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.
Well, it worked on me, Boo. I just gave $100 to the DSCC (my first, dreading the avalanche of email solicitations I’ll now get) and another $50 for Barack, who probably doesn’t need it as much today as he did two weeks ago.
That’s awesome. I will take this opportunity to note that I have my own tin.
Actually we DO have solid footing from which to “Talk Smack” We ARE WINNING and Romney is LOSING. Polls are showing an irreversible. Spotting an undecided vote is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Florida, Ohio, and Virginia have proven the irreversible trend. Romney shot his was and he is now diminished.
All this while he had been coasting along on 2 things
The first category has been decoupled. he’s rich alright but he has demonstrated his incompetence.
All he has left is to ride the “I am white” shtick but it is not enough to carry him over. Won’t work
Everyone knows that the Romneys immigrated here from Mexico.
Where is his birth certificate, anyway? And, since he’s a Mormon, where is the wedding license? And how about for the sister-wives? How many of them are there, anyhow?
You’re not referring to Kansas, are you?
Seems the Republican House is going to shaft the farm bill, which will expire Sept 30. There are going to be 73 districts of angry farmers that they will have to face. In how many of them did Democrats bother to field a candidate?
The GOP nitwits broke the deal between the rural farmers and the urban food processors/distributors/retailers by breaking the link between farm support and food stamps. (Don’t ever think that Food Stamps are about the poor and hungry and nutrition. Heck no. It a subsidy to the grocery industry and its supply chain.)
Don’t be so cynical. It’s an automatic stabilizer.
Not so automatic anymore.
Reminds me of when I was unemployed and reluctant to take LIHEAP. My daughter pointed out that the program wasn’t about the state giving me charity. “They don’t allow the utilities to shut you off during Winter, so this is their way of making sure the utility companies are paid.” Sure enough, the money didn’t come to me, but directly to Commonwealth Edison and Northern Illinois Gas.
Keep Mitt talking and his numbers will continue to decline. Should be in GHWB 1992 percentage of vote totals by election day.
Romney was always a dreadful candidate. Nice to see that others are finally seeing what was obvious a year ago.
Yes, how many primaries did he “win” with less than 50%?
Another reason to support IRV.
I was thinking along these lines tonight while phonebanking undecideds and R’s in Colorado. For every angry R who bitched at me for calling on behalf of the Prez, I figured, well, hopefully my call at least discouraged them with thoughts of the Dems’ overwhelming grassroots advantage in this election. Not nice to hope people feel bad, I know, but they were the ones who were nasty to me. 🙂
So I have a question for you. Do you every call people who deliberately waste your time by leading you on for a while then indicating they will never vote Obama?
I know that when Dems call me I quickly tell them I’m not volunteering this time around but am voting Obama – so that they can go on to the next call. But when Reps call me (and I’m doing something like dishes that is mindless) I’ll ask questions about Romney’s policy positions and stuff and let them continually lie. Stuff like: “What is Romney going to do about the health care companies refusing to insure people due to pre-existing conditions?” “How much did Obama raise my taxes?”
The goal is to get them on the record with as many lies as possible and take as long as possible. Then in the end “gee, I’m looking at this web site here and it says that government employment has actually gone down under Obama.”
Plus, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Mockery seems more effective than outrage on the internet and most of the Village is on Twitter/Facebook so it’s fair game.
Plus when its done well, its guaranteed to make RWNJ heads explode.
I suppose, but…
Kos isn’t going to turn anyone’s mind. Might get some to the polls, and that’s important, but his is a self selecting population. So is yours.
I said just after the 2008 election, as the resident liberal on a right wing forum, that Obama would be re-elected in a landslide. The Right simply didn’t have the time to see their error and correct their trajectory by 2012. It takes time to cycle out the stupid and crazy. And Obama was really good. Regardless of anything else those two facts were trump. I still think my “analysis” was correct. And BTW that site shut itself down about 3 months ago because (they would never admit it but they basically said it) the moderators just could no longer defend the racist, ridiculous positions of so many posters and there just didn’t seem to be any point in talking about right wing politics anymore. Seriously, they just shut it down.
Personally, I didn’t like Joe Nammath or Ali and their smack. Ever. And having played organized football until I was 40 I very much hated it when my teammates talked smack — especially when they let it distract them from what was actually needed to actually win. I’d much rather knock someone on his ass because he sucks enough that I can do that than just tell him he sucks — especially when the scoreboard has no place to record boasts and insults.
Even more, I came to REALLY appreciate the end of game handshakes and took it very seriously. If it was truly a battle of wits, ability, stamina and character the handshake means something. It was a battle of smack and trash talk, the handshake is a farce.
So let Hannity and Rush, et al talk smack. Let Christie talk his best Jersey smack. That’s all they’ve got and so long as 51% see that is all there is and know what really gets put on the scoreboard, that cool.
Yeah…I love sportsmanship, too, where I can find it.
I can’t find it in politics, though.
There was a time when politicians of both parties actually were interested in, and did govern.
Most Americans, particularly in the center, are very interested in restoring that and will support anyone who will put competent government in front of everything else.
But smack makes it harder, not easier to govern.
I’ll take Barry Sanders over Billie “White Shoes” Johnson any day, but I am not talking about governing. I am talking about winning an election.
We want a real differential between how our troops feel (optimistic, charged up, ready to work) and their troops feel (pessimistic, demoralized, pointing fingers). One advantage to being ahead is that you don’t have to bullshit people. You just say, “We’re kicking their ass, let’s not let up, this is fun.”
But they get to read that, too. And they either have to convince themselves that you’re mistaken, or their morale collapses and the margin grows.
So, yeah, it’s great to talk smack. No one likes Mitt Romney and he’s going to lose badly. I’ve been saying for a year. And it’s fun. Let’s go. Forward!
Meh. I only care about winning the election for the governing it will produce… especially since the GOP decidedly doesn’t believe governing is actually what the government should be doing.
I prefer that the grown ups I expect to govern to act like grown ups.
well, I’m not running for office. Markos isn’t running for office. I don’t see our candidate talking smack.
And I am much less interested in what Obama can accomplish in the next four years than what he will prevent from happening.
People who voted for Nader over Gore should reflect back on their choice on those terms.
Good post, thanks. The one part of Kos’ post that I disagree with is the ending. Based on how the campaign has gone since Ryan joined the ticket, Ryan is perfectly placed to:
1 – play the loyal VP candidate for the next 8 weeks;
2 – make clear—on his own schedule in the weeks and months following—that Romney “muzzled” him;
3 – argue that if only Romney had followed his (Ryan’s) advice and made a “bold”, “serious”, “conservative” case for how he’d govern the country, Obama wouldn’t have been re-elected.
Then he’s the de facto leader of a major faction of the Republican party, and well positioned to run for president in 2016. (Assuming he survives the bloody internecine battles that will convulse the party when/if they lose to Obama again.)
Ryan’s gonna’ have to do an awful lot of etch-a-sketchin’ for that to happen. He’s never going to get passed on his ss/medicare platform. The older boomers get, it’s going to get harder for the right wing mediscare machine. Especially when the truth comes out.
As my father in-law would say “the truth will ouch”.
I’m not sure anyone closely aligned with this candidacy will survive the coming RW Armegeddon. 2014 is going to be bloody on the heads of the establishment that stuffed Romney into the mouths of the “Base”. I think Ryan’s clock is cleaned right now, at least nationally. The good news is I think all the “advisors” he brought in from Bush and Co. are going to be cleaned out as well.
I don’t know who will emerge in 2015-2016 to lead the R party. But I’m pretty sure they’ll be TeaParty and we don’t know them now.
Surely you realize the NBC poll always has a bigger sample of Democrats? Don’t you?
With leaners, Romney’s up two in Rasmussen!
In any given poll where Obama is below 50…he will lose!
Barring a miraculous change in economic conditions, or a disastrous Romney performance in the debates, he will win this election!
Sorry, Progs, Bernacke’s crack-high QE3 won’t do it!
Nice smack talk.
Maybe your Mama believe you. I’ll ask her tonight.
Hey Boo, be nice to the a*ho*. You made me.
I’m gonna tell mommy.
You lost me at “Rasmussen”.
BooMan, you slay me.
Obama’s comment that Romney shoots before he takes aim took an unsophisticated move on Romney’s part and made Romney into a cariacature, made us smile if not guffaw and Rove cringe.
Romney will respond by being a bully. A stupid bully that swings even more wildly. His scripters aren’t fast enough to hand him scripts for this.
Obama plays bullies like a matador plays a bull. I hope he scores a lot of style points when he dispatches Mitt.
It’s about putting pressure on the man to see if he can take the stress.
It’s about more than that, IMO; if Romney crumbles, it’s time to keep the pressure on to discredit the ideas, such as they are, that he’s running on: the entire Republican Party fairy-dust platform that’s been messing the country up for over 30 years.
Paul Ryan gave a stump speech this morning that was well delivered. He has a smoothness when folding his lies into the story that Romney just doesn’t have. As a persuader he’s good, if he just moved over into the truth column he could be a great politician.