Romney failed veterans
Yes, I’m blaming Romney for failing veterans. He ran a piss-poor campaign to attract veterans. It’s been eating away at me that half of veterans in Virginia voted for Obama, if Fox News is to be believed. Of course, veterans in Virginia are going to be the hardest hit when sequestration takes hold because of the large presence of defense contractors there and the fact that many veterans are on their payroll there. But, back to the campaign. To their credit, the Romney campaign asked for help from milblogs early on, well, they reached out to Blackfive who reached out to the rest of us. I pledged that I would comment on the campaign in regards to politics related to veterans. But, you know what? That was the last we heard from them. Maybe others heard about it, but TAH didn’t.
You might remember that I wrote a piece last month about the Romney campaign and veterans. That was because I had to pester John Noonan, the Romney campaign’s defense policy adviser, because he happened to be one of my Facebook friends. Yes, I had to get answers on Romney’s veteran policy on Facebook.
Most of the issues I asked Noonan about, I also had to provide links to news stories because he didn’t know what I was talking about. Most of the news stories links were already on TAH. For example, when I asked Noonan about the Obama Administration shutting down Tricare Prime, he admitted in the email that I published as a post that he didn’t know anything about it because the Obama campaign hadn’t said anything about it. Why would they admit that they were screwing veterans in their campaign? It was Romney’s job to point it out, but he didn’t.
Just like in the debate, when Romney brought up sequestration, Obama’s answer was that sequestration isn’t going to happen. That short answer to a complicated question. Apparently, defense contractors think it’s going to happen, they’re already laying off people in prepartion of it. But Romney let Obama get away with his lie that the law wasn’t going into effect instead of pressing the issue.
The weekend of Hurricane Sandy, I wrote to Noonan again on Facebook and told him that I knew the campaign was going to cease out of respect for the tragedy and that they should mount an offensive on the blogs and let us carry Romney’s water for him during the campaign blackout. I didn’t hear anything back from him, not a word. Well, except the one video he sent everyone about Bill Clinton, which I dutifully posted.
Now, I’m not so conceited that I think I can influence entire elections with my little corner of the internet, but, if political campaigns can’t take advantage of the reach some of us have, they really don’t want to win. Do you honestly think that Obama would have got half of the veteran vote in Virginia if they had heard that Tricare Prime was being shut down in five western states in April? Everyone on this blog knows it, why didn’t the Romney campaign know it, and once they were told about it, why didn’t they hit Obama with it?
Yeah, Romney failed veterans by taking our votes for granted and it may have cost him the election.
Category: Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan, Veterans Issues
That and the fact that now we’ve won 4 times in the past 20 years and you’ve won twice.
Did OG just tell us that he/she/it voted for Romney?
In #42 above it said, “Anyone who reads your extermist blog is already voting for Romney anyway.” To respond to something someone (anyone) has written here, one needs to have read at least part of it. Therefore, as one who “reads your extremist blog,” OG would be someone who voted for Romney.
Either that is a lie or previous statements of supporting others is a lie. Please note that in case anyone needs absolute proof that OG is a lying sack of it. Stupidity has been proved on many occasions, so that one need not be documented.
@52 – OWB, I like your logic.
I’ll say something (when do I not?) that I’ve said since 2002:
Why does the GOP consistently walk away from candidates who are combat veterans? Unless that vet is self-financing and won’t upset the apple cart, you won’t find the RNC, NRCC and NRSC recruiting and growing candidates.
Starting in 2002 up through the present, the DNC actively courts veterans. Tammy Duckworth was lousy! Excuse, Representative-elect The Honorable Mrs Tammy Duckworth. Suck on that title for a while.
But anyway. Can’t fault Romney for not being more vet-minded when he is a creature of the Establishmentarian GOP, a party that only likes veterans when they’re at the buffet line at the country club, as waiters. Ask Allen West, who got gerrymandered out of a win by the Florida GOP.
Vets need to turn to a third party and cut out pandering to the GOP, who will never care about former, current, and future servicemembers.
@42, I was on the fence on who I was going to vote for. I go to multiple sources for information not just this blog. I come here to hear veteran issues to be voiced. I make my own decisions and I decided to vote for Romney.
I think that the extremist one here is OG.
Tuesday I was working as an election observer for OFA. Ironically the one vote that I know I saved was a Romney vote. The guy was feeding his ballot into the machine for him and his wife saying “Romney” each time. After loading the last ballot they left and I noticed the machine beeping and that it spit out the paper. I called for him to come back and it turned out his wife had double voted for President. It didn’t occur to me till after they left that I was working for the other side. Needless to say, if President Obama lost Ohio by one vote you’d never have to worry about me posting again as I’d toss myself off a bridge. As it is, I’m proud of myself for putting democracy over my “team”. So in that spirit, I shall now give to thee unasked for, and sure to be unheeded advice on how you can turn this whole thing around: 1. Win by convincing people to vote for you, not by stopping people from voting against you. Whether the GOP was or was not trying to suppress minority votes, that’s how the policies implemented by the Governor of Florida and the Secretary of State of Ohio was taken. As I was canvasing for President Obama I can’t tell you how many times I heard a variation of the phrase “I wasn’t all that into voting until I saw how much they don’t want me to vote!” Plus the whole optics of people standing in line for 8 hours in swing states is not a good reflection on GOP governors or GOP secretaries of State. Imagine if Florida Governor Rick Scott or Ohio Secretary of State John Husted reacted in the following ways: “you want a month of early voting? I’ll give you TWO months! And I’ll extend the hours! “ Instead Husted gave MORE hours to Republican areas and less hours to Democratic areas (finally he relented and made it all the same- but the optics are AWFUL) and Rick Scott looked at the 8 hour lines… Read more »
4 times in the past 20 years …hmmm….sounnds like a good explanation why this country has gone to shit.
Well.. He just got elected to the 4th term. He won’t be done serving till 2016. The entire amount of actual time serving was 12 years Dem, and 8 years Republican. During the times that Democrats were in charge the economy did MUCH better. The coutry went “to shit” while the Republicans were in charge and it happened because of Republican policies.
Now that just sounds like a bunch of shitty excuses to me. I’m farily certain it’s the 12 “Dem” years that got us to this point. Most of the 8 Republican years were spent cleaning up the mess the “Dems” left behind. I’m hoping whomever is elected in 2016 is up to the task, it’s gonna be quite a mess by then.
*If we’re still even a country by then, that is.
What “mess” are you talking about? We had a good economy in 2000, we were at peace, we had a plan for going after Al Queda and we were running a surplus? You don’t get your own right-wing reality.
I’m making another prediction. So far i was right that Obama would get over 300 and that health care reform would survive the SC. In 2016 the economy will be doing great and we’ll have added far more than the 12 million new jobs Romney promised.
Sippy … you sound angry!
Yup. This is certainly an atmosphere where both sides can come together and work together.
IMHO People are really overthinking the whole thing. The Democrats simply had a better ground game, that’s it. I saw Demo head hunters decked out in glow-belts descending upon my neighborhood throughout the day. At the polls, the Democrat observers were looking at the poll books and texting that information to the street posse, who in turn found their targets and bugged the hell out of them to vote. I saw numerous Democrats showing up at the polling station literally not knowing wtf they were doing there, and many of them weren’t even in the correct location where they were registered to vote. I guarantee you if the GOP had worked their game like this, and if many of the young, passionate Libertarians that I know had also gone out and pushed for a mutual conservative candidate, then it would’ve been a sizeable upset for the incumbent. “Changing Demographics” have very little to do with this race, it was all turnout, as usual. Additionally, look at the differences from 2008 vs. 2012, the pendulum is swinging back. Party domination/branch balances all happen(s) in cycles, and 2014/2016 will be the real litmus test of this holding true.
When Obomber said “we have more work to do” I believe he mis spoke. Saying there’s more work to do would imply that work was done in the past.
>>>What “mess” are you talking about? We had a good economy in 2000, we were at peace, we had a plan for going after Al Queda and we were running a surplus? You don’t get your own right-wing reality.
I guess you never heard about the dotcom bust or several terrorist attacks that warned frickin Americans that 9/11 were coming.
Shhh!!! Melle don’t interrupt sippy’s unicorn ride down to the chocolate river. Unlike the rest of us who live in the here and now, sippy thinks he’s entitled to his own leftarded reality.
@68 — Yeah, Redacted, we have other things to deal with now, like a bad winter and price hikes on everything from gasoline to a loaf of bread, as well as 30% tax hikes in January.
A 30% tax hike means back to an 18% or more chunk out of your paycheck just for federal income tax. That depends on how much you actually make, and I didn’t include social security or Medicare hikes in that. Or state income tax hikes, which may just start popping up everwhere. Not to mention federal tax increases on everything from gasoline to airplane tickets. Ouch!
Do you think Shortnspiteful took any of that into consideration while s/he was gloating?
@8 — UPnorth, remember the history of Rome? When Nero wanted to do a little construction, he threw a party at the Coliseum (bread and circuses) and then burned the slums.
Jane Byrne tried the bread and circuses approach when she was Chicago’s mayor, but it didn’t get her re-elected. Now that has become just bread. The circus is Lollapalooza, and they had to pay for making a mess out of Grant Park.
An item that may be of interest to some:
http://now.msn.com/las-vegas-business-owner-fires-employees-after-obama-re-election?gt1=50501
I remember the not-lamented Jane Byrne, ex. And, I remember the bread and circuses, well, not personally, but I’ve read about them. The Obamaphone is a manifestation of the bread and circuses, as is Come on in and sign up for SSI, we’ll figure out what your disability is later.
Sippy, you might have made a valid point or two, but you fell into the trap you always do, TLDR, and throw in a little ad hominem to top it off. And, can anyone explain why it takes a “progressive” 60 or 70 lines of text to say what could have been said in 6 or 7?
Just a minor nit to pick, but your administration DID smuggle guns to Meh-hee-co, and what was the purpose of said smuggling? It certainly wasn’t to “track the guns”, so what was the purpose? And, like I said in another thread, HST said of the presidency, “The buck stops here”, so, yeah Obama does own F & F, among a lot of other things, like Benghazi.
@UpNorth, the only difference between Rome and now is that the citizens of Rome didn’t have to pay for their bread and circuses.
We may see that again, although I’m not sure that getting free cheese does much for your diet. I view the Obamaphones as a ‘1984 – Big Brother is watching you’ approach to keeping track of the lower end of the population spectrum. How long do you think it will be before that phone bill starts showing up? My friend in Taipei says he estimates the deficit to reach as high as $30 trillion in another four years, and I would not be surprised.
Taste of Chicago is an expensive deal to attend, and it’s been shortened again, to five days this year. Lollapalooza is likewise expensive to attend, never mind the cleanup afterwards.
It’s going to be a very interesting time.
How long? I pay for their frigging phones now, it’s already shown up.
As for the deficit, if he doesn’t even try, the AA president can double it in 4 years. I can see $34 Trillion, without Barry breaking a sweat.
Like him or hate him, I believe O’Reilly had it right. People want stuff. They voted for it. Remember “I don’t have to pay my mortgage anymore” lady? This is our Nation. I also agree on sequestration. It will happen, but just like everything else, the government may choose to ignore it. Anyone seen a budget get passed? Me neither, but there has been no collapse. Whether the laws exist or not, we have selective enforcement of them. No one is deporting illegals, and we are still functioning. I don’t think sequestration will have much of an impact unless the government wants it to.
Harrison, #3; I’ve got your fucking ice cream, asshole.
@76- Anyone who writes a column comparing President Obama to OJ Simpson has no business calling anyone else an asshole. And if you want to know why Romney didn’t direct anyone to your site, it’s probably because you wrote a column comparing President Obama to OJ Simpson.
That was quick:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/sean-hannity-john-boehner-gop-tackle-immigration-reform-142212570–election.html
Sacrifice principles for the sake of the vote.
I hope you gentlemen will forgive me if I reject the Fox News version of Jesus in favor of the picture distilled by Jefferson of an unconditionally compassionate teacher. Also, #76, don’t you know that your tears of impotent rage only entertain and energize me?
100 million on food stamps by the end of Obummer’s second term? I’m sure the left would consider that progress…
@78
Charles Krauthammer has been espousing the same…see handwriting on wall ?
One thing I noticed when thinking about post WWII elections is that with two exceptions – 1956 and 2000 – the only time a Republican has ever been elected president is when the country is either at war, or menaced by a foreign adversary.
1952: Korean War was raging, Ike promised to bring the war to a conclusion. You also had the Cold War heating up in areas besides Korea.
1968: Duh, Vietnam
1972: Again, Nixon promises “Peace with honor” to end the war
1980: Reagan wins, a resurgent USSR has just invaded Afghanistan and US personnel are being held hostage in Iran.
1984: Again, the “Evil empire” is still a menace (remember “there’s a bear in the woods?”)
1988: Still the Soviet menace. It wasn’t apparent to most that the USSR was in its death throes until mid 1989 (hell, it wasn’t apparent to me and I was an intel analyst stationed in Germany.)
2004: The first post 9/11 presidential election, and the war in Iraq was raging.
Of course, we were at peace in 1956 but we were also prosperous and safe, which means the incumbent rides the wave to reelection. And 2000 is the exception that proves the rule: But for Clinton’s hard-on for gun control and some poorly marked ballots in FL, Gore would certainly have won that election.
My point with all this is that it seems people flock to the “daddy” party when there’s a scary man with a gun outside the door, but if not, we have no interest in him.
It’s funny that after the quick ‘victory’ (not really) in the 1991 Gulf War, Bush I looked unbeatable, but by November of 92 that was old news and the American people couldn’t elect Bubba fast enough.
Based on this it really looks like when it comes to presidential politics (as opposed to general party politics), National Security is the only trump card the Republicans have, and if they can’t play it, they lose.
@79 Harrison
Really!?? The Fox News version!!??
Oh well, I tried Adonai, but you can only lead a horse to water …
I wonder how many people that voted for omumbles received, or will soon receive, a pink slip as a direct result of his failed policies. I believe the phrase “shot yourself in the foot” is relevant here.
Hy, guys, the One is on TV right now making a speech about “solving our fiscal challenges”.
He said he worked with both parties before the election to solve this.
“Right now, if Congress fails to come to an agreement by an overall deficit reduction by the end of the year, everybody’s taxes will go up as of January 1st.” (quote as spoken — yes, I can type quickly.)
I posted the recess and adjournment schedules elsewhere. Is he aware that Congress goes into recess at the end of the year?
Hey, is Harry Short&spiteful’s clone?
Oh I see him, can’t hear a word he’s saying though. Every time his head takes up my screen my speakers stop working, Sony must have developed an instant bullshit filter and never told anyone about it. I see they populated the room with dumbasses that would give him a standng ovation just for farting.
@82
Yep,
If its true that “only the dead have seen the end of war” than GOP might not face extinction…Though more people identify as conservatives than liberals, evidence seems to indicate Democratic message has greater appeal – even among many whites…Republicans in last 6 presidential elections won 2 squeakers and 4 landslide losses – lost popular vote in one of the wins. Doesn’t help that since Ronald Reagan, there hasn’t been a compelling and charismatic GOP candidate.
This is a classic article from CBS Chicago: Yeah, gimme gimme gimme…
Some In Line For City Job Fair Upset There’s No Hiring On The Spot
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/11/09/city-to-hold-job-fair-today-at-kennedy-king-college/
@88
Wait…what? There’s no instant gratification? They are daring to say they actually want to think about it…consider all the applicants, not just the ones who arrived early?
‘Course if they DID offer jobs on the spot, then the people who arrived later in the day, after the jobs are all or mostly gone would be mad. They wouldn’t think it’s fair that people who got there early are the only ones who got jobs (or the “good” jobs). “OMG…they should consider all the applicants after the job fair, not just handing them out to people who could stand in line at 3AM. I’m a ________ I’ve got things I have to do in the morning”, is what I suspect we would have heard.
And one gem from that article:
‘Rodney Booker said, “I stood in line for four hours. They better give me a Wal-Mart gift card, or something.”’
I’ll just leave Mr Booker’s quote there without comment.
>hope you gentlemen will forgive me if I reject the Fox News version of Jesus
@ Harrison You still haven’t explained to me where the msn version of Jesus ever said that Caesar should take care of his people.
@ Martin the reason they want GOP during war is because that is when the nation is really at stake and people’s lives are on the line.. and that is the time they actually want a grown up running the country.
@82
Sheepdog vs Lapdog.
@90 — Melle, I’d like to know, too, because Jesus said “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. Render unto God what is God’s.”
This is from that story when one of his Hebrew neighbors complained about paying taxes to Caesar’s tax collectors.
Didn’ say nothin’ about Caesar taking care of anyone at all. Besides, the Hebrews weren’t Caesar’s people. That label applied ONLY to Roman citizens. You could, however, buy your way into Roman citizenship, as historian Flavius Josephus did. He was a Romanized Jew.
@90: The unfortunate side effect of that is that if there isn’t a bonafide boogeyman like the USSR or Al Quaeda, republican candidates have to try to manufacture one, and trying to turn laughable and incompetent adversaries like North Korea or Iran into a Soviet-style existential threat just makes republicans look like fools.
@ 93 and Dems are naive at how much of a powder keg the world actually is but Meh live in your bubble. My husband retires in January and our home is well armed…
And speaking of vets:
“CIA Director David Petraeus is quitting, citing personal reasons, a government source says.”–CNN
Email alert I got says he’s admitting to an extramarital affair.
I have to wonder at the timing, given that today is the day lawmakers are allowed to look at the State Dept’s info on Benghazi.
Petraeus is resigning over gettin some strange, he shouldn’t be the only one stepping down when the actions (or inaction) in DC have cost people their lives.
Well the official story is he’s stepping down because he was stepping out.
That doesn’t preclude other motivations.
Here’s the way the conversation went in my imagination:
O: Hey, Dave, get on over here to the WH. We need to talk.
P: Okie dokie. (And he paddles on over to the WH.)
O: Here’s the way it’s gonna be, Dave. You are gonna fall on your sword for the good of the country. You will accept full responsibility for all this mess in Benghazi.
P: Not gonna happen, sir. (Reaches into his pocket and extracts a letter which he hands to O.) I’m outa here.
And now, as a civilian, Dave is free to tell anyone and everyone the unvarnished truth about Benghazi. Among other things.
I find it extremely hard to believe that man had an affair.
Can’t say I do, PintoNag. Kissinger called power the “ultimate aphrodisiac” for a very good reason. There are a lot of very attractive women within the DC metro area who are indeed attracted to power. And virtually anyone can succumb to enough temptation.