Mitt Romney's Fantasy World (and ours)

[djAdvocate]

i think this article is spot on. i will only reprint part here, for the rest, go look. NOTE: this was linked from RealClearPolitics

prospect.org/article/mitt-romneys-fantasy-world

Mitt Romney's Fantasy World

Jamelle Bouie

April 25, 2012

In his victory speech last night, the former Massachusetts governor offered a startlingly dishonest take on the last three and a half years of the Obama presidency.

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and wife, Ann, take the stage at an election night rally yesterday.

In a sane world, Mitt Romney would be laughed out of politics for the speech he gave celebrating his final wins (Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York) in the Republican nomination contest. The centerpiece of the address was a riff on the classic formulation, “Are you better of now than you were four years ago?”

Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?

What’s frustrating about this is the fact that it ignores the last four years of political history in an attempt to put Barack Obama at the center of the country’s economic troubles.

But that’s ridiculous. Here’s what we know about the last four years. In 2008, the economy fell into a deep recession. The proximate cause was the collapse of the global financial system, but the process itself was long in the making; George W. Bush was a terrible steward of the economy, and his policies—along with those of congressional Republicans—yielded a decade of slow growth and sluggish job creation. Along with an out-of-control financial sector, the end result of all of this was the worst recession in more than seven decades.

...

[b2r]

[henryclay]

Gosh, dj. That writer absolutely MUST get paid by the word. I wonder why he didn't just come out and say it was Bush's fault, , , because all he said was that it was Bush's fault. Never mind that the paragon of Chicago politics just moved Chicago politics to Washington when he went there. Didn't you read all the predictions about how things were going to turn out?

The bookies made a mint from it, and now they've run out of takers and are going broke themselves.

[jkapp]

My take on Mitt's speech: Obama took a bad situation and made it worse. Anyone trying to argue that is the real one living in a fantasy world.

[zipity]

Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?

Easier to make ends meet - absolutely.
Easier to sell your home or buy a new one - the real estate market here is doing ok, so if I wanted to sell I'm sure I could.
Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Silly question, I'm continuing to grow my retirement fund and will until I retire or until I win the lottery.
Are you making more in your job? absolutely
Do you have a better chance to get a better job? If I decide I need a better job, yes, there are plenty of high tech jobs in this part of the country and more if I'm willing to move.
Do you pay less at the pump? Funny he should ask, it was almost 4 years ago to the month that gas prices we above $4 per gallon, so yes I'm paying less at the pump than I did 4 years ago.

George W. Bush was a terrible steward of the economy, and his policies—along with those of congressional Republicans—yielded a decade of slow growth and sluggish job creation. Along with an out-of-control financial sector, the end result of all of this was the worst recession in more than seven decades.

IMO, this comment is about as fair as the questions posed by Romney. Bush policies weren't great for the economy. Two wars and HUGE tax cuts after the economy had begun to rebound in 2003 led to massive deficits. HOWEVER... to solely blame Bush and the pubs for the recession is to say that you don't understand how we got where we are today. Frontline is running a 4-part series on the economic crisis which I highly recommend. Believe it or not, the roots to the crisis began with the Exxon Valdez and Exxon's desire to protect against the financial damage it caused the company. Citi issued them a bond to protect against future spills and two Citi employees came up with a scheme to sell off some of the risk. With that credit default swaps were born. Add to that Clinton abolishing Glass Steagall and the environment was set for the disaster that hit on Bush's watch. The only reason it happened on Bush's watch was the financial institutions ran out of suckers to continue purchasing default swaps. These were unregulated and required zero transparency on the part of the institutions so you couldn't have seen it coming until it did.

[Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ]

But that’s ridiculous. Here’s what we know about the last four years. In 2008, the economy fell into a deep recession. The proximate cause was the collapse of the global financial system, but the process itself was long in the making; George W. Bush was a terrible steward of the economy, and his policies—along with those of congressional Republicans—yielded a decade of slow growth and sluggish job creation. Along with an out-of-control financial sector, the end result of all of this was the worst recession in more than seven decades.

No one here in the last 3-4 years has been able to point to a single Bush era policy, linked to the financial meltdown.

In fact, in 2001/2002 Bush wanted Congress to investigate FNMA and FHLMC, and congress refused.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 25, 2012 15:11:28 GMT -5 henryclay said:

Gosh, dj. That writer absolutely MUST get paid by the word.

yawn. next?

[djAdvocate]

Apr 25, 2012 15:53:50 GMT -5 Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ said:

But that’s ridiculous. Here’s what we know about the last four years. In 2008, the economy fell into a deep recession. The proximate cause was the collapse of the global financial system, but the process itself was long in the making; George W. Bush was a terrible steward of the economy, and his policies—along with those of congressional Republicans—yielded a decade of slow growth and sluggish job creation. Along with an out-of-control financial sector, the end result of all of this was the worst recession in more than seven decades.

No one here in the last 3-4 years has been able to point to a single Bush era policy, linked to the financial meltdown.

the tax cuts were supposed to create 4M jobs, according to the Heritage Foundation. but i suppose that was Clinton's fault?

GOP: the party of knee jerk reactionaries.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 25, 2012 15:28:17 GMT -5 jkapp said:

My take on Mitt's speech: Obama took a bad situation and made it worse. Anyone trying to argue that is the real one living in a fantasy world.

really? you think we are worse off now than in January of 2009?

give me one relevant measure, other than budget deficits, which i willingly concede.

[jkapp]

Apr 25, 2012 16:30:11 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Apr 25, 2012 15:28:17 GMT -5 jkapp said:

My take on Mitt's speech: Obama took a bad situation and made it worse. Anyone trying to argue that is the real one living in a fantasy world.

really? you think we are worse off now than in January of 2009?

give me one relevant measure, other than budget deficits, which i willingly concede.

Not worse and not better...we are pretty much exactly where we were back then, its just the Fed has pumped trillions of dollars into our system to mask the problem. All of which is just another ticking time bomb. Nothing has improved from 4 years ago, or really 9 years ago when the Dot-com bubble burst (or one could argue for the past 40 years since the US was taken off the gold standard). Since then, its just been one mask or bubble after another.

[sgtjer]

Let's ask the pertinent question:

What will Romney do that will make my life better, and reduce the cost of gasoline, and create more and better jobs, and reduce the deficit, and increase the value of my home and make it more saleable, and improve my chances of a luxurious retirement?

The quick answer, of course, is to reduce taxes on millionaires. Beyond that, he and the repubs, have no clue.

Why? Because that is the only demographic they truly care about.

All the posturing about Obama is camouflage .... they will try to convince the middle class that trickle down will actually work this time and make everyone better off, when they know it's only the top that will benefit from their policies. The middle class SHOULD know that by now, but many fall for the same tired bullshizzle from the usual suspects.

[zipity]

No one here in the last 3-4 years has been able to point to a single Bush era policy, linked to the financial meltdown.

Clinton signed the time bomb into law, the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, which had support from both sides of the aisle. You are right however, not one piece of Bush legislation caused the financial meltdown AND not one piece of Bush era legislation did anything to prevent it or reign in the financial institutions. As we all know, regulation isn't something that pub typically fight for.

In fact, in 2001/2002 Bush wanted Congress to investigate FNMA and FHLMC, and congress refused.

A republican house and a republican senate that never denied Bush anything. Maybe Bush just didn't want it badly enough because back in 2001/2002 his popularity was soaring.

[swamp]

DJ, please modify the thread title becaue it comes up on the cover page as "mitt romneys fantasy" and that's just wrong.

[djAdvocate]

LOL!

ok, as much as i am loving the action here, i need to fly down for 5 days of sun and music in San Diego. i hope you all will forgive me for my indulgences.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 25, 2012 16:54:07 GMT -5 jkapp said:

Apr 25, 2012 16:30:11 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

really? you think we are worse off now than in January of 2009?

give me one relevant measure, other than budget deficits, which i willingly concede.

Not worse and not better...

Bush is DEFENDED using the same logic.

go figure.

[formerexpat]

Looks like he criticized one fantasy for his own:

But that�s ridiculous. Here�s what we know about the last four years. In 2008, the economy fell into a deep recession. The proximate cause was the collapse of the global financial system, but the process itself was long in the making; George W. Bush was a terrible steward of the economy, and his policies�along with those of congressional Republicans�yielded a decade of slow growth and sluggish job creation. Along with an out-of-control financial sector, the end result of all of this was the worst recession in more than seven decades.

Bush = Obama = Romney. Same fucking thing and none of them have done a good thing for the country.

[Value Buy]

Apr 25, 2012 16:30:11 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Apr 25, 2012 15:28:17 GMT -5 jkapp said:

My take on Mitt's speech: Obama took a bad situation and made it worse. Anyone trying to argue that is the real one living in a fantasy world.

really? you think we are worse off now than in January of 2009?

Yes and no.
We the middle age or senior citizens have probably for the most part, turned our economic situation around, and are at least stabilized, economically, if not improving.
Our children, or grandchildren, not so much.
Jobs are not there. Living wage jobs even less so.
Social Security and Medicare for them is just a dream, if not a nightmare for them.
Even if the situation improves these two generations will lose a decade of accumulating any significant assets.

[gavinsnana]

I thought Romney's Victory Speech was good and spot on. Let the races begin.. ;D

[floridayankee]

In his victory speech last night, the former Massachusetts governor offered a startlingly dishonest take on the last three and a half years of the Obama presidency.

Obama is a democrat. Romney is a republican. They are going head to head for control of the big chair. Since when has politics involved honesty? WTF did the author expect to hear...praises?

[gavinsnana]

Apr 25, 2012 18:54:02 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Apr 25, 2012 16:54:07 GMT -5 jkapp said:

Not worse and not better...

Bush is DEFENDED using the same logic.

go figure.

Many Americans (unemployed) would say they are much worse off under Obama.

More Americans are NOW on Welfare than ever before. Gas prices, food, jobs.., downgrade in our rating system

I would have to say our Country is indeed much worse off than before.

[gavinsnana]

Apr 26, 2012 8:23:39 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

In his victory speech last night, the former Massachusetts governor offered a startlingly dishonest take on the last three and a half years of the Obama presidency.

Obama is a democrat. Romney is a republican. They are going head to head for control of the big chair. Since when has politics involved honesty? WTF did the author expect to hear...praises?

LOL..True

[vandalshandle]

I see that Biden made a speech attacking Mitt's foreign policy positions, declaring that he would return us to Bush diplomacy days. I think that it would have been the supreme irony if he had said that while touring Afghanistan.

In spite of the fact that Bush took us into that God forsaken sinkhole, it is pretty clear by now that Obama just does not "get it" that we don't even have an definitive objective in that war, much less a remote possibility of achieving it, if we had one.

I say, "A pox on both their houses".

[djAdvocate]

Apr 26, 2012 8:26:02 GMT -5 gavinsnana said:

Apr 25, 2012 18:54:02 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Bush is DEFENDED using the same logic.

go figure.

Many Americans (unemployed) would say they are much worse off under Obama.

this one is way better off. all of my employees are way better off. everyone who had money invested in stocks is way better off. and most of the people who are worse off had the misfortune of losing their jobs in the first year of the presidency. was that Obama's fault?

[djAdvocate]

Apr 26, 2012 8:23:39 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

In his victory speech last night, the former Massachusetts governor offered a startlingly dishonest take on the last three and a half years of the Obama presidency.

Obama is a democrat. Romney is a republican. They are going head to head for control of the big chair. Since when has politics involved honesty?

in the case of Romney, close to never.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 26, 2012 7:50:22 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Apr 25, 2012 16:30:11 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

really? you think we are worse off now than in January of 2009?

Yes and no.
We the middle age or senior citizens have probably for the most part, turned our economic situation around, and are at least stabilized, economically, if not improving.
Our children, or grandchildren, not so much.
Jobs are not there. Living wage jobs even less so.
Social Security and Medicare for them is just a dream, if not a nightmare for them.
Even if the situation improves these two generations will lose a decade of accumulating any significant assets.

i was actually talking about NOW, not decades from now. the situation was the same under Bush as it is now, with the exception of the payroll tax deduction, which i lay 100% at Obama's feet.

so, if we eliminate the comments that have to do with NOW, we get:

Jobs are not there, let alone living wage jobs.

i actually agree with you there. time to raise FMW.

[gavinsnana]

Apr 26, 2012 13:24:39 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Apr 26, 2012 8:26:02 GMT -5 gavinsnana said:

Many Americans (unemployed) would say they are much worse off under Obama.

this one is way better off. all of my employees are way better off. everyone who had money invested in stocks is way better off. and most of the people who are worse off had the misfortune of losing their jobs in the first year of the presidency. was that Obama's fault?

Duh.. Yes.. Obama made a lot of wrong decisions, spending, etc.. causing things to go far worse.. So.. YES.

[formerexpat]

Clearly it will be the next President's problem and wrong doing when the Fed can no longer floor interest rates.

The time bomb that Obama has taken from Bush and carried for the past 4 years will explode. Who knows whose hands it will be in when it explodes but it's clear that both were/are, at a minimum, equally detrimental to country.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 30, 2012 19:13:35 GMT -5 gavinsnana said:

Apr 26, 2012 13:24:39 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

this one is way better off. all of my employees are way better off. everyone who had money invested in stocks is way better off. and most of the people who are worse off had the misfortune of losing their jobs in the first year of the presidency. was that Obama's fault?

Duh.. Yes.. Obama made a lot of wrong decisions, spending, etc.. causing things to go far worse.. So.. YES.

what wrong decisions did he make? how did they make things worse?

[djAdvocate]

Apr 30, 2012 19:52:56 GMT -5 formerexpat said:

Clearly it will be the next President's problem and wrong doing when the Fed can no longer floor interest rates.

The time bomb that Obama has taken from Bush and carried for the past 4 years will explode. Who knows whose hands it will be in when it explodes but it's clear that both were/are, at a minimum, equally detrimental to country.

i am not sure that is true. the US has more liquidity than most countries, and that will keep interest rates low for a good long while, imo.

for a counterexample of this problem, see Japan, and their THIRTY YEAR RECESSION.

[ungenteel]

Romney toes the repub knee jerk line that suggests the goofy proposition that corporations are benevolent institutions