The impact of Romney's concession speech

[TenBenny]

It's always funny how these sorts of concession speeches offer all the humility and goodwill that isn't present in a campaign. For obvious reasons, though, strength in defeat is acceptable, as opposed to the potential of exhibited weakness while running for office. I think Romney's speech was solid. He did the right thing calling for people to reach across the aisle. As a friend said to me very succinctly, he may have saved his own party, not just by omission (losing the election), but in his brief words regarding bipartisanship. In reality, they didn't really seem to jibe with his own leadership philosophy, but whether or not he meant them, he had to look contrite.

I feel like this presidential election result, and some of the other reforms passed in several states (legal gay marriage and marijuana) indicate a future of the Republican party that will deal in moderation as opposed to extremism, which is wise. In the end, this was really just about tone. Not just about how one would lead, but about what the tone of the country's future is going to be. Romney's presidency just promised a very different, regressive social landscape, and backwards is not where the US needs to go. Even though most people assumed Obama would win, there was a shit ton at stake had he lost.

[brotherplanet]

I'm not in love with Obama, but I gotta say, the more I looked at Romney the worse I thought this country would be if he won.


If the Republicans hunker down and refuse to budge they're going to make this country much worse. I don't think they realize that their white bread, bible thumpin' supporters are on their way out.

[TenBenny]

I'm not in love with Obama, but I gotta say, the more I looked at Romney the worse I thought this country would be if he won.


If the Republicans hunker down and refuse to budge they're going to make this country much worse. I don't think they realize that their white bread, bible thumpin' supporters are on their way out.

Right. Whether or not people frown on issues such as gay marriages or pot smokers, the efforts to quell the rights to certain aspects of living in this country are going to peter out because the country is only going to move forward in terms of its open-mindedness. Slavery, McCarthyism, segregation, these are all things that eventually got stamped out under the foot of progress, and there's certainly a correlation between those things past and these things present.

I'm thinking that on some level, even John McCain privately realized he was coming from the old way after he lost his bid. After four years of watching the operations of an Obama term, there's a chance that he had trepidations about his party actually becoming the emblem of the future. I wonder if he saw parallels between him and Romney during the campaign?

[brotherplanet]

And for those who think, "They're talkin' away my America," this country has always been evolving. In the beginning even white males who did not own land were not permitted to vote.

We've come a loooooooong way.


You might find this interesting even though they're being a little vague.





Boehner Extends Olive Branch on 'Fiscal Cliff'


House Speaker John Boehner offered Wednesday to pursue a deal with a victorious President Barack Obama that will include higher taxes "under the right conditions" to help reduce the nation's staggering debt and put its finances in order.

"Mr. President, this is your moment," Boehner told reporters, speaking about the "fiscal cliff" that will hit in January. "We want you to lead."

Boehner said House Republicans are asking Obama "to make good on a balanced approach" that would including spending cuts and address government social benefit programs.

"Let's find the common ground that has eluded us," Boehner said while congratulating the president on winning a second term. (Read more: Obama Re-elected as Crucial Ohio Goes His Way.)


The Ohio Republican spoke a day after the president's clear re-election victory. He said conditions on higher taxes would include a revamped tax code to make it cleaner and fairer, fewer loopholes and lower rates for all.

The speaker noted that during one-on-one budget talks with the president in the summer of 2011, Obama had "endorsed the idea of tax reform and lower rates, including a top rate of lower than 35 percent," the present top rate.

"We're closer than we think to the critical mass needed legislatively to get tax reform done," he said. (Read more: Alarm on Wall Street Grows as 'Fiscal Cliff' Nears.)

Boehner did not specify what loopholes House Republicans might consider trimming. Nor did he take questions.
Your Money Your Vote - A CNBC Special Report


His comments were generally along the lines of proposals by vanquished Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney that also were vague on specifics. Still, the speaker's comments signaled a willingness to enter into talks. He suggested Congress could use its upcoming lame-duck session to get the ball moving on such a compromise.

"We can't solve the problem of our fiscal imbalance overnight...This is going to take time," he said. Of course that overnight might have already logn since passed if you weren't busy being an obstructionist instead of a supporter of the America people, but thanks for finally coming around.



http://www.cnbc.com/id/49731550

[Turner Coates]

If the Republicans hunker down and refuse to budge they're going to make this country much worse. I don't think they realize that their white bread, bible thumpin' supporters are on their way out.

Yeah. Sometimes if feels like they're still waiting for a Bob Hope Special from Afghanistan.

[dtmfs]

I think this loss is good for the repubs, hopefully the tea party dies out, they(republicans) need to go in a new direction and embrace the fact that "Fuck it, things have changed" and deal with it and quit being pricks.

[FullMetalWhackit]

The opposite I think may happen. Conservatives will blame nominating two moderates in a row with McCain and Romney.

[Skate4RnR]

Fuck them...CLASS WAR!!!111

[tin00can]

The opposite I think may happen. Conservatives will blame nominating two moderates in a row with McCain and Romney.

That's entirely possible. "The problem is, we didn't get conservative enough!" And of course in 2014 we'll see a shift again, like we did in 2010, with the republicans picking up some seats. This will lead to another bad nomination in 2016.

Or not, who the fuck knows.

[Skate4RnR]

I don't think conservatives realize how "moderate" Obama is. He a bitch.

[tin00can]

I don't think conservatives realize how "moderate" Obama is. He a bitch.

I like how they always say stupid shit like "He's to the left of Hitler." Shit, he's just barely to the left of Bush.

[Skate4RnR]

Shit, the way I put it is I voted for a spineless, moderate, motherfucking war criminal.

Of course I fall somewhere between a Communist and an Anarchist.

Remember the difference between us and China is one party.

[TenBenny]

The opposite I think may happen. Conservatives will blame nominating two moderates in a row with McCain and Romney.

That's entirely possible. "The problem is, we didn't get conservative enough!" And of course in 2014 we'll see a shift again, like we did in 2010, with the republicans picking up some seats. This will lead to another bad nomination in 2016.

Or not, who the fuck knows.

The funny thing is that by then, there may be even fewer hardcore conservative voters, so getting someone that's way more right than these "moderates," McCain and Romney, may prove to be a very bad strategy if the country has implicitly decided it's had enough of the Tea Party thing.

The one thing that the Repubs will have going for them in 2016, which may give them some leeway in terms of trying to shoehorn a deep conservative in there, is that the next Democratic candidate will be someone the public doesn't know, unless the party picks from the pool of great 2012 convention speakers (not a bad idea, as it certainly worked out well for the-then senator Obama, and there are a number of viable choices in that mix). Or Hillary, of course. In that instance, the voting results will all depend on whether or not the public wants to continue on in the progressive direction or not, regardless of candidate familiarity or lack thereof.

I think people are voting on as much tone as they are candidate. If one party gets the tone wrong, that will be equally damaging to its campaign as the candidate selection.

[Skate4RnR]

I'm hoping for a class war so I can shoot some pussy ass chickenhawks in the face.

[HippiChik]

I heard 2016 may be another Bush/Clinton run. To think...!

Whoever the candidates are, they need to realize that integration will be key from here on out - both internally AND within their respective constituencies. Our World is evolving and we can't keep suckling the bones of Henry Ford/Thomas Edison and Ronald Reagan/Bill Clinton forever. We need new industry and bold leadership to take us there.

[Skate4RnR]

Our economy can grow through jobs in the third world.

[Danzig in the Dark]

I'm hoping for a class war so I can shoot some pussy ass chickenhawks in the face.

They're chickenhawks. You'll have to settle for shooting them in the back.

[Skate4RnR]

I'm hoping for a class war so I can shoot some pussy ass chickenhawks in the face.

They're chickenhawks. You'll have to settle for shooting them in the back.

Boy, that's just yeller.

[Danzig in the Dark]

I'm hoping for a class war so I can shoot some pussy ass chickenhawks in the face.

They're chickenhawks. You'll have to settle for shooting them in the back.

Boy, that's just yeller.

It's hard for them to face you when they're running away like bitches.

[Skate4RnR]

I'll do what I have to do then.

[RATTdrools]

The opposite I think may happen. Conservatives will blame nominating two moderates in a row with McCain and Romney.

That's entirely possible. "The problem is, we didn't get conservative enough!" And of course in 2014 we'll see a shift again, like we did in 2010, with the republicans picking up some seats. This will lead to another bad nomination in 2016.

Or not, who the fuck knows.

But an extremely conservative candidate like a Santorum or Pat Buchanan could NEVER win a general election. If you thought Romney lost bad just imagine how bad they'd lose by! The GOP needs to become more moderate or go extinct!

[TenBenny]

Funny enough, even a lot of articles and editorials are now suggesting that the Republican party either totally rebuild itself, embracing a more centrist concept of moderation, or even disband. I don't think it would be a big stretch to assume that the party is going to be struggling to find itself in the coming year. Start by 86ing the Tea Party like Ripley sending the alien hurling through the airlock into space. By 2016, the Tea Party should become nothing more than a bizarre footnote in the history of the Republican party and American politics. The country is not going to move in that direction, and it's not going to be fooled by anyone that isn't legit. Romney pretended to be more like Obama during the debates, but the reality is that the press and the web can sniff out the BS in this day and age. If you're not legit, people *will* come to know it.

It's amazing where the US is at this moment. I ask myself, could the swift boat situation that was used to discredit John Kerry happen at this moment in time? Would the people fall for it? Allow it to happen?

By the way, Meghan McCain and Margaret Hoover even flat-out said a couple of years back that this would all happen if the Republican party didn't get with the times. It's individuals like those two that are probably more representative of the party's future.

[David_Lee_Halen]

I find this present period such a fuckin' relief after listening to republitards talk major shit about Obama for 4 years, while simultaneously listen to them try to gear up for a Republican win and try to convince me that it's inevitably gonna happen as everybody hates Obama. I feel like walking up to each and every one of them and call them morons, especially most of the Ron Paul supporters that I've come across.

[Danzig in the Dark]

Let him have this. The only other thing he has to live for is Ratt.

[Luminiferous]

Who's writing for Mittens now? Bill O'Reilly?

(CNN) – Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana fiercely shot back at Mitt Romney’s claim Wednesday that President Barack Obama outmatched the 2012 Republican presidential nominee by offering "gifts" to African-Americans, Hispanics and young voters.

“I absolutely reject that notion,” Jindal, who was a surrogate for Romney’s campaign, said at the Republican Governors Association conference in Las Vegas. “I think that's absolutely wrong.”

“I don't think that represents where we are as a party and where we're going as a party,” he continued. “That has got to be one of the most fundamental takeaways from this election.”

Romney made the comments on a call with top donors Wednesday afternoon, various news outlets have reported. The former Massachusetts governor also made similar arguments on a separate call earlier in the morning, CNN confirmed.

"What the president, president's campaign did was focus on certain members of his base coalition, give them extraordinary financial gifts from the government, and then work very aggressively to turn them out to vote," Romney said in the afternoon call, according to audio aired on ABC News.

Romney, who lost to Obama by 126 electoral votes, said the president courted voters by offering policies - some of them this election year - that appealed to key constituencies.

"With regards to the young people, for instance, a forgiveness of college loan interest, was a big gift," Romney said, according to The New York Times.

"Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women," he continued. "And then, finally, Obamacare also made a difference for them, because as you know, anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents' plan, and that was a big gift to young people. They turned out in large numbers, a larger share in this election even than in 2008."

The president's health care reform plan, he added, also brought out support from African Americans and Hispanic voters.

"You can imagine for somebody making $25,000 or $30,000 or $35,000 a year, being told you're now going to get free health care, particularly if you don't have it, getting free health care worth, what, $10,000 per family, in perpetuity, I mean, this is huge," he said. "Likewise with Hispanic voters, free health care was a big plus. But in addition with regards to Hispanic voters, the amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called Dream Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group."

But Jindal, when asked about Romney’s remarks, said in order for the GOP to be “competitive,” it has to “go after 100 percent of the votes, not 53 percent. We need to go after every single vote.”

Jindal’s criticism seemed to take latent swipes at Romney’s “47%” comments that were secretly recorded earlier this year. At a May fund-raiser, Romney argued that nearly half of Americans were “victims” who were “dependent” on the government. Those voters, he argued, sided with Obama.

A spokesperson for Romney, who has stayed away from the public spotlight since losing the election last week, did not return a request for comment about the call.

Romney had another call Wednesday morning with a couple dozen people who were part of the financial leadership of his campaign, but he did not make the same “gifts” comment.

The former nominee did say on that call that he really respected how the Obama administration was able to “craft” specific policies that ended up attracting the support of key demographic groups. He mentioned contraceptive coverage, as well as student loan policies that were important for young adults, according to one participant on the call.

He said he was sorry and disappointed that he lost but added his team had put everything it could into the election.

“We didn’t leave anything on the field,” one donor on the call told CNN.

He talked about how turnout was a lot lower this year, mentioning how the president got fewer votes than he did four years ago and that he got less than the 2008 Republican nominee, John McCain, received.

Romney told the donors he wanted to stay involved in public policy in some form, but he did not provide any details.

Romney's remarks come after top Republicans in recent days have pushed for a bigger tent party, saying the GOP learned this election that it has work to do in terms of demographic changes.

"We've got to be a lot more inclusive and open and energetic and wanting people to join our team by expressing why these conservative values are good for people of all races, creeds, colors, and national origin," Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, previously a top surrogate for Romney, said last week on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."

"We've just got to do a better job with that,” said McDonnell.

In the presidential race, Obama won 93% of the African-American vote, 71% of the Latino vote and 60% of those between the ages of 18 and 29. Romney, meanwhile, took 59% of the white voting bloc, according to CNN exit polls.

On the Democratic side, women and minorities made historic gains this election. For the first time, women and minorities will outnumber male Democrats in the House of Representatives. The U.S. Senate will have a record number of women – 20 - when the 113th Congress convenes in January.

Romney, on the 20-minute call, said he was "disappointed" with the final election tally and "hadn't anticipated it." Looking ahead, Romney said the party is "still so troubled by the past (that) it's hard to put together our plans for the future," according to The Los Angeles Times, which also appeared to be on the call.

Speaking to the donors, Romney praised them for their success in fundraising and suggested they help with "perhaps the selection of a future nominee - which, by the way, will not be me."

The campaign's finance chairman, Spencer Zwick, said on the call that Romney's team had raised more than $900 million; Romney added he had not expected to take in more than $500 million, according to The Los Angeles Times.

[Metal Sludge]

Wow!

The thing is, he really has no idea how inappropriate he sounds.

[David_Lee_Halen]

Yeah, how dare the President ease many younger working class peoples minds with having health care coverage under their parents plans until they're 26, have their contraceptives covered to prevent pregnancies before they're ready to have kids, and relief from the runaway interest on student loans for college tuition that's skyrocketed in recent years.

Of course, nobody in the Romney family is ever gonna have to deal with these stresses. The right guy won, period.

[RATTdrools]

Wow!

The thing is, he really has no idea how inappropriate he sounds.

It's called being a SORE LOSER which is exactly what Romney and the Repukes are!

[Luminiferous]

I'm just amazed that he pretends that all these "gifts" are for the minorities..
The "free" Affordable health care act is for ALL Americans...whitey's too..

There are white and African illegals who can benefit from the Dream act and there are a shitload of white kids who will benefit from the college loan program and being able to stay on their parent's insurance.. (but of course to Mittens, the white girls won't need "free" contraceptives because they never have pre-marital intercourse or need them)

He also can't seem to grasp that the white voter turnout was 72%, out of which 59% voted for him, but by not focusing on other races, he pretty much alienated his vote..

If you accept Romney's theory that minorities were a prime reason he lost, then he should have cleaned up in the Electoral College in those really, really, really white states.

Maine, 94% white: Obama

Vermont, 94% white: Obama

New Hampshire, 92% white: Obama

West Virginia, 93% white: Romney

Iowa, 88% white: Obama

North Dakota, 88% white: Romney

Wyoming, 85% white: Romney

Idaho, 83% white: Romney

Nebraska, 82%white: Romney

Ohio, 81% white: Obama

Utah, 80% white: Romney

He seems oblivious to that fact that obviously a lot of white people didn't like or trust him.

[RATTdrools]

EXACTLY!

Iowa, New Hampshire, Maine, Oregon, etc. are just some of the lily white states that rejected Romney and voted for Obama!