Sandy and the Polls

Those on the east coast that were hit by Hurricane Sandy should know that all Americans are offering our prayers for you and our financial support to the Red Cross. We should all be thankful that we have President Obama who prepared emergency responders before the storm, and has continued to provide FEMA and assistance to those that need it.

Visit the American Red Cross donation page and offer your financial assistance.

>>>> Quinnipiac Poll has a new poll out this morning which shows that

•  President Obama has the lead in Florida, Obama, and Florida.
•  Sen. Sherrod Brown has a 9 point lead over Ohio's absent Treasurer, Mandel.
•  President Obama holds a lead in all three states with early voters.

Visit the Quinnipiac Poll for details.

Polls in Ohio

• A new PPP poll has this information for Ohioans:

PPP's newest Ohio poll finds Barack Obama leading Mitt Romney 51-47, up from a 49-48 margin a week ago....

...The Senate race really appears to be getting away from Josh Mandel in the closing stages. Sherrod Brown's opened up a 53/42 lead....

• A Quinnipiac University Poll has these numbers for Ohio:   Women put Obama up 5 Points in Ohio, Quinnipiac University/CBS Poll Finds Democrat Sherrod Brown Up 9 Points In Senate Race

Romney Would Abolish Fema

* Mitt Romney believes that hurricane/tornado/flood emergency response teams should not be provided by FEMA. Romney thinks states should provide emergency services, not FEMA, a federal agency. 

Here in Ohio, when a tornado hit southern Ohio, Gov. Kasich first said that a federal response was not necessary because he believed the state could provide assistance and clean up. In March, Kasich tried to use only state agencies to help serve citizens and manage the clean up. A March 2012 post at Daily Kos reminds us of what happens when states try to go it alone:

...But here in Ohio, Kasich has responded to the disaster with the type of "leadership" we've come to expect from him:

Kasich says no need for federal help

Gov. John Kasich said he’s not planning to request that Clermont County be declared a federal disaster area. Speaking at New Richmond High School, Kasich said he believes Ohio has its own resources to deal with the disaster. “I believe that we can handle this,” he said.

Unbelievable. An entire Ohio town has been wiped off the map, but Gov. Kasich refuses to declare Clermont County area a disaster area, because that would make it eligible for federal help. And by "unbelievable," I mean totally believable for a teabag-waving sociopath like Kasich....
Romney is completely out of touch with what happens to real people during catastrophic events.  People without dressage horses, elevators for cars, and vacation homes often have difficulty recovering after a major disaster.

A Future With Romney Ryan?

Mitt Romney has had at least nine different issues on abortion. BuzzFeed has the videos to prove it.  Buzzfeed: A Mitt Romney Abortion Timeline

The future with RomneyRyan, Republican Party, along with their bus of right wing, anti-worker, anti-Pell Grant, anti-Medicare, anti-public education, anti-fair pay, anti-regulation, anti-equality group of out of touch old white guys, will look like this----


(h/t DailyKos)

Clay Bennett's Facebook Page/TimelinePhotos

Corporations to Own Schools

The Rachel Maddow blog has chronicled some of Mitt Romney's lies, and here is one that will bother a lot of parents and teachers:

...7. Romney went on to say, "Paul Ryan and I have a plan with five simple steps. These steps are going to get America's economy just cooking again."

The five-point plan -- oil drilling, trade, privatizing K-12 education, vague assertions about debt reduction, and ambiguous promises about doing nice things for small businesses -- is a rehash of Bush/Cheney promises. No credible analysis of the vague agenda has found it capable of boosting the economy...

Are parents more interested in their child's success or a corporation making profits off your child's education?

Romney

What kind of jobs were created by Romney and his Bain Capital?  Romney continues to be a majority stockholder in the country.

PR Watch:

...If you have ever asked yourself, how can an American company do this to fellow Americans? Edward Conard, Bain Capital's former head of manufacturing, explains:

Let's not kid ourselves about just how cheap offshore labor really is. We not only pay substantially less per hour, we also avoid the costs we would incur if these workers immigrated here. We don't pay for their medical expenses when they show up in the emergency room without insurance. We don't pay for their pension costs if they don't save for retirement. We don't pay for their children's public education. Nor do we pay for their out-of-wedlock children, their unemployment benefits and workers' compensation, their slip and fall torts, their wear and tear on our public infrastructure, and the cost of their drunk driving, drug use and other crimes. We outsource pollution, its adverse effects on our health, and its clean-up costs. Neither the employees nor their employers are here to vote and seek political handouts.

Amazing.

Josh Mandel Supports Mourdock?

Tea Party Republican Josh Mandel had the following words about Indiana Republican Richard Mourdock----TPM:

While national Republicans have done their best to shore up Indiana Senate nominee Richard Mourdock after his statements on rape, conception and God’s will, many Republicans in tight Senate races have backed away from Mourdock’s comments, trying to keep the negative headlines that have followed Mourdock’s statements out of their races....

“Listen, I’ve gotten to know Richard [Mourdock] because we’re both state treasurers and — we’re treasures in states next door to each other,” Mandel told radio host Laura Ingraham Thursday. “He’s a gentleman. He’s a class act. He’s a thoughtful guy. He’ll make a great United States Senator.”
Here’s audio of the quote, sent to TPM by Ohio Democrats.



Josh Mandel is wrong for women and for all voters in Ohio.

***** Today is Friday, October 26th. What racist comment did Republican surrogate John Sununu say in the last 24 hours? Frank Bruni of the NY Times has the facts:

>>>> Votamatic has some information on some polling in the presidential election:

• Forecasts and Polling Analysis for the 2012 Presidential Election
• 

Guess who made money on auto bailout?

Did you correctly guess that Mr. Mitt "let Detroit go bankrupt" Romney made big bucks on the auto bailout?

TheInvestigativeFund:

Mitt Romney's opposition to the auto bailout has haunted him on the campaign trail, especially in Rust Belt states like Ohio. There, in September, the Obama campaign launched television ads blasting Romney's November 2008 New York Times op-ed, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt." But Romney has done a good job of concealing, until now, the fact that he and his wife, Ann, personally gained at least $15.3 million from the bailout — and a few of Romney's most important Wall Street donors made more than $4 billion. Their gains, and the Romneys', were astronomical — more than 3,000 percent on their investment....

Of course, Delphi workers lost most of their pensions.

>>> Mitt Romney endorsed far right Republican Richard Mourdock, even after Mourdock made some comments about abortions....



What does Republican Josh Mandel think of the comment by Indiana Republican Richard Mourdock?

Marc Kovac of the Ohio Capital Blog got this answer (YouTube):

The Truth about Romney

* When Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts, he had taxpayers in the state facing fees on nearly everything.

Gather:

 

...Jobs outsourced overseas: As governor of Massachusetts, Romney drew on his experience as a CEO and outsourced state jobs. Today, Romney has proposed eliminating all taxes on companies’ foreign profits—which would actually encourage companies to send more jobs overseas.

• Governor Romney vetoed a bill that would have banned state contractors from outsourcing state work overseas. [Boston Globe, 6.26.04]
• Under Romney, Massachusetts outsourced jobs in child support enforcement, food stamps, and unemployment insurance overseas. [GAO report, “Offshoring In Six Human Services Programs,” 3.1.2006]

"When Romney was governor of Massachusetts, his administration signed a $160,000-per-month contract with Citigroup to operate an electronic food stamp system that included a consumer call center in India.'

Boston Globe, Political Intelligence, 5.1.12

Note: Check out the increased fees that  Romney had in Massachusetts, which included barbers, chiropractors, gun owners, real estate licenses, plumbers, licenses for manicurists, licenses for hairdressers, life support ambulance license, elevator firms, increased licensing fees for hospitals and nursing homes, electricians, etc., etc., etc. Also from Gather: See the full list of more than 1,000 fees....

-----------------------

Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, was against fair pay for women and the auto rescue plan. How horrible! Why is Josh Mandel against rights for women and jobs for our citizens?

"Horses and Bayonets"

YouTube:



How many times did Mitt Romney mention our troops?  Zero times. Mitt Romney once again showed his lack of respect for our men and women in uniform.

LA Times:

If Mitt Romney’s foreign policy was an unknown to average voters, President Obama came to the table for the third presidential debate ready to sum it up in one word: dated....

....“And the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because, you know, the Cold War's been over for 20 years,” Obama said, reviving a bit of snark he’s used on the campaign trail. “But, governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s.”...

....“Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets 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,” he said. “And so the question is not a game of Battleship where we're counting ships. It's — it's what are our capabilities.”

Mitt Romney clearly is not prepared to be the Commander-in-Chief of our military. Romney doesn't even respect them and wants to privatize veterans health care.

> Sen. John Kerry had this tweet tonight:

John Kerry ‏@JohnKerry

I think POTUS just sank Romney's battleship

Exactly.

Oh, dear.

Republican Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri is on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Yes, ladies, the man that said this... (WashingtonPost):

In an interview that aired Sunday, Missouri Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin (R) said: “From what I understand from doctors ... if it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” 


....serves on a committee having to do with science. I'm so disgusted that a man that knows absolutely nothing about science was placed on a committee that deals with it. Then again, everything is a joke to the Republicans unless it has to do with their pet causes, or their special contributors.

*     *     *

**** In Illinois, a Republican leaning super PAC made a terrible statement.
Chicago Sun-Times: (h/t TPM)

A conservative SuperPAC touting Duckworth rival Joe Walsh is preparing to dump an extra $2.5 million into the heated 8th Congressional District race — on top of $2 million it has already spent, a source familiar with the plan told the Chicago Sun-Times. 

The idea is to “bury Duckworth,” the source said.

The revelation comes a day after Duckworth reported that she personally raised more than five times as much as Walsh did in the last quarter — about $1.5 million to the Republican’s $251,000. That means that the Now or Never SuperPAC spent eight times what Walsh was able to raise himself in the last quarter....

I'm not certain which right wingers are behind the Now or Never Super PAC. Any 

person/ group using words like "bury" in referring to a veteran that gave several of her body parts in war, shows a shocking lack of class with those associated with this Now or Never Super PAC.

Senator George McGovern

Many years ago, I was a volunteer for the presidential campaign of Sen. George McGovern. It was the first campaign in which I became actively involved. Sen. McGovern had been a war hero in World War II, served three terms in the U.S. Senate, and bravely opposed the policies of Richard Nixon.

I offer my sympathies to the McGovern family at his passing.

One of Josh Mandel's Sponsors- Karl Rove

• It is amazing how things sometimes just start to unravel. Republican Josh Mandel has received millions of dollars from Karl Rove's American Crossroads. What is Karl Rove up to these days?

CrooksandLiars:

Well, well, well. Karl Rove's American Crossroads and "fired" voter registration fraudster Nathan Sproul seem to share far, far more than a party affiliation.
Via Salon, the beginning of the trail:

So what does Sproul have to do with Karl Rove? According to a report by Brad Friedman that appeared in Salon and on his own site, BradBlog, American Crossroads has paid at least $750,000 for Sproul’s services. On October 9, Representative Gonzalez’s letter to Rove inquired about American Crossroads’ relationship to Sproul and his companies in the past and whether Crossroads has ongoing ties with Sproul during the current election cycle. Among other questions, Gonzalez asked Rove what services Sproul provided for American Crossroads, why he was hired, why Rove would associate with someone who had a reputation for participating in voter fraud, whether Crossroads has severed its relationship with Sproul, and whether it has worked with him under other names. Gonzalez urged Rove to respond by October 23.

Brad Friedman picks it up from there with even more juicy details:
It now appears that Strategic Allied Consulting has the same corporate mailing address in Virginia as Rove's American Crossroads PAC. Imagine that...

...business address of 45 North Hill Drive, Suite 100, Warrenton, VA....

Surprise. Surprise. Surprise.

There is even more-----
From NotLarrySabato:

On Monday I saw a really interesting story coming out of Harrisonburg on Facebook:

"I just saw a guy throw a bag of trash in my cardboard dumpster and speed off. I went to get the bag and throw it in the trash dumpster. In the bag was a folder containing FILLED OUT VIRGINIA VOTER REGISTRATION FORMS!! I called the Harrisonburg Registrars office and they sent the police who said they really didn't know what to do in a case like this because its never happened before. The police took the forms and left. I'm really concerned because today is the last day in Virginia to register to vote and if these forms are tied up while trying to figure out what to do, will these people be allowed to vote??? I'm tagging you Lowell since I thought you might want to follow up on this. I spoke with Debbie at the Harrisonburg office and police spoke with Doug at the Rockingham county registrars office"
Who would drive up to a dumpster on the registration deadline day to throw away completed voter registration forms and why?....
Destroying voter registration forms??? OMG!

>>> If you missed the statewide broadcast of the debate for Ohio's U.S. Senate, I can sum it up very briefly:

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown stood up for the middle class, the 800,000 related auto jobs, women's rights, fairness, college students, Medicare, Social Security, and every person in Ohio, etc.

On the other hand, Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer, continued to repeat the talking points given to him by Karl Rove, Jim Demint, and far right PAC/527 people that want to destroy the middle class, and give more tax cuts to the rich. Mandel's performance was on par with a 3rd grader in a debate.

Josh Mandel also said he was against the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, and against marriage equality, but said he'd "....represent all the people of Ohio...."  Come on, Joshie. You just told us that you don't respect the rights of LGBT Ohioans!  

Josh Mandel just doesn't care about all Ohioans.

"Please proceed......"

The AtlanticWire highlights The Daily Show, with Jon Stewart:

Jon Stewart reviewed Tuesday's debate last night on The Daily Show, and with Libya attack, the one spot Mitt Romney could've had "an ace in the hole," Romney flubbed and ended up looking like Wile E. the Coyote the Coyote to Barack Obama's roadrunner.....

....Romney seemed to doubt that Obama said it was an act of terror at all. Obama's response? Please proceed, Governor. "There's your first clue," Stewart said. "When you're feel you're about to spring what you, Governor Romney, think is the checkmate moment of the debate, and your debate opponent says to you, 'Please, proceed,' 'Hold on, are you trying to open that door? Let me open it wider. The door you appear to want to walk through.

"You might want wonder if, a la Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner, that door your opponent your door is pointing to is merely paint on a rock." And indeed, Romney got fact-checked: Moderator Candy Crowley confirmed that Obama said it was an act of terror...

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

*   *  *

****  Mitt Romney, as governor of Massachusetts, did not know any highly-qualified, highly-educated, women with job experience to fill jobs in his cabinet? Does he live in a cave?  Where does Mitt Romney think women belong?

It is even more disturbing that Romney doesn't believe in pay equity (and neither does Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer). What is wrong with these guys?!!!!!!

President Obama Wins Debate

Tonight, President Obama won the debate with Mitt Romney on issues such as immigration, taxes, Libya, women's rights, foreign policy, etc., etc.

Here is the most important clip from tonight's debate where President Obama shows his ability to set the record straight:





LA Times:

A newly energetic and aggressive President Obama went directly after his Republican challenger starting with the first minutes of their second presidential debate Tuesday night, attacking Mitt Romney’s business record and accusing him of offering a meek “me, too” to conservative Republicans in Congress.

“Gov. Romney says he's got a five-point plan. Gov. Romney doesn't have a five-point plan; he has a one-point plan,” Obama said during his answer to the debate’s first question.

Romney’s plan was to “make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules,” he added, making quick references to lower tax rates for the wealthy, companies sending jobs overseas and corporate takeovers that “strip away” pensions from workers and “still make money” for owners.....

President Obama did a fabulous job tonight!

Greed is not a Family Value

Mitt Romney is like that brother-in-law that brags that he pays less taxes, even though you know he makes three times more money than you do. Romney appears to have figured out all the angles, loopholes, and tax dodges to reduce his own taxes.  This not only displays his avarice, but it is just not fair. Mitt Romney believes that he should pay lower taxes because he takes financial risks.  Romney doesn't pour all of his money into an investment. Whatever he does invest is a pittance compared to what he has. Our military men and women, police, and fire fighters take real risks every single day, but they pay a higher tax rate than Romney.

>>>  Mitt Romney's tax plan has been judged as a mathematical impossibility. An economist at Moody's has his opinion about the Romney tax plan:

ThinkProgress:

The fact that Mitt Romney’s tax plan is mathematically impossible was reinforced again on Friday, when Mark Zandi, a former John McCain campaign adviser and Chief Economist at Moody’s Economy, admitted as much. 
 
Speaking on CNN’s “Starting Point,” Zandi acknowledged a study by the Tax Policy Center that shows Romney’s plan to lower taxes by 20 percent across the board, while making up those losses in government revenue by closing loopholes on the wealthy, doesn’t add up. Zandi even went so far as to say that “the arithmetic doesn’t work as it is right now”:

ZANDI: Yeah, I think the Tax Policy Center study is the definitive study. They’re non-partisan, they’re very good. They say given the numbers that they’ve been provided by the Romney campaign, no, it will not add up. Now, the Romney campaign could adjust their plan. They could say okay I’m not going to lower tax rates as much as I’m saying right now and they could make the arithmetic work. But under the current plan, with the current numbers, no it doesn’t. I’ll say one other thing, though. I think it is important that we do focus on the so-called tax expenditures in the tax code. Those are the deductions, and credits, and loopholes in the code. We need to reduce those, because if we do we’re going to make the tax system fairer, easier to understand and ultimately lead to stronger growth. So that’s the right place to focus. But, no, the arithmetic doesn’t work as it is right now.

While Romney and his wealthy friends find ways to avoid taxes, the middle class has to make up the difference. While Romney's money heads to the Cayman Islands, Ireland, and other tax shelters, the tax money coming from the middle class helps pay for teachers, roads, defense, etc., etc. This only spotlights why Romney's "we built that" is so wrong. If a majority of Romney's taxes are going somewhere else, his claims to helping the USA are hollow. Romney serves his own greed and that of his fat cat friends.

------------------

Sen. Sherrod Brown will debate his Republican opponent, Ohio's absent Treasurer, Josh Mandel. The debate will take place at the Cleveland City Club.

Hypocrisy at $450,000/week

While Republican Mitt Romney says he'll do something about sending jobs to China, Americans have noticed that Romney's investment in Bain companies that send jobs to China are making some nice profits for Romney.  As Romney talks about saving American jobs, he is still involved in Bain and their outsourcing.  How else does Romney explain his $450,000/week from Bain?

Truthout has the details about the latest Bain Capital outsourcing of American jobs at Sensata:

On the campaign trail Romney says we shouldn't ship jobs to China and should "crack down" on China trade problems. But he refuses to help or even meet with the Sensata workers whose jobs are being shipped to China right now.

Why the refusal to line up his actions with his promises? A must-read, must-read, must-read news report explains how part of Romney's $450,000/week income comes from ... get this ... shipping jobs to China!...

See the article at the NY Times about Bain's outsourcing and Romney's profits.

Those people that think Romney will create American jobs have to wonder why Romney won't even bother to stop the latest outsourcing of American jobs from Sensata.

Ohio Debate on Monday

>>>>  Sen. Sherrod Brown will meet his Republican opponent in a debate at the Cleveland City Club.  The debate is scheduled for Monday, October 15th, at 12:30pm. It might be available through streaming at the media link on the City Club page.

* Who would vote against a bill that would notify tenants that their rental home/apartment is in foreclosure and they might lose their residence?

During the 128th General Assembly, H.B. 9 sought protections for tenants in buildings that were in foreclosure. Republican Josh Mandel voted against H.B.9 on May 6, 2009 (128th General Assembly).  I guess Josh Mandel just doesn't care about regular people living in apartments and rental houses.

GOP Cut Money to Embassy Security

Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz was interviewed today by Soledad O'Brien of CNN.

 CNN:

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) criticizes the handling of Libyan consulate security despite voting to cut embassy funding.

Rep. Chaffetz says, “I think what we’re going to hear is that we didn’t meet the basic, minimum standards required for a facility such as the one we had in Benghazi. And the request for more security personnel went unheeded, unanswered, and consequently, you know, you have the death of four Americans. We [have to] make sure that that doesn’t happen again in Libya. But we also [have to] make sure it doesn’t happen in other places around the world…. We [have to] get at the truth, but thus far it’s been a slippery attempt to try to get the truth because the White House and the Obama administration’s been very slow in giving us the facts.”

Later in the interview, CNN Anchor Soledad O’Brien asks, “Is it true that you voted to cut the funding for embassy security?”

Chaffetz answers, “Absolutely. Look we have to make priorities and choices in this country...."
Chaffetz says you have to have "priorities" on the budget. Chaffetz and the Republicans have priorities--- give tax cuts to the rich, tax cuts for oil companies, end corporate taxes, etc., but apparently they don't want to spend money to protect Americans in foreign countries serving in embassies.

Soledad O'Brien has become the toughest interviewer in journalism. Some people should watch her and learn!

Tax Cuts for Rich, Cuts to Programs

* Republican Mitt Romney's debate acting role might win him an Oscar, but behind that smile hides the real intentions of the RomneyRyan agenda.

Center for American Progress Action Fund shows that the Romney-Ryan cuts would come to programs that benefit minorities:


....One standout feature of the Romney-endorsed Ryan budget is that it would deliver the biggest reductions to funding of Pell Grants in program history. It would cut the Pell Grant program by $200 billion, which could “ultimately knock more than 1 million students off ” the program over the next 10 years and would reduce the number of low-income students receiving bachelor’s degrees each year by as much as 61,000.....

...The Romney-approved Ryan budget could cut programs like Head Start by 20 percent. An analysis by the National Education Association estimated that close to 200,000 children would lose Head Start classroom slots by 2014 under the Ryan budget. More alarmingly, over the next decade this would amount to 2 million children who would not be able to attend Head Start. According to the National Education Association the numbers breakdown like this: Cuts to Head Start in fiscal year 2013 would cause the loss of more than 61,000 slots for low-income children in the program and more than 22,000 jobs; and, in fiscal year 2014, the Romney-approved Ryan plan would cut an additional $1.6 billion from Head Start resulting in the loss of more than 191,000 slots for poor children and more than 79,000 jobs.....

....Gov. Romney has proposed raising the eligibility age for Medicare, similar to his Social Security proposal—starting in 2022 the age for Medicare eligibility would rise by one month each year, which would shift costs to seniors. Some seniors who would no longer be eligible for Medicare would pick up employer coverage, but would end up paying more in premiums and cost sharing. He has also proposed giving individuals the option to stay on traditional Medicare or purchase health insurance from private companies through vouchers....

Face it, America. Romney and Ryan don't want to deal with those that are poor, need some extra help, or the elderly. They want to cut these vital programs so they can get those tax cuts for their rich pals, oil companies, and their wealthy donors.

Is Romney afraid to answer questions?

If Mitt Romney is afraid to answer questions from children, how can we expect him to stand up to our enemies?

RawStory:

After recently promising to end funding for beloved Sesame Street character Big Bird, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is now refusing to take questions from children on a Nickelodeon special, Kids Pick the President: The Candidates.....

.....Deputy National Press Secretary Adam Fetcher told TMZ that Romney had decided to “play hookey” because he couldn’t even handle questions from America’s youth.....

Obama, who recorded his Nickelodeon appearance on Monday, took questions from kids about gun control, the economy, immigration, marriage equality, bullying, obesity and his most embarrassing moment......

Face it. Mitt Romney is afraid to answer the questions from children because he is afraid they'll ask about Big Bird.  Just as Mitt Romney avoided the military by going to France, he is avoiding questions from kids. Pathetic!


Tell your parents that they must vote for Barack Obama because Mitt Romney wants to kill Big Bird, Elmo, and all your friends on Sesame Street.

Mitt Romney Doesn't Know Much

Mitt Romney continues his blabbering, and this time he tried a super duper special on foreign policy. Big deal! Romney's knowledge about foreign policy could fit into a thimble.  He doesn't know the history of our nation's relationships, he has no facts, and most of all, he is completely ignorant about how to behave overseas. (We cannot forget his awkward behavior and inappropriate words in Israel and Great Britain. ) Here is an excerpt from his speech, as provided by the DailyBeast:

....The size of our Navy is at levels not seen since 1916..... 

Really? Romney made similar claims earlier this year and they were debunked by Politifact. Here is what Romney said in January 2012 at the Republican debate in South Carolina, as noted by Politifact:

"The most extraordinary thing that's happened with this military authorization is the president is planning on cutting $1 trillion out of military spending," Romney said. "Our Navy is smaller than it's been since 1917. Our Air Force is smaller and older than any time since 1947. We are cutting our number of troops. We are not giving the veterans the care they deserve. We simply cannot continue to cut our Department of Defense budget if we are going to remain the hope of the Earth. And I will fight to make sure America retains military superiority."

....But what do those numbers mean? Not much, a variety of experts told us.

Counting the number of ships or aircraft is not a good measurement of defense strength because their capabilities have increased dramatically in recent decades. Romney’s comparison "doesn’t pass ‘the giggle test,’ " said William W. Stueck, a historian at the University of Georgia....

Romney received "Pants on Fire" designation from Politifact for these outrageous claims about our military. Remember, today we have fighter jets loaded with missiles on our Navy ships. These are things that were not possible in 1916 or 1917. Our Navy and Air Force are hundreds of times more advanced than they were in the early 20th century. The number of ships and fighter jets are not as important as their advanced capabilities.

Another concern is about Romney's proposal to go to war with Iran. Romney protested against the Viet Nam war and took the easy way out by going to do missionary work in France instead of going into the military. His five sons did not participate in the military.

 HuffPost:

...When asked in 2007, during his first run for the presidency, about his sons' lack of military service, Mitt Romney responded, "One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping to get me elected because they think I'd be a great president." 

If elected, Mitt Romney will gladly send your sons and daughters to war, but not his sons or their wives, or their children.

Finally, Romney has plans to privatize the medical treatment our veterans and active military receive. This is a very controversial idea, and in the end, our vets, active military, and their families would lose. As an example, think of the advancements made at the VA to help restore lost limbs since the beginning of the Iraq war. Things have changed dramatically because the VA learned from experience, and worked to improve outcomes. Sending injured military personnel to local hospitals would deny many of them the higher quality and specific therapy that has been developed at the VA hospitals.  Romney's lack of empathy, knowledge, and experience in the area of the military would be a disaster for the country, especially with the large amount of veterans needing help. Sending our vets out to local hospitals is dismissing their specific needs and the promise of treatment when they enlisted.

•••••••••••••••••

We've already voted! We voted for Barack Obama! Support President Obama and give him Democrats in the House and the Senate so that we can get those jobs bills passed. 

Did you know that the Republicans even refused to vote for cost of living increases for our military? Boehner and Cantor didn't even put the measure up for a vote. Shame.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers

With unemployment down, and jobs increasing, I wonder what numbers guru, Nate Silver, has to say about all this?

Here is the headline from NateSilver538 NYTimes: Jobs News Makes Obama's Case Easier
and this....Nate Silver predicts that Barack Obama has an 87.1% chance of winning.

Can Josh Mandel Answer A Question?

* Ohioans know that Sen. Sherrod Brown has shown his dedication to the working men and women of the state.  Sen. Sherrod Brown helped save the American auto industry, support continuing Medicare, keeping and preserving Social Security, and helping seniors, college students, and families survive.

 Sen. Sherrod Brown's opponent is Republican tea party favorite, Josh Mandel. Josh Mandel currently serves as Ohio Treasurer, a job he has avoided doing so that he can attend receptions for his campaign.  The most annoying thing about Josh Mandel is that he has lied repeatedly, all of which has been caught by Politifact (6 Pants on Fire,
3 False, and numerous other findings). Josh Mandel wants to privatize Social Security, and give vouchers for Medicare!

Josh Mandel continues to avoid discussing his views on the auto rescue plan that saved Ohio jobs and the entire American auto industry.

The Youngstown Vindicator:


Asked a half dozen times using different scenarios, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, wouldn’t give a yes-or-no answer as to whether he supports the $82 billion federal government bailout of the American auto industry.....

....Mandel was asked: In light of the impact the auto rescue has had, does he support it.

“I would do anything in the U.S. Senate I could to protect auto jobs,” he said. “But it needs to be under the umbrella of the free-enterprise system without the federal government picking winners and losers.”


IF Josh Mandel really, honestly supported the American auto jobs, he would have said it by now. His lack of candor is disgusting. Josh Mandel owes Ohio voters answers and the truth.

What?

Republican Mitt Romney wants to hurt Big Bird and kill Sesame Street.

Save Big Bird.

Vote for President Obama.

Vote for Democrats.

Elevator Drama

* Following the bizarre behavior of Josh Mandel on an elevator (see post below), Republican candidate for the Senate, Mandel now has a different version of events.

Dispatch:

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel said a political video tracker “made the initial physical contact with me” in an incident that occurred Friday in a public elevator, offering an explanation that is not supported by eyewitness accounts nor the video of the incident and is a twist from the original statement put out by the Mandel campaign.....

....The video of the incident shows, as The Dispatch previously reported, the tracker following Mandel into the elevator. But it also shows Mandel approach the tracker, say his name loudly, step to the side of him, and then the camera shakes. The tracker, whose name is Tyler Hansen, said "please don’t,” and Mandel relented, asking the tracker “how you been” and quipping “good to see you.” He also asked the tracker if he knew the Dispatch reporter who was in the elevator.

After Mandel and the Dispatch reporter got off the elevator, an unidentified woman who was also on the elevator can be heard on the video remarking to the tracker that she saw Mandel come "right over there to block” the camera. The woman can also be heard saying “(when) he walked in he scared me to death.”


In case you are interested-----Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, will debate Josh Mandel on Monday, October 10th, 12:30pm at the Cleveland City Club. The debate is scheduled to be a live Webcast through the Cleveland City Club.

Rude Josh Mandel

Republican Josh Mandel, Ohio's absent Treasurer and Senate candidate, has displayed some rude behavior.  With polls showing Ohioans rejecting his Tea Party, right wing, anti-middle class agenda, Josh Mandel did something unexpected, in a public elevator, in front of a reporter.

HuffPost:

The Republican nominee for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat, state Treasurer Josh Mandel, had a bizarre exchange and brief outburst while sharing an elevator Friday with a tracker for a Democratic super PAC. 

Video shot by a tracker for American Bridge 21st Century shows the tracker, identified as Tyler, walking into an elevator occupied by Mandel and two other people. Mandel can be heard shouting "Tyler" when the tracker walks in and then moving to another part of the elevator. He then pushes the camera away from him. The incident occurred in the elevator in the Rhodes State Office Tower, the building that houses the treasurer's Columbus office. Mandel is challenging Sen. Sherrod Brown (D). 

When Mandel pushes the camera, the tracker can be heard saying "please don't." Mandel then engages in pleasant conversation with the tracker, asking him how he's been and introducing him to Joe Vardon, a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch, who was there to interview Mandel. While Mandel plays with his Blackberry and has the camera pointed at his back, Vardon and the tracker engage in a brief conversation before Mandel and Vardon exit the elevator to go into Mandel's 10th floor office.....

With rumors of a disgruntled staff, his bloated ego, dismal poll numbers, his lack of response to numerous requests for public records, and continuing absences from his elected position as Ohio Treasurer, Josh Mandel cannot handle the criticism. For far too long, Josh Mandel has been the star pupil of far right PACs run by Jim DeMint, Karl Rove, Americans for (their own) Prosperity, and FreedomWorks. Now that he faces the reality of losing this campaign, he will be forced to abandon the many receptions held in his honor in New York, Washington, D.C., Florida, Texas, Chicago, Denver, the Bahamas, and other glitzy locations.  Josh Mandel could be forced to finish his job as Ohio Treasurer (unless he can find another elected position for which he can campaign).