Preview Of The Republican National Convention
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-08-27/preview-republican-national-convention
The Republican National Convention gets underway in Tampa, Fla. Mitt Romney will use the national spotlight as an opportunity to define his candidacy for the American public. Diane and her guests discuss what to expect at the RNC.
Guests
Susan Page
Washington bureau chief for USA Today.
Ron Elving
Washington editor for NPR.
Stuart Rothenberg
editor and publisher of the Rothenberg Political Report and a twice a week columnist for Roll Call
Comments
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I just saw the movie "2016 Obama's America" powerful stuff, they even have a clip of Diane Rehm doing what she does best! Teece Bowman, Etaoin, Kathleen, Pancake, Mike Sargent and all the other liberals who post here will love this documentary. This is a must see documentary for anyone with strong political interests, 4 stars and 4 thumbs up!!!
In the 80`s Reagan asked,"are you better of now". Then we had 37% of all American workers in Unions.We had a vibrant America,who dared great challenges,like going to the moon.In each following decade we saw Union membership decline,and the wages have also declined in direct proportion.We are down to 9% Union jobs,and those are mostly government jobs,which results in the continued attack by the T-Party/Republicans.More privatization of good jobs traded for bad jobs. More efforts like "Right to Work For Less" laws by T-Party/Republican politicians.
IN THE 80`s THEY SAID, IF ONLY THERE WERE NO UNIONS,EMPLOYERS WOULD GLADLY REWARD HARD WORK!
HOPE AND CHANGE FAILED? WHERE ARE THE BETTER WAGES YOU`VE BEEN PROMISING FOR 30+ YEARS? WHEN WILL "TRICKLE DOWN" ,TRICKLE DOWN TO US?
Arguing about things like trickle down economics, supply side economics, were you better off four years ago, these are quaint arguments from a time when traditional American values were under discussion, these don't apply to Barrack Obama. What were facing in this election is something much different, it's about the abandonment of traditional American values. We have a president that seeks to downsize this country to right the wrongs of global colonialism as he sees it. Overwhelming debt and a weak foreign policy are his tools of choice, labor unions and a government dependent social class are his foot soldiers. Never mind his goals are not their goals, out of a greed and envy these foot soldiers are unable to see the meat hook reality that awaits them.
"It`s the Economy Stupid", should be on the lips of Middle Class Americans. We do not need the largest military on the planet to protect empty manufacturing plants.A $10 hr. rent a cop will do just fine.No battleships,tanks,or F-35`s needed.We need a $1 billion sewer system here,not more weapons.
The country was able to avoid another Great Depression,and limit it to the Great Bush Recession.No thanks to the T-Party who came to Washington with a mission to break government
Four years ago Sarah Palin said "you can`t put lipstick on a pig". Yet,the country keeps falling for the same failed economic policy. "Reaganomics","Trickle Down","Supply Side","Job Creator", "Free Market". Offered by the I`m not a Republican,I`m a Conservative,I`m a T-Party person,I`m a Libertarian Party person.I honestly would deny those failures too.
WHERE IS THE REPUBLICAN PLAN TO RETURN JOBS TO THE UNITED STATES? HOW WILL YOU RAISE OUR WAGES,AND LOWER OUR COSTS?
I had a choice between 2016 Obama's America and taking the garbage to the landfill.
I wish I had taken the garbage to the landfill. Taking the garbage would have been more satisfying and far less expensive.
partisan politics,
You said "....were you better off four years ago, these are quaint arguments".
I guess you didn't let Gov. Haley Barbour R-AL or Rep. Marsha Blackburn R-Tenn or RNC Chairman Reince Priebus know about the "quaintness".
They mentioned this particular item several times during the Sunday news programs and interviews - especially during "Face The Nation".
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57500549/face-the-nation-transcript...
By the way, we recently re-viewed "Fahrenheit 911" - what a bombshell for cookie cutter conservatives to swallow !!
Gov. Mike Huckabee said this morning he was considering the invitation to speak at the RNC Convention. I guess he has better mail service than Gov. Palin does in Alaska since so far she hasn't gotten her invitation. Some say she might hold her own speaking engagement in Tampa outside the Convention - similar to Rep. Dr. Ron Paul is doing.
Ahhh! Shades of the 1968 DNC Convention in Chicago.
Honest?Abe wrote: partisan politics,You said "....were you better off four years ago, these are quaint arguments". I guess you didn't let Gov. Haley Barbour R-AL or Rep. Marsha Blackburn R-Tenn or RNC Chairman Reince Priebus know about the "quaintness"."
The republicans can win on both of these realities of the Obama presidency, failed inadequate leadership and the morbid plan he holds for the United States. One of these is clearly the bigger threat.
HonestAbe wrote: "By the way, we recently re-viewed "Fahrenheit 911""
Hello! 2012 calling, Bush ain't running.
So....Bush isn't running(?). 13 killed in Afghanistan. Bombings in Iraq. Economy left in the dumpster. "Some"body's tax cuts going into their 12th year. Medicare Part D left unpaid for.
Could have fooled me.......and the rest of the 80% of the populace polled who still blame W for wrecking the economy.
But you are correct in saying the Rs could run on various issues. They are disingenuous of course....but they can run on them. Apparently they will continue to run on class warfare, pitting those over 55 against those under....those on unemployment vs the 1%ers.....women's health vs the budget hawks......religious fundamentalists vs the secular reality. Yup there are issues to distort and demagogue galore.
Honestly.
Is part of the convention devoted to how Republicans can continue to do everything in their power to disenfranchise mostly Dem voters across the nation?
Anyone care to guess what the gasoline prices will be in a few days? Anyone care to guess who it will be blamed on?
That assumes, of course, that the storm in the Gulf of Mexico interrupts the oil supply.
However, since gasoline prices have been creeping up lately anyway, I would estimate that they would be over $4 per gallon by Election Day.
If that happens, do you suppose that politics had anything to do with it.? LOL!
partisan politics, you said "The republicans can win on both of these realities of the Obama presidency, failed inadequate leadership and the morbid plan he holds for the United States. One of these is clearly the bigger threat."
What alternate universe are you in? For the last twenty years, EVERY TIME a Republican was in the Oval Office, their terms ended in disaster--more or less, a weakened economy.
We are aware that Bush isn't running, but as a once Democrat now Independent, the Republicans are saying the same thing that got us into such messes. To continue to push "trickle down" economics and advocating oil and natural gas drilling for energy amongst other things are not going to make things better. In terms of "trickle down" and tax breaks for the wealthy, NPR did a study in which Republican lawmakers were asked to name ONE job creator, and they couldn't. In terms of oil and natural gas, we're beyond peak oil--meaning that the oil supply is destined to run out. When that runs out, then with natural gas there are pitfalls with that--especially in terms of it getting into groundwater. Oil and natural gas are non-renewable, so when they run out, we're screwed. What is the Republicans' contingency plan if that happens? Never say never.
You seem like a real angry person and, just like other Republicans, never appeared eager to give President Obama a chance to do anything. He didn't fail. The Republicans in Congress who refused to work with him failed.
The worthless sound bites of American media are just repeated over and over and over...until new sound bites are entered. Then repeat. Susan Page has only repeated her current pet sound bite everywhere she appears: "Romney is a more effective campaigner when he's with Ryan, or his wife."...So what! And what might that mean, Ms. Page?
Fact-checking candates? PolitiFact is a fine place to start...
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/barack-obama/
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/mitt-romney/
A majority of polls of "likely" voters predict that Romney will easily win the election. Hard to disagree with them.
Let's see if we can figure this out af64 - maybe Susan means that Romney will use his wife and Ryan to defeat the current President. Does that make sense - not too deep for most of us to comprehend!
"2016 Obama's America" - its arguments are specious, it fails to provide context, and it injects the usual racism. All this insidiously rather than with vitriol, as if an intellectual argument is being made.
A female caller stated "I ask myself what Mitt Romney has done to create jobs the last 4 years."
One of your guests responded "Mitt Romney hasn't been in office the last 4 years."
That complete misses the point and your guest probably knows it. If Romney wanted to be a great manager and he was truly concerned about jobs then he would have created another company in the last 4 years and created jobs. He had every opportunity but didn't do it. Now he wants a chance to do it as a public servant? No. I don't believe it. He wants what every other wealthy person wants... , security from losing their money, to keep and grow their money, a more secure retirement, and more power. Business people don't think as much about how they can HELP people, they think about how they can get something OUT of people, otherwise they wouldn't scream and holler if the minumim wage is to be raised or their taxes are about to be raised.
I'm a registered Republican, too. I want to create jobs for people, and if I knew I could manage a small business startup then I'd go start one, not just to benefit myself but to benefit others and the nation in general.
You can't tell me he will be passionate about creating jobs if he hasn't done anything to create jobs the last four years. Why wasn't Romney out trying to create jobs or help people through foundations?
Bill Gates is a counter example to what I am discussing above. I'm sure their are others. But in my experience wealthy people do not have as their passion creating jobs for people. Their passion is deriving wealth from a company and as a result they hire people to do the work because they can't do it all themselves.
JSawyer wrote: "Fact-checking candates? PolitiFact is a fine place to start..."
Sorry it's not, when they were "fact checking" on released tax returns on presidential candidates, they arbitrarily chose a time frame to indicate Romney's tax return release was "unprecedented". This was a lie in the form of selective research, this is only one example of the many I have discovered.
Well said ronh!
The Republicans drink champagne, pee on us, and don't understand why we don't like it.
It is humorous reading partisan's post, the republicans have become a strinking party of old angry white men, and partisan seems to prove that.
They have decided to exclude as many African Americans, other minorites and now women.
Oh, and the comment Bush is not running. That may be true but Romney has surrendered himself with the same Bush advisers that gave us 8 years of incompetence and failures.
ronh wrote:" I'm a registered Republican, too. I want to create jobs for people, and if I knew I could manage a small business startup then I'd go start one, not just to benefit myself but to benefit others and the nation in general."
I'm a republican too, I fully support Obama's efforts to instill personal responsibility through the massive increase in the food stamp program and the SSI system. I also look forward to the total government takeover of the health care system and the public unionization of millions of health care workers. I also appreciate the complete shambles he made of the immigration system, the poor needs more competition for jobs and safety net programs in this country. The way he has taken on deficit spending is a shining example of strong stewardship that bodes well for the future of this country. I particularly like how he has divided the country into voting blocks of people who want something for nothing or hate and blame someone else for their problems. I'm with you all the way!
Please do not confuse the Teabillies with facts & logic. It makes there heads explode, which makes a very unpleasant mess and may actually harm a Democratic voter.
I find it interesting that Romney is allowed to make birther jokes, but if President Obama made a Mormon joke, the Republicans would immediately go into faux high dudgeon mode.
And, last but not least, I'm getting a good laugh at the fact the hurricane at the Republican Convention is named for Muslim Prophet Isaac. Poetic Justice.
What I find sadly lacking in the current "get to know Mitt Romney" campaign is how this candidate stands on foreign policy, and particularly on global military role of the U.S. The president arguably has a more direct and immediate impact on the well being of this country through these policies than he does on the economy and employment. As we have seen from the past, the administration can become a runaway train without knowledge, restraint and common sense in foreign policy.
"gary k wrote:
Anyone care to guess what the gasoline prices will be in a few days? Anyone care to guess who it will be blamed on?
That assumes, of course, that the storm in the Gulf of Mexico interrupts the oil supply.
However, since gasoline prices have been creeping up lately anyway, I would estimate that they would be over $4 per gallon by Election Day.
If that happens, do you suppose that politics had anything to do with it.? LOL!
August 27, 2012 - 10:08 am"
Please don't use irony, I'm kinda literal and get awfully confused.
Trilby Lundberg, just this Morning said,ironically,"If you want to know what Gas prices are
going to do, just look at the nearest corn field.(Gasahol for the irony challenged).
When Trilby talks, the Big Guys listen. When on Sept 15, she says," between now and the end of the month, slash the price of gas to below Cost until BLS sets the CPI/COLA for the year on Oct 1". Not one Retailer has ever been known to defy Her.
That means they can gouge you for 48 Weeks of the year with no COLA increase in your Paycheck or Social Security.
The Reagan Gingrich screwing of the CPI/COLA, compounded for 30 years, is one of the Primary forces that have driven Living Standards and Wages into the ground for Middle America.
Monte Haun mchaun@hotmail.com
Gary K,
It was that bad?
Can you give a very brief synopsis, preferably without opinion, just what was the movie's 2 or 3 bottom lines?
Thanks
I found it incredible that your panel could have an hour long discussion about the economy, lack of job production and blame Obama for everything without once mentioning the role of the Congress. No discussion of the economy can be legitimate without citing the role of Republicans in Congress. They have voted as a block almost to a person to obstruct every Obama initiative. If the country is doing bad the Congress deserves as much if not more of the blame than Obama
If Obama were a dictator it would not be possible for him to singlehanded turn this situation around, but given the unanimous opposition to every Obama initiative (including job initiatives) their role must be a part of any discussion of the issues. Any analysis or discussion that ignores this reality does nothing more than waste air time and misinform the public.
I think we are all better off now than 4 years ago, when the entire financial sector was on the verge of collapse. Republicans chose someone to lead their party that was totally unprepared, leading to a walkover by Obama. With this, their failure to offer a quality ticket leading to Obama’s election, they chose to obstruct and nullify the election rather than working in the interest of the country.
Mitch McConnel’s number one objective of making Obama a one term President by making sure he got no support from Republicans, was done at the expense of the country. Despite this Obama has done remarkably well in a number of areas. Republicans drove the country into near default and a credit downgrade pursuing their objective; the hell with the country just opposes everything Obama.
If your panelists are to retain any credibility in future discussions of the economy they must discuss Congressional obstinacy; to do otherwise is a waste of air time.
ronh wrote:Gary K,It was that bad?Can you give a very brief synopsis, preferably without opinion, just what was the movie's 2 or 3 bottom lines?"
He didn't see it, hell will freeze over before a liberal will question Obama on anything.