If Romney gets the nomination does Obama take the south?

[Travis]

It's election day 2012 in deep south Mississippi. You're a Republican and you have to choose between going to the polls to vote (where the choice is a Mormon and a black guy) or go bowling.

You go bowling.

In a feat that would have bewildered us only a generation ago a black man actually carries the state of Mississippi in a Presidential election.



So what do you think? Remotely possible?

 

[leftysergeant]

There are strategies that can make that work.

Not only is Romney not one of the white Evangelicals, he wants to streamline the foreclosure process so that the banksters may more easily foreclose on your underwater mortgage. This would allow real estate speculators to come in and buy your home for close to what you owe, maybe a couple thousand lower, and then rent it back to you. How do you figure that will resonate with professionals who used to be upper middle-class, or with fishermen who can't find a place to catch marketable redfish because of the BP disaster?

 

[Denver]

I guess it depends on who scares those voters the most. Currently, there is more effort to make Obama scary than Romney. In fact, at least in my area, there are ads promoting Mormons as normal citizens. And a fundamentalist southern bible political effort could wrap 'repentance', 'forgiveness', 'evangelicalism', 'all men are sinners', etc, around Romney to allow him into their world.

 

[Brainster]

It's election day 2012 in deep south Mississippi. You're a Republican and you have to choose between going to the polls to vote (where the choice is a Mormon and a black guy) or go bowling.

You go bowling.

In a feat that would have bewildered us only a generation ago a black man actually carries the state of Mississippi in a Presidential election.

So what do you think? Remotely possible?

Given that McCain carried Mississippi by 13 percentage points, I'd say you're dreaming. Some of the evangelicals may not be thrilled by the prospect of a Mormon in the White House, but with a choice between that and a guy who went to a church where the preacher said "God damn America!" they won't have a hard time pulling the lever for Mitt.

 

[Dancing David]

It's election day 2012 in deep south Mississippi. You're a Republican and you have to choose between going to the polls to vote (where the choice is a Mormon and a black guy) or go bowling.

You go bowling.

In a feat that would have bewildered us only a generation ago a black man actually carries the state of Mississippi in a Presidential election.



So what do you think? Remotely possible?

Nope, they will hold the nose and vote for Romney.

 

[BenBurch]

Given that McCain carried Mississippi by 13 percentage points, I'd say you're dreaming. Some of the evangelicals may not be thrilled by the prospect of a Mormon in the White House, but with a choice between that and a guy who went to a church where the preacher said "God damn America!" they won't have a hard time pulling the lever for Mitt.

Is there a differential between the evangelical view of Catholics and the view of Mormons? I think they hold them in similar disdain, but I wonder if anybody knows the ground truth here.

 

[theprestige]

It's election day 2012 in deep south Mississippi. You're a Republican and you have to choose between going to the polls to vote (where the choice is a Mormon and a black guy) or go bowling.

You go bowling.

In a feat that would have bewildered us only a generation ago a black man actually carries the state of Mississippi in a Presidential election.



So what do you think? Remotely possible?

Only if the voters you have in mind are all as racist and religiously bigoted as you suggest.

So no; I don't think fantasy scenarios based hateful stereotypes are remotely possible.

 

[DavidJames]

Only if the voters you have in mind are all as racist and religiously bigoted as you suggest.

So no; I don't think fantasy scenarios based hateful stereotypes are remotely possible.

You need to get out more and mingle with devout Christians. I have all my life. It would be a mistake to think they all will think and act alike. It would also be a mistake to think some would choose to vote for someone with different religious beliefs, rather then sit out.

I won't guess how many will sit this out, but it's a lot more then none.

 

[NoahFence]

It's election day 2012 in deep south Mississippi. You're a Republican and you have to choose between going to the polls to vote (where the choice is a Mormon and a black guy) or go bowling.

You go bowling.

In a feat that would have bewildered us only a generation ago a black man actually carries the state of Mississippi in a Presidential election.



So what do you think? Remotely possible?

They go bowling....

I think they'd spontaneously combust to be honest. Like a computer playing Global Thermonuclear War.

 

[DavidJames]

You need to get out more and mingle with devout Christians. I have all my life. It would be a mistake to think they all will think and act alike. It would also be a mistake to think some would choose to vote for someone with different religious beliefs, rather then sit out.

I won't guess how many will sit this out, but it's a lot more then none.

Just to add. These devout Christians would never consider themselves bigots or racists (of course), but they will tell you that Romney and all the other Mormans are indeed going to Hell.

 

[Tricky]

No, the south is the reddest of red areas. They might get North Carolina, but that's about it. The Dem's hope for a breakthrough is in the midwest.

 

[Spindrift]

The choice for a lot of far right-wingers is between a Mormon Republican and a Democrat who they think is really a Muslim. That's a no-brainer.

I don't think Obama is going to put much of a dent into the South except maybe Florida, Virginia and North Carolina.

 

[Travis]

Only if the voters you have in mind are all as racist and religiously bigoted as you suggest.

So no; I don't think fantasy scenarios based hateful stereotypes are remotely possible.

Nowhere did I suggest that they'd all do this.

Heck I bet some Democrats sit out the election because they naively thought GITMO would get closed down immediately.

 

[MRC_Hans]

Am I to infer from the OP that Southern Republican voters might actually be expected to act rationally?




Hans

 

[Mike!]

Wake up Muttly, you're dreaming again...

 

[leftysergeant]

I don't think Obama is going to put much of a dent into the South except maybe Florida, Virginia and North Carolina.

Florida is a major battlegorund state.

A lot of people have ghastly underwater mortgages and developers are sitting on unsold inventory that becomes less desireable by the day.

Mittens wants to speed up foreclosures on dream houses gone nightmarish.

A lot of the targetted homes belong to older people who thought that they were set for their few remaining years if they coulld just hold out to draw Social Security. They are going to find themselves with crappy credit and little chance of ever recovering.

This does not sound like a good strategy for Florida.

 

[Foolmewunz]

The only way Obama carries any of the "Solid South" is if Paul spins off and runs as a Libertarian or Independent and frankly, I don't think the bible-thumping right really makes the connection of Mormon /= Xian as much as is being speculated.

 

[AlBell]

Nope, they will hold the nose and vote for Romney.

As I will do in the southern state I vote in (not Mississippi). Of course Romney doesn't have the nom quite yet.

Now if we could get Hilary to challenge Obama for the dem nom!

 

[BenBurch]

Florida is a major battlegorund state.

A lot of people have ghastly underwater mortgages and developers are sitting on unsold inventory that becomes less desireable by the day.

Mittens wants to speed up foreclosures on dream houses gone nightmarish.

A lot of the targetted homes belong to older people who thought that they were set for their few remaining years if they coulld just hold out to draw Social Security. They are going to find themselves with crappy credit and little chance of ever recovering.

This does not sound like a good strategy for Florida.

My retirement plan involves pouncing on nearly valueless FL property...

 

[BenBurch]

The only way Obama carries any of the "Solid South" is if Paul spins off and runs as a Libertarian or Independent and frankly, I don't think the bible-thumping right really makes the connection of Mormon /= Xian as much as is being speculated.

It only needs to cost him a couple percent in key places to change a result.