Come Sail Away: Our Top 3 Take-Aways from the 2012 Election

So there has been over 24 hours of sobbing, crowing, whining, gloating, and finger-pointing.  And that was just on Facebook.  Now that we have a bit of distance from the emotion of the night, what are our top take-aways from the election?  We will each give you our top 3.



Emily:

1. Women Matter -

The War on Women, a Primer: Part Two

Happy International Day of the Girl!

Strong Enough for a Woman

So I've neglected my woman warrior duties because of the interesting twists and turns in the campaign over the last few weeks.  But as promised, in The War on Women, A Primer: Part One, I am back to talk about more of the many ways the Republican Party has been going after us ladies like there's no tomorrow.



And I have to give a big thank you to Mittens for helping me find my way home.  Governor Romney said: 





"There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda," on Tuesday, to The Des Moines Register.  [Emphasis mine.]

Happy Columbus Day - And We're Celebrating...?

So Happy Columbus Day, or Happy Monday, because I know many people don't understand why we would celebrate Columbus.  Perhaps as a middle-ground between positions we could celebrate Amerigo Vespucci.  Or, you know, we could celebrate James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the Constitution.  But because both kids are home from school, I'm going to give you a couple of Columbus day pics, and Robo-Romney...

Friday Follies: Snakes on a Plane Edition

So I'm most of the way through drafting a Friday Follies about Unions and the NFL.  And then I see this video (caution: there is swearing - obviously, if you've read the title):




...And just like that, I decided to change my post.

Now it's about funny viral videos from this election.  I picked the funniest five I could find.  So send the kids or your boss in the other room.

3 Reasons Why Mitt Romney Deserves to Lose

He's Got to Go.

I'm fed up.

How Mitt Can Get His Groove Back

As Emily noted yesterday, Mitt Romney's campaign appears to be foundering, much earlier in the election cycle than normal. The polls generally agree that Mitt is following further behind. In purely anecdotal ways I can also tell that many people feel that defeat for the Republicans is nigh. My conservative friends and family have stopped posting about the presidential race on Facebook. In some cases they have given up talking about the election until after it is already over. In contrast, most of my more liberal friends have been in full political frenzy, sharing posts, photos, and writing screeds for Obama. Even some of my less politically engaged liberal friends have been doing this. So the outlook seems gloomy for Mitt. But I think it is very premature for Obama supporters to start celebrating a victory party quite yet. Mitt still isn't that far behind in some polls. And given the nature of politics in the United States, he still has plenty of time for a comeback. Follow me below the fold to see how Mitt can still win this thing...

If Karl Rove Were a Democrat: 5 Fake Ads and 1 Punt

So you may have noticed that Karl Rove is a Republican.  And also that he has a special kind of genius for running aggressive, fairly-unethical, but also fairly effective ad campaigns.  He's trying to do that right now - for a SuperPAC he runs, called Crossroads GPS.  They run ads like this one:



Let's take a look at the words on the one, lasting image from this ad:

Get it?  "Arab" on one side, "Lazy" on the other, and the we've got "Luck, Headwinds, and Control..."

Now that's subtle, Karl.  Right up there with the "Rats" ad.

Friday Follies: Broadcast Journalism Edition

This is what your election looks like on actual journalism:

             

The Right-Wing Stuff?

If Governor Romney loses in November, I think in the final analysis it will have been because the right (Tea Partiers as well as conventional conservatives) would not allow Romney to run on the things that might allow him to gain traction in the general election.

A Romney Says What?: Taxes Edition

Come on, Emily, shut UP about Romney and money already.  We're bored.  We'd so much rather be reading about the crazy Jackson family or Suri's custody status or Robsten imploding.  I know, I know.  I myself have been slightly fascinated by the bizzaro behavior of the Jackson clan (and feeling very sorry for the kids involved)...  But indulge me, because I actually think Romney is calling you and me stupid.

A Romney Says What?: Bain Edition

   

I've been fighting with myself about whether to write about Bain Capital and Mitt Romney.

A Romney Says What?: Gay Rights Edition

I'm starting what I imagine will be a recurring theme, as I try to keep track of what exactly Mitt Romney believes on a given issue after the wildly divergent things he has said over his career in politics.

This time I'm curious about the difference between what I've heard from various news sources that Romney said about how he would be to the left of Ted Kennedy on gay rights back when he was running against Kennedy for Senator of Massachusetts, and what he said this weekend - as presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee - at a speech at Liberty University, which was founded by the late, very conservative Jerry Falwell.  

Side Note: the Liberty University sports mascot?  The Flames.  This is funny in so many ways.

Hee hee.

Okay, back to the main topic.