Frank Rich on the National Circus: Ryan’s Bungled Rollout" By Frank Rich at NY Magazine

[applegrove]

Frank Rich on the National Circus: Ryan’s Bungled Rollout

By Frank Rich at NY Magazine

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/08/frank-rich-ryans-bungled-rollout.html

"SNIP..................................

What do you think of the other stagecraft in the Ryan rollout?

For all the planted stories saying that Romney made this pick at the start of the month and then brilliantly kept it under wraps, that was not the message conveyed by what actually took place. It looked instead like a hasty move, tossed together quickly to satisfy the ever-shriller demands of the hard-line Wall Street Journal–Weekly Standard elites to put Ryan on the ticket. Why introduce Ryan to the world at 9:20 a.m. on a Saturday when no one is watching television (and perhaps literally no one in the western half of the country)? Why do it when the ensuing coverage would have to compete with the Olympics climax? Why don’t you take the time to round up some minority faces as window dressing for the virtually all-white crowd standing behind Romney at the event? Why rush out the announcement when you have yet to prepare answers for all the predictable press questions the ticket would raise? In the short time since Saturday, Romney has repeatedly stumbled and fudged when asked how his budget would differ from the Ryan budget that many find toxic. The best Romney can come up with is stuff like “We’ll take a look at the differences” and “We haven’t gone through piece by piece.” Why haven’t you, man? You are running for president of the United States and you haven’t done your homework about your own ticket mate? Ryan, too, has proven to be underprepared, equivocating and stammering about Medicare and taxes even in a friendly interview with Brit Hume of Fox News on Tuesday. Then again, even the much promoted “Mitt’s VP” App, which promised to alert supporters to the pick “first,” was a bust; it didn’t cough up the Ryan announcement until well after everyone had heard the news.

......................................SNIP"

[WestSeattle2]

1. r's have two amateurs on their hands; one beholden to

Salt Lake City, the other to Ayn Rand.

What a circus. That party has jumped the shark.

Say goodnight Willard.

[russspeakeasy]

2. This is my read of the day...

[HooptieWagon]

3. Folks, this is why we have campaigns.

A candidate who so often bungles his campaign, selects inept staff, hastily picks a little-vetted runningmate... is certainly going to do a similar piss-poor job in office, if elected. Regardless of the issues, Romney has proven himself to be incapable of managing the office.

[russspeakeasy]

4. Here's a question for his mother; When did he call you ?