Tracing the local origins of the vote-fraud myth
Those who have followed Fulton County politics for a long time will recognize the name Hans von Spakovsky. Back in the ’90s, as a local lawyer active in Republican circles, he started raising allegations of serious voting fraud that somehow never quite seemed to pan out.
Hans von Spakovsky
Apparently, however, somebody somewhere recognized that the fraud allegation itself, even if merely a myth never bolstered by evidence, would be useful in justifying a push for more restrictive ballot laws that might tamp down Democratic turnout. It allowed von Spakovsky to take his schtick national, in time nailing a job in the voting rights section of the Bush Justice Department in which he tried — vainly, despite all the resources of the federal government — to establish that in-person vote fraud posed a clear and present danger to American democracy.
It might be too much to say that von Spakovsky singlehandedly created the mythology of voter fraud, but it clearly created him, serving as a hobbyhorse that he rode to prominence in conservative circles.
Jane Mayer, writing in the current New Yorker, tells his story well, along the way documenting multiple examples in which cases of in-person voting fraud cited by von Spakovsky seem to melt away like desert mirages upon closer inspection. His career is a great example of the power, and the danger, of a useful lie.
ADDENDUM: While we’re on the general topic, it might be useful to try to squelch early, fringe stirrings on the left alleging a conservative conspiracy to fix voting machines in Ohio. As the theory is spun at Truthout.org:
“Through a closely held equity fund called Solamere, Mitt Romney and his wife, son and brother are major investors in an investment firm called H.I.G. Capital. H.I.G. in turn holds a majority share and three out of five board members in Hart Intercivic, a company that owns the notoriously faulty electronic voting machines that will count the ballots in swing state Ohio November 7. Hart machines will also be used elsewhere in the United States.
In other words, a candidate for the presidency of the United States, and his brother, wife and son, have a straight-line financial interest in the voting machines that could decide this fall’s election. These machines cannot be monitored by the public. But they will help decide who “owns” the White House.
The claim is nonsense and without backing in fact. If you’re going to make charges or even raise suspicions of that grave nature, you need much more than a knee-bone-connected-to-the-thigh-bone argument of the sort offered here.
Otherwise, you’re no better than the von Spakovskys of the world.
– Jay Bookman
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725 comments Add your comment
josef
October 23rd, 2012
7:25 pm
SCOUT
I am voting values over that…
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
7:25 pm
josef @ 7:23
Even I will say “Amen brother”……………
Oscar
October 23rd, 2012
7:25 pm
Oh, good…earlier I was just an idiot, now I’ve been elevated to moron!
________
Progress. I think. But I would have to look it up to see which is rated smarter.
I have written in candidates before. Willie B. was always a good option. Willie passed on. Don’t know his successor’s name. But then, don’t think Willie could be replaced.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
7:27 pm
This is about as bad as Obama’s “Corpseman” !
HEADLINE (ABC): “How Many Bayonets Does the U.S. Have? Quite A Few”
“The Army said today it has 419,155 bayonets in its inventory. The Marine Corps has another 195,334 bayonets that it bought in 2004 and it plans on buying 175,061 more bayonets this year. A Marine official says it’s not accurate to add the two totals together as the new ones will include replacements for ones already in service as well as additional stocks.”
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/how-many-bayonets-does-the-u-s-have-quite-a-few/
Brosephus™
October 23rd, 2012
7:27 pm
Ex-Fed @ 6:03
Of course, we’d need to ensure there’s a secondary system necessary to mitigate issues like that. People, who do manual labor, sometimes wear down the ridges on their fingertips which makes it harder to capture prints. I wouldn’t suggest using that as the single method of registration, but biometrics could be used to combat ID fraud.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
7:29 pm
Values:
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
Isaiah 5:20
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
7:29 pm
Methinks as “Commander in Chief”, Obama should have some bayonet training !!
Oscar
October 23rd, 2012
7:30 pm
To a great extent, it’s the known versus the unknown…the Republicans have been unable to rein in their lunatics…and in a choice between the two, I’ll go for centrist mediocrity over rightist virulent antagonim…
______
I always go for the one closest to the center, and the party nearest the center. Varies from decade to decade. Been with the democrats since 1996. Think they are still there.
Romney is probably close to the center. At least he goes through the center from time to time as he waggles and waves from far left to far right.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
7:32 pm
Headline (NY Times): “About Those Horses and Bayonets”
“Yes, the American military still uses bayonets, and quite a few. There are horses too.”
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/about-those-horses-and-bayonets/
P.S. When the NY Times is taking the President to task ……… you know he’s in trouble.
Oscar
October 23rd, 2012
7:32 pm
Let the two candidates write down their guess as to the number of bayonets the armed forces have.
Nearest guess gets the job.
TaxPayer
October 23rd, 2012
7:33 pm
A North Georgia county of mostly concerned and paranoid and conspiratorial Republican citizens got wind of the possibility of voter fraud and decided to do some figgering to see what they was up aginst. They found that the county had 10,000 registered voters and that 75% of them had voted Republican in the last election. So, they figgered that they would need to keep real close tabs on those 2500 that were not with them and make sure they didn’t try to cheat them out of their rightful Republican winner. Assuming all 7500 Republicans once again voted for the Republican candidate how may times would the 2500 other voters have to write in the same name of another candidate, given that the Republican candidate runs unchallenged, in order to win?
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
7:33 pm
Scout @ 7:29
Are you referring to the Graham’s recent change of heart on Mormonism being a “cult”?
Are they know calling “evil” good?
I am sure they have some literature and tracts that do not exactly show Mormonism in a could light, at least from their views as of two weeks ago. On the other hand, I am sure they have or will be discarding that material.
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
7:34 pm
Oscar @ 7:25
That was funny
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
7:37 pm
This 2009 article from the Washington Post Magazine followed a platoon of Marines battling insurgents in Now Zad, Afghanistan. The first words of the article: ”Fix bayonets.”
“Not long after giving that order, 1st Lt. Arthur Karell was hunched in a dirt trench crowded with Marines. The hushed darkness bristled with eight-inch blades fitted beneath the barrels of dozens of M-16 assault rifles.
You fix bayonets when you expect to need the aggressive combat mind-set that’s produced by the primal sight of massed blades. You fix them when you expect to search hidden places. You fix them when you expect the fight could push you within arm’s reach of your enemy — gutting distance. In modern warfare, that’s extraordinarily rare.”
Except for the Marine is happening to ……………..
Mr_B
October 23rd, 2012
7:37 pm
“Prior to Department of Defense budget cut talks, the Marine Corps planned to reduce troops from 202,000 to 186,800 to accommodate a post-war Marine Corps.”
http://marines.dodlive.mil/2012/04/18/force-reduction/
So the Marines need two bayonets for every jarhead, even the officers and the pencil pushers.
That’s about 350K bayonets at , let’s say a conservative $25 apiece. Only 8.75 million dollars.
And these guys say the Pentagon needs more money.
josef
October 23rd, 2012
7:37 pm
“Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law?’
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the L-rd thy G-d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”"
—Matthew 22:35-40
Brosephus™
October 23rd, 2012
7:38 pm
josef
————————-
Oscar: Who would still be undecided at this point.
Me.
TaxPayer
October 23rd, 2012
7:38 pm
Only a con would think that we need to increase the DoD budget so they can afford to buy more bayonets.
Mick
October 23rd, 2012
7:39 pm
To bayonet or not to bayonet, that is the question?
Should be standard military issue for all fighting forces because…..you’ll never know when you’ll need to improvise. That’s my take…
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
7:40 pm
They BOTH suck:
Mormonism is a wonderful family oriented, hospitable, caring, moral, partriotic religion.
Their doctrine on the Divinity of Christ just happens to be much different than mainline Christianity.
That shouldn’t have anything to do with being qualified to be President of the United States.
Thus ……… he will get my vote.
TaxPayer
October 23rd, 2012
7:40 pm
Commander in Chief to Scout, “You asked for a bayonet so don’t whine to me when the enemy has grenades.”
Brosephus™
October 23rd, 2012
7:41 pm
Seems like somebody has a hard-on for bayonets tonight.
josef
October 23rd, 2012
7:41 pm
SCOUT
That @ 7:37 was to you…
OSCAR
I also think that Romney is probably right-centrist…the problem is he’s being pulled by the farther right and lacks both the personal chutzpah or the will to stand up to them…thus, Ryan…
Garden Diva
October 23rd, 2012
7:41 pm
For those of you using the specious argument that there has been no voter fraud because very little has been detected, has it occurred to you that there has been no detection because there has been (very little) checking? You don’t know what you don’t know. It’s as laughable as the statements telling us how many illegal aliens are in our country. We don’t know for sure because they aren’t registered in any way, shape or form.
I fully agree with the people pointing out that you are required to have a form of ID for so many things – cashing a check, buying alcohol and tobacco, driving a car, getting on a plane, setting up a bank account, getting a welfare check or foodstamps, enlisting in the military, and on and on.
Of course we should require a person to prove who they are when participating in the most important civic duty we have!
Georgia
October 23rd, 2012
7:41 pm
Why did Romney pick 1916 as a comparison to the number of ships today? And how many of those 1916 ships were garbage skows? Unless we have proper data, we can’t decide which one of our candidates is making the salient points, and which one is trash talkin’.
getalife
October 23rd, 2012
7:42 pm
Like Biden said, cons are full of bs.
No doubt about it.
Vice President Biden told the truth then laughed in ryan’s face.
That was the highlight of this cycle.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
7:42 pm
Mick:
Thank you.
And we were trained to use our helmets, entrenching tools, web belts, canteens and whatever you could get yours hand around as well. That part of the training for those in the infantry has not changed ………… and “every Marine a rifleman” means they all get that training.
Oscar
October 23rd, 2012
7:42 pm
I voted for Bush in 1992, after Clinton won, I though the GOP went off the deep end in their attempt to remove Clinton from office. From there they proceded further from reality and have never recovered.
Fear of socialism, communism, athesim, gay marriage, crime by minority groups, illegal immigrants, and China has kept them over the edge of rationality.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
7:44 pm
TaxPayer:
Obama is my president but he is NOT my Commander in Chief. I am no longer in the military and not in his chain of command. He cannot issue me a lawful order as a military commander.
Sorry.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
7:44 pm
josef:
Nothing wrong with that.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 23rd, 2012
7:44 pm
bayonet comments sooooooo bad.
Syria…Iran’s pathway to the ocean.. oh well
Why dont windows on airplanes roll down…. oh well
Oscar
October 23rd, 2012
7:45 pm
Oscar: Who would still be undecided at this point.
Me.
_____
Bro: You too. Who will it be next. And you think you know someone.
Mick
October 23rd, 2012
7:45 pm
jay
Saw your debate analysis with kyle…..pretty good perspectives and no shouting….keep doing it and then maybe fox or msnbc will go after you guys, then it’s the big time! Stranger things have happened…
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
7:46 pm
Scout
Thanks for your take on Mormonism.
You posted a letter from Billy Graham, so I chimed in with their recent change of heart……… coincidentally at the time a Mormon was in a tight race for POTUS………
Their choice, but it reeks of nothing more than politics. They seem to be telling folks who believe as they do but might be apprehensive because Romney is a Mormon, that is is ok to vote for him.
I do not know why they placed Mormons on a “cult” list but anyone with an objectivity can see that the recent timing is no coincidence.
Like you “I call them like I seem them” In this case it smelled even before I could see it.
getalife
October 23rd, 2012
7:48 pm
Our military is well equipped.
mitt has no idea what he is talking about on foreign policy.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 23rd, 2012
7:49 pm
Senior Digits…. now here is the actual quote:
“But I think Governor Romney maybe hasn’t spent enough time looking at how our military works. You — you mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets — [laughter] — because the nature of our military’s changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.”
So why do you buffoonishly lie about the statement. Do you need someone to tell you that the “nature of our military’s changed” or did that go above your head?
Mick
October 23rd, 2012
7:50 pm
0311
We had to be always ready for anything, improvising a situation can save lives too. Us marine types can get very creative with rope…
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
7:51 pm
Scout
What I am saying is that while I do not agree with the Grahams on a “cult” list, I do think more of that family than their recent willingness to play politics with their own stated faith, words and actions.
But maybe I need to reevaluate how I view them based on that decision.
Again, they have done some great work.
TaxPayer
October 23rd, 2012
7:51 pm
Last time I checked, whenever you go to vote you already have to prove who you are via identification matching the polling station’s registered voter records or else you had to vote on a provisional ballot. So what if it is or is not via a photo id. You’re only going to get one vote matching one confirmed registered voter in that district. Cons apparently have been cheating for a long time since they are the only ones claiming that many people avoid this rather simple system of checks and balances that has been in place for at least as long as I have been voting.
getalife
October 23rd, 2012
7:53 pm
I talk to vets that supported the Libya operation and troops there now and they think our President knows what he is talking about.
mitt does not.
Both,
Good point on the cult comment.
I guess they are tolerant of Mormons now so they can be tolerant of the Muslims too.
seabeau
October 23rd, 2012
7:53 pm
The Pew Trust,a liberal organization recently discovered 1.8 millon deceased voters names still on the voter rolls in the many states! Proof positive that voter fraud can and does exist!
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 23rd, 2012
7:55 pm
To summarize, Obama said we have fewer horses and bayonets, not none, which is correct. He further noted that we have aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, which is also correct. Romney, on the other hand, was basing his (false) argument on the notion that a 1917 ship is directly equivalent to an aircraft carrier or nuclear submarine. And Republicans think they have something to crow about here?
And Senior Digits is leading the crows
Brosephus™
October 23rd, 2012
7:56 pm
Oscar
I am not going to cast a vote for the shape shifter. We’ve seen Obama throw the far right under the bus, but I don’t have the confidence that Romney will do the same to the far right. He reminds me of George Wallace in the 1960’s, a politician that will hitch his wagon to whatever’s popular in order to get elected. I’m not sold on Obama either, so there will likely be a few coin tosses to narrow down the three remaining candidates. Either that, or I’ll let my 4 year pick a choice for me.
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
7:57 pm
getalife
The timing of when they “saw the light” in regards to Mormons is amazing………….
What do you think the chances are that Mormonisn is off the cult list had the Republican nominee not been Mormon?
You get one guess. Hint: multiple it by ZERO……………
And you get _______________.
stands for decibels
October 23rd, 2012
7:57 pm
So why do you buffoonishly lie about the statement.
Because that is what he was told to do today.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 23rd, 2012
7:57 pm
seabiscuit: The Pew Trust,a liberal organization recently discovered 1.8 millon deceased voters names still on the voter rolls in the many states! Proof positive that voter fraud can and does exist!
Nope. Proof that voter registration rolls are not being kept up, maybe. But you have not demonstrated that any of those 1.8 million voted after dying. You can comprehend what evidence and proof is, right?
josef
October 23rd, 2012
7:58 pm
Among my old books is a 1920 Rand McNally World Atlas…in the religion map, the Mormon areas of the west are indicated as “cult” as opposed to Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu, Buddhist…etc.
GEORGIA
1916 was the key year in relation to the American emergence as a world power in terms of naval deployment…for the first time it was welcomed into the big boys’ club…
Brosephus™
October 23rd, 2012
7:58 pm
The Pew Trust,a liberal organization recently discovered 1.8 millon deceased voters names still on the voter rolls in the many states! Proof positive that voter fraud can and does exist!
Voter fraud my ass. That’s simply people not adequately checking the voter registration rolls. When you continuously cut budgets, tasks get prioritized to keep the government running. I don’t know of a single state that ranks continuous monitoring of the voter registration rolls as a high priority item. Nice try but epic fail.
The Majority of Moochers and Baby Killers Vote Democrat
October 23rd, 2012
7:59 pm
If ships aren’t important any more, why doesn’t someone tell China
Doggone/GA
October 23rd, 2012
7:59 pm
“Proof positive that voter fraud can and does exist!”
Hate to break it to you…but that is NOT proof of voter fraud. It would only be voter fraud if someone voted using one of those IDs and it could be proven that they did so. All you’ve really found is an example of – at worst – poor record keeping.
But keep digging, your BOUND to find a case of REAL voter fraud sooner or later. Bound to.
josef
October 23rd, 2012
8:00 pm
BOTH
Ole Scout is like Obama…he’s evolving…there’s hope for him…now, the other one…probably not…
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
8:00 pm
Bro
But you do know that in 1960 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
8:01 pm
josef
Brosephus™
October 23rd, 2012
8:03 pm
They BOTH
Funny that I gave them proof at the beginning of the thread, and not a single one appears to have taken a look. Voter fraud is nothing but political fraud. Some of these people don’t really give a sh*t about fraud or else they would seriously research it and arm themselves with the knowledge necessary to defend their position.
TaxPayer
October 23rd, 2012
8:04 pm
Scout,
I made no mention of who the Commander in Chief was at the time in my 7:40 post. All I highlighted was the age old game of horseshoes and hand grenades. I know. The rules for both assign points to whomever is closest thus one might ask what’s the advantage of one over the other hence one might then use that logic and apply it to the similar game of bayonets and hand grenades as well. Very few people walk away from said game though with any doubt remaining regarding which choice offers the most advantage, unless of course your position is being attacked by overwhelming numbers by an opposing force that has a numerical advantage and is not afraid to use it. In that case, a game of horse shoes with the enemy may have been the better choice.
Brosephus™
October 23rd, 2012
8:07 pm
They BOTH
Check this out…
How was the News21 public-records effort conducted?
In early May, the News21 team sent public-records requests to each of the 50 departments of elections or secretaries of state across the nation. The team also sent similar requests under the federal Freedom of Information Act to the District of Columbia Board of Elections, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI. The request was simple: Please send information about any cases since 2000 involving election fraud, including the name of accused, the charges they are accused of and the disposition of the case.
The first hurdle was that every state runs elections in its own fashion, and many states control the election process through different agencies. After extensive follow-up telephone calls and messages, the News21 team began to receive responses. The most common response was a message saying that the election offices don’t track fraud and directing the request to the state attorney general’s office.
In early June, the News21 team sent requests to all 50 state attorneys general. Many of them in turn responded that they don’t track cases of election fraud and that the requests should go to every county district attorney in the state.
There are 3,145 counties in America. News21 emailed, faxed or phoned every county district attorney office in every state that indicated that was necessary, a total of more than 1,000 such contacts. In many cases, offices were contacted more than once in order to get questions answered and details filled in
http://votingrights.news21.com/article/election-fraud-explainer/
Now, this was done in early 2012, and we all know that Republicans run more than half the states in the country. If Republicans were truly concerned about voter fraud, wouldn’t they have some kind of method to track cases?
TaxPayer
October 23rd, 2012
8:08 pm
The Pew Trust,a liberal organization recently discovered 1.8 millon deceased voters names still on the voter rolls in the many states! Proof positive that voter fraud can and does exist!
People die every day, even after registering to vote. How dare they die without first removing their names from the lists of registered voters. Either that or they best be finding some way to unearth themselves and get to the polls. The nerve!
josef
October 23rd, 2012
8:10 pm
Temme…
If I vote early, but die before election day…is my vote still valid…?
TaxPayer
October 23rd, 2012
8:10 pm
If the cons are not willing to mail in their heads along with the photo id when they vote on an absentee ballot, then they obviously are just out to commit voter fraud.
Doggone/GA
October 23rd, 2012
8:12 pm
“If I vote early, but die before election day…is my vote still valid…?”
Yeah, you’re good…just don’t try to vote again after you die
USA Patriot
October 23rd, 2012
8:13 pm
Okay, okay, okay – so how difficult is it to have a valid ID to vote – sheesh! Some of you people are really interesting. Ever try to cash a check, rent a car, go to a court house, check out a book at the library, get a prescription, etc., etc., etc., Just amazing!
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 23rd, 2012
8:13 pm
Bro, and none of that addresses the voter suppression by the Ohio SoS who tried to limit early voting in Democratic leaning counties and the Ohio legislature to take away early voting rights from some, but not all, citizens. As well as his continued efforts to ignore court orders.
But some posters who feign concern that a tight race may be impacted by the fictional “illegal voter” or “Democrats suppressing votes 100 years ago” have no objection to those acts.
Mr_B
October 23rd, 2012
8:14 pm
josef: Wasn’t it Hillel,who when confronted by one of the goyim who said they would adopt Judaism if he could recite the entire law while standing on one foot, raised one foot and quoted “”Thou shalt love the Lord thy G-d with all thy soul, all thy might and all thy strength’. Everything else is commentary.”
TaxPayer
October 23rd, 2012
8:14 pm
Last Will and Testament,
I hereby bequeath my voting rights after death to my wife. There. That makes it legal.
getalife
October 23rd, 2012
8:15 pm
Both,
I am having problems keeping up with all the position changes and change in conservatism beliefs . It is spinning from position to position to make my head spin.
I have never seen anything like it.
Doggone/GA
October 23rd, 2012
8:15 pm
” Ever try to cash a check, rent a car, go to a court house, check out a book at the library, get a prescription, etc., etc., etc., Just amazing!”
Well, let’s see…if I use only cash, I don’t need an ID to cash a chack. If I don’t break any laws, I don’t need to go to the court house. If I don’t like to read, I have no need to go to the library. If I don’t need any prescription medicines, I don’t need to do to a pharmacy. Etc, etc, etc
Wanna try again?
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 23rd, 2012
8:15 pm
Okay, okay, okay – so how difficult is it to have a valid ID to vote – sheesh! Some of you people are really interesting. Ever try to cash a check, rent a car, go to a court house, check out a book at the library, get a prescription, etc., etc., etc., Just amazing!
How many times do these conned have to buffoonishly post the same ignornance as if they have never heard the responses and have failed to read any prior post on this day or the many others where it has been discussed?
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
8:16 pm
Bro
Good article. The usual rebuttal will be that only accounts for the cases that were found out. Some people just know it is occurring and possible influencing elections, yet their evidence does not come close to the hype and rhetoric.
If either party could do it and had these grand schemes, why isn’t it showing up with that party doing it to influence any and every election? Why are the number of examples so low?
There are monitors at the polls.
When there is a process to include absentee ballots and it is done for all states, I will be on board.
Doggone/GA
October 23rd, 2012
8:18 pm
“I am having problems keeping up with all the position changes and change in conservatism beliefs ”
The problem is that you think they believe those positions. Just think of them as convenient statements at the time made…makes it much easier, since you don’t have to keep up with them.
They BOTH suck
October 23rd, 2012
8:19 pm
getalife
I am with you 100%. I think he would be the House’s whipping boy.
The Graham’s and many others had to change their views on Mormonism, not TBS. It never concerned me whether he was Baptist, Buddhist, Mormon or atheist.
Mr_B
October 23rd, 2012
8:20 pm
“Ever try to cash a check, rent a car, go to a court house, check out a book at the library, get a prescription, etc., etc., etc., Just amazing!”
With the exception of renting a car, I’ve done every one of these without an ID. Probably could rent a car as well, if I did it locally.
Peter
October 23rd, 2012
8:20 pm
USMC . You must think all was great at the end of the Bush 8 years ?
Economy wonderful, housing great, and of course zero wars. Cheney never touted Deficits don’t matter, and he balanced the budget ?
Bush administration official: 2008 will set record
By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
WASHINGTON – A senior Bush administration official says the budget deficit for this year will set a record in dollar terms, approaching $490 billion.
The official said Monday the deficit was being driven to record levels by the sagging economy and the stimulus payments being made to 130 million households in an effort to keep the country from falling into a deep recession. A deficit approaching $490 billion would easily surpass the current record deficit of $413 billion set in 2004.
USA Patriot
October 23rd, 2012
8:21 pm
Doggone, point well taken. Now, let’s see, only dealing with cash, can’t / don’t read, very healthy, etc., etc., etc.! D’oh, but when you go to get your government check, what do they do – here ya go Dog – have a good day! HA!
getalife
October 23rd, 2012
8:21 pm
I thought con beliefs are set in stone until mitt came along.
USA Patriot
October 23rd, 2012
8:22 pm
Hey “Keep” – some of us work for a living supporting your lazy a** posting all evening. Put a cork in it!
Peter
October 23rd, 2012
8:23 pm
USMC. This is for you………
Consumers’ mood grim in June: survey
Friday June 27, 10:01 am ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) – consumer confidence fell more than expected in June, hitting another 28-year low as surging prices and mounting job losses sapped sentiment, according to a survey released on Friday.
The Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers also said five-year inflation expectations remained steady at the peak of 3.4 percent reached in May, which was the highest in 13 years.
Federal Reserve officials have focused on long-term inflation expectations in recent comments and the persistence of strong inflationary pressures heightens the dilemma they face of fighting price growth or supporting a flagging economy.
The Surveys of Consumers said the final June reading for its index of confidence fell to 56.4 from May’s 59.8.
The June reading is the lowest since 51.7 in May 1980, which was also the lowest reading ever. The index dates back to 1952, though the survey has been conducted since 1946.
Economists had expected a reading of 57.0, according to a Reuters poll. Their forecasts ranged from 55.9 to 60.0. The final June result is slightly below the preliminary figure of 56.7 released on June 13.
One-year inflation expectations declined to still-elevated 5.1 percent from May’s 5.2 percent. May’s one-year inflation expectations reading was the highest since 5.2 percent in February 1982.
The index of consumer expectations fell to 49.2 in June — its lowest since May 1980
Doggone/GA
October 23rd, 2012
8:24 pm
“but when you go to get your government check, what do they do – here ya go Dog ”
And if I have a cash only business? The problem with any example you can come up with will have NOTHING to do with the non-existent “problem” of voter fraud. Voter ID laws are a solution looking for a problem.
Peter
October 23rd, 2012
8:25 pm
the Republican’s want their party back in charge !
AP
Stimulus payments result in record May deficit
Wednesday June 11, 2:20 pm ET
By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer
Economic stimulus payments push May budget deficit to an all-time high of $165.9 billion
WASHINGTON (AP) — A flood of economic stimulus payments pushed the federal budget deficit to an all-time high of $165.9 billion in May.
The Treasury Department reported Wednesday that the May deficit was more than double the imbalance in May 2007, reflecting $48 billion in payments as part of the government’s $168 billion economic stimulus effort to give the economy a jump-start and keep the country from falling into a deep recession.
For the first eight months of the budget year, the deficit totals $319.4 billion, slightly below the all-time record for this period of $346 billion, set in the 2004 budget year.
The Bush administration estimated in February that the deficit for this year would total $410 billion, just below the all-time high in dollar terms of $413 billion in 2004. However, many private economists believe that this year’s deficit will exceed the previous record, reflecting not only the economic stimulus program but also the impact of the weakening economy on government receipts.
Through the first eight months of this budget year, which began on Oct. 1, receipts have totaled $1.67 trillion, a small 0.3 percent increase from the same period a year ago, as both individual tax payments and corporate tax payments have shown the effects of the sluggish economy.
Outlays, however, are up a sizable 9.7 percent to $1.99 trillion, reflecting the stimulus payments and also the ongoing costs of fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The $319.4 billion deficit total for the past eight months is more than double the $148.5 billion deficit for the same period in 2007.
josef
October 23rd, 2012
8:26 pm
Mr B
Shalom! Yep, that was Hillel…
USA Patriot
October 23rd, 2012
8:26 pm
Doggone, my point is not “voter fraud” but more to do with this mythical “voter suppression”. I agree, in these time a lot of people are “cash only”, I can relate. Just seems the argument against an ID to vote is ridiculous.
barking frog
October 23rd, 2012
8:27 pm
josef
hang all the law and the prophets”
Amen
Peter
October 23rd, 2012
8:27 pm
USMC… this is for you……….2008 was the year.
Buffett sees “long, deep” U.S. recession
Sat May 24, 7:30 AM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) – The United States is already in a recession and it will be longer as well as deeper than many people expect, U.S. investor Warren Buffett said in an interview published in German magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday.
He said the United States was “already in recession” and added: “Perhaps not in the sense that economists would define it” with two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
“But the people are already feeling the effects,” said Buffett, the world’s richest man. “It will be deeper and last longer than many think.”
But he said that won’t stop him from investing in selected companies and said he remained interested in well-managed German family-owned companies.
“If the world were falling apart I’d still invest in companies,” he said.
Buffett also renewed his criticism of derivatives trading.
“It’s not right that hundreds of thousands of jobs are being eliminated, that entire industrial sectors in the real economy are being wiped out by financial bets even though the sectors are actually in good health.”
Buffett complained about the lack of effective controls.
“That’s the problem,” he said. “You can’t steer it, you can’t regulate it anymore. You can’t get the genie back in the bottle.”
fair and balanced
October 23rd, 2012
8:28 pm
I am more concerned about the Romney family having a financial interest in one of the companies whose election machines are being used to determine if Romney wins.
Peter
October 23rd, 2012
8:29 pm
USMC……. perhaps you have forgotten ?
WASHINGTON (CNN) — A new poll suggests that George W. Bush is the most unpopular president in modern American history.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday indicates that 71 percent of the American public disapprove of how Bush his handling his job as president.
“No president has ever had a higher disapproval rating in any CNN or Gallup poll; in fact, this is the first time that any president’s disapproval rating has cracked the 70 percent mark,” said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
“Bush’s approval rating, which stands at 28 percent in our new poll, remains better than the all-time lows set by Harry Truman and Richard Nixon (22 percent and 24 percent, respectively) but even those two presidents never got a disapproval rating in the 70s,” Holland added. “The previous all-time record in CNN or Gallup polling was set by Truman, 66 percent disapproval in January 1952.”
CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider adds, “He is more unpopular than Richard Nixon was just before he resigned from the presidency in August 1974.” President Nixon’s disapproval rating in August 1974 stood at 67 percent.
The poll also indicates that support for the war in Iraq has never been lower. Thirty percent of those questioned favored the war while 68 percent opposed the conflict.
“Americans are growing more pessimistic about the war,” Holland said. “In January, nearly half believed that things were going well for the U.S. in Iraq; now that figure has dropped to 39 percent.”
The numbers on the Iraq war come on the five-year anniversary of President Bush’s “mission accomplished” moment onboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, when Bush proclaimed that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”
The record low support for the war in a CNN poll could be one reason behind the president’s unpopularity, but it probably is not the only one.
“Support for the war, the assessment of the economy and approval of Mr. Bush are all about the same — bad,” Schneider said.
josef
October 23rd, 2012
8:30 pm
DOGGONE
“And if I have a cash only business?”
Inquiring minds want to know!
getalife
October 23rd, 2012
8:31 pm
“The problem is that you think they believe those positions. Just think of them as convenient statements at the time made”
That does make it easier.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 23rd, 2012
8:31 pm
Hey Patriot…. I am sure your work pays well n the 6 figures just like Ben’s. Send more money so I can really mock ignorance.
Peter
October 23rd, 2012
8:31 pm
USMC…… Your party led us to this……..
Dollar plumbs new low versus euro
Concerns about U.S. banking sector drive greenback to record low against the 15-nation euro.
By Kenneth Musante, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Last Updated: July 15, 2008: 8:44 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The dollar sank to a new all-time low against the euro Tuesday as concerns about the health of the U.S. banking sector and economy deepened.
The 15-nation euro rose as high as $1.6038 in European trading, breaking through its previous high of $1.6018 set April 22. It later pulled back to $1.5992, but remained stronger against the dollar.
The greenback also fell against the Japanese yen, dropping to ¥105.18.
Peter
October 23rd, 2012
8:32 pm
April 28, 2008
Consumer sentiment lowest in 26 years.
Ruth Mantell
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — High fuel and food prices, coupled with “shrinking” income gains and falling home values pulled down consumer sentiment in April, according to a Friday report. The U.S. consumer sentiment index declined to 62.6 in April — the lowest level in 26 years — from 69.5 in March, according to a Friday report from University of Michigan/Reuters. An earlier estimate for April was 63.2. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch were looking for a final April result of 63.0. The expectations index fell to 53.3 – the lowest level since November 1990 — from 60.1 in March.
Doggone/GA
October 23rd, 2012
8:33 pm
“Doggone, my point is not “voter fraud” but more to do with this mythical “voter suppression”.”
But instituting voter ID laws that are not needed CAN have the effect of suppressing the vote, especially this close to an election. So tell us, how much are YOU willing to donate to ENSURE that ALL voters in your state that do not have a picture ID can get one in a timely fashion? Or, since voter registration has passed…how much DID you donate towards that goal?
If there is no real, substantive, voter fraud…and there isn’t…then it’s neccessary to look behind the reason for the sudden push for voter ID. And the ONLY other reason is to STOP SOME PEOPLE FROM VOTING. AKA: voter suppression.
There’s no other valid reason for it.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
8:33 pm
The Majority of Moochers and Baby Killers Vote Democrat :
Thank you ……………… “Air Raid Pearl Harbor …… this is no drill”
USA Patriot
October 23rd, 2012
8:33 pm
Keep – HA! HA! HA! You’re killing me!
Mr_B
October 23rd, 2012
8:34 pm
Night guys, keep it real.
Brosephus™
October 23rd, 2012
8:34 pm
Keep: Bro, and none of that addresses the voter suppression by the Ohio SoS
No it doesn’t. That’s one that I’ve been watching very closely. As it was done, it reeked of shenanigans.
Peter
October 23rd, 2012
8:34 pm
Republicans want to forget their financial mistakes today saying they are the party that can make the economy work ?
TUCSON, Arizona (AP) — The government is scrapping a $20 million prototype of its highly touted “virtual fence” on the Arizona-Mexico border because the system is failing to adequately alert border patrol agents to illegal crossings, officials said.
This 98-foot tower, seen last year in Avirica, Arizona, has radar, sensors and sophisticated cameras.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
October 23rd, 2012
8:34 pm
TaxPayer:
………….. and what would you know what to do with a hand grenade OR a bayonet?
Just askin’ …………..
By the way, the standard issue of grenades when I was in was six. They are fairly heavy and you can run out of them real fast. They bayonet is ALWAYS there ……….. it doesn’t “run out”.
Doggone/GA
October 23rd, 2012
8:35 pm
“Inquiring minds want to know!”
Heh, heh, heh…wouldn’t you like to know?!
josef
October 23rd, 2012
8:35 pm
“Too much work and not enough play makes Jack a dull boy.”
USA Patriot
October 23rd, 2012
8:35 pm
Mr. B – wow, you must know a great group of people in your little community. Good for you!
getalife
October 23rd, 2012
8:36 pm
usa,
Grow up son.