For want of a nail... At Ace of Spades a furious Romey volunteer details the debacle with ORCA, Team Romney's whiz-bang, computerized, centrally run get-out-the-vote effort.
In happier days, i.e., three days before the election, Team Romey was boasting to PBS about ORCA:
For months now, the Romney campaign has been putting together a high-tech voter monitoring operation to use on Election Day that will identify which of their committed supporters have voted -- and then corral those who haven't.
They call it the Orca Project, named for the powerful killer whale. Why Orca? It seems the Orca is the greatest natural predator of the Narwhal, the name of the Obama campaign's top secret voter micro-targeting system.
Orca will deploy 34,000 operatives in key precincts tomorrow, linked by a smartphone "killer app" to 800 volunteers on the floor of TD Garden (formerly Boston Garden). The Romney campaign has tried to keep Orca under wraps until the past few days. But today, Romney for President Communications Director Gail Gitcho proudly described it for us. Watch the interview with Gitcho above.
"At 5 o'clock when the exit polls come out, we won't pay attention to that," Gitcho said Monday. "We will have had much more scientific information just based on the political operation we have set up."
They will access more scientific informaton unless the volunteers don't get their information packets or poll watcher credentials and the whole system is inaccessible (before crashing). Election Day is a heckuva of a day for the first test of a new system.
More at Twitchy; AllahP notes that the whiz-bang corporate manager had his hat handed to him by the whiz-bang community organizer.
This news also muddies the waters for the Deep Thinkers who are pondering a new direction for the Republican party, since Romney's result may represent a failure of management rather than message.
Well - lest you are having trouble settling into a Deep Blue Funk, consider this: even with our crypto-socialist President who hates capitalism the US economy is likely to recover somewhat. In which case, come 2016 the Democrats will very probably win the White House again as the party of Peace and Prosperity. OK, AL Gore couldn't quite manage that trick at the Electoral College level in 2000, but next time, the Dems will be the party of peace, prosperity, and pants-on, so their odds look pretty good.
And all becasue of an untested web app? ARGHHHH!
Think the problems were bigger than ORCA, TM. First off, the vast majority of voters do not need to be whipped to get to the polls. Second, per exit polls if they can be believed, Sandy had a huge impact at the last minute on undecideds.
Lastly, blame game - Romney's people are looking for a goat. It is far easier point fingers at something like the failure of ORCA than to defend actual strategic decisions that were made.
Think of it this way. If John Kerry's grieving supporters had blamed Kerry's loss on the failure of Kerry's GOTV software, we'd have laughed our asses off.
Posted by: Porchlight | November 09, 2012 at 11:46 AM
All I know is that I saw Ace of Spades on MSNBC this morning.
And that I have to buy a TV-B-Gone.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 11:52 AM
Porch:
Second, per exit polls if they can be believed, Sandy had a huge impact at the last minute on undecideds.
By the numbers...
15% of voters said Obama's handling of Sandy was the most important factor in their vote.
Of that 15%, 73% voted for Obama.
That's 11% of all voters.
That's over 13 million votes.
That's not to say that those 13 million would have voted for Romney if Sandy hadn't happened. Or even that they wouldn't have voted for Obama. A great majority of them probably still would have voted for Obama.
But still.
Posted by: hit and run | November 09, 2012 at 11:58 AM
Orca at fault? Well I remain unconvinced. If enough people wanted Romney to be president they had ample opportunity to cast their vote.
Posted by: maryrose | November 09, 2012 at 12:00 PM
You were voluntarily watching MSNBC?
Posted by: hit and run | November 09, 2012 at 12:00 PM
More republicans need to early vote. Early voting can't be just for democrats anymore. Any attempt to stop early voting even by a few days will be met with a lawsuit by the dems. It happened in Ohio and it can happen anywhere. It is the reason Obama won Ohio.
Posted by: maryrose | November 09, 2012 at 12:03 PM
I saw Ace of Spades on MSNBC this morning.
He finally found his perfect forum
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 09, 2012 at 12:06 PM
ORCA was bad but that was just a sideshow. The real reason they won is that once again the Dems used their not so secret weapon, character assassinationb. They did their best to destroy Romney's reputation, and were largely successful, as they've successfully destroyed, in a majority of eyes, Bush's and Palin's reputations. That is an area where the Republicans need to learn from the Dems. How is it they can parade a liar and adulterer like Clinton, while the Republicans have to keep a good man like Bush hidden under a bushel?
Posted by: Chubby | November 09, 2012 at 12:10 PM
No. That's why I need a TV-B-Gone.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 12:15 PM
Orca at fault? Well I remain unconvinced. If enough people wanted Romney to be president they had ample opportunity to cast their vote.
I have to say, I agree.
I watched this entire play 2 years ago in Illinois in the Governor's race, down to the Republican being up slightly and thinking he was going to win going into election day.
But, the Dems were able to paint the Repubican as a "Millinair Politician" and a social conservative that would impose his "morality" on the people of the state.
The Dems got every state employee untion member to the polls, and convinced just enough "moderates" in the suburbs to vote Dem.
I was hoping it would be different on the national level. I think Romney did the best he could, but the truth is, at this point, absolutly everything had to break his way for him to win, and it just didn't happen.
Posted by: Ranger | November 09, 2012 at 12:16 PM
Rob, I need a physical description of ace. I have a mental image of a dweeb with almost no muscle definition nor evidence that his skin has been touched by sunlight in a month. That's somewhat of an educated guess because Tammy Bruce mentioned having met him after Breitbart's funeral and said nothing to follow it up; and Teh Tam, while a lezzo, has an eye for attractiveness in a male container ie Allen West.
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 09, 2012 at 12:19 PM
CH, the Kimberlin Krew thugs are desperate to expose Ace's identity, so I wish him all the best in keeping his anonymity.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 12:21 PM
He actually looks like an ewok.
Posted by: hit and run | November 09, 2012 at 12:21 PM
If enough people wanted Romney to be president they had ample opportunity to cast their vote.
Unfortunately that's not how the game is played. Let's say you've got 60M people who are inclined to vote for Romney, and 55M for Obama. Then you have 10M who don't even know the difference, but Dem operatives round them up, tell them this is what they've got to do, and they do it. The Repubs have nothing to counter that with.
Posted by: jimmyk | November 09, 2012 at 12:25 PM
If we are going to start a new media - ala Michael Walsh (who usually goes on our cruises) I want to be on the radio portion.
Posted by: Jane - Mock the media | November 09, 2012 at 12:25 PM
Well, I have a few things to say about this (and not being shy, I'll be happy to share).
First, I always thought Romney was a poor candidate: ready made for class warfare, and giving up the biggest single issue (Obamacare) by his earlier version baggage.
Second, his negative blitzes in the primary probably alienated some of the other supporters (though anyone conservative enough to find this a problem was well and truly stuck with him as opposed to the hyperliberal alternative).
But the rest of his performance was actually a pleasant surprise . . . and he still had this thing in the bag right up until Sandy. In particular, his photo-op of putting care packages together (which I saw several times, even though I don't watch much television and was actively trying to avoid election coverage last week) was a disaster. The problem wasn't care packages . . . it was getting them to the right places . . . and big government logistics efforts were the right answer, not individual charity events. Dunno about GOTV, but the poll shift was remarkable (and kept going, losing another point or two on the last day).
Posted by: Cecil Turner | November 09, 2012 at 12:26 PM
Ah, I forgot about those turds. Then it's *really* fitting he went on the witness protection network.
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 09, 2012 at 12:26 PM
Yup, I was right:
MICHAEL WALSH, the former classical music critic for Time and editor of BigJournalism.com, is the author of numerous books, including Exchange Alley, And All the Saints (a winner of the 2004 American Book Awards for fiction), and the best-selling thrillers Hostile Intent, Early Warning, and Shock Warning. As “David Kahane,” he is a columnist for National Review Online and the author of Rules for Radical Conservatives. He also writes a regular column for the New York Post.
Posted by: Jane - Mock the media | November 09, 2012 at 12:28 PM
Is the party of stoopid going full tilt amnesty?
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 09, 2012 at 12:32 PM
Probably.
Frankly, I've given up on the rule of law.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 12:34 PM
I wouldn't bank on an economic recovery--at least not one that's going to last four years. Rather, I keep hearing talk to expect a double dip next year.
I read something startling recently that had never occurred to me before, and I'm not sufficiently knowledgable on the subject to know if it is true, but if you look at what's happening in Europe right now . . .
It's that too much of what we call our "economy" today is really just government spending (as opposed to the creation of enough new wealth from the private sector), and consumer spending financed through credit card indebtedness. That if you subtracted government spending from the GDP we'd be in negative territory. And the money for this government spending is coming from printing (QE ad infinitum), taxation, and borrowing, all of which in turn is stifling the creation of enough new wealth. Thus when government spending is cut, it has a short-term negative, rather than a positive, impact on the economy because right now government spending IS the economy. And the deeper the cuts, the more severe the negative impact will be. But without the cuts we're never going to see real GDP growth. Thus an economic catch-22.
So in such a climate the only way you're going to get even the illusion of a recovery would be even more govt stimulus spending, which will have to come from even more borrowing, printing, and higher taxes.
Posted by: derwill | November 09, 2012 at 12:35 PM
Is the party of stoopid going full tilt amnesty?
And this surprises anybody because? Please remember that the last run at Comprehensive Imigration Reform was attempted under a Republican president and was only scuttled at the last minute by a few Dem senators because labor unions objected to some of the temporary work visa rules.
Posted by: Ranger | November 09, 2012 at 12:37 PM
Team Romney named their 'get out the vote' technology after an endangered species?
Roflma....please tell me that this is God fucking with me......it can't get any better than this.......it just can't!!!!
Posted by: Dublindave | November 09, 2012 at 12:38 PM
ORCA problems and Philly thugs and early voting and Sandy pale in comparison with the importance of non-Fox MSM and the educational system. If the individuals with the funds and the desire to preserve a self-evident truths polity want to be most effective, they will figure out how to use their money to fund an alternative media that can stomp NBC, CBS, ABC, NY Times etal, and will fund trusts throughout the country in the billions which trusts will hand out private school vouchers to schools that educate in the classical tradition of sound mind, sound body.
Oh, a third thing that I know may not sit well with many of my friends here. The self-evident truths sugar mommies and sugar daddies will fund generously public interest law firms of the self-evident truths polity bent to engage in Full Monty lawfare against the regs. of ObamaBureaucrats.
Posted by: Thomas Collins | November 09, 2012 at 12:39 PM
The only good news I can take from the Sandy exit poll info, hit, is that Romney really was winning in mid-October as Gallup and Ras showed, and the swing at the last minute put Obama back on top.
That says terrible things about the mentality of the electorate, but if true, it suggests that the Romney campaign was successful in the main and hit bad luck at the end. And it would explain why Romney is "shell-shocked" at a strong lead evaporating so quickly.
Posted by: Porchlight | November 09, 2012 at 12:39 PM
Here you go - Ace of Spades as he looked in 2008 when he won CPAC Blogger of the Year award.
Posted by: centralcal | November 09, 2012 at 12:44 PM
ORCA vs Free Willy Clinton
Posted by: Threadkiller | November 09, 2012 at 12:46 PM
CH -I've been an admirer of Teh Tam and listened to her on the radio when she was just beginning her career. We need her to run for office. I want a new group, new blood, new rules of engagement. I don't care if she drops the "f" bomb or worse. We need fighters. Add Allen West, literally a warrior. Fearless, articulate Realists! There I used the "R" word. We don't need to smear people, just tell the unadorned truth. Often. Loudly.
That said, I think Romney's campaign was successful. It was too late. He had to wait until he got the nomination to start in campaigning against Obama. No Republican candidate should have to wait that late. The message of the opposition should be attacked long before the candidate is named. Yes, the RNC has left many of us disappointed and unwilling to contribute money.
Jane, I now longer want to mock the media. I want to kill them. I am angry. HALF the country is ridiculed or ignored as if we didn't exist.
Posted by: Frau Wut | November 09, 2012 at 12:46 PM
Porch,
And which makes Christie's perfidy that much more egregious.
I don't know what he did before he became governor, but he better polish up his resume, because he's going to need it after 2014. Maybe he can become a spokesman for Jenny Craig.
Posted by: derwill | November 09, 2012 at 12:47 PM
Frau, it's worse than ridiculed or ignored. In my most pessimistic moments I fear the left is gearing itself up for the type of work Ayers dreamed of in his heyday.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 12:48 PM
Not sure if this will work - Ace of Spades
CPAC Blogger of the Year
Posted by: centralcal | November 09, 2012 at 12:48 PM
And which makes Christie's perfidy that much more egregious.
derwill - yep. He is dead to me. He should be dead to Romney, too, but Romney is likely a more forgiving person than I am.
Posted by: Porchlight | November 09, 2012 at 12:50 PM
We are seeing all of the snakes wiggling their way out of the closet this week. All of the decisions that were held back to avoid creating flashpoints in the election; layoffs, drone attacks by Iranian fighter jets, repudiations of Obamacare, etc.
As to ORCA, I think it was harpooned by the Obamabots.
Posted by: matt | November 09, 2012 at 12:52 PM
hit was right; he does look like an ewok.
Frau, how long ago was that? I first heard her about 4 years ago when she *really* teed off on Mega McRINO and caught my ear. I'd really like to know how Allen West got stuck running in a donk stronghold. Mark Levin is exactly on target.
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 09, 2012 at 12:52 PM
Rob -
"type of work Ayers dreamed of in his heyday."
Ah, the type of work he always let others do so he wouldn't get his own hands bloody. Yes, I've read his plans for those who will not go along with the new country he envisions.
Ayers is such a coward he called the police when a reporter asked him a question outside his house.
Posted by: Frau Wut | November 09, 2012 at 12:54 PM
oh, and San Francisco announced today that the city will pay for transgender surgery for the indigent.
I guess the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are history.....
Posted by: matt | November 09, 2012 at 12:54 PM
Yes, no more mocking of the media. Call them out immediately - whenever and wherever.
Twitter is a great place to hit them instantly.
Ed Henry @edhenryTV
@gretawire love that Haley Barbour calls it the federal "bud- jet" instead of budget. ..
centralcal centralcal @centralcal1
@edhenryTV @gretawire It is tweets like this that make me despise the beltway media - even - alas - at Fox.
-------
Snarky Ed Henry did not show up again on Twitter until a day and a half later.
CALL THEM OUT, POLITELY, BUT FIRMLY!
Posted by: centralcal | November 09, 2012 at 12:55 PM
That is the last thing I expected Ace to look like.
Posted by: Jane - Mock the media | November 09, 2012 at 12:56 PM
How our government responds to exposure of its failings:
via Insty. LUN
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 12:57 PM
I'm going with Occam's Razor: Obama won because a small but growing majority of American voters wants the "rich" to be taxed more heavily, has no real concern about deficits or the debt, is principally interested in free stuff, and believes that somehow the ultimate economic consequences of this folly will be borne by somebody wlse.
I will observe the ongoing decline in detached comfort.
Posted by: Danube of Thought on IPad | November 09, 2012 at 12:57 PM
"Think the problems were bigger than ORCA, TM."
Porchlight,
Do you think it might extend to complete and total disdain and contempt for party leadership? Sue's comment regarding local Dems getting wiped out in Texas has encouraged me to examine swing states to see if the Ohio/Texas House and state legislature successes were replicated in other areas. I'll wait for a few days for the results to settle out before checking.
Maybe we could send DIY seppuku kits to those who have earned them in the meantime?
Posted by: Rick Ballard | November 09, 2012 at 12:59 PM
Well thank God we didn't elect the guy pounding out those drumbeats for war.
LUN
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 12:59 PM
Team Romney named their 'get out the vote' technology after an endangered species?
Roflma....please tell me that this is God fucking with me......it can't get any better than this.......it just can't!!!!
Fact:
The Killer Whale has declined in overall numbers due to the environment and human actions. Right now they aren’t considered to be an endangered species, but that doesn’t mean effective conservation efforts aren’t necessary.
You are 1) a Liar, 2)an Idiot and 3)incapable of thinking outside a talking point memo.
God does look after fools and drunks though, so you got that covered.
http://orca.dolphins-world.com/killer-whales-endangered.html
Posted by: Enlightened | November 09, 2012 at 01:01 PM
We're supposed to consider "ORCA" something bad, but no one ever notices "Ofay"?
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 01:04 PM
CH - as I remember, Tammy was on CA talk radio and then gained national attention. She was well-known in CA even prior to the OJ debacle.
She's certainly developed awesome verbal weapons and sharpened her aim. What's not to like? I'd put her up against Bella Pelosi any time. It wouldn't last long, and it would be a turn-on to male and female alike.
Posted by: Frau Wut | November 09, 2012 at 01:08 PM
BTW, this is from last week, but still interesting. I appears we are going to find out if "dirty war" works against radical islamists:
Nigerian 'youths executed' in Boko Haram stronghold
This appears to be retaliation for the assasination of a very famous Nigerian war hero a few days before.
Posted by: Ranger | November 09, 2012 at 01:09 PM
TomM--2016 Dems well positioned? apologies for the vulgarity-- but are you shittin' me? well before 2016 the debt shit hits the fan in ways no one can predict-- however, one can confidently say "properity" will not be one of the consquences. Jeez.
Posted by: NK | November 09, 2012 at 01:09 PM
As far as I know, the West Coast population of killer whales has been growing steadily. I know that sightings are up significantly.
When I used to fish a lot we would get into entire pods of them. It is a very strange feeling when you're on a small boat and they glide past. Their eyes are huge, and you can see that they are looking directly at you.
They could tear anything without a steel hull to pieces in seconds and know it, and yet practice live and let live with us so far. It is a unique way to remember that one can part of the food chain very quickly.
Posted by: matt | November 09, 2012 at 01:11 PM
--even with our crypto-socialist President who hates capitalism the US economy is likely to recover somewhat. In which case, come 2016 the Democrats will very probably win the White House again as the party of Peace and Prosperity--
While I consider it unlikely the economy is going to tank in the next six months or even year, by 2016 it will have been expanding, albeit it very slowly, for eight straight years under less than stellar fiscal, taxation and monetary policies. Unlikely is not the word for that contingency. Remote might do.
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki | November 09, 2012 at 01:14 PM
From Rob's link:
Leading from behind is asinine.
Posted by: Frau Wut | November 09, 2012 at 01:16 PM
I don't buy the Sandy explanation. Bottom line is that Sandy principally affected four states: Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut - all of which were going to vote overwhelmingly for Obama anyway.
(I find it ironic and pathetic that those states and their voter majorities are now lamenting the lack of Nanny State recovery assistance from their Nanny State President; somehow it must be George Bush's fault, because they still voted for Obama overwhelmingly.)
So Obama popped up for a two-hour photo op and got a bear hug from Christy who was quite obviously pimping for his share of government assistance, "bail-out"! And that, I'm to believe, led to enough voters in Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, etc., to suddenly change their votes to vote for Obama?
It doesn't pass the smell test as a valid explanation in my mind. Romney lost the election because of the media, and because 51+ % of the electorate are too uninformed, dumb, racist (e.g., Blacks voting only for a Black because he/she is a Black is the very definition of racist) and irresponsible to vote. And Conservatives, Libertarians, and Religious Voters staying home (or wasting their votes on Gary Johnson in the Libertarian case) because the perfect candidate in their minds was not running didn't help either.
Republicans will never win another national election as long as they don't figure out a way to defeat the media from turning the election into a referendum on Republicans.
Posted by: LouP | November 09, 2012 at 01:17 PM
Ig-- you are a worldly man, and I hope you're right that the economy doesn't tank. I just think a shockingly bad debt event will trigger a bad recession -- well before 2016.
Posted by: NK | November 09, 2012 at 01:18 PM
It's impossible. The more accurate word for it is "following"; with strong hints of "surrender".
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 01:20 PM
ESPN.com is reporting that Mike Brown has been fired as Lakers coach. See LUN. The most creative suggestion for a replacement I have seen in the Comments section: Tim Tebow.
Posted by: Thomas Collins | November 09, 2012 at 01:21 PM
The problem is that the media turns it into a referendum on fictional "Republicans" that exist only in their heads.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 01:23 PM
LouP - defeat the media. How do we kill 'em as long as many Americans depend on them for entertainment and information?
Posted by: Frau Wut | November 09, 2012 at 01:23 PM
Bambi was culled from the Dem herd long before 2004. That means our side needed to start grooming candidates in 1992 for 2012. Right now they are prepping for 2016. They are going to use identity politics again - look how many hispanics, women and blacks voted for Bambi. Next time it will be a woman of color. Not only will we be racist for not voting for a person of color- again - we will be tripling down on the war on women for not voting for a woman of color.
On top of that they use natural disasters as opportunities - Rahm said never let a good tragedy go to waste.
There is no integrity involved in any of the above. There are no morals involved. Lying is Job One. There are no ethics involved. If criminals are needed - You're Hired. If intimidation is needed - You're Hired. If illegal hacking is needed - You're Hired. The DOJ is a criminal element aiding and abetting.
They have the completely unethical reporters of the MSM supporting the agenda. They have the Ultra rich supporting the agenda.
That's the mentality we are up against. A good man or woman will never prevail.
They need to be taught a lesson. Boehner is not man enough. McConnell is not man enough. They are not smart enough to let the Dems hang themselves.
We must beat them at their own game, knowing full well they are years ahead of us.
What is the weakest link in their chain?
Posted by: Enlightened | November 09, 2012 at 01:27 PM
Perhaps the Lakers can use ORCA in the search for a new coach.
Posted by: Thomas Collins | November 09, 2012 at 01:28 PM
I tend to agree with LouP and DoT, if that's possible. There was no one thing that Romney or Christie or ORCA or anyone or anything did. There are larger forces at work, including the media, demographics, etc. and it will take a serious economic downturn or high inflation, plus a compelling candidate who can really convince the 10% or so persuadables (I used to say 20%, but now I'm not so sure.) Yeah, maybe Romney kinda sorta had a lead a few weeks ago, but it might have evaporated anyway.
Posted by: jimmyk | November 09, 2012 at 01:28 PM
Bush may have been more responsible for Romney's defeat than Sandy
The morning after the election, I attended a post-election briefing hosted by the National Association of Manufacturers, the Business Roundtable, and BIPAC. One speaker was running through an exit poll that claimed 53% of voters blamed the current economic situation on Bush's policies, while 18% blamed Obama's policies. IIRC, he said 87% of those who blamed Bush voted for Obama, and 92% of those who blamed Obama voted for Romney.
The speaker went on to gloat that by winning re-election, Obama now "owns" the economy, and that the Democrats won't have this advantage any longer.
I don't think so. I think in 2016, if the Democrats and MSM do their job, most people will STILL blame Bush.
In fact, I can imagine a distant future in which starving, half-naked savages shiver around the camp fire, and tell tales of the evil god BushTu, who threw mankind out of the Garden of Eden, made the money trees stop growing, and spread darkness across the Golden Land.
Posted by: Free State Paul | November 09, 2012 at 01:30 PM
Free State Paul -- my mental image of the future involves everyone being required to stand up and scream at a picture of Bush on TV, once every four hours.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 01:32 PM
Maybe we could send DIY seppuku kits to those who have earned them in the meantime?
Sounds good to me.
Posted by: Porchlight | November 09, 2012 at 01:32 PM
RobC@ 1:32-- "my mental image of the future involves everyone being required to stand up and scream at a picture of Bush on TV, once every four hours"... didn't you get the memo on that?
Posted by: NK | November 09, 2012 at 01:34 PM
There are few factor why the financial Armageddon got postponed
1) expiration of tax cuts was delayed
2) Obamacare taxes and penalties were backloaded
4) sequestration
3) Eurozone and China though accounting tricks managed to stave off their own collapse
4) our financial stimulus "worked" in a sense that value of the dollar got diluted, but this only translated so far into higher energy and food prices, therefore it did not factor into offial inflation.
Moreover I belive that most business people were convinced that Romney will will and they started cautiously laying plans for better future.
At this point, at least 1 and 2 going to happen at the same time. China and Europe may tread water for awhile, but judging from the demos traitors of Eurocrats they will not stay afloat for long after we double dip.
If true that businesses are preparing layoffs and I have no reason to don't it, then it is a matter of months not years when we do slide into recession more severe than last time.
And why would economy recover with all these obstacles?It did not for FDR.
Posted by: Kat | November 09, 2012 at 01:34 PM
Unfortunate I agree with KAT@1:34. (typos and all).
Posted by: NK | November 09, 2012 at 01:35 PM
speaking of typos-- UnfortunateLY....
Posted by: NK | November 09, 2012 at 01:36 PM
ORCA? I thought Palin was the reason Romney lost:)
What the RNC will need to regain my trust and/or support is a Lee Atwater type of political gun slinger to lead them plus some kick-ass national leaders like John Bolton, Allan West and Palin up front and visible.
Duke and Duke has now been proving twice in a row not up to the job of dealing with thugs.
Posted by: Jim Eagle | November 09, 2012 at 01:37 PM
Yes, I meant demonstrators, but it sort of came out appropriate .....
Posted by: Kat | November 09, 2012 at 01:40 PM
JiB -- I want someone to stand up and start fighting corruption. If that means taking out some Republicans who have turned rotten, that's fine. Better than fine.
I know one of the people you named has done that, but, sadly, both the R's and the D's have colluded to destroy her.
Which makes me wonder if it's even possible for the Republic to be saved.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 01:40 PM
There are too many Events looming on the horizon, any one of which has the potential to trigger a global recession. The reelection in the US of an economic ignoramus was one such event, and it has already come to pass. I can think of a few others that may come off the top of my head: the failure of a big European bank, a pre-emptive strike by Israel on Iran, social unrest in China, a sudden spike in interest rates that sparks hyperinflation . . .
Zombies.
Posted by: derwill | November 09, 2012 at 01:40 PM
JOM poll question: Has anyone here ever participated in an exit poll?
Posted by: Threadkiller | November 09, 2012 at 01:41 PM
Rob, that assumes they remembered to hand crank the batteries in the TV ahead of time.
Kat, the layoffs are real. Several have been announced already. Contingency plans can be dusted off in a very short time frame (think over lunch) thus the 60 day "notice" laws. BTW, those notice laws have loopholes for severe economic distress -- like insufficient cash for the next payroll. Expect a layoff cascade as the new lack of orders rockets through lean supply chains at the speed of pixels.
Posted by: henry | November 09, 2012 at 01:43 PM
I am typing on iPhone and get a lot of rather startling autocorrections
Posted by: Kat | November 09, 2012 at 01:45 PM
Leading from behind is asinine.
It's impossible. The more accurate word for it is "following"; with strong hints of "surrender".
Correct, Rob. It's all part of the New Speak:
Leading from behind...Smart Diplomacy...Fair share
Posted by: Frau Wut | November 09, 2012 at 01:45 PM
Yuval Levin at NRO:
Posted by: Porchlight | November 09, 2012 at 01:46 PM
13 million votes decided for Obama mainly because of his handling of Sandy?
There's no use strategizing. POTUS is elected randomly by the clueless who aren't a member of either base. They like Reagan, Clinton and Obama.
Posted by: Jim Ryan | November 09, 2012 at 01:49 PM
That I could handle. I'd be relieved at a Zombie Apocalypse.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 01:49 PM
Massachusetts dairy cooperative to place photos of Mitt Romney on milk cartons. LUN.
Posted by: matt | November 09, 2012 at 01:50 PM
If Romney's got an ounce of sense, he's buying a small island somewhere to get himself and his family away from what's coming.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 01:52 PM
I'm not convinced that Reince Priebus isn't the right person for leading the Republican party once the dead weight has been cleaned out. Putting the blame on him for this week is a mistake imo.
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 09, 2012 at 01:53 PM
If the economy has recovered by 2016, Obama will be the new FDR, Big Government will get all the credit, and the Democrats will run the country for at least a generation.
If, on the other hand, the economy is STILL as bad as -- or worse than -- it is now in 2016, I predict the people will blame BOTH parties, and there will be an historic revolution in American politics.
("Revolution" in the sense that the present social/political/economic system will be replaced by something entirely different, not necessarily in the sense of violence, although I don't rule that out at all!)
Posted by: Free State Paul | November 09, 2012 at 01:53 PM
Seriously - This is who they are - It will be hard to beat this mentality.
"Obama supporter celebrates victory by leaving dead pig in Romney t-shirt at Manhattan Beach GOP HQ"
via Daily Caller.
Perfect exit line:
Once again: The only person angrier than a liberal who just lost is a liberal who just won.
Posted by: Enlightened | November 09, 2012 at 01:53 PM
matt - despicable ignoramuses...
Posted by: Frau Wut | November 09, 2012 at 01:56 PM
“Governor Romney always treated us well” said Neil Furby of Attleboro based Organic Bliss Dairy. “While we didn’t vote for him, we also don’t want his fate on our consciences.”
If my name was Neil Furby I'd probably be almost as mentally ill as this loser.
Posted by: Captain Hate | November 09, 2012 at 01:57 PM
Over at Insty we have this Alternate Proposal to the Rhoads Gambit:
READER PAUL FONTAINE WRITES:
Glenn, I’ve been thinking about this. I’m a libertarian who mainly votes Republican because fiscal conservatism comes first and freedom, to me, means more than just the freedom to f*ck who I want and kill fetuses.
Anyway, I just read this article: Obama Wins 8 of 10 Wealthiest Counties in US.
And I’m saying to myself, why am I going to war for these people? All this effort to try to protect the “job creators” and they’re voting for Obama and ever larger government and more taxes. I think it’s time to give them what they want! I would love to see a Republican bring forth a bill to tax the sh*t out of those making over $500k (the 1%). These are the people who live in these enclaves. Let’s do comprehensive tax reform, eliminate most or all deductions and lower rates for everyone…except them. Let their rates go back to the Clinton era rates AND eliminate their deductions. This goes hand in hand with your “eliminate the Hollywood Tax Cuts” proposal. Now granted, this would not do a whole lot to address the budget deficit. Anyone who is good at math knows that. However, it completely cuts the legs out from the Democrats, gives these rich jerks their just desserts for voting for Obama and supporting him financially, and will help insulate the married working professionals who Obama and the Dems REALLY want to soak. You can even defend it in public to your base by telling them “Look at the stats, these people vote in DROVES for Obama. They want this. They deserve this”. Once you’ve passed this bill to raise taxes on these liberal elite, when the Dems come back to try to get the rest of us, they will no longer be able to demonize R’s for protecting “the rich”. The Republicans are now protecting working families who are just trying to finance their own retirements, their kids’ college educations and pay their mortgages. They could KILL the Dems in ads and they would have nothing to fall back on. Am I crazy? I think this is the way to go.
Well, this class-warfare stuff seems to work. Maybe Republicans should give it a try. As Joel Kotkin notes: Despite the Great Recession, Obama’s New Coalition of Elites Has Thrived.
Of course inside and outside of those counties there are 1%'ers who voted for Romney.
Posted by: Jim Eagle | November 09, 2012 at 01:59 PM
TK,
Twice for me.
1984 and 1996.
In 84, I was just back from 2 years in Indonesia and was voting for Reagan in Germantown, TN. Everyone at my polling station were voting for Reagan.
But in 1996 I was living in San Francisco, Layfayette Park area, just above Fillmore St. The young lady asking the questions seemed crestfallen that I had ruined her Pauline Kael moment when I told her I had voted for Bob Dole:)
Later I checked the results in my precinct and I can proudly say that I was one of seven that voted for Dole.
Posted by: Jim Eagle | November 09, 2012 at 02:05 PM
--Once again: The only person angrier than a liberal who just lost is a liberal who just won.--
This is so true and it's inexplicable to me. They won, "the rich" will get punished and they'll get more free stuff, so where's the joy? Where's the hope? Instead, they're still howling like a pack of hyenas at us. One would almost think that they fear in their hearts that Obama and all the rest of their grand design will fail miserably, and what they really want is for us not be around to witness it. Or they want to force us into joining with them, so that we will share the culpability of their coming failures.
Posted by: derwill | November 09, 2012 at 02:10 PM
Free State Paul:
Either their approach (Socialism, Command Directed Centralized Economy) is correct or ours is (Capitalism, minimal government, etc)
These two are approaches mutually exclusive.
It was kat or Ranger who said yesterday:
I agree with every point.
Do you? If you do, then where do we go from here?
This is not same old same old.
My view is MAKE THEM OWN IT.
Comments about the economy recovering etc, puh-lease. Stop.
What do you, any of us, think four years from now will look like?
We are in a new world.
We need to start acting and thinking with this brave new world in mind.
Anything less is delusional.
Enough about exit polls and organizational principles. None of it matters.
Posted by: Sandy Daze | November 09, 2012 at 02:10 PM
ORCA? I thought Palin was the reason Romney lost:)
Palin? I though Bush was the reason Romney lost.
Posted by: Sue | November 09, 2012 at 02:18 PM
The Machiavellian thing for Boehner to do would be to give Obama his tax increase. As Sean Trende correctly stated " some time in the next 4 years there will be a recession" Make Obama and Democrats own it. Plus it would force Obama to actually confront his the Senate Democrats and base who have never really bought into the entitlement crisis.
Posted by: mikey | November 09, 2012 at 02:19 PM
Or they want to force us into joining with them, so that we will share the culpability of their coming failures.
Posted by: derwill | November 09, 2012 at 02:10 PM
Any compromising from the Republicans will backfire. Republicans must make a principled stand. They must, in my view, abstain as Jim Rhodes suggested, from the coming wreck. OBJECT, but let the administration have its way. As Thomas Collins said:
Posted by: Sandy Daze | November 09, 2012 at 02:20 PM
The 2012 election should have been - by all rights - a referndum on Obama and his performance (or non-performance) in the last 4 years. Instead the media, almost single-handedly, turned it into a referendum on Republicans (or H/T to Rob Crawford: the media depiction of Republicans).
Pick up your newspaper today. If yours is like mine, there's no story on Democrats; all stories are about Republicans. In other words, they are still at it, and will continue right on through the next election, and forever, as long as it works.
I cannot say that voters haven't always been as supid as I think the current crop is, but I don't think that they've ever before been subjected to such a monolithic, 24/7, biased assault by the media on "the opposition."
That's my 2-cents worth, for whatever it might be worth...
Posted by: LouP | November 09, 2012 at 02:20 PM
I thought Romney lost because Obama really handled Sandy well and us whiteys are just too racist anyway.
Posted by: Enlightened | November 09, 2012 at 02:22 PM
We could put Obama in charge of a cattle drive and let him lead from behind. Except from where I come from that's called riding drag. ;)
Posted by: Sue | November 09, 2012 at 02:23 PM
In all seriousness - would any of those tactics work? The "make them own it" ones?
I would so dearly love to shove this mess right up Harry Reids ass.
Posted by: Enlightened | November 09, 2012 at 02:27 PM
Rush had an entire segment on Reagan and amnesty in 1986. We lost Hispanics in the next election. Less Hispanics voted for Bush I than they did before the amnesty.
DO NOT COMPROMISE! On anything.
Posted by: Sue | November 09, 2012 at 02:27 PM
Stage 2: Symbolization, or Stage 3: Dehumanization.
Posted by: Rob Crawford | November 09, 2012 at 02:29 PM
The Machiavellian thing for Boehner to do would be to give Obama his tax increase.
Machiavelli and Sun Tzu are your friends. Keep reading them and put their teachings to action but this time on our side.
Posted by: Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet | November 09, 2012 at 02:31 PM
I am completely with Sandy at 2:18
Posted by: Kat | November 09, 2012 at 02:42 PM
How much would it really cost to fund a public interest communications outfit that translated the best of conservative newspaper and web articles in Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Farsi, Russian--whichever immigrant groups are the largest--and made them and the writers available to the ethnic media for free?
Wouldn't it be at least as significant as funding websites and mags that engage in fancy philosophical arguments with each other about teensy points ?
Posted by: Clarice | November 09, 2012 at 02:43 PM