Sunday, February 5, 2012

So What Did We Learn from Caucus Season?

So far, the results are STILL coming in. Wow. Is it that difficult to count ballots?

And is it that difficult to draw people to a caucus?

The GOP presidential caucus attracted about 6,700 voters in Washoe County on Saturday, party officials reported, down from the estimated 11,000 to 14,000 Washoe County Republicans who showed up for the presidential caucus in 2008.

This year’s turnout amount amounted to about 8 percent of all registered Republicans in the county.

“I think part of it people just don’t like the caucus process,” said David Buell, the chairman of the Washoe County Republican Party.

The disorganization of four years ago, marked by long lines and crowded polling locations, may have discouraged some voters from coming Saturday, Buell added.

“I know a lot of people stayed home and said I’m not going through that process again,” he said, something that has resulted in many Republicans asking for a state-run primary instead of the party-run caucus system. That change would need to be adopted by the Legislature.

Seriously? So in addition to admitting Northern Nevadans would rather ski on a sunny day than caucus with them, Washoe Republicans are also admitting that the caucus system isn't working? Whoa! And they're saying a "BIG GUV'MINT!!!" run primary is better because that would allow for more voter participation?

Wow. I guess when Republicans get embarrassed this badly, they start embracing "SOE-SHUL-IZMM!!!!!"

And you know what should embarrass them even more? They just crowned this guy as the winner.



Yes, Nevada Republicans really picked this guy as their "winner".



Mitt Romney should fire everyone on his campaign staff and hire me. I have the solution to all of his problems: a muzzle.

Seriously, in an election season where 3/4 of the country are pissed off at the banks, and the rich in general, for having too much power and influence over our government, just about anything Mitt Romney says is going go over like a lead balloon.

Following up on his infamous “Corporations are people, my friend” gaffe, Mitt Romney has sealed his reputation as part of the 1% by stating that “the banks aren’t bad people.” Yes, the man definitely needs a muzzle. And maybe one of those electric shock collars as well.



Oh yes, Mitt Romney's plan to "not stop the foreclosure process" sounded so ridiculous and stupid that even Nevada Republican elected officials were running away from him... Yet those who actually bothered to caucus yesterday still crowned him the "winner" last night. Are they as out of touch as Mittens is? Or are they just big fans of "The Donald"?

Well, I guess we can't fault them too much, since they actually bothered to show up. Obviously, a whole lot of other Nevada Republicans didn't. I guess it was more important to ski, or perhaps to spend a little extra time preparing for the Super Bowl "Big Game" Party. (Seriously, folks, democratic participation IS important... So it's still at least a little saddening to see this caucus flop so badly.)

So what have we learned from this caucus? First off, we've learned that "the enthusiasm gap" has indeed become a REPUBLICAN problem. No matter how much they turned up the "Obama-Hate", turnout may not even reach 2008 levels. And Nevada Republicans claim they have their act together?

Secondly, we've learned that Mitt Romney will say just about anything to get elected. His lies on the campaign trail are becoming the stuff of legends. And last night, he went crazy in lying about President Obama. Yet in spending all his time lying about Obama, Mittens never bothered to explain what he'd do to boost the economy.

Mitt said he could fix the economy that Obama ruined. He said the improved unemployment numbers are not real because they just reflect that people stopped looking for work. Pay attention to this one because it’s viral. The truth is that private sector job growth has grown under Obama more than it has since Reagan, and those numbers can’t be gotten around no matter how many times they utter “but no one is looking for work anymore.”

At any rate, Mitt has no solution for fixing the economy other than assuring us that as businessman (who dismantled companies and shuttled his profits offshore), he knows how to do it. A pause while Americans wonder if they want to be one of Bain’s mom and pops that get taken apart and sold off in bits so that Romney can add another 100 million to his Swiss account.

Romney went on about Nevada’s troubles and never mentioned that they were a direct result and perfect example of lawless vulture capitalism. He blamed Obama for their unemployment rates and never said a word about why their homes were in foreclosure or who got rich off of their misery. He avoided mentioning the fact that the recession started in 2007 and the housing market collapsed soon after. It’s hard to see how Obama can be blamed for that or how it’s Obama’s fault that Romney stands for the same exact deregulation that created the housing bubble that led to the bubble burst.

Mitt lied about Solyndra, lied about healthcare reform, promised to repeal “Obama Care”, lied about the economy (was caught earlier saying it was great but now it sucks), lied about the private sector….Mitt lied. [...]

Romney wants to be President so badly that he is willing to sell out to the lowest common denominator. A man who could have at the very least stood for manners and decorum – a measure of civility – now stands for absolutely nothing.

And to boot, Mitt blew his hate wad way too early. We can see from his speech tonight that he plans on running against Barack X, the fictional Barack Obama, as Bill Maher so brilliantly put it last week. Mitt Romney plans on running against the economic failure and weak on defense Obama. You know, the guy who only exists on Fox News.

And finally, we've learned that Nevada's Republican Caucus really did turn out to be irrelevant in the whole process. Despite what happened last night, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum and Ron Paul all vow to press on. And despite what happened last night, Mittens remains in his precarious position as "kinda-sorta-frontrunner-who-seems-inevitable-but-still-looks-weak". Great job, Nevada G-O-TEA. "The Great Cave of 2011" will keep coming back to haunt them.

And this whole fiasco of a caucus will keep coming back to haunt Nevada Republicans as they sow the seeds of their own defeat later this year.



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