I find myself constantly amazed that modern Republicans have me wishing I still had Dick Nixon to kick around.

Can someone explain to me why the entire Leftosphere is so unabashedly proud of their ignorance? The reaction is overwhelmingly dumb. Really folks, you should be ashamed of yourselves. All this "Romney is dumb", and on THIS issue? You guys (the liberal and "progressive" bloggers who populate the Leftosphere) are an embarrassment to non-knee jerking thinking humans.

It's not a bad idea at all to have windows that open, and there is not a problem with it. It's an engineering problem, that's all. Cabins are pressurized to several thousand feet depending on the aircraft, and when the plane is at that same altitude the windows could be opened to exhaust inside smoke or noxious fumes. The plane would not have to land, thought it might do so to investigate the situation.

Btw, personally I believe it's a good idea to have doors on a plane, even one that flies at 40K feet. Outrageous concept, isn't it?

Well, I for one am incredulous that a drooling moron like you can come over here and think you can pee on the fire hydrants and not be laughed out of here. But thanks for the daily demonstration of how stupid stupid has to be to be one of you idiots.

Oh man...., hahahahahahahaha..., sometimes you just can't believe what you read is coming from another human being. But then, this is the good ol' USA, where there is no shortage of brain-dead idiots. Yeah, there'd be a real utility to having windows with that extra opening function so that if you just had to stick your arm out like a child and see how changing the position of your hand makes it act like an aircraft wing. Not only the fantastic utility, but surely the costs for a safe implementation of all that extra gadgetry would of course be minimal.

Hahahahahahaha..., I mean, this tool comes to berate people for being idiots and has this idea.

I dislike Romney as much as anyone, but this is a petty line of attack. He was making a joke, and using (poor) humor to express relief over what was likely a very alarming situation for him at the time. It was actually a rare display of humanity, in all its flawed, errant nature from a usually robotic politician.

Give him a break on this. There's plenty of other relevant material to hit him with.

Well, I for one am incredulous that a drooling moron like you can come over here and think you can pee on the fire hydrants and not be laughed out of here

No, it's true, you are stupider than you look, and don't let anyone ever tell you differently. Generally speaking, any dimwit like yourself would be more persuasive if they said something substantive, but you are too full of crap yourself to admit you know nothing.

Certainly, you could have windows that open on a plane. You make the inside pressure the same as the outside by descending to the proper elevation. You crack a window, and the only pressure difference would come from Bernoulli at 400mph. Any passengers could easily withstand this, and they would only feel it near the window. Depending on how large a window you wanted to open, flow separation and/or turbulence could drop the static pressure difference to zero. People near the windows would get buffeted around a bit, people farther in the cabin would feel relatively less. In any case, the idea is to control any small pressure drop the same way cabin pressure is controlled now via the engine, or compressors, and valves, and control the air flow from inside to outside the plane. This is a difficult engineering problem, that's all.

But thanks for the daily demonstration of how stupid stupid has to be to be one of you idiots.

You took the words right out of my mouth, professor.

DisgustedWithItAlll:

...with that extra opening function so that if you just had to stick your arm out like a child...

Are you pretending to be, or are you actually such an impotent thinker?

Not only the fantastic utility, but surely the costs for a safe implementation of all that extra gadgetry would of course be minimal.

Don't call me Shirley. It's a cost/benefit consideration. If noxious or acrid fumes inside a plane occurred frequently enough, designing planes with venting via windows could certainly make sense. This is an engineering problem, that's all. Dropping the pressure difference between inside and outside by descending to the appropriate elevation and cracking a window makes operational sense. Controlling the airflow would be simple with the engine compression or other compressors, and valves to move the contaminated air to the outside.

Besides this, once on the ground the only option now is to exit the cabin via the doors. It would be very nice to be able to open windows and get some fresh air.

So, I invite your feeble response if you dare, but expect nothing more than I do from TCinLA, a well preserved example of a schmuck and a half, which would be to hear:

it's just stoooooopid.

So whatchu got?

Disgusted - it's great that you're arguing a straw man position about why it's technically possible to design windows that can be opened without immediately destroying the plane, under certain circumstances.

Unfortunately for you, Romney's point was significantly broader than that. All the givens you're building in to make it sound reasonable, he didn't do.

The difference between windows that can control venting (as you describe) and windows that can be opened by anybody at any time (as he describes) should be obvious to a person feigning as much intelligence as you.

johnny jake:

Unfortunately for you, Romney's point was significantly broader than that.

Nope. Unfortunately for you, and your liberal and "progressive" cohort, you can't identify a jocular and conversational tone in Romney's speaking. I can, and upon hearing what he said, it's clear he is being lighthearted in describing the seriousness of the situation. It's almost like a standup routine from someone with a dry sense of humor (you know he's a very dead pan sorta guy), you can hear a chuckle in his voice, and his comment about opening windows is CLEARLY jesting if you look at his body language, hear his voice, the rapidity with which he delivers the line "And I don't know why," and moves on. Try leaving your bias at home, and listen to it.

But if he had not said that, you and the liberal media (yadda, yadda, denials, yadda yadda, more denial, etc.) would have singled out something else:

"...a fire in an aircraft, there's no place to go exactly..."

Holy crap, he must just have discovered there's really no place to go in an airplane. And the inevitable disingenuous liberal "analysis" would follow: he never knew that before? Why else would he tell us that? He's so stoooopid.

...and windows that can be opened by anybody at any time (as he describes) should be obvious to a person feigning as much intelligence as you.

Bull@!$%# squared. I'm not feigning intelligence. I'm feigning civility with the likes of the idiots in the Leftosphere who think they deserve a serious conversation when they deliberately misrepresent what someone says like you do. He doesn't suggest anybody, anytime. He says they can't be opened. The inferences are all in your head.

http://www.politico.com/multimedia/video/2012/09/romney-airplane-windows-not-opening-a-real-problem.html

I've had the same thought.......he really isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer

Today is a slow news day. While I didn't attend the fundraiser and I am an overt Obama supporter, I am willing to give Romney the benefit of the doubt. After all he was competing with Dennis Miller at the same event. Until I hear the remarks I am going to assume Romney was trying to tell a funny.

Next flight, just strap her to the top. She'll get plenty of oxygen then.

Competing with Dennis Miller to "tell a funny" is like competing with Hitler to be a "vegetarian" (hint: Hitler really wasn't a "vegetarian" by any standards ever set up for the term).

I wonder if all of his high rises have windows that open to let in the fresh air of a modern city, like New York, or Boston, or Mexico City? On 9/11 many lives would have been saved if people could have jumped to the waiting safety nets below. snark off

Shooter: No one was downplaying the seriousness of the situation invoving Mrs Romney and the other passengers. Having spent 40+ years flying with the AF I have had many in-flight emergencies due to smoke filling the cockpit. The standard in flight procedure is to reduce altitude quickly and depressurize the cockpit so that the smoke can be vented -- and then of course, determine cause of smoke.

What most respondents criticized was Gov Romney's comments about having the capability to open aircraft windows. The flight deck has windows that can slide open -- but can you imagine windows in the passenger compartment that could be opened at the desire of the passengers?

His denim pants are always nicely pressed. How's that?

Bingo Blankman, his "wife was in danger" and the best thing he could say/ask is why can't you open a window at 35k feet, really? I'm sure they both must be "frequent fliers" - so I'm sure that he has some comprehension about cabin pressure, so yes, his response in light of this was asinine at best.

As for saying something "positive about Romney" - when he actually does do something "positive" I'm sure Steve will write it up "when Romney actually does something positive" - but I won't be holding my breath for that to happen....

Well, Shooter, I'd have to go back and do a little research, but I bet at some point someone complimented him on Romneycare.

Does that count?

It's not so much in this case mocking Romney. That ship has sailed. But if he was dead pan serious in his lack of any fundamental understanding as to why you can't roll down an airplane window at 65 years of age gives pause to...well...most reasonably intelligent people. And this is your political savior Shooter? Didn't you learn anything during the Bush administration?

Stretch. Your comment is what is known as a STRETCH.

If you can't see that Mitten's comment was one of the dumbest in quite a while, you aren't paying attention.

If you notice not ONE comment even talks about Ann Romney.

Shooter - perhaps you forget Mrs. Romney was not the only one on the plane, I trust your concern is for all the people who were on the plane.

As for something nice to say about Romney - his is a great source of material for late night comedians and therefore is entertaining.

It's nice that Romney doesn't eat babies. Happy now?

Romney's wife was in danger and now is not thanks to the education and intelligence of the flight crew. Romney's ignorance about how airplanes work is a completely different issue. It demonstrates a rather suprising ignorance about some very basic things. Romney often reminds me of George W. Bush, not remarkably smart and definitely not very curious.

If there is little or nothing positive to say, why imagine that people would invent something to say for your benefit, Shooter?

Shooter:

I don't think Mitt is evil and I don't think his stupidity is intentional.

He likes trees that are the right height!

I don't think Mitt is evil and I don't think his stupidity is intentional.

I don't think so either...I don't even think he is "stupid." What I do think is intentional is everyone suspending logic to conclude that a former Governor, CEO, world traveler, etc doesn't know why the windows on a plane don't open.

This statement could have multiple explanations other than Romney is ignorant on air pressure, etc, at high altitudes. Could it be the "that" in his quote refers to he doesn't know why they don't find a way to bring in oxygen from outside to clear smoke out of the cabin and not the windows? Could it be he was still shaken and ran thoughts together? Could he have been saying tongue in cheek that it sure would be good if the windows opened?

And why didn't he get the follow up question: Don't you know why windows on a plane don't open? Why? Because those reporting knew what he meant and didn't think the Governor was ignorant on the subject.

This is just this blog in campaign mode as they have been for the last few months completely ignoring legitimate news stories to run ridiculous things like pretending Gov. Romney doesn't know why windows on a plane don't open. IMHO

Just for Pooper242...

Mitt Romney is a pretty man, but that is not the only reason that he appeals to republicans.
Mitt Romney has an excellent history of degrees from excellent private schools.
Mitt Romney hires excellent accountants and lawyers.
Mitt Romney financed a surrogate child for his son and daughter-in-law which provided for an abortion on demand clause in their surrogate contract.
Mitt Romney does not want to deliberately destroy the world (I believe).

See, I can say positive and complimentary things about the Mittens. Can't say I can do the same for you.

"Fapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfapfap..."

-shooter242, upon seeing how many of you took, and continue to take, his comments seriously.

shooter242

June 11, 2012 at 6:54 am

I’d like to encourage more trollery on left wing sites. Specifically pushback on common memes such as identified by Jonah Goldberg as unchallenged cliches. It can actually work, and it can actually change the course of debate.

For instance, I always challenge “the rich take too much of the pie” meme. There is no pie, no one decides who gets what, and the “pie” is a measure of contributions to a total. Ergo the rich don’t take they contribute. It’s been gratifyingly effective.

Try it you’ll like it. Don’t curse and keep the personal insults to a bare minimum, don’t allow moving goal posts or distractions. Ignore trollish responders, and be four times more civil. They hate that.

http://moelane.com/2012/06/09/troll-hunting-101/

Shooter,

I think your complaint should be against Romney, not us - we didn't make that remark and we didn't "joke" about what happened to our wife - maybe that's what goes for humor in his "set"!

Mitt Romney is the greatest liar in U.S. Presidential campaign history! That's quite an accomplishment.

Also, Mitt Romney is the

- phoniest ...

- ...

Mitt Romney is the best at being the worst.

Could it be the "that" in his quote refers to he doesn't know why they don't find a way to bring in oxygen from outside to clear smoke out of the cabin and not the windows

While I'm all for giving the benefit of the doubt in this instance, you are going wayyy too far here Rob. You can't come up with some fantastic reasoning that the person really, secretly meant to say and then retroactively apply that reasoning. It doesn't work that way. This is such a huge leap in logic: nothing Romney said would indicate this is what he meant nor would a reasonable person make this conclusion. It's just way out there.

And why didn't he get the follow up question: Don't you know why windows on a plane don't open? Why? Because those reporting knew what he meant and didn't think the Governor was ignorant on the subject.

You haven't heard the whole statement in context (premise for your previous paragraph) but you are able to assume the motives and rationale of the reporter??? On what basis??? You do not know this yet you assert it to be fact even though YOU just stated you had no idea what the context of the circumstance is. Apparently you are willing to give the benefit of the doubt to Romney, but not to the reporter??? At it's worst this statement is beyond bizarre and hypocritical, and at it's worst this statement is contradictory and still bizarre.

This is just this blog in campaign mode as they have been for the last few months completely ignoring legitimate news stories to run ridiculous things like pretending Gov. Romney doesn't know why windows on a plane don't open. IMHO

This is just Robby in campaign mode as he has been for several months now completely ignoring news stories and context in order to make up ridiculous hypotheticals in order to defend his candidate and his conservative beliefs even while paradoxically complaining that he needs evidence and reason to do so. IMHO.

You do realize adding IMHO to a statement doesn't suddenly a. make it more valid or b. make it more honest, yes?

TIO

Please see Col Ed Senior Vet's replies #6.1 and #11. He very skillfully replies why windows in plane cabins don't open and never should. As to your replies #1.6 and #1.7, I hope you never get a commercial pilot's licence. Because I really wouldn't want you flying a plane with other people's lives on the line.

The crew of Ann Romney's plane acted appropriately and professionally and did the right thing. From what you said I doubt you'd do the same.

As to Mitt's inappropriate joke about the incident, if I were Ann I would not like it very much. Again he used Ann as a butt of a bad joke just as he did in that secret video were he said that the campaign was using her sparingly so people wouldn't get tired of her. Not appropriate to make disparaging remarks about one's spouse in front of people even in jest. Mitt has no edit button and that's a big problem for someone who wants to be president

Dennis Miller spoke at the same fundraiser. I guess it is possible Romney was trying to keep up with a professional comedian.

Calling the never-funny Dennis Miller a "professional comedian" is an insult to professional comedians. The talentless turd became a right winger so he could find an audience dumb enough to think he is funny.

Once he ran out of Greek and Roman philosophers people had remotely heard of, he was sunk. Half-witless tripe.

According to an LA Times story, it was a private 10-seat plane that was involved. Pictures seem to show a pretty big jet, though. Dunno if charter planes like that one are required to have drop-down oxygen masks for passengers. I wonder if they're exempt.

All aircraft that can fly at pressurization levels (which this Gulfstream can) have the same safety systems as airliners.

Is it possible they are not talking about it because they are still investigating it?

No, because they were talking all over the place when they were blaming the attack on the Ambassador on a video clip. And why would they need more investigation before speaking if it is as the President said through his spokesman that it is "self-evident?"

And what kind of investigation do you think they are doing? CNN found the Ambassador's private diary writing "on the floor of the largely unsecured consulate compound" three days after the killing.

Oh, well.

RobDon - why do you feel Romney has a leg to stand on given his craven political behavior with regard to Libya? He jumps out in front of the President of the United States and presumes to speak for the country. He smears the Embassy and the President with lies about 1) the nature of the message received from the Embassy 2) the timing of the message received from the Embassy. Romney then shamelessly doubled down on everything he'd gotten so wrong. Is it acceptable behavior for the RNC Chair to send out the kind of borderline seditious statement about a sitting president that Reince Priebus did? No. Yet Romney, behind the smirk, remains silent. The fact that Romney supporters are willing to overlook the fact that Romney threw our Embassy and President under the bus in the service of a lie, not only after Americans had lost their lives, but also on the very evening the nation was commemorating 9/11, says to me you realy have no credibility to go after Obama with regard to Libya.

Oh, RobDon, you have completely disappointed me. I would expect this crap from Shooter, but not from you! You always seemed to me to make an intelligent case for your side of the issues, but to take a remark completely out of context and try to make a huge (false) issue out of it? You and I both know Obama was NOT referring to the ambassador's death as a bump in the road - why are you peddling this?

I was going to say the "non-opening windows" comment was the second most stupid think I heard today - that the "bumps in the road" comments made by Romney beat even that, and here you are, trying to "defend" Romney's nonsense! Are you REALLY that infatuated with this guy - who even the true conservatives are bagging?

Really, RobDon, are some of you Republicans THAT DESPERATE?????

Romney said that to blame the disruption in the Middle East on a film trailer and agreeing with those creating and propagating violence against US embassies by condemning the video clip was the wrong tactic. Later, the WH agreed and said that the tweets Romney was referencing did not reflect our government, thus proving his assertion correct.

Romney, like me, is waiting on our President to address the terrorist attack that killed four of our Americans. When will he address it? Wouldn't you think he would want to send a message other than we condemn the video and condemn the violence, like they have equal footing?

...but to take a remark completely out of context and try to make a huge (false) issue out of it?

oncerepublican, that is the point I am illustrating. Do you think Romney doesn't know why windows don't open on planes?

RobDon,

I am sure Romney does know why windows don't open on an airplane but that he make that kind of joke about it is really stupid. If I were Ann, Romney would have a few "hard days" coming!!

Oh, I take that back, the "airplane joke" was the THIRD most stupid thing I've heard Romney say today - that "emergency room" comment tops them all!!!

RobDon - Romney made his move as the situation on the ground was still being assessed and the first reports were coming in. He jumped to a conclusion and he was dead wrong about it - as he's been about everything. And it was just such a disrepectful, disgraceful spectacle. What's worse, Romney seems incapable of comprehending why what he did was so inappropriate. That's what really gets me about him. He comes across as incapable of any kind of self-reflection whatsoever. And that's honestly quite disturbing.

All that aside, though, the fact that I really can't say with conviction whether Romney is the kind of person who of course knows you can't open aircraft windows while the plane is in flight says just what kind of an impression he's made during his campaign.

June, thanks for the response. So you are more concern with the fact Romney spoke more than what he actually said (re: his comments about Middle East violence, etc). Okay, I can appreciate that.

And to your credit, you answered my question on whether one thinks Romney really doesn't know why windows can't open on airplanes. Thanks for that as well. Most here want to dismiss anything that challenges their premise rather than directly address it.

RobDonn - If you went into a crime scene here in the United States and removed items from the scene without permission, what do you think would happen to you. Was the diary his thoughts, his feelings or was it a journal in which he documented things that took place at the Embassy or involved the Embassy? The family did not give permission for this release of the information of the diary and if it was a journal kept by the Ambassador of matters related to the Embassy would that not be the Government's property? Should this not have been turned over to the family or the Government for their review? I find CNN overstepped on this one.

RD, that the president hasn't spoken at length and in great detail about an attack that he did speak on and expressed his intent to ensure the persons responsible are punished ... this is your complaint? He hasn't said enough? Seriously? Mitt Romney stepped in it so unbelievably badly in a desperate bid to attempt to show his foreign policy chops. Then made it worse with an ill-conceived press conference which he SMIRKED his way through, this doesn't bother you?

So, this one particular thread is offending you because it's taking Mitt's quote out of context and running with it? Provide for me will you the link to the conservative blogs where you protested that the "you didn't build that" quote was taken out of context. Or the one where you protested that the video from 1998 was truncated to make Obama sound like he was advocating for redistribution for the sake of punishing success (which is what the right went with).

Yes, we're having fun at Mitt's expense. Tough.

RobDon - slight clarification - that Romney lied about the nature and timing of the tweet from the Embassy, and that he presumed to speak before the President on behalf of the country - in response to a very dangerous situation that was still happening - is what I find to be disgraceful.

Maybe this is easier to cover than examining why our President has refused to speak to the American people about a terrorist attack that killed 4 Americans except to classify it as a "bump in the road."

He has spoken to the American people about it in formal press conferences at least 4 times... maybe you should start paying more attention?

President Obama has NOT spoken about it.

60 Minutes and an official statement by the White House and a meeting overseas all beg to differ with you, but ya know

No, because they were talking all over the place when they were blaming the attack on the Ambassador on a video clip.

...that was the Republicans, not the Democrats

Cartoon, the WH never called it or referred to it as a terrorist attack until about 4 days ago. The only reference was Obama did uses the term "acts of terror" in relation to the "killers" actions. Only recently has he said it was anything but a mob who were upset over a film trailer.

From USAToday:

Obama administration officials initially resisted calling the the attack in Benghazi a terrorist attack, but White House spokesman Jay Carney and other administration officials began using the term last week.

Then you're openly admitting you lied in the above statement. You claimed that the President had not spoken about X and now are confirming that they had in fact spoken about X.

Thanks for debunking yourself- makes my job much easier

Then you're openly admitting you lied in the above statement. You claimed that the President had not spoken about X and now are confirming that they had in fact spoken about X.

Cartoon, read more carefully, I said:

After it finally became "self-evident" that it was a planned terrorist attack, President Obama has NOT spoken about it.

When Obama made his initial remarks he (and the administration) were unwilling to call it anything other than a mob upset with a video. After his administration labeled it a terrorist attack, Obama has NOT spoken about it as such. I was quit clear. No debunking here.

There is one thing to say a mob grew increasingly angry over a video and Americans died as a result versus saying there was an organized attack on US embassies and officials designed to kill and create terror. Don't you think there's a VAST difference?

"They" sent an ambulance to his apartment.

When I get elected, there'll be latches on plane windows and free ER care for all Americans!

I'm Mittens and I approved this massage, er, message.