Thursday Open Thread [8.9.12]
So Mitt Romney has decided to go all Culture War on the President, issuing outrageous and racist lies about the President and welfare, and now issuing ads about a “War on Religion.”
Do you know what that means?
It means Romney has lost the election. Already. On August 9, 2012.
Prior to today, the Romney campaign’s strategy was to have a singular focus on only talking about how bad the economy was and how Barack Obama was responsible for it all. Romney was not going to talk about Romneycare or his record as Governor of Massachusetts. Romney was not going to talk about his biography at all, only to the extent that because he was a businessman once he was the right man for the job. And Romney would not dare talk about his plans for actually improving the economy.
You have to give them some credit here, but it really was the only way Romney could actually win the election: make voters believe the economy is worse than it was in 2008 and have them blame Obama for it.
I suppose the Romney campaign has concluded that it can no longer pursue that path to victory.
I’m not privy to the internal debates at Romney HQ, but my suspicion is that Republicans believe the candidates’ credibility on the economy has been severely damaged by coverage of Bain Capital and Romney’s plan to raise taxes on the middle class, and questions about his secret tax returns just aren’t going away quickly enough.
So Romney has apparently felt the need to pivot away from the nation’s top issue — the issue the Republican felt he’d ride directly into the Oval Office — and towards a culture war. It’s a startling development that was very hard to predict.
Culture War issues favor liberals and progressives. Americans like contraception. Americans do not enjoy theocracy. Americans now favor gay marriage. Americans favor reproductive freedom. Americans believe in a separation between Church and State.
So go ahead Romney, lose the election. Make my day.
“Major” leadership changes at Komen:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501367_162-57489927/komen-president-resigning-founder-shifting-roles/
Teachers and parents: The Delaware Department of Education is holding the first of three public meetings tonight asking the question: Do you have specific ideas about regulations that should be modified or eliminated? If so, we want to hear from you.
For teachers who think they have too much red tape or are hampered by regulations, this is a must-attend. Tonight’s meeting is in Georgetown, so if you live in Sussex or are at the beach this week, think about dropping in at 6:00. There will be additional meetings in Kent and New Castle over the next two Thursdays.
These meetings are required by Executive Order No. 36, which requires regulatory review of multiple agencies, not just Education. Click here for a link to the full schedule and a link to the comment submission form.
Here’s the DOE schedule:
I get the feeling that Romney is still trying to win the GOP nomination. Forget about November, he is trying to hold onto the teabags.
Check out this slightly odd infographic about Delaware put together by Dover Downs.
I can’t put my finger on it, but there is some weirdness going on here.
“1209 N Orange St. In Wilmington is home to over 6,500 companies.”
Huzzah for Delaware!
Security Theater: Bomb Found Outside Federal Building in Detroit Kept For 3 Weeks By Security Guards
Privatized security. Employing off-duty DPD officers.
You know Delaware is screwed when we have to resort to Valerie Bertinelli (ex-wife of Eddie van Halen) as a celebrity in 2012.
If I were her agent I’d be on the phone with Dover Downs saying, “Jenny Craig Spokeperson…get it right!
Hey, she’s a Claymonster from Holy Rosary Elementary!
Doesn’t Ryan Phillippe out-rank Bertinelli at this point? At least his ex still has a career…
What about John Gallagher and Aubrey Plaza? DE young hollywood for the win, thank you.
Oh, I thought the spot was reserved for people whose ex-spouses were famous.
Ari Berman reporting in The Nation that in Ohio, early voting hours are being cut in Democratic leaning areas, and expanded in Republican leaning areas.
Once again the public is being distracted by the bogus bright shiny object (“Obama is trying to restrict military voting”) while the GOP are the ones who are really restricting voting rights.
Bill Montgomery pledged DOUBLE DIGIT tax increases at Wilmington Rotary Luncheon earlier today. If escalating crime doesn’t drive folks out of the city, this pledge really sends all the wrong signals to business community and Wilmington residents.
The DOJ has decided not to prosecute Goldman Sachs or any of it’s employees for their connection to the financial crisis in the banking industry. Lack of evidence is claimed.
Not too surprising considering the Obama administrations’ extensive ties to the unscrupulous bank.
“We are pleased that this matter is behind us,” Goldman Sachs spokesman David Wells said when contacted by ABC News.