Now THIS is the kind of passion that works in a campaign. Go Joe!
(Via JoeMyGod)
Poll: 62% of Americans support same-sex unions
A new CBS News/New York Times poll shows that 62 percent of Americans support recognizing same-sex relationships via either full marriage equality or civil unions. That number jumped to 70 percent when asked of those aged 18-44 across parties. Independent voters back marriage equality and civil unions by a robust 62 percent.
A Gallup poll released late last week also showed that a considerable majority of independents strongly backed President Obama’s support for marriage equality.
Despite the growing public support for marriage equality, Mitt Romney continues to buck the will of the majority of Americans – supporting neither marriage equality nor civil unions. That position puts him further to the right on LGBT equality than even former President George W. Bush, who did support civil unions.
Learn more about Mitt Romney’s anti-LGBT positions.
Mitt Romney – in true fashion – flipflops on gay adoption
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Friday backed away from his support of adoptions by same-sex couples, saying that he simply “acknowledges” the legality of such adoptions in many states.
Mitt Romney said on Thursday: “And if two people of the same gender want to live together, want to have a loving relationship, or even to adopt a child — in my state individuals of the same sex were able to adopt children. In my view, that’s something that people have a right to do. But to call that marriage is something that in my view is a departure from the real meaning of that word.”
But then on Friday, he was asked, in an interview with CBS’ WBTV in Charlotte, N.C., how his opposition to same-sex marriage “squared” with his support for gay adoptions. Romney told anchor Paul Cameron: “Well actually I think all states but one allow gay adoption, so that’s a position which has been decided by most of the state legislators, including the one in my state some time ago. So I simply acknowledge the fact that gay adoption is legal in all states but one.”
(source)
Rachel Maddow: “Why does Mitt Romney laugh when he talks about his own anti-gay bullying?”
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
When listening to Mitt Romney “apologize” about his high school bullying reported by the Washington Post yesterday, my first question was “why is he laughing about something he SAYS he doesn’t remember?”
Just seemed kind of strange from a behavioral stand point. Rachel Maddow tackles that question on her show.
Mitt Romney’s prep school escapades
The Washington Post is reporting on the prep school antics of Mitt Romney back in 1965.
Apparently, Mitt had some issues with people he identified as being “different.” In particular, a younger boy named John Lauber, who returned to school after spring break with bleach blond hair:
“He can’t look like that. That’s wrong. Just look at him!” an incensed Romney told Matthew Friedemann, his close friend in the Stevens Hall dorm, according to Friedemann’s recollection. Mitt, the teenaged son of Michigan Gov. George Romney, kept complaining about Lauber’s look, Friedemann recalled.
A few days later, Friedemann entered Stevens Hall off the school’s collegiate quad to find Romney marching out of his own room ahead of a prep school posse shouting about their plan to cut Lauber’s hair. Friedemann followed them to a nearby room where they came upon Lauber, tackled him and pinned him to the ground. As Lauber, his eyes filling with tears, screamed for help, Romney repeatedly clipped his hair with a pair of scissors.
The incident was recalled similarly by five students, who gave their accounts independently of one another. Four of them — Friedemann, now a dentist; Phillip Maxwell, a lawyer; Thomas Buford, a retired prosecutor; and David Seed, a retired principal — spoke on the record. Another former student who witnessed the incident asked not to be named. The men have differing political affiliations, although they mostly lean Democratic. Buford volunteered for Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008. Seed, a registered independent, has served as a Republican county chairman in Michigan. All of them said that politics in no way colored their recollections.
“It happened very quickly, and to this day it troubles me,” said Buford, the school’s wrestling champion, who said he joined Romney in restraining Lauber. Buford subsequently apologized to Lauber, who was “terrified,” he said. “What a senseless, stupid, idiotic thing to do.”
His campaign spokeswoman said the former Massachusetts governor has no recollection of the incident.
“Anyone who knows Mitt Romney knows that he doesn’t have a mean-spirited bone in his body,” Andrea Saul said in a statement. “The stories of fifty years ago seem exaggerated and off base and Governor Romney has no memory of participating in these incidents.”
But Lauber was not the only target for the gay-bashing Mitt Romney.
In an English class, Gary Hummel, who was a closeted gay student at the time, recalled that his efforts to speak out in class were punctuated with Romney shouting, “Atta girl!” In the culture of that time and place, that was not entirely out of the norm. Hummel recalled some teachers using similar language.
Saul, Romney’s campaign spokeswoman, said the candidate has no recollection of the incident.
Read more at the Washington Post
UPDATE: Without admitting to anything specific, Mitt Romney laughingly told FOX radio host Brian Kilmeade Thursday:
“Back in high school I did some dumb things and if anybody was hurt by that or offended by that I apologize. If I did stupid things, I’m afraid I’ve got to say sorry for it. I’m quite a different guy now.”
He admitted “I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks in high school and some of them might have gone too far, and I apologize.”
President Obama vs Mitt Romney on marriage rights
Campaign ad contrasting the differences between President Obama and Mitt Romney on the issue of same-sex marriage rights.
Mitt Romney on gay rights – 1994
A letter was published today on the internet that came from then-senate candidate Mitt Romney that was written to the Log Cabin Republicans in 1994.
While we’ve all heard about Romney’s flip-flopping, the letter is kind of stunning in it’s clarity of how “then” Mitt Romney supported rights for gays and lesbians – specifically on the issues of gays in the military and ENDA (Employment Non-discrimination Act).
In the letter he promises – if elected – to co-sponsor ENDA and actually broaden the bill to include housing and credit, and the bill to create a federal panel to find ways to reduce gay and lesbian youth suicide.
He goes on to say that, regarding DADT, “it is the first of a number of steps that will ultimately lead to gays and lesbians being able to serve openly and honestly in our nation’s military. That goal will only be reached when preventing discrimination against gays and lesbians is a mainstream concern, which is a goal we share.”
Where is this Mitt Romney today? And what – other than political considerations – would change his mind on these subjects?
Gallup poll: President Obama leads Romney in swing states
In the first Gallup Swing States Poll since Romney became the presumptive GOP nominee, President Obama leads Romney 47%-45%.
Romney also seems to lag in the enthusiasm department: among who see themselves as “very” or “extremely” enthusiastic for their candidate, President Obama leads Romney 55%-46%.
The enthusiasm gap could be significant on election day in terms of “getting out the vote.”
We’ll see…
Borowitz Report: Romney pays surprise visit to his money in Cayman Islands
Andy Borowitz just kills me….
“In an uncharacteristically emotional scene for the presumptive GOP nominee, Mitt Romney today paid a surprise visit to his money in the Cayman Islands.
Speaking in a bank vault surrounded by stacks of cash, Mr. Romney praised his money for “the brave work you have done in the never-ending fight for freedom from Federal income tax.”
“Thanks to your hard work, losers around the world are envious of me,” he added. ”For that I salute you.”
Stressing that his money’s mission in the Caymans was “far from over,” he refused to set any timetable for withdrawal.
In a reference to his bid for the Presidency, Mr. Romney told his money, “It would be an honor and a privilege to have my face on you someday.”
After plunging into the stacks of cash to touch many of the dollar bills individually, Mr. Romney boarded his private jet to pay a surprise visit to Switzerland.
In other political news, Newt Gingrich suspended his presidential bid today, telling reporters: “A campaign is like a wife. When it’s on life-support, it’s time to leave.”
Mitt Romney wants 4% unemp – Reich tells him how to do it
Speaking in Pittsburgh yesterday, Mitt Romney said that “anything over 4% [unemployment] is not cause for celebration.”
The United States last achieved a sub-4% unemployment rate in December 2000, the end of President Clinton’s term.
On Twitter, Robert Reich, a Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, reminded Romney how America got there:
Romney, however, has a different plan. As a matter of fact, it’s exactly the opposite. His tax plan would give massive tax cuts to the rich. (The top 0.1% for example, would receive a $264,000 tax cut.)
Meanwhile, in a closed-door fundraiser, Romney revealed he planned to make massive reductions in education spending. He is also proposing cutting funding for infrastructure, including the possible elimination of the Department of Housing and Urban development.
Romney now says he wants to emulate former President Ronald Reagan. However, to follow in the footsteps of Reagan would be to not achieve his “4%” goals today. The average yearly unemployment rate exceeded 7% for most of his presidency and never dropped below 5.5%.
(via ThinkProgress)