I share a lot of values with old school conservatives even as a crazy liberal. Like I have a general distrust of government institutions. It's is just that my distrust of the market and corporations is greater.

Wrod.

But think how much more depressing it is for them, being lumped in with lunatics.

But that's their choice. They could denounce the behavior of the Republican party as reactionary and radical, not conservative. They could leave the party and loudly proclaim why they are doing so. But instead what's his take home message: eh, doesn't matter who you vote for, which can easily be translated as "I think Mittens will suck as a Pres but what the hell, the country will survive." That kind of bullshit is why they get lumped in with the reactionaries.

How much backlash has there been with Mitt's thing about not having any anti-abortion legislation planned? If I were a pro-life Republican, I'd be pretty pissed about a sudden change of heart like that.

Being kicked out would suck. Would they do that?

I have no idea! We'll see, I guess.

How much backlash has there been with Mitt's thing about not having any anti-abortion legislation planned? If I were a pro-life Republican, I'd be pretty pissed about a sudden change of heart like that.

Didn't he literally turn it around the next day, though? I think he's proven himself to be a politician who goes with the crowd, more than anything else. If he's working with the more extreme folks in Congress, I'm sure he'll display himself as more of a right-winger.

If I were a pro-life Republican, I'd be pretty pissed about a sudden change of heart like that.

There's no change of heart. He didn't say he won't sign anti-abortion legislation, and he wouldn't in fact have the ability to propose any. It's a very delicately balance statement that doesn't change a thing.

No backlash that I can see, Dana. They've already worked out that he's just saying shit to get elected.

Yeah, but why risk even saying it? Can he truly get both the conservatives and the moderates at the same time, because people are that willing to believe? Are people that stupid?

Yes, I know, not much point in even asking.

One of my student tells me that her friends who are voting for Romney are convinced that he won't actually make any moves to limit access to abortion. So he was talking to that crowd, the people who may not agree the anti-abortion plank in Republican platform but they've been raised Republican and vote that way because they've always voted that way.

There's a bunch of people who don't believe Romney is extreme. I bet there is a nice overlap with this group and those who believed GWB would govern as a moderate as well.

Yeah, but why risk even saying it? Can he truly get both the conservatives and the moderates at the same time, because people are that willing to believe? Are people that stupid?

Because even as recently as 3 elections ago, the ability to tailor your position to your audience wasn't something that would get you caught or even dinged. But the media landscape is different now and it's bitten in him in the ass at least twice. He's campaigning like it's 1999 and not like it's a world of instant news recording by the masses.

My nephew is in Mother Jones: [link] He looks like a badass.

Actually I'm charmed that this Hawaii boy works for the Coast Guard in the Arctic Circle.