The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Please help me with this: I want to explain to moderates why they shouldn't vote Republican

    By erica20 on Tue, 10/30/2012 - 12:50pm |

    Ok gang I know this might be a fool's errand but humor me here.

    I have spent a lot of time thinking about why any reasonably moderate person would still believe that voting Republican is a good idea. Here's my latest theory.

    I think that Republicans must believe that Mitt's constant shifting gears represents some sort of underlying pragmatism, and that if Mitt could take advantage of all those moneymaking opportunities to rack up his personal fortune, he must be the right guy to get America out of this recession. They believe that once he's president, he'll use his underlying good judgment to make reasonable decisions.

    Of course, I think they're wrong about this. But what's the best way to say it briefly and respectfully, say in the space of a Facebook status update?

    Comments

    I'm not a fan of generalized appeals to vote for a candidate on FB.  If someone is a FB friend of mine it's because I know them, have actually met them FTF and had conversations with them.  So I feel I'm better off, if I am going to talk to them about their vote, to approach them individually and based on anything I know about their concerns and beliefs, rather than just trying to foist my concerns and views on them.

    If I were going to put out a general appeal to folks who see themselves as moderates, not knowing anything in particular about where your FB friends happen to live, what their concerns and beliefs are, etc., I'd probably stress some version of these two points:

    *Romney's approach to economic policy is essentially the same as Bush's.  During Bush's time in office we had something extremely rare by US historical standards: basically zero net job growth.  At the same time we also went from a budget surplus to exploding the deficit.  If we like that track record with modern-day Republican party economic policy we should elect Romney/Ryan.  I'm guessing most self-described moderates would not find going back down that road terribly appealing.

    *Recovery from financial sector meltdowns simply takes longer than recovery from other types of recessions.  (The best recent backup on this is one probably no one will actually want to delve into--the seminal Reinhart and Rogoff study that was written up in their book This Time is Different.)  We *are* moving in the right direction.  Official unemployment got into double digits in the wake of the 2007-2008 financial meltdown that Obama inherited and had nothing to do with causing.  It is coming down, most recently to 7.8%.  It would be a tragedy if we were at this point to opt for the approach which we have tried and which has failed miserably in our recent past.

    I'm sure that you can be more succinct and clear and pungent than that, Erica!

     


    by AmericanDreamer on Tue, 10/30/2012 - 2:01pm

    I think that there are two points of attack available here.

    First, list all of the neo-cons who are official advisors of Romney as far as foreign policy and quote them. Bolton is satanic for crying out loud. Something like 15 of 22 of Mitt's foreign policy advisors worked in w's administration

    If Mitt is elected we are going to war in most probably three countries; we will find ourselves back in Iraq and in Afghanistan forever. And we will find ourselves in Iran and maybe even Syria.

    Second, just keep quoting from the Ryan budget. Tie that sumbitch to Ryan!

    That is not just a sales pitch for Obama; I really believe this sales pitch and so do many many others.

    And with the House staying repub...Mitt will get what he wants.

    A thousand points of darkness shall descend over the land.

     


    by Richard Day on Tue, 10/30/2012 - 2:18pm

    Thanks guys. This will help--I want it to be a very short, respectful request to consider whether it's really possible to be a moderate republican and vote for the republican party as it exists today.

    What do you think about the theory that Republicans believe (against the evidence, mind you) that Mitt and guys like him are secretly pragmatic geniuses unencumbered by ideological constraints? I see it as the only reason that someone "moderate" would still be voting Republican. 

    (I have many Republican friends who are not religious nuts or bigots and I gotta say, I just don't get why they still support the party.)


    by erica20 on Tue, 10/30/2012 - 2:28pm

    Lazy folks like me appreciate slide shows Erica.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/paul-ryan-budget-fema_n_2040878...

    This is a pretty good analysis of Ryan's plan on huffpo of all places.

    Not a bad link.


    by Richard Day on Tue, 10/30/2012 - 4:23pm

    I think that Republicans must believe that Mitt's constant shifting gears represents some sort of underlying pragmatism...

    This about sums it up, the only thing I would add is the those "independents" who lean Republican.  My personal belief is that 80% of self-identified independents lean to one party or another, pretty much evenly split.  In other words, they say they are independent, but they vote 9 out of 10 times for the candidate for with the appropriate letter next to their names.

    Those who lean to the R are looking for a reason to vote for Romney.  He reassures them with his pivot.  He's not a crazy as I thought he was.

    Just as those who lean to Obama are just searching for the reason to vote Obama - he cares about the middle class more, etc.

    Both sides see their candidate as the pragmatic leader.  In fact, unlike any election in recent memory, pragmatism is taking a lead quality. 

    What one says on the campaign trail is irrelevant, because it is all in the name of the outcome - getting control of the White House.


    by Elusive Trope on Tue, 10/30/2012 - 8:41pm

    This may help .(or maybe not) The comments are more lucid than the post.

    by jollyroger on Wed, 10/31/2012 - 12:05am

    This is shorter and maybe less offensive. Plus, almost everyone.will have a loved one in on death row in a nursing home someday.

    by jollyroger on Wed, 10/31/2012 - 12:20am

    LUCID?

    Now Jolly is lucid?

    I mean Jolly is appraising lucidness?

    hahahahahaahah


    by Richard Day on Wed, 10/31/2012 - 12:20am

    Jolly, I will look at this closely. Thank you. 


    by erica20 on Thu, 11/01/2012 - 1:55am

    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Inglis a cautionary tale of the one Republican. who refuted my post. a good example of what is empowered by a Romney vote...

    by jollyroger on Fri, 11/02/2012 - 12:10am