The Other McCain

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

Bachmann Quits 2012 Campaign

Posted on | January 4, 2012 | 35 Comments

UPDATE 10:40 a.m. CT:
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Rep. Michele Bachammn just announced she would quit the 2012 presidential race. She praised God and spoke about the Founders of the American Republic, vowing her continued determination to repeal ObamaCare, calling it a formula for leading America down the road to socialism.

UPDATE 10:55 a.m. CT:  Bachmann’s speech here was, in some ways, typical of her campaign, including the fact that it began 20 minutes past the scheduled time. She was almost constantly behind schedule during her travels here.

Also, an event that a media advisory announced as an “availability” — a term that usually means “press conference” — was in fact just a speech. The candidate took no questions. Afterwards, her press secretary Alice Stewart spoke to a gaggle of reporters for about 10 minutes. Stewart said that Bachmann has no plans to endorse any other candidate at this point.

But of course, plans change. Bachmann had plans last night to continue her campaign, Stewart said, but woke up this morning and decided to quit the race.

I’ll try to update later with some more news, photos, etc.

UPDATE 11:27 a.m. CT: ABC News has the quotes:

“Last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, so I have decided to stand aside,” Bachmann said at a news conference, flanked by her parents, husband and five children. “I have no regrets, none whatsoever. We never compromised our principles and we can leave this race knowing we ran it with the utmost integrity.”

Just spoke to Alice Stewart again. I told her that when I was complaining about the disastrous communications operation of the Herman Cain campaign, I forwarded Alice’s press releases to J.D. Gordon and Mark Block with notes: “This is what a campaign ‘media advisory’ looks like!”

I’ve always liked Bachmann, and still do, and the role she played in this campaign was at times crucial. It was her remark during the September 12 Tampa debate — “innocent little 12-year-old girls” — that put the first serious wound into Rick Perry. And her phrase “Newt Romney,” lumping Gingrich in with the moderate Massachusetts governor, did a lot to undermine Gingrich’s credibility as a Tea Party candidate.

So why, you may ask, did I jump from the Cain Train to the Santorum Express, rather than shifting my focus to Bachmann? I don’t really know. Sometimes, I think, you just go where God leads you and take whatever you find there. And I hope that Michele Bachmann finds only blessings and joy in wherever God leads her now.

— 30 —

*** PREVIOUSLY (9:35 a.m. CT) ***

JOHNSTON, Iowa
So much for sleeping in on the day after the caucuses, huh? She is expected to announce she’s quitting, but who knows, In a crazy year like this, what she might do? But if this is the last time I get to see her on the campaign trail, I can’t miss it.

Now I’ve got to get ready for a 10 a.m. CT press conference on the other side of Des Moines, which will probably delay my packing up here at the National Affairs Desk until past checkout time.

Dadgum Republicans. No wonder Hitler hates ’em.

UPDATE 10:08 a.m. CT: I’m now at the Marriott in West Des Moines, where Bachmann is late for her own press conference.

Category: Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, Michele Bachmann

I Guess Curmudgeon Is Not A Wasserman-Schultz Fan

Posted on | January 4, 2012 | 14 Comments

by Smitty

Rather rough, overall: “Debbie Does Des Moines“

Category: Barack Obama, Democrats

News Of Rick Santorum’s Iowa Triumph Reaches A Certain Bunker. . .

Posted on | January 4, 2012 | 16 Comments

by Smitty

The task of managing delivery of the 2012 GOP concession speech is not an easy one. . .

Category: GOP, humor, Iowa, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Video

LIVE AT FIVE – 01.04.12

Posted on | January 4, 2012 | 3 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Romney, Santorum: Too Close To Call In Iowa

Romney looks forward to a long race for the nomination; he and Santorum poll 25% each, Ron Paul third with 20%; Gingrich, Perry and Bachmann bring up the rear

Mount Rainier Gunman Found Dead of Hypothermia, Drowning
Face-down in a creek in the park

Israelis, Palestinians Finally Meet Again
Trying to restart the stalled peace process in Jordan



POLITICS
Bachmann Staying In The Race

Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-MN

Hanging tough despite last-place Iowa finish

Gingrich: No More Mister Nice Guy

Obama Counterpunches In Iowa

Defense Budget Cuts Mark Retreat From Two-War Capability

Special Forces Engineer Forgot About C-4 In Bags

Tight Iowa Caucus Results Take TV Anchors By Surprise
DERP!

Palin Comments On “Draft Sarah” Campaign (Video)



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Wall Street Rings In 2012 With A Rally
Fed Boosts Transparency With Decision To Reveal Rate Forecasts
Europe Stock Futures Fall Before Bond Sales
Oil Hovers Below $103 On Improving U.S. Economy
Trade Group Expects Little Excitement From IPOs This Year
Gun Sales Spike In December
Online Sales Buoy UPS, FedEx
RIM Slashes PlayBook Prices Amid Rumors Of Board Shakeup
CES 2012 Preview: Ultrabooks Everywhere
Is CES Still Important?
Kindle Fire Burned Up To 2 Million iPad Sales
HP Unveils Two New Desktop PCs



SPORTS
Gibbons’ Field Goal Lifts Michigan To OT Win Over Virginia Tech In Sugar Bowl

Brendan Gibbons congratulated by Drew Dileo after kicking winning FG

Wolverines claw out a 23-20 win in overtime

Kobe Scores 37, Bynum Shines In Lakers Win Over Rockets

Hudler Scores Two, Leads Wings Past Stars 5-4



Norv Turner Gets Reprieve, Stays With Chargers

Reid’s Survival As Eagles Coach Draws Mixed Reactions

Mariners In Holding Pattern As They Pursue Prince Fielder

Clarke Slays India In Sydney
At close of second day, Australia at 482 for four with Clarke still at the crease on 251, in position to break record for high score at the Sydney Cricket Ground



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Angelina Jolie Buys Brad Pitt A Waterfall For Christmas

Angelina & Brad

Buys Brad waterfall in California so he can realize his dream of building a new Fallingwater

Beckham Packs A Punch In Underwear Ad

Proust Smackdown: Clooney v. Craig v. Damon



Girl, 7, Gets Liposuction Voucher From Surgery-Obsessed Mom

Fergie Thinking About A Baby This Year

No Room For Rosie

Liza Minnelli Lands Role On “Hot In Cleveland”

Brandi Glanville’s Vegas Marriage Already Over?

“Dragon Tattoo” Sequel Still On Track, Sony Says



FOREIGNERS
Iran Warns U.S. Not To Return Carrier To Gulf
Leading In Vote, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Reaches Out To Rival Parties
Taliban Leaders Held At Gitmo To Be Released In Peace Deal
Arab League Falters In Syria As Options Dwindle
Youssou N’Dour Takes On Senegal’s President
ROK President To Meet With PRC Prexy; First Summit Since Death Of Kim Jong-Il



BLOGS & STUFF
Hit & Run: Rick Santorum’s Nephew Just More Of A Ron Paul Fan
Byron York: In GOP Ad War, Why Did Romney Get Off Easy?
Weasel Zippers: McRINO To Endorse Romney Today
Allahpundit: “We Have Nearly Reached The Rubicon When The Not-Romney Crowd Is Pining For Jon Huntsman”
Don Surber: Working Class Zero
PowerLine: Obama’s Surrender Of Afghanistan Continues Apace
Bare Naked Islam: CAIR Tries To Blame BNI For New York Fire Bomb Attacks
Althouse: Wisconsin Democratic Party Mum On Number Of Recall Walker Signatures Gathered
Via Meadia: Iran – Time For The Enemy To Vote
Michelle Malkin: Iowa-Bashing Snobs And Poor Losers
Marginal Revolution: Krugman’s Response To Alex
Peter Suderman: Obamacare’s Dangerous Device Tax


SOTD: Duel

Category: Live at Five

IOWA CAUCUS RESULTS HQ
UPDATE: Santorum Surge in Precinct Numbers Exceeds Poll Projections

Posted on | January 3, 2012 | 72 Comments

JOHNSTON, Iowa
UPDATE 2:30 a.m. CT: Well, I’ve hit my deadline for The American Spectator, and Phil Klein of the Washington Examiner has invited me to breakfast. All rest of the press corps have left the Stoney Brook here, except for a guy filing an article for a French magazine. And this will be my final update of the night/early morning. Here’s a picture of the candidate and his family:

They were accepting a gift from one of their Iowa supporters. And I want to thank all of our readers — and Smitty, and my wife — for helping make this trip possible. Here’s the obligatory photo of the National Affairs Desk:

I’m outta here. I’ll be flying out Thursday to New Hampshire. Hit the freaking tip jar!

UPDATE 12:20 a.m. CT: Finally collected the beer that Santorum’s Iowa field director Jake Braunger had promised me. That 24-year-old kid just became an American political legend. Not for buying me a beer, but for leading the grassroots army which — as of this point, with 99% of the precincts reporting — has Santorum winning with an 18-vote margin.

UPDATE 11:50 p.m. CT: Just got through with Senator Santor’s victory speech. Robert Costa of NRO and I were back by the door. The room was packed past fire-code capacity and the cops wouldn’t let anyone else in. That was when the New York Times photographer showed up and tried to get past the cops.

No way, the cops wouldn’t yield. “But … I’m from the New York Times.”

The cops didn’t care. Nobody was getting past them.

A triumph for The Rule of Law in the American Heartland.

And I remember when Santorum couldn’t get any national media coverage except . . . Well, me.

UPDATE 10:53 p.m. CT: Rick Perry just began his concession speech — a humiliating fifth-place finish for the former front-runner. Can’t hear the TV here in the Loose Moose Saloon, so I’m not sure, but I think he started his speech with four words: “Howdy. Thank you, Erick.”

UPDATE 10:45 p.m. CT: Gingrich and Bachmann have given their concession speeches. When will Mitt Romney give the speech admitting that he just got beat by Rick Santorum, a guy who spent a mere fraction of what the perennial front-runner spent? The natives here are getting restless waiting for the victory speech, and I’ve got an editor in Washington, D.C., waiting for me to file a column tonight.

Best thing about being a U.S. ambassador, I’m told: There are no deadlines in the diplomatic corps. Hit the freaking tip jar!

UPDATE 10:10 p.m. CT: Ron Paul just conceded. He’ll finish third. Here at Santorum Victory HQ, a campaign spokesman just did a mike-check at the party: “Let’s just say that Senator Santorum is in high spirits.” A speech by the man of the hour is expected shortly. The scene inside the big room:

I’ll have to go wedge myself into that room, if I’m gonna get video. So it will be a few minutes before I can update again.

Hit the freaking tip jar!

UPDATE 9:27 p.m. CT: Results with 49% of precincts:

Rick Santorum …. 13,594 (24%)
Mitt Romney …… 13,204 (24%)
Ron Paul …………. 12,205 (22%)
Newt Gingrich ….. 7,426 (13%)
Rick Perry ……….. 5,544 (10%)
Bachmann ………… 3,140 (6%)

Santorum now has more votes than Gingrich and Perry combined.

UPDATE 9:20 p.m. CT: Demonstrating the power of Rick Santorum to bring America together, I have just revoked all my previous threats to whup David Brooks’s ass:

Good-bye, grassroots populist street cred! Hello, Vanuatu!

UPDATE 8:55 p.m. CT: The latest with 31% of precincts:

Mitt Romney …… 7,844 (23%)
Rick Santorum …. 7,726 (23%)
Ron Paul …………. 7,655 (23%)
Newt Gingrich ….. 4,440 (13%)
Rick Perry ……….. 3,433 (10%)
Bachmann …………. 1,922 (6%)

Just bumped into a member of Santorum’s South Carolina organization — y’know, the organization that all the Smart Guy pundits keep saying Santorum doesn’t have — who said to me: “Vanuatu’s looking pretty good now, huh?”

Yeah. They read my stuff.

(9:15 p.m. CT: Smitty compiled the following aggregation of links.)

Nate Silver: “Why I’d Bet on Santorum (and Against My Model)”

Our model is more optimistic about Mr. Santorum than those of other objective forecasting systems, which give him about 16 percent of the vote. The reason is that our model gives extra credit to Mr. Santorum for his momentum in the closing days of the campaign. But there is some reason to think that it is still giving Mr. Santorum too little credit.
The momentum factor in our model is derived from an analysis of competitive primaries and caucuses throughout the country since 1980. It does not contain any Iowa-specific variables, although it does recognize that polling in Iowa and other early-voting states tends to be more erratic than polling in later-voting states.
There is reason to think, however, that momentum might be especially important in Iowa.

Erick Erickson: “What if Santorum Wins?”

If Santorum wins, a lot of people will be correct in saying Mitt Romney is still a winner because Santorum has no money or real organization to go beyond Iowa.
But my God in Heaven, the media is finally going to be confronted with an “Emperor Has No Clothes” moment on Romney too. That remains the most under reported story of 2012. Mitt Romney, campaigning since 2006 for President has managed to go from 23% to 23% in six years.

The Hill: “Ron Paul supporters heckle Santorum“:

Rick Santorum was heckled by Ron Paul supporters as he left a high school in West Des Moines on Tuesday. The crowd chanted “Big-spending Rick” and “nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye.” When The Hill asked Santorum what he thought of the crowd as they began chanting, he paused, smiled tightly and said “It’s the crowd at the caucuses that matters.”

UPDATE 8:32 p.m. CT: The latest numbers, with 24% of precincts reporting:

Ron Paul …………. 6,067
Rick Santorum …. 6,060
Mitt Romney …… 6,018

I hereby demand a personal apology from everyone who ever said that either Gingrich or Perry were the only candidates who could stop Romney.

* * * PREVIOUSLY (7 p.m. CT) * * *

Greetings from the beautiful Stoney Creek Inn, scene of tonight’s Rick Santorum victory party. It is now 7 p.m. CT, which means that Iowa Republicans have just assembled in precinct caucus locations across the Hawkeye State where they will cast the ballots that will determine the GOP nomination next President of the United States destiny of the Free World fate of all humanity.

If you’re in Iowa tonight, it’s important that you come to the beautiful Stoney Creek Inn so you can celebrate Rick Santorum’s victory and also, incidentally, buy me beers.

If you’re not in Iowa tonight, we will be bringing you all the news and results from tonight’s contest, the results of which are impossible to predict beyond the fact — a Neutral Objective Fact — that Rick Santorum will crush all rivals like Godzilla stomped Tokyo. And you’ll want to refresh the site throughout the night for continuous updates as soon as these dadgum Iowa voters decide whether they want to

A. Vote for Rick Santorum, the Only Man Who Can Save America From Another Four Years of Barack Obama™;
B. Sell their souls to the GOP Establishment by voting for the Worst RINO in the History of RINO-dom.
C. Cast a protest vote against the “Israel lobby,” IYKWIMAITYD; or
D. Waste their votes on some doomstruck loser.

You may disagree with that assessment, but it’s as valid as Joy McCann’s ridiculous arguments on behalf of one of those doomstruck losers.

UPDATE 7:44 p.m. CT: Bad news. Rick Santorum Victory Celebration has . . . a cash bar.

I just told the lady I should be covering the the Romney campaign, where I’m sure the press gets all the free booze they want.

UPDATE 7:54 p.m. CT: A couple of photos:


The lady at the Media Credentials Check-In Table searches her database for the name of the Future Ambassador to Vanuatu.


Campaign manager Mike Biundo, who just gave an impromptu press conference here at the Loose Moose Saloon, which is where the press filing center is located. Zeke Miller of Buzz Feed Politics supplies the quotes. (I figure the junior members of the press corps do the transcription.)

The first results on TV showed a neck-and-neck tie, with Santorum actually leading and, when I said, “Santorum leading!” Somebody in the press filing center said, “Four percent” — the percentage of precincts reporting. To which I replied, “Don’t harsh my mellow, man.”

UPDATE 8:20 p.m. CT: Guess who showed up at Santorum HQ? The guy who’s been badmouthing Santorum for days:

The latest Iowa returns show Rick Perry a weak fifth place, barely 10% in Iowa. “Howdy. Thank you, Erick.”


Category: Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa

Pre-Caucus Night Nap Time

Posted on | January 3, 2012 | 22 Comments

The rented Mustang convertible I got for the price of a Toyota

JOHNSTON, Iowa
Just got back from the Stony Creek Inn, across the highway from my hotel, where they’re setting up for tonight’s big victory celebration for Rick Santorum. Just so you know: Election Night events are always billed in advance as “victory” parties, because nobody wants to send out invitations to a “Hey, We Might Finish Second” party.

If Santorum finishes third here — let’s say, 19% — that’s a huge victory for a campaign that was in single digits in all the polls two weeks ago. And by finishing third, Santorum would place ahead of three candidates (Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann) who have out-spent him many times over.

If Santorum finishes second — say, 22% — that would be enormous, since it would indicate he’s out-organized the fanatical supporters of Ron Paul.

And if . . .

We’re not even going to go there, OK? I’m ruling out any such possibility. Everybody knows Mitt Romney is going to win this thing, even though he’ll win it with less than 30% of the vote. But if somehow the impossible happens, all bets are off.

When I arrived at the Stony Creek Inn, Senator Santorum and his family were on their way out to visit Des Moines Christian School for one of their final pre-caucus appearances. He was cheerful, but obviously weary from the grueling pace of this all-out campaign blitz of the past two weeks. I’m amazed at his stamina. This is wearing me out, and I’m just blogging about the campaign.

Some quick news before I lay down for my nap:

Anyway, that’s enough to do you for a few hours. Like Rick Santorum’s final surge here in Iowa, my expenses on this trip have exceeded expectations. So reader contributions to the Shoe Leather Fund are, as always sincerely appreciated.

They’re setting up a big party over at the Stony Creek Inn and, because of limited space, the press filing center will actually be in the hotel bar, which is called “The Loose Moose.”

That seems somehow ironically appropriate, doesn’t it?





PREVIOUSLY:


Category: Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, Shoe Leather Fund

Desperate Hours in the Hawkeye State

Posted on | January 3, 2012 | 23 Comments

JOHNSTON, Iowa
Republican voters are getting bombarded with robocalls all over Iowa. Last night, I talked to the night clerk at my hotel here. She’s a mother of three and a Republican, an undecided voter who isn’t even sure she’ll attend her precinct caucus tonight in Grimes. She told me she’s getting calls at home nearly every 30 minutes.

Some of these robocalls are nothing but flat-out lies. There are calls claiming that Rick Santorum isn’t pro-life and isn’t pro-Second Amendment when, in fact, he’s a famously staunch pro-lifer and has an A+ career rating from the National Rifle Association.

Of course, I suspect that Rick Perry’s campaign is behind this. And whether my suspicion is right or wrong, the Perry campaign is a lamentable joke here in Iowa. I’ve been talking to experienced Iowa Republicans during my travels the past week, and experienced observers are united in the opinion that Perry has wasted millions of dollars on a campaign that has done him more harm than good. 

The campaign I dubbed “The Phantom Menace” in August has been an even more wretched disaster than I predicted. According to Nate Silver’s final pre-caucus poll analysis, Perry will be lucky to get 10 percent in the Hawkeye State. A fourth- or fifth-place finish here would, by the normal calculus of politics, cause Perry to quit. But if he did quit, his campaign advisers and consultants would be out of work, so they have convinced him to keep going. And even though they have apparently come to grips with the fact that they’re going to get their asses handed to them in Iowa tonight, they’re still flooding the airwaves with TV ads and pestering people with robocalls.

As I’ve said, if desperation was a cologne fragrance, they’d reek of it. 

Those who have supported Perry should be furious at how they’ve been humiliated, outraged by the arrogant incompetence of Perry’s staff and (ridiculously overpaid) campaign consultants.

And isn’t it time that some people started re-assessing the potential for Rick Santorum to turn a strong showing in Iowa into a campaign that can defeat Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination? Read more

Category: Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, New Hampshire, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, South Carolina

Remember the Crying Girl?

Posted on | January 3, 2012 | 52 Comments

JOHNSTON, Iowa
Last night I called my wife and told her I loved her, after listening to Rick Santorum’s speech to his supporters at the final town hall meeting before Caucus Day here in Iowa. Santorum paid tribute to his wife, Karen, and also to his children, who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much:

Being away from home this past week — I flew out to Iowa the day after Christmas — I could appreciate how sincerely Santorum felt about his family’s role in his campaign. He went a long time with very little money to hire staff or buy ads, and so his wife and kids made phone calls and did a lot of other work necessary to keep his campaign going. The first time I covered him in August, at an event held in a barn amid the cornfields near Roland, Iowa, his wife and kids were serving ice cream:

And then, on the day of the Ames Straw Poll, I bumped into three of his kids while they were just wandering around seeing the sights:

Longtime readers of this blog know that I was on the Cain Train from the get-go, and the main reason I covered the Santorum campaign back in August was as a favor to my Twitter buddy Lisa Graas, who has been a Santorum supporter all along. In October, when I went to the Value Voter Summit in DC, both Santorum and his wife lobbied me to get behind their campaign. But I’m very keen on loyalty, and despite my friendliness toward Santorum, I rode the Cain Train all the way to the end.

Readers may remember how it hurt that Saturday when I had to explain to my 13-year-old Jefferson that “suspend” means “quit.” And you may also remember that I had taken Jefferson with me as my assistant when I went to cover the Values Voter summit, when Jefferson posed for a picture with Senator Santorum:

If you remembered all that, congratulations: My own memory is kind of shaky sometimes. I’m awful with names, for example, and haven’t been able to keep the names of Santorum’s kids straight in my mind. So now we come to the whole point of this post, what happened last night at the final town hall meeting of Santorum’s Iowa campaign.

When I walked into the Pizza Ranch, the first person I talked to was Shane Vander Hart of Caffeinated Thoughts, who was one of the first Iowa bloggers to endorse Santorum. Shane recalled how for a long time it seemed his candidate was doomed and now . . .

Well, we were standing behind Carl Cameron, who was doing a live remote for Fox News. And it seemed like every other reporter on the planet was in that pizza restaurant. Clearly, Santorum had become the hot ticket in the Hawkeye State. Santorum’s family was with him, and at one point I found myself talking to them, which became the lead of my column today for The American Spectator:

ALTOONA, Iowa — A teenager stood beside the salad bar at Pizza Ranch here Monday night, surrounded by a huge crowd packed into the restaurant for Rick Santorum’s final Iowa town hall meeting before Tuesday’s caucuses. Carl Cameron of Fox News was there, as was conservative talk-radio host Laura Ingraham and so many reporters and photographers that some Republican voters who had come to see the surging Republican presidential candidate were forced to park in the lot of a nearby Hy-Vee grocery store. This vivid evidence that the former Pennsylvania senator has suddenly become the man of the hour in the Hawkeye State clearly made an impression on the brown-haired girl standing beside the salad bar.
“Our prayers are paying off,” said 13-year-old Sarah Maria Santorum, whose father soon emerged from the throng, stood on a chair and addressed the crowd. …

“Our prayers are paying off.” Read more

Category: Election 2012, Family, Fear and Loathing in Iowa, Iowa, Rick Santorum
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