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U.S. 2012 Election

On Nov 6 Who Will Win President Obama or Mitt Romney ?

  • President Obama

    Votes: 39 61.9%
  • Mitt Romney

    Votes: 24 38.1%

  • Total voters
    63
  • Poll closed .
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443995604578002523312508286.html?mod=opinion_newsreel

17 Sep12

Dorothy Rabinowitz: The Fourth Estate, Still Thrilling to the Spirit of '08

The spectacle of reporters over the past week hounding Mitt Romney for speaking his mind does not come as a surprise.


After an astounding week of ardent media focus on Mitt Romney's criticism of the initial U.S. response to mob assaults on American diplomatic outposts, the furor is dying down—but it's not over by any means. Nor was the message that the furor sent a negligible one.

Condemnations of Mr. Romney had come thick and fast. He had been "crass and tone deaf," in the view of MSNBC's Chuck Todd. He had committed a "slander" against the president, according to Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic.

Journalists in pursuit of this story—to the exclusion of virtually all else going on—were quick to point out that denunciations of Mr. Romney were by no means limited to Democrats, that criticism came from Republican commentators too. This fact was hardly surprising—the sanctimony of the virtuous knows no political bounds.

The spectacle of those hordes of journalists in single-minded pursuit of the Romney story day after day—days that saw the killing of four Americans, embassies burned and trashed, mobs of the faithful running amok—shouldn't have been surprising either. It's the most dramatic indicator yet that in this election the pack journalism of four years ago is alive, and well, and in full cry again.

Especially wonderful to hear were all the charges about Mr. Romney's political opportunism and tone-deafness—this after three days of a Democratic convention distinguished by shameless, nonstop exploitation of the military raid that put an end to Osama bin Laden. It is impossible to imagine any other president in American history orchestrating even two minutes—much less three days—of the self-glorification and wallowing in a victory won by the nation's armed forces that was on display at the convention. If any of this orgy of boasting in the interest of a political campaign caught the attention of those commentators whose sensibilities were so offended by Mr. Romney last week, we haven't heard about it.

The governor's offense, as the world knows, had to do with his blast at the eye-popping apologias that had come from our Cairo embassy while mobs of the faithful were gathering to wreak havoc over a crude YouTube video insulting to Islam—apologies that Mr. Romney linked to the general inclinations of the Obama administration.

For this he was pilloried as having criticized the president in a time of urgent crisis. Or, as Andrea Mitchell put it Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Mr. Romney had come out with his statement when the State Department didn't know where Ambassador Chris Stevens was—"the body was missing."

At the time of Mr. Romney's initial statement, of course, no word had as yet come about Stevens's fate or those of his murdered colleagues. Which didn't prevent members of the press and pundits from proclaiming, all the rest of the week, that Mr. Romney had embarked on a political attack while the world was aflame and the president embroiled in the crisis. The same president who would, in the midst of that crisis, go tootling off to Las Vegas for a campaign fundraiser.

By the time the presidential campaign had ended four years ago, the media's role in driving the outcome had become a fact too obvious to dispute. The impact of the journalistic horde's devotion to the Democratic candidates was clear, the evidence vivid—especially in the case of reporters transported to a state of ecstasy over candidate Obama's speeches. One New York Times reporter wrote of being so moved he could barely keep from weeping. Not for nothing did the role of the press become a news story in itself—an embarrassing one that might, serious people thought, serve as a caution during future campaigns.

In 2012 Barack Obama is no longer delivering thrilling speeches, but an unembarrassed press corps is still available, in full prosecutorial mode when it comes to coverage of the Republican challenger. If you hadn't heard the story about Mitt Romney's bullying treatment of another student during his prep-school days—1965, that is—the Washington Post had a story for you, a lengthy investigative piece. On the matter of Mr. Obama's school records, locked away and secured against investigation, the press maintains a serene incuriosity.

Mr. Obama continues to receive the benefits of a supportive media—one prone to dark suspicions about his challenger. The heavy ooze of moral superiority emanating from all the condemnations of Mr. Romney last week, all the breathless media reports on those condemnations, did not begin with something he said last week. But the moral superiority was certainly on its gaudiest display. Mr. Romney's tone was offensive, unpresidential, his critics charged.

Yet it is the president of the United States—the same one who presented himself as the man who would transcend political partisanship because we were all Americans—who has for most of his term set about dividing the nation by class, by the stoking of resentments. Who mocks "millionaires and billionaires." Who makes it clear that he considers himself the president of the other—the good—Americans. How's that for presidential tone?

No one could have missed the importance to Mr. Obama's campaign of the class-war themes that reverberated continually during the Democratic convention speeches. The references to "millionaires and billionaires" are by now a reliable applause line for the campaign. Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm underscored the point with an address whose opening line declared, with a strange note of defiance—it wasn't the only thing strange about the speech—that the heart of America wasn't to be found in corporate board rooms.

But it is Vice President Biden who has been the most faithful purveyor of Mr. Obama's class-war theme. Earnest, affable, with a bottomless cache of wise maxims from his mother and father, the persuasive Joe Biden excels at explaining, in his accomplished infomercial tones, how the other side wants to ensnare you, the poor and the helpless. And how, I promise you, folks, Barack Obama isn't going to let them.

Mitt Romney isn't going to have an easy time defeating a president with Mr. Obama's advantages. A friendly press corps surpasses all wealth, sayeth the sages. The governor will stand a far better chance if he takes to heart the lesson of the past week, when he seems to have recognized, at last, that there are issues in addition to the economy—matters like foreign policy, Iran, America's stance in the world—that he must address. In the weeks that remain to this election, he will have to speak to those matters in depth and in unflinching terms that set him apart from his opponent. And he'll have to do it often.

Ms. Rabinowitz is a member of the Journal's editorial board.
Dorothy Rabinowitz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American conservative journalist and commentator. She was born in New York City, and was educated at Queens College and New York University.
 
I've never thought Fox was coy about its bias.  It isn't as if anyone has come forward to describe details of a right-wing Journolist.  What man has done, man can aspire to do again.  Collusion isn't even necessary; all the willing water carriers need is to remember and apply the general idea - spike the unfavourable; push the favourable.
 
>The disparity that you point out essentially comes down to the fact that the Obama Campaign is better run than the Romney Campaign.

The media are part of the Obama campaign?  I didn't know it was that explicit.
 
Brad Sallows said:
>The disparity that you point out essentially comes down to the fact that the Obama Campaign is better run than the Romney Campaign.

The media are part of the Obama campaign?  I didn't know it was that explicit.

I torn between  :rofl: and  ::)

In case it wasn't clear, the disparity I was referring to was that the real AND perceived bad press that Romney gets is more of his own (and his campaign's) making.
 
cupper said:
I torn between  :rofl: and  ::)

In case it wasn't clear, the disparity I was referring to was that the real AND perceived bad press that Romney gets is more of his own (and his campaign's) making.

Such as reporting the attack on the Libyan consulate and the death of a US ambasador on page A4 of the NYT? Really Cupper, look at how long it took for the Administration to make any sort of response, and wonder why the media is so silent on that and the general collapse of the Administration's middle east policy?

Remember how gas prices were so prominent bacak in news reporting in 2007-08 (at least until the Bush Administration opened Federal lands for drilling and collapsed gas prices). How many US legacy media outlets are running daily reports on high gas prices in 2011-12?

Remember how the Bush administration was constantly criticised for the jobless recovery, with unemployment at 5%? How many media outlets are constantly harping on the 8% figure (which has been fairly constant over 43 months), much less the U3 (11%) figure...

So long as the press remains silent on the economy and runs every distraction they can raise, then I would have to say that Brad is far closer to the truth
 
As four Americans died, the POTUS flew off, in Air Force One, to Las Vegas, to campaign, where, he compared his campaign workers to the four slain in Libya.

He flew to New York today, in Air Force One, to tape a engagement on the David Letterman show.

To busy to meet with Netanyahu next week. The POTUS could have waited until 24/25 Sep when he is in NY for a UN meeting, to tape for Letterman instead of flying there twice in Air Force One and ALL that huge security package, etc.
 
Thucydides said:
Remember how gas prices were so prominent bacak in news reporting in 2007-08 (at least until the Bush Administration opened Federal lands for drilling and collapsed gas prices). How many US legacy media outlets are running daily reports on high gas prices in 2011-12?

Bush opened up offshore drilling in July of 2008.

Price of gas dropped from a high of $4.16 the week of July 14th to a low of $1.71 the week of Dec 15th.

However, from July to August the price dropped $0.46 them started to climb again to peak at $3.88 on Sept 15th, the week of the economic shit storm. As the economy shrank over the next 3 months, prices of both oil and gas tanked as demand dropped and supplies were left sitting.

Now, if you can realistically show me that the price of gas dropped because Bush opened up drilling, which would have zero impact on oil and gas supplies for at least 2 to 3 years, then I will bow to you sir. Until then we will just have to agree to disagree.

Thucydides said:
Such as reporting the attack on the Libyan consulate and the death of a US ambasador on page A4 of the NYT? Really Cupper, look at how long it took for the Administration to make any sort of response, and wonder why the media is so silent on that and the general collapse of the Administration's middle east policy?

Mitt Romney jumps the gun, and inserts himself in a crisis that was still unraveling, when he had no call to do so. The Administration took a more cautious approach. Why would you expect anything else? I will agree that the Middle East Policy of the current Administration appears to be taking a shot in the cajones, but show me a time in the last 3 decades when it hasn't. Hell, even Romney back in May's fundraiser essentially said there is nothing that could be done, and would not involve his Administration in Mid East issues to any great extent.

Thucydides said:
Remember how the Bush administration was constantly criticised for the jobless recovery, with unemployment at 5%? How many media outlets are constantly harping on the 8% figure (which has been fairly constant over 43 months), much less the U3 (11%) figure...

I never bought into the media torch fest during the post 9/11 recession about a jobless recovery. It is generally accepted that an unemployment rate below 4% is unrealistic, as this is the limit where everyone who is willing and or capable of working are all employed. So a rate of 5% isn't really something to worry about when the economy shrinks.

But most of the mainstream media outlets I follow do address the jobless rates constantly, especially when the monthly reports are released. And every month for the last 43 months, they have said that the Obama Administration is in trouble, and could lose in November if positive news doesn't happen soon.

So if that is the case, explain to me why the polls show Obama ahead of Romney in all swing states except North Carolina?

I come back to my original premise: Romney's piss poor campaign performance. This should be the GOP's election to win, and they are barely keeping their heads above water.
 
cupper said:
Mitt Romney jumps the gun, and inserts himself in a crisis that was still unraveling, when he had no call to do so.

You do realise that he's running for President of the United States, right?  I'm fairly certain it's his place to comment, whether what he said was right or not.  But had he said nothing, I'm certain the press would have called him on it.
 
Rifleman62 said:
As four Americans died, the POTUS flew off, in Air Force One, to Las Vegas, to campaign, where, he compared his campaign workers to the four slain in Libya.

He flew to New York today, in Air Force One, to tape a engagement on the David Letterman show.

To busy to meet with Netanyahu next week. The POTUS could have waited unit 24/25 Sep when he is in NY for a UN meeting, to tape for letterman instead of flying there twice in Air Force One and ALL that huge security package, etc.

If George Bush had done this, the lame street media would have gone Mach 1 apoplectic before clearing the tower.

When their guy does it, not so much as a peep. 

The complete collapse of the USA's middle east foreign policy, dead American citizens, complete failure of the government to react to clear and multiple warnings and the media worried about whether Romney jumped the gun.



 
Haletown said:
If George Bush had done this, the lame street media would have gone Mach 1 apoplectic before clearing the tower.
They did go apeshit when he wasn't in New Orleans ten minutes after the floods when he was POTUS.  Hell, they even blamed him for the floods IIRC.

(Forget for the moment that Katrina's devestation was due to shitty civil engineering...but I digress)


 
There has been some talk of polling and that they show Obama leading in all cases.  What was the polling like prior to our most recent federal election?  I'm not 100% certain, but I think they were off by a wide margain.  Could it be the case that the polls in this case are off due to skewed or biased questioning?

I have seen one youtube vid where a guy received a polling question when he wasn't home, and it was recorded on his answering machine.  You know, "press 1 for Obama, press 2 for Romney, press 3 for someone else"...that kind of thing.  Of course, he had no response, but the call came back after a pause and said "press 1 is you are definitely voting for Obama, press 2 for fairly certain...."


So, it took a nil response as a vote for Mr. Obama.  I'm not saying that this is pandemic, but could it be indicative of a skew, in favour of either candidate, mind you, intentional or otherwise?
 
I think you all need to put the US presidential race in focus:

obama-romney.jpg
  = 
tweedledee-tweedledum-3.jpg


Thanks to all the gods, it will all be over, however briefly, in seven weeks and I can go back to contemplating the important things on the TV news:
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Brooke%252520Baldwin%252520CNN.jpg
 
Journeyman said:
Looks like there's free time in the E.R. Campbell world today  ;D


I really miss Broke Baldwin, her legs, anyway, but I cannot bear to watch TV news, not even BBC or Global, because they are all full, indeed OVER-FULL of Tweedle Dumb vs. Tweedle Dumber - one of whom will, sadly, almost certainly be POTUS for the next four years.

The entire US 2012 electoral process is about many tens of millions of nervous, confused people choosing the least of several evils.

But I am confident that in 2013 the USA will have:

1. A second rate President; and

2. A third rate (I'me being charitable) Congress.

__________
P.S. I need to go to the Mess for lunch anesthesia.

 
Well there is no NHL so we gotta have a go at something else.  Global Warming has collapsed so politics it is.  The entertainment value is excellent.

"OK, let's just pull a few things together from recent days:

1) Before a wild protest mob storms the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to remove the Stars and Stripes, the embassy tweets an apology for an anti-Islam video it had nothing to do with but finds no time to defend or explain freedom of speech, even hateful speech.

2) In Libya three days after a warning of upcoming violence, the American ambassador is allowed to go to lawless Benghazi on the anniversary of 9/11 with hardly any security where some five dozen terrorists catch them in the bungalow consulate, engage in a prolonged firefight involving rocket-propelled grenades and mortars that just happened to be at hand, resulting in the death of four Americans, including the much-reIspected ambassador.

3) President Obama expresses appreciation for their sacrifice, urges calm and says some Libyans helped get the dead ambassador to a hospital. He says now after such unanticipated violence on the anniversary of 9/11, he's ordered U.S. embassy security beefed up in lots of places because you can't be too careful after four people are dead. He takes no questions.

4) To demonstrate his grief, executive expertise and concern for appearances at such a sad, tragic time,, Obama flies to Vegas for some campaign fundraising.

5) Later, his obedient ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, maintains on four different television shows that the deaths and Cairo riot on 9/11 are all attributed to the anti-Islam video, which has been on YouTube most of the summer, and she knows from her best information they have no connection to 9/11 or terrorism. (Watch those weasel words; her best information could be the worst available.)

6) This, of course, is the administration's talking point position because anything else would have to confront the reality that Obama's policy of soft diplomacy and nice-guy engagement is crumbling before voters' eyes just seven weeks before the election and three years after he modestly promised to turn Muslim views of America to the positive.

7) Obama press secretary Jay Carney explains with a straight face that he has no evidence to indicate the deaths are anything but protesters gone wild.

8) Libya's acting president flatly contradicts the Obama team, saying the Benghazi murders were clearly well-planned and organized with support fire and direct fire, including well-armed foreign nationals who entered the country for that purpose from Mali and Algeria.




http://news.investors.com/politics-andrew-malcolm/091912-626228-obama-mideast-diplomacy-collapses-and-romney-gets-blamed.htm
 
Well there is no NHL so we gotta have a go at something else.  Global Warming has collapsed so politics it is.  The entertainment value is excellent.

Hmmm....conspiracy? Election coming up...how to get people focused....they watch NFL, NHL and the hockey stick is broken....

soooo....can't do much about the NFL...it's going great guns.... :'(

now, the NHL....they're negotiating...hey why not? :P

meh...we've gotten all the milage we are going to get out of the hockey stick graph..... ::)
 
I'm good as long as MLB is still running.  As someone once said, "sports allow us to care passionately about something that really doesn't matter."

Haletown said:
...three years after he modestly promised to turn Muslim views of America to the positive.

And there's some work to do vice versa as well... whatever happened to that TLC show "All-American Muslim" - did it get cancelled?

I don't know how the country can function with a two-year election campaign.  I, too, will be glad when it's over.
 
bridges said:
I'm good as long as MLB is still running.  As someone once said, "sports allow us to care passionately about something that really doesn't matter."
...


Which, as I have said, pretty much sums up the 2012 elections (presidential, congressional, state and local) ... at least in so far as we, Canadians, are concerned.
 
E.R. Campbell said:
But I am confident that in 2013 the USA will have:

1. A second rate President; and

2. A third rate (I'me being charitable) Congress.

You forgot:

3. Candidates kick off their campaigns for the 2016 Presidential Election.  :surrender:
 
Well, now we have a reason for all of Canada to worry about an Obama victory.

Obama administration denies plan to invade Canada

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/09/obama-administration-denies-plan-to-invade-canada-135992.html?hp=r14

The State Department is denying that a planned closed-door meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mexico Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa is about a secret plan to invade Canada.

Asked why the meeting was closed to press and what the two officials were discussing, a reporter asked: "This isn’t some secret thing to invade Canada or something like that?"

"No, no, no," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said during a Tuesday briefing to laughter from reporters.
 
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