General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLike NAACP debacle, audience of Romney's Brit trip was domestic conservatives
At heart, conservatives fear and distrust ALL foreigners, and even Europeans they only like when the agree with American conservatives.
Otherwise, they are dirty socialists who use the godless metric system.
Baby Bush made any number of gaffes in Europe, including scolding an American reporter for speaking French in front of him, calling long time allies irrelevant, "Old Europe" when they wouldn't join him in the Iraq War, giving an unsolicited backrub to Angela Merkel, and probably farting on Queen Elizabeth.
None of which embarrassed righties in the least.
Mitt probably even gained grounds with righties with his Olympics criticism even if it was groundless since it was an America talking down to the foreigners. The Brits negative reaction probably enhanced that positive perception since to them it was like a bad dog yelping after you hit it with a rolled up newspaper.
When righties talk about Obama diminishing our stature in the world, they mean he is too polite to inferior peoples, which is everyone in their minds.
This will be less than a blip with swing voters but will polish Romney's apple with the extra chromosome set as GOP strategist Lee Atwater called them.
Next up: gay and Muslim bashing.
Count on it.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)yurbud
(39,405 posts)were more like the city slickers than hillbillies in DELIVERANCE.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)but clearly Mitt-the-idiot isnt doing that. He is mostly just freaking out the mainstream GOP and indy/moderates would were considering voting for him.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)he can't fake his way into the trailer park like Baby Bush could.
phantom power
(25,966 posts)One thing that Bush managed to do to Gore and Kerry, was: he dog-whistled while also simultaneously making Gore and Kerry look weak. The dog-whistling strokes the base, but it doesn't really move the voting needle. It's the "make your opponent look weak" part that wins you the crucial portion of low-information voters that move the needle.
Willard is doing OK with his dog-whistling, but he's completely failing to make Obama look weak. In fact, Obama is making him look weak (when he's not managing it for himself). I think that's what will end up costing him.
I'd like to add that a major reason this is working is that Obama is taking the trouble to fight back, and even (gasp) stay on the offensive. Gore and Kerry never made that happen.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)Presidential incumbency is a mighty PR advantage. Obama has to be commended for coming out swinging when he did. He certainly has good timing.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)and those in the middle are largely just fucking lazy, so even if you persuade them, they might not vote anyway.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)low information voters who identified with Bush.