US barrels toward a fiscal cliff

MSN Money ^ | 4/18/2012 | Anthony Mirhaydari

[Vintage Freeper]

For all the well-paid analysts and sophisticated computer systems that dominate trading, Wall Street still can't seem to focus on more than one thing at a time.For now, the focus has returned to the European debt crisis, as the issues that cut down Greece, Portugal and Ireland have hit Spain hard.

But very soon, as Election Day approaches, the attention will turn back to U.S. debt and deficit issues, which, as in Spain, are caused by too much debt and a government trying to avoid its budget-cutting duties. Remember last summer's debt-ceiling debacle and the market meltdown caused partly by the loss of the Treasury's AAA credit rating? Get ready for the sequel. (Snip)

Economic research suggests both higher debt and deep short-term austerity limit economic growth. So we can pick our poison. (Snip)

A decision on all of these issues -- the deficit, the debt ceiling, tax cuts and unemployment benefits -- will need to be made in the context of a fierce, polarized presidential election, the lame-duck congressional session that will follow and an even-more-divided government in 2013. Prediction markets suggest President Barack Obama will win re-election and Republicans will hold the House and retake the Senate. (Snip)

[af_vet_rr]

But if Koch vouches for him, Palin vouches for him, and Newt plus the others vouch for him, the smart thing to do is believe and vote with the hope and expectation that Romney would live up to expectations because there are no other alternatives today that would even remotely offer any chance at all for turning the country around.

George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, George W. Bush, and John McCain all had respected people supporting them, and what did we get? Either losses to Democrats, or bigger, more powerful, more expensive, and more intrusive government.

Bush, Dole, Bush, McCain have done this country very little good, so it's time to stop listening to who others tell us to vote for, and it's time to start voting as Conservatives.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “FreeRepublic has one. Perhaps you should examine it so you can stop wasting your time looking elsewhere and start working to advance the one we have.” <<

.
You speak in smoke, mirrors, doubletalk, and fantasy.

You’re lost, hopelessly. You need to understand God’s Revelation to us. Spend more time in his word; its all there.

[The Duke]

Being a self-described "rabid conservative" I don't at all like Romney's position on the political spectrum. However, I do believe there is a finite chance than he'll listen to the "folks who brung him to the dance".

On the other hand, I am totally certain that Obama will work as hard as he can to destroy this nation.

So, I'll pull the lever for Romney with the hopes that he will listen to our voices, and in the meantime I'll turn my attention to other races and the next election cycle.

Personally, even though he's a bit of a "hippy" for my taste, I'd like to see Sheriff Joe Arapio be elected President. Unfortunately his name's not on the card this time around.

[CharacterCounts]

I don't see that happening, although I wouldn't put it past the Romney campaign to reach out to her as a VP choice.

IMO Romney has no intention of picking a V.P. candidate that is even questionably right of center.

This is the election the GOP establishment has chosen to do away with the conservative thorn in their sides forever.

[upchuck]

What you are seeing is a way to change Mitt Romney from what he is into something much closer to Ronald Reagan.

Pardon me, but I think you're nuts!

Mitt Romney couldn't be Ronald Reagan in a million years.

The biggest fallacy in your "plan" is your assumption Myth wants to change. Doubt it.

[Windflier]

IMO Romney has no intention of picking a V.P. candidate that is even questionably right of center. This is the election the GOP establishment has chosen to do away with the conservative thorn in their sides forever.

You may very well be right. Who knows - maybe Romney will choose the most liberal Republican he can dredge up for his running mate. Someone even to the left of him (if that's even possible).

The plan might be to attract fence-sitting Democrats and moderates away from Obama, since they don't have a prayer of truly convincing the patriotic right.

It's a theory anyway.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Vintage Freeper.

[seekthetruth]

"It is going to be a very, very, very hard sell that I can believe anything Mitt says."

**************** That is understandable and everybody would have a right to be skeptical. But if Koch vouches for him, Palin vouches for him, and Newt plus the others vouch for him, the smart thing to do is believe and vote with the hope and expectation that Romney would live up to expectations because there are no other alternatives today that would even remotely offer any chance at all for turning the country around.

I agree with EVERYTHING you said above. And everyone who knows of me or knows me personally knows I do favor Newt to be our nominee. BUT if Mitt Romney does end up being the Republican nominee, I certainly will support him. And I will be the kind of boots on the ground volunteer who does EVERYTHING I can to see that the Republican nominee takes the state of Florida on November 6, 2012! Our goal MUST be to remove Obama from our White House!

[DefeatCorruption]

Our goal MUST be to remove Obama from our White House!

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ABSOLUTELY AGREE- REMOVE OBAMA FROM THE WHITE HOUSE....otherwise we’ll have no future whatsoever...all those valuable votes from freepers, (which essentially is a vote to get rid of Obama) are burying their heads in the sand by refusing to vote...keep your eyes on the big picture...remove Obama..you only have ONE choice...don’t be so blind that you can’t see. Fight your other battles later..with Obama gone at least you’ll have a chance.

[liberalh8ter]

Agreed! I wish it were Newt but I believe it will be Mitt. We MUST defeat Obama; even if it's with Mitt.

[MinuteGal]

Totally agree. The magnitude of the task of saving our country from absolute destruction trumps any ideas of voting third party or not voting at all.

We must unite around "Anybody But Obama".

Romney is and has not been my favorite cup of tea, but as Miss Manners delicately puts it...."unpleasant breath is better than no breath at all."

Leni

[stevestras]

“Recruit Romney” LMAO.

Honestly, that is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen posted here. Romney has enough alliances already, that’s half his problem. Add the FR conservatives to the list of special interests he has to please. I’m sure you’ll love the compromises he proposes.

Your misguided attempts to make the best of a bad situation will fail to solve the problem. The truth is so obvious it slaps most of us across the face. We need an outsider to radically transform government and politics. Our elites have dug in so deep that it may be impossible. If you somehow think Romney will give anything more than pacifying lip service to fixing our country, you’ve been brainwashed. They have the power and they will do anything to keep it.

[editor-surveyor]

Amen!

Here is the story on Romney, Obama, and Co. (a long one but factual to the hilt):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47-j3jgk_xs

[TBP]

Romney is a “progressive” and he’s not a man with a real philosophical core. The most he might do is slow things down a bit.

After the way he set out to destroy Santorum, Gingrich, and the others, and given his record as governor, I don’t see why anyone would trust him to do anything to stop the decline.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Liz]

WRT the 2012 race ..... the deficit, the debt ceiling, tax cuts and unemployment benefits -- will have to be addressed in the context of a fierce, polarized presidential election, the lame-duck congressional session that will follow and an even-more-divided government in 2013. Predictions suggest Obama will win re-election, Republicans will hold the House, and retake the Senate.

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Ohaha had two major pieces of legislation which were supposed to fuel his reelection: (1) the trillions dollar stimulus which bombed, and, (2) the healthcare mandate which could soon be kaputski or partially disemboweled by the USSC.

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The 2012 Ohaha team are gonna use the 2008 Anita (Mao) Dunn strategy to manipulate voters, to downplay Ohaha's destructive policies ....and his scary plans for the next term. Dunn has said THEY and only THEY decided what the media should know about 2008 candidate Ohaha. The strategy is already in place---watch the Ohahas copping that "don't worry--we're harmless" attitude.

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Obama's open mic slip in Russia revealed his hidden agenda. He didnt say "after the election, or “after the next election.” He said: “This is my last election" ....... reassuring the Ruskis that he'll then have "more flexibility after the election....”

Clearly Ohaha's certainty WRT staying in offce is not based on his approval ratings or massive opposition to his cockamamie polices----mandated healthcare, trillion dollar stimulus, using aborted babies' brains in lab experiments, giving himself massive executive power over Americans, co-opting religious beliefs, $4-Plus gas, 16% real unemployment, trillion dollardeficits, escalating inflation at the supermarket, the GSA spending scandal......to name a few.

No. Ohaha's certainty stems from his knowledge that he will stay in office---not by the will of the people---but by buying his reelection, using unprecedented vote fraud.

FIRST AND FOREMOST----WE MUST ATTACK THE MASSIVE
VOTER FRAUD OHAHA INTENDS TO USE TO GET REELECTED.

Remember, voter fraud is the Chi/mobs' specialty---do NOT underestimate Rahm and Axelrod (both running O's reelection), and Valerie whatsherface in the WH.

Let us not forget----the minute they hit the WH, the Chi/mob went into action: the WH Chi/mob took over the census---and now have all the CV they need to file phony FEC reports using stolen federal dollars as campaign contributions.

THIS MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD Obama's ex-COS "Wall Street Rahm" "suddenly" discovered he wanted to be Chicago's mayor---the little turd went before the mics and announced his campaign "raised $10 million in just a few weeks." Rahm also controlled the US Treasury as COS. This turd-o-crat knows where all the stolen Federal money is hidden....Wall Street knows how to make money disappear faster than a cream puff at a Weight Watcher weigh-in.

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Do not underestimate the cash the Ohahas/Chi-mob can come up with to fix the election......remember, these are the kingpins of Chicago politics. At one time, conscientious FEC investigators verified money was coming from legal citizens....but if Obama wins there will be no investigations. Remember, there are billions unaccounted for in Obama's stimulus packages (probably used in the last election cycle).....you can be sure the Ohaha kingpins have tons of money stashed away for 2012.

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POINTS TO PONDER

<><> author Dean Koontz estimates there's about $90 billion missing from the US Treasury.

<><> Ohaha's ex-COS Chi/Mayor Rahm Emanuel is running the reelection campaign----b/c this Wall Street turd knows where all the money is hidden. Rahm also controlled all US Treasury assets (at Obama's behest) when he was COS.

<><>The Ohahas took control of the census upon taking office----they have all the necessary CV to phony up contribution reports for the FEC.

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WATCH FOR PHONY FEC REPORTS The Ohaha's "say" they added $45 million to reelection coffers in February.....raised jointly by the DNC, "Obama for America" and two other joint fundraising committees — the "Obama Victory Fund" and the "Swing State Victory Fund,"...and whatever other voter frauds they dream up.

[Vintage Freeper]

"We need an outsider to radically transform government and politics."

PRECISELY!

Communication, the exchange of ideas and concepts, is extremely difficult. Allow me to begin with an apology for my own skills which rank among the poorest of the poor. Please set aside your pre-conceived ideas and misconceptions about what you think I have implied or recommended. Your arguments against them are spurious and flawed. Please allow me to show you why.

You can recognize some of the frustration and lament in one the Great Communicator's most famous quotes, "We have come to a time for choosing; we will preserve for our children this the last best hope for man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.....history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening."

If you will give me the benefit of the doubt and we are successful in getting you to examine the ideas that our group has been putting forward, it should be easy for you to understand why we would ask if Ronald Reagan was speaking directly to you and to Jim Robinson with the last part of the quote, "those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening." about the 2012 election?

[servantboy777]

Folks forget that Bush shoved the first bailout down our throats right before leaving office....oh, lets say to the tune of 800 billion.

Almost as if it were planned well in advance. No thanx, Bush did us no favors.

[rodguy911]

Excellent analysis,mine as well.

For me its not so much supporting Romney who was never my choice but its getting rid of A/Obama and the regime.The country simply can't stand another four years of Presidential teleprompter decrees installing govt. control of everything.