As of today it’s official: Obama is back to being the odds on favorite to win re-election.
His numbers are up (relatively) and the GOP is on a suicidal rampage. As a long-term political watcher it is kind of fun to see the self-destruction of the “lock step” political party on the Right. During the Reagan/Bush 1 years the Democrats could never quite deal with the GOP machine until Clinton came along. During Clinton’s time in office Democrats – even with the power of the Presidency at their backs – were often the disorganized mess we know all too well. When W alit, Democrats unilaterally disarmed (Impeachment is off the table.) over and over again, just like the Democrats of my youth.
Brutal as they were, Atwater and Rove knew how to focus troops. There is no Atwater or Rove in the GOP just now. Romney’s people are willing to incinerate opposition, but they seem unable or unwilling to telescope an intriguing message. If they are unwilling, they are dumb. If unable, it’s the fault of Romney. The man’s pixelation is too low. The closer we look, the more distorted he appears.
Message matters. Hope and Change was bullshit. I know it, you know it, everyone knows it. But it was something. Coke used the phrase: “It’s the real thing.” for decades. No one knew what was real about it. Or what the tagline even refered to. Real as opposed to what? Pixie dust? Aliens? Cheese Wiz? Nevertheless, it worked. Mitt Romney doesn’t even have a tag line yet. At least not one he chose.
I’ve long insisted that this would be an election about competence. It still ought to be. The trouble is Mitt Romney doesn’t appear competent enough to know the 2012 election is about competence. He’s running the “I hope no one notices much about me” campaign. Even Republicans, who loath Obama, can’t be bothered to show up for him. It’s quite something to see a man who’s been running for President for 6 years still not know the basics of running for President.
Romney’s lack of true presence has opened the door for everyone to the Right of him. The Right wing frothers, in turn, are doing what they always do when unchecked by an Atwater or a Rove: Running right off a cliff. Imagine a whiney, second-rate, failed high school jock proclaimed that birth control is harmful to women - this guy is currently atop the GOP heap. I won’t unpack just how repellant this offensive sack of skin is again. Life is short. The important thing to note is that Santorum is topping GOP polls just now because Romney is so purposefully empty.
Romney can re-set the entire election after – and if – he gets the nomination. In September, no one will care about the medieval ravings of Rick Santorum. However, Romney has to start giving people a reason – however shallow – to at least pay attention to him now. At it stands today the GOP race’s raison d’etre is to act as political torture porn. When will Romney’s next digit be sliced off? When will Romney’s next public humiliation commence?
I’m mostly neutral in this race. Both a potential President Romney or an Obama second term are chock full of goodies for a political blogger – and there’s no discernible policy difference worth getting passionate for or against either man. Mittens will govern to the Left of his campaign rhetoric, especially on social issues. Obama will, as always, govern to the Right of his passionately delivered lies (Why isn’t Jon Corzine in jail again?). He’ll tend to the bankers and prosecute a war or two.
What I can’t stomach is the prospect of a boring election year, with the state media giving Obama hand jobs, while the opposition candidate grooms himself into oblivion. If that’s going to be the case can we just fast forward to Obama’s impeachment in early 2014? At least that will be good TV.
Pepsi. Coke. Pepsi. Coke.
Mountain Dew?
Naw.
Pepsi. Or Coke.
Cheeburger! Cheeburger! No fries, chips! No coke, Pepsi!
Ha! Zevia or Diet Hansens for you, Jay! No aspartame!
I’m a pepper,
you’re a pepper,
he’s a pepper,
she’s a pepper,
wouldn’t you like to be a pepper too?,
That was good work John and sums it all up nicely,
A&W root beer’s got that frothy mug taste.
Ooooo…. you went to the frothy place PJ. Naughty naughty naughty….
“If that’s going to be the case can we just fast forward to Obama’s impeachment in early 2014? At least that will be good TV.”
JWS, please tell me you’re joking and you don’t seriously believe Obama’ll ever be impeached. A country that felt obliged to give him a chance at being prez (notwithstanding his obvious lack of qualifications) because he’s AA is not going to impeach the first AA president.
NES, I am both glib and serious. The AA bit helped Obama to be sure, but he wasn’t elected solely because of that. nor will it be a reason he’s re-elected (if he is). His non whiteness added to the “feel good” vibe of voting for him. But he won because he could stand, talk, and had a D by his name. There are at least 12 other Ds who could have beaten McCain – most by more – had they been the nominee. He’ll win again – if he does – because the other side is inept at basic politics right now.
If even 20% of the corruption of this WH came out Obama would be impeached (maybe not convicted, but impeached.) His race wouldn’t matter…except to the squawkers on MSNBC…and the GOP will have every political reason to knee cap Obama come 2014 or earlier. Maybe sooner. Fast and Furious alone is probably enough. I think this idea that the still white majority cares much anymore about his race is a myth perpetuated by media supporters living in a 1978 Berkeley mindset.
If the GOP connects the dots he’ll be treated like Nixon. If not impeachment then at least he’ll be overwhelmed by scandal – scandal which is largely true. This would suit the GOP just fine.Sure some will yelp “racism” but no one is listening to this anymore. No one real, at least. Holder tried it a month back. MSNBC tries it every few months. It no longer has any effect.
Nixon won 49 states. Less than 2 years later he was gone. Putting the pieces together one can suss out far worse things in this WH than taping conversations and breaking into campaign headquarters.
They’ll impeach him because it worked so well when they impeached Bill Clinton. To impeach Obama in 2014 would be the stupidest thing going. The only way it would ever be remotely viable is if his personal favorability ratings dropped through the floor, like Nixon’s did, and even then it would be a bad gamble.
Whether any scandals are true or not doesn’t matter a hill of beans. Impeachment is a political action not a legal one.
Yep, I agree with you, ralphb. The GOP won’t have the public support to do it, and if they attempt it nonetheless, they’ll pay at the polls in ’12.
Connect these dots. From LA Times:
“We’re looking forward to a lot of nastiness on both sides,” Leslie Moonves, chief executive of CBS Corp., said gleefully Wednesday during an earnings conference call with Wall Street analysts. This year’s political elections “should be very good for us at CBS,” he said.
The link below is why CBS think this years election will be very good for them, there’s no shortage of lunacy to report on!!! Not to mention the poltical ad revenue.
Rick Santorum being Rick Santorum.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57378842-503544/rick-santorum-suggests-opposition-to-public-schooling/?tag=stack
What they want is a system where they can insert their religious beliefs into the curriculum.
That and the rewriting of history where slavery was considered nothing more than a low wage job where the “darkies” were quite happy, singing and dancing after hours, and life was one big bowl of cherries until the “hated government” stepped in an ruined all the fun!
“Creationism” is something they have been itching to teach alongside sciene allowing the students to “make up their own minds” by pitting make believe against settled facts.
When they call out for a return to “states rights” what they are actually pushing is their Christian beliefs onto the public and not an adjusted speed limit that may differ from Montana to NY.
Rick believes that women should remain in the home and become the teachers to their ever growing brood of children as she pops out one a year to please the Pope.
The insanity just keeps rolling in like a tsunami or at least a testament that not all mental patients are under lock and key.
One can only begin to imagine what these “future leaders” of America will look and sound like without a standardized form of education matched up against kids from other countries where learning is based on a progressive scale.
Say hello to Ronald Reagan, the first president of the U.S.!
Whoa, she’s quite craaaazy: http://www.roseanneworld.com/blog/home.php
YUM!
Crazy like a Fox!
Pat, your frustration with the loony religious fascists is understandable. But I have read of schools that are teaching Islamic songs in music class, in the interest of multiculturalism.
I don’t like that any better than the Santorum tripe. I still think most Americans believe in the separation of Church and State, as part of our tradition.
We must all keep our eye on the ball. The media loves O partly, at least, because his campaign is expected to raise huge bucks which they will spent on media.
Santorum, last I heard, doesn’t have a lot of money or a powerful organization, and even if he acquires money and props, he’s not going to spend it on Tingle’s network.
This is how the game is played.
Since campaign finance reform is popular with everyone except the pols, not much is going to change.. I have often thought that perhaps some ceiling could be imposed by the FCC, limiting the amount of campaign money a media outlet could accept.
Sophie, just ONCE would I like to see you make some disparaging statement toward what the Right is doing to women rather than an never ending diatribe against Obama as a measuring stick for your defense of them.
Religious fundamentalism is taking aim at this nation and in a big way. It is happening as we speak in congress while their followers in other states are proposing implementing measures to keep women from accessing healthcare.
I don’t give a damn about Obama but these people are poised to inflict harm and untold misery against a sizable portion of the population and you seem stuck on one note which is to blame everything on one person when the truth is that there are thousands of other like minded fundies intent on inserting their belief system into the rest of us and are doing with the tacit agreement from people like you who keep offering one excuse after another.
Santorum has enriched himself by lobbying on behalf of both the oil and healthcare industries. For once at least take a swipe at ALL of those pirates and notice that the corruption is widespread, insinuates itself in both parties, is funded in large part by special interest who don’t give a rat’s ass about you, me, or anyone who is incapable of holding power.
There is less harm to be reckoned with than a Muslim song in a grade schoo than what will be felt if women are incapable of deciding their own future decisions without the government looking up their wazoos and denying them medical treatment.
Just once I would like to see you direct some of your outrage against the majority of those who would enslave us with their religious crapfest instead of singling out one asshole for being the cause of it all.
Is it possible that even with Ivied background, Mitt is er..a lttle bit dumb ? How could someone like that hope to attain the WH ? Surely the voters would see right through him…or would they?
Intellect is not a qualification for POTUS
1) Legacies always get into Ivy League schools, no matter how useless they are;
2) Harvard is a terrible place to get an education;
3) All Mitt had to do, to became rich & powerful, was to pop out of his mama’s womb;
4) Voters pick presidents based on one thing: how they make them *feel*. Many rejected Gore for being ‘too smart’.
Pat, I see what the Right is up to and I agree it is dastardly and if anything, stupid.
But as I posted previously, I have absolutely no experience of the religious Right, I have never known anyone even remotely like that..I spend winters in south florida and summers in NY, not exactly hotbeds of evangelism.,I guess.
But life sent me six daughters, I would have been a terrible mother had I raised them to think that they would ever become victims of anything or anyone. They own their lives and are responsible for them, no religion can change that.
Frankly I am more worried about my grandchildren surviving the world we are leaving them, and all the issues that surround that. When I was younger and didn’t have all those kids, I was more of a singular mindset, but the country cannot afford to be distracted by single issues.. It won’t matter who pays for birth control if our world is in ruins..and we are not free.
You are correct, I should stop picking on O, the R’s are just as bad, lately every day there is a new outrage.
“2) Harvard is a terrible place to get an education;”
Spoken like someone who didn’t get in. Does it still hurt?
I’ve seen PHD’s on History channel that are dumber than a bag of hammers (as Uppity would say). Did you see the guy who thought a rocky outcrop on a remote island was an ancient Mayan monument??
Higher education also has a way of beating every original idea out of a person’s head. I think you have to be real strong to go through it and come out still thinking creatively.
“Higher education also has a way of beating every original idea out of a person’s head. ”
It more often does the opposite, stimulating creativity, expanding horizons, and encouraging people to question. But maybe your college experience left you with a different perspective than the one I got from mine.
The History/Sasquatch/Alien Visitation/Huntin’ ‘n’ Fishin’ Channel, on the other hand, is dedicated to ignorant people who never entertained a worthy thought in their heads.
Allie, I know, our family is blessed with several of these types. They can be fun at holiday dinners, as long as the stove doesn’t break down, or nothing catches on fire. Both of which have occurred at my house.Fortunately, my grandson who was in middle school at the time, was able to save the day.
I have two undergrad degrees and considerable “book smarts”, am a damned fine cook, a passing artist; yet I also can operate heavy equipment, vehicles, & power tools, repair most things, and build stuff like cabins & furniture.
Proficiency in those realms are not mutually exclusive.
Sorry to brag, but I’m sick of both creative-class snobbery and blue-collar bushido. A dolt is a dolt, no matter how you dress them.
” a potential President Romney or an Obama second term are chock full of goodies for a political blogger ”
John, sometimes I am very frustrated by your cavalier attitude about current events. Ordinary people are suffering, our civil liberties stolen, our once-great nation heading straight down the toilet. Yet you often treat it like the Tournament of Roses.
I don’t know Tamer — I see this as a political commentary site, not a political activist site.
And my “comment” is, the prospect of Romney/Sanitarium/obama is a national tragedy, not deserving of some flippant, political version of Perez Hilton.
‘Perez Hilton’ writes about matters of zero substance and employs no intelligence or history in the formation of his point of view. To compare his writing to the writing here is petulantly insulting and completely wrong. If this site focused on what Obama was wearing, the comparison would be correct.
To say that the coming political food fight and the result thereof is going to give John a lot to write about is absolutely accurate.
I think most people got the message of “it’s the real thing.”
1. Coke was the first, the original, the “real,” carbonated soda (not Pepsi).
2. Back when “the real thing” ads came out, carbonated cola was widely called Coke the way tissues were called Kleenex, so the ad was also saying if you want a Coke then the real thing is Coca-cola and only Coca-cola. (The tag line on some of “the real thing” tv ads was, “Coca-cola is Coke!”)
But most importantly:
3. When the campaign launched, the freshest youth element of mainstream American culture was rejecting the falseness of the 1950s and 60s. This was especially obvious in food and fashion. Foods like Wonder Bread and Frosted Flakes were being challenged by whole wheat and granola; women stopped wearing pointy-toed high heels and highly processed hairstyles and girdles and bras (and those who kept wearing them wore new versions that were more more “natural”). This was the time of Earth Day and Earth Shoes, feminism and gay liberation. The new generation was embracing nature, back to earth, being real; and Coca-cola, which could almost be the poster child for what we were rejecting, used a brilliant marketing strategy to convince it was leading the way in this movement coming together to make a better world.
It’s sad seeing the ads now, knowing how far we are today from where we intended to go back then.
Everything was better in the seventies. Even the manipulations.
I was just listing to some popular music from the era today: Black Water, Running With The Devil, Seven Bridges Road, etc… if it weren’t for Adele and Pink, I’d lose hope for ‘popular music’.
I’m so grateful to have been a kid then. We didn’t wear seat belts or helmets. Our toys were pointy, sometimes made of metal, and our parents smoked.
I don’t see anyone now as interested in being alive as I remember people being back then.
Let’s hope the cycle keeps turning.
TL, all I can say is this is not my job. I wish it was. I hoped it would become my job. It did not. I lose money on the show (a very small amount) and donations here are helpful (and very kind) but aren’t enough for me to stop running my small business to pay the bills.
So I write what I know with limited time to devote to it. Mostly that is opinion 3-5 times a week based on what I observe. As an opinion blogger – not one who can spend the day researching – I can say with assuredness that either Obama or Romney will provide plenty of grist. Plus the ins and outs of American politics interests me a lot. Chances are good that even if did get a large enough audience to make a living here I’d still write about the parade of politics much of the time.
I do often see politics as a parade for the purposes of posting things I hope will invite/incite conversation. Observing and inviting conversation is, frankly, pretty much all I’ve got. I think that’s helpful to a degree. And if all this is is a place for people to come check in with others who see things similarly – and have a realty confirmation – then that’s fine too.
This doesn’t mean I do not understand the gravity of our situation. I do, to a painful degree. Want a harsh opinion? We’re just this side of chaos. We’re on the downside slope of all of it. The real economy, democracy in general, societal sanity, and we’re bumbling into a potentially nightmare of a war. My teeny contribution can be to on occasional point these things out and hope people who come here “get it”. But there are plenty of places with more writers who do great work getting information out there.
FCS, how tiresome to have people carping on about one’s focus/writing on one’s own blog. The height of bad manners.
Keep on keeping on, JWS. I think you serve your readers well with incisive commentary, unique insights, and occasional dollops of humor.
Well said, NES. John, you provide a very good balance of seriousness and humor, imo. It isn’t healthy – or productive – to stay on HIGH ALERT status 24/7. I think we learned that with GWB.
Besides, wasn’t it TL who said that blogging was essentially a way to waste time?
Who knows, maybe TL’s just sore at you for not doing the radio show yesterday.
“This doesn’t mean I do not understand the gravity of our situation. I do, to a painful degree.”
I greatly value your insight, John, and your predictions are correct on an annoyingly consistent basis. (Annoying because of their impact, not because of you.) Just please never forget that this is not some game, that real people are suffering; that we are not on the sidelines; rather, we are all smack in the middle of the scrum, getting bruised and battered. Our nation is dying, our Constitution in tatters, our liberties let slip, likely irretrievably, over the slippery slope and most haven’t realized it. Time is short; options few. What I *would* gladly do to remedy this, and what I *can* do, are not the same. I’m channeling Jefferson, Adams, Paine, and Tresckow at this point, but have no means to engage other than words, preached to a doughty but small choir. Still, the anger, the fire, the determination within me to save our country, our Liberty, our planet at all costs, will never be extinguished, and I may yet become infamous.
I must say I object to TL’s reference to Mr. Tresckow in the context of his comment. It’s unnecessarily incendiary and likely to draw unwelcome scrutiny to this blog and its commenters. It’s silly and adolescent. In blowing off steam, TL needs to show a little more consideration to the owner and readers of this blog, none of whom I’m sure share his appetite for ‘risk’ or unwelcome scrutiny.
So you googled. Prove me wrong.
I don’t have to prove anything to you. Others have studied modern European history too — make of that what you want, you arrogant so-and-so.
No, seriously, explain the difference between 1775 and 2012. Try to keep your personal loathing of me out of the discussion.
No seriously, Tamerlane, eff off.
Why don’t you write an essay on the topic on your blog. Then the FBI and the Secret Service can come and bust your chops. You’re so brave on your keyboard.
John provides a place for opinion – and essentially that is all it is – for different perspectives to be heard.
We are all either pro this or anti that and having a venue to express the utter frustration we all feel prevents quite a few injuries to the head banging against the wall that often accompanies the silent screams we suffer when listening to the drivel pouring out of DC.
Our nation is in crisis. Our way of life is being tossed around like a football. Our rights are being depleted and it appears that no one is actually listen or presumably cares.
No matter who pulls this out in November chances are it won’t be doing most of us much good.
I applaud John for allowing these “discussions” to take place even when the back and forth can often seem pointless. I also appreciate the voice of Tamerlane being heard since he provides a more intellectual side to the argument that forces us to think beyond our own set of beliefs. I see the passion within his comments because he strongly cares about what goes on around him.
Whether we all agree in concert is not the point. John’s blog affords the opportunity to at least believe for one moment that someone is listening and taking note of our fears and frustrations.
It’s just a way of throwing off the anger before we all go insane.
Blessed are the peacemakers, Pat.
UGH! Let’s hope this guy’s model is terribly flawed:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/signal/obama-poised-win-2012-election-303-electoral-votes-202543583.html
TL, like most posts here this one is a commentary on the day’s political happenings. I understand full well the gravity of our current fix and understand the “long game” – if you’ll excuse the word choice – of what’s occurring… both purposefully and unconsciously. I said “BushBama” early and often. None of this has been ignored in the least. I’ve lost friends – as have many here I’m sure- because we’ve stated with force the danger bushbama represents. It makes me nauseous to report that we we’re horrifyingly correct. The NDAA was the the final answer. The final piece of a framework. The Rubicon is not coming up on the horizon anymore. We have crossed it.
I’ve chosen the route of commentary because it is my most natural fit. It invites discussion and venting and I think both have value. It protects my sanity. We’ve talked about the possibility of mass social upheaval here openly. I ran a poll on it. My views on the possibility have shifted and shifted back again. But I must state this without equivocation: I am not a violent revolutionary. I’m just not. I admire the men you listed. Courage doesn’t begin to describe them. In my – and this is exceedingly personal, i.e. it applies to me and me only, I speak for no one else – in my world view what those men did is not MY solution for us here and now in 2012. If it got overtly ugly (and I think there’s a 50/50 chance of it getting overtly ugly this year… the “laws” are in place.) it won’t be flight or fight for me. It will be flight or true, studied nonviolence. I’m not sure I have the guts for true nonviolence. It takes epic cajones, not sitting around in a tent and expecting taxpayers to pick up your trash.
Commenting on current comings and goings is not the same as ignoring the bigger narrative. I see it. I’m scared and startled daily by it. We’ll face it down, or we won’t. My take is we all have roles – mine is to point out out the daily stuff, trying to connect some dots, and on occasional hitting on the bigger theme. People do get it. They ARE making choices. Rich people are ditching the nation. Masses of us are buying guns, “prepping” has been mainstreamed. It’d be nice if this was based in mass hysteria but it’s actually a reasonable take on current possible outcomes.
Anyway – i’m tired. The end. If I go on anymore I’ll end up on my religious views…and much as they work for me they just won’t help much here.
We’re cool. You do good deeds. Daily. Indefatigable. We all need to stick together in this fight. We all need to take care of ourselves, and each other, under the deluge.
Again: you are a real trooper, John.
Oh no, a fight, I didn’t start, broke out while I was living real life and I missed it.
My 2 CENTS. In the last 4 years, this blog (JohnWSmarts blog and it’s predecessors-the names escape me now) is one of the few blogs that has consistently entertained mostly political comment and has allowed people to speak/write their thoughts, without resorting to banning commenters. Oh yes, it was all the fad on both the right and the left in 2008. From my perspective John has accomplished that here because he hasn’t gone all IDEOLOGUE toward the left or the right. I’ve read John long enough to know he’s much more liberal/progressive than conservative, but he is consistently moderate (with few exceptions) in his writings and always open-minded (at least in his blog presentation). I, on the other hand, am an ideologue, especially on liberal social issues and John gives me the freedom of expression, the liberty (and that is TL’s overriding issue) to express that and to defend that in an environment of openness. There are times when I wish John’s writings reflected the indignation I feel, and I’m sure there are times when John wishes I would STFU, but I respect his style.
Keep on doing what you do, John.
The end.