Associated Press
Wisconsin's Tommy Thompson (R)
Rachel noted on the show last night the many Republican U.S. Senate candidates distancing themselves from Mitt Romney this week. The latest is arguably the ugliest squabble of them all.
In Wisconsin, former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) was seen as the favorite in this year's U.S. Senate race, but polls show him falling behind Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D). Asked about his troubles, the Republican blamed his party's presidential nominee.
Thompson is blaming the slip, in part, on the rocky campaign of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
"The presidential thing is bound to have an impact on every election," Thompson told Madison television station WKOW on Wednesday. "You know, whether you're a Democrat or Republican. If you're a standard-bearer for the presidency is not doing well, it's going to reflect on the down ballot."
In other words, as far as Thompson is concerned, Romney is struggling so badly in this key battleground state, he's even dragging other GOP candidates down with him.
The Romney campaign responded by sending John Sununu out to bash Thompson, blaming the Senate candidate for his own troubles.
Josh Marshall noted, "Most people in the country aren't going to see this little back and forth. But if you're someone running the Romney operation and you can manage to step back and get a few moments of perspective you've got to think to yourself, "WTF? This isn't helping. What are we doing here?"
It's not just Thompson. Peggy Noonan published a deeply critical piece on the Romney campaign this week, and followed up today, writing, "This week I called it incompetent, but only because I was being polite. I really meant 'rolling calamity.'" Team Romney then dispatched Sununu to slam Noonan this morning on MSNBC.
The election is in 46 days. This kind of internecine warfare isn't a good sign.
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Romney is struggling so badly in this key battleground state, he's even dragging other GOP candidates down with him.
From his lips to Goddess' ear! May it happen everywhere.
And putting Sununu out to do the job is also a plus. Every time he yaps, two hundred more independents decide not to vote Republican.
We can only hope it spreads to every state and election with an "unfortunate" Republican anywhere on the ballot.
(Of course then Democrats would have to learn to work together effectively. But that's a different
whineerr, discussion for another day....I hope.)The straight party line votes in the House and Senate have solidified the perception in the public's mind is that the GOP votes as a block. A Dem challenger has a very simple pitch
They are toast. Block voting and the lack of bipartisanship during 2010, 2011 means that the candidates cannot be seen as anything but drone representatives of an extremist ideology. The GOP candidates may attempt to project a fantasy that they will be able to express some individuality when they get to Washington, but it will be easy to portray them as indulging in naivete or deception.
TC ,couldn't agree more . Sununu: Andy of Mayberry from the dark side.
JohnMesserly . . . That came up in the Elizabeth Warren/Scott Brown debate. Warren was correct to point out that Brown will help make James Inhofe the head of a committee that will deal with environmental and energy issues. Dems need to point out that, no matter what a Republican candidate says, he/she will have to vote for whatever the party line is. Republicans don't tolerate dissent, so they're people aren't going to be independent or moderate.
Oh, I don't know. Sounds pretty good to me :-)
The real internecine war is over who will finally take the blame for the torture and deaths of Americans in Libya.
After hearing the dodges, parsing, and outright lies from the Obama administration, the only thing worse is seeing Obama pander to Muslims and trying to soft peddle leaving his personal representative to die in ignominy.
And you people wonder why the 'Obama isn't American' theme won't die? Well here you go.
Please refrain from feeding the Troll Shooter everyone.
Hey Blankman, please do US all a favor and stop taking those psycho-tropic drugs, they really have diminished your brain functions.
I'm with you, 80's. I love it when the teapubs eat their own.
Look! A moth!
We must free ourselves from the bondage of fools. Those who can not accept the truth according Romney must be admonished for straying from the path of right winged lunacy! Are you a republican or are you just riding the tide!
Pssst-the left wingers allow for differing opinions although we too tend to distance ourselves from the loons.
And yesterday Tim Pawlenty leaves the Romney team for a bank lobbying job.
This sounds like corporate speak when you hear of a CEO who should have been fired, but who "leaves for other (unnamed) opportunities."
Working with banksters? Guess he wanted to spend more time with The Family...
Get Enraged and Engaged:
Mooch the Vote 2012!
;-)
Timmy P. says that he is not a rat deserting the sinking ship... Hey, Timmy has a family to support and it pays really well to be a lobbyist helping the financial services industry destroy our economy again.
Or when, after a reorg, he's put on "special assignment." Translation: we're letting him (unlike you working slobs) save face and stay on the payroll long enough to get a new rotation in the Executive Welfare System.
I actually knew a bloke once who didn't take the hint. Great embarrassment for the schlemiel who blew the code.
Having Mitt anchor the GOP would have been a good idea had they been having a tug of war. Fortunately Mitt decided to be the anchor on his swim team. He is morally bankrupt and probably will want the US Govt, to guarantee his pension.
Do you know the Annapolis definition of "anchor man?"
My old man was an instructor at the Academy in the '60s (although this would have been after McCain's days there). IIRC, and I think I do, McCain nearly had the distinction of being the "anchor man" in his class. (Hint - has nothing to do with Will Ferrell!)
The Rape-Public-CONs do seem to like them dumb.
Get Enraged and Engaged:
Mooch the Vote 2012!
;-)
Gotta love how members of the party of personal responsibility can't take responsibility for their own failing campaigns.
Sununu, he's like Haley Barbour without a vessel in Hong Kong to hang out on.
Maureen Dowd does a better job on Ms. Noonan, let her have a go.
How come Tom Petty's 'Free Fallin' is running through my head about now... ;)
Oh, and I, like, totally agree with @80'sgirl, fer sure.
This sort of internecine warfare is music to my ears.
That's funny -- I'm thinking of Judy Collins singing Steven Sondheim, "Send in the Clowns:"
Weird. I'm thinking of Simon & Garfunkel's The Boxer (the ending refrain, at least):
"Lie lie lie. Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie. Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie lie lie. Lie lie lie. Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie. Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie lie lie. Lie lie lie. Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie. Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie lie lie. Lie lie lie. Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie. Lie lie lie lie lie lie lie, lie lie lie lie lieeeeeee."
Get Enraged and Engaged:
Mooch the Vote 2012!
;-)
Romney is too busy trying to figure out what those things in the sky are, so that he can incorporate them. His new company, Cloud Busting Inc. He's been living in hell for far too long, he finally looked up at something other than himself, unrecognizable to alien beings , he now knows of trees and clouds. Just look at them.
He wants to make sure those clouds are all just the right size?
Always fun to watch a good implosion.
Reinforces my belief that Mitt is not very bright. I think being insulated from anything resembling real life by his thick wall of money has left him incapacitated.
'Rolling calamity'...love it. Kinda like 'Rolling Thunder' but NOT...
Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour in 1975 had Joan Baez, David Mansfield, and Scarlett Rivera - much, much better...
Or am I dating myself & you are referring to the relatively recent 'Rolling Thunder' motorcycle event?
Great use of the word, "internecine." I had to look it up. : )
On another blog Sununu was described having a 'face like a prolapsed pig's rectum'.
Really? Is this necessary? I come to this blog to avoid this type of discourse.
I agree with RuhRon! Keep the discourse to the words of Sununu and their meanings. That is more than vulgar enough.
It's friday, something was bound to slip out. What they're saying behind closed doors is a lot worst.
That fact that any campaign would send Sununu out to represent them on tv, is an indication that Noonan among others was underestimating the issue if anything.
The problem is the product, not the packaging!
Yes and no. I think what we have here is a failed attempt to cover up a bad product by putting it in a disgusting package. The hope is that the negative reactions can be blamed on the offensive packaging.
Brilliant scheme, that. Positively brilliant.
"Idiot Wind" Bob Dylan
"....it's a wonder that you still know how to breathe."
High among my favorite Dylan songs. Always believed he wrote it for my ex-wife.
Ditto, SOV.
I'm beginning to think that all these people (SuNONO, NOnnan, eetc.) don't actually want Mitt to be President...they want him to be KING!
??????????????
You don't lead from the top - you DICTATE from the top. And that's what these idiots want Romney to do.
Ding ding ding... we have a winner! Robert DuBois hammers the nail on the head.
The republican message and their parrots are failing because they are selling a junk product.
If Clark (Mitt) keeps having to pull the car over to straighten out Rusty (Thompson) and Audrey (Sununu), and check on Aunt Edna's (Seamus) dead body on the roof of the car, they're never going to get to Walley World.
Wondering ??? Do the Mormons celebrate Christmas in September ???
The Romney campaign seems to be hanging out a new and different bright, shiny object hourly.
Thought they might be decorating a tree!!
Q: What is the difference between the Romney campaign and a startled chicken?
A: One is a flustered cluck.
The 47% increased to include other Republican candidates that are not sure anymore they support Mittens. Very bad. Mittens is even out of touch with his own people! Right your listing ship. It's starting to look like the Costa Concordia.
I am surprised that Senator Scott Brown is not catching more heat for the "Look at her..." comment against Elizabeth Warren. You know not all mixed people look so obvious.