the most important election of your lifetime: 2012 american general election thread

I assume someone made note of this for the debates:

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/mitt-romney-israel-health-care.php?ref=fpblg

Michael Steele was on TV saying Romney might have to apologize to Palestinians.

I'm sure this will have been noted on the New Yorker thread, but--even though I hate reading long pieces online--I'm going to make a concerted effort to read this:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/08/06/120806fa_fact_lizza

To envisage what Republicans would do if they win in November, the person to understand is not necessarily Romney, who has been a policy cipher all his public life. The person to understand is Paul Ryan.

Michael Steele was on TV saying Romney might have to apologize to Palestinians.

― timellison, Monday, July 30, 2012 8:23 PM (28 minutes ago)

steele really is an enigma, seems like that guy just goes w/ his gut sometimes

nah he is an opportunist who isn't actually very good at being an opportunist but that doesn't matter when you are one of 3 black republicans in the country, or at least it didn't for a while. I don't think he has any core political beliefs.

I have this feeling that he's half or partly opportunist but then just can't keep that trait in control.

ah which I see is similar to what you said. except sub out 'no core political beliefs' for 'actually kinda deeply understands the sins of his party' and 'enjoys novelty poses with young republicans'

Saw this earlier tonight:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/transcript-david-muir-interview-mitt-romney/story?id=16881787#.UBdE26P5BVY

Go to the 3:00 mark; "So far as I can recall"--Romney's inability to navigate even the most rote kind of political legerdemain consistently surprises me.

As he walked back to his vehicle, he ignored reporters’ shouted questions. When a journalist noted that Romney has taken almost no questions from his traveling press corps throughout the foreign trip, Romney spokesman Rick Gorka retorted, “Kiss my ass.”

“This is a holy site for the Polish people,” Gorka said. “Show some respect.”

Moments later, Gorka told another reporter to “shove it.” Gorka later called the reporters to apologize.

well this trip is going well

stupid question, I guess, but, this was at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, right? Is that really a "holy site"? I'm not saying you shouldn't show respect a monument or cemetery or whatever, but is it really considered holy ground?

wow the unknown solider kissed someone's ass RIGHT BEFORE HE DIED! show some fin respect

perhaps its merely hallowed

if you remember from Nixonland, in '72 George McGovern got heckled with "Four more years" and he responded "Kiss my ass."

This is pretty funny, whether it's true or not--he's just so weasely:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/07/31/dick_morris_clinton_is_going_to_cast_his_ballot_for_mitt_romney.html

Would love to know which third parties he's been talking to.

the crazy train is the gravy train

that would be less offensive than Dick Morris running Billy Blythe's 1996 campaign

nevermind guys Romney didn't say anything about Palestinian culture.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57483302-503544/romney-i-did-not-speak-about-palestinian-culture/

"I guarantee you, Sean, based on what I've heard from third parties or I've spoken to, that William Jefferson Clinton cast his ballot for Robert Joseph Dole"

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/Images/romney14.jpg

he's holding it like it was a diaper

what happened to his lips

Ann Romney defecates on American Flag, Mitt is Proud of it

#RomneyShambles

Colbert had an interview with a dressage trainer/expert/whatever last night:

Guy being interviewed: "...much like a free-skate in the figure skating."
Colbert: "How do you get the skates on the horse?"
Guy: "We don't..."
Colbert: "The horse does that? I find that hard to believe."

http://www.mediaite.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/colbertage.jpg

the best thing about that Romney pic is that you could photoshop out the flag and replace it with a garotte wrapped around the neck of a turtle and the expression on his face would still work

lol Colbert never change

can someone write "kiss my ass" on that flag plz

This is probably the least important Presidential election since the 1950s. As an experienced political hand told me, the two candidates are speaking not to the voters, but to the big money. They hold the same views, pursue the same policies, and are backed by similar interests. Mitt Romney implemented Obamacare in Massachusetts, or Obama implemented Romneycare nationally. Both are pro-choice or anti-choice as political needs change, both tend to be hawkish on foreign policy, both favor tax cuts for businesses, and both believe deeply in a corrupt technocratic establishment.

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/07/obamas-second-term-agenda-cutting-social-security-medicare-andor-medicaid.html

Zzzzzzzzzzz

for god's sake don't read Davy Brooks' NYT column today.

TROOTH MAKE GOOKBE SEEPY

wow. really pierced through the veil.

the scales have fallen

and both believe deeply in a corrupt technocratic establishment.

need to think of a term for this. what is it when something is so true as to be meaningless?

only way you can tell how important an election is is if youve got a time machine or a crystal ball or some sort of device like that, otherwise youre just trying and failing at looking deep

Harry Reid: Bain Investor Told Me That Mitt Romney ‘Didn’t Pay Any Taxes For 10 Years

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/07/the_drip_drip_drip_of_romney_tax_rumors.php

i think preventing the ryan plan from being implemented is a good enough marker of importance

tho even if you had a time machine maybe youd need an alternate reality machine too, maybe a crystal ball does both of those things

Mitt Romney implemented Obamacare in Massachusetts, or Obama implemented Romneycare nationally.

Does this dude really think that Romney would veto a repeal of healthcare?

a political analyst on Brand X with Russell Brand

what the shit

*healthcare reform

the relative importance of elections is kinda beside the point, theyre all important, each and every candidate will behave uniquely if elected, thats true for candidates of the same party in the primaries and candidates of different parties in the general

and both believe deeply in a corrupt technocratic establishment.

obama is a secret mormon too?

I saw that story about no taxes...Unless Reid knows something really solid, isn't that a really stupid thing to float out there? Not only does he look slimy, it makes anything seem that much more reasonable by comparison. ("He did pay 13%? So what was all that about not paying anything?")

nah - TPM is right. costs the Dems nothing to float rumors at this point, cuz the only way for Romney to refute rumors is to release his tax returns. Romney's in a lose-lose situation (assuming his tax returns have bad shit in them, which I'm sure they do)

I know it's futile, but I do wish the racial things (the Anglo-Saxon one and the Israeli/Palestinian one) from his trip were treated as a bigger bombshell by the media. They're more like what you'd expect from a Pat Robertson campaign.

theres no way to make 13% look good, if romney doesnt release his taxes hes gonna pay in bad press like this until election day

“He didn’t pay taxes for 10 years! Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain,” said Reid.

I still say psychology doesn't work that way--it's more effective to understate something, rather than wildly overstate it--but maybe they feel it's the only way to force his hand.

all team romney can do is bluster about hurt feelings if they won't release the info, and i don't see "the dems are mean!" as a real base-rallying device

clemenza youre prob vastly over weighing some tiny aspect of this thing