Associated Press/Charles Dharapak, File - FILE - In this July 29, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …morein Jerusalem. It is a taboo for Israeli leaders to give even the slightest hint of favoritism in politics in the United States, Israel's closest ally. So some Israelis are squirming over a perception that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is siding with Republican Mitt Romney in the U.S. presidential race, in the belief he would take a harder line on archenemy Iran. That, some fear, is putting Israel's alliance with Washington at risk if Barack Obama wins. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File) less
JERUSALEM (AP) — It is a taboo for Israeli leaders to give even the slightest hint of favoritism in politics in the United States, Israel's closest ally. So some Israelis are squirming over a perception that their prime minister is siding with Republican Mitt Romney in the U.S. presidential race, in the belief he will take a harder line on archenemy Iran if elected.
With President Barack Obama holding a narrow lead in opinion polls, Benjamin Netanyahu's perceived strategy looks risky to Israelis who fear their alliance with the U.S. could be in trouble if the incumbent wins.
"If our prime minister doesn't get along with their leader, it will hurt our relations," said Shai Hugi, 20, a car rental clerk in Jerusalem. "The United States is Israel's best ally, and it's always good that you have a strong friend behind you."
Netanyahu, convinced that Iran is close to developing nuclear weapons, says Tehran must be stopped. Claiming international diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions have failed, Netanyahu says the threat of force must be seriously considered. He has urged Obama to declare "red lines" that would trigger an American attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, coupling his appeals with veiled threats of a unilateral Israeli attack on Iran.
Obama has rejected these calls, saying diplomacy and U.S.-led sanctions must be given more time and that Iran will never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. At the same time, American officials have pressed Israel not to attack unilaterally, a move that could set off regional mayhem just ahead of the November election.
Netanyahu has not backed down. In a message directed at the White House, he recently said: "Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel."
Israeli leaders have relied on broad bipartisan support in the U.S. for decades, but Netanyahu has had a rocky relationship with Obama, underscored by public differences over Iran. These agreements, coupled with his longstanding friendship with Romney, have created a perception that Netanyahu backs the Republicans.
"Whether or not it is true that he is actively taking sides . I don't know," said Alon Pinkas, Israel's former consul-general in New York. "But the pattern of behavior clearly suggests this perception is founded in reality."
Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israeli relations at Israel's Bar-Ilan University, said Obama, if re-elected, may seek payback from the Israelis by pressuring Netanyahu to make new concessions to the Palestinians to overcome a deadlock seen as a key failure of the U.S. administration.
Gilboa also said support for Israel is increasingly being seen as a Republican, not bipartisan, issue in America. Recent polls have shown that Republican support for Israel is significantly higher than Democratic support, a reversal from 10 or 15 years ago.
In interviews on American television this week, the Israeli leader vociferously denied he is meddling in Obama's reelection campaign and said he appreciated the importance of American support.
"God, I'm not going to be drawn into the American election," Netanyahu told NBC television. "What's guiding my statements is not the American political calendar, but the Iranian nuclear calendar."
Ari Shavit, a columnist for Israel's liberal Haaretz daily, accused Netanyahu of misreading the American political climate.
"Netanyahu not only argued with Obama, but turned himself into the declared enemy of many of Israel's friends in the United States. He pushed himself into America's extremist right corner - he pushed all of us into it," he wrote.
Obama aides have sought to portray relations with Netanyahu as unshaken. But privately, American officials have grumbled about a perception that Netanyahu is telling Obama what to do.
When Netanyahu travels to New York this week, he likely won't even see Obama. The U.S. president turned down a request for a meeting, citing scheduling issues. A subsequent phone conversation appears to have done little to ease tensions.
Differences between the men run deep.
Soon after Obama and Netanyahu both took office in early 2009, they clashed over Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Under American pressure, Netanyahu reluctantly agreed to slow down settlement construction for nine months in order to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. When the moratorium expired, Netanyahu refused Obama's appeals to extend it, and a fresh round of peace talks quickly collapsed.
In one tense encounter between the two, a frustrated Obama walked out of a White House meeting to eat dinner with his family. In another, Netanyahu appeared to lecture Obama on the pitfalls of peacemaking as they sat in front of reporters in the Oval Office. During that same trip to Washington, Netanyahu was warmly welcomed in a speech to a joint session of Congress, sending a message that the Israeli leader maintained strong support on Capitol Hill.
The U.S.-educated Netanyahu thinks like a Republican on many key issues, whether it be his support for free-market capitalism and disdain for big government, or his security-first approach to foreign policy. Obama's first major foreign policy act, reaching out to the Muslim world in a landmark speech in Cairo while failing to visit neighboring Israel, is still seen as an insult by many Israelis.
Netanyahu's inner circle includes Ron Dermer, a former Republican activist in the U.S., and Sheldon Adelson, the American casino billionaire who has contributed tens of millions of dollars to the Republicans.
Netanyahu's friendship with Romney goes back to the 1970s, when they worked together at a Boston investment firm. During the campaign, Romney has accused Obama of throwing Israel "under the bus." And in comments to a closed fundraiser that were captured on videotape, Romney sounded as if he had received many of his talking points directly from Netanyahu as he listed reasons why peace between Israel and the Palestinians isn't possible.
Few believe any damage in relations is irreversible, and officials in both countries say defense ties remain close. Pinkas, the former Israeli diplomat, said the Iranian nuclear program is so critical that the countries will find a way to work together. He suggested that Netanyahu move quickly in the coming months to repair his relationship with Obama, either through a face-to-face meeting or quiet "back channel" discussions.
Netanyahu is required to call new elections in the next year or so. Many analysts believe he will do so much sooner, perhaps by the end of the year. Standing strong in the face of American pressure would play well to his hardline Likud Party.
"Bibi is doing what he should be doing," said Jerusalem bike shop owner Yitzchak Weiss, 66, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. "I don't think (Obama) will throw us into the sea. America is our strongest ally. He can never erase that."
The radio in Weiss' bike shop was tuned to a local Jerusalem station. As he spoke, a broadcaster announced: "Mitt Romney — let's hope he wins."
___
Daniel Estrin in Jerusalem and Matthew Daly on board Air Force One contributed to this report.
--- On Mon, 10/15/12, fred O aboge <faboge@gmail.com> wrote:
From: fred O aboge <faboge@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [PK] Facts: Obama still winning Electoral College 277-235 and 270 is the Required number To: progressive-kenyans@googlegroups.com Date: Monday, October 15, 2012, 12:24 PM
The problem for Obama is the large Cuban and Jewish population in Florida. Obama and the Jewish state has been at odds over what to do about Iran and many believe they want a more hawkish approach to dealing with Tehran. Obama's other problem is the big enthusiasm gap between republican and democratic voters in the swing states so Romney is actually sitting pretty good in the final minutes of this campaign and with his $$ and the take no prisoners PAC association that supports him, I think its Romney's election!
On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 11:03 AM, Judy Miriga <jbatec@yahoo.com> wrote:
Maurice,
On Wisconsin and Michigan I cannot say concretely except
before the debate Obama was leading with 11 points.......
Realistically, I still expect Obama lead shortly after tomorrow's
That's good news about Ohio and Florida, especially Ohio. florida does not worry me much because it has all the ingredients favourable to Obama; Blacks, Latino and the Elderly who value the Obamacare healthcare plan.
What do the polls look like in Wisconsin and Michigan?
Courage
Obama makes push for early voting in Wisconsin
2012-10-04T17:14:20Z2012-10-05T18:08:49ZObama makes push for early voting in WisconsinThe Associated PressThe Associated Press
October 04, 2012 5:14 pm • Associated Press
President Barack Obama tried to turn the conversation to the importance of early and absentee voting before a friendly crowd of 30,000 on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus Thursday, shaking off criticism over his first debate against Republican Mitt Romney.
The crowd waited for hours in periodic rain showers and dropping temperatures to cheer Obama during his 22-minute speech that touched on key campaign themes of funding education, creating jobs and pushing for tax fairness.
Obama urged the student-heavy crowd not to boo Romney but instead to vote.
"Go Badgers!" he said as he took the stage, one of only a few references to being in Wisconsin. He encouraged listeners to take advantage of in-person early voting that starts in Wisconsin on Oct. 22 and runs through Nov. 2. Absentee ballots are also available and must be mailed back before Election Day.
Four years ago, when Obama carried Wisconsin by 14 points, one in five ballots was cast before Election Day.
The visit came the day after Obama's first debate with Romney and the release of a poll showing Obama ahead in Wisconsin by 11 points with five weeks to go.
Staged on the tree-lined Bascom Hill in the middle of campus, the speech marked the second time Obama has come Wisconsin in as many weeks. Thursday's crowd count of 30,000 was provided by UW Police.
UW senior Katie Iliff introduced Obama and urged her fellow students to the find the time between classes and other commitments to vote.
Rally attendee Laurie Benzine, 57, said she intends to vote early in-person so she can focus on doing other work for Obama on Election Day.
"Everybody's got to get put to vote and support him," said Benzine, of Rio, Wis. "He's got a good lead here but look what happened with Gov. Walker. We thought we had it."
Walker won his June recall election by 7 points.
Walker released a statement Thursday blasting Obama's decision to campaign in Madison following his widely panned performance in Wednesday's debate.
"President Obama is on his heels and chose to recover from a bad debate in one of the most liberal places in America," Walker said. "Last night, swing voters in Wisconsin clearly saw that Mitt Romney is the better choice to get America working again."
Romney's campaign has said the organization built to keep Walker in office is being tapped to propel the GOP candidate and encourage early voting. Wisconsin hasn't voted for a Republican for president since 1984, but Romney hopes to break that streak with the help of Janesville-native Paul Ryan on his ticket as vice president.
Ryan planned to host a fundraiser in Milwaukee on Saturday and return the following weekend to raise money for Tommy Thompson in his Senate race against Democrat Tammy Baldwin.
"The thrill is gone in a lot of places, and Madison is a classic example of that," said Rich Beeson, Romney's political director. "They need to go in and prop up the base."
Obama's decision to return to Wisconsin so quickly is an indication of how well Romney and Ryan are doing in Wisconsin, Romney pollster Neil Newhouse said.
"It's the only state where we've actually added to our target list for advertising as a result of what's happening on the ground," Newhouse said. "We're excited about where we stand in Wisconsin. I think our on-the-ground activity reinforces that."
Newhouse and Beeson refused to disclose their internal poll numbers.
Obama supporters at the rally said they weren't worried about what effect the president's debate performance would have on the election.
"I think he took the high road," said Obama supporter Nichols Williams, 32, of Madison. Williams said he was planning to wait until Election Day to cast his ballot, despite the president's pleas to vote early.
In Wisconsin, 71,347 absentee ballots have been requested by election clerks who use the statewide voter database. The ballots are mailed and collected locally, so there is no overall total for how many have been submitted.
From: Judy Miriga <jbatec@yahoo.com> Subject: Facts: Obama still winning Electoral College 277-235 and 270 is the Required number To: "Judy Miriga" <jbatec@yahoo.com> Date: Monday, October 15, 2012, 9:28 AM
Maurice, Dr. Nyandoto et all,
Check these facts......!!!......President Obama is leading 5 points ahead
of Romney......it is the true picture.......and the fact remain that Electoral
college Obama is 277 seven points above aggregate and Romney is 235
still 35 to reach aggregate point. This trend is mathematically correct....
not the other way round.......So in reality, President Obama has always
been at the top.......except for the cooked polls that reflected otherwise.
New CNN Polls this morning are putting Obama at 5% points ahead of Romney. This is where he was just before that fateful debate. It means that Americans are waking up to Romneys lies and flipflops. The not very exciting news is that they are tied in Florida and Ohio. Obama needs to win at least one of these 2 States in order to be 100% sure of a win plus a cushion.
Just remember that CNN is not very friendly to Obama so we have to assume that these numbers are heavily tilted in favour of Romney.
Let's hope tomorrow's Town Hall debate goes Obama's way.
Polls: Obama holds the edge in Florida, Ohio and Virginia
As chaos in the Middle East continues, President Obama and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney are each trying to project strength on national security. NBCs Peter Alexander reports.
By Mark Murray, Senior Political Editor, NBC News
After two political conventions and heading into the post-Labor Day sprint, President Barack Obama leads Republican nominee Mitt Romney in the key battlegrounds of Florida, Ohio and Virginia, according to new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls of each of these three states.
In both Florida and Virginia, Obama is ahead of Romney by five points among likely voters (including those leaning toward a particular candidate), 49 percent to 44 percent.
In Ohio, the president's lead is seven points, 50 percent to 43 percent.
Obama needs to bag either Ohio or Florida in order to have that confortable cushion of over 50 Colleges. Ohio should be okay since Obama rescued the Auto Industry and restored jobs there.
In Florida, the State is messing up with Voter Registration which ay work against the Black and Latino voters. That is worrying.
I think Virginia is toying with Romney to get him to move left. Virginia is a government workers' State and can't vote for a Republican who wants to reduce the number of government workers.
Courage
Willy,
Is that the Reason why Mitt Romney still do not have the Plan which is why he is being driven by former President Bush advisors?Could it be why Joe Biden asked Paul Ryan during the debate if they prefer war instead of exhausting Diplomacy .....why they were pushing for the Iran factor...???Is it the same principles why Bush invaded Iraq without clear evidence which is why America became a punching bag all over the world ??? Is that fair to go to war without intelligently getting to the bottom of factors and logistics......???Will American people agree to such push and intimidation.....????
President Obama is innocent and just want to be fair to all by doing the right thing.To hate him is totally unfair……Mitt Romney have no facts or substances, and is not telling the truth where he stands with his manifesto statement of facts where he want to take America.
Let's wait and see.........The American people are the employers, they are the bosses..........and the Truth is, American people are very good people, except some rich and the most powerful want to smear and paint America negatively and they are about to find out........Let me tell you this, you can fool someone else but not American people relate well with facts.....They know their right and they will stand for it and exercise it.........
America is a super-power……it has saved the world in many instances, ways and means……they cannot be fooled…..
Sit back and fasten your seat-beltLets watch the episode unfolding..
From: Willy Makundi <wrlmakundi@aol.com> Subject: Re: [wanabidii] Obama still winning Electoral College 277-235 and 270 is the Required number To: wanabidii@googlegroups.com Date: Monday, October 15, 2012, 5:50 AM
Erratic but white.
Erratic but willing to mercenarize the US forces to fight Israel war on Iran. For Jews who still see this as an existential threat, dumping Obama for a Romney is a small price to pay to complete the work began by papa Bush and continued by the village idiot in Crawford.
I hope your word will come true come November.
mchilyi7.0
-----Original Message-----
From: Emmanuel Muganda <emuganda@gmail.com> To: wanabidii <wanabidii@googlegroups.com> Sent: Mon, Oct 15, 2012 4:51 am Subject: Re: [wanabidii] Obama still winning Electoral College 277-235 and 270 is the Required number
Willy,
Obama will be the first. Despite the JDL shennanigans, Obama is poised to win a second term.
Romney is too erratic.
em
On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 3:44 PM, Willy Makundi <wrlmakundi@aol.com> wrote:
But there is an elephant in the sitting room.
Since Israel (aka Bibi Netanyahu) decided that Obama is non-compliant on Israel interest especially on Iran, the JDL, the APAC and other Jewish organisations have began working against his re-election. Their shareholders pretty much control all the media in the US and as such they are working against his re-election. Except for a valiant Obama effort and Gods grace, Obama will lose by a narrow margin. He has the interest of the nation at heart but no one has yet won an election in the US in contravention to the Jewish lobby. If Obama wins, he will be the first.
mchilyi7.0
-----Original Message-----
From: Judy Miriga <jbatec@yahoo.com> To: Judy Miriga <jbatec@yahoo.com> Sent: Sun, Oct 14, 2012 10:29 pm Subject: [wanabidii] Obama still winning Electoral College 277-235 and 270 is the Required number
Polls: Obama holds the edge in Florida, Ohio and Virginia
As chaos in the Middle East continues, President Obama and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney are each trying to project strength on national security. NBCs Peter Alexander reports.
By Mark Murray, Senior Political Editor, NBC News
After two political conventions and heading into the post-Labor Day sprint, President Barack Obama leads Republican nominee Mitt Romney in the key battlegrounds of Florida, Ohio and Virginia, according to new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls of each of these three states.
In both Florida and Virginia, Obama is ahead of Romney by five points among likely voters (including those leaning toward a particular candidate), 49 percent to 44 percent.
In Ohio, the president's lead is seven points, 50 percent to 43 percent.
Ed Andrieski / AP
President Barack Obama waves after speaking at a campaign rally in Golden, Colo., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012.
Among a larger pool of registered voters, Obama's advantage over Romney slightly increases to 7 points in Virginia, 8 in Florida and 9 in Ohio.
"You'd rather be in Obama's shoes than Romney's in these three critical states," Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, says of the poll results.
But he adds that Obama's leads are not "insurmountable," especially as the two candidates prepare for their first presidential debate on Oct. 3 in Colorado.
Charles Dharapak / AP
Mitt Romney embraces women wearing traditional Vietnamese "ao dai" dresses as he campaigns at Van Dyck Park in Fairfax, Va., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012.
These states – all of which Obama carried in 2008 but which George W. Bush won in 2004 – represent three of the most crucial battlegrounds in the 2012 presidential election. And according to NBC's electoral map, Romney likely needs to capture at least two of these states, if not all three, to secure the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidency.
By comparison, Obama can reach 270 by winning just one or two of these battlegrounds – on top of the other states already considered to be in his column.
(Obama also has an additional path to victory without any of these three states if he wins the toss-up contests of Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.)
What's particularly striking about these polls, Miringoff observes, is how most voters in these battleground states have already made up their minds, with just 5 to 6 percent saying they're undecided, and with more than 80 percent signaling that they strongly support their candidate.
"Those who are thinking of voting have pretty much picked sides," he says.
The Romney campaign is on defense, facing criticism from within the Republican Party, and from President Barack Obama that the GOP presidential nominee politicized a foreign policy crisis. Romney campaign adviser Vin Weber discuses.
Economy vs. foreign policy In Florida and Virginia, Obama and Romney are essentially tied among likely voters on the question of which candidate would do a better job handling the economy, although Obama has a four-point advantage on this question in Ohio.
But when it comes to handling foreign policy, the incumbent Democratic president enjoys a double-digit lead over his Republican challenger.
Also in the polls, Obama's job-approval ratings – 50 percent in Ohio and 49 percent in Florida and Virginia – exactly match his ballot position against Romney in these states.
And in each of these three battlegrounds, a majority of likely voters say the country is on the wrong track, while more than 40 percent believe that it's headed in the right direction.
Jason Reed / Reuters
First lady Michelle Obama visits with young children in after-school care at the Rappahannock Area YMCA in Spotsylvania, Va., on Sept. 13, 2012.
Looking at the Senate races The polls also measure the key U.S. Senate contests in these three states, all of which could determine the balance of power in that chamber.
In Florida, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson leads Republican challenger Connie Mack among likely voters by double digits, 51 percent to 37 percent.
In Ohio, incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is ahead of GOP challenger Josh Mandel by seven points, 49 percent to 42 percent.
And in Virginia, Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican George Allen are tied at 46 percent each.
The NBC/WSJ/Marist polls of Florida, Ohio and Virginia were conducted from Sept. 9-11 of nearly 1,000 likely voters in each state (about 30 percent by cell phone), and they have a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points.
The former Republican Florida governor explains his support for President Barack Obama but says he's not ready to declare himself a Democrat just yet.
A likely voter is determined based on interest in the upcoming election, the chance of voting, and prior participation in past elections.
More than 1,300 registered voters were surveyed in each of the three states, and the margin of error for those voters is plus-minus 2.7 percentage points.
Obama still winning Electoral College 277-235 and 270 is the Required number..........
His poor debate performance might have led some pollsters to move Florida, Virginia and North Carolina into Mitt Romney's win column, but President Obama still leads in enough states to give him an Electoral College victory by seven points.
Proving a point made repeatedly by the Obama campaign that it can lose several states it won in 2008 and still keep the White House, the University of Virginia's Center for Politics cut 13 Electoral Votes from its September analysis due to the debate, but still has Obama with 277 and Romney 235; 270 are needed.
To win, the Center said, Romney needs Colorado, New Hampshire and Virginia to get to 261. Then he'd need either Ohio or Wisconsin, or both Iowa and Nevada. "This should cheer the GOP," said the Center.
It's easier for Obama. The Center expects Obama to take Nevada, Ohio, Iowa and Wisconsin for the win.
Obama team promises more aggressive president in second debate
Reuters/Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama greets an onlooker after disembarking from the Air Force One at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport in Williamsburg, Virginia, October 13, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan …moreErnst less
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Campaign advisers to President Barack Obama promised on Sunday he would be more aggressive and energetic on Tuesday in his second debate against Republican challenger Mitt Romney after a passive, heavily criticized performance in their first showdown.
Since that first debate in Denver on October 3, polls indicate Romney has erased Obama's lead heading into the November 6 election. Obama and Romney debate again on Tuesday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The third and final presidential debate will take place on October 22 in Florida.
"Obviously, the president was disappointed in his own performance. He didn't meet his expectations," Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs told the CNN program "State of the Union," referring to the first debate.
"He knew when he walked off that stage and he also knew as he's watched the tape of that debate that he's got to be more energetic. I think you'll see somebody who's very passionate about the choice that our country faces - and putting that choice in front of voters," Gibbs added.
The Romney team sounded unimpressed. "Well, the president can change his style. He can change his tactics. He can't change his record. And he can't change his policies. And that's what this election is about," Romney campaign adviser Ed Gillespie told CNN.
"I think the race is very close. I think the wind is at Governor Romney's back, and there's clearly momentum. You can see it on the trail, you can see it in the data," Gillespie said in a separate appearance on "Fox News Sunday."
In contrast to Obama's listless debate performance, Vice President Joe Biden was far more assertive in his debate on Thursday night with Romney's running mate Paul Ryan in Danville, Kentucky.
Another Obama campaign adviser, David Axelrod, told the "Fox News Sunday" program: "I think he's going to be aggressive in making the case for his view of where we should go as a country, a country that's built around a growing, thriving middle class, not this top-down theory that Governor Romney has."
"But the other thing he's going to certainly do - I mean, we saw Governor Romney sort of serially walk away from his own proposals - certainly the president is going to be willing to challenge him on it as we saw the vice president challenge Paul Ryan," Axelrod said.
(Reporting and editing by Vicki Allen and Will Dunham)
Koch Industries, other CEOs warn employees of layoffs if Obama is reelected
Romney campaigning in Florida (Justin Sullivan/Getty)
Koch Industries, the Wichita, Kan.-based company run by the billionaire Koch brothers, sent a voter information packet to 45,000 employees of its Georgia Pacific subsidiary earlier this month.
In it was a letter, dated Oct. 1, from Koch Industries president Dave Robertson implicitly warning that "many of our more than 50,000 U.S. employees and contractors may suffer the consequences" of voting for President Obama and other Democrats in the 2012 elections, a list of conservative candidates the company's political action committee endorses and a pair of editorials: one, by David Koch, supporting Mitt Romney, and the other, by Charles Koch, condemning Obama.
"While we are typically told before each Presidential election that it is important and historic, I believe the upcoming election will determine what kind of America future generations will inherit," Robertson's letter--first published by InTheseTimes.com--begins. "If we elect candidates who want to spend hundreds of billions in borrowed money on costly new subsidies for a few favored cronies, put unprecedented regulatory burdens on businesses, prevent or delay important new construction projects, and excessively hinder free trade, then many of our more than 50,000 U.S. employees and contractors may suffer the consequences, including higher gasoline prices, runaway inflation, and other ills. This is true regardless of what your political affiliation might be."
Robertson's letter continued:
(In These Times)
To help you engage in the political process, we have enclosed several items in this packet. For most of you, this includes information about voter registration deadlines and early voting options for your state. At the request of many employees, we have also provided a list of candidates in your state that have been supported by Koch companies or by the KOCHPAC, our employee political action committee.
I want to emphasize two things about these lists. First, and most important, we believe any decision about which candidates to support is -- as always -- yours and yours alone, based on the factors that are most important to you. Second, we do not support candidates based on their political affiliation. We evaluate them based on who is the most market-based and willing to support economic freedom for the benefit of society as a whole.
If you are concerned about our economy, our future and enhancing the quality of life for all Americans, then I encourage you to consider the principles of your candidates and not just their party affiliation. It is essential that we are all informed and educated voters. Our future depends on it.
It's not the first time Koch Industries has sent employees political packets. Just before the 2010 midterm elections, Koch sent staffers an urgent mailer that the Nation said was "full of alarmist right-wing propaganda."
It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, as our current President plans, I will have no choice but to reduce the size of this company. Rather than grow this company I will be forced to cut back. This means fewer jobs, less benefits and certainly less opportunity for everyone.
So, when you make your decision to vote, ask yourself, which candidate understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of protecting and saving your job. While the media wants to tell you to believe the "1 percenters" are bad, I'm telling you they are not. They create most of the jobs. If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the "1%"; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country.
As Gawker noted, Siegel and his wife were the subjects of "The Queen of Versailles," a recent documentary "about their ongoing quest to build the largest house in America." And Siegel has often claimed credit for George W. Bush's victory over Al Gore in the 2000 presidential race. ("I had my managers do a survey on every employee [8,000 total]," Siegel told Bloomberg BusinessWeek. "If they liked Bush, we made them register to vote. But not if they liked Gore.")
Siegel and the Koch brothers are not alone in issuing anti-Obama missives to employees. According to MSNBC, Arthur Allen, chief executive of ASG Software Solutions, wrote a similar email to his staffers on Sept. 30:
Many of you have been with ASG for over 5, 10, 15, and even 20 years. As you know, together, we have been able to keep ASG an independent company while still growing our revenues and customers. But I can tell you, if the US re-elects President Obama, our chances of staying independent are slim to none. I am already heavily involved in considering options that make our independence go away, and with that all of our lives would change forever. I believe that a new President and administration would give US citizens and the world the renewed confidence and optimism we all need to get the global economies started again, and give ASG a chance to stay independent. If we fail as a nation to make the right choice on November 6th, and we lose our independence as a company, I don't want to hear any complaints regarding the fallout that will most likely come.
In the email, Allen added: "I am asking you to give us one more chance to stay independent by voting in a new President and administration on November 6th."
Obama: If people read transcript, they'll think I won last debate
October 13, 2012 | 1:20 pm
President Barack Obama greets people on the tarmac as he arrives at Newport News Williamsburg International Airport on Air Force One, Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, in Williamsburg, Va. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
President Obama told a Miami radio host yesterday that he never thought, during last week's presidential debate, that Mitt Romney got the better of him.
"That's not actually how I thought about it," Obama said on the Michael YO! Show when asked if there was a moment when he knew he was losing last week. "I do think that on television it was clear that I was being too restrained when Mr. Romney was telling his tall tales. But the truth is, when you read the transcript, everything I said was true and a lot of what he said was not."
Obama did concede that he "had an off-night" and explained that he was "too polite" to bring up Romney's 47 percent remarks.
"It is a useful reminder, though, that the news media's attention span is fairly short," he said of the fact that the 47 percent comments didn't come up in the debate.
Obama also talked about his earliest experience in the private sector. "My first job was at Baskin Robbins and it paid minimum wage," he said. "I don't know what minimum wage was back then — it was probably three bucks an hour."
The show began with Obama weighing in on the Mariah Carey-Nicki Minaj feud on American Idol, saying that between the two, he prefers Mariah Carey. "Mariah — she's actually done some events for us," Obama said. "Nicki, I don't know, but I've got her on my iPod."
No word on whether his iPod contains the song in which Minaj says "I'm a Republican voting for Mitt Romney."
Carter 2 comments collapsed
I think it's more that Obama is saying he told the truth and Mitt didn't. This is actually the case according to every single independent fact checking organization.
During the primaries, even Newt G. said it's impossible to debate Romney effectively because you never know which Romney will show up, and he'll say anything to win.
Templar 1 comment collapsed
Obama and the truth are oxymorons.
NITPICKER2 2 comments collapsed
If you Republicans want a president so bad why don't you people pick a candidate that is fit for office. Romney is not fit for office and he will never be our president.
But there is an elephant in the sitting room.
Since Israel (aka Bibi Netanyahu) decided that Obama is non-compliant on Israel interest especially on Iran, the JDL, the APAC and other Jewish organisations have began working against his re-election. Their shareholders pretty much control all the media in the US and as such they are working against his re-election. Except for a valiant Obama effort and Gods grace, Obama will lose by a narrow margin. He has the interest of the nation at heart but no one has yet won an election in the US in contravention to the Jewish lobby. If Obama wins, he will be the first.
mchilyi7.0
Check it out........
What Netanyahu's meddling in US election means for Obama, Romney, and diplomacy
Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the United Nations General Assembly today, where he is expected to reiterate his demands that President Obama set 'red lines' for Iran. It appears Netanyahu is meddling in US presidential elections, fueling rifts with Obama to favor Mitt Romney.
By David Andrew Weinberg | Christian Science Monitor – Thu, Sep 27, 2012
Some observers claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to tip the scales against President Obama in the elections this November. Judging by his recent behavior – and based on my own research about how such efforts have played out in other settings – these accusations are probably correct.
The realization that Mr. Netanyahu may be meddling in the American presidential elections could complicate the foreign policy debate on the campaign trail and have repercussions for future diplomacy between the United States and Israel.
At the start of this month, Mr. Netanyahu suddenly began pushing for Washington to lay down new "red lines" on Iran's nuclear program. He also warned on Sept. 11 that nations that fail to do so "don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel."
Next, anonymous Israeli sources (and reportedly Netanyahu himself) suggested that Mr. Obama was snubbing Israel's leader by refusing to meet during the UN General Assembly.
Despite an immediate effort by President Obama to soothe tensions through a late-night phone call to Netanyahu, the prime minister then went on Sunday talkshows to tell the American people that their president was not being tough enough on Iran.
Netanyahu's dogged efforts to highlight small gaps between the Obama administration's position and his own have prompted accusations that he seeks to help elect his old friendMitt Romney. Observers who accuse him of meddling include veteran columnists with the The New York Times, the New Yorker, Time Magazine, and Ha'aretz, as well as Israeli opposition leader Shaul Mofaz.
Meanwhile, other expert commentators believe that Netanyahu's actions are not aimed at electoral interference. Netanyahu himself felt pressed to reassure observers that "I'm not going to be drawn into the American election."
The problem with authoritatively trying to prove or disprove such accusations right now is that practitioners of partisan intervention have strong incentives at the time to deny their true intentions, casting their support for favored politicians in terms of policy issues instead of personal preference.
In my own studies of partisan intervention in the US-Israel relationship, I have found that it can take years before participants feel comfortable admitting their true intentions. Indeed, I was only recently able to get former American officials on record – and declassified archives confirming – that President George H. W. Bush pursued a determined, conscious campaign in 1992 to get pro-peace candidate Yitzhak Rabin elected Israel's prime minister.
Still, the current case is brimming with indicators that one of Netanyahu's private goals may be to shape the US presidential election. For one, he has a fraught relationship with the incumbent and a longstanding connection with the challenger.
What seems to be a manufactured crisis over Obama refusing to meet him at the UN is especially telling. This sort of "snub diplomacy" is a classic feature in many past cases of partisan intervention.
For instance, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Madeleine Albright all floated stories about refusing to meet Netanyahu or his deputies as part of their effort to turn Israeli opinion against the Israeli leader in 1999, hoping to make clear he had lost favor in Washington.
Another consonant sign of partisan interference is Netanyahu's renewed interest in reaching out to the American people directly through their televisions. It is especially striking that Netanyahu still chose to take his grievances to the public after President Obama's telephone call aimed at reconciliation.
Bill Clinton reached out to the Israeli public in much the same way in July of 2000, immediately after the failure of negotiations at Camp David. At Ehud Barak's request, he used an interview with Israeli TV to help stave off the collapse of Mr. Barak's pro-peace government in Israel, pledging new concessions for its conduct at the summit and effusively praising Barak's leadership role.
Netanyahu's recent sound bites on Iran are already being featured in a million-dollar ad buy attacking Obama in Florida. The group distributing this ad, Secure America Now, is founded by a Republican strategist notorious for having a direct line to the prime minister, so Netanyahu was probably aware of how such remarks would be utilized by American conservatives.
It has also been widely reported that Netanyahu and Mr. Romney share some key benefactors, most notably Republican super-donor Sheldon Adelson. The casino magnate has announced he may spend as much as $100 million this year to bring down Obama. He spent nearly twice that much launching a free, right-leaning newspaper in Israel that many see as a mouthpiece for Netanyahu.
Netanyahu's confrontational, exasperated tone toward the Obama administration over Iran makes little sense from a diplomatic standpoint. The Israeli prime minister has already received an unprecedented commitment that Obama will never let Iran weaponize its nuclear fuel and will use force if necessary to ensure this promise. Unless Netanyahu is calling into question America's ability or the president's word, existing US promises should really be sufficient (if not completely satisfying from an Israeli perspective).
All of these factors suggest that Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to influence the upcoming American presidential election. This is a realization that poses both opportunities and challenges for the presidential campaigns on foreign policy.
Democrats could try to strike back against this controversial behavior by rallying nationalist sentiment against foreign intervention in the US election and accusing Romney of encouraging such meddling. (Netanyahu himself has appealed to his base by accusing Washington of meddling in some past Israeli elections.) However, this could be a risky tactic, since many Jewish American voters tend to view the Israeli premier quite favorably.
Similarly, Republicans could point to Netanyahu's intentional vote of confidence for their candidate as a sign that Romney is ready for the world stage. However, such a gambit could also backfire by suggesting that Romney's domestic standing alone is insufficient for getting him across the finish line.
Regardless of who wins in November, the American president is likely to remember Netanyahu's conduct during this critical period. In the short term, the prime minister may or may not receive additional concessions from Washington on Iran. But once Netanyahu faces his own elections in 2013, he will probably find himself on the receiving end of American intervention, either as retribution or reward.
At the very least, this episode should serve as a potent reminder that international alliances are often messier in practice than most politicians would like to admit.
David Andrew Weinberg holds a Ph.D. in political science from MIT and serves as a non-resident fellow with the UCLA Center for Middle East Development. He formerly served as a staff member at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
GOP candidates show more loyalty to a foreign country (Israel) than their own
Republican presidential candidates do the United States a disservice in trying to bind an American president to the policies of Israel and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. Whatever happened to GOP foreign-policy realists, like Bush I?
It is disconcerting to see the foreign-policy traps that Republican presidential candidates set for themselves, especially when it comes to Israel and the Middle East.
ON THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PLANE--Flying from Philadelphia to Boston, Mitt Romney gave reporters in the press cabin some quality candidate time. After joking with a reporter who had been accidentally left behind by the press bus and later passing out beef jerky, the GOP candidate was back again—this time to give reporters a read-out about his phone call on Friday afternoon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He said he and Netanyahu, a longtime friend who he had first met in the late 1970s when they were both working at the Boston Consulting Group, had talked about Iran and other issues of concern in the Middle East, including the unrest in Syria. All serious issues, Romney acknowledged, but he couldn't resist ribbing the prime minister.
"I complimented him on his address at the United Nations," Romney said. "I suggested that his graphic was not up to the normal Boston Consulting Group standards."
Pausing, he added, "No, I didn't actually do that, but I was thinking that."
Romney was referencing a cartoon-like graphic in the shape of a bomb that Netanyahu employed to explain the threat of a nuclear Iran.
Asked if there is "daylight" between the position he holds toward Iran and the one put forward by Netanyahu, Romney didn't say. But he used the moment to criticize his opponent, President Barack Obama, for not offering tough sanctions against Iran in the first place.
"He's moved over time," said Romney. "From the very beginning, I thought crippling sanctions needed to be put in place…to see action opposed to just words. His words, more recently, are more consistent with the words I've been speaking for some time, and we'll see what actions he pursues."
Offering a more cautious tone than he did in the aftermath of the deadly attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions abroad, Romney added that it was "premature" to say what the Obama administration did "correctly or incorrectly" in how it handled the attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador, and three others were killed.
"There are a wide array of reports about warnings and were they heeded. We'll find out whether that was the case or that was not the case," Romney said. "There was a great deal of confusion about that from the very beginning on the part of the administration and whether that was something that they were trying to paper over or whether it was just confusion given the uncertain intelligence reports. Time will tell."
As Romney addressed reporters, the GOP candidate seemed upbeat. He said he was looking forward to next week's debate, his first with Obama, but said he wasn't sure "how important it will be."
"I don't know what will happen at the debates, but I think it will be a good chance for the president and me to have a conversation with the American people about our respective views, and I think that will give people a chance to understand where we actually stand, as opposed to where our opposition thinks we stand," Romney said. "They'll be able to make a more informed choice."
As Romney spoke, it was hard not to notice the candidate was wearing a blue tie with horseshoes and four-leafed clovers, symbols of good luck—something Romney needs heading into the final 39 days of the campaign.
Romney and Netanyahu: Old Friends Now At Center Of Iran Nuke Debate
By Gregory J. Krieg | ABC OTUS News – Thu, Sep 20, 2012
ABC OTUS News - Romney and Netanyahu: Old Friends Now At Center Of Iran Nuke Debate (ABC News)
Theirs is a relationship unlike any other in global politics.
Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been friends for more than 35 years. First they were corporate business advisers at the Boston Consulting Group during the Israeli prime minister's years studying and working in the U.S.; then, over time, they would leave the private sector for lives in politics. Netanyahu returned to Israel in the late 1970s; Romney ran for Senate in the early 1990s (he lost to Ted Kennedy) and then, successfully, for governor of Massachusetts in 2002. But they were always in touch, discussing policy and, on occasion, swapping favors, like when Romney urged Bay State legislators to divert public pension money from businesses with ties to Iran.
So with the Israeli prime minister turning up in yet another Pro-Romney Super PAC ad, it was only natural to ask: Had Netanyahu, his relationship with President Obama always in varying degrees of distress, formally endorsed his old pal Mitt Romney for president?
The Romney campaign says no. "Governor Romney believes we must stand with our allies," spokeswoman Andrea Saul told ABC News, "but he is not seeking the endorsement of foreign leaders."
At least not formally. Despite their deep ties, the video, produced by the Secure American Now group, was made without the knowledge or approval of Netanyahu's office, nor, per campaign finance laws, did the Romney campaign have any say in its content.
Punctuated with heavy, foreboding effects, the clip, taken from a Sept. 11, 2012, press conference, shows Netanyahu calling for a more aggressive tack in keeping nuclear weapons out of Iranian hands.
"The world needs American strength," a narrator warns at the end. "Not apologies."
Romney takes a similar tone in his own rhetoric. He told Face The Nation host Bob Schieffer in late June, "If I'm president, the Iranians will have no question but that I would be willing to take military action, if necessary, to prevent them from becoming a nuclear threat to the world."
Despite proposed policies that are actually pretty much in line with those pursued by the Obama administration, there's little doubt Romney is more popular with Israel's foreign policy hawks, Netanyahu chief among them.
The two stood side-by-side during Romney's visit to Israel on July 29, as Netanyahu called again for the threat of more serious, perhaps military intervention in Iran.
Romney responded in the affirmative, noting their "friendship which spans the years," and telling the Israeli prime minister, "Your perspective with regards to Iran and its efforts to become a nuclear capable nation are one which I take with great seriousness. I look forward to chatting with you about further actions we can take to dissuade Iran from their nuclear folly."
The release of secretly recorded tapes from a Romney fundraiser in Florida provided even more evidence of strong personal and political ties. Seeking to assuage donors' concerns about campaign tactics and the staffers drawing them up, Romney rattled off his advisers' bona fides.
"I have a very good team of extraordinarily experienced, highly successful consultants, a couple of people in particular who've done races around the world," he said. "I mean, they work for 'Bibi' Netanyahu in his race. So they do these races and they see which ads work and which processes work best."
There are, in fact, longstanding connections between Romney and Netanyahu's closest consultants. Dan Senor, Romney's most prominent foreign policy aide and a spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 U.S. invasion, reportedly worked with a top Netanyahu aide Ron Dermer to choreograph their July meeting.
Dermer, the American-born adviser to Netanyahu Tablet Magazine calls "the prime minister's alter-ego" and credits with having "done more to shape Israel's relationship with the United States, its Arab neighbors, and the Palestinians over the past few years than any man aside from the prime minister himself," was the source for the July 2 New York Times that first revealed Romney's plan to meet with the prime minister during his trip.
"He's a strong friend of Israel and we'll be happy to meet with him," Dermer said. "We value strong bipartisan support for Israel and we're sure it will only deepen that."
LAS VEGAS -- The 13-year-old who died in a house fire Thursday night has been identified by the Clark County Coroner's office as Mirion Jackson.Firefighters said the teen was found in the burned home onMore>>
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By JULIE PACE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Citing national security risks, President Barack Obama on Friday blocked a Chinese company from owning four wind farm projects in northern Oregon near a Navy base where the U.S. military flies unmanned drones and electronic-warfare planes on training missions
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