2012 U.S. Presidential Election

[Heald]

And ladies and gentlemen, this makes 2000 replies in less than a year. Top work one and all.

[Dark Sage]

By the way, here's an interesting factoid about the Affordable Health Care Act.

"McDonald’s also expects Obamacare to cost each of its 14,000 franchises between $10,000 and $30,000 annually, according to Businessweek. "


Seems expensive right? Actually, no. Someone crunched the numbers, and found out that that's about the average drop for ONE SLOW DAY at the average McDonalds.

Poor, poor, corporation; they can't give up one day's profit a year to provide their workers with decent health care.

[Heald]

The thing is a franchise is operated by a franchisee, who pays himself from the profits from the store he operates. And a franchisee, more often than not, is not a six-figure earning businessman or a ruthless capitalist, he is normally a guy of average wealth or lower like you or me, who has made an investment. So the AHCA doesn't hurt McDonald's, it hurts the guys who actually run the restaurants who, believe me, aren't especially wealthy.

He also has to pay McDonald's franchise fees and whatever taxes he is obliged to pay either the state or the federal government. So it isn't McDonald's Corporation that is having to give up a day's takings for the sake of healthcare, it is the franchisee, and if the franchisee can't afford to pay $10000 extra a year, he will have to either raise prices and lose business, or fire some workers in order to lower his overheads.

Not that I'm saying that's not price worth paying for affordable healthcare, but whoever you got these facts from probably doesn't understand how the franchise system works.

[Dark Sage]

Here's another interesting story.

The owner of Papa Johns pizza says that in order to afford the plan, he's going to have raise the prices of his pizzas by 20 cents per pizza.

My first impulse would be to say, big deal. Papa Johns is still much cheaper than Dominos. (And frankly, warming up a Tombstone or DiGiorno in the oven is even cheaper.) But if I was his financial advisor, I could tell him a better way to save 20 cents per pizza, seeing as I order from Papa Johns from time to time.

See, every time I order one of their pizzas, two jalapeno peppers are included with it. I'm sure very few customers actually eats these peppers - they're just there as garnish.

Simply leaving them out and only using jalapenos for people who want them ON the pizza would probably save a whole lot more than 20 cents per pizza, wouldn't you agree?

[Heald]

I'm pretty sure jalapeño peppers are a lot cheaper than 10 cents each wholesale. Although to be honest 20 cents really isn't that noticeable an increase anyway.

[Asilynne]

This doesn't even matter but having worked at Papa Johns I have to say it.

They aren't jalapeno peppers!!! They're called Peperocini's! its a completely different pepper with a different flavor entirely! lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peperoncini

Also they are amazing, I love eating them

[Dark Sage]

This doesn't even matter but having worked at Papa Johns I have to say it.

They aren't jalapeno peppers!!! They're called Peperocini's! its a completely different pepper with a different flavor entirely! lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peperoncini

Also they are amazing, I love eating them

Sorry, they I'm not exactly an expert on peppers.

I kinda figured they weren't "true" jalapenos, but I really didn't know what else to call them.

[Asilynne]

Sorry, they I'm not exactly an expert on peppers.

I kinda figured they weren't "true" jalapenos, but I really didn't know what else to call them.

Its ok, I only know because I donated a year of my life to them as a teenager, and omg I hated working there so much LOL

[Jeff]

*checks jalapeno thread to see if there's a discussion on the election going on there*

[Roy Karrde]

In the meantime Obama's own Super PAC has released a ad that rivals the disgusting ads I saw here during the Republican Senate Primary by David Dewhurst, claiming that Romney is responsible for the death of a woman laid off from a company.

The ad turned out to be so disgusting and false, not only did CNN rip into it...



But even MSNBC attacked Robert Gibbs on it.



There is a danger here for Obama, like in the Dewhurst vs Cruz campaign, running negative and false ads that are utterly despicable can turn voters against your campaign, and drive voters to the other side.

[Dark Sage]

Roy, I neither condone this ad nor approve it.

But Obama has no control of what his Super PACs do, just as you say that Romney has no control over what GOP Super PACs do. They are seperate entities, as Republicans so fondly say.

As I've said before, I oppose ALL Super PACs.

Edit: In fact, the CNN story calls the company "a Super PAC supporting President Obama's re-election campaign", it does NOT call it "President Obama's Super PAC". This company does not work for Mr. Obama at all.

[Roy Karrde]

Roy, I neither condone this ad nor approve it.

But Obama has no control of what his Super PACs do, just as you say that Romney has no control over what GOP Super PACs do. They are seperate entities, as Republicans so fondly say.

As I've said before, I oppose ALL Super PACs.

Edit: In fact, the CNN story calls the company "a Super PAC supporting President Obama's re-election campaign", it does NOT call it "President Obama's Super PAC". This company does not work for Mr. Obama at all.

Yet it is a Obama endorsed Super Pac
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72531.html

He has also allowed White House Aids to work with the Super PAC to raise money, so to say that he has absolutely no control over it is patently false.

[Dark Sage]

Fine, Roy...

And Romney is working with a Super PAC run by a guy who compares homosexuality to bestiality.

What's your point?

Edit: I take it back... That was a PAC that was supporting Santorum. I have no idea if they're supporting Romney or not.

But I still don't like PACs as a whole.

Btw, do you realize that the link you posted is nearly six months old?

[Roy Karrde]

Btw, do you realize that the link you posted is nearly six months old?

Amazingly enough Obama began his support for Priorities USA six months ago! And despite their terrible ads, has not renounced that support yet. So much for post partisan right?

[Dark Sage]

When the GOP renounces Super PACs, then I'll agree that the President should.

After all, the GOP started it.

[Roy Karrde]

When the GOP renounces Super PACs, then I'll agree that the President should.

After all, the GOP started it.

So that is your stance for Obama's Post Partisanship "The other guy's started it"? How childish.

By the way some questions have been raised about the Obama Campaign possible illegal work with Priorities USA. For example the man featured in the clip had been featured in two Obama Ads, AND had told the Obama Campaign his wife's story. Isn't it amazing that a apparent Super PAC that has strong White House ties, just stumbled across this guy and his story, out of ALL the workers in this factory, they just stumble across the guy Obama had used for two ads and had told the wife story to on a conference call.

[Dark Sage]

Roy, it's clear to me that the guy in the ad clearly blames Romney for the loss of his wife's insurance.

He's wrong, yes, but Mr. Obama has never stated that he believes this guy.

I'll repeat what I said. I do not condone or approve this or anything that ANY Super PAC does, and think that ALL of them should be abolished.

Not partially abolished. It's all or nothing.

And I will not partake in this argument any more. I have a job interview tomorrow, and I'm wound tight enough as it is. I finally have a chance to leave my crummy job and get a better one.

[Roy Karrde]

Roy, it's clear to me that the guy in the ad clearly blames Romney for the loss of his wife's insurance.

He's wrong, yes, but Mr. Obama has never stated that he believes this guy.

No he just used him in two commercials, and then when the story is told to a high ranking member of Obama's Campaign Staff, it appeared as a Super PAC ad...

I'll repeat what I said. I do not condone or approve this or anything that ANY Super PAC does, and think that ALL of them should be abolished.

Not partially abolished. It's all or nothing.

And I will not partake in this argument any more. I have a job interview tomorrow, and I'm wound tight enough as it is. I finally have a chance to leave my crummy job and get a better one.

Oh I agree, instead companies, people, and unions should be allowed to donate directly to the campaign as much as they want, with bundlers and such, campaign finance laws have become a joke.

[Dark Sage]

Maybe I will say one more thing before I go.

I want you to look at the below-the-belt joke that GOP chair Jim Roddey made at a speech today:

http://earlyreturns.sites.post-gazet...ter-qretardedq

He'd have been making that speech with a black eye and a fat lip if I had been that driver...

[Roy Karrde]

I think we are in complete agreement, any politician that jokes about the mentally handicapped deserves to get punched in the face.

[Dark Sage]

As a person with Asperger's who was in psychiatric treatment for most of his teenage years, Roddey strikes me as the lowest form of scum.

Btw, Mr. Obama isn't the first one to make a joke about the Special Olympics. Ever see the fourth-season episode of The Simpsons called "Krusty Gets Kancelled"?

No-one made a big deal about that, for some reason.


Edit: Oh, Roy? Right now, Obama is ahead of Romney in every national poll.

Even THIS one: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...support-slips/

When a Democrat has a 9 point lead over a Republican in a Fox News poll, you gotta admit that the Republican in question isn't doing too well.



I'm back with another edit:

Today's Secret GOP Talking Points:

1. "These polls are liberal media spin."
2. "Obama is the worst president ever!"
3. "You're all liberal sheep."
4. "Liberals being negative and hypocritical!"
5. "Polls mean nothing."
6. "College transcripts!"

Tomorrow's talking points will be the same. Please proceed...

[Roy Karrde]

Edit: Oh, Roy? Right now, Obama is ahead of Romney in every national poll.

Even THIS one: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...support-slips/

When a Democrat has a 9 point lead over a Republican in a Fox News poll, you gotta admit that the Republican in question isn't doing too well.

They also had a Democrat +9 Sample in the poll, are you honestly telling me that Democrats are going to come out even more than Republicans than in 2008 when their enthusiasm right now is down in the gutter? Yeah didn't think so.

[ChobiChibi]

Btw, Mr. Obama isn't the first one to make a joke about the Special Olympics. Ever see the fourth-season episode of The Simpsons called "Krusty Gets Kancelled"?

It's called the Paralympics, dickhead. "Special" Olympics is such a condescending phrase, most of the athletes have lost limbs, their impairments are physical, not mental. And even if they do have mental disabilities, that's not an appropriate way of talking about them.

There's someone on our Paralympic basket ball (a sport that involved wheelchairs and a ball, might have been rugby?) that lost his legs in Afganistan. How dare you insult someone who fought for his country by calling it the "special" Olympics.

[Dark Sage]

They also had a Democrat +9 Sample in the poll, are you honestly telling me that Democrats are going to come out even more than Republicans than in 2008 when their enthusiasm right now is down in the gutter? Yeah didn't think so.

I almost fell off my chair laughing...

You're suggesting that Faux Noise purposely skewed the poll in favor of the Democrats?

Good lord, Roy, that's like Lex Luthor going on public televison and saying what a great guy Superman is. You Republicans are getting desperate.

[Roy Karrde]

I almost fell off my chair laughing...

You're suggesting that Faux Noise purposely skewed the poll in favor of the Democrats?

Good lord, Roy, that's like Lex Luthor going on public televison and saying what a great guy Superman is. You Republicans are getting desperate.

If you actually take a minute and get your head out of your ass you would realize Fox News does not do their own polls, they outsource it to different companies.

[Dark Sage]

Roy, look...

With Romney making a fool out of himself more with each passing day, and more and more people recognizing him for the lying fraud he his, he'd better pray for low voter turnout among Democrats, because that is his only hope at this point.

I'm seeing the same cases of GOP voters in denial that I did in 2008. If I were one of the bigwigs in the Republican party right now, I would think about starting a suicide prevention hotline to start service after Election Day.

[Roy Karrde]

Roy, look...

With Romney making a fool out of himself more with each passing day, and more and more people recognizing him for the lying fraud he his, he'd better pray for low voter turnout among Democrats, because that is his only hope at this point.

I'm seeing the same cases of GOP voters in denial that I did in 2008. If I were one of the bigwigs in the Republican party right now, I would think about starting a suicide prevention hotline to start service after Election Day.

I would suggest looking at the negative press that Obama has suffered, first Reid, then the Super Pac problem, this past week has been a terrible one for Obama. And lets not forget that Obama has pretty much blown his wad when it comes to Romney negative attack ads, and Romney still has a VP pick, debates, and a convention coming up!

[Dark Sage]

Yeah, what about Romney's VP pick?

Two Mondays ago, there was word that he "might make the announcement by the end of the week". The end of that week and the week after have come and gone, and now he avoids the question whenever he's asked.

So what is he waiting for? Is it Tim Pawlenty? Rob Portman? Marco Rubio?

I think that Romney is delaying the announcement and avoiding the question because he's asked all the A-list Republicans on his list, and they've all said "no".

[Roy Karrde]

Yeah, what about Romney's VP pick?

Two Mondays ago, there was word that he "might make the announcement by the end of the week". The end of that week and the week after have come and gone, and now he avoids the question whenever he's asked.

So what is he waiting for? Is it Tim Pawlenty? Rob Portman? Marco Rubio?

I think that Romney is delaying the announcement and avoiding the question because he's asked all the A-list Republicans on his list, and they've all said "no".

Or a more realistic reason is that they are stringing it out to get more media coverage over it, and to control the news?

By the way now Obama is saying Romney paid nothing in taxes, I assume you believe he is a liar as well?

And to top off a terrible week for Obama, look what is going out in swing states!

[Dark Sage]

Yeah, I know all about the negative ads. The ones supporting Obama are one of the reasons why Obama is ahead in the polls.

And btw, the VP pick never causes a candidate to win the election.

It might be a major factor as to why a candidate loses an election, sure, but it won't help him win.

Fromer NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani says that Romney should go with Rubio. Lol. If Romney actually values the opinion of someone who ran one of the worst Presidental campaigns in the modern history of the GOP, he deserves to lose.

Edit: And if Romney does choose Rubio, I doubt it will help him gain Latino votes like Giuliani says it will. I tend to think that more Latinos will take it as an insult.

[Roy Karrde]

Yeah, I know all about the negative ads. The ones supporting Obama are one of the reasons why Obama is ahead in the polls.

By that logic then since Obama is pretty much still at parity with Obama in Gallup and Rasmussen daily polls, does that mean when Romney can finally unleash in his ads this September and October that Obama will go down?

And btw, the VP pick never causes a candidate to win the election.

It might be a major factor as to why a candidate loses an election, sure, but it won't help him win.

Fromer NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani says that Romney should go with Rubio. Lol. If Romney actually values the opinion of someone who ran one of the worst Presidental campaigns in the modern history of the GOP, he deserves to lose.

Edit: And if Romney does choose Rubio, I doubt it will help him gain Latino votes like Giuliani says it will. I tend to think that more Latinos will take it as an insult.

No doubt they won't help some one win or lose, but it does allow a Campaign to rebrand itself and bring enthusiasm to it.

As for Rubio, I know this may surprise Democrats, but race isn't everything. Rubio is a rising star in the Republican party much like how Obama was in 2004, he is charismatic, likeable and a extremely strong politician.

[Dark Sage]

By that logic then since Obama is pretty much still at parity with Obama in Gallup and Rasmussen daily polls, does that mean when Romney can finally unleash in his ads this September and October that Obama will go down?

He can try.

I don't think he'll succeed.

See, Roy, you may not think it's necessary for Romney to release his tax returns, but his refusal to do so is one of the biggest reasons people don't like him.

Here, I'll show you the full results of the CNN/ORC Poll. Read the findings, and they'll tell you not only that Obama is ahead, but WHY he's ahead.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...d-over-romney/

[Roy Karrde]

He can try.

I don't think he'll succeed.

See, Roy, you may not think it's necessary for Romney to release his tax returns, but his refusal to do so is one of the biggest reasons people don't like him.

And Obama expects to use that for the next three months? That is going to be Obama's big point against Romney? Tax Returns?

Here, I'll show you the full results of the CNN/ORC Poll. Read the findings, and they'll tell you not only that Obama is ahead, but WHY he's ahead.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...d-over-romney/

And may I ask, what is the partisan break down of that poll? OH! That is right they didn't release it.

[Dark Sage]

It never fails.

Every, I say every time a poll comes out that shows a candidate ahead, someone supporting the guy who is behind accuses it of being skewed.

Never fails.

[Roy Karrde]

It never fails.

Every, I say every time a poll comes out that shows a candidate ahead, someone supporting the guy who is behind accuses it of being skewed.

Never fails.

Just asking, because that key part plays into if the poll reflects anything close to election day. I mean do you honestly expect a D+9 advantage? Or even a D+5? Right now with how down Democrats are, there is a good chance we could see a R +1 or even R +5

[Dark Sage]

Roy, I've provided two seperate polls, both of which show Obama ahead. In fact, the one that Fox News (a place known for being conservative) reported shows him ahead by more than the other one. These two polls were taken independently of each other, and you've accused both of being skewed.

You say that Democrats are depressed and unenthusiastic, but frankly, that is not what I'm hearing, personally. I think that you are in denial, like many GOP voters are.

Can you provide a national poll that shows Romney ahead by the same amount? I'd be willing to look at it.

[Roy Karrde]

Roy, I've provided two seperate polls, both of which show Obama ahead. In fact, the one that Fox News (a place known for being conservative) reported shows him ahead by more than the other one. These two polls were taken independently of each other, and you've accused both of being skewed.

As I said before, I will say it again, you need to realize that Fox News outsources their poll, as such the place being Conservative or Liberal has no baring. Second I am not saying the second poll is skewed I am saying they do not have a partisan break down.

You say that Democrats are depressed and unenthusiastic, but frankly, that is not what I'm hearing, personally. I think that you are in denial, like many GOP voters are.

Really? You have talked to EVERY Democrat in the country? Have you polled Democrats across the country? Didn't think so. Sorry but "What I heard" does not justify you as a polling organization.

Can you provide a national poll that shows Romney ahead by the same amount? I'd be willing to look at it.

I wouldn't be stupid enough to post it before looking through the internals.

[Dark Sage]

Really? You have talked to EVERY Democrat in the country? Have you polled Democrats across the country? Didn't think so. Sorry but "What I heard" does not justify you as a polling organization.

Not every one, but I hear support for Obama on news message boards and chat rooms all the time. The common thread among what they say is that Romney is a liar and a fraud, and that him being President would be much like the Bush Administration.

Whenever a Republican shows up in these places, his attacks on Obama get about a dozen counter-responses, and woe to those who show up wanting him to release his college records.

What's your source, may I ask?

[Roy Karrde]

Not every one, but I hear support for Obama on news message boards and chat rooms all the time. The common thread among what they say is that Romney is a liar and a fraud, and that him being President would be much like the Bush Administration.

Whenever a Republican shows up in these places, his attacks on Obama get about a dozen counter-responses, and woe to those who show up wanting him to release his college records.

What's your source, may I ask?

So your response is partisan message board users... Yeah...

My source? That would be Gallup

http://www.gallup.com/poll/156194/de...2004-2008.aspx

But hey it is only a widely respected nation polling organization, how can that compete with Message Board Posters!

[Dark Sage]

So you think poll trumps the ones I've provided because, if true, it's good news for Romney. You're basically saying that this poll is better than those polls.

Good one, Roy.

In other news, Gingrich, Cain, Bachmann, and Perry will NOT be speaking at the Convention, as they were not invited to.

Showing that whoever is running it has common sense that is unusual for the GOP. Whether this person will retain this common sense and keep Trump and Palin out of it, remains to be seen.