"Awkward" - San Cisco
Reading this makes me wonder why in the world the Romney would have picked Ryan. Ryan's controversial stances on a host of issues are sucking all of the oxygen out of the campaign -- Ryan, not Obama, is suddenly the issue. This is not what you want from your VP selection. He could have gone for Portman and been helped a bit in the must-win state of Ohio -- there is no Romney path to victory without the Buckeye state. He could have picked Rubio and been bolstered in the equally crucial state of Florida (also no path to victory without this state) and been able to boast of putting the first Latino on a national ticket. Hell, he could have played to the people of size constituency -- talk about your growing demographic -- and picked Chris Christie. Instead, Romney picked a right wing ideologue from a state that is unlikely to go his way and a guy who has never run state-wide to boot.
I remain puzzled.
And another thing: The degree to which Republicans are willing to engage in overt actions to make voting more challenging for minorities than for whites is breathtaking in its audacity. The latest from Ohio where voting hours are being arranged to favor largely white jurisdictions is beyond shameful. Make no mistake about it, this is not simply an electoral tactic -- it reflects the deep seated contempt that Republicans have for the notion of equal voting rights generally: the right (read white) sort of people should have more say at the polls than others. Read some of the comments regarding the effort in Massachusetts to register those receiving TANF benefits (or as right wing asshole columnist Howie Carr describes it "the welfare crowd") and you get some sense of just how deeply this kind of racism permeates the Republican Party and its constituents.
Whatever is on your minds, spill it here.