In the world I live in, I examine the two candidates on the issues, and based on who I agree with more strongly and more often, I vote for that candidate. I don’t agree with Obama on everything, but I agree with him far more often and more strongly than I do with Romney.
I’m not convinced the election is all that close. It seems that every four years, there’s one candidate with a convincing lead, and then as the date grows near, the pollsters and pundits absolutely insist that it’s “neck and neck” or “too close to call” or a “dead heat” or some such - always. And then the formerly leading candidate wins by the generally predicted margin. I think the “dead heat” calls are manipulative BS to generate headlines (to draw ad revenue) and nothing more.
Politics aside - honestly - I think Obama will win by the kind of margin he’s shown in the last year or so. The “dead heat” nonsense is just that, nonsense ginned up as part of the endless cycle of hype the media tries to pass off for serious journalism.
Of course, all best are off if Frankenstorm Sandy smashes the northeast sector just in time to send voting into complete chaos. Mark me down as the first to say this storm could be the Reichstag fire of the 21st century.
When your post begins from the assumption that Romney’s 47% comments were a “joke”, it’s no wonder to me that you end up confused. That is an extemely ‘unique’ interpretation of an event, to say the least.
GIGO, and all that…
Strange, then, that his approval rating steadily dropped throughout his time in office, down to 39% during his last month. And now Romney holds the distinction of being a former governor whose own state is unlikely elect him for President.
Huh? That may have been what one poll reported, but the consensus of polls for the last nine months is that opinion on Obama’s performance has been evenly split.
Not Obama, Romney.
[QUOTE=Romney]
There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. And I mean, the president starts off with 48, 49, 48—he starts off with a huge number. These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn’t connect. And he’ll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean that’s what they sell every four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people—I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.
[/QUOTE]
I’m sorry…what part of that was intended as a joke?
I don’t like Mitt Romney but his approval ratings don’t really mean much. Sometimes the correct decisions are not the popular ones.
And if Romney were black, where do you think he would be?
Interesting how it’s only the race of black people that’s interesting. White people? No benefit from their race whatsoever. Not worth discussing.
Some, yes. But when your approval rating drops so low, so quickly, that’s a pretty good indication that there was something going on other than merely making unpopular decisions. He was governor for one term, and that’s the only office he’s held. Why shouldn’t we use his approval ratings as an indication of his ability to govern?
The 47% as talking about registered Democrats. Humor through hyperbole. I’m sure his audience of Republicans thought it was funny as hell to characterize all of the Democrats as leeches on the public tit.
Look I never said it was a good joke or humorous. Romney always finds the wrong way to express his ideas and he missed the important facet of today’s world - that every can listen to everything you say. Think of explaining why no one in West Virginia needs a dentist. If you’re from Appalachia it’s funny. The problem is that you have to be one of them or it’s an insult and Romney doesn’t understand that.
Oh and he has absolutely no personality to pull of a joke like that. Obama could joke that “45% [Republicans] of Americans drink milk and listen to Osmand music. The men want multiple wives to do the housework and the sister wives like it because they only have to carry out marital duties once per month. 45% of Americans are rich and don’t understand what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck and believe they are entitled to get richer at the expense of the middle class.” and I honestly believe it would be funny as hell.
I don’t want to pile on - it seems like your OP is a sincerely asked question and all that. I respect that.
But the 47% was the percentage who pay no income tax - he explicitly says so in the quote.
- Please give me your definition of the word “joke”.
- I don’t remember hearing the audience laughing in the clip. Did you hear laughter in that clip?
Not strange at all when you consider that MA has five times as many democratic voters than republican ones.
I wonder if some of this narrowing of the gap that the media suckles on to like a mother’s teet isn’t just a little manufacturing of hype for ratings.
Given his background, experience and skills and having the benefit of being black he would certainly be president already, possibly already done serving both his terms.
Quote where I said that or retract it.
Bwahahahaha! Because if Romney were black, he’d also have a dad who had been governor, right? He’d almost certainly have the same socioeconomic background that privileged his upbringing, right?
I didn’t say “leave everything else the same and change his skin tone,” because that’d have nothing to do with how race actually works.
I implied that you didn’t think it was worth discussing. Of course I can’t quote where you discussed it. Don’t be ridiculous.
Oh yeah- I forgot that in the right wing fantasy world, being black was a political benefit. Must explain all the black presidents we’ve had, and all the black senators we currently have. Obviously.
Not to mention Latino! Too bad George was just BORN in Mexico instead of actually being ethnic Mexican, right?
“Way to the left of American mainstream”? Barack Obama? What kind of yardstick do you use to define the “American Mainstream” ?