tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post2534611858124396851..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: AmplifierJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-39401513450042071372010-08-20T17:57:04.874-05:002010-08-20T17:57:04.874-05:00Agreed. The first time I saw Gary Johnson (about ...Agreed. The first time I saw Gary Johnson (about 6 years ago) I was very impressed by his political courage and his blunt yet thoughtful and researched positions on this issue. He is a rare politician indeed but not one who would seem to be able to come even close to capturing the Republican (or even the Democratic) nomination for presidency.<br /><br />The Republican party appears to demand fairly strict orthodoxy to three themes: 1) economic libertarianism, 2) cultural conformity, and 3) continued supremacy of American military and foreign policy preferences in the world. Huckabee was an impressive candidate and a very good communicator (also great on TV during the campaign) but he flunked #1. Ron Paul flunked #3 and was almost openly ridiculed by those in the party machine. Johnson will have a really hard time passing #2. <br /><br />He probably couldn't come close to capturing a Democratic nomination either because he may be a little too friendly to theme #1 and his unashamed defense of his anti-drug war positions would spook the innate cowardice of the Democratic party.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-60976455707719054622010-08-19T09:40:58.073-05:002010-08-19T09:40:58.073-05:00Interesting clarification on Palin - after I poste...Interesting clarification on Palin - after I posted the above, I reconsidered whether Palin had "really" networked, or whether networking Palin-style really just means The Fox Network. This is not a new observation; others have noted that Palin's strategy may be to crack the small screen and reach out to the common folk in that (relatively) networking-free manner.<br /><br />BTW: John Kerry as the antithesis of sparkle? He didn't have sparkle, but he sorta had...twinkle, a little? I'm stretching, no doubt Kerry is a poor sparkle substitute for that other JFK from Massachusetts, but he must at least beat that bore Gore (which, admittedly, isn't saying a whole lot).CSHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-43807008857618160142010-08-19T08:15:27.436-05:002010-08-19T08:15:27.436-05:00CSH- I dunno, I'd say Hillary had plenty of &q...CSH- I dunno, I'd say Hillary had plenty of "sparkle". She wasn't nearly as charismatic as Obama (or her husband), but she could give good speeches sometimes, did well in debates, and had historical factors on her side (first woman President, former first lady, etc.) If you want the antithesis of sparkle, it's John Kerry (though I guess even he had the war hero stuff). And he got the nom through networking, just like you say (most importantly, having Kennedy vouch for him everywhere).<br /><br />As for Palin, I don't know that I'd call what she does networking. She's made some endorsements, but hasn't turned those into a close working relationship with anyone, and the only one that might matter for her later is Nicki Haley in South Carolina. But she hasn't been recruiting party operatives, or trying to get opinion-makers to change their mind on her. Of course, it's not yet time for the first one, and it doesn't seem like the opinion makers are against her enough to worry about the second. But still, she's not going through the networking paces yet.Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14262426400735202537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-45384186947988932562010-08-19T00:40:08.643-05:002010-08-19T00:40:08.643-05:00If David Patreaus asks for the Republican nominati...If David Patreaus asks for the Republican nomination -- granted, it doesn't look like he will, but if he does he will get it -- I can easily see Gary Johnson as his running mate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-64324892468340612072010-08-19T00:38:24.846-05:002010-08-19T00:38:24.846-05:00In the spirit of economic factors overriding other...In the spirit of economic factors overriding other election inputs, it seems to me that networking acumen is the key to the nomination process. Sparkle surely doesn't hurt, though networking does seem to trump sparkle. (E.G. its a good thing hanging chads made the 2000 election famous; otherwise it may have been remembered as history's most sparkle-free election. However, there must be a major networking advantage being a 2nd generation Gore or a 3rd generation Bush).<br /><br />We agree that Hillary Clinton is just about the antithesis of sparkle, yes? How did she get thisclose to the nomination? The networking power of the Clinton brand, though to be honest she herself had been building that network long before WJC got to the Oval Office. Hillary almost made it but for outsider Obama, who wrote a book (The Audacity of Hope), the funniest part of which was a phony lament that big-time politics required so much networking...he wished he didn't have to press so much flesh and curry so much favor, but....<br /><br />I could be totally wrong here, this is pretty much just stream-of-consciousness writing. But if networking is the key - what does that say about Palin's political fortunes? She seems well-networked, but unlike the rest of the characters in this narrative, she seems not to have tried all that hard (other than where money was to be made). Another curious aspect to Palin, it seems to me.CSHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-74007237372389340422010-08-18T23:47:09.802-05:002010-08-18T23:47:09.802-05:00Sounds like an interesting guy: ethical, sane, an...Sounds like an interesting guy: ethical, sane, and completely non-muslim!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-24154393908006835452010-08-18T22:28:34.475-05:002010-08-18T22:28:34.475-05:00Gary Johnson was an outsider candidate when he won...Gary Johnson was an outsider candidate when he won the nomination in New Mexico, and he beat the establishment candidate who wss running for re-election. One thing I will say for him and some of his crazy ideas: When he was Governor, he only did the things he said he would do when he was campaigning, and he didn't do any of the things he said he wouldn't do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com