“With $5 gasoline, 9% unemployed, and 19% underemployed, I don’t see how Obama is electable”
He will be “electable” because Obama is emerging from “the starting gate” with a good 43-46% of the voting public already “in his pocket”.
This 46% simply -doesn’t care- about “employment” or even “underemployment” because they are either
1. on entitlements or
2. on unemployment (which may keep getting “extended” for years to come), or
3. on welfare.
The “economic rules” that -you- live by, simply don’t apply to them.
With 46% already on his side, all Obama needs is a moderate portion of the so-called “independents” to put him over the top. And a large chunk of those wishy-washy independents are going to get scared off by the social conservatism of someone like Rick Santorum. If the candidate is Romney, expect an attack on his religious beliefs unparalleled in American elective politics.
Did you see the recent poll out of Virginia? Where no less than 51% of those polled preferred Obama to the Republican candidate? In Virginia, of all places? (Aside: in 2008, Obama won VA with 53% of the votes cast.)
This IS NOT going to be an easy election for Republicans, at least on the presidential level. It’s going to be bitter, and it’s going to “turn racial”.
The ‘rats know how to fight, and they will, with any sense of principles or fairness be damned.
It’s because the Republicans won’t “return that fire” with more of the same, that they are going to be in danger of losing....
Yup. That is exactly the likely scenario. Roughly 45% of the voters are going to vote for Hussein no matter what. He needs 5%+1 more and he wins his second term. No matter what Rick does to try to change the subject, the election will turn on social policy because he is not deft enough, nor do I believe in his heart really wants, to change the subject.
Instead of gas prices, debt, failed stimulus, etc, we'd end up talking about rubbers, porn, whether women should work or have lots of babies at home, etc. No matter how right Santorum may or may not be on those issues, they are giant losers amongst moderates and all the new, younger, fiscal conservatives who understand we need to do something about the debt, the insane spending levels, etc, but want absolutely nothing to do with someone preaching at them about birth control.