>>>>>>>>>1. Open a new folder on your computer.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>2. Name it 'Barack Obama'.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>5. Your PC will ask you:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>'Do you really want to get rid of 'Barack Obama?'
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>6. Firmly Click 'Yes.'
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Except the message doesn't say "'Do you really want to get rid of 'Barack Obama?'". It says "Are you sure you want to delete this folder?".
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>A lone figure stands ever-ready. His senses in perfect tune with his surroundings. His eyes are focused, sharp as a hawk. His skin registers the speed and direction of the wind. He can assess the humidity through the simple act of inhaling. He listens intently for the spring of the release. He can smell his victory in the air.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Without need of an audible "pull", his weapon is at the ready. His eyes lock the target. He exhales ever so slightly and gently squeezes the trigger.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Poof!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Another joke is dusted.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>There's no time to savor the moment. He can sense the next one entering the launcher...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>At least you'll have another term to hone those Obama jokes :-)
>>>>>
>>>>>He is at best 50-50. His campaign in particular and his party in general are doing everything they can to screw up his advantages. War on women, Julia, fizzle. Non Cherokee Warren, splat. Piss off Catholics, check and double check. Pro gay-marriage, collect $1mil, but not, flop. Not that any of it really matters considering no matter how they spin, manipulate the stats or pontificate, no one thinks the economy is getting any better and that's what costs incumbents their jobs. He's been losing ground to Romney since his nomination was secured and is losing outright in one poll. It's only May. To be losing this early is a catastrophe, just like his presidency.
>>>>>
>>>>>Update : Now there's the Bain backlash.
>>>>
>>>>Quite right. Mr. Obama, peace be upon him, must go. He is a danger to the United States. But, on the other hand, Romney doesn't seem to be creating a stir of excitment in the populace and that concerns me.
>>>
>>>Historically, presidential elections involving an incumbent are a referendum on the economy. If things are going well, the incumbent typically can coast to re-election. If things are not going well the election is a referendum on the incumbent and whether or not he is seen as helping or hurting. If he's seen as hurting then it becomes a question of whether or not the opponent is a better option.
>>>
>>>1) Things are not going well. Regardless of the statistical morass that's available from all sides, the numbers overall are bad and more importantly, on the ground, people are hurting in their day to day lives and are angry and are lashing out at...take your pick : Reps, Dems, G8, Oil companies, Wall St, lottery winners, McDonalds, random people on the street...less work means less traffic but also more free time to stew about whomever one is angry with.
>>>
>>>2) With things not going well the default position is to change. See Europe. With several recent elections to examine, the party in power is no longer because they are seen as making things worse. Regardless of the facts of the individual countries and whether or not they've actually implemented anything, the perception is that the leaders have made things worse. Given the outlandishly high hopes this country had for the President, there's little room for the perception of his time in office to be underwhelming at best. Note: If his signiture piece of legislation is correctly ruled unconstitutional he'll have no record to speak of except a massive waste of money. How does one perceive that as making things better?
>>>
>>>3) I believe we're going into the fall with 1 & 2 as a given so will Romney be be a better option? He has been well vetted through a rough primary and has emerged stronger for the effort. His team can get in the mud when necessary and he has a history of economic success. Also, it looks like his fundraising is going to be on par with Obama's.
>>>
>>>Bottom line : Obama has no record to run on, thus he is an incumbent attempting to run like a challenger. That's why the mistakes of the past month are so glaring. The 2008 strategy worked so well because the country was ready to change leadership and he could run agains W instead of McCain. The country wants to change again, see 2010, and Obama is trying to tap into the anger of the country by portraying Romney as Wall St. The problem is, the anger is not focused on Wall St, but on the incumbent becuase in part, the incumbent IS Wall St.
>>>
>>>Note: This analysis is obviously subject to change based on an Israeli strike on Iran and/or an actual departure of Greece or others from the Euro and the domino effects those cause. I think these would make things even worse for Obama, but I do not doubt his oratory skills and can see possibilities for him to be seen as a calming figure in the chaos.
>>
>>Hey Jake,
>>
>>Here's hoping all is well with you. You make a coherently worded argument. But guess what? I am not going to counterargue. The way my work weeks have been going, leaving home at 6 or 6:30 in the morning and returning at the same time or later in the evening, I don't have the energy to get into arguments. Especially political ones, which are generally useless to begin with. Who comes out of them convinced they were wrong? The outcome in November will be what it is beyond our ability to add or detract. Democracy in action.
>>
>>You can probably guess my long standing prediction. We shall see.
>>
>>Have a good holiday weekend. A trip down to wine country, I'm guessing?
>
>More likely to be yard work, followed by pool & bbq, and of course wine. ;)
>
>Have a great weekend!
>
>Update : What do you think of the gamesmanship so far?
>
>My favorite exchange was :
>Obama : Romney put his dog on the roof of his car!
>Romney : Oh yeah, well Obama ate dog!
>
>ROFL!
>
>2nd Update: This just in, was Obama the 1st Tea Partier?
>http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/05/23/Exclusive-The-Vetting-Barack-Obama-First-Tea-Partier
>
>Too funny!

Here is a funny from my drive home from work today. At one of the bottleneck intersections on the local part of my commute I was waiting for a light change and found myself behind a car with a bumper sticker that read, "Help me, Mr. Obama. They want me to work and stuff." (And "stuff" really was the word). The disappointing part was there was a Northwestern University back windshield sticker on the same car, but it still made me laugh.