Can’t figure out a way to embed it, but ABC/Yahoo looks to be livestreaming the debate here.
Much more informative, not to mention entertaining, liveblogging from the Guardian’s Richard Adams here.
I keep thinking there should be a Gingrich/werewolf – Romney/vampire Twilight parody of this event, but my photoshopping skills just aren’t up to the challenge.
As an incidental, while we’re waiting for tonight’s main event, Jim Newell at Gawker reports that Donald Trump may call off his debate, ostensibly because only Gingrich and Santorum have accepted his invitation.
******
First blood at 9:22pm — Newt points out, correctly, that Willard would’ve been a “career politician” if only he’d been able to beat Teddy Kennedy in 1994. Willard stammers & gets pissy in response.
At 9:28pm, Gingrich claims he didn’t take money from Freddie Mac as a lobbyist, he just “advised” them “from the private sector”. Big laugh from the audience; don’t think they agree with Newt’s needle-threading.
*******
Second big round of audience reaction — laughter & applause — for Bachmann, when she points out both Gingrich & Romney were “for Obamacare” “going back to 1993”. Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann take the honesty sweeps tonight, which may get them some caucus love in Iowa but will make the Media Villagers very, very disappointed.
********
Newt is asked whether calling the Palestinians “an invented people” was a good idea. Romney says he would personally call “my good friend Netanyahu” and ask whether “such a loaded statement” was “wise”. Newt doubles down, wrapping himself in the mouldered corpse of Ronald Reagan. Not much applause, but I’m sure the clip will get the RedStaters fapping with great enthusiasm.
*******
Closing question: Who else, on this stage, have you learned something from?
Santorum volunteers, repeatedly, to be Gingrich’s VP. Gingrich, in response, offers the VP to Rick Perry. Romney can’t imagine how any of these LUZERS could possibly teach HIM anything, since Willard is already the champion of leading leader leadership qualities, which is what What This Country Needs. Bachmann tries, again, to entice Herman Cain voters to choose her as second-best…
Conclusion: These are all sad, sad human beings (well, mostly human, probably). Team Werewolf (the Swollen Amphibian) beat Team Vampire ($10,000 Bet Guy) handily.
President Obama is going to beat either of them, fortunately for the rest of us.
cathyx
Please call it off. Nobody cares.
Yutsano
And Teh Donald is teh PISSED because Newton didn’t return his invitation. Honestly, at this point are they even trying?
Mr Stagger Lee
And in real world news Robert Griffin III wins the Heisman trophy.
Penh
I want to see a Trump-moderated debate featuring only Santorum and Gingrich, and at the 30-minute mark Donald Trump flips over the table, charges the stage carrying his own podium, and starts debating them both while his hair tsunami flaps up and down. Then, I don’t know, a giant gorilla eats them all or something.
dmsilev
Random newsdroid: “In 2008, Eveangelicals supported Rudy Giuliani”.
Really? My recollection of 2008 was that nobody supported Rudy, and that his campaign finished just ahead of Fred Thompson in the Futility Sweepstakes.
dmsilev
@Penh: That’s a situation which calls for a large meteor strike, or maybe the earth cracking open and swallowing up the stage.
scav
I know xians practice ritual theophagy, but I think using the Ron Paul Family Cookbook [in the ritual] is a little, how shall I put this, off? Or have we moved on to Scriptures v2.0?
ETA for a little more clarity. It’s me, of course its from the Guard.
The Dangerman
Diane, STFU; it’s not about you.
handy
@The Dangerman:
Really? I’d rather listen to her than the people up on stage.
ETA: Case in point, Gingrich’s long-winded speechifying about less taxes less government=MOAR JOBS!
dmsilev
And, Gingrich is fast out of the blocks, with the first Reagan reference 3 seconds in.
Warren Terra
With apologies for the crudeness, there was a pretty good joke about this, something like “When all the other dicks have pulled out from an assh0le’s event, you’re left with Gingrich and santorum.”
Comrade Mary
The Roasters are up and at it, also, too.
Anne Laurie
Talk about the Greatest Hits of GOP Bullshit — these guys are falling over their own tongues trying to fit all their pre-memorized lies into the timeslots.
dmsilev
So far, pretty boring. Job-killing regulations, end the “death tax”, blah blah blah.
L. Ron Obama
Unless they let the candidates start attacking each other soon I am going to shut this off, talking points are boring.
L. Ron Obama
Wait, Romney got flustered. Maybe I’ll leave it on for a bit.
handy
Wow Romney just flamed out on stage right before our very eyes.
dmsilev
Romney: Newt Gingrich is a man of many ideas. Most of them stupid. And he’s a career politician
Gingrich: “The only reason you’re not a career politician is that you lost to Ted Kennedy”
Game on.
JCT
@handy: Somewhere, Karl Rove just peed himself.
Gin & Tonic
The photo that’s up on The Guardian’s live blog site – is that Newt’s next wife?
Svensker
@dmsilev:
Did they really say that?
Bondirotta
Newt drew blood.
Mitt got flustered and clearly annoyed. He really could fuck his while campaign right now if he cannot smack back at Newt.
Citizen Alan
If the picture at the top of the Guardian page is any indication, young Marcia Brady is a Newt supporter. She is also trapped in the uncanny valley.
handy
@Bondirotta:
Newt just handed Mittens his ass. That was ugly.
dmsilev
@Svensker: It was pretty close to a direct quote from Newt. Romney called him a career politician, and Newt hit the hanging curveball right back at him.
carpeduum
Who gives a flying fuk what Chump and that thing on his head says or does.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/That-Thing-on-Donald-Trumps-Head/257693318032
scav
@Citizen Alan: I think that’s actually Marcia Fink-Nottle’s science project on native amphibians.
bondirotta
Mitt is so programmed and scripted that he has telegraphed all of his attack lines days in advance.
Newt is smart enough to plan counterattacks – something Perry was unable to do.
Praying we get a real, prissy, haughty, snippy Romney meltdown by 10 PM.
JGabriel
Michele Bachmann: “Michele Bachmann is the true conservative”
Yes. Yes you are.
.
Svensker
@scav:
Gussie’s.
scav
@Svensker: Well, I was giving his daughter the benefit of the doubt :)
ETA: Gussie’s Hussy is altogether too rude so don’t consider this an actual statement.
dmsilev
Rick Perry is so slow, he thinks Romney is the front runner.
L. Ron Obama
Romney just proposed a $10,000 bet?
curious
10k bet from mitt romney? way to connect with the common man.
dmsilev
Mitt Romney, man of the people: “How about a $10,000 bet that I’m right?”
AB
Hilarious moment when Perry grins for applause and the audience has no idea what he just said, and there’s just silence.
Bmaccnm
I’m cross posting this from the other debate thread because I don’t get enough attention in my personal life. But since I’m theonly person alive who still listens to NPR, I think more people need to understand this. Main question is- How many people are still Tea Baggers? Or have they moved on to the new media theme?
“A little OT, but… On my way home from work this morning I was listening to Nice Polite Republicans- so sue me- talking about the continued power of the TeaParty, despite the ruins of Michele Bachman, Herb Cain & Rick Perry, and to whom they will throw their awesomely powerful support in New Hampshire. A N.H. Tea Partier was interviewed, saying “I really like Newt Gingrich. I like what he’s got to say. But I’m worried he might turn out to be just another politician.” In some way, this explains why they have so many debates. And why we’re all fuked.”
The Dangerman
Did Mitt really offer to bet 10K? He’s way off his game tonight.
bondirotta
Why doesn’t he slowly put his diamond cuff links on the podium and add them to the pot? BTW – Bachmann seems astonishingly effective. She really does manage to roll Newt and Romney into a ball. Which is great for Newt.
dmsilev
Coming up after the break, immigration and family values, aka hating brown people and hating gays.
curious
@bondirotta: was thinking the same thing about bachmann. if you didn’t know she was crazy, you might think she wasn’t crazy.
phantomist
Paul: Ten thousand dollars, are you kidding, I don’t want your worthless money. How about 6 ounces of gold, pretty boy.
Veritas
First thoughts: Romney is relaxed and confident. Newt is sour and uncomfortable.
RealityCheck
Yutsano
@The Dangerman: That is a beautiful ad opportunity there Willard.
Cue ordinary folks talking about what a $10,000 bonus could do to affect their lives. It almost needs no further text.
@Veritas: C’mon DougJ. You’re better than this man.
cokane
is it just me or does diane sawyer seem drunk?
dmsilev
Hah. The live polling thingy next to the live stream is asking about the $10K question. That one is going to hang around for a while.
bondirotta
Newt is waaaaay nicer and calmer than I expected. The arrogant, snide Newt has not shown up yet. If he manages to keep him under wraps for a bit longer, the media will write the headlines based on that Ted Kennedy zinger.
And Bachmann is managing to blunt attacks on Newt by splitting her effort between Mitt and Newt.
This could mean a 15 point blow-out for Newt in Iowa.
MikeJ
@cokane: Don’t tell me you’re watching this without the benefit of alcohol. Why should she have to?
Kurt Montandon
Well, wouldn’t you be if you had to share a stage with this knife-fight in a clown car?
handy
@Veritas:
You’re way off. Quelle Surprise.
dmsilev
Please, please, please, someone ask Gingrich about fidelity in marriage.
The Dangerman
@Yutsano:
The only way Mitt could have fucked up worse is if he had whipped out a $10,000 bill out of his wallet and slapped it down….
…talk about a Freshman mistake.
JGabriel
Hmm, Newt’s the only adulterer on stage. (Sing-songy) Awk-ward.
.
Veritas
And all you have to hit Romney with is class warfare. What a surprise.
Most voters admire, not envy, wealth.
RealityCheck
Yutsano
@The Dangerman:
Sun Tzu.
@Veritas: Yer not even trying now DougJ.
dmsilev
Ron Paul somehow manages to connect marital fidelity to the Federal Reserve. Impressive, in its own way.
MikeJ
What was the 10k bet over?
bondirotta
OK – Newt screwed up the adultery stuff. He should have said he is only a man and that Jesus has washed his sins away with his blood.
Mary
Did nobody inform Mitt that it was red tie night for the debate?
ruemara
@cokane: Wouldn’t you be?
Gin & Tonic
Adams says #romneybets is already trending on Twitter.
handy
@dmsilev:
The fiat monetary system is the homewrecker of the Free Market.
dmsilev
@MikeJ: It was about something that Perry said Romney put in his book. Romney disagreed, and offered the $10K bet that he was correct.
Clip here: http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/mitt-romney-offers-to-bet-rick-perry-10000-on-debate-stage.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
de stijl
Hey! I just realized this debate is at Drake U. I could walk to the auditorium in about 7 minutes.
Maybe I should go heckle. Nah, that would mean changing out of my jammies.
Yutsano
@dmsilev: Holy. Shit. That has to be watched to be believed. They both come off as smarmy fratboys. Way to go Willard!
@The Dangerman: Since it’s technically an open thread:
One should always be cautious with Seahack sloppy seconds. I can’t think of a coach we terminated that did well afterwards. Plus Mora’s college experience is next to none. He’ll have a tough learning curve coming into this. Being a player is totally different from being a coach.
The Dangerman
OT: So, Yutsano, how should I feel about Mora?
JGabriel
Republican Outreach to Hispanics underway. Welcome to the “Who is Mas Messican-Hating?” portion of the evening.
.
MikeJ
@Yutsano: I’ve often thought that Seattle was behind the East coast in more ways than simply time zones. Tonight’s coverage of the debates reinforces that view.
dmsilev
Romney: Netanyahu will be my Secretary of State.
handy
Newt Romney didn’t put enough hate on the Messicans.
Anoniminous
H’mmmm.
Fundies love them some Israel, hate them some A-rabs.
Gingrich is playing this well.
dmsilev
Heh. Bachman is asked a question she apparently didn’t want to answer, and after a brief pause, she starts reciting a canned answer. Not in the least bit subtle.
JGabriel
@MikeJ:
Who has the bigger … wallet.
.
carpeduum
Just how starved for entertainment do you have to be to watch a GOPer debate on a Saturday night?
curious
i love the patient, bemused schoolmarm looks romney and gingrich always give perry.
Sly
@Veritas:
Especially when that wealth is thrown away on pointless displays of egomania. In terms of voter appeal, that is second only to punching a baby in the face.
Baud
LOL. As opposed to spending Saturday night complaining on a blog about what other people are doing?
Robert
So, Rick Perry thinks the conflict between Israel and Palestine is a trumped up issue from the mainstream media, huh? When Bachmann rambling about outdated Palestinian textbooks is somehow more sane than you, you have problems.
amk
Post at RA blog at Guardian
handy
I think Bad Newt is starting to show his fangs.
The Dangerman
Good Lord, Perry is a fucking idiot (and he got the longest round of applause of the night over the drone).
scav
Is our outsourcing of Foreign Relations to Israel going to lead to any cost-savings as a vital part of cutting down the size of big government or did they leave that part of it unclear? I’m not so insane as to think they could pull off selling the project as one that created jobs, although with their new math . . .
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Anoniminous: I still think, in the long term, the comment about “the invented Palestinian people” is going to be damaging. People outside the GOP base may have a slightly, um, broader world view.
handy
@dmsilev:
Snuffleupagus basically asked her “Who’s prettier? Mitt or Newt?” I think I’d answer my own question too.
Anoniminous
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
In the general election I agree, it’s a killer.
In the GOP primary it’s a vote getter.
ETA: IMHO
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Anoniminous: Exactly; we certainly don’t disagree about that.
dmsilev
Rick Perry really has trouble with the concepts of “2” and “3”. Has anyone tried him out with “4”, or is that too advanced?
Chris
@handy:
This was supposed to be Mitt Romney’s “taking that latest Not Romney gasbag down a few pegs” night. Instead, he got kicked in the ass hard enough to break bones.
handy
@The Dangerman:
That was a disaster answer he somehow managed to salvage with his “Leave Newt Alone!” at the end. You could see him sigh in relief during the applause.
handy
I think Perry reminds me of Brick Tamland, the Steve Carrell character in “Ron Burgundy.”
“Yeah where did you get your clothes–the—the–TOILET STORE!”
Kyle
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Why didn’t he just challenge him to a yacht race? Or brag “My estate in the Hamptons is bigger than yours” while lighting a cigar with a $20 bill?
El Cid
Ron Paul is worried about a nation’s destruction of its currency. I wonder if he means “destruction of a currency” in some measurable way, say, that would involve a currency which was something other than highly valued.
El Cid
I like seeing Michele Bachmann talking about how Wall Street was more than happy pocketing the profits from unwise decisions and soshullizing the losses to the American taxpayer.
JCT
Lord, these assholes make me fantasize about running amok on that stage with a tire iron.
The entire world must be laughing at us.
MazeDancer
The way Mitt said “$10,000” so casually, so like anyone else would say 5 bucks, is really going to cost him. It was Libya and 3 agencies level bad, IMHO. Here’s the ABC snippet instant replay of it: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/snappytv?s=17576
Twitter went wild. “10,000” jokes are abounding. I’ll get big replay.
El Cid
Romney’s defending Obamacare on a states’ rights basis. IOW, hey, we did what Obamacare does, in MA, but since it’s the FEDRUL GUBMIT IT’S EVIL, but at least he said, fuck you, if you don’t like the mandate, don’t do it in your state.
Newt Gingrich is “10TH AMENDMENT”, also, buy my book about reforming health care so that there are no insurers and you take better care of yourself and you pay your doctor.
handy
Mitt: “States can do whatever they want to do.”
Except when those states are California and they push for higher emission standards.
Chris
@Kyle:
So Mitt’s not only a gambler, but he can be goaded into putting $10,000 on the table with RIDICULOUS ease. Yeah, this is definitely the guy we want writing the national budget and taking those 3AM phone calls. Christ, Romney’s just awful at this.
RossInDetroit
Ron Paul is a 39 Short. He should not wear a 42 Regular suit that he swims around inside.
Villago Delenda Est
@El Cid:
Given Paul’s (Jean-Baptiste) Colbert obsession with gold, instead of Adam Smith's "stop worrying about precious metals, dumbshit, it's just a place keeper for labor" approach, it seems that Paul is more of a mercantilist than a free marketeer.
El Cid
@handy: Well, yeah, you don’t want states going crazy and thinking they can do all sorts of non-conservative things.
handy
Wasn’t this question already tossed around? Didn’t #RomneyBets happen the first time? Kill me now.
The Dangerman
My favorite on Twitter so far:
“Romney promises that his butler will personally deliver the $10,000 if he loses.”
handy
And Rick Perry is still a rambling sod. There you go.
RossInDetroit
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
Yeah, that’s not gonna play well in Dearborn MI or any other Middle Eastern enclaves, but Newt’s already a goner there anyway. That cheap shot was for the base.
JGabriel
Why wasn’t Huntsman at the debate tonight? Did ABC exclude him because of low poll numbers, or did Huntsman decide to skip out because he’s not contesting the Iowa caucus, or is it some other reason?
.
L. Ron Obama
@JGabriel: Poll numbers didn’t make the cut.
Linda Featheringill
@RossInDetroit:
Ron Paul’s clothes:
I have often thought that he should employ a good tailor. Why doesn’t he? It’s important that he look his best at these affairs. Doesn’t he have the money?
He wouldn’t look so weird if his clothes fit him better.
pseudonymous in nc
Silly Mittens: doesn’t he know the appropriate amount for one of those bets?
RossInDetroit
There goes Paul seeming reasonable and sane. What kind of magic spell does he use to pull that off?
GregB
Speaker Gingrich, do you think it is fair to say that you have rhetorically wiped Palestine off of the map?
Chris
@JCT:
With “Ketchup is a vegetable” Reagan, “If we don’t succeed we run the risk of failure” Quayle, “Do you have blacks too?” Bush and “Paul Revere warned the British” Palin, the world’s been laughing for a while. They’re just laughing harder now.
@MazeDancer:
I’m sorry, I’m repeating myself, but DAMN, Romney’s just AWFUL at this stuff.
My take on it: Gingrich/Romney = Political Insider vs Corporate Insider, and unfortunately for the latter, this is Political Insider territory. Charming audiences of Average Joes, even conservatives, is very different from charming corporate boardrooms, and Romney just doesn’t know how to do it. (He didn’t in 2008 either).
handy
Bachmann drags the corpse of Herman Cain’s 999 plan out for one more showing so she can rebrand her campaign as “Win! Win! Win!”
How cute.
RossInDetroit
@Linda Featheringill:
Paul looks like he showed up without a jacket for the Dining Room and the Maître d’hôtel poured him into that one as an insult.
Anoniminous
@Linda Featheringill:
Bet you $10,000 that’s his good suit.
JGabriel
@L. Ron Obama: Thanks.
MikeJ
@Chris:
And people keep saying that Romney is the best chance the Republicans have of beating Obama.
pseudonymous in nc
From the LDS website:
Which, I suppose, applies to $10k bets from a multi-millionaire seeking the presidency.
And someone should ask Historian Newt about whether Germans are an invented people? Or, perhaps more pertinently, Iraq’s Kurds?
RossInDetroit
@Linda Featheringill:
Maybe Paul’s clothes are a ploy to make him look like a regular guy. Maybe he IS a regular guy. maybe he’ll show up for the next one in a Pendleton coat, duck boots and an earflap hat.
Linda Featheringill
@Anoniminous:
10,000.00
What’s the response? “I’m not in the betting business”?
:-)
dmsilev
So, that’s that. Are there any more debates or other big events between now and the actual caucuses in ~3 weeks? Because there wasn’t anything there tonight to cause Gingrich to implode like all of the previous Not-Romneys. So, I think we can expect Romney and his allies to unload everything and the kitchen sink against Gingrich.
Happy Holidays!
xian
@Chris: Nate Silver also suggests that Mormons must not gamble. I bet $10,000 Romney is never president.
Also, when is someone going to ask Gingrich how his bariatric surgery failed?
JGabriel
@Linda Featheringill:
That jacket fit just fine when Paul wore it to Reagan’s inauguration in 1776, and it fits just fine now!
.
Bondirotta
So awesome. The ABC gasbags have now yammered on about the 10K bet for five minutes.
The Village will run with this. Mitt really stepped in it.
MikeJ
@RossInDetroit: Floyd R. Turbo, American.
RossInDetroit
I sure hope Michelle keeps showing up for these. Her regular wild swerves from reality really enliven the proceedings.
scav
Ze Count arrives and vants to count the candidates!
Win, two, uhhhhh, 9-9-9, 10,000!
(ok, his eyesight’s a little bad and he may be hallucinating)
Chris
@pseudonymous in nc:
Forget these guys, what about taking a bunch of Germans, Poles, Czechs, Russians, Romanians, Americans and a whole crapload of other nationalities together and calling them “Israelis” out of the blue? Sounds like at least as big a case of “invented people” as the Palestinians.
RossInDetroit
@MikeJ:
Yup. That’s Ron, only angrier.
Anoniminous
@dmsilev:
Sadly, yes: Dec 15 and Dec 27.
@Linda Featheringill:
:-)
ETA: Good. God.
Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich spar over moon mining, child labor.
Adams
amk
@dmsilev: Not so fast. t-rump, the duck, has one between himself, newt and santorum.
Chris
@MikeJ:
Yeah, maybe not so true after all. What a shame, eh?
@xian:
Didn’t know that. Heh. I doubt he’s much of a Mormon, though (as opposed to just playing one on TV).
MazeDancer
@The Dangerman:
Also not bad was Huntsman buying the 10KBet.com URL.
That ten thousand blunder with the combo of payroll tax cut being a band-aid – what’s a hundred a month, will barely buy cake to eat – and “I didn’t grow up poor”, Mitt hurt himself.
RossInDetroit
Mitt just nailed down the compulsive gambler vote. 11D chess…
The Dangerman
ABC Question: “Did Romney land a knockout punch?”
Sure did, he knocked himself out. This is worse than Libya or 1-2-Oops because he was supposed to be a serious candidate. Cain or Perry never had a chance.
Anoniminous
Wah!
I’ve been “moderated.”
Villago Delenda Est
@MikeJ:
Is he related to Machine Gun Joe Viturbo?
Anne Laurie
@JGabriel: IIRC, Huntsman said he’d rather spend the time with his good, hard-working friends in New Hampshire. Which translates as, he knows he’ll get no love in Iowa, so he’ll aim at stealing Granite State voters from his distant cousin Willard.
pseudonymous in nc
@Chris: I don’t think you can call the history of the Zionist movement (originating from Herzl’s Der Judenstaat in 1896) “out of the blue”.
That’s a side issue on “Historian” Gingrich’s utter fuckwittery on the history of nation states, nationalism and self-determination, which in turn is a display of deliberate bullshittery regarding the “invented people” who go by the name “Americans”. This is the man, after all, who gobshited off about Obama inheriting ‘”Kenyan, Anti-Colonial behavior” from his absentee father.
Donut
Bluuuuuhhhh. I missed all but the last twenty minutes, but listening to the ABC wrap up commentary, sounds like the Villagers are going to have to redouble their efforts to knee-cap the ‘Grinch. Na ga happen. They can’t slow him down now…so …. Mittens just blew it, huh? Gingrich will take IA by double digits now.
gbear
@RossInDetroit:
I hope she keeps showing up until the people she ‘represents’ in congress realize she couldn’t remember how to get to her district if she had to drive from the airport herself.
Special Patrol Group
@MazeDancer:
Shoosh, even Randee and Mortee only wagered one (1) U.S. dollar.
Linda Featheringill
Were there any winners tonight? Aside from the popcorn vendors.
Davis X. Machina
No, actually. Obama’s stance on medical marijuana is going to cost him Michigan and California.
You heard it here — actually there first.
Silliness is apparently normally distributed across the political spectrum
Chris
@pseudonymous in nc:
No, I agree – and that’s besides the fact that there were a ton of Jews who’d been living in what’s now Israel all along, too.
Still there’s something downright fucked up about calling the Palestinians an “invented people” when Israel as a nation didn’t exist before 1947 and so many of its people had never lived with each other or on that land before (even if, as per the Zionist movement, they wanted to). Glass houses, throwing bricks, etc.
JCT
The minute Romney is challenged and/or pushed off message he fucks up. It’s amazing how little it takes. This 10K bet is going to dog him good and was completely unnecessary. What a buffoon.
Classic “CEO in the bubble” behavior – he has no experience with being challenged. Too bad for Mittens.
MikeJ
@Davis X. Machina: While there are many insane people on the left, it’s still at one end of the curve. Mainstream Dems aren’t anywhere near as insane as mainstream republicans.
Veritas
Halperin gives Romney B+.
RealityCheck
Svensker
@RossInDetroit:
I don’t know why but that is making me chortle.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Veritas: That can only be a good omen for John McCain! That dick Obama is toast, surely.
The Dangerman
@JCT:
He was on Tilt the moment Newt tossed losing to Kennedy at him.
Davis X. Machina
@MikeJ: The Romans used to like to have mosaic skeletons on the floors of their triclinia, just as a reminder of the common end of all of us. Going over to DU from time to time serves the same purpose for left/progressive/Democratic politics.
This is where we’ll all eventually wind up.
Anoniminous
Mittens blew it. Gingrich got some blows in and didn’t blow-up.
That, and looking at recent polling [GOS Alert!], it’s not looking good for Willard. Of all the states polled the only one in which he has a lead is New Hampshire. If Perry’s numbers collapse, as is possible, Newt could jump into the lead there, as well. Newt even has a lead in Michigan, albeit within the MOE, and Romney won there in 2008.
GOP establishment is going to go into 24/7 anti-Gingrich freak-out mode over the next couple of weeks.
amk
on twitter
Republicans are against giving a $1,000 tax cut for middle class in these difficult times …. but sure don’t mind blowing $ 10 K on bets.
xian
Halperin! what a maroon.
MikeJ
@Davis X. Machina: I’m hip to memento mori, but we aren’t *required* to be as stupid as the republicans.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Davis X. Machina: Heh. Memento morons? I used to go back to Eschaton from time to time for the same reasons.
Anoniminous
@Anoniminous:
Wrong. Paul is sucking 16/17% and there’s no way they will abandon Their Guy.
Suffern ACE
10k bet would have worked if someone had taken it. Everyone knows Romney is rich. People arent aware that the rest of field is and more than a few of them have gotten rich off politics. Unfortunately Romney looks like the jackass who “wins” bets by offering high stakes. None of them want to admit that they can be reckless with that kind of money.
Suffern ACE
I can’t believe that perry went with the if a man can’t be loyal to his wife, he can’t be loyal to anyone canard. Nice to see it used against one of the schmucks from the 90s who used it incessantly against Clinton. But good lord that seems like I’ve been here before.
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
@MikeJ: Wow, Thanks for that. Johnny Carson as Floyd Turbo, complaining about socialized medicine and Swine Flu shots, which dates it to about 1976?
I think I heard every line before the 2010 elections!
“If Medicare is so good, how come everybody on it looks so old?”
AxelFoley
@carpeduum:
Says the person commenting on a political blog on said Saturday night.
dance around in your bones
I just wanted to say that I wasn’t able to watch the debate last night (Grand-monkey business took precedence) but gawddamn reading this thread at 6am on a Sunday morning is entertaining. Waiting for the coffee to brew and laughing like a loon is a good start to the day.
Anne Laurie, you are golden ;)
wrb
@scav:
beautiful:
The Newt is Fink-Nottle from now on.
His self-love makes it work.