The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Campaign-Induced Tourette’s Syndrome

‘The Phantom Menace’ in Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 9, 2011 “Perry’s decision to make his announcement in South Carolina was widely viewed at the time as a genius move that would lock down his support in a crucial early primary state, and once he emerged as the most viable conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, Perry […]

Half A Million $ Back To The Treasury?

by Smitty Who is this Rand Paul guy, and why is he violating the Iron Law of Bureaucracy? The half million dollars represents about 16 percent of Paul’s annual budget. He contended no senator had returned as much to taxpayers, though at least two senators disputed that claim. An aide to Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) […]

Governor Zombie Stumbles Relentlessly Toward Humiliation in South Carolina UPDATE: Rush Limbaugh Compares Perry ‘Vulture’ Attack to Fidel Castro

While I was in Iowa, a source told me that suspicions about Rick Perry’s weak debate performances being caused by back pain — which I had first reported Sept. 23 — were essentially correct. At one point, said the source, the governor had been prescribed oxycontin for the pain, but when his advisers realized that this […]

Rick Santorum Adds Staff, Offices, Money and Key Endorsement in South Carolina

Rick Santorum brought his surge to South Carolina yesterday: Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign announced yesterday that it was opening “five new campaign offices to supplement its existing South Carolina headquarters in Mt. Pleasant, SC.” The new offices are in Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Spartanburg, Rock Hill and Columbia. “We feel very confident … that the voters are […]

Rick Santorum Distances Himself From Newt’s Lefty ‘Hit Job’ on Mitt Romney

Newt Gingrich’s “super PAC” has unleashed its 27-minute documentary about Bain Capital, When Mitt Romney Came to Town, which a Daily Kos blogger calls a “hit job” that “you’d expect from a lefty operation.” It’s as if Newt hired Michael Moore. Avowed lefty Steve Benen calls it “devastating”: Desperate to gain some traction in South Carolina, Rick Perry has […]

Rick Perry Has Replaced Jon Huntsman in the Coveted ‘Gov. Asterisk’ Position

Marginal poll numbers, yet deemed debate-worthy: According to CNN’s criteria for inclusion, a candidate must get at least 4th place in either Iowa or New Hampshire, or get 7% support in at least three national Republican or three South Carolina primary polls released in January. The requirements were posted online last Tuesday afternoon, several hours […]

Philly Layover Musings: The Republican Party Is Depraved and Decadent

PHILADELPHIA With a three-hour layover in Philly, I logged on here at the Riverbend Bar & Grill at the airport Marriot, and the first thing I find atop the Memeorandum aggregation is my buddy Dave Weigel’s thoughts on the campaign to date: I’m thinking of a Republican primary. It starts with a candidate (John McCain/Mitt Romney) who […]

Ron Paul and the ‘Not Romneys’

“There are many mysteries to the phenomenon that is Ron Paul. How is it, for example, that a 76-year-old with a reedy voice — his appearance and manner not remotely “presidential” by the usual standards of the TV age — is an idol to so many youth? Polls in Iowa showed that Paul got 48 […]

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