NJ Gov Chris Christie proof that the GOP isn't doomed.

[Laize]

stop cramping my style man.

and if faux news is any indication of which way the gop wind blows, they dont.

Believe it or not, I have no reason to believe Fox News ever had its views in line with the Republican party. Instead, they're far-right crazies everyone associates with the Republicans. Republicans in general are pretty level-headed people.

Bill O'Reilly isn't a republican, for example. Nor is he stupid. I think he just knows what gets viewers.

[Boogieknight]

I wouldn't worry too much about that. The GOP must know, after Romney's defeat, that extremist messages aren't to be tolerated.

I think you underestimate the collective intelligence of the Republican party and the people registered as such. Remember during the primaries that Michell Bachman won the Iowa Straw Poll with her ultra-ultra right-wing views. The primaries exist to determine how far right you are, and as long as the primaries insist on saying things like evolution is evil, put up an electric fence between US and Mexico, kill the EPA and department of educations, and the myriad of other insane points of view that come from the candidates it's going to continue. I doubt the party has learned its lesson, but I'm more worried that the party learned the lesson that it's OK to think things that are contrary to reality like "legitimate rape provides you a gift-from-God baby that you can't abort, but if you do we'll need to forcibly do a vaginal ultrasound that you have to look at" as long as you don't say it out loud.

[Grizzly Willy]

Believe it or not, I have no reason to believe Fox News ever had its views in line with the Republican party. Instead, they're far-right crazies everyone associates with the Republicans. Republicans in general are pretty level-headed people.

Bill O'Reilly isn't a republican, for example. Nor is he stupid. I think he just knows what gets viewers.

Then the GOP isn't for Republicans.

[Felya]

Believe it or not, I have no reason to believe Fox News ever had its views in line with the Republican party. Instead, they're far-right crazies everyone associates with the Republicans. Republicans in general are pretty level-headed people.

Bill O'Reilly isn't a republican, for example. Nor is he stupid. I think he just knows what gets viewers.

Former vice president nominee of the republican party, Palin, has her own show on the channel. Karl Rove, the mastermind behind republican party's election strategy, is the fox news election expert. O'Reilly isn't stupid, but he is a republican.

To me, saying Fox News is not republican, is equivalent to saying that the people the republican party tries to put in office are not republicans.

With talk of Christie and Rubio, let's not forget that a fox regular, Mike Huckleby, is also a favorite to run again.

[GennGreymane]

The GOP as a institution may want him

but can he win the primaries? I dont think so

Despite Rudy's 911 pandering he was a decent mayor did a good job for the most part, is a northern republican and he is very liberal on social views. He woulda made a great choice in 08

Chris Christie will have the same issue..... he wont win the primaries

[Felya]

Despite Rudy's 911 pandering he was a decent mayor did a good job for the most part, is a northern republican and he is very liberal on social views. He woulda made a great choice in 08

Rudy ran on 911 alone. He forgot that he cleaned up the Fulton Fishmarket and interfered with the free market, by placing zoning restrictions on time square. I lived in NYC through his terms and thought he was great, but he did not seem to run on what made him great.

Chris Christie will have the same issue..... he wont win the primaries

I forgot about primaries, a Yankee will have a hard time.

[Fugus]

A closed shop is one in which the employer is not allowed to employ people who are not union members. Nor are employees allowed to quit the union and remain employed. It's not the same as a strike.

Ah, I have never actually seen a place like that around here, but out here Unions aren't doing so well and it shows with our lack of wages, hours, and benefits. But I can understand it as it keeps the scabs down who weaken the Unions.

Off of JUST you? Then yeah you might need to fight for more. If they're making $50,000 off of 50 employees, however...

If they were making $50,000 a month off of 50 employees I wouldn't have brought it up. But most companies I have seen around here pay the employee maybe about a fifth to a twentieth of what he actually brings in for the company in profit.

[Laize]

Ah, I have never actually seen a place like that around here, but out here Unions aren't doing so well and it shows with our lack of wages, hours, and benefits. But I can understand it as it keeps the scabs down who weaken the Unions.

Unions aren't doing well anywhere in America. Something like 7% of american workers belong to a union. People are saying they don't want unions anymore.

If they were making $50,000 a month off of 50 employees I wouldn't have brought it up. But most companies I have seen around here pay the employee maybe about a fifth to a twentieth of what he actually brings in for the company in profit.

Are you sure profit? Because most companies don't make that much off workers once you take their salary out. Walmart, for instance employs 1.4 million people in the united states. Their profit last year was $15.7 billion.

That means their per-employee yearly profit is just north of $11,000.

[Dhurn]

With talk of Christie and Rubio, let's not forget that a fox regular, Mike Huckleby, is also a favorite to run again.

I'd be surprised if Hucks goes for it, he seems really comfortable in his cozy high paying Fox News job. I think he learned in '08 he doesn't have a chance in hell at carrying anything but conservative Christian southern states. He's not delusional, I think he'll look at the opportunity cost of giving up his Fox job vs spending a grueling, expensive 1-2 years futilely campaigning and won't go for it.

[Fugus]

Unions aren't doing well anywhere in America. Something like 7% of american workers belong to a union. People are saying they don't want unions anymore.

The only ones I have seen out here who don't want unions, the only thing they know about them is they might have to pay dues. So they only reason they don't want them is they see the dues as an added tax but don't see anything else they do for them and the weaker they get, the less they CAN do for them. I know plenty out here who want unions. Most of the local Walmarts out here are hoping and praying for them and quite a few others. I know the local smith field out here, being a member of the Union is optional. Some don't like it but don't complain that their wages have gone up from $8 an hour 10 years ago to over $13 within 2 years of work now since it came in.

Are you sure profit? Because most companies don't make that much off workers once you take their salary out. Walmart, for instance employs 1.4 million people in the united states. Their profit last year was $15.7 billion.

That means their per-employee yearly profit is just north of $11,000.

I work for Walmart. Our store alone brings in over $1 million a month in profit on the off-season, we bring in over (estimated since our sales more than tripled) $3 million a month on the holidays. In August, we were making over $380,000 in sales per 24 hour period. We have 500 employs, many of them are working less than 12 hours per week first period, the overnight shift is the only one with consistent hours which is also put on an understaffed skeleton crew. So our 500 employs operates more like about 200 full timers, probably few than that. But even if the 500 employees all worked full time hours, the company still made over $24,000 per employee profit per year, the fact they are part timers means they made even more than that on the average.

[Laize]

The only ones I have seen out here who don't want unions, the only thing they know about them is they might have to pay dues. So they only reason they don't want them is they see the dues as an added tax but don't see anything else they do for them and the weaker they get, the less they CAN do for them. I know plenty out here who want unions. Most of the local Walmarts out here are hoping and praying for them and quite a few others. I know the local smith field out here, being a member of the Union is optional. Some don't like it but don't complain that their wages have gone up from $8 an hour 10 years ago to over $13 within 2 years of work now since it came in.

The fact is that besides Walmart, no one really needs a union. Look at skilled labor. Most companies in this country treat their employees right. My uncle is a CNC machinist making $29/hour with his health insurance fully subsidized by his employer (Who also pays for employee education if they want to advance within the company). I don't think the UAW gets that kind of compensation for their workers.

I think that companies like that are the norm rather than the exception. The unfortunate truth is that Walmart is the largest private employer in the United States and, therefore, the most visible. They're also one of the worst.

I work for Walmart. Our store alone brings in over $1 million a month in profit on the off-season, we bring in over (estimated since our sales more than tripled) $3 million a month on the holidays. In August, we were making over $380,000 in sales per 24 hour period. We have 500 employs, many of them are working less than 12 hours per week first period, the overnight shift is the only one with consistent hours which is also put on an understaffed skeleton crew. So our 500 employs operates more like about 200 full timers, probably few than that. But even if the 500 employees all worked full time hours, the company still made over $24,000 per employee profit per year, the fact they are part timers means they made even more than that on the average.

I'm not saying Walmart pays their employees well. I'm saying your 5%-20% figure is off. In reality Walmart makes, tops what they pay you in salary in profit.

[Fugus]

The fact is that besides Walmart, no one really needs a union. Look at skilled labor. Most companies in this country treat their employees right. My uncle is a CNC machinist making $29/hour with his health insurance fully subsidized by his employer (Who also pays for employee education if they want to advance within the company). I don't think the UAW gets that kind of compensation for their workers.

I think that companies like that are the norm rather than the exception. The unfortunate truth is that Walmart is the largest private employer in the United States and, therefore, the most visible. They're also one of the worst.

Where do you live? I live in Hope Mills, North Carolina and I am at the other end of the spectrum. We see full and clear why Unions are still needed. The companies only treat the employees as well as they have to in many places. The Smithfield packing plant is a shining example of that. About 10 years ago, you couldn't find a non-executive working out there who made more than $8-$8.50 an hour, that was all Smithfield said they could afford to pay them. The work sucked, the management sucked, they were treating their labor very poorly and were the last company in this state I believe to have it's own personal police force that made the news twice for attacking people trying to protest the working conditions and pay there.

Then they did that crack down where they nationally deported a bunch of illegals from Smithfield, followed by a walk-off by thousands of others (all Mexican, not that it really matters). Shortly after that they unionized and the place is now a decent place to work for. The executives are better (but still strict I have heard, but not physically attack you bad) and unlike before when the pay topped out at a little over $8 until you made management (which until then they kinda hired from outside the building and would not promote from within I heard from the people who worked there through that), you can now make over $13 an hour within 2 years there. Guess they could afford more than the $8 they claimed was it.

Trust me, live out here and you will be begging for the Unions to come just to allow you to live. Unskilled labor gets paid crap and even the skilled labor has things going down here. My cousin used to work for Arvin Meritor for 13 years as a supervisor. He got laid off 2 years ago over a dispute with management over how to treat the employees. They wanted to bring down the hammer on them harder than he wanted. So they laid him off. After 2 years he is still unemployed, the only job offers he has gotten want to pay him less than unemployment does to do the same work. He is now about to become a prison guard cause it pays more than the supervisor positions that he used to do for years. I have seen certified welders out here who have trouble making over $12 an hour at times unless they get a good job where they get paid well.

You want to get on at the local Purolator? Good luck, they hire entirely through a personally owned temp agency out here and you can stuck working there full time as a temp labor to avoid benefits for over five years before they hire you on which is five more years from retirement that way too.

The list goes on and on and on. You might live in a decent spot, but I live in an area that shows what the rest will turn into without Unions fighting to keep us out of it.

I'm not saying Walmart pays their employees well. I'm saying your 5%-20% figure is off. In reality Walmart makes, tops what they pay you in salary in profit.

Even if I didn't adjust for the hours and treated all 500 employs as full time (far from it). I would be making $16,536 per year gross while they would be making $24,000 per year off my labor. In actuality I am making $12,000 per year due to the fact they would rather fire someone than give them full time until they hit a position of being salaried and then they shoot them up to 48 hours.

My figure wasn't 5%-20%, it was 500% to 2,000%. We have companies out here where for every 1 dollar you make off their labor, they make 5. I have seen home improvement companies that pay their employees $9 an hour (many under the table at that) but then want to charge $25 per hour for their time to the customers, not the %500, but you kinda get the point. Now that I think about it the %2,000 might be a bit over the top. Only heard a few extreme cases getting to that point, most of them using illegal labor.

[PACOX]

He won't get the job. Voters care about image as much as they do politics. Sadly this is the truth for many. As cool as a guy Christie is (dude was funny on SNL), the media will be all over the fact that he is a big guy.