Yesterday, I wrote a post that called Paul Ryan’s statement about the Romney administration’s position on abortion rights a lie. Ryan claimed during the debate on Thursday night that the Romney administration would support exceptions for rape and incest to an abortion ban. That is categorically false.
A couple of people have argued that Ryan wasn’t lying, but rather stating what the Romney administration’s position would be, and not stating Ryan’s own personal beliefs.
Here’s why that argument fails.
[read full post at ABLC]
PsiFighter37
If a question on choice comes up in the townhall debate, Obama has to hammer on the fact that the GOP platform states that they want abortion outlawed, with ZERO exceptions whatsoever. And if shift Mitt tries to wiggle his way out of that, you nail him with this statement. He is his party’s leader, and he had control over what went into the platform.
I’m not sure how much they want to go after Mitt personally, but some of those stories I’ve heard about his time when he was a Mormon bishop are pretty damning. That might be better left to others to push that.
Biden did a decent job with the stupid religion tie-in that Raddatz asked in the VP debate, but I have to imagine social issues will get mentioned in the townhall. If they don’t, that’s a huge failure on Candy Crowley’s part. Not that I have high expectations for her to begin with…
Yutsano
@PsiFighter37:
She knows she has one task: to make the blah guy look bad and make Willard look good. All else will be fluff.
quannlace
If there’s any doubt Romney’s little ‘47%’ talk didn’t perfectly represent the attitudes of the other 1 percenters in the room, here’s a nice little excerpt of John Tamney’s review in Forbes magazine of ‘Atlas Shrugged, Part 2.”
It’s simply breathtaking, the amount of contempt these ‘Masters of the Universe’ have for the rest of the country.
BGinCHI
I want to make fun of Candy Crowley, but it just seems cruel. She has never seemed smart or curious to me in all the years I’ve seen her do reporting.
Why didn’t she just go into sales or retail or truck driving?
BGinCHI
And I’d add: my prediction will be that, if allowed, the questions from the crowd will be better than anything Crowley might ask (unless I’m misunderstanding the format).
General Stuck
There is nothing off the right wing wish list for destroying any and every vestige of liberal progressive thought, law, or tradition, by the republican political party, and any candidate thereof that reaches high office.
The knuckle draggers are running that clown car, and would run a president Romney, who, if he won a first term, would then want a second one. And that means kissing fundy ass in any way for any reason.
I don’t think Romney gives a shit about social wedge issues. I think he wants the keys to the national treasury to continue the GOP heist that has been ongoing for decades. And in order to do that he will need to bow and scrape to the nutter powers that be, for whatever the faction in question.
Same goes for the war lover neo con types, etc etc…… And Ryan will be a heartbeat away from all that power, in case Mitt chokes of some haughty caviar. And he is the real fucking deal. Have a nice day.
PsiFighter37
@BGinCHI: I think “if allowed” is the key point. IIRC, Crowley will take submitted questions ahead of time and pick which ones to use. Unfortunately, that leaves things in her judgment, which ain’t ideal. Hopefully Obama took notes on how Biden roped in the 47% comment in that one (of many) masterful segments where he took a different question and steered the conversation exactly where it needed to go. That was master jujitsu, and with R-Money busy out doing rallies instead of studying, this is Obama’s chance to strike back.
PsiFighter37
@General Stuck:
I am inclined to agree and disagree. Agree in that most people in his shoes (i.e. rich finance types) don’t give a damn about social issues unless it starts to affect them personally…but disagree because there have been stories about Romney laying down some feudal-era social beliefs when he was a Mormon bishop.
Frankly, that’s the more dangerous part of it all – he’s personally exhibited these beliefs before, and he’s shown that he’s more than willing to kowtow to the knuckledraggers in the party who care only about the ‘sanctity of life’.
BGinCHI
@PsiFighter37: Hmm, that’s not good, but as you say, if Obama can’t get things onto his territory then he flat sucks at this. And I don’t think he does.
After the last debate things got personal. BO is always better when he feels his back against the wall.
BGinCHI
@PsiFighter37: Romney is like a Taliban warlord. Above the fray as far as putting food on the table and a roof over his family’s head but still tied to a fundamentalist worldview that forces his thinking far to the right.
General Stuck
@PsiFighter37:
If I understand correctly, Mormons believe something like God tools around in a spaceship from one planet to another, to hang out and do god stuff. Being a secular believer in space shit, and living in NM not to far from the worlds only commercial space port, I could be seduced with the right proposals as such. But it is too fucking hot here for permanent long johns. There are some liberal mormons, I here. They got to be some cool motherfuckers.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@PsiFighter37: I wasn’t really surprised when Willard had to walk back this one issue of all the moderate Mitt flip-flops. I am surprised this issue hasn’t been more of a problem for him. As it happens, the only single-issue “pro-life” voters I know personally are all women– my very Catholic aunts and a few cousins– but I’ve always thought they were a minority. I keep waiting for choice, PP and the Court to become huge issue. Seems to me the SC hasn’t been a really top issue since 2000, if not ’96. I do not get it.
General Stuck
The republicans are crazy, but sane enough to know that to have all their dreams come true, whatever they are, they need the money, all of the money, all of the time.
So the Jesus party is able to look away voting for a idol worshipping crackpot business man, to clear away the black sheriff guarding Fort Knox and turn most of us into servile paupers, even more that we are.
ed
and I found y’ll this:
Biden Meme
General Stuck
@efgoldman:
No space ships yet. But we do have the port. That old build it and they will come spirit.
Schlemizel
gee, what a surprise
Lurking Canadian
@quannlace: I am beginning to have genuine concerns about my mental health, if (God forbid) Romney manages to win. I hate that fucking guy. I had contempt for Bush, but Romney? I fucking hate. I hate him, I hate his wife, I hate his kids, i hate his running mate, I hate his media shills, I hate his trolls…Everytime one of these creatures opens its mouth it makes me hate them more. This much bile just isn’t healthy, but fuck these people sideways.
LanceThruster
@Lurking Canadian:
Even if moderate Romney was their campaign platform, I’d hate him and his ticket. That he is even close is an embarassment to the nation. He’s the type of person that should not be anywhere near the reins of power.
FlipYrWhig
@Lurking Canadian: I’m the same way. I despised Bush, but I could sort of see why gullible people might fall for his aw-shucks act and then want to stick with him during the war. It is unfathomable to me that anyone likes any Romney. They are awful, smug, arrogant, obnoxious, creepy people. Even Republicans know it. They don’t like him either! But they’re willing to roll with it to get rid of Obama. Fine, OK, I get that. But, seriously, there’s never been anyone with this little going for him this close to the presidency.
Villago Delenda Est
@PsiFighter37:
This, this, this.
Nail the carcass of the lying sack of shit OvenMitt against the motherfucking wall on this one. No mercy, no quarter.
The GOP is out to ban abortion and contraception. These blue nosed, sex obsessed asswipes need to be slapped down hard, and driven back under the rocks they crawled from under.
MomSense
@PsiFighter37
I would never tell the President what to do because I think he is probably the most accomplished politician we have had in generations. I trust his judgment.
In my opinion it is a terrible idea to use the 47% with Romney directly. I was pleased the President did not try it last time.
There is no fucking way that Romney wasn’t expecting that question in the first debate and wouldn’t love it now. Go look at his Hannity appearance when he talked about it. If it is brought up he will put on his “sincere” face and offer a well rehearsed, and line by line scripted non apology apology that will win major points in the debate in front of a huge audience. Let his campaign pay for a non apology apology if they have to.
Also, I want to say that the media want a horse race. The corporate media owners absolutely would prefer a Romney presidency. For a good week before the first debate they were building the meme about the debate being the Romney turnaround/come back from behind moment. They declared Romney the “winner” and then proceeded to hammer that meme endlessly for over a week. Then the VP debate happened and Biden “lost” for exactly the same reasons that made them declare Romney the “winner”.
It doesn’t fucking matter what happens in the debates. The media choose the criteria by which the “winner” or “loser” is declared.
The only thing we should worry about, organize about is how we react to whatever the fuck they decide to declare.
It is my opinion that we should have the President’s back no matter what. We hammer Romney on the lies. We support our President and we donate, make calls, and knock on doors. We do whatever it fucking takes to win–to crush these fascistic Republicans and their gazillionaire backers because we are in deep trouble if we don’t.
And I still say that Romney came across as a manic/cracked out crazy person. He was rude, red-faced, sweaty, fast talking, and rambling. He told a lie every 1.4 minutes. In no way did he “win” that debate.
But the very question of winning or losing the debate is stupid. The only question to ask someone after the debate that matters is about which candidate they are more likely to vote for.
Sorry for all the swears. I’m not mad at you I am just sick and tired of our Media bullshit and Republican assholigarchy.
opie_jeanne
@General Stuck: That’s the God of Earth (and possibly other planets). This is the somewhat simplified version: god lives on Kobol, his wife (wives?) is eternally pregnant, eternally cranking out spirit babies, and he comes to visit Earth on a spaceship.
If you are a perfect Mormon man you get your own planet and get to be its god. Your wife gets to be the wife of a god, but not a goddess.
opie_jeanne
@opie_jeanne: Kolob. Pardon me.
The Other Bob
You folks think President Romney would direct NASA to search for Kolob?
That would be a sweet townhall question.
mclaren
“Paul Ryan did not tell the truth” is a statement about as full of information as “the sun rose today.”
Of course Ryan lies. What else do you expect him to do? Stand behind a podium as shout “I’m gonna rob you blind, you stupid assholes, and you’ll sit there like schmucks and take it!”?