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You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2016 / I Can No Longer Rationally Discuss The Clinton Campaign / Well, come on, come on down, sweet Virginia

Well, come on, come on down, sweet Virginia

by Sarah, Proud and Tall|  December 24, 20115:17 pm| 98 Comments

This post is in: I Can No Longer Rationally Discuss The Clinton Campaign, Good News For Conservatives

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In the latest sign that his campaign organization hasn’t kept pace with his recent rise in the polls, GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich failed to qualify for the primary ballot in his home state of Virginia, the state Republican Party announced early Saturday.

…

After state GOP officials verified the signatures submitted by the campaigns, both Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry failed to qualify. That left only two candidates, Mitt Romney and former Rep. Ron Paul, certified to appear on the state’s March 6 “Super Tuesday” ballot.

Gingrich’s campaign blamed the Virginia rules for his failure to qualify and said he would mount a write-in campaign instead.

“Only a failed system excludes four out of the six major candidates seeking access to the ballot.  Voters deserve the right to vote for any top contender, especially leading candidates,” Gingrich campaign manager Michael Krull said in a statement. “We will work with the Republican Party of Virginia to pursue an aggressive write-in campaign to make sure that all the voters of Virginia are able to vote for the candidate of their choice.”

Unfortunately, I understand, Virginia law doesn’t permit write-ins in primaries (which is the kind of crap you’d think a campaign director might know). I say “unfortunately” because, frankly, the more freaks there are to fight for every primary vote the better. I’m also a little sad that the frothy mix didn’t get on the ballot, especially now that K-lo and friends are talking him up for a late surge as the next not-Mitt.

Mind, you, the joy of seeing Gnoot fail again is a sweet, sweet consolation.

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Reader Interactions

98Comments

  1. 1.

    TooManyJens

    December 24, 2011 at 5:19 pm

    I worked on a Congressional campaign where we collected over 7,000 signatures in a single congressional district. For a Presidential candidate not to be able to get 10,000 in an entire state is beyond embarrassing.

  2. 2.

    Raven

    December 24, 2011 at 5:21 pm

    It’s fun being in the shadow of Falwell U and savoring this news.

    Got to shake the shit right off my shoes!

  3. 3.

    Aexia

    December 24, 2011 at 5:22 pm

    To put this in perspective, every Democrat in 2004 except for Carol Mosley-Braun collected the 10,000 signatures to qualify for the Virginia primary.

    In other words, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry failed where Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton and Lyndon LaRouche succeeded.

  4. 4.

    Raven

    December 24, 2011 at 5:27 pm

    @efgoldman: How you feelin bro?

  5. 5.

    gbear

    December 24, 2011 at 5:29 pm

    Nice ground game ya got there, Newt.

    What happened with Bachmann? She’s not even mentioned in that clip.

  6. 6.

    Raven

    December 24, 2011 at 5:33 pm

    Speaking of sweet Virginia. We drove from Lynchburg to Blacksburg this morning and stopped at a flea market. If I had enough cash I could have bought a Colt AR-15 from this pimply face little fucking goober no questions asked.

  7. 7.

    Warren Terra

    December 24, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    Mark Penn may be a loathsome slug and a massive incompetent, and he may have served Hillary’s campaign poorly because he hadn’t figured out how to game the delegate apportionment. But he’d never have screwed up on this scale, and not just because if he had we’d still be finding pieces of him almost four years later. It really says something that the Republican field can only muster a single candidate sufficiently motivated and capable to qualify for all the freaking ballot lines. Not counting Ron Paul. I don’t count Ron Paul, because he doesn’t count; he’s a racist nutbar loon whose only rational positions ironically dictate that he can never approach a fifth of the Republican vote.

  8. 8.

    PeakVT

    December 24, 2011 at 5:35 pm

    Gnoot (heh) is probably under the impression that the state party controls the primary qualification rules, but it’s actually state law. So he’s fawked unless the state legislature rewrites the rules for him post-haste.

  9. 9.

    Raven

    December 24, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    @efgoldman: I’m with you on that. The treatment and rehab of my broken back made me a believer in all those involved. It’s trite your attitude is so critical and yours is obviously good.

  10. 10.

    me

    December 24, 2011 at 5:40 pm

    Aren’t you supposed to link frothy mixture to Rick Santorum‘s web site?

  11. 11.

    Redshift

    December 24, 2011 at 5:40 pm

    With the narrow extra margin Newt had, I figured he probably wouldn’t qualify, but I’m disappointed. I was really looking forward to his beating Romney here (he’s still in the lead in the polls.) A primary with just Mitt and Ron Paul isn’t going to be very interesting.

    The Perry campaign is the one that really interests me. They submitted signatures, and claimed they had more than enough, so according to initial reports, he was going to be on the ballot. But unlike Newt, who ran afoul of an ordinary margin problem, Perry apparently didn’t submit enough, and according to some rumors only submitted 5-6000. So it sounds like rather than just being incompetent and miscounting, they were assuming that either “we’re all Republicans here, so it’ll be okay,” or just assuming that no one would actually check. Either one is just mind-boggling.

  12. 12.

    MikeJ

    December 24, 2011 at 5:41 pm

    @TooManyJens: Part of the problem in Virginia is that you need sigs from every county. Which is a great test of organization, or demonstration of a lack thereof.

  13. 13.

    Amir Khalid

    December 24, 2011 at 5:42 pm

    @Raven:
    I live in a country where possession of any unregistered firearm, let alone a freaking assault rifle, is a capital crime. I am constantly amazed to hear such stories from America.

  14. 14.

    Linda Featheringill

    December 24, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    Speaking of Ron Paul:

    http://www.redstate.com/mikeymike143/2011/12/23/there-is-no-way-the-republicans-can-nominate-racist-ron-paul-to-run-against-this-countries-first-black-president-not-with-those-newsletters-out-there/

    This diary on redstate really rakes Paul over the coals for being such a racist, antisemitic pig. And he is REALLY down on Paul’s followers.

  15. 15.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 24, 2011 at 5:47 pm

    the frothy mix . . . a late surge

    Saw whatcha did there. Heh.

    Gnoot

    Heh heh.

  16. 16.

    Redshift

    December 24, 2011 at 5:47 pm

    @efgoldman: It is pretty stunning. Sure, the Virginia requirements are pretty onerous compared to other states, but still, five out of the seven GOP candidates this year failed to manage something that all Democratic contenders but one have managed for the past decade.

    Also, while googling on this, I see that both RedState and OTB have posts up decrying how ridiculous this ballot requirement is. What sweet, sweet whiny tears…

  17. 17.

    Legalize

    December 24, 2011 at 5:48 pm

    I guess the shit got scraped off their shoes.

  18. 18.

    Sarah Proud and Tall

    December 24, 2011 at 5:48 pm

    @me:

    Damn. I forgot. Too much wine. I’ll fix.

  19. 19.

    Redshift

    December 24, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    @MikeJ: Every congressional district, actually, but the point is still valid.

  20. 20.

    Redshift

    December 24, 2011 at 5:51 pm

    @efgoldman:

    Not everyplace is Texas. VA state government is actually competent (my daughter lives there, and keeps telling me) – even though the GOBP is currently in charge.

    I wouldn’t disagree with that. We’ll see what happens now that the GOP has the whole state government (sigh.) We’ll see a lot more of the freak flag flying, I’m sure, but Gov. McDonnell really wants to be VP and isn’t stupid, so he may try to avoid having to sign anything that would associate him too much with Teh Crazy.

  21. 21.

    Linda Featheringill

    December 24, 2011 at 5:53 pm

    And Rick Santorum:

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/23/1048280/-Bob-Vander-Plaats-asked-up-to-$1-million-for-endorsing-Rick-Santorum,-according-to-allegations?via=blog_1

    If Vander Plaats can be shown to be guilty of selling his endorsement, he could lose most of his followers. There are some things that white fundies just won’t forgive.

  22. 22.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 24, 2011 at 5:53 pm

    Question: These requirements that Gnoot and Perry and most of the others failed to fulfill — are these statutory requirements or specific to the VA Republican party?

    If I feel like it later, I’ll go look it up. I just thought someone here might know offhand.

  23. 23.

    MikeJ

    December 24, 2011 at 5:54 pm

    @Redshift: Haven’t been there since the ’04 campaign, I forget the details. If I was working on a campaign in Virginia this year I assure you I would know the rules, certainly better than the Republicans seem to.

  24. 24.

    Raven

    December 24, 2011 at 5:56 pm

    @Amir Khalid: When I was in the last year of my graduate program we had a visiting group from the University of Manchester that was made up of mostly visiting students from around the world. We had a big potluck and I had a group, including a Palestinian, come to my crib to cook. I had my little 22 on a gun rack and he was blown away. I don’t think he’s ever touched a rifle and he couldn’t believe I had one in my house.

  25. 25.

    Redshift

    December 24, 2011 at 6:01 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: State law. We were collecting signatures for Obama outside the polls at the recent state elections (among other places); they were turned in on December 2, I think.

  26. 26.

    MikeJ

    December 24, 2011 at 6:01 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    Virginia code § 24.2-506.

    1. For a candidate for the United States Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General, 10,000 signatures, including the signatures of at least 400 qualified voters from each congressional district in the Commonwealth;

  27. 27.

    Ruckus

    December 24, 2011 at 6:04 pm

    @Raven:
    I know someone from Iran(left as a child 35 yrs ago) who was the same way about a shotgun. I’m pretty sure he had never held one. He had no idea what I was doing when I checked to make sure it was unloaded(and yes I keep it unloaded and the shells locked away elsewhere) before handing it to him.

  28. 28.

    Raven

    December 24, 2011 at 6:12 pm

    @Ruckus: Yea Savak wasn’t too keen on the regular folks packin!

  29. 29.

    Martin

    December 24, 2011 at 6:12 pm

    Adding to our secular tearing down of Jesus’s so-called birthday, beyond the Christmas barbecue (which will be tomorrow as the family doesn’t all arrive until tomorrow morning) tonight I shall introduce my family to the Star Wars Holiday Special which I just recently procured a copy of from a friend. I remember watching it when I was 10 and wondering afterword why my TV suddenly hated me. I don’t know if I can stomach it a 2nd time, but my family have been in disbelief that it could have been as bad as it was, and after checking the file to make sure that it’s all kosher, I’m convinced it’s actually substantially worse than I remember.

  30. 30.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 24, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    @Redshift:
    @MikeJ:

    Thanks. I ask only because an earlier report I saw today said that Newt was arguing with the Virginia Republicans about it.

  31. 31.

    WereBear (itouch)

    December 24, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    @Martin: What a surprise they have in store! Never seen it myself, but from what I’ve heard, it’s absolutely surreal. And not in a good way.

  32. 32.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    December 24, 2011 at 6:19 pm

    I’ve been reading the whining at places like Redstate since this was announced. Some wingers are blaming Romney, others are blaming Paulinistas and some are even blaming Obama. They are pissed at Hannity, Coulter, Rush and just about every other winger pundit for whatever it is that pisses them off. They are very upset that the only choices in VA are Paul and Romney, the two most vehemently despised candidates on the right. No Noot, no Parry, no fun!

    The right is in a fucking mess and I’ve never seen anything like it before. There are bitter divisions between the factions, with one side blaming the other for their misfortune. I sure have been enjoying this clusterfuck they have gotten themselves into, maybe even a bit too much. Thinking about it, after all of the bullshit the right has been dumping on everyone…

    I think I’ll just keep on enjoying their misfortune. :)

  33. 33.

    handy

    December 24, 2011 at 6:20 pm

    @Martin:

    I’ve seen it. It’s out on the ‘Net. Your greatest temptation will be to scan forward or stop it altogether, not because the acting and the sets are so bad (they are), not because some parts are inexplicably bizarre (they are too), but because most of it is simply dull.

  34. 34.

    Villago Delenda Est

    December 24, 2011 at 6:22 pm

    @Martin:

    George Lucas has disowned it on several occasions.

    Funny he didn’t disown Jar-Jar Binks, though.

  35. 35.

    JS

    December 24, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    Wait until Mark Penn tells Newt that Texas has a primary AND a caucus.

  36. 36.

    Raven

    December 24, 2011 at 6:24 pm

    @Odie Hugh Manatee: The local paper comments are fucking hilarious. The same people post the same shit day-after-day. One of them still has a profile picture with him and Cain but he’s switched to talking about when “President Romney” takes over.

  37. 37.

    MikeJ

    December 24, 2011 at 6:28 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Funny that I was able to do in 90 seconds what Newt couldn’t do since the day he filed his organization papers.

  38. 38.

    Warren Terra

    December 24, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    @Martin:

    tonight I shall introduce my family to the Star Wars Holiday Special which I just recently procured a copy of from a friend

    This word “friend” – I’m not sure you’re using it correctly.

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    George Lucas has disowned it on several occasions.
    __
    Funny he didn’t disown Jar-Jar Binks, though.

    Heck, Jar Jar wasn’t even the worst racial stereotype in that movie (that Lucas hasn’t disowned). Wasn’t even the second-worst, in fact.

  39. 39.

    Martin

    December 24, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    @WereBear (itouch): It is right from the get-go. The intro credits starring Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are strange enough, because it starts out like a campy holiday special, and then introduces Chewbacca’s father Itchy and his son Lumpy and special musical performance by Jefferson Starship.

    @handy: And yes, I recall it being quite dull – mainly because it’s just a bunch of disjointed segments that goes nowhere. I think with enough booze, it’d be quite entertaining, but the kids are stuck.

    @Villago Delenda Est: Well, it’s canon, so he’s stuck with it. The most surreal thing about it, really, is that it was broadcast at all. I can understand that in the concept phase, this might have been seen as a good idea, but a script was then written, that was also signed off on as a good idea, and scenes shot that people felt were good, and then edited and sound engineered, and by people that did not go on strike or set themselves on fire due to the shame of the whole thing, and then there were executives that screened this and thought ‘Yeah, we should air this – and forever put our name on it’. This was not a live performance that went badly – there were countless opportunities to stop it, by countless people, and yet it soldiered on through the process until we got to see it. Then, even after it aired, and Lucas earned a gazillion dollars off the franchise, he didn’t use his wealth to find and destroy every copy of the film before electronic distribution came about – which he certainly should have anticipated. So even in that sense, this day was preventable and yet not prevented.

  40. 40.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    December 24, 2011 at 6:44 pm

    @Raven:

    Moe’s latest FP post at Redstate about “Day Two of the Great VAGOP Meltdown” is a meltdown all of its own. I am just loving the comments there about how the whole candidate process in VA is grossly unfair, burdensome and just plain stupid.

    With all of the restrictions these assholes want to put on the voting process, now they want to whine about it being unfair?!

    Fucking pathetic.

  41. 41.

    andy

    December 24, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    @efgoldman: Let it be so! Oh, the beautiful chaos. Ron Paul, the GOP’s own McGovern, except (naturally in his case) a piece of shit?

  42. 42.

    Martin

    December 24, 2011 at 6:50 pm

    @Warren Terra:

    This word “friend” – I’m not sure you’re using it correctly.

    Actually, I am. One of the benefits of living in SoCal is that if you’re fortunate you can accumulate some friends in the industry – and they are quite helpful for this sort of thing – and for things that are much more obviously beneficial.

  43. 43.

    andy

    December 24, 2011 at 6:56 pm

    @Linda Featheringill: Not if they are followers of Cash and Carry Jesus they won’t.

  44. 44.

    Warren Terra

    December 24, 2011 at 6:56 pm

    @Martin:
    It was meant as a joke about the sort of person who would subject a sapient being to the Star Wars Holiday Special, not as a serious criticism or something about piracy or whatever.

  45. 45.

    J. Michael Neal

    December 24, 2011 at 7:01 pm

    @Warren Terra: Remember, *Martin* is the one who plans to subject people to the horror. The friend is merely aiding and abetting him in this effort.

  46. 46.

    handy

    December 24, 2011 at 7:07 pm

    I heard Carrie Fisher say she plays her copy of the Holiday Special whenever she’s hosting a party and wants people who’ve stayed past their welcome to leave.

  47. 47.

    Lysana

    December 24, 2011 at 7:08 pm

    @Martin: Truly, the Star Wars Christmas Special was a warning that Lucas really didn’t care so long as his name was on it. He can try to disown it all he likes. It remains that he allowed it in the first place.

  48. 48.

    Rick Massimo

    December 24, 2011 at 7:11 pm

    Gingrich’s campaign blamed the Virginia rules for his failure to qualify and said he would mount a write-in campaign instead.

    “Only a failed system excludes four out of the six major candidates seeking access to the ballot. …

    Take a shower and get a job, fat man.

  49. 49.

    Rick Massimo

    December 24, 2011 at 7:14 pm

    @Lysana: Exactly – what, he wants us to think he thought a Star Wars Christmas special was gonna be GOOD?

    It goes on my list of Things That Happened In The Entertainment Business That Can Only Be Explained By Cocaine.

  50. 50.

    Warren Terra

    December 24, 2011 at 7:25 pm

    @J. Michael Neal:

    Remember, Martin is the one who plans to subject people to the horror. The friend is merely aiding and abetting him in this effort.

    Yes, but Martin is subjecting his family to it. I assumed he just had especially contentious Christmas family get-togethers, and this tactic was more defensible than resorting to physical violence. Although I’m not sure it’s more ethically acceptable.

    Still, Martin didn’t say he plans to watch it. So maybe his friend is indeed abetting his vile schemes, rather than inflicting that atrocity upon a friend.

  51. 51.

    Nellcote

    December 24, 2011 at 7:28 pm

    Never saw SW Xmas but does it have drinking game potential?

  52. 52.

    Warren Terra

    December 24, 2011 at 7:29 pm

    Ina more topical vein, TPM has Newt’s campaign’s absurd response to this development:

    Stung by his failure to get on the ballot in Virginia, Newt (through his campaign manager) has taken to Facebook likening his set back to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor …

    Newt and I agreed that the analogy is December 1941

    Don’t they realize they’re doing it wrong: everything bad that happens to you is to be likened to the Nazis, not compared to Tojo. They’ve got the wrong Axis power!

  53. 53.

    Yutsano

    December 24, 2011 at 7:30 pm

    @Martin:

    and scenes shot that people felt were good, and then edited and sound engineered, and by people that did not go on strike or set themselves on fire due to the shame of the whole thing

    You know this as a Californian, but Hollywood has two modes: working or starvation. Very very few of the actual set workers get to be choosy about the projects they work on, to them it’s just a job. They don’t really spend too much thought on evaluating the final product itself. No doubt they chose to not credit themselves at the end.

  54. 54.

    Warren Terra

    December 24, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    @Nellcote:
    it’s available on-line with great convenience, if a bit fuzzy.

    Remember, I never claimed to be your friend.

  55. 55.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    December 24, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    FY – Jamesha’s lung collapsed today, however from what I understand they reinflated it and she is still on a ventilator. Which ever God you pray to, please offer some up, she needs them.

  56. 56.

    Rick Taylor

    December 24, 2011 at 7:42 pm

    Wow. These jokers are running for President of the United States, and except for Ron Paul and Mick Romney, they can’t even get on the Virginia ballot.

  57. 57.

    Martin

    December 24, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    @Warren Terra: No, I realize that. Trust me, I received many ‘Are you really sure you want to do this’ warnings before the video was turned over to me.

    Its really my fault for revealing to my family that there even was a Star Wars Holiday Special. I referenced it in jest, assuming it was meme enough that my family would be familiar at least with the legendary terribleness of it and that the reference would stand as a suitable proxy for ‘things you should never want to watch’. Perhaps I should have suggested watching video of a rhinoceros afterbirth, or the WTC collapse, or some nippleless anime to make the same point, but I chose Star Wars Holiday Special – only to be greeted by a chorus of ‘What! They made a holiday special?’ I tried to wave them off of it – really I did, but they kept bringing it up.

    Well, when you have a friend who knows, well, everyone at Lucasfilm, then there’s really no way I couldn’t carry this out to the end.

  58. 58.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    December 24, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    I made Beef Stroganoff for the DH tonight, however I made it the proper way with sour cream and ground mustard compared to the way I usually make it with sour cream and cheap yellow mustard. He HATED it. I guess the cheap yellow mustard is the way to go.

  59. 59.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 24, 2011 at 7:47 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    She has not been far from my thoughts ever since you posted yesterday. My prayers (not sure that’s the right word, but this is no moment for theological niceties) are with her, her family and friends and community. Please keep us updated as you get news.

  60. 60.

    Martin

    December 24, 2011 at 7:50 pm

    @Yutsano: No, I know that. My friend earned an Oscar a few years back. He’s done some fantastic work on some fantastic films. And done some fantastic work on some really terrible films. It’s a job. But even though everyone has to do shitty things in their job, there are limits, you know.

  61. 61.

    Calouste

    December 24, 2011 at 7:53 pm

    @Rick Massimo:

    In 2008, both the Republicans and the Democrats had 6 candidates on the Virginia ballot. I haven’t read any information that the law has changed in the mean time.

    Of course what the amphibian really mean to say is: “I’m Newt, I should be on the ballot without having to bother with such details.” Makes you wonder what a potential President Newt is going to do if Russia exercises a veto on the Security Council.

  62. 62.

    Joseph Nobles

    December 24, 2011 at 7:54 pm

    The story that will bring together all factions of the GOP primary process and help Mitt Romney triumph over Mormon-fear has finally broken.

    It has actually been out for a while, but it didn’t get much notice (meaning, I hadn’t heard of it). The details are here at Jezebel.

    http://jezebel.com/5851050/the-curious-case-of-mitt-romney-an-abortion-and-eliza-dushkus-mom

    OK, so Eliza Dushku’s mother is a radical Mormon feminist. How did she get that way, you ask? Well, back in the day, after four children, her fifth pregnancy needed to be terminated due to blood clots endangering her life. She obtained permission from the Church to get a life-saving abortion.

    But a bishop lower in the hierarchy took it upon himself to confront her and her husband at the clinic, trying to shame them out of the abortion. This bishop was a younger Mitt Romney.

    He said – What do you think you’re doing? She said – Well, we have to abort the baby because I have these blood clots. And he said something to the effect of – Well, why do you get off easy when other women have their babies? And she said – What are you talking about? This is a life threatening situation. And he said – Well what about the life of the baby? And she said – I have four other children and I think it would be really irresponsible to continue the pregnancy.

    She of course has the procedure and helps raise her other four children. Later, Mrs. Dushku sees that Mitt Romney is running as a pro-choice candidate for Massachusetts. She is even thinking about campaigning in his behalf.

    But she visits him in his office, and comes away with an interesting twist. According to her, Mitt Romney tells her that he has received permission from church officials to pretend to be pro-choice in order to attain high office.

    She had already written about the abortion confrontation with both parties remaining anonymous. After this, she exposes the truth and Mitt Romney shuns her from then on out.

    All of this was written up in 2007, apparently, but here it is, yet again. And I can’t help but feel that it will only help Mitt Romney. Sure, plenty of Mormon-haters out there, but if all the Church wants him to do is bash on the gays and the abortionists and other socially conservative issues, a lot of evangelical Republican voters might be able to swallow that hate. The enemy of your enemy after all. Plus, Romney gets to decry this story and say it’s not so, so he gets persecution points. Plus, it seals away forever attacks on his previous flip-flopping on social issues. I could see Romney winning Iowa after this.

  63. 63.

    Villago Delenda Est

    December 24, 2011 at 7:57 pm

    @Warren Terra:

    Don’t they realize they’re doing it wrong: everything bad that happens to you is to be likened to the Nazis, not compared to Tojo. They’ve got the wrong Axis power!

    Obviously, Newt and his people have not heard the Bluto Blutarsky take on the attack on Pearl Harbor. Which is yet another strike against them.

  64. 64.

    Ken

    December 24, 2011 at 8:00 pm

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    Some wingers are blaming Romney, others are blaming Paulinistas and some are even blaming Obama. They are pissed at Hannity, Coulter, Rush and just about every other winger pundit for whatever it is that pisses them off.

    In other words, everyone except the people who are actually at fault, Newt Gingrich and his campaign manager. Because heaven forbid that anyone (or, perhaps, any Republican) ever take responsibility for his mistakes.

    Personally I see this as further evidence that Newt was not running for President, but just polishing up the old resume, so he could justify larger fees for “historical consultation.” His brief stint as the not-Romney surprised him, I would guess.

  65. 65.

    phoebes-in-santa fe

    December 24, 2011 at 8:00 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I would like to know how she and her aunt are faring. Good luck to them.

  66. 66.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 24, 2011 at 8:02 pm

    @Martin:

    You are absolutely right. One of my brothers has just retired from a 35-year career as a sound designer/technician, including a lot of Foley work. He, too, has one Oscar and several nominations under his belt, and a bunch of other industry awards. But he’s also worked on some of the worst, most forgettable crap that Hollywood has ever cranked out. It’s a living, and can be a good one, but very few are in a position to pick and choose.

  67. 67.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 24, 2011 at 8:05 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Too late to edit. Martin, I missed the part where you said “there are limits.”

    :-)

  68. 68.

    Gwangung

    December 24, 2011 at 8:09 pm

    @Ken: can someone tell me exactly HOW the requirements are so onerous and rididculous? On their face, it really doesn’t seem that unreasonable.

  69. 69.

    jeffreyw

    December 24, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    The buns are done.

  70. 70.

    Triassic Sands

    December 24, 2011 at 8:27 pm

    …the more freaks there are to fight for every primary vote the better.

    This could offer an even better outcome — one due entirely to legal rules and not GOP skullduggery. There is no way that a Republican presidential primary election can be considered legitimate if it excludes most of the candidates. That could mean that a victory in Virginia will do little or nothing to add to the winner’s momentum. Since none of the candidates should ever be allowed within a million miles of the presidency (they’re already much too close), holding primary elections that contribute to uncertainty and confusion should be a good thing. (Unless it’s not.) Anyway, it sounds like a good thing to someone who wants the GOP candidate to lose convincingly next year.

  71. 71.

    chopper

    December 24, 2011 at 8:37 pm

    @handy:

    so the star wars holiday special is like lucas’s own version of a racist newsletter?

  72. 72.

    Cliff in NH

    December 24, 2011 at 8:40 pm

    Um, Star wars Holiday special!?

    Here it is in all it’s, um.. Glory:

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=323909610753051544

    Arghhh! my eyeballs!!

    – runs away –

  73. 73.

    Ken

    December 24, 2011 at 8:43 pm

    @Gwangung: The requirements aren’t a problem, if a candidate (1) is a candidate and (2) has people on the ground. My thesis is that Gingrich was not seriously a #1 until very recently, when the not-Romney spotlight went to his head, and at that point was so lacking in #2 that he couldn’t get the signatures.

    (And yes, I am using #1 and #2 with malice aforethought. HOWDY HO!!!! and a merry Christmas, or whatever, to all.)

  74. 74.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 24, 2011 at 8:45 pm

    @Joseph Nobles:

    I can’t help but feel that it will only help Mitt Romney. Sure, plenty of Mormon-haters out there, but if all the Church wants him to do is bash on the gays and the abortionists and other socially conservative issues, a lot of evangelical Republican voters might be able to swallow that hate. The enemy of your enemy after all. Plus, Romney gets to decry this story and say it’s not so, so he gets persecution points. Plus, it seals away forever attacks on his previous flip-flopping on social issues. I could see Romney winning Iowa after this.

    If your analysis is correct, my opinion of evangelical Republican voters will necessarily plummet even lower than it is now.

    It seems odd to me that this story hasn’t really had any traction, either among the other GOP candidates or even — even!! — the MSM.

  75. 75.

    Steeplejack

    December 24, 2011 at 8:54 pm

    @Martin:

    Off topic, but I may have found a solution to your grandma/Tom Brady problem: NFL Game Rewind. If I read the information right, you can buy iTunes downloads of entire individual games or, worst-case scenario, subscribe to the whole season for $24.99.

  76. 76.

    Egg Berry

    December 24, 2011 at 8:54 pm

    @Warren Terra:

    Don’t they realize they’re doing it wrong: everything bad that happens to you is to be likened to the Nazis, not compared to Tojo. They’ve got the wrong Axis power!

    The Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!

    I see VDE got there first

  77. 77.

    Cain

    December 24, 2011 at 9:11 pm

    @Raven:

    Speaking of sweet Virginia. We drove from Lynchburg to Blacksburg this morning

    Hmmm.. interesting town names. :)

  78. 78.

    dmsilev

    December 24, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    @Triassic Sands:
    The VA primary is on Super Tuesday,so chances are there will be enough “legitimate” results that night that VA will just be lost in the shuffle.

  79. 79.

    Calouste

    December 24, 2011 at 9:15 pm

    @Gwangung:

    Requirements are for pinko-commie Democrats and RINOs like Romney. When a Real Republican (TM) like Newt! or Parry! or even The Donald! wants to run, they should just be allowed to run. In the interest of the nation of course.

  80. 80.

    Jay C

    December 24, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    @Ken:

    In other words, everyone except the people who are actually at fault

    And there you have it: today’s Republican Party in a nutshell: both fundamental political philosophy AND tactical operating principles….

    SRSLY, though: it’s not as if the State of Virginia suddenly changed its primary-ballot-signature requirements last month (in a secret session of the Lege, and signed by the Governor in private, at 3:00am) – this is the sort of fundamental campaign groundgame stuff that any halfway competent…. oops…!

  81. 81.

    Calouste

    December 24, 2011 at 9:53 pm

    Q: What do Gingrich and Perry do when the phone rings at 3AM?
    A: Nothing. The phone doesn’t ring because they couldn’t work out how to pay the phone bill and they got cut off.

  82. 82.

    Schlemizel

    December 24, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    @Martin:
    I have only been able to take 20 minutes of it & that included fast forwarding to see some of the cameos. It may well be the worst thing I have ever seen on TV and I have had TV since 1958.

  83. 83.

    Schlemizel

    December 24, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    @Nellcote:
    Yes – take one shot for every letter in the opening credits. It will save you from watching the rest of it.

  84. 84.

    Schlemizel

    December 24, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt:
    Our thoughts and wishes are sent out for you guys.

  85. 85.

    honus

    December 24, 2011 at 10:11 pm

    @Cain: You can just go a few more miles down the road to Hurt. Or east to Short Pump. I happen to live in Free Union.

  86. 86.

    The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge

    December 24, 2011 at 10:22 pm

    @Jay C:

    SRSLY, though: it’s not as if the State of Virginia suddenly changed its primary-ballot-signature requirements last month (in a secret session of the Lege, and signed by the Governor in private, at 3:00am) – this is the sort of fundamental campaign groundgame stuff that any halfway competent…. oops…!

    Doesn’t matter. If we learned anything from Florida in 2000, it’s that requirements and deadlines made up on the spur of the moment, or even after-the-fact, are SACRED !Eleventy

    (Won’t let you use more than one “!”, huh?

  87. 87.

    honus

    December 24, 2011 at 10:41 pm

    @Jay C: Minor point: Virginia doesn’t have a lege, it has a GA. It’s a commonwealth.

  88. 88.

    RalfW

    December 24, 2011 at 10:51 pm

    How perfect that the party of voter suppression has found ways to exclude and screw their own! Ahh, a taste of schadenfreude tastes mighty fine right now.

  89. 89.

    amk

    December 24, 2011 at 10:57 pm

    @Raven: I was fifty before I even laid my eyes on a gun in close quarters. But then, I am from a saner country.

  90. 90.

    Richard Fox

    December 24, 2011 at 11:04 pm

    Why would anyone consider this person a leader– someone who can’t even manage to get his name onto a ballot? If the hurdles have been placed there, so be it; a serious candidate anticipates these rules and moves it forward. End of story. To not do so says everything you need to know about that candidate and their shortcomings.

    Just the idea that Newt Gingrich’s campaign manager– with Newt’s blessing would compare this avoidable setback in any way to Pearl Harbor– ! It positively blows my mind. And yet somehow it fits a pattern with so many people on the far right. A grandiosity, a pomposity, a cheap melodrama…. Makes me feel nothing but contempt, to say the least. And don’t get me started on all the wonderful janitorial opportunities for tots…

  91. 91.

    BruinKid

    December 25, 2011 at 12:59 am

    @Joseph Nobles: Wait, I’m pretty sure the article says that it was NOT Eliza Dushku’s mom. Her mother interviewed the anonymous woman who went to Romney. Interesting that Dushku’s mom and Romney had been friends until that happened.

  92. 92.

    BruinKid

    December 25, 2011 at 1:02 am

    I’m all for this kind of requirement being necessary in all 50 states. I mean, if you can’t even muster 10,000 signatures per state (fine, make it a smaller number for some smaller states), you probably don’t have any kind of even basic public support to be President.

    Good way to keep nutjobs even MORE fringe than Lyndon LaRouche off the ballot.

  93. 93.

    Joseph Nobles

    December 25, 2011 at 1:46 am

    @BruinKid: Ohhhh, that makes more sense. I couldn’t understand why she had thought to support him after his confrontation. Being different women makes more sense. I must have misunderstood. Thanks!

  94. 94.

    Frankensteinbeck

    December 25, 2011 at 2:04 am

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    This would be because George Lucas is what we writers call a ‘talentless hack who got lucky’. I’m afraid the first Star Wars movies are a case of a stopped clock being right twice a day.

  95. 95.

    Thoughtcrime

    December 25, 2011 at 3:22 am

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    This also may have something to do with their success:

    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0524235/

  96. 96.

    Triassic Sands

    December 25, 2011 at 4:36 am

    @dmsilev:

    “…lost in the shuffle.”

    You may be right.

    On the other hand, if it looks like a new, bright and shiny object to the MSM they could blow it all out of proportion. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  97. 97.

    mikeyes

    December 25, 2011 at 10:14 am

    Wait, Ron Paul is a former Congressman? When did this happen (this time at least?)

  98. 98.

    redshirt

    December 25, 2011 at 11:16 am

    Late to the party, but the SW Holiday Special introduced the world to Boba Fett, and nerds everywhere rejoiced.

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