When you are in poverty, it is difficult to buy food. The majority of people who are at that level do not have the extra cash to be paying for houses, cars, utilities, and clothing. Food stamps are a last resort, because they would be dumpster diving otherwise. All instances of people having expensive luxury items while on food stamps are a statistical anomaly and insignificant, thus irrelevant to the conversation.
I totally agree, but how do we fight the perception that people on foodstamps are freeloaders? I posted an old vid of Newt Gingrich and in his rather affluent area of Cobb Country Georgia, the people interviewed all thought, like Newt and his Contract with America back in 1994 that there was just too much fat in government spending. When asked where to cut? An overwhelming majority said Welfare, cut the lazy moochers… but when the books were checked at how much money went to Welfare it was only 1% of the entire budget of the County.
Re: Tm Pawlenty - I read that he is not wealthy, and there was some question about what he was going to do after his term as Governor. I think he saw a good job opportunity and jumped for it. Also, he obviously saw the writing on the wall that there was no cabinet position in his future.
True, but “I’m co-chair of the Republican Party’s campaign to win the Presidency of the US” is the sort of thing most employers would accept as an excuse for their new hire to delay starting their job. It’s not like he saying “Well, I planned to spend some time with my buds in Vegas - mind if I start in November?”
True, but at a reported potential salary of over $1million, that’s $84k/mo. Would you stick to a sinking ship and forgo $84k in salary for the month of October? I’m betting Timmy looked at the math and said “F* it, I’m outta here.”
I like Paul Constant’s interpretation in The Stranger. Pawlenty did terribly when he ran for President. He was overlooked for VP in 2008 and 2012. He was unable to help Romney win the caucus in Minnesota. Pawlenty is probably just tired of it all and heading out.
This isn’t like Palin. It looked bad when Palin resigned, since she had an obligation to the people that elected her. Pawlenty resigning from Romney’s campaign makes Romney look bad, since it looks like people are getting off a sinking ship.
Yeah, it’s obviously just an unfortunate case of bad makeup and maybe bad lighting contributing to it. It’s just funny that out of all the times he’s been on TV, on CNN, Fox, Live with Regis and Kelly, any number of other shows and channels, it happened to him when he was on Univision. It probably also didn’t help that he’s trying to reach out to Latinos, and he referred to “illegal aliens” which is a term many consider offensive.
Not horrible…but still pretty weak tea compared to what John Stewart did with the Romney tapes / Fox News angle (starting just before the 2 minute mark).
Anecdote alert: my niece, who has been rabidly anti-Obama, has now hit the “I still don’t want to vote for Obama but do I have to vote for Romney?” stage, something I thought I’d never see. I think the various news stories are having some effect (and I think I scored a hit with the airplane windows comment as well).
My wife, who absolutely loathes anything political, who has vowed to never ever vote no matter how much I argue with her about it, yesterday told me she is considering voting to make sure Romney never sees a presidency.
A day later and I’m still dumbfounded. I feel like hell froze over.
Gary Johnson on the ballot in all 50 state. If she’s a social conservative, Virgile Goode on the ballot in many (most? all?) states.
My brother who also hates politics and is pretty racist is voting for Obama because he can see how Romney would gut the middle class. My brother is not a very ‘intellectual’ person and if he can recognize that, then it is pretty darn obvious.
Well no, not me, since I actually wasn’t born here. But I don’t know.