I was invited to this event, “invited” the same way every Democrat in a 5 county area gets invited (I got an email). I didn’t go because I’m in Michigan, but I’m sorry I missed this:
At the kick-off rally for President Obama’ first campaign bus tour of the election season, former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, a co-chair of the Obama 2012 campaign, assailed presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s off-shore accounts.
“Oh, what a contrast, my friends, between these two men who would be president!” Strickland said, standing outside the Wolcott House Museum. “President Obama is betting on America and American workers, and Mitt Romney is betting his resources in the Cayman Islands, in Bermuda, in Switzerland and God only knows where else he is putting his resources.”
Ouch. Ann Romney better step up the victim rhetoric.
Strickland has a come-from-nothing personal story and he’s a wonderful speaker when he gets rolling. He’s all blunt populist at these Democratic events and he clearly enjoys that role.
Linda Featheringill
Go, Ted. Go!
shortstop
We should use him more.
Boots Day
This is going to be a wonderful issue for Obama, isn’t it? Romney’s entire shtick is based on his being one of the “job creators,” but it doesn’t count if you’re creating jobs in the Cayman Islands.
NonyNony
What’s awe-inspiring is that we haven’t even gotten to the conventions yet and already the whining coming from the Romney camp is immense.
I can only imagine how bad it’s going to get once the conventions are over and Team Obama doesn’t have to worry about making Romney look so bad that the Republicans decide to dump him at the convention and pick someone else and then all that strategy they’ve been working up for the last four years would go to waste.
(He’ll still get at least 45% of the vote though. Because this is America.)
ericblair
This is an interesting vulnerability with the 0.1%; that they’re basically transnational creatures whose only feelings toward specific countries are via their tax laws. Borders don’t matter; if one of them wants to move to country X, there’s usually an easy way for someone with a few million to get a visa for as long as he wants. Countries themselves are just resources to be exploited, and if your home country explodes you just shrug, get on your plane, and move to one of your other houses in London or Hong Kong or wherever. Loyalty is pretty unidirectional.
Douglas Johnson
We were there and Gov. Strickland’s speech was great and got the crowd on their feet. The tax haven stuff worked as well as anything else he said.
If Strickland’s talking points were a test balloon, it passed.
Kay
@NonyNony:
Do you feel, gut-level, that having Ann rather than Mitt complain is a mistake? It just looks like he’s not even willing to complain honestly. That would be unattractive and unappealing enough, and he can’t even do that much. Who the hell IS he? I mean, it’s like we’re hearing conflicting reports on this person and the one person who could solve this mystery has just chosen not to engage on the Mitt Romney Question.
Pillsy
This is the perfect tactic for dealing with Romney. If the Democrats wreck Romney’s story that his background as a businessman makes him the right choice to get our economy out of the ditch, he’s got no rationale for his candidacy. It’s the not-scummy part of the strategy Rove used in 2004, because once you turn your opponent’s biggest strength into a liability, they have nothing to run on.
Of course, the fact that Mitt Romney’s biggest strength is his background as a Gordon Gecko-wannabe corporate raider douchebag is just another way we know he’s a lousy, lousy candidate.
Pillsy
@Kay:
I think it’s a terrible plan. One, it seems like they have this idea that Ann Romney will be immune from blowback because going after your opponent’s family is a taboo, but they don’t need to direct their blowback at Ann because she’s not the one running for President.
Also, if someone needs their spouse to fight their battles for them like this, it makes them look pitifully weak.
quannlace
Good stuff. But I wish he wouldn’t use the phrase, ‘my friends.’ Reminds me too much of McCain
shortstop
@Pillsy: And for better or for worse, there are lingering popular conceptions of manhood that do not include sending your wife out to tell people to stop being mean to you in your campaign for the presidency of the U.S. It would be just as bad in a different way if the candidate were female and her husband were out there saying, “Leave my baby alone!”
Hill Dweller
It simultaneously destroys Willard’s only self-proclaimed qualification and co-opts the Republicans’ weaponized patriotism.
Pillsy
The obvious next step with this line of attack is to start demanding answers from Romney how much money he personally stands to gain from the “reforms” he wants to make to repatriation taxes.
Steve
Is Strickland up for a rematch? It kills me that he lost to that clown in 2010.
shortstop
@Kay: @Pillsy: In addition to the weakness issue, she’s not even countering effectively. Saying, “They couldn’t be more wrong about Mitt,” “That is not correct,” and stuff like that without offering concrete examples to support her point? Who does this? People who are accustomed to not having to earn people’s good opinion.
Pillsy
@shortstop:
Yeah, I was trying to figure out how to say it matters even though I really, really wish it didn’t. Beyond the bare sexism of it, which is more than bad enough, demanding tough-guy swagger from politicians doesn’t lead to good places. By the very nature of the job, if their mouth cuts a check, somebody else’s ass has to cover it.
shortstop
@Pillsy: Could not agree more–I was stating the reality, not endorsing it.
kay
@Steve:
I don’t think so. I think it’s going to be Cordray. He’s really smart and really ambitious and (IMO) temperamentally suited to an executive branch position. He’ll do great.
I have no information, really, but it seems fairly obvious he’d be a front-runner.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Thank you Kay. I posted this in DougJ’s open thread as I found it quite interesting. Tuesday I was at a meeting of a county association of police chiefs, held at the county sheriff’s office. This is an extremely red* Ohio county and it was announced that the
King’sGovernor’s staff, and perhaps theKingGovernor himself would be in town next week to announce increased state funding for police telecomm equipment. Someone said “[last name of the King] himself; really?” The sheriff replied, “we should try to get as high a concentration of idiots in one place as we can.” Other mumbles went throughout the room about “us idiots.”It’s clear these folks have not forgotten – and certainly not forgiven the King for his comment about getting pulled over for disregarding an emergency vehicle’s signal. For those who may not know, at a state employee meeting – teleconferenced to many agencies throughout the state, the King announced that he’d been pulled over by “an idiot,”(emphasis his) when he hadn’t been aware there was an emergency vehicle. He probably noted that the LEO was “an idiot“(emphasis his) 3 or 4 times while relaying the story. Of course the dashboard recording showed the LEO was nothing but professional and courteous during the encounter, and that the King was as gracious as expected. Which is to say, not at all.
This was 2 years ago, and a sample of an entire county’s reliably Republican LEOs are still furious about it. Interesting, no?
*I’d rather not name the county in case the King’s court has eyes on Balloon Juice as closely as the clerks of Chief Justice Roberts do. I will note that it has a famous inn, owned by the family of a current Senator, where White House residents have been known to overnight, both before and after such residency.
RareSanity
@Kay:
Mittens is outsourcing the mundane task of defending himself.
Much like GWB did several years ago with Brownie, Mittens taps someone from the deep talent pool of rich people whose hobby is horses.
Both of them did/are doing a heckuva job!
kay
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
I still don’t get the point of the “idiot” story.
Pulling people over is really a waste of time? Don’t bother important lawbreakers with your petty law enforcement concerns?
What a weird inspirational message for state employees : “don’t do your jobs, because they don’t matter”
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I’ve seen hints around the tubes that The Lady Ann is whimpering, but I haven’t seen about what. Anybody now where the source is? As to the effectiveness of Herself telling us not to pick on Willard, remember that all this money, all this fuss is about no more than five percent of the electorate, and they’re not smart people. And while I imagine Corey LieBookerman is still scorched by the hot stove, but I’m sure some Democrat will leap at the chance to prove his/her nobility by being publicly nauseous if anyone criticizes her. Claire McCaskill would stomp on a litter of puppies if they were between her and a camera to do it, then stare in blank confusion at her unchanged poll numbers a week later.
I guess I should be past surprise after the Bush years, but I can’t believe Romney’s personal finances haven’t hurt him more. Not so much the ‘out of touch’ stuff as the connection to his policy. As I understand it, most of Romney’s overseas accounts are in his IRA, which is worth a hundred million dollars, based on X number of years of five thousand (at most) dollar contributions. As with the Mittlets’ trust fund, the Romneys have used loopholes and shady (but I don’t doubt for a minute strictly to the letter of the law) accounting to shelter tens of millions of dollars, and Romney’s entire platform is, essentially, that people like him pay too much in taxes and are crippled by an excess of regulations. Romney’s career and his tax returns are the last thirty years of Republican tax policy in a microcosm. The Mittlets’ trust fund has never created a single fucking job. I want to shake that collective independent voter, and all those white male middle class voters, and scream in their faces: WHAT THE FUCK IS IT THAT YOU DON’T FUCKING GET! ?
The Other Chuck
Leaving aside the truth or fiction of Ann Romney’s claims: why yes, the cold, inhuman, unapproachable candidate’s *wife* finds him lovable and approachable. This is apropos of what the fuck exactly?
rikyrah
@Kay:
Kay Says:
He was HIDING BEHIND HIS WOMAN.
he’s never ever had to deal in an arena where he couldn’t FIX THE GAME for himself.
I mean it when I said that he, and Miss Ann, are delusional and entitled enough to think that President Barack Obama was just gonna hand the Presidency over to him
cause it was ‘ THEIR TURN’.
whining bitches, all of them.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
this headline at TPM about made me roll my eyes out of my head
Obama’s Kansas speech was last December. The Bain ads that gave the Village and the LieberCrats the vapors started airing IIRC a few weeks after that. Carville’s ‘memo’ is less than a month old, and now that asshole, with the help of Josh Marshall and probably a few other friendlies, is trying to take credit for redirecting the Obama campaign. Shut the fuck up and go away, Mr Matalin.
Marcellus Shale, Public Dick
to humbly paraphrase myself on twitter, obama is betting on america, romney is arbitraging america.
Kay
@rikyrah:
Well, “woman” or spouse, right? One can’t just say “this person who married me thinks I’m grossly misunderstood”. I mean, really. We know she thinks he’s great. It would be much more interesting if she didn’t, actually :)
I have no sympathy. He’s wealthy, and he’s running for President. Does he hate this job he mowed over the whole primary field to get? Then he should quit. If he feels he’s being portrayed unfairly, he could say something other than “Obama sucks”. “Obama is mean” is not a whole lot different than “Obama sucks”. Who is Mitt Romney? That shouldn’t be such a hard question to answer.
hueyplong
“Mitt’s Wife Doesn’t Think He’s a Sociopath.”
I guess that closes the issue. Now let’s move on to details surrounding the Inaugural Ball, which will presumably be held in Switzerland (at Madame Bachmann’s request).
jibeaux
Romney described the lemonade at a fair as “Lemon. Wet. Good.”
Something tells me you’re not really supposed to get the Romneybot wet.
Napoleon
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
I so want to guess the name of the Inn but I presume you would ignore me since you don’t want to name the county.
Valdivia
I hope they keep hitting and that Strickland gets to travel all over Ohio saying this. The wails coming from the Romney people are sweet.
Another thought: is it possible Romney’s team is so stupid as to think the Olympics and his presence there will somehow make people like him. Like *he* is the one they are representing because he will be there, instead of our Prez?
Kay
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I’m coming around on TPM. I defended and defended them, but, boy. They had “the reason Obama is still in this is people are giving him the benefit of the doubt”
Come on. Still “in this”? Romney would be mopping the floor w/Obama but for the generosity of strangers? That’s not even accurate political analysis. It’s delusional. They have him as barely hanging on as the nominee, for goodness sakes. It’s just silly.
Valdivia
also, too. I am not signing victory because I am sure with all that Corporate Cash! the Romney team will be throwing mud and shit like there’s no tomorrow any time soon. I see Greg Sargent has a trolling post encouraging the Reps to start arguing with Obama about this. Wut?
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Napoleon: You could use teh google for oldest inn in a swing state where people whose names are like small trees stayed. Just sayin’.
the Conster
@Pillsy:
Someone who also needs their spouse to drive them around. They should have been on his and hers jet skis, which I’m sure they have. What were they thinking?
schrodinger's cat
@Kay: It is quite clear from the Huffpo like headline trolling that Josh Marshall aims to be a villager in good standing.
nominus
Mitt Romney has the record and plan to create jobs and turn around the economy.
Mitt Romney has the record and plan
Nope, repeating it over and over again doesn’t make the words work together. It just gets comical.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@schrodinger’s cat: You beat me to it. I think as a pundit, Josh Marshall is more or less interchangeable with any center-left Villager. He was an Iraq hawk and probably Lieberman’s last defender in the left-blogospherer. As an entrepreneur, I think Arianna stole his hit-baiting tactic of scare-mongery headlines to a point that she owes him royalties. I don’t necessarily blame him for this, it just reeks of Carville trying to pimp his reputation, and I am so sick of James Fucking Carville.
Valdivia
@Kay:
Amen. Amen. Amen. That headline about Carville and the whole ‘why, Obama is still in this!’ made me want to shoot my laptop. Josh was very much like that during the summer of 2008, but now it’s worse because they headline things as if they were HuffPo.
kay
@schrodinger’s cat:
I like TPM because they pay people and do original reporting and liberals need a news outlet. I also understand that they are hand-wringers, which I’m willing to live with.
But this whole “Obama is BARELY the nominee” stuff has to stop. It’s not like he’s due to be replaced by some other Democrat if he puts one foot wrong. He’s not on 90 day probation towards a permanent hire. He’s a fairly popular incumbent who will probably be in a close race. I don’t understand this constant checking with James Carville to see if Obama’s still President.
Napoleon
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
Figured it out. Not what I was going to take a shot in the dark and guess, which would have been the Spread Eagle Tavern and Inn (which has Republican ties).
Napoleon
@kay:
I would really like to see a link to where they said that since I read his site daily and do not recall ever seeing anything remotely close to this.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Kay: @Valdivia: I’m looking at TPM and I can’t find the “Obama is barely the nominee” thing. was that today?
Hill Dweller
Every high level adviser on Obama’s campaign team is more competent than Carville.
Josh Marshall is a Arianna/Tina Brown wannabe.
Willard’s got nothin’.
beltane
@Valdivia: Early in 2008, before we were taught that everything was good news for John McCain, TPM was widely mocked for its “This is excellent news!! For Hillary!!!” headlines.
Josh Marshall’s propensity towards hackishness is nothing new.
Roger Moore
@nominus:
Shorter Mitt: I know you are, but what am I?
Linda Featheringill
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/07/clash_breaks_out_gop_rally_sup.html
Apparently there was a todo in Parma, Ohio [suburb of Cleveland] between a Romney supporter and a protester. The silly old goat from Parma shoved a handkerchief in the protester’s mouth to shut him up.
The protester, by the way, behaved very well.
kay
@Napoleon:
It’s writing “Obama is still in this because…”
Obama’s in a tough race in a bad economy. He’s not barely surviving the incoming Romney wave, which is what “still in this” means.
He’s “still in this” for a number of reasons, one of which is that he is quite popular with Democrats.
Valdivia
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
no that was two days ago. It wasn’t formulated in that way, it was more, wow, look can you believe people might still vote for the guy? Like they shouldn’t and are only giving him the benefit of the doubt. The point was that he is outperforming the expectations of the bedwetters but it was packaged in a very HuffPo way.
kay
@Napoleon:
I really like TPM. I just (now) better understand what people mean with the “village” complaints.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
@kay:
__
Not everybody who is a stone-cold fucking racist asshole works for the GOP. Anybody who is pressed to come up with explanations for “why Obama is still in it” is a stone-cold fucking racist asshole, period, end of story. No deeper explanation needed. And yes, if that includes Josh and his buddies then boo-hoo.
kay
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
They didn’t write that. I should have been clearer. They wrote that “Obama is still in this because…”
What does that even mean? He’s OUT of this w/out people “giving him the benefit if the doubt”?
I just found it annoying and needlessly negative.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Valdivia: @ThatLeftTurnInABQ: I found the article, and just skimmed it, but he was riffing off Steve Kornacki’s piece: Obama’s doing better than historical models suggest he should be in this economy, because people are starting to feel some optimism. I would add that polls have shown pretty consistently that population as a whole remembers what Republicans and Villagers do not, that the economy tanked under Bush.
I don’t know if Carville, much as I despise him, is a racist, he’s said he’s a Democrat because he grew up in the segregated South, but he’s definitely religious fanatic when it comes to Bill (and only by extension, HIllary) Clinton. See also, Ed Rendell.
Boots Day
I think Mitt Romney’s claims are like fortune cookie messages, expect instead of adding “in bed” to the end, you should add “in the Cayman Islands.” So…
“Mitt Romney has the record and plan to create jobs and turn around the economy…. in the Cayman Islands!”
Or “Bain Capital helped create 100,000 jobs… in the Cayman Islands!”
Or “During Mitt Romney’s time at Bain Capital, the firm invested in or helped start up over 100 companies… in the Cayman Islands!”
Napoleon
@kay:
Then you misrepresented what was said there.
On top of it nothing in his post (I take it you are refering to the benefit of the doubt post) that isn’t consistant with the remainder of you @48. Heck Josh comes right out and mentions the bad economies effect.
By the way, the basic point that Obama seems to be outperforming where he should be based on fundimentals had been made by something like 100 left leaning commentators. Nate Silver, Greg Sargent, Steve Kornacki (which is who caused Josh to make his post), etc, etc. That basic thesis is pretty much universal. Josh’s spin on that is that the freaking debt showdown hurt Obama (something I think is true). So the sum and substance of his post isn’t remotely as it is being charaterized here.
Chris
@kay:
There’s a major case of “if the President does it, it’s not illegal” syndrome running through our conservative ideologues.
It’s weird, because when it comes to society in general, they tend to be all about the law, in the finest tradition of Javert from Les Miserables – but when it comes to the elites at the top (whether it’s Republican politicians or Wall Street barons), they tend to think these guys should be free to do as they please with as few checks on them as possible.
Laws are critically important, but they’re for little people, the big guys are either exempt or they ought to be. (Which when you think about it is a view of morality that goes all the way back to the Bible – where “morality” is defined as “what God wants,” but God himself isn’t expected to abide by those rules. “Thou Shalt Not Kill” is one of the ten commandments, but if God wants to command a genocide – or, say, murder every firstborn in a given nationality – it’s all good).
Steve in DC
@kay:
Obama isn’t in it because of anything he’s done, his failures are rather massive and even his signature “win” isn’t all that popular. He’s not all that good of a president by any metric, and the economy should doom him.
In all honesty, he shouldn’t be in this at all. However the GOP is so pathetic, and their candidate so awful Obama is still in the game. He shouldn’t be, but somehow the GOP managed to ruin their chances and screw things up.
It’s hilarious when you think about it, and it’s not good news at all for the GOP. But other than bland fanboys nobody thinks Obama is very good.
kay
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Right, but “still in this” was opinion content added to the piece he linked.
I just feel as if there’s this constant checking in with the REAL Democrats going on.
Let’s ask Ed Rendell, AGAIN, about Obama. How many times are we going to ask him?
Chris
@rikyrah:
Nothing could cause me greater pleasure than for Romney to lose this election – not just because he’s a conservative with all the “fucking nuts” that implies, but because I’ve never met anyone so badly in need of a slap-in-the-face reminder that no, just because you were born rich doesn’t mean you can have everything you want.
(I wonder if, assuming he loses, he’ll feel the urge to break tradition and come back in 2016 for a third shot at the White House. Not the usual MO for Republicans, but he wants this job so incredibly bad that I wouldn’t put it past him).
JCT
@nominus:
And descends into farce when the WSJ and Bill Fucking Kristol call you on it.
Larv
@Valdivia:
Hmm, I read TPM regularly, and I remember that a little differently. I read it as explaining why Obama was still polling well despite the stagnant economy. It didn’t seem overly villager to me. It’s horserace stuff to be sure, but that’s always been a big part of what TPM does.
And on the subject of TPM and Josh Marshall, didn’t JM cede some editorial control a few years ago to that David Kurtz guy? It definitely went downhill after that, but I still find TPM worthwhile; especially the stuff Josh writes himself.
Valdivia
@Larv:
I would agree with you that the majority of the posts coming from Kurtz are usually the one’s that raise my eyebrows. On the other hand the headlines sometimes have the smell of “PANIC” even if the article doesn’t. And this is probably why I read that article in that way.
I read TPM every day but get very aggravated by the tone. It was the same in 2008 and also 2009 when they were on a daily basis bitching about everything Obama did.
NonyNony
@Steve in DC:
Connect the dots Steve. The reason why you think that Obama has done such a bad job is exactly the same reason why the GOP can’t put a candidate out there that can mop the floor with him.
They would have to give a plan about what they would do to improve things. And anything they could say that might ACTUALLY improve things … are things that Obama would respond with a “great – let’s have Congress pass that bill and get it to my desk and I’ll sign it tomorrow”. Anything less than that can almost literally be responded to with “We did that under GWB and it’s part of the reason we’re in this mess now – Romney just wants to take us back into the Bush years”.
This isn’t rocket science. It isn’t like they have a better candidate than Mitt out there hiding and waiting to strike. They cannot do any better because they’ve chosen to give up on doing anything productive and instead just oppose and destroy anything constructive the blackity-black-black-black President might actually sign. That’s not actually a good approach to getting a President elected, though it works for getting Congressmen elected from heavily jerrymandered districts.
@Kay:
I think complaining about it at all is a mistake. It makes him look weak no matter who does it. People know that Republicans have been beating up on Obama for his entire time in office and the man doesn’t get out there and whine about it. So it makes Romney look like a weak man because instead of attacking he whines.
If you want to whine about stuff like this, that’s what surrogates who are unconnected directly from the campaign are for. They do the whining, not you.
gelfling545
@rikyrah: Rather like commodore at the yacht club?
Kay
@NonyNony:
I think the subtle point is to go back to the Obama Chicago Machine theme, which has all kinds of connotations. But that stuff is so insidery and wingnuttish. One has to be already in the anti-Obama camp to get it. There’s also the problem that the GOP base like candidates who rip their opponents heads off, rather than complaining. Strong Men, like the third generation politician and lucky heir, George W Bush.
Ivan Ivanovich Renko
@Steve in DC: Oh, please. Obama would be wiping the fucking floor with that empty suit if he where white.
That’s the elephant in this room.
Roger Moore
@Steve in DC:
You’re very talented; I don’t think I could cram that much wrong into that little space. Obama isn’t doing as well just because Romney is a lousy candidate. He’s doing well because he’s actually followed through on a lot of his big promises- getting OBL, bringing troops back from Iraq, ending DADT, etc.- and a number of areas where he didn’t make such specific promises but where people expected him to fight for them- rescuing GM and Chrysler being the obvious example. Meanwhile, the Republicans have been so transparent in their political games that he isn’t catching the full blame for things people would normally hammer him for, like the economy.
...now I try to be amused
@nominus:
Wow. Obama had me sold when he said “You make a big election about small things” because it succinctly summed up Republican campaign strategy, and I had never heard any Democratic candidate say it before. Pretty cheeky to try to use the quote against him now.
For what it’s worth, part of Obama’s record is the relative lack of scandal in his administration.
Valdivia
@NonyNony:
Excellent point. I think there is nothing worse than the spectacle of a Richy Rich guy acting as if he is some sort of victim. Isn’t he supposed to be ferocious and able to take it? They seem to have paper think skin.
shortstop
@Chris: Absolutely agree. Seeing these people’s faces crumple up in dismay at having been denied something they wanted and couldn’t get…priceless.
He might try to come back, but if he did, he wouldn’t make it past the first couple of primaries.
@Kay: Do you think that’s the subtle point? I’m not seeing it–although if that’s their intention, yes, it’s way too inside-baseballish and shows how awful they are at seeing how this stuff comes off to those less tribal.
Chris
@…now I try to be amused:
Which explains Issa’s furious attempts to remedy that by having Eric Holder impeached. As with Clinton, they are goddamn well going to have themselves a scandal by any means necessary.
Kay
@Roger Moore:
It’s sort of good. I told you guys that activist Republicans here thought they had this thing all sewn up. They were wildly over-confident, and they couldn’t really point to anything to justify that level of certainty. I think that comes with believing they are the The Rightful Heirs of the US Presidency, and it was just a matter of presenting any option to voting for Obama. People who can make assumptions, do make assumptions. It’s a luxury, really.
Roger Moore
@Kay:
Basically, I think the Republicans thought it would be enough to point to the dead economy and say that Obama killed it. They weren’t counting on so much of the public noticing they were spattered with blood and holding the murder weapon.
shortstop
@Roger Moore: I wonder if so much of the public would have noticed had the GOP candidate not been such a shining example of careless, clueless privilege, now with extra unlikeability.
Ohio Mom
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Just double-checked google about that (completely overrrated, by the way) inn you mentioned.
As it is a short drive from my home, I will confirm for everyone here from other regions and states that it is indeed in an *extremely* red part of Ohio and that the LEOs’ reactions are almost unbelieveable — and very encouraging to read about.
Thank you for sharing this bit of happy news.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Ohio Mom: I agree about the overrated, and it’s heartening to hear someone else who is pretty surprised by 30 LEOs who aren’t happy with the
KingGovernor. My thought as it happened was not on the talk I was going to give, but “I’ve got to post this on Balloon Juice” – priorities, I haz some!Joel
@Steve in DC: When you write authoritatively, it doesn’t make your points any more true.
texascowgirl
Which of Mitt’s money do you think the MSM will talk about: his $100 million off shore money or the $100 million his campaign raised in June?
Kathleen
@Napoleon: Mayhaps would its initials be “GL”? In a county which shares a name with a former Chief Justice?
slightly-peeved
How often has Rmoney been polling above Obama? Aren’t his unfavourables far worse (relative to hhis favourables) than Obama’s? And this is before people have actually got to know him? And isn’t the Democratic enthusiasm much higher than Republican?
Don’t get complacent, anyone, but the reason Romney’s doing badly is because most Democrats (and a lot of independents) like Obama, and like what he has done. If Romney hasn’t fired all the competent staffers yet, the ones that remain would be deeply, deeply worried about being behind Obama while having the advantage of unfamiliarity.
Roger Moore
@shortstop:
It probably would have helped if they could have held their tongues about how they were going to crash the economy so Obama would take the blame. It’s hard to do a good frame job when you stand around talking about how you’re going to frame that no good so-and-so where everyone can hear you.
WereBear
Classically, it’s the villain’s arrogance; hubris, if you will; which brings about their downfall.
I hope a few thousand years of drama is right.
rikyrah
@Ivan Ivanovich Renko:
Ivan Ivanovich Renko Says:
If Barack Obama were White , Willard would already be openly mocked for the joke that he is
ALL Willard has is that he’s a rich, White man.
THAT IS ALL
Lurker
@Steve in DC:
When you say, “win,” are you referring to PPACA?
That slender reed supporting all my hope of remaining in this country as a cancer survivor marked with the scarlet “P” of Preexisting Condition?
‘Cause that “win” of President Obama is pretty darned popular with me.
I want a second term of this brilliant, wonderful man as President.
SoINeedAName48
Hard to believe, but Newt Gingrich would agree:
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/01/28/413247/swiss-mitt-romneys-latest-out-of-touch-debate-moments/
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@Ivan Ivanovich Renko: Amen. He has had to claw his way through all the bullshit from NeoConfederates, lame-assed “allies” AND the FerengiMedia™„ and he still has to pass muster with WHO? Fuck THAT noise.
pattonbt
@Steve in DC: You really have lost your marbles, haven’t you.
Jesus wept youre stupid.
debbie
It will be interesting to see if Strickland can suppress his own ambitions in favor of letting Cordray take the lead in running against Kasich. I like Strickland, but it’s obvious he’s very interested in avenging his loss.
Speaking of Kasich, his newest battle is holding onto his budget surplus, rather than using the funds for long-term investments like education or infrastructure. Listening to him yesterday, you’d have thought it was his own private stash. Wait. It must be. How else could his neighborhood have gotten their power back on so quickly?