Video: Obama In Tonight's Late Show With David Letterman

[chuckd]

I am intrigued at trying a successful businessman at the helm. Having been one myself my whole life I can see the benefits of having someone in office who knows how to get things done. However, I'm not sure that works in Washington. Are businessmen better Presidents?

I don't get this "successful businessman" stuff.

Even when he "saved" the Olympics he did it with $1.5 BILLION of taxpayers money, a lot of which went to wealthy developers in Utah - and I wonder how many of those funded his campaign?

The most damning aspect of the Salt Lake tab wasn't the final amount, but how it was being spent. In their exhaustively researched Sports Illustrated accounting, Barlett and Steele explain how many Olympics projects amounted to little more than slush funds for wealthy donors to the games. Wealthy Utahns used the games as an excuse to receive exemptions for projects that would otherwise never meet environmental standards, or to receive generous subsidies for improvements of questionable value to the games—but with serious value to future real estate developments. In one example, a wealthy developer received $3 million to build a three-mile stretch of road through his resort. Where'd he get the money? Federal funds that had been deposited in the Utah Permanent Community Impact Fund. Per the piece:

The U.S. Treasury collects royalties from mining and petroleum companies that prospect and drill on federal lands, and from individuals and businesses that buy and sell the related leases. The Treasury returns half the payments to the states where the lands are located. States generally distribute the money as grants or loans to those communities that have been socially or economically affected by prospecting or drilling. In Utah this money traditionally has gone to struggling counties to help with public needs, like purchasing a fire truck.

Now the state was going to give $2 million in federal royalties to Summit County—by far the state's richest county, and one in which a majority of the mines closed years ago—and the money would be in the form of an outright grant rather than a loan, even though the fund's rules state that grants can be made "only when the other financing mechanisms cannot be utilized, where no reasonable method of repayment can be identified, or in emergency situations regarding public health and/or safety." On top of that the grant was earmarked for construction of a road that would benefit a private developer.

http://www.huffingto..._n_1704261.html

and the original Sports Illustrated piece:

http://sportsillustr...516/1/index.htm

So when Romney tells you the Olympics are a perfect example of how he runs things, take a look at that article and see once again who benefits. It will give you a clue as to who would benefit if he was elected President.

Do you seriously want us to go there with Obama and his administration? I'll be happy to really dig some but we can start with the UAW, Solyndra, et al.

[Chicog]

Do you seriously want us to go there with Obama and his administration? I'll be happy to really dig some but we can start with the UAW, Solyndra, et al.

You can seriously go where you like, I was merely responding to a point made in a previous post.

[Ulysses G.]

I don't get this "successful businessman" stuff.

Even when he "saved" the Olympics he did it with $1.5 BILLION of taxpayers money

Did you think that he was going to use his own money? No wonder you don't get the successful businessman stuff.

[ricklev]

If you add to that perception his Mormon affiliation, and if you have ever had deep association with these people you would rightly feel he is wrong for the country, as I do.

If we are going to disparage religion, spending years going to the radical Reverend Wright's church is a lot more scary.

I'm proud to be an American and ashamed of some of America's past and current behavior. I've never heard Reverend Wright say much I disagree with (except maybe for some odd stuff about Jews.) He is speaking truth to power! It's a darn shame you are not capable of hearing it and a further shame Obama had to throw him under the bus to get elected! (I just couldn't resist the urge. )

Edited September 27, 2012 by ricklev

[Chicog]

I don't get this "successful businessman" stuff.

Even when he "saved" the Olympics he did it with $1.5 BILLION of taxpayers money

Did you think that he was going to use his own money? No wonder you don't get the successful businessman stuff.

So you'd be happy with him channeling your tax money into the pockets of his wealthy friends then? As long as he personally didn't lose out on the deal?

[koheesti]

This is one of Obama's 47%...

Edited September 27, 2012 by koheesti

[nurofiend]

This is one of Obama's 47%...

oh well that really gives a fair representative of 47% of america doesn't it?

if this kinda nonsense is what romney supporters have to put out and cling to now, they truly are screwed.

Edited September 27, 2012 by nurofiend

[keemapoot]

Update on Letterman: On Tuesday's show, he was back to the Romney jokes again. He said "Romney was on a bus tour of Ohio showing he was a regular guy, (first time he's ever been on a bus)," and then he showed a clip of Romney making "kind of a joke," speaking in at a fundraiser where Romney described how growing up his father was so poor in Idaho, he could only eat potatoes, and that even later in life, he could not look a potato in the eye..., Romney then chuckled to himself, and said "that's kind of a joke." Nobody in the Romney's audience laughed or got it.

[Ulysses G.]

It is just a cartoon, but still, the most honest and accurate assessment of Obama's campaign I have seen so far (first posted by koheesti in OTB).

[chuckd]

Update on Letterman: On Tuesday's show, he was back to the Romney jokes again. He said "Romney was on a bus tour of Ohio showing he was a regular guy, (first time he's ever been on a bus)," and then he showed a clip of Romney making "kind of a joke," speaking in at a fundraiser where Romney described how growing up his father was so poor in Idaho, he could only eat potatoes, and that even later in life, he could not look a potato in the eye..., Romney then chuckled to himself, and said "that's kind of a joke." Nobody in the Romney's audience laughed or got it.

We have had a joke in the White House for the past four years.

It seems it would be wise to put somebody in there that takes things a little more seriously.

[koheesti]

Update on Letterman: On Tuesday's show, he was back to the Romney jokes again. He said "Romney was on a bus tour of Ohio showing he was a regular guy, (first time he's ever been on a bus)," and then he showed a clip of Romney making "kind of a joke," speaking in at a fundraiser where Romney described how growing up his father was so poor in Idaho, he could only eat potatoes, and that even later in life, he could not look a potato in the eye..., Romney then chuckled to himself, and said "that's kind of a joke." Nobody in the Romney's audience laughed or got it.

I wonder if the bus Romney was on was made in Canada like Obama's campaign bus?

[koheesti]

This is one of Obama's 47%...

oh well that really gives a fair representative of 47% of america doesn't it?

if this kinda nonsense is what romney supporters have to put out and cling to now, they truly are screwed.

Funny you should mention being desperate and having to resort to things...it turns out these "protesters" are SEIU union members paid $11/hour and brought out to for a fake protest.

...and there really is a program to give people free Obamaphones...

The Obama Phone Program

What exactly is the free

Obama phone

? The free Obama phone is a program that is meant to help the financially unstable who cannot afford access to a cell phone. Communication should not be limited to people in relation to what they are able to afford. The Lifeline program was actually created decades ago to help low income families have access to land lines. Over the years the cost of cell phones and cellular service has decreased and the program has been extended to cover cell phones.

http://obamaphone.net/

The Lifeline system under Obama has jumped to nearly $2 billion/year to give people like in the video free phones and calls...

Where do “Obama phones” come from?

n 2008, the program was expanded to support cell phones which quickly escalated the cost of the program. In 2008 the program cost $772 million, but by 2011 it cost $1.6 billion.

http://washingtonexa...03#.UGUPCE1t6So

Obama - buying votes wherever he can!

Edited September 28, 2012 by koheesti

[Jingthing]

Sounds like a good program. Cudos to President Obama, or as I like to call him, two-term Obama.

[keemapoot]

On Weds. Letterman show, he had UK PM David Cameron as a featured guest. Letterman asked Cameron what he thought about these massive amounts of money and in Romney's case, 8 years of campaigning for the office of US President. Cameron described how in the UK, his entire campaign war chest amounted to $175,000! And, the campaigning process took about 6 months. Further, he described how TV ads are banned in the UK for candidates. These comments brought thunderous applause.

I agree. We need to dismantle and overhaul this whole defunct electoral process, starting with the superPACS.

[Jingthing]

I think the U.S. campaign system needs major reform but paring it down to British levels is unrealistic and culturally impossible. The circus/big show aspect of it all is something most politically interested Americans actually love, whether they admit it or not.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Jingthing

[chuckd]

Sounds like a good program. Cudos to President Obama, or as I like to call him, two-term Obama.

Welcome back, JT. I'm surprised you haven't changed your support to Romney.

By the way, this good program you support was expanded from a land line program to cell phones in 2008 under the Bush administration.

In 2008 the program cost the federal government $772 Million but, like everything else under Obama, the cost has more than doubled to $1.6 Billion in 2011.

My question is, if it is a federal program, why is it called an "Obama phone"? Why not a "Bush phone" since GWB is the one that started the cell phone program.

Edit: I just realized the $1.6 Billion for Obama's cell phone network in 2011 is $100,000,000 MORE than Romney got in support of the SLC Olympics.

What a coincidence.

Edited September 28, 2012 by chuckd

[chuckd]

oh well that really gives a fair representative of 47% of america doesn't it?

if this kinda nonsense is what romney supporters have to put out and cling to now, they truly are screwed.

Funny you should mention being desperate and having to resort to things...it turns out these "protesters" are SEIU union members paid $11/hour and brought out to for a fake protest.

Obama - buying votes wherever he can!

That you tube is the most outrageous thing I have seen in months, if not years. People getting paid $11 an hour to campaign, very likely away from their real jobs as government employees, on behalf of Obama. Notice how those people who were willing to talk to the camera were not permitted to?

No freedom of speech in the Obama Democratic party???

Here is the link again:

[TheWalkingMan]

Update on Letterman: On Tuesday's show, he was back to the Romney jokes again. He said "Romney was on a bus tour of Ohio showing he was a regular guy, (first time he's ever been on a bus)," and then he showed a clip of Romney making "kind of a joke," speaking in at a fundraiser where Romney described how growing up his father was so poor in Idaho, he could only eat potatoes, and that even later in life, he could not look a potato in the eye..., Romney then chuckled to himself, and said "that's kind of a joke." Nobody in the Romney's audience laughed or got it.

I wonder if the bus Romney was on was made in Canada like Obama's campaign bus?

Of course your one-liner fails to mention that these buses, there are two, were order by the Secret Service. It also neglects to mention that the shell of the bus came from Canada while the security enhancements were done in the USA. All I can say, if people want to mention something in these discussions, please provide complete rather than truncated information as it is misleading.

The order for the buses went to a US company which then ordered the shells from the Canadian company.

Not sure about Romney's bus, but I think that there is a very high probability that he is on a bus with the same Canadian manufactured shell.

[Scott]

Off-topic post deleted as well as reply. Rev. Wright is off-topic.

[chuckd]

These news items probably haven't been on the letterman Show so some of our members might not have seen them. They are pertinent to the election, however.

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Americans’ Incomes Have Fallen $3,040 During the Obama ‘Recovery’

8:02 AM, SEP 27, 2012 • BY JEFFREY H. ANDERSON

Americans must be wondering how much more of this “recovery” they can afford. New figures from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, compiled by Sentier Research, show that the typical American household’s real (inflation-adjusted) income has actually dropped 5.7 percent during the Obama “recovery.” Using constant 2012 dollars (to adjust for inflation), the median annual income of American households was $53,718 as of June 2009, the last month of the recession. Now, after 38 months of this “recovery,” it has fallen to $50,678 — a drop of $3,040 per household.

Yet it gets worse. Amazingly, incomes have dropped even more during the “recovery” than they did during the recession.

http://www.weeklysta...ery_653116.html

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Q2 GDP SLASHED TO 1.3%

Sam Ro

The third reading on Q2 GDP just came out and the report was ugly.

The headline growth number was revised down to 1.3 percent on an annualized basis.

Economists expected the number to be unchanged at 1.7 percent.

Read more: http://www.businessi...9#ixzz3pkrk7eEp

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Durable goods drop worst since recession

WASHINGTON | Thu Sep 27, 2012 8:37am EDT

(Reuters) - New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods in August fell by the most in 3-1/2 years, pointing to a sharp slowdown in factory activity even as a gauge of planned business spending rebounded.

The Commerce Department said on Thursday durable goods orders dived 13.2 percent, the largest drop since January 2009, when the economy was in the throes of a recession. Orders for July were revised down to show a 3.3 percent increase instead of the previously reported 4.1 percent gain.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected orders for durable goods -- items from toasters to aircraft that are meant to last at least three years -- to fall 5 percent.

Read more here: http://www.reuters.c...E88Q0S720120927

[Chicog]

Update on Letterman: On Tuesday's show, he was back to the Romney jokes again. He said "Romney was on a bus tour of Ohio showing he was a regular guy, (first time he's ever been on a bus)," and then he showed a clip of Romney making "kind of a joke," speaking in at a fundraiser where Romney described how growing up his father was so poor in Idaho, he could only eat potatoes, and that even later in life, he could not look a potato in the eye..., Romney then chuckled to himself, and said "that's kind of a joke." Nobody in the Romney's audience laughed or got it.

I wonder if the bus Romney was on was made in Canada like Obama's campaign bus?

Now that is too funny.

[Chicog]

Update on Letterman: On Tuesday's show, he was back to the Romney jokes again. He said "Romney was on a bus tour of Ohio showing he was a regular guy, (first time he's ever been on a bus)," and then he showed a clip of Romney making "kind of a joke," speaking in at a fundraiser where Romney described how growing up his father was so poor in Idaho, he could only eat potatoes, and that even later in life, he could not look a potato in the eye..., Romney then chuckled to himself, and said "that's kind of a joke." Nobody in the Romney's audience laughed or got it.

We have had a joke in the White House for the past four years.

It seems it would be wise to put somebody in there that takes things a little more seriously.

Oh yes, someone needs to get that FAA sorted out and get those airplane windows opening.

[Ulysses G.]

Americans must be wondering how much more of this “recovery” they can afford. New figures from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, compiled by Sentier Research, show that the typical American household’s real (inflation-adjusted) income has actually dropped 5.7 percent during the Obama “recovery.” Using constant 2012 dollars (to adjust for inflation), the median annual income of American households was $53,718 as of June 2009, the last month of the recession. Now, after 38 months of this “recovery,” it has fallen to $50,678 — a drop of $3,040 per household.

Yet it gets worse. Amazingly, incomes have dropped even more during the “recovery” than they did during the recession.

http://www.weeklysta...ery_653116.html

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Q2 GDP SLASHED TO 1.3%

Sam Ro

The third reading on Q2 GDP just came out and the report was ugly.

The headline growth number was revised down to 1.3 percent on an annualized basis.

Who cares? Obama's favorite kind of Mexican food and favorite workout song is a lot more important.

Edited September 28, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[Jingthing]

Just curious. What is Obama's favorite Mexican specialty?

[keemapoot]

Just curious. What is Obama's favorite Mexican specialty?

"The whole group enjoyed Rosa Mexicano’s signature tableside Guacamole; and while Hunter and Kathleen ate Enchiladas Suizas and Chicken Tacos....''

http://georgetown.patch.com/articles/obama-biden-kids-dine-out-in-chevy-chase-fe0cb00f

[chuckd]

Update on Letterman: On Tuesday's show, he was back to the Romney jokes again. He said "Romney was on a bus tour of Ohio showing he was a regular guy, (first time he's ever been on a bus)," and then he showed a clip of Romney making "kind of a joke," speaking in at a fundraiser where Romney described how growing up his father was so poor in Idaho, he could only eat potatoes, and that even later in life, he could not look a potato in the eye..., Romney then chuckled to himself, and said "that's kind of a joke." Nobody in the Romney's audience laughed or got it.

We have had a joke in the White House for the past four years.

It seems it would be wise to put somebody in there that takes things a little more seriously.

Oh yes, someone needs to get that FAA sorted out and get those airplane windows opening.

Maybe the Marine "corpse" can do it after they finish visiting all "57" states.

What about those financial forecasts? I'm sure the Obama administration would like to roll down some windows somewhere and throw them all out.

[Chicog]

I'm still waiting for Romney to tell us how he is going to make things better other than by replacing Obama and cutting taxes for his wealthy friends.

[chuckd]

I'm still waiting for Romney to tell us how he is going to make things better other than by replacing Obama and cutting taxes for his wealthy friends.

We've been waiting nearly four years for a Democratic budget and a recovery to begin.

How is Obama going to improve his administration? It's a dead cinch what he has attempted so far isn't working, so how will he change if he gets another four years?

How do those fiscal forecasts look to you? Forget Romney's laugh and underwear for a minute and look at what Obama has done. Your straw man arguments are getting tiresome.

Edited September 28, 2012 by chuckd

[Neurath]

Update on Letterman: On Tuesday's show, he was back to the Romney jokes again. He said "Romney was on a bus tour of Ohio showing he was a regular guy, (first time he's ever been on a bus)," and then he showed a clip of Romney making "kind of a joke," speaking in at a fundraiser where Romney described how growing up his father was so poor in Idaho, he could only eat potatoes, and that even later in life, he could not look a potato in the eye..., Romney then chuckled to himself, and said "that's kind of a joke." Nobody in the Romney's audience laughed or got it.

I wonder if the bus Romney was on was made in Canada like Obama's campaign bus?

Dunno, but Romney's wife apparently rides Arabians. Most unpatriotic.

[bendejo]

The important thing this election is the dog tied to the roof of the car and scared shi_tless.

Keep your priorities straight!