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Campaign Crawlers
Hawkeye Fever
Has campaign madness in Iowa driven Republicans insane?
Some people claim that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012. While I am generally skeptical toward such doomsday prophecies, recent events have undermined my habitual skepticism and filled me with foreboding premonitions. If 2012 doesn’t bring the end of the entire cosmos, there are those who say it is likely to destroy the Republican Party as we know it, and the first cataclysmic event is now less than two weeks away.
Nobody knows which GOP presidential candidate will win the Iowa caucuses Jan. 3. Political wizards keep peering at the poll numbers in search of omens and portents, but only fools read polls as prophecies. As pollsters themselves often caution, a poll is only a “snapshot” of opinion at any given time, and the opinions of Iowa Republicans seem to be shifting back and forth so rapidly that the images are hopelessly blurred. Given the wide disparities in recent survey results from the Hawkeye State, it is tempting to conclude that Iowans are on the verge of a mass psychotic breakdown.
Overwhelmed by the burden of being first in the nation to cast votes that actually count toward the GOP nomination, have the previously steadfast Midwesterners finally snapped under the unbearable stress? Their psyches have been assaulted by an endless barrage of TV attack ads, and they are unable to go out for a cup of coffee without encountering a Republican candidate shaking hands and asking for their votes. Can we blame Iowans if they have succumbed to paranoia, considering how they are being relentlessly stalked by the GOP contenders? Their mailboxes are full of postcards and pamphlets from the candidates, and every time they answer the phone, it’s either a presidential campaign volunteer soliciting their support or a pollster conducting another damned survey. It wouldn’t be surprising if a few of them flipped out and began babbling gibberish when Gallup or Rasmussen calls. Buried somewhere in those uncategorized responses that pollsters lump together as “other,” we can be sure that there must be at least one fed-up citizen who, his supper interrupted by yet another harassing call, screamed into the phone his intention to cast a write-in vote for Harold Stassen.
Psychological trauma is the only plausible explanation for the wild mood swings pollsters are reporting among Iowa Republicans, and the results of these surveys are like a Rorschach inkblot upon which pundits and analysts project their own inner madness. When Newt Gingrich was riding high — just 10 days ago, he was at 31 percent in the RealClearPolitics average of Iowa polls — any conservative who criticized Newt’s record or rhetoric was accused by Gingrich’s supporters of attempting to throw the nomination to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. And in case you haven’t followed the 2012 campaign closely, it is here necessary to explain that many conservatives have declared Romney the worst RINO (Republican In Name Only) in all human history, even though many of these same conservatives supported Romney in 2008 when he was the chief rival to Arizona Sen. John McCain, who previously enjoyed the distinction of being the worst RINO in all human history. If the past is prologue, these conservatives will continue denouncing Romney right up until the moment when Romney clinches the nomination, at which point they will begin offering arguments why all patriotic Americans must vote for Romney as the last hope for freedom. For the time being, however, Romney is the dreaded RINO menace whose nomination All True Conservatives are expected to oppose with every fiber of their being and, as recently as a week ago, this meant that no True Conservative could say a discouraging word about Newt Gingrich, who was supposed to be the final champion of the “Anybody But Mitt” movement.
As crazy as that sounds — because Newt’s bona fides as a True Conservative were never exactly impeccable — it isn’t nearly as crazy as what has happened since Newt’s poll numbers began sinking. Pundits were thrown into a full-blown schizophrenic frenzy by the prospect that Texas Rep. Ron Paul might win the Iowa caucuses. Since late November, no poll has shown Paul worse than third place in Iowa. Two polls this week have Paul first, with Gingrich slipping to third behind Romney in one poll, and all the way to fourth place in another. According to some conservatives, a Paul victory in the Hawkeye State would be the worst thing to happen to the Republican Party since Lincoln’s assassination. It might even be a sign of the final apocalypse foretold by the ancient Mayan calendar.
This doomsday view of Paul’s candidacy is due mainly to his foreign policy stances. Having been the 1988 Libertarian Party presidential nominee, Paul is arguably to the left of Barack Obama, which outrages those Republicans who consider an assertive international military posture to be the essence of patriotism. Having spent much time among the Libertarians (I covered their 2008 convention in Denver), I understand their critique of GOP hawkishness, and also know that some conservative Republicans share their concerns about what might be called “strategic overreach” during the post-9/11 Bush presidency.
Of course, Paul takes his anti-interventionist arguments far beyond such mild criticisms of U.S. foreign policy, and his forthright radicalism has attracted a fanatical following that includes some distinctly disreputable elements. Yet as Paul’s Iowa poll numbers pushed past the 20-percent threshold and Newt’s numbers sank (partly due to a hard-hitting TV ad from Paul blasting Gingrich’s “serial hypocrisy”), an absurdly disproportionate panic ensued. The stampede included otherwise sensible friends of mine who were inspired to issue frantic warnings of dire consequences. Ed Morrissey of the popular Hot Air blog wrote, “If Iowa picks Ron Paul as its caucus winner, two things will result. First, Mitt Romney will probably run the table as Republicans everywhere else but Iowa recoil in horror. Second, Iowa will likely end up losing whatever cachet it has managed to build over the last three decades as a first-in-the-nation proving ground for presidential candidates, and the drumbeat to unseat both Iowa and New Hampshire from the front end of the primary system will prove irresistible.” Whether you find those predictions feasible or far-fetched, the whole nightmare scenario is contingent on that gigantic hypothetical “if.” Despite what the current polls show, an Iowa victory for Ron Paul may yet be averted, and even if he does manage to squeak out a Jan. 3 win, it is by no means certain that this would clinch the nomination for Romney.
Let’s start with an obvious fact: Iowans aren’t really crazy, no matter what the wildly gyrating poll numbers may suggest. It’s been four months since I’ve been to the Hawkeye State, but the Iowa Republicans I met were decent, sensible people eager to find the strongest possible candidate to take on Barack Obama next fall. While many pundits have bemoaned what they see as a “weak” GOP field for 2012, most of the Iowans I met in August were either (a) enthusiastic supporters of one of the candidates, or (b) genuinely undecided among two or three of the contenders. Two of the candidates who competed in the Aug. 13 straw poll in Ames — former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and businessman Herman Cain — have since quit the race, so their erstwhile supporters have been up for grabs, along with admirers of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who didn’t say her final “no” until early October. The undecided Iowans have watched a seemingly endless series of televised debates during the up-and-down “Flavor of the Month” cycles that have shaped this campaign. Many of those conservative GOP voters haven’t yet firmly made up their minds on which of the remaining candidates they prefer.
So this month’s media-driven narrative that the Republican race had come down to a choice between front-runners Romney and Gingrich was at least premature, if not entirely mistaken. Romney and Paul inundated the Iowa airwaves with ads attacking Gingrich, whose campaign did not have the financial resources to answer the attacks in equal measure, and what one pollster called Newt’s “rapidly imploding” Iowa numbers was one result. The emergence of Ron Paul as a potential caucus winner was another.
Is the Gingrich collapse irreversible? We don’t know, but his prospects are not encouraging. Texas Gov. Rick Perry released a TV ad this week labeling Gingrich the candidate of “K Street” while describing Romney as the candidate of “Wall Street.” Now under TV attack from three different rivals in Iowa, Gingrich is also being slammed daily by Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann as one half of a corrupt creature she calls “Newt Romney.” Gingrich hastened back to Iowa this week to mount a 44-stop bus tour of the state, a belated concession to the retail aspect of the campaign he has too long neglected. If Newt can’t recover, can another of the “Not Mitt” candidates make a last-minute surge to the top of the field in Iowa? Again, we don’t know. The answer ultimately lies with Iowa voters, who may be undecided but are not crazy. And candidates are still criss-crossing the wind-swept Midwestern prairies trying to win over those Iowans. If all is lost and hopeless, if the pollsters and pundits are to decide the caucus results, then the actual campaign on the ground in Iowa doesn’t matter. But if the actual campaign does matter, then all is not yet lost.
Yesterday I spoke to a Republican presidential candidate who still believes that the campaign matters. Rick Santorum has never been the front-runner in any poll this year, but he was still hopeful Tuesday as he traveled across Iowa between a morning event in Pella and an afternoon event in Mount Pleasant. And the former Pennsylvania senator had good reason to be hopeful. One recent Iowa poll showed him in a three-way tie for fourth place with Bachmann and Perry with 10 percent — a significant bump from the single-digit numbers he had previously shown. He’s now got TV ads on the air citing praise from Palin, Glenn Beck and Mike Huckabee and urging Iowans to “join the fight.” A pro-Santorum “super PAC” has released another TV ad calling him “a true conservative we can trust.” When I reached Santorum by phone yesterday, he had just been endorsed by two key pro-family leaders in Iowa. “It sends a strong signal to social conservatives… who are coalescing behind our campaign,” he said of the support from Bob Vander Plaats and Chuck Hurley which, along with other recent endorsements, indicates “we’re picking up momentum” in the final push toward Caucus Night.
All the insanity inspired by the intense struggle in Iowa will be over in two weeks, and nothing would be crazier than to predict that Santorum — who has lingered near the back of the Republican pack all year — will emerge with an upset victory Jan. 3. A lot of crazy things have been happening lately in Iowa, however. A hard-charging social conservative winning the Hawkeye State wouldn’t be the craziest thing to happen in this campaign leading up to a year that some see as prophetically significant. But the ancient Mayans could not be reached for comment.
About the Author
Robert Stacy McCain is co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party (Nelson Current). He blogs at The Other McCain.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (105) | Leave a comment
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Jack in Wi.| 12.21.11 @ 6:59AM
Ron Paul has done one thing. He has turned the editorial staff of the American Spectator into a deranged mob. Ron Paul's foreign policy is that espoused by the nations founders. No entangling alliances, free trade, and peaceful relations with all people.
The country is disgusted with the insane foreign policy of the last 10 years. We have kow towed to the Israeli Lobby to such an extent that all the candidates, except Ron Paul, think that their first alligence is to Israel. The troops have been used as cannon fodder for the chicken hawks of the neocon movement. Acccording to these people there can never be any debate about American foreign policy without their approval. That is especially true about American Middle East policy.
Cheryl| 12.21.11 @ 8:59AM
Jack, RP sounds good at first, but when you study him, he is just as much of a hypocrite as the rest. He is an idealist and not a responsible thinker.
Clint| 12.21.11 @ 10:48AM
Warning !
Israel Firster Propaganda Squad Cheerleaders.
Do Not, I Repeat Do Not Watch This Short Video.
http://digitaljournal.com/article/316304
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here And In Iowa.
1blumutt| 12.22.11 @ 12:30AM
Clint, I went to the link. Thank you for taking the time to include it. "Blowback" I never thought of that word like that before.
carnot| 12.22.11 @ 2:10PM
ron paul is a racist, jew hating isolationist.
here's the real irony...whether that declarative is true or not doesn't matter any more. folks like you have been so abrasive and disagreeable....that someone like me who preferred to sit back, watch and wait as the primaries worked out their logic....I'm now actively engaged in seeking people out at work, social events, the grocery line...wherever...and simply pointing to recent press and claiming "Too sad Mr Paul has these short-comings. He had promise." Folks latch on to these bland but targeted negative reflections like nobody's business!
he has himself to blame and tactically inept folks like you to thank!
Marco2| 12.21.11 @ 7:08AM
Santorum might carry a few states in the south, the plains and the Rocky Mountain west, an electoral disaster for the Republican Party ending in complete disaster for the country. Any state that can conjure up a whiner like him or a nutjob like Paul as a presidential contender is a sorry state indeed.
Cheryl| 12.21.11 @ 8:54AM
Marco2, Santorum is not a Whiner. You have been listening to the media too much. Why not check out Santorum and listen to a full speech/presentation rather than the 30 minute blips from the debate. Be smart and don't just look at the surface. Take the time to really study the candidates. That's the problem with media and money which seems to push people to vote without much thought. I've really studied them all and Santorum was not my first choice at first, but now he is the best candidate by far...sincerely.
Cheryl| 12.21.11 @ 8:54AM
Marco2, Santorum is not a Whiner. You have been listening to the media too much. Why not check out Santorum and listen to a full speech/presentation rather than the 30 minute blips from the debate. Be smart and don't just look at the surface. Take the time to really study the candidates. That's the problem with media and money which seems to push people to vote without much thought. I've really studied them all and Santorum was not my first choice at first, but now he is the best candidate by far...sincerely.
Marco2| 12.21.11 @ 10:21AM
Cheryl, sorry, but Santorum hasn't a snowball's chance in hell of being elected president. Remember that he lost his senate seat to an idiot who can barely speak by, I think, 17 points.
scotchieguy| 12.21.11 @ 10:49AM
That's exactly what they said about Newt a couple of months ago. If this election has meant anything, it means that nothing is a given. We don't even know if others, like Jeb Bush might not enter the race. Remember this--not one vote has been counted. It isn't even the top of the first, and we are already predicting the World Series Champ. Funny Americans.
richard mcenroe | 12.21.11 @ 3:31PM
Two links to Rick Santorum in his own words, face to face:
http://tinyurl.com/bvbqk3a
http://tinyurl.com/7jwgyv6
Brian Mc| 12.21.11 @ 7:26AM
The government 'tree' is loaded to breaking with way too many branches. Without some drastic pruning, and soon, the fruit will continue to leave us wanting.
While some plead and beg for more branches, the suckers, dead limbs and rubbing and scraping maelstrom weakens the whole and requires one stiff wind to bring the tree, snapping and snarling, to its end.
Until this metaphoric fact is addressed by any or all of the group who've thrown their hat into the ring, why will anyone wonder why this Iowan continues to shake his head at the confusion at the business as usual...going on to our mutual destruction?
Sorry, it's the best I can offer at this late date and early hour of the morning.
Timothy L. Pennell| 12.21.11 @ 7:33AM
Ladies and Gentlemen. Allow me to introduce Ron Paul's *sshole. He goes by the name of JackassinWi. He hates everything associated with THE JEW (I guess that includes JESUS) because, Lord Knows (and he relays it to Jackass) that the JEWS control everything. Isn't that right, Jackass?
(We'll pause here, while he calls his buddy - Clint)
Jackass and Clint must have needed a Diaper, yesterday, cause this site was featuring, not ONE, but TWO Stories on their little Guy. I can only imagine the Euphoria. Like Chris Mathews in a room full of Naked Obama Impersonators.
It seems that the little Popeye looking dweeb, has got some Splainin to do, over all of the Racist and Anti-Semitic content in HIS Newsletters. (Of which, I'm sure our two boys, have wallpapered their One Room Basement Apartments with.) Isn't that right, boys?
Don't answer. Let me read your minds. Hmmm. Nothin. Wait! I'm getting something. Yes. I see a JEW at the New York Times. He's writing a story, as he drinks the blood of Christian Children. I see another JEW at the Washington Post. He, too, is writing a HIT PIECE on Ron Paul as he Rapes a Helpless Palestinian Girl.
Wait, I'm getting something else. Alan? Alan Brooks? Is that you? I'd untie you, and get rid of that Branding Iron, but I don't want to interfere. It's kind of a Prime Directive thing when I channel other people's thoughts. Understand? Sure ya do.
As you can see: "All of the Candidates (except Popeye) swear their 1st Allegiance to the Zionist State. Our Troops are Cannon Fodder for their Jewish Masters, and we can't take a Crap in Argentina, without permission from the Grand Rebbi.
But, Ron Paul had NO IDEA what was in his News Letters.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.21.11 @ 7:45AM
Timothy,
tacky, tacky, tacky, (smile)
Margie| 12.21.11 @ 11:20PM
What's tacky are Reprobates like yourself.
You never posted the "evidence" in the form of e mails you said you had concerning your false accusations, liar.
Well, where are they?
"He who speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit." Prov. 12:17.
You have helped to turn away unbelievers from the Gospel because of your behavior towards me.
you already have your reward:
"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death." Rev. 21:8.
albert constantine jr.| 12.21.11 @ 8:16AM
TLP, your rapier gets sharper as your Caps Lock key gets less sticky.
DTOM| 12.21.11 @ 10:37AM
Is that clearer with "Caps Lock" stuck "On" or "Off?" You really didn't specify...I am a fan of Timothy's to be sure. But I may take your point.
albert constantine jr.| 12.21.11 @ 10:46PM
Unfortunately, when I read and subvocalize the written word in blogs, all caps are generally heard as shouted words. As such, when fewer words appear in all capital letters, the more I can focus on the whole piece without flinching ( as an old artilleryman, sometimes loud things distract me).
Clint| 12.21.11 @ 10:23AM
Asked And Answered In The 2008 Election Israel Firster Propaganda Girl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82CYNV0U_kg
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here And In Iowa.
SUBVET| 12.21.11 @ 10:49AM
News letter for over 10 years and didin't know what was in them......Oh yes I was a member of that church for 20 years but didn't know the Rev. was saying thoes things.
SOUND FAMILIAR
Occam's Tool| 12.21.11 @ 1:53PM
TLP---and Paul LUUUUUUUUVES Bradley Manning. Ron Paul: Treason's Friend.
Tim: Did I mention to you that I hope you have a very Merry Christmas with all the trimmings!
Timothy L. Pennell| 12.21.11 @ 2:34PM
You did, and I thank you for it.
Merry Christmas to you, and yours, as well.
Mimi| 12.21.11 @ 7:38PM
Tim...So help me I never thought your best could be topped...this one is killing me with laughter! I've been zipping past jack Wi and Clint for months...They didn't deserve the attention and got irritating.
You always get my attention and this was hilarious and THANK YOU for it...keep up the posting you have yourself a FAN BASE!!!
A Holy Christmas to ALL !!!
JimH| 12.21.11 @ 8:13AM
I just saw it reported that Thomas Sowell has endorsed Newt. I respect his opinion more than the editors at NR.
idalily| 12.21.11 @ 2:59PM
Me, too.
SpiralArchitect| 12.21.11 @ 4:19PM
Yes, it seems Sowell has. His points are clear, meaningful & sound.
http://www.nationalreview.com/.....mas-sowell
Anthony| 12.21.11 @ 8:40AM
Ya gotta give those Mayans credit that they knew another 4 years of Obozo would end the world as we know it in 2012.
Anybody know what the Myan's predictions on Global Warming were?
Timothy L. Pennell| 12.21.11 @ 8:57AM
No. But I do know what the Bible says:
"And I saw he BEAST. And he was given a MOUTH to speak Haughty and Blasphemous words. And he was allowed to exercise authority for forty two months." Revelation 13-5.
Sound like anyone we know?
June 2012. That's 42 Months.
Time to start gettin ready.
Anthony| 12.21.11 @ 9:36AM
Darn!! June 2012, just when my golf game is getting into high gear.
Clint| 12.21.11 @ 10:32AM
" Poll: Paul in top spot in Iowa GOP battle
(CNN) – With 13 days to go until the Iowa caucuses, a new poll indicates that Rep. Ron Paul of Texas sits atop the field of Republican presidential candidates in the state that holds the first contest in the primary and caucus calendar.
According to an Iowa State/Gazette/KCRG survey released Wednesday, 28% of likely Iowa GOP caucus goers say Paul, the longtime congressman who's making his third bid for the White House, is their first choice for the Republican nomination, with 25% backing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Paul's three point margin over Gingrich is well within the survey's sampling error."
The Tea Party Rebellion Is here And In Iowa.
DTOM| 12.21.11 @ 10:42AM
Clint,
Do you know what " Paul's three point margin over Gingrich is well within the survey's sampling error." means?
Roughly, it means that in all actuality, at this point in time, this snapshot show a significant chance of Gingrich actually being ahead of your little candidate.
I guess I need to admire your honesty in that last statement's inclusion in your post. Consider yourself so honored.
What the heck have I done? DOH!
Clint| 12.21.11 @ 12:47PM
" The New Hampshire Gazette
The Chickenhawk Hall Of Shame.
name:
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich
rank:
Chickenhawk First Class with Distinguished Fleeing Cross
date-of-birth:
June 17, 1943
home state:
Georgia
missed opportunity:
Vietnam War
preferred activity:
Attending grad school
occupation:
Congressman
A virtuoso in the art of hypocrisy, the former Speaker of the House now claims the Vietnam War was a splendid idea, but at the time he opposed going himself. Newtie also speaks highly of morality, but as a serial adulterer he doesn't want to get too close."
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here And In Iowa.
SpiralArchitect| 12.21.11 @ 4:26PM
Subject: Clint
Endulgence: Parroting, discource, repetition & argumentation
Preferred discussion narrative: ad hominem
Prognosis: bleak
Dave Williams| 12.21.11 @ 12:58PM
Oh, for Pete's sake....the end-of-the-worlders have a perfect, 100% record of being WRONG, and there is no reason to believe this time will be any different. Grow up.
SpiralArchitect| 12.21.11 @ 4:27PM
Heh, they could be 1 - 1,000,000,000 and the '1' is all that counts.
Your point??
Mimi| 12.21.11 @ 7:46PM
" No one knows the day and the Hour"
The world will not end on any on anyone's date.
After the flood there was a covenent ( promi Have nose) from God) Rest your mind and fear ...Who knows what the Mayan calender meant when it gave that date. ..12/21/2012....Trust in God. No need to fear!
Ward Bond| 12.21.11 @ 9:18AM
I'll be glad when Iowa is over.Win or lose,Ron Paul will not be the Republican nominee. A lot of his rabid followers are people that don't like Obama but can't bring themselves to vote for a real consevative.Let's get the side show over.Lest we forget our main mission to defeat Obama and save America from a new Dark Age.
DTOM| 12.21.11 @ 9:20AM
Mr. McCain;
In the RINO race, Senator John McCain handily beats Mitt OromneyCare by several lengths- but both of them have LAPPED the rest of the field, excepting of course Dr. Paul who has crossed the infield re-entered the race course and is now going the wrong way!
There is no shame or fault in recognizing that John McCain and Mitt Romney are both very much smitten with the status quo and their powerful positions in it. That is the definition of statists. Their political philosophy is simple: I've got mine, I want a little more, and too bad for you.
P.S. I revere Senator McCaim for his brave service of his country whilst in the clutches of communists. I wish he had saved a little of that bravery so that he now might better support the Constitution which he has sworn to protect, so many times...
Notary Sojac| 12.21.11 @ 9:21AM
....many conservatives have declared Romney the worst RINO (Republican In Name Only) in all human history, even though many of these same conservatives supported Romney in 2008 when he was the chief rival to Arizona Sen. John McCain, who previously enjoyed the distinction of being the worst RINO in all human history....
By the time my state's primary rolled around in the spring of 2008, my choices were:
McCain
Romney
Huckabee
and yes, Romney was clearly the best of that lot.
In 2012, Romney is clearly the worst of the entire field, and yes, I am including Ron Paul.
So I can't help but be encouraged by the better caliber of candidate this time around.
emilio lizardo, PhD| 12.21.11 @ 9:45AM
what all the wingnuts, anti-semites, neocons, tea partiers, religious fanatics, creationists, knuckle draggers and whoever composes the sane element of the Conservative movement need to realize at the end of all this there will be a Republican nominee. It might not be your particular choice, but whoever (s)he is, that one will be infinitely preferable to the sorry, incompetent, bumbling piece of dreck that currently occupies the White House, along with his despicable minions (Plugs Biden, Axelrod etc etc). Will you have the courage to put partisanship aside, take off your tinfoil hats, and rally behind whoever the nominee is, tell Ron Paul not to run as a third party candidate, and throw Obama and the maggots out?
DTOM| 12.21.11 @ 10:46AM
emilio,
Didn't your doctoral review committee count grammar, punctuation, and capitalization? Or did they and you are now rebelling?
I do agree with you, a third party run by anyone even remotely conservative is the road to complete and utter ruination!
Confusion to our enemies!
emilio lizardo, PhD| 12.21.11 @ 11:38AM
PhD in particle physics, nuances of grammar etc less important. My thesis review committee was kind. Glad you could see through the unclarities in my shaky command of the English language to get to the point I was trying to make
Occam's Tool| 12.21.11 @ 1:56PM
HELLO---Dr Emilio Lizardo was the villian in the movie Buckaroo Bonzai! Am I the only one who gets the joke?
"History is made in the dark!"
John Lithgow played the character with an over the top Italian accent---it was his favorite role, ever. Nothing but scenery chewing from start to finish.
Al Adab| 12.21.11 @ 2:23PM
OT:
Not everyone saw Buckaroo,although I confess I did, and that was one strnage, campy?, movie.
Have a Merry Christmas and let us vow to return America to her proper government in the New Year.
emilio lizardo, PhD| 12.21.11 @ 3:00PM
we must-a strike while the clock she's a-ticking!
My points in re the abyssmal political arena and ruinous policies that this country now finds itself are not intended to be humorous, though and I only hope we can rid ourselves of the Obama scourge. Cant see it happening, though, with the current drab, sorry and demented lot now vying for the Republican nomination
SpiralArchitect| 12.21.11 @ 4:30PM
Thought it must have been and online degree :p
Drunken Sailor| 12.21.11 @ 10:55AM
All too True.
irish19| 12.21.11 @ 1:34PM
And how is Smokey Stover today?
Al Adab| 12.21.11 @ 10:24AM
At risk of repeating myself, again, the winner of Iowa or NH for that matter doesn't mean a thing. these are states which will not be in the GOP column come November. What counts is electoral votes and the states of VA, Fla and Ohio will decide the election. Why should the GOP concern itself with who the voters in blue states like NY, NJ, IL, CA and so on want for the republican nominee?
Clint| 12.21.11 @ 10:28AM
" Ron Paul, Polls and Panic
The conservative media flips out over the latest front-runner
The Ron Paul Panic is officially under way.
The Texas congressman has been gaining strength in Iowa all year, but the media—and the Republican establishment—have been content to treat him dismissively.
Oh yeah. Interesting character. Seems to have tapped into something. Has a cult following. He can’t win the nomination, the refrain goes, but he’s an interesting sideshow.
But a couple of Iowa polls showing Paul bursting into first place—past the previously hot Newt Gingrich and the slow but steady Mitt Romney—are forcing the press to take him more seriously."
The RINO-CINO Faux Conservatives Got The Derangement Syndrome.
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here And In Iowa.
bill| 12.21.11 @ 11:00AM
Here's the results of GOP Primary:
IA winner: Ron Paul
NH winner: Mitt Romney
SC winner: Newt Gingrich
FL winner: Rick Perry
Super Tuesday winner: Rick Perry
GOP nominee: Rick Perry
Rick Perry : 1 Obama : 0
President: Rick Perry
Dixie Pixie| 12.21.11 @ 11:34AM
Greetings Bill.
Is this a wish list or are you a time-traveler?
bill| 12.21.11 @ 11:47AM
DP,
It will happen!
Dixie Pixie| 12.21.11 @ 12:29PM
Greetings Bill
I take it you are claiming to be a time-traveler.
Say hello to Dr Who for me.
bill| 12.21.11 @ 1:33PM
Greetings DP
I got it.
You don't like Rick Perry because you like Barack Hussein Obama.
Dixie Pixie| 12.21.11 @ 6:10PM
Don't take it personally Bill.
At this point in the election cycle the only candidates who have won in a contest with real voters are Bachmann, Ron Paul and Cain.
Any other projection is either guesswork, Psychic abilities or the usage of a time machine with the Alternative Reality Explorer Module.
Guess which is common.
Just for the record, I think Bachmann is the only candidate that has the brains, guts and stamina to turn this nation around.
Unfortunately, It looks like she will be forced out before I can vote for her.
bill| 12.21.11 @ 7:11PM
Hello, DP
I like Bachmann but she never won any statewide office. She should have run for senate, challenging incumbent Sen. Amy K.
Gov Rick Perry has been governor of TX since 2000, elected three times in a row. Perry has charisma and leadership. He can shred Obama in the debate, no doubt.
Ron Paul sucks on foreign policy.
Herman Cain? He's gone!
It's Rick Perry time.
packeryman| 12.21.11 @ 9:54PM
As a native born Texan, you are one hundred percent wrong about this corporate shill, he as never won with a large margin, he only wins because he plays to the religious right. The guy has no ability to debate, can't put two sentences together, looked like a deer in headlights on stage with Romney,wanted TX to secede from the union(we tried that once it was a disaster), came with a new flat tax plan that would let the wealthy and corporations that could hire tax lawyers/accountants to opt out(sheer insanity), had a great on stage drunken/drugged?performance in NH that went world wide on You Tube and embarrassed TX and the GOP. This guy has the support of the flat earth folks in TX(bible thumpers) but not the nation.He leads a state that has the highest uninsured drivers, those without healthcare insurance, high school dropouts, teenage pregnancies, we are close to the bottom in education an Perry cut 4billion from education in the state budget(this should send us to the bottom), we rank 48th in hourly wage and are on the bottom equal with Mississippi percentage wise for minimum wage jobs. We have many with very small amount or no benefits, remember this is a right to work for less state. The workers have no rights, suck it up and bow to the boss or be fired. Perry has a lot of dealings with big oil, big pharma(Bachman touched on this with his vaccine debacle) and the insurance industry, these are yet to be vetted. This guy is a globlist,wanted to build the Trans Union Highway and take the property by eminent domain. What a piece of trash. This guy might look good on the southern border in a leather jacket doing photo opts, but who needs another Marlboro Man? We don't have to be concerned about any of this because Perry is going nowhere but back home double dipping on the taxpayer. Where is your head?Ron Paul is an honest man and conservative, is the only Republican candidate with really great ideas of closing all foreign bases ,bringing home all troops, closing down the green zone and embassy in Iraq,stopping all foreign aid,ending failed free trade and renegotiating fair trade agreements.He has some odd ideas on the gold standard,women's rights, trying too cut too much from the government at one time and deregulation. He will never be the nominee because of the leaders of the GOP(they are owned by corporate, military-industrial complex). If he goes third party many Independents will support him, Dem's who don't like Obama,Libertarians(has to run on that ticket /they are on all state ballots) of course Ron Paul Republicans and far right Republicans who know their vote for a Republican would be wasted therefore if they want their vote to count against Obama they have to vote third party.
bill| 12.21.11 @ 10:04PM
In 2010, Rick Perry got 56% of the vote. He balanced the budget for 10 years without raising taxes while creating 1 million jobs. He helped enact the most anti-abortion measure in the country, and passed the voter ID law.
I do not why some people hate Rick Perry. I think because he is articulate and authentic and can shred Obama in the debate.
The more voters learn about Perry, they become convinced and will help him get the GOP nominee, and eventually defeat Obama in a landslide.
Rick Perry never lost an election in his life, he will repeat it once for all.
He will continue to surge and unify American people to oust Obama.
He'll fix the economy and restore the "shinning city in the hill."
packeryman| 12.21.11 @ 11:06PM
Above statement sheer insanity.
richard mcenroe | 12.21.11 @ 3:33PM
Time traveler or The Amazing Criswell...
canuckistani| 12.21.11 @ 3:55PM
No it won't, but it will be interesting to hear you have sold all of your belongings and parked yourself on the porch with a jug '0 wine and a shotgun waiting for the rapture.
SpiralArchitect| 12.21.11 @ 4:33PM
DP,
It will happen! -Bill
Doubt it.
...I'll bet you $10,ooo.
packeryman| 12.21.11 @ 10:34PM
If you have been following Perry ,you should know this guy is a real loser. He is going nowhere. In a national election he would lose worse than Goldwater in 1964 and take the house with him.
Mike Hawk| 12.21.11 @ 11:26AM
The whole primary process has become a circus. Unfortunately it isn't entertaining. The goal now is to lock it up before the first ballot is cast. Nomination by polling. Last time around, Capt McQueeg was the presumed nominee even by the time the primarys had barely started. By the time it got to the rest of us it was over. As I've mentioned before, in PA we had McQueeg, Rube Paul and Huckaphoney. No choice. I voted in the primary for everything but the Presidential slot. It didn't matter. My franchise was taken away by intense manipulation and hacks. Capt McQueeg was touted as the only option to defeat Hildebeast or the Oborg. Obama was supposed to be the loser to The Red Queen according to the convetional wisdo. None of it worked out. McQueeg ran an abysmal (but it was civility in action) campaign and got his ass kicked.
Dixie Pixie| 12.21.11 @ 1:25PM
I am afraid you are right Mike.
Only this time it is Mittens Romney being rammed through the Primary process with the same results the Republican Elite and MSM achieved with McCain.
Al Adab| 12.21.11 @ 1:50PM
Don't forget about Dole, Dixie. It was his turn too remember?
Mimi| 12.21.11 @ 8:01PM
Yes...and they were all so trim and proper and so..so POLITE....This time I PRAY we'll get a rough and tough type...Honesty is all I'm looking for doused with some old fashioned PATRIOTISM !
SCM| 12.21.11 @ 12:33PM
If I were a Hawkeye, I would be looking to cast my vote next month for the candidate who was running a campaign solely against Obama, rather than the other Republicans. If Santorum has been doing that, he would get my vote.
packeryman| 12.22.11 @ 11:00PM
Sounds like a statement from one whose " elevator doesn't run to the top", Sanatorum, you got to be kidding, "that rock won't roll", for real.
Rich Wojo| 12.21.11 @ 12:39PM
Being from Pittsburgh, I think it would be great if Santorum can pull off an upset. But, then our hometown newspaper, the Tribune-Review will blow a gasket like some of the people you've mentioned. They will never forgive Santorum for supporting public funding for the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins to build their new stadiums.
SpiralArchitect| 12.21.11 @ 4:37PM
Santorum? Paul has a better shot of winning nationally.
I would consider Santorum for an appointment to head the Ministry of Silly Hats at best.
gearjammer| 12.21.11 @ 1:07PM
I see the future-a Bachman -Santorum ticket or vise versa. They get slaughtered by the Dems and BO. The next day the " non establishment" Republicans blame it on their not being conservative enough.
Dixie Pixie| 12.21.11 @ 1:17PM
There is another explanation for the wild swings in the polling numbers.
Just remember that the “science” of polling was created to document how effective advertisements were in selling products through the media.
Unfortunately the MSM came to dominate the candidate selection process due to the McGovern Reforms.
The result is as the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party, the MSM has no reason or desire to report the correct poll numbers.
In fact they have openly stated they have a right and duty to manipulate information to cause the “correct outcome”....read Socialist Outcome.
It is not surprising that the poll numbers are going everywhere but reality.
The polls are actively being diddled in response to the previous diddled polls.
In short lies upon lies to change the conditions produced as a result of the previous lies upon lies by multiple parties trying to move the numbers their way.
Chaos and confusion can only be the result.
That is why I say it is foolish to trust the MSM poll numbers.
They are simply a measure of MSM propaganda effectiveness and openly diddled at that.
Al Adab| 12.21.11 @ 1:53PM
We are doing a wonderful job of killing off our wounded while we seek perfection to oppose disaster. Perfection can be the enemy of success. State conventions and back rooms were a better way than primaries to select candidates. Examine the differences in the nominees before and after mass primary battles.
Dixie Pixie| 12.21.11 @ 2:49PM
Haley Barbour, Sarah Palin, Herman Cain and all the other Southern governors including Perry.
I am afraid you are right Al Adab.
The MSM has run off some of the best talent the Republican Party has.
The good news is after enduring MSM brutality during the campaign the candidate will have a hide of armor plate.
He or She will need it, because it will be a long 4 years under MSM harassment.
idalily| 12.21.11 @ 3:04PM
The primary vs. convention process is inferior in the same way picking Senators by the voters directly is inferior. A representative democracy is inferior to a representative republic.
canuckistani| 12.21.11 @ 3:44PM
The primary/caucus process is as ridiculous as the BCS polling system selecting the top 2. Letting 100k whackos in Ames and DesMoines set the table for the presidential race that over 100M will ultimately vote in is lunacy...and the pathology includes both parties: from "None of the above" for the '76 Dems, to Huckabee the last time for the GOP.
Time for BCS playoffs and a national primary.
Steve| 12.21.11 @ 4:01PM
So you think Frank Luntz and Rasmussen are MSM pollsters?
SpiralArchitect| 12.21.11 @ 4:41PM
Polls usually run 300- 1000 people of a varied back ground & contention.
They mean as much or as little as any one person determines. Moreover the results vary from person to person.
David| 12.21.11 @ 1:30PM
We can only hope that Santorum does well in the first few states. As I have said, he is a serious student of the domestic and foreign problems facing this country and has practical solutions to deal with them. He is also a very good debater although is hasn't been coming through when he gets a total of 5 minutes (if that much) to speak during a debate.
canuckistani| 12.21.11 @ 3:47PM
A good debater would have enough in those five minutes to drive it home....he has not and will not.
He looks like a constipated butler debating over the introductions slate at the spring social.
bill| 12.21.11 @ 2:52PM
Three candidates have chances wining the IA Caucus: Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, and Ron Paul.
canuckistani| 12.21.11 @ 3:53PM
So what?
the rest of country has written off Iowa has the bellwether of things to come. None too soon.
When the Vander Plaats of the world begin to think they have interests outside of diddling fringe issues, we get the current melange.
bill| 12.21.11 @ 7:15PM
Any of those three candidates will do these:
1. Ban abortion in all 50 states
2. Ban same sex marriage in all 50 states
3. Legalize gun in all 50 states
I'm loving it!
packeryman| 12.21.11 @ 10:06PM
Only Ron Paul in Iowa, the others are history. Ron Paul will have to go third party, the hierarchy of the GOP will never let him win the nomination. That is his only chance of ever being on a national ballot. He has a lot of good ideas that most Independents could support especially dealing with the military and foreign affairs. His ideas on the gold standard, women's rights, deregulation and cutting too much at one time from the budget leave much to be desired. But he could make history on a third party ticket.
Clint| 12.21.11 @ 3:23PM
" Vote 2012: Ron Paul Takes Lead in KCRG/Gazette/ISU Poll
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Just two weeks before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses there’s a new leader, but the race remains “remarkably fluid,” according to a new Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG poll likely Republican caucus-goers.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul has moved into first place – the fifth candidate to hold that spot since the mid-August Iowa GOP Straw Poll. The data collected between Dec. 8 and 18 suggest that unlike the previous frontrunners, Paul’s support is more solid.
Paul is the first choice of 27.5 percent of 333 likely caucus-goers among the 740 registered Republicans and 200 registered independents contacted by ISU. That’s up from 20.4 percent in an ISU/Gazette/KCRG poll in November. He’s followed closely by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich whose support increased from 4.8 percent to 25.3 percent. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came in at 17.5 percent, up from 16.3."
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here And In Iowa.
David| 12.21.11 @ 3:59PM
Canuckistani, the forums they use for debates in BS, and you know it. If you have ever heard Santorum in a real debates, not sound-bite city, then you would not say what you did. Have you ever heard him in the well of the House or Senate?
NeilBJ| 12.21.11 @ 4:07PM
71% of the people believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. I wish I knew what that meant, because if either Obama or Newt Romney is elected we will continue in pretty much the same direction as we are headed now: increasing debt, economic stagnation if not outright economic collapse, and continued wars of aggression. We will still have the Patriot Act, which, in effect, nullifies Amendments 4 through 8.
SpiralArchitect| 12.21.11 @ 4:46PM
Newt, being a historian (in case you have not heard him telling you so), would surely strive to go down (in history) as the POTUS that saved America.
I believe he can do such a thing and is certainly willing to with people of disenting opinion. This is somehting he has done before. This is a reason many GOP'rs do not like him, they feel he turned against their interests (the party). America b4 party is priority one.
Newt could beat Zero in a general election.
shipley130| 12.21.11 @ 5:45PM
How about considering the fact that we are seeing some of those Caught on Tape Pelosi/Gingrich moments. Maybe there are many more people reading voting records than you media guys realize.
Or maybe we don't want to be stuck with a GW Bush clone that has lots of love for south of the border trespassers.
irish19| 12.21.11 @ 6:28PM
http://www.aim.org/aim-column/.....a-patriot/
This little tidbit, all by itself, is reason enough for Paul to not only NOT get the nomination, but to be ridden out of town on a rail.
I'm sure Jack will say it's all a Mossad plot and Clint will give us one of his cut & paste quotes from the late 70s, but this one goes beyond the beyonds. Paul needs to apologize and quit the race right now. Manning is a traitor. He is not a patriot. For Paul to say that he is the latter means he is either a traitor himself or truly crazier than a shit-house rat.
irish19| 12.21.11 @ 6:33PM
I suggest the 'bots here read the entire article. Nice company your guy is keeping.
Clint| 12.21.11 @ 10:13PM
I Suggest You Read The Polls, Sport.
" Vote 2012: Ron Paul Takes Lead in KCRG/Gazette/ISU Poll
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Just two weeks before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses there’s a new leader, but the race remains “remarkably fluid,” according to a new Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG poll likely Republican caucus-goers.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul has moved into first place – the fifth candidate to hold that spot since the mid-August Iowa GOP Straw Poll. The data collected between Dec. 8 and 18 suggest that unlike the previous frontrunners, Paul’s support is more solid.
Paul is the first choice of 27.5 percent of 333 likely caucus-goers among the 740 registered Republicans and 200 registered independents contacted by ISU. That’s up from 20.4 percent in an ISU/Gazette/KCRG poll in November. He’s followed closely by former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich whose support increased from 4.8 percent to 25.3 percent. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came in at 17.5 percent, up from 16.3."
The Tea Party Rebellion Is Here And In Iowa.
irish19| 12.21.11 @ 11:11PM
I suggest you read the article, "sport."
Let George Do It| 12.21.11 @ 6:38PM
Now is the time for all men and women to come to the aid of their country.
And, the hot news, politically, is the coming vote by a bunch of freezing Iowans. What a hoot. It's bad enough that we're suffering from too many patriotic "midgets" in DC, but here we are facing a future with the likely GOP nominee coming from such a set of losers.
So, Congress has a super low rating---who, EXACTLY, elected these people? Voters should look in a mirror, and stop shifting blame.
Remember that dude who had his 15 minutes of fame by continually spouting, "Rent's too damn high!"? Well, expand the scope of this complaint to include political rhetoric and how disconnected it all is from reality.
Here's my take---too many people EAT too damn much! Why else have they accumulated so much fat? Likewise, they TALK too much and listen too little.
Right NOW, I'm graced to watch two obese "lovers", around 2o something, as they leave the free library computer opposite mine. The female was quietly sitting there, until her beau arrived, and then it was MOTOR MOUTH, all the way.
The ubiquitous use of cell phones may turn out to be the bane of our country.
The longer I pay attention, the more pessimistic I get. As a long time reader of Mark Steyn, who's always loved his brilliant wit and take, recently I've become convinced that he is absolutely correct.
Things really ARE going to get worse for America. It's already too late to avoid the programmed disasters that are coming. Even if the too fat and too talkative Americans were wise enough to elect a Ronald Reagan, and a conservative congress, it's past the time when one could turn around the American "Titanic" before it hits the "iceberg".
And, folks, face it---the people currently in charge, as well as those running, are the very definition of MEDIOCRE.
We're all aware of the prediction about winter solstice a year from today. Hey---humans are doing a FINE job of arranging for a major transformation, by then, all by their deluded selves.
Proud Mormon| 12.21.11 @ 7:06PM
Romney's opponents disintegrated, Iowa belongs to Mitt. Mormon Power! What happened to this vaunted Iowan evangelicalism? Tea Party? What a joke.
Mimi| 12.21.11 @ 8:12PM
Not so sir!!! The TEA-Party will be at the voting booth....That is where the story will be told!
packeryman| 12.21.11 @ 8:12PM
You are right on point. Romney is the only candidate that can carry the Independents and possibly win the national election. Tea baggers peaked in 2010 and have gone down since then. The American public has watched with horror the antics of these people in Ohio, Wisconsin, and the House. Our government won't work without compromise. These tea baggers are complete lunatics when it comes to any level of rational political awareness. Romney's whole life is just the opposite of a snake oil salesman like this whining Newt. The guy carries so much negative baggage the nation is really getting to know how phony the self righteous bible thumping religious fanatics are. They think he can beat Obama in a debate therefore they overlook his character, wheeling/dealings, adultery etc. It is a means to an end, this really s illustrates their character to the nation. What hypocrites.
Mike Hawk| 12.21.11 @ 8:54PM
Hey, Goofy. That was McCain's strategy too. It didn't work. Neither did the 'respectable campaign' idea.
Mike Rogers | 12.22.11 @ 2:03AM
Dear Troll,
Obviously, as a liberal, you'd be perfectly comfortable with a softie like Mittens on the GOP ticket?
packeryman| 12.22.11 @ 11:58AM
I will vote for Romney, but I will not vote for a Washington insider with a negative record like Newt has, nor any bible thumper and or a tea bagger. Any other candidate the GOP runs, my vote will first go third party and then Obama. I am not bound to some reactionary political ideology.
carnot| 12.22.11 @ 2:14PM
You obviously aren't bound to results or what is better for the country.
you're trite, petulant and boring.
Mike Rogers | 12.21.11 @ 10:33PM
Hawkeye fever, featuring a photo of Newt on pilgrimage in NH, to the Hollis pharmacy of Vahrij Manoukian. Since I know Stacy was not at the event, I'm guessing that Spectator took a file photo.
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com.....rmacy.html
Jerry| 12.22.11 @ 12:59AM
Where did this idea that "an assertive international military posture" is the "essence of patriotism" come from? Does that mean that any other viewpoint is unpatriotic? What if this assertive and aggressive posture is actually making things worse, not better?