Folks, this is real: Mitt Romney is considering appointing as his Treasury Secretary, of all people ... John Thain, ex-CEO of Merrill Lynch. Yep, that's right, the same man who bought a $35,000 toilet for his office while his company was in the throes of bankruptcy. http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/10/01/934361/romney-thain-treasury/
Does anyone else get the impression that many in the electorate view the U.S. Presidency as a role in a reality show? The consequences of this election will be far reaching. Instead of mindlessly repeating either party's talking points, voters need to do their homework. I have never seen so much misinformation and spin, ever. When unemployment and/or inflation sky rockets the "baloney" will have little meaning. If the trucks stop rolling and/or energy costs go through the roof, campaign slogans will ring hollow. Now is the time to decide who is best able to jump start the economy, protect our security, and save the "safety net" of Social Security and Medicare. This is a historic turning point in our nation. This is not a reality show, it is reality.
911 didn't change this mentality.... the Patriot Act ..... two wars..... gas prices sky rocketing...... NOTHING has.... at this point nothing short of an absolute collapse is going to work.
If that occurs, then there will be widespread violence and destruction. Foreign powers will likely intervene and the nation could cease to exist. Regardless of who is elected, the Congress better get working together and fast. I could see the US breaking into regional nation-states like the former Soviet Union. Sounds crazy, but is very possible. We are not as far from the "edge" as people think.
No Fun In Boston The job of presenting the Romney high command with the latest polling data each day must be as fun lately as being a food taster in ancient Rome: Obama is consistently polling above 70 percent among Latinos, and in one new poll has a whopping 50-point advantage over Romney. Romney’s 47 percent comment? Remarkably high percentages of voters polled have heard it, and high numbers don’t like it. Obama’s “You Didn’t Build That” faux gaffe? Voters who hear it, especially indies, actually like it. Can’t be fun in Boston HQ.
I have no interest in watching the debate. The intended audience are undecideds I have little respect for. Talk is cheap at this point, anyone with half a brain has heard all the arguments before.
I tend to agree with this. We're not going to learn anything new tonight about either candidate. If sighing (Gore) or bullying or zingers or whatever moves the needle for someone, that's great for them - but it doesn't hold a lot of interest for me.
I third this. Anything that's super big will be promptly replayed tomorrow morning. No need to watch it tonight.
Debates historically do not move the needle towards either candidate. Normally they just re-enforce the narrative already set. Anybody thinking a debate will dramatically change the course of an election is usually in for disappointment.
I'm looking forward to it and disagree that debates don't really "move the needle." Reagan was behind Carter until the debates. It wasn't until he said, "There you go again!" that Carter fell behind (and why? I've never figured out why Reagan saying that was such a big deal. I thought it was a stupid thing for him to say, but the media had a field day with it. Go figure). I remember because I voted in that election and was watching the damn things. I also saw the Kennedy/Nixon debate, which won the election for Jack Kennedy. Yes, they matter. That's not to say they matter every election, but if it's close, they can make the difference.
I find the debates are better than most anything else on TV (especially the garbage shown on most channels). If the Rockets aren't playing, and Breaking Bad isn't on, then the debates are good TV.
In this case, Romney just cannot connect with the average citizen and isn't running his campaign on specifics coupled with his 47% comments and him just not being likeable within his own party.
Just waiting to see if Mitt Romney says "you people" or if Obama gives his jive hand shake to Mitt.... would be priceless.
Couldn't agree more. Anyone who doesn't know what Obama's about by now is an uneducated moron. Anybody who would be positively swayed by another Romney flip-flop or two is a complete idiot. Lastly, people who are still influenced in the year 2012 by "gotchas", "zingers", sighing or five-o'clock shadows shouldn't be able to vote. It isn't 1960 or 1980. Watching for entertainment or sociological value is fine, but I'll fire up my DVR instead (if the TV gets turned on at all). Later on, I'll come back here and read what the forum has to say. :grin:
