@sozobe,
Here's a roundup for the next debate's talking points.
On Libya: Benghazi security: Is the responsibility of the State Department, not the president. The charges made by Romney on the failure of President Obama on Benghazi is laughable. Does he know how many US Embassies we have around the world? The question: how many security personnel is enough to protect all of our embassies? The country doesn't want more security forces in their country; it doesn't matter if they requested more security forces. It wasn't Obama that refused to increase more security; it was the State Department. No president can micro-manage every department; that's a FACT. A good manager knows how to delegate responsibility. Remember that!
On Iran: They're not close to developing a delivery system for any nuclear weapon. The embargo has been effective; their price for everything is costing more, because they can't import goods into their country. That's a high price to pay for developing nuclear bombs. They're essentially destroying their own country. Their missiles can't travel over 2,000 miles. Those countries in Europe and Russia should be more concerned than the Americas.
On voting fraud: there's no proof of voter fraud to require government issued ID cards.
From the Brennan Center for Justice: Two New Reports:
An analysis of more than 250 claims of fraud in the Supreme Court's photo ID case
Finding not one proven case of a fraudulent vote that the challenged law could prevent
Exposing false assertions that photo ID is required for common activities
The Truth About Voter Fraud, examining inflated claims of voter fraud nationwide
Debunking claims of double voting, dead voters, and more
See more about the link between voter fraud and restrictive ID rules here and here.
On Planned Parenthood and Abortion: Planned Parenthood is not a government institution, and Romney cannot eliminate it. Most abortions are done in private clinics and are not covered by government funding, there are a few government grants and contracts provided to abortion clinics. By de-funding abortion, many young women who do not have the resource will attempt self-abortion. Romney should think twice before he shoots from the hips – if he cares for young women.
On the US economy: By cnn.money:
It's official: Recession since Dec. '07
The National Bureau of Economic Research declares what most Americans already knew: the downturn has been going on for some time.
By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: December 1, 2008: 5:40 PM ET
The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007, making official what most Americans have already believed about the state of the economy .
The NBER is a private group of leading economists charged with dating the start and end of economic downturns. It typically takes a long time after the start of a recession to declare its start because of the need to look at final readings of various economic measures.
The NBER said that the deterioration in the labor market throughout 2008 was one key reason why it decided to state that the recession began last year.
Employers have trimmed payrolls by 1.2 million jobs in the first 10 months of this year. On Friday, economists are predicting the government will report a loss of another 325,000 jobs for November.
CNNMoney.com: January 2009:
Job loss: Worst in 34 years
Employers slashed 598,000 more jobs in January as unemployment rate climbed to 7.6%.
By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: February 6, 2009: 10:46 AM ET
From San Antonio Business Journal.
Job gains now exceed job losses since 2009
San Antonio Business Journal by Mike W. Thomas, Reporter
Date: Friday, September 28, 2012, 6:34am CDT
Yes, our economy is on the mends, but it's a slow recovery, because there's a World Recession going on. The US economy continues to grow at 1% to 2% a year, and our unemployment rate is still high by past recessions, but this World Recession will last longer than past recessions. The unemployment rate in Europe is growing, and more Euro countries are having financial problems.
1. Consumer confidence is relatively high
2. Housing is beginning to show some improvement, with bankruptcies dropping, and new housing developments growing. More people are staying in their homes.
3. Car sales are up 13% from last year.
4. From Off The Grid News: Consumers Lower Debt Levels Despite Government Stimulus
Oct 9th, 2012 | By Jen A | Category: Financial, Personal finances, Top Headline | Print This Article
The government wants Americans to spend, spend, spend – but the average consumer is over it. Instead of doing what the government wants, millions of consumers are doing what’s best for their own lives: they’re taking a hard look at their finances and trying to dump their debt load.
For some, it’s a matter of cutting back until they can catch up on payments. For others, it’s been a matter of mailing back the keys and declaring bankruptcy. Either way, for the first time in years, American debt levels are falling. It’s making individual households happy, but the government is none too thrilled about it.5
5. The Stock Market since 2000:
By all the key indicators for our economy, we're doing just fine, and people need to thank President Obama for doing the best he can for the Middle Class.
