2012 GOP Presidential Campaign -- "This individual's going to accuse me of an affair for an extended period of time."

eh if there was an 'otherness' about kerry it was the waspy new england shit, which in 2008 was more foreign to your average american than 'has a relative from eastern europe'.

Bush is not a wasp? Kerry isn't a Catholic? Your average American was unaware of Kerry's ancestry, but they knew what he looks like, and the particular accusation was that he "looks" French. What he looks like, of course, is a product of his ethnic heritage. Most of the rival political coalitions in America are a product of distinct ethnic lineages and the cultures they created in the different regions of the country. So yes, it's accurate to say that calling him a New England guy is calling him a WASP in the "elite" sense, but it's also referencing that region's cultural pluralism, and specifically Irish/Italian/Jewish/other ethnicity.

he just didn't seem "rough 'n tough," in an era where that's what people wanted (maybe people always want that).

Well, sure, at least that's how BushCo sought to sell him. but while Bush had the tougher rhetoric and perhaps body language, Kerry was the slightly bigger (ok, perhaps just taller) guy and arguably physically tougher, which became apparent when they first shared a debate stage together. But that was not all that was signified by the phrase.

it means literally nothing, since most of the people reacting against purportedly "French" or "European" traits know less about Europe than I know about dropping a transmission. it means "here's your target, now haul out some insults you leaned from cartoons." one of the really aggravating Rumsfeld moments among many:

Now, you're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe. If you look at the entire NATO Europe today, the center of gravity is shifting to the east. And there are a lot of new members. And if you just take the list of all the members of NATO and all of those who have been invited in recently -- what is it? Twenty-six, something like that? -- you're right. Germany has been a problem, and France has been a problem.

also, this is the greatest thing ever

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/12/perrys-latest-oops-kim-jong-second/46394/

Lol.

You have to be fucking kidding me.

Mitt, unsurprisingly, is a great line-reader on Letterman. I kind of hate myself for liking the guy at times.

i wonder if there was that PR conversation in which someone had to tell romney, "just play down the french thing, okay", keep your ability to speak another language on the down-low. it would be such a humiliating litmus test of how shitty the contest you were voluntarily participating in was.

there's nothing wrong with liking a guy that you wouldn't vote for imo

I kind of hate myself for liking the guy at times.

Had the same reaction Sunday, watching his Chris Wallace interview. When he takes a for-Pete's-sake defensive stance at the debates, he's at his worst; in a more relaxed setting, I don't mind him. Maybe that's true of everybody to an extent, but I don't know--I haven't liked Huntsman in any setting. That's why I say "living-room test" (as in, can you stand to have this person in your living room almost every night for the next four years?) rather than likability. I think with some people--Romney, George H.W.--voters are able to reach a point of not not-liking them, without ever necessarily warming to them.

guys, that Perry gaffe is literally a repeat of W, but keep keeping yr mind off Obama's worse-than-Bush police-state shit.

there's nothing wrong with liking a guy that you wouldn't vote for imo

Well, it would be one thing if he were just a nice, but misguided guy. But Romney's a starchy, coldly insensitive, often highly patronizing jerk, from and of a wealthy class seeking to preserve its privileges, who is willing to contribute to public perception that we don't face a serious climate change problem (which in passing disrespects science and its practitioners), one of a number of signs that he may subsume his purported objective orientation in the ideology that best serves the wealthy (and himself). While it's possible that he's just playing politics on that score and knows there's a problem, I'm not sure he really cares much about it either way, and in fact he takes reasonably hard-right positions across the board. While he takes less about some social issues on which he'd previously shown some moderate/liberal tendencies, his religion may in fact make him at least some form of social conservative. And of course in office he'd be driven by an even harder-right party (so while I acknowledge the argument that it would take a Republican to get done a (probably wishy-washy) "left"-leaning initiative like a climate bill, I would never want to take such long odds).

What I like about him is that he's a highly intelligent, and at least marginally data-driven (to the extent it serves his profit motive, at least; not sure about in other respects), Northeasterner with some humanist/cosmopolitan tendencies (at least to the extent they once served his political interests in MA), and a real, if rather old-fashioned/corny (though I'm a fan of corn, to an extent), sense of humor that isn't mean. I also like that he's a little awkward, and secretly probably a little of his paternalism, at least to the extent it's directed rightward.

"takes" should be talks

a starchy, coldly insensitive, often highly patronizing jerk, from and of a wealthy class seeking to preserve its privileges

guys, that Perry gaffe is literally a repeat of W, but keep keeping yr mind off Obama's worse-than-Bush police-state shit.

― Dr Morbius, Tuesday, December 20, 2011 8:24 AM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

yeah lots of Obama apologists on here. He's a scumbag!

Morbius: what ever will you do if (or maybe when) Obama loses? Attacking Romney just won't be as piercingly edgy.

what makes you think he's going to stop bitching about Obama

I watched part of the Wallace interview, too and what I eventually took away from it was that it wasn't so much that I liked Romney as I found him marginally less annoying than the other candidates. The transparently obvious pandering to idiots that is so common is painful to watch in Romney but the fact that he looks kind of half-hearted doing it, while it enrages the base, gives me small comfort, I guess.

so i see sully's a paultard now. which makes perfect sense, really.

I have v. little love for ron paul, but ron paul >>> people who use the term "paultard" imo

like, if Ron Paul has jock itch, his pained scratchings at his undersac are still wittier than affixing "tard" to a dude's last name

fair enough. not trying to be witty at all, just a common dumb thing people say but i obviously wasn't thinking it through. anyways sorry!

I have v. little love for ron paul, but ron paul >>> people who use the term "paultard" imo

― undervalued aerosmith tchotchkes sold in bulk, Tuesday, December 20, 2011 9:36 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

OTM

Andy Borowitz @BorowitzReport -- Romney campaign unveils new slogan: "You're Out of Other Options"

lol

Uh, love my dog.

more Gingrich lolz

Uh, love my dog.

― Nicole, Wednesday, December 21, 2011 6:10 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Permalink

times infinity

Love this poat so much I want to strap it to the top of my car.

"Uh," he said. "Love my dog."

Cain speaks to the NRO. Remember him?

“I’m not bitter but I am disappointed and angry at times,” he says. “That’s different from being bitter.”

NRO can afford to be kind and gentle with Cain now that he's irrelevant. No mention of his gaffes, like his not knowing that China has nuclear weapons.

that whole interview is kinda sad imo

This is what happens when someone who has never won an election to public office at any level runs for president. He'd never been scrutinized in this way before and he chose to be picked apart on a national stage in front of the entire country. His naivete was breathtaking and his fall was inevitable. The only thing strange about the entire episode was that he succeeded to the extent he did.

btw, he still has never won a single election. not even a primary contest.

once a fake pizzaman, always a fake pizzaman

also: he didn't know anything about any major issues.

9!9!9!

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/12/is-romney-stronger-than-he-appears.html

We've kicked around variations of this before, but if the White House is counting on Romney's time at Bain as their "devastating" ace in the hole (based on an election that took place 18 years ago), wow.

Hahah lord, they're not dumb enough to make that the centerpiece.

Meantime:

http://www.mrdestructo.com/2011/12/game-over-scans-of-over-50-ron-paul.html

weird how much this is dogging Paul lately, I was kinda under the impression everybody that cared already knew about this stuff

a lot of his fans have claimed that the newsletters don't exist, or are blown out of proportion -- i don't think (or haven't seen) a lot of hard evidence + quotes (until now of course)

alfred linked to this atlantic piece from a kinda-sorta-paul fan who sorts through the wreckage of the newsletters

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/12/grappling-with-ron-pauls-racist-newsletters/250206/

between his defense of ron paul's racist newsletter, his long bizarre promotion of the bell curve, etc, sullivan is pretty much out as a racist imho (not to mention his fascination with israel/neocon/aipac conspiracy theories)

The comments on Mr Destructo's blog are genuinely lol-worthy

between his defense of ron paul's racist newsletter, his long bizarre promotion of the bell curve, etc, sullivan is pretty much out as a racist imho

Interesting.

TNC's response.

sullivan is trying this tact of saying "well, maybe he's racist, but who running for the republican nomination isn't?" of course, the answer to that is: "if it's a party full of racist ppl maybe refuse to endorse any of them?"

Newsletters or no newsletters, it should be common sense to anyone who's paid any attention to Paul that he's a bit of a crank and doesn't belong anywhere near the Oval Office.

Nate otm. I have decided from my position of white, male privilege to overlook the tedious culture-war racism and homophobia and just focus on the fact that Mr Avuncular is also an out-and-out crank and should by no means be anywhere near the levers of power.

I do find Sullivan's endorsement of Paul kind of odd, but he seems to be offering it with the disclaimer that he really supports Obama and he's just endorsing Paul because he would spark a useful conversation within the conservative movement.