What do Pierce and Romney have in common?
- Both Romney and Pierce are New Hampshirites.
- Both believe in small government, especially when it comes to helping Americans in desperate need.
- Both have little or no foreign affairs experience. Both are war hawks.
- Both are easily influenced by powerful supporters.
Helping Those in Desperate Need
In 1853 Pierce vetoed a bill granting public land to the states for the purpose of caring for the indigent who were mentally ill.
His reason? He believed if Congress had the power to provide for the mentally ill who are very poor, then they would also have the power to assist the very poor who are not mentally ill. Eventually, Pierce thought, Congress might even use their power to provide hospital and medical care for the ill or assist people who experienced other human calamities.
Civil Rights
Although Pierce was at first against overturning the Missouri Compromise, in the end he listened to Jefferson Davis, his Secretary of War and signed the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854. Some people believe that Pierce took orders from Davis.
The act allowed the possibility of slavery to spread through all the new states based on the will of the citizens of each state. This led to bloody battles in Kansas most notably by John Brown and his sons who murdered five pro-slavery farmer. The Kansas–Nebraska Act divided the nation and pointed it toward civil war.
Lack of Foreign Affairs Experience
Unfortunately, Pierce’s lack of leadership and his tendency to give in to special interest groups hampered his effectiveness in foreign affairs. He vetoed bills to create a safety net to build the country's infrastructure and believed in a constitution that gave equality to white adult males.
In 1856, Pierce recognized a dictatorship in Nicaragua established by William Walker, an American who had conquered that nation and introduced slavery. Walker hoped to gain Nicaragua's entry into the Union as a slave state. Walker's control soon angered railroad titan Cornelius Vanderbilt, who pressured Pierce to use the U.S. Navy to force Walker to "surrender" the country.
After the Mexican War had ended, there were border disputes that had to be settled. Land that comprised lower Arizona and New Mexico was part of a proposed route for a transcontinental railroad. Pierce was convinced by Secretary of War Davis to negotiate the Gadsden Purchase with Mexico. Gadsden had a financial stake in the purchase; the railroad was never built.
Deja Vu
When it comes to immigrant rights, women’s rights, health care, foreign affairs and new voting laws, Romney appears to be a modern version of Franklin Pierce.
How do historians rate Pierce? Only James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson and Warren Harding are rated worse than Pierce in a composite of surveys between 1948 and 2011.
President Romney? Think Pierce not Mt. Rushmore.
In Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address he listed three acts of federal sovereignty that he had the right to assert over the South. Those were to reprovision forts, collect the customs and duties, and deliver the mail unless repelled. In Lincoln's and Pierce's days that was almost all the federal government did on a local level. National defense, mail and collecting the only federal tax - tariffs on imports and exports. Lincoln did not mention the federal courts, but that was about all he missed in his list. Over the following 150 years the role of the federal government has expanded exponentially, so making comparisons between the politics of the 1850s and the politics of today is as pointless as it is absurd.
We now have our embassies being attacked and burned all over the globe. Our ambassador to Libya was not only murdered....he was sodomized and what's the Obama's administration's first response.....apology. Eight days after the attack Obama was still clinging to the story that the attacks were caused by the anti-islamic video....this is even after his own press secretary says "it was self evident that what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack". So it turns out that Romney's response was correct and Obama was wrong. Obama was clearly lying when he said Romney tends to shoot first and aim second. He lied to us when he said the Green Party involved in the Iran uprising didn't ask for our help. He lied to us about Fast and Furious (he invoked exexcutive priviledge which means he was involved). He lied to us when he said he wouldn't raise taxes on the middle class. He isn't a commander in chief...he's a liar in chief.
http://youtu.be/K9njHHyRI7g
...yet when Islamic Radicals slaughter people, supposedly over a cheap, B-Grade Comedy, these Radicals are touted as the 'Victims', and the Libtards rally NOT behind the victims, or mourn the deaths of innocents, but lay the blame on 'Making fun of another faith', something they do to Christians and Jews all the time. Double Standard?
http://www.politico.com/multimedia/video/2012/09/politico-playback-9-21-12.html
Apparently he even knows that the Repub base is ignorant.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/elections/
And yes Obama will be gone, but it won't be until 2016. Read and weep: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/elections/ 4 more for 44!!!
Here is another tidbit for you, if you vote in Connecticut your vote is meaningless. Connecticut is an all or nothing electoral State. Connecticut is very strong democratic, so all 7 electrical votes go to OBAMA. So don't waste your time or gas. So you can yack it up all you want here on this post but it won't change a thing.
Mitt Romney claims the Obama administration issued an “apology for American values” after U.S. embassies were attacked. Not true. Romney refers to a statement issued before mobs attacked either in Egypt or Libya, and faults U.S. diplomats for failing to condemn actions that hadn’t yet happened. Furthermore, the word “sorry” or “apologize” doesn’t appear in the statement. Under the headline, “U.S. Embassy Condemns Religious Incitement,” the embassy in Cairo said, “Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy.” http://factcheck.org/2012/09/romney-gets-it-backward/
Experts say he can't cut rates without losing revenue or favoring the wealthy Tax experts — including one who supports Romney’s plan — say the Republican presidential candidate’s promise to cut individual income tax rates without either favoring the wealthy or losing revenue isn’t mathematically possible. That’s the conclusion of the Tax Policy Center in a report the Romney campaign attacked as “biased” (although the campaign previously praised the TPC as “objective,” when it issued a report critical of a rival’s tax plan). http://www.factcheck.org/2012/08/romneys-impossible-tax-promise/
Were there really weapons of mass destruction in Iraq when the U.S. invaded in 2003? A: No. The Iraq Survey Group determined that Iraq had abandoned its quest to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and that it had already destroyed all of its existing stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. http://www.factcheck.org/2008/02/no-wmds-in-iraq/
Romney’s claims about the administration “apologizing for American values” fits an ongoing theme of his campaign: accusing Obama of beginning his presidency on an “apology tour” in foreign countries. In fact, that meme informed the title of Romney’s book “No Apology.” We looked into the Obama speeches that Romney cited as evidence and concluded that nowhere did we see that the president “apologized” for America. In some speeches, Obama was drawing a distinction between his policies and those of his predecessor, George W. Bush. In other instances, Obama appeared to be employing a bit of diplomacy, criticizing past actions of both the U.S. and the host nation, and calling for the two sides to move forward. Then, as now, Romney’s claim of Obama “apologies” falls flat http://factcheck.org/2012/09/romney-gets-it-backward/
It’s true that Obama “inherited the biggest deficit in our history,” as he said on CBS. CBO’s assumptions did not factor in two recessions (2001, 2008), two wars and a slew of legislative changes from the Bush tax cuts to the Obama stimulus. The difference between the projected surpluses and the actual deficits is $11.9 trillion over that 10-year period. Treasury concluded that Bush policies were to blame for 59 percent and Obama’s policies 12 percent. The rest — 29 percent — were what CBO calls “economic and technical changes,” mostly having to do with changing economic forecasts because of the recessions There is no disputing, of course, that President George W. Bush was president for nearly eight of those 10 fiscal years and holds more responsibility for them than Obama. But Obama bears more responsibility than he is willing to accept, and misrepresents the Treasury analysis to minimize his responsibility. “This whole debate really is missing the point,” Gordon said. “The point is where do we go forward from where we are, and who has a plan to reduce the deficits over the long term.” http://factcheck.org/2012/09/obamas-deficit-dodge/
Just why do you think all those sober news and info sites break their articles up into multiple pieces? Your screen could easily load the whole thing in one. Points for figuring it out... but you missed more points for not seeing the bigger picture. May as well drivel away here. :)