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[GlyphGryph]

</sarcasm tag>

Really, its just another of the ways they were the same, since they ultimately passed practically the same healthcare plan.

Does anyone actually have any significant differences between them action-wise?

Obviously, their environments haven't been the same, so it's hard to get good concrete examples, but I'm legitimately interested.

[mainiac]

Try reading their budgets sometime and tell me if you think they are the same.  Very short summery:

Obama, stay close to current levels, give aid to states to prevent layoffs of teachers and cops.  Slight tax increases for the rich.  Maintain the payroll tax cuts for another couple years.  Slight decrease in military spending.  Continue to grant waivers for No Child Left Behind for states that are meeting certain benchmarks.

Romney, immediately cut all domestic spending 5%.  Do further cuts to 20% on average.  Increase military spending.  Do not maintain the payroll tax cuts.  Cut the income tax rates by 20%.  Pay for these cuts the difference by unspecified reforms.  Do not give aid to states to prevent layoffs of teachers and cops.  Defund the exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act.

Budgets are the places where politicians can not hide behind evasive language and lay out what they are actually proposing.  And what they are proposing agrees almost nowhere.  The only place I can think of where their budgets actually agree is that Romney wants to maintain the reforms Obama passed on federal support for student loans.

[alway]

What the hell. http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/26/11415282-agenda-21-arizona-close-to-passing-anti-un-sustainability-bill?lite

Arizona lawmakers appear close to sending to Gov. Jan Brewer a tea party-backed bill that proponents say would stop a United Nations takeover conspiracy but that critics claim could end state and cities’ pollution-fighting efforts and even dismantle the state unemployment office.

About the Rio declaration, SB1507 says “the United Nations has enlisted the support of numerous independent, shadow organizations to surreptitiously implement this agenda around the world.”

Rep. Terri Proud, R-Tucson, told supporters in an email that the U.N. declaration “will take away our rights as Americans by allowing the United Nations to mandate laws on our soil,” the AzCapitolTimes.com reported. “It’s very real and it is happening.”

The Times also reported that during House debate Wednesday, Rep. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, said the declaration is connected to the “occult” of sustainability.

"The tea party and conspiracy theorists run the state now, Campbell told msnbc.com.

[GlyphGryph]

Romney, immediately cut all domestic spending 5%.  Do further cuts to 20% on average.  Increase military spending.  Do not maintain the payroll tax cuts.  Cut the income tax rates by 20%.  Pay for these cuts the difference by unspecified reforms.  Do not give aid to states to prevent layoffs of teachers and cops.  Defund the exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act.

Did Romney actually do these with any of his budgets? Because, having never been president, most of them don't even seem possible.

In fact, what this looks like is a whole but how he "might" be different from Obama.

What this tells me is that you either didn't read my question, or can't answer it. I'm not asking much, just a single substantive instance of implemented policy that would distinguish the two.

[Twi]

What the hell.

Sadly, this is not new. Didn't we go over that one point where the idea of fixing up our infrastructure somehow led to 'THE UN IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER AMERICA!!!111!!one' sometime ago? I can't remember what it was...
Otherwise, what the hell indeed.

[Zangi]

What the hell.

Sadly, this is not new. Didn't we go over that one point where the idea of fixing up our infrastructure somehow led to 'THE UN IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER AMERICA!!!111!!one' sometime ago? I can't remember what it was...
Otherwise, what the hell indeed.

Somewhere in there...   "Derr tacking r jerbs!"

[mainiac]

Did Romney actually do these with any of his budgets? Because, having never been president, most of them don't even seem possible.

Well this is what his budget proposals say he will do in order to make the numbers add up.  If they seem impossible to you then I suggest you draw the natural conclusion from that.

[PTTG??]

The problem with Arizona is that the government accurately represents the will of the people.

[RedKing]

What the hell.

Sadly, this is not new. Didn't we go over that one point where the idea of fixing up our infrastructure somehow led to 'THE UN IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER AMERICA!!!111!!one' sometime ago? I can't remember what it was...
Otherwise, what the hell indeed.

Yup. It's an astroturf campaign that's popped up all over the country (I posted about it here in Raleigh, where the head county commissioner was all "BOO HISS local sustainability study! It's a UN plot to regulate our precious bodily fluids and our freedums!" and the Democratic members of the board were too busy going "Uhh....what?" to actually give a proper rebuttal.

[GlyphGryph]

Well this is what his budget proposals say he will do in order to make the numbers add up.  If they seem impossible to you then I suggest you draw the natural conclusion from that.

That it's empty rhetoric?

In other news, Obama has come up with a new way to justify failing to follow through on his campaign promises.

Deny deny deny that he ever said anything ever like that.

I mean, saying something like "When I got into office, I discovered the situation was different than I originally thought, and had to adapt accordingly". But outright denying you said the things we have recordings of, because you said it multiple times in multiple places, just seems... kind of stupid.

This is specifically the war on drugs stuff - throughout his campaign, he stated several times that he would not not interfere with state marijuana laws, that he would direct the justice department to focus their efforts elsewhere and he would do his best to leave it to the states.

Since taking over, he's done the exact opposite, and is now campaigning on "the law is the law, and we can't let states get away with breaking it, and its preposterous to think I ever said otherwise".

[Darvi]

Y'know, one could campaign Obama as the first female president of America; the lack of balls would be proof of this.

[GlyphGryph]

And, I mean, its stuff like that where he literally has no excuse. The Republicans couldn't stop him there. He either lied about wanting to back off, or decided it wasn't worth the effort, and either way I'm pissed.

People may remember that I think the Drug War is potentially the single most important issue we face right now (though there are a number of other important issues) simply because it touches, enhances, or causes so many other areas of fucked up governance.

And it makes me sad.

[RedKing]

NY Times is reporting that Gingrich has told Romney he will drop out of the race next week.

Also, not to interrupt the progressive handwringing over the failure of Obama, but I have to say, I've seen this before. Where was it? Oh yeah...all those people saying "Al Gore and George Bush are two sides of the same coin. Doesn't matter which one you elect."

Guess what? It mattered. Whatever Al Gore's failings (and he has many), I seriously doubt he would have unilaterally invaded Iraq and enacted a $1 trillion tax cut for the wealthy.

When I see something like "In my opinion the only difference between obama and romney is skin color", I just want to break out the Wayback Machine and turn the dial to 2000.

[Kilroy the Grand]

RedKing, I'm just cynical and disillusioned, leave me alone. Imma go back to playin' grimrock >.>

[Shinotsa]

Any politician that goes into a major depression after seeing just how easily the masses can be influenced to screw themselves is okay in my book. I miss Gore, and wish we could have a highly educated, progressive president. I guess people are just uncomfortable having their country run by a man that's most likely smarter than them.