Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 08:18:09 AM EDT

The Washington Post puts the question that we all should be asking: "Which Romney Will Voters Get?

If Romney is facing a Democratic Congress that demands compromise in return for votes - the same situation he faced in Massachusetts - he'll be more like the Massachusetts moderate he presented as last night. If he's facing a Republican Congress that's pulling him to the right and threatening to reject his proposals and force him into a primary in 2016, he'll be more like the candidate we saw in this year's primaries and throughout much of this campaign.

Does anyone know who Mitt Romney is? Does Mitt know who Mitt is?

We are left to wonder.

Chris Blask :: Will the Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up? An Ambiguously Open Thread.

Wednesday's presidential debate left the Right in cheers and the Left in tears.

For a day.

With a day and a half behind us, however, pundits and parents alike are finding less to like with the dinner Romney put on the plate in front of us. America may like fried chicken but there are certain birds that we just don't throw in the pot.

Will Romney pull a Cheney on Big Bird? We just don't know, and that should concern us. With a GOP Congress to work with Big Bird is dead. With a Democratic Congress Big Bird is welcomed into the White House with banners flying. With a Democratic Congress and a re-election ahead of him, Big Bird is in a quantum state no better than Schrodinger's Cat.

The problem with Romney is not that he is a Tea Party extremist - he isn't - it is that he is an amorphous entity defined by the forces around him. While compromise may be the foundation of strength in leadership, complete lack of conviction is the absence of it.

Would Mitt Romney lead the country down a path of reconciliation or one of plunging far-right extremism? That would be for others to decide, Romney would go whither the wind blows him.

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Will the Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up? An Ambiguously Open Thread. | 40 comments

Easy answer (2.00 / 9)

Mitt Romney will do whatever pays off biggest for Mitt Romney. He's Joe Isuzu with prep school polish.

If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done subjunctively.

by: janicket @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 13:53:11 PM UTC

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I may be a centrist, (2.00 / 5)

but I have very specific views about that.

Romney is an opportunist. That is where the trouble lies. Whatever works to increase profits, views be damned. With a Democratic Congress he might actually be pretty good, with a GOP Congress and a re-election to win in four years he could be Jack the Ripper.

"Conway, whom experience had taught that rudeness was by no means a guarantee of good faith, was even less inclined to regard a well-turned phrase as a proof of insincerity." James Hilton, Lost Horizon

by: Chris Blask @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 14:00:33 PM UTC

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If Romney were to face re-election I doubt he'll be (2.00 / 5)

too much into compromise. Remember he left MA with terrible poll numbers. The GOP base would scream traitor and Dems sure as hell won't vote for him. Also, if Romney were to win I'd bet the GOP holds onto the House and maybe takes the Senate requiring no compromise.

"When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette

by: HappyinVT @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 14:32:32 PM UTC

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Exactly my point. (2.00 / 5)

There is not a realistic scenario where he would go as moderate as he is talking right now to win a few votes.

"Conway, whom experience had taught that rudeness was by no means a guarantee of good faith, was even less inclined to regard a well-turned phrase as a proof of insincerity." James Hilton, Lost Horizon

by: Chris Blask @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 15:51:31 PM UTC

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If Romney... (2.00 / 4)

Were to what?

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 16:24:42 PM UTC

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I was just playing along. (2.00 / 5)

Blame Chris. :)

"When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette

by: HappyinVT @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 17:59:18 PM UTC

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He Likes... (2.00 / 5)

"Thought exercises." I'm practising ritual magic.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 18:03:50 PM UTC

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In Spite... (2.00 / 7)

Of the reversal of narrative post-debate I think we've definitely taken a hit. We're in for a month-long scrum and the flying monkeys are on the wing.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 18:20:48 PM UTC

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My Twitter timeline has my stomach in knots. (2.00 / 5)

Whatever happened Wednesday night just made O's victory a bit harder. Ugh!

"When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette

by: HappyinVT @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 19:16:17 PM UTC

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It Is What It Is (2.00 / 6)

In some ways electing a very human Obama wouldn't be such a bad thing either. In some ways much better. As long as he wins and the down-ticket is solid.

It's about time the whole country cut that guy some slack.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 19:21:00 PM UTC

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Untie your Tummy (2.00 / 9)

Social media analysis: Who really won the debate?

NBCPolitics.com uses a tool called ForSight
...
It isn't the same as traditional surveys, which seek to reflect national opinion; instead, it's a broad, non-predictive snapshot of what's being said by Americans who follow politics and are active on Facebook, Twitter or both at a particular moment in time, and why they're saying it.

Time passes ...

What a difference a day makes
24 little hours ...

There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent...and I had to find out who he was!

by: virginislandsguy @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 19:33:32 PM UTC

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I feel slightly better. (2.00 / 6)

I much prefer, however, the "cruising" of pre-debate.

"When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette

by: HappyinVT @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:17:13 PM UTC

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Very Nice (2.00 / 4)

However I watch the polling every day and I don't like what I'm seeing; our lovely little cushion is narrowing in some swing state polls lately. Granted there have been a lot of Rasmussen/GOPish polls in the field, but still... Want to see those Romney numbers recede again and soon.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:20:03 PM UTC

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Keep your powder dry for one more week (2.00 / 6)

This is going to be (a planned) silly season. The Republican-lean pollsters and the Horserace-Uber-Alles Media will create a Reality Distortion Field worthy of Steve Jobs. Other than Mittarzans 'Me Alpha Male' performance in the 1st debate (which did not go well with women voters), what other positive news have they had?

Post-debate spin in Obamas favor (Big Bird is Big!) - Thu PM
Strong jobs report with U3 below the reelect Mendoza Line - Fri AM
Job Truthers stepping all over their dicks - Fri PM
Record breaking O fundraising for September -Sat AM
An expected strong performance by Biden on Thursday

There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent...and I had to find out who he was!

by: virginislandsguy @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:35:31 PM UTC

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Granted (2.00 / 4)

We'll know by mid-week. In the meantime I posted my ballot. And let's not blow the expectations game on Biden; we can't afford any mistakes until election day. I'm still expecting a solid win but I've been through a lot of these and they tend to tighten up for Democrats at the finish; at least that's what my tribal memory tells me.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:47:13 PM UTC

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I'm not so sure about (2.00 / 5)

tend to tighten up for Democrats at the finish

IIRC, Obama won going away in October and so did Clinton in 92/96. I believe your memory was of ultimately losing Dem campaigns. This is not one of those.

There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent...and I had to find out who he was!

by: virginislandsguy @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:58:05 PM UTC

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Yeah... (2.00 / 5)

1968, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1988, 2000 and 2004. I'm still emotionally scarred from Nixon's win in 1968, I can tell you; it should have been RFK. That was a crushing blow.

But, as you say, I've always expected Obama to win this thing, certainly still do. We're just going to have keep working at it, that's all.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 21:15:24 PM UTC

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Stuff like this might be helping move those numbers ... (2.00 / 5)

http://www.facebook.com/photo....

/snort

(No FB login required.)

"When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette

by: HappyinVT @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 22:44:54 PM UTC

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Stewardess! Out on the ... wing (2.00 / 4)

It's the ... gremBird!

There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent...and I had to find out who he was!

by: virginislandsguy @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 22:57:33 PM UTC

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It's interesting that even on Thursday (0.00 / 0)

only 38% thought Romney won/Obama lost, but the post-debate polls seem to reflect that that's a majority.

Makes me more comfortable in my believe that the opinions of the masses is driven by the media narrative.

by: DTOzone @ Sun Oct 07, 2012 at 17:00:59 PM UTC

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Yep (2.00 / 6)

You just can't predict what he would do in office, because his guiding principle seems to be that he will do whatever is best for him at any specific moment in time.

by: rfahey22 @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:14:37 PM UTC

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On domestic policy, agreed (2.00 / 5)

But on foreign policy, Mitt has gone Full Neocon for advisers and has not differed with them in his speeches.

There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent...and I had to find out who he was!

by: virginislandsguy @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:21:42 PM UTC

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On Domestic Policy... (2.00 / 6)

Seems to me Romney is enjoying a lift from his lurch to the centre; attractive to moderate Republicans who now give themselves permission to vote for him and yet retaining the 'base' whom just want to win at all costs. That's going to be a tricky illusion to sustain for four weeks; it is going to be an exercise in bamboozlement for all concerned.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:28:24 PM UTC

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Coming: The Triple Romney (2.00 / 5)

A new ice skating maneuver that combines a thrice repeated Walkback and FlipFlop. Many have attempted, none have succeeded.

There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent...and I had to find out who he was!

by: virginislandsguy @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:44:34 PM UTC

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Heh (2.00 / 5)

But can he stick the landing? There's still nothing the media likes better than dismembering a candidate at the first sign of weakness. Let's just say that if Mitt's debate performance was a win I'm beginning to doubt my ability to score these kabuki performances properly. Romney's getting points for "degree-of-difficulty" precisely because he's twisting the truth into such elaborate knots.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 20:53:03 PM UTC

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Mitt Gish (1.88 / 8)

I'm laughing my ass off at all the leftist pundits decrying labor number trutherism while at the same time declaring a liar the winner. These people are advocating such looseness in integrity I wouldn't let a kid watch them.

"I honor the place in you where Spirit lives
I honor the place in you which is
of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace,
when you are in that place in you,
and I am in that place in me,
then we are One." Namaste Friends!

by: Adept2u @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 16:38:35 PM UTC

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Not to Mention... (2.00 / 6)

The rightist pundits making the modest gains in the BLS numbers into unbelievably good ones for an extra news cycle or two.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 17:07:28 PM UTC

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Way to lose the narrative, boys. (2.00 / 6)

"Conway, whom experience had taught that rudeness was by no means a guarantee of good faith, was even less inclined to regard a well-turned phrase as a proof of insincerity." James Hilton, Lost Horizon

by: Chris Blask @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 17:11:21 PM UTC

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All we need is a solid and energetic performance (2.00 / 8)

in the next two debates. And a bit of humor.

Keep stoking the debunking fires under the crucible of Romney's lies.

And then it's the ground game that counts.

Let's just hope that Biden doesn't slip into his silly self-caricature tendency. Ryan ain't no Palin. He'll be energized by the taste of the Naval Observatory that the response to Mitt's truthiness restored. Biden can handle it, but he's gotta stay disciplined.

The future is unwritten

by: Strummerson @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 21:25:38 PM UTC

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Darn right Ryan ain't no Palin, which is why ol' Joe can (2.00 / 6)

let loose and hit hard. He couldn't do that to Palin 'cause she was a lady and all. Obama can't do that 'cause he's Debating While Black.

Joe Biden is a good debater, and Ryan has been living in his little conservabubble for decades. Little granny starver ain't gonna know what hit him.

Don't forget "A noun, a verb, and 911." That was Joe.

Every successful revolution puts on in time the robes of the tyrant it has deposed.--Barbara Tuchman

by: Emerald @ Sun Oct 07, 2012 at 08:17:50 AM UTC

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This is making the rounds today; thought I'd toss it to teh Moose. (2.00 / 4)

"When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette

by: HappyinVT @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 21:50:31 PM UTC

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Heh (2.00 / 3)

https://twitter.com/Chuck_n_FL...

"When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in teh stupid and waving a gun" ~ Esteev on Wonkette

by: HappyinVT @ Sat Oct 06, 2012 at 21:56:16 PM UTC

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Heh, Allow Me... (2.00 / 6)

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sun Oct 07, 2012 at 00:59:03 AM UTC

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Yikes (2.00 / 2)

PPP dropped 5% of Obama's lead in Wisconsin. Hang tight.

by: Shaun Appleby @ Sun Oct 07, 2012 at 01:13:47 AM UTC

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I think the polls will look wacky for at least a week. (2.00 / 4)

Earth is the best vacation place for advanced clowns. --Gary Busey

by: fogiv @ Sun Oct 07, 2012 at 04:03:05 AM UTC

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The only polls I'm going to be watching (2.00 / 4)

are an aggregate of Ohio polls over the next 5 days. And even then, you need to pay careful attention to the crosstabs.

The Obama campaign is at ad spending parity there and early voting started on Tuesday. Their superior ground game should show up by +2 to 3 points in the polling.

There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent...and I had to find out who he was!

by: virginislandsguy @ Sun Oct 07, 2012 at 05:23:24 AM UTC

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I like this Mitt (2.00 / 3)

The future is unwritten

by: Strummerson @ Sun Oct 07, 2012 at 10:21:46 AM UTC

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WWRFD - What Would Ronnie Ferocious Do (2.00 / 2)

You really needed to supply the link to The Onions Mitt Romney Adopts New 'Ronnie Ferocious' Persona For Debates, it's funny as hell.

After he signaled sound technicians to cut the Dead Kennedys' track blasting from the speakers and kissed his large bald eagle tattoo, Romney proceeded to offer his opening remarks on domestic policy, a low 45-second moan that turned into a high-pitched howl, which political analysts speculate may have been about health care, discretionary spending and entitlements, gay marriage, the Dream Act, or some kind of food or taxes.

There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent...and I had to find out who he was!

by: virginislandsguy @ Sun Oct 07, 2012 at 20:05:28 PM UTC

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The Dead Kennedy's track (2.00 / 3)

was this one:

I am Governor Mitt Romney
None of you punks
Is richer than me
Soon I will be president...
Obama Power will soon go away
I will be Fuhrer one day
I will command all of you
Your kids will pray in school
Your kids will pray in school!
[Chorus:]
Bain Capital Uber Alles
Bain Capital Uber Alles
Uber Alles Bain Capital
Uber Alles Bain Capital