2012 republican presidential nominee IV: NEEDS MORE BOOING

have at it

booo

boooo-urns

Yay! (Wrong thread?)

^ canadians

Boooooo...

Rip breetbort

Super Tuesday coming up. I can feel my bowels loosening with excitement. btw, am I the only one who thinks that Newt's campaign kind of vanished in a puff of smoke when his Nevada sugar daddy stopped doling out multi-million dollar candy canes?

He's doling out money again, so he'll be spending in Georgia and then the week after in Alabama and Mississippi. Said Sugar Daddy has admitted that he wants either Newt or Mitt, and will do anything to stop Santorum.

what does adelson have against santorum? i thought adelson's main thing was israeli hawkishness, but i find it hard to believe that ricky is lacking in that quality.

I'm not sure exactly. Reportedly he doesn't like Santorum's socially conservative views, or at the very least he doesn't like the way it ruins the chances of the Republicans beating Obama.

all that anti-sex bullshit is not particularly popular among Jews ime

puritanism is a distinctly Xtian feature in America politics

I like this (Ed Kilgore, assessing Romney going into Tuesday): "But then again, it would be perfectly in character for him to find another way to inform Ohioans he could buy and sell the lot of them with pocket change."

Today's WA GOP caucus: boring, not booing.
Basically a boring 4-way split where Romney kinda sorta won.
I was hoping Paul would win only because it cause another panicked GOP media frenzy, but maybe it's best that it was non-resolving instead.
And the whole Dems Voting For Santorum thing is really lame.

Scenes from the WA GOP cauci:

http://i39.tinypic.com/9s9on8.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/o8aw6b.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/4tafch.jpg

(pics from the seattle times)

Profiles in courage: Eric Cantor endorses Romney.

Man nobody in those pics looks happy xp

They're all -- what is even the point.

Gingrich has been on Meet the Press, Face the Nation, This Week, and State of the Union today. His one-man crusade against the elite media rages on.

Where's Tyee?

Anyone listen to George Will's remarks about Limbaugh on "This Morning"? It revives, depressingly, the moribund idea that he is a Smart Republican Worth Listening To.

"YOUTH FOR RON PAUL" ugh

maybe some of these paulies will have a reverse-david horowitz and become raging left-wing radicals.

not up to par i think but

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js3BYcHmBhE

I heard Will this morning. What he said was fine.

George and Matthew slapped their knees and thought "Ain't this a corker?!" when they heard that salad fork remark.

It was a funny line. You've decided he isn't worth listening to, so you don't listen--I mean, you're gauging the reactions of people around him.

Why would I have posted if I hadn't listened to it?

Not what I meant...I mean not listen as in you've already decided he's incapable of saying anything smart or funny.

As as fat-free sugarless substitute for Beltway wit he's ok if you ignore his history about being wrong about everything in the last thirty years except Ross Perot and Afghanistan. The HuffPost among others this afternoon revived the notion that Will is the Smart, Adult Conservative thanks to this remark, without qualification. It's worth bringing up because it's as loony a notion as taking Santorum seriously.

as = a

I'm just saying that it's okay to credit him with being right about this one thing, and in a way that I thought was quite funny, without implying that you think he's a genius. He says stuff on TV. Sometimes he's good.

George Will says more than enough facepalmingly stupid things that I am no longer decieved by the fact that he employs a larger vocabulary and longer sentences than the average shill for Republican foolishness. He may have a fancy education, but he still talks shit most of the time.

I like Rick Nielsen too. I guess bow ties have a fundamentally overpowering allure for me.

maybe some of these paulies will have a reverse-david horowitz and become raging left-wing radicals.

they would have to start giving a shit about other people which is something we can pray for i guess

George Will and Newt Gingrich are proof that you can get people to think you're smart through the sheer force of persona.

The right audience doesn't hurt either.

I like Rick Nielsen too. I guess bow ties have a fundamentally overpowering allure for me.

― clemenza, Sunday, March 4, 2012 8:19 PM Bookmark

Tucker Carlson.

Louis Farrakhan

http://freddiebell.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/louis_farrakhan.jpg?w=468

Pee-Wee Herman:

http://laughingsquid.com/wp-content/uploads/pee-wee-herman-20090810-174119.jpg

Me, Halloween 1998:

http://phildellio.tripod.com/surrender.jpg

What can I say? Our little group has always been, and always will until the end.

Frum lets'er rip.

Frum and Will are saying almost exactly the same thing. Why is Will worthy of derision, while Frum is "letting it rip"?

Because one is George Will and the other is David Frum

The Seventh Inning Stretch of Evil.

I like David Frum fine--he's been great the last couple of years--but I don't get that. If they're making the same point, and Will's doing it in a way that's funny, then kudos to both.

imo the worst part is the rest of the abc panel giggling at the 'salad fork' joke.

Rush attempts to explain himself.

"Let's'er rip" is one of my oft-used phrases for links, used sarcastically or sincerely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se2jXRJJs4Y

They thought it was funny, so they laughed. I laughed too. It was a good line. I wasn't thinking about anything Will might have written about Walter Mondale in 1984.

imo the worst part is the rest of the abc panel giggling at the 'salad fork' joke.

and reinforced the impression that the Beltway punditocracy is a merit-based circle jerk (educated people, see, know the difference between forks).

Those two words were inappropriate, uncalled for, and actually distracted from the point I was trying to make

oh fuck you

If you find Will funny, as I do sometimes, I think that's part and parcel of why you find him funny--his snobbish and carefully calculated detachment from the world. I just don't see it as anything worth getting upset about.

I admit: I own two of his collections.

by the way, if you think I'm mocking you for finding Will's remark funny, that's not at all my intention. He's made me laugh too. I used his remark as an excuse to write about how repugnant Will is generally.

I'm going to the mat for him. He's a great man, and he should be added to Mount Rushmore.

oh god 'legal insurrection'

oh god #IAmAndrewBreitbart and #RallyForRush

If Frum truly believes that Limbaugh's three-day outburst was "the bottom of the barrel of shock talk", then either he has an exalted idea of human self- restraint or else no idea of the depths to which humans are willing to descend .

"...of shock talk"

For bottom of the barrel commentary, go for this instead. All the man's tics on display: the equivocation, condescension.

Rush: "Only the leftists try to use extortion, pressure, threats to silence opposing voices…."

Goldberg reminds me of that Lincoln quote about packing the most words into the fewest ideas.

Chris Wallace on Fox showed Santorum the video clip of Obama making the case for all kinds of further education and training, not just 4 year colleges...

Santorum acknowledged that he might have made a mistake.

"Look, maybe I've read some comments where at least it was characterized that the president said we should go to four-year colleges," he said. "If I was in error, you said you haven't found that, I certainly read that… if it was an error, I agree with the president that we should have options for a variety of training."

Santorum's defensive answers to Wallace re Catholicism and birth control, and his lack of charity donations are uh, entertaining as well

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/04/rick-santorum-fix-news-birth-control_n_1319393.html

http://images.politico.com/global/2012/03/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.jpg

^^^ Real life LOL!

that's really great

omg

cheap and funny

kind of a weird filename tho

That cover's great...up there with the secret lives of Obama/Michelle cover from 2008.

jonathan bernstein thinks we should lock this thread

http://plainblogaboutpolitics.blogspot.com/2012/03/endorsements-party-actors-and-2012.html

It sure seems to me that events to date have been all about Mitt Romney wrapping up a very open nomination quickly and fairly easily. Not as easily as George W. Bush did in 2000 (when he had a much better record of endorsements). But to me, Romney's nomination is quite comparable to the nominations of Kerry in 2004, Dole in 1996, and Dukakis in 1988, and a lot more certain a lot earlier than that of McCain last time around. That seems to very much fit a model in which party actors compete and coordinate on nominations and voters in primaries and caucuses ratify it, rather than a model in which candidates compete in a weak party environment and voters in primaries and caucuses determine the nomination. Yes, there's been momentum and press effects and other stuff that has produced a few oddball primary and caucus results, but none of that has really, as far as I can see, done as much to shape the contest as has decisions by party actors. In particular, the party's apparent lack of interest in Rick Santorum, seen through a lack of high-profile endorsements after Iowa and again after Colorado and Minnesota, appear to have been far more predictive than Santorum's strong showing in those states.

No one believes -- and I certainly don't believe -- that a "party decides" view of the nomination process rules out stray candidates winning the occasional primary or caucus. What matters is the nomination. And it sure looks to me as if the nomination has been over for a long time, exactly as those of us who push this view would have expected given most indications of party actor support.

Initiate lockdown.

Romney's 2009 USA Today op-ed in which he encouraged Obama to pass something very much like the individual mandate that he now disowns:

Our experience also demonstrates that getting every citizen insured doesn't have to break the bank. First, we established incentives for those who were uninsured to buy insurance. Using tax penalties, as we did, or tax credits, as others have proposed, encourages "free riders" to take responsibility for themselves rather than pass their medical costs on to others. This doesn't cost the government a single dollar.

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20090730/column30_st.art.htm

it makes absolutely no sense to compare this to kerry 2004. there's a big difference between 'everybody else lost' and 'romney won' even though the end result is the same.

I want to frame that New Yorker cover.

Best cover since the Blitt terrorist fistbump.

But Norquist has forgiven Romney for the 2009 "mandate" op-ed:

Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist said Monday that Mitt Romney made a "mistake" in advocating the individual mandate as part of the president's healthcare reform law, but that he was encouraged that the Republican front-runner had shifted "in favor of liberty" and now opposes the requirement.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/214077-norquist-romney-made-a-mistake-in-pushing-individual-mandate

xps: i think the point is to put this primary contest well within recent historical norms, and mark out the 08 republican primary as a real outlier

all polling showing romneys gonna deliver the knockout punch 2moro :/

Jonathon Bernstein is almost certainly correct that the anti-Mitt forces aren't organized enough to stop his getting the nomination, and the nomination is all that matters in the end. What is fascinating to me is the visceral strength of the anti-Mitt emotions among Republicans, and the fact that Mitt (I think) has yet to crack 50% of the vote anywhere, including Michigan. To me, this smells like a sizable chunk of the Republican base sitting on its hands in the general election.

I think the problem is the gop today can't operate as a 'party' in the same manner as previous elections. there was something different about this election - the 15-different frontrunners pattern was abnormal. romney didn't end up w/ this because of party support - he's still not got that much considering how far into the game we are. he ended up w/ this because none of the other candidates were remotely credible as national figures. that is also not normal.

idk. they (and lots of LOTS of white moderates) really, really hate this Obama dude.

xpost

but it is probably the new normal. xp

all polling showing romneys gonna deliver the knockout punch 2moro :/

the gaggle of newt lovers in georgia is really bummed about this btw

If Newt edges Mitt (I love these names, btw) in Georgia, then Newt'll announce himself as still viable and continue his crusade for Newtthink.

Gingrich is going to do more than barely edge out Mitt in Georgia: http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/03/split-decision-for-super-tuesday.html

In Georgia Gingrich leads with 47% to 24% for Romney, 19% for Santorum, and 8% for Paul.

its his home state therefor doe not matter

Newt determines what matters, not what the mainstream liberal media tells you matters. Everyone knows that!

o right my bad

Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist said Monday that Mitt Romney made a "mistake" in advocating the individual mandate as part of the president's healthcare reform law, but that he was encouraged that the Republican front-runner had shifted "in favor of liberty" and now opposes the requirement.

Did anyone listen to the episode of This American Life with Norquist this weekend? It was very depressing.

did it turn out he was a happy and well-adjusted person with a keen sense of life's limitations and ironies?

I have it in my head that Grover Norquist sleeps with a giant Planter's Mr. Peanut statue next to his bed, but I have been unable to corroborate this tidbit for years and have no idea where I first heard it

he uses a giant tub of goldfish snacks as a side table iirc

Meanwhile, in the world of photos are just what they are:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff200/baseball_crank/Blog/George-Bush-and-Mitt-Romney-460x307.jpg

Mitt Romney Inhales George H. W. Bush's Soul

its just a thing mormons do everybody be cool

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kRBTLr-TZ68/TCleFog14zI/AAAAAAAAQik/8TaJXnVS928/s1600/PDVD_020.BMP

HW tells romney how the rest of the "there once was a man from nantucket" limerick goes

haha that is the liveliest, most human picture of Mitt I've ever seen

"That, uh, dog thing on the roof--looks bad, not prudent."
"It must have been super-keen being president!"

https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23conservativepoliticalcartoons

are these supposed to be parodies of cartoons or sincere suggestions?

Best hash tag ever?

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/520957/MITT-ROMNEY-OR-MR-BURNS.jpg

Perfect.

Grover Norquist on daily show last week was A+ (might have been an old interview)

New Yorker cover FTW

NBC Nightly News story on the current polls tonight asserted that infighting was the big factor on their bad numbers, as though they all haven't damaged themselves in the campaign.

A win is a win is a win. Except when it's a partial win, or a predictable win, or an empty win. Or something.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/03/the_definition_of_a_winner_has_become_elusive_in_this_year_s_republican_primary_.html

or a shootout win

Now that you mention it, maybe they need Bill James to sort out cheap wins (Romney tomorrow in Virginia) from tough losses (Santorum in Michigan).

love isnt top 5 but hes best at his position imho

oops rong thread

Not necessarily--that's a pretty good description of Romney.

gp re gop playing w/fire on contraception http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/03/the_wobbly_top.php

Greenwald’s penchant for telling bold truths that the corrupted partisans are too blind to see, in a manner that in no way is sanctimonious, is an inspiring example for us all.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/03/ny-times-symposium-beats-straw-man-mercilessly.html

lol burn

the overt burn in the next sentence was harsher

But he does tend to struggle with other aspects of his job, such as reading comprehension.

Damned bearded socialist:

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/522670/thumbs/s-SANTORUM-large.jpg

Obviously persecuted for his conservative chugging abilities

She explained the Rooster technique: "You just open your throat."

Everybody called him "Rooster." And Rooster liked to chug.

here they come to kill the roooooster yeaaaha

good luck tonight mitt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=gJSARj_KZfU

lol pwn

whats that weird laugh he does at the end is he making fun of the press corps fake loling or something

masterful regardless

so MSNBC was just showing a series of clips of Romney talking about how Obamacare is based on his Massachusetts plan and how he was glad he was doing it. why haven't the other candidates used these more?

Boy, this Obama presser was a doozy, huh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ64KQCY7ro

lol asking the other reporters if they think this guy from fox is out of his mind or what is cold blooded

why does he save this for election years

Because that's when everyone's paying attention.

I didn't realize Ed Henry left CNN to go to Fox, but it makes perfect sense.

why does he save this for election years

― Vaseline MEN AMAZING JOURNEY (DJP), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 6:01 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

its an interesting question

"Of course I didn't raise gas prices, I was running for office."

ha yeah i thought of that too

why does he save this for election years

― Vaseline MEN AMAZING JOURNEY (DJP), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 6:01 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

its an interesting question

But in early 2009 wasn't there some Republican function he spoke at where he pretty much embarrassed the shit outta them?

ha yes what was that abt he showed up at some lil get together they we having spanked them and went home

haha yeah that was fantastic

I basically wanted his entire presidency to be that nonstop

whats that weird laugh he does at the end is he making fun of the press corps fake loling or something

He's saying "uhhhhh" or "ahhhh" while he looks for the next reporter to call on, and catching a laugh in the middle of it.

I basically wanted his entire presidency to be that nonstop

Yeah, I want more of the professor melded with the coach; a guy who knows his shit and will happily shut anybody down who dares step up.

i keep waiting for a pithy line from Morbs but alas

2nd term is gonna be like that every day, just watch

^^^egging on the fruition of my mother's prediction that he's going to be a hardcore socialist if he gets re-elected

fingers crossed

obama is not going to change his game in the 2nd term, y'all

yes isn't it pretty to think so

^^^egging on the fruition of my mother's prediction that he's going to be a hardcore socialist if he gets re-elected

― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 6:29 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah and every other deluded liberal

we are all fated in life to wander around disappointed, punctuated by brief moments of narcotic delusiveness.

she's a terrified social conservative! xpost

we can't all be wrong

Obama runnin that press conference like a boss lol

one explanation often proffered by political scientists as to why obama and other presidents dont stay in super destructo campaign mode 24/7 is that its detrimental to policy goals, studies have shown that when the president uses the oft pined for bully pulpit it more likely than not will serve only to polarize the debate over whatever pending legislation were talking abt thereby reducing its chances of passing, the on again off again ass kicking which plays well to voters but not legislators is m/l a feature of our particular form of government and political climate

btw our form of government is lo qual

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh2DeQtVyJM

god bless em, man was a natural

so MSNBC was just showing a series of clips of Romney talking about how Obamacare is based on his Massachusetts plan and how he was glad he was doing it. why haven't the other candidates used these more?

― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 5:43 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i read that they just hadnt found the clips maybe, its baffling

then again santorum/gingrich/paul have like ten campaign staff between them

They were three or four on Hardball (I think) of him on Meet the Press as well as other major broadcast networks. How can anyone NOT dig those up earlier? xpost

I can't wait for another witty president like Reagan! Thumbs up anybody??

mah575992 2 days ago

Well it's out there now, and maybe it's too late for the other candidates to beat up on Romney, but it significantly weakens his anti-Obamacare stance in the general. xpost

yeah its mystifying idgi either

Gingrich has won Georgia (shock)

Well it's out there now, and maybe it's too late for the other candidates to beat up on Romney, but it significantly weakens his anti-Obamacare stance in the general. xpost

― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 6:05 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i do wonder how obama's gonna play this. "i preferred you before you were running for president, when you agreed with me."

or is obama going to run from his own legislation?

Probably not since he's not a total idiot.

we are all fated in life to wander around disappointed, punctuated by brief moments of narcotic delusiveness.

― Mordy, Tuesday, March 6, 2012 6:38 PM (41 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

merely the stars' tennis balls iirc

romney is p well known for flip flopping iirc

get your own abbrev bro

sry

pourmecoffee ‏ @pourmecoffee
Romney win in Virginia sends strong message that voters prefer candidates who get on the f---ing ballot.

one explanation often proffered by political scientists as to why obama and other presidents dont stay in super destructo campaign mode 24/7 is that its detrimental to policy goals, studies have shown that when the president uses the oft pined for bully pulpit it more likely than not will serve only to polarize the debate over whatever pending legislation were talking abt thereby reducing its chances of passing, the on again off again ass kicking which plays well to voters but not legislators is m/l a feature of our particular form of government and political climate

― lag∞n, Tuesday, March 6, 2012 6:59 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

well 1) lol @ political "scientists" who have like 5 presidents worth of data with which to work but yeah i don't think bamma using the bully pulpit is some sort of panacea, its usefulness probably depends more on the popularity of the president than anything else if i had to guess, otoh i don't see how we could become any more polarized than we are now, or how it would even affect things one way or another, so i say go for it for our sakes/the lols

I think people looking it with 5 presidents worth of data is better than people looking at it with their own imaginary logic about how things work

works remarkably well for me

imaginary logic is the best kind of logic

I think people looking it with 5 presidents worth of data is better than people looking at it with their own imaginary logic about how things work

― iatee, Tuesday, March 6, 2012 7:31 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^

oh no doubt but my armchair logic relatively speaking is more sound than saying like maybe vaccines cause autism

Romney gets Virginia and Vermont

otoh i don't see how we could become any more polarized than we are now, or how it would even affect things one way or another, so i say go for it for our sakes/the lols

― bron paul (k3vin k.), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 7:29 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

well one thing is a lot of legislation that actual becomes law is bipartisan and gets crafted behind closed doors and then rushed through congress before it can get politicized so in that formulation the president being all 'hey theres this wonderful bill in committee' is not really helpful, unless hes using reverse psychology and he really hates it

feel the mittmentum!

idk how we got to talking about this, anyway in this climate i don't think any pres can really influence major policy on most issues requiring him to work w/ congress, i was just sayin

also five presidents isnt just five data points, its thousands

obama should make santorum win some primaries using bully pulpit

Is there any indication that Romney's flip-floppery has done him any quantifiable harm? I mean, assuming his current platform completely synced up with my beliefs, I'd really have no basis for believing that would continue being the case for any appreciable amount of time based on his ever-shifting politics. Yet he still has supporters. So going after him on the basis of his self-contradictions sadly seems like a non-starter. I mean, everyone surely knows that about him now, right?

it's not a non-starter, he's had a really rough primary season and only won this because everyone around him would be considered a crazy streetperson in any other developed western country

ugggh mitt. now we get four more years (assuming obama wins) of angry baby-men whining about establishment RINOs

no it's good it means they will run crazy people and lose winnable elections again

Josh Marshall ‏ @joshtpm Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Latest exits show it getting really tight in Ohio. Just +1 for Mitt.

rick has life yet! maybe!

No he doesn't. It'll be spun as a referendum on Romney though.

man rick santorum is for real u dont even know

One of my guys won gold in badminton today. The only thing that could make me happier now is an outpouring of Super Tuesday love for Mitt.

I don't think it's possible for Santorum to get that magic delegate number no matter what.

no he is done 4, the question is whether he can keep being a pest

thats what they said abt another guy and his name was jesus christ

Is there any indication that Romney's flip-floppery has done him any quantifiable harm?

depends on what you mean by "quantifiable" but I know a lot of Republicans who don't trust Romney specifically because of his prior stances that he has "flip-flopped" on, e.g. Romneycare

I really really hate flip-flop as a political term btw

yeah it's pretty awful but I don't think it's going anywhere

I remember during 2004 being like 'are you seriously gonna keep saying that word' but at this point who cares

Supposedly it's hurt him badly with independents...whatever they are.

injuring yr opponents integrity is prob the most effective attack in all politics

cause voters knowing politicians never do what they say theyre gonna vote based on what kind of guy they are, studies show

That's why Newt fell apart--his legendary integrity was badly dented.

obama's whole campaign should be him in bars getting beers w/ people w/ lots of attack ads about 'why doesn't mitt romney get beers with people'

That's why Newt fell apart--his legendary integrity was badly dented.

― clemenza, Tuesday, March 6, 2012 8:18 PM (32 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

well it didnt take much reminding is why romneys attacks were so effective

btw this guy left office as a national disgrace

oh right thaaat guy

obama's whole campaign should be him in bars getting beers w/ people w/ lots of attack ads about 'why doesn't mitt romney get beers with people'

― iatee, Tuesday, March 6, 2012 8:19 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this would culminate in a nationally televised beer pong match the week before the election

which actually might be an improvement over the republican debates

Interview with Palin on CNN as she votes. Every little thing she does is magic.

beer pong match might win over some fratty republicans

(unless he sucks)

yeah feel like that would be big for the wall st donations

I really really hate flip-flop as a political term btw

I totally agree when it's used indiscriminately for every instance of someone changing their position on an issue. I really don't have a problem with its use, however, to describe opportunistic douchebags with no core values shifting their position to suit whichever way the wind is blowing at the moment.

idk you guys used to like flip flopping

I was against the term before I was for it.

In Miami we use "chank" instead of flip-flop to denote thong sandals. It comes from the Spanish word "chancleta."

I really really hate flip-flop as a political term btw

otm x billions

i don't understand how ppl can stand to watch cable television election coverage. it is literally painful to hear, no matter which station you're tuned to. WHYY wisely broadcasting Patti LaBelle performing at the Borgata Hotel in AC instead.

I hate flip-flops in general.

Santorum wins Tennessee.

for once i feel like my vote meant something

Happy for that, but I don't get how Romney finishes ahead of Gingrich there--shouldn't Gingrich do well everywhere in the south?

interview with palin on cnn = cnn going out of their way to put a reporter at the alaska caucus to mess with fox, by getting an exclusive interview with their paid contributor

omg loooool @ gingrich using the hulk hogan theme song

omg Newt Posters are a gas pump with "2.50"

Every Gingrich speech now is a psychodrama par excellence.

omg loooool @ gingrich using the hulk hogan theme song

You're kidding. Jesus.

its sad how the world doesnt recognize newts obvious genius

"It's one thing to have lots of money, it's another thing to lie with that money"--is that aimed at Romney or his backers? I'm actually surprised Gingrich is still throwing out lines like this. I thought he was ready to cross the bridge into the magical land of acceptance.

whatcha gonna do when newtamania runs wild on YOU

I will NEVER BOW TO A SAUDI KING

ThinkProgress ‏ @thinkprogress
UPDATE: Romney Wins: VA, VT, MA. Santorum Wins: OK, TN. Gingrich Wins: GA. Too Close to Call: OH. No Results: ND, ID, AK

fuckin' vercingetorix over here

Newt will always hit back when he's been hit. Newt will also hit you first whenever it suits him. Newt just likes the feeling of hitting other people.

This is great. Newt quoting Obama at the press conference today: "'I'm worried about higher gas prices because they'll make it harder for me to get reelected'--I did not make that up." It's true, that's exactly what he said.

And I know every American still lives in shame over the bowing-to-a-Saudi-king episode.

wait does dude on the left actually have a sign that says newt-a-mania? i believe he does!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_qM6V6-HRzM0/S8iMpBghvuI/AAAAAAAADig/8XogJdBzYXE/obama-bow-king.jpg

Newt Gingrich Ideas ‏ @GingrichIdeas
Become a historian of my own campaign.

but most of all from this campaign i will miss the newt gingrich ideas twitter

Kathryn Jean Lopez ‏ @kathrynlopez

there's more to life than super tuesday (really!)

I can't imagine much more for her.

Kinda hoping this all builds up to a complete slugfest in Texas with extra Perry LOLs.

Santorum going hard against Obamacare and Mitt's Mass. program.

He's seen those videos mentioned earlier. Shit just got REAL.

Talking Points Memo ‏ @TPM
OHIO: 60% reporting - Santorum 38.2%, Romney 36.4% tpm.ly/zTmPU6

At 71% reporting it hasn't changed much. About 14,000 votes differently.

whoa

differently? I meant "Between them".

and Santorum has won North Dakota.

RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK! RICK!

this is just like that other time he won all those states a few weeks ago!

you really wonder what this would be like if gingrich had dropped out. if santo had georgia tonight too it'd be pretty hard to frame tonight as a romney win of any sort.

if santo wins ohio its gonna be reported as nothing but a v bad nite 4 mitt

yeah he underperformed but not bad enough to lose the nom

spin rooms "Romney could barely beat/lost to Santorum despite outspending him 12 to 1" etc etc

hmm intrade still has him 60% at winning ohio, maybe ppl are doing some math

romney at 81% to win the nom is ridiculous at this point. gah I wish it weren't so hard to put money on.

silver has already wtf'd intrade tonight

did you guys forget to carry the one

yah bunch of people have been wtfing intrade on twitter

Josh Marshall ‏ @joshtpm
Ohio def tightening in Mitts favor.

santorum is getting squeezed out of ohio you say

81% in and a slimmer difference of 6,000. Cincinnati will be interesting when it comes in.

intrade is still small enough that one person who is willin to waste a lot of money can make weird things happen.

84% and Santorum is leading by about 2,700

that's why I sorta want a buncha wall st firms to get into it, get their quants busy pricing rick santorum, hundreds of nate silvers working at once

I'm not looking at where the votes are coming from but that 81 to 84 trend isn't a good one

more than half of cuyahoga yet to report and romney has huge adv there, also another cleveland suburban county prob favorable to romney hasn't reported at all

medina county

anyone who disagrees w/ that can make 10x their money on intrade atm

i think a lot of the cities were last to come in - a lot of cleveland is still out - romney is winning those areas. john king reporting this right now & suggests he will prob get enough votes there to take the lead?
cnn has really been v good on covering these primaries.

Looks like Romney's won Ohio. He's a strategic genius--embarrasses himself for a couple of hours, ekes out another one, "wins" the night.

@jdickerson
The heels of the Santorum staffers just clicked out of this gym in OH at a quick pace like they know something...
8 minutes ago

romney is the guy who wins in the cities and santorum wins in the non-urban counties. as if there was any doubt, romney is the democrat of the republican primaries

Cleveland, Ohio - Though Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are locked in a tight race statewide, Romney appears on his way to winning more delegates at the Congressional district level.

Based on results at this hour, Romney is in line with claim 34 delegates to Santorum's 22, with the allocation of one delegate too close to call.

Santorum has been running strong in rural areas, with Romney claiming more urban areas.

A major reason is that Santorum is not on the ballot for delegates being awarded in three Congressional districts: the 6th, 9th and 13th districts.

Forty-eight Ohio delegates to the Republican National Convention will be determined by votes at the congressional level, with 15 other delegates being determined by the overall vote.

gdamn it i h8 u mittens

what's worst is how giddy he must be right now

To correct myself, obvious Romney doesn't win the night. But if he survives Ohio, he crawls forward in the right direction.

dennis kucinich about to lose his primary.. wow

rip big man

he still has his wife at least

Obama now unopposed in biggest-ears primary.

Everyone knew at the beginning of the night that Romney was going to come out of Ohio with more delegates. The percentage is important for momentum and perception among voters/party elders/etc.

dennis kucinich about to lose his primary.. wow

― seriously, THIS GUY (daria-g), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 10:02 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that was predictable, i think. he's up against a very popular representative who's been serving since the early 80s.

oh was it a redistricting thing? i hadn't been paying attention

romney now with 1k lead at 84.7%

oh was it a redistricting thing? i hadn't been paying attention

― seriously, THIS GUY (daria-g), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 10:10 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah. ohio lost 2 or 3 representatives and most of kucinich's district (around cleveland) was combined with much of kaptur's district (around toledo).

in this case, as in chicago etc., the primary is the general. i think the winner will face joe the "plumber" LOL

According to Sullivan, they're hovering around the margin (0.25%) where an automatic recount kicks in.

kaptur is reliably liberal amirite?

have you ever seen a cuter KAPTUR?

in this case, as in chicago etc., the primary is the general. i think the winner will face joe the "plumber" LOL

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 11:13 PM (32 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ha amazing i would pay to see a plumber/kucinich debate rip

hey this horrible person isnt gonna be in congress any more http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/03/jean-schmidt-loses-house-seat-in-major-gop-primary-upset.php p cool

Wenstrup had challenged Schmidt from her right on such issues as the debt ceiling, pitching himself as a Washington outsider.

ha great. either an opportunist or a bigger crank

I figured they would have called this for Romney by now.

can't have people tuning out to go to bed finally can you?

Yeah, they're also pretty desperate to spin it in such a way that Santorum stays in and they can get another month out of this one.

called by msnbc

get the sense that if i super-right-winger runs on GOP ticket in schmidt's district, the seat might very well change parties.

kaptur is reliably liberal amirite?

― kurwa mać (Polish for "long life") (Eisbaer), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 10:22 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yup.

she's in the progressive caucus. kind of feel like kucinich could've sat this one out and just joined air america or something, i dunno. whatever.

santorum is a zealot on a crusade, tho. i wonder how much actual reality it will take to grind the gross metric tonnage of that entire train to a halt.

I think, delegate-wise, this is pretty insurmountable for him. However, if Newt magically decides to drop out (not likely) and Santorum starts picking up all of those delegates that the Ging is siphoning off of him, he could play a role. That, of course, combined with doubling down on the Romneycare/Obamacare thing which, with the right soundbites, could rip into Romney's credibility and set up a convincing argument that the General Election needs to be one of CONTRASTS.

santorum is a zealot on a crusade, tho. i wonder how much actual reality it will take to grind the gross metric tonnage of that entire train to a halt.

― Spleen of Hearts (kingfish), Wednesday, March 7, 2012 1:34 AM (17 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

so what you're saying is that in a few months we'll have to clean up after several gross metric tons of santorum?

Should do wonders for the greenery

if Newt magically decides to drop out (not likely) and Santorum starts picking up all of those delegates that the Ging is siphoning off of him, he could play a role.

idk that more Gingrich supporters would go to Santorum than Romney. I know a lot of Gingrich's appeal is that he's a not-Romney, but another part of his appeal afaik is that he's a not-Santorum.

I don't agree with that. They see Gingrich as a straight-talking firebrand, and that's a lot of his appeal, but mostly because he's a straight-talking firebrand Conservative. His supporters don't see Romney as a Conservative, but they see Santorum as one. Romney's appeal is his business credentials (which neither Gingrich or Santorum have), his electability (which doesn't enter into it if you're a Gingrich supporter tbh), and *maybe* his status as a "Washington Outsider" by the fact that he's never actually held a position in DC, which obviously won't play into it with Gingrich or Santorum.

Really, Gingrich's only appeal is in the South, and they'll go with Santorum before they go out with a "Massachusetts Moderate".

One percent difference between out-and-out embarrassment and still-inevitable-by-default. Good job, Mitt.

a) Eh, he could have dropped a load more points and still done well, he got 35/56 of the delegates

on the other hand

b) Also his list of states that he's got a majority of the vote in has gone up from one (Nevada's 50.1% lol) to four. Though one of them is Virginia, where his only opponent, Ron Fucking Paul, took 40% of the vote (and 6.5% of the delegates)

as if there was any doubt, romney is the democrat of the republican primaries

http://i40.tinypic.com/350kqwp.png

he could have dropped a load more points and still done well, he got 35/56 of the delegates

With much heartache, I've accepted that this is no longer about who's going to be the nominee. By embarrassment, I just meant whatever lingering damage Romney drags into the general (or if he does--it may all be forgotten come September and October if gas prices or something else is the story).

I think there is prob an important distinction in those maps in that obama's support was more cleveland-the-city and romney's is more cleveland-suburbs

I just meant whatever lingering damage Romney drags into the general

Which should be plenty at this point. I mean, he's been at this for years and nearly everything that's known about him has been repeated and beaten into the ground.

it is an interesting pattern tho -- it doesn't really portend much in the way of who will win what states, but it does point to turnout issues, maybe. the pattern of which state contests he is winning is another version of it i think

if romney is best at firing up republicans in states that he is inevitably going to lose, and is deficient in states they will win, that's a problem (is it? my coffee is still kicking in)

though that pattern kind of held for obama vs clinton (he ran away with dems in red states -- though there's a racial pattern there that doesn't hold among republicans) and he won the general ok

yeah it def points to rural turnout issues. much of which won't matter (romney doesn't need strong turnout in the deep south to win it) but ohio's a good example of a place that will

I think there is prob an important distinction in those maps in that obama's support was more cleveland-the-city and romney's is more cleveland-suburbs

Precinct-level voting data from the Cuyahoga County BOE shows that Obama won something like 1,200 out of 1,400+ voting precincts JFTR. About 430 of those are City of Cleveland.

well the margin is more important than who won

It was just about 70-30 Obama.

Continued joy at RedState. Well, *I'm* enjoying it, at least.

looking for a map w/ the margins, here's 2004 tho:

http://copperas.com/cuyahoga/ss_cuykb.jpg

here we go:

http://blog.cleveland.com/datacentral/2008/11/large_cuyahoga-obama-mccain-results.jpg

Yeah, that blue includes a lot of 'burbs (including mine!), and the deepest red ones are, not to put too fine a point on it, really white and really racist.

well not all suburbs were created equal, just trying to emphasize the difference between obama's urban-area support and romney's (more 'urban' in uh every sense of the term...)

Those comments at Red State are full of people going through the stages of grief (most of them are in the acceptance stage at this point).

With much heartache, I've accepted...

We're working through this together.

There's people comparing him to Putin!

Those comments at Red State are full of people going through the stages of grief (most of them are in the acceptance stage at this point).

And a few still stuck at denial.

The Real Question
Wednesday, March 7th at 7:32AM EST (link)
Would a nominee produced at the end of August still allow for sufficient time for an effective presidential campaign? I believe so.

My mother-in-law posted this to Facebook this morning.

The object of the game of Obamopoly is to destroy American capitalism by having the government take over everything!
Want to play? No?
Too bad, you're already playing and just don't know it!
By the way ... You're not winning! Not as long as Obama is the President!!

Click like if you think that the game Obama is playing is designed to destroy American capitalism and to turn the country into a nanny, cradle to grave, entitlement state and our Founders would be ROLLING OVER IN THEIR GRAVE if they saw what Obama was doing.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/419025_362065360494430_103594823008153_1106743_1517721849_n.jpg

LOL HUEG sorry

The new Mount Rushmore!

http://images.politico.com/global/2012/03/120307_mitt_congrats_ap_328.jpg

kudos on tinting the 'get out of jail free' guy

pretty sure general motors and chrysler should be in the purple spots

free porking

so bottom line it for me:

is the GOP's Operation Total Clusterfuck still progressing as planned?

No Alinsky Avenune, Wright Boulevard, or Ayers Railroad. I assume they're represented somewhere in the Chance cards.

we really need to redesign this and make it better

how the hell is goldman sachs not the boardwalk, I mean duh

Want to play? No?
Too bad, you're already playing and just don't know it!

haha

ps you know what's actually a terribly designed game: monopoly

Monopoly is great for 30 minutes, the problem is that it's a 4 hour game

My mother-in-law posted this to Facebook this morning.

This is why I'm not on Facebook, I know I would snap one day and tell my in laws how idiotic the things they are posting sound.

it combines the fun of never ending w/ the fun of no real strategy

I guess the presidential elections are sorta like that

(The funny part is that my mother-in-law is 66, disabled, on Medicaid, lost her home to foreclosure last year, etc., etc., suffering a million other indignities as a result of the Bush era, and yet gleefully pulled the lever for Rick Santorum yesterday.)

(It's not actually funny.)

xxxp I only do it passive-aggressively and indirectly, Nicole.

it combines the fun of never ending w/ the fun of no real strategy

― iatee, Wednesday, March 7, 2012 11:48 AM (10 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

spoken like a true monopoly loser, it tons of strategy its just all in the property trading segment of the game

I got an anti-Obama joke e-mail from a cousin a couple of weeks ago. I opened it with genuine trepidation--if there'd been racist garbage in it, that would have been a dilemma. Happily, it was more along the lines of Greenwald/Morbius complaints.

Like, she's been posting all this stuff about Obama raising your gas prices, so I just posted something about how if you do not understand supply/demand and futures markets and think there's a magical "gas price" switch the president can pull, maybe you should stfu.

the only way to lose monopoly is to start playing

w/e communist

lol @ Freddie Mac/Fannie being the cheapest properties

Monopoly is great for 30 minutes, the problem is that it's a 4 hour game

― Vaseline MEN AMAZING JOURNEY (DJP), Wednesday, March 7, 2012 11:46 AM Bookmark

off-topic gamer nerd stuff but yeah - - it's definitely poorly-designed, or at least follows a model that's now pretty much dead, where the object is to actively drive other people out of the game one by one. Nobody actually wants to do that because it's not really fun for anybody involved, so you get this weird twisted inversion where people cut each other breaks, add the "land on free parking and get the wad of cash rule" and other things that actually result in the game becoming a four-hour slow-grind where you have even less fun. How they still sell copies of this thing is beyond me.

what I always did as a kid was I would play w/ my brother, who was younger than me and dumb, and I would be the banker and slowly steal one bill at a time while he wasn't watching

driving people out of the game is totally fun!

Monopoly was one of those activities that consumed literally hours of time as a kid but have no interest in resuming now.

and youll have to tell any tournament that this model is 'dead'

I mean, the fun's over once people start building condos and shit

I have a pro-life fundie friend from high school who lives in Alabama and likes to post all kinds of nonsense on Facebook; when I respond, I usually write "give me a break" or "I know for a fact that you are smarter than this"

ya god forbid people build condos in america

Elections don't let you be the race car, only the thimble.

there r no condos in monopoly gdamn it

We played a lot for a couple of years in high school. Very intense--tipped-over boards, thrown playing pieces, etc.

OK, tournament, sure - - model is dead in terms of "family game night" people actually playing because they like hanging out with each other etc. Driving people out of the game may or may not be fun for the driver, for the person driven out it just sucks - what do they do? Go put a movie on? Fix drinks for everybody else? It's just awkward.

Actually would love to see a European designer fix Monopoly - - would just have it run for a set number of ticks around the board, after which the game would be over and you count out the money as victory points. Rather than chance and community chest there would be a bidding phase for different benefits and boons. Would actually be a decent game probably.

lol that's like some games of risk where there is lots of note-passing diplomacy and deal cutting going on

xps but if forget to whom

Everyone fought for the car but I wanted the top hat

i got the monopoly ipad app but it kind blows, risk is amazing on the other hand

Actually would love to see a European designer fix Monopoly

oh suuuuure. the mask slips!!

perhaps i am really playing OBAMOPOLY after all

btw, with 10,370 ratings, monopoly has a 4.5/10 score on Boardgamegeek and is ranked #7,804 out of every board game ever

sure that's what we need: European fixes for American crises.

"I know for a fact that you are smarter than this"

do you really?

I learned not to ever comment on my super-conservative friends' posts when I got jumped on by about 10 tea partiers for trying to say that Planned Parenthood isn't actually a genocidal organization trying to keep blacks & poor people from reproducing. These people had literally insane ~things to say~ about Planned Parenthood.

doctor casino, what's the best rated mass produced boardgame on that site?

OK, tournament, sure - - model is dead in terms of "family game night" people actually playing because they like hanging out with each other etc. Driving people out of the game may or may not be fun for the driver, for the person driven out it just sucks - what do they do? Go put a movie on? Fix drinks for everybody else? It's just awkward.

― Doctor Casino, Wednesday, March 7, 2012 11:56 AM (48 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the cruelty of driving yr opponents out and the fear of having this humiliation perpetrated upon you and also that it involves money are clearly key to the incredible success of the game, regardless of whatever settlers of catan niceties are trendy in todays emasculated coward society

You all see the new version where there's no hard currency at all, only like debit cards and shit?

Like, why would you remove the thing from the game that's entered the popular lexicon? "Monopoly money" is a real and physically tangible thing, fun to throw at each other is disdainful wads

monopoly makes having lots of money boring, it is secretly communist

I refuse to believe there are 7,803 board games people play more often than monopoly

btw, with 10,370 ratings, monopoly has a 4.5/10 score on Boardgamegeek and is ranked #7,804 out of every board game ever

― Doctor Casino, Wednesday, March 7, 2012 11:59 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

who cares what board game geeks think, this is a real game for real people!

Like, why would you remove the thing from the game that's entered the popular lexicon? "Monopoly money" is a real and physically tangible thing, fun to throw at each other is disdainful wads

assuming you've got wads left to throw

can't believe you actually bought the ipad app, so sad xp

well i may have not actually 'bought' it

do you really?

Yeah, actually; I mean, even allowing for how she was raised etc (child of batshit local fundie preacher), she was always gracious, kind, and did very very well in her classes, including sciences. It wasn't until she popped up on Facebook as a CC artist living in Alabama that she started exhibiting these dead zones of total lack of compassion. (By comparison, most of the other PKs I went to school with, all of whom were in the honors classes, are varying shades of liberal, particularly socially; abortion is the only sticking issue and most of them are still pro-choice even if they personally think abortion is murder.)

http://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame where the fuck is checkers?

said in nixon voice in honor of gop thread

OBAMA DID THIS.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IvZc0zycMCM/RhmpohZEMWI/AAAAAAAAA20/BaGHhhsh4iI/s400/SOPRANOSTONYONFLOOR.jpg

http://www.magisterrex.com/prodimages/Anti-MonopolyFront-h450.png

I like that Apples to Apples is now distributed by Toys R Us & the like.

Now I'm just waiting for Carcasonne and Settlers of Catan to hit the major American toy/games distros.

Boy, now that looks like a fun game.

xp

xpost

haha, I remember a friend of my mom had this when I was a little kid

They sell Settlers of Catan at Target

her friend had anti-monopoly, I mean

there was a copy of anti monopoly kicking around my house when i was a kid, a few times we attempted to play it couldnt figure out the rules and put it back on the shelf

There's a newer, better flavor of Anti- out there, which is based more on cooperation, but I can remember its name.

monopoly is such a bad game. so is risk. even apples to apples is basically stupid. americans make the worst games. f america

you know what's an awesome game, is Pass the Pigs

it had tons of these v small colored paper circles in it that u were suposed to use for something

monopoly is such a bad game. so is risk. even apples to apples is basically stupid. americans make the worst games. f america

― max, Wednesday, March 7, 2012 12:10 PM (16 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

fu

apples to apples is terrible tho

what I always did as a kid was I would play w/ my brother, who was younger than me and dumb, and I would be the banker and slowly steal one bill at a time while he wasn't watching

Surely every game of Monopoly everywhere ends with the banker stealing all the money?

(insert zing here)

Enh, I like it, but it depends on the crowd playing and how boringly literal minded they are

I like that Apples to Apples is now distributed by Toys R Us & the like.

Now I'm just waiting for Carcasonne and Settlers of Catan to hit the major American toy/games distros.

― Spleen of Hearts (kingfish), Wednesday, March 7, 2012 11:08 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Games By James is a really cool store chain we have up here, kinda HARDCORE board game store and stuff

http://www.gamesbyjames.com/index.htm

it had tons of these v small colored paper circles in it that u were suposed to use for something

yes! i never got that game either. i now own Monsanto.

oh man GAMES BY JAMES

many many xposts: That's a good question actually! (I assume "mass produced" as in, like, you can find it at Target and Toys R Us etc.) I wonder if there's any kind of way to search that.

A few standbys:

Life: #7,814 (almost entirely luck-based, usually a no-no)
Trivial Pursuit: #7,677 (dunno why, probably just requires too much that's "external" to the game)
Risk: #6,256 (presumably these people play a lot of other more complex war games etc)
Taboo: #1,076
Apples To Apples: #956 (all game geeks like having some crowd-pleasers for the casual visitor etc)
Scrabble: #827
Bananagrams: #825 (quicker than Scrabble, more portable, easier to hook people)
Pente: #800
Big Boggle: #799 (see bananagrams)
Backgammon: #774
Euchre: #739
Cribbage: #328
Mahjong: #310
Chess: #249
Bridge: #175

and it's...

Magic: the Gathering: #134 (hahahahahha)

Candyland: not ranked, has a 3.2/10 ;_;

And, to give you an idea of the heart and soul of the place: #1 is Twilight Struggle, a three-hour, two-player card and map game where you play out the Cold War. I played this once with my brother. It was possibly the most satisfying game I've ever played and yet I don't know that I could ever play it again. Back on topic: the same makers made a very similar game for the 1960 election which I might play (ranked #54!).

lmao

mtg is better than all those games tho, it's true

risk is so bad, i hate risk

taboo is pretty fun though

also apples to apples is really fun! You have to be at the right level of drunk where people are vociferously arguing for their left-field connections, but not so drunk that nothing actually makes sense and people are just cracking themselves up throwing cards all over the place. Similar to Taboo in that sense I think.

apples to apples is really fun the first time, and slightly less fun the second time, and then horrifingly unfun by the third time

fwiw, I think BGG probably has several large, non-overlapping contingents - - - so the CCG people probably push M:TG really high, even as the people that have evenings with Settlers and various geographically-themed German games (San Juan! Thebes! Calcutta!) don't play it at all.

Also, I would like to think that this giant board game derail is actually a sophisticated commentary on how the primaries are all JUST AN ARBITRARY GAME MAAAAN

game nerds seem a lot like beer nerds, there should be an awkward party where they come together and drink and play games and there are no females

Tons of females at board game nights though! Not parity, but last few times I went with my brother in Knoxville it was like 4/10 people, 5/11, etc.

well they still won't come if they hear beer nerds will be there

Yeah, board game nights are far more gender-balanced.

"But the real question on the pundits' minds is, which candidate would female voters rather play Settlers with?"

mormons prob play a lot of board games

I love drunk Taboo so much. All other games: boooooo.

And lo! we're back on topic, which is booing.

However, MTG evenings at the large local game shop(owned & operated by a lesbian couple) are like so, so dude-heavy you can't even spot the girlfriends dragged in.

Dutch Blitz, at christianbook.com

http://g.christianbook.com/g/product/9/9400x.gif

this past weekend I got together with a bunch of college buddies and played Asshole, which was amazing until I woke up the next morning and had to sing at church

Actually Dutch blitz is really fun. Like cards but not PLAYING cards, y'see.

Also on topic: more than average number of hardcore gamer dudes/MTG types have that borderline Aspergers edge where Ron Paul support is likely

shocking

(he calmly holds up his hand, palm outward in the universally recognized symbol for "Halt!" or possibly for "Go straight to hell!" if you live in Greece, according to one rather dicey internet site)

Halt! Take it to I Love Games, boys. We political junkies are still playing our game of Point & Laugh & Furrow Our Brows in this thread.

ezra has been pushing the romney might actually be a good candidate line recently rmde http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/wonkbook-is-romney-stronger-than-he-looks/2012/03/07/gIQAvg9ewR_blog.html

its such a substance free line of reasoning, maybe hell do better than some people think, maybe hell do worse, i guess well see!

if the economy gets worse hell do better if it gets better then he do worse, huh you dont say

yeah it's this natural inclination towards 'let's make this interesting', no it prob won't be interesting

if anything I think romney's 'overrated' as a candidate even in the spheres we are talking about. there is a lot of evidence that he is an unusually bad campaigner.

luckily we have romneys unusually bad campaigning to make it interesting

Which raises the question: What kind of nominee will he be?

At the moment, I'm going to put my money on "a stronger one than seems apparent right now,"

republican washington is in a state of despair, this all seems too contextual

Stronger than he looks - he'd almost have to be?

Romney vs. Biden - that's what we should all start focussing on.

"liberals are unhappy, the economy is in the toilet, obama is toast!!"

"you know, he does have certain strengths..."

"conservatives are unhappy, the economy is getting better, romney is toast!!"

"you know, he..."

Romney vs. Biden - that's what we should all start focussing on.

― Aimless, Wednesday, March 7, 2012 12:55 PM (31 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

naw bidens not the guy, romney neither

Come September and October, I predict that Biden and Romney will be elbowing one another for most-exuberantly-delivered-gaffe space on the ilx 2012 elections thread. Why wait til then?

oh i thought u were talking abt the 2016 race

they r both great 4 gaffs its true

http://arizonamun.org/mundi/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MittRomneyIowa-300x221.jpg

VS.

http://chicagoagainstobama.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/joe_biden.jpg?w=370&h=278

i played this at summer camp:

http://libcom.org/files/imagecache/article/images/library/Class%20Struggle%20board%20game.jpg

Us deluded Obama zealots prefer Class Warfare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7pv7sO5Gng

"...maybe the first time since we had Ronald Reagan." Completely ellides the Bush dynasty.

Meanwhile in Alabama:

"I got no use for Obama, and it's not because of the color of his skin," said Leldon Thomas, a retired truck repairman chewing tobacco outside the Wal-Mart that locals blame for siphoning business from the long-established stores along Oneonta's ramshackle main street. "It's his socialist government and all the money he's throwing away."

Around here, Obama, who is Christian, is seen by many as Muslim, and not everyone believes he was born in Hawaii. "It's not that he's black," said Don Tielking, who has been cutting hair at the local barber shop for more than 40 years. "It's that he's not an American citizen."

For Tielking, who took a seat in his barber's chair to chat during a lull between customers, the problem with Romney is his Mormon faith, although he would gladly overlook it if he had to pick between him and Obama.

"Christ is the head of my church, and his was some Smith guy who claimed to be a latter-day prophet," said Tielking, referring to Joseph Smith Jr., the 19th century founder of the Latter-day Saints movement. "I'm not prejudiced against a Mormon. It's just some of their beliefs that I'm against."

Etc. etc.

pretty bummed i missed the board games/ccg segment of the thread today

Prussian Blue still going, huh?

"I got no use for Obama, and it's not because of the color of his skin," said Leldon Thomas, a retired truck repairman chewing tobacco outside the Wal-Mart that locals blame for siphoning business from the long-established stores along Oneonta's ramshackle main street. "It's his socialist government and all the money he's throwing away."

o_<

see that's one of those felicitous stylistic touches of which good reporting is made.

It's not that Obama is black, it's that I don't like his policies. Also, he's black.

I've got lots of friends who are black. I have no problem with them. And I'd have no problem with Obama, if he were one of the good ones.

Oh, Alabama.

alabamanatin forever

I want to make sure you understand it's not because he's black, because when you hear how nonsensical my reasons for not liking him are, you might conclude it is because he's black. Which would be wrong, like I'm telling you.

If I had a problem with black people, then I would not have considered voting for Herman Cain had all the white candidates dropped out.

Romney: Poppy Bush II?

IT'S NOT THAT HE'S MORMON

As the editorial documents well, H.W./Romney parallels are all over the place. The big one that's missing for Romney is a Reagan in the background providing cover.

Grits, ladies and gentlemen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G6Xzs93ucDQ

Meantime, Nelson laugh!

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/73807.html

Mitt Romney’s money machine is sending a message to the Washington establishment: Help.

GOP operatives thought it would cost Romney around $50 million to secure the nomination, but coming off a bruising few months and with a slog still ahead, some say it could cost much closer to $75 million.

Romney has put out a rallying cry to his supporters in Congress, asking them to kick in cash and get their best donors on board, too. He asked the 80 Republican lawmakers who have endorsed him to raise $10,000 each for a fundraiser at the end of the month in Washington. By law, they can personally contribute $2,000 from their reelection committees; the rest would need to come from their supporters.

mitt mitt mitt whatre we gonna do w/u

you think it wd be cheaper to lean on the santorum & gingrich money people and tell them to lay off? i don't get this world tho

"we don't all have to waste our money here to figure out what we already know, do we?"

Actually, I don't see why Romney simply didn't fire Santorum and Gingrich weeks ago. He's that good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G6Xzs93ucDQ

love this guy

Is that where he's talking about how much he likes to eat cereal? I saw that on CNN yesterday--what an endlessly entertaining guy.

great headline on CNN today: "Napping Newt Forgot Why He Was At Event"

hope fred willard gets to play mitt in the biopic

wha happened?: mitt romney and the road to 2012

Somehow this endless process never stops bringing the lolz

great headline on CNN today: "Napping Newt Forgot Why He Was At Event"

― the late great, Friday, March 9, 2012 11:17 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i'm kinda thinking about donating to newt's campaign, hell just keep it rolling into 2013, 2014, this is too much fun to stop

Because you wanted to know:

The former gov’s campaign posted a list of “what Mitt listens to on the road” through Spotify on Facebook on Friday. Here’s the 19 song playlist:

“I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow” by The Soggy Bottom Boys

“Read my Mind” by The Killers

“December, 1963 [Oh, What a Night]" by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons

“Ring of Fire”

“Somebody Told Me” by the Killers

“The MTA (The Boston Subway Song)” by The Kingston Trio

“Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys

“Desperado” by Clint Black

“Crying” by Roy Orbison

“Only You” by Commodores

“Runaway” by Del Shannon

“It’s Your Love” by Tim McGraw

“As Good as I Once Was” by Toby Keith

“Born Free” by Kid Rock

“Over the Rainbow” by Willie Nelson

“Stardust”

“In Dreams” by Roy Orbison

“Somebody Like You” by Keith Urban

“All-American Girl” by Carrie Underwood

"I was watching Blue Velvet and I got thinking about Roy Orbison..."

Also LOL Killers.

i believe that Romney likes the Killers

ha I wonder if the killers thing is mormonism related? it has to be right

for sure. what's the guy's name? brandon flowers?

"No you idiot I said I liked Wayland Flowers and Madame!"

Killers are from Las Vegas, so maybe.

no brandon flowers is def mormon, prob the most successful mormon musician since donny and marie

mormon party mix = donny and marie, the killers, low

Oh yeah I guess you are right:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/10/17/brandon_flowers_of_the_killers_i_m_a_mormon.html

Maybe Mormons have their own version of Canadian content laws, and since Flowers is the only thing going right now, they all have to listen to him.

Well somebody told me
You had a boyfriend
Who looked like a girlfriend
That I had in February of last year\
I disapprove of this
greatly

if he's into that stardust willie nelson album i wish him well in life

Huh, apparently Gladys Knight converted to LDS in the '90s.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/the-tina-fey-effect/2012/03/09/gIQAwmjO1R_blog.html?wprss=rss_ezra-klein

I am 100% willing to believe this is true,

that is unreal

Looks more correlative than causal

well I'd be interested to read that paper but I think people really underestimate how many low-information voters got their impression of sarah palin from lol clips they can on the internet

they saw on the internet*

I am totally cool w/ tina fey deserving a footnote in history books

large number of people really do think she said "I can see Russia from my house!"

hitchens is a dumbfuck but I def think tina fey played a pretty decent role in solidifying palin's public image - more people watch snl+youtube than tv news. there were def people who thought that palin actually said "I can see russia from my house."

― iatee, Tuesday, September 22, 2009 11:36 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

in before science

to be fair, this isn't much better:

As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border.

re her foreign policy experience

Looks more correlative than causal

yeah, i mean, from individual to individual there's probably a lot of variation, but i'm leery of the the authors' willingness to attribute causation as a general explanation. it might simply be that a lot of those republicans who were more favorably inclined towards palin were less willing to watch fey's parody.

or less likely to watch SNL in general (i.e., olds, cranks, angrys)

The grits clip posted above is not the cereal clip I heard yesterday. Brace yourself: this is an angry, militant Romney that you've never encountered before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvY4KKk964A

I always think it's really lame and calculated when people release these like 15, 20-song "playlists" - like does he really actually listen to those same songs over and over or does he just hit shuffle on his whole collection? I mean it makes for great poll thread material but it really seems like this throwback to mixtape days, this candidate carefully crafting their perfect mix to sell themselves to every possible demographic.

that's usually the case but this makes no sense as that

it really seems like this throwback to mixtape days

a good thing, imo

I feel guilty about liking the same cereal as Mitt.

some good songs on that mittlist! in voting, would be torn between "runaway", "in dreams", "stardust" (willie nelson version, i presume), and "charlie on the MTA".

I love MTA most out of the list but its presence here feels irritatingly on the nose - dude is a Massachusetts conservative so song for him presumably is an anthem about lowering taxes - "Fight the fare increase!" - which of course is sort of there in the song but the joy of the Kingston Trio rendition is just in the details and absurdity of Charlie's situation. But we talked about that in another thread.

Well let me tell you of the story of a band named...The Kingston Trio

honestly the only "humanizing detail" released by the Romney camp that actually makes him seem human to me is his love of O Brother Where Art Thou and his habit of saying "We're in a tight spot" whenever there's trouble in Romneyland.

Honey Nut Cheerios are very humanizing.

romney's playlist >>>> obama's playlist

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_l2VT7bYUEaY/TMDQN3W_VVI/AAAAAAAAJx8/JSHbDssC1mo/s1600/got-honey-nut.jpg

NEEDS MORE BORING

Humanizing touches be damned!

If a drunken robot could somehow get single-payer government-operated health care through Congress and sign it into law, bring the banks to heel and prosecute those who were culpable in fraud and malfeasance, limit the size of the armed forces to a reasonable peacetime force, while cutting the defense budget in half, and get a carbon-emissions-reduction policy in place that increased public mass transit options and put us on the path to renewable energy, then I'd vote for it, even if it had the world's ugliest paint job.