2012 Elections in the USA

[Miami Bob]

Mitt is laundering money? Every mormon is X; therefore Mitt is X. The article you linked says nothing about mormons nor Mitt. It is an article about hiding money off shore.

I started this thread because I am assuming that the upcoming USA elections will involve Mitt vs Obama and Mitt was starting to flex his financial muscle. It saddens me to think that any of the other folks running might actually become the leader of the USA, I don't want to turn this into the other political thread-which I haven't looked at in years.

Are you telling me that I am stupid or lack any brains or common sense because I will not prejudge mitt because of his religion? The new york times has been doing a series of in depth looks and the republican candidates pasts. The people who were in mitt's be school study group say the same things about him that his co-workers at bain said and the mass political people all said: he is a brilliant hard working guy who has no real ideology except problem solving based upon data and the facts If finding that description by a variety of different people at different points in his life is offense to you, so it will be.

I subscribe to a number of public policy publications and the policy wonks from both the left and right find him to be a very impressive intellect who is pragmatic and gets the job done. I voted for Obama before and may do so again, but mitt has been an impressive guy. I am concerned that he has made so many compromises and promises that they may interfere with him doing the job of the presidency in the same manner that he has performed in the past-which is a shame. The man who repaired the Olympics, built bain capital and ran Massachusetts would likely be a great president. The mitt of days past was never a doctrine anything, but a brilliant problem solver and this country has lots of big problems that need practical solutions.

The mitt at the "debates" was not the mitt who accomplished so many things in his past. Newt is probably right-he was re-building himself to fit into the polling data as much as he could. Almost too much so. I would not vote before I would vote for newt.

Well mr exxon123 explain yourself or go back to filling yourself with hate for any one mormon. I'm not a mormon. I am disappointed with you mr 123-I expected better.

I agree with david33, the religion is not all that spiritually appealing to me. I also see what can be done to the new testament by political operators and also scratch my head. In 1960 it was said that JFK would be controlled by the pope.

[David_33]

Big difference between a religion (Catholic, Jewish) and a cult (Mormon) which among other gems, believes that Jesus came to the USA in a boat. Read "Under the Banners of Heaven". If Romney gets in, he will follow his religion's dictates of only dealing with other Mormons when at all possible. The entire situation in the USA is depressing.

[Member #4112]

First it was the Jews now it's the Mormans. Exxon while I think you are a great guy on this you are just playing the race / religon card. Are we now to see those wonderful posters from the 30's and 40's only changing the the name from Jew to Morman? Come on guys go back to the early 60's, they were doing the same thing to Kennedy because he was Catholic. Religon has nothing to do with it, all politicians are evil, it's just choosing the lesser one.

[Miami Bob]

Are you implying that some Mormons along with many others have used swiss bankers to avoid taxes. What does this have to do with anything?

Well, I guess it is always good to keep posting on a site that caters to internal travelers and ex-patriots to report all your assets and income or you could be in for some big problems. Follow the rules or pay the piper.

[Miami Bob]

This could be McCain all over again: a good guy with a good history sells out to the radical right and christian right. Bachman would make a great stand-in or Palin or how about Santorum. The reasons that Newt insults Mitt are the very reasons I would vote for him: data and factually driven decision and policy making rather than idelogical belief.

[Punter 127]

A Mormon or a disciple of Rev Jeremiah Wright what a choice.

[WorldTravel69]

Here something interesting.

[David_33]

Well Nibu has always been a big Ron Paul supporter.

[Miami Bob]

Do they give double green stamps when you purchase an election?

Ask mr exxon123 about mormon $$ and power. The are not comments about the actually religious believes of the church of the later day saints, but the political arm of the cultural group. Mitt's religuos beliefs have nothing to do with these comments. I have zero problem votong for a person of the mormon faith

[Canitasguy]

Does Mitt have the integrity to possibly bite the hand that feeds him or funds his pac slush funds? Time will tell. I hope that he hasn't sold his soul for power.

The election cycle has hardly begun and to-date here are the numbers on Mitt's largest campaign contributions:

Goldman Sachs: $367, 200.

Credit Suisse Group: $203, 750.

Morgan Stanley: $199, 800.

HIG Capital: $186, 500.

Barclays: $157, 750.

Nuf said!

[David_33]

The Mormons have a lot of money..........

[Canitasguy]

Mitt has been a first rate problem solver with a first rate mind-who has been driven by data, not political ideology.

Romney may have started as a businessman, but today he is a politician pure and simple. The critical problem he wants to solve is how to get into the White House. As a Massachusetts native and Romney watcher for two decades, I believe it is fair to say, his empty rhetoric notwithstanding, there is little evidence he has a real vision for the country. He didn't for Massachusetts and as a result was a very mediocre chief executive.

In 1994, in his first campaign, he ran as a liberal Republican against Ted Kennedy and got creamed. He ran successfully for governor in Massachusetts as a moderate Republican, as he had to to win. In 2008, as a candidate for President, he ran again as a moderate against the establishment's favorite, John McCain, and got creamed. Now running for Pres, he has morphed into a born-again right wing ideologue; ignoring, denying or distorting every liberal and moderate position he ever took.

The great antipathy to him from his fellow Republican leaders, the citizens of Massachusetts and three quarters of Republican voters stems from the sense that he has no core beyond a lust for office. The establishment Republicans' recent warming up to him is all about panic that Obama is a slam dunk winner, should any of the other midgets in the race capture the Rs nomination.

What has driven Romney's ambitions, since he first entered politics is a highly personal agenda which has to do with redeeming his father's reputation which was destroyed in the presidential election in 1968. George Romney was a former auto exec and popular governor of Michigan well positioned to beat Nixon in the Republican primaries. But, after he publicly admitted US generals in Vietnam had "brainwashed" him into erroneously thinking that the war was being won, his candidacy and political ambitions imploded. Mitt revered his Dad and wants to redeem the Romney name.

We saw what "W" did in Iraq, as a result of his daddy complex.

The one constant for Romney, since he was first tapped to rescue the Denver Olympics, has been his place in the inner circles of the corporate oligarchs. He actually believes corporations are people. Of course, they are his kind of people. He is as likely to bite the hands of the big money interests, as John McCain would have cut defense spending or Obama will someday tap the ANWAR oil fields in Alaska.

If Romney wins, it will be back to the days of cowboy capitalism and if that floats your boat, better keep a life jacket handy.

[Miami Bob]

Well the impact of the recent interpretation of the "corporate right to free speech" is starting."Swift Boat Centeral" here we come. The fact that Mitt is using hedge fund $$ to indirectly issue personal attacks against the crazy old ass-hole doesn't reflect my personal feeling about Newt, Mitt nor Obama. This is merely a comment of the further erosion of a working republic and destruction of the concept of free elections. With virtually unlimited corp contributions to "super pac's" anyone with enough money can further any cause and actually effect the results of an election.

There are intelligent educated people in the USA who still believe that sudam was responsible for 911-karl rove is maybe the most effective propagandist since herman gerbels. I am not implying the karl rove is in any may in league with gerbel's beliefs-only that they were both masters of manipulation so that even sophisticated, intelligent people can be and are mislead.

In Argentina, elections are manipulated by increasing pensions and welfare by 100 pesos. In the USA, there maybe us$100 million dollar slush funds for independent "super political action committees or PACs" which will buy propaganda tv time and public relations assistance that might sell the impression the black in white and white is black.

The democracts will do the same thing that mitt is starting. Another level of sleaze corrupts the process:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/us...lines&emc=tha2

This boy might end-up voting for Mitt, but still wants to call him on contributing to the destruction of the election process. Maybe a pragmatist has no real choice, but to use the process and his wall street connections to his advantage. The real test of his courage will come when it is time to regulate.

Or control the hedge fund barons and wall street investment banks. Does Mitt have the integrity to possibly bite the hand that feeds him or funds his pac slush funds? Time will tell.

In the past, Mitt has been a first rate problem solver with a first rate mind-who has been driven by data, not political ideology. This type of person could put off the fall of the USA by a full generation or more or advert boom and gloom. I hope that he hasn't sold his soul for power. The devil knows how negotiate with the best.