Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Peter Robinson ·
Dec 28, 2011 at 12:17am
Yes, I've been skeptical of Mitt Romney from the start, and as recently as a couple of hours ago I expressed my skepticism all over again--see below, "The (Thin) Case for Romney." All of which quite understandably tests the patience of even some of my closest friends here on Ricochet, including, for example, JamesOfEngland and ParisParamus.
But jeepers. Just get a load of "Seven Reasons Why Romney's Electability is a Myth." I can't quite agree with the charge that the press has given Romney a free ride, but the author makes some points worth pondering--and makes me look like a pussycat by comparison.
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Apr '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
James Of England: .
6. Mormon.
Evangelical Christians will like him more when liberals spend months telling america how ridiculously Christian mormons are.
Uhhhh . . . no. That will not happen. The left needs to depress the turnout of the Republican base and will therefore "spend months telling Americans" that Mormons:
(a) eat babies;
(b) worship Satan;
(c) secretly fund 98% of of online pornography;
(d) use toilet paper imprinted the American flag to wipe their butts;
(e) are the primary cause of erectile dysfunction;
(f) came up with the idea for "new Coke;" and
(g) have a secret plan to "sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."
I expect that Romney will be the nominee and that Mormons will consequently be the subject of a hate campaign unlike any this country has seen.
By the way, did I mention that the Church of Latter Day Saints supported Proposition 8 (i.e., opposed gay marriage) in California? Not that such sacrilege will have any bearing on the bloodbath to come.
May '10
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
"He is not in a position to make the most powerful argument that we have."
Actually, we have lots of mandates. We are all "mandated" to pay state and federal income taxes. We are mandated to have insurance for our motor vehicles. We are mandated to send our kids to school. So yes, Romney would not be in a good position to indict Romneycare, but Obamacare? The two are not the same, and on the other side of the ledger you have Romney having intimate knowledge of healthcare.
Edited on Dec 28, 2011 at 8:28amAug '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
I don't want either Romney's or Obama's individual mandates, thanks.
Mar '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Frozen Chosen: Oh no! Romney has weaknesses!
I guess we'd better nominate the guy without any... · Dec 28 at 6:57am
Romney doesn't have "a weakness". The parent article notes that he has several. And they're huge. I think the Mormon thing is really overstated... it isn't going to hurt him nearly as much as people think. Most Baptists, Methodists, etc, that I know don't oppose him because he's Mormon. They oppose him because he comes off as a slick yet empty shell, he's flipped twice on abortion, and most importantly, he did Obamacare-lite in MA. Voters simply don't trust the guy.
May '10
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
It's true. Romney will not stand up to Barack Obama. He has no chance. Also, the rest Republican field is weak. I believe that people began to support Newt because it looked like he might stand up to Obama, but it was a false hope. None of the other knuckleheads stands a chance either. All we can do is continue to "fight the long defeat" with joy and humor. Merry Christmas!
May '10
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
I expect that Romney will be the nominee and that Mormons will consequently be the subject of a hate campaign unlike any this country has seen.
Actually, I believe Romney's faith will help him (1) because it will seal the deal in at least two states; and more importantly, certain independent and disaffected Democrats will feel reassured that the "Christian Right" isn't completely comfortable with this LDS guy.
May '10
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Xennady
This is the definition of "lack of enthusiasm". I'm sure most Republicans will trudge to the polls to vote for their second choice- but some won't. In the aggregate this will be hundreds of thousands of voters and quite likely will cost the GOP some close races.
Plus, I doubt independent voters will particularly enthused about a candidate that is every Republican's unenthusiastic second choice. Or else we'd have had a president Dole. · Dec 28 at 3:00am
You know what, Xennady? If that is how mature the Right is, at a time of very stark contrasts between all Republican candidates, including Romney and Huntsman, and Barack Obama on every important issue, we deserve what you are sure we are going to get.
If we are that immature that we pout and stay home during what we believe is an existential crisis, our civilization is probably not worth trying to save. We are the exact equivalent of Al Gore turning on every light in his houses and taking private jets everywhere while telling the rest of us peons that there is a carbon crisis.
Mom used to spank us for those sorts of tantrums.
May '10
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
And remember, when your guy was too uninterested in running or ran and was a flop against Romney, supposed flip flipper, supposed RINO, supposed statist, maybe you need to reevaluate the way you pick candidates and/or what's possible. Maybe? John Hinderaker just endorsed Romney at Powerline.
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Prof. Rahe, you've reiterated Romney's damning initial response to Obamacare a number of times both in print and on a recent podcast, but I'm not convinced that it will seem especially problematic for anyone aside from the most politically attuned among primary voters. I bet that the phrasing –"repeal the bad; keep the good" –sounds pretty innocuous to most folks who aren't experts on the minutiae of ObamaCare and figure that Romney must be alluding to some obscure "good part" of the legislation.
It does matter with people like you and me and other conservative politicos, but then again even you have come out in tepid, reluctant support of the man.
May '10
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
You're in Wisconsin presumably, so you needn't worry about Romney's.
Feb '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
ParisParamus: "He is not in a position to make the most powerful argument that we have."
Actually, we have lots of mandates. We are all "mandated" to pay state and federal income taxes. We are mandated to have insurance for our motor vehicles. We are mandated to send our kids to school. So yes, Romney would not be in a good position to indict Romneycare, but Obamacare?
This reads like it came out of a pro-Obamacare article from the NYT or The Nation intended to convince people the individual mandate isn't unconstitutional.
If this is the sort of argument Romney makes to defend Romneycare I have no idea why he opposes Obamacare at all, except that the voters and his party don't like it.
But then again I don't really think Romney opposes Obamacare, which is one of the myriad reasons I don't support him.
Feb '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Duane Oyen
If we are that immature that we pout and stay home during what we believe is an existential crisis, our civilization is probably not worth trying to save. We are the exact equivalent of Al Gore turning on every light in his houses and taking private jets everywhere while telling the rest of us peons that there is a carbon crisis.
Mom used to spank us for those sorts of tantrums.
In other words, trudge out to polls again to vote for the fourth incarnation of Bob Dole, because otherwise teh civilization will end, and stuff.
If our civilization is so fragile that it cannot withstand four more years of Obama then it certainly cannot withstand the certain and imminent collapse of the welfare state either.
I don't think that's the case. But I do think another failed GOP president would be a worse disaster than more Obama, because history doesn't stop in 2013. The best I expect from Romney would be to tidy up some the worst decisions of Obama, while leaving the totalitarian left intact to resume attacking the Republic at the soonest opportunity.
We need more, or we certainly are doomed.
Dec '10
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Scott Reusser
You're in Wisconsin presumably, so you needn't worry about Romney's. · Dec 28 at 10:48am
Since RomneyCare relies on Federal subsidies, we ALL get to worry about it. Thanks, Mitt!
Feb '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Scott Reusser
No doubt. So the election will have to be, in part, a Capitalism 101 lesson for America,
That's part of the problem the GOP has. The party keeps talking about economics, and fails to realize that their game is politics. So they keep giving the same economic lectures over and over again, and don't understand why they fail so miserably.
So if Mitt Romney goes out and sings yet more praises to the glories of outsourcing Obama is going to hand him his head in a nice wicker basket.
Figuratively, of course. But no doubt GOP will helpfully point out that the figurative wicker basket should be made in China, because of economics.
That's failure, politically, because people want to have jobs. Failing that, they'll vote for the welfare state, because at least then they can eat.
I happen to think a big part of why jobs leave the country is because of foreign manipulation of currency values against the dollar, along with US government acceptance of this due to the dollars status as reserve currency.
But the establishment GOP will never notice this. Know who does?
Ron Paul. Hence his support in Iowa.
May '10
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Xennady
Duane Oyen
If we are that immature that we pout and stay home during what we believe is an existential crisis, our civilization is probably not worth trying to save. We are the exact equivalent of Al Gore turning on every light in his houses and taking private jets everywhere while telling the rest of us peons that there is a carbon crisis.
Mom used to spank us for those sorts of tantrums.
In other words, trudge out to polls again to vote for the fourth incarnation of Bob Dole, because otherwise teh civilization will end, and stuff.
............
I don't think that's the case. But I do think another failed GOP president would be a worse disaster than more Obama...........
You build in a massive assumption here with zero support.
Tell me how many Cabinet departments Ronald Reagan eliminated. Right.
Should we stop trying? No- but adult leaders, such as Reagan, look at reality and live with what they can't completely change.
If we got Rick Perry as prez, 60 Senate seats, and kept the current House margin- and then acted like the Right-mirror of Obama, we would be out of office after 2 years.
Jun '10
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Xennady, the vote is not a precision tool. People interested in exactitude will never make good citizens in a democracy. We must move forward incrementally. We must live to fight another day. We must be in power when circumstances are right so that we can move forwards. To not push for the best achievable result each time is insanity -- and it is worth a good spanking from mom, too.
We have to put in power people who are most likely to take advantage of every opportunity to move this country in the right direction. Just think if Gore had won in 2000. Circumstances proved to be critical -- and not predictable -- in that case. We lost ground in some areas but we made solid progress in others.
Apr '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Xennady
Scott Reusser
No doubt. So the election will have to be, in part, a Capitalism 101 lesson for America,
That's part of the problem the GOP has. The party keeps talking about economics, and fails to realize that their game is politics. So they keep giving the same economic lectures over and over again, and don't understand why they fail so miserably.
So if Mitt Romney goes out and sings yet more praises to the glories of outsourcing Obama is going to hand him his head in a nice wicker basket.
Have you heard him talk about his career? Overwhelmingly he uses the major projects, which have mostly been in retail. Domino's is on the edge of that. Does that include selling foreign goods? Sure, but retailers don't outsource a lot of their work to the Chinese. Nor did the steel mill he's been talking about lately. They do employ a lot of Americans.
Apr '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
R0bert Scott
James Of England: .
6. Mormon.
Evangelical Christians will like him more when liberals spend months telling america how ridiculously Christian mormons are.
Uhhhh . . . no. That will not happen. The left needs to depress the turnout of the Republican base and will therefore "spend months telling Americans" that Mormons:
[snip examples of hate]
I expect that Romney will be the nominee and that Mormons will consequently be the subject of a hate campaign unlike any this country has seen.
By the way, did I mention that the Church of Latter Day Saints supported Proposition 8 (ie., opposed gay marriage) in California? Not that such sacrilege will have any bearing on the bloodbath to come. ·
That's what they should do, sure, but Mormons send 'em nuts (see, as you note, Prop 8). I knew evangelicals who became much more LDS sympathetic after Prop 8. Much like it's easier to argue run persuasive homophobic campaigns if you're quietly sympathetic (eg. a prominent gay Lib Dem MP in the UK ran his first election against a less out opponent as "the straight candidate"), than if your stomach turns when you think about it. The latter squashes important reasonableness.
Apr '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Duane Oyen
Xennady
Duane Oyen
If we are that immature that we pout and stay home during what we believe is an existential crisis, our civilization is probably not worth trying to save. We are the exact equivalent of Al Gore turning on every light in his houses and taking private jets everywhere while telling the rest of us peons that there is a carbon crisis.
Mom used to spank us for those sorts of tantrums.
In other words, trudge out to polls again to vote for the fourth incarnation of Bob Dole, because otherwise teh civilization will end, and stuff.
............
I don't think that's the case. But I do think another failed GOP president would be a worse disaster than more Obama...........
You build in a massive assumption here with zero support.
Tell me how many Cabinet departments Ronald Reagan eliminated. Right.
You know, there are an alarming number of people who think that the answer is either "probably some" or "zero" rather than "he added a department". With Newt's vote in support. Worth spelling out.
Mar '11
Re: Me? Why, By Comparison, I'm Just a Pussycat
Duane Oyen
You know what, Xennady? If that is how mature the Right is, at a time of very stark contrasts between all Republican candidates, including Romney and Huntsman, and Barack Obama on every important issue, we deserve what you are sure we are going to get.
If we are that immature that we pout and stay home during what we believe is an existential crisis, our civilization is probably not worth trying to save. We are the exact equivalent of Al Gore turning on every light in his houses and taking private jets everywhere while telling the rest of us peons that there is a carbon crisis.
Mom used to spank us for those sorts of tantrums. · Dec 28 at 10:05am
So voting... or choosing not to vote... according to your conscience is now a temper tantrum?