Showing posts with label Election 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Election 2012. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Governor Chris Christie's keynote address

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor


click to enlarge

Chris Christie's speech reminded me of Obama's 2004. . .he also spent a lot of time talking about himself (and earlier so did Bill Clinton in his famous and long keynote many years ago). The best part is that Christie only mentioned Romney seven times, all mostly in the last eight minutes of the speech. It's interesting the way they are focused more on the platform and getting BHO out than on their actual candidate, who even the GOP-Tea Party treat like a cardboard cutout or placeholder candidate.
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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Mitt Romney goes full retard, joins the birther movement

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor



The Obama campaign didn't waste any time getting out this 15 second spot. I love hardball and I love mudslinging. But with this, Mitt Romney finally breached the line of decency. He's now playing to the wacko fringe, and shedding groups of supporters and undecideds in the middle every inch of the way. 

People laughed at me saying this today, but I really thought better of Romney. But even 'though I had sworn off campaign donations this time around in my disgust at post Citizens-United campaign funding, tonight I am transmitting e-cash to the Obama campaign.

Mitt Romney is one sick biscuit. Enough of this neck and neck in the polls BS. It's time to take out the Romney-Ryan brain trust. This is war. And it doesn't need to be fought on November 6th. When you have the sickness, you don't wait--you bomb it with antibiotics or excise the infection. Mitt Romney is now a diseased part that needs to be chopped away. "Fell deeds, await. Now for wrath. Now for ruin, and the red dawn!" 
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Saturday, August 11, 2012

Paul Ryan—the man on horseback—rides in to save a moribund and faltering Romney campaign

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor 



Mitt Romney introduced Paul Ryan this morning as the "next President of the United States."  He later corrected himself, but, who knows?— he may have been right the first time.



I'm good with this choice. He's great for "the base" and ensures there will be exactly zero bleedthrough from the Democratic middle.  Isn't it funny that we don't have a good term for more conservative democrats?  Blue Dog Democrat probably comes closest.  The phrase "Moderate Republican" used to actually mean something.

Moderate Republicans unfortunately became extinct sometime around the time of the Millennium.   I now believe the Democrats can and will win this election (up to, and including, The Senate).  The GOP/Tea Party, and especially their candidate, keep lobbing incredibly sweet cream-puffs at the Dems. Sadly, I don't think any Veep candidate can much help the Ex-Governor's chances of taking the White House. . .unless they seal the candidate's mouth with duct tape until November 6th.


Mitt Romney has cashed his check.  The time of the Democrats has come.   Virtually every Romney supporter I've met is not really so much for Romney as they are against Obama.  BHO needs to get his message out there: the auto companies are booming and repaying the money he loaned them, with interest; Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are profitable again; the TARP money has mostly proven to be a very good investment.  A little bit of health care reform went down on his watch too, on top of winding down wars on two fronts, ending Don't Ask/Don't tell, and (finally!) coming out in favor of same-sex marriage.   This could be a rout.

 
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Friday, August 10, 2012

Notes on Ex-Governor Mitt Romney banging his head against the wall

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor

-1-

I suspect this is mild compared to what we will see in September and October.  It really feels like the longer he bobs and weaves around the issue of his tax returns, the more steamed up the opposition becomes.

Let's face it, even The Republican-Tea Party members are cringing and having second thoughts as the Democrats declare open season.

 

-2-

In 2004, Mitt Romney had this to say about John Kerry’s tendency to change his mind.   He starts off telling the audience that it's "standard operating procedure" in campaigns to "look at your opponent's record, you find someplace where he or she has changed positions and you say they're a flip-flopper."  He goes on:
"For those who don’t understand how he can be so vacillating, it stems from the fact that he is very conflicted, that he is drawn in two different directions very powerfully. If he’s with an audience, he wants to identify with and satisfy that audience, and will say what he thinks they want to hear. And if that audience, for instance, is on one side of an issue he’ll follow that, on another, he’ll follow another."



-3-

His numbers are sucking:

a) A recent Fox news poll (click on this link to see very detailed analysis of the poll) lists Obama pulling 49% of the vote and Romney 40%.  If the election were held today. Obama's lead in that poll comes from an 11% lead among independent voters.

b) Cnn:



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The Ex-Governor is running scared.  

While his band of surrogates keep hectoring BHO, Mitt himself sounds like he'd just like us to just drop it.  He doesn't want to talk about his record anymore.  Early in the campaign, he brought up Bain in every single speech and appearance.  But he would now prefer to not discuss his time with Bain 

Romney said on Friday that both campaigns would benefit if they agreed that “attacks based upon business or family or taxes or things of that nature — that this is just — this is diversion.” Instead, he said in an interview with NBC News, he would prefer a setting where he and BHO could talk about issues and differences in their positions. Really?  This wouldn't seem so disingenuous had Mittens not spent the last year trumpeting his success at Bain, and how he planned to implement the Bain model nationally.  And as for the tax mess--both his proposed taxing schemes, and his own shadowy personal tax record--the less Mitt talks about taxes, the better he will be.  By not releasing his own tax information, The Ex-Governor has almost given up the right to talk about taxes at all. 


Mitt Romney is still allowing "members" of his team like Donald Trump to hammer away on the birther and Muslim non-issues, continuing to imply that the President is not an actual U.S. citizen, and that even if he is, he is really a Muslim who will implement Sharia Law as soon the instant he is sworn in for his second term.

As Republican strategist David Gergen said recently:  "I think the Obama campaign is outmaneuvering the Romney campaign. They've kept him on the defensive on his taxes and on Bain, which is a key foundation for his campaign," Gergen said. "This rat-a-tat of advertising, this avalanche of advertising has taken a toll."

Finally, Gergen said "It's now clear that Romney can't win this election by default. It's not an apple that's going to fall into his lap because the economy is weak. He's got to take it away from (Obama)."

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Paul Ryan

Ex-Governor Mitt Romney was pretty much forced into selecting Paul Ryan has a running mate.  Paul Ryan will appeal to the "base" and even to the Tea-Party/Birther fringe.   But as to grabbing voters in the middle, or chiseling a few Dems into a Democrats For Romney movement?  Stillborn.  His choice for Vice President nets him nothing.  Nothing at all.  No votes, no momentum (a/k/a "The Big Mo"), and no gravitas. Romney's selection nets him zero votes--no one from the middle, and no one from the left.  And, as for the right/the base?  It leaves Mitt with a VP that most of his base would prefer was on top of the ticket
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Thursday, August 09, 2012

Mitt Romney's Wimp Factor

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor



Newsweek has really been on a roll this year.  Earlier, one of its covers  proclaimed President Obama the first gay president, for the repeal of don't ask/don't tell, and coming out for same sex marriage.  And now, they've come out with a cover that labels Mitt Romney a "wimp," or maybe just too insecure to be President.  

Michael Tomasky, wrote about Romney:  "He keeps saying these . . . things, these incredibly off-key things. Then he apologizes immediately — with all the sincerity of a hostage. Or maybe he doesn’t: sometimes he whines about the subsequent attacks on him. But the one thing he never does? Man up, double down, take his lumps."





Mitt's spokespeople, of course, dismissed the article.  “If I worried about what the media said I wouldn’t get much sleep,” said Romney. “And I'm able to sleep pretty well.”

Suddenly, the wimp label is starting to stick.  People were very disappointed that Mitt didn't get behind the Chick-fil-a President Dan Cathy, an issue conservatives peg to freedom of speech rather than about gay marriage.  As Newsweek reported, Romney s"aid the issue was not part of the campaign, leaving many to wonder if he was waiting for poll results before deciding which side to support."
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Tuesday, August 07, 2012

The return of Governor Chris Christie (he actually never left)

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor
[illustration by Jack Brummet]



The Drudge Report reported today that President Barack Obama told a top fundraiser that Romney wants to choose Gen. David Petraeus for the vice presidential slot.  That would be interesting.  But it also appeared in The Drudge Report, so the veracity of that rumor is immediately called into question. 


Politico today reported that  Tim PawlentyRob PortmanMarco RubioKelly AyotteBob McDonnell, Paul Ryan and Bobby Jindal were out of the running, since they have all been assigned speaking slots at the Republican convention in three weeks.    I still think that Rubio and Ryan are in it, but I have nothing rational or factual to back that up.  Jeb Bush must have bigger plans for 2016 (assuming Romney survives his income tax problems and remains on the ticket).  The Condoleezza Rice VP-ship was always just a GOP opium pipe-dream.

What's also interesting is that, after being more or less out of the running the last couple of months, Chris Christie is either being considered as a possible VP, or his name is being conspicuously tossed around just to keep things interesting (anything to get people to quit talking about Mitt Romney's taxes, and his disastrous European Leadership Tour).  His loud, brash, blunt style would be an interesting, and most likely extremely-awkward, adjunct to Mitt Romney's near-total absence of charisma, charm, and, as we have seen the last few months, political intelligence, and a crippling inability to connect on any sort of retail level with the voters.  Christie on the ticket wouldn't be an actual personality transplant for Ex-Governor Romney, but it might not hurt.

No one is voting for Mitt Romney; they're voting against The President.  Mitt's big dilemma now is to figure out how to make people like him.  And that, friendos, is a Sysiphean rock to push up the hill. 
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Monday, August 06, 2012

Washington State residents: don't forget to vote (and give the nod to Jay Inslee for Governor)

By Jack Brummet, Pablo Fanque, and Mona Goldwater


Hey friendos - we just wanted to remind you that if you live in Washington State, remember to vote and mail in your ballot today.  That's the most important thing.  But, if you can find it in your heart to vote for Jay Inslee for Governor, please do it!  Jay has been Jack's congressman for a long time.  He's a good soul and will be a great governor.  In a very rare moment of solidarity, all three of the editors of All This Is That voted for him this weekend.
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Sunday, August 05, 2012

Ed Rendell: "I'm for Michele Bachmann for Vice President"

By Jack Brummet, ATIT Presidential Historian

Ex-Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell--one of my favorite yellow dog Democrats--weighed in with a big smile on Mitt Romney's Veepstakes on CBS's "Face The Nation,"  and even drew a chuckle from the show's host Bob Schieffer. 


“I just want to go on record," Rendell said. "I’m for Michele Bachmann for Vice President.  I want everyone to be clear about that."  Here's Rendell in a brief video clip:

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Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Mitt Romney's tax problem leads Jeb Bush to clear his calendar for the next four years

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor


Mitt Romney's mounting tax return problem have led to many calls to Jeb Bush this week.  "Jeb? Do you have any plans for the next four years?  We think we may need to go with a designated hitter. . ."

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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Speaker John Boehner looks like he's going to start crying again

AP Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais 


Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at the U.S. Capitol in Washington following the Supreme Court decision this morning on the Affordable Care Act. The Bone looks like he might start boohooing again.




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All This Is That contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make these materials available to advance the understanding of political, economic, literary, artistic, and social issues. In some cases we satirize, parody, or lampoon materials from other sources. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of copyrighted material as provided for by section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research, educational, and entertainment purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', please read and follow our Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license and attribute the work to All This Is That, along with our URL (http://jackbrummet.blogspot.com).

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Mitt Romney takes one more courageous stand

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor



(Reuters) -"Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney chose Veterans Day to proclaim to the American people his conviction that the world is a dangerous place, and the United States must remain its most formidable military power."  OK.  And how is this different from every other Presidential candidate of any party in the last fifty years?  Except for a few random dingbats and  Ron Paul, Dick Gregory, and The Greens, this is what every single politician says, and, except for a few extreme cynics, actually believes.

I have to say it again--I think Mitt Romney is probably the most charmless Republican candidate I remember in my lifetime, and in recent memory, only Steve Forbes comes close.  And that list includes Dick Nixon, 41 and 43, David Duke, and a whole raft of other cretins, pinheads, charlatans, and mountebanks.


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Monday, March 26, 2012

Rick Santorum's gun to the head—The Obamaville Movie

The best image from Rick Santorum's "trailer" Obamaville.  (which you can find here).  The one minute movie shows America two years from now after the President is reelected. It's essentially "It Can't Happen Here— the Russians are running the show; religion is over;  gas prices lead to suicides, and everything is run down and desperate.  It feeds into the paranoia of his core constituency...


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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Rick Perry's speech at last night's Gridiron dinner (the best speech of his life)

By Jack Brummet, Speech and debate editor




Mark Shields said that Governor Rick Perry achieved career redemption with his speech at the 127th anniversary dinner of The Gridiron Club and Foundation (you know, the annual press dinner with sometimes funny speeches...) dinner last night.  It's pretty good:


"I can't tell you ... what a relief it is to be on a stage with just one podium. ... [Laughter]] The Gridiron's the only time that politicians and journalists can get together for some lighthearted silliness - well, I mean, other than the debates. ... Some have said that my debating style is very similar to that other Texas Cicero, George W. Bush. [Laughter] Only difference between GEORGE and me is that I say, 'Oops.' [Applause] ... Y'know, I shouldn't make fun of George. But he's, like, the only one that I can. [Laughter] Y'know, I say stuff like Solyndra's a country or that the voting age is 21. But MITT would say things like his wife drives a coupla Cadillacs, or his pals own NASCAR teams. Y'know, my problem was sayin' stuff that WASN'T right. Mitt's problem is sayin' stuff that IS. [Applause] 

So with all my gaffes, people forgot that I once led the Republican primary. It was the most exhilarating three hours of my life. Awesome! Now, officially, I have only suspended my campaign -- I never really quit. So technically, I'm still in the race - 'cept I can go home, spend the evening with Anita, relax, and still do about as well. Well, listen, here's the hardest part for me: The weakest Republican field in history -- and they kicked my BUTT! ... Y'know, very once in a while, Herman Cain, Michele Bachman and myself'll get together. We'll kinda act silly, we'll say some stupid things-you know, kinda like old times. ...

"Y'know it's weird standing next to [Mitt] on the debate podium . Y'know, I keep waiting for him to say, 'Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?' ... I LIKE Mitt Romney. I mean, I like Mitt Romney as much as one really good looking man can like a really good looking man -and not break Texas law. And then there's Rick Santorum. I used to have SO much fun needling Rick. I'd say, 'Now, Rick, tell me again, which one of the Village People are you? You're the policeman? Or you're the Indian?' And then there's Ron Paul. ... Y'know, he kinda reminds me of that crazy uncle that you expect to pull a nickel out of your ear. ... Then we have Gingrich. He's like this Pillsbury Doughboy, with this really huge brain. ... I do wish I were still in the race. I mean, I don't know why I didn't do better: Governor of a big state. Former military pilot. I graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in animal husbandry. [Laughter] Maybe that was the problem. Animal husbandry: That sounds like what Rick Santorum thinks gay marriage leads to. ...

"Now, before I forget, which has been known to happen [laughter], it's really good to see DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz [who spoke after him]. And even though Debbie and I are from different parties, she has been very, very complimentary. Earlier she told me, she said, 'Rick, you don't know how sorry I am that you won't be your party's nominee.' [Laughter] [Turning to her at the head table:] Thank you, darlin'.

"Now, President Obama couldn't be here. I read that he is in Korea, at the DMZ. Would somebody tell me: Why do ya have to go all the way to Korea to get a DRIVER'S LICENSE? Must be something to do with that birth certificate thing. But filling in tonight for the president very ably is Secretary Panetta. And during the campaign, I said that Secretary Panetta should resign. I regret saying that ... We have had Predator drones circling the governor's mansion. ... After what I've been through, our motto is, 'Y'know, if you can't laugh at yourself -- well, there's always Herman Cain.' ...

"When we did our announcement tour, there was this huge caravan of reporters, including the Washington Post's Dan Balz, who was following our bus. And Dan was lookin' a little scruffy. He had this days' old beard. He had a baseball cap on. And I spent the day calling him 'Wolf.' Finally it dawned on me: That's not Wolf Blitzer! That's Dan Balz. So, Dan, wherever you are in the audience tonight, I wanna say 'thank you' for being a gentleman, and never mentioning it.

"Most of the reporters and the correspondents trailing us weren't well-known. They weren't established journalists like Dan and the members of this club. But they were often the younger reporters, on the lower rungs of the business. I wasn't always happy about what they wrote -- but they became part of the traveling family, because our lives became intertwined. They ate the same crappy campaign food; they got up at the same early hour; they heard the same speech, over and over. But I honestly got the sense that they were sad to see our campaign end. Anita and I still keep up with 'em. As a matter of fact, we just got a note from one just the other day. I saw one tonight as I came in. So, tonight, I'd like to close not by recognizing you big shots in the business out there -- but all those reporters who are out there workin' - workin' their butts off, worryin' about the future of newspapers, worryin' about whether or not the news budget is gonna be cut. I truly like 'em and respect 'em. And I hope one day those reporters in that caravan following our bus make it to this illustrious dinner -- and are up on that stage, doing those skits and enjoying the rewards of their professional success, like we are tonight."
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Friday, March 23, 2012

Ex-Senator Rick Santorum endorses President Barack Obama: I love this guy!

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor 





 


Ex-Senator Rick Santorum said yesterday that Romney is so much like Obama, voters in November should just  stick with the incumbent.  In Texas, the candidate once again held up front-runner Mittens as the Etch A Sketch candidate, who will change his positions after the primary.  


"You win by giving people a choice," he said. "You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who's just going to be a little different than the person in there. If you're going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk with what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate of the future."  I effing love this guy!




Romney's top political strategist suggested that Ex-Senator Santorum's continued presence in the race makes him President Obama's "most valuable player."   
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Thursday, March 22, 2012

New Public Policy Polling results show Mitt Romney less popular than George W. Bush

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor







new survey from Public Policy Polling shows that Ex-Governor Mitt Romney is viewed favorably by 33 percent of voters, with nearly double that number58%viewing him unfavorably.  Ex-President George W. Bush, who reached Nixon-style lows while in The White House,  fared far better in the same poll45% favorable and 46% unfavorable.  As Public Policy Polling wrote, "The former president has seen something of a rehabilitation in his image since he left office and memories of his administration have begun to fade, but for him to be stronger than Romney among independent voters just a few years after an economic meltdown and disaster in Iraq is striking. "



This poll also seems to put the lie to Romney's oft repeated claim of electability and inevitability: "Romney is actually not the most electable Republican candidate on this poll. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum both do a point better than him, trailing by 3 points at 46-43 and 48-45 respectively."










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All This Is That contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make these materials available to advance the understanding of political, economic, literary, artistic, and social issues. In some cases we satirize, parody, or lampoon materials from other sources. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of copyrighted material as provided for by section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for research, educational, and entertainment purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', please read and follow our Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license and attribute the work to All This Is That, along with our URL (http://jackbrummet.blogspot.com).

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Rick Santorum: "I've got such a raging clue right now"

This captioned photo, source unknown (or maybe the quickmeme.com guys actually did create it), was sent to us by Jeff Clinton.  /Pablo


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In the face of mounting calls for his withdrawal, Speaker Gingrich vows to stay the course

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor
illustration by Jack Brummet


"We are staying in this race because I believe it's going to be impossible for a moderate to win." 

Following his shellacking in Alabama and Mississippi yesterday, Speaker Gingrich held a rally today in a Chicago suburb. 75 people showed up.
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