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

these may be covered above:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/156545/reaction-ryan-pick-among-least-positive-historically.aspx

http://www.theonion.com/articles/admit-it-i-scare-the-everloving-shit-out-of-you-do,29160/

if only he had picked Rubio, there would have been months of this shit

That Onion thing's pretty funny, and a perfect contrast to the Gallup poll linked above. We'll see.

Larison on the differences between the GOP and Dems when picking veeps.

...The VP nomination has become the consolation prize for conservatives after they lose in the primaries. Conservatives consistently field too many presidential candidates and end up sabotaging the chances of selecting a more conservative nominee, and so the Vice Presidency is the best they can do.

This has not created a tradition of making former Vice Presidents and VP nominees the natural heirs apparent in future elections. Ever since 1988, Republican VP nominees and Vice Presidents have had an impressive track record of not seeking the presidential nomination later or seeking it with no success. Quayle didn’t even try in 1996, and his tentative efforts in 1999 quickly went nowhere. Kemp didn’t run in 2000, Cheney was never going to try, and Palin likewise stayed out. Many people seem to see Ryan’s selection as the beginning of a path to Ryan’s preeminence in the party later on, but that may not happen. The Republican ticket could win, and Ryan’s career might still hit a dead end after four or eight years. The later political success of Republican VP nominees since Quayle has been elusive. Part of this is a result of the perceived and real failures of the administrations to which they belonged (Quayle, Cheney), and some of this is the result of failed general election campaigns (Kemp, Palin).

election will have to go pretty bonkers for a better headline than "Host for Romney event is a convicted drug dealer" to come down the pike

Good thing Ryan did:

JANESVILLE, Wis. — In 2009, as Representative Paul Ryan was railing against President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package as a “wasteful spending spree,” he wrote at least four letters to Obama’s secretary of energy asking that millions of dollars from the program be granted to a pair of Wisconsin conservation groups, according to documents obtained by The Globe.
The advocacy appeared to pay off;both groups were awarded the economic recovery funds — one receiving a $20 million grant to help thousands of local businesses and homes improve their energy efficiency, agency documents show.

http://bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2012/08/13/paul-ryan-district-supported-energy-funds-while-decrying-stimulus-program/qkXIN2eHgyt4yyBSH81WEJ/story.html

I know...it's just politics as usual

Looks like the GOP counterattack is taking shape: thanks to the Affordable Health Care Act, Obama ALSO plans to cut Medicare.

Which is, of course, about as good as "you didn't build that" and "eliminating work requirement for welfare."

This says it all.

that sort of thing is a red herring. conservatives may be against a specific spending bill, but if they lose, and the government has already committed to spending the money then damn straight they're going see that their constituents get their share. there's nothing hypocritical about that.

xposts

Plus they get to continue to focus their campaign via Karl Rove ads on "the stimulus failed" while noting, well of course they took the money when it was offered.

that sort of thing is a red herring. conservatives may be against a specific spending bill, but if they lose, and the government has already committed to spending the money then damn straight they're going see that their constituents get their share. there's nothing hypocritical about that.

you could say it's unprincipled, though

p gross:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/13/paul-ryan-sold-shares-banking-crisis

But I also saw this:

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/paul-ryan-insider-trading-rumor-quickly-debunked.php

DJP i don't think so really? if your mayor raises taxes on everyone 5% - a policy you disagree with - and then your neighborhood is passed over for any extra spending you'd be TWICE as pissed off.

in any case it doesn't seem too shrewd to attack republicans for securing infrastructure spending for their districts

there absolutely is something unprincipled in your representatives campaigning and arguing that all of these funds being designated for extra spending is terrible and ruining the country, then stampeding to be the first person in line to receive a share of said funds when they are being handed out

or, for a more concrete example, think of Sarah Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island_Bridge

in any case it doesn't seem too shrewd to attack republicans for securing infrastructure spending for their districts

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday

They're not being attacked for securing the spending; they're being attacked for condemning the spending as wasteful in a non-stop mannerin speeches, ads, etc. from the day the stimulus was proposed on through to now, while having acccepted the spending and quietly acknowledging it might have worked or slickly not addressing that.

Also, some Republican governors made a big deal about turning down some stimulus money. So that can be done.

I hear it's really worked out great for Louisiana

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/431395_10151010229748517_1004808642_n.jpg

Jesus and vouchers will take care of people in Jindal's thriving state

holy lol, scott

the eddie munster paul ryan convergence needs to go viral

The interweb gave us Eddie Munster as whelp Paul Ryan some time late Friday, where were you?

the words eddie munster paul ryan convergence need to be on a poorly photocopied basement keg party flyer asap

http://mariopiperni.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Romney_Ryan_Munsters1.jpg

is that George C. Scott

'Eddie' Ryan is killin' me; Ryan really makes that face WAY too much.

Meanwhile lots of Republicans are not at all opti-MITT-stic:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/79697.html?hp=t1_3

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/578861_267572026692452_194937029_n.jpg

dying over here

Yeah i think they will lose just on how weird he looks.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/08/mitt-romney-likes-papaya.html

urls of our times

i think they will lose just on how weird he looks.

didn't apply to Dick

okay that little story is wholly inconsequential and super funny

before I even clicked on goole's link I was going to write, "Well, down here, 'papaya' means something else...."

ay yi yi

he should have said papaya is best when you put huevos on it

Meanwhile on InfoWars, shit's about to get real:

http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intel/2012/08/14/14-barack-obama.o.jpg/a_560x375.jpg

why is Obama eating the sun

that's the powerball he stole from Loki

look at our president, about to go super-saiyan on someone's ass

Obama as Galactus.

Only one man can protect us. Call in the Kingpin!

http://mittromneycentral.com/uploads/christie-romneyjpg-b0d54985315840352.jpeg

more like call the Penguin

http://marvelxvillains.tripod.com/images/themes/blob.jpg

you mean The Blob

is that a sphere of annihilation

no, that is Governor Christie

now here's a burger
now call me Christie