E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Arizona Sen. John McCain and his vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin wave at a campaign rally at Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania on October 28, 2008.
The Republican Party’s 2008 experiment with Sarah Palin looms over Mitt Romney as he begins pivoting to the general election and looks to select a running mate. His choice of a vice presidential candidate likely won’t be made known for months, but the preliminary deliberations over who might round out the GOP ticket this fall are likely to have already begun.
And it’s impossible to separate that process from John McCain’s selection of Palin, then the governor of Alaska, as his running mate. Palin achieved her initial purpose of exciting conservative voters, but her selection eventually created as many problems as it solved. She excited the conservative base and shook up the race, but also turned off independents and raised questions about whether she was equipped to serve at that level of office.
Recommended: First Thoughts: A tale of two different strategies
That experience led former White House chief of staff John E. Sununu – a former governor of New Hampshire who’s become one of Romney’s top surrogates – to warn Monday in the Boston Globe: “In the end, there is only one imperative: don’t blow it.”
The Romney campaign insists that it continues to focus on winning the necessary number of delegates to secure the nomination, and not the machinations behind the general election.
But the Romney campaign is likely to have already assembled a private list of about 20 to 30 names that will be winnowed down to the eventual short list of candidates, said Ted Frank, a lawyer by trade who was part of McCain’s vetting team in 2008.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Republican vice-presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks on day three of the Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center on September 3, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Selecting a vice president traditionally hinges on some combination of three criteria: whether the running mate could serve as vice president, a comfort level between the nominee and their No. 2, and whether the pick serves politically. How campaigns balance those criteria differ from cycle-to-cycle, but Romney’s most pressing political considerations include expanding the electoral map and closing the gap with conservatives – with whom he’s struggled during the primary.
“I think Team Romney will be torn by going with a conventional pick, most likely [Ohio Sen. Rob] Portman, or an outside-the-box pick with a Hispanic,” said Mark McKinnon, a political adviser to President George W. Bush.
The need to win back Latino voters, who have favored President Barack Obama over Romney in recent polls, has fueled speculation about whether the Republican might tap Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American, as his vice presidential pick.
“They clearly don't want the pick to appear political, at the same time their hole is so deep with Hispanics it's hard to imagine how Republicans can win without significantly addressing the problem,” McKinnon said. “And a Hispanic VP would be best way to fix it – maybe the only way.”
But Rubio and many of the other names popularly included on reporters’ short lists of vice presidential candidates – like Palin before them – either have been on the job for just a few years, or lack the experience of having previously gone through the vetting process and campaigning on the national level.
“I think the problem with being thrust into the limelight is going to be true of any candidate who hasn't been through a national campaign,” said Frank. “Just optically, they're going to want to avoid certain comparisons [with Palin], because it will distract from the message.”
That makes for a difficult choice in the Romney camp. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich have each endured the scrutiny of the presidential primary, but their relationship with Romney has been nothing if not acrimonious. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has acted as a Romney surrogate since ending his own bid for the GOP nomination last August, but he’s regarded as a relatively bland (if safe) pick.
Palin herself urged Romney to go for an outside-the-box pick during a Tuesday interview on NBC’s TODAY.
“I would say it doesn't matter if that person has national-level experience or not. They're going to get clobbered by the lamestream media who don't like the conservative message,” she said. “What I would advise Mitt Romney or whomever the nominee would be is, is don't necessarily play it safe and do just what the GOP establishment expects them to do.”
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin talks to TODAY's Matt Lauer about the economy, the 2012 election and her advice for the GOP presidential hopefuls.
That type of choice would risk a re-hash of the 2008 experience, which saw the vice presidential pick struggle in getting up-to-speed on issues, and sometimes departing from the presidential candidate’s script. A way to defuse that might be to roll out a running mate well before the August Republican National Convention in order to allow media scrutiny of the pick, and put any negative coverage behind the campaign.
Frank argued that Romney’s selection will ultimately come down to the candidate himself, in terms of what qualities he values in a running mate and the risks he’s willing to incur in making his choice.
“It all comes back to the selection process. It's really going to vary from campaign to campaign, in terms of what gets someone stricken from the list,” he said. “Everyone has costs and benefits. You're looking at everything they've done, their resume, their list of accomplishments and controversies.”
Leave a Comment:
I dont think Romney should count his chickens just yet. Tampa is a long way off and I predict a brokered convention. Romney may not be nominated.
yeah, don't pick a moron like Palin.
However bayllie is very comfortable with an idiot like Odumbo.
Honestly where do these people come from???
Matt-1883244
Matt, apparently you are still in denial that even many Republicans rejected Palin. That is one of the reasons why McCain lost. The other one was because he was labeled as too much like Bush.
Harvard law review? It's lucky you can spell moron.
realist - of course, he doesn't think an un-elected Supreme Court should strike down a law passed by a duly elected congress. Maybe he was absent when they discussed checks and balances.
Carl......yeeeeeahhhhh.....riiiiiiiiight!
Picking Marco Rubio would not be fair to Hispanics. There is a Puerto Rican in the Supreme Court and the Senate has Cubans.
66% of Hispanics are Mexican. If he wants to pull Latinos, he'll have to use a Mexican. The only difficulty he may face is his own prejudice. San Diegan and Orange County non-Hispanics HATE Mexicans. And he does live with a garage elevator in San Diego County.
With all due respect I think Sarah Palin actually was all there was going for McCain's campaign. As a former Republican (now independent) I saw McCain's nomination solely as the crusty Repubican establishment's safe candidate. Mavric? Not really. Sarah provided some new blood and a short term success story that excited people- so it was well done to a point.
I blame her failure on the media. It was clear that she was a threat and everyone took it upon themselves to marginalize her. EVERY statement she made was scrutinized from it's meaning down to it's punctuation. Face it folks, the media was in the tank for Obama. It was open season on her, her husband, her children (was that fair as compared to the hand's off on the President's children? just be intellectually honest with yourself), and her state. Remember that Letterman was cracking jokes about her pregnant daughter getting banged on the Yankees infield during the 7th inning stretch? Clearly the dogs were out for her, and by default against McCain.
That being said, the 2008 lessons really were that if you put someone out for VP they'd better have a thick skin and make very careful comments. They are going to be attacked for everything they say and do. The other lesson is that it's not in anyone's best interest to take a good future prospect in front of the firing squad before it's time. Palin had experience, but would have been a stronger candidate this go-around with another 4 years as governor under her belt. Rubio, etc. I'd warn them not to jump too quickly at the chance as the media will pick anyone apart whom doesn't have 20 years experience at the highest levels of government as "no experience". Romney, well he's made his bed so good luck in those debates. Santorum- good luck too, the media is clearly counting you out and trying to dump any momentum you have.
Well that's ridiculous - you must be a die-hard Tea Bagger...
And no, Rubio does not equal Palin. Palin is just a PLAIN EMBECILE unable to run a first grade class let alone the leading country of the free world... That was probably the most idiotic thing McCain ever did!!
I actually agree with the article. In 2008 the correct choice would have been Romney as McCain's running mate. Romney would have given McCain more credibility regarding economic issues, an area where I thought he was lacking. With the exception of initially energizing the Republican base, Palin did little to enhance the ticket and in the end actually was a drag on it because she is viewed (perhaps unfairly) as a divisive figure.
Despite his lack of experience, my personal hope is that Romney chooses Rubio as a running mate. I don't think that his appeal to potential hispanic voters is as important as his charisma and his ability for speechmaking which would sort of compensate for Romney's weaknesses in these areas. Remember, Obama went a long ways with these same gifts and he didn't have the requisite experience for the office either.
SI
Rush:
Spelling the word "imbecile" correctly would have helped your argument greatly.
Don't you think a brokered convention that does not pick Romney as the nominee will be disastrous for any chance of victory. Certainly it will divide the party and cause a rift that may take years to fix. Anyway, I hate the republican party because of its enslavement to the religious right, so I would love to see a brokered convention.
Regarding a brokered Convention disaster: Santorum and Gingrich are emblematic of the Tea Party: THEY DON"T CARE IF THEY TAKE THE WHOLE SHIP DOWN, AS LONG AS THEY GET THEIR WAY!! (in this case a brokered convention sinking the GOP completely!)
If most of the country wanted Romney, wouldn't voter turnout be higher, and this be over?
I am waiting and waiting, but I guess the mainstream media won't be writing an article about how Ron Paul drew over 10,000 people at a rally in Cali last night. And over 6,000 the night before.
Ron Paul
2012
That's a resume sinker...
matt --- you asked "where do these people come from?". look behind you. it's your family and relatives.
It's gonna be 2008 all over again - Romney will need to pick a Southerner with strong Conservative credentials in order to win the Conservatives that see him as "too liberal," and that of course risks alienating the all-important Independant vote. McCain had to pick someone YOUNG with good Religious credentials, since the Religious conservatives saw him as too soft on abortion and gay marriage. My brother actually though McCain was pro-choice - where the heck did he get THAT idea??? Maybe because McCain wasn't vehemently anti-abortion enough, but whatever. Of course, I don't think ANY Republican could have won in 2008, no matter WHO he picked as Veep; it just wasn't in the cards. Romney's best chance of getting elected will be if gas goes over $5 a gallon, making the Veep irrelevant. Time will tell.
Rubio only helps a small sector of the Latino population to come out and vote for Republicans. and that sector is going to be made up of mostly Puerto Ricans and Cubans. No South American-American will go for him. Rubio has defended his dislike for the Dream Act on Spanish tv many times since he was elected to the senate. That plus co-sponsoring the Blunt Amendment... only males of those two groups will vote for a Romney/Rubio ticket. The only thing Republicans can do to get the Latino vote is to pass bills that concern Latinos the most and stop talking nonsense about Self-Deportation for example which is the biggest joke to all of us voting Latinos
JoeNY, I disagree. I think McCain chose Palin because the Republicans thought Obama was going to choose Hilary. After Bush's economic meltdown and subsequent socialization and killing of capitalism with the bailouts the Republicans thought they could win if they matched the Democrats move for move. Palin was never ready to hold that office. She could spew rhetoric but she has no true political class nor party allegiance. It was painful for me to watch a fine American like Senator McCain get hammered because of Palin's ditsy, cliche creating, Mama bear, hockey mom, lipstick on a pit-bull, horse hockey that did not truly connect with ordinary non-conservatives during such an ominous time. Furthermore, she's done nothing except go downhill since then with public spats with her former future son-in-law, Levi; Bristol's lecture series on abstinence (something she obviously doesn't know anything about or practiced); but most of all, just being a plain ordinary everyday quitter that is now a commentator on FOX News, the lamest of the lamestream media she loves to bash!
Let's face it, Palin didn't win McCain Clinton's supporters, Rubio won't win him Latinos. He sunk those ships when he started pandering to the wack-a-doodles and going on about self-deportation and right to life.
Contrary to what many hard core right wing folks think, both Latinos and women do have brains, with memories and common sense. At least most of them do, and we have the ability to see through that load of bull.
It's pretty sad when the Republicans want to pick a VP solely based on race, and not qualifications. It is pandering at its worst when the choice is "Rubio, because he's hispanic" and not because he would be qualified. The GOP dug a giant hole with hispanics, and needs to find a better way out than something like what they are proposing. They obviously learned nothing from the Palin debacle.
What I would really love to see is Clinton/Warren vs. Palin/Bachman 2016. What a bloodbath, righty, Uncle Tom (go ahead and get pissed, yeah I said it) massacre THAT would be.
First off, Mitt will pick his VP candidate, he doesn't need advise from MSNBC, A.K.A. Obama Propaganda Media.
Second, I've never been able to figure out people who disparage Sarah Palin at the drop of a hat, but are totally oblivious to the fact that Joe Biden is even a bigger moron than Sarah. They have zero credability.
joeNY; good morning, in my remembrance of the McCain/Palin campaign, Sarah made her children a big deal and kept them front and center.
Mittens is going to have to pick someone from the fringe right wing to satisfy the base that he has no soul. The fringe right wing will not support people of conscience. Otherwise, the fringe will have their usual tantrum, pick up their ball and go home. Which, as I think about it, would be the best thing for the country.
But, Mittens, you don't have the nomination yet.
JoeNY, Palin herself would agree with your first sentence. The only "threat" she presented was to her own party by revealing how unqualified she was every time she opened her mouth. She was only scrutinized because she was a bigger gaffe machine than Biden (which in itself is no mean feat, mind you).
Contrary to what many hard core right wing folks think, both Latinos and women do have brains, with memories and common sense.
And contrary to what you neo-socialists think, the entire electorate is smarter than you give them credit for. Do you really believe they are buying Obama's vitriolic hyperbole about Republicans? While you may, I think the vast majority of the population recognizes it for what it is, desperate and divisive politics. You and your ilk have had close to four years to prove your philosophy of social re-engineering and you have failed miserably. Now it is time to put the country back on a path of fiscal sanity where people are rewarded based on merit, not for mere existence.
No, I think they're looking at the Republican rhetoric and actions at both the state and national level, and deciding for themselves.
I'm an engineer? Really? Even if I'm a social one, I'm sure that comes with a pay raise. I'll take it. Now please explain how I or my ilk have done that.
And what exactly is a "neo" socialist? Is socialism like detergent, "new and improved"??? Or perhaps you just think it sounds smarter to add the "neo"?
Mitt Romney has been salivating non-stop. There's no question that Mitt Romney already has someone in mind to be his running mate.
No doubt Mitt's pick is going to another "Jobs Cremator" just like him.
Obama / Biden 2012
I think we also need to remember that making a gaffe and NOT KNOWING SOMETHING are two different things.
Gaffe = Using right instead of write, as in "I'm righting this post".
Not Knowing Somthing = Believing right MEANS write.
Big difference. Palin didn't committ gaffes, she DIDN'T KNOW SH**.
This just in from Joe Biden: "Me and Barack need to do like Lincoln did and get on a bus to go and campaign all across the country!" "We should stop at every 7-11 and learn Indian even...and maybe go on TV in every town like FDR did." "That would be @!$%#*n' cool man!"
Revisionist history is so much fun. Palin was more qualified than Obama to be President. We see the results of an untested, naive, idealogue in the White House.
Fact: Obama led McCain by 5 to 6 points in most polls before the dem convention. Everyone was expecting a big post convention bounce.
Fact: Nominating Palin the day after the dem convention completely stopped the dem bounce. Within a few weeks McCain was even in some polls and 1 to 2 points behind in others. He got close solely because of the excitement around Palin.
Fact: The economy started a major meltdown in early to Mid October. Voters blamed the GOP and Bush. ( Even though Nancy had been in power for 2 years). Obama wisely hid under the desk and blamed Republicans for the economy. McCain literally had no answer. ( Of course Obama did not either; in fact he still does not have answer)
Fact: McCain suspended his campaign, called a big meeting at the White House. I read 3 different accounts of the meeting and all 3 said McCain just sat there. Bush and Cheney were dumfounded that the guy calls this big meeting and then offered no solutions.
Fact: After the mid October meltdown and McCain's 3 day campaign suspension and generally looking like an old impotent guy, the polls started moving back to Obama. As we know he ended up winning by 6 points or so.
Fact: McCain was the national security candidate when it looked like the MidEast would be the big issue. Thanks to Bush's surge ( which Obama and Pelosi opposed) Iraq was relatively calm and focus shifted to economic issues. When the economy tanked and he had nothing, he was done.
Fact: McCain's loss had little to do with Palin. I think it would have been worse without her. All the crap about Palin is coming from McCain's staff. His staff ran a terrible campaign. They had no answer to the economy. Obama appeared youthful and vigorous, McCain old and impotent.
Palin is far more intelligent and articulate than Joe"Gaffe" Biden.
She has made some bizarre choices the past 3 years, but putting her on the ticket was not a mistake.
Fact: McCain lost on his own. Voters wanted a change. The economy was tanking. Palin and Biden were non factors.
The liberal media hate conservative women and conservative blacks. Women, blacks and hispanics are only allowed to be victims beholden to the democrat party. Don't expect fair and balanced reporting if Romney nominates an African American or Woman.
Sarah-3043284
You are cruel, Sarah, but I love it. Palin/Bachmann would not stand a chance. Clinton and Warren are both very intelligent, experienced, educated, informed women. The other two are just women.
Whoever is blaming the media for Palin's failure, please stop. Palin is an adult who knew very well what she was saying and doing. No one forced her to talk about shooting at animals from a helicopter or having foreign policy experience because of Alaska's proximity to Russia. She did it on her own. So don't blame the messanger - blame the source.
Romney-McCain!
From Bayllie
You are cruel, Sarah, but I love it. Palin/Bachmann would not stand a chance. Clinton and Warren are both very intelligent, experienced, educated, informed women. The other two are just women.
You have to understand something Sarah when liberals like payllie say a woman is intelligent, experienced, educated, and informed they mean that they are pro abortion and own books written by Karl Marx and other useless, failed people.
Gary 420--yes, revisionist history is fun. I see that you are quite good at it.
Ms. Palin had been, briefly, the governor of a state with fewer people in it than most large cities. She started out well liked, and was beginning to be dramatically disliked by the time she was chosen by McCain. One thing she was accused of, by the way, was being a "socialist"--and she agreed, enthusiastically, with the assessment. President Obama had been a state senator for longer, and he had been a Senator for longer--from quite a populous state. The main thing he was "accused" of was trying too hard to be bipartisan.
Ms. Palin has a bachelor's degree--which she completed by correspondence--after having attended many schools in rapid succession. For anyone who knows something about colleges--this indicates that either she was flunking out and moving from school to school before her poor grades were registered or that she was one step ahead of the academic misconduct committee. President Obama not only studied for a professional degree, but achieved it, and then taught the subject at an Ivy League college.
Ms. Palin's undergraduate degree is in communications. President Obama's undergraduate degree was in political science with an area of specialty in international relations.
Ms. Palin had a shotgun wedding to her husband her her first child was born shortly thereafter. President Obama and Mrs. Obama waited a while before welcoming their first child into the world.
Saying that Nancy Pelosi--the House leader--was "in charge" during the Bush administration is either a ridiculous overstatement, or an admission that the GOP leadership was so pathetic that someone as far down the chain of power as Pelosi wound up with THE MAIN leadership position in the government. Seriously--the Speaker of the House is the main power? Since when? And, if so, what the heck happened to Bush and his administration that they could be eclipsed by someone that trivial?
McCain probably couldn't have won--but, yes, Palin cost him votes. I was planning to vote for him right up until he chose to risk the security of the US by proposing to put a person who was demonstrably mentally challenged in line for the presidency. While Bush II wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, he was DaVinci in comparison to Palin.
There is a reason why McCain cracked himself up by suggesting Palin as the vice presidential candidate, and why he could not quit laughing having said it. The whole idea is so patently ridiculous that I am sure he has not nor will ever forgive the people who so pathetically ineptly screened her that she became his running mate.
But, yes, good revisionism! Quite laughable, but well done.
Palin was to McCain as a iceberg was to the Titanic; a far right fringe evangelical firebrand is not what the country wants to be one-heartbeat from being President; Rubio is to young, and he is not a Hispanic, he is a Latin-Cuban, big difference; the inside track belongs to Christie of New Jersey and the Republicans know it .
beane at home wrote
President Obama's undergraduate degree was in political science with an area of specialty in international relations.
Political Science really? Are you aware that political science is just a degree in liberal indoctrination and has the value half a notch below basket weaving. I mean wow I can imagine the guys class load, "Womens Liberation" 101 and 102. Congratulations here's your diploma.
What a joke
The lesson the Republicans should learn from Palin is "Don't draft a VP candidate you haven't vetted just to pander to a voting bloc. They may be too dumb to make a difference and too ambitious to admit it."
Matt,
So funny, you just illustrated my original point so well...
I will never need you to tell me what to understand. I'm sorry if that threatens your gender stereotypes or masculinity, but deal with it buddy.
Why do you think I couldn't come to a conclusion about something without being "duped" into it, or aware of the circumstances or origins surrounding that position? Why do you think I couldn't already know about who does or doesn't believe in abortion rights or read Marx? And why do you think that knowledge is all that would be necessary to change my mind? Or that I couldn't get or have that knowledge on my own? Or that it would even matter? Or that I would automatically believe your words or posts?
Ladies and Gentleman, I give you exhibit A... Matt.
Matt-1883244
First, you have to learn how to quote because you make it look like those words are yours.
I mean that these women are intelligent, experienced, educated, and informed. I didn't realize that you have te right to add to my statements by claiming what I may or may not have really mean.
Now, if you had any intelligence you would know that many intelligent people read books of other intelligent people even if they disagree with their views.
But yet here you are reading MSNBC...I would not call that the writing's of the intelligent...
All the talk about the possible Republican VP.
Why no discussion about who may replace Joe 'Gaffer' Biden when Obama dumps him? Yesterday I read where 'fracking-for-oil', according to Joe, causes earthquakes. Good ole Joe, the expert in mostly everything.
Man, you're just tearing them to shreds, Sarah
FACT: The above is an unsubstantiated opinion and more than likely a certifiable load of utter tosh.
FACT: For whatever "excitement" she brought to the Republicans upon her initial unveiling, Palin rapidly turned into an albatross around the party's neck when she revealed herself as an uninformed ingénue who had NO business being on the ticket. Putting her on the ticket was widely and correctly seen as blatant pandering to women and it was, unequivocally, a HUGE mistake. For every Pfizer-popping Republican who pulled the lever for Palin (double-entendre intended), there were just as many if not MORE people who were galvanized into voting for Obama just to ensure that an idiot like her wouldn't get any nearer the white house than a public tour would allow.
FACT: Liberals and the so-called "liberal" media don't hate conservative women and conservative blacks. Liberals hate conservative shills in general and the Republican party's blatant ongoing efforts to put female and/or black conservative shills front-and-center in an effort to make the brand look like it's more socially/culturally diverse than it really is. The liberal media LOVES female conservatives and black conservatives because the ones the Republicans pick to put front-and-center are inevitably so crazy (Coulter, O'Donnel), stupid (Palin), corrupt (Thomas, Whitman), inept (Cain, Steele), or all of the above (Bachmann), that the headlines practically write themselves. The others, after serving their initial purpose, they quickly marginalize (Rice) or outright alienate (Powell). If Romney picks a black and/or woman for his running mate, barring an inspired selection (i.e., a minor miracle), he will widely and correctly be lambasted for pandering, an issue on which -- given his track record on the campaign trail so far -- he does NOT have the benefit of the doubt going in.
I wouldn't mind Rubio being chosen.
My first question would be, "Are you going to deport yourself since your running mate plans to make it so bad here your country will look like a better choice?"
I wouldn't mind Paul Ryan being chosen.
My first question would be, "How long will it take you in office to shove grandma off a cliff?"
You could blame democrats for the plight of the republican choices.
Or, you could blame the choices for pandering too far to the right.
Even today, one republican RNC chairman is comparing women with catapillars.
I doubt we'll get an honest answer from conservatives. They still think Bush was the greatest president ever. I really find fault in, not just the candidates, but in every VP choice out there. In order to maintain their jobs, they've been forced to pander far right.
Conservatives have yet to learn the difference between preaching Jesus and shoving Jesus up your vagina.
Besides, we are a long way from healing the nation enough to have another republican leader go in and wreck it again.
Toasty,
I feel it is my duty, lol. I have been asked whether or not I eat testicles for breakfast. The answer is yes.
Muahahahahahaha!
I think that Condoleezza Rice would make an excellent VP. Smart woman with an extensive knowledge of foreign affairs.
Mark,
I'm not sure if the country is ready to accept another Bush Cabinet member back into our loving arms yet. I would go with Powell before Rice, if it came down to that.
I understand, but Condi is an expert on Russia, which at this point seems to be a growing concern with the re-election of Putin. She was already vetted and we know what we are getting. It all depends on how you want to connect them, Powell was also a Bush cabinet member...
Yeah, but he was also the one who was smart enough to jump off the sinking ship instead of continuing to tell everyone, "We're not sinking, we're just building a swimming pool in the haul of the boat".
I would need some serious insight into Rice's role in the whole WMD debacle or if she was complicit in any of the screwy Bush crap. And don't even get me started on the Patriot Act.
so much anger on here and on other "news" websites. i guess the house, senate, and president does do a wonderful job representing the people of The United States of America. i guess i am confused why congress and the president's approval ratings are so low. anyone?
If I had my choice I would kill every reporter in the world, but I am sure we would be getting reports from Hell before breakfast.
William Tecumseh Sherman
I make up my opinions from facts and reasoning, and not to suit any body but myself. If people don't like my opinions, it makes little difference as I don't solicit their opinions or votes.
William Tecumseh Sherman
Would you say that all parts of the patriot act are over stepping, or unwarranted? Even the Obama administration has seen the need for the Patriot Act. I don't do anything that the Patriot Act would cause me any harm, so personally I like the protection.
You guys don't even do insults well. Try some of these.
Not the ripest banana in the bunch ...
Three pennies short of having two cents worth ...
Most are born that way but he's/she's a self made man/woman ...
Two sides to every issue and he/she is having a 2 for 1 sale ...
-------------------------------
The 'preferred' choices for Republicans will not be interested because they hope to have a future in politics. There is too much risk that running with Romney would be political suicide. Until Romney can demonstrate he is not running a Kamikaze campaign - serious politicians are going to be wary.
If Romney feels he needs to continue pacifying the RWNJ - then Romney will need to select a high profile moderate that will carry the campaign to independents. The VP pick would be giving more stump speeches than Romney would. And expect the campaign to play up VP debates and highlight Biden gaffes.
If Romney tries to pivot to the center - then Romney will need to select an outspoken Right Wing Nut Job to hold onto the Republican base. The VP pick would spend most of their time in the blogosphere and the campaign would probably attempt to avoid any VP debates.
My belief is that Romney will select a Palin-esque running mate - but - will not allow that pick to have such a high profile. I have no idea who Romney will pick - my guess it will be a Jan Brewer type of politician, though.
I disagree with a lot of what Obama has done under the umbrella of the Patriot Act, and I don't think it protects us.
The Constitution was written to guarentee and protect our freedoms, that's easy to do in times of relative peace, it's when war or a threat comes along that we need those guarentees and protections the most. That's when the threat to our liberty is the greatest. We will ALWAYS face outside threats, from nations, religions, terrorists, aliens, regardless of how many Patriot Acts we pass... We have the Constitution to ensure the protection of our rights from the only thing we can be assured about, our OWN government.
beanathome your hypocrisy is stunning.
Conventional ignorant wisdom is that conservatives are judgmental and "progressives" are live and let live.
Yes Palin was pregnant when she got married. So was Nancy Reagan. Far better to have a long happy marriage than kill the baby. What's your point about a couple getting married when they are expecting? Do you have a problem with that?
Yes, Palin went to state schools. I don't know her GPA, but we don't know Obama's either. Michelle and Barry went to Ivy League Schools on the Affirmative Action Program. Obama has never released his grades. Remember all the fuss about George W 's grades? Funny it is missing now. FYI, Bush's grades were better than Kerry's.
Communications and political science are both pretty fluffy majors. No one ever died of hard work attaining a polysci degree.
Alaska is small population wise, but very strategic due to the huge amount of natural resources within its borders. Obama authored no significant legislation in the state senate or the US Senate. He was widely considered a back bencher here in Illinois. Let's see, when Clinton was running, how many liberals complained how small and trivial Arkansas was?
Your reading skills ain't so hot. Never said Nancy was " in charge". She was in power in 2006 as speaker of the house.
Liberals frequently complain that Obama can't get anything done because they don't have the house.
So which is it?
LIBERALS = HYPOCRISY = IGNORANT= SOON GONE FROM POWER
ROMENY/HALEY 2012
Can't wait to see the Indian Haters come out from the woodwork!
Sarah: Powell back Obama in 08, As for Romney, I don't think Colin wants to go there.
Nerm_L
Your right, about the insults. But you have to be careful. I got banned for a day a few weeks ago for saying someones moniker was a nice picture of their last colonoscopy.
YCaint,
Can't blame the dude, now can I, lol.
If all the Republicans could come up with for President was Romney, trying to find a VP that will make the situation better, can you say, HOPELESS!
Winemaker..."Yesterday I read where 'fracking-for-oil', according to Joe, causes earthquakes."
You know saying such things is not PC, don't you? Biden had has medically proven brain damage from a stroke. (Do you think Obama would elect a running mate smarter than he is?)
Kinda makes you wish it was just earthquakes.
Actually, fracking can cause earthquakes. Deep well injection of fluids was found to have caused quakes in the Denver region in 1961. Removal of underground fluids (water, oil, etc.) has also caused quakes - probably through subsidence.
Earthquakes caused by deep well injection is not anything new - it simply has not been widely reported until recently.
Nerm,
So true..
http://news.discovery.com/earth/fracking-earthquakes-gas-120106.html
http://rt.com/usa/news/fracking-earthquake-virginia-dc-817-061/
I also heard about one recently in PA and that it might have been responsible for the DC area quake. That sh** is nasty.
I'm not sure, but I think it's spelled AMBASEAL.
Romney / Brewer 2012!
Bahaha, now wouldn't that be funny?!
OOH! I get it, Mitts got it all wrapped up then huh? Nothing to see here anymore, it's already been decided. Well I got big news for ya, it ain't over by a long shot !! People are waking up and finally opening their eyes to the BS that our representatives in DC are up too. One answer; RON PAUL 2012. We need to get back to the power of the people.
Romney is the only real GOP candidate period, the rest are just entertainment, to even have a chance the GOP better get back to reality, Romney is capable of get votes from both parties and that is the only way they can hope to win .............. Reality Check, You don't bring a knife to a gun fight ... You bring a bazooka
@JohnSixty Post #1.7 - try 2016 - Clinton/Warren vs Palin/Bachmann 2016
Excuse me but faulty use of term "Hispanic", as in the article, is rather general and you are also at fault...generalizing. There are many "Hispanic" cultures in America; the Mexican Americans, the first generation Mexicans, the Norte Aztlan Chicano peoples, large population in the east of Puerto Ricans and in Florida the Cubans and of course the southwest of the country which has a large Spanish influence and many generations of various Latin origins...if you prefer Hispanic.
The bottom line for this vote is a "Hispanic" centrist of Mexican American origin but a special personality would do...I don't know of any and that includes Rubio. A Hispanic token candidate would probably inspire a back-lash as within the Hispanic population, as you have in mind, there us not a the single mind-set to vote Hispanic as you suspect and likely the reverse with a right wing fanatic like Rubio...a Cubano no less.
The Hispanic set does not vote for the TeaBaggin' Buffoons because they are backwards thinking oafs trying to take the country back to the Victorian age... commonly known as "The Vulgarians"...you know the names.
Someone mentioned a Palin/Bachmann versus Clinton/Warren run and why not? I wonder where the country would see the future and vote accordingly...hum???
*What happened to the term "Latino"? On Spanish language cable the term is used I see it frequently. I think even on some federal forms or possibly banking paper work I am almost sure it used to be or is now Latino?
Rush @ 1.9,
If you are going to stoop so low as to call someone with clearly superior intellect to yourself an imbecile, don't you think you should at least learn how to spell your insulting word first?
"It's pretty sad when the Republicans want to pick a VP solely based on race, and not qualifications"
Isn't that what people did when they voted for Prez Obama? Voted for him because he is Black. (Or is it 'White' Black). My neigbor voted for him because he was Black and thought it would be cool to vote for the first Black president. Obama really had limited political experience but was a great community organizer and an expert race baiter and instigator. He still is. He hung around radicals. You libtards voted for a Marxist/Communist. Are liberals just not capable of analyzing facts? I suppose that is what you get when you get your information from ABC, NBC, CNN and MSNBC and from Obama's own mouth. He is a liar. Oh and I don't watch Fox News because I cancelled my cable.
In that case, it won't matter who the VP pick is because the GOP won't have a prayer of winning.
Suggestion for Romney; pick the bimbo governor of South Carolina. That ought to do it!
@Sarah-3043284 -- Fracking is relatively benign. The military was disposing of bio-chemical 'waste' by deep well injection for quite a while. Deep well was the environmentally friendly alternative to burn pits. I believe some nuclear waste disposal was also done that way.
The cold war was a gift that keeps on giving ...
BTW, sulphur and salt are 'mined' by deep well injection and extraction, too. If I recall correctly, the US petroleum reserve is stored in salt domes that were mined using injection-extraction techniques. The basic technology for fracking has been around since the 1950s. Fracking can be done safely - but - it does require spending money to ensure that safety.
Sarah, 99.5 percent of the fluids is water. They also use sand. Not that harmful, but the theory of earthquakes is unproven...its just that, a theory. Sometimes environmentalism will misconstrue the information. As for the Discovery Channel link, be careful, they also have documentaries on aliens and ghosts, but that does not make it true.
Republicans must learn lessons from Palins VP nomination? We have currently the damn dumbest VP in history, check out Biden gaffes on You Tube, when you stop laughing at the true ignorance of this man you have to ask yourself how this is possible. But the republicans have to learn? Just another inexperieced decision by our least vetted president in HISTORY. My choice is Condi Rice, more intelligent and by far more experienced than our current president. I wont even compare her to the idiot BIDEN!
Nerm_L "Actually, fracking can cause earthquakes. Deep well injection of fluids was found to have caused quakes in the Denver region in 1961. Removal of underground fluids (water, oil, etc.) has also caused quakes - probably through subsidence...Earthquakes caused by deep well injection is not anything new - it simply has not been widely reported until recently."
True. I grew up in an area that was full of oil wells, and we experienced several small earthquakes virtually every year - I attributed it to settling from the removal of oil from underground. In fact, it was so common for us that when one hit, we would say 'Oh, it's just another earthquake'.
Doesn't make much difference. Whoever the Republicans nominate in going to get trashed in November. The majority of Americans are sick of them anyway, and shooting themselves in the foot with their "war on women" doesn't help them one iota...
Damage123 "This just in from Joe Biden: "Me and Barack need to do like Lincoln did and get on a bus to go and campaign all across the country!" "We should stop at every 7-11 and learn Indian even...and maybe go on TV in every town like FDR did." "That would be @!$%#*n' cool man!" "
Aren't we fortunate that we have such an intelligent, insightful VP with a great grasp of history with Biden, just a heartbeat away from the Presidency? Just think, we could have been stuck with Palin.
lol
FYI - McCain didn't lose because he choose Palin, he last for two reasons first and most important one is that PBO run an unbelievable campaign it didn't matter who McCain picked he was going to lose, the country was sick of Bush.
Second McCain is a fake, He loves big Government as long as it is growing in what he believes in or thinks will get him elected, looked how his views changed after the Tea Party starting grow.
Here is the REAL scoop on earthquakes induced by deep well injection.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/faq/?categoryID=1&faqID=1
This link opens a PDF. This is a USGS report but it is not from a government site.
http://foodfreedom.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/earthquake-hazard-associated-with-deep-well-injection-report-to-epa-nicholson-wesson-1990.pdf
Addendum to my post #1.73 -- Sulphur and salt mining may not be considered deep well processes any longer. The military's deep well site at Rocky Mountain Arsenal was at a depth of 12,000 ft. I am not aware of any sulphur or salt mining that operated at that depth.
How about ..Haley Barbour? He's currently unemployed, policially smart, nice Southern gentleman, with the GOP/Conservative creds? There has to be some good ole boy GOP ex-governor or Senator who would do nicely. Bring in the Southern conservative vote...maybe. Jeb Bush? I think they will probably go South for the general...and eventually IN the general....but Mitt needs to play well in the South...which he hasn't done to date. Are there any other GOP hispanics that would work...a Florida Cuban with a little maturity would be helpful I'm sure....but there in is the rub....GOP doesn't have a deep bench on mature men of color with some dues paid in the GOP.
DG_W , The republicans lead in congressional and presidental polls. So convince your little msnbc brainwashed grey matter that. Ignorance is bliss!
Some advice to Romney, if the left is giving suggestion on who to pick, do the exact opposite.
Also don't take advice from Hannity or Rove.
Governor Romney knows that whoever his choice is for V.P. he/she is going to be demonized by the Dems/left. Therefore, he should go for whoever makes more noises.
Actually, a Romney/Rubio ticket would make a lot of sense, because Florida is a 'swing state', and it would likely draw a lot of Hispanics away from Obama.
A far more telling story is for the control of Congress, where Democrats in the Senate are likely to lose control.
According to Real Clear Politics, the following are the 2012 elections that are likely to change
representation in Congress and the Governors races;
Senate – 11 Democratic Senators are at risk, vs only 4 for Republicans. The Republicans need a net of 4 to take over control of the Senate (3 if a Republican wins the Presidency).
House of Representatives – 13 Republican Congressmen are at risk vs 12 Democrats. The Democrats
would have to win a net of 26 to take control.
Governors – There are 8 Democratic Governors at risk, vs only 3 Republican Governors. Republicans currently control 29 States, vs only 20 for Democrats. There is 1 Independent Governor.
It would appear that, no matter who wins the Presidency, the Democrats are not likely to have much
legislative control.
The link to the RCP site is http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/election_2012/battle_for_congress.html
I'm no friend of Republican reactionaries. That said. I see 3 big problems with Mitt in the general election, besides his Thurston Howell III attitude.
The general demonization of women and Latinos due to his pandering to the Republican base. In order to win over independants and shave off enugh support among women and Latinos so he can tack to the middle, he needs to choose a running mate that will enhance his credibility with those two groups. If I were Romney, I would be taking a VERY close look at Republican New Mexico governor Susanna Martinez. As a moderate Latina woman governor from a swing AND border state, Martinez could actually be an asset to the Romney ticket. As a former Dona Ana county District Attorney, she also has credibility as a prosecutor which places her head-and-shoulders above Palin. I don't know if he will, but if I was in Romney's shoes, that's who I would pick.
Sure Palin hurt McCain... only if we ignore the exit polls which show that those who said McCain's choice of Palin for VP was a factor in their vote broke FOR McCain 56-43. #val=USP00p6
Any Republican would have lost to any Democrat in 2008 but it didn't help that McCain ran, or should I say didn't run, the worst campaign in the history of campaigns for POTUS. McCain was a disaster. The only reason he didn't lose in Goldwater style was Palin.
Gary 420
No... I have a problem when some f***ing b**** stands up, and starts telling ME not to have premarital sex when she does it herself. I have a problem when this same b**** tries to force abstinence on me, while her own daughter is spreading her legs for the village idiot.
My problem is her HYPOCRISY.
If you are going to preach your religious bull-s***, you better be PERFECT... and I mean GOD DAMN PERFECT. Otherwise you are just a hypocrite.
So now, I have no problem with her sexual life... I don't care. But when she starts telling ME how to live, then I have a problem. So she needs to take her religion and shove it so far up her a** that she chokes on it.
So when vetting VP candidates, here are some questions the GOP/TP nominee might want to ask:
1) Who runs England, the queen or the prime minister?
2) If you can see Russia from your front porch, does this mean you have foreign policy credentials?
3) If you read NewsMax, does this make you well-read?
4) Do you know what the Bush Doctrine is?
Here are some new ones:
5) To Marco Rubio -- How will you defend the Blunt-Rubio amendment?
6) To Paul Ryan -- How will you defend your so-called budget of privatizing Medicare to give more tax breaks to the rich?
7) To Bob McDonnell -- How will you defend forcing women to have unnecessary ultrasounds at their own expense and be against the ACA mandate at the same time?
8) To Niki Haley -- Aside from scandals you've recently fought in SC, do you really think women don't care about contraception?
There are a few others, but you get the drift...
IndieParty -- And Bristol too = a double-down on hypocrisy. Sarah Palin is dumb as a rock, and Gary 420 lives in a right-wing Echo Chamber and Cone of Silence.
@ROY WILSON-336103 -- #1.85 -- Yup. That is why Republican Congressmen are beginning to call for Santorum (especially) and Gingrich to concede the primary race. The Republican primaries are not helping the Congressional races at all - in fact the primaries look to be hurting the entire Republican brand.
As the primaries drag on - some of those 'safe' Republican districts may come into play. All Democratic candidates have been given a lot to work with. Expect the Democrats to be campaigning against 'generic Republican' in addition to targeting specific Republican candidates. Paul Ryan has not helped the GOP cause one bit. Jan Brewer will be an extremely effective counter point to any RWNJ nonsense about Nancy Pelosi. And of course, there is the message that the GOP is a cause without a leader.
The RWNJ have plowed the field and planted the crop. It is kind of late to complain about the harvest.
JusBidenMyTime banned, rereg of comment spammer alwaysfaithfull.
Instead of stumbling over himself to come up with answers about the middle east and other areas overseas, wouldn't it be a better idea to choose a VP with extensive overseas experience? Let's face it, Romney has little first hand experience on the foreign policy and military areas of the job. If he has half a brain in his head he should choose a VP that can fill that area of expertise, Sen. Mike Baumgartner maybe?
Well Sarah, I was going to invite you to Tucson, but that would put me at risk of taking you to breakfast...
Sarah-3043284, Nerm_L -- Though fracking is off-topic (and why not, what else is there to say about hypotheticals and the fact that most conservatives don't believe Romney can win in 2012)...
My biggest disappointment is that natural gas reserves were grossly over-estimated. As more exploration and drilling is done, the estimations have plummeted -- Currently dropped from 100 years of reserves to only 20 years! So aside from destroying drinking water and people's homes, why bother with fracking? It's a wasted investment. It's WAY past time to put pressure on energy resources other than fossil fuels. The Volt is doing well (to Teapulican's chagrin), and bio-fuels (algae) need to come on line, and of course wind, solar, etc.
I think Willard's gonna double down on the GOP hate party and pick..... Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan
The GOP establishment is gonna love it. Since they really can't dump the Tea Party, and the Tea Party people can't get a credible candidate to win outside of the deep south, then having one of their darlings as VP would serve just as well.
The establishment wants to rid itself of this albatross so that it can go back to controlling the entire goverment every 10 years or so. The real reason the GOP lost so badly in 2008 was that people woke up and realized what a bunch of numbskulls the Tea Party people really are. Whether it is wanting to cut Medicare and give the money to the top earners or the continued war on women and veterans, you have to wonder why anyone with any intelligence at all would vote for the Republican Party.
Wow, just wow. The topic of right-wingers and the "it doesn't affect me" mentality toward infringement on liberties, whether TSA pat downs at airports or what have you was being discussed just the other evening on the news (not FOX Noise, obviously). Not getting into mistaken identity, being framed, and other possibilities folks like Mark fail to consider, is the simple matter that a liberty is lost. And the "slippery slope" that this could lead to another liberty being lost that does affect YOU.
You know what the problem is, we don't have prayer and creationism being taught in schools -- Ha!
dirp -- To unzip Mitt a bit, Paul Ryan is who Romney would like to pick in terms of personal chemistry, and that does tell us something about Mitt. Ryan is worried about his seat, and boy would he love to be VP. Heaven save us from their speeches--gagh. Ryan is definitely a Teabagger, and also very socially conservative not unlike Santorum (which folks don't know yet), may hurt rather than help in Wisconsin -- Also he doesn't bring minority votes to the table.
Nobody realizes that it was McCain that was the big mistake! Romney is just like him...a moderate. I wonder if there are any women of Mexican heritage that are blacker than night and "severely" Conservative available.....
@TruePatriot - Like so many other things, our government has allowed things to go forward full steam without proper studies. It is atrocious how Big Business has duped the American public into believing their lies. Not only are homes and water aquifers destroyed, but there have been many cases of cancers and other diseases that are the direct results of this horrible practice. These companies can move in on your property and inject their secret formulas into the ground without anyone being able to stop them. The CEO's of these companies were challenged to drink water drawn from the wells in the areas of their fracking experiments, but they would not drink it. They won't drink that water, but they have no problem telling everyone how safe it is to drink the water. Corruption and Greed is the driving force behind the problems in our country.
Here is one way I think that seniors could help change our country once again. Solar energy is expensive because of labor costs in assembling solar panels. I firmly believe that senior citizens across the nation could volunteer their time to assemble panels for our communities. No one needs to make money on these panels, and every panel could be sold to the community at cost. If millions of communities would become proactive in this endeavor, then our country could slowly wean itself from fossil fuels. Seniors could be motivated to also volunteer in the farming and management of crops used to produce Bio-fuel and algae farms as you have mentioned. Any opportunity that can be taken advantage of by using volunteers to reduce costs should be consider as a great service to our country.
We seniors built this country, and fought to defend her when things seemed to be without hope. We can now once again save our country for the future generations of Americans. I'm afraid that if we do not step up to the challenge, then not only will there be no future generations of properity, but we will soon see ourselves out on the street as poor and homeless.
Rule 1, don't pick an idiot who can't keep their mouth shut.
If Romney picks Ryan or Palin for VP hes finish, if Mitt was smart he would stay away from the TeaTards. The T-Baggers will destroy Mitt !
Florida is in such bad shape economically that I'm not sure it will be in play at all by August. Unemployment is still very high and gas prices going higher. 50% of Florida home mortgages are under water. 35% of all houses are under water in Florida.
http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2012/03/16/states-with-the-highest-rates-of-underwater-mortgages/
The lesson that should have been learned was if You don't pick the one your advisors want, they will make you pay for it. On the otherhand, if you have advisors like that, you chose the wrong advisors in the first palce. Oh, that's right, many of them were supplied by the RNC. Oh, gosh, they don't even like conservatives. What on earth would make anyone think there might be a problem.
The RNC reminds me of the one Nanny interview from Mrs. Doubtfire.
I don't do windows,
I don't do diapers,
I don't do laundry,
I don't read stories . . . . .
These people don't like Romney
They don't like Santorum,
they don't like Gingrich,
They don't like Paul,
Who do they want? Obama?
Great movie, the RNC really have no new message, NO TAXES!! they say, 10+ years of Bush tax cuts really prevented The Great Bush Depression!! Helped accelerate the debt since they convinced everyone that Iraq had WMD and needed to fall, and Afg.needed one of our backed governments and a +2trillion dollar price tag later with no effective revenue stream paying for this, and all the Republican Ryan can come up with is to slash entitlements which means the 99% will have their retirements and medical coverage slashed with a butcher knife.
Disable Voter - The government is no better and often WORSE. Anything run by men is Corrupt. The worst thing is that whether disabled, jobless, aged, or ill you will gladly give up your rights or your money to be taken care of.
Corporations take your money, government (politician) takes your money, your rights, and gives you back less than promised because they are busy paying how much they have to special interests that help them stay in business.
Think about it. Who are you going to vote for? The Politician that says we are going to have to share in the pain of debt reduction, or the one that says, "we need to change things without cutting beneifits to those dependent on them and give others more"?
Somewhere someone is going to pay, but it is fine as long as it is someone other than "me". The government is offering helpless people support at the cost of your dignity, your integrity (wiling to overlook that persons actual corruption) and freedom ( you have to do whatever they say, and accept whatever they give you, and you cannot sue them).
Picking Rubio won't help.
The hillbillies will say, "I don't want no vice president that speaks Mexican!"
True Patriot: The reason for the drilling is Europe and Asia! Nat gas is much more expensive there than here and refineries and ports are being built right now to export this natural resource. The financial channels will give you all this info almost daily. In Europe there are 40 models of autos and trucks that run on nat gas because gasoline is like $8-9 dollars a gallon.
In recent years a lot of oil companies have bought up smaller nat gas companies and are now trying to rope people into long term leases of their property at paltry prices because they know they will make almost 4 times in Europe and Asia than they would here for every cubic foot of gas they can supply.
harrumph - LIZ LIZ get the phone it's Mittt again. Yeah - he wants me to heads a search committteee to find the right vice President. We need one with a post 9/111 mentality - not some lily livered pre 9/111 wimp who doesn't understand what a dangerous world we live in. Here in the bunker I see alll and know alll - especiallly snce I installled my new BUNKERGUARD! - the product that will revolutionize the POST9/11 world. You see it's a bunker that's fits over your existing bunker - it protects from WMD- biological weapons, daisy cutters but most of alll - it's guaranteeed to deter atttacks of FLYING MONKEYS!!!! Here they come LIZ - get ready - get my shotgun - 'll be shootng lawyers and flying monkeys alll morning so telll MITTT I've got a name for him if he'lll call back after noon.
Mitzy Romoney is too smart to make the mistake of choosing someone like Palin. He will choose a real red meat cornservative candudate. (drum roll, please) And the choice is Michelle "bat@!$%# crazy" Bachman, ta da! See a new and improved Palin! Duh!
Doesn't matter who GOP nominee is, 2012 will be just like 2008, President Obama will win election in a landslide.
Dragon - You have been saying that very same old DNC generated statement for over a year or least until last October when you stopped blogging altogether here and only recently returned on Monday! You really need new material!
Unlike you who comes with witty new material on a daily basis? Your material failed in circa 2008 - talk about stopping the recycling of old, tired material....please!
And we havn't had the pleasure of you being on retreat for 6 months!
Just: I have been posting on this site for a long time, never stopped in October...you must have me confused with someone else. I do not post every day, sometimes not for a week or so...but have never stopped completely and never for months at a time.
Why do you think I ever stopped? And why would you care? Sounds like you are a bit wierd if you are tracking me like that.
President Obama will be re-elected jin 2012...I can repeat it over and over again....sorry if you can't handle it.
Dragon - I am one of the few here who now you better than you realize, you are very transparent and chock full of DNC demagoguery. Please check your post history prior to Monday! It does not exist for a reason. BTW, you could not handle 11/2/10 and you will not be able to handle 11/6/12 when at least 8 DEM Senators take a hike as well!
Jus: Wow you are really obsessed...you must not have a life....why are you so obsessed with me....maybe I need to report this?
I've been posting for a long time....get over it.
JusBidenmy time
I did as you suggested...
I went to Dragons post log and low and behold.....from Nov 2010 through now - he has posts in each
and every month...
You sir are a liar - you sir made a fool of yourself - you sir owe Dragon an apology!
Let me repeat - from Nov 2010 through today he has posts in each and every month!
Let's get working on taking that big foot out of your mouth - and let's see your proper response!
Dragon......Now really......is that the BEST you can do?......honestly.....that was your lamest response ever.....grow a pair will ya! ......B Dune....not according to my search.......I have been on this board for the last 6 months and I never saw Dragon until Monday as indicated in his post history......and B Dune.... lighten up Dude.....before you pop an elastic thread in your tighty whiteys..........what are you his mother?
You are full of crap -
You still remain a liar - even when you have been exposed - you can't do the right thing!
"lighten up dude" - that's all you have?
Calling someone else "lame" when you obviously lack the skills to backcheck posts for years?
Talk about "growing a pair".....grow a pair, find a pair, borrow a pair - do the right thing!
b dune.....you are here a lot and all day long and 365 days a year......you really need to get a grip on yourself......this blog has absolutely nothing to do with the real world.....it is just place for completely anonymous opinions from people with ZERO liability who do not have the guts to tell anyone who they really are, where they live or why they are really here ALL THE DAMN TIME spewing their Democratic Party's demagoguery......you know.....people just like YOU!
Gentlemen, as a great man once said: "You can't argue with crazy, and you can't fix stupid!"
Your right baloney!
Anonymous Opinions don't equate to out and out lies - you continue to demonstrate "who you really are"!
I'm not the issue here, but nice deflection - you know I'm here - yet you can't research to see Dragon has been as well!
Still waiting for you to do the right thing!
btw baloney - you can't argue with liars as well!
b dune: Thanks for the support....just ignore Jus...obviously he is not playing with a full deck. I've reported him, and will get him banned once again....he has been on this site under several names, like FrostyinAlaska, etc....and has been banned each time.
I just don't like people who think they can lie and no one will give a ratsazz.....then turn around and challenge the integrity of others...
dune: I agree, but you can not deal intelligently with someone like Jus...he has no integrity, no ethics....so best to ignore him.
Like I said he has been banned before....notice he has only been a member since 1/2012...that is because he has been banned in the past, has to wait awhile then comes back under a new name...only to get banned again.
For some reason he is obsessed with me, he has me on his watchlist....again. What a wierdo.
Dragon/Dune:
Don't waste your time on people like "JusB". They enjoy the attention which ignorance delivers. I really don't care if Dragon has emailed, or responded, in the last 50 years - this is not an issue. The issue is "JustB" you have chosen to investigate someone, instead of actually understanding the nature of the discussion. YOU chose to "finger point" at an individual instead of illustrating your understanding of world events and having an ability to have a "grown-up" conversation.
Really.......you DEMS are a laugh!....Cya at the polls on 11/6/12 for another dose of reality just like 11/2/10 or just 16 months ago when the DEMS got their worst "SHELLACKING" (according to your fearless leader) and since 1938 no less!....Can't wait to see and hear your reactions!......by the way......isn't it time for your group hug now? Ha!Ha!Ha! B Dune...when you get a chance.....prove me wrong and post one of Dragon's post from just last week or just shut up............Thanks!
JusBidenMyTime. You sure do have a lot of hatred and bile in your comments. What's your real problem? Can't handle the fact that a Democrat is President and will be elected again in November unless something totally unexpected happens? You represent the worst of the right wing "conservatives". Spread enough lies and half truths to get the gullible to believe in your nonsense. Why don't you just go back to Faux News where you get get your daily dose of venom.
Wrong, wrong and wrong...(by the way, have you met "Feisty Redhead" yet on FIRST READ?.....Sheesh) ...and I watch CNN and MSNBC..and MSNBC is my first page on all my computers............so your wrong again........wow.....every completely anonymous poster here thinks they are an "expert" on something..........it's truly laughable! CYA on 11/6/12 and bring your crying towel...just like you did on 11/2/10 just 16 very short months ago......you are really going to need it!.....You just don't know it yet.
While I too think that Obama will win, I think this is going to be another squeaker, like 2000.
TO: JusBidenMyTime who wrote:
Jus, ONLY Republicans have "talking points" and every Republican has to say the same exact words that all Republicans must repeat, because only the few at the top of the Republican food chain do the thinking for everyone beneath them.
We Independents and Democrats never need anyone to "tell" us what to say because we are free thinking and genuine free spirits.
Obama / Biden 2012
JusBidenMyTime,
do you realize that you can click on anyone's name and see what/where/when they have been posting - of course as long as it's open to public - and in Dragon's case it is. So why don't you check before YOU start lecturing someone about what they may have or may have not been doing.
Dennis - Hold that thought, up until recently, every Democrat posting on here thought it would be a BLOWOUT for Obama and the DEMS on 11/6/12.........however their "tune" is rapidly changing and they are getting worried and just like you!......The American People (and VOTERS) are just as pissed off today as they were on 11/2/10 and just 16 very short months ago!......Less than 7 months and counting!
Jus: From my history, here is just a few articles I commented on....obviously you do not know how to use this site....LOL! I should ignore you but this is tooo much fun...make you look like the fool you are!
Week That Was: A 'Supreme' week
First Read
4/2/12
59
7
Supreme Court begins arguments on health care today
The Daily Nightly
3/26/12
8
1
Court signals it will decide constitutionality of health care mandate
NBC Politics
3/26/12
1824
61
First Thoughts: Court could determine the legacy of a president
First Read
3/26/12
730
23
Individual mandate will be in Supreme Court spotlight
NBC Politics
3/26/12
1123
52
Santorum loses cool with press over Romney comment
First Read
3/26/12
1402
92
Santorum wins Louisiana primary by significant margin
NBC Politics
3/26/12
1239
53
Dick Cheney recovering at hospital after heart transplant
NBC Politics
3/25/12
3484
181
Health care ruling could send fight back to Congress
NBC Politics
3/24/12
337
16
Romney tries to pivot on health care
First Read
3/23/12
143
3
Republicans join call for Trayvon Martin inquiry
NBC Politics
3/23/12
619
30
Oh Geez....it's starting to look like a Democratic Convention around here! HA!HA!HA! Pile on gang.....I got really broad shoulders!
Dragon - They STILL do not show up on my end........on your "Bio".....boy....if true.....you sure are spending a lot more time on your "Mother Ship".... FIRST READ than you used to! You and Fiesty......I can just picture it............but I am really, really trying very hard not to.......Ha!a!Ha!
Jus: Or how about from January...LOL. I don't give a rat's behind what shows up on "your end".....obviously you do not know how to use the site...learn something instead of showing your ignorance.
Sun Jan 22, 2012
Dragon, don't feed the troll. He is hopeless. He will tell YOU what you have done....don't bother because your time is more valuable.
Dragon - Speaking of "losers" tell us all whatever happened to those 64 or so Democratic Congressman on 11/2 /10 (just 16 very short months ago)...worst DEM defeat since 1938.....and why?.....I am glad your not ignoring me......your waaaay too easy......give us all some more from the "Federalist Papers 89"......your DNC sources are spell binding.......Ha!Ha!Ha!
bayllie: I know but it is so much fun to prove how ignorant Jus is....and he plays right into it!
Jus: I am ignoring you...except when it is too easy to make you look like the fool you are...come one I am waiting for you to admit you were wrong about when I started posting...come on...or aren't you "man" enough to admit you were wrong. I will bet on the latter...LOL!
Dragon-1573721
as long as you are having fun!
Dragon - Rest assured that every comment that you make will be read by me and responded to in kind if necessary!...........You cannot ignore me......you love it........and you know it......just like ALL last year! You haven't changed......make any Republican "friends" lately....Ha!Ha!Ha!.. and you know exactly what I mean...you have had your ass handed to you more than once here and you know it....it is a matter of record......BTW bayllie......I think we all are having fun here.....don't you?.....I had a blast on 11/2/10.....how about you?
bayllie: I've had enough fun...like you said he is a waste of time.....there are so many other posters to have good conversation/debates with.
No one is changing their tune JB. How old are you, about 12? Your vocabulary is very limited, your posts not well thought out, they meander and have little if any real content or meaning. In short, your posts read like a 12 year old who didn't get something they wanted at the mall so they are throwing a fit. Stop and think before you hit the Post Comment button and make sure that the content is what you want reflected on yourself. Right now you're coming off like a self anointed child.
Dragon & Bayllie.......Good bye and good luck.......always remember 11/2/10 when your thinking about 11/6/12.....Ha!Ha!Ha!........Amused....if your really making your very best effort here to try an impress me......just a heads up.......it's just not working for you......but keep trying! Your vocabulary is far more limited than mine.......thought you should know....(not a lot of three syllable words)......know what I mean?
You do realize that the teabaggers are about to get slaughtered in november, right? I mean, they're polling at the bottom thanks to their far-right laws that they've forced down Americans' throats since the 2010 election. It's possible the republicans will lose the House this year, and it will be because America fixed the mistake it made in 2010.
Oh.....yeah things will REALLY improve when the Dems get the House and the Repubs get the Senate.......yeah....I can just see that.....OR...oh yeah......and I can just see the American people giving Obama every single thing he wants too like BOTH the Senate and the House....oh yeah...(takin another toke).....Dream on Toasty.....you 2 have bin dreamin since 11/2/10!......Read today's Huffingtion Post.
"Pile on gang.....I got really broad shoulders!"
And a cheek planted firmly on each one.
JustB seems to have challenges changing the view month to look at older posts, difficult I know....
Highland - Your a genius....now if you only could make serious money here........my biggest challenge? I am a Republican in (as you know) a predominately Liberal World here......what did you expect? Dems do not like to be challenged.....they like to be in the majority and pile up on any challenger as is evidenced here and be rid of him/her then just run away...........it happens all day long, however it did not help anyone here on 11/2/10. That was the real world talkin and the truth hurts as it will again on 11/6/12!
I have no horse in this race, but there comes a time when you have to hit someone over the head with a hammer for them to admit they do not know what they are talking about.
JustBiden, did it ever occur to you to use the drop down menu next to the word "Viewing" to search past months? Your ignorance of the site features doesn't make you right.
Nice of you to change the subject a few times rather than be an adult and admit you were wrong. Please don't reply back though. Your inability to form a proper sentence isn't worth the headache to read.
P.S. Why do you feel the need to vote up your own posts? <---- Rhetorical question.
Such an impressive sight, beating up on that strawman and then patting yourself on the back for your work. Well done.
Smith - That's your opinion and nothing more...and as well all know....opinions are a lot like noses.....we all have one and they all smell to varying degrees......either way.....the value of it is still the same......it's not like you can buy a Jr. Whopper with cheese now is it?......keep it in perspective........you'll be more productive that way. OK....who is next?......any Republicans out there or is this an all DEM blog?...............Ha!Ha!Ha! NY Mike.....I voted for your post so you could witness for the very first time what one looks like. Congratulations?
Matt, referrring to the President as "Odumbo" is akin to donning a big red clown nose and donkey ears - thus rendering anything else you might post to be nothng but nonsense not worthy of reading. I hope that's what you wre tryin for. It's what you acccomplished my dim fellow-poster!
She excited the conservative base and shook up the race, but also turned off independents and raised questions about whether she was equipped to serve at that level of office.
They keep draggin out the old play book on Palin, the funny thing is everybody knows now what informed conservative voters new then and that is the person least equipped to serve at that level of office is Odumbo!!!
Matt-1883244
only because she delivered the one-liners that they wanted to hear. Other than that Palin had no substance. She excited them like Ricky excites them today. Fortunately, the rest of the country sees them two for what they are: idiots.
LOLOLOL Substance??? I;m sorry I just can't take you seriously while you support the joke of a president we have now and talk about substance....
Matt; Name calling...really??? Are you in 3rd grade...your name calling and lame comments strongly suggest you are.
Matt,
Please tell me what Palin had to offer besides her cheerleading skills. The lady cannot even hold a basic conversation and you wanted her to talk to the world leaders???
Dragon-1573721
Anyone who uses the world "Odumbo" has zero credibility. Plus Matt has a hard time accepting that Obama won and McCain/Palin lost because that is exactly what the American people wanted.
Dragon - You haven't posted here in 6 months until last Monday.....and already I see your "making friends" here again and in your own inimitable way......How do you do it? Ha!Ha!Ha!
Her less than one term of governor of Alaska clearly qualifies her on the national stage.
Matt, Palin is Dumb. Just face facts, she's dumb. It's plain racism to look at one who could barely finish school and another who is a Harvard Law School graduate and say the one with the Juris Doctor is dumb.
In all fairness, Dumb Americans need to be represented too. They do. Palin and many Republicans fill that need. But Dumb Americans and the politics of stupidity aren't the right fit for a job that deals so intimately with national security. Do you really want a Dumb American at the nuke button?
Just:
Just: I have been posting on this site for a long time, never stopped in October...you must have me confused with someone else. I do not post every day, sometimes not for a week or so...but have never stopped completely and never for months at a time.
Why do you think I ever stopped? And why would you care? Sounds like you are a bit wierd if you are tracking me like that.
President Obama will be re-elected jin 2012...I can repeat it over and over again...your problem if you can't handle it.
Hey Matt,
I'll give ya a little bit - she has some charisma. BUT SHE HAS THE IQ OF AN ANT!! On Obama's WORST day he'd still be 100x smarter than Palin!!!!!
matt --- you said she "excited the conservatives". it could not be intellectually. more likely it was sexually considering how repressed the tea party is.
Actually Mr.P that quote was pulled from the article which you should try reading before commenting on and I just love bayllie calling me out for "name calling" after using the adjectives moron and idiot herself. Totally childish, but we're all accustomed too liberals calling people on everything they're heinously guilty of.
You two need to go out and get a job and start being part of the cure instead of being the problem, and remember those food stamps you guys take to the grocery store every week were paid by people like me.
I'll give ya a little bit - she has some charisma. BUT SHE HAS THE IQ OF AN ANT!! On Obama's WORST day he'd still be 100x smarter than Palin!!!!!
Oh really Rush, You think Obama is that smart, you know whos IQ needs to be checked YOURS....
LOLOLOLOL
Matt-1883244
I didn't call you on anything - someone else did. All I said that anyone who uses the word "Odumbo" has zero credibility.
And yes, I called Palin a moron, and an idiot many times because the lady is exactly that. She's a has been, and a quitter, too. There is NOTHING this lady has done that would prove otherwise and if she had, you would have had a list for me already like I asked. Except that you cannot come up with anything. So all she is good at is cheerleading which any High School chearleader can do, too.
You are not Mr. P bayllie you are bayllie.
Whew now that I got that out of the way.
Ummm you can call Palin anything you want doesn't really matter, however the President we have now is going to go down in history as one of the all time worst, I mean Jimmy Carter has got to be happy right now cause he's off the hook, and you guys continue going on supporting Obama. This is the reason why all of your comments are a complete joke.
matt --- you must have me confused with some of your friends because i have never been unemployed or on food stamps. i worked and paid taxes all my life. i also donate to charities and food kitchens. when you work all your life you're entitled to retire with dignity. something that you and your kind don't agree with. only the mega rich should have a decent life?
Matt-1883244
Matty, you should read your own statements first before you engage in a discussion:
you are one confused person.
bayllie --- i think matt may have been using his food stamps to buy booze.
mrpotatohead-2258438
No, I think his condition is hereditary...
conditions that are controled by one are not always ones view
The 2008 election really was great. It is troublesome that the Republican Party had so many challenges; however, there are many good reasons why the Republicans lost. First, Palin was a tiny hiccup compared to- well you know who:
v=CNGa6Ujyaf4&list=PL6CCD86F0190AAC40&index=50&feature=plpp_video.
But that isn't all...
Have a great day!
Oh go ahead and pick Palin. I heard that she had read a book since 2008.
Obama-Biden 2012 The only real choice.
Job1
It must have been the one she "wrote."
You mean the book that a ghost writer wrote for her. Maybe she had a ghostreader read it for her as well.
ck....Bottom line....Palin made millions on HER book and you didn't! Be sure to let us all know when YOUR book is coming out wise guy!
She didn't really read one, but she did color all the pictures.
Palin sold millions of copies of her book to herself and then gave them out at rallies she hosted... nor did she even write the book.
TO: JusBidenMyTime who wrote:
Well, it's a good thing Sarah "The Bimbo" Palin gave up politics for entertainment. It suits her better.
I am so sure that Mitt Romney isn't going to be listening to anything Sarah Palin has to offer, especially since she has NOT done even one successful thing in politics other than deliver hate speeches filled with talking points that Republican followers love to hear her repeat.
Obama / Biden 2012
JusBidenMyTime
And Britney Spears sold millions of albums - that doesn't qualify her to be a president, does it?
"Her" book. The woman didn't even write it. She had a ghostwriter do it for her. I doubt she has ever READ a book, much less could write one.
Sarah Palin won her second TV battle with Katie Couric.
Palin's controversial guest-hosting stint on "Today" helped propel the show to a ratings victory on Tuesday. That's not news in and of itself -- after all, "Today" has won nearly every day for 16 years -- but Couric's week-long return to morning television on "Good Morning America" has added a new intensity to the proceedings.
Palin was a counter to Hillary. The RNC thought it would work for their party since it worked for the democratic party.
It failed. Why? "I can see Russia from my doorstep", "I read magazines but don't know the names of them". Gotchya questions like that, remember?
Now, you could blame anyone you want to. It doesn't change the fact that Palin was discredited by Palin.
Palin is making millions and you DEMS are all here on this blog all day.....makin "whoopie".......think about it..........
Yes Palin made millions. Because dimwits like Just handed over their money to her. She's laughing at you dolts all the way to the bank.
Shellie..........Bottom Line....Palin is a very rich and very famous "dimwit" and "dolt" (typical Dem catch phrases that mean absolutely nothing) and in high demand as evidenced by her ratings on the TODAY show.....and your a poor one by comparison.......whose only claim to fame is an "anonymous" contributor here........
"Palin is making millions"
Yes she is -- she's very good at conning lots of money from stupid people who believe she's actually a politician. She's not a politician. She's a celebrity. She doesn't wnat to be president or governor or senator or anything like that. She wants her own talk/reality show.
Charlie - Check out the TODAY show........Palin is a "commentator" and millions of your fellow Americans (both Democrat and Republican) are watching her everyday. Are you calling millions of your fellow Americans accordingly..............stupid?
JusBidenMyTime
people tuned it to see what else the moron would say.
You know that how?.......did you take your own poll bayllie?......a poll of one? How does that saying go.....it takes one to........
If you think that Katie Couric is hard-hitting bully journalism...
Everybody here thinks since Rubio is a Cuban it means he can attract Latino votes, Wrong! Mexicans only few of them would vote for him. Think about Hondurans, Nicaraguans, Ecuadorians, Panamians, Colombians, Peruvians, Venezuelans, Bolivians, Argentineans, Brazilians, etc. Can he duped them? I don’t think so. If you are in Romney’s camp ensure that you will study deeply these tribal
issues between Latinos. Secondly, if anything happened to Romney is this novice politician is ready to become the President? He even lied about his parents arrival in the U.S.pretending that they are a Cubans escaping Fidel Castro’s regime that does not exist. When he was born Fidel Castro was in the jail imprison by the Democrati government.
Well I say this much about McCain's choice of Sarah Palin, the bar is now set so low, even I could be nominated as a Vice Presidential candidate..... hint, hint, hint :D
JB...you are so f*cking stupid it defies logic.
All them brownies are the darned same thing chef... /sarc
A party that would sink so far down into the ideological sewer should never again be trusted by reasonable and intelligent people. Actually "party" is a misnomer. It is not a political party any longer. It hasn't been one in years. It is now an organized criminal enterprise. Wake up and smell the elephant dung.
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
You could realistically say that about both sides.
TO: ksw62118 who wrote:
Not really. But I already know it's far too much to ask some folks to remember 9/11, how we (and Democrats) were Lied into War by Republican George W. Bush and his henchmen who were all members of the "culture of corruption" who later crashed the entire United States Economy which again made terrorist Osama Bin Laden's dreams come true which was to harm the United States and the American People.
Republicans are the ONLY ones who lied and cheated their way into office, who had terrorist friends who attacked the United States, and overthrew foreign governments in order to control that country's natural resources (OIL).
No, I think "organized criminal enterprise" quite accurately and unmistakenly describes the Republican Party.
@ American you may want to think Democratic politicians are all above board but bottom line is both sides stretch the truth and do whatever it takes to get elected. Big money is involved all around. You are naive if you think it isn't and one side is saints and the other sinners.
For most of the last 4 years, the Republican Party has done just about everything they can to anger every demographic except old, southern, white guys. So now they have a nominee who even old, southern, white guys aren't all that thrilled about. Romney's VP choice, be it Rubio,Palin or the man in the moon for that matter is NOT suddenly make Hispanics, blacks, women, independents or anybody else swoon over him. Whoever he chooses will be no more successful in bringing any group back to the Republican party than Palin was in attracting the Hillary voters to John McCain. Probably the last time a VP selection had any real influence on the outcome of an election was 52 years ago with JFK and LBJ.
Romney/Rubio 2012.......deal with it! C U at the polls!
Hehe, Rubio. The man couldn't find his own ass with two hands and a special "ass" map.
"Romney/Rubio 2012.......deal with it! C U at the polls!"
Well -- we know it will be Romney but Rubio -- who knows. But tell you what Jes -- come November after President Obama kicks Romney's ass all over the nation, you deal with it instead of whining and crying like you have since McCain got his ass kicked.
McCain/Palin were 2 clowns trying to be serious. Does not matter who GOP puts up against Obama, they lose. GOP should seek out an AMERICAN to run, as opposed to an internationalist suck up.
In the end none of this matters because Democrats/Republicans are both either stealing your money or your freedom. Why would anyone endorse a criminal enterprise? The electorate of this nation is either dumb as a stump, or horribly handicapped from the neck up.
McCain is (or was) a decent fellow. He would have made a good president... in 2000. Somewhere between there and 2008 he aged (a LOT) and his positions became deadlocked on the wrong side of enough issues sufficient to make him unelectable. Palin's selection as his running mate was widely seen for what it was: blatant, unadulterated pandering. You can blame McCain's handlers of that time for that one, but you also have to blame McCain for going along with it.
As for the current race, it almost doesn't matter who Romney picks. This 2012 election is basically a redux of 2004, except the parties are reversed: we have an incumbent president who's principally popular with his own party, and the independents are wavering in their support of him but not quite yet ready to abandon him. His opposition is a bland, uninspiring candidate who can best be described by his own supporters as "well, I guess this is the best we can do right now." Just like Democrats collectively held their noses and voted for Kerry in 2004 and lost, so will Republicans collectively hold their noses and vote for Romney and lose, barring anything earth-shattering happening in the next 6 months or so.
What is most interesting now is what will happen in the congressional elections. Will the Tea Party continue to have a large impact as they did in 2010? It doesn't look very likely; the fervor has died down, for the most part, and the remnants have metastasized like a tumescent growth within the body of the Republican Party, unable to survive on its own and neither easy to absorb nor painless to be excised by the host, who must somehow live with it. Similarly, the excitement on the left is not what it was during 2008 and the furor of OWS is mostly forgotten. Still, with certain elements of the Republican party doing much more to stink up the brand than their Democrat counterparts are doing to their own label, it would appear that the Democrats are headed toward some moderate gains... again, much like the congressional elections of 2004.
Outstanding comment, Tony.
Tony, an interesting point of view and I think some reasonable assertions. I see it differently: Romney, in my view, is a virtual lock to win in November. It boils down to voter enthusiasm, strategy, and money.
On the first front, the "anyone but Obama" crowd is incredibly enthusiastic about voting. They would vote for a moldy slice of rye and three ounces of raccoon urine if that's what the Republicans put on the ticket. Meanwhile, the Democratic base is cowed and huddled in the corner begging the teanuts to stop calling them names or they're going to go tell the vice principal. Since they're mostly busy wetting themselves, they don't care much about the election and they're not going to vote. Check the college campuses today: most kids who aren't fully indoctrinated little right-wing automatons are pretty much saying, "election? Oh, f%&! that, hand me a beer."
As for independents, the same thing holds: those who would usually break for the Dems are staying home, those who would usually break for the Reps are going to the polls to vote for that bag of raccoon pee if that's the alternative to Obama.
From the strategic perspective, while the Republicans are nine moves ahead on the chess board (viz. the Meese judicial revolution that is now almost 30 years old, still completely ignored or unknown to the Dems, or for a more recent example, the Ryan budget and the pending Obamacare upending), the Dems are still trying to understand why the board is shaped like a square and has all those other squares on it. That is to say, the Dems simply don't have a strategy that's anything like a... well, like a strategy. Somehow, they still think that reason trumps fear, and other pretty nonsense.
Finally, money. Sure, Obama's done a nifty job of fundraising. However, the right-wing hate machine will soon get an infusion of several billion dollars from the Koch Bros, Sheldon Adelson, and a few other evil geniuses. SuperPACs are free to create any lie, and you can bet that a compliant "liberal" (now THERE'S a laugh for the ages) media will simply slurp it all up and wonder why their little tushies hurt so bad in the morning. Team dem doesn't have any of these benefactors.
Add it all up and it comes out to a very narrow popular vote win for Romney, and a 40 to 47-state landslide in the electoral college. He'll pick Rubio and seal up Florida. Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Nevada, and maybe even Pennsylvania go Republican, and Obama's chances of re-election are nil.
I've got to disagree, I think Romney is in for a beating this November.
OFA is too organized. Tens of thousands of volunteers are already peppering the battleground states with pro-obama calls.
Republicans have lost the indie-brand, and it won't be coming back. You can only say 'jobs' and legislate 'state rape' for so long before people get wise to you. The real fear being generated is by the republicans, from the republicans, and of the republicans. You are destroying your own brand.
Out here in northern san diego county, it's considered one of the most conservative districts in the nation (Rep. Duncan Hunter). The registration in January was 24 Dem/ 48 Rep/ 28 Indie.
As of 1 April it was 26 Dem / 44 Rep/ 30 Indie parties.
That means that a 'sure lock', including regular 67R/32D split on elections, is shaping up pretty differently. About 70% of the indies we've spoken to have decided to vote a straight Dem ticket, which is showing our own race shaping up 46/54 (still republican), but losing 13 points basically 'overnight'.
As a political activist, I get to watch the stars unfurl and 'math is a candidates best friend' never held more truth than now.
Furthermore, it appears a lot of Republicans have no intention of voting. They can't bring themselves to vote democrat, but they also can't bring themselves to vote for Romney. If the hard base can be galvanized from his state-funded abortions and his moderate views can also suppress Tea Party support (which it has been)...you're looking at a complete reversal of electoral politics.
A 10% suppression rate by the Republican turns this place into a 52/48 Democrat victory.
We are the 11th most 'Conservative' district in the nation, fella. And we are looking at a 1 in 10 democratic win.
Cheers!
Jack, you have some interesting views and reasonable assertions as well. It's nice that we can politely disagree on some things and devolve into braying ideologues in the process. Wish everyone could do the same.
You're right about the enthusiasm gap, but I don't think it's quite to the degree you describe. I think the ABO crowd is smaller than most people think it is, it's just really loud, and even then it's not nearly as loud as it was back in 2009 and 2010. Not only that, but many dedicated ABO's are rethinking the "A" part now that Romney appears to be the presumptive nominee. Anti-Mormon bias runs deep among the religious right, and Romney will, in the minds of some, "betray" the party's principles when he tacks back to the left during the general election campaign (Santorum and Gingrich are doing Romney NO favors here). As a result, I think a fair number of people who might otherwise vote Republican will pass on this election on their own principles.
I wouldn't describe the Democrats' base as "cowed" (the "teanuts" calling them names only serve to galvanize them, if anything) so much as "disenchanted." It's more the apathy regarding the gap between the hope of 2008 and the actual change that's been delivered since then that has them comparatively quiescent. At the same time, we've yet to see the race swing into full campaign mode. I think we're going to see changes in the enthusiasm levels on both sides. The recent "enthusiasm" we've seen on the left from women voters is, I think, an example of things to come.
As for Independents, I think we will, if anything, see a general decline in voter participation for both sides. Like Democrats, they're disenchanted with Obama, but they're equally nonplussed by Romney. It will probably be a wash, overall.
Strategy-wise, I don't see how the "judicial revolution" is going to have any direct impact on the election itself. The squabble over the Ryan budget and Obamacare is, regardless of result, simply gasoline on the fire for both sides. The Ryan budget will almost assuredly fail to pass, it's just a matter of time now regarding how long it remains a topic of conversation -- unless some revolutionary new piece of information about it comes to light soon, I think it will likely fade into relative obscurity within a matter of a few weeks. Obamacare is going to be a boon to both sides in terms of voter turnout between now until the election and beyond regardless of the outcome. Whichever side wins will have its confidence bolstered, and the other side will be further inspired to fight for what it believes is right. If upheld, conservatives will be enflamed, bent on repeal (as they have been since it first passed); if struck down, liberals will be enflamed, decrying judicial activism (as they have been since 2000, and particularly so since Citizens United). Additionally, I don't think the Dems are naive enough to still believe that reason trumps anything. The 2000 and 2004 elections proved that to them.
You might be right about the money issue. What's happening now regarding campaign finance in this election is unprecedented history in the making, for good or ill. However, even if those who argue that Romney is "buying" the nomination are proved correct, I do not believe that the general election will likewise be so easily bought -- particularly with the regular doses of bon mot Romney keeps delivering. The prolonged Republican primary has proven a tremendously costly drain and given the Democrats time to build up funds. It's too early to judge. I tend to doubt that the SuperPACs (or anyone, for that matter) will be able to "buy" the election either way.
That said, I stand by my prediction of this being 2004 redux. I believe we'll see a narrow reelection victory for Obama, and the changing of a handful of seats in the house and senate over to the Democrats.
LOL that should have read "NOT devolve into braying ideologues" ... Freudian slip, anyone? :-)
Well, upvotes for both you and Teknishan for thoughtful responses. And I'm stealing "braying ideologues" for troof and because it's got rhythm. Swings like a gate, in fact.
I mentioned the Meese judicial revolution not because I think it has a direct impact on this year's election, but because it's a reflection of the Democrats' hopeless stupidity in matters of political strategy. While the Republicans understood that controlling the judiciary means controlling the government far beyond electoral politics, and then carefully planned and executed the complete takeover of the judicial branch, the Democrats NEVER paid even the slightest bit of attention to it. As in other matters, they simply let the Republicans control the debate, the agenda, and even the language that frames both. Say "judicial activism" to anyone capable of reading and the first thing they'll think isn't the Roberts court and Citizens United, but "liberal judges making law from the bench" or some other such nonsense.
Time and again the Republicans have dominated every aspect of debate simply by being first to the plate with the terms that define it. "Tax-and-spend Democrats." "Cut-and-run." "Job-killing stimulus, job-killing tax hikes." Time and again the Democrats just seem to sit there with their hands over their faces hoping that the beating stops. Look at the healtcare debate: Obama and the Dems gave the Republicans absolutely EVERYTHING they wanted in the ACA, and gave up everything they stood for in the process. What did they get? Beaten over the head for two plus years with "government takeover" and "socialism," of which the ACA is demonstrably neither. These people aren't just idiots, they're hopeless idiots.
Y'all might seriously be right. It's possible that the right-wing religious zealots may lose faith in Romney and might only turn out at 80% rather than 96%. I just have a hard time figuring the calculus in all this, and honestly, I think it really looks bad for Obama and the Dems.
Yep. Tony pretty much nailed it. That and the the fact that disenfranchised demographics will play a very large part in this election as they did in the last one. ie. There are only so many angry white men to win an election with. That coupled w/ the fact that the increasingly fervent evangelist population in this country has hung itself around the neck of the GOP like Paul Ryan's budget albatross and is not too keen on voting for a man whose religion is still seen by many as a 19th century religious cult that strays far from the narrow constraints of fundamentalist protestantism. He almost HAS to pick another one of them like Pailin just to get them like to vote for him. That was McCain's big delima and a gamble that became his demise. Don't be too surprised if he tries to stick Santorum on the ticket to get Catholics and Fundamentalists alike to vote for him since he can't lie to them that he's like them like other GOP presidentail candidates have done in the past. 2004 over again? Yes but no. At least we aren't headed into another election after one that the Supreme Court decided for us where the results brought a collective groan from around the globe and Americans were embarrased enough to tell folks they were from Canada outside of our borders or "I didn't vote for him. We're not all idiots." It still amazes me to this day that I still see Bush/Cheney stickers on cars or W still the president or M still a moron.
@ realitybites
I'm really glad you mentioned that. Reading through Tony's posts here I kept saying to myself "women, don't forget women." I think that factor alone will keep a good part of the upper midwest blue in November.
Thank you all for a thread worth reading. It was very refreshing.
A very enlightening and refreshing thread indeed. I am truly enjoying Jack_Mack, Tony, and Teknishams viewpoints. One thing I would like to point out is that for the most part, women are pretty pissed at the Tea Party and by association, the Repubs. Women are feeling like second class citizens who seem to suddenly need men to make decisions for them, like they are now someones pet and unable to form coherent thought and opinions of their own. Let us also remember that women are now making up a larger piece of the economic puzzle in America. Women have been outpacing men in enrollment on college campus's for quite a few years now. As women are gaining in education, jobs, and economic power, they are now a very large voting bloc that should not be dismissed or marginalized. I think this is something the Repub ticket is completely missing but the Dems seem to be counting on.
Thanks to Rush and assorted right wing cave people Romney has extremely high negatives with women and minorities. A New Mexico female hispanic governor might help but will not overcome the hole Mitt is in. The latest poll shows Romney behind by 9% in the key swing states-mainly because of women and minorities. i guess you reap what you sow. (fundamentalists would like this quote)
they never have did well with any of these groups, to them there all a bunch of free loaders looking for another hand out but chances are most of them wont get excited with voting for obama this time and they return to there lazy selves and dont vote allowing romney and the gop party landslide victories just like hanity predicts
Hanity is delusional. Why can't Republicans accept the fact that Romeny is a joke and people are not going to vote for him. Obama will be re-elected.
You cite Hannity? Better than Glen Beck. Your educational level and reasoning appears to ape Hannity. He is a "great American" who would not make an acceptable McDonald's worker. He lacks the intelligence and education to offer the fries.
Let's be fair and open-minded, he may qualify for a part time employment in at Taco-Bell.
Pick Palin! Pick Palin! That way I can watch all of the conservatives get all giddy and then go down in flames with the ignorant unqualified greedy quitter.
..."either have been on the job for just a few years, or lack the experience of having previously gone through the vetting process and campaigning on the national level." It's just pathetic how all eyes will be on vetting Romney's pick and so few "media eyes" were on vetting Obama in 2008 despite his short time on the job, his massive lack of experience and his invisibility on the national level. Too bad for all of us what is good for the GOP #2 "goose" wasn't even thought about for the Democrat #1 "gander" in '08. We're all still suffering for it.
Yes, we can't seem to rid ourselves of Palin.
How are we suffering? Obama has lead this country out of a recession in spite of the 2010 election of obstructionists. His list of accomplishments is long and, as a country, we have more global respect than we had during the prior administration.
I do not expect you to agree with any of this but it is my opinion and I hope enough people can analyze the facts over right wing talking points to return Obama for four more years.
The alternatives offered are horrendous.
Yeah why can't she just be a phony celebrity like the Kardashians or something? She would feel much more at home in that role...
Uh... dude? I'm pretty sure that is exactly what Palin is and has been ever since the 2008 elections.
Belfast - Seriously dude? A long list of accomplishments? Global respect? How much Guinness have you had this morning? I know BO is trying as hard as he can, but could you truly be honest and say the US has global respect because of Obama? Many many more credible news sources, especially foreign sources, seem to say the complete opposite.
I just wish someone on the left would actually say that BO is decent/getting better but has not lived up to expectations. I mean Romney, Palin, etc. are not great either - they have major flaws, but at least admit that BO has flaws too? So tough to get honest opinions in here from the Obama Cheerleader Institute.
Apparently not nearly as much Guinness as you've had, Juice. C'mon, use your google. Obama is extremely well loved internationally and he has made great strides correcting the disaster that was Bush for 8 years. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but facts are facts and you can't change facts. Of course Pres. Obama has flaws; everyone does. Of course he didn't fulfill every single expectation of every single US citizen, what president ever would? Some of us are pragmatic enough to take a reasonable look at what he has accomplished and give him tons of credit for it. With the republican party's "1% agenda", I absolutely shudder to think what kind of shape this country would be in right now if the republicans had won in '08. No one with a lick of common sense would purposely choose to go back to the same policies that the republicans used to tank the economy over the last 30 years or so, and especially the 8 years of Bush rule. You can criticize Obama all you want, that's your right, but hey, I'll pick the guy on our side, not the 1%'s side. And Romney IS a 1%'er.
As for who he picks for running mate? It doesn't really matter in the end. The republicans could go back and "undo" every piece of onerous legislation from the past 2 years where they've purposely tried to gut women's rights; they could completely renege on their immigration policies and welcome all with open arms; they could take back every disgusting statement made about gays and lesbians; they could get on their knees and beg for forgiveness for all the damage they've done, and none of it would matter, for one reason. No one trusts them. They say whatever they think they have to to pull in voters, and then blithely turn around and do exactly what they want. Do you think anyone actually believes they wouldn't continue with the same disastrous policies against women, minorities, LGBTs? Oh, he!! no. The republican party is now the party of lies, cheating, voter disenfranchisement, election rigging. That's their legacy, of their own making. Only a fool would ignore the fact that if the republican party had any merits, none of that would be necessary. Republicans chose their path and now they have to live with it. There are no "do-overs". Remember 2010: jobs jobs jobs = gutting women's rights.
Sorry Juice, I travel several hundred thousand miles a year and have worked in 41 countries. Obama is the best thing to happen to America in a long time. Most of the world never understood why Bush got a second term. Travelling as an american has been a lot safer for me since 2009. Most people who do my kind of work used to take a bunch of NBA shirts with us as gifts for kids. We went really low key in 2000. Now I always take USA trinkets with me.
Two more things:
- There is no serious alternative to Obama if we want the recovery to continue.
- Guinness is good for you
One liners, sound bites, personal insults, and emotional appeals are easy. Making a cogent argument for your position takes effort.
Like the deficit with women, minorities and workers?
Gov. Scott Walker must go first and then the Tea Party Congress and Romney/???
Real Americans-not controlled by Dick Armory and funded by the Koch bros and their ilk-must take the country back before it's too late and the few rule the many.
EVERYONE KNOWS ITS PAUL RYAN -he just cant come out and say it yet, he needs a few more primaries to wrap it up 1st
Let's hope so. Ryan is the leader of an ultra conservative fiscal group that includes the clueless Tea Party Congress people and would help alienate the independents, completely. Add Independents to women, minorities and senior citizens and even unlimited $$$$$ won't win.
Gov. Scott Walker goes first and then the worst- Tea Partiers and Romney.
I thought the tea party people were independants?
Yes, the poor clueless tea party who handed the mighty democrats their greatest defeat of all time. They are so inept that they can barely out organize the great organizer. They are Americans. Unlike you.
They got elected and did nothing they ran on. They did however set a precedent and became the worse congress in the history of this country. So congratulations, I guess?
Americans??? I'm a veteran who has children and grandchildren who I hope will not serve in a war. I've been very successful in life and hit the high tax rates and will pay them. I have advanced degrees and hope the majority become educated - if they want to. I don't hate you or women (I have daughters), minorities (I have a Hispanic son-in-law and partially African American nephews), senior citizens (I'm past the discount) or gays (I have gay nieces and cousins). I think this is the profile of many Americans. Hate gets you enemies and ulcers.
Realist ~ I really appreciated your post. You sound like a wonderful person, with a terrific attitude.
To realist pondering: Thank you for your post. There is far too much hate on these websites and in politics in general. Why can't people realize that we are all Americans and all want basically the same things. Just because you disagree with someone's opinion on the way to reach those goals does not give you the right to hate them or call them vile and disgusting names. For those of you out there who attempt to follow the example of Jesus, remember that He never hated anyone. He always showed love and compassion for all, especially for those who were looked down upon by the "religious" group.
Realist...Thanks for your post..It reminds me that decency and compassion are still alive.
Really? Because the teabag candidates lost over 2/3 of the elections they were running. Including giving Reid back to Nevada.
At what point did "Hope and Change" morph into "Fear and Division?" Are you better of today than before Jan. 21 2009? Very few are.............. "It's the Economy Stupid!"
Opinions differ greatly on better off. The parents of 26 year old and younger children have peace of mind with coverage-people with pre-existing conditions are now covered and are better off. Osama Bin Laden is dead and all freedom loving people in the world are better off. The stock market is up and all investors and 401K owners are better off.
Ginny Thomas has thousands and thousands of $$$ to help influence the defeat of the Affordable Care Act.
Impeach Clarence Thomas and American will be better off.
I can tell you that people in Detroit are not better off. But they will vote for Mr Obama, because they fear their lifestyles will be affected if they dont. Specially now that the City is facing bankruptcy and union contracts are going to be dissolved. The people of the city feel that the government (federal) should bail the city out for years. And that the State governorship just wants control of Detroit. Why would anyone want Detroit, its in total financial mess after years of Democratic mismanagement. Look up Kwame Kilpatrick.
dahly: Yes I am better off than 1/21/2009. I no longer fear I will get laid off, my home has increased in value, my retirement portfolio has done much better, we've gotten a nice tax refund the last couple of years.
Yes, I am better off, as are majority of my family and friends.
Sorry if you are not better off...but then as the GOP says "it is your own fault if you are not succeeding".
Dragon - Your home has increased in value? Ha!Ha!Ha!.....Where do you live?...in the Cayman Islands? ......JOS1.......check out Dragon's posts since he returned after a long 6 months hiatus. The pattern is the same and strongly suggests a DNC plant!
I am doing very well, thank you. And I give both my time and money towards helping others. Working with people in the community as well as serving on boards with other local business owners, I see, first hand, how much worse it is for the vast majority of people. Peace.
The local NBC affiliate just stated that Michigan homes have reduced in value 5% in the past year and they expect them to go down another 3% this year. I own my homes so to me its not real money, but it still isnt good for you bottom line.
JB...still posting stupid comments I see. Aside from seeking medical attention for your serious case of Turrets Syndrome, you should move out of that glass house you're living in if you're going to badger others for posting repetitive nonsense.
Incidentally. I am better off since 2008/9 as well and for all the same indicators as Dragon. My house has jumped over 20% in value and my retirement portfolio is firmly in the 7 figure bandwidth.
Are you jealous there Mr. "Solyndra Exec" or "statistics genius" or <insert phony claim of the day here>?
Probably should change your screen name to "JusWastinMyTime"...seems more fitting given the verbal diarrhea coming out of your pie hole.
Jolly,
With Snyder limiting Welfare to 4 years and with it getting more obvious every day that the handouts they are getting are unsustainable, hopefully they get a clue. I'm not holding my breath though, like you said they re-elected Kwame after there was proof he was stealing the city blind for cryin our loud! Gee if Obama gets re-elected the similarities will be stunning won't they?
Not sure where the posters live that say their homes increased in value but that definitely is not the norm for most of the country. Here is the midwest we have stayed flat and I work with several people who are from California. Real estate there has tanked severely.
Ksw - Washington DC Metro area. Comparables for my property were selling at $625-650k in 2011 versus $475-525k in 2008.
I'm waaaaaay better off. Thanks for asking.
p.s. The glaring attempts to resurrect Regan aren't working hun.
Much better, retired in 2010, house paid off. Business is good, people are great, life is wonderful.
I still laugh when I think about the liberal press and the Democrats pounding into our heads that Palin had no experience. And Obama did??? O that's right he was a community organizer.
floyd335513
...you forgot to mention the use of the teleprompter and not being born in America; suggest you start every day such a laugh, in November you’ll get it over.
I am way better off than I was before Jan. 21, 2009 as well as most people I know. Our country as a whole is way better off. The only thing divisive about this country is the ultra conservative right wing haters. The rest of us understand that it is up to all of us to put our heads down, keep up the good work and vote for those true Americans that stand up for the collective masses and not just the rich and corporations.
Romneycare should select Etch-A-Sketch as his running mate. That way, he can just shake it and start over if things go bad, which they will.
Obama and the Dems must remember the lessons from the 2010 ass kicking.
Okay, gullible voters were swayed by the thrill of voting in the 1st black president. Hope and Change, blah, blah blah.
By 2010 everyone was sobered up, and there are lessons, Demmies, that go far beyond superficial theater. Even an entertaining criminal can lose favor when he's caught stealing money out of your grandchildren's piggy-bank.
hopefully they dont and stay home and not vote this time too
2010 was great! Those teabaggers rallied up all of the racists who are mad about having a black president and they voted! They voted in the most inept group of congressmen ever, who ran on jobs, and never passed a job bill! They did do a great job of making sure nothing got done in congress the last year and a half!
2010's results have shown that radical right wing congress people will gum up the working of government until they are replaced or learn compromise. It has rallied the left to get out and vote (the Right is so afraid of that fact they have passed laws to prevent voting in several states) and prevent another fiasco like 2010.
Gov. Scott Walker must go first and the the Tea Partiers and Romney.
The tea party is what destroyed the GOP. I cannot understand why they don't see that. The GOP needs to silence those fools if they are going to have any hope in 2016. Let's hope the Dems take the house back as well.
@From Texas with love
Exactly!!
And Santorum and Gingrich are emblematic of the Tea Party: THEY DON"T CARE IF THEY TAKE THE WHOLE SHIP DOWN, AS LONG AS THEY GET THEIR WAY!!
steve the dog man.....good one there old fella....lol Must really bite at ya that there is a black man in your white house...perhaps you can find yourself a bone...
nothing to see here folks --- maybe we should toss old steve a milk bone. the last time he had a bone was when palin ran.
An ass kicking turned into an ass something else after the delusional honeymoon was over, leaving the American public in pain and wondering who that angry a$$hole was that took over congress was. Whatever the answer, a D!#k doesn't get remembered too fondly after he proves he's a useless freeloading obstructionist sponge on the American Taxpayer's dime.
Steve the dog man
...more Bunkerisms !
He should pick Bachmann. Put a sidearm on her hip and a bible in her hand and send her out there to whip up the base.
that would be so cool if that happened
I already cannot stop laughing at the GOP. That would be hilarious. I want your scenario to happen, too.
That'd force an end to the VP debates in a hurry. You can't argue with crazy.
Hope is killing people. Change is on its way in 215 days.
Yep, we need to kill hope for all middle class and poor people and make sure they get back to working 80 hrs per week in order to feed their kids! Vote rich in 2012!!
Yep, we need to kill hope for all middle class and poor people and make sure they get back to working 80 hrs per week in order to feed their kids! Vote rich in 2012!!
We can't afford another four years of hope.
Don't worry Road Warrior - your "hope" of Romney becoming President in 215 days will come to end...well, in exactly 215 days!
First of all, if he picks Rubio it will be the same thing as McCain picking Palin. Inexperience abounds, and the only reason Romney would do it is to pick up the Latino vote. But most Latinos are not thrilled with Rubio anyway. He'd be crazy to pick Ryan. (I mean crazier than he already is.) Ryan's ridiculous budget would be one of the downfalls of the campaign, not to mention a whole list of other things. In any case, the GOP doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell in winning in November. They've lost the womens vote, plus the Latino vote is through the roof for the President.
What I don't understand is why anyone would vote for a political party who could care less about them, except if you're in the 1%. That describes exactly what the GOP stands for. CONTINUE TO give the tax breaks to the rich, while screwing the rest of us.
[Citation Needed]
Not to be a wet blanket, but from what I've read, the president's immigration policy (or lack thereof) is really hurting him.
[Citation Needed]
the only citation needed for these moonbats is watching MSNBC, where it is all peaches and cream for the left and Obama...leaning forward with bias.
Dee, the anwswer to your second paragraph, is that they're scared to death of their tenuous strangle hold on the Surpreme court. One more term of Obama will most likely mean more left leaning justices. Most likely, Citizens United will get to be overturned and Roe V. Wade will be more difficult to challenge on a statewide and national level. When the controlling status quo minority gets more and more threatened they go into survival mode and take to more questionable means to control the masses. I.E. Jim Crow, Voter Registration ID requirements, Jerrymandering, Constitutional Amendment to define marriage, packing the judicial system w/ like minded justices to uphold laws constraining human rights, passing legislation that allows billions of unaccountable money to be poured into the coffers of those running for office, attacking women's rights, etc, etc. Same people, same mentality, different century. Nationalsitic chest thumping, playing the victim card and claiming that everything was soooo much better in yesteryear despite the the glaring attrocities commited in the name of preserving their way of life. America has been an awesome place for many of us and a nightmare for others who got to watch other's enjoy their freedoms at their expense. Here's hoping justice will previal for ALL of us and the old status quo continues to live in fear of change that does not allow them to control us all for their benefit. The challenge to that system was won in a big way a few decades back w/ A LOT of personal strife and blood only to be eroded by and chipped away by the old guard. I'm not sure Conservative is a proper word. That would suggest people who are tentative about making rash decisions when it comes to fiscal or social policy w/o giving careful consideration of all the facts presented and what the benefits will be for all involved. Regressive is more fitting. Liberal is a dirivative of the word Liberty which connotates freedom for all.
Willard will most likely pick that little kid from Florida.
Obama will most likely pick that gaffe-prone pathetic disaster from Delaware.
Romney and Kony 2012!!!
WHO'S KONY?
Look it up. Joseph Koney from the LRA. Rush Limbaugh openly supported him on his show claiming that Obama was sending US troops to Africa to help the Egyptians kill Christians in the Lord's Resistance Army. Listeners were frantically calling their congressman to complain that we stop the action of the president. LRA has been known for kidnapping children and forcing constripting them in to service to enact attrcities on the local population.
www.mediamatters.org/blog/201203070006
Romney will not have a woman on his ticket due to his religious beliefs. He would however buy you a taco if it means he gets what he wants. But I believe most Americans of Spanish/Mexican descent are more savy than to be fooled by a slight of hand.
Seems he was doing a practice run on your theory out in Wisconsin by buying "Subs" to get people to the rally.......
Romney's religious beliefs do not preclude him having a female running mate. (If anything, the GOP dogma regarding women's reproductive rights does, however. I certainly can't think of any female Republicans this side of Ann Coulter who'd want to hitch their wagon to that toxic train.) I think you're right that most Americans of Spanish/Mexican-descent ARE too savvy to be taken in by bald-faced pandering (assuming that's what you meant by "sleight of hand").
I agree with you Tony for the most part. But Mormons view women like cattle, the more you have in your herd the higher up the ladder you are. I know a number of women who left the Morman state and they are very traumatized by their upbringing there.
former Alaskan, you're partly correct. There is a sect of Mormon fundamentalists who treat women like cattle (you can look up the "fundamentalist church of latter-day saints" or "FLDS" for the squicky details -- oh look, it's self-proclaimed fundies again... who'da thunk?) but those live in a couple of isolated little clans in states other than Utah. And that's not to say that mainstream Mormons are universally pleasant, but the "strange" ones I've met from Utah were weird more on account of their rural upbringing rather than their faith -- plus you get nutjobs and others who just don't get it in any social group. On the whole, the vast majority of Mormons I know are perfectly normal people and their women aren't treated any different than anyone else's. From a faith perspective, regardless of his familial roots, Romney seems to be one of the good ones. I don't think he'd make a better president than Obama and I can't say I'd want to work for the man, but on a personal level Romney seems like a fairly normal, reasonably decent guy.
Tony, I concur with you. Most mormans I know are quite respectable( as much as most xtians anyway), but they do not know what the true teachings of the inner sanctum really are. Yes, The bigger problem is the GOP itself these days. I used to vote straight Republican, but oh how times have changed.
Doesn't matter who GOP nominates, President Obama is re-elected.
Many Repubs don't even like Romney. Tea Party doesn't like Romney, fiscal conservatives don't like Romney, "christian" zealots don't like Romney, women, minorities, don't like Romney.
As Ricky said, "if Romney wins the nomination...vote for President Obama".....LOL!
If Republicans don't like Romney then Why are these people endorse him, Look at Ron paul he makes more sense as those clowns out there and he is left behind. If anybody has a chance to win over Obama is Ron paul, and I am a Democrat Voting for Obama. Republicans are just so blind I can't even began to believe. Woman hate Romney, Mexican American hate Romney, Everybody hates Romney. He is a cheater he tried to buy votes and broke the law like a criminal he is. He should of being arrested at the time, but face it there is no justice in this world.
All you people who keep saying Ron Paul is the only solution are to be admired for your loyalty to him but pitied for your apparent lack of realism. No matter how many times you say and how often you post, Ron Paul is getting less than 10% of the vote. And 10% is not going to get anyone elected. The only way that Ron Paul influences the election in November is to run as an independent, pull 7-10% of the vote away from Romney, and open the door to a landslide win for President Obama.
"The only way that Ron Paul influences the election in November is to run as an independent, pull 7-10% of the vote away from Romney, and open the door to a landslide win for President Obama."
Works for meeeeee!
How hard can that be.
Don't pick an uninformed, unqualified, retarded, nitwit, screeching, fundie dunce from a state that has six people to govern.
There you go.
I am a pretty old guy and I have voted many times for republicans over the years. This will not be one of them. Fighting two wars while lowering taxes rather than paying for them (not to mention the wisdom of fighting them in first place) as well as belief that financial deregulation (along with everything else) is our salvation is enough to convince me. They have clung to those principles and blamed Obama for the debt and that the recovery is not fast enough. G. W. would have killed for Obama's employment numbers and I don't particularly care for Obama.
He should pick Alan West, the weird congressman from Florida. West is such a wing-nut he'd make Willard seem moderate. The Tea baggers would love West's selection and rally around Willard. It won't matter in the end, as Obama will still win.
West would be a great choice for witless Mitt. West was thrown out of the Army, he was allowed to retire, I was in Iraq when he was led away in handcuffs after being relieved of command. It is still a mystery how he avoided a courtmartial.
MB, if you were in Iraq with West, who were you fighting for, Al Queda, the Talliban, Hamas, or some other terrorist group of middle eastern orign??
Obama isn't fit to lick the bottom of Allen West's shoes. Neither are you.
"Lamestream media" says she who works for the lamest of the lame. I really do despise this woman.
The poor little thing is still blaming the media for all of her faults.
Glad to see you're back, Therman Merman.
Palin is the epitome of the uneducated big fish in a little pond She came down the "48" to play with the big boys and got her nose bloodied. Boo hoo! She was at a McCain rally last year dressed like biker chick. Really? Who was she trying to win over with that getup.
What did you wear to the prom tu funny