Humorless Politics Thread

[Kormod]

The disgruntled sommelier who recorded that video deserves a medal.

[Kormod]

Of course:

Erick Erickson ‏@EWErickson

Dammit! I'm just now seeing these Romney secret videos. We need that guy on the campaign trail!

Here's the link if you haven't seen it: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser

[nec13]

Yeah, somehow I don't think that video will have quite the negative effect on Romney's campaign that some on the left believe it will. If anything, he may have just won some people over. Case in point, Leif Erickson.

[Kormod]

I'd like to think that calling 47% of Americans parasitic deadbeats would be politically damaging, but maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm not.

[Kormod]

And the nastiness and disdain with which he describes these people makes him look like such an asshole.

[nec13]

I'd like to think that calling 47% of Americans parasitic deadbeats would be politically damaging, but maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm not.

I agree that what he said was contemptible. And I'm no fan of Mitt Romney. But I do think that there's a fairly significant portion of the American electorate that happens to share those beliefs. If there weren't, then we'd have no Tea Party. That's a movement that's almost entirely predicated on the belief that the government is taking money away from hard-working people and redistributing it to the undeserving moocher class. I think that's who Romney is trying to appeal to, that group of hardcore conservatives that, heretofore, has been very lukewarm to his candidacy.

[masterofsparks]

I'd like to think that calling 47% of Americans parasitic deadbeats would be politically damaging, but maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm not.

I agree that what he said was contemptible. And I'm no fan of Mitt Romney. But I do think that there's a fairly significant portion of the American electorate that happens to share those beliefs. If there weren't, then we'd have no Tea Party. That's a movement that's almost entirely predicated on the belief that the government is taking money away from hard-working people and redistributing it to the undeserving moocher class. I think that's who Romney is trying to appeal to, that group of hardcore conservatives that, heretofore, has been very lukewarm to his candidacy.

Don't forget, though, that the Tea Party is a very small (but very vocal) minority of the electorate. You'd never know if it you watch cable news, which caters almost exclusively to the screaming minorities, but in reality there aren't that many of them.

How this affects Romney's candidacy depends on how extensively it's covered. I don't have high hopes that it will damage his campaign at all, but I guess the news could surprise me and actually cover this thing.

[cavorting with nudists]

This meme may be deader than Romney's campaign, but somebody dragged it out Weekend-at-Bernie's style for another curtain call, and I gotta say it made me laugh:

http://meemsy.com/v/3721

[cavorting with nudists]

Dead link, repost pls!

Hmm, it works for me. Mebbe just paste the url into your browser?

[Smelodies]

Seth Myers doing a halfway decent Jon Stewart impression.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/23/snl-what-are-you-doing-seth-meyers-obama-weekend-update_n_1907204.html

[wood and iron]

I hadn't seen this before but it's a great read: Tom Scharpling on Obamacare:
http://90days90reasons.com/47.php

[nec13]

I hadn't seen this before but it's a great read: Tom Scharpling on Obamacare:
http://90days90reasons.com/47.php

Well said, Tom.

I too have my issues with President Obama, but the alternative is so repellent that it's not even worth discussing.

[Gilly]

I don't get why most people feel that way and we don't do anything about it because if we could just drop this us vs. them mentality something really powerful could happen. Politicians aren't willing to stop the divide, but most people really can't stand either party but end up voting for one anyway. Occupy Wall Street had it wrong... once again they made it us vs. them and ended up giving a lot of people who should have been in the "us" camp a reason to stand up for the 1%. The only thing that should matter is that politicians don't work for us, it's a sentiment almost everyone can get behind, and it's a sentiment a lot of people think about every day of their life. If people went to the streets shouting that without a partisan message, a lot of people would get behind that and we'd have some real progress. Maybe we'd still have a two party system, but this us vs. them garbage might finally be put to rest.

[cavorting with nudists]

I would be interested to hear a single example of a policy proposal that would bring everyone together without partisan rancor and represent real progress.

[Gilly]

Policy doesn't even need to be on the table. I would argue that at least 75 percent of Americans are fed up with the childish fighting in Washington. People want that to end, and people from all walks of life would back a movement saying so. Policy doesn't matter because we're led to believe that there is no compromise. Change that line of thinking, change policy in general. Maybe leftys and rightys won't get behind it, but as much as they want to believe it they don't come close to being the majority, they're just the loudest. If the majority takes that voice back we'll see some positive change.