Politics - what I see and what I do not understand: 24/10/12

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Presidential debate: A foreign policy study guide

By
60 Minutes Overtime Staff |
October 22, 2012

I wish I had found this be4 last debate. But I did not, but I have added it. I thought it was worth the listen too. It is a good intro into foreign policy. Especially for us Dummies!

Syria

Sneaking across the border, Clarissa Ward reports from Syria's most dangerous city, Aleppo, where a battle rages between rebel groups and Syria's military.

["Aleppo," reported by Clarissa Ward and produced by Ben Plesser aired on 60 Minutes on October 14th.]

60 Minutes Overtime: The anatomy of a dangerous interview

China

A powerful Chinese telecom company named Huawei is trying to build the next generation of U.S. digital networks, prompting an outcry in Washington over espionage risk.

["Huawei," reported by Steve Kroft and produced by Graham Messick, aired on 60 Minutes on October 7th.]

60 Minutes Overtime: The great spy stories of 60 Minutes

Afghanistan

An update on the war in Afghanistan from Lara Logan: A deadly phenomenon-- known as "insider attacks"-- is killing more and more U.S. troops, while al Qaeda fighters make a comeback. Logan interviews Hamid Karzai and Gen. John Allen.

["The Longest War" reported by Lara Logan and produced by Max McClellan, aired on 60 Minutes on Sept. 30th.]

60 Minutes Overtime: Talking to the Taliban: Face to face with the enemy

Compare the candidates

In separate interviews, President Barack Obama and his challenger, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, discuss the election year's hot button issues.

["Campaign 2012" aired on 60 Minutes on September 23rd.]

60 Minutes Overtime: Unaired excerpts from the Obama, Romney interviews
60 Minutes Overtime: Obama and Romney: How they've changed in 5 years

Israel

In a rare interview, Meir Dagan, ex-chief of Israel's national intelligence agency, speaks out against a preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.

["Spymaster," reported by Lesley Stahl and produced by Shachar Bar-On, aired on 60 Minutes on Sept 16th.]

Iran

A mysterious computer virus is unleashed, attacking a nuclear facility in Iran. Is the infrastructure of the U.S. vulnerable to a Stuxnet-style attack?

["Stuxnet," reported by Steve Kroft and produced by Graham Messick, aired on 60 Minutes on July 1st.]

60 Minutes Overtime: Stuxnet copycats: Let the hacking begin

European Union

There are only a few things that could derail the U.S. economic recovery, and one of them is the debt crisis in Europe.

["An Imperfect Union," reported by Steve Kroft and produced by Graham Messick and Coleman Cowan, aired on 60 Minutes on April 8th.]

Statements from the National: 2012 U.S. President's race
I have only posted 4 pages of the 41. click the link to see the other pages

Pages

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Syria

China

Afghanistan

Compare the candidates

Israel

Iran

European Union

"The sequester is not something that I've proposed. It is something that Congress has proposed."

Says Mitt Romney wants to add $2 trillion to defense budget that the military hasn’t asked for.

Says Romney said "we should ask Pakistan for permission" to take a shot at Osama bin Laden.

Says Barack Obama was silent on Iran "when the students took to the streets in Tehran and the people there protested, (and) the Green Revolution occurred."

"Pakistan has 100 nuclear warheads and they’re rushing to build a lot more. They’ll have more than Great Britain sometime in the relatively near future."

"Latin America’s economy is almost as big as the economy of China."

Says Mitt Romney was clear that he "would not provide government assistance to the U.S. auto companies, even if they went through bankruptcy."

"Veterans’ unemployment is actually now lower than (the) general population. It was higher when I came into office."

"I went to the Olympics that was out of balance, and we got it on balance."

"The president said he was going to create daylight between ourselves and Israel."

"A few months ago when you were asked what's the biggest geopolitical threat facing America, you said Russia."

Says a university survey concluded his Massachusetts administration "had more women in senior leadership positions than any other state in America."

Says Mitt Romney and George Allen "would overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to end safe, legal abortion even in cases of rape, incest or when a woman's life is at risk."

"George Bush never suggested that we eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood."

"Regulations have quadrupled. The rate of regulations quadrupled under this president."

Says Barack Obama has pension investments that include Chinese firms, and "investments through a Caymans trust."

Says his administration put more border patrol agents on the U.S.-Mexico border than at "any time in history, and the flow of undocumented workers across the border is actually lower than it's been in 40 years."

Says his administration has created "5 million jobs … over the last 30 months in the private sector alone."

Says Mitt Romney suggested that "employers should be able to make the decision as to whether or not a woman gets contraception through her insurance coverage."

Says Mitt Romney "called the Arizona law a model for the nation."

Says President Obama waited two weeks to call the attack in Libya "terror."

When Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts, he "stood in front of a coal plant and pointed at it and said, ‘This plant kills.’"

"Oil production is down 14 percent this year on federal land."

Paul Ryan "cut embassy security in his budget by $300 million below what we asked for."

As governor, "Mitt Romney raised nursing home fees eight times."

Says the Obama administration "watered down sanctions" against Iran, delayed them and tried to stop Congress "from putting the tough sanctions in place."

Says economists Harvey Rosen and Martin Feldstein have said that "paying for (Mitt) Romney’s tax cuts would require large tax increases on families making between $100,000 and $200,000."

Says Joe Biden "went to China and said that he sympathized and wouldn't second-guess their one-child policy of forced abortions and sterilizations."

"There's not one Democrat who endorses" the Romney-Ryan Medicare plan.

"The Canadians — they (dropped) their tax rates to 15 percent. The average tax rate on businesses in the industrialized world is 25 percent."

"We weren't told they wanted more security " for diplomatic facilities in Libya.

The Obama administration "called Bashar Assad a reformer when he was turning his Russian-provided guns on his own people."

Says the Obama administration spent taxpayer dollars on electric cars in Finland (and) windmills in China.

Says Obama promised unemployment would never go above 8 percent.

Says Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would "eliminate the guarantee of Medicare."

Says his deficit plan "made some adjustments to (Simpson-Bowles), and we're putting it forward before Congress right now, a $4 trillion plan."

"Since President Obama took office, there are over 450,000 more unemployed women."

Says Romney wants to "take away early childhood education, slash K-12 funding, and cut college aid … to pay for a $250,000 tax break for multi-millionaires."

Says Mitt Romney plans to "fire" Big Bird.

President Barack Obama’s "spending drove us $5 trillion deeper in debt."

Says Romney invested in a firm that made goods in China that "could have been made here in America."

"This is what President Obama said the jobless rate would be if we passed the stimulus: 5.6 percent."

The federal tax code has "loopholes that are giving incentives for companies that are shipping jobs overseas."

"In Romney's first budget (in Massachusetts), he cut $248.7 million from K-12 education."

Under Barack Obama, the U.S. now has the "lowest workforce since (President Jimmy) Carter."

Less than 10 percent of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet members have private-sector experience.

"If Gov. Romney's plan goes into effect … the average senior would have to pay $460 a year more in tax for their Social Security."

"In one year, (President Obama) provided $90 billion in breaks to the green energy world … into solar and wind, to Solyndra and Fisker and Tesla and Ener1."

Says 50 million people would lose their health insurance if Obamacare is repealed.

Says President Obama has "doubled" the deficit.

"Pre-existing conditions are covered under my (health care) plan."

Massachusetts schools "are ranked No. 1 of all 50 states."

Says Romney wants to add $2 trillion to the defense budget that the military hasn’t asked for.

"Under Gov. Romney's definition ... Donald Trump is a small business."

Because of Obamacare, "over the last two years, health care premiums have gone up -- it's true -- but they've gone up slower than any time in the last 50 years."

Romney’s Medicare plan was estimated to "cost the average senior about $6,000 a year."

Says Obama promised to cut the deficit in half.

Obama says he’s "put forward a specific $4 trillion deficit reduction plan."

"Right now, the (Congressional Budget Office) says up to 20 million people will lose their insurance as Obamacare goes into effect next year."

Says Mitt Romney's plan "calls for a $5 trillion tax cut."

Says Barack Obama "put in place a board that can tell people ultimately what treatments they're going to receive."

"We’re now spending 42 percent of our economy on government."

Romney "would turn Medicare into a voucher program."

"On Medicare for current retirees, he's cutting $716 billion from the program."

Says President Barack Obama "already passed all these Obamacare taxes. About a dozen of them hit middle-income taxpayers."

The Obama administration’s "green" stimulus program "funneled close to $2 billion dollars to overseas firms," creating thousands of jobs in China.

Chinese tire imports threatened 1,000 American jobs, so President Obama "stood up to China and protected American workers. Mitt Romney attacked Obama's decision."

Says Mitt Romney’s investments created zero jobs.

"Taxes are lower on families than they've been probably in the last 50 years."

Says the government has "gotten the TARP money back plus a profit."

Deficit spending ‘exploded during the Obama administration’ to $5.3 trillion over four years, compared to $2 trillion in eight years under President George W. Bush.