Pawlenty drops out of race

"I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords"

 

I look at Rick Perry, once memorably commemorated as "Governor Goodhair" by the late Molly Ivins, and I see Robert Ritchie. They even look the same. Just waiting for him to say, 'Crime, boy, I don't know..."

 

Molly thinks so.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/13/3834794/molly-cant-say-that-about-rick.html

 

This election feels a lot like 2004 to me, when a lot of people were unhappy with Bush, but Kerry was such a meh candidate that it didn't matter. I think Romney eventually gets the nomination and plays the role of Kerry in 2012.

As of now, Perry is trying his best to be the poor man's Bill Clinton - governor comes from out of nowhere to win nomination and election. However, at least according to the commentators on left-leaning Slate, Texas' economy is finally beginning to soften with less federal money coming in, and I think the religious stuff is going to turn off as many independents as it turns on members of the base.

Bachmann is Palin 2.0, or the new Perot / Buchanan / Howard Dean. Incredibly polarizing figure - can't see her winning a national election, and I imagine one major eff-up could sink her whole campaign.

 

Sadly, the world, or at least America, does not work the way it did on The West Wing.

Many, if not most, voters don't care if someone has a .22 caliber mind in a .357 world, and I imagine even fewer will care about that fact next November. If things continue anywhere close to the way they're going now, voters are going to be desperate for a savior, just as they were in November 1980. That year, voters went for a movie actor and former Governor of California who appealed to their national and personal pride and portrayed optimism about the future, the perception of him as an intellectual lightweight be damned.

 

As Peter Griffin would say:

"More than a few, my friend . . . more . .. than . . . a . .. few."

 

*raises hand*

To clarify, I don't know shit about Perry. But there's not a person in this field, with the POSSIBLE exception of Huntsman (if he's still considered "in the field") that would make me want them to lead this country.

 

Perry is far from a perfect candidate. I'm well aware of his flaws.

But, I don't know how you can consider yourself a Republican and say you'd find Barack Obama preferable to him.

This embarrassment some "sophisticated" Republicans exhibit for religious Republicans drives me nuts.

Folks get pissed if the religious right doesn't fall in line and back "mainstream" candidates. Then, the second a "religious right" candidate is nominated for office, they get abandoned by the "mainstream".

That's not how it's supposed to work. That's what primaries are for.

Is there level of racism, incompetence, stupidity, I wouldn't cross? Of course. And, for me, Michelle Bachmann might even be it.

But, Perry's been in elected office a long time. In no way is he unacceptable.

 

The Iowa straw poll always means nothing. It's idiotic that they even do it this early. It's also idiotic that states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina play such a big role in who becomes president. I would change it to Ohio, Florida and maybe Indiana, you know states that people actually have to win if they're going to become president...

I could see Bachmann winning Iowa next year. It will be further proof how stupid the way they do this is...

 

Can a Republican explain the Bachmann appeal to me? She seems like a raving loon to me. And that's not because she's a Republican. That's because she's a raving loon. I wouldn't say the same about Romney, Pawlenty (RIP), Giuliani, Huntsman, et al.

 

If this was for me, I wouldn't vote for Obama either.