It all happened so fast, didn’t it?. One day the Republican party was a sober group of guys in suits and ties, wearing polished wingtips and tasteful toupees. Now… it seems like practically overnight… those guys (now known as “the Establishment’) are flanked by another group consisting of seventeen guys in a clown car, wearing fright wigs, floppy shoes and polka dot pants, playing kazoos and spraying seltzer on the voters. This group is called the “Tea Party.”
I’ve been so mesmerized by this startling evolution, I’ve failed until now to think what it portends for the future. In the immediate future, of course, these disparate groups have to contend an election together, which is going to be fascinating enough. But immediately after that, they need to start mounting a presidential run and think about fielding a candidate.
Oh dear.
Which side will produce that candidate, do you think? Just ponder it for a moment. After a campaign filled with bright shiny objects like professional wrestling, threats of gunfire, dark warnings about masturbation, the great UN bicycle takeover, a bearded Ivy-leaguer who wrestles grizzly bears barehanded, and Rand Paul‘s really weird perm… are Republican voters going to have any interest in a bland, safe Tim Pawlenty, a clean-cutMitch Daniels or a slicked-back Mitt Romney with his doleful talk about deficits and incentives? Aren’t they just going to crave more sex, drugs and rock’n’roll? Those things are all kind of addictive, you know. (Well, maybe not sex. Sorry Ms O’Donnell, I spoke without thinking. I will try to control myself in future.
No, after this colorful, rowdy, rollicking campaign, I think the die is cast for the presidential run.. The GOP will not come from the boardroom set. It will come from the clown car.
And who is the Chief of Clowns? Who is, in fact, the driver of the clown car? Could it be… will it possibly turn out to be…
Yes, I’m really beginning to think it’s going to happen. The Dem’s fondest wet dream (oops, <I>memo to self.. check with Ms O’Donnell to find out if erotic dreams are also forbidden</I> … the left’s fondest fantasy is turning into a reality. We are going to get our dream candidate.
… the left’s fondest fantasy is turning into a reality. We are going to get our dream candidate. Be still my heart! 
538 Refugees 
FIRST!This is starting to sound like a Monty Python sketch — “And now, from the Very Silly Party …”
I have so missed you guys!wv: 29538 No kidding.
I’ll never forget having a conversation with a GOP Washington insider in March 2007 who guaranteed a Hillary versus Rudy matchup. He also said McCain would be humiliated in the primaries. So a grain of salt.Just four short years ago, the GOP was still made up of economic conservatives, cultural conservatives, and defense hawks. But there are two serious divides within the party. First are the defense hawks who have turned foreign policy into something similar in Israeli politics – those who negotiate with Arabs and those who don’t. The second are divided between pro-TARPers and not. And so the calculus is different this time around. I have no doubt that “She” is the standard bearer of the cultural conservatives and the anti-TARPers, and that might be enough to drive all the momentum and money her way. But she’s such a polarizing figure that it’s hard to rule out an “anti-Her.” All in all…. fascinating!
@Mike: But she’s such a polarizing figure that it’s hard to rule out an “anti-Her.”Now there’s a fascinating concept! What would an “anti-Her” even look like? Would it be like “anti-matter” that devours everything it contacts (or is that “dark matter”?” Oh well, same thing, right?….)Hey, that reminds me of a physics joke somebody just sent me:Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, ‘I’ve lost my electron.’ The other says ‘Are you sure?’ The first replies, ‘Yes, I’m positive.’Thank you folks, thank you very much. I’ll be here all week. 🙂
well said, i just love sappy politics and politicians of all stripes. It brings rays of sunshine when Florida is grey and rainy. Sad to say i voted Reagan–yes i was one of those democrats, but only once. It took less than 4 years, unemployment and high interest rates to realize I had been snookered. I wear yellow proudly at 73 and it only takes an X in the D box. Ah, so easy. I came across this from Paul Abrams, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/pop-quiz-under-reagan-wha_b_341348.html
gramma, thank you for posting that link! It is amusing to see Republicans telling us how awful things are under Obama, and then, in the same breath, praising Saint Ronnie. filistro: that is one of the funniest geek jokes I’ve ever heard. I groaned. And no, anti-matter and negative matter are two different things. But stop me before I get all quantum physical on you.I suspect an anti-Her might be a Mitt. Boring old Mitt. Sort of the Republican Al Gore. Tim “Timmy the WonderGov” Pawlenty doesn’t look to have much chance — he’s increasingly despised here in Minnesota, which will contribute to Tom Emmer’s defeat in November. I can’t see Pawlenty as a national figure. He doesn’t strike one as having the drive for it. Sort of a boring Mitt Romney.
Slipped 😉 a post past NYT’s censorship 🙂 Re: A so-called Rep revolution in 1968~~~~~@67 ~ hitfanCase in point: Goldwater’s disastrous 1964 campaign~~~~~Goldwater ’64 ~ 38.5%Nixon ’68 ~ 43.4% … Humphrey 42.7%hmm, some revolution as the Dems imploded in 1968, plus MLK, Jr. Assassination, RFK’s Assassination, Vietnam War, Chicago convention riots, major U.S. city riots, war protests etc.and yetand yetand yet most presidential historians/prognosticators lol agree if the race had lasted (1) more week, Humphrey would have won.>and who was leading this new and exciting bogus revolution/movement ~ Nixon who had been v-p from 1953 to 1961 and had the best name recognition money could buy, eh.Also, Nixon received 49.6% in 1960 and 43.4% in 1968 soooo, should we call it a negative movement lol as Nixon won by default in ’68 and benefited from the Dems continuing to implode from ’68 to ’72 when they started their run of god awful candidates ie McGovern, Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Gore.One must remember Carter blew a (30) pt. lead against Ford, an appointed president, so Carter may have been the worst candidate, Dukakis blowing a (17) pt. lead and losing by (7), I digress.and no wartime incumbent president has ever lost re-election which also benefited Nixon in ’72 along w/all the other advantages of an incumbent …ie it’s quite basic:one party screws up and is replaced by the other party as this is not rocket science.btw, the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives from 1954 to 1994 thru Nixon’s ’72 and Reagan’s ’84 landslide.Quite the movement, eh. ;)And as I just pointed out at Refugees 🙂 last night, Nixon was more of a moderate than Bill Clinton.take care, blessings>@71William Jefferson had (90k) frozen assets in his freezer, not 100k lolbtw, shocking that both parties have an increasing quantity of corrupt politicians, eh ;)Meet the new boss, same as the old boss er be careful what you wish for …As unlike many just say no Reps who hope/pray w/every fiber of their being the Dems fail … if the Reps take over the House as everyone assumes I will hope/pray the unemployment rate is down to at least (8%) at the end of 2012, otherwise the newly elected Reps in the House will be bounced just like many new Dems may be bounced in 2010.The yin and yang of political elections.Did I mention one party screws up and is replaced by the other party ie revolutions never enter into the equation, just simple math.>Obama, a young bi-racial, African/American received (69.5) million votes in 2008. (7.5) million more than cheney/bush’s previous record in 2004.Why?From 2001 to 2009 cheney/bush screwed the pooch every which way but loose! :(No revolution, just total contempt for the lame duck president’s party! as Bush’s job approval was (((24%))) Oct. 2008.America’s voters are becomin’ increasingly fickle and pissed!~~~~~</b
but, but, but my follow-up did not pass NYT’s muster lol …~~~~~Continuing my thought …LBJ/Vietnam War/’64/’65 Civil Rights Acts beget NixonNixon/Watergate beget CarterCarter/High Inflation, High Gas Prices, Iran Hostage Crisis beget Reagan who received an (astounding) 50.75% of the vote in 1980.Bush41/It’s The Economy Stupid beget Clinton ~ btw, how does one go from a job approval rating of 89% (2/28/91) to a low of 29% (7/31/92) less than a year and a half later …Bush43/The Incompetency/Corruption/Constitutuional Violations Is Wayyyy Too Long To List lol beget Obama ~ Again, how does one go from a job approval rating of 90% (9/21/01) to a low of 25% (10/3/08)that is all~~~~~
And, right on cue… heeeeeer’s SARAH!
@gramma,re: Sad to say i voted Reagan–yes i was one of those democrats, but only once.Me too. Once. Have voted mainly dem since, although I did vote for independent Jesse Ventura for MN governor in 1998.
Ok so today we had Ms. O’dules….no that isn’t right that is beer with out alcohol….which I still find some what pointless……O’Donnal or what ever becoming the darling of the social conservatives (you know the part of the movement that Bart would have us believe does not exist or is coexisting or…..Bart you baffle me, I like you and you are being played for such a sucker). Now one would have to suspect that she did this to get over the electoral hump…bad right fili? Uh was looking to show that she was a hands on type of…what is that? Oh yeah right. That she had seen her efforts climax in……crap you are making this really really hard and……dam how do you put a finger on a candidates…this too?Interesting isn’t it that the very movement that is going to die because they are not reproducing well enough to not become the real minority here in this country has fallen in love with some one that would have that birth rate drop even lower. But she does like the good order of the middle east….causing me to wonder what she would look lilke in a Bourka? Carefull what you wish for bimbett…for you could actually piss off these fundamental types that really really really believe in begating and you could fine your self in an interesting position….what is wrong with that? Oh I meant she could seriously find some supporters with their knickers in a knot and…..really knotted knickers can….your kidding right? Ok she is going to have some serious problems keeping her supporters satisfied……sated……dang it not pissed at her…..lets see any of this on NYT.
fili,From Joe Scarborough show, March 2004:C. O’DONNELL: I’ll tell you, I just came back from the Middle East, and it was refreshing. With all that is going on, it was refreshing not to be constantly bombarded with smut all the time. Wow. She’s the Church Lady!
Mainer, you’re sounding all wee-wee’d up. You really need to get yourself in hand. Now hold tight there. I mean really… get a grip, man!Oh dear… can we tolerate 6 weeks of this kind of hilarity? You made me laugh so hard my foot has started hurting again… and up until now it was improving.Poor sore foot. Maybe I just need somebody to rub it… kind of vigorously…?God help us. We’ll never make it otherwise.
Jean… you of all people should know… these people really ARE the American equivelant of the Taliban.They would LOVE to have a “Department of Vice and Virtue” that spends its time flogging people on the street for dressing in a seductive manner, committing blasphemy or indulging in public displays of affection. We make fun of them… but I also find them scary. (That’s probably where the laughter comes from… it’s a defense mechanism against the truly creepy.)
@filistroJean… you of all people should know… these people really ARE the American equivelant of the Taliban.I mentioned this on a post on Nate’s NYT blog. That post, mysteriously, never appeared.So nice to have open discussion. I missed you guys.
shrinkers,I missed you too! NYT is good reading, but not much else. I finally got my first NYT comment published today, ironically simply an attempt to get this URL out to all those on Nate’s NYT blog. My other posts, many, were nuked. God know why; it’s not like I rant like Muley.
O’Donnell’s teabagger campaign theme song …Breaking … Madonna is Christine’s new campaign manager!as mentioned previously, it’s wayyy to easy to make fun of the welfare queen ie does DE want a laughingstock as their senator …>btw, at the beginning of each song a short negative Kasich campaign ad plays. Wonder if it’s geared to your zip code ie folk in PA will see a negative Toomey campaign ad when they play a YouTube song, etc.carry on
fili,I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your recent foot injury. What’s up? Do you need some crutches? I have a pair I would be happy to pass along to another gimp.BTW, didn’t see you hitchhiking along the roadside in Yellowstone, though I kept an eye open for a Canadian hitchhiker carrying a curling ball (are they called balls – apologies to Ms. O’Donnell.)
@Jean… a Canadian hitchhiker carrying a curling ball (are they called balls – apologies to Ms. O’Donnell)Actually they’re called rocks. (Oh dear… that’s even worse!…)My foot has a badly inflamed plantar tendon… that’s where the heavy tendon running along the bottom of your foot attaches to the heel bone and then continues on to become the Achilles. It’s hideously painful with every step, and the only treatment is rest, ice and stretching. If you’re not diligent at the early therapy stage, recovery can take 6 to 8 months.Oddly enough, when I click on shiloh’s Madonna link I don’t get a political message.. I get an ad for ORTHOPEDIC FOOTWEAR! How do they know all this stuff about us? It’s spooky.
Sorry to hear about your foot, filistro. Hope it all gets more better soon.Now that I’ve outed myself by attaching my author’s pseudonym to my first actual blog entry, I’m arguing amongst myself whether it would be too crassly self-promoting to provide a link to my novel 🙂 Just warning everyone.
shrinkers,Out yourself, please
shrinkers,Out yourself, please! I love books and would love to buy yours.
Here it is. Anyone curious, you can read about my novel — and even buy it… well if I get the link right … (Still Life) right there.Least expensive version is direct from the publisher, the PDF ebook.
Thank you Jean 🙂
Another point of reference is the most excellent book “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.I am hoping to add Ms. O’Donnell to my stable of women named “Of-Monotreme” once the Revolution arrives.I’ve got my finger on the button.Oh damn. I did it again.
‘Yes, I’m positive.’Ba-dump. Spish!!!
Well, I hadn’t anticipated this blog being a platform for self promotion but why not? We should think about writing biographies about ourselves. DC Petterson author of,,,(name of book). Has a nice ring to it. Don’t you agree?
shrinkers, congratulations, your book sounds great. (All those questions in the video are things I wonder about all the time.) Awesome promo materials, too. It’s such a weird feeling at this stage, when something that started out just as an idea in the back of your mind moves away from you and takes it own place on public stage. You feel both proprietary and oddly disconnected, don’t you?I should warn you, too, that no matter how many books you go on to publish, you’ll still feel like an imposter and have this anxious feeling that the world is going to discover you actually don’t have a clue what you’re doing. That fear never really goes away. 🙂
“If they happen to think I was the one.”Classic.
@ Mike… “If they happen to think I was the one.” Classic.LOL Mike… you noticed that too? The woman just can’t help herself. I think she probably even snarks in her sleep.My fondest dream is that she gets the nomination, but the thought does gives pause. If we have to endure two years of THAT VOICE saying snarky, suggestive, sarcastic things about the president, I’m afraid there will be a national epidemic of drunkenness. People will stagger around swigging whiskey straight from the bottle and banging their head against the wall just to make the pain stop.
filistro,I’m looking forward to the catfight between Palin, Bachmann, and O’Donnell, all trying to out-cute each other for the amusement of the drooling Republican male NASCAR vote. I’d suggest a double-elimination mudfight; the winner gets to run for Pres, 2nd place is Veep, 3rd is promised Secretary of State.Oh wait, isn’t there that chick from Pro Wrestling running somewhere? Got to get her into the mud too. Actually, that won’t be a challenge; Republicans tend to throw mud as their main campaign strategy.
Bart-logic:Taxes are tyranny. Regulating private conduct between consenting adults, not so much.