Category: Politics

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Politics

Fact: More Oil Drilling Under Obama Than Under Bush

NO! That can’t be right! Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are pushing the drill baby drill fallacy as our only Savior and Rick Santorum is walking around with an oily rock in his pocket, blaming the steep price if oil on President Obama.

The drill baby drill crowd don’t want you to know this. And they are making empty promises that if elected, they will drill more oil and bring down the price at the pump to $2.00 a gallon.

But the facts are here for all to see.

Under President Obama, there have been more Oil drilling permits issued and more Oil drilling than was done over the last decade.

According to a report on Energy, ” President Obama has opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration and we now have more working oil and gas rigs than the rest of the world—combined.”

And this domestic oil production has led to a less dependency on foreign oil imports. In the three years since this president took office, dependence on foreign oil has steadily decreased, lower now than the eight years Bush held office.

So its obvious to everyone with a brain that drill baby drill is not an effective policy position for any sensible party to have, yet, Republicans continue harping the phrase, ignorantly disregarding the facts.

Our reality is simple. We live in a world where the price of oil is determined by market speculators, by oil producing countries, by the supply chain and the ease at which the product get to the market and by the growing demand for oil by nations like India, Brazil and China, where demand tripled over the last five years.

The President has been right all along, we cannot drill our way out of this problem. It involves a more inclusive and and modern strategy. Yes, drilling should be a part of that strategy and it is. But we must concentrate on other resources like clean energy that will further reduce our appetite for fossil fuel.

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Mitt Romney Politics presidential Republican

A Mitt Romney Presidency Will Have To Answer To Lobbyists

So what should we expect if Mitt Romney becomes the 45th President of the United States? Well here’s a preview – Romney’s campaign just announced that Harold Hamm, a billionaire who made his money from the oil industry, will be the campaign’s “Energy Advisor.”

Mitt Romney, the front-runner for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, appointed Oklahoma oil billionaire Harold Hamm as energy adviser to his campaign.

Hamm, the 66-year-old founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Resources Inc. (CLR), will be chairman of Romney’s Energy Policy Advisory Group, the candidate’s campaign office said in a statement today.

Hamm ranked 36th on Forbes magazine’s list last year of the 400 wealthiest Americans. His 68 percent stake in Enid, Oklahoma-based Continental, the largest leaseholder in the Bakken oil formation, had a value of $11.2 billion as of yesterday’s close.

And then there’s this from The Huffington Post: “The Romney campaign received $554,044 from 325 lobbyists and the political action committees of 38 lobbying firms that collectively represent more than 1,400 clients, according to The Huffington Post’s analysis of contribution disclosure forms filed with the Secretary of the Senate. These contributions may undermine part of Romney’s message that he is, in his own words, “from outside Washington, outside K Street.”

Conclusion: Major industries and Corporations pay millions to get their lobbyists to whisper in the ears of Congressional politicians. What we’re seeing with Romney’s appointment of an oil billionaire in charge of Energy is, in fact, paving the way for the lobbyist to have a direct link to a Romney presidency.

Call it, Romney’s intentional way of cutting out the middle man.

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Politics Racism racist Republican

Republican Judge Sends Racist Email about President Obama

Different character,  same Ole racist line. This time around, in the say racist things about the president then deny you’re a racist game, the character is a judge appointed by George Bush.

His name is Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull, and below is part of the email he admitted he sent.

“Normally I don’t send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine.

“A little boy said to his mother; ‘Mommy, how come I’m black and you’re white?'” the email joke reads. “His mother replied, ‘Don’t even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you’re lucky you don’t bark!'”

The judge eventually apologized to anyone he offended, but said he didn’t think the email was racist because it was meant to be private.

“It was not intended by me in any way to become public,” Cebull said. “I apologize to anybody who is offended by it.”

And the reason he sent the email?

“The only reason I can explain it to you is I am not a fan of our president, but this goes beyond not being a fan. I didn’t send it as racist, although that’s what it is.”

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jewish Politics republican candidates

Poll Shows Israelis Prefer President Obama Over Republican Wannabes

The Brookings Institute for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland conducted a poll of 500 Jewish Israelis between February 22nd to 26th, and found that when compared to the other Republican candidates, President Obama is the man for the Jewish people.

The survey also polled Jewish Israelis’ feelings on the US presidential race, with respondents preferring President Barack Obama to all his Republican rivals.

Overall, among Israeli Jews, Obama led Santorum 34% to 21%, Gingrich 31% to 27%, Paul 34% to 24%, and Romney 32% to 29%.

 

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Politics

President Obama Fires Up the UAW – Video

President Obama spoke at the United Auto Workers Annual Conference on Tuesday about the success of the auto industry. The entire industry was on the brink of collapse before the President stepped in with the auto bailout, saving thousands of jobs and creating thousands more.

Tuesday February 28, 2012

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Arizona Mitt Romney Politics presidential Rick Santorum

Mitt Nicks Rick In Mich Mish-Mosh: Four Head to O-HI-O!

Mitt May Win Right To Lose Michigan in the Fall!

Democrats, Pro-Vomit Vote Not Enough For Santorum!

Arizona Goes Romney! Border Remains Calm!

Mitt Romney did almost enough to dispel any lingering doubts that he will be the Republican Party’s nominee for president by defeating Rick Santorum in the all-important Michigan primary yesterday.  Romney crossed the 40% threshold but failed to defeat his chief rival by more than 10%, which would have ended any debate about Romney’s being the GOP standard-bearer. Still, a win is a win, and now the field moves on to Super Tuesday where there is now even a doubt that Newt can win his home state of Georgia.

How did I do with my predictions? Let’s check.

For Arizona:

Prediction                Actual

Romney          43%                         47.3%

Santorum        30%                         26.6%

Gingrich          18%                         16.2%

Paul                  8%                           8.4%

For Michigan:

Romney          39%                          41.1%

Santorum        37%                          37.9%

Paul                12%                          11.6%

Gingrich          10%                           6.5%

All told, not too bad.

So now it’s on to Tuesday Grande, where the big prize will be Ohio and the attack ads will come fast and furious. It’s difficult to fathom what else Mitt and Rick could say that could be any more outrageous than their embarrassing forays into trees, bodily functions, automobile choices, anti-intellectual diatribes and invocations of Satan/Obama (really, have you ever seen them in the same room together?) Interesting.

For more, please visit  www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives and Twitter @rigrundfest  

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Mitt Romney Politics

Mitt Romney Confirms – Avoiding Taxes Is His Reason For Banking In The Cayman Islands

Recent reports have shed some light on where Mitt Romney keeps most of his finances, and although we were not 100% sure why he did it, speculations were that Romney kept his millions in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying taxes here in the United States. Well tonight in his victory speech, Mitt Romney put an end to all the speculations and unknowingly confirmed what a majority of Americans already believed, that avoiding taxes was the reason he parked his dollars in off shore bank accounts.

In his speech tonight, trying to show differences between himself and President Obama, Romney made some statements that are nothing but lies. Statements like, “President Obama wants to raise your taxes. I will cut them,” when the simple fact is that taxes are lower now under President Obama than they’ve been over the last 60 years. As a matter of fact according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, “Federal, state and local income taxes consumed 9.2% of all personal income in 2009, the lowest rate since 1950.” But Romney never let the facts get in the way of his lies.

He then went on to unknowingly explain why he bank overseas.

He [Obama] proposed tax increases on small businesses and job creators. I will lower the corporate tax rate to 25%. I will make the R&D tax credit permanent to foster innovation. And I will end the repatriation tax to return investment to our shores. Lets finally have a tax plan that puts people to work.

Is the IRS paying attention? Sounds like an audit is necessary here.

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Politics

Romney Lies – Suggests He’ll Never Attack President Obama To Win an Election

Ask Mitt Romney a question about his policies for the nation, and I can assure you he would find a way to blame President Obama for something. But he’s not alone. Romney, like his other Republican presidential opponents, have figured out that the average Republican voter is not concerned about policies, they’re looking for someone who can best criticize the president, especially if that criticism is coupled with a few mouthful of lies.

But of course,  we are talking about Mitt Romney, and sticking to his character trait, Romney is now trying to distance himself from the say anything to win style of his campaign. Said Romney;

“We’ve seen throughout the campaign that if you’re willing to say really outrageous things that are accusatory and attacking President Obama that you’re going to jump up in the polls,” he said during a campaign-office visit in the Detroit suburbs. “I’m not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am who I am.”

Throughout the course of the Republican primaries, there have been like a million Republican presidential debates. Google any of them and marvel at the things Romney was allowed to say against this president… in an attempt to win the nomination.

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Mitt Romney Politics presidential

Mitt Romney Did Not Oppose Gay Adoptions As Governor – Video

In an effort to appear “severely conservative,” Mitt Romney has gone against everything Mitt Romney ever stood for. And in so doing, he has mastered the art of the flip-flop.

This is just one more example of the many many… many times Romney has flipped.




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Mitt Romney Politics Rick Santorum

Santorum Oozes Past Romney Again in Latest Michigan Poll

Despite our own professional opinion that Mitt Romney will win in today’s Michigan primary election, a final poll conducted last night is showing something different.

A final Public Policy Polling survey in Michigan conducted over the last two nights shows Rick Santorum just edging Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential primary, 38% to 37%, with Ron Paul at 14% and Newt Gingrich at 9%.

However, the results for the last night show a decided shift in momentum toward Santorum, leading Romney by five points, 39% to 34%, with Paul at 15% and Gingrich at 10%.

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Arizona Mitt Romney Politics Rick Santorum

Polling Report: Special Michigan and Arizona Edition

This week’s report begins with a question:

What would you call a candidate who LOST the following primaries: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, California, Florida and Michigan?

How about, Mr. President.

That’s right. Candidate Barack Obama lost every one of those primaries, and more, in 2008 yet won the nomination. That’s why I’m not getting agitated over the latest results of the Republican race. As I’ve said over and over and over and over, Mitt Romney will be the GOP’s nominee in 2012 even if he loses some big states. Granted, Michigan is different for Mitt; he’s claiming pseudo-residency in the state and has set it up as a make-or-break contest. Obama at least won his home state, Illinois, so the comparison isn’t perfect. But still, the national media’s focus on whether Rick Santorum can win the nomination is a moot point. He can’t, and he won’t. To further muddy the picture, though, I will say that if he does manage to win it, the GOP will have committed hari-kiri.

The past three weeks have seen some extraordinary developments in the Republican Presidential Primaries. Rick Santorum caught fire (and brimstone) as the new, and probably final, conservative darling in the race. Romney made a few gaffes that have certainly hurt him, playing to a near-empty Ford’s Field and citing his wife’s two Cadillacs to name the main ones. What does it all add up to? A contested race that will probably drag on into the spring and even give Newt a chance to win his home state of Georgia.

On to the predictions.

First, in Arizona, the latest polls show that Mitt will win rather handily mainly because Santorum and Gingrich have pretty much conceded him the state. Arizona has a large Mormon population that will easily beat back the large Tea Party contingent at the polls (assuming that the Partiers can rush back from guarding the Mexican border in time to cast votes). Still, I think that Romney will need to win over 40% of the vote to make it convincing. Thusly:

Romney          43%

Santorum        30%

Gingrich          18%

Paul                 8%

In Michigan, things get complicated. In my view, Romney will need to win over 40% of the vote AND win by 10+ points to make a convincing statement. The polls aren’t showing that, but if enough voters decide at the last-minute that Santorum would be a sure loser in November, it could happen. I don’t see it.

What is more likely to happen is that Mitt wins, but by 3 points or fewer and gets below 40%. In that case, Santorum can claim a win-by-losing argument because Romney keeps saying that this is one of his home states (even though most voters don’t see the connection). The conservatives will have made their point and Santorum can then move on to Ohio and perhaps win that primary. He can also assume he’ll win Pennsylvania, which would greatly complicate Mitt’s message about electability.

Prediction:

Romney       39%

Santorum     37%

Paul             12%

Gingrich       10%

The race moves on to Super Tuesday. The national press will continue to talk about a brokered convention, which will not happen.  Romney will eventually be the nominee. Or have I said that already.

For more, please visit  www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives and Twitter @rigrundfest 

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college Politics Rick Santorum

President Obama’s Unofficial Response To Santorum’s “Snob” Remarks

President Obama took some time from his address to the Governors today, to allude to Rick Santorum’s remark that he is a snob for wanting Americans to have an opportunity to attend college.

Obama, who addressed a gathering of governors Monday at the White House, made an oblique reference to the remark as he urged the group to prioritize education.

“I have to make a point here,” he said midway through his speech. “When I speak about higher education, we’re not just talking about a four-year degree. We’re talking about somebody going to a community college and getting trained for that manufacturing job that now is requiring … some basic training beyond what they received in high school.”

This is not a new position: In an address to Congress three years ago, Obama called on every American to “commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.” Though he didn’t refer to Santorum by name, Obama was obviously alluding to the former Pennsylvania senator’s remark, which cast Obama’s position as an insult to workers who don’t have a college degree.

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