I Think Obama Has This One

My secondary plan had everything to do with Obama care. I remained on my parents plan until I was 26.

 

OK. There is one reason to vote AGAINST a candidate. You really hate him/her. This board tends to lean right, maybe because of demographics. Fact is most people in this country do not hate Obama. Some do, sometimes for reasons that have zero to do with facts, some because of his skin color, or just because he's a Democrat, and some really think he's so wrong anyone would be better. But the majority view is he came into a terrible situation, could have done better, but tried hard and things are slowly improving. And that he does have the interests of working families at heart.

So, Romney needs a reason for people to vote FOR him. There are IMHO 4 reasons to vote for a candidate: Policy, experience, personal story/character, and values. The reason Romney will find no silver bullet is he loses on all four. Policy? His is all over the map, he literally says two contradictory things within an hour. He told an NBC reporter that "Romneycare" showed he does care for the poor and middle class, and 30 minutes later told a rally that "Obamacare", which was based on "Romneycare" is Exhibit A for what's wrong with this country. He claimed Obama lied by saying he opposes abortion in cases of rape, incest or threat to the woman's life or health, but his own web site says he supports the "personhood amendment" which outlaws abortion including in cases of rape, incest, and threat to the woman's life or health. The only solid policy he's assoicated with is the Ryan Budget and that's been toxic. People just don't like a budget that gets rid of Medicare, cuts everything, and gives huge tax breaks to the rich. Experience? He left his term as governor so unpopular he never considered running for a second term; his one accomplishment was health care which he is running against when he's not running for it. His Bain experience was great for stockholders while thousands lost jobs and pensions. Personal story? He's widely viewed as a spoiled rich kid who acts entitled. He's made up stories about his "hardship". The dog on the roof came not from a liberal reporter but from his own book, where he talked about the "hardship" of cleaning up the dog who had crapped itself in terror. He came off looking like a jerk, not a sufferer. Ann Romney told a story she thought was "endearing" about how he cut in line at a family reunion dinner, so he was done eating before others had their food. That's not endearing, that's a jerk. Values? In the Parade magazine softball piece, Mrs. Romney talked about how she loved tithing and was so moved she cried. Gov. Romney said he also cried for a different reason. I doubt he actually cried, it was a joke, but a joke about how this very very rich man hated giving to charity even when it is an obligation of his church. As a young man he attended rallies in favor of the draft and the Vietnam war, but he did not serve, he spend the time in France under a draft exemption that applies only to Mormons (how is that Constitutional?) The war is fabulous, let others die, then call disabled veterans "victims" dependent on government, who won't take care of themselves?

The 47% tape was devastating because it confirmed people's worst fears about Romney. The only way out is stop people from voting. The billionaire backed "True the Vote" has, for example, challenged the legitimacy of 700,000 Black, Hispanic, and student voters in Ohio alone, all of whom now have to prove they are legitimately registered. If the only way you get to the Olympics is by smashing Nancy Kerrigan's kneecap, maybe you just don't belong there.

 

Wow. The "one reason to vote AGAINST a candidate" is that you hate him or her? Really? It can't be that you disagree with them on just about every policy issue and that you think they've done a crappy job for the country? Nope. If you're conservative and are voting against the President, it has to be hate or, worse yet, RACISM!

Of course, then you go on to list a bunch of policy issues (many of them distorted) that you disagree with Romney on, and those disagreements are simply reasons that you can't vote FOR him.

Good frickin' grief.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2209719/Pictured-The-beautiful-family-slain-hours-church-mentally-ill-father-tormented-prospect-Obama-winning-election.html

Get your family help! Don't be afraid to ask for help!

 

e_blazer, I said that hating a candidate could be based on serious disagreements. Read the post.

Let me know which of Romney's positions I distorted? He did, in 30 minutes, give 2 positions on health care. He has given at least 5 on abortion.

 

The point is that I disagree with your basic premise that you have to "hate" someone to vote against them. I don't hate Obama at all. I think he'd be a lot of fun to sit down, have a beer, and shoot the breeze with. That doesn't change the fact that I don't like his politics and think he's making a bunch of errors as president, both foreign and domestic.

As for distortions, here's my take:

Health Care: You say that Romney changes his position on this multiple times (I think that's called being a politician, but...) Romney's been consistent that he opposes "Obamacare" and would do everything he can to overturn it. The fact that there are some similarities between "Romneycare" and "Obamacare" doesn't mean that Romney's opposition to a federal law is contradictory to what he did as governor of Massachusetts. He's always said that individual states should have the right to work out their own answers to multiple policy issues. What's right for small and liberal Massachusetts can be a disaster when applied across a large and diverse nation. The fact that he's against "Obamacare" doesn't mean that he doesn't have compassion for people. It means that he thinks there are better solutions.

On abortion, you state that he supports the "personhood amendment" and that it's so stated on his website, yet when I look there I find no such mention http://www.mittromney.com/issues/values. I'd never heard of this amendment so I googled it and the only thing that comes up is left-leaning sites who claim that Romney supports it. Romney says he believes life begins at conception and his thoughts on abortion are consistent with his beliefs.

Your spins on multiple items (Bain, spoiled rich kid, the dog on the roof story, his joke about tithing, etc.) are negative ones that are no more fair than when others spout similar rants about Obama. The 47% crapola has been ridiculous since it hit the media. He was saying to his supporters that 47% of the people in this country already have their minds made up to vote for Obama and that his job in trying to win the presidency isn't to convert those people, but to get the votes of the undecideds. He was right, but he said it poorly and he got lambasted for it as if he were saying that he doesn't give a rat's ass about 47% of the people in this country. That's the way politics are played these days, but it doesn't mean that it's any less distorted than what Romney is making hay with these days with Obama's stupid "bumps in the road" comment.

Look, you support Obama and you have made it pretty clear that you really dislike, if not downright hate, Romney. That's your right and, by all indications, your guy is going to win. It really pisses me off, however, when people tell me that the reason that I won't be voting for Obama is because I hate him or because I'm a racist. While it may be true for some people, as far as I'm concerned, it's 100% bullshit when you apply it to me.

 

What about the part of the 47% that are homeless, disabled, veterans? What about the Grandmother who is on Medicaid and Medicare who is in a nursing home?

You know, the ones that are on medicaid that Romney wants to cut by a full 3rd (block grant)? The ones he wants to send to the private sector with an $8K check for Healthcare that is $15K?

 

His Running mate sure supports it:

[video=youtube;tN4OfGmLZWM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN4OfGmLZWM[/video]

 

dviss, do you even know the 47% to which Gov. Romney was referring? I don't think you do. In fact, I would bet you don't know the context of the statement.

 

Note that was a late-term debate, not an abortion debate. And for the record, I'm pro choice, but that issue for me is pretty far down the list. Of course, if you'd like to talk about Congressman Ryan, let's talk "partial birth" with then-State Senator Obama:

[video]http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=partial+birth+abortion+obama&tnr=21&vid=4572822354722822&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts3.mm.bing.net%2Fvideos%2Fthumb nail.aspx%3Fq%3D4572822354722822%26id%3Dc0a120eb44 ead75e2ab87e9eb03f4dbb%26bid%3DQ3vVzes6xX4V2A%26bn %3DThumb%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fwww.youtube.co m%252fwatch%253fv%253d8YEvBTwDqBY&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D8Y EvBTwDqBY&sigr=11av3jho6&newfp=1&tit=Obama+In+2003%3A+I%26%2339%3Bm+Pro-Choice+Including+Late+Term%2FPartial+Birth+...[/video]

 

For whatever it's worth, this week's polls show a tightening of the race:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/01/battle-for-presidency-remains-close-in-new-cnn-poll/?hpt=hp_t1

 

The polls must be much more legit this week if they look better for Romney, right?

 

Don't be a tool, Mick. I said for what it is worth and I said in Denny's thread that I don't give polls much credence.