Is Romney finished?

[Likely Voter]

Let's not get bogged down into the merits of the war in Vietnam. The point is, if you are going to get deferments from the draft it is just a bit unseemly to be holding counter-protests against those who are fighting the draft.

It just smacks of...well the draft is a good thing, but not for people like me of course. Only for, you know...those people.

[RogueBeaver]

On the OP: Heck no, but there are some aspects of his campaign that need immediate improvement.

[Vosem]

Let's not get bogged down into the merits of the war in Vietnam. The point is, if you are going to get deferments from the draft it is just a bit unseemly to be holding counter-protests against those who are fighting the draft.

It just smacks of...well the draft is a good thing, but not for people like me of course. Only for, you know...those people.

We can all agree to this.

[auburntiger]

No, but the debates are his last life line, and that could be the difference between a 280-90 EV win, and a 340-50 EV loss. I'd also note that if Obama is reelected, this may be the first time a president wins a 2nd term with fewer electoral votes and a smaller share of the popular vote.

[SPC]

Shall we debate an issue 50 years stale? Alright. Had we not gone in there, the communist North Vietnamese would have taken over South Vietnam without a fight, and later on would also not have had as much of a fight taking over Laos and Cambodia. As such, communism was significantly impeded, and had we stayed for another few years the independence of South Vietnam could've been assured.

You do realize that the Communists did take over those countries, bolstered by recruitment facilitated by U.S. bombs? In fact, do you even know which country's army put an end to the Communist regime in Cambodia?

[sg0508]

He needs to do well in the 1st debate or that could be it.

[Free Palestine]

Regarding 'Nam:

I hardly see OH NOES COMMUNISM as a valid reason to force thousands of young men (my father included) to fight for a cause that does not concern them and either...

A) Get killed.
B) Get maimed.
C) Become haunted forever by the image of your friends' grey matter on the wall.

Especially when you consider that South Vietnam was a dictatorship.

And overall, conscription is a moral evil.  But I digress...

[Bull Moose Base]

He's going to lose by about the same margin McCain did.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Wrong place to post this I know, but does anyone have a link to the transcript of Glenn Poshuard's 1998 IL governor concession speech?

...

Get the hell out.

[Simfan34]

[SPC]

Anyway, while I find it hard to imagine how he can do it, my model gives Romney about a <30% chance of winning based on the most recent polls, a ballpark that does not seem to be significantly affected by new polls. Intuitively, I would think this would shrink as the chances of Romney pulling a Hail Mary diminish.

[Ogre Mage]

No.  But between his calling Russia our "No. 1 geopolitical foe," his intemperate remarks during the delicate negotiations with China over the blind dissident, his "world tour" pratfall, his failure to acknowledge the troops or Afghanistan during his acceptance speech (and tone deaf comments afterward) and his latest statement about Libya and Egypt he has failed the Commander in Chief test.  And he has not chosen a running mate who can assuage this concern.  Whether foreign policy will matter much in an election dominated by the economy remains to be seen.  The real problem is the perception of Romney which has built up over the course of many, many gaffes.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/foreign-policy-hands-voice-disbelief-at-romney-cai

[opebo]

....which country's army put an end to the Communist regime in Cambodia?

The Vietcong were and are clearly the 'Good Guys' in Indochina, at least compared to America.

[SPC]

....which country's army put an end to the Communist regime in Cambodia?

The Vietcong were and are clearly the 'Good Guys' in Indochina, at least compared to America.

I didn't even ask which country (besides China) maintained diplomatic recognition and provided support for the Khmer Rouge for a decade after their overthrow.

[AmericanNation]

Is Obama sleeping   This has been the worst presidency I've ever seen (admittedly I can't remember the Carter years) on foreign policy.  He seems uninterested in being Commander in Chief.       

[Marokai Backbeat]

Is Obama sleeping   This has been the worst presidency I've ever seen (admittedly I can't remember the Carter years) on foreign policy.  He seems uninterested in being Commander in Chief.       

Are you Rush Limbaugh?

[mondale84]

Is Obama sleeping   This has been the worst presidency I've ever seen (admittedly I can't remember the Carter years) on foreign policy.  He seems uninterested in being Commander in Chief.       

Are you Rush Limbaugh?

No, he's just the biggest troll on the forum.

[AmericanNation]

Is Obama sleeping   This has been the worst presidency I've ever seen (admittedly I can't remember the Carter years) on foreign policy.  He seems uninterested in being Commander in Chief.       

Are you Rush Limbaugh?

No, he's just the biggest troll on the forum.

I'm interested in how you could possibly think that, other than you don't like/want what I say to happen...  which would be a sign you're just projecting your qualities onto me. 

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Is Obama sleeping   This has been the worst presidency I've ever seen (admittedly I can't remember the Carter years) on foreign policy.  He seems uninterested in being Commander in Chief.       

Are you Rush Limbaugh?

No, he's just the biggest troll on the forum.

I'm interested in how you could possibly think that, other than you don't like/want what I say to happen...  which would be a sign you're just projecting your qualities onto me. 

...
Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight -- so if mondale84 doesn't want this to be the worst presidency ever, that makes him a troll?

Thanks for proving him right, man.

[AmericanNation]

Is Obama sleeping   This has been the worst presidency I've ever seen (admittedly I can't remember the Carter years) on foreign policy.  He seems uninterested in being Commander in Chief.       

Are you Rush Limbaugh?

No, he's just the biggest troll on the forum.

I'm interested in how you could possibly think that, other than you don't like/want what I say to happen...  which would be a sign you're just projecting your qualities onto me. 

...
Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight -- so if mondale84 doesn't want this to be the worst presidency ever, that makes him a troll?

Thanks for proving him right, man.

At no point in that statement did you make a coherent point.  I don't want it to be the worst presidency ever, but unfortunately there isn't one you could find to be worse (at least not one recently that I've "seen" --as I said)  You could make arguments about Carter, FDR's first two terms, Wilson, or James Buchanan being worse historically, but Carter is the only one you could reasonably call modern (or have personally witnessed). 

[Badger]

Hardly.....listen, bro, his supporters will not vote for Obama.  Obama's supporters will not vote for Romney....no comment is going to change that.  Forget polling.

It's the great unwashed "undecideds" (what, about 4%) who will decide this race.....and it's hard, if not impossible to judge their feelings on this.

Sounds about right.

Hey, we agree on something!    I'm buying, let's go drink!

I agree too, so include me in this round.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Is Obama sleeping   This has been the worst presidency I've ever seen (admittedly I can't remember the Carter years) on foreign policy.  He seems uninterested in being Commander in Chief.       

Are you Rush Limbaugh?

No, he's just the biggest troll on the forum.

I'm interested in how you could possibly think that, other than you don't like/want what I say to happen...  which would be a sign you're just projecting your qualities onto me. 

...
Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight -- so if mondale84 doesn't want this to be the worst presidency ever, that makes him a troll?

Thanks for proving him right, man.

At no point in that statement did you make a coherent point.

Okay, let me be glaringly obvious then, to cancel out your total lack of reading comprehension.

Premise 1. You are saying that mondale84 is a troll (which he is, but that's irrelevant) because he doesn't want this presidency to be worse than Bush's.
Premise 2. No sane person wants this presidency to be worse than Bush's.
Conclusion. You think that being sane is a sign of trolling.

I don't want it to be the worst presidency ever,

I didn't say that.

but unfortunately there isn't one you could find to be worse (at least not one recently that I've "seen" --as I said)  You could make arguments about Carter, FDR's first two terms, Wilson, or James Buchanan being worse historically, but Carter is the only one you could reasonably call modern (or have personally witnessed).

So you're saying that it's not even arguable that Bush's presidency was worse than Obama's?
That's it, I'm done.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

The idea that FDR's first two terms were somehow worse than Obama's term so far (put it another way, the idea that Obama's a better president than 1933-41 FDR) is also, um, questionable.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Hardly.....listen, bro, his supporters will not vote for Obama.  Obama's supporters will not vote for Romney....no comment is going to change that.  Forget polling.

It's the great unwashed "undecideds" (what, about 4%) who will decide this race.....and it's hard, if not impossible to judge their feelings on this.

Sounds about right.

Hey, we agree on something!    I'm buying, let's go drink!

I agree too, so include me in this round.

Ha ha, we'll pick a better watering hole next time you're in and you, my friend, are always included

[AmericanNation]

Is Obama sleeping   This has been the worst presidency I've ever seen (admittedly I can't remember the Carter years) on foreign policy.  He seems uninterested in being Commander in Chief.       

Are you Rush Limbaugh?

No, he's just the biggest troll on the forum.

I'm interested in how you could possibly think that, other than you don't like/want what I say to happen...  which would be a sign you're just projecting your qualities onto me. 

...
Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight -- so if mondale84 doesn't want this to be the worst presidency ever, that makes him a troll?

Thanks for proving him right, man.

At no point in that statement did you make a coherent point.

Okay, let me be glaringly obvious then, to cancel out your total lack of reading comprehension.

Premise 1. You are saying that mondale84 is a troll (which he is, but that's irrelevant) because he doesn't want this presidency to be worse than Bush's.

It would be Improper to go around calling people names (like a troll) after they make reasonable and factual statements solely because you don't like what they say/don't want them to say it.  Than I was charitable in offering a psychological reason for this obvious impropriety.  You took this simple sequence of events to mean I magically "proved I was a troll", than you laid out a ridiculous explanation of that statement (which I appreciate you doing, but it is what it is).  It's like you are trying to be coherent and logical (which again I really appreciate), but you picked an incredibly stupid place/topic to do that with.  You're trying to scientifically disprove gravity.  Thank you for stopping that foolishness.

Premise 2. No sane person wants this presidency to be worse than Bush's.
A very odd/hackish point to make, which you try to pull out of the gutter by adding "Premise" in front of it.
Conclusion. You think that being sane is a sign of trolling.
Aside from the obvious fallacies in logic here, it is morally questionable/troubling to reduce yourself to this type of name calling and/or bullying. 

I don't want it to be the worst presidency ever,

I didn't say that.
It would be logical/reasonable to think you did in order to explain the huge/weird leap you made for no reason.

but unfortunately there isn't one you could find to be worse (at least not one recently that I've "seen" --as I said)  You could make arguments about Carter, FDR's first two terms, Wilson, or James Buchanan being worse historically, but Carter is the only one you could reasonably call modern (or have personally witnessed).

So you're saying that it's not even arguable that Bush's presidency was worse than Obama's?
It depends if you're being absolute or not about the definition of "arguable."  (which is a silly thing to get huffy about.)  Is it possible to makeup an argument? Yes.  Is it possible to make a really good argument that will hold up to scrutiny(historical and otherwise)? No, not really.
That's it, I'm done.

The idea that FDR's first two terms were somehow worse than Obama's term so far (put it another way, the idea that Obama's a better president than 1933-41 FDR) is also, um, questionable.

While Obama may be worse than FDR's first two terms, it would certainly be reasonable to debate (as I said "arguable") the two as they are the top tier or 'worsts'.   

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The 2nd half of your sentence is a little different point.  It perhaps blends his 3rd term into the equation, which I specifically partitioned out.  I agree that FDR was a better president mostly because of the third term, where FDR recognized some of his mistakes and failed policies, than reversed them or changed to different new ones. (partly out of necessity to prepare for war, partly because they had been total failures for so long it was suicidal to continue).  FDR's third term is very helpful to juxtapose with Obama's failures as president because it shows that he has fallen into similar traps the great FDR did.  The question becomes: will/could Obama recognize and change his failed ways?  The answer is probably not because he's shown no sign of it now and wouldn't have much reason to if reelected.  If he could would he do it in time to prevent serious serious damage to the country? Again probably not.  No indication from his actions or words.