Cynicism

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.
--George Bernard Shaw,

Wizer's Definitive but Still Cranky Election Observation

With five weeks to go before the most important election in 32 years, we have it boiled down to this:

1. The blue candidate believes at his core that all things are possible through government, but does not believe that the message is a winner.
2. The red candidate believes that many things are possible and best handled through the private sector, but he also does not believe that his message is a winner.

So, the messages are all crafted to hide something, or to craftily change the subject. During an election season, the mainstream press must report every day on what the candidates say. Therefore, the news is always off-topic. Without the core messages being communicated, the election will turn on who has the better golf game. Heaven help us.

Chart of the Day #13

This is one of the reasons I think the number is more than 47%. (From Townhall.com blog)

Chart of the Day #12

Spot the trend.

Chart of the Day #11

Pesky Demographics...

I'm a 53%er?

A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it. -- Alexis de Tocqueville, 1831
This week it was revealed that at a closed-door fundraiser in May, Romney told wealthy supporters that he could not hope to win the votes of the 47 percent of Americans who, he said, do not pay federal income taxes.  -- ABC News blog


I'll be honest...I thought the number was higher. I was just telling a friend and co-worker that 51% of the people will certainly vote for more free money. I still think they will, but Romney thinks he has a fighting chance with about 4% of those people. That's about the most optimistic sentiment I have heard in a while. Okay, so 47% it is.

I think it makes a good discussion point, because every time Mother Jones or one of her minions brings it up, it will remind people how close we are to the tipping point.