WatchThe way this primary is going, it's pretty clear that the Republicans are no longer even pretending to care about the election. Instead, this seems like a fairly public battle between the traditional Republicans (represented by Romney and Gingrich) and the two extremes of the party led by Ron Paul (economics) and Santorum (social issues).
When Romney gets the nomination, and then loses in the general, it will be all that the ultra conservatives need. I suspect that the anti-big government group will team up with the ultra religious group to drive the party so far to the right that whoever they field in 2016 is going to make this year's crowd look like a bunch of atheist commies.
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Davis, CA
Why would you assume Romney gets the nomination?
It seems increasingly likely to me that Romney will lose. For many of my relatives a Mormon is about as suspect as the Muslim Pretender occupying the Oval Office. They never outright say that, but somehow Newt or Santorum are better choices for them.
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Vicente says
My feeling is there will never be a Mormon Republican President. A Mormon might be able to get the nomination but enough evangelicals wont vote for any Mormon to cause him/her to loose in the general. In this election if Romney gets the nod Obama wont get their vote either, they will go third party or just not vote. It does seem the Republicans are pretty well screwed, at least at the moment.
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What I find weird is that the evangelicals don't seem to care about voting for a Catholic (both Newt and Santorum are Catholics). It is unheard of that they would go for a papist. I mean, we already have six on the supreme court now along with Vice President Biden...how much more power do you want to give to the pope?
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The Republicans? The Liberal media is more in charge over who people are considering than Republicans.
A Blackberry phone could run against Obama and win at this point.
The only people that are actually going to show up to vote Obama, are the people that identify them selves as Democrats, and still find it in their hearts to defend Obama. I mean just look around, that fool is growing even more scarce on Patnet.
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I find this whole situation so ridiculous its almost hysterical and in some ways sad. I'm not really much of a Newt Fan ( nor a fan of any of the Republican candidates for that matter) but I've gotta' hand it to Newt for basically not answering questions and whenever convenient- blame the "elitist" media ( I'm sure he meant that to indicate the "liberal" media), which of course brought cheers from the crowds whom might also believe in the BS that any media that doesn't mesh with what they believe must be a conspiracy. Meanwhile they go home and switch on their cable news channels- owned by some of the largest media conglomerates in the world. But nevertheless it seems that Newt knows how to use the media quite well.
I also have absolutely zero problems saying that yes- I support Obama, I will vote for him, and so too will a great deal of others.
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33 male
Fort Mill, SC
Donkey,
Keep telling yourself that Obama won't be re-elected. Whoever the sacrificial lamb that the GOP puts up is going to lose Mondale style.
1. The Stock market will be anywhere from 50-60% higher than when he took office.
2. Unemployment will be anywhere from .5-1% lower.
3. Taxes (in the form of the 2% reduction in the SS tax) will be lower for every working American.
4. The war in Iraq is over.
5. We will have had no domestic terrorist attacks.
6. Inflation will remain low.
7. The economy will have grown, albeit slowly, for 13 consecutive quarters.
8. Universal health care will exist for the first time in American history.
9. Osama bin Laden is dead.
10. Taxes will be higher for no one.
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Corning, NY
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Kevin says
That's if the party doesn't split along those lines. The only thing keeping the Money Conservatives and Social Conservatives together is their mutual enemy, the Democrats.
Of course, there's a fairly deep split in the Democrat party too. There's a big difference between a Blue Collar "Pittsburgh" Democrat and a Cutural "San Francisco/New York" Democrat.
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Emeryville, CA
I've wondered that too---a floor fight?
Now, the rumor is that Jeb will win at the convention, but will that remind the voters that Bush I and II both sucked the big one?
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47 male
Lafayette, CA
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The GOP says
This is going to look AWESOME when Obama wins in November.
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Emeryville, CA
iwog says
What if the GOP concedes BEFORE November? :)
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This nation is finally on the path to return to its greatness of the 1800s when men of stature and merit selected the President in a smoke filled back room. Since those rooms do not allow entry to Papists, Cultists, Midgets, Negroes, or Broads, the clear winner of the 2012 Republican National Convention will be Teddy Roosevelt.
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Bellingham, WA
Bush Sr is eligible to run.
Just sayin'.
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47 male
Lafayette, CA
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shrekgrinch says
Because Republican incumbent conventions are OH SO different right Shrek?
Generally when someone uses imagery like "borg drones" and "Supreme Soviet" and "Messiah Kool-Aide festival" they are trying to drive home a major point.
Sooooooo.......your point in using extreme language is what? To drive home the fact that this convention is going to be exactly like most other conventions over the last 200 years?
This says nothing about the Democrats and everything about your ability to see the real world. You are so warped by your fascist ideology that you think a tax is robbery, that a political convention is a borg collective, and that Ronald Reagan was an extreme liberal.
This doesn't make the Democrats wrong or even socialist. It only marks you as an extreme sociopath. You are what you do, or in this case what you say.
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47 male
Lafayette, CA
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shrekgrinch says
Which was what exactly?
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You know, seriously at the end of the day does it really matter who gets elected? Seeing as how congress seems to be in the mood to basically disagree with each other no matter what nothing really gets done.
Secondly- and this goes for both parties- whenever you hear politicians talk to "the people" on the campaign trail, almost everything they say is so totally dumbed-down because they can't fathom saying anything remotely out of character with their party's narrow definitions.
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david1 says
Is that why I owe 3K this year?
When I've always gotten at least 2K back.
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iwog says
Well Hello Huckleberry.
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47 male
Lafayette, CA
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shrekgrinch says
Shrek: I made this awesome point!
Iwog: What was it?
Shrek: It was the point I made and expanded upon.
Nice work Shrek.
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The GOP says
Have you considered learning how the tax code works?
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33 male
Fort Mill, SC
The GOP says
*Please do not take this as tax advice...
Perhaps you prepared your taxes incorrectly. Or perhaps you have not calculated your quarterly payments correctly. Or perhaps you changed your withholding status (if you are a w-2 employee). Maybe your income increased significantly. Perhaps you had some capital gains last year that you have to pay the taxes for. Maybe you sold your house and are renting, and no longer have enough deductions to itemize. Maybe one of the few thousand combinations of the above or something else changed...
Point is, the amount you "got back" in previous years vs. the amount you "owe" this year has nothing to do with the rate that you pay in taxes.
You see, there are a few facts on my side here. All things being equal, since:
1. Federal Rates have not changed.
2. SS taxes have been lowered.
3. No significant changes have been made to allowable deductions or credits vs. 2010.
A taxpayer will pay a lower rate in 2011 than he did in 2008.
You personally, well, if you were smart enough to figure out the rate that you will pay this year vs. previous years, that rate may be higher or lower based upon a multitude of factors, examples of which I gave above, and certainly which are not all things being equal.
Based upon your quoted statement, I am doubtful that you are able to accurately calculate your average tax rate, so further discussion on this matter really is a waste of my time.
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Davis, CA
shrekgrinch says
Sometimes Shrek, you came up with useful thoughts amid the verbal diarrhea.
Not lately though. The only other time I have clicked Ignore was for the Paulbot. But you've finally gone over the edge into uselessness and polluting threads so you can have the last word. So it's time.
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david1 says
The only difference is, this year I worked the full year, vs previous years. Why give payroll deductions, if people are going to have to owe money at the end of the year?
Since everyone here loves inflation adjustment so damn much, 100K is not 100K from 2007.
All I know is I end up paying 25% in tax, ss, and medicaid deductions. Yet, now by working the extra 2 months consistently this year over previous years, the deductions my employer takes out for the tax portion, isn't enough to cover the spread. Why doesn't this slide on its own?
It might or might not be any policy by this administration.
But after three long years of the Socialist idiots screaming for greater taxation on those that paid their dues and now make enough money they don't have ride the Peanut Butter and Jelly express, are feeling a greater pinch.
Who do you think we're going to blame, come November?
Newt Gingrich is worst possible person I could ever imagine being president. That was my thought in 96, when he was haunting the house.
Now Obama is that person, and Newt though not square with the house, he's no Obama.
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shrekgrinch says
Not anymore. In today's world, if there is a fight in a backroom, I guarantee you someone will catch it on their cell phone cam and upload it to YouTube. There is no such thing anymore as "off camera."
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shrekgrinch says
But the Democrats did not have a brokered convention in 2008. Obama was the nominee before the convention ever started.
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shrekgrinch says
Really? Like Grant, arguably one of the most corrupt presidents in US history?
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Bellingham, WA
funny thing is that "smoke-filled room" dates from the 1920 selection of Harding as the Republican Party's candidate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke-filled_room