The 2012 Three Ring Circus AKA The US Presidential Election

[Wamitoria]

So does this count as the lowest point a presidential campaign has sunk to by a candidate from one of the main two US political parties?

I'm pretty sure that McGovern was at 24% in the polls at one point in the '72 election.

[The Black Forrest]

So under the umbrella of liar liar pants on fire.

Romney and the cons dredged up an old speech of the Presidents. They of course left the bit that changes the whole meaning. I give you the speech and the missing bolded part:

“As we think about the policy research surrounding the issues that I just named — policy research for the working poor, broadly defined — I think that what we're gonna have to do is somehow resuscitate the notion that government action can be effective at all. There has been a systematic, I don't think it's too strong to call it a propaganda campaign, against the possibility of government action and its efficacy. And I think some of it has been deserved. Chicago Housing Authority has not been a model of good policy making. And neither necessarily have been the Chicago public schools. What that means then is that as we try to resuscitate this notion that we're all in this thing together, leave nobody behind, we do have to be innovative in thinking how, what are the delivery systems that are actually effective and meet people where they live, and my suggestion I guess would be that the trick, and this is one of the few areas where I think there have to be technical issues that have to be dealt with as opposed to just political issues, how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution, because I actually believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody's got a shot. How do we pool resources at the same time as we decentralize delivery systems in ways that both foster competition, can work in the marketplace, and can foster innovation at the local level and can be tailored to particular communities.

— State Sen. Barack Obama, at a conference at Loyola University, Oct. 1998

Damn socialist is out to rob the poor widdle upper class indeed!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fac ... pmpolitics

[Rubiconic Crossings V2 rev 1f]

So does this count as the lowest point a presidential campaign has sunk to by a candidate from one of the main two US political parties?

I'm pretty sure that McGovern was at 24% in the polls at one point in the '72 election.

Did he embarrass himself to that level or was it coz he was just plain crap? I really know very little of that campaign to be honest...

[Wamitoria]

I'm pretty sure that McGovern was at 24% in the polls at one point in the '72 election.

Did he embarrass himself to that level or was it coz he was just plain crap? I really know very little of that campaign to be honest...

ASB could tell you more, but he made several statements in a very bad speech that basically pissed off all of middle America.

[The Emerald Dawn]

So under the umbrella of liar liar pants on fire.

Romney and the cons dredged up an old speech of the Presidents. They of course left the bit that changes the whole meaning. I give you the speech and the missing bolded part:

“As we think about the policy research surrounding the issues that I just named — policy research for the working poor, broadly defined — I think that what we're gonna have to do is somehow resuscitate the notion that government action can be effective at all. There has been a systematic, I don't think it's too strong to call it a propaganda campaign, against the possibility of government action and its efficacy. And I think some of it has been deserved. Chicago Housing Authority has not been a model of good policy making. And neither necessarily have been the Chicago public schools. What that means then is that as we try to resuscitate this notion that we're all in this thing together, leave nobody behind, we do have to be innovative in thinking how, what are the delivery systems that are actually effective and meet people where they live, and my suggestion I guess would be that the trick, and this is one of the few areas where I think there have to be technical issues that have to be dealt with as opposed to just political issues, how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution, because I actually believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody's got a shot. How do we pool resources at the same time as we decentralize delivery systems in ways that both foster competition, can work in the marketplace, and can foster innovation at the local level and can be tailored to particular communities.

— State Sen. Barack Obama, at a conference at Loyola University, Oct. 1998

Damn socialist is out to rob the poor widdle upper class indeed!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fac ... pmpolitics

I'm giving an over/under of 1 as far as minutes of air time this gets in the national news.

[Rubiconic Crossings V2 rev 1f]

Did he embarrass himself to that level or was it coz he was just plain crap? I really know very little of that campaign to be honest...

ASB could tell you more, but he made several statements in a very bad speech that basically pissed off all of middle America.

hmmm...seems there were a few things...am also surprised to read that he's still alive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mc ... l_campaign

Although I did like the Kiss My Ass comment

[Alien Space Bats]

So does this count as the lowest point a presidential campaign has sunk to by a candidate from one of the main two US political parties?

Oh, no.

I remember Nixon-McGovern in 1972. That was hopeless.

I'd put this more on the scale of Bush-Dukakis in 1988.

EDIT: Ninja'ed on '72. Truth was, McGovern was a long shot to begin with; then he had the whole Eagleton selection blow up it his face, and from there on out he was walking the Green Mile.

The truly ironic thing is that Nixon killed his Presidency trying to make certain that he beat George McGovern. The apparent senselessness of Watergate has always made historians shake their heads.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

So does this count as the lowest point a presidential campaign has sunk to by a candidate from one of the main two US political parties?

Oh, no.

I remember Nixon-McGovern in 1972. That was hopeless.

I'd put this more on the scale of Bush-Dukakis in 1988.

I was originally comparing it to Bush-Kerry, but Bush-Dukakis makes more sense. The only difference is that most of Governor Romney's wounds are self-inflicted, and not the result of attack ads. Not that he's not giving them plenty of clips for future TV spots.

[The Emerald Dawn]

So does this count as the lowest point a presidential campaign has sunk to by a candidate from one of the main two US political parties?

Oh, no.

I remember Nixon-McGovern in 1972. That was hopeless.

I'd put this more on the scale of Bush-Dukakis in 1988.

Dukakis in a tank being the low point?

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Oh, no.

I remember Nixon-McGovern in 1972. That was hopeless.

I'd put this more on the scale of Bush-Dukakis in 1988.

Dukakis in a tank being the low point?

You weren't asking me, but I'd consider his flubbing of the death penalty question and his total lack of a strong response to the Willie Horton ad to be even lower points than the silly tank video.

[Wamitoria]

Dukakis in a tank being the low point?

You weren't asking me, but I'd consider his flubbing of the death penalty question and his total lack of a strong response to the Willie Horton ad to be even lower points than the silly tank video.

Yeah, but even then I don't think it's comparable. That death penalty question was bullshit.

[The Emerald Dawn]

You weren't asking me, but I'd consider his flubbing of the death penalty question and his total lack of a strong response to the Willie Horton ad to be even lower points than the silly tank video.

Yeah, but even then I don't think it's comparable. That death penalty question was bullshit.

That's because it is important to you, I'm talking lasting impressions. Nothing beats the impression of a charging angry gerbil riding a rhinoceros.

(Fun fact, Connecticut has the same number of electoral votes as Oregon. Connecticut is the 48th largest state, put another way, it is the third smallest. Oregon is the 9th largest state.)

[Rubiconic Crossings V2 rev 1f]

So does this count as the lowest point a presidential campaign has sunk to by a candidate from one of the main two US political parties?

Oh, no.

I remember Nixon-McGovern in 1972. That was hopeless.

I'd put this more on the scale of Bush-Dukakis in 1988.

I remember the Dukakis tank pic...that was laughable and effectively killed his campaign (along with the Willie Horton debacle) ...but this is on scale beyond that I think...its not Romney trying to be something he is not but rather trying to dupe a particular racial segment that he is one of them by very badly applied camouflage...whereas Dukakis looked a hapless buffoon, Romney looks like Dr Evil caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Oh, no.

I remember Nixon-McGovern in 1972. That was hopeless.

I'd put this more on the scale of Bush-Dukakis in 1988.

I remember the Dukakis tank pic...that was laughable and effectively killed his campaign (along with the Willie Horton debacle) ...but this is on scale beyond that I think...its not Romney trying to be something he is not but rather trying to dupe a particular racial segment that he is one of them by very badly applied camouflage...whereas Dukakis looked a hapless buffoon, Romney looks like Dr Evil caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

Exactly.

Dukakis's trouble was due to his attempt to show that he was something that he wasn't.

Romney's trouble is due to his showing who he is.

[The Emerald Dawn]

I remember the Dukakis tank pic...that was laughable and effectively killed his campaign (along with the Willie Horton debacle) ...but this is on scale beyond that I think...its not Romney trying to be something he is not but rather trying to dupe a particular racial segment that he is one of them by very badly applied camouflage...whereas Dukakis looked a hapless buffoon, Romney looks like Dr Evil caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

Exactly.

Dukakis's trouble was due to his attempt to show that he was something that he wasn't.

Romney's trouble is due to his showing who he is.

Are we sure this is who he is? An Oompa Loompa that believes half the nation to be lost?

[Yumyumsuppertime]

Exactly.

Dukakis's trouble was due to his attempt to show that he was something that he wasn't.

Romney's trouble is due to his showing who he is.

Are we sure this is who he is? An Oompa Loompa that believes half the nation to be lost?

It is the hypothesis that fits all of the available facts while making the fewest assumptions.

[Alien Space Bats]

The only difference is that most of Governor Romney's wounds are self-inflicted, and not the result of attack ads. Not that he's not giving them plenty of clips for future TV spots.

Oh, there were plenty of self-inflicted ones.

Visually, there was the "Snoopy" shot:



Yeah. Democrats everywhere can't get that one out of their minds. Don't ever ask a Democratic candidate to take a ride in a tank. Ever.



But the moment that makes me cringe to this day (and this was almost 25 years ago, mind you) was in the debates, when Dukakis gave an utterly lifeless answer to a debate question from CNN Anchor Bernard Shaw. I remember feeling my heart sink as I watched, sucked down into the tar pits of despair like a wounded mastodon who took a wrong turn at La Brea, while my mind slowing screamed, "No, no, no, NOOOOOOO!!!!":

Shaw: “Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?”

Dukakis: “No, I don't, Bernard. And I think you know that I've opposed the death penalty during all of my life. I don't see any evidence that it's a deterrent, and I think there are better and more effective ways to deal with violent crime. We've done so in my own State. It's one of the reasons why we have the biggest drop in crime in the industrial State environment, why we've had the lowest murder rate in any industrial State environment...”

Dude, he's asking you how you'd feel if some asshole raped and murdered your wife.

What's worse is that it was the opening question in the debate.

But what's even worse than that is that he knew the question was coming in advance.

Seriously, I don't know if even Mitt Romney could descend to that level of robotic ineptitude.

<pause>

Although I'm sure that we're going to find out.

[Alien Space Bats]

It is the hypothesis that fits all of the available facts while making the fewest assumptions.

You have to love Rachel Maddow's take on the Romney campaign: That the new Romney strategy is to take the candidate and hide him "under a rock".

It's just like John Stewart said back in the summer: "Mitt Romney loses to Barack Obama, but 'generic Republican' crushes Barack Obama. Clearly, Mitt Romney's best option is to run as 'generic Republican.'"

The only problem they're having with this strategy is in trying to figure out what to do with the real Mitt Romney while 'generic Republican' gets out there on the campaign trail and wins one for the team. Ergo, Romney meet rock.

[The Emerald Dawn]

Rasmussen has Romney winning by 2, as of the 17th. That *has* to be a psychotic delusion.

[Not Safe For Work]

My god...he makes Nixon look good!

(Image)

His face is orange, his hands are white.

Totally not noticeable. Like an oompa loompa in a three piece suit.

Am I the only one who hopes the NAACP suddenly invite Romney to come speak to them?

[Wamitoria]

Rasmussen has Romney winning by 2, as of the 17th. That *has* to be a psychotic delusion.

I believe they have Romney losing by 2 now.

That being said, Rasmussen is going to be the what every right-wing blog clings to for the remainder of this election.

[Wikkiwallana]

(and, one assumes, also for the middle class)

One assumes wrongly.
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/ ... -taxes.php
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter ... aires-whi/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter ... -tax-plan/

There's more, but they were either editorials or left wing sites such as HuffPo and Think Progress, so I left them out.

[Free Soviets]

while nobody was looking, it looks like the dems' chance of retaking the house has grown quite a bit:

Here is a graph based on data from 2000-2010 House elections.



It shows that each 1.0% of popular-vote margin translates to a 6.0-seat advantage. This plot shows no long-term advantage* for either side: a nearly-tied popular vote would translate to a nearly-tied House...

Using all polls and median-based statistics to address issues of outlier data gives the median of D+4.0%...That translates to a narrow 16-seat Democratic majority in an election held today...Assume a +/-4% opinion shift between now and November, and this leads to a popular vote prediction of D+0% to D+8%. This gives a Democratic takeover probability of 74%, approximately three out of four.

can you imagine the shitstorm from the far right if they lose everything this time? i mean, they will obviously blame it on romney being a 'liberal', rather than look at the pattern of insane conservatives losing races that should be gimmes. that's how they roll. but this means quintupling down on the crazy.

forget the gold standard; they'll be calling for a return to the bronze age.

[Wikkiwallana]

Jeff Boss 2012

Who?

[The Emerald Dawn]

while nobody was looking, it looks like the dems' chance of retaking the house has grown quite a bit:

Here is a graph based on data from 2000-2010 House elections.

(Image)

It shows that each 1.0% of popular-vote margin translates to a 6.0-seat advantage. This plot shows no long-term advantage* for either side: a nearly-tied popular vote would translate to a nearly-tied House...Using all polls and median-based statistics to address issues of outlier data gives the median of D+4.0%...That translates to a narrow 16-seat Democratic majority in an election held today...Assume a +/-4% opinion shift between now and November, and this leads to a popular vote prediction of D+0% to D+8%. This gives a Democratic takeover probability of 74%, approximately three out of four.

can you imagine the shitstorm from the far right if they lose everything this time? i mean, they will obviously blame it on romney being a 'liberal', rather than look at the pattern of insane conservatives losing races that should be gimmes. that's how they roll. but this means quintupling down on the crazy.

forget the gold standard; they'll be calling for a return to the bronze age.

We firmly believe that a move back to the flint spear standard will herald in a new age of prosperity!