The predictions thread
POSTED BY: kpo
UPDATED: Wednesday, August 26, 2026 18:54
VIEWED: 144481
PAGE 15 of 127
Niall Ferguson (right-wing economist) predicts a november foreign policy 'surprise' from Obama - one-on-one talks with Iran, or giving Israel a green light to attack their nuclear facilities, and so on: "never underestimate the ruthlessness of the Chicago machine that has been the key to Barack Obama’s rise. With his fall suddenly a real possibility, the only thing that would really surprise me would be no October—or November—surprise."
Kevin Drum (Mother Jones): Niall Ferguson is 'soon to be irrelevant'.
David Frum - "we won't reform the congressional GOP by re-electing President Obama. If anything, an Obama re-election will not only aggravate the extremism of the congressional GOP, but also empower them: an Obama re-election raises the odds in favor of big sixth-year sweep for the congressional GOP - and very possibly a seventh-year impeachment."
(This from an article suggesting we should elect the GOP!)
It's not personal. It's just war.
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Jeezus. People are weird. Politicians are even weirder.
I'm finally ready to make my prediction: Obama. I think the "October Surprise" of Sandy will do Romney in. And boy, it got here JUST in time--to make an "October surprise", not for the destruction happening in time to salvage the election for Obama, in case any of our righties were poised to jump on that. Everyone's been talking about an October Surprise for so longer I'm sure we're all sick of it, but who expected something like THIS?!
My fear, also, is that the GOP will go FURTHER right (gawd help us...and THEM!). On the other hand, if Romney won they'd have the power to take the whole COUNTRY further right...and in the opinion of many, all but destroy it! If Obama wins, all they can do is stop the country from healing faster. What a mess...
(Boy, Obama better hurry up if Ferguson's predictions are to come true...he's only got four DAYS to start talks with Iran or let Israel bomb them!)
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I've just decided, at the end of the year or some other suitable time I'm going to compile a list of 'Top 10 best and Top 10 worst Predictions'. Should be fun, and I can promise you that Niall Ferguson's zany Obama prediction will make one of those lists...
ETA: A commentary on David Frum's 'very odd' endorsement: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/11/frum-gop-will-destroy-am
erica-if-we-reelect-obama-so-we-must-let-gop-win
It's not personal. It's just war.
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Good article. Frum is out of his mind. Worth clicking on the link to read the rest. But you missed some of the best From Frum. The title is a gas: "The GOP Will Destroy America If We Reelect Obama, So We Must Let the GOP Win" {?!?!?!}
But there are even more giggles in the article itself:Quote:
First, he figures that Obamacare will survive no matter what, so he'd rather have a Republican in charge of implementing it. {????}
Frum also has a peculiarly hostile reading of Obama's Osawatomie speech from last year, which he thinks is an indication that Obama wants to vastly expand government employment.
That one's funny in and of itself, given the facts:
But then, that cry of "they'll make government BIGGER" is one we're all used to by now...
And I like the author's assessment of Frum's argument about the GOP:Quote:
DAMNED straight!
No country can survive with this attitude. If congressional Republicans are truly a destructive and irrational force in American politics—and God knows, I agree with Frum about that—the answer is to fight them, not to surrender to them. That way lies madness.
ETA: KPO, please DO...it will be a gas to read, whatever the outcome.
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OK, we've heard from Frum and Drum, now it's time to hear from Shrum:
Robert Shrum (liberal commentator) - 'R.I.P., Mitt Romney': http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/02/r-i-p-mitt-romney.htm
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It's not personal. It's just war.
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If Obama wins the right-wing knives will come out for Mitt Romney very quickly.
ETA:
6ixStringJack - "Obama is out..."
kpo - "I don't think it's going to come down to Florida."
It's not personal. It's just war.
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Well, it's going to be a busy few days going through this thread to separate the wheat from the chaff...
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero
"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012
Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"
Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."
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Should be interesting Kwick. Next thing is to canvass predictions on what Obama re-election means for the country though.
kpo - "I predict we'll see a spike in racist sentiment over coming days and weeks, as racists unravel at the reality of a second Obama term."
Ezra Klein - "The nature of tonight's GOP loss - demographics turning decisively against them - seems certain to trigger an internal war."
It's not personal. It's just war.
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Well, for starters, it means Romney's done. The GOP will be tearing itself asunder looking for ways to blame the entire loss on him, and blaming him for not being a "real" conservative.
"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero
"I was wrong" - Hero, 2012
Mitt Romney, introducing his running mate: "Join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Paul Ryan!"
Rappy's response? "You're lying, gullible ( believing in some BS you heard on msnbc ) or hard of hearing."
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Within days of the election we will see the stock market take a down turn as companies start cancelling new building, but will continue with maintenance. I'd say energy will take the biggest hit. Coal, oil and nuclear.
When social security came along corporations cut their pension benefits to their employees. Corporations will replace their health insurance benefits with the government ACA plan, cutting employee hours so they are less than "full time". This will be a double hit. Worse healthcare and less tax money into the government coffers.
Kwindbago, hot air and angry electrons
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