Knox's ploy to make us believe he is a moderate who bounders between Dems and Reps is just that...a ploy! I guess the "non-vetting" of Obama and the "vetting of Romney"(which makes him want to again vote for Obama) is the way he wants the 2012 election to go. Let's watch and see how "honest" he is in the coming months when he writes about each presidential candidate. My guess is that he'll criticize Romney and praise Obama no matter what happens in the eomomy or foreign and domestic affairs.

In regards to Iran, I'd take Obama over any of the Republicans (exception being Ron Paul) who are HELL BENT on getting us into another war. My God, Newt Gingrich got a STANDING OVATION in the last debate for quoting Andrew Jackson's policy of "KILL THEM" when dealing with your 'enemy'...Guess people don't know their history any more. Jackson's enemy was the American Indian, who he stepped right over a Supreme Court ruling (in favor of the Cherokee Indians) to have them slaughtered in mass in the name or 'removal'. GREAT EXAMPLE NEWT! applause applause
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The current crop of GOP (other then Ron Paul) seems just hell bent on another war, with all the rhetoric I am hearing. Even when the debate brought up the topic of Turkey, they seemed to want to go invade those evil doers as well! I think even with Obama, the military industrial complex will suck us into war with Iran eventually, but perhaps not as instantly as it would be with the GOP, who's world philosophy is to: invade, occupy, and ask questions later.

IRAN loves Obama. He stopped the pipeline here! Now Canada is negoiating with China. They will buy the gas and sell it to us DUMBOS.

JVLHomeowner, Yup sticking up for your lousy democrat president. Sorry, it's not working. guy/girl. Admit it, Obama is thE worse president in the history of this country. Sadly we all will pay for it and our children and our grandchildren. end of story.

Do the names Newt and Mitt really have the potential to inspire the American electorate? Barack? Why couldn't we have elected an ordinary Joe? I guess we'll have to turn to the issues next.

Let's put it this way, I would follow Obama in battle because I sure as H--- wouldn't trust him behind me. Obama is a no vote. Mitt? Maybe, Newt? Maybe. Paul? NO!

It really doesn't matter who's is President as long as Congress is allowed to run rampant. No term limits, insider trading, special interests and lobbyist's are what has destroyed and will keep on destroying this country. Someone needs to "flush" the House and Senate or we will continue to see the same old s*** everyday.

We can't afford another 4 years of Obama wanting his cap and trade! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wzNUZVv0... and his failing to approve the pipeline from Canada which will create jobs and help the economy as well as lesson the dependacy of oil from the middle east!http://www.wsfa.com/story/16550215/pres-obama-rejects-pipeline-plan

I believe you will vote for a democrat no matter who is running, Politicans need term limitation and be held accountable for the wasteful spending of taxpayer money.

Winterstinks:
a lot of what you have posted Obama inherited from Bush, and the Republicans refused to help him get this country out of those problems ...
Point-•4.9% unemployment in Mexico vs. 9.4% in US
Obama did not send our jobs there, past presidents, both R & D did...

Point - •60% of U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan Have Occurred Since ØbamAA+ Was Inaugurated in 2009
•1268 SOLDIERS KILLED IN AFGHAN WAR UNDER ØbamAA+ (icasulties . org)
Bush sent our troops there, Obama brought our troops home from Iraq
Points- •46.2 million Americans are now poor
•22% of children in poverty
•Black unemployment highest in 27 years
•TEEN UNEMPLOYMENT HITS 50% IN DC
•Percent of People Working Lowest Since 1983
•49 million Americans, almost 15% of the U.S., is currently on food stamps
•5 million U.S. households are either in foreclosure or delinquent on their mortgage, and 11 million homeowners owe more than their homes are worth
Started under Bush, I got laid off as did many workers before the election. Again because of Republican opposition, nothing was done to fix this.
This crap probably still would have happened if McClain would have won + we would all be screaming for Palins removal (if she didn't quit before mid term)
There may be a Republicain backlash this time around, removing some of the "road block" majority, making things more equal so this country can get going again.

I would abstain -- it would the 1st election since High School nearly 35 years ago and I would not vote if those are the choices. I view this as Obama and Obama-lite.

We need a real change and someon with good ideas, a true leader not an organizer that bows to special interests. I am note sure that candidate exists. But I hold my selection in too high regard to settle any longer. Its time for the American people to stand up and say enough.

Obama's resume:
•Operation Fast & Furious
•$525 Million Dollar Solyndra Scandal
•46.2 million Americans are now poor
•22% of children in poverty
•Obama sets record: $4,247,000,000,000 debt in just 945 days
•Black unemployment highest in 27 years
•TEEN UNEMPLOYMENT HITS 50% IN DC
•4.9% unemployment in Mexico vs. 9.4% in US
•60% of U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan Have Occurred Since ØbamAA+ Was Inaugurated in 2009
•1268 SOLDIERS KILLED IN AFGHAN WAR UNDER ØbamAA+ (icasulties . org)
•Border chaos
•Under ØbamAA+, Gas Prices Double
•Housing starts see biggest drop since 1984
•FOOD PRICES JUMP MOST SINCE 1974
•Percent of People Working Lowest Since 1983
•49 million Americans, almost 15% of the U.S., is currently on food stamps
•47% of Americans pay no federal income tax
•9.1 Unemployment
•Øbamacare waivers to unions equal 2,168 and climbing
•Giving 10 billion to Brazilian oil drilling company Petrobras for offshore drilling
•Gitmo still open
•5 million U.S. households are either in foreclosure or delinquent on their mortgage, and 11 million homeowners owe more than their homes are worth
•Debt Hits New High: $15.3 Trillion
•S&P downgrade of the US from AAA to AA+ first time in history
•GM bailed out, CEOs now flying private jets again, $5,000 signing bonuses to UAW workers
•Officials in President Obama's WH regularly hold meetings off campus for the purpose of evading the Presidential Records Act
•Rejects 1/3 of FOIA

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t1#/vid...

Good article Steve.
That is a tough question for sure....
I voted for Obama, and am very disappointed with his performance.
However, Romney just doesn't cut it for me either.
You asked a direct question and deserve a direct answer, so mine is AS OF TODAY????? ok Obama again........Geesh, I can't believe I said that....But my mind may change depending on how others do, or if a third party runs....and yes Ron Paul would get my vote...

In '08, I pinched my nose and voted for McCain. I guess I will roll my eyes and vote for Romney. Obama is the end of the United States of America. I will not stay home because voting is an obligation as a citizen. I believe in the principles of the Framers, Jackson, Lincoln, and Reagan. I will not just sit home and watch our way of life vaporize, even if it means picking a candidate that I do not wholeheartedly support.

If it's not already too late for the U.S., Ron Paul is the only man that can turn it around. No more banker rule, no more loss of civil liberties. Vote Ron Paul for freedom and prosperity.

Romney just got swift boated by ABC, and the Cayman Islands. If he does survive the primaries, team Obama might have a October surprise about the 100,000 jobs Willard created being off shore. I believe this is why the national media is pushing Romney. This is what vetting is all about, so there is no October surprise.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/romney-par...

I agree with you, Steve. It's Obama for me. During the 90s I voted for many Republican candidates -- Dole, for one. That's because I never quite trusted Bill Clinton -- or Hilary, for that matter. But today's Republicans are becoming increasingly repugnant to me. (Does that mean I should refer to them as "Repugnicans" from now on?) Each candidate seems to want to outdo the others in sheer extremist obnoxiousness. I don't agree with everything the current President has done ... but he has accomplished some great things, and I believe he is well on his way to putting this nation on the right track. If the election were held today, I would vote for Barack Obama.

skwurt:
DEAD ON.
I'd say H Ross Perot was the last really viable one. He had a real shot if he did not make the fatal mistake of withdrawing, and then saying he was back in a few weeks later. He was leading in all polls before making that withdrawal.
When you look at the complete SCUM that has run in the past few decades (guys like John Edwards) it's really an utter embarrassment to American politics.

I'll vote Ron Paul, assuming that he runs as a 3rd party candidate (one can only hope). If you have ANOTHER election of two Oligarchy candidates (another McCain Obama), I will simply sit out again; as it won't really matter who wins. The country will continue on it's downward spiral. If Romney continues to alienate the Paul supporters enough, I may just vote Obama to say screw you to that clown. Whatever the case, if it is Romney v Obama, I will make a LARGE wager on Obama, via Intrade. As there is no way he will lose to Mittens. I have no clue how all these brain dead pundits and analysts in the GOP circles think this is the guy who can win. Literally ANY of the remaining 4 would have a better shot then Mittens. Oh well, they will soon see, because the mega $$$, and media, has all ready anointed Mittens after a small group of pig farmers gave him a 8 vote win!

I'm no youngster.... my father always said..."anyone who has to work for a living and votes Republican ought to have their head examined."


True then....even truer now.

tiredofhearingit - More or less that is my point. Every politician is quick to take credit for job creation or an economic boom when they probably had little or nothing to do with it. In a down economy they will always pass the buck.

I'm writing in Paul Ryan.

McCain's supposed research on Romney (odd McCain did no such vetting of Palin). http://cdn2.dailycaller.com/2012/01/McCa...

I don't know...how sad is that?I'll bet a LOT of people feel the same way, too much mud slinging & lies, not enough truth and real ideas how to handle the issues...There hasn't been a GOOD, VIABLE candidate in YEARS!!!!

Steve, read http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/20...

kenny_powers: so does that mean that Carter gets all the blame for what has been put on GW Bush?! Wow, that's great! Obama can't say its his (GW's) fault anymore, he obviously inherited this mess from Clinton then, right? The left is going to love this one.

I've probably been around longer than the majority of posters here but in all honesty can say that I've never seen a worse set of candidates put forth by the Republican Party. Obama doesn't have to do a thing. These guys are eating each other alive. By the time the Republicans pick a candidate, he'll be carrying so much baggage that the Democrats won't have to find a new wrinkle. The Republicans have done all the work for them. I can't see any of the present Republican candidates defeating Obama. For what it's worth, you better GET USED TO IT.

I will not vote again for Pres. Obama in 2012.
The country at best should have been stabilized,
however, it has gotten much worse.
You can not go from a fast and loose spending Pres. like Bush to a complete incompetent and spending maching like Obama.
We went the wrong way. We should have went more conservative in 2008. It only took Reagan 2-1/2 - 3 years to turn around the Carter misery.

My vote, if nothing else, is for the repeal of ObamaCare.

In my life time I have voted for Bush, Bush, and Obama. If I were voting today I would for Obama again. It wouldn’t be because he has done miraculous things while in office. It would be more due to the fact that there won’t be a decent candidate running against him. The Republican primary is currently a three ring circus; the only thing it is lacking is a tent over the top of it.
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I had an economics professor once explain to a lecture hall that it take many years for a president’s policies to actually have any real effect on the economy. This was in 2001; he went on to explain that Ronald Reagan’s policies and decisions (’81-‘89) were just now (2001) impacting the economy. By this logic; the current state of the economy can be blamed on Bush Sr. and Clinton.
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Moral of the story: Patience
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Give Obama a chance. Sure people that voted for him are disappointed that the state of the economy is…we’ll say “sub-par” right now. “Change” doesn’t happen over night. Something that took decades to screw up is going to decades to fix.

The lesser of 2 evils is still evil.

More of the debt and misery and failure. Poor quality healthcare and less jobs. More taxes and watch your pension funds. They want those too.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/1...

Noleftist, ever read the light print at the bottom of Steve's posts?

"Steve is a community blogger and is not a part of Janesville Gazette staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of the Janesville Gazette staff or management."

People confusing bloggers for actual journalists is a symptom of dysfunctional communications.

I would NEVER include Obama and safe in the same sentence.
The Republican nominee needs 1144 delegates to win. Romney has just 12 - It's anybody's ballgame. Even someone who isn't in yet has a shot.

John Eyster still hasn't declined a third party candidacy, has he?

As a young journalist working for the Gazette, you were seriously entertaining voting Republican in the next election. Now who's unbelievable, Steve?

"This is usually the sign of someone who has run out of arguments."
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I love how this comes directly after someone calls someone else "witchlady".
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as to this blog, I enjoy reading commentary from people claiming that they will just have to vote for "Y" as candidate "X" is untrustworthy/out of touch or whatever. while it is obvious that they would never consider voting for a candidate in "X"s party in the first place.

Obama has my vote!
His Presidency would
be having a totally
different outcome if
the Republicans weren't
blocking every move!

wislady....I see that you are sharpening up your name calling skills. This is usually the sign of someone who has run out of arguments.

witchlady scribbled:
"You wouldn't vote for Romney because he hasn't shown his tax files yet??
Instead, you would vote for someone who has been a total failure, a liar, and anti American."

Witchlady must be running for President. She thinks you'll vote for her instead of Romney.

Just because someone speaks, doesn't mean they can lead.

So Barack Obama is a good speaker and presents himself well and that is why you voted for him? This is exactly the problem - too many people vote for personalities and not their ideas. Nevermind that he had no plan to pay for all of his additional welfare and apparently he thinks money grows on trees and we shouldn't have to actually work for a living in America. It sounds wonderful when these democrats talk about how compassionate they are and everybody's going to get a fair shake and the world will be such a happy place when they're elected but they forget that someone has to pay the bill for all their handouts and that requires actual work and taking from people who work to support themselves. We need to encourage personal responsibility and not people getting something for nothing.

Our government doesn't stand a chance until enough sheep stop voting party lines and declare "A plague o' both your houses!" The Republican and Democratic parties are not the answer to this country's political problems, they are the cause.

Imagine an independent President vetoing the crap passed off as legislation from both sides. The Democrats and Republicans would either have to start talking to each other about veto overrides, or go home and campaign on a "I accomplished nothing but at least I didn't give in to the other party" platform.

www.usdebtclock.org This tells the story. Use this as your guide. The current administration has outpaced past administrations. "The buck stops here", an old saying definitely applies.

Ron Paul will NOT run as an Independant. If anyone does it will be his son Rand Paul, whose views are in line with Rons. Some of Rons ideals are a little strong, but would he be the best? I do not know. He has never strayed from his ideals and has never changed his stance. The 3 will be Obama, Romney, and Rand Paul. This could turn out to be an interesting year.

Mitt ain't ****!

craigholmes you totally missed the point. It isn't envy that he makes that much...good for him! It's the fact that he thinks that isn't very much money...how many teachers' salaries is that? To the ordinary American, $375,000 is a LOT of money and if he doesn't realize that, then he is completely out of touch with the realities of this country.

I like ron paul also, but i have serious doubts as to the electability of a non Democrat/Republican in my remaining 40 some years.

Please Steve, go with Ron Paul. He's our only hope. If Mitt wins the Republican primary, we may still have a chance to elect Ron Paul as an independent. The two-party system is the real cause of our disfunctional government.

I will once again vote for the best man for the job. ME!

I don't understand why people are upset that a guy get's paid $375,000 for a speaking engagement, good for him! In my world, that encourages me to go out and be successful so I can earn high reward as well. I think the biggest problem in this country is the envy and jealously. Stop whining, if you want it, go get it.

Safe choice? Double digit unemployment in Rock County, a record number of people on food stamps nationally, a president who apologizes for who we are as a country, and you call that a safe choice? Ridiculous.

Anyone but Obama.

Hey Steve, I heard an Anchor Bank commercial for "Bank Hugs" a new program they came up with. If you open an account and use the debit card three times in the first 2 months they give you $150 into your account for FREE. Just think of the months of enjoyment you could have watching that bad boy dwindle to NOTHING!!!!

Oh yeah, I would vote for Mitt.

I definitely won't be voting for Obama. If Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee, I won't be voting for him either.

I don't understand your reasoning Steve. I wouldn't vote for the other party candidate simply "because I don't trust what [the candidate of the other party] is (and isn't) saying." If I don't trust what a candidate says, I won't vote for him. That's why won't be voting for either Obama or Romney.

Mitt has 2 t's.
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"Then, I get speakers fees from time to time, but not very much.”
According to his personal financial disclosure, from February 2010 to February 2011, Romney earned $374,327.62 in speaking fees. A few months later, Romney joked that he was “unemployed.”
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Can he say, OUT OF TOUCH? $375K is "not very much" and being unemployed is a joke.

You wouldn't vote for Romney because he hasn't shown his tax files yet??

Instead, you would vote for someone who has been a total failure, a liar, and anti American.

Craigholmes: I have no idea who Mit banks with. In fact, there's not much that we really know about Mit. That's the issue. BTW, I'm well aware of how a free market capitalistic company works.

Enjoy your day.

I love it when Mit said that he received only a very small total fee last year for his speaking engagements. That fee was roughly $375,000.. And that his total worth is half a billion. When will people learn that these guys are not a part of us? This guy paid less a percent in taxes than someone from the lower middle class. It is really astounding to me that any average American would vote Republican.

I bet Mit banks with Anchor. These back to back blogs make one thing perfectly clear, Knox just does not understand how a free market capitalistic company works...

If I didn't know he worked for that pump company in Delevan I would swear he has a government employee.

Once again neither party can get it right. We will be forever stuck with these poor excuses for leaders due to the political climate. Obama is awful but the republican field is a bunch of clowns. Obama has taken all the bad of Bush and magnified it, not much difference.

3 yrs of Obama is not enough to offset 8 yrs of Booosh. I will be voting for Pres Obama.