agree w/mordy on romney essentially being a bullshit artist and a pandering bore. during the last debate i realized mitt says nothing that isn't thoroughly market-tested and/or a total cliche. even when provoked.
― the deli llama, Monday, 12 December 2011 22:59 (twelve years ago) link
Even his joeks he had to mail order.
― Lord Sotosyn, Monday, 12 December 2011 23:00 (twelve years ago) link
i saw the video of the mitt/vet exchange, it actually wasn't bad, he's kinda stuttering & ridiculously not facing the guy while they talk, but being it effectively ends on the "i gave you the answer" thing, seemingly good naturedly
obv he is a terrible robot &c it just wasn't hugely evident there
― Never translate German (schlump), Monday, 12 December 2011 23:39 (twelve years ago) link
Like, for instance, he pseudo-affably laughed his way through others dogpiling him during the Republican debates in '08, but he always seemed to be one jibe away from blurting, "Hey, fuck you guys, okay?".
i watched the video of the $10,000 bet and what struck me most about it was the enormous tower of passive-aggressive smiley teeth-gritting both perry and romney were teetering on; it did feel like at any moment one of those guys could just suddenly narrow his eyes, open his mouth and it would be this glistening radioactive maw issuing a digitally sweetened shriek-roar from hades
― his venerable escutcheon, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 00:14 (twelve years ago) link
I realize what my hope that Gingrich will win comes down to: enough Republican voters rising up and saying, "He's a slimebucket, but he's our slimebucket." So I'm a little nervous.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 00:41 (twelve years ago) link
he has a good chance, if only for one reason: there's a significant segment of the GOP that just rejects romney, and they may realize that time is too short to move to another anti-romney. so it may be gingrich, or nothing.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 13 December 2011 00:48 (twelve years ago) link
"Gingrich, or Nothing": a winning campaign slogan if I've ever heard one.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 00:56 (twelve years ago) link
I've brought this up before, but I'll never forget the debate disaster Romney had here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qhCO7tBcaY
you can see the rage and resentment that is buried within Willard Romney.
― Matt Armstrong, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 01:04 (twelve years ago) link
man I forgot about this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-groI7IpExA
― Matt Armstrong, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 01:06 (twelve years ago) link
mitt is short for willard?
i never knew.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 13 December 2011 01:09 (twelve years ago) link
all this time i thought mitt was short for mittens?
― Mordy, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 01:10 (twelve years ago) link
Those two clips are great. I was following the Democratic side much more closely at the time, and I knew next to nothing about Romney, but in the couple of debates I did watch, it was clear everyone on stage despised him.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 01:17 (twelve years ago) link
Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani...when giants walked the Earth.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 01:19 (twelve years ago) link
it says a lot about the current republican crop that in 2007 they had guys who reduced Romney to wincing embarrassment but in 2011 they just have gingrich and the kind of candidates who think Solyndra is a country.
― Matt Armstrong, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 01:30 (twelve years ago) link
Solyndra...President Obama supported the uprising, correct?...I just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 01:40 (twelve years ago) link
didn't somebody make sure Rick Perry passed his vocabulary test over this shit already?
http://m.jumpstart.com/JumpstartNew/uploadedFiles/sne/pdf-screenshots/test-your-word-power-iii.jpg
― www.myislamicdream.com (step hen faps), Tuesday, 13 December 2011 01:44 (twelve years ago) link
i see now that schlump has already said what i said, about the weird smiley passive-aggressiveness
my suspicion is that these guys have it drilled into them to always smile no matter what, so 9 out of every 10 still photos and live camera angles will show the candidate appearing "positive" etc
i have no doubt this is based on real research and is probably "good" advice ultimately but man it leads to some weird moments
― his venerable escutcheon, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 10:16 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/13/michael-tomasky-could-obama-be-headed-for-a-landslide.html
I guess it depends on what you mean by landslide--a landslide like 1980 and 1964, or a landslide like 1996 and 2008?--but this seems highly improbable even if things were going well right now. Aren't there enough electoral votes locked in for the Republicans that a classic landslide would be impossible no matter who the nominee were? And again, 8-9% unemployment producing a landslide...huh? Even if Gingrich were to get the nomination, I think Obama would win a relatively close general; if it's Romney, I think either Obama wins a very close general, or Romney wins going away.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 14:54 (twelve years ago) link
The only thing that might bring back sanity and civility is the destruction of the current GOP. If Republicans wake up next Nov. 7 to see that their extremist-obstructionist posture of the last four years has only reelected a president who started the year below 50 percent (as he will) and whom they should have been able to beat, then they might finally return to earth.
I bet he said this in October '08.
― Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:00 (twelve years ago) link
i used to really love tomasky, he has been kinda unfocused at newsweek so far i think, & he wrote a pro-sibelius post last week re: plan B etc.
but re 'could the GOP be heading for disaster'?, i do sorta think that especially if they nominate gingrich, the huge disconnect between party infighting/base satisfaction, with the basic beer-test, tv-friendly, kennedy-vs-nixon appeal of a candidate could be exposed, and they could just bomb. idk how many people are vaguely in between but who the fuck is going to vote for gingrich in a GE unless they love him.
― Never translate German (schlump), Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:01 (twelve years ago) link
Or hate Obama...which surely covers many of the states that are solidly Republican. Gingrich or no Gingrich, I don't think "Texans for Obama" is going to happen.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
this video is worth 1000 words. but i've still reprinted 22 of those words below.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/12/romney-2002-moderate-progressive-not-partisan-Worcester
I think people recognize that I'm not a partisan Republican—that I'm someone who is moderate, and that my views are progressive.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:20 (twelve years ago) link
better embed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMcjJEXt9To&feature=player_embedded
i used to like tomasky too until i realized he basically just writes the same columns as everybody else
― his venerable escutcheon, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:37 (twelve years ago) link
sheesh I'd never seen that clip
― iatee, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:41 (twelve years ago) link
this race is gonna get so lol
― his venerable escutcheon, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:37 (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink
idk. i like him as a writer, i don't know whether it's just that i thought he was particularly suited to the informality of blogging, over the more necessarily fully-formed-premise-based nature of his NW columns. just hasn't grabbed me yet. & the plan b thing.
― Never translate German (schlump), Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:41 (twelve years ago) link
Oppo research! Please get that clip to Newt a.s.a.p.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:47 (twelve years ago) link
I heard the clip of the gay vet telling the media hordes he knows Mittens is a fake by looking into his eyes, which frankly is BS. I'm sure he would've been impressed 4 years ago by Bam's lyin' eyes.
― Dr Morbius, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:49 (twelve years ago) link
I didn't think that clip was so awesome-awful either.
― Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:50 (twelve years ago) link
In a sane world, not at all; boasting of your moderation is the kiss of death in terms of the nomination.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:52 (twelve years ago) link
I think alfred was talking about the gay-vet clip
― iatee, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:53 (twelve years ago) link
yes
― Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:53 (twelve years ago) link
Mittens comes off decently; he answered the question without her eyes crossing, as Bachmann did when that kid programmed by lesbian parents questioned her.
― Lord Sotosyn, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:54 (twelve years ago) link
*HIS eyes crossing, heh
Oops--I meant the one just above.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:55 (twelve years ago) link
without her eyes crossing, as Bachmann did when that kid programmed by lesbian parents questioned her.
her eyes weren't crossing. they were summoning a righeous blast of hellfire from the lord.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 13 December 2011 15:56 (twelve years ago) link
and now for a funny little story about Mittens' dad:http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jR1D9gmHyL8/TuepsEKfc2I/AAAAAAAAAO4/I9LGdawDEbU/s1600/GroganRomneyNYT.jpg
― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 19:51 (twelve years ago) link
Man, bring back the days when Republican presidential candidates actively campaigned in San Francisco.
― Pleasant Plains, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 19:57 (twelve years ago) link
"articulation is a key identifier of intelligence (esp to me)."
?? i don't get this, its an identifier of a certain kind of intelligence but certainly a very limited one
― joey joe joe junior shabadoo, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 19:58 (twelve years ago) link
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/12/un-newtening.html
:/
― iatee, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 20:44 (twelve years ago) link
that poll detail is terrific. his boom was so fast it didn't even happen
― slandblox goole, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 20:46 (twelve years ago) link
Trump debate off; my condolences to you all.
― Dr Morbius, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 21:25 (twelve years ago) link
If they give up on Newt before he even has a chance to engineer a spectacular flame-out, I will be very angry. (Honest to god--what do these people want!?)
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 21:26 (twelve years ago) link
was honestly hoping Newt would get to spout a few more totally insane things before shrinking back into ignominy
― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 21:31 (twelve years ago) link
newt will always spout totally insane things; you may just have to work harder to hear about them
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 21:37 (twelve years ago) link
Back to point #2 on a list I posted of reasons why I wanted Newt to win: the sheer boredom of an Obama-Romney campaign.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 21:39 (twelve years ago) link
boredom with a fraudulent choice helps the 99%, not that you in the Great White North need care.
― Dr Morbius, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 21:43 (twelve years ago) link
We don't have rich and poor people here--just a Tim Horton's on every corner.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 21:44 (twelve years ago) link
canada just backed out of kyoto! the circus headed north too i guess
― slandblox goole, Tuesday, 13 December 2011 21:47 (twelve years ago) link