Romney's Message Is Changing/Romney Secret Tape (merged)

[Witsec7]

The whole video is now available.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/1 ... 93615.html

[JenniferJuniper]

Actually, the majority of the 47% who don't pay federal income taxes are PEOPLE WITH JOBS whose income is too low, once you factor in their deductions, for them to owe any taxes.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezr ... in-charts/

Exactly. If you have a mortgage on your little house and a few kids but aren't a high wage earner, you could easily end up owing no federal income tax. But this would not exempt you from payroll taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, state taxes, excise taxes, etc. BTW, these tax deductions were mostly implemented by Republicans.

But of course these low wage earners and their little deductions can't hold a candle to people like Mitt Romney and his billionaire friends who pay countless bucks to the finest tax attorneys so they can shelter their money from taxes.

And Romney won't even release his taxes to prove what percentage he is paying in income taxes, assuming he's been paying any. His hypocrisy - and the idiocy of his non-millionaire supporters - is staggering.

[Beeks]

I really don't think these remarks are a big surprise to anyone. Do people really think the release of this video is a game changer??

I dunno, I just have this feeling that Romney is going to win despite everything.

[changemanagement]

For the sake of clarity..payroll tax is what is withheld from my paycheck and I never see it. Is this correct?

In January, I receive a statement from my employer detailing how much I earned and how much was withheld...for taxes. Is this correct? If so, then I have paid my taxes...but wait there's more.

On or before April 15 I have to file an income return to the Fed, state and local governments. They all determine if they have already taken enough money (taxes)or I need to pay MORE. Is this correct?

If the government agencies determine I have overpaid, they have to give me money back. Have I over simplied to process.

Just trying to understand how people who pay payroll taxes are included in the 47%.

[Kira]

A few polls were released today and there was some good news and some not so good news(but not terrible):

. Obama leads the NBC/WSJ national poll and a Washington post poll of Virginia by good margins. He looks good it most of the swing states.

. Obama has a one point lead in Gallup. He had a seven point lead after the convention. Todays poll is of 7 days meaning it took place during the Libya crisis. The next Gallup 7 day polls will have the "47% " speech. If Romney is only one point behind after his terrible response to Libya do he think the hidden camera video will matter :? . Most of the 47% think they're in the 53%. We will know the answer by early next week. There are some problems with Gallup. Gallup has admitted that it hasn't polled enough minority voters due to the fact that Gallup calls landlines. Nate Silver of the New York Times say that if you compare landline polls versus cell/landline polls the difference is huge. Also Gallup was wrong in 2008.

.Rasmussen has Romney up by two, but with "leaners" it's tied. What is a leaner? Rasmussen defines them as people who are undecided, but when asked again they chose a candidate. Why aren't the leaners included in the overall poll? Another odd thing about the poll is most of the leaners are African American, a group that most polls have Romney getting 0-2% of the vote. Most experts have a love/hate relationship with Rasmussen. It was accurate in 2008, but it has been known to skew polls for the GOP.

I wrote this to say that while Romney keeps making mistakes the race is still too close. Obama should be up by ten! It is very important to get out the vote.

[Kira]

I really don't think these remarks are a big surprise to anyone. Do people really think the release of this video is a game changer??

I dunno, I just have this feeling that Romney is going to win despite everything.[/quote]

The odds are still in Obama's favor, but Romney chances have gotten a little better :( .

[JenniferJuniper]

For the sake of clarity..payroll tax is what is withheld from my paycheck and I never see it. Is this correct?

In January, I receive a statement from my employer detailing how much I earned and how much was withheld...for taxes. Is this correct? If so, then I have paid my taxes...but wait there's more.

On or before April 15 I have to file an income return to the Fed, state and local governments. They all determine if they have already taken enough money (taxes)or I need to pay MORE. Is this correct?

If the government agencies determine I have overpaid, they have to give me money back. Have I over simplied to process.

Just trying to understand how people who pay payroll taxes are included in the 47%.

Social Security and Medicare withholdings on your paycheck are not income taxes. Everyone pays them at the same percentage, although FICA withholding stops once someone's salary hits $110,000.

Your employer will also withhold state and federal income tax based on how many deductions you claim on your W4. When you do your federal taxes, however, your deductions (mortgage deduction, child deductions, blindness deductions, medical bill deductions, etc.) may be sufficient to allow a refund. If your income is low, but your deductions are high, it's possible that your refund will negate any federal income tax that was withheld.

This is why many working poor and lower middle class are included in the 47%. And many - if not most - of them probably don't even know it.

[Buggaboo]

Well, I have very good instincts, for what it's worth.....and I think Obama will squeeze by. Unfortunately, I also fear for his life if that happens. I'm afraid the polarization in this country has reached fever pitch and I'm seriously beginning to doubt the sanity of some of these extreme right wing nuts we hear about. :(

I don't remember people hating each other this much over politics since Vietnam era. I was pretty little at that time, but it made an impression. I don't like it.

[Distant Lines]

Man, I really hope President Obama sends him a fruit basket or something. His campaign team has to be celebrating like no other. It's like Romney is just trying to hand him the election at this point.

[JenniferJuniper]

A few polls were released today and there was some good news and some not so good news(but not terrible):

. Obama leads the NBC/WSJ national poll and a Washington post poll of Virginia by good margins. He looks good it most of the swing states.

. Obama has a one point lead in Gallup. He had a seven point lead after the convention. Todays poll is of 7 days meaning it took place during the Libya crisis. The next Gallup 7 day polls will have the "47% " speech. If Romney is only one point behind after his terrible response to Libya do he think the hidden camera video will matter :? . Most of the 47% think they're in the 53%. We will know the answer by early next week. There are some problems with Gallup. Gallup has admitted that it hasn't polled enough minority voters due to the fact that Gallup calls landlines. Nate Silver of the New York Times say that if you compare landline polls versus cell/landline polls the difference is huge. Also Gallup was wrong in 2008.

.Rasmussen has Romney up by two, but with "leaners" it's tied. What is a leaner? Rasmussen defines them as people who are undecided, but when asked again they chose a candidate. Why aren't the leaners included in the overall poll? Another odd thing about the poll is most of the leaners are African American, a group that most polls have Romney getting 0-2% of the vote. Most experts have a love/hate relationship with Rasmussen. It was accurate in 2008, but it has been known to skew polls for the GOP.

I wrote this to say that while Romney keeps making mistakes the race is still too close. Obama should be up by ten! It is very important to get out the vote.

Avoid national polls. They are meaningless.

The only site I go to for polling analysis is Nate Silver's 538. He has a complex model for analyzing electoral data and is usually right on. Today he gives Obama a 75% change of winning down from 80% last week. Of course, this does not include any polling done after the release of The Video, so I'd expect to see Obama back up to 80% once that's in.

[Witsec7]

Man, I really hope President Obama sends him a fruit basket or something. His campaign team has to be celebrating like no other. It's like Romney is just trying to hand him the election at this point.

As mentioned up thread the next polls will reflect the impact of Mitt's 'gaffes' as documented on the tapes. And I do think the fruit basket is a lovely idea. :lol:

[Guest Anonymous]

Man, I really hope President Obama sends him a fruit basket or something. His campaign team has to be celebrating like no other. It's like Romney is just trying to hand him the election at this point.

I just hope President Obama doesn't throw his back out, turning cartwheels in the Oval Office.

[Palimpsest]

Oh, way to contradict yourself.

These aren't gaffes. This is what he really believes and he's finally saying it. As a supporter of Mitt Romney I can tell you that we have been waiting for him to say this stuff for months! But he's been so afraid of the media attacking him on it because they are so in love with Obama and can't stand to hear the other side. Well its getting out now, and even though the media is attacking and acting like its the worst thing for Romney's campaign, its not. His voters have wanted to hear this and they are finally getting to hear it. The "secret" tape release could be the best thing to happen to Mitt. We'll see.

So he has been lying and misrepresenting himself and his platform for months? :liar: :shock:

This was meant for a private audience. His wording reflects that. Let's get some tapes of Obama campaign meetings and see what he's saying behind the scenes. Level playing field anyone? No, not with the mainstream media.

So he tells his inner circle the truth but lies about his true intentions to the rest of the electorate? And it is all the mainstream media's fault for pointing out the difference? :liar: :liar: :shock: :shock:

The flustered arguments put forward by Mitt Romney supporters, and the vast majority of Republicans, are so frigging stupid. It's just not worth discussing things with them rationally.

[Buggaboo]

As mentioned up thread the next polls will reflect the impact of Mitt's 'gaffes' as documented on the tapes. And I do think the fruit basket is a lovely idea. :lol:

Maybe a bacon bra? Or would that be inappropriate?

[Palimpsest]

I really don't think these remarks are a big surprise to anyone. Do people really think the release of this video is a game changer??

I dunno, I just have this feeling that Romney is going to win despite everything.

Yep, no surprise at all. I hope you are wrong about a Romney/Ryan win though.

[Kaylee]

Yep, no surprise at all. I hope you are wrong about a Romney/Ryan win though.

I think at this point a lot of the people voting Romney/Ryan are going to vote for them no matter what, either because they are anti-Obama for whatever reason, are gonna vote Republican regardless, or because they actually buy into the craziness.

I just hope that enough the people who are on the fence or leaning towards third parties or not voting at all do get out and vote for Obama, so that Romney does not when and we don't end up with a large Republican majority in congress.

There was a pic going around facebook that said something like "the Democrats aren't perfect but at least they're not fucking crazy". That pretty much sums up my this election for me.

[Aeryn406]

Thanks for posting all these stats, everyone! I always find more than enough credible info at FJ to counteract my conservative-leaning FB friends. And, it helps me understand all the jabber. All the double-talk starts to get confusing after a while!

I hate that R(money) would discount my whole existence because I'm part of that 47% too. My husband & I both work full time, pay taxes, donate to the charities of our choice and try our best to be a positive part of our community. Oh, but I earned my college degree by getting Pell grants and we get a small tax refund each year because of our mortgage on our house ... so there's 2 "hand outs", right there. And, we make a heck of a lot less than the $200-250K that Mittens said is his definition of middle class. Never mind - I'll wait to see what my caste-designation will be, if Hell freezes over and he gets elected. (Please, Universe - no. The earth can't take that.)

*What I would love to see: Someone at one of these conservative rallies, dressed Victorian and quoting Dickens at the candidates, paraphrasing Ebenezer Scrooge or one of the other wealthier Dickens characters: "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?!" (Dialogue from that scene quoted in the link below)

http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0000500/quotes

[Sprocket]

Interesting that these folks never defended President Obama when he uttered his "inelegant" remarks about guns and religion with the "Hey, it was a private event" excuse. Such fucking hypocrites, it makes me sick.

Oh my god, you said fucking. I heart you even more if that were possible. (It's my favorite cuss word that I can no longer say out loud while little ears are around.)

[Austin]

A true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching. - John Wooden

The most important thing is that all the president's support shows up to vote. It will come down to GOTV.

As far as odds, I've been following Nate Silver's 538 blog since 2008 and he's a serious numbers guy. He was so incredibly accurate and impressive that he now partners with the NY Times to keep track of the polls. His predictions, which he updates almost daily, have been very accurate. He knows the polls back and forth, inside and out, and especially what the internals of those polls are. He weights different polls and types of informaton accurately based on a complicated algorithm that I don't pretend to understand, but remain in awe of.

Whatever Nate says will probably happen right before the election will probably happen. Right now, things look good for the president to get to 270 and his future forecast looks good, too. But people must vote. If you can early vote in your state, assuming you live in one where the GOP is not trying to suppress the vote, please vote early. You never know what could happen on election day to keep you away from the polls.

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/

[Austin]

Oh my god, you said fucking. I heart you even more if that were possible. (It's my favorite cuss word that I can no longer say out loud while little ears are around.)

:D

Sometimes, it is the only one that will do.

[JenniferJuniper]

*What I would love to see: Someone at one of these conservative rallies, dressed Victorian and quoting Dickens at the candidates, paraphrasing Ebenezer Scrooge or one of the other wealthier Dickens characters: "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?!"

Romney was very indignant about the fact that people feel they have the right to food.

Not just health care, which I believe is a basic human right, but food.

Any "Christian" who votes for this utter piece of human garbage really needs to take a long look in the mirror.

[StarrieEyedKat]

Oh my god, you said fucking. I heart you even more if that were possible. (It's my favorite cuss word that I can no longer say out loud while little ears are around.)

You need to come hang out with us sometime, it's my favorite as well!

[Buggaboo]

Romney was very indignant about the fact that people feel they have the right to food.

Not just health care, which I believe is a basic human right, but food.

Any "Christian" who votes for this utter piece of human garbage really needs to take a long look in the mirror.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[jericho]

Jericho, why do you never post about your beloved GOP in threads like this:

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12863

You have never addressed this sort of behavior from your party.

I have address this behavior before on a thread somewhere about Todd Akin. Search through my posts if you must. Todd Akin is an idiot and does not represent the Republican party. Quit listening to the mainstream media so much.

[Guest Anonymous]

Waah! Waah! The mainstream media is bullying me!

Go and tuck yourself in, jericho.