Wednesday Open Thread [4.4.12]
“Nobody thinks Romney’s going to win. Let’s just be honest. Can we just say this for everybody at home? Let me just say this for everybody at home. The Republican establishment — I’ve yet to meet a single person in the Republican establishment that thinks Mitt Romney is going to win the general election this year. They won’t say it on TV because they’ve got to go on TV and they don’t want people writing them nasty emails. I obviously don’t care. But I have yet to meet anybody in the Republican establishment that worked for George W. Bush, that works in the Republican congress, that worked for Ronald Reagan that thinks Mitt Romney is going to win the general election.” — Joe Scarborough, on Morning Joe.
Of course Romney will lose the general election. Why? First Read clues us in:
The responses from the elected Republicans [to President Obama’s budget speech yesterday] seemed to be: How dare the president campaign against us! And as we pointed out yesterday, Obama isn’t necessarily running against Mitt Romney; he’s running against the Republican Party brand—and making sure that Romney owns that brand. In fact, Romney’s biggest challenge over the next two or three months will be for him to differentiate himself from the brand. There’s been a lot of focus of late on how damaged Romney has become in this process (his high negatives with indies, etc). But we’ve noticed a larger trend: The brand of the GOP is what’s been damaged; Romney may simply be collateral damage. And this is why he has to figure out a way to either improve the GOP’s brand or differentiate himself. Which can he achieve?
Romney wins Wisconsin, D.C. and Maryland. Yawn. Santorum heads for his last stand in Pennsylvania. Yawn. I think I will stop covering the Republican primary polls now, since the race is over. It is all General Election polling re Obama v. Romney, and of course regarding other down ballot races. And having said that, there is no polling available today except for the following Senate poll from Nevada. PPP says they have numbers for the Nevada general election matchup between Romney and Obama published later today, and they say that the numbers will show Obama in his strongest position since he won the state in 2008 with 55%.
GENERAL ELECTION — U.S. SENATE
NEVADA (PPP): Sen. Dean Heller (R) 46, Rep. Shelley Berkley (D) 43
“But we’ve noticed a larger trend: The brand of the GOP is what’s been damaged…”
The GOP knows the cure for a damaged brand. Damage the other guy’s brand more. Since Nixon that has been enough for them to overcome being handicapped by terrible candidates and unpopular policies.
“But the Obama White House was savvier in its mandate design, and the C.B.O. was more compliant in its scoring. As a result, a bill that might require over $2 trillion in new health care spending — private as well as public — over its first decade was sold with a $900 billion price tag.”
From today’s NY Times. Let’s see him sell this lie on the campaign trail now.
Tim Dukes, the son of former Sussex County Council member Dale Dukes (Dixiecrat – Seaford), announced he was running for Biff Lee’s seat today. He already has a website up. Hmm, perhaps Biff tipped Muffy off to his plans before he went public. Dukes is a evangelical Christian pastor. Just what we need in the legislature. 😛
The point that dumbass scarborough misses is this, the us electorate elect the president one vote at a time. And just because a bunch of people in the media dont like romney, that does not matter, because there are huge numbers of the electorate who do want romney to be president. And scarborough only gets one vote
Yeah, Romney isn’t going to win. I think the Dems might even recapture a majority in the House. That is good news. The bad news is that they probably won’t get a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. And I think that the Senate Repubs will probably continue to filibuster everything in sight precisely because Romney was their nominee and lost. The argument will be (mostly promulgated by the tea party crowd and their fellow travelers) that the GOP lost in 2012 because they didn’t have a real conservative (read: nutjob) as their nominee. So continue to stall, filibuster on principle until 2016 when a real conservative can run will be the logic.
If Rick S. or Newt G. or Michele B. had been their nominee for 2012 and if, as almost certainly would have happened, one of them had lost in the General Election, then this argument would have been removed from them. The incentive to filibuster on principle would have been removed and the Repubs would probably take a different tack–one more moderate and compromising to create a different image for 2016.
A great article on what it means to be a gay teen.
Romney isn’t going to win. I think the Dems might even recapture a majority in the House. That is good news. The bad news is that they probably won’t get a filibuster proof majority in the Senate.
It’ll be the Groundhog Day presidency…
On the other hand, how many times in life do you get a redo of your past mistakes?
Well, its hate mail for Joe and a back door hint of the dreaded “brokered convention”. But I agree, Mitt’s a failure and the race isn’t even being run yet.
“It’ll be the Groundhog Day presidency…”
so we get 2013 of the same ol shit and HOPEFULLY the D’s get their mega super uber 48DD majority in 2014…. that gives Obama exactly 4 months to do EVERYTHING before the focus shifts to 2016 and Elizabeth Warren (nope, haven’t given up on that) VS….. Paul Ryan.
Ezra Klein writes a bruising response to Douthat’s idiotic column where anon Digby has extracted the piece of stupidity he posted up. That bill with the mandate they so suddenly hate was a mandate supported by Republicans, offered, in part, as a compromise. So President Obama out and about pointing to this mandate as one more thing the GOP can’t make up its mind over fits the theme.
“That bill with the mandate they so suddenly hate was a mandate supported by Republicans, offered, in part, as a compromise.”
This makes me think of the 11 dimensional chess player. He gave up so easily on the mandate and the public option. I think they got played, hard. The next 7 months will tell the tale.
Seriously, there has got to be a betting pool someplace on when we find out this guy has a wide stance.
I cannot believe TNJ would limit access to readership on-line when a 5 y.o little girl is missing. It’s just plain evil not to disseminate the information to the public, because they haven’t paid.
You guys are all forgetting one little bit of History, It has been 192 years since the U.S. voters gave 3 consecutive presidents a second term. Chew on that. 1.Clinton, 2. Bush, 3. Obama, I don’t think so. Unless Obama is right when he says he has been the 4th best president in U.S. History. (Are you Kidding, this guy actually believes this), and you guys
are going to vote for this guy. I have this question for you, if Charles Manson were your parties candidate, would you also vote for him, just to keep a republican from getting elected. Think about that.
Joanne,
There are two ways around the News-Journal paywall:
(a) Reading stories linked from FAcebook and Twitter don’t count against your total.
(b) Clear your cookies.
Same thing works with the New York Times paywall.
Rusty the ghost dancer.
Rusty, why do you continue to post asinine questions on here? And please, use grammar check. It’s “party’s,” not “parties,” in the context you were writing.
Protack is running for NCCo Council President.
Bush was not elected to his first term, so your thesis is moot.
He probably wasn’t elected for his second term either… (Ohio shenanigans)
Thanks anon @ 8:51! But don’t you think it’s still wrong for a possible time sensitive, public help needed, alert to not just be accessed? I don’t FACEBOOK or Twitter, and have gotten around as needed–but this should be just free and instant for the cause of public good.