Obama: Romney Lacks "Serious Ideas"

:lamo Oh, this is great :mrgreen:

President Barack Obama said Mitt Romney has locked himself into "extreme positions" on economic and social issues and would surely impose them if elected, trying to discredit his Republican rival at the biggest political moment of his life.


In an interview with The Associated Press, Obama said Romney lacks serious ideas, refuses to "own up" to the responsibilities of what it takes to be president, and deals in factually dishonest arguments that could soon haunt him in face-to-face debates....

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Obama went on to hawk the centerpiece of his economic reform package, a 4-point increase in the top marginal tax rate, a measure scored in the most optimistic fashion to reduce the annual deficit by slightly less than eight percentage points.

Obama also offered a glimpse of how he would govern in a second term of divided government, insisting rosily that the forces of the election would help break Washington's stalemate. He said he would be willing to make a range of compromises with Republicans, confident there are some who would rather make deals than remain part of "one of the least productive Congresses in American history."


With the remarks, Obama set up a contrast between Romney, whom he cast as an extremist pushing staunchly conservative policies, and himself, by saying he would work across party lines...

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:lol: wow. descent into self-delusion much? .

Which means Obama lacks "serious ideas" since Obama=Romney.

Romney's Obama without the conviction.

I think there is no doubt at all, that when Obama gets re-elected he will be able to further his agenda. In some regards this scares me. I dont want to see government getting in more involved in my life than it is now. In fact I'd like to see it less involved. On the other hand, there is no question that Obama is a man of serious ideas. And there is no doubt that his social experiment will continue. If he can achieve his vision of converting the USA's infrastructure to a predominantly Green Energy-based one, then that would really be a game-changer for our nation which has been on a downward slide since the early 1970s.

CONSagainROMNEY said:

I think there is no doubt at all, that when Obama gets re-elected he will be able to further his agenda. In some regards this scares me. I dont want to see government getting in more involved in my life than it is now. In fact I'd like to see it less involved. On the other hand, there is no question that Obama is a man of serious ideas. And there is no doubt that his social experiment will continue. If he can achieve his vision of converting the USA's infrastructure to a predominantly Green Energy-based one, then that would really be a game-changer for our nation which has been on a downward slide since the early 1970s.

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As social experiments go, this has been a bit non-existent. ACA is so waterdowned, a republic idea at it's core, that it would be hard to rank it with any real efforts at social experiment.

Well, Obama is right. I can't really think of ANY major issue where Romney has proposed anything other than boilerplate rhetoric (let alone any major issue where he hasn't taken every side within the last decade). Romney has run as close to a policy-free campaign as I've ever seen in my lifetime.

Snort. He's one to talk, isn't he? :roll:

cpwill said:

:lamo Oh, this is great :mrgreen:

Obama went on to hawk the centerpiece of his economic reform package, a 4-point increase in the top marginal tax rate, a measure scored in the most optimistic fashion to reduce the annual deficit by slightly less than eight percentage points.

:lol: wow. descent into self-delusion much? .

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And we can simply look at his record at compromise on the AHA and call him a liar here:

With the remarks, Obama set up a contrast between Romney, whom he cast as an extremist pushing staunchly conservative policies, and himself, by saying he would work across party lines...

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Good Lord.

Kandahar said:

Well, Obama is right. I can't really think of ANY major issue where Romney has proposed anything other than boilerplate rhetoric (let alone any major issue where he hasn't taken every side within the last decade). Romney has run as close to a policy-free campaign as I've ever seen in my lifetime.

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exactly. And I think Obama is doing a smart thing by calling him out on. But let's be honest. Romney CAN'T put forth any policies because any policy he puts forth he is on recored somewhere in the past as doing something or saying something that is directly AGAINST any policy he might have. He has flip flopped so many times that it is impossible for him to have ANY policy that ANYONE could actually take seriously.
The man is an empty suit in a barren closet.

CONSagainROMNEY said:

I think there is no doubt at all, that when Obama gets re-elected he will be able to further his agenda. In some regards this scares me. I dont want to see government getting in more involved in my life than it is now. In fact I'd like to see it less involved. On the other hand, there is no question that Obama is a man of serious ideas. And there is no doubt that his social experiment will continue. If he can achieve his vision of converting the USA's infrastructure to a predominantly Green Energy-based one, then that would really be a game-changer for our nation which has been on a downward slide since the early 1970s.

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I like most of your post says. I do have a question. What scares you about Obama being re-elected? Obama is very moderate at best. His agenda isn't too far left or right based on what his first term shows. The left is screaming he isn't liberal enough and the right is screaming is is too liberal. The liberals wanted universal health care. Obama didn't deliver that, regardless of how the right explains it. The Affordable Healthcare Act is a far cry from universal health care. He has tried to work with the GOP, putting things on the table that the left got angry about. In fact, Obama has lost a great deal of his base over trying to compromise with the GOP. So, I don't see what there is to be afraid of. Obama isn't all that agressive about pushing the left agenda forward. What scares me is, what agenda will ROmney and Ryan be pushing? I do not like Ryan's ideas about the budget and his worship if Ayn Rand. I do not like Romney's flip flopping. I also don't like it that Romney acts as though he is entitled to be the President and shouldn't have to go through the same scrutiny as all past presidentcial candidates. That scares me much more.

Hairytic said:

I like most of your post says. I do have a question. What scares you about Obama being re-elected? Obama is very moderate at best. His agenda isn't too far left or right based on what his first term shows. The left is screaming he isn't liberal enough and the right is screaming is is too liberal. The liberals wanted universal health care. Obama didn't deliver that, regardless of how the right explains it. The Affordable Healthcare Act is a far cry from universal health care. He has tried to work with the GOP, putting things on the table that the left got angry about. In fact, Obama has lost a great deal of his base over trying to compromise with the GOP. So, I don't see what there is to be afraid of. Obama isn't all that agressive about pushing the left agenda forward. What scares me is, what agenda will ROmney and Ryan be pushing? I do not like Ryan's ideas about the budget and his worship if Ayn Rand. I do not like Romney's flip flopping. I also don't like it that Romney acts as though he is entitled to be the President and shouldn't have to go through the same scrutiny as all past presidentcial candidates. That scares me much more.

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The mandate in ObamaCare scares me. The idea that the government is forcing me to buy into a corruprt corporate drug and health care industry scares me. I practice preventative health care. I'm 44 years old and I have never had any kind of health issue in my entire life. I eat right, exercise, have a prety good control over avoiding overly-stressful situations or risky behavior. I do not trust the health care community one ioda with my health. So mandating that I need to buy into their corrupt system seems completely against my human rights.

CONSagainROMNEY said:

The mandate in ObamaCare scares me. The idea that the government is forcing me to buy into a corruprt corporate drug and health care industry scares me. I practice preventative health care. I'm 44 years old and I have never had any kind of health issue in my entire life. I eat right, exercise, have a prety good control over avoiding overly-stressful situations or risky behavior. I do not trust the health care community one ioda with my health. So mandating that I need to buy into their corrupt system seems completely against my human rights.

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Think about this. You are already paying for the health care for the poor through tax dollars that are going to offset patients that do not pay hospitals for care. We have a law that hospitals must stabalize anyone who comes to the ER, regardless of their ability to pay. Having a mandate simplysets up a system of paying for those who do not have health care provisions. We have a mandate to purchase auto insurance when you want to drive your car on roads that we paid for with our tax dollars. Madates are not new within our government. The Affordable Health Care Act does a lot more than just set a mandate. It also forces insurance agencies to spend the majority of the money coming in to pay for patient health. It prevents insurance companies from refusing to pay for patient health care based on pre-existing conditions. It allows children to remain on their parents insurance when they go off to college. THere are a lot of good things in the this act. The mandate is such a small issue in this act. Now, you say you take good care of yourself to prevent needing health care insurance. What would you do if you find out you have cancer and you have no health insurance? Should the goverment let the health care industry refuse to save your life because you don't have the ability to pay for treatment? I have a granddaughter that would be blind today if it had not been for Medicaid. Her condition is a pre-existing condition. If her mother gets a good job that provides health care insurance, that insurance agency could refuse to cover my granddaughter if it were not fot Obamacare. Just think about it.

Hairytic said:

Think about this. You are already paying for the health care for the poor through tax dollars that are going to offset patients that do not pay hospitals for care. We have a law that hospitals must stabalize anyone who comes to the ER, regardless of their ability to pay. Having a mandate simplysets up a system of paying for those who do not have health care provisions. We have a mandate to purchase auto insurance when you want to drive your car on roads that we paid for with our tax dollars. Madates are not new within our government. The Affordable Health Care Act does a lot more than just set a mandate. It also forces insurance agencies to spend the majority of the money coming in to pay for patient health. It prevents insurance companies from refusing to pay for patient health care based on pre-existing conditions. It allows children to remain on their parents insurance when they go off to college. THere are a lot of good things in the this act. The mandate is such a small issue in this act. Now, you say you take good care of yourself to prevent needing health care insurance. What would you do if you find out you have cancer and you have no health insurance? Should the goverment let the health care industry refuse to save your life because you don't have the ability to pay for treatment? I have a granddaughter that would be blind today if it had not been for Medicaid. Her condition is a pre-existing condition. If her mother gets a good job that provides health care insurance, that insurance agency could refuse to cover my granddaughter if it were not fot Obamacare. Just think about it.

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Its not about whether I am already paying for it or not. My point is that it is a slipperly slope when you have a federal government mandating personal matters. Socialism has its good and its bad points, but as we saw with the Nazis, one of its bad points is the nature in which it can force everyday people into doing things that are agaisnt their principles. Once you start forcing people into doing things that are against their principles, then you have crossed over into the wrong side of the issue, imo.

CONSagainROMNEY said:

Its not about whether I am already paying for it or not. My point is that it is a slipperly slope when you have a federal government mandating personal matters. Socialism has its good and its bad points, but as we saw with the Nazis, one of its bad points is the nature in which it can force everyday people into doing things that are agaisnt their principles. Once you start forcing people into doing things that are against their principles, then you have crossed over into the wrong side of the issue, imo.

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I don't think it's fare to invoke the Nazis into this topic. Frankly, there are a lot of things that the GOP want to force the americans into that I disagree with. I wouldn't bring up the assumption that they are Nazis. There is no easy way to fix our health care problems. I will say that the GOP supported health care mandates before Obama came to office. In fact, Obama adopted many GOP ideas into his health care plan. Personally, I don't want to be a part of a country that is rich, but refuses to feed it's poor and provide basic health care for its people. I would rather have universal health care than a mandate. I think Obamacare is a good start on a solution to the problem. It is much cheaper to provide preventative care to those who can not afford health care insurance than it is to treat them in the ER. I don't think we have to worry about the affordable health care mandate being a slippery slope into a system like Naxism, because we have a constitution and Supreme Court in place to prevent that.

Kandahar said:

Well, Obama is right. I can't really think of ANY major issue where Romney has proposed anything other than boilerplate rhetoric (let alone any major issue where he hasn't taken every side within the last decade). Romney has run as close to a policy-free campaign as I've ever seen in my lifetime.

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:lol:

So far Romney is running on:
1. Market-Oriented Entitlement Reform to make Medicare sustainable
2. Tax Code reform to simplify the code while lowering nominal rates
3. Unleashing our massive domestic energy potential

Obama is running on:
1. Increase the top marginal tax rate from 35 to 39%
2. Romney is a meanie



Yeah :lol: if there is one campaign who isn't being serious, it sure is the Romney Camp.

Of course things havent been presented yet. They havent held the convention yet. SO...lets see...Obamas 'plans' on the other hand have done what? Have done what to the debt? Have done what to the unemployment rates? Have what to workers no longer eligible for benefits? Have contributed to how many budgets being passed? Have cause what stability in the middle east? Have done what to influence Europes growth and recovery? Have done...what exactly? Oh...sure...he followed the Bush plan on Iraq and even COMPLETELY capitulated on every position candidate Obama ever took on the surge, black ops prisons, just...fighting terrorism in general.

Say...maybe THATS what Obama is hoping for. Romney will introduce plans, Obama can run against them, then after the election, adopt them all. Cuz lets face it...when it comes to ideas of his 'own'? He is a one trick pony and that trick is played out.

Hairytic said:

I don't think it's fare to invoke the Nazis into this topic. Frankly, there are a lot of things that the GOP want to force the americans into that I disagree with. I wouldn't bring up the assumption that they are Nazis. There is no easy way to fix our health care problems. I will say that the GOP supported health care mandates before Obama came to office. In fact, Obama adopted many GOP ideas into his health care plan. Personally, I don't want to be a part of a country that is rich, but refuses to feed it's poor and provide basic health care for its people. I would rather have universal health care than a mandate. I think Obamacare is a good start on a solution to the problem. It is much cheaper to provide preventative care to those who can not afford health care insurance than it is to treat them in the ER. I don't think we have to worry about the affordable health care mandate being a slippery slope into a system like Naxism, because we have a constitution and Supreme Court in place to prevent that.

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I bring up the NAZIs because they were socialists. And they are the example that history has provided us with as to what kinds of abuses are capable of being done under the system of socialism. And I think it is CERTAINLY something to keep in mind here - we must always be mindful of history imo. Socialism conforms people. The mandate is trying to conform people into a unified health care system. It is forcing people into going alonq with things that are against their principles.

CONSagainROMNEY said:

I bring up the NAZIs because they were socialists. And they are the example that history has provided us with as to what kinds of abuses are capable of being done under the system of socialism. And I think it is CERTAINLY something to keep in mind here - we must always be mindful of history imo. Socialism conforms people. The mandate is trying to conform people into a unified health care system. It is forcing people into going alonq with things that are against their principles.

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If we are to be mindful of our history, don't forget that Capitalism failed us also. People worked in sweat shops or lived in company towns with no hope of rising above their class. Pure socialism or pure capitalism is bad for any free society. A mixture of both has been working very well for this country. That is what has brought about the middle class and the ability to rise above your class. We can't be so afraid of socialism that we give too much power to capitalism. It must be a good balance. We must care for your weaker members while encouraging businesses to thrive. During this last decade, the erosion of the middle class is evidence to me that capitalism has too much power and the balance must be set back. If we allow our children, elderly, and disabled to starve and go without good medical care, then we have failed as a society.

Kandahar said:

Well, Obama is right. I can't really think of ANY major issue where Romney has proposed anything other than boilerplate rhetoric (let alone any major issue where he hasn't taken every side within the last decade). Romney has run as close to a policy-free campaign as I've ever seen in my lifetime.

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Heh this is hilarious

Obama's campaign is to tell blacks that Romney is going to put them back in chains and Romney kills women

The left has no ideas. Their policies are a total disaster and a failure. The only thing you can run on is objectification and propaganda from a corrupt MSM

CONSagainROMNEY said:

The mandate in ObamaCare scares me. The idea that the government is forcing me to buy into a corruprt corporate drug and health care industry scares me. I practice preventative health care. I'm 44 years old and I have never had any kind of health issue in my entire life. I eat right, exercise, have a prety good control over avoiding overly-stressful situations or risky behavior. I do not trust the health care community one ioda with my health. So mandating that I need to buy into their corrupt system seems completely against my human rights.

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What would you see as a better system? If we accept that universal health care coverage is a desirable goal, the question becomes one of getting there. An individual mandate to buy insurance on the open market is far less socialistic than the single payer plans that most developed nations have. The only ideas I've seen from Republicans have been vague and untested ideas about making minor tweaks to the market and hoping that it works. I haven't seen anything that would do anything to encourage universal coverage.

CONSagainROMNEY said:

I bring up the NAZIs because they were socialists. And they are the example that history has provided us with as to what kinds of abuses are capable of being done under the system of socialism. And I think it is CERTAINLY something to keep in mind here - we must always be mindful of history imo. Socialism conforms people. The mandate is trying to conform people into a unified health care system. It is forcing people into going alonq with things that are against their principles.

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Just to check, what part is against your principals? Health Insurance, or paying for other people's medical costs? Because there are provisions for people who have a moral objection to modern health care, I believe. I would also like to point out that the ACA keeps a patchwork of private insurers that you can choose between, it merely forces you to have something. It does little to shrink your options for health care.

CONSagainROMNEY said:

I bring up the NAZIs because they were socialists. And they are the example that history has provided us with as to what kinds of abuses are capable of being done under the system of socialism. And I think it is CERTAINLY something to keep in mind here - we must always be mindful of history imo. Socialism conforms people. The mandate is trying to conform people into a unified health care system. It is forcing people into going alonq with things that are against their principles.

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You do understand that Karl Marx was a Jew? Correct? And for the Nazis to adopt Marx's socialism would be like me adopting a confederate stance on slavery. Correct? They were socialists in that they wanted to provide certain social services to their whole population.... while you know.... exterminating those who weren't blond blue eyed. Please pick up a history book? Hitler trashes socialism over and over again in Mein Kempf.

cpwill said:

:lol:

So far Romney is running on:
1. Market-Oriented Entitlement Reform to make Medicare sustainable

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No he's not. Romney has NO Medicare plan to speak of. Is he running on Paul Ryan's plan? Who knows. The campaign has offered conflicting views on this. And Romney has taken great umbrage to the suggestion (which is accurate if they're running on the Ryan plan) that he wants to cut Medicare, and assured people that there will be no such cuts. He's even tried to portray himself as the great defender of Medicare, and Obama as a heartless conservative who wants to take Medicare away.

If I'm wrong, please explain what Mitt Romney's "market-oriented entitlement reform" would entail. And here's an exercise: If Obama accused Romney of doing whatever it is you think he's proposing for Medicare, would Romney defend that proposal or would he feign outrage and claim the charges were completely false?

2. Tax Code reform to simplify the code while lowering nominal rates

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Again, Romney's only tax plan to speak of is the standard boilerplate rhetoric to cut taxes...especially for the rich. His statements that he's going to "simplify the tax code" are absolutely boilerplate nonsense, as he won't name even a single deduction he'd be willing to eliminate. And when others try to fill in the blanks for him (giving him every benefit of the doubt) and conclude that his numbers still don't add up, he lashes out at them.

3. Unleashing our massive domestic energy potential

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This is just more standard boilerplate rhetoric designed to appease donors from energy companies. And in any case, maybe Romney didn't notice that the United States is in the midst of the greatest energy boom of the last 50 years. What he's basically saying is "I'll do the same thing on energy that Obama's doing, except he totally sucks because Keystone Solyndra lol."

Obama is running on:
1. Increase the top marginal tax rate from 35 to 39%
2. Romney is a meanie

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Obama has been president for four years. As such, he has extremely detailed plans on a number of issues, including health care and financial reform. He's even offered a "grand bargain" - a conservative entitlement reform plan which isn't well-received among Democrats (and which the House Republicans have so far turned down). You might not like his plans, but to assert that they do not exist is simply not true.

Yeah :lol: if there is one campaign who isn't being serious, it sure is the Romney Camp.

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The fact that even the three issues that you cited as being more than boilerplate rhetoric are in fact boilerplate rhetoric is a perfect illustration of the lack of serious policy proposals from Mitt Romney. The man has no major policy details on anything, no willingness to challenge his base on any issue however trivial, and not even any guiding ideological principles that might shape his future policies. And that's a problem for him, because he's certainly not going to win this election on his charisma.

CONSagainROMNEY said:

exactly. And I think Obama is doing a smart thing by calling him out on. But let's be honest. Romney CAN'T put forth any policies because any policy he puts forth he is on recored somewhere in the past as doing something or saying something that is directly AGAINST any policy he might have. He has flip flopped so many times that it is impossible for him to have ANY policy that ANYONE could actually take seriously.
The man is an empty suit in a barren closet.

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are you talking about flip floppin on such subjects as Rev Wright?...20 years or supporting bigotry, calling him "like my family" then flushing him when he was not longer a strength to pick the dumb bigot racist BLT vote?

signed.
LibagainstObama

Hairytic said:

I like most of your post says. I do have a question. What scares you about Obama being re-elected? Obama is very moderate at best. His agenda isn't too far left or right based on what his first term shows. The left is screaming he isn't liberal enough and the right is screaming is is too liberal. The liberals wanted universal health care. Obama didn't deliver that, regardless of how the right explains it. The Affordable Healthcare Act is a far cry from universal health care. He has tried to work with the GOP, putting things on the table that the left got angry about. In fact, Obama has lost a great deal of his base over trying to compromise with the GOP. So, I don't see what there is to be afraid of. Obama isn't all that agressive about pushing the left agenda forward. What scares me is, what agenda will ROmney and Ryan be pushing? I do not like Ryan's ideas about the budget and his worship if Ayn Rand. I do not like Romney's flip flopping. I also don't like it that Romney acts as though he is entitled to be the President and shouldn't have to go through the same scrutiny as all past presidentcial candidates. That scares me much more.

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I actually like the AHA; long overdue in my opinion. While I'm sure it's not perfect, it's something. And "something" is what we needed.

I'm not happy with President Obama because he hurt seniors big-time by his administration's manipulation of near-zero interest rates.

I'm disappointed because he's left many seniors dangling worrying about their Social Security checks. (Both parties have done this.)

I'm disappointed because he did nothing to help homeowners who lost 25% equity in their homes out of the gate. No effective mortgage workouts. No help with foreclosures. Just bank bailout money...which they used to write off their toxic assets getting paid on both ends of the process. Once from the government. Once by foreclosing on homes, selling them and pocketing the cash.

I'm disappointed that he had a healthcare program written before he ever took office and refused all efforts to compromise. "My way. Or the highway. I've got the votes."

I'm disappointed that he's dodged press conferences...that he's effectively stifled them...that he's used his power to manipulate them. "You want to do your job? You want access to me? You will do it my way. Or the highway."

I'm disappointed that Obama flip-flop-flipped on SSM without acknowledging same, and them roundly criticizes those who don't agree with him.

I'm disappointed that he didn't have a big business summit to ask experts, you know, the people who create jobs, how best to create jobs.

I'm disappointed that his administration has promoted class warfare. Prettied it up, but class warfare it is.

I'm disappointed that Congress hasn't passed a budget in three years. That they are still spending money like drunken sailors. That his administration hasn't tackled our fiscal nightmare.

I'm disappointed that the President hasn't gone after financial regulation. And asks the experts what needs to be done.

I'm disappointed that the Obama Administration bailed out General Motors. Well, not really, GM, but the unions at GM. GM has a failed business model -- their labor costs are too damned high to compete with foreign competition.

I'm worried about his next term because I see immigration reform the liberal way, student loan forgiveness the liberal way, and an unchecked liberal agenda so far as spending and lack of meaningful reform. I also worry about Executive Orders that may be used to circumvent Congress. I don't think he'll have a majority in both houses. Combine that with this term being his last? That would be a nightmare.