Political & Elections

Learned behavior, romani? If they live long enough, they develop an eye for the suckers. Or maybe it's just their sense of smell, since they're avoiding lab buildings. Anyway, the penalty for not being able to spot a soft touch is staying skinny and living as long or longer than the obese ones.

There has to be a squirrel, somewhere, that gets it about cars. The question is whether there's another one, that and whether they'll ever find each other.

-- Edited by catahoula on Tuesday 13th of December 2011 03:10:52 PM

I've lately have that blotted, blah, feeling. 

Anything that helps.

W purchased a new unit today, to replace the Made In China unit that no one returns our calls or give any service. Ours is ROC and we have excellent service-prompt return calls, instructions for seat replacement, replacement parts. Price is nice too. 

Taking a load off my feet. 

What an adorable little girl.

But I'll bet you most parents are cringing at watching those parents allow the kid to handle a dead squirrel, kissing it, putting her hands by her mouth. I'd be afraid of some sort of disease, yikes!

It's bizarre what some of these threads here and on cc turn into. We are easily distracted (look, squirrel)!

I do like your cat picture. I cannot believe that cat put up with wearing the outfit long enough to take a photo.

I got the post, it was very readable. Maybe longprime has been spending too much time on his bidet?

Cat, all I got out of your post is "I'll lay odds," {making a bet}

I get the feeling that you are upset. ??

Mitt is a guy who made his money outside of politics vs  someone who made money because of being in politics vs a MOC who hasn't made any money while being in Congress. 

-- Edited by longprime on Sunday 11th of December 2011 10:18:46 PM

I totally get what you're saying, SLS--it's why I voted for McCain last time.

But Newt as a nominee is just too much. Maybe I'll make peace with it by election time, but something just puts me off him that I can't explain. It's just the whole package. Yuk. And I'm not buying the crock about a changed man--no offense. Being a grandfather changes one? Yeah, right.

Newt is winning in the primary states--and likewise loses those in a match-up with Obama. Imo, if the R's are stupid enough to nominate him, they deserve the loss to Obama that will result. I don't want any part of it.

Sorry I'm so hot-under-the-collar about this! At least you can't say I'm not a bipartisan "hater" !

I read in the Times this morning he is worth 200 million and has spent 52 mil on his campaigns. I am not getting the point. We have a finite list of characters for Republican nominee. Since when did wealth preclude a nomination? Is there something in the constitution about this? I don't think so. Inherited money is preferable to self-earned money? Preference is now given to those only within a certain income level? This is nonsense! R's are falling for the Democrat paradigm! We can only elect people who have money if they are career government people? As far as I'm concerned, Newt made all of his money off his career in government and his supposed "intellectual historian" scam. Give me a break.

In 1970, Gingrich joined the history department at West Georgia College as an assistant professor. In 1974 he moved to the geography department and was instrumental in establishing an interdisciplinary environmental studies program. Denied tenure, he left the college in 1978.^{[17] - Wiki}

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/newt/newtchron.html

I really can't believe this is happening. Hopefully he'll implode during the Trump debate.

-- Edited by hope on Sunday 11th of December 2011 02:11:40 PM

What is wrong with conservatives? Who cares if Mitt has a gazillion dollars? Didn't Kennedy, the Bushes, Kerry, McCain? This is only an issue because the media is jumping on the Newt bandwagon in order to get BHO elected. Newt is more than the flavor of the month at this point--he is ahead in Iowa, SC, Florida and closing in on Mitt in NH.

Mitt Romney is an obviously competent human being--probably the most competent person running in a long time, and certainly more competent than Gingrich, who left Washington in a blaze of dishonor. If conservatives in Iowa and other places care more about Mitt's personal fortune, his Mormonism, his dullness, his perfect hair, or whatever other ridiculous things they seem to be having a problem with than they do about defeating Obama, then they are just stupid. If NG is the nominee, I'll be sitting out the first presidential election in my lifetime. A pox on the Republican party if they nominate him.

"In our most recent school board campaign for my kid's school district, I voted for the candidates that annoyed me the less and I figured wouldn't screw up the schools too bad. It wasn't because I thought they were awesome"

yeah, that's pretty much how it goes. Who annoys you the least and won't screw up as much as the others. That's what it comes down to!

The bet thing with Romney is kind of funny, actually. I've heard he is notoriously cheap. But I'm sure some will take it as he carries $10K in his pocket like most of us do a quarter, as opposed to a phrase many of us use when we know we would win the bet. God forbid he had said a million bucks.

What is this bet? I learned early my marriage that any bets with W was going to a loser in the bedroom regardless of my position.

I also thought the moderators asking the fidelity question to give the other candidates a chance to slam Gingrich was really low. Perry just ran with it. As much as I don't support someone who has been so unfaithful in their personal life, I think it was unbelievably rude to go in that direction. Paul and Romney helped take it down a notch. I actually felt sorry for Gingrich.

Did Michelle Bachman answer one single question that they asked her? Even one? And does she ever manage to answer a question any way besides, "And that's why I am the person to vote for, and I did (fill in the blank) and I, I, I, I......"

Let's go back to 2008 for a moment.  

Who did the Dems think was going to get the nomination at the start of the campaign?  Was it a little known US Senator, or the former first lady?  

Who did the Republicans think was going to get the nomination in the early stages of the campaign?  Was it John McCain, who was practically a moderate, or Rudolf Guliani, also a much more moderate Republican?  What about Huckabee or Mitt Romney?

The best question we should ask is why the candidates that seem to rise to the top in the GOP field aren't necessarily ones that could win when facing a tough challenger.  And in 2008, that challenger beat the pants off of everyone in his own field - and the GOP's.  

Who can win against Obama in 2012?  

[edit]Before the primaries

Immediately after the 2006 midterm elections, media pundits began speculating, as they did about the Democrats, about potential Republican candidates for President in 2008.^[10] In November 2006, Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani led in the polls, followed closely by Arizona Senator John McCain.^[60] The media speculated that Giuliani's pro-choice stance on abortion and McCain's age and support of the unpopular Iraq War would be detriments to their candidacies.^[10] Giuliani remained the frontrunner in the polls throughout most of 2007, with McCain and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson fighting for second place.^[61] Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Giuliani, Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul announced their candidacies on January 28, February 5, February 13, and March 12, respectively.^{[62][63][64][65]} McCain officially announced his candidacy on March 1, 2007, after several informal announcements.^[66] In the third quarter of 2007, the top four GOP (Republican) fundraisers were Romney, Giuliani, Thompson, and Ron Paul.^[67] MSNBC's Chuck Todd christened Giuliani and John McCain the front runners after the second Republican presidential debate in early 2007.^[68]

[edit]Early primaries/caucuses

Huckabee, after winning in Iowa, had little money and hoped for a third-place finish in New Hampshire. McCain eventually displaced Rudy Giuliani and Romney as the front runner in New Hampshire. McCain staged a turnaround victory,^[69] having been written off by the pundits and polling in single digits less than a month before the race.^[70]

With the Republicans stripping Michigan and Florida of half their delegates for moving their primaries into January 2008 against party rules, the race for the nomination was based there. McCain meanwhile managed a small victory over Huckabee in South Carolina,^[71] setting him up for a larger and more important victory over Romney in Florida, which held a closed primary on January 29.^[72] By this time, after several scandals, no success in the early primaries, and a third-place finish in Florida, Giuliani conceded from the nomination race and endorsed John McCain the next day.^[73]

[edit]Super Tuesday

In February, McCain, besides winning Giuliani's support, was endorsed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger before the California primary took place on Super Tuesday. This gave him a significant boost in the polls for the state's primary,^[74] which awarded the greatest number of delegates of all the states. On Super Tuesday, McCain won his home state of Arizona, taking all 53 delegates, and the largest of the Super Tuesday prizes, nearly all of California's 173 delegates. McCain also scored wins in seven other states, picking up 574 delegates.^[75] Huckabee was the "surprise performer", winning 5 states and 218 delegates.^[75] Romney won 7 states and 231 delegates.^[75] Two days later, Romney suspended his presidential campaign, saying that if he stayed in the race, he would "forestall the launch of a national campaign and be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win".^[76] His departure left Huckabee and Paul as McCain's only major challengers in the remaining primaries and caucuses. Romney endorsed McCain on February 14.^[77]

Louisiana, Washington, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Washington held primaries in February after Super Tuesday. Despite McCain picking up big victories, Huckabee won Louisiana and Kansas. McCain narrowly carried the Washington caucuses over Huckabee and Paul, who amassed a large showing.^[35] The Virgin Islands and Puerto Ricoclosed February for the Republicans. After Super Tuesday, John McCain had become the clear front runner, but by the end of February, he still had not acquired enough delegates to secure the nomination. In March, John McCain clinched the Republican nomination after sweeping all four primaries, Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island, putting him over the top of the 1,191 delegates required to win the GOP nomination.^[37] Mike Huckabee then conceded the race to McCain, leaving Ron Paul, who had just 16 delegates, as his only remaining opponent.^[78] 

-- Edited by SamuraiLandshark on Sunday 11th of December 2011 08:35:25 AM