UNLIMITED GOP 2012 PRIMARY CANDIDATE THREAD

[Doktor Howl]

Romney may be mis-stepping, here. 

Florida senator Marco Rubio has been playing the "my family escaped from Castro" card, which, in Florida, plays pretty darn well. 

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/opinionzone/2011/10/21/did-marco-rubio-lie-about-being-the-son-of-cuban-exiles/

Unfortunately for him, it has come to light that his family came to America in 1956.  Castro took power in 1959.  Rubio was born in 1971, before his parents applied for American citizenship, a fact which is apparently being ignored by the birther crowd when Rubio's name is tossed around as a vice-presidential candidate.

Whether Rubio outright lied in order to advance his political career, or just repeated family stories without taking the time to do any research on them, we may never know.

Romney is stepping up to defend Rubio, calling the stories calling him out on the glitch in Rubio's story "unfortunate" and "bogus."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jaFZ2FYmBAUw0uNUkGM9zs2ooYfQ?docId=a073e29185db4cc9a7978f57a671ab77

No, Mitt...  It's not "bogus" to point out that a claim made by a candidate is impossible without the intervention of a TARDIS.  I figure Mitt could have done better at defending Rubio (who he could very well be considering as a potential VP candidate) by following Rubio's story, saying, essentially, "well, that's what he was always told, family oral histories DO get changed, over time, and his parents really couldn't go home again due to Castro..."

Rubio was born on American soil.  Amendment XIV is quite clear about that.  He's a natural born citizen.

But still, it's fun to taunt the birthers.

[Cain]

John McCain was the original Birther target, for being born in the Panama Canal.  Ron Paul supporters led the charge, as they are wont to do anywhere idiocy and conspiracy theory can be combined.

How quickly the media forgot that...

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Rubio's family may well have left Cuba because of the unrest, which was spearheaded by Castro from 1953 on. 1956 was a particularly turbulent year, marking the release of Castro from prison in Mexico and subsequent attacks on Batista, supported by guerrilla groups. I would have been inclined to leave at that time as well, if I'd had the money.

[Luna]

Romney may be mis-stepping, here.  

Florida senator Marco Rubio has been playing the "my family escaped from Castro" card, which, in Florida, plays pretty darn well.  

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/opinionzone/2011/10/21/did-marco-rubio-lie-about-being-the-son-of-cuban-exiles/

Unfortunately for him, it has come to light that his family came to America in 1956.  Castro took power in 1959.  Rubio was born in 1971, before his parents applied for American citizenship, a fact which is apparently being ignored by the birther crowd when Rubio's name is tossed around as a vice-presidential candidate.

Whether Rubio outright lied in order to advance his political career, or just repeated family stories without taking the time to do any research on them, we may never know.

Romney is stepping up to defend Rubio, calling the stories calling him out on the glitch in Rubio's story "unfortunate" and "bogus."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jaFZ2FYmBAUw0uNUkGM9zs2ooYfQ?docId=a073e29185db4cc9a7978f57a671ab77

No, Mitt...  It's not "bogus" to point out that a claim made by a candidate is impossible without the intervention of a TARDIS.  I figure Mitt could have done better at defending Rubio (who he could very well be considering as a potential VP candidate) by following Rubio's story, saying, essentially, "well, that's what he was always told, family oral histories DO get changed, over time, and his parents really couldn't go home again due to Castro..."

Rubio was born on American soil.  Amendment XIV is quite clear about that.  He's a natural born citizen.

But still, it's fun to taunt the birthers.

Ah, but the birthers don't think so.  (To admit such, they would have to admit Obama is a "natural born citizen," you see, as they can't disprove he was born in Hawaii, and they therefore must lean on the "his father wasn't a citizen" argument.)

Instead of fretting over birth certificates, this time birthers are challenging Rubio's viability based on his parents' citizenship. As the basis of their view that the senator isn't eligible to run for the American presidency, they cite Article 2 of the constitution, which says, "no person except a natural born citizen ... shall be eligible to the Office of President."

But, as the Miami Herald points out, "natural born citizen" has never been defined. While some would contend that anyone born inside the U.S. would and should be considered citizens, birthers disagree. They rely on old writings that apparently stem from the nation's founding to claim that an individual must be born to two U.S. citizens in order to be "natural born."

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/birthers-now-claim-sen-marco-rubio-isnt-a-natural-born-citizen/

ETA:  After all...  Arizona's STILL trying to prove Obama isn't a "natural born citizen," and is spending hard-earned tax dollars to do it!

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/10/28/356099/radical-sheriff-arpaio-has-secret-birther-plan-to-keep-obama-off-2012-ballot/

[Triple Zero]

the release of Castro from prison in Mexico and subsequent attacks on Batista

Why do they hate Starbucks employees??

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

the release of Castro from prison in Mexico and subsequent attacks on Batista

Why do they hate Starbucks employees??

[Cain]

Romney and Perry are now throwing around Flat-Tax proposals.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

If this is real, Perry's fuckin WASTED. He's toast! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M4gz97Y9W8

[Juana]

PLEASE BE REAL, PLEASE BE REAL!

[Cain]

Cain's campaign is toast if there is any truth to these allegations

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/report-herman-cain-accused-of-sexually-suggestive-harassment-in-1990s.php

Politico reports "at least two" women working at the NRA when Cain ran it "complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior" by the man who is now the national frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

More:

The women complained of sexually suggestive behavior by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable, the sources said, and they signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association. The agreements also included language that bars the women from talking about their departures.

Details on the incidents described in Politico include "conversations allegedly filled with innuendo or personal questions of a sexually suggestive nature" and "descriptions of physical gestures that were not overtly sexual but that made women who experienced or witnessed them uncomfortable and that they regarded as improper in a professional relationship."

Pretty sure Mitten's own opposition research team tipped Politico off about this.  Mittens may be inconsistent as fuck, but he knows how to drop a bombshell on a political opponent.

[Cain]

Herman Cain, the Foreign Policy Genius the GOP has demanded for so long

http://shanghaiist.com/2011/11/01/gop_presidential_candidate_herman_c.php

I do view China as a potential military threat to the United States... we already have superiority in terms of our military capability, and I plan to get away from making cutting our defense a priority and make investing in our military capability a priority, going back to my statement: peace through strength and clarity. So yes they're a military threat. They've indicated that they're trying to develop nuclear capability and they want to develop more aircraft carriers like we have. So yes, we have to consider them a military threat.

This is even better than not knowing who the President of Uzbekistan is.

[Precious Moments Zalgo]

 

[Precious Moments Zalgo]

Also, this

It gets back to economics. China has a $6 trillion economy and they're growing at approximately 10 percent. We have a $14 trillion economy -- much bigger -- but we're growing at an anemic 1.5, 1.6 percent. When we get our economy growing back at the rate of 5 or 6 percent that it has the ability to do, we will outgrow China.

I don't understand Herman Cain.  He's a rocket scientist (literally) with a degree in mathematics, and he performed a successful company turnaround as a CEO.  I don't believe he is a stupid man, so I don't understand why he says such stupid things.

[Luna]

Also, this

It gets back to economics. China has a $6 trillion economy and they're growing at approximately 10 percent. We have a $14 trillion economy -- much bigger -- but we're growing at an anemic 1.5, 1.6 percent. When we get our economy growing back at the rate of 5 or 6 percent that it has the ability to do, we will outgrow China.

I don't understand Herman Cain.  He's a rocket scientist (literally) with a degree in mathematics, and he performed a successful company turnaround as a CEO.  I don't believe he is a stupid man, so I don't understand why he says such stupid things.

Do a little more reearch on that "successful company turnaround."

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Also, this

It gets back to economics. China has a $6 trillion economy and they're growing at approximately 10 percent. We have a $14 trillion economy -- much bigger -- but we're growing at an anemic 1.5, 1.6 percent. When we get our economy growing back at the rate of 5 or 6 percent that it has the ability to do, we will outgrow China.

I don't understand Herman Cain.  He's a rocket scientist (literally) with a degree in mathematics, and he performed a successful company turnaround as a CEO.  I don't believe he is a stupid man, so I don't understand why he says such stupid things.

Do a little more reearch on that "successful company turnaround."

Yeah, um. He kind of managed to run a successful company aground during a financial boom. Regardless of what he claims now.