Donald Trump Takes South Carolina, Rubio and Cruz Vie for 2nd & 3rd

Image from source, MSN

National embarrassment Donald Trump easily won the South Carolina Republican Primary, getting somewhere around a third of votes cast. Second place is a virtual tie between establishment favorite Marco Rubio and creepy, Canadian Dominionist, Ted Cruz. It's a horror show.

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Trump wins in South Carolina GOP primary; Rubio leads Cruz in battle for second place

Donald Trump won the South Carolina primary on Saturday night, sustaining his position as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida appeared to have very narrowly defeated Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas for second place. . .

Read more at: MSN

New Hampshire Takeaways

I'm a bit puzzled by the media reactions to New Hampshire, and frankly, over the whole presidential campaign. Even voices I like and respect seem to have blind spots, and odd analysis. Here are my short takes.

Hillary Clinton: Hillary lost New Hampshire by somewhere around what she was predicted to by polls and speculation. There were no particular surprises that I could see. And she gave a decent speech, congratulating Bernie Sanders on his win, and rousing her supporters. I have no idea what all of the hand-wringing was about, from pundits and journalists. Should she lose South Carolina? New story.

Bernie Sanders: The only thing surprising about Bernie's performance was that he finally got some decent coverage. I think the astonished reactions may have had something to do with the press largely ignoring him and his events, and then being forced to witness that he has support akin to Trump's. But, of course, with far more substance, and with followers who are considerably more informed, and demanding politically. That's not to say I don't have significant issues with the "Bernie Bros."

John Kasich: That my Ohio Governor Milquetoast came in second is the absolute flip-side of front-runner Trump, showing that there are more nutbars in Vermont than we thought, but that they're are people who respond to what by contrast seems normal, sensible. He's not. But he's eminently preferable.

Marco Rubio and Jeb! Bush: Both continue to be plagued by saying or doing the "wrong" thing in the eyes of the press. Bush continues to be barely a footnote, and Marco, after a strong finish in Iowa, has been assailed as a talking-point regurgitating robot. Anything and everything considered a mistake or error for these guys wouldn't even register if Trump did or said it. I'd take either of these guys over Trump or Cruz. But I wouldn't be happy about it.

Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie: The field is being culled, and only Ben of these three remains standing. I'll be shocked if he isn't the next to go. Chris Christie I'll be sorry to lose. Bully that he is, I think I liked him best of the worst.

Ted Cruz: Cruz is far and away the candidate I'd have the hardest time dealing with if he won the general. He's a disingenuous Dominionist, bent on eliminating the wall between church and state. He's unctuous, creepy, and just plain awful. Fortunately, he won the Iowa caucus, and that is usually the kiss of death. I'm hoping so.

And finally. . .

Donald Trump: The media is going into convulsions (likely only rivaling those of Reince Preibus and the rest of the GOP establishment), self-flagellating over having treated Trump as a clown and a sideshow. Newsflash, news people: He is still a clown and a sideshow. Oh, he may continue to do very well. He may very well win the nomination. And--to my increasing horror--the voters of the United States may have hit peak Idiocracy centuries ahead of schedule, and lead to his eventual election. I hope not.

While the media continues to mea culpa all over itself over the wrong thing, what they should be doing is actually turning their syntax parsing onto him. His speeches--regularly played in their entirety on cable news, regardless of their newslessness--are filled with repetition that makes Rubio's current drubbing completely unjustified. They aren't even speeches at all. They're ad libbing, and bad ad libbing at that. They're akin to Sarah Palin word salad, but half as entertaining. [Story continues below]



Trump's "victory speech" in New Hampshire, if you subtract his thanks to dead and living relatives and his skeevy staff, was more of this empty, crass, 5th-grade level blather. No other candidate in the entire race (or any other) would survive this horrible speech. At best, anyone but Trump would suffer a days-long dissection of its awfulness, to speculation of his dropping out, or dire warnings that he must course-correct. Not Trump. They don't even mention it.

But here, don't take my word for it. Read a few verbatim quotes from the "speech." Tell me this is presidential. Tell me this wouldn't disqualify anyone else. Try to parse any of it for coherency. It's terrible.

Read it here: Haaretz

Right Wing World Duggared: A Picture Speaks a Thousand (Yucky) Words

Something tells me there are a whole lot of conservatives purging their various social media, blog and website archives for anything  to do with a Duggar. But the internet is forever, and these photos will always exist.
 

 

And yes, I'm doing my part to make "Duggared" a verb. A really awful verb.

SNL: 2016 Republicans!

Funny. Though arguably, with so much to work with, could have been even funnier.

Marco Rubio's Choke on the Water (Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

Perfect!

Meanwhile on Facebook: Charlie McCarthy and Marco Rubio

Part of the fun of following a Twitter feed during a national event like the State of the Union address, is being really in the moment, while other people are too. I know it sounds odd that hovering over your computer can feel so social, but it's really a fun experience. And the bonus is watching memes be born. After Marco Rubio's now infamous "God, I'm so thirsty!" moment, the jokes were flying instantly, and the meme making only shortly after. My favorite--by far--was this one from Kenny Pick, already famous from The Stephanie Miller Show.

 

Marco! Rubio! Great GOP Hope Bombs on SOTU Night

The thing everyone will always remember about Bobby Jindal's big State of the Union rebuttal was that he sauntered out looking like a cross between Kenneth the page from 30 Rock, and an Indian Mr. Rogers. What he had to say is utterly lost. Well, it just happened again.


Marco Rubio is one of the first efforts by the post-2012 GOP to put a new face on the party. On substance, there was no change in message, only a slight tweak to the delivery. Rubio came off just as earnest (oh, so earnest) as Jindal, and almost as amateurish. He was on an overly decorated, fakey-looking set, and beyond his dressed up pre-2012 election message, Rubio had a problem. He was simultaneously sweating, and parched. Dry mouth, they call it, and it became harder and harder for him to disguise, ultimately leading to a weird mouth-wipe, and then a lunge (oddly enough, to the left!) for a glass of water.

So, the fact that much of Rubio's patter could have come straight from Mitt Romney's stump speech, and that it was equally fact-challenged in parts, is now lost to that unscripted moment. It may not be enough to shut down Rubio as badly as it did Jindal. And if he's smart, he'll turn it into a self-deprecating gag in the future. But there is no question that the 2014 rebuttal is going to be a job that nobody will want to take, outside of, say, John McCain or Lindsey Graham.

One interesting fact: the lunge revealed that Rubio has tamed his combover hairdo just a bit. Prior to his "moment," his hair was largely hidden in shadow. The lunge showed us his no 'do, and it's a marked improvement.


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The soon-to-be-infamous Marco Rubio water bottle moment

Courtesy of National Journal a wonderful moment captured in time from Marco Rubio’s “Republican response” to the President’s State of the Union. Marco Rubio and the water bottle, a moment in American history captured in time forever. . .

Read more at: AmericaBlog

State of the Union: Obama Delivers Powerful Address

State of the Union Addresses always tend to bog in parts, and President Obama's was no exception. Tuesday night's address wasn't his most powerful speech. Neither was it the sleepy first debate performance, don't get me wrong. And it picked up about midway through, building to an emotional crescendo over the issue of gun control. But I'm glad I watched while reading my Twitter feed, because it made things much more entertaining (poor Marco Rubio, more on that in a bit).

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Obama challenges GOP, presses big agenda at State of the Union

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

President Barack Obama challenged Republicans on major tax and entitlement proposals in Tuesday's State of the Union address, unveiling sweeping new initiatives to boost the middle class while taking aim at GOP recalcitrance. . .

Read more at: NBCNews

Marco Rubio Thinks George W. Bush a "Fantastic" President

No. Not in a gazillion years. Image from Huffington Post.

Okay, Captain Comb-Over, what kind of scale are you running that on? If George W. Bush is "fantastic," how many ticks up from "miserable" is that? Is there a Marcus Bachmann "fabulous" a couple of notches up? Because tell you what Marco!. . . . Rubio! Those ridiculous "Miss Me Yet?" Bush posters just remind people how bad he was.



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Rubio: George W. Bush 'Did a Fantastic Job as President'



Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday refused to explain how a potential Romney administration would be different from George W. Bush's administration, but insisted that the last Republican president "did a fantastic job" and his brother, former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL), would be a "fantastic vice president. . ."

Read more at: Crooks & Liars

Rachel Maddow's Response to Marco Rubio of Florida

As promised, here is Rachel's response, which is pretty damned funny!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Marco Rubio is Right Because Rachel Maddow Says He's Wrong?

I know I over-rely on Rachel Maddow stories sometimes (sue me, I'm a fan). But this is too good to ignore.  Marco Rubio, the tea bagger favorite for Senate in Florida, is running a commercial that has as its only argument, that he is right because Maddow says he's wrong. That's it.  Maddow did a great bit about it on Monday's show, using his commercials typeface and theme music, and I'll post that when it comes online. [Update: Here's the clip.]  For now, here's the gist.

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Marco Rubio: My plan is right because Rachel Maddow thinks it’s wrong



Marco Rubio released a new video saying that his economic plan is right because MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow thinks it’s wrong. “How can you know the plan is right? Rachel Maddow says its wrong,” says the ad. The clip shows an intro to a Maddow segment on Marco Rubio’s plan. “Giant awkwardness at the heart of Republicanism right now,” says Maddow, with the headline “Attention: Deficit Disorder” behind her. . .

Read more at: Florida Independent

2010 Election Begins: Charlie Crist Under Attack

Does it really have to start already? And could it be that challenger Marco Rubio is using the rumors of Florida Governor Charlie Crist's alleged proclivities as a wedge issue? That's a mighty pre-smooch looking photo with Obama that spins out of the mist there. Oy.