Slog
News & ArtsMonday, February 27, 2012
2012 Tomorrow Should Be Interesting
Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 11:48 AM
Kos says Democratic voters could deliver Michigan to Santorum.
2
It's be nice, but I'll believe it when I see it. Limbaugh's "operation chaos" was a total bust, and these sorts of things usually only reaches the very politically aware. In our little activist bubble that may seem like a lot of people, but it's unfortunately only a minority.
I'd like to think there are enough politically active Michigan liberals willing to start a little mayhem, but for now I'm glumly resigning myself to an end of the fun and the return to Romney the Inevitable.
I'd like to think there are enough politically active Michigan liberals willing to start a little mayhem, but for now I'm glumly resigning myself to an end of the fun and the return to Romney the Inevitable.
3
It's asinine. This is the same country that elected George W. Bush. Twice. Sort of. This is the same country where Santorum is not trounced by a percentage of 70-30 or 80-20 when he's pitted against Obama in the polls, but more like 55-45. That's not a gamble I'm willing to take, with gas prices at $4 a gallon and rising, and so many unknown things that could happen in the next 7 months. No thank you. Save the parlor tricks for home and start acting like adults. Do you want to take an action that could, on some possible playing out of events, actually lead to that crazy person being elected?
6
Actually, I think Americans are idiotic enough to elect Santorum as president.
There simply doesn't seem to be the bottom for stupidity in USA. I'm really hoping this country will collapse and be a marginal country like Brazil.
It is quite dangerous for a superpower to have populace with a mentality of a third world country.
There simply doesn't seem to be the bottom for stupidity in USA. I'm really hoping this country will collapse and be a marginal country like Brazil.
It is quite dangerous for a superpower to have populace with a mentality of a third world country.
7
Democratic voters could deliver Michigan to Santorum? But -- who will deliver the santorum to Michigan?
8
I'm with Suzy @3. It's all fun and games until Santorum wins. I don't have faith in the American people when it comes to refraining from electing batshit crazy people to elected office.
9
Yeah, what @3 and @8 said. Although none of the GOP field is ideal, Santorum is the battiest of a batty field...
11
Does anyone else think they're intentionally delaying choosing a nominee for as long as possible so the PACs can raise more money?
12
While part of me thinks there is no way the majority of Americans will vote for Santorum, if he wins the nomination, I never thought GWB would become president and didn't believe he would be re-elected (although there is some evidence that the electronic voting machines in Ohio gave him that second term), but we had him as the president for 8 long, long years.
Considering the possibility of the election being stolen using those Diebold electronic voting machines, or other nefarious Republican tricks (think road blocks in predominately African-American neighborhoods holding up their ability to get to the polling place), I'm less inclined to be OK with Santorum as the nominee.
Considering the possibility of the election being stolen using those Diebold electronic voting machines, or other nefarious Republican tricks (think road blocks in predominately African-American neighborhoods holding up their ability to get to the polling place), I'm less inclined to be OK with Santorum as the nominee.
13
I'm a Michigan Liberal, I was thinking of going and giving Gingrich a boost, since he's almost out, but now I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow...
14
Hilarious video, but boy does this worry me. Democrats want to vote for Santorum because he CAN'T POSSIBLY be elected President. Not by any sane electorate.
Guess what, folks, much of our electorate had boarded the crazy train. How else to explain the fact that Santorum has even made it this far? The anti-Obama rhetoric from the Right has turned a fairly moderate Democrat (good for guns, tossed out illegals, bombed the shit out of Libya) into a radical Hitler-Stalin monster who has overthrown American society. If by some unholy catastrophe Santorum were to be the party's nominee, most Republicans would vote for him just to get rid of Obama.
Hopefully there's a whole class of moderate Republican voters in this country we don't hear from, rational conservatives who don't drink the Kool-Aid. Then a landslide for Obama would be good for both parties. We get another four years in the White House, and the Right might be forced to consider platforms based on reality.
A man can dream.
Guess what, folks, much of our electorate had boarded the crazy train. How else to explain the fact that Santorum has even made it this far? The anti-Obama rhetoric from the Right has turned a fairly moderate Democrat (good for guns, tossed out illegals, bombed the shit out of Libya) into a radical Hitler-Stalin monster who has overthrown American society. If by some unholy catastrophe Santorum were to be the party's nominee, most Republicans would vote for him just to get rid of Obama.
Hopefully there's a whole class of moderate Republican voters in this country we don't hear from, rational conservatives who don't drink the Kool-Aid. Then a landslide for Obama would be good for both parties. We get another four years in the White House, and the Right might be forced to consider platforms based on reality.
A man can dream.
15
They're not doing this so Santorum gets the nomination. They're doing it to keep the Republican race-to-the bottom going.
For example, If Romney had locked up the nomination earlier, there's no way in hell he'd be stupid enough to oppose access to birth control.
Imagine what he'll have to oppose to compete with Santorum if this goes on into the summer.
For example, If Romney had locked up the nomination earlier, there's no way in hell he'd be stupid enough to oppose access to birth control.
Imagine what he'll have to oppose to compete with Santorum if this goes on into the summer.
16
No, no, no.
First, it was bad for America for Sarah Palin to be the Vice-Presidential nominee, even though she lost, and it would be bad for America for Santorum to be the Presidential nominee, even if he loses. If Santorum wins Michigan, there's a real chance he'll become the nominee.
Second, there really is something sacred about the ballot-box, and voting for someone you despise (even if it's a supposedly "strategic" vote") violates the sanctity of our democracy.
First, it was bad for America for Sarah Palin to be the Vice-Presidential nominee, even though she lost, and it would be bad for America for Santorum to be the Presidential nominee, even if he loses. If Santorum wins Michigan, there's a real chance he'll become the nominee.
Second, there really is something sacred about the ballot-box, and voting for someone you despise (even if it's a supposedly "strategic" vote") violates the sanctity of our democracy.
17
Half of me is wanting the stupid part of America to get what it deserves for long enough to realize just how fucked up that is. In my fantasy, the backlash drives the mud-dwellers out of public life. Followed by 100 years of intelligent progressiveness.
The other half of me wouldn't wish that misery on anyone even for a minute.
The other half of me wouldn't wish that misery on anyone even for a minute.
18
And the third half of you knows that the stupid part of America is stupid, and there's a good chance they'll NEVER realize that when Faux and their Repugnicant allies say "class warfare," they really mean super-rich Rs and Ds against less rich Rs and Ds, not Rs against Ds.
20
I hear you, Free Lunch, but we don't want to play this game too long. Have you heard Santorum go on with his American Taliban schtick? Picture, if you will, Inauguration Day, and grinning President Elect Santorum prepares to take the oath. You stare at the TV mouth helplessly agape, your mind reeling with the thought: "Four years... Four years..."
A person this delusional should not even get close to having a chance. Of the four clowns left, I'll take the risk of a Romney because I know he'll only screw up America a bit, not bring it to Medieval knees.
A person this delusional should not even get close to having a chance. Of the four clowns left, I'll take the risk of a Romney because I know he'll only screw up America a bit, not bring it to Medieval knees.
22
For the people deriding this effort with cries of "but what if Santorum actually wins?!?" - may I counter "What if Romney actually wins?"
That's exactly what this effort is about - Romney is going to win the nomination. The power base behind the Republican party is finally waking up to Santorum and screaming "get this idiot out of here, he makes us all look like fucking lunatics".
However, the longer that Santorum is in the race, the longer that Romney is forced to lean more and more to the right then he is clearly comfortable doing, and the more ridiculous his inevitable sudden shift to the center will look like after he does get the nomination.
This effort is not to get Santorum the nomination - this effort is to make the nomination as costly to Romney as possible.
TLDR version: Michigan win for Romney: Good for Romney, bad for Obama. Michigan win for Santorum: Bad for Romney, good for Obama.
That's exactly what this effort is about - Romney is going to win the nomination. The power base behind the Republican party is finally waking up to Santorum and screaming "get this idiot out of here, he makes us all look like fucking lunatics".
However, the longer that Santorum is in the race, the longer that Romney is forced to lean more and more to the right then he is clearly comfortable doing, and the more ridiculous his inevitable sudden shift to the center will look like after he does get the nomination.
This effort is not to get Santorum the nomination - this effort is to make the nomination as costly to Romney as possible.
TLDR version: Michigan win for Romney: Good for Romney, bad for Obama. Michigan win for Santorum: Bad for Romney, good for Obama.
24
Question: How does all of this square with not giving a platform/media time to members of hate groups? And doesn't it just give further credence to the spew of the hate groups that one of their guys is a POTUS candidate, and ultimately gain them more media invitations and time?
What happens after 2012? He's young enough to come back to haunt us yet again.Even assuming he loses the general, he'll still have the successful history of being the republican nominee to bolster another run.
What happens after 2012? He's young enough to come back to haunt us yet again.Even assuming he loses the general, he'll still have the successful history of being the republican nominee to bolster another run.
25
@24 I don't think you get it, the goal isn't to make Santorum the nominee, because he isn't going to be the nominee. Romney is.
The goal is to make the nomination as politically costly for Romney as possible. And as the video suggests, a brokered convention would be pretty much the ultimate cost - if Romney isn't the nominee until the convention in August, he has 2 months to suddenly veer to the center and campaign against Obama - compared to months and months more of leaning further and further to the right to distinguish himself from Santorum and Gingrich.
As for not giving a platform for hate speech, the entire Republican field is a hate-o-ganza. Every debate, the limbo bar is set lower and lower as they all try to outdo each other to say more horrible things before the other guys do.
The longer the primaries go before Romney is the clear winner, the more he shoves his own foot down his mouth. And I want him to taste his knee.
The goal is to make the nomination as politically costly for Romney as possible. And as the video suggests, a brokered convention would be pretty much the ultimate cost - if Romney isn't the nominee until the convention in August, he has 2 months to suddenly veer to the center and campaign against Obama - compared to months and months more of leaning further and further to the right to distinguish himself from Santorum and Gingrich.
As for not giving a platform for hate speech, the entire Republican field is a hate-o-ganza. Every debate, the limbo bar is set lower and lower as they all try to outdo each other to say more horrible things before the other guys do.
The longer the primaries go before Romney is the clear winner, the more he shoves his own foot down his mouth. And I want him to taste his knee.
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