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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

The Argument

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  August 13th, 2012 at 04:47 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Saturday on Twitter, my buddy Tom Crowe summed up what the two Presidential campaigns are all about:

This should not be a hard sell.

Americans remain pessimistic about the economy and future.

The news continues to be bad.

And in Barack Obama’s America, it is no longer enough to work hard to succeed. You also have to make a campaign donation to Obama for America.

There is a story to be told. Solyndra, Ener1, etc. etc. etc.

It is troubling that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are tied on the ability to fix the economy. It is troubling that in a recent Reuters poll more Americans thought Barack Obama was more likely to fix the economy than Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney did not have a lot of money to burn over the summer months. But there is a creeping pessimism in the ranks of many Republican strategists that the team in Boston is out to lunch.

Paul Ryan was an excellent pick. He can help make the campaign proactive and not just hanging out for more bad jobs numbers. But the campaign needs to engage and there are some stories out there just waiting to be told by some Super PACs who supposedly have lots of money.

It’s time to make the case — the GOP trusts the American people. Barack Obama wants everyone to trust him. That trust got us Solyndra, Obamacare, Fast & Furious, and so much more that no one wants.

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COMMENTS

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  • emptybucket

    for November Erick. Where we are located hearing a lot of “we don’t think anyone can turn things around in Washington” or “all politicians lie to get elected”.

    The past 2 days has helped with enthusiam but somehow Romney/Ryan have to give those doubting anything can be done hope that yes, the economy can be turned around.

    Please keep writing the positives. Thanks. Elaine

  • michaelbowler

    Let’s face it, out of three hundred and ten million people, there’s maybe ten million who are fully engaged enough to follow the arguments, roughly half see it from an entirely different perspective. Around two hundred million are potential voters, just over half, maybe 60 % , will vote.

    The election is less about convincing “independents” to vote for your side than it is about getting those who see it our way to show up and cast a ballot. Romney’s uphill battle is energizing the base, he does that and he’s POTUS.

    The lamest parts of Obama’s base are going to be less enthusiastic to show up. He hasn’t done a great job, his vision isn’t catching on in a widespread fashion. There is nothing special about him now. We get the base to turn out in proportions like 2010 and we are home free…that of course means a lot more conservative leaning voters must show up.

  • ctredstater

    the brilliant, simple phrase used by President Ronald Reagan to capture the responsibility and the opportunity of his newly minted 1980 administration.

    Thanks, Erick, for this very clear and understandable analysis of the opportunity and challenge facing the Romney/Ryan ticket.

    This, to me, is so much clearer than the ‘Not Enough” Saturday entry. I think it is up to Romney/Ryan to step up – but also to the grassroots conservatives, energized by both the historic responsibility and opportunity – to provide a critical boost to get this done.

    Everything in me rebels against the “play it safe” strategy. I feared a strategic “let’s run out the clock” Portman or Pawlenty pick. I hoped for a Jindal pick. To me, this is the best pick that could have been made given the totality of what we face.

    Our country is in peril – and we can’t take another four years of BHO. Romney Ryan will have the nation’s attention, plenty of money, and one of the most articulate spokespeople on the critical issues as VP. If we can’t make this case – my hope for America diminishes severely.

    Your condensed “trust us” vs. “we trust you” is a great start. Let the American Comeback Begin!!!!

    Go Romney-Ryan Go!!!!

  • ihateliberals

    I personally think the GOP has done a horrible job this past two years. In 2010 we all had something to energize us to go to the polls and that was the Obamacare payback to the Democrats by taking over the House. But what happened next is part of the reason the Base is being so hard to energize and that is as soon as Boehner and Rove and many others in the leadership could they attacked the people that put them in office. They attacked the Tea party and consequentially many conservatives like myself that aren?t Tea Party but supported their movement. The GOP took the stand to Bite the hand that fed them.

    Then the Primaries started and the conservatives were still pushed to the back of the bus. The result of that is Mitt Romney who no one particularly is excited about. Obamacare or Romneycare, it?s six of one and half dozen of another. Romney is not an energizer either. He speaks with a very whimpy voice and with no authority in it. His attempts at passion are fakey at best.

    I have been a Conservative Republican for over 50 years. No time in my past have I seen the Republican Party work so hard to lose and election as now. I thought it was pretty bad they ran Ford in 1976 against Carter. That had fiasco written all over it. Ford had just pardoned a president everyone wanted to put in jail. No right thinking person would have thought he could win and election. Then the GOP slipped up and did the right thing with Ronald Reagan which the public forced them into. The GOP?s preferred pick was George H. W. Bush. Of Course Bush went on to win the 1988 election but that wasn?t because of Bush but the residual effect of Reagan. Anyone that was VP under Reagan was going to win that election , no brainier. The next big fiasco came in 1996 when Bob Dole was chosen by the GOP. Everyone wants to blame Ross Perot for that lost too but the numbers don?t hold up. Even if Perot had not run Dole would have only pulled 48% of the vote not enough to beat Clinton.

    Once again in the 2008 presidential election the GOP amazed us conservatives with the preference of a RINO at best, John McCain. After Bush it was going to be a difficult for the GOP especially with their sudden vicious attacks on Conservatives and Rush Limbaugh etc. Any first grader could have seen McCain didn?t have a chance against the Democrat whether it was going to be Hilary or Obama.

    We Conservatives have to continue to vote for the Republicans because they are the lesser of two evils. But we continuously are being attacked by the GOP except right now at election time they are touting Romney as a conservative and are trying to buy our allegiance with Paul Ryan. In my opinion Ryan is a whacko even though he may be right about Medicare, it is the wrong position to be promoting during an election for President. It gives the Democrats more ammunition to shoot at us and the lesser educated will not understand Ryan and they will vote Democrat. Some thing?s are just better left un-said during an election even if they are the right things to say.

    This Presidential election is the most critical one ever to be held in this country and with Obama?s record and movement towards Socialism the GOP should be in a no-contest winning situation yet here we are just barely holding a 50/50 position or maybe less. The GOP with it?s blatant disregard for the Tea Party will be it?s defeat if they don?t turn it around. What so many people don?t get about the Tea Party is that it was made up of not just Republicans but Independents and most importantly Democrats. These are the people that Put the House under Republican control yet they belittled the Tea party Republicans when they took office in 2009 and Boehner even went so far as to chastise them on occasions. Unless the Republican GOP can energize the Tea Party the lost in 2008 will look like a picnic compared to this one.

    I know all the polls/media don?t bare me out but I know something they won?t admit and that is Human nature. Romney has proven himself to be somewhat Liberal. His position on many things lean to the left and Romneycare bares me out on that. If my choices for President is between two Liberals what difference does it make then if I vote. This will be the mindset of many of the independents and conservatives. Don?t forget Conservatives can be Democrats as well. Conservative Democrats are what put Ronald Reagan into office the first time and kept him there for eight years.

    Romney/Ryan 2012?? eh ok if I have to.

  • 6eorge Jetson

    Would you rather they come from someone who has chosen Holder, Sotomayor, Kagan, Big Sis, Selibus, etc, or someone who has chosen Ryan.

  • ihateliberals

    My argument is that Romney/Ryan isn’t going to be able to energize the base enough let alone the Independents and Conservative Democrats which is what it will take to win. i have never voted for a Democrat and have never missed voting since i became eligible. I have taught my kids tht if you don’t vote you have no right to complain.

  • Bill S

    GET OFF YOUR ASS AND START WORKING TO ENERGIZE THEM.

    You bloody whiners are going to be the problem in this election. We have the candidate we have. Both he and Ryan are light years ahead of the alternative. If you’re waiting for Romney and Ryan to come kiss your ring, you have a long wait ahead. There is NO PERFECT CANDIDATE. We have what we have. Paul Ryan is a STELLAR VP candidate. Do you think there would be ANY VP CANDIDATE that the Democrats wouldn’t “shoot at”? (Hint: if you do, then you aren’t paying attention)

    NOW STOP YOUR FREAKING WHINING AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE!

    (PS: IF you TRULY “hatedliberals”, then you’d start working to get rid of them rather than staring at your navel. I think I’m going to change MY Redstate name to “ihatewhiners”)

  • commonsenseobserver

    For one of his strongest points- a real plan to cut, cap, and balance the federal budget while preserving and strengthening the safety net.

  • http://libertynews.com/ mbecker908

    must be involved at your local level as a Precinct Committeeman and working as a voting member of the party to really change things, right?

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    Ruth Bader Ginsberg is 79; Antonin Scalia is 76; Anthony Kennedy is 76; Stephen Breyer is 73. That is 4 Justices who will be at or approaching their 8th decade by the time Obama would be leaving office were he to be reelected. Do you really want to risk a court with 6 Kagans on it for 20-25 years?

  • funwithknives

    Everyone in the room is **P O ‘d To The Max !!**, but then volunteers are needed, and….Arm Rigidity seemingly comes from nowhere, like a plague.
    No hands go up and everyone has to ‘get back to you…’

    I’ve seen this malady in Two Parties and every election since 1994.
    {Sorry, late starter}
    But it is curious you can be assured of always seeing it.

  • Repair_Man_Jack

    Just have another scotch and tonic. Mitt Romney has just selected the *only* person in the GOP who has presented a wholly-integrated plan to solve our national insolvency problem. If you wanted a pep-rally instead a room full of intelligent ideas, you’re backing the wrong party.

    We have bad problems in America. We need intelligent people, not hotheads or demagauges. If Paul Ryan bothers you as Veep choice, the hard job of making rational choices amongst unfavorable outcomes probably wee-wees in your Cheerios as well.

  • dodgeone

    Help get R/R elected or pray to God that O and his buddies will fail at turning us into the United Socialist States of America.

  • emptybucket

    driving me nuts. Go find something to do, go talk to a liberal, go to your local republican party and man telephones for a few hours, go fold flyers, sneak around in the dark and pull yard signs out…no wait, don’t do that. LOL

  • emptybucket

    the very least he can do is become an involved member of his local republican party. Well, maybe he is and is just having a rough Monday morning.

  • JSobieski

    One factor I found amusing in discussing the run up to the VP pick was people who asserted that Ryan could do more good on the House budget committee (largely a behind closed doors job) then he could on the campaign trail as VP or in the public eye as a sitting VP.

    Ryan is the best person on our side to explain and debate market-based alternatives to big government. His voting record is not perfect from a conservative point of view, but there is nobody better in DC on the communications front. This is in part because he has been doing it for a long time, and he is well armed with the facts.

    I think the realization that someone like Paul Ryan will now be on TV each and every day has given people confidence that we have a viable spokesperson.

    Ryan will make Romney a better candidate because Ryan forces Romney to fight rather than evade.

  • littlehouse18

    8000 turned out even in Northern Virginia, and the enthusiasm was incredible. A couple of months ago, when it was just Romney, you could feel that we were just trying to talk ourselves into being enthusiastic. On Saturday, the crowd went nuts! And Romney drew on that with a much better speech.

  • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

    Its still the economy stupid, but I know that media needs to have us all on the edge of our seats at the latest polls so as to draw ratings.

    I don’t participate…just saying.