Mr. Wrong About Everything, Bill Kristol, signs his political death certificate:
The new Rasmussen poll for the 2010 Arizona GOP Primary—John McCain 45%, J. D. Hayworth 43%—will generate a fair amount of buzz. But August is a long way away, and I assume that when McCain gets back to Arizona and campaigns, he’ll pull it out.
I hear McCain will be greeted with flowers and the primary will pay for itself.
ellaesther
I hear McCain will be greeted with flowers and the primary will pay for itself.
John Cole, I know you hear this from all the girls (and probably your fair share of guys!), but:
I heart you.
CDT
This is very good news for John McCain.
jibeaux
This is excellent news for …oh, wait, I guess not, actually.
PeakVT
Be sure to click through because the next paragraph is hilarious.
gopher2b
He is toast. A sitting Senator polling 2 points better than another known entity. No way he survives.
Violet
LOL. I wish Bill Kristol opined on what stocks to pick. I’d do the exact opposite of what he said and be very, very rich.
Why is that man is not treated as a complete joke with his horrific track record?
jibeaux
@PeakVT:
Holy crap. Way to bury the lede, John.
donovong
J.D. Hayworth? He is as dumb as a brick! The closest “known” politician I can come up with to compare him to is Sarah Palin.
Oh. Sweet justice!
valdivia
Ha ha I love that when a poll is bad for a Republican they support the election is still a long way away, but when it is about dems or Republicans they hate the polls are Very Important. Idiots all. This guy more so though.
Violet
@PeakVT:
Bwahahahahaha! That’s comedy gold!
ROFLMAO.
TaosJohn
Why in God’s name is he even still in the Senate? He’s old and rich. Just quit, go fishing. These people are weird.
lol
Should we start taking bets on when exactly Palin will head to Arizona to campaign for Hayworth?
Pigs & Spiders
As long as his horrifically named Internet Freedom Act follows him to obscurity, I can live with whomever they replace him.
jibeaux
I just wish Kristol would make himself useful and say that man-made global warming is real and is a problem. That way we can finally breathe in a lovely lemony mist from all the other cars’ exhaust as we sit in traffic, and watch the magical C02 gobbling trees do their work and I can finally go back to clear Christmas lights that don’t give off that weird blue LED hue without guilt….
geg6
Yup. Sounds like the Maverick is toast. Because if there is any law of the universe that has been proven to be absolute, it’s that any pronouncement by Bloody Bill guarantees the opposite outcome.
And isn’t this Hayworth some sort of stupider-than-even-McCain wingnut?
ellaesther
You know what, all kidding aside, you know who has pissed me off the most in the course of this mind-bending week of Palinpalooza?
Fucking John McCain.
Sarah Palin is just being who she is (“just as God made her,” to paraphrase Spinal Tap). But who do we have to fucking thank for her? Fucking John McCain, that’s fucking who. As angry as he could make me in the past, this week I found myself a lot closer to enraged.
What the fucking hell was his thinking?
Oh, that’s right: Country First. How could I have missed that?
jibeaux
@Violet:
I know, right? Where do you even begin? From the amazing success that was her interference in NY-23, to the fact that McCain would likely as not punch her in the mouth as look at her, to the wooing of Arizona voters with folksy tales about ice fishing and hockey…
Col. Klink
Certainly Palin will do him a favor and campaign for McCain in AZ right? Right!?!
kommrade reproductive vigor
[Removes mind’s eye with a spork]
DougJ
I think McCain will win. But he’ll spend a lot of time sucking up to teabaggers in order to do so.
Irony Abounds
I can’t tell you how much I hate living in Arizona, where 20th Century politics are considered too liberal. Hayworth is dumb as a stack of bricks – I’m not sure he’s any more intelligent than Palin.
joe from Lowell
McCain, and a lot of other Republicans, are going to have to run to their right on immigration when it is being debated in Congress next year, just as the Republican primaries are happening.
That ought to do their minority-support numbers a world of good. Everyone talks about conservatives driving off Latino voters with their immigrant-bashing, but other minority groups, especially African-Americans, know minority-bashing when they hear it, even it dressed up in a respectable-enough garb that white people can overlook it.
I wonder when the Democrats will start winning Texas.
Jager
Zonies will have a first rate delegation in Washington, numb nuts Hayworth, brain dead Kyle and in the house Trent Frank and an assortment of zombies. If you think Arizona’s national politicos are bad…take a peek at the assholes on the state level. McCaine is a rocket scientist compared to this group of cretins. Barry Goldwater is a leftist compared to this group of sun baked morons! I don’t think Barry could get 10% in a primary in AZ today, remember, he said Jerry Falwell and the rest of the religious right needed a swift kick in the ass! That’s enough to give Trent Franks the vapors and cause Scottsdale housewives to faint!
Zifnab
@geg6:
What do you expect out of Arizona? That state is in worse financial shape than California and has decided the only solution is to be even more conservative.
Honestly, who would you rather have in the political limelight than Princess Sarah? She’s the physical embodiment of everything that is wrong with the GOP. She sucks up money like a vacuum cleaner. And she’s an absolute media whore.
Oprah had the right idea. Give that woman maximum coverage. Make her the new face of the party. Tie that albatross as firmly around the neck of the party as physically possible.
janet
I am very happy that McCain is goene. He is a creepy man.
kommrade reproductive vigor
@DougJ: He’d better start doing jaw exercises. Teabaggers are tetchy creatures, liable to turn on their saviors and messily devour them at any minute.
And Palin’s FaceBook page goes down in 5…4…
321!
feebog
How embarassing would it be to lose a primary to a moran like J. D. Hayworth?
ominira
If Hayworth wins the primary is it possible that Arizona gets a new Democratic senator? [Holds breath crosses fingers]
Lumpenprole
Maybe what we really need is for Kristol to write “Why Universal Healthcare Will Never Happen in the US.”
BenA
This formula is priceless: All but the most insane have pretty much left the Republican party. The “moderates” that are left are hugly outnumbered. In most places that’s not the south this leaves a pretty insubstantial percentage of the population.
Since this group of people are pretty much dissatisfied with ANY elected offical because they haven’t outlawed sex, abortion, and taxes procedes to primary away ANY chance they have of winning a general election… or run a crazy third party carpetbagger who will only further split the already depleted Republican party or simply drive votes to the Democrats.
El Cid
The problem with J. D. Hayworth, from the perspective of the modern conservative movement, is that he is too moderate and too intellectual.
MattF
Gosh, do you think Palin would support McCain? Well, Bill Kristol thinks so. That settles it.
Alan
Does Arizona have a closed Republican primary like Florida? If so this is excellent news for conservatism. :)
DanF
The McCain/Palin post-campaign sideshow has lately become more “Hatfield and McCoy” than “Abbot and Costello”. Kristol, as always, remains deep in denial.
Violet
@joe from Lowell:
I’m thinking 2016, but have hopes for some notable wins in 2012.
oklahomo
@ellaesther:
I honestly believe that McCain realized early on that he was going down, and Sarah Palin was his revenge upon all thinking peoples of the earth. You don’t like me? Take THAT! Also.
janet
McCain remins me of old food you find in the closet. Yuk, all moldy.
Comrade Sock Puppet of the Great Satan
“The new Rasmussen poll for the 2010 Arizona GOP Primary—John McCain 45%, J. D. Hayworth 43%”
This is excellent news for John McCain
[can’t believe I was the first to post that]
ellaesther
@Zifnab: Well, all right. If you’re going to make sense and all that!
But still. I am enraged!
And will be thrilled if he goes down in firey defeat. (Though you are in fact right. So I guess it’ll be win-win for the enraged!)
Dr. Squid
@geg6:
Why yes, he is dumber than McCain. Or a sack of rocks. Or a pile of hamster toenails. Or a… (fill in the blank)
Amusing that Hayworth would get any play at all, having already lost in a rightish district as a result of him being dumber than a pigpile of teabaggers.
Punchy
Who the fuck is J.D. Hayseed?
Violet
@Dr. Squid: I don’t know who Hayworth is, but if he’s that dumb and he’s already lost in a rightish district, then the polling might just be anti-McCain sentiment and not totally meaningful. If McCain runs right for the primary, and Hayworth proves himself a complete idiot (and one without any Palin-like fans), I can see how McCain could win in the end.
But it would be so much fun to watch McCain run away from his record and scare off anyone who isn’t white from ever voting for him in the general election.
Gosh, teabaggers are making midterms fun!
Will
Jesus, it gets even worse. Billy Kristol just called it. Sarah Palin is going to completely fuck over the man who handed her national stardom, go to Arizona and campaign for Hayworth. She is going to totally Hoffman McCain. The Democrat will pick up the seat.
Just Some Fuckhead
God bless JD Hayworth. No love for the wingnuttier wingnut but I may send him a few bucks to help take down the mean old bastard McCain. Then Broder can have a good cry and we can all move on without all the Mavericky independent bullshit providing cover for far right wing positions.
Punchy
Fizz’ixed.
Randy P
I read the first line and thought, “Wait, JC thinks that Kristol has finally written something so wrong it will cost him his writing gig?”
Took me a second to figure out who the “his” in “his political death certificate” was. Whew! The stars stay in the sky, the earth continues to move, hell does NOT freeze over today, etc.
The Moar You Know
@kommrade reproductive vigor: Oh my God. That is the best thing I have ever seen in my life.
Did you notice the booing makes them sound like cows?
Dr. Squid
@Violet:
JD Hayworth was a onetime Phoenix sports anchor and congressman who represented Scottsdale and Tempe. So Hayworth lost that district with the advantage of incumbency. Again, amusing how the GOP would be so drawn to a proven loser.
It sounds plausible that the poll is a result of anti-McCain sentiment and that the polls might be similar if -insert random nonindicted teabagger here- were the primary opponent.
Chad N Freude
Are we talking about this J D Hayworth? [Warning! Not safe for dry keyboards!]
Alex S.
The Democrats should run some 2nd tier candidate like they did in North Carolina with Kay Hagan against Elizabeth Dole. If Jan Brewer is still on the ticket next year the Democrats can expect some gains in Arizona.
Chad N Freude
@Chad N Freude: This is at the bottom of the J D Hayworth page:
A man is known by the company he keeps.
Will
@kommrade reproductive vigor:
That is so awesome. I love Linda Lewey’s comment, where she ends by quoting some self-help blather I guess Palin has trotted out:
“Following your steps to a road to success being on the cutting edge.”
That is Palinese down to a science. Linda says she used to believe it, but not anymore.
Linda, it is a long road to recovery, but you are at least going in the right direction. Cutting edge!
Very Reverend Crimson Fire of Compassion
@janet: Um, Janet, does this happen a lot? Why do you put food in the closet, dear?
Alan
@Chad N Freude: Considering that the GOP and conservatism is lead by talk radio, Hayworth seems like a perfect fit.
gf120581
I’d like a McCain loss just to see the reaction from the Villagers at seeing their favorite political crush go down. We might have a full-scale weepathon on MTP, complete with a sobbing David Gregory holding McCain’s hand.
It would be embarassing for McCain to lose, because J.D. Hayworth is, to be blunt, dumb as a post. Imagine Rush Limbaugh actually getting elected to public office and you get some idea of what Hayworth is like. He was one of the worst of the 1994 GOP class and the fact that he lasted 12 years in office is still shocking.
Sasha
Ah, yet another prognostication from the Kristol Ball.
asiangrrlMN
@Violet: Thanks for block-quoting it so I didn’t have to click through.
I am beginning to think that Kristol is some kind of surreal performance artist. No one is that dead-wrong so often.
@ellaesther: I’m actually with ellaesther on this one. Palin as the face of the GOP may be good for the Democratic Party, but I don’t think the obsession on her is good for our country as a whole. It just encourages more numnuts to, well, out-Palin Palin.
Svensker
@kommrade reproductive vigor:
Did you read the comments? People stood in line for 8 HOURS with their 10-month-old babies? In the cold and rain? Well, I guess you gotta be crazy to stand in that line anyway, so putting your kids through that is just more crazy.
asiangrrlMN
@Sasha: Kristol Gall?
Martin
If J.D. Hayworth wins in Arizona, can we all get cash for our annuities and structured settlements?
Legalize
This phenomenon promises to be highly entertaining, and/or highly dangerous.
Dr. Loveless
@DougJ:
Argh! with the imagery!
kay
My favorite Republican:
“Washington’s ambassador to Beijing hit out Friday at negative U.S. media coverage of President Barack Obama’s visit to China, saying it failed to take into account important progress on many issues.
The trip was the top news story in China, drawing strong interest from the Chinese public who, surveys suggest, are largely positive in their view of the American president.
However, much of the U.S. media coverage was strongly negative, accusing Obama of failing to gain concessions on key issues such as Iran’s nuclear program and climate change, as well as being weak on human rights.
Ambassador Jon Huntsman said the reports missed the fact that the visit had yielded important progress on cooperation in areas such as clean energy, military-to-military exchanges and stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.
“I attended all those meetings that President Obama had with Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao,” Huntsman said, referring to the Chinese president and premier.
“I’ve got to say some of the reporting I saw afterward was off the mark. I saw sweeping comments about things that apparently weren’t talked about, when they were discussed in great detail in the meetings,” he said.
jibeaux
@Alex S.:
We got a 2nd tier candidate because by the time you had to file, people assumed Liddy was going to win again, and the first tier guys and gals didn’t want to do it.
les
@Just Some Fuckhead:
I wish. But McCain would just be invited into the Village, and be a constant tv presence foisting his wacky maverickyness on us.
L. Ron Obama
@jibeaux:
“Warm white” LED lights are good if you prefer a more incandescent look. I prefer GE brand (Lowe’s, Costco) because they do not flicker perceptibly. Phillips brand (Target) is right out, they look like strobe lights, inexcusable for 2009.
Oh, I guess this wasn’t an open thread…
raptusregaliter
@ellaesther:
Let’s not forget that it was Bill Kristol’s Love Boat from Hell that sailed up to Alaska for the first real meet ‘n’ greet with Caribou Barbie. He was thusly enchanted, realized that she was exactly what America needed, and kept his “always wrong” record intact.
I wonder if he can actually tie his own shoes in the morning.
kommrade reproductive vigor
@Svensker: That’s nothing. They bring their wee ones to D.C. every year to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Which is the end of January.
If you’re not familiar with our weather, there is a 99% chance your nuts will retreat to your liver when you go outside at that time of year, especially if you spend a few hours on the National Mall with nothing much between you and the wind blowing off the Potomac.
That’s how much they hate children.
GregB
By stock in Arizona botox clinics. Those two clowns use that stuff like vampires use blood.
The question is just how wingnutty will McCain get?
Dust off the tire swing and start the popcorn popper.
-G
eemom
I really think McCain deserves to rot in hell for all eternity for unleashing Palindora’s Box upon us, but in the spirit of compromise, I am willing to accept his primary defeat to a box of hammers.
It will be so delightfully mortifying for him, if that is how the whole American hero/Maverick myth that has been his storied political career were finally to come to an end.
David Hunt
Unfortunately, Bill Kristol is not always wrong. He’s just incredibly wrong-headed. He was, however, the guy in 1993 who told Republican that they had to go totally all out to stop any type of Health Care Reform because it being passed would be a gem in the Democratic Crown for years to come and would aid in their election prospects for years. Therefore, almost any cost to defeat “Hillarycare” was justified and would pay off big time if they succeeded in blocking it.
He was right about that. His solution to the “problem” was malicious, but his prediction was right.
Jay in Oregon
Oh please please please please let Kristol live up to his reputation on this one.
Chat Noir
@kay: Once again, U.S. media fail. No shock, though.
geg6
@David Hunt:
Stopped clocks and all that, you know.
Comrade Darkness
@asiangrrlMN: @The Moar You Know: Self selection at its best. They are attracted to her message because they are childish, therefore when someone grabs the bag of candy the results are pretty predictable.
Man, if these people had the wherewithal to spend $40 and take a day off of work, they could have spent it on a job tools upgrade seminar/class at their local community college and gotten a hella lot more out of their time and money. Getting their giant foam finger cold and wet made more sense somehow.
Kilkee
Hayworth was an Imus favorite for a long time. Finally lost his seat because of some stupid foot-in-mouth remark. But he’s got one of those glib radio voices and minds, so he’s not to be underestimated when matching him with the sort of moronic voter base that thinks sent John McCain to the Senate.
P.S. Has been amusing to watch Hayworth’s weight, which has swung wildly over the years. I suspect Rush has been funneling him his drugs.
kay
@Chat Noir:
I’m glad he said it. They acted like asses covering the China trip. It was so incredibly American-centric and shallow.
There was no coverage of how it was playing there, which was the whole point of going.
If Obama wants to talk about China to an American audience, he can stay in DC. He wasn’t talking to us. Duh.
Are we so incredibly dense that we can’t even fathom that sometimes we are not the intended audience? How hard is that?
Hell, even as a partisan Republican he should complain. He came off very well on what little coverage of China I saw, and the media decided the whole trip was a massive failure.
jibeaux
@L. Ron Obama:
No, that’s helpful. I got them at Target. Hate them, awful. They look like those annoying blueish headlights some cars have, whatever those are. You know what I’m talking about.
PTirebiter
@kommrade reproductive vigor:
Great link… the mob turning on the Pinball Wizard and singing “We’re Not Going to Take It.”
twiffer
@Very Reverend Crimson Fire of Compassion: i dunno about janet, but i’ve got a toddler and all sorts of weird crap winds up in the closet. or in the fish tank.
L. Ron Obama
@jibeaux:
Target does have the warm white version this year, I plugged it in and the color looks okay. But they flicker terribly (some people do not notice, I hate it). The GE brand looks great to me, much brighter than my old incandescents, and the multicolor ones are prettier. Actually although I do not have any of the bluish-white ones, I do not mind that color, as it reminds me of moonlit snow.
asiangrrlMN
@Comrade Darkness: That would be actual, you know, work and stuff. Too hard!
@kay: Thanks for this, kay. I pretty much just dismiss most of what the traditional media says about, well, anything, sad to say. Useless, they are.
sparky
@kommrade reproductive vigor: win! for you. brown paper bags all round. urf.
DFH no. 6
J.D. Hayworth was the congressman from my district (AZ 5th) for 12 long years. It seemed incredible — he was barely qualified for his previous job (goofy sportscaster on local-yokel Phoenix TV station).
We booted him to his talk radio gig in 2006, replacing him with blue dog Dem Harry Mitchell.
Harry’s ok, though — he voted for the HCR bill in the House, f’rinstnce. Mostly he’s a blue dog cuz he’s a fiscal conservative. And he’s about as left-leaning as we could actually get elected in the district, what with Scottsdale being the core and all. I worked on his campaign in ’06 and ’08, and he will never be a safe incumbent.
Hayworth could beat McCain in the primary, definitely (it’s a closed primary). He’s every bit as pompous and buffoonish as Limbaugh, only double-digit IQ points lower (obviously not a deal-breaker for the R base in AZ, which has never trusted McCain as a “real” Republican — to them the stupid “maverick” thing, as bullshit as it is, just means he compromises with the socialists too much.
I don’t believe the Dems have much chance of winning the general, though, whether the opponent is Hayworth or McCain. Our only top-tier guy with name recognition here (Attorney General Terry Goddard, Phoenix mayor back in the ’80s) has decided to run for governor instead of senator. I’d prefer Hayworth over McCain just for the entertainment value — it’s not like he’ll actually do anything besides bloviate and vote lockstep R in the Senate.
xaaronx
John, you know you missed the chance for a great Public Enemy reference in the title, right?
debbie
I just read over at TPM that McCain has said the war in Afghanistan can be won in 12 to 18 months, providing Obama okays the 40,000 additional troops.
Maybe he wants his own Mission Accomplished moment?