Sunday Open Thread [1.22.12]

The radical Christian right is dying: Put simply, the Christian Right is getting old. According to the largest and most recent study we have of American religion and politics, by…

No One Wants To Marry Mr. Electable

Throughout this political season, the only thing Mitt Romney hasn't flip-flopped on is his reason for his getting the nomination: Electability. Yawn. He is the guy that proposes to a woman and cites being a good provider as the main reason she should marry him. He then adds that he's dependable and quickly points out how passion is over-rated and not a good foundation for a marriage. Now, all of this may be true, depending on who Mr. Electable is proposing, but for most people it just doesn't cut it.

Rethug ‘Party Elders’ Search for A Winning Candidate Begins in 3…2…1…

Talk about a nomination that won't be worth shit, that's what the R's are facing. Not to mention unhealable self-inflicted wounds in that party that could well bring down the House and enable the D's to keep control of the Senate. Almost unthinkable considering the current economic straits. So, I have no doubt that search for an 'electable', or at least not 'disastrous', candidate may already surreptitiously be under way by the self-appointed 'adults' in the Party.

How much of an asshole is Mitt Romney?

"The idea that I am supposed to follow exactly what my dad did is not something I find terribly compelling." Mitt Romney, as quoted by The Hill, responding to those who note that his father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, started the tradition of politicians releasing their tax returns in 1967. Nice. He throws his father under the bus, and then backs over him repeatedly. You know, Mittens, many Americans love their parents and do find compelling their advice and their past actions as a guide to how to behave. And even if they didn't, many Americans still respect their parents. This quote is dripping with a lack of respect, as if he is pissed that his father showed him up or got in his way.

Game Change

This is a massively devastating loss for Mitt Romney. The candidate that conventional wisdom says would be most competitive against President Obama in the general election just had his hat handed to him. But this past week to two weeks have changed my mind on that, the conventional wisdom. I now believe, if things stay as they are, and especially if the economy continues to improve, that no Republican candidate currently running will beat Obama in the general. Romney is fatally damaged by Bain Capital and his tax returns. President Obama may actually want to face Romney and depict him as the poster boy for the 1%, because he is. And then you have Newt Gingrich, who favorability ratings nationwide as Palinesque, if not worse. They are at -32 last time I checked. That is not only toxic to Gingrich, it will bring the whole GOP down. I just saw Haley Barbour quoted on Twitter saying that he doesn't want to have Gingrich as the nominee because he likes having a Republican Speaker of the House, meaning of course if Gingrich is the nominee, the Democrats will sweep the GOP out of majority control. And he is right. So Gingrich is not a general election threat. But he is now a massive threat to Mitt Romney.

Saturday Open Thread [1.21.12]

Newton Leroy Gingrich is headed for a massive blowout win in South Carolina. In last night's polling, PPP had Gingrich racing away at 40%, with Romney stuck at 26%. In their final three day sample, the PPP poll has Gingrich leading with 37%, followed by Mitt Romney at 28%, Rick Santorum at 16% and Ron Paul at 14%. So you can see the obvious trend. I would not be surprised if Gingrich gets well above 45% tonight. If he gets a majority, then the GOP primary will be rocked to its core.

Indeed.

"I sometimes wonder if the Republican Party has become the receding roar of white America as it pines for a way of life that will never return," - David Brooks.