Symmetry required it: 2012 american general election thread #2

http://gawker.com/5946392/mitt-romney-stops-supporters-from-chanting-ryan-to-ensure-they-say-his-name-too

wow. that is just pathetic. posting it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1j1b8hZg0g

"I admit this, he has one thing he did not do in his first four years, he’s said he’s going to do in his next four years, which is to raise taxes," Romney told a crowd at a campaign stop in Vandalia, Ohio.

... is he actually throwing this?

this might be some 13th dimension chess shit to set up a triumphant 2016 GOP candidate who succeeds on the merits of not pooping her pants too often

is he hoping to sweep into victory like Mondale did after Fritz's plans to raise taxes?

Hahah you remembered the SAME clip I did.

I see we have entered the always delightful "no longer gives a fuck" phase of the Romney campaign

usually it doesn't start 6 weeks out, but oh well

Fritz:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJClXb8vQpY

Has anyone ever asked lifetime government employees who are also anti-big government sorts how they jibe their livelihood with their politics?

Yes!

I encounter a lot of conservatives who work (directly or indirectly) for the government - I encounter them socially, professionally, and here on the interweb thingy.

Unsurprisingly, most seem to maintain that it's some OTHER guy's salary that's the problem. All the talk about how government is the problem, we need to cut government, need to get government out of the way, etc., is always referring to some OTHER bit of "the government." Often, if given the choice they would increase defense spending, and restore great ambitions to NASA.

One factor in this is that the vast vast vast majority of government activity (apart from entitlements) is defense. Defense and homeland security together account for upwards of 70% of contracting dollars. People in that sector are not overwhelmingly political liberals. But they'll happily take aim at the convenient caricature of a government bureaucrat: a pencil-necked geek at the EPA, NEH, NEA - easy stuff to demonize if you're already coming from the knee-jerk anti-government, anti-tax stance.

Yes, there's a disconnect there, but good luck getting them to recognize it. My father-in-law: "The government is fulla crooks." Me: "Don't _you_ work for the government?" She: "Yeah! That's how I know!" Sheesh.

A few weeks ago NPR interviewed a salt-of-the-earth farmer who was going on about too many people getting government handouts, etc. The interviewer asked abot farm subsidies, and the interviewee moved the goalposts, saying, yeah, well, we take advantage of the programs that are out there (with the implication that it'd be stupid not to); it's a very small percentage of my income; the problem is with people who are getting "a large percentage" of their income from government. Whenever the Tea Party types come to Washington to march, someone makes a crack about them riding public transportation. It's an easy and fun zing, but the counterargument - they were already forced to pay for it, why shouldn't they get to ride it? - is actually kind of a fair one.

All that said, it's a bit jarring when you think about it: GOP politicians are eager to tar "the government" with one big muddy brush. But by definition, politicians are people who either are government employees, or who desperately want to be. "I hate government employees, please make me one."

Found it

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/21/159370491/in-wis-swing-county-voters-criticize-handouts

(and I think I inadvertently changed my father-in-law's sex: That "She:" should be "He")

http://gawker.com/5946392/mitt-romney-stops-supporters-from-chanting-ryan-to-ensure-they-say-his-name-too

This falls into the kind of lol but mostly sad category, doesn't it.

The ability to hold multiple opinions or ideas which are mutually exclusive or strongly incompatible is an almost universal human trait. An unwillingness to see this as applying to oneself, even when one's nose is thrust in it by an outsider who recognizes the illogic of your opinions is also nearly universal. Hence the saying, none so blind as those who will not see.

"I admit this, he has one thing he did not do in his first four years, he’s said he’s going to do in his next four years, which is to raise taxes," Romney told a crowd at a campaign stop in Vandalia, Ohio.

Its kinda neat that he was able to summon up the ghost of Reagan once again by phrasing a new version of the famous Mondale quote

I'm patiently waiting for the inevitable "Obama's a Muslim" question put to Romney from the audience that McCain genuinely handled so well.

McCain genuinely handled so well

guy had a lot of time to prepare iirc, on account of hearing this shit non-stop for weeks w/o saying shit. i am being picky & asking a lot but i really feel like the collective historical genuflection before this moment is slightly more than it deserves.

He acted like what someone with a shred of dignity would do. He certainly didn't go off on an inspiring speech about his party's delusional base and the danger it was inciting. Instead, he just quietly took the mic, and mumbled "no, no. That's not true."

My itchy point is that I'd like to see what Romney would do. "Ha Ha, what's that? He's a MORMON? Ha Ha, no you wouldn't have said THAT. No, you can sit down now. Terrific."

Seconding schlump as to the amnesia concerning McCain--he'd let that stuff go on for weeks without saying anything.

As tcote noted on Twitter, Romney's starting to age visibly here:

http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/d0ac778b131c351b1c0f6a70670053ba.jpg

http://s4.hubimg.com/u/3176755_f520.jpg

thanks to all the moon talk i've been picturing mitt and paul as rocky and winky from the MST3k Manhunt In Space.

A+

Paul Ryan singing "Sleepy little felon..."

idk man, that was obviously a terrible outerwear colour for mitt but there's something weird about him, i saw a pic of that event before & it struck me that i don't think i would be able to narrow mitt down to a twenty-year age range if i hadn't seen him before. he looks so box-fresh that it's like age isn't a thing. he could be 45 or 66.

Something about that photo, like his forehead is aging at a different rate than his cheeks and chin.

http://i.minus.com/iSPBsiQ2cVjgu.gif

Moving right along...

kitten mittons romney!

Though Romney’s public events typically offer a safe cast of state and local politicians as opening acts, the campaign sprinkled in some celebrity appearances. Country music star Lee Greenwood performed as supporters waited through intermittent rain bursts. And U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentuckian with a fervent Tea Party following, made the trip up from Cincinnati with Ryan, who began his day there on the bus tour’s warm-up set.

This campaign is taking off the gloves.

Country music star Lee Greenwood performed

Boy that guy sure has ridden the gravy train all these years.

“We simply can’t have a setup where the teachers unions can contribute tens of millions of dollars to the campaigns of politicians and then those politicians, when elected, stand across from them at the bargaining table, supposedly to represent the interests of the kids. I think it’s a mistake. I think we’ve got to get the money out of the teachers unions going into campaigns. It’s the wrong way for us to go. We’ve got to separate that."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/25/romney-suggests-teachers-unions-should-be-prohibited-from-campaign-donations/

this fucking guy

Money = speech except when I don't like where the money is coming from then money = bribery.

I cannot even fathom why he would start bringing up campaign finance reform at this point. Unless he's such a myopic idiot that he doesn't even realize that that's what he's doing.

“Jeb Bush stood up to the teachers unions in Florida and that made a difference,” Romney said.

Indeed, only 7 states now have lower high school graduation rates than Florida!

he doesn't even realize that that's what he's doing

Legally, he doesn't, right? ;) Those Super PACs are just so totally anonymous and independent. Someone should tell Romney what they're spending on his behalf, stat.

Current summing up of everything:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/assets_c/2012/09/9-26-12-colbert-sg-cropped-proto-custom_28.jpg

have gone from seeing Mitt playing a variation on Fred Willard's persona to him getting in a taxi w/ Travis Bickle driving.

"Why, that's very clever... * checks ID badge * ..."Morbius!"

"What's the one thing that most bothers you about tax-exempt offshore accounts, Travis?"

In fairness, the obvious counterpoint (about high finance funding politicians, who then sit across the table from them to protect the public) is not exactly available to Obama.

http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/d0ac778b131c351b1c0f6a70670053ba.jpg

wtf kind of watch is that. a 12 and then 30-60-90 second demarcations? Is he often worried about what second it is?

12, 03, 06, 09

okay but still

shakey, the watch has the HOURS on it, not the seconds. surely like most analogue watches??

symmetry required it

"from that day on, other posters started calling him Shakey Mo Dyscalculia"

lmbo shakey have you ever seen a clock before

hahaha Shakey wtf

http://www.clker.com/cliparts/6/7/0/b/119498901189173912analog_clock_jonathan_di_01.svg.hi.png

Z1 E0 GO 60? What the hell kind of watch is that?