I knew I shouldn’t have looked back.
I have not read Jennifer Rubin in weeks. She has become so odious in her Romneyquest that reading her posts is like sipping poison; it doesn’t kill you but it makes you nauseated.
Every time I read one of her insulting pieces it reminds me of the greatest blogging mistake I ever made.
But today I decided to look back, and sure enough, nothing has changed (emphasis mine):
But the good news for Romney is that this anti-Romney faction doesn’t matter. They didn’t sway the party or affect the course of the primary season. As Romney moves to the general election, these voices become even less relevant. Romney surely isn’t going to pay attention to them or heed their advice, and we know the voters don’t.
This does NOT mean that the base doesn’t matter. It does, and Romney has done a solid job of winning it over and will need to turn the voters out in the fall. (Turnout was up 75 percent in Wisconsin, so Romney’s doing a credible job already.) But the mistake, I would suggest, voters and candidates have made is in taking the conservative dead-enders seriously. Like birthers, they are immune to facts (yes, the delegate math has meant it’s been over for weeks now) and have an agenda that can be entirely at odds with the interests of the GOP and even the conservative movement. The 2012 campaign has, in this regard, been a clarifying experience.
It’s almost as if The Washington Post editors knew something the rest of us didn’t know when they hired Rubin as the “right” blogger and gave her a platform to feed off of WaPo’s traffic.
I think I should stop here, before I say something else I regret saying on the internet.
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Comments
Poor, stOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooopid Jen.
What else can one say…?
It’s really sad that Jennifer Rubin has become such a denier .. in the worst sense of the word.
1. Is she stupid, or is she following a long-term careerist plan? Ditto for David Brooks. (Iirc I posted to this effect some time ago.)
2. In other news, it has dawned on Peggy Noonan that Obama is not doing too well. Still, she says this about Obama:
It’s an indictment of the GOP, or of the country, or of both, that Obama is not polling fifteen points down and sinking.
Let’s say that Romney is the nominee and actually beats Obama in November. Then what? Winning in November is not the end, it’s just the beginning. I’ll vote for the guy, if he’s the nominee, but I have no faith at all in his ability to do what’s right for our country. He’s a RINO.
Romney’s embrace of the Ryan budget sounds promising .. which is better than Obama who recognizes the problem of the debt but then shooes it away like a precocious child.
As TEA Party/Breitbarts, it falls to us to make sure EVERYBODY we elect votes and acts as we expect.
That is a lesson I hope we all learned. “Let Ike Do It” likely NEVER was a good idea, but it DAMNED sure is a demonstrated BAD IDEA in an age when BIG GOVERNMENT has grown exponentially.
We have to do it.
Is this a “Birther” thread?!?
Or a boooring, re-hashed “Romney” thread?
Professor, why do you torture yourself by reading her drivel?
It does not help us in the general election when Jennifer Rubin is arrogant regarding folks that didn’t vote for Romney in the primary… she should be a little more humble!
I won’t even get to vote for Newt since I’m in CA, but I will support Romney 100% in the general. Although, beltway folks don’t really seem to care if I do.
Well, to her credit–at least she makes a distinction between GOP interests and conservative interests…
That’s something, right?
What is it about working for the Washington Post that gives women who call themselves conservative the overwhelming urge to call other conservatives stupid? First Kathleen Parker marginalized herself with a school girl crush on Obama. Now Rubin has beclowned herself over hollow man Mitt Romney.
If you’d like to call Jenny, and discuss this matter, her number is:
867-5309
(inappropriate?)
Inappropriate? No, AWESOME.
Off-topic, but I wanted the professor to be aware of this story, perhaps for a new post. I could not find another way on this site to bring it to his attention:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/03/judges-order-justice-department-to-clarify-following-obama-remarks-on-health/
Perhaps Ms. Rubin hasn’t added up the “not Romney” totals.
Romney may have the delegates, but there are still some “unbound” ones that have to be firmed up. I try and block Ms. Rubin from my mind because the pundits have twisted themselves into a knot in trying to suppress your feelings.
I like to think that this election isn’t over yet.
But please, Professor, I would really, really like to hear further your thoughts, LOL!
OK, that’s it. I absolutely refuse to vote for this guy now. Well done, Romney supporters. You have managed to turn a guy that, while he preferred other candidates, would have voted for their guy come November if he ended up on the ballot, and made him so resentful that he breathes free air, he’s now more likely to just skip that part of the ballot entirely.
Brilliant. Well done. I hope you are amazingly proud.
If I didn’t loath Obama so much, I would actively pray that Romney would lose…
Really, Scott…?!?!? You are going to let JEN RUBIN influence…much less determine…your vote???
That’s WAY more effect than I think she deserves.
Not that I agree with you, but-
I watched 30 seconds of Romney’s victory speech last night, and changed the channel with the words “I can’t stand to listen to him”
Something previously reserved for (the)One specific politician.
A solid plurality of Republican voters so far have expressed a preference for Romney. What are they seeing in him that conservative bloggers are not?
Nice hair…???
There is that. But Romney is a solid family man, with no divorce or adultery to his discredit. He is religious, with a background as a lay minister at congregational and multi-congregational levels, but has avoided sectarian preaching from the political stump. He has graduate degrees from a well-respected and academically challenging program, a career in business which made him wealthy before he entered politics, and experience as the elected chief executive of a state. If political ideology weren’t a so much a factor, it would be an impressive resume of success.
Considering the low Republican turnout there is no claim to solid plurality.
That said; I think those who voted for Romney did so on the perception that businessman=smart leader. Mike Bloomberg has proven this equation to be false.
Which of course, is like saying Harvard Law degree=understanding of Constitutional Law. Obama has proven this equation to be false.
In any case, I can say with integrity that Romney is better than Obama.
Unfortunately the bar has been lowered into the pit of insanity and desperation.
I won’t get the right to choose the Republican candidate, by the time the primary hits my state the primary will be all wrapped up. So quit your whining ya Romney voters!
Weird, I seem to be looking at different statistics than the rest of you re: turnout. I hate to ruin the narrative but, Wisconsin anyone?
The numbers I see report total turnout of 23% statewide, well below the 2008 turnout of 35%. Of that Romney got 44.1% of the vote.
2012 Wisconsin turnout was predicted to be close to the 2008 number. That is not a narrative. That is a fact.
Predicted turnout – http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/04/wisconsin-primary-voter-turnout-mitt-romney-/1#.T3z3ttVkDQQ
Actual turnout -http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-news/2012/apr/04/wisconsin-primary-turnout-23-percent/
When I speak of a plurality, I’m looking at the 39& of the popular vote total so far, a double digit lead over any of his rivals. Santorum and Gingrich combined could beat that, but they aren’t, never have been, and probably never will be combined.
He “looks” Presidential. I hear that a lot.
Nevermind his record “rolls eyes”
A lot of people who want to beat Obama don’t understand how people decide who to vote for -if they decide to vote at all. People like Rubin-more policy wonk than political animals- calculate that since Romney has been liberal on social issues and tried to hold the line on spending he must naturally appeal to the widest number of voters in a s general election where the economy will be a big issue. The problem is that while appealing to the widest number of voters possible on the issues looks like a winner at the macro level, it often fails miserably at the individual level. That is where each voter asks that visceral question. Do I trust this particular candidate? Trust often trumps any particular issue in determining the final vote.
The people who cast the votes don’t decide an election, the people who count the votes do -Josef Stalin
I defended Rubin for a long time, but I found out finally that Dan Riehl was right all along. She’s a ridiculous hack.
First, the GOP is not equivalent to American conservatives. Second, the so-called “birthers” have not yet been discredited. The “facts,” as Rubin would like to describe them, are circumstantial. The definitive proof as represented by the COLB is neither definitive nor was it uniquely provided to individuals born in America, especially in Hawaii, and in the period surrounding Obama’s birth. Unfortunately, Hawaii saw fit to import illegal aliens, offer them legal status, and certify their children as natural born. This controversy complicates the determination of Obama’s status. However, while this is certainly relevant, it is far more relevant that we elect someone whose loyalty is to America and to her citizens, and is at least vaguely familiar with the establishment document, The Declaration of Independence, and the organizational document, The Constitution. It would also be helpful if he or she has a firm grasp of reality, its limitations, and the reasonable compromises it requires. The president has to both preserve individual dignity and the value of human life.
Well, since you brought it up-
Is a (that which will not be named) a person that believes Obama was not born in Hawaii?
Or, is a (that which will not be named) a person who, who has weighed a number of facts, and lack thereof, and have found cause to question the “facts”, and the possible cover-up?
I question. I do not KNOW, but I question.
for that I am ridiculed, insulted, thought of as stupid, etc.
What do you suggest?
I suggest it should be discussed openly and honestly, without having to be tagged as some kind of freak-
..is what I think.
Both the birther and truther groups have presented some evidence that raises questions that keep niggling and cannot be fully explained away.
Im not big on Romney. But Ill mark yesterday..after all this time that he suggested something or said something that may be a fair campaign theme: Railing against Obama’s Government Centered Society.
For me thats an acceptable tone.
Wish Newt had done better but here we are.
What will we do when Romney begins to campaign for Obama so he can win the ‘moderate, independent and pragmatic’ voter?
What if Romney pulls a McCain and starts to bash the conservative base?
Romney have to get West as the VP just so West can win it for Mitt.
Speaking of VP-
If Romney tries to pull a conservative off the (political) battlefield just to prop himself up and attend State funerals…
!!!!
Selecting Allen West as VP would be a really big waste of his talent.
West should have Secretary of State or Defense Dept. There he would be a real asset.
Why are 62% of Jewish voters for Obama?
A ringing Romney endorsement at National Review. Okay, not quite:
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/295224/its-over-or-it-michael-walsh
So I guess I agree with both my pals: Hugh, in that Romney is the likely nominee — if he can keep it. And with Caddell, in that if — given the importance of this election — he can’t make the case against Obama, the GOP ought to dump him and replace him at the convention with someone who can. The stakes for the nation are too high to observe the formalities; “by any means necessary” ought to go for both parties.
For there are two schools of thought here: One is that a cardboard box plus Marco Rubio/Paul Ryan/Allen West can beat Barry and his disastrous economic record.
—–
Yep, vote for Romney, he’s the cardboard box you can believe in.
For once, Pat Caddell said something I agree with.
Bill Kristol has not been in the Romney camp for awhile now. He actually said to vote Santorum last Sunday on Fox News Sunday, and keep the election going.
(yes, the delegate math has meant it’s been over for weeks now)
…for certain values of “over”.
This does NOT mean that the base doesn’t matter. It does, and Romney has done a solid job of winning it over and will need to turn the voters out in the fall.
Really, Jen? I think Romney thinks we’re like the Blacks and the Dems- where else can we go?
I’m not sold on him, and I am going to have to talk myself into holding my nose and voting for him.
Jen, your boy has a long way to go until I’m neutral about him- the dislike is still that strong.
Like you, I gave up on Rubin months ago because of her continuing Romney fest and the brutal comments about any candidate that might threaten him. In light of her vicious comments, it would be impossible to say anything regrettable about her.
I will not be back to her blog. She is unreliable. I predict she will quietly disappear from the WaPo site shortly after the election.
We are irrelevant. Romney does not need us. Romney expects us to fall in line behind him to carry him to victory in the general election. We are irrelevant. Romney does not need us. Romney expects us to fall in line behind him to carry him to victory in the general election. We are irrelevant. Romney does not need us. Romney expects us to fall in line behind him to carry him to victory in the general election. We are irrelevant. Romney does not need us. Romney expects us to fall in line behind him to carry him to victory in the general election….
That’s about the size of it.
I have not read Jennifer Rubin… in like eva, because the Washington Post is cr@p.
However, a quick search found an article by Jennifer Rubin that is highly critical of Romney:
Mitt Romney’s Conversion
His pro-life turn is more recent than you think.
Feb 5, 2007, Vol. 12, No. 20 • By JENNIFER RUBIN
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/222htyos.asp
In this article its purported Romney also expressed his disdain for anyone that wasn’t down with his infinite RINOism.
[snip]
“Romney argued that his election would make him credible in the Republican party nationally and thus help “sensible” Republicans like him overshadow more conservative elements in the GOP.”
Se what ya started Prof, now I gotta go check my tire pressure. GAAAH !
“Birthers are immune to facts”? In fact, the “Birthers” are unearthing new facts. Actually, the BC analysis was conducted to remove doubt, and ended up raising new ones, to the point of convincing Lord Monkton.
http://nicedeb.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/as-sheriff-arpaio-continues-his-investigation-of-obama-doj-escalates-its-war-against-the-sheriff/
raven, thank you for that link. it’s about time.
But the good news for Romney is that this anti-Romney faction doesn’t matter. They didn’t sway the party or affect the course of the primary season. As Romney moves to the general election, these voices become even less relevant. Romney surely isn’t going to pay attention to them or heed their advice, and we know the voters don’t.
I am absolutely sure that I will be receiving calls from the Romney campaign if he gets the nomination. They will be asking for my labor and my money, and perhaps in some cases my local endorsement. I will save the quote above to add to the rant I have ready for them. If I am irrelevant, if not dangerous [all those tens of millions of moderates and “crossover Democrats” who will surely vote Republican for generations if only they are not spooked by the sight of a Conservative’s shadow in the Republican party], they neither want nor need my help.
Subotai Bahadur
Subotai Bahadur
LOL.. Jennifer Rubin, like her ilk Ann Coulter, are exactly what is wrong with the Republican Party base today.
Here’s a question the Republican Obama- Mr Romney, Jennifer Rubin, Ann Coulter, and the rest of the GOP RINO ilk, but more so to the Republican electorate-
How does one defend forced mandated substandard inferior State Socialized Medicine that bankrupts the residents, citizens, and Independent businesses and companies in the Free Market Capitalist Free Enterprise system of a State, let alone the Nation, but then turns around and argues that he must repeal Obamacare, the very same thing he implemented and refuses to refute and repeal in his own State called Romneycare..
And people actually buy this BS horse manure.. It’s no wonder why Obama was elected in the first place. How easily the people are fooled..
The people who voted for Obama, are the same people with the same mentality and attitude of apathy and indifference to what and who they are electing, are the same people voting for Romney, which is what got them into this mess in the first place.
They want to replace one radical progressive liberal, with a moderate progressive liberal.. Well, that makes sense.. No it doesn’t..
Just because someone is deemed electable by the media and the GOP RINO establishment, does mean they are the best person to lead our Nation. Thus also why Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan have done a great disservice to the Tea Party Constitutional Reagan Conservatives, and Conservatism itself.
In other words, how and where do we get to a point that abandoning our Principles for political electable convenience, is best for the Nation.. It is NOT, and is why we stand by the US Constitution, and NOT by the politicians, as Freedom and Liberty are forever, not these fraudulent politically electable politicians.
What this means is that with the election of Romney, there will be no real change from the liberal agenda, only the person at the helm will be different, but the direction will be the same. Like Liberals Jews who actually are defeating their own race, religion, and State of Nation Israel, intentionally or unintentionally, for some perverse Freudian Psychological reason to be accepted by their enemies, the Republican electorate, aka so called moderate Republicans, as well as Independents, are choosing the same path as Obama, but because the person has an “R” next to their name, believe that they are the opposite of Obama and the Democratic Party of Progressive Liberalism. How truly wrong and stupid they are, as they drive the Constitutional Freedom and Liberty car straight off the cliff.
This is why Conservatives are not necessarily Republicans, and Republicans are not necessarily Conservatives.