Well, if John Kass says it then...

It MUST be true, right? Actually, I don't know. While I am a fairly regular Chicago Tribune reader I tend not to read the opinion section much. Which is kind of odd considering I spend some of my internet time writing an opinion blog but for whatever reason I tend to never bother with the editorial sections. I have read John Kass maybe two, three times over the years and I have no real bone to pick with him nor do I have anything particularly positive to say other than I think he can be funny in a snarky sort of way. Also, like a lot of the writers at the Trib, he's a conservative...Or was, as he claimed recently he's now an independent. Whatever, I think I am an independent too I am just more of a lefty one to his righty, Reagan lover-ness. Anywho, this post isn't really about Kass so much as it's a little bit about a recent editorial that was brought to my attention, "Barack Obama wins in '12" in which he says:

He knows who he is. And the Republican politicians don't know who they are. They've forgotten what they're about, or perhaps like some isolated tribe, they've lost the language necessary to explain it to themselves.

Their voters know this and don't really believe them anymore.

And that's why Obama will win.

And the Republican establishment that seeks to unseat him?

Their guy Mitt Romney calls himself a conservative. But he's really a John Kerry in Republican clothing, right down to the phony laugh, and his past flips and flops will haunt him in defeat.

 My favorite part of that whole bit is that Mitt's a Republican John Kerry thus magically validating my own theory I have written about a time or two in 2011. So, YAY for that but what this really did was give me an opportunity to play my favorite game with my blog...Cut and Paste hateful, asshole, conservative whining anonymously and respond to them here, where they won't see it, for entertainment purposes. That and the fact that I know responding to them online at the Trib, or any other comments section elsewhere on the internet, is a fruitless endeavor as there's no mind changing when it comes to this bullshit. Also, it's fun and makes me feel a little better that Hamster Running on the Server Wheel is not alone in the world.

Some conservatives, sensing Kass's depression at the thought of another Obama win, just can't believe it:

Cheer up John!  One thing is more important than Obama knowing who is.  We know who Obama is!!  No matter what nonsense he spouts.   We are just not going to elect this disaster to a second term!  Fortunately, Chicago politics doesn’t work country wide!

This is a common refrain these days, that Obama is a disaster or, my favorite, the worst president in history! Which is such a fucking leap that I am not even sure what to say to that. Especially after the Bush debacle. The funny thing is these people have been saying that Obama is the worst in history, or a disaster, or whatever, since day one so when did they ever lift their heads from their tarry sands to bother to notice anything that was actually happening. Some of these fine, true Americans are really in denial:

Bwah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha - you havn't a clue.  Read some of the postings on the Obama goes to Disney World and take notice of how angry Democrats are that voted for him.  My freind, they are FURIOUS and most don't care who is running against obama -
Let me be perfectly clear - Barry will lose in a landslide in 294 days and I hope you enjoy that bleak view from your window for the next 4 years.  Obama had a HUGE opportunity to make a difference in this world and he blew it because he doesn't have a clue what he's doing - he can only read someone else's words.
Perhaps you and Chris Matthews can go on a double date with BHO and his wife.
294 baby, 294 - and there's not a darn thing you can do about it, this is bigger than you.

So, so many commenters, who also tend happen to be rancid assholes, always start 90% of their comments with some form of "bwah ha ha ha ha" which really lends to the whole mega-maniacal, super villain image I like to ascribe to these fuckers. Another common theme my insane friend, and this is something I am guilty of doing as well, is the "everybody I know," or in the above case all the furious Democrats who apparently commented on another article he read,  thinks what I think so therefore NO ONE could possibly think otherwise. Therefore, EVERYBODY doesn't care who it is who will be running against Obama they're voting for them. As usual, he also refers to him as Barry because it's disrespectful to call him President Obama and they won't publish his comment if he typed what he'd really prefer, "that nigger."

Here is an example of a comment I can agree with and basically reiterates what I just wrote:

Funny how everyone posting seems to think everyone in America wants Obama out of office. I seem to remember thinking the same thing about George W. Bush during his re-election bid.
I couldn't imagine a majority of voters actually re-electing that clown after all he did to ruin our country. I then saw a Democratic party nominate a guy who nobody was really excited about, but everyone thought was competent. Surely, John Kerry was just the moderate politician to oust George W. Bush. Right?
Guess what? I was wrong. People need to be motivated to vote for someone, not against someone. Kass is right, Obama will win again. Mitt Romney doesn't excite anyone but corporations and they don't get to vote yet.

 I remember thinking exactly like this during the run up to the 2004 election. I wasn't particularly in love with Kerry at the time but I sure as shit wanted to see Bush lose. I couldn't see it any other way which is partially why I am fairly certain I am seeing the same thing happen with Mitt. Naturally, I could be wrong...And, of course, I am wrong AND I am also wrong about how I felt back in 2004 too. I was certain Bush had ruined America, lead us into two debacle and illegal wars and fostered a Big Brother culture into existence right out of Orwell via the Patriot Act, illegal torture, spying, tax cuts for the rich, the whole bit that I was shocked, shocked I tell you, that Kerry lost. Here's a handy assfart that happen to reply to the above comment to set me straight:

You are chromnologically incorrect in your posting.
In 2004, GW Bush was disliked only by the far Left on an anti-Iraq War sentiment.
Unemployment was at 5 %, Housing was still very strong, and everyone's IRA's were doing nicely.
Economically, Bush was on solid footing. Enron, Adelphia and the other corporate scanals were just about over, and the stock market was rebounding.
This showed in the voting, as he garnered almost 55% of the vote.
Kerry did not have the national support that most of his followers beleived he had.
What Kerry did have was the media, who did not like Bush's blunt, sometimes terse demeanor in which he handled them.
Bush's problems did not occur until the elections of 2006, when his out of control spending, lousy handling of the Iraq War, and his failure to recognize the financial crisis' looming in the not too distant future, vaulted the Democrats into control of both the House and Senate.
So your posting is chronologically incorrect.
If you recall, in 2008, not 2004, Bush had approval ratings equivalent to Obama's current ratings, which are not good and will not get better if he tries to run on his record, which is abysmal.
Obama has to run on a platform of; "The Repubs are all bad, greedy,  and racist".
Then he has to try to sell that to the public.
We are not dumb or ideological. We see through that already.

Oh, SEE, I forgot I am a member of, "far Left on an anti-Iraq War sentiment." Duh. I wish I had known that at the time then I wouldn't have found the whole thing so fucking depressing. It's also fun to read this comment with a mouth full of sausage so you can sound as dumb as this person writes. I also have not yet spent any time on Obama's re-election website so I am not sure what his "platform" is yet...Apparently, It's "The Repubs are all bad, greedy, and racist." Which is pretty simple for him, I look forward to those banners at the DNC this year. Meanwhile, the RNC will have banners that say "Failed" and "Abysmal Record" which naturally exists only in a vacuum of 2009, '10 and '11 because before that is ancient fucking history that had nothing to do with nothing so you shut the fuck up because I am not dumb or ideological. I see through that already.

The Republicans could run the exhumed corpse of Richard Nixon and win this election, barring a lunatic third party suicide run by Ron Paul and his ego as his VP choice.  Obama has so thoroughly disenchanted the non-union, working, productive members of this society, they would vote for ANYONE but the incumbent.  I say that not to be flip, but to relay my sincere belief based upon not only my own sentiments, but those of virtually everyone I associate with.
Disclosure:  I work 60 hours a week, am not black, do not belong to a labor union, do not work for the government, pay federal income taxes, am not gay, don't think the government owes me anything and can or should solve all of my problems, don't hate the rich or begrudge them their success, and don't believe America's wealth is the product of our unfairness or evil nature.  I'm hoping there are another 50.001% of the country in my shoes.

I wish the Republicans really would run the exhumed corpse of Richard Nixon because that is just about on par for the course of insanity these people seem to be operating on lately. And I say that to be flip and to relay MY sincere belief and those of virtually EVERYONE I associate with. Disclosure: I am white person who is employed by a non-government/state entity, non-union, pay my taxes, point out which sexual preference I am not, and my thoughts of what I think government does or does not owe me so I can best demonstrate that I am a living, breathing, conservative, fuck head who is also probably not very racist because I work with a black guy I like to think of as a friend. He's well spoken, you know. Hopefully, half of the country can fit in my shoes. However, FUCK THE RICH.

Basically, these people have been sick about Obama from day one and no amount of accomplishment, numbers, favor-ability ratings, polls, or otherwise would or could ever change that in a million trillion years. From the very day Obama got the nomination these people have been just dying to paint him the worst thing that has ever happened to the country and to them. Some of them are even a little bitter that THAT is what happened to W. By the time the second term was nearing it's end it was obvious that America's greatest president, a sentiment many of these mentally ill people truly believed, was really an asshole who did nothing but move forward an insane neo-con agenda with aims to further foster our empire.

And he did so poorly at that all while lowering taxes for the rich and removing silly regulations on housing essentially fanning the flames of what was to become "the Great Recession." Naturally, to these fine folks, this is all somehow Obama's fault and one is no longer allowed to bring up Bush without getting, "Yeah, SURE, blame BUSH, it's all Bush's fault...That was three years ago, stop living in the past dummy!" Then they will bring up Clinton, Al Gore and Jimmy Carter with no sense of irony or appreciation for history or anything else. That same, rigid, "black or white," "this or that," simple minded thinking is what will always be their downfall, "Everyone thinks this!" "Everybody I know KNOWS that." It's both funny and sad. Obama 2012! Why? Because fuck you!