No, No, We Don’t Hate the Kenyan Muslim Communist, We’re Just Disappointed in Him

From “Obama’s new challenge:  Disappointment,” Jonathan Allen, Politico:

“Yet what emerged from Tampa was a subtle, clever shift in GOP messaging, a much more dangerous strategy for Obama than the kitchen-sink attacks that preceded the gathering.  Republicans posed — rhetorically — as Obama 2008 voters, lamenting his unfulfilled expectations as if they had been with him all along instead of trying to block him at every turn.

“Both sides recognize the power of the disappointment theme:  that the hope Obama offered for mending the economy, transforming the political process and even saving the earth has faded.

“Obama’s senior campaign adviser David Axelrod described the convention Friday as an exercise in ‘base’ management, with little crossover appeal.  But the disappointment argument is aimed directly at the decisive 6 percent to 8 percent of voters, mostly independents, who were willing to give Obama a chance four years ago.

“‘Given how the GOP entered the convention on the heels of [Missouri Senate candidate Todd] Akin and the platform discussion, I think they did a very good job of keeping the ‘crazy’ out of the convention.  All the prime-time speakers were reassuring and appeared moderate on social issues,’ Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg said.  ‘In fact, it was a pretty boring convention, in a good way for the GOP.’

“[New Mexico Governor Susana] Martinez told a killer anecdote about her conversion from Democrat to Republican over dinner with her husband and GOP friends.  ‘I’ll be damned — we’re Republicans!’

“The subliminal message to moderate voters?  ‘I’ll be damned — we’re Romney-ans!'”  Emphasis added.

I think that last part is a major stretch.  Even party faithful don’t think of themselves as Romney-ans.

And being disappointed doesn’t also make you stupid.

Prez Beats Mitt on Social Issues

A new AP poll shows voters trust President Obama more than Mitt on social issues like abortion and gay marriage by 52 to 36%.

The GOP has really over-reached on these issues, at both the state and federal levels, since their 2010 Tea Party victories.

Today in The Times, On This Blog Back in February

Last February 29, I posted “Tea Party Excess in the States Will Help President Obama Win.”  I wrote in part:

“People who thought they were voting for smaller, more efficient government [in the states in 2010] found that once these candidates were sworn in, it was all abortion , all the time. … Angry voters showing up to fix things in their state houses will help President Obama stay in the White House.  I believe there will be reverse coattails in 2012.”

Today, the New York Times has a front-page story saying the same thing — “Concern in G.O.P. over State Focus on Social Issues,” by Michael Cooper:

“Some Republican strategists and officials, reluctant to be identified because they do not want to publicly antagonize the party’s base, fear that the attention these divisive social issues are receiving at the state level could harm the party’s chances in November, when its hopes of winning back the White House will most likely rest with independent voters in a handful of swing states. … One seasoned strategist called the problem potentially huge.”

Santorum’s Gift to Mitt and Obama

Rick Santorum made an amazing campaign ad today.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t an ad for his campaign, it was a gift to Mitt and Obama.  Maybe Newtie will provide a blue Tiffany’s box and white bow for it.

Campaigning in Illinois on the eve of their primary, Santorum said,  “I don’t care what the unemployment rate’s going to be.  Doesn’t matter to me.”

Because the man has bigger fish to fry, people — birth control and pornography.

This just confirms the narrative that the GOP offers two types of candidates — those like Mitt who care about rich people, and those like Santorum who care about social issues.  And nobody who worries about the economic struggles of working people.

 

 

Santorum Gets the Scary People

You won’t be surprised to learn that Rick Santorum has the support of the very scary, very secretive Council for National Policy (CNP).  If you tried to get to the right of these people, you’d fall off the edge.

Ken Vogel has the tale up at Politico, “Secretive group backs Santorum”:

“The Council for National Policy, which was created in 1981 to counter what conservatives perceived as a liberal slant at the Council on Foreign Relations, brings together some of the right’s biggest donors…with leaders of influential conservative groups focusing primarily on social issues and foreign policy.

“The council meets in secret three times a year under tight security.

“The group’s rules forbid members from discussing it, and the media is barred from covering its meetings.”

One of their meetings was last weekend in Houston and they pledged almost $2 million to Santorum, who addressed them on Saturday.

Foster Freiss, the “aspirin between your knees” guy who has been Santorum’s biggest benefactor, is a past president of CNP.

Richard Viguerie was one of CNP’s founders.  If you follow conservative politics, you’ll remember him as the father of direct mail.  Now he’s helping Santorum “on a pro-bono basis on direct mail, the Internet, telemarketing….”

CNP worked against those liberals Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani in 2008.  But Ayatollah Rick is all right.