Sunday, August 21, 2011

Send in the Clowns--2012 Presidential Election

++The good news is that Joe McGinnis' September pub. date for his Palin book will not be in vain. Even Karl Rove is now convinced that Sister Sarah will be running,citing her almost campaign-like schedule. Rumors have her declaring after Labor Day. She couldn't stand Michelle Bachmann getting all the hype as the new Esther, a title she claimed for herself.

++Mitt Romney has his new stimulus plan--a $12 million remodel of his LaJolla estate. He says the present estate is not "adequate" for his family.

++Mitt has doubled down on his corporations are people comment, cutting an ad suggesting he was referring to small businesses and those companies created by inventors like Steve Jobs. He was not referring to all the corporations he put out of business.

++Beltway pundits, who have missed the boat when it comes to picking favorites in the GOP race, now are pushing for Paul Ryan of Vouchercare fame to throw his hate in the ring.

++The GOP establishment is still uneasy about the choices this year. They are conducting focus groups to test the viability of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as a candidate.

++Jon Huntsman under the tutelage of John Weaver has taken the gloves off and lambasted his fellow candidates of providing "zero leadership" on economic issues and claimed the debt ceiling debate was a disaster. He's gone further in attacking today's Republican party as anti-science and blasted Rick Perry for his stance on evolution and climate change. He says America is center-right and that he is running as one and not an extremist like the other Republicans.

++Ross Douthat has embraced Rick Perry because he has a backbone , a killer instinct, and a primal understanding of the right-wing electorate.

++Douhat said that Romney has been campaigning for five years without taking a single courageous stand on anything remotely relevant. He called Romney "a born compromiser" and "a downsizing elitist".

++But Ross is worried that Perry will alienate Americans so the only alternative is Chris Christie, the new American General McArthur in the words of George Will.

++Karl Rove has re-started his career as a political commentator by appearing on Fox News almost three times daily to quietly suggest that there are problems in the Republican field--like Rick Perry. Rove and other Bushies have reacted to Perry trying to diss W and separate himself from the former President. Calling Ben Benarke, the Fed Chairman, a "traitor" and threatening to lynch him was a bit too much for even Karl, who called the statement "unpresidential". Nicole Wallace , another Bushie, said that it's turn for some people in the middle to run.

++Rasmussen polled Republicans after Perry entered the race and the Texas governor raced into the lead with 29% to Romney's 18% and Bachmann's 13%.

++Perry kept on his right-wing talking points, saying that creationism is taught in Texas, that climate scientists made up their findings for money and that our military should have a commander-in-chief they respect. Ron Paul complained that Perry was making him look like a moderate. Perry supporters dutifully sent out e-mails showing him as a pilot contrasted with a college photo of Obama smoking a joint.

++Perry may have to deal with the gay rumors that I noted in another post, but Texas Republicans are countering that claim with stories about Perry's sexual escapades with the ladies. The Ron Paul campaign has run an ad offering a reward for the women to come forward. From the tales of former Perry staffers, the governor makes Bill Clinton look like a Puritan. They call him a "serial adulterer."

++Perry's own "Texas Miracle" is coming under close scrutiny by the Washington Post. Texas is 24th in unemployment and 1 million of the Perry jobs are public sector jobs. At 8.4%,Perry's record is not as good as New York State.

++Perry is already running into ethical and probably legal problems with his SuperPacs, who are not supposed to coordinate their activities with a candidate, which apparently they are. Perry is also facing scrutiny about how someone who has always been a politician got wealthy. At least Romney made his money the honest way--he threw people out of work. Apparently, Perry enjoyed some gifts of stocks and some real estate swaps that made him a millionaire. His pay-to-play policy has enriched his donors and many of those are from the extreme right and are now beginning to share the spotlight.

++The Republican establishment is opening asking whether Perry is electable in light of his statements on secession and his belief that Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional. Even the Koch Brothers are hedging their bets. They hosted a fund-raiser for Mitt Romney on Cape Cod.

++Mitt Romney criticized President Obama for taking a vacation and a vacation at that liberal place Martha's Vineyard. The problem is that Mitt Romney was there on the other side of the island fund-raising with fatcats.

++Not one to ever miss a vacation, Newt Gingrich decided to campaign in electoral vote rich Hawaii.

++Karl Rove decided he was looking a little unpatriotic by criticising Republican candidates all week so he blasted President Obama for taking a bus tour through the Midwest. The problem was that the bus was built in Canada. Karl's problem here is that the same bus will be used to escort the Republican nominee around the country when the time comes. And for Sarah Palin, this is a problem because she uses the same model bus for her family vacation/campaign stops.

++The real silly season is now upon us and we should expect more, not less insanity in the next few months.

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