Christmas may have passed, but the Republican freak show just keeps on giving.
The candidates are scurrying around Iowa like rats in a maze; cow-towing and ass-kissing for a caucus win that many people, myself included, don’t see the importance of. These caucus goers are a miniscule group of the hard-core religious right, and as far as I know, we’re voting for a President in 2012, not a Pope.
Ezra Klein summed it up this way :
“In 2008, the Iowa Republican Caucus got record turnout: 120,000 people. That is to say, four percent of all the residents of Iowa…those 120,000 people represent four hundredths of one percent of the total population of America.
And it's not a representative four hundredths of one percent of the American people. It's not a representative four percent of Iowans. It's not even a representative four percent of Iowa Republicans…”
Candidates are throwing pretty much everything at the wall in hopes of finding something that will stick with caucus voters . Newt Gingrich has recently floated the Hail Mary/absolutely insane idea that there may be a place for Sarah Palin in his White House, either as a cabinet member or, he actually said it, Vice President.
Newt’s evidently been so busy not lobbying since 2008 he missed the fact that the Palin train has come and gone. Speaking of trains,
That never gets old. Anyway-
Even the majority of Republicans have grown weary of Palin. According to a September Fox News poll of registered voters,
“Among Republicans, 71 percent said the former Alaska governor should stay out of the race, as did 80 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of independents, and 66 percent of tea party members.”
Ron Paul, Mr. Personal Liberty, bussed in a load of volunteers for the final Iowa push; but ironically, they have to check their personal liberties at the door. According to the
New York Times
“…they are under strict orders: To look, dress, shave, sound and behave in a way that will not jeopardize Mr. Paul's chances.”
“No tats,” …volunteer Rocco Lucente said as he ticked off the rules after arriving at the airport Tuesday night. No liquor, no drugs and, he said, no “fraternizing in the dorms, nothing like that.”
Pretty amusing, Ron Paul worrying that voters will think his
volunteers are wacked.
Politico recently ran a story explaining why Michele Bachmann has handled Mitt Romney with kid gloves throughout her campaign. According to Ed Rollins, Bachmann’s one-time campaign manager,
“There was some talk early on between her and her husband that she could end up as the vice presidential nominee”.
Now granted, with the candidates the GOP has to work with, the seats in the clown car are pretty much interchangeable; but did they learn nothing from the Palin fiasco? Say what you will about Romney, but he is not a stupid man.
Michele is also back to her metal metaphors, this time referring to herself as “America’s Iron Lady”. Back in June she claimed to have a titanium spine. Truth is, any metal in this woman is more likely a plate in her head.
The Wisconsin Gazette reports that
“Marcus Bachmann says he’d use the position of first husband to coordinate a nationwide anti-gay marriage…campaign if his wife is elected president.”
And if that means getting showered with lots of pretty glitter, well that’s just
one of the perks a chance he’ll have to take.
After a year long nationwide campaign by the GOP to restrict [certain] citizen voting rights, their own candidates are now crying foul because they’re so inept they can’t even get themselves on the ballot in Virginia. Now five of them have filed a lawsuit because THE RULES AREN’T FAIR !
Only Romney and Paul turned in the required number of valid signatures in the allotted time.
This is part of the information the campaigns received from Virginia’s Board of Elections; note my emphasis:
Deadlines, Duties and Ballot Access Requirements
Presidential Primary Election Tuesday, March 6, 2012
ADOPTED BY THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS ON MAY 25, 2011
Ballot Access Requirements
Must be signed by not less than 10,000 qualified voters in Virginia, including at least 400 qualified voters from each of Virginia’s eleven congressional districts, who attest that they intend to participate in the primary of the same political party as the candidate named on the petition.
Because many people who are not registered to vote will sign a petition, it is recommended that 15,000 - 20,000 signatures be obtained with at least 700 signatures from eachcongressional district.
Could it be any more plain?
According to the Daily Caller Perry, who filed the lawsuit first, submitted only 6,000 signatures. Bachmann, Huntsman and Santorum didn’t submit any signatures by the deadline.
According to the Associated Press, Perry claims that Virginia's requirement violates his freedom of speech. Maybe Virginia was just trying to do him a favor.
Gingrich claims, …”it isn't about the candidates it’s about the voters…” That guy just oozes slime.
The funny thing is, Romney and Paul managed to accomplish this "impossible task". Romney even had well over the suggested 15,000 signatures, and he’s the Mormon for God’s sake!
On top of all that nonsense, this year according to the Lynchburg News,
“The state Republican Party is requiring voters to sign a loyalty oath in order to participate in the March 6 presidential primary.
Anyone who wants to vote must sign a form at the polling place pledging to support the eventual Republican nominee for president. Anyone who refuses to sign the pledge will be barred from voting.”
This is pretty silly considering Republicans always follow the party’s lead no matter how ludicrous the nominees, as this video from the 2008 GOP convention shows:
Finally, this week’s Thank God He’s a Republican Award goes to Pick Perry for his explanation of sound energy policy to voters in Clarinda Iowa:
“Every barrel of oil that comes out of those sands in Canada is a barrel of oil that we don’t have to buy from a foreign source”
Does anyone know- is Texas going to let him back in when this is all over?
All the best in 2012 KOers!