Frank Rich takes a swim

  NY Times columnist Frank Rich spent a week listening to what
passes as right-wing media these days, feeling empathy for it's listeners while laughing at how out-of-touch right-wing media really is.

Overly paid, fatuous hosts parroting fear mongering while the establishment of the right remains rudderless due to in-fighting from the grassroots and with an extremely wealthy candidate, oblivious to mainstream America making Chevy Chase's SNL Ford character look ready for the job.

 

 

 

           voter fraud found at country club

Rich chose the week of the GOP convention to chronicle his findings in the NY Times piece...  "On the sixth day, I listened to Glenn Beck, and I saw that he was good. Or if not exactly good, then honest-to-God funny."  

"I had tuned in as part of a thought experiment then entering its final lap: an attempt to put myself in the Republican brain by spending a solid week listening to, watching, reading, surfing, and otherwise gorging on conservative media. As would also be true of an overdose of liberal media, it was lulling me into a stupor, and I was desperate for a jolt. Beck provided exactly that, in the form of comedy, and to my astonishment, I found myself laughing out loud—with him, not at him." 

Beck provides more comic relief for Rich: "In Beck’s fantasy, someone in the Romney camp did have qualms about letting an 82-year-old geezer vamp with an empty chair. But the skeptic had been overruled by a higher-up saying just “three magic words”—to wit, “It’s Clint Eastwood!” As in: “What could possibly go wrong? It’s Clint Eastwood!” Beck kept repeating this scenario with ever-more-manic variations, turning “It’s Clint Eastwood!” into a burlesque tagline akin to Gene Wilder’s crazed “No way out!” in The Producers (a Beck favorite). Only at the end of his shtick did politics intrude. Unless the person who said the three magic words “now has been terminated,” Beck said, he wouldn’t “trust Mitt Romney’s ability to run the country.” As he explained, it was only a small step from “It’s Clint Eastwood!” to “It’s Ben Bernanke!”—and the next thing you know, a Romney administration would be extending the term of the despised Fed chairman. He had a point."

 Rich was referring to the week that was in Tampa with Clint Eastwood rambling to an empty chair.  Said Beck, " “I love Clint Eastwood”—but confessed he’d found the performance “painful to look at.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rich feels empathy for the foot soldiers of the conservative movement, even before this week's, all but concession speech from the establishments hope and no-spare change pick of Willard Romney.  Rich continues,  "... those in the right’s base, who are often sold out by the GOP Establishment, and admiration for a number of writers, particularly the youngish conservative commentators at sites like the American Conservative and National Review Online whose writing is as sharp as any on the left (and sometimes as unforgiving of Republican follies) but who are mostly unknown beyond their own ideological circles."

The praise for R$money from the inner circle of conservative writers and hosts was faint but dutiful:   "In The Weekly Standard, Andrew Ferguson saluted Mitt as “a good guy” only after cataloging his “breathless, Eddie Attaboy delivery, that half-smile of pitying condescension in debates or interviews when someone disagrees with him, the Ken-doll mannerisms, his wanton use of the word ‘gosh.’ ” Mike Huckabee tried for a homespun maxim: “If you’ve just been diagnosed with a brain tumor, you honestly don’t care if your neurosurgeon is a jerk.”

 

Never mind the fact that Bush' 41/43 were not invited to the confab in Tampa, nor was the last candidate for the WH treated  any more than as a country cousin,  "John ­McCain was as welcome in Tampa as Banquo’s ghost; even Bill O’Reilly’s much-hyped prime-time interview with the 2008 standard-bearer was abruptly truncated for a generic podium speech by Romney campaign chairman Bob White."  Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford were non-mentions but Reagan re-digitized for the Jumbo-Tron was brought out after the 2008 edition nearly shredded was remastered.  

After a Monday afternoon of Chris Matthews lobbing a stink-bomb at GOP Chair Reince Priebus, over a birther joke Romney made, FOX news permanently bolted cameras at the delegations of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, or the District of Columbia, all of which, preposterously enough, were given prime seats near the stage in Tampa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sez Rich,  "Even now, the GOP seems oblivious to the fact that its alliance with Donald Trump, the nation’s preeminent birther, is enough to cancel out any serious outreach to African-Americans in 2012. Were it not for Isaac, Trump might have hijacked the convention on opening night."

Speaking of celebrity, Frank's column also points out how the right uses the has beens of late 80's SNL members Dennis Miller, Victoria Jackson and Jon Lovitz , while Chris Christie's adoration of rocker Bruce Springsteen is not reciprocated.

Beck's disaffection continues with the establishment right, " The morning after opening night in Tampa, Beck fretted aloud about whether anyone had been watching at all. He was equally nettled by a study showing that conservatives “just don’t do viral stuff.” Saying that the right doesn’t share speeches like Ann Romney’s with friends and that the left does, he asked, “Are we even in the game at this point?” I thought Beck was being histrionic, but my own anecdotal experience that week bore him out: The Twitter feeds I followed of conservative voices, pundits, and institutions generated far less volume and snark than their liberal counterparts. “Got an awesome hug from the convention info lady at the terminal,” read an all-too-typical missive from one of the more prolific conservative tweeters, Jonah Goldberg."

 

 

 

 

 free-loading states for Romney

 

Rush Limbaugh infuriated at the grassroots movement of the right: At the start of convention week, he replayed a Bill Kristol admonition, delivered the day before on Fox News Sunday, that the convention had to advance a positive agenda. “So what he’s basically saying is, ‘Don’t make the convention about bashing Obama,’ ” was how Limbaugh translated Kristol’s advice. He was having none of it. “I think it’s been a trick the Democrats have used for decades, and I’m stunned that our side keeps falling for it,” he said. “The trick is: ‘These Independents don’t like criticism! They don’t like raised voices! They don’t like partisanship! It makes them nervous. And whenever the Republicans get critical of President Obama, these Independents just run right back to the Democrats and vote for them.’ I don’t believe that for a minute!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Micheal Savage was sickened by “the eunuchs in the Republican Party,”. Says Savage (570 the new and more KKKVI) "..“Just what we need … a man who may be president, that he does his own laundry!” after Ann "you people" Romney claimed her husband is just like us going down to the wash house. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Now you understand why the tea-party movement arose, and now you understand why they haven’t even mentioned the tea party … I have no idea what they stand for.” And he was still just warming up. “The Republicans have just dug their own grave,” Savage continued. “Unless Romney gets up there like a man and stops acting like a pocketbook carrier for his wife, he is finished.”

Another bile-filed response came from Mark Levin, "Obama is “a nasty, leftist ideologue” and to say otherwise is to emasculate the Republicans’ case against him. “Do we really have to be driven by focus groups, by Frank Luntz?” he asked. Noting the lousy convention ratings, he added: “If we’re trying to reach out to Reagan Democrats and Independents, apparently a lot of them weren’t watching.” Soon he was taking a call from a Republican election officer who was so put off by the convention that he said he would vote for Romney but not go door-to-door to corral others to do so."

 

Rich points out that the overplaying of the Eastwood video may have done more harm than good by downplaying the anger of the those behind the scenes while relying on “more in sorrow than anger” political strategy.

Frank Rich sums up his adventure in fear and loathing media: "That anger is certain to rage long past Election Day, and if I learned anything in my week strolling around the conservative mind, it was that anyone who sticks to an exclusive diet of lame-stream media is missing the news."

Comments

[Gentlemen Rouge]

Funny stuff, Chris.

John ­McCain as Banquo’s ghost, hummmm, I'd have to think about that one.

[sparky]

Oh My God

That is what Rush gets for blaming the size of his pecker on the wimmins.

[Todd]

Ahhh! It’s the republican rage camper.

"UFO’s want wash D.C. (satan) eliminated and replaced by god"

[Whatever]

I've just been blathered to death. What a hodgepodge of unadulterated crap. Lap it up, my liberal friends, and regurgitate it at this weekend's cocktail party.

[BlackRhino]

Looks like the folks at the AARP doesn’t like the Rmoney plan. I’m guessing Ryan is playing the same game which Mittens performed for the NNCP.
Paul Ryan Booed Throughout AARP Speech
Also: just seen footage of the crowd leaving while Ryan was speaking. Well, I guess it wouldn’t be a normal day in the Rmoney campaign if they aren’t offending someone.

[T-S]

I heard that Idaho was the one northern state in league with all those southern states that were sucking our tax money down their dirty oil-ridden drains. Idaho-ins ought to be ashamed.

While I get the message, the above was somewhat convoluted. Read the original. Rich is a fascinating writer. Although, I'm somewhat underwhelmed at his attributing to Beck anything positive at all.

To repeat something I just posted on the previous thread: Huffpo healing: Democratic-seat surge in senate campaigns. McConnell can blog that out his barracks bag.

Thanks Rhino. I saw that but hadn't read it yet. There's a lot of talk that Ryan could be a double loser on election day!

[T-S]

huffpo headline Sorry

[Observer]

I hope our dearly beloved Hedge Fund Hal (aka: T008) has read this post very carefully so that his bravato about Sir Romney is put into focus. Study the polls my boy and you will see Rome burning for the rich guy. We will retain a liberal Democrat at the reins of this Country, there's no bout a doubt it. Nov 7th could be worse than Dec 21st for some of us. Haha

[sparky]

PoliticusUSA:

"In a CBS 60 Minutes interview with Scott Pelley, Mitt Romney denied that his campaign is in trouble. He seems to believe that if he keeps telling everyone that he’s tied with the President, it will be true. Pelley asked him about the secret video tape of his comments that 47% of Americans are victims who are dependent upon government, and Romney claimed that those comments were him, not his campaign.
Not only does Romney deny that he’s “slipping” in the polls right now, but he now thinks he can sell that his campaign that is selling him as a CEO turnaround Mr. Fix It is not about him.

It sorta makes you long for Sarah Palin.

Mitt Romney is, in fact, trailing in national polls as well as in swing states. Romney is also losing his home states right now by wide margins, and losing his Vice Presidential candidate’s home state. This is not a good thing, as no candidate since 1916 has won the White House while losing their home state.

Congressional Republicans and Republican Governors are running away from Romney, blaming him for their falling poll numbers. The campaign sent Paul Ryan out to soothe the fears of Republicans yesterday, and he told them that out on the trail, the “energy” was high. Indeed it was, as Ryan was booed today at his AARP speech, but I doubt this is the kind of energy he meant.

The Romney campaign also released his 2011 tax returns today, and he included a top sheet of a “summary” of his tax returns for previous years, which has caused political brains to ask “is this a joke”? Had Romney not deferred his deductions, his rate could have been as low as 9.6%, making him one of the 47% that he loathes, but no matter — Romney can always amend his returns after the election and get a big check from Uncle Sam like a good conservative.

No, indeed, Romney isn’t kidding. This is Romney’s idea of an “effective” campaign. If Mitt Romney really believes that, he has no business billing himself as a “turnaround” artist, let alone a good manager. Denial has never been high on the list of attributes for successful business owners.

This announcement that his campaign is fine is as deluded as McCain’s “the fundamentals of the economy are fine” moment. How can someone be running for the leader of the free world and yet be so unwilling to deal with reality? Republicans are wishing Romney could sell Romney off and “turnaround” the Romney campaign sans Romney."

[Finis Hominis]

Good stuff, thanks Sparky. I take it, this will be on 60 minutes this weekend?

[Whatever]

Look at history if you want to know what's going to happen in the future. This is an interesting take, using Gallup data, that points to the weakness of this incumbent's polling numbers.

Historically, Obama Isn't in Strong Shape

[Chris Chronic]

Yes, lets look at history. No candidate who is losing or has lost his home state, Mass, in this case has won the presidency.

[Finis Hominis]

And no Republican who lost Ohio has won the Whitehouse.

[Hustus]

And no African American has won the Whitehouse…wait...what?

[T-S]

The Senate and House are where we need to make some changes.

[Whatever]

Oh my, you don't often see Mr. Chronic respond to comments. Gee, I hope you didn't take my "hodgepodge of unadulterated crap" personally.

I'll place my bet on a historical perspective that is broader than one state.

It's too early for glee or panic. Just sayin'.

[freewheeler]

Via Sparky, via Politico, via CBS.

“Romney is also losing his home states right now by wide margins, and losing his Vice Presidential candidate’s home state. This is not a good thing, as no candidate since 1916 has won the White House while losing their home state.”

[Freedomisntfreeorisit]

1.9 million in taxes paid. Wow. No one here can match that. Romney by a landslide. Sorry Progressives. Obama is a one term president.

[Chris Chronic]

I hate shootin fish in a barrel but yer too easy, w'evr...or is it sumthin else? R$$mny has no chance after getting boo'd at the AARP and the fake tan trying to woo Hispanic voters, ya dig?

[nameless]

"regurgitate it at this weekend's cocktail party."
----------------------------------------
Posted by: Whatever | September 21, 2012 at 03:24 PM

do you mean like Mittens did at his "screw the 47%" cocktail party?

[sparky]

That is about a 14% tax rate. Poor Mitt, he is such a victim of an unfair life.

[Hedge Fund Hal]

Come quick Esmerelda! look at the silly Seattle libbers getting all gloaty and premature about their Dear One's supposed lock on the election, while, as Gallup noted in Whatever's great post and link, dude can't even break fifty percent. hhshahah ha What a gaggle of Silly Willies and Merry Minnies making complete asses of themselves, ths far out from First Tuesday, with , as Gallup noted, not even enough time elapsed yet for the convention bump to fully subside. Anyone who is crowing about certain victory, on either side , at this point in the game, is just a bogus jackass. The cawing and cackling of so many crows, stting on a wire. How's that Mr. Greed narrative workingn for you Binky, after the release of Romney's latest tax returns? My earlier surmise was correct- Romney likes to use whatever legal options he has to minimize his taxes , not to be a cheapsss, but to give himself the financial freedom to generously give back to society the way he sees fit. He actually took only half of the deductions he was entitled to on the four million dollars (30 percent ofhis income) he donated to charity in 2011. hhahaa haha T-S....4 big ones.....Do you really think Mr. Cool would put up with and care for a wife who has MS? Medved said today Barry and Michelle are trying to wrangle a deal together with their rich buddies whereby they get a new 34 million dollar house, post-Pennsylvania Avenue days. Haven't heard to much about Obama's extensive charitable giving. I know his half brother George still lives in the hovel in Nairobi and had to hit up Dinesh Di Souza for 1000 dollars to pay for his child's heart treatment. Maybe First Dude was out on the golf course when George tried to call him? Actually no. George knows not to try to contact him. Brother George is not politically correct in his views, and Obama has written him off as an "undesirable".

[Hedge Fund Hal]

gee Sparky....14% and 30 % makes 44%.....oh no Mr. Bill.....Romney gave back 44% of his money to society in 2011......Oh No .........and you just ordered all those Mr. Greed bumper stickers with AMitt's face on them, for you and your silly libber fiends...oh no Mr. Bill............ohhhh....nooooooo...

[Hedge Fund Hal]

i should say he gave back 44% of his 2011 income, not of his "money"..........

[sparky]

Yes I know the routine. If you are rich and manage to pay few or no taxes, you are being clever and a good businessperson. If you are poor/elderly/disabled and pay no taxes you are a blood sucking tick on the ass of humanity.
We get your point.

[ExPattBrit]

More on Romney at the Univision forum, apparently they had to bus in Romney supporters instead of the students that were supposed to participate.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/how-romney-packed-the-univision-forum

[Hussein for Obama]

Romney is DIW. His campaign is reeling and his releasing his. Tax returns on a Friday at that, means he is worried. Forward.

[ExPattBrit]

1.4 million of the the charitable contributions was for the LDS church.

Organized religion and the way they skim charity $$$ is just like the mob. Don't know why we allow it.

[Hussein for Obama]

And now Willard is calling on Reid to disclose his taxes. Hey Willard, Harry is not running, Obama is.

[Hedge Fund Hal]

First it was the "greedy heartless bastard" narrative ......now that you Silly Willies and Merry Minnies have had your meanspirited fabrication and slander completely destroyed by the real facts (greedy people don't give thirty percent of their annual income away to charities ), i knew you would be reduced to complaining and whining about the charities the man has chosen, with of course The Mormons topping the list. Truly pitiful.

[Hedge Fund Hal]

Apologize to Mitt and Ann , T-S!

[Hedge Fund Hal]

Romney is among the superrich, he's not just rich. Yes, I believe we should give back much more to society as a % of our income than the little people (T-S) do, either by paying a much higher tax rate , or by charitable giving. We have two options. We do not have an obligation to do both. Some super rich, like hotel bitch Leona Helmsley, avoid paying hardly any taxes and arrogantly laugh about it, as they pursue a lifestyle of pure, heartless greed, willing millions to their little dog in the event of their death. Now that's a true very rich scumbag. Romney is not one of those people. He obviously from his days as a very young man, has always had a sense of obligation to society, and in 2011 gave 44% of his annual income to the U.S. Government and various charities. Apparently you people have a problem with the fact that he didn't let the U.S. Governement dictate where ALL that 44% would go. I do not.

[Hedge Fund Hal]

Aparently, you Romney haters here, through your slavish , mindless devotion to the hate-filled, sneering slandermongers on MSNBC and the wackjob libber columnists you read, took the bait and embarked on a fool's errand of trying to attack Romney on his character (the "greedy heartless bastard" narrative) instead of on his policy positions. hahahah You now are seeing that this road you have chosen has led you to a futile, bitter dead end and you find yourselves standing in front of a high wall of bricks, reduced to petty, pusillanimous whining and carping.bwahahahaahahaahaah

[Hedge Fund Hal]

no T-S. Romney's fellow Mormon Reid should now put up or shut up. He's the one who opened his big mouth about a how a little bird told him the Obama hadn't paid any taxes for ten years, not Obama. What a disgustng, slanderous little scumbag and poltroon, with a two inch "woodpecker".

[Hedge Fund Hal for T-S posing as Hussein]

should read - "opened his big mouth about how Romney hadn't paid any taxes"..........mot Obama

[Hedge Fund Hal]

"An extremely wealthy candidate, oblivious to mainstream America"...i disagree that he 's "oblivious" to mainstream America .. he's certainly much smarter than the average "mainstream" American.....we need a president who is smart, that can fix the economy, not one who cannot and will not , but is a laff riot to have a beer with........

[Observer]

November 7th, my friend will NOT be a good day for you. Get over it.

[Hedge Fund Hal]

hahahaa the Romney hater regulars here (T-S, Observer, etc) , are no retreating back to "default mode", employing hackneyed, teenager type cliches such as "get over it"

[Observer]

I hate no one, my friend but I'm realistic enough to realize that this country is in love with our President and the 1st family. Barring any unforseen shoes dropping(in that regard) Pres Obama is a GO for four more years.
Can you dig it.

[Hedge Fund Hal]

i guess your country no longer includes white males , who are more than 60/40 against Obama and for Romney. White males are not "in love" with Obama and his family. hahhhahaaaaaaaa. Dude has less support now in the country than in 2008, something he has admitted himself , in a closed door meeting with supporters. You're delusional, not realistic.

[ExPattBrit]

Intrade has Willy Mittens at 29%, he's done.

[Erictheeditor]

I'm an old whoite male and I love Obama.

53% of the voters loved him in 2008. 51% this time around would be good enough.

Fewer people may "love" Obama now but very few people "like" Romney.

[Hedge Fund Hal]

A lot of people respect Romney and like him enough, although not passionately. You certainly are not going to get an accurate picture of how many people like Romney if you live in the Seattle Metro area. People here live in a big Dem/lib bubble, and really have no perception of how the country at large thinks. That's all right. Keep kidding yourself,and lowballing how much support Romney has in the entire country....all the bigger shock you will have come First Tuesday. We don't need your votes because this state will never vote Repub for President.

[proud American]

A lot of people think Rmoney is shit, after the made the embassy shooting political instead of pulling the country together.

[Hedge Fund Hal]

I see a lot of silly "premature congratulation" and denial, especially in Eric's post, on here. Eric thinks that Obama will eke out a close victory with less support than last time. History just doesn't support that. If he does eke through, it will be an historic fist. Number of U.S. Presidents who have won re-election with LESS support in the second election than in the first- Zero. Medved tells us this in his new book The Odds Against Obama.........

[Hedge Fund Hal]

"I'm an old white male and I love Obama-"....... and?....this is significant why?...this is a statistical game of cold numbers , Johnson, not a personal testimonial game..this sentence reminds of the people hwo poohpooh polls because " no one has ever polled me"..... Seattle is one of the few areas in the country where Obama just may be ekeing out a tiny lead among white males....but, actually I doubt that he is even ahead in this city.....it's that bad..........

[retired]

Hedge Fun Hal...you are trying too hard and too often. Your points are pointless and your words meaningless. You are so silly!

[Hedge Fund Hal]

hhaahahahahaah ..."pointless posts " meaningless words" ... ..."too often"..."trying too hard"....."so silly"...... typing it's so doesn't make it so, ....so far all ive read is gratuitous cheapshots...care to offer any input of substance on the political debate, Mr. Critique?...if not,you're wasting your time because i dont give two craps what you think of the frequency of my posts or their content, Johnson.....care to offer something of substance to the political debate?....put up or shutup, Johnson ...no one gives a crap what you think of my posts...even the people that like Obama...

[Gentlemen Rouge]

Herman Cain on why he would be a better candidate than Mittens.

“The reason is quite simple: I have some depth to my ideas,”(The infighting is outrageous, but predictable)

Herman would also like to take his place in the possible Rmoney administration, maybe a foil to Al Sharpton in the “pie” fighting.