Politics and Preferences Aside, Please....

[Anonymous]

That's delusional. At the time they picked Ryan, Romney was within 1 percentage point of Obama nationally, and within striking distance in enough battleground states to plausibly win. Why on Earth would he throw the election now?
>>>>>>>>>>>>

Because the economy sucks and is going to continue to suck. Repubs don't want to be in office for that.

I'm telling you they are banking on a 2016 victory, two year term. Hoping the economic kinks will be worked out by then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I am a Dem and wish I could be as confident as those of you who are predicting an Obama win/landslide, but I have read that the election will be close.

Impossible to tell at this point. Most of the country still doesn't have a clue who Ryan is or what his plan (also now Romney's plan, no matter how hard they try to deny that) will do to them personally and to this country.

I pray the Democrats come up with a simple way of explaining that (not their strength, unfortunately).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
That's delusional. At the time they picked Ryan, Romney was within 1 percentage point of Obama nationally, and within striking distance in enough battleground states to plausibly win. Why on Earth would he throw the election now?
>>>>>>>>>>>>

Because the economy sucks and is going to continue to suck. Repubs don't want to be in office for that.

I'm telling you they are banking on a 2016 victory, two year term. Hoping the economic kinks will be worked out by then.

this actually makes sense. It would explain the c-team of candidates they presented as options. Come on, if ANY year should be their year...and THESE are the options? Mr. "I had an affair for America" Family Values and Mr. "Flip-Flop/Whichever way the wind blows me" Businessman? They REALLY aren't even trying to win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too close to call at this point. Obama has the advantage, but it is really going to come down to turnout in a few key states. I think Florida likely goes R , and it comes down to the ground game in Ohio.

And I think you are out of touch with Florida. My parents are lifelong Republicans who have lived in Florida for 29 years. And they and their friends are all worried about Ryan on the Republican ticket. The number of Floridians who rely on a a lot of butter programs for more than 50% of their basic living needs is huge. Also, the number of Baby Boomers who are about to retire or have just recently retired and moved down to Florida is growing steadily.

I think selecting Ryan essentially gave away Florida. While many seniors and Floridians agree philosophically with the Republican party and ticket, many of them cannot afford to vote Republican now.

We'll see, I guess. If you are right, Romney is toast. I find it hard to believe that this was not something that was exhaustively considered before the Ryan pick, as it is an obvious issue---Romney's not stupid, and unlike McCain he seems to actually want to win---but if picking Ryan costs Romney Florida it is a blunder of epic proportions. I think there is a lot of wishful thinking in the Dem predictions on this point, though. Should be an interesting fall.

I'm the PP you responded to. One of the problems with Romney is that he is one of the first Republicans who has to wage his campaign on two fronts. Most other candidates including John McCain really do fall in the category of not needing to woo the conservative base because the base will not vote for the Democrat. In this case, Romney has to woo the conservative base because the conservatives will not just fall in line for Romney. Many of them will vote by staying home and not voting at all. Especially the Tea Party who feel strongly that their way is the only way. They believe that supporting moderate Republicans is just as bad as supporting Democrats and will vote with their feet, even to spite their own noses. So, in addition to needing to appeal to the independents/moderates, he also needs to shore up his support from the conservatives. Selecting Ryan was consolidating his base and ensuring that he has the full, solid support of the growing conservative wing. The candidates that would have helped him win the independent/moderate votes would have essentially lost a lot of the conservative Tea Party base. He probably assured himself more votes by going with Ryan that with any other swing candidate. The problem is these are votes that were either not going to vote or might have capitulated and voted for him anyway. And there was no guarantee that he would swing enough votes from the independents/moderates to staunch the ebb of conservatives bailing out of the election if he had selected otherwise. I think that Ryan was the best choice of those remaining. Probably the only two better candidates, Rubio and Christie both publicly said they weren't interested).

So, I think it cost him Florida, but it still might have been his best choice of the options he had.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That's delusional. At the time they picked Ryan, Romney was within 1 percentage point of Obama nationally, and within striking distance in enough battleground states to plausibly win. Why on Earth would he throw the election now?
>>>>>>>>>>>>

Because the economy sucks and is going to continue to suck. Repubs don't want to be in office for that.

I'm telling you they are banking on a 2016 victory, two year term. Hoping the economic kinks will be worked out by then.

this actually makes sense. It would explain the c-team of candidates they presented as options. Come on, if ANY year should be their year...and THESE are the options? Mr. "I had an affair for America" Family Values and Mr. "Flip-Flop/Whichever way the wind blows me" Businessman? They REALLY aren't even trying to win.

Wait, what affair?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Especially the Tea Party who feel strongly that their way is the only way. They believe that supporting moderate Republicans is just as bad as supporting Democrats and will vote with their feet, even to spite their own noses.

Everything they do is in spite of their own noses, because smaller government means less of the federal services the average Tea Partier depends on, and higher state taxes to pay for everything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

this actually makes sense. It would explain the c-team of candidates they presented as options. Come on, if ANY year should be their year...and THESE are the options? Mr. "I had an affair for America" Family Values and Mr. "Flip-Flop/Whichever way the wind blows me" Businessman? They REALLY aren't even trying to win.

Wait, what affair?

I was talking about Newt. Who loved his country so much...and somehow that led to adultery. Don't ask me - it didn't make any damn sense when he said it.

I left out Santorum and the rest of them, because they were honestly never viable candidates. The party just settled for Mitt because he was the last man standing.

[Anonymous]

Obama has lost the magic. It's cool not to like him. Romney and Ryan are much more attractive than B O and plugs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You forgot to mention the fact that Joe Biden got caight plagiarizing a speech and had to drop out as a presidential candidate.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Biden was already lagging when the speech controversy erupted and he bowed out. Below are the tests of what Kinnock said, and what Biden supposedly plagarized. DCUM, you be the judge.

NEIL KINNOCK at Welsh Labour Party conference May 1987:

"Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Was it because our predecessors were thick? Does anybody really think that they didn't get what we had because they didn't have the talent or the strength or the endurance or the commitment? Of course not. It was because there was no platform upon which they could stand"

JOE BIDEN IN Sept 1987 during his first presidential campaign:

"Why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go a university? Why is it that my wife... is the first in her family to ever go to college? Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright? ...Is it because they didn't work hard? My ancestors who worked in the coal mines of northeast Pennsylvania and would come after 12 hours and play football for four hours? It's because they didn't have a platform on which to stand."

http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2008/08/26/the-biden-plagiarism-scandal/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obama has lost the magic. It's cool not to like him. Romney and Ryan are much more attractive than B O and plugs.

The only magic Romney has is underwear. Any poll will tell you that people don't like him.