February 26, 2012

Evan Bayh, clinging to guns and religion.

This morning, on Fox News Sunday:
Well, look, Bill obviously noticed, the Wall Street Journal editorial page will notice, you can go into Michigan, put a gun to the head of the people going into these caucuses and no one will be able tell you the specifics of Romney's economic plan, or very few. But they do get a gut sense is this someone who is a leader with big idea who can try and lead this country in a better direction. God love him, he just hasn't been able to communicate that yet.
Gun to the head... God love him... What's wrong with that man?

44 comments:

Anonymous said...

The MI voters will vote for Santorum. He is the nominee of the GOP. In the General, Obama-Biden, the Billion Dollar Team, will defeat Santorum-Gingrich in 49 states. The GOP may win SC. That's the story.

Thanks to Rick and Newt. Politics is out of my system. No more contributions. No more consulting. I am now in another business: Online delivery of vegan cupcakes.

The biggest loser is of course Romney. He should have been willing to lose the entire thing from the beginning. Had more courage. Had more vision. This election was his to lose. He could easily beat Obama. Now, he will be in Tampa delivering an afternoon speech supporting Santorum-Gingrich.

GOP: The Party of the Living Dead.

Chip S. said...

"Gun to the head" is a harmless dead metaphor.

Needs the Orwell tag.

traditionalguy said...

The gun to the head tactic is a mteaphor for team members who might forget to be team players willing to take one for their team in the team sport called politics in a representative assembly where a 51% vote wins it all.

But fear not. Romney promises not to put up with such nonsense.

I guess Romney's guns will be real ones.

Hagar said...

Which man? Evan Bayh for incoherence?

Ann Althouse said...

""Gun to the head" is a harmless dead metaphor."

Seems to me some Republican was just pilloried (picture it!) for saying "gun to the head" this week.

garage mahal said...

Seems to me some Republican was just pilloried (picture it!) for saying "gun to the head" this week.

Evan Bayh is a Republican.

Anonymous said...

Evan Bayh is a Republican.

And former chairman of the Senate committe before which Richard Lindzen testified about the safety of cigarettes!

Cedarford said...

garage mahal said...
Seems to me some Republican was just pilloried (picture it!) for saying "gun to the head" this week.

Evan Bayh is a Republican.

-------------
Guess again.
Evan Bayh is a Democrat, one of the breed that the crazy evangelicals and right wingers beholden to Rush and Hannity hate as RINO material....but Republicans could use a lot more of switching parties to the Republican side. (like Manchin, Giffords before she was shot, etc)

Chip S. said...

Seems to me some Republican was just pilloried (picture it!) for saying "gun to the head" this week.

Huh. Guess I'm inured to double standards.

Besides, as someone is bound to say--in fact, as I'm about to say--Republicans actually own guns. Democrats are just kidding.

edutcher said...

Mixing metaphors is and old American political tradition although few do it well.

Or coherently.

garage mahal said...

Seems to me some Republican was just pilloried (picture it!) for saying "gun to the head" this week.

Evan Bayh is a Republican.


He is?

Snooze to me.

Unknown said...

Evan Bayh is a Republican.

Umm, maybe not.

Chip S. said...

Garage was just being metaphorical, I think.

But he's mostly right--Bayh is too sensible to be a real Democrat.

Hagar said...

By Garage's standards, Bayh is a DINO, and a traitor to the cause.

ricpic said...

Is it possible Bayh doesn't know that "God love him" is a polite way of referring to an object of pity? I know Romney would never use that phrase when referring to Obama. Respect must be shown at all times. Death, to the whole country, rather than disrespect Obama. A core RINO principle. Perhaps the only RINO principle. But for Bayh to crap on Romney? Automatic as breathing.

gadfly said...

Gosh, I wish I was politically smart like America's Politico, the campaign consultant.

But I am not, so here is my take. Carpetbagger Evan Bayh dropped out of public office because he lost touch with Indiana mainstream politics an thus he was a sure loser in 2010. Romney is much the same, because when he reaches out, it is to receive money, not a handshake.

Romney lies, beats up on his opponents instead of the issues, and, in fact, has no history of conservative thought and action during his political career.

Interestingly, those of us who have examined the background of Rick Santorum are finding the same kinds of problems. He has a history of talking a good social conservative game, even if it not an entirely honest tale, but his actions read "political moderate" at best. He somehow does not understand that social issues are not in play here - only economic thought is important now.

Many of us still clinging to our place in the Republican base continue to hold out hope that the TEA Parties will recognize that only Newt has done anything usefully conservative in his career.

The only other palatable option is a floor fight at the convention with a non-candidate such as Sarah Palin or Paul Ryan prevailing.

Chip S. said...

no history of conservative thought and action during his political career.

Noted RINO Ann Coulter says you're mistaken.

Anonymous said...

It's odd that you claim Bayh is "clinging to guns and religion", Althouse. It seems that he just used two expressive phrases that are not at all out-of-place, especially for a Midwesterner. Maybe it's because you don't hear things like this in the isolated liberal enclave where you eat your pie and imbibe the political messages on the signs that seem to always surround you?

What should concern everyone more is Kristol's cheering for big government serving the "big market" that he says wants it:

But this is a big political market our there for big change and big reform and big ideas and the sense that the system is broken on the spending side, on the entitlement side and on the tax side. And I would say the way in which Mitt Romney presents his plan doesn't convey that same sense of urgency.

Kristol's liberal cred shines through here. He wants to re-engineer society around an all-pervasive government with big plans. That's scary, much more scary than a figure of speech about guns or religion.

You should be asking your "What's wrong with that man?" question about Kristol, not Bayh.

Or maybe that's the point of your post. Maybe you want to try to get people to focus on Bayh's choice of words and ignore the ultra-nationalistic, authoritarian, socialist position spouted by the other guest!

Anonymous said...

Seems to me some Republican was just pilloried (picture it!) for saying "gun to the head" this week.

Really? That's your motivation for the post. That's awfully petty! Or at least it seems so when viewed from a cruelly neutral perspective.

Carol_Herman said...

The right wing of the republican party does not elect presidents.

From the record "mistakes have been made."

With the biggest one going to the Rockefeller's, and other insiders, who picked Dewey over General Douglas MacAarthur.

Sure, you could be amazed.

But in the contests where winning counts, stupid is as stupid does.

Obama couldn't have bought for himself better publicity. And, people keep liking him, enough, that he'll probably win his re-election.

Back in 1776, the "hand-picked" Gerald Ford, decided he liked being president. And, wouldn't step aside. The insiders, with the Bush family, included, decided to screw Ronald Reagan.

Jimmy Carter won.

And, if the Bush family had its way, screwing Ronald Reagan, again, in 1980, then Jimmy Carter would have won his re-election bid.

Carol_Herman said...

Now, let's take Santorum. He used to be a senator from Pennsylvania. But in 2006 he lost his re-election bid, by a 19% losing margin.

Do these guys even have coattails?

As we get "closer" to election day, in November 2012 ... what are all the politicians gonna do? Because they need coattails to hang on to their offices.

I only speculate on future possibilities.

rhhardin said...

who can try and lead this country in a ..

He's hanging onto hendiadys too.

Carol_Herman said...

TYPO! Gerald Ford ran for the presidency back in 1976. 1776 was two hundred years before that colossal blunder.

I am just amazed at the assortment of letters, some of them sometimes in CAPS, that pass for ID sign in's.

Me? I get them, usually, on my first try. It's a good eye test. And, I type without looking at the keyboard, anyway.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I thought Evan Bayh was a RINO.

But your point is well taken.. and that is all is going to be..

duly noted.

Chip Ahoy said...

I like graphic language. All of that is great and it really helps me get him. I marvel at his restraint because the whole time I was reading his pleasingly graphic words the details automatically filled themselves in to complete the picture he starts. I am certain he planned all that and it's very clever of him.

You can get all the people as they're lined up going into caucuses because they're all right there for you one by one in a line. Separating them off as the enter the caucus, hold up a .50 caliber Desert Eagle for them to see, check the magazine, assure it is loaded, pull the safety, click, hold the gun up to each of their heads one by one and squeeze the trigger 1/16 the way, no click, pause, then another 1/16, no click, pause, building suspense tension drama, then put your lips directly to their ear that's not having the gun aimed at it and say directly into the ear as if it is a separate entity and snarl menacingly but very lowly into that ear,

Closeup of lips ear.

"I'm going to ask you one question, and you better have a good answer."

Scan face for indications of apoplexy,

"tell me the specifics of Romney's economic plan."

But they do get a sense in their gut with their bowls and intestines housing an array of disgusting but useful bacteria, that here might be someone with some vague idea sometimes about something. God love all these hard to love people.

Kirby Olson said...

"Gun to the head" just means even in the most dire circumstances no one could tell us what Romney will do. I would bet that even Romney hasn't really thought about it. On the other hand, Santorum has thought about it and knows what he will do. He will follow the Catholic outline to the smallest detail. Maybe Romney will follow the Mormon plan, whatever that might be, but he can't talk about it, although it has to be his blueprint. Meanwhile, Obama can't tell us what the Marxist plan is, because like Mormonism, it isn't quite acceptable to the American people, or at least not to enough of them. So they mustn't talk about their game plan, and thus, we have no idea what they're going to do. Santorum has a clear vision: it's in St. Thomas Aquinas, and has been there for 800 years. He has a whole tradition, and a giant electorate just dying to vote for someone who finally makes sense.

Chip Ahoy said...

See, he didn't even mention the peristaltic motion that pushes such feeling along.

Peter said...

Am I an evil bad person for laughing at this video? All I can think is where's Jack?

sakredkow said...

Seems to me some Republican was just pilloried (picture it!) for saying "gun to the head" this week.

Yeah? Who?

Carol_Herman said...

Isn't it Newt Gingrich who keeps repeating "He has a program."

If you hear one republican say it, maybe, then, you've heard them all?

Will "Newt's Got A Program" become a bumper sticker?

Is a RINO not an elephant with a horn on his face, instead of a long nose?

Seems to me there are only two major parties in this country. And, one of them is NOT called RINO.

Ann Althouse said...

"Yeah? Who?"


"Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) sent TPM a public apology Thursday after we obtained audio of the five-term Republican telling constituents... 'You know but other than me going over there with a gun and holding it to their head and maybe killing a couple of them, I don’t think they’re going to listen unless they get beat."

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/gop-rep-ill-personally-have-to-kill-some-senators-to-get-a-budget-passed-audio.php

Carnifex said...

I saw a bumper sticker. "Vote for Newt. He sucks less". I didn't believe it.

The elite GOP only has themselves to blame. With one of easiest to win elections in the history of the country, and they come up with Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dumb, Tweedle Dumber, and the Mad Hatter.

My only hope is that Obama has run the economy into the ditch so far that only his pandered groups vote for him. The hispanics, the union bosses(I don't think he'll carry more than 50% of the membership). The coastal commie states. And most black people(you can ask Samuel L. Jackson-master racist)

The MSM will try to carry and spin about how great the economy is going, but with gas going up it ain't gonna fly.

The problem for Obama is that the price of gas is high not because demand is high but because supply is going down. The tipping point seems to be $3.50/gal. People stop going out to dinner, or the movies, or shopping because they need gas money. Food prices are higher because the price of fuel is higher too. So no one is going to buy any thing except necessities.

And NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, CNNBC, FOX, and the NYT, will not be able to hide this. Not for 3/4 of a year.

PS. OSU and Wisky are tied at the half(Go UW)

Chip Ahoy said...

Yes, Peter, you are Ha Ha Ha an evil person for laughing.

That happened once on the chairlift at Alta. The guy on the slope immediately underneath turned backward to look upward from whence he just emerged, by turning he lost balance and fell leaving a trail of equipment strewn across the slope,

Oomph! looses a hat

Ow! Looses sunglasses

Iiiiiee! looses a pole

Ooof! drops other pole

Ouch! glove rips off

Ooomph! Oooomph! Ooooomph! nothing left to drop.

And I DIED laughing dangling from the chairlift and the person next to me was horrified and kept punching me on the arm to stop laughing.

Tim said...

"The elite GOP only has themselves to blame. With one of easiest to win elections in the history of the country, and they come up with Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dumb, Tweedle Dumber, and the Mad Hatter."

Bullshit.

More to the point, bullshit on stilts.

Candidates self-identify.

All the Republican candidates who decided to run for president this time around did so themselves. No one made them, nor did anyone not allow anyone else to run.

The "elite GOP" had nothing to do with it.

Now, one can whine the three-time adulterer/divorcee failed Speaker of the House was sabotaged by the "elite GOP," but that's simply delusion. Gingrich was always going to be cheap chum for Obama on an all-too-smooth reelect, were Republicans dimwitted enough to nominate him (which, thankfully, seems not to be the case, thank God).

Santorum can't win; the candidate from the "Leave it to Beaver" meets "The Bells of St. Mary's") was never plausible, let alone possible. The fact he remains viable says more about Romney's weaknesses than Santorum's strengths.

Paul? A dangerous nut, gaining votes from people less informed than he.

Bachmann? Gardasil causes mental retardation? Simply retarded.

Cain? Indeed...because inexperience and infidelity are attributes Republicans should hope for in our candidate.

Perry? Sad. How did a man go from governing a large, multi-ethnic state with a growing economy and job-base to a stuttering idiot on the debate dais?

So there we are. Where's the smoking gun showing the "elite GOP" is responsible for this?

Or would have preferred the "elite GOP" dragoon some poor son-of-a-bitch into running for an office for which he didn't want to run? And who would have been your preferred candidate?

Anonymous said...

Put down the plastic fork, Althouse, 'cuz you are a little deranged in this here post!

Don't you realize that the additional phrase "maybe killing a couple of them" makes all the difference!

Anonymous said...

I don't know what's wrong with Bayh's comment. After all, the Gabby Giffords shooting has fallen down the memory hole long ago. Americans have short term memories. We don't remember that Giffords was shot. We don't remember that the Democrats called for civility in politics. We don't remember anything. We only know the message currently playing on the screen before us.

bflat879 said...

Here's what I'll tell you, if Romney is nominated, and Obama wins because Obamacare is off the table, there will be a rebellion in the Republican Party, the likes of which you've never seen. It will be time to clean house and get the Republican Establishment out of Washington D.C.

cbinflux said...

He obviously didn't mean to imply anything violent or otherwise negative -- he's a Liberal.

Edward said...

What's wrong with that man?

To quote John Brunner:

'He is a clapped-out old fart
with little left to lose and
not much time to regret it.'

So he might as well speak the truth.

Opus One Media said...

don't ya' just love big ideas that are unexpressed and incomprehensible.....all hail the GOP....

target practice anyone?

Methadras said...

In all honesty, if Urkel wins this election, I have a sneaking suspicion that this will a major nail in the death of the republican party. They are weak, they have no message, they are to entrenched in east coast politics. They no longer consider conservativism as the vehicle by which they arrived and now instead would rather get the scraps that the leftard democrats throw by the wayside. An American Conservative Party will have to rise and in their place and unseat them for their sheer stupidity.

future toothless bum said...

"Gun to the head" and candidates in the cross-hairs, you guys do remember the cause of Giffords shooting according to the media, are almost identical.

The difference being that a gun to the head of a Democrat isn't likely to hit anything unless it is a very large caliber, the target inside being so small.

They can't even get there minds wrapped around the similarities presented here.

Matt Sablan said...

"Well, look, Bill obviously noticed, the Wall Street Journal editorial page will notice, you can go into Michigan, put a gun to the head of the people going into these caucuses and no one will be able tell you the specifics of Romney's economic plan, or very few."

But, can they tell you what the current unemployment rate is?

Sometimes, what you know is just as bad as what you don't -- for politicians.

Amartel said...

Bayh is pretending to speak from a Republican point of view (hence guns and religion refs) in order to undercut a Republican.
The Mara Liasson Chair on Fox News Sunday, where Bayh was seated, is there to spin things in the other direction following words from the Brit Hume Chair. Then the Bill Kristol Chair spins it back in the other direction. Then Juan Williams says something poignantly fraudulent like Americans have spoken and they want to be taxed as much as possible. Then Chris Wallace quickly cuts him off.