Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

We won’t go back.

When we show up, we win.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

We still have time to mess this up!

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

“Joe Biden deserved better than he got from some folks in his own party.”

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Let there be snark.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

You are here: Home / Shouting equivocation

Shouting equivocation

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Even the liberal Dana Milbank….somebody send the paramedics to Bob Somerby’s house:

Romney has what might be called an Al Gore problem: Even if he’s being genuine, he seems ersatz. He assumed a professorial air by delivering a 25-page PowerPoint presentation in an amphitheater lecture hall – but the university issued a statement saying it had nothing to do with the event, for which the sponsoring college Republicans failed to fill all seats. His very appearance – a suit worn without a necktie – shouted equivocation. His hair was so slick that only a few strands defied the product.

What is there to say at this point? Just pray for a meteor and/or start learning learning Mandarin, I guess.

Reader Interactions

55Comments

  2. 2.

    Turgidson

    And to think, it seemed like the #dickwhisperer had turned a corner and become…not-so-atrocious.

    All that goodwill, gone in a flash. What a douche. Chait nailed it in his post about this.

  3. 3.

    rob!

    Mitt is aping John McCain’s 2008 “Just tell me what you want me to say and I’ll say it” strategy, and look how well that worked out for him!

  7. 7.

    Cat Lady

    The media sucks. Water is wet. But Romney is exactly like Milbank describes, so I’ll save my outrage for a more worthy victim. Couldn’t happen to a phonier guy.

  8. 8.

    Poopyman

    The link is to a Jonathan Chait piece which contains that Milbank quote, but frankly I find Chait’s point to be more worth highlighting:

    This is a perfect demonstration of an Al Gore problem, but I’d define the problem differently. An Al Gore problem is what happens when the media forms an impression of your character and decides to cram every irrelevant detail of your appearance and behavior into that frame, regardless of whether or not it means anything. Thus Romney’s hair and lack of tie are now evidence of a character flaw, as is his decision to give a detailed policy lecture in a university town without being officially sponsored by a University. An Al Gore problem results in the media ganging up on a candidate like cool kids mocking a geek, with literally everything he’s doing serving as more evidence for the predetermined narrative.

    May the FSM strike the AlGore problem from the MSM toolkit!
    (ETA that I do have more than a little schadenfreude at seeing it applied to Mittens.)

  10. 10.

    The Moar You Know

    Whoever would have guessed that Milbank would get right back to fellating…oh yeah, that’s right, everyone did.

  11. 11.

    Chris

    Romney has what might be called an Al Gore problem

    I thought everybody’d be calling it a John Kerry problem that he’s got. What with the flip-flopping and all.

  12. 12.

    JCT

    @Chris:

    I thought everybody’d be calling it a John Kerry problem that he’s got. What with the flip-flopping and all.

    It’s only flip-flopping when a Democratic politician does it. Get with the program.

  14. 14.

    different church-lady

    Does this mean Romney’s gonna win the popular vote, but Obama’s gonna take the electoral college?

  15. 15.

    Nick L

    Think you’re being a bit hard on our friend Dana:

    it was difficult not to feel pity for Romney in his effort to separate from himself….But Romney’s slippery air comes less from pomade than from policies [ouch!] – abortion, gay rights and now health care – changed over time as expedience required. His calibrations continued Thursday. In one breath, he wanted to “applaud” Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) for proposing a plan that ends the Medicare guarantee. In the next breath, he said his own plan “is not going to be identical to the Ryan plan.” How about some specifics, governor? “They’ll be coming,” he said.

    Hardly the words of a Romney fellator. I think Milbank admires Governor Romney for the same reason Matt Yglesias does – MassCare is a good program, which helped scores of people. If the Republican party were sane, it would be a good platform. But Milbank’s overall tone is one of contemptuous pity.

  16. 16.

    Legalize

    Hello, welcome to Mittfone. If you would like me to take position X, press one now. If you would like me to take position Y, press two now.

  17. 17.

    jl

    To be fair, Milbank does begin with a few short paragraphs that attempt to deal with substantive issues regarding Mr. Multiple Choice.

    That seemingly earnest wave of substance crests and falls into a few puzzling gotchas. One of the gotchas is so vaguely presented that you wonder if Milbank misunderstood what Romney was saying (the one involving Parago, was what Romney said relevant to the state where Parago was based, or the state where it was doing business of some kind?).

    Substance then attempts to resurface, but is almost immediately drowned in ‘Algorisfat and wears colors I don’t like’ nonsense.

    Let’s do a thought experiment (like those philosophers do). A guy (call him Guy) comes up to you and starts talking, and it goes like this:

    Guy: I saw this guy give a lecture on health care at the University, but the University didn’t sponsor it. What an ass.
    You: : What was it about, what did he say?
    Guy: Geeze, what kind of goofball rents a hall at a university, if he aint with the University?
    You: Why would he need to rent a room if he was with the University?
    Guy: Get it? It wasn’t the unversity, but it was at the university. What a load of BS.
    You: Well, so, who did sponsor it? What was it?
    Guy: He talked in the local university lecture hall, but it wasn’t the university. What a crock.

    Now, what you think of our friend, Guy? I believe most people would think Guy was an idiot.

    But Milbank is purported to be a respected national affairs reporter.

    Well, my renewed passport should be here in a week or two. If things can hold together that long, then I might have a chance to escape and start anew somewhere else if it all comes crashing down. Or maybe start a long exile to gather strength for my Grand Return when, hope against hope, civilized human life becomes feasible here, once again.

    If we can just make another two weeks, I may have a chance to survive, somehow, one way or another.

  18. 18.

    david mizner

    Well, the press has to get rid of Multiple Choice Mormon in preparation for the gang-fellatio it will soon be performing on that ultra-serious Intellectual, that Great real-Christian hope, Mitch Daniels.

  19. 19.

    Chuck Butcher

    I’m a more than a bit with Chait on this – I really don’t see what this has to do with Gore. I do see an empty suit (w/wo a tie). I refuse to act surprised since I haven’t seen a GOP suit with anything in it for a really long time. (the fact that I qualify that statement with “really long time” has more to do with my age…)

  20. 20.

    Jim C.

    Mitt Romney’s entire life reminds me of the Lebron James Nike commercial after “The Decision”.

    “What should I do?”
    “No, seriously, I really want you to love me and make me your next President. WHAT SHOULD I DO?”
    “Should I apologize for Romneycare?”
    “Should I promise to double Guantanimo?”
    “What should I do?”

    etc.
    etc.

  22. 22.

    Jewish Steel

    Maybe Mittens would be glad to know he has neither an Al Gore nor John Kerry nor necktie problem with me. He has a roof-racked dog problem.

  23. 23.

    jl

    @Jewish Steel:

    “roof-racked dog”

    That sounds too much like torture, that we and our Dear Leaders never do, or would do, or could do.

    It was not a roof racked dog, it was an enhanced canine transportation policy.

  24. 24.

    Hal

    21 comments in and not a single “Don’t underestimate Mitt Romney!” prediction? Mitt’s aura is tarnished.

  28. 28.

    danimal

    @Hal: There are shinier objects to play with now. Mitchmentum! Huntsman-love! Gingrich-a-palooza.

    Romney is so 2008.

  30. 30.

    Downpuppy

    I don’t get the paramedics thing, since Somerby is obviously hiding under a desk at TNR secretly subbing for Chait.

  31. 31.

    opal

    or start leaning Mandarin

    Once you learn Mandarin you can write your own ticket.

    Or so I’ve been told.

  32. 32.

    Anoniminous

    Infotainment is the Gold Standard all MSM writers must meet.

    This debases Public Debate and Discussion but it sells eye-balls and that is what running a News business is all about.

    ETA: I always purchase technology based solely on the amount of clothing the advertising model isn’t wearing.

  37. 37.

    Culture of Truth

    Just pray for a meteor

    If the posters in the NYC subway are correct, and I have no reason to doubt their accuracy, the world will end on May 21

  39. 39.

    Anoniminous

    @Downpuppy:

    Didn’t purchase.

    The model is wearing a shirt and cowboy boots fer cryin’ out loud.

    thus I know their product is crap.

    ;-)

  41. 41.

    ChrisNYC

    I watched the speech and I have to say that the whole thing was very weird. I don’t see the Milbank thing as so terrible, because of the weirdness of the event itself. So so bad.

    I came away with the impression that Romney’s message was — “People think I’ll change my positions just to get elected and because I know that I can’t be elected if people think that, I am here to tell you that I stick to my positions.” It really was a bizarre performance.

  42. 42.

    dollared

    Now I get why Hillary Clinton went so negative on China this week. She wants them to have a “Free Press” so that we in America don’t have to fear the Chinese any more.

    Remember, for every Dana Milbank here, China would have 5 Dana Milbanks. They’ll collapse in a matter for weeks.

  44. 44.

    srv

    Given his base, Mitt should write an app that would merges polling and bingo. He could be the first post-PC candidate.

  47. 47.

    fasteddie9318

    @different church-lady:

    Does this mean Romney’s gonna win the popular vote, but Obama’s gonna take the electoral college?

    And then the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision that is the mirror image of Bush v. Gore, will rule that there should be recounts, everywhere, in as many places as it takes, as many times as it takes, for as long as it takes, until Romney can be declared the winner. Thus they will exorcise the demons of Bush v. Gore and heal the great divisions in our land.

  49. 49.

    Captain Goto

    Sorry, after this thread we’re all out of free internets today…would you like a rain check?

  50. 50.

    DFH no.6

    @TooManyJens:

    I Have No Necktie, and I Must Scream

    As harokin and erlking and TheYankeeApologist said, that was excellent.

    Maybe we’re all living in a Harlan Ellison story. Could explain things, you know.

  52. 52.

    Suffern ACE

    @dollared: Actually, I think she’s hoping to ship all the free press jobs to China…not only aren’t we very good at it, but it’s expensive to hire these guys.

  54. 54.

    Amir_Khalid

    Mitt Romney is going around touting his greatest achievement as governor, while disparaging its applicability to the rest of the country. This exposes his most glaring weakness: he doesn’t have the stones to stand his ground. I foresee that his primary opponents will miss no opportunity to point out this out.

    If he becomes the nominee, Obama can campaign against him by praising his record. If Mitt responds, “Yes, Romneycare is good”, the teabaggers will hammer him; if he responds, “No, Romneycare is bad” …

    Since I can’t put this response to ABL’s post where it should go (she has disabled comments again) I’ll just say it here: You go, girl!

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