Why Romney lost
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Why Romney lost
Speaking of pro football, did you ever watch the second half of a four-touchdown blowout, or a 10-0 game in baseball? You know, when the announcers start having long conversations about the steakhouse they ate dinner at, or some great old political player from 1953? What are an army of political commentators going to talk about between now and November? That time they got whomped upside the head back in Chicago in '68? Too bad they don't have September call-ups in politics -- it would be good to see if Chris Christie or Andrew Cuomo can hit a major-league curveball before they get a shot at playing every day next season, which is 2016.
What I'm trying to say is, it's over, people. The new swing-state polls that came out this morning are devastating for Mitt Romney, the political equivalent of fumbling on the 1-yeard-line and giving up a 90-yard touchdown on the last play of the half (like that could ever happen). The GOP is going to need a Miracle of the Meadowlands II-type event (like, a Spanish Civil War II...hey, could happen) to retake the White House.
So why did Romney lose? I'm not going to give you the full answer -- gotta save something to get through the next five weeks.
But after Tuesday, when the piece entitled "'What's Wrong With Pennsylvania?'" ran in the newspaper, I got ths voicemail. There's no way to verify (kind of like everything published here) but the man claimed to be a member of the Teamsters Union, exactly the kind of middle-class, blue-collar voter supposed to carry Romney to victory.
He said:
"When we saw his tax returns for 2011 and the guy made 14 million and didnt work one friggin day -- I thjink thats enough to turn off blue-collar people...I was at a covnvertion of Teamsters and that's all they talked about and thats a big goddarned thing to overcome -- how somebody makes 14 million without even working and we're skimping by, you know?"
In other words, what were the best minds of the GOP thinking when they pushed this guy? They would have been much better off nominating boring ol' Tim Pawlenty, with authentic blue-collar roots and a non-birther conservative. He probably wouldn't have won, but at least he wouldn't have embarassed the party.
And we would have never talked about rolling down the windows on a 747.
- Or a sense of irony. (and, admittedly, wishful thinking.) But, really, I will talk to you when I can (I work, nothing intended, just saying I dissspear for periods of time), even from an independent POV, so long as we lay off insults. You can tell me F U, but name calling is out of bounds. Agreed?
— sadim - These aren't taxpayers we are talking about.— Mr. Smith
- Running out of material Willy Boy?? Scraping the bottom of the barrel on this one. Your motives are far too transparent.— dogman5
- And is it really hard to believe that the Teamster convention fixated on an issue that would influence the union voting bloc against Romney?— sadim
- They endorsed Reagan twice, Bush in 1988, Nixon in 1972. If they don't represent the disappointed Obama voters Romney mentioned, then again, who was he talking about?
- Since 88? And again, I listened to what he said. He was talking about not expending energy or resources on votes already decided. — sadim
- "Since when are Teamster members the ones who are to carry the Romney vote?" . . . . . Pray tell, who's left, sadim, other than blue collar working families? Who was Romney talking about in his candid camera moment?
- Who remains? the blue collar working families that aren't union members, and most especially not Teamster union members.
Who was the candid camera moment about? It was about not worrying about capturing the vote of a voting bloc that wasn't going to consider Romney anyway, like, for example, Teamters.— sadim - This is Journolist told you to publish today, Will? Not Obama "mis-speaking" about exporting jobs?
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7423392n
Barack Obama... He's GAFFETASTIC!
— Frank S. - To me there is no better analogy then America being led by Obama and the NFL games being officiated by replacement refs. Both lack experience and both wish that they were back doing their job in the lingerie league. In Obama's case he might want to return to his original job as a community organizer.— RufusG
- It is so over that Obama has started three days off to prepare for the upcoming debate. REASON: He hasnt done much in 3.75 years and knows the media cannot makeup for this shortcoming.— Fisher
- So the teamster is admitting hes voting against Romney because hes envious of his wealth. His honesty is refreshing.— RG
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