Thank God, it'll all be over tonight. For weeks on end, it has been Iowa this, Iowa that - everywhere one turns, here comes Iowa. Rick P. brings along his Austin posse , Rick S. wants to invalidate gay marriage, and Newt gets neutered. Don't we wish?
Like rubbish that has collected around dumpsters for longer than anyone wants, all the garbage will finally get gathered up and plunked down in the next great landfill.
Why all the excitement over the Iowa caucus? You'd think it was the presidential election with all the hype coming from every soundbite on the TV and every column inch in the print media. Really. Who gives a damn?
Gail Collins has it right when she tells readers to feel free to ignore Iowa.
On Tuesday, there will be a contest to select the preferred candidate of a small group of people who are older, wealthier and whiter than American voters in general, and more politically extreme than the average Iowa Republican. The whole world will be watching.Writing about Rick Santorum's recent rise in the polls, Dana Milbank opines:
The “Santorum surge” in recent days has little to do with the candidate himself and everything to do with the fact that he is the last man standing after voters discarded all the rest.But, but, but . . . are these candidates really the very best America has to offer? If so, we are in deep manure.
Michele Bachman: Just listen to her talk about God not being able to get the attention of politicians, anti-Americans in Congress, how tirelessly our founding fathers worked to get rid of slavery.
Newt Gingrich: The only Speaker of the House in history to get tossed out of Congress for ethics charges and who tried to bring down a president for messing around with another woman while he was screwing around on his own wife.
Jon Huntsman: Probably the brainiest of the bunch, Huntsman is considered too liberal by those who lump Obama under one Communist/Socialist/Anti-Christian/Muslim banner.
Ron Paul: Extremely paranoid. A racist rodent who hates gays and women.
Rick Perry: Maybe all that hair has caused some brain damage as Perry oops his way through a debate and oops again along the campaign trail in Iowa. Of course, being brain dead doesn't explain naming the family hunting camp Niggerhead.
Mitt Romney: It's hard to tell where Mittens stands on any of the issues - whether it's abortion, or deporting immigrants, or campaign finance, or climate change. He even flip-flops about his flip-flopping.
Rick Santorum: Doesn't have enough brains to run a bird backwards and really doesn't like blacks. He also wants to invalidate gay marriages, bemoans gay soldiers "who shower with people," and believes states have the right to declare birth control illegal.
And you think the Democrats and Republicans are just alike.
The caucuses do not select the delegates to the Republican Convention. They only select the delegates to the county conventions, which choose delegates to the district conventions, which in turn selects delegates to the Iowa State Convention. Thus, it is the Republican Iowa State Convention, not the precinct caucuses, which selects the ultimate delegates from Iowa to the Republican National Convention. All delegates are officially unbound from the results of the precinct caucus which gives a lot of control to the republican power structure and takes it away from the people.
ReplyDelete@Jerry: Thanks. So, why all the to-do about the Iowa caucus? Sounds like it's basically meaningless to me.
ReplyDelete"DES MOINES, Iowa -- Following days of saturation caucus coverage, Washington Post chief correspondent Dan Balz was reminded Monday of a fortune cookie he recently cracked open. "Analyze only when necessary," the cookie advised."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/iowa-caucus-reporters-media-crush_n_1181432.html?ref=media
It is theater, pure theater!
ReplyDeleteYep, but I didn't buy a ticket. ;)
ReplyDeleteAh, but as circus, Iowa rocks! Tuning in to MSNBC's coverage tonight for the pure-tee fun of it. As for its significance, Bachman and Santorum have both already stated they aren't dropping out after Iowa, no matter what, so even that aspect of it has erectile dysfunction. Most amazing factoid for my money: Iowa has ZERO black Republicans. 'Nuff said.
ReplyDelete@Nance: I think I'd almost watch The Greatest Loser - equally repellent. Not one black Republican in Iowa? Very telling.
ReplyDeleteHere's a neat article by Matt Taibbi that was left in a comment by a FB friend:
"The 2012 presidential race officially begins today with the caucuses in Iowa, and we all know what that means …
Nothing."
Do you mean to tell me that the founding fathers didn't work tirelessly to end slavery?!
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, the GOP presidential field is the clown show to end all clown shows. I agree with your sentiments about Huntsman. However, even he was pandering to the base a few weeks ago when he walked back his stance on climate change.
Gail Collins did a great job of putting the Iowa caucuses in perspective. The real winner is Iowa's economy. I heard over the weekend the candidates had blown $52 million trying to win the hearts, minds and votes of the minority within a minority Collins described.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, Gingrich was obliged to step down from the speakership by his fellow Republicans, who had had a belly full of his arrogance, ignorance and bullying ways.
Imagine, someone so arrogant, ignorant, obnoxious and corrupt that House Republicans wanted to be rid of him! Gingrich subsequently decided not to keep his seat.
@Malcolm: I had totally spaced out Huntsman's switch. He's not going anywhere anyway - along with Perry and Bachmann and Newt and . . .
ReplyDelete@SW: Yes he was and no doubt it's those same Republicans who have put the screws to his campaign. They haven't forgotten.
Great evaluation - I love reading your blog, your perspective. Thanks! "mel" r.
ReplyDelete@grits56: Thank you for your nice thoughts. I'd like to read yours but can't get on.
ReplyDeleteThe headline over at HuffPo screamed "Bachmann to make big announcement!" What big? Was there anyone who follows politics who didn't know that she didn't have a diddly-doo chance of becoming president? She isn't qualified to be a US Representative, let alone a president.
ReplyDeleteShe hasn't polled in double digits in months. What was the "big" in the announcement?
The media, and especially HuffPo, are loud-mouthed blatherskites.
Oh mygod Oh mygod... Michele has dropped out of the Pretzeldent race. Says she will now engage in a lesbian relationship with Glen Beck.
ReplyDelete@Shaw: HuffPo does have its moments. I'm just not sure when or what they are. ; )
ReplyDelete@okjimm: Har!
I've been trying to ignore the caucuses because, as my ex would say, they are as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you are up and running again. I'm sure glad this little sham of a political poll is over. Now we can get on with the real stuff.
ReplyDelete@Kay: If they had real "meaning," the MSM would probably ignore them.
ReplyDelete@Paula: Wow, aren't you the optimistic one? ;)
Actually, I can't see a great deal of difference between the corporate Repubs and corporate Dems. I was thinking today how much Romney reminds me of Walter Mondale.
ReplyDeleteAll theater! It makes me puke watching people fawn all over these morons, not a one who can beat Obama...Thehusband says he can't wait til this election year is over, I said yea but we still have 5 more years to listen to the repulsive GOP and their hate for a president loved by the majority...
ReplyDelete@Mr. C: The top 25 wealthiest people in Congress is divided equally between Dems and Republicans, so you may have a valid point about the corporate influence, etc. But Romney reminding you of Mondale? How so? I don't see much comparison there, but maybe you know something I don't (which wouldn't come as a big surprise).
ReplyDeleteWell Michele threw in the towel. Eventually Santorum will throw in the towel, and we all know what's going to be on it.
ReplyDeleteBut, but, but . . . are these candidates really the very best America has to offer?
ReplyDeleteFor obvious reasons "the very best America has to offer" tend to avoid politics, especially Republican politics. As for the best among politicians, there's Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barney Frank and Bernie Sanders, but none of them are in a position to run for President at the moment, for varying reasons.
The Republicans' problem is finding a candidate who will stand up for lunatic positions without coming across as a lunatic. This is rather difficult.
I agree that Rick "of the Saints" is just the latest not-Romney flavor-of-the-month who just happened to have the luck that his surge in the polls crested at the moment the actual vote was held. He'll sink too, and the Nutty faction of Republicans will be left casting around for its next savior. O'Donnell for President?
@Murr: Teehee. Santorum really makes me cringe - to the point I want to throw up.
ReplyDelete@Infidel: I used to think that Mittens was merely incompetent but not really a lunatic in the vein of the rest of that crowd. But then, I think about him driving for 12 hours with his Irish Setter in a crate strapped to the top of the family car. Only a lunatic would do something like that - to say nothing about an inability to plan ahead and make better arrangements for the pet. Worst of all, of course, is the sheer cruelty and irresponsibility of it.
They're all lunatics.
Amen, and finally... at long last, the Iowa Caucuses are over. I wonder if Iowa continues to fight for their system solely for the economic benefit.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great point.
But onward we go to NH and then SC... and then everyone who has hated Mitt will fall in love with him and twist and turn to explain how he is now the perfect candidate...
I am loving watching this...
@Dave: I kind of have a love/hate attitude towards it all. At some moments I laugh out loud; at others I just want to scream or sit down and bawl.
ReplyDelete