WITH ONE ILL-ADVISED political statement about the deadly attack on the US embassy in Libya, Mitt Romney ensured that another week would go by when the focus of the presidential campaign wasn’t on the economy. There have been many such weeks recently, with nearly as many causes — Romney’s insult to the British during the London Olympics, Clint Eastwood’s bizarre empty-chair monologue at the Republican convention. Each of these has set off an uproar, and then, just as Romney was preparing to “pivot back to the economy” — BAM! He’s reeling again.
But grim as these episodes have been for the Romney campaign, they have always been accompanied by the fortifying hope that this time, if they can just keep it together, the dreadful economy will await them at the other end. More than anything, the economy was supposed to smooth his path to the White House. His strategy from the outset assumed that the fundamentals are so weak that Obama couldn’t win reelection. No incumbent has won a second term with the unemployment rate above 7.2 percent — and Ronald Reagan only won in 1984 because the economy was recovering so rapidly from the 1982 recession.
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I find it amusing that pundits like this guy make Romney seem so inept. It is crass, and it is as biased as one can be. So many pundits hover over Romney, looking for some gaffe or mistep. They treat Obama with kid gloves, and ignore all of his gaffes and misteps. Here is a man who went to Vegas to do a fund raiser after our embassies were attacked, and our men were killed. He refused to meet with Israel's prime minister, but did a radio interview with the "pimp with the limp". None of these moves get any attention by the media, who hover over Romney like vultures, waiting to pounce.
I think Nevada is part of America, and didn't Mitt go there to meet secretly with a bunch of millionaires recently? And enough with the name calling.
Romney will not admit that he has been wrong in his tactics and chage course. Has never happened and never will. he only changes course by public opinion and he is listening only to half the public right now. How else could he have decided yesterday that lower income level extends to $200,000 per year? What was this man ever smoking to think he had a serious shot at the white house?
sure josh, whatever you say buddy. We have 8.1% unemployment(actually 16%), 4.00 gas prices(which you guys never talk about), food prices are soaring,16 trillion dollar deficit, 20 countries are protesting, Americans have been killed, nut let's write an article today about Romney, wouldn't want to skip a beat, your readers would be disappointed if they had to read about the mess in the middle east.
The Boston Globe is an official arm of the Democrat party. Mr. Green's column goes, "BAM" as it awaits liberal readers at the other end. May I suggest that Mr. Obama's declaration, "I killed Osama Bin Laden" was "ONE ILL ADVISED" political statement about a deadly attack he made on the Muslim Brotherhood he sponsored like a bar of Arab spring beauty soap? Mr. Romney has more personal, professional and political ability than the failing Chicago politician we now call President can ever achieve.
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I won't debate the validity of comments regarding Obama or Romney. The fact is if you dislike either of these candidates so much that you are reduced to insults or contrived viewpoints then you really lack any form of objectivity. Obama like all Presidents has his share of faults that I could easily list. Mr. Romney has a long list of faults that also could be easily listed. However, this is politics and poliiticians at bottom represent ideas, ideas that represent directions which the country could take. I for one don't want to go where the Republican Tea Party wants to go. Someone else might wish to join their fantasy world and that is their choice however, to lay upon either candidate these personal attacks is a waste of time.
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Hear, hear! Has anyone's opinion ever been swayed by the nastiness spewed by TheSystemWorked, ProfFox, migh, or BeGolfing? If anything, they should make you question whether you're on the right side of the fight.
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With a complex global economy, where we're no longer a dominating presence, does the President really have that much of an impact on the economy? Presidents are either fortunate or unfortunate to be in a booming or declining economy. If Romney's strongest asset is his business experience you have to wonder if that's really much of a selling point.
Romney's strongest selling point is he managed to govern with the opposition party possessing a supermajority in the legislative branch, but he's running from that like it's the worst form of cooties.
You talk about Mitt Romney's gaffe about speaking the truth and our leader Pres. Obama runs off to a fund raiser when our consulates are burning and our ambassador and others are murdered. If this was Pres. Bush on 9/11 he would have been crucified.
Recent Pres. Obama gaffe....Egypt ally or non-ally...didn't have teleprompter to answer that question.
At Least Romney spoke the truth about the olympics...and didn't give the queen an ipod with his speeches or the prime minister DVD's that didn't work......who is clueless.
The only thing Pres. Obama knows is spend, spend and spend....he thinks the money is free or his friends like Warren Buffet are going to pay more taxes...(they could now if wanted to) lives in a dream world. Now Beneke is going to spend an additional $40 billion per month....just print the money until the economy improves.
Pres. Obama needs to go....how is the Arab spring working out and now we have the Arab winter...and if you believe this is about a movie you still believe in Santa Claus.
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if this week's plethora of data and events does not convince you that Obama is one of the worst President's we have ever had then you are delusional
OK, Harv, you are delusional.
The August deficit, driven by $369.393 billion in spending, the highest such single-month total in U.S. history, was $190.533 billion, the largest August deficit ever reported. The U.S. federal budget deficit increased by $191 billion in August and has topped $1 trillion for the fourth straight year.
The data would not support your argument.
Obama fiddles while ROme burns. https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=201645180959880549419.0004c9a894dfb66defab9&msa=0&ll=26.273714%2C58.79882sspn%3D42.034439%2C53.613281
According to the polls, the race is too close for people to be predicting the winner. Those who seem so sure that Romney is going to annihilate Obama merely skewer their own credibility. I hope Obama wins, but I certainly wouldn't say it was a sure thing at this point. Still the signs definitely look encouraging.
I find it humorous that begolfing finds it necessary to characterize those who disagree with him as "delusional." haha.
I actually sometimes find "begolfings" posting interesting when he stays away from the contrived. However, because I disagree with him I don't believe I am delusionsl. If that were the case then I would say anyone who supports Romney's economic position is delusional as the numbers do not support what he alleges. Granted he gives so little in the way of facts it is difficult to draw conclusions, but even now Mr. Romney has now taken the position that 250K is middle class. Middle class? When only 4 percent of the population reaches that economic level. This is who will not raise taxes on, this is who he is protecting. No, I don't think those who support Mr. Romney are delusional, they are merely mistaken. (NP) Are Obama's solutions perfect? I don't think so, but they are better than Mr. Romney's fantastical pronouncements. Increase in defense spending. Tax cuts for everyone and all I'm going to do is close some loopholes and I'll tell you after the election. Well, frankly in that I am ot delusional I know for a fact the only way he gets the numbers is to eliminate my mortgage home deduction, my state and local tax deduction, my health care deduction and perhaps my charitable deduction. He doesn't say he will but unless he wants to blow an even bigger hole in the deficit then these deductions have to go or almost every other department in govt. must be butchered. Now some may think that's a great idea. I don't. I like the FDA, Food Inspectors, roads etc. I do think the choice is real clear and insults aren't necessary. I have asked many times for a defense of Romney and I never get one. To me that says something.
Romney's statement was very confusing, and maybe that was intended. He said that middle income was $200,000 to $250,000 or less. The "or less" doesn't make a lot of sense, especially after Stephanopoulos' follow-up: "Is $100,000 middle income?"
Romney replied, "No, middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less."
I'd be afraid to bet on what he really thinks. :-)
Dream on, Joshua. Ben Bernanke's effort to help Obama get another term will not work. Pushing interest rates down another quarter point won't lower the unemployment rate by November and could cause serious inflation in a few years.
For the very reason you stated I don't believe it was a political move by the Fed. Instead I think it's a effort to get the economy moving again. Econmists have varying views about whether it will be effective and how effective, but I've seen no predictions of serious inflation because of it.
I think hoping the economy will tank for political reasons is beyond the pale, and there are some commentators who obviously relish the idea.
That would be odd for Bernanke to do, he's a Bush appointment. Another one of those strange conspiracies that folks come up with. Bush appoints Bernanke so that he might work for Obama once he was elected, so that the Dem would defeat the Republican nominee. I see it now, so that Jeb Bush could become President in 2016. Such intricate planning. Those Bush's sure are sneeky.