October 26, 2011

"I don’t know whose bright idea is was to send Romney to Ohio, have him rally the troops at a call center..."

"... and then refuse to support the policy they’re fighting for, but one thing appears certain: this unforced error is going to leave a mark."

That's the thing. It's good for Romney to stand aloof from Ohio's overheated collective bargaining mess, especially if the side he'd have to take is about to acquire the stink of losing. But do that standing somewhere where aloofness looks prettier.

UPDATE: Romney clarifies:
"I fully support Gov. Kasich's Question 2 in Ohio... I'm sorry if I created any confusion there."
He claims he was being careful not to seem to be saying anything about some other issues also on the ballot which he wasn't familiar with.

51 comments:

AllenS said...

Romney = McCain Lite.

WV: oftiness

traditionalguy said...

Mitt is very smart. If it will not help Mitt right now, he will not do it.

That is what has made him appear to be a wind sock as the political winds change every cycle. Very smart??

No, that is the way to lose in politics. That also explains why he always loses.

Tim said...

Our choices, like in '08, are awful.

Despite that, too many will likely vote for the proven failure in Obama because the optics are better than the looming dystopian reality resulting from our Mugabian policies.

sorepaw said...

Mitt Romney is a weasel.

ricpic said...

Like we really need a president wind sock, to quote tradguy, at a time when strong measures, desperate measures actually, have to be taken and held to in order to save the republic.

The Dude said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ricpic said...

What's a Mugabian policy?

Never heard that term before.







wv: ankymoyn: a mark left after hanky panky?

Tank said...

Perfectly encapsulates why Repub's continue to look for an alternative.

The only conservatives with principals in the race have no chance of winning.

I predicted long ago we were going to get two lousy choices. Sadly, it's looking more and more correct.

garage mahal said...

ROMNEY NO LIKE SMASH UNION? BOOGA BOOGA

Shouting Thomas said...

After listening to Perry on O'Reilly last night, I"m getting the very unhappy feeling that we're looking at a second term for Obama.

Nobody's going to get excited about Romney or Perry. Cain seems uninterestsed in putting together a real campaign. Palin, who could inspire enthusiasm, is out.

Four more years.

Chip S. said...

Paul Ryan, please reconsider.

Shouting Thomas said...

The worst part of the political scene is that nobody, and I mean nobody, is willing to let the bad assets collapse.

By that, I mean the bad mortgages.

Obama's probably headed toward some sort of mortgage bailout. The Republicans won't just let the bad mortgages go in the trash can.

So, we're going to continue to flounder. We "helping" people by extending the financial crisis and kicking the can down the road.

Nobody wants to trust the market.

traditionalguy said...

Why all the discouragement?

The leader in the polls is an inspiring leader who can win the election.

Have a smoke and calm down.

Romney will not win the nomination.That leaves Cain and Gingrich for Conservatives.

Among those two, Newt is an idea man with even liberal ideas if one is a neat. But he is not a leader.

While Herman is a lifelong conservative and is an amazing leader.

Rick Perry may get a second look, but the voters have not been inspired by Rick who now trails the first three, and Bachmann too.

Perry's claim is that he is the only other candidate and that he is better than Romney...but that is a fantasy land because it ignores both the leader Cain and the #3 Gingrich, which are both ahead of #5 Perry.

The mind control media (MCM) merrily pretends it sees #2 Romney and #5 Perry fighting it out. But they write off #1 Cain as ineligible or something. But that is their mistake.

Known Unknown said...

So ... politically ... exhausted.

Carnifex said...

WOW!! A Republican from the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts turns out to be a RINO! Who would ever conceive that? And the republican establishment is BACKING this looser.

Sad to say, but I have more respect for Barry O' than this guy, and I don't respect Barry. But at least you know where Barry is going to go. Whatever hurts America the most.

This guy seems almost like a psychopath...saying anything and everything to the audience he's pandering to at that time, then turning around and saying the exact same opposite for the next crowd.

The country is clamoring for steadfast leadership, Mitt Romney is not it.

garage mahal said...

Would conservatives feel better about Romney if I said I thought he was a pretty good guy?

J said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MadisonMan said...

So the Republicans can screw up a gimme.

Anonymous said...

Palin, who could inspire enthusiasm, is out.

Speaking of Palin, where has Crack Emcee got to? He was 100 percent certain Palin was going to run (and win). She was his savior.

I guess when you fall for a New Age Conservative Cult, the letdown when reality and facts intrude is just too much to bear.

AllenS said...

Did you say something, garage?

Tim said...

ricpic said...

"What's a Mugabian policy?"

Mugabian

NOUN:
One that studies, advocates, or makes use of Robert Mugabe's philosophical or socioeconomic concepts as a method of analysis and interpretation, as in political economy.

Admittedly, it's a stretch now, but only a small one given the arc of events.

Tim said...

MadisonMan said...

"So the Republicans can screw up a gimme."

So the electorate can screw up a gimme, given who the candidates are.

Fixed.

garage mahal said...

MM
Not really a gimme. The union busting bill in Ohio is going to be crushed by probably 20 points or more this month. That said Romney probably should have just stayed away. Anything other than unequivocal union bashing is like kicking the Baby Jesus to the conservative base.

Anonymous said...

While Herman is a lifelong conservative and is an amazing leader.

How has Cain demonstrated leadership? Being CEO of a pizza company is not anything like political leadership. His barely concealed disdain for things that don't interest him, but are vital tasks for a president (e.g., foreign relations and policy) demonstrate that he is unfit to be president.

He also doesn't seem that interested in actually running for president. On that score, he is this campaign's Fred Thompson.

Chip S. said...

[SS] has little or no resemblance to a ponzi scheme (which may be very profitable for the first in...)

This is different from SS...how? It's in fact the exact history of rates of return to SS participants by age cohort.

Look, I'll agree that SS is not inherently a Ponzi scheme, in that it can work if the wage pool rises at a fast enough rate relative to the population of retirees. But as a matter of historical fact that hasn't happened, so that it has played out as a sort of Ponzi scheme.

J said...

(Romney’s) refused to call social security a Ponzi scheme.

You mean MR's refused to join the likes of AnnCoulter in chanting a....category error. SS may be a bloated bureaucracy but not criminal (certainly not intent) and has little or no resemblance to a ponzi scheme (which may be very profitable for the first in the scam--). MR also knows union busting won't likely help him in the big blue states--of course the average tea-tard's not smart enough for tactics.

J said...

Have the SS admins made a ton of dough from people paying in?No. And citizens do benefit (whereas in a Ponzis scheme some--most--will get burned). Saying more was paid-in than was paid-out--that's just inefficiency or corruption. Assuming that govt. officials did profit from the pay-ins (TP says that-- hasn't proven it)--that would just be typical fraud or graft.

The teabug's "ponzi scheme meme"--since it has nothing to with reality-- in effect is clever ...defamation, one might even say libel, with Coulter's crypto-racist angle as well. After the yokels hear the "ponzi scheme" rant at the hardware store or on Fox for a few months soon everyone in Green Acres agrees. How the Herd mind operates, chipster.

Chip S. said...

Hey--I managed to comment on J's comment two full minutes before it was posted!

The new neutrino-speed upgrade I got is worth every penny I haven't paid yet.

edutcher said...

This is why nobody trusted Milton last time and things haven't gotten any better. As all the pundits note, he just can't do better that 25% support, so the idea he's inevitable is a long way from true.

He's very evitable.

Freder Frederson said...

While Herman is a lifelong conservative and is an amazing leader.

How has Cain demonstrated leadership? Being CEO of a pizza company is not anything like political leadership.


Somebody tell Freder that, outside the world of small c communist politics, it takes leadership to run a business and better leadership to turn one around and Herman turned two around; he was Pillsbury's ace troubleshooter.

GodZero wasn't even a good community organizer.

garage mahal said...

MM
Not really a gimme. The union busting bill in Ohio is going to be crushed by probably 20 points or more this month.


As I've said before, don't hold your breath.

The "Vote Yes" ads have been running and they make the point knocking SB5 down will result in higher taxes - always a point to consider.

dreams said...

If only Romney had true conservative values to go with business smarts.

garage mahal said...

Don't suppose this helps Romney either:

Mitt Romney Fundraising With A Solyndra Lobbyist .

J said...

Fleshed it out for you, chipster, with extra-Nietzschean spin as well. Conservative pundits have for a few years reserved the right to lie, misrepresent, defame, and make shit up at will--as with the ponzi scheme BS --standard MO for Coulter. Limblow, FOX (not unknown among lib-ralls..but TP has cornered the market). See J Edgar-Dutcher's brainfarts for blog examples.

rhhardin said...

The yard signs are a little unclear as to which side they're on.

Except they seem to be put out by firemen and they think they're sacred people entitled to every wage they dream up.

I'm for market wages. If you have more applicants than you need, lower the wage until you get the right number.

Same for teachers, policemen, and so forth.

You have to be paid less than you're worth or your making your employer take a loss.

It's also got to be more than your time is worth to you. That's what tells you whether to apply for the job.

The right wage finds the right number of applicants that way.

edutcher said...

rhhardin said...

The yard signs are a little unclear as to which side they're on.

Excellent point.

The whole setup of the thing is very counter-intuitive and I don't doubt a lot of people will vote the way they really don't want - in both cases.

Brian Brown said...

said...

You mean MR's refused to join the likes of AnnCoulter in chanting a....category error. SS may be a bloated bureaucracy but not criminal (certainly not intent) and has little or no resemblance to a ponzi scheme


Watching you try and stagger your way through a posting on economics is kind of cute, but also troubling.

Brian Brown said...

Freder Frederson said...

His barely concealed disdain for things that don't interest him, but are vital tasks for a president (e.g., foreign relations and policy) demonstrate that he is unfit to be president.


Coming from an Obama voter, no less!

Christopher in MA said...

"Mitt Romney is a weasel."

Weasels have a spine.

Brian Brown said...

Looks like Mitt got the message.

Mitt Romney sought to overturn his controversial comment on unions Wednesday, saying he supports Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) “110 percent” in limiting collective bargaining power. …

“I fully support Gov. Kasich’s Question 2 in Ohio,” Romney said at a campaign stop in Virginia Wednesday. “I’m sorry if I created any confusion there.”

sorepaw said...

ROMNEY NO LIKE SMASH UNION?

ROMNEY NO LIKE ROMNEY NOT ELECTED PRESIDENT.

ANYTHING ELSE, ROMNEY NO CARE.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Romney has refused to take any strong positions. He is obviously trying to win by running out the clock.

Cedarford said...

rhhardin - "Except they seem to be put out by firemen and they think they're sacred people entitled to every wage they dream up."

The big disconnect between rightwing union-hating republicans and their union bashing. Since 9/11, they profess to hate all union members except Hero cops and Hero firefighters. Who supposedly go into danger and SERVE, and therefore deserve worship, grovelling to their wage demands, and instant exemption from measures to check the collective bargaining power of unions, by Republicans from Rudy to Walker.

I presume the rightwingers would learn to love teachers, restaurant employees, and sanitation workers if they wore gold-trimmed uniforms and daily announced they were Heroes for going into harms way in schools mere lesser Americans would run from. Especially if all teachers were given guns to wear, which would make them instant Heroes Who Serve. Or for sanitation municipal locals or SEIU -restuarants and garbage-dealing that gives them higher injury rates than hero cops or hero firefighters.

Cedarford said...

I suspect that if Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, etc entered the race they would last about a week before the hysterical rightwing RINOs began denouncing them as traitorous RINOs over issues like gun control, immigration, steep military spending cuts.

There is a reason why hardcore conservatives now struck by true believing swamp fever are limited to fringe House members, washed up pols like Santorum and Newt, a governor too stupid to be President, and a motivational speaker 15 years gone from an executive role after his Board replaced him who has never run for executive office.
The simple reason is that like the Lefty fringe, no person of consequence who is pretty conservative and has broad appeal to voters can emerge without being considered a RINO traitor that made multiple deals and who tried appealing to moderates and independents.

Had someone with Reagan's track record in California come into the contest, they would be instantly condemned as RINO for multiple purity test capital sins. For signing a pro abortion law, dealing with Demon-Crats, and saying filthy lousy blue collar union members would be well represented by him, Reagan.

JohnJ said...

"Romney = McCain Lite."

Nonsense.

One maybe can fault Romney in this case for being a bit too cautious, but he clarified his position today in Virginia: He fully supports efforts to limit collective bargaining power, including Question 2 in Ohio.

Sheez! I'm not surprised some foresee another four years of the Lecturer-in-Chief with this kind of self- immolation among repubs & conservatives.

sorepaw said...

One maybe can fault Romney in this case for being a bit too cautious, but he clarified his position today in Virginia: He fully supports efforts to limit collective bargaining power, including Question 2 in Ohio.

Yeah, Romney fully supports them until he doesn't fully support them again.

Which might be tomorrow, for all we know.

No one's self-immolating.

But Romney is too vain to realize that it's not about whether Mitt Romney becomes President.

Steven said...

From twitter: "Romney is so risk-averse it actually gets him in trouble. Meanwhile, Perry is Mayhem from the Allstate ads."

sorepaw said...

Don't suppose this helps Romney either

No, it doesn't.

It's noticeable, thought, that the unit has yet to be provided with modules that enable the production of output on Solyndra.

sorepaw said...

SS may be a bloated bureaucracy but not criminal (certainly not intent) and has little or no resemblance to a ponzi scheme (which may be very profitable for the first in the scam--).

The Ponzi scheme charge goes back to the 1950s, if not earlier.

Paul Samuelson admitted, in the late 1960s, that Social Security is "Ponzi-like."

It is possible that those behind Social Security, then and now, are too witless to be intentionally defrauding anyone.

But many of them are professional politicians, so I wouldn't count on that.

While Social Security has not put millions of dollars into the pockets of any of its proponents, it has enabled large numbers of politicians to gain or retain power, while lying to the public about the nature of the program.

That's Ponzi-ish enough for me.

Begone, troll.

Cedarford said...

I listened to a right-wing radio host (Steve Gill) ponder whether a white candidate whose only qualification was that he briefly did a fair job of running a mediocre and now nearly extinct pizza chain 15 years ago would be taken seriously.

I guess the white would have a shot if they were telegenic and had big tits and could rev up a pack of Fundies gathered.

I supposed there is a lot to be said for being someone that can run for President from a standpoint of left or right ideological purity from never having to have compromised by running for office, or launching your Presidential campaign right into your 1st statewide office before you are forced to vote on significant things and thus lose some of your purity litmus tests "checkoffs".

Being a motivational speaker, preacher, or broadcast journalist seems to be a new Presidential bona fide, as well.

There is something amusing as JohnJ mentioned about purity-obsessed conservatives acting like McGovernites. And screaming RINO! whenever a qualified entrant appears. Had Christie, Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan entered - they would have been branded as RINOs from the start. Heck, if Reagan had suddenly come out of a time warp the rightwingers would have gone catatonic about his RINO record as California's governor and about his desire to get the vote of stinking lousy union blue collar workers.

Tea Party at Perrysburg said...

I am furious. SB5/Issue 2 have received virtually NO support from anywhere, least of all the Republican party, which seems to be taking a RINO hands off stand. All the wailing, moaning and people with anti SB5 signs are winning because people don't know what it is. Instead they are seeing it through the unions' eyes because they've pumped $6 million in here from DC. SUCKS

MikeR said...

Jeez, look at the comments here. Calm down, folks. It was pretty obvious from the first what was happening. Presumably Romney's story is the obvious truth: He wasn't quite familiar with what was going on, and therefore - correctly - declined to take a position.

And please spare me the "Well, a presidential candidate has the obligation always to know what's going on" nonsense.

I have never been sure why people are so quick to attack Romney. His "flip-flops" don't seem any different from any other politician who has to navigate.

sorepaw said...

I have never been sure why people are so quick to attack Romney. His "flip-flops" don't seem any different from any other politician who has to navigate.

I think all this means is that you expect every politician to be a monster of vanity as well as a complete weasel.

So, when you vote for one of these "navigators," do you have the slightest idea what he or she will do once in office?