HorsesAss.Org

Open Thread 5/22

by — ,

– There was some discussion in the comments of George Tierney Jr of Greenville South Carolina.

– Save LBA Woods (h/t)

– John Hodgman on the importance of restoring civility to politics.

– For every wrongful conviction there is likely a criminal out and about in our communities…the wrongfully un-arrested who are free to continue and often shielded from arrest by a system allergic to self-examination.

– This piece on George Romney (h/t to Howie‘s Facebook) contains one of my favorite opening paragraphs in a long time.

– Chart of the Day

Comments

  3. 3

    Breaking news.. The Republicans in Congress are so fucking insane even their stink tanks and some of their right wing publications are complaining:

    The most recent evidence that the current incarnation of the Republican Party just can’t handle the truth arrived on May 9, when House Republicans voted to get rid of the American Community Survey…

    Both private and public sector policy-makers use ACS data to make important decisions. The federal government allocates $450 billion annually according, in part, to information derived from the ACS. Businesses also consider the ACS vital, which explains why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, rarely a fan of government spending, is opposed to the House action.

    Even conservative economists are leery — the clearest evidence that the House GOP has gone completely beyond the pale can be seen in a Businessweek article reporting that representatives of the American Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute all declared their support for government data gathering. If you don’t understand what’s going on in the U.S. economy on a granular level, you’re flying blind. This should not be a controversial statement.

    Even the Wall Street Journal is appalled

    http://www.salon.com/2012/05/2.....singleton/

    If the Chamber is opposed, this will be walked back.. Fucking incredible!

  5. 5

    @2. What does race have to do with support?
    It comes down to choosing the candidate that most aligns with one’s values.

    By the way,
    “Booker to Maddow: ‘I’m very upset that I’m being used by the GOP'”

    “On the RNC’s effort to exploit Booker’s comments by launching an “I Stand With Cory Booker” petition: “Here they are plucking soundbytes out of that interview to manipulate them in a cynical manner, to use them for their own purposes … I’m very upset that I’m being used by the GOP this way.””

    Your logic is flawed. You are simply race baiting and then claiming you don’t do such a thing.

    Would you call Donald Trump or George Bush or Ann Colter “racist” if they did not endorse romney?

  6. 6

    @4

    Er, YLB…

    You do realize that that poll you cite is a ‘predictor’ question, don’t you?

    ‘Regardless of who you support….’.

    So, Americans think Obama will win. Which means……… what, exactly?

    Americans think all sorts of shit that isn’t true.

    If you want to cite a poll, go to the WaPo poll that has Obama up 49 to 46 over Romney but needs to have Republicans at 22% to do it.

    For those of you keeping score, the 2010 breakdown was 35% Dem, 35% GOP, 30% independents. If WaPo has to undercount Republicans by 13% to give The One a 3% lead, The One is in serious trouble.

  8. 8

    Western PA. Bitter clinger country. Lotsa Catholics. Lotsa blue-collar workers. Very similar to eastern OH

    Lookie there! Both are must-win states for Obama.

    Booming is good.

  10. 10

    The One is in serious trouble.

    Awwwww. Meaning people like you don’t like him? Doesn’t mean he’s going to lose Bob.

    Good day..

  11. 11

    Oh, god, Bob is back.

    Disappeared yesterday when the heat got too high, now back, dropping WSJ and Brietbart links, howling that that lying/stupid Republican Colin Powell does not commit to supporting Obama.

    Oh boy – that’s the best you got?
    You’re an ass, Bub.

    Perhaps the counter to Bub would be to list all the tepid/backhanded/elevator door endorsements of Rmoney by prominent republicans. It’s quite the list already.

  12. 12

    @9

    You do know that article is 9 months old, don’t you? This isn’t Obama vs. the GOP field anymore. It’s Obama vs. Romney, and Romney won’t make the mistakes McCain made last time.

    Good luck grasping that 2011 piece, though.

  13. 13

    Hey Bob – yesterday you mentioned you ‘were in residency’. I’m curious – what sort of residency was that?

  14. 14

    WaPo/ABC Poll:

    Who do you think is more responsible for the country’s current economic problems—Barack Obama or George W. Bush?

    Bush: 49 (54)
    Obama: 34 (29)
    Both: 8 (9)

    What do you think is the bigger problem in this country—unfairness in the economic system that favors the wealthy or over-regulation of the free market that interferes with growth and prosperity?

    Unfairness: 56 (55)
    Over-regulation: 34 (35)
    Both: 5 (5)

    Albatross, meet neck.

  16. 16

    Bob,
    Would you call Donald Trump or George Bush or Ann Colter “racist” if they did not endorse romney?

  17. 17

    @ 14

    So, in the past month another 5% of the electorate has begun to blame Obama more. Oh, and the sample only contains 22% GOP respondents so it undersamples by about 13%.

    You must be pointing out the trend that Obama’s ability to blame Bush for all of his mistakes is rapidly declining and that if his re-election is built on Blame Bush he’s in serious trouble come October and November.

    Another couple of months of stalled job creation and where do you think those numbers will be? Correctly sample GOP and where do you think those numbers will be?

    That’s what I thought.

  18. 18

    @15
    While that gives the lie to people like Bub and Max howling about “$14 Trillion!!!1!!!”, in that Reagan tripled the deficit, and each of the Bushes doubled it, under Obama it’s only gone up about 50%, and nearly all of that is attributable to Bush tax cuts/war/recession.

    It’s in fact a problem, because the government is not acting as ‘buyer of last resort’ and our economy is languishing as a result, except of course for the people at the very very top, like Bub (eye roll).

  20. 20

    @17
    Here are the crosstabs for the past 6 months

    901. Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as (a Democrat), (a Republican), an independent or what?

    Democrat Republican Independent
    5/20/12 32 22 38
    4/18/12 34 23 34
    3/10/12 31 27 36
    2/12/12 34 23 37
    1/15/12 32 25 36

    Are you contending that their methodology has been in error for the entire time?

  21. 21

    @ 18

    And Reagan’s spending was due to massive stagflation left over from the Carter years.

    Obama is credited with less than 3 years of those spending numbers and it’s gone up 50%. If Obama gets a second term, where will he, after 8 years, be in relation to Bush?

  23. 23

    Check out these enthusiasm numbers. Romney is about as exciting to his supports as a bucket of warm spit. No wonder GWB tried to hide behind elevator doors to give his endorsement.

    5. (IF SUPPORT OBAMA OR ROMNEY) Would you say you are very enthusiastic about supporting (Obama/Romney) somewhat enthusiastic, not so enthusiastic, or not enthusiastic at all?

    — Enthusiastic —-
    NET Very Somewhat
    Obama
    5/20/12 91 48 43
    5/20/12 RV 93 51 41

    Romney
    5/20/12 73 23 50
    5/20/12 RV 75 26 48

    — Not enthusiastic —-
    NET Not so Not at all
    Obama
    5/20/12 9 4 5
    5/20/12 RV 7 4 4

    Romney
    5/20/12 25 16 9
    5/20/12 RV 25 15 9

    Sucks to be Rmoney, and Bub, too, also.

  24. 24

    And Reagan’s spending was due to massive stagflation left over from the Carter years.

    Is there no horseshit too foul for you to fling?

    Laffer curve? Tax cuts? Unfunded expansion of defense spending?

    Bub, you simply have no credibility.
    And again, yesterday you said you were in “residency” – I’m curious, what kind?

  25. 25

    @ 17

    In 2008, a real downer year for the GOP, voter turnout was 32% GOP.
    In 2010, a pretty big year for the GOP, voter turnout was 35% GOP.

    So, yeah, at 22% now and 27% at peak of that period, they have been chronically undersampling GOP. You guys really need to understand this if you’re going to take the poll data to heart. Compare the crosstabs to history at the ballot box.

    I think that NYT/CBS poll last week was actually quite fair in its respondent split. It’s why Romney was reported as leading.

    Here’s my source:

    http://hotair.com/archives/201.....ney-obama/

    Yeah, it’s right-wing, but it’s my source.

  26. 26

    @13 “Hey Bob – yesterday you mentioned you ‘were in residency’.”

    This is quickly becoming very much like your asking the self-loathing black loon about the Dinosaurs on Noah’s ark.

  27. 27

    @ 24

    The three-year kind that took me to a part of the country I had never seen before. Everyone should have to do that once in their early adulthood years.

  28. 28

    In 2008, a real downer year for the GOP

    Wonder why that was? Palin? GWB? Two unfunded wars and an imploding economy? Massive wealth transfer to the wealthy? Eight years of President smirk who could barely string a sentence together? The thought of Vice President Caribou Barbie the Grifter?

  29. 29

    @ 23

    Machts nichts. GOP will turn out to pull the lever against Obama moreso than to vote for a guy who is not as conservative as they would like.

    So many people on this site claim they will vote for Obama because they cannot imagine voting for Romney. They are disappointed in Obama, but…….

    So they’re voting their fear, not their hopes. Hopenchange and shit was 2008 and it was smoke and mirrors.

    If HA types can vote against Romney with lukewarm support for Obama, the GOP can sure as hell do just the opposite.

  30. 30

    @ 28

    I believe I answered your question in @ 23. The reason for depressed turnout is irrelevant to your question, which dealt only with numbers. Yes, Obama won. The GOP concedes that elections have consequences.

    The point is that even when the GOP had little to look forward to in 2008 they composed 32% of the electorate. In that context, a poll with a 22% GOP sample is badly skewed.

    Asked and answered.

  31. 31

    “Bob,
    Would you call Donald Trump or George Bush or Ann Colter “racist” if they did not endorse romney?”

    The dumbfuck has revealed his racist bent in every thread in which he’s posted.

  34. 34

    @ 33

    On this blog almost every criticism of Obama is alleged to have racist undertones. All I did was point out that three guys with the same approximate skin color he has either had a problem with his policy on something or declined to renew their endorsement of him.

    So, if guys who phenotypically don’t differ from Obama but differ from a policy of his offer criticism, can that be racist?

    And, if not, why does your ilk consider it racist for someone with lighter color skin to oppose an Obama policy?

    You guys allege racism without basis, as a diversion from defending the man on his merits. I’m just calling you on it.

    Booker.

    Ford.

    Powell.

    Would make a pretty good pro-Romney ad in November.

  35. 35

    “The three-year kind that took me to a part of the country I had never seen before.”

    You can’t even name a specific branch of medicine or one of the other professions that require residency? Such horseshit. When I was challenged by a troll, my response left no doubt whatsofuckingever in anybody’s mind that I have an in-depth knowledge of my stated profession. In fact, that was what led to the discovery of common ground and then eventually a very real friendship with Max, one of our more hated visitors here.

    You have a doctor simply inquiring as to what your residency was and you’re not giving him an answer. That’s usually a big tell, Bob. Shall we just assume that you’re fucking lying again?

  39. 39

    @34 If you don’t perceive the racism in such a comment then you’re just too goddamned fucked up in the head, Bob. You are a racist. Own it. Be proud if it. Be ashamed of it. Continue to deny it. Whatever. But we all know that you are a goddamned racist.

  40. 40

    @ 36

    Do you have something worthwhile to contribute? An explanation, perhaps, of why 32% of the electorate was GOP in an anti-GOP year when GOP morale sucked, and yet in 2012, when the GOP is gearing up to topple a guy they can’t stand, WaPo sees fit to claim with a straight face that only 22% of the people they poll are GOP?

    C’mon, RR. No snark, no sarcasm. Address the disparity. Show us what you’ve got. Give us some of your self-lauded Roger Rabbit Commentary. Enlighten us.

  41. 41

    eventually a very real friendship with Max, one of our more hated visitors here.

    I like Max!

  42. 42

    @34 Bob, did George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina, satisfy your definition of a “racist” when he referred to President Obama a “nigger” in one of his tweets?

  43. 43

    “Life holds no further meaning”

    I submit that your wretched, pathetic life has never had any fucking meaning, Bob. Such is usually the case with you hate-filled racist asswipes.

  44. 44

    Booker.

    Ford.

    Powell.

    Would make a pretty good pro-Romney ad in November.

    Yeah, you do that. I wonder who those two DINOs and an idiot Republican are going to sway, simply because they’re all black?

  45. 45

    @ 42

    I take it you don’t want to weigh in on the poll data disconnect from electoral reality?

    Aw, RR, c’mon. You’re so wise and sage. So prolific as if to give that impression, anyway.

    Enlighten us, good sir. Don’t change the subject after I pointed out that you had nothing useful to contribute. That only validates that, er, you have nothing useful to contribute.

    Enlighten us.

  46. 46

    @41 “I like Max.”

    I’ve noticed that you two can go after each with clubs in hand but you can also amiably discuss issues, finding common ground. I also get a big kick out of the exchanges between my friend YLB and Max. Hell, they should take that show on the road and split the gate between them.

  47. 47

    @40 ” … explanation, perhaps, of why 32% of the electorate was GOP in an anti-GOP year when GOP morale sucked, and yet in 2012, when the GOP is gearing up to topple a guy they can’t stand, WaPo sees fit to claim with a straight face that only 22% of the people they poll are GOP?”

    The GOP’s unpopularity with mainstream voters might have something to do with the reasons listed @28, Bob — you know, cause-and-effect? Or it could relate to the GOP’s campaign style of substituting ad hominem personal attacks for any discussion of substantive issues? Or maybe it stems from a broad public perception that Republicans make things worse instead of better for average citizens? The possible reasons are nearly countless, too many to list here.

    Bungled pre-9/11 security … a botched war in Iraq … corruption … scandals … bungled Katrina disaster response … worst economy since Great Depression … kidnapping and torturing people, and lying about it … failure to catch Osama bin Laden … how many things does a political party have to fuck up before voters reject them?

    I’m not trying to be snarky, Bob. You wondered why people aren’t flocking to the GOP. My answer is because the GOP is a serial clusterfuck.

    ” … self-lauded Roger Rabbit Commentary.”

    Where does the “self-lauded” adjective come from? Your overactive imagination? Those are your words, not mine. I throw out my commentaries for whatever they’re worth. I’m trying to educate and inform, Bob, not get applause. I’m indifferent to whether I’m popular or not. I have a larger mission — saving America, a once-great country until GOPers mucked it up — from morons like you. The larger community good takes precedence over any personal interest in earning plaudits I might have, Bob, although why don’t you ask yourself why I would personally have any such interest. I wouldn’t get anything out of it.

  48. 48

    Maybe Bob is one of those people who craves the adulation of others, so he sees everyone else through that filter. He fails to grasp that rabbits don’t have human egos.

  49. 49

    @ 47

    Swing and a miss, RR.

    Arguing poor turnout and pre-2008 GOP woes is irrelevant.

    Once again, RR:

    GOP 2008 turnout 32% of the vote

    GOP 2010 turnout 35% of the vote

    Current WaPo poll has only 22% GOP respondents.

    The point, RR, is that WaPo poll data badly undersamples the GOP, relative to GOP voter turnout. @ 23 asked whether I thought that was a pattern with WaPo and I responded that I believe that it is.

    I have no interest in pre-2008; your screed was very badly off-point. I have interest in discussing why a poll that so badly undersamples the GOP electorate in 2012 is at all relevant.

    Do you understand now, RR? I can’t dumb it down much more for you.

  50. 50

    @ 48

    And you are demonstrating that at least one of them does not possess human-level intellect.

  51. 51

    On this blog almost every criticism of Obama is alleged to have racist undertones.
    You cannot make a unfounded claim like that without examples.

    All I did was point out that three guys with the same approximate skin color he has either had a problem with his policy on something or declined to renew their endorsement of him.
    I have the same approximate skin color as romney and do not support him. Does that make me racist if I do not support him? By your logic I’m white so I’m a race traitor if I don’t support the white guy?

    So, if guys who phenotypically don’t differ from Obama but differ from a policy of his offer criticism, can that be racist?
    This is not a logical statement. It’s no more logical than…
    So, if guys who are the same height as Obama but differ from a policy of his offer criticism, can that be racist?

    And, if not, why does your ilk consider it racist for someone with lighter color skin to oppose an Obama policy?
    Again. You cannot make a unfounded claim like that without examples.

    You guys allege racism without basis, as a diversion from defending the man on his merits. I’m just calling you on it.

    Booker. = A strong democrat who disagreed with an ad campaign, supports Obama.
    Ford. = I have no clue who this is, not on my radar, so I cannot say one way or another
    Powell. = A republican who felt Obama was not transformative enough. He credits Mr. Obama with stabilizing the financial system and “fixing the auto industry” but said he should have spent more time on the economy. Notice Powell has NOT endorsed romney. By your logic, should Powell endorse Obama just because they share the same skin color? Do you support romney just because you share the same skin color?

  53. 53

    @51

    Booker = Actually not very progressive, big friend of big donors. Possibly forced into Democratic camp, opportunistically, by political demographics of Newark (ie nearly 100% Demo). Proved himself untrustworthy yesterday on Maddow, with nonapology apology.

    Ford = Conservative, back-stabbing DINO from political dynasty in Tennessee – nepotism beneficiary. Anti-choice. Not at all progressive. Lost to bona fide Republican in Senate race a few years back.

    Powell = Republican lackey of GWB. Squandered credibility and legacy in front of UN, spewing lies that he either knew were lies (duplicitous) or didn’t know were lies (gullible, idiot, failure).

    The Republicans can have all three. Know what they have in common? They’re assholes.

  54. 54

    I would vote for powell for president….

    I alway thought a powell/schwarzkopf ticket would be unbeatable, and I still do…

  56. 56

    Booker = Not going to write him off for this one really big mistake. IMHO I have yet to see a pattern worthy of dismissing him. It’s not like he’s romney or something.

  57. 57

    I though Obama’s words nailed it.

    This is part of the debate we will be adding in this campaign about how do we create an economy where everybody from top to bottom, folks on wall street and main street, have a shot at success.”

    “Understand that their priority is to maximize profits,” Obama added of those who work in private equity. “That is not always going to be good for communities or businesses or workers. The reason this is relevant to the campaign is because my opponent, Governor Romney, his main calling card for why he thinks he should be president is his business experience. He is not touting his experience in Massachusetts. He is saying he is a business guy, and this is his business.”

    “When you are president as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, your job is not simply to maximize profits,” Obama continued. “Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country gets a fair shot.”

    “If your main argument for how to grow in the economy is ‘I knew how to make a lot of money for investors’, then you are missing what this job is about,” Obama said. “That does not mean you are not good at private equity. That is not what my job is as president. My job is to take into account everybody, not just some.”

  58. 58

    @ 51 Harold Ford, Jr. Former Congressman. Ran against Corker for TN Senate.

    Sort of a sane type of Democrat. Meaning you may not see him much this election season.

  60. 60

    Sort of a sane type of Democrat.
    Define your terms. This will show us what you value. What makes him a Sane Democrat?

  61. 61

    “Imagine where we’d be if the Tea Party hadn’t taken control of the House of Representatives,” Biden said adding that they were “a group set on obstructionism.”

    “They have one overwhelming goal: prevent President Obama from a second term, with no – apparently no care of the consequences to the economy,” he said. Biden insisted that the president persevered in spite of their obstruction and demonstrated “important progress” that could be measured.

    Ok, tell me how the teabag republicans were not obstructionist? Give me a list where they went along with the president’s initiatives to improve the economy, to help the country.

  62. 62

    @ 60

    He’s a capitalist. He knows that job creation – REAL job creation, not this ‘created or saved’ shit – is necessary and that for it to happen consumers need to feel more optimistic and employers need to feel less restrained and threatened.

    He’ll spread the wealth AFTER the economy puts more tax revenues into the Treasury, not inhibit them by threatening employers with higher taxation and excessive union support.

    Sane is people from his state like Phil Bredesen, a governor who was a Dem and with whom people on the right have found common ground. Sane is people like Jim Webb. Evan Bayh. They’re out there. But they were marginalized and they didn’t like what they saw.

  63. 63

    @ 61

    Works both ways. Let’s see your list of Democrat agreement with GOP initiatives.

    What do I recall instead? A bipartisan agreement between Senators to pass a large number of Obama’s appointees, and by name to specifically exclude others as mutually unacceptable. Whereupon Obama promptly reappointed some of those whom the Senate had excluded by bipartisan agreement.

    It’s not the GOP appointing czars and making recess appointments of people that are unconfirmable, bub.

    Obama’s even starting to alienate his own side – see the current NRC chairman resignation fiasco as an example.

    This isn’t a monarchy. Obama has to compromise and he has done little. The last major election showed him which direction the country wants to head. He is not listening.

  64. 64

    take that show on the road and split the gate between them.

    A knee-jerk bigot, liar and greedhead vs. a guy who halfway cares about sanity and common human decency.

    Someone once said the reptile always wins. Forget about a vertebrate. How about slime? That’ll outlive even the insects.

    No thanks.

  65. 65

    A bipartisan agreement between Senators to pass a large number of Obama’s appointees,
    how does that help the economy?

    excessive union support.
    Good god, that’s the reason the economy stalled!

  66. 66

    @63 “Works both ways”

    No, it doesn’t, Bob. Other trolls have tried this “Democrats do it, too” shit and it’s not gonna fly on this blog, because it’s horseshit. Democrats don’t behave like Republicans. In fact, I’ve long argued that’s part of their problem — Democrats need to behave more like Republicans. We should be obstructing every goddam thing GOPers try to do. And not just so they know what it feels like, but for a larger reason: Because we’re right, and they’re wrong.

  67. 67

    Carl linked to this, but it deserves explicit statement:

    Last 50 Years

    Years held presidency: Republicans 28 years, Democrats 24 years
    Total jobs created: Republicans 24 million, Democrats 42 million
    Stock market return: Republicans 109%, Democrats 992%
    Stock market return, annualized: Republicans 2.7%, Democrats 4.1%
    Income growth: Republicans 0.6%, Democrats 2.2%

    http://upper-left.blogspot.com.....f-day.html

    Roger Rabbit Commentary: The shibboleth that Republicans manage the economy better is just another GOP Noise Machine myth. The truth is, Republicans are terrible at anything having to do with the economy. Why? Because they hew to a false ideology ground on economic myths whose only goal is to expand the wealth of the already-rich, at the expense of everyone else. For example, cutting government spending during a recession makes the recession worse, which is why Europe is collapsing now. We’re right, they’re wrong. I didn’t invent that phrase. It’s actually the title of a book, written by James Carville, in the 1990s — well before the stunning failures of the Dubya administration were inflicted on our nation and the world. Politics isn’t a meaningless game. As our friend Bob reiterated in one of his vapid comments above, elections have consequences. We’re right, Republicans are wrong, that’s why progressives have to work ceaselessly to defeat Republicans and keep them out of important public offices. Because everything they touch turns to burnt cinders.

  68. 68

    @63 To expand upon my previous response, no, we won’t agree to GOP initiatives. We prefer to kick GOP goatfuckers to the curb. Because we’re right and they’re wrong. How’s that strike your fancy?

  69. 69

    “– There was some discussion in the comments of George Tierney Jr of Greenville South Carolina.”

    We haven’t had this much comic relief in a long time! George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina, is one of those rare individuals who is a genre all by himself.

  70. 70

    @62 Gee Bob, maybe consumers would feel optimistic if corporations quit cutting wages and used some of the trillions of dollars they’re sitting on to hire people back — ya think???

  71. 71

    Republicans have yet to figure out that by slashing wages and offshoring jobs they’re destroying their markets, because it’s their own customers they’re doing these things to.

  72. 72

    @52 No. But George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina, is being racist when he refers to Obama as a “nigger” in a twitter.

  73. 73

    George Tierney Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina, refers to himself as a “former golf pro” on his Twitter page. I wonder if that means he got fired from his golf caddy job? Just curious.

  74. 74

    @45 et al. Bob, I’ll let this blog’s readers decide whether I have “anything useful to contribute,” as compared to, say, … you. Is that fair in your book?

    P.S., so far you’re not getting rave reviews here, from what I see.

  75. 75

    @62 & 63
    He’ll spread the wealth AFTER the economy puts more tax revenues into the Treasury, not inhibit them by threatening employers with higher taxation and excessive union support.

    I have time for a more reasoned response.

    That is usually code words for Prosperity through Austerity. You will cut benefits and services and not raise taxes until property occurs.

    You imply that you are against raising taxes on the wealthy, but willing to cut services and benefits to the poor and non wealthy. I do not believe a democratic society should do that. There should be shared sacrifice, not just at the bottom. Apparently we differ.

    You imply that you are anti union when unions are a key ingredient of a strong middle class. I think America is strongest when we have a strong middle class so I’m for all things that help keep it strong including higher taxes on the wealthy. Apparently we differ.

  76. 76

    Bob: On the one hand you state that many jobs created by corporations can outlive their usefulness and need to be done away with.

    On the other hand, you criticize the Obama administration for not creating jobs that will last forever.

    It seems to me that your nostrums for what ails this country are not so much well thought out policy decisions as knee-jerk reactions to who is doing something rather that what they are doing. In other words, you are driven by right wing dogma, not hard facts.

    You already have your mind made up (much like a die-hard sports fan. You look for factoids to support what you already believe to be true. Hence, you often have two opinions about the same outcome — as I’ve illustrated above.

    No matter how much crap you pile on the table, your selection of the crap is guided by your ideological dogma.

  78. 78

    @ 74

    I’m not fishing for compliments. I don’t refer to myself in the third person as a non-human entity, which seems silly and hardly worthy of perpetuation ad nauseum, but maybe that’s just a difference between styles.

    Still no reasoned response to my point about the disconnect between turnout percentage and poll percentage, I see. Ah, well. I assume you have none.

    My purpose for being here is that I get plenty of info from other sources and I like to broaden my perspective. I read things here – links and personal opinion – that I don’t read elsewhere, unless it’s Rujax talking, in which case I’m sure it appeared on the DNC talking points memo earlier that day.

    I’m not here to kiss ass, RR. Here to engage and maybe learn something, or just possibly make someone on the other side understand a perspective they wouldn’t hear if all that occurred on this blog is leftist chatter.

    I’m sure Goldy would prefer aggressive engagement to self-stroking lagomorphic pandering.

  79. 79

    @74 Bob is a goddamned racist and that’s where I draw a line in the sand. With that, I don’t give a flying fuck what Bob thinks about anything else.

  81. 81

    @ 76

    Bob: On the one hand you state that many jobs created by corporations can outlive their usefulness and need to be done away with.

    I had to read that twice. Kind of a unique twist but I suppose I agree insofar that some jobs become obsolete and should end. Yes, I agree that obsolete jobs should not be perpetuated just so that a job exists. It is inefficient and propping up something that no longer contributes doesn’t work in a fast-changing marketplace.

    And yes, I believe that Obama has not done enough to create sustainable jobs except by favoring some industries – green or unionized – and holding back others in the process, to achieve his version of a new economy.

    None of that seems knee-jerk, sorry.

    And please point out that I do not fault Obama for obsolescence of some jobs resulting from technological advances, just as your side should not blame Bush for those jobs lost because of technological advances during his presidency.

    I disagree that job losses due to obsolescence and jobs falsely created by tax money or payoffs to green or unionized supporters have anything to do with each other. You became lost during your post and finished with jibberish.

  82. 82

    @ 80

    Have you lately berated any foreigners for having the temerity to speak to you over the phone using better English than you use, Steve?

    ‘Foreigners’. As in, people not like ourselves. That’s what you meant, right, Steve?

    To Steve, ‘buy local’ means not having to interact with those other types.

  83. 83

    @ 80

    Don’t you hate those foreigners for being so calm and focused on the phone when you go off on them in your profane rants because you’re so angry at them for being so foreign?

    That hate of foreigners you harbor, Steve. Did your parents teach it to you?

  84. 84

    You’re a fucking idiot, Bob. I told you before, you need to be reality-based if you want to take a swipe at me. This shit you make up isn’t cutting it.

    But you, Bob, are indeed a racist, something for which I have absolutely zero tolerance. I don’t care if you’re standing in front of me or hiding behind your damned computer, I’ll call you out for it every goddamned fucking time.

  85. 85

    @ 85

    ‘Foreigners’ is barely disguised bigotry, Steve. You really let the mask slip on that one.

  87. 87

    Bitter clinger country.

    I sense a bitterness towards an upstart who made his mark in Chicago and a clinging to old failed policies.

    Just check out Rmoney’s foreign policy team…

    Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran anyone?

  88. 88

    Still no reasoned response to my point about the disconnect between turnout percentage and poll percentage

    I’ve actually been doing useful work today – not jousting with you.
    I concede that you may have a valid point with regard to poll sampling pools. I’ve just had a brief look at a few others – specifically Fox and DailyKos/PPP, and they have higher proportions of both Democrats and Republicans than WaPo. What seems to differ between them and the WaPo poll was that the latter had a far higher proportion of self-identified ‘independents’

    I’m not sure if that’s a substantive criticism of the WaPo methodology, if it’s less valid, etc. I also haven’t yet looked at whether Fox and Kos are more representative of pollsters, or is WaPo.

    You raise an interesting criticism, and that may or may not undermine the point that was being made with those polling data, namely that people hold Bush II more responsible for the awful economy than Obama, and that they’re more focused on economic justice than tax cuts.

  89. 89

    @ 88

    That comment not directed at you.

    All I’m saying is, look at the crosstabs. The larger the gap between the electorate breakdown at the voting booth and the one used in the poll, the less reliable that poll is likely to be.

    And RR was blowing smoke, which is virtually all he is ever able to do.

  90. 90

    55. dorky dorkman spews:
    re 54: But …. would they know how to run a government like a business?

    05/22/2012 AT 12:34 PM

    who cares….if they ran it like the military, I would be cool with it.

  91. 91

    64. YLB spews:
    take that show on the road and split the gate between them.

    Max, A successful, respected member in his inddustry with a great life vs. YLB, a lazy basement dwelling lemming who expects everyone else to pay his way.

    05/22/2012 AT 1:35 PM

    There, fixed it.

    Steve, why in the hell would I team up with a parasitic boat anchor like YLB? Fuck that, I can make far more on my own. I try to avoid working with lazy losers, because working is the last thing they will do.

    But I appreciate the nice words

  92. 92

    Good grief, you’re fucking stupid, Bob. Only in the mind of a fucked-up-in-the-head racist wingnut like you would one find equivalence in a statement noting the shipping of American jobs overseas to “foreigners” to “bigotry”. Now if I had talked about shipping American jobs to “chincs”, “spics”, “slopes” or any of the multitude of foul words used by you Birchers to describe people of other races, cultures or nations, you might actually have had a fucking point to make. But I didn’t. Keep swinging and missing like the fucking idiot you are, Bob.

  93. 93

    You’re welcome, Max. Darryl’s inbox seems to always be full, so I’ll try asking Carl or Lee to forward my email address to you.

  95. 95

    I alway thought a powell/schwarzkopf ticket would be unbeatable

    Wow! Two generals running the country. Oh like the good old days of Franco running Spain or Musharraf running Pakistan or some tinpot caudillo running some South American backwater.

    Combine that with tariffs and what do you get?

    Not only a greedhead, racist and liar – roll all of that up into one succinct word:

    Fascist

    Pining for a “man on horseback” to restore “order”..

    Thanks for playing..

  97. 97

    I can make far more on my own.

    Zotz called it right on the mark. A piece of shit looking for a shoe..

    Or a pig. Wrestle with it and you get filthy and the pig just enjoys it.

  98. 98

    @ 92

    It’s that highbrow form of bigotry you practice, Steve. That one so full of indirectness that only someone straining for evidence usually can see it. Until you drop the ‘foreigners’ term, which tells everyone around you that shouldn’t have had that beer before posting. You derided foreigners as less than good-ol’ local Americans who look and sound like you. Clear as a bell, Steve. Dingggggggggggggggggggg………….

  99. 99

    “It’s that highbrow form of bigotry you practice”

    You project too much, fucktard. In case you didn’t know, that’s a Psych 101 thing. You might want to work on it.

  100. 100

    “highbrow”

    That’s actually pretty funny. Unintentionally so, because you’re dumber than a stump, but it’s still funny.

  101. 101

    Hmmm… been busy but this is an interesting thread.

    When did Steve demonstrate a foreigner dislike? Got link?

  102. 102

    95. YLB spews:
    I alway thought a powell/schwarzkopf ticket would be unbeatable

    Wow! Two generals running the country. Oh like the good old days of Franco running Spain or Musharraf running Pakistan or some tinpot caudillo running some South American backwater.

    Combine that with tariffs and what do you get?

    Not only a greedhead, racist and liar – roll all of that up into one succinct word:

    Fascist

    Pining for a “man on horseback” to restore “order”..

    Thanks for playing..

    05/22/2012 AT 4:42 PM

    Christ, your vag must be aching again.

    If you think powell and big norman are fascists, then you are really out of touch…and I would love for you to say that to any soldier to his face. Hope you are in the mood for having a boot shoved up your ass.

    you dont like them because they arent apt to hand out “free stuff” to parasites like you.

    why do you hate successful people? after all, they take care of you…

  103. 103

    List of US generals who became fascist presidents of the USA
    George Washington,
    Andrew Jackson,
    William Harrison,
    Zachary Taylor,
    Franklin Pierce,
    Andrew Johnson,
    U. S. Grant,
    Rutherford Hayes,
    James Garfield,
    Chester A. Arthur,
    Benjamin Harrison,
    Dwight Eisenhower

    why does ylbasement hate US troops and the US military?

  104. 104

    YLB thinks george washington and Ike were fascists….

    wow…just….wow….

  105. 105

    Frankly,
    Franco was one of the best things to happen to Spain.

    Can you imagine the sheer body count and bloodletting had the communists won the Spanish civil war?

    We all know YLB has a mancrush on Lenin….

  107. 107

    Zotz called it right on the mark.

    Unless Zotz met Max at his “job” or talked to his employer, ylb is as dumb as a stump!

    So Max, did you meet with Zotz?

  108. 108

    @105

    Got it Steve – I will send Carl an email.

  109. 109

    @106

    that would a NO, I dont know who Zots is.

  110. 110

    @ 101

    I think it was last week there was a post about a Credit Union based on Vashon.

    Steve piped up that he likes dealing locally so he doesn’t have to interact with foreigners.

  111. 111

    97. YLB spews:
    I can make far more on my own.

    Zotz called it right on the mark. A piece of shit looking for a shoe..

    Or a pig. Wrestle with it and you get filthy and the pig just enjoys it.

    05/22/2012 AT 4:51 PM

    YLB’s post should prove to everyone, that he is unable to take care of own household, and requires the rest of us to support him.

    confirmed. lazy is as lazy does

  112. 112

    “When did Steve demonstrate a foreigner dislike? Got link?”

    OMG! You used the word “foreigner”! You bigot!

    Bob’s having a fit because I give him nothing to work with. You and I tear each other new assholes all the time. It’s great fun for both of us. But you know me, and you know that that is something I don’t do. Hmm, you throw some pretty good digs my way. Maybe you can help Bob out so he’ll stop swinging and missing all the time. He’d be a little bit more fun for me if he could actually make contact with the ball once in a while like you do. Show him how it’s done, Puddy.

  113. 113

    @109 Another swing and a miss. You keep striking out, Bob, and it’s so sad to see. So I’ve asked Puddy to give you some pointers so that you can at least play the game with me. He knows how it’s done. And I do respect him for that.

  114. 114

    @ 112

    Your game:

    1. Every third word a profanity. Substitutes for cerebral exchange.
    2. Dodge responsibility by alleging similar of someone, or something, else.

    Three shows nightly. Seven on the weekends.

  115. 115

    “Steve piped up that he likes dealing locally so he doesn’t have to interact with foreigners.”

    Good grief! Another swing and a miss. That one wasn’t even close, Bob. I really do hope that Puddy helps you out because you’re starting to bore me to tears.

  116. 116

    @113 Hmm, a cerebral exchange with a dumbfuck like you. About what? Your hatred of blacks?

  118. 118

    Bob doesn’t appear to have a job, unless posting on HA is his job (in which case he’s probably paid by the word, not by the hour). Times of Bob’s postings in this thread:

    8:32 AM
    8:56 AM
    9:02 AM
    9:30 AM
    9:37 AM
    9:41 AM
    9:47 AM
    9:55 AM
    9:58 AM
    10:02 AM
    10:05 AM
    10:07 AM
    10:22 AM
    10:36 AM
    10:38 AM
    10:48 AM
    10:58 AM
    10:59 AM
    12:54 PM
    12:55 PM
    1:22 PM
    1:30 PM
    2:29 PM
    2:34 PM
    2:42 PM
    2:44 PM
    2:52 PM
    3:44 PM
    4:11 PM
    5:06 PM
    5:53 PM
    6:05 PM

  119. 119

    Steve @111,

    Wow, what can I say? I guess Bob needs to not go off a cliff in his commentary and be more agile and provide proof points.

    BUT,

    His poll analysis is spot on Steve. That has been a sore spot with me too. Search HA and ask your “great friend” debazed ylb for info from his crazed databaze!

    And,

    Bob is right about rujax! rujax spouts the standard DNC daily talking points. If rujax is black, as I think, he really doesn’t think for himself.

  120. 120

    Im not sure rujaxoff is capable of thinking about anything at all, much less about himself.

    the nut proudly inhabits the lowest rung of HA, which is saying something.

  121. 121

    @ 114

    Scroll up. Based on the number of times you have tried to engage me directly in this post, all the while contributing materially NOTHING to political discussion, I’ve apparently pretty much been the main focus of your day, Steve.

    Now that’s sad commentary. You post incessantly about me to announce………. that I bore you.

    ‘night all. Lib Sci, Michael, YLB – regards.

  122. 122

    @117 Bob is one of the 1%. He runs a service business! So he has nothing better to do than post idiotic comments reeking of racism all day long on local political blog.

  123. 123

    re 120: “Now that’s sad commentary. You post incessantly about me to announce………. that I bore you.”

    Ah Yes, Bob. Timing is everything.

  124. 124

    I like to focus my attention on the racists who show up here, Bob, so of course you’ve got my attention. You’ll continue to have my attention even you bore me, which you already do.

  125. 125

    “Scroll up.”

    What’s with you wingnuts always giving people orders? Can’t you see through your narcissistic haze that nobody ever fucking follows them?

  127. 127

    “His poll analysis is spot on Steve.”

    It’s difficult to see past the racism to give any consideration to any point he’s trying to make.

    I will say to you, Puddy, that I too am bothered by any attack on investment capitalism. That’s too broad a target. Startups would be screwed without them and that’s a big deal in our local economy. Corporate raiders? That’s a horse of a different color and fair game.

    We haven’t spoken civily in a while, old friend. Before we descend back into what we do here again, I want to say that I hope all is well with you and your family and, although I haven’t said it in a while, I wish you and yours the best.

  129. 129

    “If rujax is black, as I think, he really doesn’t think for himself.”

    I don’t really know about his race as we haven’t met yet and I’ve never asked. One thing I’ll share about Rujax! is that I’ve heard a song he shared with me that he and his band recorded and it’s really, really well done. I really liked it. Recording engineering is a hobby of mine and I was very much impressed. Regardless of what my friend Max says, Rujax! really is a damn fine musician. He plays the bass, the same instrument as your son and I. Heh. Common ground, Puddy. Imagine that!

  130. 130

    If I was attacking Romney on Bain Capital, the term “corporate raider” would be like a drum beat. People get that. As an Obama supporter, I’m concerned that the vocabulary I’ve heard used by surrogates only causes eyes to glaze over.

  131. 131

    OMGoodness Steve, the family is doing well. Both sons graduated with NO undergraduate college loans. Mrs Puddy is as beautiful as ever and Roger Dumb Wabbit and Professor/Doctor Stephen have met her. I am enjoying life and sparring with the more intelligent leftist life forms on HA.

    I hope the Steve family is doing well. My golf game sucks as ever, but I find more golf balls in the woods than I lost. Must be golf balls being white!

  132. 132

    Steve, Capitalism is the catapult to our economy. It’s curious Obummer attacks the hand that fed him in 2008. When will the slobbering complacent media admit Obummer got more from private equity than McCain?

    Didn’t anyone here find it curious how Obummer treated Jamie Dimon with kid gloves over the JP Morgan Chase debacle?

  133. 133

    Just because my baby boy and rujax have a common theme in music doesn’t excuse his moronic postings! The man can’t post something on this blog without first checking leftist blogs, threads, or media! It takes no thought process at all to do that!

  134. 134

    “You guys allege racism without basis…”

    Is this shit for real?
    On record for suggesting that it ought to be alright to incite violence against African Americans because they are inferior to whites.
    How much more “basis” can there be?
    Yikes.

    Bob, answer this:
    Do you believe that the African American community is inferior in some way to the white community?

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