T-Paw pulls the plug on campaign.

Courtesy of the AP:

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination on Sunday, hours after finishing a disappointing third in the Iowa straw poll. 

"I wish it would have been different, but obviously the pathway forward for me doesn't exist so we are going to end the campaign," Pawlenty said on ABC's "This Week" from Iowa. 

The low-key Midwesterner, who had struggled to gain traction in a state he had said he must win, had told supporters on a conference call shortly before the broadcast interview that he was ending his White House bid. 

"I thought I would have made a great president, but obviously that pathway isn't there," Pawlenty said. "I do believe we're going to have a very good candidate who is going to beat Barack Obama."

Those last remarks still indicate that Pawlenty is delusional, but apparently not delusional enough to stay in this race. Still I am surprised that of all the GOP wannabes in this contest that he is the first to recognize that his chances are non-existent.

After all third place was not bad at all in the "nobody gives two shits about you but the media" Ames Straw Poll. I mean the only two to beat him were Michele Bachmann (I believe purely based on her corndog eating skills by the way), and Ron Paul who seems to ALWAYS place high in the early polling of the most wingnutty members of the GOP right before the more sober minds realize he might actually become their candidate and yank him of stage with a giant hook.

Hell he beat the eventual nominee, Mitt Romney, by FOUR places, you would think that might give him a boost of confidence going forward, but I guess losing to two of the most batshit crazy candidates in the field put the overall impact of this Iowa poll on the final nomination process into perspective for ole T-Paw.

I have to say that for me personally it is a shame, because right up until this morning I had a hell of a time differentiating between Pawlenty and Santorum. But as of right now I know that Pawlenty is NOT the guy who believes that a woman who has been raped should carry her rapist's child to term. 

Okay folks time to get out your crystal balls and let's see who YOU think will be the next potential loser to Obama in 2012 to come to their senses.

Right Wing blog reads the tea leaves and decides that Palin is NOT running for President.

Courtesy of Red State:

“It’s fair to them to give them an answer here, in short order, so that they can jump on board with someone else.” – Sarah Palin August 13, 2011 

With those words, former Gov. Sarah Palin made it clear to me that she will not run for president in 2012. 

You don’t tell your supporters “they can jump on board with someone else” if you are going to run. It’s as simple as that. One could, and no doubt many will, say Palin was just inarticulate. I don’t buy that.

So what do you think?  IS Red State correct in this assumption, or are they simply judging Palin by what normal rational people would do in her circumstance?

Well I can tell you one thing, the folks over at the Sea O'Pee are not buying into Red State's assumption one little bit.

How Redstate came to the conclusion that this means she’s not running beats me. What Governor Palin said is that she’s seriously thinking about it and will make a decision shortly because ”IF”, and I emphasize ”IF”, she decides not to run it wouldn’t be fair for her to hold on to her supporters. 

What I take away from this response is that as far as the Governor is concerned she would wait longer to make an announcement, but she understands that a decision must come sooner so it doesn’t appear like she’s stringing people along. 

Redstate obviously wishes that Governor Palin won’t run, but just because you hope something won;t happen doesn’t mean it won’t. 

In any event the day Governor Palin announces, Redstate loses it’s credibility, whatever was left of it.

I wonder if the SPCA can charge Palin with cruelty to dumb animals?

Here are the Iowa Straw Poll results. Try to act excited.

Courtesy of the LA Times:

1. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (4823, 28.55%) 

2. Congressman Ron Paul (4671, 27.65%) 

3. Governor Tim Pawlenty (2293, 13.57%) 

4. Senator Rick Santorum (1657, 9.81%) 

5. Herman Cain (1456, 8.62%) 

6. Governor Rick Perry (718, 3.62%) write-in 

7. Governor Mitt Romney (567, 3.36%) 

8. Speaker Newt Gingrich (385, 2.28%) 

9. Governor Jon Huntsman (69, 0.41%) 

10. Congressman Thad McCotter (35, 0.21%) 

Well Michele Bachmann won which should come as no surprise to ANYONE. She is the flavor of the moment and she is a fellow Iowan, which gives her an advantage.

And that was BEFORE everybody watched her eat her corndog.

I have to say that I am somewhat surprised that Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum (Or as I call them Dweedle dipshit and Dweedle Dumbass), came in third and fourth, right after Ron Paul's second place showing.

I find it amazing that the press gives this stupid poll so much attention when the top five winners don't even have a snowball's chance in hell of getting the nomination.  

What I think might be somewhat newsworthy is that Rick Perry, who was not an official name on the poll and only declared his candidacy this morning, was able to win a sixth place position as a WRITE IN. That should really cause the eventual nominee Mitt Romney some sleepless nights.

All of this media attention these candidates are getting must be driving Palin CRAZY, I wonder what she could possibly do to get them to look in her direction?  

 
Of course, what was I thinking?

"And a little child will lead them."

As a man who digs babies, a political observer, and simply a human being, this comparison speaks volumes to me.

(H/T to O'Toolefan, perhaps the MOST prolific tweeter on the internets.)

I know I promised this yesterday but I done runned out of time. So let me present the Daily Show's Iowa Candidate Tent coverage.

The Daily Show - Indecision 2012 - Corn Polled Edition - Candidate Tent Coverage
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Personally I think it is still funny even on a Saturday morning.

(If the video won't play just click here.)

The Teabaggers and what their scorched earth approach to politics portends for this country.

Courtesy of Aljazeera:

After its humble beginnings as an astroturf, Koch-Brothers-funded revival aimed at mobilising ill-informed, reactionary, mostly older white Americans against health care reform and other psychologically-constructed monsters under the bed, the Tea Party has become an malignant force that now holds the Republican Congressional Caucus - and with it the country - hostage. 

While the Stockholm Syndrome may not have quite set in yet among all Republicans, the tri-corner-hat crowd seems to behave much like the giant Brain Bug in the movie Starship Troopers, jamming a claw into the heads of their fellow GOPers and slowly sucking out cerebral tissue until only the brainless body remains. 

Most problematic, most of the Tea Partiers, private citizens and elected officials alike, seem to possess just slightly less understanding of the Federal budget or tax code of than say, Mater from Cars. Yet, these are the people in the driver's seat as the country heads for what might be Act II of the Great Recession, unless progressives, centrists, and others edified with high school civics adopt a new strategy to counter them.

And counter them we must, for they and their ilk are nothing new, but representative of a recurring and quite dangerous political strain that has always been with us since the dawn of civilization. Their undermining of the traditions, culture, and give-and-take necessary for any democracy to function has had destructive results on free societies in the past, and taken down a Republic or two.

From its inception, the Tea Party is the very definition of the type of revolutionary movement. Until Democrats, and their leader in the White House, realise they need to stop calling people like Paul Ryan "courageous" and "serious", and start fighting fire with fire, Michelle Bachmann and her creepy pinwheel eyes are going to continue to get their way at the expense of American values and the middle-class that once made this country great.

 The late, great historian Richard Hofstadter added further insight into just the type of "movement" we're dealing with, in his 1964 award-winning tome, "The Paranoid Style of American Politics". In it, he outlines the psychological origins of the type of crazed, Tea-bagger style of all-or-nothing dedication to an absolute end, when he wrote of their forebears: 

 "He does not see social conflict as something to be mediated and compromised, in the manner of the working politician. Since what is at stake is always a conflict between absolute good and absolute evil, what is necessary is not compromise but the will to fight things out to a finish. Since the enemy is thought of as being totally evil and totally unappeasable, he must be totally eliminated - if not from the world, at least from the theatre of operations to which the paranoid directs his attention." 

 In other words, any compromise, no matter how small, is seen as an act tantamount to treason, which is precisely why we need to stop engaging these tottering tea lovers, because they simply do not believe in the workings of democracy. 

Not really too much to add here except to say that between the Teabaggers and the Domininists trying to fuck up our country this may be one of the most divisive and important Presidential elections in America's history.  Yes I realize I said that same thing in 2008, and I said it because it was true, but I am convinced that what was true then remains true in 2012.

 Personally I long for an election that is simply an election, and NOT the potential harbinger to the end of the United States of America as we know it.

By the way in case you have convinced yourself that this is mere hyperbole on my part, let me remind you of a certain Presidential election in 2000, and how the repercussions from that are still resulting in death, financial collapses, and disharmony all over the world.

Jonathon Capehart has Sarah Palin's number.

Courtesy of the Washington Post:

Palin told her supporters via e-mail that her “One Nation Tour” bus would descend upon the Hawkeye State. The part of her missive that elicited side-eyes from me was this. “The heartland is perfect territory for more of the One Nation Tour as we put forth efforts to revitalize the fundamental restoration of America by highlighting our nation’s heart, history, and founding principles,” Palin wrote. 

What, pray tell, are “efforts to revitalize the fundamental restoration of America”? Did I somehow miss her detailed plan to pay off the nation’s $14.3 trillion debt and create jobs for the growing ranks of the unemployed? Americans want solutions to the worst economy in their lifetimes. They are hungry for leaders who have the courage to present realistic plans to turn things around. But if some of those Americans are looking to Palin for said solutions, they are bound to starve. 

Remember, no matter what she says or does, Palin is not running for president. The half-term governor of Alaska parlayed her 2008 vice presidential nomination into a bankroll-busting career as a best-selling author and reality-television star who is accountable to no one but herself for what she says and does. As a star, Palin is terrific. She’s a natural talent. And she is well aware of and comfortable in exercising her ability to steal other people’s spotlight. That she would give up that kind of power for the confines of the campaign trail is unfathomable.

Now why does that summation sound familiar? 

Oh yeah, because THAT is pretty much what I have been saying all along.


And I have to say that with Bristol's new reality show, Mercede's Playboy interview, the birth of a new grandbaby raising embarrassing questions, and Levi and Joe's books about to hit the stands, I find it even less likely she will declare than I ever did in the past.

However, and I feel obligated to always add this caveat, this IS Sarah Palin, who might very well be willing to launch a Presidential campaign solely to prove her critics wrong.

Yes, she IS that petty.

However I have no idea who Palin can convince to accompany her on the campaign trail if she WERE to declare her candidacy.  Piper starts school next Tuesday (Yes she is going to school, one of my sources saw her registering), Bristol is filming her reality show, Track has a new baby to care for (And has said he wants NOTHING to do with her political activities), Willow is completely uncooperative, and Trig is much too big, and much too fussy to take along for photo ops.

That leaves only Sarah's parents (And really WHO finds them interesting anymore?), and Todd (Who I imagine has it written into his contract that he only has to do a handful of these appearances each year).

Let's face it, Palin simply will not launch a campaign without some family member to use as a shield. That alone might be the determining factor that keeps her stomping around her Wasilla compound in frustration, rather than out on the campaign trail stumbling over reporter's questions and generally making an ass out of herself.

You knew it was coming. The Twitter Quitter thinks she smells blood in the water and goes on the attack.

From the Twit's Tweets:

Pres Obama: you're losing our future. No more pretending "with ever more manic protestations" that this could continue http://tgr.ph/qsHQqE
9 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

This is all part of the coordinated effort by the Right to undermine President Obama in the eyes of the American voters, since they believe they have wounded him politically with the protracted debt ceiling debate. So of course Palin feels she HAS to be one of the first ones to start throwing stones.

The article that Palin links to is this one in the Telegraph, which contains this rather misleading passage:

But the US has a very different historical experience from European countries, with their accretions of national remorse and class guilt: it has a far stronger and more resilient belief in the moral value of liberty and the dangers of state power. This is a political as much as an economic crisis, but not for the reasons that Mr Obama believes. The ruckus that nearly paralysed the US economy last week, and led to the loss of its AAA rating from Standard & Poor’s, arose from a confrontation over the most basic principles of American life.

Contrary to what the Obama Democrats claimed, the face-off in Congress did not mean that the nation’s politics were “dysfunctional”. The politics of the US were functioning precisely as the Founding Fathers intended: the legislature was acting as a check on the power of the executive.

While I may agree with this Janet Daley woman that the Founding Fathers wanted the legislature to act as check on the power of the executive, I CANNOT imagine that those early patriots would have embraced the idea of holding this country hostage, frightening the American people, and damaging our debt rating, all to make a political point.


And ultimately the Teabaggers' "never raise taxes" stance has only prolonged the problem by refusing to acknowledge that the country's credit card bill, which George W. Bush charged up like a Beverly Hills housewife who just discovered her husband is cheating on her, has to be paid off eventually, and you cannot pay it off by raising the retirement age or privatizing Social Security.

Eventually you need revenue to pay off this country's debt, and that means raising taxes.


But of course nothing that this Daley woman wrote really matters.

As most of us realize it was undoubtedly an article that somebody sent to Palin with a suggestion that she attach it to a tweet so that she could sound like she knows something about the economy. That way she could continue to convince the slowest learners on the planet that she is really going to launch a serious political campaign, and that they need to keep sending her money.

Organize4Palin is continuing to lay the foundation in Iowa so that the Governor can hit the ground running when she announces. Everyone who is working in Iowa for Organize4Palin is working on a volunteer basis and any dollar you can provide them is greatly appreciated.

Unsurprisingly these sad people are still convinced that Palin will announce either right before, or during her September 3rd speech to the Teabaggers in Iowa. As evidenced by comments like this one:

i've said this before and i'll say it again:
-SET MONEY ASIDE NOW. already have it ready to go, and don't touch it until she announces.
-EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS COUNT. don't say "my amount is so small, so i won't donate." there are many people who can only afford a small amount of money. if all those people were to donate those small amounts anyway... a large sum can be gathered together! even if it's just $10, imagine if 15 or 20 people donated that, that's an easy $200 for palin. so donate!!!
-SPREAD THE WORD. when she announces, kindly remind your friends on twitter, fb, blog, email, etc, to donate a little bit of money. don't be like bachmann and ask 100 times. XD but it would be good to spread the word to others.

Just when you thought September could NOT get any more entertaining!

For those who are concerned that President Obama is giving in to the Republicans and their Teabagger masters, this might help to alleviate those fears.

Somebody sent me this link today, and reading it kind of changed my perspective on a few things.

Here is just a sample.

I’m not angry often. I don’t believe anger is an emotion that makes things better for anyone but yourself, and even that is rare. This is generally a political blog, and in politics, anger is poisonous. I can’t say this enough; the average voter in this country (NOT voters on either extreme side of the political spectrum, but those who actually decide elections) is NOT motivated by anger, cannot be motivated by anger (usually), and actually reacts to expressed anger with disgust, for the most part. They don’t want to elect angry people, they want to elect competent people. They don’t care what WE think the issues are; they want to elect someone who knows and understands the issues and will do something about it.

Put simply, the general public already thinks all politicians suck, so you reiterating that politicians suck does nothing to advance the political process. 

But I’m becoming angry with the far left these days, not just because they’re being unfair to the president and the Democrats, but because they pose as political “experts,” despite the fact that they seem to know nothing about how politics actually works.

Let’s start this rant by reminding you that the man occupying the White House currently got to where he is in spite of the fact that:

• He is a black man;
• He had a father who was a Kenyan Muslim;
• He has an unusual name;
• He didn’t have a ton of political experience when he ran and;
• He had to beat one of the most established legacies in Democratic politics in the primary, and a respected war hero politician in the general election.

Barack Obama could very well be the most brilliant politician of our day. He knows what’s up far better than we do. To NOT defer to his judgment except in extreme circumstances is much like hiring a mechanic to repair your car and then telling him how (s)he should rebuild your carburetor. Put simply, if you think you can do it better, then do it. Otherwise, shut the hell up, because you sound stupid when you criticize an expert. 

That is why all of you Monday morning quarterbacks out there – those of you who are constantly going on about how big a screw-up Obama is, and how he “should have” done something that YOU think would have “worked better” -- just look pathetic. Seriously, you look sillier than shit, and it’s pissing most liberals off, because you’re affecting the discourse, and you’re making it more difficult to beat the right wing, which absolutely MUST be our first order of business for the next several election cycles. Pardon my French, but FUCK the Blue Dogs. THEY are NOT the problem. The problem is the extreme right, who are hell-bent on dismantling this country, one brick at a time.

As many of my long time visitors are aware I have avoided being too critical of the policy decisions made by this President, or acting like a spoiled brat because my pet causes (Ending the wars, criminally investigating the Bush administration, and outlawing the Diebold voting machines) have either never been addressed, or are being addressed much slower than I would have liked.

And just like this Milt Shook guy, I have come to realize that the President is making progress, and out maneuvering the Right Wing, behind the scenes and out of the view of many of his critics.

I have confidence in this President, and believe he is doing the best he can within perhaps the MOST divisive political climate since the beginning of the Civil War.

Is it fast enough for some of us?  Clearly, the answer is no.

Could anybody else do the job with more competence?  Again I believe the answer is no.

So for all of you morons who keep talking about finding a Democrat to challenge Obama in the primary, I have but one question for you: "Are you out of your fucking minds?"

In desperation Teabaggers start hallucinating bizarre daydreams of Sarah Palin defeating President Obama.

Archie Comic Publications, Inc.

Today's laugh out loud, Rocky inspired, fantasy of a Sarah Palin victory in 2012, comes to us from some poor sad sack at the American Thinker:

Can you imagine the excitement of Palin throwing her hat into the 2012 presidential ring? Move over, Thrilla in Manila (Ali/Frazier), as the most exciting fight of all time. I'm talkin' Palin vs. Obama, Mano a Mano: the Thrilla from Wasilla vs. the Chicago Thug.

Betting on this "fight of the century" could help Vegas's economy recover from Reid being their senator and Obama trashing businesses that go there.

The more I think about Palin vs. Obama in the ring, the more excited I become. Images flash in my brain. It is the long-awaited, much-anticipated day of the main event.

Palin enters the ring wearing an Old Glory-themed robe to Lee Greenwood singing "God Bless the USA (Proud to be an American)." Obama enters the ring wearing a pink robe, courtesy of Code Pink, as Al Sharpton sings "We Shall Overcome."

For fourteen rounds, Obama and Palin pound each as the upper hand changes several times. Then, round fifteen -- the final round.

Palin, exhausted from battling Obama and his tag-team partner, the liberal media, miraculously lands a knockout punch to Obama's jaw. The final bell rings. The fight is over. Sarah Palin has won the 2012 presidential election. The crowd of mostly Tea Party patriots goes crazy with jubilation. Obama's media is stunned.

Reporters flock to the rubber-legged, emotionally drained Palin. Sarah's eyes focus on her husband Todd as he pushes his way through the thronging media. Sarah fearfully yells, "Tooooooodd!" Todd yells, "Sarah!"

Finally he reaches her. They embrace. "Todd, I love you!" "I love you, too!" is Todd's reply. Our national anthem plays in the background.

...........WTF?

As all of you know I enjoy creating parodies once in a while, but I can tell you with no equivocation that I would be hard pressed to come up with ANYTHING as hysterical and pathetic,to illustrate the bizarre fantasy that these people have for this woman, than what you just read.

And the truly humorous part is that they are dead serious!

I cannot help but imagine the field day that Sigmund Freud would have with these fantasies.

The True Villian of the Economic Meltdown.

Courtesy of The Daily Beast:

But Obama is not the villain in this story. Every time I step back and ponder this sordid history, I am amazed that the Republican Party has any credibility and even 100 members of Congress, let alone a sizable House majority and enough juice to be driving the nation’s agenda as it is.

The Boston Globe ran a chart last Sunday that I’d buy billboard space to reproduce in every decent-size city in America, if I were running the Democratic National Committee. 

 (Here's the chart  to save your the trouble of searching for it.)

The premise of it was very simple: It showed how many trillions each president since Ronald Reagan has added to the nation’s debt. The debt was about $1 trillion when Reagan took office, and then: Reagan, $1.9 trillion; George H.W. Bush, $1.5 trillion (in just four years); Bill Clinton, $1.4 trillion; Obama, $2.4 trillion.

Oh, wait. I skipped someone. George W. Bush ran up $6.4 trillion. That’s nearly half—44.7 percent—of the $14.3 trillion total. We all know what did it—two massive tax cuts geared toward the rich (along with other similar measures, like slashing the capital gains and inheritance taxes), the off-the-books wars, the unfunded Medicare expansion, and so on. But the number is staggering and worth dwelling on. In a history covering 30 years, nearly half the debt was run up in eight. Even the allegedly socialist Obama at his most allegedly wanton doesn’t compare to Dubya; and Obama’s debt numbers, if he’s reelected, will surely not double or even come close as we gambol down Austerity Lane.

The GOP and the Teabaggers are going to use every one of their pet media outlets, from Fox News to Right Wing radio, to try and hang this debt crisis, and the lowering of our debt rating, on President Obama.

It is up to all of us, and what remains of the so called "liberal media," to continue pointing out who is REALLY responsible for this disaster.

And those responsible are the Republicans who increased the debt by 6.4 trillion dollars between 2000 and 2008, the Right Wing media that provided cover for them while they were doing it, and the Teabaggers who are now determined to fight this President every step of the way so that he cannot repair the damage, in the hopes that they can blame him for the whole mess in 2012 and put another GOP asshole in the White House to finish the job of bankrupting this nation once and for all.

(H/T to the Obama Diary.)

How come I didn't know that Clark Griswold was running for President?

Oh I'm sorry it is not Clark Griswold, it's Rick Santorum!  But you do see how easy it is to get them confused, right?

I know what you are thinking. "Oh Gryphen, you are messing with us. That MUST be a parody."

Nope, it's not.

It is the desperate attempt by Rick Santorum to mimic Sarah Palin's "highly successful" political bus tour/family vacation in order to get some national attention.  Because dammit, Rick Santorum recognizes a good idea when he sees one!

Gee I wonder if Santorum will "ride a hog" like Sister Sarah did?

By the way I also stumbled across some footage of the Santorum road trip that was not used in the political ad. (If you are at work you might want to skip this video until later, as it contains some quite a lot of adult language.)



But don't worry kids, it will not JUST be about Rick "The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex" Santorum taking his children around and lying to them about American History, he will also be sharing that ignorance with the American people he meets along the way.

Santorum said he’s been criticized for saying earlier this week, “Schools indoctrinate our children.” He added, “I said ‘indoctrination’ and I meant it.”

Rick Santorum speaks earlier Thursday at a restaurant in Rock Rapids.


As an example, he said: “Sixty-two percent of incoming freshmen come into college with a faith conviction and leave without it. … I suspect if you took a control group of kids who don’t go to college, that doesn’t happen.”

“We see this humanism and secularism being pushed on our children,” said Santorum, who, with his wife, Karen, has been home-schooling their seven children through about eighth grade.

That's right folks!  Rick Santorum's message to America is "Don't allow your children to become educated. It just makes them too intelligent to buy into your Theocratic bullshit! And THAT is just bad for America!"


(H/T to the Huffington Post.)

It has been too long since Jack Cafferty has graced IM with his presence.

Cafferty asks "Are Sarah Palin and Donald Trump the answer to the country's problems?"

I think most of us could easily answer that question, but let's hear what Jack has to say about that.

My favorite portion was  as he referenced the poor performance of "The Undefeated."

"The popcorn stand at the theater took in more money."

Coming soon, an update on the progress of the "babygate" book.

Sarah Palin on March 26, 2008. Eighteen days before "birth" of Trig Palin.

I currently have in my possession an e-mail from the author of the upcoming "babygate" book.

I will post it fairly early tomorrow morning because, and some of you may not be aware of this, IM receives more visitors on the weekdays than on the weekends.  In order for the most people to have the opportunity to read what Fred has written I decided it would be best to post it on a day that saw more traffic so that I would not have people asking me over and over again about an update.

I think that most of you will be very pleased with the information, though for some of the more impatient ones it might be a little frustrating.

Just like with Joe and Geoffrey's books, there are ALWAYS new revelations which threaten to change the tenor of the book or delay its release.  I learned long ago that patience is my best friend.

Speaking of patience, I should also let you know that there are many MORE revelations coming out about the Grizzled Mama, and her "Alaska mafia." Including one that I heard just the other day that I am hoping like crazy I can manage to prove, because even among the most jaded Palin watchers this one will be huge.

One thing I can share is that some, who are claiming to be in the know, are convinced that Palin actually WILL announce her candidacy during her speech in Iowa on September 3rd.

I remain somewhat skeptical, but as I have said before I would not put ANYTHING past this lunatic.

I know a couple of authors who would be thrilled if Palin DID launch a short lived, ultimately doomed campaign in early September.  And I do have to admit that it would certainly bring more players into the "Sources for Gryphen" family.

I guess that would not be all bad now would it?

Update: I was just now watching Meet the Press, and sitting there with my plate of eggs watching David Gregory ask David Plouffe just WHICH bills the government will pay for certain if the debt ceiling does NOT get raised by Tuesday suddenly just pissed me the hell off!

So I would like to vent a little.

When the Tea Party was in its infancy and nobody was paying it much attention, the Koch brothers arranged for Sarah Palin to make appearances on their behalf and essentially, along with the spastic Glenn Beck, become the face of the Teabaggers. Because of her unrivaled name recognition she brought tons of undeserved attention to what was clearly a very unsophisticated astro-turf group of angry racists, who, over time, were polished with corporate money enough so that they were able to choose and back candidates who are currently holding our country hostage.

While that was taking place there were those who were working overtime to convince me to drop the babygate story because it was never going to "make any difference."

"Just focus on the wild ride story, Gryph.  That will be enough to stop her if enough people hear about it.  The babygate story just makes you, and ALL of us, seem like crazy conspiracy theorists."

Of course I refused, and as my reward I found myself isolated.  I learned over time that journalists were steered away from me, for fear I would bring up"that crazy conspiracy story."

At one point I was so close I could taste it, to REALLY blowing this whole thing up. But I was sabotaged by those I considered my friends. In my personal opinion if I had received more support, and if others had worked side by side with me, Sarah Palin would NEVER have been able to provide the spark that the Koch brothers used to start the Teabagger bonfire.

So I would just like to take a moment to say FUCK YOU!

Fuck you for playing it safe.  Fuck you for worrying about appearances more than truth.  And fuck you for being a coward.

And while I am on this rant I would also like to say fuck you to those who wanted the babygate story all for themselves.  Fuck you for driving people off of the net who were selflessly working to bring this story to the American people.  Fuck you for chasing away sources who were timidly coming forward, until they realized that people might soon learn their true identities. And fuck you for damaging the reputation of good people because YOUR ego demanded that you get credit for EVERYTHING.

Okay I am done now.  Sorry if some of you found that offensive or a little out of character, but damn I have been holding that inside for years.

The babygate story is NOT just about a mother protecting her daughter, or her family.  It is MUCH deeper and uglier than that. And once it is really out there in the public consciousness, it should serve as the stepping stone to revealing all kinds of political manipulations and Faustian deals that might finally awaken a slumbering populace and get them to focus on taking back their country from the corporations and political fat cats who have held the reins of power for much, much too long.

And with that Gryphen steps off of his soapbox.  Thank you for listening.

Despite the rhetoric coming from the GOP not ONE current Republican candidate, or potential Republican candiate, has a snowball's chance in hell against President Obama in 2012.

In a side by side match up with each of the potential Republican Presidential candidates for 2012, essentially Obama eats their lunch for them according to Real Clear Politics.

Here is the breakdown.


Against Mitt Romney, who will surely emerge from the primary much more battered, bruised, and politically damaged than he is right now, President Obama polls at 4.3% higher in a potential 2012 election match up.

(By the way, Romney is in fact the GOP's best hope.)

Against Libertarian favorite Ron Paul, President Obama enjoys a 9.8% lead in the polls.

(But believe me the American people do NOT yet know about the racism, crazy conspiracy theories, and batshit crazy ideas.  Once those come to light, Paul's chances shrink to somewhere between "slim," and his buddy "none.")

Against "Let God handle it" Rick Perry, President Obama maintains a very comfortable 11.6% lead.

(The thing about Perry is the farther away from him you are, the better he looks politically.  But up close?)

Tim "TimPaw" Pawlenty is nowhere even close to providing a challenge with Obama leading him at 12.3%.

(You know I was going to write more about Pawlenty, but I kept nodding off.  I understand that when sheep suffer from insomnia they count TimPaw's boring public statements until they fall asleep.)

Michele Bachmann is trailing right behind Mr. Ho-hum with the President enjoying a 12.4% lead over the batshit crazy, "pray away the gay" lady.

"I can't believe my numbers are that high. Maybe batshit is the new black."

Now Jon "The other Mormon" Huntsman is trailing behind Obama by about 14%.

(You might as well get used to seeing the picture above, because if Huntsman looks like he is actually presenting a challenge to any of the other GOP candidates, you will see it showing up in third party TV ads over and over again.)

Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich share the seventh spot, both trailing the President with an embarrassing 14.7%.

(After over thirty years in politics, I can only imagine how thrilled Gingrich is to be tied with the Godfather's Pizza guy!)

Okay well that is just about everybody, and NOBODY (With the possible exception of Mitt Romney) has any real shot against our President in a head to head match up.

Wait! Somebody IS missing. (Oh my God, who could possibly be lower than 14.7% this early in the polling?  They must have ZERO name recognition or something!)

In fact it is lower. MUCH lower.

In a match up with President Obama, everyone's favorite teabagging reality star, trails by a whopping 20%.

That's right Palin-bots, your idol trails the President by 20% and is in absolutely the LAST place on the list of potential GOP Presidential contenders for 2012, when it comes to viability.

You know somebody, the person's name escapes me right now, said that "2012 can't come soon enough."

I could not agree more.

(P.S. I just noticed that Santorum is not even on the list so I am guessing that he polled even lower than Snowdrift Snooki.  Ouch, that has to hurt!)

Team Sarah is now DEMANDING that their members FORCE their friends and family to attend Sarah Palin's propaganda film "The Undefeated." Just buy a ticket Mom, and nobody has to get hurt!

With full credit for the graphic once again to Azure Ghost.

 This was sent to my e-mail from my favorite mole over at Team Sarah.

I will try to recreate it exactly as it appears in the e-mail, including the screaming capitalization's and histrionic changes in font size, just so you can get the full, batshit crazy effect.

A message to all members of Team Sarah

Team,

The movie, The Undefeated, faces an onslaught of the same kind of “invalidation” that Sarah Palin faces from the media establishment.

For those who have been out promoting the movie, and trying to get people in the cities where it is showing to BUY TICKETS NOW, this has been quite a journey.

Movies, ALL movies, have their ups and downs, but you can bet that when The Undefeated has its “ups” the media will ignore that and when it has its “downs” the media will over-hype it, as if “it’s all over because of a bad day!”

Everyone knows that "success" is never a straight line!

The fight to make sure people KNOW the truth about how the ESTABLISHMENT treats ordinary Americans who rise to leadership is only just beginning!

Just because you don't live in a city where the movie is currently playing does not mean you CANNOT HELP! Email teamsarahhq@gmail.com to see how you can help as a virtual ambassador!

Whoever thinks this is going to be easy, here's the truth. IT CANNOT BE EASY!

The stakes are too high!

The opposition is DESPERATE to discredit all that we stand up for!

Hard, however, is not IMPOSSIBLE.

What kind of country do you want to leave your children, one where the values of a Tina Fey rule or one where the values of Sarah Palin are strong?

WHAT WE DO NOW will potentially decide how that question is answered!

How much can you do, how far out of your comfort zone can you go, for your children's future?

Here's what is needed: we need to get people to come to these theaters and we need to beat back the liberal narrative. WE CAN DO this because we MUST do it!

Here’s the WHOLE point of all this- We need EVERYONE in EACH CITY to focus on getting 25 people to come to the movie TOMORROW and THURSDAY!

TICKETS are available here,

IF you live in any of the cities where this movie is showing, or within 100 miles, then WE NEED YOU! If you DON'T live near these cities, we STILL need you!

EMAIL teamsarahhq@gmail.com and we will send you our own information pack!

The movie IS coming to DVD, but even if millions of the DVD’s are sold, the media will STILL try to use whatever WE DO at the box office as a measure of success. COUNT ON IT!

We need to ask people we know in those cities to COME!

Don’t ask, tell! What I mean is, call your buddy up and say, “you’re going to this movie, OK? It’s a done deal, I need you to go.’ Don’t be shy. Imagine your children’s future depends on it.

WE NEED-

CITY HOSTS who live near the cities where the movie is being launched. More cities are being added, so just email and we will put you on a list when the movie comes your way....

VIRTUAL AMBASSADORS- people who can help with social media and making phone calls. You don’t have to LIVE in a city to RECRUIT for that city!

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

EMAIL teamsarahhq@gmail.com and we will send you our own information pack!

Thanks to all who are helping now!

The Tiny Team Behind The Team

 
Visit Team Sarah at: http://teamsarah.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

 Wow!  I mean, wow! That was just, wow!

Well thank God they are not panicking anything, right?  Just imagine how much worse it would be if they lost faith in their idol's ability to draw a crowd on her own and they felt they had to FORCE PEOPLE TO GO TO HER MOVIE! 

I mean seriously?  Who tells their friends and loved ones that they either go see this movie or else?

You know I was worried before, but now I think we are actually seeing the mental breakdown of the Palin-bots playing out in real time.

When she breaks the bad news about not running for President to them, they are going to lose their shit!

Two of Sarah Palin's aides sign on for speaking tours. What do we think, getting second jobs due to lack of SarahPAC funds or jumping ship because Palin's political future is doomed?

Courtesy of ABC News:

Despite SarahPAC’s reputation for secrecy and discretion, ABC News has learned that two Sarah Palin staffers have signed on with a speaking agency. At this point, it’s unclear whether the aides have signed on to dish about their boss, who’ve they’ve had an on again/off again relationship with or if Palin even knows about their foray into the world of paid speeches.

Palin staffers Jason Recher and Doug McMarlin have signed on with the speaking agency, The American Program Bureau. According to the agency's website, they are available to be paid to speak on topics that include “From 9/11 to Katrina: Lessons for Leaders in the Face of Crisis” and “Designer Politics: A New Age of Political Power.”

Recher was one of Palin’s longest serving and trusted aides; he initially met her on the vice-presidential campaign in 2008 and became one of SarahPAC’s first staffers. He also worked on her “Going Rogue” book tour and a number of political and speaking events before parting ways around the midterm elections last year.

After the campaign, Recher and McMarlin founded NorthStar Strategies, which ran SarahPAC’s logistical operations as well as assisting with strategy and some limited press communications. Although Recher did do some political advising for her during the 2008 campaign and was her closest advisor when SarahPAC launched, by the time they left the organization both McMarlin and Recher’s roles had shifted and they were both relegated to strictly doing advance work.

Recher and McMarlin did re-join the SarahPAC organization when Palin launched her bus tour last May, but it’s not clear if the two were on board for only that one trip or if they will advance other legs of the tour if she does re-launch it. NorthStar Strategies was listed on Palin’s last FEC report released earlier this month, showing payments for logistical consulting in January and February and logistical trip consulting in May as well as reimbursements.

You know the return of Recher and McMartin to SarahPAC was cited as proof that Palin was serious about running, because, it was argued, why else would she need political staffers?

I assume the same logic could now be used to address this new turn of events.  If Palin were indeed about to launch a national campaign for President, how in the world would these two possibly have time to give speeches?

By the way I cannot imagine now many people would be interested in paying Jason Recher to speak about "Designer Politics" after the Sarah Palin bus tour fiasco. I would think he would expunge that from his resume just as fast as humanly possible.

Now if he is willing to dish on what was happening behind the scenes at SarahPAC, and with Palin and her Wasilla-billy family, THAT might be worth paying to hear!

Iowa Straw Poll ballot will NOT include Sarah Palin. Palin-bot rationalizations to start in 3..2..1

"Flippin' Iowa! How am I supposed to keep shearing the sheep with you pulling crap like this?"

Courtesy of the 2012 Iowa Caucuses:

The official ballot for the Iowa straw poll will list nine names, including three declared candidates who have decided to not compete in the Aug. 13 event: Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich.

But the door is wide open for Iowans to vote for anyone they like: For the first time, write-ins will be counted.

After a long debate, the Republican Party of Iowa’s state central committee decided today not to include two well-known candidates who are merely flirting with a bid: Rick Perry and Sarah Palin.

Oh, you just KNOW this is really going to piss all over the Sea O'Pee's little Palin presidential parade don't you?

And it is really such a shame considering just how hard Snowdrift Snooki was flirting.

Kind of nice to see that they don't exactly take Rick Perry very seriously either, don't you agree?

Just a taste of what this country is in for if Rick Perry miraculously made it into the White House in 2012.

"You know thinking makes my head hurt. That ever happen to you?"

Courtesy of the Huffington Post:

Texas lawmakers cut sex ed from two six-month courses to a single unit of "abstinence only" education. But early indications showed that the program wasn't working. In fact, teens in almost all high school grades were having more sex after undergoing the abstinence only program. By 2007, Texas had the highest teen birth rate in the nation.

Nevertheless, the program continued. By 2009, 94 percent of Texas schools, which at the time were educating more than 3.7 million students, were giving no sex ed whatsoever beyond "abstinence only," a curriculum that includes emphasizing that birth control doesn't work.

Instead of providing fact-based information, the programs use fear and Jesus -- over-emphasizing the risks of sexually transmitted diseases leading to cervical cancer, radical hysterectomy and death, together with Christian morality.

One Texas public school district's sex ed handout is entitled "Things to Look for in a Mate:"

I. How they relate to God
A. Is Jesus their first love?
B. Trying to impress people or serve God?

Another public school district uses this:

Question: "What does the Bible say about sex before marriage/premarital sex?"

Answer: Along with all other kinds of sexual immorality, sex before marriage/premarital sex is repeatedly condemned in Scripture (Acts 15:20; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:13,18; 7:2; 10:8; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Jude 7).

The results? Teen pregnancy in Texas went up -- higher than before "abstinence only," and more than 50 percent higher than the national average. Even more troubling was that repeat teen pregnancy went up -- to the point that it, too, led the nation. It turns out that Texas kids thought that "if birth control doesn't work, why use it?"

But none of this seems to matter to Gov. Rick Perry. When confronted with the dismal statistics during an October 15, 2010 televised interview with Texas Tribune reporter Evan Smith, Perry's response was to reaffirm that "abstinence works."

The audience laughed and Smith pointed out the state's abysmal teen pregnancy rate. "It works," insisted Perry. "Maybe it's the way it's being taught, or the way it's being applied out there, but the fact of the matter is it is the best form of -- uh -- to teach our children." Smith asked for a statistic to suggest it works, and Perry replied that "I'm just going to tell you from my own personal life, abstinence works."

Like somebody suggested on an earlier thread, if Palin decides to pass on a Presidential run this time around, Perry has to be on her short list of those to endorse. 


Of course we have already seen what a Rick Perry presidency would look like during the eight years that George W. Bush ran this country into the ground.  I said once before that a Rick Perry candidacy really concerned me, and it does, but I cannot imagine the American people not getting a raucous case of deja vu every time this poor man's version of Jethro Bodine opened up his mouth.


That alone should be enough to doom his chances.

At least that is the hope I am hanging my hat on.

Palin supporters are STILL clinging to the idea that their idol can fundamentally change how a campaign is run and still win the GOP nomination. There is a word for people like this, but if I say it I will be accused of attacking Trig again.

Courtesy of Politicususa:

Greta Van Sustern asked Rove if Palin could run an unconventional campaign. Rove answered, “Her people think so. They’ve talked with people about it, whom I’ve talked to, and they’ve been very explicit about it — that she doesn’t need to go to Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, press the flesh and go to all these local events in order to cultivate the local leadership. She can talk to people over that. She doesn’t need to cultivate the fundraisers and the bundlers, because her mere presence in the race will generate the cash needed for the campaign. She doesn’t need to do things in a normal way to lay out a message. She can do it on Facebook. She can do it by having a friendly producer release a movie that is seen in theaters, and that’s going to be the interesting thing.”

Rove then issued a warning about the Palin strategy, “I frankly think that the people in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, there are some of the niceties that you ignore at your own peril. There is a reason why, these people in the early states take it very seriously, and they expect to see you, be able to hear up close, be able to ask you questions, be able to see you multiple times before they make a commitment, and we’ll see if that old rule remains the same.”

He said that Palin is making it clear that if she runs, she is doing it by her rules. Nobody should be surprised that Sarah Palin wouldn’t want to hit the campaign trail, but the real stunner is that she arrogantly believes that she doesn’t have to fundraise either. She seriously thinks that the day she announces the floodgates are going to open and millions of dollars will pour in.

The real problem with the people who support a Palin run, besides their obvious lack of intellect, is that they keep confusing media attention with voter support.

Yes, if Sarah Palin decides to announce her candidacy she WILL receive a ton of attention from the media. And she will also attract a rather significant initial infusion of cash for her campaign. (If her sycophants aren't in the poorhouse after buying dozens of tickets to her crappy movie and several copies of Bristol's book that is.)

But then what?

She clearly cannot stand on stage and engage in a debate with the other GOP contenders, so she will have to find some reason avoid that. (Perhaps she could get a note from Michele Bachmann's doctor?)

She cannot appear on any cable, or network, news program to answer REAL questions from an interviewer who is not paid to resist the urge to embarrass her, so she will have to avoid that.

Every single potential scandal about her, including babygate, will be revisited by the journalists who, having no access to her, will feel the need to investigate them aggressively in order to answer voter's questions about her worthiness to be the President.

And finally the people who have agreed not to reveal the things they know about her, in the GOP and around Alaska, unless she decided to run for President, will suddenly start showing up on news programs all across the country, and telling tales that NO amount of public relations management will be able to suppress.

In other words, it would be insane for Sarah Palin to decide to run for President, but as we all know....

Personally I believe that Palin is currently caught in an internal war between her fantasy of who she is and what she can do, and the reality that keeps slipping through the cracks of her giant wall of denial and reminding her of her devastating limitations and how aggressive the press will be in revealing them.

That taken into account with the fact that her pool of supporters has diminished to the size of a mud puddle exposed to the Arizona sun, would seem to indicate that she will not run for office, and might instead work overtime to think up a viable excuse that will keep her supporters sending her money while she decides which candidate might be desperate enough to promise her some cushy appointment to their cabinet in exchange for her now relatively useless endorsement.