The polls all seem confusing to me. I've sort of just stuck to Election Forecasts - FiveThirtyEight Blog - NYTimes.com for my polling updates. Nate Silver seems to be pretty accurate with his projections. He even called the Akin drop perfectly.

I just look at the RCP aggregate of polling.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...bama-1171.html

No single poll matters a lot anyway, so looking at an average of all the reputable polls gives a clearer picture of where things stand at any given moment.

I'm not sure whether to post this here or the facebook thread:



The internets are seriously righteous.

I am of the mind that if you know you are putting out good money after bad, it is a bad investment and you have to look at new methods.

Its not about opportunities at this point. You're never going to give people of different socio-economic backgrounds identical opportunities. Going to school is an opportunity. Going to work is an opportunity. The key is exploiting your opportunities many people do not do this. We need to teach people what opportunities are and how to exploit them.

Good summary next time when talking politics with your friends and this comes up.

'You didn't build that:' A theme out of context - CNN.com

Yeah. But it is still a poor speech. And saying "If you've got a business- you didn't build that, somebody else made it happen." That sounds bad in any context.
A small business owner could say that roads wouldnt be built if not for small businesses. Or schools wouldnt be built if not for small businesses. It could go round and round.
It was a poor speech and he is getting burned by it.

It's just really divisive. The people he's lecturing and looking down on there obviously are just going to dig in their heels further, especially the way the speech was inevitably going to be taken out of context. And it had to be a turn off to even some middle-of-the road people who don't follow politics super-close but get the sound bites. I guess it was more of a ra-ra speech to people already on his side to spur donations, but it just has the same effect on the other side. I wonder if it was really worth it at the end of day.

It's just a window of what sucks about election year, and the two-party system the way its setup now. One side talks about how success is based on individual achievements, so the other side naturally has to focus on the communal/government part of success. Nobody can talk like a normal person about the relationship between those two things and how to optimize it to the benefit of everyone.

As the above posters mentioned, it doesn't matter whether it's taken in full or only in part. It's a very poor speech at best and a further wedge between factions at worst. Somebody should have been smart enough along the line to say, 'Maybe it's best we didn't go down this road to make our point."

But isn't this the main ideological difference between Obama and Romney? Obama is saying that the rich have gotten a lot from infrastructure and government to help them become rich, and now they should be paying it back so others can do the same? If it is one of your main positions, do you care if it adds to the wedge?

The speech was about people being part of a society and realising that things are all interlinked and we need to take responsibility for each other and realise we stand and fall together - I think it was a very good speech.

That it can be picked apart and taken out of context is just something which would happen regardless - heck I know a lot of Americans who are still going on about Obama being a Muslim who probably isn't born in America .... lets face it for some people/commentators they'd find something to moan about regardless of what was said.

Heck if Obama announced that everyone was to recieve $10,000 dollars tomorrow as part of a secret saving scheme which he'd put into operation I guarentee the GOP would complain it was a socialist plot because everyone was getting the same amount ;)

You mean like this:

Ale to the Chief: White House Beer Recipe | The White House

Next up on Fox News, Obama uses White House for drug production.

Interesting article on Valerie Jarrett. I've not heard of her in the news but she seems to be a major player influencing Obama from healthcare, contraception issues, supreme court nominee, immigration etc. Article did not say anything about foreign policy.

Valerie Jarrett Is the Other Power in the West Wing - NYTimes.com

A fact check of the 23 million unemployed comment by Clint Eastwood.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/31/news...-unemployment/

You believe anything that comes from CNN? :D

I think manufacturing is also different due to automation and the evolution of a higher level of skills needed in the manufacturing industry. Out-sourcing of low-skill manufacturing is what started things, but I think technology is the bigger inevitable factor.

Mark Cuban has an interesting post: Which USA do you work in ? « blog maverick

The NY Times is only about three years late to the game on Valerie Jarrett. She's been recognized as an influential person in Obama's inner circle for quite a while now.

This is a key question the Dems need to be ready for and not stumble on. I don't understand why they do not have a cohesive answer at this stage of the game.

Dems attempt clean up on ‘are you better’ question – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

They finally decided they needed to prove the old saying "I'm not a member of an organized party. I'm a Democrat."

The middle class got its start in the merchant class, people creating their own businesses. But it can be difficult to start and run a small business these days, with all the regulations about registering, plus the increased rules and regulations and expenses related to hiring employees and retaining employees (healthcare being one of the biggies).

Which brings us back to this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1YQDjpuY_U

Healthcare isn't a large barrier to starting a business. Employers with under 50 full-time employees are exempt. Very few startups employee 50+ full-time employees.

Fair enough.

Which brings us back to this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1YQDjpuY_U

:)

Seems like that guy is railing for a few minutes about state and local regulations. Unless it was the federal government that wouldn't give their local ballpark an occupancy permit because their mirrors were too low.

3 questions on "are you better off". Check it out.

Are you better off? - CNNMoney.com

I think it was kind of dumb for Republicans to focus on this as a thing. Most people are going to make more money and have more money as they go through life. Especially when comparing the deepest part of a recession to now. That's not really a great economic indicator. If we want to look at the impact of the economy on individuals, it's probably more telling to look at where they enter the economy as young adults (i.e. with way more debt than ever before, and shaky job prospects), or what kind of shape they're in when the leave the economy as retired people (I don't have a good sense of that at the moment). Even most of the young people with 6-figure debt that they'll never get out of will be better off in 5 years, unless they go to prison or something, but I don't think that means that that whole system is working.

That's the same jackass who was crying about how the birth control option in the health care was a 9/11 and/or pearl harbor.

This is the first time I've stepped into this thread, but I'm getting the vibe that it's pretty serious.

As serious as rhino about to charge your ass.

Seems like it would just create more job outflow to other countries.

A hippo, no less, but for your entertainment:

This is going to vary from industry to industry but most companies that I know of in the couple hundred range offer some form of health care. If you want to attract some decent employees, it's an expected benefit so I think the only danger spot for that is in the 50~200 employee range

SI

Interesting but incomplete article. I think we know the high level problems with healthcare but article doesn't attempt to analyze if Obamacare will help or hinder. The lack of transparency resonates with me.

We spend $750 billion on unnecessary health care. Two charts explain why.

Apparently the Obama administration has a war on coal? These signs are funny

I'm predicting this will not turn out well for Biden. I wonder if this is an off-the-cuff statement or an Obama strategy ... I suspect the former.

Biden to press: 'Fact check me' - First Read

I don't see any possible harm. "Fact checking" seems to be a standard thing done nowadays. It's not like politifact hasn't already done it on his speech, for instance.

SI

Never really gave it a thought about below on Obama ... however, I have noticed Romney's "flatness".

Obama and the Racial Politics of American English - NYTimes.com

Reminds me of Gary Hart, his challenge and the Monkey Business fiasco. I get its already being done but to toss out a challenge adds fuel to the fire.

Code Switching: Are We All Guilty? : NPR

Guaranteed they'll bust him for saying his Trans-Am can hit 180.

Can't really provide good context with the below quote. Read the article, its pretty interesting an offers insight to Obama. Will buy the book.

A president sidelined - The Washington Post

More polls after both conventions. Obama is expanding lead according to Gallup and CNN.

Poll: Obama expands advantage over Romney – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

Bad situation that Obama is in and wondering how he will respond. Isn't this effectively an act of war? He may surprise us but think this will be another "unfortunate incident etc."

I think this is a mistake politically. He's going to have to show a stronger response or Romney will dog him on this through the elections.

U.S. Envoy to Libya Is Reported Killed - NYTimes.com

What do you do? Should we start bombing Libyan cities? How would that make the situation any better?

I hope they can find those responsible, but that's likely to be CIA work that we may never know about. There just isn't a satisfying response to a riot.

An act of war by whom? The new Libyan government? The rebels we just helped prop up?

My first reaction after I heard about it was "Grow the fuck up, Islam", once again. Every time someone says the wrong thing about Muhammad, we have to worry about reprisals (except for the times they don't care, I guess) because the moderate elements of that society won't kick out the extremist elements of that society.

Egypt mostly had it right: you don't like what was said, go tear down an American flag (tho don't trespass at the Embassy, dopes) or, hell, go burn flags in the street. But you don't go killing people. Not only that, but you just made 50 more people want to make a video talking about how fucked up and backwards your religion and prophet are and you give a voice to those more radical elements opposing you.

SI

....I think we'd manage.

Stuff like that never happens

SI

So by that logic...A vacationing family from another country is visiting California and is gunned down by some crips or bloods. That's an act of war?

Or an ambassador from another country is murdered here in the US by some fanatical that has no association with the US government other than he lives here. Act of war?

It would depend how much our government supports and tolerates the crips and bloods. Or whether the crips and bloods really held the power in the U.S. Libya's in transition so it's tough to answer those questions with regard to them. Edit: I actually have confidence in Obama to sort that out and act appropriately though.

Regardless, I find it a stretch to call it an act of war in this situation. And by stretch, you'd have to pull that thing all the way to Pluto. Especially not knowing all of the details yet.