the most important election of your lifetime: 2012 american general election thread

that feels a little too cynical. i'm sure he would have expected a bad reaction, but if 95% of african american voters went for Obama last time I don't think he has much to lose. he'll get credit for going in the first place, and if that drops the number from 95% to 90% then it is a win.

sorry, i think i read that 'may be useful' as 'racist tea party/right wingers will applaud a man getting booed by the NAACP' helps his credibility, even though I'm not sure that's how you meant it.

it's a win/win situation - he gets credit for going, and gets credit from the base for not going over well

I give him credit for going myself, and said so upthread. "Useful" might be the wrong word...more of a dog-whistle thing: look, everyone, here I am standing up to the NAACP. For a guy who still has not made an emotional connection with at least half the Republican party, that can't hurt. And it doesn't cost him with anyone who wasn't going to vote for him anyway.

I just find it so hard to believe he wouldn't expect vigorous booing in that situation--he's saying he's going to rip up the signature achievement of the first African-American president. Either Romney or his handlers decided it was worth it to go ahead anyway, and presumably they had a reason.

The world would probably care a whole lot more if he DIDN'T do this.

Yeah, he might as well have declared "After November, no-one will remember Barack Obama!"

p4reene seems to have it right

http://www.salon.com/2012/07/11/mitt_romney_shakes_off_boos_at_naacp/

Instead it was an attempt to seem reasonable to potential (white) moderate votes and brave to his base, by agreeing to address an unfriendly crowd and delivering supposed hard truths.

like I said

Karl Rove welcomes your hate:

Crossroads’ spartan office occupies part of a top floor high-rise in downtown, Washington, D.C. Visitors enter through a pair of wooden double doors marked only by an inconspicuous nameplate and white doorbell. With Rove serving as its premier front man, the political group attracts its fair share of protesters. The staff relishes those attacks, hanging protesters’ posters on the wall like political taxidermy.

Staffers hung one poster that declared “Indict Karl Rove” to the wall with masking tape. Just inside the entrance, there’s a framed cease and desist letter from President Bill Clinton’s counsel to Jo Ann Davidson, a Crossroads’ board member. The October 2011 letter asked Crossroads to stop using a YouTube image of Clinton in one of its advertisements. It didn’t work; the spot finished its flight.

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/58_3/American-Crossroads-70-Million-Blitz-Senate-GOP-216027-1.html

Didn't realize that Obama isn't addressing the NAACP--he's sending Biden instead tomorrow. I know it barely qualifies as a one-day story, I know it's all symbolic, etc., etc., but not good. Politically, it gives Romney an out: "At least I went." (Sure enough, Wolf Blitzer is on there hook-line-and-sinker chastizing Obama right now.) But beyond all that, it just seems like a slap in the face to your most loyal and steadfast supporters. I don't really get it.

pundits crowing all day about "is Obama taking his base for granted??!"

Obama may or may not have had to contend with the Bradley effect in '08; now he'll have to withstand the Romney effect.

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/mitt-romney-i-have-secret-black-supporters-video.php?ref=fpa

guys can i just say "Bain Capital" sounds like it was lifted directly from A Guide to Evil Megacorps in Middling Science Fiction Films, 1993 Edition?

"Whaddya think they've been working on in that new building over by the reactor tower?"

"I dunno but it sure has a lot of security"

it's a win/win situation - he gets credit for going, and gets credit from the base for not going over well

He doesn't win when the biggest news story is that he got booed. And he doesn't win when it's clear that the reason he got booed was because his casual reference to "Obamacare" in front of this audience was, in Al Sharpton's words, "disrespectful."

To put it another way, isn't Romney's ostensible appeal something to do with faux-credibility and faux-presidentiality?

"I spoke with a number of African-American leaders after the event"

One is a number too though, the loneliest number I believe.

Is there such a thing as milking booing? Because if you look at the NAACP clip above, I swear that's what Romney does. I've seen many politicians get booed, and one common reaction is to speak up quickly and awkwardly in an effort to smooth things over and get back on track. They generally don't stand back and bask in the jeers.

i welcome your hatred, my friend

The 'disrespect' is theoretically an asset for the voters he is trying to nail down/woo. It's not hard to understand.

Today's NRO poll ("Was the NAACP speech a plus or minus for Romney?") should come with its own "Mission Accomplished" banner: 4,000 votes in, 92% plus, 8% minus.

The 'disrespect' is theoretically an asset for the voters he is trying to nail down/woo. It's not hard to understand.

So if I don't agree that means I didn't understand. I see.

no

"When I mentioned I am going to get rid of Obamacare, they weren't happy...That's okay, I want people to know what I stand for, and if I don't stand for what they want, go vote for someone else, that's just fine. But I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from the government, tell them to go vote for the other guy—more free stuff. But don’t forget nothing is really free."

except his tax-free income

who amongst us does not want free stuff

Romney shoulda stuck with the eagle-humping-pac-man-ghost logo imho

http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg878/scaled.php?tn=0&server=878&filename=zfkufp.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640

thats p sweet

tote bags are NOT free btw

dang

yeah anyone who thinks Romney's NAACP appearance wasn't crafted specifically for the crackers watching via a FOX snippet, or that the response he got will somehow negatively impact him is severely out of touch. imo.

this might be one of the least dumb things he's done yet. racist, sure. but not dumb.

yeah this was an unusually smart play politically

ROMNEV

quick someone start a metal combo called ROMNEV & get some pre-made awesome totes to sell at your shows

the url will just look ironic

"My god...... somebody locked the exits!!"

"Oh shit, oh fuck"

"Hold on, there's always an access stamp in the logs, should ID the person who did it. Evans can you pull it up?"

"two secs.... there."

***BAIN CAPITAL***

***NO FURTHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE***

lol

specifically for the crackers watching via a FOX snippet

Even if there was some calculation along these lines, it doesn't make it smart. You go with Romney over Rick Perry or Michelle Bachmann and you expect him to win as a rabble rouser?

I'm not convinced it's a great move to win over blue collar independents. If this is convincing for them, aren't they too racist to vote for Obama in the first place?

I know what Tim's trying to say, and I don't think Romney necessarily did what he did yesterday with much enthusiasm. You could read his smile as the jeering starts many different ways--one way, maybe too charitable, is that there's some embarrassment that he has to do something distasteful for such transparently political ends. But I'm convinced that's what's going on. And while I said earlier that it was good that he decided to go, if I'm right, I rescind that--better not to go at all. (From a what's-right standpoint, not politically.) I also again question why Obama is sending Biden.

tbh if given a choice I'd send Biden because Biden is more likely to do something funny

this is but one reason why I'm not President

I will be very surprised if Biden doesn't make a joke about being sent in Obama's place

clemenza, I hope this campaign is over before you turn into Canadian Gabbneb.

Gabbnuck

ha

"If re-elected, you have my promise that I will act swiftly to repeal Obamacare" (flashes big Joe smile).

I did give some grudging respect for opening with "I'm pleased to be on today, even before Vice President Biden, I just hope the Obama campaign doesn't think you're playing favourites"

this whole did romney actually leave bain three years after he said he did story is p interesting

Sullivan's on overdrive: he put up five "The Bain Of This Campaign, Ctd" posts within a couple of hours this afternoon.