Here We Go Again

Yet another Debate Night open thread.  8 PM Eastern on CNN.

Comments

[Jim Ryan]

Rick, Virginia will be tough because Kaine for Senate will bring out the Dem voters who will, with a shrug, pull the lever for Barry while they're at it. And a demoralized GOP will not turn up in great numbers for Romney or Newt, leaving Allen to twist in the wind. Zero and Kaine will likely take Virginia. This is why I say give Allen $25 instead of flushing it down the POTUS race toilet.

[Clarice]

Tsk, Rick. you forgot the appropriate word formula:Unexpectedly lower than consensus

[Bill Murray]

I agree with Old Timer and Sandy Daze. This may be the most important election for President in my life time and possibly in the history of the country outside of pre-civil war. We are at the intersection of what in Davos they called "the welfare state and democracy". I for one do not want to see this country merge the two into some kind of United Socialist States of ACORN. It is not a pretty scenario and I for one will do what I can to restore some constitutional sense to the management of our country.

JIm, reconsider, hold your nose if you have to but come November you and all of us need to decide if having Obama is better than any of the 4 existing Repubs? My mind is made up as of November 2008 - NO!

OMG - ABO [And don't forget to take Biden with you, please]

[centralcal]

Just a little true story about something that happened yesterday:

One of the law firms we are associated with referred a client (for corporate and individual tax and accounting services.) This new prospective client then sent an email introducing himself, outlining what his accounting services needs would be and closed by asking this question (of my boss):

"Are you a proponent of Keynesian or Austrian economic principles?"

Ha!

[MarkO]

"Is there a year in American history with worse candidates in both parties?"

2008?
1976?

[Porchlight]

Gallup today:

2011 Is Most Polarized Third Year by a Wide Margin

The 68-point gap between partisans' approval ratings of Obama last year is nine points higher than that for any other president's third year. George W. Bush had the previous high for a third year. The list of third-year averages underscores the point that the highly polarized ratings are a more recent phenomenon, with four of the last five presidents at the top of the list.

The article makes frequent references to Bush but Obama holds the record for most polarized third year by *nine* points.

I don't know how you put a majority together with that.

If I had to give a reason for the increasing polarization I would say it's the sharp leftward turn taken by the Democrats in the last twenty years, amplified by the lefty media. The rest of the country is pretty much where it used to be.

[Porchlight]

Sorry, make that thirty years.

[PaulL]

Steven Hayward writes an excellent piece on Newt and Congress and Reagan. LUN

[Clarice]

I think Romney's refusal to denounce Romneycare will hurt him in a general election and I am not alone in this:http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/it-s-not-worth-getting-angry-about_618705.html

[A Casual Observation]

Jane, my little snookums, as the quotation marks indicated, those were Squaredance's comments, not mine. So perhaps you should be chasing after him from thread-to-thread, and perhaps you should be henpecking him. Mind you, not that I wasn't thrilled to hear from you again, my loopy little love muffin.

[Jim Ryan]

MarkO, McCain looks like a statesman next to these idiots. He picked Palin and still says it was his finest move.

Yes, Bill, I'll be there in November to vote for my fine Congressman Robert Hurt, for George Allen or whichever tea party candidate beats him in the primary, and for whichever doofus is at the top of the ticket.

[Porchlight]

Wrong thread, ACO.

[Porchlight]

Jim Ryan,

Focusing on Congress, which doofus at the top of the ticket do you think helps more in downticket races? Which one hurts more?

[A Casual Observation]

Now see there, Porchlight, you weren't paying attention. If you were, you would have seen my little love muffin's love notes to me on both threads. Please try to keep up?

[Janet]

...for George Allen or whichever tea party candidate beats him in the primary, and for whichever doofus is at the top of the ticket.

That's what I will do too.

[GMAX]

Porch thanks for the data point. Its what I have been saying for awhile now. Zero made a conscience decision to polarize the electorate. Unfortunately for the imcompetent like nearly everything else he has touched, he ended up with the smaller half. Polarized electorates do not become unpolarized without significant concessions and this ideologue has no inclination to do so, he is stuck. Sucks to be him or his supporters. He will drag a lot of folks down with him. Kinda makes me smile.

[MarkO]

McCain seemed to be in the thrall of the historic first black president event. I felt that he barely competed.

[GMAX]

Lets review. RAS has been finding more Republicans than Democrats in his self ID surveys for sometime now. Big samples and rolling month results pretty much eliminates much margin of error.

Zero loses more Democrats than he gains Republican support in almost every single poll done regardless of its design.

And Indys have been consistently against him since 2009 sometimes as much as 6 to 4.

Show me with those numbers a path to return to the WH. But I will save you the effort, cuz you can not sell below cost and make up for it on volume.

[MarkO]

Doom, by the numbers:

http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/289481/grim-poll-numbers-gop-awful-ones-gingrich

[Rick Ballard]

Time to edit my Narcisolator - Thanks again, bgates.

Porchlight,

We have a legacy nomination at hand. I count that as a null factor down ticket, which is actually an opportunity to strengthen the Tea Party caucus due to the Democrats having committed mass suicide by following BOzo beyond the precipice.

The down ticket primary battles within the GOP are where the real action is now and the House fights are actually more important than the Senate.

[Porchlight]

So what, ACO? Still the wrong thread.

[Porchlight]

Thanks, Rick, that's good to hear. GMAX, more good data - ditto.

[henry]

Recall update, petitions are being reviewed by armies of volunteers". Looks like a lot of fraud involved, but who knows what the GAB will come up with on their end.

[A Casual Observation]

The less said about McCain the better. To have lost to that empty suit, street hustler and pretentious, decadent dilletante, Barack Obama, of all people, old Mr. Magoo has to be thee worst politician in the history of the human habitation of this planet.

[Danube of Thought]

Minus 14 at Raz today.

[Sue]

ACO is Anduril.

Welcome back A.

[A Casual Observation]

Ah, a woman who won't admit that she is wrong.

I'm shocked ..., shocked, I tell you.

[OldTimer]

Pelosi will use any underhanded, devious or illegal method available, to get those "25 new House members" she's spouting off about.

[Threadkiller]

A crosspost(because that is how I roll):

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/m-georgia_ballot_challenge_obama_walks_on_by.html

[Janet]

Just an observation - I posted a picture on my FB page of a sign that read -

"Senators should wear uniforms like Nascar drivers so we could identify their corporate sponsors"

It has gotten the thumbs up from both the right & the left. Most everyone is sick of Congress.

[Ranger]

Novak Djokovic wins semi-final, drops to knees and crosses himslef. Will the racists on ESPN's football show attack him?

Well, since he is probably Serbian Orthodox, probably not. Don't want to piss those Serbs off. They play rough when you rile them up.

[Jane]

Casual,

If I recall correctly you were verifying his remarks. I assume you wouldn't say he was right without any personal knowledge to back it up. Apparently I was wrong.

My mistake.

[Neo]

Romney crowdsources his tax return ...

In one case, the trustee for one of the Romney trusts sent two letters to the Internal Revenue Service electing to use an apparently irrelevant section of the tax code, and in the process misstated the facts involved.

That mistake did not affect the taxes owed, but another error was more significant. It appears that the return filed by that trust overstated capital gains realized by nearly $300,000, causing Mr. Romney and his wife to pay about $44,000 more in taxes than they owed.

Now, he gets a refund.

[Danube of Thought]

"Show me with those numbers a path to return to the WH. "

See the numbers in MarkO's 9:48. The path is being paved by these four clowns who are making the nation cringe on a weekly basis.

[Extraneus]

ACO is Anduril.

No, ACO is "Anne," and she doesn't realize she's in over her head.

[Jim Ryan]

Porch, I'm not sure, but I'd guess that Mitt would bring Virginia muddle out to vote more than Newt - and pull the lever for Allen while they're at it.

[Sue]

Then Anne is Anduril, too.

[Porchlight]

Porch, I'm not sure, but I'd guess that Mitt would bring Virginia muddle out to vote more than Newt - and pull the lever for Allen while they're at it.

Thanks, Jim Ryan. That sounds plausible in VA. What do you think about races in other states? My fear is that the Muddlers most attracted to Romney are also most likely to vote for Dems downticket. But I could be wrong.

[Porchlight]

Interesting theory, Sue.

[Sue]

I'm listening to Mark Davis interview someone that I thought was Rick Santorum. It isn't. I was thinking why the heck do people not love this guy? It's Paul Ryan. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Why the heck didn't he run?

[Sandy Daze]

Jim -
I do not think Virginia is in as dire straits as you do, but my information is anecdotal and gut instinct, while yours may be more firmly grounded in specifics.
For your consideration:
-- Gov McDonnell--very well regarded by Virginians, AFAIK.
-- Jim Webb - a Senate record very poorly regarded AFAIK (if well regarded, he would have run again, but his ego told him he had to go before he lost the seat, a disgrace to his self-perceived legacy, but I digress.)
-- The 2nd District in 2010 swung back to R (Scott Rigell); I believe he will handily hold on to his seat.
More, I believe the enthusiasm is on the Conservatives' side. Very few Americans, from what I can perceive, are still enamoured of Voldemort. The wool is off everyone's eyes (even his supporters)--Voldemort's support is mainly (if not solely) from those who stand $$ profit from his continuance as POTUS.

I can dual task, even with my single core processor. That is, it is no problem for me to VERY STRONGLY SUPPORT conservatives at every level (Senate, House, State and local) while still being passionately, unequivocally, irreducibly OMG-ABO.

Frankly, I am concerned for you re your seeming despondence over the current situation. Romney, Gingrich - a pox on both their houses as they so cavalierly disregard Reagan's 11th Commandment (something never violated by SP). We need a Nitt Romrich or something. But, you know what, it does not matter to me because ABO~OMG.

ABO-OMG today, tomorrow and forever.

ABOOMG-ABBBMG,
Sandy

[Jim Ryan]

Sandy, don't worry about me. I'll keep on keepin' on, as Florida used to say.

[A Casual Observation]

Anne. Anne. Anne.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, She hasn't posted here in over a week, and yet you continue to obsess after her.

One might suspect that you're misogynists, who continue to be incensed that a girl got the best of you.

She do have a way with words, don't she?

[Threadkiller]

The Bens. Feather Friday and we get a test.

[A Casual Observation]

I should have known better than to try to fool Threadkiller. He is so, so, well, so intuitive and so pereceptive on a whole host of issues too numerous to list here. Yessirree, he saw right through me. He's this site's resident Dippty Dog in detective mode.

[Threadkiller]

You thought I was talking to you? I wonder why?

[A Casual Observation]

Threadkiller is what passes for an intelligent life form here.

[Jane]

Then Anne is Anduril, too.

Such insecure people. It's sad really.

[A Casual Observation]

Beam me up, Scottie.

[A Casual Observation]

Snappy, Jane, snappy. Are you trying to show me that Squaredance was right about you? And here I was sticking up for you, my goofy little snookums..

[Porchlight]

And so boring, too, Jane.

[centralcal]

So Chief Canary Feather is trying out different identities? Anything to get someone to talk to him?

aaawwww, poor widdle guy just wants everyone to come out and play.

[A Casual Observation]

Aw gee, now you've gone and hurt our feelings.

[Rocco]

From ACO's 9:18 am post

Mind you, not that I wasn't thrilled to hear from you again, my loopy little love muffin.

From Anne's Jan 12th 5:43 pm post on the One Man's Terrorist Is Another Man's Targeted Assasin thread.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, you should be ashamed of yourself ..., if for no other reason than because you're so loopy. he he he

Also note the ..., from Anne's Jan 12th post and ACO's 10:01 am post this morning.

I still think it's Carol Herman

[A Casual Observation]

Please, centracal, tell us that you're putting us on? Nobody is that stupid. NOBODY!

[Porchlight]

Also note the ..., from Anne's Jan 12th post and ACO's 10:01 am post this morning.

I saw that, too, Rocco. I don't think it's Carol, though.

[Rocco's Psychiatrist]

You need to get a life, Rocco. You really do.

You are VERY strange.

Try to get out more - with a psychiatric nurse's supervision, of course.

[Porchlight]

Hmm. Shows symptoms of mental illness after being challenged. Definitely Anne.

[Rocco's Psychiatrist]

Now, now, you're projecting again, Porchlight.

Special Offer: A group rate for you, Jane and Rocco.

[Ignatz]

It appears global warming is all too real as another meltdown occurs on the previous thread.

[Rocco]

Ditzy was a dead give away

[Threadkiller]

The Bens. Featherweight.

[sbw]

Someone's meds are off again.

[Their Psychiatrist]

Okay, okay, okay, squaredance, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. But I now concede that you're right. They have mental illnesses indigenous to retards.

THey're so special. There must be a new clinical classification just for them, somewhere between retarded and braindead.

[A Casual Observation]

A reprint:

Ronald Reagan’s eldest son Mike Reagan has issued a statement lambasting Mitt Romney and his supporters for claims that Romney’s Republican presidential rival Newt Gingrich was a strong critic of President Reagan.

Reagan says such claims are false.

Even Rush Limbaugh, shocked by the Romney claims, chimed on his Thursday radio broadcast to say "This is obviously a coordinated attack to take Newt out here in Florida."

Rush slammed the Romney-backed smear campaign against Newt.

“That kind of stuff is why people hate Romney so much," Limbaugh said.

Limbaugh added that Newt has always been a conservative from his early days in national talk radio in the 1980s.

“He was perhaps the premier defender of Ronald Reagan,” Limbaugh said.

Read more on Newsmax.com: Mike Reagan, Rush Limbaugh Blast Romney For His Baldface Lies.

Works for me.