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September 22, 2012 03:04 PM UTC

Weekend Open Thread

  • 86 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.”

–Will Rogers

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86 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”

  1.  John Stewart  – Bullshit Mountain

    (no link – Daily Show is too hard)

    But it is superior comedy.  If you can stand the media making fun of the media.  ANd if you can call Fox “media.”

  2. Oddly we have a President who doesn’t know the difference between nor amount of the annual deficit or total national debt or the total long run debt obligations of America.

    You see this was exposed on Letterman …. you know the late night show … oddly Barack’s stellar performances on Letterman nor with Univision were not highlighted here at CPols for the obvious reason that Barack exposed his complete failure as President on both shows.

    Oddly for you not even a 90% tax on income, dividends, other income, benefits and assets of the “rich” will get you out of the starting blocks.

    Debaters sound alarm on fiscal crisis

    Former U.S. comptroller general says “Grand Bargain” needed to solve issue

    by Kristen Leigh Painter

    Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker attempted to shock nearly 500 people at the University of Denver Friday night when he presented an aspect he says has been missing from the 2012 presidential election campaign – numbers and math.

    The “Restoring Fiscal Policy” event – part of DU’s debate series – focused on the nation’s fiscal crisis, filtered through an ethics discussion.

    The national debt is often said to be around $16 trillion. But, Walker said that the well-publicized “national debt clock” underestimates the true magnitude of the pending crisis, which he says actually amounts to $70.6 trillion.

    Read more: Debaters sound alarm on fiscal crisis – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/busi…

    Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/term…

    Barack’s presidency has been a failure and if you hate reading that then grab your remote and flip to CNN or MSNBC so you might keep the class warfare alive.

    1.  with the looming debt crisis. If that much money had been “given away” by the Gubmint, there would be some people doing really, really well…oh, wait..there are…a few.

      And so now it’s MSNBC and CNN on your enemies list, eh?

    3. Our deficit as a percentage of GDP has been higher a number of times in the past.  So what?

      Well, here’s what:  All this Chicken Little shit is yet another distraction from real issues and the justification to gut our social safety nets.  God forbid we tax those (not) job makers who should give some of the middle classes productivity gains back that they’ve been steal for 40 years.

      The problem is easy to solve w/o cutting social services.  Yet, your Rethuglicans want the poorest to take the hit.  WTF moral fuck?

    5. … which is why you (A) support the folks whose massive new tax cuts and defense spending hikes will worsen it (B) supported the prior President who rang up a shitload of the debt during good economic times when running surplusses would have been (and was, until his economic plan went through) easy.

  4. 1. Gays serving peacefully and without threat in the military, check

    2. No work requirement for welfare, check

    3. New $1 Trillion healthcare tax on middle class, check

    4. 8.3% “official” unemployment, check

    5. All Americans forced to buy health insurance and have an ID to prove it, check

    6. Most Americans free to vote without ID, check

    7. Most Americans required to have an ID for public library “checkout” privileges, check

    8. High double digit “official” unemployment for women, blacks and Hispanics, check

    9. More nuke negotiation room promised to Vladimir, check

    10. Personally gave the order to take down Osama, he watched it live, and took the credit, check

    11. Joe Biden still making an ass of the Presidential Office, check

    12. $1 Trillion in unaccounted for “stimulus”

    13. National debt at $16 Trillion and no plan to tamp it back, check

    14. Lowest house sales and mortgage interest rates in 40 years, check

    15. Lowest business starts per capita – ever, check

    16. Nearly 50 million Americans on food stamps, check

    17. Business-individuals-non profits forced to offer health plans that counter their religion, check

    18. 25,000 potential Keystone pipeline jobs frozen, check

    19. Solyndra-Vestis-Abound workers promised gov’t driven sunshine now unemployed, check

    20. $Trillions in new FICA tax receipts promised, check

    21. More government spending, higher taxes & less local control of government promised, check

    22. 50%+ DPS dropout rate yet charters succeeding, check

    23. Social Security as we know it on course to collapse with no rational plan to fix it, check

    24. Medicare/caid as we know it on course to collapse with no plan to fix, check

    25. Fast & Furious … exporting weapons for terrorists and attempting to cover it up, check

    26. Firm plans to hike income and capital gains taxes, check

    27. Firm plans to divert even more private capital for government spending, check

    28. 23 million Americans out of work, check

    29. Obama budget pushes USA to fiscal cliff by 2022, check

    30. Obama promised to cut deficit by 50%, national debt hiked from $10T to $16T, check

    31. Obama promised unemployment under 8%, now 43 months above 8%, check

    32. 3% surtax on medical device manufacturers, check

    33. Obamacare erects barriers to competition for drugcos and against consumers, check



    Dividing America vs uniting and leading America, check

    1. Same bullshit, same cut ‘n paste, day after day.  

      What?  Ya think you’re going to make us libs slap our head in discovery?

      Go outside and get some (EPA monitored and protected) fresh air.  

        1. And without even getting into which are lies, let’s just say that you’re not too familiar with words if you call this fact-checking:

          Joe Biden still making an ass of the Presidential Office, check

      1. or just opinion/spin presented as fact. I picked this one because every respectable fact checker on the planet has labeled it total crap yet you people keep parroting it, proving why we need to kick the contemporary GOP out of power, denying them majorities no matter how allegedly bipartisan any single R pol might be. We have to crush you because you are the enemies of objective reality and you can’t solve problems without reference to the reality based world.

          1. I’ve seen what R presidents, governors and R legislative majorities at the federal and state level and on school boards have done to my country. That’s why I believe that the only way to stop and then reverse the damage is to oppose any and all Rs because each and every one of them elected potentially contributes to an R majority at some level. And as for your cut and paste laundry list, it’s worthless.

      1. Not everyone likes each one of them, but they’re fact.

        I’m glad you support gays in the military, it shows you care about your fellow man and her decision to serve. Ive always thought that there some dishonesty in the GLBTQ community because they won’t stand up for bisexuals, transgenders and queers in the military. Maybe you have the same thoughts?

        I’m sure there are other facts that you like in that list too. If you don’t, then you need to question your voting positions.

          1. And I’m sure I had to provide photo ID in both the Denver and Englewood systems.

            I can’t imagine library letting someone check out books and DVD’s without some reasonable evidence of where that person lives.  

            1. Voting is. In person voter fraud is far too rare to justify making it almost impossible for millions of American citizens to get what they need in order to obtain a picture ID at this late date in time to vote. Many will find the expense and transportation challenges too difficult to surmount.

              If we are going to require picture IDs, it should not be for an upcoming election. It should involve a lead time, similar to the lead time for requiring everyone to have insurance coverage. Then there should be a massive publicity and outreach program and funds allocated to pay fees involved in getting the papers needed for low income and poor and for providing transportation for those who would have to travel long distances in the process and can’t afford it.  Seniors in nursing homes who are unable to travel must also be accommodated with a method of getting the ID and mail in ballots they need.  Voting is a right, not a privilege.

              You get all those ducks in a row and I might be persuaded though it seems like a lot of money to prevent something that can’t be demonstrated to have happened even once in most states; in person voter fraud.

              All I need to check out books at the libraries I use, either Arapahoe Library District, any library in the Prospector system, from which books unavailable in the Arapahoe system may be ordered to be delivered to my chosen ALD location, or Littleton Library, is my library card. I don’t ever have to produce a driver’s license though I have the option of using it if I don’t have my card. Maybe your library is different but in any case, once again, voting is a right, not a privilege or market option.

                1. Yu also need an ID to get a credit card or load up a prepay visa at Kings so that you might rent one of those nifty subsidized red bikes that are available for 9 months or so around Denver.

                  Can you imagine, you need an ID to rent one of those bikes …. what a racist program.

                  1. a constitutionally guaranteed right. And once again, most states cannot come up with a single example of in person voter fraud. This is a costly solution (and one which may result in millions of legitimate voters being denied the right to vote)in search of a problem. It’s like spending billions and screwing with millions of people in order to protect us from Big Foot attacks. Sure Big Foot might exist and somebody could be attacked but do you see politicians drafting laws to address the Big Foot problem? It’s pretty much the same thing.  

                2. but that was it. So having to show one every time you vote would be like having to show one every time you take out a book. Of course kids can have library cards, too and they certainly don’t have driver’s licenses. Point is it’s an apples and oranges argument and there is no indication that in person voter fraud is a fraction as common as Big Foot sightings.  

                3. When I first moved there, they would accept literally anything that had your name and your address on it. A piece of mail addressed to you, for example.

                  Have you conservatives ever even been to a library, or is this all just hypothetical to you?

                4. Isn’t it interesting, that with things like mercury poisoning from coal-fired plants–regulations being proposed could save tens of thousands of lives–but GOPers (and idiots like Rahall) fight it tooth and nail contrary to all evidence.

                  On the other hand, you have virtually no evidence of any kind of systematic abuse, yet GOPers want MORE REGULATIONS MORE REGULATIONS MORE REGULATIONS directed (as all good GOP regulations) at restricting/constricting individual rather than corporate rights…in this case the most fundamental right of all.

                  Its treasonous IMO.

              2. OP had said he believed you don’t need an ID to get a library card.  I pointed out otherwise. Nothing about constitutional rights being subverted.  

                Chances are when you got your library card, you whipped out…………..your photo ID/driver’s license.

  5. Or actually a convention center.

    Jared Wright was among several candidates introduced at the luncheon, none of whom was invited to speak to the audience of more than 100.

    …Wright’s introduction doesn’t mean he enjoys the party’s unqualified support, though it acknowledges him as the nominee, Chairwoman Ruth Ehlers said…

    …Wright was accompanied by former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo., for whom he once worked, and campaign advisers.

    http://www.gjsentinel.com/S=b9…

  6. believe about the economy and what makes it strong is wrong, in a nutshell:

    A new study by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has found that over the past 65 years, tax cuts for the rich have not led to economic growth and instead are linked to greater income inequality in the United States.

    The study found that cutting taxes for the rich does not increase saving, investment, or productivity growth. “The top tax rates appear to have little or no relation to the size of the economic pie,” the study said.

    See link for helpful graphs

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

    A prosperous middle with plenty of well paying jobs, such as those created by the union movement, fuels the economic engine and creates widespread prosperity. Screwing workers to give to the rich leads only to the rich doing better at the expense of everyone else. Pretty simple. Backed by those pesky real world facts.

      1. “good” . . . the question is, “For whom has this so-called ‘voodoo’ been good?”

        And, the obvious answer:  “For those that matter.”

        Good thing it’s the weekend, because some days you people act like you’re paying about as much attention as Libertad.  

        1. ‘Good for pulling the wool over sheeples’ eyes so they elect their plutocratic overlord.  As in…sssshhhhh…look!  Over there a Mosque!  Eric Holder!    

  8. And a fourth that my wife answered (apparently a Republican attempt at a push-poll – when she said her mind was made up for Obama, they ended the “survey”).

    Someones apparently think Colorado is an important place to poll – I normally get maybe one poll per federal campaign cycle.

    The last one was interesting – a YouGov phone poll. YouGov is relatively new; their normal method of polling is via Internet surveys similar to the much-disdained Zogby Interactive polls (though they have a much better track record than Zogby’s Internet polls…). A phone survey seems a bit out of place for them…

    1. This one (above) was a standard GOTV call–from UT republicans–not any kind of poll or push poll.  

      I’ve gotten one call (push poll, GOP leaning) on the 3rd CD race; and one on the Hamner-Irvine–Curry race (SD 56).

  9. Mitt Romney will rebuild the foundations of the American economy on the principles of free enterprise, hard work, and innovation. His plan seeks to reduce taxes, spending, regulation, and government programs. It seeks to increase trade, energy production, human capital, and labor flexibility. It relinquishes power to the states instead of claiming to have the solution to every problem.

    Any American living through this economic crisis will immediately recognize the severity of the break that Mitt Romney proposes from our current course. He is calling for a fundamental change in Washington’s view of how economic growth and prosperity are achieved, how jobs are created, and how government can support these endeavors. It is at once a deeply conservative return to policies that have served our nation well and a highly ambitious departure from the policies of our current leadership. In short, it is a plan to get America back to work.

    http://www.mittromney.com/jobs

    Of course recommitting America to CHANGE because Obama has failed to lead and deliver is painful for so many that took Barack for his word and believed we could fix this….we still can Believe in America.

    2. In a nutshell, you say we should vote for Rmoney/R-Ayn because

      He believes in “free enterprise, hard work, and innovation.”

      He does have specifics!  ‘Plans’ even that include:

      “reduce taxes, spending, regulation, and government programs.”

      But also:

      “increase trade, energy production, human capital, and labor flexibility.”

      Power will be turned over to

      “the states”

      The problem is, that’s the problem.  Its not that Americans don’t get what Rmoney is selling–and all we need to do is hear him explain a little more (usually to explain what he meant be the latest stupid thing he said)–Americans get it and reject it.

      Enough people get that the framing about “free enterprise, hard work, and innovation” and all the other stump blah-blah-blah is that, we want the specifics.  Which gets you back to your problem.  

      This doesn’t work and people get it:

      “reduce taxes, spending, regulation, and government programs.”

      It doesn’t work because it is nothing but empty Republican political rhetoric. It has nothing to do with how your side governs.  Nothing.  Other than reducing taxes.  Spending and government grow under GOP administrations. But you all don’t have the guts to pay for it.  Off-budget wars… Rmoney is peddling lies.  

      You might recall, there was a Republican president not long ago.  We’ve all seen the ‘plan’ in action.  We get it.  Indeed, we got it good.  

       

    3. Mitt Romney will somehow rebuild the foundations of the American economy on the principles of free enterprise, hard work, and innovation by doing…something I think. His plan general idea seeks to reduce taxes, spending, regulation, and government programs. It seeks to increase trade, energy production, human capital, and labor flexibility when Mitt Romney creates implements …does something . It relinquishes power to the states instead of claiming to have the solution to every problem because the federal government is stupid and only an idiot would want to be in charge of it.

      Any American living through this economic crisis will immediately recognize the severity of the break that Mitt Romney proposes from our current course just like they recognize bigfoot, UFOs and the lochness monster. It’s fuzzy, indescribable and we’re not sure if it really exists. He is calling for a fundamental change in Washington’s view of how economic growth and prosperity are achieved, how jobs are created, and how government can support these endeavors by letting private industry run the country instead. It is at once a deeply conservative return to policies that have served our nation Mitt Romney’s business partners well and a highly ambitious departure from the policies of our current leadership. In short, it is a plan to get America back to work for Mitt Romney.

      That was fun. Thanks Lib.

    4. Taxes are already at historic lows so why isn’t the economy just peachy? What regulations will Romney do away with?  The ones that protect our water, our air, our food supply, the medicine we give our children, the safety of workers in the work place? The ones that protect our savings? The ones that protect consumers from lies and fraud?

      We know how jobs are created.  By a vibrant middle class with disposable income, a middle class that has done much better in the past with higher taxes than it pays now.  

      Paying slightly higher taxes on much higher income is a lot better than paying low to no taxes on a much lower income.  

    1. and without links back to the source, is a post to be completely ignored because of Libertad’s long history of factually deficient and strawman-filled posts he never owns.

    1. Jan 20 2009

      Dow Jones Industrial Average ( DJIA ) 7949.09

      Nasdaq Stock Market Close – 1440.86

      S&P 500 Close – 805.23

      http://dowjonesclose.com

      Sep 20 2012

      DJIA   13579.47  (+71%)

      NASDAQ  2875.07  (+99.5%)

      S&P 500 1460.15  (+81%)

      GM and Chrysler are alive and well- Osama Bn Laden is not.

    2. It seems like you’re saying that these numbers are all Obama’s fault. You’re saying he hasn’t done enough to correct these numbers and that the federal government needs to do more to control these numbers.

      Seems legit.

        1. Under uniform Republican opposition these data points have moved in a negative direction.

          That, of course, is assuming these data are even correct. Given your typical sources, I won’t buy them as such at all. But I will still use them against you since you introduce them.

          1. So what happened to that $1T in stimulus?

            How come CNN had to stop their nightly reports on Obamas’ stimulus outcomes?  … hint its failures and the reporting of those failures was scaring the crap out of average Americans.

            What you’re arguing is that America should have doubled down on all of Obamas policies. Either he lied to Americans or significantly under estimated their viability.

            You’re seeking the notion that Congress should have doubled down is only admitting that the original stimulus was a failure. Think about what you’re saying.

            Here’s what America is thinking ….. SEP 10-16

            Right Direction 35% and Wrong Track 58%.

            1. What, you’re not going to bring up the GOP jobs bills voted on in the House and prove me wrong?

              What happened to the stimulus? It was spent but it was too little to do the job – thanks to the GOP.

              CNN? I don’t know what you’re talking about there. Knowing you, it’s either distortion or fiction, though.

              I’m arguing that the Dems should have doubled down on GOP disloyalty and not reached over to someone not willing to work honestly with them. You’re trying to weasel around like a good little minion, but my words mean what I say they mean.

              You want America on the right track? Throw out the disloyal GOP opposition. Vote them down to permanent minority status and let people who love this country go about setting things right.

              4. zero out on federal income tax, though not payroll taxes, because of breaks and credits championed by Republicans, such as the child tax credit. Why is it sad that middle income families with children sometimes zero out on federal income tax but fine when the rich zero out on theirs?  In both cases other federal taxes are being paid, always at a higher portion of income for the middle than the top. Why aren’t you saddened by wealthy families zeroing out on income tax?

                And of course the fact that middle class families are making less and struggling more is tied directly to decades of the favored GOP race to the bottom economic policies, including the war on the very unions that created the world’s broadest most prosperous middle class in the first place.  

            2. the way it rolls off the tongue. I think you ought define it and place it in wiki. I think, until it is defined, I will use it whenever I wish to mean whatever I wish

        3. is how badly your side is doing…I mean after the 2010 Tea-volution and everything.  Remember your peeps out there in their tri-cornered hats and Made-in-China flags…’Govt Hands off my Medicare’ signs…?  Yes, those were heady times.  

          You thought you were going to change the world man!  Drown it in a bathtub! And since then all you do is remind us how much of a failure the Ds are…and yet… Here we are just two years later, just two years, and …EXHIBIT A: Romney/Ryan…well, lets just say its a different climate.  

          I can understand your desperation Tadpole.  

    3. The GOP-controlled Congress has blocked any meaningful attempts to correct these problems since taking over in 2010. The GOP has used all the procedural maneuvers and tricks at their disposal in the Senate to hamstring and hold hostage these same attempts since 2008. The GOP has refused to negotiate in good faith with the Dems. The GOP would rather see Americans suffer if it helps them regain power than help solve problems and see the credit go to the president.

      Fact about Libertad: he’s fond of clicking “reply” to post this stuff when it threadjacks but puts his stuff near the top of the diary, and fond of continuing discussions with new posts instead of clicking “reply.” It’s just one more measure of how much Libertad lacks in maturity.

      Do you want to see things get better? Vote for Obama and every Democrat on your ballot.

          1. Why wouldn’t they, hundreds of millions of American families are having more of their income diverted to big government programs that only restrict their access to healthcare.

    4. I already hit you on the $1.87 gas thing, and reminded you of it, so this is the third fucking time: THE LAST TIME GAS WAS ABOUT $1.87 WAS IN 2002.  In case you’ve been Rip Van Winkling, that was the administration of GW Bush.

      Unemployment was WAY higher when Obama took office than what you claim. I want to say on the order of 11%-12% w/o looking it up.

      And job creation? Obama has created more jobs in his 3.5 years THAT BOTH BUSH ADMINISTRATIONS PUT TOGETHER.  

      This is exactly why we libs point out, over and over, the only way Retards (no offense intended to my mentally challenged fellow citizens) can ever win an election is by lying.   Over and over, see “Goebbels.”

  13. As NBC’s “Meet The Press” roundtable dove into some data surrounding Romney’s popularity, Brooks did not mince words, calling him “the least popular candidate in history.”

    “Mitt Romney does not have the passion for the stuff he’s talking about,” Brooks said. “He’s a problem solver. I think he’s a non-ideological person running in an extremely ideological age, and he’s faking it.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

    1. Not unless he falls somewhere south of 40% of the popular vote, or fails to win even one state. No one is predicting any sort of blowout this time around.

      I guess he’s speaking to the passion Romney generates for his followers. Even then, it’s easy to apply these observations to Mondale or Dukakis (to name two from the past 30 years).

        1. where his life was more exciting that he wished. Then he returned to KS and began giving out welfare checks in Russell County. Bob Dole is a man of honor though. for real

            1. I never in wildest ever imagined that Senate Republicans would become so damn bad we’d be looking back wistfully on the days of Viagra/Conagra/Monsanto Bob . . .

              P.S.  —  don’t forget Trent Lott

              1. sometimes bemoan the fact that the GOP isn’t even the party of Nixon or Reagan anymore, I’d say the bar is really fricking low these days. Those were the two guys who did more than anyone else to set the party on the path it took.

              2. that other Rs of his age in House and Senate did NOT do. WWII warrior, almost died as a replacement soldier with 10th Mt Division in Italy. Told Nixon to resign. For the area he lived in before he went to DC he absolutely took home the bacon. Ever been to the airport in Hays, Ks? It is pretty remarkable for a community of that size and beneficial to their economy. And, amazing that the very little town of Russell, Ks has 2 exits off I-70

      2. because they like Obama less. I think Brooks is pretty spot on about how truly popular he is, even with those who will vote for him. Most of what we hear in support of their candidate is attacks on Obama, not wild enthusiasm for Romney.  

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