Markos has never really fancied himself an analyst. He makes predictions, but not in any kind of methodical way. He gets a feel for things and then he lets it rip. And that’s fine. That’s why he can talk so much smack without fear that his career will be negatively impacted if he’s wrong. Talking smack is not the same thing as telling people what is going to happen. It’s actually more focused on having an influence on what will happen. Presidential elections can turn out a lot like other feats of strength. I’ve used the analogy of arm-wrestling, where two people struggle on seemingly even terms for quite a while before it ends suddenly in victory for one side. Another example is from the battlefield, where any disorganized retreat can quickly turn into a rout.
While Romney is down, struggling with a disappointing convention, a disenchanted press, a dysfunctional party, a series of gaffes, and bad polling numbers, the time is right to push him hard to see if he will crumble. It’s not really about the presidential election, since barring some Act of God, Obama has already proven himself the superior candidate. It’s about routing Romney and getting enough coattails to keep the Senate and take over the House. It’s about totally dispiriting the opposition so that they flee before us and we can hear the lamentations of their women.
More seriously, it’s about creating panic and lack of enthusiasm and infighting and finger-pointing and chaos. It’s about putting pressure on the man to see if he can take the stress. Talking smack isn’t just about expressing self-confidence, it’s about spooking the enemy.
This is why Joe Namath and Muhammed Ali talked smack, and it’s why it worked. People don’t root for losers. They’ll pull for the underdog, sure, but only if they think they have a fighting chance.
So, Kos is trying to put his boot down on Romney’s neck. He’s doing his part to break him.
When I tell you Romney is going to get his clock cleaned, it’s because I have analyzed the race and that is what I truly believe. That’s why I was talking smack in the spring. That’s why I was talking smack when the polls were a dead-heat. I was making a prediction…a bold prediction, that flew in the face of conventional wisdom.
But I also know that self-confidence breeds success. People are attracted to self-confidence in every area of life, from making hiring decisions, investment decisions, finding sexual partners, to electing politicians. A party of mopers and worry-warts isn’t going to win. In 2010, I couldn’t be optimistic, so I gave you the straight dope. We were going to get slaughtered. But when things look good, why not talk a little smack? It adds a little activism to the analysis. Two birds with one stone, and all that.
