I would argue that Romney is a worse candidate than McCain; because, even though McCain got smoked, he had the unfortunate handicap of running as the same party as a VERY unpopular exiting president.

Kerry was bad, he definitely lost a winnable election to a president with question marks due to not being a strong enough candidate to define himself.

The reason I say that Mitt is worse than Kerry is that this should have been a winnable election. Barak Obama is a really good candidate (not his policies, his political abilities). But he has > 8% unemployment, championed a health care plan that makes more than half the country VERY upset, and a base that is, at the very least, uncomfortable with his disrespect for the rule of law. Simultaneously, Mitt Romeny is a successful and seemingly honorable man. But, he’s being painted as a wealthy, out of touch, heartless android. Like Kerry, he’s not a strong enough candidate to stop the narrative. Unlike Kerry, he is seemingly not going to keep this election close. He will not be within 50 electoral votes unless Barak Obama fumbles (not looking good given the man’s political deft).

The good candidates (Ronald Regan, Bill Clinton, GWB, Barak Obama) are capable of spinning their own narrative. The weak candidates get narratives spun about them. Mitt Romney is the most caricatured candidate since i’ve been following politics. Probably, Michael Dukakis was worse. I can’t really say for certain as I was 6 when dude was around.

One last thing from me though and I’m saying this in good faith and not meant as an insult. You sound sincere and passionate about your beliefs; great. But your comment on Romney being “the worst presidential candidate” of your politically conscious lifetime really made me chuckle in light of your comment regarding group-think.

Romney was never my first pick to take on Obama as contender for next President, but your view of Romney isn’t just influenced by group-think; you’d have to be drowning in group-think to believe that. On what rational basis is Romney a worse presidential candidate than Obama, McCain, Kerry, Gore, George W., Dole, or Clinton? And Romney’s not just worse than all those other candidates, but so bad in comparison there isn’t even a shred of doubt in your mind of his awfulness?

That sounds delusional David. That, or like something a troll would say for two reasons. First, it buttresses the view of Romney as “bad, evil man” in the mind of the clueless masses who’ve been taught that through repetition on a nearly daily basis for months now. Second reason is, of course, the funnest part; stirring the shit for people who know they’re being spun.

This position however does not preclude me, somewhat ironically, from taking joy in the total and utter failure of Mitt Romney’s candidacy. He is, without a doubt, the worst presidential candidate of my politically conscious lifetime. He’s going to lose when the current president’s record is scarred by a horrible economy. Obama was at 42% approval rating when the campaign started. He’s now at 51% because he gets to stand next to Mitt Romney and say “Hey, at least I’m not this guy. Right?”

The point is that get the policy and policy makers that we demand. For the last 10 years we have been too focused on perceived slights and pedantic arguments on the most inane topics possible; while, each successive executive term, more of our rights and access to free information are being taken away. Barak Obama isn’t being held accountable because democrats are scared of Mitt Romney. GWB wasn’t held accountable for his disaster of a first term because he rallied conservatives juuuuuust enough to win a second term and continue to shit on conservative economic values and constitutional rights.

That’s just me. Anybody who doesn’t care that the Federal Government now has legal right to INDEFINITELY DETAIN AMERICAN CITIZENS can go back to being angry about some academian’s paper.