Mitt Romney's been trying to avoid answering every controversial issue possible lately, apparently hoping to run out the clock on the November election, still four-plus months away.
But he still can't hide how out of touch he is.
Case in point: During stop yesterday at Cornwall Iron Furnace in Cornwall, Pennsylvania, on a small-town bus tour of six swing states, Romney declared “I am going to win Pennsylvania” this November.
That was somewhat bizarre given that President Barack Obama leads Romney by eight points (48-40 percent) in RealClearPolitics' average of polls.
Romney then waded into what has been a tense debate among Pennsylvanians for years: Wawa or Sheetz? The question of which Pennsylvania-based convenience store/sandwich chain is better became so awkward, that Romney apologized at one point.
But what got Romney really, really excited was a computer at Wawa (or as he called it, "WaWas") that allows customers to type in what they want on a sandwich, as opposed to ordering it through a human cashier.
"You press a little touchtone [editor's note: touchtone?] key pad… You touch this, touch this, touch this, go pay the cashier, and there's your sandwich," Romney said. "It's amazing!"
Watch the video:
The Guardian's Ana Marie Cox, Democratic strategist Julian Epstein and The Hill's Karen Finney dig into the Romney bus tour, including his amazement at a WaWa touch screen and whether one of the men accompanying him could be his pick for vice president.
Remember when Bush 41 was mesmerized by a common grocery store checkout scanner in 1992, twelve years after they were introduced?
So what was Romney most excited about, the advanced technology or the fact that the owner doesn't need to pay somebody to take sandwich orders?
Let us know what you think!
Leave a Comment:
great discussion on "Hardball" right now about mitt romney and how out of touch he is.
robMe has absolutely No Business running for POTUS !! He Scoff's at making a Mere $325,000 Dollars for One year - for Speaking !!! He Does NOT Need the Money of the Presidency a Mere $450,000 per Year !! If he makes it into office - This country Will FRY for everyone Other than the Wealthy !!!! The gop doesnt even like him - but - he Is All that They have !!! Ha Ha hahaaaaaaa !!!
Oh, did he say, "The private sector is doing fine."? Now who made that comment to show how out of touch he is with America? Did you enjoy Obama's dinner with Sara Jessica Parker and the 1%? :-)
MD, are those alien probes as painful as we all think they are? You must be receiving a signal from outer space. People will be selecting Romney over 4 more years of Obama. Remember Wisconsin?
Romney says he deserves to be president because he has experience in the white collar world, yet he has zero experience in the blue collar working world. And he proves this over and over again. His avoidance of answering any questions about what he would do to get the economy going other than using the Ryan plan (BUSH ON STEROIDS) he has not given so much as hint. Austerity seems to be the logical answer and an end to the democratic process. What would you expect from five digits.
You’d think he would at least give us a sign.....sign language that is ,and if he does he will give the common folk a one finger salute!
Please tell us what real jobs Obama held in the private sector. I can't wait to hear how he created jobs. :-) You've given us Jimmy Carter on steriods with Obama and his fours years of stagflation.
Sorry this is not 1979 nor is Mittens going to sell out the US the way Reagan did for votes. Just more vat nonsense on steroids.
Oh, you mean the way Obama sold us out to the Chinese for creating $5 Trillion more in debt (on the Chinese credit card) with no improvement in the unemployment rate, and facilitated General Electric with millions in tax payer stimulus dollars to move thousands of jobs to China after paying no taxes and hiring their CEO as his Jobs Czar. Oh, the irony! :-) Obama is reality TV. All show and no go!
Obama wasn't born with a silver spoon and has worked hard in school to get his education getting awards along the way. The American auto industry is alive and Osama is dead! The jobs in this country would be in allot better shape if it wasn't for the Teapublican governors cutting public sector jobs killing the economy and more stress on the unemployment fund and when the 67 weeks runs out)thanks to teapublicans they now lose their homes further putting banks in threat of default and when the bank is in threat of default the FDICA must back them putting us even further into debt. Willard backs Ryan's plan to austerity. Some plan! As the banks will not lend money to expand small/medium sized business. Obama has tried to regulate the crooked banking but the Teapublicans have blocked all attempts to do this and keeping banking frozen from lending due to this. In essence stopping economic growth. Romney has shown how he helps himself to pensions after gutting companies and this shows us his experience as a business man. Obama hasn't worked much in the private sector because he has been a student his whole adult life until he graduated with many degrees and honours. Willard has been unemployed for years and I would like to see him keep it that way.
While Mitt earned his success and wealth, you had wealthy radical leftists fund Obama's education as there were no scholarship for him since his grades were so poor in high school. He won't even make his academic transcripts public because his grades were so friggin' poor. Too busy being a 'community organizer' and radical in college. You can thank the Democrats - starting with Jimmy Carter - for the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 that helped create the housing bubble, and Dodd-Frank for more financial chaos in our economy. Obama has no clue how the private sector works, which is why he "thinks" it's doing fine. More clueless comments from the Dear Leader. :-)
FOX noise overdose!Obama graduated Magna Cum Laude, which, according to the Harvard Law School website, is awarded to the top 10% of the school's students. He was also elected President of the Law Review, an honor that the school says is given to a student seen to have great potential for the legal field.
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_were_Barack_Obama's_grades_in_college#ixzz1yBrRKIIi
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_were_Barack_Obama%27s_grades_in_college
Tell us how Barry Soetoro paid for his Harvard education and was admitted with his weak academic grades based on his own book, "Dreams of my Father". :-) Your own links backup my points! Haha!
What we do know, from Obama's own writings, is that he was a very ordinary student as an undergraduate, and not entirely focused on academics. But at some point, he resolved whatever personal issues were troubling him, and began to get better grades. (no proof!)
Right because after all Mittens just had such a hard time in school why he had to sell some of his stocks and bonds to pay the maids to clean his rental and take care of his babies so him and wife could attend pro draft demonstrations.
Yeah the guy whose father governor and went to a prestigious private boarding school where attacked another student, pranked a blind teacher and never got in trouble for it who then went on to Harvard where he spent four years without a doubt having his way bought in by daddy....who also left him stock so that neither Mitt nor Ann had to get a job to support themselves worked his way up and worked harder than someone without a super rich parent
ha the best the right wing can do
your candidate is a well oiled spoiled and entitled weathvane
Reminds me of Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter. Both rich, fathers who are politicians, little jerks and no spine....gosh what a resemblance don't you think? Speaking of Harry Potter has the DOJ decided what they'll do about Governor Voldemort(Rick Scott) in Florida for trying to defy their order yet?
Aw, isn't that cute. The little children on this blog use examples from Harry Potter in a political blog. Now we know we're dealing with children here like CC and Whom, I just didn't know we were dealing with little Liberal geeks. What a bunch of panty goblins. :-)
You obviously like the edited version that messnbc has done. See the entire clip and you will see what REALLY was said, not the edited, totally fabricated edition that you are refering to.
messnbc is the joke of the news world.. again.. after getting caught once more trying to change what really happened and in context.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47452716/ns/us_news-life/t/activist-targeting-schools-backed-big-bucks/#.T9-XBeorrzp
I received an email from "Students First" asking for money if you get one DO NOT send money as it is a scam to remove the teachers unions and back privatizing schools! The email I received looks like this.
Hi (my name)
To put the needs of students first in every school in America, we need people committed to reform in every community.
Education is a local issue with national implications. North Dakota schools need advocates to get involved with the reform effort and make a difference.
In the last year, we have successfully worked with our members to make progress in states across the country, including passing groundbreaking laws in Georgia, Ohio and Maine. This is a great start, but we all know our education system is far from fixed. We have so much more work to do to put the interests of students first.
Will you work with us to bring comprehensive reform to schools near you? Sign up now to take local action:
http://studentsfirst.org/local-action
Time and again, we have witnessed those with a vested interest in continuing the status quo rise up and squash local reform movements with their money and power. But allowing the status quo to continue means denying millions of children the chance at the American dream they deserve.
We cannot let the reform movement be trampled once again. To make real reform possible, we need the resources in place to go out and fight for every child in America.
Can you donate $10 to StudentsFirst right now?
http://studentsfirst.org/donate-10-now
The excitement and interest pouring in from every corner of the nation is incredible. Keep spreading the word and building this movement for reform.
We're at the beginning of something remarkable.
-- Michelle
Michelle Rhee
CEO and Founder
StudentsFirst
Unsubscribe | Become a Member | Follow Us on Twitter | Find Us on Facebook
825 K St, 2nd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-287-9220
During her tumultuous three years at the head of the Washington, D.C., public schools, Michelle Rhee set off a lot of fireworks.
She's still doing it -- on a national stage.
Rhee has emerged as the leader of an unlikely coalition of politicians, philanthropists, financiers and entrepreneurs who believe the nation's $500 billion-a-year public education system needs a massive overhaul. She has vowed to raise $1 billion for her national advocacy group, StudentsFirst, and forever break the hold of teachers unions on education policy.
StudentsFirst has its own political action committee (PAC), its own SuperPAC, and a staff of 75, including a cadre of seasoned lobbyists Rhee sends from state to state as political battles heat up. She has flooded the airwaves with TV and radio ads in a half dozen states weighing new policies on charter schools, teacher assessment and other hot-button issues.
To her supporters, Rhee is a once-in-a-generation leader who has the smarts and the star power to make a difference on one of the nation's most intractable public policy issues.
But critics say Rhee risks destroying the very public schools she aims to save by forging alliances with political conservatives, evangelical groups and business interests that favor turning a large chunk of public education over to the private sector. She won't disclose her donors, but public records indicate that they include billionaire financiers and wealthy foundations.
Rhee says she has only one goal: to make sure all children get a great education.
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"We are about fighting for kids," Rhee said. "And whoever is standing in the way ... we are willing to go up against those folks because we can't maintain the status quo."
Few would argue that the status quo is working. In urban school districts nationwide, on average just one in four 10-year-olds is proficient in reading, and one in four 13-year-olds is at grade level in math. Many big-city districts have dropout rates of 50 percent.
Rhee argues the problem isn't a lack of funding: Average spending per student has more than doubled since the early 1970s, even after accounting for inflation, to about $10,500 a year. Yet test scores have improved only modestly.
Schools don't need more money, Rhee says; they need to be held accountable for how they spend it.
Rhee wants all teachers to be evaluated in large measure by how much they can boost their students' scores on standardized tests. Scores are fed into a formula that rates how much "value" a teacher has added to each student over the year. Rhee says teachers who consistently don't add value should be fired; those who do well should be rewarded with six-figure salaries.
She has also successfully pushed legislation in several states, including Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Tennessee, to abolish seniority systems that protect veteran teachers and put rookies first in line for layoffs without regard to job performance.
Also high on Rhee's agenda: giving parents more choices. She calls for expanding charter schools, which are publicly funded but often run by private companies. She wants to let parents seize control of failing public schools and push out most of the staff. She also supports tax-funded vouchers, which can be used to pay private and parochial school tuition, for families living in neighborhoods with poor public schools.
Teachers unions have pushed back hard against many of these policies, with clout gained from years of lobbying and writing checks to candidates. Since 2008, the unions have spent more than $150 million on state politics.
Rhee, a lifelong Democrat, has supported politicians of both parties, but she has worked especially closely with conservative Republican governors who have cut funding for public education and pushed to weaken teachers unions. The politician who has received by far the most support from her organization is a socially conservative Republican legislator in Michigan.
"We are a bipartisan organization," said Nancy Zuckerbrod, a spokeswoman for StudentsFirst. "The party affiliation of the adults is not what matters to us."
Rhee has set up StudentsFirst as a network of interlocking lobbying groups, advocacy organizations and political action committees. By law, she does not have to disclose her donors, and she refuses to discuss her fundraising.
But an adviser to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg confirms that he provided financial backing for Rhee's recent push into Connecticut politics.
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The Laura and John Arnold Foundation, funded by John Arnold, a hedge-fund manager and major Democratic donor, has pledged $20 million over five years. Other backers: the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, the Broad Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation, funded by heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune, which gave $1 million, according to foundation records.
Max Whittaker / REUTERS
Michelle Rhee, founder and CEO of StudentsFirst, works on a computer at her office.
Rhee and her team are "education innovators dedicated to improving student achievement in a transformational way," said Meredith Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Arnold Foundation.
In New Jersey, the state affiliate of StudentsFirst can count on nearly unlimited support from hedge-fund managers David Tepper and Alan Fournier, the executive director said. Tepper and Fournier are also substantial donors to the PAC backing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Both men declined to comment.
"There is no budget," said the state director, Derrell Bradford. "They are willing to spend whatever it takes."
On a smaller scale, Charter Schools USA, one of the largest for-profit charter school management companies in the nation, gave Rhee's group $5,000 last year after honoring her as a "New American Hero," a spokeswoman for the outfit said.
And StudentsFirst has received more than $1 million in small contributions of less than $100 each from parents and other grassroots supporters, the staff said.
Wow, bet he'd REALLY be amazed by the self checkout lanes at some stores.
Wow, how about Obama that is amazed at green technologies (Solyndra..) that never created jobs and went bankrupt? I'll take the guy that's amazed at new sandwich making technologies vs. green economy fantasies that costs us tax payers billions. :-)
Funny how you leave out Mittens failures when he went green as gov.
Whom boy is comparing Billions lost by Obama to a few million (1 million x 1,000 = 1 billion) and 85 employees that lost their jobs to thousands that lost their Solynra jobs. I understand math is not a Liberal strong suit. :-) Advice... stick to your limited strengths: racism, ignorance and class warfare.
Vat: Most of the investment was recouped after they folded. Keep up the FOX fiction. And not a one pension was reaped from them. And weather you like it or not GREEN tech is coming. But I guess you still think the Keystone is a win win! But its been proven that it would raise the price of gas. But you want to keep paying more and more for this finite resource of which the Koch Bros. so solidly back, to the point of misleading people by spending billions on their false information IE propaganda!
I'm all for private sector green technology development and the of use of private venture capitalism. However, Liberals like to gamble with tax payer dollars to 'force' the green agenda, which leads to fraud, waste and abuse as we've seen over the past four years with failure after failure. I guess when you pay no federal income taxes... you don't care about this issue. Tell us how the tax payers were reimbursed after Solyndra folded. Please provide links/sources. Happy to discuss this more. :-) Obama said the price of energy would "necessarily skyrocket" under his "green" Cap and Trade program. Yup, the price of gas doubled under Obama vs. GW Bush. Liberals pick losers after losers..
Vatican
Don't expect "links/sources"!!
Look who you are asking it from!
and you clowns provide so many.
One robot ordering from another robot. You'd think Mittens would know how to interact with his own kind.
John - read the report on Politico that has exposed the fact MSNBC edited the tape to present a false report. MSNBC management has been notified - look for another suspended or fired msnbc employee.
Mitt must not like those computers-No one to fire!
Oh wow-you must be peeing in your pants. With Fox Propaganda, no matter how many times they get caught doing the same thing, NO ONE gets fired-that's the difference between the two networks.
No Chris, there is no difference - one of the main, thoughtless, talking points that is prevalent in here is that Fox News (or whatever creative name you want to call it) is biased, or lies, or blah, blah, blah. Yet, MSNBC is exactly the same - only it is a cheerleader for your side - therefore all is OK and somehow there is a difference.
This is not the first time MSNBC has been caught being less than truthful and it is never an innocent mistake - it is done to push an agenda and to manipulate. Frankly, it is cowardly and pathetic. Say what you want about Fox, but don't pretend MSNBC is the beacon of truth of integrity.
Of course Willard thinks its great, try and buy one of those on food stamps. My guess he would want all the food in this country to be made by a machine, killing jobs all along the way and just more money to the top.
Obama's bad economic policies placed more Americans on food stamps, social security disability, welfare and unemployment than GW Bush. He's an expert at killing jobs while wasting tax payer dollars. :-)
Either you didn't read or understand my post #1.8 or you just like to try to be a pest. I think its because you like being a troll with no valid points. So turn off FOX noise and Rush Rimjob and get your head on straight before its to late.
I read your nonsense and excuses which led to no real points... just more Liberal. gibber gabber. :-)
Over your head again...so just keep on repeating the same old garbage. I have seen it many times. end of story.
Here get an education on how we got to where we are.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/money-power-wall-street/
Still can't debunk my facts because you rely on Media Matter lies & distortions. Thanks for playing! :-)
Triple X-It's just a spammer-he's only here to attack. I think he's a rereg of OtD.
Congratulations to MSNBC for getting caught again editing tapes so that what they report is taken completely out of context to what the real situation was. turns out that Romney was not impressed by the machine itself, but by the difference between the public sector and the private sector ability to be efficient.
I am sure you left wing nuts will find a way to spin this to fit your agenda, but the truth is that you support an organization that is consistently manipulating the news. Too bad there is not any news organization that can be trusted...yes, I said any.
If a person is not smart enough to get their news from multiple sources, then they deserve what they get.
just saying...
Amen! MSNBC continues to be the Obama Propaganda Machine as it bends the truth, manipulates video and audio, creates stories vs. reporting the news, and uses extremists like Al Sharpton to host their programs. This is why so many here were "surprised" at the results in the Wisconsin recall election, but most of us weren't. They get their "news" from one source: Media Matters, and never get it right. Haha! They were also surprised with the 2010 Congressional elections. Media Matters lol
Very good everything is a conspiracy out to get you! WOW! Did you run out of medicine or are you afraid to take it because they are out to GET AGAIN! LOLOLOLOL!
They are coming right now to take you away! Ha Ha HA Hee Hee hee! Ha hA HA!!! Do you hear a knock on the the door? Quick get your gunz! Or maybe you had better get to Nugent's house before its too late!!!!
Good bye lunatics!
Oh, the simple Liberal mind when confronted with the truth and find themselves living an illusion. The funny farm indeed. I enjoyed the surprised look on Obama's face when he thought we had 57 states!
VAT...it is amazing how fast they are to laugh it off when it is MSNBC that gets caught and to cry conspiracy themselves when someone else does it...
Just saying...
"Vatican12442" sounds like another "r"epublican who votes AGAINST himself because he never learned how to THINK! (small "r" for low income, dim lightbulb, who feels sorry for the multi-millionaires and billionaires who screw him over, so he votes AGAINST himself!) The emptiness of the post tells the whole story! As if all Democrats are liberals?! :o )
Where is the outrage since MSNBC was caught AGAIN editing video - this time with Romney? Ha ha! Oh, the hypocrisy of the left is so very thick. Almost as dense as the skulls of people like Maerz that vote for Obama while he destroys the very things they need, e.g., jobs, good economy, cheap energy, etc. Liberal, Progressives, Democrats; all losers that hate our Republic. So take your pick. :-)
Romney has 4 or 5 FIRM stances on everything. In other words, he has NO principles at all and is a flat out LIAR! MUCH worse than any flip-flopper, who has just found more information , so changed his position! I am also shocked at the EVIL coming out of this guy's mouth. He obviously wants the presidency so bad that he is selling his soul! Or, did he EVER have one?? Yes, is there even any REAL Mitt Romney at all. He's simply a puppet, just like Walker!
Welcome back , Ed! Did you catch any fish?
Who promised they would cut the deficit in 1/2 by the end of his first term when in fact he raised the national debt by a record $5 Trillion? tick tick tick... Obama, the Liar in Chief.
Anyone who had a clue about "Citizens United" wasn't "surprised" at all that Walker was allowed to BUY the election! DUHH! Don't they even know what "Citizens United" is about?? Obviously not! They would sell our Democracy down the drain in a second cuz they never learned to THINK past their noses. How many of these posters, would you guess, makes the $250,000 EACH (NOT per couple) to EVER benefit from ANY Republican legislation which is ALL written for the super wealthy and the corporate billionaires?? They obviously don't know THAT either, while they tune in to their Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck recruitment programs. They hooked some REAL gullible doozies! How do people GET that gullible? Is it lack of schooling, no Civics classes, or just dull minds??
NObama 2012!!
This is an MSNBC LIE exposed today by POLITICO. MSNBC edited a tape to make Romney look bad. Politico has reported on the fabrication and contacted MSNBC management who has said they are looking into it. Tomorrow they will quietly issue a correction heard by few. Ed, on the other hand, will continue to twist the truth. Eddie lost in Wisconsin and will soon lose the White House.
That's why MSNBC and the Ed Show, according to TV by the Numbers, is rated so LOW every week vs. its competition. It's become a joke in the cable news domain. They have small fringe viewership. Approx. 38 viewers based on this blog. HA ha! :-)
Many conservatives seem to be challenged about basic information. The Bush administration left huge budget deficits for President Obama the moment he walked into the office. Two Bush wars in Afghanistan and Iraq plus the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts added huge sums to our national debt doubling in just eight short years. In 2001 Clinton left the office with a budget surplus of about $150 billion and a national debt of about $5 trillion. When fiscal year 2010 (which goes to October to October) which was most of Obama's first year Bush's budget deficit was $1.3 trillion and the national debt was approaching nearly $12 trillion. Again the Center of Budget Policy Priorities has said that the major cause of the budget deficits were the two Bush tax cuts and the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Here is a source for intellectually challenged conservatives. Check out the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities website, with the article written by Kathy Ruffing and James R. Horney, 2010, "Critics Still Wrong on What's Driving Deficits in Coming Years". This article has much data from the Congressional Budget Office. If you bother reading the article you will find in big black print part way down the page that says clearly "Bush Tax Cuts and War Costs Do Lasting Damage to Budget Outlook". The paragraphs clearly state that the long term budget deficits and rising national debt were clearly caused by the two Bush war and the Bush tax cuts. The budget deficit would end soon after the Bush tax cuts expire and the wars wind down resulting in greatly reduced military costs. The report adds that the cost of the 2008 recession greatly increased the budget deficit in the short term but the long term problems remain as long as the Bush tax cuts and military expenditures remain.
The bottom line is this: The trillion dollar budget deficits we are experiencing now were caused by the policies under President Bush. The Bush wars and the Bush tax cuts have put our budget in a straight jacket of trillion dollar deficits for many years into the Obama Administration. The tax laws must expire and the two wars must all be brought to an end before the budget deficits will greatly improve.
These are the facts that no conservative can dispute because CBO data was analyzed to form this conclusion. Mitt Romney has embraced the Ryan Budget plan that wants to increase military spending and make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Mitt Romney/Ryan plan will guarantee trillion dollar deficits for years to come leaving America in an ocean of red ink. The GOP/Romney/Ryan plan is a plan to destroy the middle class and the public sector in this country. It is not only disingenuous to support Mitt Romney for president it is the equivalent of fiscal suicide.
Conservative seem to forget that fact that energy prices are set on a global economy. When the car market was emerging in the early 20th century many car companies went bankrupt or were bought our by competitors. This is the case with Solyndra and other start up companies. Some start up companies will make it and other will fail. This is due to the consolidation and maturation of the market. Solar companies are going through profound change as market conditions for solar products change. Green energy sure could use the $4 billion we spend subsidizing oil and gas companies that are mature markets that need no subsidies. Conservatives need to remember that we are facing lots of reasons for green energy.
1. We are at or soon near peak world oil production. Oil geologist and professor Kenneth Deffeyes in his book "Beyond Oil" uses Professor Hubbert's mathematical analysis with calculus and statistical analysis to explain Hubbert's theories about peak oil. Professor Hubbert predicted U.S. peak domestic production accurately in 1970 at 3 billion barrels annually. Today we barely produce 2 billion barrels domestically. Hubbert predicted peak world oil production in 2005. Some oil industry analysts predict peak oil production before 2015 but all knowledgeable oil analysts discuss when peak oil production will happen but it will happen but we won't know it until several years after we are passed it. Despite ferocious skepticism no one has been able to disprove Hubbert's theories yet. Professor Deffeyes explains in his book that well over 90% of all the oil in the world has already been discovered.
2. The BRIC countries are industrial powerhouses expected to use huge amounts of oil in coming decades. China and India are expected to quadruple their fossil fuel usage by 2030. China is building over 100 million cars over the next seven to ten years. India will also add tens of millions more vehicles this decade. By 2020 we can expect to jump from 800 million vehicles to one billion vehicles. Brazil and Russia are also building more cars and consuming more fuel.
3. Forty out of the largest 54 oil producing countries reported reaching peak oil production. The U.S. reached peak oil production in 1970. Saudi Arabia is also believed to have reached peak production. Many of these 40 countries reached peak oil production years ago. Despite substantial investment in oil drilling technologies, including hydraulic fracturing these 40 countries have been unable to increase oil production. Officials in the other 14 countries also report that it is likely that they will be unable to increase oil production in coming years. Traditional oil producers like Indonesia now import oil. Iran, Venezuela, and Russia are seeing increasing numbers of vehicles that are cutting into exports of oil. Iran is increasingly natural gas for vehicle fuel.
4. We produce globally about 85 million barrels per day of oil. The U.S. consumes about 20 million barrels per day or about one out of every four barrels of oil in the world. Many oil geologists with decades in their field are saying that peak oil means that when we want to produce 90 million barrels of oil we will not be able to maintain that level of production for any length of time at all. It is important to note that after the Yom Kippur war in 1973 and the Arab oil embargo a shortage of only 5% in the supply of oil caused oil prices to quadruple. The age of cheap oil is gone forever. Joseph M. Schuster, a chemical engineer, wrote a book called "Beyond Fossil Fools" and predicts that we have about 37 years left of oil production after we peak. Long before that time period is over, oil prices will become prohibitively expensive.
The bottom line is this: the age of cheap oil is over with. We could be seeing $200 per barrel oil before 2020. Fuel costs in America will do nothing but go inexorably upwards in the long term. $8 to $10 per gallon for fuel is something entirely possible with the industrialized BRICs adding nearly 200 million cars in the next decade. Oil only has temporarily dropped to below $85 per barrel because China and India are in a recession as is Europe. Once we recover from this recession oil prices will start climbing and staying at higher levels. The 21st century is about BRIC and Asian-Pacific Rim countries and their increasing industrialization. We live in a hyper-competitive and highly interrelated global economy. The 21st century is not about America anymore it is about Asia. We need an Apollo energy policy that gets us off of oil before oil leaves us. Anyone who criticizes President Obama's emphasis on green energy policies needs to understand the dynamics of the hyper-competitive global economy and the implication of a world at peak oil production. China and India are going to suck up oil faster than we can drill it out of the ground. We Americans need to leave oil before oil leaves us.
Oh joy, another Liberal "Chicken Little" screaming the 'sky is falling' as he copies and pastes more leftist rhetoric and propaganda not backed up by government studies or objective facts. Just another Media Matters, NY Times, Huffington Post slut. :-) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubbert_peak_theory
To Vatican, Many democrats voted to keep Walker in office only because they felt that he should not of been recalled. These same demo's are not for Your man Romney. President Obama will carry Wis. So shut your mouth about what happened in Wis. And as far as Msnbc botching a video of Your guy Fox does this all the time, every day against OUR PRESIDENT
This is just another case of MSNBC editing tape to suit their propaganda needs. If you look at the full, unedited tape, which is available all over the internet, Romney talked about a ridiculously long and cumbersome bureaucratic process a person had to go through when dealing with the federal government, and he contrasted that with how competition forced private enterprise to be much more efficient, using the Wawa ordering system as an example. So, he is not out of touch. But anyone who thinks they'll ever get the truth from MSNBC is most definitely out of touch with reality.
Peak oil is real because oil is a finite resource. Why are oil companies drilling in more remote places like the Chuckchi Sea or the deep ocean? About 80% of the oil we consume was produced in oil fields discovered before 1973. Go to the Department of Defense Energy Blog and you can read about peak oil. The Defense Department under Secretary Robert Gates is taking the decline of oil very seriously. The Army and Marine Corps are using solar panels, developing new technologies that reduce fuel consumption. Officers and soldiers who have served in Iraq, the Persian Gulf, and Afghanistan are taking energy conservation extremely seriously. Military officers worry that perceptions of declining oil production will spur future military conflicts in the future.
China, India, and other Asian Pacific Rim countries producing making another 200 million cars over the next decade is fact that General Motors and other care companies are using in their marketing strategies. Professor Deffeyes has 50 years of experience in the oil business as an academic and a scholar. Hubbert predicted U.S. peak oil production in the 1950's and most oil experts believe peak oil will happen. Hubbert's method of using a bell shaped curve also worked well in predicting the demise of oil production in the Former Soviet Union. Oilman T. Boone Pickens thinks that we will have a hard time producing much more than 85 million barrels per day on a sustained level overtime.
We have at best about 40 years of oil left then we start running out. I am talking strictly about regular conventional oil not unconventional sources like tar sands or oil shale because that is a totally different topic. Besides, there simply does not exist enough industrial capacity to produce these unconventional sources in quantities large enough to make a difference in the global economy for decades at least. Huge environmental concerns such as water usage and toxic chemical pollution in ground water and the air make these unconventional sources a political and legal hot potato. No one is predicting these unconventional sources can or could be brought online in any meaningful capacity anytime soon despite the hubris of the oil and gas industry.
Here are some questions for you to answer:
1. Are you an oil geologist or someone with many decades of experience as an oil analyst or chemical engineer? Prove Professor Hubbert's methods wrong about predicting peak oil production with your vast expertise in oil economics and production methods?
2. Have you studied the BRIC countries and the Asian Pacific Rim countries and their rapid industrialization?
3. Do you understand what is meant by the international global economy?
Sources:
The Department of Defense Energy Blog has a long list of articles on Peak oil and energy related issues.
Colin J. Campbell and Jean H. Laherrere, March, 1998, "The End of Cheap Oil"
Scientific American,
Joseph M. Schuster, 2008, Beyond Fossil Fools, Edina, MN: Beaver Pond Press Inc.
Kenneth S. Deffeyes, 2005, Beyond Oil, The View from Hubbert's Peak, NY: Hill and Wang
Professors Campbell and Laherrerer have 40 years experience each in the oil industry and academia as petroleum geologist.
Joe Schuster is a chemical engineer with 50 years experience in the oil industry and business.
Professor Kenneth S. Deffeyes is an oil geologist with over 50 years experience in academia and in the corporate sector.
so now that nbc has lied about Romney said what do you think
MSNBC HAS DONE IT AGAIN.
Edited the tape of Romney to make it sound like he is portraying ideas that he is not, inserting laugh tracks, etc...on Andrea Mitchell's show that played this interview.
NBC and MSNBC are crooked and will do anything to make Romney look bad and use unfair tactics to do it. Just goes to show the desperation of the left. Simple as that.
This network may be the lowest rated network in the USA, but they sure are dishonest!!! LOL.
Johnny:
Can you hear that? Its the sound of crickets...which is all you will hear from Democrats regarding this. Now, if it had been Fox news doing it, all hell would have broken loose.
just saying...
Right on Stormguy...the crickets sound nice. All NBC and MSNBC is doing these days is having to offer apologies for distorting the news....for lying on purpose....
Ed does it, and Lawrence O'Donnell really does it a lot. That guy is scary with all of his lying.
Oh well, I cannot wait until November....when once again, right will prevail over what is wrong and our country will once again begin to look like one Nation under God and not one nation trying to be ruled by this president and his ideals that he admits he wish he didn't have to go through Congress to implement.
Very poor video edit. This entire clip is taken totally out of context. Bad Journalism, very bad.
Shades of Mark Zimmermen, MSNBC is at it again, editing a video to support their agenda. How can any one believe these deceptive politically motivated so called journalists?
Once again msnbc is editing tape,you think they would learn something from the Trayvon Martin 911 tape. Do they wonder why there ratings suck?
The sad thing is the majority of the viewer buy it, without question. MSNBC falsely reported Romney hiring Illegal Immigrants, the altered the Zimmerman video, and now this, yet the viewers believe every thing MSNBC puts in front of them.