Bill Kristol concedes 2012 presidential race to Democrats

Crap. Now I know we're screwed. Bill Kristol is always wrong.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once im a while!

A very sensible man who can read the signs.

President Obama will be returned for a variety of reasons, not least because of the way the Republicans are trying to trash the American economy just to get him out of power. That is a terrible way to run a government, let alone the leading country in the free world which other countries emulate.! The American people do not deserve that.

Worst of all, they are not doing what they were elected to do, and promised to do: create jobs, seeming to represent just the top 1% of the country and their interests.

By election time, their game will be visible to all Americans, especially the ones without jobs, the ones most vulnerable and without care, the women whose freedom they are attacking and the voters who will be voting out this miserable lot of callous, selfish naysayers; the 'do nothing' politicians who are a disgrace to the future of America.

Common sense is slowly seeping back in again, thank goodness.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once im a while!

Indeed Fla Pat. Sums it up beautifully. :o)

Kristol quotes a passage from William Faulkner’s 1948 novel, Intruder in the Dust, which says for a certain species of Southern teenager, it is permanently the eve of the battle of Gettysburg, the high-water mark of the Confederate effort in the Civil War. Kristol casts the Southern struggle in 1863 as that of the American conservative, the victory in 1980 forming a kind of bulwark in their ongoing war to win out “over decadent liberalism”.

Ahem, yes, glad you brought up the Confederacy, Bill—a noble cause indeed, and so relevant—but with the trash that the American conservative forces have managed to enlist within their field of candidates for 2012, I might add that Pickett's Charge also comes immediately to mind.

Tony Blair probably doesnt look so bad now, doesnt he?

No, actually he looks pretty good, now that he's had a chance to send his suit to the dry cleaners. I'm sure that he deeply appreciated Dubya swearing and yammering at him for five minutes with his mouth crammed full of food at the G8 Summit in 2006. Bush. The epitome of polish and class. Oh, well, it is the thought that counts, isn't it? I'd much rather have the iPod, wouldn't you?

A very sensible man who can read the signs.

Slightly off subject but since you live in GB, remember when the President of the United States gave Gordon Brown, who was then Prime Minister a gift of DVDs, including the Wizard of Oz? And it turns out that the DVDs wouldnt even play in GB since they werent recorded for the PAL system:) Or remember when the President of the United States gave the Queen a gift of an IPOD and on it, instead of music, was a copy of his speeches? Or remember when the President of the United States met with reporters and said that France was the U.S. was our closest ally (not GB).

No the President will win by default, a shame, because the Republican primaries will eliminate any candidate that can run near the center. The President already had his plans ready for whomever will be his opponent. He cannot run on his own record, but will get down in the gutter to downgrade whomever his opponent is. This will not be a hopy changy election, but nasty. It will make the President's supporters on the left happy, but will not be a nice election. He already is blaming the Republicans for rejecting his renamed stimulus 2, aka the JObs act, blaming them for not wanting a repeat of the first stimulus. He knew the plan would not be passed but proceeded anyway so he could place blame. And if that doesnt work he can always fall back and blame Europe for our high unemployment.

One has to wonder if the President was so concerned about jobs, why did he wait 2 years to introduce a jobs bill, why didnt he introduce it when he had a majority in the House?

But I digress, GB has their own problems, having to contribute to the IMF to bail out the Eurozone. Tony Blair probably doesnt look so bad now, doesnt he?:)

One has to wonder if the President was so concerned about jobs, why did he wait 2 years to introduce a jobs bill, why didnt he introduce it when he had a majority in the House?

Could it because he was busy introducing the stimulus soon after he got in and had to wait to see if one worked before introducing another? duh

This president has achieved more in 2 years and 10 months than any president before him. He definitely deserves a second term to finish what he started.

The naysayers would close their eyes to that fact, Tom. :o(

Could it because he was busy introducing the stimulus soon after he got in and had to wait to see if one worked before introducing another? duh

Well, duh, stimulus 2, aka the jobs act, duh, is the same thing, only duh, half the size, duh. He had to wait to see if it worked? You mean he and the rest of the administration, pushed for legislation, not knowing it was going to work?, duh?

You mean he and the rest of the administration, pushed for legislation, not knowing it was going to work?, duh?

Yes, because unlike you, he doesn't have a crystal ball to dictate the future. Politicians can only implement policies and HOPE they work. They cannot dictate the workings because there are so many factors that can interfere with the process, regardless of the best intentions! duh!

Yes, because unlike you, he doesn't have a crystal ball to dictate the future. Politicians can only implement policies and HOPE they work. They cannot dictate the workings because there are so many factors that can interfere with the process, regardless of the best intentions! duh

Never said I had a crystal ball, have testified before Australian parliament when I lived there on financial matters, only because I ran and started a succesful financial entitiy.

Imagine this kind of speech: I would like you, the members of Congress, to vote for this stimulus package, which I dont know will work, since there are so many factors, but lets spend around 850 billion dollars of the taxpayers money and I will get back to you in a few years and lets see if it works. That is almost the kind of speech Nancy Pelosi gave when pushing for Obamacare, lets pass it first so we will know whats in it.

I can just imagine a CEO or other govt officials asking for big bucks based on faith. Of course I guess thats part of HOpe and change:) And now that we know that the first stimulus worked, lets do another, and if that works we can do one every two years until the dollar is worthless.

I can just imagine a CEO or other govt officials asking for big bucks based on faith

Like we are asked daily by conservatives in congress to go along with tax cuts to big business and the wealthiest in the country to create jobs? Both sides play the "trust me" game.

In fact the argument has been made that the stimulus did in fact help keep the economy from total collapse.

In fact the argument has been made that the stimulus did in fact help keep the economy from total collapse.

You used the word, fact, followed by the word argument. The Fed expanded its balance sheet by 2 TRILLION dollars, the TARP made loans to banks and GM etc so that they could stay afloat, and we are saying it was the stimulus that saved the day? Based on what, talk by economists? Its not called the dismal science for nothing.

But Barry Goldwater (Mr. Conservative) could not win the Republican primaries since he lambasted the Moral Majority and Christian Right. The Christian Right is what is killing the Conservative message.

Until Nixon ran, the Christian Right, the Dixiecrats belonged to the Democrats, so Goldwater didnt have to bother with the Christian Right. There dont seem to be any moderate Republicans out there, and if there were, they would be chewed up in the primaries. McCain just squeaked in because the Tea Party hadnt been formed yet. So we have a whole new ballgame. It is a shame that it has come down to re electing someone by default, the first time someone is re elected with unemployment at 9pct ( aside from FDR of course)

Yes, it is sad that we will probably re-elect Pres. Obama, with 9% unemployment, but if a Republican is elected, and they keep a majority in the House, and take several seats in the Senate, when they truly give more tax breaks to those who don't need them , and cut more programs, that people do need, unemployment will rise, wages will fall further, and the Unions will be destroyed. I'll take Obama, the alternative is ten times worse.

The Christian Right is what is killing the Conservative message.

I'll take Obama, the alternative is ten times worse.

These two statements deserve tons more votes!!

I would add perspective to the presidential race - does it matter anymore?

We've witnessed a minority senate block a majority senate time and time again. We've witnessed congress defunding agencies that protect us, congress appointing business leaders on boards and oversight committees that oversee the industries that are supposed to watch.

Congress is no longer an equal branch of government and the congressional races are the ones that matter now.

I would add the perspective that states are going to make or break this nation.
We've seen Ohio, Maine, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona, et with conservative government gerrymandering to guarantee their electoral wins. We've witnessed news laws to guarantee only their voting base has access to the polls. We've witnessed the corporate interests through ALEC altering legislation state by state to make the corporation into a living being. Once the lower and upper house of the congress are in the hands of conservatives along with two thirds of the state legislators, they will enact the final blows to our freedoms by altering our very constitution.

The office of the President no longer holds power. Look to congress and the states and their legislation limiting freedoms to see the writing on the wall. You are witness, will you vote or let them take away our remaining freedoms along with our health, welfare and safety to usher in the official corporate state with David Koch sitting on the thrown?

The office of the President no longer holds power. Look to congress and the states and their legislation limiting freedoms to see the writing on the wall.

Very good point, Pacific.

My concern for well over a decade has been neo-con control of 2/3rd of state houses, along with a national win would mean the end to the constitution as we know it.

We already have the warning signs, i.e. redefining rape to mean less, defining a corporation as a person, voter suppression tactics, the attack on women's health, the attack on the middleclass, deregulation... all these aren't separate issues, this is a pattern and these are their goals for this country. Move the clock back, empower the white male, put the woman back in the kitchen and control her health, support multinational corporations that support them while draining the lower income earners, legislating anti-union, anti-labor, redefining child labor, redefine (lower) a living wage, et et et... If you're not a member of their very private invitation only club you are just a serf(2), worthless and be treated as a resource to fight their wars or do their yard work.

I heard one analyst say that it will come down to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, whoever wins two out of three is president.

That's quite possible and since two of the three states (Florida, Ohio) are GOP leaning, can we assume if Romney is the nominee (the longer he remains the "favorite" the more likely) than he is a lock? otherwise it's a tossup ( Gingrich) or Obama victory (everyone else).

Each of these three is in the "toss up" category, so any "leaning" is difficult to decisively detect. It could be a classic nail biter to the very bitter end: isn't great to be alive?

I wouldn't hold on to Ohio as going red this year, a recent vote told me so.

I am thinking Pennsylvania goes republican, with the defeat of Sestak for Senate. I am optimistic Ohio goes democrat. Is it up to Florida, again? Gov. Scott is not a popular republican, and there are large minority and senior citizen populations there. The TP is on the wrong side with social security, and now, more than ever, a minority vote for a republican is blindness.

The reactionary TP governors in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida could be on the run.

My guesses:

1. Ohio GOP by <1%, it maybe leaning more left but that only really turned from a state turning sharply right to a state drifting right.
2. Florida Obama by 2-4%
3. Pennsylvania- Obama by 4-8%

The states I see it coming down to if the results play out as is going now are

1. Ohio
2. Missouri
3. New Hampshire
4. Virginia

Richard,- Walker will probably survive his recall as we don't have any good options and by the time it rolls around everyone will be focused on the Senate race. Scott and Kasich will lose unless Obama loses big in 2012 and the state shifts even further to the right the following two years.

What I see in the Ohio vote, on Tuesday, is the unions got the Hoffa memo. If there is strong union participation, then any state with a strong union vote is effected in some way, and since WI has already riled up the union vote, then Walker's state is a toss up. The other thing about toss up states, the same analyst I mentioned above sees the President making the 270 without any of the Southern toss up states: VA, NC, FL, which is excellent news for the President.

NH's four votes will probably not decide the election, but MO has closer to ten votes, which is consequential.

I do not believe, nationally, there is an "even further to the right the following two years." In our lifetimes, the right has peaked out with G.W. Looking at the republican candidates, there are not enough crazies registered to get any of the true TP candidates in the White House.