The Lindstrom Bounce

Well, the weekly polls are all pointing in one direction - a significant increase in support for President Obama.  And while causation is always difficult to prove in these matters, I am confident that my endorsement of Mr. Obama was instrumental in moving the numbers.

Sure, you can make a case that Mr. Romney's own loose lips contributed to his fall - his matter-of-fact comment to rich donors that 47% of Americans are simply on the mooch probably didn't do him any good.  And while the right-wing pundits have been clamoring "Let Ryan be Ryan" - the Florida numbers suggest that Mr. Ryan's proposal to privatize Medicare has not gone down well with the Early Bird Special set.

When all is said and done it is simply clear that Mr. Romney always has been and remains a seriously flawed candidate.  Indeed one is reminded of one of the favourite stories of my attorney, Mr. Rickey, -  reproduced here courtesy of The Intrepid Ideas Blog.

Once upon a time there was a CEO of a pet food company who wanted to increase his profits from making dog food. So he consulted the wisest men in his company, who knew all about developing computer programs that would analyze the nutritional content of various grains and food supplements. Eager to please the CEO, the wise men programed their computers to come up with the optimum combination of grains and supplements that would meet the nutrition needs of man’s best friend at the lowest price.

But a strange thing happened. During the first six months of selling the optimum mix at the lowest price, profit margins of the company declined. The next quarter, profits dived once more. “What’s going on?” the CEO demanded.

Since his wise men didn’t have an answer, the CEO consulted the greatest expert in the land, who knew all about the mysterious science of systems analysis and who conducted an extensive study (at considerable expense.) When he was finished, the expert appeared before the CEO.

“Have you discovered why our profits are declining?” the CEO demanded.

“I have,” said the expert, leaning on a thick report. “The dogs don’t like it.”

 Americans bought Mr. Romney's story once before.  It was called the Bush Administration.  A majority of us discovered it didn't work.

Finally, another installment in the Alaska Coastal series. 

A winter's day at the Juneau Seadrome in the mid-1960's