To reiterate... Jones Vargas government affairs representative Brian Sandoval, who moonlights as Nevada's governor, knew Rick Perry before the rest of America was exposed to the Texas governor's childish yammering, idiotic blithering and retrograde bigotry. And yet Sandoval endorsed him anyway.
Alas, Republican judgment is an oxymoron -- even with respect to a former judge like Sandoval, evidently -- and a potentially significant smattering of low-information wingnutted hawkeyes (an endangered species only in their own minds) may be on the verge of echoing Sandoval's reckless conclusion: A critical mass of American media, convening in Des Moines to ring in the New Year and obsess about horserace horseshit, are collectively moving toward the consensus that Perry could shockingly finish third in Tuesday's caucuses.
Nothing could be finer for Nevada and the nation than for Mousse in Boots to translate an Iowa surprise into a respectable New Hampshire finish and build enough momentum to actually win in South Carolina.
If Romney is allowed to wrap up the nomination early, his production team can immediately pivot to designing and manufacturing General Election Mittens, which is bad. But as long as Romney's right flank is potentially vulnerable to an assault from Perry's relentless Sharron Angle impersonation, Willard, too, has to bring The Crazy. Which is good.
Of course, even if Perry actually wins Iowa, the New Hampshire primary is a full week later, and seven days is far too long for Perry to be in the spotlight without catastrophically imploding yet again. So never mind. The most overrated thing in Nevada is still Brian Sandoval. And the next truly interesting development in the 2012 presidential campaign will not be the results of some caucus or primary, but the release of Mitt Romney's tax returns.
UPDATE (irrelevant): Mousse in Boots announced over the weekend that he'll skip New Hampshire no matter what happens in Iowa, but the supecalifragilistic Des Moines Register poll suggests there is no last gasp for Perry after all anyway. So it's all moot -- except of course for the part where the governor of Nevada thought a simple-minded bigot should be president.
Don't be surprised if Santorum pulls off an upset in the Iowa caucuses because after all, the ex-Senator knows how to come from behind.
Posted by: RussBBinVegas@aol.com | 12/31/2011 at 07:15 PM
On "Nevada Week in Review" a couple of week ago on the teevee, the commentators made an insightful comment about the Republican Presidential primary process. One candidate after the other had the same trajectory: rapid rise, followed by rapid fall. The commentators said the Republican electorate was "serial-drunk-dialing anybody but Mitt Romney". Gingrich is the latest, rising from the dead only to lose half his support. Or is it Rick Santorum?
(Years ago, Ted Kennedy asked: "Santorum? Is that Latin for 'asshole'?")
The truly hopeful sign for the country: Republican voters are not happy with their choices. I'm not either. And Republicans are hopelessly divided.
Posted by: Observer | 01/01/2012 at 07:14 AM
Enjoyed the article, Gleanster.
Sandoval and Perry are perfect for each other.
To add to your article about the idiocy of Perry, there was an article I read today from someone who works in the Perry campaign who basically slapped him silly, saying he has run the most hairbrained campaign he has ever seen. I didn't read along any further, but I'm pretty sure he left the Perry camp soonest.
As far as Romney's tax returns, he won't release them. Not until the last moment. Why? Because he knows that if he releases them right now at this volatile moment in the crazy topsy turvy Tea/Republican Party election process, it will guarantee he won't get the nod. It'll get him skipped past and ignored faster than a Senator Reid supporter at a Tea Party rally.
But the amazing thing about that is, if he does get the nod from his mindless Tea/Republican Party minions, the release of those tax returns will basically be revealed to all of America and render him...unelectable.
Anyways, Happy New Year, Gleanster.
I am now actively pursuing my New Year's Resolution: Joining the Tea Party.
I have already taken the first step in the qualification process by making an appointment with a certified brain surgeon to have half of it removed.
Posted by: ColinFromLasVegas | 01/01/2012 at 07:22 AM