David Axelrod: Mitt Romney’s ‘Bain Mentality’ Will Undermine His Appeal
EmailPresident Obama’s chief campaign strategist David Axelrod today on “This Week” honed his two-pronged attack on GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, insisting the former Bain Capital CEO’s record and shifting policy positions will undermine his general election appeal.
“Frankly I don’t think bringing a Bain mentality to this economy — to running this economy — makes him a strong candidate,” Axelrod told me. “I don’t think shifting and moving around on positions – fundamental positions – is one that people are going to embrace.”
“Trust is a big issue in the presidency,” he said. “I think there’s a big trust issue here.”
During the ABC News New Hampshire debate Saturday, Romney’s Republican rivals tried to level similar attacks, taking particular aim at Bain’s record on creating and eliminating jobs.
Newt Gingrich deried Romney’s support for the “Wall Street model where you can flip companies, you can go in and have leveraged buyouts, you can basically take out all the money, leaving behind the workers.” Rick Santorum insisted, “the commander-in-chief of this country isn’t a CEO.”
But Romney, who co-founded the private equity firm in 1984, seemed to fly above the fray, emerging from the debate largely unscathed.
“If last night was a NASCAR race, Mitt Romney had a couple of laps on everybody, and all he had to do was keep from hitting the wall. And I would say this, when his car came off the track last night, there were no dents in it,” former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told me.
The Obama campaign has for months signaled that it expects Romney will be the GOP nominee, and today Axelrod reiterated criticism of Romney’s record at Bain as Democrats’ major line of attack headed into the spring.
“They closed down more than a thousand plants, stores and offices. They outsourced tens of thousands of jobs. And they took 12 companies to bankruptcy and on those bankruptcies he and his partners made hundreds of millions of dollars,” Axelrod told me.
“He is not a job creator he is a corporate raider,” he added. “Those aren’t the values that we want to lead our economy.”
Romney, who has said President Obama is a “job killer,” insisted last night that he does not deserve credit for 22 consecutive months of private sector job growth or an improving unemployment rate.
Axelrod called the claims “preposterous.”
“He has a lot of arguments, but none of them are supported by fact,” he told me of Romney, emphasizing the declining state of the economy in January 2009 when Obama took office.
“When he [Romney] was running for president in 2007 and 2008 he had not one unkind word, one critique of the economic policies of the last administration that led up to and through the worst of this recession,” Axelrod said. “He thinks the policies that were in place then were the right policies, and he wants to go back to them.”
I also asked Axelrod about a new book by Jodi Kantor of the New York Times – “The Obamas” – that paints a portrait of a very tense White House and conflict between First Lady Michelle Obama and the president’s senior staff.
Axelrod, a former White House adviser, said it’s not accurate.
“You can pick any one incident and exaggerate,” he told me. “Every day is a very tense working environment and you can have great collegiality but that doesn’t mean that people don’t have exchanges and words. I think the First Lady and her staff worked very well when I was there with the West Wing. She’s a sensational person.”
As for whether the Mrs. Obama has been a reluctant partner to the president’s re-election campaign, which the book portrays, Axelrod said, “she’s been reluctant because her first priority is looking after her kids.”
Best Commencement Speeches of 2012 
Joe Biden Recalls Death of Wife, Daughter
AxleFraud is a communist and an expert at spewing propaganda. All this clown can do is to team up with a liberal mouthpiece like ABC News to confuse the public about how inept Obama really is.
This is pretty much the DNC’s play book for 2012.
Posted by: Tularockstar | January 8, 2012, 11:58 am 11:58 am
Mr. Axelrod should tread carefully. After all it is a fact that GM workers were laid off, wages for newly hired workers is relatively small, investors in GM lost their shirts while unions stuffed their pockets with cash and more importantly billions in tax payer funds will never be repaid.
Posted by: david | January 8, 2012, 11:59 am 11:59 am
Axelrod is SCARD TO DEATH of Romney. This will not be the last time he shows his ugliness.
Posted by: Mary Smith | January 8, 2012, 12:10 pm 12:10 pm
Obama is a job killer, blocking Boeing’s try to build an aircraft manufacturing plant in South Carolina and the oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.
Posted by: Jim Turner | January 8, 2012, 12:12 pm 12:12 pm
Romney is Mr. Wipple in the “Twilight Zone” episode of “The Brain Center at Wipples”.
Posted by: bob | January 8, 2012, 12:12 pm 12:12 pm
david –” unions stuffed their pockets with cash” — Care to back up this outrageous claim?
Posted by: dan | January 8, 2012, 12:15 pm 12:15 pm
An EXACT quote from president obama’s chief campaign strategist David Axelrod:
“Trust is a big issue in the presidency,” he said. “I think there’s a big trust issue here.”
Does this mean axelrod himself is now beginning to see the light? That there is a “big issue” in the presidency? That there are big “trust issues” he is dealing with?
:)
:)
Posted by: Anew Perspective | January 8, 2012, 12:16 pm 12:16 pm
Axlerod is the most despicable person in the Obama camp. When he speaks, I feel like dirt is spilling all over the place. He has no morals, no patriotism, no honesty, and NO decency!
He is an Obama puppet, whose sole purpose in life, is to keep Obama as dictator in chief.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | January 8, 2012, 12:20 pm 12:20 pm
david axlerod, politico, kingmaker, powerbroker, acorn lover. How is this person good for America?
Posted by: Spitting Into the Wind | January 8, 2012, 12:22 pm 12:22 pm
Think about it, in a presidential race between Romney and Obama the result will most likely be a 50%-50% split, or too close to call. And in reality, Obama would win by a huge majority against all the other Republican candidates, except Ron Paul.
If Ron Paul was the nominee he not only would get the entire Republican vote, but he would attract a huge number of Independent and Democrat voters, especially the younger voters and win by a landslide.
Posted by: blind spot | January 8, 2012, 12:26 pm 12:26 pm
Romney mentality – YES – that is what we need. After all – Obama and Biden had their “go to guy” on the economy – John Corizine – that is ecnluraging. Let’s see how much money is dontaed by Publiuc Sector Unions to Obama VS Romney – ever wonder why your local government is broke and beating on the non – public union workers?
Posted by: jamescbuilder | January 8, 2012, 12:31 pm 12:31 pm
By the way – if the Obama Care Health Plan is so good – then why has the administration granted waivers to unions – whihc includes over 580,000 members – wouldn’ they be the stellar example of
for the Obama Care Plan? Any union guys have any reasons?
Posted by: jamescbuilder | January 8, 2012, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
LOL…ahhh, the Obama haters are in force this morning! Nothing but the same ole blah, blah, blah and how the President is ruining the economy, how jobs aren’t being created, how he’s the most awful thing since Lenin departed this world, etc. I just laugh and smile at all the comments because not one of them backs anything up with facts. Facts are, the GDP is growing and has been for more than a year…so much for a “ruined” economy. Facts are jobs are being created and have been for more than a year…so much for “jobs aren’t being created”. Jeez, it’s just goes on and on and on with the GOTP. They are really desperate because people are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel that GOTP policies got us into in the first place. So, Mr. Axelrod, you go right on hitting on ole flip-flop Romney. Folks who aren’t blinded by partisanship know what the real score is…and it ain’t kind to the GOTP.
Posted by: RyanC | January 8, 2012, 1:03 pm 1:03 pm
no secret stephenopolus is pro obama and very biased. but romney made his fortune ending american jobs and sending them overseas. this is fact. he is nit the leader of this country at all
Posted by: eri | January 8, 2012, 1:23 pm 1:23 pm
George was an embarassment not only to ABC but for credability to journalism as whole after his pathetic line of questions last night. It is no wonder anyone with any intelligence does not watch ABC or any news station any longer.
Posted by: BEN | January 8, 2012, 1:36 pm 1:36 pm
ABC News…. you couldn’t come across any more pro-Obama if you tried. I’m going to hold my nose, if necessary, and vote for anyone else but him. He is a disaster.
Posted by: Kathy M. | January 8, 2012, 1:37 pm 1:37 pm
Who cares what that sleazeball Axelrod says!!
Posted by: John Girvan | January 8, 2012, 1:39 pm 1:39 pm
Google the timeline between the purchase of Clear Channel by Bain Capital, the $400,000,000 contract with Rush Limbaugh and the cutting of 1,800 jobs at Clear Channel. It’s interesting how the 400m for the Limbaugh contract matches Bain Capitals reported need to save 400m when they fired the Clear Channel workers six months later. This is the Bain Capital “Mentality” fostered under Mitt Romney, cut the many to put millions in the pockets of the few. This is how Mitt Romney grew his massive wealth and how he continues to gain wealth. This is EXACTLY the type of business conducted that has been destroying the middle class AND our economy. These are FACTS that can be easily researched. I tried to post links to articles showing the timeline but ABC wouldn’t have it.
Posted by: dan | January 8, 2012, 1:39 pm 1:39 pm
Does Axelrod think Obama’s dictator’s mentality and actions will be a negative for Obama? The abuse of power displayed by Obama is much more of a threat to our freedom than any Bain mentality.
Posted by: BEN | January 8, 2012, 1:42 pm 1:42 pm
Yeah, I can just see it now if Romney became President, more jobs overseas, more tax breaks for Wall Street and the Banks, and free for all interest rates and fees banks can charge you. This guy made thousands of people unemployed in the name of making money for himself and his partners. That is his mindset, money and screw the American worker. You think GWB was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet with this guy.
Posted by: jake | January 8, 2012, 1:42 pm 1:42 pm
Gotta love how the Limbaugh Lemmings hate truth.
Posted by: dan | January 8, 2012, 1:45 pm 1:45 pm
First we have to remember that George S was Bill Clinton’s advisor.
Skewed reporting?
Posted by: cloud | January 8, 2012, 1:45 pm 1:45 pm
What loses one’s appeal for a candidate is the constant yammering over whose religious views are Christian or not. Who cares? I do not vote for someone who votes according to the doctrines of his religious beliefs or denomination. I prefer non-delusional types for elected office.
Posted by: hereticzero | January 8, 2012, 1:46 pm 1:46 pm
Mormons are like the Borg, and they send missionaries all over the world to “assimilate” bain-minded people into their cult. The documentary film Banking On Heaven shines a bright light behind Zion’s Curtain in Mormon communities. Game over for Romney if his opponents latch on to polygamy
Posted by: Poetico | January 8, 2012, 2:08 pm 2:08 pm
Yeah, but we CAN trust Obama, right? What a joke. What’s the “Bain” mentality? Does it look anything like the Solyndra mentality? Axeljob should keep his pie hole shut. Nothing coming from him is believable. Exhibit A – Barack Obama.
Posted by: s | January 8, 2012, 2:09 pm 2:09 pm
“David Axelrod: Mitt Romney’s ‘Bain Mentality’ Will Undermine His Appeal”——That’s a hoot! I thought the same thing about Axelrod. But he may be on to something. Obama won on charm, even the Nobel Prize for what he MAY do in the FUTURE. Apparently, we elect the president now on charm.
Posted by: jonnie | January 8, 2012, 2:14 pm 2:14 pm
If Ron Paul was the nominee he not only would get the entire Republican vote, but he would attract a huge number of Independent and Democrat voters, especially the younger voters and win by a landslide.
Posted by: blind spot | January 8, 2012, 12:26 pm 12:26 pm
You are wrong.If Ron Paul becomes the nominee, Republicans will all vote for Obama!
Posted by: bob | January 8, 2012, 2:23 pm 2:23 pm
First, George makes himself look foolish with his persistent inane question during the debate about
contraception. Then, who does he invite on his Sunday morning program to discuss the debate?
Axelrod–who helped Obama developed his failed policies–so he can give Axelrod a platform to criticize Romney. I agree with the comments made that George does not demonstrate a professional journalist’s unbiased approach to reporting. Shame on you, George.
Posted by: Charlie | January 8, 2012, 2:23 pm 2:23 pm
Axelrod is one creepy guy.
Posted by: Peter W | January 8, 2012, 2:23 pm 2:23 pm
“The abuse of power displayed by Obama is much more of a threat to our freedom than any Bain mentality.”
What abuse of power? He hasn’t done anything that Republicans haven’t done before. They all throw their weight around and perhaps get away with too much, but Obama isn;t any worse than any other.
Posted by: jock59801 | January 8, 2012, 2:24 pm 2:24 pm
If Ron Paul was the nominee he not only would get the entire Republican vote, but he would attract a huge number of Independent and Democrat voters, especially the younger voters and win by a landslide.
Posted by: blind spot | January 8, 2012, 12:26 pm 12:26 pm
You are wrong.If Ron Paul becomes the nominee, Republicans will all vote for Obama!
Posted by: bob | January 8, 2012, 2:23 pm 2:23 pm
What’s the matter, doesn’t Ron Paul want war?
Posted by: blind spot | January 8, 2012, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm
BLIND SPOT, give it up. NOBODY thinks Ron Paul could beat Obama, not even Ron Paul.
Posted by: jock59801 | January 8, 2012, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
Axelrod thinks he is very clever with his words—-his “bane” mentality is obvious. Perhaps he should get out more among us “common” people instead of those egos in the WH. Is it true that Obama actually made the statement that he is the 4th most important president after Lincoln, LBJ, and FDR?
Posted by: jonnie | January 8, 2012, 2:35 pm 2:35 pm
If Paul were to actually win- he would take the oath at age 77. Making him 81 at the end of his term. I don’t care what his politics are- the job of presidency is far too vigorous for a man this age- AND before everyone blasts me for ageism- please spend some time with an ACTIVE 77-81 year old and you will see what I mean. Good grief remember Reagan- all the napping?!! We need someone hail and hearty to be at the helm of our nation.
Posted by: GetAGrip007 | January 8, 2012, 2:36 pm 2:36 pm
A rich daddy’s boy Gov and businessman GW Bush got us into this mess. I sure as Hades ain’t gonna vote for another GW clone like Romney, and I’m a Republican.
Posted by: JoeMidland | January 8, 2012, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm
ABC should be assumed of themselves for the conduct of Diane Sewer and especially George Steponallofus, DISGRACEFULL. They obviously can not conduct an unbiased and fair debate!
Posted by: GetaclueABC | January 8, 2012, 2:54 pm 2:54 pm
Romney spent 25 years making $300 million screwing over the middle class. He had no interest nor care for individuals or creating jobs. Repubs will be nominating the corporate wall street gimick raider to control our country
Posted by: S | January 8, 2012, 3:05 pm 3:05 pm
Does anyone really listen to anything this moron Axlerod has to say?
Posted by: dgh629 | January 8, 2012, 3:09 pm 3:09 pm
Mitt Fake = JP Morgan, KKR Style Corporate Raider and Corporate White Collar Hustler
Posted by: swing voter | January 8, 2012, 3:14 pm 3:14 pm
Dry throat, inability to concentrate are indicators that someone is lying and thinking hard about what to say – note he keeps looking at the floor. Axelrod is defaming a good person.
Stephanopolis – was rude and inconsiderate during the debate.
Posted by: George Stinks and is Short | January 8, 2012, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm
Axelrod has a point, Mitt created 100,000 jobs without the Government. To Obama its not right
to create jobs without government money. They believe govt is the only solution, after trillions
spent in stimulus, The Obama team argument is as bankrupt as their policies.
Posted by: RD44 | January 8, 2012, 3:30 pm 3:30 pm
Blind Spot – I am a die hard Republican but the easiest way in the world to lose this election is to have Ron Paul as our nominee! No Independent and certainly no Democrat would even CONSIDER voting for the man. I was born and raised in the same town as he was so I have know of him for years and I respect the man and much of what he stands for but he COULD NOT capture the majority of America’s votes. No way, no how!!
Posted by: Mary Smith | January 8, 2012, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm
Great, we voters get to pick between “Goldman Sachs Romney” or “Goldman Sachs Obama”!
Posted by: steve | January 8, 2012, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
The problem in the USA is that the South’s increased prosperity over the last half century was due to the existing prosperity in the North, but the South still is haunted by the “Boss Hogg” model where they think it’s the local boss who brought them prosperity, not the fact that their work brought Boss Hogg prosperity. They think Toyota paid non-union workers more than the average UAW worker earned in 2006 because of Toyota’s kind heart – not because of the standard set by the UAW. Consequently you have this serf-like mindset in the South that’s now undermining workers’ demands for decent pay. I hope Southern workers wake up.
Posted by: The_Mick | January 8, 2012, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm
Axlerod is a creep. He makes his living creating false allegations against Obama’s opponents so that Obama can win when he shouldn’t. Axlerod is a sleazeball.
Mitt Romney created jobs in the private sector. Obama never created a job in his life.
Snuffalupagus is a Democrat hack who was an embarrassment in the debate with his attempt to make the candidates look bad. Did he ever question Obama about Rev Wright?
Posted by: Hondo | January 8, 2012, 3:54 pm 3:54 pm
Re: “I am a die hard Republican but the easiest way in the world to lose this election is to have Ron Paul as our nominee!” Fear not. Romney is going to be the GOP candidate – there was never any real doubt of it. Paul supporters – and Santorum supporters – will just have to wave at their candidates of choice as they fade into the sunset because Mitt’s the candidate they’ll have to vote for.
Posted by: Cassandra | January 8, 2012, 4:01 pm 4:01 pm
Oh dear, so much anti-Axelrod emotion being wasted – your candidate is safe. No matter who was the media darling of the moment, the GOP has never considered anyone but Romney as their candidate. All the hopeful conservatives longing for someone else – anyone else – to vote for will vote for Mitt and like it, because as Clinton said, “Republicans don’t fall in love, they fall in line.” No need to get all upset up about it, it’s bad for your heart. Or would be if Republicans sported such an organ.
Posted by: Cassandra | January 8, 2012, 4:07 pm 4:07 pm
Well now that “appeal” needs to be just above ground compared to the Obama “bar” it doesn’t really matter.
Posted by: mpgunner | January 8, 2012, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm
Thanks Steffy for the hard hitting deep reporting here, I would have thought two clearly left wing leaning for Clinton democrats would have had positive things to say about a Republican, so be waiting for the Edward R Murrow Award real soon……..And congrats for actually being paid for this……
Posted by: Floyd R Turbo | January 8, 2012, 4:39 pm 4:39 pm
I’m voting for Ron Paul…as he is the only candidate that is not made out of plastic.
Posted by: Herne | January 8, 2012, 4:40 pm 4:40 pm
End of the day just pull up their records..The GOP has never voted for the middle class..period, that is fact and can’t be denied. Republicans follow a failed ideology..tax cuts for the wealthy, trickle down economics..they still push these agendas. Folks America has had these ‘agendas’ for the better part of 30 years and look where it has gotten us..the bottom of the pile. We spend to much money on military, healthcare, pharma and oil investments. And for America to ever be competative or regain it’s status in the world, these things need to be addressed. And with Republicans their solution will be to give them even more money for the disfunction. It’s not a solution America needs.
Posted by: D | January 8, 2012, 5:05 pm 5:05 pm
Romney is Mr. Wipple in the “Twilight Zone” episode of “The Brain Center at Wipples”.
Posted by: bob
______________
Considering the fact that Obama has the highest unemployment rate of any President since FDR I would think Obama is “Mr. Whipple”.
Posted by: ivan | January 8, 2012, 5:06 pm 5:06 pm
The Republicans have not built a broad appeal with either Paul or Romney. Here’s someone who believes this means another 4 years for President Obama:
American University professor Allan Lichtman has developed a Presidential election prediction model based on forces that shape America’s political landscape. He has used this model to CORRECTLY forecast every U.S. Presidential election from 1984 through 2008.
Today there are 3 key forces that are not working in President Obama’s favor: His aura has faded since 2008, the economy has not improved strongly enough, and the Republicans added seats in the House during the 2010 elections.
Even with these 3 negatives, Lichtman says President Obama still holds 10 key factors out of 13. Lichtman predicts President Obama will be re-elected.
Posted by: green.goddess | January 8, 2012, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
Yeah, I can just see it now if Romney became President, more jobs overseas, more tax breaks for Wall Street and the Banks, and free for all interest rates and fees banks can charge you. This guy made thousands of people unemployed in the name of making money for himself and his partners. That is his mindset, money and screw the American worker. You think GWB was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet with this guy.
Posted by: jake
_________________
“You think GWB was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet with this guy”——How do you know that jake? Did you ever have him as President before? As I recall, the other Republicans said Romney was too LIBERAL as a governor.
As to jobs overseas, as I recall it was YOUR President, Bill Clinton, who spearheaded NAFTA in the first place. During Obama’s first two years in office he had a super majority of Democrats in both houses and had a golden opportunity to repeal NAFTA and bring the jobs back. Obama obviously didn’t care about it and focused his attention on Obamacare.
Posted by: ivan | January 8, 2012, 5:17 pm 5:17 pm
Everything Axelrod says is dead on. Romney is already toast.
Oh, and Ivan? Obama has “the highest unemployment rate since FDR” precisely because BOTH inherited an economy which had been run into a ditch by years of REPUBLICAN control and policy.
But in less than 1 term (FDR was elected to FOUR) Obama has overseen the recovery of almost 3 million of the 8.75 million private sector jobs we LOST under and in the immediate aftermath of the Bush administration.
Yep…another 4 years ought to just about do it.
Posted by: Raven | January 8, 2012, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm
The Republicans have not built a broad appeal with either Paul or Romney. Here’s someone who believes this means another 4 years for President Obama:
American University professor Allan Lichtman has developed a Presidential election prediction model based on forces that shape America’s political landscape. He has used this model to CORRECTLY forecast every U.S. Presidential election from 1984 through 2008.
Today there are 3 key forces that are not working in President Obama’s favor: His aura has faded since 2008, the economy has not improved strongly enough, and the Republicans added seats in the House during the 2010 elections.
Even with these 3 negatives, Lichtman says President Obama still holds 10 key factors out of 13. Lichtman predicts President Obama will be re-elected.
Posted by: green.goddess
___________________
Interesting how you don’t mention a single one of the 13 key factors. SOMEBODY has something to hide.
Obviously, Allan Lichtman. like yourself, is an ultra liberal who has ignored another poll which has not changed during ANY time in Obama’s administration. About 60% of Americans believe America is on the wrong track. No President has ever been re-elected with THIS record. That can’t be good news you’re your hero can it?
Posted by: spike | January 8, 2012, 5:27 pm 5:27 pm
axelrod who?
Posted by: wastelandpast | January 8, 2012, 5:36 pm 5:36 pm
Axelrod? The only people who take this garbage-slinging Chicago bottomfeeder seriously are Democrats. It’s common knowledge to anybody whose been following the Democrat game plan that they’ve targeted Romney from the getgo because they are most afraid of him being the Republican nominee.
Don’t think it’s Romney they’re aimiing to destroy? Go to the Democratic National Committee’s website and see for yourself how it plans to do the job.
Posted by: Barbara | January 8, 2012, 5:41 pm 5:41 pm
Everything Axelrod says is dead on. Romney is already toast.
Oh, and Ivan? Obama has “the highest unemployment rate since FDR” precisely because BOTH inherited an economy which had been run into a ditch by years of REPUBLICAN control and policy.
But in less than 1 term (FDR was elected to FOUR) Obama has overseen the recovery of almost 3 million of the 8.75 million private sector jobs we LOST under and in the immediate aftermath of the Bush administration.
Yep…another 4 years ought to just about do it.
Posted by: Raven
__________
When Bush left office the unemployment rate was 7.8%. It skyrocketed to 9% during the first two years under Obama when he had a super majority in both houses of Congress.
The unemployment rate only went down about .04 percentage points because of temporary hiring during the Christmas holidays and because of all the millions who have stopped looking for work and are no longer counted as unemployed. If the number of people looking for work were the same as that in 2008, the unemployment rate would be around 11%.
You cannot tax and spend your way back into prosperity Raven. You also cannot freeze construction of oil pipelines and forbid drilling, all to appease the global warming activists and expect to create jobs.
“Yep…” you’ll need three handkerchiefs to cry into this November when Romney wins.
Posted by: ivan | January 8, 2012, 5:48 pm 5:48 pm
Care to back up this outrageous claim?
I could say what Mr. Bloom was reported to say and that is “we did it all for the unions” but that would be silly. Instead look at who won and who lost. Mainly the Investors and bond holders took the hit while the unions did not give up any money including retiree pensioners. In other words the free wheeling union leaders could continue to hold meeting in the Bahamas and elsewhere while the people who invested in GM got a dime for every dollar they invested.
Not to mention that US taxpayers are on the hook for 20 billion….at least.
Posted by: david | January 8, 2012, 5:49 pm 5:49 pm
SPIKE:”Interesting how you don’t mention a single one of the 13 key factors. SOMEBODY has something to hide.
Obviously, Allan Lichtman. like yourself, is an ultra liberal who has ignored another poll which has not changed during ANY time in Obama’s administration. About 60% of Americans believe America is on the wrong track. No President has ever been re-elected with THIS record. That can’t be good news you’re your hero can it?”
LOL, yes, anything you don’t understand is some vast, liberal/commie conspiracy.
Suck it up…or go LOOK it up rather than demand green.goddess type out the entire list for you.
Look into some other numbers/polls and you will discover that Obama is one of the most popular Presidents of the last 40 years. His aproval ratings virtually mirror those of Reagan in HIS first term. He was elected in an historic landslide with the highest voter turn-out since 1910. He currently has the support of over 80% of Democrats, 30% of Independents (like myself) and 3% of Republicans.
More, since the mid-terms HIS ratings have gone UP for the most part (peaking when he takes strong action opposing the Right), whereas those of the Republicans, Tea Party, and Congress (polling at its lowest ever in the history of the poll) have gone down dramatically. Over 80% of those polled OPPOSE any changes to Social Security or Medicare (the Republican platform), regardless of political affiliation.
The bottom line is, the majority of Americans LIKE President Obama and his record (and/or only wish he’d been MORE liberal than he has been to date). Deal with it.
Posted by: Raven | January 8, 2012, 5:52 pm 5:52 pm
It is clear who gave George his talking points in Saturday’s debate. The scary thing is that David Axelrod is in denial that President Obama’s misguided policies have been the most disastrous to the American economy since President Carter!
Posted by: Common _ Sense | January 8, 2012, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
IVAN wrote: “When Bush left office the unemployment rate was 7.8%. It skyrocketed to 9% during the first two years under Obama when he had a super majority in both houses of Congress.
The unemployment rate only went down about .04 percentage points because of temporary hiring during the Christmas holidays and because of all the millions who have stopped looking for work and are no longer counted as unemployed. If the number of people looking for work were the same as that in 2008, the unemployment rate would be around 11%.
You cannot tax and spend your way back into prosperity Raven. You also cannot freeze construction of oil pipelines and forbid drilling, all to appease the global warming activists and expect to create jobs.
“Yep…” you’ll need three handkerchiefs to cry into this November when Romney wins.”
Obama inherited an economy in collapse. The bottom dropped out before he took office and the free-fall continued for about another year. (FTR, we were operating on a BUSH administration budget for that first year, folks, not an Obama one).
Then, a funny thing happened; we hit bottom at 850,000 private sector jobs lost in a single MONTH and slowly, over the next few years, we began GAINING private sector jobs every month. For 22 mths now, we’ve GAINED these jobs every single month, totaling almost 3 million of the 8.75 million we lost under Bush and Co. and in their wake.
As for the UE rate, (which the Right prefers to focus on rather than the job numbers for obvious reasons) according to the numbers and economists, virtually ALL of the recent increase was due to PUBLIC SECTOR losses (cops, teachers, firefighters, government workers)…you know, all those jobs the Right was busy eliminating en mass nationwide following their wins in the mid-terms.
Very easy way to manipulate the UE rate AND offset the monthly PRIVATE SECTOR totals to make them appear smaller (since the totals represent private sector jobs gained MINUS public sector jobs lost). This has been their agenda (a sub-set of their “make Obama a one-term President” by any means necessary, esp. by stalling or reversing the recovery. Real saints. huh?)
Finally, history shows that you CAN, indeed, “tax and spend your way to prosperity” (nevermind that Republicans tend to tax and spend MORE than Democrats…they came up with the meme of the “tax and spend liberal” and just hammered away at it and it apparently lodged firmly in quite a few heads).
When you tax and spend judiciously, as FDR did (taxing the RICH and BIG BUSINESS and spending on THE GENERAL WELFARE) it has proven to be the BEST way to pull the economy out of depression (something we’ve had TWO chances to learn/observe in the past century thanks to the Republicans who drove us into the ditch and the Democrats who pulled us out of it).
If Romney wins, I won’t be crying. I will be relocating myself and my children elsewhere, not caring to expose myself or them to the inevitable consequences of 4 more years of the same approach that got us into this hole to begin with. (Retaining my citizenship and voting rights, of course).
Posted by: Raven | January 8, 2012, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
P.S. given the scenario to date, I’m not packing my bags. ;)
This President has been one of the BEST in my lifetime (of 46 years).
No, he is not “my hero” (or my “messiah”) but he has more than lived up to what he promised and I strongly feel that given 4 more years, he will continue the upward trend and probably become even more progressive/agressive in his dealings with the Right.
I am a satisifed Independent. You all go on and waste your vote/throw it to Obama on Romney/Paul/et al….I will be voting to stay the course rather than go backwards. You might be surprised how many of us have Obama’s back when push comes to shove. Even most of those those who are not as enthusiastic as me realize that not voting for him and allowing the Right to re-take our country is completely unacceptable.
Posted by: Raven | January 8, 2012, 6:50 pm 6:50 pm
If Romney wins, I won’t be crying. I will be relocating myself and my children elsewhere”
Give me a break. I dare say that as a man who has worked all his life without the benefit of free college, free food, housing or cell phones that no matter who is in office I would not go so far as a wimpy threat to leave because someone I dislike is in office.
That is a pitiful statement to make.
Posted by: david | January 8, 2012, 7:12 pm 7:12 pm
At least it looks like Axelrod has begun to get over his fixation with the opposition’s rear ends.
Posted by: newcountryman | January 8, 2012, 7:37 pm 7:37 pm
David, what would be “pitiful” is if the American people choose to go BACKWARDS instead of coninuing on the path of joining the rest of the civilized world.
(and if multiple posts appear, it is because this stupid WordBlog forum erroneously errors things…have written 3 replies now, and THIS one probably won’t make it on either.)
Posted by: Raven | January 8, 2012, 7:57 pm 7:57 pm
By the time Obama, Occupy Wallstreet, Moveon.org, and the liberals are through with Romney in the 2012 campaign, he is going to look like Jack McCallister (Alec Baldwin’s character) from the Fun with Dick and Jane movie.
Posted by: JD | January 9, 2012, 7:15 am 7:15 am
One thing that I think will hurt Romney iis when people look closer at his predatory practices at Bain. They’ll see that not only did he strip the assets and layoff the workers, he also walked away with the pension funds, leaving the taxpayers stuck with the bill through the federally funded Pension Benefits Guaranty Corp.
People may give him a pass on the layoffs but ripping off the taxpayers? If explained properly, it could be a killer.
Posted by: Ed, Watertown MA | January 9, 2012, 12:01 pm 12:01 pm
cheney and bush stole the whitehouse 11yrs ago when there republican buddys in the supreme court gave them the whitehouse.cheney,bush and the republicans are in the back pockets of the wealthy,they couldnt wait to get into the whitehouse and congress and steal the american peoples surplus of 5.8 trillion dollars from the entitlement programs social security,pension,medicare,medicaid trust funds and prescription drug plan giving the rich 2 trillion in tax cuts during 01 and 03 that depletes the american peoples 5.8 trillion surplus.then spent over 4 trillion dollars on that stupid war in iraq we were lied to about so cheney,bush and the republicans can help there rich friends get richer off the american peoples backs from those huge contracts the rich got for there companys to work in iraq and there 150,000 of them.then the rich and powerfull cause the worst financial crisis in history wiping out 63 trillion dollars on wall street that was reported in both the house and senate in may 08.then 8.3 trillion dollars was spent trying to bail out the rich and they just kept on getting richer plus 25-75 billions of dollars in tax cuts kept on getting slipped into certain bills thru the cheney and bush years.so cheney,bush and the republicans in the back pockets of the wealthy making sure the rich get as rich as possible causes 117 trillion dollars in deficits in the american peoples entitlement programs social security,pension,medicare and medicaid trust funds and presciption drug plan and the deficits keep on mounting up from all that reckless spending and the 2 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthy,plus causing usa national debt over 14.4 trillion in debt that now exceeds 100% gdp.cheney,bush and the republicans in the back pockets of the wealthy caused so much damage to the economy by making the rich much more richer and almost sent the economy into economic ruin on the american peoples backs.then of course crime goes up everywhere when the economy is in a real bad depression such as its been since nov 07 which actually began in june 06 when the first housing crisis began.it was on cnbc late in the afternoon in jun 06 and all of a sudden i started hearing about houses collapsing.so the next time republicans get in control such as the way it was before with cheney,bush and the republicans,it certainly wont take long for the economy to go off the cliff and really send the economy into total economic destruction by the republicans in the back pockets of the rich causing all this devastation to every american in the low and middle class.the rich and powerfull in the back pockets of the republicans caused so much economic ruin already that usa is almost like a 3rd world country and it would be absolutely insane to have romney and republicans back in control again because this would cause economic ruin and it wont take long for that to happen
Posted by: charles | January 9, 2012, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
David Axlerod’s intellect and level of honesty are horrendous. If he believed that Mitt Romney were weak, he would not have been hyperactively denigrating him for one year.
Posted by: ToddBruneau | January 15, 2012, 4:35 pm 4:35 pm