The Republicans Back In The Ring

And then there were five. With the exit of Jon Huntsman from the race, the remaining five GOP presidential contenders took to the stage again to debate. Any presidential primary is a meat grinder. Attrition is par for the course. I must say that I miss the good humor and "9-9-9" of Herman Cain and the constant reminders from Michele Bachmann about the destructiveness of ObamaCare. I also kinda miss Jon Huntsman breaking out Mandarin like it was a show tune.

But we're now down to the last men standing, so let's take a brief look at how they did in their latest outing ahead of the South Carolina primary.

Mitt Romney: he's still the Dominant Guy, running ahead in the state by state as well as national polls and riding the crest of his well-oiled campaign machine. He was shaken a few times, including in a major exchange with Rick Santorum over felons' voting "rights." He ended up echoing a slam-dunk point by Newt Gingrich on killing enemies of America, and he hedged on whether or not he'd release his tax returns. (Interesting: more pressure has already been brought on Romney to release his tax returns than has EVER been brought on Obama to release ANY of his records!) Overall, though, Romney didn't lose any ground.

Newt Gingrich: But Newt made up some ground last night. He finally got off his counterproductive attacks on Bain and moved to his great strengths: talking economic and personal liberty, attacking the cult of dependency and hitting hard on national security. It was the Newt of not-so-old. And it was the Newt that would make mincemeat out of Barack Obama. Can Newt make up enough ground between now and the Saturday SC primary? Not sure. Anything is possible. If he had kept this Newt going all along, he'd be in a stronger position, but we shall see. He's a man of many moves.

Rick Santorum: He had a really great night. He was tough, poised and prepared. He fought hard for conservative principles. He stood his ground and didn't flinch. South Carolina may be his last stand, so he really squeezed every opportunity out of this debate. Good for him. Let's see if he can capitalize on that.

Ron Paul: He is so good on spending, the debt, the Fed and inflation. His big cheer line was that he supports a 0% income tax rate. Now THAT'S something we ALL could get behind! His Achilles heel is that he rejects American superpower. I know he gets some cheers every time he invokes his 21st century isolationism, but the American people at large embrace U.S. power and influence in the world. He still won't be the nominee, but his ideas on government, monetary policy and spending need to be treated seriously.

Rick Perry: If he had performed this well all along, this race may have looked very different. He was strong, dynamic and had a couple of good zingers and humorous lines. But he's faded, which is too bad. He coulda been a contender. South Carolina really is his last stand.

South Carolina is the first reliably GOP state to vote so far. Its economic and jobs situation is much worse than either Iowa's or New Hampshire's. It also has a big military presence and veteran population. The dynamic there is different than in any state so far. The Palmetto state could surprise us. At this point, I think we'd all (Mitt Romney excepted) enjoy a surprise.

Comments

[jay]

Thomas J. Young

I always like to listen to Sarah Palin. "--Newt came out like South Carolina's own Smokin' Joe Frazier". "--iron sharpens iron. Steel sharpens steel. These guys are getting better in their debates." "More debates, more vetting of candidates." Sarah's words are wise, insightful, descriptive, scintillating and unforgettable.

More opinions from an unknown.

BIG DEAL!

[jay]

WOULD SANTORUM BAN ADOPTION OF TROLLS?

Posted by: gringoman | January 17, 2012 at 10:55 PM

Then, you tell us.

Never had one of MY comments deleted!

[gringoman]

Debates may not win elections, but Newt is the only one who continues to articulate conservative principles that ingnite passion on the right. No matter what you think about the other candindates they are each as exciting as kissing your sister. During the Fall campaign Newt may drive a few conservatives crazy from time to time, but I think he will impassion many more.

thegraydog on January 17, 2012

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

WOULD SANTORUM ANNUL TROLL ADOPTIONS?

[M/M]

http://www.examiner.com/howard-stern-in-national/howard-stern-liked-video-of-marines-who-urinated-on-taliban-corpses

[jay]

WOULD SANTORUM BAN ADOPTION OF TROLLS?

Posted by: gringoman | January 17, 2012 at 10:55 PM

Then, you tell us.

Never had one of MY comments deleted!

Posted by: jay | January 17, 2012 at 10:59 PM
As, did UGLY. he had several deleted!

So, who does Monica really protect?

[Rafe]

externallink:http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/rickperrypoll.pdf

Hey Buckie, Gringo - Looks like Texans prefer Romney over Perry. Goes to show you how conflicted Conservatives are in selecting a candidate. Possibly because they have very little confidence in any of them.

UG - How are any of these candidates better than the "won"? Romney can care less for the middle class.

[gringoman]

FlaMurph

Obama has done more damage to race relations in this country than anyone in recent memory.

People have had it with the racist, affirmative action Al Sharpton shtick. That’s why you saw the reaction you saw last night.

Newt knows what he’s doing there.

avgjo on January 17, 2012

===================================================

Were trolls born that way?

[Chief Joe]

Newt! Let there be Light!

Why I like Newt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmS94yneOqI&feature=related

[Chief Joe]

Authenticity.

Elect Lord Romney, the man above all issues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=K9njHHyRI7g

its his inheritance.

[thebuckstopshere]

now remember that successful steel plant, compliments of Bain & GE.........

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/new-obama-omb-director-bain-alum/317976

PART TIME CONGRESS, FULL TIME PRIVATE SECTOR GROWTH, PERRY 2012

[xbjllb]

"Never heard of NAMBLA before Gringo mentioned it. But he has alot of knowledge of it!

HMMMM?" - Jay

Gringoman knows so much about NAMBLA because he used it to model his special interest group which is its offshoot... SEMBLA.

Southeast Asia Man-Boy Love Association.

Now that at least has some SEMBLAnce of the reality of his innermost being.

[xbjllb]

"WOULD SANTORUM BAN ADOPTION OF TROLLS?" - Gringoman

Only by latent homosexual couples.

Like the BACHMANNS.

[xbjllb]

"PALIN: I'D VOTE FOR GINGRICH IN sOUTH CAROLINA" - Gringroman

Yes, but will he vote for HER in hell?

[xbjllb]

"Were trolls born that way?" - Gringoman

I don't know. You'll have to ask YO MAMA about that one.

[xbjllb]

"People have had it with the racist, affirmative action Al Sharpton shtick. That’s why you saw the reaction you saw last night." - Gringoman

Oh yes indeed. And WATCH what happens in the general to utterly refute that asinine racist statement.

Affirmative action is ANTI-racist.

[xbjllb]

"Newt! Let there be Light!" - Chief Joe

Certainly. Hope there was enough light for his kids to see Callista fellating him in the car in the DRIVEWAY while they walked by.

Before they were married. When he was married to another ill woman.

See? That's the difference between a Clinton and a Gingrich. Gingrich got his blowjobs OUTSIDE of the Oval Office, where his kids could see.

And left two wives "to keep the magic going".

Only one question. Given the size of his member and the size of Callista's nose, was it deeper than a "bob the knob" operation?

Have to ask the kids. They know.

[xbjllb]

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

[xbjllb]

Oh Mitt? You know where to send the check. TIA.

[xbjllb]

Kid: "Oh lookie, Daddy has a puppy in his lap in the car!!!"

Newt: "That's right, kids, (petting the white "fur" peeking up over the cardoor frame) now get in the house and I'll bring in the puppy shortly... it's a surprise for your mother! Don't come any closer now or you'll spoil the surprise!!"

Disclaimer: The above excerpt from a screen play is a complete work of fiction and and any resemblance whatsoever to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

[xbjllb]

What the hell ever happened to "What do I tell my CHILDREN?"

DAWYAR.

Doesn't Apply When You're A Republican.

[xbjllb]

Wow. Here's another take on things.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2012/01/17/iran-signs-own-death-warrant/

MUST READ.

[Chief Joe]

Here some SOPA in your eye.

WE cannot go back to the pre-Information-SuperHighway Era. That age is gone. Instead of many conduits for distribution, like other products, we now can distribute anything digitizable, for practically nothing. This is so efficient, that it is impossible to even think of going back, by placing barriers into the system, to
prevent distribution. Almost everyone on the net wants connection and distribution. Individuals might want better ways to control access to the information they provide, and the government may want to impose security restrictions on the net - but we do not want to impose criminality everywhere. The policing would be expensive, if not just plain impossible.

What is needed is a way to monetize the net so information providers get paid. One way to do this, is to make people
pay upfront, with connection plans that take into consideration how you use the net. Obviously one must distinguish a new net commodity from an old, pre-net commodity. I obviate using the word copyright, because ... it applies to hard, material copying - not netinfo. A net-info item should have a limited lifetime within which it is an item for which its creator should be reimbursed. This should apply to anyone who places content on the net and wishes to obtain compensation. When people accesss this material, a company would exist, like Google, to inventory your use. These would be lumped into categories, and as a lumped entity, users would be charged as a plan - but also content providers would be paid.

Personally I would not like to pay for accessing someone's advertising.

Just an idea.

[Ummahgummah]

But will Karl Rove et al. still be laughing if, as many suspect, Obama beats their White Obama?

POSTED BY: GRINGOMAN | JANUARY 17, 2012 AT 01:31 PM

--

I don't think that Obama will beat Mittens nor anyone else. Which is exactly why the field is loaded with ZEROs.

The RINOVES know that WE will hold our collective noses and pull the lever for whatever they trot out as their candidate.

Mittens, the neut, whoever it is are all a bunch of checked-pants LIEberal Republicans intent on lining their own pockets and those of their friends and associates.

The lesser Evil will be a lot more evil than ever before because we simply cannot allow the alternative.

.

[Ummahgummah]

WOULD SANTORUM DEMAND HIV TESTING FOR TROLLS

POSTED BY: GRINGOMAN | JANUARY 17, 2012 AT 02:46 PM

--

X-troll and GAY ARE the HIV virii on the Memo. I favor VACCINATION and ERADICATION.

.

[Ummahgummah]

http://www.examiner.com/howard-stern-in-national/howard-stern-liked-video-of-marines-who-urinated-on-taliban-corpses
POSTED BY: M/M | JANUARY 17, 2012 AT 11:06 PM

--

So do I. I thought they should've rubbed bacon grease all over the corpses before they urinated on them.

Then wrapped them in pig skin and cremated them, thus preventing them from reaching their 72 "virgins".

According to their warped beliefs anyway.

.

[Ummahgummah]

UG - How are any of these candidates better than the "won"? Romney can care less for the middle class.

POSTED BY: RAFE | JANUARY 17, 2012 AT 11:08 PM

--

They don't suck up to PIGslam nearly as much, for one. Santorum in particular and Bachmann were good in naming the enemy.

The won just allowed them to wear veils in the military.

They removed all references to islam when discussing terrorism and violence against US and the rest of non-moslems around the world.

ARE YOU REALLY THAT THICK OR JUST ACTING STUPID?

.

[DJ]

PALIN: I'D VOTE FOR GINGRICH IN sOUTH CAROLINA

http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/01/palin-id-vote-for-newt-in-sc-111238.html

gringoNOTE: This Bud's for you, DJ

---------

Gringoman,

Sarah Palin also endorsed McAnus. Nuff said.

BTW, Newt can't wait to grant "path to citizenship" (read: amnesty) for 12 to 20 million illegals. Is it any wonder why that Hispanic group is endorsing him? Strip away Newt's tough talk and he is revealed to be the most liberal of the bunch.

[DJ]

Newt's idea about laying off janitors and using poor kids to do the janitorial work at public schools is about the dumbest idea I've ever heard. He proposes that one janitor can supervise thirty kids in performing the janitorial requirements. Ha! If that was ever tried, it'd last about one week - if that long. Imagine trying to supervise 30 unmotivated, undisciplined, tweens and young teens to do jobs they are completely untrained and unqualified for? Riiiiiiight!

This is typical of cognitive-elites' impractical thinking. It's not a good reflection on Newt's ability to think in practical terms. But then again, he's the same guy that endorsed Dede Scozzafava ... and sat on that couch will Nancy Pelosi etc. etc....

[Ummahgummah]

Newt can't wait to grant "path to citizenship" (read: amnesty) for 12 to 20 million illegals. Is it any wonder why that Hispanic group is endorsing him? Strip away Newt's tough talk and he is revealed to be the most liberal of the bunch.

POSTED BY: DJ | JANUARY 18, 2012 AT 06:50 AM

--

Yeah. Nuff SAID!

I think you were talking about la raza there. Nice people to have endorse you.

The neut is suffering from Monica Crowley Syndrome. He talks a good game and lashes liberal scum with a sharp tongue, but when push comes to shove he associates with that very same scum, ie. la raza, Nasty Peloser etc etc etc.

Just as Monica allows the trolls to defecate all over her site. Trolls who NEVER listen to her show just by the way.

.

[driftersong]

yeahhhhh buddy , how bout that Sarah Palin , aint she something ? Reminiscent of a place in time not far removed , happen chance the first time i walked up on Sarah's vision it was akin to that of walking bare foot down a moon lit beach , you can smell the salt in the air and hear the sounds of passing seagulls above head , off in the distance a couple exchanges glances you imagine from a passing ship when SUDDENLY !!! a shooting star dances out across the sky , fleeting and soon lost leaves you standing there wishing you could have seen more . I remember listening to not only Sarah Palin but Jan Brewer out of Arizona representing our country down on the front lines of this uncertain , unwelcome terrorism with regard to the security of our borders whilst this kangaroo administration turned and rended both ladies with non representation and filed law suits . I remember asking myself , " Where are our men ? " . Our women are out on the front lines representing , where are our men ? Three years ago , Obama chose to sequester two thirds of this country , held us at bay , from the jump . Yeahhhhh , Gingrich / Palinis your ticket folks .

[driftersong]

p.s. Lest we forget them Fox News ladies as well night after night center right ladies back talkin Obama lol ( tips his ball cap to them fox news ladies )

[xbjllb]

"X-troll and GAY ARE the HIV virii on the Memo. I favor VACCINATION and ERADICATION." - UG

Then support SOPA. You could shut down this ENTIRE blog with a single fraud complaint.

Your wet dreams come true.

[xbjllb]

"Yeahhhhh , Gingrich / Palinis your ticket folks ." - driftersong

Ticket to oblivion, you mean. I don't think even Gingrich is THAT stupid or desperate.

[jay]

X-troll and GAY ARE the HIV virii on the Memo. I favor VACCINATION and ERADICATION.

.

Posted by: Ummahgummah | January 18, 2012 at 05:28 AM
The GAYEST person I know is UGLY! that's all he talks about.
--------------------------------------------------

The neut is suffering from Monica Crowley Syndrome. He talks a good game and lashes liberal scum with a sharp tongue, but when push comes to shove he associates with that very same scum, ie. la raza, Nasty Peloser etc etc etc.

Just as Monica allows the trolls to defecate all over her site. Trolls who NEVER listen to her show just by the way.

.

Posted by: Ummahgummah | January 18, 2012 at 10:32 AM
And, unlike Gringo,UGLY and DJ88, trolls who have NEVER shown disrespect for Monica.

No wonder we never had a comment deleted.
While UGLY holds the record!

[cari]

Monica, do you really think Gingrich is the right candidate to defeat Obama?I'm really surprised you think that way. How about Gingrich's moral? Married 3 times, left wife diagnosed with cancer to marry his mistress of 6 years. Don't you know Monica that been married to the person you chose to marry for the rest of your life means stability, responsibility, and that you are able to make a woman, or a man happy? That you know how to make dedisions? This man couln'd be a responsible person, and you have no problem putting him in the white house to lead millions of people's lives? WHAT IS WRONG with people's moral?

[cari]

If Romny wins, he has my vote. If Gingrich wins, Obama has my vote. Gingrich's cynicism amezing. He also looks like a pittbull ready to attack.