It's finally here: the third round of the 2013 Daily Kos Republican March to Madness Tournament, aka The Insane 16. This round features eight epic battles as we crown the craziest Republican of them all. This contest is from the Teabaggers Region and features #1 seed Ted Cruz against #4 seed Michele Malkin, and it might just be the insanest Insane 16 matchup so far.
Cruz arrived here by defeating fellow Texan Rick Perry and fellow teabagger Jim DeMint, getting an impressively consistent 84 percent in each round despite the tough competition. Michele Bachmann has been no slouch, either, crushing Allen West and Joe Arpaio with 86 and 82 percent of the vote, respectively. As far as I'm concerned, choosing a winner from these two is going to be a monumentally tough challenge. Even Nate Silver might be stumped on this one. Will the fresh face with momentum win the battle? Or will the tried and true lunatic carry the day. Who knows?
Whoever wins this matchup will join the winners #1 Rush Limbaugh vs. #5 Glenn Beck in the Right-wing Media Region, #1 Marco Rubio vs. #4 Dick Cheney in the GOP Establishment Region, and #1 Rick Santorum vs. #4 James Inhofe in the Theocons Region. You'll be able to vote on (and track results of) all the Insane 16 matchups here.
As with previous rounds, you're voting for whomever you believe makes for a better poster-child for Republican craziness. That doesn't necessarily need to mean you're voting for the craziest person, because you might also consider their prominence and influence as well as their association with the GOP. It's entirely up to you. Voting on all Insane 16 matchup will continue until Saturday morning, at which point the Crazy 8 will be set. From there, it'll be on to the Freakshow Four.