The Southern Comfort Theory of the 2008 Election
By kowalski Posted in 2008 — Comments (18) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
After watching last night's debate, poorly-run and hosted as it was by a hyperkinetic and disrespectful, overtly partisan hack who couldn't realize that this wasn't his show or a continuation of his show, I have a couple of thoughts that I'd like to share:
First of all, we're seeing some strange things. Some people are adamant that Romney won. Other people are claiming that McCain cleaned house, and still other people are posting pie charts showing that Giuliani wiped the floor with everyone, despite the overwhelming supply of underwhelm that he delivered last night, according to people here who were watching the thing happen in real time. Some people are putting in good words for Brownback and Huckabee (which I think is warranted given their performance) and others, myself included, are telling people to hang back a little before jumping to any rash conclusions on the basis of one night in front of the cameras.
And so I'd like to give you my take-away from last night's debate and tell you why even though I think my preferred candidate (Mitt Romney) won handily, it's very premature to forecast *anything* substantive from this initial showing. My philosophy is that we as Republicans and Conservatives should take our sweet time, let the winds blow back and forth, accumulate a lot of data, and sit out on the porch sipping Southern Comfort for the next few months at the very least.
For me, the fact that so many people are scrambling this morning to pick out the winners and losers (almost always their preferred winners and preferred losers) is very premature. We're talking here as though we were sitting in the grandstands at the Preakness with the race running, when actually the race isn't even close to beginning. They don't even have the track prepared yet. We don't even have a complete field of horses to bet on, either, because we've got at least two other potential champion runners who haven't decided whether or not to take their hooves out of the barn.
And so far, from the other side, all we've seen is some preliminary prancing and jockeying for position, some loud braying, a little exhibition, but nothing resembling a serious race.
Oh, and of course a lot of requests for cash. Always the cash. That's the biggest thing we've seen so far. You know that when Steve Forbes starts posting about a race that hasn't really begun yet, he's looking for the first infinitesimal signal that money will be flowing one way or another. As an investor, he wants to nudge that balanced broomstick in one direction -- so that it falls toward Giuliani, but he's also testing the wind to see if it's going to blow the broomstick in any other direction, because he doesn't want to lose his investment money. Steve's a canny guy. He knows how to make money.
I say we all need to hang back a little, sit out on the porch in the sun, and let everyone -- all of our candidates -- work a lot harder for the money they're going to be asking for to beat the Donks with. Let things happen in the fullness of time, not according to Democratic National Committee clockwork. Turn on some Allman Brothers (on real speakers, not your iPod), sit back in the chair, kick up your feet and sip slowly, because we're not even ready to get up and head to the track yet, folks.
I'm going to spend the next few months collecting and pondering, and considering and debating and thinking through these candidates and probably reversing myself on more than one occasion -- just out of pure cussedness -- but I'm not going to be forced at the point of a media-driven spear to make a choice this early. All of them -- politicians, political consultants, pollsters, media mavens, talking heads, and bean counters are just going to have to accept the fact that I'm taking my sweet time deciding this one, and none of them may get any money from me until sometime next year.
In other words, let's make something clear: the politicans don't run this country, the people do. And we'll start giving them our unconditional endorsements, our money, and our fervent support when we're darned good and ready, not because of what some political consultant has told them we have to do.
If I can trade the Southern Comfort in for a bottle of Glenlivet and a box of Montecristos, I'm in.
This is the best thing I've read on here for a long time. Everyone would do well to remember that no one is voting for another seven or eight months. And some Southern Comfort sounds delicious right about now.
I will be shamelessly unfaithful to any candidate if another good one emerges who has the better shot at beating Hildabeast or the Bathing Suit Beau.
Whiskey, Allman Brothers and Republican politics. Now we are talking. My kind of thread. Not suprisingly, Southern Comfort is not that big in Massachusetts. I'll be sipping my Crown Royal by 4:00. I promise. And I'll throw some Melissa on the stereo just for good measure.
Many thousands of years ago, however, since I don't like listening to the same stuff over and over, I can relax with some Blues or reggae on my XM radio while sipping a good single malt Speyside scotch.
Actually I took the day off today to listen to Jim Rome's smack off. Three hours of pure humor once a year.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
But use it responsibly. I happen to like the Allman Brothers recently because I'm constructing a really nice set of speakers by hand. They sound *fantastic*. These are audiophile-quality component speakers chosen by an audiophile but provided in kit form for you to construct at a bargain price -- while preserving the wonderful sound. A great investment.
In terms of compensation from Huw, except that I've known him for years indirectly through a mailing list and his speakers and especially his crossover networks are indeed what he advertises there: extraordinarily high quality, simplicity, and great workmanship at a price almost everyone with two hands to work with and two eyes to read instructions can manage to assemble.
You won't hear better speakers than this unless you spend more than $5,000. And even then, it will be subjective.
Just as a disclaimer, but also highly recommended. Have patience because he builds them one set at a time if you decide to order.
into matching the Ds by throwing a frontrunner out there a year in advance. No matter what contortions they go through to make it seem a real, honest to God, hard fought primary battle rather than a coronation, HRC is the D nominee and has been since WJC left office. Our playing along with this throws the R nominee into the blast of the Clinton/MSM slime machine for a full year. They'll mau-mau the nominee the same way they've mau-maued GWB for the last eight years; the Ds will lie, the MSM will swear to it, and that will make it true in the minds of all too many casual or uncommitted voters.
It's Friday and I hear my boat calling; might be some Allman Brothers and a bottle of Chivas on it, too.
In Vino Veritas
but at any rate I know that Guiliani is the guy who can beat the Dems unless Thompson gets in, then he is the guy who can best win.
McCain cannot win, because he hosed off too many republicans, Romney I do not believe can win because of many factors. None of the others have a ghost of a chance.
I will vote for whoever wins the primary except McCain, I cannot and will not for ANY reason vote for senator soundbite.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
Every time I hear Steve Forbes and elections I have a flashback to the SNL skit he did on the Republican primary. It was the best election skit ever. Wish I could find a video of that skit somewhere.
in the easy chair was my prescription. I agree on the principle, just a question of choose your poison.
I'd probably recommend either some SoCo 100 or Stolichnaya for dealing with the news from the GOP, and probably something harsher for dealing with Democrat stuff just to make it "go away" in your head (absinthe and Bacardi 151 both come to mind here).
Maybe not the last suggestion, though. With that sort of stuff in your system in sufficient quantities, it could mess you up... and the last thing you'd want is to have Dennis Kucinich start making sense to you.
"At the end of the day, I seek to be a strident and articulate force on the side of self-determination. Ultimately, the pursuit of freedom ought to remain our paramount ambition. Without liberty, ideology rings sickeningly hollow."
and a bucket of Ketel One/Lemonade
" in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
Abe Lincoln
I wasn't born in the backseat of a Greyhound Bus rolling down Highway 41, but my daddy was a bit of a gambling man himself and so am I. I like to think I try to stay on the right end of the guns, though, and I like "Ramblin' Man."
And I know that part of the art of politics is timing, and right now the timing is all screwed up and waaaaay too forced, probably in a way that will hurt us more than the opposition. If I was channeling Paul Newman, I wouldn't be getting into this game just now. It just isn't natural.
Save me a few from that bucket. :)
but yours is on me, brother kowalski. I agree with every single damn word. the preseason has its benefits, but deciding a champion isn't one of them.
I hope he runs but until he does I'm a Rudy guy
If you sit on my porch with me, we might both need ipods, but let me tell you, I agree with every word of your diary.
I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful 100 percent.
Anything that combines Southern Comfort & Allman Bros sounds good to me. Plus it also means that I can ignore the media, that's a good thing.
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The CIA has better politicians than it has spies - Fred Thompson
A random walk through my head at Indiscriminate Tastes