NYT: Flubs Are Rubbing Some Republicans the Wrong Way

[babylonsister]

Flubs Are Rubbing Some Republicans the Wrong Way

Travis Dove for The New York Times

Miscues have bedeviled Representative Michele Bachmann, participating in a Veterans Day parade.
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
Published: November 15, 2011


The Republican presidential candidates have served comedians a full platter of laughs this year — a steady diet of gaffes, misstatements, puzzled looks and long, awkward pauses.

To a remarkable degree, the candidates have turned the cringe-inducing moments to their advantage, asserting that they demonstrate an authenticity different from the slick professionalism of politicians in Washington.

But the embarrassing moments are piling up, and some veteran Republicans are beginning to wonder whether the cumulative effect weakens the party brand, especially in foreign policy and national security, where Republicans have typically dominated Democrats.

“It is an ‘Animal House.’ It’s a food fight,” said Kenneth Duberstein, a chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan. “Honestly, the Republican debates have become a reality show. People have to be perceived as being capable of governing this country, of being the leader of the free world.”

Even before his “oops” moment in one of the debates last week, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas stumbled his way through an answer about Pakistan and nuclear weapons. Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has offered a series of historical goofs. And after mistakenly saying China does not have nuclear weapons, Herman Cain on Monday painfully gave an answer to a question about Libya in which he all but acknowledged having little grasp of the military actions that took place there.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/us/politics/candidates-gaffes-dismay-some-republicans.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

[JoePhilly]

1. The GOP is out of ideas. Its an empty husk. The entire party is collapsing.

[Laelth]

6. I wish they'd hurry up about it. n/t

-Laelth

[barbtries]

8. they'd already be gone

if the fucking media, or what passes for media in this country, didn't insist on holding them up. this may be sacrilegious, but i'm even getting tired of rachel maddow constantly reporting on almost nothing but republican politics.

[JoePhilly]

11. The media needs conflict , conflict in which either of the 2 sides has a chance to win.

The GOP should be dead, but if it dies, the media does not have a conflict to cover.

I think that this is why the media, right and left, spends most of its time on 2 diametrically opposed versions of what I call the "Obama Bad message".

Version #1 of the Obama Bad message. This is one comes from (or is framed by)the right wing, and it claims that Obama is a Kenyan, secret Muslim, Atheist, Commie, Socialist, Fascist, Racist, who kills babies, hates America, and lovers terrorists.

Version #2 of the Obama Bad message. This one comes from (or is framed by) the left wing, and it claims that Obama is corporatist, secret Republican, war monger, in the pocket of wall street, who loves the rich, hates the poor, despises Unions, hates teachers, and has a super secret plan to kill social security and medicare.

As I said, these two narratives are almost total opposites. But they do share one common "core message", and that core message is "Obama Bad".

And so, the media brings on pundits from the right and left, and they debate each other on WHICH Obama Bad narrative is the true one.

The goal of this is to tighten the election.

Folks on the right, internalize Version #1, they embrace it, and it motivates them to vote.

Some on the left, internalize Version #2, they embrace it, and they decide that there is no reason to vote.

The intent all along was to increase right wing turn out, and decrease left wing turn out.

Which keeps the contest close, which gives the media something to cover and hyperventilate over.

They care about the fight, not the outcome.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

14. Well put

:thumbsup:

[ThoughtCriminal]

20. Only partially right

The corporations that own the media most definitely cares about the outcome.

[barbtries]

21. i agree

which is actually said in the post. either narrative is obama bad.

[JoePhilly]

22. True to a point ... but as we can see in how they donate to campaigns ...

they hedge their bets.

In 2008, I'm pretty sure that corporations considered McCain, but decided he was so out of touch on basically everything, the corporations were in no rush to get behind him.

This time around, when Mitt wins the GOP nomination, they will accelerate their efforts on the points I raised.

Currently, the GOP candidates are all crazy psychos, and so the corporations are biding their time. They can't go all in on the GOP candidates and then have Ron Paul win. They need Mitt, or Perry.

Once that happens, the media will add a new message .... Mitt is awesome.

So the 2 versions of "Obama Bad" will probably continue, and then be supplemented with a "Mitt is great" message.

[AlinPA]

15. But they keep winning elections, especially in PA (sad sigh)...

[JoePhilly]

16. I've said this many times ... but I did not say it first ... PA is ....

Pitt to the west, Philly to the East, and Alabama in between.

I grew up in PA, I've been all over the state.

PA could have its own civil war.

[AlinPA]

18. Yep, but the Alabama is spreading here in W.PA.

[FSogol]

2. They should double the number of debates.

:rofl:

[opihimoimoi]

3. Its in the WATER...something is making the GOPers go CRAZY

No one noes what???

Its the crayfish...sumpthin bout them 'dads

[toddwv]

10. Nah. These ring-wing nutters have always been fringe crazy.

Now the corporate-owned media gives them a free pass on their dangerous ideas and most Americans are ridiculously gullible.

[opihimoimoi]

19. The WAR On IGNORANCE has been costly and by all accounts Reason Logic getting Killed

Its Time to Reject Fantasy and accept the only Path toward THE GOOD LIFE....That of having POSITIVITY IN YOUR HEART

[wyldwolf]

4. It's like players from a farm team coming up to the majors

They're stars in their home towns but quickly find they're out of their league when they hit the national scene.

[The Wizard]

5. When all you have to offer is

tax cuts for the wealthy elites and bombs as foreign policy, a coherent message is for others.

[barbtries]

7. what is the party brand at this point?

i would seriously be embarrassed and ashamed to be a republican right about now. they are not about anything having to do with the good of the people of the united states of america, that is obvious. many of them are stupid, ignorant, and apparently proud of it. and hypocrisy? don't even get me started.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. Are they really "flubs"

or is it just a matter that maybe (just maybe) that they are finally being exposed as liars, hypocrites, uncritical thinkers, ignoramuses, and, most importantly, people with no ideas (certainly not positive ones) on how to govern the country to the benefit of ALL Americans? :shrug:

The GOP are great at obstructing and demonizing other people's ideas, policies, etc. and practically getting their opponents tarred and feathered but they are totally empty when it comes to providing (real) alternative solutions to complex problems. Remember how, during the health care reform *debate*, they kept demanding that everybody just start all over with a blank piece of paper? When it comes to governing, that's pretty much all they have- well, that and, of course, taxcutscutspendingeliminateregulationsprivatize...................

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

12. Republicans are constantly getting embarrassed at their own leaders

but they don't seem to learn from the experience. Look at how they rejected their own fearless leader, George Bush. They don't trot him out to support their policies or candidates. They virtually prevented him from coming anywhere near the 2008 convention. Palin was their big hero, but her support now is very weak. Same with Trump. Same with Perry. Same with Bachmann. Cain is heading in that direction. Democrats don't seem to get embarrassed at their leaders and keep them around, like Clinton and Carter (perhaps with the exception of Edwards). Republicans seem to have wild love affairs with certain candidates and then leave them in the road like lovers who suddenly awaken from their fantasies about someone. Haven't Republicans realized yet that the reason they keep getting disappointed in love is because their taste in lovers just plain sucks?

[BeyondGeography]

13. "Some Republicans are beginning to wonder whether the cumulative effect weakens the party brand."

Ya think?

[southernyankeebelle]

17. Look no further than John McCain when he put up Sarah Palin the

most unqualified person to run as VP. The Palin republicans are very proud to be "D" students. They all like sitting around having beer and shooting moose and talking the shit. Dumbing down and the regular republicans allowed the baggers to take over your party.