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[RustyNails]

New CNN/ORC Poll.

Lots of good stuff. Including:

and

 

[RustyNails]

Wasn't there a poll just a few weeks ago that showed the vast majority of people still blamed Bush for the economy?

Correction: Vast majority of people blame Bush for economic problems.

 

[Chumly]

and

I thought this was very interesting. Romney can't even crack 50% within the republican party of people "wanting" to vote for Romney. The vast majority is just anti-obama.

 

[The Librarian]

Bahahahaha

 

[Hawkian]

I thought this was very interesting. Romney can't even crack 50% within the republican party of people "wanting" to vote for Romney. The vast majority is just anti-obama.

What a statistic. This isn't a huge sample, but damn.

 

[RDreamer]

lol

OK, OK. I know I just said focusing on what candidates' spouses say is silly, but as a dog lover this is pretty annoying.

Romney's dog Seamus ‘Loved’ Trips Atop Family Car, Says Ann Romney

Then you'll love this

DIANE SAWYER: As we move away from this primary campaign into the next phase -- again, on Yahoo, we got two questions most often, first about Seamus -- which as you know is out there forever -- would you do it again?
MITT ROMNEY: Certainly not with the attention it's received.

So, he wouldn't do it again... because of the negative press and reaction he's received from it.

 

[Chichikov]

Seamusgate (trademarked!) is in strong contention for being the dumbest issue (issue, lol) in the history of presidential elections.

 

[speculawyer]

Seamusgate (trademarked!) is in strong contention for being the dumbest issue (issue, lol) in the history of presidential elections.

I don't think the dog is the issue. It is just an interesting reflection on the cold unsympathetic way Romney deals with thing. It contributes to the image of him being a robot.

 

[Chichikov]

I don't think the dog is the issue. It is just an interesting reflection on the cold unsympathetic way Romney deals with thing. It contributes to the image of him being a robot.

Sorry, but just don't see how that story (which happened 20 years ago no less) is relevant in any shape and form.

And your assertion that he was cold and unsympathetic to the dog is based on nothing but your bias against Romney.

 

[Particle Physicist]

Sorry, but just don't see how that story (which happened 20 years ago no less) is relevant in any shape and form.

And your assertion that he was cold and unsympathetic to the dog is based on nothing but your bias against Romney.

I dunno, the dog was literally scared shitless (diarrhea-ing all over the car), and Romney thought it was a funny story to tell. I would say that is a little more telling of character, than some of the bullshit slung at Obama.

 

[platypotamus]

Sorry, but just don't see how that story (which happened 20 years ago no less) is relevant in any shape and form.

And your assertion that he was cold and unsympathetic to the dog is based on nothing but your bias against Romney.

It could also be based on the fact that that's a fucked up thing to do to a dog, and an even more fucked up thing to laugh about and tell stories about afterwards.

 

[Chichikov]

I dunno, the dog was literally scared shitless (diarrhea-ing all over the car), and Romney thought it was a funny story to tell.

And now you can analyze the dog's mental state from his 20 years old poop?

Come on now, it's a silly story, it was fun as a joke, but there's no real issue here.

It could also be based on the fact that that's a fucked up thing to do to a dog, and an even more fucked up thing to laugh about and tell stories about afterwards.

How is it more fucked up than flying the dog across the Atlantic?
It's a bit bizarre, but that's about it.

 

[Particle Physicist]

And now you can analyze the dog mental state from his 20 years old poop?

Come on now, it's a silly story, it was fun as a joke, but there's no real issue here.
How is it more fucked up than flying the dog across the Atlantic?
It's a bit bizarre, but that's about it.

Huh? I don't see what's funny about it though. It shows a bit of disconnect with Romney. I'm not saying it's a big deal, but it certainly way more relevant than crap like that left-wing boogey man (whose name escapes me at the moment... Bill Maher talked about him once), that Republican's were trying to tie Obama to. Or the countless of other garbage associations they have made. How about terrorist fist jabs? Madrasah!?! Even the birther crap is way more inane. It being a bit bizarre is the point.

 

[Officerrob]

Huh? I don't see what's funny about it though. It shows a bit of disconnect with Romney. I'm not saying it's a big deal, but it certainly way more relevant than crap like that left-wing boogey man (whose name escapes me at the moment... Bill Maher talked about him once), that Republican's were trying to tie Obama to. Or the countless of other garbage associations they have made. How about terrorist fist jabs? Madrasah!?! Even the birther crap is way more inane. It being a bit bizarre is the point.

I think your looking for Saul Alinsky

 

[ezekial45]

Just curious; Have Obama and Romney even met in person before?

 

[tranciful]

And now you can analyze the dog's mental state from his 20 years old poop?

Come on now, it's a silly story, it was fun as a joke, but there's no real issue here.
How is it more fucked up than flying the dog across the Atlantic?
It's a bit bizarre, but that's about it.

You don't strap pets to the top of your car. It's cruel and even illegal.

 

[Chichikov]

Huh? I don't see what's funny about it though. It shows a bit of disconnect with Romney.

Disconnect with what?
People who don't drive dogs on the roof of their car?
The only thing it shows is weirdness, and no, I don't think it's some sort of terrible animal abuse, not any more than leaving your dog in your average urban kennel or flying it in a plane.

I'm not saying it's a big deal, but it certainly way more relevant than crap like that left-wing boogey man (whose name escapes me at the moment... Bill Maher talked about him once), that Republican's were trying to tie Obama to. Or the countless of other garbage associations they have made. How about terrorist fist jabs? Madrasah!?! Even the birther crap is way more inane. It being a bit bizarre is the point.

Oh, so it's "they did it to my guy, now I'm going to do it to their".
I try not to engage in such silliness.

 

[tranciful]

Disconnect with what?
People who don't drive dogs on the roof of their car?
The only thing it shows is weirdness, and no, I don't think it's some sort of terrible animal abuse, not any more than leaving your dog in your average urban kennel or flying it in a plane.

Oh, so it's "they did it to my guy, now I'm going to do it to their".
I try not to engage in such silliness.

...you are arguing as if the kennel was inside the car.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

New CNN/ORC Poll.

Lots of good stuff. Including:

Oh wow.

I thought this was very interesting. Romney can't even crack 50% within the republican party of people "wanting" to vote for Romney. The vast majority is just anti-obama.

Not surprising people aren't enthusiastic for Romeny. He is the least interesting man in the world.

 

[Particle Physicist]

I think your looking for Saul Alinsky

Yeah! Saul Alinsky!!

Disconnect with what?
People who don't drive dogs on the roof of their car?
The only thing it shows is weirdness, and no, I don't think it's some sort of terrible animal abuse, not any more than leaving your dog in your average urban kennel or flying it in a plane.

Disconnect with normal decency. Not just the fact that he tied the kennel to the roof of his car and his dog shit himself (FYI, dogs don't usually shit in their 'safe spaces'), but that he thought it was funny enough to repeat the story multiple times. It's really weird, and directly related to the guy.

Oh, so it's "they did it to my guy, now I'm going to do it to their".
I try not to engage in such silliness.

Huh? That is not at all what I am saying. You said this:

" strong contention for being the dumbest issue (issue, lol) in the history of presidential elections."

and I said that at the very least, it is way more relevant than some of the obscure and ridiculous connections/criticisms that the far right have slung at Obama.

 

[Chumly]

Disconnect with what?
People who don't drive dogs on the roof of their car?
The only thing it shows is weirdness, and no, I don't think it's some sort of terrible animal abuse, not any more than leaving your dog in your average urban kennel or flying it in a plane.

Oh, so it's "they did it to my guy, now I'm going to do it to their".
I try not to engage in such silliness.

Frankly I haven't found the dog issue to really be noteworthy but your kidding yourself if you think its on the same level as urban kennels or flying it on a plane. The dog was scared shitless (LITERALLY). Dogs won't poop in the kennels otherwise. I would definitely consider it a form of animal abuse. Something that you should definitely LEARN from and never do again. The fact that he tells the story like a joke is what makes it "heartless". I think its says a lot about him that he was as emotionless and robotic 20 years ago as he is today.

 

[Chichikov]

Disconnect with normal decency. Not just the fact that he tied the kennel to the roof of his car and his dog shit himself (FYI, dogs don't usually shit in their 'safe spaces'), but that he thought it was funny enough to repeat the story multiple times. It's really weird, and directly related to the guy.

Decency?
It's a fucking dog.
People do worse to dogs every time they take it on a plane, leave it for 12 hours in a laundry room or, I don't know, fucking put it down?

Also, the dog didn't "shit himself", it just pooped, like dogs do.

Huh? That is not at all what I am saying. You said this:

" strong contention for being the dumbest issue (issue, lol) in the history of presidential elections."

and I said that at the very least, it is way more relevant than some of the obscure and ridiculous connections/criticisms that the far right have slung at Obama.

Contention doesn't mean he wins .
Terrorist fist bump is still stupider, though it doesn't have the legs Seamusgate have, plus I never actually med anyone, not even online, who thought that was an issue that is relevant to the GE.
I can see at least 2 in this thread who think what Romney did with the family dog 20 years ago is relevant.

 

[Officerrob]

Decency?
It's a fucking dog.

This kind of thinking alienates a nice chunk of voters. Many people think of dogs as their children

 

[Chichikov]

This kind of thinking alienates a nice chunk of voters.

Good thing I'm not running for president then.

Many people think of dogs as their children

Yes, they call them craz... nah, I'm not picking a fight with dog lovers over this.

 

[PhoenixDark]

This kind of thinking alienates a nice chunk of voters. Many people think of dogs as their children

I doubt that story will have any bearing on the election.

 

[Chumly]

Decency?
It's a fucking dog.
People do worse to dogs every time they take it on a plane, leave it for 12 hours in a laundry room or, I don't know, fucking put it down?

Also, the dog didn't "shit himself", it just pooped, like dogs do.


Contention doesn't mean he wins .
Terrorist fist bump is still stupider, though it doesn't have the legs Seamusgate have, plus I never actually med anyone, not even online, who thought that was an issue that is relevant to the GE.
I can see at least 2 in this thread who think what Romney did with the family dog 20 years ago is relevant.

Do you own a dog? You've made it pretty clear that you either don't have one or have no freaking clue about dog behaviors. Dogs don't just "poop" in kennels. Again
your terrible analogies don't even come close to what Romney did.

If you can't understand why putting the dog on top of the car was cruel you will never get the outrage over doing it.

I doubt that story will have any bearing on the election.

It won't

 

[markatisu]

I doubt that story will have any bearing on the election.

The only relation it will have in the election if is Romney continues to say things that are just awkward and disconnected, then it will be just one in a series that went to show why he could not relate.

 

[Chichikov]

Do you own a dog? You've made it pretty clear that you either don't have one or have no freaking clue about dog behaviors. Dogs don't just "poop" in kennels. Again
your terrible analogies don't even come close to what Romney did.

Oh, and now you know if a the dog was crate trained?
Or that he didn't have diarrhea?
FFS
And yes, I owned many dogs.

If you can't understand why putting the dog on top of the car was cruel you will never get the outrage over doing it.

It's not something I would do to my dog (plus I have on idea how to put a kennel on the roof of my car), but again, how is this more cruel than flying a dog across the Atlantic?
Have you ever flown your dog that way?
Do you know how much they enjoy it? (hint: they don't, not at the slightest).

But again, the main thing I don't understand is the relevance of that story, which happen 20 fucking years ago, to the general election.

 

[Oblivion]

Uh oh, seems Obama's shitbaked!

As soon as former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum announced the suspension of his campaign last week, Gallup began its Daily Tracking Poll (despite the continued existence of Newt Gingrich), which tracks presidential preferences among registered voters daily, based on a rolling five-day average. The first such poll of 2012 is out today, showing Mitt Romney with a slight lead over the President, 47%-45% (within the margin of error). Embedded in that poll, though, is the frustration of every engaged voter.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/first-gallup-tracking-poll-mitt-romney-47-president-obama-45/

Seems your days are numbered, Hussein!

 

[Invisible_Insane]

Oh, and now you know if a the dog was crate trained?
Or that he didn't have diarrhea?
FFS
And yes, I owned many dogs.

It's not something I would do to my dog (plus I have on idea how to put a kennel on the roof of my car), but again, how is this more cruel than flying a dog across the Atlantic?
Have you ever flown your dog that way?
Do you know how much they enjoy it? (hint: they don't, not at the slightest).

But again, the main thing I don't understand is the relevance of that story, which happen 20 fucking years ago, to the general election.

Some people (I don't purport to be one of them) are deeply interested in the character of their politicians. Seamusgate matters for the same reason that religion does: it shouldn't have any bearing on policy but people think it gives them insight into the type of person that the candidate is. Americans are bad at separating private behavior from public policy, and even if you don't think it matters, there are a lot of people that do. I'm surprised that that's not apparent to you.

Nate Silver's Notes on Poll Watching:

Spoiler

LOOKING AT YOU, DIABLOS

1. Be patient.
2. Take the poll average.
3. Discount, but don’t throw out, “outlier” polls.
4. Pay attention to “house effects.”
5. Pay attention to likely voters versus registered voters.
6. Keep paying attention to Mr. Obama’s approval ratings.
7. Look at a robust array of economic indicators.
8. Be careful with economic forecasts.
9. State poll data is useful but very noisy.
10. Don’t abuse demographic cross-tabs.
11. Read the polls in the context of the news.
12. Don’t over-learn the lessons of history.

 

[DasRaven]

Uh oh, seems Obama's shitbaked!



http://www.mediaite.com/online/first-gallup-tracking-poll-mitt-romney-47-president-obama-45/

Seems your days are numbered, Hussein!

1. You're 8 hours late to this topic.
2. If national polls elected the president, we'd have avoided all the 2000-2008 unpleasantness. Call me when Romney flips PA/OH/FL.

 

[speculawyer]

Decency?
It's a fucking dog.
People do worse to dogs every time they take it on a plane, leave it for 12 hours in a laundry room or, I don't know, fucking put it down?

Also, the dog didn't "shit himself", it just pooped, like dogs do.

Being in a laundry room for 12 hours is quite a bit better than being subjected to 60 mile an hour howling winds for 12 hours.

I've been in the situation that the Romneys were in and we had the dog sit in the footwell or on people's laps. I'm not saying Romney is evil or really cruel . . . but that is just not the way I would have handled the matter given the options.

 

[Chumly]

Oh, and now you know if a the dog was crate trained?
Or that he didn't have diarrhea?
FFS
And yes, I owned many dogs.

It's not something I would do to my dog (plus I have on idea how to put a kennel on the roof of my car), but again, how is this more cruel than flying a dog across the Atlantic?
Have you ever flown your dog that way?
Do you know how much they enjoy it? (hint: they don't, not at the slightest).

But again, the main thing I don't understand is the relevance of that story, which happen 20 fucking years ago, to the general election.

I'm don't understand why your so surprised over this. Nobody is saying that that this is the end all or Romney shouldn't be president because of it. It wouldn't be relevant if Romney hadn't brought it up in the manor that he did. HE was the one that dug into his own past and decided to tell the story. Its just one of those stories that people are tossing on the list of Romney gaffes where he can't seem to relate to the general public. Hell he can't even relate to his own party.

 

[Oblivion]

1. You're 8 hours late to this topic.
2. If national polls elected the president, we'd have avoided all the 2000-2008 unpleasantness. Call me when Romney flips PA/OH/FL.

Oh, you guys covered this already?

 

[Aaron Strife]

Speaking of pollz, Reuters/Ipsos has Obama at 47 with Romney at 43, meaning Obama voters will probably stay home confident that their man will win.

They also have Democrats leading by 1 on the generic ballot, in contrast to Rasmussen having Republicans up by 10. CLEARLY THE TRUTH MUST LIE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE

 

[Chichikov]

Being in a laundry room for 12 hours is quite a bit better than being subjected to 60 mile an hour howling winds for 12 hours.

It had a windshield.
Also, some (most?) dogs like the wind.

I've been in the situation that the Romneys were in and we had the dog sit in the footwell or on people's laps.  I'm not saying Romney is evil or really cruel . . . but that is just not the way I would have handled the matter given the options.

So did I, but I think that just make him weird.

Some people (I don't purport to be one of them) are deeply interested in the character of their politicians. Seamusgate matters for the same reason that religion does: it shouldn't have any bearing on policy but people think it gives them insight into the type of person that the candidate is. Americans are bad at separating private behavior from public policy, and even if you don't think it matters, there are a lot of people that do. I'm surprised that that's not apparent to you.

But even if you accept the whole character measuring stick, it's still doesn't make sense to me.
So let's say he mistreated a dog 20 years ago, are you really ready to make calls about his personality based on that?

 

[Chumly]

It had a windshield.
Also, some (most?) dogs like the wind.

But even if you accept the whole character measuring stick, it's still doesn't make sense to me.
So let's say he mistreated a dog 20 years ago, are you really ready to make calls about his personality based on that?

Do you really think that people are basing his personality SOLELY based off the dog story? Its a drop in the hat.

 

[speculawyer]

So did I, but I think that just make him weird.

Exactly. Well, I wouldn't say weird . . . I'd say cold & calculating. It is what allows him to lay-off thousands of people without it apparently bothering him at all.

And yes, we need leaders to make cold hard decisions. But Romney seems to make such cold hard decisions when they are not necessary and other options are available.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

Seamusgate (trademarked!) is in strong contention for being the dumbest issue (issue, lol) in the history of presidential elections.

No, that would be the Obama birth certificate issue.

 

[Chichikov]

Exactly. Well, I wouldn't say weird . . . I'd say cold & calculating. It is what allows him to lay-off thousands of people without it apparently bothering him at all.

And yes, we need leaders to make cold hard decisions. But Romney seems to make such cold hard decisions when they are not necessary and other options are available.

Romeny 2012 - because this country need someone who keeps his wits even when a dog poops all over the roof of his car.

No, that would be the Obama birth certificate issue.

Different things though.
That was just a fabrication, I mean if this wasn't a racist lie, this was something that was actually relevant to the election.
Also, there were countless cases like this, and at least in my mind, the swift boat veterans for truth is still the most shameful (at least that I can think of right now).

 

[Invisible_Insane]

But even if you accept the whole character measuring stick, it's still doesn't make sense to me.
So let's say he mistreated a dog 20 years ago, are you really ready to make calls about his personality based on that?

It's part of the picture. I don't see why you think it shouldn't be.

 

[PantherLotus]

The dog-on-the-roof story is certainly not the most revealing insight into Romney's character, but it's hardly the waste of time Chichikov is suggesting.

The way he's defending/dismissing it sounds like he hasn't heard the same story everyone else has, or he's one of the few people on the planet unaffected by inhumane treatment of animals (which, alongside the absence of empathy help to identify psychotic disorders).

 

[Oblivion]

I have to side with Chichikov on this one, folks. It's fun to mock Mittens over this, but I ally myself with the dirty libs cause they don't pay attention to this type of insignificant shit like the righties do with things like Saul Alinsky, Rosen-gate, mustard-gate, etc.

 

[cousins]

This race is going to be close as hell. Considering how important it is (in terms of eventual supreme court judges), I hope no one's taking it lightly.

 

[Chichikov]

The dog-on-the-roof story is certainly not the most revealing insight into Romney's character, but it's hardly the waste of time Chichikov is suggesting.

The way he's defending/dismissing it sounds like he hasn't heard the same story everyone else has, or he's one of the few people on the planet unaffected by inhumane treatment of animals (which, alongside the absence of empathy help to identify psychotic disorders).

Gail Collins is like my favorite op-ed columnist, trust me, I read this story (and believe me, this is funny if you religiously read the NYT's op-ed page; Yeah, I need to find a new hobby).
And by the way, I love that story, I find it hilarious and filled to the brim with conservotrolling opportunities, it's the bolded where you guys lose me.
It's when you take it away from a late night joke (fair game) and turn it into something that you should seriously consider come November.

Edit:
Unrelated - I wonder how many future community organizers domestic terrorists heard Saul Alinsky's name for the first time over this bullshit.
I hope a lot, that would be sweet historic irony.

 

[cousins]

Gail Collins is like my favorite op-ed columnist, trust me, I read this story (and believe me, this is funny if you religiously read the NYT's op-ed page; Yeah, I need to find a new hobby).
And by the way, I love that story, I find it hilarious and filled to the brim with conservotrolling opportunities, it's the bolded where you guys lose me.
It's when you take it away from a late night joke (fair game) and turn it into something that you should seriously consider come November.

It isn't a make or break thing for most people, but it certainly doesn't gather any empathy for him. If I knew someone in real life who did that I'd probably avoid them.

 

[Tamanon]

Eh, who cares about the dog on the roof, it's good for joke material, but anything beyond that is nonsense.

I'd rather people focus on the actual issues themselves.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

People are forgetting the original reason the dog on the roof story was brought up. It was conveyed by the Romney family as an example of how Mitt Romney is able to make tough decisions when the time comes.

 

[PantherLotus]

People are forgetting the original reason the dog on the roof story was brought up. It was conveyed by the Romney family as an example of how Mitt Romney is able to make tough decisions when the time comes.

Right. The tough decision when the time comes is to sacrifice the one family member that has neither power nor voice to speak for himself, to punish him for his being, and to make fun of him when he shits himself in sickness and fear.

It's a neat little metaphor for how Romney sees the poor (as a member of the American family). And if you want to take it even further and include what was certainly Seamus' loyalty, we could say Seamus represents the Southern poor, who no doubt will be shitting themselves -- and their surroundings -- if Romney comes to power.

 

[Chichikov]

People are forgetting the original reason the dog on the roof story was brought up. It was conveyed by the Romney family as an example of how Mitt Romney is able to make tough decisions when the time comes.

Is that true?
I honestly don't know.
(my google fu suggests otherwise, but it is not conclusive).