Posted on 09/28/2012 1:35:34 PM PDT by madprof98
That, apparently, is the long-held view of Mitt’s men — not and not just about the forthcoming debates, but about the whole campaign.
I have this from the lips of Sam Coates, the deputy political editor of the London Times, who was on BBC Radio 4′s Broadcasting House last Sunday participating in one of those panels of pundits-looking-at-the-press. Everyone agreed that, according to the polls, the U.S. election was finally over and that Obama would be back for four more years. All the newspapers all said so. “It feels,” said Coates, “that the incumbent is pulling away.”
Coates said the assumption of a Romney defeat fit his own view of the Republicans surrounding Mitt, a pessimism he saw back when Romney was in London eating his foot while talking about the Olympics. “His aides were there,” he said, “and they were telling some of our political advisers that, really, they weren’t that optimistic about their guy’s chances. They’re pretty resigned to it not going well, and it’s interesting to see that people are already moving away from his campaign.”
Does this seem plausible? Coates is a normally careful reporter. So does it seem that the coterie of mostly cautious Republicans surrounding Mitt are just going through the motions, they way they did for Dole and McCain? Does it seem, as it does from the Euro side of the Atlantic, that Mitt’s Republicans are embarrassed by their base — by “the vision thing” — and sometimes even by their VP nominee? If that’s true, then maybe all those odd polls reported by Katrina are true, too. After all, for two terms in the state of Kansas, where almost every voter is a Republican, voters routinely chose Sebelius, a left-wing extremist, over GOP candidates well-marinated in “moderation.” Nobody wants to vote for the reasonable chap running as functionary-in-chief.
In fact, what Americans seem to want is more polarization, not less. Those Republicans who try to campaign by galvanizing and leading their base, instead of ignoring and avoiding it, must be feeling now the way Romney’s dour aides have apparently felt all along — “pretty resigned,” minus the pretty. This is true in Senate races, too, and especially with influential PACs. In Michigan, where conservative Pete Hoekstra was running neck-and-neck with liberal Debbie Stabenow, the super PACs quit early and went elsewhere. As one source well-placed in the Hoekstra campaign told me, “We feel like the Rodney Dangerfield of Senate races.”
Scott Walker, the conservative Wisconsin Republican who defeated an all-out, union-run recall effort in a Democratic state, seemed to speak for many of the unwashed, according to the Independent:
It is no accident that Mr Romney hopes to close the book on his latest embarrassments with a bus tour in Ohio. It may also be telling that the tour will be opened by his running mate, Paul Ryan. Mr Ryan, who will address supporters in Lima, Ohio, today, is increasingly being seen as the more effective campaigner. Scott Walker, the Governor of Wisconsin, said as much when he praised Mr Ryan and said he hadn’t seen the “kind of passion I know that Paul has transferred over to our nominee”.Like other Republican luminaries, Mr Walker is no longer shy in offering his counsel to Mr Romney. “I want to see fire in the belly,” he declared, demanding evidence that the nominee is “lit up and ready to go”. He added: “I think you got to get off the heels and get out and charge forward.”
Fire in the belly? Lit up and ready to go? Mitt? Like a Glo-Stick on a bus, maybe.
I’m sorry but your definition of “100%” is rather at odds with the facts here.
The Democrats have successfully turned themselves into an ideologically coherent fighting party, who know what they want and what they are prepared to do to get it.
The Republicans? Don't make me laugh.
IF Romney loses by a couple of points we are all going to point at people like YOU as the cause.
Those of you supposed "conservatives" clinging to your sour grapes about the primary who are so willing to propagandize for the enemy may cost the GOP 1-3 points in votes nation wide.
We are going to remember that after Nov. After the Elections Conservatives are not going to just forgive and forget those who actively worked to re-elect 0bama
Rubbish. Obama is an endless disaster. I find it hard to believe there are enough dumb people in the U.S. to get him re-elected.
You can’t blame EVERYTHING on Obama when Bush had 8 years to figure out the mortgage loan issue and did nothing, the Republicans held the Congress I think for 6 of those years, they currently hold the House yet they do nothing about the out of control spending even though spending bills originate in the House, etc, etc, etc.
ALL of Washington DC is to blame for this mess, not just obama, and Romney did just as badly in Taxachusettes as Obama has done for the country.
Sorry, but I can’t stand to listen to this “Our side, YEAH!” crap any longer. There isn’t a single trend to the positive for either side and the RNC gives us an extreme left-wing liberal FR used to make fun of just a few years ago as their presidential candidate and you sing that praise simply because that left winger is to displace the other side’s left winger?? Insanity.
I have direct reports that Romney bumper stickers are popping up in liberal towns.
My personal observation has been that Obama stickers are few and far between.
I have no explanation for why conservative pundits are pushing the lie that Obama is ahead in the polls.
If Republicans are just going through the motions, then I will have to change my party affiliation, since there would be no point in being a Republican.
The largest massive debt increases have been when the Republicans held the House, and some years even the Senate. BOTH sides are just as guilty of this mess.
After a war is over, it is the collaboraters and quislings who are shot. They are the lowest form of scum. Defeated enemy soldiers are treated much better.
I am as far from an anti-Romney person as you could hope to find. I will vote for him come hell or high water.
I do conduct research for a living and have been a pollster for a couple of Congressional campaigns though, and I am concerned by what I see.
No sense trying to sugar-coat things, but I am far from ready to throw in the towel. Romney CAN win this, but he needs to step up his game.
FY 2007 was the last Bush/GOP Congress budget. FY 2011 is the last Obama/Democrat Congress budget
You are blaming Bush for the Democrat Congress’s budgets. Nice try but fail.
$160 billion to $1.6 TRILLION no matter how hard you try you cannot rationally blame both sides equally
And Barney Frank and every Democrat along with 1 single Republican blocked all 4 Bush administration reform attempts in the Banking Committee. Bush tried, Democrats blocked it and of course, you blame Bush rather then the Democrats.
It is utterly irrational to blame Bush for what Liberal Democrats in Congress did.
If I don’t hear Romney say “A dead ambassador is not a bump in the road” during the debate, I’ll believe this.
“you cannot rationally blame both sides equally”
You obviously have no clue how the government works.
“you blame Bush rather then the Democrats. “
BS! I said I blame both sides so don’t lie about what others say!
You cannot tell me that after all those years controlling both sides of Congress that the Democrats actually controlled it. That is a BOLD FACED LIE! Nothing but pure party propaganda. Somehow the majority Republicans were victims of the Democrats. How pathetic!
EVERYONE in DC knew that the Dems had passed some terrible mortgage banking laws and EVERYONE knew banks were being required under the table to ensure many of their loans were non-conforming, yet, NO ONE did squat about it. No one. Bush as President could have solved that issue immediately. He gave no such orders. Instead, he gave us TARP. Lovely. The Congress, Republicans included, continue to spend that amount every year now. Standard isssue budget.
I am not a sucker for party politics, you are, but I’m not. Both sides are killing us here.
When you add the dead vote to the dumb vote, you could get a winner.
It worked for JFK in 1960.
I am sorry the facts do not validate your opinions. The only way to believe as you do is to ignore all facts about the Democrats and their record.
So what is it? Family always been Democrat and you find it hard to actually hold “your team” accountable? I run into that alot. This is not your father’s Democrat party.
Screw all of ya! It is over when it is over.
Then all you dorks, it is really over. People best be figuring out how they will survive, because it is all gonna collapse soon after.
I have to stay home, we vote by mail. Cool we never know if our ballot is received or even counted, or worse counted the way we voted.
To think that we used to laugh at the Commies because they only had one person on the ballot.
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