tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post3699009825557954653..comments2024-03-10T09:24:45.565+02:00Comments on Dispatches from Vilnius: Mr. Romney Goes to WashingtonJames Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-67045132255014227602012-02-08T18:32:15.118+02:002012-02-08T18:32:15.118+02:00Santorum would fair about as well in a general ele...Santorum would fair about as well in a general election as Gingrich. The Republicans are really shooting themselves in the foot in this campaign.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-62628270886844117702012-02-08T17:23:39.764+02:002012-02-08T17:23:39.764+02:00And it makes headlines even though it's just a...And it makes headlines even though it's just a proforma activity in Missouri (an expensive one for the state, though). All this positive news has to be good for Santorum's campaign.avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-27469602556406452672012-02-08T17:12:09.054+02:002012-02-08T17:12:09.054+02:00Apparently most people didn't show much intere...Apparently most people didn't show much interest in these caucuses and primary until the results were announced,<br /><br />"Not only was the Missouri vote a "beauty contest," binding no delegates, but the turnout there was less than 6 percent of the voting-age population — a paltry number for a statewide primary." <br /><br />http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-60249254476224317952012-02-08T16:34:51.669+02:002012-02-08T16:34:51.669+02:00That was quite an upset -- I've been a loyal f...That was quite an upset -- I've been a loyal follower of all of this until Nevada. And then I sort of lost interest. I was surprised to see the headlines this a.m. Looks like they might have a race to the bottom on their hands in the Republican party. <br /><br />To be honest, Santorum scares me more than Mitt because his beliefs are so extreme. And yet if you heard his speech in Iowa or avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-76761046136132551292012-02-08T08:45:01.456+02:002012-02-08T08:45:01.456+02:00Looks like Mr. Romney got caught looking ahead,
h...Looks like Mr. Romney got caught looking ahead,<br /><br />http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/voting-underway-colorado-early-results-coming-minnesota-missouri-023723997.html<br /><br />You figure Mitt would have at least taken Colorado.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-85637205147824297302012-02-06T23:31:21.343+02:002012-02-06T23:31:21.343+02:00Romney needs to put his rivals to rest soon, as th...Romney needs to put his rivals to rest soon, as the attacks are having an adverse cumulative effect on him,<br /><br />The public by 53-36 percent, a 17-point margin, thinks Obama better understands the economic problems people are having. Obama leads Romney by 55-37 percent in trust to better protect the interests of the middle class, and remarkably, by 10 points, 52-42 percent, in trust to James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-3328100159495012932012-02-06T15:34:31.564+02:002012-02-06T15:34:31.564+02:00There is one good thing about this long drawn out ...There is one good thing about this long drawn out highly broadcast primary season that even Fox News can't counter since viewers see for themselves what these people really believe (from Ezra Klein at the Post):<br /><br />The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll shows President Obama's approval rating has risen to 50 percent and he's opened up a six-point lead against Mitt Romney. Inavrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-69284334603637209202012-02-06T15:30:57.084+02:002012-02-06T15:30:57.084+02:00Let's hope so! Seems like he is not so intere...Let's hope so! Seems like he is not so interested in putting an ideologue on the bench, but rather someone who can bring a more modest human-based approach to the law. If he could counter some of the real crazies on the supreme court, he'd be doing the country a real favor. (He'd actually make a great judge himself at some point.)avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-10212895694728117562012-02-06T12:39:12.131+02:002012-02-06T12:39:12.131+02:00This is the Republicans' biggest fear,
http:/...This is the Republicans' biggest fear,<br /><br />http://news.yahoo.com/obama-could-alter-stance-federal-appeals-courts-145337583.htmlJames Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-89932545860285167522012-02-06T08:10:48.688+02:002012-02-06T08:10:48.688+02:00If nothing else, you would think the GOP'ers h...If nothing else, you would think the GOP'ers have figured out how well Keynesian economics works with the military. It is a huge entirely subsidized industry. Energy and agriculture also rely to a large degree on subsidies. Yet, they would make us think that their rhetorical free market capitalism with no government subsidies or regulations is the only thing that makes America strong. James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-79983459268374401522012-02-05T22:24:42.271+02:002012-02-05T22:24:42.271+02:00I don't think it has anything to do with the e...I don't think it has anything to do with the economy. They are going to continue to go after him personally and with the billions at their disposal, they might yet be successful. <br /><br />I read a really interesting book awhile back on Keynes and Hayek -- using the two men to flesh out the conflict between the two schools of economic thought. Although the author sometimes shows some avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-20568048591978295562012-02-05T20:32:01.081+02:002012-02-05T20:32:01.081+02:00What gets me is this continued berating of Obama. ...What gets me is this continued berating of Obama. Have any of these guys even looked at the recent economic figures. Unemployment continues to go down. Production continues to rise. As Sullivan noted in his article, it does indeed seem that Obama has played the "long game" about as well as you can play it, and you are going to see an ever more desperate Romney try to paint Obama in James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-79004085455479860782012-02-05T20:28:36.483+02:002012-02-05T20:28:36.483+02:00Don't count on it, av. We thought we were in ...Don't count on it, av. We thought we were in for a mild winter with temps above freezing well into December, but it seems it just came late. No sign of this cold front lifting anytime soon. Looks like the kids will stay home from school tomorrow as well.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-80667368134702884932012-02-05T15:36:31.880+02:002012-02-05T15:36:31.880+02:00How anyone could vote for any of them is beyond me...How anyone could vote for any of them is beyond me, but I only live in this country. I no longer claim to understand it.<br /><br />(It was once -60 F in Montana -- only -50 or so in town -- but I think those days are over.)avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-51588327229659151182012-02-05T09:20:21.917+02:002012-02-05T09:20:21.917+02:00Very cold week, av. It was as low as -27 C, which...Very cold week, av. It was as low as -27 C, which is way too cold for my tastes. But, ice fishermen should be happy. The lakes are finally frozen over.<br /><br />I see the Mormon won Nevada. No big surprise, although I thought Ron Paul would get more support out West. Interesting, how he polls well at the beginning of each election cycle, but can't sustain any momentum through the James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-23677609049265314962012-02-05T05:05:12.096+02:002012-02-05T05:05:12.096+02:00Gintaras, how's the weather where you are? We...Gintaras, how's the weather where you are? We've had a balmy winter other than three days when it didn't stop snowing. <br /><br />I just saw Vilnius on the weather map at -24. Even at "c" that's still cold!avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-16685663553865270962012-02-04T09:04:46.046+02:002012-02-04T09:04:46.046+02:00Romney as a religious icon!Romney as a religious icon!James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-25653636448725187182012-02-04T00:34:20.737+02:002012-02-04T00:34:20.737+02:00Now I get the framed picture in the background. I...Now I get the framed picture in the background. It's a rectangular halo.Rick Diguettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09556088192579865532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-58665713207897530472012-02-04T00:01:27.085+02:002012-02-04T00:01:27.085+02:00A little crooked -- good one.
I had noticed the ...A little crooked -- good one. <br /><br />I had noticed the picture frame too and wondered if they had pulled the desk away from the wall a bit which would make the wall appear to recede in the background. I also like the cute cheerleader photo of his wife on the desk. <br /><br />There's something a little off all the way around with that picture, but then there's something a little avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-80055210465119975062012-02-03T06:57:03.629+02:002012-02-03T06:57:03.629+02:00It does look a little crooked. Maybe the artist wa...It does look a little crooked. Maybe the artist was trying to say something?James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-37993376443513179362012-02-03T05:42:55.595+02:002012-02-03T05:42:55.595+02:00Is it just an optical illusion or is that picture ...Is it just an optical illusion or is that picture behind Romney a little crooked?Rick Diguettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09556088192579865532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-71712624423211276172012-02-03T05:32:56.337+02:002012-02-03T05:32:56.337+02:00Although it's almost impossible to be a modera...Although it's almost impossible to be a moderate in the Republican party, Romney's embrace of right wing nonsense is incredibly transparent.Rick Diguettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09556088192579865532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-26211415466371957092012-02-02T20:52:13.434+02:002012-02-02T20:52:13.434+02:00Well, he is unemployed as he likes to say ...Well, he is unemployed as he likes to say ...avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-65261642154644132002012-02-02T17:33:57.605+02:002012-02-02T17:33:57.605+02:00His whole campaign is kind of sad when you think a...His whole campaign is kind of sad when you think about it. This guy hasn't stopped running for President since 2007. He commissioned this portrait in 2009, after his failed first bid for the WH. He's also gone out of his way to distance himself from his record as governor in Massachusetts. Little wonder given how it is assailed by his "conservative" challengers at every turn.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-42238178938568041282012-02-02T16:23:11.412+02:002012-02-02T16:23:11.412+02:00Nothing like trying to make yourself look like the...Nothing like trying to make yourself look like the president. Kind of sad when you think about it.avrdshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07997163948247445009noreply@blogger.com