October 3, 2012

"The middle class has been buried the last 4 years."



A new Romney ad exploits a Biden gaffe.

And by the way, this is a beautifully produced ad, demonstrating how the Romney-Ryan campaign chooses to present itself. It ought to be a lesson to those who are dragging Romney and Ryan down.

192 comments:

Expat(ish) said...

I heard Rush introduce Stumblin Joe as, and I paraphrase here, "The Ringling Brothers campaign gift."

Ah, thankfully we don't have some Wasilla hockey mom in office.

-XC

PS - I didn't listen to the Obama race tape because it didn't tell me anything new.

shiloh said...

"It ought to be a lesson to those who are dragging Romney and Ryan down."

Ryan/Willard are still gonna lose so what lesson are you referring?

traditionalguy said...

It's all a timing comment.

Joe accidentally made a truthful observation about the last 4 years by which he must have meant either that: 1) the real estate bubble implosion is still doing its destruction unabated, or 2) that NOW everybody needs the government check that Obama uses as a carrot and a stick to establish his dictatorship of the Union of Federal Socialists Republics.

Dick Stanley said...

Nice ad, and I wasn't overly impressed with the Daily Caller's video. Except to be amused watching the Democrat news media rush to cover up its cover-up. I don't see how it could pull Romney/Ryan down. Even if they talk about it, which I doubt they would.

traditionalguy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ann Althouse said...

The Daily Caller has a website to sell you.

Tucker Carlson is not your friend.

Geoff Matthews said...

Ann,

You wrote on Instapundit:


The emotions around race are deep and complex. I recommend not toying with them.


We have a president who has toyed with the emotions around race, who exploited divisions, and nurtured animosity, and you are bothered by people reminding us of this?

The problems surrounding race were exploited by Senator Obama. What rules of decorum should protect him from this action?

Matt Sablan said...

Not even a Facebook Friend?

Ann Althouse said...

"We have a president who has toyed with the emotions around race, who exploited divisions, and nurtured animosity, and you are bothered by people reminding us of this?"

Mommy, Barry toyed first.

Sloanasaurus said...

The only way to improve the middle class is to have economic growth. Economic growth is what allows the expansion of higher paying jobs - allowing people to move into higher incomes. Without growth, the middle class will continue to be squeezed as the population expands and young people desperate for jobs eat into the wages of the people just above them.


In the last 4 years, growth has been abysmal.

Obama wants us to believe its the best that could have been done. Obama is asking us to limt ourselves to small dreams.

Why would someone vote for him again?

Chip Ahoy said...

Not dragging down.

Helping.

Good cop, bad cop.

The uglies are saying what needs to be said, what was concealed from us all. Own it.

Matt Sablan said...

It doesn't "need" to be said, but I understand the glee in hitting Obama on his hypocrisy, lack of facts and general feel goodness of hitting him for the speech.

But, it may not ultimately be productive (it also may not hurt; I think it'll be a wash ultimately.)

Instead, best to focus on R&R's efforts.

bagoh20 said...

Clearly, even Biden knows by now who to vote for. When it takes you longer than Biden to figure something out, maybe you should just not vote.

Tom Spaulding said...

Mommy, Barry toyed first.

Annie, your boyfriend just doesn't like you back.

You're White and Rich. You ARE the problem, according to Obama.

You heard him say it, yet you blame Tucker Carlson for passing you the note..

shiloh said...

Obama/Biden are empathetic and real so their gaffes are not problematic, whereas Ryan/Willard are as phony as the day is long, so their "gaffes" er when they reveal their true feelings behind closed doors have more impact on undecided voters.

It's that basic ...

Same reason cons did not trust Willard during the Rep primary as he's a charlatan/shyster at best.

bagoh20 said...

The video will not change this election. If Obama wins, it is best we know the truth about him. Would have been better 4 years ago, but everyone thought that was ugly back then.

J.D. Walz said...

What exactly is racial toying? Is that some new concept whereas we ignore things that are self-evident and pretend they don't exist? Or do we pretend that the world is a different place because we choose (or forbid) certain forms of rhetoric? Don't go there Ann, oh wait, you are already there.. Sorry, don't come back.

Bob Ellison said...

Has someone hacked the Professor's blog accounts?

Tyrone Slothrop said...

It's always been clear to me that Biden was selected as vice-president because Obama didn't want to be upstaged by his number two. Bush picked Cheney, arguably a smarter and more capable man than himself, because he knew he could stand the competition. It tells me a lot about Obama's character that he did his best to avoid being shown up.

chickelit said...

Shorter Ann Althouse: We will Barry you!

bagoh20 said...

"Obama/Biden are empathetic and real..."

Agreed. That's why both their speeches matter. Obama really does believe and feel what he said, and so does Biden. Damn, you finally got one right.

Anonymous said...

just can't escape this nagging feeling that O really wanted to dump Biden a couple of months back.

shiloh said...

Let the record show Bagoh and myself have found common ground :-P or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

Kumbaya!

Expat(ish) said...

@tyrone -

Maybe Teh 0ne was trying to pull a Bush and get a VP smarter and more experienced than he was.

And maybe Joe just has less MSM air cover?

Yikes.

_XC

shiloh said...

Quoting Joe ...

((( This is a Big Fuckin' Deal !!! )))

blessings

campy said...

Obama is asking us to limt ourselves to small dreams.

Why would someone vote for him again?

They've got theirs?

Wince said...

Didn't even have to play it backwards to hear Biden say the middle class is "buried".

bagoh20 said...

A lot of people are hurting, and it's not improving yet. 8o years of building and funding a safety net and yet still so many holes, and the whole thing is about to get repossessed. There has got to be a mistake in there somewhere.

Michael said...

Ann's laying the groundwork for her Obama reelection vote. Gosh darn I was all set to vote for Romney but those nasty Daily Caller folks made me not do it. Funny how it never works the opposite way, like with Time's anti-Mormon story this week.

BarrySanders20 said...

Althouse: I voted for Obama. He's a racial healer.

Evidence: He's not a racial healer. He exploits race for his own selfish ends.

Althouse: That makes me feel uncomfortable. It's ugly.

Evidence: Sorry, them's the facts.

Althouse: I think I'll vote for Obama again.

bagoh20 said...

"Let the record show Bagoh and myself have found common ground"

OK, but no touching.

chickelit said...

bagoh20 said...

OK, but no touching.

Shiloh's big into hugging and chalking!

edutcher said...

Be sure to stop by the Romney website and get an Honest Joe t-shirt. This is a message that cannot be lost.

shiloh said...

It ought to be a lesson to those who are dragging Romney and Ryan down.

Ryan/Willard are still gonna lose so what lesson are you referring?


The lesson that, the incompetence and venality of Choom and the touching honesty of Joe in unguarded moments were the cause of their loss in '12.

Obama/Biden are empathetic and real so their gaffes are not problematic

If that were the case, the little weasel wouldn't be here doing damage control.

Let the record show Bagoh and myself have found common ground :-P or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

Only if one realizes bag was being ironic and talking about the sentiments Zero expressed in his Daily Caller video.

^) ;O <*

Once upon a time

McTriumph said...

Biden was chosen for VP because of his extensive foreign policy expertise, that is his expertise at being wrong on almost every foreign policy issue over his career. Now we find out Joe was really a domestic policy wonk. He's right the middle class has been buried over the last four years.

garage mahal said...

Under much dirt, if not buried:

Obama +11 and Baldwin +4 in today's MULaw poll.

I wonder if Ryan is starting to worry about his House seat?

John said...

Seriously, Ann, you need to get back on your regular meds. This (I mean you) are getting rather silly.

rehajm said...

The Daily Caller has a website to sell you.

Pro-jeeeec-tion....

Chip Ahoy said...

Colorado, will you please get my ballot here quickly so I can vote already?

That will be the fastest response in my history of mail. Stamps ready, whip whip, mailed.

Right there at the mail box.

Don't even read the whole thing, Just the top part, not even bother with everything under it, Just one checksignsealstamppost bang! just like that.

Geoff Matthews said...

Ma'am,

I was hoping for a mature response. I thought you were smarter than that.

Tim said...

"A new Romney ad exploits a Biden gaffe."

Where "gaffe" is defined as "...when a politician tells the truth" per Michael Kinsley.

I'm just gratified a Romney ad didn't make Ann Althouse get the vapors, pass out and wet her panties.

Surely the next Romney ad will though...

Unknown said...

It is scary that Alt with her way of thinking actually teaches future lawyers. God help us!

Tim said...

"We have a president who has toyed with the emotions around race, who exploited divisions, and nurtured animosity, and you are bothered by people reminding us of this?

The problems surrounding race were exploited by Senator Obama. What rules of decorum should protect him from this action?"


Forget it, Geoff. She's an Obama voter.

Unknown said...

"Tucker Carlson is not your friend."

And the "genuinely undecided" Althouse, of course, is?

That's it for you, lady. Bye.

granmary said...

"Mommy, Barry toyed first." Mommy Althouse: "He is my favored child, & his race-baiting doesn't count,because, SHUT-UP."

Nathan Alexander said...

Let's unpack all this.

In a Presidential campaign, the candidate for President is supposed to be above the fray, the VP candidate is supposed to be the attack dog.

Tucker Carlson and the Daily Caller are not a part of the Romney campaign.

Tucker Carlson and the Daily Caller are not even a Super PAC.

They are a news organization. They make money by breaking news.

Drudge makes money by breaking news.

The unedited video had never been shown. The edited video got short shrift by the rest of the media.

But Ms Althouse blames Romney and is considering voting for President Obama because a news organization releases a tape with footage never seen before in public about one of the current Presidential candidates.

Why?

Seriously: why?

Ms Althouse, do you assume all news media must be an un-admitted agent of partisan politics?

I don't.

If you actually want news organizations to release newsworthy material, i.e., footage of what a current candidate says that reveals his/her mindset, then you shouldn't be complaining about the airing of the video.

And there is no possible logic at all to blame it on the GOP, or Romney/Ryan.

Chip Ahoy said...

That Biden quote is taken out of context!

Alan Colmes said so.

Ew, you Republicans are ugly

Paddy O said...

I paid $4.35/gallon to fill up my car with gas on the way to work

It's not just the middle class who are being buried. Those of us who look to rise to the middle of class are being chopped up then buried.

test said...

Ann Althouse said...
"We have a president who has toyed with the emotions around race, who exploited divisions, and nurtured animosity, and you are bothered by people reminding us of this?"

Mommy, Barry toyed first.


What a stupid substitute for an argument.

edutcher said...

garage mahal said...

Under much dirt, if not buried:

Obama +11 and Baldwin +4 in today's MULaw poll.

I wonder if Ryan is starting to worry about his House seat?


Prolly not, considering Zero still has to run ads in WI.

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Why don't you folks use Althouse as practice? How are you going to convince your neighbor that it's ok to swing from Obama to Romney? Don't judge the quality or rationality of her objections. Overcome them!

It's SALES, people. Sales. You overcome objections by acknowledging them, empathizing with them [feel, felt, found method is good], and overcoming them with additional features/benefits that address the objection. Then you ask your potential customer what other objections she has. And then you repeat overcoming objections until you have no more objections.

Then you ask for the sale. Use these 5 words...'Is there any reason why...?" That will draw out further objections if there are any.

If there aren't any, close the sale with something upbeat and positive. "See you at the polls!"

Simon Kenton said...

He SAID it. Quoting it is ugly. Maybe you could supply the regular commenters with

-- a list of other remarks from Obama which we are not allowed to quote or replay without convicting ourselves of ugliness;

-- a list of remarks from Romney which we are not allowed to quote or replay without convicting ourselves of ugliness.

Fair's fair, and If I am going to transgress, I'd like it to be advertent.

Larry J said...

You've spent too much time in the PC-dominated world of academia. You really need to get out in the real world for a while. While Obama's team directly attacks Romney in every vile lying manner possible, you're complaining that 3rd parties showing videos that tell the truth about Obama and his supporters are somehow wrong. Romney didn't release either of those videos. It's foolish to say Romney is tainted by those videos while giving the lies by Obama a pass.

Politics isn't for wusses. Obama told his supporters to "punch back twice as hard."

That goes both ways.

Sue D'Nhym said...

Playing Obama's campaign speech in its entirety is dragging Romney and Ryan down? How does that make any sense at all?

Methadras said...

LOL Biden, the Sarah Palin of the Democrats.

Methadras said...

LOL Biden, the Sarah Palin of the Democrats.

Anonymous said...

You know what else is buried?

The baby that the 14-year-old killer murdered.

You know....the one Easy Annie A. loves.

mccullough said...

Since most people don't know who the VP is, the ad is not that effective. Biden is an old white guy, just like Romney, so a lot of voters probably can't tell the difference between them.

It would be better if Obama had said it. That's why the You Didn't Build That is effective. It came from Obama's mouth. And voters know Obama's black, so they can tell him from Romney by that characteristic.

garage mahal said...

Why don't you folks use Althouse as practice? How are you going to convince your neighbor that it's ok to swing from Obama to Romney?

"Why don't you just MARRY Obama!"

"You've never even lived around black people, so how would you even know anything about black people??...!"

"Obama is a racist, how could you even think of voting for him???"

I'm thinking those sales pitches need some rethinking?

mark said...

@shiloh "Obama/Biden are empathetic and real ..."

I wonder about the progressive brain wiring. I know foolish people see the world flip-side (up is down, etc). Just curious as to why.

Romney at least tried to understand workers by doing stuff like pick up garbage. He helps employees in times of suffering. Used private money to build Burger King, Dominos, Toys-R-Us, etc.

Obama writes a composite book of things about that never happened with people that never existed. He sues to personally get hundreds of thousands of dollars and then leave the poor even poorer, bankrupt, and homeless.

Therefore Romney=Fake and Obama=Real.

Strange.

Unknown said...

"Why don't you folks use Althouse as practice? How are you going to convince your neighbor that it's ok to swing from Obama to Romney? Don't judge the quality or rationality of her objections. Overcome them!"

I thought she was "genuinely undecided" - swinging an Obama voter is a much different matter qualitatively, no?

(Of course, you and I know the "undecided" bit is baloney.)

Lydia said...

Why don't you folks use Althouse as practice? How are you going to convince your neighbor that it's ok to swing from Obama to Romney? Don't judge the quality or rationality of her objections. Overcome them!

It's SALES, people. Sales. You overcome objections by acknowledging them, empathizing with them [feel, felt, found method is good], and overcoming them with additional features/benefits that address the objection. Then you ask your potential customer what other objections she has. And then you repeat overcoming objections until you have no more objections.


Sounds like good advice, but it assumes your neighbor is acting in good faith. But many (most?) of us here don’t think Althouse is doing that. We think we’ve been and are being played.

Unknown said...

"You've spent too much time in the PC-dominated world of academia. You really need to get out in the real world for a while. "

She wants the rest of us to abide by the same speech codes as her students.

Sorry, Ann, you're not the boss of us!

Sloanasaurus said...

True, Althouse should consider two self-interest things on deciding to vote:

Short-term Althouse may find Obama appealing as an employee of an Academic institution. Under Obama the educational bubble is likely to continue a little longer...more money printing means more borrowing from students, and thus more money for Universities in the short term - perhaps up to a point after Althouse retirees.

However, Long-term Althouse may find Obama repugnant. From a self-interest point of view, Althouse's retirement security is much more in jeopardy under Obama. The money printing and excessive debt will ultimately lead to a much bigger crash, which will affect savers (such as retired people with gpensions) more than anyone else. Saver's net worth will be cut in half or as much as up to 90% over a short period of time from the devaluation of the dollar.

David A. Carlson said...

if you don't understand that Ann is right, or better yet if R/R do not understand Ann is right, there is no way Obama will lose. Winning is not about how your personally feel, it is how voters in general feel. Don't like that fact? To bad - your feelings will not change reality

Libertarian Advocate said...

Ann: I'm beginning to wonder if at some point in your life you suffered a now deeply suppressed psycho-sexual trauma resulting in an abject inability to use reason when analyzing the terrible impact this particular president's policies, words, actions and decisions have had on ALL Americans (and not just a few innocent Mexicans and Arabs as well).

Knowing what you now know about Obama that you couldn't have before due to extreme media complicity in hiding it, go ahead and vote for him again if you wish, but you'd best not later complain about the result should he win re-election.

mark said...

@garage

Yes your three ideas for sales pitches are rather poor. Where you trying to pass them off as other people's pitches?

I've never heard those from Romney supporters. Can you point to some examples of Romney supporters using them. Thanks!

Sloanasaurus said...

The irony of debating distractions such as Obama's racial views and who is better on contraception and/or gay marriage is that they are such puny issues compared to the economic outlook of this country. If the country stays in a no growth mode for another four years, these issues will even become more meaningless. I see these issues as just distractions to Obama's grand failure which is making us all collectively poorer because of his incompetence.

Amartel said...

Two different videos of Democrats caught in the act of truthfulness. Yet publicizing the one about race is ugly.

Ya ya, I get the point that making the delicate undecideds feel uncomfortable might be unhelpful. I'm just not at all sure that this video is a plus/minus either way for most undecideds. There's too many assumptions and unknowns about the undecided to conclude that it's net unhelpful. Are they undecided because of racial anxiety? They still think Obama is a nice clean articulate black fellow and don't want to vote against that? How does video of Obama being a racial demagoguing asshole do any harm there? Undecided because comfortable with the status quo? Undecided because can't be bothered to decide until last minute? Undecided because oblivious to facts? In any of these scenarios how is the video unhelpful? Hannity and the Daily Caller are conservative and make no secret about that. They overhyped, of course, but so what?

exhelodrvr1 said...

Ugly, ugly, ugly!!

Bob Ellison said...

Well, I flatter myself that I judge people pretty well. Part of that is that I try to step back from judging motives, which I think are beyond normal estimation.

Anyway, I do not doubt the Professor's sincerity overall. She's trying. I doubt her judgement, and her reasoning...but now it's just piling on.

If this is all a game, it's way beyond my ken.

bagoh20 said...

"Why don't you folks use Althouse as practice?"

I don't think the class should waste time helping to bring someone up to speed who hasn't done the homework after all this time.

That's not a slam on the rest of your suggestion, which is very good.

I just don't think Althouse is really still undecided - I think she's voting for Romney. I understand her point, I just think it's wrong. Most undecided are because they have just not been paying any attention yet, and this video is not going to move them one way or another. Telling people Republicans are ugly racists will though. That's the default belief among the uninformed, and the professor should rise above her colleagues and resist the knee jerk reinforcing of false stereotypes about the right. Seeing the video does not do that by itself, no matter how many times.

She admits she's an outlier and then assumes all the undecided are like her. She's an outlier because most people don't see it as she does.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I hear you Ruth Anne...

But Althouse the other day seemed to agree... or better said... did not dispute the charge from ZPS (a long time commenter) that we (conservatives) are "just using her for her blog".

I'll be honest with you... At Althouse I find... succor? from the charge... the erroneous perception.. that conservatives are mean, racist, misogynist, homophobes... It’s tiring to have constantly to defend that nonsense.

The fact that Althouse is a woman, center left (but fair) helps tremendously.

I think that’s why that post the other day was so hurtful.
I came here running away from that stuff... and as I kept coming it has dawned on me that I wasn't looking for a place where everybody necessarily agreed with me.
I was looking for a place where the blogger would at least try to be fair...

This thing is like a toothache... one day is fine and then it comes back.

Tim said...

David Carlson said...

"if you don't understand that Ann is right, or better yet if R/R do not understand Ann is right, there is no way Obama will lose. Winning is not about how your personally feel, it is how voters in general feel. Don't like that fact? To bad - your feelings will not change reality"

Except the double standard is so completely transparent that yours and Ann's inability to see it suggests your personal feelings are so distorted by preoccupation with racial issues in America that you (and her) are not only unwilling, but unable to think it through.

As Glenn Reynolds responded to Ann:

"If you find this stuff ugly — in a way that reflects on Romney and his supporters — then I suggest that your reaction, however sincere, is actually evidence that you’re being played.

Posted at 1:54 pm by Glenn Reynolds"


I think Reynolds is largely correct on this point, but you and Ann aren't being played.

You're both owned.

And, FWIW, racial issues in American can't get better until liberals get over their addiction to playing the race card. That includes recognizing double standards and holding the race mongers on the Left accountable.

Including your president, Barack Obama.

garage mahal said...


Yes your three ideas for sales pitches are rather poor. Where you trying to pass them off as other people's pitches?


Check the threads dude, they are there. And this beauty in this thread:

Ann: I'm beginning to wonder if at some point in your life you suffered a now deeply suppressed psycho-sexual trauma resulting in an abject inability to use reason when analyzing the terrible impact this particular president's policies, words, actions and decisions have had on ALL Americans (and not just a few innocent Mexicans and Arabs as well

Feel, felt......accuse of being psycho-sexually traumatized?

I think you're supposed to start with pleasantries. At least the Dale Carnegie course I took.

bagoh20 said...

Even the left here isn't agreeing with Althouse's point. She is an outlier, on purpose or not.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

If Althouse was black... it would be a jackpot ;)

Shouting Thomas said...

The new video is good.

Agreed, the Daily Caller video didn't produce any new material. The electorate was already well aware of that incarnation of Obama.

Calling out those who are offended by that racist scam artist part of Obama... depends on whose ox is getting gored.

It looks ugly to you, Althouse, because as a woman you're a potential recipient of the quota system. As is your son, because of his profession to being gay. That's your self-interest.

The racist shit looks different if you're one the other side... that is the punitive side of the quota system, i.e., a white hetero man. That's my self-interest.

Your motivations look pretty ugly to me. Looks to me like you don't give a shit if I get fucked over.

It's all about whose ox is getting gored.

Bob Ellison said...

bagoh20, I think I understand your recent comments, and if I get them right, I agree.

Simplicity and honesty are best. Pretending to be undecided is pretty silly at this point. Pretending not to see Obama's manifold incompetencies is pretending blindness.

Authors and artists sometimes assume that their readers/viewers see things the way they do, but haven't realized it yet, or aren't smart enough to know what they think. That's why they author and art. The Professor may have fallen in this elitist hole.

Tony said...

Using a VP with severe Downs Syndrome in a campaign ad is just downright ugly.

Irene said...

Back in 2008, I gave Ann the benefit of the doubt because Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit was always talking her up. They were meeting for lunch, having beers, she would cover for him etc. And yet, I kept wondering, "Does this woman have a brain?" when she went to bat for Obama. That was 2008.

Now it's 2012. No more benefit of the doubt. So, I ask for the second time today, Ann, how about you spell out what it is that you find attractive about Obama and his administration that makes you still undecided?

Kansas City said...

Hilarious to use Biden's burst of truthfulness. I met a guy the other day who said he knew Biden since childhood. He really likes him. As a politician, he is a total phony (even more than the typical pol). What I love here, is that he was pretending to be mad about a made up claim that Romney wanted to raise taxes on the middle class and, in getting into his full acting mode, he also blurted out the truth.


As to Ann, I would be astonished if he ultimately votes for Obama. What she is doing here is warning folks that the video stuff on Obama sucking up to blacks and the obama phone lady is not effective on undecided voters. She thinks this is. I think this is very helpful, and gets notice because of Biden.

I think the best Romney argument really is along the lines of "if you think the last four years are the best we can do, then vote for Obama. But if you think we can do better,then join me in ________________ and in making the future a great one America and for our children and grandchildren."

Irene said...

"Ann Althouse said...
The Daily Caller has a website to sell you.

Tucker Carlson is not your friend."

There you go again. How about you give some specifics. If you don't like Tucker Carlton, stop with the drive by shooting/character assassination and say why like an decent person.

You're becoming pretty scary.

Kevin said...

Of course Ann is going to vote for Obama.

She's doing what Andrew Sullivan did a couple of elections back - pretend that you are "undecided" to keep your conservative readership. Unfortunately for Andrew, he was caught telling The Advocate that no gay person could possibly vote for Bush, while he was pretending on his blog that he hadn't made up his mind yet.

Same thing.

mark said...

@garage mahal "Check the threads dude"

I did a quick search. Didn't find your quotes.

Did see several comments like your typical insults towards others, and whoever the whore person is, and Libertarian's. But, those seemed to be more of the "I hate you for not being like me" comments. You toss a lot of those yourself.

My usual discussion for professors like Dr. Althouse is ....

Step One: "Why do you think Obama never tried for administration type positions at Harvard?"

Step Two: "Knowing how he has handled conflict, do you think he would have been a good chair of your department? Why? I wonder why his department didn't see any real administrative potential in him."

Step Three: "Did you see the photo of the murdered kids in Mexico? What is up with the administrative privilege call on that?!"

You don't tell a PhD what to think. You leave premises around for them to dwell on. And point out fallacies they are keeping.

Tim said...

Sloanasaurus said...

"The irony of debating distractions such as Obama's racial views and who is better on contraception and/or gay marriage is that they are such puny issues compared to the economic outlook of this country."

Right.

Yet they are aggressively seized by Obama voters like Ann to give them a "reason" to support the insupportable: a failed president with no chance of being any better in the second term than he was in the first.

Obama voters, having invested heavily in his election, not recognizing the fallacy of sunk costs, look for any excuse, no matter how tenuous, to double down on failure and support Obama once more.

This thin tissue of self-provoked outrage will be among the stated reasons Althouse votes for Obama again.

At one level, this is disappointing.

One prefers to believe people can learn from their mistakes. Even Obama voters.

But at a deeper level, Althouse voting for Obama was her only real choice. Her initial decision, irrational as it was, was driven by an emotional hope the least experienced man ever nominated by a major political party for president, could somehow, someway, prove himself worthy of all the hope and dreams and aspirations of white liberals of not only healing America's racial history, but also actually performing real presidential jobs with plausible sense of accomplishment.

His lack of qualifications, including on racial healing - as the video now so aptly points out - are so completely transparent, no one should be surprised Obama voters assume a defensive posture, and defend their initial mistake by repeating it.

Denial is a coping mechanism; but it never makes anything better. It simply postpones the day of reckoning.

I assume one day, in an honest moment, Althouse might admit to herself she was duped by Obama in '08. For that, she can blame Obama and the enthusiasms of the crowd.

She'll have no such excuse for '12.

J.D. Walz said...

"I can’t find the link now, but somebody was criticizing this (unexpectedly)feature a while back as “juvenile.” Well, I am quite deliberately rubbing it in, as the ridiculously inflated expectations for Obama are regularly and repeatedly exposed as . . . ridiculously inflated. But what’s really juvenile is expecting that an inexperienced former community organizer could successfully execute the office of President of the United States. And if I’m peeing all over the wave of hope-and-change hype that got him into office despite his obvious unsuitability, it’s to help ensure that nothing this disastrous happens again in my lifetime. I realize that it’s painful for those who fell victim to the mass hysteria to constantly be reminded of their foolishness, but I hope it’ll be the kind of pain that results in learning. . . ."

- Instapundit, September 8 2011

Oh, wait, community organizer That's a dog whistle, no? Toying with race again, what a troublemaker!

Kansas City said...

Irene,

I don't read Ann's posts closely enough to answer with authority, but I think she has reservations and uncertainties about Romney. I think her opinions and assessments of Obama are complete, subject to new information. How could someone as smart and informed as Ann not have a firm opinion about Obama?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Using a VP with severe Downs Syndrome in a campaign ad is just downright ugly.

It wasn't a Biden gaff.. Its a Romney gaff.

lol.

Bob Ellison said...

Rest easy, my conservative friends. Obama will lose, probably by about 53/47. The polls will "tighten", as pollsters and leftists and journalists like to say. Give it time.

The bigger worry is what happens afterward.

Shantastik said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kansas City said...

Irene and others,

If you do not trust Ann, why do you read her blog? If she says she has not decided, she has not decided.

On Tucker (whom I generally like as much more honest and smart than the typical pundit), Ann is telling you that his interest is in his website prospering, not promoting Romney and, therefore, he is a not a friend of those invested in Romney's election. Seems like a smart and accurate observation.

a psychiatrist who learned from veterans said...

@ Geoff 2:28

I think it's very easy to have a valid comment be like the worm on a fish hook only in this case the fish can speak. The fisherman can protest, 'What I offered a worm?,' but is not entirely believed.

Shouting Thomas said...

...his interest is in his website prospering, not promoting Romney and, therefore, he is a not a friend of those invested in Romney's election.

Everybody's self-interested. Including Althouse.

chickelit said...

Kansas City said...
Irene and others,

If you do not trust Ann, why do you read her blog? If she says she has not decided, she has not decided.

For her commenters. I remarked that to Althouse once when I met her. She seemed annoyed at the thought.


Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Univision, a Spanish language network, has given the American people more information on Obamas Justice Department than has the chief law enforcer Erick Holder under oath.

I was thinking if only they spoke Spanish in Libya, we know what happened there by now.

MadisonMan said...

Kerry lost althouse by Sept 26th (Link.)

The How McCain lost me post didn't come 'til after the election. (Link.)

And if you read it, you'll see that nothing was really decided until the debates.

tim maguire said...

Everyone attacking the professor need to keep in mind that she has presented herself as speaking for the white-guilted undecided. It's a nifty dodge--point out that it's stupid and she responds, "hey, i'm just one person. You can't argue with it, but you do hae to work with it."

Nifty dodge, indeed. I'd prefer to ignore her shallow silliness since she clearly does not speak for the undecideds. The undecided generally don't pay much attention to politics but may or may not show up and take their best guess.

Althouse pays a great deal of attention to politics, but will ultimately make her decision of who to make the most powerful and important man in the world during perilous times based on shallow or irrelevant whims. (More precisely, she will decide it's still cool to vote for the black guy.)

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

And if you read it, you'll see that nothing was really decided until the debates.

Thats what I'm afraid of.

Obama trips Romney and the press declares Obama the winner and Alhouse would look odd swimming against the current... guess what... the How Romney Lost Me post is born.

There is also the problem of a lack of enthusiasm for Romney.

I'm not going to fake it... and I shouldn't have to.

Thats how bad Obama has botched it.

Ned said...

"That's a pretty ad, pretty pictures...I like it...makes me feel warm! Don't show me angry videos of my hate mongering, racist President...they make me feel ICKY!"

Modern American University Law Prof thought process...something to behold!!!

Shouting Thomas said...

Everyone attacking the professor need to keep in mind that she has presented herself as speaking for the white-guilted undecided.

No, she's not "white-guilted."

She's a feminist. She's one of the potential recipients of the largess of the quota system. As is her son because he professes to be gay.

She's an advocate of guilt for white hetero men.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

@ Ruth

"It's SALES, people. Sales"

Hey....It sounds like you and I went to the same sale training schools!! Very useful isn't it?

Mark said...

Professor Althouse has a draft of "How Tucker Carlson Lost Me" waiting for some final touches.

Toad Trend said...

Slow Joe provides more comedy gold.

He really is a big freaking deal.

He and Pelosi Galore make the perfect representative couple for the modern democrat party.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I hope they put that one on TV.

Sloanasaurus said...

I assume one day, in an honest moment, Althouse might admit to herself she was duped by Obama in '08. For that, she can blame Obama and the enthusiasms of the crowd.

I think people allowed themselves to be duped by Obama, because the hope of the first Black President saving us from a calamity was such promising symbol of America. People went to the polls with hope (and also because McCain didn't appear much better).

But, Obama has proven himself to be a failure. Thus, the risk of self delusion has fallen away at least for some portion of the population. (Will it be enough?)

Moreover, Romney is a much better candidate than McCain. People rip on Romney for being rich or non-caring but in the end we know that Romney is very smart and has the experience needed to lead the country. Thus, he is a safe alternative to re-electing a proven failure.

Tonight and in the rest of the debates, Romney will prove that he is a legitimate alternative to Obama, even if all the press says Obama won the debates. Romney does not have to win the debates, he only has to present himself as presidential. Then, Obama's support among independents will start to vanish - just like 1980.

ricpic said...

Ryan makes the sale so much better than Romney. Looks like I'll be voting for Palin again.

Tyrone Slothrop said...

Bob Ellison said...

Rest easy, my conservative friends. Obama will lose, probably by about 53/47. The polls will "tighten", as pollsters and leftists and journalists like to say. Give it time.


Check out this article by Jay Cost. He charts the swing in polls for the month of October going back to 1968. With only two exceptions the polls swing toward the challenger over the incumbent or the incumbent party. The exceptions are in 1968, hardly a representative year in any respect, and 1976, when Ford gained against the challenger Carter. The present election is so tight already that any swing toward the challenger Romney puts him over.

Balfegor said...

Re: bagoh20:

She admits she's an outlier and then assumes all the undecided are like her. She's an outlier because most people don't see it as she does.

Well, most politically engaged people don't see it like she does. Normal people don't actually follow every twist and turn of the campaign the way most of us commenting here do.

Mark said...

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

shiloh said...

Seriously, why do you folk give a shit who Althouse will vote for?

Indeed as her vote will not decide this election.

Will it make cons "feel" better knowing she is on their team! :-P

Again, elections come down to choices and Willard is a frickin' train wreck!

blessings

miss j said...

I can not abide political ads that exploit when someone has a gaffe. They are mean-spirited and childish. In today's hyper-vigilant world, gaffes are inevitable.

A candidate's 40 minute speech about his beliefs on the role of government and his beliefs on how citizens should be taught the most basic aspects of being adults: (what to eat for lunch, how to dress, how to wake up on time, etc) is exactly what I want to inform my decision.

I know that you said elsewhere that you thought it would be wise to stay away from the issue of race. Although I am not white, race is not an issue that matters to me, my family or friends. We are significantly younger than you though.

What I see, when I hear the President make a speech such as this, when he says the Cambridge police made a mistake, or when he talks about a victim as someone who looks like his son would have looked, is a President who is trying much too hard to belong to a community and culture that is not his own. He does this by stirring up hate towards people who look different from his audience and he uses blatant lies to do it.

The President's race-baiting is truly frightening and has dangerous consequences for our country.

bagoh20 said...

Of all possible outcomes, I'd like Obama to end up getting exactly 47.0%.

Toad Trend said...

"It's SALES, people. Sales. You overcome objections by acknowledging them, empathizing with them [feel, felt, found method is good], and overcoming them with additional features/benefits that address the objection. Then you ask your potential customer what other objections she has. And then you repeat overcoming objections until you have no more objections.

Then you ask for the sale. Use these 5 words...'Is there any reason why...?" That will draw out further objections if there are any.

If there aren't any, close the sale with something upbeat and positive. "See you at the polls!""

Excellent, I've been asking the leftist trolls here to do the same thing for months - if what you have is SO FREAKING GREAT, then sell it!!! Banging on the repubs is snark, not SALESMANSHIP and suggests that what you have to sell is inferior or you're simply TOO LAZY to stand up for what you believe.

So, you weeny whiny little trolls, SELL how great the modern democrat party is, and give specific examples. We are freaking waiting.

mccullough said...

Sloanasaurus,

What about Romney makes you think he's a much better candidate than McCain?

McCain wasn't dumb enough to make that crack about the 47% to some donors.

Romney is running a weak campaign. He's banking on Obama being so bad and presenting himself as a steady alternative. It's not working. Romney is less conservative than McCain, as well. I'd say Romney is every bit as bad a candidate as McCain was. Romney's advantage over McCain is that Obama has been a terrible president; McCain didn't have the good fortune to run against Obama before Obama had a job.

Shouting Thomas said...

Seriously, why do you folk give a shit who Althouse will vote for?

Don't care, and that's not the point of this discussion.

The point is whether pointing out Obama's history of race baiting is a plus or minus in terms of Romney's campaign.

Cedarford said...

BarrySanders20 said...
Althouse: I voted for Obama. He's a racial healer.

Evidence: He's not a racial healer. He exploits race for his own selfish ends.

Althouse: That makes me feel uncomfortable. It's ugly.

Evidence: Sorry, them's the facts.

Althouse: I think I'll vote for Obama again.


================
Bwaaaah!
My theory is that Althouse is just tossing that shit out to bait commentors and stir the pot....

But ufortunately, it makes her look clueless, female hormone-driven, and feckless.

exhelodrvr1 said...

"Ann is telling you that his interest is in his website prospering"

I'm sure Carlson is the only blogger guilty of that.

garage mahal said...

Haven't heard much hype about the big debate tonight.

I'm waiting for that patented Romney proud-looking smile after he thinks he got off a really good one, like he just made his first poopie.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Romney is running a weak campaign.

Obamas economy is weaker.

Kansas City said...

Bagoh20's comment about wanting Obama to get exactly 47.0% of the vote is great. I think it could happen.

Silver at the NYT currently has about an 85% chance of Obama winning. Silver is a partisan democrat, but very smart and his assessment worries me somewhat. But I think he tips the scales in favor of democrats until late in the race, when he adjusts for his own reputation.

Sydney said...

You do seem to have an overly acute sensitivity to racism. I recall reading about a confrontation you had with a group of other lawyers at some libertarian lawyer gathering. (Or was it a federalist group?) It was reported that you accused them of racism based on a discussion of some sort of states rights issue. (Not a lawyer, so it all escapes me.)

In 2008, I had a vague sense that your reason for voting for Obama was due to his race. There was nothing substantive about his politics or philosophy of governing that agrees with your beliefs as conveyed here on this blog to us your readers.

Do you really believe Romney is racist? If so, why?

Do you really believe Ryan is racist? If so, why?

Do you really believe Republicans are racist? If so, why?

Listen to Obama's speech in that video and pretend that racism can go both ways. Do you think there is a valid argument that Obama may be racist?

Squid said...

"Mommy, Barry toyed first"

First, last, and always! He continues to toy with your perceptions of race relations every day, as evidenced by your irrational discomfort. Discomfort caused by the revelation of just how bad a race hustler Obama really is, though you transfer your exquisite displeasure to those who dared force you to confront the real and terribly flawed man, as opposed to the dream you fell in love with four years ago.

Get some perspective, Ann. You really haven't covered yourself in glory today.

Mark said...

Haven't heard much hype about the big debate tonight.

That's because Big Media thinks the debate is dangerous for Obama, and is therefore downplaying it big time.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Tucker Carlson is not your friend.

He dosent wear bowties anymore.

edutcher said...

Hey, since we're talking foot-in-mouth disease, let's not forget Moochelle's gift to politics today, how "Barack's done a phenomenal job working around Congress".

furious_a said...

I was hoping for a brief flicker of recognition by Biden that he'd stepped in it, followed by some hasty backing and filling. A slip rather than a gaffe.

But, no, Mr. Rantin' Scranton keep right on scowling and growling. G-d luv ya!.

Irene said...

@Kansas City

"On Tucker (whom I generally like as much more honest and smart than the typical pundit), Ann is telling you that his interest is in his website prospering, not promoting Romney and, therefore, he is a not a friend of those invested in Romney's election. Seems like a smart and accurate observation."

Unfortunately, I do not agree with your explanation. Did Althouse ever write, "The New York Times has a website to sell you. Jill Abrahmson is not your friend." I don't believe she did. It's pretty clear that Ann was trying to take down Carlson with that comment because the Daily Caller posted a video of Obama from 2007 that she clearly didn't like and which clearly hit a nerve.

One may dislike or disagree with Tucker Carlson's personal views or his political preferences, one may even loathe his penchant for bow ties, but Carlson is not a media prostitute and didn't deserve her flip and unprofessional disparagement.

We're all grownups here and understand that it's not supposed to be Carlson's or the media's job to be a friend to Romney. (God knows, we've seen enough presidential friends to last us a lifetime - remember FOBs?) So, frankly, I don't understand your point other than trying to either cover up the intent of Ann's comment or run interference for her.

Sloanasaurus said...

Romney is running a weak campaign. He's banking on Obama being so bad and presenting himself as a steady alternative. It's not working. Romney is less conservative than McCain, as well.

A lot of people did not think that McCain was very strong or knowledgable about the economy. That he didn't have a vision for it, that he didn't understand it. I am included in that bunch. It may not be true, but that was the perception. (McCain was a foreign policy guy).

Nobody says that Romney is incompetent about the economy. Instead the criticism is the other way - that Romney understands it so much that he is going to use his smarts and understanding to bilk little people.

The evil rich guy argument is much less effective for independents than the feeling that someone is incompetent about the economy.

This election cycle, Obama is the incompetent one about the economy. That is why independents will move to Romney in the end.

Toad Trend said...

"That's because Big Media thinks the debate is dangerous for Obama, and is therefore downplaying it big time."

Low expectations are a feature, not a bug, of the modern democrat apparatchik.

If they position teh won as a weak debater, no one will be surprised when teh won flops. But, if teh won happens to acquit himself well he will again look like their pop superstar.

Democrats with bylines indeed.

Sloanasaurus said...

Five themes that Romney should bring up about Obama's econmic incompetence.

1) Today the government is so bankrupt due to Obama's incompetence, that last year most of the debt issuance was purchased by the fed with fake money. China won't even fund our debt anymore.

2) IN evey recession since WWII, we have had a recovry within a year or two of the recession. Under Obama we have gone 4 years with no recovery.

3) Obama want's you to accept low-growth. He wants you jettison the American dream and to limit yourself to small dreams and low expectations... that no one could do better. We can do better by getting rid of Obama's low growth policies.

4) Growth is only achieved when people have confidence in the future. Today confidence is at an all time low. Obama is largely responsible fot the dismal confidence and has no plans to do anything different. Thus, he needs to go before confidence can return.

5) Obama wasnt to win your vote by promising you the welfare stae. The only problem is that the road to the welfare state is the road to Europe and Greece - the road to protests and strikes, of misery and despair. Why would you vote to be like Greece?

mark said...

@Mark "I have a dream ..."

Careful with that Conservative Republican talk. Those words could scare the resident liberals of the comments.

Freeman Hunt said...

Wise, wise Ruth Anne.

And if you figure it out, let me know. I have a family member almost exactly like Althouse as regards these subjects. No idea how to reach that person aside from showing her how bad Obama has been for the economy and hoping the race-obsessed part of the brain isn't dominant when it's time to go vote.

mccullough said...

Sloanasaurus,

Romney's 59-point plan shows the mind of a technocratic central planner. If he has a 59-point plan, he doesn't understand the economy. He still defends Romneycare, which resulted in higher insurance/health care cost and more costs on small business. This is the mind of someone who doesn't understand the economy.

Romney was a successful P/E guy. That's it. He's certainly smart. He is not wise.

McCain knew enough not to be a central planner. Also, the President has very little control on the economy, but has very big control in foreign affairs. So Romney's alleged speciality is not one he can do much about.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Haven't heard much hype about the big debate tonight.

What could these two possibly say that we dont already know?

I loathe presidential debates; I would never go to a presidential debate in my life. I loathe the podiums, I loathe the fucking ties, the little pins. It's grotesque. It's just hideous. The glass of water, the audience told to sit on their hands, the pretending of the two candidates to like each other, the inevitable spinning afterwards. It's just a waste of time in the political world, and in the real world I find it beyond tragic that we want to rely on this bad theater that is so clearly a sham beyond parody.

Kansas City said...

Irene,

I don't understand the analogy to the NYT. Here, Ann was telling conservatives that Carlson should not be viewed as their friend - because he is trying to make money on his website more than help Romney win. That seemed accurate to me.

You said Ann does not declare the NYT not to be a friend. Well, no one would ever mistake the NYT as a friend of conservatives. And, I don't think the anlogy fits if you intended to look at democrats, i.e., the NYT is not a friend of democrats. There is no real conflict between the NYT business objective and friendship with the democrats. There is nothing that the NYT would do to improve profits that would hurt Obama. But in Carlson's case, there is a conflict. He needs trafic and profits. So he would be motivated to do something to help his website, without being deterred by the possiblity it would help or might hurt Romney.

Nathan Alexander said...

if you don't understand that Ann is right, or better yet if R/R do not understand Ann is right, there is no way Obama will lose. Winning is not about how your personally feel, it is how voters in general feel. Don't like that fact? To bad - your feelings will not change reality

I'd rather lose with the truth than win by wrapping people in soft, warm, cottony lies.

Sloanasaurus said...

Romney's 59-point plan shows the mind of a technocratic central planner. If he has a 59-point plan, he doesn't understand the economy. He still defends Romneycare, which resulted in higher insurance/health care cost and more costs on small business. This is the mind of someone who doesn't understand the economy.

The perception of Romney's competence comes from his spending his whole life in the private sector and his success, not because of what his plan says. Thus, people will be comfortable chosing him over Obama.

Obama's attacks have only strengthened this perception. Obama's attacks are that Romney is an evil guy, not that he is incompetent.

In the end people, will want a leader for the economy.

Obama's only chance is to convince Americans that 1) the econonmy is doing good; 2) that its Bush's fault.

Strelnikov said...

Thus spake Joe the shovel.

mccullough said...

KC,

The Daily Caller's traffic will do much better if Obama is re-elected. (Daily Kos got killed when Obama was elected). You know Rush Limbaugh wants Obama re-elected so he can keep peddling his schtick to those who can't stand liberals.

There's nothing wrong with Tucker Carlson acting in his own self interest here.

Strelnikov said...

Thus spake Joe the shovel.

Toad Trend said...

"You know Rush Limbaugh wants Obama re-elected so he can keep peddling his schtick to those who can't stand liberals."

McCullough, how tall are you???

The height of ignorance.

rhhardin said...

The media have appointed black leaders that exploit blacks.

Their message is that blacks are owed stuff, always more stuff.

This prevents blacks as a race from having any dignity.

Blacks then feel that dignity is being withheld from them, and the cycle goes unstable. A permanent chip develops. More stuff is owed.

(Stanley Cavell: [the monster] is monstrous because he lets the task of becoming human wait upon how others treat him.)

Blacks as a race have to gather together and do something for poor whites.

Only there lies dignity.

The same applies individually but is not a politically dysfunctional problem like the current situation with race is.

Corrupt black institutions are the problem for blacks.

Whites more or less gave up being interested a decade ago.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

In case we forgot that was the voice... if not the words... of Rupert Everett.

mccullough said...

Don't Tread,

Rush is a successful guy. He knows his audience. He knows he does better when they are agitated. Do you think he gives two shits about conservatism?

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Freeman:
I remember my dad, a good salesman, would chant, "If ya wanna SELL Jim Jones what Jim Jones BUYS, ya gotta' SELL Jim Jones through Jim Jones' eyes."

So the empathy thing is really big to helping your relative make a different choice.

So ask her perspective with open-ended [direct exam] type questions.

~What are Obama's qualities that you respect?
~What's your assessment of how the US is doing these days?
~Is there anything that makes you disappointed in Obama's performance?

And then go prospective...
~Do you think America is stuck at 8% unemployment as a new normal or do you think it's possible to get unstuck?
~Do you think his approach to foreign affairs has quieted the Middle East or do you think there's rumbling turmoil there?
~Do you have a moral objection to the government taking such a big part of the medical field?
~Do you think there's a point where we have too much debt?
~Are you OK with major cuts to the military while we're at war on 2 fronts?

That will give you a sense of whether she is even really open to another alternative. A good closing question might be this:

Given all you hoped for and all that's transpired with x [note one of her big points], I just gotta ask, why wouldn't you try something new?

This will draw out objections.
Mitt isn't this; GOP isn't that; I've never blah;

Then you close with..is there any reason why you wouldn't try something new [competent, different, ] by voting for Romney/Ryan?

chickelit said...

garage mahal said...
Haven't heard much hype about the big debate tonight.

I'm waiting for that patented Romney proud-looking smile after he thinks he got off a really good one, like he just made his first poopie.


I guess I'll be too distracted by that Cantinflas moustache which POTUS cuts back twice a day to notice the other guy.

garage, we should talk about our personal obsessions.

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Freeman,
And, as I learned in Evidence class and thru Dale Carnegie:

Whoever is asking the questions is in charge.

When she's talking and you're actively listening, she'll feel you're the best conversationalist in the world.

SteveR said...

Seriously, why do you folk give a shit who Althouse will vote for?

This is a feature of the relationship between Ann and her readers going back to 2004.

Based on your track record, I am sure you wouldn't understand if I tried to explain it. It doesn't have anything to do with our (my) vote.

rhhardin said...

Women create problems for themselves that they then insist you be part of.

After a few shots at it, some other game might be more rewarding.

Assurances that it's deep may just mean that she doesn't recognize it, anyway if no explanation of this deepness is forthcoming.

Good readings can handle pretty deep, for real deepness.

File it all next to "sudden Althouse," ire at being misquoted, perhaps as "deep Althouse."

rhhardin said...

Rush will do better with Romney as President, finally getting off three solid hours of slamming Obama for his corruptions.

The polls are battle space preparation for representing Romney's administration as illegitimate.

The Democrats will do the same stuff that they did for Bush, more narratives, more NYT editorials, and so forth. Gridlock if possible.

Rush will have a field day with the latest lefty line and the media chorus.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ann, I've been a regular lurker for several years. I've found many of your blog posts to be almost as insightful as those who regularly comment on them.

I had to register an ID just to poke fun at you for your Obamaphone girl post. I mean seriously, that video summed up Obama's base pretty damn well, but poor racist Ann couldn't see past the girl's skin color. Sooooo, we're all the racists, see? Laughable.

Now you're going to double down? Turns out the post-racial president was anything but. What's Ann's response? You're all racists for showing me what a racist my boyfriend is! Wahhhhh!

Go fuck yourself, you racist bitch.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

You are aces Ruth Ann.

I seem to recall a post where Althouse said she makes up her mind at the voting booth... she waits right up to the last possible moment.

What could I possibly say that will spring to mind at that precise moment to sway her Romney's way?

I'm thinking...

Our debt is somewhere around $40,000 for every man, woman and child.

Althouse shared with us (soon after her nuptials) that she was looking into the possibility of having a baby with her new husband.

My question would be... would you want to bring a baby into a world where his future would not be secured, despite your best efforts... or a world were at least by the time he starts school his future might be a little brighter?

chickelit said...

Our debt is somewhere around $40,000 for every man, woman and child.

Has anyone calculated what reparations (with interest) would amount to? Maybe Althouse has crunched that number and that's why it doesn't concern her.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

BTW... I'm not condemning the professors selection process.. I have mine and she has hers.. and we all have ours.. and I'm running out of things to say.. for the moment.

Paul said...

Well that is what Obama gets for having a stupid motormouth for a VP.

But then, who else would have risked their reputation to be his VP?

Hillary?

I think NOT!

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Lem,
I vaguely recall that last-minute final decision stuff.

I think she was joking about a baby.

But you're presuming some things by your question. Perhaps the national debt and security are NOT her issues. What then?

Last election, she was a divorced white female in a blue state. She voted her demographic.

This time, she's married, still white, and living in a not-nearly-as-blue state and she witnessed up close the lefties-on-parade at the Capitol.

She hasn't fully acclimated to her new demographic is my bet. The solution to that shares her bed.

BarrySanders20 said...

Moby Sockpuppet Alert at 5:36

Michael K said...

" Ann Althouse said...

The Daily Caller has a website to sell you.

Tucker Carlson is not your friend."

Is that triple down ? Or quadruple down ?

Romney and Ryan don't have to mention it. Somebody is doing what the legacy media should have done in 2007 and 2008. That's all.

It's not exactly Leni Riefenstahl.

Jeez. It's Ok you want to vote for Obama again. Just don't expect us to take any advice from you about how Mitt should run his campaign. Just like Obama in his brief foray into the commercial world, you are "behind enemy lines."

Alex said...

I'm increasingly convinced that Ann is just playing for page hits. She's going to vote for Romney(she's scared of 4 more years), but will lie and tell everyone she voted for Obama to appease her liberal friends.

Alex said...

Has anyone ever made as much sheer DRAMA about their "swing vote" then Ann Althouse for 4 friggen years?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

She hasn't fully acclimated to her new demographic is my bet.

Ok.. I dont think I have much in that area..

What I was going to ask was.. an area that I believe interest her very much.

Free Speech.. the first amendment.

Who, of the two candidates gives you more confidence that he will protect and defend...

Bear in mind how weak the Obama response has been with regards to calls for drastic and fundamental changes to our liberties.

and with that.. I have a commitment I cant break and I need to leave.. but I'll be back for the debate.

Michael K said...

"Bush picked Cheney, arguably a smarter and more capable man than himself, because he knew he could stand the competition"

Some of Bush's staff did not have that confidence. Cheney was put under wraps much of the time and that is where the meme of "an undisclosed location" came form after 9/11.

Read Stephen Hayes' book sometime. It's all in there.

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Lem,
The 1st Amendment was abused under with the midnight arrest of the Coptic filmmaker in California. And in being blamed for Ambassador Stevens' assassination. Among other things.

Balfegor said...

Re: Irene:

One may dislike or disagree with Tucker Carlson's personal views or his political preferences, one may even loathe his penchant for bow ties,

Oh, I say! I say! Let's not be having with any of that anti-bowtie prejudice here!

ricpic said...

The solution to that shares her bed.

So...more shtupping is the answer? Well, it often is.

Michael K said...

" That Biden quote is taken out of context!

Alan Colmes said so.

Ew, you Republicans are ugly

10/3/12 3:04 PM
Blogger Paddy O said...

I paid $4.35/gallon to fill up my car with gas on the way to work
"

I saw $ 4.43 driving home today in Redondo Beach CA. Wholesale is rising 73 cents the past week in California because of refinery problems. Since the state has allowed no new refineries in 20 years, it will get worse.

Balfegor said...

Some of Bush's staff did not have that confidence. Cheney was put under wraps much of the time and that is where the meme of "an undisclosed location" came form after 9/11.

Cheney seems like an awfully smart and capable fellow. But also like the sort of fellow who could easily commit a "blazing indiscretion," as it were, by failing to mince words appropriately.

edutcher said...

rhhardin said...

The polls are battle space preparation for representing Romney's administration as illegitimate.

The Democrats will do the same stuff that they did for Bush, more narratives, more NYT editorials, and so forth. Gridlock if possible.


And watch them use this video, and the one on Patterico, as this year's Willie Horton.

ricpic said...

Will Althouse deign to live blog the debate to us benighted racists tonight? Are we worthy? Oh the humanity!

chickelit said...

I saw $ 4.43 driving home today in Redondo Beach CA. Wholesale is rising 73 cents the past week in California because of refinery problems. Since the state has allowed no new refineries in 20 years, it will get worse.

We're only a short ways away from the Chu's stated goal of $6/gal.

Mission Accomplished

Anonymous said...

Open Message to the Fans of Obama on Althouse Blog:

Meet-up with me at the National Press Club. I am in the 2nd row with a red-head from Harvard. She wears the t-shirt: I heart O. (She really does that, you know.) I am wearing a black pin-stripe bespoke with yellow/blue tie (am from Michigan, you know that). My shirt is peach color. I have a french beard and I am 5-10. Come and join me.

To-night we will celebrate the LIVE destruction of Romney.

Every-one of my gang from K-street will be here. Our friends from NYT, NPR, MSNBC, WashPost, DailyBeast, HuffPost, all will be here. WHY? There is a party after 10:30 PM at the NPC with no cash bar (that is, all drinks are free).

Join me, watch the Mastery of the best and greatest POTUS Obama.

Cheerio!

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Ricpic:

He shtups to conquer.

garage mahal said...

I think Romney needs to lighten up tonight and do some butt-chugging. Milk, of course.

DADvocate said...

Of course, if it were Barack and Joe, it'd be impossible to drag them down. Barack could his opponent the finger during the debate and no one would care. They'd just laugh.

The reason showing the Obama tape is ugly is because Obama's an ugly, mean spirited person adept at conning simple minds, like Ann's.

Ann's simply looking for an out to explain her "logic" for voting for Obama in this election. She's not undecided, except on what rationalization to explain her vote. Yeah, Mitt Romney may be one of the most decent, intelligent, well qualified people to run for president during our life time, significantly more decent, qualified and intelligent than Obama. But, Romney's supporters are so ugly.

The other day my 19 year old said, on a totally different subject, "You're not supposed to say women make irrational decisions,....but they do." Ann's giving new meaning to irrational.

Tucker Carlson is not your friend.

Whoa!! An Obama voter is?

Chip Ahoy said...

arrest of the Coptic filmmaker

Funny thing, *points* I just now ran across some coptic right before visiting here. Couldn't understand a word of it.

It came up researching the word "butt" in hieroglyphics. I wanted to check my answer before assertively asserting an assertion. It's like everything, there are a lot of ways to say something depending on what level of pun or layer of meaning you want to impart with this word "butt." The writer chose "posterior" but that is clearly wrong for

I like big butts, I cannot lie.

The writer approached our group and asked for his interpretation to be checked. It's all wrong. From beginning to end.

His interpretation:

mr=i xpdw wsx nj Dd=i grgw

That's how to pronounce the Egyptian words for:

l like buttocks broad/wide not I speak lies

and then he provides the Manuel de Codage numbers for the little pictures, when you read this code you visualize the hieroglyphics if you hadn't already with the Egyptian word pronunciation as most readers of these do.

U7-D21-A2-A1 Aa1-Q3-D46-G43-F51-Z2 G43-S29-Aa1-W10 D35 I10-D46-A1 W11-D21-U17-Z2

This is what that string looks like in the minds of the list readers but it is not an explicit part of the letter.

And it is clearly wrong.

Should be:

enjoy rears (human female) big I, lie cannot I.

The choices for the word "butt" are impressively, er, broad.

The writer asks if there are any glaring mistakes and the answer is yes, but I'll leave it to the group to give their own interpretations and see who does what to it. See if they get the idea of the song, or see if they will mechanically transcribe verbatim.

The YouTube interpretations I look at of songs in ASL are deplorable. They interpret the song into ASL and miss all the things that make it a song worth singing. The repeated strains are quite difficult to do but that repeated motion amounts to a dance. By sticking to the song, and hitting the beat with the word, not necessarily sticking to English within the song, but the SONG, the pulse, the tempo, the repetition, the ups and downs, the fluffiness, the iciness, whatever, by getting to the music, they would translate the song but they very rarely do. So I'm interested in what these Egyptologists will do with these lyrics given the wonderful range in Egyptian hieroglyphics for the word "butt."

Along the way I saw a lot of Coptic and I always do wonder, what is this crap?

Coptic has been very useful for Egyptologists in getting at the meaning of things immediately prior to the period the lights went out on Egyptian hieroglyphics, but I've never been able to make sense of them on my own. You're supposed to slide right into Coptic from hieratic which is the shorthand version of Hieroglyphics but I could never read anybody else's shorthand.

Anonymous said...

WHERE IS EVERY-BODY? Come and join me at the NPC (see the note up). I will buy the first drink for any ALTHOUSE Obama voters. I will intro-you to my SO GF. Just say you love Obama, and she will give you a hug.

Cheerio!

Cedarford said...

Ruth Anne Adams said...
Lem,
The 1st Amendment was abused under with the midnight arrest of the Coptic filmmaker in California. And in being blamed for Ambassador Stevens' assassination. Among other things.


===========================
One of the great fuckups Amerca has done in the last 50 years is promoting a Groupthink that RIGHTS!!!! and ENTITLEMENTS!! are absolute and come with absolutely no responsibility or duty or reasonable constraints attached to them.

If 12 million new ObamaPhones are a right and entitlement, what greater advancement of Freedom!! and EntitlementRights than to give out another 20 million, with 250 free minutes a month!!

If we let some Copt dirtball in as a refugee, and the career criminal then tries making money by inciting the people he was given refuge from so that they will hopefully kill and injure the Americans that sheltered him...Then he violated criminal parole?? Don't play the 1st Amendment Martyr!
It doesn't fly with the public anymore as pity fuck grounds - than Anwar al-Awlaki getting whacked for his own 1st Amnendment activities to incite Muslims to kill and injure Americans got much sypathy outside the hard left and extremist libertarian camps.

Both violated their:

Duties as citizens.
Responsibilities as citizens.
Reasonable contraints on their RIGHTS!! and ENTITLEMENTS.




damikesc said...

We have a president who has toyed with the emotions around race, who exploited divisions, and nurtured animosity, and you are bothered by people reminding us of this?

His A.G called us "wusses" for not having these discussions.

Scott M said...

"When a company town sees its plant closing because some distant executives made some decision despite the wage concessions, despite the tax breaks, and they see their entire economy collapsing, they feel violence,”

...said a man who's never experienced actual violence...ever.

Dante said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Say hello to Ed every-one. Just chatted with an Althouse blog Obama fan. He is talking to my SO GF. Come and meet up (see the posting above - am in the 2nd row at the NPC debate). The room is getting crowded. Lots of K-street and media people.

Dante said...

If it weren't for leftist twits like Garage Mahal, I'd vote for the Obamao. But so much of garage's disgusting views rub off on Obama due to guilt by association, I simply can't.

Chip Ahoy said...

Oh! Petuti is available. Like cutie-petuti. That's where it comes from.

Anonymous said...

Yipee, just met with Annie from Baltimore. She said "She finds my polls about Obama to be inspiring". She and Ed are now exchanging business cards. Join us. This is truly a momentus meeting of Obama fans (minority of minority) on Althouse blog.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Althouse isn't representative of undecided voters. Sorry, but there just aren't that many female, upper-class, tenured law profs who haven't decided how to vote. I doubt there are any at all. So, what she thinks is no more important than the opinion of anyone else on that basis. I'd argue even less important because she's such an outlier.

What works on Althouse will probably not help Romney overall, because people with her background and experience are mostly going to vote for Obama. Overwhelmingly.

McCain pandered to what Althouse says she likes in a candidate, and she voted for Obama. He was civil, positive, and so on... and lost.

I'm not buying this.

Irene said...

The "Irene" who posted above is not Irene-the-one-with-the-poodles.

ken in tx said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ken in tx said...

Ann has said several times that she voted against McCain more than she voted for Obama. I took her at her word but lately that seems unlikely. I did not vote for McCain either. I voted for Bob Barr. Obama has turned out to be much worse than I expected. She seems to be saying she would vote for him again. That is incomprehensible. This election is too important to hinge on stupid videos or ads.

Dante said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DADvocate said...

If it weren't for leftist twits like Garage Mahal, I'd vote for the Obamao. But so much of garage's disgusting views rub off on Obama due to guilt by association, I simply can't.

Same here, but I blame shiloh.

DADvocate said...

Hahahahaha!!

Neo-Neocon points out Obama voted "against the bill that sought to waive the Stafford Act in order to make assistance funds available to the New Orleans Katrina victims without their having to match them with a 10% contribution.
......
But there’s something profoundly distasteful and almost grotesque about him voting against the waiver, knowing the bill had passed despite his vote, and then misleading the audience to make them angry that the waiver hadn’t happened."

Can you believe Neo-neocon is saying these ugly things about Obama? OMG!! I just can't vote for Romney now.

Unknown said...

This is good news. Obama has finally found a shovel-ready job! It turns out the middle class was more shovel-ready than he expected.