Althouse: Etch-a-Sketch-o-Mania!

March 22, 2012

Etch-a-Sketch-o-Mania!

It's a disaster!

This is the most inane nonincident of the campaign season.

84 comments:

Scott M said...: Ranking even higher as a nonincident than a white-washed Mexican vacation story? Quite possibly...; 3/22/12, 2:31 PM
Amexpat said...: I disagree, this severely undermines his credibility as a conservative.; 3/22/12, 2:31 PM
Henry said...: From the article: There has to be some passion for a presidential candidacy to work. Romney has none, just a deep abiding faith in his ability as a turnaround guy. A turnaround guy. A turnaround guy.

Works for me.; 3/22/12, 2:32 PM
Once written, twice... said...: As I have been saying, Romney=Ford. There is no down side for moderate liberals in this race. In fact there is every reason to believe that Romney, if elected, will be in a better position to carry out Romney/Obamacare and climate change legislation.

I want Obama but will settle for Romney. A classic win-win.

Thanks Ann for helping to hoodwink your Althouse Hillbillies!; 3/22/12, 2:33 PM
rcommal said...: gormless

Dang, that was a new one on me. Had to look it up. Doesn't happen all that often, but I must say, I get a thrill when it does.; 3/22/12, 2:34 PM
Right is right! said...: Now that the Romney team feel that they have the nomination in hand they are starting to reposition Romney as the liberal Republican that he truly is. It will be interesting to see if he starts coming off as more authentic now that he can stop pretending to be a conservative.; 3/22/12, 2:39 PM
Mid-Life Lawyer said...: Agreed. Very silly and I think the dust has already settled.

It seems to me that more and more, the media hit jobs and the opportunist politcal turns on these type things are rapidly backfiring. I think there really is something going on and the majority of voters (I'm not including the many who are too uninformed or apathetic to vote) are onto the nonsense. More and more I am seeing the MSNBC panels etc. completely stumpted and frustrated. It's beautiful.; 3/22/12, 2:40 PM
Rick said...: I disagree, as well.
I am not a Romney supporter but have been trying to reconcile myself to him and to convince myself that he may not be so bad. Yesterday's gaffe was a major set back in my effort in that it reemphasized precisely the concerns that I have regarding him.; 3/22/12, 2:41 PM
Henry said...: Personally I think the fall campaign is more like a pack of play-dough. By the end of the primaries, with all the counterpunching, what you have for a candidate is a gray blob. So you throw out that play-dough and you open a few jars of new red, white, and blue, and your candidate is all colorful again.; 3/22/12, 2:42 PM
Henry said...: Or perhaps the fall campaign is like a star wars lego set. You could try rebuilding the thing, but you know you're missing a bunch of really crucial pieces so you just build a free-form canoe instead and stick R2D2 in that.; 3/22/12, 2:47 PM
coketown said...: A low bar to crawl under, to be sure. But this kind of gaffe can only be sensational in a primary. It will blow over and be forgotten by tomorrow night, and has no traction to carry into the general election. I mean, really, how would Obama use this? "He's not really a right-wing extremist; he's a moderate centrist--and has been all along!!!"

No.; 3/22/12, 2:48 PM
I ♥ Willard said...: I love the Etch-a-Sketch!

Willard's great strength as a candidate is his ability to be flexible about his core principles. Although it's impossible to please everyone, Willard is sure going to try!; 3/22/12, 2:50 PM
coketown said...: And if I had to pick a toy metaphor for Obama it would be...um...the white Power Ranger (ironic, I know, but stay with me).

When the white Power Ranger came out he was new and awesome; nothing like it had been seen before; everyone had to have one. But then you got it and realized it's the same as all the other Power Rangers, just a different color. But you're so emotionally invested in it that you have to pretend you're still batshit crazy over it, and it's the one you bring to school and show off, but in secret you think, "I could have had a fucking erector set but I just haaaaad to go for that lame piece of shit. Whatevs."; 3/22/12, 2:51 PM
Matt said...: Moderate Liberal vs Moderate Conservative this fall.

I don't see voters being compelled to lean Moderate Conservative since Romney is at the helm. A better politician might pull it off. I am sure Romney will choose a very conservative VP just to cover his bases.; 3/22/12, 2:53 PM
Pastafarian said...: It's interesting that they should use the Etch-a-Sketch as their metaphor. It was once manufactured by the Ohio Art Company, in my home town of Bryan, Ohio. It's about a mile from my house, on the other side of town.

Oh, the Etch-a-Sketch still sold by Ohio Art; but it's made by Happy Lucky Molding Industries in Ningbo province, China. Ohio Art employs a tiny core of maybe 20 people, all in marketing and sales, in a huge building that spans half the length of High Street, where they once employed hundreds.

Do go on, Jay Retread, with your ever-so-subtle reverse psychology. You know what happened to Ohio Art, Jay?

Unions. OSHA. EPA. In other words, everything you and your surly shiftless AFSCME I-am-the-99-percent dipshit brothers have been fighting for, peaking with the election of that feckless stuttering fuck in the White House.

Thanks, Jay Retread!; 3/22/12, 2:53 PM
Anonymous said...: One guy has never had a real job, and spends trillions that we don't have.

The other guy has a proven record of accomplishment and of always watching the bottom line, including his own, which led to him amassing several hundred million dollars.

But the deciding issue is going to be what some guy said one time on a news interview?

Really?

Are we that shallow and distracted as a citizenry?; 3/22/12, 2:53 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: You mean Romney is being vetted?

Not only is he a turnaround guy Romney is good for the economy.; 3/22/12, 2:54 PM
Cedarford said...: The saying in politics since FDR's days was that the primary was one election and then a WHOLE NEW campaign starts for the general election. This has been accepted as true for 80 years.

Romney's aide committed a gaffe in the classic sense. He said what was true.

Obama will not be pandering to his blacks, hollywood jewish moguls, and the Green Nazis (they have no one else to vote for) or spending huge time and money trying to win the vote in Hawaii or South Carolina. He has already started to pivot to the general election. With stunts like showing up where all the Keystone pipe sections have been stored the last 3 years to announce approval.

Romney will soon not be pandering to ignorant creationists (they will not vote for the 'Secret Muslim from Kenya'), and similarly, not focusing on winning each state, including Hawaii and S Carolina.

Obama has already shaken his etch a sketch.; 3/22/12, 2:55 PM
edutcher said...: I see the trolls have finally decided it's safe to crawl out from their abodes into the sun.

And when, O when!, is Klein going to do a column on the Etch-A-Sketch that is the Administration of Barack Hussein Obama, mm, mm, mm.; 3/22/12, 2:55 PM
One Particular Harbor said...: It's inane, but it's got a great visual, hence it's longer shelf life than other inane non-issues.; 3/22/12, 2:57 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Pastafarian @ 2:53...

Great catch buddy..; 3/22/12, 2:59 PM
kjbe said...: Ohio Arts Stock tripled yesterday.; 3/22/12, 3:06 PM
pm317 said...: I agree this was much ado about nothing but still not very smart on the part of that adviser. It is standard practice to reposition your candidate for a GE while focusing on the more strident voters in the primary. So what is the big surprise here? Do you want a Republican president or Obama? In fact, Romney remained true to himself for much of the time during the primary and didn't go around beating his chest and pandering like Santorum.; 3/22/12, 3:12 PM
Joe said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/22/12, 3:14 PM
Pastafarian said...: Kit, that's great news for Happy Lucky Molding Industries of Ningbo province, China.; 3/22/12, 3:15 PM
garage mahal said...: “These pancakes are something else, I’ll tell ya,” said Romney, standing in the dining room of Charlie Parker’s Diner in Springfield admiring the dish known as a “Charlie’s Famous Giant Pancake.” “These pancakes are about as large as my win in Puerto Rico last night, I must admit. The margin is just about as good.”

Romney is just weird.; 3/22/12, 3:19 PM
Pastafarian said...: Shit, garage, in that case, we'd better vote for 19% real unemployment, trillion dollar deficits, and 300 Mexicans dead at the hands of the ATF.

Because I'd hate to elect someone weird. Eewww, how totally gross.; 3/22/12, 3:27 PM
Tim said...: "And when, O when!, is Klein going to do a column on the Etch-A-Sketch that is the Administration of Barack Hussein Obama, mm, mm, mm."

Actually, I'm thinking the fun house mirror is more appropriate - depending upon the angle, the object's image changes...; 3/22/12, 3:29 PM
MadisonMan said...: How is this a gaffe?

It allowed his opponents to become OUTRAGED!!!.

Of course, if it hadn't been this, it would have been his untied shoelace (What kind of conservative doesn't tie his shoes!) or his love of pancakes.; 3/22/12, 3:30 PM
garage mahal said...: It allowed his opponents to become OUTRAGED!!!.

I don't think anyone was outraged. A little laughter perhaps. I don't dislike Romney, I just think he is going to be good for many a gaffes

P.S. The USGS sez (micro?) earthquakes in Clintonville.; 3/22/12, 3:37 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: When Biden says something stupid, the media doesn't touch it. When Obama lies, which is near constant, the media says nothing.; 3/22/12, 3:37 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: This is the most inane nonincident of the campaign season.

Of course it's a nonincident - because you like Romney - just as you wrote about how much we all love Obama a few days ago. Your claim to "cruel neutrality" is delusional - or assumes we're the idiots.

The fact this nonincident fits exactly into what the rest of us have said is also exactly what makes it a nonincident - to you. You see what you want to see. And brush off what you want to brush off - but it'll keep coming. It can't be helped - he's a cultist.

At this point I wouldn't trust you to judge much of anything fairly. It's like you hear a dog whistle and you can't help but respond accordingly. You did it for Obama and you're doing it again.

It's actually kind of sad, really:

My whole image of professors - which was pretty high before i got online - has been forever destroyed by the blogging process,...; 3/22/12, 3:38 PM
Scott M said...: I just think he is going to be good for many a gaffes

Sorry. The bar has been set too high by "500 year" Biden and Debbie Wasserman Robot.; 3/22/12, 3:41 PM
Bender said...: This is the most inane nonincident of the campaign season.

Move along. Nothing to see here. Everything is a nonincident as far as Romney is concerned. He can do no wrong. Ever. He just can't.

Romney's the nominee, so shut your mouth, close your eyes, cover your ears, stomp your feet, and repeat to yourself over and over, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Nothing matters. All that is important is getting rid of Obama. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."; 3/22/12, 3:42 PM
Wince said...: Fehrnstrom needs to stay in the background.

That said, if they come at Romney with the Etch-s-Sketch meme, Romney needs to show he's more Rock-em-Sock-em Robot.

Listen carefully to this 1960s commercial @7sec:

Does the kid actually say "Obama's block is knocked off"?

Downside, Rock-em-Sock-em Robots is on Obama's turf -- it's "by Marx".; 3/22/12, 3:46 PM
Bender said...: If this is a non-incident, I guess that maybe you'll not, after all, look at yourself in the mirror the morning after and start to feel sick and disgusted with yourself.; 3/22/12, 3:46 PM
Bender said...: Romney needs to show he's more Rock-em-Sock-em Robot

Oh, Romney can play Rock-em-Sock-em Robot when he's up against a Republican.

The problem is that he will switch to playing naked Twister with Obama.

But that doesn't matter.; 3/22/12, 3:49 PM
coolkevs said...: Etch-a-Sketch stock soars

Well, actually only 800 of the stock's shares were bought - somebody didn't use what's called a limit order. In contrast, Apple computer traded 22 million shares just today!; 3/22/12, 3:50 PM
John Stodder said...: Move along. Nothing to see here

Well, to be fair Bender, this was not said by Romney.

Or do you think it's fair to hang the "aspirin between your knees" crack on Santorum?

Your candidate, let's not forget, actually said the words "I don't care about the unemployment rate."; 3/22/12, 4:05 PM
rcommal said...: I think "shaking the Etch-a-Sketch" is a pretty good catchphrase for describing the traditional transition from primary to post-primary season (though, indeed, it was a stupid thing for a campaign staffer to say). For that matter, it's a pretty good catchphrase for describing the transition from candidate to elected officeholder, too, often enough.; 3/22/12, 4:07 PM
Bender said...: "Your candidate"

Who the hell is "my candidate"????

Regarding the aspirin guy -- he was NOT a Santorum campaign staffer, much less one of the top guys.

No, this wasn't said by Romney, but Romney is more than a one-man operation -- he is an entire campaign staff. He is not going to govern all by himself. He is going to be, and is now, surrounded by a bunch of people who will eagerly tack left as quickly as possible. His staff are just as much weasels as he is.

You Romney supporters can lie to yourselves all you want, but don't expect anyone who has eyes and ears and integrity to say "yum" when Romney serves up crap sandwiches for us to eat.; 3/22/12, 4:13 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Who is your candidate, Bender?
Perfection Reagan zombie?
Unicorn Perry?
Fairytale perfection illusion?
Lord Zero's 2nd term?; 3/22/12, 4:21 PM
David said...: The reaction seems a lot like silly putty.

Missed toy analogies in the past:

John Edwards: Erector set.

Donald Trump: Wheel of Fortune.

Strom Thurmond: Old Maid.

John Kennedy: Poker (Poke her....get it?)

Barack Obama: Galloping Golf

Richard Nixon: Checkers

Mike Dukakis: Sorry

John Kerry: Twister

Joe Biden: Candyland

Ron Paul: Hey Pa! There's a Goat on the Roof

Bill Clinton: Obsession

Hilary: Obsession

Lyndon Johnson: Dominos

John Huntsman: Whist; 3/22/12, 4:23 PM
Robert said...: Other things Romney's staff shouldn't compare him to: Twister, KerPlunk, Spirograph, and Silly Putty.; 3/22/12, 4:28 PM
Cedarford said...: AprilApple said...
Who is your candidate, Bender?
Perfection Reagan zombie?
Unicorn Perry?
Fairytale perfection illusion?
Lord Zero's 2nd term?

==============
Bender, unwittingly, has made himself into as big a joke as Mick or Freder Frederson.; 3/22/12, 4:31 PM
rcommal said...: John Edwards: Erector set.

This one is particularly funny in light of a story today containing allegations by a prostitute who claims she worked for the Manhattan Madam aka Soccer Mom (aka Defender of Pigs?!?)that John Edwards was one of her clients in 2007, a charge which Edwards "categorically denies," according to his lawyers.; 3/22/12, 4:34 PM
rcommal said...: With any luck, Rielle will be able to supply John with an alibi to disprove the prostitute's claim that he was a john.; 3/22/12, 4:37 PM
crosspatch said...: Yep, and even some Republican sites that are in the tank for Santorum are pumping it for all they're worth (which isn't much at this point).

It was the opinion of a campaign staffer, not Romney's opinion. The way I read it, it was the campaign staffer saying they could change his presentation any way they wanted to. It wasn't saying that Romney would actually agree to any such thing.; 3/22/12, 4:38 PM
edutcher said...: David said...

The reaction seems a lot like silly putty.

Missed toy analogies in the past:

John Edwards: Erector set.

Think you mean erection set.

Unless, of course, you're implying Silky Pony isn't fully functional.; 3/22/12, 4:56 PM
crosspatch said...: Ok, Santorum has just stuck a fork in his own campaign:

"Maybe America’s better off with Obama than taking a risk on an “Etch-a-Sketch” candidate"

That should just about do it. He's done. This might cost him dearly in Louisiana Saturday, too.; 3/22/12, 5:10 PM
Hagar said...: If Romney gets to be president of the U.S., he will have to work with the House and Senate we elect for him to work with, and he is going to go for what appears possible.
It is going to be directed toward the U.S. we know, or rather, knew; he does not have a vision to transform America, much less to heal the planet or stop the oceans from rising.
And this is a good thing.; 3/22/12, 5:14 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: You guys are funny:

When I was for Newt I caught flak here, even though I did posts dissing him when he fucked up. it's like you didn't bother to notice my even-handedness because you were so obsessed with hating him.

Then, after Marianne showed up, I said I wouldn't contribute to her pain by supporting Newt and switched to Santorum.

Since then, I've done a few Santorum posts where he said stupid shit, but my support is still there.

You guys, though, you're SOLD beyond reasonableness on Romney - and, as Bender said, you expect us not to notice your one-sided nature. Well, I noticed during the Obama election - and it's just as apparent now:

You've lost your marbles over another damned politician.

A good look in the mirror - and at your chosen candidate - is what's called for. As I keep reminding you, the presidency is about more than economics, and these politicians - all of them - deserve to be vetted, harshly. They're politicians and not to be trusted. You're not doing that. You're actively rooting for someone without understanding who they are, and you'll let anything they do wrong slide. That's wrong - especially now when we have a chance to dodge a bullet, if need be.

I will not support a cultist for president. Not just because of that but because of what it indicates:

Gullibility, deceit, and malevolence towards the intelligence we all (supposedly) possess.

I want a president I can feel confident I can eventually trust. And trust to take our country to a better place. I see none of that in Mitt Romney. I see a man who is widely known to say and do anything to gain power - and you KNOW it. It's not an illusion created by the media - it's an impulse he has, created by his cult's self-evident aspirations. I say either explore that or stop bullshitting us that you're doing your jobs as citizens.

And, while you may argue the cult point, his weasely nature is an established FACT.

Sorry, but that's not the quality we should be supporting in our candidates - just as we didn't with John Edwards - because our country comes first.

Now wake up and do your duty.; 3/22/12, 5:18 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: crosspatch,

It was the opinion of a campaign staffer, not Romney's opinion.

Bullshit - this was no flunky - it was his Communications Director.

I swear, you people will liiiiiie,...; 3/22/12, 5:21 PM
Cedarford said...: AprilApple said...
Who is your candidate, Bender?
Perfection Reagan zombie?
Unicorn Perry?
Fairytale perfection illusion?
Lord Zero's 2nd term?

==============
Bender, unwittingly, has made himself into as big a joke as Mick or Freder Frederson.

===============
I forgot Crack Emcee.; 3/22/12, 5:27 PM
crosspatch said...: Imagine saying "once the primary is over we start with a clean slate". That would be what the guy was trying to get across by the shaking the etch-a-sketch clean comment. It is other people who have twisted the meaning of that into something different.

In American politics for President, during the primary you play to the base and during the general you play to the center. That is how it is done because neither party's "base" can get that party elected by itself and playing to your base in the general alienates everyone else.; 3/22/12, 5:32 PM
crosspatch said...: And playing to the center is quite effective. I mean, even Prof. Althouse fell for that from Obama last election.; 3/22/12, 5:33 PM
Writ Small said...: One of Romney's advisors said the campaign is going to pivot more to the center when the general gets underway.

Given that every presidential candidate does this, if you didn't see this coming you're either brand new to politics or an idiot.; 3/22/12, 5:51 PM
bbkingfish said...: Romney has painted himself into a corner where his main strength is his main weakness: Nobody believes him.

Conservative Republicans who don't support Romney don't believe he's as conservative as he claims to be; neither do the moderate Republicans who are voting for him.

How he will turn this to his advantage in the fall, someone else will have to explain.; 3/22/12, 5:55 PM
One Particular Harbor said...: Why do I have to have a president I can trust? Why would anyone trust any politician? That's crazy. They're all narcissistic lying skunks. Which is fine. It's the nature of the job. As long as they're narcissistic lying skunks who understand upon which side their bread is buttered, more power to 'em.

I want a president who will do the job that needs to be done right now. I need a president who will stop this crazy train to destruction and get us back on track to sound fiscal policy.

I couldn't care less if he openly practiced Santeria.

Mostly, I want a candidate, come November, who can beat Obama. And the ONLY guy who has demonstrated ANY ability to do that is Romney.

I don't have to trust him, or like him, or even want to vote for him in 2016.

If anyone can come up with a candidate who has demonstrably better odds of beating Obama in November than Romney, and who is actually running, fine. So far, there isn't anyone else.

As long as Romney understands who put him in office and what is expected of him by those people, he can run on the Socialist ticket next go-round and I won't even blink an eye.

This notion that people are somehow hoodwinked into voting for Romney, or are stupid, is ludicrous. We get the process. We get the 90 story high pile of horse manure all these campaigns are built on. We get that politicians promise all kinds of shit to get elected and never intend to bother with half of them. It's not our first rodeo. But we also get that the first order of the day is to get rid of Obama, and that Romney is the only guy WHO IS RUNNING that has an ice cube's chance in hell of doing that.; 3/22/12, 6:12 PM
crosspatch said...: bbkingfish

You a projecting a little here. You use words like "nobody". Just because you don't believe him does not mean "nobody" does. So far a lot more people appear to believe him than not. He has nearly twice as many popular votes as his nearest competitor. I would say the ones that nobody "believes" at this point are Newt and Paul.; 3/22/12, 6:39 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: It's like a Chia pet. The ram, not any of the other animals that followed, the ram. It has to be the original ram. You soak the totally stiff clay Chia pet ram and you also soak the seeds and they get all slimy and that slime sticks the seeds to the grooves cut into the Chia pet ram. The ram. It has to be a ram. Then you keep putting water in its little water hole and the seeds germinate and grow turning the whole thing fuzzy then as soon as it grows it dies, and you scrub it clean but not too hard or that wrecks the grooves, and then do it all over again.

I wore out my Etch-a-Sketch. I was ace at that thing too. I could make circles and write cursive. I ruined it by erasing the whole thing to examine the mechanism without bashing it apart. It was never the same after that. Shame. It lasted some seven relocations. Never occurred to me that I could just buy another one. For some reason I assumed you get one per lifetime and that's it, I used mine up. Plus there were other toys that were great too.; 3/22/12, 7:05 PM
el polacko said...: ~N just said it better than i can. i want obama OUT and if the alternative is romney, then it's romney and i'm not gonna whine about it nor seek to weaken him as the candidate.; 3/22/12, 8:12 PM
Wince said...: Chip said...
It was never the same after that. Shame. It lasted some seven relocations. Never occurred to me that I could just buy another one. For some reason I assumed you get one per lifetime and that's it, I used mine up.

I grew up in the same mentality. I think it was inculcated by parents who grew up during the depression and were never affluent. So much seemed so out of reach -- even the very possible sometimes didn't seem possible.; 3/22/12, 8:12 PM
Writ Small said...: "You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who's just going to be a little different than the person in there. If you're going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk with what may be the Etch-A-Sketch candidate of the future."

-- Rick Santorum, endorsing Obama over Romney.

Letting yourself think you're going to win and then losing can scramble your judgment. First Newt. Now Santorum. Not pretty.; 3/22/12, 8:40 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: crosspatch,

Imagine saying "once the primary is over we start with a clean slate". That would be what the guy was trying to get across by the shaking the etch-a-sketch clean comment. It is other people who have twisted the meaning of that into something different.

I've encountered this phenomena before:

The tendency to fill in the blanks for Romney.

Fen did it a few days ago, when we were discussing a Romney staffer's divulgence of the strategy to scream "religious bigot" whenever someone mentioned Mormonism. Fen seemed to know "what he meant" as opposed to accepting what he said.

Now crosspatch knows what the Communications Director was "trying to get across," but it, too, is at odds with the facts:

The man was asked about Romney, specifically, not the campaign. Look and see for yourself.

So it is Romney supporters who have "twisted the meaning of that into something different." And then - and this is the important part - put the specter of lying on others, just as Romney and his "church" are now faced with charges of insensitivity and racism against Jews and blacks but charge others with bigotry. I repeat:

This is malevolent and deceitful behavior, and it portends nothing good for the future of this election or this nation when we can clearly see men and women are willing to sell their integrity - and attempt to smear the integrity of others - so easily.

This is political cultism at work. Just as with Obama's election, we are watching a perversion of reality working it's way darkly into our lives, and - also, as we've seen since Obama was elected and the pathetic politician was finally revealed, leaving us with a result uglier than we dared imagine - Romney's unraveling will also leave us stuck with him, when we could've been done with the whole mess now through vetting.

Someone like Cedarford can try to label bender and I as jokes, but if there's anything I've said here is a lie - and I have provided you with a link to prove that's not so - then the rest of you ought to be brave enough to call the accusers out for what they are:

Liars.; 3/22/12, 8:53 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Stories like this tell me Romney is winning.

This is all you can find on Romney? This is the best you got?

Pathetic. Desperate.; 3/22/12, 8:55 PM
Paul said...: Tell you the honest truth.

If Mitt is just another super liberal like Obama, then hell, re-elect Obama and let the blame go to the Democrat Administration if we have another four years of Obamanomics.

I sure don’t see any reason elect a RINO.; 3/22/12, 9:02 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: el polacko,

~N just said it better than i can. i want obama OUT and if the alternative is romney, then it's romney and i'm not gonna whine about it nor seek to weaken him as the candidate.

Why can't you people break this delusion that only Romney can beat Obama so letting him get away with murder - with your ok - is the right way to go? ObamaCare is polling at 72% AGAINST. Every poll on Obama's leadership and the direction of the country is AGAINST him. Don't you see that? I could run and beat him. Hell, Garage could give him a run for his money at this point.

You're afraid of shadows on the wall - snap out of it.; 3/22/12, 9:06 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Crack-

The polling data don't reflect that. Obama is still polling close to all Republican candidates, and Romney does consistently poll the best.

I think another candidate besides Romney could win, but the idea that the President is destined to lose the election isn't correct. Obama's ability to make this close when this election should be a blowout should give us all pause.; 3/22/12, 9:25 PM
shiloh said...: "most inane nonincident of the campaign season" which Althouse deemed worthy of it's own thread notwithstanding ...

It is interesting after 5/6 years of campaigning and in essence mittens has been campaigning since daddy lost in '68, that mittens along w/his campaign staff keep makin' unforced errors ie not and never will be ready for prime time.

Again, mittens is clueless w/out a script which is why Ted Kennedy easily annihilated him in the '94 MA senate debate(s).

Can one imagine if mittens wasn't runnin' against (3) frickin' clowns/train wrecks and didn't have a 7 to 1 $$$ advantage.; 3/22/12, 9:41 PM
Blob said...: A Etch-a-Sketch lets people draw whatever they imagine, but their vision vanishes with a light bump from the real world outside the screen.

Kind of like what happened when everyone who thought Obama would make things better for them got a cold dose of reality.

I thought my condoms would be free by now, but no, Obama has been a huge disappointment, only just now after more than 3 years bringing up the issue, and only on behalf of women.; 3/22/12, 9:43 PM
Anonymous said...: American politics has become a theater of the absurd. We keep getting these stupid side shows- etch a sketch, so-and-so refuses to denounce so-and-so, and my favorite, the perennial campaign to get Rush Limbaugh off the air. Meanwhile, we're broke, unemployed, and Iran has the bomb. WTG, us.; 3/22/12, 9:53 PM
30yearProf said...: Flip-Flop. Flip-Flop.
Etch-a-Sketch makes it sooooo easy. You just erase the past and boldly claim that you "always" held the position you find most advantageous AT THE MOMENT. Ah, heaven for a politician -- living in a permanent present. No past to deny, no future to plan for.; 3/22/12, 9:58 PM
Donald Sensing said...: Yeah, but boy do I wish I had sunk my life savings into Etch a Sketch stock yesterday!; 3/22/12, 10:35 PM
SH said...: There was that rock painted with a mean word at a place some candidate's family rented several times when he was a boy. If I messed up the facts it is only that they were so stupid in real life I had trouble etching them into memories...; 3/22/12, 10:59 PM
Manty Five said...: Crack Emcee -> Of course it's a nonincident - because you like Romney - just as you wrote about how much we all love Obama a few days ago. Your claim to "cruel neutrality" is delusional - or assumes we're the idiots.
-----------------------------------

That's completely inappropriate. There's a lot of good reasons that it should be a non-incident (but Santorum's actions has ensured that it won't be).

It was a campaign staffer, stating something that's been true of every candidate in every presidential general election that every one of us were alive to remember.

It was immediately seized on by people who profited the most from pretending that candidates don't shift towards the center for the general. Don't you even care that that's a risibly obvious lie?

It's easy for a candidate who won't make it to a general election to complain about what all candidates must do to win it.; 3/22/12, 11:14 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Manty Five,

That's completely inappropriate. There's a lot of good reasons that it should be a non-incident (but Santorum's actions has ensured that it won't be).  It was a campaign staffer, stating something that's been true of every candidate in every presidential general election that every one of us were alive to remember.

It was immediately seized on by people who profited the most from pretending that candidates don't shift towards the center for the general. Don't you even care that that's a risibly obvious lie?

You're the one lying - even after I gave you link to the video.

First, it wasn't some mere "staffer," it was the Communications Director - which hardly gets closer to Romney and his thinking.

And second, he was asked specifically about ROMNEY - not the turn of a campaign - so it's you who are misrepresenting what was said.

I ask you, why must you lie for this man?; 3/22/12, 11:32 PM
Milwaukee said...: "most inane nonincident of the campaign season"

Ann says this because she isn't a real conservative. She doesn't get it. Romney is Not a conservative. The danger with Romney is that he will get Obamacare to work.

The objective is to defeat 0bama and eliminate 0bamacare. Romney can't defeat 0bamacare because of Romney care. If Romney were to make a bad Supreme Court nomination, like Souter, who was suggested by Romney's friend Sununu, then moderate Republican Senators wouldn't object. Those senators might object to a lame-brained 0bama nominee.; 3/22/12, 11:39 PM
Manty Five said...: Crack, typing his title in italics doesn't make him not a staffer. Sorry.

And your contention that the subtext isn't the general election is just bizarre. You're depending too heavily on stripping context. Ask yourself how his response would even make any kind of logical sense otherwise.

So I guess we have our answer. For you, any weapon to hand. You really DON'T care about whether the criticism is a lie or not, nor whether Santorum just gave the media it's meme to save Obama with.; 3/23/12, 1:50 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Manty Five,

Crack, typing his title in italics doesn't make him not a staffer. Sorry.

No, it makes him the Communications Director - not some guy answering phones but the guy Romney talks to daily in shaping the message. Face it, he forgot himself and told the truth. His bad.  And your contention that the subtext isn't the general election is just bizarre. You're depending too heavily on stripping context. Ask yourself how his response would even make any kind of logical sense otherwise.

Bullshit. The man was asked of ROMNEY - not the general election. You're the one trying to force that subtext into it after the fact. There's a reason everyone says it's a major fuck-up - because it completely encapsulates what we already know of the man. That's what "logical sense" everyone sees but you don't want to accept:

You've attached yourself to a liar.  So I guess we have our answer. For you, any weapon to hand. You really DON'T care about whether the criticism is a lie or not, nor whether Santorum just gave the media it's meme to save Obama with.

Whoo-hoo - such cynicism. Look, let me make something perfectly clear to you:

I didn't put Obama in office - our hostess has that honor all to herself and I've been reminding her of it for four long years.

As such, I feel absolutely no responsibility for what he's done and, if he wins again, what he will do. I've made it clear ethics and it's correlation to reality mean more to me than this unhinged passion for getting Obama out in any manner possible, including selling out what we're supposed to be fighting for. We've been at it for a while - Limbaugh's apology, the conservative-led PC attacks on Bill Maher, the handing over of the election to Romney without vetting him - all of it dead wrong for conservatives to be engaged in. We've lost our way in our desperation to win.
I will not vote for a cultist no matter what it means for the election because, for me, the country comes first and anything that imposes itself on any American's free will is a serious threat to the nation's safety. The rest of you may pooh-pooh that idea but I think you're cruel and stupid people for doing so. Cruel because, just because it's not you in a cult, you don't care. And stupid because, when it becomes you or a loved one, or even your country, then your dumb ass will care and it'll probably be too late.

No, Romney's potential loss - or Obama's potential win - doesn't bother me. What bothers me is my country acting out of character. It's bothered me since the Leftist hysteria of the Bush years and still bothers me today.

I've said from the very beginning that we can win if we come together around a true conservative and my election trajectory has stayed with that - Palin first, and when she wasn't running, Newt, followed by Santorum because Newt's philandering - exemplified by his promise not to commit adultery in office - makes me ill. It is the rest of you who are employing the any weapon at hand strategy, going with Romney - at all costs - because you're cynical about how the game is played. Well, sorry, but I don't play games when it comes to politics. This is serious business and we either are voting to truly get our country back or we're not. Not to hand it over to cultists, not to hand it over to adulterers, and not to hand it over to socialist/Marxists but back to the American people. And only one candidate represents that, and it's Rick Santorum.

If we lose with him, then so be it, but anything less is a loss anyway, so what do I care?; 3/23/12, 2:47 AM
Manty Five said...: I never said that he was some schlub answering calls, thank you very much. That doesn't mean you get to treat a gaffe by an employee the same as one made by the man.

You want to talk about wrong directions to take this country? How about running a soc con against Obama, and letting the media turn it into a "Republicans want to steal your vagina" rout instead of focusing on undoing as much of the economic damage as possible.

If socialized health care survives SC challenge, this election's the last chance to get rid of it. After that, you won't see any more politicians running against the idea: they'll be competing to exploit it, instead. Just like in every other government health care system on the planet, and just like every other government giveaway that never goes away.

Whether or not you feel blame is of no interest or consequence whatsoever to me or to the bureaucrats who'll be dismantling the private sector of medicine, one company at a time.; 3/23/12, 3:29 AM
Ben said...: I agree. It's like one of those secrets everyone knows but no one is supposed to articulate. Of course campaigns change focus when they move from primaries to the general election. They are now appealling to a larger, more diverse group of people. That doesn't mean views and platforms get switched around, but focus and rhetoric sure might. And if the candidate wants to win, they better adjust.; 3/23/12, 5:57 AM
Bryan said...: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mitt-romneys-etch-a-sketch-gaffe-gives-new-meaning-to-game-change/2012/03/21/gIQAPYrXSS_story.html

Dana Milbank disagrees. I defer to Ann's assessment and Dana Milbank loses a credibility point. But the article has a few funny points and Mr. Milbank seems to have really done his research on Chutes and Ladders. Sorta becomes exhausting to play along after a while, though.; 3/23/12, 2:07 PM
Terrye said...: It is inane. Everyone knows what the man was trying to say..his choice of words might not have been the best..but it was not half as ridiculous as the media's reaction to it. Considering some of the really stupid things Rick Santorum has said himself, this is pretty minor.

I think the media's obsession with silly little non events like this is one reason so many people hate politics.; 3/23/12, 6:04 PM