August 31, 2012

624 comments on the live-blogging thread last night.

Did the spam-bots find out I'd turned off word verification for commenting? I'll check it out. There's our liberal commenter Lindsey Meadows, who said (at 6:24 PM):
I think I'll just have casual sex tonight. After Romney, I couldn't possibly feel more violated (or bored).
When Clint Eastwood came on at 9, the liberal commenters, offset by Meade, went ageist:
elkh1 said... Clint is really really wobbly old.

Meade said... Clint looks great.

Alex said... Clint looks old and jittery. Remember folks he's 82. When he was in his 40s, it was scary.... Clint is just embarrassing right now. There is a reason for the old folks home and you're seeing it. Shoot me before I ever get like this. Senile.
2 of the long-time conservative commenters picked up the age theme:
Pogo said... Old, jittery, but vicious as hell.

Shouting Thomas said... Unfortunately, Clint is really struggling. Sad to see the great man suffering the humiliation of old age.

Pogo said... No way, ST, he's an elderly man whose body betrays him a bit, but he's hitting a million right notes. Hurrah!
What I liked about Clint's routine — which you had to trust not to feel nervous about — was when he said "We own this country... Politicians are employees of ours... When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let them go." As I said in this post, this was a play on something Romney said, something that's been used against Romney: "I like being able to fire people." Clint imposed the correct interpretation on that: When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let them go.

I didn't say much about Romney's speech last night, because I was way too tired by then. Our liberal friend Alex said: "ROmney talking too much about his family and church. Where are the policy initiatives? Obama is going to be speech-ifying policy like crazy next week." (Yeah, lotsa policy wonkery, that would have kept me awake.)

And our liberal Lindsey said: "I just watched Mitten with the sound on...sound on/sound off...same amount of policy specifics. Meade must be in seventh heaven." Oh, she wants policy too. If only they'd have bored us all to tears all week with specifics.

Shouting Thomas continued his lugubriousness:
Romney played small ball. I think that's what we need. He doesn't have an overriding theme, only the promise that he has the technical and managerial skills to lead.

Obama will promise social justice and payoffs to his favored groups.

The debates should be interesting.
Meade responded:
Exactly right. What we need now is boring small ball competence. Time to put obama's failed presidency behind us. Romney will be a fine president.
Lindsey with the liberal lady's focus on sex not baseball had no trouble seeing the opportunity to say:
Well by all appearances, you got a guy with small balls. I was actually hoping that all the non-policy fluff was just to woo the far right but I am now pretty locked into that being all he has. Sad really.
If a man had said something equivalently sexual about a woman, Democrats would cry "war on women." If that kind of rhetoric is okay, we ought to call out Lindsey for her "war on men."

Ah! No spam. Maybe some not-so-admirable comments in there, but nothing robotic, and so Morning on the Althouse Blog continues (i.e., no word verification for commenting). And I just want to say one thing about this supposed lack of policy specifics from the GOP and the implication of Democratic superiority on said specifics. I mean I want to quote something from Paul Ryan's speech:
[President Obama] created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. 
It was loaded with specifics.
He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing.
Ryan put a long pause between "did" — the action word — and "exactly nothing."

451 comments:

1 – 200 of 451   Newer›   Newest»
TML said...

Clint was great. Simple and great. With a sharp point, still.

TML said...

Oh, and I wish the Code Pinkos had crashed Clint's speech.

Ender's Ghost said...

And what did Ryan do with Simpson-Bowles? He voted...(long pause)...against it.

Patrick said...

He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing.Ryan put a long pause between "did" — the action word — and "exactly nothing."


But, but....Congress didn't pass the report - the President could never sign anything. What's he supposed to do, lead or something?

Racist.

Peter said...

“Some federal workers more likely to die than lose jobs

If some federal employees are more likely to die than to lose their jobs, and assuming we’re not talking about unusually hazardous work, one would reasonably have to assume either (1a) screening for these jobs is so good that they never get duds and (1b) burnouts leave voluntarily, or (2) not enough of them are getting fired.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-07-18-fderal-job-security_n.htm

Rumpletweezer said...

The reactions of the liberals here--garage, shiloh, and Alpha come to mind--fascinate me. They cling to threadbare stereotypes, stereotypes of conservatives that may never have fit. And they simply can't update their views based on evidence. The Republican party has strong women, strong blacks, and other strong and impressive minorities. The liberals have to explain that away because it CAN'T BE TRUE!

pm317 said...

So you choose to highlight the liberal morons on the board. So be it. Shows how depraved they are.

Clint was so perfect, that these fucking liberal morons are making fun of his age.. age, race, gender.. that is all they have.

Patrick said...

And after Ryan voted against it, he came up with another plan, using much of what the commission had agreed to.

The President did exactly...nothing.

TML said...

I mean, really, isn't the developing theme of the GOP actually quite good? It relies on looking at the facts of Obama's presidency without any personal attacks. I think people are ready for a little more real kindness and gentlemanliness. "You haven't done the job." Simple as that. "You're a nice guy, but we need someone effective." Most of all, I think people are just sickened and discomfited by people like Axelrod, Stef Cutter and Obama's minions in the press. It just feels like an evolutionary step too far in the "dirty campaign" game.

Shouting Thomas said...

I wasn't calling out Clint as a doddering old fool.

I really couldn't watch him. It was like watching a wise father in his last days, and realizing that we are about to lose him.

Anonymous said...

I gather that all the grousing on here this morning is that after a night in the republican bed all of you have realized that the afterglow is really just embarrassment.

And I do like Clint as an actor, but that is as far as it goes. Beside after all the moaning about Obama and Hollywood, the irony of the republicans rushing (drum roll please) and "actor" out to be the lead in act to Mitten is just priceless.

Eric said...

What I liked about Clint Eastwood is that he was...Clint Eastwood. He's not a politician, so he doesn't have to act like one. He's Clint Eastwood and he's completely comfortable with that, as he should be.

Oh, and he may have been acting a little. He's been known to do that.

Bob Ellison said...

The interesting thing about this blog's comments section is that there really are lots of different viewpoints. Liberal, humorous, conservative, troll-like...it's a rare thing. Most blogs are all one way or the other way. I posted for a while on democraticunderground.com and even got banned, just for supporting George W. Bush. Most other blogs don't enforce their echo-chamber aesthetic; it just happens naturally. This one survives with a lively debate. How?

pm317 said...

Clint said everything that needed to be said about Obama in 11 minutes, with depth, and humor, as a wise old man (still sexy). Romney should just play that video back again and again.

Shouting Thomas said...

Lindsey, you must be aware that Eastwood was Mayor of Carmel, California.

Are you?

Bob Ellison said...

Oh, by the way: Romney-Ryan by seven. You liberals don't know the weight, direction, and size of the train that's gonna hit you in November. And Intrade, for the record, still has Obama by 56.2%. Take note, you people who think Intraders are good predictors.

Icepick said...

So the Demorrhoids wanted a policy speech? Like when Obama called John McCain a coward in Obama's 2008 acceptance speech? (That was actually the most disgusting single moment of that campaign. What the fuck had Obama ever done to call anyone a coward, throw up on the floor?)

vet66 said...

Another telling moment came when the female in the audience called out "Make my day." Mr. Eastwood finessed it nicely leaving us with the impression that yes indeed he could have made her day day closing with the audience finishing with "Make my day." The posters who pitied Eastwood for his age do not know what a real man or woman is.

By the way, saw Obama 2016 yesterday. I can see why the left doesn't want to talk about it. Absent a father figures in the lives of women and men you get angry whiners who believe in hope and change.

Fen said...

Why are our liberal commenters so lame?

Shouting Thomas said...

I gather that all the grousing on here this morning is that after a night in the republican bed all of you have realized that the afterglow is really just embarrassment.

Lindsey, your hipster kid "I'm the first person in the world to get laid routine" is just plain dumb.

You got anything else?

Meade said...

"Most other blogs don't enforce their echo-chamber aesthetic; it just happens naturally. This one survives with a lively debate. How?"

Concealed carry.

Icepick said...

The line in question from Obama's 2008 acceptance speech:

John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of hell — but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.

MadisonMan said...

So in other words I picked the right night to go to bed early? 8:30. Boy do I feel great today!!!

Sloanasaurus said...

Although Clint was a little shaky, he still had some of the one-liner he is known for. But, the overriding purpose for having Clint speak is that Clint is cool. In fact, almost everyone agrees that Clint is cool. And now Clint is a vocal supporter of Romney-Ryan. That gives you a cool guy supporting Romney. People (swing voters) don't need to listen to the speech, they just need to know that Clint was there supporting Romney.

Hopefully Clint will cut a commerical for Romney. Everyone knows his voice.

Hagar said...

The more I think about it, the more I think Clint Eastwood did a lot of acting.
It might not have been the best idea for a skit, but it was a very well acted skit.

Fen said...

Most other blogs don't enforce their echo-chamber aesthetic; it just happens naturally. This one survives with a lively debate. How?

Because Althouse is the only liberal I know who values freedom of speech more than her "tribe"

Amexpat said...

Clint's a great guy, like him a lot, but his speech/performance was a bomb. It wasn't what he said, but how he said it. It didn't come across as if he was speaking from the heart or the gut. Nor was it a polished performance that an actor of his caliber could produce.

That bit with the empty chair made me think of James Stewart talking to Harvey the imaginary rabbit - without Stewart's wit and charm.

pm317 said...

I really couldn't watch him. It was like watching a wise father in his last days, and realizing that we are about to lose him.

I see where you're coming from. But what he said was important and he said it well. I was glad he did that.

MadisonMan said...

I did notice on the Front Page of the State Journal today an article from the AP fact-checking Paul Ryan's speech.

Odds that a similar article will be both written by the AP and put on the front page after Biden talks?

Is there a reason people expect truth when a politician opens his or her mouth?

Bob Ellison said...

Meade, I don't think that's an appropriate metaphor. But it's clever.

Unknown said...

[President Obama] created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report.
It was loaded with specifics.
He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing.
Ryan put a long pause between "did" — the action word — and "exactly nothing."


Yeah, this is just one of the many "audacious untruths" that featured in Ryan's speech. Thanks to Althouse for highlighting this.

Sloanasaurus said...

My favorite line of the night was where Romney contrast Obama's ridiculous rhetoric about how he was going to make the Oceans fall, to Romney just trying to help you and your family.

Everyone should recall that Obama won the Nobel Peace prize. Not for peace, but because everyone was so infatuated by the promise of Obama - which has been a miserable failure. Moreover, Obama has nothing to do with peace.

Why would people vote for Obama again... to get more of the same thing. Pathetic.

Icepick said...

That gives you a cool guy supporting Romney. People (swing voters) don't need to listen to the speech, they just need to know that Clint was there supporting Romney.

Great, four more years of a government elected because it's "cool". Fan-fucking-tastic.

Bob Ellison said...

Jake Diamond, you need a new memo. That one didn't work.

DADvocate said...

Liberals always come up with bigoted remarks. During this campaign they've covered the entire gamut of racial, sexist and age oriented bigotry. Hate mongers all.

Boredom usually comes from a lifeless, atrophied brain, not external circumstances.

test said...

There's our liberal commenter Lindsey Meadows, who said (at 6:24 PM):

I think I'll just have casual sex tonight. After Romney, I couldn't possibly feel more violated (or bored).


Notice she next posted at 6:26. No wonder she's always dissatisfied.

MadisonMan said...

Why would people vote for Obama again... to get more of the same thing.

Habit.

I would say that there are 100s of 1000s of people (at least) who have never voted for someone in 'the other' political party, simply because they've just never really looked at issues, and the person in the party they are comfortable with is 'good enough'.

At some point you hope voters' eyes open, but the political parties play into this by never really offering something new that challenges the voters and makes them choose. Better the devil you know, I guess.

Bryan C said...

"That bit with the empty chair made me think of James Stewart talking to Harvey the imaginary rabbit - without Stewart's wit and charm."

I can see that. It reminded me more of Bob Newhart's Button Down Mind schtick.

FWIW, Clint's teleprompter apparently stopped working early on, and he ad-libbed most of his routine.

Roger J. said...

I dont think an acceptance speech is the proper forum for a boring discussion of policy positions. If you want to see Mr Romney's policy positions visit his web site.

Conventions are about defining the candidate in broad strokes and charging up the base--from that perspective I thought the R's did a credible job.

After the DNC the campaign will begin in earnest and we might get more insights into specific policy proposal--although I am reminded of turbo tax cheat Timmy's wonderful line: we dont have a plan, but we dont like yours.

With Romney's acceptance as the Republican candidate, he can now use his rather large warchest to start hammering.

ricpic said...

In terms of age, Clint's sense of humor makes him forever young, as opposed to the humorless ever old Hillary or Barry.

Unknown said...

Notice she next posted at 6:26. No wonder she's always dissatisfied.

Apparently Marshal thinks "tonight" means "immediately."

Yet another Althouse conservative identifies himself as an idiot.

Larry J said...

Our liberal friend Alex said: "ROmney talking too much about his family and church. Where are the policy initiatives? Obama is going to be speech-ifying policy like crazy next week." (Yeah, lotsa policy wonkery, that would have kept me awake.)

Liberals like policy wonkery because it fits into their central planning "a program for every problem" worldview. There's an old, tested military saying that a plan is only good "until the first shot is fired." A leader can have a plan going in but things very seldom go according to plan, so you have to adapt in real time. That's completely opposite of the central planning theme where a bunch of self-proclaimed "best and brightest" make decisions for everyone else.

One sign of intelligence is the ability to learn from experience. Time after time, real world experience proves that the central planning socialist wetdream doesn't work outside the faculty lounge or academic conference. It's also said that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different outcome. By those measures, liberals are stupid and/or insane.

Curious George said...

I think the Romney's best line was this, but you need to see and hear it.

Red meat for the base, but a simple and effective way for the rest to understand the difference between him and the arrogant narcissist SCOAMF that we have in office in now.

Bruce Hayden said...

No - it wasn't trolls, rather it was Ritmo again. At times, he seemed to almost carry the conversation by himself. I think that is the problem with him - that instead of dropping by and dumping some well-worn liberal talking points on the forum, as some of the other libs do, he comes and stays for hours, monopolizing the conversation with such. I frankly got tired last night of being told that every other word from Paul Ryan the previous night was a lie (ok, that wasn't just Ritmo), when the lib "factchecking" that they were depending on had been debunked the night before.

Bob Ellison said...

Jake Diamond said "Yet another Althouse conservative identifies himself as an idiot."

Maybe that's today's memo! Althouse conservative commenters are idiots.

Well, this is a famous blog, but I don't think that'll be enough to re-elect Democrats.

Bryan C said...

"Concealed carry."

An armed blog is a polite blog.

Unknown said...

Jake Diamond, you need a new memo. That one didn't work.

Bob-
I'm not a political operative. I'm an observer, and as an observer, I noted Ryan's dishonesty on that point and many others.

Political operatives know that if you tell a lie often enough, it gains traction, even if it's identified as a lie. Apparently that's the GOP strategy in having Ryan tell a number of fibs in his speech.

I'll leave you to fret about whether or not Ryan's lies will backfire or not. I'm just calling them out.

Beta Rube said...

Good point MM. I do wonder if the "fact checkers" have been shamed into actually doing their odd little dance after next week's speeches.

Bob Ellison said...

Jake Diamond, now you're going Godwin's Law on us! Slow down!

Unknown said...

Maybe that's today's memo! Althouse conservative commenters are idiots.

I didn't say or imply that ALL Althouse conservatives are idiots. However, based on your performance in this thread, you're about to make the list.

bagoh20 said...

Your point about the Eastwood speech - "which you had to trust not to feel nervous about" - is very true. I watched it again later, and once you aren't expecting an old man too lose it, it's comes off pretty well. Some of the stammering style even works to make it funnier in places. Still, he could have done it a lot better 10 years ago, but it was better than it looked the first time, because of the tension of the situation.

Overall the convention was very smoothly run and hit all the right notes. Whatever that's worth. The Dems are very disappointed with it.

ricpic said...

There really are two Americas. I'm sure Romney's repetitions of the theme of having ones kids play with the kids of the other young parents in ones church group might as well be a report from Mars to the metrosexual core of upper tier Democrats, and to the baby mammas and baby daddies that form its lower tier, for that matter.

Sorun said...

"If that kind of rhetoric is okay, we ought to call out Lindsey for her "war on men.""

In political rhetoric, women are treated like children, so there wouldn't be a "war on men" anymore then there would be a "war on adults" outside of fantasy stories. And we know how those usually turn out.

We'll have seen progress when CNN asks the question: "What about the Democrats' men problem?"

SGT Ted said...

Why do Obama supporters hate old people?

Bob Ellison said...

Jake Diamond said "I didn't say or imply that ALL Althouse conservatives are idiots. However, based on your performance in this thread, you're about to make the list."

I can't improve upon this; I just want to highlight it.

Unknown said...

Jake Diamond, now you're going Godwin's Law on us! Slow down!

Ok, so Bob doesn't understand Godwin's Law but feels compelled to reference it. He's obviously eager to be identified as another one of the Althouse conservative idiots. So be it.

ricpic said...

Oops, I forgot, there is no upper tier and lower tier of the Democrat Egalitarian Party. Right. You betcha.

Patrick said...

Yeah, this is just one of the many "audacious untruths" that featured in Ryan's speech.

so what was it that Pres. Obama did? The man he picked to lead the commission says it suffered from a failure of the President to give it any attention.

Bob Ellison said...

Jake Diamond, do you understand Godwin's Law? Do you understand the reference I was making?

I don't know how old you are or what you studied, so I'm just making assumptions here.

Aridog said...

@Marshall ....Awwww, be nice. All Lindsey needs is a few "piña coladas and getting caught in the rain!"

test said...

Jake Diamond said...
I didn't say or imply that ALL Althouse conservatives are idiots. However, based on your performance in this thread, you're about to make the list.


Oh no, not a list. Someone who lies and obfuscates every point is making a list.

What a tool.

Michael Haz said...

I am looking forward to the liberals (who want more specifics from Mitt Romney) explaining the specifics of Barack Obama's budget.

Oh...wait.

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...

Ender's Ghost said...
And what did Ryan do with Simpson-Bowles? He voted...(long pause)...against it.


It had ObamaCare in it.

Looks like Ender is . . . off his . . . game.

Shouting Thomas said...

Peggy Noonan is not an exciting writer. She's "Ms. On the one hand... and then on the other..." But, she's a good indication of middle of the road reaction to the convention.

Her WSJ article today.

Sloanasaurus said...

I thought Romney's speech was just right for trying to appeal to those swing voters who may be watching. I also thought it was smart for it to be soft. You have to remember that the mainstream media is for Obama, so they would have only repeated the red-meat lines or those lines that make Romney look mean etc.

Romney only needs a few percentage more of these swing voters to win the election. These voters have already abandoned Obama because Obama is a failure. If they view Romney as a reasonable alternative, Romney will win.

Icepick said...

Why do Obama supporters hate old people?

Because so many of them are typical white people.

garage mahal said...

[President Obama] created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report.

There was no report. This is a lie, he would know, he was on the commission.

Freeman Hunt said...

I watched. I thought Romney was excellent. His speech was perfectly aimed at the moderate voters I know who don't want to feel like they're betraying Obama by not voting for him. Avoiding angry rhetoric was the right choice.

Unknown said...

Jake Diamond, do you understand Godwin's Law?

I do. Obviously you don't.

Do you understand the reference I was making?

Sure, and I understand the logical fallacy that you're applying to make the connection to Godwin's Law. Your ignorance of the history of ideas and your inability to reason have been noted.

See what fun you can have with this:

"A lie told often enough becomes the truth." - Lenin

I don't know how old you are or what you studied, so I'm just making assumptions here.

Your assumptions are pretty damn poor. Please try to fixate on someone else now.

Bob Ellison said...

garage mahal, you're right; there was no report.

There is no spoon.

Patrick said...

I'm pretty certain my wife will not vote for Romney. His speech last night though, got her thinking. She may not vote for Obama. Good start, I guess.

bagoh20 said...

I guess the argument is that Obama ignored the Simpson-Bowles recommendations because Ryan didn't like the package it came in.

Can't the President just call Ryan and ask him what to do?

Is there anyone left in the country who hasn't screwed it up for Obama?

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...

Lindsey said:
Well by all appearances, you got a guy with small balls.


Maybe they just seem that way when next to a cavern.

test said...

Michael Haz said...
I am looking forward to the liberals (who want more specifics from Mitt Romney) explaining the specifics of Barack Obama's budget.

Oh...wait.


Barack Obama ran the most vacuous Presidential campaign in American history in 2008, and exactly zero leftists cared then or hold it against him. Where does this cry for specificity come from? Don't tell me it's another double standard by the dihonest left. That would be shocking.

Patrick said...

Without a voted on report, President Obama is powerless - impotent - to do anything.

Oh, he could lead, but expecting that would be racist, so shut up.

Shouting Thomas said...

His speech was perfectly aimed at the moderate voters I know who don't want to feel like they're betraying Obama by not voting for him.

Well stated, Freeman.

But that "not betraying" a politician stuff left me shaking my head.

We're supposed to be so invested in Obama because he's black that we'll vote for him no matter what?

Bryan C said...

"Why do Obama supporters hate old people?"

Now, now. Obama supporters are just frustrated, because they can't understand why these stupid old people keep getting in their way, rather than just staying where they belong: sedated, complacent, and in the nursing home.

Freeman Hunt said...

Rubio made me cry. That's rare. The father working as a bartender to give his children greater opportunity. I know people like that. There is a huge immigrant community here; one meets such people every day.

Anonymous said...

"That bit with the empty chair made me think of James Stewart talking to Harvey the imaginary rabbit - without Stewart's wit and charm."

Wrong movie entirely. Try the Bogart/Bacall prank call in The Big Sleep.

It may not have worked for you, but it wasn't a bomb. It worked just fine for the rest of us.

Bob Ellison said...

Jake Diamond, very good! More famous, though, is Joseph Goebbels for the notion that repeating a lie convinces fools. But nice research! So you've got not just a Nazi on your side, but a communist maniac as well! Keep playing!

SGT Ted said...

Jake, don't come here, repeating verbatim talking points from the Obama campaign and then pretebd you are just an "observer". Because, if you were a mere "observer" you would not be so one sided in your criticisms as to who is being a fibber. If you were merely "observant", you would know that your "factcheckers" were Obama supporters.


Own your partisanship. Don't be a mendacious tool pretending to be non-partisan, like some DNC seminar talkshow caller pretending to be a Republican who must now oppose the GOP because of *insert the DNC talking point of the day* bullshit.

Those cheapass propaganda tactics are old and busted. They are also delusional and lame, like an old Commie poster praising Dear Leader for making life better for the Kulaks.

furious_a said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kcom said...

"Jake Diamond said 'Yet another Althouse conservative identifies himself as an idiot.'"

In which he only proves that yet another "liberal" identifies himself as absolutely humorless, in reacting in a such a tone deaf manner to what was obviously a joke.

furious_a said...

And what did Ryan do with Simpson-Bowles? He voted...(long pause)...against it.

And so did...(longer pause)...Reps Schakowsky (D-IL) and Becerra (D-CA), Sen. Baucus (D-MT), and Andy Stern (SEIU). More than enough votes to for the supermajority to advance the recommendations to Congress for a vote.

It was Pres. Obama's, not Ryan's, commission. Can't Pres. Obama take ownership for anything?

Paddy O said...

The trouble with a lot of political debate is that there's such a demand to pick sides, that it becomes much more like high school cliques than actual interactions. The liberal responses last evening and in this thread are much more akin to Mean Girls than interesting responses.

There's no nuance. There's no understanding of different opinions and approaches. There's no realizing that people can disagree on interpretations and meaning. There's just "he lied!" and "I'm the cool one making the lists!" There's a whole lot of false witnessing and twisting words and meanings in order to hold onto power. A power they don't deserve or know what to do with.

It's about feelings. About feeling like they're on the right side. It doesn't help anyone, but they can feel superior to people on the other side, and that's enough.

The rest of us are idiots, and we're never going to be invited to the right parties if this keeps up.

It's sad. I've had good talks on serious issues that are facing this country. I want to have serious debates by serious leaders who offer alternative solutions to big problems.

What I'm tired of, and sad about, is that a battle over which clique is the best solves nothing.

It's tired, it's sad, it's exhausting. If this is all the Democratic party has as defenders--then let us please move on and get Obama, Reid, etc. out so that the Democratic Party can re-invigorate itself.

Scream "lies" all you want, but the fact is that Congress doesn't want to talk about budgets, it doesn't want to talk about jobs, it doesn't want to talk about transparency. Obama sends a budget that gets dismissed out of hand by his own party? That's not leadership by either side. It's a game, and a game that far too many people can't afford to play anymore just so Obama and his followers can feel better about themselves.

You won't lead, you'll only insult and blame. You won't get out of the way, you'll just insult and twist words to fit your assertions of reality.

Meanwhile there is no hope and there is no change. And there's not a single thing any of the liberal commenters said last night or this morning that suggest there is the slightest bit of hope or change left. There's only bitterness and wan attempts at dominating the rhetoric by being dismissive and evasive.

Is that what people voted for in 2008? Are the Lindsey's or the Jakes the sort of people that evoked passion and excitement in 2008? They're precisely what the Obama administration have left us with. And it's sad.

Chase said...

There's really only one thing that matters about the liberal anti-Romney commenters here that matters:

Was there any possibility that they would ever vote for Romney? Any?

Lindsey? Shiloh?

Since we all know the answer - and please Ann - Lindsey's ridiculous comments were written and ready to go before the speech was given - the liberals here are just as dishonest and evil as Obama and his mistress Stephanie Cutter.

What a waste of human beings.

furious_a said...

That bit with the empty chair made me...

An empty suit on a wire mannequin would have been spot on.

ricpic said...

Ditto Sloanasaurus on both counts: Romney keeping his remarks mild so the media can't portray him (well, not convincingly anyway) as "extreme," and Romney thereby positioning himself as a reasonable alternative to the failed Obama, so that undecideds can bring themselves to vote for the lesser known challenger.

ndspinelli said...

I watched baseball and the great flick, Fargo.

harrogate said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
harrogate said...

Chase, does the same hold true of the vast majority of participants here who were sure to vote for Romney before the convention?

Be careful. Don't be a waste of a human being.

dbp said...

"I think I'll just have casual sex tonight. After Romney, I couldn't possibly feel more violated (or bored)."

How is it possible to feel both violated and bored at the same time? Doesn't violation imply an intense experience?

roesch/voltaire said...

I think the empty chair in the room had been vacated by the "fact checkers" along with any mention of the wo wars started under Bush who, or the men and women who have served in them. Eastwood becomes a perfect representation of the party: an angry, old,rich white man who once was talented and fair, but has somehow lost its footing and slipped far to the right.

Todd said...

I loved Clint's speech.

I thought Romney's acceptance speech was OK, nice enough. I loved his school choice comment buried in step/point 3 of his plan.

I do have one quibble though, his statement (around 28:01) "I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs", sorry the President does not create one single job! A President can kill jobs and can do a lot to try and promote job creation but the President does not create jobs. I wish politicians would stop saying that.

LoafingOaf said...

The Romney camp immediately started distancing themselves from Clint Eastwood's speech, but Althouse wants to call folks in her comments section "ageist" because they reacted the same as Romney's handlers and, from the appearance of it, Ann Romney.

I don't see how it was a good idea to make millions of folks across America nervous as they watched one of America's great movie icons being thrown up there and struggling. All because the GOP is desperate to show they have some cool celebrities on their side.

People are still gonna continue to love Clint regardless of politics because the man has earned that with a fantastic career. But are we "ageist" because we didn't go into spin mode in order to rescue Clint's performance?

Four years ago Althouse had a vow of "cruel neutrality" going on, and she noted "I'm not interested in reading any blogger's day to day spin in favor one candidate or another". Is she so in the tank for Romney that she's becoming the kind of blog she used to hate?

And, btw, before you pull out some more liberals' comments to condemn the type of rhetoric being used, try and make sure you point out that anyone who's not a conservative is getting constantly trolled on this blog.

kcom said...

I know I feel bad for "betraying" my plumber by firing him after he fucks up my toilet. That's normal, right?

Chase said...

Clint was fantastic just think Jummy Stewart.

Thers's not one liberal who wouldn't be praising him if he was doing that at he Democrat convention and supporting the boy Obama.

So, as we will keep demonstrating here, liberals, because of their primary congenital bent toward dishonesty, are of the following value in this debate:

0. Zero value. That's all there is to it.

Waht a waste of human beings.

furious_a said...

Garage: There was no report. This is a lie,

Garage, every word he posts a lie, including "is" and "a".

Seriously: A report was released on December 1, 2010, but failed a vote on December 3 with 11 of 18 votes in favor, with a supermajority of 14 votes needed to formally endorse the blueprint.[3] Voting for the report were Bowles, Coburn, Conrad, Crapo, Cote, Durbin, Fudge, Gregg, Rivlin, Simpson, and Spratt. Voting against were Baucus, Becerra, Camp, Hensarling, Ryan, Schakowsky and Stern.[32]

Shouting Thomas said...

The NY Times, in its' lead editorial today, peddles the bizarre "Republicans are evil because they dared to oppose the President" theme.

Hard to believe that they think that should be taken seriously.

They note that Obama surrendered and acceeded to President Bush's foreign policy, although they notably fail to attribute that policy to Bush.

I do agree with the Times that it is time to draw down the military, reduce the military budget, and assume a peacetime stance. We can wratchet up the military when the threat demands it.

Amexpat said...

Wrong movie entirely. Try the Bogart/Bacall prank call in The Big Sleep.

Yes, I can see that as the inspiration for the Oh, I don't think it's possible for him to do that to himself. line. But it's a tough bit to pull off. Bogart and Bacall did it brilliantly in The Big Sleep. Eastwood's tentative, rambling style made me think of Stewart. I don't think that was what he intended.

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...

roesch/voltaire said...
I think the empty chair in the room . . .


Pretentious much?

Voltaire?

Yeah right.

Anonymous said...

I guess the argument is that Obama ignored the Simpson-Bowles recommendations because Ryan didn't like the package it came in.

I took the argument to be that Obama couldn't take up the Simpson-Bowles recommendations because they didn't exist, and Ryan has no business talking about it anyway because he voted against the recommendations that didn't exist.

Known Unknown said...

I do have one quibble though, his statement (around 28:01) "I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs", sorry the President does not create one single job! A President can kill jobs and can do a lot to try and promote job creation but the President does not create jobs. I wish politicians would stop saying that.

I hate that too. Although, in fairness he said he had a plan to create and not "I'm going to create 12 million jobs"

test said...

roesch/voltaire said...
once was talented and fair, but has somehow lost its footing and slipped far to the right.


Let's just consider this worn out refrain. What in the Republican Party is to the right of where it was under Reagan? Current spending is higher, in part pushed by Republicans. Support for abortion is the same. Opposition to gay marriage is the same. Is there any policy where Republicans have actually moved right?

Do Democratic hacks like RV even think about their own slogans? Why are they incapable of understanding that slogans created at MoveOn and Occupy meetings don't actually reflect reality and therefore have no gravitas outside the leftist fever swamps they inhabit?

Brian Brown said...

LoafingOaf said...
The Romney camp immediately started distancing themselves from Clint Eastwood's speech,


Really?

You have a source for that?

Known Unknown said...

Because Althouse is the only liberal I know who values freedom of speech more than her "tribe"

This place would be horribly boring without the other side, I guess. Even though I don't think I have a side.
I guess I'm small-L libertarian.

Known Unknown said...

Rubio made me cry. That's rare. The father working as a bartender to give his children greater opportunity. I know people like that. There is a huge immigrant community here; one meets such people every day.

You didn't pour that!

Shouting Thomas said...

Clint Eastwood... an "angry, old,rich white man."

You are a fucking asshole R/V.

Go fuck yourself, you white bastard.

This act of liberal white man is just disgusting. You are a disgusting piece of shit.

Brian Brown said...

ake Diamond said...
I'm not a political operative. I'm an observer, and as an observer, I noted Ryan's dishonesty on that point and many others.


Except for the fact that your "noting" contained actual lies.

Anonymous said...

I thought the GOP did a great job with the convention. They introduced America to the candidates and a number of rising stars. They gave Americans a solid sense of the stakes in this election as Republicans see it. Plus they delivered Clint Eastwood to create one of the weirdest, funniest, and I daresay most memorable moments in a modern political convention.

All in all, they charged up Republicans to go out and win this thing, and that was the job. Because ultimately it's all about jobs -- who's got a job, who will get a job, and who is doing the job, or not doing the job, as the case may be.

Brian Brown said...

garage mahal said...

There was no report. This is a lie, he would know, he was on the commission


Really?

How do you then explain this?

The Obama debt commission's final report was approved by 11 of the 18 commission members on an unexpectedly strong bipartisan basis.



Don't worry imbecile, we expect as much from you.

Do you have any capacity for embarrassment?

LoafingOaf said...

The reactions of the liberals here--garage, shiloh, and Alpha come to mind--fascinate me. They cling to threadbare stereotypes, stereotypes of conservatives that may never have fit. And they simply can't update their views based on evidence. The Republican party has strong women, strong blacks, and other strong and impressive minorities. The liberals have to explain that away because it CAN'T BE TRUE!

Excuse me, but considering the fact that the GOP is currently engaged in attempt to suppress votes from black people in my state of Ohio, the GOP convention rounding up every minority they could get up on the stage for them is not very convincing. What happens on a stage in prime time television is called a SHOW.

Here's an example of what's REALLY going on with the Republicans in my state:

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A top adviser to Ohio Gov. John Kasich has come under fire for a statement critics say was racist and aimed at suppressing the vote of African-Americans.

The comments from Doug Preisse, the Franklin County Republican chairman, were yet another salvo in the ongoing battle between Ohio Democrats and Republicans over early voting hours. Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted last week issued a directive that excludes weekend voting, which Democrats say was politically motivated.

Preisse told the Columbus Dispatch in a story published Sunday: "I guess I really actually feel we shouldn't contort the voting process to accommodate the urban -- read African-American -- voter turnout machine."

Democrats this week said singling out a specific race was inappropriate and called on Kasich and other state Republican leaders to publicly denounce Preisse's comments.

***
"It's patently racist," said Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern. "I'm not suggesting that Doug Preisse as a person is racist. But what he said smacks of racism and bigotry. He's not making a suggestion. He is flat out informing all of us that it is the strategy of the entire Ohio Republican Party to disenfranchise African-American voters."

(And if you click to the link you'll find the repubican making back-to-back non-apology apologies about it.)




furious_a said...

Garage: There was no report. This is a lie,

Somebody inform the webmaster, then.

Liar, Garage.

Paddy O said...

Since this is a thread about the comments of the other thread, I think special mention should be given to the Lanvin Handbag story posted at 3:10am. It was both touching and poignant.

As Paco Wové noted it was indeed one of the better comments of the whole thread. At the end of an overlong thread it summarized what America is all about--family, overcoming disaster, and accessorizing.

Chip Ahoy said...

No spam back there. Oh?

They're clever. ba san says right around 610th comment something almost reasonable but it's there pimping its Lanvin Handbag : www.lanvinhandbagstore.com


Chip Ahoy said...

Paddy O beat me to it.

Kirby Olson said...

He said there are lots of conservatives in Hollywood but they don't go "hot doggin'" around because they are more stable personalities, with a sustainable vision of the world. I think Eastwood's appearance will bring more conservatives out of the closet.

Known Unknown said...

urban -- read African-American -- voter turnout machine."

Did Priesse say "read African-American" or did the Dispatch insert that ... or you?

Brian Brown said...

Jake Diamond said...
Apparently that's the GOP strategy in having Ryan tell a number of fibs in his speech


Except there were no fibs.

You pointed out no fibs.

You can not point out any fibs.

You continue to beclown yourself.

Shouting Thomas said...

"Excuse me, but considering the fact that the GOP is currently engaged in attempt to suppress votes from black people in my state of Ohio, the GOP convention rounding up every minority they could get up on the stage for them is not very convincing. What happens on a stage in prime time television is called a SHOW."

Utter bullshit.

Known Unknown said...

The Lanvin Handbag is full of lies!!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I salute you Chip..

You read 610 comments ;)

Brian Brown said...

LoafingOaf said...
Excuse me, but considering the fact that the GOP is currently engaged in attempt to suppress votes from black people in my state of Ohio


That's right!

Every allegation by a Democrat is a fact.

And nothing your read is a lie if you sincerly believe it.

Chase said...

harrogate

Chase, does the same hold true of the vast majority of participants here who were sure to vote for Romney before the convention?

Fair question.

The difference is in the actual ability to talk issues, harrogate.
And despite the NYTimes having the boy's dick so far up it's ass it spits his cum out it's mouth, there are actual people who can discuss a person's actual work. And you know as well as I do that Obama's work is failure and all he can do is cast the blame around.

As a conservative, I did not vote for Obama because his values are different than mine. I actually defended his honor and some of his efforts here on this very blog the first year's of his presidency.

But when Stephanie Cutter on tape implied that Mitt Romney could have committed a felony - something Obama says she did not say - he dishonored the Presidency and proved that he is an amoral man.

Worse, Obama is not an adult, a real man. A man takes responsibility for his actions - this President is a boy. He blames everyone else around him. He is a disaster as a President. The fair question is: who is willing to let their families suffer more in the future just because we feel sorry for the guy? It's Like the majority of black Americans today with their children in bad schools - they really don't give a shit about there children and their children's futures because if they did, they would be demonstrating and doing whatever is necessary to get their kids a good education. But instead, the majority of black Amwricans just accept bad schools for their kids, and this only shows they really don't care about their children (let's not even start with the illegitmacy rate among blacks today, which ponly bnolsters the don't really care about their kids argument).

Me? My kids were more important than anything - I took extra work to pay for their private school tuition. And I still paid my taxes that went to the public schools to educate other people's children. If you can feed 'em, you can home school 'em, you can get 'e into abetter school , you can do whatevr to see your kids graduate and go to college, or you can blame someone else, and your kids still lose. Obama is blamer. He is spineless.


That said, I don't prewrite shit about the President - I don't have to. I can coimment on his character, which I provably gave him the benefit of the doubt on until he repeatedly showed ho low his moral level is when his back is against the wall.

So no, harrogate - the commenters here are not the closed minded haters that the knee-jerk liberals are.

And they are a waste of human life. Sad

Are you?

edutcher said...

Love the way the trolls are panicking over Mr Yates. They must think shiloh is the tastemaker of the group and that more people will be talking about his skit than the Romster's speech.

And, yeah, the "We own this country" line nailed it.

Have to disagree with Shout on the lack of an overarching theme by the Romster. It seemed to me he was preaching a return to the American Way (as in Truth, Justice, and).

The hardcore Lefty soreheads will bellyache he means a return to the 50s.

Having lived through them, I can say they were pretty good.

Fen said...

Why are our liberal commenters so lame?

Sir, you answered your own question.

PS I agree Diamond doesn't think all Conservatives are idiots.

Just the ones who disagree with anything he believes.

Brian Brown said...

Last night at about 8pm I sat there and thought that the left will react to Eastwood as follows:
wish death on him, call him senile, mock his physical appearance.

Complete & utter vindication.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Did people stayed up all night?

Oh the humanity.

Chase said...

I think the empty chair in the room had been vacated by the "fact checkers"

roesch, you demonstrate that you do not know the meaning of "fact". The Obama leg humpers in the press - your ideological twins = aren't capable of p[roving shit. Their so-called facts about Ryan's speech were not facts of erroe. they were interpreations of "Well, he did it too, see?"

Worst political season of integrity by Democrats EVER.

DEMOCRAT PARTY: If you hate morality and accountability, we're the party for you!

Ctmom4 said...

It ironic that the house liberals are calling for policy specifics when Obama has not said anything at all about what he plans to do to us in a second term - except to take all the rich people's money.

mrs whatsit said...

"There was no report. This is a lie, he would know, he was on the commission."

As Garage was going up the stair/
He met the report that was not there.

dreams said...

"What I liked about Clint's routine — which you had to trust not to feel nervous about — was when he said "We own this country... Politicians are employees of ours... When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let them go.""

Makes for a great sound bite and is being shown a lot this morning on Fox and CNBC at least. I think it will be used in ads too.

Darrell said...

And nothing your read is a lie if you sincerly believe it.

Or are part of the very group that helped craft the lie.

Vote fraud and lies are the Democrats' bread and butter.

Anonymous said...

LoafingOaf said...
Excuse me, but considering the fact that the GOP is currently engaged in attempt to suppress votes from black people in my state of Ohio.

Not to worry Oaf. Cleveland Wards 1 through 10 will have 110% participation on election day and vote 100% for Obama.

Shouting Thomas said...

The Chicago Tribune editorial is much more balanced and moderate in its tone than the NY Times.

And, the Trib is a Democratic newspaper. But, Chicago and Illinois are reeling from corruption scandals at the state and city level, mostly featuring Democrats.

They don't seem to have made up their minds on Obama.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The Obama camp and the unprofessional hacks in the dominate mainstream pro-democrat media did not fact check Ryan's speech with anything but bias and BS.

garage mahal said...

Garage, every word he posts a lie, including "is" and "a"

There was no consensus, no conclusion, they never came to agreement, so there was nothing for Obama to "ignore", as Ryan put it.

From your link: The first vote on the final recommendations, originally set for December 1, 2010, was delayed until December 3 when the commission fell short of the supermajority of 14 of 18 votes needed to approve the report.

According to the commission by-laws:

"The Commission shall vote on the approval of a final report containing a set of recommendations to achieve the objectives set forth in the Charter no later than December 1, 2010. The issuance of a final report of the Commission shall require the approval of not less than 14 of the 18 members of the Commission."

There was no vote taken on anything by December 1. (In fact there was never a formal vote.) And the report touted as being the commission report never had the support of more than 11 of the 18 members of the commission report.

In other words, this was a report from Erskin Bowles and Alan Simpson.

Thanks for playing.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Obama said in a second term he will have more "flexibility"...

Usually a second term means lame duck.. but to Obama it will mean he wont have to face the voters and "evolve"... it will mean more executive orders, more going around the congress...

In short, more Chavez like government.

wyo sis said...

Clint Eastwood made people believe he's a doddering old man. A doddering old man with a razor sharp wit and life experience. A doddering old man who cut to the heart of Obama using a rhetorical device that's very difficult to pull off successfully. That people think he really is a doddering old man is a great tribute to his ability.
Yes, the Rebublicans had an actor at their convention. A master lever actor who was so good he made the right people get the wrong impression. Maybe the Dems can get George Clooney or Sarah Silverman to come and do as well at their craft.

Ctmom4 said...

@ Icepick :" Icepick said...
The line in question from Obama's 2008 acceptance speech:

John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of hell — but he won't even go to the cave where he lives."
Wow! I didn't remember that - or I had hit the mute button cause I can't stand to hear him. Thanks for reminding me why I hate him.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Erskin Bowles had only nice things to say about Ryan...

So I dont understand what garage is talking about.

Chase said...

suppress votes from black people

Again, what is the problem with "black people"?!!

They let their votes be "suppressed?" In America? In 2012?

Are you saying that black people in America are just children in America? How did a black man ever get to be President, lawdy, lawdy?

Democrat Party Slogan 2012:
It's not our fault!


William said...

Eastwood didn't look completely in control. That's what made his speech (performance?) so compelling. There was the sense that he might go too far over the line and call Obama a goddammed punk or a stupid, fucking asshole. He didn't actually say anything all that bad, but there was the sense that he might.....At any rate it was not a speech that caused one's attention to drift away. I think some of the points he made against Obama were fair hits, and the fact that they were made in such a rambling context made them more effective..... I can remember that at the time of the Dirty Harry movies' release, he was characterized by Pauline Kael as a fascist. He didn't become an icon until much later in his career. He will now be endlessly ridiculed by the late night comedians. I bet Hollywood will try to revoke his icon status.

wyo sis said...

It's all about nuance. It is what it isn't and isn't what it is and it works on every level. What a shame some people don't get it. The genius is that people who need to get it always do and superficially "intellectual" people never do.

Chase said...

There was no vote taken on anything by December 1. (In fact there was never a formal vote.) And the report touted as being the commission report never had the support of more than 11 of the 18 members of the commission report.

In other words, this was a report from Erskin Bowles and Alan Simpson.


Democrat translation: Don't blame me us!

There's always someone else to blame, isn't there liberals?

exhelodrvr1 said...

Lindsay,
At least it wasn't a violation violation.

Joe Schmoe said...

Please enumerate the exquisite disquisitions on policy that the Dems rolled out in the 2008 convention? I don't recall many specifics.

Fact is, we've conditioned our politicians not to be specific. The contrarian press tries to puncture any semblance of Republican policy as soon as the pixels hit the screen. Even Obama, the Most-Transparent-Prez-Evvahh!, stopped posting bills 5 days in advance, stopped airing debate on C-SPAN, and started more partisan secret meetings.

If Dems wanted specifics from Romney, they should've been asking the same from Barry, if they were not have-it-all-ways opportunists.

Blue Ox said...

Garage is arguing that because someone else didn't do Obama's homework for him, Obama can't be blamed for not turning it in.

Roger J. said...

With respect to blog discussion, I doubt seriously that participants on either side of an issue will be persuaded by the other side. No lefty will change his/her mind, nor will a con change his/her mind. The result of this stalemate does make for some creative insults, however. No the thread on anal bleaching was very interesting. The threads on politics no so much.

Blue Ox said...

If Dems wanted specifics from Romney, they should've been asking the same from Barry

That's not really fair. How can you get more specific than "Hope" "Change" and "Yes we can!"?

Paddy O said...

As to Eastwood, his responsiveness to the audience showed how there he was. People not in control or having troubles barely make it through their speech, they can't deal with the distractions. In contrast, Eastwood showed how in control of the moment he was, reacting and interacting with the responses.

He was so not nervous and so in control that he could just go up there and chat a bit. He didn't need to prove a thing, he just had some things to he wanted to say and amused himself by saying them in a certain way.

chickelit said...

Maybe the Dems can get George Clooney or Sarah Silverman to come and do as well at their craft.

I think a feigned kiss between George Clooney and Charlie Crist would speak volumes for their convention.

Chase said...

I bet Hollywood will try to revoke his icon status.

Don't worry about Clint - he's too rich and too admired - think of the actors who have worked for him and talked him up so much:


Sean Penn
Tim Robbins
Hilary Swank
Morgan Freeman


and many other Hollywood liberals.

They can be hopping mad today, but because of how they associated with and praised him in the past, any criticsm of him is neutralized and not worth their own dogs shit.

He will come out looking great after this.

Funny, everytime on this blog that I predicted that someone would be thought more highly of that the liberals and Democrats said I was proved right!

So, Democrats, get rid of Obama now, because there is no way history is record him any better as Prez than Jimmy Carter.

My record on this stuff is flawless.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

If Dems wanted specifics from Romney, they should've been asking the same from Barry..

You people are not being fair to the president.

When Obama said nobody has ever built anything on their own... that was very specific.

Matt said...

Icepick said...
The line in question from Obama's 2008 acceptance speech:
"John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of hell — but he won't even go to the cave where he lives."

That was true. How is that calling McCain a coward? He was saying McCain [like Bush] had lost interest in Bin Laden and would rather have a war in Iraq. All true. But he is not saying he [personally] is a coward. Sheesh.

Anonymous said...

Shouting Thomas said...
Lindsey, you must be aware that Eastwood was Mayor of Carmel, California. Are you?"

Yes and I was president of my sorority. Were you aware of that? No?

edutcher said...

LoafingOaf said...

Excuse me, but considering the fact that the GOP is currently engaged in attempt to suppress votes from black people in my state of Ohio.

Translation:

The Republican Party thinks it's unfair to give some people more than one vote.

Chase said...

the thread on anal bleaching was very interesting

Where can Democrats get this done? Seems so many have decided to go natural like the hippies in the 50's. They stank too.

mrs whatsit said...

Garage, maybe a little leadership would have helped. Maybe if the person who asked for the report had gotten involved in leading others to understand and buy into it -- or in revising it to make it more acceptable to the larger group -- rather than turning his back and walking away, things might be different today. But that would have required actual leadership skills, and as we all know, it's raaaaaaaacist to look for any such thing in a President.

roesch/voltaire said...

Shouting nice to see you return with your same old name-calling tricks raising the level of discourse. By the way recent books like Rule and Ruin and It's Even Worse Than it Looks... have documented how the Republican Party has slid so far to the right even President Reagan might not get the nomination today.
And Chase I agree that "facts" to the Republicans are to be ignored or called bias. For example here is a quote from the Janesville Gazette Sunday Dec. 20 ,2009 documenting the plant's major shut-down in 2008:
"That's been the refrain since General Motors announced in 2008 it would first trim and then end production at its storied Janesville assembly plant.

More than 3,000 workers in the local auto sector were laid off within a year. More than two-thirds of them worked at GM; companies that supplied the local plant displaced the rest." Yes this is just liberal bias.

Chase said...

Yes and I was president of my sorority. Were you aware of that? No?

And what public service was your sorority committed to?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Lindsey what is it about conservatism you dont like?

LoafingOaf said...

EMD said...
"urban -- read African-American -- voter turnout machine."

Did Priesse say "read African-American" or did the Dispatch insert that ... or you?

He said it and if you clicked to the article you'd know he doesn't deny he said it. He claimed he mistakenly thought he was speaking off the record.

Shouting Thomas said...

R/V, that Hate Whitey act of yours entitles you to a kick in the nuts.

I'll be happy to oblige.

You're a completely fucking worthless jackass.

I don't think I'd even call you human.

Paddy O said...

"I was president of my sorority"

This explains much.

Shouting Thomas said...

More than 3,000 workers in the local auto sector were laid off within a year. More than two-thirds of them worked at GM; companies that supplied the local plant displaced the rest." Yes this is just liberal bias.

When busineses fail, workers lose jobs. It's that simple.

We cannnot, and should not, be guaranteeing workers jobs for life.

That system is in place in academia, which accounts for an incompetent stooge life R/V having a job in the first place.

Anonymous said...

ST,

I really couldn't watch him. It was like watching a wise father in his last days, and realizing that we are about to lose him.

Are you really so afraid of old age? Do you not have enough humanity to fell warmth and caring for those who need it? Or do you just recoil from people who remind you of your inevitable condition?

I would love to see my father grow old, even if that meant watching his body fail. Instead, all I have are memories that end 19 years ago of a strong health man cut down in a tragic accident. I could watch him as his body fails trying to hold on to every last second of his life, instead of trying to escape the room so I didn't have to look at him.

Chase said...

More than 3,000 workers in the local auto sector were laid off within a year.

EXACT QUOTE FROM THE BOY PRESIDENT at that plant February 13, 2008:

"I know that General Motors received some bad news yesterday, and I know how hard your Governor has fought to keep jobs in this plant. But I also know how much progress you've made — how many hybrids and fuel-efficient vehicles you're churning out. And I believe that if our government is there to support you, and give you the assistance you need to re-tool and make this transition, that this plant will be here for another hundred years.

The plant was not closed until Spring 2009 after the Boy President was in office.

But he didn't do anything about it.

roesch: 0
Truth: 1

Want to go all day?

Shouting Thomas said...

Are you really so afraid of old age? Do you not have enough humanity to fell warmth and caring for those who need it? Or do you just recoil from people who remind you of your inevitable condition?

What a bizarre set of questions.

Clearly, the answer is that I believe everybody over 50 should be euthanized.

What a dingbat comment.

garage mahal said...

Garage is arguing that because someone else didn't do Obama's homework for him, Obama can't be blamed for not turning it in.

I'm not sure why so many people have a hard time with this. There was no official report. There were no official recommendations for Congress to adopt.

LoafingOaf said...

The Republican Party thinks it's unfair to give some people more than one vote.

Ensuring that voting times are easy and convenient for all citizens does not enable someone to vote more than once. But you keep telling yourself this isn't an issue. It was obvious from the GOP convention that many Republicans want to make inroads into minority groups, but unfortunately they have too many people like some of you in their base.

Chase said...

ALTHOUSE READERS:

If you are new to this blog, a word. Most liberal commentters here will say anything to discourage conservatives. That is their only purpose. There is no demonstrated intent on their part to actually engage an issue. The amoral aspect of their writings is often self-evident, but do not be discouraged. They are losing this battle , and are reacting more and more intellectually loose and bankrupt and on November 6 there will be a day of rejoicing in America again.

Anonymous said...

ST,

What a bizarre set of questions.

Are they? Your the one talking about how uncomfortable you are seeing a loved old man, as if you are ashamed or embarrassed about what he's become. Why are you so anxious to change the subject and not answer the questions?

Joe Schmoe said...

have documented how the Republican Party has slid so far to the right even President Reagan might not get the nomination today

Roll out the shibboleths, we'll have a barrel of fun...

This old saw has no teeth and never did. Given that this convention featured a blue-state pro-choice governor like Chris Christie, and the GOP nominee is considered about the most moderate milquetoast they could have offered, I have to say you're dead wrong on that charge.

Amexpat said...

He didn't need to prove a thing, he just had some things to he wanted to say and amused himself by saying them in a certain way.

Of course Eastwood has nothing to prove, his legacy is chiseled into the bedrock of American culture and a poor performance at the GOP convention would not erode that.

But I assume that he wanted to give a speech that would do the most to elect Romney, or defeat Obama, and not to "amuse himself" by saying what he wanted to say in a certain way. In that sense, his speech was a dud, as it did not exploit the full explosive power of Clint.

Shouting Thomas said...

Ken,

When my father and my wife died, within a few years ago, I became aware that there are a lot of assholes like you in the world.

The game they play is... "You must not really care about [X], because you're not responding emotionally in the fashion that I think you should."

Go fuck yourself, Ken. You're just an asshole. The world is full of assholes.

jeff said...

"FWIW, Clint's teleprompter apparently stopped working early on, and he ad-libbed most of his routine."

82 years old, working without a net. So what's lindsey's excuse when Obama stammers his way thru a speech when he works without a teleprompter? He's what? 49?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I'm not sure why so many people have a hard time with this. There was no official report. There were no official recommendations for Congress to adopt.

Remember when Bush put aside the Iraq Study Group recommendations (his own report) and opted for a surge instead?

Obama does the same thing and some wont fess up.

LoafingOaf said...

Here's a clue for those of you who thought it was a brilliant performance by Clint Eastwood: People are supposed to be talking about Mitt Romney today, not debating the extent to which Clint's stumbling and bumbling was either charming or pathetic or a little of both. Those of you who are a bunch of rally supporters for anything the GOP says or does can't get away from the fact that Romney's own camp responded to Clint's speech as if they wish they hadn't done that.

Joe Schmoe said...

Conversely, I'll make the counter-charge that Democrats have pursued more extreme positions than the Republicans over the last decade. There is no room for dissent in the Democrat tent. As a party, it's become more illiberal and fiscally irresponsible.

Shouting Thomas said...

Just to show you, Ken, how stupid and cruel the game you're playing is...

As my wife was dying, my daughter couldn't bear to visit her in the hospital. My wife was not conscious, so it wasn't exactly like she could speak to my girl.

Vicious, no good bastards like you pulled the same trick on my daughter, telling her that she didn't really love her mother because she wasn't grieving in the manner they thought she should.

What a low life scum thing your doing, Ken. I don't know why you get your rocks off playing this game, but it speaks volumes about what a lowlife you are.

Big Mike said...

@Chase, you aren't parsing properly. All that Obama promised was that the plant would be there for the next 100 years -- he didn't promise that there would be any jobs at the plant.

I imagine that he forgot all about his supposed promise before he even got back to his CO2-spewing limousine.

Although, if I was a GM worker at that plant, and it was still producing vehicles as late as April (well after it was clear that GM was going to go chapter 11 and that the Obama administration was going to bail them out, which actually happened in the June-July timeframe), and after Obama fired the Rick Wagoner, the GM CEO, then I might feel a mite cheated that the plant stayed closed in favor of a plant in a right-to-work state like Tennessee.

MnMark said...

I think it should be pointed out that the Republican ticket is not a conservative ticket. It is a centrist liberal ticket.

In this election we have the far left liberals (Obama) up against the centrist liberals (Romney). Someone who is actually conservative (e.g. Michelle Bachmann) wouldn't have a chance.

The centrist liberals reassured us over and over again that they are the ones who are going to protect the big-government Medicare program and keep it going better than the far-left liberals. The centrist liberals reassured us over and over again that they aren't racists or sexists and that they heartily subscribe to all of the liberal orthodoxy on "equality" and "diversity" and the rest of that anti-white bullsh*t.

All that the centrist liberals want to do is bring a little more fiscal discipline to the liberal enterprise.


Roger J. said...

Chase--have been on this blog for a long time. I put no stock in what the lefties say, just as they put no stock in what the cons say. Blogs appeal (and I include myself in this) to the second standard deviation on both the left and right of the political spectrum. Makes for great invective, but full of sound and fury and signifying nothing. Case in point: the ridiculous parsing of the Janesville plant. Seems like there are some "facts" in the story. It stopped production of SUVs in late 2008 and idled the large portion of its production staff. It continued in limited production with about 100 employees for an Isuzu light truck order into April 2009 at which it closed entirely. Those seem to me be the only facts on the table. What the various players said about those facts is another question altogether and quite subject to parsing. As always, it depends on what the definition of "is" is.

Paddy O said...

"as it did not exploit the full explosive power of Clint."

Have you seen Clint Eastwood's movies? Talking wasn't the main feature. Indeed most of the poignant lines come in the seemingly off the cuff, not caring what you think, way of a man finally saying something because he's tired of what the world has become.

It was Clint Eastwood being Clint Eastwood, not Clint Eastwood trying to be Ronald Reagan. We're not trying to win one for the Gipper. We're tossing out the guy who's not doing anything.

hombre said...

JDiamond: Yeah, this is just one of the many "audacious untruths" that featured in Ryan's speech. Thanks to Althouse for highlighting this. (8:36)

Hey Jake, cite us to the evidence that Obama implemented Debt Commission recommendations or explain how, without that evidence, Ryan's statement was "untrue."

Otherwise, consider crawling back to the cretin echo chamber from whence you came.

Matt said...

"Listen Chair, I have 7 different kids by 5 different women, some of them were even my wives, and some had kids with me when I was married to someone else, and let me tell you, no one knows American Values like a Multi-Millionare actor who pretends to be a tough guy...so take that...chair! And I hate lawyers. I mean they know the law, right? Hate em. Especially divorce law. If you are some lawyer, you should not be elected to dog catcher...wait...what? R-Money went to Harvard Law? Get of my lawn, chair!"
Written by Wrich Printz

Big Mike said...

@Joe Schmoe, you broke the code!

Is it just me, or does it feel to others as though we've been living in the middle of a thousand social science experiments? Many of them have already failed (mortgages for everybody, never mind if you can't even make your first payment!) but there's never any stop and assess what's working and what's not. Just more coming every day.

test said...

roesch/voltaire said...
By the way recent books like Rule and Ruin and It's Even Worse Than it Looks... have documented how the Republican Party has slid so far to the right even President Reagan might not get the nomination today.


An admission RV cannot point out a single policy difference to support his position and is so reliant on Democratic Party talking points he doesn't even form his own opinions.

For example here is a quote from the Janesville Gazette Sunday Dec. 20 ,2009 documenting the plant's major shut-down in 2008:
"That's been the refrain since General Motors announced in 2008 it would first trim and then end production at its storied Janesville assembly plant.

More than 3,000 workers in the local auto sector were laid off within a year. More than two-thirds of them worked at GM; companies that supplied the local plant displaced the rest


All of which is irrelevant. The assertion RV is desperate to support is that Ryan lied by claiming the plant shut down was Obama's responsibility. They dispute this by arguing about into exactly when did it shut down, and if during Bush it's not Obama's responsibility. There are two errors with this assertion:

1. Ryans never asserted the plant shut down was Obama's responsibility. In the sentence before the widely publicized statement Ryan said

When [Obama] talked about change, many people liked the sound of it, especially in Janesville, where we were about to lose a major factory..

This clearly notes the impetus for the closure as ocurring during Obama's candidacy. So clearly he is not discussing the closure, but rather Obama's pandering that government support would keep the plant open. Regardless of when the plant closed Obama had the ability to give it the support he identified as necessary, yet failed to do so. All of this is 100% obvious and non-controversial to anyone reading in good faith.

2. The second error simply deals with timing. RV and the other far leftists are insisting that the "closure" ocurred in 2008 even though the plant was producing cars through 2009. They insist they appropriate date is X rather than Y. But that choice is not a lie, it's a preference. Further because the issue isn't the initial closure but rather the failure to provide the promised "government support" the correct analysis date is the date through which the "government support" is available. Which would be any date through which the plant could be retooled.

So the bottom line is that despite RVs silly belief that he is educating conservatives, in truth he's the ignorant rube who is so lazy he can't be bothered to understand the facts before shouting his conclusions.

shiloh said...

hmm, comment thread about a comment thread ...

It's half-time in America and Clint er mittens are stuck inside their own 20, but don't count them out.

Keep hope alive!

hombre said...

Matt dribbled: "Listen Chair, I have 7 different kids by 5 different women ...."

I think the point of the evening was that Romney is competent and embodies American values and Clint, an expert at his own craft, knows an incompetent dunce who is ruining the country when he sees one.

No reason for an Obot to get that though.

Scott M said...

Anne,

You missed the most stunning thing about a thread on politics that went far over 600 comments.

Not one mention of Hitler.

Sorun said...

So the bottom line is that despite RVs silly belief that he is educating conservatives, in truth he's the ignorant rube who is so lazy he can't be bothered to understand the facts before shouting his conclusions.

Long-time Althouse readers learned early on that R/V is an idiot.

edutcher said...

Quoting Jessuh "I have a scheme" Jackson in his failed Presidential run?

That's almost as lame as quoting Halo Joe.

but I am a robot said...

Is it possible for us to beat the now 633 comments with the number of comments here, in a thread about the number of comments in another thread?

Cedarford said...

Is it worth firing one charismatic but wrong headed and incompetent man from HIS job to help create 12 million jobs for PEOPLE in NEED, now without jobs?

Hell, yes!

The needs of the many outweigh the ego of The One.

MadisonMan said...

hmm, comment thread about a comment thread ...

Hmm. Talk about profound!

I'm commenting about a comment about a comment thread about a comment thread!

If only this was comment #200!

traditionalguy said...

The conservative side of Romney/Ryan is the commitment to fire up the economy at the cost of some measured cutting back on some Federal freebies.

That is insanity to Liberals who need the freebies.

But it promises restoration for the rest of us.

The liberals are mad as heck that Romney/Ryan wont list in advance the cuts they will make. That would be equally as bad as Great Strategist Obama naming the future date of the US Military withdrawal in Afghanistan.

Obama will lose this one. So now we need the Senate more than we need anything else.

edutcher said...

LoafingOaf said...

Here's a clue for those of you who thought it was a brilliant performance by Clint Eastwood: People are supposed to be talking about Mitt Romney today, not debating the extent to which Clint's stumbling and bumbling was either charming or pathetic or a little of both. Those of you who are a bunch of rally supporters for anything the GOP says or does can't get away from the fact that Romney's own camp responded to Clint's speech as if they wish they hadn't done that.

Uh, last I looked, Ann raised Rowdy and people's reaction to him in the text of her post.

And, when the Oaf actually has somebody read the post to him, he'll find the subject isn't as much about the Romster's acceptance speech as it is comments.

Even the little animal sees that.

SGT Ted said...

I really couldn't watch him. It was like watching a wise father in his last days, and realizing that we are about to lose him.

I just watched my father go through that. He died this past monday. I hung on every word he said, knowing it could be his last. I watched his every breath, knowing it was going to end soon.

One of the last things he told me was that he was going to try to hang on long enough to vote Obama out of office.

He didn't make it, but I will.

furious_a said...

the house liberals are calling for policy specifics...

Congressional Republicans have provided specifics, their Democrat counterparts haven't.

The FY2012 Ryan Budget passed the House in April 2011. The FY2013 Ryan Budget is accessible now.

...meanwhile Our Man in the Senate, Dingy Harry, hasn't gotten out a budget (including his own party's President's) in 1,200+ days (and counting). In siege terms, that's somewhere between Leningrad and Sarajevo. Prior to the Ryan 2012 budget then-Speaker Pelosi failed to get a budget voted out of the House for FY2011.

Current Congressional Democrats are either incompetent or bad-faith..."or both" is just too scary to contemplate.

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