Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Fani Willis claps back at Trump chihuahua, Jim Jordan.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

I really should read my own blog.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Accountability, motherfuckers.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

The revolution will be supervised.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

You are here: Home / Feel the Paulmentum

Feel the Paulmentum

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Good news for Mitt Romney:

Texas Rep. Ron Paul won the 2010 CPAC straw poll tonight, a victory that will further energize his already enthusiastic supporters but will have little effect on the coming presidential contest.

Paul, who ran for president in 2008, took 31 percent of the vote. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had won the past three CPAC straw polls but placed second this time with 22 percent. Romney is considered the current frontrunner for the 2012 nod.

No other candidate scored in double digits. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who did not speak at CPAC, took third place with seven percent. (Full results are below.)

This is like a nine iron through the window of the Tim Pawlenty campaign.

Reader Interactions

96Comments

  1. 1.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I’d still bet on Pawlenty over Romney, once they start whispering about his being a Mormon

  2. 2.

    Penon

    [Ron Paul’s straw poll victory] will further energize his already enthusiastic supporters but will have little effect on the coming presidential contest.

    That’s a great opinion at the end there, but what facts exist to back it up?

  5. 5.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    John Thune and Li’l Ricky Santorum tie at 2%. David Brooks is probably hurt, writing a despairing entry in his diary, and K-Lo is probably contemplating a savage tweet for those nasty people who don’t recognize Teh Santorum.

  6. 6.

    Woodbuster

    I am sure that Obama will decide not to run again, knowing that Ron Paul is such a threat. Tee hee….

  7. 7.

    Comrade Luke

    Why is CPAC getting so much coverage?

    How are these people different from a bunch of Dems getting together and voting for Kucinich?

  9. 9.

    YellowJournalism

    Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who did not speak at CPAC, took third place with seven percent. (Full results are below.)

    CPAC attendees must be Family Guy fans.

  10. 10.

    mr. whipple

    This is like a nine iron through the window of the Tim Pawlenty campaign.

    Not at all. This is just a message from the ‘base’ of the Republican party that Pawlenty will need to double down on the crazy. So, double down he will.

    Within a week I expect he’ll call for the abolishment of the Federal Reserve and a return to the gold standard. Watch.

  11. 11.

    Nick

    2400 people total? We had 1/3 of that marching across the Brooklyn Bridge for a public option today, and it did not make even local news.

  13. 13.

    MattF

    Romney presents a sort of theological problem– the plain fact that he would sell his soul to become President is food for spiritual reflection, even for a winger.

  14. 14.

    MikeJ

    I can’t imagine polls will ever mean anything to republicans. These are the same people that said Obama staged an “electoral coup” by daring to win more votes. Why would they pay attention to what the proles in their party want?

  15. 15.

    Comrade Luke

    Twitter is all agog over Glenn Beck right now; I assume he gave a speech?

    Glenn Beck’s CPAC speech- probably one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard.

    Help…

  17. 17.

    trollhattan

    This is like a nine iron through the window of the Tim Pawlenty campaign.

    All right Mister J, you owe me a keyboard, dude.

  18. 18.

    Eric U.

    Paul’s victory was a surprise to me, seems like he’s not crazy enough or republican enough. Republican party is changing too fast for my tastes.

  19. 19.

    soonergrunt

    Great! Keep bringing the crazy! That’s just fucking lovely. Really.

    Obama will win re-election if they do. Unlike these guys, most of the rest of the country doesn’t like staring into the abyss. These guys like it when the abyss stares back. They think it’s God paying them special attention.
    So, Obama will win re-elect. The problem is down-ticket, because you can’t get elected to Dog Catcher in Oklahoma unless you can prove your batshit crazy creds. The last relatively normal guy elected in this state to anything is Governor Henry who is term limited, and even he could get his winger on when he felt the need.

  20. 20.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @soonergrunt: Ther concern is what happens if the crazy spreads. As it is, 27% of the population are crazy. If they get crazier, it is bad. But, if the crazy spreads beyond that, the we need to be worried.

    If a wingnut in OK wins with 79% instead of 65%, not too big a deal. If wingnuts start winning regularly in MA, look out.

  21. 21.

    cat48

    I think John McCain only got 12% last election cycle, Romney won, and Rudy came in 2nd so I’m not sure it means too much. I imagine Mittens is ticked though. BoBo’s new crush, Thune, only got 2%. He tied with “Man on Dog”. heh

  23. 23.

    ajr22

    The thing about the Republican base is they don’t really give a shit who they nominate. If its Pawlenty, Thune, Romney they will all at once discover they love em. I mean look at Palin, no one knew who the fuck she was, but she gets the nomination and within two days she is the darling of the conservative movement. I mean how the hell does someone become beloved by a movement when the movement just found out who she was 48 hours ago?

  24. 24.

    cat48

    @Comrade Luke:

    That’s probably because he wants the big government Republican’s and spenders to admit they were wrong like Tiger did yesterday. A lot of Serenity Prayer references. BoBo loves Niebuhr who wrote the Prayer so he was probably impressed. heh

    One of the scariest speeches I’ve ever heard.

  28. 28.

    Ash

    @Comrade Luke:

    Why is CPAC getting so much coverage?

    I have been wondering this for a while now. There is no comparable even for Democrats/liberals, where we all gather and make shitty jokes about stringing Dick Cheney up by the balls and get it broadcast on C-SPAN.

  30. 30.

    Penon

    There is no comparable even for Democrats/liberals

    We’d rather not fret over all the aLPACa jokes that would come from it.

  32. 32.

    mcc

    @Comrade Luke: Also notice this is the second week-long “conservatives are doing something, so it’s newsworthy” media event in a month.

    Kinda makes me curious how much real attention the health care summit thing (not even a Democratic event technically) next week will get.

  33. 33.

    nepat

    This is excellent news for . . . Jane Hamsher and Glenn Greenwald! They also have Paultard sympathies.

  35. 35.

    Zifnab25

    @Nick: Didn’t I hear (from DougJ or John Cole) about how support for the public option was so piddly and lackluster that these events didn’t actually take place? I seem to remember a flaming hissy fit over a “virtual rally” or some such, because those lazy liberals were too lazy to actually get together in front of a news camera in person.

    I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure we can give credit to over seven thousand protest marchers if they didn’t pass there “Network News Considers This Important” litmus test.

    :-p 2010 will be about voter turnout and corporate v. populist fund raising. All these high publicity conservative wank-fests will be that much sound and noise, signifying nothing but how loud old white people can shout with a corporate megaphone.

  36. 36.

    mcc

    Oh, and can’t help but point out: according to the full breakdown (found this on TPM), 54% of the people participating in this poll were under 25 and and 75% were under 40. Does that sound representative of the GOP to you?

  37. 37.

    The Dangerman

    @ajr22:

    I mean how the hell does someone become beloved by a movement when the movement just found out who she was 48 hours ago?

    Tits and a Wink

  38. 38.

    Mary

    @nepat: Funny you should mention that. Firedoglake just put up a post wondering if Ron Paul would be better for progressives.

  39. 39.

    Tonal Crow

    @ajr22:

    I mean how the hell does someone become beloved by a movement when the movement just found out who she was 48 hours ago?

    It’s e-mot-shun takin’ me o-ver, caught up in tard-ness, lost in the porn….

    But seriously, we forget at our peril that most people decide most things emotionally most of the time. That’s why explaining the truth — without more — is such a disappointing loser.

  41. 41.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Mary: Of course a conservative republican would be better for progressives. Everyone should have voted for Goldwater in ’64 as well. Dipsh*ts.

  46. 46.

    Keith G

    @Eric U.:

    Paul’s victory was a surprise to me, seems like he’s not crazy enough or republican enough.

    No Eric. Is just that the Cliff Notes version of Paul’s ideology dresses up okay. And he and his core support have learned to de-emphasize his loony shit when he does Maddow and college campuses.

    No, Eric. Use teh Google, click the links. The dude drips crazy. He’s a gone fucker.

  48. 48.

    Keith G

    @Joe1347:

    Petraeus? No. I have heard him on several occasions speak to his lack of interest in electoral politics and I get the notion that he means it. I really think most generals would be ill-suited for modern campaign politics, especially right after retirement.

    This aint the 1950s and he aint Eisenhower.

  49. 49.

    burnspbesq

    @Zifnab25:

    :-p 2010 will be about voter turnout and corporate v. populist fund raising.

    You’d better hope not, because if it is, progressives and their causes will be well and truly fucked.

  50. 50.

    Allan

    This is like a nine iron through the window of the Tim Pawlenty campaign.

    This is like Ron Paul flew a blimp into the Mormon Tabernacle.

  63. 63.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    Every time Task Force Gooper posts I have to click on his name-link to see if his site is still fucked up. Yup, still fucked up!

    Just like Task Force Gooper, it returns errors every time…lol!

  65. 65.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    What you propagandists, mental patients and assorted drug addicts don’t seem to realize is that a diarist on FDL’s diary site doesn’t actually speak for FDL any more than your lame comments represent the views of John Cole.

  70. 70.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    @Task Force Ripper:

    Naah, I just keep web, game servers and databases up 24/7/365 with nary a problem. I wouldn’t have a clue. Gotcha. Something tells me that if you are ‘fixing’ something again and again, you ain’t fixing it.

    But hey, you know better than me…lol!

  72. 72.

    mai naem

    Whatever happened to Li’l Ricky, did Larry Craig and Mark Foley attend CPAC today? Also too, Haley Barbour?

  75. 75.

    Yutsano

    @Comrade Kevin:

    False stats. Markets DON”T normally crash. Corrections are very normal often reflecting gov excess regs, spending.

    BoB is running for Congress. Whowouldathunkit?

  78. 78.

    Jean

    From the NYT, a column by Lincoln Chaffee, a comment on Evan Bayh’s retirement and the idea of a third party, Centrist, which leads to what Obama has done wrong:
    “So far, I’m sorry to say, he’s proving my assertion that Republicans lead in the wrong direction and Democrats are unable to lead in any direction at all. His difficult first year in office can be traced, I believe, to his appointment of the hyperpartisan Rahm Emanuel as the White House chief of staff, and his failure to devise a stimulus bill that could win a single Republican vote in the House. That crucial first test set the tone for the stalemate on health care reform — an issue that should be popular with the American center, and could be, given the right leadership.”

    Rahm, check.
    Creation of a bill that can win a Republican vote, check.

    I like Chaffee all right, compared to most Republicans, but this is b.s. There are no Republican votes no matter what bill is created and no matter how much in it attracts Republicans or includes their “ideas.”

  80. 80.

    Yutsano

    @Comrade Kevin: I swear I’ve seen BoB say that exact line or something very similar before. It definitely fits into his style of nonsense. I don’t know where he’s running but hopefully he has zero chance. From the return tweets he could be in a blue district but who knows.

  83. 83.

    Mike in NC

    I mean how the hell does someone become beloved by a movement when the movement just found out who she was 48 hours ago?

    In ’08 I encountered an amazing number of Republicans who seamlessly pivoted from the Cult of Bush to the Cult of Palin in roughly 24-48 hours. The right-wing hive mind and party discipline are truly impressive.

  85. 85.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @eemom: You retards are free to go over there and set up your own diaries and push any viewpoint you like. How about that for diversity?

    I don’t know why you think every thread here has to be turned into an anti-FDL deal.

  86. 86.

    Anya

    @eastriver: This is my favorite part of the takedown:

    And it will come as no surprise to you that, although he is talking about bankers, America’s Greatest Conservative Public Intellectual manages to fail to mention the fact that, 50 years ago, Thurston Howell III had to do his drinking and golfing and maid-fucking and minority-hating inside a regulatory cage built for him by Arch Liberal Franklin Roosevelt. Although he may well have wanted to, Thurston was simply not allowed to destroy the global economy in order to make himself and his heirs incrementally wealthier.

  87. 87.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    @feebog:

    He can’t do that because he’s too busy telling me that he has ‘fixed’ his website (which still isn’t fixed). That last comment he made to me is a real laugh. I get the impression that Task Farce Gooper is one of those people who are always right and everyone else is wrong.

    His shit may not work but hey, he’s right and he’s fixed it!

  88. 88.

    Nick

    @Zifnab25:

    Didn’t I hear (from DougJ or John Cole) about how support for the public option was so piddly and lackluster that these events didn’t actually take place?

    You heard it from me too. I was very pleased to see the turnout today, although I felt that most of these people would be fine with a bill that passed even without a public option. Many of them were pointing out that the House could end this by just passing the Senate bill, but since the public option is alive, they were fighting “for the best bill can get”

  89. 89.

    Sam Sewell

    Create a Crisis! The Left Needs a New Tactic. We are Catching on!

    My StatCounter tells me that this article just isn’t getting the attention it deserves. So, I have reformatted it, put it all in bold font, and sent out a mass Email to call attention

    “Let us screw you, right now, or the world will end and it will all be your fault!”

    That just doesn’t work with American citizens any more.

    http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2010/02/create-crisis-left-needs-new-tactic-we.html

  91. 91.

    Michael

    Just want to point out that Ron Paul aims for an unaccountable set of local theonomies that can then link up and become an unaccountable national theonomy in a fascist way.

    He’s a libertarian in the way Adolf Hitler was a libertarian.

  92. 92.

    Gravenstone

    @feebog: Don’t look now, but I think something followed you out of the sewers. I think you got some Birther slime on your shoes. Might want to burn ’em, just to be safe.

  93. 93.

    liberal

    @Michael:

    He’s a libertarian in the way Adolf Hitler was a libertarian.

    While most of Paul’s take on issues is garbage, he’s pretty good on foreign policy, which means he’s hardly comparable to Hitler.

  94. 94.

    Snarky Bastard

    Keith G is correct. As one of Paul’s constituents in the 14th Texas, I can confirm that he’s unelectable at the national level, and has a long record of saying crazy stuff, and affiliating with even more crazy folks.

    Now, I think this CPAC poll is great — it further shows up the rifts in what are supposed to be the purest batch of conservative activists in the country.

    Remember, too, that Ron Paul is being primaried by three teabaggers, who are upset with him in large part for not bringing enough federal assistance to this area after Hurricane Ike. (Yes, you read that right — the teabaggers are upset that Paul didn’t bring enough federal cash their way — get your heads around that.)

    But it’s not all bad if Paul stays right where he is — after all, he brought in $398M in earmarks to the district last year, one of the biggest pork-gorgers in the region, a full third more than ultra-liberal Sheila Jackson Lee. Go Ron Paul!

  95. 95.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    @Gravenstone:

    I thought I smelled something…lol! That Birther crap has a stench all its own.

    @liberal:

    Those who love him can have him. Every time I see him or someone mentions him, the first thing that comes to mind is that Ron Paul a racist. End of story. He will never be president.

    Never.

  96. 96.

    lol

    @Ash:

    Netroots Nation is comparable and about as equally relevant to the real world. In 2007, they had a straw poll that Edwards ran away with.

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