Here’s the thing, though, Ramesh. The President’s 2012 message, as he’s been framing it during fundraisers, is that the election will be “a slugfest between Republicans who ‘don’t believe in government as a partner with the private sector’ and Democrats who do.”
Partnership.
Like the EPA has been “partnering” with the coal, gas, and oil industries. Like how the Transportation administration plans to “partner” with farmers. Or the way NLRB is “partnering” with Boeing.
Partnership.
Ask the GM and Chrysler bond holders about government and private sector partnership.
Now, Obama will gussy this up and make it sound “fair” and constructive. But let’s face it: Obama’s plan here is to run on a promise of fascism. Because that’s what tying the government to big business is.
And if a GOP candidate can’t beat that — if s/he can’t make the case for liberty, the vibrancy of the private sector, and the free market — well, than we’ve already lost the country.
(h/t TerryH)
50% + 1 of our citizens no longer value liberty nor do they see limited government as the best guarantor of their future well being, so why would they advocate for it?
One wonders how much of this kind of “reporting” by people like Ramesh is merely wishful thinking. I doubt progressives can separate the two any more, if they ever could.
Government is a “partner” with the private sector like Bruno from Cell Block D is a “partner” with whoever happens to drop the soap in the shower.
Ramesh is a bowl of flavorless jelly. Good for what, exactly?
I guess I’m saying that we have already lost the country, or at least the one of the Founding Fathers (which I’m repeatedly told is a romantic myth by the learned purveyors of progressive politics). The question now is whether or not you want to retake it, or in the immortal words of Jim Malone, “What are you prepared to do about it?”
Why would you want to partner with someone who brings nothing but aggravation to the table?
Ramesh “The Party of Death” Ponnuru? Progressive wishful thinking?
We really have gone through the looking glass.
You know what suggests, to me, that Obama won’t win in 2012? All the unemployed people I know. The lack of “Obama” stickers on cars. The various internet trolls that populated many blogs up until – oh – mid to late 2009 are basically no where to be found.
Obama was a fad that has long since passed. Does anybody really believe that the apathetic college crowd is going to mobilize for him in 2012 like they did in 2008? Are they going door-knocking and chipping in $20 a month to the website? Does anyone see the CodePinko/ANSWER machinery demonstrating 24/7? Does anyone see the NPR crowd feeling the need to prove their reverse-half-racism one more time?
Obama is McSame this time around. He’s not inspiring. His glamor is shattered. He’s only a uniter in the sense that everybody agrees he’s a petulant child out of his depth. Depending on who he’s running against, we could see a massively depressed turnout in 2012. This would be completely understandable, given the dishrags on the ballot, but it would be truly ironic given the stakes for the country.
In 2008, Obama had an army of cultists devoting themselves to a promise; an ideal. In 2012, that cult can see the emptiness of the promise. Sure, there will always be True Believers, but the majority of Obama’s Army isn’t going to re-enlist this time around.
Obama isn’t raising a billion dollars just to show off; his people know that it’ll take at least that much just to create the illusion of enthusiasm. Hell, they’ll have to blow half of it on cigarettes and vans just to get the homeless vote to the polls.
(I still plan to focus on Congressional and State races where I can feel some actual passion for a candidate, and leave the Presidential Suckfest to the machinery.)
Uniter!: 97 – 0
Carin, Squid and sdferr all show why it’s important that we qualify what we mean by polarization. If half the country loves him and half hates him, then we’re arguably in trouble. If 60+% of the country opposes his reelection, however, we’re going to win in landslide.
A pretty good list:
Anything missing?
From R.P.’s column:
I take that to mean that we need to put up a candidate who represents a choice not a ruling class, bi-partisan concensus building, lose-more-slowly, pragmatic echo rather than hoochie cum-sluts and token black conservatives need not apply.
Maybe I’m wrong.
If half the country loves him and half hates him, then we’re arguably in trouble.
There’s approval ratings, and then there’s approval ratings. Rasmussen has Obama’s “Strongly Approve” ratings falling from 45% right after the election, to 30% in August 2009, to 27% in August 2010, to 22% in August 2011. Even if he could get his total approval rating close to 50%, it would be lukewarm approval, not the fervent enthusiasm of 2008. He simply isn’t going to see the volunteerism that he got last time around; it’s why he so desperately needs to build up his war chest.
The college kids who helped him are ‘unexpectedly’ unemployed and deep in debt. The totebaggers who hyped him have seen their home equity and stock portfolios ‘unexpectedly’ evaporate. The anti-war contingent is disappointed and dispirited. Dubya ain’t running. The union goons who did his heavy lifting are with him always, but you can’t have everything.
I honestly think his billion-dollar campaign will fail; the recent Wisconsin efforts writ large. I laugh at the thought of all those Dem contributors flushing their money down the toilet.
it just depends on who Team R nominates they need to get cracking on that
Romneycare vs. Obamacare isn’t worth going to the polls for I’d rather go get tasty pancakes
A partnership, sort of like the one Ike had with Tina.
OT: DOW closed down over 500 points. Again.
Don’t worry. Upton and Kerry will set things straight.
somebody in the UK should rent out those giant video screens in the center of major cities and just run Straw Dogs over and over and over and over.
Romneycare vs. Obamacare isn’t worth going to the polls for I’d rather go get tasty pancakes
But Romney’s coiffure is perfect, and we all know how lubricious the doyennes of the political punditocracy get for perfect fashion!
he looks like a jc penney catalog model
the market got obamaed today
i think more kmart
He’s just dressing down to show his solidarity with us flyover types. When he sits down with Davie Brooks, I’m sure he’ll be dressed to impress. We all know she’s got her standards.
As long as we’re talking polls vis-a-vis choice or referendum elections
When has Progressivism ever been anything but wishful thinking?
Polarized?
Lobotomized?
Beats me.
Jeff, Bill Quick over at Daily Pundit (who’s been linking you quite a bit lately) has a bet going that his Pomeranian can beat Obama. I tell him he ought to think better of his dog than that…
I officially predict Perry/Bachmann. I don’t agree mind you, just predict.