2012 U.S. Presidential Election

[Major Robert Dump]

I think that once Chuck Norris unleashed 1000 years of Darkness, everyone else followed suit

[a completely inoffensive name]

Obama needs to stop shipping U.S. jobs overseas. Enough is enough.

Companies decide to ship jobs overseas, and nothing the president can do will stop that.

Is the exorbitant 15% tax on capital gains killing our economy?
Is it the outrageous minimum wage that prevents our citizens from competing with the $2/day Chinese workers?

Seriously, because from what I read, the US is still the biggest manufacturing country in the world, we just have robots do the work now. The problem isn't that the President can't create manufacturing jobs for the public, the problem is that the public still thinks they can do manufacturing jobs.

Free re-education for unemployed workers in needed trade services or technical fields is the way forward, not asking GM to give you that door welding job.

[Major Robert Dump]

You're idea seems so simple and plausible, right up until the Robots Rights movement starts, then I'll be laughing at you.

[Fisherking]

Flash! ACIN proposes Reeducation Camps!

[naut]

Whaaat? What we really need is cheaper college tuition, and easier access to higher education for the poor. Hardly re-education camps.

What you really need is a similar, albeit smaller scale system to what we have here. You do not have the same "skills shortage" that we "suffer". Yet, it is a system that works, leads to a better and more educated workforce, who in turn can create and take part in better jobs without unfair burden.

I.e. it allows a doctor to study, then join a small rural practice where he is needed and not have to worry about a debt he otherwise could not pay off.

-----

What I would like to know is does Romney plan to run the United States in the same way as he did Bain & Company?

[Centurion1]

You already have your mind made up, and I am guessing you don't have liberal friends.

hooah is jewish with university professor parents.....

[Hooahguy]

You already have your mind made up, and I am guessing you don't have liberal friends.

Actually, false. My best friend is liberal.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Actually, false. My best friend is liberal.

Than you should know the enthusiasm gap is closing and Nate Silver is giving Obama a higher chance of victory than ever before this election after weak viewers at the RNC and a large bump in support at the DNC. all my liberal friends are going haywire.

[Fisherking]

Than you should know the enthusiasm gap is closing and Nate Silver is giving Obama a higher chance of victory than ever before this election after weak viewers at the RNC and a large bump in support at the DNC. all my liberal friends are going haywire.

Perhaps haywire is a good term for them.

I haven’t see anything that predicts a large bump. It is not that I expect Obama to lose. I just can’t see any cause for jubilant calibration.

[Hooahguy]

Than you should know the enthusiasm gap is closing and Nate Silver is giving Obama a higher chance of victory than ever before this election after weak viewers at the RNC and a large bump in support at the DNC. all my liberal friends are going haywire.

Yeah, and everyone was sure Kerry would win too.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Yeah, and everyone was sure Kerry would win too.

You are going to have to provide sources on that.

[Hooahguy]

I cant provide sources on the discussion I had with friends and family before the 2004 election. My family is pretty liberal, and so are many of my friends. All of them were so sure that Kerry would win because everyone seemed to hate Bush.

The only reason why I think Romney will win is because of that group which has correctly predicted every election since 1980 said that he would win.

[Vuk]

I gotta say, I am not easily impressed by speeches, but this is awesome. It is really one of the best, and most moving speeches I have seen in recent history. I hope this guy becomes more involved in Republican politics.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Richard Dawkins may have called the next President of the USA a gullible fool.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9532199/US-election-2012-Richard-Dawkins-calls-Mitt-Romney-gullible-fool-over-Mormon-faith.html

[Hooahguy]

Richard Dawkins may have called the next President of the USA a gullible fool.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9532199/US-election-2012-Richard-Dawkins-calls-Mitt-Romney-gullible-fool-over-Mormon-faith.html

Very distasteful on Dawkins part. Romney's religion is of no business of Dawkins. I hate atheists who attack other religions as much as religions who attack other religions. Or lack of religion.

[rvg]

Very distasteful on Dawkins part. Romney's religion is of no business of Dawkins. I hate atheists who attack other religions as much as religions who attack other religions. Or lack of religion.

/amen

[Tuuvi]

Richard Dawkins may have called the next President of the USA a gullible fool.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9532199/US-election-2012-Richard-Dawkins-calls-Mitt-Romney-gullible-fool-over-Mormon-faith.html

Dawkins seems to think that anyone who believes in a religion is a fool. One time I read an article in the newspaper about an astronomer who was suing the University of Kentucky because he thought he was denied a job because of his religion (tried to find a link to the article but I couldn't ), according to the article Dawkins responded to the incident by saying "You wouldn't want a dentist who believes that babies are delivered by storks to work on your teeth would you?"

The man is prejudiced if you ask me.

[rvg]

The man is prejudiced if you ask me.

Of course he is. He's a fanatic.

[HopAlongBunny]

Dawkins is a man of faith. He has absolute faith that God does not exist.

As the go-to-guy for media looking to stir the pot (at least since the death of Hitchens) what would you expect him to say? Dawkins calling any form of religion snake-oil is not news_news would be Dawkins proclaiming the second coming.

[CBR]

Very distasteful on Dawkins part. Romney's religion is of no business of Dawkins. I hate atheists who attack other religions as much as religions who attack other religions. Or lack of religion.

Ah but don't worry. When Richard Dawkins dies, I'm sure Romney will get him baptized into the one true Mormon church. You know, just like they did with Romney's (atheist) father in law.

When public figures use their religion to gain political office, I see no problem with people expressing their opinion about such religions and their followers.

[Centurion1]

Ah but don't worry. When Richard Dawkins dies, I'm sure Romney will get him baptized into the one true Mormon church. You know, just like they did with Romney's (atheist) father in law.

When public figures use their religion to gain political office, I see no problem with people expressing their opinion about such religions and their followers.

mormonism doesnt help you into office in the US so your point is???

[CBR]

mormonism doesnt help you into office in the US so your point is???

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Electio...he-person-I-am

I'm convinced that my background, and my heritage and my faith have made me the person I am to a great degree

What is his faith? And why mention faith at all?

[Centurion1]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Electio...he-person-I-am


What is his faith? And why mention faith at all?

mormonism is mor of a negative thing than a positive in the majority of americans minds accept it or not thats the fact.

[Hooahguy]

Ah but don't worry. When Richard Dawkins dies, I'm sure Romney will get him baptized into the one true Mormon church. You know, just like they did with Romney's (atheist) father in law.

What his family did to their father in law after he died is a family matter and has no relevance to this conversation.

[CBR]

What his family did to their father in law after he died is a family matter and has no relevance to this conversation.

Next time it will be Catholics and Jews...wait they have already done that. But if it does not matter if Romney is part of such a church, then so be it and we will just agree to disagree.

[naut]

Richard Dawkins may have called the next President of the USA a gullible fool.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9532199/US-election-2012-Richard-Dawkins-calls-Mitt-Romney-gullible-fool-over-Mormon-faith.html

To be fair, Mormonism is really quite damn ridiculous. They believe all men can become God(s):

“As man now is, God once was; as God now is, so man may become.”

Mormonism also is very intolerant of all other denominations:

“I must join none of them, for they were all wrong, and the Personage who addressed me [God the Father] said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors [of Christian religion] were all corrupt; that ‘they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.’

He [God the Father] again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again [fully regained his senses], I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering it in some degree, I went home.” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, I 3. [The Pearl of Great Price], pp. 4-6)

For a Mormon, all other Christians are also wrong on all accounts, which I personally find surprising.

[Kralizec]

mormonism is mor of a negative thing than a positive in the majority of americans minds accept it or not thats the fact.

While I do not approve of the prejudice that protestants and catholics have against mormons, I don't like the way Romney or other prominent mormons have dealt with this.

I would have hoped that being from a religion which is looked upon unfavourably would have inspired some humility and a healthy respect for religious indifference, i.e. let everyone believe what they will and keep it out of political discussions. I get the distinct impression however that some Mormons just want to be co-opted into the religious right, or at least be accepted by it, and are perfectly okay with its crusade against secularism and its hostility towards non-christian religions.

[Fisherking]

I take the religion of most every US politician as nothing more than platitudes. Some may believe what they say but for the most part I take it as cynical pandering to the more religious voters.

[Kralizec]

I take the religion of most every US politician as nothing more than platitudes. Some may believe what they say but for the most part I take it as cynical pandering to the more religious voters.

That's my impression as well.

If Romney had said to the republican base:
"Yeah, I'm a mormon and that's nobody's business except mine, God and my wife. The founding fathers would never have envisioned a country where politicians must satisfy religious criteria to be elected. Anybody who disagrees with me on this can STFU and GTFO."
Then I'd have a great deal of respect for him. As it stands however Romney is attempting to use his faith to pander to religious voters. Dawkin's comments seem unnecessarily harsh, but if you use your religion as a selling point don't expect people to leave it alone

[Fisherking]

As to Dawkins’ attack on Romney because of his religion I find it small and mean.

It is not that he expressed anything that I have not thought about that particular denomination, myself but he did it for his own political motivations.

Something particularly noticeable to those who profess a left leaning political viewpoint is they the enjoy portraying their opponents as either fools or evil because they disagree with their enlightened viewpoint.

It is not exclusive to the left, just much more noticeable, in that they cloak themselves in the idea that they are more excepting and open-minded than those on the right.

Perhaps it is just the hypocrisy of it but to me they come off as being more closed-minded and elitist.