Mitt Romney’s Ownership Society

Please somebody tell me that the entire GOP primary is an elaborate piece of performance art choreographed by Stephen Colbert? Because that would make more sense than what is going on.

@SanFranLefty: If it is even close come November, we are truly and deeply fracked as a nation.

@Nabisco: I love it when politicos tell us This Might Be Close, because yesterday’s poll or economic report compares unfavorably to [choose previous election here]. That presumes this is otherwise a conventional year, with conventional candidates.

I’m trying to remember why I started calling it an electoral landslide last summer. It might have been from surveying the field. Or it might have been that, plus noticing who wasn’t running. Even then, Christie and Jeb knew they didn’t stand a chance, and weren’t about to waste their effort.

And we’re not talking about post-Desert Storm Bush I or pre-Clusterfuck Bush II. Even when Obama was at his politically weakest, they still didn’t want to throw the dice. They may be wrong, but they aren’t stupid.

This kills me – Jets owner Woody Johnson is a nightmare when it comes to politics – he gives to every GOP asshole … and I root for the Jets. I console myself by realizing that all the NFL owners probably donate to Republican shitbags.

@nojo:
The GOPers have to talk about it being close because they need to protect their downvote races. If it looks more and more like a Demrat wave then it might discourage GOPer voters from voting so the Demrats will have a 2 year window and since Obama’s not going to run again maybe open him up to do a lot of things the GOPers don’t like… tax hikes on the 1%er for example (yeah, I’m reaching here.) The war on vagina could be the one war that will kill the GOPers as it swings female independents to the left and keeps the GOPer diehard females at home (which is probably the only time the GOPers would like women out of the house.)

@blogenfreude:
Here is a recent list… Jets 3rd biggest political donor and lean GOPer. In fact 8 of the top 10 donating teams lean GOPer.

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/10/nfl-teams-play-political-football.html

@ManchuCandidate: Bob Dole waited until October to protect his flank.

But while I’m sticking with my prediction, I’m not comfy folding the day’s news into it — it’s only March, and we still have hoops and Olympics and beisbol ahead of us. Nobody except political geeks pays attention before Labor Day.

@ManchuCandidate:
It appears our left coast reputation carries through to the football teams:

“… the teams that favored Democrats most with their political donations included the Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints, all of which donated at least 70 percent of their political contributions to Democrats.”

@nojo: Agree about the outcome. Betting against an incumbent president is [almost] always a sucker bet. I’ve not dug into the electoral arithmetic yet, too early for me. You could be right about an electoral landslide. But on the popular vote side it will certainly be closer than 2008. Obama got 53% in ’08. Some of that was a pure Bush exhaustion vote. He’ll get less this go ’round. I’ll take that bet.

@libertarian tool: My rule of thumb is that the popular vote splits 45-45, with 10 percent up for grabs. Obama proved early his ability to squat on the middle (much to the frustration of some of us), and that hasn’t changed — especially with Republicans ceding the midfield.

That said, I wouldn’t guess at the popular vote. Too many contingencies this year.

@ManchuCandidate: @libertarian tool: The Stiller Rooneys are Republicans going back as far as TR. Dan Rooney, son of the Chief, went to school with Bush’s former director of intelligence, Hayden. That being said, Rooney also actively campaigned for Obama, and probably voted Demrat in 2008 for the first time in the history of his family.

And for that, he is now Ambassador to Ireland.

@Nabisco: @ManchuCandidate: I note that my Chicago Bears do not merit a mention in Manchu’s linked article (although one of the players does – Julius Peppers is tagged as a Dem contributor). I guess the ownership is just as cheap in the political arena as they are putting a team on the field.

@SanFranLefty: While not up to the kind of blockbuster laugh-a-minute extravaganza provided by the GOP primary, I thought our local sideshow has been pretty darn entertaining

@libertarian tool: Mirkarimi is such a sleaze.

@SanFranLefty: I just got phone polled by CBS5 (Ken Bastida recording). All Mirkarimi –

“Should the DA have offered the deal?, Should Mirkarimi have accepted?, Should he resign?, Should he be removed if he does not resign?

I was happy to represent my fellow citizenry in that poll. Details at 11.