2012 Conventions; Tampa & Charlotte

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I also saw a story about some politician who just recently got arrested in...Minnesota, I believe, for being caught in a situation with a 17 year old boy. I'll have to try and see if I can hunt down that article.


I read something about that too, it was supposedly consensual (well automatically NOT with a minor) sex at a rest area. I don't know if he knew him or if it was just that anonymous type of thing.
 
Well if the occupy people are there and get a shower, I hope Romney has an ironclad hair net :uhoh: Actually I think his hair is certified Cat 5 hurricane proof.

Seriously though, it's looking bad as of this morning, lots of rain at least. I hope for the best. That east coast hurricane last summer scared the hell out of me and we were just lucky that it wasn't as bad as was predicted. I can't imagine living in a place with constant hurricane risk.
 
I hear ya...but I'd rather have a hurricane season that comes and goes somewhat quickly than a tornado season, thunderstorm season and massive stretches of heat causing drought conditions and damaging fires all overlapping each other over the last 4 months.

Thanks Global Warming, it's been fun stuff these last two summers!
Still, I wouldn't want to have to deal with hurricanes either.

In other news...Wednesday's schedule has been released. Here are the big names.

Mitch McConnell (KY)
Senator John McCain (AZ)
Governor Jeb Bush (FL)
Senator Rob Portman (OH)
Governor Tim Pawlenty (MN)
Condoleezza Rice
VP nominee Rep. Paul Ryan
 
the GOP really need to carry FL, they hope bringing the convention will win them a few more votes, perhaps pick off some of the Jewish vote

these locations were chosen some time ago. at the time the Dems hoped they could eek out a win in NC, like they did in 2008.
 
NC was silly. Should have been Ohio. But I suppose the conventions can't always be in Ohio and Florida.
 
Isaac headed towards NO for Katrina anniversary. Hope all those people can help themselves, no help will be coming from Mitt if he's elected. He doesn't believe in that.
 
Isaac headed towards NO for Katrina anniversary. Hope all those people can help themselves, no help will be coming from Mitt if he's elected. He doesn't believe in that.

The Rev. Jeffrey Brown, who heads a faith-based gang intervention group in Roxbury, Mass., and spoke frequently to Romney during his governorship, saw two facets of the man — the executive and the spiritual counselor — come together after Hurricane Katrina when the Massachusetts Legislature provided shelter on Cape Cod for evacuees. Romney wanted members of the black clergy to attend to the arrivals — because he said some would rather talk to pastors than mental health professionals — and asked Brown to lead the effort.

Romney arrived a few days later, telling Brown he wanted to hear the stories directly from the victims, many of whom were from New Orleans' hard-hit Lower 9th Ward.

"He wanted to make sure that their needs were being met," Brown said. "He brought 50 state agencies down there, and everybody's needs were attended to. I'm talking about people who left their houses in such a rush that they forgot their teeth. He had dentists down there to get them their dentures.… He was on it."

But Brown was most surprised watching Romney interact with victims — praying with them, sitting with them on park benches asking about their families, scooping up children and asking for hugs.

"He was pastoral," Brown said. "He was that person with those people."

A Mitt Romney most of America doesn't know - Los Angeles Times
 
that was the mitt of 2005 though. he seems to have severely changed his tune. maybe it's to pander to the far right, maybe he really did change his mind, who knows. but if he were president now, he wouldn't be doing stuff like that.
 
Yes, this is a guy who also has the MA health bill prominently featured in his official governor's portrait. We now how proud he is of that thing now!

I don't mean to suggest the man never has any compassion for people, but jeez, here's a guy where you can't really say "well, he did such-and-such thing 7 years ago!" and not expect a good belly-laugh in return.

Anyway. Here's hoping the storm passes by with little impact, and everyone's lives can go on mostly as planned after a day or two, convention attendees or otherwise.
 
I believe Romney is changing his beliefs simply to be president. I get the impression that he so wants to be in the Oval Office that he'll change his position on issues and flip flop so he can appeal to the GOP. Since the GOP has gone so far to the right, and there's no centrist party in this country to speak of, Romney reinvented himself to appeal to the party so he could be their candidate. I think this reflects a sad state in U.S. politics because the two-party system doesn't allow much room for diverse beliefs that multiple parties would.

Not that I like the guy. I don't see any leadership qualities in him at all. Even if I were a Republican, I wouldn't like him.

Any, thoughts and prayers to NOLA. Have they fully recovered since Katrina?
 
From any news snippets I've read in years since then, there is some definite progress, but it also sounds like a lot of people are still struggling mightly, too. I know there was that whole issue with the FEMA trailers from a few years ago, something about them being possibly contaminated or something.

I caught the Weather Channel for a few moments earlier and they mentioned it being nearly 7 years since Katrina. Good god, has it really been that long already?

As for Romney, Pearl's post is spot on. At this point I don't care what side of the issues he comes down on, I just want him to PICK one and stick with it. He doesn't have to toe the party line, either, he can have a mix of beliefs. I just want him to have some idea of where the hell he stands, is all.

And I'm with Cori regarding the storm. Sorry this is affecting the convention, and my thoughts are with everyone in its path. Stay safe, everybody.
 
I wouldn't care if Romney had changed his mind. There's nothing wrong with that. I've done that many times, and then sometimes changed back. I just wish that he'd be honest instead of constantly pulling out half-baked states' rights explanations. His defense about signing The De Facto Affordable Care Act into law in Massachusetts was something along the lines of "states are the laboratories of democracy, and I signed this into law for the people of Massachusetts because it's how the people of Massachusetts wanted their healthcare to be handled". Which is fine and well, except it implies that he was actually against the bill, but signed it without complaint to bend to popular will. Would he do that as POTUS? The way he makes the excuse comes across as silly and less than truthful. He could make the scalability argument or something (which I disagree with, and which he doesn't make), but an argument that something is likely to work in Massachusetts because its people want it to work isn't particularly convincing, and also implies that the real ACA will work if people just like it more. Romney has had a really hard time covering his ideological tracks. I'd respect him a lot more if he just admitted that he was more or less a liberal five years ago and had a change of heart.

ETA... reading over this, I suppose there's one other argument that Romney could make: that Massachusetts is set up economically, demographically, or whatever that something like the ACA is inherently destined to work well in Massachusetts, more than in other places, and thus it was appropriate there... and that possibly drives public opinion. But that's a really abstract and tough argument to make, and Mittens certainly hasn't.
 
Absolutely. That's my issue with his stance on it as well. He can call it a "bad law" (or whatever his word choice was) until he's blue (red?) in the face, but the fact remains that ACA is largely based on his own damned law!

I'll be very curious to see if this comes up in the debates, to see if he can give a better argument against it.
 
that was the mitt of 2005 though. he seems to have severely changed his tune. maybe it's to pander to the far right, maybe he really did change his mind, who knows. but if he were president now, he wouldn't be doing stuff like that.


I have to disagree. I don't think it's necessarily accurate to conflate Romney's current public political persona with how he might treat real life hurting people in the moment.

As for the flip-flopping I think that's pretty much par for the course with most politicians--Mitt is just not particularly deft at doing it.
 
Unfortunately the storm won't pass by, might be a cat 2 in New Orleans with more rain and storm surge than Katrina.

Just look up what Romney would do to the FEMA budget , and what he has said about federal disaster aid. Not that FEMA has a good track record, but sympathy and compassion won't put a roof over your head when you don't have one. Church and private aid alone won't cut it either.
 
Unfortunately the storm won't pass by, might be a cat 2 in New Orleans with more rain and storm surge than Katrina.

Just look up what Romney would do to the FEMA budget , and what he has said about federal disaster aid. Not that FEMA has a good track record, but sympathy and compassion won't put a roof over your head when you don't have one. Church and private aid alone won't cut it either.

I don't disagree.

I'm just not a fan of "the other guy is evil" arguments--I hate it when the Right pulls that shit about Obama, and I think it's lazy when we employ the same arguments about Romney. Is he misguided about what would really help those in need? Perhaps. Is he cynically promoting policies that he hopes will cause people to vote him into office--I don't doubt it. But that doesn't add up in my mind to "this is a guy that won't show any personal compassion to suffering people when he encounters them."
 
I don't disagree.

I'm just not a fan of "the other guy is evil" arguments--I hate it when the Right pulls that shit about Obama, and I think it's lazy when we employ the same arguments about Romney. Is he misguided about what would really help those in need? Perhaps. Is he cynically promoting policies that he hopes will cause people to vote him into office--I don't doubt it. But that doesn't add up in my mind to "this is a guy that won't show any personal compassion to suffering people when he encounters them."

Agree fully with this post :up:. Romney's a lot of things, but I don't think he's even remotely heartless.

digitize had a great post, too.
 
palin-haley-vert.jpg


write your own caption

So... how's your War On Women going Sarah?
 
I don't disagree.

I'm just not a fan of "the other guy is evil" arguments--I hate it when the Right pulls that shit about Obama, and I think it's lazy when we employ the same arguments about Romney. Is he misguided about what would really help those in need? Perhaps. Is he cynically promoting policies that he hopes will cause people to vote him into office--I don't doubt it. But that doesn't add up in my mind to "this is a guy that won't show any personal compassion to suffering people when he encounters them."

When did I say he was evil and wouldn't show any compassion? Or heartless? He made some comments fairly recently about disaster aid after something happened and said basically that's what the insurance companies are there for.

1. that's of course if you have insurance

2. there are people in my state still waiting for insurance settlements over a year later after tornadoes destroyed their homes

I'm sure he can be pastoral and compassionate and all those things, but when all those people have left you and you need food and clothing and shelter what do you do when aid has been cut and budgets have been cut? I think it's lazy and easy to say and do all the right things to victims' faces then pull the rug out from under them when you are asked to put your money where your mouth is. He also comes from an out of touch perspective, as witnessed by his shop around for college and borrow money from your parents comments (and probably countless others that you could Google). If disaster struck any of his homes he's got plenty of others to live in, and the cash to just buy a new one. Does that make him "evil" or lacking in compassion? No. Out of touch with the average person? Yes. You can't pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you literally don't even have any bootstraps left.
 
thehill.com


Samuel L. Jackson asks why GOP 'spared' by tropical storm
By Daniel Strauss - 08/27/12 04:53 PM ET

Samuel L. Jackson on Monday tweeted it was "unfair" that Tropical Storm Isaac had spared the GOP convention in Tampa and appeared to be heading for New Orleans.

Jackson said in a profanity-filled tweet that he was "not understanding God's plan" given the fact that the storm was not disrupting the Republican gathering.

"Unfair shit," the Oscar-nominated actor known for his colorful language said on Twitter.

"GOP spared by Isaac! NOLA prolly fucked again!"

Less than a half-hour later, Jackson apologized for the earlier tweet, writing that it had stirred up a hornet's nest. "Apologies to God, Tampa, da GOP& Isaac(sp)! Who played the Race card?!," he said on Twitter.

Jackson isn't the only one to issue strongly worded language questioning a link between politics and Isaac. Over the past few days, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has suggested that serious warnings about tropical storm weather by the federal government was the Obama administration attempting to scuttle the Republican National Convention (OMG, seriously?)

Earlier on Monday, MSNBC host Chris Matthews accused presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and other Republicans of playing the race card against Obama.
 
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