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If you’re like me — and I imagine you are, unless you are a straight middle aged man posing as a lesbian blogger — you expected to tune in to tonight’s John-King-wishes-he-had-lights-and-buzzers debacle on CNN hoping to see Michele Bachmann go completely off the rails, screeching about Obamacare’s secret funding for abortion clinics and Sharia law governing Hillary Clinton’s discussions with Bennie Netanyahoo.
Well, that didn’t exactly happen, now did it?
Bachmann looked composed, sounded intelligent, got her bio out there (were you surprised commentator David Gergen did not know about the Bachmann’s double-dozen foster kids? Who’s not paying attention now, David?) and managed not to screw up big-time. She even kept her eye on the operating camera, which we know from her State of the State of the State of the Union speech to America can be a challenge.
Even Anderson Cooper had to give the Congresswoman points for “time-management” in terms of her child-rearing duodecathlon.
By not embarrassing herself in front of New Hampshire GOP voters in the hall, the national media, and political junkies watching everywhere, Michele Bachmann won the debate. She did well, I think, and accomplished four unspoken goals:
1. She demolished Frothy Mixture, the has-been to her right.
2. She sparkled unlike the Tiffany Debtor, the has-been to her left.
3. She probably kept Snowbillie Grifterella out of the race entirely.
4. She showed she runs with the leaders, being favorably mentioned by every single one of the men on stage tonight.
The leaders for the GOP nomination are now Romney, Cain, and Bachmann. I think Pawlenty screwed the pooch tonight, looking argumentative, bland, and unsure of himself all at the same time. Cain managed to get out from under his “no Muslims need apply” unforced error by blaming the media, repeatedly, for misquoting him, always popular with GOPs.
And Ron Paul was, well, he was Ron Paul. I continue to be amazed that someone with that speaking voice has succeeded for so long in politics, but I guess his policies have a certain appeal to the AynRandians.
What was your take on tonight’s Goat Rodeo Launch?
85 Comments
I was watching some show about a family that went walking into the desert without any water. And how they survived. Also.
They all have a certain appeal to those who are forced to occupy the secure wing of a psychiatric hospital.
Who won?
Who lost?
What do you think?
Well, what kind of a political junkie do you call yourself, anyway?
*g*
3. She probably kept Snowbillie Grifterella out of the race entirely.
Or forced her to consider announcing her candidacy very soon I trust your analysis Ted if you say Michelle won then Sarah is either out or she has to get in now and beat Michelle next debate or give up her crown as Fundy Queen.
Sarah loves attention I can’t see her giving up.
Tim is dead that is interesting
Cain is African American have you ever seen the “Boondock’s ” political cartoon about Alan Keyes running for the GOP nomination for President when Bush was running the first time?
I think Cain is the new Keyes he says all the right things he is more Right than the rest of them but no GOPer from the racist wing of the party will vote for him no matter how much they like him.
Bachmann looked composed, sounded intelligent,
Someone smart got ahold of her someone made her listen and actually trained her like Bush was trained the fact Bush did not drool during the debates was a win for him. Michelle not screaming and flinging monkey poo at the audience was a win for her.
Cripes a smart GOPer has another no brain puppet to mold now I am worried where is PW we need local intel.
Is Michelle won of those foster moms who takes in a ton of kids for the cash and tax breaks? Given her business, her duties as a congresswoman, organizing the Tea Party where does she find the energy given her level of crazy drugs might explain it also does she have servants to help with the kids Hispanic Servants perhaps?
We need intel. Cripes I just might have to break my strike and research a GOPer. (I was on strike before because no GOPer was I thought a serious candidate who could carry their own state or win nationally.)
Cry Havoc and let loose the Dogs of War!
Lefty Bloggers are going to start researching Michelle :)
The “winner”?
Can anyone win with these “candidates”?
Everyone’s a loser.
Them, and the electorate.
Google Bachmann quotes.
She DOES believe some people are inherently better than others.
She DOES NOT believe in the minimum wage. As in it should be abolished.
And those are her “sane” positions.
She’s about as believable as Barberella (no, not the Fonda flic) as a candidate.
My dog would would have a better chance. And I don’t even have a dog. A trained monkey would be better. Heck, a piece of fruit on a table would be better.
Why? Simply because as soon as she runs, they’re going to roll out the A/V on her making her remarks.
Although in all honesty, the Amerikan electorate may just buy it. They’ve bought bat-shite crazy before. And they would again.
For the littls it’s worth,my rethug husband AND a gentleman where I work both think she has GOOD IDEAS…..
The guy’s name who accomplished all that is Ed Rollins, who’s been around as a GOP consultant for, well, ever — and who won Iowa with Huckabee last Goat Rodeo.
Michele was conceived and born in Iowa.
She’ll mop the floor with the others.
All her ideas are GOOD ideas if you’re a Republican.
Seriously, she’s mainstream.
Ron Paul is a leftist within the GOP now.
She DOES believe some people are inherently better than others.
But JUST who is she better than:)
And as long as Sarah stays away she gets the Fundy vote which is the majority vote in GOP primaries If she wins Iowa then Mitt gets New Hampshire then South Carolina a fundy state and then Super Tuesday and just how many fundy southern states vote then?
The Corporate wing of the GOP should be having kittens. But Obama I bet is begging pollsters to hold off on polls showing how Michelle would do against him.
Next to Sarah Michelle with her record is Obama’s dream GOP candidate.
The US is a sad joke. The punchline is Obama is just as heinous as the goons on that stage.
I have better things to do with my time than watch Republican kabuki. Picking my toes for example.
Tonight’s debate confirmed everything I’ve been saying on this woman. As I live-blogged this on my Facebook, here’s what I said when Pawlenty didn’t attack:
Maybe he’s waiting to go negative, but then why would he say what he said about Romney literally days ago? It’s just stupid.
But yes, Romney finished well ahead of the other candidates, especially on the issue of Sharia Law/Muslims (because we know those issues are the same thing, amirite?). His answer actually surprised me, pleasantly in fact.
Gingrich surprised me on his answer with immigration. He didn’t endorse full-scale deportation and SWAT-teams busting into homes looking for undocumented workers. His line about NASA was amusing. Newt, I hate to tell you, but as an aerospace engineer, we would not be colonizing the moon by now if NASA didn’t exist; it’s rather the opposite. Still, the rest of the debate he was his usual hateful self; Muslims, Communists, Nazis, oh my!
Bachmann came in second, and got the first applause line of the night. Again, I’ve read others’ reactions to the debate and they’re all surprised at how well she did. Her performance wasn’t unexpected by me at all. She also was a forced-birth activist before her career in Congress, and two issues that got the biggest responses from the crowd were pro-life and right to work. Ironically, both issues are 1984-copy-cat “war is peace” lines and what not. And despite that activism, she dodged when asked about the rape-incest issue. Shows me she is willing to be more poised and less-extreme in order to win; quite a formidable pol.
Ron Paul was typical, and once again, while I detest almost everything he and his supporters stand for, I like having him on the stage. He opposes Medicare, Social Security and the safety net, this is true. But when talking about our government “going bankrupt” he always brings it back to the military and our empire. His schtick on the Federal Reserve is annoying as usual, though. Especially because his supporters don’t know wtf they’re talking about, and explaining to them how it actually works is annoying. It’s going to be 2007 all over again.
Santorum did better than I suspected, but he won’t matter in the end.
Hermain Cain was a dismal failure, and under-performed severely when compared with his first performance. Bachmann might overtake him in Iowa if he continues to be that bad.
I’m pissed that Donald Trump got an invitation, but Gary Johnson didn’t. It’s not fair at all. I want more anti-war candidates on the stage.
Ayn Randian huh?
I don’t want our Military in other nations.
I don’t want our currency to be a form of slavery.
I support Ron Paul’s message for these reason’s primarily.
Your gonna bag on his voice….and people who don’t like
murder and slavery….
UnSospiro(A Sigh)/Franz Liszt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq-y9KGqssc
Kinda find nutbag Republicans awesome, do you?
The lobbyists and media circle jerk won.
The American people lost.
They’re rather entertaining. It depends how you look at it lolol.
Ron Paul is a spoonful of sugar laced with anti-abortion anti-safety net deregulatory poison.
I certainly think she can take over for palin, do a better job of it too.
I happen to think she’ll be a tough candidate for the big zero, probably tougher then anyone else in their field right now
I will pull for her and campaign for her against the big zero so we get rid of the sheep in wolfs clothing to replace him with the wolf in a skirt where we can mount a defence against corporate agenda
he’s really not for deregulation, that’s the malarkey with him and “economic libertarians”
they LOVE regulations, they just don’t want us to know it
without regulations they couldn’t have ownership, sanctity of contract, courts enforcing their contracts, their money would mean nothing at all
they just want us to THINK they don’t want regulations so they can keep those that help them gather profit but get rid of those that force them into paying their own bills
Basically, I agree but I thought Gingrich was pretty good. Bachmann won the debate by not having her head explode, and she has taken Sarah Palin’s role in this political drama. The GOP only has room for one skinny cute brunette mamma-grizzly per season. If Palin goes blonde, game on. Pawlenty is toast, and Mitt Romney secured the nomination. Everything else was as expected.
“By not embarrassing herself in front of New Hampshire GOP voters in the hall, the national media, and political junkies watching everywhere, Michele Bachmann won the debate.”
This was Ronald Reagan’s path to victory in the 1984 debates with Mondale. Despite his providing evidence of his dementia, Reagan ‘won’ the debates because he 1) did not burst into flames, 2) did not drool on his microphone, 3) did not declare war on the USSR, 4) avoided the N-word, 5) avoided declaring that the NAZIs were America’s closest allies in the fight against International Communism and 6) did not declare the Civil War Amendments nullified.
After watching these ‘debates’ and the ‘Morning in America’ spectacle, I concluded that Americans were just plain fucked.
A Bachmann nomination would reiterate that conclusion. But, then again, a Cain, Perry, Pawlenty, etc. nomination would also produce that result.
And Obama and the rest of the candidates are so respectful of a woman’s right to choose and care so much about the safety net for the poor. Ron Paul has said that of course we do not take away Social Security and Medicare at this stage (as Obama and the Republicans are trying to do). His first priority is ending the wars.
I guess ending Obama’s wars and restoring liberties doesn’t matter much to people if the candidate has a “speaking voice” that offends the sensibilities of the left. Let Obama’s goons go through your trash then.
Good morning all.
cnbc agrees.
G’Morning, e
That woman just gives me the willies. She’s like a zillion steps backwards for the equality movement.
And, goodness, can you imagine her bringing all her foster kids to the white house. We’d be buying some bunk beds.
morning. It was a perfect sleep aid. Knocked me right out.
Doesn’t anyone ever ask Bachmann about the AFDIC payments on foster kids along with her ag assistance? she’s not the first to take on multiple kids for the multiple checks.
plus help with the farm. that’s why farm families were large, you know?
I didn’t know she has foster kids.
at least no one would complain about the impact on the local schools.
Bachman would oppose the corporate agenda? Don Rickles, is that you?
IMHO, the true wing nuts won the debate: Bachmann — and Palin, and the Tea Party.
I didn’t know it before last night.
You’ve got to have a surplus, in case of tractor accidents, ya know.
Bachmann has 23 foster kids and five the usual way. Doesn’t exactly scream ‘sanity’ does it. I wonder how much of that evil State/ Federal assistance she received for that mess. Hypocrisy, Inc.
plenty to spare! and lotsa hands to milk and hoe – and cook and clean.
All of the conventional analysis thus far implicitly assumes a two-way race — between Barry and the R nominee. It all breaks down in a three-way race. The threat of a three-way race is what scares the living shit out of establishment Rs. They will do anything to prevent it. This gives the Tea Party — or whatever they now call themselves — a big seat at the table.
I believe that Bachmann and Palin are at least implicitly colluding to maximize the influence of their supporters. Bachmann on the inside, Palin on the outside.
YMMV
Did you say ho?
I was just looking at a photo from last night and noticed how very conservative Tiny B looked. Her suit was either black or navy blue and fell to below her knees. It made me imagine what Sarah would have worn. They definely have different styles. Ho much?
establishment R’s are nonexistent, imho. They’re showing their true colors and they’re haters, and nuts.
I agree. . . . but that still makes Ron Paul much better than Obama(R) and the other republicans.
somebody has to bring in some coins.
Yep, Palin’ does show a common touch.
Oh, indeed. Obama fears Romney, period. He can beat anyone else the GOP is likely to field in the general. (He probably couldn’t beat Huntsman, but Huntsman has no chance with GOP primary voters because he’s sane and not evil.)
In the last analysis — after an R nominee is selected — I agree with you.
But not at this point — that is, well before the nominee is selected. Bachmann and Palin supporters — tens of millions of them — do not support the likes of Romney or Pawlenty as the nominee. (That is not to say that they won’t vote for either one of them if the alternative is Obama.) But, at this stage, they are interested in blocking Romney’s (or T-Paw’s) path to the nomination — in order to maximize their influence on the ticket. Bachmann’s entry effectively does that. And potentially INCREASES Palin’s chances as a third party threat.
In the general, yes, they’re all “establishment” Rs. Now, however, there are two distinct camps. But, this is all a guess on my part.
No, it doesn’t. How about an actual sane / progressive candidate.
Well, I watched it. The only anti-war candidate in 2012 is in the Republican Party. How fucked up is that? At least in 2008 there was a D and an R – Kucinich and Paul.
It’s quite liberating to be watching the Presidential campaign with a sense of detachment this time, in 2012.
Whichever side wins, there will be more free trade, more offshoring, more sucking up to Wall Street at the expense of everyone else, cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid “on the table”, supply-side economics, a Republican health care system (whether the Obama/Tauzin Health Insurance Industry Protection Act is left in place or repealed and replaced by a Republican, it will mean a Republican health care system will be in place), extension of the Bush tax cuts (Obama’s done it once already after campaigning against them, so there’s no reason to believe he’ll get rid of them the 2nd time around), more corporate welfare, and continued wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.
Unless Ron Paul wins. He’s actually serious and has been consistent about stopping the stupid wars.
At least if a Republican is President, they’ll have to own the putrid results of that garbage. The next Democrat will have an incentive not to try the same shit, in 4 years.
Maybe I’ll go wander over to wingnuttia on the internet and see how the slugfests are going… but no, I have no taste for dregs.
Most were of the short-term variety, i.e., they stayed with her for a few days/weeks/etc. before being placed elsewhere, or were part of her husband Marcus’ programs for troubled teens — especially his “ungaying” counseling which like other such counseling seems to have been modeled after that of “pray away the gay” pioneer George Rekers.
no, bachman won’t oppose the corporate agenda, what she will do is mount an even stronger charge
the diffenece will be the democrats will oppose the agenda, which they do not do since the republican in office was elected as a democrat
Oh, forgot the attacks on teachers. That’s bipartisan too.
With the current Democrats and Republicans, you can either vote for the white cats or the black cats. But either way, it’s cats…
Yup, Bachmann won the debate — and without having to launch into Pawlenty. Pawlenty, in fact, pretty much self-destructed once he’d finished doing the one thing for which his candidacy will be known: introducing the term “Obomneycare” into the political lexicon. Of course, just as Poppy Bush gave the world “Voodoo Economics” (an astonishingly accurate description of Reagan’s deficit-spending policy), he would wind up becoming Reagan’s running mate, and I suspect that’s the trajectory Pawlenty will try to take, and become Romney’s running mate.
And no, there’s no chance on God’s green earth of Bachmann actually getting the nomination. Just go here to see why.
T-Paw is another good word. But agree, another bumper sticker substituting for acute analysis is elevated territory for this crowd.
I agree. But I don’t think that Bachmann really believes she can gain the nomination either.
There is no magic forest out of which a sane/progressive candidate is going to step. We are going have a choice between two candidates who are pro-NAFTA, pro-war, anti-civil liberties, anti-regulation, anti-Social Security, and anti-Medicare: Obama and Romney. Two peas in a pod. No difference between them. But we do have one–count it, one–candidate who is against the two most egregious issues: war and the destruction of our civil liberties. His voting record on those issues confirms his beliefs, and he went against his party with his votes. Ron Paul.
Agreed.
A typical male judgement:”Bachmann looked composed, sounded intelligent, got her bio out” -
DUDE!
It was her hair – She had the best ‘hair’! and no dude can win against a woman with such hair!
You nailed it, Teddy. Princess Dumbass of the North is undoubtedly a very pronounced shade of green with envy this morning, knowing that Princess Tinfoil Hat of Minnesota has stolen her spotlight. Maybe it’s time to fire up the Freedom Bus again?
Catfight, anyone? Oh yeah. Bring it.
the sight of that hair begs for the dummy to keep it on. Sorry, perfect hair to me says canned.
She’s in it for a few reasons:
1) To set herself up as the next Tom DeLay. She wants to have full and undisputed control over access to the bank vaults of the institutional religious right, so she can direct primary campaigns against people who in her opinion aren’t conservative enough.
2) To tweak Tim Pawlenty. She’s already shown she can out-fundraise him and out-poll him; she’s now shown she can out-presence him, coming across in a clear and forceful way compared to his opaque mumbling.
3) She wants to make Boehner’s and Cantor’s sphincters clench. She’d want to do this even if they hadn’t rebuffed her earlier power plays.
All of that, yes– and she’d like to pick the VP.
followed by a typical female judgement – Are you as jealous of her hair as I am?
(just kidding – and what’s about putting just the wig on stage next time? this King dude for sure would be able to interview it)
now, now you are not supposed to use the word ‘catfight’ -(didn’t we women learn that at another hair against hair thread?) you have to use the word ‘cockfight’!
Catfight?
Hell no, mud-wrestling.
I mean if you’re open to voting on this sort of thing.
Romney’s chances for the nomination look a lot better.
They don’t look better because of anything he did. His chances look better because none of his opponents, all of them closer to those teahadists all the Rs are deathly afraid of being primaried by, thought it wise to attack him for being insufficiently loyal to teahadist doctrine.
Romney leads in the polls. You can’t say they laid off him because he has no chance of standing in their way. The inherent tendency, absent compelling reasons to the contrary, is for the non-front runners to gang up on the front runner. But not one of them thought it wise to atack this front-runner for his supposed main handicap in winning the nomination, that he is insufficiently teahadist.
But if they can’t call him on heresy against teahadism now, when will they? The closer we get to the general, the more electability will replace conformity to R ideology as an asset to winning the nomination. This far out, if the ideologically pure don’t think it wise to use ideological impurity against Romney, it is never going to be wise to use it against Romney.
No, this doesn’t mean Romney’s a lock. Events between now and when they actually start choosing delegates could make ideological purity more of an asset, and deviation from that purity a millstone heavy enough to sink Romney. Other factors or events might sink him. But based on what we can figure on now, Romney’s chances look better today than yesterday.
I guessed you missed Bachmann saying she would leave DADT to the “Commander in Chief”…..:)
When you call our currency “a form of slavery” people conclude that you’re nuts. It all makes sense to you, sitting around with your friends saying that, but once you’re out in the sunshine it doesn’t look good.
Not just because most people don’t care about the currency question or understand it. Most people who do understand it think that goldbugs are fetishist nut jobs.
News still making big whoop about Perry who is now going the seriously fundy religious route; one dissenter thinks he is grooming for the Next, not this, Presidential round. Looks like he will be ’round a long time.
would be a good idea if one decided to primary obama, but that’s not gonna happen
if a sane progressive runs I’ll support him, if it’s obama I’ll do whatever it takes to defeat him at the polls
Gotta agree with lefttown on this one. Although there is much to dislike about Ron Paul, I think he would be an improvement over Romney or Bush III. He has no chance of getting the Rethug nomimation, though, let alone winning it all in 2012.
People constantly underestimate Bachmann. She’s shrewd and tough. The MN state house Republicans tried to backhand her and found out just how tough she is. And especially motivated when she’s dismissed. I’m thinking of re-registering as Republican because even at the local level, that’s where all the action is. In any case, there won’t be a challenge to Obama worth talking about and I’m not voting for the guy who’s cutting my throat with a dull blade. While he’s posing and pontificating for the cameras. Multitasking, as it were.
No I didn’t.
I also did not miss CNN removing from her “someone much more eloquent than I” layup on the debt ceiling the intro, which was mush. When TradMed goes to bat for a candidate as they did in the discussion period, including eliminating a rhetorical screwup like hers, there’s a reason for it.
They thought she did well.
Who won? Who’s the best liar.
Frothy Mixture? Tiffany Debtor? Snowbillie Grifterella?
Are these supposed to mean anything to anyone outside the charmed circle? Maybe we could at least have English subtitles?
Bachmann was great good buy Sarah a new gal in town However the part i liked was when Pawlenty showed his Yellow Streak by failing to take on Mitts health care plan when given the chance he just tucked his tail between his legs turned and changed the subject some leader.
Newt and Bachmann showed us that they were the smartest folks on the platform.I must admit i always thought that bachmann was just another DIP SHIT like Sarah but by her preformance last night she has changed my mind.
If Bachman is the least clueless of the group then the Republicans have freaking lost their minds.
It’s Pawlenty’s debate to lose. He has the most to gain, Romney has the most to lose. And he’s just going after Obama, leaving the front-runner unscathed. What an idiot.
Maybe he’s waiting to go negative, but then why would he say what he said about Romney literally days ago? It’s just stupid.
Timmy wants to be VP then VP’s attack the President so their guy has clean hands interesting.
Ron keeps linking the GOP to cutting SS and medicare COOL! Thats exactly what Moderate voters want to hear NOT!
We need all the GOPers on video tape backing cuts in SS and Medicare so we can post in on U-Tube, do posts on the Lake and hopefully tv commercials.
Ron is a racist
And supporting Ron Paul doesn’t mean supporting all his ideas. Even Ron Paul supporters know the country isn’t going to go back to the gold standard if he should win.
However, if Obama wins, his neoliberal, pro-NAFTA, pro-war policies are going to make us wish we had a little gold.
Here’s a clue:
1. Santorum (Google him)
2. Newt (Google Tiffany debt Callista Gingrich)
3. Palin
C’mon, use your noggin, these aren’t tough.
You got it. Winners = Romney and Bachmann = GOP 2012 ticket. Losers = Pawlenty and Cain, who had to make a splash and didn’t. Other 3 never in it. Now you see what Minnesota has seen for years. Bachmann is powerful, just needs the Rollins discipline. Pawlenty is an over-rated weaseling wimp, whose only appeal is to the pundits. Once they ditch him, he’s cooked.
She only acts crazy to get the crazy vote? What a truly deceitful person. Sounds like obama.
Hey, I voted for the SOB that endorses endless war. These people pale compared to obama
Who ya got?
I figured out the last one, the other two were perhaps simply too obscure to make any sense to anyone outside the inner sanctum wonk echo chamber. I’m not a big fan of the cute ad hominem renaming business in lieu of… well, actual names. I read stuff like Obamadinejad, TOTUS, Hopiate of the Masses ad nauseum from the Right and have the same reaction. In the same way I’m not a fan of the insider acronyms like MOTU etc. or other jargon if their meanings aren’t clearly self-evident to pretty much anyone that might be reading them and not just adepts of the ideological dialect. I’d like our message to as clear and unambiguous as possible just in case anyone outside the group might want to pay attention to it or even join in the conversation and not feel like they have to decipher and learn a bunch of insider mumbo jumbo.
But it’s probably just me.
Elizabeth Warren for president. I need something uplifting to think about after the attack on Obama, Obamacare, Obamanomics, Obamabail, Obamafense, Obamadebt, Obamacon, Obamacise, Obamabarf, etc. I think the rethugs are obamalutely clueless. (By the way, Obama is black.) There was lots of blame and a lot of half-truths trotted out as Obamalutely factual. As usual. It’s going to be long and very, very painful.
I try very hard to use explanatory spell-outs the first time I use an acronym, at least in serious posts. I never dreamt this one would get the viewership or comments that it has, for which I am of course very grateful, or I wouldn’t have used such insider-y terminology.
By the way, the Number Two is so insider-y I think only I know it, so the insider-y charge doesn’t really hold up. I think there has to be a group for there to be an insider-y cliquish way of writing. When it’s only me, it’s simply unclear, or a challenge to readers to figure out.
The first, Frothy Mixture, is extremely famous and only requires Googling Santorum to discover. It’s been around for five years. Not an insider term of art at all.
Snowbillie Grifterella, though, is pretty well anchored in the lefty blogosphere, through TBogg’s and Watertiger’s valiant efforts.
But I appreciate your comments, and I will do better on posts I expect to see wider distribution.
Enjoy!
PS fyi: MOTU entered the American lexicon thanks to Tom Wolfe, in Bonfire of the Vanities, published in 1987