2012 Presidential Race Thread

[bullseye]

perry looked good on paper to me, until i read a drudge report about his ties to the bilderberg group. it appears they have vetted him, which does not sit well with me. i'm sticking with michele bachman.

[Irish]

Ron Paul does very well in this poll versus Obama, much better than most Republicans currently running. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...andidates.html

[variablebinary]

I support Ron Paul this time around.

I thought he was a kook last election. Once I took time to hear what he had to say, I realized he was on to something, and might actually be able to take the nation back from the bankers, globalists and parasites within.

[Redmanfms]

It's better just to spectate on these threads....

[Irish]

Ron Paul has won the GOP straw poll. http://www.youtube.com/user/RonPaulC...16/HYz5ngqGpGU

Ron Paul has also won the straw poll at the National Republican Leadership Conference. http://www.youtube.com/user/RonPaulC...15/k9WVhUqSVaM

Let me rephrase that... He crushed all of his opponents in both straw polls by a huge margin!!!

[Irish]

Bachmann is not a good choice in my opinion for several reasons and most of them stem from the fact that I want someone who will reduce spending and who is consistent in their approach to reducing the deficit.

1. As a legislator in Minnesota she allegedly proposed $60 million in earmarks.

2. In Congress, in 2007, she appropriated $3.7 million in federal pork.

3. A report shows Bachmann’s counseling clinic got $30,000 in state and federal subsidies. A family farm received a $260,000 federal farm subsidy.

4. And here is the big one: In 2008 she voted for Nancy Pelosi's stimulus bill.

I won't touch on the fact of her "flakey" statements that everyone is hammering her on but I will say she, and the rest of the competition, have adopted Ron Paul's points of view and talking points on many subjects. They too are beginning to see the light.

[Sensei]

Bachmann is not a good choice in my opinion for several reasons and most of them stem from the fact that I want someone who will reduce spending and who is consistent in their approach to reducing the deficit.

1. As a legislator in Minnesota she allegedly proposed $60 million in earmarks.

2. In Congress, in 2007, she appropriated $3.7 million in federal pork.

3. A report shows Bachmann’s counseling clinic got $30,000 in state and federal subsidies. A family farm received a $260,000 federal farm subsidy.

4. And here is the big one: In 2008 she voted for Nancy Pelosi's stimulus bill.

I won't touch on the fact of her "flakey" statements that everyone is hammering her on but I will say she, and the rest of the competition, have adopted Ron Paul's points of view and talking points on many subjects. They too are beginning to see the light.

Could you please check your facts on # 4 - my understanding is that she voted against the stimulus. Also, the farm is her father-in-laws and she denies any ownership. My in-laws also do wacky stuff (like vote for BHO).

As for the federal pork, 3.5M is nothing (probably one of the lowest in Congress). I'd be interested in seeing the actual pork legislation.

The state earmark claim also seems odd. Is a problem with her using state funds to build state roads? Usually when we talk about earmarks we mean federal dollars to fund local pet projects.

[The_War_Wagon]

No love for Der Kommissar Obamassar? You'll make him cry...

[Palmguy]

Bachmann is not a good choice in my opinion for several reasons and most of them stem from the fact that I want someone who will reduce spending and who is consistent in their approach to reducing the deficit.

1. As a legislator in Minnesota she allegedly proposed $60 million in earmarks.

2. In Congress, in 2007, she appropriated $3.7 million in federal pork.

3. A report shows Bachmann’s counseling clinic got $30,000 in state and federal subsidies. A family farm received a $260,000 federal farm subsidy.

4. And here is the big one: In 2008 she voted for Nancy Pelosi's stimulus bill.

I won't touch on the fact of her "flakey" statements that everyone is hammering her on but I will say she, and the rest of the competition, have adopted Ron Paul's points of view and talking points on many subjects. They too are beginning to see the light.

What 2008 stimulus bill are you talking about? What I understand to be what is generally referred to as the stimulus (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, approx $787b) was voted on in the House in January and February 2009 and Bachmann voted against it both times (initial passage through the House and the vote after the conference committee).

Initial vote: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll046.xml

[Irish]

What 2008 stimulus bill are you talking about? What I understand to be what is generally referred to as the stimulus (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, approx $787b) was voted on in the House in January and February 2009 and Bachmann voted against it both times (initial passage through the House and the vote after the conference committee).

Initial vote: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll046.xml

You are correct, the initial report I read was wrong after doing a little more reading. However, she was definitely looking for stimulus funding when she wrote these letters. http://www.publicintegrity.org/proje...20Bachmann.pdf Basically it sounds like she's a hypocrite when she's slamming the stimulus and calling it a failure while she has her hand out the next claiming it'll create 3000 jobs. She wants it both ways where she can reap the rewards of the stimulus and slam Obama for it as a failure.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_880765.html

On Oct. 5, 2009, Bachmann wrote Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack praising him for injecting money into the pork industry through the form of direct government purchases. She went on to request additional assistance.

"Your efforts to stabilize prices through direct government purchasing of pork and dairy products are very much welcomed by the producers in Minnesota, and I would encourage you to take any additional steps necessary to prevent further deterioration of these critical industries, such as making additional commodity purchases and working to expand trade outlets for these and other agricultural goods," Bachmann wrote.

At the time, the pork industry was facing a two-pronged calamity: fallout from the H1N1 influenza crisis and the ripple effects of the recession. Pork producers had lost nearly $4.6 billion in equity since 2007 and Vilsack, sensing greater market doom, had injected funds into the industry at least four times since that spring. In March 2009, the USDA purchased $25 million in pork, in April it made a $50 million purchase and in July it bought 775,000 pounds of ham, according to reports. In September, just one month before receiving Bachmann's letter, Vilsack had signed off on $30 million in additional federal purchases of pork.

Seeking to balance the narrow political interests of her district (which is affected by the ups and downs of the pork market) with her broader message of reining in government spending, Bachmann urged Vilsack to ensure that "any federal funds expended are used wisely to provide timely assistance to struggling producers." Clearly, however, she welcomed the crutch of federal funds, pleading that producers had not experience a situation as dire "in decades."

I did read, from several articles, that one of the requests alone was for $300 million. It's too early for me to go any further... Maybe more later in the day.