By Rick Morris
Hillary Clinton's campaign is seizing on the prospect of Barack Obama raising hopes that can't possibly be fulfilled as a desperate grasp to keep him from the Democratic nomination. However, despite the fact that everything she says should be taken with an entire shaker full of salt, there is an underlying undeniable truth that is at least somewhat related to Hillary's point: the Obama candidacy has moved this country to a point where the stakes are very high in terms of any potential for national unity and maybe even viability down the road.
Although it's folly to draw too close a comparison with the Middle East, because our country on its worst day is 1,000 times more stable than the lands of feuding fanatics in the desert will ever be, it's worth thinking back to the launch of the Second Intifada in 2000. The first (and God willing, only) President Clinton brought together the key players in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to try to put together a nice 11th-hour gloss on his troubled legacy. Hopes were high as the parties agreed on almost all key points. And then -- it collapsed. Yasser Arafat walked away from the table at the end, unable or (probably) unwilling to compromise on the final sticking points. At that point, the bitterness of the raised expectations boiled over and the Palestinians took their militant operations to new heights, threatening the entire region.
Now, I don't think anything like that is possible in the literal sense here in America. I'm even dubious that we'd see a repeat of the urban riots of the late 1960s or those that followed the Rodney King verdicts of 1992. I could be wrong, but I don't think the strife that could arise between the races in this country will erupt in the streets.
However, it's not necessary to have a situation crest to that level for it to truly become a crisis. This country has traveled down a long road of redemption, first becoming the only country to go through a bloody war with itself to extinguish the crimes of slavery, then legislatively addressing the wrongs of Jim Crow. While the media has long harped on remaining points of contention between the races, such as how to administer affirmative action programs, we're at a point of overall peace between races in this country that our parents and grandparents probably could not have envisioned. Go talk to an elderly relative if you don't believe this assertion.
But with the country very much on the verge of electing its first black president, hopes have been raised to a point that could prove dangerous for all of us down the road. Let's examine some scenarios:
^ Hillary overtakes Obama for the nomination through "shenanigans." We've already addressed the point that Hillary has to pretty much leave a smoking crater where Obama used to be if she's to still get nominated. How's that going to go over in the minority community, with a longtime purported friend of theirs destroying their would-be pioneer?
^ John McCain comes back in the polls to win in November. With cynicism still high in the black community on issues of racial justice (for reasons I would partially agree with, given this nation's history), how's it going to look if McCain pulls out a win when all the polls indicate otherwise? Frankly, to many blacks it'll look like this country would never elect a black man under any circumstances.
^ The worst case of all: assassination. The internal strife this country endured in the 1960s over matters of race and war shook us all like nothing since the Civil War. I daresay that if the worst fears of many blacks are realized and Obama does not survive his campaign, the Sixties might look like a cakewalk in terms of ANY prospects for significant national unity. There's no way to ever undo the damage that such a tragedy would inflict on our country, no way to avoid the permanent bitterness if not outright hatred that a significant percentage of our fellow Americans would always carry with them. To a much, much lesser extent, the same would be true if Obama had an unsuccessful presidency and did not get reelected; the sense would be that America dumped him at the first available opportunity regardless of what any of the facts on the ground were.
Because assassination would rip this nation apart at the seams from now until the end of time, it's especially unforgivable that the Secret Service had such an egregious lapse (in Dallas of all places!) when they reportedly relaxed weapons screening at an Obama rally in the interest of speeding up the process. Because an Obama assassination would be more damaging to the country than any single killing that has happened in our history, his security detail should be significantly above and beyond that of any other candidate. The full weight of the disciplinary process needs to come down on any individuals responsible for this idiotic and amateurish decision.
Aside from keeping Obama's security air-tight, there's nothing that can be done to head off any damage from the possibility of high hopes being dashed. At the end of the day, he's a politician like anyone else, albeit a very talented one, and he's going to have to navigate the political process like anyone else. If he has a successful presidency, he'll move us much further along the path to racial reconciliation that we collectively began in the 1960s. Anything short of that is going to set us back in terms of truly being "One Nation Under God," and the only question is how far we get set back.
Showing posts with label John McCain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John McCain. Show all posts
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Hillary has to disembowel Obama
By Rick Morris
With the final Democratic presidential debate before the big March 4 primaries looming next Tuesday, the dilemma facing Hillary Clinton is very stark indeed. Ever since she lost
It’s clear that Hillary and her inner circle realized the full extent of the crisis even during their only upswing of the election season. The insane momentum realized by Obama after the Hawkeye state win set in motion a dynamic that even Hillary’s shocking comeback win in
Hillary’s attempt to come off graceful at the end of the
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Obama and the looming GOP mistake
By Rick Morris
In one of the clearest indicators yet of the Feiler Faster Thesis, John McCain has put to rest many doubts about his ability to unify the Republican party by bringing around most of his major detractors by Valentine's Day (except those talk-radio dead-enders who will never "heart" him). As some (such as myself) had anticipated, the notion of surrendering the White House to a liberal Democrat for (at least) four years has done much to focus the right-wing mind.
But instead of those largely unfounded fears, McCain, the Republicans and conservatives (and let's not conflate the last two in any way) face a new problem that could be of their own making -- if they let it. In the increasingly likely event that they face Barack Obama in "The Finals" this November, they need to be extremely crafty in how they attack the Illinois senator. Interestingly, this has little to do with race and much to do with the commonly accepted notion that Obama is running the sequel of Bobby Kennedy's 1968 campaign.
One of the most famous prayers in modern society goes as follows: God grant me the strength to accept the things I can't change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. If John McCain defeats Obama to win the White House this fall, it will come from successful understanding of this beseeching of The Almighty.
Let's start with what can't be changed: the intense emotion attached to Barack Obama as a movement, particularly with the young people. He cannot, he absolutely cannot, be attacked in conventional political terms and have the tactics work at all.
Take for example this column referring to his campaign as a Hallmark card. Every word of it is true. And every word of it is breathtakingly irrelevant.
The author is clearly emitting a very frustrated vibe in terms of trying to find a way to puncture many of the mythical aspects of the Obama candidacy. But he has not learned yet that the sledgehammer is not the tool to use on this candidate, in this climate, in this particular year.
People are yearning for something that is completely different and Obama is tapping into that. Any attack on him that reeks of "politics as usual" is doomed from the start. Even the line that he was ranked as the most liberal US senator by the decidedly non-partisan National Journal is fatally flawed -- not because it's not true, but because anyone you drop it on will only say, "There you go again, putting labels on people."
In terms of the ill-reasoned arguments that talk radio and the right-wing blogosphere were ironically using to promote Mitt Romney at McCain's expense not too long ago, it's safe to be very worried about the intellectual capacity of the conservative movement when it comes to facing their most tricky foe in perhaps decades. A stale, bruised and cranky movement is likely to fall under the mistaken notion that blunt force can tear down Obama, when it will only end up reinforcing his fervent supporters even more. To use a cult analogy here, deprogramming is a very difficult, very delicate process and if Republicans and conservatives are perceived to be having a "WHY WON'T PEOPLE WAKE UP???" temper tantrum about this guy, they're going to end up marginalized everywhere except their Southern base. This is where application of the above prayer comes into play.
In the interests of contributing a workable tactic towards the effort, I suggest that McCain play to his greatest strength, safeguarding the future security of this country -- and specifically in this instance, fiscal security. He should have a pitch to the most fervent Obama supporters (who tend disproportionately to be young) that goes something like this: "At some point in your lifetime, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will be bankrupt (produce figures to back this up). Senator Obama proposes hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending (again, produce figures to back this up) -- and the net result of his plans would be to bump up our national day of reckoning significantly closer. On the other hand, I have a record as one of the most tight-fisted people in the Senate with tax dollars. I don't even take any special federal earmarks for my district, just to prove that I am serious. I know that you are looking for change. I am too, or else I wouldn't be running for president. Senator Obama and I agree that the country needs change. We disagree on the specifics and in which direction. The direction I propose safeguards your future, because it demands that our country stop spending your national inheritance like a drunken soldier and gets us on a path to turn things around. Change is good, change is necessary. But please vote for the right kind of change this November, the kind that puts us on a prosperous, sustainable course."
Agreeing with Obama on the need for change while challenging him on the direction and on the specifics is the way to victory in November, assuming that it can be procured in the face of what can only be called a juggernaut movement. Attacking Obama with tin-ear attacks will only ensure a repeat of the Nineties when Slick Willie was eating their lunch.
In one of the clearest indicators yet of the Feiler Faster Thesis, John McCain has put to rest many doubts about his ability to unify the Republican party by bringing around most of his major detractors by Valentine's Day (except those talk-radio dead-enders who will never "heart" him). As some (such as myself) had anticipated, the notion of surrendering the White House to a liberal Democrat for (at least) four years has done much to focus the right-wing mind.
But instead of those largely unfounded fears, McCain, the Republicans and conservatives (and let's not conflate the last two in any way) face a new problem that could be of their own making -- if they let it. In the increasingly likely event that they face Barack Obama in "The Finals" this November, they need to be extremely crafty in how they attack the Illinois senator. Interestingly, this has little to do with race and much to do with the commonly accepted notion that Obama is running the sequel of Bobby Kennedy's 1968 campaign.
One of the most famous prayers in modern society goes as follows: God grant me the strength to accept the things I can't change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. If John McCain defeats Obama to win the White House this fall, it will come from successful understanding of this beseeching of The Almighty.
Let's start with what can't be changed: the intense emotion attached to Barack Obama as a movement, particularly with the young people. He cannot, he absolutely cannot, be attacked in conventional political terms and have the tactics work at all.
Take for example this column referring to his campaign as a Hallmark card. Every word of it is true. And every word of it is breathtakingly irrelevant.
The author is clearly emitting a very frustrated vibe in terms of trying to find a way to puncture many of the mythical aspects of the Obama candidacy. But he has not learned yet that the sledgehammer is not the tool to use on this candidate, in this climate, in this particular year.
People are yearning for something that is completely different and Obama is tapping into that. Any attack on him that reeks of "politics as usual" is doomed from the start. Even the line that he was ranked as the most liberal US senator by the decidedly non-partisan National Journal is fatally flawed -- not because it's not true, but because anyone you drop it on will only say, "There you go again, putting labels on people."
In terms of the ill-reasoned arguments that talk radio and the right-wing blogosphere were ironically using to promote Mitt Romney at McCain's expense not too long ago, it's safe to be very worried about the intellectual capacity of the conservative movement when it comes to facing their most tricky foe in perhaps decades. A stale, bruised and cranky movement is likely to fall under the mistaken notion that blunt force can tear down Obama, when it will only end up reinforcing his fervent supporters even more. To use a cult analogy here, deprogramming is a very difficult, very delicate process and if Republicans and conservatives are perceived to be having a "WHY WON'T PEOPLE WAKE UP???" temper tantrum about this guy, they're going to end up marginalized everywhere except their Southern base. This is where application of the above prayer comes into play.
In the interests of contributing a workable tactic towards the effort, I suggest that McCain play to his greatest strength, safeguarding the future security of this country -- and specifically in this instance, fiscal security. He should have a pitch to the most fervent Obama supporters (who tend disproportionately to be young) that goes something like this: "At some point in your lifetime, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will be bankrupt (produce figures to back this up). Senator Obama proposes hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending (again, produce figures to back this up) -- and the net result of his plans would be to bump up our national day of reckoning significantly closer. On the other hand, I have a record as one of the most tight-fisted people in the Senate with tax dollars. I don't even take any special federal earmarks for my district, just to prove that I am serious. I know that you are looking for change. I am too, or else I wouldn't be running for president. Senator Obama and I agree that the country needs change. We disagree on the specifics and in which direction. The direction I propose safeguards your future, because it demands that our country stop spending your national inheritance like a drunken soldier and gets us on a path to turn things around. Change is good, change is necessary. But please vote for the right kind of change this November, the kind that puts us on a prosperous, sustainable course."
Agreeing with Obama on the need for change while challenging him on the direction and on the specifics is the way to victory in November, assuming that it can be procured in the face of what can only be called a juggernaut movement. Attacking Obama with tin-ear attacks will only ensure a repeat of the Nineties when Slick Willie was eating their lunch.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
My Hatred Toward Ron Paul Supporters
By Tony Mazur
As Rick Morris stated in the post below, Ron Paul will withdraw from the presidential race. I know, I know, it's sad for us all, but I guess he didn't appeal to the majority of the people.
Ron Paul has been described as a Constitutionalist, libertarian, and, although I don't believe it, a conservative. Personally, I think he's a goof. There is no redeeming quality about Ron Paul.
However, I do not know what's more annoying, Ron Paul's political positions, or his idiotic supporters. When referring to the 2008 presidential race, I heard someone say that "Ron Paul is the only true conservative". As a fellow conservative, I am offended to be classified with this numskull. I support the War in Iraq. I greatly support the Patriot Act. How can you not support the Patriot Act? There are savages who want to kill us, and these dummies think our rights are being infringed upon.
Ron Paul backers are all the same, no matter what age they may be. He's quite popular among college students and ex-hippies. The typical supporter is usually a liberal or libertarian. He/she probably smokes a lot of pot, and believes in ridiculous conspiracies, like UFOs and the "bombing" of the World Trade Center on September 11th. That's kind of why there actually is a chunk of people who follow Dennis Kucinich. Chances are, they do a lot of internet blogging. Also, they are usually offended by anything remotely resembling criticism against Ron Paul. These are the people who shout to the world that they are moving to Canada if [insert Republican candidate] wins the election, but never follows through.
I'm already hearing phony conspiracies about how the government is keeping Ron Paul out of the public eye. He's not Ross Perot. Ron Paul cannot affect the outcome of this coming election, even if he ran as a third-party candidate. Unfortunately, it's going to be either McCain or Obama, two candidates I'm dreading to see in the White House. I wish a viable candidate can go up against them, but it won't be the case. And Ron Paul isn't the guy.
As Rick Morris stated in the post below, Ron Paul will withdraw from the presidential race. I know, I know, it's sad for us all, but I guess he didn't appeal to the majority of the people.
Ron Paul has been described as a Constitutionalist, libertarian, and, although I don't believe it, a conservative. Personally, I think he's a goof. There is no redeeming quality about Ron Paul.
However, I do not know what's more annoying, Ron Paul's political positions, or his idiotic supporters. When referring to the 2008 presidential race, I heard someone say that "Ron Paul is the only true conservative". As a fellow conservative, I am offended to be classified with this numskull. I support the War in Iraq. I greatly support the Patriot Act. How can you not support the Patriot Act? There are savages who want to kill us, and these dummies think our rights are being infringed upon.
Ron Paul backers are all the same, no matter what age they may be. He's quite popular among college students and ex-hippies. The typical supporter is usually a liberal or libertarian. He/she probably smokes a lot of pot, and believes in ridiculous conspiracies, like UFOs and the "bombing" of the World Trade Center on September 11th. That's kind of why there actually is a chunk of people who follow Dennis Kucinich. Chances are, they do a lot of internet blogging. Also, they are usually offended by anything remotely resembling criticism against Ron Paul. These are the people who shout to the world that they are moving to Canada if [insert Republican candidate] wins the election, but never follows through.
I'm already hearing phony conspiracies about how the government is keeping Ron Paul out of the public eye. He's not Ross Perot. Ron Paul cannot affect the outcome of this coming election, even if he ran as a third-party candidate. Unfortunately, it's going to be either McCain or Obama, two candidates I'm dreading to see in the White House. I wish a viable candidate can go up against them, but it won't be the case. And Ron Paul isn't the guy.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
With friends like W, McCain doesn't need enemies
By Rick Morris
This guy is who's calling you a true conservative? The guy whose many deviations from sound public policy have led to a position in the public opinion polls showing him as slightly less popular than gonorrhea?
I'm going to assume that the talking points McCain sent to Dubya got lost in the mail. If he was looking for a real boost from "The Decider," the statement would have read, "This guy's not nearly the squish on conservative policies I am. Why, if you elect that right-wing maniac, he's bound to do radical things like cut spending and restore the school voucher system I squashed!"
Having either President Bush vouch for your conservative credentials is much like having Kobe Bryant praise you as an unselfish teammate.
This guy is who's calling you a true conservative? The guy whose many deviations from sound public policy have led to a position in the public opinion polls showing him as slightly less popular than gonorrhea?
I'm going to assume that the talking points McCain sent to Dubya got lost in the mail. If he was looking for a real boost from "The Decider," the statement would have read, "This guy's not nearly the squish on conservative policies I am. Why, if you elect that right-wing maniac, he's bound to do radical things like cut spending and restore the school voucher system I squashed!"
Having either President Bush vouch for your conservative credentials is much like having Kobe Bryant praise you as an unselfish teammate.
Redemption for right wing leaders
By Rick Morris
The fawning embrace given to Mitt Romney by so-called conservative leaders (bloggers, talk radio hosts, activists/lobbyists) was deeply damaging to their own credibility – but it was also unfortunately hurtful to the interests of the larger movement they claim to represent. While I’m not losing sleep about the harm done to the reputations of those like Hugh Hewitt who so consistently demeaned and undermined legitimate candidates in the race, I do recognize their power to diminish the future of this country since so many give them credit for speaking for the conservative movement. I do think the revolt against these people was a positive development, as the arrogance we’ve seen on display indicates that they’ve lost touch with those they purport to lead. Every intellectual revolution, such as this one that started with Goldwater, Buckley and Reagan back in the early ‘60s, eventually ossifies and becomes exactly that which it was supposed to oppose. For right-wingers, the Romney bandwagon of 2007-08 was the Animal Farm moment.
Herewith, my free advice for how these luminaries can get out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves and American conservatism:
^ Have the humility to read this column all the way through. Already, there are signs that the grand poobahs still don’t get it and want to foist the Mittster on us again four years hence. In this article, it is revealed that, in an insanely presumptuous and egomaniacal move, American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene took it upon himself to personally welcome Romney into the conservative movement at C-PAC. [Side note to Davey: You did nothing but induct him as a member of your little Beltway boys club. It’s very interesting that you have such contempt for the fact that a majority of conservatives in this country rejected your pet and would never call him one of their own. Who died and left you as The Sultan of American Conservatism? I’m just wondering if you put him through some rituals as part of a ceremony, such as “pinky swears” or a quiz on Bill Buckley’s five favorite Latin phrases.]. The continued arrogance of those who refuse to “get it” about Romney is unbelievable, inasmuch as they should be able to read the cold hard facts; if Mitt were the “great right hope,” then McCain and Huck put together wouldn’t have been able to stop him and he would have been more than a doormat in the bastion-of-conservatism Southern states. Leveling spurious charges of religious bigotry against the folks you clearly perceive to be nothing more than Flyover Country peasants won’t get you anywhere either. You need to accept the fact that the work many of you did for Goldwater in 1964 and Reagan in 1976 could very well be invalidated by the destructive moves you’ve pulled lately and in some cases persist in doing.
^ Crawl out of your echo chamber and be willing to defend your opinions. This piece of advice applies mostly to the talk radio potentates, most of whom hide behind the skirts of their call-screeners. Take a lesson from Michael Medved, who not only accepts calls from those unfriendly to his point of view but specifically seeks them. You have to get in fighting trim and go beyond accepting arse-kissing missives from vapid folks like “Dittoheads” and be willing to mix it up and articulate your principles in a consistent manner or learn to deal with irrelevance in a world fast leaving you behind.
^ Take an honest look at where you went wrong. Most of you were silent when you had a chance to boost Fred Thompson. Some of you, like Hewitt, actively slimed him. Regardless of how far off the reservation you went, you damaged the advancement of vital American causes. You did so in the false belief that you were embracing a candidate as sleek and supercharged as the American Motors company his father once ran. Instead, you ended up climbing aboard an Edsel that could not meet any necessary performance standards (justifying the megabucks investment in the early state contests, connecting with voters on any level, finding explanations for a myriad of conveniently-timed policy changes, creating an even moderately-successful campaign message). At long last, you need to admit that you picked the wrong “vehicle” and stop blaming others for the inevitable crash into the ditch.
^ Stop bashing populism. This edict applies specifically to good old El Rushbo, who denounced populism as part of his intellectually dishonest critique of Huck. One wonders exactly what he considers his denunciation of entities such as Nancy Pelosi and the “intellectual elites!” I realize that I speak as a member of the paleoconservative wing of the movement, which unfortunately accounts for a small minority, but let it be said once and for all that populism is a good thing! Certainly, Rush doesn’t like the concept when it’s turned on him, but that should have been an early sign that he was in the wrong. Some types of populism, such as the economic form of it that panders to folks of an illiterate mentality, are idiotic. But always, in making a choice between the people and their leaders who are pushing them down the primrose path, I side with the people and anyone aspiring to lead the conservative movement must also do no less.
^ Speak truth to power. The conservative intelligentsia has spent the last seven years toadying up to the Bush crew at all costs – Limbaugh and Hannity in particular come to mind. They’ve overlooked a host of offenses against sound policy but now ask us to get outraged about ones made by John McCain! [Another aside: how the heck does George W. Bush get a hero’s welcome at C-PAC from the same audience of “purists” who had to be begged not to chuck tomatoes at McCain? Again, not that McCain’s Mr. Right himself, but he’s made no more transgressions than Dubya and arguably has had less. But Bush pretends harder to be a consistent conservative than McCain does and appeases the sheep that way. Quite a shame the way the psychology works]. A little less worry about access to the Bushies and a little more pressure to do the right thing would have been better for the country, even if the individuals involved wouldn’t get invited to as many ice cream socials. The idea isn’t to be loved by the political elite, it’s to keep them honest. You people don’t need my admonition to hold McCain’s feet to the fire; it’s a tragic shame for our country that you chose not to apply the same standard to “The Decider.”
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Mittens, don't go away mad, just go away
By Rick Morris
Today former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney suspended his campaign for the presidency, bowing out in deference to presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Although I have been very tough on Mr. Romney throughout his run for the Oval Office, today is a day for positive reflection on what he brought to this country during his efforts.
Well, maybe it's a day for some people to speak positively of Mittens. But, if I may quote the great Jim Halpert, "I'm not a perfect person."
Objectively Unfit Mitt defecated on every American principle you can find during a campaign waged with all the heart and positivity of C. Montgomery Burns. Were it not for the fact that I have an obligation to deliver some FDH programming tonight to our listeners and viewers, I'd be "Slurpin' a Fody" in rapturous celebration at the burst of horror so narrowly averted by our great republic.
To see this pathetic Stepford tool take the podium at CPAC today to deliver a whimpering, Uriah Heep performance babbling about how he loves his country and his party more than himself -- well, that was truly a scene that could bring a tear to a glass eye, couldn't it?
Let nobody be fooled; today marked the first chapter in his efforts to contest the 2012 Republican nomination, which he'll be officially targeting the day after he passive-aggressively finishes off his new "friend" John McCain in November. I fear it's working -- all of the gullible fools taken in by the Flip-Flopping Fraud are shedding their own tears today about what a shame it is that this would-be titan of American history was deprived of his chance to lead this land of ungrateful peons.
Well, let those of us who stood tall at this time of peril warn you jerks one more time: try to foist Wily Willard on us again, and we'll bitch-slap you again. This poser couldn't gain any votes down South once he was exposed as "Mr. $50 Abortion Co-Pay" and if you think the pushback on his attempted coup against the right wing was vicious this time? Ya ain't seen nothin' yet, because you alienated too many decent people to ever get a pass on anything ever again. Whether it be spreading malicious and untrue rumors about Fred Thompson planning to drop out of the race right after Iowa, or cancer-mongering Fred when he got into the race, or posturing like Mike Huckabee was a religious bigot, no low was too low for this crowd. It was really funny to watch the Shameless-As-A-Clinton hypocrisy, though -- whenever they'd do anything particularly vile, they'd smirk and trot out the "politics ain't beanbag" attitude -- but they'd squeal like stuck pigs whenever anyone fought back or used clever tactics, like McCain's abdication to the Huck in West Virginia on Tuesday.
Whether John McCain wins or loses in November, there is no room for the Mitt-Bot groupies to foist their Plastic Phony on us again like they came so close to doing this time. Whether it be Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Mark Sanford or some other bright principled leader, somebody will emerge and marginalize Romnoid because they will legitimately be the great conservative leader he has tried so hard to fool us into thinking he is. The real deal always beats a false replica, so if he couldn't beat a John McCain despised by many elements of the Republican Party? Say goodnight, Irene.
And now The Trust Fund Baby will finally stop spending his kids' inheritance, so they can do something with the gazillions of dollars that keep getting passed down in that creepy little clan. Here's hoping that whatever they do with it, that it doesn't end up as injurious to the U.S. of A. as what their old man had planned.
Today former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney suspended his campaign for the presidency, bowing out in deference to presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Although I have been very tough on Mr. Romney throughout his run for the Oval Office, today is a day for positive reflection on what he brought to this country during his efforts.
Well, maybe it's a day for some people to speak positively of Mittens. But, if I may quote the great Jim Halpert, "I'm not a perfect person."
Objectively Unfit Mitt defecated on every American principle you can find during a campaign waged with all the heart and positivity of C. Montgomery Burns. Were it not for the fact that I have an obligation to deliver some FDH programming tonight to our listeners and viewers, I'd be "Slurpin' a Fody" in rapturous celebration at the burst of horror so narrowly averted by our great republic.
To see this pathetic Stepford tool take the podium at CPAC today to deliver a whimpering, Uriah Heep performance babbling about how he loves his country and his party more than himself -- well, that was truly a scene that could bring a tear to a glass eye, couldn't it?
Let nobody be fooled; today marked the first chapter in his efforts to contest the 2012 Republican nomination, which he'll be officially targeting the day after he passive-aggressively finishes off his new "friend" John McCain in November. I fear it's working -- all of the gullible fools taken in by the Flip-Flopping Fraud are shedding their own tears today about what a shame it is that this would-be titan of American history was deprived of his chance to lead this land of ungrateful peons.
Well, let those of us who stood tall at this time of peril warn you jerks one more time: try to foist Wily Willard on us again, and we'll bitch-slap you again. This poser couldn't gain any votes down South once he was exposed as "Mr. $50 Abortion Co-Pay" and if you think the pushback on his attempted coup against the right wing was vicious this time? Ya ain't seen nothin' yet, because you alienated too many decent people to ever get a pass on anything ever again. Whether it be spreading malicious and untrue rumors about Fred Thompson planning to drop out of the race right after Iowa, or cancer-mongering Fred when he got into the race, or posturing like Mike Huckabee was a religious bigot, no low was too low for this crowd. It was really funny to watch the Shameless-As-A-Clinton hypocrisy, though -- whenever they'd do anything particularly vile, they'd smirk and trot out the "politics ain't beanbag" attitude -- but they'd squeal like stuck pigs whenever anyone fought back or used clever tactics, like McCain's abdication to the Huck in West Virginia on Tuesday.
Whether John McCain wins or loses in November, there is no room for the Mitt-Bot groupies to foist their Plastic Phony on us again like they came so close to doing this time. Whether it be Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Mark Sanford or some other bright principled leader, somebody will emerge and marginalize Romnoid because they will legitimately be the great conservative leader he has tried so hard to fool us into thinking he is. The real deal always beats a false replica, so if he couldn't beat a John McCain despised by many elements of the Republican Party? Say goodnight, Irene.
And now The Trust Fund Baby will finally stop spending his kids' inheritance, so they can do something with the gazillions of dollars that keep getting passed down in that creepy little clan. Here's hoping that whatever they do with it, that it doesn't end up as injurious to the U.S. of A. as what their old man had planned.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Super Tuesday Liveblogging Part IV
By Rick Morris
This will be my final post of the evening and I will be revising my previous assessment, at least on the Republican side. While I still think the race will go on for at least another few weeks, McCain comes out of tonight extending his already strong lead having just won California and Missouri. Also, at the time of my last post, I confess that I had not seen some of the internal numbers in the polling down South -- Romney, who was being propped up by so many right-wing "opinion leaders," ran in third place across wide swaths of Dixie. His enablers will cry anti-Mormon racism, I'll retort that those voters just know a slick Northern Yankee phony when they see one, but regardless, a candidate trying so hard to be Goldwater 2K8 cannot afford to be repudiated so soundly by such a significant part of the base. So my prediction in the last liveblog installment was wrong; McCain comes out of today much stronger, Romney is weaker and Huckabee is in better shape but still a distant third and almost completely a regional candidate. And the Mitt-Bot meme about McCain only winning states dominated by Northeastern fru-fru elites (I never understood how South Carolina and Florida fit into that narrative?) -- well, McCain wins Illinois and Missouri among other states. How do you like them apples, Chowds?
The Democratic picture is still quite muddled. Obama's going to come out of the night with more states won, but Hillary just won the Big Casino, California. That Clinton win proved a bit disquieting for Claire McCaskill ... at least from the looks of her creepy, wrinkled Oompa Loompa visage.
Late note from MSNBC: Team Mittens is having "frank discussions about the future" on Wednesday. Turn out the lights, Dandy Don, the party's over.
This will be my final post of the evening and I will be revising my previous assessment, at least on the Republican side. While I still think the race will go on for at least another few weeks, McCain comes out of tonight extending his already strong lead having just won California and Missouri. Also, at the time of my last post, I confess that I had not seen some of the internal numbers in the polling down South -- Romney, who was being propped up by so many right-wing "opinion leaders," ran in third place across wide swaths of Dixie. His enablers will cry anti-Mormon racism, I'll retort that those voters just know a slick Northern Yankee phony when they see one, but regardless, a candidate trying so hard to be Goldwater 2K8 cannot afford to be repudiated so soundly by such a significant part of the base. So my prediction in the last liveblog installment was wrong; McCain comes out of today much stronger, Romney is weaker and Huckabee is in better shape but still a distant third and almost completely a regional candidate. And the Mitt-Bot meme about McCain only winning states dominated by Northeastern fru-fru elites (I never understood how South Carolina and Florida fit into that narrative?) -- well, McCain wins Illinois and Missouri among other states. How do you like them apples, Chowds?
The Democratic picture is still quite muddled. Obama's going to come out of the night with more states won, but Hillary just won the Big Casino, California. That Clinton win proved a bit disquieting for Claire McCaskill ... at least from the looks of her creepy, wrinkled Oompa Loompa visage.
Late note from MSNBC: Team Mittens is having "frank discussions about the future" on Wednesday. Turn out the lights, Dandy Don, the party's over.
Super Tuesday Liveblogging-Waiting on California
by Jason Jones
Almost 2 hours since the last post, the results have changed more closely toward my favor. I want to address the delegate issue. Clearly, I do not agree with the delegate aspect at all. The House of Representatives members are determined by population per state. The American way is to have balance, that balance is found in the Senate; 2 across the board. In my simplistic way of thinking, whoever wins the most states wins, period. This happens in some fantasy sports. If one person dominates, we alter the rules to make it fair. The analogy is this, if Barack Obama wins 46 states and Hillary Clinton gets 4, there should be no wayClinton California Texas New York Florida
Almost 2 hours since the last post, the results have changed more closely toward my favor. I want to address the delegate issue. Clearly, I do not agree with the delegate aspect at all. The House of Representatives members are determined by population per state. The American way is to have balance, that balance is found in the Senate; 2 across the board. In my simplistic way of thinking, whoever wins the most states wins, period. This happens in some fantasy sports. If one person dominates, we alter the rules to make it fair. The analogy is this, if Barack Obama wins 46 states and Hillary Clinton gets 4, there should be no way
I am still, like most of you, waiting for
John McCain-AZ, CT, DE, IL, NJ, NY, OK
Mittens
Mike
Barack Obama-AL, CO, CT, DE, GA, ID, IL, KS, MN, ND, UT
Hillary Clinton-AZ, AR, MA, NJ, NY, OK, TN
The math nerds at Fox News are reporting that even if McCain/Obama lose
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Tuesday Liveblogging Part III
By Rick Morris
RealClearPolitics is still on top of the big picture.
Arizona went for McCain and by a bigger margin than was anticipated, so there goes the Mittens spin.
I spent about an hour on the phone tonight with our Senior Editor Jason Jones just chewing over what we're seeing so far. I have to say that, for what has been billed as the biggest primary/caucus day in American history in terms of delegates up for grabs on both sides, this day does not seem like it's going to change the race drastically on either side. That could be famous last words on my part, but if it is, it is, I'm not afraid to stick my neck out there. A very persuasive column surfaced today (referenced here) that suggests that the Democrats are on a trajectory to have their fight either last all the way to the convention or at a bare minimum, come down to a bloody, superdelegate-by-superdelegate struggle that casts aside all results decided at the polls. On the Republican side, as of now, McCain seems poised to come out of the day not losing any ground in terms of having a strong upper hand, but he's not going to put it away tonight.
CNN just called Georgia for Huck in an excruciating three-way between McCain and Willard. Dare I suggest that my brother and sister-in-law may have provided the margin of victory?
Missouri and Cali are too close to call still, but the polls on the West Coast have not been closed for very long.
Again, I could be wrong, but I think the anticipated impact of this day will prove to be at least slightly overrated on both sides -- and in a season of monstrous political surprises, having The Most Super Tuesday in the history of the nominating process amount to a fart in a thunderstorm relative to the momentous level of expected drama would have to be one of the biggest shocks.
RealClearPolitics is still on top of the big picture.
Arizona went for McCain and by a bigger margin than was anticipated, so there goes the Mittens spin.
I spent about an hour on the phone tonight with our Senior Editor Jason Jones just chewing over what we're seeing so far. I have to say that, for what has been billed as the biggest primary/caucus day in American history in terms of delegates up for grabs on both sides, this day does not seem like it's going to change the race drastically on either side. That could be famous last words on my part, but if it is, it is, I'm not afraid to stick my neck out there. A very persuasive column surfaced today (referenced here) that suggests that the Democrats are on a trajectory to have their fight either last all the way to the convention or at a bare minimum, come down to a bloody, superdelegate-by-superdelegate struggle that casts aside all results decided at the polls. On the Republican side, as of now, McCain seems poised to come out of the day not losing any ground in terms of having a strong upper hand, but he's not going to put it away tonight.
CNN just called Georgia for Huck in an excruciating three-way between McCain and Willard. Dare I suggest that my brother and sister-in-law may have provided the margin of victory?
Missouri and Cali are too close to call still, but the polls on the West Coast have not been closed for very long.
Again, I could be wrong, but I think the anticipated impact of this day will prove to be at least slightly overrated on both sides -- and in a season of monstrous political surprises, having The Most Super Tuesday in the history of the nominating process amount to a fart in a thunderstorm relative to the momentous level of expected drama would have to be one of the biggest shocks.
Super Tuesday Liveblogging-Early Impressions
by Jason Jones
I must preface the following by saying, I have never watched Super Tuesday or any other final 2 nominees' coverage as I am now. With the9pm est
I must preface the following by saying, I have never watched Super Tuesday or any other final 2 nominees' coverage as I am now. With the
Mittens Romney-Massachusetts (still in
Mike Huckabee-West Virginia (still in
Hillary Clinton-
Democratic states too close to call at the moment:
1. McCain MUST SEPARATE from Mittens Romney.
2. Obama MUST REMAIN RELAVENT versus Hillary Clinton.
Clinton and Romney are bad for
John McCain just won
Romney crushing McCain in
Super Tuesday Liveblogging Part II
By Rick Morris
Real Clear Politics has, as their name would indicate, the clearest election scoreboard you will find anywhere right on their front page.
On Hugh Hewitt's radio show right now, he's asking people who they voted for and, get this, apparently it's nothing but Mitt-bots calling in right now. Shocking! Wait, some little old lady just got on and called him a character assassin. How'd she get past the call screener? That was funnier than any 1,000 "Baba-Booey" phone calls combined.
No results thus far have really changed the narrative we saw coming into the night. Arizona remains too close to call, which Eye Candy Megyn Kelly claimed to be a big blow to McCain. I see somebody got their Romney talking points email today!
Notes from The Corner on National Review's website:
^ Hillary's peeps are sending out emails bragging about the red states she's winning? Uh, Hill? You're running against a guy whose middle name is "Hussein." Ever stop to think that those wins in Reagan Country may be by default?
^ Georgia is having troubles tabulating the vote.
^ Mitt Romney kissing Bob Dole's arse after being dumb enough to attack him today is getting spun like there's no tomorrow on NRO.
I just read Jason's first live-blog of the night comparing the candidates to drug use. To me, Mittens is black tar heroin, Hillary is crack (I chose her for crack so I wouldn't have the Reverend Al picketing me) and Obama is a pile of whippits.
Real Clear Politics has, as their name would indicate, the clearest election scoreboard you will find anywhere right on their front page.
On Hugh Hewitt's radio show right now, he's asking people who they voted for and, get this, apparently it's nothing but Mitt-bots calling in right now. Shocking! Wait, some little old lady just got on and called him a character assassin. How'd she get past the call screener? That was funnier than any 1,000 "Baba-Booey" phone calls combined.
No results thus far have really changed the narrative we saw coming into the night. Arizona remains too close to call, which Eye Candy Megyn Kelly claimed to be a big blow to McCain. I see somebody got their Romney talking points email today!
Notes from The Corner on National Review's website:
^ Hillary's peeps are sending out emails bragging about the red states she's winning? Uh, Hill? You're running against a guy whose middle name is "Hussein." Ever stop to think that those wins in Reagan Country may be by default?
^ Georgia is having troubles tabulating the vote.
^ Mitt Romney kissing Bob Dole's arse after being dumb enough to attack him today is getting spun like there's no tomorrow on NRO.
I just read Jason's first live-blog of the night comparing the candidates to drug use. To me, Mittens is black tar heroin, Hillary is crack (I chose her for crack so I wouldn't have the Reverend Al picketing me) and Obama is a pile of whippits.
Super Tuesday Liveblogging Part I
By Rick Morris
First, let's get the initial predictions out of the way. Given the polling muddle in so many states, this assessment will be general on both sides as opposed to state-by-state.
For the Democrats, my sense is that Hillary Clinton comes in ahead of Barack Obama by a decent margin, but nothing overwhelming especially given the fact that delegates are awarded proportionally in so many places. I look for Hillary to win the majority of states tonight, however, which will provide a psychological boost to her campaign in the absence of a delegate landslide.
On the Republican side, I look for a solid John McCain win and an excellent tally of delegates given the winner-take-all victories he will earn tonight. I think McCain hangs on narrowly in California, but Mike Huckabee stays alive in the South and Mitt Romney takes a handful of states to stay alive.
Huck has already won the West Virginia caucuses with help from the McCain voters today, causing the Romney people to predictably cry. Obama won Georgia also.
First, let's get the initial predictions out of the way. Given the polling muddle in so many states, this assessment will be general on both sides as opposed to state-by-state.
For the Democrats, my sense is that Hillary Clinton comes in ahead of Barack Obama by a decent margin, but nothing overwhelming especially given the fact that delegates are awarded proportionally in so many places. I look for Hillary to win the majority of states tonight, however, which will provide a psychological boost to her campaign in the absence of a delegate landslide.
On the Republican side, I look for a solid John McCain win and an excellent tally of delegates given the winner-take-all victories he will earn tonight. I think McCain hangs on narrowly in California, but Mike Huckabee stays alive in the South and Mitt Romney takes a handful of states to stay alive.
Huck has already won the West Virginia caucuses with help from the McCain voters today, causing the Romney people to predictably cry. Obama won Georgia also.
James Dobson sells out
By Rick Morris
I am very disappointed by the recent decision of James Dobson to throw his support behind Objectively Unfit Mitt in the Republican presidential race, although I am not surprised. I criticized him previously for his ivory-tower babbling about wanting a real conservative choice in the race while he was choosing to publicly stab in the back the only viable candidate who fit that bill, Fred Thompson. His refusal to support the best man for the job because of what amounted to personal egotistical pique about Big Fred not puckering up and kissing Old Rosey exposes his decision as the complete and utter hypocrisy that it is.
For the millionth time, I get the fact that a lot of conservatives don’t like John McCain. I was strongly for Fred before and I’m only for McCain now in the sense that the other members of the “Final Four” of major presidential contenders on both sides are completely unacceptable to me. But haven’t these right-wing leaders, most of whom are moderately-to-significantly older than me, been around long enough to know that Option B isn’t always preferable just because Option A sucks? The world isn’t this simple. It is possible to acknowledge that John McCain leaves much to be desired as a candidate and still admit that Trust Fund Willard is the absolute pits. As I’ve said previously, you pretty much know what you’re getting with McCain and I’d rather be stabbed in the front than the back. Given some of the conservatives who have endorsed him and are rumored to be the leading contenders in terms of shaping policy in a McCain Administration, I’m also not in complete despair about what might come out of it, either.
As asinine as Ann Coulter’s diatribe about how she’d prefer President Hillary to President McCain was (and that pains me to say as I have several of Ann’s books and I respect the fact that she’s got more guts than almost any other commentator on the scene), at least it’s intellectually coherent. She feels that the country would be better off suffering the pain of a third Clinton Administration before taking a figurative laxative in 2012. At least that decision of hers makes more sense than her ill-considered endorsement of Romney just because he’s McCain’s only remaining major opponent on the GOP side. If anyone feels that the country would be better off with Hillary winning the White House or that there would be no difference whatsoever between her and McCain as president – well, I can disagree strongly with that and point to any number of facts to back up my view, but I wouldn’t disrespect it like I do the Know-Nothingism of the childish “We’re For Romney Just Because He’s Not McCain Brigade.”
James Dobson, like National Review, has a strong legacy of working to improve public policy in this country. Like National Review and so many other “conservative leaders,” he’s betraying that legacy with his hypocrisy and he should be ashamed of himself.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tears of the Mitt-Bots are sweet nectar
By Rick Morris
Schadenfreude. It's the German word for deriving pleasure from the misfortune of others.
I get accused of partaking of it fairly frequently, and I have to plead guilty to that. It's pretty fun to bask in people getting the figurative fecal matter that they deserve thrown at them -- don't knock it until you've tried it.
My latest opportunity in life to point and say, "what goes around, comes around" regards the useful idiots in Mittens' Hollow Army who are crying their pathetic eyes out about the prospect of the Republican presidential nomination being delivered to John McCain. Now, I should preface the following commentary by noting that I supported Fred Thompson previously (quite ardently, I might add -- and repeatedly -- and repeatedly again!), but I now support McCain in the sense that he is the only major candidate for president against whom I am not irretrievably opposed (how's that for a hearty endorsement?).
So, not to make the Mitt-Idiots feel worse -- ah, who am I kidding? -- OK, I revel in making them feel worse -- but it's their fault.
That's right, those who are the most ardent proponents of Trust Fund Willard at the moment -- like this shameless spinner who cancer-mongered Fred when he got into the race, in one of the scummiest displays in recent political history -- they are weeping, sniveling, crying and otherwise conducting themselves in the same fashion as their hero. How about the sight of Rich Boy Romney going into the fetal position last night about McCain's characterization of his Iraq position, as though Romney didn't spend a ton of his inherited wealth to dump slime via TV ads on everyone in the race thus far.
Mark Levin has recently taken to insulting Republicans opposing Romney as RINOs. But since the real fault for this state of affairs lies with all of the weasels who could have backed the only real conservative Fred Thompson but chose to back a fraudulent loser, the RINO Levin is in closest contact with these days is the man in the mirror.
Schadenfreude. It's the German word for deriving pleasure from the misfortune of others.
I get accused of partaking of it fairly frequently, and I have to plead guilty to that. It's pretty fun to bask in people getting the figurative fecal matter that they deserve thrown at them -- don't knock it until you've tried it.
My latest opportunity in life to point and say, "what goes around, comes around" regards the useful idiots in Mittens' Hollow Army who are crying their pathetic eyes out about the prospect of the Republican presidential nomination being delivered to John McCain. Now, I should preface the following commentary by noting that I supported Fred Thompson previously (quite ardently, I might add -- and repeatedly -- and repeatedly again!), but I now support McCain in the sense that he is the only major candidate for president against whom I am not irretrievably opposed (how's that for a hearty endorsement?).
So, not to make the Mitt-Idiots feel worse -- ah, who am I kidding? -- OK, I revel in making them feel worse -- but it's their fault.
That's right, those who are the most ardent proponents of Trust Fund Willard at the moment -- like this shameless spinner who cancer-mongered Fred when he got into the race, in one of the scummiest displays in recent political history -- they are weeping, sniveling, crying and otherwise conducting themselves in the same fashion as their hero. How about the sight of Rich Boy Romney going into the fetal position last night about McCain's characterization of his Iraq position, as though Romney didn't spend a ton of his inherited wealth to dump slime via TV ads on everyone in the race thus far.
Mark Levin has recently taken to insulting Republicans opposing Romney as RINOs. But since the real fault for this state of affairs lies with all of the weasels who could have backed the only real conservative Fred Thompson but chose to back a fraudulent loser, the RINO Levin is in closest contact with these days is the man in the mirror.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Florida primary predictions
By Rick Morris
For the donkeys, in a yawner, Hillary will top 50% in what would have to be called the dubiously-named beauty pageant. That designation comes from political pundits looking for some way to offer some context to a glorified straw poll, since the Democratic National Committee yanked all the delegates away from the Sunshine State for moving its primary up without authorization. This victory will not, and should not, be taken as any time of substantive refutation for the mighty hiney-whooping she took in South Carolina over the weekend, but the shameless Clintonian spin machine will try to push that garbage anyway.
On the Republican side, the toughest prediction of any of the contests to date looms. John McCain and Mittens are running neck-in-neck continuously in the polls. Based on the very little I can discern from the polls in recent days, I give the slightest of edges to McCain based on apparent momentum coming from the endorsement of Governor Charlie Crist and the fact that he is trending better on Intrade at the moment. "America's Mayor Rudy" will be a distant third, a prelude to his coming withdrawal from the race, and The Huck's slide will culminate in a fourth-place plummet.
For the donkeys, in a yawner, Hillary will top 50% in what would have to be called the dubiously-named beauty pageant. That designation comes from political pundits looking for some way to offer some context to a glorified straw poll, since the Democratic National Committee yanked all the delegates away from the Sunshine State for moving its primary up without authorization. This victory will not, and should not, be taken as any time of substantive refutation for the mighty hiney-whooping she took in South Carolina over the weekend, but the shameless Clintonian spin machine will try to push that garbage anyway.
On the Republican side, the toughest prediction of any of the contests to date looms. John McCain and Mittens are running neck-in-neck continuously in the polls. Based on the very little I can discern from the polls in recent days, I give the slightest of edges to McCain based on apparent momentum coming from the endorsement of Governor Charlie Crist and the fact that he is trending better on Intrade at the moment. "America's Mayor Rudy" will be a distant third, a prelude to his coming withdrawal from the race, and The Huck's slide will culminate in a fourth-place plummet.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
It's America's loss, not Fred's
By Rick Morris
Fair warning: Bitterness Alert!
Every four years, you always hear people whining about the choice for president. "I can't believe it's Bush and Kerry. Can't we do better than that?" Four years before that, people were appalled by the choice between Bush and Gore. And on and on it goes.
Almost invariably, though, this country generally has at least a decent chance to do better, but rejects it in favor of a flashier or better-funded empty suit. The USA blew it again today when Fred Thompson dropped out of the race. Hence, history will repeat itself later this year when people are crying about the pathetic choice foisted upon this nation by the Democrats and Republicans.
Fred had it all: he possessed common-sense ideas that have been validated over the decades, he took on volatile issues like entitlement reform, he was a solid communicator and he treated the American public with decency and respect and had the courage to ask the same in return. This country, and in particular the Republican Party and the conservative movement, chose instead to their everlasting shame to continue their pattern (broken only by Reagan) of foisting crappy mediocrities on this land of ours.
Some of my friends who are Republican insiders, including some members of The FDH Lounge family, believe in the "Jim Rome Scoreboard Theory of Politics." That is, if you're the last man standing, that you're the best man because you proved your worth by going through the gauntlet. Scoreboard!
I couldn't disagree more.
Fred Thompson was the best man and it is only a broken system that kept him from being able to break through the glass ceiling put on him by the jerks in the media and the political class. His failure is an INDICTMENT of our political system. This is one reason that, although I don't like it, I'm not as consumed with hatred for McCain-Feingold as my aforementioned friends. Granted, the law is unconstitutional and was a bad idea. But unlike my friends, I refuse to glorify the present system and pretend there's nothing wrong with it. Winning a nomination by being the best at conspiring in smoke-filled rooms with party puppet-masters is the proven way to get ahead -- as the nominations of both political parties have shown over the past few decades. But it is nothing for our country to be proud of, as it is evidence that our democracy is broken. Now before any of my friends get the urge to go more-conservative-than-thou on me for appropriating the language of The Nation magazine for my critique, let me remind them that our Founding Fathers, whom we on the right respect greatly, did not intend for the pursuit of our nation's highest office to be just another game of casino capitalism.
Political pundits are now wondering where the Thompson support will end up now. As for me, I am disregarding early indications that Thompson will not make an endorsement and I anticipate that he will endorse John McCain -- and, given the prominent right-wingers (i.e. Gramm/Kemp/Coburn) who have recently surrounded McCain and figure to serve as his braintrust if elected president, I will probably give McCain my reluctant support as well.
I do want to beg any of my fellow Fred supporters, who have by definition been smart enough not to get hoodwinked by Say-Anything Mittens (rumor has it he's going around saying he's the only person who can get Axl Rose to release the Chinese Democracy album!) not to give into this vile fraud of a campaign at this late hour. Not only are Romney's convictions demonstrably only an inch deep, the rotten Romney campaign should pay a price for the whisper campaign waged about Fred's viability from Day One -- with the low point being the cancer-mongering put forth by one of their chief mouthpieces. This nation today suffered the loss of its best candidate for president -- let's not compound the error by awarding the GOP nomination to a denizen of the political gutter.
Fair warning: Bitterness Alert!
Every four years, you always hear people whining about the choice for president. "I can't believe it's Bush and Kerry. Can't we do better than that?" Four years before that, people were appalled by the choice between Bush and Gore. And on and on it goes.
Almost invariably, though, this country generally has at least a decent chance to do better, but rejects it in favor of a flashier or better-funded empty suit. The USA blew it again today when Fred Thompson dropped out of the race. Hence, history will repeat itself later this year when people are crying about the pathetic choice foisted upon this nation by the Democrats and Republicans.
Fred had it all: he possessed common-sense ideas that have been validated over the decades, he took on volatile issues like entitlement reform, he was a solid communicator and he treated the American public with decency and respect and had the courage to ask the same in return. This country, and in particular the Republican Party and the conservative movement, chose instead to their everlasting shame to continue their pattern (broken only by Reagan) of foisting crappy mediocrities on this land of ours.
Some of my friends who are Republican insiders, including some members of The FDH Lounge family, believe in the "Jim Rome Scoreboard Theory of Politics." That is, if you're the last man standing, that you're the best man because you proved your worth by going through the gauntlet. Scoreboard!
I couldn't disagree more.
Fred Thompson was the best man and it is only a broken system that kept him from being able to break through the glass ceiling put on him by the jerks in the media and the political class. His failure is an INDICTMENT of our political system. This is one reason that, although I don't like it, I'm not as consumed with hatred for McCain-Feingold as my aforementioned friends. Granted, the law is unconstitutional and was a bad idea. But unlike my friends, I refuse to glorify the present system and pretend there's nothing wrong with it. Winning a nomination by being the best at conspiring in smoke-filled rooms with party puppet-masters is the proven way to get ahead -- as the nominations of both political parties have shown over the past few decades. But it is nothing for our country to be proud of, as it is evidence that our democracy is broken. Now before any of my friends get the urge to go more-conservative-than-thou on me for appropriating the language of The Nation magazine for my critique, let me remind them that our Founding Fathers, whom we on the right respect greatly, did not intend for the pursuit of our nation's highest office to be just another game of casino capitalism.
Political pundits are now wondering where the Thompson support will end up now. As for me, I am disregarding early indications that Thompson will not make an endorsement and I anticipate that he will endorse John McCain -- and, given the prominent right-wingers (i.e. Gramm/Kemp/Coburn) who have recently surrounded McCain and figure to serve as his braintrust if elected president, I will probably give McCain my reluctant support as well.
I do want to beg any of my fellow Fred supporters, who have by definition been smart enough not to get hoodwinked by Say-Anything Mittens (rumor has it he's going around saying he's the only person who can get Axl Rose to release the Chinese Democracy album!) not to give into this vile fraud of a campaign at this late hour. Not only are Romney's convictions demonstrably only an inch deep, the rotten Romney campaign should pay a price for the whisper campaign waged about Fred's viability from Day One -- with the low point being the cancer-mongering put forth by one of their chief mouthpieces. This nation today suffered the loss of its best candidate for president -- let's not compound the error by awarding the GOP nomination to a denizen of the political gutter.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
South Carolina/Nevada results preview
By Rick Morris
In a result that barely merits mention, the Romney campaign will rack up a sizable win by default in
Over in
The Nevada Democrats appear poised to throw another curveball into what has already been a chaotic election process this year. Hillary is leading Obama in most of the major polls, and appears able to survive the endorsement momentum the
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Mittens' Say-Anything Campaign
By Rick Morris
Answer the question honestly. With the amount of mud already slung by the Mitt Romney campaign, aren't you expecting to hear any minute that his operatives have been push-polling asking South Carolina voters if they're comfortable knowing that John McCain fathered an illegitimate black baby?
Team Mittens can deny all they want that they've been behind the vicious smears attacking McCain in South Carolina this time around, many of which echo directly those working "on behalf of" George W. Bush eight years ago. Those fevered-pitch denials would carry a lot more weight if not for the millions of dollars of distorting negative ads out of Daddy's Fortune that the Flip-Flopper-in-Chief hadn't dumped on his opponents in the first few presidential contests of this election cycle. And yet the Trust Fund Baby is crying in his creme brulee about a McCain mailer that accurately represents the Reprehensible Romney Record in Massachusetts.
Don't buy the distractions, the claims of the high moral road or anything else that Willard Mitt's crew of Establishment Puppetmasters are putting out at the eleventh hour. When it comes to sleazy, morally bankrupt attacks being run from the shadows in this campaign, the Romney record suggests that he should be considered guilty until proven innocent.
Answer the question honestly. With the amount of mud already slung by the Mitt Romney campaign, aren't you expecting to hear any minute that his operatives have been push-polling asking South Carolina voters if they're comfortable knowing that John McCain fathered an illegitimate black baby?
Team Mittens can deny all they want that they've been behind the vicious smears attacking McCain in South Carolina this time around, many of which echo directly those working "on behalf of" George W. Bush eight years ago. Those fevered-pitch denials would carry a lot more weight if not for the millions of dollars of distorting negative ads out of Daddy's Fortune that the Flip-Flopper-in-Chief hadn't dumped on his opponents in the first few presidential contests of this election cycle. And yet the Trust Fund Baby is crying in his creme brulee about a McCain mailer that accurately represents the Reprehensible Romney Record in Massachusetts.
Don't buy the distractions, the claims of the high moral road or anything else that Willard Mitt's crew of Establishment Puppetmasters are putting out at the eleventh hour. When it comes to sleazy, morally bankrupt attacks being run from the shadows in this campaign, the Romney record suggests that he should be considered guilty until proven innocent.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Michigan primary predictions
By Rick Morris
Mitt Romney, having provided a nauseating microcosm of his larger campaign by pandering and telling Michigan voters exactly what they want to hear about how he will be able to restore their economic greatness by executive fiat, should be able to buy his first real win (no, we're not including you, Wyoming, nobody cares) with his inherited wealth (just what this country hasn't had enough of over the decades, huh, a president from the "Lucky Sperm Club") during this election cycle. I'll go out on a limb and predict he'll finish ahead of John McCain by as many as four points. Mike Huckabee will trail Romney by at least a dozen points.
Thus far, my predictions about the winners have been two for four. I was right about Obama, wrong about Romney (yay!) in Iowa, and right about McCain, wrong about Obama in New Hampshire (but so was the rest of the world, so give me a break on that!).
Keep one fact in mind if my prediction is right and Romney does eke this one out: when Hugh Hewitt and the rest of the "Mittens is Our Messiah" crew of sellouts in the Republican party and conservative movement crow about how McCain can't win even when independents can come in and vote for him and that Romney is the choice of true Republicans: the ONLY organized attempt to corral votes outside the Republican party for any candidate was organized on behalf of Willard Mitt Romney himself by the jerks over at Daily Kos. If I were a betting man, I'd wager heavily on Hughey leaving that tidbit out of his victory lap (speaking of which, how fast can you run when you're wearing kneepads, anyway?).
And for anyone needing one more recommendation on what a vile fraud the Romney candidacy really is, I'm happy to point you to this excellent roundup at Bizzyblog. Just the mere fact that I'm directing traffic to the Biz points out what strange bedfellows politics can make -- I don't like him, because he repeatedly slimed my good friend and our FDH Lounge Dignitary Nate Noy on behalf of Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, for whom the Biz is in the tank. But Nate is actually the person who has done the most to educate me on the dangers of Mittens and his band of Kool-Aid drinkers, so I'm sure he'd approve of me directing readers to the anti-Romney roundup on that site. I guess the FDH credo is that the enemy of our enemy is a slightly lesser enemy!
Mitt Romney, having provided a nauseating microcosm of his larger campaign by pandering and telling Michigan voters exactly what they want to hear about how he will be able to restore their economic greatness by executive fiat, should be able to buy his first real win (no, we're not including you, Wyoming, nobody cares) with his inherited wealth (just what this country hasn't had enough of over the decades, huh, a president from the "Lucky Sperm Club") during this election cycle. I'll go out on a limb and predict he'll finish ahead of John McCain by as many as four points. Mike Huckabee will trail Romney by at least a dozen points.
Thus far, my predictions about the winners have been two for four. I was right about Obama, wrong about Romney (yay!) in Iowa, and right about McCain, wrong about Obama in New Hampshire (but so was the rest of the world, so give me a break on that!).
Keep one fact in mind if my prediction is right and Romney does eke this one out: when Hugh Hewitt and the rest of the "Mittens is Our Messiah" crew of sellouts in the Republican party and conservative movement crow about how McCain can't win even when independents can come in and vote for him and that Romney is the choice of true Republicans: the ONLY organized attempt to corral votes outside the Republican party for any candidate was organized on behalf of Willard Mitt Romney himself by the jerks over at Daily Kos. If I were a betting man, I'd wager heavily on Hughey leaving that tidbit out of his victory lap (speaking of which, how fast can you run when you're wearing kneepads, anyway?).
And for anyone needing one more recommendation on what a vile fraud the Romney candidacy really is, I'm happy to point you to this excellent roundup at Bizzyblog. Just the mere fact that I'm directing traffic to the Biz points out what strange bedfellows politics can make -- I don't like him, because he repeatedly slimed my good friend and our FDH Lounge Dignitary Nate Noy on behalf of Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, for whom the Biz is in the tank. But Nate is actually the person who has done the most to educate me on the dangers of Mittens and his band of Kool-Aid drinkers, so I'm sure he'd approve of me directing readers to the anti-Romney roundup on that site. I guess the FDH credo is that the enemy of our enemy is a slightly lesser enemy!
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