No Boost to Romney from Tampa Convention

HERE is Romney’s base and pampered pets… any questions? He has no shame… he makes it clear that you and I don’t count.

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According to a Gallup poll, last week’s Republican convention in Tampa failed to give Mitt Romney a boost in his presidential race with Barack Obama. Romney’s support was flat, at about 46 percent, whilst Obama’s numbers are about 47 percent. In the run-up to the Democratic National Convention on 4 September, President Obama slammed his Republican rival for not caring for the nation’s healthcare system and accused him of pushing to repeal the new protection initiatives for millions without offering a plan of his own. At a visit to the University of Colorado at Boulder, Obama said, “Governor Romney promised that on his first day in office he’s gonna sit right down, grab a pen, and repeal Obamacare. What that means is that right away he’d kick 7 million young people off their parents’ plan. He’d take hope away from tens of millions of American with pre-existing conditions by repealing reform”. So far, Mitt Romney unveiled only a few details of his plans to replace the law he wants to wipe off the books.

In turn, Vice President Joe Biden accused the Republicans of trying to undermine Medicare, a medical program that millions of senior Americans have relied upon for years. David Plouffe, one of Obama’s top White House aides, insisted, “The Romney path would be the wrong path for the middle class, the wrong path for this country”. The Affordable Care Act (called Obamacare by its opponents) is controversial; Democrats consider it a great achievement by, whilst simultaneously providing the Republicans with a unifying platform, from where they have been launching continuous attacks against the Obama Administration, arguing that its healthcare plan amounted to a government takeover of the whole healthcare system and a budget-buster to boot. Meanwhile, around 800 demonstrators marched through the streets of the city of Charlotte NC, protesting corporate greed as well as US drone strikes overseas, which they said killed children as well as terrorists.

3 September 2012

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_09_03/No-boost-to-Romney-from-Tampa-convention/

Editor’s Note:

The Grand Old Phonies’ attack on the Affordable Care Act is schizophrenic. At the time, Wafflin’ Willy was PROUD of his achievement with healthcare in Massachusetts… and the ACA is a carbon copy of that law. You see, it was a good thing when Willy advocated it, but bad when Obama advocated it. However, don’t get too riled. Even with the “convention boost”, Willy couldn’t surpass Obama… and he’s at his zenith. More and more people will abandon him as they realise what a coward and tax cheat he is, and when people realise that the ACA is the EXACT same law that Mittens signed to great fanfare in Massachusetts. In short, the Republicans are dead in the water. Mind you, we do have to “get out the troops”, and we have to make a cogent case FOR social justice, but the Republicans have no substantive policy, it’s merely, “Perpetual war in foreign parts, no taxes on the rich, and let’s pull the plug on grandma… we can’t discommode the affluent effluent”. The GOP has the most objectively evil programme seen in the USA in history without exaggeration… it’s time for all decent and moral people to say, “NO”.

Let me reiterate it… the Republican programme is objectively evil and at variance with what all REAL Christians believe. The “Greed is Good” ideology of the New GOP is directly opposed to traditional Christian doctrine and completely against what Our Lord Christ taught personally… Ye cannot serve both God and Mammon. It’s a selfish and individualistic rejection of the selfless communitarianism that Christ taught. Mind you, Real Christians have fallen short of their profession of social justice, tragically so, at times. However, it’s not the blasphemous undisguised Mammon worship of the Right. That’s made all the worst by its “religious” posturing… especially, on the single issue of abortion (I find the self-satisfied and self-aggrandising posturing of the so-called Pro-Life Movement sickening and repulsive… as repulsive as I find abortion, by the way)… remember Satan can quote Scripture, turn himself into an “Angel of Light”, and pervert things good-in-themselves to his use… the Church teaches us that. We MUST reject the Religious Right (we Orthodox must reject the lunacies of Fathausen and the konvertsy)… our immortal souls ARE at stake.

Remember, God can’t act unless we do. Evil triumphs because the good did nothing… NEVER forget that.

BMD

American Voters Split Over Affordable Care Act

According to this map, which is from a GOP source, Willy needs to sweep all states “in contention”… he can’t… “Sayonara, Mittens, glad to have known ya”…

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After the dust settled on the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it looked like Americans still feel the same way about the bill. With the independent voter being the major player of this upcoming election, both the Republican and Democratic Parties want to gain their votes. Pollsters Gallup, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and ORC International found that Americans have deep divisions on the Supreme Court decision. According to the surveys, independent voters split almost evenly, with 52 percent disagreeing and 47 percent agreeing. The Republicans look like they have an edge over President Obama with the 52 percent who disagree with the ACA.

However, will the Republicans actually have the edge on this issue come November? According to Lydia Saad, a writer for Gallup Politics, they do, saying, “At this point, it appears that Republicans and those opposed to the court decision have a slight edge on healthcare reform as a voting issue, with more saying they will vote only for candidates who share their views on it”. Supporters of the bill, however, claim that Republicans don’t have the edge just yet. They say that once Obama starts to implement the law, many Americans would turn in favour of the ACA. Joshua Holland, an editor and senior writer for online newspaper AlterNet, said, “Call it a crazy hunch, but my guess is that the law will look a lot less tyrannical when people start getting checks in the mail to help pay for their insurance”.

The Kaiser Family Foundation also found that half of independents want the opponents of the bill to move on to other issues. This hasn’t stopped Republicans from launching a campaign against the ACA. They have new ad campaigns that state that Obama lied to Americans about this law not being a tax. The Supreme Court ruled that while the government can’t mandate people to get insurance, they could tax them if they don’t. Ken Goldstein, president of the Campaign Media Analysis Group wrote, “If Republicans are using the tax issue more in ads, then it’s more beneficial to them.” If Republicans can convince the American people that this is just one big tax, then they might just have something against Obama. Joe Trippi, founder and president of media consulate firm Trippi & Associates, stated, “In 2010, the Republicans scored their gains in the House by saying Democrats voted for large tax increases in the health care bill. Republicans may want to play 2010 all over again”.

However, Joshua Holland believes otherwise, “Wealthy investors are outraged, but most people probably don’t know that a 3.8 percent surcharge on investment income… dividends and capital gains… kicks in this January for everyone with an adjusted gross income of over 200,000 USD. So, those currently enjoying the lowest rate on investments in our nation’s history would pay for a decent chunk of the bill”. Congressman Allen West (R-FL) {West was found guilty under the UCMJ of beating a prisoner, however, he was allowed to pay a fine and retire with full benefits… how nice… that shows you the GOP mentality, doesn’t it?: editor} noted, “52 billion dollars in new taxes on businesses, as employers are forced to provide health insurance”. This would trickle down to working-class Americans, who’d have to pay higher taxes. Martha Bebinger, a reporter for the Kaiser Health News, claimed that Mitt Romney didn’t even call it a tax; he called it a penalty, saying, “In his state of Massachusetts, Romney imposed a penalty (in his words) in the form of a state”.

While downplaying the tax bit, Democrats put their hopes on the fact that many Americans don’t want to repeal the law entirely. Mitt Romney however, is basing his new platform on “Repeal and Replace”. Celinda Lake, president of Democratic polling group Lake Research Partners, wrote, “Only 24 percent of people want to repeal the law entirely. People don’t want to start all over on this”. Congressman West thought we should repeal the law, saying, “Employers are choosing to drop healthcare for their employees, who’d flood the government-run system, eventually leading to lower-quality healthcare. Small businesses are beginning to hire part-time instead of full-time employees in order to avoid the requirement”.

Democrats hope that Americans will forget about the decision of the Supreme Court and move on to the economy. Celinda Lake added, “Obama’s in control of the conversation now. Now, he has to turn back to the economy and also frame Romney in terms of the economy”. However, according to Lydia Saad, “Americans who say they’d vote only for a candidate who shares their view on healthcare reform are more likely to disagree than agree with the court’s decision, by 59 percent to 36 percent”. It seems that Americans might not forget about the historic decision. Be sure to see both Parties fighting hard to make sure their path is the outcome. As Obama starts his bus tour of the American Rust Belt, he’ll be sure to keep his views on healthcare to a minimum and focus on what lays ahead for America… the economy. For Mitt Romney, he’ll continue on his new platform of “Repeal and Replace” and continue to attack Obama on his “tax”.

6 July 2012

Jared DeLuna

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_07_06/American-voters-split-over-Obama-Care/

Editor’s Note:

In one sense, the poll results are almost useless. In the USA, what counts in the presidential election are the notional electoral votes, not the raw popular vote. That is, not every state would have the same breakdown, which means that Wafflin’ Willy would win some and Obama would win some. Unfortunately for Willy, he needs to pick up all states “in contention” in order to win (see the Republican map at the head of this article). That would require a miracle of God… as that isn’t forthcoming, let’s not be coy… Mittens made a major strategic blunder. To focus on the ACA calling it a tax is a major error, as lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place (at least, not in the same way).

Another way of saying it is that when history repeats itself, it does so as farce. The 2010 election woke up Democrats… it allowed them to rob the Grande Olde Phonies of the fruits of the Wisconsin recall by retaking the State Senate (something not emphasised in rightwing dezinformatsiya). Willy needs to sweep all states in contention… “Only 24 percent of people want to repeal the law entirely. People don’t want to start all over on this”… that means that Willy’s hardline stance will only alienate the “independents” out there.

Bet on “Red”… the colour of the Socialist International (isn’t it ironic that insensible and gibbering rightwing pundits dubbed GOP states “Red States”… that’s hilarious, and one couldn’t make it up). Pin the Red Rose to your lapel and SMILE.

BMD