Via memeorandum, I see that Tom Tancredo is dropping out of the Presidential race.
Does anyone have any idea why he waited around this long to quit? And what Republican does this help the most?
Tom Who?
by John Cole| 47 Comments
This post is in: Politics
cleek
i’m not sure it helps a specific Republican; probably, it helps them all. but i’m sure it hurts all the Democrats. everything does.
Gus
Duncan Hunter and Alan Keyes will probably be the short term beneficiaries.
myiq2xu
All three of his supporters will probably switch to Huckleberry.
Psycheout
I’m sure that “The Tanc” knew all along that he wasn’t going to get the nomination. But he did succeed in bringing the illegal immigration issue to the forefront. It is due to Tom Tancredo that the other Republican candidates were forced to pay so much lip service to “Shamnesty” and border fences.
That’s what Tancredo wanted to accomplish. And he was successful. Time for him to bow out. His work is done.
Psycheout
Many suspect that Tancredo will endorse Fred Thompson, if he endorses anyone at all.
Seanly
Yeah, the border fence is such a great idea. We don’t even have the tax revenues to adequately take care of the infrastructure that we have. Hmm, worthless boondoggle of a fence or repairing bridges?
Good riddance to another hateful, bigoted turd of a candidate.
Fwiffo
Has John Cox dropped out officially? He’s was the only guy more xenophobic than Tom T.
myiq2xu
Racial bigotry is hard work. He deserves to rest in the shade while his dark-skinned servants tend his yard, clean his house, and do other menial chores.
Zifnab
We just need to put fences on all our bridges. Two birds with one stone, baby.
I’m just said to see Tom go. I was really looking forward to another episode of “Brown People From Across The Border Want to Backpack Bomb Your Airports!!11!!one1eleventyone”
Bob In Pacifica
Whenever candidates present magical solutions to difficult problems I take note. Either they have no real intention of doing anything and are only encouraging fantasies of the election, or the magical solution offered will be much messier, deadlier and beastial than the fairy tale told.
myiq2xu
As Carlos Mencia pointed out, if we kick out all the illegals, who is going to build the fence?
Psycheout
Laughably, Jon Cox is still in to win. He’s supposedly “the only real Conservative running for President.” Too bad for him that his website only displays a Server Error message.
John Cole
Carlos Mencia can DIAF. Plus, he probably stole that joke, anyway.
Jen
Well, of course he dropped out, he had to devote himself full-time to genetic research for the man-eating mutant creatures he’s going to stock the moat with.
I mentioned this the other day, but I heard a Giuliani ad (from a podcast, no one campaigns here yet) where he talked about how immigration had been a problem the government hadn’t done anything about. Not just illegal immigration, mind you, immigration. I can’t quite decide if this is one of those issues that people really will make voting decisions about, or if they’re seriously overplaying their hand here.
Eural Joiner
What’s DIAF?
TheFountainHead
Amen, sir.
TheFountainHead
Die in a Fire.
Psycheout
He was trying to out-Tancredo Tancredo. “The Tanc” was saying in one of the recent debates (if not all of them) that we need to essentially halt all immigration. That probably turned off the fiscal conservatives.
akaoni
Have no doubt, there is a very large contingent of people who will make immigration an issue. I don’t think this is the red herring that many do. My wife’s family are from the Denver area and just about every other word out of their mouth disparages Mexicans. Either they’re all violent criminals, they’re all lazy and want to live off welfare, or (ironically) they’re taking their jobs. Seriously, anti-immigrant bigotry is a big deal and lots of people will vote on it. I’m not saying they’re a majority, but I think that if one of the main Republican candidates makes this issue their own, they could make some of the Dems squirm…
Incertus (Brian)
I’m actually surprised he got out. I was figuring he’d do the shoestring campaign, hope like hell to get a delegate, and try to make a speech at the convention. Alas, it’s probably Alan Keyes who has to take that role now.
Jen
Alas? For free entertainment, I don’t think it gets any better than an Alan Keyes speech.
Carlos Mencia is SO two weeks ago.
Psycheout
Meanwhile Ghouliani was just released from the hospital. If he can’t handle a cold, how can he handle the terrorists who want to kill us?
Zifnab
That’s what I was hoping Steven Colbert would do. Alas, it was not to be.
Xanthippas
I doubt that. The debate earlier in the year over the immigration bill helped to make sure this issue would be at the forefront, regardless of who was actually running in the GOP primaries. Also, the entire right-wing obsession with “illegals” helps.
A bad ticker doesn’t seem to have deterred Cheney.
myiq2xu
Do you really think Cheney has a heart?
Robert Johnston
Clearly the answer to that question is “Tom Tancredo.” Divvying up Tancredo’s supporters isn’t exactly a priority for the remaining candidates given how difficult they are to find in the first place. Tancredo, on the other hand, now can get back to the important business of silly earmarks and making speeches that air at 3AM on C-Span.
The Other Steve
Given Tancredo supported a fascist fence, don’t you think his supporters will probably switch to the liberal in the race?
The Grandest Panjandrum
Appoint Jonah Goldberg as Secretary of Defense? Jonah could get his readers (or, reader?) all lathered up! They could throw keyboards and donuts at them, or at least threaten them with another book by Jonah. Who knows? That might cause the terrorists to laugh themselves to death.
RSA
Ron Paul has apparently accepted a donation from Stormfront, who support him for his position on immigration. Tancredo supporters might go in his direction as well.
rachel
Who is Carlos Mencia?
Psycheout
Why is the Ron Paul – Stormfront story being discussed again? I didn’t see anything new there. I addressed this Don Black donation two months ago.
Not that I mind, but this isn’t really news.
Robert Johnston
Buy Jonah’s book, get a free sponge-bath from the author? Interesting marketing ploy, but I don’t see it working too well in light of the many results of Jonah’s unfortunate Cheetoes™ addiction.
Billy K
God, I hate that douchebag.
Robert Johnston
Oh lord.
Why is this
Ron-Paul’s-not-a-racist-it’s-just-an-amazing-coincidence-
that-all-major-white-supremacist-groups-support-him-after-
his-long-history-of-frequently-speaking-to-marginal-racist-
groups-in-racist-code-speak-and-his-supporting-all-the-
facially-race-neutral-policies-that-white-supremacists-
routinely-support-for-explicitly-racist-reasons story being discussed again?
I didn’t see anything new here. Realities of statistical impossibilities have addressed it over and over forever by now.
Robert Johnston
He has several. In glass jars. On his desk.
Do you deny this?
Robert Johnston
Carlos is more of a what than a who. He’s one of those comedians who thinks that being funny amounts to uttering as many racist one-liners as you can in as short a time as possible. He doesn’t ever go for clever, only ever for volume. He’s worse than most because he thinks he can get away with it due to being Hispanic.
Laertes
Mencia is a modestly talented comic who’s probably best-known for lifting material from other comics. I just did a quick youtube search on his name, and four of the first eight links are about his notorious material-stealing.
I saw him live, once, at a club in Austin. He got off a few good lines, and could more or less work a crowd. He ended with some bizarre preachy rant that went too long, and left the crowd baffled.
tBone
So basically he’s Dane Cook, except with modest talent instead of none.
Nikki
What does it say about Tancredo that he couldn’t even get the Stormfront guys behind him?
Tony J
Ohhh! So that’s what started the fire then? Someone must have opened a drape without realising and sunlight hit it.
Badtux
Probably Duncan Hunter is the closest to Tom Tancredo. Duncan Hunter has connections to the “Minuteman” group that has been rattling sabres down along the border (well, when not passed out drunk from all the six-packs of Bud that they’re chuggin’ down). Hunter is also batshit crazy like Tancredo, which is helpful for getting the Tancredoites on board. The only difference is that, from what I hear from people who live in Hunter’s district, Hunter actually believes all that shit, while Tancredo was smart enough to know it was all bullshit that he’d conjured up for his own political benefit in his highly racist area.
Hmm, here’s a good campaign slogan for Duncan Hunter as he goes after the Tancredo supporters:
“Like Tom Tancredo. Except dumber.”
Alrighty, then!
Jen
I think Mencia is pretty cringe-worthy, but my two Honduran friends like him. Shrug.
Anne Laurie
Alas, it’s probably Alan Keyes who has to take that role now.
And here I was going to make a joke about Tancredo quitting because the other Repubs stood him next to Keyes during their last debates. Something about Tom saying that, despite his xenophobic convictions, there are some jobs a white man just shouldn’t be asked to do…
Randolph Fritz
Dave Neiwert comments,
He promises more after he is back from vacation. (Winter vacation in Idaho–who says liberals aren’t tough?) It is hard to escape the sense that the American fascists (religious right/violent nationalist coalition) are making their move, so I think Huckabee/Paul benefit most.
It’ll be a good election for people who are tired of lesser evils.
Jose
Tom Tancredo – Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Thanks for the entertainment – what a clown. Didn’t even get 15 minutes of fame – more like 15 minutes of disdain.
The kiss of death that you have given Romney with your endorsement is priceless. Like I said, What a Clown!
Tara the anti-social social worker
“Tancredo, on the other hand, now can get back to the important business of silly earmarks and making speeches that air at 3AM on C-Span.”
And threatening to nuke our allies. Do you think he even knew what country Mecca was in when he made that threat?
frankdawg81
Tommy admitted in an interview this fall that his goal was not to win the nomination but to to be the most whacked out (my interpretation of his words) on immigration. In doing that he “give(s) cover” to the most abusive positions of the other candidates.
His work is done so he is moving on now.
Since the wrong reverend Huckster is not rabidly anti-immigrant he won’t gain from this. My guess is Grandpa Fred picks up most of the support. It would have been Ru9d11 but he is destructing so pretty much a leper.