Romney needs to pick the right VP if he is going to have a fighting chance.
I think Romney has more than a fighting chance regardless of VP pick. I think there's a quiet rage simmering just below the surface in this country about the extremist overreach, incompetence, and obliviousness to what America is about of the current administration. Many, many people are just quietly going about their lives, waiting until November so they can throw the bums out.
But with that said, a smart pick will help Romney and a dumb pick will hurt him. The election is his to lose, and a really dumb pick could do that for him.
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It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” – Mark Twain
I've always thought the attacks on Palin, aside from being based on envy, had a lot to do with projection with regard to Biden's issues.
If you think about it, he's the airhead, unqualified, inappropriate and vulgar. Palin was quite competent in Alaska. She just happened to be stunning, made lefty women jealous and lefty men to remember all the hot women who spurned them.
The 'gravitas' thing always seemed an obvious enough convenient political lie that I assumed it was only really taken seriously by the talking heads, the same one's that were all keen on a freshman senator taking the helm a few years later. The fact he got elected would seem to indicate media image making plays a larger part than I'd like to believe but the fact he did it while dragging Biden along behind him is puzzling.
Maybe it was nothing more than his being young, hip, black, Harvard pedigreed, with a completely non-threatening campaign message? Not forgetting the media had to really go in the tank for him keeping the old Obama under wraps, so they let him be who he needed to be at the time, and not the guy his past indicated, but all the rest didn't have to be painted on him - he wears it everyday. Of course, now that we've had around 40 months of exposure to the real man, it's undernearth the unpleasant reality of who he really is, which would explain why about every media generated political storm of the last few months seems aimed at making him look like a nicer guy than Romney. Nothing about the miserable mess the economic future looks to be, just social issues for the needed makeover.
Social issues are a fools game. I can't think of a single major conservative rollback of anything the left prizes. Not in set-asides, abortion, gay rights, anything, but they continue to be the reason a whole lot of people vote with their social groups while they know they're voting for a party that is never going to clean up the balance sheet.
....and lefty men to remember all the hot women who spurned them.
Now, that's just cold, zoose.
-- Edited by catahoula on Friday 18th of May 2012 08:47:52 AM
I get your point about the third party candidate, I just didn't think about placing it into my equation. I probably would write in Mickey Mouse now that I think about it.
Catahoula, Jindal is def. a better option for VP in my mind than Biden, but I think he has reached his fullest potential from a leadership perspective.
I look back at 08, and wonder if McCain had pick Kay Bailey Hutchinson instead of Palin, would the outcome have been different? Obviously he picked Palin because she was a woman, if that was his motivation I think KBH would have been a better choice.
I hope that Romney has learned from McCain's election, that the VP can make or break you. Heck, even GWB understood that when he selected Cheney. He understood his image issue was lacking in "gravitas", Cheney gave him that with his CoS, SOD, experience.
Gore understood his weakness (wooden) and Lieberman was there to offset that perspective.
Romney needs to pick the right VP if he is going to have a fighting chance. Rubio, is young, like Obama was, but he carries a big state and has national recognition. Christie would be a mistake IMPO, because people in NJ either love or hate him, aka a Hillary. Pawlenty is less charismatic than Romney. Combining those 2 would be like watching paint dry.
Yes, many of us here look at the issues, but on a whole the avg voter does not, and it is more like voting for Homecoming King/Queen for them.
In 08, our DS found a website where you vote on the issues and based on how you voted they would show you the candidate you match most closely to out of the field (this was during primaries) without seeing their name or face, our family did the quiz over T-DAY 2007. 20 or so of us took the quiz. 75% were shocked to find the candidate they loved was not the candidate that matched up to their ideals. Bullet, DS, MIL, FIL, Mom and myself were the only ones that matched to our candidates when it was done. It asked at the beginning of the quiz to state your candidate.
My sister is a staunch democrat, she would rather eat her skin than vote for an R, any R. She took the quiz and her candidate result was McCain. She still argued that it was wrong because the way the questions were posed on the site, Obama was her guy.
DS turns to her and asks her a few questions. 1. Do you think you pay not enough, enough or too much taxes (They make 6 figures). Answer Enough to Too much 2. Do you believe that there is too much pork barrel spending out of DC? Answer was yes 3. Do you beleive we should increase the social program budgets, in other words, more money for welfare, no caps on how long you are in the system or if you have more babies while in the system they are included. Answer was caps, and only cover the amount of children you enter with, but pay for birth control to make sure they are protected. 4. Do you believe women have a right to abortions, but taxpayer dimes should not pay for their abortions? Answer was Yes 5. Do you believe that the military currently is protecting us through their actions in Iraq/Afghanistan from having another attack on this country? Answer was yes.
He looked at her and said congrats you are a Republican. She freaked and said no, you misinterpreted what I said. He went back and asked again, did you say this or that, she said yes, BUT, BUT, BUT! He said to her No Buts, you are voting this way because of your social group, not based on facts.
She did vote for Obama because in the end of the day, she "liked" him better than McCain. She will do it again this yr. It is not about their platforms, it is about an image. She is the typical American.
OBTW, DS's GF at the time also loved O, loves him to this day, funny thing is she is a Christian Conservative, against gay marriage, against abortion, etc., but to her he is the best thing since hot slice bread. She is willing to ignore her own core values because Romney is "wooden" in her mind.
-- Edited by pima on Friday 18th of May 2012 06:34:04 AM
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Raising a teenager is like nailing Jello to a tree
I would rather not vote for a candidate if they did all those things listed above and you found them incompetent, than "hold my nose" and vote. Not voting...is a vote, too. I would be much more likely to vote for a 3rd party, even with no hope of winning if I find a particular candidate distasteful to pull the lever on.
Back when Palin was being whipped on CC, some of those same floggers would defend Biden as being a sort of statesman, with one or two of them being people that I've always felt were intelligent enough to deserve a reasoned listening to. Since we no longer keep up with each other on political issues, it's hard to know if their opinion of him has changed but I've come to conclusion Biden needs either a 24/7 handler or medication tweak.
In light of that, and with O's dismal record and the character flaws that failure seem to be exposing in him, why would Romney's picking a Jindal push you to stay with him?
-- Edited by catahoula on Thursday 17th of May 2012 04:29:33 PM
I think there's a huge but currently silent majority of people who are currently quietly going about the business of living their lives, but who are also chomping at the bit to go to the polls in November and oust Obama, who stands for pretty much everything the founders, and our founding principles, meant to prevent.
Watch Wisconsin early next month. That result will be telling.
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It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” – Mark Twain
Obama is the perfect politician. He takes credit for the positive and has no responsibility for the negative.
Cases in point: 1. Bin Laden ~~~ He as a senator was opposed, continued to spend tax dollars, but now because on his watch it happened he will take credit for it. However, as a Sen. if he had his way those dollars would never have been spent. 2. Gay Marriage Preface here: I think he has changed his position, he is human, and we all change our minds over time. He changed his mind, and let's accept that fact. HOWEVER, he let Biden test the waters, and literally threw him under the bus for putting it out there 1st. ~~~ Sorry, but that leaves with 1 question, how is it your VP does a gaffe like this without you knowing he would do it? These interviews come with prepared topics. Did Biden's staff not discuss this with Obama's staff? If so there are bigger questions to be answered regarding lack of communication. 3. Senator Reid has come out and basically stated until Nov nothing will be done on the Hill. ~~~ Not Obama's fault, it is the Hill's issue in his mind. If they do pass anything, he will take credit, if they don't it is the R's on the Hill's fault. Harry Truman and the buck stops here is not his motto.
He has managed to divert attention off of him when it is bad, and onto him when it is good.
In the end of the day, I still believe he will have a 2nd term, but I am now giving Romney more of a chance than I ever thought he would have regarding the election.
1. Dow is not recovering... DJIA is @ the same level it was 4 yrs ago 2. Unemployment is still in the high 8% 3. Housing has not recovered 4. Gas/food prices are higher now leaving less disposable income for the avg voter 5. Student loan debt crisis 6. Health care failure 7. Gay marriage issue ---he may believe in it, but he is unwilling to take it on federally, and 30 states have banned it. NC overwhelmingly voted it down, a state he won. VA is not looking purple anymore either.
Yes, we are leaving the sandbox (Iraq/Afghanistan), however, the DOD is cutting their budget and @ 1 MN AD members will be without a job very soon. They will become a burden on the unemployment rate very soon.
Romney does not have charisma, nor does he connect with the voters, but if he chooses a VP wisely, he can win. He will never win the West coast or NY for that fact, but he can win the southeast seaboard and the bread basket states.
Traditionally Americans do not like to change horses in mid-stream during military conflicts. This is a problem for him because voters are now looking at domestic issues and voting with their wallets, like I just illustrated he has to answer the question are you better off today than 4 yrs ago.
I am not. In the 4 yrs since he took office our investments didn't grow. My home is still under water. The cost of college in 08 for DS was 28 K, this yr it was 43K. Gay marriage, which I support, is still not recognized nationally. ---MPO why shouldn't they have the same rights as us when it comes to misery...JK!
Someone please tell me exactly what in the past 4 yrs has occurred, minus MO's childhood obesity and school lunch issues that makes him the horse to bet on for the next 4 yrs over Romney.
Again, I am not a Romney fan, but if he chooses someone like Rubio as his VP he will get my vote because Biden scares me regarding the OMG issue. If he chooses someone like Jindal/Pawlenty, I will hold my nose and vote for Obama
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Raising a teenager is like nailing Jello to a tree
he speaks well and he's black..that about sums it up.
That's the hall pass for his policies, which have been essentially liberal wet dream. The fact they're as unloved as he's supposedly adored is that bit of cognitive dissonance that's likely to result in a huge suprise for the left on the 2nd.
The supposed appeal of him encouraged an over-reach, one Hilary wouldn't have made, couldn't have. And the appeal now? Think of him as a cat, a lovable one if you want, that the half of the spousal unit paying the rent is violently allergic to. Think anaphylactic shock allergic and you're getting there. Cute and full of tricks as he may be, they're thinking pound, regardless what they might confide to the pollster.
The Hilary lovers should have come out of the closet a year ago.
Hmmm.... the appeal is gone, in the Senate anyway --- 99 to zip on his budget.
-- Edited by catahoula on Wednesday 16th of May 2012 04:29:02 PM
-- Edited by catahoula on Wednesday 16th of May 2012 05:46:40 PM
Charisma is in the eye of the beholder. I think he has charisma only in the eye of those who are predisposed to like him anyway because they are on the same team.
Personally, he gives me the creeps. Alsio, he seems cold, calculating, and distant; not truly engaged.
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It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” – Mark Twain
Obama makes LiberaIs feel good about themselves and America. Liberals believe w/ Obama as president, America appears more progressive and appealing to Europeans and the rest of the world.
I hate his policies and believe him to be incompetent, but he is very charming and engaging. He has charisma off the charts. He smiles and is affable. He has good speech writers who make him sound intelligent, engaged, and in command like Americans want their President to be. Instead of walking up steps, he runs up then to make it appear he is energetic. He is extremely intelligent and speaks to the common man.
He has been very strong on fighting terrorism. He gave the nod to kill bin laden, he is using drones to kill terrorists where they live. He has pissed of Pakistan, a terrorist sympathizer.
-- Edited by Razorsharp on Saturday 12th of May 2012 07:41:36 AM
LIBERAL MEDIA!! They have portrayed Obama as a storybook prince. Obama makes LiberaIs feel good about themselves and America. Liberals believe w/ Obama as president, America appears more progressive and appealing to Europeans and the rest of the world.
I admit as a Black person I don’t understand the anger/jealousy of the group I call the “highly educated upper-middle-class” towards the business class. But this group along w/ the media has been successful in making sure the Obama administration’s failures aren’t reported or glossed over, while placing all of the country’s problems on “greedy businesses”.
If GB was still president or a republican was in office and 50% of new graduates couldn’t find jobs, gas prices hovering around $4, already high unemployment going higher, new business and housing growth declining every year – the media would be bombarding us daily with in-depth reporting of GB’s ineptitude.
-- Edited by TutuTaxi on Saturday 12th of May 2012 07:01:22 AM
-- Edited by TutuTaxi on Saturday 12th of May 2012 07:01:50 AM
-- Edited by TutuTaxi on Saturday 12th of May 2012 07:02:20 AM
Since no one is answering, I'll jump in -- I think they're faking that they like/respect him. Just because he is what they have to work with right now. You could see when the press questioned Jay Carney the other day that they really think O is a joke. Then they went out and dutifully reported on his "heart-felt evolution" and his courage. I think a lot of Democrats are in that boat.
Can anyone explain to me what is appealing about President Obama? I can understand being a liberal or a democrat and voting for the candidate of your affiliation, but why specifically Obama, as opposed to Hillary Clinton?
Can anyone make a case for Obama as an individual, not as the party standard bearer, with only a republican as the alternative?
