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In July 2009, Mitt Romney called on President Obama to require Americans to buy insurance as part of his health care plan, using “tax penalties” as a backstop — in other words, the individual mandate that Republicans virulently oppose.
In a USA Today op-ed titled “Mr. President, what’s the rush?,” which is also available on MittRomneyCentral.com, Romney urged Obama to “learn a thing or two about health care reform” from his Massachusetts plan that contained the same policy, and touted it as effective.
“First, we established incentives for those who were uninsured to buy insurance,” Romney wrote. “Using tax penalties, as we did, or tax credits, as others have proposed, encourages ‘free riders’ to take responsibility for themselves rather than pass their medical costs on to others.”
Obama opposed that approach in his 2008 campaign, and was not on board with it at the time of Romney’s op-ed, but eventually adopted it in the sweeping bill that became law March 2010. Republican voters strongly decry the mandate as egregious federal overreach, and Romney has vowed to repeal the entire law if elected President.
The revelation could damage the GOP presidential frontrunner, who has been attacked by conservatives for enacting a similar law as “Obamacare,” but has defended himself by saying such an approach is acceptable on a state level, not a federal level.
But the July 30, 2009 op-ed, dug up by Andrew Kaczynski, makes no such distinction. In fact it implies that the Massachusetts plan is ideal as a federal approach. Romney wrote that “the lessons we learned in Massachusetts could help Washington find” a “better way.”
Conservatives wasted no time taking aim at Romney.
“Democrats would have waited to spring this on us in the general election,” wrote CNN contributor Erick Erickson at his blog RedState. “Friends, if Mitt Romney is the nominee, we will be unable to fight Obama on an issue that 60% of Americans agree with us on.”
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On March 04 2012 04:42 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:Show nested quote +On March 03 2012 17:00 Signet wrote:
That was on the news? lol politics really is just another form of entertainment. What Rush Limbaugh says on his radio show has about as much importance as what Howard Stern says on his.
Again, blame viewers for being more interested in that than things that actually matter. Cable channels know what keeps people watching. Rush Limbaugh is a major figurehead in terms of Republican Politics so far that any politician who disagrees with him or even calls him out gets flamed to hell by Limbaugh and his audience. Even Speaker Boehner is hesitant to go against him.
rightly so. rush is rarely wrong.
also, no one would flame a poltician who said: "you know what? i think rush was wrong ehre, and this is why (insert rational argument)" they get flamed when they try to attack rush and blame him for their problems, by extension attacking the conservative wing of their party.
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On March 04 2012 07:30 sc2superfan101 wrote:Show nested quote +On March 04 2012 04:42 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:On March 03 2012 17:00 Signet wrote:
That was on the news? lol politics really is just another form of entertainment. What Rush Limbaugh says on his radio show has about as much importance as what Howard Stern says on his.
Again, blame viewers for being more interested in that than things that actually matter. Cable channels know what keeps people watching. Rush Limbaugh is a major figurehead in terms of Republican Politics so far that any politician who disagrees with him or even calls him out gets flamed to hell by Limbaugh and his audience. Even Speaker Boehner is hesitant to go against him. rightly so. rush is rarely wrong. also, no one would flame a poltician who said: "you know what? i think rush was wrong ehre, and this is why (insert rational argument)" they get flamed when they try to attack rush and blame him for their problems, by extension attacking the conservative wing of their party.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh#Controversies
Seems like a top notch guy.
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what is your point?
1. the armed forces controversy: nothing rush did. troops voted for rush to be on the radio that they listened to.
2. the michael j fox thing was... iffy.
3. jesse jackson called barack a "magic negro", rush was making fun of jesse jackson
4. he called one guy who claimed to be a soldier, but wasn't, a "phony soldier"
5. he said he hoped barack failed to bring about policies that he percieved to be detrimental.
6. had nothing to do with anything rush did or said.
7. again, had nothing to do with what rush did or said.
8. he used unfortunate words while making a valid argument and he apologized today.
now, i wonder how you feel about all those liberals that called sarah palin: stupid, a c***, a bimbo, a tool, claimed that her baby wasn't hers, a ditz, a slut, etc. and have yet to apologize for any of it?
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For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.
I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit?In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.
My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/03/obama-vs-limbaugh-money-and-politics/1#.T1KrtfHXF2A
What a bullshit apology, but it's the best we can get out of him.
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On March 04 2012 08:32 sc2superfan101 wrote:
what is your point?
1. the armed forces controversy: nothing rush did. troops voted for rush to be on the radio that they listened to.
2. the michael j fox thing was... iffy.
3. jesse jackson called barack a "magic negro", rush was making fun of jesse jackson
4. he called one guy who claimed to be a soldier, but wasn't, a "phony soldier"
5. he said he hoped barack failed to bring about policies that he percieved to be detrimental.
6. had nothing to do with anything rush did or said.
7. again, had nothing to do with what rush did or said.
8. he used unfortunate words while making a valid argument and he apologized today.
now, i wonder how you feel about all those liberals that called sarah palin: stupid, a c***, a bimbo, a tool, claimed that her baby wasn't hers, a ditz, a slut, etc. and have yet to apologize for any of it?
Gonna need sources on several of those supposed insults, unless you mean average day people with no real influence, in which case I've heard farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr worse from both sides.
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On March 04 2012 08:40 ticklishmusic wrote:Show nested quote +For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.
I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit?In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.
My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/03/obama-vs-limbaugh-money-and-politics/1#.T1KrtfHXF2AWhat a bullshit apology, but it's the best we can get out of him.
I was shocked there was an apology, until I realized it was just written, not spoken.
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On March 04 2012 08:32 sc2superfan101 wrote:
what is your point?
1. the armed forces controversy: nothing rush did. troops voted for rush to be on the radio that they listened to.
2. the michael j fox thing was... iffy.
3. jesse jackson called barack a "magic negro", rush was making fun of jesse jackson
4. he called one guy who claimed to be a soldier, but wasn't, a "phony soldier"
5. he said he hoped barack failed to bring about policies that he percieved to be detrimental.
6. had nothing to do with anything rush did or said.
7. again, had nothing to do with what rush did or said.
8. he used unfortunate words while making a valid argument and he apologized today.
now, i wonder how you feel about all those liberals that called sarah palin: stupid, a c***, a bimbo, a tool, claimed that her baby wasn't hers, a ditz, a slut, etc. and have yet to apologize for any of it?
The people who call her a bimbo, slut, baby not hers, etc. They are just as bad as Rush and Limbaugh. Though I think everyone liberals and conservatives alike agree she is stupid and should not be in any position of power.
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bill maher called her a "dumb twat" and a "c***"
-his excuse? "i don't have sponsors"
letterman said she looked like a "slutty flight attendant" and also talked about her (14 yo) daughter being "knocked up"
-he later apologized, so i guess we'll let that one go.
kieth olberman said she is like a "talking (doll) with a pull-string that allows it to say as many as ten different phrases"
-no apology
multiple media sources reported on a "rumor" that her baby (trig) was actually her daughter's baby
-none of them apologized: "we're just reporting on a story!!!"
the sheer amount of vitriol that she received was unprecedented, and i think it's safe to say no liberal woman has ever been subjected to that amount of baseless, sexist, and personal assaults. you can go ahead and look all these up. everyone knows about them, it's not my job to find sources that say the sun is a star.
edit: as has been pointed out, this underlined part isn't exactly true. let's say that women in politics are rarely attacked on substance by their opponents. and that is messed up. it happens to the men too, but most of the time their arguments and personal life are treated with a lot more respect,
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United States22883 Posts
Uh... Hillary Clinton has received an enormous amount of criticisms and vitriol, and the comparisons... well there are no professional comparisons between her and Palin. One had a superlative educational career, a distinguished legal career and began an advocacy group for children, the other was a sports reporter.
They both have undergone a lot of disgusting, sexist treatment though.
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On March 04 2012 09:05 Jibba wrote:
Uh... Hillary Clinton has received an enormous amount of criticisms and vitriol, and the comparisons... well there are no professional comparisons between her and Palin. One had a superlative educational career, a distinguished legal career and began an advocacy group for children, the other was a sports reporter.
They both have undergone a lot of disgusting, sexist treatment though.
You beat me to it.
Michelle Obama gets hammered pretty hard too.
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On March 04 2012 09:05 Jibba wrote:
Uh... Hillary Clinton has received an enormous amount of criticisms and vitriol, and the comparisons... well there are no professional comparisons between her and Palin. One had a superlative educational career, a distinguished legal career and began an advocacy group for children, the other was a sports reporter.
They both have undergone a lot of disgusting, sexist treatment though.
actually, that is a fair point. i forgot about hillary. there have been plenty of sexist attacks on her, and they are/were shameful and disgusting.
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On March 04 2012 08:57 sc2superfan101 wrote:
bill maher called her a "dumb twat" and a "c***"
-his excuse? "i don't have sponsors"
letterman said she looked like a "slutty flight attendant" and also talked about her (14 yo) daughter being "knocked up"
-he later apologized, so i guess we'll let that one go.
kieth olberman said she is like a "talking (doll) with a pull-string that allows it to say as many as ten different phrases"
-no apology
multiple media sources reported on a "rumor" that her baby (trig) was actually her daughter's baby
-none of them apologized: "we're just reporting on a story!!!"
the sheer amount of vitriol that she received was unprecedented, and i think it's safe to say no liberal woman has ever been subjected to that amount of baseless, sexist, and personal assaults. you can go ahead and look all these up. everyone knows about them, it's not my job to find sources that say the sun is a star.
-Bill Maher is an entertainer who's fully capable of big time stupidity.
-David Letterman is a comedian, and was "out of line", but that's ok.
-Keith Olbermann was absolutely correct.
-Media sources are oftentimes ridiculous.
That said, comedians can say whatever the hell they want, and I don't see why they should apologize.
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On March 04 2012 08:57 sc2superfan101 wrote:
bill maher called her a "dumb twat" and a "c***"
-his excuse? "i don't have sponsors"
letterman said she looked like a "slutty flight attendant" and also talked about her (14 yo) daughter being "knocked up"
-he later apologized, so i guess we'll let that one go.
kieth olberman said she is like a "talking (doll) with a pull-string that allows it to say as many as ten different phrases"
-no apology
multiple media sources reported on a "rumor" that her baby (trig) was actually her daughter's baby
-none of them apologized: "we're just reporting on a story!!!"
the sheer amount of vitriol that she received was unprecedented, and i think it's safe to say no liberal woman has ever been subjected to that amount of baseless, sexist, and personal assaults. you can go ahead and look all these up. everyone knows about them, it's not my job to find sources that say the sun is a star.
Ehh, I don't like Bill Maher much either, and if he said that I definetely agree he should apologize.
And um, her daughter was "knocked up" though? Like I think it's a stupid topic and unnecessary, but technically that is what happened. (Unless you're suggesting her daughter was actually trying to have that kid.)
And come on, do you really think Media Sources actually completely confirm a rumor before they post on it? (besides the few good ones we have, and even then, they still do it occasionally)
Ultimately, I agree SP got a lot of shit, but considering the amount of flat out incorrect and offensive things she herself said, I don't feel the same amount of pity for her as I do for a student giving a testimony at a Court Hearing. (don't agree with the sexist stuff though)
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her 14 year old daughter was not knocked up. her older daughter was.
i feel sympathy for the girl at the court hearing, but at the same time, this is probably the reaction she wanted. no one is going to challenge her testimony on the grounds that it should be challenged on because the reactionary idiots on the right decided to attack her personally. and they are 100% wrong for doing so, but because of them she is being lifted up like some brave hero when she knew what was coming, and now any and all legitimate "attacks" on her are going to be lumped in with their brainless comments. the left knew this would happen and it pisses me off that the people on the right fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
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United States22883 Posts
On March 04 2012 09:09 sc2superfan101 wrote:Show nested quote +On March 04 2012 09:05 Jibba wrote:
Uh... Hillary Clinton has received an enormous amount of criticisms and vitriol, and the comparisons... well there are no professional comparisons between her and Palin. One had a superlative educational career, a distinguished legal career and began an advocacy group for children, the other was a sports reporter.
They both have undergone a lot of disgusting, sexist treatment though. actually, that is a fair point. i forgot about hillary. there have been plenty of sexist attacks on her, and they are/were shameful and disgusting.
I agree about your point with the likes of Maher and Olbermann though. I see a lot of room to criticize, but calling people "twats" and the like is absolutely ridiculous. Luckily for me, I avoid Maher, Olbermann and Limbaugh.  One of the worst things that came about from ALL media outlets was the expectation that she'd stay home because of her child's disabilities, whereas a male politician would never receive scrutiny for that.
^That's a really interesting take on it. I hadn't supposed she was doing it, but it's certainly possible. And you're right, the entire issue has been sideswiped because of it.
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On March 04 2012 09:11 Djzapz wrote:Show nested quote +On March 04 2012 08:57 sc2superfan101 wrote:
bill maher called her a "dumb twat" and a "c***"
-his excuse? "i don't have sponsors"
letterman said she looked like a "slutty flight attendant" and also talked about her (14 yo) daughter being "knocked up"
-he later apologized, so i guess we'll let that one go.
kieth olberman said she is like a "talking (doll) with a pull-string that allows it to say as many as ten different phrases"
-no apology
multiple media sources reported on a "rumor" that her baby (trig) was actually her daughter's baby
-none of them apologized: "we're just reporting on a story!!!"
the sheer amount of vitriol that she received was unprecedented, and i think it's safe to say no liberal woman has ever been subjected to that amount of baseless, sexist, and personal assaults. you can go ahead and look all these up. everyone knows about them, it's not my job to find sources that say the sun is a star.
-Bill Maher is an entertainer who's fully capable of big time stupidity. -David Letterman is a comedian, and was "out of line", but that's ok. -Keith Olbermann was absolutely correct. -Media sources are oftentimes ridiculous. That said, comedians can say whatever the hell they want, and I don't see why they should apologize.
Letterman himself said he was refering to Bristol Palin, not the 14 year old and that it was a misunderstanding.
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kieth olberman said she is like a "talking (doll) with a pull-string that allows it to say as many as ten different phrases"
-no apology
How is that sexist?
Calling a woman an idiot isn't sexist. Bachmann and Palin have said more than enough idiotic remarks to warrant the title. Just like Santorum's said enough remarks for me to call him a theocrat and Gingrich to call him an asshole.
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on the topic of the OP though, i think that i'm beginning to come down on the side of either Romney or Ron Paul for the nomination. first Romney:
Romney seems to be the most "presidential" out of the four, and his appeal to the more moderate parts of the party are nice. i wish he would stop trying to be everyone's perfect guy though and just act like he really is. if he's a moderate-ish kind of guy, then do that and stop pretending.
Ron Paul... there are so many things i don't like about Ron Paul, i couldn't even begin to list them. but i think he is the most willing to bring radical change to the way things are done, the most willing to cut programs, the most willing to adhere strictly to the constitution, and even though he isn't an "outsider" like he pretends to be, he is more of an outsider than the other four. plus i think his appeal to younger and more independent voters could be essential.
beating obama looks less and less likely by the day, which is sad because not six months ago it looked like it was already in the bad and out the door. republicans need to wake the eff up and start acting like adults. especially if he wins, we're gonna have to completely rethink the way we do things.
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Early WA Caucus returns looking like Romney will win the state followed by Paul in 2nd.
[edit] - Now very close for second between Paul & Santorum. Romney is up by over 10%.
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EPT
