Is it just me, or does anyone else smell the flopsweat on the other side of the aisle? And I’m not just talking about the current Todd Akin fiasco, either. I’m talking about the utter lack of a positive message from the right. I’m talking about the complete failure of the Rmoney campaign to come up with a coherent talking point on the candidate’s taxes. I’m talking about the swiftboat operation that just sank. I’m talking about John Sununu melting down on Soledad O’Brien on CNN.
These are all great things to see. I have a lot of optimism for the upcoming election, and I think that Obama is in a good place, and the Senate looks a little more secure. I’m not as sanguine about the House, but I don’t think the Republicans are going to hold on to all their gains from 2010.
That said, we’re facing the biggest cash deficit an incumbent President has ever faced in US history, and an opposition party that has no hesitation with playing any card they can think of to win, regardless of the consequences for the country.
You know what to do.
JPL
I’ve given to act blue and I’ve give to the Obama campaign directly…what is the difference? I asked before and still haven’t received an answer. I think there is a limit that I can give though..
dmsilev
Is there any way for that thermometer to count donations that are made directly to the campaign rather than via ActBlue? I’ve been giving money directly, and while it’s not really all that important, it’d be nice to see that reflected somehow in the local total.
Villago Delenda Est
So, the RNC this election cycle is going to be about showing the “warm” side of Mitt Rmoney.
I assume that the cooling fan there is malfunctioning, which is why that side is warm?
japa21
Just remember, a cornered, wounded rat (or in this case a sh-tload of rats) is the most dangerous. They really don’t care what happens to the country and are willing to take it down with them.
The only thing they have going for them any more is a complicit MSM, although we are seeing cracks in that complicity.
Of course, if the whole MSM, including Fox, started calling the Republicans liars, the base would just use it as evidence of the liberal media bias and be even more energized.
kindness
I contributed on this ActBlue page and I probably will give more later but…..Maybe Balloon Juice can’t meet $100 K targets? Maybe give us something smaller and then repeat it again as we meet them.
beltane
@Villago Delenda Est: Maybe they left him out in the sun for too long, possibly strapped to the roof of a parked SUV.
dmsilev
@Villago Delenda Est: Could be worse, I suppose. Remember Ann Romney’s statement that it was time to unzip the real Mitt Romney? And that ‘the real Mitt Romney’ was all soft?
gbear
Of course. Write out a personal check for $10,000,000.00 dollars.
The Moar You Know
It’s not just you. I work with quite a few folks of the wingnut persuasion and they CANNOT BELIEVE that they’re going to lose against the Most Evil Black Man Of All Time, but they are and they know it, and oh boy are they pissed.
Steve M.
Don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but Akin dropping out turns that race from a tossup to an almost certain Republican pickup.
different-church-lady
I haven’t been outside yet today. Does the economy still suck?
IowaOldLady
A few days ago, I was worried, but I’d forgotten the awesome incompetence of the other side. And by incompetence in this case, I mean failure to hide the truth about what they think and intend to do.
gbear
@Villago Delenda Est:
Earth tones. Always a sure winner.
eric
@Steve M.: That is the only reason we are watching this farce. If I were a Dem i would be out in front laughing on how the establishment is telling the rank and file what to do — just like the old days.
WJS
I stopped reading after that because it made my brain hurt. When has the party of racism, intolerance, and batshit crazy utterances ever been “positive?”
Zifnab
I heard one theory that FOX’n’Friends has been something of a mixed blessing for the Republican pundits and pols. They get too comfortable in a setting where they go completely unchallenged. When they step outside and have to deal with voters living outside the conservative bubble, its hard to fit the mask back on.
That said, I wouldn’t sell the GOP up short. Republicans still dominate the Governors’ mansions and legislatures. They own Pennsylvania and Ohio and Wisconsin and Florida. And they aren’t afraid to play shenanigans with the electoral process.
It could well be that Republicans just don’t give a shit anymore. They’re ready to just up and steal the election and be done with it.
Allen
‘Ya know, there was a point in time that I was worried about this election, but then I started reading Wing Nut Daily and the like and I saw how desperate the GOP is. But the topper is likely nomination of the Palinesque Eddy Munster.
Roger Moore
@Villago Delenda Est:
I think it’s because that’s the side that has been feasting on the still warm blood of the living.
Zifnab
@Steve M.: :-p I heard this race was an “almost-sure Republican victory” back when Akin was duking it out in the primary.
Sorry, but there’s no way this is good news for
John McCain. Voters don’t like watching the nomination process get hijacked by insiders. If nothing else, it’ll cool support for Akin’s replacement.WereBear
I think they want to stop posing as rational and compassionate any more; it was never more than a mask, but now they are tired of the extra effort. By only listening to themselves, they truly think most of the country is on their side.
I say, let them.
TooManyJens
Wait, I’ve been out of the country. What swiftboat operation that just sank?
dmsilev
@Steve M.: He hasn’t dropped out yet. And staying the course despite what the GOP establishment wants is the sort of thing that the Tea Partier types have done fairly often.
askew
I was all giddy about the GOP’s flopsweat until I read PPP’s latest tweets on their polling.
Now, I am depressed. MA is our easiest pick-up. Warren out to be beating Brown like a drum by now. I can only hope she gets momentum out of her DNC speaking slot.
Geoduck
@Steve M.:
Does it? Who are they going to replace him with? Presumably one of his primary challengers, but which one? How do they choose, a coin toss?
dmsilev
@TooManyJens: Some (supposed) former SEALs, who just happened to share office space with a GOP consulting group, released a video attacking Obama for leaking national security secrets re: the killing of bin Laden. It mainly seems to have had the effect of reminding people that Obama in fact gave the order launching the mission that killed bin Laden.
TooManyJens
@dmsilev: Oh, FFS. Glad I missed that one. Thanks for the info.
? Martin
I’m not sure ‘lack of a positive message’ is the problem. I think it’s that they are just continually, uncontrollably stepping on their dicks all the time.
They think these are positive messages, only to find out 2 hours later that they’ve pissed off yet another group of voters. Individually, I don’t think it’d be that bad of a problem. But collectively it’s just been catastrophic. They’re just leaping from one self-inflicted crisis to the next.
Roger Moore
@WJS:
That’s not what’s meant by a positive message in this case. A positive message is talking about what they’re going to do that voters are supposed to like, as opposed to a negative message about what the other guys are going to do that the votes will hate. What’s interesting about this year’s election is that the Republicans have been running away from their own positions as fast as the Democrats bring them up.
TooManyJens
@? Martin:
Epistemic closure’s a bitch.
f space that
They may be flailing, but they never stop with their bullshit. For every Akin that drops out there will be others to take his place. They hold medieval beliefs about women, science etc. They have their own reality which you and I are not part of.
But yep, keep giving.
Rhoda
@askew: Obama can’t lead every damn poll; that would call into question the pollsters methods. IMO, POTUS is holding his gains and Romney is failing a little less. I base this off of Rasmussen which has POTUS back at 49%; generally when that happens President Obama gets good national numbers from the other polling outfits.
I wouldn’t worry about the polls individually right now; POTUS is leading in the avg. of national polls and in the electoral college. We’ll see how he is doing after the Romney-Ryan convention in Tampa and what kind of bounce he gets from the DEM convention. Then we can worry.
But right now, POTUS is sitting pretty. ESPECIALLY given the amount of money spent against him.
Legalize
I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I spent time with my professional-lefty family this weekend, but I’ve been feeling especially antsy about Obama’s chances for the first time since 2008. It looks like Willard has been at least a little successful in turning the librul media into fawning groupies for Paul Ryan, and nothing Team O is saying lately appears to be sticking.
I see that Nate Silver still has Obama at 70%. But I’ve been seeing a hell of alot more Willard ads than Obama ads lately.
Am I wrong?
Hal
NPR played a clip of Romney today saying once again he was going to save Medicare, Social Security, that Obama wanted to give everyone welfare checks to buy lotto tickets and beer apparently, and finally, that he wanted to make sure people could receive medical care when they needed it.
So question: when the fuck did Romney start campaigning on universal health care? It amazes me he can spout nonsense about insuring the uninsured while saying no to a mandate and/or public option.
Of course, I also have to keep in mind the Mitt is a compulsive liar.
WJS
@Roger Moore:
Again, which party are we talking about here? I’m waiting for the Republicans to put forward a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning.
These are some remarkably substance-free people we’re talking about here. I can’t remember a time when they actually campaigned on something remotely workable or positive.
MonkeyBoy
If you check out Fox and other bastions of the right you will discover that Obama and the Democrats have been reduced to incoherent flailing – they don’t have any plans or policy and have to resort to flat out making up lies about Romney and Ryan.
Isn’t Rovian projection wonderful?
askew
@Rhoda:
I don’t need Obama to lead in every poll but I definitely worry when he’s behind in a state that isn’t a swing state. WI wasn’t supposed to be a swing state this cycle. That’s worrying.
Spaghetti Lee
So much negativity in this thread! Can someone please explain how Akin dropping out (if he does) is good news for the Missouri Republican party? It’s an embarrassment for them. The guy you picked to help take back the senate fell flat on his face and now you’ve got to shoo him off the stage and find someone else. Was Jack Ryan dropping out good for the Illinois GOP in 2004?
Mnemosyne
@askew:
I would have been astonished if Romney didn’t get any bounce at all in Wisconsin after picking a Wisconsin Congressman.
The fact that PPP says it only puts Romney “ever so slightly” in the lead in the VP nominee’s home state says to me that the campaign is not getting the bounce upwards that announcing your VP candidate usually brings.
Quincy
Now that “Compassionate Conservatism” is dead, and the tea party has made sure the ugliness of their ideology stays front and center, Republican operatives lack any coherent strategy other than simply attacking in all directions. Last week was their best political week of the summer because they could just blast Joe Biden and went on a surprise offensive over medicare. They were so impressed with the Rovian genius of their medicare lies that they forgot to figure out what comes next. The MSM had been licking their chops at the prospect of Republican “seriousness” on entitlement cuts, but now that they’re not getting it and have to sort through competing policy claims they’ve grown bored and have resumed gaffe patrol. Meanwhile, the Republicans are back to an unlikeable candidate with a now-incoherent VP selection and a platform that consists of nothing beyond tax cuts for the rich and getting the black guy out of office. Sadly that’s enough for 48% of the vote, but it also isn’t going to attract anyone they weren’t already getting.
gogol's wife
@Hal:
I spent 45 minutes at the gym today and two TVs, turned to two different stations (CNN and MSNBC) were playing a Romney campaign rally the whole time. The chyrons were all things like, “Romney says Ryan is a man of principle and integrity” and “Romney says he will grow the economy.” It depressed me no end. There was no editorial intervention on either station, just nonstop Romney with cheering crowds and waving flags.
We’re going to lose.
gene108
@askew:
Tale’s of the GOP’s demise are greatly exaggerated.
They may have trouble winning a Presidential election, but they won’t have trouble winning many an election for the House, Senate, various statewide and local offices.
Bobby Thomson
@Spaghetti Lee: No Talent or really any MO Republican is a stronger candidate than Keyes. Plus McCaskill sucks.
Spaghetti Lee
@gogol’s wife:
People need to chill the fuck out about the media.
Violet
The Dems need to be hanging Akin around Ryan’s neck like an anchor. Make Ryan answer “what is forcible rape?” over and over.
BTW, what’s the latest with Akin? Last I heard he was insisting on Hannity that he wasn’t dropping out.
The Moar You Know
@gogol’s wife: I am not a gambler, far from it. I’ve lost every horse race I’ve ever bet on, I can’t win at cards to save my life. But I would bet the deed on my house that Obama wins this, and it won’t be squeaker close, either.
gogol's wife
@The Moar You Know:
Well, thank you, I hope you’re right. My husband says something similar, but he never reads the paper or watches TV.
ShadeTail
@japa21:
The base, sure. But there are a lot more people than the base. I would wager a solid number of GOP supporters have been fooled into believing the GOP is more moderate than it really is. If the press started accurately reporting on how extremist the GOP have become, I think a lot of their support would fall away regardless of the reactions of the mouth-breather base.
gogol's wife
@Violet:
I googled to see if there was anything new, but there didn’t seem to be. But I was interested and somewhat relieved, as a native of Missouri, to see that he was born in New York City.
Soonergrunt
@Violet: “The Dems need to be hanging Akin around Ryan’s neck like an anchor. Make Ryan answer “what is forcible rape?” over and over.” Agree 100%
And the last I heard about Akin was the same thing.
askew
@Mnemosyne:
I expected a bounce but not that big of a bounce. However, I am actually more worried about the MA senate race than the presidential race.
On a more positive note, Akin seems to be hunkering down and will stay in the race and the DSCC just released a poll showing Dem Berkley ahead by 2 in Nevada and Obama ahead by 5 there. That is good news.
I also need to remember that August is always a sucky month for Democrats. Things will look up in September.
Peter
@Spaghetti Lee: I’m not so sure one way or another. On the one hand you’re right that last-minute replacement candidates don’t tend to do well. On the other hand, Mossouri is such an easy GOP pickup that all they really had to do to lock it was not nominate a lunatic like Akin.
colby
@gogol’s wife:
And when you left the gym, both channels lost 40% of their viewers.
I don’t know who’s going to win. Knowing how the cable networks pad their airtime won’t tell me.
Maude
@gogol’s wife:
I don’t have tv. I’m a lot calmer.
TV is about entertainment.
Cable tv doesn’t reach that many people in a country of over 350 million.
You need to rest. You sound like I do when I’m tires.
SatanicPanic
@The Moar You Know:
I only have a very small sum on Team O, but that was mainly because I don’t feel good taking friends’ money.
Mnemosyne
@askew:
I’m not sure how you’re interpreting “ever so slightly” as a big bounce for Romney. I don’t have the poll, but it sounds like the “bounce” is well within the margin of error and not unexpected since it’s the VP nominee’s home state.
Apparently the thing to really worry about is Tommy Thompson getting a substantial bounce for his Senate race — that’s what happened in Alaska after Palin was nominated. She didn’t give much of a bounce to McCain, but there was a ripple effect for the other Republicans running in the state.
feebog
The Akin kerfluffel is huge and the Republicans know it. Next to Nebraska, Mizo was the closest thing they had to a lock. McCaskill has been down 6 to 10 points in almost every poll I’ve seen, but certainly her best shot was against Akin. And Akin is now the turd in the punchbowl.
And I agree that the Warren/Brown match simply does not add up. Warren ought to be ahead there by at least five points. Tied at this point is not good.
different-church-lady
@colby:
Two and one-half people were watching at the time?
FormerSwingVoter
For the first time that I can remember, some people are actually asking Republicans to explain the things they say, or even suggesting that objective facts exist. And they are melting down over it.
CynDee
No matter how many stupid things that Repubs say and do, the outcome depends on how many votes are suppressed and on who “counts” the votes. Just sayin’.
ET
I work with a woman who takes it as a foregone conclusion that Romney is going to win. So all flopsweat aside, the toxic fumes in their alternate universe make everything look golden.
Anoniminous
As of one hour ago, Akin is still insisting he’s not dropping.
Jennifer Rubin | WaPo
How they would get a court order escapes me – IANAL.
Patricia Kayden
@japa21: Isn’t the base’s visceral hatred of that Kenyan Socialist Usurper in the White House already riling them up? I have no doubt that Romneybot 2.0 has the base firmly in his grasp.
The problem for the Repubs is that Independents aren’t biting — yet. Perhaps that could change.
And it’s always great to see the Repubs scampering about in disarray. Hope their convention will be a disaster.
Chris
@WereBear:
This. Exactly this. A generation of controlling politics, they’ve grown lazy, entitled and tired of having to go through the motions. Stupid fucking tubes. Elect us already! Reagan conquered the White House for us THIRTY YEARS AGO! So get with the program, because we’re tired as shit of having to go out and wave and grin and shake hands with you people as if we still needed to!
And no one illustrates that dynamic more perfectly than Mittens.
Spike
@Villago Delenda Est: Nope. They designed the cooling system to work with CFC refrigerants only, and some vulture capitalist did a bust-out on the last supplier.
Spike
@Villago Delenda Est: Nope. They designed the cooling system to work with CFC refrigerants only, and some vulture capitalist did a bust-out on the last supplier.
Spike
@Spike: Daggum repeat posts. I swear I only clicked on the submit button once.