Networks Favor Romney '47%' 13-1 Over Obama 'Redistribution'

In a clear sign of where their heart lies, the Big Three TV networks, by a whopping 13 to 1 margin, devoted much more coverage to Mitt Romney's month's old "47 percent" secret video than to President Obama's 14-year-old but just discovered wealth "redistribution" audio.

Over the three days this week that they hit the media, network morning shows and evening news devoted one hour, 28 minutes, 23 seconds to the Romney tape over 42 stories and just six minutes, 28 seconds over eight stories to the Obama clip.

And even if the timeline is shortened to the Tuesday night release of the Obama audio, the ratio is 10-1, according to an analysis provided to Secrets from conservative media watchdog Media Research Center.

And their analysis doesn't include Thursday night's NBC Saturday Night Live Weekend Update hit on the 47 percent tape or print coverage of the comments that NBC News anchor Brian Williams suggested was a "game changer" in the election still stuck at 47 percent to 47 percent according to Gallup.

"The double-standard within just one week of the news cycle is staggering. A surreptitiously taken video of Mitt Romney published by leftist magazine Mother Jones outpaced coverage of an Obama tape at a public event by a 10 to 1 ratio. It has to be asked if the scenarios were reversed and it was a hidden camera video of Obama published by the conservative National Review would the liberal media have reacted as excitedly?" asked MRC.

MRC collected some of the media's characterization of the Romney video that suggested it would doom his campaign:

"The media's furor over the Romney tape began on Monday night, September 17, when NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams teased viewers about Romney comments that he promised will 'raise eyebrows when heard.' By Tuesday morning the Big Three journalists were in full attack mode against Romney. ABC's Amy Robach, on Good Morning America, exclaimed: 'New bombshell rocking the Mitt Romney campaign.' ABC's George Stephanopoulos wondered where Romney's comments would 'register on the Richter Scale?' Later that evening, on ABC's World News, anchor Diane Sawyer joined her colleague in the tectonic imagery as she told viewers of the 'political earthquake that occurred on a seismic day' for the campaign."

Via: The Washington Examiner

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Pelosi claims 60 percent chance she’ll return as speaker despite polls to the contrary

In the end Pelosi will be the big loser and so will the party 

Nancy Pelosi told reporters Friday that she has a 60 percent chance of retaking the speaker’s gavel from John Boehner come January due to Republican plans to restructure Medicare for those 55 and younger.

“The momentum is coming our way,” Politico quoted Pelosi as saying.

Yet Pelosi’s rhetoric fails to square with polling data suggesting Democrats may pick up four seats and fall far short of the 25 seats Democrats need to reclaim the majority.

“[O]verall conclusions are pretty similar — modest Democratic gains, but continued Republican control,” Kyle Klondik, House editor for Larry Sabato’s “Crystal Ball” writes.

Other political pundits see similar wishful thinking in Pelosi’s comment.

“With the economy soft and 25 seats needed to retake the chamber, Democrats face considerable odds,” theBoston Globe reported Thursday . “Even as polls show public approval of Congress sinking to an all-time low, the vast majority of incumbents will win easy reelection.”

Pelosi also repeated her contention that Romney will go down in flames against President Obama.

“I don’t think there’s any way on the face of the earth that Mitt Romney wins the presidential,” Pelosi said.

Via Red Alert Politics

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Obama's Quasi-Tax Increases

When most people think about taxes, the first thing that comes to mind are federal and state taxes.  Some will remember sales taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes. 

What unites all of these taxes are that they are burdens placed by government on the citizens of America.  When we talk about the full tax burden Americans endure, it behooves us to count all of the ways in which the government forces us to spend our money.

To understand the full tax burden of Americans, we need to look at all the government does that directly financially impacts each American.  For example, since 9/11, every time you fly, you have to allocate an extra hour or more to deal with security.  That hour you lose is a burden imposed by the government that does not show up on your regular tax bill, but since time is money, that hour does impact your life.

Any sort of government imposed non-tax financial burden can be called a quasi-tax in that it takes money out of the pockets of Americans, but it is not levied in the manner normal taxes are, and the money does not necessarily go directly to the government.

These quasi-taxes can have a huge impact on both the economy and the financial well-being of every American.  Additionally they can be extremely regressive and disproportionately target those Americans with the least money.

Obama has imposed a number of highly regressive quasi-taxes on Americans since he assumed office in 2009.

The price of gas has doubled under Obama.  While that entire price change is not Obama's fault, his support for dramatic reductions in new drilling permits on federal lands and his inept foreign policy in the Middle East have contributed to reducing the oil supply and hence increasing the price of gasoline.

Via: American Thinker

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LA CONFIDENTIAL: MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA COVERS UP $400M TAXPAYER BOONDOGGLE

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who also ran the Democratic National Convention, has now embroiled himself in a scandal of epic proportions with taxpayer dollars. Villaraigosa and staff negotiated a deal with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) to build a football stadium in downtown Los Angeles. The price tag for the taxpayers: almost $400 million in debt, supposedly to be repaid by AEG. The stadium will be built on land currently occupied by the Los Angeles Convention Center. Los Angeles, as you may recall, doesn’t have a football team.

Sounds like a typical stadium boondoggle.

Except that it turns out that AEG is being sold, which means that the group that will perform the contract with the City of Los Angeles is not the same as the group that negotiated the contract. Here’s where it gets truly ugly: Villaraigosa knew about the upcoming sale, and told nobody. He kept it a secret. He said nothing to Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry Miller and City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana. Members of the City Council, who will have to sign off on the deal, were kept in the dark, too.

“I’ve met with ... people who are looking to bring a football team. I'm not going to tell everybody everything we’re doing because we want a football team. And a lot of what happens here is, it’s got to be negotiated quietly,” said a frustrated Villaraigosa to the media.

Now, there is only one reason for Villaraigosa to hide the AEG sale from those who most needed to know about it. According to mayoral candidate Kevin James, that reason is simple: AEG received a sweetheart deal at taxpayer expense, which upped AEG’s sale price. Now the new buyers will have a great deal with the City of Los Angeles. And Villaraigosa will get to look like a hero for bringing the NFL to Los Angeles. Perfect for his gubernatorial run.

There’s something seriously fishy going on here. The details of the AEG deal must be examined closely, especially given the fact that Los Angeles already carries a $258 million deficit and a $27 billion unfunded pension liability.

But this is how Democrats do business. There’s a reason that Villaraigosa and Barack Obama are thick as thieves – when it comes to taxpayer dollars, they are thieves.

Via: Breitbart

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AP: Mitt Romney Runs Campaign Like CEO He Was

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney seems to be both candidate and campaign CEO these days, and some Republicans say he's trying to do too much.

He reviews TV ads and polling data on an iPad. He writes many of his speeches. He's often talking like a consultant.

One instance of that gave him trouble last week, when a secretly taped speech to donors was posted online just as polls show him narrowly trailing President Barack Obama.

"Here are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them," Romney said at the May fundraiser. "And so my job is not to worry about those people — I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

Democrats accused Romney of writing off half of the country. The former Massachusetts governor insisted he was just talking about the polls and trying to make the point that 47 percent of people probably will support the Democratic incumbent, no matter what their reasons.

Some Republicans grimaced.

They say Romney's explanation was evidence of a big problem with his campaign: The nominee simply is taking on too many duties. Romney's job is to inspire voters, they say, and not manage every detail of his campaign.

"He was talking about the electorate as if it were a ledger sheet," said Alex Castellanos, a Republican strategist who worked closely with Romney on his 2008 presidential campaign. "It diminishes him."

More broadly, the episode illustrated Romney's leadership style, which he's honed over decades in the private sector, where he was an actual CEO. It also provided a look at how he might lead the country as president.

Romney spokesman Kevin Madden defended Romney's approach.

"It's his campaign," Madden said. "On a campaign like this, everything is derived from the candidate's vision, and the reason they are offering their leadership to the American people."

During three decades in private business, Romney made big money turning around struggling companies with hands-on leadership and a laser-like focus on the smallest details.

Via: AP

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More Americans Added to Food Stamps Than Find Jobs

An alarming data point from the minority side of the Senate Budget Committee: More Americans are being added to food stamps than are finding jobs. The data is detailed in this chart, provided by the committee:

As the chart shows, between April-June 2012 (the most recent three month block for which government data is available), only 200,000 jobs have been created while 265,000 individuals have been added to the food stamp rolls. Additionally, in that time period, 246,000 workers were awarded disability.

Another chart shows that the last three month block is part of a larger trend. The chart, also from the minority side of the Senate Budget Committee, shows that "Workforce Shrinks Since January 2009 While Millions Sign Up For Disability And Food Stamps."

As the chart shows, since January 2009, when President Barack Obama took office, the net change jobs has been negative (-1.3 million), while 5.7 million workers and dependents have been awarded disability and a whopping 15.1 million have been added to the food stamp rolls.

"A total of 46,670,373 Americans are now on food stamps," according to the minority side of the Senate Budget Committee. "The food stamp program has doubled in size since 2008 and quadrupled since 2001."

And the government program isn't cheap: "Spending on food stamps alone is projected to reach $770 billion over the next decade."

Via: The Weekly Standard

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POLITICO: 'OCCUPY UNMASKED' BREITBART'S 'LAST MAJOR PIECE OF WORK'

Today, Politico interviewed the two of the chief creators, along with Andrew Breitbart, of Occupy Unmasked, the new documentary examining the origins, motives, and effects of Occupy Wall Street. Citizens United President David Bossie and writer and director Stephen K. Bannon sat down with Politico’s Patrick Gavin, who rightly called Occupy Unmasked Andrew Breitbart’s “last major piece of work.”

The film, says Gavin, “portrays the occupy movements in such cities as New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., as dirty and dangerous encampments that exploited the grievances of average Americans.” Bossie described the movement as “this very well-organized machine, very much the hard-core left, the anarchists movement,” which “utilized the people who kind of felt put upon, or that their American dream or their hope of an American dream had been taken away: College kids that weren’t finding work, middle age folks who were out of work for a long period of time.”

Bannon added that the attitude prevalent in Occupy Unmasked – what he called “the fighting spirit of Andrew Breitbart” – is missing from the political debate today. “You just need that,” he added. “He was a unique guy at a unique sense of time. The conservative movement has really never had a guy who was that physical and that magnetic …. We’re really missing that.”

Via: Breitbart

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Dem Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Says She Would Break The Law To Vote Against GOP Bill To Stop Obama From Gutting Welfare Work Requirements…

On Thursday, Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was so worked up about Republican legislation to stop the Obama administration’s welfare work requirement waivers that she exited an anti-bullying event early, joking that she would be breaking traffic laws to cast her vote in opposition.

“Please forgive me if I run out for a vote and a debate. I am going to run back. We’ll probably break all traffic rules, but I want you to be engaged. And I don’t want anybody hear about what traffic rule I’ve broken, but I want all of you to be engaged,” she urged the gathering of anti-bullying advocates and school children.

Lee left quickly in the middle of the event she headlined — “Bullying – Sticks & Stones: Changing the Face of the 21st Century” — to oppose to the Republican measure.

“My friends are now on the Hill. I’m going to have to run back, because the waiver that was given to give people flexibility on TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ] is now — that’s what we call giving flexibility in the national, making a statement of cooperation and working with government, state governments, meaning flexibility in the welfare concept, which I am so glad [the Obama administration] did,” she told the gathering. “So now my friends on the other side of the aisle, representing the 53 versus 47 percent — a little humor here, I’m going to get to the point, but in any event — they are trying to repeal the flexibility that our government so rightly so has given and sitting us in hearings saying that we over regulate.”

Despite a reputation for bullying her own staff, Lee has been championing anti-bullying legislation and pushing for more efforts to end bullying.

“Bullying prevention and intervention is not only about caring for our young people, it is about caring for our future, so bullying brings about bully-cide, suicide, cyber-bullying, and it does not end with our children on the playground,” she said. “It exists on college campuses, workplaces, online and even elderly care facilities.”

The Daily Caller revealed last year that in conjunction with her hot temper with staff, she has a reputation for ignoring traffic laws, with former drivers saying she would demand they run red lights and take highway shoulders to expedite travel times — something that has resulted in at least one accident.

Via: Daily Caller

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Allen West: ‘We Are Not Even Allowing Our Children And Grandchildren To Be Born’

(CNSNews.com) – Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) introduced a coalition of black pro-life advocates on Capitol Hill on Friday by saying that abortion threatens the future of the black Americans.

“Today, we’re talking about the future,” West said. “It’s not just the $16 trillion in debt that we’re about to put on our children and grandchildren. It’s the fact that we’re not even allowing our children and grandchildren to be born.”

Catherine Davis, president of The Restoration Project, said the Centers for Disease Control statistics show that while blacks represent about 13 percent of the U.S. population, 35 percent of abortions are performed on black women.

“There is one organization whose mission is one of population control that greatly influences this disproportionate rate – that’s Planned Parenthood,” said Davis who, along with the other panelists, called for Congress to stop funding the organization. “They are the largest abortion provider, performing more than 329,000 abortions a year.”

Other speakers included Ryan Bomberger, founder of the Radiance Foundation. Bomberger’s mother was raped but carried the pregnancy to term and gave him up for adoption.

Bomberger’s biography states that, “His life defies the myth of the ‘unwanted’ child as he was adopted, loved and has flourished.”

Via: CNS News

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Romneys to Release Taxes

The Romney campaign is releasing Mitt and Ann Romney's 2011 tax return today. The campaign previews a few of the highlights here:

• In 2011, the Romneys paid $1,935,708 in taxes on $13,696,951 in mostly investment income.

• The Romneys’ effective tax rate for 2011 was 14.1%.

• The Romneys donated $4,020,772 to charity in 2011, amounting to nearly 30% of their income.

• The Romneys claimed a deduction for $2.25 million of those charitable contributions.

• The Romneys’ generous charitable donations in 2011 would have significantly reduced their tax obligation for the year. The Romneys thus limited their deduction of charitable contributions to conform to the Governor's statement in August, based upon the January estimate of income, that he paid at least 13% in income taxes in each of the last 10 years.

Additionally, the Romney campaign is releasing a summary of 20 years of taxes, between 1990-2009, detailing their tax expenditures during those years:

• In each year during the entire 20-year period, the Romneys owed both state and federal income taxes.

• Over the entire 20-year period, the average annual effective federal tax rate was 20.20%.

• Over the entire 20-year period, the lowest annual effective federal personal tax rate was 13.66%.

• Over the entire 20-year period, the Romneys gave to charity an average of 13.45% of their adjusted gross income.

• Over the entire 20-year period, the total federal and state taxes owed plus the total charitable donations deducted represented 38.49% of total AGI.

UPDATE: Here's Mitt and Ann Romney's 2011 tax return:

Mitt and Ann Romney 2011 1040

Via: The Weekly Standard

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Nevada Republican to Harry Reid: Make our day, release your 2011 tax return

Should Sen. Democratic leader Harry Reid follow in the footsteps of GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney by releasing his 2011 tax return?

Dave Buell, chairman of the Washoe Country Republican party in Mr. Reid's political backyard of Nevada, certainly thinks so.

"Senator, make our day and release your 2011 tax return," he said in an email blast Friday evening.

Citing an anonymous source, Mr. Reid has repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that Mr. Romney "didn't pay taxes for 10 years."

Mr. Romney countered that over the past ten years he never paid less than 13 percent of his taxable income and that "Harry Reid's charge is totally false."

Shortly after Mr. Romney released the additional tax information, Mr. Buell blasted out the email calling for Mr. Reid to come clean and release hits tax records "so that all Nevadans can see that he is paying his fair share." He added, "In addition, Mr. Reid should explain to all of us how he became a millionaire on a bureaucrat's salary. Mitt Romney earned his money by investing in companies, people and creating jobs in the private sector while Harry Reid made his money by taking money from the private sector and redistributing it through government."

Mr. Buell also pointed out that Nevada has had the highest unemployment rate in the country.

Via: Washington Times

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Former White House director: Obamacare passed with the ‘will and desire’ of the American people

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe this morning, former Director of the Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes defended Obama’s suggestion that change doesn’t come from inside Washington.

Barnes insisted that Obama believes that “Change comes

“The President is reflecting the tough battles that he’s been through with health care and other issues,” Barnes said insisting that the reason that the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ repeal and the Affordable Health Care Act passed because of “the will of the American people.”

Change outside of Washington, Barnes noted “is that coalition of the American President linking arms with the will and the desire and the aspiration, the optimism of the American People to get things done that will actually break through and make that change,” she explained.

Via: The Examiner

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List of Failed Obama Green Energy & Solar Companies in the Billions

Below is a list of failed energy companies backed by President Barack Obama and funded with tax dollars. President Obama has gone to great lengths to support policies to advance so-called green energy technologies but so far has met with utter failure.  The President plans to double down on these unproven, expensive failed technologies if he gets a second term.

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Most Americans are asking, “Can the United States of America REALLY afford FOUR MORE YEARS of President Obama?

List Of Failed Green Energy Jobs & Companies – By Obama

Update: 7/19/12: The Amonix Solar: FAIL! – manufacturing plant in North Las Vegas, subsidized by more than $20 million in federal tax credits and grants given by Obama Administration, has closed its 214,000 square foot facility a year after it opened.

• Solar Trust of America: FAIL! - Filed Bankruptcy in Oakland, CA, April 3, 2012 – On April 2, 2012
• Bright Source: FAIL! - Bright Source warned Obama’s Energy Department officials in March 2011 that delays in approving a $1.6 billion U.S. loan guarantee would embarrass the White House and force the solar-energy company to close. Lost Billions of dollars but Getting More Money To Keep Trying. Can you say, “This isnt working?”
• Solyndra: FAIL! - Obama gave Solyndra $500,000,000 in taxpayer money and Solyndra shut its doors and laid off 1100 workers in August 2011 After Billions in Losses due to failure to make a solar product that works!
• LSP Energy: FAIL! - LSPEnergy LP filed bankruptcy protection and a sale of its assets in Feb 2012
• Energy Conversion Devices: FAIL! – On February 14, 2012 Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. and its subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy
• Abound Solar: FAIL! - Abound Solar received a $400 million loan guarantee from Barack Obama announced in June, 2012 that it would file for bankruptcy
• SunPower: FAIL! - SunPower stopped producing solar cells last year at near bankruptcy restructured only with help of, get this, oil giant TOTAL who owns 60% stake. Irony! Still struggling…
• Beacon Power: FAIL! – Beacon Power Corp filed for bankruptcy Oct 2011 just a year after Obama approved $43 million loan Government loan guarantee
  
• Ecotality: FAIL! - ECOtality, a San Francisco green-tech company that never earned any money on the verge of bankruptcy after receiving roughly $115 million in two loan guarantees from Obama 
• A123 Solar: FAIL! -A123 received $279 million from taxpayers thanks to PresidentObama’sDepartment of Energy loan guarantees and after Solyndra bankruptcy is getting another $500M from Obama and it has lost $400M
• UniSolar: FAIL! - Uni-Solar filed for Ch 11 bankruptcy in June 20 this year laid off hundreds got more Obama money still failing but still in business
• Azure Dynamics: FAIL! - Azure Dynamics files for bankruptcy in June wasting millions in Obama “Stimulus” and tax credits.  Azure Dynamics LLC filed for bankruptcy protection in Canada and the US.  Azure laid off 120 of its 160 employees in Oak Park; Boston; Vancouver, British Columbia; and the UK.
• Evergreen Solar: FAIL! - Evergreen Solar received $527 Million in Taxpayer money from Obama filed bankruptcy
• Ener1: FAIL! received more than $100 million in government funding from the Obama administration filed for bankruptcy January 2012

Via: Divided States

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Study: Only 15 Percent Of Democrats Believe Economic News Is Bad

With just 47 days before the general election and Mitt Romney attempting to pivot the focus of the election back on the state of the economy, citizens with Democratic leanings are actually doing an about-face on the economy compared to their Republican counterparts, according to a recent study from the Pew Research Center.

Via: CBS DC Local

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Obama Campaign’s Ejection of Student Raises Discrimination Questions

An expert on the First Amendment said the Obama campaign’s decision to bar a University of Florida student from attending a Michelle Obama speech smacked of viewpoint discrimination and raised questions about liberal bias in academia.

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Clay Calvert, the director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida, said the incident also raises questions about the university’s involvement.

“While the university might not have done anything legally wrong in allowing Obama officials to discriminate against Republicans in terms of attendance, certainly the incident will, in the eyes of some folks, appear – rightly or wrongly – to be another indicator of liberal bias in academia,” Calvert told Fox News.

Matt Pesek, a student at the university, was denied entry to the speech even though he had a ticket for the event. He told the website Campus Reform that an Obama staffer pulled him out of line because he was wearing a John McCain t-shirt.

The First Lady’s speech, the Obama staffer allegedly told the student, was for “supporters only.”

The revelation surfaced the same day President Obama appeared on CBS’ Late Show With David Letterman and said he represented the entire country.

“If you want to be president, you have to work for everyone,” he told Letterman.

Pesek said he offered to turn his shirt inside but was still denied entry.

University of Florida spokesperson Janine Sikes told Fox News that the university had absolutely no control over the event. She said the Obama campaign paid money to rent the facility and could determine who was allowed inside.

However, that appears to contradict a stipulation in the contract between the university and the Obama campaign.

Fox News obtained a copy of that document which includes a non-discrimination clause.

“User shall not prohibit attendance at the Event by any person in violation of law,” the clause states. “In the event entrance to any person is restricted by law, User shall provide written notice of such restricted use to University’s vice president for business affairs prior to signing of the agreement.”

Sikes said the campaign did not violate the law by denying the conservative student entry into the event.

Calvert said the incident raises troubling questions about the university’s handling of the situation.

“My primary question and concern is whether university officials knew in advance about the attendance discrimination policy that the Obama officials implemented – that people with pro-Republican garb that didn’t include anything offensive about the First Lady or the President would be turned away,” he said. “If officials new that in advance, then it would be highly problematic. Second, if university officials did not know in advance, then why didn’t they know?”\

Via: Fox News

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Rangel umbrage at Cantor: Higher taxes are 'paying your fair share!'

Censured Tax Cheat Charlie Rangel

New York Rep. Charles Rangel, censured by the House for ethics violations over squirrely financial dealings like failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets and failing to pay income taxes, today called President Obama's goal of killing some Bush tax cuts "paying your fair share!"

The 82-year-old's umbrage came in a tweet while he was in the Cannon Rotunda interview area. According to a picture he also tweeted, he was near House Majority Leader Eric Cantor who was in a discussion over the Bush tax cuts.

"My ears perking up to hear RepCantor saying taxes will go up under Pres Obama. It's called 'paying your fair share!'" Rangel tweeted just after noon.

His picture shows Rangel waiting to be interviewed with Cantor off to the right, TV light shining off his face as he is being interviewed.

It's the second time this week Rangel has ranted on proper ethics and tax paying. Earlier this week he rapped Mitt Romney for accurately saying that some 47 percent of Americans don't pay taxes. Rangel said in a statement that was just federal taxes, and that the 47 percent actually do pay some taxes, presumably local taxes.

When the tweet made its way around Capitol Hill today, many Rangel critics choked, mocking his long list of ethical challenges. His reputation and career were damaged when he was charged with ethical violations, forced to step down as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and eventually censured.

Via: Washington Times

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Jewish Support For Obama In Florida Down 7 Points From 2008

Support for President Barack Obama among Jews in the state of Florida is down 7 percentage points on 2008, according to an American Jewish Committee (AJC) poll released Thursday.

A total of 69% of Florida Jews said they would vote for Obama in November’s presidential elections, down from an estimated 76% in 2008, the AJC noted.

A 7 percentage-point drop in the Jewish vote likely represents over 50,000 votes in a state that the Republicans won in 2000 by fewer than 600 votes.

The 69% figure closely matches the results of a Gallup poll among Jewish voters nationwide from last weekend, which put support for Obama among US Jews at 70%.

Only 25% of Florida Jews said they would vote for Mitt Romney, according to the AJC poll.

Republicans have invested unprecedented resources — including buying billboards, print advertisements and door-to-door canvassing — to target hundreds of thousands of Jews in swing states whom the Republican Jewish Coalition has suggested may be considering turning away from their traditional Democratic affiliation.

The AJC’s telephone poll was conducted among 254 registered Jewish voters between September 7-9. The AJC expects to publish, within the coming weeks, a poll of Jewish voters in Ohio — another key battleground state — and a nationwide poll.

“In a key state, to which both parties are devoting a great deal of time and attention, and where recent history is a reminder that the margin of victory can be razor-thin, the Jewish vote takes on added importance,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

According to Republican Jewish Coalition head Matt Brooks, the new poll “reinforces what we’ve been saying all along, and that various polls in the past have indicated, which is that Barack Obama continues to have trouble with Jewish voters, and we continue to see significant erosion of Jewish support for the president.”

Democrats, however, challenged the conclusion Thursday that the new poll showed Obama slipping among Florida Jewish voters.

“It’s comparing apples and oranges to compare a 2008 exit poll and an AJC study in September of 2012,” said National Jewish Democratic Council head David Harris.

“But having said that, when you take out the undecideds from the AJC poll, you have Barack Obama leading Mitt Romney 73 [percent] to 26,” he added. “This is one point away from where I see the final vote tally of the Jewish vote settled in 2008,” which the NJDC has argued came in at 74%.

Via: Times of Israel

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