Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra on Monday defended his debut television advertisement during the Super Bowl featuring a Chinese actress speaking broken English, saying the criticism about the spot as racially insensitive was a tactic by Democratic opponents to divert the conversation away from spending.
"We are not surprised they are coming out of the left field and throwing anything at the wall," said Hoekstra, R-Holland, who is vying for the U.S. Senate seat held by Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing.
The ad drew criticism not only from Democrats but also from Republicans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for using negative stereotypes. Hoekstra on Monday said he knew the tactic was aggressive, but the point "is not to raise eyebrows for raising eyebrows' sake," Hoekstra said...
"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives." Winter is Coming Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
What got me about that ad was, instead of thinking gee China is sure molesting our economy (which is actually sorta true), I thought instead gee what a pretty girl. MESSAGE LOST!
Why not instead a fat tycoon in Shanghai, surrounded by strippers and go-go dancers? Or in that same frame, a party official/bureaucrat in Beijing?
[B]ehold Rasmussen's newest, which shows Rick Santorum as the only Republican to beat Obama head to head. This is the latest in a week-long series of polls, from pollsters left, right and center, showing Santorum doing better against Romney than Gingrich or Paul, or better against Obama than Gingrich or Paul and either better or about even with Romney when matched against Obama -- or, having a significantly better favorable-to-unfavorable ratio (this IS a significant poll number this far out, unlike a horse-race match-up) than anybody in the GOP field.
"Republicans must come to terms with the fact that this will be the strongest Democrat incumbent on national security and foreign policy they have faced in decades. This has more than a whiff of damnation with faint praise, since both President Clinton and especially President Carter were hobbled with substantial national security baggage during their reelection campaign. But for precisely that reason, I think Republicans have sometimes settled for an intellectually lazy critique because, given how weak the opposing party's record is, that seems to have sufficed. Not this time."
No. But that question did remind me of that line from Winter's Bone , where Teardrop forces the sheriff to back down by gravely intoning "Is this gonna be our time?"
"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives." Winter is Coming Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
Well the prized endorsement is already paying off.
Trump takes credit for Romney winning Nevada
Quote:
Donald Trump told Fox News that his endorsement was key to Mitt Romney's big victory in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday.
Said Trump: "There was a lot riding on that particular race in Nevada and it was interesting, because the numbers were much, much greater than you thought. And a lot of people are giving me credit for that. And I will accept that credit."
He added: "There was a lot of confusion as to who I was going to endorse, and frankly, that made things more exciting."
I stand correct on my previous opinions about that "endorsement."
I forgot about the primaries today, so I randomly found out on another message board that apparently Mittens the unstoppable front-runner had a very very very bad night.
To be fair, his campaign had played down expectations (i.e. we know we're going to lose) in Minnesota and Missouri, which was a nonbinding primary. But Mittens still lost EVERY COUNTY in Missouri. How does the appointed unstoppable front-runner (he got my nod too) pull that off? A total morale defeat, regardless if it counts on paper or not.
But Colorado, if it holds up, that'll be a painful loss. Just days ago, I saw polls where Mittens had a good lead. Which apparently evaporated in favor of Santorum. (Didn't help that Mittens in his rally speech said he might end up #1 or #2. Already conceding defeat to his supporters before the results are even conclusive.)
Why can't Mittens dispatch Newt or Santorum, two political also-rans who's "careers" ended in humiliation defeat years ago? Of 8 primaries so far (if CO ends up a Santorum win), Mittens has won three, Santorum with four and Newt with one. I'll let others calculate the delegate math, since apparently Paul beat Mittens in Minnesota for 2nd place. (and by 10 points.)
Come to think of it, Colorado/Missouri/Minnesota have another thing in common besides tonight: all are supposed swing states.
Correction: Mittens lost every county in Missouri and Minnesota.
Anyway, Rod Dreher at AmericanConservative said something I've wondered for awhile:
Quote:
Until last night, I would have pegged Romney as by far the most electable in the GOP field. Now I’m not at all sure. Obviously he has more appeal to the independent swing voters than Santorum does. But who gets excited about the prospect of voting for Romney? If Romney is the next president, he’s going to get no respect from Congressional Republicans, who will know how weak he is, even with his own base.
Be like when the liberals kneecapped Jimmy Carter.
They are talking today about the possibility of a "Brokered Convention" which I had to look up. They say it hadn't happened since Dewey? Anyway, it sounds like what they do is wheel & deal delegates at the convention. All new to me.
TIS
"Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind. War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today." JFK
It amazes me that the rednecks and religious nuts would rather broker a convention than get behind a centrist candidate. In their minds, Romney may as well be a Democrat. I think he still gets the nomination, but Obama doesn't even have to campaign to beat him.
"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
Yes, I'm confident that Romney will be the nominee. Remmeber, the nomination is a function of delegate count, not state count. It's also important to look at the actual vote count. Except for Missouri, the vote count was relatively small in the primaries this month so far. Romney has more than twice as many delegates so far.
"Generosity. That was my first mistake." "Experience must be our only guide; reason may mislead us." "Instagram is Twitter for people who can't read."
It amazes me that the rednecks and religious nuts would rather broker a convention than get behind a centrist candidate. In their minds, Romney may as well be a Democrat. I think he still gets the nomination, but Obama doesn't even have to campaign to beat him.
PPP came out today with a figure that won't matter (or might?) 9 months from now, still worth noting:
Quote:
The poll finds that 58% of Democrats were "very excited" about voting in this year's election, as compared to 54% of Republicans. Six months ago, enthusiasm tilted towards Republicans, 54% to 48%.
"Generally you would expect voters to get more excited as the election gets nearer. That trend is occurring on the Democratic side, but not for the GOP."
But to understand his attitude towards the poor, it may be necessary to look at the interesting—though unsystematized—tradition of Mormon economics. Romney is certainly aware of the tradition—in fact, as a local leader of congregations, he helped administer it—and there’s little doubt that it has informed the way he thinks about poverty, wealth, and the dynamics of government assistance.
Mormonism has from the beginning thought of itself as less a church than a community, a place where, as Mormon scripture states: "They had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free,” and “there were no poor among them.” The Book of Mormon states quite flatly that there is no such thing as undeserving poor: It is the obligation of any Christian to offer aid whenever it is requested, no questions asked. And so it’s not surprising that, during the nineteenth century, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young repeatedly tried to implement a form of Christian socialism, asking their followers to deed all their property to the church and redistributing it as need might demand.
These attempts rarely worked: Joseph Smith complained that greed sabotaged what he called “the law of consecration.” Still, the church went on to establish a rather extensive internal welfare system. Members are regularly asked to contribute money to assist the poor of their own congregation, and the Church Welfare Program, run largely by volunteers, produces food and clothing in farms, canneries, and factories for distribution—both to those inside and outside the church.
They are talking today about the possibility of a "Brokered Convention" which I had to look up. They say it hadn't happened since Dewey? Anyway, it sounds like what they do is wheel & deal delegates at the convention. All new to me.
TIS
Not to brag but I have ben talking about this possibility for months. I still see Jeb Bush kicking and screaming his way to the podium "reluctantly" answering the call of his party.
"Io sono stanco, sono imbigliato, and I wan't everyone here to know, there ain't gonna be no trouble from me..Don Corleone..Cicc' a port!"
Well the prized endorsement is already paying off.
Trump takes credit for Romney winning Nevada
Quote:
Donald Trump told Fox News that his endorsement was key to Mitt Romney's big victory in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday.
Said Trump: "There was a lot riding on that particular race in Nevada and it was interesting, because the numbers were much, much greater than you thought. And a lot of people are giving me credit for that. And I will accept that credit."
He added: "There was a lot of confusion as to who I was going to endorse, and frankly, that made things more exciting."
I stand correct on my previous opinions about that "endorsement."
I wonder who " a lot of people" are... Trump's chauffer, secretary, gofer.....
"Io sono stanco, sono imbigliato, and I wan't everyone here to know, there ain't gonna be no trouble from me..Don Corleone..Cicc' a port!"
Donald Trump, who claimed his endorsement gave Mitt Romney victory in Nevada, told CNN he was perplexed about Rick Santorum.
Said Trump: "Rick Santorum was a sitting senator who in re-election lost by 19 points, to my knowledge the most in the history of this country for a sitting senator to lose by 19 points. It's unheard of. Then he goes out and says oh 'okay' I just lost by the biggest margin in history and now I'm going to run for president. Tell me, how does that work? ... That's like me saying I just failed a test. Now I'm going to apply for admission to the Wharton School of Finance. Okay? He just failed a test.... And now he's going to run for president. So, I don't get Rick Santorum. I don't get that whole thing."
That's actually a pretty lucid observation, especially for a clown like Trump.
I've been thinking about this since 2008 when my friend, Bob Casey with a little help from Obama's coattails defeated Santorum easily. Almost immediately after his defeat pundits were excitedly touting him as presidential timber. He seemed a little misplaced in Pennsylvania where our Republican senators tend to be moderates like Specter and Heinz.
In the early 90s when I was working in a law office in Harrisburg as a young attorney, our boss asked all the attorneys to go to the State Capitol in 15 minutes because a former office intern was going to announce his candidacy. I had never heard of Rick Santorum, but as a favor to my boss I accompanied him and several others to the Capitol. I was amazed that there were seats set up for about 125 people, but his audience consisted only of our small contingent and about a dozen of his family members. During his speech he would occasionally turn and face an empty arrangement of seats on his left. I was surprised when he won the nomination, and shocked when he won the election.
While I do not share his political beliefs, I should note that he has a remarkable memory for people's names. I have bumped into him maybe only 5-10 times since that announcement, but he remembers my name and the names of my wife and kids, whom he's never met.
While I will not vote for him because of differences on the issues, I believe he has real leadership qualities. I am not surprised that he is achieving some considerable measures of success in the GOP primaries. I have to say he is the best representative of the conservative voice in America, much more genuine and far less machiavellian than Gingrich. I'd have to say that he has more conviction than Romney. But I just can't vote for him.
By the way, I too feel Trump is a blowhard, who's trying to turn the election into his own personal circus. I can't see how he is viewed as credible after his attack on Obama's birth certificate and school grades.
Said Trump: "Rick Santorum was a sitting senator who in re-election lost by 19 points, to my knowledge the most in the history of this country for a sitting senator to lose by 19 points. It's unheard of."
He actually ranks 24th and lost by 17.4 points. Abe Lincoln lost two senate elections before becoming President, but why bother with facts?
Re: Election 2012
[Re: ht2]
#633897 02/09/1212:23 AM02/09/1212:23 AM
He actually ranks 24th and lost by 17.4 points. Abe Lincoln lost two senate elections before becoming President, but why bother with facts?
Not to mention Honest Abe served only one term as a Congressman, and even then he chose not to run for re-election because his Anti-war rhetoric and record against the (very damn popular) Mexican-American War made him locally toxic.
~In that regard, one of the reasons why I hold him in very high regard. See just because you don't compromise your views for short-term gain doesn't mean you're screwed long-term.
Last edited by ronnierocketAGO; 02/09/1212:24 AM.
Re: Election 2012
[Re: ht2]
#633927 02/09/1209:55 AM02/09/1209:55 AM
Said Trump: "Rick Santorum was a sitting senator who in re-election lost by 19 points, to my knowledge the most in the history of this country for a sitting senator to lose by 19 points. It's unheard of."
He actually ranks 24th and lost by 17.4 points. Abe Lincoln lost two senate elections before becoming President, but why bother with facts?
What does Lincoln losing 2 senate elections have to do with the statement about a sitting senator losing by a wide margin?
"After all, we are not communists"
Christopher Moltisanti: You ever think what a coincidence it is that Lou Gehrig died of Lou Gehrig's disease?
Tony Soprano: Yeah well, when you're married, you'll understand the importance of fresh produce.
At least we all agree on one thing: Trump is an egomaniacal blowhard.
As for Santorum (the candidate not the google definition), while I disagree with him on 99.9% of what he says, at least he is sincere in his beliefs, relatively comfortable in his own skin, and not afraid to speak up. He does not appear to be "handled" by advisors. What you see is what you get, and that is why he is resonating among the right, IMHO. He is, if you will the anti-Romney.
"Io sono stanco, sono imbigliato, and I wan't everyone here to know, there ain't gonna be no trouble from me..Don Corleone..Cicc' a port!"
As for Santorum (the candidate not the google definition), while I disagree with him on 99.9% of what he says, at least he is sincere in his beliefs, relatively comfortable in his own skin, and not afraid to speak up.
Yeah, he honestly doesn't seem to be a bad guy. And I'm sure that his supporters will be quick to point out that he has at least as much experience as Obama did when he was elected. But he's a religious zealot. And we've been there and done that. Never again. Never again.
"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
Anyway, it sounds like what they do is wheel & deal delegates at the convention. All new to me. 
