Want more from Romney, Obama? Vote with your remote
The presidential race begins in earnest over the next two weeks with the nominating conventions, and we’ll get under way with the start of the GOP gathering Monday night. Unless you don’t have cable, in which case you’re stuck with “Hawaii Five-O.”
That’s right: CBS plans to air a rerun of a remake rather than a primetime speech by Mitt Romney’s wife Ann. ABC is going with “Bachelor Pad” rather than remarks by tea-party favorite Rand Paul of Kentucky.
When you hear the GOP is just a bunch of old, white males, recall that NBC offered you “Stars Earn Stripes” instead of Alabama Democrat-turned-Republican Artur Davis; Senate nominee Ted Cruz of Texas; the Indian-American governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley; Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington; and Lucé Vela Fortuño, wife of Puerto Rico’s governor.
Hey, at least it’s a new episode.
This election is a critical inflection point for our country. Why would the networks bail on any of the nights? (At least the cable news channels are sticking with the news; the networks will air a single hour of convention coverage the other three nights.)
Maybe it’s because the airwaves are already thick with negative campaign spots. Peggy Noonan, in the Wall Street Journal, had the line of the campaign so far, about what folks are doing while they tune out the vitriol: “That sound you hear after the Obama attack ad is not cheers, it’s toilets flushing.”
Yet, Noonan counts herself as one who thinks voters would like to hear more from the candidates, if they talk about themselves and their plans. So do I. The conventions are one such opportunity.
Maybe the conventions are less than must-see TV because they are so stage-managed, so — ironically — made-for-TV.
It wasn’t always thus. At the 1880 GOP convention, James Garfield arrived in Chicago to nominate fellow Ohioan John Sherman and left town, 36 ballots later, as the party’s reluctant nominee. Imagine if there were even a slim possibility Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who was scheduled to introduce Romney on Thursday night, could, as Garfield did, wind up atop the ticket. (Note: As of Friday afternoon, Tropical Storm Isaac was forcing the GOP to consider pre-emptive changes to its convention schedule to minimize any disruption.)
In 1912, William Howard Taft fought off a hostile takeover bid by his fellow Republican and predecessor in the White House, Theodore Roosevelt. As late as 1964, moderate Republicans thought TV coverage of their proceedings would spark a backlash against presumptive nominee Barry Goldwater and produce a different standard bearer (they were wrong).
Either way, we know this year’s conventions won’t be the last we hear from Mitt Romney or Barack Obama. Amazingly, this was not always the case, either.
In her account of Garfield’s rise to the White House and eventual assassination, “Destiny of the Republic,” Candice Millard describes what the 1880 campaign was like for the Republican nominee:
“Although [Garfield] argued that he should ‘take the stump and bear a fighting share in the campaign,’ traveling from town to town and asking for votes was considered undignified for a presidential candidate. Abraham Lincoln had not given a single speech on his own behalf during either of his campaigns, and Rutherford B. Hayes advised Garfield to do the same. ‘Sit crosslegged,’ he said, ‘and look wise.’ “p. 59
Fat chance Romney or Obama would take Hayes’ advice today.
Nor should they. We need to hear more from them. If you agree, then, during these conventions, vote with your remote.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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460 comments Add your comment
Hillbilly D
August 24th, 2012
11:34 pm
On Bruno’s theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n03a7cLf0M
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
August 24th, 2012
11:35 pm
Couldn’t agree more about Bobby V, Hillbilly D.
Their season is over, so they might just as well get some value for those guys.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
August 24th, 2012
11:36 pm
Off to bed. Lots of work to do tomorrow.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 24th, 2012
11:38 pm
Here’s one for the first Wednesday in November…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjljA9N55iI
Hillbilly D
August 24th, 2012
11:39 pm
This is one of my favorite Paulie songs (and he hated the original version, by the way, that Phil Spector over-produced).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZF72bXL_R4
Bruno
August 24th, 2012
11:40 pm
Back at ya, HD, with some Mysterians:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxJkQg0qySs
Bruno
August 24th, 2012
11:42 pm
Here’s one for the first Wednesday in November…
LBB–I plan to laugh my ass off at all the Libs who are predicting a landslide for Obama.
Either that or I’ll be crying—– for the country. I don’t see how we can stand 4 more years of these buffoon Democrats.
Bruno
August 24th, 2012
11:42 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgfnCTp3p7U
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 24th, 2012
11:45 pm
Bruno, we might be able to survive four more years of most any Democrat, but we won’t long survive a populace so ignorant as to elect them.
Bruno
August 24th, 2012
11:48 pm
Bruno, we might be able to survive four more years of most any Democrat, but we won’t long survive a populace so ignorant as to elect them.
Thank God our business is doing well, but a lot of people are hurting still. I can’t see any relief with Obama at the helm.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 24th, 2012
11:48 pm
The Braves defense is falling apart.
Bruno
August 24th, 2012
11:52 pm
I think this song pretty well sums up Obama’s Presidency:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwqqZPlAI7E
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 24th, 2012
11:52 pm
Obozo isn’t interested in things getting better. His sheeple wouldn’t need their messiah if that happened.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 24th, 2012
11:54 pm
That’s it for me. Going to dream of a Braves comeback.
Bruno
August 24th, 2012
11:56 pm
Gotta put one up for Matti:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL2ZwXj1tXM
Hillbilly D
August 24th, 2012
11:57 pm
This is a long one but an interesting version of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ-uOgVN0KA
Night all.
Bruno
August 25th, 2012
12:12 am
Back at ya, HD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzuvbgKpzQE
Thulsa Doom
August 25th, 2012
12:21 am
Bruno,
What up? I just got home and figured I would check to see if any late nighters are up. You wouldn’t believe what I’m looking up before I hit the sack. Looking up mathematical systems for wagering- namely Oscar’s grind and Fibonacci’s system. Got any thoughts on the math behind these systems?
Bruno
August 25th, 2012
12:36 am
Oscar’s grind is a reasonable way to gamble–It’s a more mellow version of the Martingale, in which you double your bet following each loss so that you eventually make a 1 unit profit when your pick finally comes up. The only problem occurs in each system if you run into a long losing streak, whereupon you lose more than gained all along.
The Fibonacci’s system is very similar, but progresses a bit more quickly than Oscar’s grind. In the end, you can’t really overcome the house’s edge, since each bet is considered an independent trial. In other words, dice have no memory, so that the odds for each new throw are the same as for all previous throws. Gambling establishments also fight back against progressive wagering systems by capping the maximum bet you can make at any table. E.g. most $5 tables have a $500 maximum bet. In that way, you can only double your bet 6 times before running against the cap on the 7th bet.
Bruno
August 25th, 2012
12:40 am
As for me, I’ve decided to stick with poker from here on out. It’s the only game in which you have any real control. By playing perfectly at the blackjack table, supposedly you can eke out a small 1 or 2% edge over the house. However, it still comes down to luck. Small gambling edges only manifest themselves over a large number of trials, the so-called Law of Large Numbers. However, an individual gambler has trouble generating 10s of thousands of trials to make it work out well. Each gambling session is essentially a “short-run” trial, in which large variations of luck occur.
Bruno
August 25th, 2012
12:43 am
My favorite gambling song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMOjv-VVxAY
Who are these strangers
Who pass through the door
Who cover your action
And go you one more
If you’re feeling lucky
You best not refuse
It’s your game the rules
Are your own win or lose
Thulsa Doom
August 25th, 2012
1:02 am
Bruno,
Yeah. I was just busy reading Fibonnaci. What I was thinking is say that if you cap your losing streak at say 5 losses. And then start over but at twice the original bet and rebuild from there. Not really sure. I’m going to use it on football and the worst I’ve ever done is losing 6 out of 7 and the longest losing streak I’ve had in football was 5.
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
3:06 am
This is what we mean by ANGRY, RACIST white males.
We are TIRED OF THEIR LIES.
After November THEY ARE HISTORY.
God HELP US IN 2016.
And you are one of those typical fascist socialist democrats we’ve been talking about and your new type of nationalism with its firebrand of ethnocentric hate of white people.
You democrats have the target of your bigotry and prejudice. Now it is Christians and whites – Your methods once again are repeating your History.
That and all the “Social Democracy rest which began with Progressive Woodrow Fascist-Socialist Wilson is going to end soon.
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
3:11 am
Obozo isn’t interested in things getting better. His sheeple wouldn’t need their messiah if that happened.
Nah, his agenda is to fulfill the dreams from his father and mother. Two anti-colonialist, anti-capitalist that held a great disdain for America’s unique greatness.
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
3:18 am
Whats good for the DNC is that God has their back.
Yeah and he is going to drop-kick your fascist-socialist ethnocentric anti-Christian butts into the lake of fire!
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
3:28 am
“Socialism” is just a code word for “fear,” the monster under you bed …
Yeah and that’s why you anti-capitalist tremble at the word Republic because it will slay the Social Democracy monster you’ve created.
ODD OWL
August 25th, 2012
3:29 am
The presidential and Vice Presidential debates will take place very soon… I can’t wait… President Barack “The Hawk” Obama will turn up the hellfire heat on the race baiting, habitual, pathological liar, Gov. Mittens Romney… The President will unleash V.P. Joe Biden, the Democrat pit bull attack dog on Paul “Rand” Ryan… Joe “Pit Bull” Biden will promptly open up a can of whup a$$ on the naive, sophomoric, hypothetical hypocrite, Paulie Rand Ryan… The debates will be fun, for the Democrats… They will be pure misery for the rascally Republicans…
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
4:51 am
Piffle.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 25th, 2012
5:50 am
ODD OWL apparently missed the debate Ryan already had with Obozo, at the health care summit. Ryan schooled Obozo on the impossibilities of Obozocare and Obozo quickly turned to another subject.
Ryan is a lot smarter, more educated, and better informed of the facts than Obozo.
marko
August 25th, 2012
6:06 am
Now that money’s free speech, we’ll be treated to political adds nonstop till November. If you find that somehow you just can’t get enough,by all means watch the conventions. Just know this the elections coming and due to the genius, of our founders, very few votes will count for much more than symbolic gestures. If you live in a blue state, And Romney’s your main man, so what. Obama will get your vote. It’s called the Electoral College. Winner takes all. I live in Georgia, that means I get to vote for Romney. I might get fired up , and stand in line for an hour or so, to make a symbolic gesture, but what about the quaint notion that every vote counts.
The election will come, and the outcome will be decided by folks living in purple states. Break that down further,and the future of America rest in the hands of people living in as few as twenty to thirty counties.I find it funny that so much money will be spent to influence so few people. I also find it a major hoot that so many people buy into the notion that their vote counts.
It will never happen, but I’d love to see a general boycott of the election by all the people living in red or blue states that disagree with their states majority view. Maybe that would shame our leaders into doing something about a seriously broken system of government. Elections shouldn’t be decided by a handful of “Independent” voters influenced by billions of dollars worth of lies and propaganda. I’ve voted in every national election since I was eighteen years old. I’m sitting this one out. There’s a limit to how much hypocrisy I can stomach.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 25th, 2012
6:32 am
Elections shouldn’t be decided by a handful of “Independent” voters
——————
They aren’t.
Georgia’s electoral votes go the the American, er, Republican because more Georgians vote for the American, er, Republican. Conversely, it’s the same deal for the Democrats and Wisconsin. Wait, that might not be the best example. When more people in Wisconsin vote American, er, Republican, the American, er, Republican wins their electoral votes.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 25th, 2012
6:33 am
marko, do you blame the guy who makes the 27th out in a baseball game for the team’s loss, too?
dagnabit
August 25th, 2012
7:04 am
I flushed Peggy Noonan.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 25th, 2012
7:10 am
I flushed Peggy Noonan when she got the vapors over candidate Obozo. How gullible can one woman be?
She seems to have recovered somewhat during the last three years of abject failure.
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
7:22 am
Due to the genius of our founders we have what is left of a Republican form of government instead of a DEMOCRACY.
You socialist liberals will be glad of that fact when the Conservatives regain power as the MAJORITY. Without a Republic you’d have no rights whatsoever, cause in your DEMOCRACY only the MAJORITY has rights!
Yeah Brenda Wood, the electoral college means we don’t elect our Presidents by popular vote and we use to have U.S. Senators elected by State Legislators’ rather than by popular vote. Before the 17th amendment State governments had a representative seat at the Congressional table to control the federal government which was created by the States.
AU Liberal in ATL
August 25th, 2012
7:30 am
The Romney boys, including Paul Ryan Romney should make a beefcake calendar for the self loathing Log Cabin wing of the party. That’s the least they can do, since they’ll be excluded from the convention. Throw ‘em a bone!
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
7:33 am
Lil’ Barry Bailout – Vote American @ 7:10 am
Let us hope the same has taken place with the American public at large who have experienced being flushed into a fiscal abyss under the last three years of abject obama economic failures.
AU Liberal in ATL
August 25th, 2012
7:43 am
If the republicans could figure out a way to repeal the 19th ammendment, most of their problems would be solved.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 25th, 2012
7:44 am
the self loathing Log Cabin wing of the party
————————
Homophobe.
Not all gays hate their country. If they did, there wouldn’t be a Log Cabin Republicans.
Numbers-R-US
August 25th, 2012
7:44 am
Why would anyone that values their time tune in to more of the same such as opening comments from Ann Romney that will go something like, “We’ve told you people all you need to know about our blood money funding from South America and our Swiss bank accounts and our Cayman Island based companies and our tithe on what we have chosen to report as income and our 13 percent income tax one year, for show…” But wait, there’s no one there that will ask any relevent questions for the Republicans to lie about or deny or deflect. I hear there will be a whole flock of birthers there though. Someone should put a lid on the cuckoo’s nest.
Enjoy your pep rally, Kyle. Watching a hurricane pass over Florida would have more value.
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
7:45 am
Oh let’s talk about anything but the ECONOMY STUPID!
Hey obama why aren’t you running your loud mouth about the crappy economy like you did in 2008. I mean you remember failures don’t you, the one that lost a triple A credit rating, produced unemployment that remains over 8% after you gave all your cronies billions of dollars for schemes corrupt bankrupt solar companies, and now after five trillion dollars borrowed and spent your democrap controlled Senate under Harry Reid refuses to pass any budget for consideration.
AU Liberal in ATL
August 25th, 2012
7:48 am
You’re a fool Michael H. Smith. This economic mess was delivered wrapped up with a red, white and blue ribbon by George W. Bush. Any attempts to fix the problem the last three years have been obstructed by your boys in congress, not President Obama. I repeat, you’re a fool.
AU Liberal in ATL
August 25th, 2012
7:50 am
I don’t think they hate their county, I think they hate themselves.
AU Liberal in ATL
August 25th, 2012
7:50 am
I’m through.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 25th, 2012
7:57 am
The recession was fixed before your messiah arrived in our White House.
The recession ended in June 2009, for crying out loud.
Obozo’s recovery has been such a failure because his policies slowed economic growth. More regulation, more government mandates, more government hassling, the threat of higher income, dividend, and capital gains tax rates, Obozocare, and on and on.
If you voted for Obozo, you aided and abetted the loser.
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
7:57 am
You were through before you started with that idiot statement blaming Bush for everything. Only a stupid inane hack like yourself – puts the economic collapse solely on Bush.
However, the past three years of bad economic policy do solely belong to obama. But hey he got Bin Laden all by himself and don’t you let that old Bush forget it.
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
8:02 am
I don’t think they hate their county, I think they hate themselves.
Wrong! We hate your evil “Socialist Democracy”, we love our Capitalist Republic – the one obama’s mommy and daddy despised and taught him to resent.
Michael H. Smith
August 25th, 2012
8:04 am
Lil’ Barry Bailout – Vote American @ 7:57 am
Unemployment was under 8% when Bush left office.
obama has made everything worse.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
August 25th, 2012
8:16 am
Yep, and economists are predicting a world-wide recession in the next year.
Bush’s fault!
@@
August 25th, 2012
8:31 am
Maybe the networks fear a “topical” storm?