Day: May 23, 2012

Wrong As Usual, Mitt – Federal Spending Growth Is Radically Slower under Obama Than under Reagan, the Bushes or Clinton

Jon Ponder

chart-obama-radically-less-spending

Last week in Iowa, Mitt Romney criticized Pres. Obama for his purported runaway spending. “A prairie fire of debt is sweeping across Iowa and our nation,” Romney said, “and every day we fail to act we feed that fire with our own lack of resolve. This is not a Democratic or Republican problem. That fire could care less if you have a donkey or an elephant in your front lawn, it’s still coming for your house.”

But Romney’s basic assertion — that Obama administration economic policies have caused spending to grow faster than the policies of the last few presidents — is patently false:

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Locking People Up for Marijuana is ‘Insane’

Buck Banks

Do we believe, even for a second, that if Obama had been busted for marijuana — under the laws that he condones — would his life have been better? If Obama had been caught with the marijuana that he says he uses, and ‘maybe a little blow’… if he had been busted under his laws, he would have done hard fucking time. And if he had done time in prison, time in federal prison, time for his ‘weed’ and ‘a little blow,’ he would not be President of the United States of America. He would not have gone to his fancy-ass college, he would not have sold books that sold millions and millions of copies and made millions and millions of dollars, he would not have a beautiful, smart wife, he would not have a great job. He would have been in fucking prison, and it’s not a goddamn joke. People who smoke marijuana must be set free. It is insane to lock people up.

— Magician/comedian Penn Jillette, making the case for drug legalization.

Rattner ‘Clarifies’ His Position on Romney

Buck Banks

On Monday, Mr. Obama struck the right balance, emphasizing that he wasn’t attacking private equity but was questioning Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital credentials to be the job creator in chief. That’s fair, particularly because Mr. Romney himself has been foolishly reweaving history to claim, as recently as last week, that he helped create 100,000 jobs during his time at Bain. In fact, Bain Capital — like other private equity firms — was founded and managed for profit: ideally, huge amounts of gain earned legally and legitimately. Any job creation was a welcome but secondary byproduct … Adding jobs was never Mitt Romney’s private sector agenda, and it’s appropriate to question his ability to do so.

— Steven Rattner, the former Obama administration official who criticized the president’s attacks on Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital, clarifying his position in the New York Times, with attitude.

Buck Banks

41%

Of Americans who identify themselves as “pro-choice,” down from 47% last July and is one point below the previous record low, according to Gallup. Fifty percent now call themselves “pro-life.” But a majority still says abortion should be legal.