2012 GOP Presidential Campaign -- "This individual's going to accuse me of an affair for an extended period of time."

I was gonna say, if "polarizing" now means "black or female" we have pretty much time jumped straight back into the 40s

well this is fox news's political world

Two weeks from today the value of a Herman Cain endorsement will be near zero.

I imagine it's close to worthless already, which is why he's rushing forward rather than dangling it out there. The only possible value I can see would be if Cain has organizational things in place (especially in Iowa) that Gingrich can use, an area he's obviously weak in.

Most symbolic endorsements are probably meaningless. I think some are beneficial: when the two Kennedys endorsed Obama, that meant something, and Powell's endorsement towards the end was helpful. One that's timed right can be worthwhile: Bill Richardson normally wouldn't mean that much, but I remember he endorsed Obama right after a brutal couple of weeks over Wright. (Plus he was jumping the Clinton ship.) Edwards' endorsement, conversely, came so late as to mean nothing.

Herman gets close to zero on both stature and timing. But maybe he can bring along a few precinct captains in Iowa (whatever that means).

I suspect that he was hoping* to spin it into some sort of 'king maker' thing, like Sarah Palin (the difference being that she is crazy to the bone, while he's mostly just playing it on tv, when he remembers to).

Also having just seen the last season of the Wire, I was hoping that he could at least have gone full Clay Davis when defending his decision to selflessly give all this money to this poor deluded woman.

*or at least figures it couldn't hurt to try, which seems to be kind of his modus operandi.

Ixnay on the Ewtnay.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/pelosi-democrats-gleeful-at-prospect-of-running-against-gingrich.php?ref=fpnewsfeed

I'm sure he did have delusions of kingmaker, but that that lasted for about 45 seconds after he finished his speech on Saturday--at which point he realized, "I'd better do this pronto, while people still remember who I am."

Ixnay on the Ewtnay.

econdedsay!

cain's endorsement depends on context, a few more public endorsements can give gingrich a temporary air of legitimacy. positive press is positive press.

'legitimacy' within the realm of crazy but that's still worth something

it's like if charlie sheen announced he was buying $10,000 worth of bitcoins

I think a Cain endorsement is still worth something. To the extent that Cain supporters liked his platform (9-9-9 and the rest) and not just the man, an endorsement for Gingrich implies some kind of philosophical agreement, which could at least make former Cain supporters (of which there are a few) give Gingrich a second look.

OTOH, we're living in a bizarro GOP world in which Donald Trump is moderating presidential candidate debates, so my idea of whose endorsement carries weight may be way off.

anyone have a link to this morning's interview of donald trump by chuck todd? i hear it was a train-wreck, and i want to watch it later.

At this point it may be useful to recall that, even though he was bugfuck crazy, Caligula was quite a popular emperor among those who lived outside of Rome.

His horse adored him.

I think a Cain endorsement is still worth something.

It's worth more than, say, a Santorum endorsement. This doesn't actually mean it's worth anything, though.

Every time I see the words "Santorum endorsement" I think it means "a successful gay date."

it means free godfather's pizza for newt's whole campaign staff (of one)!

It's morning in Newtonia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brdrjLavTzU

wau

Some key tidbits hidden in all that goo-goo-eyed sentimentality: "replace the tax code", "return power to the states".

Meanwhile:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/05/ginger-white-herman-cain-accuser-on-his-exit-his-arrogance-and-sex.html

this Newt thing still seems to be a spasm of irrelevance to me, but his miraculous nomination would produce the most vomitorious level of Bamlove from liberal invertebrates imaginable.

my Facebook was covered with chunks last Friday.

I wish Newt had included a brief shot of a hundred or so eight-year-olds in that ad, rowing away Ben Hur-style. (No embedding.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXh1tW16V-8

this Newt thing still seems to be a spasm of irrelevance to me, but his miraculous nomination would produce the most vomitorious level of Bamlove from liberal invertebrates imaginable.

and from liberals with backbones, too!

Offered a choice between eating gruel or excreta, I will choose gruel and think myself lucky. On the whole, though, I'd prefer my own cooking to either.

I'm talking about ppl who will pass off gruel as gravy, nectar, or manna.

Manna tasted like whatever the eater wanted it to taste like, so in your case I suspect even Manna would taste like gruel.

Manna Mah Nah

scriptural lesser-of-shit-sandwichism, about time

i mean i know you could say this about any potential candidate given the lolfest this has been, but is palin regretting her decision right now?

and what has happened to bachman? she still hasn't officially imploded yet, right?

Bachmann imploded almost instantaneously; she was done when she went on her HPV vaccine conspiracy rant

(calling all of her Republican rivals Socialists is merely icing on the fallen cake that is her campaign)

I think perry and even huntsman are more realistic candidates than gingrich. I'm beginning to think gingrich could take down romney but I refuse to believe he could win the nom.

I am confident gingrich could take down gingrich, and it seems possible that the romney-bot has already taken down romney. Stand by for the Huntsman juggernaut and Perry's miraculous resurrection.

i believe, in my heart, that the GOP nomination will be decided by an intense game of "rock, paper, scissors" between the remaining candidates at the convention.

Huntsman would definitely have a good shot in a general, but I just can't see him coming from 1% to win the nomination. It seems so incredibly improbable, and not improbable in the way Gingrich's ascension has been--i.e., someone who actually once was a Republican hero, and whose worst rhetorical excesses sort of match up well with the Tea Party.

it's improbable because Huntsman is not entirely insane

really the person who has to be the angriest about what's going on with the Republican polls is Santorum

improbable because the entire GOP race is a search for the "one" to challenge romney, and huntsman is too close to romney -- in demeanor, reasonableness, moderate opinions, religion, and so forth -- to be suitable.

no, someone like newt, who embodies and gives voice to the anger, fear and resentment on the right, is the right guy for that job.

I'll bet he's frothing right now. xpost

santorum's at fault for his failure to gain traction. he doesn't seem presidential. it's an issue of demeanor and gravitas.

but maybe if he started wearing a ronald reagan mask at all campaign appearances . . .

really the person who has to be the angriest about what's going on with the Republican polls is Santorum

― OH NOES, Monday, December 5, 2011 2:25 PM (2 minutes ago)

I'll bet he's frothing right now. xpost

― JmC (step hen faps), Monday, December 5, 2011 2:27 PM (8 seconds ago)

Hoping for postcampaign stories about trails of anger-trashed hotel rooms in IA and NH.

it's hard to know what huntsman really expects or expected, he came out of the gate insulting the GOP base

santorum's a social moralist in an economic moralist world. this election isn't gonna be about buttsex, so,

xp The base is anti-Beefheart across the board.

there's been a boomlet in the commentariat of "huntsman is really pretty right wing" with a side of "how is the press so convinced he's a republican liberal despite this??" and the answer is because that's how he portrayed himself! duhhh

also his last boss was obama

Sullivan posted this today:

"One time we were having sex, and I was looking up at the ceiling, thinking about, 'What am I going to buy at the grocery store tomorrow? What am I going to do with my kids tomorrow?'" - Ginger White on The Hermanator Experience.

And Herman? "9....9.....NINE! NINE! NINE! NINE!!!!!!!"