Humorless Politics Thread

[Kormod]

A seemingly autistic "pickup artist" gives conservatives dating advice at CPAC:

Conservative Dating Session, CPAC, 2/9/12

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/professional-pick-up-artist-teaches-cpac-crowd-how-to-run-game.php?ref=fpnewsfeed

“‘I was thinking about how sexy it would be to kiss you,’” world renowned pickup artist Wayne Elise told a group of young Rick Santorum fans. “You can say that [to a girl], it’s cool.”

Elise, better known by his handle “Juggler” from Neil Strauss’ notorious pickup memoir The Game, was offering advice to attendees at conservative mega-conference CPAC on how to improve their dating game. Remember that old VH1 reality show The Pickup Artist with that lanky host called “Mystery” teaching people how to insult girls then hit on them when their self esteem is shattered? This is one of his top rivals, charging upwards of $5,000 for a one-day private session.

But on Thursday, young socially conservative activists got it for free. One tip, he noted, was to introduce sensuality into early conversations with girls — like the above quote — to keep from falling into the platonic zone with your target.

“Most guys fall into the category of not being sexual enough, so that girls will easily see them as friend material and the guys have a hard time getting out of that,” he said. “I think one of my ideas that connects to conservatives is that it’s OK to wait but you definitely want to show the person you’re sexual and sensual.”

A crowd of a couple dozen people, mostly media, but with a handful of genuinely rapt fresh-faced conservatives of both sexes thrown in, hung on to his every word. Sometimes they threw in their own advice and observations. As Elise joked about which Republicans were the “hottest,” two giggling college girls with Santorum stickers shouted in perfect unison “MItt Romney’s sons!” Shortly afterwards, Elise asked a slick-haired Republican to describe his perfect girl. His answer: 5”7, good hair, nice skin, and “works for FOX News.”

The breakout session, sponsored by TeaParty.net, was billed as an opportunity to “learn everything from how to avoid scaring away your own personal Dagny Taggart in the first five minutes of the conversation, to whether Tea Partiers and Occupiers can share something more than a dislike for bailouts.” But in practice, Elise mostly stuck to his tried and true methods for dating in general. In comparison to “Mystery,” who promotes using memorized pickup lines, Elise instead espouses broader tips and tricks.

Like the following four examples:

1.”How do you make them feel comfortable? You talk about your weaknesses,” Elise said. One audience member chimed in with a good one liner to lighten the mood: “I’m Rush Limbaugh’s drug dealer.”

2. On dates, “try to outlaw questions,” Elise said, prompting some quizzical looks from participants. “Say ‘I’m not going to do any questions, I’m going to make statements.’ Why? Because statements say something about you.”

3. Here’s a tip: “When you walk up and you’re talking to the cute girl in a group don’t just talk to the girl. Bring other people in.” In a related tactic, should you see a hot girl in a bar do not approach — instead befriend a less attractive group and then recruit them to help you seduce her.

4. Good date idea? “Tell her you want to take a polaroid camera, walk around Soho in New York or somewhere comparable here, Georgetown maybe, and take pictures together — that’s a fun date.” But one Republican consultant from Sag Harbor, New York had a better one. “A gun club works really well for that thing,” he said. “It’s conservative, it’s fun, most women haven’t done that before…you get to look like you know what you’re doing.”

Still, at the audience’s prompting, he offered at least some conservative-specific ideas from his own experience as a libertarian in Los Angeles.

“The problem with conservatives on dating: we’re too uptight!” he said. “Liberals have the reputation for being fun, we have to go on the date and have fun without smoking pot.”

By far the biggest question on participants’ mind was whether true bipartisan love was possible. On this point, there was some surprising optimism in the room: Andrew Simon, a blogger for African American GOP site “HipHopRepublican.com,” suggested it might even be easier.

“You save yourself form those godawful dates where you see someone and they’re both conservatives and it becomes one giant pecking contest to see who has the coolest contacts,” he said. The audience wasn’t sold, though. “DC,” one muttered dismissively.

At the very least, the session was an opportunity to acknowledge one of the less discussed dynamics of CPAC. Unlike most conservative gatherings, which often resemble Bingo night at the retirement home, the annual conference is usually dominated by college Republicans who bus in en masse. That means the dating scene is sizzling.

I asked Adam Tilsley, a student in from the University of Maine, whether he thought he heard any news he could use at CPAC.

“Oh yeah without a doubt,” he said. “Who knows, I might have a secret admirer.”

[buffcoat]

I can't watch that.  I can't watch large groups of conservative young people.

[Steve of Bloomington]

Mitt Romney today:

There are some things that you just can't imagine happening in your life — this is one of them.

Wow!  You've got my attention, Mitt!  Tell us, what has you so excited?

Being in Donald Trump's magnificent hotel and having his endorsement is a delight.  I'm so honored and pleased to have his endorsement.

(SFX: Sad Trombone)

Being in Donald Trump's hotel is a delight? I've been in hotels better than Trump's dumps, and I'm nowhere near as rich as Romney...

[Kormod]

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/santorum-surges-into-the-lead.html

Riding a wave of momentum from his trio of victories on Tuesday Rick Santorum has opened up a wide lead in PPP's newest national poll. He's at 38% to 23% for Mitt Romney, 17% for Newt Gingrich, and 13% for Ron Paul.

Part of the reason for Santorum's surge is his own high level of popularity. 64% of voters see him favorably to only 22% with a negative one. But the other, and maybe more important, reason is that Republicans are significantly souring on both Romney and Gingrich. Romney's favorability is barely above water at 44/43, representing a 23 point net decline from our December national poll when he was +24 (55/31). Gingrich has fallen even further. A 44% plurality of GOP voters now hold a negative opinion of him to only 42% with a positive one. That's a 34 point drop from 2 months ago when he was at +32 (60/28).

Santorum is now completely dominating with several key segments of the electorate, especially the most right leaning parts of the party. With those describing themselves as 'very conservative,' he's now winning a majority of voters at 53% to 20% for Gingrich and 15% for Romney.  Santorum gets a majority with Tea Party voters as well at 51% to 24% for Gingrich and 12% for Romney. And with Evangelicals he falls just short of a majority with 45% to 21% for Gingrich and 18% for Romney.
It used to be that Gingrich was leading with all these groups and Romney was staying competitive enough with them to hold the overall lead. No more- a consensus conservative candidate finally seems to be emerging and it's Santorum.

The best thing Romney might have going for him right now is Gingrich's continued presence in the race. If Gingrich dropped out 58% of his supporters say they would move to Santorum, while 22% would go to Romney and 17% to Paul. Santorum gets to 50% in the Newt free field to 28% for Romney and 15% for Paul.

Of course if there's been one constant theme in this GOP race it's that once you get to the top you tend to start heading back down. Only 48% of voters say they're solidly committed to their current candidate choice, while 52% say they're open to changing their minds. Santorum's support isn't that solid and when Romney uses his superior resources to pulverize him, we could see this lead evaporate just as quickly as it was built up. But for now there's been a stunning reversal in the race and Santorum's your new leader.

[nec13]

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/02/santorum-surges-into-the-lead.html

Riding a wave of momentum from his trio of victories on Tuesday Rick Santorum has opened up a wide lead in PPP's newest national poll. He's at 38% to 23% for Mitt Romney, 17% for Newt Gingrich, and 13% for Ron Paul.

Part of the reason for Santorum's surge is his own high level of popularity. 64% of voters see him favorably to only 22% with a negative one. But the other, and maybe more important, reason is that Republicans are significantly souring on both Romney and Gingrich. Romney's favorability is barely above water at 44/43, representing a 23 point net decline from our December national poll when he was +24 (55/31). Gingrich has fallen even further. A 44% plurality of GOP voters now hold a negative opinion of him to only 42% with a positive one. That's a 34 point drop from 2 months ago when he was at +32 (60/28).

Santorum is now completely dominating with several key segments of the electorate, especially the most right leaning parts of the party. With those describing themselves as 'very conservative,' he's now winning a majority of voters at 53% to 20% for Gingrich and 15% for Romney.  Santorum gets a majority with Tea Party voters as well at 51% to 24% for Gingrich and 12% for Romney. And with Evangelicals he falls just short of a majority with 45% to 21% for Gingrich and 18% for Romney.
It used to be that Gingrich was leading with all these groups and Romney was staying competitive enough with them to hold the overall lead. No more- a consensus conservative candidate finally seems to be emerging and it's Santorum.

The best thing Romney might have going for him right now is Gingrich's continued presence in the race. If Gingrich dropped out 58% of his supporters say they would move to Santorum, while 22% would go to Romney and 17% to Paul. Santorum gets to 50% in the Newt free field to 28% for Romney and 15% for Paul.

Of course if there's been one constant theme in this GOP race it's that once you get to the top you tend to start heading back down. Only 48% of voters say they're solidly committed to their current candidate choice, while 52% say they're open to changing their minds. Santorum's support isn't that solid and when Romney uses his superior resources to pulverize him, we could see this lead evaporate just as quickly as it was built up. But for now there's been a stunning reversal in the race and Santorum's your new leader.

Every night before he goes to bed, Barack Obama should get down his knees and pray that Rick Santorum wins the GOP nomination. If he does, Obama will win in a Reagan '84-esque landslide. It'll absolutely be that bad.

The question is, why are so many Republicans eager to commit the political equivalent of harakiri?

[fonpr]

The question is, why are so many Republicans eager to commit the political equivalent of harakiri?

The unconscious drive of the death instinct.

[buffcoat]

Fredrixxxxxxxxxcks, I think you're right.

They hate the Not Them so much that they're willing to nominate someone who doesn't even share a lot of their views (isolationism, total hatred of immigrants) just because he shares their anger at what Not Them has done to Their Country.

Never mind that Not Them kind of doesn't exist, and there doesn't exist the power or coordination to accomplish something like that.

[Gilly]

Every night before he goes to bed, Barack Obama should get down his knees and pray that Rick Santorum wins the GOP nomination. If he does, Obama will win in a Reagan '84-esque landslide. It'll absolutely be that bad.

You've got that right. He has no moderate pull at all.

[cavorting with nudists]

You've got that right. He has no moderate pull at all.

Strange you should say that, for the last two weeks all I've been hearing is how the most important issue of 2012 is making sure women don't get birth control.  Surely Rick Sanitarium is a man for our time.

[Gilly]

That's maybe an important issue for conservatives but they were voting Republican anyway. I highly doubt that moderates have that issue even in their top 5 in terms of importance.

I feel, and I might be very wrong, that moderates are finally starting to lean progressive when it comes to gay marriage which really is the only wedge issue that could really make a difference this election.  Maybe that's the liberal/optimist in me but I just think that Republicans are way off on where non-committed voters stand on gay marriage. We know where conservatives stand especially in the Midwest and the South but once you enter all voters into the fold, I think it's going to be a rude awakening for the Christian right and hopefully a huge turning point for civil rights.

[cavorting with nudists]

Yeah, I know, I was merely fooling and pretending.  I have to say, I've loved the last two weeks of Republicans trying to outdo each other on who hates birth control most.

Incidentally, as soon as I typed Santorum's Spikeified name, I realized that really, thanks to the fine efforts of Dan Savage, no Spikeifying is actually needed.  At this point, the most pejorative name possible for Rick Santorum is "Santorum."

[Boogdish]

I'm not sure if Santorum or Romney could beat John Kerry in a general election, much less Obama.

[dave from knoxville]

I hope you crazy dreamers are right. I am surrounded by buffoons that are absolutely convinced that Obama can't can't win against these paragons of God-backed righteousness.

[masterofsparks]

I've said it before, but I'll repeat it here: I don't see how Obama can possibly lose to any of these clowns. Romney has the best chance of beating him, and the fact that his own party keeps picking a new front-runner every week or two is testament to just how much conservate voters don't like him. His poll numbers are very low among conservatives, and while I realize a lot of them will hold their nose and vote for him when the time comes, I just don't think he's likable enough to pull the number of moderates he needs to win the general election.

[buffcoat]

I hope you crazy dreamers are right. I am surrounded by buffoons that are absolutely convinced that Obama can't can't win against these paragons of God-backed righteousness.

Dave, if it's any comfort, they were probably convinced of the same thing at this point in 2008.  The Inland South is the most non-Obama-Country part of the nation.

If this election were decided by people who have the time to comment on every news story that shows up in the middle of the day, Obama would lose by a landslide.

In the meantime, you can amuse yourself by reading about all the people who hate government so much that they can't stop taking thousands of dollars a year in subsidies and handouts:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/us/even-critics-of-safety-net-increasingly-depend-on-it.html


I heard a slogan I'd never heard before last week.  Abortion opponents are against abortion except in cases of "rape, life, and me."  This is what I keep seeing across all the issues.