South Carolinians are polishing their tinfoil beanies and adjusting their Confederate flag lapel pins for today’s big GOP primary, in which the serial adulterer is widely expected to slap the Valvoline smack out of the vulture capitalist’s coiffure.
Indeed, the RomneyBot is already rebooting for what Talking Points Memo suggests will be “a tougher than anticipated” primary contest.
The Post and Courier in Charleston is live-blogging the festivities if you’d like to drill down through the smarty-pants Noo Yawk punditry to hear what actual people are saying. For example, Joseph Patterson voted for Rick Santorum because it “seems like he loves the Lord.” Meanwhile, John Davis went to the wrong precinct but plans to vote for Ron Paul just as soon as he finds the right one. Good times.
Mad Blog Media 
I hate to admit it, but I have far less of a problem with Romney & Bain Capital’s record on employment than I do with Gingrich’s character, Santorum’s views on civil rights, and Ron Paul’s general isolationist libertarian wackjob-edness.
The facts are that sometimes when taking over a struggling company, new management has to downsize to cut-costs and get the company back on the road to profitability before it can start to grow it again; and Bain did save a number of companies that were on the verge of bankruptcy.
It is also true that sometimes, no matter what management does, a restructuring is destined to fail … but most venture capitalists do not invest in a business with the intent of destroying it, but growing it.
I consider myself to be a good little lefty; in many ways I consider myself to be a social democrat, in that I believe in government involvement for social good (socialized medicine, regulation to protect the environment, economy, etc.); but as I discovered when I started working for an investment bank (albeit in an operations capacity), I also believe that capitalism can work … it just needs to be pursued in an ethical manner, and does not need to be destroyed.
My problem with Mittens is that he was in it for himself and for “the investors”. He was never in it for the workers, the customers, or the public. And, with success measured in quarterly dividend reports, sucess in his business bears less on the long term health of the economy or company than it does putting another check into an offshore account.
His loyalties are therefore suspect. As far as the rest of the Repug candidates, well, there ain’t much to say. Recast their names as Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe, and you get my drift.
No arguments there … LBOs are always suspect, but the fact remains that without growing the bought-out company, the private equity firms taking them over are not able to make a profit for their investors.
It’s all interconnected.
However, that does not mean that I support Mitt Romney for president, although of the remaining major candidates he is the least objectionable … although Jon Huntsman ultimately would have been a better choice for the Repugs.
I saw Buddy Roemer on Bill Maher last night; his message is interesting … I wasn’t even aware that he was running, so it’s obvious that even the media doesn’t find his chances to be any good, and he makes enough sense that there’s no story there like there was with crazy Michele, Rick, and Herman.
But as I have in every election since I was old enough to vote, I will be voting Dem … even if they are a bunch of neutered pussies.
I don’t have a problem with rich people in general. I have a problem with dicks, rich or poor, and I think Mitt is a dick.
Plus he has to be the most tone-deaf pol I’ve ever seen. Folks called Bush a bubble boy, but this guy’s worse — the bubble he inhabits is a giant diamond.
He doesn’t appear to have the faintest idea of how to relate to the average Joe or Jane — no doubt because he never interacts with them in any capacity other than master to servant — and anyone with an annual income under seven figures is kidding himself if he thinks the RomneyBot will have his best interests at heart. He doesn’t know what they are.
And I doubt that he has a heart. I demand that he be cut open on prime-time TV so we can all have a look-see.
I agree completely Patrick. About the only line missing from his repertoire to complete the picture is “let them eat cake”.
That bit you tweeted about his response to the Occupy protestor in SC(I think it was your tweet) was just about close enough.
Also..now y’all know why we in NC don’t even like to claim SC as a neighbor.
I have a problem with all repugs, it seems they are crazy and anti american.
See-saw Mitt is probably trying to figure out what the next primary state voters want to hear. His lack of a solid stance on many issue has hurt more than helped his cause with many of the Rep voters. My step son is a hard core Teabagger, and is full throttle for Newt and doesn’t seem phased by the infidelity issues, though that “Christian” morality is one of that sects’ foundation blocks. “Please, Lord, can I covet my neighbor’s wife and still be in your good graces?” With this bunch of whack jobs, Obama won’t even need to campaign!
My problem with Romney is the same one I have with Donald Trump and all these other wizards of business – the government is NOT a business! And even if you could paint Uncle Mitty as a wonderful business man and financial genius, he STILL screwed a lot of folks out of their jobs with his “destructive capitalism”. We’re CITIZENS, not customers or shareholders. My other problem with this guy is he’s a bigger flip-flopper than John Kerry ever was! There’s no way to know what the hell he’d do if he had his well-manicured paws on the levers of power. The guy in there now, for all his faults, is doing all he can to fix things and I can remember how many GW Bush supporters were only too happy to give W another four years despite the fact that things weren’t going so well in 2004. There’s little doubt that Romney would be less awful than Gingrich, Santorum or Paul (geez, does that sound like the name of a funeral home or what?) but Obama will be far less awful than any of those guys.
Haw … “Gingrich, Santorum & Paul: You Stab ‘Em, We Slab ‘Em.”
Meanwhile, Charles Pierce is killing it on the ground in South Carolina: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/mitt-romney-south-carolina-primary-6642382
Pierce is far too polite.
What Khal said…. Way too polite.
I will admit, I am enjoying the show. There’s Newt, No Ethics; Ron Paul who is living in his own little happy place; Rick “The Chosen One” who’d be right at home with any of Mullahs, and Mitt, Mr Not That Much. It’s hard to believe that the ReThugs are actually serious.
Patrick – I’m enjoying re-read F&L On The Campaign Trail. I’d love to be reading his take on this mob.
Jeff, it’s straight out of Heinlein’s “The Crazy Years.” Theocrats, technocrats, bureaucrats and asshats. Doesn’t get much better than this, especially when you can get it all in real time thanks to the Innertubes.
HST must be kicking himself wherever he is. He left too soon. This election cycle would’ve put the spring back in those old Gonzo shoes.