tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post1253355405894435975..comments2024-03-28T06:32:24.557-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: How does a Republican win the presidency?Deuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-47081532694993963442012-09-19T00:55:15.075-04:002012-09-19T00:55:15.075-04:00The Bank of Japan took surprisingly strong steps t...<i>The Bank of Japan took surprisingly strong steps to further ease its monetary policy on Wednesday, following similar steps by the Federal Reserve, as it tries to tackle entrenched deflation, an export-sapping strong yen and the impact of slowing global growth.<br /><br />The central bank's policy board decided at the end of a two-day meeting to increase the size of its asset-purchase program...</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-23434733418200940252012-09-19T00:04:07.773-04:002012-09-19T00:04:07.773-04:00Tim Tebow, known for his unexpected plays as an NF...<i>Tim Tebow, known for his unexpected plays as an NFL quarterback, seems to be getting closer to declaring an interest in a future political career.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Tebow did not tip his hand about his own politics, but when it comes to public praise, at the height of "Tebowmania" he earned kudos from Republicans on the House floor and during GOP presidential debates. President Obama last month called him "a wonderful young man."</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-37853102677735307772012-09-19T00:00:14.882-04:002012-09-19T00:00:14.882-04:00A Brevard Community College math instructor is bei...<i>A Brevard Community College math instructor is being investigated by the college for allegedly using class time to urge students to vote for President Barack Obama and for distributing campaign material that says “I pledge to vote for President Obama and Democrats up and down the ticket."<br /><br />Associate Professor Sharon Sweet, 58, requested and was granted an unpaid leave of absence Monday morning as senior college officials look into the matter. Sweet did not return phone messages or an email seeking comment Monday.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-65388292330646528962012-09-18T23:56:57.800-04:002012-09-18T23:56:57.800-04:00The latest trials are thought to have failed becau...<i>The latest trials are thought to have failed because the drugs were given to patients too late in the disease process to have an effect, or were unable to pick up subtle changes in cognition over a relatively short period.<br /><br />Alzheimer's, which is marked by the build-up of sticky protein clumps – amyloid plaques – in the brain, is thought to take at least 15 years to develop and by the time symptoms appear, it is too late to reverse.<br /><br />Existing drugs, such as donepezil (Aricept), have limited benefits.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-38131986760789748902012-09-18T23:25:09.689-04:002012-09-18T23:25:09.689-04:00The current standoff with China was, indeed, drive...<i>The current standoff with China was, indeed, driven by Japan's leading nationalist, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, who made an audacious bid this spring to buy some of the disputed islands from private Japanese owners for his regional government. Mr. Ishihara vowed to develop the islands aggressively, to cement Japan's control, actions he knew to be provocative to Beijing.<br /><br />Mr. Noda's government originally tried to ignore Mr. Ishihara's quest, but then grew alarmed by the outpouring of public support for an online fundraising campaign, and concluded it had no choice but to have the national government step in.<br /><br />While Mr. Noda and aides insisted that would be less incendiary to China than Ishihara control, that distinction seemed irrelevant to China, which saw it as an unacceptable upending of the status quo—triggering the latest wave of Chinese protests.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-36550872872421799082012-09-18T23:17:43.399-04:002012-09-18T23:17:43.399-04:00THE MUSLIMS ARE NOT HAPPY!
They're not happy...THE MUSLIMS ARE NOT HAPPY!<br /> <br />They're not happy in Gaza ..<br /> They're not happy in Egypt ..<br /> They're not happy in Libya ..<br /> They're not happy in Morocco ..<br /> They're not happy in Iran ..<br /> They're not happy in Iraq ..<br /> They're not happy in Yemen ..<br /> They're not happy in Afghanistan ..<br /> They're not happy in Pakistan ..<br /> They're not happy in Syria ..<br /> They're not happy in Lebanon ..<br /> <br />SO, WHERE ARE THEY HAPPY?<br /> <br />They're happy in Australia .<br />They're happy in Canada .<br /> They're happy in England ..<br /> They're happy in France ..<br /> They're happy in Italy ..<br /> They're happy in Germany ..<br /> They're happy in Sweden ..<br /> They're happy in the USA ..<br /> They're happy in Norway ..<br /> They're happy in Holland .<br /> They're happy in Denmark .<br /><br />Basically, they're happy in every country that is not Muslim and unhappy <br />in every country that is!<br /> <br />AND WHO DO THEY BLAME?<br /> <br /> Not Islam.<br /> Not their leadership.<br /> Not themselves.<br /> <br />THEY BLAME THE COUNTRIES THEY ARE HAPPY IN!<br /> <br />AND THEN; They want to change those countries to be like....<br />THE COUNTRY THEY CAME FROM WHERE THEY WERE UNHAPPY!samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-12808643637796211102012-09-18T23:16:02.762-04:002012-09-18T23:16:02.762-04:00If Obama is elected for a second term, just think ...If Obama is elected for a second term, just think of the mess he will inherit this time.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-47753769363591087982012-09-18T22:30:21.129-04:002012-09-18T22:30:21.129-04:00On this day in 1862, Union General George McClelle...On this day in 1862, Union General George McClellen allows Confederate General Robert E. Lee to withdraw after the Battle of Antietam, squandering a key chance to end the Civil War early.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-60817142184136271512012-09-18T21:57:07.838-04:002012-09-18T21:57:07.838-04:00no, your son is...no, your son is...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-3592220420521319542012-09-18T19:53:27.461-04:002012-09-18T19:53:27.461-04:00You coming out?You coming out?desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-90202808176909165882012-09-18T19:53:00.735-04:002012-09-18T19:53:00.735-04:00Another tidbit from Businessweak
Eleven years ago...Another tidbit from Businessweak<br /><br /><i>Eleven years ago, eliminating income taxes for low-income Americans was an applause line for a Republican president. The party’s candidate for president in 2012 sees the number of people paying nothing as a problem.<br />...<br /><br />Elderly Americans and low-wage workers make up most of those who don’t pay income taxes. For 2011, 46 percent of households didn’t pay federal income taxes. About half didn’t pay because of standard deductions and personal exemptions designed to exclude subsistence levels of income from taxation.<br /><br />The rest received tax breaks including the earned income tax credit, the child tax credit, an exclusion of combat pay and tax benefits for older Americans such as the exclusion of Social Security benefits from income.<br /></i>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-82438398230628651262012-09-18T19:50:45.645-04:002012-09-18T19:50:45.645-04:00The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in setting aside a...<i>The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in setting aside a lower-court ruling in favor of a voter identification law, asked the judge to revisit his decision and assess whether all citizens will be able to obtain allowable forms of ID.<br /><br />Enacted in March, the law requires voters to present a state-issued ID, or an acceptable alternative such as a military ID, to cast a ballot. Opponents of the law said probable Democratic voters, such as the elderly and the poor, are those least likely to have a valid ID by election day. Last month, the Pennsylvania Department of State began offering new ID cards as a last resort for those unable to obtain a valid substitute.<br /><br />Today, a majority of the court said the state wasn’t living up to the law’s requirement that it provide “liberal access” to alternate forms of ID. The American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the law, said today only 9 percent of a state- estimated minimum number of alternate IDs have been issued. In order to decide whether the ID law is workable, more information is needed on the availability of such ID, the court held.<br /><br />“It’s certainly a victory in the sense that it vacates the adverse result below,” plaintiffs’ lawyer David Gersch, who argued the case before the supreme court, said during a teleconference after the ruling. How Commonwealth Court Judge Richard Simpson will go about supplementing his earlier ruling is unclear, Gersch said.</i><br /><br />Businessweakdesert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-14449720021862420322012-09-18T18:19:47.404-04:002012-09-18T18:19:47.404-04:00Fake Lesbian Alert...Fake Lesbian Alert...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-75417578814339201692012-09-18T16:11:26.986-04:002012-09-18T16:11:26.986-04:00True dat.True dat.Rufus IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05297231055991566183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-85111574662687882152012-09-18T16:07:04.377-04:002012-09-18T16:07:04.377-04:00I think most folk hear all sorts of stuff from man...I think most folk hear all sorts of stuff from many different sources and form general impressions based on that. It is only the junkies, like you, who pay close attention.Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16688752302081088907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-63619285002427434232012-09-18T15:47:11.049-04:002012-09-18T15:47:11.049-04:00That, of course, just depends on "Where"...That, of course, just depends on "Where" they're doing their "listening." I'll guarantee that if they get their news from Fox all they're hearing is "OORAH!"Rufus IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05297231055991566183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-23830504991074511732012-09-18T15:41:51.464-04:002012-09-18T15:41:51.464-04:00but what they do keep hearing is how Romney keeps ...but what they do keep hearing is how Romney keeps screwing up and the just adds to general perception that he isn't very good. Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16688752302081088907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-22902137459152203242012-09-18T15:14:54.196-04:002012-09-18T15:14:54.196-04:00Yeah, I would be absolutly amazed if anyone could ...Yeah, I would be absolutly amazed if anyone could prove, after the election, that this kerfuffle moved the needle as much as 1/2 of one percent.<br /><br />The people that don't know who/what Mitt Romney is, by now, are very unlikely to ever see this video (or care if they do see it.)Rufus IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05297231055991566183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-79067562280922499772012-09-18T14:55:40.885-04:002012-09-18T14:55:40.885-04:00.
The problem with today's GOP is that they a....<br /><br />The problem with today's GOP is that they actually believe, in spite of the evidence to the contrary, some of the myths that have inculcated conservative Republican thought for the past 30 years. In this case, while Romney correctly identified the tendancy for people to want to vote in their own self-interest, he was just wrong on the basic details involved and didn't recognize that in many cases people have a strange idea as to what is actually in their interest.<br /><br />Another, more agregious, example is the GOP belief in supply-side or 'trickle-down' economics. Being naturally cynical myself, I've always just thought their arguments merely a cynical justification for their grabbing the biggest piece of the pie. However, I've recently come to the belief that these guys, despite the evidence to the contrary, actually believe the crap they are spouting.<br /><br />CNBC presented the results of a Congressional Research Office study released just this week that purported to show that over the past 65 years the evidence shows that while tax cuts to the rich increased income inequality dramatically, it did nothing to increase growth or jobs. It did not say lower taxes on the rich hurt growth or jobs but merely that they did not help.<br /><br />The CNBC host had Howard Dean and James Petakoukis on to discuss the results. JP, unable to argue with the results of the study, changed the subject. He brought up the slower growth in Europe as 'proof' that lower taxes lead to more growth and jobs. Stuck in a causation versus coorelation miasma, he ignores all the differences between the EU and the US that contribute to the differnces in rates and reverts to simplistic urban legends rather than deal with facts. To show his inconsistency, when asked about growth rates in China he began arguing the differences, median imcome, wages, governmental structure, etc. <br /><br />A few words spoken by Romney aren't going to change minds on either the hard right or the hard left and likely few of those in the middle.<br /><br />.<br /><br />Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272168240606512672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-79550214770855471532012-09-18T14:45:34.659-04:002012-09-18T14:45:34.659-04:00I agree. No one seems to see themselves as part o...I agree. No one seems to see themselves as part of the 47%.Rufus IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05297231055991566183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-2587060354807883932012-09-18T14:39:37.857-04:002012-09-18T14:39:37.857-04:00RealClearPolitics
Ohio Obama +4.2
Virginia Obam...RealClearPolitics<br /><br />Ohio Obama +4.2<br />Virginia Obama +2.8<br />Florida Obama +1.4<br />Wisconsin Obama +1.4<br />Iowa Obama +0.2<br />Colorado Obama +1.7desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-13438903533042519932012-09-18T14:37:38.581-04:002012-09-18T14:37:38.581-04:00RASMUSSEN REPORTS
Electoral College
Obama: 247 - ...RASMUSSEN REPORTS<br /><br /><i>Electoral College<br />Obama: 247 - Romney: 196 - Toss-up: 95</i>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-47543969129485582812012-09-18T14:31:46.704-04:002012-09-18T14:31:46.704-04:00.
IMO, the Romney remarks will have little effect....<br /><br />IMO, the Romney remarks will have little effect on the election. It's not going to change any minds. The only things the remarks will do is further stall the Romney effort as he spends the next week explaining them. They took a quick poll on CNBC asking how viewers (a substantial portion of which qualify for the 1%) view the remarks. 48% said they were more likely to vote for him while 24% said they were less likely and another 24% said no change. In reality, anyone taking part in the poll likely would have voted that way anyway.<br /><br />What did the Dems do? The first thing the Obama team did was send out a fund raising letter.<br /><br />And so it goes.<br /><br />.Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272168240606512672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-7945742684050595172012-09-18T14:08:28.993-04:002012-09-18T14:08:28.993-04:00Gallup (registered voters) is down to Obama +1. T...Gallup (registered voters) is down to Obama +1. That's where they were before the conventions.Rufus IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05297231055991566183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-73170552756646683332012-09-18T13:29:43.538-04:002012-09-18T13:29:43.538-04:00And, although Rasmussen tends to lean republican r...And, although Rasmussen tends to lean republican right up until the last week or two, you can't discount his Romney +2, completely.Rufus IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05297231055991566183noreply@blogger.com