Maria Elena) Salinas told BuzzFeed that tickets for each forum were divided between the network, the respective campaigns, and the University of Miami (which hosted the events) — and she said both campaigns initially agreed to keep the audience comprised mostly of students, in keeping with the events’ education theme.

But after exhausting the few conservative groups on campus, the Romney camp realized there weren’t enough sympathetic students to fill the stands on their night — so they told the network and university that if they weren’t given an exemption to the students-only rule, they might have to “reschedule.”

…Romney’s team was allowed to bus in rowdy activists from around southern Florida in order to fill the extra seats at their town hall.

And according to the report, Romney was not happy with the reception he received when introduced, and demanded redoing his introduction with a more appreciating audience. Ms Salinas was shocked. “It was a very awkward moment, believe me.”

Bringing in his own supporters for an event is nothing new to Mitt Romney. He was also accused of flying in supporters when he spoke to at an event hosted by the NAACP back in July.

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Mitt Romney Politics taxes

Mitt Romney Calls The USA a Foreign Country On His Taxes

Maybe Mitt Romney thinks he lives in Switzerland?

When the former Massachusetts governor released his official 2011 tax return Friday, he (or whoever actually filled out the form) appeared to have mistakenly referred to the United States as a foreign country.

“If you have a foreign address,” the tax return instruction reads, “also complete spaces below.” In the space below, under “foreign country name,” Romney’s form reads “USA.”

Several tax preparers confirmed to Whispers that “USA” should not have been written in that line—assuming the Republican presidential nominee is actually a citizen of the United States.

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EPA House republicans Politics

Before Skipping Town For Their Next Vacation, House Republicans Tried to Kill The EPA

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers skipped out of town on Friday until after the November elections, but not before pushing through a sweeping anti-environmental package that has no chance of becoming law.

Republican leaders teed up the Stop The War On Coal Act, H.R. 3409, as their last vote before lawmakers hit the campaign trail full time. It passed 233 to 175, with 19 Democrats joining nearly all House Republicans in voting for it.

Despite its title, the bill isn’t just about the coal industry: it repackages four previously passed House GOP bills, plus adds in another one, aimed at blocking carbon pollution standards. Specifically, the package would eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency’s clean car standards, nullify the EPA’s mercury and air toxic standards, weaken the Clean Water Act and block efforts to reduce damage from coal mining.

The bill already has a White House veto threat on it, and there’s no chance it would move in the Senate, but Republicans went ahead and passed it anyway.

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Mitt Romney money Politics

Mitt Romney – My Wealth and Fame Makes Me Very Happy – Video

After trashing 47% of Americans earlier this week by calling them “victims” and suggesting that these Americans are unwilling to care for themselves, another video featuring Mitt Romney is making its rounds on the internet. This video shows Mitt Romney, explaining how privilege he is to be rich.

Said Romney;

When I was a boy, when I was a boy I used to think that becoming rich and becoming famous would make me happy. And boy was I right.

With that statement, Mitt Romney laughed, thanked the audience and exited the podium.

Earlier in the week, another video was released featuring Mr. Romney. In that video, Romney is seen speaking at a private fundraiser, telling his fellow millionaire donors, “my job is not to worry about those people.” Those people, are the 47% Romney criticized earlier in his speech, calling them poor and dependent on the government for food and shelter.

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ObamaCare Paul Ryan Politics

Paul Ryan Booed… and Booed and, oh yea… Booed By Members of AARP

Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan was loudly and repeatedly booed by members of the AARP on Friday after he pledged to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care reform law.

“The first step to a stronger Medicare is to repeal Obamacare,” Ryan said, pausing as the audience in New Orleans booed and shouted, “No!”

“I had a feeling there would be mixed reaction,” the candidate said, but the booing continued. “It weakens Medicare for today’s seniors and puts it at risk for the next generation.”

That, too, was met with audible groans and jeers.

“It funnels $716 billion out of Medicare to pay for a new entitlement that we didn’t even ask for,” Ryan insisted.

“No!” people shouted.

Although Ryan seemed to be unfazed by the heckling, his explanations and assurances never convinced the AARP audience, who continued booing him throughout the remainder of his speech.

Categories
Barack Obama Mitt Romney Politics

Homer Simpson Votes for Mitt Romney – His Reasoning…? Video

Was it the magic underwear? Or was it Obamacare? Watch as Homer Simpson enters the voting booth and explains his choice for President 2012.

Categories
Mitt Romney Politics

Ann Romney to Complaining Republicans – “Stop It… You’re Lucky To Have Mitt!”

To paraphrase Ann Romney:

Fall in line disgruntled Republicans. Cut the nonsense and do as you’re told! Who cares that Mitt Romney is “the worst Republican in America to put up against President Obama,” like Rick Santorum said. Stop concerning yourselves with matters you simply cannot understand and just vote for Mitt!

You’re lucky he’s giving your sorry asses the time of day!

Now back to the story:

The wife of GOP hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday told Republicans to stop complaining about her husband’s flailing presidential campaign because they were “lucky” to have him as a presidential candidate.

During an interview with radio Iowa, Ann Romney was asked how she would respond to influential conservative critics like Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol.

“Stop it!” she snapped. “You want to try it? Get in the ring.”

Ann Romney added: “This is hard and, you know, it’s an important thing that we’re doing right now and it’s an important election and it is time for all Americans to realize how significant this election is and how lucky we are to have someone with Mitt’s qualifications and experience and know-how to be able to have the opportunity to run this country.”

“It’s nonsense. And the chattering class, they — you know, it’s hard, of course. They don’t — I don’t let it sink in. You hear it and then you just let it go right by. And you’re used to it. Honestly at this point, I’m not surprised by anything.”

Noonan wrote on Thursday that Romney’s campaign had become a “rolling calamity,” and Kristol recently calledthe candidate “stupid and arrogant” for dismissing 47 percent of voters, who he said thought they were “victims” and did not “take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

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