Omnibus GOP Primary ThreadFollow

Exactly!

While I agree in this specific case, I think that's more wishful thinking on your part. Same with your "GOP needs to hope for higher unemployment" bit earlier. It's about what you hope the GOP does, not about what would actually be the better choice for them to do. The reality is that the left uses a constant repetitive message to affect people's opinions. The specifics don't matter, of course, but the general feel of what is said and how that affects perceptions of candidates in a race absolutely does.

What the **** are you on about? I know what the GOP will do, it's not a secret. Obstruct as much as possible legislatively and hope things don't get better economically before November. That's the strategy. That's why you nominate Romney.

If voters perceive the economy is getting better, it's over. You understand that, right? Without the economic fear aspect it's Donnie Osmond on stage with Elvis in one debate and that's the end of the election.


They wont parrot the line Romney said, but they will play on the perception that is created by those things. And you can bet that over the next 6 months, the liberal media will not stop finding every way they can to remind the public over and over that Romney is wealthy and doesn't like poor people. And he eats puppies!

What perception? That the son of a millionaire Governor, handed every privilege possible his entire life, who leveraged his families contacts and wealth into a successful private equity career might not have a good handle on the problems of the working class? Perish the thought that narrative gets repeated.

Romney is a nice guy. I've met him in passing a few times. I've worked with Bain, they're a above board ethical company. For a private equity company they're ******* saints.

Here's the thing, though. Nice as he is, he's the classic "little boy lost". He doesn't know what to do with his life, he's never known. He got into Stanford because of who his father was. He spent his LDS mission time in Paris because of who his father was. He was able to find Bain because of who his fathers was. He ran for Governor because of who his father was.

He clearly wants to be President, it's FAR FAR FAR less clear why. He doesn't seem very passionate about, well, anything. Surpassing his father maybe? Maybe being president finally raises him above his old man? I genuinely have no idea why he's running.

I like the guy, I really do. If he moved next door, I'd have a beer with him. Well, I'd have a beer and he'd have whatever magic underpants drinkers have, I guess. Soda? (Ok, I'd have a 2001 Napa Cab, happy?).

He's hard to actively dislike, but also hard to be that enthusiastic about. Anger with Obama works great when things are perceived as hard. When things are perceived as getting better, what's going to motivate GOP voters? I mean, don't get me wrong, you'll always have racism. God knows the GOP is the party of homicidal racists nationwide. You might get a little traction from the God thing, itself, but beyond that, what? If the economy improves you lose women by a large margin. There just aren't enough white men and Mormons in the country to win this thing if there's less fear.

You should pray, every night, that unemployment is in the high 8s in November, otherwise the demographics are really really hard for the GOP in a national race. With the wrong VP or particularly favorable economic conditions, you lose the house, as well.

The whole plan has to been obstruct everything until the election and pin the lack of improvement on Obama. Again, this is openly commented about by GOP politicians, strategists, everyone. How do you idiots claim credit if things turn around? Say you obstructed things that would have been harmful, I guess?

Good luck with that. That and the 17% of the minority vote you're going to get in Florida will buy you another 4 years out of power.

With that messaging, I feel more confident than ever about the election.

Ouch. Romney 0-3 tonight and Santorum taking them all. Romney must have seen this coming (bad internal polling in CO? He was supposed to be favored there) and put out a memo this afternoon dismissing the elections' importance. While it's true the delegate selection is non-binding in these states, it's also true that, well, no one liked Romney all that much. Mathematically nothing much is changed but the image is really poor.

I still firmly believe that Romney will win the nomination. It increasingly seems that he'll win it without much enthusiasm. He'll have lots of money from corporate donations though so maybe what he'll lack in citizen donations and volunteers he'll make up in corporate cash and paid employees.

Yeah. Missouri and Minnesota were expected to go Santorum but Romney was well favored to win Colorado. That he got shut out by five points is pretty embarrassing.

Two of the caucuses were "nonbinding" in that the convention delegates will be chosen by the state party at a later date, theoretically using the caucus results as a guide. The other was just a joke and waste of money by the GOP -- they're holding ANOTHER election later in the year for the delegates. It's the image that no one bothered supporting Romney and the lost momentum that hurts.

Edited, Feb 8th 2012 8:38am by Jophiel

The longer it goes, the more it sounds like an elaborate April Fools joke. Romney might as well get Kerry as a running mate for the full effect.

Trying to rally the troops, I reckon. Every Middlesex village and farm, and all that.

Could be. Maybe they're afraid that enough people will stay home and want to push the message that, if you care, you'd better vote because a lot of people won't.

Ah, you.

Are you sure he didn't say "riding on a white *****"?

Romney wins Maine caucus by 194 votes. Fails to call it "meaningless" despite it being as nonbinding as Minnesota and Colorado was. Or Iowa for that matter. Actually Maine is worse because they had late precincts (or ones just holding their own caucus on another day) but cut them off and declared the election closed without taking their results. It's legal because this caucus didn't select the real delegates anyway.

But, hey, he beat Santorum in the state that elects Collins and Snowe over and over again so that's something.

Edited, Feb 12th 2012 5:41pm by Jophiel