Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

with the Kraken taking a plea, the Cheese stands alone.

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

Shut up, hissy kitty!

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

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

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

White supremacy is terrorism.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Republicans don’t trust women.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

The gop couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Another missed opportunity for Jamie Dimon to just shut the fuck up.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2012 / He meant go to your other home

Reader Interactions

200Comments

  1. 1.

    dmsilev

    Look on the bright side. At least the advice wasn’t to have your butler schedule a telecon between your accountant, your lawyer, your other accountant, and your personal sales representative at a private disaster-recovery firm.

  2. 2.

    Linda Featheringill

    That man. Must not live on the planet earth.

    Look. In disaster areas, people are likely to have some serious problems, including just staying alive until things settle down.

    Maybe he doesn’t know what a disaster is. He proved he didn’t know what causes hurricane-related flooding.

    We want this man as president?

    ETA:
    He could have turned to Jindal and said, “Governor, what can I tell this woman?” Doesn’t he know that?

  3. 3.

    quannlace

    It’s amazing. The man is incapable of opening his mouth without insulting somebody.

    Either that or he just doesn’t really listen when lesser mortals talk to him.

  4. 4.

    Hunter Gathers

    I don’t care what anybody says about this being a 50/50 country, there’s no way this fucking poorly programmed automaton is going to win in November.

  7. 7.

    NonyNony

    @Linda Featheringill:

    He could have turned to Jindal and said, “Governor, what can I tell this woman?” Doesn’t he know that?

    Does Mitt Romney appear to be the kind of man who ever asks anyone else for advice?

    No. He’s made his money by always being the guy giving the advice. And, apparently, when that advice turns out to be bad advice begging the Federal Government for a bailout.

    Romney is one of those guys who always knows what to do and just does it – even if it’s an incredibly bad idea.

    If he actually manages to get to the Oval Office in November he’s going to make us look back fondly on the W era of competent Republicans who knew what was going on and how to deal with it (much like W made us look back fondly on the Nixon era of honest Republicans).

  9. 9.

    Suffern ACE

    All he needed to do was say survey the damage and praise everyone for remaining calm, say nice things about the rescuers and the good people of the area. They weren’t actually looking for a social worker.

  10. 10.

    Cargo

    what people seem to forget is that Mitt Romney successfully won the governorship in Massachusetts. Massachusetts! A lot of the non-27%ers in the most liberal state in the union pulled the lever for him. A lot of disappointed Obama voters are staying home this year, thinking “Well, I was promised hope and change, and there was a few dribs and drabs and drones and healthcare could have been better and this frozen burrito doesn’t live up to the picture on the box, boo-urns” while the Republicans can’t wait to vote against the near.

    everyone I know is like “enh, this is a done deal, clinton v dole or an inverse bush v kerry” and assuming obama’s going to win. Won’t we be surprised on november 6th if this douchebag actually wins.

    I do not see the same groundswell of support for Obama that I did in 2008, and groundswells are needed to put and keep democratic presidents in office, because the default american mode is “vote for the guy with the biggest flag pin and most simplistic bromides”.

  11. 11.

    amk

    mittbot does indeed have the midas touch. Everything he touches turns into political gold for his opponents.

    How the fuck the massholes elected him again?

  12. 12.

    jrg

    What an entitled prick.

    Also, too, when I learned that “Honey Boo Boo” beat out the RNC for TV ratings, it occurred to me that in some strange way, Palin did actually win in ’08.

  14. 14.

    Hill Dweller

    All the sappy conventions films can’t change the fact Romney is awful around normal people. Whatever bounce he gets from the convention will be wiped out the minute he opens his mouth.

  15. 15.

    Lurker

    @Cargo:

    what people seem to forget is that Mitt Romney successfully won the governorship in Massachusetts. Massachusetts! A lot of the non-27%ers in the most liberal state in the union pulled the lever for him. A lot of disappointed Obama voters are staying home this year, thinking “Well, I was promised hope and change, and there was a few dribs and drabs and drones and healthcare could have been better and this frozen burrito doesn’t live up to the picture on the box, boo-urns” while the Republicans can’t wait to vote against the near.

    Bingo.

    I’m not taking this election for granted.

  17. 17.

    Shawn in ShowMe

    If only those videos claiming Mitt was a human being would’ve aired in the 9 o’clock hour. It would totally make us forget how he performs in a real-time environment.

  18. 18.

    Hill Dweller

    @amk:

    How the fuck the massholes elected him again?

    To be fair, they regretted it within a couple of years. His approval rating was in the mid-30’s during his last year in office, which he mostly spent out of state.

  19. 19.

    Davis X. Machina

    @Lurker:

    “Well, I was promised hope and change, and there was a few dribs and drabs and drones and healthcare could have been better and this frozen burrito doesn’t live up to the picture on the box, boo-urns.”

    Take the stupid, and the points. The stupid doesn’t always win, but the stupid always covers the spread.

  20. 20.

    Ed in NJ

    @Cargo:

    Last I looked, Rmoney wasn’t running on anything he ran on in Mass.

    Maybe you and your circle jerk need to get out more

  21. 21.

    KG

    @Cargo: Wait for the debates… When Romney and Obama are on stage next to each other and most voters are actually paying attention… I think it’ll be more 1964, 1972, 1984… Incumbent winning big

  22. 22.

    dp

    Well, he was with Bobby Jindal, who probably made the woman feel better by letting her know how many gallons of diesel fuel were in place for first responders.

    Seriously, the one time I turn on my radio during Isaac, that’s what that douchebag was talking about.

  23. 23.

    Mike E

    Brian Williams anchored the news telecast from the 17th St. levy last night, and toured the repairs made by ACE with Mayor Mitch Landrieu. He segued to a Romney “lookin’ presidential” piece which started off with the candidate asking an official, “So the [flood] waters came from the sky, the river, the ocean, all of the above?” I shit you not.

  25. 25.

    Corner Stone

    @Cargo: I still think Obama has a tough fight on his hands. I expected all the lies and false accusations from the R’s, I mean what else have they got? But I did not expect the sheer incompetence from someone who has been running for Pres for 6+ years now.
    Your team can’t stagecraft a fucking convention planned for months? They can’t hire some actors to fire off goofball “normal people problems” at you and coach you to non-answer answer?
    It’s just baffling at the level of sheer f’edupedness that the Mitt Campaign has displayed so far.

  27. 27.

    Mnemosyne

    @Cargo:

    I do not see the same groundswell of support for Obama that I did in 2008, and groundswells are needed to put and keep democratic presidents in office, because the default american mode is “vote for the guy with the biggest flag pin and most simplistic bromides”.

    What was the “groundswell” of support for Clinton in 1996? From the Democratic side, I remember the attitude being more like, “Well, he’s better than that asshole Dole.”

    Incumbents don’t need a groundswell. Challengers need a groundswell. Where’s Romney’s sudden groundswell of support in Ohio, in Florida, in all of those the battleground states Obama won in 2008 that Romney must turn to the Republican column in order to win?

    I’m donating what I can and probably will volunteer as well, not because I think Obama is in danger of losing, but because nothing would make me happier than watching Obama/Biden pound Romney/Ryan into the fucking ground in an embarrassing blowout. That’s what I want for Election Day.

  28. 28.

    gwangung

    @KG:

    Wait for the debates… When Romney and Obama are on stage next to each other and most voters are actually paying attention…

    More basic than this. Who has the better ground game?

  30. 30.

    David

    I thought that the Conservative/Republican/Tea Party response would be to “Call your insurance company and/or church and not the government.”

  33. 33.

    Hill Dweller

    @Ed in NJ: Also too, Massachusetts had a history of electing Republican governors before Willard’s term. Republicans love to pretend Willard becoming governor was some sort of feat, but it wasn’t.

  36. 36.

    Maude

    @cathyx:
    211 is information and referral. I don’t know what states have it.
    In an emergency, it doesn’t help. It gives info on what agencies do what and that kind of thing.
    In NJ, I find it to be useless.

    @Corner Stone:
    Can you imagine if Romney was just starting out this year to run for prez?

  38. 38.

    Hill Dweller

    This is a bit OT, but why do Republicans continue to run Ron Christie out as a surrogate? He is awful, and has looked like a fool every time I’ve seen him on TV.

  41. 41.

    Yutsano

    @rlrr: So when they deny your claim on flimsy grounds but you have no recourse oh well you should have just bought better insurance amirite?

  42. 42.

    lamh35

    OT, but I just had to share!

    Here’s an article and video of my cousin Fabian who flew to Finland 2 weeks ago to play basketball for the Finland Salon Vilpas Vikings. I just smile when I see thi vid and I get a little misty-eyed cause I’m just so proud of this kid and I remember this big-headed kid that was all arms and legs and this big-azz head. And look at him now, doing NOLA proud I would say!

    Former Texan Wilson signs with Finland’s Salon Vilpas Vikings

    The article includes this video of my “lil” cousin playing for Tarleton State: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMbfeGFXu8o&feature=player_embedded

  43. 43.

    Robin G.

    I am becoming more and more convinced that Romney’s campaign is secretly a Yes Men performance art piece.

    Also, I swear to you, Romney won’t debate Obama. He’ll find some reason (probably “biased” moderators) to wiggle out of it. Like the tax returns, he’ll prefer to take the heat for dodging than actually show his hand; his campaign has to know that if he steps on stage with Obama it’s all over.

  44. 44.

    The Dangerman

    After Obama clocks Romney as Clinton did to Dole, think Mitt will be on any commercials for V1agra?

  45. 45.

    Chris

    @Mnemosyne:

    What was the “groundswell” of support for Clinton in 1996? From the Democratic side, I remember the attitude being more like, “Well, he’s better than that asshole Dole.”

    This. And yes, I agree, challengers need a groundswell far more than incumbents. And the only motivation most liberals need to turn out for Obama is one look at the Romney/Ryan ticket. Are we sad that we still don’t have a public option, the stimulus was too small and mostly made up of tax cuts, and the rich are still paying astronomically and undeservedly low tax rates while lecturing the rest of us about the need to pay our share?

    You bet.

    Is the status quo still better than a pair of assholes who’ve broadcast loud and clear their desire to destroy the last pillars of the safety net in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression?

    Fuck, yes.

    It’s that simple. Not just for me, not just for most liberals, but for a hell of a lot of otherwise moderate or apolitical voters who may not know much about government, but know enough to realize that the difference between having and not having Social Security and Medicare is the difference between middle class dignity and Central American level insecurity for themselves and virtually everyone they know.

    It’s not enough to say “shit is fucked up and bullshit” when running for president. You need to make people believe that you can actually make things not suck (whether it’s true or not). Maybe Romney and Ryan can do it and I’ve totally misjudged the clowns. But from where I’m standing their odds aren’t looking too good.

  50. 50.

    jimmiraybob

    And then Romney (R-Anglo Saxon Money Bags) added, “…and after you or your people make that call make sure you elevator your vehicles to their second floor emergency shelter.”

  52. 52.

    danah gaz

    @Cargo: “groundswells are needed to put and keep democratic presidents in office”

    That statement is just plain backward and wrong. Incumbents have a natural advantage.

  55. 55.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Linda Featheringill:

    He could have turned to Jindal and said, “Governor, what can I tell this woman?” Doesn’t he know that?

    This would require that he know his limitations (said in a Dirty Harry voice, natch!), and it’s very obvious that his overall self-awareness is very low.

    Arrogance (and he is arrogant) has a lot to do with very poor self awarness. It’s why dumb people think they’re so smart, and smart people tend to think that they’re not so smart.

  56. 56.

    Shawn in ShowMe

    @Cargo:

    I do not see the same groundswell of support for Obama that I did in 2008, and groundswells are needed to put and keep democratic presidents in office,

    Well, that’s one way to looking at it. Or we could just, you know, count electoral votes. If you get at least 270 of them, you win. Period.

    Last time out the near gentleman with the big ears won 365 of them. If North Carolina, Virginia and Florida went to Romney, Obama would still have 305+. Considering his failure to grasp advanced concepts like bakery-fresh cookies and the water cycle, I suspect this fact goes right over Romney’s head.

  57. 57.

    Violet

    @Robin G.: He has to debate Obama. The debates are set. Some networks got a debate and they’re not going to give that up. All Obama has to do is show up and stand next to the empty chair or lectern. The jokes will write themselves. Romney’s campaign would be over.

  58. 58.

    Mnemosyne

    @Robin G.:

    Also, I swear to you, Romney won’t debate Obama. He’ll find some reason (probably “biased” moderators) to wiggle out of it.

    Not after the Eastwood “empty chair” skit, he’s not. Because I guaran-damn-tee you, if Romney doesn’t show up at a debate, Obama will be there, and he will address that empty podium that Romney is not standing at.

    As someone said in another thread, he might be able to weasel out of one of them if either he or Ann is admitted to the hospital in serious condition, but there’s no possible way he’s going to be able to dodge all three without becoming the target of relentless ridicule. And there is nothing Republicans hate more than being the objects of mockery.

  59. 59.

    Violet

    @Shawn in ShowMe:

    Last time out the near gentleman with the big ears won 365 of them. If North Carolina, Virginia and Florida went to Romney, Obama would still have 305+. Considering his failure to grasp a advanced concepts like bakery-fresh cookies and the water cycle, I suspect this fact goes right over Romney’s head.

    It’s not Romney’s fault. He outsourced the math to Ryan and Ryan just rounded up a little bit.

  60. 60.

    Corner Stone

    @Linda Featheringill:

    He could have turned to Jindal and said, “Governor, what can I tell this woman?” Doesn’t he know that?

    He only has to say some variant of, “There’s been an awful lot of destruction through here. We’ve got a lot of resources in place to assist those in need and our prayers are with you and your loved ones.”
    Or some simple riff off that. he doesn’t need to tell her the names of the forms she should fill out, or the address of the shelter. Just give a platitude and wave at the crowd and move on.
    It’s stunning his campaign hasn’t taught him this. Or even worse, he thinks he doesn’t need to improve on this.

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh35:

    Tell him to watch out for the local vodkas. They’re deceptively delicious, or so I was told when some of my bosses came back from a business trip to Finland. And the locals love to make sure that unsuspecting Americans drink lots and lots of it at one sitting.

  66. 66.

    Violet

    @Mnemosyne: Yeah, that was me last night. I think Romney could get out of the debate if Ann had a terrible accident and was in ICU or if Romney himself was desperately ill. But if he himself is so ill he can’t debate, what does that say about his fitness for office?

    Outside of a terrible accident or urgent health problem, there is no way Romney can skip the debates. None.

  67. 67.

    quannlace

    Jeez, all I know is not sure if I can make it through this election cycle. 2008 was bad enough, by mid-October, wanted to scream, ‘Can we just vote already!!”
    Then, actual Election Day, I was a nervous wreck. When the tallies finally started coming that night, I was talking to the tv screen and yelling at friends over the phone, “Vermont? Who cares about Vermont? They only have 3 electoral votes!”

    (I apologize to any Vermonters here, it’s a great state in every other respect. ;-) )

  69. 69.

    jimmiraybob

    @quannlace:

    The man is incapable of opening his mouth without insulting somebody.

    Well, there are important people who are wealthy donors and/or corporations my friend and then there are…..well, there are those people. And I think we all know who deserves insulting.

  70. 70.

    Corner Stone

    I remember the 1996 elections fairly well. No one I knew ever gave Dole a chance in Hell to beat Clinton. There wasn’t much muttering under your breath about Clinton being a better asshole than Dole. Dole simply was never considered.

  71. 71.

    quannlace

    There is no way he won’t do the debate. NO WAY. Period.

    He can always say that people will distort his answers

  73. 73.

    Yutsano

    @Mnemosyne: He could probably end up with a Finnish wife too, although Finnish citizenship is a bit of a slog. I took an idle gander at the requirements once. Worth it at the end.

  74. 74.

    jimmiraybob

    @Steve:

    Shame on Romney for encouraging a culture of dependency upon government.

    Obviously, the woman (i.e., moocher) was getting ready to loot the system and he wanted to make sure that “the base” was alerted.

  76. 76.

    lamh35

    @raven: naw, I’m a have to check it out.

    Me and my fam are already talking about planning a trip to Finland.

    It would be a hoot, a bunch of NOLA peeps from the lower 9th all up in Finland…LOL!

  78. 78.

    Corner Stone

    @quannlace: That will be the default setting after the debates. And I mean immediately after the debates.
    But if Romney does not agree to a debate with Obama then he may not clear 35% of the popular vote, and the downticket races will suffer enormously for it. Not that he cares about those schmucks but it will be the absolute end of him and every one of his spawn in elected office aspirations.

  79. 79.

    Chris

    @Linda Featheringill:

    He could have turned to Jindal and said, “Governor, what can I tell this woman?” Doesn’t he know that?

    What, and look like he needed advice from someone else? Someone lesser than him, since “President” outranks “Governor?” Pigs will fly before that happens.

  80. 80.

    raven

    @lamh35: Wow! Hey, you ever hear of Eugene Edgerson? He played at St. Augustine HS, New Orleans, Arizona and the Globetrotters? He was on the boat in Maui and the only other person who was not too sick to fish. Really nice guy.

  81. 81.

    sparrow

    @Mnemosyne: Agree. I signed up to volunteer for the first time for any election, in my new homestate of Maryland (which is solidly blue) just because I want there to be no doubt in November.

  82. 82.

    Robin G.

    @Violet: @Mnemosyne: @Corner Stone: I would have sworn that he eventually would have released his tax returns, too. If they can cook up a big enough lie about how the Librul
    Media is planning to throw the debates, and he throws a huge snit about Principle and How He Won’t Participate In An Unfair System… I can see it, honestly.

    Skipping the debates would be like swallowing a bottle of pills, but going would be like the campain shooting itself in the temple. It might survive the first; the second is certain death. Romney will be destroyed if he’s seen side-by-side with Obama. An eighty-yard Hail Mary is preferable.

  83. 83.

    lamh35

    A not quite so happy milestone today is ‎7 years ago today, we lost my grandmother Beulah Evans to Katrina (she died of a heart attack brought on by the stress of evacuating from Katrina 2 days after the storm). We miss her and we love her.

    http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a330/nellybell28/1f52eba3.jpg

    (Yes, that’s me and my granny at my 1st college graduation in 2002, I have 2 B.S. degrees…don’t hate…lol)

  86. 86.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Corner Stone: yes, this was my thought last night when this argument came up. a challenger HAS TO debate. the mocking would be epic if he did not.

  88. 88.

    Violet

    @lamh35: That is so exciting! I hope you do put together a trip to Finland. You can add in a few other Yuropean countries too, since you’re a good soshulist and all. Congrats to your cousin!

  90. 90.

    Violet

    @Robin G.: There’s plenty of time for the tax return thing to become so unbearable he has to release them. Everyone took a bit of a break with the conventions. The subject is not done.

    He can raise a fuss about the debates, but his campaign has already agreed to them. I’m certain President Obama would not hesitate to remind everyone of that. It’s like when McCain “suspended his campaign to deal with the financial crisis”–it just made him look weak and ridiculous. Candidate Obama knew enough not to do that, but he did show up at the meeting. If Romney fled from the debates while trying to create a smokescreen of “they’re not fairnbalanced enuf”, President Obama would calmly remind the country that Romney agreed to the debate times and formats ages ago and he, Obama, will be there as agreed. And then he’d show up and answer questions while Romney’s empty chair or lectern would just…sit there. Game over.

  91. 91.

    karen marie

    @Cargo:

    in the most liberal state in the union

    You people really do believe your own press, don’t you?

    As a resident of Massachusetts from 1977 through late 2011, I can tell you that is a gross exaggeration repeated for decades by desperate rightwingers.

  93. 93.

    Corner Stone

    @Robin G.: I disagree in that tax returns are dead paper. They are filed, people hate doing them, no one understands them, there’s a lot of middle ground / gray territory to argue about there. You could hide there a bit and make a more or less “principled” stand.
    But. You fail to show up in flesh and blood for a Presidential Debate? You don’t look the other guy/gal in the eye and wish them luck before you start lying about them?
    You’re done. There simply is no argument left to make to anyone outside the 27% and a holdover racist/zombie percentage.
    If he skips the debates I’ll wager he doesn’t get 40% of the popular vote. Complete wipeout for him and the R party. Shit, the D’s may even take back the House if he skips the debate.

  94. 94.

    Mike E

    @Robin G.:

    Romney won’t debate Obama

    Oh, he’ll show up to the requisite number, and he’ll put on airs of “answering the issues Americans value the most.” But watch how he’ll take moderators’ questions, ignore them, then answer questions of his own construction that were never really asked in the first place. Pres Obama will have to remain on his toes to swat that bullshit down.

  96. 96.

    RSA

    @Linda Featheringill:

    He could have turned to Jindal and said, “Governor, what can I tell this woman?” Doesn’t he know that?

    I suspect that Romney might have thought he was taking advantage of an opportunity to appear human. After all, how many multi-millionaires would be aware of the existence of a telephone number for public assistance? Unlike 911 and 411, they’d never need it.

  98. 98.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Mike E:

    But watch how he’ll take moderators’ questions, ignore them, then answer questions of his own construction that were never really asked in the first place.

    That tactic is old hat, and I’d have been surprised if he actually answered a question instead of using it as an opportunity to pivot to a boilerplate answer.

  99. 99.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Violet:

    It’s like when McCain “suspended his campaign to deal with the financial crisis”—it just made him look weak and ridiculous.

    McCain compounded this impression by lying to Letterman about bailing out on an appearance on Letterman’s show, and then showing up at Katie Couric’s side the same time he was supposed to be “rushing” to Washington to deal with the crisis.

    “Hey, John! Can I call you a cab?”

    This gave Letterman material for weeks, none of it favorable towards John McCain.

  100. 100.

    Corner Stone

    @Mike E:

    But watch how he’ll take moderators’ questions, ignore them, then answer questions of his own construction that were never really asked in the first place.

    The first rule of all politicians in an interview is, “Answer the question you wished they had asked, not the one they did ask.”

  101. 101.

    Violet

    On the debates, James Fallows has a great piece on both Obama and Romney as debaters. Worth reading. Excerpt on Romney:

    This year’s exchanges have the potential to be different, and more dramatic. Romney is very strong as a debater but has also shown two repeated weaknesses: a thin command of policy details, and an awkwardness when taken by surprise.
    __
    When the subject is one he’s prepared for, he rarely falters. When it’s not, or when an exchange goes on longer or in a different direction than expected, many of his ad-libbed responses turn out to be mistakes (“I’ll bet you $10,000!”). Thus the Romney team has the impossible challenge of trying to imagine every question or attack line that might come up in debates with Obama, while the Obama team tries to imagine what Romney’s might have missed. This kind of chess game is always part of debate preparation, but it is unusually important this year, because the gap between Romney at his best and at his worst is so wide.

  102. 102.

    jimmiraybob

    @lamh35:

    I’m sorry to hear that.

    Not long ago I was on my way to a get together and stopped to talk to a guy that was sitting on the curb. It was sweltering hot and he’d been pushing a grocery cart full of aluminum cans, bottles and whatever else he’d collected for sale. It turns out that he was a refugee for NO and had lost a relative or two during Katrina.

    We talked a bit and I “loaned” him a few dollars and shared a bit of the food and a couple of cold beers.

    I, of course, then gave him a government telephone number and advised him to make sure his vehicle elevator was well maintained in case of emergencies.

    Well, not so much the last part.

  104. 104.

    Violet

    @Villago Delenda Est: Absolutely that fed into it. I think if Romney fled the debates, it would be part of a larger concern of Romney as not managing things well, Romney refusing to answer questions (tax returns), etc. And the late night comedians would never, EVER let up on him about it. He’d be a punching bag.

  106. 106.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Violet:

    Romney is very strong as a debater

    Where is Fallows getting this idea? Is this just accepted village wisdom, or is there something objective that he’s using to make that value judgement. Willard’s been “debating” the seven dwarves over who hates the Ni-clang more and wants to destroy the country faster.

  107. 107.

    Violet

    @arguingwithsignposts: It’s a multipage piece with a lot of info. Fallows has been doing this debate analysis for quite a few election cycles now. He bases his analysis on a variety of things, including watching the candidates with the sound off to look at body language.

  108. 108.

    Ash Can

    I was willing to cut Mitt a little slack on the “where did all the water come from” gaffe because it was merely clueless and artless, rather than sociopathic. But this? And the woman says she found him “caring?” WTF?

    @lamh35: Fabulous news about your cousin! I hope you’re able to go visit him. Finland is lovely, and the people are delightful; you just have to sort of reorient your thinking to accommodate their reserve. And I second the suggestion of avoiding going out drinking with the locals. They take no prisoners. Do say yes to the sauna experience, though. It’s really invigorating.

  109. 109.

    Ruckus

    I think people here are underestimating mittens level of disrespect for, well everyone with less money than him. Not doing the debates? I believe he is capable of thinking that he can win without the debates. He has no plans, policies, ideals, other than making more money for himself. He constantly talks down to people, he has almost no self awareness, he has a hugely inflated ego, he thinks the presidency is his destiny. He could easily make the decision not to debate, all the while knowing that he is correct. And that everyone else can go fornicate themselves(he wouldn’t use the common word fuck of course).

  110. 110.

    CarolDuhart2

    It’s the one thing that baffles me. He’s been running before Obama had even decided to run for President. Why so unprepared? The European trip is one example. With such a head start, why hadn’t he already made trips to important places and gotten to know the leaders? He could have gotten trip jitters out of his system back then and been smooth and relaxed the second time around. The tax forms? Clean and even over pay taxes since 2006, and just show those. The convention? While speakers would have to be slotted in and out, there could have been ideas in a folder. The speech could have been written back when things were slow and just updated for relevance. There could have been months of speech coaching and debate coaching. And so much more. We all know of politicians who given such a head start, would have been smokin’ with execution right now-working their plan and making it work.

  112. 112.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    No matter what happens in the debates the wingers are going to declare that Ryan destroyed Biden and Mitt made Obama look foolish. They will then go into their stories of how the Bills won 4 Super Bowls in a row.

  113. 113.

    lamh35

    @Linda Featheringill: She was awesome. It’s harder on my moms since it was her mother, but my mother was a teen mom, so I was raised as much my my grandmother as by my mom.

    To add insult to injury I guess, since she died during Katrina, she was evacuated to Thibodaux, La. The burial plot that she’d been paying on all her life was no longer usualable (we later found that the cemetary where the plot was flooded anyway, so no burials were gonna happen there), so she was not buried in New Orleans. A church in Thibodaux, LA offered their church and their pastor for the funeral services and a local family, good samaritan, IDK offered the use of a vacant spot in their family plot for her to be laid to rest in. So when you visit she actually not buried “among family” so to speak. So we pay to have someone do upkeep. But yearly around this time someone in the family drives up to Thibodaux from NOLA and put some flowers and spruce up “her place”.

  114. 114.

    Randy P

    @Ed in NJ: Actually not completely true. I don’t watch TV, but I saw at least one online ad (attached to a flash game, I think) that talked about Romney’s jobs record in Mass. Claimed it was the biggest job growth in the history of jobs or something.

    Made me kind of curious what the actual jobs record was.

  116. 116.

    Amir Khalid

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    What was extra dumb about this is that no one on McCsin’s campaign staff realized that as Couric’s network colleague, Letterman had a video feed from her set — and this was how The Late Show caught and exposed McCain’s fib.

  121. 121.

    Anya

    @Corner Stone: How many of them are gay?

    My bestie who’s gay swears that one of them is gay. I can’t tell them apart and they’re all married, so not sure if I should rely on his gaydar alone. On the other hand a study found that families with multiple sons have a higher rate of homosexuality in the male children. So maybe he has a point.

  123. 123.

    Shawn in ShowMe

    @CarolDuhart2:

    There could have been months of speech coaching and debate coaching. And so much more. We all know of politicians who given such a head start, would have been smokin’ with execution right now-working their plan and making it work.

    Well we’ll deal with Scott Walker when we cross that bridge. That dude eats, drinks and sleeps politics. Mitt hates the entire process, and it shows.

  124. 124.

    Canuckistani Tom

    @lamh35:

    Awesome, and Tervetuloa. (There’s his first language lesson)

    Fortunately, most people in Finland speak English, it’s taught in school. But here are a few pointers about the Finnish language from a half-Finn.

    First, Finnish is dead easy to spell and read out loud. Everything is spelled exactly as it sounds, and vice versa. There are no silent letters or multiple ways of writing/pronouncing.

    There is one catch for the native English speaker. In English, you can exaggerate the length of a sound for emphasis, without changing the meaning of the word. (Dude and Duuuuuuuude are the same word). Not so in Finnish. Twice the vowels means twice the sound length. His new buds will probably get a cheap laugh by hearing him say ‘kusi’ (pis) when he means ‘kuusi’ (six). Both words are pronounced very similarly, but the ‘u’ sound is a bit longer in the second.

    Don’t get freaked out by all the long words. In English, you use short and medium words to make sentences. In Finnish, you take a medium word and add prefixes and suffixes to make a long word, and then use them in sentences.

    The nightmare about Finnish is properly conjugating words. If you’ve watched the graffiti scene in ‘Life of Brian’, it’s worse.

  125. 125.

    Anna in PDX

    211 exists in many states and may be run differently in different states. I actually know a bit about the Oregon one because I work in the City of Portland’s housing bureau. It is indeed info and referral. it is a nonprofit that gets government grants from us (our City general fund) as well as some pass through Federal dollars also from us, and probably gets money from the State of Oregon as well. The info is mostly about how to access various social services, and housing is a big part of what they give advice on. So saying it is government is not exactly accurate.

    I am hesitant to say this, because normally my opinions swim with the Balloon Juice current – but I also feel a bit bad about this whole story. I am a diehard Obama supporter but this feels like a “gotcha” without any context. Telling people to call 211 which was designed to be an info clearinghouse if you need services, is actually not that stupid a thing to do and is often what homeless people get told if they ask you what should I do.

    Saying go home, that sounds very awful, but it also sounded like it was an angry, traumatized hurricane victim restating what Romney said. I am always annoyed when Republicans take something out of context (“You didn’t build that” anyone?) and I don’t really like our side doing it either. Anyhow, I don’t really want to give Romney the benefit of the doubt here, just saying it sounds too gotcha and not the type of story that would do anything but gin up outrage on the side that is already against R. to begin with.

  126. 126.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Amir Khalid:

    What I found so striking is that McCain could have just told Letterman the truth…that Couric asked him on, and he felt that this was pretty important and he needed a rain check from Letterman.

    Letterman would have groused about it, for sure, but NOTHING like what actually happened when he tapped into the live feed of McCain getting some makeup on him sitting next to Couric’s desk.

    Later on, McCain admitted he screwed that up, but geeze, what a huge screwup it was, and very easily avoided. Total unforced error on McCain’s part that I’m convinced benefited Obama immensely.

  127. 127.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Amir Khalid:

    What I found so striking is that McCain could have just told Letterman the truth…that Couric asked him on, and he felt that this was pretty important and he needed a rain check from Letterman.

    Letterman would have groused about it, for sure, but NOTHING like what actually happened when he tapped into the live feed of McCain getting some makeup on him sitting next to Couric’s desk.

    Later on, McCain admitted he screwed that up, but geeze, what a huge screwup it was, and very easily avoided. Total unforced error on McCain’s part that I’m convinced benefited Obama immensely.

  128. 128.

    ? Martin

    @The Dangerman:

    After Obama clocks Romney as Clinton did to Dole, think Mitt will be on any commercials for V1agra?

    Not a very good spokesman for it, given how permanently stiff he already is.

  130. 130.

    Chris

    @Ruckus:

    I think people here are underestimating mittens level of disrespect for, well everyone with less money than him. Not doing the debates? I believe he is capable of thinking that he can win without the debates. He has no plans, policies, ideals, other than making more money for himself. He constantly talks down to people, he has almost no self awareness, he has a hugely inflated ego, he thinks the presidency is his destiny. He could easily make the decision not to debate, all the while knowing that he is correct. And that everyone else can go fornicate themselves(he wouldn’t use the common word fuck of course).

    There’s another way of looking at it, however – he may be arrogant enough to think he can win without the debates, but he may also be arrogant enough to think he can school Obama in the debates.

    It’s also possible that the man has worked up such a loathing for Obama – the man who’s in Mitt’s rightful place, and it’s not his place – that he viscerally wants to walk in there and stick it to Obama mano a mano.

  133. 133.

    trollhattan

    @gogol’s wife:
    Jason Jones.
    “You see this watch? This watch is worth more than your entire [bleeping} state!”
    Effing genius, that was, as were the Leonard Nimoy Romney tribute and pretty much everything Sam Bee did.

  134. 134.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Sorry about the duplicate. FYWP hung on me again, and I closed the window, that should reduce the damage a bit.

  135. 135.

    And Another Thing...

    @Corner Stone: Of course Mitt will show: a)Team Mitt thinks that he’s a good debater b) Prez O is dumb & nothing without a teleprompter 3) The last 4 years have been so bad Prez O can/t defend his record.

    And Ryan will clobber Biden. They know these things are true.

  136. 136.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Chris:

    Once again, the man is demonstrating that he doesn’t know his limitations.

    Obama seems to exude zen and Sun Tzu wisdom. Rmoney, not so much. Arrogant, doesn’t know his enemy, and even worse, doesn’t really know himself.

  137. 137.

    ronin122

    Almost 140 comments and none said that this is excellent news for John McCain? Come on people, let’s get back to speed here!

  138. 138.

    trollhattan

    @arguingwithsignposts:
    Betcha ten-thousand dollars he is….

    His performance will hinge on the format. He can mouth talking points ’til the cows come home but his ability to ad lib is…uh…suspect.

    At the very least, those will be finely crafted shoes he’ll insert into his piehole.

  139. 139.

    Violet

    @Anna in PDX: How is it out of context? It’s in a news story about Mitt’s visit to Louisiana and the reporter interviewed the woman after she talked to Mitt. It seems pretty in-context to me.

    As for it making a big difference to anything, no I don’t think it will. It’s the Saturday of a holiday weekend. Most people will never hear about this story.

  140. 140.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @And Another Thing…:

    After the smoke clears in November, and the GOP lies in ruins, the excuse will be that Rmoney wasn’t “conservative” enough, the teatard freshmen who were turned out were not “conservative” enough.

    “Conservatism” cannot fail. It can only be failed.

    This is a cliche, but damn it all, it’s exactly how these idiots think.

  143. 143.

    e.a.f.

    @Mike E: & americans want this guy to be president. even if he felt he had to say something, he might have made an executive decision & kept his mouth shut.

    If Romney wins we in Canada have a problem & it won’t be the P.Q. wanting to seperate again.

  145. 145.

    mamayaga

    Re the debates, Mitt has already shown that his egotism is his Achilles heel. Recall that there was one primary debate (FL?) in which he did unusually compared to his prior performance, and he ended up firing his debate coach because the guy was getting too much of the credit. Bet Mitt learned his lesson from that, and never hired another one.

  146. 146.

    Anya

    New Yorkers, is anyone going to be at the convention watch party in New York at 27 Orchard St.? I am thinking of going.

  147. 147.

    Anna in PDX

    @violet, I think it is the go home part that sounds a bit weird to me. A funny thing to say to someone made homeless by a hurricane… and a restating by the woman. Sometimes when I restate things I don’t say exactly what the person originally said, and if my restatement was being taken literally in order to show how awful they were I would probably feel bad about it.

    And telling people how to access services is again, to me, not that bad a thing to do. Maybe her summary of it sounded bad, but the advice wasn’t bad per se (Of course it’s true that 211 is not 911 and does not immediately help you, but it is a place to go to get info on what to do if you need help – this is why it exists, the states try to provide a resource to people).

    I am probably overthinking this. I usually do. As you said, not that big a story anyhow, I guess, except to the woman of course. (My partner helps homeless senior citizens, he is a social worker – and always points out, to that person, there is a horrible crisis going on, to him, he hears several of them a day and it is a job. It is a difference in perspective…)

  148. 148.

    And Another Thing...

    @Anya: They’re not lying, they’re clarifying things for us proles. They’ve got our interests at heart.

  149. 149.

    Chris

    @And Another Thing…:

    They’re not lying, they’re clarifying things for us proles. They’ve got our interests at heart.

    Right.

    Us proles only think Obama’s policies are good for us because, well, they look and sound and smell good for us. But what we’re missing from our ant-like perspective is that they’re not good for the MOTU, which is the really important thing, because if the king doesn’t work the peasants will starve.

  150. 150.

    Anya

    Glenn Kessler’s both sides do it rational for Paul Ryan’s lies:

    Obama, meanwhile, knocked McCain for voting 90 percent of the time with his own party; he did not mention that he himself voted 97 percent of the time with Democrats. Obama and McCain also mischaracterized each other’s proposals, using sometimes slippery facts.

    That man is a dolt.

    ETA the title of the monistrosity: The truth? C’mon, this is a political convention

  151. 151.

    Hill Dweller

    @Anya: Kessler is an imbecile. Obama pointed out McCain voted with his party because he was trying to cast himself as a “Maverick”, who bucked his party.

  152. 152.

    Todd

    @Geoduck:

    In other articles, this same woman is quoted as saying she found Romney to be “caring”.

    To her credit, she’s in the South, and has little in the way of expectation or example from glib white aristocrats in nice suits.

  153. 153.

    Dennis SGMM

    @Anya:
    The sad part is that, as bad as McCain is, and as hopelessly clueless as he is he looks downright good compared to either Romney or Ryan. Oh my country.

  155. 155.

    Corner Stone

    @Dennis SGMM: Actually, if I were an R voter I would have taken Romney in 2008 100 times out of 100 over McCain.
    He could’ve sustained any damage flying off the 2008 financial crisis and landed 737’s on his shoulders, filled with “workout teams”.
    2008 was a much, much better timeframe for Romney. Obamacare v Romneycare did not exist, Occupy, bin Ladin was still alive so no props to Obama.
    For any number of reasons, the R’s really boned the place up in 2008 by picking McCain over Romney.

  156. 156.

    karen marie

    @efgoldman: It just pisses me off when people repeat that crap. Even “the People’s Republic of Cambridge” is an exaggeration. Proof of that is the destruction of The Tasty (“They built Harvard around us”) in 1997. That was one of the reasons I moved to southeastern Massachusetts in 2001. All the old places were going, if not gone.

  159. 159.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    @Mnemosyne: nothing would make me happier than watching Obama/Biden pound Romney/Ryan into the fucking ground in an embarrassing blowout. That’s what I want for Election Day.

    Likewise. Sign me up for a million of these.

  160. 160.

    quannlace

    the debates, but he may also be arrogant enough to think he can school Obama in the debates.

    Well, we can be certain that Ryan feels he’s gonna stride onto that stage like an Ayn Rand hero (without cape) and mop the floor with Biden.

    We’ll just see. Just would love to see that self-satisfied smirk wiped off.

  161. 161.

    Dennis SGMM

    @Corner Stone:
    Hadn’t thought of it that way. In 2008 Mitt could have role played being the man on horseback to an America that was in many ways in ruins.

  163. 163.

    Dennis SGMM

    @quannlace:

    Well, we can be certain that Ryan feels he’s gonna stride onto that stage like an Ayn Rand hero (without cape) and mop the floor with Biden.

    That debate is one of the things that I’ll open my curmudgeon cage to watch.

  164. 164.

    Dennis SGMM

    @MikeJ:
    One of the difficulties, as I see it, with a two party system is that if one or the other of them goes off the deep end then your options are constrained and everyone in politics gets lazy.

  165. 165.

    And Another Thing...

    @Dennis SGMM: Biden had to keep the brakes on when he debated Palin, her being a girl and all. With Ryan he doesn’t have those restraints. Medicare & Medicaid will be the big issues and he REALLY believes in them. Ryan’s not going to skate by on platitudes. Biden will beat him to a pulp.

  166. 166.

    jonas

    @Anya: I’ve seen this statistic too and it always cracks me up to think about those fundamentalist families like the Duggars — at least one or two of those kids is gonna be gay. In 10 or 15 years, it will be interesting to follow up and see which “black sheep” are no longer in the family photos because they’ve chosen an “unacceptable lifestyle.”

  167. 167.

    Violet

    Is FYWP happening? I posted something and it never showed up. Tried to post it a second time and got the duplicate post warning.

  168. 168.

    JR in WV

    The reason Romney didn’t do presentation work for his speech is that he fired his speech coach the day after the media published a report that his debate coach had improved Romney’s performance.

    Romney is one of those folks who can’t hire someone smarter than he is. He thinks in one part of his brain that he is the smartest guy in the room, but in his lizard hind-brain, he knows he isn’t, and that is where the fear of hiring someone smarter than he is lives.

    This means, of course, that if he becomes president, no one in the government will be smart enough to find their ass with both hands with an ass coach.

    It also means he won’t ever rehearse, because that is for lesser mortals, not for a heroic guy like Romoney. That means that if he attends even one debate, he’s dead meat, unless there’s underhanded work done to force Obama to fail somehow. Bad lighting to make him look like a devil or something.

    But I rely on his arrogance and inability to seek or accept advice from those smarter than he to defeat him this fall. I think (hope) it is a sure bet. Because he is so very obviously NOT the smartest guy in most rooms full of people!

  169. 169.

    trollhattan

    …and see which “black sheep” are no longer in the family photos because they’ve chosen an “unacceptable lifestyle.”

    There’s an app for that.

  170. 170.

    Violet

    Okay, I’ll try again,

    @Anna in PDX: I agree the woman probably re-stated it, but the “call 211” thing is most likely true because it’s an odd thing for her to just invent. The “go home” thing may just be her turn of phrase.

    But for Mitt Romney to suggest to any of the victims that they call 211 is still rather clumsy. He’s there with the Governor of the state, and probably various emergency assistance type folks. He could easily have said that Governor Jindal is doing a great job coordinating all the emergency folks and help is here for her and end there. Telling her to use a phone service, when she might not even have access to a phone or phones aren’t working, is just strange.

  171. 171.

    Violet

    Okay, something in my post keeps getting it tossed without going into moderation. Here’s the next paragraph.
    @Anna in PDX:

    The only way I could see it making sense is if the state of Louisiana itself is promoting the 211 service as the first step for flood/storm victims. Then Romney would just be fitting into that narrative. Is that what they’re doing?

  172. 172.

    Paul

    @Hunter Gathers:

    I don’t care what anybody says about this being a 50/50 country, there’s no way this fucking poorly programmed automaton is going to win in November.

    Don’t be too sure. There are enough people in this country who have no clue what socialism is, yet are convinced it is bad and that Obama is one.

    Then you also have the racists, the gay haters, the people with the attention span of a gnat who think the economic crisis was started by Obama.

    Heck, there are more voters (according to a poll at TPM) who think Obama wants to destroy Medicare than Romney/Ryan.

    And thanks to the USSC, you also have a bunch of billionaires who are basically trying to buy the election for the GOP.

    Due to utter stupidity of the voter, I would still be surprised if Obama pulls it off.

  173. 173.

    Dennis SGMM

    @And Another Thing…:
    I sure hope so. Wonder if Ryan even knows that Joe Biden is the person who came up with “A noun, a verb, and 9/11,” and thereby finished Giuliani’s political aspirations with one phrase.

  174. 174.

    jonas

    @quannlace: I thought it was Newt who was supposed to wipe the floor with Obama in the debates. And Mitt beat *him*. OMG!!!

    Seriously, though, here’s the problem with the upcoming debates: Mitt’s background is privilege and business. You don’t have to really debate anyone in the rarified executive air Mitt’s used to. You just walk into a room wearing a more expensive watch and act like you have a bigger dick than the other guy and jawbone him until you get what you want. Deal done. (That’s why businesspeople almost always make uniquely awful politicians, too.) Rerun the Republican debates. Mitt didn’t make any major fumbles like Rick Perry, but more seasoned pols like Rick Santorum delivered some bad blows on a number of occasions that he just didn’t have any comeback for. But he had a more expensive watch, and that’s what counted in the GOP primaries. Obama cut his chops in law school and as a law professor, where arguing and forensics is *all you do*. If I were Mitt, I’d be looking for a way out of the debates, too, and if I were one of his handlers, I’d be popping Maalox 24/7 wondering how to get him to stop appearing to be such a clueless, self-regarding asshole at every turn.

  175. 175.

    elftx

    CarolDuhart2 Says:

    It’s the one thing that baffles me. He’s been running before Obama had even decided to run for President. Why so unprepared? The European trip is one example. With such a head start, why hadn’t he already made trips to important places and gotten to know the leaders? He could have gotten trip jitters out of his system back then and been smooth and relaxed the second time around. The tax forms? Clean and even over pay taxes since 2006, and just show those. The convention? While speakers would have to be slotted in and out, there could have been ideas in a folder. The speech could have been written back when things were slow and just updated for relevance. There could have been months of speech coaching and debate coaching. And so much more. We all know of politicians who given such a head start, would have been smokin’ with execution right now-working their plan and making it work.

    That’s because he was told it would be a slam dunk.

  178. 178.

    Violet

    @jonas: The thing is, Obama doesn’t care what kind of watch Mitt wears. That sort of alpha-male dick-waving doesn’t work on him. It’s one of the reasons why he’s able to rope-a-dope people. He knows who he is and is confident in himself. That sort of thing is rarer than rare. When people encounter it they just don’t know how to handle it.

    Mitt’s used to tangling with people who do care about whose watch is more expensive. It’s how he sees the world. Those folks can’t even imagine someone who just doesn’t care about their watch.

  181. 181.

    JustAnotherBob

    @Anna in PDX:

    Anna, I got what you were saying and agree, up to a point.

    Telling someone how to access aid is a totally reasonable and appropriate response. But Mitt showed how he isn’t quick on his mental feet. Because he is running for president he should have been able to formulate an additional, helpful sound bite. He failed the street theater part.

  183. 183.

    Anna in PDX

    Violet and Just Another Bob: OK, fair enough. I guess I felt a little bit defensive about 211 Info because I know it is, at least in Oregon, a service done by nonprofits because the govt has stopped doing such things (because of Republicans and centrist Dems), and is doing all it can, though all it can do is refer… you are right if that is all he said it does not sound like he is good at relating to the public – but we knew that already…

    Dumb q of the day: I am an idiot at this and have been reading for years but just started commenting, how do you link back to the previous comment? the @ thing itself does not seem to do it.

  184. 184.

    Violet

    @Anna in PDX: On the lower right corner of the comment is the Reply button. Click on the word Reply and it will fill the comment box below with the reply link to that comment. Then you type your comment.

  186. 186.

    Violet

    @Anna in PDX: Glad it worked out for you. The Reply button has been a bit of an issue, as for awhile it didn’t appear unless you moused over it. Then during an upgrade it vanished for a bit. It’s back now, but for how long we don’t know.

  191. 191.

    karen marie

    @Dennis SGMM: I don’t know, you think coming off of a binge with “the first MBA president” the country would have gone with another one immediately following? I doubt it.

  195. 195.

    Steeplejack

    @lamh35:

    Condolences on the untimely loss of your grandmother. But it’s good that you have good memories (and pictures) of her.

  196. 196.

    MJ

    @lamh35: That beautiful photo brought a tear to my eye. She looked like a wonderful Grandma. And she obviously was very proud of you.

    I am so very sorry for your loss.

  198. 198.

    AHH onna Droid

    @amk: @Cargo: The answer is Jill Stein. She pit Romney in office by pulling the mask off the Democratic machine candidate amd revealing the clown wi th in. Romney then coasted to victory.

    Jill Stein is running again. Even money she gets less votes this election than in 2002.

  200. 200.

    DavidTC

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    Letterman would have groused about it, for sure, but NOTHING like what actually happened when he tapped into the live feed of McCain getting some makeup on him sitting next to Couric’s desk.

    I was at that taping, entirely by accident.

    I was in New York and decided to go to a Letterman taping without knowing who the guest was. After standing in life to get tickets, I wandered around a bit, and saw some secret service down the side street (The side street they always do stunts on, which has the stage door.), and learned who the guest was from other people watching them secure the entrance. I thought ‘I’m not a fan of McCain, but eh, whatever. It’s only about 20% the guest anyway.’.

    Then getting in line the second time to actually go in, people were whispering there was something weird going on, but not what exactly. I figured it was just people talking about added security or something. Then the guy who talks to people in the line (Who I’m sure has a title but I can’t think of it.) announced that McCain wasn’t on the show tonight.

    During the show, Letterman kept having people running in to tell him things during the commercials, and kept looking more and more annoyed.

    The problem wasn’t _just_ that he backed out, and wasn’t _just_ that he lied, it was that he backed out at basically the last minute, because an hour and half before the show taping, there were secret service people wandering around outside. And I don’t know what time guests are supposed to be there, but surely it’s supposed to be at least an hour before the show. So it’s like ‘I’m supposed to be at your show in ten minutes, but I think I’ll skip it’.

    And, frankly, there was nothing new that happened _in that time_ that could have justified backing out anyway. Yes, there was a crisis, but there wasn’t something critical that happened at 2 o’clock that afternoon that required McCain. (Hell, McCain wasn’t actually required at all. It’s not like the Senate was short one man to make a quorum or something.) And the, of course, we learn he didn’t bother to leave town at all, and was just lying.

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