The General American Politics Thread

[Patticus]

Mitt gets worse!

Mitt Romney ‘Dyed His Face Brown’ to Appeal to Latino Voters

Mitt Romney currently trails President Obama among registered Latino voters by nearly 40%, and getting caught saying things like "it would be helpful to be Latino" certainly isn't helping.

But has it gotten so bad that Romney is now resorting to "brownface" in order to make himself more appealing to Univision viewers? Democratic Underground has looked at the photo above from last night's "presidential forum" and concluded that, yes, Romney definitely "dyed his face brown."

Wonkette wonders if perhaps the GOP nominee was involved in some sort of "self-tanner accident" or perhaps went out tanning with John Boehner "for a little pick-me-up."

Mitt Romney is certainly looking more crispy than usual, but is that enough to call him out for, as Gossip On This put it, trying to win "browning points"? Maybe he's just putting his Snooki love to practice.

http://gawker.com/59...o-latino-voters

Browning up to appeal to Latinos... after a video just got plastered all over the news media wherein he proclaims how beneficial it would be if he actually were a Latino. You couldn't make it up. XD

I'm starting to wonder if he's actually secretly trolling the entire Republican Party.

Anyone watch last night's Daily Show? I'm watching now. Bullshit Mountain. XD

"I think this will be seen as a WIN for Romney." XD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km4BfW2836Y

Kinda puts me in mind of this fella:

[Stacy]

He should have his own Sitcom called "Romney Screws Up Again" it will be all about the zany plans and schemes he has but they always get ruined in the end by his neighbour Obama.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I never thought I'd see the day when another racial group gets their very own "colorface" in this day and age.

[Patticus]

Obama went and handed the Romney campaign something of a stick to beat him with at last night's forum (the same one that Romney 'browned up' for), when he went and said that he regretted not being able to change the tone in Washington, that you can't change Washington from the inside you've gotta be on the outside. Now, while it might be true that being on the outside is more effective, I don't think it's terribly wise to say that until after you leave the White House.

On a more positive note, poll numbers just out today for three more battleground states, showing the following:

Colorado

Obama: 50%

Romney: 45%

Iowa

Obama: 50%

Romney: 42%

Wisconsin

Obama: 50%

Romney: 45%

In terms of how favorable or unfavorable likely voters find both candidates, the numbers are a bit different, though still weighing in Obama's favor (for now):

Romney:

Colorado

Positive: 43%

Negative: 50%

Iowa

Positive: 42%

Negative: 50%

Wisconsin

Positive: 43%

Negative: 46%

Obama:

Colorado

Positive: 51%

Negative: 45%

Iowa

Positive: 53%

Negative: 42%

Wisconsin

Positive: 51%

Negative: 44%

[turbojet]

1. I cannot wait for the Presidential debates.
   
2. I can hold off watching the Vice Presidential debates(The most loquacious people in Washington speaking? Fuck that)
   

[Patticus]

There's only one VP debate scheduled, is there not? The other three are for the presidential candidates.

[Tornado]

I want to watch the VP debate personally. Presidential debates are always boring as hell, and these days we are always given the exact rundown of how every sentence by Romney/Obama constituted a decisive victory for Romney/Obama and how every sentence by Obama/Romney constituted them sinking their entire campaign.

VP debates, however, are almost always comedy gold. These are people pulled out of their role in the election of being inoffensive and out of the spotlight, and the jokes that can be mined from them tripping over themselves...

Edited September 21, 2012 by Tornado

[Linkabel]

According to the AP Breaking News Twitter Romney will release his 2011 tax returns today, that should be interesting.

[Patticus]

According to the AP Breaking News Twitter Romney will release his 2011 tax returns today, that should be interesting.

He'll need to release a few more if he wants to silence the more vocal Democrats.

Comparing this election cycle to the last time we had an incumbent facing a new challenge, Bush v. Kerry 'back in 04... well, at this point in time (Sept. 21st), Kerry was polling at 42.5% among likely voters, while Bush was sitting pretty at 48.5%.

Kerry's approval ratings jumped up three points in the first week of October that year, as Bush's ratings fell, but he never quite managed to top Bush in the polls in the same way he did in June that year. Source.

The only time Romney's approval ratings in the polls shown in the source website topped Obama's was almost a year ago, October '11. He came within a gnat's crotch whisker of doing it again at the beginning of this month, but then the Romney Gaffe Machine was kicked into overdrive and Obama has been leading Romney ever since; presently by three full points, the biggest such lead he's had since mid-August. Source.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Okay, so yesterday I got my voter's guide, and I wanted to read up on Prop 32. Anyone here have a summarized version of it? I'm still reading up on it, but I figured you guys might be able to explain it better.

[Patticus]

Holy shit, this is amazing:

I can't wait for more Fox retardedness to bubble up over the next few weeks. Ohhh, it's going to be hilarious, especially with the debates fast approaching.

[Tornado]

Considering how batshit insane Jesse Ventura became when his mustache fell off, that's really saying something when he can corner a news anchor like that.

[Patticus]

Romney has released his 2011 taxes as promised, plus a very vague summary of the last 20 years:

This morning, Gov. and Mrs. Romney filed their 2011 tax return with the IRS. At 3:00pm today, the Romney for President campaign will be posting the 2011 return online.

The complete 2011 tax return, with full schedules, statements, and attachments, will be made available with all other previously-disclosed information at http://www.mittromney.com/disclosure.

Also posted will be a notarized letter from the Romneys’ tax preparer, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PWC), giving a summary of tax rates from the Romneys’ tax returns for the 20-year period of 1990-2009.

In advance of the posting of these new documents, I wanted to provide some top-line details.

Regarding the newly-filed 2011 Tax Return:

In 2011, the Romneys paid $1,935,708 in taxes on $13,696,951 in mostly investment income.

The Romneys’ effective tax rate for 2011 was 14.1%.

The Romneys donated $4,020,772 to charity in 2011, amounting to nearly 30% of their income.

The Romneys claimed a deduction for $2.25 million of those charitable contributions.

The Romneys’ generous charitable donations in 2011 would have significantly reduced their tax obligation for the year. The Romneys thus limited their deduction of charitable contributions to conform to the Governor's statement in August, based upon the January estimate of income, that he paid at least 13% in income taxes in each of the last 10 years.

As with the 2010 tax return, the 2011 tax return will appear as four separate documents. It includes Governor and Mrs. Romney's Form 1040 as well as three underlying Massachusetts trusts detailing the sources of their income. Those are The W. Mitt Romney Blind Trust, The Ann D. Romney Blind Trust, and The Romney Family Trust.

The investments within the trusts are managed on a blind basis by me, the trustee. I have sole responsibility for making, holding and disposing of the investments.

Regarding the PWC letter covering the Romneys’ tax filings over 20 years, from 1990 – 2009:

In each year during the entire 20-year period, the Romneys owed both state and federal income taxes.

Over the entire 20-year period, the average annual effective federal tax rate was 20.20%.

Over the entire 20-year period, the lowest annual effective federal personal tax rate was 13.66%.

Over the entire 20-year period, the Romneys gave to charity an average of 13.45% of their adjusted gross income.

Over the entire 20-year period, the total federal and state taxes owed plus the total charitable donations deducted represented 38.49% of total AGI.

During the 20-year period covered by the PWC letter, Gov. and Mrs. Romney paid 100 percent of the taxes that they owed.

Finally, in addition to new documents related to tax filings, the campaign will also be posting on the same website physician letters for both Gov. Romney and Rep. Ryan, making public their current state of health.

After you have reviewed all of the newly-posted documents, you may have further questions. The campaign asks that you direct them to an e-mail account set up for that purpose. That e-mail address is returns @ mittromney.com.

Thank you.

R. Bradford Malt is a partner at Ropes & Gray, LLP. He has been the trustee of the Romney’s blind trust since 2003.

He hasn't given us his 2009 tax returns, which people are interested in the most, or the many years before that which for the last half a century Presidential candidates have routinely and without (IIRC) fuss released.

If Romney had taken all his deductions, he would have paid closer to 9% tax in 2011. He paid extra VOLUNTARILY just for optics.

He overpaid just for show. For the positive media coverage he knew he'd get. Kinda makes you wonder why he said he paid only what was required and not a penny more, and said that he thought people wouldn't want a leader who overpaid his taxes... like him... when he knew he was overpaying and that we'd get to see that.

Good of him to bring the subject of his dodgy tax returns back into the national spotlight when most of us were just forgetting that, though.

[Tornado]

He overpaid just for show. For the positive media coverage he knew he'd get.

Warren Buffett does the same thing (except in reverse) to push for the tax law changes that he/Obama wants. Not really much news there by itself.

And as I suspected that it would, that summary also includes Capital Gains and says it is the same as income (which it is not, but that's not the real issue), which ultimately makes the entire thing completely useless. Though I'm sure the Obama campaign will have a grand old time brandishing about "Romney pays less than you do" ads for the next couple weeks.

Edited September 22, 2012 by Tornado

[Patticus]

Both sides are scrambling like Captain Kirk fighting a Random Alien Monster for anything they can get which they can use as a stick to beat the opposition with. It's really quite pathetic, for a republic founded on such high ideals to have an electoral culture based on such petty, barbaric feuding.

Reality, eh? Sucks.

[Tornado]

Obama least effective antichrist ever. GOP rumored to be adding it to list of his failures.

Of course he has his apologists, making

for YouTube and cluttering their own websites with adamant declarations that he is in fact the true antichrist. But these people are the die-hard Obama believers who started stocking up on assault rifles the moment he was elected. They want him to be the manifestation of evil so badly that they are blind to the truth we're all staring in the face after four years: Barack Obama is probably not the antichrist. It is entirely possible he is just a human male. So when you walk into your respective polling booths this November, remember: If you just want a regular old president, fine, vote for Obama. But if you are looking for world reorganization under the cloven hoof of physically manifested agony, maybe it's time to give some other guy a shot.

Linky.

[Candescence]

Funny, aren't the Antichrists supposed to be going around actually claiming that they're Christ, first?

[Patticus]

I think nowadays they think the Antichrist will be an incredibly popular man who gets picked for the top position in an international alliance system (e.g. head of the UN).

[turbojet]

I think nowadays they think the Antichrist will be an incredibly popular man who gets picked for the top position in an international alliance system (e.g. head of the UN).

If the UN ever did anything to begin with...

[Patticus]

If the UN ever did anything to begin with...

IIRC, my information comes from an old Louis Theroux documentary, so I could be wrong about what their current thinking is.

No matter how they spin it though, it's still batshit mental.

Mitt may have manipulated his tax returns: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ROMNEY_TAXES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-09-22-10-43-19

[Autosaver]

LEAKED FOOTAGE OF 2012 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

I find it quite sad that this actually happens.

[SuperStingray]

Got my voter registration card in the mail today! Now when I feel like complaining about politicians, I can actually do something about it!

[Solkia]

Jesus Christ...

http://thinkprogress...-plane-windows/

“When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly,” he told the LA Times. “And you can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem.”

I can't

I really hope this is fake.

Edited September 24, 2012 by 2-Dollar Solkia

[Your Vest Friend]

Air pressure motherfucker, have you heard of it.

[Tornado]

The windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem.

Edited September 24, 2012 by Tornado