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

In general, I agree that likeability won't move elections much--it's a threshold thing, and as long as you clear the "s/he'll do" bar, you're electable. But for a long time, Romney was falling well short of that bar. With so much economic data seemingly frozen in place in the iffy grey area, I assumed one of Obama's clear advantages in November would be that most voters like him, and most clearly don't like Romney. So I'm not suggesting this poll means that people are suddenly in love with Romney--really, who could love Romney except Mrs. Romney?--just that he's starting to clear the "he'll do" threshold. And I do think that matters in terms of Obama's chances. Whenever you'd write something like "this guy is so doomed," Shakey Mo, it was often after Romney had said something stupid. Just an opinion, but I think that between "that guy says some stupid thing" and "I have a visceral dislike for that guy," the latter is far more damaging.

(That last post might be enough to get iatee back on here: following an opening "Eh," he can patiently explain how I'm completely wrong.)

(has anybody tried bumping the sburbs thread?)

lol

wait where did iatee go?

Out to the country, got a big farm. lots of fresh air.

oh, figures.

Lots of peaches, too.

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

Bad news is he has to commute 40 miles each way to his job in the city.

He could no longer afford to live in his neighborhood.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/26/1095014/-Bain-Capital-and-Mitt-Romney-s-Best-Kept-Secret-Clear-Channel-Radio

"Corporations are people"

Barack, we hardly knew ye.

Am I just not remembering, or were monthly jobs reports as big a deal 20 years ago? I followed Bush/Clinton pretty closely, and while I remember attention being paid to the general unemployment rate and GDP numbers, I don't recall such life-or-death anticipation of every jobs report.

well we're in a pretty big financial hole, more than twenty years ago

Attempted augury of voters's November mood swings, five months in advance, so investors can buy the correct product in the presidential market?

Well timed.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SPYL8UC1UCY/S8d5EVWoyDI/AAAAAAAACIo/1Ff7p4ZgThE/s1600/The+Out+of+Towners+%281970%29.jpg

Guessing I'm probably the worst-dressed person ever to receive an e-mail from Anna Wintour.

obv you've never read The Zizek-Wintour Letters

haha, Bubba Eruption over the weekend, saying Mitt's corporate record was "sterling." Now backtracking.

Bill Clinton, gliding through a privileged life, doing pretty much as he pleases, defended Mitt Romney's business past. Said that Romney was qualified to be president. This from a senior Obama supporter.

I laughed when I read that. I can't stand Clinton, but that made my day. I'd shake whatever hand he doesn't jerk off with.

http://dennisperrin.blogspot.com/2012/06/ride-my-see-saw.html

why would that player use either of his own hands to jerk off with?

Lookin' old and thin since he gave up barbecue, not pullin' what he usta

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/05/michael-tomasky-is-barack-obama-is-too-weak-to-win-in-november.html

frustration with the cool one

this is going around but it won't last long. original still up at Romney's site for now though & lol all day:

As president, Mitt will work to expand and enhance access and opportunities for Americans to hunt, shoot, and protect their families, homes and property, and he will fight the battle on all fronts to protect and promote the Second Amendment.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Proud Amercian Mitt Romney Invites Voters to take a ‘Sneak-Peak’ at Pathological Spelling Problem

access and opportunities for Americans to hunt and shoot their families.

the 2nd amendment guarantees my right to hunt my property and family, fuck you liberals

aaaahahahaha this is really getting me bad

curmudgeon, I think the idea that Obama would send up a long series of jobs/stimulation bills to die in Congress, so he could run against a do-nothing Congress probably got killed by the democrats in Congress. They would see that startegy in a very different light, when they went home and faced ads that said something like:

(solemn deep voice) In the past year alone, Joe Blow voted for spending bills that, if they had passed, would have cost fifty gazillion dollars and ballooned the deficit like a bullfrog on helium. This time, vote for our smiling man with a nice suit and haircut, not that drunken sailor who'll piss away your children's future.

more traditional than birth control

xp

oh shut up Bubba

he's returned to his Screaming Lobster of Hope days.

Mr. Johnson, it happened again: http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/06/romney-campaign-misspelled-reagan.html

So far, the Romney campaign cannot spell "peek," "America" or "Reagan."

Clinton's comments on Romney: BS, despicable

The tax cut thing: totally overblown, mostly just pragmatic.

The Senate awakens to the consequences of drone warfare and the cynicism of the White House leaks: Bradley Manning gets prosecuted while Obama reads Augustine's Confessions.

The Senate is concerned about drones suddenly-- but only with regards to leaking news about them, not however in terms of due process and civil liberties and effectiveness of whack and kill a mole in terms of a sole strategy to deal with the multiple problems in Pakistan, Yemen, etc.

the Senate only cares about O taking credit for them. they want everyone to know there's blood on their hands too y'know!

McCain's just jealous he doesn't get to personally target hapless muslims

It's shame-free, of course, but look not at intentions. McCain actually made a good point:

“The fact that this administration would aggressively pursue leaks perpetrated by a 22-year-old Army private in the Wikileaks matter and former CIA employees in other leaks cases but apparently sanction leaks made by senior administration officials for political purposes is simply unacceptable,” Sen. McCain said.

i disagree, tbh. when it comes to clandestine operations sanctioned by the administration, it seems appropriate for the white house to decide what to reveal and when to reveal it.

...and it also seems appropriate to punish army privates for deliberately leaking sensitive information.

McCain's denounciation would be much more forceful if it came from someone with moral principles.

'rizer lovin' the Imperial Presidency

this really is peripherally related to the thunderous bore of an election, or should be.

would be much more forceful if it came from someone with moral principles.

now same-sex marriage strangely comes to mind...

McCain's denounciation would be much more forceful if it came from someone with moral principles.

It would be even more forceful if intentions mattered.

i disagree, tbh. when it comes to clandestine operations sanctioned by the administration, it seems appropriate for the white house to decide what to reveal and when to reveal it.

You mean you don't want to meet this generation's Fawn Hall? I can't wait.

It irritates me that Bradley Manning matters only as a pawn in the Dem-GOP scrimmage over principles both parties share, that's for sure.

i just mean that i'm somewhat willing to grant the administration the license to reveal the general scope of clandestine operations (on a big picture, "here's more or less what we did" level, without naming names specifically endangering anyone). the executive's license to reveal is much less troubling to me than its license to conceal.

and the factor of "We can't say this exists in court, but psssst, we did THIS badass kill"?