Patterico's Pontifications

1/14/2012

Let me Google that campaign for you

Filed under: 2012 Election — Karl @ 9:52 am



[Posted by Karl]

If you are reading a political blog like this, the odds are you are a political junkie.  Conversely, if you are reading this, you are probably not a casual voter.  The discussion at political blogs is geared to the intensely interested, while campaigns ultimately want to win the casual voter. 

Accordingly, political junkies might do well to look at what the casual voter knows or wants to know about the candidates.  One easy way of looking at this is as close as your nearest auto-completing search engine.  Here is what happens if you search for current GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney:

Those results may not surprise you, but note that Bain Capital is not among them, suggesting it is not yet part of the zeitgeist.  However, the fact that Mitt Romney’s net worth is already a common topic suggests the Bain issue could enter these charts with a bullet.


Searches for Newt Gingrich, Romney’s nearest rival nationally and in the South Carolina primary, suggest that what people know or want to know about him beyond his positions is his personal baggage.  If Newt were to beat the current odds and secure the GOP nomination, the casual voter may well conclude, for better or worse, that the Democrats are running the “family values” candidate for 2012.  Also note that all of the chatter in political fora about the attacks from Gingrich and the Super PAC supporting him against Romney over the Bain issue are not common knowledge yet.

Next up is Rick Santorum, paired with Rick Perry for Rick Symmetry:

The results for this pair are not particularly surprising, although the gay factor is different for each when you call up the search results.  Rick Santorum’s gay search results concern the socially conservative positions which are his trademark.  Rick Perry’s gay search results reflect not only the socially conservative ads he ran in Iowa, but also the baseless rumors pursued by the left at the outset of his campaign.  First impressions matter, though Perry’s inarticulate image is also a big factor here.  On Santorum’s side of the ledger, it’s also notable how far down the list “fetus” ranks, given the politically-engaged’s chatter about liberal mockery of the way the Santorum family dealt with their deceased child.  These charts also suggest that these candidate’ comments on gay and racial issues are currently more significant among casual voters (to the extent they are significant) than abortion, which features in the charts for Romney (a likely product of his frontrunner status).

Rounding out the top challengers is Ron Paul, paired with Herman Cain:

As with Romney, the interesting thing about Paul’s chart is what is not on it.  The blogosphere may have discussed Ron Paul’s bigoted newsletters and conspiracy crankery, but the only coverage of them in the establishment media occurred near Christmas, when the casual voter is not paying attention.  Paulians may want to theorize that the absence of these issues from the chart means people have do not care about Paul’s baggage, which is why his chart is paired with Herman Cain’s search results.  If Paul’s baggage was part of the zeitgeist, it would still appear in his search results, the way Cain’s scandal still appears in his.  The results reflect that many voters do not know basic facts about the Republican candidates running for president or the early primary calendar.

Finally, we come to the incumbent:

The pundit class talks a lot about Barack Obama’s efforts to make 2012 a choice between him and someone to be demonized later.  At this juncture, his chart suggests a referendum on how he is doing his job, particularly on the jobs issue.  The chart also suggests Obamacare is still a big part of the conversation about the president, although the GOP will likely throw this away if Mitt Romney is the nominee.

–Karl

121 Responses to “Let me Google that campaign for you”

  1. Ding!

    Karl (5a613f)

  2. That net worth/too much success angle could be a killer issue. I wonder at what point in time did it become acceptable to or a common characteristic of Americans to envy the wealth or success of other Americans? This “they have too much and they need to give me my fair share” POV? Has it only infected a sizable portion of the Democrats’ constituency?

    Or has it gone beyond that demographic?

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  3. I had to google the dog on the roof reference myself. Evidently, he didn’t see Vacation. Dead grandma goes on the roof; you’re supposed to leash the dog to the back bumper.

    carlitos (49ef9f)

  4. You are making the assumption that the lefties at google are honest about the searches being made.

    Fail. Lefties are not honest.

    Fred Z (4ae2ea)

  5. Here’s an interesting article on google’s attempts to limit bias in search results.

    http://critical-thinker.net/?p=702

    carlitos (49ef9f)

  6. FLASH: Newt Booed At Huckabee Forum Over Romney Attacks; Airs Tonight on FOXNEWS… Developing…

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  7. It restores my faith in humanity a bit that one of the most important issues is Mitt’s cruelty to that poor animal he put on his roof.

    Americans like dogs, and it’s much to our credit.

    Some things seem less important to policy wonks, yet reveal something very central to a person who really doesn’t think the way most of us do. If something is slightly more efficient for numero uno and only costs others… even if the cost is high… well, that’s what Mitt will do.

    That’s why Mitt made such a huge issue with those ads claiming Rick Perry will “kill social security”. That a GOP frontrunner is claiming this is a plausible, even likely thing the GOP would do is poisonous and electrifies the third rail, making social security reform much more difficult. But it also quite effectively damaged Mitt’s then chief rival.

    It’s harder for people to absorb that if they aren’t highly interested in politics, but it’s the same basic pattern as strapping your dog to the roof.

    I hasten to add that Rick Perry was willing to use force to protect a dog’s safety, but there is no point in defending Rick so late in the game.

    As Sarah has said a few times, we have to pick our poison. Newt, who is very annoying, or Mitt, who is very annoying and also unelectable.

    Dustin (cb3719)

  8. herman cain pokemon?

    maguro (d13bbb)

  9. FLASH:Romney Ass kissers outraged that Saint Romney is criticized.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  10. And just imagine if we learned that Barack Obama strapped a dog to a roof like that.

    That would quickly become a meme on the right exposing how selfish Obama is.

    Imagine how Colonel Haiku would rail on and on about it if a conservative had done that.

    One worry I have about Mitt (And to a fair extent Newt) is that the water carrying required is practically impossible for folks with integrity. You can’t really believe in this guy. I can’t, in good faith, tell people I think he would be a decent president. I can’t ask my friends to trust him with power.

    All I can do is say Obama is worse. That doesn’t seem like a winning message.

    Dustin (cb3719)

  11. Dustin, Obama threw his own grandmother ‘under the bus,’ in order to excuse Reverend Wright, he openly debated whether to pay for her hip replacement, and that was his motivation for the death panels, Romney may be the Wasp version of Clark Griswold but it is not the same thing,

    narciso (87e966)

  12. Right. Obama is worse. That is a true and compelling reason to vote for the GOP nominee even if I think it’s a very weak choice.

    It’s also not as strong an argument as ‘I positively have reason to think the GOP candidate is going to march America in the direction of serious reforms, working to end urgent problems’.

    Dustin (cb3719)

  13. Colonel Haiku is an arrogant irrational shell of a man who wants romney critics to get enemas.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  14. Awwwwwwwwww god not whining about greenhouse gases again…………go away eco-nutjobs.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  15. “I wonder at what point in time did it become acceptable to or a common characteristic of Americans to envy the wealth or success of other Americans?”

    Probably around the time that earning money by sitting on wealth meant you paid lower tax rates than those who worked for their income.

    fscott (068804)

  16. note that if you’re logged in – meaning google has a history of your searches – the search results will be customized in such a way that you get different results than the non-logged-in user, or than other logged in users. so this test, while useful, isn’t as useful as it could be.

    aphrael (d21ee1)

  17. In my experience, those customized links are purple and the regular ones are black, but Aphrael raises an interesting point.

    Dustin (cb3719)

  18. “fscott” how are Neal and Klmberlin doing?

    JD (318f81)

  19. Hey, fscott, does the “f” stand for face palm?

    Icy (a0e63a)

  20. Neal and Kimberlin are victims of the gorebull warming denial dictatorship

    /fscott

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  21. And knowing a bit about SEO we can guarantee the associations for ‘Romney’ will degrade further. It is Google after all.

    gary gulrud (ac0d20)

  22. “I hasten to add that Rick Perry was willing to use force to protect a dog’s safety, but there is no point in defending Rick so late in the game.”

    Wonderful… where do I send the bill for my new keyboard? This one was just ruined by a coffee spew.

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  23. Dustin, Obama threw his own grandmother ‘under the bus,’ in order to excuse Reverend Wright, he openly debated whether to pay for her hip replacement, and that was his motivation for the death panels, Romney may be the Wasp version of Clark Griswold but it is not the same thing,

    Comment by narciso

    Goddammit, he was on a roll… just go with the flow.

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  24. “Social conservatives back Santorum at Texas meet…”

    Dang it.

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  25. 7 “one of the most important issues is Mitt’s cruelty to that poor animal he put on his roof”

    And this is why Romany’s getting such support for crippling bond issues at IPO:

    If we hadn’t supported Michael Vick in spite of his hangin’ them pit bulls, football might have disappeared from the earth.

    gary gulrud (ac0d20)

  26. philipaklein RT @elise_foley: NYTimes: Town, Cast as Romney’s Victim, Says, ‘Huh?’ http://t.co/k58xJ8Ft

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  27. Why is it that those who believe Gorebull Warming will kill us all and that Man is responsible for out of control temperatures………..love to accuse us of spewing hot air……….that is projection.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  28. romney’s the only one people associate with an “economic plan”

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  29. 28. Feets talks to people!?

    Karl had a post up on it. 59 bullets, double-spaced boilerplate.

    gary gulrud (ac0d20)

  30. feets!

    That’s a very good actch, although arguably the same is true of Obama.

    Karl (5a613f)

  31. howdy! yes that’s true about obama but when people are wondering if you have a jobs plans three years into your term that’s not a plus

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  32. Rising Sea Levels caused the ice age over 15,000 years ago dontcha know

    /Sarcasm off

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  33. Why do the left pretend to care about the Tuskegee airmen?

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  34. Go 9er’s!

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  35. I think FDR opposed segregation but still wasn’t thrown under the left’s bus.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  36. Why do the left accuse the south of being racists but hate blacks who leave the plantation?

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  37. Go, Newt, go! yay Newt!

    reihansalam This is a pretty remarkable story about the pro-Newt Winning Our Future Super PAC: http://t.co/Ay30PNir

    “Three former factory workers featured in a film about layoffs at companies bought by Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital say they weren’t laid off by Bain, as the film implied, but got promotions and raises after Bain bought the plant they worked in.

    The workers’ charges of inaccuracy involve “When Mitt Romney Came to Town,” a 28-minute film also known as “King of Bain.” The film has become a focal point of the Republican presidential race in the past week. It was cited by rival Newt Gingrich at a televised debate last weekend and has been posted online by Winning Our Future…”

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  38. Romney now knows how it feels to be slimed.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  39. Wow the left just accused each and every one of our Armed Forces of being racist…………..without giving one iota of proof.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  40. One of the biggest political miscalculations evah!

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  41. Irony.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  42. Gingrich really did screw the pooch with his anti-capitalist rantings mostly cause the fragile trust he’d established over the course of the campaign has been obliterated.

    What a sad sad sad primary season this has been.

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  43. I just wanted to put him in perspective, he also forced all his opponents off the ballot in his first race, although Remnick might insist that is
    SOP in Chicago, that is unique for a natioanl politician, drove his two main opponents out of
    the Seante race, through subterfuge;

    http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/287921/obama-incompetent-or-evil-kevin-d-williamson#comment-bar

    narciso (87e966)

  44. I swear Froma Harlot is sabotaging the GOP.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  45. “I think FDR opposed segregation but still wasn’t thrown under the left’s bus.”

    He didn’t do much against it. The New Deal required the southern democrats.

    “Why do the left accuse the south of being racists but hate blacks who leave the plantation?”

    Do folks not realize how condescending and offensive this “leave the plantation” talk is?

    fscott (068804)

  46. Iamadimwit lurvs to preach about the racisms. And he hearts convicted domestic terrorist and drug smugglers.

    JD (392f2d)

  47. Harry Belafonte thinks fscott is wrong.

    JD (392f2d)

  48. Really, JD? Him again?

    Simon Jester (68a1c1)

  49. Just whom is that super PAC working for anyway.

    I just can’t shake that fail-boat feeling

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  50. Kind of pathetic, it is, Simon. Him and his buddies are festering pustules on the asscrack of humanity.

    JD (392f2d)

  51. King of ‘Splain (Newt’s Song)

    First you put your chubby knees close up tight

    Then you look to the left and then you look to the right

    Stand up real straight do your best to try to loom

    Then you tell yourself “I’m the smartest in the room”

    Say it like you mean it, tell ’em what you think

    Do the silly eye roll with a nod and a wink

    Then you have to ask yourself “who’s ass do I smooch?”

    Now that’s what they call “Screwin’ the Pooch”

    Colonel Parker (b486eb)

  52. to be clear it is a sadness that Gingrich screwed the pooch… he was the only one I could have for for, as ephemeral as that incarnation of him may have been

    and even that wouldn’t have been enthusiastic support, just hope mostly, cause of we need a little bit of grandiose

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  53. to be clear it is a sadness that Gingrich screwed the pooch

    I call BS, I bet he was winking when he did it.

    Colonel Parker (b486eb)

  54. ok sadness is maybe overstating it

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  55. Search Update

    Google suggestions
    Newt Gingrich
    Newt Gingrich Pooch
    Newt Gingrich chihuahua
    Newt Gingrich bestiality
    Newt Gingrich PETA
    Newt Gingrich chiropractor
    Newt Gingrich doggie treat
    Newt Gingrich Hartz Mountain

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  56. Update of Search Update

    Google suggestions
    Newt Gingrich
    Newt Gingrich chihuahua video
    Newt Gingrich Pooch
    Newt Gingrich Speedy Gonzales

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  57. Yes speaking the truth about the lefts treatment of blacks who don’t suck their weenie is condescending.

    Don’t you have an effigy of Palin to stomp on fscott?

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  58. aphrael (16),

    The “web history” issue has come up in comments to the HotAir version of this post. A Paulian posted this screenshot from a clean install of IE — in which Paul’s baggage is evident — and suspected my usage was altering my results.

    However, I don’t use the “web history” feature. Indeed, if I did, given the amount of research I have done on Paul’s newletters, they surely would have appeared in my Google results.

    As far as I can tell, the most likely culprit in the differing results is location.

    Karl (5a613f)

  59. I think this is a little misleading. You have to think a little bit here. could it be that more people know about the dog on roof than Bain Capital controversy?

    I think it’s like this.Almost nobody remembers the name “Bain Capital” if they only have vague knowledge. If somebody does remember the name “Bain Capital” wants to know about that, they don’t type in “Mitt Romney Bain Capital”, but just Bain Capital. I mean would you?

    Most people probably don’t do things like “Mitt Romney [something or other]” unless it is either a very broad search, or a search where the part after “Mitt Romney” or “Romney” wouldn’t do any good without including the words Mitt Romney.

    For Bain Capital, you don’t need “Mitt Romney”

    But you do need “Mitt Romney” (if what you want to know is something about Mitt Romney) if the rest of the search is:

    net worth
    bio
    wiki
    for president
    abortion
    news
    flip flop
    economic plan

    And maybe even dog on roof. The story goes togeher with Mitt Romney. Would you just try “Dog on roof”

    Another thing: You may not need too many individual searches that create a Google fill-in.

    The dog search could have come from a mention on a blog, some TV show,or Gail Collins column.

    You get searches about things people are curious about but don’t know.

    P.S. I tried just “dog on roof” alone – in quotation marks which many people don’t know to do:

    Not too long ago it probably wouldn’t have told you anything about Mitt Romney. Now we get:

    #
    Dog on Roof? What Was It Like for Romney’s Pooch? – ABC News
    abcnews.go.com ›

    Dog on Roof? What Was It Like for Romney’s Pooch? By BLAIR SODEN. June 29, 2007. Share. Email. Comments. Print. Single Page. Font Sizes. It may sound …

    Dog on roof: Dog guards family, house from roof – KDVR
    http://www.kdvr.com › Local NewsCached

    Mar 30, 2011 – A dog has found a way to keep a “bird¿s eye view” on his surroundings, and guard his family from a very high perch.

    Images for “dog on roof”
    *
    *
    *
    Romney’s Cruel Canine Vacation – TIME
    http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1638065,00.html

    Jun 27, 2007 – Did the presidential candidate really pull a Clark Griswold on his poor family dog? Ana Marie Cox reports.

    Irresponsible Dog Owner Lets Dog On Roof In Youngstown, Ohio …

    http://www.thedogfiles.com/…/irresponsible-dog-owner-lets-…Apr 14, 2011

    Neighbors called the county dog warden after seeing a dog hanging out on the roof of a house on Jefferson …

    Mitt Romney Dog On Roof – YouTube
    ► 4:37► 4:37

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2afIxOqRJcANew3 hours ago – 5 min – Uploaded by TheYoungTurks

    The infamous story of Mitt Romney driving with his dog on the roof of the car has come back to haunt the 2012 …

    More videos for “dog on roof” »

    Why Romney’s ‘dog on car roof’ story makes him unfit to be president …
    http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002164668

    1 day ago – the “dog on roof” story pales in comparison. The arrogance needed, to file for and obtain an exemption from the draft and then pick up a sign …

    Man on dog, dog on roof….. – Democratic Underground
    http://www.democraticunderground.com/101831834
    DU Home » Latest Threads » Forums & Groups » Main » The DU Lounge (Forum) » Man on dog, dog on roof….. Fri Jan 13, 2012, 04:53 PM. Star Member …

    Which is worse Dog on roof or Debt ceiling roof? – Sean Hannity …forums.hannity.com › Discussion Topics › Washington Politics
    30 posts – 8 authors – yesterday

    Which is worse Dog on roof or Debt ceiling roof? Washington Politics.

    Local News, Romney Dog on Roof Ruckus | Lycos Video video.lycos.com/video/view/romney-dog-on-roof-ruckus-g4900187/
    Romney Dog on Roof Ruckus. Posted 1 hours ago by

    KOLO – Reno, NV Length: 2:31. Toggle Sound Cancel Next Video (begins in ). Related Local News …

    Newt goes there: Reminds voters Mitt put family dog on roof of car …
    dailycaller.com/…/newt-goes-there-reminds-voters-mitt-put-family-d…

    3 days ago – Newt goes there: Reminds voters Mitt put family dog on roof of car.

    [note: fished from spam filter. –Stashiu]

    Sammy Finkelman (9a6ee5)

  60. Romney without Mitt gets: (think how many of these would work without “Romney”)

    2012
    mormon
    New Hampshire
    can’t win
    vs. Obama
    economic plan
    …care

    and even probably 59 point plan. And of course the ubiquitous dog on roof.

    Dog on roof not in quotes has 3 returns before the ABC news story. They are:

    Dog on the Roof Group – Why Lie We Are Who We Are
    http://www.dogontheroof.com/

    Bill and Lois Wilson on thier Harley Davidson Motorcycle – Dog On The Roof Group of Alcoholics Anonymous – Fullerton, California.

    Flickr: Dogs on Roofs
    http://www.flickr.com/groups/roofdogs/

    Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Show off your favorite photos and videos to the world, securely …

    Images for dog on roof

    And you see pictures of dogs on house roofs.

    A search for dog on car roof

    That will get you thing about Mitt Romney

    59 point plan does get Mitt Romney links, but how many people would try that wihout Mitt Romney.

    Cain to Romney: ‘Can you name all 59 points in your 160-page plan …
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/…59-points…plan…/gIQAkdkwdL_blog.h...

    Oct 11, 2011 – Can you name all 59 points in your 160-page plan?,” Cain asked to applause. “And does it satisfy that criteria of being simple, transparen

    Well, I suppose Mitt Romney could have said, “Maybe not,. but I certainly can name three.”

    Sammy Finkelman (9a6ee5)

  61. None of the Rick Santorum searches work without “Rick Santorum”

    None of the Rick Perry searches work without “Rick Perry” except maybe possibly

    debate

    but that one needs something there besides the word debate. Probably those were searches for the “Oops” and there were other words after “debate” but only the word “debate” alone was common to a critical mass of them.

    None of the Ron Paul searches work without “Ron Paul”

    None of the Herman Cain searches should work without “Herman Cain”

    Neither do the Newt Gingrich ones:

    affair
    wives
    polls
    issues
    bio
    website – who’d guess it would be newt.org??
    quotes
    books
    twitter

    Same thing with Obama. All those searches need Obama in them.

    So to conclude, you can’t say that a lack of Bain Capital in these searches means there is not so much interest in it – a search for information about Bain Capital doesn’t need Romney in it (unless you were specifically looking for Romney’s role in Bain Capital, and maybe then you’d try Mitt Romney partners

    For those who don’t know the term Bain Caitl they could search for soemthing with Romney but the last terms would be all over he map – each different from the other.

    Maybe we’ll see soon:

    Mitt Romney movie

    Well I see if you get so far Google also offers:

    Mitt Romney favorite movie

    Sammy Finkelman (9a6ee5)

  62. The blogosphere may have discussed Ron Paul’s bigoted newsletters and conspiracy crankery, but the only coverage of them in the establishment media occurred near Christmas, when the casual voter is not paying attention.

    Several oints:

    1) To appear on this Google list it must be a search that absolutely requires the candidate’s name, or just naturally flows together with the candidate’s name.

    2) There must also be only one obvious search term, or one that is far in the lead. Otherwise the votes are split

    3) The person has heard only a little and wants more details, (if you heard a lot you’d ski the candidate’s name) or wants to verify it.

    You won’t get Ron Paul newsletters. People interested in that will try other searches

    Ron Paul cra

    gets:

    Ron Paul crazy
    Ron Paul crazy ideas
    Ron Paul crazy quotes
    Ron Paul crackpot

    None remotely resembling those make the top 10 because they are split among so many searches

    I think also what you search for affects it.

    I just did Ron Paul twice and got 4 suggestions rtwo times, but they were not the exact same four both times.

    I’ve seen:

    Ron Paul racist – that might be number 1 among newsletter searches

    Ron Paul revolution

    Also

    Ron Paul 2012
    Ron Paul wiki
    Ron Paul polls.

    Sammy Finkelman (9a6ee5)

  63. So much for Cain being an attack dog for Romney.

    Perry fanatics are douschebags.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  64. For tomorrow’s fiat money searches:

    Ms. Merkel is considering a ban on reselling sovereign debt, targetting dumping of bonds following downgrades.

    She prompted the short sale ban of financial paper, e.g., CDSs, a few months back, when they were trying to make Greek markdowns stick. How’d that work out Angela?

    Hope no one has tickets on European cruises, especially those with Italian captains. Your trip insurance just went belly up.

    Yes, we really need a financial wiz from Harvard to run this place. Angela haz a PhD. in Physics.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  65. I just got:

    For Newt Gingrich:

    wives
    is like

    For Mitt Romney:

    bio
    dog on roof
    net worth

    For Romney:

    2012
    vs Obama
    Mormon

    For Rick Santorum:

    gay
    for president
    black people

    For Ron Paul:

    2012
    wiki
    polls

    If I type two spaces, not just one, I also get:

    Ron Paul racist

    For Rick Perry:

    gay
    drunk
    wiki
    strong

    For Herman Cain:

    wiki
    999
    pokeman

    An extra space adds: net worth

    For Obama:

    …..care
    approval rating
    speech

    If I add an extra blank space, it becomes:

    approval rating
    speech
    Occupy Wall Street
    2012

    This is in New York at midnight. Try this in another state.

    Sammy Finkelman (9a6ee5)

  66. _____________________________________________

    the most important issues is Mitt’s cruelty to that poor animal he put on his roof.

    But that’s against the backdrop of a society that increasingly sheds tears more for little Fido or Kitty than human fetuses. IOW, ass-backwards compassion, meaning it’s pretty much in line with the dumb nature of modern left-leaning sentiment.

    Mark (31bbb6)

  67. But that’s against the backdrop of a society that increasingly sheds tears more for little Fido or Kitty than human fetuses. I

    Increasingly, yes.

    But I find most people who understand how to love a dog have enough humanity to love the unborn people, too.

    And there’s nothing wrong with loving dogs or seeing cruelty or neglect of a dog to be one bigass moral failure. Is it no surprise Romney also championed abortion rights for sheer political gain?

    Dustin (cb3719)

  68. Dustin – was he really cruel to his dog? Really?

    JD (318f81)

  69. Like I say, a little aloof, but look at what we’re facing here.

    narciso (87e966)

  70. Harvard is where elitist douschenozzles such as Omasterbaiter go to prove they are better than you.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  71. ___________________________________________

    But I find most people who understand how to love a dog have enough humanity to love the unborn people, too.

    Dustin, I don’t mean to say that one position necessarily leads to (or won’t lead to) another one, but there nonetheless are odd ironies in the human condition.

    I’m not sure if you saw a posting of mine a few days ago, but it was a copy-paste of major portions of the lengthy and very thorough animal rights law passed by the German government of Adolph Hitler during his reign in power. I’m still astounded by the truly perverse nature of a group of ruthless fanatics — forever infamous for their systemic gassing of millions of humans — acting similar to a bunch of PETA fans, if not “tree huggers” too.

    Also, as I noted in that post, the word “socialist” was a part of the formal designation of Hitler’s Third Reich.

    Mark (411533)

  72. 68. “Look at what we’re facing here”

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/presenting-mitt-romneys-top-campaign-contributors

    Continuity.

    Last time people “just wanted a change”. Insanity is repeating the same behavior, over and over and over again, hoping for a different result.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  73. 67. The neat thing is that there are three versions of the story. Two are Mitt’s.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  74. We gotta go with what we got:

    http://spectator.org/blog/2012/01/13/why-romney-is-weak-vs-obama

    There you go again. What’s this ‘we’ falderal?

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  75. froma me running
    you’d have to pry his Dog from
    his cold, dead fingers

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  76. A respectable loss with mittens – will be o.k. with the establishment gop.
    I hope he doesn’t debate obama as mittens will come off as the spoiled rich kid who deserves to have his lunch money taken away.

    sickofrinos (44de53)

  77. “Yes speaking the truth about the lefts treatment of blacks who don’t suck their weenie is condescending.”

    I was thinking more about how it made black people that want and do vote democratic feel.

    fscott (068804)

  78. feel like right at home
    back at dat ol’ plantation
    yes mister charlie

    Colonel haiku (b486eb)

  79. The GOP is quite comfortable in its role as codpiece, it is more anxious with losing that role than eager to actually win.

    Leadership is hard.

    Blacks populate the Dimmi plantation, conservatives the Repugnant’s.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  80. Mr. Galrud, I try hard to ignore you.

    If I moderated this blog, however, your last comment would end in your permanent ban. You’re certainly not welcome at my blog.

    Beldar (1d6209)

  81. Indeed, I already am disappointed in myself for acknowledging your existence here. Don’t expect any further such from me, as I shall return to trying very hard to pretend you simply don’t exist.

    Beldar (1d6209)

  82. 78. “Some sober analysis of Bain…”

    Abstract analysis, rather, of the role of private equity in business. We have little detail on Bain Capital’s 77 investments under Romney such as:

    Net worth at purchase, ratio of indebtedness to assets, consulting fees and return on investment, stock price if any before and after, shares held at IPO, on and on.

    The point on the rise in the stockmarket from a under 2000 to over 9000 is worth further analysis. Certainly, Slick made out as well as Bain.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  83. 80 “You’re certainly not welcome at my blog.”

    Flatterer.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  84. Remember the tingle, how the left thought Ogabe the greatest orator of the day, and an intellectual, demigod smarts?

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2012_01/mitt_romneys_new_problem_a_ris034764.php

    Could the bundle of sticks media be too stupid to see another faceplant in the making?

    Bet on it.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  85. You lose points, gary, for not simply laughing at Benen,

    narciso (87e966)

  86. their contempt for truth
    Gingrich and his mini-me
    Texas Rick Perry

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  87. a total clown car
    freddie mac historian
    his stench make me clench

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  88. unfit for White House
    total clown car of a man
    morceau de merde

    http://t.co/NsiHqgmB

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  89. he’s turning chinese
    but unlike chinese cuisine
    you do NOT want more

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  90. Wow, an endorsement in SC? I still like Huntsman, and hope he’s an option in 2016. Or maybe in a Romney / Not Romney cabinet.

    carlitos (49ef9f)

  91. Soroization of the media includes Google. Head of Google news serves on boards of several Soros NGOs, along with her friend, now former NYT CEO Robinson.A Soros or Tides Foundation backed internship or fellowship is now a prerequisite in many fields like journalism or academia.

    Unattorney (ab7da1)

  92. Beldar, don’t worry about GG. He doesn’t think clearly, historically. In fact, I would claim that, oh, I don’t know: “… he is more anxious with losing his sense of ideological purity than eager to actually win…”

    Which is funny, in an ironic sense.

    As for the racialist stuff, that is part of his stock in trade. He wants to argue about that.

    Simon Jester (68a1c1)

  93. Bain disputes the Journal‘s calculations, but one test of overall success is whether investors keep entrusting a firm with their money. Mr. Romney and his colleagues raised $37 million for their first fund in 1984. Today, Bain Capital manages roughly $66 billion. Its investors include college endowments and public pension funds that have increased their investments in private equity to get larger returns than stocks and bonds provide. The people who benefit from those returns thus include average workers.

    Damn, it’s those evil college endowments and public pension funds who have been destroying these jobs, with Mitt Romney as their enabler.

    [note: released from moderation. –Stashiu]

    Neo (d1c681)

  94. ______________________________________________

    If I moderated this blog, however, your last comment would end in your permanent ban.

    Not sure why you’d say that since the points raised by Gary do have value, including even his jibe at the blind loyalty of up to 90-percent of black America (based on polling data) towards the Democrat Party. However, I’d say that monolithic way of thinking and acting is a bit less pronounced among various conservatives (of all racial, ethnic, religious backgrounds) in their loyalty to the Republican Party.

    IOW, I’d say there is more squish among various registered Republicans than I formerly believed to be the case. I observe a growing degree of left-leaning sentiments among that group (eg, way too much sympathy for the idea of same-sex marriage) than I sense increasing right-leaning sentiments among most registered Democrats, particularly sub-groups of the black, Latino or San Francisco-Hollywood populace. After all, the mid-point of the socio-political spectrum has shifted to the left over the past 60 years.

    Beyond that, I’m even more puzzled why you’re bothered by the concerns of Gary when you raise the following point on your own blog:

    Beldar.org: Put another way: I fear that Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have more in common with each other than either has in common with Calvin Coolidge. And we need the discipline of Calvin Coolidge. We need fewer 49-point programs and more zero-point (as in, “we’re getting the federal government out of this”) programs.

    ^ By contrast, how many people are even aware that another Republican president, Herbert Hoover, closely identified — very negatively — with the Great Depression, merely began the tax-and-spend policies of his successor, Franklin Roosevelt? Moreover, that Hoover got all the grief while Roosevelt received all the soft-hearted treatment from a large majority of the American populace. So much so that FDR was a 4-term presidency. World War II was a major factor in that, of course, but Roosevelt got “mommy” hugs from the public even during peacetime, while Hoover, only because of his being associated with “Republican” and “conservatism,” was treated like fuddy-duddy, ol’-spoilsport “daddy.”

    I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, but left-leaning biases in humans all too frequently make them think and act idiotically.

    Mark (411533)

  95. I too find gary galrud’s frequent racist comments offensive, for what it’s worth.

    carlitos (49ef9f)

  96. 85. Not so, the Ministry of Truth is Goebbels reincarnate, why use their data unless one believes or is too sated in cupidity to refute.

    Plainly the collective believes the sheeple incapable of believing with their own eyes.

    Why would anyone believe we are enjoying 2.4% GDP growth on a mere 4.0% CPI rise? Look at USD performance over 12 months against a basket of currencies on the FX exchanges.

    Only the Sterling is doing worse, owing to their combined Public and Private debt of 1000% of GDP.

    Using a constant labor pool from 2006 unemployment is 11.4%, there is no growth and the majority of forward looking business’ projections average down 8.5%.

    It continues to suck out there and whatever he knows to be true, Romney is running a loser of a campaign.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  97. Black conservatives are treated like shit for challenging lib orthodoxy on Intelligent Design.

    [note: released from moderation. –Stashiu]

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  98. bags under his eyes
    teh rhuemmy misty bloodshot
    gaze of bob schieffer

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  99. What?

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  100. steponpoupolus
    perry claims Reaganesqueness
    georgie puddin’ pie

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  101. THe usual suspect the ones that found Obama inspiring and Mormons worthy of banishment are going here;

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/us/politics/evangelical-christians-unease-with-romney-is-theological.html?hp

    narciso (87e966)

  102. grows repetitive
    “Rick Perry brings up the rear”
    he’s our bahney fwank

    http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/01/optimistic-poll-data.php

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  103. Take your Perry derangement Syndrome some place else please.

    😡

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  104. Sammy Finkelman (60, 61, 64),

    See my comment 58 for more info.

    Karl (5a613f)

  105. flop sweat oozing out
    ferret eyes dart nervously
    must be paul krugman

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  106. ________________________________________________

    frequent racist comments offensive, for what it’s worth.

    If pointing out that an absurd, pathetic percentage of black America has embraced and continues to embrace liberal politicians and leftwing policies — and the corrosive effect that has on a community or society — then more people need to be racist (or “racist”).

    Moreover, if the folks most likely to yell “racist” (eg, people in blindly-liberal settings like the New York Times or the NAACP) don’t even squirm but instead smile and nod when Bill Clinton — flaky, screwball, unrestrained, dysfunctional Bill Clinton — has been labeled by some (all of leftist persuasion) as “America’s first black president,” that really illustrates how the word “racist” doesn’t mean squat nowadays.

    Mark (411533)

  107. like his tired namesake
    li’l doh makes no sense at all
    but that won’t stop him

    Colonel Haiku (b486eb)

  108. His attacks over Romney on Bain were wrong but you neve rliked Perry.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  109. Doh is Joe Biden channelled by Homer Simpson, a level of infinite absurdity,

    narciso (87e966)

  110. never liked*

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  111. Yep.

    And what is wrong with what I said abut Perry?

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  112. Obama is bi-racial not black.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  113. Super helpful observation.

    carlitos (49ef9f)

  114. Beldar is an easy going guy who is easy to have disagreements with. If he’s saying you’ve crossed the line, take stock, because he wouldn’t just say that to see his words appear on the screen.

    I like a lot of Gary’s comments, but hey, I liked many of EPWJ’s and apparently that was not a majority opinion.

    Dustin (cb3719)

  115. 113. Yeah, well, we crucified Jesus, ye respecters of men.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  116. All I’m saying is be aware of it and work on it. Nobody’s perfect and nobody should make a big deal out of internet comments (stone/glass house, here).

    Dustin (cb3719)

  117. Jukeboxskeetshot is eerily silent.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  118. The Jews must be held accountable for commiting 9-11 even though Osama and his men confessed to it.

    /Froma Harrop

    Leftys are such jew haters so are the Paulnut right.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  119. Al Sharpton is a c*nt.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)


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