Fear and Loathing in Tampa

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TAMPA, Fla.
Good morning and welcome to the site of tonight’s CNN/Tea Party Express debate. OK, maybe not actually the site yet. I’m still in the hotel room. The debate is at the State Fairgrounds out on Highway 301. I’m supposed to pick up my media credentials at noon, then there’s a walk-through of the debate site, etc.

I’m crashing here with GOP New Media legend Ali Akbar, and last night we went out for late refreshments with Shaun McCutcheon of the Conservative Action Fund and Kerry Picket of The Washington Times.

We were at a place called Bar Louie, which was unfortunately next door to some kind of disco nightclub. So while we’re sitting on the patio trying to talk politics, our conversation was being drowned out by the thumping music from next door, and there’s a strange parade of hoochies in tight miniskirts walking past on their way to the disco. So then we came back to the hotel to continue the discussion poolside, but then a furious argument developed over last year’s NY-23 election. This was a bummer, and I was tired, so I came back to the room and crashed, but Ali says he was up until 3 a.m.

Morning  weirdness: Pawlenty endorses Romney. What was Pawlenty’s price? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Anyway, the good thing is (a) we’re going to be having lunch with Dana Loesch in a little while, and (b) all of last night’s escapades occurred after I’d already filed my column for today:

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer should begin the Republican presidential debate tonight by asking Jon Huntsman a simple question: “Why are you here?”
The former Utah governor’s campaign has no obvious political rationale and is barely a statistical blip in national polls. Since he officially announced his 2012 presidential bid in June, Huntsman has only once (in early August) polled as high as 4 percent. Five of the six most recent national surveys show Huntsman’s support among Republican voters at a mere 1 percent –less than the margin of error. Despite the effective non-existence of his support, however, Huntsman will be among the eight candidates on stage tonight (8 p.m. ET) for the debate at the Florida State Fairgrounds sponsored by the Tea Party Express.
Of course, Blitzer would never question the legitimacy of Huntsman’s candidacy for the simple reason that CNN anchor is a leading member of Huntsman’s most important constituency, the media. . . .

Read the rest at the American Spectator.

21 comments

  7. That probably assures Pawlenty of having a gig in the administration in some way or form.   Maybe even VP spot.  Pawlenty seemed a lot like McCain to me so I was never a fan. 

  10. You can keep your thoughts to yourself.  Where is RSM?  As Ace would say:  In his Bunk. 

    BTW, fresh orange juice is an excellent way to recover after a hard night of professional gonzo journalism.  Followed immediately by a well made bloody mary. 

  12. So did I if it had come to it I’d have voted for T-Paw over Mitt in the NC primary.
    What a pathetic attempt to grasp at relevancy.
    I suspect that by the time next April rolls around ( NC primary is in mid May) there will be a much thinner field to choose from. Hopefully Mitt and the three asterisks will have dropped out.

  14. Once in another lifetime I road raced motorcycles at the State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Heh.  The course was barely 3/4 of a mile as I recall.

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