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In Sausalito overlooking S.F. Bay with my uncle, Lucky Strike nonfilters and a case of Bud. Those splendid days are long gone.

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« It ... is ... over | Main | The Ryan Effect »

August 11, 2012

Comments

AnneJ

Am I the only one who thinks the veep debate will be more exciting than the Presidential debates this year?

Peter G

The eternal dilemma again presents itself, whether or not to go for quanity in broad appeal and hope they vote.or to concentrate on the most committed on the assurance that they will vote. The first option stopped being an option some time ago I think. Or, at least, an option with a high probability of success.
I am not sure Romney is all that immersed in right wing ideology. His almost unique political flexibility pretty much proves that point. It may be that his business experience has taught him that anything, properly marketed, can be sold. If so, I think he is about to learn a truly hard lesson. There are a great many more legal restraints about what Coke can say about Pepsi, and vice versa, than you will find in any election. And Romney is a finance guy. He hired marketers.

MinneapolisPipe

Sometimes you make your own luck.

If you look back over the past two years, you will see that Obama very deliberately elevated Paul Ryan's status (see Ryan Lizza's profile of Ryan in the New Yorker).

The "base", reflexively or intentionally, then made him their savior.

And now with the Bain attacks and the Ryan plan, Obama is ready for the TKO. Amazing for a president with over 8% unemployment.

That is not luck. It is patient, ruthless cunning.

This is all you'll ever need to know about Barack Obama:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcGvJGmF4gQ

William Caulfield

"...Nixonianly drips paranoia..."

I love the phrase, but would have gone with "drips Nixonian paranoia."

There will be some great books coming out next year explaining the upcoming election. Most of the drafts will be titled "It Wasn't My Fault."

Lisa Lewis

While most successful people and even not so successful people might attribute some of their good fortune to luck, I don't like it when journalists and pundits try to explain away or minimize PBO's success by attributing it to luck. What he has accomplished in this racist country was by no means easy or because of luck. Look at the senate. There are no black senators right now. We have one black governor. It is virtually impossible for black people to win elections statewide let alone nation wide and it's not like we've ever had a black president before or even expected to have one at this time. PBO is a highly intelligent, confident, skilled, strategic and gifted politician. I forget who said it but, "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." And PBO has spent a lifetime preparing for this opportunity.

The so-called "smart" Republicans knew that no matter what shape the economy was in PBO would be a formidable candidate PERIOD and what self-respecting, entitled white guy wants to join McCain in the "We lost to the black guy" club. Only the loons, buffoons and the completely oblivious chose to seek the Republican nomination to run against PBO. So, it's not luck; it's his political prowess that kept his would-be legitimate challengers on the sidelines and allowed only the deluded and idiotic to pursue this fool's errand.

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Beauzeaux

I agree with Lisa. In sports, it's the black guy with "natural talent" and the white guy who "works hard."
The President Obama meme is that he's "lucky."
However, Benjamin Franklin said "Diligence is the mother of good luck." Or, in its modern version, the harder I work, the luckier I get.
Barack Obama did not get where he is by good fortune. Brains, diligence, and an understanding of politics are more likely.

Beauzeaux

--There will be some great books coming out next year explaining the upcoming election. Most of the drafts will be titled "It Wasn't My Fault." --

Yhe book with the perfect title has already been written: "Mistakes Were Made, but Not by Me."

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