The presidential political thread

[lee19]

Gotta love The Fiscal Cliff.  

Can we all agree to use the slow and spooky voice with the echo effect when we say that?  I think we need a little song for it as well.

Talk about a media controlled agenda.  OK, queue the cliff...and....now.


The Fiscal Cliff (or fiscal slope or fiscal hill).....call it what you will.  Whatever you call it, this country faces austerity measures (tax hikes, tax loophole reform, entitlement reductions, spending cuts) any of which are contractionary to a fragile economy.  The stock mkts clearly see this and are spooked.  Europe is NOT getting better but quietly deteriorating. Spain in the headlines with budget deficit to gdp ratio looking to be 6% instead of targeted 4.5%.  Greece pops up almost daily....projected debt to gdp set to hit 190% which is a lot higher than forecast (almost 30% higher).  Growth targets in europe are too optimistic.  Japan  just posted gdp -3.5%.  While the rhetoric from washington sounds more optimistic you can still feel the underlying tone of both sides digging in their heels. Remember the super committee that could easily agree on 300mm of budget cuts and then came up with exactly zero in cuts?  Well that doesn't bode well for any grand bargain.  The markets have been fooled a couple of times by the kick the can down the road mentality.  It will be interesting to see how long we get the benefit of the doubt.

[surf4food]

Gotta love The Fiscal Cliff.  

Can we all agree to use the slow and spooky voice with the echo effect when we say that?  I think we need a little song for it as well.

Talk about a media controlled agenda.  OK, queue the cliff...and....now.


The Fiscal Cliff (or fiscal slope or fiscal hill).....call it what you will.  Whatever you call it, this country faces austerity measures (tax hikes, tax loophole reform, entitlement reductions, spending cuts) any of which are contractionary to a fragile economy.  The stock mkts clearly see this and are spooked.  Europe is NOT getting better but quietly deteriorating. Spain in the headlines with budget deficit to gdp ratio looking to be 6% instead of targeted 4.5%.  Greece pops up almost daily....projected debt to gdp set to hit 190% which is a lot higher than forecast (almost 30% higher).  Growth targets in europe are too optimistic.  Japan  just posted gdp -3.5%.  While the rhetoric from washington sounds more optimistic you can still feel the underlying tone of both sides digging in their heels. Remember the super committee that could easily agree on 300mm of budget cuts and then came up with exactly zero in cuts?  Well that doesn't bode well for any grand bargain.  The markets have been fooled a couple of times by the kick the can down the road mentality.  It will be interesting to see how long we get the benefit of the doubt.

I suppose I'm thankful I don't have kids.

[Cardiff Sweeper]

Romney Style

[Boludo]

WOW! 46 pages of this and I don't think i've even been through one page.  I think that's a good thing.  I don't get too involved or worked up in politics, now business, that's another story.  I guess everyone has spoken their words so here's mine, keeping it simple.  I'm amazed that Obama was re-elected after the garbage 4 years.  Crazy to think "we" wouldn't want to try something different.  I don't care who it is Mitt Romney, Ross Perot, or StrandLeper, I would vote for them.  In business if you try something and it doesn't work, you move on to something else.  So now we are in for another 4 years.  Oh well, that's the way it goes, I don't always see eye to eye with others.  No offense obama lovers, but I just don't get it!  I still love ya though.

[Cardiff Sweeper]

The simple psychology behind politics:

Whatever side you agree with you will look and find information that only you agree with. If you read something that makes the other side look good, you will immediately deny it and probably get angry. Much like religion, whatever you believe in, it can't be wrong.

[TN_SUP]

I think the Mittens should have beers with us 2008 Kerry supporters, because we know EXACTLY how you feel!

[Celeste]

Saw a bumper sticker today

"Politicians should dress like racecar drivers, that way we would know who their corporate sponsors are"