How About That Mitt?

I didn't see Mitt's victory speech tonight.  Newt seemed flat; Ron Paul is fired up, as always, which makes me wonder yet again if the country is ready for a 76 year young Vice President (and would he take the job and bring votes to the ticket).

Comments

[Danube of Thought]

None of this is particularly good, except that it probably means Newt can't be the nominee. One could hope for a lot more, but under all the circumstances I'll settle for that.

[Rocco]

Uncle Ron, one heart beat away? Say it ain't so. I'm rooting for Ryan or Rubio myself

[Mad Jack]

I'm thinking Kosher meals would be the least of Mitt's problems w/Paul on the ticket! Not a chance of that happening.

[Captain Hate]

So Willard is the candidate? At least a couple posters here got to vote on it unlike the rest of us. Thanks again for having such a wonderful primary system Repukes.

[Mad Jack]

Well, even with this win he only has 50 delegates out of 1000+ needed to win. I happen to think Mitt is the best option of what is out there but it ain't over yet.

[Danube of Thought]

I, like CH, would prefer a rimary system in which only one vote counted, and it was my own. As it is, I won't get to vote until June, and my vote won't mean diddly. Breaks.

[Rick Ballard]

CH,

We can only change that by focusing on Tea Party candidates in the House races. Let the red winged brownbeaks slug it out with blue winged brownbeaks for feeding slots at the DC sewage settlement ponds on their own dime (always remembering to take your dose of MittBrand on November 6th).

If we can take 20 more Tea Party seats (primary or general) this year and add 20 more in '14, then the '16 primary will be a different story.

[Frau Fragezeichen]

Who has a better system?

[Danube of Thought]

I have seen a number of proposals for entirely revamping the primary system, each with its pros and its cns, but many that seem preferable to what we have today.

As far as I know, the obstacles standing in the way of bringing about any of these revisions are far more in the realm of Kafka than of Madison or Hamilton. Call it the establishment (or the Fnork) if you want, but I think it is just the unwieldy machinery erected over time in a democratic federal system.

[bio mom]

Mitt won the Tea Party vote .

[bio mom]

Why was Newt the only one not to congratulate Romney ? Romney did Newt after S. Carilina. Graceless. No class. He will never be nominated.

[peter]

Why should Newt congratulate Romney? Romney ran 92 per cent negative ads against Gingrich.

[Danube of Thought]

"He will never be nominated."

And if nominated, he will never be elected. But he will run, that's for sure. If he stops running he must stop talking, and for him that is comparable to the shark becoming motionless. If Newt cannot talk, he cannot breathe.

The question is when it will begin to dawn on him that he is a figure of broad public contempt and ridicule. Perhaps the noble Calista will have the wisdom to perceive these infaust circumstances, and the courage and wile to persuade him gently through pillow talk that he should grow silent.

I, for one, am not optimistic.

[Rocco]

I would think it's the smart thing to do politically. Otherwise you look like a sore loser and risk losing more undecided voters.

night

[Captain Hate]

That's a good long term plan, Rick. I'll still be very happy with a Tea Party Congress sending Willard things to rubber stamp.

[narciso]

Well consider, briefly Vorstedt 9sic) and Dewine, for enough time to avoid nausea, the "Duke and Duke" bobbsey twins, or the folks that tried to shank West down here,

[Captain Hate]

The Repukes won't go quietly or easily, narc; but go they will.

[narciso]

They cause a lot of damage, last time they left Ken Blackwell to deal with the debris they left.

[reliapundit]

ROMNEY-JINDAL.

THAT'S THE TICKET!

HELPS HIM IN THE SOUTH.

JINDAL IS A GOVERNOR.

A CATHOLIC.

AND ETHNICALLY SOUTH ASIAN.

UNDERSTANDS HEALTHCARE BETTER THAN ANYONE.

AND THE ENERGY INDUSTRY, AND CLEANED UP LOUISIANA GOVERNMENT.

NO CRONYISM.

MITT WILL HAVE TO CARRY MICHIGAN AND OHIO AND WISC AND MINN ON HIS OWN.

[Jim Ryan]

Barack Obama is a straight-shooter who keeps his word. Never arrogant or self-absorbed, he also loves the United States of America, liberty, charity, and self-reliance.

Newt is a man with an organized mind. He knows what he stands for and what he deplores, and he walks the walk in these regards, as well as talking the talk. He has real integrity.

Ron Paul doesn't suffer fools, wackjobs and idiots gladly. Although even-tempered himself and speaking only after cool consideration, he doesn't tolerate loopy or nutty people around him and can frequently be found giving them a dressing down.

I had a beer and a few good belly laughs with Mitt Romney at a local pub. He's alright.

[Sara]

Why should Newt congratulate Romney? Romney ran 92 per cent negative ads against Gingrich.

Because gentlemen with class of presidential timbre man up.

Gingrich wouldn't congratulate in Iowa either.

[Publius from Idaho]

Ron Paul for Sec. of the Treasury. After Timmy that would be a nice balance. Pun intended.

[Threadkiller]

Jindal and Rubio are not eligible. If either one is picked they need to seek some sort of declaratory judgement that says otherwise for me to vote for the ticket they are on.

[narciso]

Either one is fine TK, unless you want to disqualify Chester A Arthur retroactively,

[Danube of Thought]

An action for declaratory judgment cannot be brought for that purpose.

They will have to do the best they can without you. Good luck to both sides; now shake hands and come out fighting.

[Sara]

What about Scott Walker? I never hear him mentioned? I don't see Bob McDonnell, Gov of VA mentioned here, although I have seen him mentioned by pundits. He needs a an attack dog for VP. I wish Darrell Issa was on the radar. He is an attack dog and he brings Calif which already is teetering on the brink with Obama and is ripe to go Repub. The statewide votes are there as the number of Rep governors proves, but other than Issa I can't think of any Californian anyone even knows.

[Threadkiller]

They will have to do the best they can to get thru me.

That being said, the briefs are to be on the Georgia judge's desk tomorrow. He will render his decision by Friday, I believe. I imagine the time limit for a deposition from Obama will have completely expired by then.

Lunch next week?

[Threadkiller]

Issa may not be natural born also. He led the charge to change the requirement to allow naturalized citizens to be president.

What is funny, to me, is the idea of changing or eliminating the natural born requirement has been attempted several times. It gets stalled out in committee when they have to define what it ment, in order to give it new meaning. I guess no one wants to go on record with the original definition.

[Strawman Cometh]

Issa is my favorite. But it make a ticket of two extremely well to do white guys.

[Threadkiller]

(Jun. 9, 2011) — If you think that our Congress-members do not know about nor understand the meaning of the ‘natural born Citizen’ requirements for one to be President and Commander in Chief, then you must take a look at the efforts they have made to eliminate it over the past decade.

And if you are wondering why Rep. Darrell Issa, as head of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, refuses to address the greatest Constitutional crisis ever in the history of our Constitutional Republic, just see below where the illustrious Congressman was a co-sponsor on H.J.R 59 [6] in the 108th Congress in 2003 – to totally eliminate the natural born Citizen requirement:

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to permit persons who are not natural-born citizens of the United States, but who have been citizens of the United States for at least 35 years, to be eligible to hold the offices of President and Vice President.

http://www.thepostemail.com/2011/06/09/a-conspiracy-to-change-the-natural-born-citizen-requirement/

[Threadkiller]

-born citizen requirement from the U.S. Constitution actually began in 1975 – when Democrat House Rep. Jonathon B. Bingham, [NY-22] introduced a constitutional amendment under H.J.R. 33 which called for the outright removal of the natural-born requirement for president found in Article II of the U.S. Constitution – “Provides that a citizen of the United States otherwise eligible to hold the Office of President shall not be ineligible because such citizen is not a natural born citizen.”

Bingham’s first attempt failed and he resurrected H.J.R. 33 in 1977 under H.J.R. 38, again failing to gain support from members of congress. Bingham was a Yale Law grad and member of the secret society Skull and Bones, later a lecturer at Columbia Law and thick as thieves with the United Nations via his membership in the Council on Foreign Relations.

Bingham’s work lay dormant for twenty-six years when it was resurrected again in 2003 as Democrat members of Congress made no less than eight (8) attempts in twenty-two (22) months, to either eliminate the natural-born requirement, or redefine natural-born to accommodate Barack Hussein Obama II in advance of his rise to power. The evidence is right in the congressional record…

1. On June 11, 2003 Democrat House member Vic Snyder [AR-2] introduced H.J.R 59 in the 108th Congress - “Constitutional Amendment - Makes a person who has been a citizen of the United States for at least 35 years and who has been a resident within the United States for at least 14 years eligible to hold the office of President or Vice President.” – Co-Sponsors: Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14]; Rep Delahunt, William D. [MA-10]; Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4]; Rep Issa, Darrell E. [CA-49]; Rep LaHood, Ray [IL-18]; Rep Shays, Christopher [CT-4].

2. On September 3, 2003, Rep. John Conyers [MI] introduced H.J.R. 67 –“Constitutional Amendment - Makes a person who has been a citizen of the United States for at least 20 years eligible to hold the office of President.” – Co-Sponsor Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27]

3. On February 25, 2004, Republican Senator Don Nickles [OK] attempted to counter the growing Democrat onslaught aimed at removing the natural-born citizen requirement for president in S.2128 - “Natural Born Citizen Act - Defines the constitutional term “natural born citizen,” to establish eligibility for the Office of President” – also getting the definition of natural born citizen wrong. – Co-sponsors Sen Inhofe, James M. [OK]; Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [LA]

4. On September 15, 2004 – as Barack Obama was about to be introduced as the new messiah of the Democrat Party at the DNC convention, Rep Dana Rohrabacher [CA-46] introduced H.J.R. 104 – “Constitutional Amendment - Makes eligible for the Office of the President non-native born persons who have held U.S. citizenship for at least 20 years and who are otherwise eligible to hold such Office.” – No co-sponsors.

5. Again on January 4, 2005, Rep John Conyers [MI] introduced H.J.R. 2 to the 109th Congress – “Constitutional Amendment - Makes a person who has been a citizen of the United States for at least 20 years eligible to hold the Office of President.” – Co-Sponsor Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27]

6. Rep Dana Rohrabacher [CA-46] tries again on February 1, 2005 in H.J.R. 15 –“Constitutional Amendment - Makes eligible for the Office of the President non-native born persons who have held U.S. citizenship for at least 20 years and who are otherwise eligible to hold such Office.” – No Co-Sponsor

7. On April 14, 2005, Rep Vic Snyder [AR-2] tries yet again with H.J.R. 42 –“Constitutional Amendment - Makes a person who has been a citizen of the United States for at least 35 years and who has been a resident within the United States for at least 14 years eligible to hold the office of President or Vice President.” – Co-Sponsor Rep Shays, Christopher [CT-4]

8. All of these efforts failing in committee and the 2008 presidential election looming with an unconstitutional candidate leading the DNC ticket, Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill, [MO] tries to attach the alteration to a military bill in S.2678 on February 28, 2008 – “Children of Military Families Natural Born Citizen Act - Declares that the term “natural born Citizen” in article II, section 1, clause 5 of the Constitution, dealing with the criteria for election to President of the United States, includes any person born to any U.S. citizen while serving in the active or reserve components of the U.S. armed forces.” – Co-Sponsors DNC Presidential candidate Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY]; DNC Presidential candidate Sen Obama, Barack [IL]; Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ]; Sen Coburn, Tom [OK] – (This was the first effort to also assure that GOP Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain [AZ] would be cleared to run against the DNC primary victor.) From June 11, 2003 to February 28, 2008, there had been eight (8) different congressional attempts to alter Article II – Section I – Clause V - natural born citizen requirements for president in the U.S. Constitution, all of them failing in committee—All of it taking placing during Barack Obama’s rise to political power and preceding the November 2008 presidential election. In politics, there are no coincidences… not of this magnitude.

Links at the link:
http://thepatriotsnews.com/indx.php/content/163

[Danube of Thought]

"I'll still be very happy with a Tea Party Congress"

And I'd be happy with seventy times seven Archangels transporting me about upon wings of gold in a satin sedan chair.

[Danube of Thought]

At what point is it appropriate to declare that TK is not sane?

[JM Hanes]

Shorter post-primary Newt:

We’re going to Nevada and Maine and Colorado and Minnesota and Missouri, and we’re going to Arizona and Michigan and Alaska … and then we’re going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House! Yeargh!!!

[Threadkiller]

Ha..Hahahaha...hahahahaha!!!!

HANNITY: I think that’s taken. It’s got to be Rubio. That’s my guess.

BOB BECKEL: If it’s not, somebody’s lost their mind.

FARAH: Rubio is not eligible.

HANNITY: Whoa, what do you mean, ‘Rubio’s not –

FARAH: He’ll lose 10 percent of the Republican vote because he is not a natural-born citizen. We’ve been through this with Obama now for four years.

HANNITY: I don’t believe that. I don’t think that’s going to work.

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/31/worldnetdailys-farah-rubio-ineligible-for-vp-slot-not-a-natural-born-citizen/

[Threadkiller]

After our lunch, DoT.

[daddy]

Talk about OT!

A wax recording of Otto Von Bismarck talking in 1889 has been discovered, and if you click on the link in this BBC story you can hear the old boy jabbering.

I can't make out a word but it might be of interest to Frau.

[Mark Folkestad]

Threadkiller, even I'm getting fed up with you now. Since when has there been a doubt about Issa being "natural born"? He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and his GRANDPARENTS immigrated from Lebanon. Has there EVER been anyone who has been pure enough in your eyes to qualify as "natural born"?

[Sara]

TK: Don't forget that Issa was the leader of the take down on Grey Davis and at that time Schwarzenegger was the fair-haired child of the Republicans and lots of people were saying it was time to change the law so he could run.

[Threadkiller]

Mark, that was Snark. You missed what Issa was doing. At this point you can stay fed up, for all I care. It seems to be the first reaction of anyone with a personal stake.

"Either one is fine TK, unless you want to disqualify Chester A Arthur retroactively,"

Narc, have you found any evidence that would suggest the voters had any clue at all of Chet's problem? The fact that they were deceived does not create a precedent.

"We have direct evidence – that the issue was not known to the public – from two important sources. One is President Arthur himself, and the other is a crucially relevant law review article from 1916. Both sources provide translucent illumination upon the matter.

When Charles Evans Hughes was running for President, this very issue was brought to the attention of the public by former Secretary of State and Ambassador to Italy, Breckenridge Long, in an article written for the Chicago Legal News in 1916:

“Whether Mr. Hughes is, or is not, a ‘natural born’ citizen within the meaning of the Constitution, so as to make him eligible or ineligible, to assume the office of President, presents an interesting inquiry.

He was born in this country and is beyond question ‘native born.’ But is there not a distinction between ‘native born’ and ‘natural born? At the time he was born his father and mother were subjects of England. His father had not then been naturalized. The day after Mr.Hughes was born his father had a right, as an English subject, to go to the British consul, at New York, and to present his wife and infant and to claim any assistance he might need from the consul as the representative of the English government.

If war had broken out between this government and England this government would have had a right to interne the father, the mother and the son as subjects of an enemy power.”

Read the article in full. You will notice that it does not address the issue of Chester Arthur’s father having been an alien. Had the nation been aware of that fact, such knowledge would have determined the very issue in question thereby rendering it moot.

Long’s failure to draw a comparison to Arthur’s father, who was also a British subject for the first fourteen years of Chester’s life, is conclusively telling. Nobody knew about Chester Arthur’s little secret outside of whoever was keeping that secret."

http://naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/the-objectively-gray-propaganda-of-masked-rascals/

That little bit of proof would go a long way.

Enough of my soapbox. Sorry if I overwhelmed again.

Goodnight.

[A Casual Observation]

We can't wait to see the fireworks when Romney and his PACs try to tell the distortions and other lies about Gingrich in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina that they told about him in Florida.

There is a saying in southern politics that to go south in Florida, you have to go north, which is to say that most of the real southerners in Florida are in the northern part of the state which borders Alabama and Georgia, [and] where Gingich won by huge margins, and, in fact, he won handily in all rural areas in Florida, an indication that he will probably win in all of the southern states, except for Florida, which is populated mostly by relocated yankees in the southern part of the state.

Without real, old fashioned southerners and good ol' boys, the core of the Republican Party, Romney doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of becoming POTUS, even if he were to resurrect Bobby Lee and run Bobby as his VP. Southerners instinctively disike Romney's ilk.

[Sara]

ACO: I am not sure that he even needs the South for the Primary, however, most of the Southern states are proportional primaries, so even if he does not win, he is sure to pick up some delegates. And when I look thru all the Southern states, he has good support except one or two, i.e, in Tenn. he has endorsements from the Governor and Speaker of the House and the Tenn. Tea Party.

I have not a clue about Texas. I don't see Romney doing anything to write home about there with the Gov endorsing Newt and Paul a homestate guy and Rep.

I think he'll take Maryland, VA, and possibly Delaware. I was going to give him W.VA but if Santorum is still in I think he'll take that state. I'm counting Georgia and Alabama out for Mitt. Have no idea about Kentucky, but North Carolina is not a sure thing for Gingrich even though he got the endorsement of the NC Tea Party. Mitt's got some big names and movers and shakers there endorsing him.

[Sara]

Maybe the reason ‘establishment’ Republicans have no love for Gingrich has to do with him backing their centrist opponents in the past

Will the real Newt please stand up?

[Clarice]

I'd back Jindal for any office he ran for. Is TK crazy? No, DoT, just obsessive like Lincoln and Kennedy assassination buffs. It's an innocent pastime.

[Jim Ryan]

WILL NO ONE RELIEVE US OF THIS TERRIBLE DEARTH OF TK-DOT BIRTHER THREADS?!

[peter]

Fancy a flutter? LUN

[centralcal]

Good grief, some people never go to sleep. 6:56 AM is 3:56 AM here. I get up at 4:30 and Sara hasn't even gone to bed yet.

[Jane]

Newt's nasty side is coming out. As someone said today, he's great until his ego takes over. It's starting to look like Kennedy v Carter and we all know how that ended.

[Jane]

Clarice,

What do you make of this:

[centralcal]

Jane, it's okay. Newt is done. The rest of primary season is just a formality.

[Jack is Back!]

OT: The war on Catholics hits a new low in Rhode Island. Occupiers in Capitol dump condoms on Catholic school girls.

[Obama is alien to America.]

Well, TK has a brass bound legal case. Whether or not its solidity is understood or appreciated by hoi polloi is critical, and I don't think it is. Nonetheless, it leads into questions of Obama's allegiance and spirituality, which are what will founder him.

Look upon the TKs of this dialogue as the tip of the iceberg.
==================

[Sara]

I get up at 4:30 and Sara hasn't even gone to bed yet.

Who are you, my Mpther? What's it to you?

[Jack is Back!]

daddy,

According to my limited German, Bismark says:

"Obama muss gehen, jedermann aber Obama"

[Janet]

Look upon the TKs of this dialogue as the tip of the iceberg.

I agree. I bet the Dems were worried about Obama's eligibility...or at least, that it would be questioned & then the nomination could get gummed up in the legal world.
I bet sometimes even the Dems are amazed at the free pass they are given in the press. :(

[narciso]

So, by my reading, I guess we want to bow more to Abdullah, Prince Talal bought himself
another plane on consignment after this.

[narciso]

No, the attack on McCain, who was born on an American hospital, came from Keyes's people.

[Porchlight]

Sara, do you really think a Romney/Issa ticket would flip CA? That seems like the height of wishful thinking to me. I know CA has tons of Repubs but they couldn't even keep Moonbeam from getting elected in a banner GOP year.

[Clarice]

Jane, some people from Chicago have been sending me stuff along those lines for a while. Without more information I really didn't want to run with it because there may be a lot more to this than is apparent. I do think it telling, however, that Fitz never probed he leak that alerted the WH that Blago was being wire tapped--a leak that came at a very opportune time to the Administration. That suggests to me he knew the source of the leak and it was from his very own office.

[Ranger]

I'm sure caving in won't encourage futher acts like this:

Kidnapped Chinese workers freed in Egypt's Sinai region

A group of 25 Chinese workers kidnapped in the north of Egypt's Sinai peninsula on Tuesday have been freed.

Egyptian officials had been negotiating their release after they were taken by Bedouin tribesmen demanding their relatives, in prison for a 2004 bomb attack, be freed.

And what did the government give them? Apparently no charges for the kidnapping and:

The official, who did not want to be named, said the kidnappers had been promised that their relatives would be re-tried.

And apparently, the Chinese are becoming very attractive targets for this type of thing:

This latest case highlights the dangers facing China's workers as Beijing pushes to invest in volatile regions, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.

On Tuesday, China sent a team of officials to Sudan to assist in the rescue of 29 workers kidnapped over the weekend.

As they say, interesting times.

[Clarice]

In my world, promises to kidnappers made to secure their release are not binding.

[Ranger]

Clarice,

It does look like Fitz worked very hard to avoid using Rezko as a witness against Blago, as that would have opened up all kinds of sticky issues. Rezko had a much tigher personal relationship with Obama than with Blago. One suspects that at some point we may discover a few boxes of evidence from the ingestigation is missing, just like the notes from that first FBI interview with Timmy.

[Clarice]

**the prisoners' release*

[Porchlight]

Romney this morning: "I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it," Romney said in an interview on CNN's "Starting Point."

I'll give you three guesses which of these sentences is being blared all over the internet right now.

Way to step on the coverage of your own big victory, genius.

[smackwater jack]

"Who are you, my Mpther? What's it to you?"

Once again Sara demonstrates that she is completely tone deaf, thin skinned and overly defensive.

In two pages she will deny she took offense to a harmless statement.

[narciso]

Yes, that never works out;

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-07-25/news/8702240243_1_iran-initiative-state-george-shultz-arms-for-hostages

[syn]

Now that Mitt Romney is the annointed one, how will the Republican Party of Richard Nixon be able to defeat Obama?

And is it possible for Romney to out-crook the crooked Obama?

The Republican Party of Richard Nixon vs The Democrat Party of George McGovern!

Some never left the 1970s.

[centralcal]

True Porchlight! A sampling:

allahpundit
Looking forward to writing six months of "sure, it sounded bad, but what Romney meant to say was..." posts

jimgeraghty
Hey, remember two hours ago when Mitt Romney was on top of the world?

[Danube of Thought]

Minus 12 at Raz today.

Newt, as we sports scribes are wont to say, absorbed a savage drubbing.

[Jack is Back!]

Porch,

The reason he is not concerned about the very poor is because he bet his staff $10,000 that if they worked for him he would love to fire them:)

[Gmax]

Swing State job approval of the incompetent idealogue is enough to put a smile on your face. These are dreadful for Sam, bet he does not show up today! here:

Wisconsin: 47.4 percent.

Pennsylvania: 45 percent.

Virginia: 44.5 percent.

Oregon: 44.5 percent.

North Carolina: 43.7 percent.

Florida: 43.6 percent.

Ohio: 42.1 percent.

New Mexico: 41.7 percent.

Nevada: 41.3 percent.

Colorado: 40.4 percent.

New Hampshire: 38.7 percent.

[Clarice]

That's true enough. ranger, but it is clear Fitz didn't need Rezo to convict Blago and Rezko as a witness opened up a can of worms for the prosecution, not least of them being he s a convicted felon.

The failure to pursue the leaker is the tell to me, as I've said.

[Sue]

Sara,

I think Mitt can do alright in Texas, if we ever get to vote. At the moment, no one knows when that will be. Perry has lost a lot of oomph since his national disgrace. Not sure he will ever get it back. And I'm not sure Ron Paul will factor in here either.

[Threadkiller]

My bet is Sara was kidding around, sJ.

DoT is not to blame for last night, that was all me.

Mark, sorry I jumped your shit. I was bummed the valid points were skipped. I have no reason to believe Issa is not natural born. Non the less, good luck finding more on Issa's heritage. After an hour of searching all I know his mom was Mormon and of German decent. I found the same info you have on his dad. I never found his parent's names though.

If anyone missed the Hannity video I posted earlier, it is worth your time. I wonder if he is going to talk about this today.

[Threadkiller]

...None the less...

[narciso]

Well Rezko led in other direction, to London and points west, they didn't want to open up that can of worms,

[Clarice]

Those must be some meds you're on Sara; they allow you to post almost 24/7 working with only one hand. I could use some, I can't seem to stay awake after 10:30 any more.

[Ranger]

And, actually on topic (via Instapundit):

Florida: Why Gingrich Lost Big and What’s Next

After his solid victory in South Carolina, Gingrich did not continue the obvious strategy that got him there – running against Barack Obama by presenting himself to Republican voters as the great orator and thinker who could bring down the noxious incumbent, the man who rose above internecine intra-party squabbles for the greater good of his country.

Instead, he did the exact opposite. He spent the balance of his time in Florida running against Romney when he had already beaten the former governor in South Carolina. Talk about dumb. Newt let his personal antipathy overwhelm his good sense. He played defense about the picayune and the irrelevant when he should have played offense on the philosophical and substantial.

In that light, it seems that Romney's negative ads may have been targeted more at Gingrich's ego, then the voting public. He bated Gingrich into abandoning his successful attack on Obama, and it worked.

[Clarice]

Interesting, ranger.. I think that's right, though it underplays the difference in financial resources brought to bear and the amount of time Romney spent tilling the field in Fla.

[centralcal]

Sue: How come Texas doesn't know when their primary is?

[NK]

The whole Fitzgerald/Rezko thing stinks to high heaven (it is of course ChiTown politics). I have a hard time figuring how Fitz was a stand up guy about this. Rezko was clearly the go between Blago and 'Bam's crew. Rezko has been sentenced for a looooong vacation in Club Fed. I can't imagine he won't be pardoned Christmas 2012.

[narciso]

I think Sue is kidding, cc, what does it matter anyways, feel the love;

http://twitter.com/#!/baseballcrank/statuses/164551561098436608

[Porchlight]

Ranger,

I'm pretty sure the ads were targeted at the voting public. However, I agree that Newt allowed himself to be baited by them.

[Ranger]

though it underplays the difference in financial resources brought to bear and the amount of time Romney spent tilling the field in Fla.

Yes, I agree. Romney could afford to bate Newt like that because he had the resources, and the ground work already in place to run a negative campaign at the end and still get the vote out.

[Rick Ballard]

Newt's ego might keep going but it will be on his own dime and that won't carry it much farther.

It's good to see Governor Romney demonstrating the rhetorical skill so necessary to an effective politician. Start him at the 14 mile marker and he'll finish damn near every marathon. Maybe not first but he'll finish.

[narciso]

When the Obama campaign runs the original Primack and Times stories on Bain, (you think
they won't do so) well turnabout is fair play.

[centralcal]

Newt is done.

Now, I wouldn't want to be Rick Santorum from today forward. Of course, it won't take $15-17 Million, but still...

[jimmyk]

Yeah, I don't see Romney ("I don't care about the very poor") being such a chess player. It was just good luck for him that Newt took the bait.

[Jim Ryan]

OT: Like sci-fi and Oedipus Rex? Sure you do. Then you'll like the new movie Another Earth. Pretty good. Not gadgety sci-fi or hard sci-fi. Just a tragedy with two earths.

[Sue]

Sue: How come Texas doesn't know when their primary is?

We're idiots? At the moment it is set for April 3rd. But we don't know where the districts are because they are redrawing them. Again. So who the hell knows?

[Sue]

I think Sue is kidding, cc,

Sadly, I'm not. ::sigh::

[bio mom]

Here are the Florida primary exit polls.

http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/epolls/fl?hpt=hp_t1

[Rick Ballard]

"I like to fire people and I'm not concerned about the very poor."

Boy, we sure dodged a bullet by getting rid of that damned unpredictable Newt. Who knows what he might have said to offend the feelers in the Fuddle?

ABO - support the Tea Party.

[Thomas Collins]

"I'm not concerned about the very poor."

Good job, Mittster. You've already supplied Axelplouffe with the I like to fire people ad. Now you've delivered another gift to the Obama campaign.

Mitt may need a teleprompter more than Obama.

[Threadkiller]

"In the run up to Eric Holder's testimony before Congress this Thursday on the Fast and Furious scandal, a series of breaking news stories has surfaced on the flurry of activity and maneuvering of the parties involved.

First, investigative reporter Mike Vanderboegh, who first broke the Fast and Furious story in December of 2010, has uncovered a series of emails linking high level ATF officials with the most virulent anti-gun activists in the nation.

Why is this information damaging?

The ATF has consistently described itself as an agency that has no political affiliation and carries no agenda regarding the gun rights of citizens. In short, the agency is supposed to be neutral in the ongoing controversy between those who support the Second Amendment as originally conceived by the Framers and those who wish to severely restrict if not remove the right of the citizens to keep and bear arms.

Vanderboegh, however, has discovered significant collaboration between the ATF and the Joyce Foundation, which has provided the major source of funding for the Violence Policy Center--an organization that is dedicated to the outright ban of guns.

In addition, there is also significant collaboration between the ATF and the University of Chicago Crime Lab, which has a long history of attempting to provide a scientific foundation for the call for gun bans.

Second, courts documents concerning the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry were released today. These documents had been previously sealed from public view--for over a year after the agent's death. But ABC15 News in Phoenix, along with five other news organizations, took legal action to force the Justice Department to release the documents.

The names of most of the defendants, however, have been redacted out of the copy released to the media.

Third, House Democrats have released a 'minority report' on Fast and Furious in advance of Holder's appearance before the Committee on Oversight Thursday. Their conclusion? It was 'all Bush's fault' and the Phoenix office of the ATF went rogue, thus attempting to provide cover for Holder and the Obama White House.

Fourth, a tweet sent out by Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, in response to the Justice Department's late night document dump last Friday evening indicates in no uncertain terms the Senator's take on the information:

ChuckGrassley

#F&F Documents releasd Fri nite by Justice clearly show Holders people knew abt gun running days b4 I opend investigation Yet they lied

28 Jan via Twitter"

http://m.examiner.com/conservative-in-national/breaking-news-on-the-fast-and-furious-scandal

Did I see Chicago mentioned? That's a surprise.

[Thomas Collins]

By the way, from following Mitt during his campaign against Teddy K and his MassGuv days, I conclude that this is not unusual for Mitt. He tends to get tongue tied. He won't get clobbered by Obama in the debates, but he also won't score in the manner that Reagan did against Carter. Obama/Romney in debate is probably a fumble filled tie (and MSM will of course focus more on Mitt's fumbles).

Perhaps Mitt and Barack can share a teleprompter for the debates.

[Janet]

Boy, we sure dodged a bullet by getting rid of that damned unpredictable Newt.

Yeah. I have zero, zero enthusiasm for Romney. With the ruthless MFM the Republican candidate needs to at least be liked by Republicans, for heaven sake. I can't even think of ways to defend him when Romneycare comes up. Just have to say, "yeah, you're right.". Well, he's got Sara....

[centralcal]

It would be interesting to know who did the "Flipper" ad. Does anyone know - was it a candidate on our side or was it from the Dem side?

It was pretty scary.

I agree, Janet - word for word.

[Thomas Collins]

"the feelers"

Rick, it's the feeler vote that makes me really hope that your analysis of how this election is going to go is right on and my close election prediction is way off. The feeler vote is going to break for Obama at the end. If your analysis holds, Romney will win without the feeler vote, but if it's close, the feelers in Northern Virginia and like places will swing it to Obama.

And, if your intriguing suggestion that Hillary might be able to shove Barack out of the top spot comes to pass, it's all over. Hillary 53%, Romney 46%, and Hillary scores a fairly comfortable Electoral College margin. But enough of my nightmares.

[Danube of Thought]

Hillary will not be the Dem nominee.