With a debate in each of their win columns, the contenders head into Monday’s final showdown on President Obama’s turf – foreign policy. Even the Libyan mess seems unlikely to trip him up, considering how he smacked down Mitt Romney’s bumbling efforts to make something of it in Tuesday’s debate.
Which leaves us with all we know about Romney’s foreign policy: He’s all about blasting Obama without a word of meaningful specifics on what he would actually do himself.
Just look at GOP running mate Paul Ryan’s debate performance on foreign policy. He griped about not enough U.S. presence left behind in Iraq but when pressed wouldn’t say how much is enough. He barked about Obama not getting tough with Iran, but offered no alternatives. Complained that we were not adequately backing Syrian rebels, but gave no clue what should be done. Same story with Afghanistan.
Can Romney really expect to win a 90-minute debate on foreign policy like this? Obama is not vulnerable from the right on this stuff, especially if the line of attack is empty rhetoric. If anything, the left has more cause to be angry about his many extensions of Bush Administration policy.
Romney’s best chance to end the debates on a winning note would be to change the subject to more promising ground. He’s already had plenty of practice at steamrolling moderators. Next week’s presiding journalist, Bob Schieffer, might need farm tools to keep Romney on topic.
Monday, October 22
9:00 to 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
On ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and C-SPAN.
President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney
Moderator: Bob Schieffer, Host of Face the Nation on CBS
Topic: Foreign policy. Format same as first presidential debate.
Location: Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida
Join our Trail Mix Live Debate Chat
8:45pm-Midnight ET Monday
(Oct. 16 transcript)
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141 Responses to And, They’re Even – Until Monday?
Now on The Trail
for those who don’t like the chat popup
it’s easy to put in sleep mode…
How to Turn Off Chat Popup Box: Click open the “Chat” bar bottom right, click the green button top right next to the mute button, then click the gray “offline” button that appears in top right corner. It won’t reopen again in the same brower and computer unless you click the green button that remains in the bottom right corner.
More: See “Popup Chat Box” under “Help” in the menu bar above
Next to the edit function I think I like the chat function the best
I think what people are finally realizing — Mittens didn’t have a good first debate — Obama had a bad day.
Intrade moved very little during the Mittens fluffing and now has once again started moving towards a bigger margin for Obama
Mittens is a big a fat liar and loser who tries to take credit for the weather
Mittens is toast.
A new GOoPer method of voter supression --
“Mitt Romney wants your vote. And if you’re a small business owner, he wants your employees’ votes as well and insists that there’s nothing wrong with giving them a little guidance this election cycle.”
“…the Koch Brothers sent their employees a list of people to vote for, or else they could “suffer the consequences.”
“…the CEO of Westgate Resorts and the owner of the largest house in America similarly said that he would “have no choice but to reduce the size of this company” if Obama won.”
“Listen to the entire conference call below. Fast forward to minute 26 for the good part:”
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/10/romney-told-employers-tell-employees-whom-vote/58076/
Mika has the patience of a saint. MoJo is either really oblivious about women, or, he’s pretending to not understand binder-gate.
Mittens does not regard women as equals; he does not think they deserve equal pay; he does think that little ladies need to go home at 5 to make din-din for the kiddies (but doesn’t think they deserve medical care or a decent education).
Billy Graham is no longer calling Mormonism a cult, however, if Mittens is any example, it certainly doesn’t seem to be very Christian. His disdain for anything that isn’t white & male is horrifying.
Blue, I saw that about Graham, too. When the Mormon Mafia visits you…they force you to change your language.
I do not want to elect a man who has hides his money overseas so the rest of us cannot enjoy seeing him pay taxes on the money he earned as a US Citizen. He is a cheat and greedy. Only those who are worthy in the Mormon church gets to go to the good planets. The rest of us are stuck here.
Like the regular thread instead of the chat, but I am old. Off to Amazon now.
Regarding the “Chat” I logged in as “me” and tried the chat thingo, but popped up as TMGuestMichelle.
I see it’s working with the login name now. Sorry for the surprise there Blonde Wino.
Looking forward to giving it a try for the next debate.
My advice to Obama? Tell Rmoney he may be a great CEO, but you cannot treat other countries like subsidiaries. Sometimes, you cannot open your mouth on the international stage…you must wait…play it cool. Not act like an angry boss trying to get his minions to work harder…follow his instructions.
Obama needs to give Rmoney a diplomacy lesson in front of Americans. Embarrass him for his bullying ways and how that may just trigger a nuclear response.
Rmoney…if the Cayman Islands were attacked by Al Qaeda, would you go Nuclear?
Soledad OBrien is all talk and no substance
She had two rightwinger defending the Mittens binder remark and CNN has totally debunked the Rmoney claims on hiring women --just the hour before she went on the air..and when these two buffoons said Mittens had a good record OBrien was silent
she’s nothin but another gotcha journalist who has favorite conservative guests who she lets spew lies
KGC…Soledad’s weakness is her religion…it guides her political views. Plus, the memo has gone out to CNN to ‘act, think and poop’ like a republican. Candy, disobeyed the memo and now the conservatives want her fired!
Zvy…it is 6:00AM here in New Mexico. Morning is always a huge surprise for me!
Between work and home I’ve gotten 2 RNC calls in the last 24 hours. It’s annoying to me -- so much so that I don’t think I’m going to vote for Rmoney now.
LP had another great night on the soccer pitch in sectional semi finals. Tied at 1-1 at end of reg play; down 2-1 7 minutes into 2nd 10 min O/T he had a header to tie it up. 3 mins into 3rd O/T he buried one into the top left corner to win the game. On to the final against evil crosstown rival Bridgeport.
Joe was particularly disingenuous this morning -- he sees the Obama campaign as desperate when it brings up Mitt’s pander lie about having his staff bring him binders of women to fill MA gov positions but doesn’t see creating and telling the lie to the ‘murcan people -- when female hiring went down during his administration -- as a desperate move by the Bishop. So let me get this straight, the Bishop lying to women to try and get their votes is not desperate, but calling the Bishop out on his lie is? JHC
The republicans are mistaken…for a lot women, it is not about the economy or money, but about our human rights. Treat us like we live in the 1950s, give-up our freedoms? Pretend I do not have an education? A voice? A right to the same freedom under the constitution?
BW, even if it is about the economy for women, doesn’t it count only if women are full participants in it? Bishop’s record on that isn’t particularly stellar. (But we’ll get back to you on that).
Congrat to LP!
pogo… Methinks you’ve got the conservative mindset nailed down.
God help Bob Schieffer… he’d better be prepared with body armor and a helmet…. or as Sturg would say it…. haylmet.
On CNN…Rmoney’s son talking about how it feels when your Dad is called a liar by the President. Well, spirit baby, Rmoney, how about your Dad falsely calling the POTUS a liar? Being rude the office he so covets.
Then junior, Rmoney. said his Dad was terrified before the debate, corrected himself and said “butterflies.”
Craig,
To be complete and accurate (which I understand this is a biased political blog and does not have any connection related to true Journalistic values) your statement should have read to be complete -
“considering how he AND CANDY smacked down Mitt Romney on Libya !!!
Again no one to blame but Romney even if the Moderator is very biased. Romney blew this and many chances to blow Obama’s horrible record and hold Obama to the truth.
Like Gas Prices -- It was a clear and public goal of his Obama Nation administration to drive up gas prices -- with good intent -- to force, in a government controlled process, the adoption of alternative sources. Commendable idea but Government control is wrong and NOW WE ARE PAYING FOR THE HIGH GAS PRICES -- Thank you Obama for driving up gas prices and Mr Romney you blew your chance to call him out.
KCG you are so correct. Obama is so good at the debate, his ability to command the attention with his style, he is like a great boxer!
Sadly we are becoming a Nation of Retail buyers -- that love the sound bite and do not dig in to understand.
The facts have not changed. The Obama Nation has us in the largest Debt and if we keep going Forward under this administration all the good ideas in the world will look like Greece.
And Sadly Mitt Romney is not getting his points across with all of the Noise being made by others.
pogo…I think for most women, it is not a singular issue, like the economy. Getting everyone back to work misses the point that during the Grand Recession, wages and benefits were taken away at an alarming rate.
The pugs like to weaken unions, but they promote professional associations…’unions for the white collar world.’ Those members of the Chamber of Commerce.
I have enjoyed a life of professional work in my middle age, but the early beginning and the early ending of my working life have pushed me into hourly world. It had been over 30 years for me to work hourly…shocked by the weak labor rules. No breaks, no sick leave, schedule changes, workday beyond 8 hours and they can make you stay after work. The NM labor law IS “if you work over 40 hours, you must be paid overtime.” That is the only labor law on the books. The rules really changed.
Why is Obama now for Drill baby, Drill Drill? Flip Flop
Where is the open and transparent White House?
How many dollars did get routed to his friends?
Pong…you are very misguided…it WAS George Bush who told us “to go shopping” after 9/11. He even let us get into our housing money, so we could shop some more!
And the President doesn’t determine gas prices…gas was $4.00 under Bush…and when asked about it, he was surprised…I posted about that here…an oilman, too, ignorant of the pump prices.
What about the SLC Olympics…Rmoney sure took a lot of federal money — how much got routed to his friends?
PS Rachel Ray on CNN….Ann(toinette) made a huge gaff on her show…we must tune in to see this with Ann(toinette) at the roulette wheel.
George Who?
And a President WILL impact pricing with leadership. Agreed this President has only publicly pronounced his desire for HIGH GAS PRICES until election time. And now what do we have?
A President can lead a Nation in a practical sustainable manner. A President Will lead a Nation by their actions or lack of actions.
This President has lead us into a very dangerous fiscal situation.
We cannot continue the current path Forward!
Something has to Change!
I know you like to forget George Bush…we can’t, he left some pretty big scars.
Ping suffers from watching to much conservative tv/or radio
He needs an intervention
KGC…stem cells might work, too.
I laugh when a conservative man tries to tell me what it is to be a woman…clueless idiots.
Soledad OBrien thinks that Will Cain a conservative asshole who is mostly on the Glenn Beck nerwork is attractive-- but he is a liar and she lets him
and this morning was a perfect example
his hiring women has been completely debunked and she let him lie about
Every other CNN reporter has had the story that mittens recruiting story is a fraud but OBrien let Cain and some other clown lie lie lie and then she just laughed about it
She is a little to cozy with the conservatives on her panel
Will Cain is a republican hillbilly and he needs a decent haircut, too.
Attractive…to fleas maybe.
If Mitt can steer the debate to safer territory he’ll be fine.
My guess is he will propose giving all Iranians a 20 percent tax cut.
They don’t hate us for our freedoms they hate us for our tax code.
Ping…we need insurance reform more than anything in this country…gas prices are not my concern when the insurance companies keep raising their rates and deductibles at alarming rates…thousands of dollars, not pennies.
And Ping, let’s do something about those subsidies to the Oil companies…they have retained huge profits before, during and after the Grand Recession. What does your conservative ouija board say about that?
I look for Mitt to attempt to tie our ability to conduct foreign policy to our economy at home.
More 5 point plan and drill baby drill.
Or perhaps his foreign policy position can be summed up in three small words, nein, nein,nein.
Peace through strength.
You all go off to war, my five strong boys will stay at home, and work for a campaign.
Sorry if I went off a little to much, It is that time of the month and I feel a little bloated.
Wait until menopause, Ping!
And although you tried to be ‘cute’ about woman’s periods…it is a human fact, women bear the babies in this country and other parts of the world. It is a scientific fact…I know your conservatives love to run from science.
Now back to the real world!
Do you dispute the Obama administrations platform against drilling and also the public statements to drive gas prices higher? At least until election time.
Let me go look at the prices…. Yup they are double!
PP
Gas was four dollars under Oilman George Bush. So, today’s prices are not double.
You sure a filled with gas today!
Craig -- Will you fact check me on the Obama platform and actions 4 years ago.
Also Please Read the Rose Garden transcript and was it clear that Obama called the act in Libya a Terrorist attack? Please remind me what he said at the UN 2 weeks later?
Simply the facts
Off to the evil capitalistic Free Market that has driven the innovation in Healthcare that provides the life saving devices, yes at a cost, to make a world a better place one person at a time!
“Well, jump out of your seat and you want to rush down to the debate stage and take a swing at him.” Tagg Romney
Malia Obama, Go ahead Tagg make my day.
Actually, PP, I will fact check you on health insurance vs. health care in the free market. INSURANCE companies have never done R&D on health practices. That is done by the health care industry…insurance is the gatekeeper in collecting premiums and denying care. Speading risk around? The insurance companies have driven-up the price of care to the point that the industry does very little R&D for newer, better and more efficient health care.
Ping
Directly importing FOX talking points does nothing for your believability. Right, left or center, women want to control their own bodies. You can be pro life, pro choice, ardent right wing or rampant left. It doesn’t matter. No man and certainly no politician has the right to tell me what I can do with my body.
As I said earlier, When some Comgressman gives birth, preferably breach, under the Capitol Dome, then they will have the right to make laws about my body!! Until then STFU!!
Ping
I’m curious as to just how the affordable health care act is going to impact your life in a negative way?
Seems to me -- there will be no impact for you personally but as someone concerned about your community and with knowledge of the medical community I would think you would be happy to have everyone covered by private insurance so they aren’t going to the emergency room and so they are getting preventive care
You probably have gold-plated insurance through your employer so what’s your beef
Most R & D is done by universities via government and charitable grants. Corporate insurance has a higher percentage of overhead than Medicare. But that’s okay Ping. Don’t let facts interfere with your opinions.
Ann Romney also taped an appearance on “The Rachael Ray Show” last week, though the episode’s air date is still to be determined by CBS.
CBS holding back on Ann(toinette)..Rachel Ray claims a huge gaffe by Ann(toinette).
Ping, your post is a refreshing admission that Rmoney blew the attempted Libya smackdown. And yes, Candy did call Rmoney on that lie. Were she as biased as Faux and the rest of the conservative handwringers assert, she would have spent most of her time correcting him.
That said, this is just wrong from an economics perspective.
“It was a clear and public goal of his Obama Nation administration to drive up gas prices — with good intent — to force, in a government controlled process, the adoption of alternative sources.”
There is no evidence of which I am aware that driving up gas prices is or was a goal of the Obama admin or that any policy would advance that goal. The existence of alternative energy increases the supply of gasoline relative to demand for it, which drives prices DOWN, not UP. And this flatly contradicts your contention. As does this: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/17/gas-prices-obama-romney/1639609/
And Jamie, the drug companies utilize those institutions for studies favorable to their products. Pfizer, who owns Centrum, was able to help keep its market share by stating multivitamins in the form of Centrum Silver, do help older men. A couple of years ago, multivitamins were causing prostate cancer in older men according to studies at that time.
I’ve read most drug companies have dropped their R&D…too expensive. Health insurance has caused this escalation in prices.
KGC,
Good question.
I still have the same insurance I have always had, and I still see the same doctor. Both the insurance provider and the doctor tell me nothing is going to change in that regard.
The only thing that has changed is that my daughter can remain on our ins. for a couple of more years, and my son no longer has to worry about asthma as a pre existing condition. Seems ok to me.
It reminds me a little of the right wing gun scare. I know Obama was going to take everybody’s guns, but I still have just as many as I had four years ago.
Gas prices at the pump -- 2000 -- 2012.
Nice RW narrative -- based on false facts. They were highest in 2008. That was 4 years ago. That was Bush’s baby -- it went from $2 to $4 during his last 4 years -- before his economic policies sent gas prices back to $2.
Rachael Ray was on Soladad the celebrity asskisser this morning for her pooch charity and she said it airs Monday and it was in response to a question about what was your most embarrassing moment and involves massage.
All this stuff to humanize the Rmoney’s including tag’s little outburst ..oooo we luv our daddy
And on snuffy the most disgusting example of partisan bullshit posing as analysis with Nicolle Wallace former McCain staffer now gooper pimp for ABC
she and snuffy played cynics — I hope they rot in hell and they have to listen to tapes of themselves for eternity spewing the crap they put out this morning
Hubby is getting a CT scan this morning…he had a bleeding incident a week ago. I want to share our experience with the scans…last August, we were sent to collections for the rest of the payment for hubby’s scan. This is when Patsi wrote to me about health care. I had never been in collections before and we paid the $700 plus interest to keep our good credit. In the prior four months, I had paid $500+. toward the $1299. bill. They sent me to collections anyway. In October I finally got to see my PCP (after four years) and she ordered a CT scan for me. I have insurance, but they do not cover the scans. So, I did some checking. The cost of scan with insurance is $1299. and without insurance is $497. And they make it easy…three payments for paying out of pocket. I went for the $497 in spite of my doctor’s staff telling me it was fraud if I did not use my insurance. Not true, of course, but staff causes a lot problems in the medical office.
This time hubby is getting his scan without using the insurance.
I miss the days when I had my saving account and I could just write a check for thousands…alas, the insurance companies, not the providers have that money now!
LOL
Ping has officially declared himself to be a troll
Jeez Ping, it is way to early to be posting while drunk. You on vacation or unemployed?
Jack
KGC…airs right before the debate. Ann(toinette) in front of the roulette wheel…right out of Big Love. Where are the crab legs?
BW -- wait until the effects of testosterone boosting drugs and supplements come home. They will make multivitamins look like placebos. Had a talk about those “low T” drugs with an internist -- he brought it up when we were talking about drug ads on tv. He explained the effects that testosterone dropping has -- lowered libido, weight gain, loss of muscle mass, lowered incidence of prostate cancer. He gave me the reasons for each but it was way above my head. He said he’s waiting to see the data as those drugs make their way into the older male population. He’s not looking forward to it.
re: Monday’s Foreign Policy Debate
All of Romney’s FP advisors are Bush neo-cons. Even the GOP base is growing tired of their “let’s expand the U.S. global empire” ideas. War, war, war. That’s their only solution to every foreign policy problem.
In small towns across the USA, (I live in one), too many families have seen their sons and daughters go off to Bush’s neo-con “wars of conquest” in Iraq and Afghanistan. These young people come back injured and/or traumatized, and experience great difficulty getting a decent job or going to college. The support is not adequate. (Thanks to the GOP in Congress.)
I predict Monday’s debate will be Romney’s uninformed and stale neo-con fantasies, vs Obama’s experienced and insightful plotting of our future path in the world. Obama will not advocate military power as our only tool of diplomacy.
Thus, Obama will “win” debate three.
pogo…I can tell by the commercials…more Low-T than Cialis commercials these days.
If for no other reason then watching Mittens trying to be gracious in defeat, I am so looking forward to election night and to watch the goopers spinners try to make a silk purse out of defeat
Cancer Warnings
Men who have or had breast or prostate cancer should not use AndroGel. An increased risk of prostate cancer has been linked to the use of testosterone supplements.
Read more: Androgel Dangers | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6177796_androgel-dangers.html#ixzz29f6Fotwj
Sorry I wasn’t able to do the link thingie as ehow automatically links the site.
Nash, you may be right. But you may underestimate Rmoney. I’m sure his “team” is poll testing different scenarios as we speak. I don’t underestimate him -- I just don’t know whether he is going to go for content he thinks will make it look like he wins, style that makes him look like he is in command of the debate, or just a newly trimmed haircut and tie -- gotta be sure to look like a winner after all.
My apologies today…I am anxious and scared. Typing my fears away. To me and hubby, it is important to stop the republicans…especially on health care. It is important to our survival. Obamacare is not how I would have addressed the health insurance industry, but it is a start…a block to the republican way of life — who cares if the common folk can afford healthcare? They don’t pay any taxes anyway.
BW
I’m sorry your hubby continues to have problems but glad to see you are fighting back against the medical industry — people think they cannot negotiate medical costs for themselves but apparently you can.
Good Job!
Rmoney is a chicken hawk!
Babble away BW --
Your babble beats out 100% of people actually getting paid for it
Now, I’m no rocket scientist, but if it’s true that Paul Ryan pretended to wash already-cleaned dishes at an empty soup-kitchen for a photo-opportunity, shouldn’t he be disqualified from holding public office? His resignation would suffice, I suppose.
Bear in mind, I haven’t seen any hard proof of this occurrence, I’ve just heard people talking about it.
KGC…we desperately need insurance reform in this country. Not lower gas prices.
How do they get those aprons so clean?
Lol… I think I’ve just seen hard proof of that occurrence.
That is downright Putin-esque.
Apparently The Ryans did wash dirty dishes but it was only for the photo op
does he still have to quit?
That chafing dish at the 1:20 mark is so clean before he starts washing it, you can see his reflection on its surface.
“I washed dishes for a summer” -Paul Ryan
He feels your pain. Well, he felt your pain, for a summer.
I wonder if the Ryan family gave a money donation besides the bs they left behind.
Ryan is now brillo boy.
I wonder if he wiped down the sink when he was done, because anyone that has washed dishes knows that the dishes aren’t done until the sink is wiped down. If he didn’t, then someone else had to, which means he made more work for someone else: I guess that’s the GOP’s idea of “job creation”.
Aaauuuugghh! Have a good day.
Iggy
The dirty aprons would be proof…what happened to those aprons?
Obviously, a volunteer at the kitchen was a GOP supporter and she successfully ‘outed’ her director by letting the replicons in the kitchen — they used the press to expose the director votes democratic..loss of funding for him. She let the campaign in…they just did they dirty work on the director because he spoke out against the phony op.
OMG… someone please get poor Ping a Midol…
here’s my choice for today’s CSM cartoon…
OK enough politics, The latest in mens fashion.
What can I say……… LOL
Jack
Jack…I agree with your post at 10:24 and ping wrote the following…
He sure is seeing double!
Ping my need glasses, too. I am sure his cadillac plan covers vision.
Just heard the garage door…must go.
ping -- Speculators jack with gas prices; Rmoney ain’t gonna fix that, no sir.
If we had a decent energy policy, we wouldn’t be so short-sighted, backing away from new energy tech/conservation, every time we find out we can drill a few more decades, meanwhile making a mess of the planet.
—-
My fave Amazon reviews are still those of”Bic Pens For Women,” but some of these are pretty good.
“LeeBo of Raleigh, North Carolina writes, “As a wife and mother, I LOVE this binder. It keeps me in my place, allows me get dinner ready on time, AND costs 72% of more masculine version. Some people might think its sexist, but sheesh, I’m not binding my feet, just my brain.”
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/sarcastic-binder-reviews-hit-amazon-155608662.html
Seriously, just go to Amazon & search “binders” and read the reviews for all of the products listed…some great stuff. Fun? Yes. But wingnuts like MoJo are missing the point that Mitten’s 1950′s mindset is not welcome.
“Obama sent the CIA in to Libya to aid and arm the rebels long before he officially authorized military action….”
MQW,
Where do you get reports on secret CIA operations in NoAF ?
Of course we have spies everywhere, including Mars, but grey-black agents in Libya who arm rebels?
Why not just operate in the open among the Libyan refugees in SE Tunisia ? It would seem a lot safer.
The goopers want to keep the discussion about binders because they don’t want to discuss Mittens real record on women -- not the one he invented for the debates
How many Mitts are there
Moderate Mitt
Far Right Mitt
War Hawk with no plan Mitt
Compassionate Mitt
Firing Mitt
I think Ann(toinette) was right Mitt’s mind is in danger of breaking apart into a bunch of single issue Mitt’s…will the conflicting personalities have to duke it out
and now he is trying to pretend he is Alan Alda
kgc, love it
monday, the prez should pose to rmoney biden’s debate question to ryan:
over and over again “so what you’re saying is you want war? you’re promoting boots on the ground? you mean more american sons and daughters killed and injured?”
Pat,
On day one, willard will move the Oval Office to Dover AFB.
Later in the day, he’ll make sure that Dover gets busy.
bw, he must have really felt bad when his own dad on national tv said this:
yep, called him and his brothers liars.
bishop romney in so many words implied that his very own sons are liars so why not a prez?
Btw, where is slick willie’s bishoprick ?
“Women in Binders” from Google Images…
[link fail]
New Stanford/NYU study documents the civilian terror from Obama’s drones
My favorite “Nobody Puts Baby In A binder”
mqw
Let’s end it. Remove all Americans from the area.
What then? Are you just bitching or do you have some alternate suggestions?
Ping,
There you go again spewing that conservative bull shit with out any facts. I know that the GOP does not like fact checking but you tend too carry it to the extreme.
I do believe that President Obama is responsible for the high gas prices. President Obama has allowed his appointment for chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Gary Gensler, the former Goldman Sachs partner at 30, anti-regulation, and derivatives cheerleader, the latitude to refuse to implement the mandate from the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform bill to curb speculators’ abuses in the $5 trillion physical commodity futures contracts including oil and gas, economically equivalent swaps, and foreign board of trade price-linked contracts for over a year.
A study conducted by the nonpartisan consumer advocacy group Consumer Federation of America found that speculation caused the average American household to spend an additional $600 in gasoline expenditures during 2011. The report also concluded that in 2011 excessive speculation added about $30 per barrel to the “market” cost of oil. The total $200 billion price tag of excessive oil speculation is equal to over 1 percent of gross domestic product and 2 percent of consumer spending. Moving that purchasing power from consumers to speculators on Wall Street puts a severe drag on the economy. A 2% reduction in consumer spending on goods and services results in the loss of thousands of jobs. Gasoline is less than half of all oil products consumed in the U.S. Oil speculation is costing the airline and trucking industries $39 billion a year that are passed to the consumer.
Today, speculators dominate the trading of oil futures. According to Congressional testimony by the commodities specialist Michael W. Masters in 2009, the oil futures markets routinely trade more than one billion barrels of oil per day. Given that the entire world produces only around 85 million actual “wet” barrels a day, this means that more than 90 percent of trading involves speculators’ exchanging “paper” barrels with one another.
Speculation explains more about oil prices than anything else
By Kevin G. Hall and Robert A. Rankin, McClatchy Newspapers, May 13, 2011
PiT, with the exception of the reference to $600 additional gasoline expenditures in 2011, everything referenced in your post is pre-Obama. The CFA report is based on data that was almost all pre-Obama.
McClatchy (damned liberal bstion) said,
“Feel like you’re being robbed every time you fill the gas tank? Not sure who to blame? Try Wall Street.”
The NY Post (now THERE’S a reliable source) noted:
“At the center of the feud is the CFTC, which passed new rules in October to limit certain traders — those who don’t take physical delivery of crude or oil supplies — to 25 percent of the deliverable supply per month.” [As opposed to the 70% McClatchy notes].
Sooooo, after 20 years of increased “paper” oil futures trading increases, the great bulk of which occurred under GWB and his hands off wall street and big oil policy, the CFTC under Obama, took steps to limit Wall Street futures speculation (one reason that Wall Street and its Repugn syncophants have been so opposed to Eliz. Warren), which is being fought in fed court by Wall Street.
And you see price of gas resulting from speculation as Obama’s fault? WADR, give me a break.
What rules? Wanna bet timmy boy had a hand in defeating them? Supporting team Obama and their financial regulation plans is riskier than beleving Romney about his tax plan.
Read Sheila Bair to see how timmy says one thing in public and does the exact opposite behind closed doors. They make Romney look like a babe.
Jack
One nice thing about being an independent is I don’t have to defend Obama’s financial industries policies.
Jack
The only thing worse than Obama’s policies are Romney’s.
Oh for an intelligent Republican
Jack
Jack, I couldn’t say -- that quote came from the NYPost article PiT linked. The Rules are being challenged in Federal Court. Those rules were promulgated under Dodd-Frank in 2010 and were just blocked by a fed judge. Here, look at this…
“Four House Republicans said in a letter:
Given the court’s finding that the CFTC failed to properly justify the rule, we are concerned that CFTC funds were prioritized to promulgate and defend a rule that was not central to the financial crisis…We are very concerned, in the wake of the financial crisis, that CFTC staff are using limited resources to pursue ideological and political goals rather than using the resources allocated by Congress to carry out the direct requirements of the agency.
“These Republicans act as if the Dodd-Frank law did not instruct the CFTC to implement speculation limits, thus making it a “direct requirement” for the agency. But this is just part and parcel of the House Republican effort to scuttle Dodd-Frank by not providing regulators with enough funding to implement the law.
The House Republican budget, for instance, would force the CFTC to lay off 8 percent of its staff, while it already can’t handle its workload. “We’re way underfunded at the CFTC,” said Chairman Gary Gensler. “Imagine if, all of a sudden, there are eight times the number of teams on the [football] field, but only seven refs,” Gensler said. “There would be mayhem on the field. The fans would lose confidence.”
“House Financial Services Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) has even admitted that the agency doesn’t have the resources to do its job. But instead of providing those resources, it seems that the House GOP will be claiming that the rules themselves are a waste of money.”
Now I know that’s from a librul site, but really, the facts run counter to PiT’s contention. Sorry, but blame is being directed at the wrong source.
Could Geithner be involved? Who knows? But that would be a firing offense if so. Here’s an account from Thomson Reuters, hardly a liberal group.
according to taegan’s political wire based on a chris cillizza fantasy
well, he sure as hell has a problem with this woman
Catching up so if I missed a truthful answer based on the facts sorry..
None of you have kept to the question -- Very Obama like, spin spin spin. Read the transcript.
Fact check it all day long!
Obama did not call the attack in Libya terrorist. Sorry Candy blew it big time -- what a shame her down playing this for the benefit of Obama.
And even if he did make such a direct statement -- then why did he say the untruth at the UN? What an Obama Nation of the truth.
But at the debate again sadly he got away as everyone is falling at his feet once again
Will respond to the healthcare statements later -- But the fact is most advances come from Private industry that take Risk.
Yes NIH and funding is helpful and a part but Free Market principles have driven more change and advancement then any Government program. No Question.
Bullshit. Talking specifically about the attack -- context does matter -- Obama said,
“No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.
“Today we mourn for more Americans who represent the very
best of the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done.
“But we also know that the lives these Americans led stand in stark contrast to those of their attackers. These four Americans stood up for freedom and human dignity. They should give every American great pride in the country that they served, and the hope that our flag represents to people around the globe who also yearn to live in freedom and with dignity.
“We grieve with their families, but let us carry on their memory and let us continue their work in seeking a stronger America and a better world for all of our children. Thank you. May God bless the memory of those we lost, and may God bless the United States of America.”
Again, bullshit. Typical Faux spin -- he didn’t phrase it the way we want, so he didn’t say it. Again, bullshit. What do you suggest he was talking about when he said “”No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.” ?
That was on Sept. 12, from the Rose Garden. Romney was spinning -- sorry, lying.
Bullshit. The word fits. Sorry, but it does.
Want to prove up this “fact”?
“President has only publicly pronounced his desire for HIGH GAS PRICES until election time. ”
Chu made a statement in an ’08 WSJ story -- before he was a member of the admin -- a statement that was retracted last March saying that US gas prices should be boosted to levels equivalent with Europe. Chu said,
“There is a real hardship that Americans are suffering at the gasoline pump. The recovery is fragile. Another spike in gasoline prices could put that recovery at jeopardy. So there are many, many reasons why we do not want the price of gasoline to go up.”
Facts? Facts.
Best comment on the web about Romney’s “binders full of women”…
“Three rings to rule them all, and in darkness bind them.”
The ‘republicon’ war on women continues…
On Sept. 14, the state Board of Health adopted the stricter regulations, reversing its June vote to exempt clinics. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli had refused to certify the regulations because of the exemption, and he warned board members they might lose legal representation if they defied his advice.
Big drug companies have cut thousands of R&D jobs in recent years as in-house laboratories have failed to deliver enough new medicines.
Many companies have instead started buying more experimental medicines from outside biotech companies that they can put through large clinical trials.
Repugs want increased drilling not so much to increase domestic supply, but to increase our ability to join in the lucrative export market. Same with the Canadian pipeline. We’re much better leaving our oil underground as national reserves rather than shipping it overseas.
Mitt Romney also has Binders Full Of…
Jews
Catholics
Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgenders
Negroes
Muslims
Public school graduates
Corporations (because they are people,too)
Born Again Christians
Servants
Illegal Aliens
Space Aliens
Zombies
Vampires
Wise Guys
Billionaire Donors
I think it is a little unusual to receive an e-mail from an elected official asking you to e-mail a Federal Regulator because of potential rule making. Well I got this from Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson
Even Senator Bernie Sanders saw the danger of putting Gary Gensler as head of Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Senator Sanders Blocking Key Obama Nomination
By Ken Silverstein, Harper’s Magazine, March 23, 2009 8:15 AM
Pogo here is what happen to the CFTC rules I think you mentioned. Great Job CFTC. When you don’t want to do something you write them where the court can reject them.
Court Blocks Dodd-Frank Curbs on Derivatives Speculation
By Silla Brush and Tom Schoenberg -- Sep 28, 2012 7:57 PM ET
I’ve come to realize that bullying and prejudice have become a large part of everyday life.
Even though Amanda Todd’s death is sad, I could care less about just her. What about all the other teenagers who commit suicide that are not Supermodel quality. I’m not saying that what happened is not sad and horrible, I watched her video and can see what happened was horrid, but she is not the only one, and its sad how even though many kids kill themselves daily, society goes “Oh, look. A potential supermodel killed herself, now I care.”
Bullying is constant though. I went to a signing event to talk/sign with the Deaf. I meet up with my friend, and we are walking through my local mall (where the event was) signing with her, hoping to run into some Deaf people to socialize with, and me and my friend see some ADULTS (who were about 25-30 years old) walk past, which one of them said “Oh look, its those Dumbass Deaf people.” Even though a Deaf person wouldn’t hear them (even though Deaf people are the best lip readers ever, which I learned from personal experience), I find that it is still rude, which is why when me and my friend turned around and saw the guys girlfriend yell, kick him in the groin, and storm off, maybe we laughed from Karma getting him back.
I almost read the whole page but I was so taken with the, oh never mind, so I skip once to the end and the last comment, the one above, qualifies to me as Algunas.
Yes, Algunas. I think it’s about the damnedest blog comment I’ve ever seen….
Granted, I don’t remember much….but be that as it may, so to speak, as it were, you know?
Good for the girlfriend.
after my speakers gave out, I turned a deaf ear.
Ok…walking in the mall one and friend pass some 20 something children who say that about the dumbass people and I think what if one and friend were walking in Buckhead, Bedford Styvesant, Rego Park, the south side of Chicago, East Nashville, North Charleston, myriad parts of Memphis, Bayonne, Newark, Anadale, New Dorp, or Commerce City?
ok, the first hitch in the plan is…..the mall. ok, I can dig the mall….it’s quite new and exciting and I can’t wait to see when the….well….be that as it may…..time marches on and friends were walking in the mall and met with unmitigated animosity…..what IS you gonna do? Ok….I’d of course say something like, “The mall? Isn’t that where vampires go to die? Isn’t that where the plants give off carbon dioxide? Isn’t that where the climate change is explained by the drippings of water?” my daughter would fix her good eye on me and thereby cast aspersions upon my perspicacity and I, of course, would be flummoxed.
mitt musta spent a cool half-million on that speech.
sheeeee-it…… Mormon, Please……..
somewhere…..Bob Hope smiled.
Just watched Rachel Maddow try to put a good spin on the poll numbers.
Hope she is right, because i see nothing all that encouraging for team Obama in the polls as of late.
It’s OK to throw a game, but you need to throw the right one.
me talk pretty some day……
Is This Really Goodbye? By Ayelet Waldman
http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/inspirational-women/hillary-clinton-farewell
Lawrence O’Donnell just challenged Bishop Romney’s son Taggert to punch him out. If you didn’t see it watch the tape tomorrow on MSNBC’s site.
The tape segment will be on the Rewrite he does near the end of his show. It is not up now, but the link above should take you to the video page it will be on.
In it Lawrence called Bishop Romney a LIAR and equated Bishop Romney and his entire family all cowards in so many words for not even considering to serve in the military.
Have a great evening.
Oh, if there’s a problem tomorrow in accessing it let me know.
I’ll re-post to the main page for their videos and all you will need to do is click on The Last Word button on the left side of the page.
Have a great evening.
“All right, Richard, my boy,” said old Anthony, cheerfully. “You may run along down to your club now. I’m glad it ain’t your liver. But don’t forget to burn a few punk sticks in the joss house to the great god Mazuma from time to time. You say money won’t buy time? Well, of course, you can’t order eternity wrapped up and delivered at your residence for a price, but I’ve seen Father Time get pretty bad stone bruises on his heels when he walked through the gold diggings.”
O. Henry, Mammon and the Archer
AP,
Lawrence may know that, you may know that, but the folks answering the polls don’t know that.
Obama drubbed Rmoney in the last debate but there has been precious little poll movement in his direction as a result.
The bishop may be a liar but at this point more than 50 percent of Americans polled don’t care.
O’Donnell s opinion is not going to change that, neither will his ratings.
Jace…
That is more than likely true. However, I’m sure someone will bring it up too Taggert and I believe that he will say something.
In fact I hope several people bring it up as it will piss him off (Taggert) immensely.
Of course he won’t accept it since he is a coward and his lying sociopath father Bishop Romney along with his other four brothers are all cowards.
Have a great evening.
WORLDPOLITICSMILLENNIALSMORE
How the Chinese Are Rightly Following Ron Paul’s Sound Currency Messagehttp://www.policymic.com/mobile/articles/16690/ron-paul-sound-currency-message-is-resonating-with-worldwide-leaders-including-china
sturgeone: “Our Saviour. Two thieves. One is supposed to have been saved and the other (he searches for the contrary of saved) damned.”
- Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Graph: St. Louis Adjusted Monetary Base (AMBNS)
It’s confusing, isn’t it, A.Paranoid, when you try to figure out war? Surely John Kerry and Al Gore could have avoided Vietnam war duty, but they welcomed it. Both were rejected , one by the Supreme Court and one by the people, in their bids for the White House.
Playboy , nose candy man George Bush 43 avoided Vietnam and got himself elected twice, same for Bill Clinton, and Cheney had a least five deferments too.
A few million guys like me had little choice as we were pulled out of work-places and drafted, and sent to Vietnam. Rich guys like Dan Quayle got themselves put to the front of the line and were allowed to join the Indiana National Guard and avoid all overseas duty, when there was a five year wait for the unwashed workers; no chance in hell to avoid the draft without skipping to Sweden or Canada.
But the big shots…it did them no good down the road as they ran for office in later years, nobody gave a good damn if they had been to Vietnam or not.
So I don’t think anyone really , really cares about whether Romney’s boys went to Iraq, or that Romney was in Europe on a Mormom mission during the Vietnam years…just like only a few souls really care about veterans. When we are yesterday’s news, we are expected to take a hike or just die.
MQw,
“New Stanford/NYU study documents the civilian terror from Obama’s drones” is a 404.
It’s annoying when I post a neat mag page, and then some flunky at the mag pulls it down and flips the 404 at the innocent bystanders who click on my post. I presume it annoys you too.
ronpol is the new commie money guru ? Weird.
MQw,
The graph you supplied w/theFed figures shows that the US dollar is considerably more sound now. Mr paul must be very happy the Obama Admin’s progress.
http://m.guardiannews.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/25/study-obama-drone-deaths?cat=commentisfree&type=article
http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?s%5B1%5D%5Bid%5D=AMBNS
That wasn’t elegantly expressed, but I’m a sleep- walking ghost of a pooped dead zombie right now.
running on fumes.
Crawling, actually. Sleep-crawling….ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
MQW,
Thanks for the Guardian article. Jeez, what fast service.
Anywhat that’s a pretty damning article on drones and the men who love them.
Can’t keep my ise opn………………
BOSTON — Boston Police routinely spy on ordinary citizens engaged in peaceful, First Amendment-protected activity, creating criminal “intelligence reports” on lawful political activity of peace groups and local leaders, according to public records and surveillance video released today by the National Lawyers Guild Massachusetts Chapter and the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.
Boston Police officers make video recordings of peaceful demonstrations and track activists as well as the internal workings of political groups--even when there is no indication of criminal activity or a threat to public safety. The documents reveal that officers assigned to the BPD’s regional domestic spying center, the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), file so-called “intelligence reports” mischaracterizing peaceful groups such as Veterans for Peace, United for Justice with Peace and CodePink as “extremists,” and peaceful protests as domestic “homeland security” threats and civil disturbances. These searchable records are retained for years, in violation of federal regulations, and were turned over to the ACLU and NLG only after they sued for access on behalf of local peace groups and activists.
Full: http://aclum.org/news_10.18.12
Sign petition to stop Boston Police surveillance of ordinary citizens:
https://www.aclu.org/secure/stop-boston-police-surveillance-…
Political Profiling of a “Constitutionalist” Turns Simple Domestic Call Into Full on SWAT Raid
http://theintelhub.com/2012/10/10/political-profiling-of-a-c…
“The police found an aquaponics system that was growing tomatoes in an upstairs room of the house and celebrated, thinking that they had found a Marijuana grow operation.
Much to their disappointment they were informed that it was obviously tomatoes, since after all, this was a farm house.
In a recording that surfaced after the raid it is explicitly stated that this couple is being targeted because of their political beliefs. The recording shows the following exchange:
“Are you familiar with these guys?” asked a deputy identified in the 911 recordings as “Officer 57.”
“Negative,” answered another deputy designated “Officer 56.”
“I am, and it’s affirmative, there is [sic] weapons,” continued Officer 57. “He is – or at least was – anti-law enforcement. We’ve had issues with him. He’s a Constitutionalist.””
http://theintelhub.com/2012/10/10/political-profiling-of-a-c…