Halloween Open Thread [10.31.12]

Filed in National by on October 31, 2012

An instant Kavipsian Classic: Painting Delaware Liberal as Bain in a takeover of Delaware Politics to explain how Mitt Romney and Bain made moment. Go read the whole thing.

Maureen Dowd at The New York Times:

Gov. Chris Christie, the fleece-wearing, order-barking Neptune of the Jersey Shore, was all over TV Tuesday, effusively praising the president for his luminous leadership on Hurricane Sandy, the same president he mocked last week at a Romney rally in Virginia as a naif groping to find “the light switch of leadership.” […]

Rather than campaigning, which he finds draining, the president was in the Oval calling a Republican to work things out. But this time, unlike with John Boehner at a fateful moment, a flattered Christie took Obama’s calls. While Romney campaigns in Florida Wednesday, Christie and Obama plan to tour storm damage in New Jersey, a picture of bipartisanship, putting distressed people above dirt-slinging politics.

McCay Coppins reports the last-minute decision by Romney campaign to suspend politics while Hurricane Sandy raged sent aides in Ohio scrambling to convert a scheduled victory rally into an apolitical “storm relief event.”

“But the last-minute nature of the call for donations left some in the campaign concerned that they would end up with an empty truck. So the night before the event, campaign aides went to a local Wal Mart and spent $5,000 on granola bars, canned food, and diapers to put on display while they waited for donations to come in, according to one staffer. (The campaign confirmed that it ‘did donate supplies to the relief effort,’ but would not specify how much it spent.)”

A memo obtained by NewsChannel5 in Florida from a Republican adviser in West Palm Beach, Florida says that the Democratic turnout effort is “cleaning our clock.” The memo says, “The early and absentee turnout is starting to look more troubling.”

First Read: “Given how close this election is, it won’t be surprising if the losing side ends up blaming Sandy, whether it’s fair or not. You could argue that Sandy has both elevated the president and stopped the momentum narrative for Romney. But you could also contend that Sandy has kept the president off the campaign trail for at least three days. Just like Kerry partisans blamed bin Laden video in ’04, Bush folks blamed the DUI story in ’00 and McCain folks blamed Lehman collapse in ’08, Sandy will get the blame from the losing side, period.”

Charlie Cook notes that Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, “which once looked like they were slipping more into the Romney orbit, have pulled back to essentially even-money contests.” From Chris Cizzilla:

“That conventional wisdom has led many… to conclude that Ohio is now the single most important state in the country when it comes to Mitt Romney’s electoral math. But, without Florida and Virginia, Romney may never get to the point, electorally speaking, where Ohio becomes makes or break.”

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  1. jack says:

    Apparently Alex Pires is dressing up as a US Senate Candidate this Halloween
    http://vimeo.com/52414308

  2. Jason330 says:

    Jack, Carper is actually worried about Pires? I find that hard to believe.

  3. jack says:

    We should all be worried about a nut job like Alex Pires

  4. cassandra_m says:

    Another nasty troll outed — GOP operative spent the night of the storm tweeting out lots of false, scary info about NYC conditions. What is it with these people?

  5. Jason330 says:

    Bronco Bamma! That should be the second term battle cry.

  6. AQC says:

    Does anyone else cringe every time you hear the Carney ad talking about wearing out the path between the aisle?

  7. cassandra_m says:

    I cringe, too, AQC. Same with the Carper ads of Building Bridges to Nowhere (which really is the current GOP). It is pretty dispiriting that candidates here can’t even identify with clearly Democratic goals or policies. And the best they can do is sell themselves as getting along with Republicans.

  8. cassandra_m says:

    The news has been full of President Obama’s visit to NJ with Gov Christie today. Reuters has a good summary, but go over there to see this picture.

    I hope this is on the front page of every newspaper tomorrow.

  9. Dave says:

    “Does anyone else cringe every time you hear the Carney ad talking about wearing out the path between the aisle?”

    No, I don’t. It’s how things used to get done in Washington. Even if Carney is rebuffed, I respect him for trying to do the right thing. Yeah, it’s not working, but someone has to extend their hand and you know, some day it just might work again.

    Also, saw a bit of Christie’s press conference sometime after the Obama visit. Christie was detailing the support he asked for and the White House committed to (through FEMA and other agencies), including diesel fuel to get fuel to the generators powering a chunk of NJ. Christie was all business and gave Obama and the agencies their full due. People may not like Christie but he deserves a measure of respect for not resorting to scoring political points. Of course, maybe that’s his strategy. Still…

  10. AQC says:

    I actually don’t have a problem with Carney trying to work across the aisle, I just hate the sound of that commercial.

  11. My problem is that Carper’s and Carney’s idea of working across the aisle is unilateral surrender. I am sick of those fucking commercials and what they represent.

    The good news is that perhaps Sher Valenzuela can get a government contract to replace that ‘well-worn carpet’.

  12. Steve Newton says:

    The approaches to the Indian River bridge. Oh, wait, this is not Daily Delawhere? Damn, and just when I knew one.

  13. El Som–

    My problem is that Carper’s and Carney’s idea of working across the aisle is unilateral surrender. I am sick of those fucking commercials and what they represent.

    That’s my problem w/ Carper & Carney aka wannabe Carper.

  14. cassandra_m says:

    Chris Christie launched his 2016 campaign for President today.

    re: Carney — I’m a fan of bipartisanship, except that the Democratic version currently either is largely optics or a way to hide DLC agendas anyway. Real bipartisanship can be found in resulting policy that works at addressing multiple concerns — not just a mad dash to the right to claim “bipartisanship”.

    The test as to whether or not claimed bipartisanship is optics is the commercials themselves. No real policy achievements. The achievement is just in *talking* to the other side.

  15. TinyTim says:

    Mars soil is apparently similar to soil from Hawaii (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/mars-soil-volcanic-sand-hawaii-curiosity-rover_n_2048835.html)
    Obama was supposedly born in Hawaii. Whoa … he’s a Martian !

  16. Jason330 says:

    John Carney’s radio ads are a flat out horror to anyone who is slightly aware of how politics have been conducted since Bush.

    “He has worn a path across the isle.” ..something to that effect.

    They are sickening, and that isn’t blog comment hyperbole.