Honestly, it doesn't matter who is picked in the end, the GOP personality cultists will declare that nominee to be the best man/woman/child ever, God's gift to America, and the one we should all follow without question.

No Bow Chicka Wow Wow for Santorum?

I'll have a Fizzy Gillespie

...Didn't read that as jazzed...

People are really enthusiastic for Newt? WHY?

I seriously don't get it. I mean I know they are Republicans, and more over they are from Iowa, but what exactly is wrong with these people?

I'm still sticking with Governor Perry and former-Governor Romney, as the last two candidates in the GOP field.

I'm curious who Romney's VP pick would be.

Philip Francis Queeg: People are really enthusiastic for Newt? WHY?

I seriously don't get it. I mean I know they are Republicans, and more over they are from Iowa, but what exactly is wrong with these people?

I think you answered your own question.

The Bestest: I'll have a Fizzy Gillespie

I'd usually go for a Mingus Dew, but in honor of the recently departed, I'll have a Dave Bruberry.

Philip Francis Queeg: People are really enthusiastic for Newt? WHY?

I seriously don't get it. I mean I know they are Republicans, and more over they are from Iowa, but what exactly is wrong with these people?

I know, right?!

He's basically a charismatic Dick Cheney.

"Yeah, lets elect another establishment politician!"

Getting excited about him is like getting excited about having Top Ramen for dinner.

HellRaisingHoosier: I'm still sticking with Governor Perry and former-Governor Romney, as the last two candidates in the GOP field.

I'm curious who Romney's VP pick would be.

Gingrich. Not that Fatty'd be especially pleased, but with all the Newtmentum, it's probably the only way to shore up the Christian base, AND get the "He's an IDEAS man" morons on board. It also goes a long way toward healing the Gingrich/Romney divide.

That or Bob McDonnell from VA - another Christian Warrior. The intelligentsia have already penciled him in as the top of the GOP VP shortlist. I have no idea how Governor Gomer makes it to the top of everyone's list (except RONPAUL. He's gonna pick Serious Libertarian Bob Barr as VP.), but that's what I'm hearing.

LouDobbsAwaaaay: The will of GOP voters means precisely dick. The money has chosen Romney, and it's going to be Romney. End of story.

It's still fun to watch the Republican self-flagellation. Of course they'll nominate Mitt, but the thin prospect of a Gingrich ticket is entertaining enough to keep folks tuned in.

12349876: The Bestest: I'll have a Fizzy Gillespie

I'd usually go for a Mingus Dew, but in honor of the recently departed, I'll have a Dave Bruberry.

He's still alive. 2 days ago, he turned 91.

// who do you think he is, Abe Vigoda?
// Time Out is the best jazz album EVAR

Jim Robinson from Freerepublic is probably going to endorse Gingrich.

The fark font made me wonder what exactly a "Lowan" was.

12349876: I'd usually go for a Mingus Dew

The Thinking Man's pop!

There's more dissatisfaction with Michele Bachmann than with any other candidate actively competing in Iowa.

I'm still convinced there is a sexism element at play here that nobody seems willing to discuss.

HellRaisingHoosier: I'm still sticking with Governor Perry and former-Governor Romney, as the last two candidates in the GOP field.

I'm curious who Romney's VP pick would be.

Gov. Perry!? Really? The man just tossed the Hail Mary of campaign tactics by releasing a serious ad about being a Christian and hating gays. No GOP candidate with any hope of attempting to win will touch him now. I'm sure he'll stay in a few primaries but his broad support base has utterly collapsed. The only people I know still supporting him are stubborn @sshats who jumped on the Perry bandwagon from the beginning and are too proud to admit his moment had come and gone as soon as he opened him mouth on a national level.

Iowans jazzed over Gingrich. Gingrich jizzed over Iowans.

LouDobbsAwaaaay: The will of GOP voters means precisely dick. The money has chosen Romney, and it's going to be Romney. End of story.

Thread over.

the opposite of charity is justice: There's more dissatisfaction with Michele Bachmann than with any other candidate actively competing in Iowa.

I'm still convinced there is a sexism element at play here that nobody seems willing to discuss.

We all know Bachmann is sexist. There's nothing to discuss.

EvilEgg: Philip Francis Queeg: People are really enthusiastic for Newt? WHY?

I seriously don't get it. I mean I know they are Republicans, and more over they are from Iowa, but what exactly is wrong with these people?

1) Ran the House during the build up to the Clinton surplus
2) He understands how DC works
3) He is not in DC at the moment so that makes him fresh-ish.
4) Can sometimes sound intelligent

I can understand how those might get you to "I guess he's the best we got", but actual enthusiasm?

Perry has enough campaign cash to sit around for a while.

can't wait for the South Carolina whisper campaign to begin. will it seek to smear Gingrich or Mittens?

As an Iowan, no, We're not enthused about these scumbags fouling up our local air. They're here mainly to kiss the ass of ONE certain lunatic who pushes pledges that support slavery. Other than that guy, the rest of us just want January to be over with so that these sociopaths will bugger off and annoy some other state with the public asshattery.

Why don't the other candidates just start a rumor that Iowa has cancer? Newt will be out of there and trying to stick it into Nebraska by the end of the day.

FeedTheCollapse: but Newt's appeal just escapes me.

Conservatives have been indulging in a fantasy of imagining a debate between Newt and Obama in which Newt asks all kinds of hard questions that completely gobsmack Obama. Newt's entire support revolves around the desire to see this fantasy come true.

/Seriously.

Anyone who likes Newt is so out of touch with reality that they should be committed for 72 hours.

I don't understand GOP primary voters. They eventually abandoned Herman Cain after news of his affair leaked... so they rally around a person who had multiple affairs?

dumbobruni: Perry has enough campaign cash to sit around for a while.

I don't think so. He accumulated a big nest egg during his Month of Glory, but he has exactly zero income now, and he spent a ton of money on ads with "Hollywood style production values" and I've heard that he's starting to run low on cash.

What I find interesting is that Rick Perry polls the highest--and the only one over 50%--in the "OK with choice" catagory.

They're divided on the crazy guy, the panderer, and the crazy panderer, but they're all ok with the dumb shiat.

McManus_brothers: Newt Gingrich: what stupid people imagine smart people sound like.

/or something to that effect.

There might be a terrifying amount of truth to that.

LasersHurt: There might be a terrifying amount of truth to that.

There's no "might" about it. That is precisely the correct analysis.

Bix. Man or legend?

the opposite of charity is justice: I'm still convinced there is a sexism element at play here that nobody seems willing to discuss.

I think most people rank bat-shiat insane above lack of y chromosome when deciding which candidates they do not like; see Perry.

The other stat that pops there is that a FULL one-third of the GOP caucus base says they wouldn't support Huntsman if he were the nominee. Now, a lot would turn if he really won, sure. But still. Governor of Utah, rock-ribbed-conservative, solid family-man, supporter of Ryan's budget, pro-life anti-gay, Jon freaking Huntsman. Has that high of negatives. It's not just the LDS thing (Romney's 'antis' aren't near that strong). It's that the GOP has a lot of freaking loonies.

the opposite of charity is justice: There's more dissatisfaction with Michele Bachmann than with any other candidate actively competing in Iowa.

I'm still convinced there is a sexism element at play here that nobody seems willing to discuss.

No, I don't think so. She did win the straw poll there, so she managed to gain serious traction; I just think she derped her way to the bottom of the polls. I think the base is willing to either ignore and/or defend her lapses of truth as long as she directs them towards a Democrat, but when she started saying stupid shiat within her own party, hat's they she started jumping ship.

After that major HPV vaccine whopper - which she directed towards Perry, the front-runner at the time - that's when her bid started to seriously sink.

McManus_brothers: Newt Gingrich: what stupid people imagine smart people sound like.

This. and also this:
If Newt can avoid setting himself on fire in the next week, the news cycle will be over, and he's going to win Iowa by a large margin. Christmas comes just over a week late this year.

WastedHero: Philip Francis Queeg: People are really enthusiastic for Newt? WHY?

I seriously don't get it. I mean I know they are Republicans, and more over they are from Iowa, but what exactly is wrong with these people?

I know, right?!

He's basically a charismatic Dick Cheney.

"Yeah, lets elect another establishment politician!"

Getting excited about him is like getting excited about having Top Ramen a turd sandwich for dinner.

phritz: he's going to win Iowa by a large margin...

I should rephrase that - no one is going to win a GOP primary this year. Rather, Newt will lose, but not as badly as all the other candidates.

McManus_brothers: Newt Gingrich: what stupid people imagine smart people sound like.

/or something to that effect.

Attribution: Paul Krugman.

Sorry, just setting the record straight.

Le Grand Inquisitor: HellRaisingHoosier: I'm still sticking with Governor Perry and former-Governor Romney, as the last two candidates in the GOP field.

I'm curious who Romney's VP pick would be.

Gov. Perry!? Really? The man just tossed the Hail Mary of campaign tactics by releasing a serious ad about being a Christian and hating gays. No GOP candidate with any hope of attempting to win will touch him now. I'm sure he'll stay in a few primaries but his broad support base has utterly collapsed. The only people I know still supporting him are stubborn @sshats who jumped on the Perry bandwagon from the beginning and are too proud to admit his moment had come and gone as soon as he opened him mouth on a national level.

I have two coworkers who LOVED that add and it proves that Perry is the right candidate and we need to eliminate the separation of church and state but as long as it's the church telling the government what to do and not the government telling church what to do and people who don't like Christians running America should just go back to where they came from and leave America.

The freeper/teabagger brigade are saying "the media is choosing our nominee for us again!!!".