Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Primary Plus Election Thoughts

The primaries are over, even if Rick Santorum won’t admit it yet. We see this in the sudden rush to endorse Romney, in the fact Rick is free-falling in the polls, and in the fact that even the Obama-supporting media is finally giving up on pushing the idea Rick can win. So here are some thoughts about the future.

Rick’s Done: There are three primaries tonight and Romney should win them all. In Wisconsin, Ricky is losing by 13% in the most recent polls -- though Democrats are allowed to vote so it will be closer. In Maryland, Ricky is losing by 25%. And Romney is winning with all groups -- Tea Party supporters, registered Republicans, self-identified conservatives, women, men, and everyone else. . . except evangelicals. Even in Ricky’s home state of Pennsylvania, they are now tied.

Equally interesting is the recent HotAir poll. For those who don’t know, HotAir has become a hotbed of retardism as they and their Kool-Aided followers have spit out every conceivable conspiracy theory known to man about Romney -- everything from Romney paying his endorsers to Romney causing the 2008 financial meltdown. I keep waiting to hear that Romney is the real Alinsky Trojan Horse Obama was supposed to be. . . or the love child of Hitler and Eleanor Roosevelt.

In any event, they did a poll of their readers the other day and lo and behold Romney won by 61% to 20%. Imagine that. Naturally, the comments are full of claims that Romney must have rigged the vote because the HotAir poll is soooooooo influential Romney knew he had to win it. Stupidity and self-delusion aside, this is pretty strong proof that even though talk radio hasn’t come around to Romney yet, their listeners very much have and conservatives are overwhelmingly behind Romney now.

(FYI, we’re not covering the primaries tonight, but I’ll check the comments here if you want to share your thoughts.)

Ann Romney: There was an article yesterday about Ann Romney being the Romney the Democrats fear the most. I think that’s right. Part of the whole package of judging candidates comes down to judging their wives. The wives give us an insight into what kind of person the man is behind the public relations package. And in that regard, Ann Romney is great. She’s warm, she’s funny, she’s an excellent public speaker and appears to be a great mom. She’s June Cleaver meets Maggie Thatcher. By comparison, Madame O is this:

She’s angry, nasty, judgmental, hypocritical, and all around a lazy, power-abusing POS. And she will suck the salt right out of your body. Ann Romney will win people over, Madame O will turn people off.

Moderates Ready To Turn On Obama: There seems to be a human need among many people to feel they have been forced into making decisions. This is why your last girlfriend/boyfriend suddenly decided that all the things about you which were once cute suddenly became annoying right before they dumped you -- because they didn’t want the responsibility for dumping you, they wanted to feel like you forced them to dump you. The same is true in politics, especially among moderates.

The best way to tell when a politician is losing moderates is when the moderates start to find personal reasons to dislike the politician. That’s happening now. Indeed, this week, Peggy Noonan suddenly discovered that Obama is “creepy.” She didn’t mention anything new or anything that wasn’t already obvious. What she did instead, was to re-characterize his record in personal terms. She lumped together his attack on the churches about contraception, his lies to church groups, his making the Trayvon Martin case “about himself,” and his focus on things other than economics at a time when the public supposedly only wanted the economic crisis solved. And she defined these incidents as a pattern of behavior showing that Obama is “devious” and “dishonest” and an “operator who’s not operating in good faith.” And this makes him “creepy”: it’s not me. . . it’s you. This is how moderates change their minds. Obama is toast.

Paul Ryan’s Future: Many are now pushing Ryan for VP, but I think that would be a mistake. VP is nothing more than a glorified organ-donor position, a spokesman who cuts the ribbons at bank openings and waits like a vulture for his boss to die. Ryan does more good in the House. But someone raised an interesting point the other day: what if Ryan got appointed to be head of OMB (the Office of Management and Budget)? That actually makes sense. As the guy who writes Romney’s budget, with a willing Congress, Ryan might have a lot more power and lot more freedom to put his skills to use. That said, I wonder if the other bozos in Congress could get budgets through without him? Good question.

No Condi Rice: There is a renewed push. . . again. For Romney to pick Condoleezza Rice as VP. Please do not do this. Rice has never impressed me. She got run over at the State Department by weak-links like Colin Powel and power-players like Dick Cheney. She is not an effective speaker and she lacks the one skill modern VPs need -- attack dogginess. Please do not choose her.

Still Rubio: BTW, I still think it will be Rubio. All the signs are there including a non-rejection rejection. But I would also accept Bobby Jindal, Allen West, or Herman Cain.

Thoughts?

Don't forget, it's Star Trek Tuesday at the Film Site!

174 comments:

  1. Andrew, are you claiming Romney isn't the love child of Hitler and Eleanor Roosevelt? Are you?

    In all seriousness, I agree about Ann Romney. I heard her in an interview not too long ago, and she seems like a genuinely nice person. The campaign couldn't do better than to have her in center stage from now on.

    And no, Paul Ryan doesn't need to be VP due to its basic uselessness. Personally, I'd rather see Jindal than Rubio as running mate, because a) Rubio's still new to the national stage, and b) Having another governor--one with a far less controversial record among conservatives, I might add--might strengthen the ticket more this cycle than tossing in a senator. But I'll be happy with either.

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  2. Romney will be our man…cool. This was written in the tea leaves many moons ago, that’s how the RNC works, let’s all take a knee and pray. Okay, the prayers are over, it’s time to kick ass! …and fix the mistake of ’08!

    I didn’t know Moochele had a twin sister, charming.

    Moderates like to glom on, as it becomes apparent that Barry’s toast, they’ll raise their hands claiming to be the smartest kid in the room.

    You’re right about Ryan, he’s the future, and most valuable in the house.

    Rubio would be a great choice, as would Jindal, West, etc.

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  3. If I may, I offer the following alternative for Moochelle: "Chewbacca." Think about it. Picture it. Believe it.

    While I cannot argue about your description of the V.P. slot, I've often thought it need not be that way. If people really would let the V.P. play a more substantive role and be a vocal pitchman, what better way to give a younger future star (two come to mind) the "gravitas" and national exposure to make them your natural successor. The main risk is after 8 years, people are usually ready for a change, and the protege becomes "tied" to the predecessor..

    Condoleeza - I don't necessarily disagree with your assessment of her. On the other hand, if it is going to continue to be an unimportant job, don't overlook what she would bring to the ticked. A female black. She is very popular, and sadly a lot of people do look at these things in making their choice. It certainly makes it a little tougher for B.O.'s race baiters to use that logic.

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  4. Salt Vampire! Now I know why she would like salt banished from tables. She wants to keep all the salt for herself. ;-)

    Herman Cain is the only one who isn't busy with vital things to do.

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  5. Condi has said she is a policy wonk not a political one. I doubt she would ever accept the nomination. I LOVE the idea of Rubio (and West), but like you feel the position is window-dressing. Still, the idea of either of those men as our VP makes me want to do a happy dance.

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  6. Y'know, it's interesting you should say that thing about Romney's parentage. I "found" this on the internet: IMAGE I can't tell if it's been photoshopped. What do you guys think?

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  7. Haven't read the article yet - gotta get to work. But this was on my fb this morning, and then I got on here and saw this article - had to share... my friend, the sweater-vester:
    "In joining the ranks of those calling for a close to the Republican primary race before two of the most populous states in the country have had a chance to vote (nearly two months remaining until then), I would gladly have Romney realize he is not the choice of conservatives and get out of the race. :-)"

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  8. I think the veep spot is only as important as the president allows it to be. But it can be both an important position, and if used properly it can free the president up to handle the most important issues. In addition, it can be used as a training ground for a future president, particularly one who has no previous executive experience. That would apply to both Rubio and West, either of whom would be a fine candidate. I was a Jindal-for-President geek, and as much as I would be excited by having him in the number two position, he certainly doesn't need the executive training and he personally feels his job in Louisiana is not complete yet. I'd rather see him wait for four or eight years and make the run for the top spot (eight, obviously, if we elect a Republican this time around). I lean toward Rubio at the current time, but West would bring a great deal to the spot as well.

    I agree about Ryan. The new president is going to have a herculean task putting together a budget that will get us out of debt and back to work, and he'll need Ryan leading the charge in the House. Besides, like Jindal, he's young and has plenty of time for presidential politics later.

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  9. T-Rav, I'm waiting to see the DNA tests! ;)

    I absolutely agree about Ryan -- he would be wasted as the VP. I would be entirely happy with Jindal as well. I don't know if he's on the radar, but he would make a great choice.

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  10. Stan, I think this proves beyond a doubt that Moochelle is a Salt Vampire. Yep.

    I agree about moderates. And I think the fact they are now looking at reasons to dislike Obama personally is just absolute proof that they are done with him. I can't imagine how he can turn that around now?

    I would definitely be happy with Jindal, West, Rubio.

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  11. Romney has got to be bold in his choice of VP. I would absolutely love to see Rubio on the ticket.

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  12. Jed, That's true. But I'm just not convinced Rice belongs in politics. She just doesn't have the sharpness that is needed to fight back against the slanders the job entails and if here just looking for a black woman, I would rather he found a different one.

    I agree that the VP position could be much more effective, but I doubt many presidents are thinking in those terms. I think they usually just see the VP as someone to sure up the base or the moderates and then as an attack dog. Of course, W handed over a lot of power to Cheney. So it is possible.

    I could see Michelle as a Wookie. It's believable!

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  13. Joel, Yep. That is why she's on her anti-salt crusade! Now we know! :)

    That's a good point that Cain is the only one who doesn't have an important day job, so he would make an excellent choice. Plus, he's funny, charming and a great debater. He is prone to gaffes though and I suspect that will keep Romney from choosing him, but I personally think he would make a great choice.

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  14. Patti, That's the thing, Condi is great on policy, but not great on being out front taking the flack. I would rather she was an advisor than the person meant to draw fire.

    I would be happy with West or Rubio for sure. West in particular has the verbal feistiness for the job. The left would hate him!

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  15. tryanmax, Now I've seen everything! LOL! I knew there was something funny about the guy!

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  16. rlaWTX, Sadly, your friend with the vest is for a hard life of disappointments. Also, btw, Romney is the choice of "conservatives" -- so say the polls, including Hot Air's poll, where Romney wins overwhelmingly (61%-20%). The only group he's not the choice of is evangelicals, and they aren't really conservatives... they are big government liberals with some conservative social positions.

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  17. Lawhawk, I agree. You're right that the VP job is only as important as the President lets it be. W for example handed a ton of power to Cheney, but others have been just glorified cheerleaders. You're also right in your assessment of the players. I think Jindal could be helped with national exposure, but he doesn't need the job for the executive experience. Rubio and West could both use the experience. Ryan has more important things to do.

    I can't think of a lot of other names at the moment, but one thing I do hope is that Romney doesn't pick someone like Pawlenty.

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  18. Writer X, I agree. He needs to avoid picking an insider or someone "safe" like Pawlenty or Christie. I want to see him pick somebody who will excite people. I'd also like to see him pick a minority so we can further bury this idea that Republicans are anti-minority. I think Rubio would be a great pick. I also think West would be bit. Jindal would be pretty good too. Beyond that, I'm not sure who else would be a good choice at the moment?

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  19. Incidentally, who's that woman on the left, next to Michelle? She looks familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it.

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  20. Not all Evangelicals are "big government liberals with some conservative social positions", but I get your point.
    I really think that the Mormon thing is as important to the southern Evang. vote as the so-con positions of Rick. However, as my vest-wearing friends prove, that is not true for all, and there are many who have heard what he has meant for them to hear and have believed.
    I hope that these are "get-over-able" positions for the General Election!

    Unfortunately, I think a "person of color" is pretty much a necessity as a running mate for Mitt. (the necessity is unfortunate) He might slide in with a white guy, but it will be much closer and much uglier. Although, the running mate will get "Uncle Tom"'d, I think it will be easier to argue against race mattering from that position - and convincing moderates.

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  21. T-Rav, That's Michelle in both shots -- with and without makeup. ;)

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  22. rlaWTX, Certainly not all evangelicals by any means, but definitely this collection of them who think that Rick is "a genuine conservative" despite ALL the evidence to the contrary. I lumped your sweater-friend in that group because of the claim to speak for "conservatives" when all the polls say the opposite.

    I would be shocked if this wasn't a "get-over-able" position because I think their extreme dislike for the Muslim Obama will be much, much stronger than any dislike for the cultist Romney. But even if it isn't, I honestly don't think they are in states that are in dispute, so it ultimately won't matter.


    I also think a minority is necessary for Mitt, but not because there is something uniquely white about Mitt. I think any white GOP presidential candidate needs a minority VP right now because the Democrats are pushing so hard trying to make Hispanics believe that Republicans hate them. Now is the time to disprove that and reshape the future of the country.

    Also, let me make another point, I honestly do think Rubio or West (especially the combative West) are the best VP candidates in the country right now without regard to their race. In other words, even if we ignored race entirely, the would both still be my top two choices.

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  23. Michelle as a Salt Vampire! Awesome!

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  24. Kelly, It seems we have learned a valuable truth today!

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  25. Andrew, I agree about Ryan. I would be happy with any of the others you mention. I am interested in the New Mexico Governor too (name escapes me). I would not want to see Condi Rice. I like her, but she's not a politician.

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  26. Also, I don't know if it's just me, but Blogger is really slow today.

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  27. Ed, I don't know enough about her. Her name is Susana Martinez. She's also said no, but that means little these days.


    I had some problems getting a couple comments to post earlier, but it seems to have fixed itself again.

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  28. Andrew, Speaking of the primaries, I'm seeing ZERO coverage of it today. I guess even the MSM has given up on the idea of Ricky.

    Speaking of Ricky, he's out there attacking Drudge again as "Romney propaganda" and he plans to put that in a book. What an asshole.

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  29. Ed, Nothing Ricky says surprises anymore. If Reagan were alive and endorsed Romney, Rick would be calling him a "turncoat ex-Democrat."

    I hope people are paying attention and when Ricky tries to run again in whatever election, they remember this and throw his read end out.

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  30. Now Andrew, what have I told you before? You can't possibly compare Moochelle to a Wookie, because Wookies are so much better looking! ;)

    Good article. It gives me hope and I would love Rubio or West as VP. West especially would be a good "attack dog".

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  31. TJ, LOL! Plus, Wookies are nice people, so Moochelle can't really be a Wookie. :(

    I'm very hopeful about the election and the future. I think Obama is in serious trouble and for once the GOP seems to be heading in the right directions rather than trying to trip itself up. I guess we'll have to wait and see who Romney picks, but there are some solid candidates here. I would love to see West get the nod. He would rip Obama/Biden to shreds!!!

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  32. I saw that Moochelle is telling kids to go tell their grandparents to vote for Obama. Leave it to liberals to try to indoctrinate kids.

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  33. tryanmax, That is an excellent bit of photoshop (or is it?) :)

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  34. Rather OT, but in light of last night's post, this seems worth passing along.

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  35. Andrew, Do you think there's a chance Ricky pull off an upset in Wisconsin?

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  36. T-Rav, Fascinating! That absolutely destroys the narrative that Zimmerman was an anti-black racist.

    It also tells you that liberals are more than happy to eat their own in the name of attacking conservatives. The ironies here are almost unbelievable.

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  37. Doc, He certainly has a chance because Democrats can vote and if people think the race is over, you will get low voter turn out. I still expect Romney will win, it just will be by less than the polls predict and that will wrongly give the Laura Ingrahams of the world comfort.

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  38. That is one scary picture next to the Salt Vampire! Who did the effects?

    I love the dripping brain, by the way. Tre cool!

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  39. T-Rav, That is an interesting link. Thanks! I keep hearing how we're supposed to know Zimmerman is racist, but this really punches a hole in that.

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  40. As someone mentioned above, I am seeing nothing on the primaries. I think the MSM knows it's over.

    That is a great side-by-side picture! I don't normally go in for attacking First Ladies, but this one is such a troll.

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  41. DUQ, I don't normally like attacks on the First Lady either, but this one deserves it. She acts like royalty and looks down on the public.

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  42. And don't forget, she wasn't proud of America until her husband got elected President. Because we were all racists before then.

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  43. HRH Michelle, "Let them eat non-fat, non-salted, leafy greens organically grown in unicorn manure compost!"

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  44. T-Rav,

    That's a great link. Thanks. I noticed a few idiots doubting and reiterating the line the race hustlers prefer. By comparison, their arguments are becoming weaker and weaker.

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  45. HRH! LOL! So very true. I have never felt before like a First Lady looked down on the rest of us... until Madame O. She's the first one I ever felt simply did not like America or Americans and felt she was better than the rest of us.

    By the way, I hear Unicorn Manure Compost is great for plants, especially money trees. :)

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  46. T-Rav, That was a very telling quote and it's proven to be an accurate reflection of her mindset -- she does not think highly of America.

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  47. Joel, It looks to me like the whole attempt to make this into a giant race riot really is failing. I just don't see the sustained outrage or the numbers they need to make something like that a reality. And with each passing day, the facts go more and more against the race hustlers.

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  48. Bwwahahahaaaaaaaahahahahaaaaaa... cough cough cough... Right when I'm taking a drink, Andrew, always right when I'm taking a drink...

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  49. Crispy, Sorry about your drink! Perhaps Madame O can get you a refund?

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  50. OT, but I can't let this pass: I guess the band The Fray performed the National Anthem for last night’s NCAA championship game. Fine. They gave it a bit of a 60s folk flavor. I heard it and I thought it was nice but mostly unremarkable.

    However, RWR has been busy tearing it apart today, calling it disrespectful and saying they ruined the song! I swear, they do this every time anybody other than the Marine Corp Band performs the Anthem, and it’s seriously pissing me off. I mean, if you want to be the party of stick-in-the-mud fuddy-duddies, there’s no better way to do it than to insist that the national anthem must be performed in a certain way or it’s a sacrilege.

    This is the crap that makes people nervous about conservatives. The way these idiots are talking--and don’t get me started on the callers--you could be forgiven for thinking that, if they had their way, anyone missing a note would be summarily shot! Maybe that’s going a bit too far, but they certainly wouldn’t mind having an Anthem code similar to the Flag code.

    Don’t these talkers, these defenders of free expression, recognize the irony inherent in wanting to lock down the style of the National Anthem? Think about that, they want to take the expression out of a song. How much would you bet that they don’t even know that the tune was taken from a drinking song? For that matter, how much would you bet that they wouldn’t care if it were sung in a country style? Hypocrites!

    /rant

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  51. Excellent rant, T! Carry on...

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  52. tryanmax, I agree. :)

    This is one of the things which keep people from wanting to be considered conservative. Conservatives are too quick to jump on anything that isn't done in the "traditional way" (i.e. the way it was when they grew up. That's what makes it so easy to claim that conservatives all want to impose a Leave It To Beaver world on everyone else.

    I fought this battle a long time ago at BH during the rap wars. Ben Shapiro came out and said rap sucks. Lots of people knee jerked with him. I fought back. Soon, they were horrified to discover that a lot of conservatives enjoy a lot of different types of rap and weren't ashamed to say so. (They assumed there was only one type and that no white person could like it.)

    What really bothered me though, was when I pointed out that rap actually is crawling with conservative themes of freedom, independence and self-reliance and this was something conservatives could use to work with blacks to get them away from the Democratic plantation. The same knee-jerks who thought there was only one type of rap went insane. They basically said (without using the words) that blacks are hopeless.

    Too often, the loudest conservatives love to trumpet their intolerance and their ignorance and a form of groupthink, even as they claim to support individuality.

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  53. tryanmax, I have to disagree. I heard them do the anthem, and I thought it was awful--not necessarily disrespectful, but just musically very bad. They rushed through it and put it completely out of cadence, and--they just weren't any good. And yeah, I do say this about half the people I hear doing the anthem, though again, that's more because I don't think they can sing. Moving your voice up and down repeatedly and throwing in a few "yeah, yeah, yeaaaaaahhhhh"s is not an especially moving or well-done form of music.

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  54. Awful is a completely different story than disrespectful. I have nothing good to say about awful. Nope... nada.

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  55. T-Rav, My point wasn't really about how well the Anthem was performed. It was more in response to the firestorm RWR has rained down on it. Nobody has been talking about the quality of the performance, only the style. I dunno, maybe they are all so musically illiterate, they don't know the difference.

    The general consensus on RWR is that there is a (unspecified) "right way" to sing the Anthem and anything else is disrespectful. The worst I saw was last year when Christina Aguilera messed up the words for the Super Bowl. The talkers didn't just criticize her performance, they literally called her patriotism into question. Unacceptable.

    And I do not exaggerate when I say that they would like to enact an Anthem code. That has really been a topic of conversation on radio today. That is far beyond simply stating an opinion about the performance and moving on.

    I do agree that The Fray is a somewhat baffling choice on the NCAA's part. I wouldn't expect any performer to turn the gig down, though.

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  56. I also stand by the suggestion that a country-style rendition, even a poorly done and badly botched one, would have been given a pass.

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  57. tryanmax, It's the outrage factor. They have little else to offer, so they need outrage to keep listeners engaged. So they spin accidents and misstatements into horrific attacks on America itself. And in the process, they embarrass the ideology they claim to represent -- just like Olbermann and Madcow embarrass the left when they do their ludicrous thing. I don't like it, but there's nothing we can do about it except mention it.

    Which is the long, complex way of saying "I agree with you."

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  58. By the way, I knew they made fun of Aguilera, but I didn't know they questioned her patriotism. That's bull. You don't question someone's patriotism until they give you a real reason.

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  59. Yep, I remember because I was incensed then as I am now. It was done primarily by implication, such as, if Aguilera were properly respectful she would have prepared better.

    They also let the callers do a lot of the work by letting them trash the singer while calmly saying nothing. I distinctly remember one caller stating that foreigners should not be allowed to sing the Anthem (Aguilera was born in Staten Island) and the host let the comment ride.

    Today was pretty much a redux of that style of radio, minus the slights against anyone's personal patriotism.

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  60. tryanmax, it probably would have, though I think even a lot of those are pretty crappy (the newer acts, at least).

    I also didn't know they questioned Aguilera's patriotism, which I don't agree with. Sharp as a sack of wet mud, maybe, but not necessarily unpatriotic.

    As to how you sing the anthem--look, I don't mind some variation. At the same time, I think you ought to be true to the music and lyrics of the piece. Screwing with that to an egregious degree is "disrespectful" in the same way mixing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with a techno beat would be. It's not meant to be interpreted in whatever way you want, it's meant to be played in the way it's written. Similarly, I have an issue with the people who just go crazy with the anthem. If nothing else, it draws the attention to themselves rather than to the meaning of the song, and I don't like that.

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  61. tryanmax, Sadly, I'm not surprised. And I'm definitely not surprised they would let their callers do their dirty work. I always find that incredibly dishonest -- this idea that some caller just happened to say it, when the reality is they choose the callers, they know what they will be saying, and they can correct them if they disagree.

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  62. T-Rav, I agree and disagree. I agree that when you are called upon to sing the national anthem at an event, you should sing it fairly straight. You should not be changing words or trying to make the song about you. That is disrespectful.

    However, the song itself is not sacred and I have nothing against people remixing it or doing whatever they want with it on their own time. In fact, I think self-expression being such a strongly held American value makes things like what Hendrix did an attempt to honor the anthem rather than dishonor it.

    I also have no problems with remixing Beethoven and I don't think that's disrespectful at all. To the contrary, I think it shows respect to keep the music alive and to try to expand it into new areas and to essentially lay out what the work means to you.

    For me, the only reason disrespect enters the equation is if the person is called upon to deliver the anthem itself at an anthem giving occasion and then the mess with it. Or if the person does something with the specific intent of mocking.

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  63. I thought the anthem was poorly done, I didn't see anything disrepectful. Rosanne was disrespectful with her crotch grab.

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  64. Any word on the primaries yet? I don't want to turn on the television. I can't take these people anymore.

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  65. DUQ, Nope, no word yet. We have an hour and a half before the polls close in Wisconsin, which is really the only one in question.

    Feel free to post any thought you have as we get closer.

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  66. Andrew, Out of curiosity, are you not doing the primary theaters anymore because you think it's over?

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  67. DUQ, Partly. But people also weren't participating. It was basically just me, T-Rav and tryanmax for the most part. So I took that to mean a lack of interest.

    We will do the debates and the general election however. So T-Rav's sockpuppets aren't finished yet! :)

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  68. Andrew, Nice article as always. I am watching Fox News and Paul Ryan just cut Obama to pieces. I love Paul Ryan!

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  69. Ellen, Ryan is awesome. He has a deceptively cutting style where he can cut right to the chase without sounding whiny or angry. I didn't hear the particular quote, but Obama keeps giving a lot of reasons to be angry at him -- like today's attack on the Supreme Court.

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  70. Andrew, Did you hear what the three judge panel did to Obama? They told the Department of Justice lawyer to write a three page letter on whether Eric Holder thinks judges have the power to overturn federal law.

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  71. DUQ, I'm intrigued. Do you have an article that you can link to?

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  72. tryanmax, I saw it on Fox, but here's the link to the written article:

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/03/judges-order-justice-department-to-clarify-following-obama-remarks-on-health/

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  73. DUQ,

    I think someone has been taken to the woodshed....

    Here's the LINK

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  74. Joel, That's how I see it! It definitely made me laugh! :D

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  75. DUQ, That's great! What a fantastic way to hold Obama to his own words or to force Obama to backtrack. This is what happens when you attack the courts, they will fight back... as Obama is about to learn.

    In fact, I have to say, it was really truly stupid for him to go around today attacking the Supreme Court. All he's going to do is push them further toward overturning ObamaCare.

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  76. Here's something interesting, by the way. I switched from Fox to CNN to see if they had anything on the primaries yet and they have very different election poll data. CNN's data is much more pro-Romney than Fox -- though Fox's is also rather pro-Romney.

    I'm not sure what that means, but it is interesting.

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  77. 17 Minutes.... on MD. 1:17 on Wisconsin.

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  78. DUQ, that made me laugh heartily. From what little interaction I've had with judges, I get the impression that they are generally not the sort who take to being bossed about.

    I spent my drive-time today musing over the sheer brilliance of the founders in setting up the Judiciary Branch as co-equal.

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  79. tryanmax, Judges are a world apart. They are a very distinct breed -- part nerds, part brainiacs, part egomaniacs. So it is pretty funny that they get equal say over the government.

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  80. I'm sure they've always been a breed apart. And I agree, it's funny as well as brilliant. But then, the founders actually envisioned that one branch of Congress be primarily career politicians--something universally regarded as evil nowadays. I think the founders knew that it takes all types, so to speak.

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  81. Watching CNN. Gee, I wonder why Democrats would be supporting Rick Santorum.

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  82. I am watching it too now and I can't possibly imagine why Democrats would support Ricky? Maybe there's something about Ricky that just makes Democrats love him?

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  83. I think the real genius of our Founding Fathers was to assume that bad people would gravitate toward government, so they put in place a system to stop them from using the government. And for the longest time, that worked.

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  84. Must be his strong stance against birth--*snicker*--against bi--*ha ha ha*--birth con--*snort!* I'm sorry, I can't even type it without laughing.

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  85. LOL! Yes... that must be what brings in the Democrats.

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  86. CNN calls Maryland for Romney

    Surprise.

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  87. No projection on DC because they don't have exit-polling data.


    Wow, Romney won in Maryland by about 21%.

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  88. Here's a point I've been meaning to bring up. Ricky hasn't even appeared on the ballot in every district. To me, that looks disorganized. Shouldn't people prefer a candidate who has his act together? Tell me where I'm wrong.

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  89. DC is no mystery. Ricky wasn't on the ballot there, if I'm not mistaken.

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  90. I really hope Ricky loses in Penn.

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  91. CNN calls Washington, D.C. for Romney.

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  92. tryanmax, Me too. I really want to see Rick lose Penn in disgrace and go away and never come back.

    The only reason they waited on DC was they didn't do the polling data.

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  93. trynmax, On the organization point, there are dozens of reasons to reject Santorum no matter what you feel about Romney, and that is a biggie. He lacks organization and support. Think about it. Even though he has millions of dollars to spend, he can't get himself on each ballot and can't find delegates to represent him in every district? How messed up is this guy's campaign? That's electoral incompetence.

    Add in that he whines about how unfair it is that the other guy has money, and I can't image why anyone would think he would have a chance against Obama?

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  94. Rick sucks. There is nothing good to be said about him as a person, as a conservative or as a candidate.

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  95. Huh, I missed them making the actual call on DC.

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  96. I hope this ends tonight! Come on cheeseheads!

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  97. tryanmax, I would laugh myself silly if Ricky loses Pennsylvania.

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  98. I don't normally wish that kind of embarrassment on somebody, but Ricky is shameless, so I doubt it will phase him.

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  99. tryanmax, I don't normally wish ill or embarrassment upon people either, but this guy deserves it. Plus, I really, really, really, really, really, really, don't want people deciding he should be the candidate in the future.

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  100. Not "candidate in the future." "Candidate of the future." I'm convinced he is a robot.

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  101. I would rather he not be considered either!

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  102. Hey, whaddya make of this Transgender Miss Universe? (S)he kinda looks like a robot, too.

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  103. I jumped over to FOX to remind myself why I can't stand O'Reilly. He is currently demonstrating a complete ignorance of the oil industry. He says the oil companies "don't give back to the folks" whatever that means.

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  104. Don't get me started on the transgender Mr. Universe. Fine, I get it, these people have problems. BUT they should not be allowed to compete in things set aside for the other gender. Some dude sued recently because he wasn't allowed to play tennis with the women. Give me a break. He can chop off any part of himself, but he still has the muscle mass of a man, so it's simply wrong.

    Also, stop talking about "the pregnant man" in Britain. It's a women who slapped a fake male organ on her self. She is NOT a man who somehow got pregnant.

    Messed up crap.

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  105. O'Reilly reminds me of the worst kind of panderer. I don't think he has any real views and all he says is whatever is currently popular. Even worse, he's got the conspiratorial stuff down by never quite saying what he's really saying, he just talks around things and implies heavily. That makes him a charlatan.

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  106. Back when he was on radio, I described O'Reilly as being liberal when the issue called for conservatism and conservative when the issue called for liberalism. It's like he always angled himself to be wrong.

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  107. Hmmm. That's actually the perfect way to describe him. That is exactly what he does! I'm amazed how often he seems to switch sides just to be on the opposite side of his guests -- and then acts smug about being more enlightened than they are.

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  108. tryanmax, Very well put! That is O'Reilly to a T.

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  109. How is Wolf Blitzer in broadcasting? He constantly stutters, speaks in choppy sentences and even pauses to take a breath mid-word. How, I ask you, how?

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  110. You know what's funny, is that Wolf was "the adult" at CNN for the longest time.

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  111. Sorry, I'm in full-on ADD mode tonight.

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  112. Don't they have booze for that? ;)

    I'm actually in full-on ripping my hair out, trying to gather my tax info right now. I need to get my taxes done. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

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  113. And CNN does not call Wisconsin yet.

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  114. If Ron Paul would just get out of the race, I would win!

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  115. Hmm. CNN just "called" DC for Romney. But they already did that.

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  116. Andrew, why are you being intolerant of people just trying to be themselves? Shame!

    O'Reilly has never struck me as anything other than a demagogue. He makes good points sometimes, but mostly I can do without him. And the one time he got to do a one-on-one interview with Obama, he choked.

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  117. T-Rav, Same here, he's just a demogogue. And while he does make some good points now and then, they are fairly rare and he doesn't apply them consistently.

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  118. Yeah, the IRS likes us to do our taxes. Silly IRS.

    Ha, ha, ha! Booze makes the ADD sooooooo much worse. And I have had some wine, tonight.

    In all seriousness, alcoholism is a big problem among adults with ADD. I'm lucky to have developed coping mechanisms before I even knew I was ADD. In lay terms, my parents forced me to "shape up" and "stop acting like an idiot," but they also let me be me and didn't try to stuff me into a mold. It's a delicate balance.

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  119. CNN is trying to go with the women hate Republicans argument and they want Romney to become a liberal to win women back.

    //rolls eyes

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  120. As far as the great "war of words" between Obama and Ryan, HotAir posted about it a couple of times, each with the caption "414-0." (That being the margin by which Obama's own budget was defeated in the House.)

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  121. Yeah, I figured alcohol would be bad for ADD.

    Might I suggest working out Pi to the end?

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  122. T-Rav, What you're saying is that Obama brought a spitball to a gun fight?

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  123. Arg. Santorum is speaking. He just called it "half time." Half-wit is more like it.

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  124. Half-time is fine, except the score doesn't reset Rick. As far as you're concerned, it's the two minute warning and you're down by 4 touchdowns.

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  125. So Rick thinks he's a common man... like George Washington? I guess history wasn't Ricky's forte either.

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  126. Doc, He used that same line on Sunday. He called himself Kansas in the second half of the semi-final.

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  127. Doc and tryanmax, You should hear the swearing going on at the television around here -- and it's not even me.


    P.S. What's your take on the transexual brouhaha?

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  128. Does he really not get that he's lost? Delusional.

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  129. I don't know what I think about the transexual thing. (S)he looks like a robot. A robot with a lazy eye. I don't think (s)he can win.

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  130. Still plugging the Etch-A-Sketch. Yawn.

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  131. Lazy-I the Robot... sounds like an anime series!

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  132. Wahhhh! I'm a whiner... like Reagan.

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  133. Ha ha! Candidates of the future:

    Santorum/Lazy-I 2088

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  134. Andrew, worse. He brought his pea-sized brain.

    I take it you don't need to inquire how I feel about the aforementioned brouhaha. I will say this, though--if you have a Y chromosome, an exclusively female group shouldn't be made to include you, just because of "how you feel on the inside."

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  135. tryanmax, I would pay out of my own pocket to get that ticket off the ground. :-)

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  136. And Peirs Morgan knows a thing or two about fat ladies singing!

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  137. T-Rav, I plan on being dead, so do whatever you want.

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  138. T-Rav, I concur -- as you can see above.

    Pea-sized brain is right.

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  139. I would pay to see that ticket too -- on the Democratic side!

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  140. Wolf just bought into the "it's half-time" line, proving that Wolf does not understand either math, nor human nature.

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  141. ...probably not sports, either.

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  142. AND CNN CALLS WISCONSIN FOR ROMNEY!!!! Yeah... take that Ricky!

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  143. If I started exercising and eating better, I could maybe squeak it out until 2088. But if that's what I have to look forward to, I'll just keep eating red meat and drinking wine.

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  144. And here comes the spin from Rick's people -- Rick could still win delegates. Yeah, right.

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  145. I am so much happier right now. This race is over!

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  146. ADD thought: Living only to 100 would be kind of a rip-off. You have to live to at least 104 or 105 to really experience a century.

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  147. tryanmax, I'm just going to stop paying my taxes. That way Uncle Sam will work hard to keep me alive!

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  148. Doc -- That's called loser speak.

    DUQ -- It's over. Rick just won't admit it, even after tonight. He's entered the insane zone.

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  149. tryanmax, Good point. But why stop at 105? I say go to 205 so you can compare centuries!

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  150. nice work on the primary coverage!

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  151. I want to hear Paul Ryan! Come on! Let Ryan speak!

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  152. Man, Andrew, just thinking about that makes me exhausted. I think the Bible says man's days are limited to 120 years, which is about the maximum I think I could stand.

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  153. Thanks tryanmax! Too late though. CNN was blathering on about nothing and Fox has Palin and Hannity trying to pretend there were no primaries tonight.

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  154. What's this "Bible" I keep hearing about? Nobody seems to follow it? ;)

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  155. Sorry, I didn't see DUQ's question in time.

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  156. Haven't you heard? It's like the Christian version of the Koran. :P

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  157. Yeah, but better, because you can totally burn it or flush it down a toilet if you want to!

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  158. Plus, it sounds like it's not full of hate -- unless you read the Ricky version.

    I cannot believe that people can so fricken sick to think that just because some Marines burned a Koran, they need to go out and start killing people. People like that frankly need to die.

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  159. I'm signing out folks. It's been fun.

    Good luck working out Pi tryanmax!

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  160. What? Pi? I thought Andrew said "pie." I've already eaten it all, but it'll take a day or two to work out to the end.

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  161. Not his best, but still a solid speech by Romney. I wanna watch a movie before bed, so I'm out.

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  162. Perhaps we should call it a night?

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  163. I agree -- solid speech, not great. Talk you tomorrow.

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  164. Nice work on the commentary everyone! I knew you'd cover it somehow. :)

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  165. Thanks Kelly. You could join us next time?

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  166. y'all are awesomely insane!!!!

    (I just spent the last 5 hours transcribing a 30 minute session. transcribing is being in hell and stuck in a room with Osama and and Saddam arguing about whose is bigger!!!!!)

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