Via Dave Weigel’s twitter feed, Bill “Reliably Wrong” Kristol has anointed Dr. Ben Carson as his new cover idol, so it is now guaranteed that the poor man will never get closer to the Oval Office than the guided tour. Kristol assigned Fred Barnes to write up a long beat-sweetener that ends:
… If nominated, can Carson beat Hillary Clinton or another Democrat? Yes he can. Giles thinks Carson can win 25 percent to 40 percent of the black vote. Williams is doubtful. But Robinson, the draft-Ben leader, says he has “run the numbers” and found that Carson would easily win with 17 percent of the black vote in swing states. “At 17 percent, Hillary loses every swing state in the union, and the Roosevelt coalition is effectively destroyed.” That’s an outcome worth thinking about.
So — remembering it was Kristol who first introduced the national Republican Party to a certain firebrand he met while cruising near Wasilla — it looks like Dr. Carson is officially the new Sarah Palin, a comparison that has to be infuriating to both Carson and Palin. And pretty well confirms my theory that the “Tea Patriots” hope to use Carson as a stalking horse to pull the “centrist RINO squishes” of the permanent-party GOP closer to their end of the very-far-right spectrum.
***********
Apart from bootless speculation, what’s on the agenda for this Sunday evening?
raven
Uh, the second playoff game.
lol chikinburd
The Rev. William Barber keynoted Duke University’s MLK commemoration this afternoon. It’s worth listening to his whole speech (don’t know what time in the video it starts).
Slugger
What would be cooler, someone with no political experience as President or someone with no medical experience as neurosurgeon? Of course, a novice surgeon can only hurt one person at a time.
rikyrah
Moved from the last thread:
MEDIA ALERT:
OWN Network tonight
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Legends that Paved the way
Honoring Civil Rights Pioneers
9pm EST
rikyrah
just like Caribou Barbie was gonna get women to vote for her.
uh huh
uh huh
JPL
Anne, Why don’t you let everyone know where you live. just sayin..
not the address per say.. just the city.. there might be an event
within driving distance of you that’s worth mentioning
dance around in your bones
Carson deserves Kristol, and vice versa. I, for one, am glad Kristol is always wrong – think how insufferable he would be if even occasionally right!!
raven
@JPL: Everybody knows that.
BGinCHI
I think Johnny Carson has a better chance of becoming President.
HEY OH!
Pogonip
@rikyrah: No puppies, no peace!
(Also moved from the last thread.)
Villago Delenda Est
The enthusiastic endorsement of Bill Kristol = The kiss of death.
schrodinger's cat
Do Republicans really think that women/black people are fungible? Women were excited about Hillary so if they nominated Palin all Hillary supporters were going to flock to the GOP ticket. Yeah that worked so well that they want to try that strategy again. Go ahead, Republicans.
schrodinger's cat
@dance around in your bones: The other day I was listening to a song from Hare Rama Hare Krishna, made me think of you and your experiences while shooting that movie.
jl
@lol chikinburd: Thanks Listening to him now.
SRW1
These guys really know how to hold a grudge.
To be honest, though, at this point I suspect Krystol always being wrong has become an obligation.
The man’s a genious as a performance artist.
Villago Delenda Est
@schrodinger’s cat: They think, exclusively, in terms of stereotypes. They have no ability to comprehend anything outside those stereotypes.
This is why they are doomed.
scav
The team with “The” math has “run the numbers”. . . ooooooooooooo that’ll leave everyone quaking. have we had the long walk back to check with guys in back yet?
dmsilev
The Roosevelt coalition began to schism in the late 1960s, and the process was completed by the 80s. All those white Southern Democrats are now wearing colonial hats and screaming about government takeovers of Medicare.
Villago Delenda Est
@scav: The guys in the back are laughing there heads of at the utter stupidity of the talking heads (“the talent”) who talk about “the math” but can’t figure out the sum of one and one.
gogol's wife
I think we’re going to learn tonight about the Dowager Countess’s long-ago romance with Prince Kuragin.
RSA
Okay, I haven’t run the numbers, but my intuition is that peeling off 17% of the black vote would mean Clinton wins some precincts with 80% and 79% instead of 97% and 96%, even in swing states.
jl
More lunatic news from GOP land.
Maybe this news would be more on topic in Puppies Puppies Puppies thread, if the insane yapping of a rabid immortal zombie puppy is considered cute. Right below the Lindsay for prez story is Graham basically blaming Obama for the civil war in Syria and the 350,000 deaths. Graham really dives into lunacy when he emits deranged BS pandering to the wingnuts.
The 2016 GOP primary is gong to be a true freakshow. Every four years, they find a way to top themselves.
Lindsey Graham Set Up Committee To Explore 2016 Run
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/lindsey-graham-2016-committee
jl
@lol chikinburd: Barber is a great preacher. I like how he is emphasizing King’s social justice message as well as the civil rights message. And emphasizing that both messages are dangerous.
Now he is talking about the corruption of rich and powerful in trying to control what people like King say. Very blunt message on how civil rights and social justice can be corrupted and silenced, even at MKL memorail events.
People want to hear a real MLK memorial talk, they should listen to Barber.
drkrick
@jl:
Then two years later they get a bigger stranglehold on Congress. The damndest thing.
Gin & Tonic
@jl: First gay President?
SRW1
If Barnes thinks that 17 percent of the black vote would win Carson every swing state, he must also assume that he wouldn’t lose any of the white vote. Since the white vote is on average more than four times the black vote and the R’s start from behind in most swing states, methinks even Fred can’t fail to notices the stink emanating from the turd he dumped there.
jl
@drkrick: The problems an incumbent party has with midterms is well understood compared to the reason for the loons the GOP vomits up.
And frankly, I think last two Democratic presidents, both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama not good (in more blunt language, stink) at building party organization that can do well during midterms.
jl
@Gin & Tonic: I would imagine an independent PAC would have to work that angle. Probably work as well as Palin and other GOP tokens have in the past, that is, total Fail.
Mike in NC
@jl: The other day we saw where Lindsey Graham presented his new BFF Jodi Ernst of Iowa with a pig castrating tool mounted on a plaque. I have no problem with castrating Lindsey Graham, except that it might make his squeaky voice even more unpleasant to listen to.
shelley
Whee, now all we need is for Dick Morris to chime in to really seal his fate.
***********
Gonna be away from my computer tonight, so guess I’ll have to wait till the ‘morrow to see any puppy pix.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Gin & Tonic: Forgetting James Buchanan?
Mike in NC
In what alternate universe would Ben Carson ever get 25 to 40% of the black vote?
Cervantes
@dmsilev:
I agree, but I think Kristol is just trying to make sure.
Cervantes
@schrodinger’s cat:
Song? Experiences? What’s all this about, then?
dance around in your bones
@schrodinger’s cat: Wow!! Someone who listens to my ravings!!
I’ll never forget that song. Dum Mara Dum!!!
It was definitely an experience ….. ;)
jharp
“Giles thinks Carson can win 25 percent to 40 percent of the black vote.”
Then Giles is an ignorant racist fuck.
jl
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: From what I have read, James Buchanan had no problem being ‘out’, at least to his upper class circle, and they did not have a problem with him, in fact, I remember reading some letters where a man and wife discussed finding the lonely old guy a boyfriend.. Believe it or not, people back seem to have been more understanding of certain individual preferences than the wingnuts of today. Certainly less hateful and vicious in some ways.
Graham can use that history maybe: I am more retrograde than James Buchanan! Back to Medieval or Fight!
Cervantes
@drkrick:
A problem one might think super-smart people could solve, and yet …
Anne Laurie
@JPL:
North of Boston, (barely) inside R128.
What event?
jl
Kristol’s ideas fail in the real world, but work pretty well in the artificial opposites world of GOP politics and grifting and sugar daddies. So, I do have hopes Kristol can give Carson enough of a boost to get him into some broadcast GOP primary debates.
If you are in a mood for really black and sick humor, listening the Carson and Graham filibuster their deranged ramblings during a national broadcast would be fun. If you are a Democrat who hopes for a good 2016.
Edit: This Barber is great. I would like to see him in a debate.
Gin & Tonic
@Anne Laurie: There’s a fairly important football game a bit south of Boston.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@jl:
The Victorians have given us a rather bowdlerized image of the people who came before them. In many ways, they were a reaction to their much, ah, earthier parents.
Anne Laurie
@Gin & Tonic:
BettyC has that covered — check post below.
(Also, nobody in the meat space crosses the Great Pike (I90) Divide!
jl
@lol chikinburd: Barber starts around 1:20 into the service.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:
Yep. The Georgian and Regency periods are much bawdier than the Victorian. You see a little of the transition in the Emma Thompson version of “Sense & Sensibility.”
max
@SRW1: Since the white vote is on average more than four times the black vote and the R’s start from behind in most swing states, methinks even Fred can’t fail to notices the stink emanating from the turd he dumped there.
Not to mention the loss of votes that would ensue from the ‘I ain’t votin’ for one of THEM’ ticket on the R side.
max
[‘c.f. Virginia election of 2013.’]
Cacti
@dmsilev:
This.
The last spade of dirt was thrown over the corpse of the Roosevelt coalition in 1984.
Pogonip
@Villago Delenda Est: I think that’s true of both parties. How many Democrats ever say, or may even be aware, that the women’s vote is not necessarily equivalent to the feminist vote? Although glimmers did seem to be dawning after the last election, so maybe you’re right that Republicans are more obtuse.
KG
@Slugger: you could argue that Eisenhower didn’t have any political experience before becoming president and he did alright. Though I think being “Supreme Leader of the Allied Forces” during WWII probably involves a lot of politicking. The “I’m not a career politician like these assholes” argument will hold some sway in the GOP primary, and depending on the state of the economy and/or society at the time, could do well in the general – it worked fairly well for Ross Perot until he started talking about his dental fillings being CIA tracking devices and dropped out of the race.
Cervantes
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:
@jl:
Have either of you read Updike’s Memories of the Ford Administration? It’s half about Buchanan, “this popinjay from the Keystone State.”
KG
@Villago Delenda Est: I don’t think it’s stereotypes, so much as tribalism. They think women will vote for a woman because they’re the same tribe, same for black voters, Latin voters, Asian voters, etc. Of course, they think they’re beyond tribalism (don’t laugh, it’s true) because they’ll vote for whomever the GOP nominates (so what if it is a straight white guy 90% of the time? They’ll just point out Mia Love and Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz and Meg Wittman and whoever else they can think of).
SRW1
@max:
Actually, that was what I was trying to get at: Every one percent loss among white voters who aren’t gonna vote for one of THEM counterbalances at least four percent picked up among black voters. Given the disposition among some of GOP’s base that’s kind of a desperate balance.
jl
@Cervantes: No. I learned about Buchanan in a Salon or Slate (I think) article. Eye-opening extracts from letters by Buchanan and his friends. After reading that I am much more open to the idea that Alexander Hamilton and Lincoln were gay or bi. Though I am sure Hamilton would be bi not gay, since he had too much trouble keeping it zipped up when a pretty woman walked by. He like to fall in crush with them too, which was the source of the sex scandal that ended his public career, I think.
Curt
@jl: A “serious” run by Graham this primary season would be awesome. I’m hoping for it just as hard as I’m hoping Mitt will ignore the haterz and keep on running.This will be the clowniest car EVER!!!
jl
@Curt: My dream is a stage with fifty GOP crazy people, grifters and crony capitalist coporateers for the first couple of GOP debates.
It was a crazy dream at first, I acknowledged that, but now, each and every day, it comes a little closer to reality!
Edit: Lately, Graham has been going off on truly deranged and vicious, and effing endless, tirades. I think his repeated desperate pandering to get the teabagger nutjob vote has affected whatever mind he has left.
catclub
@RSA: My suspicion is that for every black vote he wins, he loses at least two racist whites.
There were plenty of racist white Democrats who could not vote for Obama. I think there would be a good number of racist GOP voters who … just couldn’t do it.
ETA: missed a few who said the same thing.
Mike in NC
@jl:
Well, he did face a primary challenge from about ten people who argued that he wasn’t extreme enough for the state that started the Civil War.
Anne Laurie
@jl:
Even 50 years ago, when I was a child learning history in NYC, it was said that (local hero) Hamilton was wont to use his charms on older men, such as General Washington. Us modrun sophisticates have done a 180 on social relationships from the Victorians — we assume that all “special friendships” must include a sexual component, at least covertly. But it’s possible for a young person to make their fortune by flattering an older one without actually trading sexual favors, or even intending to offer such favors. We joke about conservative “sausage fests”, but (for instance) Scott Walker’s relationship with David Koch, Matthew Continetti’s with Bill Kristol (now his father-in-law) is only remotely sexual in nature… both parties are much more interested in mutual pursuit of money/power than in “mere” body-touching.
Buchanan was pretty clearly, as we would phrase it, “same-sex oriented” — he was notoriously only interested in other men, be it as friends or political associates. Hamilton & Lincoln might have been bisexual, or at least had some same-sex physical encounters. But on the existing evidence we can’t know whether they considered themselves sexually interested in other men, or if they just took advantage of whatever opportunities came their way… in bed or or in politics.
(And let’s not overlook that both Hamilton & Lincoln were poor strivers — “the bastard brat of a Scottish peddlar” and “the offspring of a worthless tramp and who knows what [i.e., possibly non-white] mother”. They had to work harder for their place than someone like Buchanan, so their detractors were more liable to accuse them of undue influence on their mentors.)
gene108
Sigh…sometime, when I assumed, if I had ‘x’ services from Comcast and they were charging me ‘y’ and I made no changes they would continue to charge me ‘y’, the powers that be professed to reveal I am ignorant of the ways the world works…
Comcast basically doubled my bill for damn reason…sigh…
chopper
So’s “bill kristol shits out a live clucking chicken”. Same chance of it happening.
JPL
@jl: It’s difficult to understand Graham. On one hand, the President is responsible for the civil war in Syria and on the other hand, he wants us to invade and kill hundreds of thousands more. I don’t get it.
22over7
PUPPEHS!!!
schrodinger's cat
@dance around in your bones: Actually I was listening to this song,in the same movie. I love the stories you share.
@Cervantes:
Dance around in your bones was an extra, in one of the songs shot on location in Nepal, for a Hindi movie starring Dev Anand in the early 70s. I was listening to a CD collection of songs from Dev Anand’s movies, and I remembered the story about she had shared about her part in this movie.
Violet
@gene108: You probably got a introductory rate. That can last three or six months or even a year, depending on what the offer was. Call them and ask about it. They’ll often find a way to reduce your bill. If they don’t, ask for their retention department. Those people may have more offers available.
gene108
@Violet:
I’ll call them. Probably tomorrow. Just came back from NYC after visiting my brother and family. I am feeling very tired for some reason.
It wasn’t an introductory rate, as I’ve had Comcast for around 13-14 years, when they rolled out internet my way and 7 years at my current location, i.e. since I moved.
schrodinger's cat
I finally saw Chak de India, I don’t remember who but some BJer had recommended it as a must see SRK movie when we were discussing Hindi movies (aka Bollywood movies) some time ago on BJ. Great recommendation, I loved the movie.
Also saw Interstellar, overall I liked the movie but agree with sparrow about the portrayal women scientists in the movie played by Hathaway and Chastain. I found them both annoying, it had more to do with their dialog than the actresses themselves.
NotMax
Talk about becoming suddenly awkward – 2450 females in the U.S.
jl
@Anne Laurie: I agree with what you say. I said I was more open to those ideas, not that I believed those theories. I don’t even believe in the case of Hamilton or Lincoln, we can know much at all, even if Buchanan’s situation was pretty clear.
I am just more open minded now. I am not convinced by those who argue that those two poor strivers were gay. But after reading the letters re Buchanan, I think that the opponents who go on and on about how friendships and language were all so different back then sound more than a little panicked and desperate.
As for Hamilton being able to keep it zipped up with a man, I don;t know, probably, maybe so, whatever. With a pretty and willing lady? Oh for God’s sake no way, get real. Some action was going down.
yodecat
@jl: Yeah, Bud! Another implosion in the making!
Y’know if we could hold majorities in both houses and the Presidency for four years (smothering the blue dogs in their beds) we could actually get sumptin’ going here, you know?
jl
@yodecat: No, probably could not really get something going, even with Dems all over, since for every corporate Democrat that you could (in your dreams) get rid of, I think another would be co-opted. But, maybe Dems all over would keep us away from more and worse preventable disasters.
I want a crazy GOP primary because I think it educates the public, and will force a few more of the salvageable GOPers out of the party.
Baud
@jl:
We got something going in the only two two-year terms since 1980 that the Dems controlled the government. Four consecutive years would be amazing.
Mike J
@jl:
The shorter the Republican primary the sooner the anointed one can pivot to the center. We want them grovelling to the teabaggers all the way to election day.
jl
@Baud: As I said above, I think both last two presidents were weak at Dem party building and effective support for midterms.
I hope next Democratic president will be better. If we have one next term, then will have to fight public fatigue with executive branch.
But, that depends on how bad and bitter and pathetic the GOP 2016 freak show primary ends up, and how badly the all the bright ideas of the current GOP Congress backfire and shit all over the place. I am willing to bet that GOP performance will be bad, but will it be bad enough? Probably won’t be a black or other minority in the initial front runners, so the GOP racism gambit won’t work.
They will call Biden a white n____, and commie and drag out the crazy uncle stuff, but he won’t last long if he runs. I hope he lasts long enough to spread a good thick layer of his original political gangster disdain and snark on the GOP prez front runners.
Giuliani was gong to implode anyway, but Biden gave the world the perfect summary quip that will follow that empty suit wherever he goes the rest of his life.
Edit: And I predict all the sexist garbage they’ll throw at HRC will be totally counterproductive. At some point a sly Dem operative might decide to pay for more asshole GOP attacks on HRC, as long as they are vetted to be sufficiently sexist, nasty, and asinine.
Curt
@jl: I’m genuinely curious to see how they’ll stage debates with a field of anything more than ten or a dozen. Do they split them into tiers or conferences at that point?
Baud
@jl:
I’m not that sure presidents of either party really are all that relevant to party building. I think what the GOP has had that the Dems have not is more of an elite, generally centralized politburo to manage the party building responsibilities. The Dems haven’t had that since the heyday of party bosses.
Curt
@jl:
Wow, this is so true!
PIGL
@schrodinger’s cat: you’re either a straight white church-going male, or you’re dog pooh. And dog pooh does not really have kinds. Not that anyone important would bother to know about.
dance around in your bones
@schrodinger’s cat: I love that you heard the song , and thought
of me! It was completely unexpected, being in a movie. All us Hog Farmers joined in, primarily to ‘earn’ the 10 rupees and free dinner each evening.
My husband and I had just gotten back from a 200 mile trek in Nepal, past the Himalayas and through fields of pot and some of the most delicious food in people’s homes. Back then we stayed in ‘bharees” which meant a private persons home , and they would feed you and let you sleep in their living room for a (negligible) fee.
Nonetheless , we were ravenous when we dragged ourselves into camp, and ate a mountain of fried up potato peelings doused in ketchup. Heaven.
In any case, we were READY to eat, drink, and be merry! And the Hare Krishna movie was spot on perfect.
No snooty noses allowed!!! :)
dance around in your bones
That was supposed to be ” bhatees”. – still not sure of the spelling ( go phonetically! Can’t go wrong!!)
Anyone who has trekked on foot on Nepal will know what I mean……
Kay
That’s exciting. Policy papers to move the country back to where it…was.
Where it was when?
Every Presidential candidate of my adult life has had “a plan” although “moving the country back to where it was” is new. Maybe we’ll learn more when we read the promised series of policy papers. The policy papers better make sense! GOP primary voters will be going over those with a fine-toothed comb.
jl
@Kay: Back to wherever will get the GOP grifter the most votes, and set up for the best post campaign suspension grifting, silly!
What is your favorite American Golden Age, Kay? I can churn out a position paper on that!
Kay
I love how they assure their base that Carson is a True Conservative and then immediately follow with Carson’s boring lecture on how DC isn’t bipartisan enough.
Give up on this idea. It doesn’t make sense. While I’m confident Carson is hard Right, being hard Right makes “bipartisan” impossible.
Kay
@jl:
True Conservatism is all counter-factual. When I was in law school there was a period where libertarians identified me as sympathetic to their cause. We palled around for a while. One of them said to me “if you knew how this country was supposed to run you would be furious”. It made me laugh at the time because how do you respond to that? “If everything since the start of the Civil War had gone completely and very specifically differently I would be proven RIGHT”
I keep it in mind because I think they’re harkening back to a whole different series of events that didn’t occur, which would have led inexorably and organically to some other, but better, results.
Cervantes
@Kay:
Remember this one?
Mike in NC
@Kay:
Obviously 1950. When in many places only white people could vote, when most schools and everything else were racially segregated, when women could choose between being either secretaries, teachers, or nurses (or stay-at-home baby makers), and when homosexuals were routinely beaten and jailed.
AKA the Good Old Days to many elderly conservatives in their 70s and 80s.
Cervantes
@dance around in your bones:
Probably you’re referring to chai bhatis, literally “tea-houses,” where travelers — including Nepalis — often stop for refreshment and rest.
Cervantes
@schrodinger’s cat:
Thanks for explaining.
But not superfluous, surely.
dance around in your bones
@Cervantes: Thanks for the clarification – I’ve always just said it, not spelled it :)
I remember being dubious when people explained how it worked …… “You mean, you just hang around in a village and someone comes up and offers you food and a floor to sleep on??!!
Worked like a charm. And, some really great food.
TriassicSands
Comparing Carson and Palin is interesting, because he’s an incredibly stupid person and so is she, but he’s an extremely intelligent incredibly stupid person and Palin is an extremely stupid incredibly stupid person.
Politically that makes them equivalently stupid. If one of the responsibilities of the president were to operate on the brain of a child, Carson would have an obvious and immeasurable advantage over Palin. But on issues of politics, if both were placed in black boxes and all we looked at was the political decision-making that came out of each box, it would be impossible to claim that one of the boxes held a smarter person.
Everyone has had ample opportunity to observe and be stunned by the stupidity of Palin, but Carson is a bit newer on the scene so he’ll be working hard to hide his stupidity as he pursues the Republican nomination. The real question is do we want our president to think that the worst thing that has happened since slavery is the PPACA. Carson has taken pains to stress that he didn’t say that Obamacare is worse than slavery; nope, just the worst to happen since slavery. Who knew that getting health insurance could be such a bad thing?
Note: in fairness to Palin, if shooting a wolf from a helicopter were one of the responsibilities of the president, then she would rule supreme over Carson.
Kay
@Cervantes:
Oh, I know he’s Reagan. It says it in the article!
Before Ronald Reagan, no one knew joy and we were all wandering in a desolate wasteland. Every four years, we all wait for the new Ronald Reagan and when he doesn’t come we trudge sadly to the polling place and say “maybe next time”.
Cervantes
@Kay:
Did you notice who headed up the committee to “draft” Carson?
John Philip Sousa IV.
Gin & Tonic
In case our dear friend BiP is around, here is the face of Ukrainian nationalism now.
Don K
Every once in a while Reps get it in their heads that the way to victory is to nominate a black dude, and it rarely ends well for them. See 1986 MI governor, Jim Blanchard (D) vs Bill Lucas (R). Blanchard won 68-31. Lucas made no inroads among black voters, and lost lots of ordinarily Rep-voting white voters.
another Holocene human
@jl: There was also less awareness of homosexuality as a thing amongst the more reactionary, pious, and judgmental classes. Whitman’s work was censored later in his life. .. Kraft Ebbing and others had one effect of turned progress and moralizers into downlow detectives and it got progressively worse until the homophile movement–decades after starting to organize–started to win the public relations war.
Roger Moore
@Kay:
Only because you’re thinking of a different concept of “bipartisan”. You think “bipartisan” involves each party giving up something in order to reach a compromise position, which is obviously impossible when one party refuses to budge an inch. To a Republican (or Villager), “bipartisan” means the Republicans get what they want while rustling up token Democratic support, and that certainly is possible even with a hard right Republican president.
another Holocene human
@Kay: according to gop moon logic, bipartisan is code for Dems submit to GOP, ie dems know their place
That’s why they live a good token. Cain flattered and assured them. He knew his place. God’s in his heaven, &cet
Tree With Water
“Giles thinks Carson can win 25 percent to 40 percent of the black vote”.
The question is: why did Giles lowball the higher number? As he’s intent on pulling an answer out his ass and waving it around, why 40%? Why not 80%? He’d sound no more silly than he already does.
The Lodger
@Cervantes: Somehow, this quote comes to mind:
“Military intelligence has the same relation to intelligence as military music has to music.”
Roger Moore
@Tree With Water:
He might not sound any sillier to you, but you aren’t his audience. There are a lot of Republicans who really want to believe that blacks are just in thrall to the Democrats’ plantation politics and would be willing to give them a shot if they could just come up with the right arguments. But even they aren’t likely to accept a complete reversal of 5 decades of voting patterns just by nominating a black candidate, so he has to keep the numbers to something lower. It looks as if he thinks his audience will believe moving from hopeless to merely bad, but not all the way to good.
And, FWIW, the “would win easily with 17% of the black vote in swing states” is clearly nonsensical. If you look at the 2012 results, the only state where increasing the Republican share of the black vote to 17% would have flipped the election is Florida. You have to pull some other fast stuff to get it close, and that’s with 2012 voter demographics. Demographics won’t swing that much by 2016, but they’ll swing enough to make things just that much harder for the Republicans.
AxelFoley
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mclaren
Time to change America’s national emblem from the eagle to the tapeworm.
A tapeworm is spineless, parasitic, largely brainless, and eventually kills those it comes into contact with — a perfect fit for today’s Americano.
majiir
Kristol and his conservative buddies are hooked on stupid because they still think most of us voted for Obama because he is black. They refuse to understand that black people vote for political candidates based on how well their political platforms align with our interests. Carson’s don’t align well with ours or with those of any sane American.