(Jim Morin via GoComics.com)
Y’know, it’s looking to me like Jon Huntsman is actually taking the first steps of his outside-the-box 2016 campaign. He’s getting a ton of positive free publicity from the Media Village Idiots right now, all about his manly centrist “generosity” and “vibrant spirit” and (most important) “Oval-Office-quality good looks & charm”. Of course (as the handicappers all acknowledge, with some mixture of glee & regret), he’s not going to be the 2012 Republican candidate, because the Teahadists and the Talibangelicals have veto power this time around, and those Heartlanders(tm) aren’t giving their spittle-flecked electoral lurve to no Obama-serving Darwin-trusting Mormon-Satanist. And barring catastrophe, whichever unfortunate does get the GOP tiara in Tampa is going to get stomped by President Obama’s re-election campaign. So… we’re all looking, gods save us, at 18 long months of internicine electoral warfare, where all the Repub contenders try to bloody each other up, giving special attention to Willard Romney as the presumptive “It’s His Turn” front-runner.
By the time the 2016 presidential race officially starts (mid-November 2012), the conventional wisdom will be — regardless of Obama’s successes, up to & including personally discovering a cure for all cancers and hitting the crucial homer in the Chicago Cubs’ 2015 World Series triumph — that everyone’s tired of having the Donkey Party in change. All the Media Villagers will be looking around for a cute, well-spoken Republican who doesn’t scare the low-information voters, while the Repub traditionalists go back to their recycling closet to see who’s done enough time-in-combat. And there they will find: Jon Huntsman. Still Mormon, nominally, but the nastiest attacks will’ve been used up on Mitt already, and Huntsman doesn’t have Romney’s soulless psychopath Uncanny-Valley affect…
Apart from airy speculation, and tonight’s WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED book chat (8pm EDT), what’s on everybody’s agenda for the evening?
BGinCHI
Sigh.
Had to hit the Cubbies there, didn’t you.
CT Voter
Uncanny valley affect
That is an outstanding description of Willard Mittens. Bravo!
JoshA
“And barring catastrophe, whichever unfortunate does get the GOP tiara in Tampa is going to get stomped by President Obama’s re-election campaign.”
Um, we have 9% unemployment and gas is $4 a gallon. I’d say catastrophe has occurred, and Obama has to be considered an underdog in his fight for reelection. Not saying these facts are his fault, but I am saying they are facts that its tough for any incumbent, even one as skilled as Obama, to overcome.
burnspbesq
I think you’re wrong about 2016. Even the dumbest-assed white male Neanderthal can be led around by the nose by a smart, perky blonde, and we’ve got one of those warming up in the bullpen.
Corner Stone
I thought I’d search the toobz for a hilariously incomprehensible ragefest of a post by a narcissistic self-absorbed D-level blogger with an unhealthy obsession of Jane Somesitorothers.
You know, something with buried ledes, easily disputable “facts”, convoluted trains of thought and laughably contorted conclusions.
Anyone know where I could find some of that?
Dave
JoshA – and you are ignoring the fact his favorables are still positive (50/45 latest DK/SEIU poll) and that every possible GOP opponent that has a chance of getting the GOP nod is either a lunatic or such a flip-flopper they could debate themselves.
General Stuck
Better them than us, though it won’t be a picnic in the park with dems to make sure their own knows how disappointed they are. Too bad we can’t just put issues aside for now and focus all fire on the wingnuts. Besides, neither a white nor black jeebus is going to pass any bills in our congress anytime soon. About as much chance of that happening as me blasting myself off with a bottle rocket for a successful mission to Mars.
The prez is going to tell us about his withdrawal plans for Afghan at 8 pm EST. I predict threads of Agony and Ecstasy
to contain fists of fur.
alwhite
Two flies in the ointment there.
Given the economy I am not convinced Obama hits a walk off. The wingnuts – with a big hand from Blew Dog Democrats – have crippled the recover enough that it might just end this happy period.
Given the money boys, led by Rove, have gotten on board with Willard he could be hard to stop. If he does get the nod & then did lose the teabaggers will be foaming at the mouth for a real conservative, one who has not evolved from neanderthal. Huntsman is out then too.
Dave
AL, I think you nailed it. Huntsman is going out of his way to avoid throwing red meat to the Teabaggers and even avoided calling himself “conservative” in one interview. This is all about 2016 and being the only adult who didn’t say insane shit to get in good with the Tea Party.
BGinCHI
Romney get the nomination there will be a 3rd party whackjob.
Can’t wait.
jeffreyw
I’ll be watching 4 quarts of tomato juice boil down into about a half pint of Awesome Sauce.
burnspbesq
So Huntsman vs. Gillibrand in 2016. I could live with that. Been a long time since we’ve had an election when both sides had candidates that were at least sorta OK. Eisenhower vs. Stevenson, or maybe Hayes vs. Tilden.
burnspbesq
Huntsman is going to get his ass handed to him in Iowa, thank the good people of the Hawkeye State profusely, go home, and start preparing for 16.
trollhattan
Without the Big Gummint bootheel of the NRC, we might be having our very own homegrown Fukushima Dai’ichi.
http://allthingsnuclear.org/post/6795320523/the-nrc-in-action
I wonder how the Free Markets(tm) might have anticipated and corrected for this on their own?
burnspbesq
I worked at home today so I could stop now and watch US vs. Panama, but the spouse and kid are watching reruns of “V.” So I’m still working, and I’ll watch the match later. No spoilers, por favor.
Dee Loralei
I’m going to N’awlins tomorrow, so I’ll be packing a few things, drinking a few beers and watching the President. And looking forward to avoiding flame wars and politics for most of 4 days. YAY me!
BGinCHI
Burns, if Huntsman beats Romney in NH, expect the latter to change his name to Biff Rifleman.
burnspbesq
@ trollhattan:
What, did you just fall off the turnip truck? Fear of lawsuits inevitably causes the operators of nuclear power plants to choose the economically optimum level of safety.
The invisible hand wants to give you the best handjob you’ve ever had.
steviez314
2016:
Huntsmann/Rubio vs. Schweitzer/Klobuchar.
You read it here first.
trollhattan
@17. BGinCHI
Where would you like your intertrons delivered?
dmsilev
Obama’s a South Sider. Ain’t no way he’s hitting for the Cubs.
JoshA
@Dave I hope you’re right, but that same poll had him at 48% approval and 49% disapproval. And I see the unemployment and gas numbers as a bleeding wound that will continue to undermine his ratings if they cannot be improved significantly in the next year.
burnspbesq
@steviez314:
It’s great to see that you live a rich and fulfilling fantasy life, but the probability of both parties nominating candidates from states in the Mountain time zone is so close to zero that you can reach out and touch it.
Gramsci
Just wait until some enterprising VIllager writes a puff piece about how Huntsman speaks Mandarin. I’m sure the Tea Party and Michelle Bachmann won’t make any hay about that.
General Stuck
Attended college in same department as Schweitzer. He is a wild man, though that was thirty years ago, I’m not sure he’s mellowed enough to be president. We might get a national keg party month out of it though, at a minimum.
JWL
“So, what’s the deal with Moroni? Did it actually hook-up with Joe Smith, or was Smith blowing smoke”?
Mike Kay (Team America)
Cole, you better look into this. Someone hacked into Annie’s account and used her name/account to post that obama is a success. This breech needs to be tracked down a once, so Annie can be exonerated. Seriously, with posts like this, she’ll never be able to show her face at the kool-kidz parties at nutroots nation.
A Humble Lurker
@Corner Stone
No, but I know where you can get some black spiny jism to swallow down.
I just can’t imagine what the reason might be that you don’t seem to care for ABL’s posts. Gee, what could it possibly be….
Ben Cisco
Slow night tonight, although I am trying to figure out how the heck a trackback URL works. I’m either real sleepy or suffering from a case of the stupids, ’cause I cannot get it to work for sh*t.
Jimperson Zibb (formerly Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.)
As it happens, Obama roots for the White Sox, as everybody should, the White Sox and the Phillies.