Lunkhead of the week

Leave it to old Nolan to come up with the harebrained op-ed this week.  Old Nolan isn't much at this whole election prognosticating--a while back he opined that Thaddeus McCotter might just be a dark horse for the republican nomination for the Presidency...except that Thaddeus pretty much turned out to be a doofus who couldn't even last until the Iowa Caucus.  In fact, Thaddeus couldn't even run his congressional seat campaign--seems that coming up with competent personnel who could find 2000 signatures to get his name on the ballot was too tough, too.  Hell, they only missed it by 1800 signatures.

Now old Nolan's telling us that my home county here in Michigan, Oakland, may be the county that holds the key to Willard Romney winning the Presidency this November.  That, who knows, we just might be the folks who put him over the top. 

Nate Silver at 538 armed with polls and relevant stats (and being the most correct prognosticator the last two Presidential elections) has Obama as an 81% likelihood victor in Michigan.  I'm willing to grant that we have a little more than four months before the election, but let's face it, to win Michigan Romney is going to need an utter collapse of the economy (in which case we're all fucked) or to spend an ungodly sum of money here at the expense of other states (in which case Romney is fucked).  Keep in mind, though, that I'm not convinced an economic collapse helps Romney--more and more Americans are seeing the republicans as being obstructionist when it comes to the economy and their lack of effort could hurt them as much as Obama if the economy collapsed.  I am willing to give Finley the benefit of the doubt on Romney winning Michigan--I know it's not likely, but I still hope Obama takes North Carolina again.

Finley's idiocy, though, comes in the reasoning that he thinks will lead to Romney winning Oakland County.  First, ask Bush the Lesser how many times being born in Connecticut lead to his winning Connecticut.  Romney's birthplace will more than likely win him zero votes.  Second, Finley ignores that Oakland has been trending leftward the last several elections, and note that even in the republican wave of 2010 Rep. Gary Peters still held his seat (a Conservadem, but he won).  Third is the willingness to buy into the whole get out the vote campaign as envisioned by Oakland County republicans--if all the organizations in Wisconsin who e-mailed me claiming  to have been winning the battle to get out the vote for the recall had been correct, Tom Barrett would be the Governor of Wisconsin.  They weren't, and he isn't.  Finally, and perhaps most foolhardy, is Finley claim that Oakland County moderates are going to see Romney, after he ran a primary so far to the right as to make Reagan look like a commie, as some kind of middle of the road candidate is utterly delusional.

My guess is it's just a diversion as the glow begins to wear off the Romney campaign.

Peace,
emaycee