Why in fuck's name would Mitt try to reach out to the birthers? Besides these people being the craziest element of the republican party, they're already going to be lining up around the block to try to vote out the manchurian muslim negro. It's not like he needs to drum up support with these fucking people.
Probably it was just another ill-conceived, awkward joke.
The GOP could stop pretending like the farthest element of the right isn't already a given since there's a hated liberal incumbent who also happens to be black. It's the left that needs to worry about people coming out to the polls, not the right.
...Shinra, a few months ago you were saying Gingrich was certain to clinch the nomination because Romney was so unpopular with the base. This is another one of those times when you're stating your current finger-in-the-wind prediction as an indisputable fact.
You're right that the election IS going to depend on turnout, and I think you're also right that Romney should be more worried about swing voters than the Republican base. But to say that he doesn't have to worry about the base turning out at ALL?
Well, okay, let's look at it like this: in '08, Republican turnout was down by 1.3 points and Democratic turnout was up by 2.6. (Via
CNN, citing American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate.) Now, anything that looks at nationwide polling is a gross oversimplification of how presidential elections actually work, but the point is, even a very small change in turnout can swing an election.
Factors to consider:
Romney is probably an even more unpalatable candidate to the Republican base than McCain was in '08.
But the base hates Obama more now than in '08.
And Obama's base is a lot less keen on him now than in '08, too.
Those are all factors that could affect turnout.
Romney needs the far right. Probably more than Obama needs liberals -- which, at least, is what Obama's been betting on as he's repeatedly thumbed his nose at them.
And a stiff, unreliable Mormon former governor of Massachusetts who is also the architect of the hated healthcare plan is not guaranteed the votes of the right, no matter how much they hate the incumbent -- any more than Kerry had the presidency sewn up based on the number of people who opposed the war in Iraq.