so what's the strategy here
Romney's doubling down on everything everyone hates about him already?
He's doubling down on what MODERATES hate about him, because he's still trying to win votes from REPUBLICANS.
Mitt Romney is afraid of his own party. There’s no other sane reason why Romney would pick the otherwise lackluster Paul Ryan to share the Republican ticket with him. The true leaders of the Republican party – the Wall Street Journal editorial page, the Weekly Standard, Rush Limbaugh and company – have agitated for the Ryan pick, and like a good boy Romney did as told.
At this late date, when he should be turning the page on the primaries and focusing on the general election, Romney still needs to get conservatives on board with his lackluster campaign. As such, when he should be moving to the center and appealing to mainstream voters, he’s still having trouble convincing the base that he’s one of them (he isn’t, and never will be).
On the whole, it's not as dumb as picking Palin (because NOTHING could be as dumb as picking Palin), but it's the same basic idea: he's so worried about trying to win over his own party that he isn't even ready to think about appealing to the center yet.
It's a sign of desperation.
New Republic blogger: Paul Ryan pick is Romney's way of throwing in the towel and directing blame for his failure towards the far right
It's not, though.
As I've said before: when a moderate Republican loses, the Republican Party decides it's because he was too moderate; when a moderate Democrat loses, the Democratic Party decides it's because he wasn't moderate enough.
If Romney loses, the right will redouble its efforts to elect fringe nutjobs.
The Medicare argument is weak, because it doesn't affect people who are already 55 or older. You're basically asking the Baby Boomer generation to give a shit about what happens to their children and that argument has been the single most ineffective thing in politics since 1992.
Here's the impartial-as-possible breakdown of The Path to Prosperity:
You're thinking like a Democrat: you're thinking voters are more interested in concrete policy specifics than two-word slogans.
The Ryan Plan will End Medicare. Two-word slogan, and potentially a very effective one. It puts Ryan on the defensive trying to explain why it won't actually do that, and Romney on the defensive saying he's not actually for that, he just picked this guy as his running-mate for some reason.
This is another one of those rare cases where the Democrats have a natural advantage, where they've got an incredibly simple, visceral message they can express in a couple of words, while the Republicans are stuck playing defense and having to explain esoteric policy wonk reasons why it just ain't so.
Of course, so was the healthcare debate and the Dems totally fucking blew it, because the Republicans are just straight-up better at framing issues. If anyone can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, it's the Democrats.
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Topic: 2012: The Mayans Warned Us Of Stupid Elections (Read 88569 times)