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[I H8 Memes]

How prominent is the evangelical movement in the GOP? Media and pundits seem to downplay their importance, but I do think that they were one of the reasons why Bush was re-elected in 2004.

I find their agenda to be repugnant, and have a hard time believing that republicans themselves would follow their regressive policies.

With the fallout of this past election behind us, with Obama re-elected, and Akin and Mourdock defeated, it seems evident that the public too finds their agenda distasteful enough to reject them flat out when directly confronted with the possibility of being re-elected.

The GOP big wigs seem to try to downplay the importance of the religious right, but their GOTV efforts seem to target them more explicitly than their fiscally oriented ones.

So which is it? Is the religious right a paper tiger like all of the pundits make them out to be, or is it strategic stonewalling used to allay potential fear of swing voters who would be turned off by Todd Akin and his legitimate rape bullshit?

The GOP cant win elections without them. The GOP can try all they want to moderate their message, but they cant change what the majority of their voters think. And they have to play to that.

I found it hilarious that during Glenn Beck's whatever rally in DC they had to tell people not to bring signs because they were afraid of what the messages would be on those signs.

 

[PhoenixDark]

She has aged in the past 4 years, more than Obama. Compare her from her primary run to now.

2008:

2012:

Might be the hair though.

It's more to do with the hair. She remains an attractive older woman, she just doesn't spend a lot of time looking fashionable. Which is understandable: she's very busy

 

[FyreWulff]

She looked completely different in 92.

her hair DOES WHATEVER IT WANTS

 

[crackhead_bob]

The GOP cant win elections without them. The GOP can try all they want to moderate their message, but they cant change what the majority of their voters think. And they have to play to that.

I found it hilarious that during Glenn Beck's whatever rally in DC they had to tell people not to bring signs because they were afraid of what the messages would be on those signs.

I don't get the whole bait and switch routine. They're either kowtowing to them in one rally, only to downplay their whole role in their own electioneering on another venue. I know Joe Scarborough and Dennis Miller try to portray them as being paper tigers on their respective programs.

I can't understand how they could possibly be embarrassed by having these people as their electorate. Afterall, they courted these people for years. Liberals for years had to endure scorn and ridicule for being more inclusive to gay people. It took years, but I think we've made enough inroads to where it kinda makes sense, or where we're able to support rights -- either passionately or casually -- without being laughed out of the room, or being questioned about our sexual preferences.

You suppose this more accepting trend on gay people played a part in the GOP's War on Women this election season? I know that the whole Todd Akin mess had alot to do with bringing this issue front and center, but I really don't recall alot of gay issues coming to the forefront as they had in previous election cycles. I mean, this year you had Sandra Fluke, transvaginal ultrasounds, the Komen Foundation fiasco with Planned Parenthood, the dozens of antiabortion laws being passed in 2011, etc... And this was before Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock. I used to joke around that prolifers considered rape pregnancies a gift from god. Is it a stretch to assume that they privately believe that women get abortions so that they can fit into a prom dress as well?

 

[border]

Brutal.

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/nov/09/what-romney-lost/

Many losing candidates became elder statesmen of their parties. What lessons will Romney have to teach his party? The art of crawling uselessly? How to contemn 47 percent of Americans less privileged and beautiful than his family? How to repudiate the past while damaging the future? It is said that he will write a book. Really? Does he want to relive a five-year-long experience of degradation? What can be worse than to sell your soul and find it not valuable enough to get anything for it? His friends can only hope he is too morally obtuse to realize that crushing truth. Losing elections is one thing. But the greater loss, the real loss, is the loss of honor.

I thought this was complete and total destruction of Romney, until it hit me on the way home just now -- what proof is there that he really sold his soul? What proof is there that Romney turned his back on values he once sincerely stood for?

If he was willing to cynically adopt right-wing social and economic ideals he doesn't agree with for a shot at the presidency, who is to say that he didn't also cynically adopt left-wing ideals for the sake of being governor of Massachusetts?

It seems far more likely to me that Romney is just a power-hungry political sociopath who never stood for or believed in anything in the first place. He just says whatever he thinks will get elected. He's never sold out his beliefs, because his beliefs are dictated by whatever electorate he's courting.

All that said, I'd love to read a book by Romney.....assuming that he actually tries to reconcile his wildly varying stances on almost every major issue. I presume that he would just fudge over the tough parts or lay blame elsewhere, much like George Bush's recent memoirs.

 

[Gary Whitta]

Dick Morris admits his election prediction was a lie designed to boost Romney campaign morale:

"I think that there was a period of time when the Romney campaign was falling apart, people were not optimistic, nobody thought there was a chance of victory and I felt that it was my duty at that point to go out and say what I said."

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/11/13/bonus_quote_of_the_day.html

 

[Evlar]

Dick Morris finally admits he lied in order to boost Romney campaign morale:



http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/11/13/bonus_quote_of_the_day.html

I certainly hope that legitimate journalism outlets realize they have a duty to never give him a spotlight again.

Ah, wishful thinking.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

Dick Morris finally admits he lied in order to boost Romney campaign morale:



http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/11/13/bonus_quote_of_the_day.html

i'm shocked

 

[crackhead_bob]

What's the story with Dick Morris? Didn't he steerhead Bill Clinton's re-election campaign in 1996? Wasn't he with the GOP prior to that point? Why did the Clintons hire this slimeball when his reputation was already sketchy to begin with?

And is it me, or is this guy a total flamer? Not that it should matter, but Fox News caters to the homophobic segment of the American population. So why would the network tap this guy for his expertise when his masculinity could easily be called into question. If they can pick apart Hillary Clinton's cankles, or the personality quirks and/or mannerisms of democrats or celebrities, the notion of Dick Morris being a closet case must also weight on the minds of Fox Viewers as well, I'd wager.

I know this guy was caught with a female hooker, but still..... Gay dudes on the downlow have been known to marry people of the opposite sex or go to strip clubs with their pals to prove something to both them and their pals.

 

[Snake]

And is it me, or is this guy a total flamer? Not that it should matter, but Fox News caters to the homophobic segment of the American population. So why would the network tap this guy for his expertise when his masculinity could easily be called into question. If they can pick apart Hillary Clinton's cankles, or the personality quirks and/or mannerisms of democrats or celebrities, the notion of Dick Morris being a closet case must also weight on the minds of Fox Viewers as well, I'd wager.

I know this guy was caught with a female hooker, but still.....

Dick Morris is not gay. He is, in fact, famous for his love of women's feet. Specifically, the love of having said feet within his mouth.

 

[Link]

I certainly hope that legitimate journalism outlets realize they have a duty to never give him a spotlight again.

Ah, wishful thinking.

He's on Fox News, which has nothing to do with legitimate journalism outlets.

 

[crackhead_bob]

Eddie Murphy claimed that too..... after he was caught picking up a tranny hooker back in the late 1990's. Straight or gay, he still comes across as genuinely creepy. I just have a hard time processing the idea that his effeminate personality winning over any woman.

Very socially stunted individual, who occasionally takes these bitchy swipes at gay rights activists whenever the topic of same sex marriage comes up on Bill O'Reilly's show.

I particularly have a hard time watching this guy sticking up for the religious right when he embodies the type of personality and traits of those whom the religious right persecutes. Ditto for the Drudge Packer, err, I mean Matt Drudge.

 

[levious]

Eddie Murphy claimed that too..... after he was caught picking up a tranny hooker back in the late 1990's. Straight or gay, he still comes across as genuinely creepy. I just have a hard time processing the idea that his effeminate personality winning over any woman.

Very socially stunted individual, who occasionally takes these bitchy swipes at gay rights activists whenever the topic of same sex marriage comes up on Bill O'Reilly's show.

I particularly have a hard time watching this guy sticking up for the religious right when he embodies the type of personality and traits of those whom the religious right persecutes. Ditto for the Drudge Packer, err, I mean Matt Drudge.

man this post is juvenile

 

[CHEEZMO™]

fags are like so gay eh bros?

 

[crackhead_bob]

man this post is juvenile

Juvenile, perhaps. But not entirely irrelevant given that the guy shills on a network that caters to a large homophobic demographic. That whole fucking network is such a sham in that it trips over itself to suck up the religious right and all of their bullshit family values, while at the same time playing up to the sex appeal of their women anchors.

 

[nib95]

Dick Morris admits his election prediction was a lie designed to boost Romney campaign morale:



http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/11/13/bonus_quote_of_the_day.html

So a partisan hack then. Shocking. Kind of re-affirms the fact that to many Republicans, facts and truths are a repellant, and that sticking to misinformation or lies is a far more attractive ideal, especially if it fits the "agenda".

Be surprised if anyone but Republicans give any credibility to the likes of Dick Morris, Gallup etc come next election.

 

[gutter_trash]

Fox News has been playing this game since forever but only now are some of them admitting that they are full of shit and just cooking up people's emotions to rile them up

 

[Link]

I, for one, have no problem with Fox News and Republicans continuing to lie to themselves rather than actually learning anything.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

I, for one, have no problem with Fox News and Republicans continuing to lie to themselves rather than actually learning anything.

Eh I'd rather have more than one viable choice when voting. Maybe that's a European utopialand fantasy but a man can dream

 

[DrFunk]

/Prince2016

 

[commedieu]

Eh I'd rather have more than one viable choice when voting. Maybe that's a European utopialand fantasy but a man can dream

Correct. It shouldn't be voting on lesser evils, its about the process. The GOP's platform of hating everything liberal doesn't help our country when they are stagnant at their duties due to bias.

 

[Escape Goat]

If the U.S. government ends up careening off the "fiscal cliff," Republicans in Congress stand to shoulder most of the blame, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

A majority of Americans said in a new, post-election poll that they do not expect President Barack Obama and members of Congress to reach an agreement to avoid the effects of the fiscal cliff, the combination of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set to take effect at the beginning of the year.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., explains whether a compromise will be reached between Democrats and Republicans.

Fifty-three percent of Americans said Republicans in Congress would be more to blame in that instance, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in the days following the election. Twenty-nine percent said that Obama would be more to blame, while 10 percent said both the president and Republicans would share blame.

I think there will be a compromise as long as tea party obstructionists dont hold the economy hostage. Compromise is the name of the game.

 

[Evolved1]

I think there will be a compromise as long as tea party obstructionists dont hold the economy hostage. Compromise is the name of the game.

But don't you get the sense in this post-election climate that their strategy seems to be to "double down"?

Maybe it's just election fallout and politicians/pundits trying to deal with the egg on their faces... but everything I'm reading is like they're ignoring what has actually transpired. (and especially why it went against them)

 

[Escape Goat]

But don't you get the sense in this post-election climate that their strategy seems to be to "double down"?

Maybe it's just election fallout and politicians/pundits trying to deal with the egg on their faces... but everything I'm reading is like they're ignoring what has actually transpired.

I think we'll soon see if they decide to double down. This is really the first big issue Congress has to tackle post-election. It'll set the tone for future behavior of this Congress.

 

[Link]

Eh I'd rather have more than one viable choice when voting. Maybe that's a European utopialand fantasy but a man can dream

Agreed, but I don't think the Republican Party is a viable choice anymore. I'm expecting Libertarians to eventually fill that roll. Fiscal conservatism without the backwards social baggage.

 

[sikkinixx]

Shit I never realized Romney was 65 years old. Wow. Always figured mid-50's. Looks really good for his age.

 

[TacticalFox88]

Shit I never realized Romney was 65 years old. Wow. Always figured mid-50's. Looks really good for his age.

He dyes his hair from what I've heard.

Take from that what you will.

 

[polyh3dron]

Hmm crackhead bob was banned for that series of posts?

 

[KtSlime]

Agreed, but I don't think the Republican Party is a viable choice anymore. I'm expecting Libertarians to eventually fill that roll. Fiscal conservatism without the backwards social baggage.

Personally, I think the level of states rights that many Libertarians argue in favor of could be considered backwards social baggage, but I'd probably rather have that over whatever the GOP/Tea party is trying to pass off as a choice.

 

[Evolved1]

Hmm crackhead bob was banned for that series of posts?

He was toeing the line but dove into the shit headfirst with "Drudge Packer".

Way over the line.

 

[RDreamer]

Agreed, but I don't think the Republican Party is a viable choice anymore. I'm expecting Libertarians to eventually fill that roll. Fiscal conservatism without the backwards social baggage.

No way, libertarians are nuts. They're way too extreme. People want pragmatic fiscal conservatism, not extremism. That'd be like saying the socialist party should replace the democrats. Sure there are a few people that would love that. Hell I might even love that, but it wouldn't fucking go anywhere, because no one would vote for it. They'd flock somewhere else.

 

[Admiral Bone to Pick]

No way, libertarians are nuts. They're way too extreme. People want pragmatic fiscal conservatism, not extremism. That'd be like saying the socialist party should replace the democrats. Sure there are a few people that would love that. Hell I might even love that, but it wouldn't fucking go anywhere, because no one would vote for it. They'd flock somewhere else.

So then why are they voting for Republicans? Their record over the last 30 years has been terrible.

 

[TacticalFox88]

So then why are they voting for Republicans? Their record over the last 30 years has been terrible.

People are idiots. It's just that simple.

 

[Jintor]

/Prince2016

I flipped the fuck out. Goddamn gifs.

 

[RDreamer]

So then why are they voting for Republicans? Their record over the last 30 years has been terrible.

I didn't say they were bright about it... The republican party has painted itself as the pragmatic fiscal conservatives. I'm not entirely sure why some people still believe it. I've been telling everyone if you want a pragmatic fiscal conservative without the social baggage we've already got that party. It's the democratic party. I think most of the people left voting republican that doesn't even matter as much to them as abortion, gays, and guns. So, they either ignore the fact that they're not fiscal conservatives and vote that way, or they're a tea partier and they push the party further into a strange combination of cutting everything and taking away abortion and same sex marriage rights.

Personally I'm still hoping the Republican party dies at some point in the next 20 years or so and the democratic party can split into actual center left and center right parties.

 

[Arrowgigantic]

I'm expecting Libertarians to fill that roll

Gross.

 

[polyh3dron]

He was toeing the line but dove into the shit headfirst with "Drudge Packer".

Way over the line.

He was being pretty vile with his choice of words, but he was arguing in favor of equality and using negative terms to describe bigots.. just saying.

 

[Link]

Gross.

*shrugs*

There's always going to be a place for fiscal conservatism and wanting limited government.

 

[Arrowgigantic]

*shrugs*

There's always going to be a place for fiscal conservatism and wanting limited government.

Yes, but do they have to fill rolls while they're doing it?

 

[polyh3dron]

Yes, but do they have to fill rolls while they're doing it?

i mean srsly

it's disgusting, Link.

 

[Link]

Dammit, haha.

 

[elrechazado]

I'm available to fill rolls. Have they been pre-punctured?

 

[Gary Whitta]

Some brutal post-election opinions on Romney:

http://www.politico.com/arena/?hp=ar

 

[border]

Romney should make himself scarce for the good of the GOP, but with all of his flip-flopping, he probably is having trouble deciding whether to exit stage left or stage right.

Nice zinger!

Given his fundraising ability, Romney could provide valuable assistance to 2016 contenders - but behind the scenes.

Really? The guy got all the money in the world and still couldn't win. Moreover, he THOUGHT he was going to win even when the writing was on the wall. If you were some fat cat looking to buy a president, would you really trust Romney to tell you who the most viable candidate is?