Sandy and Christie Screwed Romney; May Be Time to Write-Off America

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Sore loser.

[Averroës Nix]

Politico, if you're interested, I know some people who could hook you up with one of these:

[anvi]

Indeed, it may be time to write-off America.

I guess we all feel this way when our candidate loses.  But, if you'll forgive the soapbox routine, just like wedding vows pledge us to our partners "for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health," really believing in democracy means believing in the right of the people to choose their leaders, no matter what we think of their choice.  If you've stopped believing that, Politico, you've already written off America.  My dad was born to an immigrant farmer family, loved the country even as it struggled desperately through the depression for more than a decade, and risked his life for it even though he didn't like the commander-in-cheif he was serving under.  

The right of people to choose those who will govern them is more important than money, Politico.  Much more important.  If you don't believe that, Saudi Arabia and China will fulfill your aspirations just fine.

[King]

If this economy rebounds, conservatism has set itself up to die.  The talk of Obama being a crazy socialist was nice to rally the base for a win 2012, but having failed it's bankrupted them.

People like Politico are convinced America is done.  If unemployment is at 4% in 2016 and a surplus is projected by the CBO just a couple years after, the conservative movement and it's pundits will have been so dead ass wrong they will have zero credibility with the American people.

[SPQR]

Ahahah if you can't claim that the election was stolen,then blame it on the voters.
Well done Politico,well done.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Sore loser.

In every sense.

[Svensson]

Blaming Chris Christie is the dumbest talking point that Fox News has been perpetrated in a long time. So what he said some nice things about a President when he HELPED HIM WITH A DISASTER. Also, boo hoo he couldn't campaign with an incompetent when he had a real thing to deal with in his state. Piss off Politico.

I wish the entire Republican party was made up of people like you.

[opebo]

If unemployment is at 4% in 2016 and a surplus is projected by the CBO just a couple years after...

Wow.. here's hoping.  Do you really anticipate that? (I mean, I have been talking 'cyclical boom on the way', but haven't really entirely believed it)

[Fuzzybigfoot]

I sincerely hope that Politico's rant is mere performance art. If it is not, I am quite concerned for him.

^This

[milhouse24]

Politico, if you're interested, I know some people who could hook you up with one of these:

I'm looking for an underground bunker.  Is it flood proof as well?

[Zanas]

This is where you see that Cliffy, heatmaster, dirks and the kind were really just teenage hacks (in their heads if not in their age), whereas Politico is truly. scarily. motherfkcin. MAD.

[King]

If unemployment is at 4% in 2016 and a surplus is projected by the CBO just a couple years after...

Wow.. here's hoping.  Do you really anticipate that? (I mean, I have been talking 'cyclical boom on the way', but haven't really entirely believed it)

I have no pessimism on the economy.  There's no real bubble out there to burst.  We have nowhere to go but up.

The big thing is the unemployment rate by education.  Everybody with Bachelor's degrees or higher are pretty much reaching full employment.  The brunt of what we have to re-employ are those with only high school and trade education.   I'm bullish that it will get done for three reasons:

(1) home construction orders are on the up and ups, once it gets seriously started in the spring, jobs in that sector will boom

(2) it's been so many years from the crash that many people who needed to retrain for employment are about finished with that schooling and can move into better markets

(3) my biggest reason, however, that few talk about, is how Obamacare will get rid of full-time workers in food service and retail.  That sounds like a bad thing, but traditionally people in these jobs have been able to work shifts at two locations during a week.  I know quite a few age 35-40 career waiter types who have gone from working multiple restaurants to being only at one that chose to kept them during the recession.

Restaurants and stores going from carrying 5 cooks or cashiers or whatever at 40 hours/week each to 10 at 20 hours/week will get blood pumping in these jobs.  Better yet, business owners are generally a lot more willing to expand at the first sign of increasing business with part-time so it could be we'll go from 5 @ 40 hr/wk to 15 @ 20 hr/wk.  A net gain in workers and total hours hired.  The loss of fulltime hours by the original 5 can easily be restored at another business.  This will be huge for the economy.

[Ⓐnarchy in the ☭☭☭P!]

I can think of bigger reasons why Romney lost.

[Lief 🗽]

(3) my biggest reason, however, that few talk about, is how Obamacare will get rid of full-time workers in food service and retail.  That sounds like a bad thing, but traditionally people in these jobs have been able to work shifts at two locations during a week.  I know quite a few age 35-40 career waiter types who have gone from working multiple restaurants to being only at one that chose to kept them during the recession.

Restaurants and stores going from carrying 5 cooks or cashiers or whatever at 40 hours/week each to 10 at 20 hours/week will get blood pumping in these jobs.  Better yet, business owners are generally a lot more willing to expand at the first sign of increasing business with part-time so it could be we'll go from 5 @ 40 hr/wk to 15 @ 20 hr/wk.  A net gain in workers and total hours hired.  The loss of fulltime hours by the original 5 can easily be restored at another business.  This will be huge for the economy.

And those people who go from full-time to part-time will still have health insurance because of Obamacare, so basically everyone wins. Wow, I don't know if this was intentional, but it's pretty genius.

[Antonio the Sixth]

After the good surprises Cliffy and Heatmaster gave us, it's sad to see that Politico just got even more stupid.

[Badger]

Politico:

First and foremost, I'm truly sorry about the illness in your family. I sincerely hope that things improve and, if not (by the sounds of it) that it at least progresses peacefully and painlessly.

Your worries over America becoming "like another Tijuana" was grossly nativist. Beliefs like this are the problem, not the solution, to the GOP's problem among Hispanic voters.

Regarding Sandy's effect on the election, I would've hoped our bet would have kept you from grossly hyperbolic statements, but alas, apparently not. There is exactly ZERO evidence of Romney "momentum" in the polls, let alone he would've actually won. Sandly likely flipped Florida, due to increasing Obama's presidential stature some, partially out of highlighting Romney's support of privatizing much of FEMA's mission in this hurracaine plagued state, and mostly because Florida was otherwise just SOOOOO damn close.

And that's IT. Thank you.

[Badger]

After the good surprises Cliffy and Heatmaster gave us, it's sad to see that Politico just got even more stupid.

Heatmaster? He eat crow too? That's surprising.

Link?

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

I can think of bigger reasons why Romney lost.

Bigger than Chris Christie? I don't think so.


Badger --

Well I gotta say, a win is a win and Barack Obama had a impressive re-election, he secured a second term in impressive style: I congratulate the president on his victory and the winning coalition which secured him another four years, it reflects the "new" America and represents a welcome sea change: I made an overly optimistic prediction and it reflected an unfortunate ignorance how much America changed. I gladly eat crow for my wrong conclusion. Florida will no doubt go to the President as well. Mitt Romney made a classy exit from the contest and we are all better for the tenacity he exhibited in making his case; all of us should take note, disagree or agree with him, he offered a contrast and now we should launch a debate to see how both Democrats and Republicans can come together and this is necessary if we are to resolve the looming financial crisis. It should be noted, Obama received a second chance and not a mandate; his victory margin of nearly 3 million votes, 6 million less than 2008 and he was the first President since FDR in 1944, to win a smaller margin and smaller share of the Electoral votes than his previous victories. So while he won, his victory is tempered by the reality of the current political parameters. There is also a new reality, Republicans lost the election, because they failed to embrace the new electorate, that now exists and the party has new stars such as Scott Walker, Paul Ryan, Mario Rubio and Ted Cruz waiting in the wings: Republicans have to make radical adjustments and begin to reflect this new America. I wish Barack Obama well and hope that he can govern in a manner that welcomes dialogue and debate - not on his terms, but in a fashion that embraces true debate and generates a hybrid of ideas.

[minionofmidas]

Blaming Chris Christie is the dumbest talking point that Fox News has been perpetrated in a long time. So what he said some nice things about a President when he HELPED HIM WITH A DISASTER. Also, boo hoo he couldn't campaign with an incompetent when he had a real thing to deal with in his state. Piss off Politico.

They need to prevent a successful Christie run for the nom in '16.

After the good surprises Cliffy and Heatmaster gave us, it's sad to see that Politico just got even more stupid.

Heatmaster? He eat crow too? That's surprising.

Link?

In Cliffy's thread.

[Inverted Things]

We just need most of America to be more like California and Illinois! *shakes head*

I can't let this pass... Have you noticed just how much of America comes from California?  California is an economic and cultural powerhouse!

Most movies you see are made in California.
Most mainstream music you hear is made in California.
Google, Apple, HP, Intel, Amazon, eBay and Craigslist were founded there and are still based there.
Facebook moved there.

For all of California's governmental problems, it remains true that innovative and culturally significant companies prefer to grow and stay there.  Wouldn't it be awesome if the rest of the country were like California?

[Ⓐnarchy in the ☭☭☭P!]

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Judging by how Gary Johnson did, I'd say it's rather obvious. Chris Christie's influence is vastly overblown.

[Blue3]

Over 70% of Hispanics going to Obama had nothing to do with it...

And I'm sure all those Democratic Senators benefitted from Sandy too... and it's obvious that Obama could never have won New York and New Jersey without it...

[Maxwell]

Blaming Chris Christie is the dumbest talking point that Fox News has been perpetrated in a long time. So what he said some nice things about a President when he HELPED HIM WITH A DISASTER. Also, boo hoo he couldn't campaign with an incompetent when he had a real thing to deal with in his state. Piss off Politico.

They need to prevent a successful Christie run for the nom in '16.[quote

why? Christie is running the state of New Jersey rather well, I would want someone who can actually govern effectively as our nominee rather than a hack like Romney.

[minionofmidas]

He's not their kind of Republican. Too unreliable. A non-Ivy League Northeasterner? Please. Might as well support Obama in terms of Otherness.

[Scabr]

I don't think that is exactly true, the media did a good job of blowing up Christie's comments into some sort of big thing. Romney lost because he ran a below average campaign, never tried to explain his actual position on the auto industry, made some bad calls with dealing with the Ron Paul people, and as Nc Yankee said Romney needed a knockout 2nd debate to overcome Sandy.