House of Eratosthenes

I’m seeing a lot of “Woe is us” kvetching and whining cropping up around the sphere in the last few days. Powerline’s got a dose of this social media disease (SMD). Pajamas has a dose. Rove and Krauthammer are probably close to Patient Zero when it comes to the origin of the dose. Innumerable others have a dose. And now they all seek to “give a dose to the ones they love most” — fellow Republicans and the American people.

The SMD in question is the sudden onset of the “Oh, God, we’ve got nothing but losers to run for President in 2012” syndrome as they wander about the echoing warehouse of their traditional and perennial candidates and see… well, they see losers. And these clear and present losers constitute a collection of schmos that cannot be seen to be able to beat the New and Improved Obama that has emerged in the last week or so, phoenix-life, from the ashes of Tucson.

Wasn’t it only yesterday that many of these same doughnuts were dropping their pundit kibble around the idea that “Hey, Hillary could beat this guy!” Why yes, I do believe it was just about only yesterday. Today we’re back to the “This bozo is unbeatable.”

Gerard carries weighty words deserving of respect. Three years ago, this Fred Thompson fan was nursing his wounds and Gerard was one of the people pointing out the obvious — McCain is the guy, like it or not, and everyone who can see what’s happening needs to get behind him. Not that I ever agreed with that; I still don’t. At least not with too much enthusiasm. But give him credit for being consistent on this position, and the position makes better sense today.

Not to mention any names, but there are certain other people who were trying to talk some sense into Yours Truly back then — and seem to have flip-flopped now. Someone will emerge…someday…but the current lot is hopeless, so let’s just keep wishing.

The wisdom we need now is Rumsfeldian: You send the incumbent communist president home with the challenger you have. Obama is beatable. As much as any president who has ever presided over a crappy economy…but not with this agenda-driven, or not-agenda-driven, weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth going forth, pining away for the challenger the country does not have. And it bears repeating one more time: The unenlightened snowbilly chick is not yet among the challengers we have. If you’re complaining that she shouldn’t be running, do you understand that you don’t have a complaint yet? And if you don’t get that, then why am I listening to your opinion again?

What are these bozos trying to sell? Some of them are forthcoming about it. Most aren’t. They just drone on and on with that word that begins with “U”, toward what purpose I do not know…

Time for a re-definition.

“Unqualified”: An adjective we attach to people who tell the truth without using a bunch of bullshit euphemisms.

Quite right. The only thing that´s keeping Obama afloat at all is the media and they will keep doing that. But what else does he have? He is so vulnerable on so many fronts, it is ridiculous. That is true even if the economy improves (which we should all hope for).

Obama´s ability to speak and debate is overrated. He has never ever been smacked in the mouth (rhetorically of course) and kept off balance. McCain certainly didn´t do it, but it wouldn´t be hard. Not with so much ammo around. The man is a careless liar and that has also never been exploited.

We have more than one competent, eloquent and conservative candidate who might do it. And we need only one.

What we don´t need is the self-destructive whining of “conservatives” who apparently want to make the liberals job easier. Palin is so uncouth! Romney is so mormon! Daniels is so boring! Bolton has a mustache! And on the other hand, every one who doesn´t serve red meat 24/7 is a RINO even if he is, say, a proven, 2 term fiscal hawk evangelical governor. It´s always something.
- El Gordo | 01/29/2011 @ 20:05
“Unqualified”: An adjective we attach to people who tell the truth without using a bunch of bullshit euphemisms.

You betcha.
- bpenni | 01/30/2011 @ 09:40
You know, maybe it is late enough we can lay the groundwork for a truce between the fans & non-fans of you-know-who. The most likely thing that would make that necessary is: She comes out and says “I’m not running. Burn!”

After I got done laughing at David Frum, Karl Rove and you…in a day or so…I think the next thing that would need to happen is a unifying list of these qualifications. I’ll just throw out some I would find agreeable:

1. If the candidate ever ducked & covered behind the “oh I do agree global warming is a serious problem” defense…at least, after the UEA e-mail scandal…he’s out;
2. Didn’t support the stimulus, or any form of Keynesian economics, in any way;
3. Rejects the popular notion that WMDs were critical to justifying the invasion of Iraq;
4. A Chris-Christie attitude toward the teachers-unions problems;
5. Recognizes that the environmental movement has become a watermelon movement, green on the outside and red on the inside;
6. Willing to talk about Jeremiah Wright, and other mistakes Holy Man has made;
7. Ready, willing and able to stand up for the virtues and successes of free enterprise…

…et cetera. In sum, we need to agree not to support these calculating types, the kind who persevere by going with where the wind is blowing. I see them as going up against some sacred cow, like the National Education Association for example…and then showing off their “smarts” by turning around and confronting their own supporters with a “look, let’s just roll with this thing okay?”

To be frank about it: I think Palin is “unqualified” in the eyes of folks like you because she isn’t “smart” enough to do that. Which means neither is any other leader who really might do some good there…you’ve been very classy with your objections here, Buck, always sticking with the “she’s a nice lady & all I just don’t think she belongs there” — staying away from the hate. Well done. The next step is to convince people like me that you’re not just after one of these slick, gutless, go-along-to-get-along types.

They aren’t going to clean up the mess. I can pretty well promise that. I can’t promise Palin would, either, but if the next guy in charge can’t say “Oh, you really hate me and I don’t care!” then that next guy is not what we need right now. We’re not ready to be unified as a country, and someone’s going to have to get pissed off. Might as well make it the people who want the country to be poorer & less successful.
- mkfreeberg | 01/30/2011 @ 10:12

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Bringing a Beatdown to the Republicans Who Thirst For DeathSaturday, January 29th, 2011

Bringing a Beatdown to the Republicans Who Thirst For Death
Saturday, January 29th, 2011