Obama holds upper hand in budget confrontation
The reputations of pollsters Rasmussen and Gallup took a deserved beating in the 2012 election, but if nothing else they are still valuable when judged relative to themselves. Rasmussen, for example, now reports that President Obama’s job approval rating among likely voters is at 55 percent, his highest level in a Rasmussen poll since June 2009.
Gallup reports similar numbers:
That would seem to suggest that Republican denials notwithstanding, President Obama comes into negotiations on the so-called fiscal cliff with a considerable amount of leverage. Newly released numbers from a Washington Post/Pew Center poll confirm that assessment:
Given that reality, it’ll be interesting to see the outcome of today’s secret ballot among House Republicans, who will be asked to elect a new chairman of the House Republican Conference. As we reported Monday, House Speaker John Boehner has thrown his support behind Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who qualifies as a moderate, if only within the very narrowly conservative House GOP caucus. If elected, she would also become the only woman in the House GOP leadership, which currently has no women holding any of the 21 House committee chairmanships.
However, those on the more conservative end of the very conservative GOP caucus are rallying behind Georgia’s own Tom Price. That includes House Budget chair Paul Ryan, fresh off his experience on the losing end of the presidential race.
A Price victory would constitute a pretty serious setback for Boehner and would indicate that when the time comes, the speaker would not be able to deliver GOP votes for the budget compromise that will be needed. It would also suggest that House Republicans have not yet learned the necessary lessons of the 2012 election, including the dangers of extremism and the wisdom of outreach to female voters.
If so, they are courting yet another reminder.
– Jay Bookman
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
642 comments Add your comment
Banderson
November 14th, 2012
12:02 pm
“I am now predicting a 330 vote LANDSLIDE [for Mitt Romney] – Larry Kudlow
“I am predicting a 321-217 LANDSLIDE [for Mitt Romney] – George Will
“We’re going to win by a LANDSLIDE…Romney is going to carry 325 electoral votes” – Dick Morris
So, yeah, Obama won in a LANDSLIDE.
Joe Hussein Mama
November 14th, 2012
12:03 pm
J. Konop — “The problem with your SS plan is it will not yield nearly enough money. The truth is our saving rate as a country is terrible. We need to increase revenues, especially with baby boomer generations killing ratios. That is why we need to change the formula for funding this via less workers and more retires. And that is why I proposed a VAT or national sales tax ie to widen the amount of people contributing.”
FWIW, I much prefer the idea advanced earlier; of lifting the income cap entirely and subjecting *all* income, including interest, to the SS tax.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:04 pm
Americans know it is bad to have a rubber stamp congress so they left a gop house for check on power.
JamVet
November 14th, 2012
12:04 pm
Georgia Republicans still think they are relevant?
Not one inch outside of the state borders, they aren’t.
(Excluding the occasional boneheaded/”uppity” comment that produces nationwide laughter…)
A gaffe is when a Republican tells the truth.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
November 14th, 2012
12:04 pm
Doesn’t take long for our conned to go back to the same old rejected, tired, proven wrong themes.
clem
November 14th, 2012
12:05 pm
unfortunately, by not having halfway reasonable folks in House (who live in the bubble) it is not much of an upper hand. they don’t care about joe sixpack, they rely on big business to fund their nonsense.
Concerned American
November 14th, 2012
12:07 pm
BarrackaClause will continue to take from the hard working americans and give to those who refuse to work! And people like Joy Bookmon will continue to be their biggest supporter! BarrackaClause has done nothing for our country but give to those that are too lazy to work. And yes he won the election! But I guess a child (or people with that mindset) will always vote with their foodstamp mentality! So I am certain the ignorants and like mindness people will respond to this. But I think I will go back to work so I won’t see the posts! Afterall, I need to go EARN my money so I can give it to all of the people on here that have time to respond! Outta here!
Welcome to the Occupation
November 14th, 2012
12:07 pm
mm: “Remove the income cap on SS tax. Apply the SS tax to capital gains, not just payroll income.”
Ain’t gonna happen. Not while capital owns our government.
weetamoe
November 14th, 2012
12:07 pm
Since only republicans in congress are responsible for the economy, and since Obama knew absolutely nothing about the stunningly reckless Fast and Furious operation under his watch, and since Obama knew/knows nothing about the incredible bungle and tragic deaths in Benghazi—he really is ex… -he really is irrelevant. After all, what’s a president for?
willie lynch
November 14th, 2012
12:08 pm
Some might not want to admit it but the election was a clear rejection of the positions of the right leaning groups in this country. The majority has spoken. Just as you who claim the right has kept it’s majority in the HOR therefore giving them the right to defend their majority position so has the majority of the country given President Obama this same right.
The language on the right has not changed they are still stuck in the same regressive mind set that has burdened the country for the past 4 years. The idea that President Obama has to come to the cons with hat in hand is another misstep that will cost the right in its journey toward relevancy. But as Grandma used to say ” A hard head makes for a soft a**.”
Redcoat
November 14th, 2012
12:09 pm
clem…….just in the House?…….Yeah right….hahaha
independent thinker
November 14th, 2012
12:09 pm
Stick it to the cons Nancy- over the cliff and let all taxes go up unless the House passes the Senate bill on Clinton rates for the rich.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:10 pm
“Doesn’t take long for our conned to go back to the same old rejected, tired, proven wrong themes.”
Stay the course and expect a different result is exactly what I expected from the cons.
curious
November 14th, 2012
12:11 pm
Obama doesn’t know what’s going on just like Bush and Cheney did when they claimed to know where the WMDs were.
At least we have Trump still holding his secret.
St Simons
November 14th, 2012
12:12 pm
if we could educate the white southerners, the walmart republicans,
they wouldn’t have anybody left to bamboozle.
They know this too. Hence the Jaysus-rode-the-dinosaur-for-profit
private-bidness-scams-masquerading-as-skools-amendments
written by ALEC
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:12 pm
“At least we have Trump still holding his secret.”
what secret? what kind of wildlife is on his head???
alex
November 14th, 2012
12:13 pm
@deedree, Love it, see you at the Atl 1/2 marathon, THEN we can eat pie!!
Joe Hussein Mama
November 14th, 2012
12:13 pm
B. Shockley — “Yeah right. That’s why the American voters sent a Republican majority back to the House of Representatives.”
Wrong, Ben. American voters didn’t vote on the overall makeup of the House. And if they *had,* Democrats would have control, as *more* votes were cast nationally for Democratic House candidates than for Republican ones.
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/11/08/americans_actually_voted_for_a_democratic_house.html
“Brought to you by he same people who think a 50% – 48% popular vote victory is a “clear mandate.”
Yes! The Republicans! (giggling)
http://mediamatters.org/research/2008/11/04/in-2008-will-media-recall-2004-declarations-of/146033
The margin in 2004? Bush 50.7%, Kerry 48.3% (laughing, pointing)
“Liberals are so funny.”
If you say so, Benny.
indigo
November 14th, 2012
12:13 pm
USinUK – 10:09
Historical revision is a Republican speciality.
Common Sense isn't very Common
November 14th, 2012
12:13 pm
JamVet
Reb, lemme guess. You worked 23 hours a day and walked uphill both ways.
——————————————————
You left out barefoot and in the snow
Redcoat
November 14th, 2012
12:14 pm
willie lynch……..why such a big hat in the first place…..and why does that hat seem to get larger every year?…..and when the hat is passed under armed escort and comes back empty, what then?
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:14 pm
Pie, pie, me oh my.
JamVet
November 14th, 2012
12:14 pm
Since only republicans in congress are responsible for the economy…
Now that is a Bushwhine that never gets old.
Of course they are not solely responsible.
An when you apologists start broaching the subject of your not insignificant role in the attempted corporate destruction of capitalism, things will slowly start improving for your future electoral chances.
But you are still completely hung up on the false R v D paradigm.
There is very little difference.
Today’s Democrats today are to the right of yesterday’s liberal Republicans. They’ve abandoned labor, they’ve abandoned the poor. They’re the same on the trade agreements. They haven’t lifted a finger on raising the minimum wage. They extended Bush’s tax cuts. Obama doesn’t fight for what he believes in.
http://tinyurl.com/caowvww
retired liberal
November 14th, 2012
12:14 pm
Ahhhh-When will I get my free stuff? Been waiting–NO JOY–I WANT my FREE stuff and I want it now! Damm working class, got more stuff than I do and I want may Fair share. Where is it?? Obama promised so I want it NOW. It’s my money and I want it NOW !!!!!!! Takin’ my food stamps to the gin mill and gonna get drunk. Damm republicans, want to keep everything they make–so unfair–I got needs too, ya know . Come on, anti up you right wing snobs–just cause ya worked for it doesn’t mean you get to keep it–Obama say it’s NOT FAIR ! Whaaaaaaaaa!
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:16 pm
Melt down.
Joe Hussein Mama
November 14th, 2012
12:17 pm
SSI — “Jaysus-rode-the-dinosaur-for-profit”
Giggle!
Hey, SSI, I crunched the numbers and I agree with you, PPP was the most accurate pollster. Electoral-Vote.com agrees, too.
Being entertained
November 14th, 2012
12:18 pm
Enter your comments here
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:19 pm
Who was not credible?
rw media but the cons still swallow every word.
Being entertained
November 14th, 2012
12:20 pm
Retired liberal nut!!!!
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:21 pm
“Historical revision is a Republican speciality.”
that and denial.
Union
November 14th, 2012
12:22 pm
of course they will blame the republicans.. thats what obama tells the mindless wonders that voted for him.. libs and lemmings.. they have so many similarities its not even funny..
Joe Hussein Mama
November 14th, 2012
12:22 pm
And the Cuckoo Con-Clock chimes 12:14 PM.
curious
November 14th, 2012
12:23 pm
the Republicans forced the sequestration bill thinking Obama would blink.
When he doesn’t blink and the economy goes to pot, the public needs to remember who put us in that position.
The republicans may be getting what they asked for.
Common Sense isn't very Common
November 14th, 2012
12:24 pm
I wonder how many jobs bills the cons present to congress.
Remember those are the ones that do away with womens rights or don’t have anything to do with jobs other than having ‘JOBS’ in the title.
St Simons
November 14th, 2012
12:25 pm
yeah Joe, they were sampling over 2.2k ‘hard’ calls every time, which
as you know gets up in the 99% confidence range, and were at least
attempting to accurately factor cell-only.
Gallup just forfeited everything, all those yrs of cred, to be a con
propaganda outfit like Ras & Unskewed.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:25 pm
“Obama promised so I want it NOW.”
really???
please, point us to an Obama quote … ANY Obama quote … where he promised the free stuff.
Bill Clinton
November 14th, 2012
12:25 pm
Repubs got a real sex scandal on their hands on just some seductive cigar sucking and fondling. Now their boy Petreaus says “he screwed up”. Yeah I know that speech unfortunately. And then he is going to testify to a bunch of Repub. hacks with sore butts from that ass whooping that Barack, Joe and I gave them last week. Kinda like ole Newt becoming an expert on illicit affairs and trying to impeach me. But We dems are onto their little plot to throw Barack out and defame Hillary.
Both he and Broadwell should be court martialed. This is about a lot more than a sordid affair by a star struck admirer. I know , and have some experience with this topic. It was a blatant attempt to unseat the president with a false story about the CIA having advance warning and holding terrorist prisoners in Begazhi. Fox News and the Romney folks ran with the Benghazi story to whip up votes and it failed. Broadwell gave a speech Oct. 26 in Denver in which she told this big lie and said it came from a reliable CIA source. No wonder Petreaus resigned when Romney lost. This harkens back to some of Nixon’s dirty tricks using the CIA to stop FBI investigations of Watergate. And guess who worked on dirty tricks for Nixon- frat boy Rove. And now we get Fox News and Murdock involved just like in Britain.
Where Eric Cantor gets roped in by jezebel no. 2 remains to be seen.She is kinda foxy; I would have made her honorary diplomat after vetting her.
Jm
November 14th, 2012
12:26 pm
Obama
He do love the European model
A failed model
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:26 pm
Looks like this election thumpin did not penetrate the con bubble.
Too funny.
Union
November 14th, 2012
12:26 pm
so you want to build a new house.. most people would find an architect and contractor.. obama goes and gets the guy that rakes the concrete to ask his advice..
guy
November 14th, 2012
12:27 pm
A lot of people on these comments are more concerned with who they like or dislike personally than the big problem. Call names,criticize,ridicule,and finding others to blame won’t change a thing. Both parties have not governed for years so here we are.Whether you love obama,romney,bush, or not is not going to matter a darn bit when we fall off the cliff. The far right and the far left in these posts are spewing their venom. Go for it and see what difference it makes. NONE! What a waste of energy and time! So ,so, sad and I’m sure there will be sarcastic remarks coming. Look around people!
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:28 pm
“He do love the European model”
and your evidence is … ???
I’ll ask you he same thing … give us a quote – ANY quote – where Obama says something to support your (erroneous) statement.
Joe Hussein Mama
November 14th, 2012
12:29 pm
SSI — “Gallup just forfeited everything, all those yrs of cred, to be a con propaganda outfit like Ras & Unskewed.”
Dean Chambers (the “Unskewed Polls” guy) apologized last week, but said that he’d do it again if he ever thought the polls were returning incorrect figures. So he pretty clearly hasn’t learned his lesson.
Plus, he needs at least two or three semesters of college-level Stats before he opens his pasty yap again.
stands for decibels
November 14th, 2012
12:30 pm
look at the electoral college map. Does that look like a landslide?
As of today, dirt STILL does not vote.
Common Sense isn't very Common
November 14th, 2012
12:31 pm
sfd
Dirt STILL does not vote.
—————————————–
But dumb as dirt did and still lost the WH AGAIN
Being entertained
November 14th, 2012
12:31 pm
@UNION. You’re the mindless wonder. You voted for a mannequin.
Union
November 14th, 2012
12:32 pm
seem to recall how with katrina libs went after bush for being inefficient in the recovery efforts.. still waiting on a bookman blog on how obama supports the blocking of efforts to actually help recovery from sandy..
josef
November 14th, 2012
12:33 pm
COMMON SENSE
That was TOO funny!
He ne ha…
Just remember, though, the Pesky Savage DID get a better deal from the Southern u-ne-ga than from his Yankee cousin…big difference between Removal of the nation and blood genocide of the race…just to keep things in perspective…
larry
November 14th, 2012
12:34 pm
look at the electoral college map. Does that look like a landslide?
Name one Democrat who was up for re-election that lost on Nov. 6
I’ll be waiting.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:34 pm
“Looks like this election thumpin did not penetrate the con bubble.”
long may they reign.
Looney Bin
November 14th, 2012
12:35 pm
Who cares if Obama won by a ‘landslide’ or has a supposed ‘mandate’? He won the elction, enough said, let’s move on. Last I checked it’s not as though the Saints weren’t declared the winners of Sundays game against the Falcons because they only won by 4 points; a win is a win, and to the winner go the spoils….
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:35 pm
“Dirt STILL does not vote.”
and that’s why I’m dB’s biggest fan.
stands for decibels
November 14th, 2012
12:35 pm
Howdy, JHM, saw this:
I feel compelled to point out that SS is an *insurance* program, not a savings plan. So I think your criticism might be misplaced, but I’m willing to hear you out.
Oh, I know what the “I” in FDIC stands for. I have repeatedly pointed out to the slower folks that it’s an insurance program. Well aware of that.
I’ll just say this again–I don’t believe you get any great savings by means-testing SS/Med so that a relatively few people will receive relatively little less. In fact, I see that approach, when offered as some kind of an olive branch from the right, with a great deal of suspicion, frankly. I think such an approach would only serve to erode public support since you could, theoretically, wind up roping in millions of upper-middle-class folks who’d be forced to cough up some symbolic extra dollars / receive symbolically less to the Dark Side, who’d start making noises about privatizing the whole thing.
I could go on, but in short, I think you get very little in the way of fiscal relief (but I will admit to not having any hard crunched numbers for that), and a *lot* in the way of future political grief, if you do that kind of means-testing.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:36 pm
Looney bin,
I like that comparison
Who dat?
Union
November 14th, 2012
12:36 pm
wonder why the states that are the most fiscally damaged tend to vote democrat time and time again.. must like being broke?
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:38 pm
“wonder why the states that are the most fiscally damaged tend to vote democrat time and time again”
um. dearest. the majority of red states are net RECIPIENTS of your federal tax dollars while the BLUE states you so deride are the ones paying for them.
so you might want to read a little before you blog. you won’t look quite so stupid that way.
Thulsa Doom
November 14th, 2012
12:39 pm
In regards to all those polls that were oversampling dems by plus 7 aren’t there 7 or 8% more folks that identify themselves as dems anyhow? Thus making those polls accurate to begin with. Seems they were pretty accurate on the election.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:39 pm
Poke the bubble until it bursts .
stands for decibels
November 14th, 2012
12:41 pm
so you want to build a new house.. most people would find an architect and contractor.. obama goes and gets the guy that rakes the concrete to ask his advice..
ok, Union? hold onto that thought for just a teeny moment.
When we hear right wingers go on about the “liberally biased” media, and claim as proof of bias certain polling that apparently shows a majority of reporters vote Democratic?
Can you at least admit that reporters are, basically, the concrete rakers? They don’t own the media outlets, they don’t run them; they are assigned stories, and they cover them. That’s it.
Joe Hussein Mama
November 14th, 2012
12:41 pm
SfD, I’m not trying to start an argument, but I’m having trouble reconciling two things you said. They are:
“I don’t believe you get any great savings by means-testing SS/Med so that a relatively few people will receive relatively little less.”
and
“you could, theoretically, wind up roping in millions of upper-middle-class folks who’d be forced to cough up some symbolic extra dollars / receive symbolically less”
It seems like you’re criticizing means-testing because too many *and* too few Americans would (simultaneously) be affected. Could you clarify a bit more, please?
JamVet
November 14th, 2012
12:41 pm
<i….the mindless wonders that voted for him…
Says the brilliant Union.
DannyX
November 14th, 2012
12:42 pm
“Dirt STILL does not vote.”
Wait a minute. You mean we don’t live in a geocracy?????
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:42 pm
Pssst, we will get the Clinton economy again and the cons will just have to deal with the peace and prosperity coming.
willie lynch
November 14th, 2012
12:44 pm
Redcoat
November 14th, 2012
12:14 pm
The metaphorical hat to which I was referring, seems to exist mainly in the mind of those on the right. Again, the re-election of President Obama has shown that the majority of the country backs his program therefore he doesn’t have to assume this position. The idea that the Republicans have some sort of clarion call to arms by their retaining the HOR is silly since they drew the lines (redistricting) for the express purpose of retaining the majority they have. Let’s not forget they did lose seats in the House and Senate.
To your question of an empty hat, I would think the cons would be the biggest losers in that outcome since (as stated above) the majority of the country agrees with President Obama. For those on the right to continue their cold war tactics further illustrates how out of touch they are with the majority and the pervasive ignorance that guides their beliefs. The way forward is not being led by the right.
josef
November 14th, 2012
12:44 pm
THULSA
@ 11:57
Round of doctor visits…took the rest of the day off…
Jm
November 14th, 2012
12:44 pm
Usinuk
I don’t care about anything you have to say or ask
independent thinker
November 14th, 2012
12:45 pm
“retired liberal” – I agree with you. Us Dems do not get the free stuff like the 1% and that’s whats wrong with the economy.Ole Cheney and Halliburton they sure knew how to get them government dollars. Just google up Delphi and Romney and you will see how that boy and his poor wife made millions off of the auto bailout money your boy Barack handed out to Delphi. Them cons go for the big dollars when they get free stuff.. Then they packed all them union workers at Delphi up and sent them to the unemployment office. Chinese can do the same thing twelve hours a day below minimum wage with no benefits – no free stuff over there; that’s why the 1% love them Chinese. And they don’t have to worry about falling off some cliff.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:45 pm
Did y’all sign the petition to leave the Union?
You want our country to collapse so your State can beak away right cons?
sam
November 14th, 2012
12:45 pm
recent poll shows current GOP to be irrelevant and out of touch.
Nunna Yobinnes
November 14th, 2012
12:46 pm
Why does everyone tout the “Clinton Economy”? He was the luckiest president ever. He rode the dot com false economy bubble. Fortunately for him, the bubble burst around the time he left office, thereby shuffling the carnage over to the next administration.
Union
November 14th, 2012
12:46 pm
usinuk.. may want to take your own advice.. where do the federal tax dollars come from?
@ sfd.. my point being.. obama has a business council.. you may not be familiar with the concept.. but it is comprised of employers that create jobs.. obama brings in the labor unions to get their advice.. how did that work out for those hostess employees? while the labor unions have his ear.. he may want to suggest they stop blocking the recovery efforts..
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:47 pm
jm,
No need in being rude.
Apologize.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:48 pm
Union – 12:45 – BLUE STATES, you numpty – or do you just not understand what the phrase “net recipient” means.
sheesh.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:48 pm
noneya,
Actually, government invested in the Internet like they are doing with green energy and yes, some failed.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:48 pm
Jm – “I don’t care about anything you have to say or ask”
I’m sure you don’t since you’re a pathological liar who has never been able to substantiate any of the BS you spew here.
Old Goober
November 14th, 2012
12:49 pm
How about vanishing benefits? Retirees with an AGI up to, let’s say $40K, can receive full SS benefits and Medicare. And then benefits fade out on a schedule like this:
What is there about the word insurance that you folks don’t understand? Why do you insist on treating Social Security Insurance as a welfare benefit? Isn’t it enough that the SSI insured at upper income levels are already penalized by virtue of the formula used to calculate benefits? I’m especially embarrassed for you, JHM, that you would fall into the essentially Republican trap of regarding SS as a government handout, rather than an earned benefit.
If the premiums are insufficient to fund the program, raise the premiums. If longevity is now the problem, raise the retirement age again. But don’t treat SS as some kind of handout, as though people haven’t contributed to the program for 40 or 50 years of their lives. In short, don’t “welch” on those covered by SS.
Jm
November 14th, 2012
12:49 pm
Pelosi is like every other power hungry democrat
Doesn’t know when to quit
Bill Campbell
November 14th, 2012
12:49 pm
We all know the truth that Obama is still clueless and waiting for some smart people to come up with some solutions!
Joe Hussein Mama
November 14th, 2012
12:49 pm
Doom — “In regards to all those polls that were oversampling dems by plus 7 aren’t there 7 or 8% more folks that identify themselves as dems anyhow? Thus making those polls accurate to begin with. Seems they were pretty accurate on the election.”
If you’ve done a good job of randomizing your survey population selection (IOW, you’re really choosing at random from the universe of possible selectees), then any potential demographic error is already accounted for within the Margin of Error. That’s one of the first things they teach you in any intro-level survey research course; how to randomly select and how to mathematically determine the MOE. If you know the universe size and your N (number of samples/persons in your poll), you can easily figure the MOE.
IMO, what the Romney campaign *should* have gotten from the polls that consistently showed a lot of Democrats in their numbers was this — ‘f**k, those guys put a cattle brand on us and now we’re likely to lose.’ It should have scared the bejebus out of them.
Pollsters who tried to impose some imaginary turnout percentage *before the fact,* like Rasmussen, were just fooling themselves. There’s *no way* to tell what the turnout percentage *will* be, because so many factors go into it. If it snows heavily in NY on Election Day, that will depress turnout (possibly helping Rs), but if NY had heavy early voting, then Election Day weather wouldn’t count as much (thereby helping Ds).
Fact of the matter is that you *can’t* know ahead of time what the turnout will be. But a lot of pollsters thought they had a method sussed out to do it anyway.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:52 pm
Speaker Pelosi wants to be Speaker one more time.
You reelected the turtle that lost huge jm.
Way to hold him accountable for not getting our President jm.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
November 14th, 2012
12:52 pm
Interesting CBS Headline:
“Israel Assassinates Hamas Commander”
Did their previous headline say:
1) Untied States Assassinates Bin Laden
2) United States Kills Bin Laden
???
bookmanisaliar
November 14th, 2012
12:52 pm
Obama Golfs While Millions Still Don’t Have Power, Gasoline, or Homes.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
November 14th, 2012
12:52 pm
Excuse me: “United” …….. although “untied” now may be more applicable after all.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
12:54 pm
Scout – Dyslexics of the world … UNTIE!
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:54 pm
scout,
Israel hit the back seat of his car with a perfect shot.
Looks like more war for Israel.
Joe Hussein Mama
November 14th, 2012
12:55 pm
O. Goober — “What is there about the word insurance that you folks don’t understand? Why do you insist on treating Social Security Insurance as a welfare benefit?”
It’s not an earned benefit. It’s *insurance* against poverty in old age. If you’re *well-off* financially in old age, you shouldn’t be able to claim the benefit.
It’s just like term life insurance; if you don’t die during the term, you don’t get anything back. So if you retire and you’re not hurting for cash, IMO you shouldn’t be able to collect SS.
“Isn’t it enough that the SSI insured at upper income levels are already penalized by virtue of the formula used to calculate benefits? I’m especially embarrassed for you, JHM, that you would fall into the essentially Republican trap of regarding SS as a government handout, rather than an earned benefit.”
I think you’ve completely misunderstood my position and my argument. I’m not treating SS like *either* of those things because it *isn’t* either of those things.
“If the premiums are insufficient to fund the program, raise the premiums. If longevity is now the problem, raise the retirement age again. But don’t treat SS as some kind of handout, as though people haven’t contributed to the program for 40 or 50 years of their lives. In short, don’t “welch” on those covered by SS.”
There’s no “welching” with insurance if you don’t meet the terms of the insurance contract. If I outlive my half-mil term life policy, I don’t get beans back. And if I retire well-off, I shouldn’t get beans back in SSI benefits, either.
sam
November 14th, 2012
12:55 pm
“the bubble burst around the time he left office, thereby shuffling the carnage over to the next administration”
sounds awfully familiar doesnt it?
DannyX
November 14th, 2012
12:55 pm
“Gallup just forfeited everything, all those yrs of cred, to be a con
propaganda outfit like Ras & Unskewed.”
Remember last summer when the right was attacking Gallup because they thought they were favoring Democrats? Gallup caved under the pressure. The right wing pundits got Gallup to fall for the “Democratic voters aren’t motivated and won’t show up on election day” crap.
Gallup has a very faulty “likely voter” model. I predicted the final results would show Gallup’s final “registered voter” poll would be closer than their final “likely voter” poll, and I was right.
The final results show Obama winning 50.6 to 47.8 which is a difference of 2.8%. Gallup’s final likely voter poll had Obama +3. Likely voter Romney +1.
stands for decibels
November 14th, 2012
12:56 pm
It seems like you’re criticizing means-testing because too many *and* too few Americans would (simultaneously) be affected. Could you clarify a bit more, please?
I was just checking to see if you were paying attention.
Ok, these apparently contradictory concerns really aren’t. I recognize that if you were to, say, rope in a million upper-middle-classers into paying more, that raw number might sound somewhat impressive, but I can’t imagine that it would make much of a fiscal dent.
However, if you take a random bunch of a million people who were previously not especially pre-disposed to dislike the very popular SS and Medicare programs, and start chipping away at their benefits–particularly those who’ve “paid into the system” (as folks are wont to say) all their lives, you’ve all of a sudden enlisted a million recruits into the New Norquist Army. Their influence may very well outsize their raw numbers–consider, if you will, that Fox News’ most popular programs only snag a couple million viewers per night, but they are still the “Number 1 Cable News Source”–and with time and money to burn, they could make things very difficult for sane politicians who want to keep these crucial programs afloat.
That make sense?
Banderson
November 14th, 2012
12:56 pm
Interesting headline:
Lamborghini to Decide on SUV in Coming Months
Guess the extinction of the rich may be overexagerated a bit.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/2012/11/14/lamborghini-decide-suv-coming-months/kNJcK42etcYSQGUlSfffQL/story.html
Nunna Yobinnes
November 14th, 2012
12:57 pm
sam – yeah the democrats are just more skilled in shuffling blame.
stands for decibels
November 14th, 2012
12:58 pm
…don’t get me wrong, I am not ideologically dead set against the notion of means-testing. I can see why it sounds reasonable. I even happen to have an elderly in-law who has been saying for years that HE doesn’t need the benefit.
I just don’t believe its very modest fiscal benefits outweigh the political risks.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:58 pm
After the Internet bubble popped, investors were looking for investments and the two options were green energy or housing.
They chose housing and the rest is history.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
12:59 pm
The only scandal with this President is a republican’s affair.
Grasshopper
November 14th, 2012
1:00 pm
“recent poll shows current GOP to be irrelevant and out of touch.”
Although recent elections in the US House and state governorships prove otherwise.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
November 14th, 2012
1:01 pm
” Lamborghini to Decide on SUV in Coming Months”
oh my god.
there is so much wrong with that sentence, it’s hard to choose where to start.
Jeremy Clarkson will weep openly.
DannyX
November 14th, 2012
1:01 pm
“The final results show Obama winning 50.6 to 47.8 which is a difference of 2.8%. Gallup’s final likely voter poll had Obama +3. Likely voter Romney +1.”
Whoops, should have been, Gallup’s final REGISTERED voter poll had Obama +3. Likely voter Romney +1.
MadMax
November 14th, 2012
1:02 pm
Nice graph, however if you see what’s happening, the “Sandy” bounce is running out. Let’s bring this one back after the folks in NY/NJ have a chance to evaluate how “effective” the President has been. I think there’s a certain irony in Sandy, big east liberals get to live in post Katrina environment. So far, the press has not attacked Obama for the logistical issues like they did W, but as time goes by and the cold moves in and these folks find out that the government will not rebuild their homes and that they have to do it themselves, we may see a shift in polling. There’s a difference between looking presidential and getting things done. Obama played the Sandy event for all it’s political worth and got the desired effect. Now he has to achieve something and that has not been his strong point.
getalife
November 14th, 2012
1:02 pm
There are more millionaires in our country under President Obama and there will be many more added.
stands for decibels
November 14th, 2012
1:02 pm
hang on a minute–I dimly recall Lamborghini used to have a superduper expensive SUV back in the day…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini_LM002
whew. I wasn’t imagining it.