1 He kind of looks like santa claus now. But favorables arent etched in stone ace

2
What are you gonna do with that crutch Newt?

Why are you looking at me like that?
Newt?

3 Barack Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable tyrant.

4

I recall another headline for a newsmag feature along those same lines: "The Gingrinch Who Stole Christmas". Maybe they added a question mark, to be safe.

 

 

5 I think all of our candidates that are remaining (I am bummed that Perry dropped out) are flawed, but just from the reactions from my kids, Romney comes across to them as shifty and slimy. They do like Santorem, and think Gingrich seems smartest. Personally, I agree that who ever in the establishment chose Mitt really dropped the ball. They seemed to have based his electibility on the fact that they would vote for him. I wish we could start all over.

6

Nerds!!!

This "Time" is a comic ..., excuse me, graphic novel?

7 "in as much as it discusses something his supporters don't want to discuss, his high negatives."

Well, of course his supporters don't want to discuss his negatives- they're his negatives.

On the flip side, Mitt supporters seem oddly recalcitrant when the subject of Mitt's conservative accomplishments comes up.

8 Protester? It looks like a fucking terrorist!

9 Protester? It looks like a fucking terrorist!

Bah!  They're mostly peaceful demonstrations, after all.

10

I'm protesting the SCOAMF, where's my magazine cover?

11
he broke his crutch cuz he can walk again

12 (in reference to Geraghty's article) (saw this on Hot Air) Yeah, Newt has a high unfavorability rating. 57%ish. You know who else has a unfavorability rating over 50%? Obama. And Obama hasn't been targeted* by political attack ads - yet. *this campaign season

13

The problem with Time is you can't wrap a fish in it and you can't wipe your ass with it.

Too glossy.

14 ANYBODY who threatens to make a difference in DC will be trashed from one end to the other. It will be one hell of a fight. Driving up negatives and catching the wrath of the establishment Rino's is simply the price of entry...some don't have the stomach for it...

15 4 I recall another headline for a newsmag feature along those same lines: "The Gingrinch Who Stole Christmas". Maybe they added a question mark, to be safe.

Posted by: Jim Oberg at January 24, 2012 04:33 PM (x1cuw)

Pretty sure that was Time too. Or maybe Newsweek. But that was definitely a cover, and, like this one, was published before the GOP Congress even took over.

16 re:  the protester

I'd hit it.
_

17

If I thought Newt really were Uncle Scrooge, I might be inclined to overlook his complete lack of reliability, utter lack of executive experience, entire unsuitability to be an actual leader of anything, and checkered history of erratic big government conservatism.

 

Unfortunately, the only big ideas I've heard from Newt lately have been big government ideas.  "Private" investment accounts with government-guaranteed returns, Medicare Part D, government-sponsored guest worker immigration, amnesties.

 

I would *vote* for Uncle Scrooge.

18

 Protester? It looks like a fucking terrorist!

 

I hope he / she isn't on my flight, that's for sure.

19

I remember it was the age of the Angry White Man, whose desire to lash out at others for his own failures led him to reject the Utopia promised by Clinton & Co.

It even had a theme movie: Falling Down.

20

>>I hope he / she isn't on my flight, that's for sure.

 

Can we fire him again??

21 Regardless of who the nominee is, if you don't vote for them, you are actively supporting and enabling Barak Obama's second term.

22 They, and their children, and their grandchildren, will all get what they deserve.

Hey, that 'they' is me and mine- and I certainly won't be voting for the SCOAMT. 

And if you think areas like California and Illinois will be hit hard, wait until you see what a 2nd Term Obama will do to States which oppose him- like my own Texas.

23 "and, like this one, was published before the GOP Congress even took over."

Democracy is only good when you vote for the correct people.

24

One for the legal seagulls.

 

Can the government compel you to give them your password to your encrypted computer?  Why of course they can if they already know what's on it.

 

http://tinyurl.com/7y8sgtr

25

Its a lot easier to decrease favorables than it is to increase them.

Especially if you've been in the public eye for a long time.

 

Basically increasing your favorables is impossible unless you get some kind of telegenic illness or else get the country into a war or natural disaster.

26 President Skinflint and VP Scrooge Biden approve of the fair and balanced job Time is doing representing the GOP.

27 "[...] it discusses something his supporters don't want to discuss, his high negatives."

Romney's negatives are just as high. He went up something like 15 points in the last month.

I should find you the link, ace.

28 I'm glad they left me outta' this

29

About the time of this cover, the AP Wirephoto of the Year was a shot of Newt having lunch with some staffers

 

The photo was shot in full fat-belly profile, Newt standing and shoveling a slice of pizza into his fat face. This, thinks the AP, is worthy of Photo of the Year.

 

That's when it occured to me that the game was rigged. Hey, I was a kid.

30 Protester? It looks like a fucking terrorist!

Posted by: mike at January 24, 2012 04:35 PM (RRSlp)

If it walks like a duck...

31

Right, Meicz.

Both Romney and Gingrich currently have higher unfavorables than Obama.

Heckuva a job, GOP.

32 Yes, teh Newt is evil.

33 If it walks like a duck...

Then shoot it for it's tasty, tasty flesh.

34 I insist that no-one look at that picture above. It's all anti-Newt Establishment lies! You have my permission to read comments 12-15, but none before or after. Quarantine is the only way to prevent infection and Establishment mind control. Don't look! Close your eyes to the lies! I am here to help you!!!

35 What's Time Magazine?

36 "Can the government compel you to give them your password to your encrypted computer? Why of course they can if they already know what's on it."

As long as they've got a warrant, this seems reasonable. The idea is that the password is the key, and you're required to unlock a locked container if they've got a warrant.

The unreasonable part, for me, is that some jurisdictions will scan your phone at traffic stops with no warrant. I wait for SCOTUS to hear a related case and slap that one down, too.

But until then ... don't leave it on your phone.

37 Here's the value of Newt-in the film industry they talk about 'breaking the Fourth Wall". Newt does this during the debates-he breaks the Fourth Wall of the Fourth Estate Fortress...

38

Person of the year?...Allah!!!

and this guy...

http://tinyurl.com/7o4nfbw

 

39

So one of Barack's BIG guests tonight is the secretary who works for Warren Buffet. She will be there to express how she pays higher taxes than her boss. Funny though, Buffet will still pay smaller taxes than those making more than 250K.

 

40 I think it isn't not wanting to discuss his high negatives as much as just nodding in agreement and pointing out the other three have bigger problems.

41 Posted by: Ranty McNewGuy at January 24, 2012 04:43 PM (ZPrif)

Really- who the F is this guy?
And can Mu.Nu be configured automatically to reject whatever proxy he's on?

42 Anyone have SOTU bingo cards or drinking game phrases handy for tonight?

I'll be reading the liveblogging, not watching the speech. Far more entertaining and enlightening

43 "Both Romney and Gingrich currently have higher unfavorables than Obama."

Not surprising, really. It's still primary season, and Obama's unopposed in his.

If our candidates are any good, they'll drive his higher during the general.

44 "He sucks" followed by "He can't win" followed by "he's a lobbyist" followed by "He left his wife" followed by "Everybody hates him"

45 I'm making my commit. It's Mittens. Why? We need someone who will fix the economics of the country not be our "Daddy". He needs to get on that message and stay on it. We don't need any "new" ideas, we need basic, sound economic principles...

46 Then shoot it for it's tasty, tasty flesh.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Team Meteor. Now with Cheesecake at January 24, 2012 04:43 PM (8y9MW)

No lie, Peking Duck is one of the most succulent dishes I've ever enjoyed.

Protesters are probably gamey and smell like piss.

47 When's someone going to write the article where it elaborates on just exactly how fucked we are going forward regardless of who the R's put forward?  I mean, either one is a shitty pick....then, should they lose to O'pencildick........

48 The photo was shot in full fat-bellyprofile, Newt standing and shoveling a slice of pizza into his fat face. This, thinks the AP, is worthy of Photo of the Year.

That's when it occured to me that the game was rigged. Hey, I was a kid.

Posted by: spongeworthy at January 24, 2012 04:42 PM (puy4B)

There was also one (by some newsmag) of Newt chugging a 22oz can of Foster's. In black & white so it could be considered more artistic, of course.

49 Mercifully, news magazines are about as relevant as a chastity belt in a brothel.

50 Don't worry. If you pick Romney, we'll just make adjustments to the first cover so he's wearing his magic Mormon underwear instead of the striped pants.

51 I wish we could start all over.

Posted by: Chilling the most for perry at January 24, 2012 04:34 PM (6IV8T)

I don't know anyone that isn't voting for Mitt  --

unless they're voting for Obama!

52 Anyone have SOTU bingo cards or drinking game phrases handy for tonight?

Posted by: kbdabear at January 24, 2012 04:44 PM (Y+DPZ)

I'm going with a longshot and think that "corporate jet owners" is going to make a reappearance tonight.  I don't think Barky can resist it when he's talking class warfare.  He doesn't know all that many phrases, to begin with.

53 "we need basic, sound economic principles..."

Like an individual mandate and an unwillingness to repeal ObamaCare.

Check.

You know the difference between Newt's support of an individual mandate, and Romney's?  Newt has at least proven willing to abandon his support of it.  Also, Newt never implemented one in the first place.

54

AH yes - The Old Republicans are heartless mantra. The left never tire of that one. Meanwhile, the nation is swirling down the toilet, unemployment is at record  highs, people are homeless in record numbers and the media still sucks the cock of Obama, the corruptocrats and their various cronies. Hell, the media is part of that corrupt crony system.

55 I'm glad this wasn't making a point against Newt.

56

Protesters are probably gamey and smell like piss.

 

oh, but the Toe Cheese!

57 Speaking of the Orifice of Omaha, it looks like he had quite a bit to gain from the SCOAMF's killing of the Keystone pipeline

Obama Puppetmaster Warren Buffett Biggest Winner From Keystone Pipeline Rejection

http://tinyurl.com/76vmbu9

Burlington Northern carries about 25 percent of the oil from the Bakken, said Krista York-Wooley, the railroad spokeswoman. The company can carry higher volumes from North Dakota or Alberta, she said.

58

My wife, brilliant as she is, doesn't follow politics and is disgusted that I do. Voted for Toonces last time, knows she goofed.

 

Will not vote for Gingrich. Thinks Romney is a tool, a tough sell there. I hope she stays home.

59 Anyone have SOTU bingo cards or drinking game phrases handy for tonight?

Look for "Moment of Crisis," "Critical Moment," and "Fair Shake."

60 If it seriously comes down to Obama or Newty, I'm going to put my left nut on the ballot. For reals.

61 56 "we need basic, sound economic principles..."

Like an individual mandate and an unwillingness to repeal ObamaCare.

Check.

You know the difference between Newt's support of an individual mandate, and Romney's? Newt has at least proven willing to abandon his support of it. Also, Newt never implemented one in the first place.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Team Meteor. Now with Cheesecake at January 24, 2012 04:46 PM (8y9MW)

You're right about that... damn and blast I don't have a rebut...

62

Newt doesn't take the garbage and he gives me the dutch oven...every night.

 

63 "Obama Puppetmaster Warren Buffett Biggest Winner From Keystone Pipeline Rejection"

You have noticed that Bloomberg has scrubbed the article from its site, too, right?

64

Newt re-gifts.

Just sayin.

65 The problem for Gerarghty-and almost all of the Conservative media is the sold out their credibility defending Mitt Romney-for probably two election cycles now. The Conservative media might really have a point this time. However the electorate has tuned them out-because the Conservative media stopped listening to the electorate outside of the Beltway years ago.

66

I'd like the Warren Buffet Specific tax hike. It's a tax hike made just for him. Get your check book out, you creepy old buzzard.

No - For Obama, Warren's faux agreement to "yeah raise my taxes" is a big joke. Reality - Obama wants to start with small businesses first. That way Warren can take over those businesses and take even more of the corruptocrat pie.

67 You're right about that... damn and blast I don't have a rebut...

I'm sorry, but I just can't throw my support to Mittens.  He has never made a Conservative case for himself; he's spent all his time trying to say (in essence) "Well this other guy is flawed, too!"

To which I respond, "Yes, he is.  He may even have more flaws than you, gross.  But, net, he's got far fewer, because he's at least succeeded at some conservative things."

68 I insist that noone read any of comment 44 or 56. He is trying to infect your mind!!! I insist!! I will read over the comments and alert you if and when any are safe to read. I am trying to help you!!!111!! Be safe!!

69 55 Anyone have SOTU bingo cards or drinking game phrases handy for tonight?

Posted by: kbdabear at January 24, 2012 04:44 PM (Y+DPZ)
I'm going with a longshot and think that "corporate jet owners" is going to make a reappearance tonight. I don't think Barky can resist it when he's talking class warfare. He doesn't know all that many phrases, to begin with.
Posted by: really ... at January 24, 2012 04:46 PM

Let me guess at a few;

Reviving the Middle Class
Bringing Manufacturing Jobs Back to America
Millionaires can afford to pay just a little more
Bringing back the dream of home ownership
Wall Street Banks
Democracy in Arab nations
I killed Osama Bin Laden

70 I have nothing to add at present re Newt's "electability" except

nice hair. 

71 66 "Obama Puppetmaster Warren Buffett Biggest Winner From Keystone Pipeline Rejection"

You have noticed that Bloomberg has scrubbed the article from its site, too, right?

Posted by: Meiczyslaw at January 24, 2012 04:49 PM (bjRNS)

 

Thats ok we have the interwebs and those crazy wingers on our side.

http://tinyurl.com/7gdz5j6

 

 

72

THHHBBBTHHBBBBTHHBBBT! squeeeeeeeee

Cabbage, babe! Does it smell like it tastes?

73 OT: Hey, is this new series Alcatraz any good?

74 sock off

75

>>>Like an individual mandate and an unwillingness to repeal ObamaCare.

 

You just made that up. Romney has said again and again, waivers Day One and will sign repeal when it hits his desk. Go ahead, say you don't believe him--that would be a fact. Saying he's "unwilling" to repeal ObamaCare is just you making shit up.

 

Why is this primary turning us all into people who argue like Lefties, all bullshit and emotions. No respect for accuracy. Is there no longer a border between facts and feelings?

76

Romney's negatives are just as high. He went up something like 15 points in the last month.

I should find you the link, ace.

Posted by: Meiczyslaw at January 24, 2012 04:41 PM (bjRNS)

 

 

 

Or you could just scroll down to the post he wrote about Romney's unfavorables dropping down close to Newt's.  He's aware.

77 If you are addressing millions of people and after an hour of uninterrupted speaking you have to use the phrase "Let me be clear" a half dozen times... maybe the problem is on your side of the podium.

78 66 "Obama Puppetmaster Warren Buffett Biggest Winner From Keystone Pipeline Rejection"

You have noticed that Bloomberg has scrubbed the article from its site, too, right?
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at January 24, 2012 04:49 PM

If CNBC, Bloomberg, and Financial Times actually did their jobs instead of shilling for Crony Socialism, I wouldn't have to get financial analysis from a Ron Paul fanboy site that also cheers on OWS

79 And it drives me nuts that they're comparing apples to fucking kumquats with this whole tax rate bullshit.

Warren pays, along with 95% of all rich people, Capital Gains taxes.  NOT INCOME TAX.  They don't have a salary, most of the time.

You can't compare my tax rate against their return on investments.

IT IS A LIE......fucking media suckbags.

80

Newt beats our dog.

Help.

 

 

81 Seriously, it looks like either one of the anarchist creeps who like to destroy property and riot or a Pali terrorist in some clique called Matyrs of Bullshit who like to shoot up buses full of small Israeli children or airport lounges at Christmas.

82
Why is this primary turning us all into people who argue like Lefties, all bullshit and emotions. No respect for accuracy. Is there no longer a border between facts and feelings?

Posted by: spongeworthy at January 24, 2012 04:53 PM (puy4B)

Spongeworthy, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, children's ice cream.

83

Americans For Tax Reform is offering a variety of Bingo cards for tonight's Date Night entertainment.

 

http://tinyurl.com/7vrv8rh

84 You just made that up. Romney has said again and again, waivers Day One and will sign repeal when it hits his desk. Go ahead, say you don't believe him--that would be a fact. Saying he's "unwilling" to repeal ObamaCare is just you making shit up.

Why is this primary turning us all into people who argue like Lefties, all bullshit and emotions. No respect for accuracy. Is there no longer a border between facts and feelings?

Posted by: spongeworthy at January 24, 2012 04:53 PM (puy4B)

I think that waivers are completely different than repealing the piece of shit........I'm just saying.

He created it....he likes it.  I'll vote for who says they'll repeal it and use the paper it's written on to heat homes in the north east.

85  Posted by: Ranty McNewGuy at January 24, 2012 04:43 PM (ZPrif)

Really- who the F is this guy?
And can Mu.Nu be configured automatically to reject whatever proxy he's on?

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) Team Meteor. Now with Cheesecake at January 24, 2012 04:44 PM (8y9MW)

 

 

Yeah.  He reminds me of the two fuckwits that got on the Perry thread yesterday......right before everything went to shit.

 

86 Time is sick! Commie shitheads are oblivious to their disgusting imagery.

87

Anyone Ever see a snotty unprofessional cover or TIME or Newsweek depicting any democrat or democrat related cause in a nasty light?

 

88 You just made that up. Romney has said again and again, waivers Day One and will sign repeal when it hits his desk. Go ahead, say you don't believe him--that would be a fact. Saying he's "unwilling" to repeal ObamaCare is just you making shit up.

I get his unwillingness to repeal ObamaCare from the fact that one of his top advisers is already saying it "can't" be done.  You don't talk like that (during the primary) if you're willing to at least give it a go.

You don't moderate those kinds of expectations during the Primaries- you do it (if at all) during the General.

I also get his unwillingness to repeal ObamaCare from the fact even the admission that he'd sign a repeal (let alone fight for one- which he's never said he'd do) had to be dragged out of him.

I further get his unwillingness to repeal ObamaCare from his quote (paraphrasing, but I'm sure you've heard it) where he says he wants to get rid "of the bad parts" but keep "the good parts."

So, no, he's never said, "I'm unwilling to repeal ObamaCare."  He has said enough other things that I believe he's unwilling to do anything- beyond sign a bill with which he has otherwise no connection- to repeal ObamaCare.

89 You just made that up. Romney has said again and again, waivers Day One and will sign repeal when it hits his desk. Go ahead, say you don't believe him--that would be a fact. Saying he's "unwilling" to repeal ObamaCare is just you making shit up.

Posted by: spongeworthy at January 24, 2012 04:53 PM (puy4B)

Mittens also said that he thinks every state should adopt an individual mandate on its own and that he would like the federal government to use its money to make that decision "easier" for the states.

There's a reason that Mittens has never stood up for any principles ... except that disaster of a lefty health slavery h helped institute in Massachusettes, which is now bankrupting them.

90

Look for "Moment of Crisis," "Critical Moment," and "Fair Shake."

.

BOLO also for "We can't wait," "Republicans in Congress who play politics" and, whatever you do, DO NOT have a drinking game that involves the word "fair," or "fairness," or any derivative thereof as you will find yourself in an alcoholic coma.

91 Why is this primary turning us all into people
who argue like Lefties, all bullshit and emotions. No respect for
accuracy. Is there no longer a border between facts and feelings?

Posted by: spongeworthy at January 24, 2012 04:53 PM (puy4B)

Spongeworthy, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why,
there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices,
soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, children's ice
cream.

Posted by: General Jack D. Ripper at January 24, 2012 04:57 PM (84oau)

 

 

 

Paulbots don't die, spongeworthy.  They take their time fading away with excruciating slowness.

92

Newt likes it when i call him "poppy"

 

93
Today, Romney had a large supporter presence at Florida precinct 22  located in Palm Beach Gardens, and Newt the Grinch was unrepresented. 

The weather was great this afternoon with a high of 78 degrees,  and I lined up the arrows for the Newt.  Early voting has been very brisk in my precinct, but that stands to reason because its heavily populated with white hairs, blue hairs, geezers, and farters who have nothing to do but count their money. 

94 Well, boys, we got three engines out, we got more holes in us than a horse trader's mule, the radio is gone and we're leaking fuel and if we was flying any lower why we'd need sleigh bells on this thing... but we got one little budge on them Rooskies. At this height why they might harpoon us but they dang sure ain't gonna spot us on no radar screen!

95 So it's 2008 and I watch as the US votes in a telegenic socialist as Prez. And I say to myself, "Self, he is going to fuck this country up big time."

I then say to myself, "He's going to be such a failure that the GOP won't know what to do. They'll probably go with runner-up Mitt in 2012. That's a great opportunity for someone like me, I mean us, myself."

So I knew then that I could make a run for the office, an office that has the most visibility in this our age of electronics where a pleasant image counts.

So I ask to myself, "Self, should I, you know, lose a few pounds?"

"Nah, I'll probably be ok. MOAR McRIBZ!!"

96 Of all the candidates, John McCain has the lowest negatives among independents.

-GOP 2008

Everyone here that doesn't realize that after a year of full press character destruction and demonizing their every act, regardless of reality our guy is going to end up with high negatives and independents are going to be nervous about voting for him... I gotta ask... are you still breastfeeding and believe in the tooth-fairy? This is a place for grownups who deal in reality.

Reagan had very high negatives among quite a few groups,  the media constantly talked about what a polarizing figure he was and about he was starting WW3 and would en up blowing up the world through a combination of vileness and idiocy, just like they did with Bush.  Yet Reagan still inspired enough people to make a 48 state sweep.

97 Only Dr.(!!) Ron Paul can save us from the neuro-testicular poisoning of the Republican Establishment. Liberty, Constitution, Ron Paul. I win the debate! (Also, I insist you ignore the lies of those trying to discredit me! They are paid RomneyBot and NewtonianDrones. Tools of Satan!!! I insist!!! Be Safe!!)

98 oh the left went fucking insane back in 94. But, that's redundant. They're insane, it's what they do.

99

 Like Linus and the Great Pumpkin, I'll get old(er) and die before ever seeing/hearing this phrase:

 

"Well, you too can enjoy the 0% - 5% - 10% - 15% Capital Gains tax rate on your investments.  What is there to stop you from saving up a stake to invest?"

100 Medved had the author of "the real Romney" on it was a good interview... Made Romney seem more human....

101 Maybe already stated, but latest polling has Romney's negatives essentially identical to Newt's.  And also, Romney now trails Newt in Gallup's national tracking poll (via RealClearPolitics).

102 "Medved had the author of "the real Romney" on it was a good interview... Made Romney seem more human...."

So Romney can't make himself seem more human (or, at least, nothing he's personally done has done so), but a third party (and professional author, to boot) can.

Yeah... still not seeing that as a huge selling point.

103 I can tell that many commenters here suffer from neuro-testicular poisoning. One of the first symptoms fybromyballsia (aka neuro-testicular poisoning) is the loss of a sense of humor. If you find you can't tell when someone is joking then check your balls! You might be suffering from neuro-testicular poisoning.

104 Drinking Game:

Everytime O'dipshit says "fair share,"  mainline Southern Comfort Pepper.

105

>>>On day one, granting a waiver for—to all 50 states doesn’t stop in its tracks entirely Obamacare. That’s why I also say we have to repeal Obamacare, and I will do that on day two with a reconciliation bill, because, as you know, it was passed by reconciliation, 51 votes. We can get rid of it with 51 votes. We have to get rid of Obamacare and return to the states the responsibility.

 

--Mitt Romney

 

Choose not to believe the guy, that's obviously your right. I don't believe half of what politicians say no matter who it is. But don't just make up shit. Thats what Lefties do and the rest just nod along as the bullshit is absorbed by the hive-mind. We're better than that.

106 There is no "trying to deal" with a leftist.  All of them would just as soon kill us as having to go through a presidential campaign.  Yes, they hate us that much.

107 "What is there to stop you from saving up a stake to invest?"

Social Security tax, FICA, state, federal, and local taxes on wage income...

108 I'm looking forward to the camera panning over to Newt, seated next to Buffett's secretary, clapping and leaping to his feet when Obama rails against unfettered greed in the private sector. Watch for the tight focus on his boner when Obama blames job losses on rapacious financiers that care more about money than the lives they destroy.

109

The truth about Bain Capital and Staples

There's an interesting take by Jonathan Last at the Weekly Standard:

Excerpt (but read the whole thing):

Yet ultimately, it seems a little strange to credit Romney with being much more than a smart early investor. That’s not nothing. Investment and capital are a very large part of entrepreneurial success—which is why investors reap large rewards when a business pans out. But still. A group of investors ponied up the $2.7 million needed to buy a group of restaurants from Richard and Maurice McDonald. Banker Ken Langone led a group of 40 investors to raise $2 million to start the Home Depot. And Mike Markkula gave Apple Computers the $250,000 it needed when it incorporated in 1977.

We donÂ’t credit the jobs created by McDonaldÂ’s, Home Depot, and Apple to the money men. We credit them to Ray Kroc, Bernard Marcus, Arthur Blank, Steve Jobs, and Steve Wozniak. Because those men had the ideas, ran the operations, and assumed most of the risk. ItÂ’s unclear why we should regard RomneyÂ’s role with Staples any differently.

110 Allen.... Basically he became a machine after crashing into a catholic priest in france.... killing his elders wife in the crash.......it was the priests fault..... But that was his coping mechanism becoming a business machine......

111 losses on rapacious financiers liberals and democrats that care more about money than the lives they destroy.

Posted by: Gristle Encased Head at January 24, 2012 05:09 PM (+lsX1)

It just didn't seem correct the other way to me.  I like truth in advertising, it's a new spin.

112 Choose not to believe the guy, that's obviously your right. I don't believe half of what politicians say no matter who it is. But don't just make up shit. Thats whatLefties do and the rest just nod along as the bullshit is absorbed by the hive-mind. We're better than that.

Posted by: spongeworthy at January 24, 2012 05:07 PM (puy4B)

Was not aware of that quote.  Thanks for posting.

I still can't vote for the John Kerry of the GOP.  I mean, he was for the public option before he was against it....and abortion, and immigration, and .........

113 "Choose not to believe the guy, that's obviously your right. I don't believe half of what politicians say no matter who it is. But don't just make up shit. Thats whatLefties do and the rest just nod along as the bullshit is absorbed by the hive-mind. We're better than that."

Okay, when did he say that?  Because, I'm thinking that particular change would have made pretty big news on the blog (which doesn't mean I still couldn't have missed it).

And, for the record, no, I don't believe that he's willing to do anything to repeal ObamaCare.  Even in that quote he's talking about using Reconciliation- which is a move that even the Democrats used only when they saw nothing else would work- they didn't start with that as their first option.

It shows a spinelessness and an unwillingness to pursue the goal boldly.

So if I modify to "unwilling to fight to repeal ObamaCare" would that mollify you?  Because they're functionally the same thing.

114 In 115, I thought I put a line through "rapacious financiers" and added liberals and democrats.

115 #87 ATR's bingo card for tonight's SOTU includes:

 "I" or "Me" – Center of the known universe.

lol.

116  I'm looking forward to the camera panning over to Newt, seated next to Buffett's secretary, clapping and leaping to his feet when Obama rails against unfettered greed in the private sector. Watch for the tight focus on his boner when Obama blames job losses on rapacious financiers that care more about money than the lives they destroy.

Posted by: Gristle Encased Head at January 24, 2012 05:09 PM (+lsX1)

 

 

I used to enjoy what you had to say.  But after this comment, I won't be able to see your nic without thinking - stupid numbnutted fuckwit.

117 Newt will be Uncle Scrooge and Mitt will be Scrooge McDuck... we will be raped regardless. MFM Delenda Est.

118 "Well, you too can enjoy the 0% - 5% - 10% - 15% Capital Gains tax rate on your investments. What is there to stop you from saving up a stake to invest?"

Posted by: Count de Monet at January 24, 2012 05:05 PM (4q5tP)

Capital gains (long term) tax rate this year are zero and 15%. Those are part of the evil Bush tax cuts for the rich. It will expire at the end of this year.

119

Time Magazine, I'll buy that for a dollar, or somebody will. But it will still be worth less than that. They got to be worth a dollar writing shit, and like most leftards, lessons are never learned.

Would a leftard pull a tick off their ass sucking their blood? Are they that heartless?

 

120 118 did you put your poll up your ass yet?

121 Posted by: phoenixgirl at January 24, 2012 05:11 PM (2mOHT)

Okay... and that's a reason to vote for him because why?

I don't doubt he's a very sincere man (in his personal life- he's as slimy a politician as ever there was).  I don't doubt that he has very good and valid reasons for being the way he is.

I still don't want him to be our nominee.

122 All of them would just as soon kill us as having to go through a presidential campaign. Yes, they hate us that much.

Posted by: Soona at January 24, 2012 05:07 PM (mmKMz)

This, big time. It's why they promote their destructive policies. Those policies are meant to destroy us, they do not affect the elites. Some of them, like abortion rights, have the huge potential to backfire, however.

123 I read somewhere that Scrooge was actually a man to be praised before the conversion.
He worked his way up, made his own way, built his own business; he paid Crachet well more than the going rate; he was respected by peers as a shrewd businessman and his investments were the foundation and type that allowed English commerce to rule the world.

I think the prolog to the Christmas Carol in real life would have been bankruptcy for Scrooge and destitution for Crachet the way he is supposed to have become a spendthrift as I suspect the commodities trade back then had very tight margins what with the frequent calamities--ship wrecks, crop failures, etc.--that were even more unpredictable and certainly uninsurable back then than they are today. 

124 @118 HTML is disabled until further notice.

125 Oh Geez Mark Lamont Hill told hannity he's teaching a course on socialism and communism for sophmores.  I mean you could hear hannity's gasp.  I don't know if I'd have the nerve to say that on the hannity show.  I might be so ashamed I wouldn't volunteer the information as he did.

126 I used to enjoy what you had to say. But after this comment, I won't be able to see your nic without thinking - stupid numbnutted fuckwit.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---- --- -- -
Just taking Newt's attacks on the wrong kind of capitalism to its logical conclusion. That fat turd was eager to jump on the simple-minded class warfare bandwagon when he thought it could help him.

127

Capital gains (long term) tax rate this year are zero and 15%. Those are part of the evil Bush tax cuts for the rich. It will expire at the end of this year.

Posted by: Vic at January 24, 2012 05:13 PM (YdQQY)

 

 

 

Yeah, I lose track from year to year.  It's a moving target % whose expiration date is the ball in a political game of water polo.  Let's just completely forget about stability and predictability, they're not important for encouraging people to make long term investments.  /

128 If you were a middle-class person with modest investments,  such as maybe $50,000,  and you were thinking about using that money to pay for a child's college education,  using the jump in capital gains taxes to 20% coming next year,  wouldn't you, oh, maybe, take your money out of the stock market?

And if a lot of people do this,  won't that bring stocks down towards the end of the year?

129 "From Arab Spring to Athens" really, Time?  From Islamists wanting to impose barbarism on the world, to lazy entitlement seekers who go to action only when the free ride is threatened?

Wow. 

130 Not quite  OT: Newt never said he was hired as an historian.  (Link at LI).

He said < "They asked my advice.  And my advice as an historian was......"

He says nothing about being hired as an historian. He said he was giving advice from his perspective as an historian.  He was hired as a consultant,and as a consultant he drew on his historical knowledge.  Period.

131 Just for the record, I want to hear all the negatives (and positives) about all the candidates.  My loyalty to any isn't blind. 

132 Those whom knew Bush always said he was so much better in smaller venues especially in the south where he wasn't constantly trying to suppress himself.  Most of what we think of as Bush sounding retarded was him trying to suppress accent and slang and sound presidential.  In those safe venues, the audience, even his detractors, always marveled where this extremely intelligent and insightful guy came from and why he never appeared on TV.

We saw something similair with Palin and I think we very much seeing something like it with Romney.  Romney is less Gorden Geko and more David Wallace from the Office.    I think the guy is inherently between "Business Casual and business formal"  thats his whole spectrum,  even at home watching TV/playing with Grandkids.  Unfortunately when he tries to come across as aggressive/confrontational or the humorous guy, blue collar every-mans can look upto... he just ends up seeming tongue tied and awkward.  Same as all of us would, excepting the professional sociopaths we call actors, we all get awkward and unnatural when we try to imitate some foreign personality trait,  in fact the harder we try often the worst it fails.

That's why Newt looks so good up there, because he is just being himself.  I doubt he is very different in the workplace or home then he is in debates.

In my personal observation regular people can alter only a little about themselves at at anytime, before it just becomes unnatural and disjointed and embarrassingly fails.  Then they act like a computer hanging/frozen on contradictory commands or bad code.  

Next time your going home for thanksgiving and tell yourself to be on your "best behavior"... (you know its gonna fail after someone gets under your skin anyway)  pick a small handful of specific things you wont do and then just relax and be yourself with the other things.

133

Who turns out to vote in the biggest percentages? 

Older folks.

Those older folks are going to remember how much they disliked Newt back in the 1990's,  and how he was engaged in some sort of scandal or other.  The recent scandals ala Freddie Mac will get added to his considerable baggage.

Ronald Reagan had been a popular and effective governor of California prior to becoming president.  People in California liked him.  And because he had spent his entire adult life in Hollywood & California, Reagan knew how to smile and charm the media and then move on to connect directly with voters.

He was the teflon president much to the chagrin of any opponent.  No matter the charge against him (he's dumb, he's an actor, did we mention he's dumb?) Reagan was always a sunny optimist and a very likeable man.

Newt has none of Reagan's charm or good looks, he's not a happy man he's a cranky old guy who is playing us all for fools.

134 Wow.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 24, 2012 05:25 PM (i0App)

I know. I continue to be surprised when I should know better.

135

@ Soona,

I'd rather Gingrich but that's only considering the sole alternative is Mitt.

 

But let's not pretend Newt doesn't have some cock-punches coming to him for his Bill O'Reilly ignorant bullshit.

 

GEH is one of the smartest commentors on here. He's getting his licks in.

136 #134  OK.  We now know that Newt injected that "historian" thing in there to confuse us.

Thanks for making that clear.

137 Also, the reason Obama plays the role of "black marxist messiah" so well is because that character has bascially existed in his head for what appears to have been most of his life.

Which is why you drop a nobody community organizer on the world stage and in terms of speechifying he does just fine.  Because to him... hes always been that person all bottled up.

Put Palin on a worldstage suddenly, someone who has more modest expectations of herself and....

138

Romney on ObamaCare: http://tinyurl.com/4x9hcqj

Reconciliation is the only way we can repeal it without taking 60 Senate seats. It would be a fight. Romney says he's up for it. Take it for what it's worth.

I'm not trying to change anybody's mind about Romney. I am advocating we take out our opponents with facts, not feelings or fantasies. I hate the Left for their dishonesty and their refusal to assimilate anything that conflicts with whatever they're told is trendy to believe. Can we not do that?

139  "What is there to stop you from saving up a stake to invest?"

Social Security tax, FICA, state, federal, and local taxes on wage income...

Posted by: HeatherRadish at January 24, 2012 05:08 PM (ZKzrr)

 

True.  There are some people who are painted into a corner, financially.  For most people, it's probably more like: 4G Phone w/ unlimited everything; TV package w/ everything; always having the latest electronic devices; aversion to driving a less luxurious, older model car; aversion to packing a simple lunch; fondness for dining out, ...

 

Whatever the income level, there's someone, somewhere, in this country getting by on less and saving/investing for their future.

140 137--Actually, Newt has been polling very well with over-65s, especially in Florida.

141 140 #134 OK. We now know that Newt injected that "historian" thing in there to confuse us.

Perhaps you're easily confused?    Or you don't get the idea of someone wanting to show off ? 

142 Let me do this over:  140 #134 OK. We now know that Newt injected that "historian" thing in there to confuse us.


Perhaps you're easily confused?  Or you don't get the idea of someone wanting to show off?

There---that's better.

143 #140  Showing off I will buy.  However,  he did make that comment several times and never disabused anyone of the notion.

So let me now understand this.  You are saying that he's not dishonest,  just a show-off?  And this is better for a presidential candidate?  We want a show-off to be leader of the Free World?

144 Interesting article about Romney at the Weekly Standard.  It seems fair to me but touches on questions about his work at Bain.  YMMV. 

http://tinyurl.com/8yljgul

145 So is Romney promising to never hire a lobbyist, take money from a lobbyist, or listen to lobbyists? Or consultants?  Or whatever the heck the allegation is about Newt. 

146 #147--No, he didn't say it several times.  He said it once, and it's been misquoted ever since.

I don't think Newt's perfect, but I do know that anyone who successfully runs for President has to have a very big ego. Newt has a PhD in history, taught history, has written historical books.  I don't think its a crime if he alludes to it, especially since he does have an enormous fund of knowledge.  I think it's a lot more honest than Romney's "I know what it's like to start at the bottom."  And miles better than Obama's "I'm a better speech writer than my speech writers.  I could be a better chief-of-staff than my chief-of-staff."

147 We certainly would never want a man who has run a business, knows how to make money, gives to charity and is among the top 5% of his class at haaavad running the government.

148 #147  OK.  I will let it drop and accept your word for it.

Do you know what he wrote his Ph.D. thesis on? Belgian educational policy in the Congo.

149 #152--I'm not sure what your point is about the topic of his PhD thesis.  A PhD thesis has to be on a completely original subject  If there is even one scholarly paper written in an obscure language on a subject, you can't do your thesis on it.
So most PhD theses are written on obscure topics,and don't necessarily reflect the strong interests of the writer.

150

That wasn't the worst depiction of Newt that the media did back then. .....There was "The Gingrich who Stole Christmas" and "Crybaby Newt" in a diaper.

.

So what? .....Just wait till they do it to Romney. Colbert already did that "Mitt the Serial Killer" video, playing off of that remark that Romney made about "corporations are people" and showing him killing corporations. .....There is a lot of fertile ground with Romney for them to exploit.

 

151 My point is:  What was his area of expertise that Fannie and Freddie HIRED him?  It obviously was not as an historian, since apparently that was a mistaken impression. 

My husband has worked as a consultant.  The terms are usually billing by the hour plus expenses.  He was hired for a specific purpose: find something out, figure the costs of a potential project,  produce a report, etc.

I cannot figure out why Newt was hired and what he was supposed to do. 

He had no experience in banking, real estate, mortgages, accounting, or the stock market.

So,  what was he hired for,  and what did he do?

152 We have had a very successful businessman as a President.  His name was Herbert Hoover.

I think Romney's business experience may be a plus--but there's no guarantee. 

153

 Nevertheless, we cannot afford another four years of

Barocky and Dullwinker.(tm)

154 #156 Herbert Hoover was a mining engineer who made his money in Australia when he was a young man.  Mining gold.

155 I'm trying to figure out what the accusation is about Newt's work there.  There needs to be a scandal, because otherwise it just doesn't rate.  Newt has a long resume based on his twenty years in Congress.  That's what he's running on. 

It seems to me that Newt's consulting work is a pretty minor component of his resume.  In contrast, we are supposed to accept Romney as ultra qualified based on four years as Governor and not allowed to ask for specifics about his work at Bain. 

156 He was also a congressman for many years, and bright people don't stop learning when they leave school.  My husband had a PhD in English, took a summer course in accounting, and was able to turn that into a 24 year career as an investor at a large insurance company.  He was very lucky to get his foot in the door, but his successful track record had nothing to do with luck.

People look down at the liberal arts nowadays, because the left has turned it into a swamp, and because it doesn't seem to have any practical use.  Yet Western education was based in the liberal arts for centuries.  It forms habits of analysis that can't be acquired through any other method.  I remember my father complaining about the new MBAs under his charge at work,   He always said, "None of them know how to think, because they haven't had a liberal arts education. ."

157

Talk about "high negatives"..

Honor roll of the Best of the Best of Harvard's Best and the Brightest. Look at this list and ask yourself why the USA is so screwed..

Barack Obama Jr. & Sr, Michelle Obama, G W Bush, Mike Dukakis, Pierre Trudeau, Jaques Chirac, Mitt Romney, Al Gore Jr., Duval Patrick, Scott Harshbarger,  Ben Bernanke, Joseph P. Kennedy, JFK, Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, Dick Blumenthal, John Vitter,  Carl Levin, Jim Guy Tucker,  Jim Jeffords, Barney Frank, Alan Grayson,  Mel Reynolds, Christopher Cox, Hank Paulson, Larry Sommers, Elena Kagan, Lawrence Tribe, Charles Ogletree,  Skip Gates, William "Freezer" Jefferson, Ted Kennedy, Robert Toricelli,  Elliot Spitzer, Al Franken, Michael Huffington, Patsy Schroeder, Joe Sestak, Hank Cisneros, Alan Krueger, John Holdren, Cass Sunstein, Harold Koh, Chris Lu, Willard Tom, Jason Bordoff,  David Kris, (DOJ) Samantha Power, Julius Genachowski, Franklin Raines, Daniel Mudd, Jamie Gorelick, Robert Zoellick, Jeff Skilling, Hassan Nemazee,  Henry Kissinger, Robert McNamara, Sandy Berger, Brock Adams, Alberto Gonzalez, J. Paul Bremer, Douglas Feith,  Lloyd Blankfein, Jamie Dimon, Kenneth Chennault, Franklin Raines, Stan O'Neal, Jamie Gorelick, Daniel Mudd, Robert Zoellick, John Thain, Jeff Immelt, John Paulson, Sumner Redstone, Robert Belfer (founder of Enron), Jeff Skilling (Enron), James B. Lockhart III, Robert "bailout Bob"  Rubin, Penny Pritzker, Rick Wagoner, Philip Falcone (Lightsquared), George Kaiser (Solyndra), Peter Rouse (F & F, Solyndra, Lightsquared), Vin Weber, Jacob Lew (Lightsquared), David Barron (DOJ F & F), Ian  H. Gershengorn, Tom Perez (DOJ F & F), Steven Spinner (Solyndra), Jonathan Silver (Solyndra), Chai Feldman,  Klaus Schwab, Eric Mindich, Richard Whitney (of 1929 infamy), Thomas Lamont (banker to Mussolini), Patrick Fitzgerald, David Baron, Todd Stern, Zbigniew Brzmezinski, Harry Dexter White, Ted Hall, Alger Hiss, Amy Bishop, Timothy Leary, Alfred Kinsey, Al Gore III, Robert Tunnell Jr, Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, Rajat Gupta, Marc Stuart Dreir, Oded Aboodi,Sam Barai, Eugene Plotkin Andrew Schliefer, Ephren Taylo,r Marc Stuart Dreier. Hemy Zvi Neuman, Noah Freeman

158

in as much as it discusses something his supporters don't want to discuss, his high negatives.

Posted by: Ace at 04:27 PM

What is there to discuss, ace? Yep, his negatives are pretty high and thats just acknowledging facts. Did Newtists run out of the room screaming when you wanted to talk about that?

Btw: Hillary Clinton was always seen as unlikable, divisive politician with negatives too high. Today she has high approval ratings (higher than any other politician if I remember correctly), we're discussing if making her veep would put Obama beyond reach for Republicans and more and more people - and not only Dems - regret not to have nominated her in the first place.  

159 And I'd still like to see Bain's list of consultants since apparently the careers of former Congressmen is the most pressing issue of our time. 

I see they've spent an average of $600K a year on lobbying over the past five years ($400k low; $800K high).  Their main lobbying firm has former Congressman Bill Paxon as one of the principals. 

160 #158--Hoover also did mining in China.  He became a partner in his mining firm, was placed in charge of Australian operations, and developed a way to mine zinc cheaply.  He then became a mining consultant and traveled around the world. 
During and after WWI, he became famous for administering aid to starving Belgium. Then he was Secretary of Commerce under Harding and Coolidge.  It's an extremely impressive and well-rounded resume. 

161 Interesting.  Bill Paxon was part of the circle that met and decided Newt must go back in the day. 

I guess if the House investigation files are leaked, we won't have just one suspect for who leaks them. 

162 Y-not,  the point is not about the merits of lobbying, which is a legal activity.   The point is influence peddling disguised as consulting,  or  not influence peddling.

That is why I want to know what he was hired for and what he did.

If all he did was what he said (told them their business plan was going to fail) then someone needs to be investigating Fannie 's management.

163 I'm sorry, but you need more than that.  Otherwise, we'll need to investigate Bill Paxon too. 

164 Paxon has no expertise in much of anything.  He became a state rep at a very young age and then straight into Congress.  Undergrad degree in - I don't know what - from a school I've never heard of. 

165 Of course, Paxon is married to Congresswoman Susan Molinari. 

166 Miss Marple-- Is your husband's work as a consultant based on something like engineering or production--something where the parameters of the project can be sharply defined?  You seem to have a very specific idea of how consultants work, based on your husband's job.  That doesn't apply to all consulting.

167

>>>Herbert Hoover was a mining engineer who made his money in Australia when he was a young man. Mining gold.

 

Which I'm sure he promptly turned over to the Joos, Which led to his rise to power and the resulting demise of the middle class.

 

Hoover and teh Joos is why my people live in single-wides!

168 IIRC, Bill Paxon had to resign from Congress because there were rumors about a gay affair.

169 I've searched and searched for that despiccable 1994 Herblock cartoon showing Gingrich riding a barrel thru an open sewer...no luck. But this contemporaneous WaPo article gives us a little flavor of those golden times, as we take a little walk down memory lane...: Thursday, November 17, 1994 - Page updated at 12:00 AM Gingrich Versus `Elite Media' -- He's Getting More Attention, But Is The Coverage Fair? By Howard Kurtz Washington Post WASHINGTON - House Speaker-to-be Newt Gingrich and the Washington press corps seem to have declared a state of open war. "How `Normal' Is Newt?" a Newsweek story asks. A Herblock cartoon in The Washington Post depicts Gingrich as climbing out of a sewer. "THE COLD-BLOODED NEWT," shouts the New York Daily News, touting an interview with his ex-wife. New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis describes his methods as "slash and burn, knife and smear." And an editorial in the same paper is headlined "Newt Gingrich, Authoritarian." For his part, the Georgia Republican has disparaged the "elite media," barred reporters for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from his office and accused The Washington Post of having "deliberately distorted" his remarks. He also whacked The New York Times for suggesting that a shiny black Cadillac from which he emerged last week was his. The GOP takeover of Congress has produced something of a cultural clash between the media - seen by many conservatives as a pillar of the Beltway status quo - and the man Time magazine calls "the china-and-crystal-smashing congressman from suburban Atlanta." As a "bomb-throwing backbencher," to use the preferred cliche, the former college instructor provided great copy for a profession that thrives on incendiary sound bites. But now that Gingrich is about to preside over the House of Representatives, his combative style and provocative views are being cast in a harsher light. And embarrassing bits of personal history, such as the messy 1981 divorce from his cancer-stricken wife, are being recycled in profile after profile. "It is the ugliest side of American politics and journalism," Gingrich's spokesman, Tony Blankley, said Tuesday. "The same two or three people are always being quoted or referred to: a person who wasn't given a job, another who was fired, an ex-wife after a bitter divorce. It would've been nice to have had it balanced." Privately detested Conservative columnist Robert Novak said the press has "demonized" Gingrich and that many reporters privately "detest" him. "It shows the ideological bias of the news media," he said. Michael Barone, a conservative-leaning columnist for U.S. News & World Report, said "most of the press was dismayed by the results of the election. I don't think Newt will ever get fair treatment from the press, on balance. The animus is there."

170 Ace why do you give a fuck about Newt's high negatives? Why are you looking at polls that don't mean shit right now? They don't. Those polls will ONLY mean something the week before the election. And we already know how polls are volatile - don't we Ace? We saw Romney up by 10 points the week before the SC primary didn't we Ace? We saw Newt skullfuck him to the tune of double digits didn't we Ace? So ... uhm ... Ace ... what happened to that lead in the polls that Romney had? Hmmmm? Also - since when are NEGATIVES a predictor of who will win? Is it possible that I vote for Newt anyway - even though i think he's a DICK ... because Obama is bankrupting my ass even though I personally like him and think he's a swell guy? Please ACE - get over yourself. This is supposed to be a "smart military blog" right? Sally up! I've been in real combat dude - I can tell you - this is NOTHING. We could nominate Tom Delay this year and still beat Obama. WE GOT THIS ONE BRO. RELAX

171 >>>Also - since when are NEGATIVES a predictor of who will win?

Since every Presidential election in history.

Literally every single one.

You're a fool  for pretending it's no big deal.  But you'll learn the hard way, I imagine.

172 test

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174 Wow this is soo helpful I have been trying to figure this out on my own for a long time now. Hopefully making this change will help encourage discussion on my blog.