Why Willard Romney Lost

From the Boston Globe:

Mitt Romney was hesitant to reveal himself

A Globe review finds many reasons for the presidential candidate’s failure, none greater than how slow he was to tell his own story

By Michael Kranish | Globe Staff December 23, 2012

excerpt:

To this day, Romney’s aides wonder how it all went so wrong.

They console each other with claims that the election was much closer than realized, saying that Romney would be president if roughly 370,000 people in swing states had voted differently. Romney himself blamed demographic shifts and Obama’s “gifts”: ­federal largesse targeted to Democratic constituencies.

But a reconstruction by the Globe of how the campaign unfolded shows that Romney’s problems went deeper than is widely understood. His campaign made a series of costly financial, strategic, and political mistakes that, in retrospect, all but assured the candidate’s defeat, given the revolutionary turnout tactics and tactical smarts of President Obama’s operation.

To which I reply:

I’m tired of these whiners. Let’s break it down .

The GOP Primaries were a joke. A JOKE. They ran against amateurs and grifters, and even then, never presented an actual CASE as to why Willard should be President. They buried the GOP Clown Car with negative ads because they had more money. If just one of those grifters had actual solid financial footing, Willard never would have won.

So, after running in that Primary, against that pathetic bunch, they actually thought that they were going to run that bullshyt on the Obama Team.

You know the team that took down the Clintons in 2008 and got a BLACK MAN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Yes, that team.

They thought, with their Citizens United Cabal, that they would just run all sorts of ads, and that would work with this President. But, you see, as usual, they couldn’t see the forest for the trees. They pretended that this President, and his entire family, hadn’t been the most disrespected President in history. They pretended that the rest of this country didn’t notice the race-based insults that had proliferated from the right from the moment Barack Obama came close to getting the Democratic Nomination in 2008. You know the saying that every cloud has silver lining – well, the lining in this case was that, there wasn’t shyt negative that Willard and the Citizens United Clown Car couldn’t unleash against the President that we hadn’t already heard in one way or another from the right wing since 2008. The only people those ads were going towards were the people who were never going to vote for the President in the first place.

They mocked President Obama as a ‘ community organizer’. As folks pointed out the number of field offices that the President’s team was opening, and the volunteers, it was mocked by the GOP, and ignored by the MSM. They thought they wouldn’t need GOTV, because their Voter Suppression was supposed to work. They actually thought that they were going to take away the RIGHT TO VOTE FROM FIVE MILLION AMERICANS, and nobody was gonna fight that shyt. Rev. Al had a saying about this election:

This isn’t Obama – it’s about your Mama.

He was right in so many ways. It became less about President Obama, and even those that were on the fence about this President, weren’t on the fence about Big Mama, Daddy, Uncle Leroy, the Elders in the Church that they’ve known their entire lives. It couldn’t get more personal to have these assholes stand before cameras, saying that, of course, these laws were to stop people from voting. WE are the ones who were beaten, hozed, who had to tell the ‘ number of bubbles in a bar of soap’, and guess how many jelly beans in a jar. The reaction to James Crow, Esquire was VICERAL, and people were not playing with the GOP, or the MSM which didn’t report this story, save for a handful of people.

They never ran a campaign – they lied about every damn thing. Steve Benen wrote FORTY-ONE fucking columns detailing Willard’s lies.

FORTY-ONE!!!

Willard Romney ran for President officially for 6 years, and to this day, nobody could tell me WHAT was his purpose for running. They could never tell me WHY he should be President – other than he was a rich White Man. THAT is all he offered, with his race-baiting campaign. They were gonna racebait the White folks out to vote, but never thought about the flip of that – that all the non-White people in this country that held their tongue as they silently watched and seethed at the insults towards this President. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I still say that the numbers that shocked the hell out of them were the votes for Latinos and Asians….they were oh so ready to tell Black folks that they ‘ imagined’ the insults towards The First Family, and that we should stop being so ‘sensitive’. When pretty much ALL the non-White folks saw the same damn thing, that shut them the fuck up. Willard was their Great White Hope, cause he surely had nothing else to offer, and watching all of them on election night have to choke on it, as the President won re-election handily just made them hurt all over. To see the man triumph after they had done everything they possibly could to put the fix in…they were beside themselves.

Willard Romney and his entire clan, were nothing but a bunch of overprivileged, entitled group of assholes who thought that they were ENTITLED to be First Family. Not understanding that, even with our republic as broken as it’s been, one is ELECTED President by THE PEOPLE. So, him, ‘ our turn’ Miss Ann, that punk azz Tagg, who thought he could open his mouth about threatening our President, can go somewhere and sit down in one of their houses.

The Last Presidential Debate for the 2012 Election

hat tip debate videos-3CHICS:

The best quote of last night's debate:

PBO: "But Governor, when it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s, just like the social policies of the 1950s and the economic policies of the 1920s."

The Town Hall with President Obama and Willard Romney

THIS is who Willard Romney Is

These videos were sent to David Corn at Mother Jones.

No shock to me in the least about these videos.

No shock at all.











Response from the Obama Campaign:

CHICAGO – “It’s shocking that a candidate for President of the United States would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the American people view themselves as ‘victims,’ entitled to handouts, and are unwilling to take ‘personal responsibility’ for their lives. It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation.” – Jim Messina, Obama for America Campaign Manager

So, it's Romney/RYAN....

And somewhere high atop of the Prudential Building, Team Obama is going

'FOR REAL?'

'FOR REAL?'

Willard Romney has once again shown that he has no spine, and caved to the right-wing by choosing the Zombie-Eyed Grannie Killer known as Congressman Paul Ryan. He didn't even choose his own VP Candidate.

What did Grover Norquist say?

They don't need anyone that actually thinks in the White House, only someone to sign the bills shoved in front of them.

Willard has shown repeatedly that he has no core, no center, no spine.

And, the President gets what he wants: a clear CHOICE for November.

The Ryan Budget plan is now the ROMNEY/RYAN Budget plan until Election Day.

Willard chose as a running mate, Dubya's House Point Man on Privatizing Social Security, the author of VOUCHERCARE, which they got the GOP House to vote for not once, but TWICE.

Oh yes, the high fives went up all over the Prudential Building once this was leaked last night. The last group that was stubborn to the President have been Seniors - now, they have to confront for themselves...vote for the scary Black man or vote for those who would take away their Social Security and Medicare. With this selection, these Seniors have been bitchslapped into reality.

Because sometimes, there are no words...

I'm gonna have to rush and post this, and I'll be back later to comment.

From Politico:

Romney wants his taxes, business record off table

By MAGGIE HABERMAN | 8/10/12 2:33 PM EDT

Mitt Romney made an unusual suggestion in his interview with Chuck Todd yesterday, which First Read previewed thusly:

*** This is business not personal: Romney also said in the interview he would like a pledge (of sorts) with Obama that there be no "personal" attack ads. "[O]ur campaign would be — helped immensely if we had an agreement between both campaigns that we were only going to talk about issues and that attacks based upon — business or family or taxes or things of that nature." (Question: Is Romney really saying that scrutinizing his business record — which he has held up as one of his chief qualifications to be president — is personal?

But we digress. ...) He continued: "[W]e only talk about issues. And we can talk about the differences between our positions and our opponent's position." Romney said of his own campaign: "[O]ur ads haven't gone after the president personally. ... [W]e haven't dredged up the old stuff that people talked about last time around. We haven't gone after the personal things." That doesn't mean surrogates or Super PACs have, as was brought up to him. Bottom line, obviously, this negative stuff is getting to Romney or he wouldn't have said this. Campaigns that are winning never complain about the tone of the campaign (although Obama certainly laments "crazy" things outside groups say — more on that below.). There will be more on this from Romney on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown. Did he just offer the Obama campaign an official pledge? See for yourself.

Talking about candidates' personal finances is hardly novel, nor is it irrelevant — how candidates make their money, however much or how little they've earned over the years, is not only fair game but a legitimate line of inquiry. The question of tax returns is also not new (to that end, Romney has said he would also release his 2011 taxes, but has yet to do so, with less than three months to go in the race).

What is surprising is hearing a candidate say, essentially, "stop hitting me." As the folks at First Read note, this would seem to be something of a concession that the negatives are bothering the candidate, whom a round of new national polls shows running at a deficit that exceeds the margin of error. Some of the attacks have indeed gone rather far over the line (the ad that yokes a man's loss of his job due to Bain Capital to his wife's death was at minimum factually off and at most suggests a pretty ugly thing about the candidate).

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Ok, I'm back.

You know...I almost still have no words.

Have you EVER

and I do mean EVER

seen a more ENTITLED WHITE MAN THAN WILLARD ROMNEY?

I mean that.

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Will the MSM continue to cover for Willard's LIES about the Vietnam War?

Earlier this week, AP released a story of Willard's time during the Vietnam era.

From the AP:

Romney's (non) military record faces new scrutiny
By STEVE PEOPLES

On a stage crowded with war heroes, Mitt Romney recently praised the sacrifice "of the great men and women of every generation who serve in our armed services."

It is a sacrifice the Republican presidential candidate did not make.

Though an early supporter of the Vietnam War, Romney avoided military service at the height of the fighting after high school by seeking and receiving four draft deferments, according to Selective Service records. They included college deferments and a 31-month stretch as a "minister of religion" in France, a classification for Mormon missionaries that the church at the time feared was being overused. The country was cutting troop levels by the time he became eligible for the draft, and his lottery number was not called.

President Barack Obama, Romney's opponent in this year's campaign, did not serve in the military either. The Democrat, 50, was a child during the Vietnam conflict and did not enlist when he was older.

But because Romney, now 65, was of draft age during Vietnam, his military background — or, rather, his lack of one — is facing new scrutiny as he courts veterans and makes his case to the nation to be commander in chief. He's also intensified his criticism lately of Obama's plans to scale back the nation's military commitments abroad, suggesting that Romney would pursue an aggressive foreign policy as president that could involve U.S. troops.

A look at Romney's relationship with Vietnam offers a window into a 1960s world that allowed him to avoid combat as fighting peaked. His story also demonstrates his commitment to the Mormon Church, which he rarely discusses publicly but which helped shape his life.

Romney's recollection of his Vietnam-era decisions has evolved in the decades since, particularly as his presidential ambitions became clear.

He said in 2007 — his first White House bid under way — that he had "longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam." But his actions, Selective Service records and previous statements show little interest in joining a conflict that ultimately claimed more than 58,000 American lives.

How does one LONG to be in Vietnam, when one did whatever they could to AVOID serving in Vietnam. The religious deferments that Willard received were not automatic. Not every Mormon received one. He got one, of course, because of WHO is family is.

"He didn't have the courage to go. He didn't feel it was important enough to him to serve his country at a time of war," said Jon Soltz, who served two Army tours in Iraq and is the chairman of the left-leaning veterans group VoteVets.org.

Critics note that the candidate is among three generations of Romneys — including his father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, and five sons — who were of military age during armed conflicts but did not serve.

I'll be honest, I still don't get it.....Pappy Bush and John F. Kennedy served.....how the heck did George Romney get out of serving in WWII?

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The Reason Why Bain is important.

Willard Romney says that the reason he is qualified to be President of the United States is because he knows how to take care of the economy and President Obama doesn't.

He's not saying that he had executive experience because he was the Governor of Massachusetts - something that he has completely run away from. Look at Willard's campaign - it's like his time as the Governor of Massachusetts just doesn't exist.

He's not running on foreign policy experience - remember the articles from last week about him 'forming a foreign policy after the election'.

No. He's staked his claim on why he should be President because he's a rich White man, and the crux of that is Bain Capital.

I'm fine if he wants folks to judge him on his time at Bain Capital.

LET US DISCUSS HIS TIME AT BAIN.

Let us discuss the American workers that were given the shaft by Willard and Bain.

Let us discuss the fundamentals of how Bain made money. They weren't about making jobs. They were about making money.

But, they don't want to discuss that. They don't want to talk about:
1. the jobs he shipped overseas 2. the companies he bankrupted 3. the people whose economic lives he ruined.

They wanna bullshyt and call that the President's attempt at 'character assassination'.

Just once I wish someone from the Obama campaign to retort - you'd actually have to HAVE CHARACTER in order for it to be assassinated, but I know they can't.

It's not character assassination to break it down to the American people that Willard and Bain didn't give a rat's ass about 'creating jobs'. They were all about ' making money'. And, they rigged the game, so, whether the company succeeded OR FAILED - Bain made money.

The whole 99% vs. 1% isn't about the 99% being 'envious'. They just know unfair bullshyt when they see it.

People understand - if a company is doing successful, then yes, people should make money.
But, it's hard to explain, in anything other than 1% ridiculousness, how, if you run a company INTO BANKRUPTCY, how your ass should walk away with MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

And, that is EXACTLY what Willard and Bain did - time after time.

Time after time, bankrupting companies, walking away from the pension and medical benefit obligations of employees and retirees, while making MILLIONS for themselves.
On top of that, not only walking away from those worker and retiree obligations, but putting the AMERICAN TAXPAYER on the hook for them.

All while Willard - AND BAIN - walked away with MILLIONS.


THIS is why Bain is fair game.
Willard has said he should be President because of his ' business experience'. Therefore, every inch of what was done at Bain is part of what the American People have a RIGHT TO KNOW.

Keeping Track of Willard's Lies- A New Weekly Post

I think we need to keep track of Willard's lies.

On that note, I will point out the site on the blog roll: Romney The Liar: because there are Liars, Damn Liars, and then there's Mitt Romney.


Steve Benen, now at The Maddow Blog, is continuing his Weekly Lies of Willard. Here's last week's entry:

Chronicling Mitt's mendacity
By Steve Benen
Fri Feb 3, 2012 2:07 PM EST

Several weeks ago, I launched a Friday afternoon feature, highlighting the most offensive Mitt Romney falsehoods of the week. I was off last week, but let's get it started again.

Associated Press

1. Romney claimed President Obama "went before the United Nations" and "said nothing about thousands of rockets being rained in on Israel from the Gaza Strip."

True or false? The claim isn't even close to being right.

2. Romney said Democrats "passed Dodd-Frank," which "has made it almost impossible for community banks."

True or false? He's has said this before, and it's still completely untrue.

3. Romney continues to insist, "Our Navy is now smaller than any time since 1917."

True or false? It's one of his favorite talking points, but it's wildly misleading.

4. Romney boasted, "I did not inherit what my wife and I have, nor did she. What I was able to build, I built the old-fashioned way, by earning it, by working hard."

True or false? In reality, he inherited quite a bit from his wealthy, powerful parents.

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Willard says he doesn't care about poor people

Tell me something I didn't already know.

In an interview with Soledad O'Brien, Willard said the following:

I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90%, 95% of Americans right now who are struggling and I'll continue to take that message across the nation. [...]

"You can focus on the rich, that's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus. My focus is on middle-income Americans."

Now, there are those who believe that this was Willard's attempt at a dogwhistle. That ' the very poor' was code for Black. Might be.


Here's what No More Mister Nice Blog said:

THAT WAS NO GAFFE. THAT WAS A BRAND-NEW TALKING POINT.
(Update: or maybe not so brand-new.)
See? He keeps repeating it. It's a rehearsed line. It's a talking point he wants to take into the campaign. He wants to divide and conquer; he wants middle-class people who've had the rug pulled out from under them in this recession to feel that their interests are in opposition to the interests of "the very poor." He wants them to think that President Obama is excessively concerned with "the very poor" at their expense.

Will this work? I don't know. But it's no slip-up. It's no gaffe.

Wouldn't put anything past him, but here's the thing that reporters should be asking. Bump the dogwhistle, just ask the following:


W-T-F is the' very poor'? What is the demarkation for ' the very poor'? What's the financial status demarkation line for the poor in this country versus the very poor?

Willard's only concerned with the 90-95% of Americans who are struggling?

W-T-F?

Another question that needs to be asked of him is WHAT PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS, based upon those artificially low government baselines, are considered POOR in America?

Here's the answer Willard - IT'S LARGER THAN 5%.


And about that social safety net that Willard claims he wants to protect?

I, and others call bullshyt on that one, considering that all the fiscal policies he says he wants to implement would SHRED THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET in this country.


Of all the segments about this, I enjoyed Tweety's the most, because he came closest to the repulsion that I feel for Willard.

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