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

makes u think

according to 538, Florida's moved from a 50.5% chance for an Obama win to a ~56% of a Romney win in the last week or so... any chance the Romney/ Ryan move to go on the offensive re Medicare is working?

Ah, RedState, never change:

I’ll be frank: abortion is something I feel very strongly about, yet I do not enjoy talking about. In fact, I’d describe my enthusiasm as I type this post as something approaching tepid at best. Nevertheless, I think I should make some sort of comment on US Senate candidate Todd Akin’s remarks on so-called “legitimate rape” and abortion.

First of all, the remarks demonstrate why I do not care for talking about abortion unless I must: it is incredibly easy to shoot myself in the foot with poorly chosen words. Furthermore, as a man, I must be even more careful because there is a sizable portion of women, particularly those who call themselves “feminists”, who are all too willing to portray my words (or any man’s words), especially when I choose them poorly, as another evil misogynist who wants to enforce his “evil” ideas on women. It’s not right, but it is something that exists. It’s not just the gravity of the issue at hand, but the appearance that I can create while discussing it, that can determine how the message is received.

Second, I’d like to make a quick comment on the “legitimate rape” thing...

according to 538, Florida's moved from a 50.5% chance for an Obama win to a ~56% of a Romney win in the last week or so... any chance the Romney/ Ryan move to go on the offensive re Medicare is working?

― it's smdh time in America (will), Wednesday, 22 August 2012 00:41 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that's because they're refusing to remove a poll they've pointed out is wrong from their model. ( \o_o/ )

Women involved with assholes like that should go full-on Lysistrata (which, incidentally, is a guaranteed way to avoid all pregnancies).

Florida poll: "Will you not not not not not not not not not not not not vote for Romney?"

also vp bounce is not factored in

"feminists"

a-ha. i should probably read (all of) Nate's posts instead of just checking it once a day like a scoreboard.

xposts

but i could totally see the R/R bullshit working, because, well, they're white

(and apparently outright lying doesn't really matter if you're telling the lies old people want to hear. and you're white.)

lying hasn't mattered in a long time. no one gets called out for it anymore. and a portion of the press corps even question whether it should be their function to call out liars, from the arthur brisbane (NYT) 'Truth Vigilante' debacle to more recent debates among journalists.

well sure. it's just it seemed like medicare was the one place where the olds get real sober real fast. AARP was critical of Ryan's plan when it dropped (http://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/press-center/info-04-2011/budget_upend_vital_programs.html), but they've been suspiciously silent since he got the veep nod afaict

Well hey

https://twitter.com/ToddAkin/statuses/238063720683696130?tw_i=238063720683696130&tw_e=details&tw_p=tweetembed

Matthew Funtime ‏@MatthewFuntime

@ToddAkin the liberal media don't know shit about real science Dr. Akin!!

I bet he's lots of fun.

there's some validity to that statement but not in the way i think he means

i want Hannity etc to respond to the allegations that they're the liberal media. just because.

Surprised Akin stuck it out. When I left the house earlier, he'd had his interview with Huckabee, but there was still an hour left and I thought he'd be out by 6:00. CNN had the RNC chairman, Rebus Plurbius, on around 4:30, and he said that it would be difficult for Akin to win without any money. (Curious if they stick to that.) Even the dynamism and persuasive powers of Romney wasn't enough.

yeah i'm also curious about that. i'm not sure that race is over unless the rnc really does cut bait.

so...was this linked?

http://leanforward.msnbc.com/_news/2012/08/21/13400848-new-nbcwsj-poll-shows-zero-percent-support-for-romney-among-african-americans#.UDQ8XrIWWME.twitter

Looking inside the numbers, Obama continues to lead Romney among key parts of his political base, including African Americans (94 percent to 0 percent), Latinos (by a 2-to-1 margin), voters under 35-years-old (52 percent to 41 percent) and women (51 percent to 41 percent).

who do the other 6 percent support?

maybe they're thinking about voting for someone who isn't barack obama or mitt romney

Undecideds, I think.

the other six percent is alan west

rent is too damn high

and women (51 percent to 41 percent)

I've got to believe this will be moving noticably in Obama's direction. (Saw something on TV that said he got 56% last time.)

Well Sullivan unloaded with some interesting details:

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/08/akin-is-the-christianist-mainstream.html

what's the deal with this (from willke, in the sullivan)?

First, let's define the term "rape." When pro-lifers speak of rape pregnancies, we should commonly use the phrase "forcible rape" or "assault rape," for that specifies what we're talking about. Rape can also be statutory. Depending upon your state law, statutory rape can be consensual, but we're not addressing that here.

like, do they actually have some kind of goofy problem with statutory rape, or is this just a red herring to make it look like 'forcible rape' is a thing and not just a way to cast aspersions on the legitimacy of rape reports?

And but of course!

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/08/21/palin_suggests_third_party_candidate_to_stop_akin_in_missouri.html

"Bless his heart, I don't want to pile on Todd Akin, because in some respects I understand what he's trying to say here, and standing on principle, that he doesn't want to be perceived as a quitter. But you got to know when to hold them and know when to fold them," fmr. Gov. Sarah Palin said on FOX News today.

jesus christ she sounds like an onion parody of herself

i'd have expected her to back him, tbh

somehow i always forget that sarah palin quit her term halfway through because she doesn't like making policy and to make money at fox. but i can understand how in some respects she would, standing on principle, not want to be perceived as a quitter

sarah palin is on vacation, plz direct yr questions to this kenny loggins tape

is palin perceived as a quitter by her base, or a savvy person who refused to be a victim of despicable liberal tactics in the grimy trenches of anchorage?

as a quitter, given her half-assed bus tour, i think

rogers

haha, i was just taking a trip down palin memory lane 2009 and found this awesome quote describing why she would be a quitter if she didn't quit: "it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: 'Sit down and shut up,' but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out".

"Continuing on the path you've set for yourself means quitting all the other paths you haven't taken." - Anonymous

any chance the Romney/ Ryan move to go on the offensive re Medicare is working?

― it's smdh time in America (will), Tuesday, August 21, 2012 8:41 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

new ap poll fwiw: Forty-nine percent trust Obama to handle Medicare, versus 41 percent who trust Romney.

This is terribly amusing.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/314646/how-will-todd-akin-movie-end-lisa-schiffren

It is fascinating to watch someone on a national stage who truly fails to comprehend the reality of what he is doing.

*steeples fingers* yes, lisa.

Wendy...

Yes, Lisa?

lol

I only want to see you laughing now at Todd Akin.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/22/world/akin-international-rape-reaction/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Hong Kong (CNN) -- In just a few days, a politician largely unknown outside the U.S. has earned the dubious reputation on the world stage as the "rape-gaffe congressman."

Todd Akin, 2009:

AKIN: This whole thing strikes me if it weren’t so serious as being a comedy you know. I mean, we just went from winter to spring. In Missouri when we go from winter to spring, that’s a good climate change. I don’t want to stop that climate change you know. Who in the world want to put politicians in charge of the weather anyways? What a dumb idea…

Some of the models said that we’re going to have surf at the front steps of the Capitol pretty soon. I was really looking forward to that…

We’ve been joined by another doctor, a medical doctor but also a guy who graduated from high school science as well, from Georgia, my good friend, Congressman Gingrey.… So to have actually a guy who’s passed high school science is tremendously helpful. And Dr. Fleming from Louisiana.

again, what alarms me isn't his terrible ideas but just his underlying caveman level of intelligence.

he's right about that high school science though. if only there were some more of those brainiacs around!

high school science, the apex of human understanding

i'm actually a little shocked at the "outrage" at Akin from his own team. i realize it's an election year and all, but this guy isn't saying anything that hasn't been mainstream GOP domga for some time now afaict