Rachel Maddow believes Mitt Romney isn’t fit to be president. While talking about his lies and shifting policies she said, ‘It’s a character issue, and I find it disqualifying.’
Here is the video:
Maddow said was talking about Romney’s complete reversal of his policy on the war when she said,
That political calculation makes so much sense to me, if there were not 68,000 American lives on the line. And that’s what infuriates me, because this is a real war. This is not changing your mind on light rail. This is changing your mind and denying your previous positions that are on the record about the fate, the lives and deaths, of 68,000 Americans, and asserting that not only is it okay for you to change your mind, I believe in people changing their mind, but that you can get away with running from the things that you have previously claimed were your heartfelt beliefs, and now denying that you ever believed they were true. It’s a character issue, and I find it disqualifying.
I am certain that anyone on the right or left who cares about facts and honesty probably agrees with Maddow, but facts and honesty aren’t the media world that we are living in. The issue isn’t that Mitt Romney lies with impunity. The problem is that few people in the mainstream media are actually challenging the lies.
However, President Obama would likely be better served not to spend the final two weeks on the campaign trail chasing those ghosts. If Obama spends his last days on the stump fact checking Romney, he will lose control of the story that he is trying to tell to voters about the choice between the two paths the country can travel down for the next four years.
In another era Mitt Romney would not have survived the primary process, much less became a major party nominee. It speaks volumes about the health and condition of the Republican Party that a candidate who would have been weeded out during the primary process became the nominee. But it really doesn’t matter who the Republicans would have nominated, the party would have rallied around him because they hate Obama that much.
Mitt Romney’s lying and political shape shifting should disqualify him from office, but it won’t. The Romney campaign knows that most voters are too uninformed to know that he is lying, and the media is too worried about being “neutral” to care. Mitt Romney’s lack of character was on full display during the debate as he gleefully toyed with the fates of 68,000 Americans who are serving their country, which is something that Romney himself never had the character and courage to do.
Romney’s shape shifting should be a disqualifying issue, but it has become a strength. If Romney can find enough low information voters to exploit, he could be elected president.
The prospect of a Romney presidency isn’t just infuriating; it is illness inducing.





Paws
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 7:50 am
If leadership descends from character – and I believe it does – then Mr. Romney has shown himself to be wholly unqualified to be President.
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Shiva (Moderator)
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 8:43 am
as was noted earlier, Mr. Bolton must be pulling his hair out this morning. He lost his neocon on the way to the last debate.
Romney has lied about every facet of his past. I am not sure if he is lying about his future actions because I cannot believe anything he said about his past. He did not have one bit of substance, and what he did have like his tax plan is totally untenable and he lied about that as well.
Never in American history has anyone lied as much as Romney and been viewed as a viable candidate by almost half of the population.
I think the world needs to go on an apology tour for A facet of America’s population. and it’s not just Romney that needs to be apologized for. It’s the complete political party known as the GOP. It’s actions in the last 2 years are totally inexcusable. Many countries in South America have fixed elections but they don’t try to stop people from voting. Here we are in a country that supposedly prides itself on its freedoms and we have a party en mass trying to stop people from voting. As far as I’m concerned this disqualifies them from even running a candidate
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Grams
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 11:29 am
Actually, we had to tolerate George W. Bush’s lies for the first 4 years and then people actually voted him into office another 4 years anyway. Republicans seem to thrive from lies presented by their Candidates and belief of these lies seem to be contagious to some Democrats. Romney presents that same Chameleon phenomenon that the gullible and mentally disadvantaged seem to worship in a Republican. Truly amazing.
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A Walkaway
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 2:17 pm
From the evidence I just witnessed (a link to official testimony posted here on PoliticusUSA), I am certain that Bush actually lost both elections, especially the second – but because of Republican malfeasance (and dirty programming), it made him look like he won.
It also explains 2010.
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Ron
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 2:35 pm
Actually Bush did win but not the popular vote. Al Gore woe the popular vote by 0.5% but lost the electoral college vote. That has has only happened 4 times in the history of the U.S. The first time in 1821.
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John
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Actually, no one will ever know if bush “did win” because the one and only hand recount in Florida was put to death by bush’s daddy’s pals on the SCOTUS.
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j
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 9:42 am
The part about Romney’s concern about sending jobs to China always gets to me when we know he is refusing to talk to the works of Sensata.
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Sandra
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 11:37 am
Poor Steve Schmidt is trying so hard to believe Romney’s coopting of all PO’s positions on FP won’t affect him with his RW extremists and thinks he’ll still be POTUS. Moderate R’thuglicans may be celebrating that he has backed down but the warmongers are going to be pissed off.
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stenc
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 9:55 am
Bainport will go down in infamy.
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Lilli
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 10:05 am
Romney scares me. You don’t know who he is. If elected who will he be? The President must have strong convictions and he must stick to them. The American people deserve to know what they’re getting and with Romney you never know who is going to show up.
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clarence swinney
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 10:37 am
Mitt proposes Pentagon budget go from 3.5% of gdp to 4% over tem years.
Almost same loss of revenue from Bush tax cuts–2100B—over ten years
Spend/Borrow when will we stop it??
We have plenty income to pay our way and even pay down debt. The Rich do not want to stop getting filthy rich.
Go to 1945-1980 tax rates. do it.
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S P
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 10:49 am
All Romney did was take notes on what President Obama said and then reiterate that..WHAAAT?? and then said attacking me isn’t an agenda to get this country back on track?? WHAAAT? attacking you..are you kidding me… This man is a spoiled brat and does not like being told he is wrong.. that is NOT the type of person I want as my President!
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Tracy
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 10:51 am
Is this man serious? Is he actually trying to spin Myth’s contradictions as a “win”? How delusional are these people? Is it SO horrible having a bi-racial President? Does it REALLY mean you will accept someone who lies every time he opens his mouth, pouts and has NO integrity?
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Bonnie
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 11:11 am
Mitt is not qualified to be president and even he knows it! I get tired of his trotting his successes as governor of Mass. He is losing worse in his home state than any other candidate ever has. The people of that state know how much he wanted to be governor but did not want to do the work to actually “govern”. He left the state with billion dollar deficit and would surely do the same to our country if elected!
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Dona Syman
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 11:16 am
During the first debate Romney was so excited that he remembered the issues he studied, that he talked over the moderator, last night he clearly did not know or understand foreign policy, so he had to cheat off of the smartest kid in the class! Shameful!
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Nefarious Wheel
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 11:26 am
Romney isn’t a real person, he just plays one on TV.
Speaking of which, I remember the Kennedy-Nixon debates. Kennedy was affable and reasonable, but Nixon lost his credibility on being perceived as “shifty-eyed”. People will weigh words, but they’ll believe body language.
With that in mind, I suggest you replay the “horses and bayonets” moment, with Obama and Romney in split screen, from Romney’s lead up through the President’s reply.
Note how Romney looks clear-eyed and focused up to the exact moment when that phrase is spoken. From that point on, Romney starts blinking his eyes rapidly. A good psychologist could measure the panic from that point. And a good psychologist, or a good marketer, would be able to tell you exactly how that’s going to work on the audience.
What we saw was a man in full retreat from that point onward, expressed in the most visceral language of all — the eyes of a man in defeat.
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Shiva (Moderator)
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 12:13 pm
“Romney isn’t a real person, he just plays one on TV.”
Quote of the year
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Matt
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 11:31 am
This man’s ONLY political goal is becoming President. That’s it. He has no plan beyond that. He will say anything to achieve this goal up to & including lying and changing his position as he sees fit. To me it’s almost like he feels like no matter what he deserves to be President just for the sake of who he is alone & his record shouldn’t matter. God help us if he succeeds.
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A Walkaway
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 1:20 pm
What worries me is the goals behind his political goal… the religious and personal wealth ones.
I won’t forget the “White Horse prophesy”, just as I won’t forget my experiences at the hands of those damned Mormons.
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Rachel G.
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 11:42 am
A liar or just can’t keep his facts straight? Either one, and we’ve had both in the White House in my life time, is not going to be a good fit for our Nation, ever.
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Tim
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 11:54 am
Ms Madow seems to be the only public voice that we can count on to call a spade a spade.
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Angela
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 12:34 pm
Lilli, I read a comment the other day from a Massachusetts resident who made the same point–the man they voted for for governor is not the one they got. We should listen to the lessons of MA.
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CantStandObama
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 12:36 pm
NOTE TO THE UNDECIDED. If Obama and Romney each had their own country and they competed, who would win? ANSWER: The country that prioritizes BUSINESS !
**BUSINESS=Jobs** **BUSINESS=TaxRevenue** **BUSINESS=GlobalStrength**
Obama, Rachel, and the liberals do not get this. Thats why they talk about Tax Rates. Changing Tax Rates doesn’t bring more money into your country. It’s just fighting over the scraps so you have to vote for more handouts.
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A Walkaway
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 1:28 pm
The error with your thinking is that you’re really advocating for business without regulation.
The “Founding Fathers” didn’t envision today’s megacorporations, but they DID realize the importance of regulating commerce. It’s why they specifically wrote that into the constitution, and that phrase is one that I never hear from the mouth of a Conservative.
There is only one “Good” for businesses (and for most of their owners) – maximizing profit. No matter who it hurts (exception being the rich), no matter how the environment is damaged…
No matter what it does to this country or the citizens of this country or to the world.
That’s why REGULATION is so important – and by the way, that’s not “Socialism!” either.
President Obama recognizes that what got us into this mess was the rich and their greed. I am sure that he sees that lack of regulation is why we got into Bush’s mess (which actually started back with Reagan… who’s rotting in his grave as he should).
I used to like Reagan, but what he started has made me wish I hadn’t been so damned stupid back in the 80s and 90s – past 2000 for that matter.
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Beaglemom
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 5:03 pm
In a phone conversation with our financial person today, I mentioned that we all had better hope for a Democratic victory in November because the economy does better when Democrats are in power. She laughed a little nervously but had to admit that “historically” that is true. So what other reality is there: mythologically?
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neil
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Rachel as per usual got it exactly correct.
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Ron
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Why did Romney NOT even try to answer the question tabout what he would do if Iran got nuclear weapons. I though it was a very good question. A president needs to ask and answer those types questions every day. For example, what would Romney do if one our carriers were to be attacked right now? You can’t be unprepared to answer that question.
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John
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Mitt Romney is the kind of person that can make me ashamed to be a human being. If it is possible, he is more repulsive than dubya and well into the realm of cheney.
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eniko santa
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 6:08 pm
The republicans seem to have ownership over God an Jesus yet they are not afraid that lying will burn them in hell.
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Anne
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 6:28 pm
I know enough about Willard Romney to know that he is a heartless cynic who is pulling the wool over the eyes of a lot of gullible souls, including some in the media. No one changes positions on issues so frequently without a huge ulterior motive. In his case, he’s saying things that he believes will get him elected, not because he believes in them. Of course, not everyone who supports him is gullible because there are those who would benefit from his budget-gutting policies because they are wealthy. Then, there are those who choose to overlook Willard’s dangerous character flaws because they want Barack Obama out at any cost. Either way, they are just as dangerous to democracy as he is because they are serving as his enablers.
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Eddie Powell
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 7:39 pm
I see comments that boast of being proud to vote for a liar. One had the nerve to ever equate honesty, business and jobs as doable equations. Now these folks have real problems with the definition of honesty as it relates to “good character”. Down through history businesses have all ways put honesty on back burners when looking at profit margins. Maybe that is why they love a lair. It seems that the more Mitt lies the stronger and more vocal these people become. Basically I have come to the conclusion that most of these people that are pulling for Mitt the lair-in-chief are solely doing so because of the color of the president. Being figurative… These are the type people that pulling them out of the muddy economy and forget to clean their muddy knees off would be a unforgivable mistake that would be made by a Black man. Never mind the rest of the muddy mess. Seems far fetched but being thankful for the help, these types of people continually expresses their hatred because they had to be helped by a “man of color”. He did save our economy but figuratively forgot to clean our economic muddy knees . The Ryan types in Congress diverted his attention and tried to suffocated everybody while lying in this economic muddy mess. But never holding them responsible for the muddy knees is racist. If Mr. Obama was a white man he would be called hero and savior and only had to sleep walk to be re-elected. Mr. Obama has been called everything from a “retard” to a monkey. Been pictured as a “Black Hilter” and made his work as a “community organizer” a dirty word. To be elected president of the Harvard Law Review and to be labelled a “retard” is not only insulting but shows the level of color problems they possess. Now, if these people responses are not based on color then what? If they are willing to vote for a pathological liar that only tells them that his plans for the economy are “Trust Me” or ” Get back to You Later” if you elect me, these people are…
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julia patterson-massey
Oct. 23rd, 2012 at 8:10 pm
i couldn’t agree with you more.
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Gary Vaughn
Oct. 24th, 2012 at 8:19 am
What is scaring the hell out of me is the electorate. Obama is ahead by a smidge in some key swing states, and it is looking like he might get enough to win, but, realizing that, Romney could win the popular vote, now that makes me lose sleep at night just thinking there are that many zombies among us.
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Pat Rushing
Oct. 24th, 2012 at 5:09 pm
Unfortunately, While I think Rachel is correct that his dishonesty should disqualify him from the Presidency, I think Romney’s calculations are correct as well.
He’s found the secret sauce – and it’s this: Most Americans are too busy, lazy or dumb to fact check or bother to look up his previous statements – so he can lie freely and without consequence. The idiot voters will pay little to no attention to the fact that they’ve given the Presidency to a pathological liar.
This is a new low. Politicians have always hedged the truth, or even lied outright when cornered. (Clinton lied about sex to hide his affair)
But in 40 years, I haven’t seen anything like this before – someone who lies easily and constantly with a smile, even when caught in the lie. Absolutely breathtaking. Will he get away with it? You bet he will. A country this stupid absolutely deserves this guy. Sadly, all of us will pay the price.
A confederacy of dunces will lap this guy up like homemade soup.
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DobieTracker
Oct. 24th, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Rachel is right and no matter who wins this race, I am still going to remain deeply depressed and saddened by the fact that:
1) She is the only media person who is willing to state SO EMPHATICALLY that LYING TO THE PUBLIC AS OFTEN AND AS LOUD AS ROMNEY HAS LIED SHOULD BE CAUSE TO DISQUALIFY HIM FROM RUNNING.
2) This race is even anywhere close, because being close means THAT MANY PEOPLE IN THE YEAR 2012 ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT THAT KIND OF OUT AND OUT PROVABLE LYING BY A CON ARTIST FROM A RELIGION THAT IS BASED ON THE RANTINGS OF ANOTHER CON ARTIST—
3) Per Item 2 above– Almost half our voting public are either that STUPID and/or that IGNORANT, and/or ACTUALLY BELIEVE THE SAME WAY ROMNEY DOES AND/OR THINK IT IS OK TO LIE TO THIS ABSURD EXTENT IN ORDER TO WIN BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY CANNOT WIN BY TELLING THE TRUTH
4)That many people in the United States in the year 2012 are still that racist, that bigoted, that insecure.
Of course, if they are that ignorant and racist and gullible and stupid then they have every reason in the world to feel that insecure.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT SOMEONE LIKE ROMNEY ACTUALLY HAS A SNOW FLAKES CHANCE IN HELL OF WINNING A RACE TO BE RULER OF THE FREE WORLD.
Especially after the close call we had with Sarah Palin wherein I thought even the dummest among us would have — in the last 4 years— come to grips with their previous ignorance.
Apparently 4 years was not enough time for our lowest common demoninator to raise their bar.
Apparently our “lowest common demoninator” is made up of a lot more people than I previously admitted to myself.
Maybe I am the one who is stupid, and ignorant, and gullible to believe that MOST of us lived to a higher standard.
At least now I know why I have had such a hard time in life. I never knew exactly just how high the cards were stacked against me.
Yes, I know I am not alone. Others feel the same, yet I am still alone each night when I try to sleep.
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Kevin
Oct. 24th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Romney will win. The left will say it is because of racism and stupid voters who believe “lies.” There is a lot of talk about lying by Romney but no real discussion on what lies. Obama set a troop withdrawal date. Romney said he wouldn’t have done that but now that it has been planned for by the military for three years, Romney says he will not change it. How is that a lie? Romney still says he wouldn’t have told our enemies when we are leaving, a controversial move but terrorist Can strike at any time and We may see Very quickly that leaving Afghanistan was the wrong move. Al Qaeda is growing in Iraq after Obama failed to get a status of forces agreement. Bush’s surge was successful,.most military analysist do not agree the Afghan surge was, certainly not on the level of Iraq but Iraq and Afghanistan are vastly different culturally. No lets mention an Obama lie, benghazi, not one piece of intel in the days following suggested an Occupy Oakland like protest being the cause, yet the administration lied because Obama had someone to point the blame at because blaming Bush would have been a stretch. Wake up. You can say anyone is lying about something if you have an underlying agenda like liberals do now which is coming up for reasons why Romney won.
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Shiva (Moderator)
Oct. 24th, 2012 at 7:29 pm
No discussion of what lies? It sure is discussed on this site.
Romney said he would not have set a date foir afghanistan, in the last debate he said the date set was good. Thats one lie for you.
Everything you are saying was said by ROmney before the last debate. He walked every bit of it back and agreed with what Obama did.
You only have Romneys word that Al Qaeda is growing, thats not the CIA estimate. Romney, wrong again.
Nor did Obama lie about Benghazi. He said it was a terrorist attack 1 day after it happened. Romney was crushed by that in the debates. Read the documents that Issa released, they prove everything that was said was straight from CIA estimates. BTW, they know there would have been no attack if there was no protests over the movies.
Romney has now walked back everything he has said for 2 years and you whine about Obama. The man you support laughs at you
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DobieTracker
Oct. 24th, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Kevin, apparently you either don’t believe in fact checking done by others, and/or you don’t know how to fact check for yourself.
Maybe you have not actually heard Romney contradict himself time after time after time but Kevin, it is there, it is on tape, it is in print, even FOX has the tapes!
I do NOT want you to take my word for it, or anyone else’s, I want YOU to FACT CHECK it yourself.
All the information in the world is there waiting for you if you have the courage to go look at it and you will find there is NO way the “liberals” could have faked this.
You will see Romney with your own eyes, time and time again contradicting himself and the “behind closed doors 47% v. his statement that he loves 100%” is just the most obvious.
How obvious is it when Romney says something in a speech and LESS THAN AN HOUR LATER, his staff “walks back” what Romney said in the speech. HOW can both be correct? HOW can Romney “misspeak” so clearly on important issues so often that his staff is constantly “walking back” his statements.
Rhetorically questions: Sit down, alone and think about how you really feel about blacks, about women, about how much you yourself have observed Romney lying.
Don’t lie to yourself Kevin. You fool only yourself and YOU have to live with the consequences of being ruled by Romney as well as the rest of us.
If you vote for Romney, you will, too late, find out he is not on your side but it will be way too late.
If you vote for Romney, remember that someone is telling you right now that you have only yourself to blame.
I am 69. My health is not good and I do not have to personally worry how Romney will affect my life, what there is left of it. I have a feeling you are a lot longer and that means you will have to live a lot longer with your choices.
I won’t have to.
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Kevin
Oct. 24th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
Romney will win. The left will say it is because of racism and stupid voters who believe “lies.” There is a lot of talk about lying by Romney but no real discussion on what lies. Obama set a troop withdrawal date. Romney said he wouldn’t have done that but now that it has been planned for by the military for three years, Romney says he will not change it. How is that a lie? Romney still says he wouldn’t have told our enemies when we are leaving, a controversial move but terrorist Can strike at any time and We may see Very quickly that leaving Afghanistan was the wrong move. Al Qaeda is growing in Iraq after Obama failed to get a status of forces agreement. Bush’s surge was successful,.most military analysist do not agree the Afghan surge was, certainly not on the level of Iraq but Iraq and Afghanistan are vastly different culturally. No lets mention an Obama lie, benghazi, not one piece of intel in the days following suggested an Occupy Oakland like protest being the cause, yet the administration lied because Obama had someone to point the blame at because blaming Bush would have been a stretch. Wake up. You can say anyone is lying about something if you have an underlying agenda like liberals do now which is coming up for reasons why Romney won. If Rachel is so honest, she would be asking why the administration lied about Benghazi, Okay she doesn’t have to say lie, she Can say misleading. I Remember her lie about Wisconsin not being broke, pretty sad for such an honest journalist. Get over yourselves, she is a commentator who has counterparts on the Conservative end of the spectrum like her time slot rival Sean Hannity who beats her in every measure of success for that profession. But that’s because all the racist and bigots watch Hannity. Do you people listen to yourselves and still question why most Americans despise liberals and think you hate America? When Romney wins I.can’t wait to see the meltdowns on the left, especially the MSNBC crew.
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