bonbon, I wish I had your confidence.
It's called a blaster, Will, a word that tends to discourage experimentation. Now, if it were called the Orgasmater, I'd be the first to try your basic button press approach.
Xander ,'Get It Done'
Natter 69: Practically names itself.
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Zenkitty - Jan 03, 2012 6:23:23 pm PST #14316 of 30001
Every now and then, I think I might actually be a little odd.
bon bon - Jan 03, 2012 6:24:32 pm PST #14317 of 30001
It's five thousand for kissing, ten thousand for snuggling... End of list.
The Republicans agree with me, which is why they're running this slate of crazies. No one sane wants to get in there.
le nubian - Jan 03, 2012 6:26:14 pm PST #14318 of 30001
"And to be clear, I am the hell. And the high water."
bon bon is making sense. this is like warm milk. it will help me sleep!
Holli - Jan 03, 2012 6:34:44 pm PST #14319 of 30001
an overblown libretto and a sumptuous score/ could never contain the contradictions I adore
I'm looking for a space right now, msbelle. The plan is to open this summer.
msbelle - Jan 03, 2012 6:38:54 pm PST #14320 of 30001
I remember the crazy days. 500 posts an hour. Nubmer! Natgbsb
Very cool. I should look through my stuff and see if I have any I can sell you on the cheap. Maybe this next month.
billytea - Jan 03, 2012 7:19:37 pm PST #14321 of 30001
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.
The Republicans agree with me, which is why they're running this slate of crazies. No one sane wants to get in there.
IIRC, that's also largely how Bill Clinton became the Dem nominee in '92. Bush Sr's high approval ratings (at the start of the process) scared off the Mario Cuomos of the Dem world.
I agree that defeating an incumbent President is very difficult, but I'm less sanguine about what it takes to do so. In particular, I don't think it takes a political genius to pull it off. (I do, however, think that anyone who manages it will be lauded as a political genius after the fact.)
The key to such a race, IMO, is that the decision becomes about the President, far more than about the challenger. If the people continue to regard the incumbent as acceptable, he'll get back in. (Though if the judgment is very close, a truly talented challenger could influence that.) If, however, he's now deemed as unacceptable by the electorate, they'll vote in the challenger. The one proviso, the hurdle the challenger has to clear, is that they have to be regarded as acceptable enough that America can take a chance on them. (That's the lesson I draw from 1980. It's not that Reagan was seen as being so great before he won, it's that Carter was so heavily on the nose. All Reagan had to do - and what he managed in the debates - was convince people he was not as recklessly unsafe a choice as they'd thought before the election began.)
IMO, then, there are just two things to watch. First and foremost is Obama's disapproval ratings. (And approval, but it's easier to win undecideds than turn opposeds - especially for a sitting President.) Second is if the Repubs nominate someone whom the electorate can vote for, even if some of them have to hold their nose to do so.
I don't think Bachmann or Santorum pass even that test. Paul is, as usual, a category unto himself. (Bachmann could conceivably see herself as some kind of Goldwater. Paul can only dream of being a Goldwater.) Perry and Gingrich - there would be nose-holding, but I could see it happening. Romney would not, I think, be seen negatively. If America wants to vote out Obama, Romney won't give them sufficient reason not to. (Huntsman is in the same boat as Romney, except for the whole not being able to win the nomination.)
I still favour Obama to win. Being the incumbent is a big advantage, especially if the Repubs prove keen to make him the only adult in the room. He's proven to be a strong campaigner (frankly, I think he's better at that than at governing). His ratings right now are borderline; if the economy improves over 2012, even slowly, that should be enough to get him over the line. On the other hand, if the economy slips, then I think the race is the Repubs' to lose. (If the economy is fairly static, I'd tilt towards Obama due to the incumbent and campaign machine advantages, but with a lot of uncertainty.)
bon bon - Jan 03, 2012 7:29:24 pm PST #14322 of 30001
It's five thousand for kissing, ten thousand for snuggling... End of list.
I think you largely overrate Romney's appeal, particularly against a good candidate. This is telling:
On the other hand, if the economy slips, then I think the race is the Repubs' to lose.
"The Republicans" aren't a candidate; it rests totally on Romney's shoulders. A candidate who can't garner enthusiasm by the base over a number of poorer candidates.
DavidS - Jan 03, 2012 7:31:52 pm PST #14323 of 30001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Very cool. I should look through my stuff and see if I have any I can sell you on the cheap. Maybe this next month.
I well remember visiting msbelle's apartment in NYC when she showed off her many fabulous vintage dresses.
Back when she lived within spitting distance of Jesse. (Not that either of them spit.)
§ ita § - Jan 03, 2012 7:32:41 pm PST #14324 of 30001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
I found a speaker cable on Amazon that sells for $8.5K. More importantly, I found the comments on a speaker cable for sale for close to ten grand.
le nubian - Jan 03, 2012 7:36:14 pm PST #14325 of 30001
"And to be clear, I am the hell. And the high water."
The problem with Romney is that he can't get above 25-30% of support. He has been holding this %age for months. So nationally, while he might be the nominee, I don't think he inspires passionate support, which is a problem.
Perry is out. He's going back to TX to assess his candidacy. We all know what that means. See ya in '16 sucker.
Gingrich was all but in tears in his speech. Bachmann will be out soon. So the question is how long Paul and Santorum will hang in there and how full bore Gingrich will go after Romney to damage him.